18. Michael from Mars

Michael Jackson. Lady Gaga. Madonna. Whitney Houston. J-Lo. There is ONE star-studded thread that connects them all: the incomparable Michael Bearden. On this flight, we find ourselves in the privileged company of a musical virtuoso who has worked with over 500+ artists from across the globe. From the South Side in Chicago to the entire world, Michael Bearden's story is one of hard-work, dedication, and perseverance. Get ready to delve into the untold tales from his time with global superstars and iconic legends, gain valuable insight into the journey of a successful musician, and much more on the IOOW Mothership.

Featuring: Michael Bearden

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
I hate me the same. Let's go to man ready
for launch.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Greetings, are things Welcome?

Speaker 3 (00:30):
I am running out of ways to say that we
have the most incredible people on the couches next to us,
because we have been blessed with some magic in the
last few months, and today is no exception.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
We have Michael Bearden, who is a true maestro.

Speaker 3 (00:47):
Okay, he started, he started playing piano before his he
could touch the ground.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Mine still can't. Clearly his can and.

Speaker 3 (00:55):
Accomplished two time Emmy nominated musical director, keyboardist, arranger, conduct
composer for a diverse range of musical superstars.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
And trust me, you're gonna flip out when you hear
just how many. But to me, he's the superstar.

Speaker 3 (01:08):
So after today, the last thing on your resume will
be a certified astronaut.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
Welcome Michael.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
We love you.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
I love you so much.

Speaker 4 (01:18):
You know we've been wanting to get you here, probably
like since episode one, since we had a podcast. But
Michael is a very busy man, and we're so grateful
that we were able to find a moment and come
out here.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
You know how much we appreciate that.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
Thank you so much for having me very excited.

Speaker 4 (01:33):
To be We're so excited to be here. I feel
like there's so much that we can talk about. But
for me, I would love to hear sort of your
inception story, the beginning of when you fell in love
with music, When.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
I fell in love with music. Wow. So ever since
I can remember, I've only wanted to do music my
entire existence, even when I was a very very young boy.
Parents kind of freak out out. I remember things when
I'm like three years old. How do you remember that?

(02:08):
And I really, I really don't know how I do.
But even then, the whole world was music to me,
so like just going outside and hearing the birds that
sounded like music to me. Carhrns sound like chords to me.
Everything was rhythmic, like if you're in the car, of course,
like when Joe Warber's that feels like you know, that's rhythm,

(02:28):
but just everything and I would just go to like
my family and my brother's just like, y'all don't hear that.
I thought I was a weird kid kid because everything
sounds like sounded like music to me. So for as
long as I can remember, so my first earliest memory
of music was babysitter at the time. Used to play

(02:49):
Ertha Franklin all the time, and we would be running
around house and she would put that on, probably because
we were driving her crazy. And then for me though,
when I heard that voice, I would just sit down
and just listen, like what is this? So that was
my earliest memory of music and to be able to

(03:09):
grow up and actually play with her.

Speaker 2 (03:11):
And you grew up in Chicago, right, I grew up
on the South.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
Side of Chicago, born and raised.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
Do you think that influenced your musical journey?

Speaker 1 (03:18):
Absolutely? So. My parents used to have like little parties
and stuff with you know what called my godparents and
their friends, and so they would just be playing like
motown and its just like a lot of different types
of music.

Speaker 2 (03:33):
Everybody that you were about to work with, I had
no idea your.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
Colleagues, yes, but just it was always music in the
house and they always played it. And they weren't musicians.
They just love music.

Speaker 2 (03:45):
That was gonna be my question.

Speaker 5 (03:47):
You're the only musician in the family.

Speaker 1 (03:49):
Actually, no, My brother, my younger brother, plays guitar still
to this day. I mean he doesn't do it for
a living. Yeah, we all grew up playing something, you know.
My father is an artist, like a painter, and yeah,
so I come from that landing.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
She's just like you paint too, right, get I always
saw paint in sound.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
That's it. Tones. My dad says that because he gets
mad because it's like I didn't get that gene because
my whole, my nephew, my brother's painting. Like everybody paints
or draws or does something like that. I just never
got the hang of that, but I was always around it.
It was always easels. Probably still easel in my in
my parents' house right now, my dad working on something.

Speaker 2 (04:33):
He still paints.

Speaker 1 (04:34):
Oh yes, wow, yes he doesn't. He doesn't stop.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
So you know, so you fell in love with music.
When did you actually start playing instruments?

Speaker 1 (04:41):
I started playing instrument probably was like five or six
years old. And my mom tells the story really well.
So I won't I won't butcher it, but my dad
sort of kind of forced us to. It's like, you're
going to learn instruments and you're going to play, so
they kind of chose it for me.

Speaker 2 (05:02):
Did you always start with piano?

Speaker 1 (05:03):
I started with piano, and they they got a piano
from somewhere which is still in the basement of my parents,
and so I called him my god mom. But my
mom's best friend still to this day, it's like my
second mom. She taught me like the basics because she
learned in the church. I think then after they saw

(05:26):
I was serious, then they started getting me more like
professional help and all that. But so once I started,
I just it just hit me like immediately, like piano
was it. I have a photo somewhere, maybe we'll share
it later, but it hit me immediately, like I just
I just that was it. That was it. My mom

(05:46):
was like, go outside, like go outside and.

Speaker 2 (05:50):
Outside.

Speaker 1 (05:51):
I'm not a regular kid.

Speaker 2 (05:53):
Like this is what I do.

Speaker 1 (05:54):
Like I would be on that thing after school or
something for literally all on the weekends eight hours. Wow,
just sit there, maybe go eat.

Speaker 2 (06:02):
So you put in your ten thousand hours before you
were in ten.

Speaker 1 (06:06):
It's true, it's true. Like so as far as them
being supportive, you know, God bless them because you know
you don't you don't wake up and just know how
to play. So you sound awful a lot. Yes, when
you're very young. And then I used to have little
bands come up in the house and play and I'm

(06:26):
sure we signed that horrible. But my mom just let
us and she says, practice there and it was funny.
I was leading bands at like ten years old. I
didn't even know that it was called music director or whatever.
They were just like, you seem to know what you're doing. Well,
you told us what to do. So I was like, okay,
you play this, and you played like.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
I was like, you almost did it. You almost learned
how to play and learn how it was arranged. Wier.

Speaker 1 (06:51):
I learned how to MD when I was like ten
years old. Wow, because I was leading there, was leading
the leading the neighborhood kids. And you know bands that
I had when I was that young.

Speaker 2 (07:05):
Yeah, do you remember the names of any of those bands?

Speaker 1 (07:07):
Yeah? The name of the bands? You want me to
embarrass myself? Yes, one band we had was called Magic.

Speaker 2 (07:16):
Oh okay, what's wrong with that?

Speaker 1 (07:17):
Nothing's wrong. My dad still has a poster that we made,
like with a photo of us. I wish I had that,
phar it's super cool they still have that photo.

Speaker 2 (07:27):
I want to see that honor off the podcast.

Speaker 1 (07:29):
Yeah, yes, maybe I'll find it or have them send
it to me. I'm so little, like on one of
little people with the whole band around us.

Speaker 2 (07:38):
I forget the name of something you played covers or originals.

Speaker 1 (07:41):
Originals and covers originals.

Speaker 5 (07:44):
And who was writing the music?

Speaker 1 (07:46):
Uh, we were, that's a good question. I don't know how.
I think we were like all kinds of tag team
and at the same time. Yeah, at the same time.
So we just make up makeup stuff, and you know
we started that. But you know, the hours that I
spent on the on the piano by myself, I would
just always make up stuff too. So I guess that's
just when you start composing. I guess just like make

(08:09):
up make up things. And I learned how to play
by ear. I used to ask for sheet music all
the time, and I was like, we're not going out
to buy the sheet music. So she put the radio
on the.

Speaker 2 (08:20):
Here's your sheet music.

Speaker 1 (08:21):
Learn how to learn how to play this, and so
then I just started picking out chords and stuff like, okay,
how do you do this? You're just listening you learn
how to play and.

Speaker 4 (08:30):
So massive Supreme again, Yes, incredible talk about music theory.

Speaker 2 (08:37):
Okay, So Magic finishes their headlining tour.

Speaker 1 (08:40):
In the basement of the basement. Yeah, alive from.

Speaker 3 (08:43):
The basement, rock out, and then you decide you want
to be serious about music, so you pursue it.

Speaker 1 (08:49):
Yes, how did that go? How did that go? So?
I guess years like high school age, I started really
getting serious. Like the high school that I went to,
you had the audition to get in. It's like it was.

(09:09):
It was academic, but it was like music and art
to So I made my own tape in the most
crude way possible with two tape recorders. So I played
the drums first, and then I put a baseline on
with that tape, and then I put keyboards on, wow,
guitar on, and so. But by the time the you know,

(09:29):
if you do the bounce thing the tape or sounds
like that. But I sent it in and the band
directly liked that and I got in. But he put
me in the B band first, and I was like, okay,
I'll just learn when I get here. I was in
the B band for like half a semester and he
put me in the A van. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (09:49):
That happened to Mike League from Snark, and he's like,
all the B bands are actually the A vans.

Speaker 1 (09:55):
Exact because you're hungry. So then he put me in
the A band. But from there in DC, I found
out that there was a lot of kids like me
in their respective towns that were like very talented. I
was like, oh man, I need I got a lot
more work to do because there's a lot of talented people.
So I just really I think my training really happened

(10:16):
when I was in college and just learning how to
gig and do stuff. Like I was going to class,
but I would be in the clubs till like three
in the morning playing, So then I would have an
eight o'clock class A lot of times I missed, but
you were in another class, and yeah, exactly, that's exactly right.
I mean you went to Berkeley, so you know, you

(10:37):
know what that lifestyle is like. Yeah, playing gig and going.

Speaker 2 (10:39):
To school almost more valuable to be at the shows.

Speaker 1 (10:42):
And it's almost it's almost more valuable. I mean there's
a lot of things that I learned in school. Once again,
like I said that I still use but just to
be in the boots on the ground learning how to
do what you do, you that's invaluable. You just you
just can't like still to this day, the stuff that
I do I learned when I was in school.

Speaker 5 (11:01):
Yeah, the stuff you do, I don't think it should
be classified as stuff oh, just wait, just wait till
you people here.

Speaker 2 (11:09):
Yeah, yeah, just just buggle in.

Speaker 3 (11:13):
Before we actually get to that part, I want to
just listen some of the names because that will be crazy.
But before then, I've been meaning to ask you this,
because this, to me was a looming thing within the music,
like if you out there are in the entertainment world.

Speaker 2 (11:27):
Or if it appeals to you, whether it's music or TV,
anything like that.

Speaker 3 (11:31):
One of the things that I heard people constantly at
that stage and the college stage is what the hell
am I going to do? How am I going to
turn this passion and this talent that I've now dedicated
four years two or five years two? However, once you
do into income, Yes, and a lot of people that
I knew either didn't make it to graduation because the
opportunity came along and they're like, well, that's my moment,

(11:54):
or they graduated and had a great time in college
but then had to completely pivot and are now doing
a completely unrelated job and music as a hobby. So
I'm wondering if at that stage obviously very different times,
but nobody better than you, like, do you have what
did you do?

Speaker 2 (12:09):
And do you have any advice? For where to jump
off from an artistic education college level.

Speaker 1 (12:13):
That's such a great question. That's so great. I think
I was very lucky to have the kids around me
who were hustlers and learn Like so, there's a drummer
friend of mine who always had his drum set in
his car. Wow, and he was like literally he would
go to class, I'm about to go to the gig.

(12:34):
So I would ask him, like, where were you gigging?
And what are you doing? And so I was very
lucky to have these hustler mentality kids around me where
I wanted to do what they did, and so I
learned how to earn money while I was in school.
So when it came time to leave, Like so, I
was with a band that was very popular. We used
to play in Georgetown a lot, and it used to

(12:55):
be lines down the block to see us, and like,
it was a really great band. But I didn't want
to just stay with the band. I wanted to, like,
you know, they were happy with like opening for the artists,
which is nothing wrong with that, which is cool. Well,
I just wanted to play with the artists, like I
just saw a bigger vision for me, not that they didn't,

(13:15):
and they were great and all of that, and it
was definitely great because we're making money and getting popular
and then you're learning your craft, and you know, every
every weekend, especially during the week too, people will come
see us. But so I put everything that I owned
into a U hall. That's how long ago this wow,

(13:36):
and moved to New York. I didn't know a soul.
I have one of my friends who was in the
jazz band with me, he had friends in New York.
He's like, yeah, somebody's renting a room. I was like,
I'll take it. I didn't see it, no fear, no fear.
It was a three story walk up, no kitchen, sharing
a bathroom with a family down the hall. But I
was in New York and I just wanted to be there.

(13:57):
I moved all the stuff up, even I rode my
head as roads all the way up the stairs by myself,
because I was supposed to be there at a certain time,
but I didn't make it in time, so nobody was
there to help me. So I didn't want to leave
my stuff, like I didn't want to move to New
York and almost get stolen, Like I had to move
everything up by myself. It was but I didn't care

(14:20):
because I was in New York. And then I just
the next day I just hit the ground running, like
going to the jam sessions, signing up for stuff, trying
to get put on, just for somebody to hear me play,
and just hustle. And I struggled a lot, but every
now and then I would get a gig or something.
And then one day a friend of mine who was

(14:41):
working with this flower is very famous Flowers named Herbie
Man was coming to town and playing with Herbie. He's
drummer from Baltimore. And so I send a message down
to the club, you know, for him to hit me up.
Nobody gets that message, like a like a bus boy
or somebody the front of house like yeah, okay whatever.

(15:05):
So I wasn't thinking anything of it. And then he called.
He actually got the message and called me, like you
what are you doing in New York. I'm like, I
live here now. He's like, come down to the club.
I'm like, I don't have any money. He's like, I
got you. We come down, and long story short, I'm
watching the gig. I'm there at the gig. And musicians
can tell like when the when the artist is sort

(15:26):
of kind of beefing with with somebody on stage, Like
you can tell if it's something's not yeah, something something
is a little too right, you know. And so Herbie
and a guitar player or some kind of vibe going on.
So after the show, I asked, what's going on. It's like,

(15:47):
I don't know, they're kind of beefing or something. So
and then he said, like, hold on a minute. He
introduced me to Herbie. He's like, this is my friend.
He plays keyboards. You should really hear him. Wow, And
Herbie go, do you know my music? And I'm like
I can.

Speaker 2 (16:03):
He's give me two hours.

Speaker 1 (16:05):
And so he's like, I'm gonna play in Baltimore next week.
Come down, I'll give you an audition. I went down
where they live. They rehearsed me. I learned as much
music as I could, and he came. He gave me
an audition. We played two songs. I never will forget this.
He went off hiss case. He pulled out like a
calendar and he just started calling off dates such and such.

(16:26):
We're going to be in Kansas City, such and such,
We're going to be in Hawaii. And I'm like, does
that mean I have the gig, mister man. He just
kept talking and my friends were like, I think you
better write this down. And that's how I got that gig.
From there. It just took off from there.

Speaker 4 (16:45):
I'm gonna tell you, before we started hearing some of
those stories add epic storyteller.

Speaker 2 (16:52):
I'm just some of these names that I'm assumed. I mean,
it started way before this, but no, Yeah, the.

Speaker 1 (16:59):
List's interested to hear this myself.

Speaker 3 (17:01):
The list opens and there's another list, and I'm sure
he can add to this list.

Speaker 5 (17:05):
All right, Okay, somewhat over five hundred artists you worked with.

Speaker 1 (17:08):
It's five hundred. Now we keep a list.

Speaker 3 (17:10):
Nice, all right, guys, So we're gonna be here for
three hours just reading names.

Speaker 1 (17:14):
Here we go.

Speaker 2 (17:15):
No, okay. These are some of the.

Speaker 3 (17:16):
Artists that Michael has worked with and continues to work with.
Sting Santana Whitney Houston, Lionel, Richie Shaka Khan, Patti Austin,
James Ingram, Patti LaBelle, George Benson, Boz Skaggs, Lenny Kravitz,
Luther Vandros, roberta Fla, Shania Twain, Isaac Hayes, Aaron Neville,

(17:36):
Cindy Lpper, Nancy Wilson, Queen, David Crosby, Stevie Wonder, John
fogerty E, Liza Minelli, Neil Young actually wrote some music
for Neil over Young, right, Bonnie Ray Elton, John, Aretha
Franklin that same reason that you heard again, Ray Charles,
then musical director for Madonna, Rod Stewart, the Greatest in

(17:58):
the World, Michael Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Area on a Grande,
Ricky Martin, Destiny's Child, Brandy India r Fantasia, Ashanti, John Mayer,
Faith Evans, Brian McKnight, Natasha Beddingfield, Nelly Fertato, Jostone Usher,
Keisha Cole Andree Stone, j Low, Mary J.

Speaker 2 (18:17):
Blige, Lady Gaga, DiAngelo, and more.

Speaker 1 (18:21):
Wow.

Speaker 2 (18:23):
Whoa, whoa, let's the applause, Michael, whoa.

Speaker 1 (18:29):
Whoa, wow, Wow, wow wow.

Speaker 2 (18:44):
So you had you were busy after that?

Speaker 5 (18:48):
Can I just say what a pleasure it was to
hear her list those names and watch you you know what.

Speaker 1 (18:54):
Because I know the only reason I even know that
it's five hundred is because I had to do something
fairly recently where we had to count, count, and we
do keep a list, and it's just like, wow, it's
five hundred now it's not. It's not. And I learned
this from Quincy a long time ago that I just
I just don't sit around and just like listen to

(19:16):
stuff that I'm on. If it's something like if something
comes on the radio, I'll hear it. Oh yeah, that's
where I was when I recorded that. That's cool. But
I don't listen to the record that I know. I
don't look at the videos and you know, the concerts
and the and the things. It's just moving forward for me.
And so I very very rarely will sit back and

(19:39):
listen to the names or like, just listening to that
was quite impressive, even for me. And what's impressive about
it is not just the you know, the quality and
you know, the legendary of it all, is the variety
of it all. Because when I was growing up, I
listened to Jacksonville, of course is my favorite, but then

(20:02):
it was James Brown, but then it was Elton, Then
it was Creedan's Clear Wild Revival, and then it was uh,
Jim Crochey, and then there was led Zeppelin, and then
it was earth Wind and Fire Like it was like
all mixed up. I didn't know you had to segregate music.
I thought music is just I thought music was just music.
So I learned how to play all of it.

Speaker 2 (20:22):
And now you're doing a Enigma Vegan.

Speaker 1 (20:27):
That we'll talk about it. Yeah. I was in Gaga's
just room when I first started working with her years ago.
It's been eleven years I've been with her.

Speaker 2 (20:36):
Now she's not letting you go.

Speaker 1 (20:41):
She's so she's so amazing, just just a beautiful human being.
But I was in her dressing room where she had
like all these records in her room, and so I'm
just going through them, and then Eliza record was there
and she was listening to and I and I would
go to her. I think she was getting the land up.
I said, read the credits on this record. No, And

(21:05):
she opened it and she was reading them and she
looked at me. She was like, what, you're playing this record.
I've been listening to this record for so long. I
didn't even know that was my music director of play.
That was just like, it's just so funny.

Speaker 3 (21:21):
I was gonna say, one of you obviously have a
whole world live on stages, and I have been MD
and director and producers for some of the biggest shows
the Oscars, themmes Quincy's Show.

Speaker 2 (21:34):
There's like so many things.

Speaker 3 (21:36):
But also you have recorded on some of the most
some of the most impactful songs ever.

Speaker 2 (21:44):
In the world. So and by the way, I just
want to say that list of names.

Speaker 3 (21:48):
You know what I think is pretty amazing about it,
that all those legends have one thread through them all.

Speaker 1 (21:54):
It's you.

Speaker 2 (21:56):
Literally, who else can really say that they can? You know,
you say that you diversify that.

Speaker 5 (22:02):
Why do you have to pick?

Speaker 2 (22:03):
That's exactly what you did.

Speaker 3 (22:04):
You're a thread through jazz and pop and it's it's
really freaky cool.

Speaker 1 (22:09):
So Wow, I never even thought of it. Yeah, you go,
but I want I want to I want you.

Speaker 3 (22:15):
To share some of the stuff that you've played on
recordings of that that have been your favorite.

Speaker 1 (22:20):
Wow. One song that everybody knows. And I'm one of
the keyboard players on is I Will Always Love You
And David Foster, the great David Foster it and you
know me and Bette Sessman with Nips keyboard players Whitney, Yeah,

(22:40):
Nips keyboard players at that time, and so it was
the band that recorded it. Wow. And when we when
we were there, we recorded in here in Miami, actually wow.
And when it was going down, like you have half
ones on, we're just playing, you know, Ricky Loss and
the drummer and got Red his whole Kirk the whole band,

(23:04):
and we all were just like a nip was singing
and we just all were like we could feel it,
we could feel it. We just sometimes you just known
you didn't know to what extent that that song was.

Speaker 3 (23:19):
Would she redo like the vocals and just sing like
as a guide after or were those the vocals?

Speaker 1 (23:24):
Those were the vocals?

Speaker 2 (23:25):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (23:26):
I'm not sure what David did afterwards.

Speaker 6 (23:28):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (23:29):
And I think we did it maybe two more times
after that, but I think the first thing that we
did is what you hear. Wow, I'm pretty sure that's
that's what happened.

Speaker 2 (23:40):
That's amazing.

Speaker 1 (23:42):
That's one. And then there's this some you know, one
of my childhood heroes who's a friend, Herbie Hancock. I
did a record with with him, Like you know, Herbie
plays every keyboard you can ever play. To be asked
to play keyboards all on the record with him.

Speaker 5 (23:57):
Tell Me a Bedtime Story was the first jazz song
I ever played on virus?

Speaker 1 (24:01):
Is that right?

Speaker 2 (24:01):
Yep?

Speaker 1 (24:02):
No, shut up, no, I didn't play. No, I was
going to say, that's one of my all time favorite
songs ever in life. Tell me a Bedtime Story his
version and Quincy's version. Yeah, Quincy's version, and so yeah,
those are those are things that I learned when I

(24:24):
was very young.

Speaker 5 (24:27):
I have a little sum here for you now that
he's talking about.

Speaker 4 (24:30):
Now that you're talking about some of the people that
you've been with, I would love to show you these
photographs all the way from Earth into outer space.

Speaker 2 (24:41):
You can't even hear the sound, and they're perfect.

Speaker 4 (24:47):
Maybe you could share a little bit about what you
remember what was going on in this photo. Okay, all right,
this one, we've got a picture here with someone that
we don't really know, goes by the name of Madonna.

Speaker 2 (25:01):
That's funny, that's what.

Speaker 1 (25:02):
We call you so many So this particular photo was
at Madonna's house and we were having a party. It
was like my first if I'm not mistaken, it was
my first tool with her. Yeah, in like ninety three,
that was at Madonna's house. I can't tell you what happened.

(25:26):
I can't tell you why she's hugging Okay, I can't
tell you that.

Speaker 2 (25:30):
Okay, that's that's secret.

Speaker 1 (25:33):
That's a very maybe off camera, that's a very secret thing.
But that's that that that's a m's house.

Speaker 4 (25:41):
There's an incredible video, Oh your time with her that
we found were in so crazy.

Speaker 3 (25:49):
Oh, now we're talking about Madonna? This is this is
epic because I think I believe she was on Letterman?

Speaker 2 (25:56):
Do you know what we're talking about?

Speaker 1 (25:58):
How does so?

Speaker 3 (26:01):
I'm gonna play this audio for you guys to hear,
and you can look up the video, but I want
to hear about this this situation.

Speaker 1 (26:07):
Here can we to this?

Speaker 3 (26:09):
I would love to go to.

Speaker 2 (26:12):
Michael.

Speaker 3 (26:12):
Michael, He's the greatest rage.

Speaker 1 (26:18):
I love to go they hit you off because you're
the cyber cowboy?

Speaker 2 (26:32):
Did you ever get that?

Speaker 1 (26:33):
Rais? Oh my gosh, how do y'all get this? Like? So,
what's so great about that? Is that Paul who's a
dear friend. I used to sub for him a lot
on letter Man. Wow, just the nicest dude ever.

Speaker 2 (26:47):
That's awesome. Quincy's like that too. I feel, Oh my gosh,
all the greats are like just the best people.

Speaker 1 (26:55):
Just the best, you know. It's just really I'm just
I love this so much music. So I have never
done anything else in my life. Like you know, I
maybe had some summer jobs as a kid, but I
never my entire adult life. I've never had a job,
Like I never had a punch clock. And I've only
done music my whole entire life.

Speaker 2 (27:16):
More for you.

Speaker 5 (27:19):
You that's my favorite. You and Whitney Houston.

Speaker 1 (27:22):
Don't laugh at the gear, No, you're so that's me
and Nip. But so Nip was like my first big
gig that I got. And and I can't tell this
story because I am writing a book.

Speaker 2 (27:40):
So some of the story the book, I can't wait
for the some of the stuff I want to save.

Speaker 1 (27:45):
But I will say this and people will ask me, oh,
but Whitney kind of saved my life when I got
that gig. I needed that gig.

Speaker 2 (27:52):
Read the book to find out why.

Speaker 1 (27:54):
Yeah, I won't go into that here.

Speaker 2 (27:57):
And so you guys had a great relationships, really great.

Speaker 1 (28:00):
Like She's like I have a photo and I'm surprised
you didn't find it where Nipp is Like I'm carrying
her on my back and like we're running around, like
when her little nephews was chasing her and I was like,
give on my back, and I.

Speaker 2 (28:12):
Was like like and so seems like she was a
very playful soul.

Speaker 1 (28:15):
Oh my god, she was, especially then she was she
like it to feel like family around her, and we
were all I will tell some of this story like
so playful. Like we used to have the most outrageous
water balloon fights, water gun fights, I think. Ever, like
after the gig, like we were really met, we messed

(28:37):
up a hotel one time where they kicked us out.
I think they kicked us out like like because we
were feeling there was a water like a fountain in
front of the hotel. We were like filling up, just
going around the hotel messing each other. Like like, she
was playful. We just used to have a good time.
We rolled with her, we hung with her, like you know,

(29:00):
we were young, all young at the time, and she
was on top of the world at that time. This
is the Super Bowl time when she sang the anthem
and all that. It was. Yeah, it was it was
that time. It was that era, and so she was
just on top of the world and we were along
for the ride with her, and she wanted us and
that was that was That was a great time. I

(29:20):
really loved that photo. Oh this is my personal favorite.

Speaker 5 (29:26):
Yeah, all right, do you see you have?

Speaker 2 (29:33):
Do you find you who's playing?

Speaker 5 (29:38):
Tell the people, Tell the people. Yes, it's a photo
of the time we met.

Speaker 1 (29:44):
Yes, So m Kenny Otega was the director of this,
but he was also the director of this is It,
which is the the name of the tour, which is
now a film that we created with with him Jay
and he called me to do this show, this Focus
Pocus reunionah and and even before they told me who

(30:12):
all the other artists were, Kenny goes, I'm gonna have Emily.
Emily is my god daughter, and blah blah, like he
just he just just sang your praises so much, even
before I met you. And then you came on stage
in rehearsal and I was just like, okay, play everything,

(30:34):
why don't you Like she plays percussion and then she
gets on the guitar and then she sings. I was
just like, okay, yes you are Gloria daughter.

Speaker 3 (30:45):
I have never you made me feel so comfortable and
I was so excited and very intimidated.

Speaker 1 (30:52):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (30:52):
I mean, listen, the moment that you meet you, you
know that will go away because you can tell that
you just want to like spread had the joy and
the music and just make everybody have a good time.
But it's definitely an intimidating environment. And you made me
feel so safe and like went with my ideas and
we had a great time.

Speaker 2 (31:11):
And yeah, I loved it.

Speaker 1 (31:12):
It was it was great. It was one of it
was one of the highlights of that show to me.

Speaker 2 (31:16):
Thank you. We'll cut that out. Do you feel like
like Gaga has pushed you out of your comfort zone?

Speaker 1 (31:24):
Of course, Like you know, I've learned a lot from her.
She's learned a lot from me. The great and beautiful
thing about her is she's she's open to everything. First
of all, she has reverence for everything that came before her,
which is unique to me with younger artists. Yes, because
you know as we as we when we started talking

(31:47):
a lot of times the older generation. And I'm not
this because I'm not nostalgic in that way where get
off my lawn like you do it the way we
do it. I don't like cars, like cars don't sound
on the same, songs don't sound on the same, The
world doesn't sound the same.

Speaker 6 (32:01):
So why do you.

Speaker 1 (32:04):
Why do you like so so with with with LG
She's just open and she has already this reverence and
then she's an old soul, she was saying at Lush
Life at thirteen.

Speaker 2 (32:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (32:17):
Yeah, she's a musician and she's a musician, and that's
the that's the speak in Europe. She's a musician. She's
so much of a musician. She's more of a musician
than a lot of people realize. Oh I see it.
I was. So we did this commercial once where she's
dueling herself, like she's in a black outfit and she's
in a white outfit and it's dueling pianos, right, And

(32:40):
so I was I was arranging some things that I
wanted her to play that she asked me to do,
and one was like a Mozart piece. It was like
these dueling things that we're going to do. And so
I'm recording it for her and I'm doing some things
and she comes to the studio and I put the
sheet music in front of her. I was like, this

(33:01):
part is a little tricky right here, but I just
want you to just do it, like this little five
seconds of it. She said, what part? Oh this, and
she's she's killed it, like, come in off the street,
take the glasses off. What par are you talking about
and kills it, and I'm looking at her like that
was a moment where I learned something. I was just like, okay, okay,

(33:24):
And then now I know that I can push her
a little more of that way, and then she'll she'll
hear my ideas and then she'll go, Okay, I hear you,
but what if we do this? You know, this field
is more like me, and so it's both and I
was like, I hear you, but I think you can
do this, and then she'll be like, okay, I'll try it,
and I'll be like okay, I'll hear and we'll come
to our little compromise. You know, she has her things

(33:46):
that she wants to do and that'll be that, and
as music director, you just let that happen. But then
there's things that I hear with all my artists and
where you're trying to go and it's like, okay, I
hear that, but this is a better way that you
can do there, And that's exactly that's exactly right. There's
no one way to do it. So as long as

(34:07):
you I'm quoting Quincy a lot, there might be a
reason for that. As long as you allow love to
happen and love to enter the room and it's not
about you because it's never about you.

Speaker 2 (34:21):
The music is always bigger, yes, or it shouldn't be
about you.

Speaker 1 (34:24):
It should not be.

Speaker 4 (34:25):
If it is, then you're just the vehicle, the vessel
through which the music communicates to the world.

Speaker 5 (34:32):
You're You're like a healer.

Speaker 3 (34:34):
I've seen videos of both Gaga and MJ, like in rehearsal,
like BTS videos that have come out where they're talking
to the band like very politely and all with love,
but like this sound.

Speaker 2 (34:45):
I hate this sound.

Speaker 5 (34:48):
The base is making me die.

Speaker 1 (34:51):
Without mentioning artists names, there are some that that are
not like that just scream and me and I never
as a music direct I never wanted to take on
that thing. MJ was probably the most the kindest artist,
but mostly would say to me and I would get it.
He would just go like, if something happened that he

(35:13):
didn't like and he stopped us, that can't happen again.
That perfection that was that was his thing. That can't
happen again. He would say that to me, or if
it was something that he didn't like, he would just
tell you. But also as a as a music direct,
if you hire me to do that job. I'm going
to do that job. So there's I've never been a

(35:35):
sick fan in my life. I've never been like like
a yes person. And I don't like whack stuff like
so if it's wack, I'm just gonna be like, excuse me.

Speaker 2 (35:48):
I don't like.

Speaker 1 (35:49):
I don't. I don't. And so I did a I
did a movie that just came out recently. It is
called Outlaw. Johnny Black piano, I'm playing, well, I'm playing
piano in the film. I have a small role in
the film. I asked him to.

Speaker 2 (36:02):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (36:04):
I also, you know, just some scoring on the film.
And so but Michael John White, who's the star, we
just had the premiere before I flew out here, and
he was just like, I'm a brag about you a
little bit, and he was naming my credits and stuff,
and he's like, you've seen the movie, this is it.
It's way. Yeah, he's arguing with Michael Jackson.

Speaker 6 (36:22):
God what like, I'm not arguing with m j I'm
just like telling him, telling what I think, and we're just.

Speaker 1 (36:34):
Going back and forth. That's all. That is not an argument.
What they don't see on cameras him coming to me going, Okay,
you're right, right.

Speaker 4 (36:42):
You imagine that somebody at that level, if he had
any issue with you, or he didn't have respect for you,
he probably wouldn't even listening to what you had to say.

Speaker 2 (36:50):
It was mutual.

Speaker 1 (36:51):
That's that's absolutely right, and that I mean I wouldn't
have been there, I would have been gone.

Speaker 3 (36:55):
He was also a musician's musician that since pretty much
when he was born, right, So I'm sure that that
environment for him was.

Speaker 1 (37:02):
Like, yeah, that's all he's ever done, right exactly. I mean,
if you if you hear him sing Who's Loving You?
He recorded that at ten years old. It's just ten
when he recorded that. And Smoky Smokey has said in
public and he has told us privately that when they
told him that the Jackson Frider was going to sing

(37:23):
his song, he was just like, well, who's going to
sing the lead? And they were like, Michael, he was
like this logo, boy's gonna anything. And then and Smokey
has said that he can't imagine anybody else singing it better.
He's like, because you absolutely feel that he lost that love, yeah,
at ten years old. And so there's no comparison for MJ.

(37:44):
There because the conditions don't exist to create him. Again,
there's only one MJ. He's one of one. There is
nobody close. Yeah, that's it.

Speaker 3 (37:53):
And what a gift that you guys were able to
capture that maybe subconsciously, you know, I don't know knowing
on way how important this is it was going to be,
you know, because that kind of ended up being the tour.

Speaker 2 (38:09):
Because you know, that's.

Speaker 3 (38:10):
The way in which we that were a part of
those rehearsals and that process got to see it and
enjoy I tell people all the time, you know when
I watch that, I've seen it so many times. It's
so powerful and so important, and I can continue to
go back to it when I miss the music or
I missed, you know, the show, because it feels like
you got to.

Speaker 2 (38:28):
See what the show maybe you know what it would
have been like, and it was amazing.

Speaker 1 (38:33):
Yeah, it was it was going to be. And I'm
not going to talk too much about it, yeah, because
I haven't watched it since we did it.

Speaker 3 (38:40):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (38:40):
Yeah, but I'm I am one of the creators of
that film along with Kenny and Travis. Yeah, and so
I know every frame and so I don't need to
I don't need to watch it. I lived it. But
but what you said is so important for the audience
to know is for for Kenny and Travis and I

(39:00):
that was more of an honor project than the glory
project us. So it was about taking that footage that
existed and crafting it from it, from what existed into
a film that the fans could just actually see what
was going on where we were going to. And the

(39:22):
thing about MJ is, I don't think anybody is not
a lot of people. Of course, the people who work
with him have, but I don't think a lot of
people have seen him as a work in progress. They've
always seen him complete and always seen him done because
he's always on the stage and he's done. But you
never saw what it took to get a lot of

(39:45):
people didn't. And now was the thing he was rehearsing, like.

Speaker 3 (39:51):
I like the whole standard of rehearse like if you're
going to play, you know, absolutely like rehearse like if
you're already there, because then for me, at least, when
you get to the performance, you can enjoy and like
connect and like let.

Speaker 5 (40:05):
Loose a little more, like relax a little bit more.

Speaker 1 (40:08):
That's right, That's right, A lot of a lot of
the bands that I rehearsed, I rehearsed them so much
and some like it. Some don't, but they don't understand why.
And the reason why is what you just said. Once
you get to the place, then you can actually connect
and give and then hopefully the audience gets back. Then
you get some kind of reciprocity loop going. And that way,

(40:29):
you're not thinking about it. It's just second nature and
you just you're just playing. And like I could tell
a lot of my artists that I work with. I
told Gaga this the other day before we were during
our jazz show in Vegas. Right now, let's go move
some souls. That's what I like to say all the
time before we go out. And she's like, yeah, that's right,

(40:51):
let's go do that. And because that's what we're doing,
that's what we're there for. We don't need to rehearse.

(41:11):
We know it. Like everything is there. Let's go feel
what they're feeling. Let's give them. Let's move along together
and see what we can do and move some souls.
Some people this will be the only show they ever see,
and so you have to think about how the people feel.
They got time to get babysitters, and they they bought

(41:33):
their tickets to Vegas and you know they got they
went ton like it's so many things that they do
to sit in that chair. We rehearse and we and
we learned our music. But you gotta you have to.
You have to understand who you're playing for a lot
of these people will never see another show again, or
maybe this is the only show they can see, you know,

(41:56):
for for a while, like so there show, or who.

Speaker 2 (42:00):
Knows, we might not be able to see a show
for years, like happened to us.

Speaker 1 (42:03):
At exactly yeah when a zombie a pocalypse hit. And
so you have to the point is you just have
to give every time to them, no matter how many
times you've done it. But for me, that's the fun
part because I want to see what's what new was
gonna happen tonight?

Speaker 3 (42:20):
Yeah, that's why I love live music too. If you're
playing back a button, it's always going to be the same.
But if you if you're playing sometimes I've been in
situations with Groovy and the jam band that I grew
up playing in that usually that'll be a twenty minute
arrangement of a song that's four minutes.

Speaker 2 (42:37):
Song because we're just like we're on a journey.

Speaker 1 (42:40):
It goes right.

Speaker 2 (42:41):
It's truly collaborative in it's a lot.

Speaker 1 (42:43):
It's a lot collaborative, and a lot of that has
gone away because of you know, the expediency of these
apps and everything that's going on. They've taken music out
of schools. Like kids don't play instruments. A lot of
kids don't play instruments.

Speaker 4 (42:57):
Some do.

Speaker 1 (42:57):
Some do this like I don't. I don't want to
be get off my lawn again. I'll do it, but
it's not as promoted as when we were younger, you know,
where you just had the instruments around to even be
curious about them. It's just not there anymore. And you know,
I have some views on why they've done it, but

(43:18):
I won't go into that. But it's a no, it's
you know, it can it can get political sometimes, but yeah,
I think that's that's a challenge. Even if you don't
go into what we do for a living, you should
still have that access so you can appreciate.

Speaker 2 (43:35):
I think everyone should draw we're talking about this, remember.

Speaker 4 (43:38):
Or have some kind of creative out that it was
funny because I don't know where it was that we
were Emily and I were somewhere and we tend to
keep the company of fellow artists. It's not intentional, we
don't seek it out, just it's what happens. So we
were somewhere and we really wanted to play and sing something.

Speaker 1 (43:54):
We were like in shock.

Speaker 4 (43:55):
Because they didn't have a guitar, didn't have any musical instrument,
and we're like, you've know, why do you play music?

Speaker 1 (44:02):
What do you know? Like?

Speaker 4 (44:05):
And Emily and I are people who we live in
a fairly small house and we had to decide one
day if we wanted a dining table or M's piano.
She plays that thing every day.

Speaker 2 (44:14):
The decision was made.

Speaker 1 (44:20):
I love it. I mean that feels normal to me. Yeah,
that's just normal. And I don't it's just and you
know what's funny, And I'm sure you you've noticed music
is the only place that that can happen. Meaning so,
like a lot of people who do this and have

(44:41):
not done the foundational work and the fundamental work and
then get upset that they don't have a number one
hit or a number like that, and they feel entitled
that they should have it music, But then you don't
know enough about the craft to even complain about it.
So music is one of the few disciplines where you

(45:02):
can do that. Like you can't be a doctor, yes,
and not know where the stethoscope is right, Like you
can't be a dentist and not know what a drill
like whatever the basic tool is of your craft. But
you can be in music and not nowhere in middle
c is like not understand the basics of your craft.

(45:22):
And it's so it's so infuriated, Like you can't do
that like a like a basketball player. Like so if
you go to like west Forth Street in New York,
the playground that's out there, whether the gods just be
balling or like the Rucker, even the worst guy in
the NBA who's like on the practice squad and sits
on the bench, will take you down to Fourth Street

(45:44):
and still where you are because they gotta go through
something to get there. There's only so many slots in
the NBA, but you gotta go through something. That's not
to say that everybody that's not in the NBA could
not be there for whatever circumstance. But even if you
get there, you belong.

Speaker 3 (46:02):
Oh yeah, And even if you get there, if you
mess up while you're there, they'll kick you right out.

Speaker 2 (46:06):
I was with people at Berkeley that I'm like, what
are you doing here?

Speaker 6 (46:10):
Like?

Speaker 2 (46:10):
What are you doing here?

Speaker 3 (46:11):
Because granted it sucks, because if it's their passion and
they love it, who am I to say no? Because
you want to do something that makes you happy and whatnot?
For me, what happens is a delusion. That's where I
get upset, Like you want to dedicate. I had a
friend who props he loves music, that's all he wanted
to do. But he couldn't be you know, he didn't
he knew he was never really going to have the
chops probably enough for the dedication enough maybe, you know,

(46:34):
to become like the best of the best.

Speaker 2 (46:37):
You know, so you know what he does.

Speaker 3 (46:39):
He works at the Steinway Factory and he gets to
be with pianos all day and work on pianos, and
it's still a huge part of his life. But I
do think that there I wish it was more elite,
especially when it comes to certain categories, because then the
quality and the collaboration.

Speaker 2 (46:57):
In the whole art form would go up. Because I
feel like now it's just an imbalance.

Speaker 3 (47:01):
It's one thing if there were a few people who
maybe didn't know where middle C is, but I feel
like it's the majority. And also I feel like access
like you brought up kids right, and even the kids
who didn't grow up to be musicians would know maybe
have seen a staff or a trouble cleft or something.

Speaker 1 (47:17):
That's right.

Speaker 3 (47:18):
All our friends' kids that come over our house, within
maybe ten to fifteen minutes of being there, are playing
with the instruments.

Speaker 1 (47:24):
Yes, everything.

Speaker 2 (47:25):
And by the way, not only them, adults too. Adults
that can't play.

Speaker 3 (47:29):
Will like get out of the bathroom and they'll just
sit in the piano and be like, and I'm like,
even those ten seconds that you touched that piano today
influence your We.

Speaker 2 (47:37):
Have a no case.

Speaker 5 (47:37):
I have a no case rule.

Speaker 4 (47:38):
One of the things that I learned as a kid
was if you if your instruments in the case, you're
never going to play it.

Speaker 1 (47:43):
That's right.

Speaker 5 (47:44):
So all of our instruments are out and accessible, and
it's just true.

Speaker 2 (47:47):
You just we'll pick it up.

Speaker 1 (47:49):
It's so funny. I have like so I have guitars
and I play what I call bombfire guitar.

Speaker 5 (47:54):
Like that you can lay.

Speaker 1 (47:59):
I have bass out like this. As soon as they
come over to my house. It's a jam. Yeah, my nephews,
which is also funny because I am who I am
and I've amassed all this and none of my nephews
wants to learn how to play. They play, but they
didn't want me to teach stuff. They just like, oh,

(48:19):
we'll learn on YouTube.

Speaker 2 (48:21):
So I want to lessen.

Speaker 5 (48:23):
This is how I feel about her. I'm gonna call
her out right now.

Speaker 2 (48:25):
Seven years one guitar Leabay, that's not true, that's so much.
Will be like, can you teach me how to play this?
And I'll be like, yeah, and I'll teach you and
you'll learn.

Speaker 1 (48:32):
Okay, you know what.

Speaker 5 (48:34):
I'll be like, help me figure out this hard part
of this.

Speaker 1 (48:36):
I'm sorry, do you know what?

Speaker 3 (48:37):
She'll come and ask me for help, and before I
can finish helping her, she's figured it out because.

Speaker 2 (48:42):
You helped me.

Speaker 1 (48:45):
Okay.

Speaker 5 (48:49):
I'm curious and you.

Speaker 4 (48:51):
I mean, I can't imagine you adding five hundred to
one to the list. But is there anybody out there?

Speaker 1 (48:59):
Yes, I keep saying, Oh, I can't wait to hear
I've met her a few times, but I have never
worked with Barbara Streis. Wow. I would just love to
do one thing. If it's just like a TV show
or like a number A special, it's just one thing,
even if I'm just conducted like whatever it is I

(49:19):
always wanted to have I don't even know why, it
just it just it just would be something that I
would really like.

Speaker 2 (49:27):
Well, Barbs, I know that you're a huge in her
own world fan. So one thing, I just want to
work with you one thing.

Speaker 1 (49:36):
Everybody else I've pretty much worked with that that I
wanted you. M d for j Lo to wow mm
hmm after after.

Speaker 2 (49:46):
And the piano is behind her, So that's the best
view in.

Speaker 1 (49:53):
That. How do you deal such a musician? I will
say I will say this though, I will just affirm
what you're saying, because a lot of the guys in
the band would say that.

Speaker 2 (50:04):
I'm a guy in the band.

Speaker 1 (50:08):
Yeah. I was talking to a drummer friend of mine
recently about this. Like the hang is also part of
the gig and the afterwards and the talking ish like
all that is part of being a musician. I remember
when I was on stages when I was fifteen, sixteen
years old. The player I'm playing second keyboards or something,

(50:30):
and the artists and the singer would come in and
the leader would be like, you're too loud, shut up,
bring it out. Like either you go home and cry yeah,
or you like get down when the singer stars. I
did both, But but you just like you learn one
of them, like all these things just like it's like
a big slab and it's chiseling you and it's sculpting

(50:52):
you to be the musician that you are if you
take these the lessons right, And so I took them
all as lessons.

Speaker 3 (51:00):
Whoever's listening out there, it doesn't matter if you're a
musician or not. You can apply everything that we've explored
and talked about today to your life because it doesn't
matter what you do if you do it with those
same principles. Like I'm sure people that work in an
office feel the same way, Like if there's a bad
vibe or you know, you don't have respect or you know,

(51:20):
certain things, it's never going to be a good environment.

Speaker 2 (51:23):
And like Jeen mentioned one of the reasons, and like
when we spoke to Burrito as well, just people who
are so successful.

Speaker 3 (51:33):
Like to a certain in a certain way, you know,
like a certain you break through a certain point of success,
you have to have your head on your shoulders right,
and you're sure heat your feet like hitting the pavement,
pounding the pavement, you know. And I haven't met one
person who's been there that hasn't you know, you say, oh,
it's not work, but you've worked your ass off.

Speaker 2 (51:51):
You travel, you're on.

Speaker 3 (51:52):
A plane, you know, every other week. You never you
don't even know what your year is going to look like.
You know, I'm sure it's hard to keep in touch
with certain families.

Speaker 1 (52:01):
You're right, it's you put the work in. I don't.
Once again, I love this, so I didn't think of
this as work, but you're right. It's a lot like
the travel. We always say as musicians when we're traveling,
especially when it's not good, this is what we get
paid for. It's the travel part. The stage is the

(52:23):
easy part. Yeah, you know, I've been on planes and
canceled flights and having to drive across borders and just
so many on the flight. Once with a band, we
were coming from New York to LA and some guy
decided that he wanted to hijack the play. No, it's

(52:45):
what he said. So this was the time. Like, so
we noticed this guy, he's just walking it was a
big plane and he's just walking around in a circle
the whole entire time. So they have oh, this is
way before night. I was gonna say, yeah, yeah, this
is the late eighties when it happened. And so he's

(53:07):
walking around. It's a cross country flight, so it was
a big plane and this was the time when they
used to have movies like projector. That's how long ago
that was. And so he's just walking. So the flight
attendants is just looking at him, and me and the
band the guys just like, what's up with this dude?
Like and we're not paying him attention. And then he

(53:28):
kicked the projector over and cut the whole movie off,
and everybody's like, oh, okay, what's going on. Then he
just started screaming at the top of his lungs and
then he said the magic words, we're not gonna make
it to kind of blow this plane up. And we're

(53:48):
like okay, and so the flat attendants up. They of course,
they look nervous and they go to the captain. This
is this is the funny part about it. Though it
wasn't funny, but this was the funny part. We're all
New Yorkers, we're all coming from New York. And the
captain was from New York obviously because he got on
and he was just like, okay, ladies and gentlemen, we're

(54:09):
gonna have to make an emergency landing. I guess you
all know why. And so we're landing.

Speaker 2 (54:20):
But did they did they grab this nothing?

Speaker 1 (54:22):
Well, the guy was sitting next to another dude the
whole time, but he wasn't part of it. But for
some reason, the crazy guy was listening to him, so
he was calming him down. So they had him in
a chair the flight attendance. He was still able to
get up, but he was strapped in for some reason.
And we're coming down and we see all the light

(54:42):
lights and oh my god, like squad and like dudes
with hazmat suits and it was straight movie. And we
land in I don't even remember where we land like
in the middle it was. It was an airport. It's
a proper airport, but it wasn't like a b airport.
And we land on the runway and we stop and

(55:05):
FBI and all the people they come on immediately they
do exactly what CD was in the exactly they grabbed
him took him off. But now we have to since
we diverted, we have to all get off the plane.
They have to search to see it's actually along the plane,

(55:25):
and they have to refuel. So we're all huddled up
in this little firehouse, cramped, crowded, hot, hungry, all this stuff.

Speaker 2 (55:36):
I'm sure it took forever.

Speaker 1 (55:37):
It took four four and a half five hours, five hours,
almost longer than the flight.

Speaker 3 (55:47):
And now flights are getting grounded for people who have diarrhea.
And listen, with all the times you fly, it could
have been looking the draw.

Speaker 2 (55:54):
You could have been on that.

Speaker 1 (55:55):
Flight, could have been well.

Speaker 2 (55:57):
I was.

Speaker 1 (55:57):
I was on the plane leaving the thirtieth anniversary at
the Garden on nine one one, So I was leaving.
We had just done the show the night before, we
did two show.

Speaker 2 (56:07):
My mom was there.

Speaker 1 (56:08):
Whitney was there, Yes, yes.

Speaker 2 (56:10):
And she left because she said she got a weird
feeling and changed her flight.

Speaker 6 (56:14):
She did.

Speaker 2 (56:14):
They said she got a few narrow feeling.

Speaker 1 (56:17):
Wow, that's that's I was so tired from working with everybody.
Then we had a party after the show and all that.
But my flight was like eight something in the morning
going from New York back to Los Angeles to start
rehearsals with with j Loo and so on the plane,
and I know when I land, I got to go

(56:37):
right to rehearsal, so I was like, okay, let me,
let me get something to eat. They were bringing the
food around right, and so I was let me eat
because when I land, I'm not gonna have food, and
and I'm starting to eat, and then the flight attendants
just take all the food away like fat, Like they
didn't even announce, they just started taking it even if
we weren't finished. And then the looks on their faces

(56:59):
was like, I was like, what's going on? And then
the captain comes on, this is we have to make
an emergency landing, and this is the fastest we've ever
gotten out of the sky in my life. It was
like it felt like it was going like this, and
we landed in Ohio or somewhere somewhere in the middle
of the country, and this once again no smartphones and

(57:22):
none of that. So I had no idea what was happening.
And I'm like, what's on our plane, Like, what's going on?
And then when we get to the terminal in the airport,
everybody's running around, people are crying. I still don't know
what's going on? And they were like it was a
terrorist attack and I was like what, Like what happened?
Had to wait two hours to get the bags. It's

(57:44):
like there's no more flights today, and I'm like okay.
Then I called to LA to tell them and they
were like, we know nobody's flying. It's like I can't
get to LA. So now I got to stay here.
Couldn't find a hotel room there, so they had to
drive us to Kentucky or something. Finally, when I got
to the hotel, We're talking about at least three three
and a half hours or so. I get there. We

(58:06):
turn on the television and then I see it and
I'm like, oh my gosh, we just up there. Oh
my gosh. And it was the same. Am I still
have the flight stuff? I still have it? Yeah, And
it was the same emo like going to LA. So
they had enough fuel like they could have been on

(58:26):
our flight and weren't able to exit.

Speaker 2 (58:29):
We're very happy that you're here. Weren't on any of
those flights.

Speaker 3 (58:32):
And before we go to everybody's favorite news space, that
word is there any line?

Speaker 2 (58:43):
I'm so I can't.

Speaker 7 (58:45):
I think I'm more impressed by his memorization of the
buttons than everything else. Okay, before we do our outer
space news segment called space News, is there any parting
words you want to leave our listeners with other than
you're welcome.

Speaker 1 (59:04):
You're welcome parting words? I don't know today. I'm just
feeling like we just need more love in the world.
That's all. Like, it's just it's so much happening, and
there's a lot of distraction, and people wanted to divide
you and all these things. But at the end of

(59:26):
the day, we're all humans. Have some more empathy, have
some more love, have some more compassion, have some more understanding,
have more patience. Everything does have to happen now. Just
because it's not happening now does not mean it won't happen.
I have a little patience. We don't need to live
in this microwave, especially when it comes to music. I

(59:47):
want it now. I tell young artists now, sometimes just
take the escalator up. Don't always go for the elevator.
Just take the escalator, take your time up to see
what's there. You'll get there. You don't have to shoot
right up, because a lot of times you shoot right
up and then you come down and you miss a
lot on the way, and you miss a lot on
the way. So those would be my parting words. Love, compassion, empathy, patience,

(01:00:11):
woo Michael Way.

Speaker 3 (01:00:15):
And before we leave, ladies and gentlemen, it is time
for everybody's favorites.

Speaker 5 (01:00:19):
Based Rose Network, space News.

Speaker 3 (01:00:26):
NASA seeks citizen scientists to capture April twenty twenty four
solar eclipse. If you're not in the path of totality,
you can contribute to research about the Sun. Yes, I'm
talking to you out there and in here. Using the
free app Sun Sketcher twenty twenty four. Citizen scientists can
help advance heliophysics research by clicking as many images of

(01:00:47):
the Sun just before.

Speaker 2 (01:00:48):
And after the solar eclipse. Why you ask.

Speaker 3 (01:00:51):
Those images will help in recording the images of the
bright broken ring of Sun known as Bailey's Beads, which
shine through the mountains and valleys.

Speaker 2 (01:01:00):
On the edge of the Moon just before the eclipse.

Speaker 3 (01:01:02):
Additionally, if you decide to partake in this epic data
collection as a citizen scientist, you will legally have.

Speaker 8 (01:01:08):
The right to yello DD get out of my laboratory
if you know you know okay, SpaceX, SpaceX launches deal
to loft Telesat light speed Internet constellation.

Speaker 2 (01:01:21):
Each mission will see a space.

Speaker 3 (01:01:24):
X Falcon rocket carry as many as eighteen light speed
Internet satellites to low Earth orbit. Telesat hopes it will
be able to test its light speed constellation very soon.
It's an optically linked network that will provide multiple gigabytes
per second of data links and broadband connectivity across the
globe by twenty twenty seven.

Speaker 2 (01:01:42):
So don't worry, we're going to get you real good
and connected. Michaels.

Speaker 3 (01:01:45):
Other data and streaming companies are preparing for this huge
advancement and.

Speaker 2 (01:01:49):
Have actually released a list of popular shows.

Speaker 3 (01:01:51):
From other planets that will now be accessible with this
data links, some of which include Yellow Moonstone, Glork's Gone Wild,
Keeping Up with the Clorodashians, Sex and the Saturn So
stay tuned, really good.

Speaker 7 (01:02:09):
The Clordashians, Clim Klorodashian.

Speaker 1 (01:02:17):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (01:02:17):
All right. UFOs should be tracked in the water as
well as the skies. A much anticipated NASA report on
UFOs calls for better tracking and scientific understanding of the
unexplained phenomena. And that's captivating the public, very obviously captivating
the public.

Speaker 2 (01:02:33):
I am the public. I am captivating.

Speaker 3 (01:02:35):
The panel of scientists and government officials convened by NASA
kept most of the focus on ways to understand why individuals,
including military pietists, say they're observing the skies, but UFO
reports are full of accounts of mysterious objects submerging themselves
in the sea, as seen in video acquired by CNN
and other news stations just this year. Brian Helmet, Northeastern

(01:02:59):
Professor of Marine environmental scientist, says if I were investigating
an alien planet like Earth, the ocean would definitely be
the place to start. Not only does it comprise the
vast majority of the living space and living organisms on Earth,
but it is also comparatively unpopulated by the one.

Speaker 2 (01:03:16):
Species that needs to find them, humans. That seems the intent.

Speaker 3 (01:03:21):
You know, hopefully they're not trying to destroy the planet
because they're just chilling down there. But anyway, he continues
by saying, if we can't find extraterrestrial life, at the
very least, we could finally locate the pineapple under the sea. Wow,
are you ready, kids, I captain This has been space
space news.

Speaker 5 (01:03:39):
That's phenomenal, My favorite space news to date.

Speaker 2 (01:03:41):
Wow news JM. Michael. I have absolutely loved this conversation.

Speaker 3 (01:03:48):
I love it when the cameras are off, but I'm
happy they're on because for years and years and years,
just like I keep going.

Speaker 2 (01:03:54):
Back to this, and this is it, I will go
back to this conversation, hopefully shor our kids one day.

Speaker 5 (01:04:00):
It's been a privilege to record.

Speaker 1 (01:04:02):
I didn't think I feel like we were doing anything.
I just feel like we're just.

Speaker 2 (01:04:07):
All right.

Speaker 1 (01:04:08):
Guys.

Speaker 2 (01:04:08):
We will see you next week. Bye bye.

Speaker 4 (01:04:15):
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