PSYCH Q & A With Special Guest Curt Smith Plus Episode Preview

I have to come right out and be honest, and tell you that, as huge a fan of PSYCH as I am, one or two episodes this season have let me down a bit. I'm not absolutely sure why that is, but I think that we have come to a point in the show where overplaying the general doubt in Spencer's abilities is actually annoying.

Much like the oft-compared (even rather brilliantly within the show) The Mentalist, or something like House, after the first dozen or so times our heroes turn out to be right, it would be nice if the rest of the cast opened to the idea that they might be right.

Despite my misgivings about a couple of episodes, you don't want to miss the next one. With not only LOST's Nestor Carbonell, but also Tears for Fears' Curt Smith appearing both in person and as theme song re-interpreter, and with a plot that involves Carbonell as "Shawn 2.0," this one is dripping with potential. Make sure you check it out tonight at 10/9c.

Curt Smith took part in a Q & A to talk about the show recently, and it proved very interesting. Check out that and a couple of previews from tonight's episode below.

What can you tell us about the Tears for Fears version or the Curt Smith version of the Psych theme song. Obviously it’s become a very popular theme song. It’s a very fun theme song. How did you sort of want to reinterpret it?

Curt Smith: Well taking cues from James primarily I made it as retro as I possibly could with some humor. So basically what we get is the visuals of the, you know, the closing credits and everything which the theme song goes over and then we play with that.

So rhythmically you’ve got to match that so that it all kind of fits in and there’s an explosion and different things. So basically it was a mixture of going back to very old synthesizers and adding some humor to that as well which, it was actually a really enjoyable experience I have to say.

Do you think you’d maybe want to make a cameo in another series or two?

Curt Smith: It depends if I ever get asked. I mean the joy of doing the Psych thing I have to say, is that, you know, I’d met them beforehand, James and Tim specifically. I met Dule when I got up there. But they’re just, you know, a nice bunch of people.

So it actually makes the whole experience easy and enjoyable. And in that sense I didn’t find it particularly hard especially as you say, playing myself. But playing other people, who can tell? But, you know, I’m kind of game for things.

Can you talk about how the guest spot came about for you and what it was like to work on set?

Curt Smith: It initially came about that James and Tim from the show came to a Tears for Fears show at the Wiltern theatre in Los Angeles and then somehow managed to wangle their way backstage. I have no idea but security was very lax that night.

And I was introduced to James in - backstage. And then he said, you know, would you come and do a guest spot on the show? And I thought well why not? The show is amusing. The kind of humor is kind of right up my alley because it’s pretty much chock full of sarcasm.

So it seemed like a good thing to do. And shooting it was really - I actually was tweeting while I was up there and I think I summed it up in one sort of sentence when I said it was like being at a two day frat party which it pretty much was.

PSYCH -- "Shawn 2.0" -- Pictured: (l-r) Curt Smith, Netsor Carbonell as Delcan, Jame Roday as Shawn Spencer, Dule Hill as Gus Guster -- Photo by: Alan Zenuk/USA Network

Psych is really a show that puts so much of their writing talent into trying to create this sort of homage to the 1980s and the music, the films. How comfortable was it for you going into this kind of setting where you already knew I mean your music was loved, it was respected and I mean you were basically surrounded by people who looked up to you?

Curt Smith: Yeah, I mean I think that made it enjoyable. Yes. I mean, you know, I don’t like - I don’t mind my ego being rubbed now and again. You know, I mean they - and, you know, they were a nice bunch of people as well. So filming it was really easy.

You know, I think also what sort of helps is with all of the people on the show, you know, maybe apart from Tim to a certain degree because he does play a character that’s not exactly like him but, you know, what you see on the show is pretty much the way these people are off the show.

So that made the whole experience a lot easier for me. I wasn’t dealing with, you know, seeing a bunch of actors act and then discovering they’re completely different people off the set. They’re really not. They’re pretty much the way you think they are.

Could you talk a little bit about the overall experience of doing Psych and what it means to you?

Curt Smith: I mean like I mentioned, the experience was great. You know, we - I mean I just flew up to Vancouver for two days because the shock/horror is it’s actually not really filmed in Santa Barbara. And, you know, it was just a couple of nights in Vancouver.

The filming side of it - I mean, you know, when you’re actually filming I’ve got to say it was a boiling hot day so that was - that was not that pleasurable that bit of it when you’re sitting in the sun trying not to sweat. But it was - it was kind of easy.

I mean I suppose I’m - I was already used to it with videos before. Although, you know, in a short video you’re normally called upon a lot more often than you are doing one part in a show. So it was an awful lot of sitting around in a trailer waiting to get called.

But I guess that’s the nature and people are used to that. It was - that was a little sort of strange that you spent most of the time doing nothing. But, you know, the filming was great. And as I mentioned earlier, you know, the guys on the show are pretty much that way anyway.

So they’re very easy to deal with. And, you know, the whole thing was pretty pleasurable I have to say. Plus, you know, we all went to dinner afterwards which was nice.

Mad World has been a great song for years and in the last few years it seems like it’s made kind of a comeback being in Donnie Darko and a couple of years ago on American Idol. I was just wondering what your thoughts were on the resurgence of that song.

PSYCH -- "Shawn 2.0" -- Pictured: Curt Smith -- Photo by: Alan Zenuk/USA Network

Curt Smith: Well it’s going to get even bigger after tomorrow night when it’s in Psych also. But...

Excellent.

Curt Smith: But it will be the acoustic version of it, not to give the plot away or anything. But I mean it - it’s gratifying I guess. I mean it’s a testament to the strength of the song that it can be done in various different ways and it still has the same, you know, emotional draw.

You know, I like to hear other people’s versions of it providing they’re good. And I think that, you know, Gary Jules’ version was great, Gary and Michael Andrews.

And I think that Adam Lambert kind of did their version of it more than they - he did our version of it which I thought was, you know, pretty cool also. So, you know, I’m good with it.

I was curious if there was a memorable moment or a favorite moment that you had during your time on the set of Psych.

Curt Smith: I mean, you know, I mentioned one earlier, the Dule humping my chair. I guess that, you know, James - Mr. Roday who tends to adlib a lot had a few funny moments.

You know, when he’s looking at me and saying - I don’t know if this one made the cut by the way so, you know, I - whether it’s in the show or not but he’s supposed to be, you know, being the slobbery fan girl when he meets me.

And he said - I think he says it’s you, the fleshy you, which, you know, it’s very hard to keep a straight face when someone says that to you which, you know, was my job at that point in time. But yeah, I mean just it being amusing was the most memorable part of it.

Was this something you did just for fun or will you be pursuing acting?

Curt Smith: Who can tell? I mean I did it for fun. We’ll see what people think tomorrow. I won’t be watching but - I might but I don’t normally like to see myself talking because I’m used to seeing myself sing. I think I do that okay. The talking side I’m not - I guess it’s the same for anyone.

You know, if you ever listen to your voice on an answering machine everyone thinks we sound dreadful. That’s sort of the way I think when I hear myself speak. But - so and then - and in that sense I don’t know. But, you know, we’ll see. We’ll see how it goes and what the response is.

And I mean I did enjoy the experience I have to say. So if it means doing other things and never watching them then maybe that’s a route to go.

RU?

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About Marc Eastman

Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

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