His comment about Buffy being able to combine, melodrama, comedy, tragedy, etc successfully is right on and I think one of the main reasons the show was so successful. It made it real.

I do wish he'd get his dates right though. The first Star Trek convention was in 1976. I don't know if he attended a second one or if he was younger than he remembers but I see him say this in a number of interviews and it is a small niggling annoyance.

Lioness | June 12, 13:40 CET

James Marsters and Spike was the reason I stayed with Buffy for 7 years, my first Vampire love.

This shows the first widely publicized fan convention occurred in January 1972 at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York, featuring Roddenberry, Isaac Asimov, and two tons of NASA memorabilia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trekkie

rehabber | June 12, 14:00 CET

Interesting, rehabber. The ones James is talking about seem to be these. So he may well be right about the date, but we are both wrong about either the one I went to or he did being the "First Star Trek Convention".

Lioness | June 12, 14:39 CET

The proofreader/editor needs to write

"You're responsible for your articles"

a hundred times or something, that's a bit of a basic one for a newspaper to miss (several times. In a row).

Usual sanity from JM though (aside from getting his own past mucked up but we've all been there ;).

Saje | June 12, 15:20 CET

Um...Should I be admitting that I attended a 1974 Star Trek convention at the Americana Hotel in NYC with a friend? Yeah, JM has it wrong about it being the first. One of the first would be a more accurate description. But JM is quirky that way. No biggie.

newcj | June 12, 15:46 CET

It may also be that he remembers being at something like a Worldcon or a smaller local con that wasn't "Star Trek" per se but had a significant "Star Trek" presence. I remember going to *something* when I was 12 (which would have made it 1972) that had a Trek presence. I couldn't tell you what it was called to save my life, though, but I do remember that it was pretty large.

Shapenew | June 12, 18:31 CET

James is at his usual analytic and clever self. But I have about this much tolerance with crap right now. Alien is, when you examine it closely, one hour of people arguing over nothing important followed by an epileptic seizure. I’m sure it’ll captivate James for a lifetime, art buff he is.

And I’ve even read the script, and now I’m off it. I’ll leave you in peace for a while.

hence | June 12, 22:57 CET

First off, where can I get a job writing article titles? Because that really is a groaner supreme, and I mean no offense. If you hadn't posted it Simon, I'd be loathe to read it in the first place.

I can watch the original Alien like forever. I could watch something like that once every six months for the rest of my life.’’ Jesus, I love him.

I always love the way he talks about working on Buffy, but I think he does contradict himself. What I'm thinking of is an exclusive Q & A he did at Big Apple Comic Con very recently. I bookmarked this and in watching, someone in the audience asks him (I transcribed this as best I could given the sound quality): What was your favorite part about being in Buffy, and he replies: I'd have to say my favorite part of being in Buffy were the moments between the words action and cut.

Audience member: And what was your least favorite part?

JM: Between the words cut and action. I have to be honest about it. They really were great writers, writing that stuff and wonderful people making the sets, and, including the costumes and all of that stuff, so when they said action, I got to release into a fantasy that was so perfect, but between the words cut and action, I had to deal with human beings involved in making that fantasy and they were all freaks like me. But after they said cut, we all had to deal with each other, and that was not so fun. And that was less perfect. It's the perfect moment when you say action. Everybody was a genius came together in that moment and they filmed that moment, but after they said cut, we all had to deal with each other, and that was not so fun, I have to be honest.

So when I watch a video containing that opinion, I wonder how he could say in so many convoluted words that it wasn't always terribly pleasant, yet he seems to honor everybody's contribution to making the show. It could be my somewhat limited knowledge of what went on, on set over the years, because I didn't seek much out. I know the hair bleaching caused him horrible pain, but thought he had a good relationship with Joss and the cast. I'm not het up about it at all, just wondering which it is, both, he's not sure?

Tonya J | June 13, 01:56 CET

@ Tonya J I don't see where he's contradicting himself there. His favorite moments were on set doing the scenes. His least favorite were off of the set with the cast and crew. I know I've read that for a lot of shooting James was quitting smoking, which wasn't too fun for the cast. I also remember him mentioning the general stress behind shooting something like Buffy. They were on a limited budget and blowing a scene could sometimes mean blowing $10000, which creates tension among everybody involved. Overall, I think he's hitting on the fact that although he greatly admires and respects the work of the cast and crew, things weren't always sunshine and rainbows behind the scenes. Which, to me, is fair. They worked long hours in close quarters under tight deadlines. I think they all get along well now since it's done and they don't have to be with each so often.

popgoestheshelby | June 13, 07:37 CET

He has also previously mentioned things like being older than most of the cast, being in a different place in his life than the rest of the cast, being used to approaching things differently (especially sensitive scenes) because of his theater background, needing to adjust to a different power structure than he had been used to, etc. that always seemed to be polite indications that he did not fit in well with some of the other personalities all the time. I was at Big Apple Con that day and felt he was in a particularly non-sugarcoating, tell it like it is, no bullsh*t mood that day. I don't think it was a contradiction, just saying more directly some of the things he has been alluding to for years. That said, he has also consistently had wonderful things to say about many of the individuals, the overall level of talent on the show, how much he loved playing Spike and how grateful he was for the opportunity.

newcj | June 13, 12:38 CET

Alien is, when you examine it closely, one hour of people arguing over nothing important followed by an epileptic seizure.

Or a great haunted house horror film in the guise of SF. I'm with James.

redeem147 | June 13, 13:02 CET

I love Alien and it was one of the scariest movies I had ever seen, I remember setting with my hand over my mouth, curled up in the seat. Good times.

rehabber | June 13, 13:58 CET