If I said 'Steven Seagal', lots of you will say "who?"
Actually, I think many more will probably come up with "he's that action guy from some really bad Hollywood films". Others (I'm in this group) will say "yeah but 'Under Seige' was great fun and he fitted the bill perfectly". A smaller group (not me, honest) may even be able to quote lines from it.
I'm fairly certain it's an even smaller group, here in Britain certainly, that will say "Seagal? He's that Blues 'giant', with a honey voice and genuine talent for writing". I'm right, aren't I? You had no idea. Or, at least, the bloke sitting next to you had no idea. I heard a bit of him singing yesterday, and I have to tell you, he can sing. And he takes it very seriously.
To be honest, he takes a lot very seriously. The reason I was boning up on my Seagal sounds was because he was a guest on the programme, ahead of performing at the Shepherds Bush Empire this weekend.
Tamzin Sylvester and I were presenting that night and so, a little later, we went to introduce ourselves to him, ahead of the programme. He, and his entourage (which included a number of Mongolian monks - oh yes) were in our editor's office. It's not the most glamorous of places but it's got chairs - and if it's good enough for the Osmonds, it'll do Seagal just fine. Anyway, in we go, and he's sitting there, head against the window, pretty much ignoring what's going on in the room. Tamzin and I do a round of handshakes and 'hello's, and Steven even stands up - before saying little more than a bare minimum 'hi'. Tamzin then offers a light-hearted apology to the big man "Sorry, the room's not up to much"... to which he mumbles "It's very disappointing. We may have to get someone else"... But just at the point we think he's going to walk, we notice he's been on his mobile all the time. Out we come, laughing, a lot.
Okay, studio-time now and Tamzin and I are wondering whether we're heading for a repeat of an interview we once did with a hugely respected actor - no names, no lawsuits. It was like pulling teeth, from a rather grumpy old hippo. Anyway, in comes Seagal. He sits down and complains about one of the studio lights. It's too bright. This is a man who, presumably, is no stranger to the technical necessities of audio-visual entertainment. Anyway, the light's too bright, but there's no time to change it. It's feeling a little frosty in the studio now - which the big man himself seems to notice. "You could hang meet in this place", he says. Blimey, he's starred in films called 'Fire Down Below' and 'Hard to Kill' and he's complaining it's a bit chilly. To be fair, he then laughs at a back-handed comment about the British climate, but I was tempted to air some deeply-held views on 'stardom', but I didn't - (a) because we need Mr Seagal for the programme, and (b) he's got a black belt in some very painful martial arts.
"Now, he's a man of many talents", begins Tamzin, and we're off. And... I have to say he gave quite an interesting interview. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't like 'Tickles the Clown' had rolled up, but he came across as quite a self-effacing man who simply loves his music. At the end of the interview, in fact, things were going so well, he was busy offering us tickets for his concert. So busy, in fact, we can barely got him out of the studio before the weather finished.
So next time someone says 'Steven Seagal' to me, I'm going to say "Actor in some pretty forgettable films... but he was perfect for 'Under Seige... which I enjoyed... okay, he sometimes moans a bit... but don't we all... oh, and the boy does Blues... really rather well - honest".
