April 3, 2025 • 45 mins
Phil & David love it when they're Cruisin' together with the great Smokey Robinson and their buddy Brad Paisley. Hear great stories about The Temptations, The Funk Brothers, Smokey's late great guitarist and co-writer Marv Tarplin, Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye, the amazing stories of how Smokey and Stevie Wonder created "Tears of a Clown," how Berry Gordy went to incredible lengths to make The Miracles' "Shop Around" sell, plus Brad's amazing story of how Charlie Pride changed his life. And to learn more about Smokey's new album, "What The World Needs Now" which will be released April 25th and upcoming tour dates celebrating the 50th Anniversary of his classic "Quiet Storm" album, go to: https://smokeyrobinson.com. To learn more about building community through food and "Somebody Feed the People," visit the Philanthropy page at philrosenthalworld.com.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
We loved recording with Smokey Robinson and Brad Paisley so
much we decided to divide it into two episodes. Uh,
this is part two and it's just as much of
a miracle as part one.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
This is a rare case where the sequel out does.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
The original Godfather two levels of greatness.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Let's build the beans to the fat, food for thought
and jokes on tap, talking with our mouthsful, having fun,
the peas, the cake and humble pies, serving up slaze lovely.
The dressing on the side, it's naked lunch.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Clothing optional.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
Shop shop.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Can you tell a story of shop around and how
Barry helped? Like Barry didn't give up on a song?
Speaker 5 (01:32):
No, no, no. Barry is a is like a perfectionist, and
especially when it comes to music, which has been what
was great for us as kids, man, because we were
all kids and he was mentoring us. Dude, he's a perfectionist.
So we had this artist, Barret Strong, who had the
record money. That's what I want the best thing in life.
I've fad you either. So comes and me say, man,
(01:53):
I want you to do now I'm on Barret, I said, okay,
cool man, So I started writing some songs Bart. The
first song I wrote, well Chaparon and Chaparon was one
of those ones that flowed out. It was done in
twenty five or thirty minutes. It was just you know,
just caane. You know. I was so excited. Man. I
went to bear your office, say, Man, I got to
smash it for Barrett. He said, what I said, It's
(02:15):
called Chaperoni's seeking. We go down to the music to
the to the studio and we sit the piano and
I started playing for him. And then after I play
for he said, man, move over. He said, I want
to try this chord right here. And then we got
the worker and he said, I want you to sing
this song. Man. I said no, Man, I wrote this
for Barrett. So you know, after money, that's what I'm on.
(02:37):
Choparnd as what you said? He said, no, Man, I
like to sound a voice on this. Man, I want
you to sing this song. I said no, Man. We
went through twenty minutes of that, so he finally said, hey, Man,
just go in the studio, record this on you and
the miracles and be done. So I said, okay, Man,
I go in the studio bed strong as a bluesy singer.
So I'm playing record Chaperone Bluesy just because you becoming
(03:01):
a young man. The piano blo blahn blown all you
know all.
Speaker 6 (03:05):
That, and.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
We put the record out. Records been out on the
radio for about two weeks, and one morning, three o'clock
in the morning, my phone rings and the answered the phone.
Speaker 6 (03:19):
And said, oh.
Speaker 5 (03:21):
He say, man, how are you doing?
Speaker 1 (03:23):
This is Berry?
Speaker 5 (03:24):
I said, yeah, man, I recognize your voice. I said,
what do you want me? He said, what are you doing?
Speaker 6 (03:29):
Man?
Speaker 5 (03:29):
What's happening? I said, what am I doing? I said,
I'm sleeping? Man. He said, well, chaperon won't let me sleep.
I said, that's I said. He said, no, man, He said,
you gave it the wrong treatment. He said, it's a
great song. Was you sucked it up because you didn't.
You didn't do it right. You give it the wrong treatment.
So I'm gonna do it right. He said, I'm gonna
change the beat, I'm gonna change the sound, I'm gonna
(03:52):
change the feeling. I'm gonna change everything, and it's going
to number one. So he's him. So I said, oh, man,
I said Bury. The records been on the radio for
two weeks, man, he said, I don't care. It's not right. Wow,
he said, I don't care. It's not right, and I
want to be right because you're wasting a good song.
So I'm gonna redo it. Amazing, So I said, okay, man,
(04:13):
I'll see it the abrow. He said, no, no, I
mean right now, right now.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Right now?
Speaker 7 (04:19):
Is what time?
Speaker 5 (04:20):
Three o'clock in the morning.
Speaker 7 (04:21):
And where is he?
Speaker 5 (04:22):
He's at the studio studio and yeah, yeah, so I said, Barry,
I said, it's three o'clock. He said, I don't care.
I've already called the musicians, you get the group, y'all
come to the studio recording it right now while it's
on my mind. We did.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
He was right, and so the tempo changed. He changed
everything everything about it, the sound. It was a slower song.
Speaker 5 (04:42):
It was a slower song. He was right.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Oh yeah, it was the first number one.
Speaker 7 (04:47):
No I know, but in your opinion, like you think
that made all the difference.
Speaker 5 (04:51):
Oh that that that that was the difference. It never
would have gotten to the top twenty the way out
of recording. Has that ever happened before since?
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Where records all already been out and you get a
call to change the record.
Speaker 8 (05:03):
I don't think you can do that now to that,
I know, yeah, not before then. I don't know if
I heard that since, like you, right, Brad, I have
no justicense either.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
So this brings me to Tears of a Clown.
Speaker 5 (05:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
So if you just read the lyrics of Tears of
a Clown, it reads like it would be a slow song.
Speaker 5 (05:24):
Yeah, it's said. In fact, one of the greatest versions now,
Tears of Girl's been covered many times. Yes, one of
the best versions I have of it is this young Girls.
He's a jazz singer and Tears of the Clown should
be a sad song like that. Yeah, And that's how
she sang it, okay that the strings were crying, yes,
and she was singing if there's a smile, and she
(05:46):
killed it, you know. And it's a great version of it.
And it made me think, well, this should have been
maybe a song?
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Did you write it as a fast song?
Speaker 5 (05:55):
I wrote it to Stevie's track. We wrote a Christmas
Party and Stevie that track. He we already recorded that track, man,
and he came to see the smoke. I got this
great track, man, but I can't think of a song
to go with this. Man. I want you to hear this.
He had the music and he had already recorded the
track the song. No, the track, the music, the music. Yes,
he had a track, he didn't had a song, yes, But.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
But you thought to put these kind of words to that.
Speaker 5 (06:21):
Well, because the first thing on that track when I
heard it was bomb bom bomb dun dumb dum.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Yeah, that's FM and Bailey.
Speaker 7 (06:32):
Brother And that was without knowing that's where you were
going with the song.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
I didn't know it until I heard that.
Speaker 9 (06:37):
But that's crazy, and I thought, you want to say,
I said, you know this, I'm going to write something
about the circus for this man, but I don't want
to write about animals or lion tamers, and I want
to write something personal about the circus.
Speaker 5 (06:53):
When I was in maybe seventh grade or so, one
of my teachers told us the story of pout Yachi
and so right now, even today, what we talked about.
I don't know Polyiachchi was real. He was mythical, but
you know, he told us the story of Polyiacchi, who
was a great Italian clown who all of the people
came to the circus to see everything else pertaining to
(07:13):
the circus. The acrobats, the lion tamers, the elephant were
secondary to Palliacchi, and people loved him and they revered him,
and they cheered him in a song, and then he
would go back to the dressing room and he would
cry because he didn't have that kind of attention from
a woman, right, He didn't feel that he had that
from a woman. So I said, okay, I'm gonna write
this song about Palliacchi. And that's what I did. So
(07:36):
that's where they came from.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
But to put it on such a fast I mean,
that's you open shows with that song, right, I mean
that gets today, that gets people up.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
I mean not only the amazing thing about that song
and this with a catalog, I think you've written over
four thousand songs. I'm not sure that the number. But
that song, if I remember correctly, that wasn't a hit
even once recorded. It only became a hit after someone
in England.
Speaker 5 (08:01):
No, no, no, it was it is never exposed. It
was never exposed. It was on an album that the
Miracles on I had, you know and see Stevie gave
me that track in nineteen sixty seven. Okay, So I said, okay,
this's a song.
Speaker 10 (08:15):
So I recorded it for that albums and who wasn't.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
In nineteen seventy, a young lady who worked in Motown
in England, you know, people playing records around the office
and stuff like that. She's playing it, playing it in
the office and a guy named Peter was our was
our head guy over there at that time. And Peter
comes out. He says, what's that? Is that the Miracles
new record? She said no, but it should be. He said, well, word,
(09:00):
she said, just on this album. He said, we were
releasing that over here, and they did, and Motown had
never had a top two record in England to that point,
you know. So they released it in England. Man, it
goes to number one. It starts to spread all over
Europe and everything like that. I had another record ready
to go on, the Miracles of Me here in the States,
(09:22):
and so it was. So I went to Bury and
I told him, say, man, I got this record. He said, no, no,
it's too bad. He said, we were releasing Tears of
a Cloud and they did. Thank god.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
I think between the solemnity of the lyrics and the
and the incredible dance music that it's on.
Speaker 5 (09:39):
Yeah, but I just thought that was a killer track. Man.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
It is well to a couple of years ago. You know,
when we were bringing you, when you were performing on
the Grammys. You know, it was like trying to decide
what songs and I was in the office saying, we
need tears of a client. We have Stevie. You know,
It's like and that was magic to like, there's another generation.
I'm sure there's some kids hearing it for the first time.
(10:03):
You know, some new generation people went nuts for it.
Speaker 5 (10:05):
Well, you know, I had to convince Stevie to do
it the regular way because Stevie does it in his
act due but he plays it reggae. Oh yeah, yeah,
he plays it reggae. Yeah. So I had to convinced
him that the people who were going to watch the
Grammys wanted to hear the regular way because he wanted
to play reggae on the.
Speaker 11 (10:23):
Your version swings, I see trees, he's green.
Speaker 5 (10:39):
Red roses too.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
I seen them blue for me and you, And I
think to myself, what a wonderful.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I got to ask about this forgive me this uh
performance just popped up last week on my YouTube as
I'm going through Tell me if you remember this, mm hmm.
This is the most intimate duet I've ever seen in
(11:25):
my life.
Speaker 5 (11:26):
Well, thank you.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
I can't believe. It's almost like we're uh, forgive me.
It's almost like we're in bed with you guys, you're
snuggling your.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
That's my baby, man. I brought her a motown and
that is that is my baby.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
But tell me about that performance, because that's extraordinary.
Speaker 5 (11:47):
I had a what do you call those shows? One
of the shows on NBC was on hiatus and yeah,
so we did a Phillow show and they and for
those two weeks, they gave me a show on NBC.
So I had a writing show on it, and I
had other guests coming on, you know, boy George, a
lot of people came on. And and so Diana was
(12:10):
performing in Vegas, you know, and they wanted her to
be on the show. Yeah, so I called her, said, baby,
I said, they want you to be on the show.
She said, well, you know, I'm working in Vegas. Why
don't you come here? So I did. I went to
Vegas and we sang that on her show that night
and they taped it for my show. But but that's
that's where that happened.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Did that have the electricity that I think it did.
Speaker 5 (12:34):
Yeah, it did, because you know, I love her, she
loves me. We we we were very close.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Did you do it more than that in your careers?
Speaker 5 (12:43):
No? No, no. Most of the duets that were done
with the girls was Marvin. Marvin did most of it.
You did do it with all the girls.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Yeah, but your voice and hers on the like, but
they go great together.
Speaker 5 (12:55):
That's why that happened.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
It was it's beautiful and the sexy, intimate, whatever, all
the good words.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Singing with you is a test and I remember I
think it was George and Michael. No, the best kind
of test. But I remember was it the Motown you know,
the big anniversary show at the Apollo, At the Apollo,
when I think George Michael, who I had been in
England that same time when he was like in Wham
and I'm like, this guy is not going to work
in America. Shows what I know. And then when he
(13:25):
sang with you on the at the Apollo, I was like,
oh my god, this guy has soul.
Speaker 5 (13:31):
George Michael could blow man. Michael was a great singer,
you know, he was incredible. So that was a joy
for me because WAM was hot at that time, man, So.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
What's it mean to you? We talked about Stevie. Stevie's
still going too, Yes he is. And you know, I
I saw him at the Grammys this year and he said,
you gotta come over. I want to play you something new.
And I'm like, oh my god, something new is so
it's so thrilling hearing your new stuff. It's so thrilling.
How you know, knowing him, how do you explain you
(14:06):
two have just seemed to have eternal youth and passion
for music.
Speaker 5 (14:11):
Well, Stevie, Stevie's always been musical. You know. One of
the guys who was in the Mirrorles of Me got
named Ron White, is the one who brought Stevie to Motown,
and he brought him over. He was about eleven years old,
and he came home. He wanted to sing, but while
he was waiting for Barry to hear him, he went
(14:32):
down into the studio and played everything down there. I
mean he played everything down there, the drums, the organ,
the piano, they need to con harmonica is playing that.
You know, he's eleven years old. He's playing everything, you know,
and you know Barry heard when very first heard he
didn't like his voice.
Speaker 12 (14:55):
A great musician, but I don't like him by wow.
But you know, well, Barry's tim wrong. Well, Barry's not
always right. Another example, I remember interviewing you for Rolling
Stone about Marvin Gaye What's Going On, which you always
said is your favorite album of all time. You were
hanging out with Marvin. I think you said you might
have been golfing with him during that time a little,
and you told me stories about that. But Barry keep
(15:18):
telling the story about that being around him on that Well.
Speaker 5 (15:22):
You know, Marvin, I'm a very close man. We were
together almost every day, you know, and he lived right
around the corner from me, and we hung we just
did everything. We did everything together all the time. And
so he his brother Frankie was in Vietnam, and he
was very concerned about that. He was always concerned about Vietnam.
(15:43):
And so one day he said, you know, he said,
I just don't want to Barry wanted him to make
a love album because Marvin was our sex symbol, and
that's how mote him as our sex symbol. And he,
like I said, he sang all the girls and when
did a show you talking about women? Boy? Old boy?
(16:05):
But you know. He said he was concerned about a
lot of things that were going on, and especially by
Frankie being in Vietnam and all that. He said, smoke,
I don't want to do a love record. He said,
I do not want to do that. You know. So
Obi Benson, who was one of the guys in the
four Tops, and a guy named Al Cleveland, the guy
who wrote who co wrote I Second that emotion with me,
(16:29):
had this song What's going On, And they took it
over to Marvin and he loved it because it was
in it was in the genre, or it was where
his head was at that time, you know. So he
decided to do an album around it. And I'd go
to his house and he'd be sitting there and he'd
be playing the songs that are on there, you know,
(16:51):
And I said, man, I say, you're really this is
really great. Marvel said, you're writing this Protaly some great songs.
You know. He said, smoke, I'm not writing this, man.
He said, God is writing this. I said God. He
said yeah, man, he said, God is right. And I'm
just sitting there. I am the catalyst and God is
writing this. When you listen to it, I think he
was right, it's prophecy. It's more pointed today than it
(17:15):
was when it came out. It is prophecy. Okay, my
kids have discovered it, and you yeah, great something of
all times. I'm concerned.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
And Barry made a bet right with Marvin.
Speaker 5 (17:30):
Yeah, I don't know if they made a money bet.
Barry only money betted with me. But I don't know
if they made a money bet. But they bet who's
gonna be right and who's going to be wrong. So
he said, okay, he said, man, you insist on putting
this out. Molly said, I think it's gonna kill your
career because you're sex someone and women are not gonna
take to this, you know. But if I'm wrong, I'll
(17:53):
admit it. But if you're wrong, it's for flop. You
come and tell me that you're wrong. And he had
to eat.
Speaker 13 (18:00):
Yet it's funny, it's like commentary and it's sexy at
the same time.
Speaker 5 (18:06):
Absolutely, because it's Marvin.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
It's crazy.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
Well Marvin was you know you missed it if you
never saw him perform, and you know some but bread
he hated it, hated performing. He hated performing.
Speaker 7 (18:21):
Do you love it still?
Speaker 5 (18:23):
I can't find anything it gives me the gratificate. That's
why I still do this. Man. Yeah, I tried retiring. Yeah,
I tried retiring.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Man before this album. You tried to retire fifty more
than fifty.
Speaker 5 (18:38):
Years before this album came out.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
You mean Quiet Storm.
Speaker 5 (18:43):
Yeah, for Quiet Storm came out, I retired, man, And
I was ready because the Miracles and I have been
on the road since I was sixteen years old. Man,
We have been all over the world. We've done everything
a group could do two or three times, and I
was tired. And then Claudette, who was a girl in there,
(19:04):
who was my wife at the time, and we've been
trying to have some babies and she was in the
group and being on the road and stuff like that.
You know, we had some miscarriages and stuff like that.
So finally, man, my oldest son was born through a
surrogand mother, and then the doctor built a brace for
her to carry my daughter, and so we had two babies.
(19:24):
And then Barry had moved the main operation from Detroit
to Los Angeles and all that, and I came up
to Los Angeles kicking and screaming. I didn't want to
move out of here, man, because I said, Detroit is
our home. This is where we started. We were born here,
and they called Detroit motown. Now why are you doing that?
He said, because Los Angeles is the entertainment capital of
(19:48):
the world. You make movies, you do plays, you do
TV specialist, you do all that. We're still gonna be
a record company. We're gonna leave a skeleton operation here
in Detroit. But I want you to come to La
So I finally did, man, and I came out, and
I was very, very very happy at first, because I
was tired and I was off the road. And after
(20:09):
every day of going to work, I went home and
I played with my kids, and I was you know,
and that was that was that was cool. And I
went to the office every day. And when I was
in Detroit, my office was designed to induct new talent.
So I bought new talent into the company. And I
bought some old friends of mine, Gladys Night and the
Pips and Chuck Jackson and people like that do motown
because they, you know, and so I love that. So
(20:34):
I get off to Los Angeles, said, man, they say,
you're my best friend. I'm gonna change your thing to
the financial office. You're gonna sign all the payroll checks,
all the checks to come into the company gonna come
through you, except for the payment of the records. And
that's what you're gonna do. Cool man, I'm gonna do
my executive thing. That is great job, I'm telling you, man.
(20:55):
And every day I go to officer and them, and
my name is William Robinson Junior. So when I first
out decide and those checks, that's what I was signing,
William Robinson Junior. And after I said about a thousand checks,
I said, it is not working. Did you see my synature?
Now it's true, That's what it is. It's just a
little true.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
You know, by the way you said your real name.
Is it true that I've heard one story that Smokey
came from a Jewish grocer that you.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
No, no, no, no, no, mister Hackerman was a Jewish
grocer that I got my first job from after my
mom died when I was ten. Who named me smoky
was my uncle, My uncle Claude. He you know, he
used to take me to see cowboy movies. Because I
if you had asked me from the time I was
could talk until I was about ten, I would have
told you I want to be a cowboy because I
(21:45):
loved cowboys man, especially the ones who sang Roy Rogers,
Geene Archery. They had those guitars and they sang and
and I love them man. So he would take me
to see cowboy movies when I was four years old,
three to four years old. So he gave me a
cowboy name, Smokey Joe. So whenever anybody asked me my
name when I was at age, my name is smoking
Joe Claud. I'm a cowboy. My name is smoking Joe
(22:07):
because my uncle Claud said, so that's what I told people.
So everybody, including my school teachers, called me that until
I got to be about twelve, and then they just
dropped the jaw off and I became Smoky So and
people think many times, well that's the name I adopted
for show business or something like that. Now that's been
my name all my life. So, and that's where it
(22:29):
came from from my uncle.
Speaker 14 (22:41):
Don't you know, sit around with my hanging down, and
I wonder.
Speaker 5 (22:54):
Is loving you?
Speaker 2 (22:58):
I have one more motile question. Do you remember when
you first saw the Jackson five?
Speaker 5 (23:12):
Of course, I don't think anyone who was in that
room at that time could ever forget that. You know, here,
these group of young boys come and the guy who
brought them over there was we had a guy at
Motown named Bobby Taylor, and he had a group called
the Vancouver's and they had a song called does Your
Mamma Know About Me? It was about this black boy
sing because he had a white girlfriend and you want
(23:34):
to know, does your Mama know that I'm black? You know?
So it was a great song too. And Bobby Jeller
this is what did Jackson.
Speaker 12 (23:45):
The late sixties, eight around, yeah, right, sixties, yeah, way
before brother.
Speaker 5 (23:54):
Yeah, yeah, does your Mamma Know about Me? It's a
great song. And Bobby could sing his soft you know.
So anyway, he brought the Jackson Vibe over there and
they auditioned at Barry's house and it was about maybe
eight people there. You know, they blew us a way here.
These young boys like that. And Michael was ten and
(24:17):
he to this to this day, Michael Jackson was a
singing his ten year old I've ever heard in my life.
I'd never heard another tenures since before then or since
then who could sing like Michael could sing? Then? Okay,
and so not only could he sing, he's dancing like
mad you know, and I dubbed him Jackie Brown because
(24:39):
I thought he was a cross between Jackie Wilson and
James Brown, you know, so on him, I don't know,
but anyway, but he but everybody did because Michael was
a show business genius. You know, we were doing shows
after they started and stuff like that, Michael, after they
got through, would watch everybody on the show. Michael patterned
(25:04):
himself after James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Fred Astaire, and the
Nicholas brothers. I tell people, you know, when Michael did
the moonwalk on the Motown twenty five show, it was
phenomenal and people thought that he had made it up,
but he hadn't because the Nicholas were there. There's a
(25:25):
lady named Lena Horn. She's the biggest black stars in
the world at her time, and she had made this
movie called Stormy Weather and then Nicholas brothers were in
that movie and they did the moonwalk in that movie.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
You know, so before I was born somewhere.
Speaker 5 (25:42):
So yeah, so yeah, so anyway, so anyway, he was
just he was just smart like that. He loved show
business and he was so talented. And no, I'll never
forget that day because he blew us away.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
I remember at his memorial which I worked on that
I was standing with you and Barry talking and you
told the story about like he sang, some people still
might not know Who's Loving You? Then that's your song.
But the minute Michael sang it, it became his song.
Speaker 5 (26:13):
Thank God everything, thank God became yeah, Who's Loving You?
It was the B side of Choparound Wow Yeah. And
after they played chap Around to Death, they turned it
over they started playing Who's Loving You by the Miracles
of Me. So it was a milet hit. But that's all.
And then and when I wrote that song, I had
to be at least twenty one or so like that.
(26:35):
You know, I had had some life experience. In fact,
I was married, so I'd had some life experience. He's
a dude comes along with loving years old. He probably
don't even know what that song is even talking about,
you know what I'm saying, and sang the living crap
out of it. It was amazing to the point whereas,
like I said, if I sing part of it now
and people go to me, why are you singing Michael
Jackson song, he his song thank God? Like I said,
(26:57):
thank God, he sang it.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
I couldn't believe that he could command, like stand in
front of an orchestra at ten or eleven years old.
Speaker 5 (27:06):
Michael Jackson, Like I said, since before him or since him,
I have never seen a kid I never ever.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
But let me ask you a question, because there was
recently I saw this doc. I don't know if you
saw the Quest Love did a documentary about sly Stone.
Speaker 5 (27:23):
You know, I just got they're talking about Slyde to
be on the way over here. What the guy who
was writing my movie thing with me I got named Mark.
He and Slide are very very close, and slies on
his last legs. Man, he's he's my god. He can't walk,
he can't you know, he can't hear, you know.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
But what at his best he was amazing.
Speaker 5 (27:49):
He is amazing.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
And quest Love subtitled his doc It's called sly Lives.
The Burden of Black Genius is what he calls it.
And I just wonder when you ever reflect on Marvin,
you know, Michael sly there's a lot of stories of
geniuses who have not lived a long life. And and
(28:11):
you're I wonder if you've ever come to any conclusion
about and I haven't been around you. I have a
theory that is partly your positivity in the love you
give out. And I think some people give into fear
or bitterness or whatever else they could give into. But
you haven't led. You know. I read your book years ago.
(28:32):
It's not like you've had an uninterrupted happy story, but
you have. You're one of the most enduring geniuses of
all time, and I wonder how do you do you
ever reflect on how you've done that? And so many
of your fellow genius, including many of your close friends
like Marvin and Michael, don't get to do that or
(28:52):
don't aren't able to do that.
Speaker 5 (28:54):
I think I think your time, if you're asking me
my spiritual for you is I think your time is allotted.
I think your time is allotted. And God knows when
you're coming, long before before you're born. And I think
your time is allotted because you can take a terrible
(29:16):
accident and ten people are killed and one people live.
One person lives. Wasn't a time, you know, So I
think your time is a loted and these people were
bright stars, they shone bright, but the time was a
loted Luther andres people like that, you know, I've seen
(29:37):
a lot of people come and go in the business man,
you know, And I'm very, very very blessed extremely to
be able to be coherent at this point in my life,
you know, more than that, and to feel I promise you, man,
I don't feel any more older than I did when
I was fifty.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Yeah, you know, I.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
I really don't.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
And I will say you know, you know, Brad, I
think said it earlier. You sound as good as ever. Frankly,
you sound better than like I think your voice is
like listening to the new material and I haven't heard
like there's a few songs you do on this record.
You do a song that was a country gospel hit
which you probably met Ray Stevens, and naturally you know everything.
(30:24):
Everything is beautiful as on there. I can't wait to
hear that. I'll take you there. I cannot wait. You know.
Speaker 5 (30:30):
I always talk about Maybe's earlier.
Speaker 4 (30:31):
Man.
Speaker 5 (30:31):
I used to tell maybe because you moaned the song
with baby, because she does, she moans them, she moans.
Speaker 14 (30:38):
Man.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Well, I always love that Bob Dylan who called you
the greatest, our greatest living poet, which I think shows
a lot of wisdom.
Speaker 5 (30:48):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
There was a story that he proposed to Mavis like
he heard Mayvas. He heard Mayvs sing and proposed like
you know you because I might have done that.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
I didn't see that in the movie.
Speaker 5 (30:59):
You know, Bob Jones out the Nobel Peace Price so that.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
But then he went back and got it.
Speaker 5 (31:05):
I didn't know that.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
He sings Smokey sings. You've got a friend. Well, Carol
King and James Taylor both made that song magic.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
I can't wait to hear the rest.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Uh, We've taken a lot of your time, but I
wanted one idea, is you. This only is happening because
you you. You love Brad. Everyone loves you. So I'm
going to propose that we turn.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
This that didn't sound right.
Speaker 5 (31:31):
Exactly what.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
You're the only one that we can. But you guys
have to do a write one song together.
Speaker 5 (31:42):
I would love that you will.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
Well, I'm going to give you right now, or it
can be three in the morning, take no way and
hell on the internet.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
But here's my pitch for a song, because I don't
know if you know. Brad. In addition to all great
music work, he runs a place in Nashville called The Store,
which is is a free grocery store for anybody for
the poor in Nashville, and they get to you know,
whoever is it has needs the help will literally just
go and they tell their kids we're going to the store.
They go through the market and they don't they don't pay,
(32:18):
but they don't know. There's no shame in it.
Speaker 5 (32:20):
There's that's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
But I thought you guys should write a song that
you could, you know, benefit the store. This is my vision.
And I was looking at an old review I wrote
of yes it's you lady, and and I remembered a
review I wrote in college from my college paper, and
I looked up and I'd written something this is like
I used to be a good writer when I was
in college. I've gone way downhill. But I wrote, how
(32:43):
Smokey understands the divinity of intimacy? Is what I the line.
And so we're not writing that no, no for the store,
but the pitch for the song you two should write.
Because I'm thinking about your new record being inspirational, coming
up after Gasm, your last record that I think this
(33:04):
so my title for you two to write this is
the assignment in a like a motown way is inspirational Gasms. No,
that's a good title. My title was your love is
divine because I think you like you've Unlike like Sam
Cook never really put the two together. He was a
soul stir and he was a soulful love singer. Elvis
(33:25):
had Sunday night and Saturday morning like they were torn.
I don't think even Al Green was sort of torn
in the song like Bell. So this is you can
write whatever song you want, but this is before it's over. Yes,
we need one song from the two of you some someday.
Will you accept this assignment?
Speaker 5 (33:42):
I'll accept it. I will too.
Speaker 7 (33:44):
I'm not the Yeah, no, this is great. Yes, that'd
be really cool.
Speaker 5 (33:49):
And I think someday we'll write to give.
Speaker 7 (33:54):
Got on tape.
Speaker 5 (33:56):
Yes indeed, yeah, no, that would be that you kidding me?
Me too?
Speaker 13 (34:01):
And I think what I love it when these worlds
come together anyway music there is such there's such synergy,
I think, and similarity between.
Speaker 7 (34:11):
What was going on in the early days up there.
Speaker 13 (34:13):
In Motown and what happens in that little pocket of
music grow in Nashville with all the all the players.
Speaker 7 (34:19):
You know, some of the magic has dissipated with time.
Speaker 13 (34:22):
But that that you're what you're talking about, the going
over and having dinner at somebody's house and then writing
a song and then recording it later that same night
with the same group of people. And you know that
that was happening in Nashville too, And these are these
these music cities.
Speaker 5 (34:38):
Like I've always said this, man, country writers are some
of the most profound writers in the world, and they
always have been. I went not forget when I was
a kid. Man, I think it might have been Wheeling
Jennings had a song call if Walls could talk. My God,
we've thought of that. If Walls could talk, we'd all
(34:59):
be in trouble, no doubt. But yeah, man, some of
the greatest writers in history forever. Like like I said, man,
when I was five and six years old, man, Roy Rogers,
Geane Audry, you know.
Speaker 1 (35:13):
So well, you know I would love that. I always
think about like Motown was like called like people called
it a factory, but it was also like a musical university,
like the end you had growing up. I don't know
if you know Brad's story. As a kid, he played
the Wheeling Jamboree, which was like opry in in Virginia,
right West Virginia, West Virginia. Yeah, and and what was
(35:36):
that like your I mean, it was not.
Speaker 13 (35:37):
Well, I was really lucky to be from the only
other town with anything like that in in uh like
going on because country music, as you know, the Grand
Ole Opry with its you know that radio show being
what became the live performance that.
Speaker 5 (35:53):
I used to hear that. My mom played that every day,
the game on Saturday nights, and people used to gather
on a radio like they gather on TV now, Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 6 (36:04):
You know.
Speaker 13 (36:06):
I'm from an area near Wheeling, West Virginia, and they
had a jamboree that was it was the second oldest
running to the Opry because the Opry was nineteen twenty
nine and the Jamboree was nineteen thirty three, and it
went all the way through the nineties for me. And
then when I was a kid, I was a young
kid and they heard me sing and the next thing
(36:26):
you know, I was doing live radio shows in front
of a theater from the time I was twelve or
thirteen on.
Speaker 7 (36:34):
And so you know, that was an education because it
was all it was a group of musicians. It was
a different headliner to come.
Speaker 5 (36:41):
In every week.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
And can you tell the story of Charlie Pride when
he came here.
Speaker 13 (36:44):
They pride became my closest friends, oh man, and biggest
inspiration at the time, because he'd heard about me when
he got to town, and they had put me on
the show to open for him. So they would have
a local opener open for these folks, and a lot
of times it was me at the time.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
And how old were you.
Speaker 13 (37:01):
I was probably fourteen, maybe fifteen. And Charlie comes through
and he'd heard about this kid, and he he it
was one of those people that Charlie would just he
wanted to help anyone he can help.
Speaker 7 (37:14):
And you may have known him.
Speaker 5 (37:17):
I had the pleasure. I didn't really know Charlie, but
I had a pleasure of meeting him one time.
Speaker 7 (37:20):
He was wonderful, Yeah, and I spent.
Speaker 5 (37:22):
Some time talking with him. He was wonderful, man.
Speaker 7 (37:24):
I'll never forget. My dad is sitting in the audience
and I'm opening.
Speaker 13 (37:27):
For Charlie, and he had heard about me, because you know,
in a small pond like that, everybody I was book solid.
And my Dad's sitting in the audience in the front
row of the area where the backstage door is, and
there's an empty seat, and Charlie comes out in the
(37:49):
dark and sits down in his own audience for his show.
Speaker 7 (37:53):
That's who he was next to my dad.
Speaker 13 (37:55):
My dad Pride is sitting next to him at his show,
and I'm singing the third song. He turns to my dad,
not knowing it's my dad and says, who's this kid?
Speaker 2 (38:07):
Oh?
Speaker 13 (38:08):
And my dad said, well, that's my son. And he
said you're a lion and he said, no, no, that's
my son. He said, well, I'm Charlie. He said, no,
I know.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
Especially at the wheeling Jambrie.
Speaker 13 (38:20):
Showed up at someone else and he says, and he
writes down. He says, give me your phone number. My
dad writes down his the phone number to the house
in West Virginia, and.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
Why don't you just put in his cell phone?
Speaker 5 (38:34):
Get this?
Speaker 7 (38:35):
You ready for this? It's that's And so we became
good friends.
Speaker 13 (38:39):
And he would say, he would say, call me when
you have any opportunity. I'm going to let you know
if you're doing the right thing if I can't. And
so we would rely on him a little bit when
I first got to town.
Speaker 7 (38:49):
So we fast forward. It's two thousand and eight, right
nine be nine. Obama's in the.
Speaker 13 (38:57):
White House and he says, I want to have a
country music night, and he invites me, Alison Krauss and
Charlie Pride to come to Easter Room and do a show.
It's first six months of him and so they're having
like an appreciation for country music.
Speaker 5 (39:13):
So we go.
Speaker 7 (39:14):
We're in the basement.
Speaker 13 (39:15):
Of the White House, all about to meet the President
for the first time, and up walks Charlie, who I
hadn't seen in a couple of years at that point,
but I'd seen him around, you know, since I'd become
a starter. And he walks up to my dad and
he says, I mean he's and he nailed it, and
(39:40):
you should probably bleep that on the air because I
steal the phone.
Speaker 5 (39:43):
At the house been seventy day. Sammy was like that, man,
Samy could meet somebody's you know, if people come backstage
and meet you and stuff like that, you just meet him.
I'm Charles Brown, and how you do it? Also, and
sam would see him five years later, Hey Charles, how
are you doing? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (40:04):
Was like that, Indeed, that's like a secret to success.
I think if you can remember people's names, that's incredible.
Speaker 5 (40:11):
That alone, that's incredible.
Speaker 13 (40:14):
But Charlie was that kind of guy, and I think
it sounds like, you know, we're all we all remember
the guys like that.
Speaker 7 (40:21):
Yeah, man, that were really nice.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
Yeah, well you guys are really nice. David. Thank you
for putting this together. This was pretty special.
Speaker 7 (40:28):
I'm sorry we didn't write the song on the air,
but we will.
Speaker 2 (40:31):
Thank you both.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
I don't even want a financial participation.
Speaker 7 (40:36):
I'm not going to get.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
Actually, it's happening in my house, so anything that happens
in my house there are studios. That's right, Smokey. You
especially thanks for being part of the soundtrack of my life.
I just love you.
Speaker 5 (41:00):
Thank you for that. Man, are you kidding? Thank you
for that. With all people like you and people doing that,
I wouldn't have a career. Man. You know, you know
this is not something that happens by yourself. And you
know it's not like sports figures. You know, sports figures,
if they're great, you know, they don't care if people
like them or not. You know what I mean. They
(41:21):
don't really need people exactly, don't really need people like
one of the nicest guys I know. Man, he's really
a nice man, but you wouldn't know it if you
had ever seen him with his fans. It's Kaream. Kareem
never signed anything for anyone. They coming to Kareem. No,
I'm sorry, I don't sorry.
Speaker 7 (41:40):
So and hence his autograph is worth so much.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
More than.
Speaker 4 (41:47):
Somebody.
Speaker 5 (41:48):
It'svaluable.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
I just wanted to shake his hand. At the Aretha
Franklin Clive Davis threw a party for the remember when
we did the Grammy tribute to Aretha Franklin. He came
to the party and I tried to shake his hand.
I didn't get a handshake. It was also he's too
tall for me to shake. I wouldn't.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
Tough to make him laugh. But you guys are a pleasure. Brad,
we you know we love you. And Smoky.
Speaker 5 (42:18):
This was great. I appreciate you so welcome.
Speaker 2 (42:20):
Welcome, come back anytime. Uh for the next album? Maybe?
Speaker 5 (42:24):
All right?
Speaker 14 (42:25):
Kay?
Speaker 5 (42:25):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (42:26):
Good, Thank you guys.
Speaker 15 (42:28):
Thank you, And now here's a preview of next week's
Naked Lunch with Rick Springfield.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
You talked about those in between years. There was a
song that once you broke out with Jesse's girl all
of a sudden, a song that is very important I
think in Phil's life because he's the biggest Bruce Springsteen
fan of all the time. The song Bruce came out
of nowhere, and I think it became a hit without
any like help or not. Like they didn't even ask you,
did they They just.
Speaker 6 (42:56):
Out there, it's another record company and they said, oh,
what have we got to? Springfield?
Speaker 5 (43:02):
There?
Speaker 6 (43:02):
We got to you know, I did a couple albums
before that never did anything, and they came and this
was a song I wrote in like, I know, seventy
six when I was to some I'd been to her audition,
right and there was a girl sitting across from me
in the waiting room and like looking at me. I
kind of look away, and I went in and read
and then I was I walk out, she goes Bruce,
(43:24):
and I that spurred the song. I wrote it as
a joke song. I mean, that's you know it says.
My mom called me the other day and I think
I heard her say, Bruce.
Speaker 5 (43:45):
My name is Rick. I'm doing to stick it to you.
Speaker 6 (43:48):
This absolutely a joke song. But I guess because of
the where, you know, where I was with the hits
and everything everything, it became, you know, a top twenty
song or something.
Speaker 1 (44:05):
And did you ever run into Bruce for him? To
give you his did he ever, you know, if Bruce
ever heard it?
Speaker 6 (44:10):
Oh, I have no idea. I have no idea. Bobby Chermside,
who is his? Uh, he lived with Bruce for like
all the early years and be the security guy and everything.
Became my security guy and now one of my closest friends.
And he talked about Bruce now and then, but not
a lot. But he never mentioned that he you know,
there was anything mentioned ever. I mean, I make jokes
(44:32):
about it. But I heard, you know, someone said, yeah,
they're in in a store, you know, like a department store,
and Bruce Springsteen was there, but he was behind him
and he was buying something and the guy, the guy
that cashier looked at his card and then went on
the phone. He said, I have Rick Springfield here. So
(44:56):
it happens, you know, both ways. But I still, I mean,
I still get people saying, oh, mister Springsteen, I loved
you on General Hospital. So they've got the person. They
just get the name.
Speaker 2 (45:06):
They get the name.
Speaker 5 (45:08):
Yeah, I get that.
Speaker 1 (45:09):
Too all the time.
Speaker 15 (45:10):
We got Naked Lunch is a podcast by Phil Rosenthal
and David Wilde. Theme song and music by Brad Paisley,
produced by Will Sterling and Ryan Tillotson, with video editing
by Daniel Ferrara and motion graphics by Ali Ahmed. Executive
produced by Phil Rosenthal, David Wilde, and our consulting journalist
is Pamela Chella. Thanks for listening to Naked Lunch, a
(45:30):
Lucky Bastard's production.
We loved recording with Smokey Robinson and Brad Paisley so
much we decided to divide it into two episodes. Uh,
this is part two and it's just as much of
a miracle as part one.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
This is a rare case where the sequel out does.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
The original Godfather two levels of greatness.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Let's build the beans to the fat, food for thought
and jokes on tap, talking with our mouthsful, having fun,
the peas, the cake and humble pies, serving up slaze lovely.
The dressing on the side, it's naked lunch.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Clothing optional.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
Shop shop.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Can you tell a story of shop around and how
Barry helped? Like Barry didn't give up on a song?
Speaker 5 (01:32):
No, no, no. Barry is a is like a perfectionist, and
especially when it comes to music, which has been what
was great for us as kids, man, because we were
all kids and he was mentoring us. Dude, he's a perfectionist.
So we had this artist, Barret Strong, who had the
record money. That's what I want the best thing in life.
I've fad you either. So comes and me say, man,
(01:53):
I want you to do now I'm on Barret, I said, okay,
cool man, So I started writing some songs Bart. The
first song I wrote, well Chaparon and Chaparon was one
of those ones that flowed out. It was done in
twenty five or thirty minutes. It was just you know,
just caane. You know. I was so excited. Man. I
went to bear your office, say, Man, I got to
smash it for Barrett. He said, what I said, It's
(02:15):
called Chaperoni's seeking. We go down to the music to
the to the studio and we sit the piano and
I started playing for him. And then after I play
for he said, man, move over. He said, I want
to try this chord right here. And then we got
the worker and he said, I want you to sing
this song. Man. I said no, Man, I wrote this
for Barrett. So you know, after money, that's what I'm on.
(02:37):
Choparnd as what you said? He said, no, Man, I
like to sound a voice on this. Man, I want
you to sing this song. I said no, Man. We
went through twenty minutes of that, so he finally said, hey, Man,
just go in the studio, record this on you and
the miracles and be done. So I said, okay, Man,
I go in the studio bed strong as a bluesy singer.
So I'm playing record Chaperone Bluesy just because you becoming
(03:01):
a young man. The piano blo blahn blown all you
know all.
Speaker 6 (03:05):
That, and.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
We put the record out. Records been out on the
radio for about two weeks, and one morning, three o'clock
in the morning, my phone rings and the answered the phone.
Speaker 6 (03:19):
And said, oh.
Speaker 5 (03:21):
He say, man, how are you doing?
Speaker 1 (03:23):
This is Berry?
Speaker 5 (03:24):
I said, yeah, man, I recognize your voice. I said,
what do you want me? He said, what are you doing?
Speaker 6 (03:29):
Man?
Speaker 5 (03:29):
What's happening? I said, what am I doing? I said,
I'm sleeping? Man. He said, well, chaperon won't let me sleep.
I said, that's I said. He said, no, man, He said,
you gave it the wrong treatment. He said, it's a
great song. Was you sucked it up because you didn't.
You didn't do it right. You give it the wrong treatment.
So I'm gonna do it right. He said, I'm gonna
change the beat, I'm gonna change the sound, I'm gonna
(03:52):
change the feeling. I'm gonna change everything, and it's going
to number one. So he's him. So I said, oh, man,
I said Bury. The records been on the radio for
two weeks, man, he said, I don't care. It's not right. Wow,
he said, I don't care. It's not right, and I
want to be right because you're wasting a good song.
So I'm gonna redo it. Amazing, So I said, okay, man,
(04:13):
I'll see it the abrow. He said, no, no, I
mean right now, right now.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Right now?
Speaker 7 (04:19):
Is what time?
Speaker 5 (04:20):
Three o'clock in the morning.
Speaker 7 (04:21):
And where is he?
Speaker 5 (04:22):
He's at the studio studio and yeah, yeah, so I said, Barry,
I said, it's three o'clock. He said, I don't care.
I've already called the musicians, you get the group, y'all
come to the studio recording it right now while it's
on my mind. We did.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
He was right, and so the tempo changed. He changed
everything everything about it, the sound. It was a slower song.
Speaker 5 (04:42):
It was a slower song. He was right.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Oh yeah, it was the first number one.
Speaker 7 (04:47):
No I know, but in your opinion, like you think
that made all the difference.
Speaker 5 (04:51):
Oh that that that that was the difference. It never
would have gotten to the top twenty the way out
of recording. Has that ever happened before since?
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Where records all already been out and you get a
call to change the record.
Speaker 8 (05:03):
I don't think you can do that now to that,
I know, yeah, not before then. I don't know if
I heard that since, like you, right, Brad, I have
no justicense either.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
So this brings me to Tears of a Clown.
Speaker 5 (05:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
So if you just read the lyrics of Tears of
a Clown, it reads like it would be a slow song.
Speaker 5 (05:24):
Yeah, it's said. In fact, one of the greatest versions now,
Tears of Girl's been covered many times. Yes, one of
the best versions I have of it is this young Girls.
He's a jazz singer and Tears of the Clown should
be a sad song like that. Yeah, And that's how
she sang it, okay that the strings were crying, yes,
and she was singing if there's a smile, and she
(05:46):
killed it, you know. And it's a great version of it.
And it made me think, well, this should have been
maybe a song?
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Did you write it as a fast song?
Speaker 5 (05:55):
I wrote it to Stevie's track. We wrote a Christmas
Party and Stevie that track. He we already recorded that track, man,
and he came to see the smoke. I got this
great track, man, but I can't think of a song
to go with this. Man. I want you to hear this.
He had the music and he had already recorded the
track the song. No, the track, the music, the music. Yes,
he had a track, he didn't had a song, yes, But.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
But you thought to put these kind of words to that.
Speaker 5 (06:21):
Well, because the first thing on that track when I
heard it was bomb bom bomb dun dumb dum.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Yeah, that's FM and Bailey.
Speaker 7 (06:32):
Brother And that was without knowing that's where you were
going with the song.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
I didn't know it until I heard that.
Speaker 9 (06:37):
But that's crazy, and I thought, you want to say,
I said, you know this, I'm going to write something
about the circus for this man, but I don't want
to write about animals or lion tamers, and I want
to write something personal about the circus.
Speaker 5 (06:53):
When I was in maybe seventh grade or so, one
of my teachers told us the story of pout Yachi
and so right now, even today, what we talked about.
I don't know Polyiachchi was real. He was mythical, but
you know, he told us the story of Polyiacchi, who
was a great Italian clown who all of the people
came to the circus to see everything else pertaining to
(07:13):
the circus. The acrobats, the lion tamers, the elephant were
secondary to Palliacchi, and people loved him and they revered him,
and they cheered him in a song, and then he
would go back to the dressing room and he would
cry because he didn't have that kind of attention from
a woman, right, He didn't feel that he had that
from a woman. So I said, okay, I'm gonna write
this song about Palliacchi. And that's what I did. So
(07:36):
that's where they came from.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
But to put it on such a fast I mean,
that's you open shows with that song, right, I mean
that gets today, that gets people up.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
I mean not only the amazing thing about that song
and this with a catalog, I think you've written over
four thousand songs. I'm not sure that the number. But
that song, if I remember correctly, that wasn't a hit
even once recorded. It only became a hit after someone
in England.
Speaker 5 (08:01):
No, no, no, it was it is never exposed. It
was never exposed. It was on an album that the
Miracles on I had, you know and see Stevie gave
me that track in nineteen sixty seven. Okay, So I said, okay,
this's a song.
Speaker 10 (08:15):
So I recorded it for that albums and who wasn't.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
In nineteen seventy, a young lady who worked in Motown
in England, you know, people playing records around the office
and stuff like that. She's playing it, playing it in
the office and a guy named Peter was our was
our head guy over there at that time. And Peter
comes out. He says, what's that? Is that the Miracles
new record? She said no, but it should be. He said, well, word,
(09:00):
she said, just on this album. He said, we were
releasing that over here, and they did, and Motown had
never had a top two record in England to that point,
you know. So they released it in England. Man, it
goes to number one. It starts to spread all over
Europe and everything like that. I had another record ready
to go on, the Miracles of Me here in the States,
(09:22):
and so it was. So I went to Bury and
I told him, say, man, I got this record. He said, no, no,
it's too bad. He said, we were releasing Tears of
a Cloud and they did. Thank god.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
I think between the solemnity of the lyrics and the
and the incredible dance music that it's on.
Speaker 5 (09:39):
Yeah, but I just thought that was a killer track. Man.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
It is well to a couple of years ago. You know,
when we were bringing you, when you were performing on
the Grammys. You know, it was like trying to decide
what songs and I was in the office saying, we
need tears of a client. We have Stevie. You know,
It's like and that was magic to like, there's another generation.
I'm sure there's some kids hearing it for the first time.
(10:03):
You know, some new generation people went nuts for it.
Speaker 5 (10:05):
Well, you know, I had to convince Stevie to do
it the regular way because Stevie does it in his
act due but he plays it reggae. Oh yeah, yeah,
he plays it reggae. Yeah. So I had to convinced
him that the people who were going to watch the
Grammys wanted to hear the regular way because he wanted
to play reggae on the.
Speaker 11 (10:23):
Your version swings, I see trees, he's green.
Speaker 5 (10:39):
Red roses too.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
I seen them blue for me and you, And I
think to myself, what a wonderful.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I got to ask about this forgive me this uh
performance just popped up last week on my YouTube as
I'm going through Tell me if you remember this, mm hmm.
This is the most intimate duet I've ever seen in
(11:25):
my life.
Speaker 5 (11:26):
Well, thank you.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
I can't believe. It's almost like we're uh, forgive me.
It's almost like we're in bed with you guys, you're
snuggling your.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
That's my baby, man. I brought her a motown and
that is that is my baby.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
But tell me about that performance, because that's extraordinary.
Speaker 5 (11:47):
I had a what do you call those shows? One
of the shows on NBC was on hiatus and yeah,
so we did a Phillow show and they and for
those two weeks, they gave me a show on NBC.
So I had a writing show on it, and I
had other guests coming on, you know, boy George, a
lot of people came on. And and so Diana was
(12:10):
performing in Vegas, you know, and they wanted her to
be on the show. Yeah, so I called her, said, baby,
I said, they want you to be on the show.
She said, well, you know, I'm working in Vegas. Why
don't you come here? So I did. I went to
Vegas and we sang that on her show that night
and they taped it for my show. But but that's
that's where that happened.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Did that have the electricity that I think it did.
Speaker 5 (12:34):
Yeah, it did, because you know, I love her, she
loves me. We we we were very close.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Did you do it more than that in your careers?
Speaker 5 (12:43):
No? No, no. Most of the duets that were done
with the girls was Marvin. Marvin did most of it.
You did do it with all the girls.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Yeah, but your voice and hers on the like, but
they go great together.
Speaker 5 (12:55):
That's why that happened.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
It was it's beautiful and the sexy, intimate, whatever, all
the good words.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Singing with you is a test and I remember I
think it was George and Michael. No, the best kind
of test. But I remember was it the Motown you know,
the big anniversary show at the Apollo, At the Apollo,
when I think George Michael, who I had been in
England that same time when he was like in Wham
and I'm like, this guy is not going to work
in America. Shows what I know. And then when he
(13:25):
sang with you on the at the Apollo, I was like,
oh my god, this guy has soul.
Speaker 5 (13:31):
George Michael could blow man. Michael was a great singer,
you know, he was incredible. So that was a joy
for me because WAM was hot at that time, man, So.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
What's it mean to you? We talked about Stevie. Stevie's
still going too, Yes he is. And you know, I
I saw him at the Grammys this year and he said,
you gotta come over. I want to play you something new.
And I'm like, oh my god, something new is so
it's so thrilling hearing your new stuff. It's so thrilling.
How you know, knowing him, how do you explain you
(14:06):
two have just seemed to have eternal youth and passion
for music.
Speaker 5 (14:11):
Well, Stevie, Stevie's always been musical. You know. One of
the guys who was in the Mirrorles of Me got
named Ron White, is the one who brought Stevie to Motown,
and he brought him over. He was about eleven years old,
and he came home. He wanted to sing, but while
he was waiting for Barry to hear him, he went
(14:32):
down into the studio and played everything down there. I
mean he played everything down there, the drums, the organ,
the piano, they need to con harmonica is playing that.
You know, he's eleven years old. He's playing everything, you know,
and you know Barry heard when very first heard he
didn't like his voice.
Speaker 12 (14:55):
A great musician, but I don't like him by wow.
But you know, well, Barry's tim wrong. Well, Barry's not
always right. Another example, I remember interviewing you for Rolling
Stone about Marvin Gaye What's Going On, which you always
said is your favorite album of all time. You were
hanging out with Marvin. I think you said you might
have been golfing with him during that time a little,
and you told me stories about that. But Barry keep
(15:18):
telling the story about that being around him on that Well.
Speaker 5 (15:22):
You know, Marvin, I'm a very close man. We were
together almost every day, you know, and he lived right
around the corner from me, and we hung we just
did everything. We did everything together all the time. And
so he his brother Frankie was in Vietnam, and he
was very concerned about that. He was always concerned about Vietnam.
(15:43):
And so one day he said, you know, he said,
I just don't want to Barry wanted him to make
a love album because Marvin was our sex symbol, and
that's how mote him as our sex symbol. And he,
like I said, he sang all the girls and when
did a show you talking about women? Boy? Old boy?
(16:05):
But you know. He said he was concerned about a
lot of things that were going on, and especially by
Frankie being in Vietnam and all that. He said, smoke,
I don't want to do a love record. He said,
I do not want to do that. You know. So
Obi Benson, who was one of the guys in the
four Tops, and a guy named Al Cleveland, the guy
who wrote who co wrote I Second that emotion with me,
(16:29):
had this song What's going On, And they took it
over to Marvin and he loved it because it was
in it was in the genre, or it was where
his head was at that time, you know. So he
decided to do an album around it. And I'd go
to his house and he'd be sitting there and he'd
be playing the songs that are on there, you know,
(16:51):
And I said, man, I say, you're really this is
really great. Marvel said, you're writing this Protaly some great songs.
You know. He said, smoke, I'm not writing this, man.
He said, God is writing this. I said God. He
said yeah, man, he said, God is right. And I'm
just sitting there. I am the catalyst and God is
writing this. When you listen to it, I think he
was right, it's prophecy. It's more pointed today than it
(17:15):
was when it came out. It is prophecy. Okay, my
kids have discovered it, and you yeah, great something of
all times. I'm concerned.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
And Barry made a bet right with Marvin.
Speaker 5 (17:30):
Yeah, I don't know if they made a money bet.
Barry only money betted with me. But I don't know
if they made a money bet. But they bet who's
gonna be right and who's going to be wrong. So
he said, okay, he said, man, you insist on putting
this out. Molly said, I think it's gonna kill your
career because you're sex someone and women are not gonna
take to this, you know. But if I'm wrong, I'll
(17:53):
admit it. But if you're wrong, it's for flop. You
come and tell me that you're wrong. And he had
to eat.
Speaker 13 (18:00):
Yet it's funny, it's like commentary and it's sexy at
the same time.
Speaker 5 (18:06):
Absolutely, because it's Marvin.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
It's crazy.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
Well Marvin was you know you missed it if you
never saw him perform, and you know some but bread
he hated it, hated performing. He hated performing.
Speaker 7 (18:21):
Do you love it still?
Speaker 5 (18:23):
I can't find anything it gives me the gratificate. That's
why I still do this. Man. Yeah, I tried retiring. Yeah,
I tried retiring.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Man before this album. You tried to retire fifty more
than fifty.
Speaker 5 (18:38):
Years before this album came out.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
You mean Quiet Storm.
Speaker 5 (18:43):
Yeah, for Quiet Storm came out, I retired, man, And
I was ready because the Miracles and I have been
on the road since I was sixteen years old. Man,
We have been all over the world. We've done everything
a group could do two or three times, and I
was tired. And then Claudette, who was a girl in there,
(19:04):
who was my wife at the time, and we've been
trying to have some babies and she was in the
group and being on the road and stuff like that.
You know, we had some miscarriages and stuff like that.
So finally, man, my oldest son was born through a
surrogand mother, and then the doctor built a brace for
her to carry my daughter, and so we had two babies.
(19:24):
And then Barry had moved the main operation from Detroit
to Los Angeles and all that, and I came up
to Los Angeles kicking and screaming. I didn't want to
move out of here, man, because I said, Detroit is
our home. This is where we started. We were born here,
and they called Detroit motown. Now why are you doing that?
He said, because Los Angeles is the entertainment capital of
(19:48):
the world. You make movies, you do plays, you do
TV specialist, you do all that. We're still gonna be
a record company. We're gonna leave a skeleton operation here
in Detroit. But I want you to come to La
So I finally did, man, and I came out, and
I was very, very very happy at first, because I
was tired and I was off the road. And after
(20:09):
every day of going to work, I went home and
I played with my kids, and I was you know,
and that was that was that was cool. And I
went to the office every day. And when I was
in Detroit, my office was designed to induct new talent.
So I bought new talent into the company. And I
bought some old friends of mine, Gladys Night and the
Pips and Chuck Jackson and people like that do motown
because they, you know, and so I love that. So
(20:34):
I get off to Los Angeles, said, man, they say,
you're my best friend. I'm gonna change your thing to
the financial office. You're gonna sign all the payroll checks,
all the checks to come into the company gonna come
through you, except for the payment of the records. And
that's what you're gonna do. Cool man, I'm gonna do
my executive thing. That is great job, I'm telling you, man.
(20:55):
And every day I go to officer and them, and
my name is William Robinson Junior. So when I first
out decide and those checks, that's what I was signing,
William Robinson Junior. And after I said about a thousand checks,
I said, it is not working. Did you see my synature?
Now it's true, That's what it is. It's just a
little true.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
You know, by the way you said your real name.
Is it true that I've heard one story that Smokey
came from a Jewish grocer that you.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
No, no, no, no, no, mister Hackerman was a Jewish
grocer that I got my first job from after my
mom died when I was ten. Who named me smoky
was my uncle, My uncle Claude. He you know, he
used to take me to see cowboy movies. Because I
if you had asked me from the time I was
could talk until I was about ten, I would have
told you I want to be a cowboy because I
(21:45):
loved cowboys man, especially the ones who sang Roy Rogers,
Geene Archery. They had those guitars and they sang and
and I love them man. So he would take me
to see cowboy movies when I was four years old,
three to four years old. So he gave me a
cowboy name, Smokey Joe. So whenever anybody asked me my
name when I was at age, my name is smoking
Joe Claud. I'm a cowboy. My name is smoking Joe
(22:07):
because my uncle Claud said, so that's what I told people.
So everybody, including my school teachers, called me that until
I got to be about twelve, and then they just
dropped the jaw off and I became Smoky So and
people think many times, well that's the name I adopted
for show business or something like that. Now that's been
my name all my life. So, and that's where it
(22:29):
came from from my uncle.
Speaker 14 (22:41):
Don't you know, sit around with my hanging down, and
I wonder.
Speaker 5 (22:54):
Is loving you?
Speaker 2 (22:58):
I have one more motile question. Do you remember when
you first saw the Jackson five?
Speaker 5 (23:12):
Of course, I don't think anyone who was in that
room at that time could ever forget that. You know, here,
these group of young boys come and the guy who
brought them over there was we had a guy at
Motown named Bobby Taylor, and he had a group called
the Vancouver's and they had a song called does Your
Mamma Know About Me? It was about this black boy
sing because he had a white girlfriend and you want
(23:34):
to know, does your Mama know that I'm black? You know?
So it was a great song too. And Bobby Jeller
this is what did Jackson.
Speaker 12 (23:45):
The late sixties, eight around, yeah, right, sixties, yeah, way
before brother.
Speaker 5 (23:54):
Yeah, yeah, does your Mamma Know about Me? It's a
great song. And Bobby could sing his soft you know.
So anyway, he brought the Jackson Vibe over there and
they auditioned at Barry's house and it was about maybe
eight people there. You know, they blew us a way here.
These young boys like that. And Michael was ten and
(24:17):
he to this to this day, Michael Jackson was a
singing his ten year old I've ever heard in my life.
I'd never heard another tenures since before then or since
then who could sing like Michael could sing? Then? Okay,
and so not only could he sing, he's dancing like
mad you know, and I dubbed him Jackie Brown because
(24:39):
I thought he was a cross between Jackie Wilson and
James Brown, you know, so on him, I don't know,
but anyway, but he but everybody did because Michael was
a show business genius. You know, we were doing shows
after they started and stuff like that, Michael, after they
got through, would watch everybody on the show. Michael patterned
(25:04):
himself after James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Fred Astaire, and the
Nicholas brothers. I tell people, you know, when Michael did
the moonwalk on the Motown twenty five show, it was
phenomenal and people thought that he had made it up,
but he hadn't because the Nicholas were there. There's a
(25:25):
lady named Lena Horn. She's the biggest black stars in
the world at her time, and she had made this
movie called Stormy Weather and then Nicholas brothers were in
that movie and they did the moonwalk in that movie.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
You know, so before I was born somewhere.
Speaker 5 (25:42):
So yeah, so yeah, so anyway, so anyway, he was
just he was just smart like that. He loved show
business and he was so talented. And no, I'll never
forget that day because he blew us away.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
I remember at his memorial which I worked on that
I was standing with you and Barry talking and you
told the story about like he sang, some people still
might not know Who's Loving You? Then that's your song.
But the minute Michael sang it, it became his song.
Speaker 5 (26:13):
Thank God everything, thank God became yeah, Who's Loving You?
It was the B side of Choparound Wow Yeah. And
after they played chap Around to Death, they turned it
over they started playing Who's Loving You by the Miracles
of Me. So it was a milet hit. But that's all.
And then and when I wrote that song, I had
to be at least twenty one or so like that.
(26:35):
You know, I had had some life experience. In fact,
I was married, so I'd had some life experience. He's
a dude comes along with loving years old. He probably
don't even know what that song is even talking about,
you know what I'm saying, and sang the living crap
out of it. It was amazing to the point whereas,
like I said, if I sing part of it now
and people go to me, why are you singing Michael
Jackson song, he his song thank God? Like I said,
(26:57):
thank God, he sang it.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
I couldn't believe that he could command, like stand in
front of an orchestra at ten or eleven years old.
Speaker 5 (27:06):
Michael Jackson, Like I said, since before him or since him,
I have never seen a kid I never ever.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
But let me ask you a question, because there was
recently I saw this doc. I don't know if you
saw the Quest Love did a documentary about sly Stone.
Speaker 5 (27:23):
You know, I just got they're talking about Slyde to
be on the way over here. What the guy who
was writing my movie thing with me I got named Mark.
He and Slide are very very close, and slies on
his last legs. Man, he's he's my god. He can't walk,
he can't you know, he can't hear, you know.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
But what at his best he was amazing.
Speaker 5 (27:49):
He is amazing.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
And quest Love subtitled his doc It's called sly Lives.
The Burden of Black Genius is what he calls it.
And I just wonder when you ever reflect on Marvin,
you know, Michael sly there's a lot of stories of
geniuses who have not lived a long life. And and
(28:11):
you're I wonder if you've ever come to any conclusion
about and I haven't been around you. I have a
theory that is partly your positivity in the love you
give out. And I think some people give into fear
or bitterness or whatever else they could give into. But
you haven't led. You know. I read your book years ago.
(28:32):
It's not like you've had an uninterrupted happy story, but
you have. You're one of the most enduring geniuses of
all time, and I wonder how do you do you
ever reflect on how you've done that? And so many
of your fellow genius, including many of your close friends
like Marvin and Michael, don't get to do that or
(28:52):
don't aren't able to do that.
Speaker 5 (28:54):
I think I think your time, if you're asking me
my spiritual for you is I think your time is allotted.
I think your time is allotted. And God knows when
you're coming, long before before you're born. And I think
your time is allotted because you can take a terrible
(29:16):
accident and ten people are killed and one people live.
One person lives. Wasn't a time, you know, So I
think your time is a loted and these people were
bright stars, they shone bright, but the time was a
loted Luther andres people like that, you know, I've seen
(29:37):
a lot of people come and go in the business man,
you know, And I'm very, very very blessed extremely to
be able to be coherent at this point in my life,
you know, more than that, and to feel I promise you, man,
I don't feel any more older than I did when
I was fifty.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Yeah, you know, I.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
I really don't.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
And I will say you know, you know, Brad, I
think said it earlier. You sound as good as ever. Frankly,
you sound better than like I think your voice is
like listening to the new material and I haven't heard
like there's a few songs you do on this record.
You do a song that was a country gospel hit
which you probably met Ray Stevens, and naturally you know everything.
(30:24):
Everything is beautiful as on there. I can't wait to
hear that. I'll take you there. I cannot wait. You know.
Speaker 5 (30:30):
I always talk about Maybe's earlier.
Speaker 4 (30:31):
Man.
Speaker 5 (30:31):
I used to tell maybe because you moaned the song
with baby, because she does, she moans them, she moans.
Speaker 14 (30:38):
Man.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Well, I always love that Bob Dylan who called you
the greatest, our greatest living poet, which I think shows
a lot of wisdom.
Speaker 5 (30:48):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
There was a story that he proposed to Mavis like
he heard Mayvas. He heard Mayvs sing and proposed like
you know you because I might have done that.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
I didn't see that in the movie.
Speaker 5 (30:59):
You know, Bob Jones out the Nobel Peace Price so that.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
But then he went back and got it.
Speaker 5 (31:05):
I didn't know that.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
He sings Smokey sings. You've got a friend. Well, Carol
King and James Taylor both made that song magic.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
I can't wait to hear the rest.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Uh, We've taken a lot of your time, but I
wanted one idea, is you. This only is happening because
you you. You love Brad. Everyone loves you. So I'm
going to propose that we turn.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
This that didn't sound right.
Speaker 5 (31:31):
Exactly what.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
You're the only one that we can. But you guys
have to do a write one song together.
Speaker 5 (31:42):
I would love that you will.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
Well, I'm going to give you right now, or it
can be three in the morning, take no way and
hell on the internet.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
But here's my pitch for a song, because I don't
know if you know. Brad. In addition to all great
music work, he runs a place in Nashville called The Store,
which is is a free grocery store for anybody for
the poor in Nashville, and they get to you know,
whoever is it has needs the help will literally just
go and they tell their kids we're going to the store.
They go through the market and they don't they don't pay,
(32:18):
but they don't know. There's no shame in it.
Speaker 5 (32:20):
There's that's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
But I thought you guys should write a song that
you could, you know, benefit the store. This is my vision.
And I was looking at an old review I wrote
of yes it's you lady, and and I remembered a
review I wrote in college from my college paper, and
I looked up and I'd written something this is like
I used to be a good writer when I was
in college. I've gone way downhill. But I wrote, how
(32:43):
Smokey understands the divinity of intimacy? Is what I the line.
And so we're not writing that no, no for the store,
but the pitch for the song you two should write.
Because I'm thinking about your new record being inspirational, coming
up after Gasm, your last record that I think this
(33:04):
so my title for you two to write this is
the assignment in a like a motown way is inspirational Gasms. No,
that's a good title. My title was your love is
divine because I think you like you've Unlike like Sam
Cook never really put the two together. He was a
soul stir and he was a soulful love singer. Elvis
(33:25):
had Sunday night and Saturday morning like they were torn.
I don't think even Al Green was sort of torn
in the song like Bell. So this is you can
write whatever song you want, but this is before it's over. Yes,
we need one song from the two of you some someday.
Will you accept this assignment?
Speaker 5 (33:42):
I'll accept it. I will too.
Speaker 7 (33:44):
I'm not the Yeah, no, this is great. Yes, that'd
be really cool.
Speaker 5 (33:49):
And I think someday we'll write to give.
Speaker 7 (33:54):
Got on tape.
Speaker 5 (33:56):
Yes indeed, yeah, no, that would be that you kidding me?
Me too?
Speaker 13 (34:01):
And I think what I love it when these worlds
come together anyway music there is such there's such synergy,
I think, and similarity between.
Speaker 7 (34:11):
What was going on in the early days up there.
Speaker 13 (34:13):
In Motown and what happens in that little pocket of
music grow in Nashville with all the all the players.
Speaker 7 (34:19):
You know, some of the magic has dissipated with time.
Speaker 13 (34:22):
But that that you're what you're talking about, the going
over and having dinner at somebody's house and then writing
a song and then recording it later that same night
with the same group of people. And you know that
that was happening in Nashville too, And these are these
these music cities.
Speaker 5 (34:38):
Like I've always said this, man, country writers are some
of the most profound writers in the world, and they
always have been. I went not forget when I was
a kid. Man, I think it might have been Wheeling
Jennings had a song call if Walls could talk. My God,
we've thought of that. If Walls could talk, we'd all
(34:59):
be in trouble, no doubt. But yeah, man, some of
the greatest writers in history forever. Like like I said, man,
when I was five and six years old, man, Roy Rogers,
Geane Audry, you know.
Speaker 1 (35:13):
So well, you know I would love that. I always
think about like Motown was like called like people called
it a factory, but it was also like a musical university,
like the end you had growing up. I don't know
if you know Brad's story. As a kid, he played
the Wheeling Jamboree, which was like opry in in Virginia,
right West Virginia, West Virginia. Yeah, and and what was
(35:36):
that like your I mean, it was not.
Speaker 13 (35:37):
Well, I was really lucky to be from the only
other town with anything like that in in uh like
going on because country music, as you know, the Grand
Ole Opry with its you know that radio show being
what became the live performance that.
Speaker 5 (35:53):
I used to hear that. My mom played that every day,
the game on Saturday nights, and people used to gather
on a radio like they gather on TV now, Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 6 (36:04):
You know.
Speaker 13 (36:06):
I'm from an area near Wheeling, West Virginia, and they
had a jamboree that was it was the second oldest
running to the Opry because the Opry was nineteen twenty
nine and the Jamboree was nineteen thirty three, and it
went all the way through the nineties for me. And
then when I was a kid, I was a young
kid and they heard me sing and the next thing
(36:26):
you know, I was doing live radio shows in front
of a theater from the time I was twelve or
thirteen on.
Speaker 7 (36:34):
And so you know, that was an education because it
was all it was a group of musicians. It was
a different headliner to come.
Speaker 5 (36:41):
In every week.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
And can you tell the story of Charlie Pride when
he came here.
Speaker 13 (36:44):
They pride became my closest friends, oh man, and biggest
inspiration at the time, because he'd heard about me when
he got to town, and they had put me on
the show to open for him. So they would have
a local opener open for these folks, and a lot
of times it was me at the time.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
And how old were you.
Speaker 13 (37:01):
I was probably fourteen, maybe fifteen. And Charlie comes through
and he'd heard about this kid, and he he it
was one of those people that Charlie would just he
wanted to help anyone he can help.
Speaker 7 (37:14):
And you may have known him.
Speaker 5 (37:17):
I had the pleasure. I didn't really know Charlie, but
I had a pleasure of meeting him one time.
Speaker 7 (37:20):
He was wonderful, Yeah, and I spent.
Speaker 5 (37:22):
Some time talking with him. He was wonderful, man.
Speaker 7 (37:24):
I'll never forget. My dad is sitting in the audience
and I'm opening.
Speaker 13 (37:27):
For Charlie, and he had heard about me, because you know,
in a small pond like that, everybody I was book solid.
And my Dad's sitting in the audience in the front
row of the area where the backstage door is, and
there's an empty seat, and Charlie comes out in the
(37:49):
dark and sits down in his own audience for his show.
Speaker 7 (37:53):
That's who he was next to my dad.
Speaker 13 (37:55):
My dad Pride is sitting next to him at his show,
and I'm singing the third song. He turns to my dad,
not knowing it's my dad and says, who's this kid?
Speaker 2 (38:07):
Oh?
Speaker 13 (38:08):
And my dad said, well, that's my son. And he
said you're a lion and he said, no, no, that's
my son. He said, well, I'm Charlie. He said, no,
I know.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
Especially at the wheeling Jambrie.
Speaker 13 (38:20):
Showed up at someone else and he says, and he
writes down. He says, give me your phone number. My
dad writes down his the phone number to the house
in West Virginia, and.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
Why don't you just put in his cell phone?
Speaker 5 (38:34):
Get this?
Speaker 7 (38:35):
You ready for this? It's that's And so we became
good friends.
Speaker 13 (38:39):
And he would say, he would say, call me when
you have any opportunity. I'm going to let you know
if you're doing the right thing if I can't. And
so we would rely on him a little bit when
I first got to town.
Speaker 7 (38:49):
So we fast forward. It's two thousand and eight, right
nine be nine. Obama's in the.
Speaker 13 (38:57):
White House and he says, I want to have a
country music night, and he invites me, Alison Krauss and
Charlie Pride to come to Easter Room and do a show.
It's first six months of him and so they're having
like an appreciation for country music.
Speaker 5 (39:13):
So we go.
Speaker 7 (39:14):
We're in the basement.
Speaker 13 (39:15):
Of the White House, all about to meet the President
for the first time, and up walks Charlie, who I
hadn't seen in a couple of years at that point,
but I'd seen him around, you know, since I'd become
a starter. And he walks up to my dad and
he says, I mean he's and he nailed it, and
(39:40):
you should probably bleep that on the air because I
steal the phone.
Speaker 5 (39:43):
At the house been seventy day. Sammy was like that, man,
Samy could meet somebody's you know, if people come backstage
and meet you and stuff like that, you just meet him.
I'm Charles Brown, and how you do it? Also, and
sam would see him five years later, Hey Charles, how
are you doing? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (40:04):
Was like that, Indeed, that's like a secret to success.
I think if you can remember people's names, that's incredible.
Speaker 5 (40:11):
That alone, that's incredible.
Speaker 13 (40:14):
But Charlie was that kind of guy, and I think
it sounds like, you know, we're all we all remember
the guys like that.
Speaker 7 (40:21):
Yeah, man, that were really nice.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
Yeah, well you guys are really nice. David. Thank you
for putting this together. This was pretty special.
Speaker 7 (40:28):
I'm sorry we didn't write the song on the air,
but we will.
Speaker 2 (40:31):
Thank you both.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
I don't even want a financial participation.
Speaker 7 (40:36):
I'm not going to get.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
Actually, it's happening in my house, so anything that happens
in my house there are studios. That's right, Smokey. You
especially thanks for being part of the soundtrack of my life.
I just love you.
Speaker 5 (41:00):
Thank you for that. Man, are you kidding? Thank you
for that. With all people like you and people doing that,
I wouldn't have a career. Man. You know, you know
this is not something that happens by yourself. And you
know it's not like sports figures. You know, sports figures,
if they're great, you know, they don't care if people
like them or not. You know what I mean. They
(41:21):
don't really need people exactly, don't really need people like
one of the nicest guys I know. Man, he's really
a nice man, but you wouldn't know it if you
had ever seen him with his fans. It's Kaream. Kareem
never signed anything for anyone. They coming to Kareem. No,
I'm sorry, I don't sorry.
Speaker 7 (41:40):
So and hence his autograph is worth so much.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
More than.
Speaker 4 (41:47):
Somebody.
Speaker 5 (41:48):
It'svaluable.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
I just wanted to shake his hand. At the Aretha
Franklin Clive Davis threw a party for the remember when
we did the Grammy tribute to Aretha Franklin. He came
to the party and I tried to shake his hand.
I didn't get a handshake. It was also he's too
tall for me to shake. I wouldn't.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
Tough to make him laugh. But you guys are a pleasure. Brad,
we you know we love you. And Smoky.
Speaker 5 (42:18):
This was great. I appreciate you so welcome.
Speaker 2 (42:20):
Welcome, come back anytime. Uh for the next album? Maybe?
Speaker 5 (42:24):
All right?
Speaker 14 (42:25):
Kay?
Speaker 5 (42:25):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (42:26):
Good, Thank you guys.
Speaker 15 (42:28):
Thank you, And now here's a preview of next week's
Naked Lunch with Rick Springfield.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
You talked about those in between years. There was a
song that once you broke out with Jesse's girl all
of a sudden, a song that is very important I
think in Phil's life because he's the biggest Bruce Springsteen
fan of all the time. The song Bruce came out
of nowhere, and I think it became a hit without
any like help or not. Like they didn't even ask you,
did they They just.
Speaker 6 (42:56):
Out there, it's another record company and they said, oh,
what have we got to? Springfield?
Speaker 5 (43:02):
There?
Speaker 6 (43:02):
We got to you know, I did a couple albums
before that never did anything, and they came and this
was a song I wrote in like, I know, seventy
six when I was to some I'd been to her audition,
right and there was a girl sitting across from me
in the waiting room and like looking at me. I
kind of look away, and I went in and read
and then I was I walk out, she goes Bruce,
(43:24):
and I that spurred the song. I wrote it as
a joke song. I mean, that's you know it says.
My mom called me the other day and I think
I heard her say, Bruce.
Speaker 5 (43:45):
My name is Rick. I'm doing to stick it to you.
Speaker 6 (43:48):
This absolutely a joke song. But I guess because of
the where, you know, where I was with the hits
and everything everything, it became, you know, a top twenty
song or something.
Speaker 1 (44:05):
And did you ever run into Bruce for him? To
give you his did he ever, you know, if Bruce
ever heard it?
Speaker 6 (44:10):
Oh, I have no idea. I have no idea. Bobby Chermside,
who is his? Uh, he lived with Bruce for like
all the early years and be the security guy and everything.
Became my security guy and now one of my closest friends.
And he talked about Bruce now and then, but not
a lot. But he never mentioned that he you know,
there was anything mentioned ever. I mean, I make jokes
(44:32):
about it. But I heard, you know, someone said, yeah,
they're in in a store, you know, like a department store,
and Bruce Springsteen was there, but he was behind him
and he was buying something and the guy, the guy
that cashier looked at his card and then went on
the phone. He said, I have Rick Springfield here. So
(44:56):
it happens, you know, both ways. But I still, I mean,
I still get people saying, oh, mister Springsteen, I loved
you on General Hospital. So they've got the person. They
just get the name.
Speaker 2 (45:06):
They get the name.
Speaker 5 (45:08):
Yeah, I get that.
Speaker 1 (45:09):
Too all the time.
Speaker 15 (45:10):
We got Naked Lunch is a podcast by Phil Rosenthal
and David Wilde. Theme song and music by Brad Paisley,
produced by Will Sterling and Ryan Tillotson, with video editing
by Daniel Ferrara and motion graphics by Ali Ahmed. Executive
produced by Phil Rosenthal, David Wilde, and our consulting journalist
is Pamela Chella. Thanks for listening to Naked Lunch, a
(45:30):
Lucky Bastard's production.
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