06.24.05 - NICK FROST INTERVIEW - DANGER! 50,000 VOLTS! DVD RELEASE

With Danger! 50,000 Volts! finally coming stateside, I was given the opportunity to have a nice brief one-on-one chat with the man himself, Nick. Sure, it was my first time actually interviewing somebody, and above all, the actual person this site was dedicated to, but I think I didn't do too bad...right?

Q: So Danger! is finally coming out over here, how do you feel about that?

I'm really pleased, it's a shame I couldn't be over there, doing all this kind of thing in person. But it's great, you know, it's just a little show we made 3-2 1/2 years ago, something like that. Very small budget, it felt like we were making a little guerilla show, do you know what I mean? There was the director who was the producer, the sound guy, and the cameraman, you know, it was all very rushed, all cooped up in a van driving around the world getting into adventures and shit. I think there was a thing when we went to America to do these shows, our producer a couple of times said, "Why don't we do it like this, why don't we kind of tease the Americans because they don't know what we're talking about so we can get away with taking the piss a little bit."

I think from an early stage my whole thing was "Let's not do that at all, let's do the complete opposite of that", which is to let everyone in on the joke, and I think by doing it that way we got a lot more respect from everyone who we used doing the show and it wasn't just our kind of English 'coming in and bullying you and you don't understand what these words mean', and I think that's just shit and I think it's easily done and it's a cheap shot. I think what's better is to let everyone in on the joke and I think it shows on some of these little vignettes, that's quite a twatty word I think, snippets maybe. But I'm really glad, it was a little show and now Ryko have got a hold of it and it's gonna be over there in America, which is quite weird I think. I dunno what America as a whole is gonna think of it, really.

I figure it would cater more to the Spaced/Shaun crowd.

Yeah, I think so, and perhaps people who used to be in the CIA and Army and stuff. Perhaps now they've had to retire because of quite a nasty head injury.

Q: Do you see the second series (Danger! Incoming Attack!) ever coming out?

The second series is better than the first series, I think. After the first series did so well over here, we had a little bit more money and so we got a little bit more ambitious, it got slightly bigger. I think that would have to be up to Rykodisc I suppose, they have in their mind I guess a set number of units that they would like this to push, and I suppose if it does well enough, who knows? If people would like to see it, then I guess we could do it. But you see, I don't think that Danger! did so well over here in England, and I think the problem is that the people who distributed it and the company behind who produced it really shot themselves in the foot by charging £20 for it. The problem was I think - the Special Features. If you look on Shaun of the Dead it was like what, 2 1/2 hours of special features? That went on sale in Britain for about £15. There was quite a big argument between me and the production company, I was saying, "Look, I think we should put on everything we possibly could, you know, commentary, Danger! 50,000 Zombies!, the outtakes because people want to see them."

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in Danger! 50,000 Zombies!

So this kinda went back and forth quite a time and they eventually gave in and said, "Ok, we'll put the outtakes on the DVD", which was great, because then I think it would have been almost worth that amount of money. Then they came back two days later and the company said to me, "Now Nick, we have a problem where upon we've lost the series." So they actually lost the series. So because of that, that's why the extras are quite slim. We tried to do as much as we could in the time we had making Danger! 50,000 Zombies!, which is perhaps one of the most self-indulgent pieces of television that Simon and I have ever made. You can just see us laughing all the way through it, which is quite nice, it fulfills a need I guess.

Q: What would you say was your favorite segment in the making of Danger?

Anything when we went to America, just the whole thing was good. Alligator Attack was great, and also Bear Attack was lovely because the lady who we did that with was a forest ranger somewhere in Florida. She was a ranger and a bear expert, we went along and spent the day with her, she was lovely, really nice and really funny and she got it, she understood the joke. It was just an absolute pleasure working with her, and also the snake, I've never kinda handled a snake before. There's a guy down in Florida who's like a snake expert who's been attacked 60 times by different snakes, and as result he was now immune to certain venoms, which I think is a magical power to have. So yeah, bears and snakes, because we were working with really good people, especially the snake man, we went there and I think he thought we were fucking nuts. But then towards the end of the day he kind of enjoyed it. For me that's always the best thing, when you leave and you pack up and you go and everyone has enjoyed themselves, no one feels excluded or like, "...what the fuck was that about? Who were those blokes?"

Q: Was there anything that they wanted you to do, but you pretty much said, "No. Fuck that."?

I think I'll have to say no, I think I did everything they asked me to. Certain things we couldn't do, like Tornado would have been great while we were in America to have gone to Tornado Alley and actually seen a Tornado, stuff like that. In the second series, the only thing that I wouldn't do that they wanted me to was a piece where we storm an embassy, we re-enact the Iranian Embassy siege in the ages of Britain. They wanted me to abseil off the roof of this fake embassy through one of the windows and heights is my big thing, so I got all the gear on and all the ropes and stuff on, I think at one stage I was even hanging over the side of the building and I just said, "I can't, I cannot do it." That's the only thing on both series that I pulled out on because I didn't want to do it. But I'm quite game, I'm game for a laugh!

Q: Before Danger! even existed, what would you say was the most dangerous thing you've ever done?

I'd have to say something like driving on the motorway at 140mph, which is probably quite dangerous. When we did Spaced, they wanted me to take a machine gun back to my house to practice stripping the machine gun, so I took the gun home and it was a very hot day so they got me a car home, and I jumped out of my car and went home. Because it was quite hot, I opened my back door and then I spent about an hour or two doing bong hits and things, then I decided to start stripping the gun and practicing how to strip the gun. I think on the third or fourth attempt, I put the gun back together and pulled my blindfold off, and there were eight armed police officers pointing machine guns and handguns at me through my back door, two of them in the house pointing them at my head. Turns out as I had gotten out of the cab, a woman had seen the gun sticking out of my bag and phoned the police, so they thought I was a terrorist and had sent everyone around, that was terrifying. Because on the way out, the guy who was in charge of the SWAT Team said, "We had made our minds up that had you have had the gun in your hand we were gonna shoot you." I'd say that probably, or as I said driving or...you know, something like that. Being in a football match, that can be quite dangerous sometimes I think. But yeah you know, little bits and pieces.

Q: Has there been something a fan has sent you that made you scratch your head and go, "...what?" What was the weirdest thing a fan has sent you?

No, I think I get it all, I think I understand it all. I think I wear most things, I don't buy many clothes, so when people send me t-shirts through the post, I stick them straight up. Someone sent me a "Wake and Bake" shirt which I've actually got on now. So yeah, I don't think I ever get anything "weird" through the post. Yet. I think anything weird comes through Christian Hodell, I may have got weird things, they just keep them from me.

Q: Given the opportunity, what one person throughout the history of film would you like to work with, and why?

I know it's quite cheesy and fairly unimaginative, but of a director I'd have to say Tarantino. I'd just love to be in one of his films because I just think he makes the coolest films. Once you're in a Tarantino film, that's it, it's like you've been made by the Godfather, you know? But as an act of god it would be great to work with DeNiro, or Pacino even. I mean I know they're quite obvious answers, but as an actor and someone who enjoys film I think they're the only answers I can give, really.

I think I could make a good Gimp.

Yeah, it's possible!

Q: With Danger! coming out, are there any plans to come to the States?

Originally we were gonna be out this week, but you know what these things are like, I just started rehearsing this sketch show that I'm gonna start filming in 2 1/2 weeks for BBC3. Rehearsal started and time just ran out unfortunately, so I couldn't make it over there, I think it was just a case of bad timing. But Simon and Edgar have just come back, they were in Pittsburgh, or Philadelphia? I think they were there for the Land of the Dead world premier.

Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh, ok yeah, so they were in Pittsburgh for two days. So they had an amazing time walking around the mall walking around where the original Dawn of the Dead was shot.

Q: Speaking of which, have you seen that yet?

The new Land of the Dead?

Yeah.

No, no I haven't. I've got my KNB FX Land of the Dead crew shirt, but I haven't actually seen the film yet. But Simon's just got back today and he's off to Glastonbury tonight, so I'm gonna have to give him a ring and see what he thought of the film, but I'm sure he loved it.

Q: Ok, how about the new Batman (Begins)? Seen that?

Yes, I have! I saw that, when did it open here, I think it opened last Monday. I saw it in the daytime on my own, I really, really liked it. I thought it was dark enough, I thought Scarecrow was really, really a bit frightening and trippy. I liked it, I liked the Batmobile, I just like the feel of it, I thought it was really good. Did you like it?

Um, I have not seen it yet.

Oh, you're in for a treat.

Q: So what's in your music rotation at the moment? Any favorites?

At the moment, I'm really banging to the Kings of Leon. I went to see them play here on Sunday at a place called Hammersmith Apollo, quite a small little venue, it must have been a thousand degrees in there. Excuse my language, but they were fucking amazing. They came out and they just rocked the roof off the place, so they're my favorite at the moment. I also like, I don't know if you've heard of a band called The Bees? They're an English band from the Isle of Wight, they're amazing as well. I don't know if you actually get it in America, but over here it's a movement called Hard House, and it's House music but it's like incredibly hard and tough, and for many, many years that was my love, that was my big thing. But you reach a time when you're 31 and 32 and you find you don't dance as much, your legs ache and you want to go home at 2 o' clock. But I don't know if you can get any Hard House over there, but it's certainly quite mental and it makes your ears hurt.

Q: frostitution.net -- Charming and flattering, or obsessive and slightly scary?

What was the second one?

Obessive and slightly scary.

Uh...the second one.

Ok!

No no, I'm joking! I'm utterly charmed, and utterly flattered by the site and the effort that you put into it, and the effort that you know, everyone pitches up and has a little look and says their bit, and it's great. It's just a shame that I can't get there as often as I can.

That's very cool of you though, I don't know of any other sites out there that has the actual person come on.

Well you know, I hadn't been there for a while and I felt bad and I kinda got back from working a couple of weeks ago and I had a big pile of fanmail that I hadn't answered either and I was feeling really bad, so I sat down, I had an afternoon, and I answered all my fanmail, I posted all the photos off, and I had got onto frostitution and kinda wrote a letter so I felt kinda good in myself that I had done everything.

I don't know if you know this, but Jon Riley (producer of Danger! 50,000 Volts!) actually came on the site as well.

Did he now?

Yeah, he actually popped by and said a few words.

How is Jon Riley?

Um, well...fine!

Is he posted on the site at the moment?

Yeah, he has actually.

Was he good to me, or was he rude?

No, he basically said a simple, "Thanks for watching our show, we're happy people are discussing it!"

Oh good, that's good. Jon works quite hard on Danger and you know, he can be quite a pain in the ass, but I think that's all of us, especially when you're all cooped up in one little van traveling around Florida and LA, you know. He does a great job.

Q: So if Jon Riley's seen this site, do you know of anyone else who's seen this site?

Yeah Simon's always on there, Simon often phones me up and says, "Oh you should go and see what so and so said!" But I think Quentin, I think Tarantino's had a look at it?

Ooh!

But I can't guarantee that, though.

Oh.

When I had lunch with him a couple of months or so ago, we were talking about the site and we were having a good laugh about it, and I said how chuffed I was and he was quite pleased for me.

If I were you, I'd be whoring it around really, like, "Hahaha, I've got a site, you don't - The End."

Yeah, like I've done all the work!

Danger! 50,000 Volts! hits stores June 28th, so be sure to secure your copy then! If you have any questions or comments concerning the DVD, feel free to sound off on our message board! Thank you again to Nick Frost for participating and Rykodisc for giving me the opportunity.