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Saturday
11Apr2009

Billy Bob Gets Booed, Cancels Canadian Tour

DateSaturday, April 11, 2009 at 11:30AM
It hasn't been a good week for Billy Bob Thornton. First, he's in Canada on tour with his band The Boxmasters, and he doesn't like Canadian crowds, calling them "mashed potatoes without the gravy." That rather insulting description was part of radio chat in which Billy Bob felt the interviewer disrespected him by calling him an Oscar winner. And now, he's cancelling the Canadian tour altogether.

During The Boxmasters' set opening for Willie Nelson Thursday night at Massey Hall in Toronto, Thornton was booed by the crowd, which really turned on him when we brought the interview up in between songs.

"Boo all you want, but I want to say something," Thornton told the crowd. "We're really happy to be here, but I need to say something. I talked to this asshole yesterday," he said, referencing interview Jian Ghomeshi.

"I sat down and talked with this guy. He and his producers say, `We promise you we won't [refer 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."

The Toronto Sun reports that the crowd began to jeer in unison, "Here comes the gravy" during Thornton's comments Thursday night. On Friday, The Boxmasters canceled the rest of their Canadian tour. The official reason, according to Willie Nelson's camp, is that members of Thornton's band and crew have the flu. They'll reportedly rejoin Nelson on tour on April 14th, when the band is back in the U.S. Well, that's convenient.

Speaking of the gravy, Thornton was asked before the show exactly what that meant, and his reply is just as tacky as his evasive, adolescent responses in Ghomeshi's interview. But there's good fun at the end when a fan wants an autograph.

Saying he felt like he was in the middle of a tsunami because of the media attention, Ghomeshi maintained his belief (and mine) that the band could only benefit from at least a passing mention that its drummer, singer, and songwriter is, in fact, Billy Bob Thornton.

"The reality is, and I tried to explain this in the interview, these guys have only been together for two years. You just don't get the kind of national press they are getting without the incentive being something like his career past...And I think if he could graciously accept that and say, `Hey, I want to focus on the music, but I get that the reason we're here is because I'm a movie star that's won an Oscar.' There's not a lot of people who can say that."

It sounds like Billy Bob may not have to worry about making that distinction before an interview again anytime soon. At least not in Canada.

Thanks to Big Picture reader Gambler Bob for the tip.

AuthorColin Boyd | | in | Print ArticlePrint Article | | Comment3 Comments |

Reader Comments (3)

Billy Bob is a knob.

He insulted my intelligence, my sensibilities, and my country (mashed potatoes with no gravy)!

I am seeing the Willie Nelson concert in London Ontario tonight. I would pay for Willie. I would never go to see Billy Bob and his group if he was relying on his musical talent alone. I went to his website to give him the benefit of the doubt and what I heard of his singing was musically inferior and Dave Clark of the Dave Clark Five (an old 60’s group) was a better drummer and Dave Clark sucked.

Saturday, April 11, 2009 | Unregistered Commenterrickthewriter

There is a huge contradiction in Billy Bob's behaviour.

On the one hand he would like people to treat him like a great hollywood star and do as they are told.

On the other hand he wants to pretend like he is not a hollywood star, which he is, but a hard-working musician, which he is not.

It looks like the Canadians gave him a reality check that he couldn't cope with.

Sunday, April 12, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterLengthy Johnson

"It's my birthday, will you sign my gravy".....LOL...that's awesome. I wonder how much gravy he's going to get in the mail now-a-days.

Sunday, April 12, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterEmo

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