Growing up, Jackson Browne didn’t think much of his singing, and neither did his friends, one of who politely asked him to stop. But he worked at it, and kept writing. The payoff? A 40-year career, sales of 18 million albums in the U.S. alone, and legion fans. You don’t take a ride like that without learning a few things. Browne talks about coming up during one of the most exciting, volatile times in our musical history, how he came to score one of the rarest publishing deals in the industry and why he avoids writing film scores. Few artists truly possess his ability to tap that elusive combination of lyrics and melody that holds listeners captive to their mood, yet he says he can still be his own worst creative enemy. Browne explains to Off Camera how he’s managed to ruin some of his best songs – and ruins a couple of our host’s favorites in the process.
Growing up, Jackson Browne didn’t think much of his singing, and neither did his friends, one of who politely asked him to stop. But he worked at it, and kept writing. The payoff? A 40-year career, sales of 18 million albums in the U.S. alone, and legion fans. You don’t take a ride like that without learning a few things. Browne talks about coming up during one of the most exciting, volatile times in our musical history, how he came to score one of the rarest publishing deals in the industry and why he avoids writing film scores. Few artists truly possess his ability to tap that elusive combination of lyrics and melody that holds listeners captive to their mood, yet he says he can still be his own worst creative enemy. Browne explains to Off Camera how he’s managed to ruin some of his best songs – and ruins a couple of our host’s favorites in the process.
Banjo skills, editing skills, stand-up comedian skills, improv skills, writing skills…no, this isn’t the rejected dialog from the Napoleon Dynamite script. This is Ed Helms’ life. Ed is a multi-talented guy with multiple interests who just happened to pick “giant comedic star” as his (current) profession. Off Camera talks to the actor about his early days as a film editor, landing his dream job at The Daily Show, his skyrocketing career move to The Office and The Hangover, and about how he uses his own fear to inform his next move.
Banjo skills, editing skills, stand-up comedian skills, improv skills, writing skills…no, this isn’t the rejected dialog from the Napoleon Dynamite script. This is Ed Helms’ life. Ed is a multi-talented guy with multiple interests who just happened to pick “giant comedic star” as his (current) profession. Off Camera talks to the actor about his early days as a film editor, landing his dream job at The Daily Show, his skyrocketing career move to The Office and The Hangover, and about how he uses his own fear to inform his next move.
As memorable first ad-libbed lines go, “Shit, man,” may not seem auspicious, unless you recognize the young actor who delivers it in Mystic Pizza. Matt Damon’s early attempt to over-deliver as an actor foreshadowed a career defined not by a certain type of role, but by his almost magical ability to vanish into a impressively diverse range of characters: janitor-genius Will Hunting, the subtly creepy Tom Ripley, staunch young Private James Ryan, Liberace paramour Scott Thorson and True Grit’s hysterical jackass LeBouf. In this issue he discusses lessons learned from early fame, the magic behind making great scenes and the jobs that get him out of bed. But first, he waxes sentimental about some early-career friends, which our host is proud to have hired for him.
When a kid tells you he wants to be an actor and starts holding regular meetings in the high school cafeteria with his “business partner”, it’s kind of cute. When they establish a joint bank account to fund New York audition trips and the occasional arcade game, well, call it naïve. Unless you’re Matt Damon […]
A wall of bad presidents, German lessons, and touring on her own terms: this is what happens when the artist whose reputation was defined by fighting with her record label doesn’t need a record label anymore. Aimee talks about her approach to song craft, her obsession with comedians, and her early days as a reluctant video star.
A wall of bad presidents, German lessons, and touring on her own terms: this is what happens when the artist whose reputation was defined by fighting with her record label doesn’t need a record label anymore. Aimee talks about her approach to song craft, her obsession with comedians, and her early days as a reluctant video star.
