All credit to me, Michaela, for watching the interview again and writing down the things that they said.
Rove: Okay my next guest is best known as Spike from the TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, here’s him at his scary best. (Show’s footage from season 5 Buffy I think with Spike and Buffy)
The world’s sexiest vampire James Marsters!
James walks on stage casually looking sexy with a black tee shirt and jeans. He then tuns onto the stage, waves to audience, shakes Rove’s hand and hug.
James: Oh! (Notices a glass bowl of beans on the table in front of him)
Rove: Their beans! (Points to beans)
James: Oh yeah, I’m a sugar addict so I’m gonna stuff my face right in there. I better stay away from that.
Rove: By all means.
(As they are about to sit down on the chairs) James: You expecting Ronald Regan? (Sits down) Whoa, whoa I’m a good boy…
Rove: So, how you going?
James: I’m going good. And what does that mean?
Rove: “How are you going?”
James: Yeah, man.
Rove: How are you doing.
James: Like, exactly! I’m used to “How you doin’?” How you doin’?” How’re going? I’m gone. (laughs)
Rove: How’re going? Uh I’m walking right now…(laughs)
Now, do you,..I’ve noticed obviously you’ve got the-
James: I’m so nervous by the way.
Rove: Why are you nervous!?
James: Well because-
Rove: You’re a big-time Hollywood superstar!
(James makes a yeah-right sound “pfft”, towards the audience and smiles)
James: Yeah, yeah but I’m in Australia now and that don’t cut it.(laughs) No I ah yeah, I watched your show and you have the coolest show, man. Like ah..
Rove: I like you already.
James: (laughs then mumbles sort of F*** off) I uh, uh, I’m gonna shut up, I’m kissing your ass. No, I watched your show, and you got a very funny show and your more funny that Letterman. (Audience does the “oooh” thing and James looks out to the audience like “uh huh, yep”) You know! David’s not gonna have me on now, so I’m already past it now.
Rove: So how’s life for you post-Buffy? Post-Angel?
James: It’s so good.
Rove: Is it?
James: Yeah, uh the thing is I kind of forget people watched the show, both Buffy and Angel. I had a lot of fun making the show and I cam from theatre where the only people that are watching you are right there and I kind of forgot that anyone else was watching and so I’m going out in Hollywood meeting people and.. head of century 20th Fox (waves hands about and uses funny voice).. and (laughs) and there all like ‘we love your show, we love you, come into the family’ and it’s this really beautiful time in my life and so I’m sitting back and accepting all this love…
Rove: Do you find it that you can blend in more without the bleached hair?
James: (laughs) A little bit, a little bit, uh, I dunno man, I think I wear my face in a way on the street, I got it in New York and it’s kinda like ‘hi’ (makes Spike sort of face). Yeah, and (laughs)
Rove: Now-
James: And all it is, is that I’m like afraid your gonna attack me (laughs) you know so people get the Spike face too much.
Rove: Oh well-
James: And, and the hair doesn’t really matter, so what I find is if I stay in one place, people really get me. But if I keep moving…I’m ok.
Rove: Now I’ve noticed here, on your right arm you’ve got a little patch, little nicotine patch.
James: (pulls sleeve up) yeah baby!
(At the same time they both say)
James: Two!
Rove: Two!
James: Two, baby! Yeah!
Rove: You’re like Krusty the Clown when his whole body was covered with them! Now, I know you’re had trouble ‘cause you’ve tried to quit in the past and you had, like, nude scenes you had to do in Buffy, and there’s nowhere to put a patch.
(James is nodding head and grinning)
James: Yeah that’s right, and that is the time you need that patch. (laughs)
Rove: Yes indeed.
James: Because I, I wear the – (little sigh). If I don’t have the patch on I become a complete asshole. I really do, I start to pick fights.
(Both James and Rove laugh)
Rove: Really, you do that?
James: Yeah, I’m drastically immature.
Rove: Wow.
James: ‘Who you-, you talking to me?’ You know. ‘No I didn’t notice you… before.’
(Uses funny voice there) Umm, uh, so there were many times going to the set of Buffy, I was trying to quit smoking and I was arguing with the steering wheel, man. And I’d be like, “get some cigarettes bro!” (Touches his right arm) So yeah.. I’ve been on the patch for five years. (laughs) And I have no intention of quitting.
(Rove laughs)
Rove: And how’s that going for you?
James: So good!
Rove: Really?!
James: Yeah! What I’m here to- (James stops and realizes Rove has just used the “how you going?” joke again, he laughs.) You’re good. What I’m here to say, any body here who’s smoking cigarettes, here, just get on the patch! (Looks to audience, touches right arm again) Because a cigarette will make you nauseous, and then jittery, because you get too much nicotine and then too little. (Uses hand gestures to help him explain it all)
Rove: Right.
James: But the patch just, you know, (levels hand off), makes it easy.
Rove: It’s sweet. (laughs) Now another thing I know you’re addicted to, like myself, is Pez. You collect Pez dispensers.
James: Oh god yeah, yeah. (laughs)
Rove: How cool are we?
James: (laughs in a wicked way) No, I gotta say- (stops and looks over at that glass bowl of beans again) I want that candy, man.
Rove: Now, have you got the entire set; I believe you have a few missing ones?
James: Man, I got..uh, I have every Pez dispenser you could name because I told my fans I like Pez so I get a lot of Pez but interestingly enough I got to Australia and no one gave me Pez..(Does this hand flick thing)
Rove: That’s not right.
James: No, it really is! It’s cool. It’s very cool.
Rove: Why? You need Pez.
James: No, I got all this homemade candy, I did! And I’m like, there’s jars of this stuff and I’m like, (uses good Aussie accent here), “What part of the dingo did that come from?” (laughs) But yeah you taste it and it’s pretty good.
Rove: Now tell me, is there going to be – or, I have heard that, there’s going to be more Spike in the future. That there’s possibly another project involving Spike, tell us about this.
James: Yeah I hope so. Joss, it was interesting, Joss came up to me at the end of Angel.
Rove: The creator of Buffy.
James: Yes, Joss Whedon, who wrote and uh along with David Greenwalt, developed both of Buffy and Angel, together. Umm, and it was weird because I was doing some, just basic work for the show, voice over stuff and filling in bits, and he came up to me and he’s like “Man, I really like your work and I’m hoping that your still interested” – And man he’s kissing my butt! And I’m like, “What are you doing Joss?” And I told him, I said, “Joss stop it. Three lines, fifty lines, lead role, whatever you want man, call me because frankly you’re one of the best writers I’ve ever worked with”. And uh and he said that he wanted to do a Spike movie, a TV movie. But it’s also contingent upon other characters. He wants to do four TV movies (counts on his hand), one of them is Spike. So, uh, I said ‘ yes’ immediately, “I’m your bitch” (throws hands up in the air, laughs). But, I’m not sure if the others have signed off on it. So it may or may not happen, not because I didn’t sign off on it, but it may not sell off as a single project.
Rove: Well, we’ll see and we look forward to seeing some more of you in the future, and it was an absolute pleasure talking to you tonight. James Marsters, ladies and gentlemen!
James: It was really cool to meet you.
(Rove and James shake hands, good handshake)
