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5 minutes with: Kevin Costner – Metro US

5 minutes with: Kevin Costner

We know what Kevin Costner can do behind the camera. Soon, we’ll find out what he can do on stage, too. The Hollywood movie star is bringing his band Kevin Costner & Modern West to the PNE for a free show Aug. 21. Costner spoke to Metro about his band — and life as a music star.

Are you enjoying life on the road as a musician?

I don’t enjoy life on the road. I really enjoy performing, but part of the job is not just singing — part of the job is being on the road … the small planes, the connecting flights, the layovers, no, I don’t like that. I don’t know that anybody would — I guess if you were single, you might think that was fun. But I have a lot of strings attached to me that I have to get back home to.

As far as balancing your time right now, is it more music than movies or movies than music?

It’s more music right now. What I find myself doing is writing a lot of movies. I have about four or five movies now that I could direct, so I’ve been doing that. I’ve been developing a cartoon that I hope will hit the light of day. I manage to do a lot of different things and enjoy doing all of them.

How would you describe your sound and has it evolved?

For me it isn’t just country — it’s more rock ’n’ roll with the way we’ve grown up with our urban roots.

Who were your musical influences growing up?

They were really across the board. The first music I was introduced to was Motown. But in the 1960s, I loved the Four Seasons, I loved the Beatles, I loved the Doors, I loved Cream. I loved the singer-songwriters — Carol King and James Taylor.

What is tougher? Performing on stage in front of crowd or behind the camera for a movie?

You can compare them but I don’t know which is tougher. I can tell you that you can be brutalized when you play live. That’s why you see a lot of musicians who are able to go into acting — because they can do eight takes and no one is going to see the bad seven takes. That doesn’t happen on stage.