(This interview was conducted in 2003 and has been exhumed from the vaults)
And another horror host icon interview is resurrected: Count Gore de Vol!
LR: What prompted you to begin broadcasting as a TV horror host?
CG:Well, I didn’t begin broadcasting as a TV Horror Host. I was a news anchor and director for a the first UHF TV station in Paducah, Kentucky in 1971. I was then tapped to also do Bozo the Clown for a daily live one hour children’s show and lastly, after one too many beers way too late at night, I was convinced to become a horror host…in addition to everything else. You have to love small market TV!
When I moved to Washington, DC in 1972 to do the Bozo show there, it took a lot of hard negotiating and a name change (M.T. Graves to Count Gore De Vol) before they would let me host horror movies in the nation’s capital! But there was just so much juicy political material to work with; it was a blast!
LR: Which other host/s did you see as a role model?
CG: My only exposure to the horror host genre was Marvin of Shock Theater in Chicago during the late 50‚s. He was this ghoulish beatnik character who had a beautiful blond sidekick, whose face we never saw and a live band. I learned all about the Universal classics watching his showcase. But, since I had a cape (after all it was the 70‚s), plenty of clown white make-up from Bozo and could do a reasonable Transylvanian accent, I decided on a vampire character and had to create and evolve the character from there on my own. I really am sorry I didn’t get to see the likes of Zackerley and Dr. Paul Bearer, but since horror hosting was a „local‰ TV phenomenon and the country was so big, it just wasn’t to be.
LR:What is your most abiding memory of your time as a host? (on or off camera)
CG: This one is hard because there were so many great memories. During the mid to late 70’s we would have annual visits from Penthouse Magazine Pets! These were always fun and the visit of Dominique Maure, Pet of the Year for 1978 was particularly fun, because she was quite a good actress and I did get her in my coffin!
The return to the air on a weekly basis in 1984, after four years of specials, was also particularly gratifying. We had a huge new studio and the first digital special effects and I certainly tried to abuse them. Creature Feature got to be the first show in DC to be broadcast in stereo and I finally got Forrest J. Ackerman on my program
Off camera, my fondest memories came from the two live Halloween shows we did in 1984 and 1985. We had a great big old theater, complete with pipe organ that raised out of the floor and a large stage to work on. Over 300 guests in costume came to each event and working with a live crowd was a very stimulating experience.
LR: What do you get from being a horror host?
Fame, gratification, ego boosts, and debt! I was a staff performer during my TV days. I got paid the same whether I did Creature Feature or not. Being a TV vampire allowed me to bite necks at will and without worry of sexual harassment lawsuits. People thought I was cool and who was I to disagree with them. Becoming the first horror host on the Internet in 1998 was fabulous, but since I don’t permit advertising and generate all the shows income from branded product sales on the web and at conventions, I don’t generate that much income. However, it is enough to allow for the new digital equipment necessary to make the web program possible and it’s studio segments, some of the best streaming video on the Internet!
LR: What are your interests outside of horror?
CG: I love entertaining and pay the bills by owning and operating a mobile DJ service. I love doing wedding receptions in particular. It‚s just fun being around people having fun. I am also a big science fiction fan; both books and movies. I scuba dive, sail, play a bad round of golf now and then, have a classic 30 year old motorcycle and love to travel. I just love the Albert and Victoria Museum in London and the city of Bath!
LR: If you were left on a desert Island, what 5 films would you take with you? Why?
This is the question I used to ask my guests! But I stopped because the answers were too boring. However, I‚ll do my best to make them somewhat interesting.
My first choice would be “Young Frankenstein!” I just love this film! I have multiple copies and have watched it countless times. I never grow tired of it and it always brings a smile to my face.
For something that would scare me, I would choose, “Alien!” It‚s the perfect space horror film.
Hey, I would have to have one James Bond film and that would be “Goldfinger.” Can’t get enough Pussy…Galore that is! Because I would want to remember my friends, I would also choose, “Alien Factor”, “Nightbeast”, and “Galaxy Invader!” Yes, I know that’s six, but hey, these last three are low budget films by Baltimore’s own, Don Dohler and they should only count for two! I was in all three as were many of my friends and I would always want to be with my friends.
LR: You are somewhat of a pioneer in the field of Horror Hosting. You are the first to produce a dedicated webshow. What impact do you feel that the Internet/digital broadcasting will have on hosts?
CG: In the whole world of Horror Hosting, I was just another of many second generation (70’s & 80’s) hosts, most of them on local UHF stations. Now, most of them are gone. I don‚t think there are a half dozen “broadcast TV” hosts left in America and most of them are in Ohio! So, since the powers that run TV don’t want horror hosts, there were only two places to go, local access cable or the Internet. Access channels can be tricky because of local standards and politics. You also have a very limited audience potential. That, however, hasn’t stopped them from being the breeding ground for the next generation of horror hosts. Dr. Gangrene, A. Ghastlee Ghoul, Halloween Jack, Dr. Sarcofiguy, Baron Mondo Van Doren, and Laslo are just a few of the names that come to mind. Many are members of the Horror Host Underground (www.horrorhosts.com).
I, however, decided that the eventual future for hosted horror films might be on the Internet. Since someone had to be first, I decided it should be me, so in 1998, I took the plunge and created “Creature Feature the Weekly Web Program.” Initially streaming video wasn’t good enough and there were still too many people using 28.8 modems, so I tried to create the feel for my old TV show in text. Some of the text features today include video reviews by no less than three different reviewers, theatrical film reviews, book reviews, weekly summaries of events in horror history, contests, Tarot card readings, author interviews and more, from six regular contributors. With faster modems and more broadband connections, plus improved compression technology, I’ve now added a significant amount of streaming video, including myself hosting public domain films along with celebrity interviews and special features.
The hardest part has been trying to get the word out that this is a weekly “program”!
It really is not just another website or even a e-zine. It truly is an enhanced TV show that you can watch anytime time, day or night for a full week, when more than 70% of the content will change!
LR: What was your motivation for going into the digital medium?
Quite frankly, with MiniDV tape and cameras interfacing with computers loaded with professional editing software, I now have more production power than a 5 million dollar TV station had in 1987! Digital was what made this possible! Many of my contemporaries are now switching over to the digital formats and I encourage them to do so!
LR: Talk us through a typical shoot for your show.
The studio portion of the web program is shot on a permanent set that was built to duplicate the set I had on WDCA in Washington. The main difference is the lack of the TV station’s very tall ceilings. Everything is planned and shot film style with one Sony MiniDV camcorder. I have wireless lav microphones for myself and any guests. The lighting is permanent and professionally set. Depending on the number of films in the pipeline I shoot once a month and each session take about 4 hours.
Of course, I do take a videographer on every convention and personal appearance, where I get material for various interviews and special interest features. For convention interviews I actually use a two camera set-up. I’ve had the privilege of interviewing such wonderful actors as Dee Wallace Stone, Michael Berryman, Brinke Stevens, Glori-Anne Gilbert, Tom Savini, Bruce Campbell, Kevin McCarthy, director Stuart Gordon, producer/director Don Glut, haunted attraction expert Leonard Pickel and Ed Douglas one of the creative musicians of “Midnight Syndicate.”
LR: Were you disappointed after the second cancellation of your show?
CG: Actually I was glad when it happened. The new owners who bought the station in 1986 made it clear that they were going to shut down all locally produced programming and liquidate two of the finest studios in Washington. For six months I watched as one by one my long time friends and coworkers were fired. So when the end came it was almost a relief to get it over with and move on!
LR: What is the all time worst movie you have ever broadcast in your career? Why?
CG: My goodness, there were sooo many bad ones…..let me think…..I would probably say it was….”Beast of Yucca Flats.” As to why, well, in spite of Tor Johnson staring and Conrad Brooks appearing in the film, it was so bad overall I couldn’t even figure out how to make fun of it!
LR: And finally, what message would you give to any wanna-be horror hosts?
CG: Don’t attempt horror hosting unless you really really love bad horror movies and entertaining people. O, and don‚t ever plan on quitting your day job!
Many thanks to count gore. Dont forget to visist him on the web at: Count Gore.Com
About the Author
