MANOUSH...
Larger Than Life
By: Ginger Coyote
I had a chance to interview film star Manoush for Punk Globe.. Manoush has led a very fun and interesting life.... I hope you enjoy my interview with her...
Punk Globe:
Thanks so much for the interview Manoush You were born in Switzerland am I right?
MANOUSH:
HI GINGER!! FIRST OF ALL ALLOW ME TO SAY THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME IN PUNK GLOBE MAGAZINE !!! WAS I BORN IN SWITZERLAND? NO BUT I SPENT A GOOD CHUNK OF MY CHILDHOOD THERE AND STILL SEE SWITZERLAND AS HOME. WE MOVED A LOT WHEN I WAS A CHILD AND LIVED IN GERMANY, SWITZERLAND, THE NETHERLANDS THEN GERMANY AGAIN. IT WAS QUITE A RESTLESS CHILDHOOD BUT NOT IN A BAD WAY.I LOVED MOVING ALTHOUGH YOU ALWAYS HAD TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS. I THINK MOVING IS ''IN MY BLOOD'' AS THEY SAY. I WAS NEVER HAPPY WITH THE THOUGHT OF LIVING IN ONE PLACE FOR A LONG TIME ALTHOUGH I DO LIVE IN NEW YORK FOR 6 YEARS NOW. BUT OF COURSE I TRAVEL A LOT. TRAVELING IS ONE OF THE GREAT BLESSINGS OF MY JOB. YET I START MISSING NEW YORK WHEN I'M AWAY FOR TOO LONG WHICH IS A VERY NEW EXPERIENCE FOR ME. I NEVER USED TO MISS PLACES AFTER I LEFT THEM, NOT EVEN THE PLACE I CALLED HOME. MAYBE NOW I'M REALLY STARTING TO SETTLE DOWN IN A WAY.
Punk Globe:
Can you give the readers some background on yourself?
MANOUSH:
THE NAME I USE FOR MYSELF, MANOUSH, IS NOT MY REAL NAME BUT THE NAME OF ONE OF THE GYPSY TRIBES THAT I ORIGINATE FROM. I AM OF SINTI AND MANOUSHE GYPSY ORIGIN ON MY MOTHER'S SIDE. MY DAD WAS GERMAN AMERICAN. MY BIRTH NAME IS MARCIA NICOLE BARANDJAI BUT HELL WHO WOULD REMEMBER AN ARTIST WITH THAT NAME, BESIDES MY GRANDMOTHER USED TO CALL ME 'MANOUSHNI TSHAI'(THAT IS 'GYPSY CHILD' IN GYPSY LANGUAGE) SO THE NAME MANOUSH JUST STUCK WITH ME ANYWAY.WELL WHAT ELSE CAN I SAY ABOUT MYSELF, AS I SAID BEFORE, I WAS BORN IN EUROPE AND SPENT ALL OF MY CHILDHOOD AND MOST OF MY ADULT LIFE THERE, BECAME A PUNK ROCK SINGER IN THE LATE 80IES, THEN MOVED ON TO CYBERPUNK, INDUSTRIAL, THEN ACTING IN MOVIES IN THE 90IES AND EVER SINCE. OH AND OF COUSE I STILL WRITE LYRICS AND MAKE MUSIC, JUST NOT THAT FREQUENTLY ANYMORE. RIGHT NOW I LOVE DANCEFLOOR AND TECHNO SOUNDS THAT I PUT MY LYRICS ON WHICH CREATES A NICE BREAK IN STYLE BECAUSE MANY OF MY LYRICS ARE NOT NECESSARILY WHAT YOU WOULD USE FOR THAT KIND OF MUSIC. A FAMOUS PUNK PHOTOGRAPHER ONCE TOLD ME SHE WOULD LIKE IF I GOT TO KNOW RICHARD HELL ONE DAY BECAUSE SOME OF MY LYRICS REMINDED HER OF HIM, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS A VERY NICE COMPLIMENT. OH AND YES I DID NOT MENTION HER NAME. FOR 2 REASONS; 1ST I DON'T KNOW IF SHE WOULD APPROVE IF I THREW HER NAME AROUND JUST LIKE THAT AND 2ND I FIND NAME DROPPING AN IDIOTIC THING TO DO.
Punk Globe:
Did you know that you were born the same day as Joey Ramone?
MANOUSH:
I AM A BIG RAMONES FAN ..... BUT I DID NOT KNOW THAT. I KNEW THAT I SHARE MY BIRTHDAY WITH RUPERT EVERETT, JOHN F. KENNEDY AND ANETTE BENING BUT JOEY RAMONE IS A FABULOUS ARTIST TO SHARE MY BIRTHDAY WITH
Punk Globe:
Describe yourself in three words?
MANOUSH:
PASSIONATE - STRAIGHTFORWARD - CREATIVE
Punk Globe:
You are best known as an actress but you were also a singer tell us about your band Cyanide Survior?
MANOUSH:
CYANIDE SAVIOR WAS MORE OF A STUDIO PROJECT THAN EVERYTHING ELSE. I FORMED THAT PROJECT WITH MY HUSBAND IN 2006 WHEN DIRECTOR FRIENDS ASKED ME TO WRITE SONGS FOR THEIR MOVIES. SO CYANIDE SAVIOR WAS BORN WITH MY HUSBAND CHRIS DOING ALL THE COMPOSING AND ME DOING THE LYRICS. THE FIRST SONG WE EVER DID WAS ''DEAD BEFORE BORN'' FOR ANDREY ISKANOV'S MOVIE ''PHILOSOPHY OF A KNIFE'' AND ALONG WITH THE MOVIE THE SONG GAINED A STRANGE KIND OF NOTORIETY AND GOT BANNED WIDELY FOR THE MUSIC VIDEO THAT ANDREY DID FOR IT. IT'S STILL ON YOUTUBE AFTER YEARS OF HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THEM ABOUT THE MUSIC VIDEO BUT THE VERSION THAT'S ON YOUTUBE NOW IS A HEAVILY CUT VERSION OF THE VIDEO THAT A FAN OF THE MOVIE MADE. I USED TO TELL PEOPLE THAT THE ORIGINAL UNCUT VIDEO IS IN THE EXTRAS OF ANDREY'S MOVIE UNTIL I FOUND OUT THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE AND DEPENDS ON THE COUNTRY THAT THE MOVIE IS SOLD IN. SOME COUNTRIES OBVIOUSLY BELIEVE IN CENSORSHIT HIDDEN BEHIND A MASK OF 'POLITICAL CORRECTNESS' (WHATEVER THAT POLITICALLY CORRECTNESS BULLSHIT IS SUPPOSED TO MEAN). ANYWAY, CYANIDE SAVIOR WAS ALWAYS A STUDIO PROJECT THAT CHRIS AND I HAD BESIDES OUR OTHER PROJECTS AND WHEN HE MOVED ON AND BACK TO HEAVY METAL AND I MOVED ON TO WORKING ON DANCEFLOOR TRACKS WITH GERMAN COMPOSER MICHAEL DONNER IN 2009 CYANIDE SAVIOR DIED AS QUIETLY AS IT WAS BORN 3 YEARS EARLIER. I REMEMBER THAT AROUND THE TIME WHEN MARCEL WALZ'S MOVIE ''LA PETITE MORT'' CAME OUT TWO REVIEWERS IN EUROPE SAID THAT ''TORTURE SAPIENS'' AND ''FUCK ME I'M FAMOUS'' WERE CYANIDE SAVIOR SONGS BUT THAT IS NOT TRUE. BOTH SONGS WERE ALREADY TRACKS THAT CAME FROM MY COLLABORATION WITH MICHAEL DONNER
Punk Globe:
How long was the band together for?
MANOUSH:
CYANIDE SAVIOR ONLY EXISTED FROM MID 2006 TO EARLY 2009.
Punk Globe:
Did you have any releases out?
MANOUSH:
OH NO WE NEVER WENT FOR A LABEL ETC. THE SONGS WERE PUT IN MOVIES. LAST SONG WAS ''THE TOURIST'' THAT APPEARED IN THE MOVIE ''INGRESSION''. OTHER THAN THAT AFTER CYANIDE SAVIOR SPLIT UP WE JUST DECIDED TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO DOWNLOAD THE SONGS FOR FREE.
Punk Globe:
Tell us how you ventured into acting?
MANOUSH:
MY VENTURE INTO ACTING WAS ACTUALLY QUITE FUNNY. WITH MY OLD BAND 'ANAYKH' WAY BACK THEN IN EUROPE WE WERE NEVER REALLY SUCCESSFUL WITH ANYTHING AND NONE OF US WERE GREAT MUSICIANS BUT PEOPLE USED TO COME TO OUR SHOWS FOR THE CERTAIN NOTORIETY THAT WE HAD AND QUITE SOME PEOPLE WERE JUST INTERESTED TO SEE US AND THAT'S HOW WE ALWAYS SAW THE BAND TOO. WE KNEW PEOPLE DID NOT COME IN HOPES FOR 'MASTERLY' MUSIC BUT PEOPLE WOULD GATHER TO SEE US LIKE PEOPLE WOULD GATHER TO SEE A CAR CRASH. sO ONE NIGHT IN 1996 OR 1997 SOME EXTREMELY WEIRD BLOKE CAME TO ME AFTER A SHOW, HIS SHIRT STAINED WITH FOOD STAINS AND WHATHEHELLESLESTAINS AND ASKED ME IF I WOULD LIKE TO ACT IN HIS MOVIE. I THOUGHT HE WAS JOKING BUT HE INSISTED AND I FINALLY TOOK THE SCREENPLAY THAT HE HAD FOR ME JUST TO GET RID OFF HIM . SO A COUPLE OF NIGHTS LATER I COULD NOT SLEEP, READ THAT SCREENPLAY AND CALLED HIM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, AROUND 3.30AM TO TELL HIM I'D BE IN HIS MOVIE. WE ACTUALLY MADE 2 MOVIES TOGETHER AND IT WAS GODAWFUL. I HAD NEVER ACTED BEFORE AND HE HAD NEVER USED A CAMERA BEFORE. THANK FUCK THESE MOVIES SEEM TO BE OFF THE PLANET FOR LIKE 15 YEARS NOW. BUT FOR SOME REASON I GOT MORE MOVIE OFFERS AND APPEARED IN A SMALL ROLE IN A 1999 GERMAN TV MOVIE AND THEN LANDED ANOTHER SMALL ROLE IN JEAN PIERRE JEUNET'S MOVIE ''AMELIE'' WHICH LATER GOT NOMINATED FOR OSCARS AND OPENED A LOT OF DOORS FOR ME REGARDLESS OF THE SMALLNESS OF THAT ROLE THAT JEUNET HAD GIVEN ME. WELL AND THEN THE OFFERS JUST KEPT COMING AND STILL DO, WHICH I AM VERY THANKFUL FOR. I HAD A LOT OF LUCK. PEOPLE APPROACHING YOU WANTING TO WORK WITH YOU IN THEIR MOVIES IS A HUMBLING EXPERIENCE AND I DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED. SO ALLOW ME HERE AND NOW TO SAY A BIG BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO WORKED WITH ME IN THE PAST, TO EVERYONE WHO WORKS WITH ME NOW AND TO EVERYONE WHO WILL WORK WITH ME IN THE FUTURE.
Punk Globe:
What was your first film?
MANOUSH:
THE FIRST REAL MOVIE I'VE BEEN IN WAS BENOIT'S ''TIME TO KILL'' IN 1999. THAT WAS A FABULOUS FEATURE FILM PROJECT BUT UNFORTUNATELY BENOIT RAN OUT OF MONEY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SHOOT AND THE MOVIE WAS NEVER FINISHED. I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO SEE THIS MOVIE COME TO LIFE.
Punk Globe:
How many movies have you been in?
MANOUSH:
ALL IN ALL, INCLUDING MY WORK ON EUROPEAN TV I'VE BEEN IN I THINK 45 MOVIES SO FAR.
Punk Globe:
Have you done any stage work?
MANOUSH:
STAGE WORK! NO NEVER. FOR SOME REASON I ALWAYS LOVED TO BE ON STAGE WHEN MAKING MUSIC BUT NEVER HAD ANY INTEREST IN BEING ON STAGE WITH A PLAY. I CAN'T EXPLAIN WHY THAT IS BUT FOR SOME REASON I ALWAYS FELT THAT WAY. MAYBE THAT WILL CHANGE ONE DAY. I BELIEVE STAGE WORK IS A GREAT THING TO DO.
Punk Globe:
How about television?
MANOUSH:
OH YES, I'VE DONE TV WORK IN EUROPE. NOTHING THAT MADE ME A BIG TV STAR OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. I'VE BEEN IN EPISODES OF TV SERIES AND IT WAS A NICE THING TO DO. VERY DIFFERENT FROM DOING FEATURE FILM WORK - AND TV IN EUROPE PAYS REALLY WELL !
Punk Globe:
Who are your favorite actors and actresses?
MANOUSH:
WITH ACTRESSES I LOVE THE REAL GAMOROUS ACTRESSES OF THE GLORIOUS TIMES OF HOLLYWOOD CINEMA: GLORIA SWANSON, MAE WEST, MARLENE DIETRICH.. WHEN IT COMES TO MODERN MOVIES THEN I THINK MILLA JOVOVIC IS BRILLIANT. SHE HAS SUCH AN ON SCREEN PRESENCE AND SHE DOES HER OWN STUNTS WHICH I RESPECT DEEPLY. I LOVE IT WHEN PEOPLE GIVE 100% IN MOVIES. I DID MY OWN STUNTS TOO FOR 10 YEARS BY THE WAY - FUCKED MYSELF UP SEVERAL TIMES LOL .. THAT'S THE PRICE YOU PAY FOR DOING EVERYTHING YOURSELF SOMETIMES.BUT IT'S WORTH IT. WHEN IT COMES TO MALE ACTORS I WOULD HAVE TO GO WITH GARY OLDMAN WHO IS AN ACTING GENIUS IN EVERY ROLE HE PLAYS. OH AND I LOVE DENZEL WASHINGTON - BRILLIANT BRILLIANT ACTOR.
Punk Globe:
Favorite Director?
MANOUSH:
FRITZ LANG WAS SIMPLY GREAT, KEN RUSSELL TOO BUT UNFORTUNATELY THEY HAVE LEFT US AND I WILL NEVER HAVE A CHANCE TO WORK WITH THEM. I AM A HUGE FAN OF EUROPEAN DIRECTOR ROBERT SIGL. I LOVE HIS MOVIES. ROBERT HAS A GIFT TO LITERALLY MAGICALLY CHANGE THE MOODS IN HIS MOVIES INTO SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL, OFTEN VERY DARK, VERY MELANCHOLIC. LOOK HIS WORK UP ON IMDB FOR EXAMPLE. HE IS BRILLIANT. RIGHT NOW HE DOES A LOT OF TV WORK IN EUROPE TOO AND I HOPE HE WILL RELEASE A NEW THEATRICAL MOVIE SOON. I AM ALWAYS MORE THAN HAPPY WHEN ROBERT SENDS ME A NEW MOVIE OF HIS. WE KNOW EACH OTHER SINCE 1989 AND GOD HE HAS MADE AN AMAZING CAREER SINCE.
Punk Globe:
Is there anyone that you want to work with that you have not had the pleasure of working with?
MANOUSH:
YES I WOULD LOVE TO GET TO WORK WITH ROERT SIGL OF COURSE, WOULD LOVE TO AND WILL WORK WITH MY DEAR MARCEL WALZ AGAIN AND ONE DAY I WOULD LOVE TO WORK WITH MARTIN SCORSESE BUT WELL I GUESS CHANCES ARE SMALL TO LAND A ROLE IN A SCORSESE MOVIE SO I WILL KEEP ADMIRING HIM AND HIS WORK FROM FAR. OH AND OF COURSE I WOULD LOVE TO WORK WITH TAKASHI MIIKE. WHEN IT COMES TO ACTORS I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANYONE THAT I'D SAY I REALLY REALLY WANT TO WORK WITH. EVERYBODY IS WELCOME AND THERE ARE NO FAVORITES. LUCKILY I'VE ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO WORK PERFECTLY FINE AND IN GREAT HARMONY WITH EVERYBODY.
Punk Globe:
How about favorite bands or musicians?
MANOUSH:
OH YOU ASK THIS AN OLD PUNK GIRL HAHAHA. MY ALL TIME FAVORITE OF COURSE THE SEX PISTOLS, RAMONES, THE DAMNED, THE STRANGLERS ..ALSO SOFT CELL, SIOUXSIE, NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS, JAYNE COUNTY, OH HELL AND THE SIC FUCKS, I LOVE THE SIC FUCKS.
Punk Globe:
Do you have any web addresses that you would like to share with the Punk Globe readers?
MANOUSH:
YES PLEASE. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME SOME ATTENTION WHORING AND SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION :) IF YOU'D LIKE TO ADD ME ON FACEBOOK PLEASE DO SO AT https://www.facebook.com/manoush.justmanoush .. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN MY MOVIE WORK PLEASE TAKE ALOOK AT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1720082/ (THEY DO NOT HAVE ALL OF MY MOVIES IN THEIR DATABASE THOUGH.. ONLY 39 OF THEM.. I JUST LOOKED)..AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DOWNLOAD SOME MUSIC THAT I MADE, PLEASE DO SO FOR FREE AT http://soundcloud.com/manoushactress
Punk Globe:
What is in the future for Manoush?
MANOUSH:
Coming now for me is that this month I will finish my work on Liam Makroianni's movie "Survive", then I will appear in "Sex Blood and Fairytales" by New York Film Maker Yelena Sabel. I also have some more filming and interview work to do for Cesar Terranova's documentary movie "Carpaneda"about New York based Artist and dear friend Fernando Carpaneda. In the documentary movie that Cesar Terranova makes about Fernando you will see me giving Fernando a letter with my Last Will that contains the part concerning Fernando. If he should survive me he will inherit the skin off my back to have it cured so he can use it as a canvas to paint a painting on and he will also receive 1/3 of my ashes ashes to mix with the clay that he makes his sculptures with. I am very well aware that there will be a lot of people who will find that decision highly controversial but I feel it's the right thing to do for me and I am very happy with the decision to turn part of myself into art after my death. Then some more music. I MET 2 GREAT COMPOSERS/MUSICIANS THAT WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH ME AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH THEM SO LET'S SEE WHAT COMES OUT OF THIS...AND THEN IN 2013 I WILL BE IN THE REMAKE OF ''CRAZY FAT ETHEL'' WHICH WILL BE DIRECTED BY DIRECTOR BRIAN DORTON AND WILL ALSO MAKE 2 NEW MOVIES WITH MY DEAR MARCEL WALZ, ONE IN LAS VEGAS/NEVADA AND ONE IN EUROPE. SO THERE IS MUCH MORE TO COME AND I AM VERY THANKFUL FOR EVERYBODY'S TRUST AND FAITH IN ME.
Punk Globe:
Any words of advice for readers that may wanna get into the business?
MANOUSH:
IF I KNEW A GOOD WAY FOR PEOPLE TO BREAK INTO THE BUSINESS I WOULD SURELY AND GLADLY SHARE IT. BUT THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY IS VERY VERY DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER INDUSTRY. THERE IS NO REAL ADVICE THAT YOU CAN GIVE PEOPLE OTHER THAN THAT FOR EVERY PERSON THERE IS A VERY INDIVIDUAL WAY INTO THIS INDUSTRY AND PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO FIND THAT INDIVIDUAL WAY FOR THEMSELVES. IT'S REALLY VERY DIFFICULT TO GIVE ADVICE HERE BUT I WISH EVERYONE LOTS OF LUCK ON THEIR WAY AND LOVE AND LIGHT TO EVERYONE ON THE WAY TO BECOMING AN ARTIST !!!!! GINGER BEFORE WE FINISH THIS INTERVIEW PLEASE LET ME SAY AGAIN: THANK YOU MUCHO FOR HAVING ME!!!! XO