Something new for Duchovny: an album

By JOHN CARUCCI

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Whether you remember him as FBI agent Mulder from “The X-Files” or the womanizing novelist Hank Moody on “Californication,” David Duchovny wants you to know him as something else: The 54-year old actor recently released his first album, “Hell or Highwater.”

The actor-director claims he’s never set out to do pursue a career in music. He credits his children for sending him in a new direction.

“I’m always telling them to try new things, but that’s BS because I don’t try new things,” he said. So he took his own advice: He learned to play guitar and began writing and playing his own songs.

Recently, Duchovny sat down with the Associated Press discuss the record, which was released last week, and “The X Files” sequel which Fox will roll out in January.

Q. Revisiting “X-Files,” what’s it like getting back into that?

A. I actually just got the first script and found it was a very oddly emotional moment. I scrolled down on the script I saw the name “Mulder” and dialogue underneath it; I actually started to tear up. I didn’t expect that at all.

Q. Tell me about the fandom of playing Mulder?

A. In this decade, I’ve done a lot of other work, and I feel like that will always be the most-popular thing I’ll ever do ... so that’s OK with me. I realize that there’s something that comes with that: You’ll always be that guy in some way. But personally, I no longer have any anxiety about being typecast or being remembered that way because I feel fulfilled in stuff that I’ve done.

Q. What gave you the courage to do an album?

A. I feel like I reached an age in my life where I don’t necessarily want to listen to the naysayers. I learned how to play guitar four or five years ago by myself. The project then was to just play guitar enough so that I could amuse myself alone ... then I just thought why can’t I come up with a melody, or two, or 12.

Q. Who inspired you to record?

A. The actual inspiration of the whole thing was really my kids. ... I tell them about skills, about life skills about anything you’re going to do. So I thought, well what about the guitar. I’ll learn how to play the guitar in front of them. They can watch me struggle and be very poor at something and keep going.