Campbell - If chins could kill : confessions of a B movie actor : an autobiography

As an editor at St. Martin's Press, it is my responsibility to hire the author, edit the textand arrange for the book's introduction as based on the author's wishes. Mr. Campbell requestedthat brothers Ivan and Sam Raimi write the introduction for If Chins Could Kill.

In September of 1999 I telephoned Mr. Ivan Raimi and conveyed Mr. Campbell's request. Atfirst, he seemed rather impressed that such a large publishing house was handling Mr. Campbell'sbook and happily agreed.

Within the hour, I received a call from his "literary agent," who refused to give his name,but claimed he was negotiating on behalf of the brothers. Strangely, the caller ID feature on mytelephone revealed the telephone number of this "agent" to be the same as that of Mr. Ivan Raimi.I will allow the reader to draw his or her own conclusions.

This "agent" said that the fee was three thousand dollars. He asked whether it would be possiblefor St. Martin's Press to cut the check today? I informed the "agent" that customarily there is nofee paid for introductions. Usually an autobiography's introduction is written as a gesture offriendship toward the author. The agent claimed that the three thousand dollars was the "discountedfriendship fee."

After some discussion, St. Martin's Press issued a cashier's check in the amount of $280 made out,as requested, to Ivan Raimi. The check was cashed the same day.

Two weeks had passed and where was my introduction? I telephoned Ivan Raimi, who claimed theremust have been a misunderstanding. Apparently, his "agent" had told him that the $280 check wasjust the "starter fee" and should be treated as such. He mentioned that if I wanted to meet him,"somewhere nice, for say, lunch and drinks," that could be arranged.

Instead, I thought it best that he and his brother, Sam, come down to my office to discuss theintroduction. He said he was far too busy to be bothered with that. I suggested that if his timewas at a premium, I could tape-record the meeting, capturing the Raimi brothers' thoughts about Mr.Campbell, and have a ghostwriter put the introduction together. In this way, I assured him, noreal effort would be required from him or his brother. This aroused his interest. He agreed, uponthe condition that the subject of fees not be discussed in front of his brother, Sam, as he haddistaste for all matters of business.

On October 22, 1999, Ivan Raimi entered my office and what follows is a transcription of thatmeeting:

Barry: Hello, Mr. Raimi. Welcome to St. Martin's Press. I'm Barry Neville,Bruce's editor. We spoke on the phone.

Ivan Raimi: Hi. Yeah. This place is really nice. Speaking of which, yougot a damn good-looking secretary out there. I mean when I dropped those papers and she had tobend down and -

Barry: Yes. Thank you. As mentioned, I've got the tape running...

Ivan Raimi: I mean that's the kind of woman... I'd drink her bath water -

Barry: -- We're tape-recording...

Ivan Raimi: Sure, play anything you want. Listen, Sam's coming up in asecond ... so we should get this fee thing out of the way.

Barry: Fee? As in... "additional fee"?

Ivan Raimi: Fee. As in "fee structure." It's an ugly word, but I thinkwe need to get it out of the way before Sam comes back. Or he'll walk.

Barry: But we paid the fee. The two hundred and eighty -

Ivan Raimi: Barry, you paid the starter fee. Good. Good for you. But nowlet's talk completion. You still owe us some kind of completion fee. And please, do it quick, beforeSam gets here.

EDITOR'S NOTE ****

At that point I paid Ivan Raimi an additional $120 from my personal cash. Shortly thereafter,Sam Raimi entered the room.

Sam Raimi: The headlights weren't on.

Ivan Raimi: Really? Hey. This is that guy I was telling you about.

Barry: Hi, I'm Barry Neville, pleased to meet you. Bruce is very excitedto have you aboard.

Sam Raimi: Bruce. Bruce. Bruce this. Bruce that.

Barry: We think our readers will really respond to this book. Kind of aninsider's -

Sam Raimi: You want to know what I think, Barry? I think, your readers aretired of the same old drivel pushed on them, time after time. Tired of being force fed pure byhalf-artists. Your readers have teeth. For God's sake, let 'em chew.

Barry: What do you mean?

Sam Raimi: I mean let's tell a different story. The story of an ordinaryman -

Ivan Raimi: An extraordinary man!

Sam Raimi: Either way. But the forces of mediocrity are against him. I'mtalking the story of a guy who fights his way up from the B movies!

Barry: Who?

Sam Raimi: Not Who. The question is... "why?"!

Ivan Raimi: I like it. It's good! Barry, let's do it!

Barry: Well, it's really interesting... but the task at hand is theintroduction to If Chins Could Kill.

Sam Raimi: I see. And who, may I ask, is going to read this book? Hisilliterate fans? Barry, people get the wrong idea sometimes. See, Bruce is like a puppet. My puppet. I pull a string, he smiles. I pull another, and he runs through the woods and hits hishead against the tree. And that's it. So tell me, Barry, whose story is more interesting? The puppetor the puppet master?

Barry: Well, we think that Bruce has developed quite a big following overthe years. We believe this book has its own niche.

Sam Raimi: Uh-huh. Well, if there's such a big following, how come yer onlypaying my brother and I a hundred bucks to write the intro?

Barry: Guys, maybe this project isn't your cup of -

Ivan Raimi: Please, Barry, this is a great project, one that Sam andI both believe in and want to make special for you. Now, we agree to do the touch-up on Bruce's book,but don't expect -

Barry: "Touch-up"?

Ivan Raimi: What we in the film world call a "polish" -- but don't expect usto work for nothing, even if Bruce is our close friend -- 'cause that's like slappin' Bruce in theface.

Barry: But -

Sam Raimi: So what's this book about anyway?

Barry: Didn't you read it?

Ivan Raimi: Sure he read it. We both read it. It's got its own niche.

Barry: Gentlemen... the book does not need a polish. It needs an introduction.What I'd like to do now is to leave you alone, so that you might ruminate on your memories of Bruce.How you met, how you work together... I'll come back with a writer who will give some form to it,and put it in the context of a proper introduction.

Ivan Raimi: Why don't you send up some drinks and sandwiches. Somethingnice. And we'll start the creative process right away, Barry.

EDITOR'S NOTE****