MIKE JEKNAVORIAN National Interviews

TODD VEROW

As a nod to the upcoming Halloween season, meet another famous resident from Bangor, Maine, other than the city’s infamous writer.  One who has fascinating ties to Carrie and Pet Cemetery.  Introducing a pioneer of New Queer Cinema, filmmaker and actor, Todd Verow. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMES KLEINMANN

You grew up in Bangor, Maine.  What do you miss about it there?  The beauty and the strangeness—there is a reason why Stephen King lives there.  Did you ever interact with King?  Yes.  My father is a politician, and Stephen is a big Democratic-Party supporter, so I’ve been to his house several times, and I went to high school with his children.  My high school is the one that Carrie was based on, and my classmate started the real Pet Sematary.  If you had to live somewhere other than New York, where would you live?  Probably somewhere in Maine.  What’s special about New York that most people aren’t aware of?  That it’s a great place to wander.  If you had an unlimited budget, what kind of film would you make?  A period-piece horror film.

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A man pursues his sexual obsessions to their darkest and most dangerous extremes in this gay-themed drama based on a novel by Dennis Cooper.

What performer would you love to work with?  Willem Dafoe, because he’s fearless and sexy.  What film director do you admire?  George and Mike Kuchar, because they make movies all by themselves, and did it for the fun of it—and they didn’t care whether they ever showed anywhere.  What’s the sexiest film shoot that you’ve ever worked on?  Frisk, because it was a blast.  What’s your favorite film?  The Shinning.  Can a film go too far, such as in, for example, Salo or A Serbian Story?  No, because real life always goes farther.  Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now?  Working in a paper mill.  If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered?  As someone who made films on his own terms and never cared about money.  What do you want to live long enough to see?  The end of the patriarchy.  Will you ever retire?  No.

What’s the weirdest question that a fan’s asked you?  “Can you mail me your shit?”  What’s your guilty pleasure?  Dynasty.  What’s your favorite band?  New Order. What’s your fondest childhood memory?  Summers at our camp.  What were you like in high school?  A party animal.  What’s your favorite quote?  “I love doggie chow,” from Showgirls.  Have we reached the point where there are too many people in the world?  We reached that decades ago.  What other celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  Catherine Deneuve.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  Vegan pizza in Paris.  What’s the best place that you’ve visited?  India.  What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  That nothing really matters, so relax.

What did you learn from your parents?  To love unconditionally.  Who’s your favorite performer?  Prince.  What’s your best characteristic?  Quiet.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  Watching movies.  What celebrity do you have crush on?  Erik Estrada.  Who do you admire?  Fassbinder.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  Warhol.  Where would you go in a time machine?  To 1977.  What would your last meal be?  Indian food.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  A violin. Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  A wolf.  Who are you closest with?  My hubby.  What would your autobiography be called?  Just Call Me Scott.  What’s on your bucket list?  To travel more.  Where can we see you?  On Instagram, on Facebook, on Vimeo, or just on the streets of New York City!

MIKE JEKNAVORIAN Local Interviews

SUSAN JOHNSON GONZALEZ

With hits such as “Fascinated” and “Full Circle,” The South-Florida group, Company B, is forever cemented in the public’s consciousness of the 1980s.  But why did Susan Johnson Gonzalez, the group’s only original member, initially move to South Florida? 

Where did you grow up?  In Jacksonville.  How long have you lived in South Florida?  All my adult life.  Why did you move here?  For a modeling and an acting career.  What part of South Florida do you live in?  In Miramar.  What do you like most about living here?  The weather.  I don’t like the cold.  What South Florida venue do you miss that’s gone, and why?  Club 1235, because it had great ambiance and a great crowd.  Where do you hang out in South Florida?  In Wynwood, at the beach, and at home with the family.  What’s your claim-to-fame?  I’m an original member and the owner of Company B.  What’s your most cherished live performance, and why?  It was in Brazil.  The audience was unbelievable.  They were singing every song, and they waited for us afterwards to take pictures.

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Which one of your songs is special to you, and why?  “Fascinated,” because that was our first music video.  What performer do you admirer, and why?  Prince, because he wrote and produced all of his music.  Also, because he didn’t take any crap from anyone.  Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now?  I was a receptionist for a boat propeller company.  How would you like to be remembered?  As someone who was inspiring and uplifting to others.  Will you ever retire?  When I can’t dance anymore I will.  What’s the weirdest question that a fan has asked?  “Would you leave your husband for me?”  What celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  No one.

What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  Instagram.  What’s the best place that you’ve visited, and why?  Paris, because of the culture, the history, and the food.  What’s your favorite movie?  Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  What drives you crazy?  Dishonest people.  How would you feel if your dog was the master in heaven, and you were the pet?  I would feel loved.  Would you give a kidney to a relative or close friend?  Yes.  What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  To trust my instinct.  What did you learn from your parents?  That to be early, is to be on time, and to treat others as you want to be treated.  What’s your best characteristic?  That I’m honest.

How do you enjoy spending your time?  With my family, going to the beach, the gym, bowling, and just hanging out.  What celebrity do you have a crush on?  Shemar Moore.  Who do you admire, and why?  My mother, because she’s always had my back and supported me in everything that I do.  She gives me unconditional love.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be, and why?  My grandma, because she was a great cook and a Godly person.  Where would you go in a time machine, and why?  I would go to Jerusalem to see all of the miracles that Jesus did.  What would your last meal be?  Shrimp, because I’m allergic to them, and they were my favorite.  What do you worry about?  My children.  What are you afraid of?  Snakes.

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Company B’s debut album, featuring the hits, “Fascinated” and “Full Circle”

If you were a musical instrument, what would you be, and why?  The piano, because of its versatility.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  A sheep in wolf’s clothing.  Who depends on you, and for what?  My children do, for love and support.  Who are you closest with?  My husband.  He just gets me!  What would your autobiography be called?  Don’t Be Surprised.  What music do you listen to when you’re upset?  Gospel music.  What’s on your bucket list?  Sky driving, Dubai and Greece.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  Nothing.  Everything is a learning experience.  What’s something that you never told anyone else?  I can’t tell you.  Where can we see you?  On the Freestyle Explosion Tour, and at companybmusic.com.