Filmmaker Robert McGinley talks ‘Danger Diva’

After eighteen years, filmmaker Robert McGinley returns to the screen with his cyberpunk thriller musical Danger Diva. It’s a truly unique experience, and there’s nothing quite like it out there. McGinley was kind enough to take some out to speak with me about his grand vision and how he was able to bring it to life.

Horror Geek Life: Shredder Orpheus has easily attained cult status. What do you feel makes the film so special that people have latched on to?

Robert McGinley: I am surprised (and grateful) that it has been kept alive by a loyal following but I owe the film’s longevity to the archetypal resonance of the Orpheus story. The Greek Myth is Western Civilization’s oldest love story and it touches the nerve of the Zeitgeist because Orpheus represents the aspiration of unconditional love that transcends death.

It’s also possible that the power of music central to the Orpheus story is on display here in a way that’s compelling. Composer Roland Barker and musicians Bill Reiflin, Dennis Rea and Amy Denio deserve a ton of credit for creating an amazing soundtrack that invented a new genre of music we call “skate rock.”

Another possibility is the fact that I went to art school, not film school, so I was not encumbered by any preconceived notions of what the ingredients should be for making a feature film. Since Shredder was my film school, I felt free to combine my interests in skateboarding, Greek mythology and science fiction and the unusual mix may contribute to the film’s appeal.

HGL: Music has been a driving force in the films you’ve made. What attracts you to bringing these two worlds together?

RM: Bringing music and film together is at the core of what I like to do. Obviously, music is a wonderful amplifier for emotional and visual elements of a film. I enjoy writing poetry/lyrics and have been an amateur musician most of my life. I was in several bands in college and have a penchant for collaborating with musicians, so writing songs for Shredder Orpheus, Jimmy Zip, and Danger Diva seemed a natural part of my screen writing process. Before writing screenplays, I had a stint writing music reviews for the Seattle Rocket, an influential rock zine in the eighties and nineties and the process exposed me to a ton of a music that informed my visual and audio sensibilities.

HGL: Tell me a bit about where the idea for Danger Diva originated.

RM: The first draft of DD was written in 1993 and at the time there was a confluence of research that I was engaged in including cyberpunk literature, electronic sweatshops, genome biology, life extension biology, and computer chip technology applied to the human nervous system by DARPA during the Reagan/Star Wars era.

The original muse for Danger Diva was the otherworldly performances by new music composer and singer, Diamanda Galas. The intensity of her performances are something I will never forget. I saw her five or six times in the mid and late eighties and she tore the roof off the house of every show she did.  During one of her shows where she was naked from the waist up and covered in blood and I made the association of her visage and KALI, the Hindu Goddess of Death and Rebirth. I thought framing a character around the story of the Kali goddess would be a great vehicle for a film.

HGL: I know this is a project you’ve been trying to make for many years, why now?

RM: Several reasons. After making my second feature, Jimmy Zip, I ran into a wall with life circumstances and had to focus on financial and family issues. I didn’t have time to make a feature film but I kept busy with landscape photography and music video poems. The other issue was that the script really needed a lot of work, so once or twice a year I pulled the script out of the drawer and played with story and characters like it was a train set.

The 25th anniversary of the release of Shredder Orpheus jump-started the process when suddenly there were all these requests for screenings. I got the only 35MM print out of the garage and it circulated through 7 or 8 retrospective event screenings including BAM “Skate Boards on Film Festival,” where it was the closing night film.

Since Shredder Orpheus and Danger Diva are stories that seem to be kindred spirits, I thought that it might be time to make a go of it.

HGL: When did you meet Molly Sides and how did she become involved?

RM: Finding Molly Sides was a huge stroke of luck and the final catalyst to make the film. I met her shortly after I made the decision to shoot Danger Diva in Seattle and over lunch with theater friends I asked, “Who is the musical Le Femme Nikita of Seattle?” The unified response was Molly Sides, lead singer of THUNDERPUSSY. Molly was a well-regarded choreographer and dancer, but had no experience acting on camera. She had done a few musicals in high school but acting on camera was not in her wheel house. I was a bit apprehensive with casting her at first, but after watching the band’s music videos and her feisty performances I thought this could actually be great.

So I called her up, pitched the script and sent it to her. She came to audition for Devi. She was a bit raw but very game to play the role and excited about my interest in including the band musically and as performers. After the audition my producing partners and I made the calculation that if she had enough preparation and solid actors around her she would be fine.

Thankfully, she exceeded my expectations and when you consider many famous pop singer/dancers struggle as actors in big movies it was gratifying to see her nail scenes one after the other.  Her confidence grew everyday of the shoot and by the last week she was hitting emotional notes that only the most experienced actors are able to access.

HGL: Can you talk a bit about the casting of the rest of the roles?

RM: The rest of the cast consisted of theater/film actors from Seattle. Producer and Casting Director, Brian Faker, brought in Tim Goran to read for my antagonist, Stanley Arkoff, and he really wowed us along with Ray Tagavilla, who has been described as oozing sleaze, as Calvin Yamachi. Amy Thone (Adrian Belew) was pitch perfect for Devi’s empathetic mentor and Conner Neddersen has a nice turn as Scattering Flyn, Devi’s boyfriend. Our Baby William character was a real find and his performances were amazing: he genuinely seemed worried about Stanley, cooed when he looked at Devi and cried when he saw Calvin!

As to the process in casting, I’m not sure you can say there is a specific design. It’s really a gut feeling that tells you and you “just know” when you have the right actor sparking into the character.

HGL: What were your original expectations for the music in the film, and how did Regan Remy and THUNDERPUSSY help you to realize that?

RM: Since Danger Diva is a music and sound FX-driven film, finding the right musical chemistry was crucial for creating all original music. I knew I wanted to collaborate with Regan Remy, who has a musical range from feminine softness to a more yang energy for a rock score.  For things like a lullaby (“All That Is”) or an operatic song (“Hypno-Pulse Aria”) or score for the spa (“Exhale”) or rocking themes (e.g. “Hey That’s Ralph’s Cart”), she had the perfect musical sensibility to drive the story. I also felt that she would work well with Molly Sides and THUNDERPUSSY. Fortunately, the two clicked clicked and Molly’s vocal  performances really stand out especially on “All That Is” and “It’s Later Than You Think.”

Of the three songs contributed by THUNDERPUSSY we really focused on the opening song, “Takin’ You Over,” which deals with corporate surveillance and the co-option of human consciousness, which is a major theme in the Danger Diva story.

Finally, it’s worth noting that my Sound Mixer, Mike McDanold did an amazing job creating the high tech velocity voice of Devi.

HGL: You have some very interesting ideas, messages, and concepts for your future in the film, how were you able to squeeze so much of it in the movie without compromising vision on a limited budget?

RM: Cyberization of consciousness, manipulation of human brains as external processors, electronic sweatshops and life extension strategies using human offspring are issues that will be a part of our future. Humanity will have to decide how much we are willing to allow technology and corporate intrusion into our lives. Combining all of these issues and the logistics required into a 100 minute feature film shot in just twenty 14 hour days was a ridiculous challenge, and there were many times I thought we had bitten off more than we could chew. However, my cast and crew were relentless and I was fortunate that the people  involved believed in the project and went the extra mile to make it happen.

HGL: Was there anything in particular you wanted to do but were unable to accomplish due to time or budget constraints?

RM: After the cast and crew screening, Regan MacStravic, Danger Diva’s Artistic Director, said to me that we got 90% of what was in the script. I think he is right and that was the miracle of this film especially when you consider the time it takes to do stunts, fights, riots, explosions and the coordination of 350 brain cattle extras…it’s phenomenal that we got it done in the time allowed.

The only major sacrifice related to time/budget constraints was having to shoot a few scenes during the day instead of night and struggling with location problems but that’s pretty minor in the scheme of things.

HGL: What’s next for the film and what are your expectations for it?

RM: We are planning a VOD release in November and we will have the DVD packaged with an LP record of the sound track available in late October. Can’t wait!

HGL: Are we going to have to wait another 18 years before you get behind the camera? Do you have anything else in the works you would like to talk about?

RM: I hope not.  In a possible follow-up to Danger Diva, Baby Wiiliam, Devi’s son, is a rebel guitar slinging rocker mentored by his digital father, Stanley II, falls in love with a cyborg and confronts the techno–oppression legacy of his father.

For more info on the release of Danger Diva be sure to visit the official site You can read my review of the film right here.