For some, the mystique of that electric flamethrower guitar playing henchman is what propels the character to cult phenomenon status. Others might wish to know a little bit more about him, and now we have. The Playlist recently conducted an interview with the man behind the tunes of the apocalypse, iOTA, about this inexplicably charming persona that fans of Mad Max: Fury Road cannot stop raving about.
Did you ever wonder how he ended up as a part of Immortan Joe’s Army?
“I knew that George had said that Coma was found by Immortan Joe in a Cave and taken under his wing and he learned to be a musician. I kind of embellished that for myself. Basically, my story was that Coma was found with his mother’s head, after she had been killed, and he was clinging to it and Immortan Joe came and found him and Coma took her face off and made the mask out of her face, to honor her when he went to war.”
Why is he wearing a red onesie?
“Coma didn’t really have a costume, as such. So there was lots of trying stuff on and I remember thinking that an old farcical onesie would be good with the butt flap hanging out the back. The mask was something that was worked on and influence came from everyone. And certainly Angus and AC/DC was an influence.”
What purpose does he serve jamming during a demolition derby? (George Miller answers this)
“He’s logical to that world. Pre-modern communications, there was always the music of war—the bugle, horns, bagpipes, drummers. Every war culture had some sound to signal the troops… ours is just weaponized, so it’s a flamethrower as well.”
Can you really build a guitar flamethrower?
“Well, it made a noise. You wouldn’t want to do an album with it. It was pretty shit. It made a great sound and, to me, it felt perfect for the environment. In the sun and the dust in the cold, it was perfect. But it was always going to be a bit shit.”
While George Miller has announced the sequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, iOTA is not sure if the character will be back, and admits the curtain on Coma should not be pulled too far back.
You can read my review of Mad Max: Fury Road here
https://youtu.be/8HTiU_hrLms?list=PL18yMRIfoszFLSgML6ddazw180SXMvMz5
Originally published May 22, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
