Eminem On Feeling Like Bugs Bunny And Supporting Gay Marriage
Eminem will be profiled in this Sunday’s New York Times, and we’ve been treated to a snippet of what the in-depth Q&A entails. Em chats about the difficulties of staying sober, being a good dad, no longer feeling quite so misogynistic or homophobic, and, too bad for all his fans, how he no longer has the desire to embark on a massive tour. Highlights from the interview below:
His thoughts on modern day hip-hop: “There are certain artists who put hip-hop in a good state. There are a lot of talented people, and there’s a lot of young talent coming up, like B.o.B, Jay Electronica, Lupe Fiasco and Drake.”
His thoughts on gay marriage: “I think if two people love each other, then what the hell? I think that everyone should have the chance to be equally miserable, if they want.”
On why he felt like “Bugs Bunny” when in rehab: “When Bugs Bunny walks into rehab, people are going to turn and look. People at rehab were stealing my hats and pens and notebooks and asking for autographs. I couldn’t concentrate on my problem.”
On his ultraviolent alter-ego Slim Shady: “Shady still exists. But I don’t think the subjects on this record call for, you know, bring the chainsaws and axes out and murder everyone on this record. There was so much stuff like that off the last record that I felt like I was starting to run it into the ground. I think consciously I went in a different direction with this record.”
On why he doesn’t want to tour anymore: “Touring is hard on the body. It used to be a big trigger for me with drinking and drugging.”
We’re kind of glad Em is taking a breather from his “Slim Shady” persona—there’s only so much we can take from that character, and this introspective Marshall Mathers is a refreshing change of pace. (We also hope those jokey, quickly dated, pop culture-skewing videos are put on the backburner for awhile, too.) And hopefully Em, who says he sees a rehab counselor once a week, won’t fall back into bad habits while performing his two stadium shows with Jay-Z this Fall.
Read the rest of the preview of Eminem’s interview over at the New York Times website. And buy his album Recovery on June 21, otherwise you may have to answer to the ShamWow guy.
