Jian Ghomeshi versus Billy Bob Boor

Poor Jian Ghomeshi. Guess he didn't get his instructions straight today from actor/rocker Billy Bob Thornton (at right in AP photo with his band, the Boxmasters) for their interview on Ghomeshi's CBC radio show, Q. As a result, what else was there for Billie Bob to do but sulk? On air.

Ghomeshi had Thornton and his band on this morning to talk about their tour and new album. The first hint Thornton had turned sour came when he stonewalled Ghomeshi's queries about touring with Willie Nelson and went bizarro on another about muscial influences as a kid. Ghomeshi was doing that, "Oo-kaaayyyy," and soldiering on. Was Billy Bob always passionate about music?" And there's where it exploded.

"Would you say that to Tom Petty," demanded Thornton.  Ghomeshi said, sure. Ghomeshi probed until Thornton blurted out he was angry "since you're instructed not to talk about shit like that."

Turns out Thornton - or his people - had given Ghomeshi's people his list of forbidden questions, including, it would seem, suggesting he had ever been anything but a musician. An actor, whatever do you mean? Ghomeshi mentioned he was just trying to give his listeners a little context, but Thornton sulked for the rest of the show. His band played an instrumental number without him on drums because, as he explained, he's not lugging around drums at 6 in the morning! Oh, he did take a few minutes to diss Canadian fans for sitting on their hands. Apparently, he's used to fans who throw chairs around. 

Bravo to Ghomeshi. And Billy Bob? He gave us an up close and personal look at a real live star. All class.

Watch the video.

Comments

[Kerry]

Oh my looooooooord! Jian, you handled that just as masterfully as Letterman handled the Juaquin incident. :)

[-]

I love the hubris of BBT equating himself to Tom Petty. Here's a hint BB - yeah, we would ask the same question if Tom Petty had a fairly successfull musician for several decades and decided he wanted to play actor. "I've recorded 8 albums" - So have a lot of high-school garage bands but who the hell cares? - trying selling some of them first.

The best quote "I've been a music historian..." - laughable - poor guy, he has a serious inferiority and self-esteem issue. Hope he gets some help.

[Julie]

You can't just demand that people take you seriously in your field, you have to earn that. In fact, demanding it makes it even harder to do.
What a tool.

[Z. Black]

Way to go Billy Bob! It's about time someone stood up to that Ghomeshi fella

[Brian Lees]

Billy Bob ?
The phrase "Getting up on the wrong side of the bed" comes to mind. What a drip.

[John]

Wow... I didn't realize that the guy was such a jerk. I'll be sure to stay clear of anything he records. I wouldn't want my money to support such a low-class act.

[goodcitizen]

If you ask anyone on the street who Billy Bob Thorton is the answers would range from "that guy from Slingblade" to "talented actor" to "the guy that was married to Angelina Jolie". I'm positive no one would say musician or music historian but I'm sure a lot of people will now answer "Ass..."

Handled nicely by Jian Ghomeshi.

[Harry]

A tempermental artist. Who'da thought....

[Sid]

billy bob is simply trailer trash... he never had the ability to act.. so I guess he resorted to singing... how sad.. cause he sucks at that too... what a dork...

I wouldn't give up being Canadian for anything American.. and I think 99% of my fellow Canadians will agree with that statement..

why is this news.. billy bob is joke, not news...

[Gerry]

It was a pretty funny interview. At the start Billy Bob just sounded stoned, answering "I don't know" to questions like "how long has the band been together". It was weird because BB was acting weird even with perfectly legitimate and purely musical questions, even rambling on about a model building contest he had entered as a kid ("I didn't win nothing"). The following interview with Albert Schultz with funny too, as the guest and host alluded back the BB's bizzare behaviour. I have to say, though that the musical set the band played was actually pretty good, even without drums. I would consider getting one of their CDs.

[Cameron]

Some one didn't get thier mustard and biscuits this morning.

[Jackie]

Billy Bob Thornton is a first class goof, does he even think he is in the same league as Tom Petty. He is a sulking little child who thinks he is better than he is. I never cared for him before and I care for him even less now.

[I2k4]

No sympathy for JG. Thornton seems to have had a prenegotiated deal that the interview would focus on music not his film and other endeavors, which he refers to and clearly felt was violated. The other members of Thornton's group were willing to talk to JG on his terms, but he persistently insisted on dragging "the star" into it, and deservedly got stonewalled. Too bad for CBC, having manufactured JG's local hero status, that non-CBC types haven't heard about and don't have any natural attraction to.

[Susie L]

Just listened to the interview - Jian Ghomeshi has come a long way and did a great job handling Billy Bob's little tantrum. I have no interest in ever hearing any of his music - think I'll stick to Tom Petty!

[Mike]

BBT is a has-been. The insane 'holier than thou' attitude of this man is appalling. Go home BBT, we don't want you here.

[Moe]

Who gives a damm what a maladjusted self centered arse whole like BBT thinks or cares. He's just another example of the me above all else thinking and I'm everything from the centre of the nowhere universe Hollywood. Crawl back under the slimy rock you came from and stay on your side of the border yawl.

[Dude Dudely]

How dare that trailer trash, antique-phobic piece of work insult Canadians and call them conservative. Maybe its because most Canadians don't 'throw stuff' if they aren't watching something entertaining to start with. I've been to plenty of good concerts where the audience wasn't sitting on their hands. Man, I really hope this video makes its way outside of Canada so the rest of the Americans can see what a douche this guy really is. No, it wasn't that Angelina was hard to deal with or a freak. Its plain to see this guy was the problem all along.

[Dave]

Billy Bob is very clearly high. That is some messed up stuff.

[Lindsay]

Wow... ok I didn't really like billy bob to begin with, but here's a nice example of prima donna crap that just helps to emphasize his douche-ness

[MrTH]

Real musicians lug their drums around at 6:00 in the morning, or whenever necessary.

[Tim]

I think it's pretty obvious that this is a publicity stunt. Give a polite-but-boring interview, and the audience will be fairly limited. Give an obnoxious-over-the-top interview, then it becomes a headline: Oscar winning actor turned musician is a total jackass. I only watched the first 3 minutes of the interview and it was obvious he was putting on an act.

[H.S.Yoo]

Billy Bob is a joke. I didn't bother to listen when I heard he was coming on...I wish I had, though.

[funnygirl]

What a jerk. He has the nerve to diss Canadians... he's another smug-ass man and his band is crap. The only way anyone's ever known the guy was through his movies, and he's not even good in those, something out of deliverance he is. Go suck a lemon BillyBob,i'm sure you've had a lot of practice.

[dh]

Then again, isn't working in the music biz in itself a lot like the snake handling which could easily figure prominently in any of BBT's oddly interesting screen roles? Welcome to the white trash superiority complex! I feel sorry for his band, but that's snake handling for ya.

[PG]

I had to laugh when Bob Thornton asked Ghomeshi whether he would ask Tom Petty questions about whether music was his first love. Well, if Petty were trying his hand at acting, I'm willing to bet it would be fair to ask him if acting had always been his first love..

My only question is - how did that zag-nut EVER land Angelina Jolie? Though perhaps she's a bit off kilter too.