Garth Brooks held a press conference and listening party at Nashville's Emerald Sound Studios Sept. 10 to preview his upcoming album, In The Life of Chris Gaines.
The album is based on the Brooks-invented pop/rock persona Chris Gaines, who will play a key role in the forthcoming movie, "The Lamb."
Emerald Sound, which hosted the event, was decorated with massive fictional album covers and respective biographies detailing the history of the Gaines character.
Brooks, however, appeared at the event as himself and joked that in recent phone interviews, journalists had questioned whether he would call as himself or as Gaines. To set the record straight, Garth told the press, "It's just me, it's Garth. It's fun, it's a character in a movie."
"The Lamb," which is described as a thriller, is currently entering script form, according to Brooks. "'The Lamb' is not about Chris Gaines, it's about a fan of Chris Gaines," he explained. "Chris is throughout the movie with his music and his presence."
Brooks said that he's not sure if he will portray the leaner, younger Gaines in the movie role. "You're talking about a guy who's 6'1'' and 220 pounds trying to play somebody who looks to be about 5'8'', about 160 pounds," he said of himself. "Hollywood's got miracles, but I don't think they've got those yet."
He explained that he thought Aerosmith's Steven Tyler would be great for the part because he's "gorgeous, skinny and has lots of hair."
The album, which is set for a Sept. 28 release, is described as a greatest hits package, based primarily on songs from six prior albums in the character's career. It showcases Brooks singing in the character's voice and runs the gamut from R&B-styled cuts to Fleetwood Mac and Beatles-influenced sounds. The eye for detailing the mock 14-year span of the collection even goes so far as Brooks changing the depth of his voice to show age and wear and tear.
Pat Quigley, Capitol Nashville president, said that, if the album takes off, Brooks may be recording the six fictitious albums that the current album is based on as early as next year.
As for Brooks spawning other characters, don't look for a new one anytime soon. "There's not going to be other characters that evolve out of Garth," said Brooks. "If it is, it may be a children's character for children's books, like a little Garth." He added with a laugh, "But not a mini-me or anything,"
The album's first release, "Lost In You," debuted at No. 5 on Billboard's Hot 100 single's chart. Brooks will perform Gaines' material on an NBC Special, airing Sept. 29 8-9pm ET.
