Billy Bob Thornton interview - Canada is potatos without the gravy

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I actually think that Jian did a pretty good job considering.

And seriously, I can't imagine that any interviewer anywhere wouldn't introduce Billy Bob Thornton as an actor. They aren't getting on the radio because they're opening for Willie Nelson...lol. People couldn't care less about exclusive interviews with no-name bands unless there is a twist.

Tom Petty he ain't.

He got better after Billy Bob had his tantrum... but I would expect an interviewer would treat their band with a little more respect than that. It was really, "so Billy Bob, is this your real passion instead of acting? forget that you're the drummer and these other guys are more important to the band, you're the only important one here."

He wanted his bandmates to get more respect. How he went about responding to that was very strange.

The Canadian music industry is full of no-name bands without a twist that get exclusive interviews. This should have been no different, especially if that was a condition of appearing for the interview.

[Igottago]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

Just that pretentious, arrogant attitude you see from a lot of these guys from the CBC that they're somehow superior and how they seem to be trying too hard to be cool and hip, yet cutting edge and deep... and what GreenTeaFrapp said.

CBC is full of guys like that? I guess Peter Mansbridge does come across as that , with his skinny jeans and emo haircut and all.

Jian Gomeshi is a pretty good host, I listen to his show quite often. And he was in Moxy Fruvous for god sakes, there's no way its even possible to be cool and hip after that.

[HPLovecraft]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I actually think that Jian did a pretty good job considering. I didn't sense any superiority from him at all.

And seriously, I can't imagine that any interviewer anywhere wouldn't introduce Billy Bob Thornton as an actor. They aren't getting on the radio because they're opening for Willie Nelson...lol. People couldn't care less about exclusive interviews with no-name bands unless there is a twist.

Tom Petty he ain't.

Exactly. His other band mates were willing to talk. Billy Bob seemed to be high on gas fumes. I didn't think the host came across as arrogant in the least... He came across as most hosts do when interviewing someone.

His band mates, as soon as BBT went on that I have no clue what you're talking about spiel, seemed to get embarrassed, like this wasn't something exactly new.

If Billy Bob wanted to make a point, he could have, instead of just behaving bonkers. He definitely seemed to be high.

[jar_e]

Don't do drugs.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

He got better after Billy Bob had his tantrum... but I would expect an interviewer would treat their band with a little more respect than that. It was really, "so Billy Bob, is this your real passion instead of acting? forget that you're the drummer and these other guys are more important to the band, you're the only important one here."

See, I didn't get that from it all. He mentioned that BBT had an acting background and that was about it. Then he wanted to know how he got into music. Typical questions you would expect a radio host to ask.

But apparently BBT isn't important at all. He didn't bring his instrument and didn't even play.... so why was he there, other than to bring who he is and his name? Seems odd to me and was probably a publicity stint.

The Canadian music industry is full of no-name bands without a twist that get exclusive interviews. This should have been no different, especially if that was a condition of appearing for the interview.

Not on that show, and they are usually bands that have been around for some time and have some notoriety. You certainly won't get on just because you're opening for Willie Nelson

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

See, I didn't get that from it all. He mentioned that BBT had an acting background and that was about it. Then he wanted to know how he got into music. Typical questions you would expect a radio host to ask.

But apparently BBT isn't important at all. He didn't bring his instrument and didn't even play.... so why was he there, other than to bring who he is and his name? Seems odd to me and was probably a publicity stint.




Not on that show, and they are usually bands that have been around for some time and have some notoriety. You certainly won't get on just because you're opening for Willie Nelson

Notoreity is in the eye of the beholder. Someone could be "big" on the Canadian scene and still be a virtual unknown.

I guess its just a mess on all fronts then. Jian asked exactly what he was asked not to, got indignant, and avoided the no-names. That show grabbed a no-name band they'd never normally pick up, despite agreeing to avoid Billy Bob's acting career, since he wanted the band to stand on their own. Billy Bob acted like he was high/drunk/in need of meds and seemingly played that up to prove a point somehow. Just a disaster.

Don't think he was insulting Canadians though. Just being fugged up.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

Notoreity is in the eye of the beholder. Someone could be "big" on the Canadian scene and still be a virtual unknown.

I guess its just a mess on all fronts then. Jian asked exactly what he was asked not to, got indignant, and avoided the no-names. That show grabbed a no-name band they'd never normally pick up, despite agreeing to avoid Billy Bob's acting career, since he wanted the band to stand on their own. Billy Bob acted like he was high/drunk/in need of meds and seemingly played that up to prove a point somehow. Just a disaster.

Don't think he was insulting Canadians though. Just being fugged up.

To be fair, we don't know what the host was asked not to say. If he was asked not to ask him questions about acting or movies, then he didn't.

I also don't buy it that BBT was insulted that he was being treated like the centre and didn't want to take anything away from the rest of the band. He compared himself to Tom Petty for crying out loud... like he should be taken that seriously as a musician. And you can bet that IF Tom Petty was the guest, he would be getting most of the attention out of all the Heartbreakers.

Billy Bob Thornton's next project should be an emo band.

[Ronald Pagan]

I guess its just a mess on all fronts then. Jian asked exactly what he was asked not to, got indignant, and avoided the no-names. That show grabbed a no-name band they'd never normally pick up, despite agreeing to avoid Billy Bob's acting career, since he wanted the band to stand on their own. Billy Bob acted like he was high/drunk/in need of meds and seemingly played that up to prove a point somehow. Just a disaster.

I beg to differ. I'm hardly a big Jian fan but he's doing what he was paid to do, provide the listeners with context. Sure, he went over with Billy Bob that he didn't want to talk about acting. Jian gave no indication that he was going to talk about acting. He simply mentioned that yes this is the same Billy Bob as the one you, the listener, knows. If he didn't front load that at the beginning of the interview and then referred to the band member as Billy Bob then the average CBC listener thinks to himself, hmm that sounds like Billy Bob Thornton, why the hell didn't Jian say so??

The show is not for you Billy Bob, it's for the listeners. Grow up. What a total darche boog.

[nik-]

If the person I was interviewing about their band was self destructing during an interview I'd keep going after him too. What a pretentious ######bag. Listen Billy-Bob, your band would be nothing and no one would pay attention if you weren't an actor. Deal with it and stop acting (yes, a pun) like a child.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

I guess its just a mess on all fronts then. Jian asked exactly what he was asked not to, got indignant, and avoided the no-names.

That's the best part of the whole thing.

"I'm just a regular guy who wants to be treated like everyone else. In the limo over this morning, my assistant told me that my publicist told you what you were allowed to say in my presence. You haven't listened to my instructions so I'm not going to talk to you unless you treat me like a regular guy".

[mikey_the_redneck]

That was just bizarre.
If he wouldn't have spazzed I think the interview would have went well. But after BBT made that scene, the interview completely shifted to him and away from his bandmates.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Ronald Pagan

I beg to differ. I'm hardly a big Jian fan but he's doing what he was paid to do, provide the listeners with context. Sure, he went over with Billy Bob that he didn't want to talk about acting. Jian gave no indication that he was going to talk about acting. He simply mentioned that yes this is the same Billy Bob as the one you, the listener, knows. If he didn't front load that at the beginning of the interview and then referred to the band member as Billy Bob then the average CBC listener thinks to himself, hmm that sounds like Billy Bob Thornton, why the hell didn't Jian say so??

The show is not for you Billy Bob, it's for the listeners. Grow up. What a total darche boog.

I don't know which celestial bodies are aligned, but tonight I agree with Mr. Pagan 100%.
Exactly. How else should Jian open the interview? BBT is famous for acting. Famous actors can't join or start bands and expect not to, at the very least, have their past successes mentioned in the preamble.

As for the comment a few posts back that said that Jian was paying too much attention to BBT and not enough to the rest of 'em, what do you expect? Really? If he had spent the entire interview avoiding BBT and talking to the other guys (who were obviously there to promote their band), the opposite criticism would be bandied about: "ooh! He never asked BBT about the correlation between his previous success and his new endeavour!! What a crappy interviewer!!".

[Daradon]

Yeah, you guys are being way to hard on Jian, and he's actually a very decent interviewer.

In fact, most of the interview before 5 mins was with the other band mates responding, Billy made himself a target by his behaviour and sucked up the time with his drawn out non-sensical answers.

Truly childish. Even if he did have a legitimate problem, and I would say that any of the problems discussed already are miniscule at best, he should do his best to be an ambassador for his band and project if it is what he truly loves. He's not making any fans by throwing tantrums and insults.

He should also realize they AREN'T famous for music yet, they have no reason to be high and mighty, and take the issues that being a cross over artist involves.

It's not the interviewers job to make him comfortable and only pitch him the questions he wants the way he wants them.

Suck it up princess.

EDIT: And for a guy that says he wants to be about music, he certainly did his best to talk about anything BUT music.

I don't know what his problem was here. Maybe he was high. Definitely in a bad space wherever he was. But he's only damaging himself with interviews like that, and it was completely his doing.

[4X4]

Bang on, Daradon. He did ask BBT a couple questions, which BBT shirked, so Jian went on and talked with the band. It was pretty obvious that Jian was trying to draw something worth writing about in the morning paper (as any interviewer would) but BBT kept pouting. Finally Jian had the nuts to pretty much ask him if he was angry about the acting being mentioned. It was like a sigh of relief from BBT, he finally got to whine.

If I were an olympic judge, BBT gets a 1/10 and Jian gets a 7/10.

[Ford Prefect]

Meh ... Billy Bob probably just has the same handler as Joaquin Phoenix.

[Regulator75]

Meh, gravy is fatty and nasty, Americans can have all of it.

What a train wreck.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Regulator75

Meh, gravy is fatty and nasty

I thought it was a blood type?

[RogerWilco]

I don't understand what any of you are saying?

[Stranger]

I saw Billy Bob and his band open for Willie Nelson down at Red Rocks near Denver. He wasn't that great.

[worth]

haha, i thoroughly enjoyed that for some reason. Jian handled himself pretty well.n I can understand the dude wants to talk about his music, but honestly, does he really think he's ever going to go to an interview where they don't introduce him as an actor/musician.