When you've made eight albums, starred in and produced your own acclaimed TV series, performed for the troops in Iraq, wrestled on the beach with a supermodel, impersonated Roy Orbison and been recruited for John Waters' next movie -- what's left for a talented American boy to do?

A Christmas album, obviously.

And that's exactly what Chris Isaak has just finished -- a mix of originals and favourites, such as Blue Christmas and Auld Lang Syne, that will make up his first new album since 2002's Always Got Tonight.

"I always wanted to do a Christmas record," said the 48-year-old crooner in an exclusive Toronto Sun interview. "We did a bunch of classics and five songs that I wrote for it in 105-degree weather, the hottest time of the year. Everybody else was surfing, and I was sitting around writing Christmas songs."

While Isaak featured actress Minnie Driver on his last album, this time he's got an up-and-comer named Stevie Nicks to sing backup.

"She's got a real career ahead of her," he cracked. "Seriously, though, she couldn't be nicer. We were in a studio way out in the hell and gone, and she drove out on her day off to sing Christmas songs with her idiot friend."

Sadly, it was only after winding up his wonky and hilarious TV series, The Chris Isaak Show, that the singer had time to work on his music again.

"After the TV show, everything else seems like a vacation," he said. "It was a lot of work, and I really cared about how it came out because my name was on it. I was a producer, so I was constantly looking over scripts or rehearsing songs. And we had live music -- I think we're the only show that had live performances and acting.

"I remember the first day, they asked us to lip-synch to the song, and we said we wanted to play it live, and they said, 'What?' And we did. Every artist on there played live. I have no idea how we did it on our schedule. We'd rehearse two or three songs and shoot 'em live the next day, in front of a crowd. And that's nerve-wracking. You'd better hit your high notes.

"It was lots of fun, though. I'd like to do another, a different type of show. I just saw Kristin (Dattilo, who played his manager/love interest, Yola), and we're talking about doing something else together. We were all friends in real life. Part of the fun of the show is that you can tell we like each other."

Also part of the fun was the way the show revealed the brooding, romantic Chris Isaak seen in music videos for songs like Wicked Game as a romantically inept goofball.

"It's funny, 'cause when people see our live show they often say, 'I thought you'd be all moody.' I think that's because of Wicked Game. A lot of our music is moody, romantic music, but a lot is upbeat as well. And as moody as I am, I gotta balance it with something, otherwise I'd be off the deep end. So I'm moody on one hand, and on the other side is kinda silly. You have to balance it."

In the meantime, Isaak headlines the Toronto Bluesfest next Saturday, but don't look for him to come out in a Santa suit.

"I might throw in one or two Christmas songs," he said. "I can't do too many in the summer, it'll confuse people."

ISAAK REVEALS HIS DIRTY SHAME

Pretty soon Chris Isaak will be seen acting on the big screen, as Tracey Ullman's husband in John Waters' upcoming movie, A Dirty Shame.

"Yeah, I'm proud of myself," he said, laughing. "John has a formula -- he does everything wrong and it comes out right.

"This is a comedy about sex, and one of the first scenes is me masturbating and getting caught by my wife. When John approached me, I actually asked him if it was going to be tasteful, and he said, 'Well, no!' I had some hope -- I mean, my mom might see this movie. Oh well."