Bodog Beat

Billy Bob Thornton posing in a crapper, which is where his music career is now. (AP Images)

Billy Bob Thornton is in the midst of a serious backlash since he behaved like a spoiled kid during a CBC interview in Toronto. Thornton was promoting his band, The Boxmasters, and apparently got pissed off when the interviewer, Jian Ghomeshi briefly referenced Thornton's acting career in the introduction. Apparently, Thornton had told producers he did not want his acting career mentioned.

During an awkward argument with Ghomeshi, Thornton apparently called Canadian audiences "mashed potatoes without the gravy" and that Canadian audiences "just sit there." Not a good idea when Thornton's band was scheduled for Canadian shows.

"Canadian audiences seem to be very reserved," he told host Jian Ghomeshi during the interview. "We tend to play places where people throw things at each other. Here, they just sort of sit there. And it doesn't matter what you say to 'em. It's mashed potatoes but no gravy."

Thus, Thornton and The Boxmasters were promptly booed during their show at Massey Hall in Toronto last night. Three songs in, Thornton stopped his set and adressed the audience.

"Boo all you want, but I want to say something. We're really happy to be here, but I need to say something. I talked to this asshole yesterday.

"I sat down and talked with this guy. He and his producers say, 'We promise you we won't say that' [Thornton's acting career]. The very first thing they said was that.

"I don't really like sensationalism. If you look someone in the eyes and promise them something, and you don't do it, you don't get the interview. That's the way it goes."

Hilariously, the audience responded by chanting, "Here comes the gravy!"

For his part, Ghomeshi said, "Our policy is that we don't allow anybody to tell us what we can and cannot say. Beyond that, it was this notion and the language that he used during the interview that I thought was unfortunate, that we were 'instructed' to say this and that. And I think that does raise interesting questions about ideas around how much journalism is to be controlled, especially when it comes to arts and entertainment and culture, and I think that that's a concern."