Roll of the Dice: 10 Questions with Josh Roush; Writer-director of “Wrong Reasons”

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Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.

Wrong Reasons is a new comedy following the abduction of drug-addled punk singer Kat Oden (Liv Roush)and ensuing manhunt and media circus. TGEFM had the opportunity to speak to writer-director Josh Roush about the film, bringing the punk/DIY ethos to the film world and working with Kevin Smith.

Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats, in advance on the release of Wrong Reasons. Could you tell us a bit about the film and where our readers can check it out?

Thank you! Wrong Reasons is a Punk Rock feature film that we’re taking out on tour through the US just like I used to with my bands, only on a bigger scale. Our film is about the frontwoman of a punk group being kidnapped by a masked man with ambiguous motives. More broadly, it’s all about my love of the genre and is a commentary on moral ambiguity and the 24 hour news cycle.
While MVD manufactures the physical media (releasing mid 2023), we’re bringing the tour to NJ, Philly, Dayton, Pittsburgh, Chicago, San Fran, Dallas, and NYC.

The soundtrack, of course, has a very punk skew and you’ve been a part of the scene with Bi-Product and other acts but what exactly formed your connection to the scene and how did that influence your career in film?

When I was 13 years old, I watched Beavis and Butt-Head Do America on the big screen and first heard Rancid. I went out right away and bought the soundtrack and played I Wanna Riot on repeat for weeks. This was pre-internet, and I lived in a small town, so it took me a few months to track down an actual album, but it lit a fuse.
More than anything else, I call myself a “Punk Rock Filmmaker” because our productions are 100% DIY and always done with the same core group of friends. Whether it’s our feature, or the docs we’ve made, or the music videos, we always approach the project with energy and an unflinching understanding that we’ll probably never make it “big”, and that’s probably a good thing. It keeps it more special when the right people dig your stuff, not that the masses do.
We made this flick for $92k, which might sound like a lot, but by the time you lose 25% to Covid testing, pay for actors time, room, board, etc, it doesn’t go very far. Our core crew was Cam Mosavian (sound and score), Matt Rowbottom (Co-DP and producer) Lisa Le (makeup and hair) and Liv Roush who stars and produces. I don’t believe any of them or myself made a dime off the picture, but because of that it was important to me that they own a piece of it, in case we have any degree of success. Each one of them own a bigger portion of the film than I do, which I did as a thank you for them helping to tell my tale.

What does the film say about the state of punk today, what do you think is going strong in the scene and where do you feel like its lost its way?

There’s one particular scene in the flick where the two main characters do a whole monologue that covers my love of the genre, and what it’s always meant to me. To steal a bit from it, we’re all animals, and congregating in groups is in our DNA. Whether it’s religion, or tribalism, or common love of a genre, humans seem to wanna hang out based on some common love or understanding of something bigger than us. I ain’t religious, so to me, that’s Punk Rock.
I’m old and in the way, so I wouldn’t dare preach at the kids what to do with the scene. I’m of the viewpoint that as always, there’s a bunch of bullshit bands in the genre, and a bunch of killer acts, that’s nothing new. I do think it’s a little lame when royalty punk bands re-release their old albums every single week on a new variant color and take advantage of chumps like me who wanna collect them like they’re Pokemon.

What film or television series do you credit as the impetus behind getting into the film industry?  Not necessarily the influence, but the actual catalyst that you watched and it made you say “yeah, that’s what I want to do forever.”

I was in a band called Piss N’ Blood that didn’t end well. As we were realizing it wasn’t gonna work, I took a look around me and decided I didn’t wanna hang out with 4 other smelly guys with egos as big as mine in cramped hotbox rehearsal spaces for the rest of my days, but I still wanted to express myself.
I was a HUGE fan of Kevin Smith’s movie Clerks, which to me is as punk as it gets in film. Self funded, small crew, completely DIY, I adore that movie and the balls it took to make. I was already playing cards with Kevin on the weekends, so it was a natural transition for me start following him around with a camera and pivot my career.

The film’s plot seems to reside in the gray area of morality and makes viewers question if it is righteous doing the wrong thing for the right reasons.  Where did the idea for the plot come from?

Excellent observation. Yeah, I always come back to moral ambiguity. If someone does something atrocious that’s actually in service of the greater good, is that a healthy thing? And we don’t answer the questions we put forth either, we’re not trying to soapbox the viewer, we just want to raise interesting questions and let the viewer decide for themselves.
The origin comes from a simple notion, that probably gives away a bit of the plot. If someone could have forcibly cleaned up Kurt Cobain, Darby Crash, any number of the musicians we’ve lost over the years, would they be in the right for having done so? I dig moral ambiguity and this flick bathes in it.

You’ve spent quite a good amount of time in the View Askewniverse, working with Kevin Smith on multiple projects. How did that come about and how does that world differ from some of the other projects you’ve
worked on?

As I mentioned earlier, I was a big fan of Kevin and as a fan, I ended up playing cards with him in LA on the weekends. So when I was getting into film, it ended up that his live crew needed an intern for camera work and editing, so I of course volunteered. I was working at Sony at the time, so I would do my 40 hours there, and then shoot live podcasts for Kevin on the weekends and edit every night after work. I was pulling 100 hour work weeks for months on end.
From there I volunteered to shoot BTS on his film Tusk, and that’s where I met Michael Parks, one of the best actors of all time, and who Quentin Tarantino dubbed “the world’s greatest living actor” back when Michael was alive. Working behind the scenes on Tusk led to my shooting a doc on Michael, which we’re screening a rough cut on Saturday Jan 28^th at Smodcastle Cinemas. That doc led to me doing BTS on Jay and Silent Bob Reboot and releasing the doc on it titled Magnum Dopus, and that led to my Clerks III doc.
Honestly Kevin is still 100% indie. He has investors for sure, but they’re not big studios, or sometimes not even studios. So really, there’s no differences between my working on his sets or my own. I love Kev, and he’s always been a pillar of support. To the point of which after doing a ton of work at his cinema in NJ that he appointed me a co-owner and gave me a share for all my hard work. No one else in the industry would do that.

Obviously technology has a major impact on the music world but the film world has also changed a lot over the last few years.  What are some of the biggest changes you’ve come across in your time within the
industry?

Streaming killed the film star, y’know? Film exhibition isn’t dead, but it’s way more niche, and that’s a result of streaming. Everyone has thousands of options at their fingertips while they sit on their couch and can watch in higher quality than many theaters. I’m not complaining, mind you, it’s also democratized a ton of the industry and gives indies a real leg up when they get noticed.
I’m content being a dinosaur, but I’m not railing against progress. Cinema is as much of a church to me as the stage is, so that’s why we’re hitting the road with the film, not to show everyone mind you, we’re only playing 50 seat theaters for the most part, but to show the right, like-minded people.
I will get on my soapbox and be the old man yelling at clouds for one thing though, get off your goddamn cellphone while watching a band or a movie! I don’t wanna see your screen filming a band, I WILL push through you. Last year, a guy was on his cellphone in a movie and I asked him to turn it off. He stood up and we very nearly got into fisticuffs, that I have no patient for. Okay, rant over.

One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think
they should? Same question regarding filmmakers?

I’m really into a Cleveland band right now called Spike Pit. They’re aggro as all hell and pissed off, but they also have songs about hentai. Liv’s from Australia and they have a hell of a scene, Amyl and the Sniffers, Dicklord, The Chats, they’re gold. Also I dig what Viagra Boys are doing, but I suppose they’re a bit more post-punk. I listen to Henry Rollins Fanatic radio show as much as possible and use it as a filter for new stuff to listen to since I’m usually busy working.
As for filmmakers, there’s SO much gold from the past. We just watched a Cuban/Soviet propaganda film last night called Soy Cuba from 1964. It was absolutely gorgeous and it’s pro-worker narrative really shines a light on the suffering that caused people to turn to communism.
But otherwise, the No Wave movement from NY was sick as hell, indie filmmakers like Jim Jarmusch making movies on shoestring, self financed flicks all in the name of expression? So good. I like anything when the artist is making something and actually fine with not expecting success.

Beyond the release of Wrong Reasons, what’s next in the pipeline?

Up next is Liv’s feature which we start shooting this year, tentatively titled Beating Our Chests. It’s a multi-narrative about women in the entertainment industry. It’s roughly triple the budget of WR, so I’m looking forward to having any kind of budget that’s not hand to mouth. I’m talking to a couple of amazing artists about some music videos and maybe a live music project, so that will be amazing. Currently I’m shooting a documentary on Smodcastle Cinemas which will cover not just the transformation of a failing cinema into a (hopefully) success story, but will touch on what it takes to own a theater and attempt to make money in the days of streaming.
We try to always keep multiple irons in the fire because one day you’re bored and looking for work and with less than a days notice, you’ve got a budget approved and flying across the country to work on a project. It’s a weird life.

Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?

I’m just really stoked that you all took the time to talk to me. We’re touring the movie on our own dime and fully expecting to not make the money back that this tour will cost, so word of mouth is everything to us and we appreciate it.