Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're checking out the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Everybody.
Speaker 3 (00:04):
It's DJ MV Jes, Hilarius, Charlamaan and the guy. We
are the Breakfast Club Long the Roses here as well,
and we got a special guest in.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
The building Icon legend.
Speaker 4 (00:13):
That's right.
Speaker 5 (00:14):
It wasn't for we wouldn't be here today.
Speaker 4 (00:16):
Media royalty.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
That is right, ladies and gentlemen, we have the legend.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
Donnie Simpson.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Wow, thank you, think, good morning, good morning.
Speaker 4 (00:24):
Thank you for that.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Man. I feel like a million dollars and some.
Speaker 6 (00:27):
Change in the nineties.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
That in a while bro Banana in a while.
Speaker 7 (00:38):
Man, Season two of The Donnie Simpson Show. Yes, sir,
it's a podcast and I mean you've seen all forms
of media throughout the years.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
What about podcasting?
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Do you like that I own it?
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (00:50):
You know, That's what it's about for me at this point.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Man.
Speaker 6 (00:52):
You know, I've always felt that I was a hired
smile you know, and I did well.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
I'm not complaining about it. Man.
Speaker 6 (01:00):
You know it's great, uh, but nothing like owning you.
You know, I want to own me at this point,
and that's what this allows me. Man.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
What has been the.
Speaker 8 (01:10):
New things you're learning as you're owning you and you're
not just the highest wile you're handling everything.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
It's hard. It's hard. It's hard. You know.
Speaker 6 (01:18):
It's a lot easy to walk in and have somebody
hand you a check for what you do. But when
you got to make all the calls man, and you know,
all the disappointments that happened in business, it's hard.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
But you know, I've been blessed. I have as a mentor.
Speaker 6 (01:35):
Bob Johnson, you know, the world's first black billionaire.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
That's my boy, man, that's you know.
Speaker 6 (01:41):
And uh so Bob has been with me every step
of the way, man, helping me. I you know, run
into walls that Bob's you need to do this. But
you know, he's just he's so brilliant, man, Bob's he's
just fascinating guy.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Man.
Speaker 6 (01:55):
It's like, I don't care what you ask Bob about,
He's already thought about it.
Speaker 7 (01:59):
Yeah, Bob don't get enough credit. You know, we interviewed
Bob via Zoom. But you know, I've had to say
I've had that pleasure to of being able to reach
out to Bob and just ask, yeah, advice. It's like,
why wouldn't you ask America's first black millionaire advice, especially
about media.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Right right, no question, he knows it.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Man, I want to go back if you don't mind,
because a lot of people know Donnie Simpson for so
many different things.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
Right.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Some people just know him from radio, some people know
him from television, some people know him for back in
the day radio. So I want to get the start, Detroit.
What got you into this thing called radio?
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Man?
Speaker 6 (02:32):
I my mother owned a record shop from the time
I was twelve, so I was always around music.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Because they kind of young.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
People used to come to the record shop all the time.
I had this deep voice.
Speaker 6 (02:49):
My voice changed between seventh and eighth grade, which I
hate it, because I used to sit I was the
only first soprano in the choir, so I got to
sit with the girls. You know, next I get to
see what girls the next year. But people would always
come to the record shop and go like, oh, you
sound like a DJ. You ought to be a DJ.
And it was in one ear out the other man.
I wanted to be a Baptist minister. That was my
(03:10):
first goal in life. And but one day my mother
had a live broadcast or the local DJs. Hal Perkins
came in well set up his booth out front.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
They had a portable booth with.
Speaker 6 (03:21):
The young glass in case and did his show from
there for three hours, and so he invited me into
the studio to do specials. You know, you know, we
got the Temptation's greatest hits on sale for two ninety nine.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
It's hour or whatever.
Speaker 6 (03:37):
But while I'm in there, man, I'm sitting there, Man,
I'm watching him, and he's got his.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Hip phones on. Man, he's chamming to the music. Man.
I was like, man, I could do that. I could.
Speaker 6 (03:47):
That's what I want to do right there. I mean,
it's just just light. It was just no doubt that's
what I wanted to do. And within three months I
was on the air. I was fifteen years old, you know,
in Detroit. Detroit's fifth largest market in the country at
that time. So you know, I mean, what a blessing
to get us start that young. And I mean I
couldn't even do my whole show live. I was on
(04:08):
from eight to midnight, and Law stated, I couldn't work
past ten thirty. So after school I have to go home,
I mean, go to the station, record my last hour
and a half, then go home, have dinner, do my
homework and go back and go live from eight to
ten thirty, put the tape on and leave.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
What were you talking about at age fifteen in Detroit
when this is when? What Temptations and all love and singing?
And what were you talking about at fifteen in Detroit?
Speaker 6 (04:35):
The Temptations, the Miracles, it's four tops, I mean, nineteen
sixty nine Detroit at six thirty, right, But you know
I would I've always loved music, so I would go
into a smoky set, right or I remember this happened
with Smoky and Stevie. I played four or five songs
(04:57):
by them. They would call on the request line. They
don't even have a hotline number, just call man. I
was listening to you, baby, you know, let's talk to Smokey,
talk to Stevie. Man. It was just it was magical.
Detroit at that time was right there. Yeah, right, you
were in the heart of it. It was in the
heart of it.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
You pick the records, you play back then.
Speaker 6 (05:16):
I've always done that. Always, well that was you know,
that was a norm back then. Of course, now you
know nobody gets that privilege. But my whole career I'm
proud of that. I always had total control of what
happened on my show, man, I wouldn't have done it
any other way, you know, because you know, I'm not
a bit It was never a bit driven show, you know.
(05:38):
It was for me everything was It was the music
I was. That was the main focus for me. So
I had to have control of it or I wouldn't
do it.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
And how did you get to DC?
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Because most people a lot of people thought you were
from DC?
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Yeah? How did you get from DC?
Speaker 4 (05:53):
So your radio and Detroit?
Speaker 5 (05:54):
You're fifteen, your radio career starts.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Yeah, how does this young individual get out to Washington, DC?
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (06:00):
Well I got a call one night on the air
on the request line, and this guy sounded a very
official voice.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Hello is this Donnie Simpson?
Speaker 6 (06:06):
I go, yeah, this is Bob Hennerberry from INTOBC in
New York, and we'd like to talk to you about
working at one of our stations.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
At our station in Washington, I said, come on, man,
who the hell.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Is this really?
Speaker 6 (06:19):
Because your boys would play tricks like that coin and
then they hear you get all official and then they go,
oh man, it's called man, what you doing aftershow tonight?
Speaker 1 (06:26):
You know?
Speaker 6 (06:27):
And but it was real and h so I went
there to meet with him. At first, I didn't want
to go because it was a disco station and I said,
no way I would do that. But my oldest brother,
who's had a very smart business mind. I always wish
I had his business mind. But he said, you always
have to talk. Whatever they offer is you just you
(06:49):
have to listen.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
So I went.
Speaker 6 (06:51):
They picked me up, took me on an interview at
Arlington Cemetery. It's like, is this Washington, DC or not?
I mean, why is Clende at the cemetery?
Speaker 1 (07:01):
It just was weird.
Speaker 6 (07:02):
But I ended up going because when I went there,
they were playing the Enchantment and some stuff other than
just disco.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
And uh.
Speaker 6 (07:11):
But you know, I felt like it was opportunity for
me that it was NBC, that the station I was
at Detroit, we were their biggest station in their chain,
that you had opportunity for growth there, and they were
gonna make me rich man. I left Detroit making thirteen thousand.
They were paying me twenty seventy five.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Baby, what what.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
The first boy?
Speaker 1 (07:35):
But well, let me first car, first car I ever bought.
Speaker 6 (07:39):
It was in nineteen sixty four Ford fair Lane two
hundred and twenty five dollars. Man, I burnt so much oil.
Mapple in the gas station. Tell them fill up the
oil and check the gas. But I thought I was
rich when I moved there with that money, man.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
But I was broke as hell, man, I mean very.
Speaker 6 (08:00):
Because I didn't factor in cost of living from Detroit
to d C.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
It was like three times more.
Speaker 6 (08:06):
And I lost my side hustle because it wasn't popular,
so you know, so I didn't you know, you're not
doing the conscious and all that stuff. I didn't think
about all that man. Man, it was tight four a minute.
And for me, Man, the moment that I remember most
from that is I had a set of pictures. Back
then you had to get pictures developed, and it was
twenty six dollars man, and I couldn't afford to get
(08:28):
him out of the shop. And he kept sending me notices. Man,
it was the last pictures of my grandfather. Man, and
that you know, we're gonna destroy and we got three months.
Finally got enough money. Man, it was too late, You're gone.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Wow. You know. So that was.
Speaker 6 (08:44):
Always a motivating factor for me. It still is, man,
that I don't ever want to be in that position again,
you know. But it was that kind of tight for me.
I'm sorry, yeah no, I said four minute. But you
know that was seventy seven when I moved to DC,
and by night the end of seventy nine I started,
things just started to really really really pop for me.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
All Right, we got more with Donnie Simpson when we
come back, don't move.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
It's the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 4 (09:06):
Good morning, m.
Speaker 6 (09:11):
H.
Speaker 9 (09:15):
If this world my Hey, Romana nort seven Baye, drip
it like it's hot. If this world is a mine,
not taking jeams and make them most a five. If
this world was mine, not taking hand amazing in front
of the die, and she'll do something to that light
hit do strictly with the five five five five five
five five five five Hey Roman Nortle seven bay drop
(09:41):
it like it's hot. If this world was mine, not
taking dreams and make nor most a five. If this
world was mine, not taking hand an amazing in front
of die, and she'll do something.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
To that light hit do strictly with that five. It's
above video dance. Let a watch you a fan, he.
Speaker 9 (09:56):
A fly, It's just one of Kobaya Nah.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Justin Marius Charlamage the guy.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
We are the Breakfast Club. I was still kicking it
with Donnie Simpson. Of course you know him from his
own radio show in DC and Detroit. And of course
Video Soul, Lauren.
Speaker 8 (10:12):
When you were in it and you were doing what
you were doing with video, so did you feel you
felt that all the time at the support from your people.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Oh, without doubt.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
Well before well, how did you get to video? So
break that down before you jump into.
Speaker 6 (10:23):
Okay, Well, I was doing radio in Detroit in DC.
W k YS was my station at that time. It
was owned by NBC. They're trying to sweeten the pot
for me, so they started they gave me television locally there.
I did backup sports. I was a sportscaster for George Michael.
I don't know if y'all remember him, but George Michael
(10:45):
did the George Michael Sports Machine, which people considered the
precursor to ESPN and uh so I was George's backup
for about three years. And but Bob Johnson had seen
me doing TV. He knew, of course, of my music
interest and love and they were starting up this show
called Video Soul, and he wanted to know if he
(11:05):
called and wanted to know if I would be interested
in doing it, and at first I wasn't.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Well because.
Speaker 6 (11:14):
I've always felt that I was always very careful about
what I got involved in because I only have one
thing to sell, this image. I can't give you twenty
rebounds a night, you know, it's just image, and so
you have to be very protective of that. And I
only got involved in things that were top shelf be
(11:34):
et in its infancy. Wasn't a very pretty bab No,
it wasn't. It looked like access to public access TV,
you know. So after two days of thinking about it,
it came down to this for me, that this is
our first black television network. If you have something to
offer it, you gotta do it.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Let's go.
Speaker 6 (11:56):
And I was so glad I did, man, you know,
I mean, I had no idea that things would go as.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Far as it did.
Speaker 6 (12:02):
I honestly only thought would last eight or nine months,
because we didn't have the titles for videos that the
white artists had.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
We had like twenty videos.
Speaker 6 (12:13):
You know, record companies didn't give black artists budgets like that, and.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
So but man, that thing just blew up. Man.
Speaker 6 (12:23):
We went from one and that we were in one
and a half million homes. When I first joined it,
and when I left it was numbers like forty forty million,
you know, and you know, and then for me, it
gave me, you know, it put you in every nook
and cranny of this country.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Man.
Speaker 6 (12:40):
Just you know, I'm just grateful for that. I'm just
so glad that I did that.
Speaker 8 (12:43):
Did you feel the support at first and the reason
why from your people?
Speaker 1 (12:46):
For real?
Speaker 8 (12:47):
Because from the outside looking in, it does feel like that.
But I know a lot of times people celebrate people
and things after the fact. And being here at the
Breakfast Club and coming from a non black outlet, I
always say that I feel like people don't appreciate the
Breakfast Club the way that they should right now, and
it's unfortunate to see because you know, you've lived this
in real time and you had that support. I just
think that we, I mean, we do a lot, but
(13:08):
I think it would be the conversation around Breakfast Club
amongst us. I just feel like should be different sometimes
get I think breakfast Club gets the flowers, but I think,
on the other hand, I don't think people understand what's
happening as it's happening.
Speaker 7 (13:20):
I hate coming with I mean, you got you got
both you have people that got something negative to say.
Speaker 8 (13:26):
That's just like I just wonder what it felt like
to have the support and like how that helped you
to further what you were doing.
Speaker 7 (13:32):
The show wise out his knocking knocking down all these women,
listening to all these.
Speaker 10 (13:37):
You know, back in the day, man, bro I.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Was old early.
Speaker 6 (13:54):
I'm telling you seriously, because we were married, me and
my wife. Man, we were high school sweethearts. You married
at nineteen, had our first child one year or two
days later. It all got your I mean, like I
never even lived a college life. The campus life, oh wow,
you know. I mean I went to school, but man,
I had a house with a wife and kid at home,
(14:15):
you know, so I never So that's why I was
old early, man. But Jimmy Javan, Terry Lewis, we always
they always say this, that that had everything to do
with my success because you had your base set so early, man,
So we still had you know, we're twenty twenty nine,
thirty years old, still trying to look for what you got.
You know, you got it, man, You've had it for
(14:37):
ten years at that point, you know.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
So yeah, so it was always solid like that for me.
Speaker 6 (14:41):
But the support of the people of man, people have
always given me mad love. I'm telling you, that's all
I've ever known. And it's just the most consistent thing
that I've ever experienced in life.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Man. Just what my fan base gives me just amazing. Man.
Speaker 8 (15:02):
Is that why you're still so passionate about radio today? Yeah,
casting and people hearing your voice because you've always been
connected to the.
Speaker 6 (15:10):
People, always, always, you know, and it reminds me. I
said this at Frankie's funeral, frank Beverly's funeral, that because
you know, if people loved him, I said, you don't
get love like that unless you give love like that.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
You got to give it first.
Speaker 6 (15:25):
And that's why I guess, and I think that's what
people feel for me. You know, I love people, man.
I just I love people.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Man. They've just been good to me. You know.
Speaker 7 (15:33):
It really happened to give you a platform that became
essential to black culture. They're a moment on video Soul
where you felt like, this isn't just entertainment.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
We're documenting our.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Culture and really no, not not when I was doing it.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
Man.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
You know, it's like to me, I think that.
Speaker 6 (15:49):
You know, whatever it is that you do, you're just
doing it when you're doing it. It's it's a line
in Elton Johnson rocket Man that I love so much
when he says, and all the science I don't understand
is just my job five days a week a rocket man.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
You know. It's like I'm an astronaut.
Speaker 6 (16:08):
People look like, wow, this is just an astro man,
and that's just what I do.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Man, That's just my job, man.
Speaker 6 (16:15):
You know, and that's what I feel like when you're
doing what you do. You know, now all these years later,
you look back because people make you look back and
see the importance of it, and uh, it's it's it's
it's mind blowing because I know I didn't have those
thoughts when I was doing it.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Man, I was just.
Speaker 7 (16:34):
Between this generation now. In there generation we watched y'all
make history. Y'all didn't know y'all would make a history.
So now we understand we're in history no time.
Speaker 6 (16:43):
Yeah, you know, and y'all are, man. I mean, what
y'all doing is amazing, man, you know. I mean the
platform that you have, the reach that you have. You know,
I never had that in radio and my show was
always local. It did come to me once about syndicating it,
but The problem for me was, well, go back to music.
(17:04):
I said, well, what happens if I'm on this particular station.
I know they're all slows, you know, adult contemporaries.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Just you know it's Kim and.
Speaker 6 (17:14):
You know what happens when I play Tupac? Well, we
covered a Tupac song. You can talk about Tupac because
everybody knows them, but we'll cover that with a Luther song.
See you, I have no interest in that. You know,
it's the whole experience or it's nothing.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
That's why the does what she does. It doesn't change
for nobody, doesn't care what market it is, what area
she's whatever. That what you get on that breakfast club
is what you're getting.
Speaker 6 (17:37):
I love that, man, That's where it should be. You know,
you want the whole experience. This is you know, what
you're presenting, This is who you are. I can't do
a moderated version of me, you know, no, you know.
And then plus for me, I felt like the only
reason to do it was for money. I was, okay,
you know, well two reasons. Money and then for uh
(18:01):
to further your brand, you know.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
And uh It's like man, b E.
Speaker 6 (18:05):
T gave me that in the way radio could never
give it to me. You know you put me in
every nook and cranny of this country. I don't need
it for that. I just I'm not gonna compromise on
me on who I am?
Speaker 3 (18:16):
I We got more with Donnie Simpson when we come back.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
It's the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
Good morning, Got spill a LUs on the thron't know.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
She says usually do, but I know to see front
start to know she won't see.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
Lead on won't seem like she easy.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
I hain't saying what you won't do, but you know
we're probably don't do what you conveen.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
And deep and what you drinking?
Speaker 5 (19:01):
Don't let us drink for the beacond thing.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Damn kin see who we could be real?
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Just down up warning.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Everybody's the DJ envy just hilarious, charlamage, the guy we
are the Breakfast Club was still kicking it with the
og the legend of icon, Donnie Simpson charm.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
How do you want your legacy?
Speaker 7 (19:21):
Talk to the next generation of host broadcast just black creatives.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
What's the headline of Donnie Simpson's story?
Speaker 6 (19:29):
He did him? You know he did his thing. You
should do yours? You know, just uh never tried to
be anybody else. I never I've never met the band
I wanted to be, you know, never have man, you know,
and I've met some great people, from Bob Johnson to
Michael Jordan. I never wanted to be any of them.
(19:52):
I'm the only person I ever wanted to be, you know.
I remember this guy was up playing golf one day.
I was with this older guy and these kids were
in the playground next to the golf course and I
hit my ball over there, and so I'm over there
and it's this kid's about six seven years old, and
he says, Hi, mister, I know you wish you were
(20:13):
Tiger Woods. I said, no, I.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Like who I am.
Speaker 6 (20:17):
And the guy I was playing with said, that is
just the greatest response I've ever heard of anything. I mean,
without hesitation, No, I like who I am. You know,
I don't be Tiger. You know, his money, his golf game,
me whatever. Yeah, I love it, hit the ball like him.
But you know, I just I'm happy with who I am.
You know, I am. I always have been. You know,
(20:41):
I'm not perfect. We all have faults, you know, but
you know, even the bad things that have you know,
there's stuff in my closet, man, whatever it is, all
of it has made me who I am. And I
like who I am because even those bad things, man,
that you are tests you know, to correct you.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
And to make you.
Speaker 6 (21:02):
You know who God wants you to be, you know,
and so you know, so I like who I am.
Speaker 10 (21:09):
Man.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
What do you tell the next generation to broadcasters, the
one that's waking up right now listening to this, is
say I want to do.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
This that if this is what you want to do.
Speaker 6 (21:17):
First of all, just to know that it's possible, you
know that anything can happen, that it's not some pipe dream,
that it's real. You know, like I used to take
my kids with me to everything. Man, my kid's been
the Neverland Ranch.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
You know. They knew Michael.
Speaker 6 (21:34):
And Janet and Prance, everybody you know.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
And it was for two reasons. It was by design.
Speaker 6 (21:41):
One was that if you meet Michael then you know
that he's human. Two is that if you know one,
then you must know.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
That you could do that too.
Speaker 6 (21:52):
It's not magic, it's not you know, whatever it is.
I don't care who it is, that it's real. I
would say that to kids when I spoken to schools,
that you know, no parents tell you something. Well, let's
you know, I want to be an actor. I want
to be a basketball player. You know that's such a
full Somebody's gonna do it. There will be the next
Denzel Washington. There will be the next Michael Jordan. It
(22:14):
may as well be you. Why not, Why not dream big,
That's what I would say to them, Just dream big man.
Just don't be afraid of big man. I love people
with big eyes.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Man.
Speaker 6 (22:26):
You know, don't be afraid of big man. Whatever that
big is to you. And it doesn't necessarily mean money.
Not everybody keep score like that. You know, whatever it is.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
Man.
Speaker 6 (22:37):
So if this is what you want to do, then
you can go after it. Be relentless, be great, and
be you love it.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
Before we close out, you got to tell us a
Michael story before you before you leave.
Speaker 5 (22:47):
Michael Jordan, you just can't say I took the care
never Land.
Speaker 7 (23:00):
It was on the ride right Bio coming out and
speaking of celebrity, that's another person we be trying to say.
Stop saying somebody is the new Michael Jackson. There is
no subject but one man.
Speaker 6 (23:12):
That's right, I dude, man, When I first met him,
he was God. I was sixteen, So Michael would have
been fourteen I think, I think that's right, or thirteen
or something like that the first time.
Speaker 4 (23:22):
I met him.
Speaker 6 (23:22):
But uh, man, you know, Michael was just he's just
a special dude. Man. He was. Uh the first time
I went to the house, and this was before you
own never Land, this was the Havenhurst House, I couldn't
believe they had a little cookout for me there, right,
And uh so when I got there, man, all these
people standing out across the street, I thought it was
(23:42):
a bus stop.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
They're just fans.
Speaker 6 (23:46):
Wow, it's like that twenty four to seven man, twenty
four to seven man.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
People out there. It was just it's just crazy.
Speaker 6 (23:54):
But Michael, Michael was very very cool as long as
this small group, you know, if it gets more than
five six seven people, he kind of tightens up.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
You know.
Speaker 6 (24:04):
He was just be a little uncomfortable in that. But
you know, just me and him or a couple of people, he's,
you know, kick it. Just a regular dude man, you know,
but just brilliant man. And to me, I look at
people like him and Eddie and you don't get to
that level of success without being smart, you know.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
That ain't no accident. That's not just talent, that is
just brains. Man.
Speaker 6 (24:30):
Michael was just the dude was brilliant. I knew a
guy who used to do lighting for him and he
told me. He said, one night, Michael came to him
and said, to look, when you know we get to
this point in this song, I want you to hit
me with this particular light. Told him what light, which
light to hit, and the angle to hit him from,
and he said, I'm just sitting there, man. I'm like, man, dude,
I've been doing this for thirty years. Man told me
what to do, he said, But I did it because
(24:51):
he's paying me, you know, he said. But it created
the exact effect that Michael said that it would, he said.
And then I realized he's been doing this for thirty
he used to Michael, he was like like Jimmy jam
And Terry Lewis told me Prince was.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
That. Jimmy says, Man, I was a great piano player.
I could play.
Speaker 6 (25:11):
Prince would come in and show me how to play
my instrument. So I don't care who you were he could,
I'll play you on your instrument. That's Michael Jackson to me. Man,
you know he can look at the reverence, which all
the dancers looked at him and this is it.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
I mean, they're just freaking These are dancers, professional dancers.
Speaker 6 (25:33):
When Michael does it, it's just and on top of that,
he's a singer and a writer and perform and all that.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
But he can do that part two better than anybody.
Speaker 4 (25:42):
Man.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
You know, that's just Did he have a deep voice
for real?
Speaker 6 (25:45):
Or that room?
Speaker 4 (25:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (25:46):
Man, he talked like period right, No, no.
Speaker 6 (25:49):
No, no, no, it was like I remember one day
we had he had a party here in New York.
As a matter of fact, he had just done I
think a show for the UNCF and there has a
little small party and so we went and it couldn't
have been but twenty people. There's me and my wife,
Eliza Minelli was there, Cindy Lauper, she had just happened
(26:10):
with girls just want to have fun, Jimmy and Terry
and just a few more people. But Michael was upstairs.
It was a two story townhouse in the hotel. And
so finally Michael comes down after about forty five minutes,
and he comes in and he says he's with his bodyguard,
Chucky the Beasts, and that was his name d ib I.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
S but he looked like the beast because he's like
six foot eight. Always were top hat if you remember
that guy.
Speaker 6 (26:34):
It's very imposing. And Michael walks into the room and he goes.
He says, God, it's so bright in here. Chucky's standing here,
and he posied.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Chucky next to a lamp the block out the light
in the room. I was like, damn, this is crazy.
This is crazy, man, a human light sheet. Now I've
seen it all. Man, don We appreciate you. Man.
Speaker 4 (26:55):
I can't wait to read your book.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Man, I love you. Thank you so much for all
you've done for us.
Speaker 4 (26:59):
Out.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Thank you. I appreciate you. Thank you man. Thank y'all
and you too, thank y'all for having me. Man. I
really appreciate y'all.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
The show season two to DONNYE. Simpson Show.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
It's right, Season two of the Donny Simpsons Show.
Speaker 4 (27:11):
That's right, the podcast.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Check it out and thank you, check it out. Man,
Thank you, man, God, bless y'all.
Speaker 4 (27:15):
Thank you, go for you, Donny Simpson.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
It's the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 4 (27:18):
Good morning,
You're checking out the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Everybody.
Speaker 3 (00:04):
It's DJ MV Jes, Hilarius, Charlamaan and the guy. We
are the Breakfast Club Long the Roses here as well,
and we got a special guest in.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
The building Icon legend.
Speaker 4 (00:13):
That's right.
Speaker 5 (00:14):
It wasn't for we wouldn't be here today.
Speaker 4 (00:16):
Media royalty.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
That is right, ladies and gentlemen, we have the legend.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
Donnie Simpson.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Wow, thank you, think, good morning, good morning.
Speaker 4 (00:24):
Thank you for that.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Man. I feel like a million dollars and some.
Speaker 6 (00:27):
Change in the nineties.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
That in a while bro Banana in a while.
Speaker 7 (00:38):
Man, Season two of The Donnie Simpson Show. Yes, sir,
it's a podcast and I mean you've seen all forms
of media throughout the years.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
What about podcasting?
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Do you like that I own it?
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (00:50):
You know, That's what it's about for me at this point.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Man.
Speaker 6 (00:52):
You know, I've always felt that I was a hired
smile you know, and I did well.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
I'm not complaining about it. Man.
Speaker 6 (01:00):
You know it's great, uh, but nothing like owning you.
You know, I want to own me at this point,
and that's what this allows me. Man.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
What has been the.
Speaker 8 (01:10):
New things you're learning as you're owning you and you're
not just the highest wile you're handling everything.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
It's hard. It's hard. It's hard. You know.
Speaker 6 (01:18):
It's a lot easy to walk in and have somebody
hand you a check for what you do. But when
you got to make all the calls man, and you know,
all the disappointments that happened in business, it's hard.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
But you know, I've been blessed. I have as a mentor.
Speaker 6 (01:35):
Bob Johnson, you know, the world's first black billionaire.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
That's my boy, man, that's you know.
Speaker 6 (01:41):
And uh so Bob has been with me every step
of the way, man, helping me. I you know, run
into walls that Bob's you need to do this. But
you know, he's just he's so brilliant, man, Bob's he's
just fascinating guy.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Man.
Speaker 6 (01:55):
It's like, I don't care what you ask Bob about,
He's already thought about it.
Speaker 7 (01:59):
Yeah, Bob don't get enough credit. You know, we interviewed
Bob via Zoom. But you know, I've had to say
I've had that pleasure to of being able to reach
out to Bob and just ask, yeah, advice. It's like,
why wouldn't you ask America's first black millionaire advice, especially
about media.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Right right, no question, he knows it.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Man, I want to go back if you don't mind,
because a lot of people know Donnie Simpson for so
many different things.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
Right.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Some people just know him from radio, some people know
him from television, some people know him for back in
the day radio. So I want to get the start, Detroit.
What got you into this thing called radio?
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Man?
Speaker 6 (02:32):
I my mother owned a record shop from the time
I was twelve, so I was always around music.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Because they kind of young.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
People used to come to the record shop all the time.
I had this deep voice.
Speaker 6 (02:49):
My voice changed between seventh and eighth grade, which I
hate it, because I used to sit I was the
only first soprano in the choir, so I got to
sit with the girls. You know, next I get to
see what girls the next year. But people would always
come to the record shop and go like, oh, you
sound like a DJ. You ought to be a DJ.
And it was in one ear out the other man.
I wanted to be a Baptist minister. That was my
(03:10):
first goal in life. And but one day my mother
had a live broadcast or the local DJs. Hal Perkins
came in well set up his booth out front.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
They had a portable booth with.
Speaker 6 (03:21):
The young glass in case and did his show from
there for three hours, and so he invited me into
the studio to do specials. You know, you know, we
got the Temptation's greatest hits on sale for two ninety nine.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
It's hour or whatever.
Speaker 6 (03:37):
But while I'm in there, man, I'm sitting there, Man,
I'm watching him, and he's got his.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Hip phones on. Man, he's chamming to the music. Man.
I was like, man, I could do that. I could.
Speaker 6 (03:47):
That's what I want to do right there. I mean,
it's just just light. It was just no doubt that's
what I wanted to do. And within three months I
was on the air. I was fifteen years old, you know,
in Detroit. Detroit's fifth largest market in the country at
that time. So you know, I mean, what a blessing
to get us start that young. And I mean I
couldn't even do my whole show live. I was on
(04:08):
from eight to midnight, and Law stated, I couldn't work
past ten thirty. So after school I have to go home,
I mean, go to the station, record my last hour
and a half, then go home, have dinner, do my
homework and go back and go live from eight to
ten thirty, put the tape on and leave.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
What were you talking about at age fifteen in Detroit
when this is when? What Temptations and all love and singing?
And what were you talking about at fifteen in Detroit?
Speaker 6 (04:35):
The Temptations, the Miracles, it's four tops, I mean, nineteen
sixty nine Detroit at six thirty, right, But you know
I would I've always loved music, so I would go
into a smoky set, right or I remember this happened
with Smoky and Stevie. I played four or five songs
(04:57):
by them. They would call on the request line. They
don't even have a hotline number, just call man. I
was listening to you, baby, you know, let's talk to Smokey,
talk to Stevie. Man. It was just it was magical.
Detroit at that time was right there. Yeah, right, you
were in the heart of it. It was in the
heart of it.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
You pick the records, you play back then.
Speaker 6 (05:16):
I've always done that. Always, well that was you know,
that was a norm back then. Of course, now you
know nobody gets that privilege. But my whole career I'm
proud of that. I always had total control of what
happened on my show, man, I wouldn't have done it
any other way, you know, because you know, I'm not
a bit It was never a bit driven show, you know.
(05:38):
It was for me everything was It was the music
I was. That was the main focus for me. So
I had to have control of it or I wouldn't
do it.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
And how did you get to DC?
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Because most people a lot of people thought you were
from DC?
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Yeah? How did you get from DC?
Speaker 4 (05:53):
So your radio and Detroit?
Speaker 5 (05:54):
You're fifteen, your radio career starts.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Yeah, how does this young individual get out to Washington, DC?
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (06:00):
Well I got a call one night on the air
on the request line, and this guy sounded a very
official voice.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Hello is this Donnie Simpson?
Speaker 6 (06:06):
I go, yeah, this is Bob Hennerberry from INTOBC in
New York, and we'd like to talk to you about
working at one of our stations.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
At our station in Washington, I said, come on, man,
who the hell.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Is this really?
Speaker 6 (06:19):
Because your boys would play tricks like that coin and
then they hear you get all official and then they go,
oh man, it's called man, what you doing aftershow tonight?
Speaker 1 (06:26):
You know?
Speaker 6 (06:27):
And but it was real and h so I went
there to meet with him. At first, I didn't want
to go because it was a disco station and I said,
no way I would do that. But my oldest brother,
who's had a very smart business mind. I always wish
I had his business mind. But he said, you always
have to talk. Whatever they offer is you just you
(06:49):
have to listen.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
So I went.
Speaker 6 (06:51):
They picked me up, took me on an interview at
Arlington Cemetery. It's like, is this Washington, DC or not?
I mean, why is Clende at the cemetery?
Speaker 1 (07:01):
It just was weird.
Speaker 6 (07:02):
But I ended up going because when I went there,
they were playing the Enchantment and some stuff other than
just disco.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
And uh.
Speaker 6 (07:11):
But you know, I felt like it was opportunity for
me that it was NBC, that the station I was
at Detroit, we were their biggest station in their chain,
that you had opportunity for growth there, and they were
gonna make me rich man. I left Detroit making thirteen thousand.
They were paying me twenty seventy five.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Baby, what what.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
The first boy?
Speaker 1 (07:35):
But well, let me first car, first car I ever bought.
Speaker 6 (07:39):
It was in nineteen sixty four Ford fair Lane two
hundred and twenty five dollars. Man, I burnt so much oil.
Mapple in the gas station. Tell them fill up the
oil and check the gas. But I thought I was
rich when I moved there with that money, man.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
But I was broke as hell, man, I mean very.
Speaker 6 (08:00):
Because I didn't factor in cost of living from Detroit
to d C.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
It was like three times more.
Speaker 6 (08:06):
And I lost my side hustle because it wasn't popular,
so you know, so I didn't you know, you're not
doing the conscious and all that stuff. I didn't think
about all that man. Man, it was tight four a minute.
And for me, Man, the moment that I remember most
from that is I had a set of pictures. Back
then you had to get pictures developed, and it was
twenty six dollars man, and I couldn't afford to get
(08:28):
him out of the shop. And he kept sending me notices. Man,
it was the last pictures of my grandfather. Man, and
that you know, we're gonna destroy and we got three months.
Finally got enough money. Man, it was too late, You're gone.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Wow. You know. So that was.
Speaker 6 (08:44):
Always a motivating factor for me. It still is, man,
that I don't ever want to be in that position again,
you know. But it was that kind of tight for me.
I'm sorry, yeah no, I said four minute. But you
know that was seventy seven when I moved to DC,
and by night the end of seventy nine I started,
things just started to really really really pop for me.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
All Right, we got more with Donnie Simpson when we
come back, don't move.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
It's the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 4 (09:06):
Good morning, m.
Speaker 6 (09:11):
H.
Speaker 9 (09:15):
If this world my Hey, Romana nort seven Baye, drip
it like it's hot. If this world is a mine,
not taking jeams and make them most a five. If
this world was mine, not taking hand amazing in front
of the die, and she'll do something to that light
hit do strictly with the five five five five five
five five five five Hey Roman Nortle seven bay drop
(09:41):
it like it's hot. If this world was mine, not
taking dreams and make nor most a five. If this
world was mine, not taking hand an amazing in front
of die, and she'll do something.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
To that light hit do strictly with that five. It's
above video dance. Let a watch you a fan, he.
Speaker 9 (09:56):
A fly, It's just one of Kobaya Nah.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Justin Marius Charlamage the guy.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
We are the Breakfast Club. I was still kicking it
with Donnie Simpson. Of course you know him from his
own radio show in DC and Detroit. And of course
Video Soul, Lauren.
Speaker 8 (10:12):
When you were in it and you were doing what
you were doing with video, so did you feel you
felt that all the time at the support from your people.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Oh, without doubt.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
Well before well, how did you get to video? So
break that down before you jump into.
Speaker 6 (10:23):
Okay, Well, I was doing radio in Detroit in DC.
W k YS was my station at that time. It
was owned by NBC. They're trying to sweeten the pot
for me, so they started they gave me television locally there.
I did backup sports. I was a sportscaster for George Michael.
I don't know if y'all remember him, but George Michael
(10:45):
did the George Michael Sports Machine, which people considered the
precursor to ESPN and uh so I was George's backup
for about three years. And but Bob Johnson had seen
me doing TV. He knew, of course, of my music
interest and love and they were starting up this show
called Video Soul, and he wanted to know if he
(11:05):
called and wanted to know if I would be interested
in doing it, and at first I wasn't.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Well because.
Speaker 6 (11:14):
I've always felt that I was always very careful about
what I got involved in because I only have one
thing to sell, this image. I can't give you twenty
rebounds a night, you know, it's just image, and so
you have to be very protective of that. And I
only got involved in things that were top shelf be
(11:34):
et in its infancy. Wasn't a very pretty bab No,
it wasn't. It looked like access to public access TV,
you know. So after two days of thinking about it,
it came down to this for me, that this is
our first black television network. If you have something to
offer it, you gotta do it.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Let's go.
Speaker 6 (11:56):
And I was so glad I did, man, you know,
I mean, I had no idea that things would go as.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Far as it did.
Speaker 6 (12:02):
I honestly only thought would last eight or nine months,
because we didn't have the titles for videos that the
white artists had.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
We had like twenty videos.
Speaker 6 (12:13):
You know, record companies didn't give black artists budgets like that, and.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
So but man, that thing just blew up. Man.
Speaker 6 (12:23):
We went from one and that we were in one
and a half million homes. When I first joined it,
and when I left it was numbers like forty forty million,
you know, and you know, and then for me, it
gave me, you know, it put you in every nook
and cranny of this country.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Man.
Speaker 6 (12:40):
Just you know, I'm just grateful for that. I'm just
so glad that I did that.
Speaker 8 (12:43):
Did you feel the support at first and the reason
why from your people?
Speaker 1 (12:46):
For real?
Speaker 8 (12:47):
Because from the outside looking in, it does feel like that.
But I know a lot of times people celebrate people
and things after the fact. And being here at the
Breakfast Club and coming from a non black outlet, I
always say that I feel like people don't appreciate the
Breakfast Club the way that they should right now, and
it's unfortunate to see because you know, you've lived this
in real time and you had that support. I just
think that we, I mean, we do a lot, but
(13:08):
I think it would be the conversation around Breakfast Club
amongst us. I just feel like should be different sometimes
get I think breakfast Club gets the flowers, but I think,
on the other hand, I don't think people understand what's
happening as it's happening.
Speaker 7 (13:20):
I hate coming with I mean, you got you got
both you have people that got something negative to say.
Speaker 8 (13:26):
That's just like I just wonder what it felt like
to have the support and like how that helped you
to further what you were doing.
Speaker 7 (13:32):
The show wise out his knocking knocking down all these women,
listening to all these.
Speaker 10 (13:37):
You know, back in the day, man, bro I.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Was old early.
Speaker 6 (13:54):
I'm telling you seriously, because we were married, me and
my wife. Man, we were high school sweethearts. You married
at nineteen, had our first child one year or two
days later. It all got your I mean, like I
never even lived a college life. The campus life, oh wow,
you know. I mean I went to school, but man,
I had a house with a wife and kid at home,
(14:15):
you know, so I never So that's why I was
old early, man. But Jimmy Javan, Terry Lewis, we always
they always say this, that that had everything to do
with my success because you had your base set so early, man,
So we still had you know, we're twenty twenty nine,
thirty years old, still trying to look for what you got.
You know, you got it, man, You've had it for
(14:37):
ten years at that point, you know.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
So yeah, so it was always solid like that for me.
Speaker 6 (14:41):
But the support of the people of man, people have
always given me mad love. I'm telling you, that's all
I've ever known. And it's just the most consistent thing
that I've ever experienced in life.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Man. Just what my fan base gives me just amazing. Man.
Speaker 8 (15:02):
Is that why you're still so passionate about radio today? Yeah,
casting and people hearing your voice because you've always been
connected to the.
Speaker 6 (15:10):
People, always, always, you know, and it reminds me. I
said this at Frankie's funeral, frank Beverly's funeral, that because
you know, if people loved him, I said, you don't
get love like that unless you give love like that.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
You got to give it first.
Speaker 6 (15:25):
And that's why I guess, and I think that's what
people feel for me. You know, I love people, man.
I just I love people.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Man. They've just been good to me. You know.
Speaker 7 (15:33):
It really happened to give you a platform that became
essential to black culture. They're a moment on video Soul
where you felt like, this isn't just entertainment.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
We're documenting our.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Culture and really no, not not when I was doing it.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
Man.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
You know, it's like to me, I think that.
Speaker 6 (15:49):
You know, whatever it is that you do, you're just
doing it when you're doing it. It's it's a line
in Elton Johnson rocket Man that I love so much
when he says, and all the science I don't understand
is just my job five days a week a rocket man.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
You know. It's like I'm an astronaut.
Speaker 6 (16:08):
People look like, wow, this is just an astro man,
and that's just what I do.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Man, That's just my job, man.
Speaker 6 (16:15):
You know, and that's what I feel like when you're
doing what you do. You know, now all these years later,
you look back because people make you look back and
see the importance of it, and uh, it's it's it's
it's mind blowing because I know I didn't have those
thoughts when I was doing it.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Man, I was just.
Speaker 7 (16:34):
Between this generation now. In there generation we watched y'all
make history. Y'all didn't know y'all would make a history.
So now we understand we're in history no time.
Speaker 6 (16:43):
Yeah, you know, and y'all are, man. I mean, what
y'all doing is amazing, man, you know. I mean the
platform that you have, the reach that you have. You know,
I never had that in radio and my show was
always local. It did come to me once about syndicating it,
but The problem for me was, well, go back to music.
(17:04):
I said, well, what happens if I'm on this particular station.
I know they're all slows, you know, adult contemporaries.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Just you know it's Kim and.
Speaker 6 (17:14):
You know what happens when I play Tupac? Well, we
covered a Tupac song. You can talk about Tupac because
everybody knows them, but we'll cover that with a Luther song.
See you, I have no interest in that. You know,
it's the whole experience or it's nothing.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
That's why the does what she does. It doesn't change
for nobody, doesn't care what market it is, what area
she's whatever. That what you get on that breakfast club
is what you're getting.
Speaker 6 (17:37):
I love that, man, That's where it should be. You know,
you want the whole experience. This is you know, what
you're presenting, This is who you are. I can't do
a moderated version of me, you know, no, you know.
And then plus for me, I felt like the only
reason to do it was for money. I was, okay,
you know, well two reasons. Money and then for uh
(18:01):
to further your brand, you know.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
And uh It's like man, b E.
Speaker 6 (18:05):
T gave me that in the way radio could never
give it to me. You know you put me in
every nook and cranny of this country. I don't need
it for that. I just I'm not gonna compromise on
me on who I am?
Speaker 3 (18:16):
I We got more with Donnie Simpson when we come back.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
It's the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
Good morning, Got spill a LUs on the thron't know.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
She says usually do, but I know to see front
start to know she won't see.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
Lead on won't seem like she easy.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
I hain't saying what you won't do, but you know
we're probably don't do what you conveen.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
And deep and what you drinking?
Speaker 5 (19:01):
Don't let us drink for the beacond thing.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Damn kin see who we could be real?
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Just down up warning.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Everybody's the DJ envy just hilarious, charlamage, the guy we
are the Breakfast Club was still kicking it with the
og the legend of icon, Donnie Simpson charm.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
How do you want your legacy?
Speaker 7 (19:21):
Talk to the next generation of host broadcast just black creatives.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
What's the headline of Donnie Simpson's story?
Speaker 6 (19:29):
He did him? You know he did his thing. You
should do yours? You know, just uh never tried to
be anybody else. I never I've never met the band
I wanted to be, you know, never have man, you know,
and I've met some great people, from Bob Johnson to
Michael Jordan. I never wanted to be any of them.
(19:52):
I'm the only person I ever wanted to be, you know.
I remember this guy was up playing golf one day.
I was with this older guy and these kids were
in the playground next to the golf course and I
hit my ball over there, and so I'm over there
and it's this kid's about six seven years old, and
he says, Hi, mister, I know you wish you were
(20:13):
Tiger Woods. I said, no, I.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Like who I am.
Speaker 6 (20:17):
And the guy I was playing with said, that is
just the greatest response I've ever heard of anything. I mean,
without hesitation, No, I like who I am. You know,
I don't be Tiger. You know, his money, his golf game,
me whatever. Yeah, I love it, hit the ball like him.
But you know, I just I'm happy with who I am.
You know, I am. I always have been. You know,
(20:41):
I'm not perfect. We all have faults, you know, but
you know, even the bad things that have you know,
there's stuff in my closet, man, whatever it is, all
of it has made me who I am. And I
like who I am because even those bad things, man,
that you are tests you know, to correct you.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
And to make you.
Speaker 6 (21:02):
You know who God wants you to be, you know,
and so you know, so I like who I am.
Speaker 10 (21:09):
Man.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
What do you tell the next generation to broadcasters, the
one that's waking up right now listening to this, is
say I want to do.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
This that if this is what you want to do.
Speaker 6 (21:17):
First of all, just to know that it's possible, you
know that anything can happen, that it's not some pipe dream,
that it's real. You know, like I used to take
my kids with me to everything. Man, my kid's been
the Neverland Ranch.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
You know. They knew Michael.
Speaker 6 (21:34):
And Janet and Prance, everybody you know.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
And it was for two reasons. It was by design.
Speaker 6 (21:41):
One was that if you meet Michael then you know
that he's human. Two is that if you know one,
then you must know.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
That you could do that too.
Speaker 6 (21:52):
It's not magic, it's not you know, whatever it is.
I don't care who it is, that it's real. I
would say that to kids when I spoken to schools,
that you know, no parents tell you something. Well, let's
you know, I want to be an actor. I want
to be a basketball player. You know that's such a
full Somebody's gonna do it. There will be the next
Denzel Washington. There will be the next Michael Jordan. It
(22:14):
may as well be you. Why not, Why not dream big,
That's what I would say to them, Just dream big man.
Just don't be afraid of big man. I love people
with big eyes.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Man.
Speaker 6 (22:26):
You know, don't be afraid of big man. Whatever that
big is to you. And it doesn't necessarily mean money.
Not everybody keep score like that. You know, whatever it is.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
Man.
Speaker 6 (22:37):
So if this is what you want to do, then
you can go after it. Be relentless, be great, and
be you love it.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
Before we close out, you got to tell us a
Michael story before you before you leave.
Speaker 5 (22:47):
Michael Jordan, you just can't say I took the care
never Land.
Speaker 7 (23:00):
It was on the ride right Bio coming out and
speaking of celebrity, that's another person we be trying to say.
Stop saying somebody is the new Michael Jackson. There is
no subject but one man.
Speaker 6 (23:12):
That's right, I dude, man, When I first met him,
he was God. I was sixteen, So Michael would have
been fourteen I think, I think that's right, or thirteen
or something like that the first time.
Speaker 4 (23:22):
I met him.
Speaker 6 (23:22):
But uh, man, you know, Michael was just he's just
a special dude. Man. He was. Uh the first time
I went to the house, and this was before you
own never Land, this was the Havenhurst House, I couldn't
believe they had a little cookout for me there, right,
And uh so when I got there, man, all these
people standing out across the street, I thought it was
(23:42):
a bus stop.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
They're just fans.
Speaker 6 (23:46):
Wow, it's like that twenty four to seven man, twenty
four to seven man.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
People out there. It was just it's just crazy.
Speaker 6 (23:54):
But Michael, Michael was very very cool as long as
this small group, you know, if it gets more than
five six seven people, he kind of tightens up.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
You know.
Speaker 6 (24:04):
He was just be a little uncomfortable in that. But
you know, just me and him or a couple of people, he's,
you know, kick it. Just a regular dude man, you know,
but just brilliant man. And to me, I look at
people like him and Eddie and you don't get to
that level of success without being smart, you know.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
That ain't no accident. That's not just talent, that is
just brains. Man.
Speaker 6 (24:30):
Michael was just the dude was brilliant. I knew a
guy who used to do lighting for him and he
told me. He said, one night, Michael came to him
and said, to look, when you know we get to
this point in this song, I want you to hit
me with this particular light. Told him what light, which
light to hit, and the angle to hit him from,
and he said, I'm just sitting there, man. I'm like, man, dude,
I've been doing this for thirty years. Man told me
what to do, he said, But I did it because
(24:51):
he's paying me, you know, he said. But it created
the exact effect that Michael said that it would, he said.
And then I realized he's been doing this for thirty
he used to Michael, he was like like Jimmy jam
And Terry Lewis told me Prince was.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
That. Jimmy says, Man, I was a great piano player.
I could play.
Speaker 6 (25:11):
Prince would come in and show me how to play
my instrument. So I don't care who you were he could,
I'll play you on your instrument. That's Michael Jackson to me. Man,
you know he can look at the reverence, which all
the dancers looked at him and this is it.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
I mean, they're just freaking These are dancers, professional dancers.
Speaker 6 (25:33):
When Michael does it, it's just and on top of that,
he's a singer and a writer and perform and all that.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
But he can do that part two better than anybody.
Speaker 4 (25:42):
Man.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
You know, that's just Did he have a deep voice
for real?
Speaker 6 (25:45):
Or that room?
Speaker 4 (25:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (25:46):
Man, he talked like period right, No, no.
Speaker 6 (25:49):
No, no, no, it was like I remember one day
we had he had a party here in New York.
As a matter of fact, he had just done I
think a show for the UNCF and there has a
little small party and so we went and it couldn't
have been but twenty people. There's me and my wife,
Eliza Minelli was there, Cindy Lauper, she had just happened
(26:10):
with girls just want to have fun, Jimmy and Terry
and just a few more people. But Michael was upstairs.
It was a two story townhouse in the hotel. And
so finally Michael comes down after about forty five minutes,
and he comes in and he says he's with his bodyguard,
Chucky the Beasts, and that was his name d ib I.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
S but he looked like the beast because he's like
six foot eight. Always were top hat if you remember
that guy.
Speaker 6 (26:34):
It's very imposing. And Michael walks into the room and he goes.
He says, God, it's so bright in here. Chucky's standing here,
and he posied.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Chucky next to a lamp the block out the light
in the room. I was like, damn, this is crazy.
This is crazy, man, a human light sheet. Now I've
seen it all. Man, don We appreciate you. Man.
Speaker 4 (26:55):
I can't wait to read your book.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Man, I love you. Thank you so much for all
you've done for us.
Speaker 4 (26:59):
Out.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Thank you. I appreciate you. Thank you man. Thank y'all
and you too, thank y'all for having me. Man. I
really appreciate y'all.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
The show season two to DONNYE. Simpson Show.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
It's right, Season two of the Donny Simpsons Show.
Speaker 4 (27:11):
That's right, the podcast.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Check it out and thank you, check it out. Man,
Thank you, man, God, bless y'all.
Speaker 4 (27:15):
Thank you, go for you, Donny Simpson.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
It's the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 4 (27:18):
Good morning,
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Are You A Charlotte?
In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.