In April 2009, the band was scheduled to tour across Canada, opening for country music veterans Willie Nelson and Ray Price. On April 8, the band appeared on the national CBC Radio One program Q, hosted by Jian Ghomeshi. During the first half of the interview, Thornton sounded nervous and confused, giving erratic answers, such as "I don't know" when asked how long the band had been together. When asked about his musical tastes and influences as a child, he gave his longest answer, but it was about his favorite "Famous Monsters of Filmland" magazine. ...show more

In April 2009, the band was scheduled to tour across Canada, opening for country music veterans Willie Nelson and Ray Price. On April 8, the band appeared on the national CBC Radio One program Q, hosted by Jian Ghomeshi. During the first half of the interview, Thornton sounded nervous and confused, giving erratic answers, such as "I don't know" when asked how long the band had been together. When asked about his musical tastes and influences as a child, he gave his longest answer, but it was about his favorite "Famous Monsters of Filmland" magazine.

He also stated that he had "instructed" the show's producers to not ask any questions about his career as a screenwriter and actor. Ghomeshi, in introducing the band, mentioned the acting credentials of Thornton, but never based his questions to Thornton about his show business career. Thornton, who was visibly upset, then complained about Canadians in general to a national radio audience since they didn't get up and move or throw things at the stage, referring to Canadians to being like 'mashed potatoes without the gravy.' This caused an outpouring of criticism from across Canada and around the world for the star's behavior. The following night, the band opened for Willie Nelson at Toronto's prestigious Massey Hall.

A series of boos and catcalls erupted mid-set, with people in the audience yelling "here comes the gravy!" when Thornton unsuccessfully tried to explain he liked Canadians but not the popular CBC radio host. Local reviews of Thornton's Toronto performance have not been positive. The Toronto Star called Thornton's voice a "high, tinny whine" and Globe and Mail commented that "Nelson could teach Billy Bob Thornton more than a few things". On April 10, The Boxmasters dropped out of the tour early, announcing that they would not be playing with Nelson during subsequent concerts scheduled in London, Ontario and Montreal. ...show less