Live From Studio 1A: Mike Myers Q and A
Posted: Thursday, May 10, 2007 10:00 AM by Dan Fleschner
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Live from Studio 1A
Mike Myers, the "Saturday Night Live" alum who has given us such classic comedy characters as Austin Powers, Dr. Evil and Wayne Campbell, stopped by to talk to Matt this morning about his upcoming movie, Shrek the Third, which comes out May 18. WATCH VIDEO
A few minutes before Mike visited with Matt, he chatted with me. Here are the highlights from our conversation:
Q: One of the big news stories this week was Queen Elizabeth II's visit to the U.S. You're Canadian but you also have a British passport. Were you excited about her visit?
Mike Myers: When I see her I get very excited and emotional. When I went to see the movie The Queen, I watched with great interest, because I wanted to make sure that she was well represented, which she was.
In Canada, she's everywhere -- on our money, in every hockey rink. My brother used to sing, "God Save the Queen."
Q: If you were to meet her, what would you say?
MM: I would ask her what it takes to become a "Sir."
Q: Do you think you have a shot?
MM: Does the expression "locked up" mean anything to you?
Q: If you could hang out with any of the many characters you've created, which would it be?
MM: Dr. Evil. He's got a private army and a lair made from a hollowed-out volcano.
Q: What would you do with him?
MM: Jenga.
Q: Your beloved Toronto Maple Leafs narrowly missed the Stanley Cup playoffs this year. Are you still following the NHL playoffs?
MM: It's really hard, but as far as the Leafs go -- I wonder why I always get depressed in May, when everyone else is getting excited about spring and energized. Might have something to do with the fact that it's been since 1967 that we last won the Stanley Cup.
Q: One of your upcoming projects is See Me Feel Me: Keith Moon Naked for Your Pleasure, a biopic of the former drummer of The Who. If someone had told you when you were a kid that you'd be collaborating on a movie with legendary members of The Who, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, what would you have said?
MM: I wouldn't have believed it. I just wanted to be an actor. I've always loved The Who. My parents were British, and I grew up in a British home, so I was into that music. Roger Daltrey approached me about four years ago to get involved with this project, and I was just blown away.
Q: Do you have a favorite Who song?
MM: "Pictures of Lilly."
Q: Were you a Keith Moon fan as a kid?
MM: Totally. I always loved Keith. He's completely unsampleable, not someone you can Pro Tool. When most people play straight, he would put in fills. When most put in fills, he would play straight. Each bar is different and he really creates a composition.
Keith went off the melody rather than the bass player. So technically, he played wrong. But he created a whole new drumming style and made The Who sound like a jet taking off.
Q: Are you a drummer?
MM: I've drummed my whole life. When you're the youngest of three, you become the de facto drummer and goalie. They're related industries.
Q: One of your co-stars in the Shrek movies is Eddie Murphy, a fellow "Saturday Night Live" alum. Has he told you any of the Rick James stories his brother has become famous for?
MM: Eddie and I have actually only met four times. We met once when he came by SNL and three times when we've been promoting the Shrek movies. When he watched SNL, he was so supportive, and I really appreciated that. I think he is America's greatest comedic actor.
