GlimmerMan
Huge Member
There's an article in my local paper (The Liverpool Echo) about Seagal tonight (as he plays here tomorrow). I'll type up the article now. Enjoy it - he comes across quite well.
The article is entitled 'PLAYING THE BLUES' and is written by Dawn Collinson.
"Quietly and politely spoken, calm and spiritual... doesn't exactly sound like one of Hollywood's most legendary killers.
But there's far more to Steven Seagal than just a multi-million dollar film career littered with unfortunate victims.
In fact, while many fans will know him for his action movies, he's actually an accomplished blues guitarist, and that's not just what the hype says - the music legends say it too.
So the 55 year old actor, producer, writer, director and martial arts expert can legitimately add singer/songwriter to his impressive list of talents. And that's something of which he's clearly proud.
"I've played with the greatest blues names of all time, those guys raised me and I still play with them", he says. "Those guys are on my album and they talk about me like I'm one of them and that speaks for itself. That is the biggest achievement I could have."
Born in Michigan, Steven began his working life as an aikido instructor in Japan before moving to LA where his potential was spotted by film bosses. A 7th Dan blackbelt, he made his big screen debut in 1988 playing a cop on the trail of police corruption in Above The Law. From then on the scene was set for a succession of massive box office hits, arguably peaking with Under Siege in 1992.
His films have reportedly earned more than $600 million worldwide, but while an enduring film career makes him still one of the most prolific actors in the business, his focus has shifted noticeably to music in the last two years.
After a debut world music album, Songs From The Crystal Cave, his second, more intensely blues project Mojo Priest has established him as a respected recording artist. It is, he explains, the culmination of a lifetime's passion.
"The first record I did was world music, but the blues is where I come from and it's been nice to see how people love the blues here", he says. "I played music first, before the acting. I was born and raised a musician and most musicians know me and people know me so when my records came out they sold very well. In the 50's I was brought up on the blues. As a child I was inundated with the stuff. It was what I was born and raised into. But when I came to California to play the blues, everyone wanted to play The Beatles and rock and pop. I just really wasn't very good at that on guitar, that wasn't my thing, so I started playing drums with some of the bands. But I went back to what I knew because I think that you find your niche and you're most likely to begood at what you love."
Steven is conscious that his foray into the music world isn't seen as just another vanity project by a movie actor who is looking to cash in on his fame. He has been quoted as saying that Kevin Bacon, Keanu Reeves, Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner - who have all dabbled with bands are "not in my universe". He smiles, embarrassed by how that sounds. "If I said that then I'm sorry I did", he replies quietly. "Because it's not really something I should say. What I meant was I have been playing my whole life and not juste I became an actor and became famous.
The 3 times married star who has five children hasn't given up on movies. He already has four slated for the next 12 months.
But music is clearly uppermost in his mind and he in currently in the middle of a comprehensive UK tour.
"It's rough", he says of the schedule, which brings him to Liverpool tomorrow night. "It was postponed from last year because we just had so many offers, so now we're doing something like 45 shows. And Liverpool, well that was always going to be the one because you have such a great musical history. I have a dear friend named Ian who I haven't seen in about 100 years and he's coming over from Asia to take me back to his home town and show me around. In Liverpool, at least, I've got a tour guide."
What Steven doesn't have, he regrets, is much free time to enjoy each location, partly because he is so dedicated in his routine.
"I practise for hours a day even when I'm not touring, just so I can be more and more consistent, you know?"
He describes his style as "very thoughtful" - a consequence, he suggests, of his Buddhist beliefs.
"I'm usually a very calm person. I've had a lot of great spiritual teachers for most of my life, so I can't imagine that hasn't had a strong influence on me."
So - there you have the 2007 Steven Seagal - Buddhist, environmentalist, animal rights activist... where has the hardest man in Hollywood gone?
He laughs, a deep, throaty chuckle. "Do people want to start fights with me less now? No - t's the same as it's always been. I don't think anything has changed. I'm still just as good as what I do in martial arts as I have been in the past."
We ave been warned.
Steven Seagal and Thunderbox play the Liverpool Philharmonic tomorrow at 7:30pm."
Now I'm tired after all that typing. It's nearly time for the Friday Night Project here - I'll watch it and post about it tomorrow.
Laters peeps.
G-Man
The article is entitled 'PLAYING THE BLUES' and is written by Dawn Collinson.
"Quietly and politely spoken, calm and spiritual... doesn't exactly sound like one of Hollywood's most legendary killers.
But there's far more to Steven Seagal than just a multi-million dollar film career littered with unfortunate victims.
In fact, while many fans will know him for his action movies, he's actually an accomplished blues guitarist, and that's not just what the hype says - the music legends say it too.
So the 55 year old actor, producer, writer, director and martial arts expert can legitimately add singer/songwriter to his impressive list of talents. And that's something of which he's clearly proud.
"I've played with the greatest blues names of all time, those guys raised me and I still play with them", he says. "Those guys are on my album and they talk about me like I'm one of them and that speaks for itself. That is the biggest achievement I could have."
Born in Michigan, Steven began his working life as an aikido instructor in Japan before moving to LA where his potential was spotted by film bosses. A 7th Dan blackbelt, he made his big screen debut in 1988 playing a cop on the trail of police corruption in Above The Law. From then on the scene was set for a succession of massive box office hits, arguably peaking with Under Siege in 1992.
His films have reportedly earned more than $600 million worldwide, but while an enduring film career makes him still one of the most prolific actors in the business, his focus has shifted noticeably to music in the last two years.
After a debut world music album, Songs From The Crystal Cave, his second, more intensely blues project Mojo Priest has established him as a respected recording artist. It is, he explains, the culmination of a lifetime's passion.
"The first record I did was world music, but the blues is where I come from and it's been nice to see how people love the blues here", he says. "I played music first, before the acting. I was born and raised a musician and most musicians know me and people know me so when my records came out they sold very well. In the 50's I was brought up on the blues. As a child I was inundated with the stuff. It was what I was born and raised into. But when I came to California to play the blues, everyone wanted to play The Beatles and rock and pop. I just really wasn't very good at that on guitar, that wasn't my thing, so I started playing drums with some of the bands. But I went back to what I knew because I think that you find your niche and you're most likely to begood at what you love."
Steven is conscious that his foray into the music world isn't seen as just another vanity project by a movie actor who is looking to cash in on his fame. He has been quoted as saying that Kevin Bacon, Keanu Reeves, Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner - who have all dabbled with bands are "not in my universe". He smiles, embarrassed by how that sounds. "If I said that then I'm sorry I did", he replies quietly. "Because it's not really something I should say. What I meant was I have been playing my whole life and not juste I became an actor and became famous.
The 3 times married star who has five children hasn't given up on movies. He already has four slated for the next 12 months.
But music is clearly uppermost in his mind and he in currently in the middle of a comprehensive UK tour.
"It's rough", he says of the schedule, which brings him to Liverpool tomorrow night. "It was postponed from last year because we just had so many offers, so now we're doing something like 45 shows. And Liverpool, well that was always going to be the one because you have such a great musical history. I have a dear friend named Ian who I haven't seen in about 100 years and he's coming over from Asia to take me back to his home town and show me around. In Liverpool, at least, I've got a tour guide."
What Steven doesn't have, he regrets, is much free time to enjoy each location, partly because he is so dedicated in his routine.
"I practise for hours a day even when I'm not touring, just so I can be more and more consistent, you know?"
He describes his style as "very thoughtful" - a consequence, he suggests, of his Buddhist beliefs.
"I'm usually a very calm person. I've had a lot of great spiritual teachers for most of my life, so I can't imagine that hasn't had a strong influence on me."
So - there you have the 2007 Steven Seagal - Buddhist, environmentalist, animal rights activist... where has the hardest man in Hollywood gone?
He laughs, a deep, throaty chuckle. "Do people want to start fights with me less now? No - t's the same as it's always been. I don't think anything has changed. I'm still just as good as what I do in martial arts as I have been in the past."
We ave been warned.
Steven Seagal and Thunderbox play the Liverpool Philharmonic tomorrow at 7:30pm."
Now I'm tired after all that typing. It's nearly time for the Friday Night Project here - I'll watch it and post about it tomorrow.
Laters peeps.
G-Man
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