DragonCon 09- My first autograph. James was wearing a sleeveless gray tank top. He signed a copy of "The Importance of Being Earnest" playbill for me. I hadn't been there but Xane had been kind enough to get one for me (thanks,Xane!) . I told him I was there to pump him for the "good stuff". He grinned and said "Go for it." I asked him what the costume for Caprica was like. He said "Well, they changed it the day I went in. At first they were going to make the character all "Spikey", but now they are changing the character and they've given him the grubbiest old clothes to wear. I told him about the Syfy exec who tweeted about having seen the Caprica dailies and said "James Marsters as a semi-psychotic rebel leader....damn!" James face lit up and he told Steve that.
My 2nd autograph. He was wearing a "Musicians for Obama" t-shirt. I told him that I had enjoyed the BBC Torchwood radio series and asked if he could get in on something like that. He said he'd really like to get back to that character and it would be fine if it were just in a radio play. But he didn't know anything definite. sigh
Someone had a photo of James with his buzz cut hair. He was telling them that it had been taken right after he had cut all the blond-Spike hair off. He said he was so proud to see his own brown hair then and he'd like to cut it that way again. The fan said "It's your hair...do what you want with it." He said "No, I'm an actor and it's all about the "product". He said "I tell Steve I want to cut my hair short and he goes (shakes his head no no no no) . I asked James about his comment that Charlie DeMars might be playing on his next CD. I asked if that meant a return to the rock songs. He said "No, his album would be acoustic...but Charlie might be on it and actually his son, Sullivan might be too.

Private Party. Upon arriving at CNN Center, I spotted Sister Cuervo, Fenderlove and Sorority Sarah. We were soon joined by Hawera and Tracy. They all looked wonderful in their finery. As soon as we went in we saw the hor d'oerves bar. It was nice and Steve told us to be sure to let him know if it ran out on anything...that there would be endless refills. So we loaded up plates to share and found seats. It was crowded by then so I was in the back table (still with a good view of everything). When James arrived, Steve started right in with bringing us up one at a time for our photo and one minute in heaven with James (as he described it). Happy Meal was among the first and she was overwhelmed by facing the crowd just staring up at her. When James saw that he shifted his position to shield her and make her more comfortable. The party seemed to have a happy buzz of conversations going on all over. It was nice being with old friends and meeting new ones. At my turn, James complimented my outfit, gave me a nice hug for our photo and as I sat down I said"It's been a great time lately to be a James fan. I've enjoyed Moonshot and High Plains Invaders and now looking forward to Lie to Me and Caprica. He said with a big sigh....."and Dragonball....and he launched into telling me about taking his son to a premiere of DB, James so much wanting it to be a success so that his son would be impressed (having never been much interested in James' roles before) and feeling wonderful when they saw the room was packed...then learning it was for another movie and they had to move! That is as far as he got when Steve yelled out "One minute is up! James was still trying to finish the story as Steve moved in..with a hook , I presume. I panicked and said "It's not me, Steve, I can't stop him!" We all laughed but my minute in heaven was over.
After everyone had a turn, James sat up front and did a Q&A. He was asked to explain M Theory...which he did. He was asked if there was a playwright he'd really like to work with...he said Athel Fugard. Salchli asked what James thought of people who, like himself, didn't like science fiction. James said that was all right but he likened sci fi to the fool/court jester who gets away with saying things that wouldn't be possible by anyone else. Someone pointed out that Battlestar Gallactica was like that. They suggested James should watch that series, if he hadn't. He said he had seen a few episodes and it was great but that he's like a bad boyfriend about tv. He'll tell you he's going to watch something recommended to him, but he probably won't. They said if he liked politics he would like BSG, especially after 9/11. That seemed to pique his interest. He turned to Salchli and said "See, this is what I was talking about!"
He was talked about how his son's guitar playing has gotten. He doesn't even use a tuner because he thinks that's for "amateurs" !
He was reminded that he said he was disappointed in the women's movement for not doing more with the power they have. He said the Billie Jean King/Bobby Riggs match was the high point of the movement and after that they invented malls and its been all downhill from there. Now women go there (apparently because of their "gatherer" natures) and are made to feel bad about themselves. Made to feel if they just buy the right stuff they will be more like what society thinks they should be...which is nonsense. Someone pointed out that men and their big, expensive cars are equally caught up in consumerism. At first James resisted that idea but eventually conceded that both sexes have been guilty of buying into consumerism.
Steve Himber announced that there would be another SOPAC Valentine's event happening in South Orange, NJ in February. He said details would be put on the site at a later time . Then he said that he had just received an e-mail from Jane Esponsen and asked if we'd like to hear it. That was met with a resounding "YES!!!" It said that the director and cast had been reporting to her that they love working with James and the dailies are fantastic." James said (smiling shyly) "I'm not fired yet!"

Looks like James will be at DragonCon 10 as well!


James Marsters - The Official Page James will attend this years Dragon Con convention in Atlanta, GA, September 3 - 5, 2010 www.dragoncon.com Stay tuned for further details about special exclusive events with James that will take place throughout the weekend!