Hello Beautiful,
Blake Pfeil is an actor and a songwriter. His debut album Wallpaper, is available on iTunes, Amazon, Google, and many others sites. After a sold-out 2013 NYC debut at Joe’s Pub (Blake Pfeil is in Love with a Girl Named… Irene,) Blake’s music has also been featured in larger venues like the Highline Ballroom and Rockwood Music Hall, as well as on the club scene, including at his home base The Bitter End, where his mash-up of his song “Chomp” with Rihanna’s/Calvin Harris’ “We Found Love” was featured as one of Playbill’s “Unforgettable Theatre Experiences of 2014.” Alongside two-time Tony nominee Robin De Jesus, Blake shot a video for his song “Queen,” which was featured as part of GLAAD’s Gay Pride celebrations in 2013. Blake’s musical The Year of the Scorpion is currently in development. Coming up in July, Blake will be playing his first solo show at 54 Below – The BBC, 1970.
MM: First thing first, can you pinpoint the moment when you knew you
wanted to be a singer/songwriter?
BP: The first time I heard Joni Mitchell’s Blue album, I was young. My mom had it on our old turntable (which still works.) I came upstairs from my bedroom, entranced. I sat and listened and thought, “That’s it. I’m hooked.”
MM: What’s the first song you remember writing?
BP: It was a song about Jesus called “Small Steps.” I still remember it the chorus. I’ll sing it for you sometime if you remember to ask me.
MM: Tell our readers about your upcoming show at 54 Below – Blake Pfeil in
The BBC, 1970.
BP: You mean perhaps the craziest thing I’ve ever done? Oh, man. There was this concert that was broadcast on the BBC in 1970, Joni Mitchell in Concert. She played her greatest hits, she had just become an international superstar. It was a small, acoustic set, half an hour. I just learned that the Brits call it The Pink Dress Concert. She wore this simple pink dress, hair down, nothing fancy. It’s breathtaking. When 54 Below approached me to do a show, that concert floated above me a like a ghost. At first I thought, “I’ll recreate that evening.” Then I thought, “No, I’m a songwriter. I’ll write a response to each song performed that evening and perform them at 54 Below, in order.” Every song she played that night I’m writing a response to and will play them in the same order as the songs she played during her Pink Dress Concert. Why? I don’t know. Because I’m insane.
MM: Singer, songwriter, and you’re an actor, too! Off all the roles you’ve played, which one (or ones) is most memorable?
BP: My first New York Times review was when I played twelve roles in the Neil Bartlett adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Of the twelve characters, Scrooge’s lightbulb rang quite true to the critic, and I got a NY Times mention because of it. Not Tiny Tim, not Very Young Scrooge, not even Mrs. Dilbert. The damn lightbulb. I’m never going to live down that lightbulb.
MM: Just for fun, what books are permanently on your bookshelf?
BP: Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks, The Secret Fruit of Peter Paddington by Brian Francis, The Calvin and Hobbes 10th Anniversary Book by Bill Watterson. Lots and lots and lots of plays. All of the plays.
MM: Just for fun, what sound do you love and what sound do you hate?
BP: I love the sound of a campfire. It reminds me of home, Colorado. I hate the sound of a cell phone ringing in a theater of any kind, including a huge concert venue. Turn off the damn phone for two hours. It’s not going to kill you. I promise.
MM: Just for fun, if you were stranded on an island, what television shows and movies would you want to have available to you?
BP: Movies: Contact, Matilda, The Truman Show, Ghost World. Those four movies can get me through anything. I’m not a huge TV guy, but RuPaul’s Drag Race is the single greatest thing to happen to national television. I love it.
MM: What is the best piece of advice you’d give to a student in high school and/or college who’s looking to pursue a career in the entertainment industry?
BP: Take every single shred of advice from your mentors and peers with a grain of salt. Ultimately, you are the captain of your ship, so you have the final say.
MM: What reasons would you give to a school board and/or politician for preserving arts education programming in schools?
BP: Damn. That’s a good one. I guess I’d say, very simply, “Math isn’t the only true universal language.” Art taught me to communicate to the best of my ability, to think outside the box, and to be self-disciplined. Some brains use math; some use sports; others use art. Don’t neglect the brains that grow best by artistic expression.
MM: Time for shameless self promotion! What’s next for Blake Pfeil?
BP: It’s a secret, but this concert at 54 Below is a glimpse into the future of what’s next. I’m also going to Mexico! Again. My friend Miguel has a theatre company down there. They’re flying me down for a concert down there.
MM: Who is/was your greatest teacher?
BP: I don’t read music. By the time I was seven, I’d cycled through three piano teachers in just over a year. None of them could deal with me because I wouldn’t read the music. I’d repeat what they’d play by ear. The third one, who I won’t name here, told my mom that I should definitely try something else, maybe stick to acting: I’d never be a pianist. Honestly, that was the greatest thing a teacher ever did for me because it pushed me to prove her wrong.
Thanks Blake! And Write Teacher(s) readers – be sure to get your tickets to Blake’s show on Saturday, July 25th. Tickets are available here.
Live, Love, Learn,