WEBVTT - WHAT’S JOHN McENROE REALLY LIKE? 0:00:08.760 --> 0:00:13.520 John McEnroe. It seems everybody has wanted to meet him 0:00:13.560 --> 0:00:17.720 and hang out, Keith Richards to Andy Warhol to Nelson 0:00:17.800 --> 0:00:22.440 Mandela and many others. For me it's been great fun 0:00:22.560 --> 0:00:25.040 to go from a fan of his about forty years 0:00:25.040 --> 0:00:29.000 ago to a friend. We've shared the greatest offices in tennis, 0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:32.839 Wimbledon's bunker, the Arthurs Stadium booth. I have learned from 0:00:32.960 --> 0:00:36.839 him and been challenged by him. John's passion for tennis 0:00:37.080 --> 0:00:39.120 and pride and still being a big part of it 0:00:39.320 --> 0:00:41.760 with his work in TV and the John mcernow tennis 0:00:41.760 --> 0:00:45.720 academy in New York. That always inspires me. By the way, 0:00:45.760 --> 0:00:48.839 we recorded this just before the U S Open, Serena 0:00:48.920 --> 0:00:53.199 Swan Song and before Roger Federer's retirement, so my reaction 0:00:53.320 --> 0:00:56.320 to those big events are posted on my instagram. But, 0:00:56.400 --> 0:00:59.440 as you're about to hear, John is a man of 0:00:59.600 --> 0:01:03.120 many layers and great depth. I get asked all the 0:01:03.120 --> 0:01:07.000 time what's Mac and Roe really like? This will open 0:01:07.040 --> 0:01:12.520 that window pretty wide. So here's Johnny Mac. So, John, 0:01:12.560 --> 0:01:16.480 we're at Wimbledon this summer. You call a match for ESPN, 0:01:17.200 --> 0:01:19.600 later call another match for BBC, which is a normal 0:01:19.640 --> 0:01:21.840 thing for you. Then we have a conversation and I say, Hey, 0:01:21.880 --> 0:01:24.160 a pearl jam tonight Hyde Park. You'RE gonna be able 0:01:24.200 --> 0:01:25.560 to make it? You said no, I don't think so. 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:28.760 I gotta DO BBC Studio. It's kind of a bummer 0:01:28.760 --> 0:01:31.160 because I know you're a huge fan and a friend 0:01:31.160 --> 0:01:32.640 of the man. So I go to Hyde Park. It's 0:01:32.680 --> 0:01:36.640 this amazing show. Eddie vetter is inspired. The sunset, the 0:01:36.680 --> 0:01:39.080 moon is rising. At the end of the show they 0:01:39.120 --> 0:01:42.720 play rocket in the free world, covering Neil Young's classic 0:01:43.160 --> 0:01:48.040 one verse into it. Enter stage left Johnny Mac, guitar 0:01:48.200 --> 0:01:51.840 strapped over his neck, playing with the band. I think 0:01:51.880 --> 0:01:53.480 like holy ship, you didn't know if you're gonna make 0:01:53.480 --> 0:01:56.120 the show and you're on stage with them. I mean 0:01:57.280 --> 0:02:01.080 they call that bucket list s up. Obvious for sure. 0:02:01.200 --> 0:02:04.040 So yeah, that was one of the few occasions. It's 0:02:04.080 --> 0:02:07.320 the only occasion in the open ear that one of 0:02:07.320 --> 0:02:11.840 the men's semi was a default. So in this one case, 0:02:12.040 --> 0:02:14.359 even though I was very much looking forward to seeing 0:02:14.400 --> 0:02:18.120 curios playing the doll, when that didn't happen, then there 0:02:18.240 --> 0:02:21.320 wasn't really a late show I had to do. So whila, 0:02:21.600 --> 0:02:24.480 there I go. Actually, I played a show a few 0:02:24.560 --> 0:02:28.400 years back, just before the pandemic charity show where I 0:02:28.400 --> 0:02:31.800 played with my own band in Seattle, ironically, and Eddie 0:02:31.840 --> 0:02:35.079 came to the show with my buddy Chris Chelios, and 0:02:35.120 --> 0:02:37.040 I got him to come up and play a song. 0:02:37.440 --> 0:02:40.320 It was only, you know, not sixty five thousand, admittedly, 0:02:40.440 --> 0:02:44.480 probably sixty five or maybe a hundred, uh, and Eddie 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:48.320 sang rocking in the free world, ironically. So for me 0:02:48.360 --> 0:02:51.000 it was unbelievable to go. You know, I had that 0:02:51.040 --> 0:02:54.720 happened twice in the tournament, which is never happened before. 0:02:55.480 --> 0:02:59.240 First to go up on my wife's Patty's birthday to 0:02:59.360 --> 0:03:03.919 go see the eagles. She's played with Don and backed 0:03:04.160 --> 0:03:06.359 backed him up on a couple of albums. Or One 0:03:06.400 --> 0:03:08.800 of her biggest hits is with Don. And then he 0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:12.680 asked me to play. Already gone at Hyde Park and 0:03:12.720 --> 0:03:15.640 then Eddie did. So I'm safe to say that I 0:03:15.680 --> 0:03:18.320 had a great Wimbledon. I'm glad to hear that, man, 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:21.959 because it seems like at times calling matches of the 0:03:21.960 --> 0:03:24.960 world's greatest court, going on stage with Pearl GM, that's 0:03:25.000 --> 0:03:27.560 just like another day in your life. That's just that's 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:32.520 just a regular day for you. Sometimes no, well, uh, no, 0:03:32.880 --> 0:03:36.560 that's not true. I've been fortunate to meet a lot 0:03:36.600 --> 0:03:41.080 of great people associated with the music business. That's like 0:03:41.440 --> 0:03:46.160 my love, besides tennis and Sports, is playing the guitar music. 0:03:46.280 --> 0:03:49.360 Having the opportunity to meet these legends that I grew 0:03:49.440 --> 0:03:54.520 up idolizing and music is inspirational obviously keeps it going. 0:03:54.600 --> 0:03:58.600 On a boring practice session, Blair some Nice Music, it 0:03:58.760 --> 0:04:01.680 keeps pumpsy off and then all of a sudden to 0:04:01.760 --> 0:04:06.680 see that like Keith Richards and, uh, not to drop 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:09.360 any names here, but Robert planned, you know, and you 0:04:09.440 --> 0:04:11.960 meet these guys, I mean led Zeppein was my favorite 0:04:11.960 --> 0:04:15.240 band growing up. The stones are amazing and you're sort 0:04:15.280 --> 0:04:18.080 of like on the city, you know, in some way 0:04:18.160 --> 0:04:20.559 you're sort of like looking at them eye to eye 0:04:20.600 --> 0:04:23.000 and they're like talking to like, Oh man, I really 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:25.839 love what you do and this is incredible and and 0:04:25.880 --> 0:04:27.880 it's sort of like you pinch yourself, like could this 0:04:27.960 --> 0:04:31.200 really be happening? So I've got to admit that over 0:04:31.240 --> 0:04:33.640 the course of the last forty five years I've been 0:04:34.040 --> 0:04:36.880 very fortunate to been able to meet a lot of 0:04:36.880 --> 0:04:42.000 great people and, you know, get respect, mutual respect, from them. Yeah, 0:04:42.000 --> 0:04:43.920 what I love about you is you're not jaded at 0:04:43.960 --> 0:04:46.640 anything and to have those experiences where you do kind 0:04:46.640 --> 0:04:49.120 of meet your idols and they say that's pretty tricky, right, 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:52.080 to meet people that you idolize, but then, as you said, 0:04:52.279 --> 0:04:55.760 eye to eye and it's becomes not geeking out on 0:04:55.839 --> 0:04:58.960 them but a mutual admiration society, like they appreciate what 0:04:59.000 --> 0:05:03.520 you did. I mean still surreal when you think about that? 0:05:03.720 --> 0:05:07.400 Or is it? UH, are you used to it? I 0:05:07.440 --> 0:05:10.440 think it's somewhere between surreal and you're used to it. 0:05:10.440 --> 0:05:13.400 I don't think you ever get totally used to it. Uh. 0:05:13.600 --> 0:05:16.720 I still just keep in mind you're a kid from 0:05:16.839 --> 0:05:21.920 Queens and here you are sitting standing next to Robert Plants. 0:05:21.960 --> 0:05:26.279 So it never gets old. It was the first time, 0:05:26.320 --> 0:05:28.440 like the very first time. You're there, there, you you 0:05:28.680 --> 0:05:31.320 led Zeppelin one, two, three or four. These are all 0:05:31.760 --> 0:05:34.640 incredibly important albums to people sort of our age. And 0:05:34.680 --> 0:05:37.360 then boom, first time Robert Plant is sitting in front 0:05:37.400 --> 0:05:40.680 of you saying Hey, I like what you do, man. Uh, 0:05:40.720 --> 0:05:43.440 you know, trying not from sweating like like Albert Brooks 0:05:43.480 --> 0:05:46.080 and broadcast news, you know, where you're just slabbering over 0:05:46.120 --> 0:05:49.400 him and I suppose. But you know, I actually saw 0:05:49.440 --> 0:05:52.440 it led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden when I was 0:05:52.440 --> 0:05:55.880 probably fifth, fourteen or fifteen years old, and I remember 0:05:55.920 --> 0:05:57.800 thinking at the time it's like, why doesn't it sound 0:05:57.839 --> 0:05:59.880 like a song on the you know, on the reck 0:06:00.040 --> 0:06:03.640 her and you know, I realized through playing, starting to 0:06:03.640 --> 0:06:07.599 play guitar and for and just learning more about music that, 0:06:07.839 --> 0:06:10.200 you know, a lot of the Zeppelin songs had three 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:13.680 four guitar parts on them, among other things, so it 0:06:13.800 --> 0:06:16.800 was almost impossible to duplicate it. But it was still 0:06:16.839 --> 0:06:20.560 like magical in its own way to see them. And 0:06:20.600 --> 0:06:22.839 then I got a chance to see them years later 0:06:23.000 --> 0:06:26.120 when page and plant went out, ironically in Croatia, and that's, 0:06:26.279 --> 0:06:27.680 you know, one of the first times I got to 0:06:27.760 --> 0:06:30.200 speak to them. I mean Jimmy Page is like the 0:06:30.320 --> 0:06:32.520 Rock God. Obviously is one of the greatest guitar players 0:06:32.520 --> 0:06:34.880 of all time. I happened to see him in a 0:06:34.960 --> 0:06:38.840 couple of situations, more not casual, but like where he 0:06:38.920 --> 0:06:42.040 was helping out like the Black Crows and doing stuff 0:06:42.080 --> 0:06:43.960 for them and being part of a benefit. We can 0:06:44.000 --> 0:06:45.760 talk to them a little bit more than hey, how 0:06:45.839 --> 0:06:48.880 you doing type of things. But Robert Plant UH. He 0:06:48.960 --> 0:06:53.159 actually came on my talk show. Most people don't know this, 0:06:53.279 --> 0:06:55.800 but I did have a talk show for six months 0:06:55.800 --> 0:06:58.760 back in two thousand four and he was nice enough 0:06:58.880 --> 0:07:01.839 during the US Open that year to come on my 0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:04.719 show and do a bit. And I remember someone asked me, 0:07:04.720 --> 0:07:06.560 I don't think it was Robert, like, what your favorite 0:07:06.640 --> 0:07:10.480 Zeppelin Song, and I always worked on the song the 0:07:10.520 --> 0:07:14.120 guitar bringing on home. It's on the second album, but 0:07:14.240 --> 0:07:15.960 you know. So I sort of blurted that out because 0:07:16.000 --> 0:07:17.720 I was saying even though there's like fifty or a 0:07:17.840 --> 0:07:20.280 hundred other songs that I liked better, and then I 0:07:20.320 --> 0:07:22.320 realized it was a cover tune and I'm like, Oh 0:07:22.400 --> 0:07:24.680 my God, that was the old foot in my mouth on. 0:07:24.880 --> 0:07:27.760 He was probably gone. Could he at least said Kashmir 0:07:27.880 --> 0:07:30.280 or stay away to heaven or something that, you know, 0:07:30.360 --> 0:07:33.720 we wrote? So that was rather embarrassing, but I luckily 0:07:33.760 --> 0:07:36.440 I got through it. I would have answered Kashmir. Now 0:07:36.680 --> 0:07:41.360 I think that, like a lot of people, I fanassy's 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:45.080 about being a guitar hero. I friends tried to teach me, 0:07:45.160 --> 0:07:48.000 but a combination of lack of talent and lack of patients, 0:07:48.320 --> 0:07:51.000 that's usually not a formula for success in anything in life, 0:07:51.080 --> 0:07:54.280 especially something as tricky as guitar. But people try to 0:07:54.280 --> 0:07:58.360 teach me. We're not all time legends, and you had what, 0:07:58.560 --> 0:08:01.320 as the story goes, Eddiev and Hey Allen, Carlos Santana 0:08:01.840 --> 0:08:04.760 maybe clapped in once or twice, trying to help you 0:08:05.320 --> 0:08:10.600 master the Guitar Um. Well, that's sort of true. You know, 0:08:10.640 --> 0:08:12.560 you sort of meet him and you're there to have 0:08:12.600 --> 0:08:15.240 a drink and then they pick up the guitar. Bill Wyman, 0:08:15.320 --> 0:08:17.160 the Bass player from the stones, was one of the 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:20.480 first guys, and I really was, you know, I probably 0:08:20.480 --> 0:08:23.280 didn't start. I was like one when I realized I 0:08:23.320 --> 0:08:25.360 was going to have a lot of time on the 0:08:25.440 --> 0:08:28.120 road on my hands, and he was sort of trying 0:08:28.120 --> 0:08:30.720 to teach me the one, four or five progression, which 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:33.839 is like the most basic progression in music, like a 0:08:33.920 --> 0:08:38.360 blues progression. I was having trouble mastery that. I soon 0:08:38.440 --> 0:08:42.080 after I went to Chicago where a buddy of mine, 0:08:42.120 --> 0:08:45.040 Gary Fencer, who played for the Chicago Bears, took me 0:08:45.120 --> 0:08:49.880 to this legendary Blues Club, the Checkerboard Lounge, buddy guys club, 0:08:50.640 --> 0:08:53.640 and so I saw a buddy guy play and I 0:08:53.720 --> 0:08:55.959 was just like, Oh my God, this guy is this 0:08:56.480 --> 0:09:00.280 amazing and I'd happened to travel with this guitar, this 0:09:00.520 --> 0:09:03.120 less Paul I had that I went the first guitar 0:09:03.200 --> 0:09:05.360 every bought. I was like God, this thing is really heavy. 0:09:05.400 --> 0:09:08.680 I don't get this. They're so heavy. And I watched 0:09:08.760 --> 0:09:11.559 him playing. I'm like what in God's name? and My waisting, 0:09:11.640 --> 0:09:14.400 my time playing the guitar. When you see this, I 0:09:14.480 --> 0:09:16.480 had this big hotel room. I have to admit I 0:09:16.480 --> 0:09:18.760 don't know why I got it in. In Chicago was 0:09:18.960 --> 0:09:21.960 we were playing at the arena near the airport and 0:09:22.080 --> 0:09:26.080 I snatched the guitar the Smithereens in my hotel room. 0:09:26.240 --> 0:09:29.000 I was like, forget it, it's hopeless, don't even bother. 0:09:29.800 --> 0:09:32.120 And so for a couple of years I really didn't play. 0:09:32.200 --> 0:09:34.080 But then I realized, Oh my God, if you pick 0:09:34.160 --> 0:09:37.040 up a strata or telly telecaster, those are a lot 0:09:37.160 --> 0:09:40.800 lighter and sort of got renewed hope that I could 0:09:40.800 --> 0:09:43.560 do it and played, you know, on and off, because 0:09:43.559 --> 0:09:46.960 it's actually sort of tiring, like mentally if nothing else, 0:09:47.240 --> 0:09:49.400 when you know I'm trying to focus all my energies 0:09:49.440 --> 0:09:52.079 in tennis. Wasn't doing it a whole lot. At the 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:55.559 end of my career I decided, Um, I gotta start 0:09:55.600 --> 0:09:59.160 playing more and actually put a band together. I was, 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:03.760 I called my myself the most traveled unsigned band in history. Um, 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:06.400 we went all over the world. We're in Japan, you know, 0:10:06.440 --> 0:10:09.360 I sort of connected with tennis ex editions basically, but 0:10:09.800 --> 0:10:15.400 we're going to South America, Japan, Hawaii, Europe on four occasions. 0:10:15.440 --> 0:10:18.959 It was unbelievable. I got plenty of you suck, you know. Um. 0:10:19.480 --> 0:10:22.640 And then I started going out with Patty Smite, my wife, 0:10:22.679 --> 0:10:26.120 and and she was sort of disillusioned at that time 0:10:26.120 --> 0:10:28.079 and the music business been it on the road with 0:10:28.280 --> 0:10:32.400 Rod Stewart, had sold had a platinum record. Uh, but 0:10:32.559 --> 0:10:35.160 she sort of felt like, and I'm sure to the 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:38.240 degree still true, of changing. But you know, they don't 0:10:38.280 --> 0:10:41.000 treat the women rockers the way they do the guys. 0:10:41.800 --> 0:10:44.320 So she's and so I go, Hey, I got an idea. 0:10:44.440 --> 0:10:46.559 I bring a lot of energy and I'm playing. We 0:10:46.920 --> 0:10:50.080 should join, we should play in a band together. And 0:10:50.120 --> 0:10:52.720 then she looked at me for a second. She and 0:10:52.840 --> 0:10:55.120 she said, uh, yeah, and we should play mixed doubles 0:10:55.120 --> 0:10:58.600 at Wimbledon. And I go, uh, you don't play tennis 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:04.240 and she goes exactly, and I'm like, okay, that's sort 0:11:04.280 --> 0:11:07.840 of you know, sent the message. And for a while 0:11:07.960 --> 0:11:11.400 actually I was playing, and then there was finally one 0:11:12.120 --> 0:11:14.400 festival I went to in Belgium, it's like one of 0:11:14.400 --> 0:11:17.920 these summer festivals, where I was playing and it was 0:11:18.000 --> 0:11:21.360 only for rock and for the music. And when I 0:11:21.440 --> 0:11:23.720 came back and she said to me and goes, okay, 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:28.440 we've got this. Uh, we're about to have a daughter together. 0:11:28.520 --> 0:11:31.720 We've got four between us. If anyone's gonna play music, 0:11:32.040 --> 0:11:36.200 it's me, not you. Okay, so you were back towards 0:11:36.200 --> 0:11:39.320 the tennis. I'll try to take care of the music game, 0:11:39.360 --> 0:11:41.640 but I have taken if I have time, taking care 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:45.280 of all these kids. That's a that's a great story, 0:11:45.360 --> 0:11:46.800 and now she met it with love. But it's kind 0:11:46.840 --> 0:11:49.920 of an ouch thing too, when somebody put you in 0:11:49.920 --> 0:11:54.400 your place. You know, the tennis racket was like a 0:11:54.520 --> 0:11:57.880 natural extension of your left arm and and maybe of 0:11:57.960 --> 0:12:01.640 your soul was the guitar are a little bit less connected, 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:03.800 it was a little bit less innate as you tried 0:12:03.840 --> 0:12:08.760 to master that. Well, I'm gonna Bring Patty back into 0:12:08.800 --> 0:12:11.560 this for a second because she had a very simple 0:12:11.640 --> 0:12:14.360 phrase that she used for the way I played guitar. 0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:19.000 She said I wrestled it into submission. So that is 0:12:20.240 --> 0:12:23.000 not what you would call a major compliment, but you 0:12:23.120 --> 0:12:25.360 win when you're wrestling into submission. At least you win. 0:12:25.440 --> 0:12:29.160 It doesn't look pretty, but you got the w yeah, well, 0:12:29.200 --> 0:12:32.000 that's the way. You know. As as I've gotten older, Chris, 0:12:32.080 --> 0:12:34.559 I'm certainly trying to look at the glass half full 0:12:34.679 --> 0:12:37.200 more often. So that's the way I try to look 0:12:37.200 --> 0:12:40.280 at that particular phrase. I do love it. It's a 0:12:40.440 --> 0:12:43.640 it's a great outlet. I'm better than I ever was. Admittedly, 0:12:43.679 --> 0:12:48.040 it's somewhat low bar. The pandemic allowed me to play 0:12:48.080 --> 0:12:51.120 more guitar than I've ever played. Obviously was cooped up 0:12:51.120 --> 0:12:53.160 in one place. I was fortunate up one of my 0:12:53.200 --> 0:12:58.360 buddies is enraging against the machine, and we trained all 0:12:58.400 --> 0:13:00.600 the time and we hung out all the time, him anyway, 0:13:00.640 --> 0:13:03.720 not really musically. I Jam with him and Brad The 0:13:03.840 --> 0:13:06.920 drummer a couple of times and been in watching rage 0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:10.040 rehearse and sat or seeing them, but now it's just 0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:13.000 playing like the two of us. So I'd actually got 0:13:13.000 --> 0:13:15.360 a lot more time where I was actually playing with 0:13:15.520 --> 0:13:19.640 Tim and he was playing drums, ironically, not base, and 0:13:19.720 --> 0:13:22.240 every now and then he'd be like he in the 0:13:22.280 --> 0:13:24.360 middle of I'd be all pumped up, I'd be playing 0:13:24.400 --> 0:13:26.280 a song and all of a sudden he'd stopped me, goes, 0:13:26.520 --> 0:13:30.080 you're fucking time's off, your time's off, and he'd scream 0:13:30.160 --> 0:13:33.880 at me and I'd be like to Um and but 0:13:33.960 --> 0:13:37.160 he was right, of course, like a the time, and 0:13:37.240 --> 0:13:39.720 so the one out of ten where I'd be like 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:42.960 it was you, not me. Okay, so, and he's not 0:13:43.000 --> 0:13:46.720 even playing his natural instrument. But it was something that 0:13:47.040 --> 0:13:49.560 Patty had well is saying. You know, you know, you 0:13:49.640 --> 0:13:52.320 can sing and key, you're okay, you know your guitars 0:13:52.320 --> 0:13:54.960 getting better, but your time is a little you know, 0:13:55.640 --> 0:13:59.040 and you can imagine in your head and those guitars 0:13:59.360 --> 0:14:02.400 people that have hard to play or try when you're 0:14:02.440 --> 0:14:04.920 actually stinging, maybe two and you're trying to think of 0:14:05.080 --> 0:14:07.960 other things and think ahead and the words and you're 0:14:07.960 --> 0:14:09.959 listening to the other people in your band. I mean 0:14:10.040 --> 0:14:12.680 it's let's put it this way. It gave me an 0:14:12.720 --> 0:14:16.640 appreciation for how great the people that I was watching. 0:14:16.760 --> 0:14:20.680 You mentioned Pearl Jam and the Eagles and the police. 0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:23.560 You know, Trios in particular, because I've been playing recently 0:14:23.560 --> 0:14:27.560 more as a trio the police. Uh Stevie, Ray Vaughan 0:14:27.640 --> 0:14:34.240 when he played ZZ top Jimmy Hendrix. Yeah, exactly exactly. 0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:36.600 You know, I've always limelight. Has always been a goal 0:14:36.600 --> 0:14:39.320 of mine to play. Good luck singing it, not to 0:14:39.440 --> 0:14:46.040 mention playing it. I mean if I could play the 0:14:46.080 --> 0:14:49.400 guitar solo uncomfortably Numb the David Gilmar played, I think 0:14:49.480 --> 0:14:52.520 I love my job, as you do, but I think 0:14:52.520 --> 0:14:54.040 I'd walk away from the give I just had the 0:14:54.080 --> 0:14:56.040 ability to do that. I think I would trade everything 0:14:56.080 --> 0:15:00.000 for that. Your seven Grand Slam titles and singles. Uh. 0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:02.440 Someone said, Hey, John, you gotta, you gotta give those back, 0:15:02.480 --> 0:15:06.080 but you're gonna have this, the kind of Sublime Guitar 0:15:06.400 --> 0:15:08.480 Talent that a lot of your heroes have, and that's 0:15:08.520 --> 0:15:11.120 gonna be an ability that you'll have for your life. 0:15:11.720 --> 0:15:16.200 You trade it. Oh God, that's a tough one. You know, honestly, 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:18.120 I think deep down in my heart of hearts, I 0:15:18.640 --> 0:15:21.720 made the right call. I Love Sports, I really do. 0:15:21.760 --> 0:15:25.880 I mean sports was my life growing up as a kid. Um, 0:15:26.120 --> 0:15:29.080 so it's hard to say that of course, it's tempting 0:15:29.080 --> 0:15:32.640 to say if you were David Gilmour, it's not only 0:15:32.760 --> 0:15:36.440 was a beautiful guy and a legendary guitar player, but 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:39.560 he had an absolutely beautiful voice on top of everything else. 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:42.520 So he had the whole package. So it would be 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:44.960 hard to say no, I don't want with David Gilmore. 0:15:45.120 --> 0:15:48.320 Some of these other guys had these all time great 0:15:48.400 --> 0:15:50.760 like the the Solo, you know when the two guys 0:15:50.800 --> 0:15:54.840 trade in Hotel California, like, okay, this is you know this, 0:15:55.120 --> 0:15:57.480 that's this stuff where you know they're up there with 0:15:57.600 --> 0:16:01.920 the Rafa's in the no Vak Rogers. You know, that's 0:16:02.200 --> 0:16:07.360 the all time legendary Solos ever in rock and roll Um, 0:16:07.440 --> 0:16:10.600 and they lived a life that like it was almost 0:16:10.640 --> 0:16:12.760 I remember times because I try to keep up with 0:16:12.800 --> 0:16:16.280 some of these guys sometimes and it was certainly fun trying. 0:16:16.280 --> 0:16:18.280 But there was a certain point I was like, okay, 0:16:18.320 --> 0:16:22.480 too good. You know, he's guys Keith, you're too good man, 0:16:25.120 --> 0:16:27.440 but but I'm I gotta go to bed, you know. 0:16:27.760 --> 0:16:30.560 So I think I think I made the right call. 0:16:32.160 --> 0:16:34.960 Art's been important to people have called you an artist 0:16:34.960 --> 0:16:37.520 for the racket. I know that that's a compliment you love. 0:16:37.560 --> 0:16:41.800 I mean the artistry is something that really, to some degree, 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:46.760 cannot be taught or coached. It's just innate. Is the 0:16:46.760 --> 0:16:49.440 way you played have anything to do with the way 0:16:49.440 --> 0:16:52.920 you connected with people who express themselves creatively, whether it's 0:16:52.920 --> 0:16:56.960 a musician or a painter? Yeah, you know, I'd like 0:16:57.040 --> 0:17:01.640 to think so. You're absolutely the greatest complin ever got 0:17:01.760 --> 0:17:05.600 was that you you're like an artist out there Um, 0:17:05.640 --> 0:17:08.520 and I think that that's something, hopefully, that people remember, 0:17:08.560 --> 0:17:12.439 that I brought to the table. Uh so absolutely. I 0:17:12.560 --> 0:17:15.600 connected them for a number of reasons. One when I 0:17:15.680 --> 0:17:17.720 was fortunate enough to have enough money to be able 0:17:17.760 --> 0:17:20.800 to afford to buy a car. And in our day, Chris, 0:17:20.840 --> 0:17:24.080 you're you're a little younger than me, but uh, you know, 0:17:24.200 --> 0:17:27.040 you cared about like the sound system, you had like 0:17:27.119 --> 0:17:29.320 the speakers, and that then a lot. That was like 0:17:29.359 --> 0:17:31.960 the second biggest thing. And then if you could have 0:17:32.080 --> 0:17:34.840 an apartment, it was like, wow, I've got it. You'd 0:17:34.840 --> 0:17:38.480 have uh, you'd I haven't made but after that, you know, 0:17:38.640 --> 0:17:40.800 when I first started going around with my late great 0:17:40.840 --> 0:17:43.440 buddy beatus Carolitis, he started taking me in a lot 0:17:43.480 --> 0:17:46.840 of artists studios and galleries in Soho, which is in 0:17:46.920 --> 0:17:50.120 downtown New York, and I got an opportunity to meet 0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:54.360 artists and I was like wow, it just made me 0:17:54.400 --> 0:17:56.399 feel better and when I started to buy art and 0:17:56.440 --> 0:17:59.000 collected to walk down the stairs in the morning and 0:17:59.080 --> 0:18:01.600 take a look at some be sort of sort of inspirational, 0:18:01.920 --> 0:18:05.400 the way you hope to be as as as an athlete, 0:18:05.440 --> 0:18:08.240 the way you want to pump someone up. Or I'm 0:18:08.280 --> 0:18:11.280 here at my tennis academy right now hoping that, you know, 0:18:11.520 --> 0:18:14.159 some of these kids will be inspired by by me 0:18:14.280 --> 0:18:17.120 being here. Um. And the other part of the art 0:18:17.200 --> 0:18:19.560 that I really respect is they're out there on an 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:23.760 island like a tennis player. They're by themselves. You walk 0:18:23.840 --> 0:18:26.200 into a show, it's sort of like you walk out. 0:18:26.440 --> 0:18:30.760 What could possibly be better? Then walk into the Center 0:18:30.800 --> 0:18:34.160 Court of Wimbledon, for example, and doing your things? Well, 0:18:34.200 --> 0:18:36.720 that is sort of similar if an art if you 0:18:36.800 --> 0:18:38.959 walk into this show and it's packed and people are 0:18:38.960 --> 0:18:41.639 like wow, this is incredible. On the other side of 0:18:41.640 --> 0:18:44.960 the coin, what could be worse? If you go out 0:18:44.960 --> 0:18:46.719 in the wimbled instead of court and you lay an 0:18:46.720 --> 0:18:49.640 egg and you just feel like you're two FT tall? 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:52.600 And then, the same as art you know the guts 0:18:52.640 --> 0:18:55.080 to go there and some of the other sucks. It's terrible. 0:18:55.560 --> 0:18:59.880 You know, I don't understand this abstract stuff. I don't. 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:02.600 He doesn't paint well enough. So you know you're putting 0:19:02.600 --> 0:19:05.439 yourself out there. The other people would be comedients, like 0:19:05.520 --> 0:19:09.600 stand ups. Those group of people I feel more connected to, 0:19:09.880 --> 0:19:15.680 perhaps than any other entertainment type of people. Yeah, they can. 0:19:15.840 --> 0:19:18.600 To continue the parallel. You know, you are out there 0:19:18.600 --> 0:19:22.560 by yourself and and and many artists, like many athletes, 0:19:24.160 --> 0:19:27.720 are somewhat tortured at times in their life. And and 0:19:28.080 --> 0:19:32.440 sadness and anger can be great sources of inspiration. Many 0:19:32.440 --> 0:19:34.800 great paintings, just like many great songs, have become from 0:19:34.840 --> 0:19:39.360 a place of anger. Um, anger has played a role 0:19:39.440 --> 0:19:42.159 in your life. We'll talk about that perhaps later. But 0:19:42.640 --> 0:19:48.040 do you gravitate towards art that expresses intense emotions, where 0:19:48.080 --> 0:19:50.240 you know and can relate to what the artist is 0:19:50.280 --> 0:19:52.359 going through when you see the canvas and you know 0:19:53.080 --> 0:19:56.600 he's poured himself out there and it's not always pleasant, 0:19:56.640 --> 0:20:04.560 but it's compelling. Yeah, absolutely ensure. Yes, UM, totally gravitate 0:20:04.640 --> 0:20:08.720 towards more uh type of art like that, something that's 0:20:08.720 --> 0:20:12.320 thought provoking that makes you think, that can inspire. Sometimes 0:20:12.359 --> 0:20:14.320 I don't know what that artist is going through. I 0:20:14.320 --> 0:20:17.400 don't know. Sometimes you may not know yourself what you're 0:20:17.520 --> 0:20:21.800 exactly what's happening within at a certain time. But there's 0:20:21.800 --> 0:20:24.760 no question that that is the type of art that I've, 0:20:24.960 --> 0:20:28.640 you know, collected over the years, the type of art 0:20:28.720 --> 0:20:31.560 that I think is ultimately going to have more of 0:20:31.600 --> 0:20:34.679 an impact on society in general and that's what we 0:20:34.760 --> 0:20:38.600 continue to need. And you know, musicians it's tougher. You know, 0:20:38.359 --> 0:20:41.680 I've been with my wife Twenty eight years and it 0:20:41.840 --> 0:20:44.120 sort of feels like, from what I see with her, 0:20:44.680 --> 0:20:47.480 that you write more often, like you said, when it's 0:20:47.520 --> 0:20:49.600 things are sort of down or they're not. You know, 0:20:49.640 --> 0:20:53.120 it's easier to write sort of songs like that than upbeat, 0:20:53.160 --> 0:20:56.960 peppie songs, you know, so and and and it feels 0:20:57.000 --> 0:20:59.120 like it's sort of a shame because then that's sort 0:20:59.160 --> 0:21:02.560 of you. The biggest thing for me is I want 0:21:02.600 --> 0:21:05.159 my other have to be happen, you know, and fulfilled, 0:21:05.560 --> 0:21:09.840 and in certain ways that doesn't necessarily help help her 0:21:09.840 --> 0:21:14.200 and what her job is. Uh, I felt like, Um, 0:21:14.240 --> 0:21:17.560 you know, I was on top of the world and 0:21:17.640 --> 0:21:20.439 I think to myself, you know, at that moment, I 0:21:20.440 --> 0:21:23.920 mean I had this documentary coming out and he says, 0:21:23.920 --> 0:21:26.760 you know, I'm the greatest player ever played. I point 0:21:26.800 --> 0:21:31.200 out that was, you know, almost thirty eight years ago. Uh, 0:21:31.240 --> 0:21:33.439 you know, I wish I could say that now, but 0:21:33.520 --> 0:21:36.439 I can't. But at that time I was like on 0:21:36.560 --> 0:21:40.160 top of the world and certainly part of it was amazing, 0:21:40.200 --> 0:21:42.560 but part of it wasn't that amazing. You know, there 0:21:42.600 --> 0:21:45.280 was there was a void in the and so it's 0:21:45.480 --> 0:21:49.760 your your to find that sweet spot that you need 0:21:49.800 --> 0:21:52.760 to get to and as a human being and as 0:21:52.800 --> 0:21:56.320 an athlete, is tricky, as as we're witnessing now with, 0:21:56.800 --> 0:22:01.000 I'll give you an example, Naomi Osaka, Nick Curios, trying 0:22:01.000 --> 0:22:04.399