902. - Bruce Hornsby

Speaker A: All right, uh, this episode of How Long Gone is brought to you by Stateside with Kai and Carter, a new podcast from The Guardian. And they are using this podcast to slow down the news and wrestle with the questions that we all have about what's happening in the world. And they do it 3 times a week. Jason, does that sound familiar to you? Speaker B: We don't really talk about, you know, a lot of international global news items and climates and cultures and sports and things like that. We do talk about fashion and wellness, but for everything else, Kai and Carter are a great place.

Speaker A: All right, so who couldn't use more news? Listen wherever you get your podcasts or watch on YouTube. Welcome to How Long Gone, the new Gen Z-led progressive content hub from Chris Black and Jason Stewart. How are you? Speaker B: 6'7". 6'7". You guys know that one? Speaker A: How are you, cop mullah? Stewart. How you doing? Speaker B: How you doing over there? Speaker C: Kamala. Speaker B: Yeah, we, what is the, her thing called again? Headquarters 67? Speaker A: Just Kamala HQ, I believe is what it's called.

I'm not sure officially. Speaker B: It's a new show. No, no, no. It morphed from Kamala HQ to Headquarters. Speaker A: Okay. I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was a full rebrand. I thought it was more just a content strategy shift. But I'm glad to see. Wrong. I'm glad. Speaker B: For our listeners at home. Well, we're talking about Kamala Harris. She transformed her Twitter account, TikTok account as well, all of her socials into like a new progressive media platform for Gen Z, and she put 6ix7ine in the name. Speaker B: It's a new show.

No, no, no. It morphed from Kamala HQ to Headquarters. Speaker A: Okay. I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was a full rebrand. I thought it was more just a content strategy shift. But I'm glad to see. Wrong. I'm glad. Speaker B: For our listeners at home. Well, we're talking about Kamala Harris. She transformed her Twitter account, TikTok account as well, all of her socials into like a new progressive media platform for Gen Z, and she put 6ix7ine in the name. Speaker A: Trust me, the people listening to this podcast know about this.

They know about this. They're, they're probably not on our algorithm seeing the, um, sort of taking a second look at AOC's yabos. They're probably not quite, quite as much as maybe you or I are. Speaker B: I'm on a different headquarters. Speaker A: I'm more of a headlights guy, if you know what I'm saying. Speaker B: Oh, that's nice. Not bad, Chris. Speaker A: But yeah, it's been a great morning in politics over here. I'm podcasting from stolen land over here in San Francisco. So it's been a beautiful morning. I watched the sunrise over here in Berkeley, and I was just, you know, I was taking it all in.

Speaker B: Oh yeah, you're in Berkeley. That's right. For the Super Bowl. Speaker A: I didn't know how, I didn't realize, I mean, I knew obviously it was a college town, but I'm like right in the center of of it, I guess. And I have to say, I'm, I'm very proud of the, the community of Berkeley. These crunchy fucking cricket-eating guys over here, they really, um, there's not a lot of corporate businesses over here. It's kind of crazy to walk around a college town and not just to be 14 Jersey Mikes, you know.

I saw one, I saw one Chipotle, it was doing obviously god-tier numbers, but overall it's mostly independent businesses, which is— Speaker B: I don't know if I would say obviously doing god-tier numbers because I think Chipotle is their fate is sort of wavering right now because there's been a big backlash. Speaker A: Yeah, but I don't know if that backlash touches a 19-year-old college student, or maybe that's exactly who it touches. Speaker B: It does. It does though. I mean, that's their core demo and everyone is mad that the prices keep going up and the amount of protein keeps going down.

Speaker A: I think the kids at Berkeley aren't worried about the prices, but I did. Just saying I walked by yesterday and it was quite busy is all I'm saying. Boots on the ground. But I went to Amoeba Records. Yesterday I went to Moe's Books. I really kicked the tires on the local establishments and it felt, felt good, I have to say, because Athens, Georgia used to be like that and now it's sort of corporatized, you know. It's like they've all, all of the stuff, you know, some of the stuff is left, but I would say for the most part it's gone.

Speaker B: Ironic you had to escape to the Bay Area to get away from the corporate world. Speaker A: Honestly, it's so funny. Speaker B: The epicenter of our, or not our country's, our world's corporate life. Speaker A: But anyway, so we're here, we're here, um, we're yet again podcasting. I was, um, I was on a flight yesterday and, uh, you go LAX or Burbank? I had to go to LAX. I had to return my rental car. I thought about this and that was annoying, but I had an interesting, um, moment.

Speaker B: You had your little white, your little white Range Rover, little baby mama. Speaker A: I thought Miami Range Rover, my OnlyFans creator Miami Range Rover. Speaker B: Um, every— you pulled up to the crib yesterday, I thought Lo is here, Lo's kid who got those little skinny legs. So I was like, damn, okay, that's what her legs look like, academics legs. Speaker B: You had your little white, your little white Range Rover, little baby mama. Speaker A: I thought Miami Range Rover, my OnlyFans creator Miami Range Rover. Speaker B: Um, every— you pulled up to the crib yesterday, I thought

Lo is here, Lo's kid who got those little skinny legs. So I was like, damn, okay, that's what her legs look like, academics legs. Speaker A: So I, I, um, I'm in, I get there and I'm like, oh, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna get the upgrade. It's okay. I'm Comfort Plus. It's a 45-minute flight. I sit down in my middle seat in row 10, you know, it's no big deal. Speaker B: And then it's okay. It's okay. Speaker A: Exactly. Speaker B: Okay. No big deal. Speaker A: And then directly in front, you know, cause I'm the first row behind first class and directly in front of me sits down friend of the show, Nikki Bell.

Oh, uh, and I got to say, I got to say there's nobody you want to see less when you're sitting, when you're sitting directly exactly behind them in a lesser class, uh, a lesser class of service on the Delta flight. Um, so we had a great kiki, of course we caught up, it was fine. But I did, I, I could feel the judgment sort of going. Speaker B: Hopefully you sent a cookie back to him or something like that. Speaker A: Like I said, the flight was so short, it would have been, you know, it was fine.

Speaker B: But it can only, I mean, yeah, because like I've been in that situation before where I'm sitting in Comfy Plus or even Premium Select and then somebody is in first and they give you the little, hmm, but I used to think that the worst could be is like somebody that you knew from your past who assumes that you're still broke, but then you can't explain, like, no, it was like, it was full. I'm actually coming back from Milan. It was like a crazy thing and I couldn't get, you know, so you just have, so, but then it's like, what's worse, somebody from your past who is going to look down on you, or somebody, a champion judgmental person, like, well, who, who is more judgmental than, than Nicky Cannon?

Speaker A: Well, the best part about it was that, that he, he sort of immediately was like, ew, why are you back there? Of course. Speaker B: I mean, my next question was like, what, what is the sound that he made upon discovering you? Speaker A: I guess what I'm saying is we, we got it out of the way first, you know what I mean? We got out of the way and then we're able to have a great 20-minute conversation, and it was, but it was funny to— that's the number one person you do and don't want to see in that situation.

Speaker B: Fucking queen. We were hanging out at the, at the chateau and he asked Carolyn if she has a job. Speaker A: That's a compliment to you, I guess. That's a compliment to you. I mean, it's, it's stupid, obviously. And he— Speaker B: I just haven't— I mean, when's the last time you heard somebody ask somebody like a question like that? Speaker A: I, I guess that it's because— Speaker B: I mean, I, I mean, honestly, it's so insane that I, I love it because most people, you know, So what do you do?

Blah, blah, blah. Or they try to find a new way of asking, what do you do? And I know that people are conscious of it and they try to avoid asking that question because it's like a stupid question and we shouldn't judge people based on their career path. Speaker A: I disagree completely. I disagree completely. But sure, go ahead. Speaker B: It's sort of like the worst, you know, most boring question you could do when you're meeting somebody at a party. But then asking somebody, do you have a job? Speaker A: Let me ask you.

Let me ask you a question. What are we supposed to fucking talk about? If I meet somebody new, And we have, what, what am I? So what people are saying is they prefer to make mindless small talk than ask what somebody does, which can instantly tell you what you have in common in some ways. Speaker B: What I'm saying is asking them what their job is, is the epitome of mindless small talk. I mean, people often say, I disagree. Speaker A: I disagree completely. Speaker B: There's an old maxim. The American people ask, what do you do for your job?

And everyone else in the world asks, where are you from? Speaker A: I don't care where you're from. What the fuck does that have to do with, I mean, I'll ask that eventually, but that means nothing to me. To me. That doesn't tell me anything about— when you, when you learn where somebody is, it tells you their grandparents were racist or not. Like, who cares? Speaker B: It tells you a lot of information about their personality. Speaker A: I disagree completely. Speaker B: So have you— we've been out a thousand times and you met somebody and they say, I'm from Atlanta too, and you go nothing, flatline?

Or do you go, oh, where are you from? You from Lil Five Points in Mumble? You know, like, you get to going. You don't get to go, oh, you're from Atlanta, Georgia, where I'm from. Speaker A: Same thing. Speaker B: Boring. Speaker A: Same thing. Speaker B: Which B2B SaaS company do you work for? Oh, that's it. Speaker A: I don't ever talk to anyone that works for a B2B SaaS company, but I see— I just think that that question is not as diabolical as the world makes it out to be.

And I also think most people are, are half paying attention to you. Speaker B: I guess Leifine Black would think that. Speaker A: No, I just don't think— I just can't believe that's considered negative when everyone— all anyone cares about is their job. Like, oh, you're gonna ask what they've been reading lately? Speaker B: No, no. Speaker A: Yeah, like, it's just not really how it works in the first whatever 5 minutes of a conversation. Obviously you can get there. I just don't think that, like, like, I don't know. I just think that's gotten a bad rap.

Speaker B: We need to have a word for folks like you where it's like a poptimist, but instead of pop music, it's asking what do you do for work? Speaker A: I just don't think it's, I just think it's like if somebody asked me that, I don't even think twice about it. I mean, I do think twice because I have to explain to them some convoluted bullshit of all my fake jobs that they won't believe. But I'm saying that like, no, no, no. Speaker B: We need to have a word for folks like you where it's like a poptimist, but instead of pop music, it's asking what do you do for work?

Speaker A: I just don't think it's, I just think it's like if somebody asked me that, I don't even think twice about it. I mean, I do think twice because I have to explain to them some convoluted bullshit of all my fake jobs that they won't believe. But I'm saying that like, no, no, no. Speaker B: You're a founder for a lot of, yeah, exactly. I saw that on TPBB. Speaker A: I think everybody that comes on TPBN is called a founder, just baseline. I think they just sort of bless you with that.

Speaker B: Illegal to be on that if you're not a follower. Speaker A: I got a very interesting email. I got a very interesting email from the Nerds Corporation just before we got on here. Just interested to see if we were wanting to cover their Nerds Super Bowl ad. Speaker C: Okay. Speaker B: So I was just kind of— I saw your text message. Great pitch from Nerds about their SB ad. And I was— I looked at that and my brain was like, I don't have time to figure out what this is.

I'm sorry. Speaker A: Nerds is returning to the big game for the third year in a row. Speaker B: So you were talking I'm talking about Nerds the candy, not just like nerdy people. Speaker A: It gets better. Okay, Andy Cohen is the star. Uh, Taste Buds follows Gummy's glamorous red carpet debut with Andy Cohen as it tastes buds together. They showcase Gummy's mega transformation into something crunchy, gummy, and juicy, mirroring the multi-sensorial experience where Nerds flavors, textures, and senses unite. This is just completely insane. Andy Cohen got $3 million to fucking give me some candy that'll rot my teeth.

This is, I respect everybody involved, really. Speaker B: Okay. Well, I want to know why, you know, back in my day, back in your day as well, Chris, we're of the same generation. Super Bowl commercials, we watched them, drum roll, on the Super Bowl. And now they have debut premieres for Super Bowl commercials. They like roll out early on, on social media, like the new Poppy commercial and Yorgos directed the fucking Enterprise Rent-A-Car commercial with— Speaker A: Yeah, I saw this. Speaker B: Emma Stone, like all this shit. Like what happened to just watching the Super Bowl, debuting it at the thing?

Why are you— we're blowing our load early, guys. Speaker A: I mean, look, bro, you got to have— you got to have the 10-second cutdown, the 30-second cutdown, the minute cutdown for socials. And then you have the 30-second spot on TV. I, I don't know. Speaker B: To me, it's just like a— it's a dark time when we're having like— this is the exclusive debut, Pigeons and Planes debut of the new— Speaker A: Pigeons and Planes debut. That's so sick. Speaker B: Pigeons and Planes, you know, the, the com/@discussingfilms is launching the new, the new Weygovie commercial starring Stunna Girl, directed by, you know, and it's like, what are we doing here, guys?

Speaker A: It's a little, it's a little much. But I guess art has become commerce and commerce has become We no longer— no, there's no, there's no line. Speaker B: We no longer have our— unless it's privately filed by, uh, our winners. Speaker A: Literally just saw that the Black Keys got a Willie Mikkelsen photo for their album cover, so it's a tough day for me. Uh, we have a guest. So sorry, we have a guest today. Uh, oh man, Bruce Hornsby, legendary musician, has a new album coming out, Indigo Park, on April 3rd, produced by another legend, Tony Berg.

But he has worked with everyone, I mean, from, you know, the Grateful Dead and Bon Iver to to Bob Seger, Dylan, Elton John. Um, he played in, uh, the Grateful Dead for a while. He's got his own hits, of course, over the years. Um, he also lives in Virginia. He lives in Virginia. Ain't nothing to do but cook. Uh, so let's, let's, uh, let's tap in with— let's tap in with Vic Bruce. This episode of How Long Gone is brought to you by a new podcast from The Guardian stateside with Kai and Carter.

This is covering a lot of our bases, Jason. It's, uh, it's trying to slow down the news and wrestle with the questions we all have about what's happening in the world. And I know you particularly have quite a lot of questions. Speaker A: It's a little, it's a little much. But I guess art has become commerce and commerce has become We no longer— no, there's no, there's no line. Speaker B: We no longer have our— unless it's privately filed by, uh, our winners. Speaker A: Literally just saw that the Black Keys got a Willie Mikkelsen photo for their album cover, so it's a tough day for me.

Uh, we have a guest. So sorry, we have a guest today. Uh, oh man, Bruce Hornsby, legendary musician, has a new album coming out, Indigo Park, on April 3rd, produced by another legend, Tony Berg. But he has worked with everyone, I mean, from, you know, the Grateful Dead and Bon Iver to to Bob Seger, Dylan, Elton John. Um, he played in, uh, the Grateful Dead for a while. He's got his own hits, of course, over the years. Um, he also lives in Virginia. He lives in Virginia. Ain't nothing to do but cook.

Uh, so let's, let's, uh, let's tap in with— let's tap in with Vic Bruce. This episode of How Long Gone is brought to you by a new podcast from The Guardian stateside with Kai and Carter. This is covering a lot of our bases, Jason. It's, uh, it's trying to slow down the news and wrestle with the questions we all have about what's happening in the world. And I know you particularly have quite a lot of questions. Speaker B: A lot of questions. But how often? Because we do this podcast 3 times a week, and that's a sweet spot.

How many times do they do? Speaker A: 3 times a week. And I, I have a feeling, just based on the platform and these talking points, that they're maybe going to be covering different stuff than we do. that's just a guess. Speaker B: The Guardian is not some billionaire-owned platform. They're not afraid to say what they want to say, brother. Speaker A: 3 times a week. And I, I have a feeling, just based on the platform and these talking points, that they're maybe going to be covering different stuff than we do.

that's just a guess. Speaker B: The Guardian is not some billionaire-owned platform. They're not afraid to say what they want to say, brother. Speaker A: Yeah, Rupert ain't sniffing around in what journalists Kai Wright and Carter Sherman are up to over there at Stateside. But yeah, listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can watch on YouTube. It's 3 times a week. And who couldn't use more news, especially when it's not from here, let's say. Give it a listen. Give it a listen. Every time I go to the doctor, I walk out of that bitch feeling dumb.

I got no real info. This guy in a white coat just say, you're fine, you know, drink more water. Speaker B: He knows how to charge my copay. Speaker C: Exactly. Speaker B: That's about it. Speaker A: As if I could drink more water, doctor. I, I don't get data. I don't get a game plan. I just get a pat on the ass and get out there and make it better. But Superpower is doing something different. Superpower sends a licensed professional to your home or you can visit a nearby lab if you're a little freak.

It's a simple blood draw, one simple blood draw with over 100 biomarkers, which is way more than what you usually get, and it unlocks a real understanding of your body. Uh, their app includes detailed information on your heart, liver, thyroid hormones, metabolism, vitamin, mineral levels, and even environmental toxins. Ooh. So from disease prevention to treating that annoying brain fog or simple optimizing for your gym game— let's go— Superpower is more comprehensive and advanced system out there. Speaker B: Make this year the year we all stop guessing about our health with Superpower.

For a limited time, HowLongGone listeners get $20 off to unlock their new health intelligence. Head over to com and use the code HOWLONG for $20 off your membership. That is code HOWLONG. And after you sign up, they'll ask how you heard about Superpower. Do us a favor if you could and tell them HowLongGone sent you, and that'll just support us. Thanks. Speaker A: Yeah. Speaker C: Well, you guys are ragging about Virginia. Speaker A: No, we love Virginia. Do you have— I don't care. I don't give a fuck. Speaker B: Bruce said, bring it on, bitch.

Okay. Do you have headphones by chance, Bruce? Speaker C: Well, actually, I don't. I mean, I don't know how to plug them into anything that wouldn't make this work. Speaker B: Okay. Speaker C: I told them to tell you that, or I told my guys that, but you didn't get that, unfortunately. Speaker B: Okay. Speaker C: So can you work around that? Speaker B: It'll just make you sound that much worse, but it's your funeral, Bruce? Speaker C: I'm to— I couldn't be more okay with that. Speaker B: Okay. It'll, it'll add hours to my editing schedule this afternoon, but I didn't need to do anything anyways.

I'm just kidding. We'll be fine. You'll just sound like shit. Speaker C: No, but you really didn't have to do anything. That's the truth of that statement. You don't have to do shit. Speaker B: So what do you mean? Speaker C: So, okay. Speaker B: What do you mean? Speaker C: You're, you're, so you're, you're good. You, you, you, you, you're good. Speaker B: You don't know my life, Bruce Hornsby. Speaker C: No, I really, I totally do not. So you got me there. Speaker B: You do. Is that some nice, um, some sound dampening panels behind you?

Speaker C: So, okay. Speaker B: What do you mean? Speaker C: You're, you're, so you're, you're good. You, you, you, you, you're good. Speaker B: You don't know my life, Bruce Hornsby. Speaker C: No, I really, I totally do not. So you got me there. Speaker B: You do. Is that some nice, um, some sound dampening panels behind you? Speaker A: Why? Speaker C: Because I don't sound that bad? I'm hopefully— Speaker B: No, no, I'm, I'm not, I'm not a studio rat like you, but I'm— Speaker C: Oh yeah, this is, this, this is my studio where, where we have such great artifacts as the Lydian chromatic concept of tonal organization.

And I know it well, back from the old, uh, hippie boho jazz days of the '60s at the new— at in Lenox,, in New England Conservatory. We have the comic book of the Buddy Rich tapes. Speaker A: Oh, of course. Who doesn't have that kind of at hand? Speaker C: Pretty beautiful. Speaker B: First edition. Speaker C: I'm up there working my balls off trying to do somebody a favor, and you guys are sucking all over this joint. Well, that is beautiful stuff. We've got Abbie Hoffman's Steal This Book.

Speaker A: Another— actually a classic. Actually, some— Speaker B: finally, the first book you produced that we have heard of. Speaker C: Well, we got a lot of mileage out of this when we were young Mendricks in high school. We, uh, we had fake raffles and, and sold worthless stock, and we, uh, we wrote to, to, as Abby told us to do, we wrote away to record companies telling them that we were a magazine. We actually had a bootleg magazine in our town that we, uh, we produced. It's now, you can now read it at the William Mary College Library's Rare Book Archives.

Speaker A: Well, you made it into the permanent collection over there at William Mary. Speaker C: Well, exactly, which is such a scream because if you saw it, it's a complete load of bollocks is what it is. It's complete, uh, mindlessness. But, uh, we actually— so Warner Brothers and Columbia,, they sent us back, yes, sorry. But Shelter Records, Leon Russell's label— Leon was a hero of mine— Shelter sent us records. So I love telling Leon that later when we became friends, that you were the only guy who sent Zappo Productions some free records.

Speaker A: Zappo Productions does sound incredibly fake, and that's a compliment. Speaker C: Well, yeah, our motto was, if you're worth crap, oh, you'll choose that. Speaker A: That is, that is pretty catchy, I have to say. Speaker B: Okay, well, actually, to our, for our younger listeners, could you sort of describe a little bit about about Steel This Book by Abbie Hoffman and what you guys were doing with it back then? Speaker C: Well, Abbie Hoffman was a guy who was— he was one of the original Yippies, and he and Jerry Rubin were sort of the head Yippies.

They were part of the Chicago Seven. There was a really good movie made about that with Sacha Baron Cohen playing Abbie Hoffman. Speaker B: I didn't know that. Speaker C: They were great rabble-rousers and troublemakers. They were just sort of an eff the system, type of young hippies. I wouldn't say— well, they call themselves yippies. And so that's who Abbie Hoffman was. And he wrote— this was his second book, I think. His first book was called Revolution for the Hell of It. So when we were young miscreants and sinners in high school and even pre-high school, we thought this stuff was a scream.

Speaker B: It's an absolute scream, darling. Yeah. Speaker C: It was. It was. Speaker B: Okay. Is, um, is a Yippie a combination of a yuppie and a hippie? Speaker A: Uh, no, because yuppie came later. Speaker C: Yeah, exactly right. We're talking about late '60s, early '70s. So yuppie was not a term. It had not come into the, uh, the parlance. Speaker B: So then do you know where the Yippie is coming from? Speaker C: You'll have to ask, uh, let's get Abby on the horn. Speaker B: Abby. Speaker C: Yeah.

Yeah. That's, yeah. You're right. As successors to the Hoffman family fortune. Speaker B: Okay, so like Chris and I, our generation, our version of, of that book was maybe like The Anarchist Cookbook. So this was sort of the, the predecessor to that, maybe less revolutionary and illegal, perhaps more rabble-rousy. Speaker C: Well, another great one that we, that we, uh, we used out of Steele's book was it told you how, how to become a preacher. For a dollar. And this was legitimate. It was called the Universal Life Church. And it's still— Speaker A: oh yeah, that's what people do to get ordained to marry people.

Speaker C: People still do that. You write away to the Universal Life Church and you pay probably more than a dollar 50 years later. But we did it and we still have our Reverend, our Reverend card. Speaker A: Bruce, I'm looking in— I'm looking to get into the, the church racket because I feel like— well, there you go, the money is good, you know. The money is really good if you do it right. Speaker C: Per session, per, per wedding, a couple hundred bucks. Speaker A: First, I was thinking, I was thinking more starting my own megachurch and getting my tithes.

Speaker C: Yeah, well, good luck with that. And so you are, are you Jason? Speaker C: Per session, per, per wedding, a couple hundred bucks. Speaker A: First, I was thinking, I was thinking more starting my own megachurch and getting my tithes. Speaker C: Yeah, well, good luck with that. And so you are, are you Jason? Speaker A: I'm Chris. I'm Chris. Speaker C: You're Chris and you're Jason here. Okay. Yeah. I'm trying to get this straight. I'm at a loss here, fellas. Speaker B: That's all good. That's all good.

We're figuring it out. We're going to get there. Speaker A: You're at, you're at home. You're in, you're in Virginia. Speaker C: Yes. I'm in my studio where we work. Speaker B: Okay. Speaker A: What is the, what are your number one? What, why have you stayed in Virginia? You just like it? Speaker C: Well, I lived in LA for 10 years. I moved out there from '80 to '90, and I was fortunate. I got what I went there for and got the help I needed. Speaker A: I bet you did.

1980 LA, oh baby. Speaker C: Well, no, it wasn't nearly as sort of let the games begin. Speaker B: It was a little after the heyday, which is the pre-AIDS, mid-Coke of the late '70s into the early '80s. That was the heyday. Speaker C: It was after all that. I got there during the new wave era with the funny clothes and the sort of punky ish, but more pop punk. Speaker B: The flocks of seagulls and things of that nature. Speaker C: Exactly right. Speaker A: Okay. Speaker C: I always thought a great Jewish band would be the Flock of Seagulls.

Speaker A: Don't do that, because you know, you know, Jason, Jason Siegel is listening and he's going to get that going. Well, I love, I love Jason Siegel, so that's a freebie from Bruce to him. Speaker A: Okay. Speaker C: I always thought a great Jewish band would be the Flock of Seagulls. Speaker A: Don't do that, because you know, you know, Jason, Jason Siegel is listening and he's going to get that going. Well, I love, I love Jason Siegel, so that's a freebie from Bruce to him. Speaker B: Flock of Seagulls is pretty good, Bruce.

Yeah, it is good. Speaker C: It is It's just fun. You know, I had to say it is. Speaker B: The more I sit with it, the— Speaker C: it's just fun. Speaker A: It's just something fun, you know? Speaker B: It's like a glass of wine. At the first sip, you're like, okay, it's good. And then, you know, 45 seconds later, oof. Speaker C: Look, I have an 8th grade sense of humor and I retain it. So that's it for me. Speaker B: Welcome home, brother. Welcome home. Speaker C: Jason Segel could be the lead singer of the Flamingo.

Speaker B: Yeah. Speaker A: Principal songwriter, musical director. Speaker B: All of the above. So you were originally born and raised in Virginia. Then we bopped— you went to Berkeley School, you went down to Miami for a little bit, LA for the new wave era. Speaker C: 10 years. Speaker B: For 10 years. Speaker C: Right. Speaker B: And then after that, from 1990 on, back to Virginia. Speaker C: My next move is into a pine box, my friend. Speaker B: Sure. Speaker A: Well, it looks like you have a pine box behind you.

That's what I was worried about. Speaker C: Well, this is— whichever one of you guys said this is an acoustical construction, that's exactly what it is. It's a studio. I couldn't tell you the acoustical properties that that enhances. I don't, I don't know from that. Speaker A: You don't know? Speaker B: I mean, I feel like you should know that, Bruce. Speaker A: You don't know? Speaker B: I mean, I feel like you should know that, Bruce. Speaker C: No, no. Rock of Seagulls will know that, but I wouldn't know it.

Speaker B: I'm, I'm gonna guess that's a called a bass trap. Get those, get those low frequencies that are floating around in the room taken care of. Speaker C: Okay. That's a solid guess. Seems right. Speaker B: It's not like, I just, I, but we always love podcasting with people in who are like legendary musicians, audiophiles with million-dollar studio setups. And then we're in the room with just, you know, Neve consoles and Neumann mics. And then it's, yeah, talking to an old guy on an iPad every time. No headphones, no mic, no nothing.

I just love the juxtaposition of high and low, high and low. Speaker C: Yeah, I apologize for all of my shortcomings. Speaker B: Don't apologize. No, no, this is all good. Speaker A: No, you're doing fine. You're doing much better. You're doing much better Yes. So, all right, so when you're— all right, when you're living in LA in the '80s, what kind of car are we driving? Where are we living? Speaker B: Were you in the Valley? Speaker A: Were you— Speaker B: were you on the other side of the hill?

Speaker C: Yes, I was in the Valley. Uh, I was a station wagon guy, and here's why. Uh, I was a keyboard player, so I needed to load my big, big-ass heavy, uh, Fender Rhodes electric piano, of course, and, and the— and a little amp to play, either play a gig or do a studio session in Hollywood or wherever in that Valley Could have been any of the areas. So yeah, I drove an old '98 station wagon with the wood panels on the side and had that for years until I moved back home.

I've still— but I still drive the automotive version of schmata, you know. I still drive just— I have a 20-year-old Toyota Highlander, one of the early hybrid cars, and still have it. It's just an old jalopy now, but that's, that's what I like. I don't care. So that's what I drove. Speaker B: Okay. Speaker C: In LA. Speaker B: So you've always been a cocksure car owner is what it sounds like. Speaker A: That's nice. Speaker C: And just pragmatic, man. Just, I got— I'm a keyboard player, has a scent to drag his roads around.

I can't put that in a Maserati. Speaker B: Yeah, but you know, when, when we started getting that Tupac money, we didn't start going on com. That works, you know. Speaker A: That's a, that's a different era. Speaker C: But no, And frankly, when I got the cassette in the mail from the Shakur Foundation in 1997, about a year or so after he'd been assassinated, I got that from the post office driving another station wagon. So, I mean— Speaker B: I love a station wagon as well. Speaker A: So you're a practical guy, but I know you— Speaker C: Well, I just don't care about— I just keep my head in the clouds.

I love what I do. I'm very lucky, uh, what I— so, so right. The rest of it doesn't mean anything to me. I'm not interested in all that. I just don't care. So kind of, kind of dull, really. Speaker A: No, I'm— no, that's a— that's an incredible quality to have because it's more interesting to us. I think I'm good because I don't like watches, you know what I mean? But you're saying fuck all of it. Speaker C: Well, pretty much. It just doesn't enter my mind. It enters my consciousness, you know?

Speaker A: Okay. Do you have a— do you have a wife, Bruce? Speaker C: Yes, I do. Speaker A: I bet it enters her mind occasionally. Speaker C: She's not that butt big for— she's, she's more interested in that sort of thing than I am, but not really, not match made in heaven. Overly so. Speaker B: But if you, I mean, you guys are out in the sticks in, in Virginia, you know, we're spending money on the nice lawn mower, you know, like it's not necessarily, if we're gonna take the helicopter from the airport, we're spending money on our old high school friend who mows lawns for a living.

Okay. Okay. Speaker A: I bet it enters her mind occasionally. Speaker C: She's not that butt big for— she's, she's more interested in that sort of thing than I am, but not really, not match made in heaven. Overly so. Speaker B: But if you, I mean, you guys are out in the sticks in, in Virginia, you know, we're spending money on the nice lawn mower, you know, like it's not necessarily, if we're gonna take the helicopter from the airport, we're spending money on our old high school friend who mows lawns for a living.

Okay. Okay. Speaker A: You're living a country lifestyle to the point where a high school kid is cutting your grass. Speaker C: No, no. Oh, a former high school friend. Speaker A: Oh wow, even better. Okay, so you're really ingratiated in this community. Speaker C: Well, that's where I grew up, so I have a lot of old-timey friends, and some of them are still working in their dotage like me. And so, right, that's how it works. So no fancy lawnmower, just a good old-time, unfancy a great friend who could use it.

Sure, sure, you could use the word. Yeah. Speaker A: So what's the, what's the day-to-day looking like in Virginia? You up at 5 puttering around? Speaker C: These, you know, these are new questions for me. I, I, it's fun, it's fun, it's different. I'm knowing that nobody asked me about— Speaker B: we're not, we're not here to talk about 7th, 9th, 13th major notes and, uh, 7/16 chord structures, okay? Speaker C: I know all about that, but what was this last question? Sounds more interesting. Speaker A: I'm saying, what's the, what's the time?

Are you up at 5 kind of puttering around with your coffee? Speaker B: We want the horns What would be morning routine when you're waking up, what you're putting in your java, what's for breakfast, taking the dog out for a piss, all that stuff? Speaker C: I know all about that, but what was this last question? Sounds more interesting. Speaker A: I'm saying, what's the, what's the time? Are you up at 5 kind of puttering around with your coffee? Speaker B: We want the horns What would be morning routine when you're waking up, what you're putting in your java, what's for breakfast, taking the dog out for a piss, all that stuff?

Speaker C: Okay, well, this is not really a funny answer. There's no comedy in it, but I don't sleep well. I'm always obsessing over what I'm doing. Speaker A: Yeah, can't turn the mind off. Speaker C: Yeah, I can't turn it off, which is beautiful and a pain in the ass at the same time. So at 5 in the morning, I'm likely to be up, but I will always try to go back I, I get up in the 7s or early 8s generally. Speaker B: Uh, are you talking about on Pitchfork or on the, on the clock?

Speaker A: Review you're hoping for, for your new album? Speaker C: I think you mean Pitchfork ratings of albums, 7s and 8s. Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. I'm in the 7s and 8s usually, not a big deal. Speaker C: Well, that's actually true for me. There we go. Speaker B: Hey, hey, ask Bonnie Vare. I about Pitchfork Best New Music. Speaker A: Stone on them, Bruce. Stone on them. Speaker C: Okay, what about, what about Bon Iver? What about— Speaker B: we're gonna get into Bone. He's, he's a dear friend of ours.

Speaker C: Okay, so, oh great. Speaker B: Okay, so when you're up at 5 in the morning, you go to bed, you have a little ice cream, a little, you know, watch Seinfeld, whatever it is, you wake up at 5, and what is rushing through your head? Like, I need to finish that saxophone part, or this, the, the pads on the synth line need a different preset, or is it something, something else? Speaker C: Well, that sort of thing, but not anything quite that of quotidian or anecdotal. It's not— it's not— it's more, is this lyric terrible?

Or is this— or is this vocal that I— is, is, is this good enough? It's more— my life is kind of about keeping the self-loathing at bay. Speaker C: Well, that sort of thing, but not anything quite that of quotidian or anecdotal. It's not— it's not— it's more, is this lyric terrible? Or is this— or is this vocal that I— is, is, is this good enough? It's more— my life is kind of about keeping the self-loathing at bay. Speaker B: Okay. Speaker C: And so, so I'm often going, yeah, maybe not, you know, maybe that sucks.

Speaker B: Or are you, are you looking for a consigliere or a confidant to run some of these questions by? I mean, your wife, uh, your wife's name is Kathy, right? Speaker C: Yeah, she's a good, good confidant, good consigliere. But I have lot— I've not lots, but I have several friends in town, very bright people, knowledgeable people who, whom I trust. And so I will, if I think some— that I've created something that has some worth, I want to get a bounce and, and get bounce it off some people.

Speaker A: How do you feel about— how do you you— how do you accept— I mean, you've been doing this for a long time, so I feel like you've learned, but have you always been able to accept feedback, negative or positive, from a, you know, from a friend or a coworker? Speaker C: Mostly it's, it's self-inflicted or self-realized. And here's what I mean by that. There's a real phenomenon called hearing music through other people's ears. Okay, so say I come up with some idea on my own and I flesh it out and I record it when I feel like it's really there there.

I, I'm lucky I can give myself chills with what I play sometimes, and that's hard. That's, that's, that's hard to do. But you can't force chills. So when you get them, that's telling you something, that something special is going on. So when that happens— now, there are other times where I write songs and my aim is not to inspire chills. It's— my aim might be to write something funny, an attempt at— sure, an attempt at humor. So it's a different, a different type of, uh, of approach. So So, so say I've recorded said song and it's still kind of giving me chills, and now I've heard the thing about 70, 80 times plus.

So that's still pretty good. If you're still getting them, that's, that's a good test. That's one good test to try to have to pass. So then I'll go and find a friend and say, hey, let me run this by you. And whatever they say, okay, so This has happened, unfortunately, but it's revelatory. Unfortunately, I'll play this thing that I think is really good that I've heard only on my own to this person, and I can tell that it's not really getting them. And I go, whoa, okay. So they might say, they might gush and go, wow, it's, you know, they may be being nice.

I can't necessarily trust that. So I mostly trust because my antenna is way up for this and I've been doing it for a long time. And so, so then, yeah, I'll say thanks for your feedback, even if they thought it was great. That's not, that's not the test. That's not passing the test. The test is how it makes me feel because I'm very sensitive to it. And I could be wrong. They may be just sitting there glumly with it, not bobbing, not moving at all. And then, and really feel it.

Speaker B: So, okay, I just want to— I, I just hope that your first inclination is not going towards, oh, they hate it. I just, you know, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, I'm not— Speaker C: no, I'm not— okay, I'm not self-loving enough to just expect that or even hope for that. Speaker B: So you're— so you're more of like a lie detector test when you play them the song, you think it's good, and whether they say yes or no, you could see it in their eyes whether, you know, how they really feel about it.

Speaker C: Well, all I can say truthfully is I think I You know, I'm not sure about that. Speaker B: Well, I think you can. What is the ratio of like for the new album? Let's say there's what, 12 songs or something like that? How many of those? There's 10 songs. Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. Speaker B: Nice round number. How many of those are chills worthy, chills giving songs? Speaker A: Okay. Speaker C: Okay. 1 is, 2 is, 3 is not trying to be, 4 is, 5 is not trying to be, 6 is definitely not trying to be.

It's pretty out. Uh, Seven is a chill song. It's a dulcimer, old folky, old-time folky song. Sometimes the simplest songs are the ones that give you chills. They're more complex. Speaker A: I would agree as the listener. I would agree as a listener. Speaker C: So, but sometimes I have an interest in, in, in making a sound I haven't heard before, and so that's hard to do. So it'll lead me into some very dissonant chromatic, you know, not just you, not just using the white notes like almost all pop, popular music deals in white note, white note music using the whole chromatic scale.

Speaker B: We're talking about the piano keys, not Caucasian people, just to be clear. Speaker B: We're talking about the piano keys, not Caucasian people, just to be clear. Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, white keys, black keys, right? Yes, yes, yes, yes, like the group The Black Keys, right? Couple of white— Speaker A: I wondered where— Speaker B: I was wondering, Black Keys, couple of white guys. I just think that's funny. Speaker C: It's a good name for a band. Speaker A: It is a good name for a band. Speaker B: Unfortunately, they should be using a few more black keys with a name like The Black Keys though, am I right, Bruce?

It's a little too Ford F-150 if you ask me. Speaker C: I'm a little uninformed about the black keys. I, I hope you're better off. Speaker B: Probably for the better. Better off. For the better. Speaker C: No shit. I hope they've used the black notes because that would make me more interested because I've— at my— in my dotage here, I'm, uh, I've kind of heard a lot of that in my life and so I'm kind of a little over that. Not completely because again, the ones that tend to give me chills tend to be the simpler things, but, but I sometimes again want to try to make a sound I haven't heard before, write up— write on a subject matter level lyrics that I haven't heard anyone deal with.

You know, we wrote a song about cryogenics, I wrote a song about echolocation, you know, blah blah blah. So, uh, yeah, catch up, catch up. Speaker A: Sorry, sorry. Speaker B: I mean, I didn't know that you— they had medical marijuana out there in Virginia. You're writing some kind of heady stuff over there. This one's about about echolocation and cryogenics. Speaker A: That's very heady, I have to say. That is very heady. Speaker C: Well, but you can take it into a real goofy, goofy place. At least cryonics or cryogenics, you could say this song is about Ted Williams freezing in a vault somewhere outside Phoenix, you know.

So because he's, you know, he's doing that. He's sure he's hoping to come back in 100 years when they figured this out. Speaker A: Sorry, sorry. Speaker B: I mean, I didn't know that you— they had medical marijuana out there in Virginia. You're writing some kind of heady stuff over there. This one's about about echolocation and cryogenics. Speaker A: That's very heady, I have to say. That is very heady. Speaker C: Well, but you can take it into a real goofy, goofy place. At least cryonics or cryogenics, you could say this song is about Ted Williams freezing in a vault somewhere outside Phoenix, you know.

So because he's, you know, he's doing that. He's sure he's hoping to come back in 100 years when they figured this out. Speaker A: So, you know, I'm happy. I'm, you know, I'm good with dying. I think I'm fine. I don't need, you know, if I can do 80, 85, I'm good. 85 good ones. I'm happy. I'm out. Speaker C: It's a good run. Speaker A: It's a good run. That's what I'm saying. I don't, I don't, this obsession. Speaker B: But also what do you think about, I mean, I live in Los Angeles, so there's a lot of people who have the cryogenic chambers where they're not being frozen, but you know, the air is being changed.

So they're okay with living. Yeah. Speaker C: It's a hell. Speaker B: They're going to die a pretty 85 versus a wrinkly and tattered and torn 85. Speaker C: So whatever. Whatever they like. There's Raymond Kurzweil, who's— his whole trip called the singularity. Yeah, he's into all of this. And hey, good luck to Ray. I like his— I like what— I like his electronic keyboards. Speaker B: Kurzweil, is there a keyboard to I Want to Live Forever pipeline? Are there any other people who are, you know— are you like that?

Speaker C: Uh, no, I'm not. I'm not dealing with life in cosmic way. Uh, I'm interested in it. I find it— sure, I find it fascinating. That's why I'll write a song about it. Speaker B: Kurzweil, is there a keyboard to I Want to Live Forever pipeline? Are there any other people who are, you know— are you like that? Speaker C: Uh, no, I'm not. I'm not dealing with life in cosmic way. Uh, I'm interested in it. I find it— sure, I find it fascinating. That's why I'll write a song about it.

Speaker B: Sure. Speaker A: What do you do? What are you doing to take care of yourself though? Speaker C: Let's see. Well, I just read an article in the New York Times Science Times. Every Tuesday, the New York Times is such a resource, and every Tuesday they print the Science Times, which is fantastic. And they have sort of a wellness section back in the last couple of pages. And this past week or last week, there was an article about olive oil and telling, detailing the great properties, the benefits, and no high in calories, deleterious ones.

And so, well, that's right. So it tells you the smartest amount to use per day. But with all these great, again, properties, I said, well, I'm going to do that. So in the last week and a half, we'll see if I stick with it. Speaker A: You've upped it. Speaker C: Well, I've never been a big olive oil guy, but I'm going to try it out. So stuff like that, I'll read. Speaker A: I like that. So you're willing to experiment. Do we have an exercise regimen over there? Speaker C: I'm a walker.

I used to be a bit of a trotter, but at age 59, which is a good while ago, So I got tired. I kept getting bursitis in my left foot and I got tired of limping through airports and on and off stages. So I became a walker and I've never had a bit of problem. So yeah, I'm an old-time walker. Speaker A: You've upped it. Speaker C: Well, I've never been a big olive oil guy, but I'm going to try it out. So stuff like that, I'll read. Speaker A: I like that.

So you're willing to experiment. Do we have an exercise regimen over there? Speaker C: I'm a walker. I used to be a bit of a trotter, but at age 59, which is a good while ago, So I got tired. I kept getting bursitis in my left foot and I got tired of limping through airports and on and off stages. So I became a walker and I've never had a bit of problem. So yeah, I'm an old-time walker. Speaker A: Do we keep the walking on property or are we going out?

Speaker C: Oh no, going out. Williamsburg's a nice place to walk. Yeah. Speaker B: Are you strapping on the Chuck Taylors or we have some newfangled fancy boy shoes? Shoes. We got some— Speaker A: that's my question. Which HOKAs are you wearing? Which HOKAs are you wearing? Speaker C: I don't think Chuck Taylors are great walking shoes. I love— Speaker B: I love— when you were a kid, they were, but they're not. Speaker A: They're not. Speaker C: Yeah, but right, talk about no support. But Chuck Taylors, they endure on a fashion level.

They still do. I know it came hip in the '90s for young hipsters to wear the Chucks, but it seems like it's still kind of— definitely kind of in vogue. So yeah, let it go. Speaker B: They'll never die. They'll never— Speaker A: did you wear them to play basketball at one point in your life? Speaker C: Yes, I did. Yeah, that's wild. We thought we were high cotton when we got the, the Converse All-Stars with the stars here. Uh, oh yeah, there's some hilarious pictures of old big bony ass playing high school ball.

I have a beautiful picture. I played in a great league, a real ghetto hood league called the Peninsula District. It's Allen Iverson played in this league. Speaker B: They'll never die. They'll never— Speaker A: did you wear them to play basketball at one point in your life? Speaker C: Yes, I did. Yeah, that's wild. We thought we were high cotton when we got the, the Converse All-Stars with the stars here. Uh, oh yeah, there's some hilarious pictures of old big bony ass playing high school ball. I have a beautiful picture.

I played in a great league, a real ghetto hood league called the Peninsula District. It's Allen Iverson played in this league. Speaker A: Yeah. Speaker C: Michael Vick played in this league. So it was no joke. All right. Speaker A: Well, no dogs allowed. Speaker B: So AI, Mike Vick, and old bony ass come through on the pick 3. Let's go. Speaker C: Yeah. Bony ass was in the mix, but I could hang a bit with the fellas. Speaker B: Oh, I mean, That's not— well, I mean, there is— this is a good segue to tee you up for the infamous rumor that I've heard that you have defeated Allen Iverson at 3 games of one-on-one basketball.

Speaker A: Bruce, I'm going to listen to you lie about this, but Bruce, what was it? Speaker C: What was— Speaker A: how old were you when you were— when you were hooping with the fellow? Speaker B: The picture— set the scene. Speaker C: Well, I'm not going to talk about the Iverson because you've already— you're— you've rendered your verdict on it. So no, no, no, I need to hear it. Speaker A: I would love to hear it from the horse's mouth. Speaker C: Never talk about it because it just sounds— Speaker B: pretend that Chris is not even here.

Put your hand over his little square. Speaker C: No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You guys have made your bed. I'm good. Speaker A: I would love to hear it from the horse's mouth. Speaker C: Never talk about it because it just sounds— Speaker B: pretend that Chris is not even here. Put your hand over his little square. Speaker C: No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You guys have made your bed. I'm good. Speaker B: Uh, no, no, please, please, Bruce, please. Speaker A: This episode of How Long Gone is brought to you by our best friends at BetterHelp.

Jason, we're deep into May, which is, uh, Mental Health Awareness Month, and this is just a reminder that whatever you're going through you don't have to go through it alone. Life is a damn journey. Some days feel good and others feel overwhelming. Whatever's keeping you up at night, it's easy to feel like you have to figure it all out on your own, but the truth is no one has all the answers. Well, and no journey should be alone. Having someone with you to listen, to understand, and to support you can really make all the difference.

Speaker B: I agree, Chris. And sometimes, you know, it's nice to be talking to somebody even if they're not even listening, even if you don't even get to be in the same room with them, because what you're doing is you're admitting these things to yourself, and that's the most— that's the most rewarding thing you can do sometimes. So you can have a great little therapy sesh with your perfect therapist at BetterHelp, choosing between over 30,000 people so you can get the right one just for you. Over 6 million people globally are using it, and, you know, have some breakthroughs.

Go on that walk after your BetterHelp sesh, you know, whatever it might be. Get a nice little lunch all for yourself. Maybe a non-alcoholic kombucha, and just think and be like, damn, I really am him. You don't have to be on this journey alone. Find support and have somebody with you in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off at com/howlong. That is com/howlong. Speaker A: Your summer starts now with Memorial Day deals at The Home Depot. It's time to fire up summer cookout out with the Nexgrill 4-burner gas grill on special buy for only $199.

And entertain all season with the Hampton Bay West Grove 7-piece outdoor dining set for only $499. This Memorial Day, get low prices guaranteed at The Home Depot. While supplies last. Pricing valid May 14th through May 27th. US only. Exclusions apply. See com/pricematch for details. Speaker B: When, when you, when you and Allen Iverson played one-on-one, son? Speaker C: Yeah. Okay. I was 38 and he was 18, 19. Speaker B: Yeah. Speaker C: Bubba Chuck, as we call him. Chuck is— if I saw him, if you and I were out in Hampton and we ran into Chuck, that's what he would— that's what I would say.

Speaker B: Oh, really? Speaker A: You've been a basketball lover though since you were a child. This is like your other passion, correct? Speaker C: Well, I have lots of passions. I'm an inveterate reader. I'm so deeply involved in oh, the literary fiction world. I know it sounds snobbish and all, and it is. I am a snob. Speaker B: But— Speaker A: but welcome home, welcome home, brother, welcome home. Speaker C: So not just— not just hoops, and I love that, it's all fine. But as I— as I get older, less— I'm less involved with that and more interested in the, uh, yeah, the amazingly, uh, uh, inspiring, great writing.

So— so there's that. But— but that's not fun. We'll go back to fun. Speaker B: No, it's kind of— I mean, it's interesting because like people will always be writing interesting, you know, nonfiction or fictional novels. So there's always going to be so much amazing things to read. But your version of basketball in the NBA when it was your heyday, as time progresses, it only gets worse with the rules and regulations and leagues and commercial breaks. And, you know, like the game of, you know, any professional sport from when you were a child to now has sort of been been, you know, kind of ruined with all the hoopla.

Speaker B: No, it's kind of— I mean, it's interesting because like people will always be writing interesting, you know, nonfiction or fictional novels. So there's always going to be so much amazing things to read. But your version of basketball in the NBA when it was your heyday, as time progresses, it only gets worse with the rules and regulations and leagues and commercial breaks. And, you know, like the game of, you know, any professional sport from when you were a child to now has sort of been been, you know, kind of ruined with all the hoopla.

Speaker C: Okay, so you're an old head. You're the good old days kind of guy. Okay, so I'm not quite with that. I think the skill level of today is off the charts compared to the old days. If you look at an old hoops game, and I know a lot of people will just hate this and just go, oh, you're full of shit. You don't know. Just stick to the piano. So whatever. Have a ball with that. Speaker B: Hey, fuck those people. Speaker C: But, but, but, uh, just take the shoot— the level of shooting ability now.

You know, Steph Curry has changed the game, and a lot of people think it's for the worse because, oh, it's boring now and no threes, and why not shoot the mid-range? And I'm with that. I think mid-range is, is undervalued. Speaker B: Yeah. Speaker C: Okay, you have to understand, guys, I'm really involved in all this because of my son. You know about my son Keith? Speaker A: He played correct? Speaker C: My, my oldest son, by one minute, is— he's— he, he played at LSU. He was a second-team All-SEC.

He got a cup of coffee with the Mavericks in training camp, played 3 years in the D-League, and then 5 years overseas. And now he's back to his, his old school. He's a grad assistant at LSU. Speaker B: Yeah. Speaker C: Okay, you have to understand, guys, I'm really involved in all this because of my son. You know about my son Keith? Speaker A: He played correct? Speaker C: My, my oldest son, by one minute, is— he's— he, he played at LSU. He was a second-team All-SEC. He got a cup of coffee with the Mavericks in training camp, played 3 years in the D-League, and then 5 years overseas.

And now he's back to his, his old school. He's a grad assistant at LSU. Speaker B: Nice. Speaker C: So, so I'm immersed with this because of him. Uh, you know, the whole NIL, it's just so Okay, so you're saying everything was better? Speaker B: Well, I'm not saying everything was better. I'm just saying, obviously, skill, gameplay, you know, the fitness level, it's gone off the charts. It's amazing. I'm more complaining about, you know, the flopping, the fake fouls, the— and like you said, every— you know, it's just a 3-point contest.

No one's going, no one's driving in. No, it's just 3-point, fake foul, timeout, commercial break, this, you know, the the energy is not what it used to be for me. Speaker C: Well, well, okay, the energy. I was with you until you said the energy, because here's what the NBA— the NBA season has always been way too long. And so because of that, when I was, when I was younger, say '70s, '80s, I didn't care about the regular season because we thought they were just kind of country clubbing it out.

They're just going through the motions. And of course the players will go, hey, what do you know? And of course you're right. I'm a musician. So you're right, I don't know anything, but you've asked me about this and I'm playing devil's advocate because I think there's some truth to what I was saying in that I love the playoffs when I was in those years, '70s, '80s, when I followed it because man, they're going after it and now they're really guarding. It just didn't feel that way. What I'm saying is it's a standard at.

But it's not new. See, you're saying it as if it's new. This was always— this has always been something that's been thought of. And as I'm sure you know as well, there are a lot of people who've been trying for years to shorten the season, make it 60 games and not 4 rounds of playoffs. So just tighten it up. But it'll never happen because of money. And I understand all of that. It all makes sense. Now, the crazy new wrinkle, of course, now is, uh, college basketball, where, for instance, my son played in Europe, uh, 5 years, and the money over there.

Now you got people who are, who are playing at a very high level over in Europe, they're coming back here and being— and they're being allowed to play in college where they're making 3 times the money often that they were making playing high-level European basketball. So now that's really— Speaker A: that's something. It's an American game. What can you say? Speaker C: No, you're right. Soccer is king there. Speaker A: Yeah, but by a mile. Speaker B: But it is ironic that the college athlete, the 18-year-old college athletes are getting paid 5x of the Lithuanian Michael Jordan or whatever.

Speaker C: Exactly. Speaker A: You're down, right? So are you down with college players getting paid? I am. I think if they're going to exploit— use their image and stuff, you know. Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. They should have always been paid because somebody was making a killing on this. Speaker B: Yes, yes. Speaker C: And let's face it, people were cheating their asses off from the '60s on, at least the '60s on. I'm not naming names, but we— but, but we— but everyone knows these names. I think everyone who actually follows it just a little bit knows who some, at least some of the real cheaters were were back in the '60s and '70s.

We know Moses Malone from up in Petersburg, Virginia— was— we know that he was getting— going to get paid a lot of money had he gone to Maryland and not, not gone to the ABA. So, uh, I think the player— so, so I guess what I'm saying in a long-winded fashion is that players are being paid. Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure. Speaker C: And have been for years. Speaker B: I know. I think it's— I think it's a good thing. I think it's a good thing to also sort sort of encourage them to at least just go do the 4 years of college instead of going straight from high school into the pros, which a lot of people can do.

And, you know, but I feel like it sort of can mess you up later on in life with just like, you know, administrative and business and life experience lessons and things like that, you know what I mean? Speaker B: I know. I think it's— I think it's a good thing. I think it's a good thing to also sort sort of encourage them to at least just go do the 4 years of college instead of going straight from high school into the pros, which a lot of people can do. And, you know, but I feel like it sort of can mess you up later on in life with just like, you know, administrative and business and life experience lessons and things like that, you know what I mean?

Speaker C: Well, but the other side of that is this, and this has always been the case. A lot of kids did not grow up in an environment where academic achievement and intellectual curiosity was a prized thing, was a prized idea. And so, so, so a lot of these kids can't go— they go to college, they're not ready academically for college. They have no shot at it. So they're just trying to get through, and the, the schools are trying to run them through. And that's always been the case. And it's still the case.

And look, we know this firsthand. We know it really well. This is not me just reading the paper or watching somebody talk about it. We've seen this so much in AAU. He came up through the Boo Williams program in Hampton, legendary program. My son Keith was in the Boo program from age 10 to— Hey, you guys just froze up, by the way. Oh no, maybe Maybe not. Okay. So anyway, we're good. So that's always been a problem and I don't know how that changes. It's the same in football, track. So I guess you'd say that I'm a little mixed.

I'm sort of in the middle about all this. I think there are lots of good things that are happening. Obviously, I think that the kids should have been paid for years. Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Speaker C: Now, it was all cheating was rampant. Now cheating's legal, so it doesn't matter. So it's not cheating 'cause it's legal. Speaker A: Yeah, it's better to make it legal. You know what I mean? It makes everything a little easier for everybody. Speaker C: Well, it just is. Look, my son played at Oak Hill in high school, you know, the vaunted venue for years for high school basketball.

He played his junior, senior year there. And there's just a lot of crazy stuff going on with the coaches coming in and parents talking in the stands and you're overhearing this and you're going, wow, okay, is this what really happens? You know, so look, we really have walked the walk. Speaker A: Well, okay, so what's the, so you got no kids that are musicians or are they hobbyists at least? Speaker C: They love music. They're really interested. They really like what I do. And that's just beautiful that my two sons, I have twin sons, one minute apart.

One, uh, one was a baller, one was a runner at Oregon, the great— so I was a Duck dad and a Tiger dad. It's great fun in those years. Speaker A: All right, so you're— yeah, all right, so your kids are— your kids are athletes and they think it's cool that Dad does his little music thing? Speaker C: They really do. Yeah, they, they really do. Speaker B: What more could you ask for, Bruce? Speaker A: I mean, how could you not? No, it's cool. Speaker C: Oh, it's all beautiful.

I'm really fortunate. Look, we didn't take I've never taken myself that seriously, as you can probably tell. I take some things deeply seriously, but mostly it's about frivolity and having a laugh. And that's the way I raised our boys. Luckily, we had the mom who was a bit more of a disciplinarian. Speaker B: What more could you ask for, Bruce? Speaker A: I mean, how could you not? No, it's cool. Speaker C: Oh, it's all beautiful. I'm really fortunate. Look, we didn't take I've never taken myself that seriously, as you can probably tell.

I take some things deeply seriously, but mostly it's about frivolity and having a laugh. And that's the way I raised our boys. Luckily, we had the mom who was a bit more of a disciplinarian. Speaker A: But somebody's got to crack— somebody's got to crack— Speaker B: the three of you needed her, though. Speaker C: I'm saying, I'm saying the good thing we had— Speaker A: did you bring them? Did you at any point, did you have like the whole family on tour situation in the bus? Speaker C: No, not really.

No, it was boring for them. It's boring for my wife Kathy. Just can't stand it. Speaker A: Yeah, Kathy, Kathy doesn't want to be— yeah, in a bus underneath an arena somewhere, you know, looking for food. Speaker C: Well, it's boring for me. It's boring for me, and I'm the one who gets to play. I have the 2, 2 or 3 hours that where it's kind of— you can be euphoric, and that's why you do it. Speaker A: When is the last time you did a full tour? Speaker C: Oh, last, last year.

Well, you do— Speaker A: you, you're pretty consistent. Speaker C: Pretty consistent. Yeah, 2024 and '23 and '22 and not, not '20 and '21 because of COVID Sure. 19, 18. But I still did a good number of solo concerts, just me and a piano. This is, this is the band. My left hand is the band. Speaker B: Sure. Speaker A: So you could— well, yeah, heard that before. All right, so you can show up, so you can— so you just show up, you just show up with the piano and get crack— get cracking.

Speaker B: Sure. Speaker A: So you could— well, yeah, heard that before. All right, so you can show up, so you can— so you just show up, you just show up with the piano and get crack— get cracking. Speaker B: So you pull up with the, with the the Wurlitzer or the Fender Rhodes in the Oldsmobile? Or do we have the red Nord Lead in the piano box? Speaker C: I'm lucky. That's a good memory there. You remember my older days with the Rhodes. Speaker B: It was back to 21 minutes ago, but it wasn't that far.

Speaker C: The true answer is not far, but it's very nice. I'm a Steinway artist, and Steinway makes, of course, great pianos, and they supply me with great pianos. Speaker A: Damn, you got a Steinway deal? Deal? I never heard of that. People get their little Fender shit. You said, I got a Steinway. Speaker B: You got your little Nike deal? That's cool. I got Steinway, baby. Speaker C: Well, the only reason you haven't heard of it is that the whole practice of acoustic piano is going away. Speaker A: Sure, sure, sure.

Speaker C: It's not the most— Speaker B: it's a hassle. Speaker C: I'm an anachronist. Speaker A: But you don't have your own model per se, you're just a sponsored athlete. Speaker C: Exactly right. Speaker A: Okay, I didn't know if you— I didn't know if they'd let you design your own. They don't want to let Bruce in. Speaker B: They gave Bruce an extra key, he got 89 now. Speaker C: Although here's a beautiful, uh, artifact here. This shows you how seriously we take ourselves. Can you see that picture?

Speaker A: I can see it. Speaker B: I can see it a little bit, but is that you in a wedding dress? Speaker C: Is that me? Speaker B: That's a, that's a man and a, uh, and another man. Speaker C: It's my bass player getting married to my keyboard player in drag. That's the miserable, that's the miserable couple. That's, that's the COVID of our live record from 2011, Bride of the Noisemakers. Speaker A: I can see it. Speaker B: I can see it a little bit, but is that you in a wedding dress?

Speaker C: Is that me? Speaker B: That's a, that's a man and a, uh, and another man. Speaker C: It's my bass player getting married to my keyboard player in drag. That's the miserable, that's the miserable couple. That's, that's the COVID of our live record from 2011, Bride of the Noisemakers. Speaker B: Bride of the Noisemakers. Speaker A: That's a, that's a, that's a pretty good piece of merch, I got to say. Speaker B: Yeah, it's nice. Speaker C: I think so. Speaker A: I, I— simple. It's, it's to the point, you know.

Speaker C: Well, it's just, it's just out, you know. It's just nutty and it's fun. And so that's what we— it's just, just not— just having, having fun with it. For instance, do you know— you probably don't know this This one, this is another one of our, our classic covers. Speaker B: Oh yeah, yeah, I saw that on Spotify just yesterday. Speaker A: Whose photo? Who took that photo? Speaker C: My dad took it. This is my Uncle Charles Hornsby at a party in about 1967. Speaker A: It's a really good picture.

Yeah, it's a really good picture. Speaker C: So it's so great. Speaker A: Yeah, that's awesome. That's a really, that's a really good cover. Speaker C: Well, here's, here's a great Charles Hornsby story for you. So he was at a wedding, some country club wedding with his wife, and Becky, and he said, Becky, I want to leave. I want to get out of here. She said, well, I'm not ready to go, Charles. So you— hey, look, there's a dark room over there. Go sit in it, and then I'll be ready in a little while.

So he goes and sits in this room. He's just waiting it out, outlasting the function. All of a sudden, these two old country club ladies come in and they start just bitching and whining, bitching and moaning about the flowers. Oh Lord, look at these flowers. I don't No one to take care of them. They just, they don't do anything. Well, they're just terrible. Speaker B: And terrible. Speaker C: And this voice from the, from the mist, from the dark mist says, well, I'd water them from here, but I just don't have the pressure I used to.

Speaker B: Damn. So Charles, no stranger to a piss joke. I like that. Speaker C: Well, that's right. Instantly just offending the ladies and they left, which is what he wanted. Speaker B: Sure. Speaker A: Yeah, it was a, it was a victory for him, I guess. And that's That's the back cover. That's great. Honestly, really good. Speaker B: Really, really good. Speaker C: Yeah. Well, that's what we like. Speaker B: On the, on the, I want to shift gears a little bit to fashion in the world of basketball. Have you ever, I mean, you, you, you're friends with Spike Lee.

Speaker C: Yeah. Speaker B: Basketball enthusiast. Speaker C: Yeah. Speaker B: Have you ever, you know, maybe been sitting courtside with him at a Knicks game? Speaker A: Yeah. Speaker B: He pulls up with one of his crazy outfits and you say, said, you know, Spike, this one's a little too far for me. Speaker A: I know. Speaker C: No, I would never say anything. Spike's a fashion plate. He's, uh, he's got his great style, and it's totally idiosyncratic, totally unique to him. And so, you know, why would anyone question it?

No, Spike is a, is a true original in every way. It's a beautiful guy. I've worked with him and for him for 30 years. Speaker B: You scored a couple of his flicks. Speaker C: Yeah, 6. Speaker A: Yeah, that's a lot. Speaker B: Wow. Speaker C: Yeah. Speaker A: So what— when that— yeah, that process, does he just let you cook kind of, and you guys come, come back together when it's time to review, or is it pretty hands-on? Speaker B: You scored a couple of his flicks. Speaker C: Yeah, 6.

Speaker A: Yeah, that's a lot. Speaker B: Wow. Speaker C: Yeah. Speaker A: So what— when that— yeah, that process, does he just let you cook kind of, and you guys come, come back together when it's time to review, or is it pretty hands-on? Speaker C: Well, it started off in the standard way. He, he asked me, I think it was sort of an audition. He was checking me out as a, as a scorer, as a— Speaker A: kicking the tires on Hornsby, as they say. Speaker C: Okay. So, so it was a— let's see what this kid's got.

ESPN documentary called Kobe Doing Work. It was an in-game Kobe was mic'd up in the game, and so it was basically a game film, hearing Kobe talk about the game and hearing what he says, blah, blah, blah. Speaker B: He's doing work. Speaker C: So, uh, I went over to his house, had the film ready with the timecode running through, and said, "Okay, see this number? At this number, I want this kind of music. This number, this music." And so I dutifully took it back. They sent me the film. This, this link to this time-coded film, and I wrote to that.

And but, but sometimes, usually if I would take it kind of out, kind of from that— I, I did that one time when Derek Fisher was diving out of bounds for a loose ball, and for some reason that inspired me to make some what's called point— pointillistic music. I started doing. Pointillism. Derek, Derek Pointillism Fisher. Speaker B: So D Fish, he, he's oozing pointillism, you said? Speaker B: So D Fish, he, he's oozing pointillism, you said? Speaker C: I don't know, it's just where I was led musically. Speaker B: And so it's, so it's a little scatty, like, like that kind of thing.

Speaker C: Yeah, call it blip-blop music. So, uh, sure. So when it came out though, that pointillistic move of mine was nowhere to be found. Spike had found something else I'd done that he liked more. So that signaled the next move for the next thing that I did for him, which was called Red Hook Summer. It was a small sort of art film. Where at this point, the next several things I did, he would just send me the script and he'd say, "Hey, just write music and what you feel in these certain scenes."

Just do it. And just send it to me and I'll play it place it. And to us, that's what we did forever after. Speaker B: Okay, so what did— what, what— when you're— you get the email from Spike and he's like, I got a new flick called BlacKkKlansman. Speaker C: Yeah, I did. Speaker B: And then you're like, you just crack your knuckles and start tickling the ivories, or where is your headspace when you see that script? Speaker C: Well, specifically for BlacKkKlansman, uh, his longtime great composer Terence Blanchard was— was scoring the thing, but he threw me a bone.

So he want— he asked me if I'd do some crazy old silent film music à la Birth of a Nation, the W. Griffith film, which I think was the first silent film, at least in America, was about the Klan. So when you would go to those old movies, there would be a live pianist playing sort of ragtime-ish music. You probably can hear it in your head when you think these old movies. And so he asked me to do my version of that. So I did that. So my music shows up in one of the Klan meetings when they're watching Birth of a Nation.

And— Speaker A: Oh, I see, I see, I see. Okay. Speaker C: So that's all I did for that. But maybe you didn't mean to be specific about Black Klansmen. Speaker B: No, no, I mean a little bit. I mean, I was hoping it would spawn a nice little story. And I like Spike being like, we need some ragtime music for the Klan meeting. Let's get Bruce on the horn. Speaker C: Who's my white guy? Well, that's pretty much what happened. What happened? Speaker A: Like, that's it. Speaker B: That's kind of how it goes.

Speaker A: What can I say? All right. So this, this new record, you got a lot of, you got a lot of people on it. What's the, what's the process like? Are you just, are you just texting? You calling? Are people introducing you when you need them to? What's the how do you procure? Speaker C: Well, these are all friends. You're probably— the three sort of bigger name artists are all friends of mine. And then the, I guess, the next name on the guest list would be Blake Mills. Do you guys know who that is?

Speaker A: Yeah, we know, we know Blake Mills, of course. Speaker C: Yeah. Oh, fantastic. Well, Blake, uh, is— he played— he and his guys, Pino Palladino and Chris Dave, sort of the Blake Mills trio. They played on about half the record, and my band Noisemakers played, uh, of Bride of the Noisemakers fame. Speaker A: Yes, of course. Yes, of course. Where, where did this all go down? Is everybody coming to Virginia? Speaker C: No, no, uh, we did it at Sound City out in LA. Speaker A: Okay, you did?

Speaker C: Yeah, the old, the venerable, vaunted venue. Speaker A: All right, so when you're— all right, so when you're in LA now and you're at Sound City and you're, you know, it's you and, and Justin Vernon and Ezra, you drinking sparkling water. Where, where are you staying? What hotel are you staying at? Speaker A: Yes, of course. Yes, of course. Where, where did this all go down? Is everybody coming to Virginia? Speaker C: No, no, uh, we did it at Sound City out in LA. Speaker A: Okay, you did?

Speaker C: Yeah, the old, the venerable, vaunted venue. Speaker A: All right, so when you're— all right, so when you're in LA now and you're at Sound City and you're, you know, it's you and, and Justin Vernon and Ezra, you drinking sparkling water. Where, where are you staying? What hotel are you staying at? Speaker C: There's a little Holiday Inn Express right around the corner. Speaker A: Come on, come the fuck on. You're staying at Holiday Inn Express and near, next to Sound City because it's convenient? Speaker C: Yeah, because Sound City's in this industrial complex.

Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Speaker C: Oh, you know it? Okay. Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. But I mean, you could, you know, you could get a car over there, you know. Speaker B: It's not, it's not Van Nuys to the Château Marmont's 18 minutes over the hill, Bruce. Speaker C: Well, sometimes I stay at a a great old friend's house, uh, that will remain nameless. And, uh, and he lives— Speaker B: he's over in Sherman Oaks. Speaker C: He has— Speaker A: he has several extra bedrooms. He has several extra bedrooms if you need to stay.

Speaker C: That's right. And so, so I— but I don't stay there all the time because sometimes I like to be really close to Sound City. And so the Holiday Express works just fine for me. Speaker B: Okay, so Bruce, you show up— I came here to work, not to fuck around. Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. Speaker C: Well, it's, it's, it's just ease of operation. That's— Speaker A: no, I get it. Speaker B: And also, since you probably fly private, it's right by the airport there, so it's easy. Speaker C: Yeah, you say that because you know it's not true.

Speaker B: Well, I said that because Sound City is right by Van Nuys Airport, which is the private plane airport of LA. That's right. And I was also assuming, you know, it was maybe not true. Speaker C: Well, it's, it's, it's just ease of operation. That's— Speaker A: no, I get it. Speaker B: And also, since you probably fly private, it's right by the airport there, so it's easy. Speaker C: Yeah, you say that because you know it's not true. Speaker B: Well, I said that because Sound City is right by Van Nuys Airport, which is the private plane airport of LA.

That's right. And I was also assuming, you know, it was maybe not true. Speaker C: Yes, that's right. It's not. Speaker B: You teed me up, Bruce. But yeah, I mean, Sound City, legendary spot. So when you— when you have— when we get Bonnie Raitt or, or Ezra from Vampire Weekend or whatever Yeah, we'll tap in and, and knock it all out, and then we'll kind of finish up the bits and bobs at the home studio in, in Virginia. Speaker C: Well, in, in, in the case of the, the three sort of name guests, which is, which, uh, alas, the late great Bob Weir, yeah, is, is on our record, and, uh, he did it in his bus.

He did it on his own. Bonnie did it on her own up in Marin where she, uh, and, uh, and Ezra uh, we did— we recorded Ezra at, uh, do you know the name Ariel Rexcheid? You know, of course. Speaker A: Oh yeah, we saw him on Sunday. Speaker B: I actually— I hung out with him on Sunday. Speaker C: Yeah, you did what on Sunday? Speaker A: We hung out with him on Sunday. We saw him at a party. Speaker C: Is that right? Okay. Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker C: Well, Ariel's a dear friend, and we record— he has a place over in Burbank, and we were— so we recorded Ezra. Ariel and I were there. Ariel recorded Ezra with— with P there. Speaker B: So a small little world. Speaker C: Well, I get to— Speaker A: I— Speaker C: it's beautiful. I'm just fortunate in my older age to be working with all these younger people that are so, so great and so interested in helping me. Speaker C: Well, Ariel's a dear friend, and we record— he has a place over in Burbank, and we were— so we recorded Ezra.

Ariel and I were there. Ariel recorded Ezra with— with P there. Speaker B: So a small little world. Speaker C: Well, I get to— Speaker A: I— Speaker C: it's beautiful. I'm just fortunate in my older age to be working with all these younger people that are so, so great and so interested in helping me. Speaker A: They're right. Hey man, they recognize game. Speaker B: I mean, I'm sure, I'm sure the feeling is very mutual. I mean, all these people, you know, Justin and, and Ariel and Ezra, you know, they're probably pinching themselves being able to work with you.

And, and it's cool. It's a vice versa. Speaker C: Well, it's definitely vice versa. That's how I feel. But, uh, if they feel that way, that's beautiful. Speaker A: Have you been to— you've been to Justin's compound in Yes. Okay. That we went there, we went there, whatever, like a year ago probably. And I did, I did feel like it was truly the middle of nowhere. How does it compare to where you are in Virginia? Like as far as feeling separated from society? Speaker C: I think he's more separated because he lives out in farmland.

Speaker A: Yeah, true, true. Speaker B: And you're kind of, you're like, you're by the like Virginia Beach side, like you're more coastal than inland. Yeah. Speaker C: No, not, no, I'm in between Williamsburg and Blacksburg, which is where I am, is in between Richmond and Virginia Beach. So no, we're on the James River. Speaker B: Well, oddly enough, I have an aunt named Kathy who lives in Blacksburg, and that's much more out deep into the country. Speaker B: Well, oddly enough, I have an aunt named Kathy who lives in Blacksburg, and that's much more out deep into the country.

Speaker C: Yeah, Blue Ridge Mountains. Yeah, the Hokies and all that. Speaker B: That's right. VTech. Speaker C: But yes, Justin's place, April Bass out there, is It's a beautiful creative spot. I imagine I haven't been there in a good while, but I was there 2 or 3 times. Speaker B: It's still cooking. Speaker A: It's perfect for you 'cause if you don't stay at the house, there's no nice hotel to even tempt you out there. So you kind of gotta, it's perfect really. Speaker C: One time I was there for 4 or 5 days and I stayed, my guy Tony Berg who runs Sound City, who produces with me my records lately, Tony's having a great run.

He's produced the artist Sombre who was up there for the best new artist. Speaker B: Unfortunately, I have to hang out with him today. Speaker C: Are you serious? Are you going to see Shane today? Speaker B: Yeah, well, my, my wife is a, is a wardrobe stylist, and she, she was just styling for something for him. But he has like a, a record release party tonight at the Chateau, and I'll be there, uh, in 12 hours. Speaker C: Well, you can tell him Bruce Hornby says you ain't worth na quarter.

Speaker A: He would love nothing more than to tell him that, Bruce. Speaker B: You have nothing would please me more than that. Speaker C: No, I know him. Speaker B: I believe you. I believe you. Speaker C: I know Somber through Tony. Speaker A: I didn't realize Tony. I actually did not realize Tony did that album. That's interesting. Yeah. Speaker C: Tony's been working with Shane for quite a while. And okay. Speaker B: I'll let him know that Bruce says hi. Speaker B: You have nothing would please me more than that.

Speaker C: No, I know him. Speaker B: I believe you. I believe you. Speaker C: I know Somber through Tony. Speaker A: I didn't realize Tony. I actually did not realize Tony did that album. That's interesting. Yeah. Speaker C: Tony's been working with Shane for quite a while. And okay. Speaker B: I'll let him know that Bruce says hi. Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. That's fine. Or what I said. Speaker B: So cool. Speaker C: Get there. Speaker A: Or just repeat exactly what I said with the same accent if you could.

Speaker B: I'll go back on the game tape and figure out exactly what you said. I'll let him know. Speaker C: But N-A-R-E. Nare. Speaker B: Nair. Yeah, Nair. Speaker A: Nair. Speaker B: Yeah, Nair. Okay, let's— okay, so we're, we're talking about the old, the old Fender Rhodes in the car. We got the new Sombra, all that stuff. You've been in the game for a minute. Is there like a production technology or instrument or something that you were hesitant to use at first and, and now you've eventually given into, you know, like an Auto-Tune or some weird new gizmo or something like like that?

Speaker C: Yeah, that's a really good question. I'm not sure what the answer is. Um, I'm, I'm pretty half-assed at the Pro Tools thing. I guess I'm just not built mentally to retain all that. I have to write, write the steps down. It's kind of pitiful, frankly. So I'd like to say that that was, that, that was it, uh, something that I've embraced and become adept at, but I, I can't say that, that really, that I really— Speaker B: but you were, you were never like, hey, what about this, like, VST or the software synth, you were never like, oh hell no, I'm never going to touch that?

Speaker B: but you were, you were never like, hey, what about this, like, VST or the software synth, you were never like, oh hell no, I'm never going to touch that? Speaker C: Well, it's not about hell no, I just— there's just too many other things to do on a creative level just to try to come up with— all that stuff won't help you write great songs, it won't help you with, with deep, a deep level of content. So my whole thing is about, as I said, head in the clouds, keeping— okay, keeping— Speaker B: so you're still trying to figure out the Korg Triton presets.

We don't even— we haven't even got to the— Speaker C: no, no, the fact is I'm not trying to figure them out because I don't give a shit about— I've never heard of a Korg Triton until now. Really? Now I know what the tritone is. You guys know what a tritone is? Speaker A: No. Speaker C: It's the— it's the diabolus musicus. It's the devil's interval. Speaker B: A chill through my body. Speaker A: That sound devilish. It does sound devilish. Speaker C: Yeah, you could be burned at the stake in the 1400s for, for playing a Tritone.

Speaker B: The Korg Triton, it was like a, a synthesizer. '80s, '90s, a lot of people use it for a lot of hip-hop production, like Dr. Dre. Speaker C: Not surprised, not surprised. Speaker B: Yeah, big in the West Coast hip-hop sound. Speaker C: Okay. Yes, well, you guys are quite, uh, quite connected in the, uh, in the young music world. Speaker B: Takes one to know one, Brucey. Speaker A: Hey Bruce, we look, we talked a lot, we talked to a lot of these people on the show and so clearly you do.

Yeah, it leads to, it leads to that, you know, it's part, part of the gig. No different for you. Speaker C: Okay. Yes, well, you guys are quite, uh, quite connected in the, uh, in the young music world. Speaker B: Takes one to know one, Brucey. Speaker A: Hey Bruce, we look, we talked a lot, we talked to a lot of these people on the show and so clearly you do. Yeah, it leads to, it leads to that, you know, it's part, part of the gig. No different for you. Speaker C: But do they know, uh, the Buddy Rich, uh, comic book?

Do they have that? They probably— Speaker A: I doubt. I feel like you might be the only person we've ever talked to that has the Buddy Rich. Speaker B: I'll ask Somber tonight if he has the Buddy Rich. Speaker A: Do you think Somber knows who Buddy Rich is? Speaker C: I'm gonna say no, probably I'm not, but have you heard the Buddy Rich tapes? You guys ever— oh my God, you need to hear these. They're just classics. It's Buddy Rich just excoriating his band, just eviscerating these poor young bastards in a bus.

And, and, and the people would tape these, these, these rants, and they're just legendary. Speaker A: And that sounds pretty good. That sounds pretty good, actually. Speaker C: Oh, it is great. That's why somebody made a comic book about about it. Is it available? Speaker A: Is it available on streaming? Can I stream the Buddy Rich tapes on Spotify? Speaker C: You absolutely can. Yeah, I think, I think, I think you can hear— I think that they're on YouTube, probably. Speaker A: Yeah, they're definitely on YouTube. Yeah, that's where stuff like that really— Speaker B: so Buddy Rich, infamous, kind of amazing drummer back in the day, but he would have these epic rants where he would just like destroy his band members on the tour bus, and somebody had the bright idea to record them.

Speaker C: Yeah, that's exactly— that's exactly— that's a good That's a good description of the classic Buddy Rich tapes. So yeah, there you have it. Speaker C: Yeah, that's exactly— that's exactly— that's a good That's a good description of the classic Buddy Rich tapes. So yeah, there you have it. Speaker B: So if I'm a trombonist, you know, having a cigarette after a long haul and Buddy's just laying into me, foot up my ass. Speaker C: I thought you were just saying that you are a trombonist because then I was going to tell you the two trombone player jokes that I know.

Do you want to hear them? Speaker B: I would love nothing more. Speaker A: I guess we don't have a choice. Go ahead. Speaker C: No, you do. Speaker A: No, I'm joking. I'm joking. I'm joking. Speaker B: Go ahead. No, I mean, I'm more interested that you have two. Speaker C: I don't know many good jokes, but Okay, these are total musicians' jokes. What do you say to the trombone player after you pay him? The answer is, thanks for the pizza. Oh, trombone players never get gigs. Speaker B: He's a pizza delivery man.

Speaker A: That really went over my head. Speaker C: They never get gigs as trombone players. Speaker B: I've never had to hire a trombone player before, so this is going over my head. Speaker C: As it easily could. Okay, so the other one is, what's the definition of an optimist? I don't know. A trombone player with a beeper. He thinks he's gonna get a call from a kid. Speaker A: Okay, that one's good. The beeper with the— Speaker B: Trombone is good. He gets a pager, you know, just to make sure I don't miss any calls coming in from Clive Owens around the business desk.

Speaker A: Damn, that's good. That's good. That one I got. You don't have to be a music director to understand that one. Okay, that's good. Speaker A: Okay, that one's good. The beeper with the— Speaker B: Trombone is good. He gets a pager, you know, just to make sure I don't miss any calls coming in from Clive Owens around the business desk. Speaker A: Damn, that's good. That's good. That one I got. You don't have to be a music director to understand that one. Okay, that's good. Speaker B: But I think just like, good song structures and chord structures, though both of those jokes have structures that are tried and true, and I can use— I can take that format and change it up with some more modern terminology and different things, and it'll work just as good.

Speaker A: Mhm, that's true. Speaker C: Yeah, archaic old, uh, like, like, what's the definition of, of, of a great, uh, a, a great Neve board operator, you know? You know, something that— Speaker B: what do you call an optimist? A podcaster who gets an agent or something like that. Speaker C: Yeah, there you go. That's good. Yeah, that's, that's nice work, Jason. Speaker A: All right, Bruce, thank you for joining us. Sayonara. How long gone? It was a pleasure. The album is out April 3rd everywhere that you get music.

Speaker B: And the first single is out now, Indigo Park. And I really like the artwork of the new album too. Speaker A: It's great. Speaker C: Well, that's an old Edward Hopper etching. You guys know who that Edward Hopper was? Speaker A: Yeah, of course. Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Speaker C: Because Jason's shaking his head. You can— Speaker B: Chris, Chris is more of the, the shutter. Speaker A: How much did you have to pay to use that though? Speaker C: No, uh, that's an etching and we own one.

Speaker B: Oh, you own? Speaker A: Oh, okay, okay. Speaker C: There were about 200 and some made back in the late '20s or '30s when he created the etching. So we've had this hopper etching. It's fairly famous. It's called Night Shadows. And this was— this is sort of Bruce's aging record, you know, uh, sort of, uh, notes to self or notes to my aging self. Speaker C: No, uh, that's an etching and we own one. Speaker B: Oh, you own? Speaker A: Oh, okay, okay. Speaker C: There were about 200 and some made back in the late '20s or '30s when he created the etching.

So we've had this hopper etching. It's fairly famous. It's called Night Shadows. And this was— this is sort of Bruce's aging record, you know, uh, sort of, uh, notes to self or notes to my aging self. Speaker B: And you thought I was old in the last one, wait till you hear this one. Speaker C: Exactly. Yeah, that's right. You thought I sounded like shit before, man. Speaker A: Hang on to your hat. Speaker C: I saw this picture, this strange night vision of this solo guy walking across this dark street, and I thought, that's probably me right now.

Speaker A: That's how you feel. God bless. Speaker C: Sure. Yeah, it's— Speaker B: hey, I mean, when you— what the— we walk alone when we're a musician's musician, don't we? Speaker A: It's true. Speaker C: Well, I'm not going to answer that because I don't know the definition of a musician's musician. Speaker B: I get called that all the time, but yeah, we just talked to him for an hour. Anyway, well, we know you're a musician's musician because you hang out with Ariel and, you know, like the people who really know and get it.

Like, that's why I'm saying they're, they're just as, they're geeking out over you just as much as the other way around. Speaker C: Well, yeah, you're getting, you're getting respect from the heads again in my later years. That's been such a blessing. Such a beautiful, I love to see it. Speaker C: Well, yeah, you're getting, you're getting respect from the heads again in my later years. That's been such a blessing. Such a beautiful, I love to see it. Speaker A: Love to see it. Speaker B: And it's always better when the musicians who, the young musicians who are idolizing you, you know, got a couple of hits under their belt, you know, they're a little successful, you know, versus the little busker you see in Idaho, you know, Mario's got his own studio and bourbon, you know, It's not a big deal, a couple plaques on the wall.

Speaker C: Well, but for me it's not about that, it's that they're fucking good, you know. Speaker A: Well, that, yeah, that, that is, they go hand in hand. Speaker C: I, I, I've met a lot of people who are sort of obsequious to, to me and they're young people and, but I don't care about them. This is different, this crowd is different because they really know how to get it done. They're very talented and artful. Yeah, yeah. Speaker A: That makes a difference. That makes a difference. Speaker B: Well, that's why we had you on the pod today, Bruce, because just like you, we influence the influencers.

You know what I mean? We don't have the biggest— we don't have the biggest yacht on the dock. We don't have our, you know, but those who care, those who matter, they respect us. Speaker A: Hopefully one day we'll get sampled by Joe Rogan and we can kind of ride off into the sunset. Speaker B: From the Joe Rogan Foundation. Speaker A: When that happens, okay, thank you, Bruce. Appreciate it, man. Speaker B: Have a good day. All right, we appreciate it, my friend. Speaker C: Thank you. Speaker A: Later.

Speaker B: From the Joe Rogan Foundation. Speaker A: When that happens, okay, thank you, Bruce. Appreciate it, man. Speaker B: Have a good day. All right, we appreciate it, my friend. Speaker C: Thank you. Speaker A: Later. Speaker B: Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying, no judgments, but that's weird. Okay, one judgment.

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