Brian is best known for his role in the 2003 film School of Rock. In 2018, PrideLife Magazine named Brian one of “the 20 most influential, outspoken, and optimistic individuals on the planet. He’s not only an actor but also a singer-songwriter and a life coach. I had to opportunity to catch up with Brian once again to talk about some of his current projects, and his brand new single ‘Stars’;
Hi Brian welcome back to OLC! How have you been and keeping safe during these crazy times?
Hello! Thank you. I’ve been doing OK. I find myself on the fortunate side of things given my introverted nature & some of the work-from-home aspects of my career that existed prior to everyone’s careers turning into a work-from-home ordeal. IT didn’t feel like too much of a strain to adjust, though at this point I am starved for a live performance.
Now you have a few projects on the horizon, including a podcast. What can you tell me about that and what can people expect from it?
The Gay Life Coach Podcast began at the start of CoVid. There was a bit of drama involved in that it was an opportunity I was offered pre-pandemic but with the shift in things, the project was amongst many things to get dropped. But I had gotten really excited about the content we were creating and so I decided to push it out on my own .. which has been it’s own little blessing and nightmare all in one. I have zero prior podcasting experience and while it’s very like me to dive into something headfirst and just figure it out as I go, this one’s been a bit challenging at times .. especially just in the midst of all the other things I have going on. At this point, I’ve enlisted some help on the production side of things – which has freed me up to focus on the bulk of the content. I can finally confidently say that I feel we’re settling into a rhythm with it that I am proud of. The conversations are aimed at bringing mindfulness & healing to the queer community, something I’m very passionate about.
Your very active in life coaching, tell me why that’s something that you hold so close to your heart?
I think the most simple answer to this is just that I don’t want people to feel as alone as I felt. When I was in the thick of my limiting narratives and my negative view of myself, it felt really hopeless. Happiness seemed like something I had to find from someone else or from a specific set of manifested circumstances. Chasing happiness in those things is exhausting. And I got an early start on all that because of my child actor days .. so I was already a bit burnt out by my mid twenties. And thankfully so, because I started asking myself the hard questions – the ones that make you really look at yourself. And when you really finally see yourself – the good and the bad – it’s really a beautiful moment. And empowering. Because you also see that all the answers you always thought were outside yourself are actually inside yourself. The way to discover that is through mindfulness and expanding your awareness. It’s hard work but it’s so worth it. And when I tapped into that work, I was frustrated that I didn’t know about it earlier. I thought about all the nights where I felt just so hurt and so dissatisfied with my life and I thought, “Hey, maybe I can help someone not feel that way.”
You released a video back in June for the song “God Loves Me Too”, I make the assumption that’s a song and video that’s very personal for you?
Haha, you could say that. It’s the story of me growing up gay in church. I’m so incredibly happy with how the music video came out. I had a really religious upbringing and a really complicated queer journey and this song encapsulates those two really big chapters in my discovery of myself. And my discovery of the truth – that God (or The Universe or whatever works for you) loves me, just as I am. And that I don’t need to do anything to earn that love or to earn acceptance, I just have to be.
How hard was it juggling filming that during the peak of the covid pandemic or did you make it well before that?
We filmed it back in October. It was a really amazing experience putting this together. I am an independent artist and I think it speaks to the power of the song and the message it contains that we were able to get funding for this from big names like Richard Linklater, Scott Rudin, & Jack Black. Plus support from GLAAD and The Trevor Project. And the shoot day itself just had me feeling like the luckiest man on the planet: a 13-hour work day here in NYC with nearly 100 people here just donating their time and their talents simply because they believe in me and they wanted to help bring these lyrics to life. I went to bed very happy that night.
You have an amazing new track out called “Stars”, what inspired that song, and who helped you work on it?
Such a wonderful team behind it! Conor Keelan produced. I co-wrote it with Ari Silberman & my long-time-collaboration friend Michael Benjamin Bunin. My first track with a 4-part horn section! It’s definitely a unique tune in comparison to the others I’ve released. It’s got a bit of a jazzy vibe and was stylistically influenced by Zac Brown Band’s “Overnight.” The stars are my favorite thing, looking at them gives me a joy and a peace of mind that is unparalleled in my opinion. But I live in NYC and sometimes I can’t see the stars, which makes me sad. The song is kinda written as a love letter to the stars from a guy trapped in the city by career aspirations, because that is why I’m here after all. But there’s a twist in the song in that the bridge is meant to remind us that we are all actually made of the same physical components as the stars. So even if I can’t see those pretty lights, if I look inside myself, I’ll find the light I need.
I believe you have a new album also in the works? Is there anything you can tell us about it?
Haha, I have too many songs in the works. At the moment, I am in the early (and long) process of sorting through about 20/25 songs that I’ve written and turning them into demos which would then be used to begin an album process. So far, I am confident that there are at least two sensible compilations in this large batch of songs I have. For the first time ever, I have a strange amount of fun bops in my pocket .. so I am hoping to get a full album together that’s just about having a good time. But I also have some more introspective tunes .. that might make sense on a smaller EP before or after the album. Either way, I have plenty to work on!
Talk me through how you put a song or album together now during covid, are you doing a lot of work on it at home?
Yes. I don’t love it. I’m sure some people do. But it’s just not my strong suit. I am a lyricist & a vocalist primarily. So nothing about this figuring-out-how-to-record-pristine-vocals-from-home-in-my-small-Brooklyn-apartment has been appealing to me. I just don’t have the technical gene. Also, I typically jam a song live a few times before I put it into a demo. Which gives me a chance to iron out all the kinks. But at the moment, since we can’t perform live (or really rehearse with my band at all actually), I have to envision every single thing I’d want on a song ahead of ever hearing it back. Which has been an overwhelming challenge at times, but one I’ve found some fun in as well.
Is there anything else on the horizon for you in 2020?
I’m starting a Gay Men’s Self Help Book Club, if people want to look out for that. Basically, it’s a book club where you read a bit of a self-help book each week but then you talk about it amongst a group/community of fellow gay men. It would be open to anyone 18+ who identifies as a gay male. And the conversations would be led by me, a certified life coach. So it’s a bit of group coaching, a book club, self-help, & community building all-in-one. We’re still putting it together but that is the idea loosely.
Thanks for stopping by Brian, and always it was a pleasure having you, but before you go is there anything you would like to say to all our followers out in OLC! land?
Thank you so much! It was a pleasure chatting with you. People can follow me on Instagram: @brianfalduto, @thegaylifecoach.