Billy Bob Thornton on Jimmy Kimmel last night

Billy Bob Thornton had his first public interview since his infamous bizarre blowup with a CBC radio journalist nearly two weeks ago. All he did was prove that he’s as much of an ass on television as he was on the radio.

In a much-watched YouTube clip from CBC show Q, Thornton initially gave bizarre inappropriate answers in an interview with his band, The Boxmasters. After a few strange unrelated responses, he explained why he was so upset – the interviewer had mentioned Thornton’s acting background as an introduction to the band, although he never asked personal or Hollywood-related questions during the actual interview. It was the nature of the questioning that Thornton arrogantly took offense to, saying “You wouldn’t say that to Tom Petty, would you? ‘I understand music is your first love.'”

In his next performance with the Boxmasters, opening for Willie Nelson in Toronto, Thornton was booed for his attitude and specifically for a comment he made in that interview calling Canadians “like mashed potatoes with no gravy.” His band then canceled their rest of their Canadian tour.

Last night Thornton tried to do some long overdue damage control with a somewhat friendly interview on Jimmy Kimmel, but it was way too little too late and his throbbing ego overshadowed the lame attempt. Maybe Kimmel was the only one who would have him on, and made him wait for a slow night.

Thornton definitely proved that his behavior on the radio was no fluke.

On his rant: “It gave humpbacked geeks all over the world something to do”
When asked by Kimmel about the interview, Thornton responded:
“Well first of all, the fact that that was news was astounding to me. It gave humpbacked geeks all over the world something to do for a couple of days.

“I do that all the time. It wasn’t the first time.”

Thornton then talked about a show he did in Germany ten years ago in which the female host didn’t adhere to his requirements and he responded the same way.

“This woman said something that she wasn’t supposed to say and I told her that I receive signals from Venus from a metal plate in my head. Then of course you get calls from all your friends ‘are you ok?’

‘Of course I’m ok. I told a DJ to kiss my ass, that’s all that happened….’

“If I tell some guy who lied to me in my face to not say something, you know… it doesn’t make any sense to me, plus the fact that… it’s news?

“If the captain from that pirate abduction had been rescued that day. Nobody would know anything about it.”

Kimmel then agreed with Thornton that his obnoxious behavior was somehow justified and gave him softball fawning questions about his music career and life on the road.

This is what people often say when they’re caught in bad behavior and can’t offer a legitimate excuse for it. They bring up the “there’s a war on/people are starving/there’s an economic crisis” argument as if we’re somehow at fault for actually paying attention to what asses they are. Bye bye Billy Bob, your acting career is deservedly waning and now you’ve screwed yourself and your poor bandmates out of a music career too.