2001 MANIACS: FIELD OF SCREAMS Exclusive Interview: Bill Moseley Vs. Brian S

Ol' "Chop-Top Sawyer" himself Bill Moseley is a legend in the horror biz! He has taken over the reigns as Mayor George W. Buckman previously played by Robert Englund in the new 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams and has made the character his own!  He's a really cool guy even though he plays the bad guy most of the time, from roles like Chop-Top in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 to Otis in House of a 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects, to Repo: The Genetic Opera, heck he's even been on Days of Our Lives! He also has a band called Spider Mountain and even has some music that's featured the new "Maniacs" movie. Check out my latest "Versus" below and go rent or buy 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams on July 20th. Here's another one I can check off my bucket list! Thank you Mr. Moseley!

  Brian  S- How did you get the call to take over the reigns as Mayor Buckman?

Bill Moseley-  From what I gathered, director Tim Sullivan had me in mind from the minute his "Maniacs" sequel was green-lit. I've known & liked Tim for years, loved his original "Maniacs" remake, so it didn't take a whole lot of convincing for me to step into Mayor Buckman's patent-leather shoes. My biggest hesitation was taking over from The Man, Mr. Robert Englund. That's one tall order, let me tell you! But Tim & my co-star Lin Shaye assured me that I was reinventing the character, not copying Robert, so that took a load off. And once I got all suited up & eye-patched and hit the set, Mayor Buckman channeled me!  

Brian  S- What you best experience in making this movie?

Bill Moseley- I had a wagon-load of fun whooping it up with my fellow Maniacs on the banks of the steady, sturdy Missouri River, but my best experience has to be not falling to my dismemberment and/or death during my midnight sword fight on top of the Maniacs school bus. The bus top was slippery & narrow, and there was a lot of choreography that went into my fight with Jesus (I swung the sword; he brandished the pitch fork). Sometimes, in the moment, one forgets just where one is in space & time, but I stayed present and didn't make any fatal missteps. Oh, and during the shoot there were lots of topless girls everywhere you looked, so that certainly added to the quality of the experience!

Brian  S- How is working with Tim Sullivan?

Bill Moseley- Working with Tim Sullivan was perplexing at first. I'm used to tough, mean directors who could give Captain Ahab a run for his money, and Tim was always smiling. It took me awhile to figure out that he was smiling, not to trick me, not to get me to lower my guard so he could smack me down, but because he was genuinely happy with everyone's work, the fabulous costumes & special effects makeup, the dialogue, the catering. Hell, I think he even liked the chiggers & mosquitoes! So working withTim was no work at all; it was more like an Iowa-flavored love-fest!

Brian  S- You have some music that's on the soundtrack, am I right?

Bill Moseley- Yes, my music partner, Rani Sharone, and I have a song titled "Lord, Let Me Help You Decide" that plays during the "Maniacs" end-credits roll. Rani's & my band, Spider Mountain, just released our first CD called "No Way Down," and banjo-driven "Lord, Let Me Help You Decide" is one of our most popular tracks! The song itself was from an unfinished lyric that I had originally intended for my old band Cornbugs with guitar god, Buckethead. When Tim Sullivan mentioned to me that he was looking for songs for the "Maniacs" soundtrack, Rani & I got to work and banged out "Lord..." in a matter of days. Our album is available for download on iTunes, and if you want an autographed CD, look for it at my website, choptopsbbq.com. For song samples & videos, check out our Spider Mountain Myspace page.

Brian  S- Any cool surprises that you can tell us about in the film?

Bill Moseley- No real cool surprises, but I would like to say that I had a ball reuniting with my "Repo!" brother, Ogre, from Skinny Puppy. His performance was spot on & inspired, and he was once again a pleasure to work with. Oh, I guess a cool surprise for me was having my older daughter, Jane Moseley, come out to Iowa and spend a few days on the set working with the special effects makeup guys painting guts & gizzards.  Right after the "Maniacs" gig, Jane flew to New York City and spent the year working in the art department of "Saturday Night Live"!

Brian  S- Would you like to say anything to all the "Maniacs" out there?

Bill Moseley- Well, I guess it would be Mayor Buckman-appropriate to say to y'all, "Suck my Dixie!" Hope you like the movie, and please tell your friends to come and see it!