Billy Bob Thornton Booed in Toronto after CBC Jian Ghomeshi video interview – says he loves Canadian audiences and Gravy – just won’t sign any
April 9, 2009 by Richard Budman ·
TORONTO (HoundsTV) Apr 9, 2009 – The day after his rather strange CBC radio interview in Toronto – Billy Bob Thornton emerged from his tour bus to enter Massey Hall for his Boxmasters set.
While on the previous night Thornton came off the bus to be greeted by just a handful of fans and autograph collectors – Thursday night proved a very different story. Billy Bob came off the bus to a much larger crowd of media, photographers, and fans.
When one reporter asked Thornton about his comment on Ghomeshi’s CBC radio show – the perceived slight to Canadian audiences – labeling them “mashed potatoes without gravy.” Billy Bob, dragging on a cigarette simply stated his was referring to the interviewer Ghomeshi, and not the audience.
While Thornton seemed to take exception the day earlier to Ghomeshi mentioning he occasionally dabbles in movies (Billy Bob said the interview was to be strictly about his music) thankfully for some autograph collectors – that didn’t apply to signing memorabilia as one collector got their Pushing Tin DVD cover signed by Thornton.
But a girl trying to get a package of gravy signed didn’t fare as well.
During his Thursday night Boxmasters set at Massey Hall – Billy Bob did elicited boos and catcalls from the audience who felt Thornton’s comments in the interview the day before were an insult hurdled at them.
“Boo all you want, but I want to say something… We’re really happy to be here, but I need to say something. I talked to this a-hole (Ghomeshi) yesterday. I sat down and talked with this guy. He and his producers say, `We promise you we won’t say that’. The very first thing they said was that. I don’t really like sensationalism. If you look someone in the eyes and promise them something, and you don’t do it, you don’t get the interview. That’s the way it goes.” – BILLY BOB THORNTON during Thursday night Boxmasters gig at Massey Hall
Jian Ghomeshi is one of Canada’s better journalists – very straight up and honest. For Thornton and his people to expect Jian to not even mention Billy Bob’s other job – as Ghomeshi explained earlier, “to give the audience a little context” – is just dumb and arrogant. Thornton is lucky not to be sitting down with HoundsTV – screw music, we’d be asking Billy Bob to share sex stories about Angelina Jolie.
RELATED: BILLY BOB NOT USED TO REAL JOURNALISTS QUESTIONS?
UPDATE (April 10th) – I guess there really isn’t enough gravy in Canada for Billy Bob Thornton and his Boxmasters – they have pulled out of the rest of Willie Nelson’s Canadian tour according to Nelson’s website.
REPORTING FOR MEDIA OR BLOGGING? There is a FREE BILLY BOB IN TORONTO photo set for sharing here
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I think everybody needs to take a step back and stop whipping Billy Bob. If he did not want to talk about his movies, the CBC interviewer should have respected that. Yes, maybe Billy Bob did act arrogant but he really has been known as one of the nicer, most down-to-earth guys in Hollywood.
@chillout
What are you talking about? All he had to say was “I’m trying to keep the two separate, and prefer not to talk about them together”.
Q’s Jian Ghomeshi is one of the better people on the radio. He is always respectful and considerate (I’ve never heard him not be) and he does ask the questions that need asking.
He’s not known as a nice guy now… he acts like a petulant child.
Just took a listen to the music… some of its not bad… but I don’t think I’m going to bother.
That interview was Billy Bobby at his most narcissistic and I applaud that he was called on it (his ego was so big, it took up half the table!). All he wanted to do was focus the interview on himself and in the end, I guess that is what he got. The music was just today’s medium. I felt for his band mates, I thought they were serious and Billy just wanted the spotlight, which he gets best by being an ass. I thought Jion did an exceptional job of keeping his cool but not letting Billy’s childish peevishness bully interview. Jion let BB hang himself and show himself for what he really is. As a member of the gravy train North of the border, I will never buy any of his music no matter how good it is. Too bad Billy. But there will always be better musicians with less insulting personality disorders to spend my money on.
There is absolutely no excuse for BBT’s behaviour. As I’ve said in my own post, I’m not the biggest fan of Jian, but he handled himself admirably in the face of an ego that was threatening to envelop the whole room. Silly silly man.
Jian did not ask one question about movies, He merely set up BBT as an academy award winning actor,playwright and director as a way of opening the interview.Billy Boob seemed peeved that he had to smoke outside the building and proceeded to blather like a cretin. I felt sorry for the band as they looked terrified . They should maybe consider firing their drummer. What Billy did not seem to understand was that the CBC broadcasts to the entire country and bad news travels fast.He also might consider that if he disrespects his audience, he’ll soon be performing to empty halls. I’m sure that Willie Nelson is relieved that the Boxmasters pulled out due to the flu….er… the foot- in -mouth affliction.
Perhaps if this guy had paid his dues as a musician (played the honky-tonks and road houses) that most C&W cut their teeth on, he would appreciate the fact that the reporter took the time to have an interview with him. I attended the Thursday night show in Toronto and frankly, BBT and his band were not ill – they were just plain bad. Two successive songs were off-key (3 members followed each other) and this guy’s stage personna is just plain arrogant. Most of the audience was there to see Willie. Ray Price was a bonus. The Boxmasters were a waste of time. I suspect that WN told him and his band to pack up and leave following the Thursday night show. Willie was awesome. I enjoyed wataching Bobbie Nelson on the piano and can tell you somethign about gravy: Whiskey River and I’ll Fly Away had the crowd dancing in the isles. Hmm.. maybe there’s something about BBT’s music that creates “couch-potato” like reactions from paying customers.
The questions about his background are fair and do provide some context. As a non-watcher of grade “b” type movies, it was useful to know that he had been acting. The wealth amassed by way of that acting career no doubt paid for those 8 cd’s he brags about, the fancy tour buses and all the trappings he enjoys. Frankly, I don’t think too many people here in Canada woudl be upset (at all) if you did not perfomr here again. Too bad you did not continue on the next scehduled show in Montreal. The folks there mights have taught you about “french fries” by tossign them a fistful at a time speaking of mased potatos and gravy.
What a bad immage and a black eye to legitimate C&W performers.
You know, I am a huge fan of Billy Bob’s movies. I’ve seen everythinhg that he’s been in and I think he always gives a great performance. This was the first interview I’ve ever seen him in though and I have to say it was disappointing at best, but really more just insulting. What a dick head.
Billy Bob and his band were on The Q for one reason: BBT’s “star” power as a result of career in film, not music. Your first love is music BB? Great, but your first celebrity experience is strictly because of you job as an actor. Gian is not an asshole. This guy is a fantastic interviewer – not like the shit that comes out of “E-TV” or whatever these celebrity shows are called. He did not ask any questions about BBT’s acting career or movies. I agree that would have been something to get pissed about but Gian did not do that. He simply gave the interview some “context”, then it was on to music and only music.
I found watching that interview frustrating – on one hand I am so impressed with Gian’s ability to maintain his composure, but a part of me wanted to see him tell BBT to fuck off and get off the set if he was going to be such an arrogant prick. Again, could you imagine a band like the Box..Box “something” (see, I can’t even remember their name!) getting on there and acting like this if they did not have BBT in the band? Again, it’s BBT’s acting career that is at the basis of his arrogance – he thinks he can get away with it because he’s so important to the world. In the U.S., the public put so much importance on celebrity and the irony is that the celebrities that say that they don’t like being interviewed and want their privacy etc. seem to respond by turning into arrogant pricks – tell me they don’t relish the attention. If you don’t like being interviewed, don’t do interviews. If you have to do interviews because of some kind of contract then be happy – very happy – if you have the opportunity to be interviewed by someone like Gian. Hey it could have been an interview with Ben Mulroney!!
Again, thanks for being so cool Gian. You’re a real pro. I was having images of me grabbing BB buy the hair piece, then his actual head, and shoving his face into a pot of hot gravy.
Fuck You BBT. GO HOME And DON’T COME BACK. Yeah, I’ll probably watch your movies but I’m concerned that the image of my hand pushing your face into hot gravy will haunt me forever.
oh Billy Bob, why are you so awkward? if this video was supposed to be a PR stunt, it kind of fizzled IMO