from Metal Rules! Magazine 

Issue #10 (Summer 2002)

I was informed of this gem by the interviewer (Jeff) himself.  He begins the article with a disclaimer: "...I'm really glad I don't ever have to talk to him again.  The man is belligerent, cranky, possibly insane and seems to be half deaf to boot.  If you think doing this interview was a fun experience, well, it wasn't...."  etc. etc..  

What makes this interview such a good window into Gary's consciousness is that it's word for word from a tape recorder.

Metal Rules!: Actually you'll be happy, I print my interviews verbatim so your words won't be twisted or anything.

Gary Busey: Oh, I sure do thank you.

So we get all the fun weirdness of Gary as he really is.  All right, the party starts now.  Let's groove tonight, Busey style!

On page 37, Gary lets us in on what he's up to lately:

MR: How about your music?

GB: Music is going.  I'm doing a tribute album to Buddy Holly, I'm doing a gospel album.  I'm doing an album of all music.  I'm writing some children's books.  I'm writing an autobiography and a story of my common observations on feelings, which are things I've learned through my trip on Earth.

I've read this exchange (page 41) a million times, and it still cracks me up.

MR: What's your favorite cheese?

GB: (Pause)  Cake.

MR: Cake?

GB: Cake!

MR: Oh... okay.

GB: Cheesecake.

Page 36.  Gary shows his focus:

GB: "I'm doing high intensity training, science, philosophy, and nutrient supplements.  And I feel better than I've felt in years... since I can remember. ....  I've also done some intensives on the spiritual, body/mind balance.  Spirituality, mind and body balance with a lady named Carolyn Braddock.  And I have so much energy.  I mean I've been told by doctors and surgeons that I have the energy of ten men who have normal jobs.  And now that energy is balanced."

MR: Now is that something that you can overdo? 

GB: What?

MR: Is it possible to overdo something like that?

GB: Overdo what?

MR: I don't know, spirituality or the aerobics or...

GB: NO!

MR: Like anything else?

GB: NO! NO!  No, you cannot overdo that.

MR: 'Cause the thing I wonder about...

GB: Imagine the peace symbol.  The peace symbol has three pieces in it.  One piece is emotion, that's your body.  Another piece has spirit in it, that's your fuel.  Another piece has intellect in it and that's your steering wheel.  You can never overdo the fuel that goes into the body, which is the emotions and the steering wheel to drive it.

In case you've forgotten, Gary is weird (page 38):

MR: What's your cat's name?

GB: Ariana.

MR: Okay.

GB: Sweet little Princess Ariana Royal.

MR: Are you a cat lover?

GB: I love this cat.  I'm not a cat lover, no.

MR: Have you ever seen any of those people obsessed with cats?

GB: Yeah.

MR: They're a little scary/

GB: Yeah.  We have two familiars, they could be latent witches.

Page 40.  The interviewer asks Gary to sing a song for him over the phone...

GB: You can't play a song on the phone to a news reporter.  It's against copyright law.

MR: I'm going to yell at Liza for asking me to do that then.

GB: What?  (Jeff [the interviewer] laughs)

MR: I'm going to yell at Liza for asking me to... (obviously kidding)

GB: Don't yell at her, man, just let it go.

MR: Okay.

GB: Be a man about it.

MR: Okay.

GB: Don't be an idiot.  (Pissed)

About working on the movie Buddy Holly:

MR: Did you ever feel like he [Buddy Holly] was there?

GB: I didn't feel it but I knew it.  And when it was over, yeah, oh man.  Yeah he was there with me.  The spirit wrapped around me.  The spirit of Buddy Holly wrapped around me when I was doing this movie.  'Cause I said things and did things that weren't even in the script that he used to do.

page 42 

MR: Do you have any last words for the readers of Metal Rules!?

GB: Yeah, the readers of Metal Rules!: please do one thing for yourself, that's have an open mind.  Have a mind that's open to everything, get attached to nothing, that way you'll be free to digest the information in the magazine.  They give you the point of view they're giving to you from their hearts.  This is Gary Busey signing off.

MR: Have you ... are  you on the Internet?

GB: Did you hear what I just said?

MR: What's that?

GB: Did you hear what I just said?

MR: You said you were signing off does that mean you are going? (starts laughing)

GB: Huh?

MR: You said you were just signing off.

GB: No, did you hear what I just said about telling the readers of Metal Rules!?

MR: Yeah.

GB: Did you hear that?

MR: Yeah, I taped it.

GB: That didn't come from me.

MR: Who said it?  (Confused giggling)

GB: That came through me.

MR: Oh, okay.  (Laughing nervously)

GB: It was something that was delivered to me to say to you because that is not the way I talk.

MR: Then who just said it then?

GB: Uh-huh.

MR: Who delivered that to you?

GB: Another force in nature.

MR: You don't know who it is?

GB: Probably an angel.

In honor of this interview, I've assembled a bunch of pictures of Gary looking old and/or crazy.