June 14, 2005
Sneak Preview Screening
Going to be in London on July 20? Go see the sneak preview of a rough cut of Unauthorized and Proud of It: Todd Loren's Rock 'n' Roll Comics, the latest documentary from BulletProof Film. My artistry and technical skill are present in almost every frame: I called a lot of people to help track down a lot of the stuff that's in the movie. I also sent a lot of faxes and emails. That's the not-so-prestigious side of making documentaries, although it all has to be done.
It's the life story of Todd Loren, a San Diego comic book publisher who made his name publishing unauthorized comic book biographies of rock stars, such as Guns 'n' Roses and the New Kids on the Block, most of whom sued him. In a landmark decision, a 9th District Court judge ruled that he had the right to publish unauthorized biographies; the only point on which the judge ruled against him was the use of trademarked logos. Loren was murdered in 1992, a case that remains unsolved. Was the murder a revenge killing, the action of a crazed rock star out for blood? Was it an early murder by Andrew Cunanan, who made the FBI's most wanted list five years later for his high-profile murders of other rich homosexual men? Or was it a random act of violence? Nobody really knows. Loren's story has everything: sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, murder, mystery, and, of course, comic books.
Addendum: There's also a test screening in San Diego on Friday, July 15, in conjunction with the San Diego ComicCon.
Posted by mike, June 14, 2005 10:28 PMWow! I need to get my ticket for London! :-P
This is the one you were telling me about last year, right? It sounds really interesting. I think my sister Bonnie would be interested in it.
Posted by: shane at June 15, 2005 10:55 AMI might go see this one.
Posted by: Shawn at June 15, 2005 1:51 PMYou're going to London?
(p.s., any phone calls that I didn't make or faxes that I didn't send were made/sent by Mr. Shawn Boyle.)
Posted by: mike at June 15, 2005 4:04 PMIf the chips fall right I may be able to see it. Granted, it probably isn't going to happen, considering how poor I am right now, but you never know. A pile of money may be left at my door by the "Guy Who Leaves Money" guy.
Posted by: Shawn at June 15, 2005 8:17 PMHi. I knew Todd and saw him on a regular basis when he was killed and plan to see the documentary. I would love to hear more about the information you got and from whom. There was some definite misinformation out in the community when it happened, partly due to shoddy fact checking by one reporter in particular, and partly due to some stories passed around by someone regarded as reliable who wasn't (and still isn't). Please e-mail me if you would be interested in discussing things. I know the work is done, but I might have additional information, and I would love to hear what you think about some of the things I know.
Posted by: Crystal at July 13, 2005 3:51 PMI got to see the film debut in SD - it pretty accurately depicted what it chronicled - video footage of Todd shot for a Musicade video catalog in 1987 really brought the story to life and made it seem as if things were being captured as they happened. Todd even gives a tour of the original Rock 'N' Roll Comics office in Sorrento Valley, tho at that point he was still about 6 months from launching #1.
Ilko the director also used of little bits of animation, where comic panels were brought to life in ways that drew huge laughs every time - spit flying outta Axl Rose's mouth as he flips out, Pete Rose chasing me outta a sports convention after finding out I was the guy selling piles of Rose comics down the aisle from him, etc.
I was impressed with the filmmakers' skill and the way the disparate footage (and wildly varied audio sources, from a sitdown they did with Alice Cooper to an audio cassette I provided of a phone conference with Gene Simmons) was spliced together into a coherent whole. I understand Bulletproof is talking to distributors about getting it shown at festivals and in theaters, as well as making plans for an eventual DVD release. Cool! Congratulations and good work!
Jay Allen Sanford
former managing editor, Revolutionary/Rock 'N' Roll Comics