The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Remembering Legendary Singer Tony Bennett

Episode Date: July 21, 2023

The Daily Show celebrates the life of legendary singer Tony Bennett. In this Daily Show appearance he talks with Jon Stewart about his album 'Duets II' and what it was like working with artists like Amy Winehouse. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. I guess tonight, legendary performer is one 15 Grammys. His new album is called Duets 2. Please welcome to the program, Tony Bennett. She gets too hungry for dinner at 8. I'm not. She loves to give you. Let's see.

I have a time to see. I love. Thank you. Look at you. Look at you. You look great. Thanks for coming to see us. Oh, I love it. Thank you.

This duets too. I just want to say, they're right here, Tony Bennett, duets too. The number one album in the country, am I correct? Yes. The number one album? Yes. Is there any other performer you can think of? that has been on the charts?

When did you first start charting? In the 50s, the 50s, 60s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s, 80s, 80s, 80s, 80s, 80s, 80s, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th. And thi and thi and thiolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolateolate. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th. th. th. to to to to to to to, to, to, to, tooe. tooer. tooer. tooea. tooea. tooererera. the 50s? In the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, you've been on the charts every decade. Right. Is there anybody else in history other than like Beethoven? Is there anybody that has that type of record do you know of? Would you even, would you follow that? I think it's the first. It's unbelievable. It's a remarkable thing. Now you have, these are, how many the thuuuuuuits, would, would thuits, thuits, thuits, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, would thu, would thu, would thu, would thu, would thi, would thi, thi, would thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their, their, their their their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi, thi, thi, thee. theats, the. theats, the. the. theats, the. the. the. the. the. the, th first. It's unbelievable. It's a remarkable thing. Now you have, these are, how many duets is this? This is probably about 19. 19. Who sucked? Who was terrible? Who? They were all wonderful. I really mean it. They were all great. This is really nice. These are the most important, most popular young artists today that are doing very well. And is there anybody that wouldn't?

Because I can't imagine, if Tony Bennett calls you and says, hey man, you want to sing a song, I would think it's like the honor of their careers. Well, I must say, I have a, my son is my wonderful manager for the last 45 years, and he came up with his whole premise and I want to thank him for doing that. That's Danny. He's a good man. Yeah, a very nice guy. Thank you. He will though, because I've worked with him before getting you to do gigs. He will muscle you. He is, he can be a vicious man. What was it like, you know, you did a duet with Amy Winehouse

right were you were you in the studio with her was that was it was Abbey Road you know in Britain right and it was the last record that she made yes is that is it when you're working with somebody in that situation and look let's not be naive you've been working in the industry since the 50s you've seen people struggle you've unfortunately seen people die too young is that something that you feel from a performer or it's all just business do you get a sense that there's that there's trouble there well she was in trouble at that time because she had a couple of engagements that she didn't keep up,

but people didn't realize at that time that she really knew, in fact, I didn't even know it when we were making the record, I'm now looking at the whole thing, she knew that she was in a lot of trouble, that she wasn't going to live. Wow. You know, she, and it wasn't drugs. It was it was alcohol. Right. To the end, you know. And it was such a sad thing because she was really, since Elvis Presley and the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and the whole contemporary change that came in, she was the only singer that really sang what I call

the right way. Really? Yeah, because she was a great jazz pop singer. Right. And she was a little apprehensive about the whole thing at when we were doing the record, but I came up with one sentence that made everything work, and I just said, you know, I said, I may be wrong, but I bet your influence by Dinah Washington. And when she heard that, she said, oh my God, she said, that's my God, that's who I love. And it really changed the whole record date. And she actually used some Dina Washington phrases in the recording. And the record, you could tell when you hear the record, how wonderful she she, but, but, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, the th, th, the th, I th, I th, I th, I th, I th, I th, I th, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I the the the the the the the th, I I I I the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th, I th, I thi, I thi, I thi the the the the the the thean, I thean, I thean, I thean, I thean, I theea thei thee the tell when you hear the record how wonderful she was really a great jazz singer, a true jazz singer.

And I regret that because that's the right way to sing. Right. And you feel, you know, you really are intuitive now about the music, aren't you? Like, you can just feel it from people. You've done it long enough that, you know, do you, will you see an artist sometimes on television or you'll hear them and you go, that's somebody I'll click with?

Or can you hear somebody's phrasing and think, not sure I can blend that. Can you, can you feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel the ingredients the ingredients the ingredients the ingredients can you feel the ingredients that will work with you that'll make a great record Well, you know to answer your question here. You know I was 10 years younger than the great master Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole and and and and Billy Eckstine and Sarah an and Ella Fitzgerald, you know who is better than anybody and then Louis Armstrong so I grew up loving that period of time. It doesn't sound dated to me, you know, any of the recordings even today when you're

here in that cold record, it doesn't sound old-fashioned, you know. So corporations will say, well, that's old music, but to me it's not. it's going to last forever. You know, not Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong is going to sound great 50 years from now. You know who else? Well, they were my masters at there. Tell me about it. Thank you.

I'm telling you, man. When you came out for us in Washington, and you said, I'm telling you, I'm telling you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, thing you, thing you, thing you, thing you, thing you, thing you, thing you, man, when you came out for us, when you came out for us in Washington and you said, I'm telling you, there was only one person I wanted at the end of there, standing up in front of the Capitol, singing to those people. And you just, you exceeded expectations as you always do, and it's just an honor to see it. That was the most beautiful moment in my life because to sing Americathe Beautiful right there with the capital behind us in the flag It was something baby. Thank you. Thank you The great Tony Bennett Explore more shows from the Daily Show Podcast Universe by searching the Daily Show, wherever

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