spotlight
*
Rage: What do you usually write about?
VE: Things that I see as problems in my life. Things that irk me. Usually, it’s a
negative emotion because the positive emotions make me go out and live. For
this record, I wanted the songs to be about love. The most interesting thing to me
is that everyone is struggling to make love work, and repeatedly, no matter how
many times they fail, they keep going. They just want it.
Rage: I love the song “Down.” It’s a little more offbeat than the pop sound of the rest of the
album. I’m impressed by the vulnerability of the lyrics.
VE: That’s a more moody kind of song, like the kind of thing I used to do. It’s
about giving yourself to someone completely. There’s a real beauty to servitude
in relationships. It’s scary, isn’t it?. But it’s a real attractive thing too—to have that
kind of innocence to say, “I will be what you want me to be.” It’s a crazy thought,
but it’s very selfless.
Rage: How did your acting career develop?
VE: I was a sophomore in college, and I was working at a used book store. My
boss said, “Did you ever think about acting? “ Her son was doing some acting on
The Sopranos, and she thought I could make some money doing it as well. It’s
very funny--someone telling you that you could make some money acting, like a
pyramid scheme. Sure enough, I met her son’s manager, did a cold read, got sent
out on some auditions, and landed a commercial. While my friends were waiting
tables, I was getting residual checks.
Rage: So, how do you balance the music and the acting?
VE: A couple of years ago, I put so much pressure onto my music. In fact, I
stopped acting because I didn’t wany anything to challenge my image as a musi-
cian. I just don’t give a shit anymore now. If I can do them both, then I should. The
moral of the story is that, so far, it’s all led to something really good. I made a record
I really like, and I’m on TV, which will hopefully end up helping the record.
Rage: So, you play Betty’s rock and roll neighbor on Ugly Betty. What other acting have you
done? ton of people thought I was gay. And they would say it while I was standing right
VE: At the beginning, I did a bunch of commercials—AT&T, Wendy’s, Got Milk, there—”He’s not gay?” And I was like, “I’m right here!” I play into that now because
Sony memory stick. I’ve done TV shows like Third Watch and Ed, and more recently, I find it fun for me.
Cashmere Mafia and 30 Rock.
Rage: Have you ever played a gay character?
Rage: And you get to sing in Ugly Betty, right? VE: No, not yet. But I was on this 30 Rock episode where this straight guy fell for
VE: Yeah, my character is a musician, so I get to play music. I’ve been singing in my character, who was also straight. When he saw me, he said, “I’m gay for Jamie,”
every episode. I even get to sing my own songs. It’s not like I break out into song— which was my character’s name. And “Gay for Jamie” really became this major
there’s a legitimate reason to sing in an upcoming show. I’ve been promoted as a thing. These gay publications wanted to interview me, and people were talking
potential love interest for Betty, so we’ll see what happens with that. about who they were gay for. And they were asking me, “Are you gay for anyone?”
Rage: I saw you sing a bit of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” in the first episode. I wanted to hear Rage: Well, straight men can be attracted to other men without actually being gay, don’t
more. you think?
VE: It faded into the real version. People said they loved it, and I recorded my VE: Definitely. I mean, think about how men get really into certain athletes. And
own version and threw it up on my MySpace page. The reaction was crazy. If there I’ll like a certain actor, and someone will say, “You’re gay for him.” It’s been much
is a chance like this that draws people to my own music, then great. I do a quiet more acceptable for women to say things like, “That woman is hot” and nobody
version, and hope I did it justice. thinks anything about it. I don’t shy away from the feminine side of myself. It’s
offensive when people are characterized as any one thing. I like fucking with
Rage: So there’s been a lot of stuff written about you on gay web sites. You’ve been called the people’s expectations about sexuality. I love to be around a bunch of macho men
“hunk du jour” and LOGOonline’s “new crush.” How do you feel about guys being into you? and say something that eggs them on and makes them uncomfortable sexually,
VE: I feel flattered and ridiculous. I’m the kind of person who tries to please like talking about penises or something. I’m an idealist, and I’d love to see a world
myself first, so that kind of thing goes in one ear and out the other. But overall, I where we can talk about things from a place of curiosity rather than hate. Now, I
think it’s really nice. It’s actually funny for me because when I was growing up, a actually like it when someone says, “Is he gay?”
48 RAGE monthly | DECEMBER 2008
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112