You may know Myke Hideous from the bands The Empire Hideous, SpySociety99, The Misfits and The Bronx Casket Co. He also wrote an autobiography about his life and times in the music industry, King Of An Empire To The Shoes Of A Misfit.
Director Pawl Bazile’sfilm Living the American Nightmare was released in 2011. The documentary tells Myke’s story in the industry through interviews with fellow musicians.
There’s been a bit of drama surrounding this documentary. Pawl Bazile had this to say about Myke’s interviews in the film:
“One of the funniest aspects of the film is how seriously Myke Hideous takes himself in comparison to the other guys in his band. And when you see that, and as the film cuts back and forth, you see the other guys are really light-hearted about everything and then Myke is staring at the camera intently and pointing his finger. He’s hysterical and it’s completely unintentional. It doesn’t make him look foolish or anything like that, it’s just that that is exactly who Myke is if you’ve ever met him. He’s a very intense guy, a very passionate guy. He’s still passionate about stuff that happened 15 or 16 years ago.”
Director and subject did not see eye-to-eye on the focus of the documentary and parted ways. Now, a new cut is available from Myke’s point of view, Living The American Nightmare - The Hideous Files. There’s also been some talk in regard to Peter Steele’s interview from the original cut. Here’s the official statement from Myke’s people:
“There has been internet chatter regarding the Peter Steele (Type O Negative) interview in the "directors cut" of "Living The American Nightmare". The footage was Steele's final video interview before his untimely passing in April 2010. Steele was a long time friend of Myke Hideous. In fact, Steele was a great supporter of Myke's career. He also tried to interest Type O Negative's record label, Roadrunner Records, to sign Myke's group, The Empire Hideous. The footage of Steele in the film is a sign of respect to a man who had not only been a friend to Myke, but also someone who Myke cared about and deeply respected.”
Watch the trailer for the new cut below. Interviews include John Kelly, Kenny Hickey, Steve Zing, Michael Alago, Arturo Vega, Todd Youth, DD Verni, Bobby Steele, and members of The Empire Hideous, SpySociety99, Electric Frankenstein, and The Bouncing Souls.