Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Hello. I want that chair. They said, "Well, you got it." Cuz you can do this in it. (He sits down and scoots the chair around on its wheels.) Cool. I’ll sit here a few minutes and I’ll use the chair and then I’ll get up and move around. That’s enough. Okay. (He stands up.) But they said, "Left hand aisle is where the questions are being asked." That will be...that one. (laughing) So, um, why don’t we just get on with it, obvious thing isn’t it.

Con person: Hello. Come up to the mike to ask your question. We will only be taking questions from the mike so that the hearing impaired can actually hear the questions.

(Tony laughs.) And anyone else for that matter. (he giggles for a bit as does the audience) Um, hello. So we’ve got one already.

Q: Hi.

Hello.

Q: The young lady had such a sexy voice, I’m not sure if I can follow up on that.

Oh, I’m sure you can (said in his Frank N Furter voice).

Q: I promised you last night that I would ask this question.

(He gives her a rather naughty look and the audience laughs.) It was wonderful for me. (more laughter)

Q: Because you seem to spend a fair amount of time and your energy and you give publicity to the TTEAM, I thought it might be nice to ask you about why your wife’s work is so important and what exactly it is.

Wow. We’re right in there, aren’t we? We didn’t get to talk about Buffy or anything at all. Straight into it. All right, okay. Very quickly because no one is going to know what you are talking about - well, maybe they will. But, anyway. It has been on the internet and there is a link from...from my official site to Tilley Farm which is basically the - where Sarah, my partner, sort of centers her work. It’s a thing called Tellington Touch and it’s based on the work - well it is the work of a woman called Linda Tellington-Jones who is a Canadian - hurrah (applause from audience). Ah...and it’s a way of working with animals...gah, s’truth. Okay, it’s a way of working with animals that may or may not have behavioral problems and you work, um, gah...here we go...

Q: The horse whisperer, does that help?

Well, it’s called horse whisper, but it’s not really. I mean, that’s just a way of saying that you work with an animal differently from giving it a hard time. Um, it...it - by working non-habitually, you can change habitual patterns, basically. It works at the cellular level and changes the central nervous system. There’s a show that we’ve been recording for five months - there’s been a team from Tigress Productions, who’ve been following Sarah around and I’ve been sort of in the background (he does an imitation of someone leaning over to get their head into camera range). Um, and I do the commentary and it’s on...it’s airing on British TV at the moment on Sunday afternoons. Hopefully, since they’ve been talking about worldwide rights, it’ll make its way to the Discovery Channel or Animal Planet or something. Because it’s really cool - she’s extremely, um, personable. She’s very good with the camera and she somehow makes you understand exactly what she’s doing and I think it’s going to have a long life. But the thing that’s best about the stuff is that anybody can do it. It’s not one of things - "Well, bring it to Sarah Fisher because she knows how to work with your animals. No one else can." She’s not like that. She She doesn’t attach to herself, it’s the animal working and it works out, basically 98% of the time it does work. And it’s worth checking out. Look at the internet site, look at Tilley Farm. If you do go to my website, there’s a link to it and check it out. Cuz it’s cool. Did that answer your question? (no answer) She’s gone. Next question. Yes, yes, yes.

Q: On, I think, the Season Two DVDs, Joss just goes on and on in one of his commentaries about you not wearing any pants. Is Joss just goofing off or -

(Tony looks genuinely stunned at this bit of information.) He said what?! (laughing)

Q: In one of the commentaries, and he just - he’s very deadpan, so I assume he’s not telling the truth most of the time. In a lot of them - "There’s Tony Head, once again not wearing any pants."

Does he mean trousers or does he mean underpants? (The audience is cracking up at his amazement at this whole thing.) Either way, I was. I mean, I don’t know where his head’s going.

Q: trousers?

Trousers? Well, I do, there was a scene - Alexis got - Alexis Denisoff, who plays Wesley Wyndham-Pryce on Angel - he got pissed off with a scene, I can’t remember when it was, I think it was last season, and he did play it with his trousers off. (giggles) I think he was sitting behind a desk. But he thought it would somehow enrich the scene. Bu no, I had my trousers on at all times. (The audience makes disappointed noises) Just trying to think. Was there... no, I think so. My little knobbly knees did not come out.

Q: Okay, I volunteer actually for a community radio station and I’ve recently come across the album that you did with - I forget the other gentleman - Music For Elevators -

George Sarah.

Q: Is that being sold here at the convention and what was that like actually putting that together?

Um, I don’t think - I don’t believe it is being sold at the convention. My manager was supposed to get a hold of a bunch and I don’t think he did. Ah...CMH, the record label, this little, um...dump, I think it’s called, they don’t seem to recognize the opportunity to sell the CD. Um, so basically, it’s never at any of the conventions. Um, it is available at HMV in Toronto, apparently. They may only have a couple of copies. It’s available in Rock and Pop, of course. It’s one of those . It was a gas, basically. The record label, small independent record label, made most of their money doing sort of tribute albums and things and they worked with George Sarah and a couple of girls from the label came to me and said, would I fancy doing it? "Here’s a couple of George’s CDs. See what you think and if you like it, then let’s give it a go." So, I met up with George, and we found that we had a lot of similar musical references and, um, we decided to hang out one afternoon and jam a bit and see where it lead. Normally, as I think I said, on my official site - normally in a session like that, you’re lucky if you come out with one useable tune that you can somewhere down the line say, "Yeah, I liked where that song came from." But we actually, sort of, out of an afternoon, we actually got something like the basis of three of the songs. Um, and it was crackin’, it was great. So, for the next six months or so, we went to sort of little garage studios around - sorry garage (changes the pronunciation) . And um, put the thing together on a sort of like, you know, a little budget, nice, just enough to make a good album. We had the - I’ve always resisted the idea of becoming a David Hasselhoff (audience laughs), and I hope I am still resisting. Because music has always been a huge part of me and you know, somebody was asking about what are your musical roots and I sang in a band and all that stuff. But I did make the choice at one point to favor acting as a career just because...that seemed to be the way to go. But, um, I love singing, I love, love, love singing and it was a nice opportunity - you know I didn’t think I had the songs in me, but there was like 14 of them. But anyway, the idea was that it would be just a bunch of friends, that I, you know - I’d get help, so there were people from the acting class that I was going to in L.A. and there were people off the show. And, um, it’s fun. I’m very proud of it. So that can’t be bad. I mean, one day, probably when I’m not doing conventions any more, the record company will go, "Oh! We could probably sell some of these." But I’m not - the only reason I do - I like the fact that the music gets out there. I’m not trying to make any money off it, because it really doesn’t make that much money. I like the idea of people hearing it. So thanks for the question. (To the next questioner) As you slowly make your way to the mike...Hello.

Q: Hello. I really enjoy Manchild (applause of agreement from the audience). Um, I personally don’t agree with this but a lot of critics slam it for being misogynistic and I was just wondering how you would respond to that.

Misogynistic? No. The whole idea of Manchild - and if no one’s seen it, it’s been described as a male Sex and the City - but, um, it’s not really because men and women have very different agendas. (audience laughs) But it’s about four guys in their late forties who basically - we’ve all seen, you know, we’ve seen what men apparently would like to be doing, you know like Mind of a Married Man and all those things. It’s like "Oh god, I wish I could." But it’s, the idea is that we’re all independently wealthy, we have the opportunity to do all the things that men apparently would like to do. We all have the 24 year old girlfriends, we have the flashy car, we have the motorbikes, we have, you know, the lifestyle of just hanging out. We’ve been married, we’ve been independently divorced, we’ve got away with all our money - we’re actually pigs - and we live the dream. Um, but the reason why it’s not misogynistic, basically we...ahh...we kinda - when we saw the first viewing, it was like, well all the men were laughing, but are women going to like it. And the women loved it because it basically shows us to be what...pillocks we are (he laughs, as does the audience). But the bottom line is, the dream doesn’t work. It’s an empty dream and that’s what the show basically says. It’s like, you know, we all are completely wandering about in a stupor trying to work out how to enrich our lives because it’s not working and ultimately it’s because our lives have no substance. So no, I don’t think it’s misogynistic. I think it makes some very, very, very intelligent points and it’s, um, it’s a very funny show. There are only 15 of them. The BBC has not picked it up because it was way too expensive. (disappointed noises from audience) And also, Nick Fisher has sold the rights to ABC - America - to make a sitcom (disgusted noises from audience). Oh No! (mock disgust) It could work. Who knows. (audience disagreement) Well, okay. I’m not gonna argue with ya! Um, you know, it’s one of those deals where it could only work - basically it had such good production values. They talked about maybe sort of cutting back on stuff but everybody went, "No way." This is not - the show has to be made the way it’s made. It’s such a beautiful show - I’m very happy we did 15 of them. I got on so well with the other guys. We had such fun. We laughed and we laughed and we laughed Who knows, maybe someday there’ll be - it seems to be the way to go these days, you know when a series is no longer viable, let’s make it into a movie, one of those. Who knows.

Q: I wanted to mention that BBC Canada actually airs it.

Oooh. Well there ya go. BBC Canada? Cool

Q: A digital specialty channel.

What time of the week is it one and what hour?

Q: I don’t get that.

Moving swiftly on. Next question.

Q: Um, my question was originally about Music For Elevators but it was stolen so -

Stolen?! (mock outrage) Stolen right out from underneath you!?

Q: So I was actually wondering - I know you did an episode of Highlander in it’s first season (he makes a face). I was just wondering if you could talk about that?

Thanks. (in a Not! voice) Yeah, no I did do an episode of Highlander and it was an episode, um, basically, sometimes in those series - that particular series was set in France and they kinda used up their budget, so (he’s giggling all through this part), so they had to come up with a way of shooting something all in one place. So we barricaded ourselves into a house. Um, it was - it was cool. What was interesting, I had to sign some trading cards with a particularly hideous picture of me and it was bizarre because now I am the age that I was playing. At the time I was about ... ahh.... 38 or whatever, but I was basically playing the father of a guy who was about 18 and I played it older because I thought it was kind of - I mean, I would have had to be - I guess I could have been 20 - but anyway, I decided to play it older and that’s about all there is to it. I thought it was bizarre seeing a picture of me playing me now. (Someone in the audience makes a comment I couldn’t hear) Thank you very much. But anyway. We had fun and - I do remember I got shot with an automatic machine gun across my chest and lived to tell the tale which was remarkable. I got to do one of those, you know, like those exploding blood bags - popping - that was cool. (he demonstrates getting shot) And then, I sort of had to groan a bit on a couch when my brow was mopped as it is, you know, when you’ve been shot across the chest. (He has another giggling fit) It’s a ridiculous business we’re in. It’s real life, oh yeah. Shoot him with an Uzi! He’s gonna live! Yeah! Um, but anyway, it was just kind of, you know. It was a mad French director named Dennis Berry, who knew my brother, and it was one of those weird ones where, you know, he was just like - (he says a bunch of stuff in an exaggerated French accent). It’s like, okay, all right. And he came up with all sorts of bizarre, bizarre traps that they set for the various people who were ambushing them. I can’t remember - there was a bear trap at one point, where this guy gets his leg nearly severed. "Do you think this is going to go out with this?" "Yes, I don’t see why not." "Okay."

Q: There was a very interesting internet rumor about you being looked at for the third Harry Potter movie.

What?! To be what? What, Harry? (He gets down on his knees to be Harry’s height)

Q: I believe the rumor was that you were being looked at for Lupin -

Who?

Q: A werewolf.

Was I really? How cool.

Q: And no one has been able to confirm or deny and I thought I would come to the source and apparently, you were just able to deny.

Maybe I was and maybe I wasn’t. Could be playing it close to my chest. But who’s playing Lupin then?

Q: I have no clue and we weren’t real interested once it wasn’t you -

(He laughs) Bless your heart. But I wanna know. That would have been cool. (He scrunches up his face and mock growls to imitate a werewolf.) I could do that.

Next person: You probably could do a lot of things.

(The audiences whoops) Get back, bad girl.

Q: I just wanted to say I did want to say, however, that while I was watching the Toronto Trek website, and kept seeing a guest and seeing a guest...oh, James is leaving, damn, whatever, and then you popped up and it was like, oh dear. I’m going to have to bring a mop. I just wanted to say that you managed to sell a lot of coffee.

(He looks genuinely embarrassed by this while the audience is whooping with laughter.) Thank you. James and I seem to follow each other. We talked to each other last night and I did another one of these a couple of years ago and apparently James had to blow that one out as well. But then he covered for me when I blew Chicago out this year or the year before or whatever. The bottom line is, don’t take it personally when we can’t make a convention. If we’ve said we’ll come to a convention, we will, if we can. It’s just always subject to availability. If we’re working, we can’t get away. When I blew Chicago out, it was basically, when I was doing a thing - a BBC - no, an ITV show called Reversals and it was just like, you say, you know, can we get this time off because we’ve said we’ll be at such and such and if they can, they will. Production companies are actually quite accommodating. But if they just can’t because there’s stuff filled in, it’s like, "Please don’t take it personally." It’s not that we don’t wanna come. We do. We can’t. (mock whining)

Q: Last thing, I’m a library technician, and I’d like to say that it was nice to have you representing the rest of us.

Thank you. All I can say is, don’t blow it up when there’s a big snake in there. (Laughter from audience and then he has a delayed reaction moment.) Did you say you had to get a mop? That’s very rude. (laughing incredulously - he meant rude as in naughty, not rude as in impolite) If only I could take back that moment. Leaving me with that image - but anyway - you have to tell me if I’m getting out of order because on a couple of occasions - I just talk and say whatever comes into my head. If I swear or whatever - again, don’t take it personally. Apparently, I really, really pissed somebody off in London. I was doing like a - one of these with Robin Sachs and when the two of us get together, it always gets steeped with innuendo and apparently someone was very cross because she said, "Don’t you know that children watch this show?" and her 14-year-old was there and it was like, I think he already knows but whatever. So if it’s too much, just stand up and say, "Will you stop that!" Okay. We’ll be listening.

Q: (based on the accent, English was not this next person’s first language which may explain the phrasing) I was listening to Music For Elevators and something obscure about Horrible Rocks Picture Show type of deal, there’s a -

A what?

Q: Some Horrible Rocks Picture Show -

Oh, Rocky Horror. Horrible Rocks. (He laughs)

Q: Okay, I was going for effect here. Anyway, you’ve proven a very interesting range, but after the truly awesome Behind Blue Eyes, is there any chance of getting a Rupert Giles Unplugged album?

(The audience cheers and Tony laughs.) I don’t know. Okay though - people have said "Is there going to be another album?" and it took a lot of effort to get that one out. But, I’m not knocking it, it’s just at the moment, I’m back home and I’m just - my time is really for my family and whatever - (a young child starts making noise) I know what you mean - and yet maybe one day...several people have said, "Why don’t you do an acoustic album?" and bottom line was, working with George was a really, really interesting departure for me. I’d never written music that way and it was very cool and I’d like to do more of that at some point. Maybe what we could do is sort of an acoustic album together that way but it would just be acoustic. I don’t know. But it’s - who knows when. I keep promising my oldest daughter, who is writing, that I’ll resurrect my studio, which is at the moment just a really good playground for spiders. (The audience laughs) Nah, I’m serious. There’s some major highways in there. One use for a studio. But, it’s...um...I love music and when I just started sort of thinking "Hmm" recently so maybe, maybe, there’s a buddy who’s got a studio in Bath so maybe we’ll hook up, who knows. Who knows. George is up for it but it’s...it’s one of those things that - time is everything and um, I don’t want it to get to be one of those things where I say, "No, I’m sorry, I can’t take you into school, darling. I’m going into the studio. I’ll be making music."

Q: I know that’s important stuff but if you could squeeze it in somewhere? Just re-release Behind Blue Eyes without the odd special effects on it.

What was the special effects?

Q: The crowd going (he imitates Xander’s reaction to Giles singing)

All right (in a "I haven’t a clue what he’s talking about’ voice). I’ll let them know.

Q: The scene’s fantastic, but the actual song was a delight.

Thank you.

Q: And I’d like to get a clean, complete version of it.

Okay. (laughing)

Q: A last question, what’s happening with the Watcher’s Chronicle?

The what?

Q: The BBC, ah- (people in the audience start calling out Ripper)

Oh, Ripper. Riiiiperrrr. About a man who farts. (audience laughter) You can’t say that hasn’t crossed your minds. "How did he get the name Ripper?" Well, his bedding used to lift of its own accord...in the dormitory. Um...it’s...it’s an ongoing thing. Basically, even to the last day, Joss was still talking about it. He came back - I’d seen him like two weeks before, when I went over to his place with Aly and Alexis and we went to see his new son and um...he said, "I’ve been thinking about this Ripper thing." He said, "I don’t want to do like an hour show. Are you good with that?" "Yeah, whatever." "I don’t want it to be like the weekly villain where it’ll be, you know, a ghost and you’ll come to find out what’s made it and you defeat it. I don’t want to go down that road. What I want to do is like...I want to do something that gets into Giles’ head." "Okay, if you want to go there." So he’s talking about doing a two hour TV movie and...and like I said - it’s not when you don’t know what to do with a series, you go and do a two hour movie. He actually...he’s got such a specific idea of what he wants to do but I’m not gonna say, (mock whiny voice) "No I wanna do a series." It is also dependant on whether he gets Fox’s permission and if the BBC can license it and all that stuff. But everything is still go. On the last day, he went off for a cup of tea and when he came back and said, "I’ve just got an idea for the story," and he told me and apart from one or two ideas that need to be ironed out, it’s beautiful. It’s a really lovely story. So I hope...I hope so. Keep plugging away. Say, "Where is that Ripper I hear about? Where’s it gone? I wanna hear it now. Hurry." So...but he needs to make movies. Ultimately, it’s time for Joss Whedon to write and direct a movie.

Q: My favorite episode is Tabula Rasa. What did you think of it?

Well apart from - is that the one where we all forget who we are? Well, apart from James being my son (indignation), which I had a lot of issue with (laughing), it was pretty good. Especially for that moment when we open the door (he mimes the group scream). Um, which is cool. It was great, it was great and - isn’t that the one where I - my children went, "Ewwww, you kissed Anya!" I know, but it was over and done quickly. We didn’t enjoy it. It was bizarre. I have to say, it was like - I mean, thank god no one ever asked me to kiss Alyson, because that would have been weird. Weird enough with Emma, but you know it was weird. It was very odd. I was glad it was over with very quickly. Weird. Not right. But anyway...

Q: If you had to pick a favorite episode of Buffy, what would it be?

Okay. There’s about four. It used to be Passion. It’s so sad because Jenny died. (mock crying) Because it was so beautiful. It was one of those where you read the script and went, "Oh my god. If they pull this off, it’s just going to be beautiful." And Michael Gershmann, our Director of Photography, and I think it was his first direct and he really pulled it off. It was one of the few stand out episodes that wasn’t Joss’s. Um, just everybody was fantastic in it. Everybody had a beautiful performance. They did things like the moment when I talk to Willow and...ah...and Buffy - what’s her name? Oh yeah, Buffy. They put in a - when I called on the phone and they put in a land line so I could actually talk to them physically on the phone. So I could hear all the emotion going on the other end, I was getting emotional on my end and it was very cool. And then came, I don’t know, Hush, I guess. That was really nice. And the nightmare or dream episode...oh, I can never remember what it’s called. (The audience calls out Restless) Are ya? It’s the chairs, I know. Um...that - Joss says, you know, "I’m afraid your segment of the show - it’s divided into four segments - and each of you is gonna have a segment that’s a dream and your segment’s the exposition. (makes a disappointed face) But you get to sing it." Yay. That was cool and he was gonna have me standing in front of a white piano and I was "Nah, Giles’ dream is to be a rock n roll star. We’ve got to have a band." So we got...we got...It was Mary - and I always forget, is it Four - is it Five Star Mary? (The audience calls out Four Star Mary). Why...why do I - I get very confused with the stars. Maybe somebody dropped out. Anyway, I don’t know (laughing). It was a blast. I mean they do go on. The Body was just, like, the best thing that’s ever been written about losing a parent. It was an extraordinary episode and Joss said that, you know, "I’m going to give it a go, I don’t know if it will work, but I’m not going to have any incidental music. I want it to be all ambient sound." It’s like, whoa, that’s cool. And then, Once More, With Feeling. (There were cheers after every episode he mentioned, but this got the most.) Which took us right back to the beginning. We got to talking about musicals once and I said, "Oh, I like doing musicals," and he’s like, "Really? I like musicals " and Sarah said, "I like musicals, too" (said in a very high pitch voice to imitate SMG). So it was, "We gotta do one, we gotta do one," (he’s jumping around like a puppy desperate to get outside) "Yeah," he said and then every year I was, "Can we do it? Can we do it? Joss! Are we gonna do the musical this year?" (jumping around again) He’d be, "Nooo, it’s not right yet. " Then, one summer, I got this CD and it was him and Kai, his wife, just banging out these songs. It was like, whoa, cool, duuuude. And it...it wasn’t just a musical, it was a Fuckin’ Excellent Musical. (cheers from audience) Sorry if I just offended a few people, but anyhow. It was - I mean, when have you seen anything like it where - as somebody was saying earlier - not only did he break, you know like tie up several storylines, but also started a few more. And all the music, and it was just, so - there’s my favorites. Thank you very much.

Q: Another music related question. Now that you have a CD out, is there any plan in the works for you and your brother to sing together or have you ever done that? Because that would be really cool.

Um...I...I...I don’t know, to be honest. He’s...he lives in Paris at the moment and he’s - he was over here, I don’t know whether he still is - but, I did sing on pretty well every album from Say It Ain’t So through Between Us to - I can’t remember the one with Steve Hillage, but I sang on one song with Steve Hillage. Um, and I did a couple of gigs with him doing backing vocals. And, we...we did quite a lot together but I don’t know. Um - are you flapping? (The person standing behind the questioner was flapping their arms or something.) Are you flapping? I wondered why? (Someone in the audience yells, "She doesn’t have a mop.") Well, it works. Wow. Anyway, ultimately it hasn’t presented itself so far, I mean, I don’t know. It just, um...we kind of went off in different directions at one point and - yeah, it’d be nice, it’d be cool, it’d be cool. Well, I’ll suggest it. Or you suggest it. Do you have his albums?

Q: I have all his albums.

Whoa. Which one was the one - what was the one with Steve Hillage called?

Q: Sooner or Later? The one in ’87?

Could be! Which is your favorite?

Q: Um, I think it’s Between Us.

Yeah, lovely album. Produced by Rupert Hine, I believe. I worked with Rupert Hine again, that’s true, on a very strange piece with Chris DeBurgh which someone asked me about recently, which was bizarre. He’s bizarre. But there you go, anyway. (NOTE: Tony provided spoken vocals on DeBurgh’s song Don’t Pay the Ferryman.)

Q: I just have to say first that I’m being paid to ask this question. (everyone laughs)

I hope you’re being paid well.

Q: I was the only person in the room with enough gonads (it was a woman, btw) to come up here and ask it. So about Rocky Horror - we were wondering if you would be willing to entertain us with a dance (the audience whoops and cheers)

You want me to drop trou here? (more cheers) Um, the thing about Rocky Horror is, you kinda need to be there, you know what I mean? It’s...um...I don’t know. I mean, I can (makes a face) That was attractive wasn’t it? Did you get that on camera? Yes, you did. Q: Here’s the thing, everyone wants to hear you sing. I don’t think they care what you sing (cheers).

Are you all going to be here tomorrow? (many people call out, "No.") Oh, okay. Well, what I was gonna do was borrow a guitar and I was gonna do a couple of songs (someone says "Do it anyway.") I’m not exactly prepared for this. Maybe let me think about it for a bit. I mean because, to sing something a cappella - I was going to sing it with a guitar tomorrow. (laughs) What can you do? Um, all right. I’ll sing a song. (the audience cheers) Oh, no, no, don’t worry. Everyone [backstage] is going crazy, "Oh my god! We need a microphone, we need a guitar! Now, now!" Um, all right, I’ll do a song - I was gonna do it -try to do it with a guitar tomorrow. Who knows, maybe I’ll do it anyway. It’s a song by Stephen Allen Davis and it’s a really sweet song, and I actually sometimes have difficulty getting through it, just because it kind of throws into being away from someone - anyway. It’s called Highway. (He sings the first few verses of the song.) I’ll do the rest of it tomorrow. But that kind of does it - anyway. (He briefly sings the opening line of Sweet Transvestite: "How do you do?")

Q: That was great.

Thank you.

Q: I was at the movies watching Pirates of the Caribbean -

As you do.

Q: But before that, there was this movie that came in the previews and there you were. It was you, wasn’t it, with Charlotte Church?

Yeah it was.

Q: I had no idea and I’m one of those people who go online and picks up all the rumors and I had no idea about it. Can you talk about it?

I can. I will. Shall I do it now? It’s a really, really sweet movie. Ah, it just got clobbered by the English press, who for some reason they’ve got an extraordinary relationship going with - Was it something I said? (to someone leaving) Um, I don’t know. The English press have a very strange thing going with Charlotte Church. She’s sort of broke away from her mum and just became like a normal teenager and they’re just kind of going, "She’s smoking now! She’s got a tattoo now!" Oh, it’s the English press so it, "She’s smoking now!" (said with a slightly different accent). Anyway, it’s a really, really, really sweet film. It’s called I’ll Be There. It’s written, directed and stars Craig Ferguson, from The Drew Carey Show. He’s an old buddy of mine who actually played Brad to my Frank N Furter. I went down on him every night (cheers from audience). Wouldn’t you just like to see a picture of that? Anyway, I play his manager. I’m the reason everything goes sort of cockamamie - if you’ll excuse the expression. See, this is where I get into trouble! (laughing) But it’s - I love it and can heartily recommend it. I went to see it - I saw a preview out in L.A. and when you do a movie, you just kind of - you think hopefully, it’s gonna come out all right. I was really touched with the result, it was funny and it had lots of pathos and there are moments when she’s singing that you are just transported. Um, it’s...it’s, hopefully, it comes out in August so go and check it out. It’s a really, really sweet film. And everybody can see it, it’s one of those - I mean, I hate to say it’s a family movie just because that means, aw, Disney. But it’s not one of those, it’s just literally a film that everyone can enjoy - of all ages can enjoy. It’s kind of like in a way how Joss writes. There is no one generation that it speaks to - everybody gets off on some part of it and you can say the same with this.

Q: It was really cool because Pirates was such a big opening and to see you on the big screen was really nice.

Thank you. I like it too.

Q: Were there proposed plotlines for Giles that never came to fruition or things that you wish the character could have developed?

Huge biceps. Um, no, I mean, ultimately, you know - I remember long ago...season one, season two...Nicky and I used to go - it really is something I said (to someone else leaving). They know something that we don’t? Um, Nicky and I used to go to this local TexMex bar and drink margaritas and set the world to rights - most especially the Buffy world. "What do you think’s gonna happen next season? I’m gonna be a villain. I want to be a villain." (said in a mock drunk voice). I always, I pitched it every year to Joss, "Can I be a villain this year?" Even to the point that when he talked about The First - I mean, he was actually talking about The First sort of coming into play for the last season, I don’t know, some time ago. And I said, "Oooh, can I be The First, please?" and they said, "You have to be dead!" "Uh, okay." (in a "that doesn’t matter" voice) But um, I wouldn’t take credit for the fact that I ended up sort of, "Is he or isn’t he?" But they obviously did it for whatever reasons. But I didn’t get to be quite as bad as I could have been. And when...in season - when was A New Man? (audience calls out "four") Four. Thank you. When somebody said I was going to be a demon, it was like, "Yes! At last I get to kick ass!" And then - you came back (to one of the people he’d teased about leaving earlier - the audience laughed) Never has mum’s shoulder been quite so attractive. (I couldn’t see from where I was sitting, but apparently she had a small child with her who was hiding from the attention) Um, and the First AD says, "I read the script and it’s really funny." "What do you mean, it’s funny? I get to be a demon and all." "Yeah." "Don’t I get to be a scary demon?" "No." But I had a good time, I had a good time. No, bottom line is, you know, I got to do so much, what can I say? "I really missed doing that?" Giles as Richard the Third. Bottom line is, you couldn’t want a better gig, you really couldn’t. It was just so full, so rich and so varied that I had a fantastic time.

Q: It was nice to see you get cooler.

Thank you.

Q: What did you think of The Body not being nominated for an Emmy? Because if there was ever an episode that was Emmy worthy, it was The Body.

It sucked? What can I say? I mean, the fact that Once More, With Feeling - apparently somebody screwed up with the...the viewing tapes or whatever and didn’t get it out to the main body of the voters and then they did a rush job at the end of it and -everything happens for a reason and for one - for whatever reason, Joss has never been recognized for his work on Buffy for an Emmy and I...I - it’s beyond me, I must admit. It may be political, maybe it’s because it’s not on a major network and therefore doesn’t have major advertising and therefore - who knows, who knows. But ultimately, I agree with you, The Body was an astonishing piece and...um, I think it should have been nominated. It should have gotten all them. Ours is not to reason why.

Q: Well if there was ever a series that deserves an Emmy, it’s Buffy.

(Applause of agreement from audience. During this, a con person comes out in front of the stage with a huge placard reading, "Five minutes". This cause him and the audience to crack up laughing.) They said, "There’s a card that says ’Five minutes remaining.’" I said, "Do I have to check-" and she said, "No, I’ll come wave it about in front of the stage." And she did! Usually there’s someone in one corner going (he demonstrates various "wrap it up’ signals). But no doubts, five minutes remaining. Okay, a couple of questions, we’ll see, maybe one.

Q: Going back to when Giles was a demon, since you’ve never worn any extensive makeup or costume, how did you feel wearing -

Depends on what you call Frank n Furter. (audience laughs) Sorry.

Q: How did you feel wearing all that makeup and the costume and everything?

It was cool, it was excellent. I mean, ultimately, it was about a four hour experience or something and Todd McIntosh and I used to get in at about - I don’t know - about three or four in the morning or whatever to get ready. And I only had to do it - they spared me- I didn’t have to do what the vamps had to do every day to get in and out it. They did it - I was only in costume about three times or four times maybe in the show so it wasn’t a desperate experience. Um...and I enjoyed it. It’s like mask acting - you get to do other stuff, it’s what happens. I was kind of - talking about the Frank N Furter experience, I did design - they had me originally in bedroom slippers, and I went, "How do you be a demon in bedroom slippers?" (He demonstrates shuffling across the stage in slippers) This is wicked. So I went to the hoof, of course - and cloven hooves, how do you do that? And I talked to the guys at John Vulich’s workshop and they went "Yeah, we could design a " and no, that would have cost too much. So I worked out - because I’m uncannily happy on heels - (he and the audience laugh) But if you raise the foot up, you can have like a hoof around the front so you couldn’t see the heel. The prop master at the time, his wife made these things up, they cost very little and I was really miffed to find out that Fox has sold them on eBay for three grand recently - because they were my design. But it was cool - you only saw them once in the show - there’s a flash of them when I kicked a little boy’s toy flying, but they did change the way I walked and it was great to be able to sort of - I didn’t do the Frank walk because that would be something else. I did it once for Nick Brendan - "Go on show us Frank," so I did it. But anyway - (The audience starts calling out for him to do it for us) What? What? I haven’t got heels on, what are you talking about? (someone says something I couldn’t hear) No you started it. Um, one last question. (Someone from the very back yells, "What size are your feet?") I beg your pardon? What size are my - that’s the last question? Ahhh, American, 10, 10 1/2. Why? What, someone’s going to get me size 10 1/2, 3 - 3 1/2 inch heels just to see me walk in them? (There were actually women in the audience attempting to take off their shoes at this point.) Okay, is there actually one last question or are we... (A con person says there is one more) There’s only one more? This is official?

Q: I was wondering, because of Buffy, there is so much about magical rituals, magical stuff. I was wondering what your view, your opinion, your take on magic and such is?

Um, I have a very open mind. I believe in - that there is a spirit world and I believe that there’s a lot of stuff out there that we don’t know about, don’t understand, sometimes we don’t want to understand it. I think you should be careful with what your playing with. There’s some stuff, we don’t necessarily, you know - I wouldn’t have a Ouija board in my house because, you can open the door but you can’t necessarily close it. Um...just...you know...I just say caution to anyone who’s moving into an area they really don’t know. But, um...yeah, I’ve got a very open mind. Like, whatever, you know. One more then?

Q: My question is, the final Buffy episode, was it set up in order to leave the possibility open for another Slayer series with maybe Eliza Dushku in it?

Ahhh...it wasn’t - they talked about the possibility of a spin-off with Eliza and...um...ahhh...I think they were - there was discussion and for one reason or another, it didn’t pan out. It may pan out but she’s doing a pilot for another series for...is it Fox? (audience tells him ’yes’) There you go. But...um...no. The episode was meant to do what it did which was "Let it go..." I said to Joss, "When did you - when did you get this idea?" and he says, "Oh, about a year and a half ago." "So everything that you - everything has been moving to this point?" "Oh, yeah." It was never just something that he thought up on the spur of the moment. It was all worked out, it was always there and - not saying a word (to more people leaving) There goes my again. Um, and I don’t think Joss could ever be accused of writing something in order to set something else up. The bottom line is, he wrote a beautiful end to seven seasons which took it to a place that I certainly wouldn’t have dreamt of. Just kind of expanded the whole thing. I think empowering girls worldwide is pretty cool. The show did that anyway, it was just like saying, "There’s the ball, run with it." Really cool.

Q: I didn’t mind what happened to Sunnydale.

(laughs) Next one’s in Cleveland. I think that’s my time. Thank you very much.