Roger Rowley interview

Very talented actor – and singer – Roger Rowley can currently be seen in a new Fringe musical production of ‘Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story’ at the Gatehouse in Highgate. While the production as a whole is definitely worth checking out (please read the accompanying review), it’s Roger’s portrayal of one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most influential figures that will blow your bobby sox off!
Film-News caught up with him to find out more about the man and the performance!

Film-News:
Roger, how did you land the part of Buddy Holly - there must have been serious competition!

Roger Rowley:
I've never asked how many were actually auditioned for the role but I imagine quite a few, since the initial auditions ran for 3 days and everyone seemed to have a guitar on their back! I was back a week later for recalls where there seemed to be two of us duelling for the part, but I've never enjoyed an audition so much. I've been Buddy before back in my Leeds hometown, and when a friend at drama school (from which I'm yet to graduate) linked me to the open audition notice, I thought it a good idea to stay up late and gather some audio/visual reference from my previous performance to submit with the CV & photo. Best foot forward & all that! That I then had the role was the best news I've had in three years.

Film-News:
Were you familiar with Buddy's story and short life before you auditioned for the part, and also, what interested you in the role to begin with?

R. Rowley:
Having played the part before, I was, but only superficially. Before the 2006 show with my local theatre group, I had no idea what songs he'd written. I knew he'd reaped it in a plane crash because I had sang Don McLean's American Pie at a youth club gig, but even then, my approach was to take the character mainly from the script and music with only a small ammount of internet research. Fighting for the part professionally in 2010, I dived straight into every book and documentary I could find (although I'm a shockingly slow reader and I've since only finished one!) and bought everything he recorded. I like doing that with old bands anyway, tackling them in one big block. Iggy Pop & David Bowie got the same treatment last year. My own band has seen several line-ups and incarnations, so a lot of Buddy's experiences hold a special resonance with me, e.g. the desperately charged atmosphere of the recording studio or not knowing quite how to talk to an audience.

Film-News:
Everything about your performance is spot on, from the physical transformation to the way you move on stage, play the guitar in a downstroke way and general body language. How did you study and adapt Buddy's characteristics?

R. Rowley:
Thank you! There is a lot of me in there. The laugh, the grin, the awkwardness. There isn't much reference of Buddy in existence bar his music, yet the bizzarre hiccups and pitch bends in his vocal do lend many potent clues to a personality. There's been about four television spots and a handful of radio interviews/phonecalls preserved, but they show Buddy in a very restrained and polite environment as he appeases his elder hosts & interviewers. The Buddy people remember on stage would fling himself about with utter abandon and the on-stage/off-stage contrast was apparently akin to that of flicking a light switch on. I'm certain he retained his manners and close relationship with the audience, which is clear from these surviving interviews, but he was no pushover on stage. The downstroke playing of his stratocaster, which was rather innovative at the time for such a sensitive and jangly instrument, can't be anything other than a conscious decision to make more of the guitarist/ singer/ frontman presence than had previously been thought possible, or even allowed. He ended up having to cut through some massive audiences with that tiny amplifier too. Personally, I couldn't think of anything better with which to blow away the intricate fills and meandering melodies of Texan Country music, than by smacking out a handful of major chords in a straight down motion! And then doing the same thing for the solos. Just higher up the neck or on a different pickup setting!

Film-News:
How easy or difficult was it to tune in with the actors who portray your band The Crickets?

R. Rowley:
The music came together very quickly and they're a lovely set. We take care of each other on stage, as we're always one step away from a fatal wire-tangling incident at any time! Ritchie who plays Joe on double bass is a huge musical talent with a lot more up his sleeve I'm sure, and Alex has been a dynamic and consistent drummer, every bit the slinky Jerry Allison you can watch in those old video clips. Jos has the difficult task of "4th cricket", being an extra guitar for little reward. Our director at least re-instated his proper name (Nikki Sullivan, who left the Crickets after their first tour) and he's a strong performer so he can make the most of it. I can safely say I'm the least musically endowed on that stage, as music theory has always baffled me. I know finger shapes and handy cheats and "cool sounds". As for true acting dynamic, the dialogue between our characters isn't the best, but it's easy to just have a good time as a set of young lads making music.

Film-News:
One of your previous roles was Rocky in The Rocky Horror Show... once again a singing part in a cult musical. Are these the kind of roles you prefer, or is it just coincidence?

R.Rowley:
Well they look great next to each other on the CV! It's a co-incidence, but I'm obviously and ardently into rock music and it shows in my voice. During the obligatory years I spent failing to get into drama school on an Acting course, I got involved with the musical theatre available in my hometown. That's where I did Buddy, it's where I met the MD of Rocky on a Les Mis workshop he was touring. After all that, I'd become an experienced singer /actor so I thought why not audition for a Musical Theatre course. I got in on my first try this time. I can't dance though, which has been the beign of my existence for the last three years and is the reason I find myself branching out to cult theatre, Rock N Roll and (I intend) television!

Film-News:
You also have your own music project on the sly, in the incarnation of Sergeant Lewis. Tell me a little about it...

R. Rowley:
Sergeant Lewis (www.sergeantlewis.net) is some sort of punk melodrama tarted up with Glam leftovers, in a traditional 3-piece with lots of overdrive. It's the personification of all the nasty, lashing, fearful reactions in my head and it gets quite funny sometimes. It's like a horrid cartoon character, so I get to make mountains out of molehills and tell fantastic stories inspired by the truly mundane. At least that's what I tell myself. I'd love to say I don't take it too seriously, in the metal-pop spirit of Terrorvision or the indie-pop of Kaiser Chiefs (both acts with a distinctly Northern self-deprecation and playfulness) but I think maybe I do! It used to be a humdrum folk band with a violin, not a specific character, but falling down this rabbit-hole of performing arts has left me with a hell of a lot to prove and many arses to kick. It's all horribly self-referential. We played at Guilfest last year and have just finished an EP!

Film-News:
What would be your ultimate dream role?

R. Rowley:
I would love to play Galileo Figaro in We Will Rock You, even though they always seem to cast an older guy from another country! Aside from that, I want to break into TV & film where the possibilities are infinite. The possibilities of the West End are definitely not infinite! Playing David Bowie in something would be super-wonderful. Maybe I can help him recover from the bad taste that was Velvet Goldmine...

Film-News:
Many thanks for the interview, and best wishes for your future projects!