Artist Of The Month: April Jones (Mentors Documentarian)

I was doing a show with an Seattle-based industrial "electroshit" band, Pill Brigade, in the middle of Renton, WA (also known as Washington’s Medford)—we had the pleasure of opening up for the latest version of legendary and controversial "rape rock" band, The Mentors. While the audience was mostly comprised of loud, drunk, aggressive men, wearing shirts with offensive logos and giving the middle finger to every opening act (including us), I noticed a short, smiling woman pushing her way through the crowd. "Hey fucker, move your shit," I recall her saying to a drunk dude twice her size. "I’m filming for a documentary and I don’t wanna have to kick your ass for breaking my stuff." This was my first introduction to April Jones, an extremely talented filmmaker with a take-no-shit attitude and an interesting taste in music. We swapped info and I promised to get her a write-up in Exotic.

Years later, April’s film, The Mentors: Kings Of Sleaze, is released. True to documentary form, there are only one or two lines, toward the end of the film, in which the audience hears April—other than that, it is entirely comprised of captured footage from band members, supporting acts, a slew of punk rock legends and, surprisingly enough, some childhood footage of Mentors founder, El Duce. Without ruining anything, there are also a few tense moments that deal with Kurt Cobain’s apparent murder, which were worth every second of sitting through El Duce’s antics. I’m not going to go into the whole history of The Mentors here, but to anyone who has not heard of this act, know that they are an intentionally offensive band, with a long history of debauchery— but, all of it is presented with a tongue-in-cheek style of humor that rivals that of GWAR and Dwarves (both of which have members that appear on screen in April’s documentary). The Mentors are in no way "pro-rape" in any serious sense of the word, but that has not stopped them from becoming one of the most protested and controversial acts of all time. I caught up with April recently to ask her about the project.

Exotic: Your film makes life on the road with one of the world’s most "dangerous" outfits to be a lot more fun and relaxed than one would think. Did you encounter any strife, other than the typical road bullshit, while making this project? Perhaps stuff that was not captured on film? Related, how has working with The Mentors been compared to other, less "dangerous" bands that you or your colleagues have encountered?

April: The Mentors themselves were absolute gentlemen and never gave me any shit, however, there were a few times I ran into a few "hands on" sleazeballs. One time, I was kinda groped by a one-armed man’s stub. "Get your stub off my fucking ass, dude!" I said to him. True story. I wasn’t all that surprised, I mean, documenting the "rape culture" comes with expectations. I made sure not to accept drinks from anyone, even water, just to be safe. I came across the occasional questions from one of my interviewees, Wino, asking if I was a sex fiend. That I caught on camera! The camera is always the first thing I set up and I start recording when I’m still setting up the scene. So, I end up catching a lot of things said before the interview even starts. Muwhahahaa!

Exotic: How has local, Portland/Washington- area media approached this project? Do you feel that your gender changes the way in which the film and/or your (or, your band’s) involvement with The Mentors are covered? Is the local press respectful, or condescending, as a whole, when approaching you and this project?

April: The Willamette Week was quick to publish my response to the ever-so-complaining feminist bookstore, during the times of The Mentor’s Anti-Antifa Tour, which was a brilliant idea to receive free publicity. A lot of media won’t touch this subject, whether or not I’m a female, as if all journalists agree with the topics they are researching. This documentary is freshly released and we still have several outlets to contact, so I’m hoping they can view me as a professional journalist and not a part of The Mentors themselves. I’ve had multiple people tell me, "If a dude would have done this documentary, that would be fucked up." Yes, I do feel like my gender changes things a bit, even though I hate using gender as a term to describe art, but considering that this is "rape culture," that changes everything. I’m a journalist first and foremost, and I try to document things unbiasedly. Unbiased or not, the footage and interview speak for themselves. The documentary ended up turning into a comedy—shockingly enough, for a comical satire "rape rock" band.

Exotic: What music, if any, is out today (underground or otherwise) that could compare to The Mentors, aside from the basic sound? What is "controversial" these days and how do you see the next decade evolving, in terms of shock rock and related entertainment?

April: The most offensive music out there today is made by the artists who do not write their own music and use Auto-Tune for vocals, which defeats the whole purpose of being an artist. It’s shocking to hear songs on the radio that kids are listening to—talking about "cooking crack in a crock pot" and "I know you wanna see me naked, naked, naked." And, these so-called "artists" are supposed to be good influences on our culture, society and children. That’s the most offensive to me. And, hey, I can get down with some old-school hip hop for sure! But, a lot of the music that is socially acceptable, is "rape-rap." It’s absolutely ludicrous (and, not the rapper).

Exotic: While your film clearly shows that the current lineup of The Mentors has a fanbase, is there a cult-like subset of said fans (think Juggalos or Deadheads), and how have they, as well as casual fans, received your project? Who would readers find most surprised to learn enjoys The Mentors, whether a demographic or a specific person or group of people?

April: Other than the cult following of The Mentors, there have been several people to view my film who have never heard of The Mentors and who are now fans. One person, for instance, is Gary Sherman, Director of Poltergeist III and Vice Squad. He came to the world premiere in Helsinki, Finland and he absolutely loved the film. I got an interview with him about what he thought about my film and The Mentors. He said he loved it and he’s now a fan! I’ve even talked with a few "true" feminists who said they love The Mentors—probably because they get the joke.

Exotic: As cheesy as it sounds, what did you learn making this film? Would you do it again?

April: I learned that I can’t do everything myself, but I can’t wait for people to do if for me, either. When you’re low-to-no budget, you just gotta do it. No complaining about what you don’t have—shut up and get to work. I was eating potatoes nearly three times a day because this film broke my wallet, but I have no regrets—that’s part of being an artist! Yes, I would do it again if, I had the chance. I’m currently working on a couple treatments for my next films. Stay tuned, fuckers!

April Jones is an artist, skateboarder, musician and filmmaker. Before the making of The Mentors: Kings Of Sleaze Rockumentary, she helped to promote and cultivate the metal scene in Portland, Oregon through the use of short documentaries, which aired on independent television networks for over six years. Her work in the film industry has been recognized on various notable productions throughout the years, including Portlandia, Little People Big World, Red Bull, Roku, Green Room and much more.