1 00:00:01,720 --> 00:00:04,440 Speaker 1: And That's what you really missed with Jenna. 2 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 2: And Kevin an iHeartRadio podcast. 3 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:12,480 Speaker 3: Welcome to and That's what We Really miss podcast. Today, 4 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 3: we have a very special guest, Dieke Sharon. He's the 5 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 3: musical director and arranger for Pitch Perfect. And not only that, 6 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:23,439 Speaker 3: he is the godfather of a cappella or the father 7 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:30,479 Speaker 3: of contemporary a cappella. What an incredible journey career, shedding 8 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 3: all the joy and light on acapella, creating the competitions, 9 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 3: and he shares it all so like this man. 10 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:43,640 Speaker 2: Truly, if you liked Glee, like show choir as it 11 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 2: is today is because. 12 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:47,159 Speaker 4: Of this man, yes yeah. 13 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 2: And if you liked the singing and Pitch Perfect, same 14 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 2: collegiate show choir is because of this a cappella singing 15 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 2: is because of Dieke Sharon. 16 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 4: We pound down. 17 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 2: We wouldn't be here without him, like I had no idea. 18 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 2: Please listen to him. Regale us with this story because 19 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 2: it is nuts. 20 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 4: This is deep. 21 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:04,360 Speaker 1: Chair. 22 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 4: Hey guys, Hello. 23 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 1: Hello, Such an honor to be here and meet you both. 24 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 4: Oh my god, Blackwise. Yeah, truly you the king. Yeah, 25 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:17,480 Speaker 4: you are the king of acapella. 26 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: I'm honored that you even know who I am, and 27 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 1: that you follow these. 28 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 2: Things you you know, I think through pitch perfect and 29 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:33,200 Speaker 2: learning about you, realizing how without you I am also 30 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 2: not sure we would be here because you are the 31 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:45,399 Speaker 2: godfather of modern acapella, like you basically invented what all 32 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 2: of us have come to know and love and then 33 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 2: also perform. So can you tell us how like you 34 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 2: got into this whole acapella world? 35 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: So when I was born, I would bounce my head 36 00:01:57,240 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: on my pillow and sing myself to sleep before I 37 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: could talk, So it was like an acapella headbanger, like 38 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: you know, pre linguistic and then saying in church choir. 39 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:09,519 Speaker 1: At age five, age seven, joined the San Francisco Boys Course, 40 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 1: and by age nine I was the youngest member ever 41 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:14,800 Speaker 1: in the concert group, doing operas with Bavaratti and touring 42 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: in the fourth grade to All Alaska. It was like 43 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 1: super fun, so like I had all that classical underpinning, 44 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 1: but it was really when I was at summer camp 45 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 1: and you know, like doing the campfire and someone's strumming 46 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 1: a guitar and singing, and then the counselor next to 47 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 1: me just starts improvising a simple harmony A third above 48 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:34,519 Speaker 1: you know, sounding carfical style, and I was like, first 49 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:37,080 Speaker 1: moment of shaft of Light, like, wait, what's that you 50 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 1: can do that? You can just make up harmony, you know, 51 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 1: I'm like nine years old. And then I did every 52 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:48,680 Speaker 1: musical and I did every performing opportunity I possibly could. 53 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:51,920 Speaker 1: And it was freshman year in high school when we 54 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:53,640 Speaker 1: did the music Man and I was lead in the 55 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:57,919 Speaker 1: barbershop quartet that I was like, okay, this is special. 56 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:02,160 Speaker 1: You know, you weren't done loop in classic role in 57 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 1: an amazing musical. And then an a cappella group came 58 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 1: to my high school, the Tough Spielzebubs, the actual model 59 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:13,800 Speaker 1: for the the Troublemakers in the Pitch Perfect movies, and 60 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 1: that was the Big Blues Brothers John Belushi Shaft of Light, 61 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 1: you know, doing down the middle of the aisle moment, 62 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:25,639 Speaker 1: and I was like, this is unbelievable. So I go 63 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: off to school. I'm actually I applied to Toughs and 64 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:32,360 Speaker 1: doing conservatory music to get into the w W program. 65 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 1: Got into both, started doing both, walked into my audition 66 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 1: and nailed it. I sight saying, almost flawlessly, whatever I 67 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: got it. I was over zealous. I was too into it. 68 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: We're talking about the late eighties. It was not cool 69 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:51,520 Speaker 1: to really like, now you fanboy fangirl like, oh you 70 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 1: love anime? Oh you love you know, hot wheels like whatever, 71 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: like that's that's totally cool. So I actually had the 72 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 1: audition three times. The second time I convinced my roommate 73 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 1: to audition, he was like none, and then he got 74 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 1: in and I didn't If all this sounds familiar from 75 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: moments in the movie, yes, I'm building up to the 76 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 1: fact that, yes, the character of Benji in the movie 77 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: is based on me. Oh anyway, the third time I 78 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: went to audition, I realized, like I just like, I 79 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: have all the talent, I think, but and I need 80 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: to do this one hundred percent. But yeah, how's this 81 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: going to work? So I walked in the room and 82 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:29,360 Speaker 1: I acted like I didn't care, and they're like, what 83 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:31,040 Speaker 1: soulo you going to sing deecon? I was like, I 84 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:34,360 Speaker 1: don't know, just pick a song, I'll sing whatever, and 85 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:37,680 Speaker 1: literally like went through the audition. It was bold, but 86 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:41,280 Speaker 1: it worked. And then next time around I became music director, 87 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 1: and then that's when the real craziness started, because pretty 88 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:49,679 Speaker 1: much everybody back then was singing from the same repertoire 89 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 1: of maybe fifties. You know, they were singing it's hard 90 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: to say about yesterday. Boys to men and they were 91 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:57,679 Speaker 1: singing for the longest time, Billy Joel and they're singing, 92 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 1: you know, Crosby Stills, a Nash. Don't worry how if 93 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 1: it was already almost all a cappella, that's what people say. 94 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 4: They weren't stretching themselves. 95 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:07,400 Speaker 1: No, And what did I want to sing? I wanted 96 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:11,839 Speaker 1: to sing Pink Floyd and led Zeppelin and you know 97 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:14,200 Speaker 1: the Who and all the great music that was pumping 98 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:17,800 Speaker 1: out of people's dorm rooms. So every every Tuesday, coming 99 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:21,480 Speaker 1: back from the newly Conservatory, I passed by Tower Records, 100 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:23,919 Speaker 1: and when when I went in there, there was a 101 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:26,919 Speaker 1: big like wall and it had the top forty and 102 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:29,719 Speaker 1: I watched it every week to see songs going up 103 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:31,880 Speaker 1: the top forty. Because I wanted to arrange a song 104 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:35,920 Speaker 1: that like would like, arrange it that night and then 105 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 1: teach it Wednesday, Thursday nights everybody in the group, and 106 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:41,200 Speaker 1: then Friday, Satday goes singing it and blowing in his 107 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:43,040 Speaker 1: mind by doing a song it's just coming up the charts. 108 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:46,560 Speaker 1: It was the song in Your Eyes from the movie 109 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:49,600 Speaker 1: Say Anything with Joey Cusack in the boombox over his head, 110 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,360 Speaker 1: and I was like this, if we could do this, 111 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 1: everyone's heart would melt. And if it's not clear already, 112 00:05:55,839 --> 00:05:59,680 Speaker 1: male collegiate a cappella group is basically, you know, a 113 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:04,760 Speaker 1: mating ritual, right, It's just mating ritual. And that's what 114 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:06,599 Speaker 1: I wanted to do, like we need to have the 115 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:10,040 Speaker 1: brightest feathers. And so I sat down to try to 116 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:12,720 Speaker 1: arrange the song in Your Eyes and I couldn't do it, 117 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:14,600 Speaker 1: Like there was no way to shoot me to wop 118 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: your way through this world music song with all this 119 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 1: percussion layers and synthesizers. So I just got out a 120 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:26,159 Speaker 1: piece of orchestral staff paper and just started to write down, like, Okay, 121 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 1: I hear a talking drum, how do you do that 122 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 1: with your voice? And then there's a shaker, so what 123 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:34,480 Speaker 1: do you do that? And then there's a high had 124 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,400 Speaker 1: what's that song? And I just started making up all 125 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:39,920 Speaker 1: these parts and then synthesizers in the background, like it's 126 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: not just ooh, it's like and all this stuff. And anyway, 127 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 1: that was the birth of vocal percussion brought it into 128 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:49,480 Speaker 1: the group. They thought it was crazy. I was like, 129 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:51,840 Speaker 1: can we just please learn it? Because it wasn't like 130 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:54,640 Speaker 1: a four part song with a couple splits and a soloist. 131 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:57,479 Speaker 1: Each person in the group had their name by a 132 00:06:57,520 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: different line. And they looked at it and they were like, 133 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:01,680 Speaker 1: bring us a lot of crazy stuff, but what is this? 134 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 2: Because I'm always trying to push the boundaries, I can't 135 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:07,000 Speaker 2: even imagine. It's like we know this now because it's 136 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:10,559 Speaker 2: become so popularized, but like you sort of just making 137 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:12,920 Speaker 2: it up, like what that looks like to receive for 138 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:15,080 Speaker 2: them being the receiving end of that for the very 139 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:18,240 Speaker 2: first time with no it looks. 140 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 1: Like people, it looks like this. It looks like like, 141 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:23,120 Speaker 1: you know, seriously looking straight down your nose, like you're 142 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: out mind, what are you doing with this? And what 143 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:28,640 Speaker 1: was so funny is we performed it and I like 144 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 1: buried it in the middle of the same you know, 145 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 1: like let's just like try it out. And when we uh, 146 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:37,080 Speaker 1: when we've done and the song was over, the audience 147 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:41,720 Speaker 1: was just dead silent for like too long, and I 148 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:44,880 Speaker 1: was like, oh no, and then it was straight out 149 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 1: of a movie. Every one of the audience leapt to 150 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:51,720 Speaker 1: their feet, screamed their heads off, and it went thing, 151 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:54,800 Speaker 1: it's funny, is there? Yeah? And then I just started 152 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:56,920 Speaker 1: like leaning into this and let's figure out how to 153 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 1: use your voice to create this wall of sound spectr like, 154 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 1: completely rethink the way in which you approach acapella so 155 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 1: you can do any song. And honestly, the alumni the 156 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 1: Beilzwebs told me you're ruining the group. You're destroying the attrition 157 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 1: of this group whatever. I was heartbroken because all I 158 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:16,200 Speaker 1: wanted to do was impress the people who didn't let 159 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 1: me in the group, you know. But I was just 160 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:23,320 Speaker 1: like I beg to differ. And then when it was 161 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:25,440 Speaker 1: time for me to graduate, I was like, I think 162 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 1: this is like could be the most wonderful thing and 163 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 1: everyone will sing and so many more people be engaged 164 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:31,080 Speaker 1: with music and everything like this is just me. And 165 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:34,599 Speaker 1: people are like, Okay, but what are you going to 166 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 1: do for money? And I was like, but it could 167 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:37,839 Speaker 1: be really big and you'll see or whatever. Even my 168 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:39,880 Speaker 1: high school choral director said, it's like Deeke's trying to 169 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 1: make a career at a professional pictionary, Like this is 170 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:44,959 Speaker 1: one of the little Dallians that people do. But there's 171 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:48,320 Speaker 1: no way this could ever be a thing. So you know, 172 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:49,880 Speaker 1: twenty years later, overnight success. 173 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:55,079 Speaker 4: Yeah, exactly exactly, but you kept going. 174 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:58,160 Speaker 1: Well, I the thing is, I looked at my life 175 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 1: before before you know, Pitch Perfect and Broadway Musical and 176 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 1: Transit the first and only all ropela musical, and then 177 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:07,600 Speaker 1: television shows I used to sing off where we launched 178 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:09,560 Speaker 1: Panetomics and all this before any of that happened. I 179 00:09:09,559 --> 00:09:11,280 Speaker 1: just looked at my life and I created the first 180 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 1: a cappella group with designated percussions called the House Jacks, 181 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 1: and and we're touring around all over and I'm like 182 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:20,240 Speaker 1: working in schools, and I started a publishing company, and 183 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:24,120 Speaker 1: I created the competition that is in the movies, the ICCA. 184 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:26,000 Speaker 1: In fact, I wanted it to be. I wanted a 185 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:29,559 Speaker 1: march madness of an a cappella. So instead of the 186 00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:33,240 Speaker 1: NC DOUABLEA, I created the N double CA the College 187 00:09:33,280 --> 00:09:36,160 Speaker 1: a Cappella. Now it's international, so it's ika like the 188 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:39,960 Speaker 1: worst acronym ever, but you know, whatever you get what 189 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:42,040 Speaker 1: you get. And I just looked at my life and 190 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:44,280 Speaker 1: I was like, I'm so happy I'm doing this thing 191 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:46,840 Speaker 1: I love. And there are people who find joy in it, 192 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:47,400 Speaker 1: and then. 193 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:50,760 Speaker 2: Everything just blew up and went, yeah, I think that's 194 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:53,040 Speaker 2: so especially that you've created also, like you just said, 195 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:56,120 Speaker 2: all these places where people to have an outlet to 196 00:09:56,360 --> 00:09:59,480 Speaker 2: do this and to compete and to be with other 197 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:02,840 Speaker 2: people who are also interested in the same thing, especially 198 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:05,160 Speaker 2: when it sounds like you were facing so much opposition 199 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:08,160 Speaker 2: even internally, like when you were first starting out to 200 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 2: do it. 201 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:13,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, like what is this like this spitting and rhythm thing, 202 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:15,320 Speaker 1: like what do you want us to do? Doom cop 203 00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:17,480 Speaker 1: doom cop? No no, no, not quite that. Let's go 204 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:20,840 Speaker 1: more to you know, like and and just having to 205 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:24,520 Speaker 1: figure it out as you go. But the audience were 206 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:28,400 Speaker 1: the test and backstage, I mean, already the group had 207 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:30,240 Speaker 1: a great tradition already the group was trying to do 208 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:32,600 Speaker 1: modern songs on the radio and things like that, but 209 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:36,240 Speaker 1: there really were boundaries, and we just we stood backstage 210 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:38,400 Speaker 1: proment on stage, We're like, they don't even know, let's 211 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:41,320 Speaker 1: show them something new. Let's let's you know, blow people's minds. 212 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:44,800 Speaker 1: And it was actually really lovely. This past weekend, I 213 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:47,680 Speaker 1: was in in the Baltimore area working at a school 214 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:49,360 Speaker 1: and doing a school festival, which I love doing when 215 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:52,079 Speaker 1: I have time, and not one, but two different people 216 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:55,280 Speaker 1: came up to me and said, like I sang in 217 00:10:55,360 --> 00:10:57,600 Speaker 1: another group, like what it was at Cornell? And when 218 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:00,520 Speaker 1: was it Penn When when you were and they be 219 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:04,439 Speaker 1: also bubs and I just knew you were going to 220 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:06,760 Speaker 1: go on to great things. I was like, Wow, how 221 00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:11,000 Speaker 1: did you know that? Looking after it, yeah, totally exactly 222 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:14,280 Speaker 1: like tell everyone in the world. Yeah, but it was 223 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:17,480 Speaker 1: really it really is just a passion. That's where it 224 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:19,400 Speaker 1: came from, one hundred percent. And if it never got big, 225 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:21,040 Speaker 1: that didn't matter. I just needed to do it. 226 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:23,120 Speaker 2: I mean, you also just clearly have a gift, Like 227 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:26,280 Speaker 2: it is so hard to be able to arrange these 228 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:28,400 Speaker 2: things and to come up with those parts. I think 229 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:32,079 Speaker 2: people who can arrange music in general are just freaks 230 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:33,280 Speaker 2: in the best way possible. 231 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:37,600 Speaker 4: And I'm just an awe that you know you could 232 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:38,560 Speaker 4: figure that out. 233 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:40,800 Speaker 2: And then also I mean, yeah, we were talking about 234 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:42,760 Speaker 2: it in Pitch Perfect, which we'll get to, which is 235 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:45,960 Speaker 2: like sure, the arranging of it all and seeing how 236 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 2: it's trickled down into like people doing it today and 237 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:52,000 Speaker 2: show choirs and things, and how much like that type 238 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:56,920 Speaker 2: of arrangement has inspired kids has to also feel insane 239 00:11:56,960 --> 00:11:58,439 Speaker 2: for you to now, look, I. 240 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:01,920 Speaker 1: Feel tremendous, and I'm going to say something that's going 241 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:04,840 Speaker 1: to sound really strange to people who are listening. I 242 00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:07,440 Speaker 1: could have had a cappella incorporated. I could have created 243 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:10,800 Speaker 1: one company and owned all the publishing company, the competitions, 244 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:15,840 Speaker 1: the sheet music, the festivals, everything. But I knew that 245 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:18,680 Speaker 1: if I did that, it wouldn't grow as quickly. So 246 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:21,079 Speaker 1: I created a whole bunch of things and gave them 247 00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 1: away and literally said, here's a great idea, why don't 248 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:26,400 Speaker 1: you go do this. Here's another thing. Let's started a 249 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:29,319 Speaker 1: nonprofit and I started, you know. And so I wanted 250 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:33,400 Speaker 1: a huge decentralized community, which we have so that if 251 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:37,840 Speaker 1: I disappear, it'll keep going. And I wanted there to 252 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 1: be the ability for anyone to do any kind of music. 253 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:44,000 Speaker 1: What's happening now is high school and college groups that 254 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:46,360 Speaker 1: like you know. For about fifteen years, I had a 255 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:48,400 Speaker 1: virtual monopoly on this style of arranging, and I had 256 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:49,760 Speaker 1: a staff of people who worked for me in all this. 257 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:52,800 Speaker 1: And then I wrote a book with a great guy 258 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:55,880 Speaker 1: up in Canada, Dylan Bell, called a Cappella Arranging. I 259 00:12:55,920 --> 00:12:57,960 Speaker 1: was like, you know the whole, like give him man 260 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:00,079 Speaker 1: of fish, teaching men to fish. I wanted every we 261 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:02,880 Speaker 1: want to be able to do their own arrangements so 262 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,520 Speaker 1: that then the latest song, like you know, pop deeven 263 00:13:06,559 --> 00:13:09,000 Speaker 1: Hunters comes out, we wanted to go and then they're 264 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:11,720 Speaker 1: doing it this weekend, and every other song from the 265 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:13,720 Speaker 1: entire show is being done by other groups and then 266 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:17,360 Speaker 1: anything and everything. So I go to these festivals and 267 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:19,960 Speaker 1: no one's singing the same song and all of it 268 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:23,840 Speaker 1: is fresh and new. And because I also wanted if 269 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:25,800 Speaker 1: you look at barbershop music, it had like its day 270 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:28,440 Speaker 1: in the sun and then kind of calcified. And the 271 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 1: same thing with do op, like there was a period 272 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:32,400 Speaker 1: of time maybe a decade and whatever. We've been act 273 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:34,680 Speaker 1: this now since the early nineties, so we're looking at 274 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 1: several decades of it continued to grow and roll forward. 275 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:40,800 Speaker 1: And that was my dream. So it won't end, so 276 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:43,560 Speaker 1: it won't be this little blip stylistically, but it'll be 277 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:49,760 Speaker 1: a constant gift and energizer to inspire the freshman class 278 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:51,599 Speaker 1: walking in the door, Hey, I want to sing. I 279 00:13:51,679 --> 00:13:52,360 Speaker 1: love that song. 280 00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:53,160 Speaker 4: Incredible. 281 00:14:01,559 --> 00:14:06,240 Speaker 3: We just recapped pitch perfect and it is so good. 282 00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:12,120 Speaker 3: But I'm curious, like, how did that fall into your lap? 283 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:15,679 Speaker 3: Obviously some you know, Benji was created after you were 284 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:18,000 Speaker 3: inspired by you, So like, at what point in the 285 00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:21,680 Speaker 3: procedue you come in and how did you get scooped 286 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:22,760 Speaker 3: up and involved in all? 287 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:27,160 Speaker 1: So it all started with a writer named Mickey Rapkin. 288 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:29,560 Speaker 1: He wrote for GQ, and he wanted to write a book. 289 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:31,840 Speaker 1: So he decided to do it about the college a 290 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:34,560 Speaker 1: capella world because he sang in a group at Cornell 291 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 1: and he was like, you know this like little subculture. 292 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 1: Like these kind of books are like doing well nonfiction, 293 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:42,240 Speaker 1: kind of funny, behind the scenes, quirky show these you know, 294 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:45,400 Speaker 1: show this community. And so he reached out to me 295 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:47,000 Speaker 1: and I was like, I'm an open book. Let's go. 296 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:48,520 Speaker 1: And so we came and we spent a day together 297 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:50,440 Speaker 1: and I told him everything, all about my story and 298 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:52,840 Speaker 1: all the nerdy stuff that became Benji and all the 299 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:55,640 Speaker 1: like building the community and and frankly, I think there's 300 00:14:55,680 --> 00:14:57,400 Speaker 1: some of me and Becca as well. But the idea 301 00:14:57,480 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 1: that like you know, a person can go and change 302 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:04,400 Speaker 1: the style and sound and make it modit. So so 303 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:08,520 Speaker 1: he wrote this book and the funny thing is he 304 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:11,360 Speaker 1: was following a group from the University of Oregon DVC 305 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:15,560 Speaker 1: who changed women's acapella. They took it from being like, well, 306 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:17,320 Speaker 1: we still need to be nice girls on stage to 307 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:22,080 Speaker 1: wearing black slacks and black shirts with thin red ties 308 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:24,800 Speaker 1: and they sang like yeah by usher and they were 309 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:26,760 Speaker 1: just like anything the guys could do, we're going to 310 00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:28,440 Speaker 1: do it better. You know where he'd be like Juji 311 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:31,680 Speaker 1: Rogers backwards in the heels and they crushed. They went 312 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:33,400 Speaker 1: all the way to the finals. Everybody was like, they're 313 00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 1: totally going to sweep this whole thing. But it was 314 00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:38,400 Speaker 1: actually one judge who turned out to be a female 315 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:41,760 Speaker 1: judge who taught at Juilliard who just hated them, so 316 00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:44,240 Speaker 1: she put him in like fifth place, and so then 317 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:47,560 Speaker 1: they came in second and they didn't win. And Mickey 318 00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:49,800 Speaker 1: was so upset because he was like the entire story 319 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:51,920 Speaker 1: arc for his book and following this group and all 320 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 1: this because he followed three groups, and one of them 321 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 1: was the Tough Spiels of Boobs as well my whole group, 322 00:15:56,320 --> 00:15:58,880 Speaker 1: and then one was the helm who's who made a 323 00:15:58,880 --> 00:16:03,520 Speaker 1: little cameo in the first movie, and so he just 324 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:05,640 Speaker 1: felt like, oh, well, my book doesn't really have that 325 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:08,400 Speaker 1: great payoff at the ending, but they still released it 326 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:10,720 Speaker 1: and then it really didn't go anywhere. And then I 327 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:12,640 Speaker 1: read an article in Verie that said that an actress 328 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:14,640 Speaker 1: had optioned the book and I thought, like, well, that's 329 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 1: never going to get made. Everything gets option nothing. And 330 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:20,240 Speaker 1: I was actually in the middle of working on the 331 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:24,640 Speaker 1: sing Off, which actually came to Sony because Sam Weisman 332 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:29,640 Speaker 1: and his producing partner Numeier had a script about it 333 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:31,720 Speaker 1: a male collegiate acapella group and they really wanted to 334 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:33,600 Speaker 1: make this movie and Sony was like, no, but what 335 00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:38,360 Speaker 1: about a reality show? Kind of like like yeah, So 336 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:40,480 Speaker 1: they made the sing Off and then I got ripped 337 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:42,240 Speaker 1: into being a part of that the first year just 338 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:44,240 Speaker 1: to be like assistant arranger. And by the end of 339 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:46,080 Speaker 1: the first season they made a producer because they were like, 340 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:50,080 Speaker 1: actually know what you're talking about? Well everything, Yeah they 341 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:54,360 Speaker 1: didn't know. Yeah, Yeah. Anyway, I'm working on the show 342 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:56,360 Speaker 1: and I get this phone call that's like high deek, 343 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:59,360 Speaker 1: my name's Elizabeth Banks. I'm an actress. I don't know 344 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:01,040 Speaker 1: if you know who I am, but we're going to 345 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:04,199 Speaker 1: make this acapella movie and do you want to be 346 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:06,400 Speaker 1: a part of it. Everybody says like, you're the guy, 347 00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:09,199 Speaker 1: and I said, like, hi, Elizabeth Banks, Yes, I know 348 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:11,760 Speaker 1: who you are. Yes, let's make an acapella movie. I 349 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:13,960 Speaker 1: mean it was really that silly. Yeah, But the like 350 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:15,399 Speaker 1: bittersweet part of it is I had to go to 351 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:19,000 Speaker 1: the producing the executive producers of the thing off and 352 00:17:19,080 --> 00:17:20,919 Speaker 1: just let them know, like just let you know, like 353 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:25,320 Speaker 1: this movie's been greenlit, and how many college acapella movies 354 00:17:25,320 --> 00:17:27,040 Speaker 1: are really going to be made, you know at that point. 355 00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:30,120 Speaker 1: So that definitely was a little bit of a bittersweet moment. 356 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:33,280 Speaker 1: But there was the ground floor sitting around the table 357 00:17:33,320 --> 00:17:34,600 Speaker 1: with a couple of people picking songs. 358 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:36,800 Speaker 4: I mean, it was how special. 359 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:38,760 Speaker 2: I mean that was one of the things too of 360 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:42,080 Speaker 2: having been on a show that tried to do that. 361 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:44,639 Speaker 4: We did a lot of mashups. Some worked, some didn't 362 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:46,320 Speaker 4: you know. 363 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:48,960 Speaker 1: That's a given, no, no, no, nobody's perfect. You seen Pitch 364 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:51,359 Speaker 1: Perfect three, Don't you know what. 365 00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:56,159 Speaker 2: Went into you know, the decision making of picking some 366 00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:59,280 Speaker 2: of those songs because every and obviously it's a movie, 367 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:01,479 Speaker 2: so like the TV show, we're doing twenty two episodes 368 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:04,280 Speaker 2: a season. You're trying to field time and throw everything 369 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:06,280 Speaker 2: at the wall A movie. I imagine you have the 370 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:09,159 Speaker 2: time to be more intentional about what you're doing and 371 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:10,360 Speaker 2: planned for it, and. 372 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:13,000 Speaker 1: We did, but we didn't have the money, Kevin. We 373 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:16,960 Speaker 1: did not have this money. 374 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:16,520 Speaker 4: That had huge songs. 375 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:18,280 Speaker 3: And I was like, this is a very small budget 376 00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:18,679 Speaker 3: for a. 377 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:21,880 Speaker 1: Very very small budget to give you a couple couple 378 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:25,560 Speaker 1: of scenes behind, you know, behind the scenes. We really 379 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:28,280 Speaker 1: wanted to use in your Eyes because that's part of 380 00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:30,760 Speaker 1: my story, and Kate Cannon put it in the script 381 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:33,760 Speaker 1: and it's like she created this whole like like liking 382 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:35,639 Speaker 1: movies scene and it would have been, you know, all 383 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:40,000 Speaker 1: this great stuff between backan Jesse. But Peter Gabriel wanted 384 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:41,879 Speaker 1: one hundred thousand dollars to use a song and that 385 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:44,720 Speaker 1: was like two thirds of the entire music budget. That 386 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:46,720 Speaker 1: was a no fly zone. So it's like, well, what 387 00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:50,520 Speaker 1: other classic movie song could be used? And that's where 388 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 1: Don't You Forget About Me came from. And another example 389 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:56,000 Speaker 1: is we start the song, we start the whole movie 390 00:18:56,080 --> 00:18:58,240 Speaker 1: Please Don't Stop the music, which is a perfect song 391 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:02,840 Speaker 1: to start with. We couldn't afford to pay for the 392 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:05,760 Speaker 1: Michael Jackson part of the song. Yes, so when you 393 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:07,520 Speaker 1: hear the song at the beginning of the movie. You 394 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:10,560 Speaker 1: never hear any of the mama saying mamasamama. Yeah, that's 395 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:14,200 Speaker 1: so central to that tune because we just were too poor. 396 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:17,359 Speaker 2: And a lot of songs okay answers A big question 397 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:22,600 Speaker 2: I had because I didn't know rights wise, can it 398 00:19:22,600 --> 00:19:26,199 Speaker 2: could be separate like that, because I would assume that 399 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:29,960 Speaker 2: for publishing, the Rihanna song is just tied with the 400 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:31,720 Speaker 2: Michael song because that is the song. 401 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:35,080 Speaker 1: You would think that. I don't know how they disentangled them. 402 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:36,760 Speaker 1: Maybe they were like, can you do us a special 403 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 1: solid and Yeahore like yes and yeah. It was all weird, 404 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:42,840 Speaker 1: and a lot of it then was just you know, 405 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,520 Speaker 1: we need a song for the Bellas to sing that's 406 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:47,600 Speaker 1: like a ballad and it's heartfelt and they think they're 407 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 1: being so emotional, but it's actually still kind of cringey. 408 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:52,000 Speaker 1: And I was like, oh, I totally know. I saw 409 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:54,640 Speaker 1: the New Hampshire Notables sing that in nineteen ninety. It's 410 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:57,720 Speaker 1: eternal playing by the Bengals and everybody's like, yes it is, 411 00:19:59,359 --> 00:20:02,040 Speaker 1: and that song cheap, so check right there. Yeah, And 412 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:03,639 Speaker 1: a lot of this stuff in the riffoff was just 413 00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:06,280 Speaker 1: like what songs can we get and how can you 414 00:20:06,359 --> 00:20:10,760 Speaker 1: build how can you build these these mashups around around 415 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:13,560 Speaker 1: these inexpensive songs. So it really was. And also I 416 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:15,800 Speaker 1: will say Jason Moore definitely had his ear to the 417 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:19,880 Speaker 1: club scene because you know, something like Bulletproof being in there, 418 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:23,040 Speaker 1: and a couple of songs were not anywhere on the 419 00:20:23,119 --> 00:20:25,639 Speaker 1: charts yet and ended up because you know, when you 420 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:27,920 Speaker 1: when you wrap a movie, it doesn't end up coming 421 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:30,800 Speaker 1: out for almost a year, right, So he just was 422 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 1: way on the early end of some of those. So 423 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:34,040 Speaker 1: there's some great serendipity as. 424 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:40,200 Speaker 2: Well that that riffoff scene is so satisfying because how 425 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:45,119 Speaker 2: you built all those songs together and how every single 426 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:48,760 Speaker 2: group coming in has a distinct voice through their style 427 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:50,760 Speaker 2: of singing and style of music that they're singing. 428 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:53,959 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I appreciate that. And a shout out to 429 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:56,200 Speaker 1: Tom kitt I was not the only arranger on the movie. 430 00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:58,760 Speaker 1: And actually we also need to talk about Ed Boyer, 431 00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:01,199 Speaker 1: or my partner in crime the scenes on Pitch Perfect, 432 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:04,760 Speaker 1: who was very much the man creating the music for 433 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:08,280 Speaker 1: the Adulton Warblers and all these great scenes that happened 434 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:11,520 Speaker 1: in season two. When I think all the producers of 435 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:13,399 Speaker 1: Glee were like, Hey, that a cappella thing is pretty good. 436 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:15,879 Speaker 1: We should get one of those. That was awesome. But 437 00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:20,439 Speaker 1: Tom kitt has a Pulitzer Prize for writing next to Normal, 438 00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:23,199 Speaker 1: and I know he's a friend of Jason Mooores, and 439 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:26,040 Speaker 1: so he was he was the one to do first 440 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:28,280 Speaker 1: crack and put the pieces together, like how do you 441 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 1: get this word to end? And I remember talking to 442 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:34,720 Speaker 1: Jason and saying, like, Jason, there's nothing about this that's possible, 443 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:37,080 Speaker 1: Like you couldn't even just speak lyrics to a song, 444 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:38,399 Speaker 1: and I'm gonna cut you off and I'm going to 445 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:40,399 Speaker 1: start a different lyric on the same theme on the 446 00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:42,720 Speaker 1: same war, Like you couldn't even talk it and make 447 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:44,920 Speaker 1: it work. But he's like, it's hollywoodn't worry about it. 448 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:46,880 Speaker 1: So it worked out great. But in the second movie, 449 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:49,560 Speaker 1: it's actually much more doable by meeting the beat, by 450 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:54,280 Speaker 1: keeping a constant anyway, you know, all of those things together. 451 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:57,440 Speaker 1: But then the real challenge was how do you get 452 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:01,440 Speaker 1: into a song in you know, three four five seconds 453 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:03,680 Speaker 1: and make it seem as though it's being improvised, because 454 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:05,600 Speaker 1: that's the key. So you have just like a little 455 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:07,320 Speaker 1: bit of a solent, then the base quickly comes in, 456 00:22:07,359 --> 00:22:09,320 Speaker 1: then a line of harmony, and then another one, and 457 00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:12,520 Speaker 1: so all of that. It was really it's a very 458 00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:15,639 Speaker 1: delicate balance to get enough of the song together so 459 00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:19,359 Speaker 1: that it feels full, but not like, okay, that's just 460 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:21,760 Speaker 1: you know, I mean, a bunch of people in a 461 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:23,720 Speaker 1: high school room and all of a sudden they burst 462 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:27,080 Speaker 1: into perfect harmony, and like, where did the trumpet come from? Like? Right, 463 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:30,920 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, the movie Magic, Glee, Magic, right, exactly, 464 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:34,320 Speaker 1: totally Glee, I'm teasing you guys. Yeah, but the key 465 00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:37,439 Speaker 1: with those scenes and Pitch Perfect is yeah, they needed 466 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:41,800 Speaker 1: to feel natural, and the whole element of the movie 467 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:44,160 Speaker 1: is that is the is the fact that these people 468 00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:45,080 Speaker 1: are making all the sounds. 469 00:22:45,359 --> 00:22:48,000 Speaker 2: Yes, And I think that was wildly successful, you guys are, 470 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:54,040 Speaker 2: because obviously that's something that we didn't always get on Glee. 471 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:57,480 Speaker 2: So it was really nice and satisfying to see that 472 00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:01,320 Speaker 2: in Pitch Perfect, where I appreciate it all felt so organic, 473 00:23:01,359 --> 00:23:04,080 Speaker 2: and I feel like musicals in general, musical movies in general, 474 00:23:04,119 --> 00:23:05,920 Speaker 2: have a really hard time getting in and out of 475 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:10,960 Speaker 2: songs organically, and obviously the nature of what Pitch Perfect 476 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:15,240 Speaker 2: is about there's more allowance for that, but I just thought, yeah, 477 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:17,400 Speaker 2: it worked so well and actually it felt real. 478 00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:19,960 Speaker 1: But it's still like, you know, you start Mickey with 479 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:22,199 Speaker 1: the stomping and the clapping and you had to, you know. 480 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:24,120 Speaker 1: And even when we did Bumper in Berlin and there's 481 00:23:24,119 --> 00:23:26,520 Speaker 1: a scene where you have Adam, Adam Devine and flew 482 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:29,439 Speaker 1: Lah in an empty dumpster and they need to do 483 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:31,680 Speaker 1: Sweet Child of Mine, and you're like, okay, it's only 484 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:34,199 Speaker 1: two guys want to do the guitar, and then the 485 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:35,879 Speaker 1: other one's going to be banging on the walls of 486 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:39,120 Speaker 1: the dumpster. So you use whatever you can to try 487 00:23:39,119 --> 00:23:44,360 Speaker 1: to create the moment. And most of all, the thing 488 00:23:44,359 --> 00:23:47,000 Speaker 1: that I thought was I was really worried about. Honestly, 489 00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:48,399 Speaker 1: I thought the movie is going direct to DVD and 490 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:50,280 Speaker 1: nobody would see it because it was so small a budget. 491 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:53,000 Speaker 1: And I mean I have stories about that too, but 492 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:57,720 Speaker 1: just capturing the joy and the spirit and the magic 493 00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:00,439 Speaker 1: of what a cappella is because food, when you do 494 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:04,040 Speaker 1: it in a room with people, it's it's magic. I mean, 495 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:06,000 Speaker 1: think about the holidays when you hear carols and people 496 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:07,760 Speaker 1: are singing and all of a sudden, your heart is 497 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:10,320 Speaker 1: just full, right, But then you see a if your 498 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:13,200 Speaker 1: caroller's in a little screen on YouTube or acapella whatever, 499 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:16,320 Speaker 1: and it just feels so small and distant and doesn't capture. 500 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:19,119 Speaker 1: So how do you create that moment? How do you 501 00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:21,800 Speaker 1: create that warm fuzzies? But it's going to be a 502 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:24,760 Speaker 1: screen that was I thought that was the biggest challenge. 503 00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:29,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean did you feel like, you know, because 504 00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:32,960 Speaker 2: of your career up to that point, you had sort 505 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:35,439 Speaker 2: of seen it all, you had done so much, and 506 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:39,240 Speaker 2: all of a sudden, you're doing a movie with a 507 00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:44,199 Speaker 2: studio about collegiate a cappella groups, Like were there just 508 00:24:44,359 --> 00:24:45,280 Speaker 2: every day on set. 509 00:24:45,119 --> 00:24:48,200 Speaker 4: We're having like what is happening? How is this real? 510 00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:53,240 Speaker 1: No? I wish Kevin it was the second Making the 511 00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:55,879 Speaker 1: second movie was a dream come true. Elizabeth Banks is 512 00:24:55,920 --> 00:25:00,399 Speaker 1: a phenomenal director. She's so like, she's just clear, this 513 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:02,199 Speaker 1: is what I want. I like this, I don't like that. 514 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:05,679 Speaker 1: Really wonderful human being. Absolutely love working for her and 515 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:11,520 Speaker 1: with her. The first movie was very much let's just 516 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:13,680 Speaker 1: gravel roll a duct tape and try to make. 517 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:14,280 Speaker 4: All this stuff happen. 518 00:25:14,359 --> 00:25:16,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, and not to tell too many scenes behind, but 519 00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:19,159 Speaker 1: just to give you an idea of how low budget 520 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 1: this movie was. The first day, Adam Devine comes up 521 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:24,000 Speaker 1: to me, the guy who plays Bumper, Yeah, and he 522 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,000 Speaker 1: comes like, Deeke, I'm so excited to be like working 523 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 1: on this movie. But I've never done a cappella and 524 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:30,119 Speaker 1: my voice is totally trash because we just shot the 525 00:25:30,160 --> 00:25:32,760 Speaker 1: finale of Workaholics outside. So could you get me like 526 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:34,879 Speaker 1: a voice coach to work with? And I'm like, Adam, 527 00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:37,520 Speaker 1: i am on it. Called all around the entire state 528 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:39,800 Speaker 1: of Louisiana. Found the best voice coaches right there in 529 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:43,240 Speaker 1: Baton Rouge at LSU. Laiah Chase talked to her on 530 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:45,280 Speaker 1: the phone. She's like, I'll do it for thirty five 531 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:47,360 Speaker 1: dollars an hour. I'm like, thirty five bucks an hour. 532 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:48,120 Speaker 3: That's amazing. 533 00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:50,920 Speaker 1: Ran up to Jason Moore and he was like, you 534 00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 1: to talk to the producers. Oh wow, said twice a 535 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:56,679 Speaker 1: week for thirty five dollars an hour. When in the 536 00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:59,800 Speaker 1: producer's office they shut the door. I got a twenty 537 00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:02,080 Speaker 1: five minute lecture on how we have to save money 538 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:03,800 Speaker 1: on the movie and the ability to send him once 539 00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:06,639 Speaker 1: I literally walked out of that room. And this is 540 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:09,320 Speaker 1: the very beginning of aka boot Camp, like the month 541 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:11,040 Speaker 1: before I walked to that room and I was like, 542 00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:16,640 Speaker 1: this movie is good as suck and No Go because. 543 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:19,320 Speaker 4: Aka boot Camp. 544 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:21,480 Speaker 1: Acapella boot Camp. I mean it was really it was 545 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:23,920 Speaker 1: a month of you know, kind of think of like 546 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:27,200 Speaker 1: the way they created a sense of camarade, rain and 547 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:29,199 Speaker 1: stuff before they shot the big chill, like let's get 548 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:31,560 Speaker 1: everybody to gather and makes up and happened. We basically 549 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:36,720 Speaker 1: had an entire month of music core running scenes, so 550 00:26:36,760 --> 00:26:38,760 Speaker 1: they got a sense of like so and they built 551 00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:40,960 Speaker 1: that feeling of like we're the trouble Makers where the 552 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:44,840 Speaker 1: bellas and all of that, but in another huge castle 553 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:48,040 Speaker 1: and hurdle or whatever is I got all the bells 554 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:49,840 Speaker 1: in a circle on the first day and put him 555 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:51,640 Speaker 1: in a ring and I and one of them came 556 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:53,919 Speaker 1: from the acapella world. She'd been in two seasons of 557 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:56,159 Speaker 1: The sing Off and Kill Jacole. She's one of the 558 00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:58,040 Speaker 1: two is like, we've literally been here the entire time, 559 00:26:58,119 --> 00:27:02,600 Speaker 1: right the other the other nine Like I said like, hey, so, 560 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:05,720 Speaker 1: how many of you have sung a cappella? No hands 561 00:27:05,720 --> 00:27:09,080 Speaker 1: went up, Like I'm like okay, that's okay, I can 562 00:27:09,119 --> 00:27:11,000 Speaker 1: work with anybody whatever, Like I'm gonna throw them a 563 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,119 Speaker 1: softball question, how many of you sang in choir in school? 564 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:17,720 Speaker 1: No hands went up, And that's when the blood drained 565 00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:19,520 Speaker 1: from my face. And then want to put her hand up, 566 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:21,520 Speaker 1: and she said, does a semester in middle school count? 567 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:26,159 Speaker 1: And just imagine having to not just teach people how 568 00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:29,320 Speaker 1: to be the best female acapel group, you know, using 569 00:27:29,320 --> 00:27:32,760 Speaker 1: all these complicated arrangements and fails whatever, just teaching them 570 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:37,240 Speaker 1: how to blend and sing these hard parts like it was. 571 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:41,359 Speaker 1: I'm not exaggerating. Almost all of the Bella's at some 572 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:43,920 Speaker 1: point in that first month because we were I was 573 00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:46,280 Speaker 1: teaching music and they had like doing group lessons and 574 00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:48,960 Speaker 1: individual lessons, and then we built a studio right there 575 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:52,280 Speaker 1: and recorded them on site because they like they had 576 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:53,960 Speaker 1: to lip sing to their own voices and it was 577 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:57,120 Speaker 1: all like a process. Almost all of them cried at 578 00:27:57,119 --> 00:28:01,000 Speaker 1: some point. I was a nice guy, the well like, no, 579 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:02,080 Speaker 1: you can do this. 580 00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:06,160 Speaker 4: But pressure is just so it's murderous. 581 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:10,680 Speaker 1: And then so it was so hard for them. And 582 00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:14,560 Speaker 1: the trouble makers were fundamentally much better than the bella 583 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:18,720 Speaker 1: Is because the the treum makers were mostly like guys 584 00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:21,960 Speaker 1: from local college groups and then two leads from Broadway, 585 00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:25,719 Speaker 1: so do the mask. They just just I knew how 586 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:27,600 Speaker 1: to work with that. That was that was much easier. 587 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:33,040 Speaker 3: What is a studio recording of an a capella group 588 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:37,720 Speaker 3: look like? Is it? Each instrument goes in or each 589 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:39,880 Speaker 3: person goes in and records the instrument, and then you 590 00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:40,640 Speaker 3: put them together? 591 00:28:41,320 --> 00:28:43,000 Speaker 4: How do you sing? And how do you. 592 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:46,000 Speaker 3: Sink those up? Like that is a crazy way to 593 00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:46,960 Speaker 3: record a song. 594 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:51,280 Speaker 1: It's crazy as you can set yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, 595 00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:55,640 Speaker 1: So you can have a MIDI track, you can. In 596 00:28:56,080 --> 00:29:00,000 Speaker 1: our case, we got demo recordings done and then they 597 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:03,080 Speaker 1: saying along to the demo in a lot of cases, 598 00:29:03,480 --> 00:29:06,080 Speaker 1: which also especially in the second movie, like how to 599 00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:10,520 Speaker 1: like teach them to sing their parts? But the first movie, 600 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:12,640 Speaker 1: I didn't know how each of them learn and each 601 00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:15,280 Speaker 1: of them is very different. Two of the bardon Bella's 602 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:17,480 Speaker 1: I will not mention their names have their own music 603 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:22,680 Speaker 1: notation system of like different colored arrows and lines, like 604 00:29:23,280 --> 00:29:26,520 Speaker 1: it's already been invented about so like he nailed it 605 00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:28,440 Speaker 1: with the five lines. It's not perfect, but this is 606 00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:32,040 Speaker 1: what we use anyway. So they just say, everyone, this 607 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:34,200 Speaker 1: person learns by ear, and this person learns by by 608 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:36,920 Speaker 1: Colin response mimicking and this person wants to sheet music. 609 00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:41,959 Speaker 1: And it really was just like I barely slept. I 610 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:47,240 Speaker 1: really did. And then just before you know, filming or whatever, 611 00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:51,000 Speaker 1: it's like the clouds parted and it was like, Okay, 612 00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:55,560 Speaker 1: the music's gonna work because without the music, there's no movie, right. 613 00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:57,760 Speaker 1: And I told Eloseabeth Banks on the first day, I said, listen, 614 00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:00,600 Speaker 1: make is much fun of a cappella as you want. 615 00:30:00,920 --> 00:30:02,840 Speaker 1: You know, nobody used to say aka this, and I mean, 616 00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:04,560 Speaker 1: it's so stupid, but now we do now because why 617 00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:07,360 Speaker 1: wouldn't you funny? But I said, but if people are 618 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:09,120 Speaker 1: not either, see, it's cheering for the music, Like we 619 00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:10,120 Speaker 1: don't have a movie. 620 00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:14,280 Speaker 3: Right, yeah, it's just a yeah. So now the the 621 00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:18,440 Speaker 3: movie is done, it's been it's being released. At what 622 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:22,520 Speaker 3: point did you think before we have something here? Like 623 00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:24,560 Speaker 3: we knew the music was good, but like, did you 624 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:26,600 Speaker 3: know did you guys have any kind of inkling? 625 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:27,040 Speaker 1: No? 626 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:29,120 Speaker 4: I don't want it came out it was a hit. 627 00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:30,920 Speaker 3: What is going through your mind? 628 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:33,440 Speaker 1: And when it came out it wasn't a hit. I 629 00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:36,840 Speaker 1: have to admit I didn't go to the to the 630 00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:40,640 Speaker 1: movie premiere because you know, I missed enough time at 631 00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:42,480 Speaker 1: home with my young kids and my daughter, do you 632 00:30:42,520 --> 00:30:44,400 Speaker 1: want to fly down to l A and see movie premiere? 633 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:47,520 Speaker 1: And she was like, no, Daddy, So I called him 634 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:48,960 Speaker 1: and he's like, I'm sorry, I can't make it. And 635 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:51,400 Speaker 1: then I took her out for frozen yogurt so to 636 00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:53,840 Speaker 1: try to be a good dad. I was definitely still 637 00:30:53,840 --> 00:30:56,920 Speaker 1: out on that. But oh, believe me that it came 638 00:30:56,960 --> 00:30:58,560 Speaker 1: to the second or the third, right, Oh, you better 639 00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:01,160 Speaker 1: the first ones in the door, in the last one, 640 00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:06,120 Speaker 1: photos of Everybody and whatever. But when the first film 641 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:08,520 Speaker 1: came out, it was a limited release in just a 642 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:12,720 Speaker 1: few theaters. It really was a very small release. And 643 00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:17,240 Speaker 1: the movie came out in twenty twelve, is it but 644 00:31:17,360 --> 00:31:20,120 Speaker 1: in like October? But it came and went from the 645 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:22,840 Speaker 1: theaters in like a month or so. It was when 646 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:26,840 Speaker 1: it hit DVD. When it went into DVD, then it 647 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:29,240 Speaker 1: took off like a rocket. And of course the cup 648 00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:32,000 Speaker 1: song fueled a lot of that, and it was the 649 00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:35,160 Speaker 1: best selling soundtrack of twenty thirteen. How often does that 650 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:37,360 Speaker 1: happen that you're the best family soundtrack of the year 651 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:41,080 Speaker 1: after you was? And it was just a slow burning 652 00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:43,080 Speaker 1: and it just grew, grew, Guru Guru grew, And I 653 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:45,960 Speaker 1: think I just got word that we hit double platinum. 654 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:50,920 Speaker 1: So now it has officially sold incredible million copies. And 655 00:31:50,920 --> 00:31:53,080 Speaker 1: then the cup song was like six seven eight million 656 00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:55,560 Speaker 1: or something crazy. And I remember talking to people who 657 00:31:55,560 --> 00:31:57,640 Speaker 1: worked on like Rock of Ages with you know, from 658 00:31:57,680 --> 00:32:01,160 Speaker 1: the musical with like Tom Cruise Take six, and they 659 00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:02,800 Speaker 1: were like, we were working on that soundtrack and we 660 00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:04,800 Speaker 1: had all the money and all the budget we needed 661 00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:06,280 Speaker 1: and all that stuff. We were so sure that was 662 00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:08,200 Speaker 1: going to become a huge hit. And and they were like, 663 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:11,080 Speaker 1: and you did it with this this little film Lame 664 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:14,360 Speaker 1: Miss was also that year. Yeah, you had Russell Crowe 665 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:14,920 Speaker 1: and everybody you. 666 00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:16,320 Speaker 4: Know up against you. 667 00:32:16,440 --> 00:32:16,720 Speaker 1: Yeah. 668 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:18,680 Speaker 4: All that was the engine that could. 669 00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:21,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, totally the little engine that could. 670 00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:24,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel like there's some and now in hinds 671 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:27,080 Speaker 2: now in hindsight, like Glee looks like this big behemoth, 672 00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:31,000 Speaker 2: But when we were first doing it and doing the pilot, 673 00:32:31,200 --> 00:32:32,640 Speaker 2: it was like who's going. 674 00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:34,880 Speaker 4: To watch a show about show choir in high school? 675 00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:38,720 Speaker 1: I totally remember, I mean it was that was like, Okay, 676 00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:42,040 Speaker 1: this is definitely my demographic, right, But it was the 677 00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:45,240 Speaker 1: little engine that could. And I think, you know, first 678 00:32:45,320 --> 00:32:48,160 Speaker 1: of all, I always believed if people only knew and 679 00:32:48,200 --> 00:32:51,840 Speaker 1: had an opportunity to experience this kind of singing popular music, 680 00:32:51,840 --> 00:32:54,840 Speaker 1: people singing in harmony, they just fundamentally would love it. 681 00:32:54,880 --> 00:32:59,320 Speaker 1: And that's that's ultimately what happened with Glee and with 682 00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:02,240 Speaker 1: pitch perfect people. I mean, and you know, we'll get 683 00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:04,760 Speaker 1: on my soapbox for a second. Everyone used to sing. 684 00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:07,560 Speaker 1: If you go to prehistoric times before there was language, 685 00:33:08,360 --> 00:33:11,040 Speaker 1: almost certainly humans were like birds, crickets, whales, dogs. We 686 00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:15,240 Speaker 1: communicated through tone, and we sang. And everybody even used 687 00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:17,880 Speaker 1: to sing, from field hollers and work songs and sea 688 00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:19,920 Speaker 1: shanties all the way up to like the upper echelons 689 00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:22,840 Speaker 1: of society. Everyone's saying, if you wanted music in the holidays, 690 00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:25,720 Speaker 1: you had to make it. It's when recorded music came along, 691 00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:28,520 Speaker 1: and generation after generation fewer and fewer people make music. 692 00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:30,640 Speaker 1: More and more people think they're tone deaf, and they're not. 693 00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:32,920 Speaker 1: By the way, people who are tone deaf talk like 694 00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:34,480 Speaker 1: this at one pitch. So if anyone ever comes up 695 00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:39,360 Speaker 1: to you and says I'm tone deaf, you're not exactly exactly. 696 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:43,960 Speaker 1: So I think there's just a great deal of pent 697 00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:48,000 Speaker 1: up sublimation when people hear this kind of harmony, and 698 00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:51,200 Speaker 1: they also feel like that sense of connection to a tribe. 699 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:54,920 Speaker 1: Like our ancestors, they lived in small traveling groups of 700 00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:58,080 Speaker 1: a couple dozen, maybe up to fifty, and that was 701 00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:01,560 Speaker 1: their family, that was their unit, and we've lost that. 702 00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:03,600 Speaker 1: People working in companies and they don't know their neighbors, 703 00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:05,760 Speaker 1: they don't know people they work with, changing locations and 704 00:34:05,840 --> 00:34:08,560 Speaker 1: jobs all the time, and they feel really unmoored. So 705 00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:13,520 Speaker 1: this vocal harmony hits multiple parts of the human psyche 706 00:34:14,200 --> 00:34:18,640 Speaker 1: very powerfully, and so I wasn't surprised that Glee took off. 707 00:34:18,800 --> 00:34:21,840 Speaker 1: Plus a couple of those early arrangements were copied straight 708 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:28,279 Speaker 1: from college a capella groups, so I'm certain, well, it 709 00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:31,200 Speaker 1: don't stop believing very much. Sounds like the recording that 710 00:34:31,280 --> 00:34:34,640 Speaker 1: was on the Best of College Acapella album by the 711 00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:37,759 Speaker 1: unc Cleffhangers, like you can hear in the maps like 712 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:41,000 Speaker 1: a sizer, and it's the same thing, some fun stuff. 713 00:34:48,160 --> 00:34:50,719 Speaker 2: With the explosion of like you worked on a TV 714 00:34:50,760 --> 00:34:54,279 Speaker 2: show about a cappella singing. There was Glee that was successful, 715 00:34:54,400 --> 00:34:57,280 Speaker 2: then pitch Perfect started a whole franchise that was successful 716 00:34:57,320 --> 00:35:00,880 Speaker 2: as somebody who I feel like is the arbiter you 717 00:35:00,920 --> 00:35:06,319 Speaker 2: know of this contemporary take on a cappella, Like, how 718 00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:09,319 Speaker 2: do you feel? I guess reflecting upon you know, the 719 00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:13,399 Speaker 2: different types of success that this now whole field has 720 00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:16,200 Speaker 2: had and for generations who have now been exposed to 721 00:35:16,239 --> 00:35:17,560 Speaker 2: it and love it. 722 00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:24,399 Speaker 1: I would say like it's the best we possibly could 723 00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:28,440 Speaker 1: have hoped for. Because the music that came out of 724 00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:31,520 Speaker 1: Glee was so fun and so wonderful and you still 725 00:35:31,560 --> 00:35:33,960 Speaker 1: hear it played and streamed during Quliday times and song 726 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:36,080 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, and you still like it. 727 00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:37,960 Speaker 1: Just went back through and watched all the seasons. It's 728 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:40,640 Speaker 1: just like so fun during COVID and like just get 729 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:43,719 Speaker 1: you know, wrapped up in all those fun, warm fuzzies, 730 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:45,360 Speaker 1: just like you did when you when you watch the 731 00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:50,160 Speaker 1: show first time around. I think I think that also 732 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:52,680 Speaker 1: if you look at like, oh, remember when like cheerleading 733 00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:54,359 Speaker 1: was having a moment like bring it on or whatever, 734 00:35:54,840 --> 00:35:56,960 Speaker 1: all of that stuff was kind of just like a 735 00:35:57,000 --> 00:35:59,759 Speaker 1: little quick, little blip like a year or two and 736 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:02,759 Speaker 1: a cappella had a and vocal harm just had this 737 00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:07,520 Speaker 1: huge decade really from because the sing off hit before 738 00:36:07,760 --> 00:36:10,640 Speaker 1: Pitch Perfect is we're talking about two thousand nine, twenty ten, 739 00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:13,719 Speaker 1: all the way up until COVID when the whole world 740 00:36:13,840 --> 00:36:16,799 Speaker 1: ended in twenty twenty. So we're talking about basically a 741 00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:19,480 Speaker 1: decade of being flavor of the month, which is more 742 00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:22,040 Speaker 1: than you could ever ask for. And now now things 743 00:36:22,080 --> 00:36:24,000 Speaker 1: are like kind of picking back up, and I don't 744 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:26,520 Speaker 1: know that there's going to be, you know, a big 745 00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:30,280 Speaker 1: giant another a cappella show on TV anytime soon. Obviously 746 00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:34,320 Speaker 1: still out there throwing ideas out, teaching him, but everybody 747 00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:37,200 Speaker 1: knows what it is exactly. Yeah. I went to create 748 00:36:37,239 --> 00:36:40,640 Speaker 1: this career of acapella. Nobody even knew what the word was, 749 00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:42,440 Speaker 1: and if they did, they thought it was like Gregorian 750 00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:46,160 Speaker 1: Chit or maybe barbershop or maybe do want, but mostly 751 00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:49,360 Speaker 1: nobody knew. And now all of those styles of music 752 00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:51,759 Speaker 1: call what we do acapella, Like barbershoppers say like, well, 753 00:36:51,760 --> 00:36:53,719 Speaker 1: you're acapella and we're barbershop. I'm like, no, no, no, no, 754 00:36:54,080 --> 00:36:56,799 Speaker 1: Acapella is a big tent. You're also a cappella you know, 755 00:36:57,480 --> 00:37:00,480 Speaker 1: two king singers like, it's all achapella. It's just where 756 00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:02,959 Speaker 1: the modern version of it, which is what do wop 757 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:05,080 Speaker 1: was in its day, and that's what barbershop wasn't its day. 758 00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:07,240 Speaker 1: It's just a new way of using your voice. 759 00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:11,200 Speaker 2: I mean, it's just it's really amazing to see how 760 00:37:11,239 --> 00:37:13,560 Speaker 2: it's come, how far it's come since the early nineties 761 00:37:13,560 --> 00:37:18,520 Speaker 2: when you were meeting opposition for wanting to do things 762 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:21,279 Speaker 2: a different way, and how now it's just part of 763 00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:26,560 Speaker 2: like pop culture vernacular that everyone from us to Jen 764 00:37:26,640 --> 00:37:30,960 Speaker 2: Alpha knows what a cappella is and that's thanks to 765 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:32,600 Speaker 2: you and. 766 00:37:32,760 --> 00:37:34,240 Speaker 4: You know and a lot of people. 767 00:37:34,280 --> 00:37:37,120 Speaker 1: I mean, here's the thing, Like it was my I 768 00:37:37,160 --> 00:37:41,359 Speaker 1: had this idea, and I really tried to take this 769 00:37:41,560 --> 00:37:44,319 Speaker 1: new idea, this lightning in a jar, and spread it 770 00:37:44,360 --> 00:37:47,480 Speaker 1: as quickly and as far afield as I could, and 771 00:37:47,520 --> 00:37:49,560 Speaker 1: then lots of people ran with it. You know, lots 772 00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:51,680 Speaker 1: of people saw it and said, hey, this is fun, 773 00:37:51,719 --> 00:37:56,680 Speaker 1: this is wonderful, let's go. And so people sometimes say like, wait, 774 00:37:56,719 --> 00:37:58,359 Speaker 1: are you a celebrity? And I say, have you ever 775 00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:00,000 Speaker 1: heard of me before? And they say no, what I say, 776 00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:02,319 Speaker 1: there's your answer. And I don't look at myself as 777 00:38:02,680 --> 00:38:07,080 Speaker 1: as being some you know, multi important person. And it's 778 00:38:07,120 --> 00:38:10,760 Speaker 1: not about me. This never was about me. It's about 779 00:38:10,840 --> 00:38:13,759 Speaker 1: trying to knit back together the fabric of society, trying 780 00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:16,239 Speaker 1: to spread harmony through harmony, which is my motto. When 781 00:38:16,280 --> 00:38:20,200 Speaker 1: people sing together, they understand the common humanity we have. 782 00:38:20,280 --> 00:38:22,440 Speaker 1: And so much in our political infrastructure, so much in 783 00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:25,520 Speaker 1: our media is about creating the other and pointing fingers, 784 00:38:25,560 --> 00:38:28,839 Speaker 1: and you know, red states versus Blue states, and left 785 00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:32,760 Speaker 1: versus right, and conservative versus liberal, and all of these 786 00:38:33,200 --> 00:38:38,200 Speaker 1: monikers that serve to divide our public. But we need 787 00:38:38,239 --> 00:38:41,279 Speaker 1: each other. That's the beautiful of the American experience and 788 00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:44,160 Speaker 1: that's the beauty of the world as well. And nothing 789 00:38:44,239 --> 00:38:48,720 Speaker 1: teaches this value better than vocal harmony. And yes, sports 790 00:38:48,719 --> 00:38:51,120 Speaker 1: teams are great, but you always have a winner and 791 00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:53,799 Speaker 1: a loser. You do vocal harmony, right, you always win. 792 00:38:54,440 --> 00:38:57,320 Speaker 4: Wow. And that's why you're the mayor of Acapella. 793 00:38:58,040 --> 00:39:00,719 Speaker 1: And that's why I'm there. Come on, kids, let's go 794 00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:03,840 Speaker 1: build a snowman. Yeah. No, I mean it is. It 795 00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:06,000 Speaker 1: is very much what I love to do. And I 796 00:39:06,160 --> 00:39:08,600 Speaker 1: work with people at all different levels and constantly go 797 00:39:08,640 --> 00:39:12,360 Speaker 1: around the world and keep keep spreading this Johnny Appleseed. 798 00:39:12,320 --> 00:39:14,800 Speaker 2: I think I very I hope people who are listening 799 00:39:14,840 --> 00:39:17,719 Speaker 2: to this, who have ideas that they want to catch 800 00:39:17,760 --> 00:39:20,200 Speaker 2: on like this, like, take a look at how you 801 00:39:20,280 --> 00:39:24,680 Speaker 2: sort of had a decentralized democratization of this whole thing 802 00:39:24,719 --> 00:39:27,560 Speaker 2: from the very beginning. How it was to spread it 803 00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:30,280 Speaker 2: as quickly as possible to as many people as possible 804 00:39:30,640 --> 00:39:32,160 Speaker 2: so they can have their go with it. And I 805 00:39:32,239 --> 00:39:36,359 Speaker 2: feel like that is not often the case when people 806 00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:39,080 Speaker 2: are starting creative endeavors like this, and I think it's 807 00:39:39,480 --> 00:39:42,960 Speaker 2: we've seen the fruit of that and how successful that 808 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:46,880 Speaker 2: can be. So I hope, you know, people going forward 809 00:39:46,960 --> 00:39:49,279 Speaker 2: can learn from that model because I think it really 810 00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:50,520 Speaker 2: has set a beautiful precedent. 811 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:51,360 Speaker 3: Thank you. 812 00:39:51,440 --> 00:39:54,120 Speaker 1: I appreciate that, and rarely is that ever said. So 813 00:39:54,160 --> 00:39:56,799 Speaker 1: thank you, Kevin Jenna, thank you so much. And now 814 00:39:56,800 --> 00:39:58,080 Speaker 1: I'm going to do some of you because it gets 815 00:39:58,120 --> 00:40:01,280 Speaker 1: totally crazy. I'm going to give everyone my email address. 816 00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:04,640 Speaker 1: It's Deek at deeksharing dot com. And why am I 817 00:40:04,680 --> 00:40:07,799 Speaker 1: giving that out Because if you want to sing, I 818 00:40:07,840 --> 00:40:09,560 Speaker 1: will help you sing. I don't care where you are 819 00:40:09,600 --> 00:40:10,040 Speaker 1: in the world. 820 00:40:10,200 --> 00:40:10,399 Speaker 3: Wow. 821 00:40:10,560 --> 00:40:12,880 Speaker 1: I will help you find a singing group, any age, 822 00:40:12,960 --> 00:40:15,439 Speaker 1: any style. If you want to start an a cappella group, 823 00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:16,879 Speaker 1: I will help you start a group and I'll send 824 00:40:16,880 --> 00:40:19,560 Speaker 1: you free arrangements. This is what I do, no charge 825 00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:21,520 Speaker 1: at all, Like I make enough money when I go 826 00:40:21,560 --> 00:40:23,960 Speaker 1: around at festivals and things like that. I'm totally fine. 827 00:40:24,440 --> 00:40:27,920 Speaker 1: But what really matters is if you have this little 828 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:30,600 Speaker 1: burning in your stomach and you feel like, wow, it's 829 00:40:30,640 --> 00:40:32,560 Speaker 1: so fun When I watch Glean, I love singing along 830 00:40:32,600 --> 00:40:34,080 Speaker 1: and I really just I wish I could have that 831 00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:38,280 Speaker 1: experience in real life or Pitch Perfect or Pentatonics or anybody. Well, 832 00:40:38,840 --> 00:40:41,279 Speaker 1: I will help make that a part of your life. 833 00:40:41,360 --> 00:40:43,560 Speaker 1: And kids when they sing in school, when they sing 834 00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:45,160 Speaker 1: in a harmony group in school, I mean this has 835 00:40:45,239 --> 00:40:47,400 Speaker 1: been studied. They're bullied less, they have a built in 836 00:40:47,440 --> 00:40:49,319 Speaker 1: group of friends. They stay in school longer, they get 837 00:40:49,360 --> 00:40:52,440 Speaker 1: they have more friends. Like, the lifelong outcomes are enormous. 838 00:40:52,840 --> 00:40:55,400 Speaker 1: And now for adults in the UK, singing an a 839 00:40:55,480 --> 00:40:59,880 Speaker 1: choir is literally being prescribed by doctors. All my studied 840 00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:03,840 Speaker 1: and seeing how many positive benefits. Your blood pressure goes down, 841 00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:07,000 Speaker 1: your pulse like, and people start to breathe and have 842 00:41:07,040 --> 00:41:10,840 Speaker 1: their heart rates align when they're singing acquired together. Wow, 843 00:41:11,239 --> 00:41:14,239 Speaker 1: whatever style of music you like, whatever, Sharon dot com, 844 00:41:14,239 --> 00:41:15,160 Speaker 1: I will help you find a. 845 00:41:15,160 --> 00:41:19,919 Speaker 3: Group so generous and kind, just speaks to how much 846 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:24,920 Speaker 3: you love this craft and this you know, piece of 847 00:41:25,040 --> 00:41:28,200 Speaker 3: art that you continue to spread. So thank you. 848 00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:31,080 Speaker 4: Before we let you go, you have a question. 849 00:41:31,280 --> 00:41:33,959 Speaker 3: We always ask all of our guests, and we usually 850 00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:35,799 Speaker 3: ask what is the feeling like Lee leaves you with? 851 00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:37,680 Speaker 3: But we'll ask you what is the feeling that Pitch 852 00:41:37,719 --> 00:41:38,640 Speaker 3: Perfect leaves you with? 853 00:41:41,680 --> 00:41:49,400 Speaker 1: Tremendous overjoyed relief and satisfaction that I think it's the 854 00:41:49,640 --> 00:41:54,759 Speaker 1: largest calling card and moniker to introduce people to this 855 00:41:55,239 --> 00:41:58,960 Speaker 1: style of singing, and it does it in such like 856 00:41:59,600 --> 00:42:03,839 Speaker 1: an easy, joyful way that that disarms people. I mean 857 00:42:04,080 --> 00:42:06,880 Speaker 1: a little story. I was doing a like one of 858 00:42:06,880 --> 00:42:10,160 Speaker 1: those like radio interviews with an Australian morning show and 859 00:42:10,200 --> 00:42:13,840 Speaker 1: it was the afternoon and I was for opening a 860 00:42:13,840 --> 00:42:15,840 Speaker 1: Pitch Perfect too, And I was in like one of 861 00:42:15,880 --> 00:42:17,920 Speaker 1: those little studios in San Francisco and no one was 862 00:42:17,920 --> 00:42:19,440 Speaker 1: in there was in the afternoon. It's just me and 863 00:42:19,480 --> 00:42:22,520 Speaker 1: some guy look like he's an FBI agent. And I said, 864 00:42:22,560 --> 00:42:25,040 Speaker 1: you know, I h I said, like hell sir, like 865 00:42:25,440 --> 00:42:26,680 Speaker 1: how come here in here? And he goes, well, I'm 866 00:42:26,680 --> 00:42:29,279 Speaker 1: gonna be on CNN talking about drone strikes and the 867 00:42:29,280 --> 00:42:32,640 Speaker 1: Obama administration whatever, I'm like, oh, very well, he's you 868 00:42:32,719 --> 00:42:34,560 Speaker 1: in here, you know, young man or whatever he said, 869 00:42:34,560 --> 00:42:37,120 Speaker 1: and I said, oh, I'm gonna I'm here talking about 870 00:42:37,280 --> 00:42:39,319 Speaker 1: Pitch Perfect too, and he goes, it's perfect. That's my 871 00:42:39,360 --> 00:42:41,560 Speaker 1: favorite movie. My wife like, it's all I want to watch. 872 00:42:41,560 --> 00:42:43,120 Speaker 1: And my wife just says like, give it a rest, Hunt, 873 00:42:43,160 --> 00:42:45,040 Speaker 1: and I'm like, that's just I'm like, I'm looking at 874 00:42:45,040 --> 00:42:49,720 Speaker 1: this dude and I'm like, wow, if we hit him, 875 00:42:50,280 --> 00:42:53,799 Speaker 1: it's there's a soft spot in everyone. So yeah, So 876 00:42:54,080 --> 00:42:55,280 Speaker 1: CNN Drone Expert. 877 00:42:55,440 --> 00:42:56,880 Speaker 4: Uh, that's amazing. 878 00:42:56,960 --> 00:43:01,320 Speaker 1: Joy, Yeah, everywhere. That's that's the feeling. 879 00:43:01,719 --> 00:43:04,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, thank you so much for coming on here 880 00:43:04,760 --> 00:43:05,920 Speaker 2: and spending so much time with us. 881 00:43:06,040 --> 00:43:09,239 Speaker 4: We were very very excited to speak to you, and I. 882 00:43:09,280 --> 00:43:11,399 Speaker 1: Am so appreciate. 883 00:43:12,880 --> 00:43:13,280 Speaker 3: Sharing. 884 00:43:13,640 --> 00:43:15,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, thanks for all you guys do. And I love 885 00:43:16,040 --> 00:43:18,200 Speaker 1: this podcast. I love that you guys do the deep 886 00:43:18,239 --> 00:43:20,840 Speaker 1: dive and give people I can insight into the creative 887 00:43:20,840 --> 00:43:23,319 Speaker 1: process and into the fun and into the relationships and 888 00:43:23,320 --> 00:43:26,160 Speaker 1: all that kind of stuff. That's that is something I 889 00:43:26,160 --> 00:43:28,439 Speaker 1: think a lot of people don't understand, and I think 890 00:43:28,840 --> 00:43:31,960 Speaker 1: it all just seems so far afield, But it's also 891 00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:34,279 Speaker 1: a job, and it's also people working together. And it's 892 00:43:34,320 --> 00:43:36,239 Speaker 1: also you have to get up on Tuesday morning and 893 00:43:36,280 --> 00:43:36,839 Speaker 1: you don't want anyone. 894 00:43:36,840 --> 00:43:39,360 Speaker 4: I mean, it's all ye, like you said, just some 895 00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:40,960 Speaker 4: duct tape and you hope it will. 896 00:43:40,840 --> 00:43:45,759 Speaker 1: Work exactly well, Gleeve very much, work perfect. And I'm 897 00:43:45,800 --> 00:43:47,000 Speaker 1: so glad they're both in the world. 898 00:43:47,200 --> 00:43:54,279 Speaker 4: Yes, me too, wonderful, Yes, thank you. 899 00:43:54,480 --> 00:44:00,360 Speaker 1: Absolutely you guys keep doing your thing too. Thank you. 900 00:44:00,400 --> 00:44:01,640 Speaker 4: What a ray of sunshine. 901 00:44:01,800 --> 00:44:05,200 Speaker 3: Oh my gosh, it tracks, it. 902 00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:08,200 Speaker 4: Tracks, It really does, like it couldn't be in better hands. 903 00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:12,319 Speaker 4: The godfather of the Godfather of acapella, like. 904 00:44:12,480 --> 00:44:15,799 Speaker 3: Just spreading joy and being so joyful himself and so 905 00:44:15,960 --> 00:44:18,960 Speaker 3: kind and lovely, and you just really can tell how 906 00:44:19,040 --> 00:44:23,040 Speaker 3: much he really loves this to do that for free, 907 00:44:23,080 --> 00:44:26,840 Speaker 3: Like there's no agenda, there's just the intention of spreading. 908 00:44:27,120 --> 00:44:29,120 Speaker 2: You can tell in the music, Jenna, you can tell 909 00:44:30,840 --> 00:44:33,440 Speaker 2: you did, you can tell. 910 00:44:33,719 --> 00:44:35,600 Speaker 4: What a gem. Thank you Diek so much for spending 911 00:44:35,600 --> 00:44:36,440 Speaker 4: so much time with us. 912 00:44:37,080 --> 00:44:40,759 Speaker 2: Go look up deep Share and everybody truly godfather of 913 00:44:40,840 --> 00:44:45,799 Speaker 2: acappella And that's what really miss Thanks for listening and 914 00:44:45,920 --> 00:44:48,839 Speaker 2: follow us on Instagram at and that's what you really miss. 915 00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:49,120 Speaker 4: Pod. 916 00:44:49,400 --> 00:44:51,239 Speaker 2: Make sure to write us a review and leave us 917 00:44:51,280 --> 00:44:51,880 Speaker 2: five stars. 918 00:44:52,080 --> 00:44:52,719 Speaker 4: See you next time.