Welcome to a new feature where we talk to metal musicians about something other than metal. (Sort of.) Musicians On Movies will hopefully offer some insights on how artists from one medium view the artists and artwork of another medium, and also will hopefully be a fun way to learn a little more about what makes some of the members of your favorite bands tick. First up is vocalist/guitarist, Mike Hranica of The Devil Wears Prada…you know, because that was also a movie…
Let’s start off with an easy question for you. Have you seen the new Mad Max movie yet?
Actually I haven’t. I’d be curious to because I’ve heard a lot of good things and I’m a huge Tom Hardy fan. I have a huge man crush on him actually. But I’m a bit behind on movies because we’ve been on tour and on off days I just drink… and don’t go to movies.
So out of all of your favorite films what would you say is the “least metal” film that you love?
Probably all of them. I watch an action film and it’s just a total eye roll. I mean, I loved Die Hard growing up and whatnot but really what turns me on now is just quiet indie films. I find great entertainment in subtlety and normalcy both in literature and film. So I think a lot of my tastes are probably not considered very “metal” when it comes to movies.
Alright then let’s talk about a fairly recent film that offered up a great take on a warped sense on normalcy – Her. Do you think the film hit the nail on the head in its depiction of our growing dependence on electronics?
Definitely. I also took a little bit more away from it regarding dating itself and the desperation of it. I also loved the humor in it. I saw Her in the theater and I was so, so pumped to see it. But there was this dude sitting by me that just couldn’t stop laughing the entire time and he totally ruined it. Obviously it’s satirical, it’s dry, it’s depressing, but this guy was like bawling laughing like it’s Ted or something. But I re-watched it and I appreciated it much more the second time, the solitude of it, the solitary experience. I thought it was great. The dependence on the electronic age, I’ve touched on that as well. I hate people just watching their cell phone screens during conversations and meals 24-7. But that’s a whole other story I think.
So is there one movie or movie soundtrack that really spoke to you at some point in your life in a way others didn’t?
These days I love anything Trent Reznor. Otherwise, I think classically, one of the best is O Brother, Where Art Thou? Anything Coen Brothers you know they’re going to do a great job with it. Inside Llewyn Davis, that was T-Bone Burnett I think? Anything that T-Bone Burnett does. I got hooked on True Detective and I’m week-to-week on that and the intro song has me like…it blows my mind every time. But Nick Cave is my favorite musician/man of all-time so him doing John Hillcoat films, Lawless and whatnot I love.
The Devil Wears Prada. What’s better – the book, the movie or the band?
They’re all terrible. Haha! Before I joined the band they went with the name and I thought it was a stance against materialism, which was a hot topic for all of us. But after I joined the band I read the book and it was absolutely unbearable, as was the film, as was our early material. Ha! I’m sensing a real common denominator here.
