INTERVIEW

"Interview: 9 innings with Bruce Fine"

by Victor Solomon

1st Q.
Bruce, you’re a comedian/writer/producer/actor/red sox fan.  What is the hardest one to be?
A.That's easy. Sox fan.  Whoever said comedy was hard never had to work at a job with a bunch of arrogant Yankee fans.

2nd Q. 
Where are you from?
A. I was born right outside of Fenway Park in Boston.  I grew up in Framingham.  Obviously I was disappointed to see the Lou Merloni era end.  It's a big baseball town, I played peanut league all the way to Babe Ruth.  Good times.  My two brothers and I played in the streets and backyards every day, we only went inside when the Red Sox were on.  My mother deserves a medal.  She couldn't help but become a fan with threes sons.  Now she calls me in LA with updates from the Boston news.
 
3rd Q.
After graduating from Boston University you hit the comedy scene in L.A.  Now you just earned an Emmy nomination for your work on “The Wayne Brady Show.”  How does that feel?
A.Terrible! (laughs) It feels great of course.  But the best thing to come out of my experience producing songs for the show is that I realized what I needed to do to write a song like “From Cursed To First!"
 
4th Q.
Why believe in the curse?  Isn’t that negative?
A.  You know the crazy thing is I never believed in it really.  Then that umpire Tim Tschida…pronounced cheater!... missed two huge calls in the 1999 ALCS against the Yankees.  He cost us two games.  Then two years ago Pedro speaks out against it (curse) and gets hurt for the rest of the season, then Grady….don’t get me started!!!...so I finally accepted that the curse was real and alive, because this many bad breaks should never happen to one team…so it’s real, and we must kill it.  I’m doing my best to make that happen. 
 
5th Q.
How did the song come about?
A. Like the rest of Red Sox Nation, I was devastated last October, and wanted to personally do something about it.  After the Sox signed Schilling, Foulke and Pokey, I felt like the owners had finally become as furious and determined as the fans.  They are really trying, and they really believe.  I came up with “From Cursed To First!”, and wrote the song.  First draft took me eight minutes.  Straight from the heart.
 
6th Q.
The song’s great.  Obviously a tribute to all of those in Red Sox Nation.  Why is it called part 1?
A. I’ll do Part 2 when they clinch the playoffs…and part 3 when they win it all.  I already have some lyrics for it…(singing) So let’s go to City Hall Plaza with some Asti—Spumante, and light up cigars for Fisk and El Tiante…
 
7th Q.
It starts out, “I’m a Red Sox fan and so is my Dad.  What does he think of all this?
A. He’s pretty excited about it.  He’s a lifelong fan who has seen and lived all the heartbreak.  I’m like every other fan out there.  I pray that the Sox will win it while he’s alive to see it.  He deserves it.  I want to be with him and hug him and laugh together until we cry.  He took me to games as a kid.  He sold newspapers outside of  Fenway when he was eleven years old.  I remember my grandfather falling asleep in his chair watching the games.  Great memories.  It’s in my blood.  I’ll tell you something else.  My son, and first child, was born December 1st last year.  He’s a fourth generation Sox fan.  Last October, I swear this is true, when Grady didn’t pull Pedro he started kicking like crazy inside my wife’s womb. She was freaking out.  I was like, Oh my God, even he knows!
 
8th Q.
Whew! Long inning. You’re still not over it, are you?
A. No.  I will be when we raise the World Series trophy in the air in Boston.
 
9th Q.
Predictions for the season?
A. Schilling and Pedro will rule the league.  They will push each other to over 20 wins each.  Gabe Kapler will have a breakout year, he has all the tools.  Sox win the AL East.  Yankees might get the wildcard, but possibly could be a 200 million dollar spectator to the playoffs. The AL West will be strong with A’s, Angels, and Mariners.  The NY fans will watch the Red Sox win the ALCS and beat the Cubs or Cardinals in the World Series, in 6 games…at Fenway!!!  There will be no school or work the next day.
 
For more Bruce Fine http://www.brucefine.com

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