The Questlove Show - Questlove Supreme: Ed Eckstine

Episode Date: February 21, 2024

Ed Eckstine is a name that has come up during multiple QLS interviews. Now he sits down to talk about not only growing up in a legendary household where icons regularly stopped by, but he shares 50 years of music industry history. Ed recalls working at Quincy Jones Productions before his time with Clive Davis at Arista working with Whitney Houston and Kenny G. Eckstine also talks about his years leading Polygram and Mercury, where he signed acts like Tony! Toni! Toné!, Vanessa Williams, and Brian McKnight. This is a joyful deep dive filled with anecdotes, intersections, laughter, and two hours of insider wisdom.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-heart podcast, guaranteed human. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast,

The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I bowed. I will be his last target.

He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe, on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I got you, everyone, I'm Ago Vodam. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo.

My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot. But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that.

There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters. when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make

to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins. But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax. You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Owens, correct? I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg, a lesbian.

Michael Mancini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is love trapped. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Quest Love Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio.

All right, let me know when you guys are done writing your verses. Writing. Oh, come up, Steve. Just off the top. For me, the best part of the show is the pre-roll panic of the theme. It's a little. I'll point to you when it's your turn. Shut up, Steve.

I know everything you say. I'm about to say. No, it's just that frequency is a little... Jarring, right? I do it as pressure. Let's go. My name is sugar. When three people are done...

When three people are done. Let's go, kids. Let's go, Dad. Who's just like a roll call? Supremia, sub, sub, supremac. Suprema, sub, sub, suprema roll call. Suprema, sub, sub, suprema roll call. As I sit here...

singing in this jam. Yeah. I remember a time. The roots were almost on polygram. Oh, God. Suprema, sub, sub, sub, sub, Supreme a roll call. Suprema, sub, sub, sub, suprema roll call.

My name is Fonte, and I'm not alone, yeah, because I'm with my peoples in the comfort zone. Roll con, yeah! Supremma, Shat, Supremma, Roca. Supremma, Sub prima, Sub prima, Roeca. My name is Sugar.

Yeah. I like this setting. Yeah. But it's not as nice. Yeah. As Keele's wedding. Roll call. Supreme.

Suprema. Supreme. Roll call. Supremma. Subrema. Role call. I'm unpaid bill. Yeah.

I can't complain. Yeah. It's time for stories. Yeah. About Purple Rain. Roll call. Suprima. Subima.

Subrima. Subrima. Role call. Sub-S-S-S-S-S-Prima roll call This lie here Yeah X is here Yeah

So much to say Won't get in the rear I didn't fit Roll call, yeah What's just Supriva I was almost done Supriva

Role Call Last name X-Dine Yeah First name Ed Yeah How'd y'all get me Yeah

To come out of bed Roll call Supriva Subima Supremea, Supraima, Supraima, Supraima, Subura, Role Car, Supraima, Supraima, Role Car.

Suprema, Subprema, Subprema roll car. Wow, that was an interesting choice of verses you guys. We did good. Yeah, that was rather amazing. Four out of five ain't bad. Yo man, shout out DJ Khalil for making this happen, man. Big shout out of DJ Khalil. DJ Khalil.

Jackal, oh, yeah. Okay. That's what's up. That's my family. Oh, yeah, man. Okay.

We are still alive in Los Angeles. How's it going, kids? Great as always, dad. Okay. What was the highlight of your night, son? Nope. You could only tell a great story one time. I learned her from watching you.

Yeah. Wait a minute. That was a national commercial. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. That was some good time. They kind of presented it in a local way, I thought it was just a tri-state area.

Oh, no, no. It's like, don't be a dragon lady. Wait, what's that? Non-smoking. Don't be a dragon, lady. Come on, 80. See, that's a local joint. We didn't have that one.

It's a non-smoking ad? Okay. No. Okay. See, I thought, I got it for watching. I thought that was just a Philly, New York. Oh, that was everywhere. That one in the fried eggs is.

This your brain on drugs. That one, yeah. All right. So, of course, if you're not familiar, this is Questlove Supreme, the award-winning, Questloaf Supreme. We won so many awards. before I don't know the other words that we just all love it we swept at the schmuckies this year okay we swept I see uh how's it going for Antigolo ah doing good man I'm making it I guess by the time

this comes on the festival will I be over yeah yeah made in Durham I think hopefully it'll be over by the time this shit come out but uh no October 7th um we did it and it was great nice Manifestation. Steve, jazz world, how's he treating you? Everything's good. We've got the album you did with David Murray that's available now. It's streaming and, you know, people are going to vote for it for the Grammys and everything. You know, I was just having a conversation with a recent Questlove Supreme guest on the show, and he suggested, hey, why don't we do a project together?

So that can happen. Faith Newman? Yes. Shout us to Faith. I ran into her like not too long ago. Faith Newman, yes. I saw at the Nause birthday party. We're down.

Yeah. Yeah. Pino wants to make something happen, Captain. Oh yeah. Speaking of making it happen, cabin, weren't we supposed to make something happen with Bob James? Yeah, yeah, that got push-poned, sorry.

Okay. I love a Questlove Supreme Collaboration. Yeah. Let's make it happen. Yeah. All right, Dr. Sesame Street. I listen to the David Murray Questlove record, and it is awesome.

It's crazy. It's really good. I'm still discovering stuff. There's a lot of samples on it. It's really good. It's so good. angry, that could be like the next 12 Roots albums right there. Yeah, it's incorrect.

Four platters. Is that on Apple Music? It's called Plum. It's called Plum. What was your logic? I wanted to call it three Pleiadesians walking to a bar, but... Of course you did. We did include that in the...

Right, one was called... I got the name one song, but, you know, it's Steve. So what's our next project called? Peach. Okay. And what would that be? Hopefully, Belial, you... That's a way to say that name.

Ray and Doyle. Bram Hall. I like that. I like that. Okay. I miss with that. Oh, and Elena Penderhues on flute. Okay.

Like a quintet. That's what's up. Okay. Peach. I got it. Laya, how's life? Man, listen, it's good. Podcasts.

Shout out to Lai. Also, for really, like, putting in the hard work and organizing these. She's sort of our person that targets the guests that come on the show. Call that a booker? You be booking the shit out of that. You book. You book. You just.

I mean, you're just. Booker, that's at a low level. Isn't it? I feel like you run the shit. You're the producer. You're the boss. That's nice. Yes, me, okay, me Jake and Brittany.

We are. You Jake Brickney, but take your own flowers, Laii. Yeah. Take these flowers. Don't do that. You know, I love that shit. You better. We love you, Lauer.

Take this love. Okay. Thank you. Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, I will say that after our awesome Lisa Cortez episode of Quest Love Supreme, in which we kind of went through the story of the close but no single. our outcome of where the roots were going to land as far as their major label was concerned.

If you don't remember, we had been, you know, spending all of 1993, 30 years ago, having showcases and whatnot, the very first label that we wanted to sign to, of course, Mercury, Polygram, and we were really excited. They took us out to dinner. We went to, like, a Black Sheep Legion video set. It was all exciting. And then because of a technicality, we wound up, on another label. So I kind of see this as like an alternative universe.

Right. Yeah, yeah. Like that movie, Other Earth. This is an alternative universe in which I am talking to the former president of the label that I never got to sign to. But not that, I mean, as former president of Mercury Polygram, but he's also been a senior executive and also a producer, and a music producer for a lot of the music that we have grown up listening to, still currently listen to, name it Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Bon Jovi, Kiss Whitney Houston, Quinny G, Brian McKnight, Tony, Tony, Tony.

Very happy about that reunion, by the way. Did you see the North Carolina show? No, I didn't see the North Carolina show. Well, wait, I thought their first show, they did a test show in North Carolina. Which is October 1st. Today is not October 1st. Oh, I get it. This is the idea of that.

But you don't know that in September they did a secret show in North Carolina. I missed that one. Right. I missed that one. Yeah, they did. But the only thing about like tours when they start, if you don't see the first three shows, is I'm a guarantee that they're going to chop the songs in half once they find a rhythm. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

So I saw the set list of what their show was, and it's way past the roots in LL. It's like, it's damn near three hours. Like it's 90 minute. They got bangers, man. Wow. Well, they start with all the classic filler. Then they go into Raphael's songs that he wrote for other people. Oh, shit.

So he's doing like cozy. He's doing, what do you wrote with Beyonce? What will you be? Covet. That's covered. That's Covent and Covent. Covent and Cozy. I'm sorry.

As a word of a player, I'm getting my C words mixed. So proud of y'all for knowing these things. The Beyonce things. Well, she's too omnipresent. Like, Beyonce's like an air and water. It's like hard to resist. And then they go into the solo stuff and then they end with the hits.

So, but of course, you know, management stuff's like, can y'all just turn this into a two-hour show because your audience is like whatever. But anyway, so much with the Tonys. Yes, our guest today, I pray, has a lot of stories about his journey in this music business that we love. Please welcome to Questleaf Supreme, the one and only, Ed Eckstein. Thank you, thank you.

Thank you. Pleasure to be here. Ah, thank you for being here, man. The long clap. We got to wait for 40 seconds of clapping. This is how much for the way. And next time, woman's on a lady. A guest that listens to the show, too.

How are you today? You listen to the show? Yeah, I do. I listen when I walk in the morning. Wow. How do you explain that roll call then? Shots fired. Oh, damn.

Who knew the jazz guys got a pistol? Oh, wow. I get the feeling you've been telling the truth about like, we got you out of bed this morning. What is your morning routine? What do you do? I like to know what executives and creatives do for the first half hour in the morning. What's your morning routine? I get up.

I do a meditation and a prayer. And I go for a walk. I try to walk, you know, close to 10,000 steps. Really more like five. Right. Hey, living. I'm with you. I'm with you.

And I come home, you know, have my breakfast. chill with my wife and my son. Okay. Just get on the computer. You know, do my thing. How was your son? How old was... He's 22.

Okay. Yeah. And what's your method for meditation? You know, we're into that here. What's that about? Just close my eyes and, you know, think about, you know, what I can do to better my life and be better for the world as collective that day, you know? Just all, you know.

Just positivity. Try to be as positive as possible. You said something, and now I want to get there. Everyone reveal your steps right now. What's on your phone? Your steps. Do you know how to look at your steps? Oh, I went to the gym this morning.

I'm gonna win. Okay, you go first. 8,306. I hate you right now. That's my, I told you. On a good day, that's what I hope to get to. Like me getting above 5,000 is my goal. Right now, I'm 918.

That's not gonna do it, that's not good. That's like from the door to here. No, sometimes in my hotel hallway, I walk twice. Yeah. Hope I get it up to a thousand. What's your step, Steve? It says, six. in and out burgers, 18 cigarettes,

five coffees. I'm at 544 steps. Oh, good. I'm at 26.72. All right. Yeah. Yeah. Let's try get it up to 5,000 at least. That will help us. Do it. Okay. Did you say yours? I said 918.

Okay, good stuff. I slept late. You ain't got a bank excuse. We just going to do it. We just going to do it. But, you know, I'm supposed to do at least 10,000, you know. So, like, I know for you, you, and it's rare to meet executives. Oftentimes, I'll meet executives that are more about saving their jobs and submitting their legacy. And they don't really seem to be passionate about music or music fans. But I definitely know that you are a passionate. You love music more than anything. I do. It's in the blood. It's almost rare to me. Do you find that as well? Like,

that executives aren't are mostly there to cross tis and dot i's and really not not all but a significant portion yeah um during my period when i was active in it um there was certainly there were music guys and there in the wall street takeover happened and it became you know sort of an element of give me 12 pounds of music to go you know nobody's really listening to it you know in my head i kind of hold like 1997 as kind of the mason dixon line of where hip hop, you know, suddenly realized it's earning power. Mm-hmm. And then suddenly it became big business.

Right. Right. As opposed to whatever, me, me living in the delusional state of, hey, people love music for music, and it's an art form and that sort of stuff. Good luck with that. Right. Well, I know. Right.

But for you, on the executive side of things, was there a global? period and then was there the Mason Dixon line period of like what am I doing here yes from the executive side what got frustrating was in those days it was still terrestrial radio largely that was the master that we had to honor you know there were so many situations where there were acts that you loved said you know I'd love to try and go get after this and break it but you knew the radio isn't gonna play it and it was you would you know you had limited resources of what you could spend to make things happen and

So to a certain extent, I found myself in the position of chasing things that you thought were somewhat safer, but not that my instincts may have gone in one direction, but the realities of the marketplace and after all I'm running a business is just another. All right. I need a five second moment of reflection right now because instantly I'm regretting the decision I made. I'm literally sitting here like, wait a minute. If this person was at the top of the pyramid, how would have my life have turned out? I don't know if this particular tortoise and the hair journey is for everybody. And it's not. It was a long, hard 30 years in getting here. And I'm glad I'm here.

So, yes, I will say that I don't regret anything. But I will say that of, anyone that I dealt with in music to even hear you speak on that level, in my head, I'm already like, damn, where's that person when I needed them in my career? Because we, the reason why I'm here is because we had to fend for ourselves. People were just like, I don't know, figure it out for yourself. So we had to figure it out for ourselves. And so, yeah, I'm having a moment of, oh, damn, I wonder what do it happen to have we chose?

Well, who knows, Ed? he might have been a different ed in those days too in that way. But now, yeah, then I'm going to ask, were you the same ed now that you were 30 years ago? Well, some ways, yes, but no. But as far as you guys were concerned, because I remember vividly, Kenya. I bet you do. Kenyatta Bell was the A&R guy who was actually working for us who first identified you guys.

He was excited about. He worked for Lisa Cortez, so he and Lisa came in. So we're really interested in this band. They said the magic words band to me, because when I signed the Tonys, was at a period when there was a lull in black bands, and I come up from that era. And I always viewed the Tonys as the last of the Mohicans on the R&B band level, but of the hip-hop generation. I remember vividly seeing them play a performance at the Palladium one night in New York,

and they were killing that night on stage, and the audience was just dumbfounded, staring into space. And I was there with the late great Gary Harris. who was working for me at that time. Gary and I said, Gary, you got to do this. Yeah, exactly. That's how he talks. And Gary and I were staying on, I'm looking at him and said,

gee, what's up, man? How come nobody's reacted to him? They're killing up here. He says, you gotta understand something, man. He said, most of kids in this audience have never seen kids their own age playing a musical instrument. I was like, wow, really? So that was reality.

So when I heard about you guys, you know, a combination of, you know, Tarek and a band, I said, this is interesting to me. I always remember that the showcase It was a cold as hell night in at SIR. I froze myself half to death. Yes. I had a clause in my contract in those days, because I'm from LA, that if it got to single digits in New York, I could, I would turn around and go home immediately.

And if I was walking through time, you know, time and temperature, you know, of the sign of the world, if I looked up and it was, you know, 352, eight degrees, I'd walk back to my office, say, Chris, book me, I'm going home. And I think that night was one of those nights. nights you know like Lisa got me to stick around to see the band thank you all right yeah it's cool thank you fucking brilliant though yeah it really is really right you know to put that in there like that's so interesting like did somebody else tell you once and you know and when you do your new contract no because I'd worked I'd spent enough time back east because I went to high school back east and I was working for Arista when I was at Arreston and you know some I didn't have

that Clive wasn't playing that a win a win a win a win a win That's me, Clifford Taylor the fourth. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by.

Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends... Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit.

by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Ego Wadam. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live and the Big Money Players Network. work. It's Will Ferrell. Woo. Woo. Woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever.

I went and had lunch with him one day and I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot.

He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to thanks, Dad, on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This week on the Sports Sliced podcast, it's all about the NFL draft, and we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galko, joins the Sports Sliced podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal.

The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice in someone's, correct? I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for. Sunlight's the greatest disinfected. They would uncover a disturbing pattern.

Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Lesbian and Michael Naranjini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at Americopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges.

This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I knew other name at Eckstein, of course, when you read, album credits, I saw your name on like Vanessa Williams' projects and the Tonys and whatnot. But what was the road that led to? your president like how long did it take from the moment you entered the mail room to presidency how long was that um i started at polygram in 1987 um dick asher was the president of polygram in those days and he because polygram just for a little inside baseball was a dutch owned phillips dutch owned company based in based in hilversum holland with a

with a European base in London, headquarters in New York, with satellite offices in Nashville and Los Angeles. But the creative centers were largely London and New York. So, Lester's to extend Los Angeles. In those days, Polyphonogram, UK, would sign acts exclusively for UK, and America wouldn't have the rights to them. Dyr Straits was one of those bands. Metallica was a band like that. They weren't signed to Polygram for the world. And so when a guy called Dick Asher took over who had run.

CBS rule when when Dick took over Polygram part of the edict was to sign things for the world So and they wanted to up their presence in the as a West Coast creative center So there was a head of a and R at polygram at the time a guy called Dick Wingate shout out to Dick how to richards Yeah, and so Asher apparently had had a thing in his mind of who he was going to hire for this West Coast situation But Wingate and some of the A&R guys in the New York office felt he was going old people they want somebody younger and I was going to ask you, is he well liked? Who? I only know the name Dick Asher because if you're a fan of liner notes,

I believe on Fear of Black Planet, public enemy wrote and fuck Dick Asher. We got Bill Stephanie watching our backs. And I was like, what does that mean? That was extremely targeted. Yeah, Dick was cool. Or he was just an executive? Yeah, Dick was cool.

It was great to me. Once again, sidebar story that I was having a conversation with my pops at one point after Polygram had offered me the deal made me an offer made me my offer and yeah I would say well tell me baby told me about the deal I told I ran the deal down to him and when he sat and digested he said damn sounds like you found old-fashioned nigger lover yeah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha those are kind of hard to find these days really ex-kine is okay so problematic shit I love dick was great to me dick was absolutely wonderful

Oh, shit. And it forwarded me a great opportunity there. I see. All right. So where were you born? Born here in L.A. All right. St. John's Hospital, Santa Monica.

Do you remember your very first musical memory? I do. What is it? Being, my parents were having a party. I was born in Santa Monica. We were living in Hollywood. My parents were having a party. I was apparently like two or three years old.

They were having a party in the house, and a whole bunch of bird was there, Billy Holiday and different people were at the crib. and this is all going on in the house. Time out! You have like the history of jazz. Wait. You were in this lifetime when Charlie Bird Parker was...

It was alive. Indeed. Yeah. And you've seen, or you've been in the presence of Billy Holiday once... Is, basically, but the stories... Even if you were two. Yeah. My memory is, because we had a two-story house,

and the second floor, I somehow crawled out of my bed. And there was, you know, the second story and, you know, the things that hold the, and I was looking down at the party. My parents said they looked up and they could feel a presence. And all of a sudden they looked up and here was my little face looking down at everybody. And I was attracted to the music and the noise and the cacophony. And Billy Holiday. All right. I need more stories of your life.

Like, give me a version of your childhood in which you don't know that God's in the room with you. Like, oh, my parents once told me that whatever. I went to the school with Jackie Jackson. Well, that's a bad example, but you get my point. Best way I could answer that is just my dad was an avid golfer because he was on the road all the time. And when he'd come home from the road, he played golf a lot. And one of the things that was always fun was we'd come home from school, because in our house, he had like a little bar sort of speak-easy area where he used to chill after he played golf.

And he never knew when we'd come home who was going to be in the crib with him. We played golf with that day. Had days where he'd come home and he was there. with Smokey or there with Marvin Gay or there with Sean Connery. This is when he was on Motel, right? I know he signed the Motel in the mid-60s. Okay cool. But yeah this is this is mid-60s stuff. I'm like 12, 13 years old at that point. So just little things like that. The other aspects of it, there were there were moments because the whole Billy Ecksteinness of it all was he was just pops.

But you know the fact that people my friend, my kid's parents, reacted more to him than you know anything else you know and one things that pops always tried to do to my brothers and I from my brothers and I was demystify the business but also sort of put a vibe on it to make us understand that although people kind of went buck wild when when he was around that we had to realize that he was no better or no worse than anybody else and the people across the street who had you know regular quote-unquote regular jobs his just happened to be in lights and people got excited about it so that was really that was

sort of a God moment in its own way of just, you know, that how life was, you know, Pops is just, you know, pops as a singer. How many brothers and sisters did you have? There's seven of us. Wow, where do you fall? I fall in the middle. It's five boys, two girls. Okay.

I've got two older, three older brothers, two of whom are deceased now. And then, then my little brother and two younger sisters. Any of your other siblings, they go into music in any way? My brother, guy, is a producer and a manager. And my youngest sister, our youngest sister, Gina is a singer. Yeah. As as a child or as a teen, would other adults annoy you if they start singing to you like Moody's mood or anything like you're dead. Yeah. Yeah.

Sort of get to us was, you know, because he was on the road so much, you know, and the only time we really talked to him was on the road was on Sunday nights, you know. Right. You hear from him. You know, we'd say, Dad, I hit a home run on Tuesday, blah, blah, blah, blah. that kind of shit. So when he was home, there were very valuable cherished moments. If we went out to dinner as a family, invariably there's somebody to come, ah, Mr. B, I saw you in Moline, Illinois in 1951, you know, and we're trying to talk to Pops, and you know, we were sort of taught slash trained that, you know, that the fans are the lifeblood of, you know, of us having the ability to live the lives that we live. So just kind

of smile your way through it, you know, be polite, be nice. And Pops would handle it from there. And if they stayed a little too long, he'd say, hey, baby, I'm trying to have dinner with my family here, you know. And if they stayed long, said, get the fuck out of here, you know. I was going to issue a mandate, like, none of you do a there I go reference. So anyway, but then if you told us not to do it, then we'd do it. Or you'd want us to do it. My favorite songs is all time.

So much deductive reasoning happening. Did you have peers in that way, though, Ed, since you were part of this kind of musical family? Did you have other kids that kind of felt the pains that you were going through because their parents were on tour? but where I grew up in Encino, California. So we're the only black family there till the Jackson. I don't know to say. There were other black people in the Ancino? So the Jackson's got there.

Okay. So y'all were there first, right? Because it's your dad. Yeah. And so any of the, the Encino at that point, it's in, it still is in San Fernando Valley. Encino was basically two lane dirt road with orange groves and a lot of almond trees and shit. And then somewhere in the late, in late 50s became a bit of a go west young man. syndrome, a lot of folks moving out to the hills there.

And a significant port, because with the expanse of the film and TV business out here, and a lot of the folks that moved to that part of the valley were business people, largely Jewish from New York, from other parts of the country. And certain parts of the city here were redlined that, you know, certain Jews and blacks couldn't live in certain areas. So the valley became the area of development, you know, of principal development. And the line of demarcation in the San Fernando Valley is Ventura Boulevard. And a lot of the kids I grew up with were, you know, Mo Austin's kids, Eddie Rosenblatt's kids, different, you know, showbiz kids, you know, making movies of the selves as Steely Dan said.

Right. And don't give a fuck about nobody else. I got you. So they were your peers, but they really weren't your peers. Yeah, they were peers in the sense their parents weren't performers. But, you know, there were some, you know, my older brothers, like my second and third, my second oldest brother went to high school with Sally Field and Cher. Yeah. So, yeah.

She went to school? Yeah. Had a moment about this was called 15 years ago. It was during the Kobe Shack Laker years. It was one of the playoffs championship games. Sally Field happened to be standing in front of me at that game. And in the stand since I tapped her on the shoulder and said, I said, hello to her. I said, you went to high school with my brothers.

And she kind of gave me a quizzical look of like, you know, looked at the suntan. I was like, wait, no, none of you motherfuckers. Right, right, right. Oh my God. You're kidding. Ron's brother. Instantly knew. Instantly knew.

So, well, actually, I asked, okay, I asked the Jackson's the same question, but now that I know that you were there first, first of all, were you aware of the situation that you were placed in? Yeah. I asked them, what is it to be? Because I, you know, I was considered the Jackson's, the first post-civil rights result, like all that between, you know, reconstruction, slavery, and civil rights,

and then you get to this point post-68, where the idea of freedom or the idea of pursuit of happiness, whatever, and the Jackson sort of took that. And I asked them, like, what was it like navigating in those first five years in Encino, in Los Angeles? You know, I've seen the photos. You guys have rolls, voices, and fancy cars. and roasted and all that stuff.

And Marlin was like, yeah, and I routinely got stopped by cops and all that stuff. So were you aware that I was like proceed with caution or was it like? Yeah, very aware. Partially because how we were raised. You know, my dad was very active in the civil rights movement. And the conversation around the dinner table or all meals actually was either showbiz or the civil rights movement. The civil rights movement played out on TV every night on Walter. Cronkite and stuff like that and Pops was close with Dr. King, close with Malcolm.

So as a result, we were very aware of who we were and what was up. You know, my parents, pretty much that was one of the things they hammered home to us, you know. Don't for one minute start thinking you're white up in here, you know. This is reality of your existence, you know. Which you must have confused people a little bit visually as well at times. Yeah, well, and I realized that some of that too was, you know, because there's a certain amount of ethnic ambiguity, you know, inherent to the suntan and, you know, and the hair. the time and and as a result you know there's but there was always a kid every

year in school there one step to one of my brothers and a nigger you know you pop somebody in the face and then and then you get sent to the principal's office and then they say we're gonna call your parents you didn't want my mom coming down you know mom was straight out of Georgia Thomas in Georgia she wasn't having it so she was like you know if they don't hit those people if they don't punch them you know when he get home they go hey it's gonna be their ass so that was that was our reality but yeah the jack period was was cool because I am that's when I first met them and John McLean

okay during that period of time I was I was I went to a boarding school in western Pennsylvania where place called Kit the Kiski school outside of Pittsburgh okay outside of Pittsburgh okay actually Jake your producer went to one of our rival schools okay you're fired Jake yeah so I was at the school Pennsylvania and one of my really close friends here was was screwing up in school here and he got sent to a private school, private day school here in town, which was where Motown sent the Jackson's, once they could no longer go to public school here, a place called the Walton School. So when I come home on vacations, our vacations were out of sync with my friend's

vacations here. So ostensibly, my days would end up being spent either hanging out with my mom because Pops was on the road, hanging out with mom, going to do what mom was going to do or sit at home and just listen to records all day, which I did a fair share of that and play my guitar. But my buddy was like, do want you come to come down to my school and hang out with us. the Jackson's are here blah blah blah blah all the honeies are on the Jackson's hard and I was in all boys school so I mean I'm in so I started going just allowed to show up you just show up on the campus damn we did okay and uh play ball we played ball all day and that's what I met met those guys okay and Mike was Mike was little you know chasing

insects and rats around right sounds about right then what was your do you remember the first album you ever purchased first album I ever purchased was meet the Beatles for single ever purchase was my girl. Where's the family record collection? Yeah, where is the family record collection? I had, I sold my vinyl about 15 years ago. I had, you know, 15,000 pieces. What?

Okay, on behalf of Fonsegolo, 60, unpaid bill. Yeah, long story, long story. But yeah, I sold it and then mom and dad's collection, I still have a bunch of it, you know, but. How many records are you think? They had a fair show, not a lot. Some of this got sold.

I got a great story that we had a lady who was a housekeeper for us in the late 50s when Ray Charles was blown up with all the Atlantic records. And Mom and Pops love those records. So they had all the Ray Charles album, you know, the early Ray Charles records. They came home from tour at one point, went to put their Ray Charles joints on. They weren't there. And they're like, where's the records? And this one housekeeper lady, Gussie, Gussie, Gussie, you know, pinched the records. So she laughed and mom and dad told us it said, look, all is forgiven.

Just bring the records back. You know, you got to have your job back. No, she didn't want the job back. She kept fucking records. What? Dussie. Right. I'm proud of her family right now.

Now I've got to check my collection. Yeah. Jesus Christ, when you sell a record collection, that means you're really, that music is in the rearview mirror. Will I ever... I just digitized everything. But, yeah, I mean, I love the... I need tangible proof that... Yeah, tactile thing.

I did something. In the end, a man is judged by his record collection. Pretty much. When people come in my house, that's the first thing they do. They like... What do you listen to do? That sort of thing. And, you know, look at stuff.

Yeah, I was known for it. Because when I used to go to Kiski, school was called Kiski. When I go to Kiski, I'd come up from the holidays. I always have three or four foot lockers filled with vinyl, filled with records. They said, when I saw all the kids' school do. me as a record guy you know can i ask a little follow-up on your question so the first two records you bought the beetles and and my girl yeah you know how did those first two purchases shape your

taste in music in your career i was a beatles on ed solvin kid you know when i saw beals and ed solomon i was like i want to play guitar i wanted to play drums first but moms wasn't having it you know i'm gonna have all that noise up in my house so i said i'll play guitar and then i got a guitar later that year for my birthday don't play well but i collect them pretty well but my son actually is a prolific player, prodigious player. And my girl was just because I loved the single, the lick and all that stuff. Easy to play.

Yeah, yeah. And I always tell the story, people say, what are you saying? You sing like your dad? Oh. I was saying, I must have been like 11. And I was singing my girl in the shower. My dad opened the shower door and said, stop singing, boy.

He closed the shower door and walked away. I fear Billy Eckstein tells me not to sing. I was not going to sing. I was going to say that's where the Billy Exxon, he ain't joke really works. Shout out to Prince. So I would assume being a young teenager in the late 60s, early 70s, and being in the position that you're in, you've been privy to many a concert experience. Can you give me your top three concert going experiences as a kid?

Yeah. Well, kid, meaning under 21 or just whenever. Well, give me your, what's the first concert you went to? That's not your dad. Yeah, it's not my dad, no. But even then, I'm certain that your dad's done festivals and stuff. Yeah, exactly, yeah. All right, so you got to include your dad.

I went to see Marvin Gaye at what's now, used to be a club called Ceros with my older brother. When he was, when he was in college, I was like eight or nine years old. Pre-beard Marvin Gay? Yeah, when he was still suits, you know, hitchhike and stubborn kind of fellow Marvel. Oh, wow. Yeah, early, yeah. Was it just like, nah.

Or did you appreciate it? I was into it because I loved all that shit. Okay. Yeah. I loved all that shit. And there used to be a theater out in the Valley in Woodland Hills called the Valley Music Theater. It was one of those theaters in the round. Valley Music Theater used to do shows.

And this was before the Rock and Roll Industrial Complex, as we've come to know it, came to fruition, came to life. And in those days, all this baby rock bands were out here making records, but there was really, they were having hits, but there was nowhere for them to play. They weren't touring. So they would do a lot of promotion shows for local pop station. UK RLA. And so KRLA did a show at the Valley Music Theater of like the doors, the birds, the Buffalo Springfield, three other bands I'm not thinking of right now. I remember cutting, going out one night, you know, on my bike riding to the gig, my parents were working. My dad was on the road. Mom was with him going to that gig. And then, you know, down the road, you know,

once again professionally uh stones 1973 at at the at the at the forum oh shit you saw a post exile show oh yeah absolutely when they did the tour with the uh with the lotus flower that opened you know yeah open like you open a honky-talkie-talkie woman and mick was hanging off the front front it's the cocksucker blues tour yeah it was great was stevie opening for them then stevie was oh wow with ray parker and ollie in the band yeah yeah and uh denise williams too yep exactly She gave a lot of debauchrous stories about that tour. Yeah. And then Bootsie, Bootsie at the Forum, 1978.

Yes. Play of the year. Yeah, post the Pfeunk Earth tour, but it was Bootsie Play of the Year thing. At his height. With, you know, with Macyo doing the opening high, Oh, you, Bootsie, the great. Yeah. They're just going nuts, you know.

The whole forum was just shaking. It was amazing. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments

in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clivert Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl.

You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield. in this new season of The Girlfriends. Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck.

I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the Girlfriends.

Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever. you get your podcast. I'm Agoe. I'm Ago Wadam. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers, Anchorman, Saturday Night Live,

and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. Woo. Woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot.

I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place they come. Look for up and He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved.

And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat, just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be... Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes, franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode.

Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring incoherent. Consistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice in someone, correct? I doctored the test once.

It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for. Sunlight's the greatest disinfected. They would uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg, a lesbian, Michael Marincini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young.

This is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at Americopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So by the mid-70s, or even in the last night. late 60s, are you trying to figure out what your path or what your goal in life was?

And I'm certain everyone asked you like, and what do you want to be when you grow up? Like, all right, so when you were 12, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to pitch for the Dodgers. I want to be the Black Sandy Kofax. Oh, okay. That's what's up. So when you were in 10th grade, 15, 16, did that change? Yes, I still wanted to be Kofax, but I was more.

I was also into music at that point. And in those days, the Twain hadn't met yet, where, you know, basically jocks were jocks, and, you know, it was very much sort of beer frat shit, you know. Yes. And where his music was hipper, you know, and the girls were there. And so I was, eh, I don't know, sports thing's cool, but no. And then it's certain when I got to college, it all sort of went up and smoke.

What kind of smoke? Indo smoke. Yes. By the time you got out of high, high school. Uh-huh. Would you say then that's when you saw your path to... Yeah, I knew I pretty much wanted to pursue something in the music business.

Because right out of high school, I did not want to go to college immediately. I wanted to take the, you know, the bridge year, as they called them in those days. Okay. And my parents weren't having that, you know, my parents were like that. Oh, immediately. What college was this? Boston University. Oh, shit.

Okay. So my parents weren't having it, you know, there was a striver thing and all that stuff. If you go to Europe, you mean you're never coming back to college, blah, blah, blah. So my interest was music, and I figured, you know, I loved my parents dearly, but I wanted to get as far away from them as possible, which is L.A., I went to Boston. And Boston had a very thriving music scene in those days, as it still does, you know, significant college population, so I just immersed myself in that. The miniser show there. It's kept me alive.

Used to walk down the street. Erasmith was a local band there playing in front of the student union. Jay Galsman, Peter Wolf was still on the radio in Boston. Giles band was playing. So you got to witness these people when they were just upstarts. Used to see Aerosmith every freaking day, it seemed, playing on Commonwealth Avenue in front of BU Student Union, you know? What? Doing the same schick that they did,

you know, a zillion years later. And cut to 1973, 74, I'm here back home in LA. I'm driving down the freeway and I'm listening to Rock Station KLOS and Dream On plays. And you dream on, I have that moment where it's like, all of someone here, this is it, but wait a minute, why don't I know that song? I know this from somewhere.

It was so out of context. And when the guy, they're these new bad boys from Boston, Arrow Smith. I was like, oh shit, those motherfuckers got a deal? So there have been a few guests on our show. Earlier you mentioned A&M, exact. Oh, John McClain. That we always miss.

So, you know, I mean, we've had guests on the show, notably Lenny Kravitz, telling me of a period, especially like between 75 and 81, 82, and which kind of black Hollywood, black. young Hollywood, that world was so small that you had to know the Carrie Gordy's, the crevices, the Medinas, like anybody in Apollo, were you ever sort of associated or inducted in that circle? Because everyone seems to have known each other. We can never get John McLean on the show and I'm mad as hell. What kind of happens? I knew people, I knew them, but I didn't hang. You know, I was in it, but not of it. Because I had my own little sort of world at that

point and that was earlier part of 75 was already working with Quincy by then but you know 72 73 period that's when I first got in the game as a writer that's what I first started writing for soul magazine at the time you wrote for soul that was my first gig shit you know how much money I just put down for back issues of soul that is crazy yeah actually the way I ended up there was I was there was a kid that I grew up with in my neighborhood a guy called David guest David lived somewhat in infamy as the guy who Liza Menelie. Liza Manelli.

Right. I was like, wait, I know David, guess. Somewhat infamy. Yeah, sure. And, uh... Wait, why don't do that family feud? And David and I grew up in Encino together and, you know, he was, he was a record troll, too. I see David a lot in the music stores.

We had different pursuits because I was a guitar, I was into guitar, you know, guitar rock stuff. David was, was into girl groups and shit. So, um, we had this thing, you know, mist us that whoever got on first would pull the other along. along so David was writing for soul at that point and he wrote for soul magazine well okay wait for it okay so I used to tag along with him to shows and stuff because in those days LA the sort of deal here was like Monday nights stuff would happen at the whiskey Tuesday night was opening it's at the Trubidor Wednesdays with a Roxy Roxy was open by Thursday night would be a total experience down the hood

and Friday Friday Saturday Yeah, that's a L'Aseman's a clue. Friday Saturday nights would be concerts. Right. So I would tag with David. And I'm going to ask you about all those places. Okay. And in those days, you know, the press was treated with a certain level of, dare I say, respect, or catered to.

And so I would, I would hang with my man and get in the rooms and, you know, obviously being this tall, tall dude, tall black dude. And in rooms, there weren't a lot of us there. So as a result, one of the things that happened was I would see the shows with David. And David could hardly write his name, let alone write a story. and because I'd gone to a school that, you know, English was, you know, put upon us. Right. So I wrote all his stories.

It wasn't like it was exactly true. You ghost wrote his joints. I wrote his joints. Wow! So one day, David had gotten hired by London Records to work with Al Green for high with high. And he went into Regina and the editor at the time and said, I'm leaving, I'm going to do this, blah, blah,

Dave, we don't want you to leave, we love stuff so much, all that shit. You know, on and on, David says, well, you like my stuff so much. Meet the guy who's been writing it. And from stage left here, come and really they signed me something and I wrote a couple you know I wrote for him for about a year that is crazy yeah okay so you mentioned those clubs and this is what I want to know so my period of LA obviously I came after I came in

on the tail end of whatever the former scene was where like Sunset Boulevard was sort of a safe right well it was also the death row period so yeah yeah yeah let's say after 98 it was more you know anyway you know I'm trying to get at but if you are wanting to hang with like where it's hip and your people's like is the total experience club the only option in town Mavericks flats another club on I've heard of that now where is that at right down the street from a on crinch out right down the street from a on a total experience So it was no thing to hang on Crenshaw in the 70s or in the 80s? It was, well, Mavericks and total experience.

Oh, in the 80s, maybe the Comedy Act Theater. Okay. You know, there was stuff to do there. Comedy Act is weird, like Robin Harris and... Yeah, exactly. That's how I signed up. Damn, that's right. You signed Robin Harris.

I got that. So for you, though, were you an open format fan as in, okay, I'm going to see Arrowsmith one night? Yeah, whatever. I'm going to see Rufus next night. Absolutely. country whatever the case may be you know i get it were you at all into the la punk scene like not much not much so you didn't see like bands like x or none i did see x uh did see missing persons chili peppers when the chili peppers early too okay so we're like those pre-sky fish bony

post-punk where would they play madame wongs madame wongs was a chinese restaurant on uh on wilshire boulevard down at Brentwood borderline Brentwood Santa Monica and then also there was some Adam Wong's downtown they would play there or the Starwood which was at La Sienega in Santa Monica Boulevard. Isn't that still up or? Crescent Heights in Santa Monica Boulevard. It's not there anymore. I think it's been developed into like a mini mall or something. But that was a place where Van Halen emerged from and I remember seeing Clinton. do the Uncle Jam tour there, Uncle Jam show there, Funkadelic show.

Okay. You mentioned working for Quincy. What was your first industry good? Well, they paid me any money or just period. Well, okay. As an intern, where did you start? Soul music thing and then also Soul magazine thing. And also I had a gig at Rogers and Cowan one summer,

PR for him, big-time PR firm here in town. They were looking after Stacks and the guy who was the head publicist there, a guy called Sandy Friedman. Sandy hired me to do some writing for them. I was working in the mailroom, actually. Deanie Parker, who was the head of PR for Stacks, recommended me for this job. Al Bell recommended you for the job, actually,

in the mail room at Rogers and Cowan. And I was a token black kid. They hired because they had a black account. And so I was there and did that for a minute. And, you know. Wait, guys, we just had a guest on the show that also started out as PR. Ramon. Ramon.

Okay, I'm sorry, I was trying to get my answer. Have you ran into him in circles before? Yeah, I knew. Vanessa, right? It was Vanessa. Okay, now, I get it, I get it. Okay. Yeah.

So you, so the time, did you think you're going to start as a publicist or? I kind of was that. I mean, Quincy initially hired me, that's pretty much what I was there to do, you know. I was there to sort of blow up. He called me a pygmy stretcher. He said, go stretch some fucking pygmies, Edward. And, uh, that's Quincy. That's Quincy Pylons.

Okay. Yeah, so he hired me to, as he said, I'll make the music, you make the noise. And that was kind of what I did. So I was there to basically do PR marketing and sort of keep an eye on his interests at the record company. And I was floating around the A&M lot and people looking at me like, who is his nigger? What's he doing here? What's he do? And this was it?

This was for Quest? No, Quincy Jones Productions. Oh, this was just like doing the sounds and stuff like that period? Or body heat? Body heat. Oh, wow. So are you the reason why he, Did a really random guest on Soul Train, like with the Brothers Johnson.

It's my brother playing drums. My little brother playing drums. Yeah. Yeah, guys playing drums. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, I'm sorry. Now I want to stop that episode.

To watch it. What are your relationships like? Because I know now, for instance, like there's former interns of mine at the Tonight Show that then intern in that record labels. and maybe in a year or two, they'll figure out, okay, my ANR and my publicist or whatever. There's a system to go through. Are you going through a road less traveled, like in terms of publicity? Like, how do you know who to market Quincy Jones too? Like, do you know the people at People Magazine?

Do you know if Rolling Stones into them? Yeah. It was at that point, it was just pull out the gun and shoot where you may, you know. Good luck, you know. Um, so it was just to, I mean, at that point he had voluminous credits. Okay. Um, and not a lot of hits. Um, you know, and my job is to basically make those voluminous credits seem, as I

used to say at the time, you say to people, you know, Quincy Jones. Yeah, I know the name. What can you, I have no idea. People didn't really know what to attach the name to, you know, and my job is attached to the name. I wanted to know how potent he was pre off the wall in terms of like, because I know the, The idea of Quincy Jones, especially now, is definitely the post-thriller effect. And, you know, he's told me stories that even off the wall was a hard sell because, like,

they didn't want him. You know, the guy's old, past his prime, whatever. Well, actually, the line was they said, he'll make him sound like, he'll make Michael sound like the brothers Johnson. And brothers were double platinum at that way. And Mike was like, okay. Right. I see that. But in terms of the potency, I mean, obviously it was a build.

Because when he hired me, ostensibly, the short of the very long story is I was there to do an interview with him about body heat. I got a call from the publicity department, A&M, asking me what I'm interested in talking to him about body heat. So I listened to the record, loved it, said I'd love to. And I had known him since I was a kid because he had conducted for my dad, and he had signed my dad. He made some of my dad's records at Mercury when he was head of A&R at Mercury. So we went, he told me to meet him at A&M. because he was still doing his big band down at, down at Disneyland. Disneyland used to do big band shows during the summer.

He said, meeting him in A&M, met him in A&M, got on the band bus, went down there. We sat backstage and talked for, you know, all night. He never did do the interview. So he'd come by the crib the next day I did and talk more for 12 more hours, never did do the interview. He told me to come back Sunday and do it again. We didn't again on Sunday. And I realized after it was all said and done, while I was there to interview him, he was

actually interview with me. And the truth was he explained to me something I came to realize years later. Quincy shed skin every seven years, seven years or so. You know, he makes changes, overall changes in whatever he's working on. And he was about to make, and he said to me, he said, Body Heat was indicative of many things. He was moving away from the whole big band arrangement he thing to a more rhythm section-based electronic R&B vibe. And as you said to me, he said, I feel like every day I'm going to film studios doing this big band conducting thing, but I'm going home at night listening to Stevie,

Rufus and Shaco, Ohio players, and Earthwind, and Fire. And he said, I want to jump in those waters. And that's ostensibly what Body Heat was. And then, you know, Body Heat was his first gold record. It worked. Mella Madness was, you know, first platinum record. First golden platinum, and Brothers Johnson lookout for number one was also platinum. The first golden platinum albums by Black Artist that A&M had.

And he just, you know, slowly built it from there, you know? It's crazy. I found your brother, by the way. Yeah. This is. Yep, there it is. That's guy back there. That's my brother guy.

That's dope. Yeah. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions,

my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations

some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield. in this new season of The Girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man.

A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed.

I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the Girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever. you get your podcast. I'm Ago Wadam. My next guest, you know from

Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based so on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet.

Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat, just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right.

It wouldn't be that. There's a lot in luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East-West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else.

If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal.

The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice in so-ins, correct? I doctored the test once. It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for. Sunlight's the greatest disinfected.

They would uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Alesspian and Michael Marantini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences.

Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at Americopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What is your, how long did you stay with Quincy Jones? I was there for 11 years from 1973. 1984. Wow. Who's the brain trust behind

his branding? Like, I've never seen someone had their logo on someone else's record before. Yeah. He said, he was like, I want my logo on there, you know, and said, and we helped him fight for.

But that's so unprecedented, though. Like, who knew to do that? Like, is that the first, what do you call the drop that every producer has? Oh, the first, like a producer tag? Yeah, yeah. Like, is that the...

Mayback music. Right. That's the first version of our producing tag. No, no, but seriously, I mean, if not to that extent, but no, it really was great branding because every time you saw that logo, you knew what the record was going to sound. Right. You, at least for me as a kid, like reading that and seeing Quincy Jones

production is like, okay, I know I'm getting Polino de Costa, Jerry Hay, I know, I'm getting broads, 10%, right. You know what I mean? It was already just kind of a build-in selling. The other thing we used to do, too, is when he was doing a new artist, so I said Quincy Jones Presents. you know the brothers johnson or whatever you know at any point uh do you sort of elevate past like doing this publicity to like actually working so like why i know you work with patty austin

yeah i did where it's weird like i know i believe she's his god daughter or yes yeah i'm his god's son right that's how they sold her i feel like whatever right right so like what was your first big responsibility brothers brothers johnson really yeah yeah yeah Yeah. Okay. So for those three, four albums? I was there for four records from the first album through the style of the night. Light up the night. Okay. Look out for number one. What was the second record? Right on time? Right on time. Oh, God. Blam. And worst beating in my life. Yeah. Well, you know, because they jumped, again, this is another impressionable Ameri Gens and Trouble story. You know, they're jumping on the album cover and the, I guess the camera filter was over there.

Right. And so I once, I use. used to always go to my dad's bandmates and try jumping, and I jumped and drop the dad's guitar players. And yeah, boy. And talk about look out for number one. Number one was the belt. And you live to tell. Yeah, yeah, man.

So what were your duties in terms of their projects? I was de facto manager. Really? Yeah. Project manager or like manager of the act? Product manager, product as well as artist manager, you know, just sort of connected the dots on his behalf. Because in the early days, the first three records, yeah. They were, Quincy had a management company called Mello Management.

And then, and it was basically he and I got in a guy called Peter Long. And Peter Long actually was, it's funny, you're Michigan Sesame Street, he was married to Loretta Long. Yeah, exactly. And Peter was. How long was he married to Loretta? A long time. He plays keyboards, right? No.

No. He was a stage manager at the Apparel. at the Apollo and he and he ran the the Apollo kids Luther came through there Nile Rogers came through there yeah and Luther the only authorized book that's how I know the name yeah Luther kind of speaks of how like wanting Peter Long's approval mm-hmm of like I guess Peter was sort of like the the doting father that you know never gave he was very acerbic Right, and Luther always felt like no matter he would sell out concerts, he was Luther Vandros and finally like maybe the busy body tour, the night I fell in love tour, like Peter Long was like, I'm proud of you, you do well for yourself and like Luther like cried like finally I made my dad proud like that sort of thing. That's how I know Peter Long is.

Yeah, Peter was the responsible adult because during the course of early period of my existence with Quincy, he would always bring in, because I was a kid. He hired me when I was 19. And he would always bring in a so-called responsible adult to kind of balance me out, you know, make sure I didn't get two buck. And Peter was that guy. Okay.

So as a manager, and I'm so glad I'm interviewing someone was a manager in the 70s, were riders a thing that, okay, so similar to now? Ish, but yeah. But now they're more pronounced. And in those days, you know, it was primarily, you know, the black promoters consortium, you know, so you know, if you tried that I only want the red M&Ms, like, nigga, fuck. So I later found out from David Lee Roth that they weren't separating the green Eminemes. If you don't know, Van Halen was world famous for separating the brown Eminemes from the pile.

And we thought that was the most arrogant rock star, Dubai. shit ever but we later discovered that it was not true yeah we later found out that the reason why Van Halen had that in their rider was because sometimes promoters would not read the riders at all to see if you're paying attention to details right and so that was the that was the thing wait one more question about them what happened in 1981 with the winners record and why didn't Quincy produced that album I was gone by that. I mean, I wasn't gone then.

You know, guys wanted to... Quincy got tired of hearing, yeah, these records are great, but wait till you hear what we do and we get the chance to do it ourselves, you know? And Quincy was like, okay, have fun with that. Right. Well, it's weird because it's not like they stopped working with... I mean, you know, Lewis still... Yeah, exactly.

...was working with them. But in their mind, they were like, did they feel as though they wanted to get a more modern sound or... You thought they'd graduated and were ready to get out on that? their own you know ah and you all let that happen is this also a classic case of like you know you got to let them find out on their own yeah he did and then and then also quincey at that point was doing other stuff so you know oh you think yeah mike in his own records and right so where did you jump to after that after quincy in 802 arista okay i went to arreston in 1984 no i started in july

January 85. I had, uh. So it's kind of after too tough? No. Well, I mean, I always consider Angela Bufel like my. Yeah, I loved her. Loved her. Yeah. What was she like? Because any time she was on television, she was the most, her and Tata Vega were the most eccentric humans I've ever seen get interviewed. Right. She was. And what was about her? Like, was she just, does she have, like, was humor, her shield? I don't know. I was, I was, crushed out because you know she was on grp and grueson is one of Quincy's closest friends and was very Dave gruesome really ran grp he and Larry Larry Rosen yeah yeah remember when she played here for the angel of night record you know right a big

coming out party here in LA and I was I was crushed out um crushed out fan boy yeah and when I got to Arista they too tough had just sort of happened had happened and they were doing a greatest hits record and uh Clive had me looking for songs for the greatest hits record you know they want to add an extra song yeah extra song so we just song called Still in Love the Derek Bramble producer wrote and uh and she was shoot call me hi Ed she had a little little cutesy voice yeah and she was you know it said kind of eccentric yeah she was she's very under the moon and over the stars yeah exactly listen so what was working

with prime Clive Davis like well 1984 when Quincy and I stopped working together, I got a call from Neil Portnow, Portnall, you know, who ran the Grammys. And Neil at that point was ahead of the west coast for Arista. So he calls me, because I knew him from record business out here, he worked for 20th century records, worked Barry White and stuff like that.

Barry White. And then James, the original James' first deal was actually a 20th, 20th century. Yeah, we jacked him, basically, from them. Okay. And Neil calls me one day in the office, and what's up, Neil? He says, there's a rumor that you're leaving Quincy.

So it's not a rumor. I said, I'm leaving. He said, would you be interested in talking to Clive? Because Jerry Griffith is leaving. Jerry Griffith being the guy who had signed Whitney, found Whitney. He said, would you be interested in talking to Clive? You know, I said, yeah, sure, because I was well aware of the legend of and all that stuff and had never met the man. Neil says, he said, Ed, there's just one thing to remember.

And I said, what, he said, heirs is a label of artists and Clive's the biggest artist on the label. Wow. So I got you. So I got a call and met him over the Beverly Hills Hotel, you know, the legendary enclave where he holds court when he's here. Right. And you know, in a, in a suite, you know, with speakers, basically I thought I was in a fucking Metallica gig, you know, cranked, you know.

So he just blasts music and he's blasting, you know. And he's played me Whitney. He was work in progress, the first record. He played You Give Good Love, played a bit of how well I know, and saving all my love for you and you know when back to back to back and couldn't really talk to him and after it was always oh that's Whitney here sitting he goes really how'd you know i said i said i know i said i know these things you know and and recently they had had a showcase here in l.a for writers and producers which was kind of legendary story at the time where he was pitching for songs

and stuff and Quincy couldn't make it but but i was well aware and you know and shit Whitney was fine you know i knew i was smart enough to know that so um do those things generally work like when you gather you know a bunch of of of right even named brand but writers and producers in a room and someone tries to sell you on their artists like we're going to really make it work yeah sometimes does that generally work sometimes and when it's clive Davis or Quincy Jones yeah you know yeah so when it's just you know some Pissure and our guy but no I think and not not so you know he played me play

played me that, played me a Kashif, some of the Kashif record that was in motion. Okay. Kenny G. record, which was basically a Kashif record with Kenny playing solos. Was he generally, you know, okay, not to throw on the bus. But like, kind of like the way that Jimmy Ivian operated during the time when we were under the tutelage of Jimmy I. Like, you know, it's like, if you're in a world where you're dealing with Sting and no doubt and M&M and da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. then it's like you might just get like a once a year below there or whatever but in general was clive the type of artist that paid attention to a group like real a group like real to real just like

he would oh you know about real to real dude i'm a leon we're a leon last week yeah oh yeah and i took him a copy of the real to real cassette he'd forgotten all about it dude they just released that that album they just digitized it like maybe a month ago wow It's finally on streaming. But I'm saying would he pay attention to them as much as he would air supply or? No, no. Sorry. Priorities.

Hell no. Their situation, I mean, basically the rule of thumb that we had amongst the ANR staff, whether it was true or not, but we found it to be the practical reality, which was if he had stuff that he was excited about at one point and then somehow had lost its luster, it didn't perform in the marketplace or whatever, and they went back in to do their fill-in-blank second or third record, and the new songs that came in weren't as cool and blah, blah, blah, but they didn't want to pay out, throw the bone to the ANR guys, so you fix this, you know?

And reel-to-reel was one of those situations for me. Okay. Now I know what happened to, like, average white band and reel-to-reel and... Patrice. Yeah, that's right. But, no, I feel so real. Like, well, it's hard to tell. Like, if you're a kid and you hear a song long enough,

You assume it's a hit. Yeah. Yeah, but, okay, so even Jeffrey Osborne explained his situation with Arrowsmith, and same with Ray Parker Jr. Mm-hmm. So, yeah, like, who would you, at Arista, who, what was your duties there as far as, like, watching X? I was vice president of A&R for the R&B, R&B area.

What X came under your tutelage? Obviously, they were under Clive's tutelage, you know. But Aretha, it was during the Freeway of Love period. It was heavily during the NARTA period. I have some great fun NARTA moments. Yeah, please give me. I'm also curious about just how jazz fusion guys, ironically, weird enough, start establishing the pop landscape of the 80s.

And NARTA is one of those people. Yeah, with him, I should have loved you, you know? Yes. Very well. Right. Brothers Johnson toured. The tour was Narta Michael Walden, Rufus and Shaka. Heat Wave and Brothers Johnson.

All in one bill? Yeah, one bill. Arenas. And Arna had like 15 minutes up front, you know. You basically do, I should have loved you. And then, you know, some. I don't want anybody else to dance with you. Yeah, exactly.

I think that was, what's his name? Randy Jackson was playing. Yeah, Randy was 17. Yeah. So as an A&R and you know who your boss is. Mm-hmm. How heavy's the pressure to readjust your ears and your preferences

to sort of blend in with his for survival's sake as opposed to I think it should go in this direction yeah it was a frustrating experience but I learned a great deal and I hold dear to my heart to 20 months that I worked for Clive

because he puts you up on game you know because when I came out of Quincy it was kind of like I'd been in a glorified mom and pop or I've been at Howard and going to Clive was like going to Harvard. What's the main lessons that Quincy taught you that? And what's the main lessons that Clive taught you? Quincy, I'd say song, song is king and melody is queen. Truth and honesty at all times.

Creatively or business why? All the above. Okay. My take on cue in those days was if there were two doors in a room, one was marked artist, one was marked business. 97% of the times he would go in and out of the artist store, but you know, the business store was, was he was well oiled. He was in other, you know, he was highly evolved as a businessman. I get it. He was really driven by the business, and his business drove his art in a lot of levels.

So. Clive, was it the inverse? Was he more business than art? Clive was song, but he was definitely business, and it was the feel for the marketplace. place, this sounds like a pejorative and it's not intended to be per se, but we used to hear from time to time just because their artists doesn't mean they know what they're doing. It's our responsibility as A and our people and creative people at the record company because we're spending the money to find hits, to find the hits for them. So is there an example of a song in which the artist might be perceived as kicking and screaming? Like is air supply like, we ain't this even nice or brothers like i wasn't really fucking with air supply or supply wasn't there when i was there okay um manilow had manelow had more or less had left the label at that point okay um i was there during the you know it was billy ocean you know with the jive stuff

houdini with the jive stuff okay um that's what friends are for dion okay um because that that was a frustrating record for me what was frustrating tell the story um why did glass night only get in a album even that was just a record single one yeah what's the story of that from your soups and nuts yeah my my frustration was Arthur Baker and little Stephen had come to me with this with the Sun City record right we don't want to do that and and and I played it for climb and played it for Roy lot ran it up the flagpole for all the obvious reasons I really wanted it right and I like Arthur and I like Stephen and I brought it in and it kind of dangled and dawdled for a bit and then we're not

going to do we're going to do the Dion has just come to me with this idea from Bert Bacharach blah blah blah it was the front end of the whole AIDS epidemic thing you know and I admit that I was a bit of a knucklehead I was like fuck hey fuck that yeah this is important the Sun Cities out of every right black people black people and you know they weren't having it and then so he wasn't having it so ultimately Arthur and Stephen took it to to Manhattan to Bruce Lundval I guess yeah and and and then Clive you know they did that's what Fritz are for And this is pre-digital, so any kind of cuts and edits

were actual tape cuts and stuff. And there's a guy who was on the A&R staff with me then, still a friend of guy called John Mervos. Mervos and I have had a running bit ever since then, because there was an A&R meeting at one point where Clive had us in there listening to a bazillion different mixes and different cuts. Stevie first, Gladys first, Dion first,

you know, on a, you know, keep smiling, he smiling. So you're trying to tell me that they wanted the piece meal together like yeah all right so we'll bring glass in the end and da da da da they did it all they did everybody had a solo verse everybody had an ad lib so everyone sang yeah the verse and then you guys had to figure out the combination and he would offer his you know oh is that deep oh yeah he was figure out the the sequence who had the final word yeah how did you oh there you go oh no I was always felt that song I mean I was what five six whenever came out but I always thought it felt like they were trying to make a we all the world like they were going for that moment, like another anthem kind of.

That's what it felt like. Yeah, ish. Yeah, you know what I mean. But I always wondered why Gladys Knight never got a verse. She just comes in on the ad lib at the end. Ooh, yeah. Kills it. Keep smiling. He's smiling.

That's the only time she appears on it. Yeah, yeah. Right. So go ahead. So were you there for the recording of it or just like? Not in the studio, but, you know, in the office because, you know, that was a Clive project. So, you know, he'd bring the ANR guys in, you know, when there was a decision to be

made or listen to this what do you think kind of stuff you know and uh and how long did it take to to slice together and all those things i don't know i just remember i just remember the meeting being interminable you know and uh in a certain point you're like oh yeah let's put the shit out we we got to get a little stephen on the show because i just finished his uh reading his autobiography and him talking about leaving leaving right on the payoff of born the u.s.a to do uh against apartheid and he's a good man i almost i almost hired him at one point at mercury really yeah because you know he's part of the bon jovi mob and uh he's a record guy yeah so i used to see him a lot around john and richie and those guys okay he talked to me when he's had it was just

form of the disciples of soul okay his band and uh i remember being in in england with bon jovi and stephen was there and kicking him with the base and said oh my and our job you know so how long was your your run at uh arista 21 Okay. From January 15th. What was your last few months like? Weird. It got weird there for a bit, you know, a bit.

Because a project that I ended up working on that took, it became pretty clear to me early on in the process that I always said that, you know, it's Clive's candy store and if he doesn't want a certain kind of chocolate in the candy store, you're fucked. And there were things that I wanted to do that, you know, kept getting shot down. this a canine posse story i had leverett early uh wait what yeah had leverett um because because eddie and uh eddie and harry cooms called me one day and said hey man what you know do you said me and eddie are gonna come out here you want you here eddie's kid he played me played me they had an independent record of the song i'm still yes and it heard it and it's a smash you know yeah and the kid sounds like his dad and it was all good and uh and played it for the boss and he was like um you know so pass

without really in the most respectful way or if you just want to be honest does sometimes does black music have to be explained to him like did he know the magic that he had in Houdini or is this like oh these rap guys went gold too that was really clive calder and Barry Weiss and Ann Carly and Carly you should have on the show sometime oh yeah he had a pretty good feel he had a feel for songs songs and trends friends, you know? So, yeah. All right.

Okay, so I'm revisiting. There's a reason why I have all the Soul Train stuff. So now I'm kind of in the Soul Train Awards thing, and I'm watching season two of the Soul Train Awards, and you can clearly hear the booze and the jeers of the second album. In the building. Yeah, I was there. Okay, so in the building, even though, and it's so weird, because everyone's relationship with, I want to dance with somebody now.

Mm-hmm. Like I put I want to dance with somebody in what I call the September file. Mm-hmm. I don't I don't believe that Earthwin Empire really thought like September was going to be their signature song. Mm-hmm. Just like I don't think Run DMC thought that it's tricky is going to be their signature song. Now it's like when I play I want to dance with somebody who loves me. It's almost like I see the revisionist reaction of everyone like, we've always loved the song. But I did as a little girl when it came out. That's because when you were young and she, no, no, no. And it's technically nothing.

In the video made it like, it's nothing wrong with it. But there's a reason for me. Okay, so George Clinton once told this joke, said that Sly Stone said this about Prince. And Sly was like, man, he walking around here. Like, they wanted some sign of the time show. And George was like, what did you think?

Like, that was the first time that Sly really got to see Prince's. And Sly allegedly. He said, man, he up there tasting like broccoli when he should be tasting like mustard greens. I got that. And so I think in my mind, the thing was I try to figure out, okay, so the version that I would have wanted Whitney Houston to come out with, then it would just probably have been like a chief record. More thinking about you, more you give good loves, which we're still our. James yeah but I don't know a reason oftentimes I don't want to be the fan that punishes someone mm-hmm for having to adjust to the climate right and it's

almost like I don't know what the answer is but I do remember when I got that record you know loves the contact sport and I was just like wow this is really poppy and yeah I was in thinking like an R at the age of 15 but even I knew like yeah From inception, the motive always was, I remember just being there, she's a pop star. Whitney's going to be the biggest pop star in the world. That was, that was the goal. And the Kashif tracks were there to basically introduce her to put toe in the water at Black Radio. Right.

Get black folks, you know, to know who it is. But then we're crossing it from there, you know. Did anyone ever ask, but at what cost? That's not Whitney Houston, because I'm almost certain that she, too, was like, hello? I don't know. I don't know. Okay. So do you know what the general feeling in the building was after the Soul Train Award situation? Because I'm really shocked. They didn't edit. So they later edited those booze out, but I recorded it like. Say the full sentence of mirror for the young folks. Okay. So at the Soul Train Awards, and it really wasn't Whitney's fault, but she was just like too ubiquitous winning too much. Yeah. And so when they were nominated and the nominees of her so emotional winning you just clearly. It's just crazy, crazy booze. And me and my mom looking at each other watching the Soul Train Awards. Like, yo, like, wow.

And so. And who do we want to win? I'm like, now in retrospect, too, I'm like, who do we think got dup? I was frustrated at her career. I'm proud of this success. But there was just too much Shane on it for me. Too much Yamaha DX-7. Too much, you know, the Michael Masser intros and everything.

No, totally. But it's weird because now it's like, oh, I love this all along, which is, you know. But what were your general feelings? Like, what was the feelings of the building after the Soul Train Awards? Just disappointment. Do you know what the fuck was that, you know, kind of thing, you know? But was it an instant like we got to fix this or was Clive aware like we might have to fix this? Let's just keep it moving.

That was the vibe I guess. Keep it moving, you know? Keep putting it on the radio and blow it up, you know. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement

to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you

behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network, on TikTok. There's two golden rules

that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated

the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target.

He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Wodom. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman,

Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network, it's Will Farrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come,

look for up-and-coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. and he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit.

If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Sliced podcast, it's all about the NFL draft, and we've got a special

guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar, this is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. to the Sports Slice podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal.

The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Sond's, correct? the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for. Sunlight's the greatest disinfected. They would uncover a disturbing pattern.

Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Lespian and Michael Marantini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Ladies and gentlemen,

and breaking news at Americopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona.

Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What happened after Arista? Went to Polygram. There was a new music

seminar was going on in New York this August, July of 86. And I'd run into this guy called Bob Scoro. Scoro, it ended up being my head of A&R for Mercury, the pop side.

And Bob and I had known each other from out here because he used to be a song plugger for EMI music. And I saw him when he was like, dude, how am I? And one of those things, what's happening? I said, dude, get me out of here. He said, get me out of here. I said, it wasn't working out for me. It was weird environment.

I said, I don't want to be here anymore. And I had aspirations of doing something, you know. Arista was not a great place to be at that time. if you were a creative person who had illusions of your own personal grandeur, you know. Who did you try to bring there that besides Lavert? Lavert. Who got away? Basically Lavert.

And mostly songs because you'd find songs and stuff, you know, that you... What songs did you ride for that? Caravanagh, Love for Angie. Really? Yeah. Wow. Caravanna Love done through Angela Bofield. Caravan of Love, Ozzie.

suggest size yeah wow my my uh my ex-girlfriend from years before her sister was married to ernie okay and uh and that's yeah is i got a call at one one point yeah you know ernie and chris have songs they want you to hear so yeah i'm looking for songs for angie beaufield oh we got a perfect song for they came up and played me a caravan of love and uh clive didn't see it no so oh so so okay yeah anyway i assume that he's trying to to hit middle america yeah ish okay and you're trying to hit all of america exactly okay i see so that got frustrating okay and the projects that i actually ended up working with kenny g got dropped in my lap you know because i did the uh duotones duotones thank you can you can you plan that moment like

can you plan that level of lightning in a bottle here's the moment i'd known kenny as kinney gorelich like when he was playing with Jeff Lorber's band. Yes. Because, you know, I was a Lorber fan. And so when I got in and once again, I spent some time with Kashif and Kashik, and out here in L.A., hi, how you doing? Was it actually a hit record on the radio,

which was a Kinney record, but it was a Kashif record with Kenny solo in it. Right. And so one day I get a call, Clive actually, you know, Roy Lott, who's the number two guy at Arrested, and then Roy says, you know, Kenny G, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. So yeah, cool, let me hear it.

I said, I know who he is, let me hear it. And then Kinney calls, Kenny's manager guy called Dennis Turner, who had managed George Benson. I knew him from the Gimme the Night Days. So it came by and Kenny walks in and he says, dude, I don't want to be here anymore. I want to get off the label. I hate it here. I fucking hated here. I'm tired of being a side man of my own records.

And I looked and I said, dude, I know who you are. I said, I saw you play with Jeff many times. I said, I like you're playing. He looked at me like, what? What? What? I said, yeah, I dig. How you sounded good with Lorber's band.

I said, I know what you're trying to do. I said, but the reality is, is people are trying to put you in a box that you need to be Sonny Rollins or John Coltrane, when the reality of it is, I know your path in is like David Sandborn and Grover. Right. And Junior Walker. So that was like music to him. And it was at the time was at the front end of the CD thing, but also it was at the front end of the whole smooth jazz, the wave format, you know. And I said, I think you can live in that zone.

And then he gave me a cassette of, you know, home stuff that he was working on, which was ultimately the bones. of the meat and bones of what was a duo tones right and i told him i say man look here's what we need to do if you trust me here's what we need to do to make this fly here so we got to do two covers we got to two two vocal songs one of them's got to be a cover and that was what does it take to win you love and then another another vocal song which was uh uh um don't don't don't make me wait for love okay um we got a guy called ellis hall who's a keyboard player up in up in the bay area that did a lot of stuff ronarda got ellis to sing it and all ultimately he ended up putting Bolton on it.

I said, and if we do that, we have some of the radio promotion could take to radio. We're off to the race and the rest of live on and so on, and you'll be the king of, you know, whatever, smooth jazz. And we did. So nowhere, and you can't end it, we did. And we did it. You weren't, surely you weren't thinking like, and this is going to sell you 10 million copies. No, I didn't think that, because I didn't think the songbird would end up emerging. How did Songbird even, I was working at Sam Goody's at the time, even like,

the amount of people that's how i knew i realized that i knew some songs from a previous record right but the amount of people just kept in somber right that's i know what a duotones is how did y'all how did song i was i was gone by then but basically what happened the story that i'm told is um donnie einer who's the head of promotion at arista in those days okay best promotion period of his of his era um donnie had gotten a call from some guy up in like I want to say, what's the part of Pennsylvania that Biden always talks about where he's from? Scranton. Scranton.

Some PD in Scranton had been using it for some, using it as a theme for some like daytime call-in show or something. Right. Just the melody. And I guess people started calling the station. What is that? What's that melody playing? And so they put the record on late at night. And then the phone started lighting up.

And they called Donnie and said, I think you may have something here. And Donnie pushed, Donnie and Clive pushed the button, put it out and off it went. Ah, geez. Yeah. Okay. So at Polygram, how long does it take you to get to the top of the mountain? I had, I was working at Arista and Ramon came by to see me one day, just, you know, on some, some whatever. And I, Vanessa at that point had, you know, done just do fries go with that shaking, hey, good looking on the Pfunk record, on George Clinton record. And, and I knew that they'd been in and out of many offices here shopping a deal.

and ostensibly what was happening was that she was kind of being augled at by, you know, record company presidents and A&R people, whatever, but nobody was really taking it seriously. And he said, you know, we haven't been able to get anything happening, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I told him, I said, look, on the lowest, and I'm leaving here in about six weeks, I got the software polygram to start a label for them, and I'm going back home to California. I said, I would entertain the notion then because my theory at the time was I could start a new label with Susie Jones, you know, black, an R&B female, that nobody's ever heard of or I could do it with Vanessa Williams a name that everybody knew and I said it was incumbent on me as an A&R guy

and a record maker to make the right music to find the right hole to put her in and so he said okay cool so I came home and she and I sat and had dinner one night and off to the races we went you know is the goal of an A&R to find like three

signature artists so that you can eventually like get considered for Well, interestingly enough, the presidency thing was not what I ever aspired to be, you know, president of the old Mercury thing. I never aspired to be that guy, but there was a certain aspect of when it was offered to me. I thought about a lot of those old school dudes that I knew from, you know, from my dad's era, you know, old brothers who had promotion men, whatever, the Dave Clarks, Joe Medlins in the world, people like, people would probably work to your old men. records. So yeah, so those guys were very qualified and extremely good at what they did, but they never were offered the situation, never got, never got a shot. I thought of I said,

who am I to say no? So they made me an offer I couldn't refuse and I didn't refuse it. But the truth of the matter is the path, if I had stayed on the path that I was on doing the wing thing, Vanessa Blue, Tony's Blue, Robin Harris was was going to do was gonna blow. Unfortunately we lost him in a period of time. And then I that's when I found Brian along the same period of time, Brian McKnight. So if I had just done those records and just stayed in their careers, you know, that was, you know, one success breeds another album, needs another.

I would have been four or five albums deep on each one of them, you know. You came through the Tonys because of Foster McGilroy, but I thought they were more Warner based in, like, how did they come to you? I put them with Denny and Tommy. Oh, were? Yeah. Short how they came to me was the Tonys had made.

made a single, a 12-inch on Macaulah records, the local indie label. He made a look at house, yeah. Oh, wow, yeah. He must have told us this. Raphael didn't tell us that shit. Yeah, he left that out. He tells his designs video games, but he didn't say that shit. Yeah.

I forget the name, because I was thinking about it, I can't find it now. I shouldn't have sold my vinyl. Yes. Life lessons, too. They had a 12-inch on Macola, and my head of promotion at Wing at the time was a guy called Michael Johnson. And Michael came to me one day and said, man, you got here. heard this record. I said, yeah, it's cool. It's all right. He said, man, they're here in time.

He said, you want to fuck with him? And says, yeah, their manager came by and I sat with them a little bit. And upon hearing it, I went, these guys sound good, but they need help. They need somebody to help sort it out a little bit. In those days, my theory was every producer worth any degree of salt had a cassette in his back pocket of an act

that they wanted to work with. You know, oh, this is my cousin, this is my brother, you know, that guy. And I said, you know, these guys are cool. So let me, David Lombard, who manages Denny and Tommy was a friend and I went to see Club Nouveau because Club Nouveau was playing here in town so when Denny and Tommy were still in the band before they left. It was actually the last gig they played with him. So it was the show with David and he introduced me to Denny and Tommy and I sold him. I said man I'd like to have you guys

that I'm thinking about signing. Really who and I told me oh we know those guys we knew they knew them from Oakland because I guess they'd worked with Tommy in the studio up in in Oakland. So at the time, did you realize that you were working with possibly the last, well, not the last R&B group, but I mean, if it starts with Slime the Family Stone in 68, then it kind of, the bracket ends with Tony, Tony, Tony, and 88. I was very aware of it, absolutely. So you knew that black music was in trouble even in 86, 87, 88?

I did. I did. What were some of the indicators for you? Black radio. You know, there was that that MTV video of video killed the radio star. I said black radio killed a black radio star. Wow. During a period of time, you know.

Talk about that. Is it just in terms of promoting? So you talk about dining iron, which I didn't know even started. He didn't start there, but that was one who does his big gig before he went to Sony. Before he went to Sony. Yeah. Okay, so when you talk about promotion men, can you tell about the difference between as much as you're allowed to say, like how these songs get on radio or how they get promoted as opposed to that, which I, you know.

And explain what you mean about how it killed because we didn't really explain that part. Yeah, both of the above. So to give a perfect example as it worked with me was when we released the first Brothers Johnson album in 1979, look out for number one. The first city that it blew up in was D.C. So we be in George and Lewis We're going to D.C. to do some promotion And we're coming in from Dulles

in the car and we're hearing and turn on H-U-R and K-Y-S right over the other stations in D.C. And they're blasting, good to you. Get the funk out in my face. Thunder Thumbs and Lightning's free and single and tomorrow.

Damn, even the filler? Yeah, five cuts deep. You know, playing a shit out of it, you know? This is, exactly. Playing a shit out of it. I'll say, oh, my God, this is great. You know, it's on like that. So that night, the local guy in the market took us to dinner with the program director, music director of WOL.

Oh, wow. That's a P-D-Greary. Yeah. That was P-D-E-Grein. W-O-L-W-M-J is Kathy Hues. But Kathy's first station. So they took us to dinner with these guys. It was a program director at the time was a guy called Bobby Bennett, who was known as a burner, sort of legendary radio guy.

another guy called Chuck McCool, a guy called Cortez Thompson, who went on to become a head of promotion at Warner Brothers, another guy whose name escapes him. So, you know, we're at the dinner table, and I'm green behind the years, I'm geeked. Oh, this is worth the poem. This is great. This is great.

Oh, you guys are playing our record. We're in the car. We heard our record the whole way in, no, blah. And one of them looks, come here, young brother. Let me talk to you a minute. It took me into the bathroom, you know, and said, and then five guys come in the bathroom. I said, what the fuck?

They said, let me explain something to you. And so, okay. I said basically yeah you're playing the shit out of your record but you know we can play the shit out of his record or her record or his record too But here's here's your payback for this we're gonna do us we're doing this we're also concert promoters We're gonna do a series of shows In the DC DMV DC Maryland Virginia It's a conflict. It was Pfunk Natalie Cole and the Bootsie and the brothers Johnson And you know whatever you're going rate is it's not gonna be your going rate so and we'll keep those spins up and

They did and we did and the record. This is how the Chef Gordon Teddy Pendergrass story comes into play because Chef Gordon told us that programmers and DJs were like any concerts that you saw in the 70s and 80s were due to the radio station. Right. Not independent of, hey, I'm coming to town and you pay me. Right. So they. The beginning of the promo show, I guess, era. Yeah, it was.

of the promo shows because that was all the way into the high. It got legitimized with the promo show. You're going to play our Christmas show, you know, years later. I see. So how did they kill it? How did Black Radio kill it for you? There's so much, I don't want to say payola, but just, there were limited spots, guys were taking money,

and then they wouldn't play the way, you know, it didn't get the spins that, you know, that you were expected to get, you know, so many hours in a day and then, you know, but legitimate hits got played, but stuff that, you know, that you know, that you know, You want to get a shot. You know, I think we could do well with this.

Here's X amount. You know, I need whatever. 50 spends this week, you know, whatever. Didn't happen. You know, guys took your money and ran, you know. And then all of a sudden, you know, there's no loyalty anymore to legacy acts, you know. You know, when you see like that, I'm talking early into late 90s, when you're seeing that Luther, Stevie, Anita Baker, people like they're having to fight to get on the radio at black radio. That's really a sad state of affairs.

It is. I think about it all the time, but for you, like, when do you consider you leaving, or do you consider yourself completely graduated from, quote unquote, the business? Yeah, I am. I'm more or less retired. I still do little bits and pieces of stuff here and there, you know, because I get these occasional phone calls, hey, Ed, I got an idea. And I always say, does a check come with that idea? Then I'll pay attention. But do you, is watching the state of music right now?

is it a dizzying experience? Somewhat. Is it like a beautiful mind meme where you just see? Is it like that for you? Yeah, somewhat. It was interesting. In preparation for today, I was thinking about, you know, I said, if I get asked the question, you know, what are you listening to?

And I had to realize. I hate answering to that question. Yeah. I realized that, you know, of most of the new stuff that I listened to is old stuff that's either been recently released or it's new on my radar, you know. but it's just not a lot of new stuff that, you know, I don't mean to sound like an old man, but it's not a lot of new stuff that rocks my world, you know?

No, we're a band of folk who is somewhat frustrated. It's just harder to find it these days. It's way too many options because at the same time we say that, but then I also, I'll hear y'all two talking about, like, new R&B acts and stuff like that that I've never heard of, and I'm just like, fuck, how do I even find these people? Well, yeah, I mean, I think now you have to have the patience to, you know either

scroll on the internet or in my case I have at least 20 music snobs that I just peek on there at Spotify and see what they're listening to and then I'll take that and take that I mean that's how I knew who salt was you know what I like salt

yeah it's like there's there's a few left and I don't want to ask what year so you're president of a mercury from what years when did you I was co-president initially I was at Polygram doing the wing from 1986 to 1988. And then I became co-president of Mercury in 1988 till 1990 with a guy called Mike Bone. And then I became the sole president from 1990 till I left in 1998.

Oh, wow. Okay. It was a run. So in terms of, I wanted to know with hip-hop, looking back on it now, like Mercury was always a label with hip-hop. I mean, y'all had Blacksheet. You know what I'm saying? You had like, your L'L Scratch.

You know what I'm saying? Like y'all have records. At OG. At OG 100%, you know what I mean? And so for me, it seems like Mercury was one of the first labels that I, in retrospect, now, they y'all had like records and artists, but it was kind of like unless that artist was attached to like Blacksheet, they were attached to native tongues, you know what I'm saying? But if you had artists that had great records, if they weren't attached to another production

company like you know what became Rockefeller and murder ink and all those things it was kind of the beginning for me of losing faith in major labels doing hip pop like if I just saw Columbia I'm like but if I see you know Rockefeller slash I'm like oh okay you know I mean it's like a good housekeeping stamp of approval or the Quincy Jones reduction yeah exactly you know I mean so how did you um as a label head how did pushing hip-hop coming from like the pop background and with MacLeb and stuff how did you adapt to marketing hip-hop you just you get in where you can fit in you know and if it was this case of finding stuff that was attached to somebody

else or something else that's how you did it you know because you knew there was an uphill climb if you're starting it from scratch because at radio once again the first question you were going to ask is who are they down with you know who are they down so yeah it was that you know similarly there's like a new phase of white rock music in the same time period, right? It's Bon Jovi, Def Leopard, Mellencamp, Tears for Fears, Kiss, like, what made the diversity of what you were doing?

I think you started with R&B, now it's rock music. How'd you feel about being that guy to usher that kind of stuff? Yeah, all those artists were already at the label when I got there, you know, I inherited them. And it was interesting. Did you have good relationships with most of them? Or did you feel that there was resistance

from the rock people that maybe you don't understand them? I know there was a situation with Sylvia Rohn at a lecture with like Metallica. Mm-hmm. And there was a lot of disrespect on their end because they're like, who is this black woman knew about that? I had my version of that, you know, at one point was sort of asked the question, what does he know about rock and roll? And I would always say a whole lot more than you know about R&B.

Right. You know. That, my people created it. Right. There's a line here that says John Mellencamp being difficult. I'm sure there's a story there. That's all that. Say less.

To his credit. John's also an eccentric. I think all artists are eccentric. So, you know. I liked him, but he was, like, see, he definitely, what's the Q-tip line? Shady. Yeah, exactly. People shady.

Yeah. John definitely read that book. And then had suspicion of everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody's an idiot, you know? Yeah. And, you know. And he was successful, though. He was, but he just had, you know, everything was...

Were you the brainchild behind the Michelle and Diego Chelleva? Duet? Ooh. Ish. Tim, Tim, that's gonna be our new word. Yeah, no. He's used that a lot. Wild knights are calling.

Tim White, who used to be the editor of Billboard. Tim and I were pretty friendly, and he was one of John's closest friends. And I knew that if I pitched John directly, here's an idea I have for a duet, but he was like, fuck you, ah, and I know. So Tim calls me at one point and says, we're having a conversation. He goes, I'm trying to help John make some sense of this next record. He said, what do you think? I said, well, a cover might be a cool idea. A cover it to a way.

He goes, hey, that's good a news. I said, Michelle Nigeocello. She was the it girl at the moment. I said, John will satisfy his Negro gene. Hey, this is a guy that wants to play Little Rick Rivetta. I have a walk, man, like to his audience back in 82. And so, yeah, Tim basically went to John. So here's an idea, by my.

And John La Van Morrison, so it's cool. And he did it, ish. I was at a Michelle show at the Blue Note and some poor soul on the back was like. Shotted it out? Yeah, and I was like, oh, come on, stop. What was the response? She laughed.

Oh, that's, how evolved on you in the creation of Vanessa's, the Comfort Zone album? 100% okay there was a producer you work with on there Keith Thomas yeah yeah man like how did that because the my favorite song on that album again goodbye that was good bye that's great huh Brian McKnikes comes in at the end yeah yeah yeah Cuck smurf no no cover zone is the shit that was the one yeah Keith Thomas because I I really like the BB and CC record I'm lost without you yeah and then Keith had produced that record wrote and produced that record

And Keith was kind of Christian David Foster, you know. That was the vibe, you know. And when the publishing person played me, save the best for last, and I said, yeah, and I played for V, and she dug it. I said, who's right person to produce that? Foster would be great to do it, but I know he won't. But let's get Keith Thomas. I called Keith.

Scott, folks, who was in our guy, Capitol in those days. Foster were front on you? Everybody fronted on him. Well, Dreaming was a proven hit by then. Folks fronted. Yeah. She had to do it again to prove it? Yeah, exactly.

God damn. The disrespect. Called Keith and he said, yeah, I'm down. The funny part about it's Keith's production assistant had sent me a cassette of just ideas that he had, and then left out two songs that Keith thought had come to me, he thought I passed on. One of them was Baby, Baby, Baby, the Amy Grant record, and the other was the song that was the big Selena hit. So that's the Keith Thomas story. You know, Keith, Keith was good dude.

And how was it, because another one of your hip-hop, are as I really like, Diamond D, he had, were you involved? We had a deal with, I can't remember the name of the label right now. Chemistry. Chemistry records, yeah. Chemistry records. A guy called Brian Chin. Brian was the dance music editor at Billboard for a long time. And Brian had a partner whose name escapes me right now.

But they did, they had chemistry. Eto G was theirs. Yeah, a few things. Diamond D. Yeah. So, yeah. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right

where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network, on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either.

We always say that, trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care.

So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Wode. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo.

My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with him one day, and I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come,

look for up-and-coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. Mm-hmm. And he's like, just give it a shot.

He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck.

Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft, and we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East-West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galko, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar, this is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal.

The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice in someone's, right? I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for. Sunlight's the greatest disinfected. They would uncover a disturbing pattern.

Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg, a lesbian, Michael Marantini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at Americopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges.

This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Can you please tell us the girlfriend's story? Oh, sure. So, 1987, 86, 87, I'm working with Vanessa on her first record. So we're trying to make some sense of who would produce, who would work with on that record. And I knew these two guys from Cincinnati at the time called Kenny Edmonds and Antonio Reed. I'd met them because when I was working for Quincy, there was a local street producer, entrepreneur,

guy called Pablo Davis in the Cincinnati, Columbus, Ohio area. Pablo turned me on to the Calloway brothers. And also he was looking after Kenny and, and, and he was looking after Kenny and, Kenny and Antonio. They were just becoming L.A. and baby face. They hadn't gotten on yet. And they came by my office, had Vanessa go by their place, and she worked with them on some songs.

And they gave her a song called Girlfriend, which was great. I forget who was singing the lead on the demo. And I've heard it's on the smash. I've got to have this record. And I thought we'd made a deal. We played Let's Make a Deal. And V was, she was pregnant with her first child at that point. And I guess truth of matter is cut to the end.

Pebbles was the perfect person for it because she had the attitude. She was that persona. Vanessa is not that persona. But it was. Well, she tried with the right stuff. The little bomb squatted out. And the second single from the Combertsone album. Running back to you.

Right, right, right, right, right. Right. So she had a little attitude? Anyway, so like I said, I thought it had made a deal for the, There's like four songs on the tape that we wanted them all. And girlfriend was one of them. And at the last minute, right when I thought it was time for us to get started, L.A. Bales. He said, I can't fuck with you on this record, man.

I guess Lululul, he played him for Lul and Jarrell. And they, you know, they loved him. Loved it. And then, you know, threw money, I made him an offer, he couldn't refuse. And, you know, I got left ass out. So, yeah, I wasn't. I was, you know, it was nearly an A&R wars, you know, I was like, I want to beat this brother's ass.

Thank you, man. Yeah, so. So what do you feel from afar? Mm-hmm. From C-302 of the bleachers. Yes, exactly. Do you have hope that sort of the thing that, and again, I know there's such a subjective question because I'm certain that there's some 14-year-old

that's in their feelings. at a Billy Isles show that, you know, probably the same way your dad's looking at Slide in the Family Stone, like, what the hell is this? Like, I knew Billy Holiday. But in your mind, do you think that there will be an itch that gets scratched as far as your relationship to music and what brought you to it? I don't know. Or is it just in your kids' hands now? Yes, my kids' hands now. Because there's a certain aspect of it that I wonder that.

that you know, it's the old, if the tree falls in the forest, does anybody hear it, you know? I'm wondering at times that if whatever that next big flashpoint is, if it happens, will anybody really, how much will anybody really give a fuck? And the give a fuck factor is decidedly different now in terms of what that impact is, you know? Um, it's the, because there's so many options, you know? You know, this is probably, this is, this is the episode that I wish that Faith Newman episode was. Like, I feel. satisfied. She's gonna hate us. She's gonna hate us. No, she knows I always always tease her about like, you know, you made the worst QLS. It's just the voice, babe. The Monica episode was the bomb. Shouts to my. That's your favorite. What's your favorite QLS episode so far?

Bootsie was cool. That was great. Monica was cool. You're gonna love the Robert Townsend episode. Yeah. That is, like Robert Townsend, in my opinion, has put the family stand. Jimmy Jam was first. Yeah, Jam was great. That was great. But then for me, the Family Stand episode was the Jimmy Jam episode with humor and a lot of salacious, unnecessary, A&R slashing. And I pray that Sylvia comes on the show eventually.

And then Robert, I don't know, Robert Towns' episode was an unexpected, nice surprise. But no, this is equally satisfying, man. I learned so much today, man. Can I just ask one root's question? Yes. So, Ed, in retrospect, as you were watching this ship go by without you, did you ever have any moments where you were like, man, if only they would have signed with me, I would have did da-da-da-da-da. Or I would have been had them and so-and-so and so.

I don't told you that five minutes after this episode. Like, oh, we, he would have fought for us. For me, my roots moment, because once again, I wasn't as invested at the time when you were showcasing. That was really Lisa and Kenyatta. And I would have jumped on board had, you know, had we gotten the made, I green lighted the deal, so I would have jumped on board to give you a little sidebar to digress a minute. But how the whole thing went down when, you know, a couple of names were spelled wrong. Yes. That ended up being a huge moment for us inside the label.

Because at Polygram at that time, all business affairs was kind of done centrally out of corporate. And the label, individual labels didn't have their own business affairs people. And I made so much fucking noise about that. Somebody got fired. You fired somebody. Yeah. Well, I didn't fire the person. one of the business affairs birds.

And ultimately what it led to was me getting my own business affairs person inside the company, which is a woman called Julie Swiddler. And Swiddler's, Julie's now the head of business affairs and has been for the last 10 years at Sony globally. So yeah. And she crossed every team, that every idea, right? Exactly. All right.

So I was drugged that we lost you. But to answer your question, where it really resonated with me was when you guys went to England because I was dealing with Giles a lot in those days. And then also that how, you know, when you initially blew up, quote unquote blew up, a couple of my friend's kids, White, who were college students in the East were like, Ed, have you ever heard of the roots? I'm pretty sure that was me. So, yeah, there's a lot of that.

I was like, I love the voice. You guys were generating it on your own because I don't think it was being marketed that way. Oh, God, no. Wendy Goldstein did what was allowed at the time. but you know it's almost like literally the second we signed then the crisis started happening no more nirvana no more arrasmith no more you know guns and roses and then it's like ah we should have went to polygram maybe i got a couple things yeah yes yeah i yes oh he's presenting me with records where you got whoa okay okay okay okay okay is yeah it's beat to shit it's a 78 of of

of Leander's in the hearts. Oh, wow. Wow. On chess with the original chest logo. Seven-eight of his dad's group. Wow. On chess? On chess?

On chess. Yeah. Wow. Don't cry. Don't cry. No, that's not. Whatever you need to do. Whatever you need to do it.

Yeah. Have your moment. That was an artifact that came from my mom and dad. You know, pops didn't give a talk about do-op. but apparently he liked your dad's group man because he had their record wow and it's a 78 do you have something to play a 78 on like do you yeah yeah I have to frame this yeah that's what you do with it yeah don't play that I feel like it'll just like I'm so I'm beyond grateful for this man this is wow

I've never seen not a speechless guy Ed you made him a speechless guy well done man that's real no man that's a 10 inch and oh man even Roy Calhoun's the girl around the corner's on the beach Oh shit Ed what do you have Now it's going to have some old What the hell is it?

Well wait a minute Look at the back of it And I'll read you the letter Because there's a What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it? So the legend is told That when Prince was initially Doing demos and shopping himself

He only made three demos to send out One was to go to One was to go to Warner Brothers One was to go to Columbia and the lore has been A&M, but it was Quincy Jones. And so I got this leg. I got this letter. You guys have to see this. I got this letter.

This is like a year before COVID from Owen Husney. Owen was Prince's original manager as an old friend. Ed, sorry this is 40 years later in getting to you. You know how the mail is these days. This is the early eight-track demo before me. We made the original 24-track demo that got him signed to one. Warner Brothers. Your name is in my handwriting and the rest is Prince.

You can still make an offer to sign him if you like what's on the taste. Hope all is well. Please keep this secure as this is worth quite a bit to collectors. Holy shit. Yeah, and it's soft and wet and aces. Was that?

You know those? You know, yes. It's a demo. It also says very stereo. This is why it's so important. Very stereo. Very stereo. Prince Rogers Nelson Esquire. Right. Oh, shit. Yeah, yeah.

This is why it's so important to know your history and the players. Ed. We got to keep saying your name, say your name, say your name. Dude. What a nice gift. And for the rest of us, Edm. We got to the first diamond deal. Esquire.

Is that what he wrote Prince Nelson, Esquire? Yeah. Prince Nelson Esquire. That's hilarious. Very stereo. He's a lawyer. No, man, that's 70. So that's 78.

How is that? How old you think that person is? Well, tear drops came out in 58. Wow. Bro, yeah, holy. You got a camera. They got now. Yeah, this came out in 58.

Wow. And that's an original press, and that's like. Yeah, yeah. As you can say, somebody played the shit out of it. Yeah. You have to fight on it. And Huffles. Albert, yeah.

Wow. That's amazing. Wow. This is a... I brought a couple other... Oh man. Why we... You signed...

Did you sign Joe? Huh? You signed Joe? Yes, I need one. He was signed us... I need a dangle. Yeah, yeah. The guy called Dave McPherson signed him to the label, yeah.

Also, we didn't discuss the Jason's lyric soundtrack. Perhaps one of my favorite soundtracks all time. It is. Yes, that's the way... What's your song? You will know. Oh, shut up. You will know.

I love that. I'm going to remember, but that was so important. Whoa, this is your, this is your, this is your, Black Men United? No, I know, it's Black Men, United? We can talk about that. Actually, wait a minute. Did you take a stab at DeAngelo before he signed it, EMI?

Yeah, Gary brought, Gary. Yeah, Gary, yeah. Gary and then Jocelyn. Jocelyn was working for me in those days, too. Were you in the, wait, Jocelyn was shopping at the time? No, Jocelyn had a publishing company with me. I made we made a deal called for Midnight Music and when Gary took it to M.I. We Jocelyn signed the publishing deal.

Okay. Had him. And Garrett, they weren't going to use You Will Know for his album. And George Jackson and Doug McKinry were doing Jason's lyric and brought me in. I was music supervising it with him. And I had heard You Will Know from Gary and I said, this would be perfect for the soundtrack, given the theme of the film and all that stuff, and having, you know, come from the sort of the Q world I came up the idea of let's do it as we are the worldish kind of thing

and called it black BMU because that's what they're calling prisons at that point black man university was you know because there's so many brothers in jail damn prisons were called BMU and I said let's call it BMU and they went I said black men united and so then but you also did the same for women for the yeah the pharmas yeah exactly well I want to thank you for coming on the show man Thank you, man. My pleasure. You've been by some of my favorite records, man.

Like, you know, just from Vanessa Williams and the Tonys, you know, like, if I saw your name on, I was like, okay. It's a fish out. Thanks. Yeah, it's official. So now, for real, man. Thank you for listening to Questlove Supreme. Hosted by Amir Kuzlop Thompson. Ayas St. Cliff, Fonte Coleman,

Sugar Steve Mandel, and Unpaid Bill Sherman. Executive producers are Amir Kwestloaf. Thompson, Sean G, and Brian Calhoun, produced by Brittany Benjamin, cousin Jake Payne, Elias St. Clair, edited by Alex Convoy, produced by IHeart by Noel Brown and Mike Johns. Audio engineering by Graham Gibson and IHeart's L.A. Studio. What's Love Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. For more podcasts from IHeart Radio, visit the IHeart Radio. app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliver Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that

not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed. I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves.

We always say that trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe, on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Vodam. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot.

But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to thanks, Dad, on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar, this is the insight you won't

hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, for wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice of Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused to fathering twins. But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax. You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Owens, correct? I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern.

Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg, a lesbian. Michael Mancini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trapped. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences.

Listen to Love Traff. podcast on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.