Interviews

Interviews: Matt Zane

I caught up with Matt Zane over the phone. He was a wonderful speaker and had no fear in talking about anything in particular. His band Society 1 has been receiving great success and reviews as of lately. His porn movie company also has been getting high ratings and praise.

Smother - Do you take care of the directing duties for most of the Zane Entertainment films?

Matt - Up until the last year, I was pretty much the only one. But now there are other directors on a few releases. If I'm on tour or doing a gig somewhere and I can't make it one of them does it instead. I mean we currently release about 3 or 4 releases a month so I can't do it all.

Smother - How do you feel about doing movies that are dubbed pornography?

Matt - It really doesn't effect me. It definitely loses its sting. Living in California, I really don't catch much slack. It's definitely a whole lifestyle and I don't feel that it's out of the ordinary, but I guess other will.

Smother - Do you feel that your work should be considered an art form or is it just a bunch of fucking?

Matt - Some movies just a bunch fucking. I feel movies like the Backstage Sluts and Sexual Society series are art forms. Some are definitely pieces of art but then on the otherhand some are just fuck flicks.

Smother - Out of all the movies that you've worked on, does one stand out as a favorite?

Matt - The one that I'm working on right now, called Sexual Society 2. Sexual Society follows my band and is definitely a piece of art. This time around the band got bigger and better. We just got done shooting it. It's definitely the ultimate rock-n-roll fantasy. I once did this movie called Sunset Inc. where I almost killed myself. I did a bunch of stunts. A lot of porn directors will say they've got these gun shots and explosions and that's supposed to be great. Well this movie had that but also some Jackie Chan-like stunts. I actually got some fighters in there. I had to scale a three-story building without harness. I got thrown around too. I mean some of the action is cheesy but I don't know. I've made something like 75 movies and those two stick out as favorites I guess.

Smother - Do you like to work with specific actresses or actors?

Matt - Not really. I like to work with Dave Hardman because he's just ridiculous. He's out of control. Ron Jeremy, I mean he a piece of history but he's still really good at what he does. I guess for an actress it would be just whoever I find hot lately. I've worked with so many actresses. I guess it's whoever's ass I'm infatuated with at the moment.

Smother - What do you think America's viewpoint on porn is?

Matt - It's definitely getting more open-minded. But I don't know, I was in Germany and it made me feel like I had been living in a jail cell. I mean over there they've got it in airports. Porns are on regular TV. America's view on porn is becoming more liberal and it's making it's way into the mainstream. I mean I remember when Ozzy Osbourne was considered bad. I just saw a car ad that had "Crazy Train", because those kids are now buying cars.

Smother - How's your band doing?

Matt - We're on Cloud Nine. We just sent the films and master out. We're expecting a release date in April. We're gonna be doing some shows with Pro-Pain in April. Then there's the new Sexual Society 2. It would be nice of course to get a million dollar advance on a major label. I produced the album, I made the movie, it's on my own record label, and we've got good distribution. There's nothing more thrilling. Some bands are slaves to the record company. They're in the hole and have given up everything. The end product isn't so personalized. It's not all yours, but this is all me. No one can say someone helped me. Jon Davis has been giving us some great support. He gave me a great quote to put on our press kits 'Matt Zane is one of the most talented guys I know'. It's really an honor coming from him.

Smother - Will there be a sequel to the Backstage Sluts series?

Matt - I don't have anything in the works. I mean, who am I gonna get that's bigger than Korn? Maybe I could get Marilyn Manson or Monster Magnet, or maybe Rob Zombie. But I mean the last one, how am I gonna top that?

Smother - How do you prevent diseases from being contracted when a lot of the actors don't use condoms?

Matt - Lately, all my movies have been using condoms. Also, we all go through AIDS DNA tests every month. They're extremely accurate and prevent that disease from spreading. We've been 'All Condom' for the last year.

Smother - When getting ready to make a film, what preparations are needed?

Matt - It depends on what movie. There's prepost production and postproduction. In some films like the Cocksuckers series you just basically set up a camera and film. Some films take a year to finish like the last Society One film and some take a couple days. Some are over 6 months. Most films cost between $5,000 and $6,000. You have your editing costs, manufacturing, it's almost like a cable movie.

Smother - What would you do if you met a guy named Carbomb?

Matt - I wouldn't think twice. In my business, I'm used to things that aren't considered normal, but what's normal? Names don't make you.

Smother - What would you like to say to our readers?

Matt - Pick up Sexual Society 2 and buy our new album Slacker Jesus.