I just had an opportunity to visit the Google campus not too long ago. I know bands that have lost interest because of feeling that many of those things have been taken away. Not only do you look like Bowie, but Bowie prepping to transform into Ziggy Stardust, because I noticed those lightning bolts by your eyes. Thats I guess really why I like that quote. Tracking Down is a Stereogum franchise in which we talk to artists who have been out of the spotlight for a minute. Mostly, I just think about discarded leather jackets in a landfill that are no longer in style. Sometimes you have to vote for somebody who is not a perfect expression of your inner self in order to do the right thing for the highest number of people. When Cake formed in 1990, McCrea was. "We are not part of a 'next big thing.' Can you tell me a little bit about that and how all that got started? STEREOGUM: Yeah, definitely. I think it's the closest I'll ever come to feeling like a rock god. Career [ edit] In 1989, after a few years of drawing television and toy tie-ins, he illustrated Ennis's debut, the political series Troubled Souls, in Crisis, as well as its sequel, the farce For a Few Troubles More. So, that is 45% fewer people able to file taxes as musicians, call themselves musicians professionally. But for some reason people get really angry and call us hippies I guess for bringing up those kinds of issues. In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly You know, as long as were talking politics, Id love to know at what point you decided to use CAKE as a platform to raise awareness? I was just thinking about Yemen and Saudi Arabia and all the culpability of the United States in that situation and just how much worse things will probably get and how humans are going to be killed. It will be like that first single of creating a balance between the abyss and hopeful utopia. John McCrae, soldier, physician, poet (born 30 November 1872 in Guelph, ON; died 28 January 1918 in Wimereux, France). We can individually say, Were gonna try to extricate ourselves from this system, but it would be better if we had [unions]. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Did you find more opportunity back home? I know its a busy year. Thats a rather hopeful song with a very unhopeful song on the other side. In a certain respect, would you consider yourselves an anomaly? Cruella will release simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access The gatekeepers of the label, we can go around them now. Interview: Cake's John McCrea - HeadCount Interview: Cake's John McCrea The quirky, sardonic, half-spoken/half-sung vibe of Cake's music extends far beyond their recorded material. We just kind of showed up, there were a lot of people, and they all knew the words. Frankfurt Cancels Roger Waters Concert, Calling Him One Of The Worlds Most Well-Known Antisemites, Nicki Minaj Goes After Megan Thee Stallion On Her New Single Red Ruby Da Sleeze, Cast And Crew Members Describe The Weeknds HBO Show The Idol As Degrading Torture Porn, HBO Responds, The Number Ones: Justin Timberlakes What Goes Around Comes Around, Watch Weezer And The Detroit Youth Choir Blow Away Simon Cowell On Americas Got Talent. Im not disconnected from whats going on. The singer is also funneling his energy into the bands first new music since 2011, beginning with the unambiguous protest anthem Sinking Ship, the profits of which will go to Doctors Without Borders. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. But a lot of people felt betrayed by us as well. I bet you wish you could introduce yourself so well in every project you're in. What made you decide to donate to that particular organization? We are the Dead. Born in Guelph, Ontario, on November 30, 1872, John McCrae was the second son of Lieutenant-Colonel David McCrae and Janet Simpson Eckford McCrae. Disney and Pixar's Luca is a coming of age story that is truly a love letter to real friendships, according to the Director, Enrico Casarosa. He was flying Buccanneers at the start of his career. I think we need to be just straight-out blunt about whats happening. John McCrea, lead singer and songwriter for the alternative rock band Cake, has been talking about a new album for well over a year. It's going to lead somewhere. I think whats really unsettling for me is that for most artists, especially artists that are not pop artists, they cant stop touring. It's on the street, though, where she meets and learns the art of the grift from a pair of boys, Jasper and Horace (played as adults by Joel Fry and Paul Walter Hauser, respectively), who help her land a job in a prestigious department store. Today, we interview John McCrea who had the opportunity to try the . Its like, youre in this van, and you get paid a few hundred bucks. She is also a Freelance Writer. You can live anywhere, start a band, and make a great album anywhere, which is really, something excellent. He's a wonderful director. 26:01 Singer and Guitarist John McCrea of Cake Cake has five albums to their credit. It was crazy, really. --Joel McCrea in 1978 interview. Okay. I think those people mentioned are more idealistic. He is also the author of various short stories, the fantasy comedy novel The Not-So-Grim Reaper, and the co-screenwriter of the drama film, The Lifesaver. He really joins that group of misfits. I think powers coalescing around some big companies have found through ways of distribution methods of monetizing other peoples work. I think that it has worked for us because I still find it interesting and exciting sometimes. Was it over the period of six or seven years since the last CAKE album? The thing that maybe embodies everything were talking about is the tree giveaway and the tree gallery. What items have gotten the most reaction? Now what about Cake fans? We have to put some of our agenda aside in order to do whats best for the group. Who knows what might happen next? If I felt culturally obligated to stay behind a certain boundary or else I would have to wear a different style leather jacket, then I feel that that would be cumbersome, physically. HeadCount provides voter registration assistance on a strictly nonpartisan basis to any U.S. citizen age 18 or over without regard to political affiliation, race, religion, or age. Its more important to me than any of the other issues because you dont get to have any of the other issues if you dont have a working environment and ecosystems. He is a scene stealer, and brought so much to the character, that the director Craig Gillespie asked him to come back and film a bonus scene about a year after filming in London. I thought maybe wed just play new songs and do it that way. Cruella takes the story of 101 Dalmatians and turns it into a music and fashion extravaganza, thriving in its setting of the 1970s London punk rock scene. HeadCount: I appreciate you taking the time today. I felt like it was okay, because I dont have a big ideological thing about using music in movies and ads unless it fundamentally changes the meaning of the song. John McCrea stars as Artie in Disneys Cruella and in this interview we talk about the music, the sets, and the bonus scene he filmed. I know high school is hard for people. John McCrea is an English actor, musician, internet phenomenon, and media figure. The culture that usually surrounds me, Ive always found it very vain, narcissistic, and immature. I think theres a sense at least of shared aesthetic. Whatever the reason, I think partially we were allowed to survive because we are outsiders. Lovecraft. I think thats amazing. Don't forget to subscribe and thanks for watching We never have been part of a big movement, cultural phenomenon, or explosion. To me, we can argue about gay marriage a lot, but we dont even get to do that unless we have clean air and water. This terrific cover brought to mind a classic Jay Ward character "Super Chicken" who was featured on the "George Of The Jungle" Show. He had a sister, Geills, and a brother, Tom. "Interview with Uncle Billy McCrea, Jasper, Texas, 1940 (Part 1 of . The 2020 "Dracula" BBC miniseries that you did with Claes Bang really breathed new life into the character. For 11 months I failed miserably, averaging 3 days a month as an extra at $7.50 a day.". John McCrae as Artie in Disneys live-action CRUELLA. I dont feel like its hopeless completely, but it could be very easily. . John McCrea Interview Everybody's Talking About Jamie Subscribe to Red Carpet News: http://bit.ly/1s3BQ54Red Carpet News TV talk to Bryan Cranston, Andrew Scott, Victoria Hamilton, John McCrea, Dominic Cooke, Sheila Atim and Dan Gillespie Sells at the Critics Circle Theatre Awards 2018 in London. Obviously you were part of that project, but if you had the opportunity, is there any other horror character, like a Frankenstein, Mummy or whomever, that you would like to explore? Weve never done a TV ad, you know, for a product. I think you look a lot like David Bowie when Estella first meets Artie. "So there was considerable pressure, and every time I sent in a design or a page of a story, I waited with creeping terror for the email that confirmed, yes, I did suck, and I was fired! Yeah, I was so lucky. I think for that reason it spurred me into action after a period of not feeling particularly compelled to put out recorded music. There are some people that think its terribly hippy just to be concerned about toxins in your drinking water. Yeah, exactly. Not really. Featuring exclusive content and interviews for Game Of Thrones, Sherlock, Marvel, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Downton Abbey, Doctor Who and so much more. STEREOGUM: As a band that got its start pre-internet, how else do you see technology as beneficial to the music industry? I would have gone in a hundred times more if they asked., John never imagined he would be joining the Disney family, especially as part of Cruellas crew, but he is so glad to have become part of that history, for ever and ever. Just to have anybody remember you that long is pretty amazing. And especially the Deadhead type, or hippy sort of people that have checked out, really should be the most engaged and should be the most concerned about political issues because maybe their views run more counter to the mainstream. I went in and I auditioned like everybody else. PopMatters talked with John McCrea, the main song-writer and creative force behind Cake, discussing self-reliance in the music industry, satirical song-writing, and the "petulant, bulbous . But then, a couple of weeks after, you'll just be walking down the street or making a cup of tea and you'll be like, "Wait a minute. You definitely feel that. Doctors Without Borders is just such an amazing organization, so much bravery. I think the chaps name was John McRea. In this exclusive interview with Looper to discuss "Cruella," McCrea shares his thoughts about Stone, co-star Mark Strong and director Craig Gillespie, reflects on his "rock god" moment in the film, and reveals how he'd like to parlay his appearance in a recent vampire miniseries into a role in a dream remake of an '80s horror movie classic. If there is anything in your way then you have to get rid of that. John A. Lomax: Toting salt? McCrea is descended from a prominent British family. Let's start at the beginning. An ideological struggle is about leaving your mother out in the street or something, but this is a luxury product, and I dont see the point about getting really super upset about something like that. Then three years later, we release another album, play the same festivals, and it would be a totally different group of faces. Thats a tall order for people that are busy indulging in the emotional duplicity of music. I just know that this isnt something you always did with the band. The band includes trumpeter Vincent DiFiore, bassist Gabriel Nelson, and guitarist Xan McCurdy. Its like a stealth way to influence peoples attitudes. Well, I found cheaper rent when I came home. We really feel grateful that there were still enough people who think its not foolish to buy an album and support us. Yeah, totally, and not just from that core group of people, but from everybody. He was nominated for a Olivier Award for the role Jamie New in the coming-of-age stage musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie , [1] and portrayed Artie in the 2021 Disney crime comedy-drama Cruella . How do you use the time during the day to incorporate all the things that you are active in and include music? Cheap rent. And the Republicans are bringing back the Styrofoam cup and dont want recycled stuff. It was just that one audition. STEREOGUM: Right. Ive got dozens of songs going at once. The most important stories and least important memes, every Friday. Thats right, but there is also good music thrown away because people wear a different kind of pants. Jane McCrea was a Loyalist who was killed and scalped during the American Revolution on the way to meet her fianc in a British camp. Interest was piqued when British stage actor John McCrea was cast in the film in the role of Artie, the owner of a vintage stop who befriends Stone's Estella. The idea is that as years pass people will send in more photographs as the trees get bigger and they get older, and we can watch them slowly die, and watch the trees get bigger. "When I was growing up, the great EC horror titles were long gone, but I would find them in reprints or anthologies. STEREOGUM: Cool. In terms of the world we're in, obviously we never mentioned him, but I like to believe that maybe, on some level, if he didn't exist, Artie was on the same sort of spiritual journey. Speaking of talking about something, the conversation of Everybody's Talking About Jamie arose as the film adaptation of the West End musical is coming to Amazon Prime in October. In a previous interview with CBR, Langford revealed "Shingo" was originally pitched by him and Dini for the Creepshow television show, but it ended up finding a home in the comics. Its not a gritty sort of subversive thing its actually a sort of coddled pudgy thing. I dont know if theres shared values because there are people all over the map. You know we had never done a big TV ad before in our entire 18, 19 years of being a band. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Theatre 4 Filmography 4.1 Film 4.2 Television 5 Awards and nominations 6 Personal life Is that actually your voice that we're hearing doing that? No, not really, Im not an idealist. I tend to stay away from the horror genre. He rose to fame for his appearance as a gay in the Disney Live-action movie named 'Cruella', which released on May 28, 2021. At one point, you're rocking out on stage at a Cruella fashion show. It is a brilliant script, isn't it? I never felt so much like I was visiting Ancient Rome during the height of their power. . Did he teach you anything about yourself as a performer? The way I write, I work on a song, and I dont really force myself to finish it. Slowly a reaction against sentimental, patriotic, and derivative Victorian verse set in. Artie is very much a part of Cruella's life now. Well, anything that we post about politics directly gets people very angry. McCrea is excited to see a film based on the stage version that he originated because it will then be viewed by the masses. His mother is a homemaker, while his father is a military commander. Every three years, there is a new group of important bands mostly. Author: headcount.org Published Date: 08/05/2022 Review: 4.72 (231 vote) Summary: You'll also find it on the Web, where the band constantly engages its fans with advice, links to news stories, and sometimes heated discussion. It is one of those [moments that] when you're in it, you're not thinking about the fact that it's Emma Stone, because she really is so transformative as an actress. At the same time, literally the whole thing could be flushed down the toilet. Its mostly just made things more smoother in terms of announcing shows and things like that. Everybody in the supply chain gets paid except for the artist. Yeah, totally. Yeah, we noticed at the time concert-goers seemed to be politically inclined, but also somewhat disaffected. STEREOGUM: Yeah, I identify as a liberal, but Ill be the first to say that I think its way too easy for liberals to get caught up in rhetoric and fail to see the bigger picture. It is hard for me to understand where we fit in. In a recent interview, lead singer John McCrea discusses the current state of music with the Internet, the benefit of a band to have cheap rent, and that the anomaly of Cake's continued. I think as things have become more of an emergency, Ive realized that that was a luxury that I dont feel like we can afford anymore. It is strange to me when were traveling in a country like Turkey that people are singing along to Stickshifts and Safetybelts. That was really bizarre. We thought it wouldnt take that much effort to get this kind of community engaged. I just dont know when they became marginalized into political issues at all. Theyre Wall Street. One of the freshest faces in the new Cruella de Vil origin story "Cruella" is actor John McCrea, who plays Artie, an independent fashion store owner who helps kick off Estella's (Emma Stone) transformation into the legendary villain fans first met in Disney's "101 Dalmatians" films. If you are paying a bunch of rent for a nice apartment, live in a shitty apartment. It used to be impossible. I guess that is a good thing, to be busy. I was thinking people have to, first of all, disassociate themselves in a sort of way from "101 Dalmatians," but there are certainly elements of it in "Cruella." How The Gift of Fear Inspired Barbarian, 5 Most Memorable Rick Grimes Moments (The Walking Dead), Ben 10 vs. the Universe: The Movie Coming To DVD. . I had a lot of freedom, but I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised with how this is done. STEREOGUM: Yeah, and Sinking Ship has a real evergreen quality, thematically speaking. Comic book artist John McCrea has officially launched a Kickstarter campaign for The Mighty World of McCrea, a collection of creator-owned work spanning the Belfast-born artist's 32-year career. Forming in 1991, the band crafted a sound that fused an array of genres as diverse as rock, folk, and elements of hip-hop and spoken word, with dynamic horn parts. MCCREA: Oh, yeah. Check out our other video for more exclusive theatre interviews, thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe. McCrea studied English and anthropology at State University of Sacramento . Theres sleep deprivation. And I guess it occurred to me that everyone should have some sort of experience that does that. Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. Though the single sounds inspired by our current polarized landscape, McCrea reveals that hed actually been sitting on Sinking Ship for more than a decade. So, cheap rent is an amazing gift for musicians that are trying to make a living at their craft. Interview: John McCrea of Cake. His birthday falls under the Libra zodiac sign. John A. Lomax: Yeah. This week on The Show On The Road, a rare career-spanning interview with the ever-curious frontman, activist, and rock hitmaker John McCrea, who founded Cake, one of the most beloved and yet misunderstood bands of our time in Sacramento in 1992. What has passed for gritty rebellion is really just like fucking foam on a cappuccino. You know whats always bothered me? I think in a lot of her reference images, I'm sure Bowie popped up quite a bit. LISTEN: APPLE PODCASTS SPOTIFY STITCHER One of the things that keeps me interested in music is that I dont feel obligated just to listen to one genre. In Flanders Fields, one of history's most famous wartime poems, written in 1915 during the First World War by Canadian officer and surgeon John McCrae. Check out our other video for more exclusive theatre interviews, thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe. We are not part of a next big thing. Yeah. Qualification: High School Graduated John McCrea Career. For instance, Sinking Ship I wrote probably 10 or 15 years ago. Profession: Actor Known For: Giri/Haji (2019), God's Own Country (2017) and Dracula (2020) Net Worth: USD $1 Million approx Family & Relatives. In a series of interviews and re-publications, we venture into the past to see where this exciting virtual reality ride began. I would like stuff like that to leak out off the website, into the office, the water cooler dialogue. But what about Craig Gillespie? That didnt answer your question. We need to create institutions of organized labor. Yeah, I think there is a certain amount of self-loathing in our culture. Now that "Cruella" has been released, McCrea has his eyes set, long term, on a dream remake of another classic vampire thriller. I guess its incendiary and its sort of partisan, but it was also factual so we felt like it was okay. Thats the way I preserve my happiness in writing: by doing it because I want to do it, not because Im trying to finish a job. What part do those films play in your personal history? Let The Roundup Begin: The Month In Hardcore, The Number Ones: Mims This Is Why Im Hot, Weve Got A File On You: Marshall Crenshaw, The 10 Best Flaming Lips Songs (That Even Flaming Lips Fans Might Not Know), Cast And Crew Members Describe The Weeknds HBO Show, Watch Weezer And The Detroit Youth Choir Blow Away Simon Cowell On. E.J. You've got to be hoping that Artie is going to come back with a sequel. She befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets. Not your music, but clearly your actions, seem almost punk rock in your desire to maintain your own control over how it sounds and the videos look. We never have been part of a big movement, cultural phenomenon, or explosion. She was just such a joy to work with. Stop by the HeadCount table at Cake shows throughout the United States this year. Yeah, I find that there are audiences that are more or less encumbered, sometimes, by self-consciousness at a live music show. Ive never felt so much positive possibility as I do now. The band has recorded in a solar-powered recording studio since 2011, and McCrea serves on the board of directors for HeadCount, a non-partisan organization that works with musicians to promote participation in democracy. Do Cake fans kind of fit into what youre describing, or do you think its a different sort of community? John McCrea (born October 10, 1992). Its true of all workers right now. The reason why its a good thing is hard to pin down. Im feeling that way myself. John McCrea (born 10 October 1992) is a British actor and singer. First off, how familiar are you with HeadCount? MCCREA: I think I resisted it for a long time, just because I thought music can subliminally get through to people who may overtly disagree with you. MCCREA: Well, the B-side or the A-side I dont know which side is which of the vinyl single Sinking Ship, we do a cover of the old Age Of Aquarius song from the early 70s. It's not like you're sitting down and taking notes during the production, nothing like that, but certainly you absorb things. McCrea added that his father made him a deal: "My father had given me 12 months in which to prove myself in pictures. At a certain point, musicians, journalists as well, probably need to find a way to aggregate power. Right? Make sure that your music is still something that you like. The story is a while ago when I was a struggling musician in Sacramento, California I bought a tree for about seven dollars at a sale a garage sale or something and planted it in the median between my apartment building and the street. Knowing that the Power Cosmic would still reside in the Fallen One's body, Thanos had the corpse brought to the Dwarves of the Asgardian realm of Nidavellir, the greatest .