So far, you're completely unknown to most Evil Dead fans, even though you've worked behind the scenes on The Evil Dead and even been in a few of the Super-8 shorts. I believe you said you first met Josh in a book store?  
 
Yes. I was at a bookstore looking for the novelizations of Romero's Martin and Dawn of the Dead. Josh was talking to the guy at the register and he asked me why I was looking for George Romero books. I replied that I was a George Romero fan and we struck up a conversation. It was during the course of that conversation that I learned that he was wrapping up a Super-8 feature (Stryker's War) and that he had some friends doing a feature film, and that they could use any help they could get. That was Book of the Dead. We exchanged phone numbers and that was the beginning of my affiliation with Renaissance Pictures.


Did you know about all the Super-8 movies back then and wanted to become involved, what happened?  
 
No. I learned about that shortly after meeting everybody. I was thrilled to meet other Super-8 moviemakers. All of my own likeminded friends had long moved away.


So you also made Super-8 movies at the time?  
 
I had been making little Super-8 films since I was a kid with the other kids in the neighborhood. I was actually doing one when I met Josh.

John Bruce Jones' portrait photo (2018)

John featuring as the afro'd waiter in Torro, Torro, Torro! (1981)

All The Evil Dead-guys used to help out on each other's movies', did you experience the same?  
 
Yes, they were always very helpful, even if the projects weren't realized for various reasons.


Did you also do Three Stooges-inspired slapstick, what was your inspiration?  
 
No, I wasn't as much of a Three Stooges fan as those guys. My inspiration was Romero. Particularly Night of the Living Dead.


So you made a zombie flick?  
 
A few different ones. All horrible.


You had a semi-big part in Torro, Torro, Torro! as the waiter running along the table with the huge afro being chased by the lawnmower, the 'afro turf' scene.

John; far left native in Cleveland Smith, Bounty Hunter (1982)

John, with Scotty's hands in The Sappy Sap (1985)

You are credited on Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except!  
 
Yes. Huge learning experience. I was a production assistant on that one. It was grueling, torturous fun. Ugh. PA work is pretty demanding on a big budget picture. It's fairly horrible on a no-budget production. A LOT of grunt work, stuff nobody wanted to be bothered with... Essentially all the heavy lifting. It was mainly me and Kurt. I can't remember anyone else who was willing to put up with it. At one time they needed a particular car on Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except!. I think they had it, but it wasn't drivable. Scott and Josh had me and Kurt tow it with my horrible car out to the location. It was a nightmare. We stuck an old plate on it to make it look legit, but the State Highway Patrol pulled us over. They gave us a pretty hard time, too. They took the plate and broke it in half, essentially telling us to "get that piece of shit off the road". I'm paraphrasing, but the message was quite clear.


Must have been frustrating then but makes for a great story later. You told me your first day of involvement on The Evil Dead was shooting the opening titles. Do you mean the swamp footage or the actual titles?  
 
The swamp footage. It was very early, very cold, and very wet. That was actually the day I met Sam, Rob, and Bruce.


Can't spot you in any of the photos from that shoot, just Sam, Josh, Dart, Tim... but then there was several attempts to shoot those scenes...  
 
I don't remember Tim or Dart being there. I was at Bullard Lake. The photos are likely from an earlier attempt. I don't recall any photos being taken at the lake and didn't see any still or candid photography going on while I was working. It was Sam & Bruce in the water.

One attempt at shooting the opening sequence for The Evil Dead (1982)

Bart, Bruce & Tom working on the meltdown animation for The Evil Dead (1982)

Sam overseeing Reshoots, The Evil Dead (1982)

Sam with Ethan Coen at the Book Of The Dead premiere (1981)

You were at The Evil Dead premiere at the old Redford theatre. It must have been amazing to finally see the movie that had been underway for so long. Do you remember what your first impression were and the general reception of the movie?  
 
Yes. I was relaying instructions from Sam to the projectionist. Forgot about that until now. It was awesome. All fake Hollywood, Bruce being interviewed by some hot blonde for the local news. The theater was packed. The audience loved it. It was a great time. Did you ever see the fake video we did of Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer? I think that was one of Scotty's ideas. It was during the production of The XYZ Murders, which became Crimewave.


No, I've never seen Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer - love the title though, Did you work on XYZ Murders too?  
 
Oh, yes. I worked with Scotty a lot on that one, and did a lot of gofer stuff. Actually got paid fairly well, too. A rarity.


Did you meet Brion James? Always liked him in movies, always seemed a bit like a weirdo in any movie. Paul Smith was more like a poor man's Bud Spencer...  
 
I partied with Brion James. I liked him. Crazy guy. Professionally, I believe he was just fine. Personally, he was a regular guy, just a little wacky... But aren't we all?

Variety; Cannes advert for Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except! (1985)

Variety; full-page advert for Crimewave (1985)