Billy Bob Butts Heads on Q
In case you haven’t heard about this yet Billy Bob Thornton and his band The Boxmasters were on Q with Jian Ghomeshi this morning. The interview, uh, ahem, well, it didn’t go very well.
Billy Bob said he was upset because Ghomeshi referred to his acting career in the introduction to the interview. He said he’d told the producer to focus on the band and not mention his acting.
The highlight was when Ghomeshi asked him about his former and current tour-mate Willie Nelson, and Billy Bob replied that he’d never met him.
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standing ovation for Jian. completely composed during the idiocy of the beginning, held his own during the confrontation and, in the end, got answers to some questions.
nicely done, Jian.
Okay – so now we know that Billy Bob is going to be in Joaquin Phoenix’s mockumentary as well.
Bring on the next viral.
What a total jerk! My four-year old is more mature. Jian was way too soft on him. He should have kicked him out of his studio.
Is it my imagination, or do the other guys in the band look embarrassed by Billy Bob’s crap ?
what an arrogant prick, just a washed up has-been actor
Good job Jian, you’re the man.
Paul
Mr. Ghomeshi’s stock just went WAY up to my mind. As for Billy Bobby, live after Jolie sure hasn’t been kind. I actually believe that he didn’t know what Jian was talking about…or where he was…or what his name is…
Wow…way to make friends with a Canadian audience. I think I’ll arrange to be far too busy enjoying my gravy and not throwing stuff at people when the Boxmasters come through my area to come out and ‘enjoy’ the show.
Jian should have politely (or maybe not so politely…) reminded him who’s show he was on.
The band needs a new drummer. When they get one I think they will take off.
No, it is not your imagination. They are supremely embarrassed, and they’ve got a right to be.
I hope they fire him. He isn’t worthy of them.
Did BB even stay to hear his bandmates play? It looks at the end like he was headed out of the studio. Way to support them…
Jian is a pro through and through. Not a ruffled feather.
Jian, good job. I think you handled that well. It takes a lot of humility to put up with crap like that.
Wow. Wow. I’m kinda speechless. What an absolutely petulant little child. Who behaves like that? Oh I know, self absorbed, ignorant so called Hollywood “stars”. Living in a bubble makes you like this. Also he has a hard time dealing with the fact that his music would be nowhere without his acting career. What a hack.
Kudos to Jian.
One hell of a professional, even when faced with an obvious belligerent.
Way to go Jian, we love you.
Billy B, the border is that way. Have a nice acting career.
Jian, wow, you set the new benchmark for cool and composed.
I hope there is such a thing as bad press because what Billy Bob did had got the band a lot of press.
P.S. Good press for Jian,
From EW,
“Ghomeshi respectfully tries to resolve the situation and move on, but to little effect. At the end of the segment, when the band is supposed to play a track from their album, Thornton says the band will be performing without him because he didn’t bring his drums. He soon afterward stands up and walks out of the studio.”
[...] [HT: InsideTheCBC] [...]
The hilarious thing about this is how elegantly Jian coached Billy to deal with the issue appropriately, namely, you mention the acting career and just move on. Pretending it never happened just makes you look like a complete jackass.
And to borrow John’s old joke about Ringo… best drummer in modbilly? I bet Billy isn’t even the best drummer in the band.
This was Jihan’s fault. He didn’t follow directions. I don’t blame the band for being miffed at that. Way to blow another one Jihan!!!
Dude’s 53 y/o, he’s been in this band for 2 years, and he’s pissed off like a middle school teenager tired of being treated like a child.
[...] by ebbinghaus [link] [36 [...]
Sorry to find only pinheads making comments on this incident.
Let’s take a moment to reflect:
Academy Award winning WRITER, DIRECTOR, ACTOR.
And very good looking.
VS punk who pretends to know it all.
Who pretends he doesn’t take orders. Pretends he’s in charge, that it’s HIS show. Expects guests to treat him with importance.
Importance for what? Something that Sook Lee couldn’t do? That George couldn’t do? That Ben Mulroney couldn’t do?
That the CBC couldn’t do without him???
It’s Jian who desperately needs the CBC and big name guests, not the other way around.
He would gladly interview someone who came in to play using toilet paper and a comb if it meant a celebrity was in the house.
What has Jian ever accomplished, to have the arrogance to talk that way to a seriously smart and great man like Billy Bob.
And what’s with trying to cover up that Jian was given clear orders not to bring up the subject of Thornton’s life in films?
Who is he trying to kid?
Or is the scarily important Jian of the impression that when a producer gives an instruction, that because he’s Jian Ghomeshi, the instruction becomes a “suggestion”, or so he wants his audience to believe.
When we all know that he takes orders and is told what to do like everyone else. That he doesn’t own the show, and would be nowhere without the kindness of the CBC and the eagerness of artists to sell their work.
Jian is a pretentious fake, and this incident confirms it.
Jian should have followed up with a question about Angelina Jolie and blood-in-a-vial necklaces.
Agreed: bad guest.
But seriously, why was he even a guest at all?
A Hollywood celebrity has a B-list band? That’s what’s on the CBC’s flagship arts show? Sad.
Now Billy Bob. We know it’s you.
Just because you enter “Allan” in the name field doesn’t mean we won’t figure it out!
Cheeky.
If only.
I admire Billy Boob so much.
But had I been in his position, I would have spelled out in very plain english exactly what “trajectory” to what “entry point” that Jian could have put his “context”.
Give it up Allan. Both of them were there to sell themselves (as is the nature of the business). One of them was polite and rational, one was a monosyllabic prick with a god complex. You can get your CBC vendetta on all you like, but it doesn’t change the video evidence.
You did great Jian.
Billy Bob Thornton is such a pompous jerkface! That sure doesn’t make me want to ever listen to his music.
SWING BLADIO – by Thorny Bob
Yep yep got me a date
Hm hm…
with a Q? Huh
Ain’t gonna talk to no Q
Sit on my swing blade and chew,
Spit on Jian and you
I like Gravy ‘n mash potatoes
Hm hm…
I like Eatin’ at a table
I like Flapjacks too… without your Maple
Nope, I ain’t gonna talk to Q
No drums to play, I’m yawnin’
Masters can sing alone this mornin’
Pieces of the band are fine
While hearts like mine
Don’t Grow up
To the end of time
Or hope for glory;
Just dark and mad.
End of story.
Feel sorry for the other members of the band who have to suffer through this prick’s antics. This is one way for a musician to start having a drinking problem: working with a guy like him.
Jian and Billy Bob, let’s do this over, I am sure Billy Bob’s 2nd apparence will improve. I listened to the 1st interview (hoping there will be a 2nd) with total interest. Never heard of you Billy Bob nor the band. I watched YouTube’s interview this morning and found your body language at the begining of the show was s t r a n g e, wish I was a Shrink to read the reaction of the other band members’ body language too!! We all have bagage. Billy Bob, there are a lot of nice people out there (especially Canadians). Without JG I wouldn’t know of you nor the band — let’s get a second interview out of this……..
Call it Self con…. resolution…..
Couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Thought it was a bad joke. Then I thought he was stoned, but he wasn’t mellow. What an enormouse arrogant ego the fool has. You could feel his negative presence suck the energy out of the studio.
How could any one want to be in a band with this oaf. They should cut him loose asap before they get dragged down by him. Angelina did the right thing by dumping him and went on to better things.. They should too.. What a dickhead.!!
Way to go Jian.
No CBC Logo’s anywhere in the studio.
Who ever shot the exchange crossed the axis.
What’s next spelling and syntax won’t count?
Q; How can you tell if the stage is level?
A: When the drummer drewls from both sides of his mouth.
DL
P.S. Way to go and take the high road, with this A******e , Jian. My upmost respect for your tack and calm.
Jian
Even if Mr. Ghomeshi was instructed not to discuss Mr. Thornton’s acting career, a professional entertainer, or any kind of professional, shouldn’t treat people rudely and offensively, especially if cameras and microphones are present.
As for Mr. Ghomeshi’s supposed transgression, discussing the agreed upon fact that Mr. Thornton has had a notable career in film, give me a break?! Mr. Thornton was the author of his own misfortune if he confused an arts program on a national public broadcaster with fawning, toadying treatment he would get from Entertainment Tonight, or Ben Mulroney on whatever it is he does now.
Q producers are not without fault here either. Why on earth are you inviting such third rate acts to appear on your show. I don’t even follow music and I could name 10 other up and comers who would have been better guests than Mr. Thornton and his self-described Hill Billy cover band.
no wonder he was arsed off. They forgot to give issue him with his square glasses.
seriously, what a dickhead.
Hey hey
This was the coolest radio I have heard in a long time.
Both actors did a great job.
The youtube video was way less menacing and explained a lot.
BB and the band were tired and cranky. No big deal.
It was way more entertaining than some of the Rap Crap you have played recently. This gets turned off in 2 secs.
Lets grow up and away from that ridiculous music.
I feel bad for his band mates.
Maybe he doesn’t need the money, but its almost seems as if he is sabotaging them not to succeed.
I know I will not pay for a ticket to see such an a**hole.
what makes you say “IF he was instructed”, Alex?
Was he or wasn’t he?
Ghomeshi agrees he knew the producers were told, and then denies that he himself “was instructed”.
Ghomeshi is also quoted subsequently as saying “Our policy is that we don’t allow anybody to tell us what we can and cannot say,”
So here’s the opportunity for inside to find out who is really telling the truth here, and not playing games with words.
A. What exactly were the conditions that Thornton placed on the interview?
B. Did the CBC agree to these conditions?
C. Were the specifics of the conditions passed on to Ghomeshi, and did he agree to them as well?
D. Whose “policy” is Ghomeshi referring to?
E. How did Thornton and the band members come to be seated in the studio if there was no prior agreement on conditions for the interview?
Got any answers, CBC?
In your first paragraph, Alex, you say it’s OK for the CBC and Ghomeshi to treat a visitor rudely, and lie to them, but these guests are not allowed to be upset by that.
And no, Alex, BBT was not confused about which radio program he was on. He trusted the CBC to keep their word, and they didn’t.
The incident demonstrates that the CBC is willing to compromise in order to get ratings, willing to mislead guests in order to get them in the studio, willing to tell the public that there are policies being followed while to the guests who make demands they say “I’m cool with that.”
Does it make you proud to work at the CBC where they lie to people, both guests and the public, tricking and cheating people, and gloating over their cleverness at fooling everyone.
That’s your CBC these days.
Hoping no one questions what they do.
Billy Bob Thornton was the only guest who was man enough to refuse to play the game on their terms.
So the CBC resorted to lying to people.
From the stage at Massey Hall, BBT …
“I sat down and talked with this guy. He and his producers say, `We promise you we won’t say that’ (meaning references to Thornton’s acting career). The very first thing they said was that.”
“I don’t really like sensationalism,” he added. “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.”
Ghomeshi looks you in the eye and makes promises, then looks you in the eye and says we don’t make any such promises to limit discussion, then looks you in the eye and says “I’m cool with (limiting the discussion)”
I’m not cool with any of that.
Shame on the CBC for what happened that morning.
Shame on Hubert and George and Strursberg for keeping quiet and pretending the problem is entirely with Billy Bob Thornton.
No integrity and no honour at the CBC.
Why is this American hype on the C[anadian]BC? The answer is why the CBC is being scrapped.
Jian did a superb job…Dealing with an obviously mentally unbalanced person.
Note to BBT: You are not Tom Petty.
Not to commenter Allen (BBT Agent, or merely agent provocateur??): To have NOT referred to this toads film appearances would have been confusing to people. That is what “context:” is all about.
Allan — you’re a real BBT bootlicker. Reading your posts is almost funnier than watching Thornton acting like he has terminal Parkinson’s disease on the CBC interview.
Tell us, Allan, how much are you getting paid to clean up after Mr. Billy Bob Thornton’s catastrophic interview?
Admire Billy Bob even more as a result of this.
Finally someone had some self-respect in their dealings with the insipid Ghomesh.
Who would you rather be stranded with in space?
A great man of much wisdom and character. We could learn a lot from him.
The rest of you keep listening to and enjoying and expanding your mind with “Q”.
Allan don’t read americans media and blogs about BBT…you will feel more lonely!
I did read stories about it from all over the world, and some of the 15,000 comments at YouTube. Not entirely alone in my opinion, but yes, far outnumbered.
Also a great review by David Eng and, eh, others.
And I heard Billy Bob’s version of why it all went so wrong.
Some may call it a misunderstanding, others a thoughtless insult to a great man.
The Billy Bob you see in the many, many Tube videos is one of the nicest, smartest people anyone could encounter.
It’s history now, and public interest is already waning, being replaced by the incredible performance of Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent.
Now THAT’S a broadcast moment to be proud of having been a part of.
Already at over 5 million views!
Loved it! Canadians have talent too…many of them are in Hollywood others (many, a lot, too much) remain undiscovered.
Maybe we should have a show like this…don’t you think Allan!
Through the “magic” of the internet I was able to see the entire episode that the above moment was taken from – Season 3 Episode 1 – April 11th.
The hour was fantastic, fast and entertaining. It blows away anything we see produced in North America.
Both Idol shows come off very weak by comparison. And they find so much to enjoy that they don’t have to rely on bringing big name stars into it to pretend to be “mentors”, which we know is just a marketing ploy.
Also, the show appears to be edited before broadcast and that makes for tight package of solid entertainment.
The spirit of the show is so much more like a team mission for the whole country, like the two buys backstage.
This British version is hard to resist even if you (and I) are not especially taken with these contests.
UPDATE for Susan Boyle – http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4949467n interviewed on CBS in follow up _ great, great, great!
see, Joaquin Phoenix might be able to orchestrate a PR spoof to advance his career, but Billy Bog just isn’t cool enough to pull off something like that