Yam! Magazine, July 2003

(Transcription provided by Drowned Luna)

Music isn’t something James Marsters (40) is able to live off. Even though the 
European tour with his band Ghost of the Robot was completely sold out, not much 
money was handed over from the small clubs. Who cares. James still has some work 
to do as an actor even after the end of “Buffy”. He’s got a movie coming up, and 
he has also joined “Angel”. Is he escaping into the world of working, because 
nothing is going on in his private life?

YAM!: For someone who comes from California and lives by the beach, you’re 
pretty pale. Or are Vampires not allowed to tan?

James: Exactly. Because of my role as Spike, I had strict no-tanning orders. And 
now, while on tour with the band, I do more stuff at night time. Spotlights also 
don’t tan…

YAM!: The blonde hair was also pretty much an “order”.

James: Yeah, it’s not very fun. The constant bleaching burns my scalp. Which is 
why I always added 7 packs of “Sweet ‘n low” into the color so it wouldn’t hurt 
as much. Old hairstylers trick!

YAM!: “Buffy” is over. What’s Spike doing now?

James: Rising from the dead! “Buffy” may be over, but Spike lives on! On July 
24th I’m in front of the camera in LA again for the 6th and last season of 
“Angel”.

YAM!: Wasn’t it supposed to end after the 5th Season?

James: Pretty much, yeah. For a while no one really knew – but then I signed on.

YAM!: So you’re Angels saviour?

James: I guess you could say that… through Spike, a completely different story 
can be told, which is supposed to last a whole season. A lot of responsibility!

YAM!: What else is up?

James: Well I really want to go into the studio with the band. We already have 
enough songs for a second album. And then in the fall I will be in Italy for a 
new movie I’m doing, “Italian Heat”.

YAM!: Sounds like a lot of work. How are you going to get that all done?

James: I don’t really know, actually. I think I need to reduce my sleeping from 
4 to 2 hours.

YAM!: Why only 4 hours?

James: I don’t really have much more time than that. Most of my time goes to 
filming, and the rest I need for Ghost of the Robot.

YAM!: Does it annoy you that you guys are only successful because you played 
Spike on “Buffy” ? 

James: No, but I do know that most people only come to our gigs because of that. 
But when I later hear how much they love our music, that makes me feel better.

YAM!: What kind of music do you listen to?

James: Jazz, Blues, Norah Jones and Radiohead. I like “handmade” music best. 
Like the music from Ghost of the Robot. Just cool rock music with loud guitars.

YAM!: Hmm… Rock star, Actor – sounds like a ladies man. How’s it going for you 
in your love life right now?

James: Rather depressive. I’ve been single for a year now. I noticed that I was 
always with the wrong women. Now I just want to find myself.

YAM!: How would a woman have to be, to change your mind?

James: The main thing is, is that she has to be natural, and that she loves me 
because I’m James, the human being, not because I’m a famous actor and that I 
have money.

YAM!: Sounds good. But you are 40, don’t you want a family?

James: I’ve been married, divorced now, and I have a son.

YAM!: You look younger than you are. What’s your secret?

James: Well, I live really healthy. I don’t eat much meat, but more vegetables. 
I hardly ever drink alcohol and I quit smoking.

YAM!; Was that hard?

James: Oh yeah! I chain smoked for years. I’ve been on the patch for 3 years 
now.

YAM!: How do you stay in shape?

James: Good question. I just gained 7 Kilos, that I need to get rid of right 
away so I can have washboard abs again. I need to do more sports.

YAM!: Like what?

James: I love Martial Arts. I used to do gymnastics, and tried to be a soccer 
player for a while, which didn’t last very long.

YAM!: Why not?

James: I got kicked out of the team because I sucked! If you have a ball that 
you never want to see again, give it to me! (Laughs) I’ll kick it into 
nevernever land. And I also hate team sports.

YAM!: No problem, there’s got to be some individual fighters. Are you one of 
those?

James: Yeah, pretty much. If I really want something, I’ll give my everything – 
even if I have to do it on my own. That’s just how I am.

YAM!: Are you always so consistent?

James: No, not always. I may get excited about things really quickly, but if I 
realize it’s not actually that great, then I look for new ways…

YAM!: New ways… can I use that to switch the subject over to cars?

James: Sure, go ahead. But you might not get as much as you would have a couple 
years ago. That’s when I still had a ’66 Ford Mustang, a really great car! But I 
gave it to my ex. Now I drive a Honda Civic, with which I get 2.000 miles per 
week. My son lives with his mother, which isn’t in LA. I visit him every 
weekend, so I drive there. I miss him a lot.

YAM!: Who comes and gives you a hug?

James: No one. I used to have a cat, Zachary, that I got in the Bronx while I 
still lived there. I had him for 14 years, but he died not too long ago.

YAM!: Your home was in the Bronx?

James: Yeah, I used do theatre in New York. I lived in places like the Bronx and 
Queens. It was a rough time. The scar that I have on my left eyebrow; I got it 
there. If you want to reach something, sometimes you just have to kick your way 
through…