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Interviewed by: Goremetal 666
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Something Weird Video... the name just commands respect from Exploitation film buffs! SWV are arguably
the first video label to specialize in long lost & forgotten films (on a legitimate basis anyway). Mike Vraney
is the owner of SWV and we had a little chat with him via email:
How and why did the concept of Something Weird Video happen? How did it get off the ground?
SWV was founded in the early 1990s. I basically fell into starting Something Weird Video. It was just meant to
be. I've always been a fan of exploitation and low-budget cinema. As a kid I used to show 8mm Castle films in
my family garage and charge admission, and then as a teenager I worked at a drive-in. After years of being
involved in the early punk rock scene in Seattle and later managing bands like The Dead Kennedys, TSOL, and
The Accused, I began collecting obscure horror and exploitation films and television shows on VHS. During the
mid-1980s, there were fanatical collectors who would trade and sell each other hard-to-find films on video that
weren't available to consumers. I guess you could call them bootleggers since none of these people actually
owned the rights to the films they were trading/selling. In the late 1980s, I came across a large collection of
nudie cutie film loops. These films had originally been shown in 16mm peepshow arcade machines back in the
day. It dawned on me that they probably weren't available on home video, so I decided to have the films
transferred and compiled the first volumes of the now infamous Nudie Cuties Shorts Loops and Peeps series. I
placed ads in fanzines to peddle them to eager collectors. I also came up with the Big Bust Loops and
Grindhouse Follies series around the same time. Because the films weren't copyrighted, they fell into the public
domain, so it was completely legit to sell them to the public. That was the birth of Something Weird Video.
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And why dedicate it to preserving long forgotten drive-in trash?
When I started SWV there weren't very many companies putting these types of films on home video, so I saw an opportunity to make money doing
something I really like.
Did you used to go and see these films at Drive-ins back in the day?
Of course! I've always been a movie fanatic and loved the whole drive-in experience -- especially the crummy car speakers and lousy concession stand
food!
How hard has it been tracking down these films, some of which were thought to be lost forever?
Once SWV got established, people began offering me their collections. They honestly believed that no one would want to see their old films, and were
surprised that I'd even want them. There has only been a few times that I've actively sought out a film collection on my own.
Please explain the restoration process taken of these films..
As far as producing the videos (on either VHS or DVD), the original film prints or negatives are transferred at a lab in The Valley, Mike then has a video
master that he can work from and either make VHS or DVD-R dubs from. We also hand the masters over to Image Entertainment for our special edition
DVDs that are available in retail stores. And the very same masters are used for our Comcast On Demand channel and other broadcasting and licensing
ventures.
How did Frank (Basket Case) Hennenlotter come into the SWV family?
Frank was an early mail order customer. We became friends through our phone conversations. Frank is one of the most informed cinephiles I've ever
known. He in knowledgeable about many film genres, not just exploitation. He began writing reviews and doing research on the lost films I found, then
we created the Sexy Shockers series. Frank continues to be an integral part of SWV.
The name Something Weird Video, I assume the company was named after the H.G. Lewis film of the same name?
Yeah, it just seemed appropriate, and eventually lead to SWV releasing the H.G. Lewis films.
Speaking of Lewis, how did you end up releasing almost all of his films?
Through a series of events, I came to know Jimmy Maslon (Shock Films) who owns the H.G. Lewis and Doris Wishman film libraries. We became friends
and business partners.
Also who had the awesome idea of getting Lewis & Dave Friedman together for the commentaries on The Blood Trilogy? Those are some of
my favourite commentaries!
Dave and Herschell have remained friends over the years, so it just seemed natural for them to do the commentaries together. They're both full of great
stories and anecdotes.
How did you acquire the back catalogues of David Friedman, Harry Novak etc.?
By 1990, producer and exploitation pioneer, David F. Friedman, called me (because I was selling one of his films without permission) and we began a long
and fruitful relationship that gave SWV the credibility to seriously pursue other producers and filmmakers to secure the rights to their film libraries. Dave
introduced me to a lot of his old cronies, including Harry Novak. Over the years, SWV has retained the rights to the films of exploitation/sexploitation
royalty like Bill Grefé, Distribpix, Michael and Roberta Findlay, and numerous other masters of the genre.
I have seen the clip on Youtube of SWV raiding Dave Friedman's vault ( which is excellent!) and was wondering if there were anymore
Vault Raiding videos done?
No, that was a one-time thing!
What have been the most popular SWV titles?
Our top selling titles are the Bettie Page burlesque films TEASERAMA and VARIETEASE. That's a no-brainer.
Titles like DEADLY WEAPONS, DOUBLE AGENT 73 and STREET OF A THOUSAND PLEASURES are also big-sellers, but that's due to the big bust factor. The
H.G. Lewis films will always be popular. But there's an audience for everything in our catalog, so we continue to try to have a broad appeal, offering adult
material as well as tamer product like vintage television shows.
Alternatively what are some of the films you are trying to track down and release?
I'm not as proactive as I used to be about finding lost films. Back in the day it was like finding a rare treasure. Collectors don't get as excited as they used
to. I guess they're spoiled and jaded now. But I'm still thrilled when one pops up. The most recent rare film I found was THE BUSHWHACKER, a lost
nudie-roughie that was notorious in it's day. I'd love to find a print of THE SMUT PEDDLER and NEST OF THE CUCKOO BIRDS.
With the news a few months ago that SWV won't be releasing anymore SE DVDs through Image anymore, does mean there is a downsizing
in the company, or do you still have a few other idea's happening? Its a shame about the SE DVDs as well, I was hoping for an SE disc of
Black Alley Cats & Bat Pussy!
Not at all. It's just adapting to changes in technology and the market. We'll be getting involved with downloads and blue-ray at some point. And we're still
putting our entire catalog on DVD-R.
What was the deal with Siren Visual Australia distributing SWV titles in Australia? After a heavy slew of them came out there hasn't been
anything in a while?
We have an agent who handles our foreign licensing, so I'm out of the loop on that!
Before starting SWV, you used to work in the Music business. would you like to talk about that?
I've never been one to work a regular day job. As a teenager, I was involved in the early punk scene and started managing local Northwest bands like The
Dishrags and producing live rock shows in Seattle featuring national acts. At some point, I met the Dead Kennedy's and they asked me to manage them.
I lived in California for a few years and worked with TSOL for awhile. When I moved back to Seattle I got involved with The Accused. But that was around
the time I had some kids and started SWV, so I was done with the music business for awhile. It's only been in the past few years that I've dabbled in it
again, managing my teenage son Mark's band, DEK.
What does the future hold for Something Weird Video, and also for Mike Vraney?
Just keeping up with the wants and needs of the collector market. SWV has been doing a lot more with the internet, making our website better and
eventually offering films to download. Personally, I've returned to my favorite hobby, collecting! Comics, toys, pop culture collectibles and 16mm films for
my private movie library. My wife Lisa and I really like watching old 16mm films on our projector. Right now we're on a film-noir crime kick. We'll watch
anything with Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, and Richard Widmark. We're still working hard, but taking some time out to enjoy the fruits of our labour and
obsessions!
Thanks for taking the time out to talk to us. we wish you and SWV all the best.
Well there you have it kids! words from a dead-set legend! to find out more check out www.somethingweird.com and check out there back
catalogue of literally 1000s of titles!
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