A Conversation with Rosie Thomas  (continued)

PM: Online I've run into your comedic alter ego, Sheila Saputo.

RT: Oh, yeah. What did you think?

PM: I liked it.

RT: Uh-huh. She's gorgeous. She did that whole tour, Frank, because the whole theme of it was friendship, so she made friendship bracelets, and then she opened every show and talked about what friendship meant to her.

PM: Really, Sheila opened all the shows?

RT: Yeah, she was actually on the bill. It was like Sheila made it. She opened up every one of the shows. She just went through the whole thing of what friendship means to her because she's obviously completely out of her mind. It was hilarious. I enjoyed that so much. I used to bring her on tour, and I kind of stopped doing it for a while, but then I fit her in again.

PM: Well, you've got comedy in your background, you've got theater in your background. Have you auditioned for movies, too, or have you done film work?

RT: When I lived in L.A. I did a couple independent films. But I've always kind of leaned more onto the stage work and being live. But certainly, like any girl, you daydream about that, wow, what it must be like to do that. That would be one to check off, wouldn't it, that would be fun. Sometimes I laugh and think maybe Sheila will get that role before I ever do.

[laughter]

RT: Which is fine, I'd let her have it.

PM: I saw that one of your songs turned up in a classic episode of Grey's Anatomy.

RT: That's right, yeah.

PM: And it was so well used in that very excellent episode. Have your songs been turning up in other TV shows or films?

RT: Yeah. No films yet, it's all television. Alias was the first one, and then Grey's Anatomy. I wish I could kiss the person who found my music, because they changed my life financially.

PM: Really?

RT: Absolutely. That's the thing, man. I'm so thankful I write my own music because when that stuff gets placed, and you have your publishing, it's quite a good day when that check comes through. So someone at Alias, one of the music directors there--my first placement was with them. And then they got loyal and they used another song for a different episode. And then Grey's Anatomy has used at least two or more songs. Mostly Grey's Anatomy and Alias were the two. And I think I had one, I can't remember, on One Tree Hill--I can't remember if that happened or not.

I think I had one on Tarzan that was probably around for a month, that was awesome. The episode that the song was in, Tarzan was like he was in a Gap outfit in the middle of the woods. I was like, "Um, why does he look like a model? And I think he's wearing khaki pants; this will last about a week. Thanks for the placement, anyhow." It was awesome.

So those two would be the biggest ones that I got. And it really does help quite significantly because there are women that come to the shows, and you're right, it does make a difference, it's like, "We heard you on Grey's Anatomy, we looked you up."

PM: Television is breaking artists today, it's unbelievable.

RT: It's crazy.

PM: It's one of the new ways to make it.

Well, you've been very kind with your time today.

RT: Well you're easy to talk to, Frank. Let's get together when we come to play Nashville in October.