Belz on his toes
CRIME FICTION | Actor/comedian back on the case with new murder mystery
If you’ve watched television for the last decade-and-a-half or so, you’ve probably come across the likes of comedian, actor and, in recent years, author Richard Belzer — aka “the Belz,” aka the tinted specs-sporting, conspiracy theory-spouting detective John Munch, formerly of “Homicide: Life on the Street” and currently of NBC’s long-running hit drama “Law and Order: SVU.” He’s done a slew of crossover guest appearances, too.
These days, Belzer’s still doing the Munch thing, but he’s also preparing for a return to the comedy circuit while continuing to collaborate on crime novels with Chicago-based author and former cop Michael Black. Their latest effort, I Am Not a Psychic! (Simon & Schuster, $24), has a fictionalized Belzer trying to solve a Las Vegas murder using his star status and TV cop chops.
(Evan Agostini/Getty Images)
When he’s not working, Belzer lives for several months of the year with his wife and their dogs in the idyllic countryside of France. It’s good to be the Belz.
Q. How does your partnership with Michael Black work?
A. I’ve had this idea for a while and I’ve got tons of notes on it. So I would give him my ideas for the story and all my notes and we would talk and e-mail back and forth. But he would add elements to it that I couldn’t. Like, in the novel, I have martial arts skills, which I don’t have in real life, but it’s kind of cool to fictionalize it and make me be able to kick some ass, you know?
Q. Before going into show business (at age 27), you were a reporter.
A. I love journalism because it always will be a noble profession.
Q. What’s so noble about it?
A. Just the idea of informing the public in an interesting and compelling way. In my case, I was a court reporter and covered all kinds of different events. You get to meet [people] and learn things, and if you want, you get to ask questions that an ordinary person couldn’t ask. And a good reporter is imbued with a certain authority and trust and can really inform and educate.
Q. What’s your take on the newspaper industry’s woes?
A. I think a lot of great newspapers might be able to figure out a way to survive with just advertising or maybe one corporate grant that doesn’t affect the editorial. I still get three physical newspapers a day. I need to hold it and see it and peruse it. The beauty of a newspaper is you look at it and you’ll probably see another article that you never would have looked up on the Internet, but it happens to be next to something that you saw. Maybe we’re just being Luddites and we’re being rolled over by the new technology, but we still have books after 500 years.
Q. It’s been a while since you’ve done stand-up in earnest.
A. I performed a few weeks ago in New York, and I will be going on more now that I’ve got the bug again.
Q. You’ve worn those trademark tinted specs for years. What kind are they?
A. I have all different kinds. I don’t think I have as many as [“Late Show with David Letterman” band leader] Paul Shaffer. Lately, I’ve been wearing Maui Jims. They’re great. I have five pairs of Maui Jims. At least. They’re just great frames and I get the anti-reflective coating and I wear them on the show.
Q. You live in France for part of the year. It seems like such an idyllic existence.
A. Yeah, we live in a little village in the southwest of France and I go there three, four months a year and it’s a totally different lifestyle than here. French country living is very laid-back and quite wonderful.
Q. What spurred your interest in that?
A. My wife visited there with a friend of hers many years ago and fell in love with the village, and we found this 500-year-old stone millhouse that was for sale. We’ve been renovating it for 20 years. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s on a waterfall and a gorge, and it’s quite beautiful.
Q. France must be a great place to write. Do you write there?
A. I do, but it’s hard because it’s so beautiful that I don’t want to do anything but cook and go for walks and play with my dogs.
Q. What’s the best thing about being the Belz?
A. I’m very lucky. I’ve been around a long time and I’ve literally been through a lot, up and down. The last decade-plus has been an actor’s dream, playing the same role. So I consider myself very fortunate. I’m not saying I didn’t earn it, but it’s been great.