Michael Malarkey – The Vampire Diaries

By starrymag | November 13, 2015

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) “The Vampire Diaries,” obviously. We’re in the middle of filming that. I’m also releasing the first single off my new EP Knots and the first single is called “Dancing In The Gray.” The full EP comes out on November 20th. I’m pretty pumped to share it with the world.

Q) What do you think it is about Dancing In The Gray that fans will connect with?

A) There is a lot of music out there where you can’t really hear the lyrics and voice because you have effects on it and everything blends together in this catchy noise. With my music, you’ll be able to understand every lyric crystal clear. It’s got this dark quality to it and starts with this sexy drum beat. Then, it envelopes you into the song. The refrain is, “Get me a jetpack. I’m not looking down.”

Q) What is the feel and vibe for Knots?

A) Narrative driven, moody, folk music. It’s so hard to describe your own music. It’s like saying, “How do I look on a scale of 1-10?” I have got a Nick Cave, The National vibe, but it is a lot more stripped back than that. I am a predominantly acoustic artist. This album takes things up a notch from the last EP in that it is fuller and there is more intricate musicianship. I think the lyrics are a lot richer. They take you on a dark and hopeful journey.

Q) What inspires your lyrics?

A) I just write. I’ve always written. I used to write poetry and when I first started teaching myself guitar I gradually stopped writing poetry and started writing songs. So, it’s always been a part of me and something that I’ve always done. Inspiration can happen through watching the world, seeing an exchange between two people in a supermarket, etc. Anything! Inspiration can come from anywhere because of any little thing. Often times, it is the smallest thing that can give you inspiration. For example, I’ll write down random lines that pop into my head on any given day and I just have in the Notes on my phone random lines. Usually, eventually, they worm their way into a song.

Q) How much of a hand do you have in the production of your music?

A) Full on! It’s all me. I’m the songwriter as well. Before I go into the studio, I have a very strong idea about what I want to happen with the songs. This time I worked with producer Tom Papley and he’s done a lot of stuff with Springsteen and Pearl Jam. He’s a great, great guy and a talented producer. When you work with somebody like that who has a wealth of history, you can riff of each other. He would bring stuff to the table and, obviously, I get the final say as to what I’m putting out. We’d get together on studio days and it’s the most fun thing in the world to be in the studio with a hundred instruments and being able to go, “Let’s try this one out,” or “Let’s throw a Wurlitzer on the song. Let’s put a bucket of change into a can and make it the percussion,” which we did on one of the songs. It’s an amazing thing. If I could go into the studio every day for work I would.

Q) What can you tease is in store for Enzo this season on “The Vampire Diaries?”

A) Last episode people freaked out because we saw a flash forward that happened to see Enzo with his love interest. Coming up this season, we will see more chemistry between Enzo and his love interest as well as some fight scenes coming up and some pretty high octane scenes with some of the other characters. I’m pretty pumped about the trajectory this season.

Q) How was Enzo originally described to you?

A) I think initially he was a vampire with a troubled past. I think he was initially supposed to be more reckless. He is kind of reckless, but I remember one line where it said something along the lines of, “He can fly off the handle easily.” There wasn’t much information and I think with the new characters they have an idea of who these people are, but they kind of want to see what the actor is going to bring to the table before they flesh out the full trajectory of that character’s arc.

Q) Was there anything you added to the role that wasn’t scripted for you at the start?

A) I throw in stuff all the time! It’s just a matter of whether it gets cut before it gets thrown into the mix. There was one scene last season with the jello shot where I try to take it and I’m confused as to why it doesn’t enter my mouth. I look at it weird and then put it down. That wasn’t in the script. But they kept that one!

Q) How does the cast continue to maintain such incredible chemistry on screen?

A) We’re all close anyway. I think it comes down to being here on location in Atlanta. There is no other choice, but to be each other’s best friends. If we were shooting in LA, everyone would be running off after work and leading their separate lives. We kind of all do that anyway, but our go-to people that we want to hang out with are each other. So, we hang out all the time.

Q) What have been one of your most memorable moments from filming this season?

A) I think my favorite scene I shot this season was a fight scene coming up in episode seven with actual swords. The other actor and myself really gave it our all and went up to speed. We sold the shit out of that fight. There is nothing like working on a fight like that and nailing it. Then, afterwards, you have this concrete feeling of, “Yes! I smashed that.” Instead of some scenes where you feel, “I guess it was okay. Ultimately, it was good. Okay. Moving on.” There is not as much of a gage for that because when you’re in the moment it is hard to recollect and critique.

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy the instant fan feedback you receive during episodes?

A) Yes and no. Twitter is crazy and it is hard to wade through all of the stuff that is on there. There are people who are tweeting genuine things and really wanting to connect. I try to get to those people when I can, but there are also people who are tweeting a bunch of spam – just over and over again where it is hard to wade through your mentions and get to the people who are truly trying to connect. So, sometimes you end up not doing it all. But I do my best to try to connect with the fans who I feel are genuinely wanting to support the show and open a dialogue about my music.

Q) What do you think it is about “The Vampire Diaries” that continues to make it such a fan favorite show?

A) People are saying things like, “Are vampires just a phase,” or “Is this a passing trend?” I completely disagree because vampires have been a fable of our time for ages. Ever since back in the day with Vlad The Impaler and Bram Stoker there has been this fascination with this mythical creature. I think part of it is the biting on the neck with the repressed sexuality of it and things like that. I think it is going to be something that people are fascinated with for many, many years to come. I think it is also because the relationship drama of it as well. It links that sexy, scary mythology with romantic drama. It’s a timeless fascination.

Q) Is there anything you would like us to be sure we share with fans about your music?

A) It comes out November 20th and it will available on digital download everywhere internationally. I will also be a doing a pressing of physical copies and a European release in January. So, people will be able to get a CD this time. I only did it on vinyl last time. The CD release shows will be December 4th in Atlanta and then I’m going to do a couple shows in London for the European release the first week in January. You can listen to my music at michaelmalarkey.bandcamp.com.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your music?

A) Thank you guys so much for supporting me and my music. I couldn’t do it without you!