Max Brooks News
October 5, 2007
Priceless: Max interviews George Romero at Comic-Con 2007 here.
An excellent interview with Max from last fall -- original link at House of Horrors is here, forever version is here.
A nice short item from last year:
Preview: Max Brooks' Festival Of The (Living) Dead!
Barbican, London
Dead men are walking - and talking
by Charlotte Cripps
Published: 01 November 2006As the author of The Zombie Survival Guide and the recent zombie-invasion novel World War Z, Max Brooks is the ideal person to answer the question of why the zombie genre is so popular. "The genre cannot exist outside of the apocalyptic," he says. "Since we are living in times of great uncertainty, zombies are a safe way of exploring our own anxiety about the end of the world."
Brooks was just 12 years old when he saw his first zombie movie. "I saw [George A Romero's] Night of the Living Dead. The idea of a creature that was driven by pure instinct to kill, eat and multiply scared the hell out of me."
Paramount Pictures may now make a film of World War Z. "It is a deadly serious oral history of a future conflict with an invading force of zombies," he says.
Brooks has now chosen five films as part of the Barbican's short zombie season, including two from Japan. "The Japanese don't make the best - but perhaps they make the craziest," he says. Wild Zero (2000), directed by Tetsuro Takeuchi, follows the fate of a rock band after a meteor strike results in aliens attacking the earth and turning people into zombies. Ryuhei Kitamura's Versus (2000) is a yakuza-themed movie with martial-arts action.
Brooks has also chosen an Irish film, Conor McMahon's Dead Meat (2004), in which a mutant strain of mad cow disease defiles the countryside with living corpses.
Naturally, Romero's classics Night of the Living Dead (1968) - zombies attack a remote farmhouse -and Dawn of the Dead (1978) - set in a shopping mall - will rear their ugly heads. "No one can replace Romero," says Brooks. "He was the first, and there can only be one first."
He regrets, however, that the season doesn't include Lucio Fulci's Zombie. "A zombie fights a shark - how cool is that?"
source
September 11, 2007
Great interview with Max here. Must read! Max says:
Zombie fans are the best. Even the critics are great. Go on Amazon and check out the ones who criticize “The Zombie Survival Guide” for not being a good enough guide! They rock!
Max on zombies here.
"Whenever there is a time of upheaval and uncertainty, we turn on the zombie tap," said Max Brooks, creator of "The Zombie Survival Guide," a scientifically rigorous parody (in which "everything is real, except the zombies," he said), and "World War Z," an oral history of a zombie war that was inspired by Studs Terkel's World War II chronicle "The Good War."
Zombies, Brooks said, "are a way to explore our apocalyptic fears in a safe way."
"If you had a bunch of movies coming out about real plagues or terrorists nuking America, that's pretty scary stuff. You wouldn't sleep at night. But if you're watching a zombie movie, you can exorcise your demons in a way," Brooks said.
(more at the link)
I've adored author David Sedaris for forever, so it's nice to see that he's so appreciative of Max's stuff (link). He recommends Max's work because it "is hilarious because it doesn’t try to be."
I'm thrilled, too, that Sedaris is coming to my town next month... I can hardly wait. Sedaris is one of the few writers who can make me laugh until I cry with his mere words on paper. I've never heard him or seen him speak, as I have such a vivid image in my mind with regard to his author's voice, so I'm sure this event will be quite an experience!
July 18, 2007
Official Comic-Con Panels and Appearances Sneak Peek!
With the San Diego Comic-Con set to hit in just under 3 weeks, we're getting pretty excited here at FS.net to yet again bring you some of the best coverage you'll find on the web. To start building that excitement, Comic-Con has released an official “sneak peek" at a few (not all) of the panels that will be at Comic-Con this year. You can find the full “sneak peek" list here (and the actual full schedule arriving soon), but we'll jump right ahead to the ones that should interest all of you.
Thursday, July 26th
Paramount Pictures presents Beowulf, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Stardust, Hot Rod, Iron Man, and the next installments of Indiana Jones and Star Trek, plus a few surprises. Confirmed Appearances: JJ Abrams, Robert Downey Jr., Jon Favreau, Neil Gaiman, Roger Avary, and Andy Samberg.
Spotlight on George Romero featuring both George A. Romero and Max Brooks.
Also from this link:
4:45-5:45 Spotlight on George Romero—George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead) is the undisputed master of zombie genre films and Max Brooks (World War Z, Zombie Survival Guide) has written the best selling zombie novels. Join these two titans of the undead as Max sits down for a personal interview with George talking about everything zombies!
Room 6CDEF
Here's a snippet of one of Max's presentations -- brilliant! The comments are also a trip to read.
Babylon 5 Creator Makes Brad Pitt Zombie Movie
Enthusiasm for the WWZ movie is building:
I'm going to gush here. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to the big screen adaptation of Max Brooks' fantastic zombie apocalypse memoir World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. I finished the book on Sunday and while I've never been a huge fan of the zombie genre (despite having seen many), the approach Brooks takes in weaving his tale into real world politics, solutions and dynamics sets it apart from the genre works I've seen and gives it a sense of grim realism and detail.
At New York Comic-Con over the weekend, Babylon 5 creator Michael Straczynski announced he was the choice for penning the screenplay for Brad Pitt's production company, Plan B. Straczynski even added a note that Pitt might star. While a direct adaptation of the book is a sure-fire ensemble piece, Straczynski noted they'll have to coagulate the narrative in an effort to tie places and events into a movie-appropriate storyline, with a character the audience can follow through the film. As a book, WWZ's stories have no central character (beyond a non-descript narrator) and come from Japan, Russia, Iran, Israel, Afghanistan, India, Pacific Islands, the US and China.
Max was at Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors Convention in mid-May. (Link)
Read all about the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour here, with this from Max:
Max Brooks, who helped create ''The Watch List" with Obeidallah, dismisses the idea that comics with Middle Eastern backgrounds are thriving because audiences have evolved. What's changed, he says, is the comedians -- now an experienced group who have honed their skills through thousands of club dates.
''It's not so much that America is ready for them. It's that they're ready for America,`` says Brooks, a former ''Saturday Night Live" writer and son of comic legend Mel Brooks.
All the comics say 9/11 was a crucial turning point, and all vividly remember their first performances after the attacks. A friend took Obeidallah aside and advised: ''Don't talk about being Arab. We're in New York. Somebody might get mad." For several weeks he used his middle name and performed as Dean Joseph.
....
With projects and negotiations bubbling out of both coasts, everyone involved is looking for that next step into mainstream consciousness. ''I don't know what the show is going to be that takes this to the next level," Jobrani says.
All that's certain, the comics say, is that if they bring in big audiences, opportunities will come. Brooks and Obeidallah have high hopes for turning ''The Watch List" Webisodes into a regular series showcasing a shifting roster of Middle Eastern-American comedians. They envision huge buzz, heavy media attention and hopefully a little attention-getting notoriety.
''If Ann Coulter doesn't call us traitors, I'll consider this a failure," Brooks says.
February 5, 2007
Excellent article Max has written for Men's Health, "Saving Mel Brooks." A must-read, whether you are an Anne fanne or a keen follower of Max (Maxxed out?). Original article is here, forever version is here. Thank you, Max, not only for letting us peek into your private life, but also for the valuable lessons contained in this piece. It hits just the right tone, it's really beautiful.
Another terrific discussion about zombies, this time with the focus on the Battle of Yonkers here. Forever version is here.
January 31, 2007
So much is happening with Max that it really becomes crazy at my end sometimes, trying to split my precious minutes of site work time between Max and his mom. But my feedback tells me that you fannes are enjoying this section every bit as much as the people who come to this site solely for info about Max, so I'll keep plugging away.
I
did catch Max on The Late, Late Show a few weeks back, and captured
it on DVD. He was terrific, as usual, but I felt that the brief time was
terribly wasted -- perhaps Max, too, would have preferred to have been
asked about more interesting aspects of his work than being asked to
explain all about the zombie digestive tract. Ah, well, my little boy
thought it was terribly funny, so there ya go.
There's still tons of excitement about zombies, of course, but Max's newest endeavor co-producing (with Dean Obeidallah) "The Watch List" is receiving a great deal of attention as well. It is the first show ever produced by a major American entertainment company starring all Middle Eastern-American comedy artists. Its run started on January 15th on Comedy Central's Internet channel Motherload. (Check out 4 excellent video samples here.) If it's well received, it could find a spot as a TV show on CC. Download the show (it's free) and tell your friends about it.
Here's a bit more:
Among the broadband shows launching is "The Watch List," a six-episode run featuring 12 Muslim comedians beginning Monday. Show was created and produced by Dean Obeidallah and Max Brooks.
Given the subjective nature of comedy, Muslim-based comedy could cause a potential problem among viewers, especially those in the Muslim community.
"I am not concerned," said network senior veep Lou Wallach. "I think there's credibility that it's coming from their own mouth. We're not trying to incite a riot. I think it will draw attention in a good way. These are Middle Eastern comedians with a strong point of view and something to say. They're not out there to offend or pick a fight. They're comedians."
Wallach compared the shows to "Mind of Mencia" and "Chappelle Show," two shows that have drawn some sharp criticism in the past.
"It's along those lines," Wallach said. "We give those kind of voices a platform. It has appeal to a lot of people. It's hard to compare those three, but it's the same kind of barometer."
The mix of established talent and freshmen efforts create a potential clearinghouse of talent, said Wallach. "It's a virtual sandbox and more people can play. It's a level playing field, a great equalizer -- people with a lot of experience, media executives, and guys sitting at home in high school and college with a camera from Best Buy. The traditional means of access have changed."
source
Here's a fabulous interview that Tess found (thanks!) at the Jewish Daily Forward. Original version is here, the forever version is here.
Another terrific article is in the Scotsman, and it includes this bit of wisdom:
Among those hoping the show is a hit is co-creator Max Brooks, the Jewish son of famed movie producer Mel Brooks.
"Go on say it, how does it feel to be a Jew working with all these Arabs," Brooks joked. "In a very strange way, I feel that Comedy Central may be doing more to fight the war on terror than Homeland Security."
January 4, 2007
Just getting back from the holiday break with the news that Max really, really, really, really, really is going to be on The Late, Late Show tonight, joined by Carl Reiner! Check your local listings.
Here's how it went at Fangoria's annual Weekend of Horrors:
Next up was ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE author Max Brooks, a former SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE writer who was promoting his new undead literary epic, WORLD WAR Z—the film rights to which had already been acquired by Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B. A surprising amount of attendees vocally professed their adoration for GUIDE, which Brooks says he wrote “…basically because I was unemployed, and I didn’t write it to get published.” Famous last words, indeed. But with 500,000 copies in circulation, Brooks’ latest effort, which takes place 10 years after a zombie pandemic and is described by its creator as “based on real fact” and offers “straight horror, straight darkness,” should garner an equal if not larger amount of devotees.
In his own words: Max wrote a very nice piece for The Guardian, here.
Forever version is here.
From a gaming review of Bad Day LA:
Now, clearly American McGee hasn't read Max Brooks' Zombie Survival Guide. If he had, he'd know that no zombie, regardless of origin, can be cured with a fire extinguisher.
source
December 22, 2006
Max was supposed to be on The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson early this morning, according to information sent to me by two different people. But he wasn't on, unfortunately. Does anyone have further info on that??
Lots of website updates coming up over the holidays, so much to share with you guys. Thanks for being so patient with me over these last few difficult months. I really feel ready to get things fired up at this site again!
December
7, 2006
This is for the Max
Brooks fans popping in, wondering where
the heck I've been. The past month has been very difficult for me
personally, as I lost a very dear friend. When you are grieving, you want
so desperately to be left alone, not talk to anyone or do much of
anything; but as the creator of this fledgling website for Anne Bancroft,
I can no longer afford that luxury. I'll be spending a portion of the
upcoming holidays updating this site, which has been neglected far too
long. Check back soon, I've got lots
of updates for this section of the site! October
25, 2006 Max
was in Hartford yesterday -- nice interview here.
Forever version is here.
Excerpt (much more at the link): Brooks says he has no
political ax to grind in the book: "I nail everyone
equally, from conservatives to baby boomers. Nobody comes out
clean." Zombies are so
frightening, he says, because "they come to you. They break the
golden rule of horror, which is 'it's your fault -- you went looking for
it.'" Like viruses, zombies
"spread whether you are minding your business or not. Predators
think, but viruses don't. It's pure instinct." That reminds him of
fanaticism, and, Brooks says, "when I am confronted with
fanaticism, it terrifies me." By setting the story in
many countries, he hopes to raise awareness. "Americans are
incurious," he says. "We stumble through the rest of the
world, stunned that they are not like us." If readers find his books
to be both smart and funny, Brooks is grateful, but says it's not
intentional. He doesn't consider himself a humorist, but in the words of
"Mark Twain or Thoreau or maybe it was Will Rogers, I'm a
dork." "The humor just happens," says Brooks, who claims
the world's freaks and geeks as his people. "I don't intend to be
funny. I sit down to write about zombies. It warms my heart to know that
people aren't laughing with me, they're laughing at me." Friday:
Arlington, Texas.
Lecture: “10 Lessons
for Surviving a Zombie Attack,” Friday, Oct. 27 Max Brooks, the son of
actor, producer and director Mel Brooks, will give a satirical lecture
on how to survive a zombie attack. Through the use of props, Brooks will
give an audience-interactive sword demonstration, as well as present a
slide show and mini-documentary. He will also provide a question and
answer session and will sign copies of his new book, “World War Z,”
which will be available for purchase. The event will be held at 7:30
p.m. in the Rosebud Theatre in the E.H. Hereford University Center, 300
First St. Sponsored by EX.C.E.L. Student Activities, ticket prices are
as follows: free for UT Arlington students; $4 for faculty and staff; $5
for the general public (tickets will be available at the door). For more
information, call (817) 272-2963. Some of the visitors to
this page might be interested in obtaining their own "Horrified
B-Movie Victims Play Set" from Archie McPhee here.
October
23, 2006 Nice
interview with Mel here
-- an excerpt:
Your son
Max Brooks' new zombie novel World War Z has been getting a lot
of positive attention. Ever think about collaborating with him? Linda Marotta
at Fangoria.com reviews WWZ here.
Excerpt: This global
battle for survival offers delights to fans of science fiction, horror,
techno-thrillers and martial arts. But there are also elements of
history, culture and geography as countries must draw on pre-industrial
strategies both to wage war and to rebuild their national identities.
Brooks tears it all down and builds it back up again. Behold the world’s
first zombie epic. Check out the
L.A. Zombie Walk here...
great pics. "Tell them I'm not coming back to the set until craft
services delivers the free-range maggots!"
By the way,
have you guys checked out the last page of WWZ?
Tonight: Salt Lake City.
Excellent interview here.
Great photo, lots of terrific info. Forever version is here.
Excerpt (much more at the link):
source
We may, way in the future. But he struggled and strived for his
independence. I cast a big shadow, and he had to flee from it. And he's
done a remarkably great job. His first book, [2003's] The Zombie
Survival Guide, sold 300,000 copies. That's on his own. At the beginning
they used to say, ''Mel Brooks' son.'' There's no mention of me anymore.
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away."
