na_mike

thanks for the compliments, man. I've been curious to see what a Trail Of Dead fan would think, because no one I know is into the band. Just have to figure out what to do next.

As far as the documentary, I took over one night for the girl (the one you see them editing the video with) because she just wanted to watch the show and I was there for one night up in Boston to hang out. that opening part where Jason reads the disclaimer, I shot that. There's a lot of footage from that show, actually, that I shot. Including that one part where Kevin holds the picture of Dick Cheney, I think , up to his face and sticks his tounge through it. I really liked the documentary, but it did make the guys seem a little more juvenile than I think they are. I mean, they are so smart is some ways. I don't know if that came across. I did want to see much more, though.

So is the album pretty different than what you expected?

I emailed Conrad about two-and-a-half years back, saying I was an independent music video director and had a great idea for their track "How Near, How Far." The craziness of doing that is so shocking to me I don't know what the hell I was thinking. I would never in a million years do something like that again, because I wasn't really a video director at all. I had shot a few concerts, but my idea for the track was so solid, I had to tell them.
When I actually spoke with Conrad on the phone I almost puked. I worried I was going to yell "You guys rock!" and hang up the phone. My idea and his thinking of what a video could be were almost exactly the same. I submitted a treatment and continued to stay in touch with them, but they didn't take me very seriously because they thought I was just a superfan with some good ideas. And I'l be honest with you, that was pretty accurate.
About a year later when they were touring for the Elena's Tomb album, I took some footage of their shows. I came up with a more advanced version of the video you saw, and they liked the idea.
Originally, Conrad was supposed to do the drawings, but, again, I don't think he thought I could do anything with the idea. So, I hired a friend and did the whole thing on my own. It wasn't until I was finished with it that the band even knew it existed. But, they liked it and wanted to put it on the DVD. So, there you go.

Wow. Pitchfork really harshed on the latest album. I'm betting they were expecting something pretty different than Worlds Apart. I was expecting more ass-kicking type stuff. More driving, less meandering. But, I love a few of the tracks on it.