Michael Sanchez & Friends

Born in New Jersey and raised in Delaware, Michael "cut his teeth" in New York City where he studied imporvisational comedy and acting before moving to Seattle.

He is now directing The Return of Great Guy, a feature length film he co-wrote about Great Guy, a real life superhero who fights his own alcoholism and depression instead of crime.  Michael will score the film with his band, The Way It Is.

Here we sit down with Michael Sanchez and three of his friends and collaborators: Superhero Great Guy, pornographic actor Bo Logan, and organist Victor Mance.

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How do you guys know each other?

Michael Sanchez: Not to sound like the center of the universe but all these guys wouldn’t even know each other if it weren’t for me. I met Great Guy a few years ago. I had seen him around Seattle and approached him about possibly doing a film about him.

Great Guy: A documentary.

Michael Sanchez: Yeah, I did it and it screened at the Seattle international Film Festival, where it did quite well.

Great Guy: To my dismay.

Dismay?

Great Guy: I was dismayed because even though Michael’s film was popular it made me look like an ass. I mean, it showed parts of my life I’d rather not be known for.

Bo Logan: Lusty Lady. [A Seattle Strip Club]

Michael Sanchez: Basically, it turned out to be a comedy and a lot of people didn’t realize it was real. They thought it was a mockumentary.

Great Guy: And I got really mad at the response. I mean how was I supposed to be taken seriously if this fucking movie was disparaging me?

Michael Sanchez: And so Great Guy declared me his new arch rival or nemesis or what ever.

Great Guy: Archenemy.

Michael Sanchez: Right.

Great Guy, I was under the impression that the crime rate is fairly low in Seattle.

Great Guy: It is. There’s virtually no crime in Seattle, compared to other major cities. And you can look at it two ways: either it’s sucks to be a superhero cause nobody’s ever heard of you or it makes it easier because you have a lot more free time to do other things. Like for instance, play music. So I have a lot more time to concentrate on music and stuff.

Bo Logan: What stuff? The Lusty Lady?

Great Guy: Shut up! He asks the questions!

Bo Logan: You shut up, pervert.

Great Guy: I’m no pervert. You’re the pervert you...porn actor.

Bo Logan: You’re really tough huh?

Great Guy: Yes.

Bo Logan: You’re wearing fucking panties, you loony faggot!

Great Guy: Hey, can you help me here?

Bo Logan: It's fucking funny. But you knew that. I mean look at this fucker. He’s running around in ballerina tights and -

Great Guy: They’re not ballerina tights -

Bo Logan: Whatever fuckface, he’s running around in fucking reotards -

Great Guy: Leotards! And they’re not leotards -

Bo Logan: I said reotards, asshole, because you’re a fucking reotard!

Guys, if you talk over each other, it just makes it harder for me to transcribe.

Bo Logan: So I’m no filmmaker. I’m just an actor.

Greay Guy: A porn actor.

Bo Logan: YES. A porn actor. Michael did one film that I starred in. it was called BO LOGAN'S JACKOFF EXTRAVAGANZA! You better capitalize that too, you hear me, fuckbag?

Why are you so jacked up?

Great Guy: Can I have my name capitalized?

Michael Sanchez: No, if he capitalizes you he’ll have to capitalize everything. 

Bo Logan: I ain’t jacked up. You sound like my mother.

I’m going to try and restore some order here. Why don’t we politely go around the table, one by one, and tell me what you are currently working on.

Bo Logan: Nothing right now. I’m retired. As a porn actor anyway. Otherwise I work at the Sunset [bowling alley] bartending. I host the karaoke night there too.

Great Guy: I’m just looking for a new sidekick at the moment. I’ve been through four now.

Michael Sanchez: Right now I’m working on a feature film about GG. We’re in the shooting process.

Great Guy: It’s roughly based on my life. It’s a drama/adventure.

Are you in the movie and do you have any control over the script?

Great Guy: I didn’t write the script. I was just around to answer questions and make sure things were as close to real life as possible. I’m not in the movie...

Michael Sanchez: Great Guy had expressed an interest in playing himself, but a after a few screen tests he kept freezing up. We have an actor portraying Great Guy who’s doing a terrific job so far.

Great Guy: Yeah he’s good. He has a good chin. Also, I’m camera shy and have stage fright. It’s like a phobia for me. My doctor says it’s chronic, as close to being agoraphobic as you can be without actually having agoraphobia.

Agoraphobia?

Michael Sanchez: Agoraphobia. You never heard of it. Just look it up. Google it.

Bo Logan: Yeah. Sigourney Weener had it in that movie Copy Cat.

Great Guy: It’s Weaver. Sigourney Weaver.

Bo Logan: I said Weener you asshole. Sigourney Weener is a fucking porn star.

Great Guy: Shut up.

Bo Logan: You shut up. Wait. This super fag is right. I’m thinking of a different movie. The porno version of it. Did any of you see Forest Hump?

Michael Sanchez: No.

Great Guy: No.

Tom Hanks is the best.

Michael Sanchez: He’s not talking about Forest Gump. He said Forest HUMP.

Bo Logan: Yeah, Forest Hump with Tom Spanks.

Remember in Big when he was a kid but people thought he was an adult?!

Bo Logan: Yeah, and he got to fuck that old lady?!

Great Guy: Can you not talk like that?

Bo Logan: Hey fag, I thought Brandon was the one asking the questions. Fuck this. You guys are a bunch of pussies. [Leaves.]

Great Guy: Good. What a jerk.

Bo Logan: [Comes back in.] I heard that you fucking faggot. Just for that I’m staying just to make your life more miserable.

Victor Mance: [Enters, speaks with and English accent] Am I in the right place?

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I think so. Michael suggested that when we got together I should interview some of his friends too. I figured you knew these guys.

Victor Mance: I play bass and stuff with Michael. Apparently we did some music for Bo’s film last year and we’re working on the music for Great Guy’s film but I haven’t actually met these guys. And to be quite honest, I’m somewhat horrified by their presence.

Great Guy: What?

Bo Logan: Fuck you very much, asshole.

Michael Sanchez: I’m sorry. Victor’s here because I thought he’d be able to give more insight into The Way It Is. I didn’t realize Great Guy and Bo wouldn’t get along as much as they’re not.

Speaking of The Way It Is, what was it like opening for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah last year in New York just as they were getting big?

Victor Mance: Oh yeah, the Seaport music festival? Were you there? It was a good festival. They flew us out to NYC for that one. A golly good time. I didn’t talk much with the Clap Your Hands crew but they seemed nice enough. They offered to let me use their amps which was quite generous. We played with Devotcha on that one too, but I didn’t really talk to them either. I understand they’re both quite big now. Too bad for us, huh?

Oh, I’m sure you guys will get big soon enough. I would not be talking to you otherwise.

Michael Sanchez: We liked those bands but we weren’t that into either of them. I mean they’re good and original and all but...

Victor Mance: But we felt like Clap Your Hands was sort of a lot of hype based around the fact that the singer was very reminiscent of David Byrne.

Michael Sanchez: And the Talking Heads following sort of flocked to that. It’ll be interesting to see if or how much they evolve on the next record.

Victor Mance: Yeah, they’ll have to move away from that sound eventually.

The Talking Heads are making a new record?

Victor Mance: No, Clap Your Hands.

Bo Logan: Who is this guy?

I don’t think he’s done any porn soundtracks, sorry.

Bo Logan: I was talking about you, you asshole.

Michael Sanchez: We’re putting a covers album out soon. If we can ever get this new album out.

What’s the new album?

Michael Sanchez: It’s called Be Still My Beating. We wanted to release it this year, but we don’t know if it’ll happen or not.

What’s the hold-up?

Victor Mance: Just money. We wanted to press 1000 copies but Michael’s moving to Chicago soon and can’t really afford it.

Great Guy: My album’s doing very well. Or it was. I ran out a few months ago.

How many did you print?

Great Guy: 50. But they went like waffles.

Bo Logan: Don’t you mean hotcakes?

Great Guy: I meant waffles. They went really slowly. But they’re all gone now.

I actually prefer eating waffles

Michael Sanchez: Me too.

Victor Mance: It’s true. Most civilized people prefer waffles over hotcakes.

Bo Logan: I likes hotcakes.

Victor Mance: exactly. By the way, waffles are still a fairly new invention. They were invented by
Francis de’Waff in 1823 for the Lady Alexia of France. We English perfected it in the late 1800’s and now it’s an international passion.

Great Guy: Anyway, it wasn’t much of an album, more like an EP. Half songs and half some haikus I wrote a while ago.

How do you finance your crime fighting and albums?

Great Guy: Well, I don’t have a normal job per se. Fighting crime is what I do 24/7. Like I said I play music in my spare time, but the rest of my time is filled with looking for and then fighting crime, mostly in alleys. I look for theft, robbery, parking violations, littering, vandalism.

Are you paid by the state or what?

Great Guy: I wish. No, I don’t make any money except for my CD sales.

But you only printed 50.

Great Guy: Yeah, I know. Times are really tight right now. I’m living in my mother’s garage at the moment.

Do you at least get to drive the car she parks in there?

Great Guy: No, she makes me ride a bike.

Really?

Great Guy: Yeah.

That’s weird. I guess we never really think about where superheroes get money for food and things.

Great Guy: No, no one ever does really. But this is charity work at its most basic form.

You are an admirable man.

Great Guy: Thank you.

Downloads

Bridle.mp3
At The Party.mp3

At The Party video.mp4
The Alphabet.mp4
GGtrailer.mp4

Websites

http://www.thewayitismusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/thewayitis
http://www.myspace.com/greatguy

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