Interviews & Articles

THE INTERVIEWS!
Bradford "Spinelli" Anderson
Tristan "Scorpio" Rogers
Constance"Helena" Towers
Erika "Viki" Slezak
Super Soap Stars
Tyler "Nikolas" Christopher
Rick "Hutch" Moses

The Bradford "Spinelli" Anderson Interview

Your character "Spinelli" has really taken off! The fans are loving the comedic edge this character brings to the show and the characters around him. Thank you for taking the time to talk to us!

TGN: What was it like for you as a new young actor to do your first scene with an icon like Tony Geary?
BA: It was an honor.. It had been built up by people telling me how great it would be to work with Tony, how he and I would work well together etc...so I was really looking forward to it. And it truly was amazing! He is such a giving actor and a wonderful guy. He made me, the new guy, feel so comfortable.. It was such a blast.

TGN: Do you do much improvisation as Spinelli?
BA: Everything starts from the script. Sometimes, when the scripts are put down, things happen spontaneously. Its nice to know we have the freedom to follow our instincts...we can truly be "in the moment" when we're taping. The powers that be are really supportive of us taking chances.

TGN: Since it is well known that Tony can improv or rewrite, have you two done any improv?
BA: I've worked with Tony only a few times, but in each occasion, Tony looked for ways to make the scene the best it can possibly be. Sometimes that means certain tweaks here and there. But you know that when you work with Tony, any choice that you make will be ok with Tony and he'll stay connected with you no matter what. Its a lot of fun.

TGN: You calling Luke, "the cool father of the blonde one" was great! How does Tony react to these lines?
BA: Tony's reactions are priceless... Everything is always fresh.

TGN: Where do you want to see the character of Spinelli go?
BA: I'm enjoying learning about how Spinelli deals with new relationships--friendships, potentially romantic relationships.. Everything is new to him, so its fun for me to figure out how he functions in these new situations. I'd love for that to continue, and to have Spinelli be challenged by more new life experiences.

TGN: There is a good bunch of young actors on GH right now- tell us about working with Julie Berman?
BA: Julie is amazing! Not only is she hilarious and fun to be around, but she is incredibly talented. I feel very lucky to work with her as much as I do.

TGN: Could you give us some "Spinelli Speak" to describe Tony Geary?
BA: Tony is totally righteous. A devlishly handsome gent, he has reigned over the ranks of daytime for like, eons...Even before the dawn of the cyberage.. Not to say that the dude is "old" or anything.. He is still prime time. I am totally in awe of him. TONY ROCKS!

The Tristan "Scorpio" Rogers Interview

Tristan- thank you for taking the time to do this interview! The fans love Robert Scorpio! The fans love Robert and Luke! They are such a fun team!

TGN: Tristan, you and Tony have been working together for a long time. How has it changed over the years working with Tony? Or has it?
Tristan: I think the only thing that has changed is that we got older. And that gives us much more to play with. We now have an abundance of history to add to the mix. When we do get the chance to work together there is an implicit unspoken agreement that we're going have fun. I think that’s what makes this duo unique. I can't think of anybody in the history of daytime who goes where we do.

TGN: Since we all know Tony can rewrite and improvise; do the two of you do a lot of it when working together?
Tristan: It's sort of a natural thing. We have been doing it for so long that it "wouldn't seem right if I didn't". There are random others who you can occasionally do this with and there are others who I wouldn't even attempt it with. What becomes apparent is that we use our history as part of the improv. We go places that we've already been. I think it's what the audience like best. Apart from the fact that it is a break from the way actors normally do a scene.

TGN: How has Tony changed over the years besides just getting older?LOL
Tristan: He's mellowed. There was a time he was a "time bomb looking for a time". That's gone and been replaced by a sage gentleman who has seen it all.

TGN: I know you have told the story before about the practical joke you played on Tony back in the 80's about the dead guy- would you tell us one more time for people who don't know it is a great story!
Tristan: I'll give you the unabridged version. We were filming in a rather bad part of San Antonio as part of the Mexican treasure story and it was late in the afternoon. The location was a headstone maker who used his front yard as a showroom. This gave the appearance of a graveyard, because you couldn’t get permission to shoot in the real thing. So we turn up and it's meant to be a night shoot so there's still some set-up to do and to wait for darkness. There's no dressing rooms so the owner of the business says, "use my living room for whatever you need". We enter the room and Tony starts looking at all the stuffed heads mounted on the walls and isn't to happy. What really shakes his tree is when he spots this pewter urn on the mantelpiece and announces, "That must be the guy's wife's ashes!". Well we didn't know otherwise so nobody questioned it. The day was moving on and we decided to initiate "happy hour" so we give the guy some money for beer and a bottle of Tequila and off he goes. Some time later, after we have started working, he returns and "the bar opens". Things are preceding smoothly when at some point one of the wardrobe girls enters the room, walks to the mantelpiece, points to the urn, and says, "do you know what that really is?" She then explains that you unscrew the top, invert it and put flowers in it on a grave. I grasp the implications immediately and ask her,'" Does anybody else know about this?" The answer is "no" and I tell her to keep it that way. So it's getting late and Tony enters the room. I pick up the Tequila bottle, pour a shot and step to the urn. I pull the top of it and say," Well I reckon the sun's over the yard arm, maybe she'd like a hit". And pour the shot in. I swear, Tony turned white and points to the urn and screams, "You bastard, that's his wife's ashes". Well, the make-up and wardrobe girls are on the floor with tears rolling down there faces, and Tony, by now is figuring he's been had and we explain the whole thing to him. But that isn't the end of it. He's still has his wireless mic on and the guys on the sound cart are listening. There's a scene in progress and both these guy's are laughing so hard they fall off the cart and the scene has to be stopped. Gloria's pissed and says, "What's wrong with you two?" And one of them says, " It's those two a******s in there". She turns purple and mutters, "Oh, those two," and goes charging inside. We are all sort of laughing and talking when in storms Gloria. She looks around and sees beer cans all over the place and the bottle. The dialogue went something like this: GLORIA (Looking at Tony and then me) Have two you been drinking? TONY: "No. The place was like this when we got here". GLORIA: "Tristan"? TRISTAN: "Heaven forbid. Actually we've been trying to clean the place up". TONY:"He's right. The owner's a bit of a slob". GLORIA: "Well see that you don't". She turns and leaves, knowing all to well what we were up to. That was one of many incidents that happened on that shoot.

TGN: I recently interviewed Rick "Hutch" Moses and Rick told me how much he had liked your work when you all were working under Gloria Monty. Tell us what Gloria's GH set was like?
Tristan: I think the above story gives some insight into what things were like. BUT, this was a tough shoot. Long days and a lot of pressure. Our antics broke that up and Gloria knew it. Also, none of our behavior ever cost the show work. Back in LA things were different. It was a tight set and she was the boss. There was never any doubt of that. Tony and I were the bad boys, but we delivered what was required, and then some. What we got up to on camera was not written. Gloria knew this and guided us through what she wanted. After that the rest was "ours". This "flexibility of the script" was not accorded everyone. To be honest most everyone else wasn't interested. And to be honest it provided me, Tony and Genie a lot of extra work. Mostly done on our lunch hour. The three of us would sit down and fine tune what we'd done in blocking.

TGN: What was the Luke and Laura phenomenon like for you? Was it crazy?
Tristan: I had no idea what was happening....for a while. It all really hit home after a personal appearance in New York with Jackie Zeman. Three department stores were trashed. People were crushed, and we were quickly rushed off stage. We didn't spend, collectively more than 30 mins total, on stage. There were police on horses. You couldn't move. Once inside your hotel that's where you stayed. Going outside was impossible. After that I thought, "What am I into here?" It was difficult to put into reason. I mean it was just a TV show right?

TGN: When you spend time with Tony, what do you guys do?
Tristan: We don't spend any time together off the set. He did come to my 60th in Palm Springs, but apart from that we have other stuff going on. My family keeps me busy when I'm not in LA and that has a lot to do with it. But he spends a lot of time out of the country, and who can blame him?

TGN: Tony is nominated for his 11th Emmy, do you plan to attend the Emmys?
Tristan: This year it's unlikely because I doubt that I'll be invited. Currently I'm not part of the show so it wouldn't make any sense.

TGN: Tell us as an actor, what kind of an actor is Tony Geary?
Tristan: As an actor he is always in the moment. That's the reason we do the sort of improv we do because he is "there". But it goes further than that. He has that ability to take a shallow scene and give it depth that it doesn't have. Jane Eliot is the same. That's why they are so good together. It's been interesting to watch how he has evolved from the 80's to now. The journey has been a rich one.

TGN: Robert and Luke have a wonderful chemistry. Tell us how Robert feels about Luke and tell us how Tristan feels about Tony Geary.
Tristan:Essentially they trust each other. There was a time long, long ago when they didn't get along that well. But to their credit that never got in the way of the work. That came first. When the cameras were rolling they put aside personal differences and got on with it. Today they work together and use everything in a scene that has evolved between them. It might have been interesting if I had never left, and we could see how these two had evolved through the New GH. With a gap of 14 years, that will remain unexplained. But it is interesting to ponder.


The Constance "Helena" Towers Interview

Tony and Constance at work

TGN: We all know the original Helena Cassadine was played by Elizabeth Taylor. Do you know Elizabeth? And if so, have the two of you ever discussed the role?

CT: Yes, I know Elizabeth. Not very well, but we all love her work and she's a dear person. I have known her over the years but we never have had the opportunity to discuss Helena. I know she was hugely popular when she portrayed the role, and what an honor it is for me to replace her in any role. I've heard through friends, she has seen me and likes my take on Helena. She's a wonderful rich actor and offers so much to any role. I just hope that I am doing the character she created justice.

TGN: Did you have any apprehension about taking the role since Elizabeth had made it so famous?

CT: No apprehension what so ever. I am an actor, I don't turn roles down. Especially a role like Helena on ABC's General Hospital. I am very blessed and thankfully the fans have accepted me in this role.

TGN: What is your favorite part about playing Helena?

CT: My favorite part in playing this role is that Helena loves Nikolas. She is above all a family person and although she tends to go to extremes in what she calls protecting her family. She does love her family. At least Nikolas and the new baby. Stefan maybe not.

TGN: How does Helena feel about Luke? He killed her son, yet she has not killed Luke. Why does she keep him alive?

CT: I think Helena loves to toy around with Luke. He's too handsome and sexy to murder. Come on, you don't think Helena could off him and be happy, do you ? Tony plays Luke so artfully. He's one of the best actors I have ever worked with. I think Helena and Luke may share some secrets that the fans have not found out yet. Stay tuned.

TGN: The relationship between Luke and Helena is intriguing. There is this underlying sexual tension/anger between the characters. How did this dynamic come about? Did you and Tony decide to play it this way?

CT: Tony and I talked about our tennis match when I came on the show. He is a brilliant man and superb actor, so he knew where Luke needed to go and just how far to go. Tony has never taken Luke across any lines that would harm the characters of Luke and Helena and I just hope that I continue having him to share a screen with. He's a genius!

TGN: Tony is famous for his ad-libbing and rewriting. When you work scenes with him do the two of you do a lot of improvising?

CT: Tony knows just what to do with his lines. He surprises me sometimes but I feel very safe as an actor with him and I know he's only doing the best for the scene and our scenes together come across very sexy when that happens. Again, he's a genius !

TGN: What kind of actor is Tony like to work with?

CT: Giving! Tony's the most giving actor in the business. He's gifted beyond words and although he has so many Emmys he's really underrated. The man is sensational to work with. When I get my scripts and see that I have scenes with him I just feel like going to work an hour early to prepare for a fabulously fun time. It's hard work to keep up with him, his brain is going at the speed of light, you learn to be on your toes with him but that's what makes him so great to work with.

TGN: Do you have a funny story about Tony in a scene or on the set?

CT: Not really, we have so many funny stories but really, it's just an honor to work with him. But ask me one day about the handcuffs! I had a lot of explaining to do to my husband Jack when he heard about it.

TGN: Do you think the Cassadine/Spencer war will ever end?

CT: I hope not. What rich story the families have in common. Hatred filled with love, deception, desire and obsession. And that's just Luke and Helena!
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THE TWO-MINUTE INTERVIEW WITH ERIKA SLEZAK

Vicky with the great Erika Slezak!

SUPER SOAP INTERVIEW WITH ERIKA SLEZAK
I was talking to some fans who were in the line to get a FastPass for OLTL.
I worked my way around with them through the line talking about Luke and Laura Day when I realized that I was about to get a Fastpass for someone at OLTL. I had no intention of doing this! I had to think quick- who would I talk to from OLTL that I could ask about Tony Geary? Well, it only took me a few seconds to think who- ERIKA SLEZAK!! She is a legend and she gave Tony his Emmy this year! She is a warm and wonderful woman who is a big fan of Tony!

TGN: Hi Erika- nice to meet you! I was wondering if I could ask you a question about Tony Geary?

ES: Certainly, you can ask me about Tony Geary!

TGN: In one word, describe Tony Geary.

ES: One word? Tony is very charming, but he is so much more than that isn't he? No, I cannot do it in just one word! He is a wonderful, warm, charming man and a great actor.

TGN: I was at the Emmys this year when you gave him his Emmy. It was awesome!

ES: Did you see me wink at him? I knew he was going to win. It was just a feeling I had. When I opened the envelope I knew that his name would be there. I was so happy for him.

TGN: What did you say to him?

ES: It was what he said to me that was so funny! When we were walking backstage after his win he turned to me and said, "We can just keep passing this back and forth to each other every  year"! (Erika won Best Actress in 2005). We both laughed about that.

TGN: I have the video of you giving him the Emmy on the website.

ES: You do? That is great! Look for the wink!LOL

TGN: I am going to quote you on all this okay?

ES: You certainly may- nice to meet you!

TGN: Thank you Erika!

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Rebecca Herbst- "Unique Greg Vaughn - "Phenomenal"

SUPER SOAP STARS TALK ABOUT TONY!
While at Super Soap Weekend I was trying to think of a way to get some of the stars to say something about Tony for the website. Since this is my 6th Super Soap Weekend, I am quite aware that there is virtually almost no time to chit chat with the stars between FastPass fans, photo ops and just general craziness- so it came to me to ask them to describe Tony in just ONE word! I stepped up to each booth and waited my turn for a place in the front to take a picture. I yelled out the question - "Please give me one word to describe Tony Geary!" It wasn't difficult to get their attention when I said the name "Tony Geary". Everyone had a smile on their face when they gave me their answer!
I got some interesting responses Tony’s peers and castmates and what I found was that EVERYONE is a fan of Tony's! He is admired and respected by all!

Susan Lucci- "Fabulous"                           Laura Wright- "Amazing"

Jacob Young - "Awesome"                  Alexa Havins - "Legendary"

Tristan Rogers - "my buddy"       Kimberly McCullough-"Enigmatic"

Julie Marie Berman - "Awesome"             Scott Clifton - "Idol"

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THE TYLER "Nikolas" CHRISTOPHER INTERVIEW
This interview was conducted the weekend of Tyler Christopher’s GH Fan Cruise to the Bahamas. Tyler was a gracious host and great interview. Earlier in the day at his fan event, Tyler told the story of Tony Geary getting a haircut back in the late 90's. Tyler was on the set the day Tony got all the curls cut off. He said Tony stood up and looked in the mirror after the haircut and said “Oh my God after all these years, why didn’t you guys tell how bad that hair was”!! Tyler said “How were we supposed to tell him that, he was Luke for godsakes”!! What a great story! I asked Tyler if he would talk to me about working with Tony and he didn’t hesitate for a second, he is a big fan of Tony’s just like we are! Thanks Tyler........

TGN: How does your character of Nikolas Cassadine view Luke Spencer?

TC: I think there is this impending animosity between the two characters that has been there and will always be there. I think their conflicting opinions on life will always have them butt heads with each other. Whatever Luke decides to do, Nikolas will decide to do the other thing.

TGN: How does Tyler Christopher feel about Tony Geary?

TC: I am one of Tony’s biggest fans. You know, he is a big theater guy, he loves theater and I love theater. When you take the actor out of the soap and just look at actor for what he is, I think Tony is one of our finest, finest actors around. Regardless of soap or whatever it is I have a lot of respect for his work.

TGN: What is it like doing a scenewith him especially when does improv and rewrites? Does he throw you off?

TC: Tony does have the privilege of writing his own dialogue and thingslike that and I actually encourage that because as an actor it is a challenge to know what he is going to throw out at you as an actor next- it’s cool because whatever he comes up with is brilliant. It’s fun to not know what he is going to say or do and how you as an actor are going to react to that, I like it.

TGN: Are you allowed to improv along with him?

TC: Yea, we do have some flexibility in terms of the dialogue of what we are going to say and what we are going to do. Tony more so than the rest of us but he has earned that.

TGN: Is Tony a practical joker on the set? We know Steve and Maurice are big practical jokers on the set but what about Tony?

TC: Tony is a funny guy anyway, he doesn’t do a lot of practical jokes or anything like that. His humor is quite intelligent and generally he is just always joking around.

TGN: Since Genie is back you have had scenes with them both right?

TC: Yes, I have.

TGN: Do you feel the chemistry with them when they are working together? Tony always talks about the great chemistry he has with Genie. When you work with them do you see that?

TC: Absolutely!! We are talking about 25+ years of history with these characters, it wouldn’t work if they hadn’t made it work in the beginning, clearly they have.

TGN: Have you been to Amsterdam yet? I know Greg Vaughn said he has been there.

TC: Not yet.

TGN: How many takes does it usually take you to do a scene with Tony? Is itpretty quick?

TC: Scenes are very quick, we don’t have a lot of time, it is usually one to two takes tops.

TGN: One of my biggest questions would be what have you as an actor and a person learned from working with Tony Geary?

TC: One of the biggest things I learned from Tony is to be natural. When I started General Hospital it was my first job, I was very nervous and very green and I was very new. It was just a challenge to get my lines out. He is very relaxed and very comfortable with his character. The biggest thing from him is how to relax.

TGN: Do you socialize with Tony outside the set?

TC: When Tony is outside of General Hospital, he is in Amsterdam. He is not a socialite. Once he is off the set, he does his own thing but we have a great relationship on the set.

TGN: You had talked a little bit this afternoon at the event about Genie being back and how that is going to impact a lot of the storylines in a big way. You said that we are really going to like the storyline. Is that going to take your character in a differentdirection?

TC: I don’t know to be honest with you, having Genie back is such a plus all the way around no matter what the circumstances are, only good things can happen out of that. I just don’t know what they are because it is such a sudden and very unexpected thing.

TGN: I think it is very exciting that she is back. Tyler, Thank you for taking the time to talk about Tony!

TC: You are most welcome!

You can check out Tyler's official website
at www.tylerchristopher.com
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AN INTERVIEW WITH RICK "HUTCH" MOSES!

Click on Rick to listen
to clips of his CD and
check out his website!

CATCHING UP WITH RICK MOSES
Over the years I have always wondered what happened to Rick "Hutch" Moses and I began a search to find him. What I found was an incredibly open and honest man who talked about Tony and his days on GH as well as his life today! Read on about this wonderful Magical Mystery Man!!

RM: Let me just mention something off the bat, that I hold Tony in the highest regard and I had a wonderful working relationship with him and he is just one of the best of the best in my opinion and I want you to know that right up front so feel free to ask me anything about Tony.

TGN: When is the last time you talked to Tony or saw him?

RM: I think the last day I worked at General Hospital was the last time I saw him. Like I said we had a good relationship liked each other immediately both as artists and as men and the unique blessing was that both of us understood the inferences of the story and we were working with it quite consciously and so that was part of the success of what was carrying the storyline. First of all, to give credit to Gloria Monty who came up with a really interesting and unusual plot line. The phenomena I think was more of the fact that the two actors that had most to do with that-Genie of course giving her her fair do as the female aspect she had it anchored down eight ways to Sunday! Between Tony and I are we understood the inferences of what the storyline was and Gloria gave us tremendous latitude to improvise and write our own dialogue which was I think was unprecedented and probably still is unprecedented.

TGN: Pretty much it is, although Tony is allowed to rewrite dialogue, it is written into his contract and I think he is about the only daytime actor that has that kind of latitude.

RM: We were granted that, I had that as part of my verbal deal with Gloria before I came to work on the show and so it is interesting that he has that put in his contract and I think wise.

RM: You asked me how the show impacted my life and it was interesting for some reason someone on the show wanted me to get involved with it and they had called my agent a number of times to come in. I had come from nighttime television, I had been a lead actor in a show for CBS called Young Daniel Boone and I wasn’t necessarily looking careerwise to do daytime television. I went in and had a meeting with Gloria Monty and listened to her tell me the story she wanted to tell and I was quite taken with it and at the point responded as an actor listening to a good story worth telling.

TGN: What was your experience like with Gloria Monty?

RM: I came in from a position of strength, if you will, as a young actor having done nighttime television and I also was very opinionated, as I remain, on how to approach things artistically and I told her that I would want to bring a lot to the table such as doing my own blocking and improvising, rewriting dialogue, not use the character as a vehicle for exposition. She was very receptive to all of this and she said “Listen, I have been doing this very same thing with very good effect with an actor already on the show” Right away she brought Tony into the meeting and had Tony and I read a few scenes together and that was like “Wow, if I get to work with an actor like that, are you kidding? Let’s do this. This is good. Tony very much had an influence as to why I wanted to do this and was interested in doing it" It was a pleasure working with him and we understood the psycho-sexual inferences of the triangle. We all understood what we were doing and I think that was the secret of the popularity of it and I don’t think that actors often in daytime television in particular, get the opportunity to work with a really good storyline and the spontaneous and artistic sensibilities to the material.

TGN: I was watching the video Luke and Laura, Lovers on the Run and it outlines the whole “Left Handed Boy storyline and you were in some scenes on the tape and I have to say that the storyline still holds up after all these years and is probably one of the better storylines on GH over the years.

RM: It had a cinematic sensibility to it. Tony and I would have storyline conferences with Gloria and Genie as well and Gloria would make references to Frank Capra’s “It Happened One Night” which had more bearing on Tony’s character - there classic film modalities that were integrated into the work.

TGN: They talk about your character being a James Dean type of character- do you agree with that?

RM: I would think it would have been the sort of a role that James Dean would have been attracted by. I was only familiar with James Dean’s work like five or six years after doing the show so he wasn’t a model for me but I admire his work. Yes, it was that kind of a character.

TGN: Have you ever been asked to return to General Hospital?

RM: I haven’t been in touch with people from General Hospital since those days but fans have brought it up to me before. One does speculate would have happened to the character. What I was pleased with was the character was not a bad guy turned good, if you will, he was a straight up bad guy. For the benefit of the audience “Hutch was the hitman’s hitman” and he was there to kill Luke and Laura when no one else had succeeded. He learned early on it was more valuable to keep them alive than if they were dead so on a defacto basis he became their protector and was killing other hitmen right and left and they were thinking he was a drifter and was a good American Joe. So the question is like anything in life, people don’t stay the same, they either get better or they get worse. There is no such thing as staying the same and the question becomes ”What would have happened to Hutch” if you continued to tell the story and as they left story he was the only bad guy who was left alive. Gloria had discussed with me about bringing him back and I told her we will see what life brings us. We will leave it open. I was very proud of the fact that the character was a bad guy who had appeal, I thought that was really the challenge set before the actor. They told me I was the only bad guy who didn’t get his comeuppance and so they left me alive. Usually if you kill people on-screen you don’t stay alive.

TGN: Did you ever feel a rivalry with Tony?

RM: I see that was part of the drift of the article you sent me that they inferred that. In truth, good actors don’t feel that way about one another. They are pleased to have the opportunity to work with each other. That wasn’t a factor at all. Good actors support each other in their work and they might inspire each other to be sharper and better and I think that was a factor and that was true for Tony and I in a positive sense. I think Tony was forthcoming enough even to suggest that I had sharpened him up a bit and I was very flattered by that because as far as I was concerned I was just pleased to work with someone as good as Tony.

TGN: What was it like being part of the Luke and Laura phenomenon?

RM: It is an amazing phenomenon and unless people were fans of GH, they probably wouldn’t understand it because an actor on GH that carries a storyline would probably be more identifiable across America than say an actor who is very well known to all of us like Al Pacino. In terms of walking down the street, soap opera actors are much more identifiable to America in general so you probably can’t get much more famous than that. In terms of the experience of that kind of a “A Hard Day’s Night” that kind of a phenom like the Beatles being chased around the world. Many on the show had that experience, it was actually like that and it was surreal.

TGN: Do you still have a fan base?

RM: I do. I try to answer politely what mail I can. I try to follow the course of that which was set in front of me by who else God and try to look at it that way. In regard to that is why I put out the album because I felt I had something to say. The album “Evil and Dangerous Men” represents much of what I would say to people in a protracted conversation.

TGN: You made albums before you came to GH didn’t you?

RM: Yes, I had been a recording artist for 20th Century Fox. I really was an actor primarily, though I had been a kid who played in bands when I was a teen and music was there and I had done gigs and got paid. But I really was an actor but then I went to NY and they were not casting the roles I would have liked to have played prior to GH, they were not casting twenty-somethings to play Hamlet and so I became a producer, director and writer for nightclub venues and I was getting good revues and that is probably what broke my career as an actor. I was working at the Improv with people like Andy Kaufmann, Jay Leno and Richard Lewis and all those guys were doing the clubs in those days. That lead to the CBS show and then to GH.

TGN: Gloria Monty really changed the face of daytime by putting on storylines of adventure, intrigue and mystery, things like that.

RM: Yes, I realized that as the show went on. There was a little bit the last year of the show that I was on where I realized other shows were copying what we had done but in my opinion there was one element that was missing in what they were doing, in the case of what separated what GH did , Gloria gave a lot of backing and a lot of latitude to Tony and I in particular. She trusted the artists she had chosen and it wasn’t actors fitting into the box, it was the actors defining the box. That had been part of what had me set out to be an actor. I think that is what set that particular thing apart from the rest. I am sure there is much fine work going on from other actors over the years in daytime. I was always an admirer (the bit I worked with him) of what Tristan Rogers was doing when I left the show.

TGN: Do you have a funny Tony story?

RM: Tony was a serious minded guy. Tony as an actor had tremendous comedic timing amongst other things, I found his acting if he chose to be funny he was really funny but in a very skilled actorish way. We were all too busy for playing practical jokes. We were on the set 10-12 hours a day so we didn’t socialize outside of the set.

TGN: How is your album doing? I have listened to some snippets of it and it is pretty good, I like it.

RM: The album is out on the charts and doing well. It is like number 11 on the rock and new age world beat charts. It is doing well on alternative channels as well. “Evil and Dangerous Men” is the name of the album. I am very proud of this album.

TGN: Do people still recognize you today from the show?

RM: That has never really stopped. Particularly in light of the fact that I have a beard for example so that is remarkable isn’t it?

TGN: That is amazing. Rick, thank you so much for doing this interview for Tony and GH fans!

RM: You are most welcome! Thank you!

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INTERVIEWS & ARTICLES ON THE INTERNET

Vegas Video Interview - Courtesy Carpool Guy.com

Post-Emmy interview - Courtesy of TV Guide.com

Video interview with Tony on Emmy night - Courtesy of SoapNet.com

Celebrating 25 years of Luke Spencer- Soap Opera Digest

Geary gets Hitch-ed- Courtesy of Soap Opera Weekly

Anthony Geary goes Dutch - Courtesy of Soap Opera Digest

1993 Geary Interview - Courtesy of Variety

Tony's bio by Soap Opera Digest