Vampire fever is working out for at least one rocker.

"For somebody who's been in a rock band for the last 10 years it's a pretty good film to be in," says Dimitri Coats, frontman for grunge group the Burning Brides, describing Suck, an independent Canadian film about a rock band called The Winners who are transformed into vampires. This ultimate gimmick catapults the band to fame and fortune, leading them to question whether their success was worth the sacrifice.

As if rock 'n' roll vampires weren't enticing enough, Suck stars Dave Foley, Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Moby, Henry Rollins, Alex Lifeson and Coats as the lead villain. These are comedic roles, playing up each actor's celebrity for camp. Coats expects the film to earn a lasting cult following.

"I play the role of Queenie. He's a heroin-dealing vampire who's responsible for turning The Winners band into vampires," says Coats. "Malcolm McDowell plays Eddie Van Helsig and he runs around the whole movie trying to kill me."

Unlike their onscreen rivalry, McDowell and Coats got to be buddies behind the scenes McDowell, spending their days off golfing together in L.A. Coats could not have guessed that one day he would alternate between shooting insults and hitting the links with the star of A Clockwork Orange.

Another idol he befriended through Suck was Alex Lifeson, the guitarist from Rush. Lifeson even joined the Burning Brides onstage at the premiere after-party.
"Can you say 'Dream come true for a motherfucker?'" Coats shouted from the stage.

Actually, such highlights seemed commonplace for Coats throughout the making of this film. He describes one surreal moment, meeting the originator of shock-rock:

"I walked in one day and Alice Cooper and Rob [Stefaniuk] the director were watching the footage of me singing 'Flesh And Bone' from the day before and I come in already in makeup and there's Alice Cooper watching me sing one of our songs as a vampire.

"He goes, 'Oh, my God! This is incredible! This is fantastic! This is your band? Do you guys roll like this? I mean do you hit the stage like this?'

"I go, 'No, no, no.'

"He goes, 'Well you should rethink that. Take it from me, I've made a career out of it!'"

Although he appreciates the suggestion, Coats doesn't give it serious thought. He knows the Brides will always be a meat-and-potatoes, jeans-and-t-shirt rock group.

He also doesn't give serious thought to a long-term acting career, despite two years of acting classes at the Julliard School and roles in two films premiering at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.

"Music comes first for me. I think this is a hoot. This is a lot of fun, but I don't take it too seriously," he says.

"With the band I get to do whatever the hell I want. It's way more fun... When you're in a band it's like being in a pirate ship. There's nothing like it in the world...

"Acting seems a little bit more civilized. I'm going to feel weird even wearing a suit [to the Suck premiere]."

Still, it's not as if he ever planned things out in the long-term.

"Who knows," he says. "Maybe this acting thing will lead me into another direction."

I asked where he got the suit.

"I had to get married at some point."

Suck screens Wednesday at the Scotiabank Theatre as part of the Toronto International Film Festival.

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