Thanks to Lameal2002, who originally transcribed this for jm.com

As I said on the Sunday transcript, James came across so genuine; polite; intelligent;
honest and open in his answers; truly interested in talking with the fans; truly a fan of
the show himself; etc. To me, the way he talked at times seemed very real
"California/Rocker boy" and terribly cute. To try to help capture the sense of him for
you all reading this, I've tried to leave in most of the times he said "man", "rock on",
"you know", and even some "uhms" (when needed to show he was really taking his time and
really thinking about his response rather than just talking). He also seemed very relaxed
and laughed a lot. (a truyly captivating, sexy laugh and voice!)


SATURDAY, JULY 13, 2002 - SHORE LEAVE
Q AND A WITH JAMES MARSTERS

JAMES: Hellooo Baltimore! Yeah! Firefly! Where the heck did you get that? Damn, I want on
that show. [Someone offered him the Firefly hat they were wearing] (JM laughing) Like it's
going to fit my big head but thank you. [audience member says, "It's adjustable] Even
so... I tell costumers all the time, 'You're never going to fit this.' (pointing to his
head)

Yeah I want on this show man, "Firefly". I went to see the sets that he was doing and it
absolutely rocks. It's going to be a space show very different than anything else we've
seen... kind of an about face from "Star Trek" actually. I was talking to Joss about it
and he was saying that it was going to be like "Hill Street Blues" in space. So it's not
going to be so much about what we want to be, it's going to be about who we are... which
is pretty fallible...and that's tough really. Yeah, he [Joss] is getting multiple
headaches over at Fox for that right now.

What I like to do is jump straight to Q and A, QUESTION: and answers. I tend... I can go
off on any QUESTION: for 20 minutes but I like to start with your QUESTION: s. We've got
an empty microphone up...

[in kind of sexy, Elvis-y voice says] Get on up there to the microphone, baby. The first,
the courageous one... how you doing?

QUESTION: Fine, how are you James.

JAMES: I'm doing really good.

QUESTION: I was just wondering when we were going to see you on the big screen again and
what kind of work you prefer... tv or movies?

JAMES: (laughing) I haven't really done enough movies to know. As far as when you're
going to see me on the screen again, I don't know. There's a film that wanted to cast me
that then lost their money and they're trying to get money again. It's a great script
about Rock and Roll.

QUESTION: Are you going to sing?

JAMES: No. I would play the guy who writes all the songs, who produces all the songs, who
is actually the mind behind the music and then some screwy front-guy messes with me...

QUESTION: Much like real life?

JAMES: No, no... in my band I'm the screwy front guy. (laughs). But you know, in general,
I'm busy man. I asked to get out last year for a movie and they couldn't do it and they
couldn't do it. Then I asked to get out for another movie and they said yes but then I
didn't get the role. The people at Buffy don't want to stand in the way of the careers of
the actors on the show but at the same time they have a story to tell. And they're paying
me a lot of money right now.

[cheers from the audience] At least that changed. (laughs)

QUESTION: Which do you prefer?

JAMES: I, uh, ... It's hard, man. I would rather choose to talk about the difference
between stage and tv because really, the difference between tv and film is negligible
from what I do. I do what's called One-Camera Work, where there's only ever one camera on
you at a time. So you rehearse a scene from a certain perspective, you go away for about
45 minutes while they light, then you come back and perform for one camera at a time. For
sitcoms, it's very different. For sitcoms, you have seven cameras operating on you at time
and you pretty much perform live. So for actors who are used to sitcoms, it's a big jump
to go to features, but for a show called "Buffy", it's kind of the same thing.

But I miss the stage. The stage is cool. On stage you're really in control in a way that
you're not in control on TV at all. On stage you tell a story, in film you're just a
building block for someone else to come tell the story later and that was kind of a hard
adjustment for me. They wouldn't even tell me what I was doing next week. [laughing, in
funny voice says, "I have to know my arc."] No you don't actually. I came down to LA from
Seattle... [few cheers from audience]... Seattle R-o-o-c-c-k-s. (big laugh) I miss that
town. [laughing... "one hand, proud"] I miss Seattle. I really do.

[Audience member from Seattle tells James that she, unfortunately, never got to see him
perform when he had his theater company in Seattle.]

Oh really? You could have seen me naked live!
[big roars from audience].

QUESTION: Thanks JAMES:
JAMES: You're welcome and good luck. Who next? Oh you shy folks... come on, spike it up a
bit. Hello.

QUESTION: ... Has being a sex symbol, such that you are, redefined your persona at all,
changed you fundamentally in any way.

JAMES: [blushing, acting coy] Uh, the girls who are breaking my heart are much prettier
these days. [laughing] That's about the only difference. Yeah, it's a weird thing, I've
got to tell you. It's a weird thing. I've always said I wanted to be kissing Buffy or
kicking Buffy because you'd be in the middle of the story then. And I get to the kissing
Buffy part and I'm always naked and Sarah's always FULLY clothed. (sarcastically) And the
teamsters are always very sensitive.

Basically being a romantic interest means you do have a lot less clothes on... and I
don't have a particular need to keep my clothes on, I've been naked on stage [woos from
audience] in front of 500 people a night, 9 shows a week, but at the same time (sigh,
laughing) in stage there's a dignity to it. On stage, you don't go down to underwear
until tech rehearsals and you don't get naked until very last rehearsal and there's a way
to do it that's been done a hundred years before. On TV, there's no time for dignity. It's
like 'take it off, get up there'. (laugh) You know, so, you just kind of release into the
malestorm.... How embarrassed am I.

QUESTION: My second QUESTION: is would you be willing to do a chorus of "Rest in Peace"
as a duet... with me?

JAMES: That sounds really good but I've been instructed very specifically to not let
anyone up on stage with me. But, someone gave me a guitar so maybe I will sing
something... [loud cheers from audience] It's a wonderful offer, honey. I would kind of
like to do that actually, but there are rules and they have... I don't know if they're
going to spank me or punish me... Julie Brown, she's strong, man. I don't want to mess
with her.

QUESTION: When you go into a McDonalds, does the "Happy Meals with legs"...

JAMES: I tried that once (laughs)... they just stared at me. And then the next week I
went through the drive-through and they almost lept through the window at me. (big laugh)
Yeah, that was one of my favorite lines actually.

QUESTION: I couldn't help seeing the Blood Mobile when I drove up and the first thing
that came to mind was Meals on Wheels.

[audience laughs]

JAMES: Bringing up the blood drive, I hear the Buffy people pulled out the stops, as they
were. Everyone back there is amazed by how much blood they have to deal with now.
Seriously guys... you guys rock! There's going to be a lot of people a lot healthier
because of you. Thank you. Thank you.

QUESTION: Joss Whedon is responsible for Buffy, I understand, right?

JAMES: Every (laughing)... every move.

QUESTION: ... I have a favor. Thank him for what he's done. I'm a bit of a romantic and
all the sacrifices that Spike made to get there, putting his life on the line, all the
changes he made for Buffy, changed him and paid off. A lot of people are like that. I've
done it myself.

JAMES: Yeah, the issue of redemption and how very hard it is to get. Yeah, I will thank
him. In fact, I thank him too much (laughs). For the first two years on the show, I
didn't really talk to the man because I was too nervous to talk to the man. Again, I
always say 'stage, stage, stage', but in stage writers don't really have a lot of power,
so if you go to one and you tell them their work is really top notch, it's just one
worker to another worker. But I was in a situation where he was my boss and I did NOT
want to kiss his butt, so I just completely avoided him. I think he probably thought I
didn't like him or something.

But then when I thought I was off the show, I wrote him a letter just saying 'your words
just float an actor and make the job really easy'. I can't help myself... like 2 months
ago I wrote him another letter, I was like 'Dude you've been helping since the day after
the day we met'. And it's true. I haven't had to worry about rent, I haven't been bored
artistically.

I came down to LA pretty much just to make money. I didn't want to be poor anymore. I
didn't want to die poor. I thought I would do anything, ANYTHING down in LA because I was
a big, uppity stage actor and I was like, 'West Wing, Urkel, it's all the same, let's just
go and make money'. But I find myself being a position of working with people who are more
talented than any theater company I've been with. The writing is better many times than
any of the original work that I've done, and I've worked with some Tony-award winning
playwrights. "Buffy" is a very special time and I don't want it to be over, basically.
Let's just make some new characters with the guys we're working with.

QUESTION: ... I heard there might be some guest stars from "Buffy" on "Enterprise" and
from "Enterprise" people on "Buffy" because a lot of "Star Trek" fans are "Buffy" fans
and a lot of "Buffy" fans are "Star Trek" fans?

JAMES: (in low voice) Vampires in space.

(regular voice) No, not going to happen. Joss has a very specific vision and it's all
played out in the internals of his mind and then he gives metaphor. He basically explores
his deepest fears and forces his writers to do the same ... to expose themselves at their
MOST embarrassing moments of their lives. And then he just plasters vampires over the top
of it so no one knows what you're talking about. [audience laughs] Joss makes his bread
and butter by denying you guys what you want, right? [audience agrees] And so, that would
be the best argument not to do it I guess. (laughs) I think it would be cool...

(in low, kind of English-accented voice) 'Fire photon torpedoes.'

[big cheers from audience]

QUESTION: One last QUESTION: , could you possibly answer one of the next QUESTION: s in
your accent. It drives me crazy.

[laughs, cheers from audience]

JAMES: You got it man. Usually you have to pay me but...

QUESTION: (from a young girl)
On Buffy, what was the most embarrassing scene you've done.

JAMES: (in a laughing, embarrassed, pleading voice) Why do I always get that QUESTION: ...

(regular voice) Uhm... Okay, you first... what's the most embarrassing thing you've ever
done?

QUESTION: I don't know. (James says in laughing, teasing voice, 'Ah haaa'.) Maybe this...

[claps, cheers from audience]

JAMES: (big laugh) You get the prize. My most embarrassing moment was in my first year as
a regular and I wanted to do well, you know. So we were doing this cave fight where Spike
first finds out he can fight at all again... that the chip doesn't keep him from fighting
demons, right. ... There is stuff called Off-Camera Work where you are not being
photographed but the people opposite you are so you're standing by the camera and you're
trying to give them all the acting stuff you can so they have real reactions. And, uh,
who was it... it was Xander and Willow... were watching me fight. So, I'm doing
off-camera work and, as opposed to waving my arms around like an idiot, I decide to
really do the fight - like an idiot! [audience laughs] Because there's cords... there's
lighting cords, and there's camera people and they're just like ''Whoa!'' and I trip over
a cord and fall right through the cave wall.

[claps, big laughs from audience] Alyson was really, really kind......she was like
'AAHAAAHAHA!' So I got real cool and lethargic for about two weeks, 'I don't care', you
know...

What's up hon...

QUESTION: Did you really enjoy doing the musical?

JAMES: That was ab-so-lutely, INCREDIBLY terrifying! [audience laughs]

I got off easy frankly because I wasn't asked to do anything that I don't normally do.
Joss... I hang out at his house sometimes and read Shakespeare with the gang and
everything, and we sing. So Joss knew that I sing. I sing in bars in LA... and so all I
had to do was sit around, skulk and sing and then almost bite a preacher. And that was
kind of right up my ally.

The other cast members were really asked to do something that they were NOT prepared to
do and to their credit - even though they were terrified - they really bore down and
studied... and no one more than Sarah. They didn't hire her to be a musical actress and
she was out in front on the thing. All the egg, if there... We didn't know if we could DO
a musical! (laughs) Everyone was telling us we were CRAZY! We didn't know Joss could write
music...

So, there was potentially a lot of egg to be put on the faces of the actors and, uh, so
going into to it we were all - as a company I mean, not myself - but as a company, we
were terrified. Then Joss released some dailies of his first day of work which was the
dance with Xander and Anya, which was like the BEST piece of the whole thing... in my
book. I just thought it was incredible. And we all started to realize that it was going
to work and it was exciting, and by the end of the shoot we were just on cloud nine. When
it came time to do the next one - which was a really cool script "Tabula Rasa"? [audience
agrees]... GREAT script, yeah - uhm, but we were a little bored! (laughs) 'We want the
music, where's the soundtrack?'

As often happens on "Buffy," we get terrified because of what they are going to ask us to
do either emotionally or technically and we end up being kind of proud that we were able
to get there. And I'm REALLY lucky to be on a show where you are terrified after five,
six, seven years. Most actors, I hate to say it, are really bored by now. And we're not.

QUESTION: [QUESTION: asked off microphone about Buffy and Spike's relationship.... James
paraphrases it so we can hear...]

JAMES: Is Spike going to get any more Buffy? [audience roars]

(laughs) Man, I don't know. [ooohhs from audience] I know, I know. I keep myself in the
dark on purpose because it's kind of refreshing to just be like Spike and not know and to
just fight for what you want week to week and hope you get it. Uhm, I can... uh, oh man, I
haven't seen any other hot guys on set. (laughs) [audience cheers] I always walk onto the
set going, 'Where's David Boreanaz?' But I don't know. (laughs)

At the end of the last season, they have me a soul, right? Now, HOWEVER, guys, remember
when the mom died? Remember, how she got better right before she died? Joss does 180
degrees from where he's really going to go at first, so giving me a soul is like. 'He's
Dead!'

[Audience laughs then starts crying out 'no, no']

So, I don't know! That's the thing but then he's going to go to Sar-... [audience
interrupts saying no, no]

(protestingly) I don't know! I don't know. Uh... I can't even...She's married now. Man, I
can't even... uh, [murmurs in audience asking, 'she's married?'] Yeah, I think so? I think
I heard that. No to Freddie, it's good. Freddie's cool. He's good for her. No, really,
really.

Yeah, I cannot see... Man, see Spike doesn't want Buffy anywhere near him right now
because he is bad. He feels horrible, I think? We haven't filmed yet... I mean if I was a
vampire and I woke up to the fact that I had killed all these women and kids and
everything, I'd feel pretty bad about it. And I really wouldn't want my love to be
dirtied by that, so it's quite possible that Spike is going to keep her really far away
from him if possible.

['oohhs' and 'aawws' from audience]

How many times after a "Buffy" episode are you like 'Oh, I feel good now!' [audience
laughs and claps]

[a comment from someone in audience...] (big laugh from James) You will probably get more
naked Spike, yeah. [loud cheers of approval from audience]

(laughs, teasingly lifts t-shirt up at waist revealing a bit of skin!) Buffy, you want me
now... [BIG roars from audience]

QUESTION: How do you think your personal life would be different if you and Dru had been
written off the show like you were supposed to be? If you had just been minor
characters...

JAMES: I would (pause, thinking) I'd be probably still slogging it out - as many talented
actors down in Los Angeles are - going to pilot season, trying to get a pilot, getting a
series, having it cancelled.

I have been lifted above ordinary cares of the actor and after living ordinary cares for
years, it's almost kind of weird. (pause) That's a really good QUESTION: . I don't even
know. God, I entered Heaven and what would it be like to get out? I don't even (laughs)
want to think about it. (in a mock desperate, protesting voice) That's not going to
happen!..

What's up?

QUESTION: First of all, I don't know what you mean about Joss not giving us what we want
because we pretty much wanted you naked.

[audience laughs]

JAMES: (laughs) I think that was Marti. (laughing) I'm really serious. I don't think Joss
went there. I think it was Marti.

(pointedly) Marti's got a dirty mind. (laughs) Really, I mean, how much heat was there
last year? [audience cheers] Whoa, yeah! And that was Marti's year. As much as we talk
about Joss Whedon, let's talk about Marti Noxon. She is THE BOMB! She is, like all the
writers, she is using her personal life. And she is incredibly brave about what she
admits has happened to her and she has lived a life. So, thank you to Marti for wanting
to see my nipples (laughing) I suppose.

[audience cheers]

QUESTION: A lot of us know you love Shakespeare and are a big fan of "Macbeth", and I was
wondering if you could do a little Shakespeare for us.

[cheers, claps from audience]

JAMES: It has been six years since I did "Macbeth". I'm afraid to pull out of my pocket
I've got the major speech... You may have heard it before. This is "Tomorrow and
tomorrow."

As a back story, in the beginning of the play, you see the Macbeths being very much in
love, a very hot couple. He is all about her and then he goes about killing a large
amount of people who don't deserve it and he loses himself. And he's sitting in his
thrown room and his castle is under siege and he's like, 'You know, I just don't care
about anything any more. The things I used to really frighten me just don't land. I'm
kind of dead.' And then he asks someone what the noise was... there's a scream off stage,
and he asks someone, 'What was that noise?'. A guy goes off, comes back, and says 'the
Queen is dead.' Long pause, and he just says, 'Oh, she should have died tomorrow. I would
have time for that.' And you realize at that moment that there's really nothing left of
him and he goes and does this speech... he says...

[he was about to start when someone from the audience says, "off sides". James stops and
in laughing surpised tone says, "We have a director?" Big laughs from audience.]

(in low, serious voice)

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
creeps in this petty pace from day to day
to the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
the way to dusty death
out, out, brief candle
Life's but a walking shadow
a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more
it is a tale told by an idiot
full of sound and fury
signifying nothing.

[loud claps and cheers from audience]

There's a feel good piece of theater for you, huh?! (laughs)

QUESTION: ...Do you have any QUESTION: s for me?

JAMES: Where did you get that beautiful top?

QUESTION: In Manhattan, and this brings me to my QUESTION: . I know that you are an
accomplished musician and... [QUESTION: er's microphone stand is falling down so she has
to bend way over to talk into it] If I could bring this up [the microphone] I would, I'm
not trying to do this on purpose, but...

JAMES: (laughing, interrupts teasingly) I'm enjoying it fine. [audience laughs] I'm
sorry, that was bad...

QUESTION: I know you perform at 14 Below in California all the time. Are you going to be
bringing your show to New York at all?

[loud cheers from audience]

JAMES: What the band and I are talking about is exactly what we are going to do. Because
we went to Paris a couple of weeks ago and we ROCKED the Parisians. Yeah, I don't know
that they'd seen Rock and Roll just kind of unbelted like that. They're used to Pop and
Dance music and we really came with driving Rock and Roll. They had the lighters out and
were stomping and the promoter was like (in funny voice), 'What is that?' (laughs)

But basically, the band is pretty young. There is a 17 year old, an 18 year old and a 19
year old in the band. The 17 year old still has to graduate high school. [audience
laughs] And I need to graduate "Buffy." So, until next summer, we're going to be kind of
popping out from LA on alternative weekends. If we can book into Manhattan, that would be
fabulous. I'd love it.

QUESTION: Do you have any website that will say where you're going to be?

JAMES: Check out... for now... check out Jamesmarsters.com, [loud cheers from all the
JM.com members in the audience!!] which ROCKS!

And "Ghost of the Robot" has it's own website but it's not really fully functional just
yet. We're editing down video from Paris that we're going to put up along with a calendar
and stuff. And there's a single that will be available very soon. Actually, a single
sitting in cardboard boxes in Sacramento, but will get them out of there soon.

QUESTION: I'm also from New York and would love it if you would come to see us. I'm
trying to give you the cleavage too but she's got a better shirt for it.

JAMES: (teasingly) Just bend over a little more... yeah! (big laugh)

[audience laughs]

QUESTION: I know you're a football fan, so I have a very important QUESTION: to ask...
Doug Flutie or Rob Jones?

JAMES: You know, on a personal level, Flutie. Yeah, I mean, he overcomes a lot to see
over his offensive line...and the talent that it takes... no, no, seriously... the talent
it takes to deliver a ball in between traffic as opposed to over the traffic is
immeasurably harder. So when you watch that guy play, realize that. So, I'd say Flutie.

QUESTION: And I have one follow-up. My mother was very upset that she could not come here
to see her boyfriend, as she likes to call you....

[audience laughs]

JAMES: (laughing, interrupting) I have a love life?

[audience laughs]

QUESTION: According to my mother. So if you could just wave... I don't know if that's
against the rules...if you could just wave so I could say 'Mom, Pretty was waving at you'

JAMES: (waving, in sexy voice) Hey, mom.

QUESTION: (new person)
Oh wow, you ARE beautiful.

JAMES: (laughs) I'm going to get all blushy now.

QUESTION: Is there anything on the route that got you to where you are that you either
regret or that you would want to do over again?

JAMES: There is nothing I regret. No, uhm, as far as career. I had a really bad time at
Juliard. They hated me. I really, at the time, regretted ever going there (laughs). But
in hindsight, it showed me exactly what I personally as an actor I should NEVER try do
which is just focus on technique and not about what is going on inside me.

Other than that... (pauses, thinks) oh man... I regret letting my theater company go. I
was like getting an ulcer (laughs) so it was like 'enough.' But I had another season that
I really wanted to produce. There are a lot of plays that I still want to get out there
but I think it was probably the best choice. I think I would have ended up in the
hospital, frankly.

No, I try to live my life without regret, you know. And if something bad happens, try to
make it good. So, I've... oh man, (laughs)... I've done things that you could say that
you should regret [audience and James laugh] but I don't, man, because I'm here, you
know. Is that the stupidest answer to your good QUESTION: or what? (laughs)

QUESTION: One more QUESTION: . This is for all the ladies... boxers or briefs? [audience
roars] Or any at all?

JAMES: (in sexy voice) None, baby.

[audience roars approvingly]

What's the point? 21st Century, man. (laughs) Just kidding. It's just in the way if...
(laughs, stops himself) no never mind.

QUESTION: Hey, how are you?

JAMES: I'm doing pretty good. (laughs) I'm embarrassed and excited at the same time; it's
great.

QUESTION: If it helps any, so am I. Just because that's the longest I've spent on my
knees in years.

[audience roars]

JAMES: (laughing) This is the coolest talk back I've ever had.

QUESTION: ...You've been quoted rather frequently saying that blonds do have more fun.
That being said, when the show finally comes to it's sad demise, which will be sad for us
[James interjects, "and for me"], do you plan on retaining the bleached blond locks or
going back to the natural dark color?

JAMES: I think I will probably go back natural. [some cries of protest from audience]

Yeah, well. I think I should amend that statement. I think it's television actors have
more fun. I thought it was the blond hair but I'm coming around that it's the job. Yeah,
I mean... I love Spike but if I kept my hair that would signal to the entire community
that I wanted to stay in that box. An one of the lucky things I have is that... I have a
lot of different characters I want to share. There is a lot of different work I want to
do. And the easiest way I can remind people that I'm NOT Spike and that I can do other
roles is by dropping the accent and the hair. Frankly, I think a lot of people in Los
Angeles won't even know that I did anything. They'll think I'm new.

[Note from transcriber: I flipped tape over at this point so missed the QUESTION: and the
beginning of James' response...]

JAMES: ...books get adapted much easier than theater because theater is the land of
words. You can't even really see the faces; they're like this big. So, theater is the art
of hanging words in the air in an interesting way.

Did anybody see "Six Degrees of Separation"? That was like as good as you're going to get
as far as translating a really good stage piece to film, and YET, it was damn talky. Film
is a visual medium and it works best when all the information is conveyed visually. So,
in order to adapt something from stage to film completely successfully, you have to
change it almost beyond recognition. And at that point, my philosophy is write your own
thing, you know.

"Macbeth" happens to... the fifth act of "Macbeth" shatters into very small scenes and
jumps environments really quickly, which is hellacious for theater directors. It confuses
audiences and most of rehearsal ends up being about the damn fifth act when you're really
sweating about your scene in the third act. But on film, that kind of chopping up just
gets the pace going and is very filmatic. Also, it's the shortest Shakespeare ever and
there's a lot of violence so it's good. But really, I don't usually take source material
from theater to think about film. Most of my work has been taking other source material
and putting it on stage actually, so it's a really different way of thinking actually to
put it on film.

QUESTION: Well, I hope you manage to actually get the funding and pull it off because I
think the Polanski version was the last good one I saw [James interjects, "Bingo"] and
I'd really like to see it topped.

JAMES: He, Polanski, got a lot right, but he still played Macbeth himself as QUESTION:
ing himself. And my belief is that...

QUESTION: but he also did it in conjunction with Playboy films so what do you want?

JAMES: Yeah, (in sexy voice) well, not much more than that, baby. (regular voice) No,
uhm...

QUESTION: Exactly, give me some nudity. It's all good.

JAMES: Yeah, well, the sexual relationship between the Macbeths is really important and a
lot of people play her as a b****, which is the biggest mistake in the play. She's not.

Polanski got so much right. He got the environment of the play, the fact that it's a
violent world and that man springs from a violent world and is therefore understandable.
But my feeling is that Macbeth thinks very hard about what he wants to do and once he's
made up his mind, he does NOT look back. And that's why you don't lose respect for him.

QUESTION: I was wondering who you thought, in the musical performance, was the best -
besides yourself.

JAMES: Oh man, Sarah. She had to whip out dance moves at the end, she had a lot of songs
to do. I just think she was incredibly brave. You all don't know her like I do. She's got
a big work ethic, but at the same time, she likes control and she had to give up a lot of
control to do that. If she hadn't stepped up and hit it, we wouldn't be talking about
what a great show the musical was because it was on her shoulders. So everybody was like,
'I hope Sarah can do it. She's been working...' and she pulled it out, man. She really did.

Uh, everybody, man. Tony rocked, man. [audience cheers in agreement] Yeah, I would say
Tony. I'm so glad he's back. (laugh). We need that guy! God, we need that guy.

QUESTION: When are you guys starting filming again?

JAMES: July 25th. Come on down to Sunnydale, it'll be a party.

QUESTION: (guy in long black coat) Hello

JAMES: Nice coat.

QUESTION: Thank you. Just for you, man. ... As a musician myself, I can appreciate you on
many levels. When do you plan on coming over to up north a bit because I'm in Rhode Island
and nobody comes to Rhode Island.

JAMES: I think you could try to hold your breath for later in this winter, but again it's
just a logistical problem with the band - half of us are in Sacramento and half of us are
in Santa Monica and one of us is in high school. [audience laughs] But after this season,
we're cut loose. We're going to tour Europe again, would like to come back and hit the US
again before the summer's out.... It's pretty exciting actually.

QUESTION: How do you balance being a musician and a well-established actor?

JAMES: You know, I don't know yet. (laughs) One of the reasons I didn't get in a band
earlier was, A, I didn't meet geniuses like I met now but, two, when you're in a band,
you have to rehearse with the band quite a lot or you suck. And, (laughs) when I was just
doing...

QUESTION: You're preaching to the choir, man.

JAMES: But when you're playing with your... by yourself... [audience laughs at his
unintended slip]

(laughs) ... told you a little too much there.

No, uhm... you can pretty much squeeze in rehearsal whenever you want and so was
rehearsing in my trailer between takes and I could brush up then. This is going to be a
real challenge and I'm not sure how I'm going to do it. Luckily, the guys up in
Sacramento are like national level jazz musicians so they can pick up pretty much
anything and just play it. So, it's more of a problem for me than them, frankly.

I'm learning how to play straight, man. I don't know how to play straight. I can't fan
straight - da,da,da,da,da - forever like that, like a good rhythm guitarist in Rock and
Roll can do. I'm always accenting and Aaron, the drummer, is like throwing sticks at me,
'Stop it.' (laughs, funny voice) 'I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking again.'

Yeah, it's chewing gum and walking at the same time. When I start singing, I forget
everything I've learned about playing straight.

QUESTION: Well, that's the thing, for a drummer it's more like chewing gum, tapping your
feet and whistling.

JAMES: I'm not behind the kit, baby, (laughs) no way. Are you a drummer? YES, the world
needs more drummers and you know it, yeah.

QUESTION: Not really, we're more the goofballs of the group.

JAMES: Get out, man. The back beat's in the kit man, you know that. Rock and roll man.

QUESTION: One small thing is that my mom and my cousin are sitting over there, Joanna and
Jennifer respectively, and they really just want to hear you call them 'pet' or 'luv' or
something in the accent.

JAMES: (in low, VERY sexy English accent) Joanna... Jennifer... hello luv.

[audience claps]

JAMES: (acting all self congratulatory) yep, the accent gets them every time.

[audience laughs]

QUESTION: What size is your waist?

JAMES: What size is my waist? 28 (laughs) Next. (laughs, and adds protestingly) I play a
vampire! Seriously, I've been chasing a body type for five years. I weighed 200 pounds
coming from Seattle to LA. I was a monkey man, but I realized in LA the money is in a lot
slenderer thing and then I hooked into a vampire and I realized the only vampires that
have made a lasting mark on the consciousness of people are really thin. Because we are a
metaphor for hunger - psychological and sexual. Todd McIntosh, the makeup artist on
"Buffy", constantly complains of thick vampires so he's very happy with me, but (laughs)
I'm kind of looking forward to gaining some weight.

QUESTION: I want to see if you can answer a long time QUESTION: between me and my friend,
Tyler... you and David in a fight, who is going to win?

JAMES: What? Spike and Angel or James and David?

QUESTION: You and David?

[audience laughs and claps]

JAMES: There's no way to answer that QUESTION: well. (laughs) The one thing I've learned
about fights is that whoever hits hard first wins. Yeah, so it's more a matter of
ruthlessness than it is often, in the dirty world of fighting on the street, it's not
pretty like it is on the show. And it would really depend on who was... more angry or who
had more to loose. Uh, yeah, see, it's hard for me to answer that kind of QUESTION:
lightly because I kind of got away from that kind of life and try to stay away from that
kind of life (laughing) I'm out of jail.

QUESTION: My friend Tyler made me say that and told me to tell you that. Said he loves
you and he said to give you his phone number but you know...

JAMES: (laughs) Rock on, dude.

QUESTION: What is your favorite episode of "Buffy"?

JAMES: My favorite episode of "Buffy"? It would have to be the one where we go back and
meet William. ["Fool for Love"]

[audience cheers loudly in agreement]

Yeah, oh man. I had to do lines like, (in wimpy voice) "Mother's expecting me." (laughs)

I choose that one because I was the most terrified of it. When I got the script, I really
felt like they were just making fun of the character and ripping him down from what they'd
built before which was completely true. I did NOT see the larger picture of what they were
building and I really learned my lesson - that I am not a writer on this show - as much as
I like writing, I leave it to the professionals. And, that was a really, that was a
vulnerable time for me.

Once I found the character of William, I was really convinced that nobody else would
understand him. I wanted so much for the audience to hook into him because really, when
Joss was writing stuff like, 'I know I'm a bad writer, but I'm a good man', that's Joss.
So I wanted to be true to that... I don't know, man. It happened, it happened better than
I thought it would but I was terrified. And in my fifth year, that's a great gift... and,
you know, (sarcastically) the wig was really comfortable. No that wig, guys, that was the
only one in Hollywood that fit my head. That was the artistic choice there. (big laugh)

QUESTION: What is the strangest fan mail or fan encounter you've had?

JAMES: You know, I don't have really weird fan encounters, I have to say. No, really.
"Buffy" fans tend to be pretty sophisticated and they tend to really get it. Like if I'm
on my way to a movie or something, and I'm like 'uh, don't really have time. I'm about to
miss the movie'... totally cool.

I once came out of ... I forget what the movie was... oh yeah, Scorses' last movie,
"Bringing Out the Dead," which is really a surreal kind of weird thing. I went to see it
on Halloween and we went out onto the Promenade, in Santa Monica - the third street
promenade, and all the freaks were out in total regalia, just like the movie... and I
felt like I was in the movie and then I came face to face with a guy in complete Spike
face. And I was still back in Manhattan with Martin Scorses, you know, and that freaked
me out. But he wasn't weird. He had a great coat. Better than mine.

My coat now, I can't... I used to offer my coat if Sarah got cold or something, you know,
like a gentleman. She won't even take it from me now. She's like 'no, there's too much...'
like blood, [slight pause and in a knowing tone says]

KY Jelly

[audience roars and James continues in a laughing, knowing tone]

which we use for makeup, and it's ripped to... it's just ripped crazy from all the fights
and stuff. It's battered man. That coat's on its way out, I'm afraid.

[someone in audience says no] No, they'll buy another one, damn the money. (laughs)

QUESTION: How did the coat end up as Spike's trademark?

JAMES: (laughs) You know, I got a great costume to begin with - and that was it. They
never gave me another one. [James and audience laugh] I didn't quite understand why they
didn't give me... I had the same t-shirt for three years. I had one t-shirt... it was MY
t-shirt that I auditioned in. And I only got new jeans when the buttons were ripping out.
They couldn't film me below the waste one day and the next day I had new jeans. I'm going
to start taking a knife and go... [mimes cutting the buttons off his jeans].

I guess, if it's not broke don't fix it, you know. And I guess having one look kind of
helped solidify the character in the audience's mind, but then when I got on the show and
was on the screen more, I was really arguing to change the look of the character. I kept
saying if we keep him in the same costume, we're communicating to the audience that he's
the same person. That there's nothing more to learn from him, about him. So, I was always
trying to get something new going.

The coat works though. I do love the coat, but I have to tell, it's hard to fight in.
It's really hard to fight in. Steve, the guy who does Stunt Spike - sometimes, ha ha.
(laughs) He's like the most frustrated stunt guy in Hollywood because he never gets to
work. He HATES that coat because he's always the guy getting thrown up against the wall
or doing the really massively cool high-flying kicks - whenever my feet leave the
[ground] and I start kicking around, that ain't me. But if I'm just ground on fighting,
that's me. Yeah, I do one-legged kick combinations but if both legs get off the ground,
that's Steve and he hates that coat. He's gotten tripped up in that coat so many times.
Because we're filming at like 4 AM, in rain and really bad conditions, and that thing
gets tangled a lot. But hey, it's cool, so... (laughs)

QUESTION: ... Amber Benson was up in Toronto last weekend for Toronto Trek.

JAMES: Amber ROCKS!

QUESTION: A lovely person, and she was talking about the film, "Chance" that she did, and
she had some extremely complimentary things to say about you, which I won't go into...

JAMES: Oh, please. (laughing) Actually, tell me...

[audience laughs]

QUESTION: Well, she said you're a fantastic actor and a really good kisser.

JAMES: We had a little bit of fun on that shoot. (laughs)... she's got these lips, you
know.

QUESTION: ... I was wondering if you had any aspirations towards doing a project like
that yourself - writing, directing - doing an indie film like that.

JAMES: Yeah, very much. I actually want to take a page from her. She shot digital and it
helped incredibly with editing and stuff. Yeah, basically she did in film what I used to
do in theater, which is take a really good script and give it less money than it de-des-
it's not working... this microphone. (laughs)

QUESTION: You can use mine.

JAMES: (big laugh) No, that wouldn't help.

Yeah, I'm really kind of learning my lesson with "Macbeth," which is that I'm wanting to
do a project that costs about $8 million and there's no way to do that script justice
with less money than that. And, I'm really thinking that I need to do something where
people dress like this [motions to his own jeans and t-shirt] and drive cars like we're
normal, and you know have buildings in their lives, stuff like that. Very much, I love
producing. I don't know if I'd want to direct a film right now because there's a lot
about film language, visual language I still am learning, but I as far as producing, I
think I could do that actually.

QUESTION: When you're on "Buffy", do you ever wonder what exactly is the most extreme
thing Joss could do?

[audience laughs]

JAMES: It's like, 'What is he going to do this year?' Every year, when Joss comes to
direct an episode, he throws everything up in the air.

Like, he's done an episode where there is no talking. I guess because people around town
told him that his dialogue was the best thing about the show, so he's like, 'Okay, I'll
take it away.'

He did one with no plot because he was told the plots rock, I think. So, he did the dream
episode. He did one with no laughs at all, not one joke, which was the death of the
mother. And then he did the musical.

So my QUESTION: is WHAT is he going to do to us this year... like the backwards episode
where we all have to talk... the standing on our heads episode? I don't know what he's
going to do.

[Someone in audience suggests Buffy on Ice. Big laughs.]

Buffy on Ice? (laughs) See, Sarah would love that. She can skate. It would be b-a-a-a-d
for me. Yeah, actually, that's one thing about working on Buffy. It's very frightening
actually because they do write toward your real person. They really do get to know you
and they start exploring, not only themselves, with the metaphors, but they start
exploring you.

And, like I said to Marti, because, last year was pretty weird. By the end of it, it kind
of messed with my head, frankly. And I was joking with Marti, I said, 'You just cannot
hide around here. You guys just take your pens and pencils and you just come right into
the soul feel like I'm, 'whoa, whoa, why did I tell you that about myself.' (laugh) Yeah,
we're always worried about that. We're not standing around the sink talking about our
feelings for the fiftieth time. I mean, that's the other side of it, that we're always
constantly surprised.

QUESTION: About your band, how come you don't release a CD so we can hear that sexy voice.

JAMES: The CD is forthcoming early September. We're mastering it right now. Where you
keep going, 'oh let's go back and mix it again' Just a little tweaking and stuff like
that. But it's a good album, I've got to say. Buy five!

And I have instructions for one more QUESTION: .

[audience moans no, then chants, sing, sing]

JAMES: One more QUESTION: and a song.

[audience roars]

QUESTION: [sort of a QUESTION: but more of a comment about coming to Austin to perform]

[James is handed a guitar and the audience cheers]

JAMES: This is a song that's not on the album. I wrote it about a girl I was dating at
the time. They are always about a girl (laughs).

[He begins adjusting the strap which has the guitar high up on his waist at first.]

I'm playing like Weezer! (laughs) I usually try to string it real low and sexy... It's
called, "Smile."

[Sings beautifully!... a pretty, touching song. He finishes and the audience claps and
roars loudly!!]

Thank you! Thanks guys, I'm going to make way for the next act. You were great!

The end