The Questlove Show - Questlove Supreme: El DeBarge

Episode Date: June 9, 2021

Are you ready for another legendary Questlove Supreme episode!?!? Yes, another one! In the words of our leader, this week's guest possesses "one of the most flawless tenor voices in modern music. He has NO singing peers and if he does they share his last name" We guarantee you don't disagree. Ladies and gentlemen ........El DeBarge!  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm 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 Clivert Show on the I-Hard 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. 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.

to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Gillespie and 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. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. Ladies and gentlemen, you know the show, you know the host, you know the co-host, Laid Fontello, Sugar Steve, broke-ass bill, say hello. Hey! Right, right, right, right, right. All right, let's just get this out the way because miracles like this.

Let's get in. This is why this show was invented. Exactly. Nervous like this. It was once in a blue moon. What can I say about our guest today? Ladies and gentlemen, I will simply. state, we do not deserve this guest at all.

He possesses what I personally believe to be one of the most flawless tenor voices in modern music. As a songwriter, as an arranger, as a producer, as a performer, as an entertainer, our guests, I don't believe that he has any singing peer whatsoever. And if he does, they have his last name. That's all I'm saying. Even as he approaches the golden age of 60s. this June, he has not lost a step.

He's in fine form since when we first heard him over 40 years ago, confronting his siblings. Please give us the honor of welcoming and giving flowers. Yes. Flowers. Flowers. Yes. To be one and only Eldra departs to Quest Love Supreme.

Yes. I can't believe I said that. Yes. Give me my mom made it. Flowers. Hello, Elle. I'm great after that. That's wonderful. I didn't know I was approaching 60. I'm not. No, you don't look at. You don't look at all, man. For real. You, you, yeah. You're not.

I never think about it, really. I never think about it. It doesn't feel like it. Oh, good. But I guess I got, I have to get out the habit of acknowledging numbers. Like, I feel like that is what slows us down. Hmm. Yeah. Thing in terms of numbers. Oh, I mean, we've been, we've been doing that for centuries. We, we peg people, we design people, we judge people by numbers, everything. Yeah. But no, it's, it's, this is wonderful to speak with you. You know, I don't know if you know the history of, of this particular show, but we're, we're really about celebrating your achievements and, you know, going through the journey of your life as a creative and and, and all those things. So I will start at the beginning.

No, I'm not asking where he's born because I know you were born in Detroit, correct? Detroit, Michigan. Well, okay, can you, because I know that your family moved to Grand Rapids. What is the difference between Grand Rapids and Detroit? Well, today, not much because Grand Rapids has gotten very, very, very seriously. It's a lot more violence than it was when I was coming up. But in the 70s, my mother wanted to sustain Grand Rapids, Michigan, because Detroit, you know, if you know about Detroit, it was kind of rough on us, being half-briggs, half-black and half-white.

A lot of criticism from, actually a lot of, gotten a lot of fights from both sides, from whites and the blacks. So Grand Rapids was a lot easier on us. And we went there to go to school. But every year, during the summer, we were back in Detroit anyway. Because that's where most of our relatives was. What year did you move to Grand Rapids? I mean, see, I was like eight years old to see, hmm, I'm going 61, let's do the math. So around 69, 70. Yeah, yeah.

So do you have any memories of like at least Detroit, like post-riot? Because, you know, not many people understand or know that, I mean, a big part of Motown migrating to the West and kind of what Detroit once represents. Senate, a lot of that sort of vanished after the Detroit riots that people aren't aware of, even though like a movie was made about it a couple years ago. But do you have any memories of the time during that period in your life? Yeah, I was as young myself. I think I was roughly around 8 or 9 years old when riots happened.

I remember stepping outside. We used to go outside every chance we got as kids. I stepped outside one day and people were fighting in the streets. And cars were driving up on the sidewalk, trying to run people over. I didn't know what was going on. Then my brother Bobby grabbed me and pulled me back in the house.

He said, there's a riot by Luther King, got shot. I remember very well, very well. I don't remember being that scared in my life because it was crazy. I was looking. You can imagine being eight years old seeing something like that. See him that, yeah. I got a lot of fine memories too about Detroit

and my grand rap, so it's where I got my music. I got my musical education, most of my influences. I have gospel influences, too. I don't talk about them a lot. Oh, no, we can hear it in the intro to love me in a special way. We heard of God. That's true. That's true.

Yeah, I mean, I was strongly influenced by Andre Crouch and Walter Hawkins. Do you remember your first musical memory? My first musical memory. Actually, you want to hear this? Yes. Yes. Yes. We love Long Drawing out stories on that.

the show. Like, there's no such, like, fireside chat stuff. That's what we live for. Okay, well, my mother, every time we moved to a house, my mother had what you call a prayer closet. And she would pick one closet in the house and it was hers. Nobody could go in there. And she, she would redecorated. She had an altar in there. And she would kneel down and pray. My mother prayed from 12 midnight to 3 in the morning, every night, every night. Every night. night. As long as I can remember. But one particular night, she got my brother Bobby out of bed in the morning. And I remember, I was seven years old. I remember Bobby, his jaws was tight. He was mad. Oh, what you give me help? So, and he said, well, the Lord told me that Elle's going to be

a minister of music. So I want you to teach him a song. This is a true story. So here we are both sitting at the piano, and we had just got a, we were real poor, we just got an upright piano donated to us from some neighbors. And because my brother Bobby was the only one to play piano at the time. So he was out sitting at the piano, he said, duh, do, do, da, da, da, da. Mary had a little lamb. Then he looked at me and said, now play it.

So my mother said, just a minute, she had some anointing. oil and she anointed my fingers and my hands with it. She said, and I played it. And man, I started playing it. I started playing it in harmony. It was never taught. It just, I just saw it. I saw the notes in my head. And I started playing it in harmony. He played with one finger. I started playing in harmony. I've been playing piano ever since. So you never had formal lessons. It was just teaching. I tried to take lessons, but by the time I did it, I had my ear had developed so well. I was playing by ear, they just sent me home and said, well, he's cheating.

He's pretending like he's reading music. Did Bobby give you another lesson? Yeah, Bobby gave me many lessons. Bobby was like a mentor for me musically. He's sharpened, well, he's shaping my musical taste. He got me into Marvin Gay, Slidestone, Ivy Brothers, George Clinton. It was like, that why, you know. And then he would make me play songs and learn them.

And I remember one time I played a song by Earth from the Fire, and I played it exactly perfect, just like it was. And he slapped me upside my head. I was like, what did you do that for? He said, I didn't tell you to copy it. I said, play it like you. Don't copy it. He was like really very meticulous in particular about what he wanted.

Which I'm glad about because that's helped the shaping me. You know. Were you the first, besides your brother Bobby, were you the first of the family members to really catch one to music? No, no, no, no, no. My sister, Bunny, Randy. I'm number seven down the line. So, Randy, Marty, Tommy, Bunny, Deirdre, Ellis, Chantelle, Bobby. Those are older than me.

Okay, I see. I got it eventually. Damn, I'm so overwhelmed. I literally forgot my next. No, I feel you. Wait a minute. I had a good question too. Damn.

Do you remember the first album that you purchased? Yeah. First album my purchase was Earth, When and Fire. It was the all-in-all album. Really? Yeah, the one with the... You know, ba-ba-ba-ba-a-ba-ha-ba-ha-ha-ha. Running.

Running. Yeah. That one on it, yeah. That's first time my actual person. But my brother Bobby kept the albums with him and bunny. I was listening to their albums. They was always buying them. But the first one that you purchased was definitely all in all.

That was yours? What is it about, you always spoken about Maris White, being a musical hero of yours, in all of the interviews I've read, even before you worked with him in 92. What was it about his music that spoke to you? Feeling. It was just

It was the first time that I had heard any band of musicians stretch out like that. The horns and the strings, I mean, it was just pretty, Quest. It was just so pretty.

You know, uh-oh, all the stuff they did in between. My ear was picking up all of that. And then he had, and then he just wouldn't stop. each album he just kept building and building and making everything larger and it seemed like they were never going to have a flop

they were just hit after hit after hit after hit after hit all this stuff which it just moved me like that really and he was a very smart producer I sure you know that very very super producer can you tell me of I mean besides your family group did you in your high school experiences or in your neighborhood experiences did you have other groups that you were part of

or bands or were you. you guys just like contained as a family doing stuff together? Well, no, I've always had other groups that I was in, other bands that I was in. See, my brothers, basically, to be honest with you, okay, there's Randy, Marty, James, Chico, all of them. Music was like so natural for us. It was like, you had to really make them sit down and practice because it came so easy for them. Like when people who

Who need to develop something You'll see them spending more time Trying to develop it But it was like with them You give them a note They got it, bam it's easy So now they're on They get bored with it really easy

So they would be outside chasing the girls And seriously And I was always I was always very serious-minded Even from a child They used to call me a professor Because they say, you're too serious, man Be a child, be a kid

But I've always been like that So I was always somewhere Practicing And studying and rehearsing I had to like make them do it You know And once you get them in And you start teaching them notes

You get them into it They're there I mean And honestly I don't know anybody That harmonizes Better than they do I mean my I gotta give it to them

They've been boys bad I'll give it to you I'll give it to you I'll give it to them My brothers Yeah I know Yes that

I mean when I say I give it to you I give it to you The Debarge clan. I was curious, however, if other, like, do you, are you the type of creator or musician that, like, it's hard for me to listen to some people without offering my notes inside my head or my, I mean, it's one thing to listen to a song as a fan, but then it's another thing to listen to it and you start critiquing. So, like, your thoughts on, at least at the time, like, other groups that were closer to your age, like, were you aware of, like, what the five stair steps, we're doing or the Silvers, early incarnation of the Silvers. I mean, the Jackson's are almost kind of, because they were so ubiquitous, it's almost

like, I don't know. They're more of an institution than I consider them just a singing group, but were your thoughts on, like, other people around, like, younger acts at the time? I've always felt like different. I remember the Silver's when we were coming up. I remember, of course, the Jackson's. I've always felt like my style was different. I was going somewhere else, but, you know, I know how to pull from this person and that person,

a different way, what I need. I was always thinking somewhere else. I mean, honestly, I just was. I was like, I would listen to my peers, people that were my age who were in entertainment, but I found myself more so steering towards older groups. They seemed like, I don't know, it was just, I learned more. I mean, which was the reason why I had other groups that I was in, even when I was coming up. I wasn't always just singing with my family.

I was always, there was a group I was in called Peacemakers, another group being called God's Children of Harmony, who called TNT Flashers. Don't ask me. Now it's like, why is that the name? the name right. That's something one of the band members came up with. I don't

know. I just went with it. But see, I remember I was very young. I started playing at seven years old. So by the time I was 12 years old, I was playing in the bars and clubs with my brother Bobby in his groups. But I was in the background. Nobody knew I was there.

How were you when you gave your first public performance? 12. 12, okay. It was mostly just me playing the piano and singing backgrounds behind Bobby and in his groups. But for the most part. As a singer, would you say that as a singer, would you say that your brother Bobby is like your North Star, your least?

Because your vocal textures are the same? But you know, Quest, he, one thing that Bobby instilled in me, he was to be myself, be me, never get lost, and whatever influences you. make sure it becomes a part of who you already are and I consume you. So because of that, I mean, I could say Marvin Gay and really be honest about it and and Bobby and Maurice White, Andre Crouch, the Hawkins, Slide Stone, the Bee Gees, all these. I made all of these my mentor because I got into every single one of them, just one, just as much as the other. Well, eventually, I knew you guys had to migrate out. West. How did the whole process start in getting, at least with your brother getting

Jermaine Jackson's attention and all that stuff? Like how did, I guess the move to Motown, how did, how did, what was the first step that went out there? No, I'm laughing because you said migrate. So many of us, it's like I just see a whole tribe of us. I still don't have the official count, Al. I was counting on my hands when you was doing the name. I would think it would be 11 of you. Or is it 11? What is the official number of DeBarge's children? 15. Yikes.

Wow. Wait a minute. Your mama? Your mama? My mama 11 or 10 with my mama. Let's see. My daddy was a roll. I know.

I know. You know, right? But he was, he was something else. He was having children while he was married to my mother. And check this out. He was bringing him home. I'm sorry, what now? What was he, what did?

What did you mean to bring the home? He said, he says, what? Oh, by the way, meet your new brother. Yeah, he pulled the fences. Oh, how'd you know? Exactly. That's what he said. Yeah.

Wow. And he told my mother to see. I know that experience. I had to meet one of my brothers that way. Like, when I was nine. Yes, I have two older brothers. Yeah. Just one day casually.

Meet your brother. Different time. Different time. That's old. That's old school. Right. You get shot for doing. that nowadays.

By the women, yes. Exactly. Right. Now it's like, make room for your brother. Okay. Yeah, make funeral plans. Right.

For your father. For your father. Do we put them into the singing side of the debarges too? Like the other, your father's kids? Or they just be there. But on the singing side,

that mostly came from my mother. Okay. That's not a figure. Is there, I was going to say, is there a debarge that does not know how to sing? and won't get angry if you agree with that question they don't get angry

they know it they know it it's yeah I think if elder barge is in your family you know if you can sing or not I think you have a pretty good benchmark of what's saying and what ain't I mean I was just curious

whether or not like that's sort of that kind of epigenetics works with talent as well like if the entire family's blessed with the voice, but only maybe six or seven are blessed with it. And, you know, the rest are not that lucky. I always want to know. It works like that.

Genetics work the same way. Although I would have to say this. I don't know if you find this interesting or not, but my father, the timber and his voice mixed with my mom is what helped to shape in my tone. Really, because if you ever heard my father talk and sing, he used to sing, groundhouse, you would know what I'm talking about. You could hear a mixture of his tone and my mother's two plus two equals what I have. Wow.

I was going to ask you, Elle, how do you preserve your voice, man? I saw the Instagram live concert that you did where you were playing. You sounded amazing, man. That was so, it was fantastic. And me and my wife, we watched it. We put it on the big speakers, like everything. It was great. And I just want to know how you preserve your voice, man,

because you're still singing all those songs, still in the same. key still with the same clarity. How do you preserve yourself? I will have to say water. Lots of water. Yeah, I drink I love water. But ultimately, having gone through what I've been through in life, we all know it was

the grace of God. God's got his hands on you, man. He's got his hands on you. He preserved me. I mean, water, what I've been through, water would long, couldn't have It wouldn't have been enough. It was God, man. And, uh,

amen. You know what I'm saying? Amen. Amen. You can want to pass the orphan plate now? We've usually passed it to him. All right. So back to my question.

How did the transition to California happen? Yeah. Okay. Well, Bobby, he was missing. And we didn't know where he was, honestly. he just walked off one day I think he was like 18 years old yeah

and a month went by no Bobby two months went by no Bobby come to find out this whole time he was in California and and he was with switch him and

please don't say you saw him on television like oh there he is no no not that but oh okay But we found this out like a year later. He was gone for a year before we even knew where he was. You know, my mother was hurt.

So then, but we did hear it on the radio. Back then there was no internet, none of that stuff. So, you know, it was kind of hard to figure out where he was. But he just left. I just took off. And then, next thing, you know, Tommy was gone. But he had sent for Tommy. Right.

All this was like his big secret. He wanted to surprise us. But it took him a year. It just surprised. But anyway, he got Wilmotown and we've got to give Greg Williams credit because he put all that together. Do you have a relationship with Greg Williams? Because even now as we speak, you know, members of Switch have reunited to, you know, still do. I'm trying to figure out how are they doing those songs without Bobby there.

I know what you mean. I don't you mean. Yeah, I was like, how does that work? No, I mean, but nothing against, nothing against a Philippine. That was catty. That was that caddy? I mean, but it wasn't a lie. It wasn't a lie.

No, but. So it's hard. I was going to ask, has there ever, has there ever, ever been a conversation about kind of a quasi-emalgamation of. Oh, DeBarge and Switch? Of DeBarge and Switch. I mean, whatever you think, Al. Break that down from you. Have you in your life ever saying

I call your name? They'll never be, or I call your name, or calling all girls, or I want to go closer. And do you have a relationship with Greg Williams where you two have talked about collaborating? I just always wanted to know, was there a direct relationship with

the Switch camp and the current DeBarge camp? I'm scared of this question. Oh, no. I can pass this question? No, no, I'm just playing. I'm just playing. I'll take me serious. I try to be a comedian at times. Okay. It doesn't work, but I'll try it anyway. But anyway, water break.

It's a real question. It's a real question. I didn't know there was water under that bridge. My bad. Man, man had to go to the Evian. Oh, no, no. It's cool. Hey, you're funny. But this is a switch I don't feel some type of way about it or nothing But I mean I love Greg Williams

He's like a brother to me They're out singing Okay put it this way Sometimes when I'm out doing concerts Unbeknownst to me The promoters do this So I look up and then they say I know Switch is opening up for me

Oh Oh They're trying to force it They trying to, yeah. Force of boom it. So I did, I did hit upon something. Okay. Yeah, in matter of fact, it's happened quite a few times.

And I don't know if you think they're trying to say, tell me something. Do you feel like it would be sacrilegious for you to sing your brother's songs? No, I do sing my brother's songs. See, that's the cold thing about it. Okay. I do it in my show and then we switch opening up for me. Oh, shit. That's a double.

Oh, conflict of interest. And then. When I do it, you know, I'm going to bring it. Right. I don't know. I mean. So we got to talk to Greg. Well, no, well, no, there's no, there's, I'm going to be cool.

All right. We can leave it at that. Well, what do you think? Have you heard them sing? You heard your show? Well, no, it's, it's, I just recently, and shout out to a DJ Soul Sister for bringing back the switch movement on Instagram. Yes, yes. Shout out.

I will say that I saw one clip, but I didn't watch it long enough, or I guess I didn't want to watch it long enough to get disappointed. But this is what I do know. I do know that Philip Ingram, his voice is in fine for. And maybe eight-year-old Amir is this dream another day where that Ingram voice and that DeBarge voice meets again at some point in this lifetime. Some way, yeah. That was my lofty way of asking. Has that ever come up in the last 20 years? Sometimes you have to be blunt with me

and some things go over my head. No, no, I get it. I got you, but no, you know what? That would be great. I would love to sing with Philip. Philip is, Philip. I like, I love his voice. Yeah, he's a master.

He's a master. A win is a win. A win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, 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 what 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 Vodom. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Farrell. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. So how was the door opened so that you guys could also? signed the Motown in the 81? Bobby, he sort of tricked me in the coming out here because I really didn't want to be in the group.

I wanted to stay in Grand Rapids if you're only asking me why. But I did, you know, I was young then. So he said, well, Elle, I need you to come out here and just play for my second album, the I call your name album. So I was excited then, you know. Because first he was saying, we start in this group, DeVarge, I can't be in DeVarge.

because I'm stuck in the contract with Switch. I never really wanted to be in the group. Switch that long is what Bobby said. He said, my dream was to have a family group. He said, but they extended our contract, picked up the option. So I want to do it through you guys. He said, Elle, I want you to be the lead singer. I want Bunny, Randy, Marty, so on and so forth.

I didn't want to do it. So Bobby didn't want the group to get started without me, so he put it on hold. But he got me to come to California when he said, help me with my album. And I'm a Bobby DeVarge fan. So when he said, help me with my album. I was like, okay, he wanted me to play the piano.

I was like, oh, shoot, I'm going to play piano. I was going to switch the album. So he got me out here. And he said, okay, I'm glad you're here. Now we're going to have a meeting with our managers, Germaine and Hazel, Jackson. So I need y'all just sit and wait for me while I had this meeting. So we're in Jermaine's office.

It's this big, beautiful white baby grand piano. man, it was pretty. So me, Randy, James was even out here at the time. We looked at it. I started playing and we started singing. We saw it about two or three songs. And then we heard hand claps.

And we looked behind us, Jermaine and Hazel standing there. And Mr. Gordy. And that's how Bobby had tricked us into an audition. Ah, got you. Have you ever seen an office, have you ever seen the office where the walls open up? like a door like he put it up wall and then just opens up now wow i've seen that at will smith's

house yes so then the rest of us say no i've seen it in movies yeah i've seen it in real life so that's the way it was in james's office wow oh okay yeah because i didn't even know anybody was in there but all we saw was a wall the office behind the wall so they they were standing there the whole time with the wall open and uh that's how we auditioned. And so I'm like, okay, he got me, Bobby. And we was on a roll and everybody made me feel like, hell, you got to do it. Come on, you got to do it. And I've always wanted to just stay in the background for some reason. I never wanted to be lead singer. I never wanted to be out front. Why are you so shy about that when clearly you're the leader? I'm brave. That's what it is.

I'm brave. A lot of things that I might be reluctant to do, I'm still brave enough to. do it if I know it has to be done. I'm not the person. If it's got to be done, I'll bring it. So I saw the big picture then. I was like, well, I got to do this for the family. But to be honest with you, I'm glad I did do it. Because I changed my mind down the line somewhere and I was happy that.

That Bobby saw fit to trick me until an audition. When you talk about working on that Switch album, did you do the vocal arrangement for the, the we are sending you this message to the the intro the is that you um are you playing on it no no not that one no that's uh eddie flewellyn in the group he ranged that ah okay okay but i played a piano on um i call your name and uh shit yeah just a little bit bobby then bobby took over and played piano i love you bobby can really play the piano man he was really he was really good it just hit me what i forgot to mention

I was talking to Jimmy Jam right before about an hour before we did this he told me that without no doubt and you know of course he's worked with literally everyone by now but he said that without no doubt you are

probably in his top five favorite clients that he's ever worked with and he said that especially he said that you would often just sit at the piano and just start doing chords.

And he himself was just like, you know, as a piano player, that you have to admire someone who, he was talking about your chord structure. He knew you had gospel training with a little bit of jazz chops, but really like made it your own. And he just said that one of his favorite things as a professional producer is sitting watching you. And I guess speaking of,

of not knowing someone's behind you watching. Jam would say that often, you know, that was his favorite thing in the world, like, watching you do that, yeah. That's a big statement coming from that. That's a big statement coming from Jam. Yeah. Wow. Did you ever play any other instruments, Elle?

Like bass, guitar, would you primarily just focus on piano? Saxophone, violin, and, uh, Yeah, that's about it. Saxophone violin. That's about it, shit. All right. Everybody played the clarinet in grade school, right? No, everybody did the recorder, not the clarinet.

The recorder, right? Fuck that. I played the clarinet. Well, look at you, Bill. You are. Yeah, well. And you know, it was an interesting song that I did. Honestly, I did it because my manager, Suzanne DePas and Tony Jones were my managers at the time.

Oh, man. They thought it would be a good idea. That's the only reason why I did it. But speaking of not doing things because you can't really see it, sometimes I don't see all the way through. And I'm glad I've had direction. And I was helpful enough to take it from other people because it was a good move. Remember who's Johnny?

Yes, yes. Short circuit, too? Yeah. And tried to look the other way. Yeah, I didn't want to do that song. I know that. I could tell. Then, oh, you could tell. No, I can tell, no, you know what?

Let me explain. Let me explain. I could tell because in my mind, I knew El DeBarge. And although I love that song, and my mind, it didn't, it just didn't go up with, no, I, no. But I have questions about that first solo record, but. Yeah, I don't know. No, I feel it. I don't want to skip it yet.

Go ahead. Finish. Finish your story. Well, that's case and point. So for the first solo record. Now, you go ahead. Now, I want to hear it now. Okay.

Before, okay, before, real quick. Did you want to do the facts of life episode? Did you want to do that? wait a minute y'all skit down we gotta go to his brothers and sisters first homologically okay you're right yes he did not go solo yet

all this love you're right in me I'm here for all this love conversation okay we're not even on the first record yet all right let's go to the first album how long did it take you guys did you guys have those songs already for your very first record people tend to think that all this love is your first record when actually that's your second album

and the debarges that came out in 81, which weird enough, Queen of My Heart and Share My World are originally on that record. Yeah. But how much time did you guys have to prepare? Did you even have meetings on, like, who gets to helmet? Like, how are decisions made as far as what goes on the album,

especially when it's between siblings? Well, what we did, we had a project manager, Iris Gordy, Barry Gordy's niece. Every Ellen we did, she was a project manager. What she would do is she would come in the studio and say, okay, who wrote what? Put your names down on this writer's split sheet. Who wrote this? Who wrote that?

So we would all put our names out next to the songs we wrote. And then I would turn into credits, who song what? We had a deadline that we almost never made. Share my world and Queen of My Heart, as you said. Right. That was on our first record. You're right. It was record out before the All This Love album.

So I put it on, what's the album that I put it? I put it on the Inspecial record. Well, you put Queen of My Heart in a special way. Yeah, and Share My World too. And you put Share My World on Rhythm of the Night. Oh, Rhythm of Night. Okay. The reason why is because we had a deadline.

Now, we had another song that needs to be recorded for the In The Special Way album. But Mr. Lordy said, no, you got a deadline. it's not going to make it on album because you got to still do the vocals. It's not going to make it. And he was real strict about this. He said, it's just not going to make it on the album. But we needed another song. So I said, well, let me pull my song from the first record.

The first record. It's already done. Put it on it and just remix it, right? Always wanted to do that. Okay. I see. And the credits and stuff will get mixed up sometimes. Like, for instance, stay with me.

You know, my name's not on there as a writer. But I wrote it. Marty's name was on the air. And I hope that got fixed. It didn't. Wow. That's okay because Marty just forward everything to give it. Wait a minute.

Wait a minute. So at the time, you're thinking like, oh, stay with me as like some really cool filler. And this won't be consequential to my life in the next 25 years, will it? No, I never think. One more change. I love to stay with me from the beginning. See, Marty, when he came to me, he said, Elle, I need you to help me write this song.

And he had to hook. Stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me. I said, okay, Mike, we got to do more than that, though. Needs some variation. Right. So he just laughing in my hands, and I started really feeling it. The chord changes started, it just started coming to me. So I wrote the rest of the song, and I went in and recorded it.

it and he loved it. But my name's not on it. Wow. I just hope that the publishing was fixed at least that much. Nope. And at no point was that considered like, hey, this is good enough for a single? Yeah, I mean, I thought so. But you have to remember, DeBarge was going through a transition with Motown at that time.

I was becoming solo. Right. Very good. he was, Motile was pushing them to the back. Right. Started a lot of controversy on my family. Okay. No, but-

I know you're not ready to talk about that yet. Not yet. There's a method. I think, you know, I actually think it's, it should be noted that, uh, there was once a time

where a song like Stay With Me was just like a regular song. Like just. Yeah, it was like a B-side. Yeah, just like, oh, a throwaway, which, you know, considering, the state of music now, you know, that's amazing. That would be too much.

Yeah, that would be. But you know what? It was treated like a single though it never was, right? Right, exactly. No, that was my favorites. Even when I brought, when I got that record, that was always my favorite DeBart's song. Side note, guys, side note, as I say this for silent treatment,

one of those remixes, we attempted. kind of a stay with me esk attempt with the one and only Elle won't get this but Lai and Fonte about to mimic about to lose their minds over this with the one and only Richard Nichols

singing the hook Oh she gets it I got a No we were I mean back in 93 94 where like you had to have like five remixes

on the record. Right. Yeah. I have that two of them. I have them all. No, no, but way before one more chance came out, we,

we actually stopped it once our boy told us that Bigel had used because he used it on MVP. Yeah, he used it on the album. When he told us that, then we like put it to bed, but we did, there is a silent treatment remix

completed with Richard Nichols singing in a high fall set of books. Oh, go. And he couldn't sing it. But our whole, our whole logic was like, well, 30 bastard can't sing. So this is hip hop. You just do any,

this is back where you can just do anything in the name of quote, this is hip hop. So, yeah, I have to find. I bet it was banging, though. Yeah, bring it back. I bet it was banging. Not really. Not even a beat.

Not even a beat. We, we used it for something else. But no, we, we put it to bed. But, you know. When Biggie blew up with it, I got salty like, damn, you know, you know, but it was, you know. But, you know what? I'm glad you mentioned her name because what was Iris's role? I know you said she was Barry's niece, but what was her role at Motown?

Because any time someone from Motown made an appearance on Soul Train, Don always figured out a way to shock. out Iris, Iris Gordy in the audience or watching or whatever. But was she always the product manager and... And she was, basically she was. She was very musical. She loved being around music all the time. So I guess that's why Barry Gordy Tapper as a project. Yes.

Nepotism in the black people. Yes. Yeah, was she didn't. She knew what she was doing too. She was, she knew what she was doing. She was. Was the appearance with Germain and 81, the first. time you guys were on national television.

You guys did Soul Train once before you did it on your own as debarge, but kind of as like... Okay, did we do stop, don't tease me. You did, don't tease me, and you did, I like it back when that was like, maybe a throwaway song or something. Don't tease me. I love it when you remind people

of their past. That's my favorite thing. Just in case you forgot. Yeah, you wore a tuxedo. I bet Alice too much. You wore a tuxedo with no jacket. Hey, bang, bang. Wait, okay.

This is, I hope I don't get trouble for this question, but I always wanted to know. So, you guys are a family unit, your own motel. Obviously, of course, when you're thinking of the lineage of Motown and being a family, of course, the J word is always going to pop up. And, you know, you're associated with one of those J words, which remain. But I always wanted to know. like why because the one thing that you guys rarely did was coiography oh i'm so glad you're not mad at me for asking this question no no no no no no i take it back when you when y'all did uh baby won't you

come quick y'all y'all had some moves together or whatever that what we call it moves yeah but that's the one the one thing that always puzzled me was that i knew that they were putting so much energy behind you guys. But it's like the one thing, you were the first Motown act that I saw presented as a five-person group. No courte. As a family.

But you guys never had a queer like not since what's the the boy band before? No, what's the boy band now? The one that Harry Styles was in. One direction. One direction. One direction. When I saw one direction

on S&L, they don't dance. Wait a minute. this feels familiar. I was like, fuck, DeBorge! Why? You're the first person to draw that comparison. Absolutely for sure.

No, no, no. It's just that I'm used to seeing five people act out apart. In unison. Yeah, doing these intricate things and you guys never did that. Wait, when where are y'all in Philadelphia?

Hey, Abel booked me a flight to Philadelphia. No, I'm in New York right now. I'm about to pull up. No, no, no, no. I'm about to pull up. But you know I'm telling the truth. Like, why wasn't, why, like, why didn't you guys go through that, yeah, that, uh, I guess you could say, uh, Charlie Atkins phase of moat.

Like, was that going by Motown by now? Like the whole charm. Elvin Ailes phase. Yeah, the Charlie Aitans, all that stuff. Okay, well, you know what? I was wondering the same thing. I think it was because a lot of us couldn't dance probably. I never thought.

of that. All right. Two left feet. No, you know, y'all can move. Yeah, but they brought choreographers in, and it was like, it was a joke. It was a joke. The choreographers started crying. No, I, no, I fell down a rabbit hole where I just looked at every debarge clip from,

even the McDonald's commercials, everything. Oh, yeah, it was so corny. And just noticed that you guys would just two-step on your own. Even in rhythm of the night. Yeah, you really think about that video. Yeah, you just two-stepped on your own. You just grew, which, I mean, it was cool enough. Your voices were perfect.

You guys made up, like, no one complained like, oh, they're not dancing. Y'all was singing your asses off, right? Have you ever seen any of our live shows? Okay, if you haven't, back in the day, my brother Marty was all over the stage all the time. And I know this had a lot to do with the choreography thing because I I remember Suzanne the past and Barry Gordy saying, like this, just throwing hands up. What we did, how we were rehearsed,

no matter what kind of choreography we did, Marty would step out of the choreography and come up to the edge of the stage all the time and start kicking his legs around doing karate throughout. And it's no secret. All you do is watch some old footage. You'll see it. Well, that was a thing in the 80s.

And it's like, it's okay, so much for the choreography. He would do it all the time. And James, Randy and Bunny, we'd be looking at him. And then next thing I know, he's standing next to me. And I'm singing solo. I'm like, Marty, what are you doing? Yo, I'm so glad you said that. What are you doing, Marty?

What are you doing, Marty? Wait, wait. Oh, okay, slight confession. I had part two to that question. Okay. I wasn't going to ask the second part unless you answer the first part. My second bar was definitely Your brother Marty

Everybody's Kung Fu Fight Was known to do some crazy No well I gotta remember One thing about if he does his homework No twice Twice Marty I have two clips of Marty

Where he will Whatever Like Okay There's a Marty wearing the pink shirt In the all this love cover On the album's album cover

It could be That's him He's right in the middle. I knew that. I knew that. I was wearing it. Yes, that's Marty. Okay, got it. I'm just wanting to get everybody a reference. No, but there's, there's a, I forget what song it was. It wasn't you where, it was a song where Tad has a guitar solo in it, and it wasn't you wear it.

Well, it might have been, uh, baby, once you come quick, but he took this like Hendricks-esque guitar solo without, without a guitar strap at that. So even then, I was like, wow, he's doing that without a, guitar strap, but he was like on his knees, on his back and everything. You guys were two-stepping, like doing your regular two-step thing, whatever. But in my mind, I was like, wow, he's really going over the top with his guitar solo. Right, exactly. It really means this shit.

Yeah, when it comes to. You being nice about it. Right. But in concert, were you guys doing like, was it like that as well? I totally forgot that when we did the Babyface episode, he told us that you guys opening for Luther and when the deal was on the road with you guys that that was

your shows were incredible. In his words that they were incredible. But I was basically asked about Marty. Did he always do those over the top solos in concert as well? Every show. Every concert. Each and

every time. Every time. And wow, it's it was amazing. because he would always say that he wasn't going to do it no more. And then we'd do it. We had to have meetings about it. Group meetings.

All right. Listen, man. You do it to ride, right, right. We made up rules. We started real. You're going to get docked, all this stuff. He right back out. Yeah.

Oh, my God. I've been dying and knew this. Okay, this is what makes this show worth having. I've been dying and knew this answer. for decades and it happened just like I thought in my head. Yep, you're right.

Right. What were those early tours like once all this love came out? It was our first time out there. You know, Motown, they, well, Barry Gordy, he tricked us too. We didn't know. You guys got tricked a lot in your career.

But this was kind of a cool one though here. We didn't really know that we were that popular. because all we did was we got up in the morning at six and the limo was outside waiting for us and we'd drive up to Barry Gordy's house. We stayed there all day. And then in the nighttime, the limo take us to the studio and from studio to home.

Next day, we peeped, same thing, for months and months. So we didn't see anything. We didn't know what was happening in the outside world. We just studio arrests, man. And Mr. Gordy's house studio, just sleep. So when we went on on that first tour, man, They were telling us, well, you got to work really hard. The album's not doing that great.

You know, I said, well, it looks like on the charts. It looks pretty good. It's doing pretty good to me. They said, well, you're an airplay hit. You know, back then, that was a thing called being an airplay hit. You weren't really selling that many records, but you was just playing a lot. You know what you? Maybe airplay, yeah.

Yeah. So I said, okay. So you got to work really hard to get these fans to come out, you know, do the best you can. So we get out there, man, we go out the plane, and we get ready to go to our first show. No, before we go to the show, we had to go do an end store. Remember the end stores? Yes.

So we didn't think nobody's going to be there. They told us, it'd be a few people here. Just be nice to them, you know, because they came out in the snow. So be nice to them. Is this Detroit? This was, yeah, yeah. I know the story. I read about this in Rite-on magazine, but go ahead, go ahead.

Your memory. Is this the one? Cynthia wanted to drop something about like fans going crazy, almost tearing up the place or whatever. No, no, not that, not that. I know something happened in Detroit. Not that. Let you know that you guys were celebrities.

Well, what happened was, actually it was New York. It wasn't Detroit. It was New York. Okay. The snow was real deep. And the limo got stuck in the snow. So we got out walking because they said, well, the in store is only two blocks away.

We walked in the snow to the in store. And finally, the limo pulls up after we get there. He got him stuck. So we see all these people, and I'm thinking there for somebody else. We all did. We were like, oh, okay. You just casually walked up, like, who are here? Who else is here?

What other celebrity? But they ain't here for us. We ain't that popular. Y'all tried to walk in the front door? Yeah. Okay. And then we had to get back in the limo real quick. Oh, wow.

And then they start rocking a limo like this pushing the limo going up. This was in the snow, man. Now, for us not to be popular, so they tried to tell us that. And then we went from not being popular in our minds to having some really, really, avid, energetic, motivated fans because they was rocking that limo. I'm telling you, man. They was...

Was y'all prepared for that? Like, had Bobby or anybody prepared? No, we wasn't prepared for that because they told us, you know, you're not doing too good. But I mean, when you finally realize you're doing good and you got all these fans, were y'all prepared for what came with that? We was in the snow.

One of them was pulling my hair, asking me for an autograph, and I'm looking up at it was like, It was on the ice. I was on the ground. I was on pavement. And then I'm looking for bunny. I'm trying to protect her.

And she's up against the car. And then Marty's back there loving it. He's got all the girls. He's like, hey. And this is pre-security, pre- entourage. Oh, no, security was busy. Guess what security was busy doing.

He was trying to save their own head. You know what? Honestly, you had a whole bunch of New York fans. You know how it is New York? New York. And they're tough. And security was trying to keep them back from Varieg's. Man, they ate the security for breakfast.

Wow. Elle, can I ask you a question? You mentioned this earlier on we were talking about growing up and you were kind of like in Grand Rapids. You were fighting like the black folks, the white folks, you know, because you were mixed. I love that you say half-reeds, such an error. Anyway, but my question is, like, what did it feel like now that people are looking at you

when thinking y'all's most beautiful, talented people in the world? These are black people, white people. Like, how do y'all mentally, do you just leave what happened in Grand Rapids? You know what? We always wanted to be accepted, especially by black people. We have my mother's side of the family. It's all black. So we, for that reason, we, like, cleave to them.

Because we just wanted to be accepted by black people. Because we were told, you ain't black and their white people. You're white either. You know, that's how it was in the 60s and the 7th. It's a real controversy. But so when we got accepted by our cousins, you know, our black cousins. And that's when we first discovered, I mean, I'm not black. I'm black.

Black comes in different shades. For a while, we didn't know what we were. because my mother didn't talk about it. We didn't talk to her about it. We didn't like to worry mom about this stuff, on the way home school, fighting and stuff. She would never know it until one of us was bleeding or something. But other than that, we kept it from her.

My dad knew, but, shoot, we had to protect him. Really? Oh, because I was in the black neighborhood. Yeah, we had to protect him. But so when we, especially when we got remote town, because it was predominantly a black label. We were just proud to be black, man, be among our people. And then to see so many people of color at our concerts and stuff,

we always had a pop appeal. It just came natural for us. So, you know, we would crossover anyway. A lot that had to do with color too in that way, which is there. Yeah. Yeah, like white, what he said, light, bright and... Almost right. No, don't be hating now.

I'm just laughing because you can't say this. I'm just laughing because you can't say that in 2020. I don't know. Never. Yeah, but you know what? And my brother Chico, he was real adamant about it when he was coming. He was like, he's younger to me, but he taught me about the word Hugh, you know, Hugh, H, E.

He says, like, like, huge, like different shades of one color. That's what we are. And, but that was a real, man, I seem like a big thing to some people, but it was a really big thing to us. And so, you know, like, to be around dark-skinned people, man, our people was like, and they accepted us was like, wasn't on things. Yeah, you black. We said, yeah, but you just don't know where we came from what we went through. To hear you say that, man, it's like, I almost want to pay you.

Wow. Wow. I wanted to ask a question about, particularly about the song, All This Love, was that written specifically for Marvin or was it just influenced by Marvin? It was written for Marvin. I wrote it. My brother, you know, the way we write, we write off of each other vibes. Randy was just sitting next to me

and I love Randy so much man That's my cat His personality His spirit is so beautiful man If you ever be around You knew what I'm talking about So just because of that I just felt

I had some problems I'll do that No one could seem to solve him It came to me just like that quest Out of nowhere The word and the feeling And I remember It felt so good

I felt like crying. It just felt so good. And Randy said, man, that sound like something. You should write for Marvin, man. You know, you should write there for Marvin. So I finished the song, and I took it to Mr. Gordy. And I said, I wrote this for Marvin.

And he was like, no, no. No. What? So Marvin never heard it. Barry, he shot it down. Marvin. And he left by this time also. Well, no, I found out that Marvin did hear it.

When I met Marvin, I found out he did hear it. What he said? What he said? What he said? Well, he only heard it because somebody at Motown had got it to him. Okay, I'm not going to mention no names. I know who it was, though. I can't tell him.

Someone caught blocked. No, no, somebody got it to. Somebody got to Marvin. Somebody slid to him on the loaf. Shout out to her. Suzanne. It's got me here. That's 40 years after the fact.

You're right. Anyway, well, anyway, but by that time it was on our album. And so when Marvin, when we did the Motown 25, that's when I first met Marvin. And he picked me up like this. I don't know. You ever seen the pictures of that? He picked me up in the air. He was like.

Wow. Really? Oh, wow. Yeah. And I was shy, man. You should show me, man. I was like a little groupie. I had my head down.

He said, Marv Gay, this is El DeVars. I was like, hi. You know, so he picked me up like this, he said. So this is a young man and everybody says, sounds like me. You're going to give me trouble, boy. Wow. As a matter of fact, you see your pictures.

They're on the internet, right? I got to search that. Yeah, that guy. He got me like this way up in the air off my feet. Wow. I have a question about the All This Love Record. Oh, you know, again, this. Of course, in 82, this could just be like an everyday thing.

But I mean, these are monsters that you have on your record. Like, first of all, what was it like working with Benjamin? Well, even before I get to Benjamin Wright, almost. How did you wind up producing or at the helm of producing this record? I would assume that your brother had a lot to do with the first record. What was the meeting that changed the personnel and the process on? all this love. That was different from the first record you did. Because I knew what I wanted and seemed that nobody else did.

I tried to work with other producers, but the songs was going in the wrong direction. And it wasn't a problem with them. For them, they knew it too. As a fact, a couple of producers said, hell, you should do this yourself. That's the only way the song is going to stay the way it was born. You have your own ideas. And so I wanted to produce it myself then, but Motown wasn't going to let me do it. They said, no, you don't have an experience as producer. You don't know what you're doing.

So it was because of Stevie Wonder. To this day, I thank him for that. He told Mr. Gordy, because Stevie heard, he came in the studio. a lot and he would hear what we was doing. And so I said, Stevie, they won't let me produce it, though. So he went to Mr. Gordy. He said, if you don't let these guys produce it, you'll be making a grave error.

He said, because it's very special what he has. And you should take a chance on him, let him do it. That's what he told Mr. Gordy. And they did. So dope. It did because, and it was really because Stevie had said that. You know, and I had to thank him for that to this day. Because from that point on, I was, I didn't really know a lot, but I learned it as I was going along.

My brother Bobby taught me some things, but there's something you have to get from yourself. You know what I'm saying, because you have to get it from within you. And I had to find what that was through trial and error, whether it was going to be a mistake or not. It just would have been a mistake because it was something I had to do. At the time, did you know. Okay, so first of all, like Benjamin Wright is doing horn arrangements and stuff. He did like the string arrangements on

Michael Jackson's off the wall. Justin Timberlake, yeah. Yeah, and yeah, and Justin Timberlake's Tiled in time and all that, yeah. Right. Swag together, y'allis. But, I mean, also with like, I mean, it's not often that you see like like Russell Ferranti's name

from the old jackets. Oh, heck yeah. Or Freddie Washington. Yeah. The, you know, the, the, the, the, the, ready for, Miss. Ricky, from, uh,

forget me not to know. Forget me not. I'm gonna let you say. Even, Rick's guy, Daniel Lemel. How did you get all these monsters? Daniel Lemell,

the sax fair. You didn't say Ricky Lawson. Yeah, Ricky Lawson and Ali Brown. Richard Heath. And Ali Brown. You had all the monsters on this record, which I'll enjoy.

And I know in 82, that was like, that's whatever. Everybody was, was at the top of their craft. Yes, we're in a place now in 2021 where there's such a drought of talent that it's just mind baffling to me that all these great talents are on one record. To them, it could have just been a Wednesday, Thursday morning check. But how did you even,

did you have relationships with these musicians in the beginning? Yeah, my brother Bobby was responsible for that. He knew all of them. He knew all. He got his Ricky Lawson, Ali Brown Leon and Dougal Chancellor Right Harvey Mason played on some stuff Paul Jelaisano's doing

guitar solo and all this love right Yeah him and Charles You know Charles Faring? Yeah Him and Charles Faring To be honest with you Charles Faring played the solo first

And it was Iris's idea To bring Jose Feliziano Ian on it He was on Motown at the time Right Yeah he was on Motown Yeah

That's signed in 82. Yeah. Okay. Let's just try him. Let's try. I know we got Charles doing a solo already, but let's just try and see what Jose could come up with. So we blended the two. A lot of people don't notice.

We blending them both together. Wow. Oh, man. That's Charles and Jose playing at the same time. A lot of guitar players find out, figure that out when they try to play the solo. Wow. It's not that easy. Okay.

Kyle's easy, but it's not. One more question. So I know that. name. I know that either she did, well, she's listed under vocal arrangements. I'm assuming that maybe background or whatever, I don't know. But the

Linda Howard that's mentioned here, that was Linda Howard formerly of high energy, correct? Yeah. Yeah. What song was it, though? I don't, well, this is vocal arrangements, Linda Howard. That's just so random to me.

I only ask that Linda Howard is the first person ever wrote a family letter to when I was eight years old. What song was that, though? That's interesting. No, it's just listed on the album, not, not. Oh, okay, I got what you said. Yeah.

Okay. So, did you have a fan crush on her? I, I, I did, yeah. I mean, I was, I was a high energy fan. Actually, speaking of Motown 25, even though some, some person sort of ate the energy up in

the room for that particular night. I will say that, you know, for a lot of us also, our favorite moment on that show was the kind of debarge, high-energy mix-up of he's a pretender. And I forget what song you guys did. We did. Can't Stop Together. Right. Exactly. What was it like doing Motown 25? Oh, wow. Well, besides Marvin, I'm taking you on. No, no, I know. Can you imagine all of the talent.

that was there. It was tense too. It was tense because we were kind of like almost working on CP time because it took five hours to shoot almost. Just to get everybody together. Suzanne DePaz is so great, man. I mean, she, the relationships, the way she deals with people, people didn't want certain artists didn't even want to come back and do it and be a part of it. But Suzanne, with her gracious self, she was able to talk to them into doing it. So because of that, time was getting away from us. And a lot of them decided to agree to do it at the last minute. Michael didn't even agree to do it until the last minute.

Right. Yeah. So, you know, imagine you're on a schedule of time. It's television. You know how that is. So it was a lot of tense, a lot of tension going on around. It was everybody was crazy, man. I didn't even know how it was going to turn out the day we actually did it.

I was like, is this going to. Were things shot separately or was it shot concurrently in a row? Was it straight concurrently? Okay. Yep, straight too. Man. Yeah. Y'all got that dance step at that time now.

Right, I was going to say that's the time where. Can I redeem myself with the dance? Theography. Can I redeem myself with geography? Yes. Please. You did yourself. seen a real love video,

a real love video? Yes, I've seen it. Yes. Right. Yes. No, you, you, no, you, you got it together.

You got it. Now say something. Say something. You got dope, bro. I'd say you couldn't dance. I just say y'all didn't work with a choreographer.

That's all. Big difference. Big difference. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clever 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. 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! 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. We should mention I like it. I mean, I don't want to skip any classic.

I like it. Love and love me in a special way. Brandy was playing the bass over and over again. Boom, boom, boom, doon, doon, boom, boom, just over and over again. And he kept singing, oh, my brothers, they do this to me all the time. They have one part and they sing it over and over again and then tell me. To finish the rest. Finish it.

So, Randy, but, and I don't mind doing it. The lucky number seven. That's where he, lucky number seven. Let's go to Vegas. So anyway, that's what he had. And then, you know, I wasn't going to leave it like that. We had to come up with a verse and then we did. So I've been thinking about you quite a while, you know.

It just felt right, man. I love writing with Randy. His spirit just makes you want to write. So that's how we came up with it. Okay. I was going to say that the process, I like it's one of those songs in which I think there's two totally different verses. It's almost like the Saturday love thing. Yeah. Totally different hooks too. Right. But it's still, but somehow in my mind I feel like it's two different hooks, two different verses, but it's just reinterpreted different. And I actually, I actually admire that process. Oh, I hear what you saying.

When we brought back the first verse to second. Right, exactly. Yeah, exactly. I admire that trick and I wish I could master that, but, you know. Chico told me that, he was the first one that told me, he said, hell, you're the only one I know that I can do that and pull it off. Because I did it in all this love too. Wait a minute.

Maybe, yeah. Oh, God, you're right. Baby y'all, baby y'all. Oh, wow. I have some problem, yeah. If you just sing it different, you, Oh man, okay I didn't know it was that

tool right now. I always ask you about just your writing of creating of Love Me in a special way because I just, I love that song that was just I had like a lot of memories to that as a kid. Like what was that, what was that like when you made that? I got good memories of that song. I was driving on a freeway

headed west 101. I was on my way to Billy Preston's house. Oh, wow. Okay. The traffic jam, and that song just hit me. You would, you know, traffic jam is in L.A. A song like that's not supposed to hit you. You're supposed to, something mean is supposed to hit.

Right. But that song just hit me, man. And the chorus was in my head. And I couldn't wait to get to Billy. I said, I got to get to a piano. So I remember getting off the freeway and trying to take the streets because he lived way in Mahalo and drive, way up in the Kenyans. And when I got there, I said, Billy, where's your piano?

I mean, I got to play this really quickly. before it gets out of my head. And I was playing the chords, love me in a special way, and seeing just the melody that I had at that time. I said, ah, nah, this is, it sounds too gospely. I ain't gonna do nothing with this. And I looked at Billy, and Billy was crying, man.

I mean, not crying, but he had a tear rolling out of his nose like this. Wow. I just looked like this. I remember looking like this like, what happened? It's like, why is he crying? And he said, man, that's beautiful, man. Record that, man. Please record it.

It's the song as we hear about now. As we heard it, you played it for Billy, the song that we hear it right in. Yeah. I did the same thing with Time Reveal. I didn't think it was, I thought Time Reveal was too corny. Remember I told you at the beginning of our talk, sometimes you can't see it all the way through. And because, you know, he's like, I like it, but ain't nobody going to like it. So Chico said, man, are you serious?

Time Reveal. That's the business. Yes. I said, it's too corny, man. Nobody wanted to hear what can I do to make it. You know, Rick James and, you know, give it to me, baby and all that stuff. Yeah. I was like, nobody want to hear this.

He said, man, just do me a favor. Just record it for me. What are you doing for? I said, okay. So that you know that you're the apple of my eye. I'm sorry. Whose decision was it to give James his looks for in a special way? because he got more lead on side.

And I'm so old school, on side one. You know, would be my lady and need somebody. Well, yeah, James has always danced to his own beat, march to his own beat. He wasn't in the group at first, you know, on the first album. Right, on the very first one. Right. And I fought for my little brother to get in the group.

I worried Mr. Gordy to death about it. I pestered him every day. I started putting James on songs and letting him sing so Mr. Gordy could hear it. And finally, they signed him up. He was by all this love, I'm in the group. He was just, I don't know, he just marched his own beat.

He's just different. I like it. What James has a really nice tone in his mid-range, but he doesn't like to sing there. He likes to go up high and kind of piercing. Yeah, James, he did a record, and I know we'll get to it. James did a record, I mean, years ago with DJ Quick called the divorce song. Yeah.

And I heard the song, I thought it was you because I just heard it. I didn't have the credits in front of me. I was like, yo, this is, I was like, Elle, killing this. And then when I saw the credits, I was like, oh, shit, this is James. James, right. That's a song. So many times I have, baby, I ain't got none of fool to you. No, no.

Keep on that shit. All I want. want to do is, I sure there's nothing's wrong with my kids so we can get along. It's nice to be friends. Yeah. For the, in the special way album,

especially with touring behind it, I know you guys toured with Luther Vandros. What was that like? Amazing. Luther Vandros was like the uncle and the papa. He was, he was the coach. He was the principal at school. We was like his little brother said he was like the whole time we were out with Luther, he was disciplining us and teaching us the ropes.

I mean, we got on stage a minute late on time and he fined us $15,000. Damn. Wait, what? $15,000. He comes collecting, like he looks for that. Like after he said he'd come back and be like, with my money. Oh, yeah. Yep.

But see, the thing is we were in union halls. You know that. Overges. Oh. Right. So they was down to him. Ah. And he said,

no, y'all got to pay me this. You know how this. You can't, you can't be on too late. You can't get off too late. And then Radio City Music Hall, that's when we got,

that was the biggest fine. Yeah. The Barges was on CP time, a lot. Yeah, It was Marieto City Music Hall was $30,000. Jesus. Because we got on late and went off late, and they pulled the plug on us.

And then, Dr. Right. Yeah. So we learned our lessons to Highway, but Luther was like, he was so cool with us, man. I'm telling him he was like his little brothers. He was cool. He'd take us out to eat every night, make sure we knew the ropes. He taught us everything, man. He used to give us pointers about our show.

And he would tell Marty, now, Marty, you need to calm down. more kung fu you need to calm down and of course it went in one ear and I'll see another shit okay so a dream

probably you know I mean of your arsenal I mean everyone has their favorites but I know that a dream is somehow like

in most of Bar I just feel like that's always in like their top three songs. I know that was written by your sister, but what was the process of putting that together? Well, Bunny would always, again, come to me and ask me to do the music to her songs. She always had all of her melodies, and she would even have instrument parts sometimes. Bunny was amazing. If she could play the piano, she would be amazing. But she had this part, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. She was like, you know, but-b-b-b-b-b. She said,

I hear that. I hear that. I'll tell you. So everyone just comes to you to like translate. You everybody's translator, yeah. But she had the whole song, the melodies and everything. You know, and then so she said, now this was this part. You know, last night I dream you.

And when she got to this part, now here it is right here. And it flash. You know, so we figured it out. So I had to write all the music around that. You know, I didn't know back then that music had, writing the music had anything to do with writers. Songwriting, uh-huh. I thought if you wrote the music, you just wrote the music, but it had nothing to do with the songwriting. Wasn't I ignorant?

You're going to learn one way or another. I learned. I learned. But yeah, man, she still, at this day, one of my favorite songwriters. So how shocked or how pleasantly surprised. were you when in the next 10 years or 15 years that these songs would find new life to them where it's like you know and even though we're talking about just a choice for you with with a dream stay with me I like it and all this love but I mean it's been those four songs alone have been utilized at least like by three to five different hip-hop classics like I would love to know what

bunny think about I ain't mad at you. What does bunny think about that? Yeah, a lot. I should hope so. I'm like, I know, huh? Well, I could kick myself. Anyway. But wait, I just give it.

I don't understand. They knew you wrote it. Well, he wrote others, you know. Yeah. That's on the next Oprah. Okay. That's not. But I like you.

You're very focused, man. Quest. I like you would. Well, I mean, at the very least, even at the very least, even if you didn't get to reap the, you know, the monetary highs of what those songs could reap in, I mean, at least it's brought timeless. You can perform those songs.

Those songs would never die. Well, you got to remember me. You asking me, what did I think? It would go this far. Remember me, the one who didn't even want to record time of review? Right, right. So you know I'm shocked of all people because I didn't even think Time Reveal was or Love Me in a Special Way was with great songs.

I just thought of me. Man, love me in Special Way. That's my one. I mean, you know how you feel? Time Reveil. They're like babies to me. They're like my babies. You know how you feel about your kids or all of them?

You know what I mean? Yeah. No, your vocal arrangement at the end of Love Me in a Special Way, man. Like, that shit is so. Right. That's just a great song. That was my Walter Hawkins's influence. Ah, absolutely.

No special way You know I'm more can't Yes The choir Yeah Actually Okay so when you're

When you're giving these Like These mammoth vocal performances In the studio Like how much pressure Is it to Because this is hitting me

Like Until the day you die Everyone's going to expect you To sing You know So that Like, at the end of a time we'll reveal, you'll have to hold that note forever. Like how even now it's just, thank God your voices in fine form.

But I mean, are there times where it's like a collective eye roll like, oh, God, can I, do I have to hit this note? Or do you just now, are you at the place where you just let the audience sing those parts? Oh, no, I'm never at that place. Oh, yeah. Talk that shit. You know what I'm from? Okay. My voice is cool.

It's good. I don't have no problems with it at all. So, you know, all glory to God. It's beautiful. And I'm glad I don't because I love singing. I love singing every note that I've ever saw on the records. I love singing. My brother Bobby, it's the blame for that.

He taught me to end the song in a way, go out with you. the bang. Don't end it. Don't act like the song is ending. Just because then he said, keep it going. He said, build a song from beginning to the end. He said, the moment it becomes uninteresting, you're losing it. You know, don't think because the verse was great, that that's going to create make every part its own signature, you know, beginning to the end. And that's why I do it like that. Okay. So for Rhythm of the Night, was there a basic strategy, like was there a strategy meaning beforehand that, okay, we must take them to the next level now, like, let's get to that next level. Yeah. And what was the results of that?

It was. Well, Diane Warren and I, we were good friends. We still are. I don't mean like that. And so we were hanging out a lot, and she was always writing songs, speaking of that first solo album that we never hit up. But so Rhythm of the Night, came about, she was just, well, Suzanne DePas and Tony Jones, our manager at the time, they said we need to take them to another level, just like you said. We're trying to build them and do this and that. So Diane, I need you to write this kind of song, Routi Routi Routi Rock. I didn't even know what they were talking about, but she did.

And she got down and she just wrote that song and said, here you go. Wow. She's that bad. Yeah, man. I know Diane. Yeah. Why was that the only video that y'all shot? Because I think that's the only Debarge video.

Yeah, there was no you wear it well. I know. It wasn't no you wear it well? There's no video for you wear it well. Hence the facts of life episode. But go ahead. Motown was ready to go out at that time. Most time was declining at the, well, not decline.

Well, they were. They were. Yeah, they were. They were about to sell. Yeah. Exactly. So all the budgets was being pulled. And see, he saw.

He knew before he announced it. He already knew. During the rhythm of an act, what he was going to do. But the artist always pays the price. All right. Well, I wanted to know. Okay, so this also starts the period of your career, which now these particular ballots, and, you know, I can say the same with Love Always and also with, like, someone

where you know these are more pop ballots yeah which I ducked them but it kind of starts with who's holding Donna now like

did you did you did you like that because you didn't write it is it different when you don't write a song and it's just given to you yeah it is

it's different how did you feel about it then as opposed to now I was paying attention to to the people that I felt knew what they were doing. I was new to this business

and I had management for reasons, so I was listening to him. They said, try this, keep your mind open out, trust me, I know what I'm talking about, and so I did. And I could feel it the whole time that it wasn't

where I was at, you know, but... Despite it being a hit? Despite it being a hit. Yeah. And a massive hit at that. Yeah, despite it being a hit, It wasn't where I was at.

I was just saying, where were you, where the song wasn't? Like, where were you? Where I was at, it was a hit. Okay, so that's where I was at. You knew it was a hit, right, right. I was with the hit. No, I was with the hit part. I'm with that, you know.

That's where my mentality was. That's where my drive was. But there are other, there are other kinds of hits. I wanted to write my own hit. Right. And I could have still did. who's holding down and out, but I was completely removed from writing, period. Anything on that album, it was like I was discouraged to, I wasn't encouraged to write.

It was like, just let somebody else write. Even despite the fact that you had a great track record so far. But in their minds, it was like those are black hits, those don't count like you're going for pop right now. That's crazy. Yeah, I know that. That's crazy. And if I knew what I know, if I knew then what I know now, but I can't say because I kind of did.

Yeah, I felt it, but I said, well, maybe they know something I don't know. Right. And- Is that song still a part of your repertoire now? Do you still do that song in your- It's like, I feel mixed emotions about it because when I, whenever I do it, I'm wondering is anybody feeling this in the audience? Right. And I know what I do the other songs, you don't have to say anything.

I know you're feeling it. Right. Right. But I haven't had the proof because pop to me back then was like a facade. It was like it wasn't real. It was like something that was made up. Like pop was the idea. Yeah.

And it's like, they played a lot of games with the peola and everything. It was like pop was a word they used. they used to hide all that behind. You could get any real figures, a real chart, real ratings. You know what I mean? Not on paper. So I don't even know what pop was.

It was just there was a pop chart and it had numbers. Speaking truth, that was an era where people was thinking the same thing. You weren't alone. I mean, because, you know, black people, there's a lot of us, man. So it can't be the pop means popular. Right, right.

Well, it was just, 85 was definitely, a sync or swim moment and, you know. Yeah, sure it was. Well said. And a lot of acts were just, a lot of acts were going under. So it was like the black music was sort of like in a Titanic position, which you either got down with the program or you got ran over. Exactly. Exactly.

And I, so did you feel that way about Rhythm of the Night, even though it's. No, I love Rhythm of the Night. Rhythm of the Night was the business. I loved it. Oh, I'm glad you said that. I'm like, wow, because I think I have happy memories of that. I love Who's Holding Down and Now. Duce Holden Down and Now is a great song.

I love Who's Johnny? I love Who's Johnny. I just didn't want to do it at that time. You know, like Who's Johnny? No, I don't know. I do. I love Who's Johnny. But I was a kid.

And also, I was a little younger, too. So it was like a fun song. And I got your own weird Al Yankovic. Actually, Peter Wolf. How did Peter Wolf get into the? Because I know he wrote that. Yeah, he did. Peter Wolf was actually very instrumental in me doing the song.

He talked me into it. Come on. You got to, you know, you do, do, do, right. I mean. He was saying, he passed. He was fast talking. Well, I knew it. I was in the mic.

Yeah. When I was singing, I was thinking with like a proper tone. Like, who's Johnny? He said. But I'm going to try to look the other way. Yeah. It's fun. But when you hear it, it's got a lot of energy.

That song's got good energy to it. I love listening to it, you know, you know, all of rhythm. Even that weird solo in the middle. Yes. Exactly. What? No, the solo was that the little scatty. I don't know what that.

I don't know it was a vote coder or that was you or something. No. I, yes, I was I was a bore for that. Even though, you know, it was. And if you like the song, you'll love the movie with your boy in Indian face. Yeah. Yeah. Fisher Steve.

Oh, I forgot that was associated with short circuit. Damn. Yeah, it was good. Shame on you. Okay. Okay, so, wait. Okay, so Fonte asked you earlier about the facts of life. So that's my sentimental favorite because when I first got a VCR,

that's probably the very first thing I recorded was your appearance on. I will never, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. On the facts of life? No, it's, it. I would never, ever, ever have anything bad to say about the facts of life. Because I love the girls. they were so cool. They were so cute.

We were, we stayed cool even after that for a long time. And plus, that was my first time acting with George Kloom. Oh, that was that scene. That's right. I could say I was on, I did, I was on, I did something with George Clooney.

I acted with George Clooney. That's right. A lot of people don't know. That's Chris Clooney on there. Oh, yeah. That was before one man. I remember. So I put that in my resume.

So question, were you guys supposed to have a bigger role in The Last Dragon? Or did I read that wrong? Were you guys actually supposed to be in it as opposed to just vanity playing the video? But I could have sworn like I first saw like when they were talking of the movie being made that you guys were actually in it. I don't know if that was correct or incorrect. I don't know. It's possible. Okay.

Okay. I didn't know. It wasn't never awkward that Susan DePas was management and she was so connected to Motown. I'm sorry. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. It was, it was, I didn't know it at the time, but that's what I was experiencing. I was experiencing a conflict adventures a whole time. Yeah. But I didn't know that's what it was. But that's what I. Okay. I have huge experiences.

of conflicts of interest. In general, are you in a good place with her now or? Yeah, I was then too. Okay. Yeah, and she's a guest that we would like to get on the show as well. Yes, very much so. Yeah, so in general, like, what was it like working with her? In education, a constant reminder of the worth and the value that you have.

He never left her presence And same with her cousin Tony Jones They were management together Both of them Never left their presence Feeling low You always felt Extremely great about yourself

You always had a better sense of who you were I mean this was every time I was with them Okay So what's the process that finally Ended At least at the time The lineup

that we knew of DeBarge in 85 that led to your solo career the next year? Like, how did that... Was there a conversation had, or was it just like... Well, the work ethics were majorly different between me and my siblings. Right. I was always in the studio,

and they were rarely showing up. Okay. So Motown saw that, brought Mr. Gordy's attention, and then the next thing, you know, I saw more multi-time people showing up at the studio. That should have been assigned to me there. And they were just always there because they were reporting back. All that every time that the family wasn't there and how many hours I was there.

So Mr. Gory basically made it up in his mind. Before I knew it, we did a full session together as a group. The album came out, and my picture was this big on the album cover. Oh, so you. You guys didn't decide on the design. No, they're pretty small. Motown had done that. They had already begun their L-Barr's solo process, as you can get by the plan.

They didn't talk to me about it. They didn't talk to anybody about it. They just started doing it. Man, that caused some problems. I could imagine. At the time, it couldn't have been a thing where it's like, okay, I'm going to do this one solo record, and then we'll come back in 87 and make something. nothing else together.

Well, see, the thing is when you do a solo album, you know, like Roos today, they do a solo album. One of them might do a solo album, but they're still in the group. But it's different when you put L. DeBarge with the barge. And then my picture's the biggest, and then the rest of yours is small. Right. And it wasn't like that before. It's going to be some problems.

Who did that, who did that cause the biggest problems with you and your family? He's funny. I'm sure it calls it with you because it put you on the spot. Who do you take a guess? Was it, well, it wasn't Bobby. Bobby wasn't in. No, it was James or. Oh,

Marty. Marty. Larry, he like, I still doing this shit. I'm sorry. I could, I like to remember. I blinks. I was like, Ta-Binckon. It was.

Billy Blanks, me. I mean, he, Marty basically spoke with the rest of him. didn't want to say but you know Marty don't have no problem with speaking this mind but we'd be doing interviews and he in the middle of the interview I don't know where he would say this is not

else group barge and the journalists but did he not know that wasn't your decision or design about as much as he knew it wasn't a good idea to be kicking around on stage it didn't matter he was going to do it

regardless yeah wow you know And it just got that way, man. It was inevitable. I had to go solo. It really became inevitable then because I wasn't just going to stop

because of what was happening. But see, I couldn't do anything. When a record company owns you both collectively and individually. Individually. Yeah, you stuck. You got to ride it out. You got to play ball, but you're just going to be shelved.

You know what I mean? So my number one question about this record is you didn't write not one of these songs. Not one. The first solo album guitar, right? Yes. Why? Did you not, you know, did you not have anything up the pike?

No, no, I had songs written, but I was told, but not to do them. I was told, uh, no, we got some songs from, uh, other writers that we want you to sing. And, uh. So does that stifle your? creativity. It put a damper on my spirit and my trust. Yeah, your confidence. Yeah. Cool. Because I really didn't get no explanation for it. It was just like, just do it. Wow. You know, I know, like, the average DeBards fan won't maybe not list it. But, you know, at least with me, someone in love always are like those, I don't know. Like, I just love, I love the shit out of the songs. Me too.

Even though you didn't write them. And they got much play on black radio. Still, you know what I mean? Like, it's kind of hard to argue with it because I love those songs, but still, you know. Those are the exceptions of what I, of my list of likes and don't likes. Love always someone and even who's holding down in our rhythm of the night. And I don't believe that you always have to write a song. You know, you can explore other writers.

But this was the case where, you know, no, don't write, let somebody else do it. It was, that's a different approach there. But love always, the great Bert Baccarat and Carol Bear Saker. They actually, oh, man. Now, tell me if you can hear this because Bert told me that he patterned that song after all this love. Really? So they based, Bert and Carol specifically patterned love always after? Hey, that's some shit.

I'm sorry. I can hear it. No, I mean, you know. But I'm saying, but they patterned. off of his song that he wrote, but he wasn't allowed to. But yet, they won't let him right. The irony. No, no, well, no, what, Bird.

Not the Bird, not Bird. I'm talking about the later. Okay. Old Town. You're talking about Motown. Yeah. Okay. Or back racks and shit.

I'm not saying about no broker back around. Well, see, I don't know whose idea was, but I don't know. I can't point finger at anybody. I just, it is what it is. But it was an honor. These are some of the great things that happen that make up for some of the not-so-great things happen to have Bert Beckarat sitting in front of me telling me something like that. I mean, you know, we're talking about Bert Beckeret. Okay. I mean, I love all this love, Elty Barge. I love all this

love. And I wrote a song, Carol and I, and we patterned it after all this love. And it's called Love Always. And I was like, really? Again, one of the times I didn't get it, but I got it. Can you hear that? Because I've been listening. I'm like, well, I mean, see the pattern,

though. I don't see it. There's texture. There's texture. That's the first year the DX7 came out. So even though you used a real, no, you used a real fender roads,

but it's, it leads, it leads with the, with a well-processed road sounding thing. But, you know. Error, right, Amir?

Like, it sounds like that, that lead ballad from the movie tap. But my man's cool in again. Yeah. I feel in love with that song the first time I heard. All I want to forever. Oh, yes, honey.

Regina Bell and J.T. Right. Wait, did Jay Graydon and Peter Wolf produced that first record entirely? The first album, solo album? Uh-huh. What album was Peter?

Wait a minute. Who's Johnny? Who's Johnny was on the rhythm in a night album? Who's Johnny? No, who's Johnny was on your first solo record? Oh, that's what? It was. Yeah.

Right. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Right. No, but working with Jay Graydon, who's like, who's the A&R at Motown that decides like, okay, this is going to be your producer? And did you at least get a, I don't like this song.

I don't like this song. What else you got? What else you got? That sort of thing. Like, I don't know who. That's the thing about it. When we talked about the conflict of interest. Right.

Uh-huh. Between Tony Jones, Susandie Paz and Motown. Okay. That whole, I don't know who it was. Just to let our listeners know, Jay Graydon, like, wrote everything. Yeah, but like,

just the sound of like George Benson, that mid-80s, George Benson, uh, turn your love around. Right. Like, the breaking away record and all that stuff. Exactly.

Yeah, like he, he was involved in all that. He also wrote after the love is gone for Earthwind and Fire. Yeah, I was going to say. David Foster. Yeah, but Jay Graydon, I do like him, though.

He's a good producer. Did you know Jay Graydon, he produced the song on me, the song that Prince wrote that I did with Kenny Rogers? You're my love? Yeah. Wait a minute. Time out. What's the connection there? Okay. Prince wrote the song for Kenny Rogers and wanted me to sing the adlibs around it. Really? And Jay Graydon said, well, he's not going to do it unless you sing.

I said, okay. So you're singing on that? Yeah, I'm singing around him. I didn't know that. You know, I've not, I've heard Prince's demo of it. I've not heard the actual. Rogers one, it's beautiful, man. Final Kenny Rogers one.

I got to look that up. Yeah, I come in halfway through the song, and I'm singing around him. And Jay Graydon, he did a good job with that one. He did a good job. He's a great producer, man. A win is a win. A win. Okay, what you're saying?

Yep, that's me, Cliver 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 the same.

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 Wodom. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and The Big My Big My Many Players Network. It's Will Ferrell.

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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Okay, question. since you mentioned real love. Is real love directed at someone specifically? And because you gave, in that song, there's two obvious references. There's kind of a Janet reference and what I assume is a Jody Wattley reference.

Was it directed to someone specifically? Wait, did I hit a nerve? You wrote the lyrics. You wrote the song. Okay, no, look at it. Oh, shit. Okay. You can always say I can't answer that question too.

Like you're not obligated to answer it. Okay, but it depends on which part. I don't mind answers to this. Wait, did I hit on something? Because I don't feel like real, I never once felt that real love was just a random song based on those lyrics. I was like, wait a minute.

That's a reference to da-da-da-da. That's a reference to da-da-da. This song's about someone. Am I right? Yeah. Yeah, you're right. You're turning this into a new show. It's like Questlev's song detective.

Right now, people, I just did the radio Rahim fist pump in the air after I won the radio battle. You're like a forensic. Are you, if you cannot name the person, what can you tell us about that song? It was, it was puppy love and fernic. It was puppy love at first. And, uh, and, um, am I the first person to ask this question? Yes. Yes, you are.

It's so, wait, it's so cat that obvious though. Like, how come no one is ever bothered to ask you this question? But it's not my relationship. I just about somebody else. Never mind. Your brother. Who? Oh, okay.

I, I thought you were being a, uh, a, uh, intercessory. I thought you being a kind of it for you. No, I'm just, no, I'm just making it not so obvious. Okay. I'll stop talking. No, no, no, no. No, not like that, not like that. I'm just, I'm making it more mysterious.

I don't want to kill the mystique of it. This is like talking to a mirror. This was like, okay. Very secutious. I mean, you know, we never really said it yet, so let them figure it out. Okay. You think they will? I wish I just knew

the name. Now I feel like Fonte. Just say the name. No, I have an idea. I think I know what it is. Okay, say it, say it, say it. Who do you think? You said it, and I'll admit it.

Say Fonte, go ahead. Janet and James, Janet and your brother. Okay. There it is. Wow. Okay. There is.

All right, cool. So, so, so, so, the second album, Gemini. Yeah. So the Gemini album. A nice segue, Fonte, thank you. So the Jivida album, you're writing everything. You're writing again now.

How did you get the reins back? How did I get the reins back? I would say, how did you get the reins back? How did you get controlled back again in terms of writing your own material? Well, let me see. In terms of putting it on an album, you mean? Yes. Oh, right, right, right.

Releasing. Because, I don't know, actually. Well, you know what? A new staff came into Montown, actually. A new staff did. Under the direction of Debra Sandrich, she was head of the A&R department at that time. And the A&I department took over all of the recording sessions. So she came in, as a fan, so she was like pro-L.

Right. And so I was back. The kid was back, baby. What's the up? Yeah, was back. And, you know, you remember that the air, that's when New Jack Swin was. kicking me real hard. Yeah, you had your two dancers.

Yeah, man. You just kicking it. Here we go again. Yeah, you was kicking it. Here we go. I'll bring it back. Let's make for the dancing. Go ahead.

Judy from Time Life. Because you're such a good dancer. The Judy from Time Life, my prerogative microphone. No, I was, yo, dude. What's the last time you jumped up from the drums started dancing? I think you can stop making fun of people. I'm not making fun. He was kicking it.

I'm sure you were. Come on. I wasn't no Bobby Brown I know Michael Jackson but you know I did a little stuff You did you join Wait speaking of back Speaking of back

We have to mention back on the block Yeah Oh yeah Yeah secret guards I would have kicked myself Yeah I forgot about it until right now Can you speak of that That whole experience?

I think I've seen you guys Only perform that song once On the I guess the Soul Train Awards but what was that process like doing that doing the song and just working with James and and and Barry White and yeah I'll be sure it was a trip because Quincy he tricked me yeah there seems to be a theme going on Gary Gordy tricked you your brother tricked you yeah yeah you know seriously he tricked me man because I guess I

You know, just call me a trick, okay? Are you trying to tell us that you thought this song was all to yourself? No. Oh, but I did think that I was doing a warm-up in the mic. I did. Wow. Oh. No, guys.

You easily got L. I don't know. No, but wait, this is not the first time we heard the story. Besides performing late at night, Quincy is world famous for just like even your warmups are being recorded and okay so you know is that what i'll be sure said too so two other people said this about quincy as well oh it was uh it was great feeling games he said on the um yes on the 100 way solo he was sleeping in the studio and stupt uh quincy was like hey play i'll come back later right and they just woke him up and he played that line and that's that's what made it on the record well you know what but quincy said quincy himself said that you

get a better honest performance when the person doesn't know that they're being recorded. But, you know, and then again, I'm guilty of being the profession's too much. So we probably would have been there all day. I remember we were up for two days, though, before we went to studio writing a song. We were at Rob Timberton's house. And I was nervous because he had that all this rockwriters, they were just walking around. I'm trying to write the secret guard and rock wild. And I'm looking at a old boy, is that Well, nice. He's nice, isn't he?

But, and then me and Saida Garrett and Quincy, we just up for, I mean, literally two days. We'd eat, take a quick nap, and to get right back to right because he had a deadline. He was trying to be, then we went straight to the studio to sing it. I was like, you kidding me, right, Quincy? We're going straight to the studio to sing. What are you playing, right? What was he? What was he working with Quincy and even Rod?

What were they more sticklers of in terms of songwriting? Were they really big on, like, melody or was it lyrics, like in terms of words? What would they kind of be more particular about? No, everything. Really? Everything. Every part was equally important because the wrong word within a verse could throw the vibe off. And then when he came to singing, the wrong expression of that word, why you're singing,

could mess the whole verse up. And it was the same with, Quincy was like that with musicians, too. You had to have a certain personality about your playing. It had to be a personality when you play. You know what I mean? You had to sing on the bass. You had to sing on the drums. It was just, everything was just musical and movement. Did at the time, did you know from the gate that you were writing a song for three other singers in addition to yourself? Did you know that you were writing specifically for Al and for James and for Barry White? Not for Al because it was supposed to have been for Michael. Michael was supposed to do it.

And, uh, word? Yes. Yeah. That I did. did not know. I thought I was at that. It was going to be me, Michael, James, and Barry White. Wow.

I don't know what happened. I can't remember, but. Wow. West love so. Set up, set up, Fonte. I can imagine what happened. I'm so glad we're not on a video show. Wow.

No, I just had to process. process that in my name? No, because if you listen to Al's verse, I mean, listen to Al's verse. Like, you know, yeah. You know what? Digger, he said he wasn't a singer. He said he was a stylist, all right? Hey, you know, Saeena Garrett is a great songwriter.

Ain't she? Talk about it. She's really good. We had her on the show too, Al. Yeah. Yeah. Yes, she's boss. Wow.

So was the Soul Train Awards the only time that you guys performed that together? as a foursome. A for some? Well, sorry. As Alby, Shore, James Ingram, El DeBarge,

and Barry White, yes, the four of you. I like Forsome better. No, the four horsemen. Wait, that even makes it worse.

Never mind. No, no, but it's okay. Yeah, that was the first time. It was the only time we did that together.

Yeah, yeah. Okay, never mind. That was a moment. moment. That was definitely a moment. Yeah. So with, with through the storm. In the storm. In the storm. Forgive me. In the storm.

Yeah, well, one, you, you left Motown and moved to Warner. But what, what finally made you decide to go with Maris White as a production partner on this record? Lack of confidence. And where I was trying that in the storm is, I wouldn't say it's all over the place, but it's many facets of my influences. Okay, honestly, my brother Bobby and Chico had just gotten locked up. And those were my... Your rocks? Yeah. Yeah.

Okay. And to just say, Chico and I was still like that. But I was lost, man. I was lost. And it was like they took them away from me. And not to mention what they were going through. being locked up, but, you know, I don't want to sound selfish, but I really needed them. And just, just for me, you know. I know how to write. I can write. But I just needed them for me.

And I was hurting because they were hurting because of what was happening to it. So it did something to me, Quest. It did something to me. And I'm the type of person I'll never let die. I'm never going to give up. Right. It's not in me. So, My determination to keep going, I ran into Maurice White. The album was almost, it was already recorded, but it wasn't finished. He heard it, and we both thought about it the same time. It's like, I could tell he was thinking at the same time. I was there.

I said, you got to finish this with me, man. And he said, all right, little bro, I do that. Wow. This is up. So we talked to Warner Brothers about it, and we started to budget all over. over again. I was shocked at the whole different expense from Motown. How about to say? All different expense from Motown.

It started to budges all over again. And we did it, man. And Marisa Was Benny Medina Was this the Benny Medina era of Warner Brothers? Yeah, and Benny was that was my man. Thank you, Benny. Man, it was great working with Maurice White,

man. I can't even get into it. First of all, you know, I admired him so much. And sit next to him. you know he really he really did have a no i would say he really did have a glow he always had this light this light space man i mean every day he was like he was just his glow was on him talking about wisdom he was full of wisdom man soft-spoken and knew what he was doing man man you have you probably i don't know if you even remember this but you have inadvertently giving me one of the greatest pieces of game about the music business that I don't even you probably don't remember saying this but a good real good friend of my my brother my collaborator

Eric Roberson he was signed to Warner Brothers at the time I'm I guess it was around the time that you were promoting in the storm and um he went out with you on a promo tour this is I mean God man this has got to be like 91 92 I mean this is you know forever ago but um he said that you he would just, that time working with you and touring with you, because he was signed to Warner, but I think he just had like a single out, so it wasn't like he was, you know, up on the totem pole or whatever. But, you know, he was just out touring with you. And he said, man, he picked up so much from you while y'all were out.

And he said about that album, which is interesting to hear you talk about it now. He said that he told you like, yeah, you know, I like the album. It's a good album. And he said that your reply to him was, well, I mean, yeah, it's, it's, It's not just a good album, it's a money album. And we make money albums so that we can get to make good albums. I was like, God damn, this shit real. You know what I mean?

So to hear you describing that way, and like he told me this story, and again, I don't know if you remember this at all, but he was telling me about how y'all were doing the show, and it was something with, I guess, in sound check. And the engineer wasn't getting the sound right or whatever. And, you know, most artists would, like, be, you know, be hollering and just be going off and shit. And he said, you know, y'all were sitting there and he said, you just kind of talk to

the guy and just went over and just, you know, spix the sound and, like, open it up. And he was amazed that you knew how to work the board like that. He was like, yo, Elle really knows this shit. And so he said afterwards, man, you came over to the, you came up from the board and y'all was sitting down and eating dinner. And he said, he asked you like, yo, well, Elle, like, you know, how did you learn how to do this? And he said, you told him, listen, man. he said, I could go, I could while out and be all crazy.

He said, but if I did that, I wouldn't be able to sit here and have this meal and have this fellowship with you here if I was trying to do somebody else's job. You know what I mean? And, you know, man, it was just, and I mean, this is Eric, he told me these stories. I mean, this has got 10, 11 years ago. I mean, this is, you know, a while back, and it was even before then. But he just, I just always, it made me even more of a fan of you of you, just really been a class acting that way and just always kind of seeing the bigger.

picture and that was those are two pieces of a game that I've carried with me you know throughout my career and I just wanted to thank you for that man wow man that's that's amazing man I really I really thank you for telling me that because it's good to know that I put some good things out there like that you know and you just reminded me of some good values and things you know thank you for that thank you always brother I do want to know like what have you looking looking back at your four decades in this career, what have you learned and like, do you have any regrets? Because oftentimes, and, you know, I know that you've been open and transparent about succumbing to narcotics and whatnot in your career. And the thing is that, you know,

I also didn't want to paint this as a, I don't ever think of. of your story, whatever, as a tragedy story, whatever. And I know oftentimes when you're doing press or whatever and news things, and like, that's the first thing they bring up or whatever. But just in your four-decade journey, what can you say that you've learned that you still keep with you today? And are there any regrets in your journey and everything that you've went through? What I've learned is that's very important.

has played a very important role in my life was this business, this show business that we're in, there's life first. There's really fans are, fans are borrowed. There's Quest Love fans, Alibarge fans, Michael Jackson fans. But fans are borrowed from one city to another, from one show to another. I've seen a lot of entertainers. Yeah, a lot of entertainers. I've seen a lot of entertainers.

I'm sure you have, too. They trip. They don't know how to handle the fame. They trip. You can tell they got in it for the wrong reason. Right. It breeds a lot of jealousy. That's a breeding ground for jealousy right there, and as they call it, hatred or hate him.

But fans abroad, before their fans, they're people. And everybody needs love, man. Everybody needs love. I don't know. It's hard for me to look at people as fans and groupies, because I see people, I see people. I see souls. And what I've learned is that never get there. I'm trying to explain this right.

We're never, always, always, always, always be on your way. Never arrive where you think this is it. I've arrived. I've made it, yeah. Yeah. Never, never do that. Always be on your way. Even when you reach what you intended to read, the goals you intended to reach,

still be trying to get there, you know, open you, keep your mind. open. Right. I think that's a lot of the reason why I'm here right now today. I'm even sitting with you, you know, because like you said, you mentioned my age already. That's good. But in all these years, I'm here. And I think each generation can be accepted and they can accept you. It could be, if you just look at people as people, not fans and groupies. You know what I'm saying? I'm saying it because I've heard this a lot from other entertainers, man. Group this, group of this, group of that.

They're people, man. You know, anybody, they're supporting you. And without those people, you wouldn't be who you are. I like to call them bill payers, too. Right. But there's a need, there's a need, especially now with the, you know, so-called pandemic going on. There's a need. People have needs, man.

And when you're in a position where you can reach a lot of people, what, what are you going to do? How are you going to treat that? You know, what are you going to do with that? How has the pandemic, like, you know, being, kind of being at home and not being able to tour and go out? How has that affected you? And what is that giving you time to kind of reflect on over the past year or so? Well, but it's good. It's to save money.

Listen. Say that shit. For real. It's like a whole other thing. down income. It don't hurt. It's going to have something put up. Stay away from Amazon. But, you know, thank God I haven't gotten, you know, the virus, but I know some people

that have. But, you know, I wear my mask and I stay away from people, you know, six feet, six feet, man. Does the large family have like a biweekly Zoom? Like, how do y'all stay? connected. We're not to say with the kids now and everything and grandkids like. Yeah, we all. We have our own places.

You know, my, my children, they, they on it, man, they only worse than I have. Dad, you,

you weren't, don't come over without you, man. Nice. Man, I just, the question. Chico de bars,

Chico's album, Long Time No Cee. How involved. Shit. I totally forgot. How involved in, were you in the production of that album? That's one album I'm most proud of.

Very. I was about to say you were there. You should be. Yeah. Chico came and got me. That was during my time of my narcotic situation. Right. And Chico came and got me.

And he said, Al, I need you to produce this album with me. I'm signed to Kadar, Masson, and I'm going to come out with album. So it woke me up, man. Because, you know, she was my man. It woke me up and it gave me something to do, to live for, you know, to a reason to want to come up out of the rut that I was in. Right. And he got me back in the studio.

I started seeing the microphones again, started getting that feeling again and the keyboards. And the sky was limited with him. He said, whatever you want, man. We had so many keyboards, we rented in this, there's keyboards everywhere, man. Outboard gear. and we just consume that budget, man. Yes. Run that shit up.

Love still good? Do we go? Love still good? Love still good. Yeah, Iggy me? Well, Chico and I... Can I ask the history of itging me? There was always a piano,

and we always keep the tape running all the time, constantly in the studio, no matter what. It's on record. Something is. So Chico got to studio late this day, and I was already there playing these chords to Igamy. And then when Chica walked in, I didn't know it, but I heard him in back and be singing. And the microphone was right there in the control room.

That was the gist of the lead vocal right there from the control room. If you notice, you would hear me in the background, I'm saying, yeah, blah, blah, blah, all that stuff. Yeah, yeah. They tried to compress it out, but it's still there. But he wrote that song, just standing over my shoulder, singing while I was playing those scores. it just flowed man from the beginning to the end just like that and then love still good

that was very very personal with him I didn't even tear up about the brother line I still every time I hear it I tear up yeah I didn't even come to studio that day when he did that he said he said I want to be in studio by myself today I got something I'm going through there was a heavy Marvin influence on that one too like real kind of trouble man you know

but man that was a great down, man. Yeah. When you talk about you and your brother, because, you know, both of y'all have had, you know, your struggles, like with addiction and stuff, how does it work in terms of, say, you know, at the time, you know, he came and kind of pulled you out? And then is it ever a time, like, say, if he's down, you know, if he's not sober and you are sober, like, how does that work in terms of you and your brother?

He knows he can come to me anytime. My brothers, in terms of the drug situation, the sobriety thing, I'm not really around them that much. I'm kind of doing my own thing, you know. But, you know, I love them all. I really do. I love them all. And I'm there for them. They know that.

But I'm not really, I'm not really into that where they, where they're at. Okay. And is that more of a protection thing for you? you kind of like a self-preservation thing like I got to stay away more it's more people growing apart people growing apart and that's real their lifestyle and my lifestyle is you know I'm still pursuing my career they they're they cool right in the industry who do you count as your your friends or your inner circle as far as the industry is concerned like who who have you been able to lean on if it's not your family

as far as like industry people that are that are you're tight-knit with nobody comes with mine right now I'm just kidding um Darius McQuarrie is real good friend in my youth real tight

and uh and uh and um I don't have a whole lot of celebrity friends that that I hang out with because you know we be tripping. I like keeping it 100, keeping it real.

And, you know, when I go home, I look in the mirror and I see a real person. And, you know, you feel me? Right, I feel you. And it's hard for me to be around people that look in the mirror and still see somebody else. See a celebrity, yeah. There you go. But there are some real people in this game, too, that they keep it real. You know what I'm saying, Quest.

Right. And Quest. Quest, that's one of the cats I hang out with. Are you in Quick? Do y'all still deal with each other? Be in Quick is cool. Quicks, he's been doing some touring. And especially with this pandemic, man, I am hardly seeing nobody.

But yeah, me and Quicks are cool, man. Okay. So I guess my last question is, what is your next statement or when will you? Well, first of all, congrats on. We didn't even really get to stay that much or talk at all about second chance, but even with the Grammy nominations and whatnot. And making a fine record.

It was a great record. What are your plans as far as doing any more music material? I'm going to, you know what, I'm going to put something out soon because I'm in the studio all the time. I'm always recording. I'm not recording an album. You know what I'm saying?

I'm just recording songs. That don't matter no, Mom. I know, I'm saying, right? You can just put out one jam or two, yeah, right? It's whatever now. Put that show on SoundCloud right now. This perfectionist that thing is hold me back. I gotta let, I got to loosen up and just push.

It's hard. It's hard to reprogram. I got out for songs, man. I mean, recent songs and they're bad too. They're bad, too. They're bad, man. You're like, you're like, We're waiting on them.

Let's go. Yo, Elle, it's never a time when we're not waiting on songs. songs from you, like never. Never. Okay. Here it comes. I'm coming with it. I'm gonna come with it.

You know, but then I'm gonna do, I'm gonna do some touring as soon as the world. It's back up. Yeah. I was gonna say, how, were you pleasantly surprised by the kind of feedback that you got over that, that clip of your, uh, sitting there. I was sitting there. I was a last minute decision for me. I said, okay, I'm gonna do it.

And, uh. Where was that done? It was in a record shop. Was it in California? In LA, yep. He's done in record shop, record shop slash studio slash entrepreneur.

It's done right here. It's placed on me in right now. Oh, okay. Oh, okay. What's that call? Just curious. Yeah, I love. Yeah, that clip was.

That was that really, real rap, like no bullshit. That concert, that just, you know, that impromptu things you did. I put a lot of verses to shame. Oh, really? Wow. Man. Oh, no doubt.

But if you did do verses. Ooh. How about if I did verses with Janet? Stop playing. Wait. That's not a lot. I mean, the catalog is different and hurts much, but it'd be interesting. It would be interesting.

It would be interesting. But y'all would have to tell some stories already. Yeah, we got to have to tell some stories already. Yeah. some stories. You can't be like, well, I mean, I'm just trying to think of something interesting, you know. Right. But I, yeah, but even more than verses, I think

just you, at a Fender Roads, just singing. Man. Like, in the way that, you know, especially with, you know, Prince's very last concerts were in that way, was just him in the piano. It was something really intimate about that.

And I feel like it's something that's like super needed right now. so I hope that when this world opens up, you know, El DeBart, you can... That's interesting. Do that. No background singers, no band. Not a lot of people can pull that off. For real.

For real. For real. For real. For real. For real. That's interesting. Because you got to have real chops to do this shit. Yeah.

You got to be able to play. Honestly, I didn't know anybody would be interested in that. That's why. Dude. Man, we love that. Can I go get with that. You, one, you have a catalog. And you could do cover songs and you could do your brother's,

like, Like, I beg of you. It'd be a long show. I beg of you, whoever talks you into the comeback thing and, all right, let's audition band members and no, I need my background singers. No, I'm telling you. There was something so magical. Just you're in a piano, bro. Just you alone by yourself.

Think about how low that overhead is, bro. Think about how much what are you to keep? I shouldn't even put the grounds on a, on a computer or something? No. No, we will sing the back. We will sing that. We'll sing them with you. We will be singing.

for free. I was singing all the harmonies. You did all this love. Man, I was singing all the harmonies with that shit, bro. What? Not only will the audience sing it, they'll pay this. Like, they'll pay. Trust me.

You get to keep all the money. Trust me on this. We won't sound as good as Fonte, but yeah, we all. Trust me. Sing along with elder bars. That's, man, come on. That's a great thing. My assistant, Ava, she always tells me that all the time.

And other people tell me that, too. But you're just getting here. Like, how long? you've been on social media now? You said how long? Yeah. About three, four months. Oh, child, that's why he filled his way.

He got to get his legs. He don't know how much he loved. I mean, I've had the account. I just, it was just there. Right. Yeah, I beg of you. When this world opens up, just you by yourself at a piano, just do a limited run.

See how the trust me. Okay. That's what the world means right now. Look, we can keep you here for 12 hours, man. but you know we've had you for the longest and you're in the studio right now so we'll let you create your magic but i thank you from the bottom of my heart for even for real considering this when you when you dm'd me i still even though i knew it was you i still thought it was fake like i had to ask a couple of people like wait is just a real elder barge or this can't be him thank you man

thank you for everything you're truly like one of my favorite singers man thank you i thank you on the behalf of me and my father and all the Sundays we spent listening to all this love. Like you have no idea is the soundtrack of this whole life. Like just thank you and everything afterwards. But Ron St. Claire told me to tell you that. Yeah, man. It's just your story, man.

It's just, you know, the way that you just, you know, keep persevering and, you know, you just keep surfacing and keep coming back and still sounding great and, you know, you fall down, you get up, you keep it pushing. And, you know, we love you and appreciate you, brother. Just thank you for all that you've contributed, man. Thank you. Thank you. I love you all too.

Knowing these flowers in your face. Flowers. More flowers, Bill. All the flowers. That's the same. Greenhouse. Let's do it. I bought the rhythm of the night 45 when it came out.

I was sweet. I was like, Steve, we left you out of this. I'm sorry. He's been talking the whole time. He talks too much. I was on mute. Yeah. Shut up, Steve.

All right, on behalf of the team Supreme, Laia Fontecolo, Broke Bill and Sugarsteeve. I'm Questlove. Thank you very much, Elda Barge. We're definitely going to work together too, bro. Yeah, we got to. Hey, I can't. This is it.

I insist. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. All right. And this is another classic episode of Questlove Supreme, y'all. We'll see you on the next program. I did another one. Peace.

Hey, this is Sugar Steve. Make sure you keep up with us on Instagram at QLS. And let us know what you think and who should be next to sit down with us. Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast. 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.

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