WEBVTT - Questlove Supreme: Chris Robinson Part 2 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:04.680 Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. 0:00:06.559 --> 0:00:08.399 Hey y'all, this is on paid bill from Team Supreme. 0:00:08.640 --> 0:00:10.719 We're back with part two of our QLs interview with 0:00:10.800 --> 0:00:13.640 Chris Robinson. Part one. Chris spoke about growing up in 0:00:13.680 --> 0:00:16.040 Baltimore and cultivating a career as one of the biggest 0:00:16.120 --> 0:00:18.760 music video directors of the nineteen nineties and two thousands. 0:00:19.120 --> 0:00:22.200 He shared some secrets about working with Eric Abadu, Lord Treka, 0:00:22.239 --> 0:00:24.880 Peter Gunns, and Ella Cool Jay. He also discussed his 0:00:24.920 --> 0:00:28.320 new project, Shooting Stars, which covers the upbringing of bron James. 0:00:28.360 --> 0:00:30.800 If you haven't already, please check out that episode. Now 0:00:30.840 --> 0:00:33.000 here's part two. 0:00:35.800 --> 0:00:37.239 I want to hear if there's a way that you 0:00:37.280 --> 0:00:41.080 can give cautionary tales without compromising your position or your 0:00:41.120 --> 0:00:45.159 relationships and whatnot. But this is a theory that I 0:00:45.200 --> 0:00:47.839 have now at this stage of my life, which is 0:00:49.120 --> 0:00:55.200 I think when we turn thirty or forty, this is 0:00:55.240 --> 0:00:57.800 when we start to become experts. And I don't think 0:00:57.800 --> 0:01:00.480 it's more or less that we become experts more than then. 0:01:01.120 --> 0:01:03.240 I think in the first twenty twenty five thirty years 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:06.000 of our life we take an assessment of Okay, this 0:01:06.160 --> 0:01:10.200 is pleasurable and this is painful, and so we basically 0:01:10.319 --> 0:01:13.000 want to just do the greatest hits and just take 0:01:13.040 --> 0:01:15.800 a compilation of all the pleasurable things and then apply 0:01:15.880 --> 0:01:18.520 that to it, and then we become experts, Like we 0:01:18.640 --> 0:01:21.479 know that you know, if you touch the soul if you're. 0:01:21.400 --> 0:01:22.040 Going to get burnt. 0:01:22.120 --> 0:01:24.000 You know, if you walk across the street without looking 0:01:24.000 --> 0:01:26.760 both ways, you're going to get hit. So basically, you 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:29.800 know it's a compilation of life lessons, and then that's 0:01:29.800 --> 0:01:32.240 how you're supposed to proceed on from forty and above. 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:41.360 So for you are there never again moments for directing 0:01:42.160 --> 0:01:44.520 in terms of and I don't mean like I'll never 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:47.760 work with this particular person again, but you already know that, 0:01:48.000 --> 0:01:52.400 Like all right, I can't double book that, Like what 0:01:52.400 --> 0:01:55.240 what lessons have you learned that are like never again? 0:01:55.640 --> 0:02:02.560 That's a crazy question. Open my brain up. It's wanting 0:02:03.360 --> 0:02:10.800 the gigs so bad that you compromise what your vision is. 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:16.400 It is never ever, ever, ever ever worked for me, Right. 0:02:16.520 --> 0:02:20.680 And so you said yes to an artist before you 0:02:20.919 --> 0:02:23.920 even have a solid creative vision for it. 0:02:24.520 --> 0:02:28.320 Oh, I've definitely done that and that's worked out. That 0:02:28.400 --> 0:02:31.120 might be a timing thing right. What I what I'm 0:02:31.160 --> 0:02:35.919 talking about is like, you have to take this job, 0:02:37.120 --> 0:02:40.440 but you have to use this DP and you have 0:02:40.520 --> 0:02:44.799 to shoot in this city, or you have to use 0:02:45.160 --> 0:02:49.959 use this use either use someone or put a patina 0:02:50.040 --> 0:02:53.079 on it that we want it to be right now. 0:02:53.080 --> 0:02:55.640 Commercials are different, right because an ad agency works on 0:02:55.680 --> 0:02:58.320 that for a year before you ever get a phone call, 0:02:58.440 --> 0:03:01.840 so we understand their vision of what they're looking for. 0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:06.200 But when it comes to something creative, anytime I've attempted 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:13.160 to do it it it didn't work or it wasn't satisfying. 0:03:13.200 --> 0:03:18.840 So my advice would be, never compromise your your your 0:03:19.040 --> 0:03:23.840 thought for the money. You know it just doesn't work. 0:03:24.080 --> 0:03:28.040 I have a dad thing, as I always tell my son, 0:03:28.120 --> 0:03:32.040 I go okay. When I was on JV, I could kick, 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:35.040 like so we were just in practice and I was kicking, 0:03:35.120 --> 0:03:39.000 booming the ball and the coach was like, Robinson, you 0:03:39.040 --> 0:03:41.320 could kick, you're aligneman. I ain't never seen a lineman kick. 0:03:41.320 --> 0:03:43.400 I go, yeah, I can kick, so he gives me 0:03:43.480 --> 0:03:47.120 the job. I'm kicking off. So before that, a coach 0:03:47.160 --> 0:03:48.560 comes up to me and he goes, hey, man, you're 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:51.400 planning your foot all wrong. You got to put your 0:03:51.400 --> 0:03:53.480 foot closer to the ball so you can get more 0:03:53.560 --> 0:03:57.160 lyft on. So here we go our first scrimmage against 0:03:57.200 --> 0:04:00.680 our high school rival, and I go out to the coach. 0:04:00.760 --> 0:04:02.480 I plant my footwear, he tells me, and the ball 0:04:02.560 --> 0:04:06.720 goes straight up and straight down, and I get fired. 0:04:06.840 --> 0:04:09.720 I'm no longer kicking the ball, And that, to me 0:04:09.880 --> 0:04:13.440 is the metaphor of when I'm listening, I'm in my flow. 0:04:13.560 --> 0:04:15.320 I know how to do this, I know the people 0:04:15.360 --> 0:04:18.120 I want to use, because it's a it's a business 0:04:18.360 --> 0:04:22.120 in an art form where you you collaborate, but then 0:04:22.160 --> 0:04:25.600 somebody tells you not to do what you do with 0:04:25.760 --> 0:04:28.560 you working for you. And the reason you called me 0:04:29.160 --> 0:04:32.560 because this is what I do, and I've done it 0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:36.719 a couple times regretfully, because the opportunity was so big. 0:04:37.360 --> 0:04:39.560 And so when they come at you, when they go, hey, man, 0:04:39.600 --> 0:04:42.720 this opportunity is big. You're going to do what we say. 0:04:43.880 --> 0:04:46.920 It's difficult to turn it down, you know, and if 0:04:46.920 --> 0:04:49.480 you have enough political acumen, then you know how to 0:04:49.520 --> 0:04:51.599 twist it and turn it to still do what you 0:04:51.640 --> 0:04:55.719 want to do. Cool. I really don't have that gift, 0:04:56.200 --> 0:04:59.000 you know what I mean. I'm like I'm true to 0:04:59.520 --> 0:05:03.600 whatever that so I would say, never ever do that. 0:05:04.200 --> 0:05:06.480 And I know it's a difficult thing, you know, because 0:05:06.480 --> 0:05:09.400 the opportunities are what they are. But I think that 0:05:09.520 --> 0:05:10.720 for me is the biggest one. 0:05:11.240 --> 0:05:12.920 Are you the type of director? 0:05:13.680 --> 0:05:16.400 And I don't mean micromanaging that annoying way, like always 0:05:16.400 --> 0:05:19.800 over your shoulder looking, But for me, I feel like 0:05:19.920 --> 0:05:24.800 at the editing is the most important part of your presentation, 0:05:26.080 --> 0:05:29.800 like because editing can be I know, for some what's say, well, no, 0:05:30.400 --> 0:05:32.520 the story concepts the most important part. And some people 0:05:32.520 --> 0:05:34.800 would say no, it's actually the look of it, like 0:05:34.839 --> 0:05:37.760 the art, direction, the lighting. Some people say the SHOT's 0:05:37.760 --> 0:05:40.080 the most important part. For me, I fall in love 0:05:40.080 --> 0:05:41.800 with the editing. I mean a lot of you know, 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:45.120 nine times out of ten, I'm working with footage that 0:05:45.200 --> 0:05:47.200 already exists already, so it's not like I have to 0:05:47.240 --> 0:05:53.919 shoot all my content. But in terms of storytelling, do 0:05:54.040 --> 0:06:00.320 you allow your lighting person, your linsman, your editor, do 0:06:00.400 --> 0:06:03.160 you give them free reign to do what they do? 0:06:03.440 --> 0:06:07.400 Or are you always over their shoulder from soup to nuts, 0:06:08.000 --> 0:06:11.960 like micromanaging what it is. 0:06:11.960 --> 0:06:18.880 Like I do in that I'm giving everyone the vision. 0:06:19.400 --> 0:06:22.200 I'm going, Hey, this is how I see it before 0:06:22.200 --> 0:06:24.200 we ever get out there on the playing field, and 0:06:24.480 --> 0:06:28.880 before we ever roll one second of zeros and ones. 0:06:28.920 --> 0:06:33.000 It's not film anymore. So I always like to meet. 0:06:33.160 --> 0:06:35.440 I like pre pro I like setting down, I like 0:06:35.480 --> 0:06:40.920 looking at references, and I include the editor in that, right, 0:06:41.120 --> 0:06:43.520 I'll send the treatment. If it was a video, I 0:06:43.520 --> 0:06:46.839 would send the treatment to the editor before we ever shot, 0:06:47.000 --> 0:06:49.680 you know. And there were certain guys like Jeff Sellers, 0:06:50.160 --> 0:06:54.640 amazing dude, and he was like Scorsesees editor to me 0:06:54.880 --> 0:06:57.800 because I could give him, you know, when we were 0:06:57.800 --> 0:07:00.960 shooting two videos a week back in the day, I 0:07:01.000 --> 0:07:03.599 had to have trust, you know, to go all right, 0:07:03.680 --> 0:07:06.200 here's this, I'm going to shoot this. When I get back, 0:07:06.279 --> 0:07:11.320 we'll talk. And Jeff ninety percent of the time, you know, 0:07:11.440 --> 0:07:14.600 he would hit it, you know. So, But those kind 0:07:14.600 --> 0:07:19.360 of relationships are few and far between, right, So in videos, 0:07:19.600 --> 0:07:21.880 I worked with like four or five different editors. 0:07:22.160 --> 0:07:23.840 When you were in the in the eye of the 0:07:23.880 --> 0:07:29.400 storm of video making, how many videos, well, you said 0:07:29.400 --> 0:07:31.760 a week, how many videos a month would you book? 0:07:35.200 --> 0:07:38.520 Well, I know this, for three years in a row, 0:07:39.880 --> 0:07:43.560 I hit between forty eight and fifty. 0:07:43.760 --> 0:07:44.680 Wait, wait. 0:07:47.880 --> 0:07:51.400 For three years in a row, right, I noticed because 0:07:51.800 --> 0:07:54.800 that's when I had left part as in left HSI 0:07:54.880 --> 0:07:59.600 and I had my own company. I did between fifty 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:05.280 videos a year to fifty. Probably the year I did 0:08:05.280 --> 0:08:08.840 the most videos were like fifty six, so that was 0:08:09.040 --> 0:08:13.160 doing a video one by the video with and Had. 0:08:13.600 --> 0:08:17.400 I had three rotating producers who only worked with me. 0:08:18.120 --> 0:08:24.240 I had about five rotating editors and my executive producer Roseanne, 0:08:24.280 --> 0:08:29.840 which too early as well. He really managed all that well. 0:08:30.600 --> 0:08:33.720 And it was go ahead, Chris, get on a plane, 0:08:34.600 --> 0:08:37.199 go and I would have to show up and do 0:08:37.320 --> 0:08:42.000 my job. And I you know, it was such a 0:08:42.040 --> 0:08:47.280 beautiful time that we were able to do it and 0:08:47.320 --> 0:08:50.560 still keep the integrity of the art right, because that 0:08:50.679 --> 0:08:51.520 was big on that too. 0:08:51.720 --> 0:08:54.520 No vacation, No vacation Crystal in three years. 0:08:54.960 --> 0:09:00.520 Let me tell you, I was upset, but wanted to 0:09:00.559 --> 0:09:01.360 take a vacation. 0:09:02.120 --> 0:09:04.960 I remember listens. 0:09:07.320 --> 0:09:10.600 I had this guy Michael Lucero. I don't know if 0:09:10.640 --> 0:09:15.080 you guys know, yeah, Michael Sarah was amazing. He's passed, 0:09:15.400 --> 0:09:19.839 you know, rec in pees. Michael Lucero did ninety three 0:09:19.880 --> 0:09:26.120 to Infinity. Yes, he did busting dirty. And when I 0:09:26.200 --> 0:09:29.520 when I first had a company interested in me, which 0:09:29.520 --> 0:09:32.760 is where I met Roseanne. She was the executive producer 0:09:32.880 --> 0:09:34.800 of his company. It was called What You See Is 0:09:34.840 --> 0:09:39.080 What You Get, and they were in San Francisco, so 0:09:39.160 --> 0:09:41.800 I flew out from Baltimore to San Francisco, met them, 0:09:42.360 --> 0:09:45.480 and the whole nine. Well. He was such a good dude. 0:09:45.600 --> 0:09:47.720 He was kind of like a you know, one of 0:09:47.720 --> 0:09:50.800 these guys who climbed mountains and you know, kind of 0:09:50.920 --> 0:09:53.360 kind of that kind of dude, but an amazing direction. 0:09:53.160 --> 0:09:56.160 As that video. Okay, Yeah, learned. 0:09:55.960 --> 0:09:58.520 A lot from him, learned a lot from him, learned 0:09:58.520 --> 0:10:01.560 how to write treatments. Was such a such a good man. 0:10:01.880 --> 0:10:04.960 But he every year he would take us on vacation 0:10:05.720 --> 0:10:07.560 and we would going to Mexico. He would take the 0:10:07.600 --> 0:10:11.000 company on vacation. And the first year I was there, 0:10:11.559 --> 0:10:14.319 I wasn't really you know, getting a lot of work. 0:10:14.960 --> 0:10:18.000 And I was pissed that they wanted to take a 0:10:18.080 --> 0:10:20.160 vacation and he wanted to fly me in, pay for it, 0:10:20.240 --> 0:10:22.800 pay for my room, and I did not go. And 0:10:22.880 --> 0:10:27.040 I was like, who's taking a vacation. We need to work. 0:10:27.120 --> 0:10:30.200 So I was a little over indexing. I was sitting 0:10:30.280 --> 0:10:33.560 back then because I wanted it so bad. And you know, 0:10:33.640 --> 0:10:37.920 there's great photos that Robin Frank, who was my rep, 0:10:38.160 --> 0:10:40.840 has sent to me recently, like of that trip that 0:10:40.920 --> 0:10:44.600 I missed that that I could have been at. You know, well, 0:10:44.880 --> 0:10:48.360 I was sitting at home in Baltimore convention about you know, 0:10:49.080 --> 0:10:52.280 not working instead of going on vacation exactly. 0:10:52.640 --> 0:10:58.320 So can you walk me through the process, because I'm 0:10:58.400 --> 0:11:02.840 learning now that in order to be creative, you should 0:11:02.880 --> 0:11:05.880 really dedicate, or at least for me, what works for 0:11:05.960 --> 0:11:10.840 me is a lot of silence, a lot of soulas 0:11:10.880 --> 0:11:12.840 a lot of silence. I used to be the type 0:11:12.880 --> 0:11:20.680 of person that sort of reveled and chaos, but I realized, like, oh, 0:11:21.160 --> 0:11:23.560 like during the pandemic, then every idea came to me 0:11:24.360 --> 0:11:28.640 and suddenly inspiration came. So okay, so in the eye 0:11:28.640 --> 0:11:31.840 of that storm, So all right, let's go to let's 0:11:31.880 --> 0:11:36.640 go to two thousand and five. Okay, right, Like, how 0:11:36.760 --> 0:11:42.000 long do you sit with And I'm going back to 0:11:42.080 --> 0:11:45.320 videos because I feel like video I feel like videos 0:11:45.320 --> 0:11:48.040 are harder than movies because you basically have four minutes 0:11:48.080 --> 0:11:51.720 to tell a story and really knock it out the park. 0:11:52.200 --> 0:11:54.960 So what is your process? How long do you sit 0:11:55.000 --> 0:11:57.120 with the song. Do you sit with a team of 0:11:57.160 --> 0:11:59.680 people and think of ideas? Do you look at the 0:11:59.679 --> 0:12:02.880 physical build to the person. Do you do you get 0:12:02.880 --> 0:12:04.719 to know them and see if they're athletic, if they 0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:06.000 know how to run, if they know how to drive 0:12:06.040 --> 0:12:06.360 a car? 0:12:06.559 --> 0:12:10.280 Like what they're in Walk me through the basic like. 0:12:10.200 --> 0:12:12.719 How long do you sit with the song before you 0:12:12.800 --> 0:12:14.719 suddenly see what it is? 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:23.520 It for music videos? Man? It is? It was. It's different. 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:28.719 It depends on what the song. The song truly inspired me, right, 0:12:29.000 --> 0:12:32.080 So a script will inspire you, but the song really 0:12:32.120 --> 0:12:37.560 inspired would inspire me. For instance, you know when I 0:12:37.600 --> 0:12:44.959 heard you know, I received Nojega song what what what? What? What? What? What? 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:49.360 So super Thug? I got super Doug. I wrote that 0:12:49.400 --> 0:12:52.520 in twenty minutes because I had had this idea about 0:12:52.559 --> 0:12:55.440 camels in the desert and it had been around for 0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:58.320 a long time in my head, is rolling around in 0:12:58.320 --> 0:13:01.920 my head. So I wrote that. And it's funny because 0:13:01.920 --> 0:13:04.440 my rep was like, this is the quickest treatment you've 0:13:04.440 --> 0:13:07.560 ever written. Are you sure you want me to turn 0:13:07.600 --> 0:13:09.120 this in? And I was like, yeah, this is it. 0:13:09.720 --> 0:13:12.240 Because I was a little notorious for sending in a 0:13:12.320 --> 0:13:16.560 treatment late because of exactly what you're describing or taking 0:13:16.600 --> 0:13:20.720 your time living with it. So when I did, I 0:13:20.800 --> 0:13:26.319 received you don't know my Name from Alicia. I remember 0:13:27.040 --> 0:13:32.439 sitting in the house eight hours just listening to it, 0:13:33.120 --> 0:13:35.560 and I kept almost s getting it. Then I flew 0:13:35.600 --> 0:13:38.560 to La and I had an assistant. Her name was 0:13:38.640 --> 0:13:42.080 Nia Andrews. She's in music like her dad was in 0:13:44.000 --> 0:13:48.680 He wrote all freak out like he's part of that legacy. 0:13:49.200 --> 0:13:53.600 So we drove around LA for eight hours. I remember 0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:56.640 we went to Mallebook. We just were listening to this 0:13:56.800 --> 0:14:02.040 song on repeat. And then later that night she called 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:05.360 me and she goes, well, what about you know? And 0:14:05.400 --> 0:14:08.360 then the idea so she it would pingpong back and forth. 0:14:09.000 --> 0:14:12.320 So there's some things I would do totally solo. There's 0:14:12.320 --> 0:14:15.720 some things. Jesse Terrero used to be my assistant, good 0:14:15.760 --> 0:14:19.600 brother and one of my best friends, and he would 0:14:19.640 --> 0:14:22.560 he may come up with something. Neil Feldman was an 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:26.360 assistant minor. I'd given the outline and do it. But 0:14:26.480 --> 0:14:30.600 about I'd say a good seventy percent of the time 0:14:31.080 --> 0:14:34.960 it was just me dipping out. You know. I got 0:14:34.960 --> 0:14:38.520 a house in Maryland, sitting on the back porch and 0:14:38.720 --> 0:14:42.400 playing it in the headphones and just vibing and sometimes 0:14:42.440 --> 0:14:44.920 that could take me two days, three days. 0:14:45.040 --> 0:14:47.120 And I just say, says, you mentioned Alicia Keys video. 0:14:47.440 --> 0:14:49.520 Did did you have everything in your head even the 0:14:49.560 --> 0:14:52.480 casting of that video when you were thinking of the concept. 0:14:52.720 --> 0:14:53.520 You don't know my name? 0:14:53.760 --> 0:14:55.480 And did most steps show up on time? 0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:08.600 Listen? I don't remember, Listen. He's an artist, brother, he 0:15:11.000 --> 0:15:13.160 was never on schedule, always on time. 0:15:16.040 --> 0:15:18.360 But yeah, but did you think so in your mind? 0:15:18.440 --> 0:15:20.320 Is that did that come out the deck directly way 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:21.960 you wanted it to players and everything, or that just 0:15:22.000 --> 0:15:22.720 came later. 0:15:24.000 --> 0:15:28.480 Most, however, I really truly can't remember how most became involved. 0:15:28.800 --> 0:15:34.000 But Alicia's very she still isn't she was? She lives 0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:37.800 that whole complete life, right, So she wasn't just down 0:15:37.840 --> 0:15:42.520 for some video model, you know, coming through. She wasn't 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:45.640 down for people all up in her mouth kissing her, 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:48.200 you know, even no matter what the concept was. She 0:15:48.360 --> 0:15:52.560 was very focused on, you know, being authentic telling the story, 0:15:52.560 --> 0:15:56.360 but also being respectful in her life versus just just 0:15:56.400 --> 0:16:01.040 the art. And I don't I I've known most through 0:16:01.040 --> 0:16:04.120 my boy Set Free another Philly Cat for. 0:16:04.320 --> 0:16:10.000 Minutes Free, shout out to set Free and I truly 0:16:10.040 --> 0:16:12.640 can't remember, but when he came through, I was so 0:16:12.720 --> 0:16:15.800 happy because I love the movies he'd been in, and 0:16:15.840 --> 0:16:16.480 he was down. 0:16:17.000 --> 0:16:18.720 You know. It was not a lot of money involved 0:16:18.720 --> 0:16:20.520 in it or anything like that. He just came through 0:16:20.520 --> 0:16:24.400 and represented. And you know, I still think that video 0:16:24.520 --> 0:16:29.400 I should create a movie. I love Frank Frankie and Johnny. 0:16:31.080 --> 0:16:34.440 I think it would be so dope to to, you know, 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:37.400 do that. And we shot it pan Pan in Harlem, 0:16:37.920 --> 0:16:41.720 and Pan Pan's not there anymore, right, So that brother 0:16:41.760 --> 0:16:44.960 made the best sans yeah, Pam Pan was Do. 0:16:46.880 --> 0:16:47.920 You mentioned that? Chris? 0:16:47.960 --> 0:16:49.720 What's another video you feel that way about that? You 0:16:49.720 --> 0:16:51.360 could have just continued on and it could have been 0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:58.760 a whole like Christy, break You off to so many videos. 0:16:58.920 --> 0:17:01.720 Chris did so many videos. I forgot he did my video. 0:17:02.800 --> 0:17:04.960 I'm sitting here like, wait a minute, I think Chris 0:17:04.960 --> 0:17:07.920 directed the Roots video and I just oh, ship because 0:17:07.920 --> 0:17:09.840 when you said the wire I was like, wait a minute, 0:17:10.400 --> 0:17:12.080 A couple of wire cats are in my video for 0:17:12.160 --> 0:17:14.000 break You And then that's right. 0:17:14.119 --> 0:17:20.359 But I produced that video, so I was, and we 0:17:20.400 --> 0:17:22.000 did the thing under the bed and the whole joy, 0:17:22.080 --> 0:17:24.960 but it was that was no I love that video. 0:17:25.480 --> 0:17:27.560 You know, the era of kind of the big budget 0:17:27.640 --> 0:17:32.359 videos just kind of pretty much evaporated. How did you 0:17:32.440 --> 0:17:35.359 and the other directors how did y'all transition during that period? 0:17:35.760 --> 0:17:36.560 Went to movies? 0:17:37.440 --> 0:17:38.560 Listen? Listen? 0:17:39.040 --> 0:17:39.840 And what was that like? 0:17:39.960 --> 0:17:40.160 Man? 0:17:40.240 --> 0:17:43.240 Kind of seeing that that ecosystem just kind of dwindle. 0:17:44.000 --> 0:17:45.960 You are, man, it's such a great question. 0:17:46.160 --> 0:17:48.920 And it's YouTube your Napster. 0:17:50.280 --> 0:17:54.199 Oh yeah, Napster is my Napster because Napster is the 0:17:54.200 --> 0:17:59.720 reason the video budgets disappeared too. And I'll tell you man, 0:17:59.880 --> 0:18:02.760 I once again, I wish I could say I saw 0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:07.760 it coming, but we did not. And we I remember 0:18:08.560 --> 0:18:14.680 literally there was there was like a week where the 0:18:14.720 --> 0:18:18.760 bottom dropped out. I think fortunately I had already like 0:18:18.880 --> 0:18:22.679 maybe started working with Kevin on Real Husbands or whatever 0:18:22.720 --> 0:18:27.320 it was. But you know, my bread and butter, it 0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:31.200 was chopped at the knees. And it was very much 0:18:31.320 --> 0:18:35.280 like almost thinking it was a joke at first, Like 0:18:35.440 --> 0:18:38.320 you know, labels would call and go, yeah we got X, 0:18:38.359 --> 0:18:41.399 and I'd be like, really, now we're okay, so what 0:18:41.480 --> 0:18:43.399 is it really? Because you know who you know this 0:18:43.600 --> 0:18:46.280 artist and what they you know, the budget you're telling 0:18:46.320 --> 0:18:49.200 me is what they need for their you know writer, 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:53.320 you know, like what this artist is. So I think, 0:18:53.920 --> 0:18:57.840 you know, for me, it was just a it was 0:18:57.960 --> 0:19:04.120 just a very difficult switch. But I started to understand it, 0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:07.359 and I actually would call people. I'd call all the 0:19:07.359 --> 0:19:10.080 people I met over the years and go like, Yo, 0:19:10.680 --> 0:19:13.480 what's going on, Like what's happening? Like I didn't understand 0:19:13.520 --> 0:19:17.880 the ramifications of napster and digital and all that time, 0:19:19.240 --> 0:19:21.920 I was still going to the record store getting CDs. 0:19:22.240 --> 0:19:26.199 Yeah, you know, see, I think or you know, in 0:19:26.240 --> 0:19:30.560 the music business, many people look at Usher's Confessions as 0:19:30.600 --> 0:19:34.240 the last album of that era. I mean, it was 0:19:34.280 --> 0:19:38.000 the last album. It's the last brick and mortar album 0:19:38.600 --> 0:19:40.480 where it sold ten million units. 0:19:40.800 --> 0:19:41.040 Wow. 0:19:41.240 --> 0:19:43.240 And then you know, like it came on two thousand 0:19:43.240 --> 0:19:46.840 and three and then the age of ripping and all 0:19:46.880 --> 0:19:52.160 that stuff really came into play. But I also feel 0:19:52.200 --> 0:19:55.679 like I have a theory that maybe for the video world, 0:19:56.960 --> 0:20:02.240 even though it wasn't financially responsible, I kind of feel 0:20:02.280 --> 0:20:09.200 like the Rock the Boat video really marked an end, 0:20:09.359 --> 0:20:13.120 even though other opulent videos were made kind of after. 0:20:14.200 --> 0:20:16.359 But I feel like the effect of the Rock the 0:20:16.400 --> 0:20:20.119 Boat video and kind of what it represented like just 0:20:20.160 --> 0:20:25.000 the whole thing with the Leah's death flying to other locations, 0:20:25.160 --> 0:20:26.160 private planes. 0:20:25.880 --> 0:20:28.199 Da da da, Big Boxers, Dad on a boat on 0:20:28.240 --> 0:20:29.040 a yacht, Da da Da. 0:20:29.720 --> 0:20:32.199 I definitely remember a moment where that just kind of 0:20:33.440 --> 0:20:37.040 paused the whole entire industry for a second. So even 0:20:37.040 --> 0:20:38.800 though it wasn't like a direct thing where it's like, 0:20:39.440 --> 0:20:41.720 you know, like a nine to eleven thing that changes 0:20:41.760 --> 0:20:46.119 the world, or a January sixth thing like where you 0:20:46.160 --> 0:20:48.960 can literally see a tangible thing, but I kind of 0:20:49.119 --> 0:20:54.120 always wanted to know, like in the video world, was 0:20:54.119 --> 0:20:57.160 was that a moment that gave you personal pause. 0:20:56.920 --> 0:21:00.479 Like like your your soul, like your soul was like 0:21:00.600 --> 0:21:04.160 put on pause. And I think we all had been 0:21:04.200 --> 0:21:06.639 moving at one hundred miles an hour for so many 0:21:06.720 --> 0:21:10.239 years and have had all these relationships and were so 0:21:10.520 --> 0:21:15.359 deeply entrenched and you know, going for excellence that we 0:21:15.440 --> 0:21:21.400 didn't realize the you know, how precious life is right 0:21:21.840 --> 0:21:27.919 because we were so indexed on working. An example is 0:21:28.440 --> 0:21:32.640 when the pandemic happened and I was home for three 0:21:32.680 --> 0:21:37.080 weeks and I was bugging out a little bit. I 0:21:37.160 --> 0:21:41.280 realized that I hadn't been anywhere for more than two 0:21:41.320 --> 0:21:46.480 weeks for twenty years, right, so I had to stop 0:21:46.520 --> 0:21:49.280 moving around. And I'm sure you guys went through that 0:21:49.400 --> 0:21:52.679 same thing. And to your point, you know, when that 0:21:52.920 --> 0:21:56.720 video happened and all those things happened, there was a 0:21:56.840 --> 0:22:02.159 real the party will almost stopped, right, There was a 0:22:02.280 --> 0:22:06.040 there was a halt, and because we all felt like 0:22:06.040 --> 0:22:10.040 a Leo was our little sister, a little cousin, and 0:22:10.119 --> 0:22:12.040 we loved it. It was a different kind of a 0:22:12.080 --> 0:22:15.520 feeling when that happened. And and you know, we're all 0:22:15.600 --> 0:22:18.959 jumping on planes and jumping on private planes and we're moving. 0:22:19.119 --> 0:22:22.040 You know, we've been to I've been to Brazil to shoot. 0:22:22.280 --> 0:22:27.760 We never really took We never thought about it about 0:22:28.040 --> 0:22:31.080 safety and what could happen. And I think, look, that's 0:22:31.119 --> 0:22:34.480 just something that happens in life. And I think it 0:22:34.640 --> 0:22:39.159 just was business as usual for us to achieve a 0:22:39.200 --> 0:22:41.520 great art form. I think we're hype. I think that 0:22:41.920 --> 0:22:46.040 video is beautiful, and I think, of course, like you know, 0:22:46.920 --> 0:22:49.320 you know, Hype himself as an artist wasn't only a 0:22:49.440 --> 0:22:52.880 music video director. He was like our north star, and 0:22:52.960 --> 0:22:56.080 he was tight with these artists and had relationships with 0:22:56.119 --> 0:22:59.719 these artists in a way where you know, hi Williams 0:22:59.760 --> 0:23:02.880 video could change in life as a musical artist, right, 0:23:03.400 --> 0:23:07.400 And it just felt like all of our business, all 0:23:07.400 --> 0:23:11.080 of our craft, had took a moment to breathe in 0:23:11.880 --> 0:23:14.520 when that happened. So I agree with you, man, it 0:23:14.600 --> 0:23:19.440 was It was tragic and beautiful at the same time. 0:23:24.400 --> 0:23:26.800 I always wanted to know, if you can name a name, 0:23:27.359 --> 0:23:30.040 what artist always makes you go back to the drawing 0:23:30.119 --> 0:23:37.000 board and re does Like for me, I will say 0:23:37.040 --> 0:23:39.840 that I was in a situation where I know never 0:23:39.880 --> 0:23:41.560 to give the song that I want to give Jill 0:23:41.600 --> 0:23:46.800 Scott or ericabad As the first song, like I actually 0:23:46.800 --> 0:23:50.960 create and sometimes trek like it's always it's almost like 0:23:51.000 --> 0:23:53.000 I had to do a horse and pony show, like 0:23:53.400 --> 0:23:55.600 all right, here's the song, and it's not the song, 0:23:55.800 --> 0:23:57.119 and then I'll do a second song. All right, I 0:23:57.440 --> 0:23:59.639 tried hard, here's the song, and then I'll do the 0:23:59.680 --> 0:24:00.840 song really want to give you. 0:24:00.880 --> 0:24:03.040 All right, here's a song that like, yeah, this is 0:24:03.040 --> 0:24:03.400 the one. 0:24:04.280 --> 0:24:07.080 So is there an artist that always makes you go 0:24:07.160 --> 0:24:08.680 back to the drawing board to read I don't like 0:24:08.760 --> 0:24:11.840 this treatment. I don't like this treatment or where you 0:24:11.960 --> 0:24:15.560