
HOME	REVIEWS	ABOUT	PRESS RELEASES	SUPER UNDEAD DR. ROACH	CONTACT
FACEBOOK	POLLIES	Q&A	VEGAS SEVEN	POLLYGRIND	LINKS

A YEAR AT THE WHEEL

Some have called Shane and Amy Bugbee weird. Others might agree. Some might see the couple that plans to spend a year traveling from town to town for a year, more crazy than weird. They started November 4, 2007 in Chicago with a benefit for the West Memphis Three and plan to stay on the road till Nov. 5, 2008 when they reach Washington, D.C. for the presidential election.

Some might see the couple as documentarians. The Bugbee’s 365-day adventure is being documented with daily videos, pod casts, and blogs at their official site - AYearAtTheWheel.com. It’s very early in their journey, but the final results should definitely be interesting. Perhaps it will play out as if Michael Moore finally got a female side kick. But Shane is a nicer guy than Moore and he and Amy are Generation X’ers. So perhaps it will be more like Morgan Spurlock and his lady Alexandra Jamieson hitting the road, only more down to earth.

So what are the Bugbees documenting? Themselves. Their travels. The people they meet. Life in general. The election. All of the above and more. “We’re going to try and bring a view not seen on the net, not seen on cable or in your local newspapers,” Shane said. “I’d really like to get the story from the forgotten zip-codes.”

Detractors might say the couple is starving for their 15 minutes of fame in our “here today, gone tomorrow culture” of quasi-celebrities or that they are lazy bums that don’t want to get real jobs. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Those that don’t see them as documentary filmmakers, perhaps Hunter S. Thompson-like gonzo journalists would be a better fit. That doesn’t fully explain who they are and what they are planning to do. Think “Borat” without the exploitation of others, “Jackass” without demeaning themselves or better still Mickey and Mallory Knox crossed with Wayne Gail in “Natural Born Killers” without the bloodshed.

As far as cinematic comparisons go, Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper’s characters Wyatt and Billy in “Easy Rider” might be the best. Only these two are lovers with cameras, computers and a bit more drive than simply getting to Mardi Gras. The celebration in New Orleans is just one of many stops the Bugbees hope to make.

The couple, who needs the help of anyone that is willing to contribute money, shelter and food or spread the word about their journey, also plans on visiting Atlanta, Ga.; Tampa, Fla.; Austin, Texas; Phoenix; Las Vegas; San Francisco; Boston; New York; Seattle; Detroit; Roswell, N.M.; Kansas City, a number of other places and everywhere in between. Highlights planned include the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, South By Southwest, Sturgis Bike Rally, Yellowstone National Park, the Statue Of Liberty, Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, the Alamo and more. But just like Wyatt and Billy, the sum of Amy and Shane’s journey is greater than any one part.

This is a search for America. It’s a quest to understand. It’s an epic adventure to figure out where the Bugbees fit. Not just this specific couple, but all the “Shane and Amy Bugbees” of America. This is about underdogs. It’s about everyone that didn’t have life handed to them on a silver platter. Those that know struggles. Those that understand suffering. Those that appreciate what they have, but every now and then wish things could just be a bit simpler, a bit easier and a bit less hectic from time to time.

It’s also about crushed dreams. It’s about broken hearts. It’s about being one’s self no matter what. It’s about trying to fit in while doing so and having it all not turn out quite right. It’s about being pushed away, rejected, spit on, blamed, condemned, stomped on and kicked in the face, but fighting through because somewhere, someway it all makes sense.

“You are correct and totally on base,” Shane told PollyStaffle.com. “It’s about everything you mentioned and at times may look more like one than the other. We really won’t know how it’ll turn out until it’s over. But yes, there is more if you scratch the surface and explore under the marketing of it all.”

For those that do not know Shane and Amy’s back story, their short film “Shunned” will let you partly into their world, but it’s pretty damn hard to cram a 10-year marriage, plus a bit of childhood info into a 24-minute film. So instead of rehashing the short, here is a look at the enigmatic couple.

The easiest way to summarize Shane and Amy is to say they are self-employed business partners, first amendment advocates, entertainers, artists, journalists, true crime experts, mass communicators, entrepreneurs and then some. They’ve mostly made a living selling obscenities. Not because they necessarily like material that is considered obscene, but mainly because nobody else would sell it. It’s a niche our conglomerate corporate publishing companies don’t meet.

Does Mike Hunt Publishing or MikeHuntsOnFire.com ring any bells? That was Shane’s company he founded in 1986. By that time, Shane had already dropped out of high school, ran away from home, lived on the streets of Chicago and spent two months in jail.

Amy and Shane met nine years later at his art gallery. He a forced Catholic turned Satanist. She an atheist. Their similar views and interests brought them together. Soon Amy was contributing to Michael Hunt Publishing, which eventually led to their business relationship, which led to marriage.

“As for what drew me to my wife, besides being a slut in bed,” Shane jokes, “her attitude is key, but what pushed it over the top was her bookshelf and record collection - I mean she owned all of the ‘Mentors’ albums, so how could I lose?”

“What can I say – she’s great,” Shane adds, switching to a more serious answer. “We’re together 24-7 and feel lucky to do so.”

Through the years, the Bugbees have published books, ‘zines, CDs, videos and DVDs and have promoted concerts and events. They’ve worked with controversial artist after controversial artists, from writers Anton LaVey of the Church of Satan, cartoonists King Velveeda and Mike Diana, musicians G.G. Allin and Jello Biafra, serial killers John Wayne Gacy and Dorthea Puente, to “Bumfights” filmmaker Ryen McPherson and the porn production company Extreme Associates.

But what lead them to their A Year at the Wheel project started when Amy’s father had a stroke. Shane and Amy moved to the small town of Ely, Minnesota, so they could look after him. Suddenly, Shane realized his past line of work wouldn’t fly in the city with a population less than 4,000. Being the business man and entrepreneur he is, Shane concocted and was soon selling blueberry soda pop named Ely Elixir.

The Bugbees seemed to be finally settling down. No more controversies. No more big city. Small town life was working out. That is, until someone in town figured out who they where and had a problem with it. Then a letter began to circulate that accused the couple of funneling their soda profits into satanic outlets. Ely no longer welcomed them. They received threats, faced hostility and were essentially “ran out of town,” according to Shane.

The couple packed their bags and first gave Los Angeles a try. Shane, a Church of Satan priest, teamed up with his friend Matt Zane, a musician and pornographer. The pair delivered a satanic adult feature film - “Club Satan: The Witches Sabbath.” The porno, written by Amy and Shane, featured the first black mass caught on film since LaVey’s “Satanis” over 30 years ago. Anger fueled the project.

Anger that now is no longer there, Shane said. “Club Satan” seemed to have worked as a cleansing. “I’m not the same guy who was thrown out of Ely,” Shane said. “With that, I couldn’t deal with the sad, desperate, brown nosing vibe of L.A. As we headed up the coast to our new spot in Berkley, I convinced Amy to keep driving and we formulated Project: A Year at the Wheel.”

“Porn is over,” Shane added. “It makes meth fights and gun battles over $50 possible, and that makes it impossible to have fun. No fun equals no Shane. As I was seeing all of my hardworking, very talented friends, struggle economically, the last straw was seeing serious porn players behind the facade broke, struggling and not able to make rent.” Money aside, Shane said he felt a need to collaborate with his wife, who he calls a “hell of an artist.”

The couple is also seeking a new place to call home. Having faced the “witch hunt” in Minnesota, the couple said they started to feel a connection to the West Memphis Three of Arkansas. So along their travels they plan to help raise awareness for Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin.

The West Memphis Three were convicted of heinous crimes they didn’t commit in 1994 when they were teenagers. The mentally-handicapped Misskelley was coerced into confessing that he, Echols and Baldwin were responsible for the death and mutilation of three eight-year-old boys. At trial, words like cult, occult and satanic were tossed around. Evidence proved nothing but the fact Echols was a fan of Metallica and Stephen King. Somehow all three were found guilty.

Despite two heart-breaking Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky documentaries (“Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills” and “Paradise Lost 2 – Revelations”) support from the Innocence Project, and music from Henry Rollins, Michael Graves and many others, as well as books, events, skateboards, websites dedicated to the trio and no DNA linking them to the crime scene, Echols, Misskelley and Baldwin remain in prison today.

The Bugbees plan to donate any profits from their journey to the trio. Less than two weeks into the trip, the couple is flat broke. They are determined to not let it slow them down though. Even if it means they might have to wash dishes to pay for a meal or two.

“I can make it anywhere,” Shane said. “A bad neighborhood and a little work never scared me and that’s all there really is to making it, right? Well, bad neighborhood might be the worse case possible, but it’s still doable.”

“It does take away from the project if we can’t stay sponsored,” Shane added. “It’ll make the project more of a reality type show about ‘those crazy middle-aged freaks.’”

Available sponsorship options include: buying a day, $25; getting your company/organization/band t-shirt worn on camera, $50; advertising on their transportation, $199. You can also have Amy bake you cookies in your own home for $100.

Perhaps when the Bugbees are done, there will be a feature length documentary in their footage somewhere. In the meantime it should at least make for some interesting internet views.

- CCF, November 2007