In episode 1, “Detroit,” Sam Reid reintroduces Lestat as a messy, self-destructive rock star—and proves he was born to play this role.
My first recap for The Vampire Lestat is out now! Very excited to cover this show in-depth for the next seven weeks at @fansplaining, starting out with some thoughts on this season's drastic POV shift, Lestat's celebrity persona as an old-school rock star, and that incredible pair of intro and outro scenes.
"Considering Lestat’s open disrespect toward his own band, it’s easy to miss the fact that The Vampire Lestat is a truly collaborative project. Before Lestat met these people, his music career didn’t exist. He was just drafting vague snippets on his piano until he got too annoyed by some off-key guitar playing in a neighboring building, prompting him to barge into a stranger’s apartment and interrupt a rehearsal for the band formerly known as Satan’s Night Out. And this would’ve just been a one-off confrontation, if guitarist Larry hadn’t decided to chase after him. Despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that Lestat literally broke in, insulted him and vandalized one of his guitars, Larry recognized that Lestat had what his band needed to make it big: star power. So Satan’s Night Out became the support section of The Vampire Lestat, while Lestat essentially hijacked their garage rock sound. He only became a rock star because of them. Season 1 already established Lestat as a music snob with no patience for other people’s imperfections, so it’s entirely predictable for him to be at odds with his band. It’s worth remembering, however, that no one is making him do this. He could’ve auditioned different musicians, but Lestat just isn’t a planner. Most of his decisions are impulsive reactions to circumstance, and rock music happens to provide a convenient framework for a life of excess and adulation. That isn’t to say his music is inauthentic, because he seems very keen to frame The Vampire Lestat as a direct counterpoint to Interview with the Vampire. But there’s a reason why he had writer’s block when he was just quietly sitting by himself at the piano."
