1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: Quest Left Show is a production of iHeart Radio. I 2 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:19,799 Speaker 1: have a general no small talking before the podcast. 3 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I totally agree. 4 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:26,440 Speaker 1: That's why I've been. 5 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:28,320 Speaker 2: Doing a podcast now. You were the first person I 6 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 2: knew with the podcast, so really yeah, who else was 7 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 2: doing in the music for Okay? Is it rolling, Bob? 8 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 2: It's always rolling? 9 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: Yeah. 10 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:44,200 Speaker 2: No, that's how you got to keep it always in record. 11 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: Ladies and gentlemen. This is the Quest Left Show. I 12 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:49,840 Speaker 1: know there's a lot of this has been a long 13 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: time coming quotes that you hear from me when I 14 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: do the intro of the show, But this is the 15 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: longest of the long timers. Like you know, this should 16 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 1: have been episode five, episode six instead of episode five thousand. 17 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: I don't even know where we are right now. So 18 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: our guest today is a legendary producer, remixer, arranger, label owner, 19 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: I would say, still DJ, pioneer of what I call 20 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: electro hip hop culture. I'll say that some of the 21 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: earliest experiments with hip hop and R and B comes 22 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:33,040 Speaker 1: courtesy of our guest today. I believe for most of us, 23 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: the first time we ever heard an eight oweight drum 24 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 1: machine comes courtesy of our guest today. Definitely one of 25 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: the earlier pioneers of new technology in the studio. More 26 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: than that, I can even say that his innovations have 27 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 1: probably helped bring forth different genres that we have under 28 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:55,920 Speaker 1: the hip hop umbrella. For instance, I would hesitate to 29 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: say that hearing his music probably inspired the versioning Miami 30 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 1: based culture machine, which then of course turned into Atlanta Rap, 31 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:06,480 Speaker 1: which to this day the eight oit is still their 32 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 1: weapon of choice. We can even say that freestyle music, 33 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: We're gonna get into all that, but you know, just 34 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 1: name them. I mean, Africa been bottling the Soul, Sougning Force, 35 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:21,679 Speaker 1: Planet Patrol, Rockers, Revenge, I Owe you Freeze, New Edition. 36 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 1: I cannot wait to start talking about sun City, his 37 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 1: work with Al Green, countless of remixes with Cyndi Laufers, Springsteen, 38 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 1: halland Notes, Dinah Ross, New Order, Bob Dylan. The list 39 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:39,280 Speaker 1: goes on and on and on. He's just released his 40 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: memoir called Looking for the Perfect Beat. What can I say, 41 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: We finally, after all this time, have the one and 42 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 1: only author Baker. The question to me, no, no, no, 43 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 1: you already know. If it's nineteen minutes then. 44 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:57,839 Speaker 2: Yeah you know, yeah, no, thanks for that, intro man, 45 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 2: I'm like, who's that guy? He's talking? 46 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: Well, the thing is is that I always wanted you 47 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:11,360 Speaker 1: on the show because you breathe rare air. Because in 48 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: my opinion, not only do you have your foot in 49 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 1: hip hops, really laying the foundation in the red carpet 50 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 1: for just all the ideas and stuff that we do 51 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: now to this day, but you're also you have another 52 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:31,920 Speaker 1: foot and sort of the I won't say the bygone era, 53 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: but it's sort of a no. But I mean there's 54 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 1: an era of even before the idea of like what 55 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 1: we call a remix in my opinion, like remixing. I'll 56 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: give you a great example, So Prince would often do 57 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:52,440 Speaker 1: this thing where he would remix and reshape his twelve 58 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: inch mixes to be different than that of what the 59 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 1: album version was. But before remixing, there was edit culture. 60 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: And I'm talking about like you know, shit, beat It, Boom, Cellybean, Benezza. 61 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: That's sort of the Latin rascals. Yeah, yeah, even the 62 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: guys in the seventies, Damon Huso, tom Oltens, tom Olten's 63 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 1: Like there's edic culture that we don't even talk about, 64 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: like as far as like the earliest stages of disco. 65 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:19,000 Speaker 1: So I feel like you have your foot in both 66 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:23,039 Speaker 1: eras and so I think it's this is extremely, extremely, 67 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: extremely important. So I will start with letting you speak 68 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:29,600 Speaker 1: after nineteen minutes of an intro. What was your first 69 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: creative project? 70 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:35,000 Speaker 2: It was probably scribbling on walls, but it wasn't graffiti. No, 71 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:37,440 Speaker 2: in my house I would draw on the walls. I 72 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:40,200 Speaker 2: just remembered that because that was my first. But then 73 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:44,240 Speaker 2: in music, I played clarinet and saxophone horrible, but it 74 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 2: got me into early jazz in my head. You know, 75 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 2: my dad was a big Nat King Cole fan, so 76 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 2: at home we were hearing Frank Sinatra and Nat King 77 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:57,880 Speaker 2: Cole at five six years old, so I did. I 78 00:04:58,000 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 2: was exposed to that, which was. 79 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: It's weird because you are so associated with technology as 80 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 1: the eight oid drum machine. I never once thought to 81 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: even ask myself, is author an actual musician? 82 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:18,719 Speaker 2: Like in my mind, well I'm not, but I attempted, Yeah. 83 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:19,920 Speaker 1: But I mean you have some sort of you know 84 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 1: where cdefg avc is. 85 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:25,359 Speaker 2: I do write songs, but I know, I mean I 86 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:27,600 Speaker 2: can write songs without playing them. 87 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 1: Got it? What was your first musical memory in life? 88 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:36,200 Speaker 2: Really twofold one was going to Temple on Holy Days 89 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 2: I'm Jewish and hearing the choir and hearing these songs, 90 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:45,040 Speaker 2: one of which was Albano Mulcano, which I eventually recorded 91 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:48,840 Speaker 2: with Mongolai like fifty years after hearing it in Temple 92 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 2: when I was like five, So I have yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 93 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:54,000 Speaker 1: It was the inspiration behind that. 94 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:56,159 Speaker 2: Just like thought it was a beautiful song, and I 95 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 2: thought that they would do a great job in it. 96 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 2: But I mean, when the first music I heard live 97 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,280 Speaker 2: would be in Temple. The first music I heard on 98 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 2: the radio was like when I was eight, I remember 99 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:10,679 Speaker 2: hearing Pretty Woman, Roy Orbison and all the Motown stuff 100 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 2: and the Beatles. Of course, I was born in fifty five, 101 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:18,160 Speaker 2: so by the time sixty three sixty four, those were 102 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 2: the songs I was hearing. 103 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:23,560 Speaker 1: You know, to you, was it just a natural thing 104 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:27,360 Speaker 1: like water and bread? Like of course, like you don't 105 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:33,640 Speaker 1: miss bread until you do like your first anti nor diet. 106 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:36,040 Speaker 2: No carved diet. Right, I'm notucking with that you're. 107 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 1: Willing to kill somebody for some bread, But I mean 108 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 1: I will acknowledge, Like in the summer of eighty eight, 109 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 1: even at sixteen and I'll say the Summer Idiot is 110 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:54,160 Speaker 1: probably the onslaught the deluge of classic This is changing 111 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:57,880 Speaker 1: my life hip hop, like, never heard this before. And 112 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:00,120 Speaker 1: then two weeks later this comes out, and then a 113 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:00,800 Speaker 1: month later. 114 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 2: It was the seven seventy two around then all the 115 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:07,680 Speaker 2: Philly stuff, all the motown The Papa was a rolling 116 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:08,960 Speaker 2: Stone Norman Woodfield. 117 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:11,080 Speaker 1: Would you like look at the radio, like, how the 118 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:14,160 Speaker 1: hell's this happening? Or did you notice something's different than 119 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 1: I did. 120 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:16,760 Speaker 2: I tell the story in the book, but I was 121 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:20,120 Speaker 2: driving to school nineteen seventy two. I had a driver's license, 122 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:22,920 Speaker 2: driving to school. Papa was a rolling Stone, came on 123 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:27,440 Speaker 2: the base. I just pulled over the side and listened 124 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 2: to the entire thing because I was like, what is 125 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:31,040 Speaker 2: this record? You know? 126 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 1: Between Papa was a rolling Stone and a song like masterpiece. Yeah, 127 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:39,200 Speaker 1: and you know the Temptations have spoken on this, Like 128 00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 1: were you wondering at what point are they going to 129 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 1: sing the song? 130 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:47,760 Speaker 2: Actually like yeah, well that's why that's why I was waiting. No, 131 00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 2: because it was just a baseline. I'm like, wow, you know, 132 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:53,280 Speaker 2: because I was a fan of I mean Sly, which 133 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:57,640 Speaker 2: you're very familiar with. His things were I mean pack 134 00:07:57,680 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 2: it all in three minutes. Yeah, they were you know, 135 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 2: the loco would come in right from the top. And 136 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 2: this was sort of Norman Whitfield taking what Sly had 137 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 2: done and sort of stretching it out and adding Philly in. 138 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:13,400 Speaker 2: I think it was Philly and Sly became that music, 139 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 2: or even Isaac Hayes. So basically there are all these 140 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:19,680 Speaker 2: things colliding at that time. You know, obviously you have 141 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 2: to it all goes back to Sly because he literally 142 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:27,600 Speaker 2: created what Norman Woodfield heard. And then I think one 143 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 2: of the Temptations brought the Sly record to Norman Whitfield 144 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:34,680 Speaker 2: what we need to sound, Yeah, which was I didn't 145 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 2: know that un till many years later, of course. But no, 146 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:40,600 Speaker 2: I loved rock music and I loved whatever you wanted 147 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:43,280 Speaker 2: to call it, R and B. It was going into 148 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:47,000 Speaker 2: being disco, you know, so disco because of the drums 149 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:50,319 Speaker 2: and just sort of the the extended versions. I mean 150 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:54,080 Speaker 2: even before there was a disco twelve Norman Whitfield I 151 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 2: just played last night when I DJ you You plus 152 00:08:57,120 --> 00:08:59,320 Speaker 2: Me Equal Love and Harmony. That is one of the 153 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:03,000 Speaker 2: best songs of ever. It's like thirteen minutes long. The 154 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:07,440 Speaker 2: Solos and that Thennis Coffee. They're all on that record people, 155 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:12,040 Speaker 2: and you know that was like pre really remixed twelve 156 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:12,959 Speaker 2: inch records. 157 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:15,439 Speaker 1: You know that we were Taka Boom. 158 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:18,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, amazing, amazing workerd all. 159 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:23,200 Speaker 1: Right, So besides the Tavares brothers and Donna Summer, I'm 160 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:26,600 Speaker 1: of age where like New Edition were idols. All my 161 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:30,840 Speaker 1: Boston stories that I know come from black acts, right, 162 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:34,280 Speaker 1: I mean, even gangst Are, even though Mr So there 163 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:36,320 Speaker 1: were rock bands. But yeah, I was going to say, 164 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:39,439 Speaker 1: like Aerosmith, like Arasmith, the Afternoon de Lights. 165 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:42,440 Speaker 2: Jay Giles, Well listen, check it out. Aerosmith and Jay 166 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:46,280 Speaker 2: Giles both are rock groups that sort of had beats 167 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 2: that became hip hop tracks exact, and the thing was 168 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:52,760 Speaker 2: fast forwarding. But when I first met Bimbada a few 169 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:56,480 Speaker 2: years later, that's what bonded us because he was playing 170 00:09:56,559 --> 00:09:59,240 Speaker 2: rock beats too, And these were bands I grew up with. 171 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:02,720 Speaker 2: Aeros Smith and Jay Giles were the two biggest Boston 172 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:05,559 Speaker 2: bands of the cars in Boston, and you know that, Kim. 173 00:10:05,679 --> 00:10:09,960 Speaker 1: Later, I was going to say, so my camaraderie with 174 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:14,520 Speaker 1: Little Stephen is I've been on the Rock and Roll 175 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:17,520 Speaker 1: Hall of Fame committee for a decade and a bucking 176 00:10:17,559 --> 00:10:23,319 Speaker 1: some change and every meeting. You don't know how hard 177 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:28,600 Speaker 1: Little Stephen is in terms of campaigning for Jay Giles 178 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:30,360 Speaker 1: to get in the Rock and Roll Hall of fam Peter. 179 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:33,880 Speaker 2: Peter is a really good friend of his. And they deserve. 180 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 1: No, he definitely deserves they deserve it. 181 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:38,079 Speaker 2: I look at it. I have to say, I look 182 00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:40,280 Speaker 2: at some of the bands who aren't in there. Little feet, 183 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:43,199 Speaker 2: the old feet, come on, man, I mean. 184 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:45,680 Speaker 1: I'm telling you it's people always ask me all the time, 185 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:50,679 Speaker 1: and it's just it's it's forty people having whatever, the 186 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:51,880 Speaker 1: twelve angry men. 187 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:56,439 Speaker 2: Yeah, I've seen seen the film that. 188 00:10:56,160 --> 00:10:58,160 Speaker 1: That sort of thing it happens. But yeah, shout out 189 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:01,040 Speaker 1: to Little Stephen. So, I mean, what is your story 190 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:06,240 Speaker 1: of Boston's music, and like, how did it call you? 191 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:09,520 Speaker 1: And just like what was your well was your involvement 192 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:12,400 Speaker 1: and in your localized Boston. 193 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:15,680 Speaker 2: Okay, Well, here's the thing I missed one important fact 194 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:19,320 Speaker 2: about me and music. My mother's first cousin was a 195 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:22,360 Speaker 2: guy named sid Raymond, who was a big I mean, 196 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:24,160 Speaker 2: that's where I get my music from that side of 197 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:27,040 Speaker 2: the family. He was the arranger for Leonard Bernstein. He 198 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:31,600 Speaker 2: did West Side Story. He wrote girl Watch his theme song, Yeah, 199 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:35,400 Speaker 2: Patty Duke and Candid Camera. He wrote those three songs. 200 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:37,840 Speaker 2: He could have retired after that, but he got So 201 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:43,120 Speaker 2: that's my second cousin, you know, So there is like, yeah, 202 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:46,520 Speaker 2: well it's gotta be some some genetic thing, you know, 203 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:49,760 Speaker 2: that the music thing, because my mother always would sing. 204 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:52,319 Speaker 2: She she had a really nice voice, and she would 205 00:11:52,360 --> 00:11:55,679 Speaker 2: you know, they played music. Okay, we had I had 206 00:11:55,679 --> 00:12:00,440 Speaker 2: a really good education, but okay, Boston, so Boston. I 207 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:03,240 Speaker 2: went to college, started DJing in seventy three. 208 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:04,480 Speaker 1: Where'd you go to college? 209 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 2: Hampshire College. Okay, Ken Burns he went there. He was 210 00:12:08,679 --> 00:12:12,080 Speaker 2: in my year before me. All right, So basically I 211 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:16,959 Speaker 2: started DJing in college. I went to Rodina, Brooklyn because 212 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:18,800 Speaker 2: it was like a couple of hours away. Got a 213 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:22,920 Speaker 2: Gli mixer with the big knobs. Yeah yeah, and I 214 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,600 Speaker 2: got two turntables, and I was DJing, and I got 215 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:28,080 Speaker 2: to dig at a club called rash Heads, which was 216 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:31,560 Speaker 2: an Arabic hookah pipe disco and and amber. 217 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:33,720 Speaker 1: The one time about huka culture was even a thing, 218 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:36,760 Speaker 1: yeah yeah, yeah yeah. See I thought hookah culture was 219 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:41,200 Speaker 1: only like for like millennials, like nineties culture. No no, 220 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:44,720 Speaker 1: this was even with we legal now like there's still 221 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:48,200 Speaker 1: like right now, the new nostalgia is a bunch of 222 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:50,920 Speaker 1: thirty five to forty year olds that will go to 223 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:54,320 Speaker 1: hookah parties to listen to, you know, whatever is popping 224 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:57,079 Speaker 1: in two thousand and one, to like Nelly the Neptunes. 225 00:12:57,160 --> 00:12:59,959 Speaker 2: Yeah no, no, no, no no, no, there were guys. 226 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:03,079 Speaker 2: But so I did that. Then I moved back to Boston, 227 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:06,440 Speaker 2: worked in a record shop and took an engineering course 228 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:10,319 Speaker 2: at a studio called Intermediate Studio, which is where Aerosmith 229 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:13,679 Speaker 2: cut dream On. I remember getting in the studio. I 230 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:16,880 Speaker 2: was taking the course and I found rough I wish 231 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:18,920 Speaker 2: I had him rough mixes of dream On, and we 232 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:21,280 Speaker 2: were listening to him. And because they were a band, 233 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:23,760 Speaker 2: like when I was in high school a few years earlier, 234 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:27,320 Speaker 2: dream On was a hit. So basically they were like did. 235 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:28,559 Speaker 1: They have a local ass presence there? 236 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:31,839 Speaker 2: But yeah, yeah, yeah they were the Them and J 237 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:36,120 Speaker 2: Giles were the two bands. But so I started taking 238 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:38,680 Speaker 2: engineering course and then I convinced the owner of the 239 00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:41,920 Speaker 2: studio to give me free studio time to make a 240 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:44,079 Speaker 2: disco record, because disco was the thing, you know, it 241 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:44,960 Speaker 2: was seventy six. 242 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:46,240 Speaker 1: How did you convince the owner? 243 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:48,840 Speaker 2: I had a gift to gap. You know you need 244 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:52,400 Speaker 2: that right, you know that? So I got him and 245 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:55,280 Speaker 2: then he hided in an arranger, this guy John West, 246 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:58,440 Speaker 2: who was at Berkeley, and we used all Berkeley students. 247 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:01,559 Speaker 2: Now the group I had, I had been djaying in 248 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:04,400 Speaker 2: New Bedford and there were these three guys hanging at 249 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:06,920 Speaker 2: the bar and it turned out they were singers, but 250 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:11,319 Speaker 2: they were players also, So basically they were like your producer. Yeah, 251 00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:14,160 Speaker 2: I said, I'm a producer. Okay, here's some They put 252 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:16,600 Speaker 2: down cash and they said we want to make a record. 253 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:19,680 Speaker 2: And the guy, Chico Walker, he had said he had 254 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:22,240 Speaker 2: been in a group called Hearts of Stone from Motown. 255 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:24,440 Speaker 2: I got the record. I looked there was no Chico 256 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:26,880 Speaker 2: on there, but he said he was the new Hearts 257 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:28,680 Speaker 2: of Stone. But we went in and we cut the 258 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:32,320 Speaker 2: record and it was a disco you know, seventy seven, 259 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:34,800 Speaker 2: I guess that was. And I got a record deal 260 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:37,880 Speaker 2: in Canada and the same label that had Gino Socio 261 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:41,480 Speaker 2: came out, got played in New York. Richie Rivera played, 262 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:44,160 Speaker 2: So that was that was my entry. 263 00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 3: Point, and it was like, did you know what I 264 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:50,240 Speaker 3: was doing no, yeah, because disco is very specific, I 265 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:55,320 Speaker 3: would imagine, especially like in watching engineers of my father's era, 266 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:58,760 Speaker 3: like they were so adamant on like taping this the heads. 267 00:14:58,840 --> 00:14:59,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, well we did all that. 268 00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:03,760 Speaker 1: But how did you did you know? Well, you knew 269 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:04,640 Speaker 1: the sound you wanted. 270 00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:07,640 Speaker 2: I knew the sound I wanted, and I had really 271 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:10,600 Speaker 2: cool All the musicians were young. They were all going 272 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:13,800 Speaker 2: to Berkeley. See that's when you talk about Boston. You 273 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:19,280 Speaker 2: cannot separate Boston from Berkeley. So they were amazing. Musicians 274 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:21,920 Speaker 2: from all over the world were at Berkeley even back then, 275 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:25,800 Speaker 2: so you know, if you wanted to make recording, you 276 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:28,640 Speaker 2: just you know. I had a friend who was teaching there. 277 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:32,240 Speaker 2: Or one guy was English guy, Keith Maynard. He was 278 00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:35,080 Speaker 2: doing arrangements, so he did the horn arrangements. It was 279 00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:38,840 Speaker 2: all very uh, it just sort of flowed, you know 280 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:41,440 Speaker 2: that I met and then you start meeting musicians, and 281 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:44,560 Speaker 2: I met a bunch of great ones, and I just 282 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:48,920 Speaker 2: started making records because I the musicians were not thinking, 283 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 2: let's make a disco record. They were studying the scales. 284 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:56,600 Speaker 2: They don't have a shit, right, So basically I sort 285 00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:59,800 Speaker 2: of started like an industry a sort of a disco. 286 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:01,040 Speaker 1: You know. 287 00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:04,240 Speaker 2: I wanted to be like I was totally out of 288 00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:07,240 Speaker 2: my mind because I had no reason to think I 289 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:09,440 Speaker 2: could be doing this. I just did it. 290 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:12,400 Speaker 1: Did you know the general rules like the rules of 291 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:16,680 Speaker 1: you know, taking the symbols away from your drummer or 292 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:19,120 Speaker 1: taking the tom toms away from your drummer. 293 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:22,040 Speaker 2: Well, that record, we wanted the tom toms because it 294 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:25,560 Speaker 2: was like a Savannah band, you know. But I mean 295 00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:29,360 Speaker 2: we you know, you learn from your engineers and we would, 296 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:33,400 Speaker 2: and your drummer and drummers are always I'm not gonna 297 00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:37,800 Speaker 2: say you're this way, but very anal and really gotta 298 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 2: be specific extremely that. 299 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,320 Speaker 1: Yeah. So some are also like just all over the 300 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:43,560 Speaker 1: tes like. 301 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:46,400 Speaker 2: Keith Moon, I don't think right, so I don't think 302 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:48,680 Speaker 2: he really cared. But but it was it was more 303 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:51,760 Speaker 2: like everyone was learning together. But I had some good 304 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:54,320 Speaker 2: musicians and good singers, and you know, it was just 305 00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:56,960 Speaker 2: sort of I wanted to create a Boston thing. I 306 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:59,320 Speaker 2: didn't think I was moving to New York anytime soon, 307 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:00,720 Speaker 2: which I did. 308 00:17:12,920 --> 00:17:16,119 Speaker 1: So one of the things that I discovered, especially now 309 00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:20,400 Speaker 1: in this sort of storytelling phase of my career, where 310 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:23,159 Speaker 1: like film and all those things. You know, the crazy 311 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:26,800 Speaker 1: amount of research that I've done in terms of getting 312 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:30,879 Speaker 1: access to a lot of these sessions. Back then, I 313 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:36,439 Speaker 1: didn't realize how prominent looping was, and a lot of 314 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:37,680 Speaker 1: the seventies stuff. 315 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:40,680 Speaker 2: George Clinton, I know if he had done it yet. 316 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:43,840 Speaker 1: But no, no, even typical like Slith and Family Stone, like 317 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:46,640 Speaker 1: I discovered like, oh my god, like you just took 318 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:50,840 Speaker 1: the best sixteen bars of this particular Like when I'm 319 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:53,399 Speaker 1: getting these reels and I'm like, oh, this is the 320 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:55,360 Speaker 1: part I know, and I'm like, oh, I remember this part. 321 00:17:56,080 --> 00:17:59,320 Speaker 1: Wait a minute, only to realize and see the notes 322 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 1: that we have this slice right like the master would 323 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:04,320 Speaker 1: be left alone. Then they make a dub and then yeah, 324 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:09,240 Speaker 1: all that stuff. How prominent was editing culture or looping 325 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:11,560 Speaker 1: for you back then? Or wasn't as you expected your 326 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:14,320 Speaker 1: band to do a perfect ten? 327 00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:17,080 Speaker 2: We yeah, I mean we don't. We have no time 328 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:21,640 Speaker 2: in the studio. Sly had all the time he wanted. Typically, 329 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:23,680 Speaker 2: we had no time. We had like a click track, 330 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:26,199 Speaker 2: which was what was it called. It was a it 331 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:28,840 Speaker 2: was just like a white noise generator. And it didn't 332 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:33,200 Speaker 2: even have a tempo. Oh god, I forget the name. 333 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:35,320 Speaker 2: Of it, but it was a white noise generation. 334 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:37,880 Speaker 1: So click tracks were even prominent back seventies. 335 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:40,119 Speaker 2: Said yeah, but they weren't. You didn't have the tempo. 336 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:42,440 Speaker 2: You could just you could just I think it was 337 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:46,280 Speaker 2: part of the move and it would stay consistent. So 338 00:18:46,359 --> 00:18:48,960 Speaker 2: you played to that. But there was no well, I 339 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:51,560 Speaker 2: mean there were, but we just didn't have access to 340 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:55,520 Speaker 2: the drum machines that Sly used in sixty nine. 341 00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:58,160 Speaker 1: Right, But was the idea to keep the. 342 00:18:58,040 --> 00:18:58,879 Speaker 2: Guy in tempo? 343 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:02,960 Speaker 1: Were you thinking the DJ and this needs to be consistentaeh, we're. 344 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:06,400 Speaker 2: Thinking about yeah, but no one at that point, before Giorgio, 345 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:10,600 Speaker 2: before euro Disco, then you knew that that was really 346 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:13,320 Speaker 2: in time. Those records were pretty much in time. Even 347 00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:16,919 Speaker 2: even like Niles Sheath those shits all over the place, 348 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:19,959 Speaker 2: you know they are, It didn't really happen till after that, 349 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:23,959 Speaker 2: I'd say, consistently with a click track and drum machines 350 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:26,040 Speaker 2: obviously once that, So. 351 00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:29,920 Speaker 1: What are the general rules that you're learning in real time? 352 00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:34,320 Speaker 1: Like I know, for like AM radio, transistor radio era 353 00:19:35,280 --> 00:19:39,479 Speaker 1: pop sixties, you know, three minutes and twenty seconds all 354 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:40,760 Speaker 1: you got to get these ideas out. 355 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:43,640 Speaker 2: We were totally away from that, we didn't care. We 356 00:19:43,640 --> 00:19:47,680 Speaker 2: were making club disco records. We were making them ten 357 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:50,439 Speaker 2: to eight minutes long. I mean, we weren't thinking about 358 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:52,800 Speaker 2: no one was going to play this on the radio. 359 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:57,040 Speaker 1: We were But in general, for an effective disco record, 360 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:02,480 Speaker 1: what do you think the rule was? Or are you 361 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:05,320 Speaker 1: saying to me that because they were so scarce back 362 00:20:05,359 --> 00:20:09,320 Speaker 1: then that they were all welcome, like I e. MTV 363 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:11,520 Speaker 1: wanting any video in the first. 364 00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:13,280 Speaker 2: Now, there were a lot of records coming out in 365 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:16,879 Speaker 2: seventy six, you know, seventy seven, that was the explosion 366 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:17,399 Speaker 2: of disco. 367 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:20,040 Speaker 1: But you needed six to eight hours to. 368 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:23,919 Speaker 2: You needed an intro that was like long enough for 369 00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:25,480 Speaker 2: the DJ to set it. 370 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:27,200 Speaker 1: Up, That's what I'm saying, like, and then there would 371 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:27,640 Speaker 1: be a break. 372 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:30,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, there was definitely a pattern. You know 373 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:34,639 Speaker 2: you if you listen to Double Exposure ten percent. That 374 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:37,679 Speaker 2: was sort of what we were blown away by because 375 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:40,359 Speaker 2: that was sort of the first twelve inch record and 376 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:43,160 Speaker 2: Walter Gibbons and I heard him play it at a club. 377 00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:44,879 Speaker 2: It's in the I talk about it in the book, 378 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:48,600 Speaker 2: and we thought it was him playing two copies. We 379 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:51,520 Speaker 2: thought he was going back and forth, like what later 380 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:54,040 Speaker 2: became known as like hip hop right, you know, but 381 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:57,399 Speaker 2: guys in Boston, John Luongo, who ended up being a 382 00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:00,000 Speaker 2: really big remixer. He'd have two forty five. 383 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:01,000 Speaker 1: One of those from Boston. 384 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:04,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, he's from I did not and he literally is 385 00:21:04,359 --> 00:21:06,360 Speaker 2: the godfather of disco. 386 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:08,520 Speaker 1: Well, I mean, I know he's done more than that 387 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:09,080 Speaker 1: for me. 388 00:21:09,119 --> 00:21:10,959 Speaker 2: That was mine, but he did, he was he had 389 00:21:11,119 --> 00:21:14,400 Speaker 2: He had a magazine called Nightfall, which was the Disco 390 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:18,200 Speaker 2: It was a night life magazine but focused on disco. 391 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:21,960 Speaker 2: And he had a Disco Awards in Boston the first year, 392 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 2: Donna Summer, the Tramps, Casey and the Sunshine Band, Baker, 393 00:21:27,119 --> 00:21:32,119 Speaker 2: Harrison Young and the Village people live in Boston. What 394 00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:32,840 Speaker 2: this is. 395 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:35,680 Speaker 1: He's the first one that saw the vision of form 396 00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:36,840 Speaker 1: and business and being. 397 00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:39,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, he did. And then he moved to New York 398 00:21:39,359 --> 00:21:42,600 Speaker 2: and he became a big remix about but my first 399 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:45,840 Speaker 2: record that hearts a Stone record. He came in and 400 00:21:46,119 --> 00:21:48,720 Speaker 2: did helped me with the remix. Well he I helped 401 00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:51,679 Speaker 2: him have something a remix you know. 402 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:57,280 Speaker 1: Okay, so all of my memories of and my father 403 00:21:57,400 --> 00:21:59,800 Speaker 1: wasn't a disco artist at all, you know, I'm for 404 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:02,720 Speaker 1: because his head was still in the fifties and sixty 405 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:06,200 Speaker 1: you know, like Motown even still made them do like 406 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:09,359 Speaker 1: like fifties covers in the seventies or whatever, which is 407 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:12,520 Speaker 1: good for me to know, like, oh, that's you know, 408 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:16,280 Speaker 1: Jackie Wilson saw from the sixties or whatever. But I 409 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:20,120 Speaker 1: do know that engineers were way more annal back then. 410 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:23,159 Speaker 1: You can't touch that. You can't. You can't Dad. So 411 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:26,560 Speaker 1: but the thing is is like, how are you do. 412 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:30,240 Speaker 2: You think I listened to them? No, That's what. 413 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:33,280 Speaker 1: I'm saying, Like, how do you convey to them? Hey, 414 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:36,600 Speaker 1: I need more the drums got to sound more heavier. 415 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:39,160 Speaker 2: Well, you'd play you know what you'd play in records? 416 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:41,400 Speaker 2: You go, I want the drums to sound like that record. 417 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:44,000 Speaker 2: I mean that's what you know. That is what we did. 418 00:22:44,119 --> 00:22:46,919 Speaker 2: We'd go, I love the drums sound on that. I 419 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:49,560 Speaker 2: love the horn part in that I played. My arranger, 420 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:52,240 Speaker 2: I'd say, you see that, can you do something similar 421 00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:54,240 Speaker 2: to that? So it was all I was a DJ. 422 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:57,119 Speaker 2: So I was I was showing the engineer and the 423 00:22:57,240 --> 00:22:58,639 Speaker 2: arranger the record you want. 424 00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:01,159 Speaker 1: Not a nuisance. And I don't mean a nuisance in 425 00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:03,840 Speaker 1: terms of that being a nuisance. But I've I've heard 426 00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:08,160 Speaker 1: some examples of because again a lot of these masters 427 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:10,680 Speaker 1: that I go through, I also hear the raw talk 428 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:13,800 Speaker 1: of it all, and there have been some arguments where 429 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:17,000 Speaker 1: it's like that doesn't sound loud enough. Last time I 430 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:19,360 Speaker 1: want you to Well, as I said, we. 431 00:23:19,359 --> 00:23:22,040 Speaker 2: Had like eight hours in the studio, so we didn't 432 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:24,800 Speaker 2: have time to do that. It's different when you're making 433 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:26,200 Speaker 2: an album and you know, like. 434 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:29,159 Speaker 1: So you have to create, you have to format and 435 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:30,000 Speaker 1: make mixed. 436 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:33,640 Speaker 2: Well, no, we'd go back, we'd go and we'd record everything, 437 00:23:34,119 --> 00:23:37,320 Speaker 2: and then another session we'd mix. That was it. I mean, 438 00:23:37,359 --> 00:23:39,800 Speaker 2: even with you when we get to Planet Rock, it 439 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:41,080 Speaker 2: was like that for that. 440 00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:44,880 Speaker 1: Also, I'm almost certain there's a working road for you 441 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:49,760 Speaker 1: in which you could go the traditional route of just 442 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:54,960 Speaker 1: being a producer in terms of like finding popacks whatever. 443 00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:58,199 Speaker 1: But when did you realize, like, there's no title for it. 444 00:23:58,240 --> 00:24:00,880 Speaker 1: So I'll just say for now street me, Well, don't 445 00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:01,040 Speaker 1: know what. 446 00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:05,280 Speaker 2: I wanted to be gamble enough, and I wanted to 447 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:08,240 Speaker 2: make records that you could dance to that said something, 448 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:10,880 Speaker 2: But I had no reason to think I could do it. 449 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:13,959 Speaker 1: All your records have edge to it that the average. 450 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:17,000 Speaker 2: That's because I wouldn't that's good. I wasn't good at 451 00:24:17,359 --> 00:24:19,720 Speaker 2: trying to make the same thing as someone else. I'd 452 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:22,720 Speaker 2: add like, I'm not going to say funk. I'd add 453 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:24,879 Speaker 2: an edge just because I didn't know what I was doing. 454 00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:27,520 Speaker 1: Maybe, you know, is it not one they say in 455 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:31,080 Speaker 1: your life, like oh dog, like there's too aggressive sounding. 456 00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:32,400 Speaker 1: This is too No. 457 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:35,960 Speaker 2: It's funny because I was just with Nelson George the 458 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:37,919 Speaker 2: other day and I used to bring him my early 459 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:41,119 Speaker 2: twelve inch records in like eighty eighty one when he 460 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:45,000 Speaker 2: was working at Record World, and he remembered, I mean, 461 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:47,439 Speaker 2: he remembers this kid coming in with these records and 462 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:51,119 Speaker 2: they were always okay, there was just something different, weird 463 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:53,800 Speaker 2: or whatever. And then when I brought him plan he 464 00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:56,520 Speaker 2: was like, oh yeah, okay, now I get it. But no, 465 00:24:56,720 --> 00:25:00,240 Speaker 2: I was attempting to make records like the one I 466 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:03,160 Speaker 2: had heard, but for some reason, they never came out 467 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:07,160 Speaker 2: like that. And I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because 468 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 2: I only had a certain amount of time to do them. 469 00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:11,240 Speaker 2: I don't know, right, but you know I was. I 470 00:25:11,359 --> 00:25:14,639 Speaker 2: was happy because I was making records that got played. 471 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:16,919 Speaker 2: Before I moved to New York, I had records that 472 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:21,640 Speaker 2: Happy Days North and Frankie Krocker killed that record. I mean, 473 00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:23,480 Speaker 2: it was a big record here. I don't need no 474 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:27,600 Speaker 2: music TJM. Larry Levan. So, you know, out of Boston, 475 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:31,040 Speaker 2: I was making these disco records that were getting played 476 00:25:31,080 --> 00:25:33,119 Speaker 2: in New York and to me that was like, Wow, 477 00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:36,360 Speaker 2: I've actually done something that no one else had done. 478 00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:39,360 Speaker 2: And I was like a horrible DJ, which I don't 479 00:25:39,359 --> 00:25:41,679 Speaker 2: know if we've ever discussed it. I'm really I'm a 480 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:45,920 Speaker 2: horrible DJ because I have no patience. Really, I'm horrible 481 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:47,280 Speaker 2: still to this day. 482 00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:49,200 Speaker 1: I don't like playing full songs. 483 00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:53,639 Speaker 2: No no, but you're you cut between them. I just 484 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:57,639 Speaker 2: lose patience with the whole process, you know. I know, 485 00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:00,920 Speaker 2: I'm big, honest, you know, Yeah, I get bored. No, 486 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:03,960 Speaker 2: I get I bore myself. So no matter what whatever 487 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:05,880 Speaker 2: I play, I mean, I know they're good, but I'm 488 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:08,400 Speaker 2: just like, I don't know what I want to play, 489 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:10,760 Speaker 2: and I'm not prepared. I know you are probably the 490 00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:12,040 Speaker 2: most prepared DJ. 491 00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:13,040 Speaker 1: You want to know in the world. 492 00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:14,600 Speaker 2: I think from what I've seen. 493 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:17,280 Speaker 1: When we've got I was antal retentive. I would plan. 494 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:22,000 Speaker 1: I remember, yeah, I was mix this a year ahead 495 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:24,080 Speaker 1: of time, like three songs a day I would add 496 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:28,480 Speaker 1: to that long thing. Actually, I'll say as of this recording, 497 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:33,280 Speaker 1: this is probably week twelve. I decided that I wanted 498 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:36,720 Speaker 1: to try. I've been taking hole in the wall gigs. 499 00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:40,160 Speaker 1: The agreement is like, you can't advertise me. Yeah, oh yeah, 500 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:45,200 Speaker 1: I want to practice a non prepared gig, just play 501 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:47,639 Speaker 1: a record and see what I feel that And this 502 00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:50,280 Speaker 1: is more of my therapeutic thing, like no, what do 503 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:53,880 Speaker 1: I feel inside? Not like what a I prepare inside. 504 00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:57,560 Speaker 1: So and this is also the same with maybe twice 505 00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:00,359 Speaker 1: a year I'll do like a real jazz gig where 506 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:02,800 Speaker 1: like Glassper, one of those guys will be like, go on, 507 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:04,440 Speaker 1: let's do a gig together at the Blue Note or 508 00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:08,879 Speaker 1: whatever I think. Like yesterday Chris Dave came up with 509 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:11,120 Speaker 1: a night He's like, look, I want to do five 510 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:15,720 Speaker 1: drummers like you, me, Kareem, Briggins, Stro Elliott and maybe 511 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:18,840 Speaker 1: Jazzy Jeff spinning drum solos, just drums and no instruments. 512 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:22,240 Speaker 1: And that to me is the most intimidating thing ever. 513 00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:26,119 Speaker 1: But I'm gonna allow myself, well I'm not gonna do it, 514 00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:30,000 Speaker 1: but I also I'm so calculated in curating and being 515 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:32,520 Speaker 1: the band leader. I want to know what's next and 516 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:36,080 Speaker 1: what my emergencies are that I'm actually allowing myself to 517 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:38,880 Speaker 1: not I want to become a sloppier DJ. 518 00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:44,280 Speaker 2: So well watch me, you'll learn really quickly about what 519 00:27:44,359 --> 00:27:47,760 Speaker 2: you feel. Yeah, the djying thing. But I had the 520 00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:49,800 Speaker 2: mind of a DJ. That's where I wanted to go. 521 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:52,480 Speaker 2: So I knew what things were meant to be. And 522 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:55,239 Speaker 2: all these great DJs in Boston they thought they're never 523 00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:57,119 Speaker 2: going to get to be a record producer. They're just 524 00:27:57,160 --> 00:27:59,919 Speaker 2: going to I mean, back in the day that was 525 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:02,400 Speaker 2: sort of the process. But when I moved to New York, 526 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:04,160 Speaker 2: I'd never dj' in New York. 527 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:05,480 Speaker 1: What year did you move to New York? 528 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:09,600 Speaker 2: Eighty one? Okay, but I never dj' in New York. Ever, 529 00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:12,199 Speaker 2: you know, I was DJing and not in Boston. Really. 530 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:15,480 Speaker 2: I was in like Braintree. I was in like the suburbs, 531 00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:18,159 Speaker 2: playing like the mafia. The supper club. There was a 532 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:23,560 Speaker 2: place called Sadies Supper Club in Braintree. And you know what, 533 00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:26,920 Speaker 2: maybe your dad I was going to say, they did 534 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:27,680 Speaker 2: have bands. 535 00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:31,159 Speaker 1: He was going to say, I believe that Sades was 536 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:33,720 Speaker 1: also one of the normal if it's if it's in 537 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:35,280 Speaker 1: the northeast, if. 538 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:39,000 Speaker 2: It's New England, they had a bunch of sades. They 539 00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:39,520 Speaker 2: had a bunch. 540 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:42,640 Speaker 1: Oh we we lived, I'm sure you like I remember 541 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:46,920 Speaker 1: Boston when the whatever your highways were not fixed, the 542 00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:50,400 Speaker 1: traffic nightmare. Yeah, it's fixed now, and I'm not used 543 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:53,360 Speaker 1: to it. I'm so not used to it. Okay. So 544 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:57,479 Speaker 1: in terms of edit culture just in general, and I 545 00:28:57,520 --> 00:29:00,920 Speaker 1: know you do have a story of lu long ago, 546 00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:04,720 Speaker 1: but is it Ron Hardy or Tom Wulton one of 547 00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:05,520 Speaker 1: those guys. 548 00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:06,440 Speaker 2: He written me off? 549 00:29:06,480 --> 00:29:09,560 Speaker 1: He okay, So what is the Tom Moulton story? Well 550 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:13,800 Speaker 1: to the seventies, who who are the go to. 551 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:18,000 Speaker 2: Tom Moulton was? He worked with Florence Greenberg et Sceptor 552 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:21,280 Speaker 2: Mel Sharon. He would do remixes and re edits of 553 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:23,960 Speaker 2: early scepter stuff, scepter. 554 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:27,720 Speaker 1: Stuff like BT Express eracept. Were they labeled before then or. 555 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:31,760 Speaker 2: The Sceptor she had labels before that. I know they 556 00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:35,760 Speaker 2: were all Sceptor. It was Sceptor. He had a BT Express, 557 00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:38,680 Speaker 2: Bobby Moore call me or anything. Man, I don't you 558 00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:41,280 Speaker 2: know that record? He was doing all that. He he 559 00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:43,960 Speaker 2: made tapes. He wasn't he didn't play records. He would 560 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:46,840 Speaker 2: make these tapes and they got played with Fire Island. 561 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:49,040 Speaker 2: I mean it's like a big. It was like sort 562 00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:49,440 Speaker 2: of a big. 563 00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:52,080 Speaker 1: He was part of the Together mixtape and then they 564 00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:52,760 Speaker 1: would play that. 565 00:29:53,160 --> 00:29:56,280 Speaker 2: And then everyone would go nuts. Yeah, so he became 566 00:29:56,840 --> 00:30:00,680 Speaker 2: the guy. Either he was from Boston or his brother 567 00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:03,600 Speaker 2: was at the studio when I was working on my 568 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:06,760 Speaker 2: big project, which was in seventy eight. I was making 569 00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:12,600 Speaker 2: my own disco album, so I cut twelve songs totally 570 00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:16,040 Speaker 2: over my budget, had no money to finish it, and 571 00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:20,200 Speaker 2: this guy, Jerry Moulton, Tom's brother, came to the studio 572 00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:22,600 Speaker 2: and said, I think my brother's going to love this stuff. 573 00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:25,680 Speaker 2: So he played it for Tom and they said to me, well, listen, 574 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:28,440 Speaker 2: we want to take it. We want to re record everything. 575 00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:31,800 Speaker 2: How you've recorded it isn't good, but we want the tapes. 576 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:34,680 Speaker 2: So they took all the multi tracks. 577 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:37,400 Speaker 1: Now, in your mind, what do you think you think 578 00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:38,560 Speaker 1: they're going to stick to their word? 579 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:42,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, I would think it was seventy I was twenty three, 580 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:44,400 Speaker 2: and I don't. 581 00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:45,480 Speaker 1: Know who tomt Yeah. 582 00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:49,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's why it was a big. It was a big. Yeah. 583 00:30:49,760 --> 00:30:51,880 Speaker 2: It was like a big thing that I was getting 584 00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:54,320 Speaker 2: the record would come out. He said, well, listen, we'll 585 00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:58,240 Speaker 2: use the songs, you'll get some publishing, which I got 586 00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:01,080 Speaker 2: like a third of the publishing, and but we're not 587 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:04,200 Speaker 2: going to use your recording. We're going to just listen 588 00:31:04,240 --> 00:31:07,000 Speaker 2: to your recording so we could redo it. Yeah, and 589 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:10,600 Speaker 2: then the then the record comes out and literally it 590 00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:11,800 Speaker 2: is my recording. 591 00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:13,880 Speaker 1: And so he just re engineered it. 592 00:31:13,960 --> 00:31:15,800 Speaker 2: He just he you know what he did do He 593 00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:19,080 Speaker 2: took off the guy who was a falsetto singer Bobby 594 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:23,080 Speaker 2: Howard from the Ambitions from another See Boston had their 595 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:27,240 Speaker 2: vocal groups Energetics the Ambitions that they had to quite 596 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:32,400 Speaker 2: a breakaway the Italian guys. Uh So, basically I hear 597 00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:34,920 Speaker 2: it and the only thing that's different is he's added 598 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:38,840 Speaker 2: a few strings and he has a different lead singer, 599 00:31:38,920 --> 00:31:42,200 Speaker 2: Ron Tyson, who later became he was one of the 600 00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:45,479 Speaker 2: guys in the later Eddie Kendrick guy. He was like, 601 00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:51,080 Speaker 2: so he's singing on it, right, but Larry Wedgeworth, who 602 00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:55,200 Speaker 2: was a singer online, he's the lead singer. No credit 603 00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:59,680 Speaker 2: for Larry. And then I'm like, you know, what the 604 00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:02,320 Speaker 2: hell you know? And I and literally there was nothing. 605 00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:04,760 Speaker 2: I'm sure there was something I could do, but I 606 00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:07,840 Speaker 2: never did anything about it, and uh so for years 607 00:32:07,920 --> 00:32:09,800 Speaker 2: me and me and Tom. 608 00:32:12,400 --> 00:32:13,640 Speaker 1: He won't know whatever. 609 00:32:14,560 --> 00:32:16,600 Speaker 2: But I have the rough mixes I did that I 610 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:20,640 Speaker 2: sent him and they literally everything's it's all there. So 611 00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:22,840 Speaker 2: but I mean it got But the thing was a 612 00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:26,760 Speaker 2: good thing was Larry Levan played a song called put 613 00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:30,120 Speaker 2: Yourself in My Place, which Alfie Davison or had written, 614 00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:33,800 Speaker 2: and I don't need no music, and people go, oh, 615 00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:36,840 Speaker 2: is that your wait? Is that your record? Your name's not. 616 00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:39,080 Speaker 2: I mean it was on as a writer and a ranger, 617 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:42,280 Speaker 2: but it got played at the garage and that opened 618 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:44,200 Speaker 2: it up, and then you know, it was sort of 619 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:48,000 Speaker 2: a big entree, but also the first total screwing I got, 620 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:51,720 Speaker 2: and that that was unbelievable. When I think about it now, 621 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:54,640 Speaker 2: it's like, yeah, well we're gonna just listen to the tapes. 622 00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:55,320 Speaker 2: We don't really. 623 00:32:55,440 --> 00:33:00,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, so you're proof that every Maverick that entered is 624 00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:05,400 Speaker 1: this injury has a trial by fire. I got ripped 625 00:33:05,400 --> 00:33:08,520 Speaker 1: off first. That was your first lesson that I. 626 00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:13,040 Speaker 2: Have many more. Is Moulton still he's still live, He's 627 00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:17,680 Speaker 2: still is the active. He just does remixes for he 628 00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:19,840 Speaker 2: has all his no he actually is active, and he 629 00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:22,120 Speaker 2: has all these multi tracks. He got a lot of 630 00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:24,800 Speaker 2: the Sigma ones. Got it because he did all the 631 00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:27,720 Speaker 2: Sigma stuff. He did all the things you probably love 632 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:31,360 Speaker 2: the Love is the Message, all the all the Philly 633 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:35,040 Speaker 2: International comps. He did all that stuff. I'll always say 634 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:38,360 Speaker 2: the guy's the best remixer ever, but he's an asshole. 635 00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:54,720 Speaker 1: Could you give me North of Harlem a Bronx era 636 00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:59,600 Speaker 1: hip hop story? Like venturing up there? 637 00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:03,160 Speaker 2: I have my best story, Well, let me hear it. Okay, 638 00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:06,200 Speaker 2: my best story is I'm working on another disco album 639 00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:10,440 Speaker 2: with Joe Batan. So Howard Smiley, who had been a TK, 640 00:34:11,160 --> 00:34:13,360 Speaker 2: he was a friend. He got me and Joe together 641 00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:16,120 Speaker 2: to make an album. I was going to do one side, 642 00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:19,400 Speaker 2: Joe the other, but we'd collaborate on each other's tracks. 643 00:34:20,160 --> 00:34:23,440 Speaker 2: And Joe called me up. I was living in Brooklyn 644 00:34:24,320 --> 00:34:28,040 Speaker 2: with Tina, my wife at the time, and I get 645 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:29,520 Speaker 2: a call from him and he goes, you got to 646 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:31,440 Speaker 2: come up here. You got to hear this. And I 647 00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:35,080 Speaker 2: go here. What he goes, there's guys talking over records. 648 00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:37,759 Speaker 2: You know, they're playing tracks on a boom box and 649 00:34:37,800 --> 00:34:39,240 Speaker 2: they're talking over records. 650 00:34:39,520 --> 00:34:41,520 Speaker 1: And I'm like they're playing tracks on the boombox. 651 00:34:41,640 --> 00:34:44,520 Speaker 2: Well, they were playing like to Be Real or whatever. 652 00:34:44,840 --> 00:34:47,959 Speaker 2: They were playing No on a tape. Yeah, so they're 653 00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:52,080 Speaker 2: playing No. They're playing tracks in the park and they're 654 00:34:52,080 --> 00:34:55,120 Speaker 2: wrapping over them live, you know, just sort of hanging 655 00:34:55,160 --> 00:34:57,719 Speaker 2: out doing that. So I'm like, it was in the 656 00:34:57,760 --> 00:35:00,680 Speaker 2: summer and I'm in Brooklyn. I don't really want to 657 00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:03,520 Speaker 2: make them move, right, But he said, you know, you 658 00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:05,799 Speaker 2: gotta come, you gotta come. And I went and there 659 00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:09,080 Speaker 2: he is sitting on a park bench and uh one 660 00:35:09,160 --> 00:35:11,359 Speaker 2: hundred and twenty fifth or you know, around. 661 00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:14,320 Speaker 1: There it looked Dystopian as we imagined the movies and stuff. 662 00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:17,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, this was seventy nine. This was before I moved. 663 00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:19,480 Speaker 2: This is when I'm just here for the summer. And 664 00:35:19,560 --> 00:35:22,600 Speaker 2: there he is, and he's what I loved about Joe Batan, 665 00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:24,960 Speaker 2: and I sort of followed that as a fashion thing. 666 00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:28,080 Speaker 2: He was always ready to play basketball. He always had 667 00:35:28,120 --> 00:35:30,520 Speaker 2: sneakers and shorts on, no matter what. He'd go to 668 00:35:30,560 --> 00:35:33,680 Speaker 2: a meeting. So he was sitting in the park dressed 669 00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:37,400 Speaker 2: like that, and he goes he pointed to the and 670 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:40,000 Speaker 2: I'm like, oh, he said, someone's gonna make a million 671 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:43,120 Speaker 2: dollars on that. I remember thinking. 672 00:35:43,520 --> 00:35:47,280 Speaker 1: Really really so it was just like yeah, yeah. 673 00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:50,600 Speaker 2: But that Then about a couple of weeks later, he 674 00:35:50,719 --> 00:35:52,759 Speaker 2: was in the studio and I came in because we 675 00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:55,000 Speaker 2: were working on the record together a friend of mine 676 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:59,320 Speaker 2: from Boston, guitarist and Andre Career. He was playing guitar 677 00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:03,359 Speaker 2: on it, and was when I met Jocelyn Brown, and 678 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:08,279 Speaker 2: it was Rapoclapo. He was recording Rapo Clappo, which was 679 00:36:09,560 --> 00:36:12,000 Speaker 2: two weeks after he had seen the guy in the 680 00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:14,759 Speaker 2: park right, and he did Rapoclappo because he wanted to 681 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:17,720 Speaker 2: be the first guy to record a rap record because 682 00:36:17,719 --> 00:36:19,759 Speaker 2: there was no rap records. I didn't want to even 683 00:36:19,800 --> 00:36:24,520 Speaker 2: know if it was called rap. This is like pre rappers, Delight, 684 00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:29,000 Speaker 2: pre anything. And we're in there and he's got this 685 00:36:29,040 --> 00:36:32,200 Speaker 2: guy Marty Scheller doing the arranging and it was you know, 686 00:36:32,239 --> 00:36:35,320 Speaker 2: and I met Jostin she was probably eighteen year nineteen whatever, 687 00:36:35,520 --> 00:36:38,640 Speaker 2: Wow is seventy eight and yeah, I was like, oh 688 00:36:38,719 --> 00:36:42,280 Speaker 2: it sounds cool, but you know, I was doubting still. 689 00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:47,759 Speaker 2: And then London Records US went Busto closed, so we 690 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:50,759 Speaker 2: each got our own tracks back. So he ended up 691 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:53,720 Speaker 2: putting that out as Mestizo that album and he had 692 00:36:54,239 --> 00:36:57,480 Speaker 2: Rappo Clappo on it, and that became a hit in Europe, 693 00:36:57,520 --> 00:36:58,200 Speaker 2: not over here. 694 00:36:58,239 --> 00:37:02,399 Speaker 1: But you know, I want to know about New York, 695 00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:06,640 Speaker 1: or not even New York, just of the era indie 696 00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:11,200 Speaker 1: label culture. And I'm talking about like Western Records or 697 00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:18,560 Speaker 1: emergency records like Sasol or Prelude, these labels that I'm 698 00:37:18,600 --> 00:37:22,480 Speaker 1: seeing prominently getting a seat at the table, but they're 699 00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:25,600 Speaker 1: indie labeled. But I'll tell you there's Are you going 700 00:37:25,640 --> 00:37:26,799 Speaker 1: to say Mars Levy. 701 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:29,320 Speaker 2: No, no, I'll save that. 702 00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:30,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, Mars Leavey story. 703 00:37:31,280 --> 00:37:32,879 Speaker 2: Dude, he was my partner for a year. 704 00:37:33,239 --> 00:37:37,560 Speaker 1: Motherfucker. Stop give me Mars Levy story. 705 00:37:39,200 --> 00:37:43,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, you can tell. I tell them all. Man, he's dead, 706 00:37:43,719 --> 00:37:47,480 Speaker 2: you know, because there is a rumor he's in Australia. 707 00:37:47,520 --> 00:37:50,560 Speaker 2: Though when it. 708 00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:52,880 Speaker 1: Shot to you at all, if he's still your. 709 00:37:52,880 --> 00:37:55,480 Speaker 2: Well he'd be really old. Now I don't think you 710 00:37:55,480 --> 00:37:57,839 Speaker 2: know he did get can Yeah, yeah, I don't want 711 00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:00,080 Speaker 2: to kid about him, you know, but basically. 712 00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:01,279 Speaker 1: You would seem like the type. 713 00:38:01,680 --> 00:38:04,319 Speaker 2: But but this, this is going to connect to what 714 00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:07,160 Speaker 2: you just asked me, Okay, And I will tell you 715 00:38:07,160 --> 00:38:11,560 Speaker 2: a Morrise Levy story. But the labels were either run 716 00:38:11,680 --> 00:38:18,279 Speaker 2: by old industry guys like Prelude, Marty God, what's his 717 00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:22,239 Speaker 2: name he was? He had been in the industry, mel 718 00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:26,080 Speaker 2: Sharon had been at west End. West End was mel Sharon, 719 00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:28,680 Speaker 2: who had been at Sceptor working at Sceptor. 720 00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:35,319 Speaker 1: So those wait, wait, so you're trying to tell me no, no, no, no. 721 00:38:35,640 --> 00:38:38,319 Speaker 2: Half of them were run by the old cats, and 722 00:38:38,360 --> 00:38:40,880 Speaker 2: half of them were run by the new cats like 723 00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:45,240 Speaker 2: Profile young guys, Comedy Boy, young guys, street Wise, young guys. 724 00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:45,600 Speaker 1: You know. 725 00:38:45,680 --> 00:38:48,440 Speaker 2: There were the older guys who had started before us, 726 00:38:48,800 --> 00:38:52,799 Speaker 2: like Prelude and west End were like an even Emergency 727 00:38:52,880 --> 00:38:57,239 Speaker 2: was an Italian guy, Sergio Kosa, who had been a 728 00:38:57,239 --> 00:38:59,839 Speaker 2: little a little older than us. So there were that, 729 00:39:00,080 --> 00:39:04,440 Speaker 2: and then when hip hop started, all the new labels started. 730 00:39:04,520 --> 00:39:08,480 Speaker 2: That's what started all these young kids doing labels Tommy 731 00:39:08,520 --> 00:39:12,120 Speaker 2: Boy and Prelude and street Wise. So basically there were 732 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:16,080 Speaker 2: two roots, the Prelude Disco, the more disco e west 733 00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:19,279 Speaker 2: End Prelude those were old not old times. Yeah, they 734 00:39:19,280 --> 00:39:21,800 Speaker 2: were older than us. They were fifteen twenty years older, 735 00:39:22,200 --> 00:39:26,000 Speaker 2: so they were like more established, and then the upstarts 736 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:29,480 Speaker 2: were the ones that ended up becoming sort of more 737 00:39:29,760 --> 00:39:30,840 Speaker 2: the hip hop influence. 738 00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:34,319 Speaker 1: You started street Wise label. Okay, so walk me through it. 739 00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:38,279 Speaker 1: You're like, I'm going to start a label. What is 740 00:39:38,360 --> 00:39:41,320 Speaker 1: the first thing you need? I guess capital's money. 741 00:39:42,640 --> 00:39:46,680 Speaker 2: No, But what happened was because Tom had Tom started 742 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:50,440 Speaker 2: his label. I knew Tom from these Billboard Disco conventions, 743 00:39:50,480 --> 00:39:53,080 Speaker 2: which you know, and that was earlier, like in the 744 00:39:53,160 --> 00:39:55,760 Speaker 2: late seventies. So when I moved to New York, Tom 745 00:39:55,960 --> 00:39:59,720 Speaker 2: said I was the only record producer he knew. Literally 746 00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:02,040 Speaker 2: he did know, well, he didn't really know what he produces. 747 00:40:02,400 --> 00:40:04,879 Speaker 2: So he said, I've got this guy Bimbada, He's got 748 00:40:04,880 --> 00:40:07,280 Speaker 2: these rap acts. Do you want to produce the record? 749 00:40:07,800 --> 00:40:09,920 Speaker 2: I go, sure. You know, no one was offering I mean, 750 00:40:10,160 --> 00:40:13,360 Speaker 2: a producer without someone willing to pay to get you 751 00:40:13,440 --> 00:40:16,800 Speaker 2: in the studio is you can't. Back then, you couldn't 752 00:40:17,239 --> 00:40:19,839 Speaker 2: produce anything without being in the studio and being able 753 00:40:19,840 --> 00:40:20,840 Speaker 2: to hire musicians. 754 00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:21,040 Speaker 1: Right. 755 00:40:21,280 --> 00:40:24,400 Speaker 2: So Tom the first record with Jazzy Sensation, and we 756 00:40:24,440 --> 00:40:25,640 Speaker 2: went in with a live band. 757 00:40:25,800 --> 00:40:29,839 Speaker 1: You yeah, yeah, yeah, See in my mind, you just 758 00:40:30,080 --> 00:40:34,399 Speaker 1: came from the future with this thing. Who's the house 759 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:35,200 Speaker 1: band for that? 760 00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:40,120 Speaker 2: That was Andre Booth and yeah, Andre Booth and Charlie 761 00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:44,880 Speaker 2: Street the guitarist and the guys who did bbcsn. 762 00:40:43,960 --> 00:40:46,000 Speaker 1: A was Pumpkin on drums or. 763 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:48,920 Speaker 2: Who No, no, it was this guy t Funk who 764 00:40:48,920 --> 00:40:51,160 Speaker 2: would played with James Brown at some point. Are so 765 00:40:51,239 --> 00:40:55,440 Speaker 2: he claimed, But they did Vicky d this speed his mind. Okay, 766 00:40:55,480 --> 00:40:59,480 Speaker 2: they had produced that. I met them through T Scott 767 00:40:59,680 --> 00:41:03,359 Speaker 2: who was a DJ and remixer who had remixed and 768 00:41:03,680 --> 00:41:06,640 Speaker 2: helped me finish Happy Days, and he brought these young 769 00:41:06,960 --> 00:41:09,799 Speaker 2: kids from Queens. They were all eighteen nineteen years old. 770 00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:11,759 Speaker 2: I was gonna say, what you how did I meet? 771 00:41:11,760 --> 00:41:12,120 Speaker 1: What do you? 772 00:41:12,160 --> 00:41:16,160 Speaker 2: Finally, well, I met musicians through T Scotty. He brought 773 00:41:16,160 --> 00:41:19,520 Speaker 2: them in to do some overdubs and then so we 774 00:41:19,560 --> 00:41:22,120 Speaker 2: did Happy Days. And then when I wanted to go 775 00:41:22,160 --> 00:41:26,560 Speaker 2: in to cut this rap record for Jazzy five, I 776 00:41:26,680 --> 00:41:29,520 Speaker 2: called the guys I had met on that session, which 777 00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:33,040 Speaker 2: was Andre, and we became really good friends. So Andre 778 00:41:33,360 --> 00:41:36,640 Speaker 2: brought the band and we went into Galactic Studio and 779 00:41:36,680 --> 00:41:39,759 Speaker 2: we decided to cut Bunky Sensation and you know, did 780 00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:42,880 Speaker 2: her redo of it, because back then all rap records 781 00:41:42,880 --> 00:41:47,439 Speaker 2: were covers obviously, and and there was this one kid 782 00:41:47,480 --> 00:41:49,719 Speaker 2: who was always in the studio with him who didn't 783 00:41:49,760 --> 00:41:53,320 Speaker 2: say anything, and I didn't know till years later actually 784 00:41:53,360 --> 00:41:57,239 Speaker 2: that it was Marlee Marl. So Marlee Marl was he 785 00:41:57,280 --> 00:41:59,000 Speaker 2: saw me as sort of a mentor because he was 786 00:41:59,040 --> 00:42:01,680 Speaker 2: in all my sessions and I didn't really even know 787 00:42:01,840 --> 00:42:03,759 Speaker 2: at the time, but he was in a lot of 788 00:42:03,760 --> 00:42:08,839 Speaker 2: the sessions. Yeah. But basically, so starting a label. I 789 00:42:08,880 --> 00:42:11,799 Speaker 2: had a hit with Jazzy Sensation and then Planet Rock, 790 00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:14,760 Speaker 2: and I bumped into a friend of mine from college 791 00:42:14,840 --> 00:42:17,400 Speaker 2: on a train on the f train and he said, well, 792 00:42:17,440 --> 00:42:18,840 Speaker 2: you had Planet Rock. Don't you want to do a 793 00:42:18,880 --> 00:42:21,200 Speaker 2: record label? And I go yeah, but he goes, I 794 00:42:21,239 --> 00:42:24,600 Speaker 2: got a guy from Boston who's a banker and he 795 00:42:24,640 --> 00:42:26,680 Speaker 2: has a lot of money and wants to start a label, 796 00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:31,640 Speaker 2: Bob Alexander, Paul mccraven. And that's how I started. Without 797 00:42:31,680 --> 00:42:33,800 Speaker 2: the money, there's no way I would have ever started 798 00:42:33,840 --> 00:42:35,280 Speaker 2: a label and the infrastructure. 799 00:42:35,440 --> 00:42:39,200 Speaker 1: Okay, so walk me through. I'm so glad I'm asking 800 00:42:39,239 --> 00:42:43,160 Speaker 1: you all these questions, okay, because oftentimes we'll watch a 801 00:42:43,239 --> 00:42:47,400 Speaker 1: movie or TV show and they get a hit and 802 00:42:47,440 --> 00:42:50,240 Speaker 1: then as the viewer, you're like, oh my god, life. 803 00:42:50,160 --> 00:42:54,600 Speaker 2: Is just yeah, yeah, it wasn't like okay, so you 804 00:42:54,640 --> 00:42:56,919 Speaker 2: get a hit. I get a hit with Planet Rock. 805 00:42:57,239 --> 00:43:02,319 Speaker 1: What does that mean? When does your bank account? No, well, 806 00:43:02,360 --> 00:43:05,879 Speaker 1: we got a hit. When is it like, hey, let's 807 00:43:05,920 --> 00:43:10,319 Speaker 1: eat at this fancy restaurant instead of you. 808 00:43:10,280 --> 00:43:12,080 Speaker 2: Know, I think it was more like taking a cab 809 00:43:12,160 --> 00:43:13,600 Speaker 2: instead of taking the subway. 810 00:43:13,719 --> 00:43:15,520 Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, so yeah, but. 811 00:43:15,600 --> 00:43:19,560 Speaker 2: The how quick I mean that one? I mean that 812 00:43:19,640 --> 00:43:20,720 Speaker 2: hit really quick? 813 00:43:20,880 --> 00:43:23,839 Speaker 1: Well, but I did shouldn't count because Planet Rocks like thriller, like. 814 00:43:23,920 --> 00:43:27,680 Speaker 2: We really I wish money didn't come through that quick. 815 00:43:27,800 --> 00:43:30,880 Speaker 2: But the thing was, I have to say Tom was 816 00:43:30,920 --> 00:43:35,520 Speaker 2: always good at paying royalties and he so basically it 817 00:43:35,560 --> 00:43:37,799 Speaker 2: would have come you know, he would have given me 818 00:43:37,840 --> 00:43:40,640 Speaker 2: an advance or something. But you know, soon after I 819 00:43:40,680 --> 00:43:44,160 Speaker 2: opened up a recording I mean recording studio Beach Street. 820 00:43:44,160 --> 00:43:46,840 Speaker 2: All this shit happened within two years. Okay, so I 821 00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:48,759 Speaker 2: don't even know how I did it. I gotta say, 822 00:43:48,840 --> 00:43:53,040 Speaker 2: I don't know how the money, you know, how it 823 00:43:53,400 --> 00:43:56,919 Speaker 2: came about. But the label came about because a friend said, 824 00:43:57,040 --> 00:43:58,080 Speaker 2: you want to open a label. 825 00:43:58,160 --> 00:44:01,840 Speaker 1: Well, now, with technology, I mean, technically I can record 826 00:44:01,960 --> 00:44:05,160 Speaker 1: an album on this Yeah, you couldn't back right, and 827 00:44:05,440 --> 00:44:08,480 Speaker 1: I can release it and have the same effect, you know, whatever, 828 00:44:08,640 --> 00:44:09,560 Speaker 1: but you. 829 00:44:09,560 --> 00:44:12,319 Speaker 2: Would have been great because you're so organized. I was 830 00:44:12,320 --> 00:44:13,360 Speaker 2: so unorganized. 831 00:44:13,480 --> 00:44:17,200 Speaker 1: Now I think I'm wise enough to have a circle 832 00:44:17,280 --> 00:44:18,840 Speaker 1: of people who are organized. 833 00:44:19,120 --> 00:44:19,319 Speaker 2: Yeah. 834 00:44:19,400 --> 00:44:22,320 Speaker 1: I got to be creative and I don't want to 835 00:44:22,360 --> 00:44:23,280 Speaker 1: miss lead everyone. 836 00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:24,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, I never had my circle. 837 00:44:24,760 --> 00:44:28,000 Speaker 1: There's nineteen people right now like rolling their eyes like yeah, okay. 838 00:44:27,760 --> 00:44:29,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, I never had my circle. 839 00:44:29,840 --> 00:44:30,040 Speaker 3: You know. 840 00:44:30,400 --> 00:44:33,200 Speaker 1: So when you start a label, how much money do 841 00:44:33,239 --> 00:44:35,560 Speaker 1: you need to We got to say that New Diition 842 00:44:35,719 --> 00:44:38,360 Speaker 1: was your first label act or did you have another 843 00:44:38,400 --> 00:44:41,200 Speaker 1: act on street Wise? Hugh? Yeah, who's your first street 844 00:44:41,239 --> 00:44:41,719 Speaker 1: Wise act? 845 00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:46,319 Speaker 2: Well? The first act that I actually discovered and put 846 00:44:46,320 --> 00:44:50,080 Speaker 2: out a record that actually did something was Rockets Revenge 847 00:44:50,200 --> 00:44:52,719 Speaker 2: because that was big that sold a lot of records. Yeah, 848 00:44:52,960 --> 00:44:56,440 Speaker 2: the first few. I had a Pee Wee Ford bass 849 00:44:56,520 --> 00:44:59,759 Speaker 2: player from U, B, B and Q. Okay, he did 850 00:44:59,760 --> 00:45:02,520 Speaker 2: a yeah, but he did a record for me called 851 00:45:02,560 --> 00:45:06,200 Speaker 2: Be My Girl with James Robinson singing lead on it, 852 00:45:06,520 --> 00:45:10,160 Speaker 2: like from change, you know. And then I did Touchdown 853 00:45:10,200 --> 00:45:13,319 Speaker 2: a group from the UK Easier Mind, which I did 854 00:45:13,320 --> 00:45:16,520 Speaker 2: a remix on with Lenny Underwood played keyboards on, and 855 00:45:16,560 --> 00:45:19,920 Speaker 2: then Walking on Sunshine was three. Then it was like 856 00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:23,960 Speaker 2: the New Edition thing happened before that. To start a label, 857 00:45:24,040 --> 00:45:28,400 Speaker 2: I had bankers who had money. They got an office 858 00:45:28,440 --> 00:45:31,879 Speaker 2: immediately and we were street label street wise in our 859 00:45:32,080 --> 00:45:38,560 Speaker 2: office Madison Avenue. So we had an office in Madison Avenue, 860 00:45:38,600 --> 00:45:40,960 Speaker 2: but like a one room it was not a big office. 861 00:45:41,080 --> 00:45:44,360 Speaker 1: But when you're starting label, is it like single first? 862 00:45:44,520 --> 00:45:45,840 Speaker 1: And if that's good then. 863 00:45:45,800 --> 00:45:48,359 Speaker 2: Yeah, we weren't doing albums. We were doing twelve inch 864 00:45:48,840 --> 00:45:51,080 Speaker 2: I mean it's all. We were a twelve inch label. 865 00:45:51,800 --> 00:45:54,600 Speaker 2: That's what did you make a living office? Well, when 866 00:45:55,200 --> 00:45:58,359 Speaker 2: Walking on Sunshine sold three hundred thousand, I guess you know, 867 00:45:59,080 --> 00:46:01,439 Speaker 2: you don't really think of about that. You just back 868 00:46:01,480 --> 00:46:05,200 Speaker 2: then I had someone who was financing a label, and 869 00:46:05,320 --> 00:46:07,880 Speaker 2: they would letting me decide what came on the label. 870 00:46:08,400 --> 00:46:10,760 Speaker 1: What was your home studio or your studio of choice? 871 00:46:10,880 --> 00:46:14,200 Speaker 2: Well at that point it had been Intergalactic, but then 872 00:46:14,239 --> 00:46:18,160 Speaker 2: they shut So then I started using a unique, unique 873 00:46:18,200 --> 00:46:21,719 Speaker 2: studio in blank blank tapes, Bob Blank. 874 00:46:21,520 --> 00:46:22,680 Speaker 1: You need a bunch of the record? 875 00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:25,560 Speaker 2: Ye make money? You needed to pay a manufactured in 876 00:46:25,600 --> 00:46:28,239 Speaker 2: advance for the act. I mean you need so. 877 00:46:28,239 --> 00:46:32,600 Speaker 1: You have a twelve inch Yeah, who's the first domino 878 00:46:32,760 --> 00:46:35,360 Speaker 1: that has to fall? So that you know, you have 879 00:46:35,560 --> 00:46:39,560 Speaker 1: a chance to have a hit clubs and what's the 880 00:46:39,560 --> 00:46:40,640 Speaker 1: club you're going to go to. 881 00:46:41,080 --> 00:46:44,000 Speaker 2: Well, funhouse, Paradise Garage. 882 00:46:43,920 --> 00:46:48,200 Speaker 1: And uh is Paradise Garage? Really? Is it more about 883 00:46:48,239 --> 00:46:53,759 Speaker 1: the revisionist folklore? The true if you had what I 884 00:46:53,760 --> 00:46:56,879 Speaker 1: feel like for every Jordan, there's ten guys that could 885 00:46:56,880 --> 00:47:03,200 Speaker 1: have wonted Charles Barkley, it was was he could. 886 00:47:02,400 --> 00:47:03,720 Speaker 2: He could have, but he wasn't. 887 00:47:04,360 --> 00:47:07,000 Speaker 1: Like what else besides I'm gonna tell you. 888 00:47:07,040 --> 00:47:09,000 Speaker 2: I'm going to tell you there. 889 00:47:08,960 --> 00:47:12,479 Speaker 1: Was And what are we judging on sonics? No? 890 00:47:12,520 --> 00:47:16,600 Speaker 2: You you're judging on record sales. The next day Larry 891 00:47:16,680 --> 00:47:20,600 Speaker 2: Leman would play a record and then uh, then you know, 892 00:47:20,680 --> 00:47:25,200 Speaker 2: you'd what was in vinyl Mania? People would go to 893 00:47:25,320 --> 00:47:29,319 Speaker 2: vinyl to well, it was in the village. They'd go 894 00:47:29,400 --> 00:47:33,720 Speaker 2: there lined up after hearing a record at Paradise Garage. 895 00:47:33,320 --> 00:47:35,359 Speaker 1: But without Suzanna or whatever, how is it working? 896 00:47:35,360 --> 00:47:37,399 Speaker 2: They would go and they go Larry played a record 897 00:47:37,400 --> 00:47:40,359 Speaker 2: who went like Doom Doom, Doom, Doom Doom, and they 898 00:47:40,520 --> 00:47:41,200 Speaker 2: I'm telling you. 899 00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:43,760 Speaker 1: The Peach Boys. 900 00:47:43,880 --> 00:47:47,359 Speaker 2: No, he'd play it so often the word would get out, 901 00:47:47,480 --> 00:47:51,160 Speaker 2: I mean I was there. I'm telling you it's not folklore. 902 00:47:51,200 --> 00:47:56,400 Speaker 2: It's actually reality. He played Walking on Sunshine. Okay, all right, 903 00:47:57,000 --> 00:48:02,320 Speaker 2: plays Walking on Sunshine, Frankie, here it Crocker. He's writing 904 00:48:02,360 --> 00:48:07,040 Speaker 2: down what the songs are. Obviously he goes people hear 905 00:48:07,160 --> 00:48:11,160 Speaker 2: the song before he even starts playing it. They hear 906 00:48:11,200 --> 00:48:14,640 Speaker 2: it at the garage because Larry would play songs numerous 907 00:48:14,640 --> 00:48:16,920 Speaker 2: times in the night. I mean the first time. 908 00:48:16,920 --> 00:48:19,200 Speaker 1: I'm there for the night where he tortured them and 909 00:48:19,239 --> 00:48:21,560 Speaker 1: said I'm gonna play ANBC over and over again to 910 00:48:21,640 --> 00:48:22,880 Speaker 1: you guys, no heartbeat. 911 00:48:23,440 --> 00:48:25,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, I was. I was there for that. But the 912 00:48:25,880 --> 00:48:29,480 Speaker 2: bigger one was Rappers Delight. I was there when he 913 00:48:29,520 --> 00:48:31,839 Speaker 2: first That's the first time I heard Rappers Delight was 914 00:48:31,840 --> 00:48:34,680 Speaker 2: a Paradise garage and he played it. 915 00:48:34,760 --> 00:48:36,680 Speaker 1: What was that like to hear it on loud ass speakers? 916 00:48:36,840 --> 00:48:40,479 Speaker 2: Unbelievable. And the thing was in the beginning, you think, 917 00:48:41,120 --> 00:48:42,960 Speaker 2: because in the beginning of it, there's a there's a 918 00:48:42,960 --> 00:48:46,279 Speaker 2: bit from here comes that sound again, right, So I 919 00:48:46,360 --> 00:48:49,120 Speaker 2: thought it was that. So I'm like, here comes that why? 920 00:48:49,280 --> 00:48:51,200 Speaker 2: And then it's good times and I'm like, what the 921 00:48:51,239 --> 00:48:56,400 Speaker 2: fuck is this? And then boom they're rapping. So he 922 00:48:56,600 --> 00:48:59,560 Speaker 2: but he played that like a couple of times he 923 00:48:59,560 --> 00:49:01,200 Speaker 2: would do that. I'm telling you, I was there. 924 00:49:01,600 --> 00:49:05,080 Speaker 1: That was just normal. I'm not that I hate repetition culture. 925 00:49:05,280 --> 00:49:07,080 Speaker 1: And the thing is, I'm not I'm not trying to 926 00:49:07,239 --> 00:49:09,960 Speaker 1: like grandfather. You like, so Granddad tell me what it 927 00:49:10,000 --> 00:49:12,400 Speaker 1: was like like as a five year old in these 928 00:49:12,480 --> 00:49:15,040 Speaker 1: night clubs. So I understand, like, yeah, play that record again, 929 00:49:15,080 --> 00:49:15,879 Speaker 1: play that record again. 930 00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:18,120 Speaker 2: Play yeah, But no one did that. He did that. 931 00:49:18,239 --> 00:49:20,560 Speaker 2: It wasn't like everyone else did that. He was doing 932 00:49:20,600 --> 00:49:23,880 Speaker 2: it because he was stubborn and he would make people 933 00:49:24,440 --> 00:49:27,680 Speaker 2: listen to that record. And Heartbeat was another famous one. 934 00:49:27,920 --> 00:49:30,160 Speaker 2: So slow, such a slow track. 935 00:49:30,600 --> 00:49:35,120 Speaker 1: He would bring force boogie onto people. Don't make me wait. 936 00:49:35,960 --> 00:49:38,520 Speaker 2: He was playing that for a year before it came out. 937 00:49:39,560 --> 00:49:41,160 Speaker 1: People were resisting it. 938 00:49:41,160 --> 00:49:43,040 Speaker 2: Well in the beginning, and then it would be like 939 00:49:43,120 --> 00:49:45,280 Speaker 2: you know, when it came on, people would go nuts. 940 00:49:45,320 --> 00:49:49,920 Speaker 1: I mean, but listen, it's so it's actually true Stockholm syndrome. 941 00:49:50,040 --> 00:49:51,560 Speaker 1: Some people wouldn't he's liking you. 942 00:49:52,040 --> 00:49:54,040 Speaker 2: I don't know. I don't think. I think, I think. 943 00:49:54,400 --> 00:49:57,480 Speaker 2: But the whole idea of him playing it and then 944 00:49:57,800 --> 00:50:00,720 Speaker 2: people going to Vinyl Mania the next day, the next 945 00:50:00,760 --> 00:50:03,319 Speaker 2: morning looking for record, I mean that's how people were. 946 00:50:03,400 --> 00:50:05,680 Speaker 2: The only way they'd hear a lot of this was 947 00:50:05,680 --> 00:50:09,000 Speaker 2: at the club, so you know, and then Frankie would 948 00:50:09,000 --> 00:50:10,680 Speaker 2: play it, and then you knew you had to hit. 949 00:50:10,760 --> 00:50:14,440 Speaker 2: I mean, in my dock that I've done above Rocker's Revenge, 950 00:50:14,760 --> 00:50:17,640 Speaker 2: I tell that story, and it's literally it happened that way, 951 00:50:17,680 --> 00:50:20,880 Speaker 2: and we Frankie would come on and we'd all be listening, 952 00:50:21,000 --> 00:50:27,160 Speaker 2: and my distributor was Sunshine Distributor. Strangely and basically we 953 00:50:27,200 --> 00:50:29,000 Speaker 2: heard Frankie play it and then it was just like 954 00:50:29,040 --> 00:50:31,400 Speaker 2: they ordered thirty thousand cars. I mean it would be. 955 00:50:31,600 --> 00:50:35,320 Speaker 1: So Frankie Crocker is the bridge in between the street 956 00:50:35,320 --> 00:50:38,800 Speaker 1: clubs and everything and radio and if you hear something 957 00:50:38,840 --> 00:50:41,479 Speaker 1: and the crowd responds to it, he played on radio 958 00:50:41,480 --> 00:50:43,319 Speaker 1: the next day. He get the credit for like, look 959 00:50:43,320 --> 00:50:44,360 Speaker 1: what I introduced. 960 00:50:43,960 --> 00:50:46,680 Speaker 2: To You don't know. He was open about going to 961 00:50:46,760 --> 00:50:48,720 Speaker 2: Paradise Garage. He was always there. 962 00:50:49,320 --> 00:50:52,480 Speaker 1: I wish I could do a study on how revisionist 963 00:50:52,520 --> 00:50:56,120 Speaker 1: history starts where it's just like, I mean, people swear 964 00:50:56,160 --> 00:50:58,800 Speaker 1: to God that the best sound system of their lives 965 00:50:59,280 --> 00:51:02,479 Speaker 1: was at the Paradise Groul. Like what else was there 966 00:51:02,520 --> 00:51:07,400 Speaker 1: besides just music? You never heard before, and and people 967 00:51:07,440 --> 00:51:11,319 Speaker 1: were open to a song they didn't know before. It 968 00:51:11,360 --> 00:51:13,040 Speaker 1: was I can't imagine that today. 969 00:51:13,239 --> 00:51:15,920 Speaker 2: It was it was that. It was that, but it 970 00:51:16,000 --> 00:51:18,520 Speaker 2: had like these great wooden floor I mean it just 971 00:51:18,719 --> 00:51:22,760 Speaker 2: was like wooden floors, like a basketball court, the really 972 00:51:22,800 --> 00:51:26,120 Speaker 2: beautiful wooden floors. And it had the tweeter you know, 973 00:51:26,200 --> 00:51:28,799 Speaker 2: the tweeters. I mean, it was just he knew how 974 00:51:28,840 --> 00:51:31,520 Speaker 2: to play the system. And I'm not a tech guy 975 00:51:31,560 --> 00:51:33,480 Speaker 2: at all, you know, so I'm like going, well, you're 976 00:51:33,480 --> 00:51:36,359 Speaker 2: a producer, yeah, but I'm not like, you know, a 977 00:51:36,360 --> 00:51:38,759 Speaker 2: tech nerd. I would go there and it would just 978 00:51:38,800 --> 00:51:41,319 Speaker 2: sound amazing, and the low end it was just a 979 00:51:41,440 --> 00:51:43,680 Speaker 2: clean and just you. 980 00:51:43,640 --> 00:51:47,399 Speaker 1: Know, okay. In order for me to get the satisfaction 981 00:51:47,480 --> 00:51:50,680 Speaker 1: of playing an unheard, untested song, I mean it could 982 00:51:50,719 --> 00:51:54,719 Speaker 1: be from an established artist. I've played like new outcasts 983 00:51:54,800 --> 00:51:56,759 Speaker 1: before that no one's ever heard. But it's almost like 984 00:51:56,800 --> 00:52:01,000 Speaker 1: I got to play you and then I'm gonna get 985 00:52:01,040 --> 00:52:03,600 Speaker 1: that one song in the middle that you never heard before, 986 00:52:04,040 --> 00:52:06,120 Speaker 1: an M tape off a little bit or if if 987 00:52:06,440 --> 00:52:08,720 Speaker 1: if it's paral or something, it's like, oh, there's obviously 988 00:52:08,800 --> 00:52:11,000 Speaker 1: some new Neptune shit. I've never heard before. 989 00:52:11,560 --> 00:52:13,799 Speaker 2: But no, I do that. But I'm not playing you know, 990 00:52:13,880 --> 00:52:17,239 Speaker 2: I don't care. I'm not saying you have to care, 991 00:52:17,320 --> 00:52:20,520 Speaker 2: but you know, it's a different you have a bigger 992 00:52:20,560 --> 00:52:23,320 Speaker 2: crowd or whatever. But I always play shit i'm working 993 00:52:23,360 --> 00:52:25,480 Speaker 2: on because that's what I always did, you know, And 994 00:52:25,480 --> 00:52:27,760 Speaker 2: that was the only way I knew it when something 995 00:52:27,840 --> 00:52:31,120 Speaker 2: was finished. I mean, we played Walking on Sunshine, a 996 00:52:31,200 --> 00:52:34,000 Speaker 2: Confusion or I owe you any of those records. We 997 00:52:34,040 --> 00:52:36,760 Speaker 2: played at the Funhouse for months and before the record 998 00:52:36,880 --> 00:52:39,880 Speaker 2: was out, it was like a hit there nowhere else, 999 00:52:40,040 --> 00:52:42,800 Speaker 2: you know. But but we use that as our testing pad. 1000 00:52:43,120 --> 00:52:45,480 Speaker 2: Now that you're saying that, I find it strange that 1001 00:52:45,600 --> 00:52:48,000 Speaker 2: DJ's like I know, a lot of you know, big 1002 00:52:48,200 --> 00:52:51,720 Speaker 2: EDM DJs and not playing what they're working on because 1003 00:52:51,719 --> 00:52:52,960 Speaker 2: of just what you said, you. 1004 00:52:52,920 --> 00:52:56,560 Speaker 1: Know, um culture, A lot of them don't only playing 1005 00:52:56,600 --> 00:52:59,239 Speaker 1: what they're working on. Like I can't just zam half 1006 00:52:59,280 --> 00:53:02,520 Speaker 1: the MD when I go to Vegas. Yeh, I'll go in. 1007 00:53:02,640 --> 00:53:06,399 Speaker 1: I'll watch uh okay, maybe maybe the seventh figure DJ 1008 00:53:06,560 --> 00:53:08,719 Speaker 1: the same figure and they're really they're doing a show. 1009 00:53:08,760 --> 00:53:11,680 Speaker 1: They're playing the best of them. I don't I don't 1010 00:53:11,719 --> 00:53:17,960 Speaker 1: have my music isn't conducive of like five hours of dance. Yeah, 1011 00:53:18,080 --> 00:53:20,640 Speaker 1: if you clean your house on a Sunday, I'll be 1012 00:53:20,719 --> 00:53:24,080 Speaker 1: the perfect guy to make you a mixtape. But if 1013 00:53:24,120 --> 00:53:28,879 Speaker 1: I gun to your head, like the best New York 1014 00:53:29,120 --> 00:53:31,440 Speaker 1: nightclub experience for you was always what. 1015 00:53:33,280 --> 00:53:33,760 Speaker 2: It's hard. 1016 00:53:33,840 --> 00:53:38,560 Speaker 4: I mean Studio fifty four, even though is that the 1017 00:53:38,640 --> 00:53:45,200 Speaker 4: legend that's yeah, that's bull really well, well it's celebrity hangover. 1018 00:53:45,239 --> 00:53:45,439 Speaker 1: Man. 1019 00:53:45,520 --> 00:53:47,640 Speaker 2: I wasn't a celebrity, so I was n I I 1020 00:53:47,800 --> 00:53:50,200 Speaker 2: wasn't a celebrity. I didn't even get to go in. 1021 00:53:50,320 --> 00:53:54,160 Speaker 2: I mean as this music was, Yeah, it's no No. 1022 00:53:54,239 --> 00:53:57,520 Speaker 2: He wrote the song in response to no No, but 1023 00:53:57,640 --> 00:53:58,359 Speaker 2: yet they were playing. 1024 00:53:58,560 --> 00:54:01,000 Speaker 1: There was one time when everybody dancers playing It's like, 1025 00:54:01,160 --> 00:54:04,920 Speaker 1: that's literally me, you really not getting it. 1026 00:54:05,960 --> 00:54:09,040 Speaker 2: I had three clubs. I had better Days, well actually 1027 00:54:09,160 --> 00:54:13,439 Speaker 2: four clubs. Better Days Danceteria, which you would have loved 1028 00:54:13,520 --> 00:54:16,880 Speaker 2: Danceteria because it just it was totally very eclectic and 1029 00:54:16,960 --> 00:54:20,880 Speaker 2: played every everything got played there, and there different floors 1030 00:54:20,920 --> 00:54:22,759 Speaker 2: and the people who are hanging out. It was just 1031 00:54:22,800 --> 00:54:25,040 Speaker 2: like a really cool. 1032 00:54:24,920 --> 00:54:28,400 Speaker 1: So okay, this is my humble break. Madge tells me 1033 00:54:28,440 --> 00:54:32,520 Speaker 1: a story when she first this before she signed to sire. 1034 00:54:33,440 --> 00:54:36,120 Speaker 1: How she has a cassette in her hand and she 1035 00:54:36,120 --> 00:54:39,759 Speaker 1: gives it to the DJ, Mark Cammans even then, like 1036 00:54:39,800 --> 00:54:42,239 Speaker 1: I can't imagine. I'm so The reason why I'm glad of. 1037 00:54:42,200 --> 00:54:44,880 Speaker 2: That was how it was, like, I mean, she was cute. 1038 00:54:44,920 --> 00:54:51,359 Speaker 2: He put it on. What why do we being real? Yeah, 1039 00:54:51,440 --> 00:54:52,839 Speaker 2: he'd listen to it and play it. 1040 00:54:53,000 --> 00:54:57,680 Speaker 1: So DJs weren't ego like for me, different made me 1041 00:54:57,760 --> 00:54:58,239 Speaker 1: look bad. 1042 00:54:58,360 --> 00:55:01,480 Speaker 2: It was different then, but what if the song is bad, 1043 00:55:01,560 --> 00:55:04,040 Speaker 2: well then you know what he plays? Another one man? 1044 00:55:05,200 --> 00:55:08,080 Speaker 2: It was different. No one knew what anyone was playing. 1045 00:55:08,160 --> 00:55:10,560 Speaker 2: Do you understand they were playing things that no one 1046 00:55:12,360 --> 00:55:15,760 Speaker 2: it had a beat, No one knew what the records were. Okay, 1047 00:55:15,880 --> 00:55:20,800 Speaker 2: think about that record period. Every record played was something 1048 00:55:20,840 --> 00:55:24,880 Speaker 2: people didn't know until they knew it, until they knew it. 1049 00:55:24,960 --> 00:55:27,080 Speaker 2: But the first time, it wasn't like they were playing 1050 00:55:27,120 --> 00:55:30,480 Speaker 2: records from the radio. They were playing you know, Mark especially, 1051 00:55:30,920 --> 00:55:34,440 Speaker 2: he was very forward thinking. He was playing everything. Mark Caymans, 1052 00:55:34,480 --> 00:55:37,640 Speaker 2: I mean he was most eclectic. No, but I'm just 1053 00:55:37,640 --> 00:55:42,000 Speaker 2: saying Larry Levan would not play anyone's track, you know, 1054 00:55:42,239 --> 00:55:45,040 Speaker 2: he would play He knew me, he had played my 1055 00:55:45,160 --> 00:55:49,799 Speaker 2: records I gave Walking on Sunshine. He didn't play it 1056 00:55:49,880 --> 00:55:52,920 Speaker 2: right away, and then right when I left, because this 1057 00:55:53,040 --> 00:55:55,880 Speaker 2: was this is how he was. He saw I was 1058 00:55:55,880 --> 00:55:59,040 Speaker 2: in the booth, I left, and then a friend of 1059 00:55:59,080 --> 00:56:01,160 Speaker 2: mine said, as soon as you left, he played it. 1060 00:56:14,239 --> 00:56:17,719 Speaker 1: Explain to me a typical DJ setup in a nightclub 1061 00:56:18,000 --> 00:56:19,520 Speaker 1: in nineteen eighty one eighties. 1062 00:56:19,560 --> 00:56:23,320 Speaker 2: Everyone everyone, everyone had a two inch or just a 1063 00:56:23,400 --> 00:56:26,120 Speaker 2: quarter just a quarter inch. Everyone had quarterings. 1064 00:56:25,960 --> 00:56:29,560 Speaker 1: So we're not concerned about like, uh. 1065 00:56:29,080 --> 00:56:32,440 Speaker 2: They're not and now they are, but they're not. I mean, 1066 00:56:32,480 --> 00:56:34,839 Speaker 2: it wasn't a common occurrence that he would play it 1067 00:56:35,200 --> 00:56:39,000 Speaker 2: all the time, but he would play my quarter inch tapes. 1068 00:56:39,880 --> 00:56:42,640 Speaker 2: You know, it's in the confusion video. That's real. 1069 00:56:42,960 --> 00:56:45,840 Speaker 1: What was your best response to an untested record in 1070 00:56:45,960 --> 00:56:47,120 Speaker 1: here and. 1071 00:56:47,200 --> 00:56:49,759 Speaker 2: Play at your own risk? Well, of course because you 1072 00:56:49,840 --> 00:56:52,400 Speaker 2: playing it right, I know, But you asked me, man. 1073 00:56:52,560 --> 00:56:55,000 Speaker 1: It's like I made all the wall thriller. 1074 00:56:55,440 --> 00:56:59,719 Speaker 2: Yeah no, but okay, uh what else? Yeah no. I 1075 00:57:00,040 --> 00:57:03,000 Speaker 2: would say that I Owe You is big at the funhouse. 1076 00:57:03,200 --> 00:57:07,200 Speaker 1: I like that song is helped a lot of us 1077 00:57:07,239 --> 00:57:08,520 Speaker 1: elementary school kids. 1078 00:57:08,560 --> 00:57:11,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, I know you my daughter, My daughter learned. 1079 00:57:11,719 --> 00:57:14,799 Speaker 1: The AE I Owe You And sometimes why can you 1080 00:57:14,840 --> 00:57:18,800 Speaker 1: tell me the first time that you heard craft Works 1081 00:57:18,960 --> 00:57:22,320 Speaker 1: music in a nightclub setting, what is the crowd acting like? 1082 00:57:22,360 --> 00:57:27,560 Speaker 2: When I heard Trans Europe Express in Boston, Chan Luwanga 1083 00:57:27,600 --> 00:57:30,080 Speaker 2: would play it, Okay, I was in the record pool. 1084 00:57:30,080 --> 00:57:33,120 Speaker 2: We got the twelve inch of Trans Europe Express, so 1085 00:57:33,280 --> 00:57:37,919 Speaker 2: Trans Europe Express, and I'd hear that. Before Planet Rock. 1086 00:57:38,520 --> 00:57:41,960 Speaker 2: I would hear Trans Europe Express in the projects, you know, 1087 00:57:42,280 --> 00:57:46,440 Speaker 2: in Queens, I've worked in Long Island City. I'd hear 1088 00:57:46,560 --> 00:57:48,920 Speaker 2: it coming out of someone's radio, you know, it'd be 1089 00:57:48,960 --> 00:57:52,160 Speaker 2: and it'd be Black Radio stadium. Yeah, it was great. 1090 00:57:52,240 --> 00:57:55,360 Speaker 2: So basically when we went in to do this record 1091 00:57:55,400 --> 00:57:58,720 Speaker 2: that became Planet Rock, Bimbada had said, I want to 1092 00:57:58,840 --> 00:58:02,280 Speaker 2: use Trans Europics. That was definitely his idea, not mine. 1093 00:58:03,200 --> 00:58:07,080 Speaker 2: But then him and Tom Silverman did a demo which 1094 00:58:07,640 --> 00:58:09,440 Speaker 2: I didn't really really. 1095 00:58:11,120 --> 00:58:11,440 Speaker 1: Well. 1096 00:58:11,520 --> 00:58:17,240 Speaker 2: It doesn't sound much like Planet Rock, but it's got 1097 00:58:17,240 --> 00:58:26,720 Speaker 2: the base line from do you like it? Uh? So, Yeah, 1098 00:58:26,880 --> 00:58:29,760 Speaker 2: it did work, but it wouldn't have been I'm playing 1099 00:58:29,760 --> 00:58:32,920 Speaker 2: a rock was And then I was a music factory 1100 00:58:32,960 --> 00:58:36,480 Speaker 2: in Brooklyn with the guys who would later become Rockets Revenge. 1101 00:58:36,560 --> 00:58:38,920 Speaker 2: They were behind the and they had two Decks and 1102 00:58:38,960 --> 00:58:42,400 Speaker 2: they were DJ at the shop, which was amazing, and 1103 00:58:42,400 --> 00:58:47,040 Speaker 2: and Dwight put on this track which just went WHOA 1104 00:58:47,160 --> 00:58:50,880 Speaker 2: what is that? And it was Numbers. So I said, oh, man, 1105 00:58:51,200 --> 00:58:55,560 Speaker 2: if I use that beat with the melody and no baseline, 1106 00:58:55,800 --> 00:58:58,800 Speaker 2: no baseline, that gets in the way because Numbers had 1107 00:58:58,840 --> 00:59:02,280 Speaker 2: no baseline. So basically we went in and then when 1108 00:59:02,320 --> 00:59:05,560 Speaker 2: we went in, the rappers were looking at me like 1109 00:59:05,720 --> 00:59:09,040 Speaker 2: they wanted jazzy sensation. They wanted that, they wanted the 1110 00:59:09,080 --> 00:59:11,360 Speaker 2: live beat and slow. And then when they heard that 1111 00:59:11,720 --> 00:59:15,200 Speaker 2: Bimbada loved it, the rappers they were like, what is that? 1112 00:59:15,280 --> 00:59:17,560 Speaker 2: We're never going to get another chance to make a 1113 00:59:17,600 --> 00:59:18,520 Speaker 2: record if we do this. 1114 00:59:18,960 --> 00:59:22,200 Speaker 1: So okay, this is what I gotta know, all right. 1115 00:59:22,840 --> 00:59:27,160 Speaker 1: So I was wondering what your role truly is in 1116 00:59:27,240 --> 00:59:31,120 Speaker 1: hip hop culture. Now. A lot has been made of 1117 00:59:31,160 --> 00:59:36,000 Speaker 1: the mythology of producer Paul C. And when you talk 1118 00:59:36,080 --> 00:59:39,680 Speaker 1: to the large Professor about producer Paul C, our inside 1119 00:59:39,760 --> 00:59:42,800 Speaker 1: joke is okay, Yeah, Paul C was the first guy 1120 00:59:43,760 --> 00:59:47,840 Speaker 1: to read the SB twelve hundreds instruction. 1121 00:59:48,000 --> 00:59:52,280 Speaker 2: Man, wow, he needs an award for that, right, just. 1122 00:59:52,240 --> 00:59:55,440 Speaker 1: For that, because anyone else that I talked to, including 1123 00:59:55,480 --> 01:00:00,040 Speaker 1: the Bomb squad include anyone who's Marley himself. Yeah, it 1124 01:00:00,120 --> 01:00:02,520 Speaker 1: was just like you know, just you know the basic 1125 01:00:02,560 --> 01:00:04,560 Speaker 1: bits and it's trial and eror. 1126 01:00:04,600 --> 01:00:05,000 Speaker 2: Yeah. 1127 01:00:05,880 --> 01:00:11,560 Speaker 1: Were you the pulse of the pioneering hip hop stage? Where? 1128 01:00:12,000 --> 01:00:14,200 Speaker 1: How do you even know what an eight is? How 1129 01:00:14,240 --> 01:00:17,160 Speaker 1: do you know how to operate it? Because you're doing different? 1130 01:00:17,320 --> 01:00:21,200 Speaker 2: No? Okay, the story with that is very simple. We 1131 01:00:21,200 --> 01:00:25,560 Speaker 2: were looking for a drum machine, for sure, Monica Monica 1132 01:00:27,160 --> 01:00:29,960 Speaker 2: looking through the Village Voice and we find men men 1133 01:00:30,000 --> 01:00:33,400 Speaker 2: with drum machine. We call him up. What drum machine 1134 01:00:33,400 --> 01:00:33,760 Speaker 2: do you have? 1135 01:00:34,040 --> 01:00:36,240 Speaker 1: He would just have an ad Yeah, drum machine. 1136 01:00:36,640 --> 01:00:40,040 Speaker 2: Well, you find drummers in the Village Voice, right, you 1137 01:00:40,040 --> 01:00:41,760 Speaker 2: would find anything there, you would. 1138 01:00:42,120 --> 01:00:44,440 Speaker 1: How did you know that machine technology? No? 1139 01:00:44,440 --> 01:00:46,360 Speaker 2: No, no, no, But here's the thing, he said, eight 1140 01:00:46,440 --> 01:00:48,880 Speaker 2: oh eight. So I went to Manny's and heard it. 1141 01:00:48,960 --> 01:00:52,120 Speaker 2: I went and heard the drum machine, the eight oh eight. 1142 01:00:52,200 --> 01:00:54,640 Speaker 2: They had it at Manny's, right, So I got in. 1143 01:00:54,880 --> 01:00:56,560 Speaker 2: They showed me what it sounded like. 1144 01:00:56,800 --> 01:01:01,960 Speaker 1: Wait, because I'm gonna ask you so many minutes, minuscule details. Okay, 1145 01:01:02,440 --> 01:01:05,880 Speaker 1: So you have a vision in your head of how 1146 01:01:05,920 --> 01:01:08,360 Speaker 1: you want Planet Rock to sound, but you know that 1147 01:01:08,440 --> 01:01:10,600 Speaker 1: a live band can do this. 1148 01:01:10,720 --> 01:01:11,960 Speaker 2: No way, it's drum machine. 1149 01:01:12,520 --> 01:01:16,040 Speaker 1: Right. So when was the first time that you heard 1150 01:01:17,000 --> 01:01:21,920 Speaker 1: that a non doctor rhythm sly Stone, how they in 1151 01:01:23,240 --> 01:01:27,040 Speaker 1: a like a real like that there's a machine that can. 1152 01:01:27,080 --> 01:01:28,840 Speaker 2: I was looking for a drum machine. It could have 1153 01:01:28,880 --> 01:01:30,080 Speaker 2: been any drum machine. 1154 01:01:30,240 --> 01:01:31,720 Speaker 1: But how did you know they existed? 1155 01:01:31,920 --> 01:01:35,000 Speaker 2: Come on? I knew that you existed from Sly Come on, 1156 01:01:35,120 --> 01:01:35,920 Speaker 2: you knew that? 1157 01:01:36,200 --> 01:01:36,480 Speaker 1: Okay? 1158 01:01:36,560 --> 01:01:38,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, no, and halland Oates had used one and no 1159 01:01:38,960 --> 01:01:41,640 Speaker 2: can do I mean they were drum machines. I mean 1160 01:01:41,640 --> 01:01:42,200 Speaker 2: it was a thing. 1161 01:01:42,280 --> 01:01:43,400 Speaker 1: I was unaware of that, Okay. 1162 01:01:43,520 --> 01:01:46,640 Speaker 2: So that's the there was a thing called the drum machine, right. 1163 01:01:46,720 --> 01:01:48,200 Speaker 1: And that you were aware that existed. 1164 01:01:48,280 --> 01:01:52,160 Speaker 2: I was aware that the drum machine existed, Okay, I 1165 01:01:52,160 --> 01:01:55,360 Speaker 2: didn't know anything about them because I never used one 1166 01:01:55,360 --> 01:01:55,640 Speaker 2: of them. 1167 01:01:55,680 --> 01:02:01,080 Speaker 1: But do you acknowledge that, yes, there's sly dude, I 1168 01:02:01,080 --> 01:02:02,360 Speaker 1: did an old bible. 1169 01:02:02,120 --> 01:02:06,200 Speaker 2: Just lie, but I didn't know that really in real time. 1170 01:02:07,920 --> 01:02:10,200 Speaker 1: You're the first time that we ever knew a drummer 1171 01:02:10,240 --> 01:02:13,200 Speaker 1: scene two existed. I'll say, right before Planet Rock came 1172 01:02:13,240 --> 01:02:19,440 Speaker 1: out Rock and Soul Magazine. Steven Ivory, I think happened 1173 01:02:19,440 --> 01:02:24,680 Speaker 1: to be this back when the Jacksons were accessible, and 1174 01:02:24,840 --> 01:02:29,680 Speaker 1: Michael's inviting Steven Ivory to a demo session which will 1175 01:02:29,720 --> 01:02:32,200 Speaker 1: eventually become thriller. And this is like March of eighty 1176 01:02:32,240 --> 01:02:38,200 Speaker 1: one and they're unpacking these boxes and if I find 1177 01:02:38,200 --> 01:02:43,400 Speaker 1: this article, literally they're pulling out Len drum or whatever 1178 01:02:43,880 --> 01:02:47,720 Speaker 1: was before the Lenn Drum, and the whole entire article 1179 01:02:48,480 --> 01:02:52,880 Speaker 1: is forty five years before AI comes, because they go 1180 01:02:53,040 --> 01:02:56,600 Speaker 1: from well, first Michael's like, well, your day's are number. 1181 01:02:56,720 --> 01:02:58,360 Speaker 1: He's talking to like some drummer in the room. Your 1182 01:02:58,400 --> 01:03:00,400 Speaker 1: day's a number because we could just do this, and 1183 01:03:00,400 --> 01:03:02,320 Speaker 1: then drummer's like yeah, but won't have the same feel 1184 01:03:02,360 --> 01:03:04,000 Speaker 1: and da da da da da, And then they went 1185 01:03:04,000 --> 01:03:06,040 Speaker 1: from that He's like and the engineer says, well, don't 1186 01:03:06,040 --> 01:03:09,880 Speaker 1: worry one day. They don't have computers that will just 1187 01:03:10,120 --> 01:03:13,280 Speaker 1: mimic a voice and da da da da da, and 1188 01:03:13,360 --> 01:03:16,040 Speaker 1: Michael's like, well, it won't have the emotion like if 1189 01:03:16,080 --> 01:03:16,720 Speaker 1: she's out, Like. 1190 01:03:16,760 --> 01:03:18,760 Speaker 2: Literally, wow, I'd love to see that. 1191 01:03:18,800 --> 01:03:23,080 Speaker 1: They're predicting. So that's how I knew that a future 1192 01:03:23,200 --> 01:03:27,560 Speaker 1: was coming, because literally the entire article was Michael Jackson 1193 01:03:27,600 --> 01:03:31,400 Speaker 1: pulling out keyboards and all this stuff, but hearing it. 1194 01:03:31,920 --> 01:03:35,720 Speaker 1: When I heard your thing, then I was like, this 1195 01:03:35,760 --> 01:03:38,200 Speaker 1: is what they're talking about that Michael Jackson article, like 1196 01:03:38,520 --> 01:03:40,479 Speaker 1: futuristic spacey shit. 1197 01:03:40,840 --> 01:03:43,520 Speaker 2: But it did sound futuristic. That was the thing the 1198 01:03:43,640 --> 01:03:45,560 Speaker 2: DMX and Lynn really didn't. 1199 01:03:45,800 --> 01:03:48,720 Speaker 1: So you knew there was a machine that existed, and I. 1200 01:03:48,760 --> 01:03:51,360 Speaker 2: Knew there were machines that existed. And then when I 1201 01:03:51,400 --> 01:03:53,560 Speaker 2: was told it was an eight oh eight, I went 1202 01:03:53,600 --> 01:03:54,360 Speaker 2: and listened to it. 1203 01:03:54,840 --> 01:03:56,280 Speaker 1: And where did you go to listen to it? 1204 01:03:56,560 --> 01:03:59,040 Speaker 2: I think, Manny's a sam ash, you know, one of 1205 01:03:59,040 --> 01:04:01,040 Speaker 2: the They were right next to one another. How much 1206 01:04:01,120 --> 01:04:03,680 Speaker 2: were they back then? Probably three grand or something? 1207 01:04:03,720 --> 01:04:05,320 Speaker 1: Okay, so it was out of the question for you. 1208 01:04:05,440 --> 01:04:06,800 Speaker 2: No, I wasn't gonna buy it. 1209 01:04:08,320 --> 01:04:08,440 Speaker 3: Now. 1210 01:04:08,560 --> 01:04:11,360 Speaker 2: We were gonna rent. We rented the machine and the 1211 01:04:11,400 --> 01:04:12,720 Speaker 2: guy for twenty five dollars. 1212 01:04:12,760 --> 01:04:15,080 Speaker 1: Does that guy know that that machine is. 1213 01:04:15,040 --> 01:04:17,280 Speaker 2: The guessed he would have at the time, you know, 1214 01:04:17,680 --> 01:04:20,480 Speaker 2: did you let me hear the end result? Like this 1215 01:04:20,560 --> 01:04:24,720 Speaker 2: is the craziest thing. He basically wanted cash and not 1216 01:04:24,880 --> 01:04:28,080 Speaker 2: a check. So we didn't have his name. We didn't 1217 01:04:28,120 --> 01:04:32,560 Speaker 2: have his full name. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. Wait, 1218 01:04:32,720 --> 01:04:35,320 Speaker 2: really his name was Joe, but we never got his 1219 01:04:35,400 --> 01:04:39,880 Speaker 2: last name. Can you believe that? That's how much? 1220 01:04:39,920 --> 01:04:40,920 Speaker 1: Did he want? Cast? 1221 01:04:40,960 --> 01:04:44,400 Speaker 2: Twenty five instead of the check he was afraid Tom 1222 01:04:44,440 --> 01:04:45,720 Speaker 2: would bounce to check on him. 1223 01:04:46,440 --> 01:04:49,680 Speaker 1: Twenty five dollars, Oh dollars? 1224 01:04:49,800 --> 01:04:51,480 Speaker 2: Man, wait twenty five bucks? 1225 01:04:51,560 --> 01:04:55,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, motherfucker, I could just give my like here, are 1226 01:04:55,600 --> 01:04:56,200 Speaker 1: you serious? 1227 01:04:56,360 --> 01:04:59,520 Speaker 2: I'm totally serious? Yeah, crazy. And here's the thing. So 1228 01:04:59,560 --> 01:05:03,560 Speaker 2: he came men and we had the basic beat, you know, 1229 01:05:03,920 --> 01:05:06,720 Speaker 2: boom boom. You know, we had the beat, and we 1230 01:05:07,040 --> 01:05:10,600 Speaker 2: gave him that and he programmed it and then bam said. 1231 01:05:10,400 --> 01:05:11,200 Speaker 1: You told him what to do? 1232 01:05:11,280 --> 01:05:13,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. But then but then he 1233 01:05:13,720 --> 01:05:16,400 Speaker 2: showed me how to do it. So I programmed some 1234 01:05:16,440 --> 01:05:17,840 Speaker 2: other stuff the cop. 1235 01:05:17,840 --> 01:05:21,920 Speaker 1: What about that switch up that man with the beat switches? 1236 01:05:22,040 --> 01:05:26,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's that was supersperm. We had two different beats. Yeah, 1237 01:05:26,080 --> 01:05:29,360 Speaker 2: it's that's where yea, that is super sperm. So that 1238 01:05:29,520 --> 01:05:32,160 Speaker 2: was bam. You know, he wanted super sperm for the change. 1239 01:05:33,480 --> 01:05:37,000 Speaker 2: But all the percussion I did the percussion. He showed 1240 01:05:37,000 --> 01:05:39,800 Speaker 2: me the cow bells, the high hats. He showed me 1241 01:05:39,840 --> 01:05:41,880 Speaker 2: out of you know, play it, play it with that 1242 01:05:42,040 --> 01:05:44,600 Speaker 2: one key that you could play it live and then 1243 01:05:44,640 --> 01:05:47,240 Speaker 2: it would you know. So he made the track first, 1244 01:05:47,480 --> 01:05:50,280 Speaker 2: we made the beat first, right, okay, right, and then 1245 01:05:50,640 --> 01:05:53,120 Speaker 2: John Ruby who played the keys. Then he came in 1246 01:05:53,600 --> 01:05:55,840 Speaker 2: and he played keys on top live. 1247 01:05:57,120 --> 01:05:57,840 Speaker 1: That's all live. 1248 01:05:58,040 --> 01:06:01,560 Speaker 2: That's all live. There's no no sequencing at Planet Rock 1249 01:06:01,720 --> 01:06:04,480 Speaker 2: at all. Even the ding ding ding ding, that's like 1250 01:06:04,520 --> 01:06:08,000 Speaker 2: with the delay, right, all that stuff. There's no there's 1251 01:06:08,120 --> 01:06:09,640 Speaker 2: no sequencing in that at all. 1252 01:06:10,120 --> 01:06:11,640 Speaker 1: Okay, So how are you formatting? 1253 01:06:11,800 --> 01:06:14,000 Speaker 2: Well, we had A and B you know, you just 1254 01:06:14,600 --> 01:06:16,400 Speaker 2: we just sort of you know, there was a switch 1255 01:06:16,440 --> 01:06:18,720 Speaker 2: that you have the A section and the B section. 1256 01:06:18,920 --> 01:06:23,360 Speaker 1: But you realize that Planet Rock is taken from the 1257 01:06:23,920 --> 01:06:26,640 Speaker 1: all right. So George Clinton had a theory which is 1258 01:06:26,720 --> 01:06:30,800 Speaker 1: like every song should have miniature songs in them, not 1259 01:06:30,880 --> 01:06:32,880 Speaker 1: just needing deep. It's a great example. There's really eight 1260 01:06:32,960 --> 01:06:37,080 Speaker 1: songs inside of that fifteen minute song, whereas with this 1261 01:06:37,120 --> 01:06:40,600 Speaker 1: song there's not a chorus, but there's there's least seven seven. 1262 01:06:40,760 --> 01:06:42,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's what a lot of hooks. 1263 01:06:42,320 --> 01:06:45,200 Speaker 1: So are you saying, okay, give me something for eight 1264 01:06:45,240 --> 01:06:46,000 Speaker 1: bars which you got? 1265 01:06:46,320 --> 01:06:49,840 Speaker 2: No? No. I actually was where's the leader? Like, well, 1266 01:06:50,280 --> 01:06:51,640 Speaker 2: rock rock the Planet Rock? 1267 01:06:51,760 --> 01:06:52,040 Speaker 1: Right? 1268 01:06:52,160 --> 01:06:52,640 Speaker 2: That was me? 1269 01:06:53,440 --> 01:06:54,880 Speaker 1: And what device is that? 1270 01:06:54,880 --> 01:06:58,560 Speaker 2: That was just a microphone going through a PCM. No, 1271 01:06:58,680 --> 01:07:01,200 Speaker 2: I'm not saying it. I'm saying I gave them that 1272 01:07:01,280 --> 01:07:04,760 Speaker 2: hook because do you know the record Body Music by 1273 01:07:04,760 --> 01:07:05,880 Speaker 2: the Strikers. 1274 01:07:06,320 --> 01:07:07,680 Speaker 1: You finally struck me for a song. 1275 01:07:07,720 --> 01:07:09,880 Speaker 2: I don't If you don't know, I'm gonna send it 1276 01:07:09,880 --> 01:07:12,360 Speaker 2: to you. It is my probably my favorite record of 1277 01:07:12,440 --> 01:07:15,200 Speaker 2: that time. And they have a thing in that rock rock, 1278 01:07:15,320 --> 01:07:18,400 Speaker 2: the disco, rock, don't stop, and I made it rock 1279 01:07:18,480 --> 01:07:19,520 Speaker 2: rock the planet rock. 1280 01:07:20,440 --> 01:07:20,920 Speaker 1: Wow. 1281 01:07:21,360 --> 01:07:23,720 Speaker 2: Okay, okay, so you have to hear that. I played 1282 01:07:23,760 --> 01:07:26,040 Speaker 2: it last night and it still rocks and it will 1283 01:07:26,080 --> 01:07:27,920 Speaker 2: become one of your favorite I can't believe you don't 1284 01:07:27,960 --> 01:07:31,640 Speaker 2: know it. Probably don't know, No, you would, okay. So 1285 01:07:31,720 --> 01:07:35,560 Speaker 2: there was that hook and then the rock and note stop. 1286 01:07:35,600 --> 01:07:38,600 Speaker 2: It was. That was one of the things Soul Sonic. 1287 01:07:38,320 --> 01:07:39,840 Speaker 1: Would do their routine. 1288 01:07:39,880 --> 01:07:43,480 Speaker 2: That was one of their routines party people. That was 1289 01:07:43,600 --> 01:07:48,280 Speaker 2: you know bambada. So literally it's each bit is someone else. 1290 01:07:48,120 --> 01:07:50,640 Speaker 1: Came up proud like I'm thinking you guys are doing this. 1291 01:07:52,600 --> 01:07:55,680 Speaker 2: There's some kids, they're friends. Everyone went in. 1292 01:07:55,800 --> 01:07:57,080 Speaker 1: It was a swell people's sound. 1293 01:07:58,280 --> 01:08:00,840 Speaker 2: Well, we put the we put the PC forty one 1294 01:08:00,960 --> 01:08:04,280 Speaker 2: to give it that electronic sound, and Jay Burnett did 1295 01:08:04,320 --> 01:08:05,320 Speaker 2: the uh. 1296 01:08:05,040 --> 01:08:08,440 Speaker 1: Oh and singing the hook like those were kids. 1297 01:08:08,600 --> 01:08:13,680 Speaker 2: Yeah really yeah, they were young girls or ah wow yeah. 1298 01:08:13,720 --> 01:08:16,280 Speaker 2: But then and then Jay Burnett, who was the engineer, 1299 01:08:16,720 --> 01:08:19,719 Speaker 2: did the like Brooklyn Rocks to the Planet Rock don't stop. 1300 01:08:19,800 --> 01:08:22,719 Speaker 2: So he did it through the mic with the slap 1301 01:08:22,760 --> 01:08:26,680 Speaker 2: back on the PCM forty one, so literally. And then 1302 01:08:26,800 --> 01:08:29,880 Speaker 2: Tom he was going through the fair light, which was 1303 01:08:30,640 --> 01:08:33,519 Speaker 2: a sampling which you couldn't really use to sample in well. 1304 01:08:33,560 --> 01:08:35,680 Speaker 2: Fair light was expensive as ship. Yeah, but they had 1305 01:08:35,720 --> 01:08:38,200 Speaker 2: one at the studio. How much were fair lights back then, 1306 01:08:38,240 --> 01:08:41,160 Speaker 2: like one hundred grand or something. They didn't pay it 1307 01:08:41,200 --> 01:08:43,559 Speaker 2: was on lease or whatever, you know. But he was 1308 01:08:43,600 --> 01:08:47,559 Speaker 2: going through the sounds and then he went boom, boom, whimp, 1309 01:08:48,040 --> 01:08:50,639 Speaker 2: and we were like, we gotta keep it. The Orchestra 1310 01:08:50,720 --> 01:08:53,960 Speaker 2: hit and that is after that record that created the 1311 01:08:54,080 --> 01:08:57,599 Speaker 2: Orchestra hit and and uh and dance records. You know, 1312 01:08:57,960 --> 01:09:01,360 Speaker 2: so many things in Planet Rock, that beat game staple. 1313 01:09:01,479 --> 01:09:04,559 Speaker 1: Day before yesterday of this interview in my Instagram feed, 1314 01:09:04,800 --> 01:09:08,680 Speaker 1: someone finally breaks down, I don't know what the Stravinsky 1315 01:09:08,800 --> 01:09:12,680 Speaker 1: song is that that hit comes from. Yeah, but they 1316 01:09:12,640 --> 01:09:14,840 Speaker 1: were explained that when the guys invented the fair light, 1317 01:09:15,479 --> 01:09:17,200 Speaker 1: they were like, wait a minute, we better give them 1318 01:09:17,240 --> 01:09:18,600 Speaker 1: some source sounds. 1319 01:09:18,640 --> 01:09:21,280 Speaker 2: Just the show was to deal with. 1320 01:09:21,680 --> 01:09:24,080 Speaker 1: And the first thing they just happen to have that 1321 01:09:24,439 --> 01:09:26,719 Speaker 1: Stravinsky record and the first hit was. 1322 01:09:29,040 --> 01:09:33,519 Speaker 2: And then yeah, wow, that is Tom Silverman hitting. He 1323 01:09:33,680 --> 01:09:36,759 Speaker 2: was going through different things and then what and were 1324 01:09:36,960 --> 01:09:39,240 Speaker 2: We all went like that. It was one of those 1325 01:09:39,280 --> 01:09:40,720 Speaker 2: moments and we got to use that. 1326 01:09:40,920 --> 01:09:45,719 Speaker 1: You know, probably the most innovative idea of that song 1327 01:09:46,920 --> 01:09:50,639 Speaker 1: that never gets discussed is that's also the first twelve 1328 01:09:50,720 --> 01:09:56,760 Speaker 1: inch in which there's instrumentals, there's bonus beats, there's different mixes. 1329 01:09:56,520 --> 01:10:00,679 Speaker 2: Bonus beat, the name Tom. That was the marketing thing. 1330 01:10:00,840 --> 01:10:02,120 Speaker 1: Bonus speed got it. 1331 01:10:02,120 --> 01:10:05,120 Speaker 2: He said, we should you know, the acapella stuff that 1332 01:10:05,439 --> 01:10:08,559 Speaker 2: you know Larry Levan with Don't Make Me Wait. That 1333 01:10:08,680 --> 01:10:11,479 Speaker 2: was like the first record that had acapella. Then I 1334 01:10:11,600 --> 01:10:15,720 Speaker 2: used Walking on Well, Walking on Sunshine was after so yeah. 1335 01:10:15,560 --> 01:10:21,040 Speaker 1: When do you immediately know? Holy shit, I invented fire. 1336 01:10:21,760 --> 01:10:25,200 Speaker 2: I played it at a record pool party and everyone just, 1337 01:10:25,640 --> 01:10:28,840 Speaker 2: you know, I think it was Judy Weinstein's I'm not sure, 1338 01:10:28,880 --> 01:10:31,559 Speaker 2: but I remember playing at a record pool party and 1339 01:10:31,640 --> 01:10:34,519 Speaker 2: people were just you know, when what the you know, 1340 01:10:34,600 --> 01:10:36,240 Speaker 2: it was one of the when you first heard it, 1341 01:10:36,360 --> 01:10:37,320 Speaker 2: What the fuck was that? 1342 01:10:37,479 --> 01:10:37,720 Speaker 1: You know? 1343 01:10:38,160 --> 01:10:40,479 Speaker 2: And that was even with just the instrumental because a 1344 01:10:40,520 --> 01:10:42,880 Speaker 2: lot of people in the beginning played the instrumental side. 1345 01:10:43,240 --> 01:10:45,920 Speaker 1: They weren't afro futurist. Then, they weren't dressing up in 1346 01:10:45,920 --> 01:10:49,600 Speaker 1: those spacy costumes and none that like the song forced. 1347 01:10:49,360 --> 01:10:51,400 Speaker 2: Them to be that, that forced them to be that. 1348 01:10:51,439 --> 01:10:53,840 Speaker 2: They were not like that. They were wearing snorkel coat. 1349 01:10:53,880 --> 01:10:55,920 Speaker 1: You know, they were like, at what point did they 1350 01:10:56,040 --> 01:10:59,639 Speaker 1: realize like, did they ever so a need gratitude? They? 1351 01:11:00,240 --> 01:11:04,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, well they after that they trusted me, and you 1352 01:11:04,400 --> 01:11:08,000 Speaker 2: know because when we did Perfect Beat, that was very different. 1353 01:11:08,200 --> 01:11:10,519 Speaker 1: Speaking of John and keyboards, there's no way you're not 1354 01:11:10,520 --> 01:11:13,439 Speaker 1: going to tell me that that Perfect Beat opening line? 1355 01:11:14,360 --> 01:11:16,080 Speaker 1: Was it perfect? Could you loop back? Then? 1356 01:11:16,560 --> 01:11:16,760 Speaker 2: Yeah? 1357 01:11:16,840 --> 01:11:17,160 Speaker 3: That was? 1358 01:11:17,960 --> 01:11:19,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, that was sequenced. 1359 01:11:19,320 --> 01:11:22,960 Speaker 1: Okay, So talk about sequence culture in nineteen eighty two, because. 1360 01:11:22,680 --> 01:11:25,920 Speaker 5: That was eighty three eight, Tell well there was about 1361 01:11:26,280 --> 01:11:30,800 Speaker 5: srequence back then. Technology, Yeah, it changed, it changed, you know, 1362 01:11:30,960 --> 01:11:33,880 Speaker 5: step sequencing. You'd do a note and you know it 1363 01:11:33,920 --> 01:11:36,439 Speaker 5: was step sequencing. You'd press a button, do a note 1364 01:11:36,560 --> 01:11:39,160 Speaker 5: and it could either be sixteenth to eight, so you know, 1365 01:11:39,240 --> 01:11:40,080 Speaker 5: it was really. 1366 01:11:40,200 --> 01:11:42,439 Speaker 1: And you can speed as fast as one and slow as. 1367 01:11:42,720 --> 01:11:44,320 Speaker 2: It would sink to the drum machine. 1368 01:11:44,360 --> 01:11:46,240 Speaker 1: I mean I was going to say, how did sink 1369 01:11:46,240 --> 01:11:47,679 Speaker 1: to the drum machine and the keyboard? 1370 01:11:47,760 --> 01:11:50,759 Speaker 2: And it had you know, so the earliest MIDI midi 1371 01:11:50,840 --> 01:11:51,880 Speaker 2: a MIDI clock. 1372 01:11:52,000 --> 01:11:54,760 Speaker 1: So was Mady and eighties think or was Mady even 1373 01:11:54,800 --> 01:11:55,800 Speaker 1: the seventies it. 1374 01:11:55,720 --> 01:11:59,080 Speaker 2: Was eighties thing. Okay, the guy who did mister K 1375 01:11:59,320 --> 01:12:02,240 Speaker 2: from Roll and this other guy David, who I think 1376 01:12:02,400 --> 01:12:06,799 Speaker 2: was either from Lynn or one of the other drum machines. 1377 01:12:06,880 --> 01:12:09,800 Speaker 2: They created Minty together to link all these machines up 1378 01:12:10,120 --> 01:12:14,479 Speaker 2: because nothing was sinking. I mean, Oberheim did the system 1379 01:12:14,880 --> 01:12:17,600 Speaker 2: made famous by the Group of Systems, which was a 1380 01:12:17,680 --> 01:12:21,360 Speaker 2: drum machine, a sequencer, and the O B eight. So 1381 01:12:21,880 --> 01:12:24,719 Speaker 2: that was made. You didn't need another box. You could 1382 01:12:24,760 --> 01:12:27,680 Speaker 2: just sink that up together. The box was and he 1383 01:12:27,840 --> 01:12:28,080 Speaker 2: was the. 1384 01:12:28,080 --> 01:12:31,240 Speaker 1: Nerd that was going to do all though the engineers. 1385 01:12:30,760 --> 01:12:34,439 Speaker 2: Would have to learn that shit, you know. Excuse me? Yeah, no, 1386 01:12:34,520 --> 01:12:37,719 Speaker 2: I had known part of that. John Roby was good 1387 01:12:37,760 --> 01:12:41,639 Speaker 2: with the with the rolling stuff and sequencing. But yeah, 1388 01:12:42,600 --> 01:12:43,760 Speaker 2: looking for the perfect beat. 1389 01:12:43,880 --> 01:12:46,040 Speaker 1: We give all our love the planet rock. Yeah, but 1390 01:12:46,160 --> 01:12:48,559 Speaker 1: also like I mean, we can't sleep on looking for 1391 01:12:48,600 --> 01:12:51,439 Speaker 1: the perfect beat, which I you know, can they do 1392 01:12:51,520 --> 01:12:55,400 Speaker 1: it again? And as a resounding yes. So was there 1393 01:12:55,400 --> 01:12:57,320 Speaker 1: a pressure to like. 1394 01:12:57,560 --> 01:13:00,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, now the group were on the road. There on 1395 01:13:00,240 --> 01:13:01,080 Speaker 2: the road, they're like. 1396 01:13:01,560 --> 01:13:02,439 Speaker 1: But what's their reference? 1397 01:13:02,640 --> 01:13:04,639 Speaker 2: I guess when they just have a seven minute ago 1398 01:13:04,840 --> 01:13:07,600 Speaker 2: play at Rock and Bam, had they had had some 1399 01:13:07,760 --> 01:13:10,960 Speaker 2: other you know, they had their stuff that they would do, 1400 01:13:11,040 --> 01:13:13,640 Speaker 2: and you know, before Planet Rocks. 1401 01:13:13,439 --> 01:13:16,400 Speaker 1: I'm going for Springsteen levels. The roots have to have 1402 01:13:16,439 --> 01:13:19,240 Speaker 1: a two and a half hour show and surprise, back 1403 01:13:19,320 --> 01:13:21,479 Speaker 1: when we had one hour ount we have four hour shows. 1404 01:13:21,640 --> 01:13:23,840 Speaker 1: So in my mind, I'm thinking, okay, do a cover song, 1405 01:13:23,960 --> 01:13:28,840 Speaker 1: a bunch of solos. But back then, would you just 1406 01:13:28,920 --> 01:13:30,320 Speaker 1: have to have a fifteen minute show. 1407 01:13:30,520 --> 01:13:32,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, they'd go out with the DJ. You know, they 1408 01:13:32,840 --> 01:13:35,599 Speaker 2: would go up with Jazzy J I think, and he'd 1409 01:13:35,600 --> 01:13:37,479 Speaker 2: play a set and then they'd come out and do 1410 01:13:38,000 --> 01:13:42,439 Speaker 2: call and response, audience participation, favorite g. Yeah, they do 1411 01:13:42,560 --> 01:13:45,599 Speaker 2: other stuff and then they they do uh, then they 1412 01:13:45,640 --> 01:13:46,479 Speaker 2: do Planet Rock. 1413 01:13:46,960 --> 01:13:51,200 Speaker 1: Was there any question or how do we do this live? 1414 01:13:51,640 --> 01:13:54,880 Speaker 2: Like? No, they'd play the they say the track and 1415 01:13:55,040 --> 01:13:56,640 Speaker 2: rap over it. I mean it was it was like 1416 01:13:56,680 --> 01:13:57,960 Speaker 2: a TV track or whatever. 1417 01:13:58,080 --> 01:14:00,360 Speaker 1: They never no point was like you might have to 1418 01:14:00,360 --> 01:14:03,320 Speaker 1: get a keyboard player or a drum machine programmer or not. 1419 01:14:03,320 --> 01:14:06,519 Speaker 2: At that point. No, No, at some point, at some 1420 01:14:06,680 --> 01:14:10,479 Speaker 2: point I think they may have. Well, Flash had he 1421 01:14:10,560 --> 01:14:13,040 Speaker 2: had a drum machine, right, so he did he played 1422 01:14:13,080 --> 01:14:15,479 Speaker 2: the beat box. That was like he did do that. 1423 01:14:27,720 --> 01:14:31,920 Speaker 1: Speaking of which, okay, so what were your general thoughts? Oh, 1424 01:14:31,920 --> 01:14:33,400 Speaker 1: this is a great example. I always said on the 1425 01:14:33,439 --> 01:14:36,160 Speaker 1: show that it's never the pioneer that gets the credits, 1426 01:14:36,160 --> 01:14:39,200 Speaker 1: the person that comes right after. So of course Numbers 1427 01:14:39,280 --> 01:14:43,439 Speaker 1: is the spark and Planet Rocks the twelve alarm fire. 1428 01:14:44,200 --> 01:14:47,639 Speaker 1: So what are your feelings in eighty three when you're 1429 01:14:47,640 --> 01:14:51,960 Speaker 1: hearing like Scorpio by Graham, Aster Flash and Furies five 1430 01:14:52,200 --> 01:14:57,519 Speaker 1: or you're hearing not Fish, It's time or basically so, 1431 01:14:57,600 --> 01:15:02,400 Speaker 1: I'm a Philadelphian and Grove in Juniors from Philadelphia and 1432 01:15:02,560 --> 01:15:07,519 Speaker 1: mister Magic was Mammoth. But of course DC's like, we'll 1433 01:15:07,520 --> 01:15:11,519 Speaker 1: take that, And even to this day I argue with 1434 01:15:11,600 --> 01:15:14,360 Speaker 1: DC people, I'm like, yo, dog, Okay, granted, you guys 1435 01:15:14,439 --> 01:15:18,679 Speaker 1: have go go, but you should acknowledge that you got 1436 01:15:18,720 --> 01:15:22,080 Speaker 1: it from a Philadelphia artist and y'all took it, you know, 1437 01:15:22,439 --> 01:15:25,559 Speaker 1: as far as the city's concerned. Like I could pinpoint 1438 01:15:25,600 --> 01:15:28,719 Speaker 1: you were there. You were doing this type of music 1439 01:15:28,720 --> 01:15:31,639 Speaker 1: over singing, but we weren't calling it new Jack swing. 1440 01:15:32,320 --> 01:15:35,320 Speaker 1: You know, Miami will take that record and make a 1441 01:15:35,360 --> 01:15:38,840 Speaker 1: trillion records out of it. The Latin Italian culture will 1442 01:15:38,920 --> 01:15:41,600 Speaker 1: take it and call it freestyle. Detroit will take it 1443 01:15:41,720 --> 01:15:46,360 Speaker 1: and call it techno. So for you, what is your 1444 01:15:46,520 --> 01:15:51,880 Speaker 1: feeling come eighty three eighty four when now like you 1445 01:15:52,000 --> 01:15:57,880 Speaker 1: basically help heilm the blues like you can't copyright one 1446 01:15:58,160 --> 01:15:59,559 Speaker 1: four five chords. 1447 01:16:00,160 --> 01:16:02,840 Speaker 2: But you know I didn't. I had no problem with it. 1448 01:16:02,880 --> 01:16:06,240 Speaker 2: I just didn't want to repeat myself. Everyone else was 1449 01:16:06,280 --> 01:16:08,280 Speaker 2: repeating it. I didn't want to do it to the 1450 01:16:08,360 --> 01:16:12,920 Speaker 2: extent that when Michael Johnson brought me Pack Jam to 1451 01:16:13,000 --> 01:16:16,559 Speaker 2: put out on my label, I said, nah, that's give it. 1452 01:16:16,640 --> 01:16:19,200 Speaker 2: I gave it to Tommy boy which was Pack Jam. Well, 1453 01:16:19,400 --> 01:16:22,360 Speaker 2: I just said, you know that's a Tommy BOYD record. 1454 01:16:22,680 --> 01:16:25,400 Speaker 1: Tell me about Michael Johnson and all right. So when 1455 01:16:25,439 --> 01:16:29,800 Speaker 1: we first heard Candy Girl, like, we ran with that 1456 01:16:29,840 --> 01:16:31,920 Speaker 1: lie so quick. We just thought it was Michael Jackson. 1457 01:16:33,520 --> 01:16:36,120 Speaker 1: Michael Jackson, Michael produced this. 1458 01:16:37,200 --> 01:16:41,360 Speaker 2: You heard Michael Jackson. Michael was Michael Johnson. 1459 01:16:41,600 --> 01:16:48,120 Speaker 1: So tell me about Michael Johnson's role in Boston Folkalore and. 1460 01:16:48,200 --> 01:16:50,639 Speaker 2: Well, Michael and Maurice, so they were. 1461 01:16:53,120 --> 01:16:56,880 Speaker 1: Was he always dressing like a captain? No, okay, that 1462 01:16:57,120 --> 01:16:57,559 Speaker 1: that became. 1463 01:16:58,120 --> 01:17:03,000 Speaker 2: That became he wanted to be like Colonel Tom Parker, right. No, 1464 01:17:03,280 --> 01:17:07,880 Speaker 2: I mean I met their brother Sonny Donnie Johnson at 1465 01:17:07,920 --> 01:17:10,719 Speaker 2: the studio at in the Media, and then I met 1466 01:17:10,840 --> 01:17:13,600 Speaker 2: those guys and I started using them on my records, 1467 01:17:13,640 --> 01:17:16,439 Speaker 2: Michael and Maurice, and they the two of them the 1468 01:17:16,439 --> 01:17:18,920 Speaker 2: most talented people I had ever met, because they could 1469 01:17:18,920 --> 01:17:23,719 Speaker 2: play everything. Michael could play sacks, drums, guitar, they played 1470 01:17:23,960 --> 01:17:26,280 Speaker 2: literally everything. And I try to get them a record 1471 01:17:26,360 --> 01:17:30,120 Speaker 2: deal with Howard Smiley from t K and we saw 1472 01:17:30,160 --> 01:17:31,799 Speaker 2: them and it was just like it was too close 1473 01:17:31,840 --> 01:17:34,880 Speaker 2: to the Jackson's. It was like the Johnson brothers, but 1474 01:17:34,920 --> 01:17:38,160 Speaker 2: they were really talented, and they were but they weren't original. 1475 01:17:38,280 --> 01:17:42,280 Speaker 2: They could write things that sounded like they have tracks 1476 01:17:42,320 --> 01:17:44,800 Speaker 2: that they've done that I have the demos sounds like 1477 01:17:44,800 --> 01:17:48,400 Speaker 2: the beg's but they're like hits, but they sound literally 1478 01:17:48,560 --> 01:17:58,200 Speaker 2: just like yes, sounded like something else. Yeah. Well, Bark's 1479 01:17:58,280 --> 01:18:02,400 Speaker 2: second generation first generation Soul's finger come on, those were 1480 01:18:02,880 --> 01:18:04,280 Speaker 2: pretty creative. 1481 01:18:03,880 --> 01:18:08,599 Speaker 1: Right, but also yeah, okay, Soul figure, I'll give them. 1482 01:18:08,840 --> 01:18:10,360 Speaker 1: But literally all. 1483 01:18:10,160 --> 01:18:12,800 Speaker 2: The other cameo. It could have been earth wind and 1484 01:18:12,840 --> 01:18:13,320 Speaker 2: fire and could. 1485 01:18:13,600 --> 01:18:15,960 Speaker 1: Yeah. But the thing is also like when you're and 1486 01:18:16,040 --> 01:18:18,160 Speaker 1: I get it, Like my dad explained to me that, 1487 01:18:18,320 --> 01:18:20,040 Speaker 1: you know, a lot of these guys are bar bands, 1488 01:18:20,040 --> 01:18:21,519 Speaker 1: house bands. You have to learn. 1489 01:18:21,479 --> 01:18:23,280 Speaker 2: All that covers. Yeah, exactly everything. 1490 01:18:23,560 --> 01:18:25,680 Speaker 1: I think now there's at least seven thousand songs in 1491 01:18:25,720 --> 01:18:28,599 Speaker 1: our cannon since I've been at the tonight show. Wow. Well, 1492 01:18:28,640 --> 01:18:30,640 Speaker 1: I mean back then we were like, oh god, like 1493 01:18:31,080 --> 01:18:35,320 Speaker 1: like fifteen no. No, literally, I would just put a 1494 01:18:35,360 --> 01:18:38,760 Speaker 1: song on shuffle whoever it is, and I'll play for 1495 01:18:38,760 --> 01:18:42,000 Speaker 1: ten seconds, stop it right, and be like all right, 1496 01:18:42,080 --> 01:18:46,200 Speaker 1: let's go three notes under, and I will code to 1497 01:18:46,240 --> 01:18:48,880 Speaker 1: the member of the roots that is not too strong 1498 01:18:48,920 --> 01:18:53,599 Speaker 1: in dictation, like if you tell me, I'll say better 1499 01:18:53,600 --> 01:18:57,519 Speaker 1: about you go to my keyboard, play right, I'll and 1500 01:18:57,520 --> 01:18:57,840 Speaker 1: he'll do. 1501 01:18:58,960 --> 01:18:59,040 Speaker 2: So. 1502 01:18:59,160 --> 01:19:01,960 Speaker 1: I purposely go to him that might not pay attention 1503 01:19:02,720 --> 01:19:05,040 Speaker 1: and he'll come up with something else and then that's 1504 01:19:05,080 --> 01:19:08,640 Speaker 1: where we build the foundation. And so but I understand that, 1505 01:19:08,720 --> 01:19:10,960 Speaker 1: but wow, I would love to hear the demos. 1506 01:19:11,120 --> 01:19:14,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, I meet them, and basically I moved to New 1507 01:19:14,800 --> 01:19:17,639 Speaker 2: York and we're still friends and they're playing on my records, right, 1508 01:19:18,479 --> 01:19:24,320 Speaker 2: and then Maurice comes. Here's where I guess Michael actually 1509 01:19:25,080 --> 01:19:30,360 Speaker 2: brought me the Johnson Crew pac Man. It was called 1510 01:19:30,360 --> 01:19:32,920 Speaker 2: it first, and he brought it to. 1511 01:19:32,840 --> 01:19:36,000 Speaker 1: Me to sort of capitalize off a video game called 1512 01:19:36,160 --> 01:19:37,520 Speaker 1: Course Yeah damn. 1513 01:19:37,280 --> 01:19:39,479 Speaker 2: Okay he and then he claimed he didn't know about 1514 01:19:39,520 --> 01:19:42,200 Speaker 2: the video game. I mean really yeah, but it wasn't true. 1515 01:19:42,360 --> 01:19:45,080 Speaker 1: Okay. So there was also a tribute song, yeah, called 1516 01:19:45,120 --> 01:19:46,880 Speaker 1: pac Man Fever that came out that was like a 1517 01:19:46,880 --> 01:19:47,400 Speaker 1: massive hit. 1518 01:19:47,760 --> 01:19:49,640 Speaker 2: But so he brings it to me and I'm like, 1519 01:19:49,880 --> 01:19:53,080 Speaker 2: let Tom hear it. So Tom signed it. I also 1520 01:19:53,120 --> 01:19:57,280 Speaker 2: gave Tom the four mds too. We went to Bronx 1521 01:19:57,400 --> 01:20:01,600 Speaker 2: River Center, me and Tom bringing and girl the Acetate 1522 01:20:01,760 --> 01:20:05,400 Speaker 2: and test pressing for Bambada and Jazzy Jay, and they 1523 01:20:05,439 --> 01:20:10,320 Speaker 2: played it and obviously everyone went mental, right, and then 1524 01:20:10,680 --> 01:20:13,920 Speaker 2: for some they were called the Four Seas. Then they 1525 01:20:13,920 --> 01:20:15,880 Speaker 2: come out and do a set and we're both going, wow, 1526 01:20:15,920 --> 01:20:18,240 Speaker 2: they're really good, and I go, yeah, but I have 1527 01:20:18,360 --> 01:20:22,280 Speaker 2: new additions, so Tom you can have them. I mean, wow, yeah, you. 1528 01:20:22,320 --> 01:20:24,639 Speaker 1: Did him a solid Yeah, how long does it take 1529 01:20:24,680 --> 01:20:27,040 Speaker 1: for you? Like, how do you coach kids? 1530 01:20:27,200 --> 01:20:29,960 Speaker 2: How do I coach him? I have Maurice coach them. 1531 01:20:30,040 --> 01:20:32,599 Speaker 2: So basically, they're coming to New York and Michael gave 1532 01:20:32,640 --> 01:20:34,920 Speaker 2: me pack jam. I came it to Tom and then 1533 01:20:34,960 --> 01:20:38,160 Speaker 2: Maurice is like staying at my I'm living in Cobble 1534 01:20:38,240 --> 01:20:41,960 Speaker 2: Hill in Brooklyn, rented an apartment from mel Sharon west 1535 01:20:42,040 --> 01:20:46,280 Speaker 2: End records his apartment and Maurice one night he's staying 1536 01:20:46,320 --> 01:20:48,640 Speaker 2: over and he comes back and he's really sad and 1537 01:20:48,800 --> 01:20:51,760 Speaker 2: like Maurice is always just like he's a real hype man, 1538 01:20:51,800 --> 01:20:53,920 Speaker 2: you know, he's like always, And I go, what's wrong? 1539 01:20:53,960 --> 01:20:55,920 Speaker 2: He said, Oh, I got this song and I brought 1540 01:20:55,920 --> 01:20:59,479 Speaker 2: it to Sylvia Robinson and she turned me down. And 1541 01:20:59,520 --> 01:21:02,080 Speaker 2: I brought it to Sylvia Roane and she turned me down. 1542 01:21:02,400 --> 01:21:03,960 Speaker 2: And I said, well, I got a label. Man, let 1543 01:21:04,040 --> 01:21:05,800 Speaker 2: me hear it. And he put on the cassette and 1544 01:21:05,800 --> 01:21:08,320 Speaker 2: it was Candy Girl. I was like, you got a 1545 01:21:08,360 --> 01:21:12,880 Speaker 2: record deal. And my partner flew back to Boston with 1546 01:21:13,040 --> 01:21:14,559 Speaker 2: them and we signed the deal. 1547 01:21:14,680 --> 01:21:16,519 Speaker 1: How fast did this session take? 1548 01:21:17,040 --> 01:21:23,760 Speaker 2: We went right to the album because they yeah, yeah, yeah, 1549 01:21:23,960 --> 01:21:26,240 Speaker 2: you did all that we did a whole album. Yeah, 1550 01:21:26,280 --> 01:21:28,120 Speaker 2: I mean he had, he had demos, but I said, 1551 01:21:28,200 --> 01:21:31,320 Speaker 2: let's get an album. We went right to the album. 1552 01:21:31,400 --> 01:21:35,240 Speaker 1: Did you instantly feel like you're going to strike hole? Yeah? 1553 01:21:35,520 --> 01:21:37,200 Speaker 2: You were a kid, you already you thought it was 1554 01:21:37,240 --> 01:21:37,559 Speaker 2: a hit. 1555 01:21:37,760 --> 01:21:39,920 Speaker 1: Yeah. No, no, no, no, we knew, we knew. 1556 01:21:39,960 --> 01:21:43,559 Speaker 2: I mean I couldn't believe that Sylvia Robinson turned it down. 1557 01:21:43,840 --> 01:21:47,120 Speaker 2: I mean, think about that. That's can you imagine New 1558 01:21:47,280 --> 01:21:50,000 Speaker 2: Edition on? Well, actually New Edition sort of did end 1559 01:21:50,080 --> 01:21:52,160 Speaker 2: up with them when Morrise Levey. 1560 01:21:52,360 --> 01:21:58,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, so why didn't they stick with you once they 1561 01:21:58,360 --> 01:21:59,080 Speaker 1: signed the mc A. 1562 01:21:59,400 --> 01:22:02,200 Speaker 2: No, No, the thing this is I'll give you like 1563 01:22:02,320 --> 01:22:05,840 Speaker 2: this is like this is a real deal. Okay, we 1564 01:22:05,920 --> 01:22:10,240 Speaker 2: didn't sign the group. We signed a production deal with Maurice. 1565 01:22:11,160 --> 01:22:14,240 Speaker 2: Maurice had them signed and we signed a deal with him, 1566 01:22:14,240 --> 01:22:16,360 Speaker 2: which was common back then. That was the way it 1567 01:22:16,439 --> 01:22:18,960 Speaker 2: was done. He came to us and said I'd have 1568 01:22:19,040 --> 01:22:23,920 Speaker 2: this group. We didn't think it through far enough to 1569 01:22:24,320 --> 01:22:27,880 Speaker 2: know that we should have got lawyers and made but 1570 01:22:28,000 --> 01:22:30,200 Speaker 2: we signed a deal with him, which was really common. 1571 01:22:30,280 --> 01:22:32,880 Speaker 2: If if I was a producer when I was doing 1572 01:22:32,920 --> 01:22:35,240 Speaker 2: a record and there was a singer, I'd give the 1573 01:22:35,280 --> 01:22:39,120 Speaker 2: singer the deal, I'd own the record, I'd own the production, 1574 01:22:39,760 --> 01:22:43,040 Speaker 2: and the record label would pay me, and I was 1575 01:22:43,080 --> 01:22:46,120 Speaker 2: meant to pay the group. Now. The only thing that 1576 01:22:46,160 --> 01:22:48,960 Speaker 2: went wrong with this was they were kids, and in 1577 01:22:49,040 --> 01:22:53,839 Speaker 2: Massachusetts the laws were that. Literally they signed the contract 1578 01:22:53,880 --> 01:22:59,320 Speaker 2: before they were they were now in New York. Fast 1579 01:22:59,360 --> 01:23:01,760 Speaker 2: forward if you years when he did New Kids on 1580 01:23:01,800 --> 01:23:05,280 Speaker 2: the Block, he came to New York recorded at my 1581 01:23:05,479 --> 01:23:08,680 Speaker 2: studio and he was able to sign them under New 1582 01:23:08,760 --> 01:23:12,320 Speaker 2: York law, which was, yeah, you could you could have. 1583 01:23:12,439 --> 01:23:13,840 Speaker 1: Did you work on New Kids on the Block. 1584 01:23:13,920 --> 01:23:16,400 Speaker 2: No, he just worked in my studio. 1585 01:23:16,600 --> 01:23:16,920 Speaker 1: Damn it. 1586 01:23:17,000 --> 01:23:19,000 Speaker 2: Did a remix. I did the right stuff. I did 1587 01:23:19,000 --> 01:23:20,560 Speaker 2: a few remixes for him. 1588 01:23:21,040 --> 01:23:23,240 Speaker 1: But even with him, did I think New Kids on 1589 01:23:23,240 --> 01:23:24,519 Speaker 1: the Block did you think like you? 1590 01:23:25,960 --> 01:23:28,160 Speaker 2: Well, I never doubted him at that point. I didn't 1591 01:23:28,200 --> 01:23:30,559 Speaker 2: doubt him, you know, you know I mean, but I'm 1592 01:23:30,600 --> 01:23:33,880 Speaker 2: just saying, so that's why would the kids always say 1593 01:23:33,920 --> 01:23:37,439 Speaker 2: when when new editions say, oh, they gave us VHS players, 1594 01:23:37,560 --> 01:23:40,320 Speaker 2: We gave them VHS machine so they could watch their 1595 01:23:40,400 --> 01:23:42,600 Speaker 2: videos because they didn't have them. I mean, it's just 1596 01:23:42,720 --> 01:23:46,040 Speaker 2: the whole stories. And and literally we signed the deal 1597 01:23:46,080 --> 01:23:48,679 Speaker 2: with Maurice and Michael. We didn't sign it with them, 1598 01:23:49,080 --> 01:23:51,880 Speaker 2: so any of their anger and shit should have gone 1599 01:23:51,960 --> 01:23:55,479 Speaker 2: to them, got it, And you know that never gets really. 1600 01:23:55,880 --> 01:23:57,840 Speaker 1: All the time. We signed a production deal in that 1601 01:23:57,840 --> 01:24:00,920 Speaker 1: directly to the and that was the you know by 1602 01:24:00,960 --> 01:24:04,280 Speaker 1: this point, by eighty three, eighty four, Yeah, I know 1603 01:24:04,400 --> 01:24:08,120 Speaker 1: you got at least have five good, could have had him, 1604 01:24:08,520 --> 01:24:12,960 Speaker 1: could have got away. Who well, I just told you 1605 01:24:11,880 --> 01:24:17,600 Speaker 1: to give me three biz Marky, how did you come into. 1606 01:24:17,560 --> 01:24:21,320 Speaker 2: Mister Magic brought him to shakedown? Mister Magic was sort 1607 01:24:21,360 --> 01:24:23,679 Speaker 2: of repping him, he was his manager at the time, 1608 01:24:24,520 --> 01:24:28,479 Speaker 2: and h we went in the studio to do a demo. Okay, 1609 01:24:29,120 --> 01:24:31,600 Speaker 2: this is probably eighty five, you know, it was not 1610 01:24:31,680 --> 01:24:36,320 Speaker 2: eighty three. This was after Beach Street. Well, Beach Street. 1611 01:24:36,520 --> 01:24:40,000 Speaker 2: Dougie Fresh he was in Beach Street and we try 1612 01:24:40,040 --> 01:24:43,200 Speaker 2: to sign him, and then someone else, David lu Casey, 1613 01:24:43,280 --> 01:24:47,040 Speaker 2: who was like our promo guy, ended up signing. 1614 01:24:46,800 --> 01:24:49,240 Speaker 1: Him to Reality. 1615 01:24:50,120 --> 01:24:53,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, and and damn you could have I missed him. 1616 01:24:53,439 --> 01:24:55,080 Speaker 2: I missed biz Marcky. 1617 01:24:55,520 --> 01:24:57,840 Speaker 1: At the time. Did you think, like I know what 1618 01:24:57,880 --> 01:24:58,839 Speaker 1: to do with this guy. 1619 01:24:58,720 --> 01:25:02,920 Speaker 2: Or no, I was not. I was on drugs, Okay 1620 01:25:03,200 --> 01:25:04,640 Speaker 2: that I was cocaine. 1621 01:25:04,720 --> 01:25:08,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, I was not that part. 1622 01:25:07,840 --> 01:25:11,080 Speaker 2: Of the Yeah, I was not. I was not too 1623 01:25:11,120 --> 01:25:14,559 Speaker 2: clear minded. But we he came in the studio and 1624 01:25:14,760 --> 01:25:18,440 Speaker 2: Keith LeBlanc happened to be there, and Keith made beats 1625 01:25:18,479 --> 01:25:22,200 Speaker 2: to give him a click track. So he's rapping and recently, 1626 01:25:22,320 --> 01:25:24,639 Speaker 2: I mean, I feel sort of bad how this turned out, 1627 01:25:24,640 --> 01:25:27,800 Speaker 2: but now it's actually I've turned it around. I auctioned 1628 01:25:28,040 --> 01:25:30,920 Speaker 2: that tape off with what was on that tape, the 1629 01:25:30,960 --> 01:25:34,160 Speaker 2: biz Marcky tape. Okay, but here's the thing. His wife 1630 01:25:34,479 --> 01:25:37,360 Speaker 2: won the auction, so I felt really bad that I 1631 01:25:37,439 --> 01:25:39,639 Speaker 2: took her money, but you know, I had to pay 1632 01:25:39,640 --> 01:25:43,599 Speaker 2: for my documentary, so auctioning things. But now we're friends 1633 01:25:43,640 --> 01:25:45,639 Speaker 2: and I'm trying to help her get that out as 1634 01:25:45,680 --> 01:25:47,599 Speaker 2: a as a record as something. 1635 01:25:47,680 --> 01:25:49,439 Speaker 1: So it's a complete song Laurence, well. 1636 01:25:49,320 --> 01:25:53,040 Speaker 2: It's five or six different it's a lot of his 1637 01:25:53,200 --> 01:25:56,240 Speaker 2: things that became songs later on. But he does a 1638 01:25:56,360 --> 01:25:58,599 Speaker 2: rap thing about New York. I mean, it's good. There's 1639 01:25:58,640 --> 01:25:59,320 Speaker 2: some stuff on that. 1640 01:25:59,400 --> 01:25:59,960 Speaker 1: I got to hear this. 1641 01:26:00,080 --> 01:26:02,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, you got to hear that, but I missed that. 1642 01:26:02,200 --> 01:26:05,000 Speaker 2: And then obviously famously now is Mariah. 1643 01:26:05,080 --> 01:26:07,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, Okay, so at the time did you. 1644 01:26:07,960 --> 01:26:10,120 Speaker 2: I thought she was going to be the biggest star 1645 01:26:10,160 --> 01:26:10,679 Speaker 2: in the world. 1646 01:26:10,800 --> 01:26:12,880 Speaker 1: Okay, so this is what I'm saying now that we're 1647 01:26:12,920 --> 01:26:16,160 Speaker 1: in such an era, and I'm not saying that there's 1648 01:26:16,160 --> 01:26:18,720 Speaker 1: a lack of talent, you know, but it's just so 1649 01:26:18,800 --> 01:26:20,120 Speaker 1: much information fat show. 1650 01:26:20,240 --> 01:26:23,280 Speaker 2: Also, really I missed on that. I sent that to 1651 01:26:23,360 --> 01:26:26,240 Speaker 2: Monica because I didn't have a label at the time. 1652 01:26:26,360 --> 01:26:29,439 Speaker 2: It wasn't you know. He came to my apartment in 1653 01:26:29,800 --> 01:26:33,200 Speaker 2: the Upper West Side, was sitting on the floor playing cassette. 1654 01:26:33,240 --> 01:26:36,920 Speaker 2: He probably doesn't even remember, but him also and what stories. 1655 01:26:36,640 --> 01:26:41,200 Speaker 1: He'll remember for me, Like right now, with this new 1656 01:26:41,280 --> 01:26:44,479 Speaker 1: year about to come up, like twenty twenty six, I 1657 01:26:44,560 --> 01:26:48,559 Speaker 1: will say that maybe I have expectations to hear maybe 1658 01:26:49,080 --> 01:26:55,000 Speaker 1: three songs I like, which coming from a person. 1659 01:26:55,840 --> 01:26:58,439 Speaker 2: Three songs you like all year are this year. 1660 01:26:58,840 --> 01:27:03,840 Speaker 1: I don't know if the bandwidin me has slowed down, 1661 01:27:04,960 --> 01:27:07,880 Speaker 1: Like I'll hear three songs in which is like word 1662 01:27:08,320 --> 01:27:13,240 Speaker 1: or sad enough. Maybe there'll be two artists that are 1663 01:27:13,280 --> 01:27:16,840 Speaker 1: really good. The song might not hit me, but in 1664 01:27:16,880 --> 01:27:19,599 Speaker 1: my mind I'll imagine, like, yeah, they came out eighty five, 1665 01:27:20,000 --> 01:27:22,599 Speaker 1: this would have changed my life for that sort of thing. 1666 01:27:22,960 --> 01:27:25,760 Speaker 1: And I'm trying not to get to that. You know 1667 01:27:25,880 --> 01:27:30,439 Speaker 1: that that grumpy I'm my dad thing. But I mean, 1668 01:27:30,600 --> 01:27:36,000 Speaker 1: back then everyone had mind blowing talent, So like, how 1669 01:27:36,000 --> 01:27:39,680 Speaker 1: do you know that this person, Mariah Carey might just 1670 01:27:39,760 --> 01:27:41,559 Speaker 1: be a step above. 1671 01:27:42,240 --> 01:27:45,360 Speaker 2: She was writing her own songs first of all, and 1672 01:27:45,439 --> 01:27:47,679 Speaker 2: that was just unheard of back then. Well, I've gotten 1673 01:27:47,720 --> 01:27:50,040 Speaker 2: slagged off of this, but I said she when I 1674 01:27:50,080 --> 01:27:53,360 Speaker 2: heard her, she sounded like Whitney and she wrote songs 1675 01:27:53,400 --> 01:27:55,880 Speaker 2: like Madonna. That's what I thought in my mind, that. 1676 01:27:55,800 --> 01:27:57,080 Speaker 1: She has a pop gift. 1677 01:27:57,280 --> 01:27:59,960 Speaker 2: When I heard that, that's what I thought. I thought, literally, 1678 01:28:01,080 --> 01:28:04,120 Speaker 2: voice like Whitney, writing songs like Madonna. 1679 01:28:04,160 --> 01:28:06,400 Speaker 1: I totally get what you's And I was like, oh my. 1680 01:28:06,400 --> 01:28:08,320 Speaker 2: God, Tommy Matola got the tape too. 1681 01:28:08,479 --> 01:28:10,160 Speaker 1: You know, where would you have taken her? 1682 01:28:10,240 --> 01:28:12,160 Speaker 2: Well, I was trying to take her to Warners, I 1683 01:28:12,200 --> 01:28:14,400 Speaker 2: was trying to take her to MCA. I mean, I 1684 01:28:14,560 --> 01:28:17,000 Speaker 2: did attempt to it, but Tommy was so you know, 1685 01:28:17,040 --> 01:28:18,400 Speaker 2: he had a lot more power. 1686 01:28:18,280 --> 01:28:19,519 Speaker 1: You know, got it. 1687 01:28:20,160 --> 01:28:22,479 Speaker 2: But I knew, I knew it isn't like you know, 1688 01:28:22,560 --> 01:28:25,679 Speaker 2: I didn't go home to my wife at the time, 1689 01:28:25,760 --> 01:28:30,000 Speaker 2: another my second wife, and say this girl's uh, I knew. 1690 01:28:30,160 --> 01:28:32,000 Speaker 2: I mean, there's no way you If you hear this 1691 01:28:32,160 --> 01:28:35,240 Speaker 2: tape and you put yourself back in time, you'll go, 1692 01:28:35,320 --> 01:28:37,639 Speaker 2: oh shit, because they all I mean, they all sound 1693 01:28:37,720 --> 01:28:39,920 Speaker 2: like and the production was great too. You know, it 1694 01:28:40,000 --> 01:28:43,040 Speaker 2: was just really it was there, the mut it was there. 1695 01:28:43,200 --> 01:28:46,120 Speaker 1: Okay, So look, obviously this is going to go to 1696 01:28:46,240 --> 01:28:49,439 Speaker 1: Jimmy jam levels where the six could be seven hours. 1697 01:28:49,439 --> 01:28:51,599 Speaker 1: So I'm gonna have to do a part two. Okay 1698 01:28:51,680 --> 01:28:55,480 Speaker 1: for you, you're gonna have to stop at two hours. However, Yeah, inclosing, 1699 01:28:56,439 --> 01:28:58,120 Speaker 1: can you give me a marsh Leavey story. 1700 01:28:59,280 --> 01:29:04,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, more what you can't teach you. He teached me, 1701 01:29:04,720 --> 01:29:07,439 Speaker 2: don't get into partnership with the mafia. That's what he 1702 01:29:07,520 --> 01:29:12,519 Speaker 2: taught me. Here's the thing, Tommy Mottola, this is before Mariah. 1703 01:29:12,600 --> 01:29:16,240 Speaker 2: This is like when I'm working with Holland. Okay, Tommy 1704 01:29:16,520 --> 01:29:21,040 Speaker 2: is my manager also, so he's my manager during that era, 1705 01:29:21,800 --> 01:29:25,880 Speaker 2: and through him, I would meet you know, we'd go 1706 01:29:25,960 --> 01:29:28,720 Speaker 2: down to the Feast and Little Italy and we'd go 1707 01:29:28,760 --> 01:29:30,800 Speaker 2: to places. You know, I was like hanging out with 1708 01:29:30,880 --> 01:29:34,800 Speaker 2: him and the priests and the you know, some friends. Yeah, 1709 01:29:34,960 --> 01:29:39,480 Speaker 2: our friends. And when street Wise was about to go bust. 1710 01:29:39,600 --> 01:29:42,160 Speaker 2: We got because we had given so much credit out 1711 01:29:42,240 --> 01:29:45,680 Speaker 2: for the new edition album right that basically people were 1712 01:29:45,720 --> 01:29:48,519 Speaker 2: going under with our money. So like you give someone 1713 01:29:48,520 --> 01:29:51,880 Speaker 2: one hundred grands worth of credit because they're going to buy, 1714 01:29:52,360 --> 01:29:54,960 Speaker 2: you know, twenty thousand new edition albums. 1715 01:29:55,520 --> 01:29:58,400 Speaker 1: So you're saying that even having a successful record could 1716 01:29:58,439 --> 01:29:58,920 Speaker 1: also be a. 1717 01:29:58,840 --> 01:30:01,080 Speaker 2: Curse, Well, it could you out of business if you 1718 01:30:01,200 --> 01:30:04,680 Speaker 2: if you're not smart enough. Yeah, I know, you're so successful, 1719 01:30:05,360 --> 01:30:07,120 Speaker 2: and then you go out of business and you can't 1720 01:30:07,160 --> 01:30:09,639 Speaker 2: pay You can't pay the artists. The only people are 1721 01:30:09,640 --> 01:30:12,760 Speaker 2: making the money of the of the distributor who's gone 1722 01:30:12,760 --> 01:30:15,800 Speaker 2: out of business and kept all the cash. That's what 1723 01:30:15,840 --> 01:30:19,680 Speaker 2: would happen. Okay, But basically we're going under. And then 1724 01:30:19,760 --> 01:30:23,920 Speaker 2: somehow I'm connected with Morris Levy about he wants to 1725 01:30:23,960 --> 01:30:28,720 Speaker 2: buy into the label, obviously him thinking new addition, I'm 1726 01:30:28,760 --> 01:30:32,559 Speaker 2: sure I was off my face on cocaine, so you know, 1727 01:30:32,920 --> 01:30:35,960 Speaker 2: and Tommy said, no, man. The one piece of advice 1728 01:30:36,080 --> 01:30:39,160 Speaker 2: Matola gave me that I should have listened to that 1729 01:30:39,240 --> 01:30:42,720 Speaker 2: I didn't was don't go into partnership with him. Well, 1730 01:30:42,760 --> 01:30:45,639 Speaker 2: not not that it really not that anything bad happened 1731 01:30:45,680 --> 01:30:48,599 Speaker 2: other than I lost everything, you know, and. 1732 01:30:48,600 --> 01:30:54,640 Speaker 1: He a strong arm, but not no, not with me. 1733 01:30:54,840 --> 01:30:57,960 Speaker 2: No, no, he would have just rip you off. Well no, 1734 01:30:58,439 --> 01:31:03,080 Speaker 2: I mean his technique would charming guy to me. I'd 1735 01:31:03,080 --> 01:31:05,280 Speaker 2: go in and he would know, he had to know 1736 01:31:05,360 --> 01:31:08,120 Speaker 2: I was coked out, you know. And basically I'd go 1737 01:31:08,160 --> 01:31:10,800 Speaker 2: into his office and there'd be all these guys and 1738 01:31:11,320 --> 01:31:15,120 Speaker 2: with the gold and it was the Sopranos. Literally they 1739 01:31:15,120 --> 01:31:17,760 Speaker 2: were there. They were all in his office and he'd 1740 01:31:17,800 --> 01:31:20,960 Speaker 2: be telling stories. And he told me one story about 1741 01:31:21,000 --> 01:31:26,200 Speaker 2: Tommy James. Now, Tommy James was a junkie, but Tommy 1742 01:31:26,280 --> 01:31:30,240 Speaker 2: James was on Roulette and making all these great hit records. 1743 01:31:30,479 --> 01:31:34,240 Speaker 1: Tommy James, Yeah, I. 1744 01:31:34,200 --> 01:31:37,360 Speaker 2: Mean, come on, those are multimillion selling records. So he 1745 01:31:37,439 --> 01:31:39,720 Speaker 2: wanted to get them clean up because he wanted them 1746 01:31:39,720 --> 01:31:43,599 Speaker 2: to keep producing for the company, right, So he had 1747 01:31:43,840 --> 01:31:46,160 Speaker 2: him go up to the farm, his horse farm, like 1748 01:31:46,240 --> 01:31:48,800 Speaker 2: Hish had. He did have a horse farm. I went 1749 01:31:48,840 --> 01:31:51,840 Speaker 2: to the horse farm. He had them go up and 1750 01:31:52,000 --> 01:31:55,640 Speaker 2: he went cold turkey and he's like yeah, and we 1751 01:31:55,760 --> 01:31:59,080 Speaker 2: cleaned them up and then he never had another fucking hit. 1752 01:32:01,240 --> 01:32:03,040 Speaker 2: And that was the story. And I was like, oh shit, 1753 01:32:03,240 --> 01:32:07,840 Speaker 2: is this aimed at me? And then and then we 1754 01:32:07,880 --> 01:32:11,360 Speaker 2: had a blind bid for the label and he said, 1755 01:32:11,400 --> 01:32:13,920 Speaker 2: you know, I don't want to be partners anymore, and 1756 01:32:13,960 --> 01:32:17,400 Speaker 2: he outbid me. And it was I lost the whole 1757 01:32:17,439 --> 01:32:19,960 Speaker 2: thing and the new addition, you know, it was that's 1758 01:32:20,040 --> 01:32:24,599 Speaker 2: my main The worst thing in my business life was 1759 01:32:24,720 --> 01:32:25,479 Speaker 2: that situation. 1760 01:32:25,520 --> 01:32:28,599 Speaker 1: All Right, I'm gonna tell you it's not a connected story. 1761 01:32:28,680 --> 01:32:31,679 Speaker 1: But there's a friend of mine who saw the slide 1762 01:32:31,720 --> 01:32:36,360 Speaker 1: doc and you know, instantly I was, I mean, it 1763 01:32:36,400 --> 01:32:39,640 Speaker 1: wasn't like I was expecting across the board's accolades, like 1764 01:32:39,680 --> 01:32:41,599 Speaker 1: so what'd you think? What do you think? Sometimes you'll 1765 01:32:41,640 --> 01:32:44,000 Speaker 1: ask what do you think? Knowing that yeah, you're gonna 1766 01:32:44,000 --> 01:32:47,200 Speaker 1: get praised or whatever. And they kind of shot me 1767 01:32:47,280 --> 01:32:50,519 Speaker 1: with something that stuck with me. They were like, I 1768 01:32:50,520 --> 01:32:53,840 Speaker 1: don't agree with, you know, the moralizing stance about like 1769 01:32:54,000 --> 01:32:59,519 Speaker 1: that drugs destroyed SLY And I was like, no, I've 1770 01:32:59,520 --> 01:33:04,360 Speaker 1: done the recent I think they destroyed SLY. And they 1771 01:33:04,479 --> 01:33:07,760 Speaker 1: left me with a gym that I can't get out 1772 01:33:07,760 --> 01:33:12,640 Speaker 1: of my head. And they basically said, well, according to 1773 01:33:12,760 --> 01:33:18,320 Speaker 1: your movie, if we remove all psychedelics music. 1774 01:33:18,320 --> 01:33:21,320 Speaker 2: The music would suck, you know, maybe. 1775 01:33:20,960 --> 01:33:24,559 Speaker 1: And then I walked away and now I can't, honey, 1776 01:33:24,800 --> 01:33:25,720 Speaker 1: I can't hear. 1777 01:33:26,280 --> 01:33:30,360 Speaker 2: Well, those drugs, I mean, those drugs back then, the 1778 01:33:30,400 --> 01:33:36,240 Speaker 2: psychedelics come on. That definitely made you think outside the box, right, sure, exactly. 1779 01:33:36,280 --> 01:33:41,439 Speaker 2: Cocaine didn't though. Cocaine. There's nothing positive about the cocaine experience. 1780 01:33:41,600 --> 01:33:44,519 Speaker 1: It didn't give you. Listen, I'm not asking this as 1781 01:33:44,600 --> 01:33:47,439 Speaker 1: a as an advocate like no, I would. 1782 01:33:47,600 --> 01:33:50,439 Speaker 2: I would answer you honestly. What it did do is 1783 01:33:50,520 --> 01:33:52,479 Speaker 2: keep you up all night now. 1784 01:33:52,320 --> 01:33:56,439 Speaker 1: Being just where I stay up anyway. Yeah, but that's you, Okay, 1785 01:33:57,160 --> 01:33:57,760 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. 1786 01:33:57,840 --> 01:34:00,519 Speaker 2: It is possible to stand up, and I did afterwards. 1787 01:34:00,560 --> 01:34:04,000 Speaker 2: I didn't stop producing after I stopped cocaine at eighty seven, 1788 01:34:04,400 --> 01:34:07,000 Speaker 2: So it isn't like I did it through the nineties 1789 01:34:07,080 --> 01:34:11,080 Speaker 2: or whatever. I'm just saying, wow, that literally it didn't 1790 01:34:11,360 --> 01:34:14,400 Speaker 2: you know. And what it did do is make your 1791 01:34:14,439 --> 01:34:19,200 Speaker 2: records brighter because everything was dull on cocaine, so you 1792 01:34:19,240 --> 01:34:20,800 Speaker 2: had to push all the high end. 1793 01:34:21,280 --> 01:34:21,599 Speaker 1: Really. 1794 01:34:21,680 --> 01:34:24,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's why looking for the Perfect beat has not 1795 01:34:24,479 --> 01:34:27,120 Speaker 2: a lot of low end and it's really bright. Go 1796 01:34:27,200 --> 01:34:28,320 Speaker 2: back and listen to the guy. 1797 01:34:28,760 --> 01:34:31,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, no, I'm gonna take away from this. Yeah, right, 1798 01:34:31,360 --> 01:34:36,240 Speaker 1: of course, we didn't touch to we never make it right. 1799 01:34:37,840 --> 01:34:38,120 Speaker 2: Street. 1800 01:34:39,320 --> 01:34:42,559 Speaker 1: We are definitely doing a party, but I wanted to 1801 01:34:42,640 --> 01:34:45,720 Speaker 1: end it with at least of marsh Levs and I'm 1802 01:34:45,760 --> 01:34:47,840 Speaker 1: a man of my word. I always wanted to have 1803 01:34:47,920 --> 01:34:50,080 Speaker 1: you on the show because I got a trillion questions 1804 01:34:50,120 --> 01:34:53,120 Speaker 1: and thank you for everything that you've done. I promise 1805 01:34:53,840 --> 01:34:57,920 Speaker 1: a return on the Quest Left Show from the God himself, 1806 01:34:58,080 --> 01:34:59,760 Speaker 1: Arthur Baker. Thank you. We will see you on the 1807 01:34:59,800 --> 01:35:00,320 Speaker 1: very around. 1808 01:35:00,320 --> 01:35:01,599 Speaker 2: It's been great man, Thank you. 1809 01:35:01,520 --> 01:35:08,439 Speaker 1: Thank you. Quest Love Show is hosted by Me Amir 1810 01:35:08,560 --> 01:35:12,920 Speaker 1: quest Love Thompson. The executive producers are Sean g Brian 1811 01:35:13,000 --> 01:35:18,960 Speaker 1: Calhoun and Me. Produced by Britney Benjamin and Jake Payne. 1812 01:35:20,040 --> 01:35:25,160 Speaker 1: Produced for iHeart by Noel Brown, Edited by Alex Conny. 1813 01:35:26,040 --> 01:35:31,519 Speaker 1: iHeart Video support by Mark Canton, Logos graphics and animation 1814 01:35:31,640 --> 01:35:38,400 Speaker 1: by Nick Allowie. Additional support by Lance Colban. Special thanks 1815 01:35:38,439 --> 01:35:45,479 Speaker 1: to Kathy Brown. Special thanks to Sugar Steve Mandel. Please subscribe, rate, review, 1816 01:35:45,560 --> 01:35:49,200 Speaker 1: and share The Quest Love Show wherever you stream your podcast, 1817 01:35:49,680 --> 01:35:52,679 Speaker 1: make sure you follow us on socials and beats. At 1818 01:35:53,280 --> 01:35:58,439 Speaker 1: q LS, we check out hundreds and hundreds of QLs episodes, 1819 01:35:58,479 --> 01:36:01,920 Speaker 1: including The Quest Love Supper, Dream Shows, and our podcast Archives. 1820 01:36:04,560 --> 01:36:21,920 Speaker 1: Quest Show is a production of iHeart radioh