Jersey Boys Blog

Our trip to New York began on a high note with an amazing interview with Bobby Spencer before his Friday, August 3rd evening performance! It was great to hear what’s going on with Bobby’s film, “Farm Girl in New York” and what it’s like to be a new dad with his son Geddy. It was also incredible to find out how Jersey Boys and the Nick Massi character have evolved since the early days back at La Jolla Playhouse.

JBB: Hey, Bobby, great to see you! What’s been happening since the last time we chatted back in May?

BS: The film (“Farm Girl in New York”) is done! All of it is done. We’ve been sending it out to festivals. Right now it’s a matter of waiting for the notification of possible acceptance for their festivals. We won’t find out until September, so it’s like this right now (Bobby twiddled his thumbs).

But, I tell you what, I’ve shown it to a lot of people in the business, and the feedback’s been nothing but awesome, honest to God. It’s been really, really great. I’m thrilled with it; everybody is thrilled with it. We’ll cross the next bridge when we come to it, and hopefully, we’ll come to a nice long bridge in September.

JBB: How ‘bout Jersey Boys?

BS: I love the show, still. Audiences still love us; people still come back a hundred times!

JBB: Your son Geddy was born in January. Any wild and unexpected surprises as a new dad?

BS: My wife and I just love being parents! Just every day is a really great moment. You know, I’m constantly playing the guitar for Geddy, and he just loves it. I’ve been playing the guitar for him every day since he’s been born. So, whenever I show him concerts on TV, like Rush or Led Zeppelin, or just turning to the VH-1 Classic station—the moment he sees someone playing Daddy’s instrument, he freaks out. My son does this thing when he gets excited (Bobby gave an excitable look). Not only do I play it, but I always set the guitar near him, so he can reach out and touch it and feel the vibrations. I’ll lay it on his lap. I’m always hitting it—mostly strumming it, doing a little Eddie Van Halen–anything so he can hear all the differences that this particular instrument can do.

The other day, I guess it was about a month or so ago, I had the guitar on his lap and I was sitting behind him—he was right here (motions). He literally took his hand perfectly, (Bobby made the ‘Prrrrrrrinnng’ noise) with all fingers and all strings. I said, ‘Good, Geddy!’ I called over to Jenny, my wife, who was across the room. He did it for about ten minutes. He wasn’t picking; he wasn’t slapping. It was perfectly controlled. He does it all the time now. We try to give him so much artistically.

JBB: Your wife is a dancer, right?

BS: Yes, she’s always dancing for him. He just sits around and laughs. She’s a beautiful dancer—he loves it! He loves to watch her dance, so we try to give him a lot artistically.

JBB: Considering you’ve starred in Jersey Boys since it began at La Jolla Playhouse, how do you think the show has evolved since the early days?

BS: I think the four of us have evolved and grown closer, more melodically and with our chemistry. I feel that the whole cast has grown closer now, more than ever before. We’ve always been close, and we’ve always gotten along, but there’s definitely more of an environment where it’s definitely a lot of brother and sister kind of stuff. And, if someone is in a bad mood, which happens, you just call ‘em on it, like you would call your sister on it. Like, ‘Stop being a jerk!’ and then back at you, ‘Stop being an asshole!’ ‘Like you are, no you are…’

It’s not a bad thing; it’s a great thing, because that’s just how we are. We’ve become that close—it’s just a family. It’s evolved into more of a family—now more than ever.

We’ve had some wonderful additions to the family with a lot of new guys coming into the group. The new people coming in are still maintaining the originality and the respect for the show and for the way it has to be done—which is the original way, which is our way, being how we originally worked on it with Des, Marshall, and Rick.

JBB: How has Nick evolved from the La Jolla days?

BS: I think he’s gotten less theatrical. When you’re on stage as an actor, there tends to be an essence of theatrics—because you are on stage, as opposed to film or TV, which is a completely different avenue of the craft. I feel it’s gotten more subtle and I think it’s just a stronger presence when you just kind of hold your own.

I had a fan tell me the other night, ‘You need to talk more.’ She said to me, ‘I really wish you’d talk more; I love your character.’ I laughed and told her, ‘No, I’m fine the way I am. I don’t need to say much.’ That’s the whole key in the love of the part—the less is more factor.

JBB: What do you think are Nick’s best attributes?

BS: His healthy skin, his dazzling smile, his piercing brown eyes…(chuckles)

JBB: And, his humbleness, too?

BS: (Laughs) Right, thank you for catching that! His attributes are the just same as always. His musicality was always the first thing that impressed me the most about him.

The thing I love about Nicky is that to this day, people still come to me at the stage door, not every day, but every now and then, you get a gem that will say, ‘I knew Nicky…blah blah blah…he used to do this’…and they give you just another little bit of Nicky for you; to make you go, ‘That’s cool.’

JBB: So, you’ve had guys that Nicky knew way back when and have shared their stories. That must be amazing!

BS: It is…there’s always something new that you learn about the guy…it’s great.

JBB: What do you think Nick’s role was in the dynamic of the Four Seasons? How did they succeed thanks to him?

BS: They succeeded because he was the original vocal arranger on those original tunes. They succeeded because he was the key to getting the sound started. Gaudio came in and is the key to finessing the sound and taking it to the next level.

JBB: How have you grown as an actor, a performer, or as a person since starring in Jersey Boys?

BS: Yes, I have grown in all of the above. I just don’t feel like you only can grow as a man or separately grow as an actor. You have to be connected to all of you. I feel that it’s all one connected globe–my acting, my directing, my musicianship, my family orientation. It’s been constant growth every day. We grow every day until we die. That’s what’s so great about life. Every day is completely new; it really is. You have to go about it with the most positive energy you can to achieve the best that you can.

Thank you so much to Bobby Spencer for this wonderful and insightful interview! Each time we meet with Bobby, it is always amazing to see how much more he has discovered about playing the role of Nick Massi! All the best to Bobby as he continues to thrill audiences playing Nicky, with his film, “Farm Girl in New York,” and in his future endeavors!