FILM NEWS
I’m now on the first leg of my European ‘tour’, following in the footsteps of 2000DS. I’ve just done a little interview with one of the crew here at the massive squat ‘Forte Prenestino’ in Rome, Italy where many bands have played, from FUGAZI to 2000DS!
The crew here are great and have put me up in a dormitory with some of the performers who played at the 7000 capacity rave they just had here. I didn’t come for that as I didn’t think it was the best way to start a week long shoot! But it is here that I have met Nikki from Mutonia to discuss her 1980s squatting days - and more - while we drive north east across Italy with a truckload of flamethrowers and other combustible kit.
Our destination is Nikki’s home in Mutonia, another free space (but under threat of eviction & demolition) formed by the Mutoid Waste Company in 1990. It’s here where she is putting me up in an old AEC horse transporter which she used to travel around in with her Dad aged 6, dreaming of living on the road. Now it’s a beautiful guest house and firmly rooted to the spot, painted bright orange and surrounded by 12 foot tall bamboo.
Doghead Lyle is also here with his menagerie of mechanical creations and I am interviewing both of them about their time with 2000DS, when they were travelling & squatting all over the place. Nikki was also a keen photographer back in the late 1980s, so there is a shoebox full of beautiful Kodak prints to use in the film, with her blessing. Sometimes you have to go to the source to find the gold!
The next leg of the trip will take me back to Berlin, where Peter Rampazzo from the Eimer squat will meet me at the airport with his dog Bruno. We plan to have lunch in the Eimer ( now a Japanese restaurant ) and film a bit of present day Berlin, before collecting his video archive and heading up to Northern Germany for a couple of days work. His video archive has been in a lockup for over 20 years and contains many wonders!
So to say I’m excited would be an understatement. I’m even fitting in another interview with Ixindamix from Spiral Tribe on the journey back down to Berlin. It’s possible the shoot may end on a bang, as I’m giving her a lift to her gig in Berlin on my final night!
This trip is entirely financed by the merch we’ve recently sold through the website. Please do keep supporting us if you can. We are close to the end now but there are still many moving parts and much to do.
Rest assured we’ll keep you up to date on the planned completion date and all the progress in the meantime.
More updates will follow on our socials!