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Post by debw on Mar 15, 2008 22:56:14 GMT
BagsForLife for the win But in this country there's so much plasticky stuff that can't be processed for recycling, even though technically it could be, that we've got a long way to go yet. Oh yeah , we are nowhere close to recycling all the stuff we should be able to reuse I'm trying to be carbon neutral which, because of all the miles I drive for work and *stuff* means I need to plant twenty trees a year , so I've joined The Woodland Trust and got involved in a scheme to plant a new community woodland in our village This going green lark is fun but complicated Meanwhile I have a thing for ripping apart those plastic ring things that hold four packs of cans together Those things trap and strangle wildlife and marine life and should be banned
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Post by PokerKitten on Mar 15, 2008 23:36:39 GMT
They certainly should; they're my pet hate, and I was just grumbling about them to someone else earlier!
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Post by PokerKitten on Apr 16, 2008 12:41:28 GMT
APRIL 2008 Are you more of a city person or a country (nature) person? I love both and refuse to choose. I love to relax in the country and work in the city.
Who do you see when you watch Buffy, James or Spike? Do you see just Spike so you can enjoy the show, or do you see yourself and judge your acting? I see Spike and I’m happy when my acting is simple - that is when Spike is most potent, when the words come out.
Name two random things you would never do and two things you hope to do. I'd never run a marathon or eat squid. I hope to act with Meryl Streep and buy a hybrid. You know, actually I might eat squid!
Who was the actor/actress that you felt made you come out fully in your acting even more than before, giving as good as you got or better, and why do you think that is? Too many people to name; Kathy Bates, Lisa Kudrow, Hilary Swank and Holly Hunter for all the obvious reasons.
Favorites: NFL Team - The Bears Character you've played, other than Spike - Segismundo from “Life is a Dream” by Calderon at the Bailiwick Theatre in Chicago.
------ Due to a busy Mr. Marsters, this month's Q&A is shorter than normal sessions. However, we should definitely be back to a fuller session next month.
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Post by PokerKitten on Apr 16, 2008 12:44:30 GMT
Squid is quite nice if cooked right; overdone and it's a rubbery chewy mess I've had gorgeous squid dishes in Greece, but a truly vile one in a Thai restaurant in the city where I live (rumour has it that restaurant was only there for money laundering purposes, but that's a whole other story! And it's closed now anyway).
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Post by Teebee on Apr 16, 2008 21:25:45 GMT
Neither would I, both would make me
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Post by DeeDee on Apr 16, 2008 21:37:27 GMT
same here but what is a hybrid
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Post by PokerKitten on Apr 16, 2008 21:59:09 GMT
I'm assuming he's referring to an eco-car DeeDee.
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Post by Teebee on May 15, 2008 13:08:29 GMT
May 2008 - Vacation Break
Even though a full Q&A was promised for May, with James just having finished an incredibly busy and stressful year of steady,and sometimes grueling, work, and with his new project just ahead to prepare for, we have decided to give him a little bit of well-deserved vacation. The Q&A's will resume as soon as James' schedule permits.
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Post by PokerKitten on Jun 15, 2008 17:03:17 GMT
June 2008 Unfortunately, with James still working hard overseas, we will not have a supply of new questions this month. However, in order to have something of interest, please enjoy a few soundclips of his answers from previous sessions. His sessions are normally not taped, but we do have a small number of taped answers on hand and will use them as "fillers" for occasions like this when he is unavailable, or at least, until we run out of them.
Q&A page, for the clips
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Post by PokerKitten on Jul 15, 2008 12:34:02 GMT
July 2008 The Q&A will be delayed til later in the week, but it WILL be here. Stay tuned.
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Post by Teebee on Jul 22, 2008 12:38:53 GMT
Something slightly different July 2008
Well, sometimes "regular" Q&A's don't happen as planned! However, James has devoted fans from over 100 countries who frequently write in requesting information about his songs and the meaning behind them. So for those fans (from as far away as Malaysia, Bangladesh, Azerbaijan, and Argentina, to name a few) who may never have the chance to attend a concert or hear his song comments in person, here are a few clips about how some of his songs came about.
Long Time is whining about a girlfriend I lived with for three and a half years. I kind of woke up to the fact that it was less of a deep relationship than I thought it was at the time.
Angel was about a different girlfriend who I never really thought she liked herself as much as she should have. I thought she had reason to like herself a lot, so I wrote a song from my perspective that she really was an angel in the world....but she didn't see it.
Civilized Man was about a second AD (Assistant Director) who was working on a movie called Cool Money that I did in Chicago and he was a real jerk. He'd scream at everybody. I was the lead in it and he'd scream at me and he would just be abusing actors, and just pissing me off. And I dealt with it pretty maturely. I went to the AD and just said he's a problem for me and keep him away from me. I don't need to be screamed at in order to come to set. So I found that I had a lot of animosity when I got home from work at night, dealing with this guy, and so I wrote a song all about how I would like to beat him up. That's called "Civilized Man" and it's all about how hard it is sometimes to be civilized. I found out later that he was on cocaine, he was on drugs, he had a coke problem and that's why he was such a d**k.
No Promises is kind of a prayer out into the universe to find a good woman. It was written during a time when I wasn't dating and I was re-evaluating the kinds of people that I had been dating and trying to have a happier relationship. So it was kind of like, "when I do start dating again, I hope I find you."
This Town was written for the band, Ghost of the Robot when we were together, and the band said it was about primal hope; hope when hope makes no sense, when hope is actually, maybe kind of foolish but you stick to it anyway. And that somehow, that's kind of the best part of humanity - specifically the kind of hope where you're gonna find love. And, just, for me, how often someone's in love with somebody but that someone they love doesn't love them back, and that's person's in love with a third person and that third person's in love with somebody else; and how it sometimes feels rare that two people are actually in love with each other and how much longing and yearning and pain is involved in that. So I kind of wrote a story about that.
Poor Robyn - This was a song I wrote about an ex-girlfriend and we kept trying to get back together at fits and starts and finally I kind of wanted to close that chapter in my life and stop dating Robyn. It was originally called Over Now but then I changed it, trying to be as loving as possible about that.If you go to the official site and click the song titles you can listen to James saying all the above ;D ;D
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Post by PokerKitten on Jul 22, 2008 13:30:50 GMT
I expect some people will moan about this, but it's true that the vast majorityof James's fans have never/will never get to one of his gigs and so haven't heard him explain this stuff before. So quite a nice idea
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Post by wrigglerosie on Aug 15, 2008 20:39:12 GMT
August Q & A's up...
How do you handle it if someone takes things too far in a scene, especially a fight scene or a love scene? In a fight scene you go to the fight choreographer and he would definitely fix it. They’re very careful with actors in Hollywood. For a love scene I’m always the one pushing it too far.
In the last issue of Buffy's comic seasson 8 Joss makes Buffy gay. What do you think about this choice? And, what would Spike have thought about it? I asked Joss about that and he said that she wasn’t necessarily gay but was experimenting. Spike would not accept that she was gay, but I would.
What quality in yourself would you like to improve? My discipline. I relax too well.
If you could change one thing to make life easier for your own gender, what would you change? I would make it acceptable for guys to cry.
Was there a particular event - eg. Vietnam, Watergate, or a particular person that made you politically aware or was it something you grew up with? I grew up in a hippy household but the politics were not shared with me. It was midway through the Reagan administration that I began to wake up. It wasn’t until midway through the Bush Sr. administration when he raided the social security fund to balance the budget and nine months later claimed that Social Security was not solvent and needed to be “fixed”, which was a buzz word for killing the program. I think I was 23 years old.
Do you play any of your new songs to anyone first for their approval before you record them or perform them on stage? Or do you trust your own judgement? I play them for my friends and family, not really for their approval but really just because I’m excited that I wrote a song.
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Post by PokerKitten on Aug 15, 2008 22:25:29 GMT
I forgot it was 15th. So we're back on track.
But it is! In my book anyway.
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Post by wrigglerosie on Sept 15, 2008 12:18:54 GMT
Its the 15th - Q and A's, bang on time... Buffy and Spike's "bring down the house" sex scene was recently voted Guide's number one hot scene in television history. Your opinion on that? It was pretty fun! My memory of it was that the stunt coordinator took 50 lbs of pointed metal to the face that night, so we all ended up in the hospital at the end of that night.
What bores you? Local television news.
What is on your refrigerator door? I’ll go check (he laughs)...there’s nothing on the refrigerator door here. My nanny doesn’t want us to blemish it.
After playing and performing a song multiple times, does it become routine? Or do you find yourself being drawn back to the situation that inspired the song and begin to feel the emotions all over again? I feel it all over again. I have to be careful not to get teary eyed – it's terrible for the voice.
Do you think John Hart is a good man or a bad man?He’s a bad man trying to be good.
How would you describe the perfect first kiss? Relaxed lips, long and mushy, and just a little bit of tongue.
Either/Or Sir Ian McKellen or Sir Anthony Hopkins? I refuse to choose!
Favorites: Vegetable - edamame Places in California - The poppy fields outside of Santa Maria, CA; Big Sur; Humboldt County where the redwoods are
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Post by PokerKitten on Sept 15, 2008 15:01:24 GMT
Huh? I feel very ignorant!
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Post by wrigglerosie on Sept 15, 2008 15:05:38 GMT
Good - so do I!! I have NO idea - thought edam was cheese....
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Post by Pluto7077 on Sept 15, 2008 15:23:36 GMT
Fresh soybeans apparently, according yo an online dictionary .
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Post by Rainbow on Sept 15, 2008 15:28:34 GMT
I wondered what on earth thye were too, thanks Pluto
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Post by PokerKitten on Oct 15, 2008 13:01:02 GMT
october 2008 My uncle told me that it was better to learn to play guitar by ear instead of learning from a book. What's your opinion on that? I think you should use both and avail yourself to use tablature or “tabs” which is a way to read music without having to read music. Also, tabs are available on the internet for free! Just type in the name of the song and tabs.
In one word, what best describes your personality in everyday life? Considered.
You’ve been acting since you were a kid. Does acting make it easier or harder to really know yourself? Much easier. One thing I enjoy about actors is that they are non-judgmental about the differences and weirdnesses that we all share. Acting forces you to admit that you could be evil or good or courageous or petty, depending on your choice.
What should you have done sooner? Come to Los Angeles.
If you were shipwrecked on an uninhabited island would you build a solitary life for yourself or set out to sea and hope for rescue? I would set out to sea.
What types of music, if any, do you listen to when you drive? Or do you prefer books on tape? Good question. Books on tape, but I have a cheap cassette that plugs into my stereo system. I’m currently listening to the new Ron Suskind “The Way of the World” - a story of truth and hope in a world of extremism. I recommend it highly. It’s terrifying.
Either/Or: Red or white wine? Red.
Yes or No? Can you touch your nose with your tongue? No.
Favorites: Board Game? Othello - yup, its a board game!
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