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We entered the very private world of BUCKWHEAT. A man for every season. In a world dominated by acts that come and go using every gimick in the book to stay afloat, BUCKWHEAT remains fresh;inovative,and honest.
We were torn.
As we told you in the begining we felt that BUCKWHEAT was BIG BUSINESS.
BUCKWHEAT is a now type of thing. He could go huge in the fashion industry while maintaining a large following in the motion picture industry.
It's BUCKWHEAT time and we wanted to be the first to show you the shakers and the movers of tomorrow's entertainment.
Ladies and Gentlemen our interview.
INROCKWETRUST: Buckwheat if we can be so bold do you have any problems with being addressed in this way, if so, please give us a name we can use.
BUCKWHEAT: Well, as I said before, everyone has been so kind and so understanding with me. I realize that if I'm going to suceed I'll have to rely on a name. I am BUCKWHEAT, I can't hide.
INROCKWETRUST: How did it all start for you? Are you one of many BUCKWHEAT's or is your story unique? Please fill in the blanks.
BUCKWHEAT: I know what you mean. My story started when I was a youngster. We came from Indiania with a dream I guess.
I did'nt really know what the dream was. The only thing I knew was that you could'nt travel with the family if you did'nt work.
INROCKWETRUST: You refer to a family is their name BUCKWHEAT as well.
BUCKWHEAT: Goodness no. BUCKWHEAT is mentioned in the bible I think that's how they stuck me with the name. I really felt like they used the bible to get anything they wanted when I was growing up. No,- although my family was instrumental in getting me into show business I'd rather not mention them. Hal Roach was the one force that brought me to the stage as BUCKWHEAT.
I can remember begging to act when I was about 3 or 4. I just had to do it.
INROCKWETRUST: So often you hear about children working in the industry, at an early age like 3 or 4 what are your feelings now about work in the business for children.
BUCKWHEAT:I really don't think that anybody should have to work at an early age, however, it's like anything else you won't have anything to show for it if you don't. I think that the work is way too grueling for children and if you start too early you can't stop. Children go through stages of development. Awkward stages where they are self conscious about their appearence or the loss of a tooth. The shape of thier nose and so on.
I think that's the thing that Hal Roach highlighted.
I remember when we moved to New York I did'nt need to act.
I was just OK fine and still having no real adjustment problems to living outside of Indiana.
INROCKWETRUST: So what or who would you attribute your early interest in acting?
BUCKWHEAT: I would say that my baby sitters were the one's that did it for me. Marilyn Monroe(spelling unknown), Honey West, The Farmers Daughter Inger Stevens I think her name was. They were always talking about getting roles around me when I was younger. I remember The Televison series like it was yesterday. Hal promised that I could be the smart one.
Yet at the audition we still had to humilate ourselves. As children I think we all had really poor self images of ourselves. I always got to wear a black durby and their was a huge party which Hal always reminded us was symbolic of our parents taking our cash and ordering limo's and throwing lavish parties all the time.
It did'nt last long and I was auditioning for Otto Preminger and working with Alfred Hitchcock. Childhood is a fleeting thing.
INROCKWETRUST: Why break your silence?
BUCKWHEAT: In truth I saw a T-Shirt and I could'nt believe it. I never checked with SAG since it was television in those days. I was back home and every one was like BUCKWHEAT is really cool. I thought I would shrink from the scene at first as I thought of that riduclous name.
Everyonce in a while somebody say's hey it's in the bible.
Anyhoo. It was my first acting job and we were supposed to look as riduclous as possiable. I told Hal I did'nt want to look too crazy however I would'nt be surprized at some of my early baby pictures with my eyes really wide.
I think Hal got off on making fun of blacks. Although the only thing that really calmed me down about the whole thing was the actor that had his hair starched and pointed.
Now he looked so crazy I told everybody that I could work as long as he made himself look crazy. I was really aware of the fact that the white actors did'nt have to look as crazy as Hal made the blacks look.
I thought I'd follow Hal's mentality for a while and get discovered as a janitor somewhere and then I found out that that's not a bad salary.
If it was not for that show I would not have gotten into film at an early age.
INROCKWETRUST: So what is your plan for the future?
BUCKWHEAT: I'm working on a show called BUCKWHEAT goes to college and it's out of the same acting stable as Morris Day, Michael Jackson, and Axle Rose. It's good to be dealing with the subject matter.
I'm sure other BUCKWHEAT's feel the same way about it.
I don't know why but now I want the royality rights to come to me especially the T-Shirts. I think that the archive films would be good to put on PETA and I'm working a DEAL with SONY PICTURES to have it all on MTV.
INROCKWETRUST: In parting what's the thing about BUCKWHEAT that makes him so funny?
BUCKWHEAT: I think BUCKWHEAT presses alot of buttons. He hits on alot of nerve endings. It's like sweet and sour.
You'll laugh, you'll feel uncomfortable, and then you'll laugh again. I think that BUCKWHEAT takes the kind of racism that HAl ROACH promoted and confronts it. Then remodifies it. I'm really happy about the fact that I can face it. I did all kinds of things to hide from BUCKWHEAT.
Now with theater and the technology available, it's time to cash it in. I hear about cult clubs all the time, I'm always getting a laugh when I do it. It's either that or I get this really stern NAAPC type look. That always makes me really quiet. I take a long look at them and then I do something crazy to my hair.
To me crazy hair is what it's like to be Black. Rolling my eyes and making my lips really poke out is self hatred. It really made me uncomfortable when I was younger.
Now it's a more intelligent approach and as a director I feel it's a necessary transition.
Cenex and the DGA were instrumental in giving me a lot of pointers.
I'm not really made at Hal Roach but I do feel as though Hals a bullshit artist up to a point. I mean it's one thing to exploit children and then run with the money, but it does say something about your character.
This time I'm using Hal. I don't even think that I care enough about Hal these days to ask permission. The royalties were never made clear enough to me now even as an adult and I still felt very self concious about my early childhood.
I'm not complaining.
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