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Corbett talks about Buck Owens, movies, ‘Sex and the City’
| Thursday, Oct 25 2007 2:00 PM
Last Updated: Thursday, Oct 25 2007 10:00 AM
John Corbett may be best known for playing Aidan Shaw on the very cosmopolitan “Sex and the City,” but he has country roots and strong ties to Bakersfield.
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John Corbett
His first show was at the Crystal Palace about two years ago, the very Zen 46-year-old said.
“I needed to get out and get my stage legs,” he said.
The John Corbett Band is playing the Bright House Networks Amphitheater Saturday. Along with the “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and “Northern Exposure” actor, the group includes guitarist Tara Novick, bassist Louie Ruiz and drummer Hawk (no last name).
“It’s called a country rock show. But it’s not traditional country by any stretch,” Corbett said. “We’re not standing there singing songs without moving around, like George Strait does.”
As the Southern California wildfires moved within two miles of his Santa Ynez Valley ranch Tuesday, Corbett talked via phone to The Californian:
On your Web site you mention opening for Buck Owens. What was that like?
Actually Buck opened for us.
...
It’s a funny little story. We were opening for Josh Turner (at the Crystal Palace), and Buck came down ... I don’t think he knew I was an actor. He said, ‘Ya know, I want to open for you guys some time.’ And we thought he was just being polite. ‘Sure, sure, Buck.’ And sure enough a couple weeks later, Jerry Hufford (with the Crystal Palace) called and said, ‘Hey, what about, ya know, two Fridays from now? He is going to play until about 9, and then you guys can go on.’ And at that time, I think we had about a 45-minute set. ... So we got to the Crystal Palace that night, and we’re talking to Jerry. And I said, ‘How long do you want us to play for?’ He said, ‘Why don’t you guys play until midnight?’ (laughs)
What did you do?
We just pulled out every song we ever thought we knew. It was a great night actually.
Buck Owens is one of your great influences, right?
Oh yeah. ... I grew up in Wheeling, W.Va. And Buck would come through maybe once a year and played at a local music venue called the Capitol Music Hall. … We couldn’t afford to go because we didn’t have much money. But we’d watch them all get off their bus. They’d stand there and take pictures. It was all very cool. I have some pictures of a young Buck somewhere.
Does your girlfriend, Bo Derek, travel with you?
No. I’m the only star that gets to go to these shows.
What are people usually most surprised to learn about you?
I think that I’m playing music. You get a fair amount of people who haven’t heard us before, and so they’ll come to the shows out of pure train-wreck curiosity. ... I think people are just impressed at our passion for what we’re doing.
Do you think actors who also sing get short-shrift?
I think there have been a lot of actors who can’t sing very well who have gotten some attention, and then it’s given all the others a little bit of a laugh factor. ... You know when you go to Broadway, just about every play has some actor singing in it. If you’re a performer, an actor, there’s quite a few that can sing and dance. You ought to see my moves.
So I was reading that when this record first came out (“John Corbett,” 2006), you put your acting on hold. Are you starting to take on some more roles now?
I took two years off and, man, it came and went so fast. I just finished a movie with Forest Whitaker called ‘The Night Watchman.’ I think it’s coming out in February. And I just got another movie I’m starting soon with Charlize Theron.
• Corbett on “Sex and the City”
Will Aidan be in the “Sex and the City” movie?
No, definitely not.
Any hard feelings?
No, no, no, no, no. It’s just I don’t think there was a place for him in the movie with the way the series ended and Carrie and Big getting together. ... I would love to be in it if they asked.
“Sex and the City” is on almost every night on basic cable. Do you ever watch it?
No. ... I think they lose a lot with the watered-down versions. ... It’s kind of a bummer to flip through the channels and see them on and know how they were in the original form. Can’t stand it almost.
Do you stay in contact with any of the actors from the show?
I stay in contact with Chris Noth, believe it or not, who played Mr. Big. He’s got a great nightclub in New York that we play at whenever we play in New York. It’s called The Cutting Room.
You and Chris Noth were only in maybe a handful of episodes together, right?
Yeah, maybe two.
That’s interesting that you were able to strike up a friendship.
You know when you’re working on a movie or a TV show ... there’s a lot of downtime. Within three weeks of meeting, we spent hours and hours and hours just hanging out and chitchatting. That leads to, ya know, let’s go get a beer.
• Corbett’s favorite things
Book?
“The Catcher in the Rye”
CD?
“Hmmm … probably the first record I ever bought, which was ‘Elton John’s Greatest Hits.’”
Movie?
“The Deer Hunter”
Best thing to do on the weekends?
Play guitar and drink beer with my buddies.