Last night I, and about 15 Raygun Gothic Rocket crew, went to the SF premiere of Cory McAbees awesome new space western musical move — Stingray Sam.
Of course, it was no real shock that it was such an amazingly original film. McAbee is responsible for creating The American Astronaut, a much loved, black and white, space musical about Sameul Curtis, a space privateer attempting to deliver “the boy who once saw a woman’s breast” to the all female planet of Venus, while being pursued by his odd nemesis Dr. Hess. In The American Astronaut McAbee creates a gritty, grainy, lo-fi, lo-tech space scape inhabited oddball characters with penchants for singing, dance contests and bodysuits.
With Stingray McAbee’s taken all the style and humor of The American Astronaut, refined it, polished it and deepend it. Stingray has the same lo-fi, lo-tech, black and white, all-singing, all-dancing, space-western world charm, but has an added layer of savvy political wit. In Stingray, McAbee plays the title character, a fugitive cum lounge singer on a derelict Mars, who’s reunited with his old pal, and fellow fugitive (and olive lover), the Quasar Kid, on a mission to repay their debt to society by rescuing a little girl from the vain, disco-vaudeville villain Fredward. Interwoven with this live-action, rock-musical adventure are lovely, monty-python’esque animations developing the political background from which the characters emerge. These vignettes are smoothly narrated by David Hyde-Perice.
In the Q&A time after the show McAbee said he wanted to take everything the world loves about American culture (sci-fi, DIY, rock’n'roll, dancing, and elaborate handshakes) an place it in a world representing the worst of American politics (exploitative prisons, corporate malevolence, and genetic shenanigans). This admixture sharpens the point of the inherently witty plot.
Stingray also has an emotion depth missing from The American Astronaut. McAbees Stingray is a soleful, polite, anti-hero who handles confrontations with wit, song and dance rather then blasters and punches. There is allot of instant truth in the “little bit nice and litte bit mean” camaraderie between the Quasar Kid and Stingray which was no doubt a result of Quasar being played by McAabee long time band mate (and first time actor) Crugie. The same can be said of Stingrays relationship to the rescued little girl who is played by McAbees own daughter, Willa Vy McAbee. I’ve recently been quote saying that great art is made with great friends and Stingray Sam definitely backs that up — McAbee mentioned that may of his band mates and friends played major roles in the film.
And as if the set, story, animation and acting were not enough to rave about there is also the music. Like The American Astronaut, the soundtrack is provided by McAbees band, The Billy Nayer Show. There is no denying the awesomeness of Stingrays soundtrack of strange, witty post-punk rock songs about men mating with men to make more men, and a man who’ll give birth to a stingray. These rock jems are accompaniedy by a lovely lullabie, and a ballad about a wicked mother and a peg-legged father. I’ll be listening to these songs for years to come, as I have the songs from The American Astronaut.
The final noteworthy aspec of McAbees new work is that in addition to creating a true indy, DIY, all digital movie, McAbee is also handling all of the distribution and promotion of the work himself. To this end he has focused many aspects of the production to insure that Stingray is just as enjoyable on the small screens of iPhones as it is on the big screens of theaters. He also wrote the entire work as a series of stand alone, old-school style serials. This makes the digital promotion and distribution of Stringray even easier.
So, the bottom line is you need to:
1- Go watch Stingray Sam right now online. It’s worth way more then the $8.
2- Tell your friends to watch it.
3- Go rent The American Astronaut.
While you are doing that take a liste to the opeing song Mars:
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Damm, I allredy want to see it again.