For The Metal Voice former Anthrax singer Neil Turbin did a special report at the premiere of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash movie called 'Street Survivors' at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival in Los Angeles on Feb 16 2020. Watch here
Neil Turbin spoke with former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle at the event and filmed the Q and A with the director, producers and cast members.
Street Survivors was written and directed by Jared Cohn, narrated by Artimus Pyle and produced by Cleopatra Entertainment. When asked how difficult it was to get the project finished as people tried to stop the film "The entire time we were doing the movie we were being sued and he had thousand dollar an hour blood sucking attorneys coming at us the entire time. The director Jared Cohn and Cleopatra Entertainment's V.P. Tim Yasui and President Brian Perera kept the faith (they overcame the obstacles). "
When asked about the film's story "It was my story and I didn't realize it was going to be my story I thought it was going to be more general but it was basically focused on what happened to me (during and after the 1977 plane crash). I think the movie is going to be a cult classic.The movie is intense and it tells that part of the story (Plane crash). But there is also humour and sex drugs and rock and roll, that's the way it was in the 60's and 70's." When asked about how Judy Van Zant was against the project "I am really disappointed in Judy and Gary(Rossington guitarist) they didn't come with me to make a bigger movie, with a bigger budget. Judy, Gary and Vector management, they chose to try to destroy me rather then come to the table and make a film together. So this is what it turned out to be and I am very proud of it. I am proud of the directer and Cleopatra and the cast. "
History tells us what was to come. On Oct. 20, 1977, en route from Greenville, S.C., to Baton Rouge, La., the plane ran out of fuel and crashed in a swamp in Gillsburg, Miss. Three band members -- frontman Ronnie Van Zant, background vocalist Cassie Gaines and her guitarist brother Steve -- were killed, as were assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray.
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