After spending the previous fortnight juggling details like chainsaws, finding decorations (strangely enough that didn’t involve chainsaws), and finishing the last editing processes for the newly minted “Nymphomercial” series, the Inmates at Mad Ones Films woke up one Friday in February, ready for a drive to Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Mad Manic Maestro, Jaysen Buterin, shows up at Evan’s flat at Area 51 just after 8 am, with our resident “Genius,” Mikey Cordes, in tow. We stuff the last bits of baggage and cooler and, of course, Hot Pink Jesus into the minivan, smoke a parting cigarette or six, and make the trip towards Con Nooga. We have picked a good time for departure, and the drive goes well. Mikey spends the trip rendering new clips for the “Nymphomercial” series, while Jaysen directs and drives at the same time. We’re west-bound and down, loaded up and trucking to make it through the mountains, finally get off of I-40, and arrive in Chattanooga by early afternoon. After a quick check in, we find our hotel room, drop off supplies, and head over to the Exhibitor Centre, where we set up shop for the next two days.
Con Nooga was Mad Ones Films’ sixth “Con” as media guests, and we were tickled hot pink at the possibility of adding this Tennessee convention to our annual plans. Our friends in The Adrenalin Group (also known as “the Mad Ones Films of Sanford”) had referred us to the Con Nooga organisers, and we were grateful to be included. We had a nice prime-time Saturday screening for “The Missionary Man” in the Imperial Ballroom, and plenty of time to schmooze and wow the Convention attendees beforehand. We set up our table, merchandise, and television and mingled with the first flourishing guests of the convention. We soon meet a lovely London lad by the name of Jason B. Carter who was serving as one of the main “media guests” for the Con, for the film “The Dead Matter.” Stationed directly across from Jason throughout the Con, we soon find that our tastes in humour, philosophy, and charming Con “chicanery” nicely overlap. At 6:00 pm, the Exhibitors Hall closes, and we begin preparations for the first night at Con Nooga. Jaysen has a panel at 8:00 pm on “Indie FilmMaking,” so we make it to that panel, then attend the “sneak premiere” screening of “A Few Brains More,” presented by our friends in The Adrenalin Group. After some good natured laughs, we head back to Room #1022, and cavort and carouse like maniacs until early in the morning.
An excellent Bojangles biscuit run cures the morning hangover along with a shot of the hair of the dog that we call Rum, and we head over to the Exhibitor Center by 11 am. We were a little late in getting started that morning, but one only had to look at the two handles of Firefly and Sailor Jerry to see the reasoning for our delay. Once we make it to the Exhibitors Hall, we go into “salesman” mode. We had our fair share of curious onlookers the night before, but now, we have to “sell” the movie. It’s a pretty easy sell, to be honest. Our red-headed Co-Founder, who could easily double as a “Hooters” girl if she weren’t so damn smart, speaks to everyone. She speaks to StormTroopers, Mandalorians, Anime kids, pretty much everyone… well, except for the Furriers… we still don’t know what to make of them, creepy buggers, the lot of them. We take turns at the table, and spend the afternoon encouraging Con attendees to forsake the Hotel party for 60 minutes, and come see our the cinematic second coming of Hot Pink Jesus. As the day progresses, Jaysen gets more and more manic and maniacally anxious, anticipating the night’s screening.
However, even Buterin’s upside down frown turned up at the dimpled corners when Andy Kahn, the actor who played Mr. Michaels (and one of the original Mad Ones), shows up at the Convention with his brother, Bill, and future sister-in-law, Christina. Andy had not seen the film since the original premiere screening back in September, and we had spent oodles of hours and miles and miles tweaking the green screen footage, working on audio levels, and polishing the finale since then. Andy had driven up from Alabama that morning, and we were thrilled that he was going to see his hard work in a more polished format. We close up our table at 6:00 pm, and began plans for the evening. We have a few hours to kill, so we go decorate the hotel room for our sinful little soiree, have another drink (or six), and watch our fearless leader doing his paces. We head over to the Imperial Ballroom, trying to wrangle a few more attendees for our screening, promising them one last opportunity to “Save Their Soul.”
Jaysen does his last minute checks, ensuring audio levels and playability of the DVD, smokes nearly an entire pack of smokes while wrestling with the Kraken, and then takes his place on the podium. After hearing stories all day about panels that only had “two attendees,” we were a little nervous about attendance for the screening – especially with the legendary Con Nooga room parties kicking off into high hedonistic gear. We told ourselves we would be happy with 10 people in the audience, so when we counted upwards of 30 people in attendance, there was relief all the way around. We screen a selection of previews (including the newly – not nudely – created “Nymphomercials,” and then proceed with “The Missionary Man.” After the film plays, we get a warm round of applause (much of it from fellow filmmakers who attended), and the look of relief in Jaysen’s face was evident. Now, it’s time to party!!!
We close up shop, and head back to host “The Post-Apocalyptic Pajama Party,” which we agreed to when asked to join the Con. We were all positively giddy at this point, and proceeded to carouse like a bunch of savages in a shiny new town, serving up Brain Juice while it lasted, and consuming as much Jello Brains as possible after that. The antics of the evening prove to be hilarious and hijink-full. From naked hot tub crashers to Sapphic shenanigans, the after party took on a libertine life of its own. The Mad Ones carried the torch until 5 in the morning, leaving Jaysen alone to patrol the late night, like a sentry of sarcasm. Not surprising, he has a panel later that morning at 10 am, and yet somehow manages to sleep a couple of hours before leaving. The rest of us stumble around the hotel room, recollecting our belongings, looking for any brain cells that may have been lost over the weekend. Tragically, none could be found.
We get the room cleaned, check out, and then head back to the Exhibitors Center. We have two last hours there before the Convention closes, and we manage to sell a couple of “The Devil’s Tramping Ground” DVDs that we have left. Once we close up shop, we load the van, and make our way back towards the highway. For all the relish and verve we had on Friday, we have lost our sparkle to the haze of a convention hangover and three-day full-frontal nerdity bender. After several pit stops, including a world-changing taco run at Jack in the Box for JB, we finally made our mad way back to Greensboro, and were quite thankful to get home all safe and sound-like.
In rabblerousing retrospect, Mad Ones Films had an absolutely amazing time at Con Nooga, and hopes that this will prove to be the first of many Tennessean convention adventures that we share. We want to thank the Con organizers for hosting, running and administrating such a successful event and for inviting us! We would also like to thank The Adrenalin Group for their help and encouragement in getting us in the door. The gyrating gears and wild wheels are already turning towards next year’s convention, and the inmates running the cinematic asylum over at Mad Ones Films look forward to making an even bigger sinful splash next year. We hope to see you there!
– J. Evan Wade & Jaysen Buterin
March 31, 2011
Categories: Uncategorized . Tags: Adrenalin Group, Afflast, Chicanery, Con Nooga, Concupiscble, Hijinks, Hilarity, Hot Pink Jesus, HPJ Trilogy, Inveigle, Mad Ones Films, Nymphomercial, Shenanigans, The Gospel According to Booze Bullets & Hot Pink Jesus, The Mad Ones . Author: madonesfilms . Comments: 1 Comment
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