DANA STRUM Says There Is 'Crazy Interest' In Upcoming SLAUGHTER Film

In a new interview with White Line Fever TV, SLAUGHTER bassist Dana Strum was asked about the status of the band's upcoming documentary. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We are in the process of working with two major companies that you guys would know well that I don't wanna say because they both shouldn't know that. But they both have crazy interest in it. And one of them wants it tailored a little bit to them, and we've said we want it to be honest and real, and that may call the cards, because the real story is really true.

"For people that are listening that their parents either encourage them to play music or to do a podcast or to pursue their dreams, whatever they may be, [SLAUGHTER frontman] Mark Slaughter's father was really the one that I spoke to, and he has a great role in this thing, because in the end, if Mark's dad didn't love his kid and encourage his kid, I would have never met Mark. I actually spoke to the dad, just playing around and joking around, before his dad ever admitted to me, 'I want you to come see my son. You may be a guy that could just bring my son and squeeze him through this.' So it was really a story of this guy loving his son, and he appears in and out of the thing, because he got to see his kid go from a very small one-bedroom-type rehearsal environment to playing Madison Square Garden on the KISS tour. And not many parents quite get to see quite that."

Asked if the SLAUGHTER film will be "more documentary than a biopic," Dana clarified: "There's people that portray the younger versions, and watching some of that going down is interesting, because you're, like, '[It's] pretty fucking close.' Some of it is amazing. Some of the people study early footage and, I'm, like, 'Look, dude, the guy's got every fucking move you've made.' It's like seeing that QUEEN [biopic 'Bohemian Rhapsody'], that guy [Rami Malek, who played Freddie Mercury] was so good, and they were all so good."

Dana also brought up one particular incident that will be covered in the SLAUGHTER film. He said: "It's important to us to bring those funny moments out, where a manager came in once to the studio and said, 'It's really too bad that [SLAUGHTER's classic power ballad] 'Fly To The Angels' doesn't have a chorus, guys. If it only had a chorus, it could be a big song.' 'Fly To The Angels' currently has about 44 million views on YouTube, unpromoted — very naturally. And every night we play it, people are crying, singing and relishing. But that's the truth. Now, if you listened to that manager guy at the time, you could have taken it into a whole another direction. And I looked over and I said, 'You know what's great about opinions? They don't really matter.' He just stared at me. He just stared at me, like, 'I'm gonna fucking kill you.' And I said, 'Well, either you're gonna kill me or you're gonna be thankful I stuck to my guns.' And [there were] many moments like that."

Asked if there is already a finished cut of the film that is being shopped to interested companies, Dana said: "There's not a finished cut, but the story and the interweavings of the story have been worked on for a good while. It's like a good movie — if you don't have a great story… Or a good song. If you don't have a good song, you can be a greatest band in the world, but people may not be able to hear you. So, it's that kind of thing. But the story, I think, is a really, really good story."

SLAUGHTER formed in 1988 from the ashes of Slaughter and Strum's previous band, VINNIE VINCENT INVASION, which featured former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent. The group's double-platinum debut, "Stick It To Ya", featured the hit singles "Fly To The Angels", "Up All Night", "Mad About You" and "Spend My Life". The band issued four additional full-length albums over the course of the rest of the decade, but it has not released any new music since 1999's "Back To Reality".

SLAUGHTER's current lineup consists of Mark and Dana alongside Jordan Cannata (drums) and Jeff "Blando" Bland (lead guitar, backing vocals).

Original SLAUGHTER guitarist Tim Kelly was killed in a car accident in 1998.

Last year, Mark credited SLAUGHTER's uplifting lyrics with contributing to the band's longevity.

"[During] the grunge era, there was some depressing stuff in there, and our music is a light and love and of a different mindset," he told the San Bernardino Sun. "I don't slag any of the alternative bands that came forward because they have their place and sound, and quite honestly, I enjoy them just like the next person. But I think that life should be celebrated, which is the key point with the span of SLAUGHTER. We're all about the celebration, more than getting caught up with what's wrong with the world."