1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:05,000 Speaker 1: Hello, it's Alec Baldwin. We're going to rebroadcast an episode 2 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:08,559 Speaker 1: from our archives this week. You'll hear my conversation with 3 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:11,840 Speaker 1: Quest Love. His band The Roots as a fixture on 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:16,480 Speaker 1: late night television, but the iconoclastic artist has recently added 5 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:19,799 Speaker 1: film producer to his bio with the release of the 6 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 1: movie Summer of Soul. Will have new episodes of Here's 7 00:00:23,239 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: the Thing beginning March. Until then, enjoy my talk with 8 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 1: Quest Love. This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to 9 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: Here's the Thing. His family and folks close to him 10 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:42,000 Speaker 1: call him a mere. That's a mere Khalib Thompson, but 11 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: you probably know him as Quest Love, Philly native music 12 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: history savant and drummer and music director for the Grammy 13 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 1: Award winning hip hop group The Roots. When The Roots 14 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: aren't in the studio or out on tour, they're backing 15 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 1: up Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. But dude, I 16 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: gotta say, any one of the hardest working guys ever, 17 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 1: we love you so much, you know, and you and 18 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 1: the guys is the coolest. We've been doing this together 19 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 1: for what like seven years and years he's been called 20 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:17,920 Speaker 1: America's bandleader year old drummer is also a DJ, and 21 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 1: he's been a caterer. He just came out with a 22 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:24,320 Speaker 1: book about food this year. Quest Love is constantly creating, 23 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: trying to do the many things he loves seemingly all 24 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: at once. But one thing quest Love doesn't do well 25 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:34,959 Speaker 1: is take compliments, which explains his reaction to a very 26 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:42,399 Speaker 1: flattering profile in The New Yorker. I was pleased you were. Yeah, 27 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: I don't know. I've been taught to not relish and 28 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 1: celebration of of press stuff because I do so much. Um, 29 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: you can't let him matter. I mean, after a while, 30 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: it's just like, okay, I'm it's like now, I don't 31 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: think I've watched tonight show episod like two years. You 32 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 1: haven't watched your show unless it's super epic. I mean, 33 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: if it's like Phil Collins, then I'll watch it to 34 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 1: make sure. Have we firstly started? We started? Okay? Um? 35 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:16,359 Speaker 1: I read this piece in the New Yorker, and I mean, 36 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: just from my money, I mean, these press things aren't 37 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: that important. You're right, but this piece is very complimentary 38 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 1: and real and honest, and I'm thinking, what do you 39 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:27,720 Speaker 1: miss about them? What do you miss? About Philly is 40 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: its street, stage, Avenue, Sage Avenue, Mom and Dad, the drums, 41 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: the basement. What do you miss about back before you 42 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 1: made it? You know what? You know, it's weird. Um. 43 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 1: My sister always rags me about this. Um. And this 44 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 1: will probably mark the first time that I haven't made 45 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: a pilgrimage. Um. There's certain luminaries in hip hop that 46 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: will go back to the old hood. And I'm like, 47 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 1: dog like, why are you? Why are you driving up 48 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: Bentley through the projects? You know what I mean? Like that, 49 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: having that moment, I'm in minds the exact opposite because cars, 50 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 1: like I'm still driving my first car, which is still ding. 51 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: I'm never going to give it up. I mean, I 52 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 1: have other cars, but my scion Is is my baby. 53 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:14,799 Speaker 1: But um uh, I don't know like I have this, 54 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: I often have this craving to drive back, just drive 55 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:26,919 Speaker 1: back and look for old ghosts. Um. It's it's weird. 56 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: It's it's even uh even like with with food, like 57 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 1: I'll question why am I sticking to a certain diet 58 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: from my childhood? Am I hoping to to find old ghosts? 59 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: Or I don't know what it is, but a diet 60 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 1: from your childhood. I mean, I'm in a place now, 61 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 1: in a position in which I could be at the 62 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 1: prime healthiest of my life if I chose to. And 63 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 1: you know, as I speak to you, I'm back on 64 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 1: that bandwagon in the piece you talk about a green 65 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: chorus of health people around you, whatever, they're back. They're 66 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:07,640 Speaker 1: back of this singing louder than ever because you asked 67 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: for it, because I let two thousand sixteen be two 68 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 1: thousand and sixteen, and it's you know, it took a 69 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: toll on me. So I decided after Thanksgiving, I'm going 70 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:21,800 Speaker 1: back to you know, to to fight for my life again. Um. 71 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:28,960 Speaker 1: And I think during Thanksgiving, I don't know, I was 72 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:31,920 Speaker 1: just thinking about those psychological process and I'm like, well, 73 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 1: you know, what is it when you taste these college greens? 74 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: What is it when you when you eat this particular 75 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: type of soul food? Like are you missing memories of 76 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 1: of of grandmam On on a Sunday? Like food was 77 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 1: a very big part of our my childhood. And uh, 78 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:54,520 Speaker 1: I'll say, like the process would start on Thursday. I'd 79 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:56,840 Speaker 1: stay at my grandmother's house and it was always like 80 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:01,279 Speaker 1: it was an event and Thursdays like okay, she and 81 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: her sisters would start the process of cooking Sunday dinner, 82 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: so Thursdays, Friday's, Saturday's even like while watching Soul Train, 83 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 1: I'd help with snap beans. Uh. They're the type of 84 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: people that would like start a cake on a Monday 85 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:22,279 Speaker 1: and drown it in uh brandy for about three weeks, 86 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:23,920 Speaker 1: don't touch that can come here and you know that 87 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:27,160 Speaker 1: sort of thing. Uh. So it's like always a big 88 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:30,839 Speaker 1: process for this sprawling Sunday dinner. Like every Sunday was 89 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:36,719 Speaker 1: like Thanksgiving. Every Sunday was Thanksgiving and special. Yeah, it 90 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:41,160 Speaker 1: was special. So I don't know, maybe I'm looking for 91 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:50,840 Speaker 1: my identity now that I've been sort of uh, I 92 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:53,600 Speaker 1: don't want to say misplaced or you know, I've I've 93 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 1: transitioned to another life, another lifestyle which I'm kind of 94 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 1: separate from my childhood memories, which probably explains the Soul 95 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:07,000 Speaker 1: Train obsession, which explains like now now that I've I've 96 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: had time to really think about it, and especially in 97 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:14,000 Speaker 1: the last week, it's it's making sense. Like I don't 98 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:19,720 Speaker 1: think I'm collecting seven episodes of Soul Train because I 99 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:21,560 Speaker 1: really think that's an awesome show. Of course, I think 100 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 1: it's an awesome show. But you know, in my mind, 101 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: I'm thinking, yeah, in my mind, I'm thinking, Okay, the 102 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:30,839 Speaker 1: Frankie Valley seven episode of Soul Train, my sister and 103 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:33,920 Speaker 1: I almost burnt down the house using the Jiffy popcorn 104 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 1: on the stove. Uh. The Johnny Guitar Watson episode of 105 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:41,839 Speaker 1: Soul Train, I remember, like cutting my hand on the 106 00:06:41,839 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 1: the no frills Ravioli from path Mark. Uh. The seventy 107 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:50,000 Speaker 1: nine episode of The Jackson's Remember stubbing my tail in 108 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:53,120 Speaker 1: the coffee Like there's there's certain childhood memories that are 109 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:56,839 Speaker 1: associated with every episode of Soul Train. So I think 110 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:01,479 Speaker 1: that's why I hang onto it um and plus like 111 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:05,480 Speaker 1: being part of a uh, you know, being in the 112 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 1: quote unquote hip hop generation, a culture that celebrates youth 113 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 1: so much. Um. I think just the idea of transitioning 114 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 1: or metamorphosis or even just vanishing, which I think I 115 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:30,680 Speaker 1: think the idea of vanishing is what's really controlling a 116 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:35,520 Speaker 1: lot of Americans thoughts in two thousand sixteen. The idea 117 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 1: of not mattering old traditions leaving the idea of change, 118 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 1: The idea of it is related to the election or 119 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:46,040 Speaker 1: not know, just every yeah, everything it could be the election, 120 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: it could be me personally. I think they have a 121 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:59,440 Speaker 1: sense of somethings vanishing. Um yeah, I think just in general, 122 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: there's something about two thousand and sixteen that is transitioning 123 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:08,360 Speaker 1: more than anything. I for one, UM, as a musician 124 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:13,200 Speaker 1: and a lover of the arts. Um, you know, this 125 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:19,000 Speaker 1: is the the largest amount of I mean this yeer 126 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 1: volume of people dying in two thousand and sixteen. Um, 127 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 1: it's for me, this is this is uh a message. 128 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:32,720 Speaker 1: I feel more of my childhood being I feel more 129 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 1: me being stripped away than just like oh, Natalie Cole died, Oh, 130 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:42,200 Speaker 1: Mauric's White died, Prince died, Oh, Like you know, it's 131 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:45,840 Speaker 1: it's up to l twenty three key members of my 132 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:48,440 Speaker 1: life that you know, shape my life are like now 133 00:08:48,559 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: going in this year, this year, dude, I mean my 134 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:57,760 Speaker 1: It's to the point that even when I was writing 135 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:05,800 Speaker 1: um on my Instagram the there's a well known, well 136 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:11,320 Speaker 1: loved house singer named Colonel Abrams, I was hesitating to 137 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:14,280 Speaker 1: write a tribute to him on Instagram because now, like 138 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:16,560 Speaker 1: it was to the point where people were like, oh, mirror, 139 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:20,840 Speaker 1: you're just the the obituary historian, like your Instagram has 140 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:25,120 Speaker 1: come become nothing, but these long two paragraph tributes to 141 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:28,280 Speaker 1: that of I was life like. It's it's almost like 142 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:32,200 Speaker 1: a joke down and that's that's where it's come to. 143 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:35,720 Speaker 1: But I think more than that, it's just I think 144 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:41,559 Speaker 1: that all of us right now are fearing a transition, 145 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:44,120 Speaker 1: if you will. So you know, when I when I 146 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:47,240 Speaker 1: do drive back home and you know, sit there in 147 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:50,720 Speaker 1: the parking lot, and and he here at the house 148 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 1: and everything, I don't know. I think I'm maybe in 149 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:59,800 Speaker 1: my mind, I'm Jacob Marley looking for my younger seven 150 00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:03,040 Speaker 1: year old self on going to school or something. You see, 151 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:04,280 Speaker 1: this is the thing I want to get to, which 152 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:07,360 Speaker 1: is when I read the article, and I don't want 153 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:09,720 Speaker 1: to keep referencing that article, but when I read the article, 154 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:12,320 Speaker 1: it's like you kind of get the sense of, like 155 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 1: how much longer are you going to do this? That 156 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:17,120 Speaker 1: this is gonna be enough for you, meaning music will 157 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:18,800 Speaker 1: be in your life maybe in some other way. Something 158 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:22,240 Speaker 1: tells me your love, your worship, music being in your 159 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:25,080 Speaker 1: DNA in the way it is so completely from what 160 00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:28,640 Speaker 1: I read. I mean, you being people, you're like some 161 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:33,679 Speaker 1: combination of like, uh, you're like Mozart and Alan Turing. 162 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:37,400 Speaker 1: You know this savantage freak in a good way about 163 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:40,640 Speaker 1: music and souf an entertainment for that matter. But I'm wondering, 164 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:43,640 Speaker 1: so I assume you'll have someplace in your life where 165 00:10:43,679 --> 00:10:47,680 Speaker 1: do you think it's weird, Because since that New Yorker 166 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 1: article came out, um, it is blastom and bloomed tenfold 167 00:10:55,160 --> 00:11:00,280 Speaker 1: um to the point where I guess at that time, Uh, 168 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:08,880 Speaker 1: I had let's say, I had maybe eight jobs, um 169 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:15,760 Speaker 1: up until early January. I mean I had six sixteen jobs. 170 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:19,480 Speaker 1: Like I just decided maybe a month ago to not 171 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:24,080 Speaker 1: return to n y U to teach, um because what 172 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:28,240 Speaker 1: were you teaching there? Um? I taught music history. I 173 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:32,320 Speaker 1: taught h at Clive Davis Music School. Me and Harry Wagner, 174 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:38,840 Speaker 1: who controls all of Universal Music's reissues. So anytime you 175 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:41,559 Speaker 1: get like he's the guy that has to sit back 176 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,360 Speaker 1: and figure out how to resell you Marvin Gaye's box 177 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:48,400 Speaker 1: set or anything from Motown or anything from the Rolling Stones, 178 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:53,200 Speaker 1: anybody Universal related on that label. So he and I 179 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:59,000 Speaker 1: taught at n y U for the last five years, um, 180 00:11:59,080 --> 00:12:04,880 Speaker 1: and mostly we we I like that experience. Uh it 181 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:09,440 Speaker 1: got scary the last year because suddenly I realized, I mean, 182 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:13,080 Speaker 1: I mean you you you have children, so I'm sure 183 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:15,320 Speaker 1: that there's a point in your life where you just 184 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:21,839 Speaker 1: a sentence started with millennials like you know, I go there, right, 185 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:28,160 Speaker 1: And it was frustrating. It's it's it's an amazing mystery 186 00:12:28,240 --> 00:12:34,760 Speaker 1: because no, I mean, some some are I mean some 187 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:38,839 Speaker 1: are well to do. I've realized that some came from 188 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 1: the lineage of oh that's your father, you know that 189 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 1: sort of thing. Um. But it was to the point where, 190 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:51,439 Speaker 1: because the information is so abundant now, I actually caught 191 00:12:51,559 --> 00:12:57,160 Speaker 1: myself wanting them to teach me as I was. I mean, 192 00:12:57,160 --> 00:13:01,640 Speaker 1: the questions they were asking about, uh uh, like the 193 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:05,440 Speaker 1: production methods of Michael Jackson's thriller, Well, you know, on 194 00:13:05,559 --> 00:13:08,520 Speaker 1: human nature. Uh here a fairlight synthesizer. But what do 195 00:13:08,559 --> 00:13:15,199 Speaker 1: you think that was the eighty two module or the class. Yeah, 196 00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:19,080 Speaker 1: that's using that class that It got scary for a minute. 197 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:24,360 Speaker 1: But um, what what I specifically taught about was, um, 198 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:28,000 Speaker 1: the departure record. I'm really I'm really obsessed with the 199 00:13:28,080 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 1: idea of self sabotaging. Um. There's a movie that came 200 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:38,000 Speaker 1: out by comedian Mike er Biglia called Don't Think Twice 201 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 1: and actually UM coming up. The follow up to Whiplash 202 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:48,319 Speaker 1: is the film call UH Land of La La with 203 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 1: Emma Stone La La La La. I'm sorry, I'm getting 204 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:56,679 Speaker 1: that uh La La lamb with Emma Stone and um 205 00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:01,240 Speaker 1: Ryan Gosling, which sort of UH deals with the same 206 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:07,000 Speaker 1: UH premise, which is, have you seen Don't Think Twice 207 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:09,480 Speaker 1: or heard about this film? Okay? So Don't Think Twice 208 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:16,360 Speaker 1: is a film about um a groundlings or UH kind 209 00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:21,360 Speaker 1: of a comedy troupe UM you CBS comedy troupe of 210 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:24,720 Speaker 1: like seven people UM who are really like at the 211 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:27,680 Speaker 1: top of the game with improv and then one day 212 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:33,520 Speaker 1: a Steve Higgins figure UH comes in and changes one 213 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:36,680 Speaker 1: of their lives by offering them a spot on an 214 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:44,640 Speaker 1: snlish type of platform and UH one of them, one 215 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:47,840 Speaker 1: of the seven that have been tightened it forever will 216 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:52,800 Speaker 1: clearly be a star. UM. And of the seven, you know, 217 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:59,000 Speaker 1: it's like it's how they deal with the idea of 218 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:04,800 Speaker 1: again set operation and and it's it's just an amazing 219 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 1: two hour exercise and self sabotage. So how it relates 220 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:11,880 Speaker 1: to the class that I teach, UH, I teach about 221 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:17,480 Speaker 1: departure albums. Uh. In other words, uh, okay, So the 222 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:19,880 Speaker 1: Beatles got tired of being the Beatles. They got tired 223 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:23,080 Speaker 1: of playing in stadiums in which they couldn't hear themselves 224 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:25,440 Speaker 1: of the screaming and yeah, yeah, you know the story. 225 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:28,320 Speaker 1: Assuming that you're in love, love love, assuming that your 226 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:35,240 Speaker 1: your listeners are on your i Q level uman I 227 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:37,960 Speaker 1: trust Okay, So they get a sha stadium. After that, 228 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:40,400 Speaker 1: they pack it in right. Then they decide, we're tired 229 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:43,080 Speaker 1: of being the Beatles, so let's just make uh you know, 230 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:48,800 Speaker 1: a psychedelic record and Timpanaley references and and we'll stop 231 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:51,720 Speaker 1: being the Beatles. And then it backfires. It really makes 232 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:56,200 Speaker 1: them like the greatest band of all time. So speaking 233 00:15:56,200 --> 00:16:00,240 Speaker 1: of Sergeant Peppers, that's an example. Or the opposite is 234 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:07,360 Speaker 1: sly Stone, whom uh after having a massive like one 235 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 1: single hits off of his records, finally hits jackpot in 236 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:15,240 Speaker 1: uh nine nine with the stand album and then a 237 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:22,400 Speaker 1: very you know uh uh a victorious uh uh run 238 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:27,400 Speaker 1: at at Woodstock uh leaves his audience like just you know, 239 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:30,760 Speaker 1: begging for more and whatever his follow up records is 240 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:33,080 Speaker 1: going to be, like, you know, it's it's the ultimate 241 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:36,000 Speaker 1: Alley you set up. Someone just shot at alley you 242 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:38,560 Speaker 1: and all he has to do is run to the 243 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:41,640 Speaker 1: to the rim and dunk it. And what does he do? 244 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:48,920 Speaker 1: He makes one of the most depressing let's go get that. 245 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:51,560 Speaker 1: What is that's called there's a riot going on? Now? 246 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:56,000 Speaker 1: The thing is that, yeah, family affair. Here's the thing, 247 00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 1: there's a riode going on. Leaves a lot of people 248 00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:06,199 Speaker 1: and conflict because it's essentially the first Funk record. But 249 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:09,439 Speaker 1: what I try to explain to the class is the 250 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:13,320 Speaker 1: equivalent of you know, how like your first okay, not 251 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:16,840 Speaker 1: for you personally, but how a person in two thousand 252 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 1: and six, how their first instinct will be to pull 253 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:23,440 Speaker 1: out their cell phone. If a car accident happens, they 254 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:26,320 Speaker 1: pull out their cell phone. Oh, fight happens, I'm gonna 255 00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:29,400 Speaker 1: pull out my cell phone to watch it. What there 256 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:32,520 Speaker 1: is the right going on is is really you're you're 257 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:36,399 Speaker 1: watching in real time a human being having a meltdown 258 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:43,679 Speaker 1: on wax and it's it is it's like, do you know, personally, 259 00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:47,000 Speaker 1: why was he melting down? Well, that's the thing. There's 260 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:52,800 Speaker 1: there's survivor's guilt that people don't talk about, especially with 261 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:55,600 Speaker 1: black people. The idea of like you reference in the 262 00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:57,560 Speaker 1: article where you say the thirty three kids, and this 263 00:17:57,600 --> 00:17:59,320 Speaker 1: one's dead, this one's in jail, this one's right, and 264 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:03,120 Speaker 1: you made it do survivor's guilt. Survivor's guilt is real. 265 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:06,680 Speaker 1: Where is he from. He's from the Bay Area, Oakland. 266 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:11,119 Speaker 1: So I mean there's the pressure of staying true, staying 267 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:15,080 Speaker 1: true to yourself, not not selling out. Uh, the just 268 00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:20,000 Speaker 1: the pressure of having to now deal with be careful. 269 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:21,920 Speaker 1: You know you here all the time. Be careful of 270 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:26,560 Speaker 1: what you asked for. And I feel as though in 271 00:18:26,600 --> 00:18:31,280 Speaker 1: those two years of of the pressure of now I 272 00:18:31,359 --> 00:18:34,080 Speaker 1: have to live up to the expectation and the brilliance 273 00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:37,639 Speaker 1: that people expect of me. And what does he do? He, 274 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:41,720 Speaker 1: I mean, Slim and Family Stone was in the age 275 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:45,080 Speaker 1: of Martin Luther King, the the utopian dream. It was 276 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:48,119 Speaker 1: a group of black and white musicians, a male and 277 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:51,520 Speaker 1: female musicians. I mean, it was the utopian poster idea 278 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:55,040 Speaker 1: of what Martin Luther King's dreams should have been. And 279 00:18:55,800 --> 00:19:00,880 Speaker 1: he just piste on the legacy. In turn, he also 280 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:03,760 Speaker 1: gave us funk music. I mean, you know, historians will 281 00:19:03,760 --> 00:19:05,639 Speaker 1: be like, oh, you know, it's the first time a 282 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:08,600 Speaker 1: drum machine was used, and it's the first time, you know, 283 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:10,720 Speaker 1: the E cord was used on a on a base 284 00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:13,439 Speaker 1: for funk reasons. So it's like, what's the big hit 285 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:15,480 Speaker 1: that comes out before this album? What's he riding the 286 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:19,760 Speaker 1: wave on? What song? Uh? The the hit before was? Uh? 287 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,960 Speaker 1: I mean the album before was stand Now to sort 288 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:27,760 Speaker 1: of stall for time, Epic Records put out the Greatest 289 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:31,200 Speaker 1: Hits album and put three other songs that weren't associate. 290 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:34,560 Speaker 1: So thank you for myself, thank you for letting me 291 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:40,120 Speaker 1: be myself hot fun this summertime. Everybody's like, even even 292 00:19:40,119 --> 00:19:43,480 Speaker 1: the throwaway singers were like, yes, we're waiting, We're waiting 293 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:46,560 Speaker 1: for this big statement and he pisses all over it. 294 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:50,159 Speaker 1: But you know, it's the same for you know, Michael 295 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:54,880 Speaker 1: Jackson wanting to escape the family and be his own man. 296 00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:57,520 Speaker 1: Like making Off the Wall was it departs record the 297 00:19:57,520 --> 00:20:01,800 Speaker 1: Beastie Boys not wanting to be known as these these 298 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:06,800 Speaker 1: party frat guys and want to make a serious, uh 299 00:20:07,119 --> 00:20:10,320 Speaker 1: piece of art with Paul's boutique the follow up to 300 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:13,399 Speaker 1: License to Ill. So what I basically do is I 301 00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:20,479 Speaker 1: take eight or nine records of Departure Records. Some of 302 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:23,119 Speaker 1: them they were all made with the premise of I 303 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:25,600 Speaker 1: need to throw away and run away from what I 304 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:28,600 Speaker 1: once was. Some of them made a more successful a 305 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:31,840 Speaker 1: lot of the Beatles, Uh, some of them were complete bust. 306 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:36,399 Speaker 1: I mean, there's the jury still out on Satanic Majesty's 307 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:41,600 Speaker 1: request by the Stones. But you know it's it's you know, 308 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:44,359 Speaker 1: it's it's it's the Stones were never gonna get Beatles 309 00:20:44,359 --> 00:20:47,040 Speaker 1: love and they know it well. They tried. I mean, 310 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:48,640 Speaker 1: you know, I have to give it to them. They tried. 311 00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:55,440 Speaker 1: So it's really it's really just about examining the psychological 312 00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:59,960 Speaker 1: process of of making music and why we run away 313 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:03,359 Speaker 1: from success or the idea of doing it. Did you wait, 314 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:05,280 Speaker 1: let me ask you, because this did you? Did you 315 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:10,600 Speaker 1: run away from success? Um? Okay, So the Roots were 316 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:15,679 Speaker 1: everyone's favorite underground secret. Like you know, that's if you 317 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:18,359 Speaker 1: ever meet a music snob and there's like that that 318 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:21,680 Speaker 1: one thing that you know, there's the band that they 319 00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:23,920 Speaker 1: know about that you don't know about, and that makes 320 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:26,760 Speaker 1: them cooler than you, and then suddenly you discover it 321 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:29,920 Speaker 1: and then everyone discovers it, and then it suddenly it's like, uh, 322 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:34,320 Speaker 1: like everyone has my toy now in the pool. Yeah, 323 00:21:34,359 --> 00:21:36,760 Speaker 1: we were that for a lot of people. And then 324 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: with our fourth record, suddenly we hit jack pop because 325 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:47,040 Speaker 1: we realized what the formula was to not to monetize, 326 00:21:47,080 --> 00:21:52,399 Speaker 1: but to too two gain acceptance. We realized what the 327 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:56,080 Speaker 1: formula was, but acceptance with what you say. It seems 328 00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:59,280 Speaker 1: to me you wanted acceptance with something else, meaning something 329 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:03,800 Speaker 1: tells me. Because you're so acute about music, you didn't 330 00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:05,800 Speaker 1: have a number one single. This is what you're gonna 331 00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:07,480 Speaker 1: learn about me. And you could and you could have 332 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:09,960 Speaker 1: sat down and something tells me. And I'm not saying 333 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:11,800 Speaker 1: this to be kind. You could write a number one 334 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 1: single in the car on the way to the office 335 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:16,760 Speaker 1: right now when you leave here, and you didn't do 336 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:37,080 Speaker 1: that because fear fear. We'll be back in a minute. 337 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:43,840 Speaker 1: This is what happens. Okay. So when we started in UM, 338 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:48,160 Speaker 1: the idea of the roots, the idea of we would 339 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:50,960 Speaker 1: be pegged into alternative hip hop. Now, when we first 340 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:53,439 Speaker 1: came out, they were like, or they asked jazz. It 341 00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:57,200 Speaker 1: was like, basically, if you weren't, if you weren't holding 342 00:22:57,200 --> 00:22:59,880 Speaker 1: your middle finger out to the camera, you know it's 343 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:02,840 Speaker 1: singing straight out of Compton. If you weren't in way 344 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:08,159 Speaker 1: you weren't the status quo of what people perceived to 345 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:11,480 Speaker 1: be as hip hop. Um. But again, like for people 346 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:13,720 Speaker 1: that are not immersed in hip hop culture, and when 347 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:17,560 Speaker 1: they just turn the channel and just see no no bitches, no, no, no, 348 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:19,600 Speaker 1: no no no, then they just think, oh, that's all 349 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:22,200 Speaker 1: it is, um, which it isn't. Like hip hop is 350 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:25,639 Speaker 1: a wide array of art and it just so happens 351 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:29,399 Speaker 1: that the five percent that catches on is what's in 352 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:33,600 Speaker 1: embroidered people's minds as what it is. But emotionally violent, 353 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:36,240 Speaker 1: that's what they think it is. But it's so much 354 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:41,320 Speaker 1: more than it is. So I came into uh metaphorically speaking, 355 00:23:41,359 --> 00:23:44,479 Speaker 1: we got to the train platform as the first wave 356 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:48,840 Speaker 1: of alternative hip hop. Uh train was leaving. You know, 357 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:50,560 Speaker 1: like when you run for the train and the doors 358 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:52,920 Speaker 1: closed and you see the train leaving, you have to 359 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:55,000 Speaker 1: wait for another twelve minutes for the next train to come. 360 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:59,160 Speaker 1: That was the roots. The first train was the Jungle Brothers, 361 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:05,120 Speaker 1: a tripolic Us de las soul. Uh. It kinda uh 362 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,600 Speaker 1: ended with arrested development like a nine one, like they 363 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:11,560 Speaker 1: won like four Grammys. They were the darlings of you know, 364 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:15,080 Speaker 1: finally hip hop as in art, like you know, people 365 00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:21,040 Speaker 1: were were exclaiming that like our new savers, and then 366 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:25,480 Speaker 1: the backlash happened, like imagine that being the Obama era, 367 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:29,040 Speaker 1: like finally a new beginning. And then suddenly the next 368 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:32,120 Speaker 1: train comes in and tonight Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg 369 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,560 Speaker 1: coming in with guns and bitches and ship and people like, no, 370 00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:38,359 Speaker 1: this is what we want. So imagine this election, like 371 00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:41,679 Speaker 1: how can we go twelve steps back? And that was 372 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:44,640 Speaker 1: the mentality, and so we had to wait it out 373 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:49,400 Speaker 1: and waited out and literally embraced for it's a tsunami. 374 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:52,400 Speaker 1: We just said we're gonna pull a Hendricks. We're gonna 375 00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:55,879 Speaker 1: leave America. We're gonna move to London as a hub, 376 00:24:56,640 --> 00:25:02,200 Speaker 1: find refuge in in in London. Uh, get our musicianship together, 377 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:04,720 Speaker 1: get our show together, get our songwriting together, get our 378 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:09,600 Speaker 1: production here. Uh. We got a record deal in ninety two. 379 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:17,840 Speaker 1: We exiled in um three years when three years you 380 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:21,399 Speaker 1: live we were on. We were on Geffen Records, and 381 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:28,560 Speaker 1: In Records had so much money, Guns and Roses, Nirvana, Uh, 382 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:32,480 Speaker 1: Aaron Smith. They made so much money that Geffen was like, yo, 383 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:35,600 Speaker 1: let's start a black music department where rock label. We 384 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:38,080 Speaker 1: have no black acts, and you know, we want to 385 00:25:38,119 --> 00:25:42,880 Speaker 1: cash in on on, you know, the craze. And so 386 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:49,000 Speaker 1: because you just stayed well, there was a d G C. 387 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:55,000 Speaker 1: But um, we were basically kind of their guinea pig experiment. 388 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:58,600 Speaker 1: Um they were like, you know, we'll build the staff eventually, 389 00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:02,119 Speaker 1: but for now, just keep the receipts. Here's the credit card. 390 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:07,560 Speaker 1: Like that's what we did. And then, um, anybody married 391 00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:09,040 Speaker 1: back then with kids that they had to pull over 392 00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:11,880 Speaker 1: there or no, everybody was single. We were all single, 393 00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:14,400 Speaker 1: were all out of high school and college and everything. 394 00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:18,200 Speaker 1: And so what winds up happening was when we first 395 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:22,520 Speaker 1: signed Aerosmith announced we're gonna leave Geffen. Remember Pump came 396 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:24,239 Speaker 1: out and it was like really big seller. So they 397 00:26:24,280 --> 00:26:27,600 Speaker 1: went back to Sony and so I was like, all right, whatever. 398 00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:30,639 Speaker 1: And then a little bit later it was kind of 399 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:33,040 Speaker 1: obviously like Guns and Roses was not going to have 400 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:36,040 Speaker 1: a follow up to use your loosing one and two, 401 00:26:36,119 --> 00:26:39,440 Speaker 1: and I mean they had an ep of the spaghetti incidence, 402 00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:42,600 Speaker 1: but that really didn't make any noise, and so Guns 403 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:45,600 Speaker 1: and Roses wasn't there to have a follow up record 404 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:49,879 Speaker 1: to make the more millions. And then Nirvana came and 405 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:55,200 Speaker 1: you know, just changed everything and make gazillions. So then 406 00:26:55,240 --> 00:27:03,760 Speaker 1: when April comes and Kurt Cobain makes his exodus, my 407 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:08,080 Speaker 1: manager called me at one in the afternoon and said, 408 00:27:09,119 --> 00:27:12,080 Speaker 1: playing and simple, we're fucked. And I was like, what 409 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:15,680 Speaker 1: do you mean. He's like, dude, Aerosmith's going guns and 410 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:20,960 Speaker 1: Roses ain't coming back now, Kirk is gone, and what 411 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:23,280 Speaker 1: they're gonna do is they're they're just going to drop 412 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:25,840 Speaker 1: and cut the label in half. I was like, so 413 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:28,560 Speaker 1: what do we do. He's like, we're gonna go to 414 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:30,800 Speaker 1: the studio for four days. We're going to finish the record. 415 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:33,280 Speaker 1: I was like eight songs. He says, yep, I don't 416 00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:35,080 Speaker 1: have any ideas. Make them up on the way there. 417 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:39,320 Speaker 1: And he's like, we're gonna shoot three videos next week. 418 00:27:39,359 --> 00:27:41,440 Speaker 1: We're gonna shoot the album cut like totally russ and 419 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:44,320 Speaker 1: then we're gonna take that money. Because we were controlling 420 00:27:44,359 --> 00:27:46,119 Speaker 1: our budget, they'd have a staff, yet we just had 421 00:27:46,160 --> 00:27:48,280 Speaker 1: the credit card. We're going to take our leftover money 422 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:51,639 Speaker 1: and we're gonna buy tim Plane tickets and get an 423 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:54,560 Speaker 1: apartment in London and Paula Hendricks and just live there 424 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:59,119 Speaker 1: and pray to God. That's our only hope, and you 425 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:02,160 Speaker 1: know that is our only hope. And it worked. Uh. 426 00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:06,680 Speaker 1: We miraculously finished an album and even in rushing it, 427 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:10,320 Speaker 1: I'm shocked. I mean it was critically claimed and all that. 428 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:15,080 Speaker 1: So we were in the right mind frame. Shot three videos, Uh, 429 00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:19,840 Speaker 1: kissed everybody goodbye, came to London with a stick of 430 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:24,240 Speaker 1: a bundle on her best um, stayed in a hotel 431 00:28:24,240 --> 00:28:26,320 Speaker 1: for like maybe a day or two, and then eventually 432 00:28:26,359 --> 00:28:30,160 Speaker 1: found a flat. Got an agent said work is to death. 433 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:33,199 Speaker 1: We don't care what it was, and like that was 434 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:37,000 Speaker 1: our Beatles in Hamburg moment. That was our our Hendricks 435 00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:42,320 Speaker 1: living in in in Europe moment. And we made two 436 00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:45,320 Speaker 1: other critically a claimed records. But by the fourth one 437 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:50,000 Speaker 1: we felt if we didn't deliver the goods, uh, we'll 438 00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:54,880 Speaker 1: be in trouble. And so we had a scientific conversation 439 00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:57,800 Speaker 1: with our label. We said, look, before you, you know, 440 00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:01,680 Speaker 1: divulge all this money into us, let's have a conversation. 441 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:04,600 Speaker 1: We told them that no matter how good the records are, 442 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:07,480 Speaker 1: no matter how critically claimed, how many top ten lists 443 00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:12,640 Speaker 1: we make, unless you build us a movement, it's never 444 00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:14,920 Speaker 1: gonna work. And they said, well, what is that. So 445 00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:16,640 Speaker 1: we said, this is what we need. You want the 446 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:18,960 Speaker 1: short version, long version, He said, give us a short version. 447 00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:23,800 Speaker 1: We said, we need three fifteen passenger vans, we need 448 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:32,120 Speaker 1: uh expendable kind of uh studio equipment, uh, and we 449 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:36,480 Speaker 1: need to hire two chefs. And they looked and said 450 00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:39,160 Speaker 1: what the hell. And we explained the plan. We said, 451 00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:42,920 Speaker 1: what we're gonna do is every Tuesday at this particular spot, 452 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:45,720 Speaker 1: we're gonna have jam sessions. And every Friday in the 453 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:49,040 Speaker 1: mirrors living room, we're gonna have jam sessions. The chefs 454 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:51,760 Speaker 1: are going to cook all the food to entice the 455 00:29:51,880 --> 00:29:57,880 Speaker 1: artistic community. Because if you say free food, every every 456 00:29:57,920 --> 00:30:02,479 Speaker 1: everybody be surprised. Everybody it comes over and we'll just 457 00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:06,000 Speaker 1: have jam sessions. And eventually, what we figured out in 458 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:08,920 Speaker 1: those four years was that no one has ever had 459 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:15,160 Speaker 1: success in music without being contextualized in an artistic community. 460 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:19,000 Speaker 1: So you think you like Stevie Wonder, but it's like, no, 461 00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:24,200 Speaker 1: you associate Stevie Wonder with Smokey Temptations, Uh, Diana Ross's Supremes, 462 00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:27,480 Speaker 1: the Motown Family. You look at look at someone without 463 00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:31,200 Speaker 1: design to take justin Timberley, you're automatically gonna think oh 464 00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:35,800 Speaker 1: and Sink, Oh, Backstreet Boys, Oh, Brittany Disney, Christina Aguilt. 465 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:38,680 Speaker 1: You think of the Disney set, you think of of 466 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:42,800 Speaker 1: I mean Prince grew his own crops, Prince Sheila e Mars, 467 00:30:42,840 --> 00:30:46,600 Speaker 1: Dame of Time. Like everyone that has success, the only 468 00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:50,120 Speaker 1: people that never had success, that had success without a 469 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:56,040 Speaker 1: family or contextualization was one hit Wonders where d al Yankovik, 470 00:30:56,640 --> 00:31:01,440 Speaker 1: the guys that say Macarena, tiny Tim maybe the McArthur 471 00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:05,240 Speaker 1: part person. But everyone's associated with the movement. You look 472 00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:07,920 Speaker 1: at the police, Okay, they were part of that post 473 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:11,480 Speaker 1: punk punk movement, early New Ways movement, talking heads like 474 00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:14,680 Speaker 1: even if they don't do it by design, we as 475 00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:17,959 Speaker 1: consumers think that. So we had to grow on crops. 476 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:22,160 Speaker 1: So as a result, m these three years of having 477 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:27,920 Speaker 1: the chef the jam sessions week by week, Um, suddenly 478 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:33,120 Speaker 1: we were writing the story of the next millennium of soul. 479 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:41,080 Speaker 1: So that's explains Ericabadou D'Angelo. Uh, most deaf tale quality. 480 00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:46,080 Speaker 1: Basically the fourteen or fifteen or so platinum based artists 481 00:31:46,840 --> 00:31:50,440 Speaker 1: in the future, of course, Uh, starting in our living 482 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:55,160 Speaker 1: room and then expanding having their own careers my words yours. 483 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:58,560 Speaker 1: But but if if London is graduate school, if you 484 00:31:58,600 --> 00:32:06,040 Speaker 1: will decide to stop. We found success by our fourth album, 485 00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:10,240 Speaker 1: and then, you know, the one thing that we didn't 486 00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:15,920 Speaker 1: plan on was succeeding. Everyone got successful, so we stopped 487 00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:18,520 Speaker 1: paying it for it. Like suddenly it's like, oh, we 488 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:20,880 Speaker 1: don't need the Jam sessions no more. Like we're an 489 00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:23,920 Speaker 1: MTV every week. Like that's that's what the mentality was. 490 00:32:24,520 --> 00:32:27,320 Speaker 1: And then it all came to I'm not saying it 491 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:31,280 Speaker 1: came to a screeching halt, but people often asked me, 492 00:32:32,120 --> 00:32:34,200 Speaker 1: what do I talk. There's there's a movie we did 493 00:32:34,240 --> 00:32:38,800 Speaker 1: with Michelle Gandry and Dave Chappelle in two thousand four 494 00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:44,160 Speaker 1: called Black Party. It was Dave Chappelle's version of of 495 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:48,200 Speaker 1: watt Stacks. It was Dave Chappelle's version of Woodstock, which 496 00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:54,280 Speaker 1: was basically kind of the alternative the alternative hip hop 497 00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:59,720 Speaker 1: UH gathering you know of in Brooklyn. Of all the 498 00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:06,960 Speaker 1: great acts, it's Kanye West, Uh, the Roots, Dead Preys, Ericabaudo, 499 00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:10,640 Speaker 1: common Um, all the all the people that are under 500 00:33:10,640 --> 00:33:15,680 Speaker 1: our umbrella. And something happened that day and I realized, 501 00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:19,600 Speaker 1: just like, okay, if you look at wood Stock, wood 502 00:33:19,640 --> 00:33:21,760 Speaker 1: Stock is not the beginning. You would think like, oh, 503 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:23,560 Speaker 1: what Stock. All these new acts I've never heard of, 504 00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:26,400 Speaker 1: They're going to be big. Wood Stock was the end 505 00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:28,880 Speaker 1: of the sentence. People think that what stocks the beginning 506 00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:32,360 Speaker 1: of the sentence? What Stocks? The end of the love movement? 507 00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:38,240 Speaker 1: Because next was Altamont and Pain the seventies, the club 508 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:43,080 Speaker 1: everyone die, Uh, Saturdaynight Fever. People think, be right about disco. Nope, 509 00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:45,960 Speaker 1: that was the end of disco. But the time Holloway 510 00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:48,160 Speaker 1: puts it on screen, it's over right, It's over. So 511 00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:52,800 Speaker 1: this was that morning. I was like, uh, this is 512 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:56,960 Speaker 1: how it all ends. And you know, it's like a brace. 513 00:33:57,160 --> 00:33:59,960 Speaker 1: It was. It was a the mentality that you had 514 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:01,600 Speaker 1: of which how am I going to survive the next 515 00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:05,240 Speaker 1: four years? Well, not you personally, but for the average American, 516 00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:07,360 Speaker 1: like I gotta hang on tight. I don't know what's 517 00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:11,160 Speaker 1: gonna happen. That's the feeling I had. I mean, on 518 00:34:11,160 --> 00:34:13,480 Speaker 1: on screen, it looked very beautiful, like Mischelle Gandry is 519 00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:15,360 Speaker 1: one of the best directors of all time, and you 520 00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:17,920 Speaker 1: know it. It looked like a beautiful celebration. But in 521 00:34:17,960 --> 00:34:21,400 Speaker 1: my mind, I was like, well, this is where you 522 00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:24,400 Speaker 1: know I once held the baton and now this youngster 523 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:26,600 Speaker 1: named Kanye West is going to take over the reins 524 00:34:26,680 --> 00:34:30,799 Speaker 1: and he's going to be a new leader. And then 525 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:35,759 Speaker 1: I'm get up. Um he Yeah, at the time, he 526 00:34:35,840 --> 00:34:38,680 Speaker 1: was the new leader because when he arrived on the set, suddenly, 527 00:34:39,719 --> 00:34:42,279 Speaker 1: and I looked in everyone's eyes, any anyone that was 528 00:34:42,320 --> 00:34:45,640 Speaker 1: on the set that was like under nineteen suddenly came 529 00:34:45,680 --> 00:34:48,960 Speaker 1: at attention and all the energy and attention went to 530 00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:51,920 Speaker 1: his direction. And he was just there like stand outside 531 00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:54,920 Speaker 1: for a second and looking. But he was new it. 532 00:34:55,120 --> 00:34:57,160 Speaker 1: He just got it. Well. He he sort of came 533 00:34:57,200 --> 00:35:00,760 Speaker 1: in his wolf in sheep's clothing approaches. It's kind of brilliant. 534 00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:04,640 Speaker 1: I really regret, like we tried to hide our true 535 00:35:04,680 --> 00:35:07,680 Speaker 1: aspirations and our true heart because we didn't want to 536 00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:11,279 Speaker 1: upset the system. So our thing was like, yes, we 537 00:35:11,400 --> 00:35:15,719 Speaker 1: represent the everyday man, the common man. I mean, there's 538 00:35:15,760 --> 00:35:20,279 Speaker 1: there's nothing in the Roots narrative that looks appealing to 539 00:35:21,880 --> 00:35:25,680 Speaker 1: black people, Like we don't have any tales of there's 540 00:35:25,680 --> 00:35:29,640 Speaker 1: no tales of of of there's no look, Mom made it, 541 00:35:30,040 --> 00:35:33,399 Speaker 1: that's the narrative. Jay Z's narrative is I made it. 542 00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:36,640 Speaker 1: I made it. Like it's just it's a winning lottery ticket. 543 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:40,560 Speaker 1: I made it. That was never our narrative. So thus 544 00:35:41,680 --> 00:35:44,319 Speaker 1: the reason I mean, the Roots are more known to 545 00:35:44,440 --> 00:35:47,920 Speaker 1: be Fish or the grateful dead of hip hop than 546 00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:52,719 Speaker 1: you know, the winners of hip hop. But you know, 547 00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:56,760 Speaker 1: don't sleep. Fish is a group that somehow still made 548 00:35:57,200 --> 00:36:00,080 Speaker 1: eight figures a year under the radar. They had to 549 00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:03,000 Speaker 1: shake their ass in a video. They didn't have to 550 00:36:03,040 --> 00:36:07,000 Speaker 1: get mired in controversy. They quietly sell out Madison Square 551 00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:11,160 Speaker 1: Garden three nights, and so that for us was a 552 00:36:11,239 --> 00:36:16,240 Speaker 1: better was a better way of survival. Coming up, quest 553 00:36:16,320 --> 00:36:20,040 Speaker 1: Love explains the magic of Jimmy Fallon and how Fallon 554 00:36:20,120 --> 00:36:22,839 Speaker 1: convinced the Roots to join him. On Late night TV 555 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:30,120 Speaker 1: explore the Here's the Thing Archives. I talked to Danny Bennett, 556 00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:33,200 Speaker 1: who has spent his life managing the career of another 557 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:37,640 Speaker 1: musical giant, his dad, Tony. I had this epiphany and 558 00:36:37,680 --> 00:36:39,759 Speaker 1: I'm like, I'm gonna run. I'm gonna do this like 559 00:36:39,800 --> 00:36:42,239 Speaker 1: I'm running for president. And I went to him and 560 00:36:42,239 --> 00:36:44,840 Speaker 1: I said, you know, presidents would not go to Iowa 561 00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:47,160 Speaker 1: if they didn't have to go to Iowa, and and 562 00:36:47,160 --> 00:36:50,319 Speaker 1: and you know, shake the hands, I go instead of 563 00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:53,279 Speaker 1: having people come to you in Vegas. I said your 564 00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:59,200 Speaker 1: music transcends. Right, He's reinventing himself. He's really kicking ass. 565 00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:01,840 Speaker 1: I mean in terms of like taken chances. There's a 566 00:37:01,880 --> 00:37:06,120 Speaker 1: transcendent quality and great art that that, like, he says, 567 00:37:06,600 --> 00:37:10,600 Speaker 1: defies demographics. Take a listen at Here's the Thing dot Org. 568 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:23,000 Speaker 1: This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the Thing. 569 00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:27,359 Speaker 1: My guest today is a mere quest Love Thompson. While 570 00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:30,200 Speaker 1: he's best known as the drummer and music director for 571 00:37:30,239 --> 00:37:32,880 Speaker 1: The Roots, the house band on The Tonight Show with 572 00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:37,440 Speaker 1: Jimmy Fallon, he's also sat in for Erica Badou, Fiona Apple, 573 00:37:37,680 --> 00:37:42,239 Speaker 1: jay Z, saxophonist Joshua Redman, and he's managed to put 574 00:37:42,239 --> 00:37:45,640 Speaker 1: out several books. While some people were surprised when The 575 00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:48,120 Speaker 1: Roots took the Fallon gig, quest Love is a man 576 00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:51,480 Speaker 1: who has a lot he wants to accomplish. People think 577 00:37:51,480 --> 00:37:55,120 Speaker 1: it's money, money, money, and because it's not money, money money, 578 00:37:55,480 --> 00:37:57,640 Speaker 1: you run and do something that frees you so you 579 00:37:57,680 --> 00:38:00,680 Speaker 1: can go do this other thing. And was this gig 580 00:38:00,719 --> 00:38:04,080 Speaker 1: with Jimmy frees you can? I ask you. I hate 581 00:38:04,080 --> 00:38:06,040 Speaker 1: to be the guy that answers your question. With the 582 00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:12,160 Speaker 1: with the question, Okay, so when your first approached to 583 00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:15,120 Speaker 1: do thirty Rock, I mean this is the tail the 584 00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:21,120 Speaker 1: tailing of of Scorsese film uh baby, no, no, no, 585 00:38:21,320 --> 00:38:28,840 Speaker 1: even um um The Cops Boston. Yeah, so even on 586 00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:34,000 Speaker 1: the tail into that, like anyone else, I feel, I mean, 587 00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:37,080 Speaker 1: this is why imire you so much. Anyone else would 588 00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:41,960 Speaker 1: have overthought the situation and defiantly been like no, like 589 00:38:42,560 --> 00:38:46,840 Speaker 1: you know, the particular legacy I want to leave behind 590 00:38:47,640 --> 00:38:50,680 Speaker 1: is this and that? Or you know, I don't know 591 00:38:50,719 --> 00:38:54,200 Speaker 1: if you're thinking about your Wikipedia entry as you do. 592 00:38:54,920 --> 00:38:58,480 Speaker 1: I'm all, no, see, I'm obsessed with how's this going 593 00:38:58,520 --> 00:39:03,000 Speaker 1: to look on my Wikipedia? Because you say that, trust me? 594 00:39:03,040 --> 00:39:06,960 Speaker 1: Critic critics. One critic actually said, you know, the sad 595 00:39:07,239 --> 00:39:09,360 Speaker 1: the sad thing about listening to a roots record is 596 00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:13,399 Speaker 1: that I can hear quest Love imagining his Wikipedia entry 597 00:39:13,520 --> 00:39:18,960 Speaker 1: as each song right exactly. So, I mean, how easy 598 00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:21,480 Speaker 1: was it for you to make that transition? Because people 599 00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:25,440 Speaker 1: say to me, like I didn't have posters of Schaefer 600 00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:29,279 Speaker 1: or Doc Steverson on my walls, like one day You'm 601 00:39:29,280 --> 00:39:33,000 Speaker 1: gonna do this, and then it's like you've met with 602 00:39:33,040 --> 00:39:40,400 Speaker 1: the opportunity and it it was. It was a no brainer, 603 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:45,719 Speaker 1: but it was also on the other hand, I was 604 00:39:45,840 --> 00:39:51,080 Speaker 1: very cautious about it. And my manager at the time said, look, 605 00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:56,279 Speaker 1: this is what's going to happen. The critics that have 606 00:39:56,400 --> 00:39:58,520 Speaker 1: been and you have to understand how the Roots are 607 00:39:58,560 --> 00:40:03,960 Speaker 1: perceived in the critical community. And we kind of unfortunately 608 00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:06,279 Speaker 1: paying herself in this corner where you know, they just 609 00:40:06,320 --> 00:40:09,279 Speaker 1: thought like we were oh so serious, and you know, 610 00:40:09,640 --> 00:40:12,480 Speaker 1: you know, like a surface person will look at Bono 611 00:40:12,520 --> 00:40:15,000 Speaker 1: and think like he just thinks of himself too seriously 612 00:40:15,080 --> 00:40:18,960 Speaker 1: and that sort of thing, and like overthinks everything. That's 613 00:40:18,960 --> 00:40:21,960 Speaker 1: what critics were thinking about us. And there he was like, 614 00:40:22,160 --> 00:40:25,839 Speaker 1: we need this because what we'll do is it will 615 00:40:25,880 --> 00:40:30,800 Speaker 1: help break the perception of the political seriousness of the Roots. 616 00:40:32,239 --> 00:40:35,480 Speaker 1: And I was like, yeah, but you know, like I 617 00:40:35,560 --> 00:40:39,280 Speaker 1: had dreams of of doing what he does, like selling 618 00:40:39,280 --> 00:40:44,200 Speaker 1: out stadiums and producing, you know, releasing other records and dada, 619 00:40:44,239 --> 00:40:46,440 Speaker 1: da da da, And he was just conventional goal we 620 00:40:46,480 --> 00:40:48,920 Speaker 1: all have. Yeah, that's a lot. There's a lot of 621 00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:50,200 Speaker 1: good there as well. I don't want to put it 622 00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:52,359 Speaker 1: down to be decaprio. There's a lot of great things 623 00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:56,560 Speaker 1: about being Decaprio. It is, but I was. I so 624 00:40:56,760 --> 00:40:59,399 Speaker 1: fought it, and he says, look, this is like some 625 00:41:01,080 --> 00:41:04,799 Speaker 1: critics gonna snark you, and we've got to use it 626 00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:08,000 Speaker 1: as our motivation to really come back. And I was 627 00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:12,560 Speaker 1: like okay, and sure enough it happened. The first blur 628 00:41:12,920 --> 00:41:16,160 Speaker 1: news blur about the Roots are actually going to be 629 00:41:16,239 --> 00:41:19,000 Speaker 1: a late night band. The guy says, this is the 630 00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:22,960 Speaker 1: most depressing news I've heard. It's the equivalent of Miles 631 00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:29,120 Speaker 1: Davis being a uh subway a street subway, uh busker busker, 632 00:41:29,280 --> 00:41:33,040 Speaker 1: yes exactly, which ironically is how the route started. Um. 633 00:41:33,080 --> 00:41:35,880 Speaker 1: It's like it's like watching Miles David's busking the subway. 634 00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:40,200 Speaker 1: And he's like, there you have it. Like we've always 635 00:41:40,200 --> 00:41:43,160 Speaker 1: been in the position where we are always and that's 636 00:41:43,200 --> 00:41:47,040 Speaker 1: the thing. We've always been underestimated. Like these guys walking 637 00:41:47,080 --> 00:41:50,160 Speaker 1: in with these instruments, they're not real, they're not real 638 00:41:50,239 --> 00:41:53,319 Speaker 1: hip hop. You know, we've always been in the underdog. 639 00:41:54,480 --> 00:41:58,480 Speaker 1: What are you guys gonna do? And he's like, just 640 00:41:58,640 --> 00:42:01,680 Speaker 1: repeat it again, use it to your advantage, Like we 641 00:42:01,719 --> 00:42:06,480 Speaker 1: should define and redefine the coolness of it all, not 642 00:42:06,520 --> 00:42:09,200 Speaker 1: to say that, oh, you know, they're shame or corniness 643 00:42:09,320 --> 00:42:13,320 Speaker 1: associated with the position of being a late night band, 644 00:42:13,440 --> 00:42:18,200 Speaker 1: but it was our chance to make it and for 645 00:42:18,320 --> 00:42:22,760 Speaker 1: us at least, the coolest thing ever. And that's basically 646 00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:25,719 Speaker 1: what it was like. We weren't even really going to 647 00:42:25,800 --> 00:42:31,000 Speaker 1: accept the position. And then Jimmy did something that no 648 00:42:31,160 --> 00:42:35,120 Speaker 1: other human being was able to do uh with us. 649 00:42:35,320 --> 00:42:38,279 Speaker 1: By this point we were like the complete opposite of 650 00:42:38,320 --> 00:42:40,080 Speaker 1: what we were in ninety two. This is like two 651 00:42:40,080 --> 00:42:43,279 Speaker 1: thousand and seven. You know, two tour buses, you know, 652 00:42:43,920 --> 00:42:47,440 Speaker 1: high off the hug and everything, and in our glory 653 00:42:47,760 --> 00:42:50,719 Speaker 1: and uh, we just thought, okay, well, yeah, come to 654 00:42:50,719 --> 00:42:52,759 Speaker 1: the show, Jimmy. We just figured, like, at least we'll 655 00:42:52,760 --> 00:42:55,800 Speaker 1: have a friend on television so that when we release 656 00:42:55,880 --> 00:42:58,319 Speaker 1: records we can be on his show and promote it. 657 00:42:58,440 --> 00:43:01,279 Speaker 1: But we're not going to accept this gig. And the 658 00:43:01,320 --> 00:43:04,319 Speaker 1: funniest thing happened. I went away for five minutes to 659 00:43:04,360 --> 00:43:06,880 Speaker 1: do We were in U c. L A campus. I 660 00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:10,280 Speaker 1: went to do a quick uh interview with the campus 661 00:43:10,320 --> 00:43:14,759 Speaker 1: newspaper in my dressing room, and when it was over 662 00:43:14,840 --> 00:43:18,879 Speaker 1: six minutes later, I opened the door and on the 663 00:43:18,960 --> 00:43:24,080 Speaker 1: on the field grass Jimmy and all eight members of 664 00:43:24,080 --> 00:43:29,160 Speaker 1: the Roots. We're in the eight is enough human pyramid stands, 665 00:43:31,239 --> 00:43:34,759 Speaker 1: and I looked at my manager and we are the 666 00:43:34,800 --> 00:43:39,319 Speaker 1: most cynical, snarkiest smartass know it all, You're we're the 667 00:43:39,360 --> 00:43:42,040 Speaker 1: smartest guys in the room and not you. We just 668 00:43:42,080 --> 00:43:45,240 Speaker 1: looked at each other and we're like, we're not getting 669 00:43:45,320 --> 00:43:48,480 Speaker 1: ri this guy, are we? And he just looked like, no, 670 00:43:48,960 --> 00:43:54,239 Speaker 1: we're not. And what Jimmy managed to do was disarm 671 00:43:54,320 --> 00:44:00,720 Speaker 1: us in less than ten minutes, Like it's arek alone? 672 00:44:00,880 --> 00:44:06,719 Speaker 1: Anything that Tarik wears is worth twenty dollars? Like he's 673 00:44:06,719 --> 00:44:10,080 Speaker 1: not driving was on? Yeah, I mean Tarik drives before 674 00:44:10,200 --> 00:44:14,279 Speaker 1: he wears like ten thousand dollar Japanese denim, you know 675 00:44:14,280 --> 00:44:17,680 Speaker 1: what I mean. He was on the bottom, like Tarik 676 00:44:17,760 --> 00:44:25,120 Speaker 1: with nerve put his jeans on on the dirty I'm like, 677 00:44:25,320 --> 00:44:29,279 Speaker 1: what did this guy do to talk? What did he do? 678 00:44:28,840 --> 00:44:31,920 Speaker 1: What did he do? I don't I'm still trying to 679 00:44:31,960 --> 00:44:35,879 Speaker 1: figure it. He has he's that guy. He's that guy 680 00:44:36,160 --> 00:44:40,760 Speaker 1: like when you watch the movie and the the guys 681 00:44:40,760 --> 00:44:44,080 Speaker 1: are trying to dissemble the bomb and like point three 682 00:44:44,120 --> 00:44:48,279 Speaker 1: seconds he as the leg of the draw. He knows 683 00:44:48,320 --> 00:44:53,640 Speaker 1: exactly how did disarm you? He literally disarmed us and 684 00:44:53,680 --> 00:44:57,000 Speaker 1: showed us the prose of the situation. It was as 685 00:44:57,080 --> 00:44:59,279 Speaker 1: if we agreed to it already and forgot. Well, but 686 00:44:59,440 --> 00:45:02,440 Speaker 1: let me let me this that I worshiped Jimmy, I 687 00:45:02,480 --> 00:45:07,200 Speaker 1: had And the thing is, Jimmy is guileless, Jimmy's a kid, 688 00:45:07,560 --> 00:45:09,759 Speaker 1: and and and that freedom and that Jimmy's gonna flow 689 00:45:09,800 --> 00:45:12,040 Speaker 1: up the ground and we're all kids, right. But what's 690 00:45:12,080 --> 00:45:15,040 Speaker 1: great is you guys in behind him with I'm not 691 00:45:15,040 --> 00:45:17,759 Speaker 1: gonna say cynicism, but there's a gravity, you guys. There's 692 00:45:17,800 --> 00:45:20,879 Speaker 1: a balance, exactly, There's a great there's a great balance there. 693 00:45:20,920 --> 00:45:23,920 Speaker 1: There's a great balance there. What I what I discovered 694 00:45:24,200 --> 00:45:27,800 Speaker 1: the first month in first of all, what I discovered 695 00:45:27,800 --> 00:45:35,520 Speaker 1: about myself and about the band um for starters for 696 00:45:35,560 --> 00:45:41,720 Speaker 1: a band that sat and Rolling Stones twenty Best band 697 00:45:41,840 --> 00:45:46,279 Speaker 1: Live Bands of All Time list. I noticed that we 698 00:45:46,560 --> 00:45:51,160 Speaker 1: never ever practice as a band because our shows are 699 00:45:52,440 --> 00:45:57,040 Speaker 1: Springsteen length, three hours every night, and we we did 700 00:45:57,040 --> 00:46:01,680 Speaker 1: two d shows a night, like every show was like 701 00:46:01,800 --> 00:46:05,759 Speaker 1: its own. I never wanted to snack before the meal. 702 00:46:06,280 --> 00:46:13,640 Speaker 1: You know, you don't wanna before the orgy whatever. Uh right, 703 00:46:13,760 --> 00:46:18,200 Speaker 1: And so when we got there and we were in 704 00:46:18,239 --> 00:46:22,000 Speaker 1: this closed in room, eight of us looking at each other, 705 00:46:22,880 --> 00:46:24,520 Speaker 1: it was the hardest thing in the world to do 706 00:46:24,640 --> 00:46:26,759 Speaker 1: because we never did this before, and like I had 707 00:46:26,800 --> 00:46:31,160 Speaker 1: to call my manager, like yo, we did not know 708 00:46:31,160 --> 00:46:33,799 Speaker 1: how to It was like being naked in public or 709 00:46:33,840 --> 00:46:39,000 Speaker 1: something like. It took three weeks, but suddenly we rehearsed 710 00:46:39,000 --> 00:46:43,799 Speaker 1: and became better musicians. We became better songwriters, became better 711 00:46:43,840 --> 00:46:47,560 Speaker 1: producers because they it's all these challenges of Okay, I 712 00:46:47,600 --> 00:46:49,840 Speaker 1: needed ten second sting for da da da da da da. 713 00:46:49,920 --> 00:46:53,080 Speaker 1: Here's the name of the song now, and it made 714 00:46:53,120 --> 00:46:56,319 Speaker 1: us more focused song like we're now. I felt like 715 00:46:56,360 --> 00:47:00,160 Speaker 1: we've robbed our fan base those initial fifteen years. Is 716 00:47:01,400 --> 00:47:08,960 Speaker 1: because we're so much wiser now at songwriting, at being musicians, 717 00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:13,240 Speaker 1: at entertaining. Like there's so much knowledge that we've gotten 718 00:47:13,239 --> 00:47:14,880 Speaker 1: that we didn't know. I thought it was gonna be 719 00:47:14,880 --> 00:47:17,880 Speaker 1: a cushy retirement gig. Okay, we'll just set off in 720 00:47:17,920 --> 00:47:20,840 Speaker 1: the sunset. I'll be fine, my mom's house will be 721 00:47:20,840 --> 00:47:26,680 Speaker 1: paid off, my I'll be cool. But that was foolish. 722 00:47:26,880 --> 00:47:29,960 Speaker 1: I was made for this gig and didn't realize it yet. 723 00:47:30,160 --> 00:47:33,479 Speaker 1: Are you guys gonna tour perform any time soon? Thinking 724 00:47:33,520 --> 00:47:37,400 Speaker 1: about it, we what was once thirty eight weeks on 725 00:47:37,440 --> 00:47:42,640 Speaker 1: the road is now a normal two days on the 726 00:47:42,719 --> 00:47:46,720 Speaker 1: road is now We're gonna go out again, which is normal. 727 00:47:48,360 --> 00:47:53,640 Speaker 1: We do weekends, we have hiatuses, talk about your books. Yeah, 728 00:47:53,680 --> 00:47:59,160 Speaker 1: well it's the first point you find time for that. Well. 729 00:47:59,280 --> 00:48:03,480 Speaker 1: The thing is, I'm I'm a serial tweeter, which is 730 00:48:03,520 --> 00:48:07,400 Speaker 1: why I know, like people are ragging our current president 731 00:48:07,400 --> 00:48:09,560 Speaker 1: elect about you know, why do you get up at 732 00:48:09,600 --> 00:48:12,040 Speaker 1: three and and five? That's the best times to tweet? Ever, 733 00:48:12,840 --> 00:48:14,719 Speaker 1: I don't want to defend him publicly that way, but 734 00:48:14,760 --> 00:48:19,200 Speaker 1: I'm too I got the pad next to my bed 735 00:48:20,280 --> 00:48:24,840 Speaker 1: lighting scenes down for TV shows. So um because of 736 00:48:24,920 --> 00:48:33,160 Speaker 1: the the paragraph nature of all my instagrams and and thoughts. Um, 737 00:48:33,200 --> 00:48:35,759 Speaker 1: they were basically like, well, why don't you just write 738 00:48:35,800 --> 00:48:38,279 Speaker 1: a book already? And at first I was resistant to 739 00:48:38,280 --> 00:48:39,960 Speaker 1: it because I was like, how many ideas do I 740 00:48:40,040 --> 00:48:43,719 Speaker 1: have in me? But um, so far, I've written three 741 00:48:43,760 --> 00:48:46,200 Speaker 1: books and I'm kind of proud of it. The first book, 742 00:48:46,440 --> 00:48:50,280 Speaker 1: Moment of Blues, is kind of a a music memoir 743 00:48:50,560 --> 00:48:54,440 Speaker 1: where I talk about life and music, and the second 744 00:48:54,440 --> 00:48:58,080 Speaker 1: one was a passion project. Uh, I'm very obsessed with 745 00:48:58,120 --> 00:49:01,680 Speaker 1: the show Soultering, so wrote The Ultimate Coffee table book 746 00:49:02,120 --> 00:49:05,239 Speaker 1: about Soul Train and uh my my last book was 747 00:49:05,280 --> 00:49:09,480 Speaker 1: something to Food about, which is I discovered that comedians 748 00:49:10,680 --> 00:49:14,880 Speaker 1: and uh chefs are kind of on a parallel creative 749 00:49:14,920 --> 00:49:18,520 Speaker 1: level as musicians. That's what I learned in in fallon 750 00:49:18,840 --> 00:49:23,799 Speaker 1: watching I'm observing David Chang and Dominique Ganzel and all 751 00:49:23,840 --> 00:49:28,160 Speaker 1: these these great chefs when they're preparing foods for our show. 752 00:49:29,200 --> 00:49:33,080 Speaker 1: I started to notice that they think like musicians and 753 00:49:33,200 --> 00:49:36,319 Speaker 1: became friends with them and then did a kind of 754 00:49:36,760 --> 00:49:42,680 Speaker 1: observational study at their creative methods. Um and I guess 755 00:49:42,719 --> 00:49:45,080 Speaker 1: the next book I'm gonna work on is also about 756 00:49:45,120 --> 00:49:52,600 Speaker 1: creativity and creativity well, I'm I'm the guy that doesn't 757 00:49:52,640 --> 00:49:59,399 Speaker 1: necessarily I don't marvel at the vehicle more than I'm 758 00:49:59,400 --> 00:50:05,560 Speaker 1: marvel at the machinery that makes it run. And I'm 759 00:50:05,600 --> 00:50:11,960 Speaker 1: always curious about the preparation process, like I beg Higgins 760 00:50:13,520 --> 00:50:16,759 Speaker 1: daily to let me sit in on the like can 761 00:50:16,800 --> 00:50:19,440 Speaker 1: I I want to enter in a SNL so I 762 00:50:19,480 --> 00:50:22,279 Speaker 1: can be And Lauren is not having none of this. 763 00:50:22,360 --> 00:50:27,000 Speaker 1: By the way, UH two be there on the pitch 764 00:50:27,080 --> 00:50:32,160 Speaker 1: meetings like to to when I watched the show on Saturday. 765 00:50:32,320 --> 00:50:35,839 Speaker 1: I'm always wondering what was the pitch, like, like, how 766 00:50:35,880 --> 00:50:39,840 Speaker 1: do they pitch this? And how did it morph into 767 00:50:40,000 --> 00:50:42,200 Speaker 1: what I'm watching right now? I want to know what 768 00:50:42,280 --> 00:50:44,520 Speaker 1: it's like in the beginning. So like I'm always sneaking 769 00:50:44,520 --> 00:50:47,520 Speaker 1: around on the seventeen floor trying to figure out, you know, 770 00:50:47,920 --> 00:50:52,279 Speaker 1: how SNL works, So like between chefs and comedians, I'm 771 00:50:52,280 --> 00:50:56,719 Speaker 1: trying to inspire myself with the the creative process. Yes, 772 00:50:56,760 --> 00:50:59,640 Speaker 1: and I'm also wrestling. Well. The thing I admire and 773 00:50:59,680 --> 00:51:01,799 Speaker 1: the thing I'm so drawn to about you and that's 774 00:51:01,800 --> 00:51:05,400 Speaker 1: so attractive about you is there's this discipline, there's this 775 00:51:05,480 --> 00:51:08,480 Speaker 1: sense of history and at the same time, like Tony Bennett, 776 00:51:09,680 --> 00:51:11,759 Speaker 1: who I always use him as the standard of this, 777 00:51:11,800 --> 00:51:13,600 Speaker 1: it's like, but we also have to have a good time. 778 00:51:14,040 --> 00:51:16,560 Speaker 1: This is what we dreamed of doing, we dreamed of 779 00:51:16,600 --> 00:51:21,080 Speaker 1: being here. Let's have a good time, yes, and enjoy 780 00:51:21,080 --> 00:51:24,040 Speaker 1: it because this is what we wanted. And I get that. 781 00:51:24,160 --> 00:51:26,040 Speaker 1: I get the two from you. I get the discipline 782 00:51:26,960 --> 00:51:30,920 Speaker 1: and and and and and the the the the professionalism, 783 00:51:30,920 --> 00:51:32,920 Speaker 1: if you will, But I also get where You're like, 784 00:51:34,480 --> 00:51:38,759 Speaker 1: let's I enjoy it. Well, I enjoy it now. Before, uh, 785 00:51:38,960 --> 00:51:43,759 Speaker 1: maybe five years ago, I didn't enjoy it because you're 786 00:51:43,800 --> 00:51:48,680 Speaker 1: so immersed in the work, but um, a lot of it. Well, 787 00:51:48,719 --> 00:51:55,440 Speaker 1: I discovered meditating because we're dying. Well yeah, I mean 788 00:51:55,480 --> 00:51:56,880 Speaker 1: I hate to be so more of it. But it 789 00:51:56,960 --> 00:51:59,760 Speaker 1: was like, you know, again, growing up in hip hop culture, 790 00:52:00,560 --> 00:52:03,280 Speaker 1: the number one fear in your twenties is like bullets 791 00:52:03,280 --> 00:52:05,560 Speaker 1: in the club. So it's like stay off the club. 792 00:52:06,320 --> 00:52:10,640 Speaker 1: But then at the age of like strokes became a 793 00:52:10,640 --> 00:52:15,240 Speaker 1: new bullet, So it's like insulin. Yes, I had to 794 00:52:15,280 --> 00:52:19,560 Speaker 1: make a choice. So yes, having a clear mind and 795 00:52:21,239 --> 00:52:25,160 Speaker 1: clear thoughts helps, and I know it's it's such a 796 00:52:25,200 --> 00:52:30,040 Speaker 1: hard sell. It saves my life, Like there's no way 797 00:52:30,120 --> 00:52:33,680 Speaker 1: that you can have my rigorous schedule. I feel so 798 00:52:33,760 --> 00:52:37,160 Speaker 1: bit like my inner circle of nine people, I'm the 799 00:52:37,200 --> 00:52:41,480 Speaker 1: only person without gray hair, and I look at them like, wow, 800 00:52:41,680 --> 00:52:44,879 Speaker 1: I pay you people to take the gray hair that 801 00:52:45,120 --> 00:52:48,880 Speaker 1: I I'm not getting. Well, let me just say this 802 00:52:48,960 --> 00:52:53,480 Speaker 1: that you're not married. Now, I have a girlfriend, no kids, no, no, no, 803 00:52:53,760 --> 00:52:55,200 Speaker 1: So here's what I want to here's what I want 804 00:52:55,200 --> 00:52:57,040 Speaker 1: to try to close with if I'm if I'm able, 805 00:52:58,080 --> 00:53:00,280 Speaker 1: do you want to raise kids as well? Absolute would 806 00:53:00,280 --> 00:53:03,240 Speaker 1: that be so cool? You would be such a great parents. 807 00:53:03,719 --> 00:53:05,799 Speaker 1: Anybody that would have you as a parent would be 808 00:53:05,880 --> 00:53:10,319 Speaker 1: so lucky. Well, yeah, thank you. It's weird. I'm bad 809 00:53:10,360 --> 00:53:15,920 Speaker 1: with compliments like yeah. I feel as though everything that 810 00:53:15,960 --> 00:53:19,080 Speaker 1: I'm doing is eventually to pass it on and pass 811 00:53:19,160 --> 00:53:25,960 Speaker 1: the love to to someone. Drummer, DJ, author and fingers 812 00:53:26,080 --> 00:53:32,120 Speaker 1: crossed future father a mere quest Love Thompson. You're listening 813 00:53:32,160 --> 00:53:35,879 Speaker 1: to here's the Thing from w n YC Studios