January 2007
Most people remember where they were and what they were doing on September 11. Where were you and what were your thoughts about that day?
I was filming on the set of Buffy. Sarah stopped filming, shut down the set, and she and I went with her mother to try and find a place of worship to pray and to get some silence. We were the only two New Yorkers on that show.
Has anyone ever intimidated you? If so, who and why?
I get intimidated all the time, mostly by talent, and most recently by Kathy Bates who was a total sweetheart with a spine of steel and who gave me no reason to fear her.
How do you approach emotional changes within your character when the scenes are shot out of sequence?
Just remember why you came in the room and what you want from the person opposite you and then the brain takes care of the rest. It's like catching a ball - the brain takes care of the math. But you have to know those two things.
I've noticed for both the Buffy and Angel DVD sets that you very rarely appear in the outtakes. Does that mean it was rare to catch you making a mistake on set?
Correct! (He laughs.) Early in my tenure I almost got fired for making three jokes in a makeup trailer. I decided that my only good defense was to be perfect.
During the Macbeth Q&A you were asked about Method vs. Shakespeare. Part of your answer was that the two don't marry very well. May I ask your thoughts then of Marlon Brando's portrayal of Mark Antony, bearing in mind that he was a Method actor in the truest sense of the word.
Brando showed himself to be an apt technician. He respected the meter and the line and gave a credible Shakespearean performance. I think there was less method in that performance than you'd suspect.
How have you changed or evolved as a musician since this all started?
(Long silence) I'm wondering if I've evolved at all since it all started. I'm better with my changes, I take longer to write my lyrics, and I rehearse more before I perform. But I wonder if I've evolved.
Favorites:
Toy you played with as a child: GI Joe and my rescue copter.
Time of Day: Late afternoon-early evening when the sun is still bright but low in the sky and the shadows are long.
Household chore: Putting up Christmas decorations.
February 2007
I know you quit smoking now, but when did you first start and why?
I first started smoking in college. My favorite actor at the time, Byron Jennings, was smoking and it looked cool.
I noticed that you play a right-handed guitar although you are left-handed. I am guessing that you were taught that way but I wanted to know if you have ever tried to play left-handed and to what result?
I tried to switch after two years to left-handed play and gave up. I didn't want to start over again. But a guitar is a two-handed instrument so I don't think it makes that big of a difference. I'm pretty good with chords but I need to work on strumming.
How was it acting against Michael Rosenbaum? I can sincerely say that you had brilliant performances against several actors, but I could literally feel you two push the other's performance higher with some inner will you both seemed to have. Did they feel like any normal scene you've ever done, or was there something different?
Working with Michael Rosenbaum is like going to Space Mountain in Disneyland. If you are willing to go along with the ride it will be the funnest thing in the world. He kept me off balance which I think is a very good thing. It's always fun to play scenes where the conflict is right out there in the open.
If you had to live without one of your five senses, which one would you be able to "give up"? And which one would be totally indispensable?
I would give up smell. I don't have a good sense of smell to start with so it wouldn't be a big loss. As a musician I guess losing my hearing would be the worst.
Is there any mystery or question that you have wanted to have explained or answered?
I've always wanted to know why people do what they do, although I don't think one person can teach me that. People are weird and wonderful and I think I became an actor in order to answer these questions. Also, why do molecules have the tendency to go from chaos to order? I understand complex molecules, amino acids and the effect of epoch of time to create life, but I still don't understand why molecules arrange themselves. Why do they bother? In there somewhere, I believe, is God.
Why Chekhov? What about his work appeals to you?
Philosophically Chekhov states that we are all of us loveable fools, idiots really, but also adorable. If done right he is howlingly funny. He skewers humans and their silly behavior and cuts deeper than anyone, but does it with love and humor.
If you could record a song with any other artist/band who would it be and why?
I would love to record with Tom Petty - he has never once gone dry. I would love to party with Mozart - that would be cool. I could blow his mind with some blues progression.
What annoys you most about other drivers?
(laughs) I get annoyed with drivers who pull out in front of me in traffic and count on me to slow down, putting their lives in my hands, counting on me to be the better driver. And there should be the death penalty for honking with no reason.
March 2007
As a humanist, what is your opinion on the age-old question of whether a male and female can truly be friends? If not, why not?
Of course a male and female can truly be friends; but if there is a sexual attraction it is more complicated. It's kind of sad that it's still an open question.
How do you deal with discouragement and disappointment?
Don't dwell on it. It's inevitable as long as you're breathing. Keep focusing on possibilities. It only takes a few successes to make a good life.
Is there any information you can share about P.S. I Love You or your part?
It's the story of a strapping young Irishman and an intelligent, driven New Yorker trying to make it work in Manhattan. Things are complicated when the man dies of cancer but finds ways to stay in contact with his wife after his death. I play the man's best friend. The driven New Yorker is played by Hilary Swank and the man is played by Gerard Butler, who is currently flexing himself in '300'. Both were fabulous people and made me feel very welcome. I'm as anxious to see it as all of you are.
Could you explain what the "punk" philosophy is?
Yes, that there is no future for the current young generation, age 15 - 25. All the jobs and money is getting sucked up by the older generation who does not want to share the pudding. Punk got ts birth in England, which has a permanent white underclass discriminated against much like our discriminated black underclass. So it's a protest movement where you throw off any attempt to fit in with the culture and you revel in the fact that you are not admitted into the white hall. This makes middle-classed American punk rockers, like me, a bit suspect.
What is your musical guilty pleasure?
I guess I classify Nora Jones as a guilty pleasure. Maybe I'm too serious. But ABBA ain't bad.
Do you have any interest in, or have you ever thought about writing a play?
Hmmm, in all honesty no. I had experience at adapting plays from other source material, some translation from other languages and helping young playwrights edit their plays, but I've never had the burning need to say something in the form of a play. I'm hoping that may come. There are some ideas but they are not fully formed yet. Right now I'm more likely to write a movie than a play.
How do you go about learning your lines and is the process different for TV, film and theater?
Learning my lines is the funnest part of my job. Many actors complain about it but I find that that is the time that I get to dream whatever I want and I don't have to worry about the needs of a film crew. The difference between theater and film is that in film you have to memorize your lines as you would opening night in theater but you have no rehearsal to get that done so you do it yourself.
Firsts:
How was your first kiss? - Wow. Ummm.I remember playing Spin the Bottle in 6th grade. I don't remember any particular kiss, but I remember having my mind blown. It was a little 11 year-old kissing orgy.
What was the first guitar that you owned and do you still have it? - Don't remember.
Favorites:
Childhood cartoons - Cartoons sucked when I was a kid. We had Super Friends and didn't appreciate the irony because that's as good as we had. We didn't even have good Japanese stuff yet; it was all people running around in rubber suits smashing models.
Item of clothing - Old leather jacket from the 50s. I believe it to be an original Hell's Angels jacket. It's older than me and can't help but look cool.
Pizza - It's all in the execution. There is a Pizza Plus in Northern California that cooks its dough fresh and hand tosses their pies - this is rare. Most places have pre-made frozen crust. I just like plain cheese, but the crust is everything.
April 2007
What book do you have on your bedside table at the moment?
I have The Universe in a Single Atom by the Dalai Lama. I'm not a Buddhist, but that is one smart monk!
Derek Jacobi has said that "To be or not to be..." is not a soliloquy but Hamlet speaking to Ophelia, partly because what he describes happens to her. What are your thoughts on this interesting view?
Hmmmm, that's really interesting, give me a second. I don't think that it is entirely realistic that Ophelia wouldn't speak if that were true. It is a scene by itself and in itself and usually in these scenes if a character is present they have one short line. You could play it that way, but I don't see the need to eradicate the soliloquy - I love soliloquy.
Do you have to hunt for your keys every day or are you one of those people who always put them in the same place when you come in?
I try to be the latter but I'm often the former - It's 50/50.
What's better: old friends, or new friends, and why?
Old friends - they know where all your sticky places are and still like you.
Spike's wardrobe was strongly associated with your formation of his character; yet in your recent Macbeth production, you brought Macbeth alive in black jeans and teeshirt. How important, then, is wardrobe in storytelling? Don't clothes help you find a character or are you totally floated by the words alone?
In stage you don't need costume. Shakespeare himself dressed his actors in the jeans and t-shirts of his day, depending only on small props and costume pieces to define his kings and warriors because on stage the words are everything. On film the words are at best equal to the image and sometimes secondary, so the costume becomes very important for TV and film - which is why it irked that we could only find one costume that worked - grungy rocker is not that hard to costume.
What's the first thing you think about when you get up in the morning?
I'm training myself to think that it's a new, good day full of would-be possibility. I need these thoughts because I feel like crap in the morning.
Of all the people you have worked with during your career so far, who are the three most interesting or inspiring people you have worked with?
Steven Dietz, a playwright I worked with in Seattle. He had a combination of love and confidence that made actors just melt in his hands. Michael Winters - a stage actor in America. There is no finer than him. Hearing his words is like being blessed by an angel. Laird Williamson, who now works for the Denver Center, was so strange in the way he gave direction that he gave his actors permission to try anything. A true genius.
May 2007
Describe a perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Whole wheat bread with the crust on, fresh bread a must, and chunky peanut butter. Add salt to taste, cut diagonally, or in the shape of a smiley face.
You have mentioned times when you felt you did not fit in and times when you felt you belonged to something bigger, connecting with others. Is one feeling necessarily better than the other? Are such moments especially something which artists tend to experience?
Being connected with others is an essential part of a happy life. It's ironic that artists are charged with reminding society about the importance of connecting with each other, when we artists so often have a problem connecting with others. Maybe if we could do it better we wouldn't have to sing about it so much.
What role/performance are you least happy with and why? What did you learn from that experience?
Playing Toby Belch in Twelfth Night my sophomore year at Juilliard, sweating in a fat suit in an airless room. I learned that you have to find the character in yourself. I can't get it in a fat suit. I myself don't get that many inspirations from externals - I don't start with the way the character walks.
What are three things that you absolutely cannot leave the house without?
I forget almost everything when I leave the house and have learned the hard way to do without the things most people consider essential.
Are you big on traditions and celebrations when it comes to Christmas, birthdays, New Year's and such?
I love Christmas. I love the idea of feasting in the face of winter. I love Easter and the celebration of nature and life. I love Halloween and its embrace of death. Yeah, I think all holidays are important and a bit deeper than we realize.
If you end up doing multiple takes of a scene, do they come out pretty much the same each time, or do they come out quite different? Do they come out much different if you break for lunch, and come back in a somewhat different mood?
My takes come out very similar with subtle differences of shading, but I think I would be better served to be a little braver and switch it up. I keep reading that all my favorite actors do; DeNiro, Ian McKellen, etc.
I know that you are an astute citizen with strong opinions about our government. If you were given the power to create or change any one existing law, what would it be?
I would create a system of federally funded general elections. I would do away completely with campaign contributions from any other source.
June 2007
A very talented person told me he felt that knowing peace would inhibit his art. Being in the arts myself, I tend to seek it. In your opinion, what influence and effect does either 'feeling pain' or 'knowing peace' in one's life have on an individual's creativity?
Pain can be a great motivator for creativity but if you use it too much it tends to shunt you down the same alleyway every time. A great example of this would be David Caruso; he can seem powerful but it's always the same. It's much better to use all of the emotions, including love, because it's that that we're giving.
Song or album that an 'ex' ruined?
A girlfriend named Liz almost ruined the entire Bob Dylan canon. So far, I have rescued Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks and Blonde on Blonde. I'm still working on the rest. I may never listen to the Smiths again, and that's a shame.
Are there any tricks to help you memorize vast volumes as you did in your recent Macbeth in 'Words and Music'? The language of Shakespeare's time is beautiful and full of meaning, but is not the easiest to memorize.
Actually, Shakespeare is the easiest to memorize. Once you understand all of the vocabulary, which admittedly might take a few years, you find that your lines couldn't be said in any other way. If you say even one word wrong it sticks in your ear like a sweaty fly. It's immediately less interesting, so you always know if you are saying your lines correctly or not. In general, the secret for line memorization is work - hours and hours after everyone is in bed.
What can you tell us about your Lex Luthor voicework for the Superman Doomsday
I felt like I was just terrible. We didn't take long to record most of my work and they were so nice to me. I was sure that they had decided to use someone else and were too polite to kick me out of the room. But I went back for some re-recording and they convinced me that they thought I did a very, very good job. Maybe I need to examine that.
In Buffy Season 6, when Spike endures the trials to win his soul back, he says the line "here we are now, entertain us" which is a line from Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana. You've said you are a Nirvana/Kurt fan - was that written in the script or was that your idea?
That was most likely written for me by the writing staff because they knew I love Nirvana. And besides, you can't reference the Sex Pistols every time. Spike knows a lot about music. The scenic department guy always had really cool albums laying around his home; Pixies, Arcade Fire, stuff like that.
Do you do your own housework? If so, what is your least favorite chore?
I will be honest. My niece's nanny helps me with the housework. I keep my own room neat. I cook my own dinner and do the dishes, but to tell you the truth, I kind of enjoy housework. The last time I had a whole house to take care of was in Seattle.
Favorites:
Feature of a woman - You can't chop a woman up like that. The eyes go with the nose and they both go with the lips. It all fits together in a way. It's the overall spell, not the ingredients.
Meryl Streep movies - Wow. It's a tie between Sophie's Choice and The Manchurian Candidate.
Either/Or:
Dogs or cats - Hmm, hmm, uh - both. Why do we have to chose?
Console - PS2, Gamecube, X-box or other - PS3, baby, I'm a junkie.
Bath or shower - Bath
Rain or snow - Rain. Living in Seattle, you start to love the rain. I miss it a lot; it's like a benediction from the sky.
July 2007
What gadget should someone invent that would make your life easier?
A better solar panel because we currently only get about 23% efficiency out of our solar panels.
Did you have a particular childhood pet that you might tell us about?
Ummmm, I was adopted by a stray cat who wound himself around my leg and shivered and wouldn't let go. I named him Shivers and had him for ten years. He was the greatest cat - he let you pick him up any way you wanted to. I think I was 7 when I found him.
What is the hardest thing about guitar playing for you?
Being comfortable with the fact that the guitar is a very sloppy instrument. Guitar, by its nature, never hits the right note ever. If you go for a G, you're gonna get a G sharp or a G flat, period. There's no way you're gonna get a clean note on a guitar because there's the bending of the strings and there's so many variables. On a keyboard, you hit an E and you're gonna get an E. But, a friend of mine told me that perfection in music is not pleasurable and the proof of that is those irritating Christmas ornaments that will sing you the Christmas songs (imitates tinny melody). It's soooo bad, but it's perfect. It is in imperfection that the artist shines, that's where the expression comes in. So, the artist is always kind of sharp or flat, that's the expression - and that's what's so frustrating about the guitar but also so exciting - it never will be perfect.
Do you sing in the shower, and if so, with what song and/or artist does your soap usually get serenaded?
No, I don't sing in the shower actually. I think that's possibly because I have an outlet that's more nutritional than the shower. When you are privileged enough to be able to sing your deepest feelings in front of an audience and have them clap, the shower is a very small place after that.
I often hear people saying they want 'world peace'. Do you think the human race could ever achieve peace? Or do you feel that as a race we were genetically constructed to struggle and fight our way to the proverbial top?
Good question. I wrestle with this at night all the time. I feel like somewhere along the line mother earth decided to create carnivores and what that meant for my species was that we need fear in order to survive. If we don't have a HUGE fear impulse, we'll be eaten. The problem is that we have the fear but we also have the ability to destroy everything to try to keep ourselves from feeling fear. Sometimes I wonder if there's a planet out in the universe where everyone was a vegetarian - is that the only civilization that has the hope of getting over its destructive phase? In my cynical moments, I think self destruction is inevitable because of fear. In my good moments, I think that humans are blessed with an intellect that can understand the limitations of fear and can block the fear and decide to act more intelligently. It's just that when I examine history, I find more examples of fear running the day than logic. At the same time, I feel like we are at a crossroads as a race, where we are going to have to decide whether we are going to destroy ourselves or accept each other and that it is quite possible that humans can make the leap away from fear. I guess I'm kind of in-between those two philosophies, hopelessness and some measure of hope.
What were you scared of as a child?
Fitting in and getting beaten up.
What is the more discouraging response in theater, unintentional laughter at a serious moment, or no laughter at a funny moment?
They're both hell on earth because as an artist, you're leading your audience through an experience that is supposed to have a definite conclusion at the end. It is manipulation; and if they're not responding the way you want them to it means that you have not calculated your manipulation correctly and they will not come to the conclusion that you believe is the truth at the end of the experience. So when you hear the audience laugh when you don't want them to, or if they aren't laughing when you want them to, it means that you're wasting your time and theirs - and that's horrifying.
What's the secret to starting an interesting conversation with a complete stranger?
Connect with them as a human being. We're all the same. Whether we're black or white, or rich or poor, Muslim or Christian, man or woman, 95% of our impulses, and dreams, hopes and fears are the same. We all want love - we all fear isolation. We all want better for our children than we had. Everyone. I watched something on the History channel about this. Apparently, there are ten dreams that comprise 90% of everyone's dream-life and what that means is on a VERY deep level, on the deepest of levels, we're the same. So, when you meet somebody that's a stranger, that seems different from you, just realize that they're not different from you. You can connect with that person based on the deepest of truths about yourself. Just because you grew up with a popsicle in your mouth and they grew up in the desert trying to find water - well, talk about music, talk about your hopes for your children, talk about loving some girl who doesn't love you; and you'll find that they're just like you.
Favorite Saturday Night Live cast member?
John Belushi, John Belushi, John Belushi, John Belushi. Uh, Dan Ackroyd, Gilda Radner, anybody in the original cast who was exposing society for the idiot dance that we're really in. We have never been that close to brilliance again. Dana Carvey for a while, Will Ferrell - they had some edgy stuff, but it was a pale imitation of the originals. They were ripping into society. They were like Molire in that they knew how far to push it, when to back off, and when to completely be stupid and not back off and rip a new hole in society. God bless them.
Favorites:
Batman villain - I'll have to go with the pat answer and say The Joker because he's the smartest of Batman's nemeses. He exposes Batman's weakness most effectively, which is Batman has no Zuper powers - he's a collection of gadgets, and it's easy to make him bleed. The Joker is smarter than Batman I think. Batman's incredibly intelligent, probably a genius, but I think The Joker is even a step above him. It's only through faith and not giving up that Batman can win over The Joker. But I've always been a Batman guy - I like a hero who bleeds.
Song to cover - Any song that I think is worthy of my covering would be diminished by my presence. If I had to pick people I'd like to cover, but of course I never will: Nirvana, Dylan, the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Robert Johnson. But you do NOT improve upon Robert Johnson, Beatles, the Stones. They did it as well as you can and if you want to eclipse them in any way, you have to write about yourself completely naked. It's fun to play covers because usually you're playing music from a better songwriter than you are and the audience responds so well - they're such good songs. But you can't fool yourself. You're only approximating the original experience when the audience heard the real guy singing.
August 2007
Is there a particular George F. Walker character that you would like to play?
I'd like to play the bum character in Criminals in Love. He is so bitter and so wise and so loving. A great combination that I've never seen written so strongly.
How much of your time, when not filming, do you spend thinking of your characters? Do you spend time creating back-stories, etc?
Yes, I spend time but it's not an intellectual process. It's just time going over the script and losing myself in the fantasy of the story. Things bubble up without my bidding, ideas occur to me but it's not an intellectual process.
Do you agree that all is fair in love and war?
No, nothing's fair in love and nothing is fair in war. That's why you should avoid wars at all times and avoid love until you are absolutely ready.
What's the best decision you ever made?
To become a father. That sounds like something that a parent has to say, but it's really true. I don't feel like I was really myself before I was a father.
Other than the Macbeth project, do you have any personal ambitions that you haven't fulfilled yet?
Run for political office. I think that I'm good at talking people into my agenda. I think I have some good ideas about saving our country and I really don't mind fighting dirty. I'd make a great President, but I would be impeached so fast. I would be too passionate and too honest and too naive. I would be the worst of Howard Dean and John McCain rolled into one.
What are your thoughts on country music?
Country music has a beautiful tradition but has recently lost its way in a commercial bog. It sounds more these days like pop music. I prefer the older stuff before anyone was making any real money; Waylon Jennings, Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams, Willie Nelson - stuff like that.
Either/Or:
Leno or Letterman? - Letterman, my God. Leno seeks to offend no one and so he bores everyone. Letterman is angry at everyone and he entertains me.
Chocolate or Vanilla? - Chocolate - it's directly connected to sex.
September 2007
What do you think is the greatest musical instrument ever invented and why?
I think possibly the synthesizer. It used to take 100 - 500 years for a new instrument to assimilate itself into the orchestral, musical experience. They'd come up with a violin and everyone would go crazy and the next 500 years would be all about how do we incorporate the violin into our music. Now every new single that comes out has an incredibly distinct, synthesized sound, which is tantamount to developing your own new musical instrument. That goes way past the best violinist anyone has ever heard because even the best violinist that has been heard in 200 years is only playing the same instrument that's been played for 200 years and his song will sound very similar to the hacks that had preceded him. But the engineer that comes up with a new synthesized sound that has a human resonance, it's as if he's made a whole new instrument and the possibilities from where I sit are endless. So, it's definitely keyboards, computers and synthesizers - and that's really hard for a guitarist to admit.
What was the last play you saw?
I think it was The Master Builder by Ibsen starring Sir Ian McKellan. I didn't enjoy it. It was the last chance I gave my local theater company after being let down too many times before.
It's a great compliment for an actor to say that the person playing opposite them was 'generous' in his or her performance. What does that generosity mean to you? Do you consider yourself a generous performer?
Very good question! Generosity in film means that when you are off-camera acting for the other actor's close up, you give as much as you did in your close up. It seems like a no-brainer that everyone would want to give as much in their off-camera work as their on-camera work because it helps everybody, but you'd be surprised how many perfectly wonderful actors are forced to work with stand-ins for their close ups, which are the most dangerous shots when the camera is so close to you and can pick up any lie. That's when you need your acting partner the most. It's unfortunate that at that time so many actors decide to head to the trailer. I consider myself a very generous performer. In fact, I think I give a better performance off camera than I do on. Because I have no pressure off-camera, I can improvise with impunity, trying to elicit some real reaction from my acting partner that they didn't plan on. Sometimes they get mad because I will change it up so dramatically, but I'm trying to give them a moment that's truly real, trying to make something happen for the first time - the camera wants to catch you being surprised. That's what makes good film. So if you stay in your trailer, half your job, you're abdicating.
If you could say one thing to Spike, give him a piece of advice, and/or converse with him about anything... what would you choose and why?
Get over Buffy - you deserve better! (laughs)
How do you react to criticism, professionally and personally?
If I wrote it, criticism is hard. I feel like anyone who is writing their inner life is doing something very brave and, in a way, is beyond criticism. How can you criticize someone for telling you how they feel? I have a hard time criticizing most artists who write their own material actually because of that reason. If they've been honest and brave and set it out there, if it's ugly or beautiful - if I don't think of it as worthy, it's probably my fault. So it's very hard for me when my own work is dissed. It's less hard, more mechanical, if I'm working on a playwright and I feel like a play can work but I get a bad review, I kind of feel like I'm a mechanic working on a carburetor, thinking I just need to add 3cm to that "whatever" and the thing will start on time and run like I want it to run. So it becomes less personal. If you write it yourself, it's very personal.
Either/Or:
Bacon or Sausage? - Bacon because it can be rendered crispy without ruining it.
Christmas lights - all white, or multicolored - blinking or not blinking? - All white, blinking, but not in unison. I think that the Christmas tree is most beautiful when it approximates the original Christmas tree where real fire was lit and red, yellow and green blinking lights just don't do it. I like fairy lights, as I call them, the white lights. They can blink or they can be steady, but I'm liable to put them up anywhere at anytime actually. I used to light my whole theater with fairy lights and I never had a better subscription audience in that season.
October 2007
How do you overcome the judges in your head when you want to create?
Really good question! I tell myself that I have a lot of love to give the world and I'm finding interesting ways to show it. I think that we are all beautiful enough and interesting enough to reveal ourselves to one another. So the only way I can be boring as an artist is if I shut down out of fear or self-judgment. If I'm brave enough to be myself, I always succeed.
The biggest lie about your industry is:
That stars are treated well. The truth is that stars/actors in Hollywood are treated as slaves. It's not glamorous but it serves the needs of the power elite, which are the producers, the networks, and the movie executives.
Why Macbeth as a person? I understand what attracts you to the play in general, but what attracts you to the character as a person?
Hmmm. Nothing. Nothing at all. The genius of Shakespeare is that his main characters have a hole in them which is to be filled by the person playing the role. If you ask who is Hamlet, the answer always is who is playing Hamlet. The experience of Hamlet or Macbeth is so universal. We all go through it. The job of an actor is to give his own specific experience, so that it seems believable that a single human being would have this experience. To try to say that Macbeth is one thing or another just limits Macbeth. Macbeth, or Hamlet, is everybody who has either fought for their rightful place in the world, or has abdicated their rightful place in the world for something that they thought was better and turned out worse, Hamlet being the former and Macbeth the latter. What Shakespeare provides is the universal truth - what you have to provide are the specifics of your human experience. I react to the fact that Macbeth speaks to me - I've made the same mistakes. I feel like I am him, but I think that all human beings are.
What gives you confidence? What takes it away?
Making something that other people find interesting gives me confidence. Being only mildly interesting saps my confidence. Also, dirty shoes sap my confidence.
What song is currently in your head?
'Hey There Delilah' by the Plain White T's.
Some people think there's only one true love meant for each person, while others think that any one of a number of different people might turn out to be the One. Transferring that idea to acting, do you think that there's only one best way to play a scene, or that any of a number of choices can be 'best'?
The latter definitely in both cases. I hope it's true in romance because I've messed up so many times.
If it didn't mar your chances for a role, what is one tattoo you've either considered or would be interested in getting?
Tribal swirl on my arm.
Favorites:
Star Wars movie and why? - The first one (episode 4). It was the most giddy, it was the most fun, it was the most thematically satisfying. It tells the hero's journey which is the classic crowd pleasing myth. Thematically you didn't need anymore movies after that, but it was sure fun.
Late night snack - I am an actor in Hollywood and there is no such thing as a late night snack. They do not exist - you stop eating at sundown and you get to know your hunger. You'll be spending a lot of time with that bastard and you gotta know how to beat him. The more fat you're burning the louder the voice gets to eat and you have to know how to beat that voice down. It's an act of will every day.
November 2007
If you were in the Mississippi Delta and were down at the Crossroads (no soul selling involved), would you ask to be the greatest guitarist or actor?
I don't believe in the Crossroads. I believe that the Blues were created in response to slavery and had nothing to do with the Devil. The Devil can't help me be a good actor either. I'm not afraid of the Devil.
In the movie House on Haunted Hill when the elevator appeared to be free falling, was it in the script to jump up and down or did they just type in something to the effect of interviewer / cameraman: 'panic' and you improvised that action yourself?
Yes, that is exactly right! I always thought that I would jump up at the last moment and save myself which I understand from Myth Busters that that wouldn't work. I've also noticed that when people get very frightened they hop from one foot to the other, almost as if they want to run. I think this is very dear. So yes, that was my idea, thanks for noticing.
Which do you personally find more difficult: to apologize or to forgive and why?
Way easier to apologize. I can admit that I am a jerk sometimes, life has taught me that; but forgiveness is really tough. I have perfected ostracization instead.
Have you ever spent like a THOUSAND HOURS working on a song all night, finally got to sleep, then wake up the next morning and think it sounds like s**t?
(laughs) Yes, my notebook is full of them!
I was listening to NPR the other day and they said that Quentin Tarantino believes he was Shakespeare in a previous life. Any thoughts on that? I think it's hilarious.
(giggles) Go Quentin! He's right. There's 120 million atoms from Shakespeare's body that are right now in Quentin's body, maybe he senses that - but it's true for everybody. There's a good book to read called The Brief History of Everything.
Why do you think Angel ended the way it did?
Because they wanted a heroic moment for the cast and could only afford cold water so they dumped it on us all night long. I guess the point is that redemption doesn't depend on survival.
When you are singing or acting on stage, does the emotion in a piece or song ever become almost too much to bear? Or does that enhance the performance, from your perspective?
It happens and is to be avoided; it will mess you up. It will clog up your throat and you'll sound like a frog. You have to stay a little bit away from the actual emotion.
Either/Or:
Stuffing cooked inside the turkey or on the side as dressing? - Both. I love the stuffing. Cornbread with apples and sausage. But you have to know that the stuff inside the bird is way up fatty.
Are you a handy man or someone who can barely change a light bulb? - Handyman. I ran a theatre for years.
December 2007
How do you feel about censorship in general and has your view of censorship changed since you had kids?
That's a really good question. I am adverse to any form of censorship but there are appropriate outlets. I've always felt that way. What is appropriate for a late night comedian is not necessarily right for a 3 PM television show.
Name something you've heard about women that tends to be true?
Women are human beings. No other generalizations I can make - anything else would seem foolish. Everyone is an individual. Some women share more in common with me than some men.
As Spike you were asked to do a little bit of everything - from comedy to high drama. What do you find more difficult - comedy or drama and why?
Personally I find comedy more difficult. Drama needs sincerity most of all but comedy needs sincerity and rhythm and every script has it's own comedic rhythm. I've seen people go insane to try and find it. For Buffy it was easy because the comedy was very dry.
While most of your songs speak of emotions, there are also a few like Lou and Button Down Vandals which are simple narrative. How does the connection differ with the audience when you perform both types of songs and which do you find more satisfying creatively?
It's true most of my songs are navel-gazing songs, but I'm trying to get away from that and write songs about people who don't exist except in my head. I think the audience appreciates when I climb out of my navel. It's warm in there but a bit stuffy. The songs Lou and Button Down Vandals are taken from my own life. They are actually not stories but my own history.
What has been the most significant period in your life so far - the time that made you what you are today?
The period from 1996 till now starting with the birth of my son and caring for my niece. All other periods were just preparation.
My brother-in-law says Eric Clapton is a guitar god. Who is your guitar god?
There are many gods in the pantheon of rock - let us take a stroll... Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Axe, Edge, Lenny Kravitz, just to name a few.
What is your ancestry?
English, Irish, German, French and quite a good bit of Scottish from the Buchanan clan. My family Marsters is in the book of Domesday and helped Norman conquer in 1066 - we were good at something so they called us Masters and gave us a good castle and some sheep and stuff.
Favorites:
Pie and cake: I don't eat pie or cake, stop asking me about food. I'm in training for Dragonball. Food is bad! Water is good!
Harry Potter character: Snape. Snape. Snape.
