If you look up “Legs McNeil” on IMDb a result will state he is a character in the film “CBGB”. While he truly is a character, there is nothing fictitious about this author. He is as real and honest as his experiences and the pieces he writes.
Inspired by the likes of Norman Mailer, Legs McNeil is a punk rock historian who lived the history. When the Heartbreakers played with Richard Hell, he was there. When the Ramones played their exhaustive final gig at CBGB after being reunited he was there, and not simply as a silent observer. He is the personification of the punk scene. He coined the term and he’s the original documentarian. He’s been there from the Dictators to Blondie and everything in between, including managing the hard-hitting band, Shrapnel. In effect, he was the midwife to the birth of punk, and he brought a candid awareness to the masses that is still celebrated today.
As far as cinema goes, there’s nothing more punk rock than horror, exploitation and sleazy grindhouse flicks. The feeling harkens to the thrusting surge of a screaming chorus with the frontman covered in sweat giving way to an almost orgasmic release, the money shot, the final kill. It’s raw, transparent passion, and Leg’s McNeil knows passion, so we’ll take a moment to pick his brain about the genre.
Body Count Rising: What’s your favorite type of horror?
Legs McNeil: I find a lot of escapism in alien films like Carpenter’s “The Thing” or with Charlie Sheen in “The Arrival.” When someone knows the aliens are here and no one else believes them... Paranoia is a pretty good plot device. “Rosemary’s Baby” is a good example of that use of paranoia.
Body Count Rising: So do you feel the same way about the paranormal?
Legs McNeil: Yeah, but they never do it well enough. It’s like those ghost busters that go in there with the flash lights and they hold them under their chin. They’re like “Wow it’s getting cold in here, isn’t it? Yeah… it’s
really cold…”
Body Count Rising: It seems like sometimes they overdo it with the CG and that just kills it for me. It’s the subtlety that makes the movie…
Legs McNeil: Exactly. I hate CG. They did the remake of Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting” and it was truly awful.
Body Count Rising: What level of importance do you think a soundtrack has on the film?
Legs McNeil: Very much. It’s funny; I was watching John Carpenter’s “The Thing” the other day and I noticed he uses this kind of drum machine to mimic the heartbeat. It was very effective.
Body Count Rising: Would you say “The Thing” is your favorite horror movie?
Legs McNeil: No. It’s probably “The Exorcist” because it’s just so good, you know. They spend like an hour of character development of Regan MacNeil and they keep building and building. And it’s worth it in the end because you have the big pay off.
Body Count Rising: Which film series in the horror genre do you consider to be the most punk rock or to have the most heart?
Legs McNeil: I would have to say the Living Dead films, where they come up from the ground, you know, that hand emerges all covered in dirt and it’s just really powerful.
Note: McNeil’s fond embrace of the filthy, gritty feel of the 70’s is also reflected in his writing.
“Like those nights at the Mudd Club when the sexy little nurse would show up every weekend and drag me out to her van to fuck my brains out—and when we were finished, she’d start the engine and turn on the headlights– and we’d see every inch of ground covered in rats– scurrying away from the light.” -Legs McNeil, Spin 2014
Body Count Rising: How do you feel about musicians like the Ramones or Henry Rollins crossing over into acting, like with “Rock and Roll High School” or “He Never Died”?
Legs McNeil: Well, you have Theodore Bikel, who made an excellent transition to film. And Henry Rollins was shot by Al Pacino in “Heat”. I haven’t seen “He Never Died” yet.
Body Count Rising: It’s mostly an autobiographical film about Rollins.
I’m kidding. He plays Cain. He’s shot multiple times and can’t be killed.
Legs McNeil: So
it is autobiographical. Henry’s a good guy.
Body Count Rising: Would you say your success with journalism has been more from initiative, knowledge and the research you do, or the sheer tenacity of assuring you’re in the right place at the right time?
Legs McNeil: Really, there are just some things I think can be defined more to articulate a feeling and to offer a different perspective.
A perfect example of how McNeil can articulate a feeling:
“Ah, summer in New York,” I sighed, swatting giant flies that were dive bombing my head as I sat sipping my first beer of the day at Manny’s pool hall. It was a scorcher of a day, temperatures rising to about 102 and it was so humid you had to cut the air with a chain saw in order to get a hunk to breathe.” -Legs McNeil, Hit Parader 1978
Body Count Rising: You’re so prolific and your perspective does make you unique, and sets you apart from other writers. What advice would you have for an aspiring writer?
Legs McNeil: Don’t.
(laughing) The nice thing is that you can do it anywhere. You don’t need to be in a specific place to write.
Legs, who is known for his work (co-founder, senior editor, writer…) on important magazines like “Punk”, “
Spin” and “Nerve” also has authored “The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry” and even the script for the Marilyn Chambers film “Still Insatiable”. The 20th anniversary edition of his landmark punk bible, co-authored with Gillian McCain, “Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk” is being re-released April 2016 with exciting new chapters. Currently Legs is working on a book called “69: An Oral History” which encompasses the 1964 – 1970’s Mansonesque hippy scene. As with all of Legs’ writing, this will be a vivid, immersive experience into that time.
Keep up with Legs McNeil’s projects on his
official website or read his bio on
IMDb.
