Thursday, December 02, 2010

Darren Criss Interview with JustJared

Darren Criss Interview — JustJared.com

JJ: How has the past couple of weeks been like for you now that you’re a huge TV star?

DC: It’s fundamentally crazy. Nothing has really sunk in, partially because when you’re doing television, there’s a disparity and disconnection. There’s no immediacy like in theater when you’re doing something and then everyone is experiencing it in real time. When you’re doing something like Glee, you do it, you disappear, and then even when I watch alone in my room, it’s like I don’t feel like this crazy machine that is Glee. The only way I feel like it is when I’m on the phone more, and a couple more meetings more, and busier than I was before. But it’s a blessing and the cool thing about being busy with the show is that it’s with a character that I really love, I’m really proud of, and capitalize each day so it’s busy for a good reason. I’m not like a crazy action villain in a blockbuster movie, it’s something that I can gladly take on cause it has to do with something so strong.

JJ: With the success of your Human EP, are you working on a full-length album?

DC: I would really like to! I was thinking of doing that even before Glee and that was something that was always going to happen. Glee was kind of complicated and good powers got that momentum because of the scheduling and things that you can and can’t do music-wise, but I have every intention to do an album at some point.

JJ: What kind of album would you produce?

DC: I go back and forth because I’m kind of a musical mercenary and in a sense I write for musical theater and that’s it’s own thing. And then there’s this folk thing, and I like writing for pop music and pop stars. When you’re making a record or any piece of art, you give as much as yourself on a huge canvas on whatever you can find and then you look at it. So I’m just curious if anybody who listens to my music — what it’s going to sound like. I think it’ll be very simple. No Gaga although I’d really like to make a record like her.



JJ: With Kurt and Blaine, which duet would you want to cover personally?

DC: Man, there’s so many great duets. I was so thrilled when we got to sing “Baby It’s Cold Outside”. I thought it was a great choice, classy song. It’s kind of a creepy song (laughs) but in context, I think it’s rather charming. They did a very great job with the arrangement and I think it’s going to be really hard to think of another duet to top that. I’ll think of something eventually, but right now I think I can get a lot of mileage out of that one.

JJ: What’s your favorite duet in general?

DC: They’re all obscure songs, it’d be weird. I’m a big Sondre Lerche fan and he has this song “Modern Nature”. It’s a beautiful song. If they want to celebrate a very under-the-radar song, that’d be really cool. But at this point, I’m just happy to get whatever. Beggars can’t be choosers!

JJ: Do you have any Glee crushes?

DC: I think everybody has a cool crush on Heather Morris simply because she’s so amazing at everything she does. She’s the one-line mistress and a fantastic dancer and everybody wants to hang out with her and be her basically, and by that I mean me. (laughs) We all just adore her because she’s so talented, very humble, and just a very wonderful person.

JJ: Do you have any secret talents that you want us to know about?

DC: I play mostly guitar, and I played drums for my brother’s band growing up. I grew up playing the violin which is basically how I expanded to other musical endeavors involving some of my violin training. I play a mean kazoo and harmonica if i have some alcohol in me. Of course I condone drinking and playing the harmonica at the same time cause it won’t sound good at all. (laughs)

JJ: You have a show coming up in L.A. right?

DC: I probably play a lot of shows in NY rather than LA, but I play quite often whether solo or with my band who are called the “Dot Dot Dot”. We’re playing December 18, tickets are sale on Ticketmaster and it should be fun cause it’ll be a new collection of the StarKid faithful and then new people that have been exposed to me through Glee. I’m excited for that.