W e told a lot of people when we were leaving that we had the trip planned out,” Arthur Swidzinski says now. “That we had trained, that we were in tip-top shape. In reality we had gone on the Internet to Mapquest and printed a 150-page document of turn-by-turn directions to New York City. Everything sort of fell apart from the get-go.”
Swidzinski, who at the time worked at a hospital transporting patients to
the morgue, adds, “We developed a passion for radio and making short films
in high school. Once we got to college, we wanted to apply what we’d
learned and do something coming-of-age that we could talk about when we
were 90 years old.” Prior to and during the trip, the pair operated as
their own DIY press and hype machine (which hasn’t changed now that they’re
promoting the film). They did local radio spots and regularly took calls on
their not-smartphones to give updates to the Chicago media outlets
following their often illegal slog along the shoulders of state routes. TheNew York Post took an interest; so did Good Morning America. Aside from the time the foursome has a run-in with cops or when they’re impelled to interrupt Joe Ohio’s leisurely grilling to ask for rides or places to stay, Shred America‘s greatest moments occur when everyone is actively processing his 15 minutes of fame.
But sometimes all it takes is quitting a demoralizing corporate job to
inspire you. And in 2012 Swidzinski did just that. “I didn’t know what to
do with my time after I quit, so I opened up the project again. I sat down
and wrote out each scene, what it meant, its purpose. Then I called Mike.”
Sat 3/24, 7 PM, Patio Theater, 6008 W. Irving Park, 773-283-7244, thepatiotheater.com, $10.
