The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Almost Famous Flashback with Richard Marx

Episode Date: August 18, 2022

We're throwing it back with an Almost Famous Flashback! The legendary Richard Marx joins Ben and Ashley to share stories from his career and give us a behind the scenes look at his performance on Becca Kufrin's season!And Ashley fangirls in a way we've never seen from her before! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hi, my name is Enya Eumanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble.

Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your... free iHeartRadio app search emergency internetcom and listen now I just normally do straight stand-up but this is a bit different what do you get when a true crime producer

walks into a comedy club answer a new podcast called Wisecrack where a comedian finds himself at the center of a chilling true crime story does anyone know what show they've come to see it's a story it's about the scariest night of my life

this is Wisecrack available now listen to Wisecrack on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When your car is making a strange noise, no matter what it is, you can't just pretend it's not happening. That's an interesting sound. It's like your mental health. If you're struggling and feeling overwhelmed, it's important to do something about it.

It can be as simple as talking to someone, or just taking a deep, calming breath to ground yourself, because once you start to address the problem, you can go so much further. The Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the Ad Council have resources available for you at loveyourmind today.org. Have you ever wished for a change but weren't sure how to make it? Maybe you felt stuck in a job, a place, or even a relationship. I'm Emily Tish Sussman, and on She Pivots, I dive into the inspiring pivots of women who have taken big leaps in their lives and careers. I'm Gretchen Whitmer, Jody Sweetie. Monica Patton. Elaine Welteroff.

Learn how to get comfortable pivoting because your life is going to be full of them. Listen to these women and more on She Pivots. Now on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Culture eats strategy for breakfast, right? On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us, I was joined by Belisha Butterfield, media founder, political strategist, and tech powerhouse for a powerful conversation on storytelling, impact, and the intersections of culture and leadership. I am a free black woman.

From the Obama White House to Google to the Grammys, Valicia's journey is a master class in shifting, Culture and using your voice to spark change. Listen to Culture raises us on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is The Almost Famous Podcast with Ben Higgins and Ashley I, Flashback. Everyone, today we have a very different episode of the Almost Famous Podcast. We're going to call it the Almost Famous Flashback.

We have a guest today that is so near and dear to my heart. And yes, I've never met him before. Oh, my God. I'm having a fan girl moment, guys. The Richard Marks is coming on the podcast. And if you're thinking, how is this guy related to The Bachelor at all? Well, if you don't remember, he was on Becca's season of The Bachelorette. And he had a very memorable moment with Chris Randone.

He was on that one-on-one. date and he really got some emotion out of Chris. I consider him to be my favorite voice in all of this world. And before I go on and on without him here, I'd like to bring him in and just fan girl to his face. This is an almost famous flashback. Oh, M.G. Richard Marks has entered the chat. Richard, look at my shirt. Oh, my God. It's an antique.

It's quite vintage. What year do you think this is? That is got to be, that's first tour. So 88? Holy moly. The year I was born, what a year, a Richard Marks year, and Ashley I Kennedy year. Richard, I'm Ashley, and I am a hardcore super fan.

I think that you have. I know who you are, and that's so sweet. Oh my God. Why do you know this? Did producer Amy tell you? Did you see my tweet last year about McDonald's? I answered you. I think I tweeted back at you because you were so sweet. By the way, my wife sleeps in a shirt like that. Your wife is super hot, Daisy Fuentes. Yes, she is. Hey, Richard, I don't know if I'm going to get two words in for the rest of this interview. So before she starts, I want to say hello. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for coming on the

Almost Famous podcast. Ashley is a big fan. I want to, I mean, I'm sure she would tell you herself, but she did mention to me at one point in our lives that you, she believes you have the best voice that exists on this earth. So this is a big moment for her, which is why I'm just going to take a step back. I'm going to be here if things get weird and awkward. I'm going to protect you, Richard, from anything awkward said by Ashley. By weird and awkward, you mean totally awesome? Yeah. That's how I see it. That's why we co-hosted together for the last five years. I think it's great. I love these moments, but thanks for coming on. Yeah, my pleasure. I know that Richard doesn't have like a Whitney Houston, like Adam Lambert voice like that, but I want to listen to

Richard's voice more than any other voice. It is the voice of angels. When I go to heaven, I imagine that like everybody has like that, that sound. Okay. Okay. Do you agree with me? Like, do you think that you could listen? Do you listen to your own voice? Well, I mean, I have to because I have to listen to it for two hours every night on stage and I listen to it a lot when I'm making an album and I don't know I I think heaven if heaven exists the voice I might hear would be Gilbert Gottfried's but he's up there now yeah yeah that's sweet yeah hey do you believe you have the voice of an angel Richard was the question being asked do I believe can you imagine if I said yes what a what a total A total douche canoe move that would be for me to go, I mean, I guess I kind of have a voice, honey. Good. What? I have grown over the decades to, to, to, early in, early on, it was hard for me to listen to my own voice.

And now, as I've gotten older, I kind of like it. I'm proud that I still can sing all the high notes. and that I've taken care of my voice somehow. I mean, I haven't taken care of it. I don't do anything. I don't warm up. I don't do anything. But I've just been,

I think it's one of those use it or lose it kind of things where it's why Tony Bennett at 90 something was still, I mean, he's retired now because of Alzheimer's, but I saw him a few years ago in Vegas. Daisy and I went to see him in Vegas. And he was fucking unbelievable at 91 or something like that because he never stopped touring. He never stopped using his instrument. And so hopefully that'll happen to me too. Now, why do I feel like you got your start by being more of a songwriter than a singer?

That's because that's true. Okay, great, because I know my stuff. All right. So did you know you had a good voice when you were like crafting songwriting? Did you think that you would ever be the one performing your songs? It was always my dream to become, you know, a rock star and to be an artist. I started writing songs in high school, really, I knew, I always knew I could sing. I mean, I was singing on TV and radio commercials when I was a little kid.

So I knew I could sing in tune and I had a good voice for a kid. And then when I was in high school, I had this mad crush on this girl, Sarah Blackwell, and I didn't know how to talk to her. I had no game, zero game. And so I thought, maybe I'll try to do what Elvis did in those movies, which is I'll just sing songs to her. So I wrote these songs really trying to get with Sarah. And then it just sort of started.

I loved writing songs. And so when I was a senior in high school, I was starting my senior year in high school, this tape of my first four songs managed to get to Lionel Ritchie, who was just leaving his group, the Commodores, and starting his solo career. This was in 1980, 81. and he listened to my tapes for some crazy reason and my phone number was written on the back

in pencil and he called the number holy and he and I was like, hello, hey, this is Lionel Ritchie. I thought I was being punked for sure and he talked to me for like a half an hour. He was so gracious and he is and he's just the best. I don't know if you guys have ever run into him, but he's just me. I have met him through our producer. Amy Sugarman and oh my gosh that guy is so sweet oh Amy that's right Amy's your producer I love yeah oh wow so do we so he said to me I don't know what your plans are but you should move to

LA and you've got a great voice and these are your first four songs as a songwriter you've got a great future as a songwriter you should just come out here to LA and try it and so when I graduated from high school I was like screw college I can do that later and I moved to LA and he hired me to sing background vocals on his first album so and then not only did I sing a bunch on that record but he let me just hang out and watch him make the record and I learned so much about producing and stuff and so then he recommended me to his buddy Kenny Rogers who was huge at the time and I had a job singing on a Kenny Rogers album and I overheard Kenny saying he needed a song And so I came in the next day to sing on some more songs.

And I did this thing that would normally get somebody fired, which is the background singer went up to the artist and said, hey, I've got a song. But in true Kenny Rogers form, instead of kicking me out of the studio, he sat down and listened to it and he loved it. And so I ended up writing songs on that album and that sort of launched my songwriting crew. But I always wanted to be an artist. And so the first couple of years, I was trying to get a record deal and it wasn't happening. I had the producer David Foster told me I shouldn't sing. That was his quote, you shouldn't sing. You should just write songs.

So I had a lot of people trying to stomp on my dreams, but I just kept out it. And I finally, you know, found the right circumstances. I finally got a record deal. The first song out of the box was don't mean nothing. And that was it. Hi, my name is Enya Yumanzoor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom.

If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now.

Hi, I'm Janica Lopez, and in the new season of the Overcover podcast, I'm taking you on an exciting journey of self-reflection. Am I ready to enter this new part of my life? Like, am I ready to be in a relationship? Am I ready to have kids and to really just devote myself and my time? I wanted to be successful on my own, not just because of who my mom is. Like, I felt like I needed to be better or work twice as hard as she did. Join me for conversations about healing and growth. Life is freaking hard.

And growth doesn't happen in comfort. It happens in motion, even when you're hurting. All from one of my favorite spaces, The Kitchen. Honestly, these are going to come out so freaking amazing. Be a part of my new chapter and listen to the new season of the Overcumper podcast as part of the MyCultura podcast network on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hello, it's Honey German, and my podcast,

Grazacus Come Again, is back. This season, we're going even deeper into the world of music and entertainment with raw and honest conversations with some of your favorite Latin artists and celebrities. You didn't have to audition? No, I didn't audition. I haven't audition in, like, over 25 years. Oh, wow. That's a real G-talk right there.

Oh, yeah. We've got some of the biggest actors, musicians, content creators, and culture shifters sharing their real stories of failure and success. success. You were destined to be a start. We talk all about what's viral and trending with a little bit of chisement, a lot of laughs, and those amazing Vibras you've come to expect. And, of course, we'll explore deeper topics dealing with identity, struggles, and all the issues affecting our Latin community. You feel like you get a little whitewash because you have to do the code switching?

I won't say whitewash because at the end of the day, you know, I'm me. Yeah? But the whole pretending and code, you know, it takes a toll on you. Listen to the new season of Grasasas Come Again as part of My Cultura Podcast Network on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. A foot washed up a shoe with some bones in it. They had no idea who it was. Most everything was burned up pretty good from the fire that not a whole lot was salvageable. These are the coldest of cold cases, but everything is about to change. Every case that is a cold case that has DNA. Right now in the backlog will be identified.

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and you'll meet the team behind the scenes at Othrum, the Houston Lab that takes on the most hopeless cases, to finally solve the unsolvable. the unsolvable. Listen to America's Crime Lab on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Super Secret Bestie Club podcast season four is here. And we're locked in.

That means more juicy chisement. Terrible love advice. Evil spells to cast on your ex. No, no, no. We're not doing that this season. Oh. Well, this season, we're leveling up. Each episode will feature a special Bestie and you're not going to want to miss it.

Get in here! Today we have a very special guest with us. Our new super secret best see is The Deva of the People. The Deva of the People. I'm just like text your ex. My theory is that if you need to figure out that the stove is hot, go and touch it. Go and figure it out for yourself.

Okay. That's us. That's us. My name is Curley. And I'm Maya. In each episode, we'll talk about love, friendship, heart breaks, men, and of course, our favorites. Secrets.

Listen to the Super Secret Bestie Club as a part of the Michael Tura podcast network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And at this point, when you first moved to L.A., you were how old again? 18. How was that? I mean, being an 18-year-old leaving, where'd you grow up? Chicago. Chicago to Los Angeles.

being in studio with two massive names at the time. Yeah. Trying to figure out your way. Can you tell us a little bit of insight into what your life looked like at that point? My life was completely focused on music, career, learning my craft. So I would spend as much time in the studio with those guys as they would allow, which, especially in Lionel's case, he was just, I'll never forget. He said, I remember the sentence he said to me. after I sang on this first song, which was a big hit for him called You Are.

You are the sun. You are the rain. I'm singing on that. I'm singing on all night long. I'm singing on a bunch of his songs. But he said to me one day, we were leaving the studio after I'd done some vocals. And he said, by the way, you know, I know that you want to learn everything about what we do. And as long as I'm in this room, meaning the studio, he said, you're welcome to be in.

this room with me, which was an open invitation, like, it didn't matter what he was doing or if I had any place to, like, if he was doing horns on a song, I was allowed to come in and watch and just soak it in and like learn what the engineer did and what the arrangers did and what those musicians do and how do you interact with them. And it was like going to hit record college. And it just says so much about how gracious he was and is. But yeah, when I was in between those sessions, it's not like I was out clubbing. I was home in my shitty little apartment, writing songs, you know, just always so focused. I didn't date. I was just like focused on getting my career going, especially the first couple of years. Until I started having,

until I had a hit song by Kenny Rogers when I was 19 or 20, then I started making a little bit of money and I bought a nice car and, you know, I was, I was starting to like have an actual life at that point what incredible yeah just what an incredible transition and how fast things change yeah and i was only 23 when i had my first hit as a singer so it was like one of those things where the song came out don't mean nothing came out and then mtv jumped on the video and it was literally like well like i'm sure for you too actually it was like tuesday no one really knows notices you or knows who you are and you too ben it's like and then wednesday people are going hey aren't you yeah you know the power the power of television has always been that and yeah people

were hearing me on the radio but it was connecting the dots it was seeing me in my video and mtv just pounded the video and so it was literally an overnight complete change just as i'm sure it was for you guys so how did you you said that you wanted to be a rock star and you wanted to because you know you're a little kid and you had a crush on a girl so like if you could turn my little boy dawson into like a soft rock king like you i would be just like that's my dream and i think that's his dream too i know he's six months but like he just wants all the attention and he get it yeah and he just like music really makes him chill out and like zone in it's really cool uh i see him on stage already i'm going to stop talking but you go

from, you know, saying you want to be a rock star to like endless summer nights now and forever hold on to the nights right here waiting like the most amazing soft rock songs, which is my favorite musical genre. So how did you

veer into that category? It wasn't even like a, you know, look the ballads, the love songs make up still to this day the smallest percentage of my recorded work. It's just that those songs, and this isn't just me, it's like Journey and Brian Adams and Phil Collins and all these other guys who started as rock singers, the biggest songs, the most memorable songs of all of us tend to be the big power ballads or the love songs.

I had just as many hits, you know, on the radio that were up-tempo. It's just that I think it's just the public sort of just loves those kind of songs that they can dedicate to other people or they apply them to a moment or a period in their lives. I do the same thing. Like other people's music marks the soundtrack to my life. My own does, obviously, but it's other people's songs. Like when I was leaving home and what song was I listening to when I was in love with that girl or, you know, music is just so powerful. And I think those kind of songs that are emotional just tend to grab people the most. Stand the test of time the most.

Go through generations. You know what my favorite, my favorite, like, deep cut of yours is, one more try. Guys? Really? Yes. Love it so much. If you want to go, you know, beyond the greatest hits, download Richard Marks. One more try.

Wow. I love that. Oh, so good. That was from the 90s. That was like the mid-90s. If you want to go. Oh, my God, I die. Well, I won't stand in your way.

I do, I really like that song. So good. It's a deep cut. I think we need a podcast, like a spin-off called Almost Famous Ashley Fangirls. Yeah, Ashley freaks out. It'd be Richard every week. I know. We can do it.

We could co-holing. together he's like okay girl i am like one of the most incredible songwriters of my time not going to do a podcast with you hey you never know yeah you never know you catch me on the right day if i've had a tequila or two i might sign up yeah that's sending you bottles of tequila now that's how i got here five years later we're still doing this thing uh richard i uh i uh wonder from your perspective you know ashley just said stand the test time uh i would put the word iconic you know they've lasted obviously Ashley was born in 1988 which is why she has this t-shirt yet she can name off right now deep cuts and also your hits songs that have stayed with her that she has

enjoyed what does that feel like for you as an artist and as a professional that somebody that was born in 1988 still considers you one of their favorite artists and whose your voice has been you know the soundtrack to her life for me that feels really cool I'm sitting here but I want to hear from you what does that feel like it's hard to describe Ben it's like it's the most

humbling it just it feels I'll tell you what I the word is privilege it's a privilege you know I it's one thing for people who got turned on to me

when I hit who are older than me or my age or a little little bit younger. It's another thing for people who come up to me, Ashley's age, or younger. And I know that it was probably because of the music that their parents listened to. And so when you get old and old like I am, I'm about to be 59, but you get to a point where you realize that you are now generational. There's like multi-generations of people who, uh, like what you do and it's hard to describe I mean I I can't really encapsulated in in in I could probably write a lyric about it easier than I can tell you how it feels but it's a privilege it's you know it's also bizarre because I never set out I wanted to be successful obviously I wanted to have a great career and have hit songs but I never wrote songs thinking oh this is a hit or new even knew what that even means. I just wrote songs that I liked. I just wrote songs for me and for my own selfish purposes. The biggest song, arguably the biggest song I ever wrote right here

waiting, I didn't even want to record it. I tried to give it away. I tried to get to Barbara Streisand. She was, she asked me for a song around that time and I had no intention of recording right here waiting because A, it didn't fit the album I was making. The second album was pretty a rock album. And this, you know, this really sparse, intimate, delicate balance. it just didn't fit the album i thought and it was also just too personal it was a song i wrote as a love letter you know and it and i just felt like i'm not never going to record this it just and then enough people in my world said are you an idiot like this is a this is a one-listened smash so i was like okay well i'll go in this i'll cut it i'll just i'll sing it down a couple times and see if

you know and that was it like everybody who just lost their minds and it became a song that you know 30 something years later like everybody knows the song like kids know it in sri lanka yeah i mean i played in sri lanka daisy was with me and she was like and i play all these crazy places but sri lanka was the place that daisy was looking at the audience she was like they're 10 year old kids out there singing along to your songs you know in broken english that's just that's cool just crazy cool hi my name is enya umanzor and i'm drew phillips

and we run a podcast called emergency intercom if you're a crime junkie and you love crimes we're not the podcast for you but if you have unmedicated ADHD oh my god perfect and want to hear people with mental illness Psychobabble Yes, yes Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you Open your free IHeartRadio app

Search Emergency Intercom And listen now My name is Ed Everyone say hello Ed From a very rural background myself My dad is a farmer And my mom is a cousin So like it's not like

What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke But that really was my reality nine years ago I just normally do straight stand up but this is a bit different. On stage stood a comedian with a story that no one expected to hear. On 22nd of July 2015, a 23-year-old man had killed his family.

And then he came to my house. So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes a stage. Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hola, it's Honey German, and my podcast, Grasasas Come Again, is back. This season, we're going even deeper into the world of music and entertainment, with raw and honest conversations with some of your favorite Latin artists and celebrities.

You didn't have to audition? No, I didn't audition. I haven't auditioned in, like, over 25 years. Oh, wow. That's a real G-talk right there. Oh, yeah. We've got some of the biggest actors, musicians, content creators, and culture shifters sharing their real stories of failure and success. I feel like this is my destiny.

You were destined to be a start. We talk all about what's viral and trending with a little bit of chisement, a lot of laughs, and those amazing vivas you've come to expect. And of course, we'll explore deeper topics dealing with identity, struggles, and all the issues affecting our Latin community. You feel like you get a little whitewash

Because you have to do the code switching. I won't say whitewash because at the end of the day, you know, I'm me. Yeah. But the whole pretending and cold, you know, it takes a toll on you. Listen to the new season of Grasas Has Come Again as part of my Cultura podcast network on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What would you do if one bad decision forced you to choose between a maximum security prison or the most brutal boot camp designed to be hell on earth?

Unfortunately for Mark Lombardo, this was the choice here. he faced. He said, you are a number, a New York State number, and we own you. Shock incarceration, also known as boot camps, are short-term, highly regimented correctional programs that mimic military basic training. These programs aim to provide a shock of prison life, emphasizing strict discipline, physical training, hard labor, and rehabilitation programs. Mark had one chance to complete this program and had no idea of the health. awaiting him the next six months. The first night was so overwhelming, and you don't know who's next to you.

And we didn't know what to expect in the morning. Nobody tells you anything. Listen to shock incarceration on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Jennifer Lopez, and in the new season of the Overcover podcast, I'm taking you on an exciting journey of self-reflection. Am I ready to enter this new part of my life? Like, am I ready to be in a relationship? Am I ready to have kids and to really just devote myself and my time? I wanted to be successful on my own, not just because of who my mom is. Like, I felt like I needed to be better or work twice as hard as she did.

Join me for conversations about healing and growth. Life is freaking hard. And growth doesn't happen in comfort. It happened in motion, even when you're hurting. All from one of my favorite spaces, The Kitchen. Honestly, these are going to come out so freaking amazing. be a part of my new chapter and listen to the new season of the overcomper podcast as part of the mycultura podcast network on the iHeart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast

so you taught uh chris randone and becca kufrin on their day on the bachelorette how to encapsulate feelings into a song. Have you ever written, how did you guide them through that? And have you ever written songs about girls that you've known for just a few days? Oh, yeah. I've also written songs about situations that I necessarily, I wasn't necessarily in, but I can imagine. Because if you only limit your writing to your own experiences or your own journey, it's going to be limited. You know, it's going to be a little, so I have a vivid imagination, and I've written songs where I just put myself in scenarios, or I've written songs about girls I've just seen in a cafe or, you know, passed on the street and just sort of not just, oh, she's hot, but,

But like, oh, she's really interesting looking or I won't. And then I conjure up a whole storyline of someone I don't even know. I wrote a song called Angelia that was a big hit for me back in the day. Yeah, so good. That's a completely fictional song. I mean, I have been dumped, which is basically what the song is. The video, we turned it, Michael Bay actually directed the video for that. Whoa.

Yeah, he turned it into a, she died storyline in the video. But in the song, it's just that she left me. But beyond that sort of real generic theme, all those lyrics are just imaginary circumstances. But as far as the Becca thing, she was a fan and she was so sweet. I really liked her a lot. That was done, you know, the magic of editing. It wasn't like we really kind of sat in the room and hashed it out. Like we had good cuts and I said, okay, why don't you say this?

And now I'm going to suggest that you do this. And so we kind of did it little piece by piece. But at the end of the day, I did put, was it Chris? Was that his thing? Yeah. Did put Chris in a room to say, just write, don't worry about lyrics. Don't worry about rhyming. Just write what you feel about her right now.

Of what you know of her, which is not a whole lot at that point. write down what you feel, write down what you think about when you think of her and then I kind of helped him put that into a little lyric and I did the same with her. How cool of a day would that be, right?

I mean, that's why this show's so special. Sometimes. Yeah. Sometimes you get an opportunity like that where it'll be a memory for a lifetime. Richard, you know, I think we'd be, it would be a mistake if we didn't ask. Did you know of the show?

show before you went on are you a fan of the show do you and daisy watch the show or i mean you can it's fine if you say no never seen i we are not offended there's no one on her who doesn't know about the shows so yeah i was very aware of it but i've never it's not just the bachelor at or the bachelor it's i have never really watched any reality shows including music reality shows it's just never been something on my radar i watched so little tv anyway um so i was aware of that it. And I was also aware of the opportunity of it because we had a record out. And I thought, you know, that's a lot of eyeballs and a lot of eardrums to, you know, appeal to. The original pitch to me was, as has happened many times on those shows, to have an artist come on at the end

and there's like a surprise song. And they asked if they could license this, I think it was right here waiting and can we have a performance of him we had it all set up no i mean that's like i could do that in my sleep no big deal great it's great opportunity and then the producers uh i think they'd seen something i did on funny or die or something and they came and said we we would really like to incorporate you more into another storyline that's not you performing that's just you with becca and chris and interacting with them and we sort of just made it up as we went and i was open to it so but i will say this it was uh it was a pretty painless day and then i think it was maybe the the the show aired a few months later and for a solid month month everywhere i went

somebody came up to me and said they saw it yeah wow like cool way beyond any when i do a tv show, even if I'm just on, you know, Kelly and Ryan or something like that, I'll have people for a day or two go, I saw you on Kelly Ryan, you sounded great. And it's like, done. This was for a month. And I had people, Daisy and I would be at a restaurant and a whole table of people would be like pointing. And at first I'm thinking, oh, it's almost like it's 1990 again. I'm like, oh, of course they recognize me. Yeah. No, they saw me on The Bachelorette. So they were like, you know, completely fan-girling and fan-boying because of that. So it was a pretty amazing experience.

That's awesome. Well, don't get me started when you were the guest judge on American Idol, or not the judge, but the mentor, because that was fantastic stuff. Back on the heyday. All right. Well, I can go on and on, but, Richard, it has just been an honor to talk to you. And if I ever go back on the show for some strange, strange reason, I hope. hope they they put me on a date with you yeah richard great talk to you uh congrats on the

success the continued success thanks for coming on almost famous flashback um means a lot to all of us especially ashley so you just made her world her year she'll talk about this day for a long time so thanks coming on well it was my it's my pleasure i'm glad you guys asked me and ashley i'm sure you're in l.a right i used i lived in l.a for five and a half years i now live in rhode island but whenever you come to Boston or anything like this, I'll be there. I'm playing Boston this ball. I'll be there.

Yeah. Excited to meet you in person. I think it's on, yeah, we'll work it out. And you'll come backstage and we'll hug it out. Okay. We'll DM on Twitter. Yes. Okay.

Talk to you that. Ridiculous. Bye. Bye. I see Richard. Thank you. See you. Well, that was your first episode of almost famous flashback.

It is not a podcast in itself, but it's kind of like the new. in-depth. We still will continue to do in-depth episodes, but we'll also continue to do flashback episodes. So if there's a Bachelor franchise guest that you would like to revisit with, we would love to do it, give us ideas on our Facebook or email us at Ben and Ashley at iHeartMedia.com. They're all going to have to stand up to that experience, though. So we've set the standard high. Hope you guys enjoyed. Love you so much. Signing off, I've been Ashley. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, almost famous podcasts on IHeartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Hi, my name is Enya Humanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble. Yes, yes.

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