1 00:00:01,360 --> 00:00:05,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Taking a Walk podcast Music History on Foot. 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:11,480 Speaker 1: This is the podcast that covers music storytelling from authors, filmmakers, 3 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: and musicians. We're available at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart the 4 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:22,960 Speaker 1: Podcast Playground, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you 5 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: like what you hear, please share this with your friends. 6 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 1: On this episode, join host Buzz Night with two visionaries 7 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:34,560 Speaker 1: in the media and entertainment business. They're here to talk 8 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 1: about their new documentary Reinventing Elvis The sixty eight Comeback 9 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:43,600 Speaker 1: from the Great Folks at Paramount Plus. Spencer Proffer is 10 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:47,520 Speaker 1: the film's producer and he's also the founder of Meteor seventeen. 11 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:51,840 Speaker 1: He's one of the most successful documentary filmmakers of our time, 12 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 1: most recently with the award winning Don McLean Dock The 13 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 1: Day the Music Died. He's also the man behind the 14 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:02,640 Speaker 1: John Coltrane document Menory, Chasing Train, and a host of 15 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 1: other great work. We're also joined by director, producer, and 16 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: award winning trailblazer Steve Binder. As The sixty eight Comeback 17 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 1: Show was coming together, Steve Bender was the man right 18 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 1: in the middle of this incredible story in music history. 19 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:21,760 Speaker 1: He stood up to Colonel Tom Parker, who ruled the 20 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: Elvis Empire with an iron fist. He pushed Elvis to 21 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 1: greatness as he built an environment of trust with the King. 22 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: Let's join Buzznight with Spencer Proffer and Steve Bender next 23 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:36,279 Speaker 1: on Taking a Walk. 24 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:40,399 Speaker 2: Well, gentlemen, it's an honor to have two of the 25 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 2: most iconic figures in music history. On Taking a Walk. 26 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 2: I'd like to welcome Spencer Profer and welcome Steve Binder. 27 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 2: Congrats on the triumphant release of your new Paramount Plus documentary. 28 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 2: And i'd like to say welcome back Spencer to Taking 29 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 2: a Walk. Your past episode with me talking about your 30 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 2: illustrious career and your Don mcleain documentary was a moment 31 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:12,799 Speaker 2: of serendeputy for me as we've become pals and I'm 32 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:16,959 Speaker 2: so grateful. But Spencer, let me ask you first, how 33 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 2: did you and Steve Binder become pals years ago? 34 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 3: Very simple? First of all, you should put Steve's name 35 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:30,399 Speaker 3: before mine anytime. But we became pals because he rejected 36 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 3: me as a rock and roll artist. When Steve was 37 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 3: probably the most acclaimed television director in America and he 38 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 3: was hired by NBC to do the Comeback Special, which 39 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 3: he'll tell you about with Elvis. And I knew a 40 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:50,280 Speaker 3: lady who worked for Steve's partner, Bones House. So I 41 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 3: had an audition for Steve with my band and after 42 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:57,120 Speaker 3: two songs, he blew me off. In other words, he 43 00:02:57,160 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 3: didn't blow me off rudely. He blew me off thinking 44 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 3: I wasn't good enough. He was right, and then. 45 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 4: No, the truth of the story, Buzz is that once 46 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 4: we had signed, you know, exclusively doing all the hits 47 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:19,959 Speaker 4: for the Fifth Dimension, the Association, etc. My partner, who's 48 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:25,800 Speaker 4: brilliant recording producer, Bonesow, he said Steve, if the Beatles 49 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:28,560 Speaker 4: walked in here tomorrow, we'd have to turn him down 50 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 4: because our plate is full and we just can't take 51 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:34,800 Speaker 4: on any new artists. And that's the only reason I 52 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 4: turned Spencer down. 53 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 3: Well, Buzz, I got to be honest, and this has 54 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:43,560 Speaker 3: nothing to do with this paramount plus you know Doc, 55 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 3: which I think is you know, quintessential, and I'm very 56 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 3: proud to be the producer of it next to my 57 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 3: friend Steve. I wasn't that good. And years later, when 58 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 3: Steve had a management company and he had Rick Springfield 59 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 3: and he had air supply, and I was and are 60 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 3: as united artist. He came to me and I had 61 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 3: just finished finding the EOO connectivity to releasing the records 62 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 3: and was making Tinas ask Queen alb I was a 63 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 3: rock guy, so I admitted that to Steve. I think 64 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 3: he liked my candor. We've been friends ever since. That 65 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:20,840 Speaker 3: was nineteen seventy four. 66 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 5: I love it. I love it well, Steve. 67 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:28,840 Speaker 2: There are so many storylines in this documentary, certainly the 68 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 2: hero meaning you, and the villain and Colonel Parker, and 69 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:39,240 Speaker 2: the Star and Elvis. But one of them also is 70 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:45,560 Speaker 2: your tremendous legacy, sir, as a pioneer and a trailblazer. 71 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:51,160 Speaker 2: Your work with the Freedom Spectacular, the Petula Clark Special 72 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 2: talk about how you were shaped to be a bold 73 00:04:56,160 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 2: creator who has always had the courage of your convey 74 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 2: in your pursuit of justice. 75 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 4: I think it all really stems from your upbringing. I 76 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:11,480 Speaker 4: was one of the fortunate ones in life who had 77 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:18,760 Speaker 4: tremendous parents who wanted to give my sister and myself 78 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:23,360 Speaker 4: all the opportunities that they never had when they grew up. 79 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:27,240 Speaker 4: Both of my parents never had the opportunity to go 80 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:34,359 Speaker 4: to college. They insisted that both my sister and I 81 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 4: go to college. Even though I never graduated, I actually 82 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:44,560 Speaker 4: got drafted in the army and right in my senior 83 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 4: year at the University of Southern California. And I was 84 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 4: lucky enough when I went into the military to get 85 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,760 Speaker 4: a job with the American Forces Network. And that's what 86 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:02,839 Speaker 4: what my appetite, saying, Hey, I like this business. And 87 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:07,160 Speaker 4: you know, when I came home from the military after 88 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:13,279 Speaker 4: two years, a gentleman by the name of Pete Burness, 89 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 4: who unfortunately passed away very young in life, but he 90 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:22,320 Speaker 4: was the film director of the Mister Magoo cartoons, and 91 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 4: he was a friend of a few people that I 92 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:28,520 Speaker 4: met in Europe while I was announcing, like Jim Bacchus, 93 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:32,359 Speaker 4: who I later directed on Gilligan's Island Believe It or Not. 94 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:37,240 Speaker 4: And you know, one thing just led to the other 95 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:43,200 Speaker 4: and the door opened. I started my television career throwing 96 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 4: pies on a show with a slapstick comic named Soupy Sales. 97 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,760 Speaker 4: That led to a relationship for a few years with 98 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:56,919 Speaker 4: Steve Allen, and I directed the Late Night Show with 99 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:02,159 Speaker 4: Steve for Westinghouse. And when you do a show like that, 100 00:07:02,279 --> 00:07:05,640 Speaker 4: you meet everybody in show business, you meet the people 101 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 4: in front of the camera and behind the camera, and 102 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:12,560 Speaker 4: I just made such great relationships. And the one thing 103 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 4: I learned is, you know, don't try and bluffe it. 104 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:19,520 Speaker 4: I mean, if you don't know something, say you don't 105 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:23,160 Speaker 4: know it. And there are so many great people willing 106 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 4: to help you. My education in the entertainment industry really 107 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 4: comes from the great people that I worked with on 108 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 4: the camera crews, the audio people, you know, even the 109 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 4: guys that held the Q cards, you know what they 110 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:46,000 Speaker 4: used to call the idiot cards. And so I just 111 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:50,640 Speaker 4: you know, always had great relationships with the people I 112 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 4: worked with, many of them if they're still around, I'm 113 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:59,720 Speaker 4: still friends with them. And you know, I've had such 114 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:03,120 Speaker 4: a colllectic career over the years of doing so many 115 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 4: different things, from you know, give him Hell Harry, which 116 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 4: got an Academy Award nomination for James Whitmore, to Diana 117 00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:17,640 Speaker 4: Ross in Central Park. I mean, you know, the shows 118 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:22,960 Speaker 4: were just coming for my entire career, thank goodness. And 119 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:25,840 Speaker 4: for every person who said they didn't want to work 120 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:28,760 Speaker 4: with me, thank god, there was somebody who did. And 121 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:33,040 Speaker 4: you know, Spencer became a very important part of my 122 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:37,200 Speaker 4: life because the reason we're talking today, Buzz, to be 123 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:40,679 Speaker 4: honest with you, is all due to Spencer. He's the 124 00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:45,559 Speaker 4: one who read a rough of my book on Elvis 125 00:08:45,559 --> 00:08:49,760 Speaker 4: Presley and he said, Steve, we've got to expand this. 126 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:54,080 Speaker 4: I mean, this is, you know, not something you just 127 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:56,839 Speaker 4: want to leave and a few people read it. This 128 00:08:56,920 --> 00:08:59,319 Speaker 4: is something that the whole world would be interested in. 129 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 4: And he's the one who pushed for every step of 130 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:08,760 Speaker 4: the way. In terms of what's happening right now in 131 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:14,200 Speaker 4: my you know, fourth quarter, My life is so exciting 132 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:17,640 Speaker 4: and I have so much to be thankful for with Spencer, 133 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:21,600 Speaker 4: and so it's been a great ride. I mean, I 134 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:25,000 Speaker 4: have loved my work, and now I have the opportunity 135 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:29,960 Speaker 4: to spend all those missed you know, days, weeks, months, 136 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:34,800 Speaker 4: and years that I basically were forced to, you know, 137 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 4: neglect my personal family. And I'm spending lots and lots 138 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 4: of time right now with all my grandkids. In a 139 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:48,480 Speaker 4: combined marriage with my wife of twenty seven years, we 140 00:09:48,559 --> 00:09:53,160 Speaker 4: have nine grandchildren and a great grandchild, and it's so 141 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:57,720 Speaker 4: exciting to see my life, my career through their eyes. 142 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 4: And so I'm very, very grateful to the Spencer and 143 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:06,240 Speaker 4: so many people who have you know had the door 144 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:08,920 Speaker 4: open for me all through my entire life. 145 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:15,040 Speaker 2: Spencer, when when you first met Steve years ago, did 146 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:18,920 Speaker 2: you see his amazing ability, which, by the way, you 147 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:24,000 Speaker 2: also share in managing artists with tremendous grace. 148 00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:29,160 Speaker 3: Well, the one thing I knew from people who I 149 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:32,720 Speaker 3: knew that knew Steve other than my just you know, 150 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:36,400 Speaker 3: direct one on one was artists. Be it Diana Ross, 151 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:38,880 Speaker 3: be it you know, Gosh, I don't know, Steve, you 152 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 3: don't have me, I think for your very man so 153 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:45,000 Speaker 3: special all his work that he did when he directed, 154 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:47,720 Speaker 3: I feel like I'm his manager, but I'm not. I 155 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:50,959 Speaker 3: get no commission, I just get love. But when he 156 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,160 Speaker 3: did the Soul Train at Wards Hullabalow all his shows, 157 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:59,679 Speaker 3: I figured out it was as much about his personal 158 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:03,600 Speaker 3: connectivity to the talent more than just him being a 159 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:06,600 Speaker 3: suit the furthest thing that Steve Bender is is a 160 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:10,760 Speaker 3: corporate executive. The thing that I love and admire and 161 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 3: feel mentored by my friendship with Steve is his ability 162 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 3: to have artists revere him. When he introduced me to 163 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 3: Diana Ross years ago after he produced that Central Park 164 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:27,000 Speaker 3: special I think was the first Showtime special in a 165 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:31,439 Speaker 3: million people showed up. Diana said, I am so excited 166 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:35,160 Speaker 3: to meet you because of Steve Bender, and she starts raving. 167 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:38,319 Speaker 3: My first five minutes and talking to Diana Ross, who's 168 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:41,520 Speaker 3: her own superstar, is how great a guy Steve Bender 169 00:11:41,679 --> 00:11:43,760 Speaker 3: is to work with. And I think he did five 170 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:48,360 Speaker 3: specials with her, including a big jazz thing. So the 171 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:51,199 Speaker 3: thing I relate most to Steve is because I do 172 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:54,840 Speaker 3: relate to the artists I work with musical these days 173 00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:59,040 Speaker 3: when I make mini movies on their work, is that 174 00:11:59,080 --> 00:12:02,440 Speaker 3: Steve did the same thing in his lane. And that's 175 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:04,599 Speaker 3: kind of why I think we make great friends and 176 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:07,839 Speaker 3: great partners, because we relate to the creatives more than 177 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:11,160 Speaker 3: we relate to P and L statements. We make money, 178 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:13,160 Speaker 3: but we make money doing good work. 179 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:17,040 Speaker 4: You know. You know, the the bottom of my biographies 180 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:20,520 Speaker 4: over the years is whatever you do in life, do 181 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:25,800 Speaker 4: it with passion. Passion is everything, and Spencer is one 182 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:28,760 Speaker 4: of the few people in my life who equals my 183 00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:35,360 Speaker 4: you know, my passion for being passionate. And it's a 184 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:39,840 Speaker 4: great relationship because you know, we have so much to 185 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:45,120 Speaker 4: contribute to each other, and it's you know, anything and 186 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:48,079 Speaker 4: everything that I've done in my entire life and career 187 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:53,880 Speaker 4: is a new experience and learning something new in each 188 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:59,800 Speaker 4: and every way. When I mentioned Gilligan's Island, I went 189 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:04,440 Speaker 4: on that show at the you know, at the request 190 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:09,040 Speaker 4: basically of my personal manager at the time, who knew 191 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:12,880 Speaker 4: that I had an appetite for learning the technical side 192 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:17,640 Speaker 4: of the business and television in general. In the days 193 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:21,920 Speaker 4: that I started, there was no videotape even invented. It 194 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:24,520 Speaker 4: was all based on if you want to record your show, 195 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:27,600 Speaker 4: you had to be on kinescope, which was nothing more 196 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 4: than taking an electronic camera and putting up in front 197 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:35,440 Speaker 4: of your TV screen and recording off of the screen. 198 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:39,760 Speaker 4: So it was terrible quality, and I think it was 199 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:42,960 Speaker 4: Desi Arnez who had the smarts to say, when we 200 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:46,280 Speaker 4: do the Lucy shows, I'm shooting it on thirty five 201 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:51,400 Speaker 4: millimeter film and that's why the quality is so fantastic 202 00:13:51,480 --> 00:13:55,400 Speaker 4: whenever they do any of the reruns, which I assume 203 00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:59,240 Speaker 4: there's a Lucy show being played somewhere in the world 204 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:05,040 Speaker 4: twenty four to seven, and it was really a case 205 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:10,560 Speaker 4: of where, you know, with all the new technology coming 206 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:13,960 Speaker 4: in when I started, I thought the shows were going 207 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:18,079 Speaker 4: to air one time live and that's the end of it. 208 00:14:18,679 --> 00:14:23,040 Speaker 4: And I think I now, due to the invention of videotape, 209 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:28,680 Speaker 4: I must have at least five or six of my 210 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:33,240 Speaker 4: shows that are put out on DVDs. And you know, 211 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:40,880 Speaker 4: it never was expected in my lifetime. And I think 212 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:45,640 Speaker 4: the future is so exciting, especially if we can figure 213 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:53,760 Speaker 4: out how to control AI artificial intelligence. You know, the 214 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:58,720 Speaker 4: future generations are going to be just as excited about 215 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:02,680 Speaker 4: all the new things that their societies are going to 216 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:06,840 Speaker 4: face and deal with. I mean, when you realize when 217 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:09,960 Speaker 4: I was a kid, there were no jet airplanes, there 218 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:15,440 Speaker 4: were no iPhones. The only fantasies were reading the comic 219 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:19,600 Speaker 4: strips and there was a character name a detective named 220 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:23,480 Speaker 4: Dick Tracy who had a watch on that you could 221 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:28,000 Speaker 4: actually use as a telephone. And I thought, that's, you know, impossible, 222 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:31,320 Speaker 4: And sure enough, I'm wearing a watch where you can 223 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:35,480 Speaker 4: make phone calls. You know, whoever thought we would not 224 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:38,840 Speaker 4: only get to the moon in spaceships, but we're trying 225 00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:42,480 Speaker 4: now for Mars. I mean, that's all fantasy when you're 226 00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 4: growing up and you're a kid, and so it's an 227 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:51,720 Speaker 4: exciting it's exciting to be alive, you know, I've had 228 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 4: a great run. I've you know, turned ninety years old 229 00:15:55,440 --> 00:16:01,960 Speaker 4: this year, and I'm still full of enthusiasm for the future. 230 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:07,360 Speaker 4: And I lived now through the eyes of my grandkids 231 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:12,840 Speaker 4: and my own kids, and you know, I'm fearful as 232 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:15,960 Speaker 4: well as being optimistic of what kind of world we're 233 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:19,840 Speaker 4: going to end up with. But I'm also very optimistic. 234 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:24,280 Speaker 5: Well, Steve, there are some storylines in here, in some 235 00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:27,280 Speaker 5: moments in history, and I'd like to ask you of 236 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:29,080 Speaker 5: a couple of them if you could take us back, 237 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:31,760 Speaker 5: because that's what the documentary does so brilliantly. 238 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:34,520 Speaker 2: It takes you back in time as if you were 239 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:38,080 Speaker 2: there as a fly on the wall. So can you 240 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:46,680 Speaker 2: tell that infamous first Elvis meeting story and concurrently the 241 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:49,400 Speaker 2: first one with that Colonel Parker guy. 242 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:55,680 Speaker 4: Well, before I even begin telling you that, I will say, 243 00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:01,120 Speaker 4: you know, the only time I had any exposure to 244 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:05,399 Speaker 4: Elvis Presley, and this is before I was even entertaining 245 00:17:05,480 --> 00:17:09,840 Speaker 4: getting into the business, was seeing him perform live with 246 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:18,639 Speaker 4: his original trio basically Bill Black, who was his original 247 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:24,119 Speaker 4: bass player, and Scotty Moore, his original guitarist, on The 248 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 4: Ed Sullivan Show. And I was totally taken in. I 249 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:33,199 Speaker 4: was amused. I'd been reading and hearing a lot of 250 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:38,000 Speaker 4: publicity on Elvis and how special he was, and he was, 251 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:41,040 Speaker 4: you know, kind of acknowledged as the king of rock 252 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:45,760 Speaker 4: and roll, and you know, most adults felt he was 253 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 4: poisoning the youth of America, which I found amusing. And 254 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:58,000 Speaker 4: then you know, he kind of disappeared and ended up 255 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:01,440 Speaker 4: being a middle and in the middle of the road 256 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:07,639 Speaker 4: film star, and all of those early records that he 257 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:12,879 Speaker 4: recorded by Lieber and Stubller and so forth, he wasn't 258 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:16,960 Speaker 4: recording anymore. He was basically singing songs in the soundtrack 259 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:22,840 Speaker 4: of the movies written by the film screenwriters who had 260 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:26,840 Speaker 4: no experience whatsoever in rock and roll, were probably older 261 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:34,840 Speaker 4: guys themselves, and weren't relating to what really was going 262 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:38,040 Speaker 4: on in the youth culture of America at that time. 263 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:43,560 Speaker 4: And so the first time I met Elvis, I was 264 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:49,720 Speaker 4: told NBC might have a deal with Elvis, with the Colonel, 265 00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:53,080 Speaker 4: but they weren't sure, and they just wanted to know. 266 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:56,119 Speaker 4: After seeing a special that I did with Petula Clark 267 00:18:56,160 --> 00:19:01,919 Speaker 4: and Harry Belafonte that became very controversiel because it was 268 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:07,639 Speaker 4: the first time in American Variety Television that a black 269 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:15,879 Speaker 4: singer was touched by a white english woman. You know, 270 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:19,520 Speaker 4: she reached out in an emotional moment of an anti 271 00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:23,120 Speaker 4: war song that they were duetting and touched Harry on 272 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:27,200 Speaker 4: the forearm and all held broke clues with the representative 273 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:32,280 Speaker 4: of the sponsor, and as a result, it became an 274 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:37,680 Speaker 4: international incident, picked up by Newsweek and Time magazine. And 275 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:41,760 Speaker 4: I had no idea at the time that anything like 276 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 4: that was still going on in America. I was very 277 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:52,600 Speaker 4: naive and little did I know, and I wanted to 278 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:57,520 Speaker 4: when I was offered the Elvis Presley Special or to 279 00:19:57,560 --> 00:20:00,320 Speaker 4: see if I was interested if they had a deal 280 00:20:00,359 --> 00:20:04,040 Speaker 4: with Elvis. I was not all that interested. I was 281 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:07,160 Speaker 4: a West Coast kid. I was into the Beach Boys, 282 00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:10,280 Speaker 4: and we were producing the Fifth Dimension in the association. 283 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 4: I was working with Laura Nero, and so it was 284 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:21,920 Speaker 4: really situation when I went out to meet the Colonel 285 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:26,280 Speaker 4: to see if I qualified to meet Elvis Presley. I 286 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:30,520 Speaker 4: was expecting, or I don't even know what I was expecting. 287 00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:32,320 Speaker 4: But all I know is when I got to the 288 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:37,240 Speaker 4: MGM studios where the Colonel had his offices, he immediately 289 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:40,840 Speaker 4: started gifting me and he made me a member of 290 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:52,280 Speaker 4: his so called phony called the Snowman's Club. And I 291 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:57,159 Speaker 4: guess his definition as if you snowed somebody, or you 292 00:20:57,240 --> 00:21:01,600 Speaker 4: were great at and i'll just use the initial at bsing, 293 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:07,159 Speaker 4: then you qualified to be in the Colonel's Club. The 294 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:10,600 Speaker 4: initiation was free, but to get out of the club 295 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:13,720 Speaker 4: I think was like one hundred thousand dollars or something 296 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:17,040 Speaker 4: like that. And there was no club to begin with. 297 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:21,080 Speaker 4: It was strictly an honor. The Colonel called himself the 298 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:25,359 Speaker 4: chief Potentate of the club and had had a membership 299 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:29,239 Speaker 4: card and a booklet and all the rules of the 300 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:32,400 Speaker 4: club and so forth and so on. It was quite humorous. 301 00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:38,800 Speaker 4: And he also gave me a quarter inch audio tape 302 00:21:39,359 --> 00:21:44,280 Speaker 4: of twenty Christmas songs that was going to be that 303 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:49,919 Speaker 4: year's gift to disc jockeys all over America as Elvis's 304 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:54,359 Speaker 4: Christmas present. And the Colonel said to me, this is 305 00:21:54,440 --> 00:22:00,560 Speaker 4: what NBC and myself want Elvis to do, and we 306 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:06,080 Speaker 4: want you to execute it if you do the show. 307 00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:09,800 Speaker 4: And I went back to my office after leaving the 308 00:22:09,840 --> 00:22:13,280 Speaker 4: colonel thinking this is never ever going to happen. I mean, 309 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:16,199 Speaker 4: the Colonel wants to turn Elvis in't Andy Williams or 310 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:21,000 Speaker 4: Perry Como or you know, great middle of the road artists, 311 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:26,119 Speaker 4: but certainly nowhere near the definition of rock and roll 312 00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:29,959 Speaker 4: and what Elvis Presley represented. So I went back to 313 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,959 Speaker 4: my office thinking, you know, well, I had a meeting 314 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:36,000 Speaker 4: and I guess I'll never meet him. And next thing 315 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:39,440 Speaker 4: I know, when I got back, my secretary said, hey, Steve, 316 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:43,119 Speaker 4: there's a message from who turned out to be a 317 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:47,040 Speaker 4: great executive producer of the show, Bob Finkel. At the 318 00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:52,200 Speaker 4: same time was producing The Jerry Lewis Show for NBC 319 00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:56,240 Speaker 4: and also the Phyllis Dillar Show for NBC, and he 320 00:22:56,359 --> 00:23:00,240 Speaker 4: was assigned to be the executive producer on the was 321 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:04,080 Speaker 4: pressly special if it happened, And Bob said, I don't 322 00:23:04,119 --> 00:23:06,679 Speaker 4: know what you did the charm, Colonel Parker, but he 323 00:23:06,760 --> 00:23:10,080 Speaker 4: loves you, and Elvis will be at your office tomorrow 324 00:23:10,119 --> 00:23:14,280 Speaker 4: at four point thirty in the afternoon. And on the clock, boy, 325 00:23:14,359 --> 00:23:19,600 Speaker 4: he showed up and walked into my office, you know, 326 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:25,040 Speaker 4: staggeringly great looking. I mean, you know, I'm definitely a 327 00:23:25,119 --> 00:23:29,960 Speaker 4: heterosexual and happily married man, but boy, you couldn't take 328 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:32,119 Speaker 4: your eyes off him when he walked in that door, 329 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:38,520 Speaker 4: and all of a sudden he looked around the lobby 330 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:44,200 Speaker 4: and the hallway and saw all of our gold records 331 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:47,400 Speaker 4: from all the hits with the Fifth Dimension in the association. 332 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:52,600 Speaker 4: And he told me in our first meeting how comfortable 333 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:54,879 Speaker 4: he felt that he was finally going to be talking 334 00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:59,359 Speaker 4: with somebody who spoke his language. And the first question 335 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:04,840 Speaker 4: he asked me, which is kind of humorous, because I 336 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:09,119 Speaker 4: took him to my office and back alone, and we 337 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:10,960 Speaker 4: sat down and he said, so, what do you think 338 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:15,160 Speaker 4: of my career? And without hesitating, I said, I think 339 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:18,760 Speaker 4: your career is in the toilet. And he looked at 340 00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:21,160 Speaker 4: me for a split second, and I didn't know how 341 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:24,040 Speaker 4: he was, you know, feeling. I thought, you know, he 342 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:27,600 Speaker 4: was gonna he wanted to strangle me, but I was 343 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:32,399 Speaker 4: one hundred percent wrong. He said, finally somebody speaking some 344 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:35,760 Speaker 4: truth to me. And we just hit it off from 345 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:40,320 Speaker 4: day one, and when he went home, Priscilla had just 346 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:44,760 Speaker 4: delivered Lisa Marie. I think she was two months old 347 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:51,199 Speaker 4: at the time. Lisa Marie and Priscilla told me when 348 00:24:51,280 --> 00:24:54,680 Speaker 4: Elvis came home to the rented house that he had 349 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:59,680 Speaker 4: for Priscilla in Beverly Hills, he said, you know what, 350 00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:02,439 Speaker 4: I don't care what the colonel says. I got a 351 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:06,080 Speaker 4: gut feeling about this kid bender, and I'm going with him. 352 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:07,840 Speaker 4: I'm going to do whatever he asked me to do, 353 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:10,159 Speaker 4: and he lived up to it. I mean, for the 354 00:25:10,359 --> 00:25:14,160 Speaker 4: entire production. You have to realize I only knew Elvis 355 00:25:15,359 --> 00:25:18,280 Speaker 4: when we started that first day on the sixty eight 356 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:21,960 Speaker 4: special to the end of it, because when it was 357 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:25,720 Speaker 4: over and I delivered the master and there was a 358 00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:28,560 Speaker 4: little incident where we were going to have beer and 359 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:32,520 Speaker 4: pizza as a little celebration at Bill Beloo, our costume 360 00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:37,640 Speaker 4: director's home, our apartment in Hollywood, that's the last time 361 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:41,240 Speaker 4: I ever saw or talked Elvis Presley. So my window 362 00:25:41,359 --> 00:25:45,120 Speaker 4: of time with him really spanned about three or four 363 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:48,200 Speaker 4: months from beginning to the very end. 364 00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:55,920 Speaker 2: Incredible, My god, incredible, Spencer, your documentaries, they find this 365 00:25:56,840 --> 00:26:04,359 Speaker 2: absolutely mesmerizing and brilliant way to musically respect the past 366 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:08,600 Speaker 2: but kind of pay it forward to the future in 367 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:15,240 Speaker 2: terms of how you showcase multi genre influences and kind 368 00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:19,280 Speaker 2: of weave them into the storyline. Can you talk about 369 00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:21,720 Speaker 2: how you did this with this documentary. 370 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:26,680 Speaker 3: I leave it to the guy who were the principles. 371 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:30,439 Speaker 3: One of my skills, assuming I have a few, is 372 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:34,840 Speaker 3: to be a vacuum cleaner magnet and let the creators 373 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:38,879 Speaker 3: who did the work like the great artists. I'm telling you, 374 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:42,679 Speaker 3: when Paul Simon had a producer, Roy Hallie, it was 375 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:47,879 Speaker 3: still Paul Simon's songs. When Mick Jagger performs, he's got producers, 376 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:49,760 Speaker 3: but at the end of the day, it's Mick Jagger 377 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:54,200 Speaker 3: and sang Mcat Stevens or anybody that's great, Carol King, etc. 378 00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:57,919 Speaker 3: Steve Bender is one of those greats, and it was 379 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:01,280 Speaker 3: the responsibility and the good for I had in hiring 380 00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:06,600 Speaker 3: John Scheinfeld, who's a fantastic documentary director, to pull this out. 381 00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:09,320 Speaker 3: We spent lots of time with Steve. I've known Steve 382 00:27:09,359 --> 00:27:12,080 Speaker 3: a long time. I had a very clear vision of 383 00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:14,640 Speaker 3: what this could be. But I'm not a director. I've 384 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:18,360 Speaker 3: directed a lot of videos, but I'm not a documentary 385 00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:21,560 Speaker 3: or a film director. My job is to provide the 386 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:24,199 Speaker 3: opportunity for them to be as brilliant as they are. 387 00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:27,320 Speaker 3: John Shinfeld did a brilliant job. He's a very very 388 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:30,879 Speaker 3: fine director. But it's all about Steve Bender. This isn't 389 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:35,760 Speaker 3: the Elvis documentary it's Steve's and Elvis was the vehicle 390 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:39,480 Speaker 3: by which Steve exerted, not exerted the wrong word, but 391 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:44,040 Speaker 3: he showcased his brilliance in providing a platform for Elvis 392 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:46,640 Speaker 3: to be Elvis. That's what we did with the Don 393 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:50,399 Speaker 3: McLean doc. That's what I'm doing with numerous projects that 394 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:53,439 Speaker 3: are forthcoming. I really have to hand it to the 395 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:56,320 Speaker 3: creators to be who they are. My job is to 396 00:27:56,359 --> 00:27:57,480 Speaker 3: pull it out of them. 397 00:27:57,760 --> 00:27:59,919 Speaker 4: You know, I'm going to tell you a story that 398 00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:04,920 Speaker 4: I haven't told very many people ever. But one of 399 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:08,840 Speaker 4: the great things that happened on the special is when 400 00:28:08,880 --> 00:28:13,040 Speaker 4: I was with Elvis and I told him basically, with 401 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:17,280 Speaker 4: my writers, you know what we wanted to do with him, 402 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:22,920 Speaker 4: which was, you know, miles away from doing a Christmas special, 403 00:28:23,359 --> 00:28:28,040 Speaker 4: which had already been locked in by the head of NBC, 404 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:32,240 Speaker 4: Tom Sarnoff and Colonel Parker. That was the show they 405 00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:35,919 Speaker 4: wanted to do, and we thought they were doing until 406 00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:39,600 Speaker 4: I entered the picture. But the great story is that 407 00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:42,960 Speaker 4: I said, in that big second meeting with Elvis that 408 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:46,240 Speaker 4: I had, I said, Elvis, this is going to be 409 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:50,240 Speaker 4: strange for you because you're leaving your security blanket at 410 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:53,680 Speaker 4: the Elvis Presley Estate, and you're going to join me. 411 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:57,400 Speaker 4: I had done two other specials with the same crew. 412 00:28:58,080 --> 00:29:04,000 Speaker 4: Bill Belew, the brilliant costume designer, Gene McAvoy the art director, 413 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:07,080 Speaker 4: and so forth, and so on, Alan Blind, Chris Beard, 414 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:12,480 Speaker 4: the writers, And I said, you know, is there anybody 415 00:29:13,480 --> 00:29:16,479 Speaker 4: that you would like me to put on the staff 416 00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:19,440 Speaker 4: of the show, because everybody you're going to be meeting 417 00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:23,320 Speaker 4: will be people you never met before, and they're all 418 00:29:23,360 --> 00:29:27,080 Speaker 4: new and you just got to trust me that this 419 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:29,920 Speaker 4: is my family. These are the people that I love 420 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:36,680 Speaker 4: working with. And I'd accumulated this gang starting back on 421 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:40,360 Speaker 4: a show called Hullablue that I did in nineteen sixty five, 422 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:46,160 Speaker 4: I believe it was for NBC. And you know, I 423 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:48,360 Speaker 4: had met a lot of the people that to this 424 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:52,000 Speaker 4: day I'm still friendly with if they're still alive. And 425 00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:57,320 Speaker 4: you know, we were so good that unfortunately I couldn't 426 00:29:57,400 --> 00:30:01,880 Speaker 4: keep them because they were so talented. Chris Beard and 427 00:30:01,920 --> 00:30:05,120 Speaker 4: Alan Bly went on to do The Andy Williams Show 428 00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:07,800 Speaker 4: and The Mothers Brothers Show and so forth. They just 429 00:30:08,360 --> 00:30:13,200 Speaker 4: as producers themselves, and all of the people on that 430 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:18,760 Speaker 4: crew grew their careers. But the story is Elvis said, 431 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:22,440 Speaker 4: there's only one person that I would feel comfortable with, 432 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:28,520 Speaker 4: and that's putting Billy Strange on as my musical director. Well, 433 00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:33,360 Speaker 4: I had been working since Hulliblo and did a Leslie 434 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:37,840 Speaker 4: Ugghams who was starring on Broadway Special and Patula Clark 435 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:45,880 Speaker 4: Special with a young man named Billy Goldenberg. And Billy 436 00:30:46,120 --> 00:30:51,040 Speaker 4: was the dance arranger for the David Winters dancers on Hulliblue, 437 00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:56,000 Speaker 4: and I just thought he was so talented, and so 438 00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:58,720 Speaker 4: that's who I really wanted to do Elvis with. But 439 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:03,880 Speaker 4: I agree to hire Billy Strange because Elvis wanted him, 440 00:31:04,480 --> 00:31:08,720 Speaker 4: and I felt it be a good security blanket for Elvis. Well, 441 00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:14,280 Speaker 4: as it turned out, Billy Strange had just had a 442 00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:18,640 Speaker 4: major success with Nancy Sinatra and they had produced a 443 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:22,680 Speaker 4: record called Boots Are Made for Walking, and the record 444 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:25,920 Speaker 4: company was screaming at Billy, you got to get an 445 00:31:25,920 --> 00:31:29,120 Speaker 4: album out, you got to record at least nine more songs. 446 00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:32,320 Speaker 4: So he was all tied up, and every time I 447 00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:34,920 Speaker 4: called him to say, you know, Elvis is getting ready 448 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:38,560 Speaker 4: to start rehearsals, do you have music for me? And 449 00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:42,000 Speaker 4: he said, don't worry, you know it'll be there, and 450 00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:45,240 Speaker 4: As every day went by, I got more and more nervous, 451 00:31:45,280 --> 00:31:47,960 Speaker 4: and I finally called Billy Strange and I said, Billy, 452 00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:52,760 Speaker 4: if I don't have lead sheets and piano parts for 453 00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:57,720 Speaker 4: Elvis by this Monday, I'm going to fire you. And 454 00:31:57,760 --> 00:32:00,440 Speaker 4: he said, you can't fire me, and I said why. 455 00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:03,320 Speaker 4: He said, because I know Elvis a lot better than 456 00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:06,280 Speaker 4: you know Elvis. And if you heard that you fired me, 457 00:32:06,760 --> 00:32:09,120 Speaker 4: you'd be the one that would be fired. And that's 458 00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:12,440 Speaker 4: the way we ended it. And Monday came around, I 459 00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:17,120 Speaker 4: had no music, and I called Bob finkeel my executive producer, 460 00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:20,800 Speaker 4: and I said, I'm going to fire Billy Strange and 461 00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:24,320 Speaker 4: he said, you think you know what you're doing, go 462 00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:26,640 Speaker 4: ahead and do what you got to do. So I 463 00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:29,840 Speaker 4: fired him. And I called Billy Goldenberg in New York 464 00:32:29,880 --> 00:32:33,360 Speaker 4: and I said, Billy, can you please get on an 465 00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:38,240 Speaker 4: airplane this afternoon or this evening and come. I need 466 00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:42,000 Speaker 4: you to be the music director of the Elvis Presley Special. 467 00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:46,000 Speaker 4: And thank god Billy did it. But the brilliance of 468 00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:49,920 Speaker 4: Billy Goldenberg is that he took all those old songs 469 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:54,480 Speaker 4: of Elvis and he didn't make him sound old. He 470 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:59,560 Speaker 4: updated all the arrangements and it sounded big and contemporary, 471 00:32:59,720 --> 00:33:05,080 Speaker 4: and Elvis loved it. In fact, Elvis said, right before 472 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:09,680 Speaker 4: we started our first recording session, he said, Steve, you know, 473 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:12,240 Speaker 4: he walked in the studio and he saw thirty five 474 00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:17,520 Speaker 4: musicians of the greatest studio musicians in Hollywood, and he said, Steve, 475 00:33:17,600 --> 00:33:20,600 Speaker 4: if I don't like any of the Billy Goldenberg arrangements 476 00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:23,520 Speaker 4: or the music I hear, you have to promise me 477 00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:27,040 Speaker 4: to send everybody home and just keep the rhythm section. 478 00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:30,480 Speaker 4: And I promised him I would do that. And Elvis 479 00:33:30,520 --> 00:33:33,480 Speaker 4: walked back in the studio. He stood next to Billy 480 00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:39,160 Speaker 4: Goldenberg and they immediately bonded, and Elvis even hired Billy 481 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:41,600 Speaker 4: to do change a habit with Mary Tyler Moore of 482 00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:45,680 Speaker 4: the movie after we finished the sixty eight special, and 483 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:49,560 Speaker 4: Philly brought so much to that special when it came 484 00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:52,680 Speaker 4: to the sound of the rock and roll soundtrack. 485 00:33:54,360 --> 00:33:57,479 Speaker 2: Steve, when you were in the midst of the sixty 486 00:33:57,520 --> 00:34:01,080 Speaker 2: eight Comeback Special, you were with Elvis at a dark 487 00:34:02,080 --> 00:34:08,440 Speaker 2: period in American history when when Bobby Kennedy had been assassinated. 488 00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:13,439 Speaker 2: What was that moment like it. 489 00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:16,319 Speaker 4: Was, you know, I don't want to underplay it or 490 00:34:16,360 --> 00:34:20,040 Speaker 4: overplay it. We were all We used to go to 491 00:34:20,080 --> 00:34:24,120 Speaker 4: my offices on the Sunset Strip to rehearse Elvis before 492 00:34:24,200 --> 00:34:29,839 Speaker 4: we went to NBC to start rehearsals in Earnest and 493 00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:35,520 Speaker 4: were the main purpose was for Billy Goldenberg to teach 494 00:34:35,640 --> 00:34:38,720 Speaker 4: Elvis all the new material for the show and so forth, 495 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:44,520 Speaker 4: and we're all, you know, just just have. We'd start 496 00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:47,560 Speaker 4: at four in the afternoon or four thirty and we'd 497 00:34:47,600 --> 00:34:51,040 Speaker 4: work until you know, midnight or one in the morning 498 00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:59,560 Speaker 4: on a normal day. And this particular evening we were 499 00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:04,440 Speaker 4: in the piano room rehearsing some of the music, and 500 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:07,399 Speaker 4: all of a sudden we heard a big commotion from 501 00:35:07,440 --> 00:35:10,680 Speaker 4: another office that I had, which had a television set 502 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:15,200 Speaker 4: that was on, and so we all got up. It 503 00:35:15,239 --> 00:35:22,920 Speaker 4: was it was Elvis, Earl Brown, our choir director, Billy Goldenberg, myself, 504 00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:26,480 Speaker 4: and I think Allen and Chris, our writers were there 505 00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:30,240 Speaker 4: as well, and we all piled into the TV room 506 00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:37,200 Speaker 4: and live on television we watched, you know, when Bobby 507 00:35:37,280 --> 00:35:41,719 Speaker 4: Kennedy was shot by Sir Hans Sir Han, and you know, 508 00:35:42,480 --> 00:35:48,200 Speaker 4: we ended up spending the entire night until the sun 509 00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:51,440 Speaker 4: came up in the morning. Not talking about the show, 510 00:35:51,520 --> 00:35:55,160 Speaker 4: but talking about what's going on in our country. I mean, Martin, 511 00:35:55,280 --> 00:36:01,799 Speaker 4: Luther King, John Kennedy, you know, all these these you know, 512 00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:08,240 Speaker 4: gunshots and murders and so forth, and you know, and 513 00:36:08,680 --> 00:36:12,200 Speaker 4: the Vietnam War was going on in full rage and 514 00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:16,480 Speaker 4: so forth. So it was really eerie. And it was 515 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:20,920 Speaker 4: amazing to me to know how much Elvis had already 516 00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:25,640 Speaker 4: studied all that was going on historically in the United States, 517 00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:28,680 Speaker 4: and he was a real scholar when it came to 518 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:34,480 Speaker 4: you know, what was going on with these assassinations at 519 00:36:34,520 --> 00:36:40,360 Speaker 4: the highest level of our government. And you know, I 520 00:36:40,400 --> 00:36:42,319 Speaker 4: think it had a lot to do to bond all 521 00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:46,160 Speaker 4: of us with Elvis, where all the rumors of you know, 522 00:36:46,600 --> 00:36:49,680 Speaker 4: him being a racist or a redneck or whatever were 523 00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:54,280 Speaker 4: completely dispelled. I mean, I liked the guy from beginning 524 00:36:54,320 --> 00:36:58,360 Speaker 4: to end. That was my experience with him. I found 525 00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:04,160 Speaker 4: him totally Uh. You know, our cast on the Comeback 526 00:37:04,200 --> 00:37:08,600 Speaker 4: Special was kind of a United Nations on wheels, and 527 00:37:08,920 --> 00:37:14,680 Speaker 4: we had a black choreographer, a Puerto Rican choreographer, we 528 00:37:14,760 --> 00:37:20,359 Speaker 4: had uh, you know, Asian dancers. Uh uh. We were 529 00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:23,960 Speaker 4: a mixed company and it was kind of fun and 530 00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:27,239 Speaker 4: Elvis didn't balk at anything we had. We featured him 531 00:37:27,280 --> 00:37:31,239 Speaker 4: in the gospel segment with the Blossoms three, you know, 532 00:37:31,400 --> 00:37:36,799 Speaker 4: beautiful young black ladies, and they, you know, we're right 533 00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:40,480 Speaker 4: alongside of him, and he embraced them. I mean, I 534 00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:45,879 Speaker 4: never saw any racism coming from Elvis. I found every 535 00:37:45,920 --> 00:37:49,200 Speaker 4: time we got into any conversation other than show business 536 00:37:49,239 --> 00:37:52,879 Speaker 4: where we talked about our personal lives. I found him, 537 00:37:53,160 --> 00:37:58,000 Speaker 4: you know, very open and liberal. I'm one of those. Unfortunately, 538 00:37:58,080 --> 00:38:03,160 Speaker 4: I guess too many screaming liberals who believe, as Earl 539 00:38:03,239 --> 00:38:07,120 Speaker 4: Brown wrote in his song if I Can dream, you know, 540 00:38:08,080 --> 00:38:11,080 Speaker 4: I want to live in a land where where your 541 00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:15,359 Speaker 4: brothers and sisters walk hand in hand. And that that's 542 00:38:15,440 --> 00:38:19,759 Speaker 4: been my feeling about the country and so forth. That 543 00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:24,240 Speaker 4: I was appalled because I kept running into, not on purpose, 544 00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:29,440 Speaker 4: but all these racist people and edicts. And I understand 545 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:34,160 Speaker 4: in the South at that time, you know, theater owners 546 00:38:34,239 --> 00:38:39,640 Speaker 4: we were literally taking scissors and cutting out the black 547 00:38:39,680 --> 00:38:46,000 Speaker 4: actors in white movies basically. And you know, I just 548 00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:51,400 Speaker 4: came from a very liberal family where we treated everybody 549 00:38:51,480 --> 00:38:54,279 Speaker 4: by the by basically the golden rule. You know, you 550 00:38:54,360 --> 00:38:57,239 Speaker 4: treat everybody as they treat you. I worked at my 551 00:38:57,600 --> 00:39:00,920 Speaker 4: As a kid, I worked in my dad's gas It 552 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:05,160 Speaker 4: was a truck station, so we had quite a few employees, 553 00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:09,320 Speaker 4: but most of them were either black or Latino or whatever. 554 00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:12,000 Speaker 4: And you know, they were my buddies. I mean, I 555 00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:15,720 Speaker 4: didn't think of them as being different from anybody else. 556 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:19,279 Speaker 2: I'd like to close with a question for both of you, 557 00:39:20,040 --> 00:39:25,600 Speaker 2: first Spencer, and then for you Steve, same question. It's 558 00:39:25,680 --> 00:39:33,600 Speaker 2: a time of tremendous division today, and Spencer, can you 559 00:39:33,680 --> 00:39:39,560 Speaker 2: talk about how you feel this documentary about the healing 560 00:39:39,760 --> 00:39:45,840 Speaker 2: and unifying power of music is more important than ever today? 561 00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:51,440 Speaker 3: Well, I think Steve's vision of everything being color blind, 562 00:39:51,480 --> 00:39:57,000 Speaker 3: being blind, being religious blind is right with where the 563 00:39:57,040 --> 00:40:00,960 Speaker 3: world could be should be. Steve It's very close friend, 564 00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:05,040 Speaker 3: Mike Stoler wrote a song with Jerry Lieber and Benny 565 00:40:05,160 --> 00:40:08,160 Speaker 3: King called stand By Me, which I am going to 566 00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:12,880 Speaker 3: make a definitive film about how that song speaks to 567 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:17,480 Speaker 3: the world and when Biden went to stand next to Zelenski, 568 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:21,280 Speaker 3: when South Korean's decided to contribute a lot of money 569 00:40:21,320 --> 00:40:26,880 Speaker 3: to stand next to Ukraine in their plight, and that 570 00:40:27,120 --> 00:40:30,720 Speaker 3: really kind of is personified by the spirit of stand 571 00:40:30,719 --> 00:40:35,000 Speaker 3: by Me, which is the spirit of what Steve has done. 572 00:40:35,160 --> 00:40:39,360 Speaker 3: What this documentary does is that she shows that good music, 573 00:40:39,440 --> 00:40:43,279 Speaker 3: good vision, and you know Steve being able to put 574 00:40:43,320 --> 00:40:46,880 Speaker 3: people in the round led Elvis jam with his guys 575 00:40:46,920 --> 00:40:50,719 Speaker 3: and capturing it handheld. I think that's timeless, but I 576 00:40:50,760 --> 00:40:54,279 Speaker 3: think that's good for all races, all colors. We have 577 00:40:54,440 --> 00:40:58,560 Speaker 3: a false version of Blue Sway Shoes performed by Mafio. 578 00:40:59,080 --> 00:41:03,600 Speaker 3: We have Darius Rucker, who's a brilliant black crossover artist, 579 00:41:04,080 --> 00:41:09,400 Speaker 3: doing his rendition of Heartbreak Hotel. And when Darius speaks 580 00:41:09,920 --> 00:41:13,000 Speaker 3: in the dock about how there was a moment in 581 00:41:13,120 --> 00:41:15,799 Speaker 3: time when he saw this as a kid growing up, 582 00:41:16,160 --> 00:41:19,440 Speaker 3: it really touched him. And he's a superstar today. He's 583 00:41:19,480 --> 00:41:23,279 Speaker 3: a three time Grammy winner, and yet he is a 584 00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:27,200 Speaker 3: human being. So I'm true, big believer that what Steve 585 00:41:27,320 --> 00:41:31,239 Speaker 3: did and what Eldes did has transcended time. And I 586 00:41:31,280 --> 00:41:35,080 Speaker 3: think music travels. I think Bothering Son by Kat Stevens, 587 00:41:35,120 --> 00:41:38,200 Speaker 3: sitting on the dock of the Bay by Otis Writing 588 00:41:38,200 --> 00:41:42,520 Speaker 3: and Steve Cropper, these all are songs and things that 589 00:41:42,680 --> 00:41:45,719 Speaker 3: transcend race and time. And I think a lot of 590 00:41:45,760 --> 00:41:50,160 Speaker 3: it started with what Steve did with the Petula Clark 591 00:41:50,239 --> 00:41:54,480 Speaker 3: Special with Harry Belafonte what Steve did here, and I'm 592 00:41:54,560 --> 00:41:57,439 Speaker 3: just very very proud to be the guy to help 593 00:41:57,480 --> 00:42:00,719 Speaker 3: bring this to the world. So that's any kind of 594 00:42:00,719 --> 00:42:03,560 Speaker 3: a sign off, that's my opinion. I'm sure Steve has 595 00:42:03,640 --> 00:42:05,240 Speaker 3: even a more articulate version. 596 00:42:06,480 --> 00:42:12,480 Speaker 4: It's Arjo to out articulate you, Spencer. My feeling is that, 597 00:42:12,760 --> 00:42:15,520 Speaker 4: and I've always felt it as a little kid, before 598 00:42:15,560 --> 00:42:20,080 Speaker 4: I even entertained getting into the entertainment business itself. You 599 00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:23,319 Speaker 4: know the first album that I ever got, which I 600 00:42:23,480 --> 00:42:27,319 Speaker 4: suggest that you know your listeners get a copy of 601 00:42:27,400 --> 00:42:30,320 Speaker 4: and listen to it. This was played in the nineteen 602 00:42:30,440 --> 00:42:36,040 Speaker 4: thirties on CBS. It was written by somebody I got 603 00:42:36,080 --> 00:42:40,839 Speaker 4: to meet, Earl Robinson, who wrote the House I live 604 00:42:40,920 --> 00:42:45,600 Speaker 4: in that Frank Sinatra made famous. And he was a 605 00:42:45,640 --> 00:42:49,880 Speaker 4: real humanitarian. His family was in the lumber business up 606 00:42:49,920 --> 00:42:54,800 Speaker 4: in Washington, the state of Washington. It was. The song 607 00:42:54,960 --> 00:42:59,439 Speaker 4: was the Ballad for Americans, and I remember wearing out 608 00:42:59,520 --> 00:43:05,799 Speaker 4: the set RPM this. It came with three this in 609 00:43:05,880 --> 00:43:12,040 Speaker 4: the set and the whole premise was Hey, the narrator, Hey, buddy, 610 00:43:12,080 --> 00:43:14,560 Speaker 4: are you an American? And then he'd go into all 611 00:43:14,600 --> 00:43:19,400 Speaker 4: these verses of Amian American and he'd deal with religion 612 00:43:19,520 --> 00:43:23,920 Speaker 4: and patriotism and so forth, and there was a choir 613 00:43:24,200 --> 00:43:29,920 Speaker 4: constantly in the background, you know, questioning his Americanism, his 614 00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:34,920 Speaker 4: his liberalism and so forth. I love that album. It 615 00:43:35,040 --> 00:43:40,760 Speaker 4: actually played on CBS with the CBS Orchestra in the thirties, 616 00:43:41,200 --> 00:43:45,520 Speaker 4: and I think it jammed the phone lines at CBS 617 00:43:45,840 --> 00:43:50,960 Speaker 4: for hours from people who responded to that piece of music. 618 00:43:51,360 --> 00:43:55,680 Speaker 4: I think Odetta also recorded a version of it, and 619 00:43:57,120 --> 00:44:00,279 Speaker 4: it was really a case of where to this day, 620 00:44:00,840 --> 00:44:04,440 Speaker 4: as much as I love other forms of music, and 621 00:44:04,480 --> 00:44:06,720 Speaker 4: you've got to be exposed to those kind of things. 622 00:44:06,760 --> 00:44:12,200 Speaker 4: And thank god my non college parents new enough to 623 00:44:12,880 --> 00:44:16,279 Speaker 4: expose my sister and I to so many forms of 624 00:44:16,440 --> 00:44:22,120 Speaker 4: music and the arts. To me, the only universal language 625 00:44:22,160 --> 00:44:25,880 Speaker 4: that can be understood, no matter what language you speak 626 00:44:26,160 --> 00:44:30,400 Speaker 4: in your native tongue and so forth, is music. Music 627 00:44:30,520 --> 00:44:36,760 Speaker 4: translates emotions and feelings, and whether you understand the words 628 00:44:36,880 --> 00:44:40,760 Speaker 4: or you don't of the lyricists, that just something about 629 00:44:40,840 --> 00:44:46,520 Speaker 4: it that can stir my soul. I can go to 630 00:44:46,560 --> 00:44:53,160 Speaker 4: a symphony orchestra, listen to Tchaikowsky, The War of eighteen 631 00:44:53,280 --> 00:44:56,560 Speaker 4: twelve or something, and get goosebumps. And I know they 632 00:44:56,680 --> 00:45:00,760 Speaker 4: use that piece of music July fourth when they shoot 633 00:45:00,800 --> 00:45:03,400 Speaker 4: out the fireworks and everything. That's a piece of music 634 00:45:03,800 --> 00:45:07,040 Speaker 4: that relates to it. But the point is that it 635 00:45:07,239 --> 00:45:11,759 Speaker 4: stirs your soul, It makes you feel, it brings us 636 00:45:11,880 --> 00:45:16,439 Speaker 4: all together. I'm a great believer, and when I got 637 00:45:16,480 --> 00:45:21,480 Speaker 4: into television, I realized how little anybody in television paid 638 00:45:21,960 --> 00:45:25,760 Speaker 4: to the music. They were all about this is about 639 00:45:25,760 --> 00:45:30,360 Speaker 4: the picture and the soundtrack doesn't matter. Well, I couldn't 640 00:45:30,640 --> 00:45:34,680 Speaker 4: disagree with it more. And that's why I partnered with 641 00:45:35,880 --> 00:45:39,959 Speaker 4: a record producer because I felt, even now, and let's 642 00:45:40,000 --> 00:45:42,480 Speaker 4: get back to the Elvis Resley Special, I think that 643 00:45:42,680 --> 00:45:48,520 Speaker 4: soundtrack is equally as important to the success of the special. 644 00:45:49,200 --> 00:45:52,080 Speaker 4: I look at it today and I say, you know what, 645 00:45:53,480 --> 00:45:57,520 Speaker 4: I could have shot that last month. It didn't need 646 00:45:57,560 --> 00:46:00,960 Speaker 4: to be done fifty some years ago. It's not dated 647 00:46:01,040 --> 00:46:05,080 Speaker 4: in any weight, shape or form. And the driver to 648 00:46:05,160 --> 00:46:09,200 Speaker 4: the whole thing is the soundtrack is the music, and 649 00:46:09,560 --> 00:46:15,080 Speaker 4: it's you know, I think artists get inspired by the music. 650 00:46:15,280 --> 00:46:18,359 Speaker 4: You know. I was listening the other day to an 651 00:46:18,360 --> 00:46:23,279 Speaker 4: old Bobby Darren album with Mac the Knife and all 652 00:46:23,320 --> 00:46:27,560 Speaker 4: those great tunes, but really caught my attention in my ear, 653 00:46:27,600 --> 00:46:32,480 Speaker 4: where the arrangements to the music and the orchestra's soundtrack 654 00:46:33,239 --> 00:46:38,600 Speaker 4: behind his single success and so forth. So I just 655 00:46:38,640 --> 00:46:42,239 Speaker 4: can't say enough about you know what music does to 656 00:46:42,320 --> 00:46:43,360 Speaker 4: me and my soul. 657 00:46:44,640 --> 00:46:50,160 Speaker 2: Well, thanks for chilling my soul in a beautiful way. 658 00:46:50,360 --> 00:46:55,800 Speaker 2: I can't wait for everyone to see this documentary. It's 659 00:46:56,000 --> 00:47:00,600 Speaker 2: just tremendous. It's the reinvention of Elvis the sixty eight 660 00:47:00,640 --> 00:47:05,640 Speaker 2: Comeback Special Paramount Plus. I can't thank you enough Steve 661 00:47:05,680 --> 00:47:08,960 Speaker 2: Bender and Spencer Prawfer for being on the Taken a 662 00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:09,880 Speaker 2: Walk podcast. 663 00:47:10,760 --> 00:47:13,359 Speaker 4: Thank you, Buzz, It's been a pleasure from my point 664 00:47:13,400 --> 00:47:13,800 Speaker 4: of view. 665 00:47:14,400 --> 00:47:17,839 Speaker 3: Buzz, You're a rock star. I appreciate you, and yes, 666 00:47:18,080 --> 00:47:20,279 Speaker 3: I do want the world to hear it and I 667 00:47:20,360 --> 00:47:23,520 Speaker 3: want them to feel with Steve Inderfields because that's what 668 00:47:23,600 --> 00:47:26,040 Speaker 3: we should as a society and it's a world that's 669 00:47:26,080 --> 00:47:26,960 Speaker 3: what we should feel. 670 00:47:27,960 --> 00:47:28,720 Speaker 5: Thank you, gentlemen. 671 00:47:30,480 --> 00:47:36,120 Speaker 1: Taking a Walk with Buzznight is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, 672 00:47:36,280 --> 00:47:38,440 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts.