Singer gets best of both worlds
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor
Chris Isaak is the remade man, from moody rocker ("Wicked Game," "Heart Shaped World") to big screen actor ("Little Buddha," "Silence of the Lambs") to his latest incarnation, as star of Showtime's "The Chris Isaak Show," a TV series that's as hard to categorize as Isaak himself.
Showtime
Isaak, who's in Hawai'i for a performance to help promote his show, plays himself, a rock singer, in a format that blends fact and fiction, real people (his mom has made a guest appearance) and stars (Minnie Driver appeared in a recent episode).
Chris Isaak, center, with bandmates Kenney Johnson, left, and Herschel Yatovovitz performed at the Outrigger Waikoloa last night.
"It's my low-brow humor combined with the writers' high-brow, and I guess it's 'Northern Exposure' meets 'Porky's II,' " Isaak said in a phone interview from the the Outrigger Waikoloa on the Big Island, where he played a private concert for winners of a Showtime contest, along with music- and entertainment-industry professionals.
"I guess it's pretty much me, only nicer," he said. "When your name's attached to the show, you have some obligation to maintain some order ... I mean, I would never allow the story to be about something I would never do in real life, like getting drunk and setting fire to an orphanage."
Regulars include members of Isaak's band, Silvertone, and a mermaid named Mona (yes, she's naked — this is cable, after all). Isaak shares executive producer credits on the show, and usually manages a live song before a final credit crawl.
"I think it was my bad idea," said Isaak, 44. "I kept watching TV and saying, 'We could do that, we could do that, we could do a TV show.' Now that I've done one, I (know I) didn't realize how much work it is. But it's fun work."
Isaak took the idea for a series on the unconventional life of a rocker to Showtime, with a few demands slipped into the pitch: no violence, no nudity (on his part), lots of music — and Silvertone had to be part of the package. "I mean, I wasn't going to be hanging out on the set and not be able to tour with my buddies," he said. He notes, however, that the band has taken on a new member for the series — the keyboardist on the show is actually an actor who plays piano.
Though only a handful episodes have aired to date, Isaak said he's completed taping his 17-show order. And while it's premature to expect a second season, he's eager for the go-ahead. "Reviews and ratings have been good," he said.
Isaak said he's managed to break the rules and win so far. For example, the music is played live on the set, with a live audience, the way the musicians prefer it, even though the directors wanted them to perform with playbacks (pre-recorded tracks). "Nobody does it this way," he said. "If you did playbacks, you may as well have actors who can lip-synch."
Isaak said he is particularly glad to be in the Islands because the show is largely taped in chilly Vancouver, B.C., and he's more of a surf guy than a ski guy. He grew up in Stockton, Calif., and now lives in San Francisco.
"I'd like to bring the show to Hawai'i, maybe in the next season or two," he said.
He's had a week's vacation on the Big Island, where he spent some time tweaking lyrics for the band's new album, to be recorded in the next couple of months.
Before he leaves, Isaak hopes to trek to Moloka'i. "I don't like nightlife; I love the quiet time, when I'm able to sit and write," he said.
More than the tranquility or the weather, however, he said it's Hawai'i's people that have impressed him in his visits here.
He offered an example: "I always travel with my guitar, wherever I go. In other places, if I pull it out, I get funny looks and am asked, "Will you play something?' Over here, you pull out the guitar, the people come sit down next to you and want to play with you. And a lot of people sing, too, and they want to borrow my guitar so they can play for me. Now that's really cool."
