CHAPTERS
- 0:03 – 1:18
From metal icon to filmmaker: who recognizes you now?
Joe and Rob open by celebrating the release of 3 From Hell and how Rob has become equally identified with movies and music. Rob explains that movie fans are harder to spot than metal fans, and they joke about changing “metal fan” stereotypes over time.
- •3 From Hell release-night setup
- •Rob’s dual identity: music + films
- •Why movie fans are less visually “obvious” than metal fans
- •Changing look of metal crowds (and parallels to MMA fans)
- 1:18 – 4:37
Early ambitions, shyness, and the fuel of being an outsider
Rob describes always wanting to make movies (and music), but feeling it was unattainable growing up in Haverhill. He and Joe connect over social anxiety, bullying, and how insecurity and outsider status can become long-term motivation.
- •Growing up in Haverhill and dreaming big despite feeling stuck
- •Imposter syndrome and lifelong self-doubt
- •High school invisibility, punk identity, and the ‘graduation day’ reversal
- •Bullying as a complicated driver of ambition and resilience
- 4:37 – 6:49
Stage confidence vs social anxiety: why big crowds feel easier
They dig into the paradox of performers who fear small interpersonal interactions but thrive in front of thousands. Rob explains he prefers bigger, more “impersonal” shows and hated intimate clubs, while Joe compares it to stand-up rooms with tiny audiences.
- •Rob’s anxiety presenting at close, dinner-table events
- •Joe’s early anxiety doing everyday interactions (bank teller line)
- •Why huge crowds can feel emotionally safer than small ones
- •Early club gigs as stressful proving grounds
- 6:49 – 9:58
White Zombie beginnings: Pee-wee’s Playhouse, CBGB-era DIY, and learning by failing
Rob recounts moving to New York, working as a production assistant on Pee-wee’s Playhouse, and forming White Zombie with minimal conventional skills. He frames their early sound as invention through ignorance, and describes dropping out of Parsons to live at Danceteria.
- •Working on Pee-wee’s Playhouse and glimpsing major talent
- •White Zombie as a first band and refusing to play covers
- •‘Inventing’ a sound by not knowing the rules
- •Parsons School of Design, getting kicked out, and nightlife education at Danceteria
- 9:58 – 14:22
Stubborn instincts and risky bets: turning down deals to land Geffen
Rob tells the story of rejecting major label offers (RCA, MCA) while having virtually nothing—then ultimately signing with Geffen. He and Joe unpack the mix of confidence, naïveté, and taste that can look like ‘balls’ in hindsight.
- •Turning down early record deals despite uncertainty
- •Holding out for Geffen and miraculously getting it
- •Naming and branding choices that seemed anti-commercial
- •Directing music videos as a self-made film school
- 14:22 – 18:36
Growing up on TV Guide, FM radio, and ‘monster movies’—before everything was niche
Rob describes meticulously planning weekly viewing from the TV Guide and being broadly exposed to genres. They contrast that era’s mixed media diet with today’s compartmentalized algorithm culture, discussing how broad influences help originality.
- •TV Guide culture and appointment viewing excitement
- •Creature Double Feature and local monster-movie rituals
- •How limited options forced wide-ranging influences
- •Modern ‘bubble’ culture and why it can flatten creativity
- 18:36 – 19:58
From fandom to filmmaking: horror roots, John Carpenter, and the road to House of 1000 Corpses
Rob explains his early obsession with monster movies and how filmmaking felt like becoming an astronaut—impossible. He then pivots into how his first feature, House of 1000 Corpses, came together at Universal through a chain of meetings, titles, and half-improvised pitches.
- •Early horror/monster inspirations and DIY teen filmmaking
- •The weird full-circle of remaking Carpenter’s Halloween later
- •House of 1000 Corpses starting as a title more than a pitch
- •Getting access via Universal theme-park connections and persistence
- 19:58 – 24:32
Universal dumps the movie: ‘unreleasable’ test screenings and ironic redemption
Rob details Universal’s reaction to House of 1000 Corpses—how the studio essentially rejected it after screenings. He notes the irony that the same property later became a Universal theme-park attraction, underscoring how tastes and corporate strategy change over time.
- •Universal’s ‘unreleasable’ verdict after test screenings
- •Mismatch between Universal’s family image and Rob’s grimy horror
- •Studios throwing money at reshoots—then pulling the plug
- •Later: the film becomes a celebrated theme-park event
- 24:32 – 32:07
Why Rob’s horror is about outsiders: empathy for monsters, anti-society stories, and revenge energy
Joe asks what draws Rob to violent, outsider-centered stories. Rob connects it to not fitting in as a kid, identifying with monsters like King Kong and Frankenstein, and later resonating with anti-society films and punk’s ‘go fuck yourself’ ethos.
- •Relating to monsters as misunderstood outsiders
- •Revenge and anti-normality as recurring emotional themes
- •Punk rock as a worldview shift
- •Fan devotion growing over time despite early critical hate
- 32:07 – 39:17
Collecting the past: 42nd Street grindhouse, rare films, and a 20,000-movie ‘vault’
They move into film-nerd territory: New York’s old double-feature theaters, exploitation posters, and the difficulty of finding obscure titles. Rob explains why he keeps physical copies and how experiences on gritty 42nd Street shaped his taste and imagination.
- •NYC second-run theaters and odd double bills
- •42nd Street: shocking films plus real-life street violence
- •Building a personal archive: thousands of DVDs and rare titles
- •Why streaming catalogs fail deep cinephiles seeking obscurities
- 39:17 – 46:05
Violence close to home: carnivals, riots, and the stories that end up on screen
Rob shares formative experiences with real violence: witnessing police brutality early in NYC and a chaotic carnival incident involving fire, guns, and a brutal assault. He explains how such moments desensitize you—and how he later folded similar imagery into 3 From Hell.
- •Michael Stewart case: witnessing police violence on day one in NYC
- •Carnival life and the ‘Carney’ realism connection
- •Carnival tent fire, gunshots, and a hammer assault in front of kids
- •A later suburban stabbing incident inspiring scenes in 3 From Hell
- 46:05 – 58:54
Classic horror craftsmanship: silent films, Lugosi/Karloff, and why practical effects endure
Joe and Rob geek out over foundational horror—Nosferatu, Dr. Caligari, Lon Chaney, Lugosi, Karloff—and how audiences once experienced these images without knowing ‘how it was done.’ They connect that tactile realism to why practical effects often feel scarier than CGI.
- •Silent-era and pre-code horror as a creative goldmine
- •Iconic performances: Lugosi’s intensity vs stagey contemporaries
- •Perspective: why early Frankenstein scenes were once terrifying
- •Practical effects as believable ‘real space’ vs CGI’s subliminal artificiality
- 58:54 – 1:08:12
Modern filmmaking problems: CGI overuse, green-screen acting, and studio meddling (Halloween era)
They critique how CGI becomes a crutch and how actors struggle reacting to imaginary elements. Rob then describes ‘psychotic’ studio interference on his Halloween films, noting how executive notes often chase whatever was successful that weekend rather than serving the story.
- •Why CGI can degrade performance and immersion
- •Examples: Star Wars revisions, Phantom Menace acting challenges
- •Studio notes driven by trends (‘get Howard Stern!’)
- •Weinstein-era interference and the confusion it creates on set
- 1:08:12 – 1:10:28
Art vs real-life rules: violence on screen, PC filters, and why horror keeps evolving
Joe asks whether Rob gets pushback for glorifying violence; Rob argues fiction operates under different rules than real life. They discuss how sanitizing art erases necessary depictions of reality, and how what shocks one era becomes tame in the next (e.g., Jaws ratings).
- •Rob’s stance: art shouldn’t be policed by real-life rules
- •Why removing ‘bad behavior’ removes stories (Taxi Driver, American History X)
- •Cultural desensitization over time
- •Horror as business vs horror as subversive expression
- 1:10:28 – 1:24:21
The movies that never got made: Broad Street Bullies, Groucho Marx, and the time-suck of development
Rob shares two passion projects that stalled for years: a film about the 1974 Philadelphia Flyers’ violent legend, and a dark late-life Groucho Marx story from Raised Eyebrows. The chapter highlights how development can consume years, even with access and momentum.
- •Flyers history: intimidation hockey, crowd fights, ‘Philly Flu’ lore
- •Why teams/owners may not want to ‘glorify’ the era
- •Raised Eyebrows: alleged abuse, isolation, and exploitation of Groucho
- •Reality of filmmaking: many more failures than finished movies
- 1:24:21 – 1:53:20
Creative control and career philosophy: avoiding ‘movies by committee’ and making what you’d watch
Rob explains he’s not chasing bigger studio films because he dislikes committee-driven dilution; he’d rather get the project made on his terms. They discuss finding your voice, the value of harsh feedback, and how social media amplifies delusion and criticism at the same time.
- •Why blockbusters and massive rollouts don’t equal happiness
- •Finding your lane: create what you genuinely want to see
- •Test screenings: useful signals vs useless ‘how to fix it’ opinions
- •Instagram era: easier validation, harsher mass criticism
- 1:53:20 – 2:06:01
Closing run: Ed Wood’s bizarro vision, great character actors, and perspective on police and society
In the final stretch, they praise filmmakers with singular vision (Ed Wood) and reminisce about unforgettable character actors. The conversation shifts into cop corruption stories, how policing warps people psychologically, and the importance of nuance—before Joe wraps by promoting 3 From Hell’s release details.
- •Why ‘inept’ films can remain memorable if the vision is unique
- •Admiration for actors like Martin Landau and Harvey Keitel
- •Corrupt-cop stories (The Seven Five) and NYC’s harsher past
- •Wrap-up: 3 From Hell release window and final thanks
