Speaker 1: Yeah, my league Bucks has how the knowledge you want?
Speaker 1: My league Bucks has how the knowledge you need? My
Speaker 1: league Bucks yead they have all the books said the
Speaker 1: whole wide world want to read my lead Bucks. Welcome back, everybody.
Speaker 1: I know you missed me. I know I missed you.
Speaker 1: Leech's Bookshop. I'm gonna kick off this new season with fire.
Speaker 1: We're coming back strong. We're gonna be talking about Spike Lee,
Speaker 1: the legendary Spike Lee. He's iconic, he's legendary. He's from
Speaker 1: Booklet and he's coming all the way to l A
Speaker 1: to do a book signing at Malik Books. And four
Speaker 1: hundred people came out strong. We took over the Westfield Mall.
Speaker 1: The line went from Leak Books all the way down
Speaker 1: to Target. The people came out to show Spike Lee
Speaker 1: how much we appreciate the thirty five years of work
Speaker 1: that he's put in, because this is what that book
Speaker 1: is all about, called Spike. Spike Lee's new book, Spike
Speaker 1: features thirty five years of his life as a filmmaker, director,
Speaker 1: and as a family man. The pictures are incredible, They
Speaker 1: are illuminating. They show the love and passion and genius
Speaker 1: and just success of Spike Lee. This is a beautiful
Speaker 1: coffee table book and it's a musk because the impact
Speaker 1: that Spike Lee has made has inspired the next generation
Speaker 1: of film makers. And so we had a wonderful, huge,
Speaker 1: successful event on December eighteen, and I got a chance
Speaker 1: to talk to Spike Lee at the event to offer
Speaker 1: some of his insights in terms of his top film,
Speaker 1: his top books, some of his inspiration and what Spike
Speaker 1: Lee had to say about me leaf Books. We got
Speaker 1: it firsthand and it's coming to you on this episode
Speaker 1: spike Lee in the House. Also featured on this episode
Speaker 1: is none other than the iconic actor Terry Crews who
Speaker 1: happens to pop up at the book signing at Mileage
Speaker 1: Books and he talked to us about the impact that
Speaker 1: Spike Lee made on him that helped him in his
Speaker 1: career and he shares his insights about spike Lee Jenes.
Speaker 1: So we have that as well part of this episode.
Speaker 1: So stay tuned for the next episode of spike Lee
Speaker 1: in the House. Hello everybody, We'll gets books in the
Speaker 1: high sad louder than that, we're giving him the l
Speaker 1: A love Spike Lee. He's a legend, he's an Oscar
Speaker 1: winner and he's had league books now, so give it up.
Speaker 1: You have a loss. Thank you for sharing your blessing.
Speaker 1: All the work is beautiful. You put over thirty five
Speaker 1: years of excellence and setting the standard high for the
Speaker 1: next generation. You want to thank you, and if you
Speaker 1: have some few words you want to share with our
Speaker 1: group is gathering to appreciate it. I want to thank
Speaker 1: you first of all for having me here. Give up though, peoples,
Speaker 1: come on, yeah, I just want to say from the
Speaker 1: very first film, from the jump she used to have
Speaker 1: back in six l A has been supported so today.
Speaker 1: So from the beginning, I've always got love from l A,
Speaker 1: always have lovel A, none of that East coast, West coast,
Speaker 1: and I've never happened with me. It's been loved from
Speaker 1: the get go. This is my first time being Link bookstore,
Speaker 1: and it's outstanding. The selection of the literature all from
Speaker 1: people call up, specifically black folks, and if you in
Speaker 1: the Los Angeles area, you need to come out here
Speaker 1: and support it. You gotta read books, gotta read, gotta read.
Speaker 1: And also there's a massive children's section, so parents, you
Speaker 1: know you can start reading books. In fact, my wife
Speaker 1: and I wrote children books who are here that are
Speaker 1: on the show Please Please, Baby, Please, Please, Puppy Please,
Speaker 1: written by Tanya and Spike Lead. So we gotta start reading.
Speaker 1: You know, parents, you just can't let your kids sit
Speaker 1: in front of TV and watch eight hours of stuff.
Speaker 1: You know, some of that time you have to make
Speaker 1: sure sit there, rusty butts down, and they gotta read it.
Speaker 1: They gotta read it. We gotta read. And the books
Speaker 1: right here, the books right here, the books right here.
Speaker 1: Piece of Love, Spike Lead Children a treach. I'm glad
Speaker 1: you plugged that. I'm glad you plugged that because that's
Speaker 1: what we believe. We're trying to change the generation, just
Speaker 1: like you change the generation through your sin lithography. You
Speaker 1: got no choice, no choice, no choice. We gotta write
Speaker 1: our story. We gotta tell our story. You have a
Speaker 1: favorite book, my favorite book I read in junior high
Speaker 1: school and it's still my favorite book today. Go to
Speaker 1: biography of Malcolm x Is told to Alex Haley. Yes, yes,
Speaker 1: that's a stone. Second list on the list, song of
Speaker 1: Solomon Tony Warres. Two classics, great classics. I read both
Speaker 1: of those and I yes you heard. Two favorite books
Speaker 1: by Spike Lee did autobiograp Malcolm X. That's an incredible book. Incredible.
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm sure you read that before you wrote
Speaker 1: the script, Malcolm X. He read. I read that book
Speaker 1: every year. What was the most favorite scene and when
Speaker 1: you made that movie? Yes, I mean there were so
Speaker 1: many great scenes in that Definitely anything with Denzel in it.
Speaker 1: When you approached Denzel for that movie, no, no, no approach, approach,
Speaker 1: approach when you're approaching for the movie, Malcolm X. That's
Speaker 1: not the story. That's not the story. Then there was
Speaker 1: a part of Malcolm X BIS and part of Norman
Speaker 1: Jews are gonna direct its row? I was Denzil there
Speaker 1: wave of part. See it's all lined up, easy, come up.
Speaker 1: We know why you called a spike. What inspired you
Speaker 1: to write this wonderful pictorial of your career? I mean
Speaker 1: the three five years of pictures life. How has the
Speaker 1: tour been for you? Wonderful? Brooklyn, DC. Now three two days,
Speaker 1: one more day in l A. Video name altogether it's
Speaker 1: gonna use hit out here in l A. We was
Speaker 1: head to two thirty in the morning putting these balloons
Speaker 1: and poach yourself. You wanted to make you feel at home.
Speaker 1: You know we love you, bro. I thought, llow love
Speaker 1: not industry you and it's so inspiring because it's the
Speaker 1: number one form of influence. Seven and TV and TV. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I kind of see them both as the same even
Speaker 1: though they got two different business models, but they influenced
Speaker 1: to let you know, the future, the next generation. What
Speaker 1: inspired you to want to be a film the film director?
Speaker 1: I just went to see a lot of films of kids.
Speaker 1: You have a favorite film on the Waterfront. On the Waterfront,
Speaker 1: you have seen it. I haven't seen Marlon Brando. Marlon Brando.
Speaker 1: I mean he's a classic. Actually, that's for sure. I
Speaker 1: need to see that. What's some of the pioneering techniques
Speaker 1: that you used over the years. It's kind of brand
Speaker 1: you know, your image and unit double dollar shot. With
Speaker 1: the double dollar shot, that's the signature shot. You know
Speaker 1: what you're talking about, right, Yes, that's the one. It
Speaker 1: makes it like they walk into something like that. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I know, to do the right thing one of my favorites.
Speaker 1: We'll do that, dude, the right thing. Though we used
Speaker 1: that shot. The best use of that shot was in
Speaker 1: Malcolm X. I just played all of our ball room
Speaker 1: when uh Sam Cook song changing them Yeah, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: it's crazy how you can watch a movie over and
Speaker 1: over and see something different, the good ones. Yes, I see,
Speaker 1: I mean Margola may see that every year. You know that.
Speaker 1: That's one of the classes. Denzel. Yeah, one of the
Speaker 1: greatest actors, no doubt. What's some of your projects you're
Speaker 1: working on now? It's coming up? Working on? Really I
Speaker 1: don't like to talk about that was happening. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: So that was my conversation I was able to have
Speaker 1: with Spike Lee throughout the course of the book signing.
Speaker 1: And during the course of this conversation, we found out
Speaker 1: what Spike lee favorite books were The autobiographer Margola max
Speaker 1: Is Told by Alex Helly and Songa Solomon by Tony Morrison.
Speaker 1: We also found out what his favorite film is by
Speaker 1: Marlon Brando, and we found out what his famous double
Speaker 1: dolly technique he uses when you're floating on the air
Speaker 1: in his movies that he pioneered. When we was also
Speaker 1: able to get a public service announcement how Fike Lee
Speaker 1: said our beautiful Milik bookstore is, how we have a
Speaker 1: large selection of children books, how we have a robust
Speaker 1: and beautiful bookstore, and how he invited people to come
Speaker 1: on out to Malik books in the Westfield Covi City
Speaker 1: Mall and also at the ball when he was crush.
Speaker 1: So that is some of the things that we were
Speaker 1: able to get out of that wonderful conversation with Spike Lee.
Speaker 1: And while we were having this wonderful conversation and book signing,
Speaker 1: guess who showed up. This guy is larger than life.
Speaker 1: He's a comedian as an actor, he's full of just charm.
Speaker 1: This is Terry Crews. He popped up at the book
Speaker 1: signing to get his book person to autograph, and he
Speaker 1: had a few words to share about the impact Spike
Speaker 1: Lee had on his life and his career. I would
Speaker 1: not be here if it was not for him writing
Speaker 1: his books. And this is belief. Listen. He wrote his
Speaker 1: book about she's got to have his making or She's
Speaker 1: got to have it, And it changed my life to
Speaker 1: let me know that I could do it, and let
Speaker 1: me know I could risk at all and move to
Speaker 1: l A and tried for this thing because he was
Speaker 1: the gatekeeper let everybody know it was possible. And listen
Speaker 1: to the fact that he keeps writing, the fact that
Speaker 1: he keeps going, the fact that he's absolutely incredible. There
Speaker 1: would not be any career for me if it was
Speaker 1: not for this. Man. Thank you, thank you for everything.
Speaker 1: I love you. Okay, I'm sweating because I'm so nervous.
Speaker 1: This is this is just so good. But how you
Speaker 1: been extreme? The line is all the way, not all
Speaker 1: the way. Man. We had to put them and put
Speaker 1: him in an overflow. I know in the community we're
Speaker 1: showing Spike Man, and they love Man. You know, you know,
Speaker 1: like you saying, impacted the industry, man impacted the generation.
Speaker 1: I told you that when I met you. You told
Speaker 1: me that. Yes, yes, like I said, it wouldn't be
Speaker 1: so many people that would not be here. One for him. Man,
Speaker 1: he wrote that book and I was like, what right,
Speaker 1: And I read it and I said, we can do this. Yes, yes, yes,
Speaker 1: it's merchant in and all the things, everything everything. It's
Speaker 1: always been a marketing master. Yes, you got the market
Speaker 1: you know, just everything about it, man, because it's all
Speaker 1: It's not about just making it's about selling it. Yeah,
Speaker 1: what I'm saying. So that's a part of the that's
Speaker 1: a part of the bill. Is a lot of people
Speaker 1: forget yeah, because it's half of it. Yeah, I mean,
Speaker 1: you gotta get it out. You gotta gotta find a
Speaker 1: way for everybody understand. Yes, yes, yeah, yeah, I just
Speaker 1: love that he started with the T shirts and the hats,
Speaker 1: and I remember having no you know, back in the day,
Speaker 1: that was it. I took everything. Yeah, that was like
Speaker 1: the master marketing and all the way. They wouldn't be no,
Speaker 1: I mean to be honest, the Jordan brand wouldn't be
Speaker 1: what it was, sing him. Yeah. That picture in here too,
Speaker 1: because I know that that isn't fact that in the
Speaker 1: basketball industry. You know, people don't know he effected everything
Speaker 1: from sports culture, film, tell all this stuff. Man, it
Speaker 1: came out of it, right because I do ideas his mind, right, Yeah,
Speaker 1: that's crazy. Yeah, And I love to tell the story
Speaker 1: all right. His grandmother gave him the first bits of
Speaker 1: money to start, and he ended up losing it on
Speaker 1: a movie called The Message Back, and he had to
Speaker 1: go back to apologize, and she dug up some more
Speaker 1: money so he could do She's got to have it,
Speaker 1: imagine to lose that money and not and then but
Speaker 1: still keep going, right, Yes, that's not and then that's
Speaker 1: perseverance and it's fine. The proof is is that sometimes
Speaker 1: you might fail right right, right, but don't stop it
Speaker 1: because it's all in the faith, you know, the lessons
Speaker 1: it's coming exactly. But a lot of people just quit
Speaker 1: right there, but he never quit right and that's one
Speaker 1: reason why I was that right. Yeah, that's opportunity, open
Speaker 1: doors and any open doors, but I love it. Never
Speaker 1: one of our guests at the book signing, it's a
Speaker 1: young lady by the name of Tina Sanpy. She's a
Speaker 1: community activist and she's known in the social media world
Speaker 1: it's Saussing girl. She got the pass to the streets
Speaker 1: in her heart, to the community, and she got a
Speaker 1: chance to expike Lee. A very important question regarding funding
Speaker 1: as it relates to films and in in that business,
Speaker 1: because I think that's very important information. You know a
Speaker 1: lot of people have ideas, but how do you get
Speaker 1: that idea funded? So she happens to be able to
Speaker 1: ex spoke lead that directly. What advice would you give
Speaker 1: to um independent filmmakers that are seeking funding finances? One
Speaker 1: of the hardest things, the hurdles when you're filmmaker, especially
Speaker 1: independent filmmaker, So you just gotta yeah, it's it's this
Speaker 1: industry is hard to a f You just gotta make
Speaker 1: it work. By Book of crook. You know, you gotta
Speaker 1: just gotta make it work. I mean, if you independent
Speaker 1: filmmaker and you're writing a script, it's gonna cause twenty
Speaker 1: million dollars. Come on, now, you know independent centema. You know,
Speaker 1: if you do your thing, you'll you get to that
Speaker 1: point directly. Like my first film was unders In the
Speaker 1: five thousand dollars and I couldn't do anything more than that. Really,
Speaker 1: if people really follow you know, the course of my career,
Speaker 1: that that's like a map, roadmap how to do it?
Speaker 1: Got it, sir? Thanks for listening to Malik's Bookshow, where
Speaker 1: topics on the shelf, our books, culture, and community. Be
Speaker 1: sure to subscribe and leave me a review. Check out
Speaker 1: my instagram at Milik Books. See you next time.