My friend Timmy, Timmy Robbins

You like that title? I do, because after interviewing incredible stage actor, director, screenwriter and now musician Tim Robbins, I'm feeling quite affectionate towards him. He was polite, charming, intelligent and freakin' intriguing, as you will see when you read this transcript of my interview. Tim Robbins, Oscar-winner, has hit the big 5-0 and recently released his debut album as Tim Robbins and the Rogues Gallery. Believe me, part of my job is to review music for a living and I'm not lying when I say the LP is a beautiful, sweeping combination of Nick Cave-esque storytelling and Bob Dylan folk (when he's on).

Tim Robbins is playing at the 2011 Byron Bay Bluesfest, which ends later tonight, and to celebrate I'm posting this interview. I was fortunate enough to see Timmy and the Rogues play a live set on Saturday and they were all sorts of bluesy awesomeness. Robbins' attendance at the festival was in doubt after his mother passed away last week, but being the champ that he is he fronted up, played a rocking set in front of a black and white picture of his parents and left the stage drenched in sweat. Like I said, champ. Anywho, we talk music, movie and mid-life crisis' below.Tim Robbins: Hello, are you there?

Movie Mazzupial: Hi! Howdy! Can you hear me?
TR: Yes, yes, I can hear you. Sorry about the other day (-Ed. our previous interview got cancelled).

MM: Oh, don’t worry about it. I understand you have to do a lot of interviews so these things would get pretty tedious.
TR: Oh no, it’s not tedious. It was just me, I stuffed up.

MM: Well, no worries. It’s lovely to chat to you because I’m such a huge fan of yours and never in my wildest dreams thought I’d get to interview you so . . . this is very exciting.
TR: Well, I’m excited your excited.

MM: (Laughs). Cool. So, where are you speaking to me from at the moment?
TR: I’m in Venice, California and it’s a beautiful, sunshiney day. We’ve had torrential rain for the past few days and now finally it’s come out in beautiful sunshine.

MM: Nice. Now, the album, first of all I have to say I loved it. I listened to it on a long drive and I’ve never really quite heard anything like this before. I mean, Book Of Josie for me was the perfect track. You must be proud of this record.
TR: I’m very proud of it and I’m excited that you like it. What I figured was going to happen there was there were going to be some people that would put it on and give it a shot and others that would already hate it, so I appreciate you listened to it. It’s a good driving album.

MM: Yeah, I was driving through the country side at the time and it just complimented the situation so well.
TR: Yes, it would be perfect with the sweeping landscapes.

MM: Exactly. You’ve taken the unusual step, I guess, of not rushing into make an album when you first got famous and making your debut at 50, why was that?
TR: I didn’t feel like I had enough to say. Everything I’ve done in theatre and movies, everything I’ve written and directed, has been based on a story I wanted to tell and I just feel like that’s what should be behind the music as well. A few offers to do an album had come through before that and I felt like I had songs, but didn’t have an album. I’m big fan of albums, from beginning-to-end kind of albums where you sit down and listen and the album forms an impression on you. It’s like a good play or a good movie; you see imagery, you feel emotion, and I just felt like that if I’m going to do an album I’ve got to have a story I want to tell and that didn’t come until later. I’m glad I waited, I feel like now is the right time for it. I feel like I have something to say, I feel like I have enough knowledge of music and I know how I want it to sound. I’m not misguided by the wrong things. i think sometimes people jump into this kind of thing for the wrongs reasons.

MM: I heard you describe the album as the “mid-life crisis album”, why would you say that?
TR: It was a joke I made and I really regret making it. At the time it seemed funny and I laughed and everyone around me laughed, but apparently the irony and the humour was lost on the London tabloids because there were articles in the paper the next day about me going through a mid-life crisis and they had an accompanying article from a psychologist comparing me to a British comedian that had had a mid-life crisis and was institutionalised. It went viral on the internet and everywhere that Tim Robbins is having this mid-life crisis. It was probably the worst way to sell an album ever. I couldn’t imagine what you would like to hear less than a man in his 50s moaning about his life. None of these songs are about that. It was a bad joke and I can’t take it back

MM: (Laughs) Right, that sounds, erm, quite awful. I watched Dave Coulter from your band describe the songs as little movies in themselves, how do you respond to that? Is that something you were conscious of?
TR: They’re stories, definitely, and I can see how he would say that. You can make a movie out of Time To Kill or Crush On You or Book Of Josie, definitely. I think a good song has imagery in it that takes you to a different place and the great thing in song is that place is different for everybody. I have a certain image in my head and what’s exciting about music is that it can be perceived in many different ways. People get to cast their different opinions. How you see Josie is probably different to how someone else sees it and that story gets to be told through different imaginations. The realisation of song lies in the imagination, whereas a film makes all the decisions for you.


MM: From your career as a stage and screen actor and director, to these songs which really tell stories . . . being a storyteller is something you’re clearly passionate about – why do you think it’s so important to do that?
TR: Tell storeis?

MM: Yeah.
TR: It gives me joy. I feel like I have stories to tell and I’m good at doing it

MM: Now, Dead Man Walkling, it’s one of my favourite films of all time and its been almost 16 years since you made that. We don’t have it in Australia, but in America how much do you think the debate surrounding the death penalty has increased, improved, evolved?
TR: It's got a lot better and I think the movie really helped start a dialogue, as Helen Prejean will tell you. I just got an email from her yesterday talking about the moratorium in Illinois and that's been happening all over the country. I think what the movie did especially was it had respect for the families and the terrible pain they went through; it didn't try to manipulate the story into being about an innocent man on death row, because he wasn't. We wanted to really present it in an honest way and I'm really proud of that. For seven years we've also had the Dead Man Walking play project, where I adapted the film for stage and offered the rights only to universities that can convince other departments in the school to offer courses on the death penalty. It's in about 200 schools now and the courses increase the amount of thinking on the issue, but also whenever there's a production on there (are) symposiums and debates, which has really helped.

MM: Wow, that sounds amazing. I’d love to see one of those productions. Your film career is absolutely incredible, there’s so many films I would love to talk to you about - from City Of Ember to Mystic River - but The Shawshank Redemption has really become a lasting classic. What is it about that film you think makes people keep going back to it and falling in love with it over and over again?
TR It’s a beautiful script, it’s a story that offers hope. That and I think people can relate to the idea there might be injustice that happened in Andy’s life, but with patience and perseverance you will be able to find freedom. I think we all want to believe there’s hope out there and it’s a beautiful story about a friendship that’s pretty rare. There have been stories about male friendship where there are car chases and whoring women, but this is about a real friendship and people want to believe that’s possible.

MM: Fantastic, well, thanks so much for speaking with me Tim. It’s truly been a pleasure and I can’t wait to see you guys on stage at Bluesfest.
TR: Alright, thanks and you will have to come and say hi.