Actors recording music usually means 30 Seconds to Mars or 30 Odd Foot of Grunt. However, Creed Bratton, who plays Creed Bratton on "The Office," was a wandering musician for years before his acting success and played in the psychedelic folk-rock band The Grass Roots.

When TV Creed's job is threatened at Dunder Mifflin, he says, "The only difference between me and a homeless man is this job. I will do whatever it takes to survive. Just like I did when I was a homeless man."

And after years as a starving artist, the real Creed also knows how to live vagabond-chic. Keep reading for his tips on the poor life (as well as tales of smoking hashish, eating roadkill and being attacked by angry Beatles fans).

Use Everything
Keep your eyes open, and what used to be trash becomes opportunity. You choose whether your broken shopping cart is half full or half empty.

Creed says, "For awhile outside Los Angeles, I lived in a tent made out of other old tents and soup cans. And I could always find a mattress somewhere. That's actually why we used the mattress image on 'Bounce Back' -- my career has bounced back from there. I used to find fresh roadkill and I grew up in the mountains, so I knew how to skin the opossums and deer. A freshly killed deer was my favorite. I'd eat for awhile."

Be a Busker in Europe
Creed says, "All that separates a bum and an artist is a musical instrument. Get to Europe by any means necessary. Over there you're not homeless, you're 'backpacking.'"

"We were playing in Lisbon, Portugal, right before 'Rubber Soul' came out. Suddenly a crowd started forming and somebody yelled, 'Beatles!' People started rushing forward and crushed us against this wall. Cops had to get on the wall and to pull us out. However, another time, I was alone in Algeria, looking like death twice over, and these kids began pulling my hair saying, 'Beatle, Beatle!' I pushed them away and the mood changed. Before I knew it, I had my guitar case over my head as I ran out of town because they were stoning me."


Ain't to Proud to Run
Retreating from danger is not cowardly when you don't have health insurance. You can't live in style with open wounds.

Creed says, "In Tangier, we stumbled into this Dancing Boy Club, where little 14-year-old boys dressed up like girls and danced. It was weird, man! That was the first time I smoked hashish out of a hookah. I may as well have taken acid. Stoned out of my mind, I tried to hit on this girl. And that made some guy pull a knife on me. I did my best John Wayne maneuver, which was to get the hell out of dodge. I ran all night long through the streets. Finally, the next morning, I found the club again. My friends were sleeping there. I grabbed my rucksack and told them I needed to leave."

Pretend to Be Famous
If people believe you're important, they will treat you that way -- even if your hair has never been washed.

Creed says, "We were in Libya, opening for some dance troupe. That was the first time I ever saw a merkin. Anyway, this Canadian bush pilot told us we couple make a lot of money if we went with him. That was all we need to hear. He flew us all night in this tiny plane, completely wasted on bourbon, out 500 miles into the Sahara. Finally, we get to this oil camp. The guys there were dog tired, but the pilot goes in like Brian Dennehy on crack, kicks everyone out of bed and introduces us as the Kingston Trio. Thank God we knew a few of their songs. The guys started giving us money to be quiet so they could go back to sleep. We made $1,000. The next morning, we woke up and flew to the next camp."

Check out Creed's new album (not that Creed), 'Bounce Back.'