Interview: The Primitive Screwheads
Oh, how we adore the Primitive Screwheads. Our first experience with them was at the final (sob) performance of their most glorious Evil Dead: Live, in which the guerilla (to wit: they rehearse in whatever unoccupied classrooms they can find at a local college, their props all seem to come from Mythbusters:The Home Version, and we're not really clear on their adherence to copyright law) theatre company brilliantly deconstructed the classic Sam Raimi trilogy as well as a host of other pop-culturalisms, spraying blood and body parts all the while.
We were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at their new production, Re-Animator of the Dead: The Tale of Herbert West. As we watched the gang rehearse, we marveled at their Macguyver-like ingenuity with props and staging -- somebody needs to give these kids some real money, because the work they do on nothing is freakin' amazing. Over our time with them we heard not just every possible (and some flat-out impossible - "Batman," Chapelle, "The Sound of freakin' Music"?) references and homages to the subject matter at hand, but also heard a man boast about pulling bloody rabbits out of his stomach and then turn around and sincerely argue for subtlety, as well as a guy who had just finished making a necrophilia joke also nervously refer to a castmate's breasts as 'thimajigs."
It's that kind of duality, eclectism, and irony that has us anxiously anticipating the opening of Re-Animator this Thursday at the Off-Market Theater, where it's playing until Sunday, October 30. Their shows sell out super fast, so buy your tickets now for what we promise will be the most hilarious gorefest (and by gorefest, we mean it -- it's going to get messy, folks, so leave your Prada at home) in town.
To kill the empty house until Thursday's show, we got three of the Screwheads to endure the SFist Interview. Below, hear what Danny Acree (who playes James Whale in the show), Ian McVey (who plays a walking headless body and several other small roles), and Sean Madeira (the director) have to say in response to our SFist questions.
The Primitive Screwheads are:
F.U.B.A.R (Danny)
The Best Damn Live Horror, Blood entertainment in the whole world. (Ian)
A Group of People who just like to have fun. (Sean)
Introduce yourself in one sentence:
Hello, Sir. I’m the one who knocked up your daughter. (Danny)
Ian McVey: 101% FUNK! (Ian)
Madeira. Sean Madeira. (Sean)
Occupation:
Teamster Local 85 (Danny)
Painter (Ian)
To Be Determined (Sean)
Home Town:
Sonora, CA (Danny)
Sonora, CA (Ian)
San Francisco (Sean)
How much time have you spent in the Bay Area:
Not Enough (Danny)
One Year and One Half (Ian)
My Whole Life (Sean)
Favorite Website:
Celebrityscandal.com (Danny)
http://tyranno.saur.us(Ian)
bloodydisgusting.com (Sean)
Favorite Local Business
“Sloat” or 3rd & Geary (Danny)
Amoeba Music (Ian)
What I’m currently reading:
This Question. (Danny)
Catch 22 (Ian)
Bed Of Nails by Michael Slade (Sean)
Best Deal in San Francisco:
Free Mist (Danny)
1994 National Poker Tournament: Skip "Blackjack" Molen (Ian)
A ticket to any Primitive Screwheads performance (Sean)
Favorite mode of Transportation:
My Legs (Danny)
Hitch Hiking (Ian)
Llama (Sean)
Favorite Local Hangout:
337 3rd Ave (Danny)
337 3rd Ave (Ian)
337 3rd Ave (Sean)
SF Has the BEST:
Opportunities (Danny)
Live Blood Entertainment (Ian)
People (Sean)
You Never Lived in SF until:
You’ve sold your first born’s kidney for rent. (Danny)
You’ve seen a show by The Primitive Screwheads (Ian)
You’ve eaten at John’s Grill (Sean)
Favorite Bay Area politician of past or present:
That one guy. What’s his name? Oh, yeah! Bob Saget! (Danny)
Barry Bonds (Ian)
Eddie DeBartolo (Sean)
Now that Gavin Newsom is single, who are you going to set him up with?
Bee Arthur (Danny)
Who Cares? (Ian)
The Famous San Francisco Twins (Sean)
You can tell someone is a local here IF:
You judge a hobo’s begging attempt like American Idol. (Danny)
They’ve got an I-Pod and a 1980 wardrobe. (Ian)
They carry a jacket everywhere they go. (Sean)
SF would sooo much be better if only:
The Earth opened up and swallowed it whole. (Danny)
It didn’t cost so much to live here. (Sean)
Best Burrito:
One that doesn’t make you puke. (Danny)
Chicken & Cheese (Ian)
McDonald’s limited time only Bef (not a misspelling) Burrito that came out in 80’s. (Sean)
Best Restaurant:
Eat’s Café (Danny)
House of Prime Rib!!!!!! (Ian)
House of Prime Rib (Sean)
Best Movie scene filmed in or about SF:
Dirty Harry (Danny)
Harold and Maude (Ian)
Bullet (Sean)
Best Thing to do in the city in the summer:
Buy a Gortex coat (Danny)
Freeze and Cry (Ian)
Go on a vacation to some place warm. (Sean)
Favorite Author to come out of the Area:
Kevin Mitchell or Will Clark (Danny)
Kerouac (Ian)
Dashiell Hammett (Sean)
Place you always tell visitors to check out:
Castro… muhaha! (Danny)
Boys: Hunter’s Point; Girls: 337 3rd Ave (Ian)
North Beach (Sean)
Favorite Bridge in the Area:
One that will stay up. (Danny)
I don’t play cards. (Ian)
San Mateo (Sean)
You have 2 hours and $15 bucks to kill in SF, what are you going to do?
Buy a gallon of gas and get stuck in traffic. (Danny)
Buy as many gumballs as I can and roll them down Powell Street. (Ian)
Buy some Cold Stone Ice Cream, go for a nice walk while eating it, and then die of hypothermia. (Sean)
I have found/sold/bought the following on craiglist:
Swedish made suck machine. (Danny)
My manhood. (Ian)
My ex-girlfriend (Sean)
I want all the SFist out there to know:
The Primitive Screwheads will work for beer. (Danny)
That there will be more to come. (Ian)
If you want to have a good time, come to our show. (Sean)
Question you’d ask if you were doing this interview:
What would you do if you were mayor for the day? (Danny)
Tell us about your part? (Ian)
Is Elvis alive and have you seen him? (Sean)