Corey Feldman – Interview [2003]

It’s been a few years, well four, since we last caught up to Corey Feldman. The first time was a fun, but the second put the cherry on top. Corey is on a new hit show The Surreal Life and has released a solo album, Former Child Actor, and is currently working on a movie with David Spade. He won’t call it a come back, so let me do it for him…

How is life these days?

Life is good. I’m married and have a beautiful wife; I’ve got nothing to complain about. (Laughs)

I heard you had an audition for something yesterday.

I was actually meeting with Fox pitching some new shows. I’m in the development phase and wanted to get something started.

The new album is a huge change from the first.

It’s because its two different bands.

Ah.

Yeah. One is Truth Movement, which is more trippy rock, and the solo stuff is more modern and what you’d hear on the radio now.

So is Truth Movement still something you are working on?

Actually we’re planning a new album right now. We’re writing for that and hope to have it out in 2004. I’m doing a re-release of Former Child Actor with some bonus tracks, which comes in the next few months. Then we are going to tour this summer and then put out Truth Movement.

I also know you are starting your own record label.

Yeah, I’m not sure if the next Truth Movement record will be on my label yet or not. My re-release of Former Child Actor will be on my label.

Will you be actively signing artists?

I’m going to see if we make any money on my album and if we do then I’ll move forward and do something with other artists. That is my goal. I’d love to help struggling musicians.

What’s a harder industry to be involved with; film or music?

I think it’s all hard. It’s business and any business is difficult. There isn’t a lot of loyalty these days, you see it everyday with people being laid off. It happens all around you and the only difference with the entertainment industry is that you have the ability to make ten million dollars quick.

Did you know going into the Surreal Life that you’d have a chance to perform one of your songs?

No, that was spur of the moment. I didn’t know what to do. I could have run around with a costume on and did a stupid skit and embarrass myself. So I figured I’d do something I’ve done a million times before. The problem was that the guy who played the piano wasn’t my keyboard player and he never heard the song before until that day. So when we went out to play he did it at about a quarter of the speed of the real song so it sounded mildly retarded on the show. (Laughs)

When did they pitch the show to you?

About nine months ago. When they came to me with the idea, Mark Cronin who is one of the executive producers approached me, it didn’t sound enticing and I turned it down three times. Then when I found out it was going to be on prime time WB, he gave me a list of names, and then I said lets give it a shot. It’s more of a science experiment more than anything and I’d be the guy in the background, well that didn’t work out to well. (We both laugh)

I know, you seem to always be in the foreground. What do you think of the editing of it?

It’s probably pretty obvious to most people that it’s not in context to anything. Its done way out of context and it makes me look like a schmuck. But that is okay. It’s comedy right? I don’t think anyone is taking it to seriously. And I think most people know it’s contrived. As long as people realize its just entertainment it’s okay. (Laughs)

Did you hope by going on the show that you’d get back into the national consciousness?

I don’t really see myself being out of the public eye. Actually last year was my busiest year since 1995. With my album out, with the tour, and a few television projects and film projects I’ve been all over the place. I don’t think I’ve been lacking really. So for me it was a good tool to help sell the album by promoting it on television. I was hoping to make some new fans with the WB kids. They have a lot of young viewers and in case they are only familiar with Goonies it gives them a chance to get reacquainted with me.

Was the cast list you were given the same as the cast that ended up finally on the show?

Well it was full of surprises. Everything seemed to be always changing. The part that the audience doesn’t see is when the producer comes onto the set and whispers into your ear and messes your whole world up.

The one thing that struck me was the Survivor chick being on the show. She isn’t a celeb to me.

None of us really knew who she was, except for Hammer. It didn’t make sense to me, but the way it ended up we all became friends. When you look at it now it wouldn’t have worked with anyone else. Everyone brings something to the table and there ended up being a great chemistry. Obviously it’s working because it’s the number one rated show on the network.

Were there any surprises by the cast members? Like Hammer seems larger than life and of course everyone thinks Vince Neal and being wild and crazy.

I was really surprised by Vince. I thought he was really cool until I started to see some of the footage. I thought he was a really nice guy, but after I saw the first couple shows I realized it was a big façade. I thought he was going to be this drugged out rocker dude, but he was really down to earth guy. He was totally cool. You’ll see even more true colors as the episodes go on. Vince did talk some shit about me doing my own song.

It reminded me of Survivor on how they edited it.

You can tell when things are taken out of context. Like if I say “Vince is an asshole” then Vince is an asshole, but if I say, “that guy is an asshole” then it could be about any guy. You know? Those are the things to look for.

You went on your honeymoon right after the filming right?

Yeah, we went to Bora Bora. It was amazing.

Was your wife skeptical about it being about the moment or for the show?

The whole thing about taking things out of context and misconstrued is about the wedding. They give you the impression that it was all my idea and I was like ‘hey lets get married on TV’. That’s not how it went at all. The group was sitting around talking one day and someone made a joke that I should get married on TV. I thought it would be funny and then the next thing you know the producers come out from behind the wall and ask me what I thought. I thought about it and told them I had to talk it out. So it took like two days, but they edited it so it looked like it took thirty seconds.

Do you think it’ll ever be more excepted where actors and or singers can do the other?

I don’t know. It’s a weird phenomenon. We’ll accept female actresses to transcend, but not a male. J. Lo can do it. Look at Cher or Madonna. Women are successful doing both, but if a guy does it he is laughed at. I’m not sure what it is in society that does that.

Back in the day it was a prerequisite that you had to be able to something more than act, like Bing Crosby could sing so they let him act.

You are exactly right.

Then you can be an actor alone and not have to have another skill. Now rappers are getting into both and its okay.

I know. LL Cool J., Busta Rhymes, Eminem and Snoop Dogg. Ice-T too.

If you go from acting to music like Russell Crowe or Bruce Willis they are seen as a joke. Howard Stern cracks on those guys all the time.

It’s very strange. I think eventually it’ll come around. Like you said in the beginning of film industry you had to have more skills than acting or you wouldn’t be cast. I think the tide will turn. Who knows, maybe I’ll be a pioneer for a new era, (Laughs) if I’m lucky enough.

Does creative mean creative in the sense that you are creative in more than just one thing?

Yeah. I don’t know why people have to categorize and put things into boxes. That is what Former Child Actor is about, labels. It’s unfortunate that there is such a negative pulse in America right now. People have to put each other in a box and put a stamp on them. People want everything to be in that box and I don’t even know how to be in that box, I think outside of the box. So for me I will do everything that creatively I’m inspired to do, that is what an artist truly is. If I have something burning inside of me I’m going to make it happen. The bottom line is to be an artist you must create what is inside of you and make it happen. If someone tries to take you away from that then they are trying to stifle your creativity.

Do you like the title artist? Is it better than being called an actor?

I’m not really about titles.

I wonder because I don’t like the title journalist because that is just a tiny part of what I do, but also because there is a very negative connotation with that word as well.

Artist is a nice word and it does put everything nicely into a generic label, a better word than most like has-been, loser, or wanna-be. (We both laugh) Ever since Prince used it for his named it ruined it for me. (Laughs)

I get that because I feel it too, I avoid calling myself a journalist because people think they can’t trust me or I’m a bad guy.

I know and if I call myself an artist I’m self-centered and egotistical.

Do you find that you just get bored doing the same things?

The music is a second nature. I have no control over why or when I do it. It’s an impulse creatively that comes out of me. If I feel something I write it. If something is blowing up inside of me I just do it. Whether I have a record deal or whatever it’s all secondary. I don’t write music because I have an agenda. That is where it is different than the film industry because that industry is about politics and striking while the iron is hot. With music it’s totally different. I’ll think of a good melody one day and jot it down. I just write words I want to talk about and just get it out of my head and if I don’t, I’ll lose it. I have to get it down before it’s gone and that is the drive and desire I have. I guess a lot of people don’t realize that. That is when you open yourself up to criticism where people think you are just trying to be a rockstar or something. I saw this thing on VH1 and other actors and actresses who have tried to do music for the years. They come up with a million reasons why these people are doing it like for ‘vanity’ or ‘ego’ and coincidentally I was the only one they said was doing it for the right reasons. It was cool, but I take it with a grain of salt because that is only one out of five thousand places that won’t bash me. I know something else will come along and they next five hundred people will bash me.

Speaking of that, I was talking to [your publicist] and she said you thought we bashed you before and I was like ‘no way, it went great and we supported him all the way’.

I know, that was my mistake and I was reading something else and thought it was you guys and it wasn’t. But in the past I’ve done so many interviews where someone will take my quote and take it out of context or change their question to make me look like a moron. I don’t do interviews with those people again.

That’s why we do transcripts because we don’t want to take things out of context.

Great. I love doing interviews where every word is printed so readers know everything I said. But sometimes they’ll ask me and print my answer, but retype the question and is designed to make you look stupid.

Well I made sure I clarified that before we spoke because I didn’t want you to think I was going in with ulterior motives or agenda.

Right. I know exactly what you mean. I’m glad you said something because I looked at the interview yesterday and I can tell how I screwed it up because it’s linked up with a bunch of terrible interviews. I wanted to research it and on each side of our interview was links to two of the worst interviews I’ve ever done.

I didn’t want the defensive Corey Feldman. (Laughs) Sometimes I do interviews where I really find people who are guarded because they think I’m out to screw them over or something. It makes my job tough.

It’s very refreshing to talk to you. I told [my publicist] that I didn’t want to do anymore journalistic interviews because it’s the worst. I’d rather do TV or radio because even though they can edit them, people can tell its been cut and edited. But when it’s written it’s really hard to tell.

Personally I’m tired of journalist interviews myself, but the problem is I love doing them. So I often wonder why people are writers and what motivates them because I love doing it and I’ll read an interview someone has done with the same artist even in a national magazine and they get nothing out of them or a bad vibe.

Right. I wonder why they don’t just bash people in their private time instead of bring the person into it. Because it’s like being a five year old kid on the playground making a mockery out of someone in front of everyone. If you have a personal issue with someone take it to them, not to everyone else. Don’t make someone feel you are befriending them and then take five lines of what they say after they’ve given you their entire life story…

…and make them look bad. It’s a kick in the balls for the artist and for the journalist that has to interview them next.

That must suck for you because you are trying to do an honest interview and you get caught up in this bullshit.

It happens a lot. Well I can totally see why you feel like you have to watch your back.

And I do.

It’s unfortunate because you’d be surprised just how down to earth and endearing Corey can be. We continued to talk more about hooking up to expand upon this interview in the future. I look forward to spending some more time with him because dime for dollar Corey is one of the easiest individuals to talk to and a if a writer can’t find something to talk about with him then they need a new line of work.

+ charlie craine