Music no lesser role than acting for Kevin Bacon on Astini News

Updated: August 26, 2011 8:56PM

Kevin Bacon has staying power.

And we're not talking about his film career or his six degrees of separation from everyone on the planet.

During a recent phone conversation, the topic was music, specifically the Bacon Brothers, the band he and his older brother, Michael, co-founded nearly 15 years ago. The actor is adamant that the band is and never was a hobby or sideline. Music has been in his blood since he was a kid in Philadelphia, playing drums or guitar around the house, or tagging along behind his brother to various paying gigs around town. The band has stayed true to its blend of rock, folk, country and soul through six albums.

Michael Bacon (he and the 52-year-old Kevin are 9 years apart in age) is a seasoned music scorer/composer for films and television shows.

Bacon just wrapped up work on "Jayne Mansfield's Car," directed by Billy Bob Thornton, in Atlanta, and is set to begin filming "R.I.P.D.," in which he stars as the villain opposite Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges. He recently spoke to the Sun-Times about making music.

Question: Your last release, 2009's "New Year's Day," was your most personal album to date. Are those kinds of songs the ones that appeal to you the most as a songwriter?

Kevin Bacon: I think you try to keep it personal as much as you can. We've tried through the years to write songs that are sort of more generic — just find a hook and then write it. But those never seem to be our most successful songs. It's the personal ones that are always the most satisfying to us and to our fans. I think you have a responsibility to share something in a song in a very personal way with the audience.

Q: What's the most personal song on the album for you and Michael?

KB: For Mike, I think it would be "Almost Got Rich," because it's almost like an autobiography for him. For me, it would have to be "Kikko's Song." It's kind of a song to my wife [actress Kyra Sedgwick]. It's about her but it's about me. It's about the way we support each other.

Q: You also wrote the song "Bitter Man." That's not Kevin Bacon, is it?

KB: It's kind of like about how life goes on. There' a lot of disappointments and dread, and there's all this stuff in the paper about pain and turmoil around the world, and so what are you gonna do? Choose to become bitter? I think being angry about something is great, or being sad or joyful. They have their place. But bitterness is something that can cause a cancer in your life because it has the power to eat away at you and just destroy you. It's all about how you deal with the pain the world has dealt you. You can be bitter or you can just stand up and make a better life for yourself and make the world better.

Q: It's been 15 years since you and Michael and the band first hit the clubs. Do you remember what that first show was like?

KB: We did a show in upstate New York and [laughs] it was terrifying. I mean I had theater experience and movies but I never stood on a stage, picked up my guitar, wore my own clothes and started singing a song I wrote about my dog. Ya know? That was a frightening place to be. This many years later, I'm happy to say I'm comfortable onstage. I get the process now. But sometimes it's just a tiny bit scary still. Maybe that's a good thing.

Q: You've said that "people hate actors in rock bands." Explain.

KB: It's hard for people to get their heads around actors playing music. People seem to think that actors can't do two things well. I think people roll their eyes when a musician goes out and has an art show, and the critics just roll their eyes. Well, maybe he's been painting since he was 6, so why can't he do both really well?

Q: What has being on the road with a band taught you?

KB: You ultimately really form this brotherhood with the band. When I became an actor, I loved being part of the stage an ensemble because in theater you really do feel a sense of community. But it's not often that I feel that way in the entertainment business. Movies are in their own way kind of isolating. You have to look out for yourself when you're making a film. Every once in a while, you find that sense of family on a set, but most times it's every man for himself.

Q: How do you feel about your nephew, Justin Nozuka (the Canadian singer-songwriter's mom is the half-sister of Bacon's wife) making a name for himself in the music business?

KB: He's really, really good. I remember when he used to sing with his brothers. They're all incredibly talented kids [Justin has six siblings]. I'd love to collaborate with him. Our paths just don't cross that much.

 The Bacon Brothers, 8 p.m. Aug. 30, Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. Tickets are $35-$55. Call (630) 896-6666; paramountaurora.com. Also, 8 p.m. Sept. 1-2, Metropolis Performing Arts Center, 111 W. Campbell, Arlington Heights. Tickets, $65-$75. Call (847) 577-2121; metropolisarts.com.