Interview with Jay Pharoah – The stand-up comedian, actor, and Saturday Night Live star on his new projects and two upcoming stops on the Maine coast.

by Colin W. Sargent

You picked the perfect time to come up here, August 19 in Portland and August 20 in Bar Harbor. Ever been to Maine before?

Yeah, it’s got a really cool, laid-back, hipster vibe to it. I love it.

When was that?

2014.

I watched you in Spinning Gold last night. “Leaving on the midnight train to…Houston”?

Yeah, Houston would never have worked. It was only right [to change it to Georgia].

In Spinning Gold you play record-industry pioneer Cecil Holmes, whose first big success was promoting the song “Mustang Sally,” after Aretha Franklin suggested changing it from “Mustang Mama.” Cecil is a kind of conscience in the film. When Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart’s deals get too wild, they cut to you for a reality check.

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