If you haven’t seen it yet, I think you’ll enjoy CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi’s interview with actor/musician Billy Bob Thornton and his band The Boxmasters. The Boxmasters were in Toronto for a pair of shows opening for Willie Nelson at Massey Hall, and Thornton took issue with the mention of the “actor” side of his career. It seems that he was only there to talk music (not surprised by that,) and either the producer didn’t pass that information on to Ghomeshi, or Ghomeshi might have decided to go for it and ignore Thornton’s wishes.
It all makes for an entertaining interview, and I’ve got to give mad props to Ghomeshi for pulling it off in the end. I’d say that he wins it.
Jian did not ask one single question about Billy Bob’s acting career. Not one. Every question was about the music. The intro mentioned that he was also an actor and it was BBT’s meltdown that made his acting career a topic of discussion. His poor bandmates looked liked they wanted to just disappear.
It’s unfortunate that many listeners of that radio show will have a poor impression of Billy Bob. We met he & the rest of The Boxmasters @ Levon Helm’s late Aug ’08 Midnight Ramble & they we all great, including Billy Bob. He even made his way around his security team to shake our hands & say hi when we called for him as he was walking off the stage. Someone must have gotten under his skin before the interview. It’s unfortunate.
hmmm…this is odd because when i saw him @ the beachland, between songs he spoke in great length about his acting career as well as signed slingblade dvds during long riffs.
Geesuz what a petulant little baby! Thornton is a total cocksucker for acting like that. How he could possibly think that throwing such an excruciatingly uncomfortable situation would shed positive light on him/his band is a complete mystery to me. I certainly won’t be giving his band any press after seeing this interview, that’s for sure.
Link to a recent “London Press” article stating Billy Bob & The Boxmasters have pulled off the remaining Canadian dates & will rejoin the tour when it hits CT.
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/Today/Music/2009/04/11/9083066-sun.html
Thornton could have handled it in a more mature manner, that’s for sure. His behavior is a classic example of someone who doesn’t want to be recognized by being recognized.
I agree with you, Ghomeshi wins it in the end.
Swap, my eyes were burning after reading your post on the subject!!
I liked Thornton’s non-musical replies to the musical questions, particularly the long rambling reply about the contest, after which Ghomeshi asked “what does that have to do with music?”
Caper – I wanted to go to that Beachland show (I say that a lot!)
Mike – I’m jealous, it looks like you go to quite a few of those Midnight Rambles….those sound like such fun!
You have to forgive mr billy bob thorton.you have to remember his kin starred in the movie; deliverance with burt reynolds.the guy who plays the banjo in the movie was billy’s brother and the “squeal like pig”scenes were his first cousins (and brother,they weren’t acting).i’m so tired of these prema-donna celebrities that go off on these tyrants for no particular reason.i put billy bob right up there with brittany spears and lindsay lohan.now i hear they cancelled the canadian tour.good.if i was willie nelson i’d send the whole band packing in the states too but i have to admit that i feel bad for the rest of his band as they looked so uncomfortable sitting there in the studio.that’s what happens when you have a true physco as your band leader!