Alan Gary has been involved in music, films, TV and all sorts of other media outlets in New York. He has written music for various musicians, acted in films such as Men in Black and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and TV shows such as Ed. We managed to catch up with Alan and ask him all about his many adventures.
1. What is it like to hear other musicians playing the songs you created?
Awesome. I experience the excitement vicariously through excellent musicians playing my music.
2. Does it ever get annoying seeing other musicians effectively take credit playing the songs you created? ?
No. not really. Although I feel frustrated when artists cover my songs in concert, receive an enthusiastic response, then fail to record my tune(s) as part of their package in effort to receive a recording contract. The band or artist generally argue they wish to pitch or record their own original material (even if my songs are stronger.)
3. Do you ever plan on writing and releasing your own album?
No. But I believe most songwriters harbor a secret yearning to be able to deliver a quality album of their own tracks. My strength lay in realizing my weaknesses. The performer side of me would LOVE to record and sing on stage. For now, my songs are best done by those with far more talent.
4. Do you get a chance to perform your own music often?
Not at all. A great deal of my catalogue is arranged for RnB/Dance artists, Rock bands, Jazz singers and others range and style I would fail to achieve. I enjoy singing pop tunes and ballads, mostly in the car by myself for pleasure or when working on a song I am writing, especially, with a collaborator. In the studio, I am able to express vocal arrangements to the extraordinary singers I work with.
5. You've acted in a lot of high profile movies as background characters. Does it ever feel like the major actors are stealing all the fame from you?
Absolutely. But my job when working background is to make the landscape come alive. The better I do this the greater the opportunities become to move on to larger roles. Those in charge see I have done my job well. My relationships with Directors and their assistants (tomorrow's directors) in movies and television have been blossoming. They know I listen well, understand how to take instruction and show up on time.
6. Are there any new movies coming up in which you will be acting in?
Yes. There always seems to be something. Fortunately. Whether it is a new network television show, feature or independent film or tv commercial. I recently completed a role as a Portuguese Soccer Player in the Steven Spielberg remake of HG Wells' War Of The Worlds. Tom Cruise stars. I was featured in many of the shots in the opening scene with him. Time will tell if I am cut. That happens often to many actors (at all levels.) The release date is July, 2005. Working with Spielberg and Cruise plus fellow actors, many of whom I have acted alongside in episodic tv such as NBC's Law And Order, has been a highlight of my career so far. And the most challenging, physically, too! What with, running full speed ahead through smoke, fires burning all around, periods of freezing rain and constant loud explosions. It was great fun. Even with a case of bronchitis. Well, that was not fun. On the television front, coming up in January, 2005, I have a featured role (more like a brief cameo), in a new series called Johnny Zero. It premieres on Fox Television Network. I play the Sleazy Flyer Guy, handing out cards to a strip club in New York City. Quite a departure from the physicality of the War Of The Worlds movie. Being an actor gives you the opportunity to explore personality types covering the spectrum of human experience.
7. What was it like working with Kevin Smith on his final Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back movie?
I felt like a big fish in a small pond. Around the same time, I had been cast in the role of a 1940s Classmate of Russell Crowe in Beautiful Mind. The part offered a nice salary, some potentially good screen-time and an opportunity to work closely with Director Ron Howard in a likely academy award winning film. I ended up having to make a choice. Either cut my hair, which I have been growing for nearly a decade, since this was a period piece flick or pass on this part. I chose to keep my hair intact. Fortune had it that I was re-cast as a 1970s student (in a scene however, which later got cut.) I had no time to feel bummed as I quickly went to work on Kevin Smith's pinnacle ode to slackers, Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back. I am the first one seen in the movie, as Hippie Number 1. The opening, In a galaxy Far, far away, Leonardo, New Jersey, 1970s. My long hair and I, immortalized in the sequel to Clerks. So, I worked on both movies. If I had cut my hair, I could have done the 1940s scenes in Beautiful Mind but I still would have remained a small fish in a big pond.
8. How does acting in movies compare to acting on tv shows?
Television can be a more personal and fun ensemble type of performance. Movies are often longer, hurry up and wait type of vehicles. You can get swallowed up in its largeness. That said, movies offering rewarding roles can be magical. Especially when you are part of the action. With each acting adventure, I am convinced, in heart and soul, I have chosen the right career. Working on War Of The Worlds reinforced my belief again. Wait 'till you see the fireworks!!!