It was a great privilege for The Music Ninja to conduct an interview with actor/musician/great guy Iwan Rheon. Known in Great Britian for his leading role in the TV series The Misfits, he’s also active in the cinema world through his work in movies like Wasteland and Liberatdor among many other efforts East of the Atlantic.In addition, look for Mr. Rheon in season 3 of the epic Game of Thrones series.
Oh yeah, and he plays some pretty darned good music too! Aside from acting, Mr. Rheon is a exceptional singer/songwriter and showcases his thoughtful lyrical ability, down to earth singing voice and impressive acousitc guitar work in his four track EP Bang! Bang!. Take a look at Mr. Rheon’s thoughts on balancing his artistic efforts and on his musical inspirations here!
The Music Ninja: I guess the first question we have is…between acting and music, when do you sleep? Seriously though, everyone hears about the time demands of acting and most of us know the time demands for playing an instrument proficiently. How do you balance the two artistic endeavors?
Iwan Rheon: I don’t know to be honest, I just play when I can. Take a guitar with me when I’m working and stuff. Sleeping’s boring anyway!
The Music Ninja: I noted that Oasis and Radiohead are two of your musical inspirations according to your IBDm bio page. Are there some singer song writers that you look to for inspiration? If I were to guess – Ben Howard? Maybe David Grey?
The Music Ninja: I was a little surprised to read about your punk rock roots! Does any of that energy carry over into your music as an adult?
The Music Ninja: What does your creative process look like?
Iwan Rheon: I normally write the melody first. Just jamming to find a progression or a riff, singing random words. Then, a lyric creeps in and I develop that. Basically it’s just luck!
The Music Ninja: At the Music Ninja, we’re noticing a trend among our young listeners: it seems that both musicians and music aficionados in general listen to a wide variety of musical genres. Who do you listen to?
Iwan Rheon: Recently I’ve been listening to Nick Cave’s new record. Atoms for Peace and Everything Everything. Cold Specks is someone who I really admire. Plus there’s always an iPod full of classics to bust out. There’s so much bloody music out there.
The Music Ninja: And for all of us across the pond—do you have any tour information to share with us Yanks? Denver’s nice in the summer time. Just saying. No pressure.
Iwan Rheon: I’m sure Denver is beautiful in the summer. The problem with touring is the time and commitment it demands. It’s difficult for me to have either because of filming schedule. I have to make do with doing the odd gig and recording when I can. I hope I can come to the States soon and play some shows.
We were grateful to have this little virtual chat with Mr. Rheon. We wish him all the success in the world and look forward to his future musical and cinematic endeavors. Cheers to Iwan Rheon! Love from Denver!
