Bundyology - An Interview with David Faustino

Yediot Achronot (Newspaper):
Interview with David Faustino

Last update March 9, 1998

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Translated from Hebrew by Sagy Noyman.

This is the translation of a phone interview, published in the Israeli newspaper Yediot Achronot. Married... with Children is called "Married Plus" in Israel.

YEDIOT ACHRONOT [Newspaper "Latest News"]

SHIVA'A YAMIM [Section "7 Days"]

Friday, January 26, 1996

Friends Plus

by Avner Brenheimer

The Bundy Family is the best family on TV. They're even better than the Simpsons.

We have lived almost ten season with them, and they don't bore me for even one second. I know it's not considered to be "deep", and there are some people who think they're very vulagar. So what? I really like Peggy, the red head who hasn't worked a single day in her life and feels great (dream of my life). Al, the most charming (and smelly) shoe sales man in the world. Kelly, the most stupid blond. Bud - Forever virgin. Buck the miserable dog. The neighbors - Marcy D'Arcy the feminist banker with her erotic flashbacks and Jefferson, her human vibrator.

The Bundys, stars of the very popular TV show [in Israel]. They're also a very important family in the sociology of the television, The most radical in the generation of the TV families, who wouldn't knock the Bradys' or Cosbys' door to ask for a glass of milk, even they were threaten with "whips and scropions". That's who they are. Proud poors, who don't suck up to anyone, immoral people, who like big hooters and muscular butts, money and eachother, although it is hard to believe. From many aspects, they are a supersive family, which looks like a parody, but teaches us more than other TV shows, about the "real" life in America: the poverty, shallowness. That was today's lesson.

Faustino, 21, called me first. A little sleepy, but cool.

"Hey David! It sounds like you just woke up!"

- "Oh man... What are you talking about? I woke up at 6am."

"No one wakes up at 6am! Are you nuts?!"

- "I had to take care of some matters, man."

"What did you have to do at 6am?"

- "Stuff. I knew I had an interview with you, and I had to take care of other things before the interview."

"Something related to you club? I heard you own one."

- "No, not a real club. It's more like a party. I have people managing this for me."

"What kind of party, something special?"

- "You know, I bring some rap and hip-hop bands from here, and NYC."

"Rap is still a big thing there?"

- "The best, man! and there?"

"Here and there, you know. some rap commercials, some rap groups..."

- "That's cool, man."

"What's cool about it?"

- "Because if it starts just now in Israel, you're gonna have many years of hip-hop. I'm a hip-hop guy too."

"Which one's your favorate?"

- "KRS 1 Boogy Down Production."

"Never heard of them. Israelis?"

- "Not really. It's an underground thing, but it's good. their singer is really talented. He was homeless, but he started to write, met some people, and now, 10 years later, he's doing really good."

"Cool man. Say, you have a band too right?"

- "Nope, you got wrong info. But I write and I've done some gigs. It's a hobby. I recorded an album with another band. One song."

"What band? Maybe I'll buy the CD."

- "When I recorded with them, they were 'Below Zero', but they changed their name to 'Joe Neck Bone'."

"I'll ask in the Third Ear. Say, you're excited about coming to Israel?"

- "Very excited, man. I have to read a little about you, because I'm not too conversant, but I've heard wonderful things. I heard the people are nice, and the girls are beautiful. Say, they like americans there?"

"I think so..."

- "That's good."

"So, you don't have a girlfriend?"

- "Actually I do, but I decided to take my mom with me. It's a big trip you know. She doesn't know yet, it's a surprise. I have to tell her."

"Are you sure you want to hang out with your mother?"

- "Why not man? She's cool. Besides, Christina's coming with her mom too, they can hang out together."

"Where are you gonna travel in Israel?"

- "Jerusalem, Bethehem... All the famous places. I heard of one other place - Haifa."

" Haifa? I don't think you have anything to see there. Come to Tel Aviv!"

- "Tel Aviv's a big city?"

"Huge! A little smaller than LA and NYC, but here in Israel we believe that size is not important. Heard of David and Goliath?"

- "Sure, man. I read the bible."

"That's important. Say, you think there's an Israeli Bundy family?"

- "I think there's a bit of Bundy in every family. You kow, a little repulsive, a little lazy. There's a Bundy thing in my family too."

"That's interesting. Where are your parents from?"

- "My father's from Chicago, and my mom's from Ohio. I was born in LA. My mother is also my brother's manager."

"He's an actor too?"

- "Yeah. He's 16. He even had some scenes in 'Married... With Children', and he was in some movies too."

"You don't do movies right?"

- "I've done lots a TV movies. I'd love to do more TV movies. I like it, I like the confidence in having a job."

"How old are you?"

- "21.5."

"Was it hard to grow up as Bud Bundy?"

- "Very. But you see, man, it has lotsa good things and lotsa bad things. The best thing is that you're successful and you have money, it's fun. The bad thing is that there are lots of stupid people who think you are what they see on TV. But when you grow up you don't pay attention to them. There's another bad side, because you grow up on the set, between adults, and you grow up fast. You don't have any childhood because of that and you talk like an adult. But you're not really an adult, so you have a childish child, and mature side."

"That must be tough. Which one is in control now?"

- "The mature side. My relationship with my girlfriend go on for lotsa time. Almost a year."

"Tell me about her."

- "She's an actress. She's done a show for Fox, which wasn't a hit. We met at a party. She also had a part in MWC once. We were already together, and she didn't tell me she's going to the audition, and suddenly I saw her on the set. It was very funny." [David is talking about Elaine Hendrix in "User Friendly" (923); after this interview she reappeared in "Lez Be Friends" (1122) as a date of Bud]

"And fishy... Say, when you were younger, you were mocked at, because you are Bud who can't get dates?"

- "Yeah, That's part of it. But everybody likes him. He's cute."

"That's true. Say, you always knew the difference between you and Bud? I mean... you grew up as the character."

- "I always knew the difference, but it did affect me. In the first years of MWC I didn't like to be seen in public. I didn't want to be famous, I was afraid people would laugh at me. But as time went by, I enjoyed that, and the people's attitude changed too."

"Lots of girls called you to save Bud from his viriginity?"

- "Yeah.. It was funny.. Lotsa mail and lots of sympathy."

"You think Bud is a role model?"

- "Not really, but he can be one. After all, he's the best in this family. He's smart, and he's not a trouble maker.

"It doesn't matter how many times he scores, everybody treats him like like someone who doesnt get any. He does it too."

- "Yes, he'll always be virgin. But when he gets dates, they're always the prettiest right?"

"Right. Where do you get all these hot girls?"

- "Oh man, L.A. is full with them. It's not hard to find them. What's hard is finding a talanted one."

"Christina's talanted. I like her. You and her, you're friends?"

- "We're very close, because we grew up together. We talk about everything. She tells me about her stuff, and I tell her about mine, and we go out together. I go to her home, and her shows. She dances, you know, naked. Just kidding, just kidding... Jazz and Ballet

"Boring, isn't it?"

- "No. I go there to check out the other girls."

"Say David, didn't you say you have a girlfriend?"

- "Yeah, I'm just kidding. She's a good friend of Christina."

"Is she like Kelly?"

- "Yes. She's just like her. No... She's different, a little smarter... Just a little."

"I heard that Amanda Bears is lesbian. Did it affect anything?"

- "What? She's a lesbian?? I don't believe it. Well, listen, I didn't have problems with it. She's great. She directs lots of episodes. People respect her more ever since she has said so publicly. I like peeping her and her girlfriend. just kidding... just kidding.."

"Naughty! Say, your ratings' still high?"

- "Yes, the rating's good. We're aired every sunday on 9 PM. Say Avner, I heard that lotsa people in Israel watch The Bold And The Beautiful, is that true?"

"Not really. People watch them, but they watch Dudu Topaz [a TV host] more. You're very popular."

- "That's cool."

"Say David, what's the coolest thing to do in America now?"

- "Probably staying home and renting a video. No one goes out anymore. A Bunch of people meet at someone's house and watch a movie. Going out is old. And there's too much crap on the streets. If you go out, you go to small pubs. The clubs scene is dead. Wait a second, let me thing, what else is cool now... Classic cars, and hip hop.

"What kinda car do you have?"

- "I have a GMC and a BMW. I don't like old cars. I like taking lotsa friends with me in the GMC and go with them to Vegas.

"Cool. Where do you live?"

- "West LA. I bought a house in Hollywood hills."

"Is it fun, being rich when you're so young?"

- "It's hard. Like every thing, it has 2 sides. When you're successful and rich when you're 16 years old. you can get anything: Women, drugs, everything. It was hard. But it doesn't affect me anymore. I have never been into it, just a little. And today, I want to travel and invest, so being rich is good.
But it also sucks, because lots of my friends don't have money. They're normal people, working people. I help them and take them out, but you must draw the line somewhere, I can't pay all the time, because then I won't have any money. And then you buy a house, and your friends can't, and you feel guilty."

"Who's your best friend?"

- "One whose mom's working on the set. And another one who works in a restaurant, they're my friends, and not because I'm famous or anything. I also have a great family: My sister, 26 years old, married with one kid, and a brother (30) who's married with two children. He's also a rap groupie. I build a recording studio, and he's helping me."

"You have a big house?"

- "Pretty big, not huge..."

"Swimming pool?"

- "No, but I hav a place for a swimming pool. I have a two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a nice view. A classic house"

"Are you an athlete?"

- "No, I don't have time for sports."

"Well, thanks, and bye. Maybe I'll meet you here."

- "Cool man."

"Cool cool. Bye"

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