From: jennifer@ecst.csuchico.edu (The StarTrek TechnoGeek) Date: 14 Oct 93 21:50:14 GMT Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current,rec.arts.startrek.misc Subject: Re: Patrick Stewart on the Tonight Show tonite. VCR ALERT Since I've gotten several requests for this through email, and since I am now awake enough to fix the conversion from WP to ASCII problem, here is a re-post of the Patrick Stewart interview with the proper line length. You're Welcome. -jen ----jennifer@hairball.ecst.csuchico.edu------"The StarTrek TechnoGeek"-------- Associate Member: Starfleet Ladies Auxillery & Embroidery/Baking Society Co-Founder: Patrick Stewart Estrogen Brigade 1st Officer (2nd Shift) and Captain's Personal Bodyguard: JLP Ship of Loooove ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here is the Transcript of the Patrick Stewart Interview Oct. 12, 1993 Tonight Show with Jay Leno JL: My first guest, an accomplished actor of both stage and screen, you know him best for his role as Captain Picard, on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Please welcome Patrick Stewart. PS comes out, while the band plays a cheezy rendition (Kathleen says it was good) the the ST theme song. Settles into a very uncomfy chair. JL: I love that theme, it's a wonderful theme PS: Isn't that a great theme? (has hand over heart) JL: It's like the President has walked into the room. PS: I hope it would have calmed me down a little, and it hasn't. My heart is going pitter patter because you didn't tell me, none of your staff told me who your other guest was tonight... JL: Oh, you mean Reba McIntyre? PS: I have been harassing her since I arrived here a half an hour ago, and finally came face-to-face with her a few minutes ago, and I still haven't quite recovered, ummm... JL: Oh? PS: Yeah, I'm a huge fan of hers, I think she's fantastic, and it's the first time that I've met her. JL: Country Western music is very popular in England isn't it? PS: Uh, is it? JL: Well, it is actually, I know. Well so many, well I know a lot of artists go over there, and they come back and you kinda see people with a thing of Guiness and you know the hat... PS: I've never seen that. JL: Really? PS; Nope, no...maybe, maybe we should ask Miss McIntyre. JL: Well, we'll probably ask her. Are you a big Country-Western fan? PS: Uhh, moderately so. But I'm a big fan of hers. And it is curious how this thing happens, you know this kind of hiatus breathing? There are people that you have met when this happens to you...I...this is my second experience this year...I was in a hotel in London...small, private hotel, where by the way, I had been a little concerned about security. One morning that I was there, I got into the lift late for an appointment and it started to go down, and dammit the lift stopped at the next floor and I wanted to go straight down to the lobby. And the door opened, and into this tiny lift step Nelson Mandala. JL: Really? PS: Nelson Mandala and me! Not quite alone in the lift, because moments later some security men came and uh, what would you say if you had 45 seconds alone with Nelson Mandala? Nothing, I JL: Down, just press the down button...and yeah... PS: The heart is...beating... JL: So what did you say? Did you say anything? PS: I said nothing! I gaped open mouthed and he was very polite and said "Good morning, how are you?" and I said "IIIII" and I walked down Picadilly cursing the missed opportunity of the things I might have said. JL: Well, what would you have said, now that you've had time to reflect? PS: I...I would have said... JL: You probably just would have liked a simple "Hello" and not get into some weight discussion... PS: I would have liked to have said "Hello", I would have liked to have said...uh..."You're my hero." JL: Well, that's pretty good...you could have said that. PS: Overwhelmed...Missed opportunities. JL: Yeah, well you were, ah...in fact when we tried to get you a couple of weeks ago, you...your staff said you were off to Washington. PS: That's right. JL: Now, did you meet the President? Did you do that? PS: No, I did not. But I got close to it. Uh, we were taken...two of us were taken on a very private tour of the White House. This was Labor Day, Monday...which seemed to me to be an appropriate day for me to tour the White House. And, uh...we were take to all of the public rooms that the general public would see on a tour, but there was no one else around. So we got to look into the Cabinet Room, and we got to look into the Oval Office. JL: I mean, you don't go rifling through drawers and things.... PS: Well...no...but it's a little like meeting Miss McIntyre. You know, suddenly the door opens and *there* it is. And it looks like a stage set, you know. Have you, have you been there? JL: Actually I have, and I sat in the chair PS: No, no, no. JL: Yes I did. I said in the chair behind the desk. PS: Well, then you know, I can promise you, to complete what would be for me an ultimate ambition. I think there are three really important chairs to sit in, in this country, in the United States. The Captain's chair on the Enterprise... JL: Right, that would certainly be one of them. PS: Alright! Two. The President's char behind his desk in the Oval Office. And three...Jay you're sitting in it right now. JL: That's right. You know what amazed me? PS: What? JL: It was the little things. You would expect the President of the United States' desk to be some kind of high tech, like the bridge of the Enterprise. Let's see what's going on in Omaha, click, alright, let's go over here...you know...I sit down, and the thing that amazed me, now this was about two years ago...there was a *dial* phone on the desk. Shhh-chick-chick-chick . Just a dial phone. PS: Could he afford a touch button phone? JL: I mean, you're trying to rule the free world, and you gotta take that extra, shhh-chick-chick-chick-chick. I mean...just press the button, not even a *speed dial*! Just sitting...he's probably at the yellow pages lookin' up Domino's and things. I mean, it just seemed so *odd*! I mean, it's not fancy. PS: No. But it looks like a set, don't you agree? JL: Yeah, it does look like a movie set. PS: It has a certain artificiality, maybe because we've seen it so many times. I'll learned a few interesting things I didn't know about the White House. For example, if the President asks you to stay the night, if you were so lucky, he would be presented with a bill for your over night accomodations. JL: By who? Who would bill the President? PS: By the government. There's a charge for it. At the end of each week.... JL: Really, so you mean, if you stay with the President, he's gonna say "Come on, check out at eleven, get outta here!" Is he hustling people out the door? PS: You can get an extension. You know...the reason that I know this *fascinating* information is that, part of our private tour was, uh...we went into the kitchens and we met one, of I think three chefs who are on permanent staff at the White House. And he was the one that explained to us that guests have to pay an overnight charge, and at the end of every week the Clinton's are presented with a grocery bill! JL: Really? PS: Oh sure. You see that one of the reason I *love* this country! JL: You mean Clinton is sitting there clipping coupons trying to save money? I mean, really? PS: Doesn't it seem to you to be appropriate? And part of the democracy of this great country: Yeah sure you can get to be President, but you *have* to pay for your corn flakes in the morning! JL: I never thought of that. So if you were to...so the President makes $200,000 a year, certainly a good salary but not... PS: Is that what he makes? JL: But compared to, what to what industrialists and things make...So if you go to dinner at the White House, the President could be pushing some of the slower selling items. PS: JL: "Try the veal, it's moving slowly." PS: That's right. That's right. Directing you to the cheaper items on the menu. JL: Have you eve met a President of the United States. PS: No, I have not, but once I got very very close. Two years ago I was in Washington *again* and we were there for the Space Association meeting. And some of us were invited after a private tour of the White House...we were asked if we would like to attend on the South Lawn the following morning, the President leaving for Camp David. Well...it was a very early call, 7:30, only two of us, Rick Berman, my executive producer, and myself, we went along. Because, *how can you say "no" to an opportunity like that* ? Particularly if you are an actor. Everything is grist to the mill, you want to *be* there, you want to smell the smells, see the sights, look into the eyes of the...secret...policemen. And...no, secret policemen are what they have in Russia. Right? JL: Right, right, these are the Secret Service. PS: Ok, this is the United States. JL: Yeah. PS: Good! PS. Well, it's the kind of detail you have to get right! JL: Yeah. Yeah. PS: Um, and this was when Mr. Bush was President and now, I have been on the left of politics all my life, I always voted for the Labour Party in England, and so, I was not particularly impressed about the prospect of meeting President Bush, although I was told that he knew that we were there. And I thought, "ah well you know who cares". And they said, well "he may come over and shake your hand", and I said "Ah, so what? President Bush", you know, I'd rather meet Reba McIntyre! PS: Am I working this too hard? Reba? JL: No, no! PS: However the door opened, and there I am standing, cynical British jerk. And he comes out, and he doesn't look towards us, instead he goes to the *other* side, and he shakes hands with the people over there. And I'm saying "well of course, what would you expect? He wouldn't come over here and talk to me." And then he turned around, and he waves. At me. It seemed. And involuntary, completely out of control my right hand when up in the air, and my face spread into what I knew was a *stupid* grin, and I went "Hiiiiiii, Mister Bush!" PS: Now, how do you...how do you *explain* that? And how would I explain it to my Socialist friends in England? JL: No, no, you just.... PS: "Hiiiiiiiiiiiii Mister Bush!!!!" JL: You know, you do. When you do meet famous people, you get, you do get... PS: Weak at the knees. JL: You get caught up, you try to think of something to say...Tell...I..I..The first time I met Michael Caine years ago, and he said "How are you?" and I said "Hiiiiii!" and I started to tell this joke, "you know, these two guys went into a bar...a...a...a..." He's looking at me like....and I said "I don't know what I'm doing, I just wanted to say hello....Nice to meet you! Goodbye!!" And then you just run away...it's really scary.... PS: It's very difficult. JL: Have you met the queen? We'll talk about that when we get back. Patrick Stewart right after this. JL: Welcome back, we're talking with Patrick Stewart. Now, when you were in England, obviously I imagine you met the Royal Family. Are they a little different from meeting our version? Not that we have royalty...... PS: I got *closer* to the Royal Family, to most of the members of the Royal Family, than I ever did to President Bush. Um...we gave a command performance, years and years ago when I was working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, at Windsor Castle, and it just so happened that *most* of the members of the Royal Family came to see the show that night, and afterwards there was a party and they all came, and so moment by moment you would turn your head, and there would be different members of the Royal Family going by, there would be Prince Charles, there would be Princess Maureene and so forth. And I happened to find myself, I say I *happened* to find myself in a three-way-conversation with one of the musicians from the wind band, and Her Majesty the Queen. And, she had been asking him about some of the unusual instruments they had been playing...these were *early* musical instruments. And he was telling her about the Rauschfife an instrument we don't...your band I guess doesn't have any Rauschfife's, no? Well, Henry the 8th did, and he was telling her this, and saying "Henry the Eighth loved the Rauschfife so much that he had a Rauschfife band." Consisting only of Rauschfife's and wherever he went the Rauschfife band would go with him. And she said, "Oh, well, yes. But then of course, Henry did everything to excess." But it was as though he had *just left the room*. Like some eccentric uncle that they were all rather fond of. JL: I suppose he *is* a relative. PS: Yes, he's a relative, though a very distant one. JL: I've done those shows where you as the actor on stage are the least important person in the room. If Prince Charles walks this way, you can't say "Hey, sit down pal, I'm trying to do a show here!" PS: Well, in fact I remember this, we were doing Taming of the Shrew, and we were there at the specific invitation of the Duke of Edinbourough and throughout the performance we couldn't help but see that from time to time he would lean over to the Queen on one side, and the Queen Mother on the other side and explain the jokes to them, hitting them on the knee "Hey! Did you get it!" "SHUT UP!!! We're *acting*!" JL: Now, where is the security tighter? At the White House do you think, or at Buckingham Palace? You've been to both, you've gotten close to both. PS: The..Well..The Buckingham Palace was a formal occasion and I was completely unaware of security of any kind. What was impressive about the White House visit three weeks ago was that although we were screened when we arrived, once we were there, we were virtually alone...although there was someone with us from the White House, but we were allowed to wander through the corridors, look in the rooms. It had a very relaxed atmosphere. I think that's terriffic. As far as I know, you can down that at 10 Downing Street. You're not allowed to look into Prime Minister Major's office. But it's one of the charming things about this country, sure, you're an American citizen, you're a tourist, you're interested, have a look in the office, that's where he works, that's his desk, that's where he sits. JL: So nobody was watching you? You could just swipe an ashtray? PS: Yes. JL: But when you look at the Bush's, they had missiles and thigns laying around....It looks really open, in fact, you guys burned it down in what? 1812? PS: Yeah, 1812. JL: The last British guy who went through there pretty much set fire to it. PS: But you know, looking in that room I wonder...you said you sat behind the desk... JL: I sat *in* the chair. PS: You were not alone. JL: The President let me sit in the chair, and then the President said "hey, here's a guy you've done a lot of jokes about! John Sununu, come in here!" I'm going "oo woo oo oo" I just thought I was going to get audited! PS: Now, if I had been you, I would have wanted to say "Gentlemen, I know this is an unusual request, but please, will you leave the room and walk out the door and close it behind you so that I can sit *alone* behind this desk. You know to get as close as possible.... JL: But, they don't know, you could go like this missiles are on their way to Russia now! PS: I don't think it's so easy. I hope it's not so easy! Do you think it's that easy? JL: No, you're probably right about that, but it is amazing how simple it is, you are right in that, cuz Americans think of it as a palace...then you go "this isn't even as fancy as Elvis' place!" It's just kind of plain. What's was you're first impression of this country when you came here did it seem...one of the things I like to do is take English people and say, you want something to drink? You want a large soda? Because a large because this would be a jumbo king large in England! You know a big gulp they would swim in that in England! That would be a pool! PS: Right. Have you ever tried asking for ice in England? JL: Yeah, you get this pitiful little phtt slivers, that they give you. PS: I think it was probably the language. The first time I came here I went to New York. My first morning in New York I was going to the theatre for a rehearsal and I was hungry and I went into a deli and there was a list of sandwitches. *Hundreds* of sandwiches! And it was very busy, it was towards lunch time and crowded, there was a lot of noise, and I felt very shy and intimidated. And finally the guy behind the counter *preseumably* wanted my business, and said "What do you want!" and I saw one sandwich on the menu, and I said "I want one...no no no no, not one I'd like two corn beef sandwiches," "What do you want on them?" "Uh choice of bread, bread, bread, what type? On, on, on, uh rye bread with uh, some lettuce, oh and I'd like to take it away with me please." And he said "Two cornie cows coming through the rye draggin' in the jungle to go!" PS: Thank you. And...I knew at that moment I *loved* this country! That was positively Shakespearian. JL: Now quickly, what's happening on Star Trek? PS: What's happening on Star Trek is that everybody's asking us "what's happening on Star Trek?" JL: Is it comeing back again or is this the last year? PS: No one has formally said...there are a lot of stories that this may be the last year. What I *can* tell you is that they are planning a feature film of the Next Generation. JL: Oh, that's great! JL: With Reba McIntyre! PS: Oh! Ask her! JL: Oh, sure. She can play a space alien or something. PS: Umm hmmm. You know...the captain has been alone for too long! JL: Oh really? PS: JL: We'll find out! We'll be right back with Reba right after this! Patrick Stewart JL: Tomorrow night Rob Schnider will be here with Robert Plant. Ahhh ahhh ahh ah! Ahhhh ahhh ahh ah! blah...blah..stuff about future shows...some jokes about NYPD Blue....skit of Sea Quest Blue with Jay playing the old guy and a blow up dolphin swearing at each other. JL: Introduces Reba JL: Well, I feel like one of those afternoon shows where stalkers meet their victims. That's about it. PS stays on the stage through the Reba interview JL: I wanna thank the band. Reba, this is 'The Greatest Hits' volume, now I've never done this before...will you sign my CD to him? He's a huge fan! Sign it to him, and I'll get another one from you later. Reba: You bet! JL: Look. He's like a little kid, all lit up. Look at this! JL: Patrick Stewart, Star Trek The Next Generation of course.... -----the end----- -- ----jennifer@hairball.ecst.csuchico.edu------"The StarTrek TechnoGeek"-------- Associate Member: Starfleet Ladies Auxillery & Embroidery/Baking Society Co-Founder: Patrick Stewart Estrogen Brigade 1st Officer (2nd Shift) and Captain's Personal Bodyguard: JLP Ship of Loooove