'Plane' Genius

Dare we dream — the Samuel L. Jackson schlock epic Snakes on a Plane (out Aug. 18) has the awesome guilty-pleasure theme song it so richly deserves? Yes! Titled ''Snakes on a Plane (Bring It),'' the infectious indie-rock-rap track is the work of Cobra Starship, a project from Gabe Saporta (of New Jersey major-label emo-punkers Midtown); for the occasion, he enlisted the help of some of his alt-rocking friends, including Academy Is... singer William Beckett, Gym Class Heroes' Travis McCoy, and Maja Ivarsson, frontwoman of Sweden's the Sounds. (Watch the super-kitschy video for the super-catchy song.) EW talked to Saporta and Ivarsson about hallucination-causing snakebites, possible sequel ideas, and meeting Samuel L.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did Cobra Starship and ''Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)'' — or ''SOAP(BI),'' as we call it — come about?
GABE SAPORTA: The last Midtown record, for me, was really introspective. It made me go off into the desert. I went on this whole retreat trip where I was contemplating my life. And when I was in the desert I got bitten by this snake, and I saw a UFO, and the snake spoke to me. He's, like, ''Yo, man, you've got to stop taking yourself so seriously, you've got to start having some fun.'' And I came back and started Cobra Starship in honor of the snake that bit me.

Are you pulling my leg?
SAPORTA No, man, that's my story.

Were, uh, drugs involved?
SAPORTA I think that venom is a hallucinogen. And I definitely was hanging out with some Native Americans before that in a peyote tent. But it was destiny. A snake bit me in the desert, and then I started Cobra Starship, and then Snakes on a Plane came along. I didn't want the song to be literal. The snakes are a metaphor for shysters, the kind of dudes you'd imagine riding in first class sipping champagne.
MAJA IVARSSON I was at this event in Sweden and one of the guys from the record company [New Line Records] said, ''Did your manager talk to you about Snakes on a Plane? I'm, like, What snakes on what plane?

Samuel L. Jackson has a cameo in the video. What was it like meeting him?
IVARSSON That was, like, the coolest thing ever. I had a scene with just me and him. I didn't dare to look at him!
SAPORTA The director [Lex Halaby] made an announcement: ''Don't approach Mr. Jackson!'' Basically they were telling us to not even look in his direction. But after we did the first shot I just headed straight up to him and I'm, like, ''Hey, what's up, man?'' He was totally cool, a very chill dude. But it looked like the director was going to pass out.

There's every indication the film will be the schlockiest movie of all time — which we mean as a compliment — but the soundtrack has a lot of hip acts, like Panic! At The Disco, All-American Rejects, and Fall Out Boy (whose Pete Wentz also appears in the video).
SAPORTA Dudes that are hip and like things that are fun recognize this movie is a big spoof. Everyone just knows how preposterous it's going to be.

How much do you actually know about the movie?
IVARSSON Seriously, I don't know much. Everything's a little bit mysterious, even though I'm involved with it. I don't think anybody knows anything more than it's about snakes on a plane, right? I mean, if there's not snakes on that plane, I will be f---ing disappointed.

We're assuming the porn version of the film will be called Trousersnakes on a Plane. Would you be happy performing the theme song for that as well?
SAPORTA No, but I would be interested in starring in it.

What should be on the plane in the sequel? Spiders? Scorpions? Testy antelopes?
IVARSSON Ha! Hippos, maybe?
SAPORTA No, man, it should be more snakes on more motherf---in' planes!