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“The Stereotypes Were Just Too Over the Top”: An Interview with Bill Blank from ‘Invasion Iowa’by Brian Towers -- 04/06/2005
View Printable version of this article In the wake of Spike TV’s recent hit, Invasion Iowa, I was able to catch up with Bill Blank. Bill played “Street Punk #1” and got his heart ripped out, though he may be better known for correctly suspecting that the movie was a hoax. See what Bill has to say about the Invasion Iowa experience! Pre-Invasion: Brian:How did you hear about the show? Bill: I did a show at Murphy's in Riverside a few weeks before the show. I was in touch with Jim Pickering about making me some T-shirts, he mentioned auditioning, then when I called Jerry Murphy to see how he enjoyed the show, he also told me about auditions, so I drove to Riverside. FYI, Jerry is also the one who hit Desi over the head with the bottle.Taping Invasion: Brian: I thought your scene was of the “less unprofessional” looking ones. What are your impressions of your world-wide film debut?
Off camera: Brian: Can you run through the clues, slip-ups, and the thought process you went through to decide that all was not as it seemed? Bill: My first clue was the “Shats.” [William Shatner’s new line of tam caps.] If you notice, I never put one on in the show. Then I drove home that night and read the script. I was hanging out with a comedian friend of mine, and we both came to the conclusion that it was reality TV. The stereotypes were just too over the top, it was evident to me they were all playing characters. Pilates instructor? Then I was miked for 16 hours, with cameras on me, for a 30-second death scene. Brian: Did you have to commute to Riverside every day? Bill: No, I stayed with another cast member. I was only there Wednesday and Thursday night. I drove home after auditions on Tuesday. Then drove home Friday morning and came back for the reveal. Brian: Was there a lot of boring time between scenes when they needed you? What did you do between scenes to stay sane? Bill: Not really, we had way too much fun, time flew. Brian: When you were "banned" from the set, did they tell you exactly why? Did you sneak back on? Bill: I had a show in Des Moines on Saturday, My scene shot on Thursday, after the dailies Bill said the punks were dead, and done shooting. He told me I could go home and do my show, (which I offered to cancel) then come back for the cast party.Post-Invasion: Brian: How would you describe your comedy act? Bill: That's a tough question, usually that is determined by those who watch you. I'm definitely not politically correct. Nor do I mince words. Some people have called me dark, even mean. I just try to put a funny spin on my life, that is really the only way to avoid doing something that has already been done. If you want to know more go to www.billblank.com.
Brian is a big Star Trek fan from Toronto. He can be reached at uncle_bto@rogers.com. Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find out about some other popular shows at our The Amazing Race 5 page and our Survivor: Vanuatu page; and don't miss The Reality TV Hall of Shame. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store! For more news about reality TV, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: Invasion Iowa! View Printable version of this article |
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