1 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: Pushkin. Just a quick note here. You can listen to 2 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:16,520 Speaker 1: all of the music mentioned in this episode on our playlist, 3 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:18,599 Speaker 1: which you can find a link to in the show 4 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: notes for licensing reasons. Each time a song is referenced 5 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:27,640 Speaker 1: in this episode, you'll hear this sound effect. All right, 6 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:32,000 Speaker 1: enjoyed the episode. My name is Malcolm Gladwell. Welcome to 7 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: Broken Record. You've probably heard that riff before. Producer now Rogers. 8 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:40,159 Speaker 1: He's made so many of the classic hits for the 9 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:45,839 Speaker 1: last forty years, Good Times, the Freak, Everybody Dance. He 10 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 1: collaborated with Dinnah Ross, like a Virgin with Madonna, Get 11 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 1: Lucky by Daft Punk. He's produced everyone Deran, Duran, Grace Jones, 12 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: the Thompson Twins, Lady Gagoff. For goodness sake, he's a legend. 13 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 1: Here's what you might not know about now Rogers. His 14 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:04,360 Speaker 1: mother was just thirteen when he was born. Both his 15 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: parents were drug addicts. He sniffed glue starting at age 16 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: ten and sometimes slept in flop houses, but he found 17 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: salvation in music, first in a school band, then as 18 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 1: a jazz guitarist, and finally as a partner in Chic 19 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: with a great bass player Bernard Edwards on this episode 20 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:27,119 Speaker 1: A Broken Record Now Rogers sits down with my podcast 21 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:30,840 Speaker 1: partner Bruce Hadlam at New York's Power Station studio in 22 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: Hell's Kitchen, in the very same room where he and 23 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 1: David Bowie created the album Let's Dance. That's the original guitar. Yeah, 24 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 1: this is it. You still only use one guitar? This 25 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 1: is it? I only use one guitar. Do you only 26 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 1: have one? No, I've about two hundred. Okay, do you 27 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: have nice hollow bodies? Mainly I have guitar. Yeah, I'm 28 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: just going to make sure Diangelico the Cristo's L five 29 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 1: Super four hundred. But this one was win. Did you 30 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: buy that nineteen seventy three? Wow? What wasn't It wasn't 31 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: an expensive one? You put it in? No, it's cheap. 32 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: I didn't actually, So I traded my jazz guitar and 33 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 1: they gave me this and three hundred dollars. So if 34 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy three, imagine them giving me three hundred 35 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: dollars plus a strap, Like what was a jazz guitar 36 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 1: worth in those days? Who I mean, even though it's 37 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 1: a strat, it's not like any other strap Yeah, it's 38 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: light as a feather. It's thinner than anything you've ever seen. 39 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,839 Speaker 1: It's the nineteenth strat that they made in nineteen fifty nine. 40 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 1: Look at Look at the difference, and just look at 41 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: Look at the thickness of the headstock there. Just check 42 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: it out. Look at that. You can see it all 43 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 1: the way from there. Look at this one. Big hands though, 44 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 1: you don't need a you don't need a thin Wow, No, 45 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:50,080 Speaker 1: I got small hands? You do? Oh man, Jesus. You 46 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: ever see real guitar players like these guys like Steve 47 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 1: Y and Shit and Hendrix. Like for me when I'm 48 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 1: when I'm playing classical guitar, I really have to get 49 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 1: this stretch in certain pieces. That's a big deal for me. 50 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:07,840 Speaker 1: Like I have my fingerway down here. Most classical guitar 51 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: players can still you can still see some of their thumb. 52 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: But me, you still practice classical. Not really, no point. 53 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 1: But I just did an orchestral version of Let's Dance, 54 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:25,119 Speaker 1: and I had an idea of playing classical guitar, but 55 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:28,840 Speaker 1: it felt better to have Bully singing with the strings. 56 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:32,079 Speaker 1: Was amazing. Oh yeah, because unbelievable. I want to ask 57 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 1: you about all the songs but let's start with Let's Dance. 58 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 1: I want you to tell me about the first time 59 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: you heard the song. Yeah, the very first time David 60 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 1: played Let's Dance for me. He walked into my bedroom. 61 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 1: We were in Switzerland, and I believe that he had 62 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 1: said he had just written it the night before, and 63 00:03:55,720 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: he walked into the studio and he played something something 64 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: that sounded like that, and it was like and I 65 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 1: was like, that was and he was into it, and 66 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:17,680 Speaker 1: he had the lyrics as well well. He just he 67 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 1: was singing very true to it, like he knew what 68 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:26,839 Speaker 1: it was. He was singing, it's almost hard for me 69 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:39,440 Speaker 1: to do it. What was he doing? No, I did that. 70 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 1: That's what he's going, Let's dance the radio some like, 71 00:04:55,000 --> 00:05:01,840 Speaker 1: that's way, that's up your face. And then I asked 72 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:04,560 Speaker 1: him if I could do an arrangement. So I fooled 73 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:11,240 Speaker 1: around with it. I was going and I knew that 74 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 1: he liked jazz, so I could put in the jazzy 75 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,040 Speaker 1: chord and I could tell that he would like it 76 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:18,640 Speaker 1: right away. But then when I moved it from A 77 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 1: minor up to B flat, it actually had a different vibe. 78 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:26,360 Speaker 1: It it got brighter and like and funkier sounding, so 79 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 1: I started going, you can already hear it like, oh, 80 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: and by the way, when I started playing it, I 81 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 1: only imitated his just for a few bars. I started going, 82 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:51,480 Speaker 1: but that still sounded dark, So then I moved it 83 00:05:51,560 --> 00:06:15,000 Speaker 1: up and octave and I went. But because of the 84 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 1: whole disco sucks backlash, I didn't want to do chucking 85 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:22,479 Speaker 1: on David Police album, So you ended up slowing it 86 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:28,000 Speaker 1: down after that, yeah, and only playing like So, if 87 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:30,520 Speaker 1: you hear the demo that I did in Switzerland, I'm chucking. 88 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: I'm actually playing, you know, when you hear the original demo, 89 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: I'm doing the not Roger's thing. But when we got 90 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:46,480 Speaker 1: to America, I made a conscious decision not to do 91 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,920 Speaker 1: that and had the horns sort of doubling me and 92 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 1: giving it some punch. And when Bowie and I walked 93 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:59,400 Speaker 1: into the studio, Bob Clearmountain was getting the different delays 94 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 1: that he was going to use on the various instruments. 95 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:04,640 Speaker 1: On the drums, so we wound up having a multi 96 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 1: tap delay happened on the guitar. So even though all 97 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:13,280 Speaker 1: I played was the rhythm that you hear, winds up 98 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:18,720 Speaker 1: sounding something like now, let's dance as many fans. It 99 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: has one very famous fan who always wanted to play 100 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:25,480 Speaker 1: with you. Oh my god, Prince, is that what you? 101 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:30,680 Speaker 1: Oh my god? Yeah, So for years, I mean, I 102 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:34,320 Speaker 1: can't even tell you how many years, maybe since the 103 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:39,040 Speaker 1: first time I met Prince. He had asked me to 104 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 1: play Let's Dance live together somewhere. So we had played 105 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: live together in London at a little club in Camden, 106 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:52,320 Speaker 1: and we did not play Let's Dance that night, I'm 107 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:55,239 Speaker 1: positive of that. We played a bunch of James Brown 108 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 1: songs and maybe the Ohio Players and some funk songs. 109 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:02,640 Speaker 1: When I walked into the club, he was playing with 110 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:05,559 Speaker 1: Ron Wood and I don't know what they were playing. 111 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:09,720 Speaker 1: I don't remember. I was really pretty high in those days, 112 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:12,480 Speaker 1: but they were probably playing the blues or jamming on 113 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:15,560 Speaker 1: a popular rock song Sunchina Your Love or something like that. 114 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,920 Speaker 1: And then when I walked in, Prince said, whoa, now, Rogers, 115 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 1: Now this man has the funk, and he gave me 116 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 1: his guitar and he sat down on the keyboards and 117 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:27,720 Speaker 1: we just jammed for like I don't even know how long, 118 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:30,240 Speaker 1: but that felt like one of the most amazing nights 119 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:34,720 Speaker 1: of my life. And I remember calling the concierge at 120 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:37,560 Speaker 1: my hotel and asking him if they had purple roses. 121 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:40,240 Speaker 1: I didn't know if there was, if there was anything 122 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:43,439 Speaker 1: as the purple rose, if they existed. So I said, 123 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 1: figure out a way to make them purple, either spray 124 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:48,439 Speaker 1: paint them or put food coloring in them and send. 125 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:51,920 Speaker 1: I don't know, I was pretty absurd in those days. 126 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:55,200 Speaker 1: I may have sent like a hundred purple roses to 127 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:59,520 Speaker 1: Prince's room. Nice, that's crazy, But you ended up playing 128 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:05,080 Speaker 1: the song. Yeah, eventually. So years later he tricked me 129 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:09,640 Speaker 1: a couple of times. We both were living sort of 130 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:12,480 Speaker 1: in Turks and Keikos a bit. He bought a house 131 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 1: down there and I was part of a resort project 132 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:20,880 Speaker 1: and one New Year's Eve we played and oh it 133 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:24,560 Speaker 1: was cool, and John bon Jovi came when John got 134 00:09:24,559 --> 00:09:27,280 Speaker 1: his start here. So John bon Jovi and Prince came 135 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: to the show, and Prince said to me, oh, wow, 136 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:31,360 Speaker 1: tonight is the night. Now I'll get to play. Let's 137 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:34,560 Speaker 1: stand with you in the band. So we set set 138 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:36,920 Speaker 1: up his vamp and everything, did the whole soundcheck. We're 139 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:39,520 Speaker 1: ready for Prince to come out and play New Year's Eve. 140 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 1: The place is crowded, everybody's having a good time, and 141 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 1: we're doing our thing, and I get into the middle 142 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:47,320 Speaker 1: of the set and I say, ladies and gentlemen, we 143 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:49,679 Speaker 1: have a special guest coming out tonight. I think you're 144 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 1: gonna love this, Prince, and I introduced him and the band. 145 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:56,079 Speaker 1: We're just standing there, No Prince. He doesn't come out, 146 00:09:56,400 --> 00:09:58,960 Speaker 1: and I keep introducing it and I go, uh, Prince. 147 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 1: I don't know if I start screaming friends, because I 148 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:06,559 Speaker 1: knew he was there, and someone told me that he 149 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:10,840 Speaker 1: actually ran and hid because he wouldn't come out. So 150 00:10:11,559 --> 00:10:13,480 Speaker 1: after a while we just said to hell with him. 151 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:15,640 Speaker 1: We played the song, and then at the end of 152 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:18,040 Speaker 1: the night, I didn't even ask him. Maybe I asked 153 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:19,760 Speaker 1: him why he didn't come out or something I don't 154 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:21,920 Speaker 1: even remember, but we wound up playing. It was great, 155 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:24,200 Speaker 1: everybody had a good time, but I was embarrassed as hell. 156 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:28,120 Speaker 1: So now fast forward a year or two later and 157 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:32,360 Speaker 1: we're playing a show with him at the Superdome in 158 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:36,080 Speaker 1: Louisiana in New Orleans, and he told us that he 159 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:38,320 Speaker 1: was going to come out. Now we're in front like 160 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:42,000 Speaker 1: seventy thousand people, and I'm not going to be this 161 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:45,560 Speaker 1: idiot and make the same mistake again, and ladies and gentlemen, 162 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:47,920 Speaker 1: we have a special guest for you tonight. Friends. And 163 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:49,560 Speaker 1: then he doesn't come out. And I'm standing in front 164 00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:51,800 Speaker 1: of seventy thousand people and he doesn't come out. At 165 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: least at the resort, there was only about two hundred, 166 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:58,199 Speaker 1: so I didn't introduce him, even though we went through 167 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:00,600 Speaker 1: the same steps we did soundcheck. Yet this am there 168 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:03,640 Speaker 1: in a whole bit. So when we get into the 169 00:11:03,679 --> 00:11:05,720 Speaker 1: part of the song where Ralph tells the whole crowd 170 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:08,360 Speaker 1: to jump, jump, Jump, I'm standing on the stage and 171 00:11:08,360 --> 00:11:10,719 Speaker 1: I'm jumping up and down, and then I hear this 172 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:16,320 Speaker 1: crowd like, give this loud roar, and I look to 173 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:19,439 Speaker 1: my left and there's Prince jumping with me, jumping up 174 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:22,120 Speaker 1: and holding his hand up in the air, and the 175 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:24,720 Speaker 1: crowd freaks out. And then we go into the next 176 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:27,120 Speaker 1: bit and he takes over and starts sewing and it's 177 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:30,640 Speaker 1: just killing. It's so good. So he did a little 178 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:32,920 Speaker 1: bit of like the sort of Stevie ray Vaughn kind 179 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:35,480 Speaker 1: of thing, but then he went into like just chucking 180 00:11:35,559 --> 00:11:38,040 Speaker 1: with me, and that's when he got nuts. And you 181 00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:40,560 Speaker 1: can go online and see it. It's on YouTube. It's 182 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:45,120 Speaker 1: so great. More of Bruce and Nile Rogers. After this break, 183 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:54,960 Speaker 1: we're back with Bruce Headlam Now Rogers and Chic. Now. 184 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:57,959 Speaker 1: I looked up and this is for the music nerds 185 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:00,960 Speaker 1: out there. I looked up the chords too, everybody dance, 186 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:06,680 Speaker 1: and it's a C minor seventh, B flat eleven, a 187 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:08,760 Speaker 1: B flat eleven. I should let you tell the chords, 188 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:10,800 Speaker 1: you know, the chords being an idea C minus seven 189 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:14,320 Speaker 1: B flat eleven to C eleven A flat major seven. 190 00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:17,839 Speaker 1: Now this chord you can spell it a number of ways. 191 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:22,080 Speaker 1: I like to think of it as a minor seven 192 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:26,880 Speaker 1: with a raise five, or a minor a minor seven 193 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:30,440 Speaker 1: flat thirteen. But most people would probably call it a 194 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:34,720 Speaker 1: D minor eleven with an A in the base to 195 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:38,480 Speaker 1: a B flat eleven. And the reason for that is 196 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:46,880 Speaker 1: because I wanted to have this chromatic movement. So, okay, 197 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:49,720 Speaker 1: you're a serious jazz guy. Nobody else would do it 198 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:52,360 Speaker 1: that way? Do you do? You do all your songs 199 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:55,680 Speaker 1: that way? Is it that kind of chording? I like 200 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:57,240 Speaker 1: to think so, I mean, look at let's dance. How 201 00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:00,520 Speaker 1: cool that is? I mean, that's that I guess that's 202 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:04,240 Speaker 1: somewhat of a trademark of mine, putting different types of 203 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:09,840 Speaker 1: jazzy chords and cool voicings in pop songs. You know, 204 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:12,360 Speaker 1: look at Diana Ross and I'm Coming Out and all 205 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:15,439 Speaker 1: that stuff. And you also, was everybody dance the first 206 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:21,199 Speaker 1: time you used a break down? No, breakdowns were actually 207 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:26,400 Speaker 1: quite common in our live shows. It was just the 208 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:30,400 Speaker 1: first time I did it when I was recording and 209 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:33,480 Speaker 1: I was the boss. Every other time that I recorded, 210 00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:35,480 Speaker 1: I was not the boss, so I didn't have any 211 00:13:35,480 --> 00:13:37,960 Speaker 1: control over what it. Yeah, and was that from jazz? 212 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:40,839 Speaker 1: Like breaking it down like that? It's an R and 213 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:43,720 Speaker 1: B thing. It's an R and B disco thing. It's 214 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:45,920 Speaker 1: a common R and B move. You would hear a 215 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:48,120 Speaker 1: lot of R and B bands breakdown and go now, 216 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:50,160 Speaker 1: I want to talk to ladies for me, or I 217 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:52,080 Speaker 1: want to talk to you, or like earth Wind and 218 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:53,920 Speaker 1: Fire when you hear them say pop, I want to 219 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:56,040 Speaker 1: talk to you about things I see every day, you know, 220 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:59,200 Speaker 1: and they break down on the record. It's all about 221 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:02,040 Speaker 1: So it was very common in R and ME to 222 00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:05,560 Speaker 1: do that. I want to talk a bit about good times. 223 00:14:05,679 --> 00:14:09,199 Speaker 1: You said in an interview once that all your songs 224 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:12,800 Speaker 1: are nonfiction, absolutely, and they're often about things that you 225 00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:16,760 Speaker 1: want to see happen. Can you tell me what good Times? Yes? 226 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:22,840 Speaker 1: So when we wrote Good Times in America at the time, 227 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:27,280 Speaker 1: we were in the midst of the greatest financial recession 228 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:30,880 Speaker 1: since the Great Depression. We had gas rationing, you know, 229 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:34,120 Speaker 1: I mean if you lived in New York State, I remember, 230 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:36,840 Speaker 1: if you're a license plate ended with an even number, 231 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:38,720 Speaker 1: you can get gas on a certain day or an 232 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:44,600 Speaker 1: odd number of a different day. So times were sort 233 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:48,240 Speaker 1: of hard, and we thought, well, what other period in 234 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:52,360 Speaker 1: American history seemed to feel like that? And we went, Wow, 235 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:56,440 Speaker 1: you know, the Roaring twenties and the you know, the 236 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:00,360 Speaker 1: Great Depression. In that sort of jazz, you're a whole 237 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:03,920 Speaker 1: thing about dance marathons. And that's why we came up 238 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:06,280 Speaker 1: with the whole yas Yauza thing on dancing stance. The 239 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 1: whole concept of the first few Chic albums was all 240 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:15,120 Speaker 1: jazz era stuff and on risque. When we finally did 241 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:18,560 Speaker 1: Good Times, we were confident enough in our band to 242 00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:23,000 Speaker 1: now sort of expose our formula to the world. So 243 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:28,360 Speaker 1: the lyrics to Good Times were sort of ripped off 244 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:32,720 Speaker 1: from Al Jolson and the song that they used to 245 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:37,760 Speaker 1: sing after Prohibition when they were happy, Dang I hand 246 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:44,080 Speaker 1: run and then drink time and evening about quarter to nine, 247 00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:47,920 Speaker 1: So we go right, it was cool, We start right 248 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: with it, so we are obvious. Good Times came out 249 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:56,040 Speaker 1: at a particular political time because the Disco Sucks movement 250 00:15:56,080 --> 00:16:00,840 Speaker 1: had come that had the riot in Chicago summer of 251 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:03,600 Speaker 1: seventy nine. What did that feel like for you? Well, 252 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:05,720 Speaker 1: it was really interesting because it was sort of like 253 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:11,000 Speaker 1: a bi phasic kind of feeling because when we found 254 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:13,880 Speaker 1: out about it, we were on an airplane flying from 255 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:19,000 Speaker 1: Europe back to America, so it happened while we were away, 256 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:22,480 Speaker 1: and we didn't think of ourselves as a disco band. 257 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:25,840 Speaker 1: I mean, listen to every album. We have ballads, everyone 258 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:30,040 Speaker 1: has an instrumental there's always a jazzy, you know type 259 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:33,520 Speaker 1: of thing. The Diana Ross album is incredibly as far 260 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:36,920 Speaker 1: as a composer's I got to say that that's really unique. 261 00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:39,840 Speaker 1: There's nothing I've ever written that sounds like that before 262 00:16:40,080 --> 00:16:44,080 Speaker 1: or after that was purely written for Diana Ross. I mean, 263 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:46,760 Speaker 1: you listen to a song like I'm coming Out, and 264 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:49,240 Speaker 1: I mean I have a fanfare in there, I mean, 265 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:53,440 Speaker 1: when we first saw Diana Ross Bernard walked with me 266 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:56,040 Speaker 1: and said, wow, look at that. She's like our black queen. 267 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:59,000 Speaker 1: So I kept that in my head and when I 268 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:02,680 Speaker 1: wrote that fan fare, I said to Diana, I said, look, 269 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:05,320 Speaker 1: you know when the President of the United States walks 270 00:17:05,359 --> 00:17:08,000 Speaker 1: in the room, they go Hail to the Chief. I said, 271 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:12,960 Speaker 1: this is your fanfare. I told her. I says, you 272 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:16,560 Speaker 1: will never start a show without this song ever the 273 00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:19,040 Speaker 1: rest of your life. And now we see thirty five 274 00:17:19,119 --> 00:17:21,520 Speaker 1: years later, I was right, you never start the show 275 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:23,800 Speaker 1: without playing I'm coming out at the beginning of her show. 276 00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:28,800 Speaker 1: Although one of your most famous songs, the Freak, is 277 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:32,560 Speaker 1: actually about being rejected at a disco. Correct, Can you 278 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:35,880 Speaker 1: tell that story? Qua? Yeah. So our first song, Everybody 279 00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:40,280 Speaker 1: Dance was the real sort of super cool club song 280 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:44,639 Speaker 1: on our first album. Even though Dance Dance Dance was 281 00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:48,040 Speaker 1: popular and was big on the radio and it was 282 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:52,359 Speaker 1: platinum twelve inch, I mean, it was huge. It was 283 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:57,760 Speaker 1: Everybody Dance that really secured our vibe as a cool, hip, 284 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:02,240 Speaker 1: underground dance group. And so Grace Jones had heard Everybody 285 00:18:02,359 --> 00:18:04,920 Speaker 1: Dance and she was a fan of that song, and 286 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:09,280 Speaker 1: she was thinking about having these two young new producers 287 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:13,200 Speaker 1: do what would then be her next album. She said 288 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:17,280 Speaker 1: that the only way we could truly understand her artistically 289 00:18:17,359 --> 00:18:19,720 Speaker 1: is to see her live show. Then we really would 290 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:22,919 Speaker 1: understand who Grace Jones is. But the problem was we 291 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:25,440 Speaker 1: had only spoken to her that one time. We never 292 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:28,440 Speaker 1: met her. We were on the phone. So Grace has 293 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:31,440 Speaker 1: a very unique accent. She's the only one on earth 294 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:34,359 Speaker 1: that sounds like that, and she says, so darling, but 295 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:36,480 Speaker 1: you go to the back door and you tell them 296 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:38,840 Speaker 1: your personal friends of miss Grace Jones and they would 297 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:41,960 Speaker 1: let you in. So we did that with that accent, 298 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:45,959 Speaker 1: and the guy slams the door in our faces. And 299 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,560 Speaker 1: while he's slamming the door, he's going, oh, fuck off, 300 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:50,840 Speaker 1: And we said no, no, no, no no. We keep kicking 301 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:52,960 Speaker 1: the door again because now we had to be above 302 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:55,080 Speaker 1: the level of the music. Now. Once we finally got 303 00:18:55,119 --> 00:18:58,040 Speaker 1: his attention, so we wanted to get him before he 304 00:18:58,119 --> 00:19:00,680 Speaker 1: walked away from the door. So we kicked really hard 305 00:19:01,119 --> 00:19:04,200 Speaker 1: and he said, you know, he reiterated what he had said, 306 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:06,840 Speaker 1: I told you to f off, So we knew we 307 00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:08,640 Speaker 1: weren't going to get in. It was New Year's Eve, 308 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:14,760 Speaker 1: seventy seven going into seventy eight, and we were walking 309 00:19:14,800 --> 00:19:17,600 Speaker 1: back to my apartment, which is on fifty second Street 310 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 1: between eighth and ninth, and to get there we had 311 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:22,800 Speaker 1: to pass a liquor store, so we bought two bottles 312 00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:24,879 Speaker 1: of Don Perignon, which in those days we called it 313 00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:28,560 Speaker 1: rock and roll mouthwash. We bought two bottles of DP, 314 00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:31,120 Speaker 1: and we went to my house and we downed them 315 00:19:31,160 --> 00:19:35,159 Speaker 1: so fast we got really lightheaded, and we turned his 316 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:42,040 Speaker 1: rejection phrase f off into freak out. We went well. 317 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:44,040 Speaker 1: When we first wrote it, we wrote a whole song 318 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:49,000 Speaker 1: using the original lyric and thinking of every situation where 319 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:52,520 Speaker 1: the appropriate response would be fuck off. So we're playing 320 00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:55,600 Speaker 1: no, no no, no, they if a cab driver and cut 321 00:19:55,640 --> 00:20:00,760 Speaker 1: you off, don't, don't fuck off. I remember saying if 322 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:04,080 Speaker 1: your mother asked you to do homework, fuck up, and 323 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:07,760 Speaker 1: we were into laughing, feeling great, and then finding my partner, 324 00:20:07,760 --> 00:20:12,880 Speaker 1: Bernard's a man you notice is happening and I'm like, well, Bernardo, 325 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:15,600 Speaker 1: you know this is two years before hip hop. We 326 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:19,000 Speaker 1: can't get you know, record on the radio that's got 327 00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:24,359 Speaker 1: the F bomb in it, But somehow we wound up 328 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:28,000 Speaker 1: would freak out. We'll have more of Bruce and now Rogers. 329 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:36,280 Speaker 1: After this break, we're back with Bruce Hadlam, now Rogers 330 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:41,200 Speaker 1: and Chic. You mentioned that you and Bernard didn't see 331 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:44,320 Speaker 1: yourselves as stars as front man, and you saw Chic 332 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:48,680 Speaker 1: very much as this organization. Yes, you've built this incredible career. 333 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:52,240 Speaker 1: You've had hits literally in every decade since you started 334 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:57,960 Speaker 1: by being this great collaborator. Why does collaboration seem to 335 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 1: mean more to you than being the front man? Because 336 00:21:01,359 --> 00:21:05,520 Speaker 1: as a composer, I write for ensembles, That's what I hear. 337 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:09,480 Speaker 1: The only time I could ever think of writing a 338 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:17,000 Speaker 1: composition that was actually recorded and performed for either a soloist, 339 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:21,040 Speaker 1: a solo instrument, or maybe a duet. It's just for 340 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:24,160 Speaker 1: films I can come into America. I write this queue 341 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 1: where they go the Royal Penis is glean your Highness, 342 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:30,840 Speaker 1: and it's just like a pan flute, you know, pan 343 00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:34,840 Speaker 1: flute and harp. And then in the movie called Soup 344 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:38,399 Speaker 1: for One, I do this thing called Tavern on the 345 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:43,399 Speaker 1: Green and it's just me playing classical guitar along with 346 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:49,000 Speaker 1: a Yamaha CSAD synthesizer with my keyboard player. But those 347 00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:51,719 Speaker 1: are the only duets that I've ever really recorded. Everything 348 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:54,240 Speaker 1: else is for a bunch of a room full of people. 349 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:57,680 Speaker 1: But in your autobiography, which I'm going to recommend everybody 350 00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:02,199 Speaker 1: because it's it really is the incredible life story, and 351 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:05,200 Speaker 1: it is it's sort of James Baldwin and Charles Dickens 352 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:08,840 Speaker 1: wrote a book together. It may start to approach your 353 00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:12,359 Speaker 1: You know, you had a very you come back to 354 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:17,680 Speaker 1: this a very lonely life. You're around your parents or 355 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:20,080 Speaker 1: your stepfather and your mother, whom you love dearly, but 356 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:22,840 Speaker 1: who would send you on bus rides across the country 357 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 1: by yourself, who often left you alone. And they were heroinautics. 358 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:28,719 Speaker 1: I mean they were that they were in pursuit of 359 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:33,120 Speaker 1: their number one love. And when when someone first tuned 360 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:35,359 Speaker 1: your guitar and you played I think a day a 361 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:37,560 Speaker 1: day in the life, right, and you thought I'm going 362 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:39,440 Speaker 1: to be Were you thinking I want to be a star? 363 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:43,879 Speaker 1: I want to be up on Sto no no. Prior 364 00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:47,600 Speaker 1: to that, I had only really played classical music, so 365 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:49,520 Speaker 1: I just wanted to be part of a symphony orchestra. 366 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:51,760 Speaker 1: I used to play the clarinet, which is funny now 367 00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:53,800 Speaker 1: because if I tried to play the clarinet, it would 368 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:57,680 Speaker 1: probably sound hysterical, but my dream when I was a 369 00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:00,359 Speaker 1: kid was to be a part of Maybe that's what 370 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:01,879 Speaker 1: it's all about it because I've always wanted to be 371 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:04,359 Speaker 1: part of an orchestra, to be part of an organization, 372 00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:08,879 Speaker 1: and because in a big symphony orchestra, basically you could hide, 373 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:11,399 Speaker 1: but you know every now and you might get a 374 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:15,240 Speaker 1: great solo, you know. So that was sort of my 375 00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:18,960 Speaker 1: dream growing up. I wanted to emulate my biological father, 376 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:22,800 Speaker 1: who was always just a percussionist with bands, who was 377 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:24,960 Speaker 1: never like the guy out front, like Tito punt there 378 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:29,800 Speaker 1: or something. But you like that sense of anonymity, yeah, 379 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:34,480 Speaker 1: because it was the way that I never felt attractive 380 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:38,480 Speaker 1: or anything like that. And when you looked at stars, 381 00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:41,399 Speaker 1: stars were always like, you know, they walk into the room, 382 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:43,600 Speaker 1: you know, you go. I remember I used to walk 383 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:46,480 Speaker 1: into a club with Madonna. Now I'm born in New York, 384 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:50,080 Speaker 1: knew every club owner in town, and I'd walk into 385 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:53,159 Speaker 1: a club with Madonna and she was relatively unknown and 386 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:55,800 Speaker 1: people go, hey, who's that girl with? Now who's that girl? 387 00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:58,640 Speaker 1: You hear a din like, who's that girl? Who's that girl? Now? 388 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:02,879 Speaker 1: Who's that girl? And she was unknown, but that's because 389 00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:05,280 Speaker 1: she was a star. She felt like a star from 390 00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:07,359 Speaker 1: the moment you met her. She You know, they just 391 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:10,439 Speaker 1: have that thing, Bowie, it's a star. He walks in 392 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:14,480 Speaker 1: the room and like wow, they just you know, you 393 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:17,240 Speaker 1: could feel it, so I knew. I never It's funny. 394 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:19,680 Speaker 1: I always laugh. I say, you know, if I walk 395 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:22,320 Speaker 1: into a room with Lady Gaga, people go, oh my God, 396 00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:24,680 Speaker 1: it is Lady God. Then he goes, wow God. Then 397 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:29,560 Speaker 1: he goes, hey, Nile, you want to be the hey 398 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:32,679 Speaker 1: Nile guy. I like, so like I've done, you know, 399 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:36,440 Speaker 1: maybe almost like I mean I heard the other day 400 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:39,600 Speaker 1: they said like fifteen thousand, eight hundred and fifty eight 401 00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:43,399 Speaker 1: recording something insane, but still like walk in the room, Hey, 402 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:48,920 Speaker 1: now you name man? How you doing? I think the 403 00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:51,800 Speaker 1: friend might beat me up. If you guys go any farther, 404 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:55,520 Speaker 1: then we're any and I would stay here all day. 405 00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:57,159 Speaker 1: We only have one more song to talk about that 406 00:24:57,280 --> 00:24:59,639 Speaker 1: staff Punk, but I think we're okay. All right. That 407 00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:06,879 Speaker 1: was Brooks Unplugged. That was just fantastic. Oh thank you 408 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:12,760 Speaker 1: you all day. Broken Record is produced by Mielobel and 409 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:17,359 Speaker 1: Jason Gambrell, with help from Bruce Headlam. Jaquita Paskill, Jacob Smith, 410 00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:21,600 Speaker 1: Julia Barton, Justin Richmond, Jacob Weisberg, and of course l 411 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:25,000 Speaker 1: Hefe Rick Rubin. To hear all the songs featured in 412 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:29,480 Speaker 1: today's episode, check out Broken Record podcast dot com. This 413 00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:34,000 Speaker 1: show is brought to you by Pushkin Industries. I'm Malcolm 414 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:34,359 Speaker 1: Baba