| Article
by Joseph A. Ziemba
"Caution!
May strip touchy critics of their
dignity!" So states the cover
collage emblazed on David Nelson’s
“Miss Werewolf” video.
Good thing I’m not a touchy
critic. Good thing, indeed.
See, if I was, I’d be missing
out on something eccentrically original
and pretty inspirational: a dedication
to doing what you love no matter
what the costs...even if what you
love is churning out zero-budget
video monster epics in your backyard.
Over the past ten years, David “The
Rock” Nelson has made quite
a name for himself and his shot-in-the-backyard-burbs-of-Chicago
video monster movies. Judging from
the little press I could find on
the guy, his work is either derailed
as senseless garbage or heralded
as inspirational. Whatever the case,
opinions are never middle road and
always interesting. It’s like
Dave Friedman said: say you love
it or say you hate it, but at least
say something.
Well, I’m here to say that
the whole aura surrounding Mr. Nelson
and his videos is fascinating, hilarious,
and never boring. David, an ex-marine
and golden gloves boxer, has dubbed
himself the "The Ed Wood of
The Future, & Beyond That, Even."
And why not? I can certainly see
the resemblance in dedicated enthusiasm.
Sure, Ed worked with scripts, real
actors, legendary horror icons,
and the immortal Criswell, but you
make due with what you have, right?
Trash cinema is trash cinema, and
if the heart is there, who cares
about the format. So gimme some
rainbow dubbing lines...I’m
ready to watch, laugh, and scratch
my head.
In June of 2004, Bleeding Skull
confronted David “The Rock”
Nelson via email about his steadily
developing legacy. Answers have
been pasted verbatim, save for the
occasional paragraph break. Trust
me on this one.
Bleeding Skull: Your videos
are completely strange, mesmerizing,
and quite funny. Despite their no-budget
origins, they’re proof that
anyone can decide to do whatever
they want and be recognized for
that decision. That’s admirable.
What are your goals and aspirations
in regard to your videos?
David Nelson: I want to entertain
people, -& help them laugh &
have a good, howling, spooky-fun
time!
BS: What are your inspirations
and influences?
DN: Roger Corman & his B-Monster
movies of the fifties & beyond,
which I watched quite often as a
kid, on the after school, 3:30 pm
movie, on ABC-TV Chicago, 'The Big
Show', which screened Roger's 'It
Conquered The World' often. Then,
there's, of course, the 'Creature
Features', like 'Bride of Frankenstein',
'Son of Frankenstein', 'Frankenstein's
Daughter', etc.! The first
real monster movie I saw, as a 5-years-'young'
boy, on a rainy, Sat. at noon,
in the fall of 1961, on WGN-TV, channel
9! The movie was 'Abbott & Costello
Meet Frankenstein', -& I loved
every second of it! Sure, Dracula
frightened me a little, as did Frankenstein's
Monster(played by Glenn Strange,
my favorite Frankenstein Monster!),
but, the movie was 'spooky-fun'!
Other A.I.P.(American International
Pictures) were shown after school,
on ABC's 'The Big Show', like, 'How
To Make A Monster', 'She Creature',
'Robot Monster', 'The Killer Shrews',
-& two often shown Don
Sullivan movies, 'Teenage Zombies'
-& 'The Giant Gila Monster'(which
I'll be hosting at the annual 'Monster
Bash' Conference, which is held
*June 25th-27th, 2004, in Butler,
Pa., at 'The Day's Inn'! For
more info., go to: www.CreepyClassics.com
-& click 'Monster Bash'!
You may click my photo on their
guest list for my other website)!
Speaking of Don Sullivan, I recently
wrote an article on him, which will
appear in a future issue of the
new 'Monster Bash' Magazine.
Other influences to me were actors
Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney[Jr.], Boris
Karloff, Dwight Frye(his Renfield
character in 'Dracula'!), filmmakers
Larry Buchanan, Phil Tucker('Robot
Monster'), & later, of course,
Eddie(Ed) Wood! But, speaking of
Dwight Frye, I can imitate his Renfield
character to a T, -& have performed
as him on stage at The Annual 'Monster
Bash' Convention! Filmmaker/Prod.
Buddy Barnett, of Cult Movies Mag.,
was so impressed by my rendition,
that he invited me up to Las Vegas
for a week, to be in his up-coming
'Skid Row Dracula', where I play
Renfield # 2, -& the featurette
will double-bill with The Late,
Great John Agar's last movie, 'The
Vampire Hunter's Club'"!
BS: Approximately how long
have you been steadily producing
these monstrous schlock videos?
When and how did you decide to shoot
the first one?
DN: I had dreams of making my own
monster movies since I was 7 years
'young', and would have made them
in my own backyard, and asked my
Dad for an 8mm movie camera, which
he couldn't afford, at the
time. My parents did, however,
buy me a then(in early 60's!) .35-cent
Kodak 120 photo camera, -& I
posed for many shots, wearing the
then popular plastic monster masks,
with the rubber band around back!
I'd wear my dad's old high school
letter jacket -& pose as Teenage
Werewolf! Then, after seeing 'Frankenstein'
on WGN's 'Creature Features', I
used mortician's wax that my Mom,
Harriett, bought me(at the Masquerade
Shop on Milwaukee Ave., across from
Portage Theater, in Chicago), -&
tried to make my brow, above my
eyes, look like Frankenstein's Monster!
Again, someone took a photo of me
like that, dressed in an old suit
jacket & black shoes, imitating
The Monster! In the Fall of 1964,
I got my first crack at acting in
a monster movie! After I started
a Monster Club, which was held weekly
at my friend, Don Stillwaugh's house(in
the basement, Don was Pres., I was
Sgt.-At-Arms!), in Park Ridge, IL.,
his Dad, Don Stillwaugh, Sr., a
well-known architect in the area,
filmmed Super-8mm footage of us
with our new, Walgreen's-bought
2/3-over-the-head rubber monster
masks! I was a zombie coming out
of a hole in the ground, doubling
as a grave! Don was Cyclops, throwing
a huge log! My little brother, Phillip,
wore his much-larger-than-his-head,
dangling, wiggling, Devil mask!
My 20 seconds of fame! Then, in
the summer of 1965, Don, Jr. directed
his 3-minute 'Ant Devil', filmed
by his dad! In my scene, I am playing,
running around a tree with my pal,
Len Lykowski, when, suddenly, a
big, black, 6-inch, rubber ant crawls
down the tree! It bites us, and
we fall to the ground! Someone didn't
tell Len that he was supposed to
pretend he was dead, for, as the
camera was rolling, he was smiling,
as he reached up to his nose and
'picked a winner'! 'Haaah'!!! A
few years later, in The Fall, when
I was 12, we made a Demon Monster
& Werewolf movie, on the grounds
of an old castle, which still stands,
on NorthWest Hwy., in Fox River
Grove, IL.! I played The Werewolf,
and, after I was shot with an 8-ring
cap pistol(pretending it was a silver
bulllit!-'Hah'!), Don, Jr., gradually
removed hair, as his Dad filmed,
to do a transformation back into
a hu-man! The then owner invited
us into his castle, to film behind
the secret doors in the walls,
where The Frightening Demon Monster(played
by Don Stillwaugh, Jr.!) hid, and,
then, as he came out, met his doom,
with one swing of Don, Sr.s Father's
knight sword! It's interesting,
as I later used my friend's(Andrew
"Chief" Morritz, as seen
in my "Mummy-A.D. 1993") Grandfather's
knight sword in two of my short
films; 'Dracula From Space', then,
in 'the hoot, 'Mummy-A.D. 1993'!
In 1971 I became facinated with
boxing, after 'Smokin' Joe Frazier
whupped Clay/Ali! I then began body-building,
naturally, through good eating,
drinking lots of milk, snacking
between meals, as I weight-trained
3 times a week, after school, for
1 & 1/2 hours! I also boxed
after school, -& even decked
my boxing coach, fellow Maine South
High School student, Joe Nicolau,
who outweighed me by 25 pounds! I
was 120, he was a muscular 145,
but, when he came in with a right
cross to the body, I threw the big
right cross, -& down he
went! ...And he stayed down, rolling
around on the mat, as he moaned,
'What did you hit me with'?! We
sparred often in the girl's dance
class rooms, after school! I later
became a Chicago Golden Gloves boxer('76,
& '88 thru 1991!), and boxed
in The Marines, between 1976-'80, becoming
a member of The Subic Bay Boxing
Team, in Subic Bay, Republic of
The Philippines, as a featherweight(126)
& lightweight(132) from 1977-'78! It
was also, in The Philippines, that
I bought my 1st dual-8 movie camera,
on base, with my first paycheck
there, for $135.! I took many movies
of our activities there, on &
off the base! I continued filming
my activities throughout my 4
years in The Marines, as I went
on 2 Mediterranean cruises, touring
Spain, past The Rock of Gibraltar,
Greece, Turkey, the island of Crete,
Sardinia(where many sword &
sandal Hercules epics were filmed
in the 60's!), -& even The Leaning
Tower of Pisa, & Florence &
Rome, Italy! I even saw, -&
filmed The Pope! I utilised some
stock footage from the Philippines
in my later 2002 'Devil Ant-2' sequel(Wilder
than the 1st!) & used Naples,
Italy stock footage as a backdrop
for my detective office in 'War
of The Werewolves', the 3rd story
on my 'Monster Tales' trilogy(early
2002)!
Later in The Marines, I got saved,
and wanted to preach for Jesus,
so, after The Marines, I went to
Bible College, where I stayed 5
years, majoring in Evangelism, but
minoring in English, and doing well
in speech, of course! There, since
there was no boxing(or punching
bag!), I wrestled varsity, for 4
years, starting, my freshman year(1980),
as a 126-pounder! Each year, through
natural bodybuilding(no steroids,
just good eating, twice-a-week weight
training, lots of milk, -& an
occasional natural protein powder
drink), I'd go up in weight! My
2nd year I was the 134-pounder,
then, in '82,142, 150 in '83, -&
in my final year, I went up to 158,
then, down to 150, for my final
match, which I won, by 2nd period
pin, -after my opponent, who outweighed
me, head-butted me! I have that
match on film(a team member filmed
it w/my movie camera!), -& it's
now on video, as well as many of
my wrestling & boxing matches!
After I was graduated from college
with a BA Degree, I preached at
Chicago's Rescue Mission once, &
a few Bible Baptist Churches, but,
mostly, on street corners, sometimes
with a battery-powered megaphone(not
that I needed it, as my voice is
loud, as it thunders from my diaphram!),
to any & all who would listen
or pass by! Once, when I said, 'Jesus
saves', some Satanists yelled back, 'Satan
Lives'! I yelled back, 'The Devil
is The Loser! You better get Right,
boy'! -And, I have that incident
on tape! That particular weekend,
I had rented a vhs camcorder, from
a Des Plaines Photo, mounted
on the tripod, as I preached-away!
That incidence is 'classic'!
At that time, to make money, I was
a door-to-door salesman for World
Publishers, which sold Funk
& Wagnall's Dictionaries, medical
books, and encyclopedias! I have
video of that, too! In 1989, I went
into former Ditka's City Lights
Restaurant, on Ontario St., in Chicago,
-& sold a 2-year subscription
of Newsweek & US News to ex-Heavyweight
World Champion, Leon Spinks! He
recieved a free 2-vol. dictionary
from the sale(my commission on that
was $20.)! Ironically, I met him,
again, in Aug., 2000, at a sports
convention, he remembered me, I
shot video of him with my rubber
Devil Ant, -& he will be in
my next 'Devil Ant-3: Son of Devil
Ant'!
Back to my filmmaking; I have
been filming, then, video-taping
all my life, ever since I could
get my hands on a camera! I even
took 2 years of Photography at Maine
South High School, in Park Ridge,
IL., where Hillary Rodham(now Clinton)
was graduated, about 10 years before
me! Ironically, I saw her at a Park
Ridge, IL. visit(only a few blocks
from Park Ridge Public Library,
where I am typing this interview!),
on Oct. 27, 1997, -& inserted
the footage into my 'epics'(??!),
'Devil Ant'(1999), & then, 'Miss
Werewolf'(2001)! Ironically, her
husband, 'Big Bill' Clinton, has
a cameo in the sequel, 'Devil Ant-2',
which also has G.W. Bush! Yes, I
saw them both, at public speeches,
and, with my press pass & i.d.,
was permitted into the area, where
I got much of their speeches on
video, to use in up-coming monsta(monster)
flicks! I did want to add, that,
the 1st 8mm movie I ever shot, was
in 1972, in photo class, for Mr.
Phillip Dunn! In that, my younger
brother, Phil, throws watter balloons
at his pal, Dave, who's on his mini-bike,
show-boating! Phil then steals his
friend's mini-bike(belonging to
neighbor, David Swanson!), then
crashes it into our garage wall(same
garage used later as The Mummy's
hide-out in my 'Mummy-A.D. 1993'!)!
David sees Phil, whiped-out, then,
as he checks to see if he's alright,
my brother slaps him, -& I inserted
a 'Pow' cardboard poster(magic marker
lettered, on cardboard), after he
slapped him! 'The End'! Even though,
in the early 70's, my interest
in monsters diminished, I still,
occasionally, watched the monster
movies, as well as Bruce Lee &
action flicks! Bruce Lee & Rocker,
Jimi Hendrix were born on my birthdate,
*Nov. 27th, I in 1956(the year Bela
Lugosi died & Elvis 1st
came to Hollywood!), & Bruce
Lee in 1940, Hendrix in '42, -but,
all 3 of us, the same day, *Nov.
27th! Ironic, as I'm a big Bruce
lee fan! Jimi's music 'Rocks', too! The
monster/sci-fi bug came back during
Bible College, around 1983, -&
even more so, when my brother, Phillip,
invited me to a midnight screening
of 'Terminator'! I hadn't been to a
movie theater in 7 years(due to
restrictions at our Bible college!),
-& I loved it! I started going
to movies more, and, during
my Bible college days, on break,
watched movies like Al adamson's
Dracula Vs. Frankenstein', for the
1st time, on TV, -at 5:30 am! Years
later, at Chiller Theater Expo,
May, 1994, I met Director Al
Adamson, a very nice man, -&
his Producer, Sam Sherman, -&
got my photo taken, standing with
these two icons, heroes of mine!
Sadly, Mr. Adamson was murdered
about 5 months later. Although
I stayed with filming Super-8 movies
of my activities through-out college
& beyond, that deep love for
making 'monster' movies returned
around 1990! As my District Sales
Manager(& guitarist/vocalist
for his rock band, formerly 'The
Attics'!) Mark Wasserman &
I drove back to the office, at night,
past the forrest preserve, I'd tell
him, 'That[forrest scenery] would
be good for a monster movie'! Everytime
we'd pass something creepy-looking,
I'd say, 'That'd be good for a movie'!
But, the very 1st day of filming
my 'Volume 1 Video Shorts', with
'Frankenstein & Dracula Vs.
Sodom INsane(saddam hussein parody!)',
was in Chicago's Loop, at an old,
creepy-looking, over 100 year old
house, at 1919 S. Prairie, on *Oct.
23, 1991"!
BS: Can you discuss the
kind of equipment you use to shoot
and edit your videos?
DN: I first learned how to use
a camcorder after my older brother,
& former stand-up comic, movie
extra, actor, carpenter, and ex-college
varsity wrestler, Keith 'Noodles'/'Mini-Hulk'
Nelson died, on *Oct. 18, 1990.
He began using my super-8 movie
camera on trips to Club Med., Mexico.
Then, he bought a big Sony Video-8
camcorder, & video-documented
all of his exotic travels! We still
have those videos, today, -&
occasionally I use some of that
as stock footage in my films(ala
Eddie Wood), in a way to keep my
brother's memory alive! Eddie(Wood)
did the same thing for his 1956
footage of Bela Lugosi, who died
2 days after Wood shot Bela's scenes,
wearing his cape, -& inserted
it into his 1959 'Plan 9 From Outer
Space', 3 years after Bela's death!
So, since my late, Great Brother,
Keith, used a Video-8 camcorder,
I began figuring-out how to use
that, after he died. So, to this
day, I still shoot my masters in
the regular video-8 format, -&
edit onto(copy onto) vhs, for the
edited masters, which I make copies
of, to run-off/dub-off copies for
my fans, customers, -for only 18.
'stinkin' bucks each! Such a deal!
At that price, you CAN'T go wrong!
As Michael Flores, Fearless Leader
of Chicago's PsychoTronic Film Society(at:
www.PsychoTronic.Info
-click "It's Only A Movie",
then click "David 'The Rock'
Nelson's Basement of Bloody Horror"
for my website there!) says, 'It's(my
movies) woth evey penny'! Incidentally,
he first gave me the title, 'The
Ed Wood of The 90's', in the Fall
of 1992, before I even knew anything
about Ed Wood! Later, Conrad Brooks,
after working with me in my 1993
shot-in-Baltimore & Hagerstown,
Md., in 3 days monsta(monster) flick,
'Conrad Brooks Vs. Werewolf', called
me, 'The Ed Wood of The 90's, -&
Into The Next Century'! Then, I others,
& myself, decided to add '&
Beyond', to the 90's! In 1997,
after meeting my favorite comedic,
TV horror host, 'Svengoolie'(Rich
Koz, formerly 'Son of Svengoolie'),
again, & ordering one of his
t-shirts, he signed it to 'The New
Ed Wood'! In '98, he signed my other
SvenGoolie t-shirt to 'The Next
Ed Wood'! After being a guest(or,
'Ghast'!) of honor at The Annual
'Monster Bash' Classic Monster Movie
Conference, in Pa., it's creator,
Ron 'Rondo' Adams, named me, 'The
Ed Wood of The 21st Century', &
then, in 2001, 'The New Poverty-Row
of Horror'! Just last year, on live
radio, Chicago's Q-101 FM, on 'ManCow's
Morning Madhouse', SvenGoolie(Rich
Koz), himself, was on the air live,
at 7:oo in the morning, -& called
me from the show, as the call was
over the airwaves! I had just woken-up,
and didn't think it sounded like
'Sven'(SvenGoolie!), so, I said,
'This isn't Svengoolie'! They all
laughed, then, I realised, it WAS
'Sven'/'svengoolie', -& I said,
'Oh, sorry! -It IS 'Svengoolie'!
-It was funny! Shortly into our
talk on Q-101 FM began, Svengoolie
named me, 'The Ed Wood of The Future,
-& Beyond That, Even'! So, that's
how I got these names! As for my
name, 'The Rock', in March,
1987, my 1st boxing coach of my
come-back(at age 29), a former pro
lightweight from Mexico City, named
Oscar Rodriguez(who trains pros,
now has his own construction company)
called me 'Rocky Balboa', because
I was ALWAYS fighting back! Then,
in 1989, my friend, fellow Maine
South Graduate, martial arts expert
& my personal boxing instructor, Gregg
Ozimek, gave me the new name,
'The' Rock! He said, 'There are
many Rocky's, -but, there's only
one The Rock'! This was way
before the pro wrestling champion,
The Rock, was known. That was 1989,
when I was named 'The' Rock! Gregg
Ozimek, now a college teacher
in Albuquerque, NM, taught me the
correct way to throw a left-right
combination, which enabled me to
beat a Guamanian Marine, in The
Philippines! Gregg is in alot of
my monster movies, now, -& starred
in his very first role, ever, in
my 1992 short, 'Werewolf Vs.
Dracula'(I play Dracula!) !
Well, my time on this comp. is almost
up, in 50 seconds!
BS: I know you’ve
made some national TV appearances
(Comedy Central’s The
Daily Show, among others).
Can you briefly discuss your most
memorable experiences?
My favorite moments were live,
on 'The Jon Stewart Show', in New
York City, N.Y., on that 'fateful'
night of Thursday, May 18, 1995!
The show covered my travel expenses(I
insisted on AmTrac train, as I don't
like to fly, which they tried to
get me to do, but, I told them,
'I don't fly'), my hotel accomodations
in the fancy-'shmantsy' Saint Moritz
Hotel, on Central Park Blvd., across
from Central Park. I had sooo much
fun there, & after my appearance,
many fans were awaiting me outside
the studio, fans I didn't even know
I had! They 'squealed' with delight
& laughter, as clips of me as
a mummy(from my 'Mummy-A.D. 1993')
& werewolf(from it's double-bill,
'Son of Werewolf') were shown!
That was my '6' minutes of fame,
-& only after a mere 3 &
1/2 years of making these monster/comedy
movies! Realise, I have no agent
or sponsor! I'm totally independent,
-& I'm very proud to admit that,
though, I got help from others who
encouraged me along the way, my
family, -& God/Jesus, who encourages
me daily! I also have to 'encourage
myself', be my own 'cheer-leader',
as I face criticism often, usually
from those who are just plain ol'
jealous & envious of my happiness
& out-going spirit! I'm enjoying
life, doing what I want to do, -&
making it, in my own way & style,
-& this 'irks' some those who
have no ambition, or have given
up their dreams; but, those who
appreciate my 'never-give-up' persistent
'Fiesty' attitude, love me!
-It's like what you said in the
introduction(& same thing Dennis
"Scary" Druktenis said
of my 'Monsta'/Monster Movies, in
his review of me on pg. 44 of his
'Scary Monsters '94 Yearbook'!),
'You either love 'em, or you hate
'em! There is no sort-of like them
attitude, there is no
middle ground'!
After my fateful appearance on Jon
Stewart, I met X-Files' star, Gillian
Anderson(who was a guest on the
same show), -& posed for a photo
with her, then, gave her my card(w/ad
for my 'Mummy-A.D. 1993' movie on
it!)! After that, I was treated
to a meal at the studio, but, all
other meals, drinks at The Infamous
'Jekyll & Hyde' Pub/Restaurant,
etc., I bought out of my own pocket.
I spent a total of $92. bucks in
those few days, but, it was well
worth it! I went to both 'Jekyll
& Hyde' Pubs/Restaurants, #
1 & # 2, but 'Jekyll & Hyde'
# 2, on Ave. of Americas, is "BeAst"/Best!-They
even show old, classic monster movie
previews in there, as you sit at
the counter, on tv monitors! Since
then(1995), I've been on 'Wild Chicago'(on
WTTW, a PBS station in Chicago,
IL., the town I was born in), 'Ben
Loves Chicago'(hoted by Ben Hollis),
'WGN Morning News', various mentions
on 'SvenGoolie', got a 5-second
clip of me as a werewolf with SvenGoolie
shown during a break from his screening
of 'The Boy Who Cried Werewolf',
my name in closing credits of that
SvenGoolie show, & am now on
'WGN Morning News' several times
a year, but, always on Halloween
Morning, with a live 5-minute bit,
with scenes of my new yearly monsta(monster)
movie shown! There's no pay for
that, but great free publicity/press,
free breakfast & all-I-can-drink
'Java'/jo(coffee), -& I have
'Fun'!!! Before, when I was first
invited on WGN in 1997, I had to
ask for a chocolate-frosted plain
cake donut(my favorite donut), but,
now, The Producer said to me, 'Help
yourself, Rock! You're only here
once a year, you might as well enjoy
it'! So, now I get 'All-I-Can-Eat'
Breakfast, bacon n' eggs(over-medium),
my favorite breakfast, -& sausages,
all-I-want 'Java', -& I have
a 'Great, Spooky-Fun' Time! I 'Love'
WGN! -God bless 'em; Larry Potash(who
1st called me, in April, '97, -&
interviews me every year on the
WGN Morning News TV Show!), The
Producers, Weatherman Paul Konrad(a
great, fun guy), Sports-caster,
Mike Barz(another great, fun guy!),
RoseAnne Tellez, Robin BaumGarten,
Jim Ramsey, Jeff Hoover, -&
all that work behind the scenes,
there! It's ironic, as, through-out
my boyhood days, I always watched
WGN, as they screened 'Abbott &
Costello Meet Frankenstein', The
Cubs games, & 'Creature Features'
late Fri. & Sat., in the 'Glorious
Sixties'(my favorite decade!)! And,
now, I'm mentioned on their morning
news about three times a year! -Who
would've ever thought that possible??!
But, I prove miracles CAN, -&
DO happen, to those who have even
'a little bit' of faith, -&
who keep trying, & trying, when
the going gets tough, -& after
countless so-called failures, er,
'temporary set-backs'! Then, again,
I'm a good letter-writer, -&,
as Wild Chicago's Wil Clinger called
me on his show, 'A Shameless self-promoter'!
No ones going to come knocking at
your door just because you want
them to! You have to use your own
God-given ingenuity, -& 'Make'
things happen! You reep what you
sow'!
In 1994, with the coming of Tim
Burton's greatest movie, 'Ed Wood',
I wrote every tv channel &
well-known newspaper in Chicago!
From that seed I planted, over a
span of years, it 'grew' into my
being on about 7 of those tv channels,
including 'Fox Thing In The Morning'
with the now infamous Chicago Icon,
Bob Sirott, -3 times! He(Sirott,
a good friend of 'SvenGoolie'/Rich
Koz), now hosts WTTW's 'Chicago
Tonight', which, someday, I hope
to be on! In fact, it was he/Mr.
Sirott, who 1st sent a copy of one
of my movies to Rich Koz/'SvenGoolie',
in 1994, after he did commentary
on my then new, 'Conrad Brooks Vs.
Werewolf', on their Nationally-syndicated,
'Fox Thing In-The-Morning'! Since
then, I've been on 'scads', -er,
a 'plethora' of tv shows, too numerous
to name! But, don't forget the 4
'Daily Show' on Comedy Central,
between 1997-2000, where I was interviewed
by ex-Sat. Night Live Comedian(&
author), A. Whitney Brown, who had
come to my house to interview me,
in Nov., 1997! He's a great fan
of mine, and afterwards told me
he wanted to do a special half-hour
special on me, for tv! He said,
'It's about time The World knew
who David The Rock Nelson is'! -Wow!
What a compliment! It's amazing,
how many kind people you meet along
the way of life, who really want
to help you! God bless 'em! Where
would I be without them?! It goes
to show how much we need people,
-& not just the 'big' people,
but just ordinary folk who want
to help you! After all, well-known
stars are regular people, too, with
feelings, just like us! Noone is
born a star, as we're all human,
-or as Ro-Man, er, 'Robot Monster' says
in that favorite 1953 Sci-Fi
movie of mine(which was rerun at
2 am, on SvenGoolie reruns early
Sun. morn., on WFBT/"Me-TV"), 'Hu-Man'!
So, we are all 'Hu-man'! Only God
is perfect, which is why there's
no perfect movie. I relish the fact
that my movies may not be perfect,
but, their flaws & so-called
mistakes, some of which are funny
& make the movies more enjoyable
& fun to watch(hence, why I
often leave those mistakes 'in'
the actual movie, if not on the
'bloopers' following the movie!), are
some of the reasons that make
them 'perfect' to me & others
to watch, just like the late, Great
Eddie Wood said, 'That was perfect'!
Oh, I heard from my Timonium, Md.
friend(& monster sculptor, -&
actor), Karl Hopf(bro. to Ed Hopf,
-& both are in my movies, too),
that, he heard from a friend that
Rob Zombie was on National TV in
Portland, Oregon, & on that
show he said that 'David The Rock
Nelson is my favorite modern director'!
Wow! What a compliment! Thank you,
er, 'Fangs', Rob, -& all you
'Fiends' out there!
As for other shows; I don't have
to ask or promote as much, now(but,
still do!-It's fun, -& necessary) as
word gets around about me &
my monster/comedy movies, &
many come looking for me! But, I
guess I'll always be a 'Shameless'
Self-Promoter! I've got a product
to sell, -& every good salesman
knows, to sell, you have to promote,
speak, advertise, -& do anything
possible, in a good way, to sell
your niche! I WON'T try to hurt
or take advantage of others, though,
just to get a screening of my movies.
If someone else is scheduled for
a screening, that's good for them!
I believe in waiting for your turn,
-& not trying to muscle-in or
steal the thunder from someone else's
chance at recognition! Some have
done this to me(tried to steal my
thunder, get their movies shown
before mine, after mine was scheduled
for screening at a convention),
but, I will NOT do this to others!
We must earn our respect the right
way, not greedilly walk over
others! As the saying goes, 'Be
nice to those on the way up, because
those same people will meet you
on the way down'! Jesus said, 'Love
thy neighbor as thyself'. We reap
what we sow. I do not believe in
a 'win at all costs' philosophy.
Greed is a very bad, ugly thing.
Rather than getting jealous of others'
successes, we should congratulate
them, and feel good for their success!
This is being a friend, rather than
a competitor. Good things come to
those who wait, patiently, while
continuing to make our own art &
niche! We all have talents, we just
need to plug-into those talents,
-& we'll discover we have talents
we didn't know we had! As Thomas
Edison said, 'Art is 5 percent inspiration,
95 percent perspiration'! And, as
Thomas Omalia, Professor of Entrepreneurship
at University of California says(on
his PBS show on 'Entrepreneurship',
I believe 'Entrepreneur's Workshop'),
'What it takes is not a great idea,
but great execution'! So, hence,
an idea is just that! Show me a
guy or gal who 'executes on that
idea, -& I'll show you someone
who's industrious, -& will go
somewhere in this World! I say this
as many tell me, 'Rock, I've got
a great idea for a movie, but they
don't actually 'Do'/'Make' that
movie! I, on the other hand, often
take little steps, gradually executing
my plans, ideas, shooting scenes
I feel inspired to create, fueled
by watching old monster movies, from
dreams & my own vivid, Wild
imagination! I execute my plans,
ideas 'here a little, and there
a little', -and, over time, I have
completed a plethora of entertaining
monster/comedy movies! I'm not trying
to win an award, like an 'Oscar',
but, my goal, as I said earlier,
is to 'Entertain' & make others
happy, to give them laughs &
a howling, 'Spooky-Fun' good time"!
BS: A few of your shorts
appear on Retromedia’s DVD
of Ed Wood’s The Bride
And The Beast. Although I had
seen your name in articles for awhile
around Chicago, that DVD was my
first exposure to your work. How
did you hook up with Retromedia?
Any plans for future DVD releases
featuring your movies?
Although I'd heard of him, I first
met Fred Olen Ray at 'Fanex 8',
in N. Towson, Md., in July, 1994,
a year after I videotaped 'Conrad
Brooks Vs. Werewolf'(right after
my 1st Fanex, in 1993)! He/Mr.
Ray was very nice & complimented
me on my 'Conrad Brooks Vs. Werewolf',
saying, 'I saw your movie, Conrad
Brooks Vs. Werewolf, -& enjoyed
it very much. It was too Bloody
for me(laughs!)'! In March, 1999,
again, our paths crossed, when I(&
he) were guests of honor at The
Annual 'Fright Vision' Con., in
Akron Ohio, Quaker Square Hilton!
I got to screen about 45 minutes
of my movie trailers/previews, -&
gave commentary, & a late, midnight
speech to the then smaller audience
of about 20! -But, I was excited,
-& Fred Olen Ray & his beautiful
wife were sitting right there on
the front row, enjoying every minute
of 'Rock Talk'! That weekend, Fred
bought a copy of my 'Mummy -A.D.
1993', & gave me an autographed
copy of his hartd cover book, 'The
New Poverty Row: Independent Filmmakers
As Distributors', -& he wrote
a personal note in there, to me!
It read, 'To David, who's films
have entertained me for years! Fred
Olen Ray'. A year later, after 'Monster
Bash, 1999', I met Fred again, at
'Fright Vision-2000', in Akron!
There, I video-taped even more scenes
of him, along with others, like
Producer Ted Bohus, Countess Vladimira,
Buddy Barnett(of 'Cult Movies Mag.',
& since a filmmaker, who recently
put me in his 'shot-in-Vegas 'Skid
Row Dracula', as Renfield # 2 !),
& many others, attacking them
with my trusty rubber 'Devil Ant',
making them 'Instant Stars' in a
future 'Rock Nelson Production'!
Hah, heh!!! Fred Olen Ray appears
in both of my 1st two 'Devil Ant'
Sagas! Beware! 'Devil Ant-3: Son
of Devil Ant', is on the way,
-& Fred appears in that one,
too(footage I shot at Fright Vision-2000
!), along with the lovely Brionke
Stevens, who gladly went along with
my 'Ant'-ics! -'Haaah, heh'!!! Just
a few years ago, Fred Olen Ray wrote
& asked if I'd like him to distribute
my movie, 'Mummy-A.D. 1993', &
we set up a deal, of which I got
a flat fee, for a 7-year dvd contract.
As Ron 'Rondo' Adams, Creator of
The 'Monster Bash' Convention(at:
www.CreepyClassics.com
), where I am an annual 'Ghast'(Guest)
of Honor, ever since 1998, 'Your
foot is in the door'! Yes, that's
a positive thought, view! My foot
is indeed, 'In the door', -&
I thank Mr. Fred Olen Ray for kindly
offering me this opportunity! Later,
he said he loved my 1999 'hoot'
feature, 'Devil Ant', & according
to Timonium, Md's Ed Hopf(who appears
in that movie, & others, -&
even directs his own movies, like
the Conrad Brooks film, 'Grandparents
From Outer Space'!), at a Chiller
Theater Expo/Con., a few years ago,
Fred[Olen Ray] said of my Devil
Ant movie, 'David The Rock Nelson
is doing a remake of The Green Slime'!
Laughs from the audience! I love
& appreciate all this promotion
& recognition of my movies,
my niche! Thank you, Fred, -&
everybody who promotes me &
my work! I couldn't, wouldn't get
the recognition I get if it weren't
for these guys & gals talking
about me, in a positive, fun way!
My movies are supposed to be 'Spooky-Fun',
-just like Ed Wood's are! They're
a 'Good Time'! They're supposed
to make people laugh! -That's the
'Fun', -& my 'Reward' of it!
Not the trophies, awards(though,
of course, we all like those, too!),
but the satisfaction that I've helped
make alot of people happy &
smiling, laughing with delight at
the fun on the screen! And, yes,
I believe it's only a matter of
time before even more of my movies(even
the feature, 'Devil Ant', or 'Devil
Ant-2', or 'Miss Werewolf', etc.!)
will be distributed by 'RetroMedia'
Entertainment( www.RetroMedia.Org
) & others! I can wait! I have
all the time I need.
While I wait for the word to catch
on, I'm busy making even more creations,
monstrosities, like the almost-finished
'Night of The Pumpkinmen'(on my
over 2 hour feature video, 'The
Pumpkinman Saga'! -The 1st 5 Chapters,
that is!), which should be done
in almost a week! Yes, atleast
2 more episodes are planned, including
'Ghost of Pumpkinman' & 'Mrs.
Pumpkinman'!-'Terrifying'! -In a
'Spooky-Fun' way! Hah, heh!!! Then,
there's the feature, 'The Demon
Monster From Outer Space'(formerly
'Man From Plan 9'!), expected to
be released by Halloween(*Oct. 31,
2004!), -with clips to be shown
on Super-station, 'WGN Morning News'
Halloween morning! That one was
to star Conrad 'Plan 9' Brooks,
as the monster-waster, but, he backed
out, saying, after Fanex 8, in early
August, 1994, 'I don't want to do
that one, Rocky'! Though I was saddened
to hear that(as I was to shoot hios
scenes that week), I decided to
play the hero of the movie, instead!
It was changed to 'Monster Invasion',
then, to 'David The Rock Vs. The
Monsters', & finally, in honor
& tribute to the late, Great
Eddie(Ed) Wood, in reference to
his 'Plan 9', I changed the title
to, 'The Demon Monster From Outer
Space'! Conrad will appear in a
cameo I shot of him, in 1995(ala
'stock footage', like Eddie Wood
did with Bela's footage in his 'Plan
9', edited 3 years after Bela's
death!)! And, yes, Fred Olen Ray
appears in that one, too, as does
Pres. G.W. Bush, -& eex-Prez.
'Big' Bill Clinton, both of whom
I videotaped at public appearances!
Since they are political public
figures, the footage I shot of them
is lawful to use! They are 'public
domain'! My movies, of course, are
all copyrighted by me.
I'm not hung-up about other companies
distributing my monster/comedy movies,
as I am a confident individual:
CONFIDENT of my own abilities, of
myself, -& of God's/Jesus' provision
& care of me! I'm His child,
too, -& He takes care of His
children! I've always had enough
food to survive, am healthy, energetic,
-& have a prpose in life! That
says ALOT, for which I am grateful!
So, I'm doin' a heck of alot better
off than most people. If you have
a place to live, food, clothes,
-& can clean your body, you
are rich, vastly better off than
alot of people who have no home!
As for my movies, I am not desperate
or worried about other distributors
releasing my movies, as I am still
distributing them, myself! I am
an 'Entrepreneur'(with a capitol
'E'!)! I sell myself with my enthusiasm
for life and what I do! I'm excited,
'high on life'! I DON'T need drugs;
I'm on an 'All-Natural High'! Eventually,
as fellow 'fiend'/friend, Neal Richards(who,
like me, also goes to The
"Monster Bash" Convention
every year, now in Butler, Pa. at:
www.CreepyClassics.com )
said to me at 'Monster Bash-1998',
my first time as an annual guest/ghast
of honor; he/Neal Richards(whose
son is Nemis) said to me of my movies,
'word will get around'! Also, Ron
'Rondo' Adams, head/Creator of Monster
Bash Con. said to me, after my 'Mummy-A.D.
1993' video was released by Fred
Olen Ray's RetroMedia.Org on dvd,
'Your foot is in the door'! Sure,
I said that earlier, but repetition
helps people remember. My positive
attitude tells me, in my heart/soul,
that 'things WILL work out
for my good, -& everything's
going to be alright, no matter what
happens'! Things happen for a good
reason, whether we see and
realise it at the time, or not!
I still sell all my own monster/comedy
movies on vhs video, -& all
titles are available from me, by
writing: *David Nelson -1170 Howard
Ave. -Des Plaines, IL. -60018. All
my movies are $18. post-paid/total,
except for the mega-opus[??!] ,
2-tape, 4-hr. 'Vampire Woman',
which is $32., -but, like the others,
as www.PsychoTronic.Info
Fearless Leader, Michael Flores(who
1st gave me the name, 'The Ed Wood
of The 90's', in Fall, 1992, before
I ever knew anything about Ed Wood!),
he says my movies are 'Worth
EVERY penny'!
BS: In your opinion, what
are the best horror films of all
time? What’s your favorite
Edward D. Wood, Jr. picture?
DN: My favorite horror/monster
movies are: 1)'Bride of Frankenstein',
1935, 3)'Son of Frankenstein'(1939)-the
1st Karloff Frankenstein movie I
saw as a 12-year's young kid, from
1:30 am to 3:05 am-on NBC/Ch. 5
in Chicago! -When it ended, my Mom
& Dad were walking up steps,
so we turned-off TV & pretended
we were asleep, on the floor! -Those
were The Days! -'Heh'! 3)'Return
of The Vampire'(1943) w/Bela Lugosi
turning Matt Wio=llis into a werewolf!
My Dad woke me for the last 15 minutes
of this, at 2:45 am, -& I loved
it! It really stuck-out in my mind
& heart, -&, when it came
on video, at a local Des Plaines
Walgreen's, for only $5.99 in 1987,
or so, I bought it, though low on
cash that day(selling dictionaries
was low, I was a door-to-door Funk
& Wagnall's Dictionary District
Manager for World Publishers, then),
& had only about .03 cents left
in my pocket after I did! -I still
have that video! 4)'Abbott &
Costello Meet Frankenstein'(1947)!
I saw this one rainy Sat. at 12-noon,
on WGN-TV, Chicago, Channel 9(same
station their WGN "Creature
Features" would air on!)! I
loved Glenn Strange as The Frankenstein
Monster, was scared of Bela Lugosi
as Dracula, -but it was a 'Spooky'-Fun
scare!
However, in the sci-fi(rather than
'monster') department, I'd definitelly
say the greatest film would be Robert
Wise's 1953 epic, 'The Day The Earth
Stood Still'! -I saw that as a 5-years-'young'
kid, in 1961, watching WGN's 'Family
Classics', with the late/great Frazier
Thomas(who also hosted 'Garfield
Goose'! -These sets/props are on
display in Chicago's 'Museum of
Broadcast Communications', -with
free daily tours!)! I was in 'awe'
of the robot, 'Gort', with his beaming
light ray, coming from his head!
To me, he was like a metallic Frankenstein
Monster! I 'loved' it(Gort), as
well as the movie, -& the 'thrilling',
great atmosheric musical score that
played throughout this classic,
orchestrated by The Great Bernard
Hermann! 'The Day The Earth Stood
Still' was way ahead of it's time!
It still gives me 'goose-bumps'
to this day, every time I hear the
strong, powerful, thrilling soundtrack
music! The story is magnificent!
In fact, two of my friends(er, 'fiends'!
-'Heh'!) from Timonium, Md., The
Hopf Brothers(who're often search
for monsters in my movies!), Ed
& Karl, had the priviledge of
driving The Director of 'The Day
The Earth Stood Still', Mr. Robert
Wise, around town, taking him to
restaurants, etc., during his guest
of honor appearance at a Fanex Convention
in the late 90's! In Wise's
classic, epic movie, Michael Rennie's
reaches my heart every time I watch
it! As the film comes to a close,
I can't help but get emotional,
getting 'goose-bumps', at seeing
such great moments and achievements
in cinematic history, and from being
so much into the message of the
story, and I cry as the spaceship
flies up into the sky, then, as
the words 'The End' is superimposed
across the screen, with the moving
soundtrack, I clap, & cry, at
the same time, then, wiping the
tears running down my cheeks!
There are many more I love, but,
my favorite 'Ed Wood' movie is 'Night
of The Ghouls'(1959), the supposed
sequel to both 'Plan 9 From Outer
Space' & 'Bride of The Monster'/'Bride
of The Atom'! I love the spookiness,
eerieness, the spooky settings;
like the old, haunted house, -&
the ghosts flying around during
Dr. Acula's sceance! But, 'Plan
9' is almost a tie, for it's 'Spooky',
campy fun! I love the flying saucers,
Bela's stock-footage mixed w/Tom
Mason/Eddie's chiropractor, -the
day & night mixing of footage(I
learned from Eddie for this, -&
even use this method in my newest
monstrosity, 'Night of The Pumpkinmen',
out on video, from me, now)! Eddie
got the job done!
BS: “This gun don’t
have no effect!” How was it
working with Conrad Brooks (infamous
Ed Wood stock player) on Conrad
Brooks Vs. The Werewolf? This
kind of brings things full circle
for you -- working with someone
that actually appeared in Ed Wood’s
films. I imagine it was pretty thrilling
to shoot “on location”
in Baltimore as well.
DN: Yes! It was great, -& thrilling,
working with Conrad Brooks &
his 'infamous' brothers, all whom
worked also with the great Baltimore
filmmaker, John Waters! Waters,
interestingly enough, I met in Chicago,
Nov. 4, 1994, 15 months after doing
my Conrad Brooks movie! I told him
I was[then] 'The Ed Wood of The
90's', & that I worked with
Conrad, Ted & Henry Biedrzycki(stage
name "Brooks"). Henry
& Ted appeared in his 'Female
Trouble'. In a bar scene at the
counter, Ted throws a hat up in
the air, -& Henry, the
eldest, is a drunk in an alley!
He/Henry, would reprise his role,
to Conrad's request, in my late
July-early Aug., shot-on-video-in-4-days
there(except for 2 pick-up scenes
I shot w/a werewolf dummy, shortly
after, in Des Plaines, IL.) 'classic'(?),
'Conrad Brooks Vs. Werewolf'! -While
doing my later 'Werewolf dummy'
scenes(my clothes I wore as Werewolf,
stuffed with newspaper, -& the
trousers & flannel shirt held
together by safelty pins!), a
little girl's dog thought I was
carrying a real person, -& snapped
at my trousers' leg! Fortunatelly,
it only bit my jean clothing! The
little girl, pulling back her dog,
said, 'He thought you were carrying
a real person'! But, working
with Conrad Brooks & 2 of his
3 brothers(Ed wasn't in it, though
I spoke to him by phone, as he took
care of his 84-years-'young' bro.,
Henry!) was a great, exciting experience,
-& a priviledge! As for
Eddie Biedrzycki(a.k.a.-'Fast Eddie'!),
I heard recently, he passed away.
He used to work for The Baltimore
Sun, cranking-out copies of books,
etc., which termed him the nick-name,
'Fast Eddie'! I saw Conrad,
3 weeks ago, at The 'Scary Camp'
Convention in Dayton, Ohio(along
with co-star in a few movies, Joe
Estevez, older bro. to Martin Sheen,
a great guy!), -& Conrad told
me that Henry passed away recently.
I really enjoyed meeting them &
shooting on location in Baltimore,
Md.! The pier we shot at was used
in Hitchcock's 'Marnie', when Sean
Connery goes to Baltimore to visit
Marnie's mom. Also, that pier was
later used in a movie I was a movie
extra in(though, I wasn't seen),
'Sleepless In Seattle', at the opening
scene at the pier, etc. Also, the
building in background, where Henry[Brooks/Biedrzycki]
sees The Werewolf, was used
as the detective station, only about 1-1/2
years later, for the great NBC show,
'Homicide: Life On The Streets'!
In fact, after I'd shot 'Conrad
Brooks Vs. Werewolf', in Aug., 1993,
I returned the following summer(July-Aug.,
'94), to attend The 'Fanex 8' Sci-Fi/Horror
Movie Convention, -& shoot the
sequel to my Conrad Brooks movie,
called, 'Man From Plan 9'! As Conrad
& I sat with our 'brewskies',
outside the bar at the end of the
pier in Fells Point, Baltimore,
Md., Conrad said 'I don't want to
be in that one, Rocky'! I was saddened,
as I'd gone to Baltimore with the
hopes of us working on this project,
-& finishing it, in a few days!
I had all my 3 or so monster masks,
disguises & props in the trunk,
ready & willing to make a sequel,
much greater than it's predecessor!
However, Conrad had another idea
for a movie, that he'd direct, wuth
monsters attacking his grandson,
on a small island. However, it wasn't
the movie I wanted, -and, besides,
-he(Conrad) said 'I'm gonna direct'
it! I didn't want to just be a cameraman,
and, although I let others use their
own imagination in my movies &
add-lib, I wanted to have control
over my art/movie. As I sat in front
of the bar at Fells Point(Baltimore,
Md.), sadly, after Conrad didn't
want to play the part I thought
he would, in my movie, I noticed
an actor I'd seen in Roger
Moore's 1st James Bond movie("Live
& Let Die"!), standing
at the other(front) end of the pier!
I told Conrad I'd seen him, before,
but, Conrad said, 'Nah! Don't bother
him, Rocky'! But, I had to listen
to my heart, -& walked up to
the man & asked him, 'Didn't
you star in a Roger Moore James
Bond movie, as Bond's villain, Mr.
Big'?! He said, 'Yeah'! With a mild
smile on his face, as he put out
his hand to shake mine, he said
his name, 'Yahphet Kotto'! Wow!
I knew I'd seen him in that movie!
Years later, I'd see him in an episode
of 'Hawaii, Five-O', -which was
just rerun last Tues.morn.on 'Me-TV'!
I told Mr. [Yaphet] Kotto I
made monster movies, was[then] called,
'The Ed Wood of The 90's', -&
gave him my 'Mummy-A.D. 1993' flyer!
Note! This was 3 months before Tim
Burton's movie, 'Ed Wood', came
out to theaters! Mr. Kotto then
walked into the same bar Conrad,
Ted, Henry & I had sat for drinks,
during a break & while shooting
'Conrad Brooks Vs. Werewolf', exactly
1 year before! In 'Conrad Brooks
Vs. Werewolf', Henry sits for a
drink(really the rest of my .75-cent
'Apple Jack Cider', in a stein glass!),
-& later, his brother, Ted,
has a drink(glass of water, doubling
as something stronger, maybe
'vodka', or 'gin'). Well, that is
the same bar Mr. Kotto & his
friend stopped in that day I met
him, exactly one year after I shot
the movie! Also, when Mr.[Yaphet]
Kotto & his friend sat down,
to read over a script(obviously,
I figured out months later, a script
for the then up-coming NBC series,
'Homicide: Life On The Street'),
he/Kotto sat in the very same seat
I sat, one year before!
Now, onto the making of 'Conrad
Brooks Vs. Werewolf'! In that cemetery
scene, where walk from behind the
huge monument, in human form, to
first meet Conrad's brother, Ted,
I did walk through, as Ted had warned
me about, Poison Ivy(or Poison Oak)!
Driving home, to Park Ridge, IL.(when
I got home, we were packing to move
to the next town, Des Plaines, IL.),
my legs itched & itched! When
I arrived in Park Ridge, IL., I
was in such pain, that I couldn't
help my parents move much! There
was 'puss' coming out of the sores,
from the Poison Ivy! So, my brother,
Phil, drove my Dad, Vernon Roland
Nelson & I to the Emergency
entrance of Lutheran General Hospital!
The nurse said, excitedly, 'That's
an Open Vound(she meant 'wound',
but that's how she pronounced it!)'!
She, again, said, 'You have an Open
Vound(wound)'!! I said, 'I KNOW
that! -That's why I came to you
guys'! I'd bought salves, etc.,
at the drug store, -& they didn't
help. After some anti-biotics, my
swelling & infection went down,
-& disappeared in days. So,
that cost another $100. of my previous
budget for 'Conrad Brooks Vs. Werewolf'
of $225.! That's($225.) how
much it cost me for gas money, meals
on road, drinks in Baltimore, 'Fanex'
Con. expenditures on videos, etc.,
-& 'All-U-Can-Eat Crab' in Hagerstown,
Md.(where Conrad Brook's daughter,
Connie's former ranch & home
is, & where we shot scenes for
the movies, in their backyard &
the woods nearby)! After leaving
Conrad's former residence in Hagerstown,
Md., & heading home, I stopped
for the $15.95 'All-U-Can-Eat' crab
at 'Subway' Restaurant & Raceway(racing
cars on track, next to the restaurant,
in no way related to subway sandwiches;
this is independent/one-of-a-kind!)!
I loved the crab there, dipped in
melted butter, with, of course,
a few of their .90 on-tap 'brewskies'!
But, back to your question, yes,
meeting Conrad Brooks & his
brothers does sort opf bring me
'full circle', I guess! I'd first
met him only 2 months before shooting
our movie, at The 35th Annual 'Famous
Monsters of Filmland' Convention,
at The Crystal City Sheraton Hotel,
in Arlington, Va.(ironically, the
same town where the famous 'Arlington
Cemetery' is, that was seen in that
epic I mentioned, 'Day The Earth
Stood Still'/1953, The Greatest
Science Fiction 'Classic' Ever Made,
-& That Ever Will Get Made!)!
Anyway, as I walked past tables
in the dealer's rooms, an extremely
out-going, bubbly man kept saying,
as I passed, 'I'm Conrad Brooks!
I was in the worst movie of All
Time, Plan 9 From Outer Space! I
worked with Ed Wood', etc.! I looked
at him, trying to figure out 'what'
movie he meant! Only
6 months earlier, in of Fall,
'92, Michael Flores of Chicago's
PsychoTronic Film Society first
introduced me to [Ed]'Wood
work', showed me 'Night of
The Ghouls', followed by 'Plan 9',
etc., & had given me the
name, 'The Ed Wood of The 90's'!
I'd read some on this Conrad Brooks
in Cult Movies Mag. former magazine,
though, I didn't know what Conrad
looked like, or what part he played
in Eddie's(Wood's) historic opus,
'Plan 9'! But, back to The May,
1993 35th Annual 'Famous Monsters
of Filmland' Convention! Conrad held
out photos of himself with
the great Bela Lugosi(publicity
shot, between scenes of Wood's 1952
'Glen Or Glenda'), and as Officer
Jamie from 'Plan 9'! He was so friendly
& out-going, more so than anyone
I'd met there, that I just 'had'
to buy some of his movies, photos,
etc.! Later, Sunday, the final day
of the weekend event, I saw Conrad
sitting in the lobby, and went up
to him, to tell him where Sara Karloff
was(as he wanted to meet her), but
he was asleep, so I just sat across
from him. He opened his eyes, &
I told him Sara Karloff was nearby,
but, being tired, he said, 'That's
alright, Rocky'. Then, after a short
pause, he asked me, 'Now, you make
your own pictures, don't you, Rocky?
-'Cause I'd like to be in your pictures'!
Felling ecstatic & honored,
privileged that he'd ask to be in
'my' movies, I right away agreed,
it'd be a good idea! I asked
how to contact him, to do the movie,
& only said, 'I'll be at
Fanex! Just meet me at Fanex'! I
asked, 'When is it'! He said, 'In
July'! Then, I asaked, 'What's Fanex'?
He looked at me as if he was surprised
I didn't know, & said, 'You'll
hear about it'! Conrad's daughter,
Connie, along with her 2 kids, drove
back to Hagerstown, Md., with Conrad!
On my bur ride back to Chicago,
I ''excitedly', 'feverishly' wrote
the screen-play for my movie, 'The
Werewolf of Baltimore', and it's
double-bill, 'Man From Plan 9',
where Conrad would face monsters
from outer space! I had intended
both as short, 20-minute movies,
to be on a double-bill, all shot
in one day, in Baltimore! But, Conrad
wanted me to turn it('Conrad Brooks
Vs. Werewolf') into a feature,
so, for 4 days, we shot many more
scenes than I'd planned. Because
of that, there was not enough time[or
energy in us left, due to heat,
& energy expenditure, &
will-power] to do the 2nd movie,
but, I did get Ted & Henry to
do those short scenes, where they
pretend to see the flying saucers!
For the sound effects(fx) there,
I had Conrad(Brooks) twirl my plastic
toy sound maker(a 3-foot long, hollow
red plastic thing available in toy
sections of stores), to make a sound
like a flying saucer, as Henry &
Ted(Brooks) looked up, saying, 'There
goes flying saucers'!! Henry ad-libbed,
humorously, 'Well, I'll be a son-of-a-gun'!
As Conrad later told me at Fells
Point, Baltimore, Md., before Ted
drove us to the nearby old, spooky
cemetery in Dundalk, Md., he/Conrad
said, 'Ya gotta love Henry'! I got
Ted & Henry's scenes, where
they see the flying saucers, in
several takes, do to 'Bloopers'!
-'Heh'! That movie, originally intended
as a double-bill short film, will
now be a full-length feature, as
well, -& will be my next movie
released, since I finished editing
my latest monstosity, 'Night of
The Pumpkinmen', last week!
As for the 1st movie's title,
later, I changed the title, 'Werewolf
of Baltimore', to 'Conrad
Brooks Vs. Werewolf', to let viewers
know that an actual HollyWood movie
star was in my movie! 'Conrad Brooks
Vs. Werewolf', 'starring Conrad
Brooks', the later front video
cover said! As far as my meeting
Conrad, to do the movie, that is
almost a miracle, in itself! I called
'Scary Monsters' Magazine's
'kooky Kent' Deluga, who, surprisingly,
not only knew of Fanex, & who
Conrad was, but had several phone
#'s for him, which I called! At
first, Conrad's daughter, Connie,
answered, then, she gave me Conrad's
brother, Ted's ph. #, saying, 'that's
the beach house! Conrad's over there,
now'! Ted answered my call there,
& he gave the phone to Conrad!
He said, 'Hi, Rocky'! We agreed
to meet at The 'Fanex 7'(July, 1993)
Con., in where it was then held,
in N. Towson, Md., near Baltimore.
Connie Granda, Conrad's daughter, got
ahold of Mark Bialek, a real nice
& helpful guy(whom I gladly
met again, recently!), who sent
me flyers/info. on The 'fanex' Con.
& The Bengie's Drive-In Theater,
where some of the late night horror
films were screened! This
all lead me to 'Fanex', 1993, where
I met, first, Conrad Brooks(for
the 2nd time in my life), then,
the same day, The Great *Robert
Clarke, star of his directed/produced
1959 epic, 'The Hideous Sun Demon'!
He/Clarke, as I later told Conrad,
during the interview included on
video with my 'Conrad Brooks Vs.
Werewolf'(available from me), 'He(Robert
'Hideous Sun Demon' Clarke) certainly
wasn't hideous! He was nice, friendly'.
Conrad agreed, 'Yes he was'! As
for 'The Man From Plan 9', that
was the movie I wanted to make the
following year, with Conrad, but,
as I said, he turned it down. Now, 'All
things work together for good',
as I play the hero of that
movie, instead of him, -& get
to battle the monsters, instead!
So, it's better, for me! Though,
Conrad(Brooks) does have a few cameo
appearances, due to stock footage
I later shot of him, later in '93,
when he stopped in Chicago, before
heading back to L.A./Hollywood,
Ca., to do his scenes for Tim Burton's
'Ed Wood'! Then, in Nov., '94,
after I'd finished editing 'Conrad
Brooks Vs. Werewolf', I met Conrad
again, in Downtown Chicago, at the
train station, shot more scenes
of him there, then treated
him to a drink at 'Cal's Liquors'(at
Van Buren & Wells St.), where
we were, surprisingly, interviewed
by bartender, Mike Fierstein, for
a Chicago Cable show, 'Van Buren
Street'! We spoke on my movie, 'Conrad
Brooks Vs. Werewolf', & of Ed
Wood, Conrad spoke of his part as
a bartender in Tim Burton's 'Ed
Wood', etc. The new title of my
movie, 'Man From Plan 9', since
I'll be battling the monsters from
space, including The Demon Monster,
I changed to 'Monster Invasion',
but, then found out that Fangoria
Mag. has a section of reader mail
in their pages called Monster Invasion!
I then called my movie(later with
a cameo by Forrest J./'Forry' Ackerman,
his scene shot years later at 'Monster
Bash'-1998, my 1st time as a Guest
of Honor there!), 'The Rock
Vs. The Monsters', as I told Forry
Ackerman, himself, on tape, at
99's 'Monster Bash'! So others wouldn't
think of the pro wrestler when they
hear my name, I wanted the movie's
title changed, again, -and to give
it an Ed Wood type title & feel,
in a sort of homage to Eddie's(Wood's)
'Plan 9', I made my final name for
this epic-in-the-making of mine
as 'The Demon Monster From Outer
Space'! It's already 1/4 edited(right
now, 30 minutes edited, of an approximate
2 hour 'opus'!), & I hope to
have it finished in by October,
2004, with scenes to be shown on
Super-station, 'WGN Morning News',
*October 31st, 2004/'Halloween',
when I'm on, every year(since 1997!)!
Thank you, Bleeding Skull at Sweet
Thunder, for this interview, -&
all the interest you have in my
movies and life"! Sincerely,
*David "'The' Rock" Nelson,
"The Ed Wood of The Future,
'-& Beyond That, Even'"!
Also, "The New 'Poverty-Row'
of Horror", -& "dang"
proud of it! -"Hah, heh, 'heh'"!!!
Ordering Information
To order any of David "Rock"
Nelson's monster/comedy movies,
on video, write to: *David Nelson
-1170 Howard Ave. -Des Plaines,
IL. -60018. All titles/monster movies
are $18., except for the 2-tape
'Vampire Woman', which is $32. post-paid.
To order any, please make the money
order payable to: *David Nelson.
You may also 'e-mail' me at:
RockNelsonFilms@hotmail.com
For a complete listing of available
videos, visit David
"The Rock" Nelson's Basement
Of Bloody Horror!
Bleeding Skull Reviews David "The
Rock" Nelson
Devil
Ant
Frankenstein
Stalks
Miss
Werewolf
Monster
Tales
Mummy
A.D. 1993
The
Pumpkinman Saga
Vampire
Woman (Reel #1)
Vampire
Woman (Reel #2)
Video
Shorts Vol. 2 |
