The Questlove Show - Questlove Supreme: President Bill Clinton

Episode Date: June 28, 2023

Questlove Supreme salutes Black Music Month in style with a special interview with Bill Clinton. The 42nd President of the United States and Founder and Board Chair of the Clinton Foundation brings some vinyl with him to the in-studio interview as he discusses his love of Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, and more—and recalls the actions he took in the White House to support that passion. While chatting with Team Supreme, President Clinton revisits his saxophone playing on Arsenio Hall, and offers some powerful advice and wisdom to people on how to go about their lives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-heart podcast. Guaranteed human. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford 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 Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand

the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, for wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. I'm Daniel Alarcon. And this is my friend, is much more famous than I am. I wouldn't go that far. But I'm John Green, co-hosted the podcast The Away End with my old friend Daniel. On our podcast, The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things, football, soccer, is the most important.

Listen to The Away End with Daniel Auer Kohn and John Green on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Readers, Katie's finalists, publicists. We have an incredible new episode this week for you guys. We have our girl Hillary Duff in here And we can't wait for you to hear this episode They put on Lizzie McGuire 2am Video on Demand, this guy's

2 a.m. Whatever time it is, Lizzie McGuire And I'm like, a wild batch you were with. It was like a first like closet moment For me where I was like, I don't feel like she's hot Like the rest of that room. No, no, no. I was like, she's beautiful. I'm appreciating her in a different way

than these boys are. I'm not like, but listen to Los Coleristas on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I actually drop better when I'm high. It heightens my senses, calms me down. If anything, I'm more careful. Honestly, it just helps me focus.

That's probably what the driver who killed a four-year-old told himself. And now he's in prison. You see, no matter what you tell yourself, if you feel different, you drive different. So if you're high, just don't drive. Brought to you by NHTSA and the Ad Council. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. All right, kids.

You ready, Laia? You ready, Laia? Everything's rolled, Laia. Let's go. Let's go, Laia. Jump in the pool. Let's do it. Let's do it.

Here we go. Suprema, Sa, Suprema, Role Call. Suprema, Subima, Subrema role call. Suprema, Subima, Sub prima, Role call. Suprema, Srauma, Role call.

Suprema, roll call. My name is Questlove. Yeah. And you are you. Yeah. And that's Team Supreme. Yeah. And he's 42.

Roe call. Suprema, Suprema, Subrema, Roe Call. Suprema, Subrema, Roe Call.

My name is Fonte. Yeah. And I'm gonna keep it raw. Yeah. With the realist president. Yeah. Out of Arkansas. Roll call.

Suprema. Suprema. Supremma. Roll call. Suprema, Subrema, Roll call. My name is Sugar.

Yeah. First president I ever met. Yeah. Oh, you just reminded me. Yeah. I haven't filed my taxes yet. Suprema, Subrima,

Subrima, Roll Call. Suprema, Submama, Submina roll call. I'm unpaid bill. Yeah. And I got to thinking

about my second favorite bill. Yeah. President Clinton. Roll call. Supremma. Supraima Roll Call. Suprema, Suprema,

Rocahn. It's Laia, Yeah. And it's a special day. Yeah. Our first Sofa Press? Yeah. Bill Clinton all day.

Roe call. Suprema, Son, Suprema, Subrema, Roecahn. Supremma, Sun, Sun, Supriva Roeca. My name is Bill. Yeah, yeah.

Yeah. I know the drill. Yeah. I'm glad to be here. Yeah. Yeah. Call us music is dear. Roll call.

We'll take it. Suprema. Suprema. Suprema, sub, sub, sub, subprima, Roll call. Suprema, sub, subprima, subprima roll call. Suprema, sub, subprima roll call. Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations.

We have our first. Mubu, bu, boom, boom. Mama, we made it. Here we go. I will say it's a... Wait, we just do it Griselda? Yes, yes. Yeah, right, exactly.

It's amazing how the world works sometimes. For no particular reason, you know, we've been away from each other for three years and decided, hey, it might be cool for us to get back together and do some stuff in person. And then life throws you a curveball. And I will say probably no less than 24 hours ago, we got a call. Straight up. And I'll be honest with you, because I was preparing for another guest. And right before I went to sleep last night, I read my itinerary, I'm like, wait a minute, that's tomorrow.

I thought that was like in the future. Because when you threw it at me, I was like, ah, this will never happen. So like, no, we all were. Like, what, February 30th of, of 1976, like, that's going to happen. I will be saying, yeah, this is happening. And our guest today is the. is the very first time that... You're nervous.

Yo, this is... Yeah. That's the first time I stepped in a voter booth to exercise. All of us. Our first president we voted for. You were of age? The second time. I wasn't.

Oh, the second time. Wait. How? I don't know what your age is unpaid bill. I am 86 years old. No. Okay. I mean, sometimes you seem younger than me.

Then when you have a beard. That it looked like your accountant? Right, exactly. So I don't know how old you are. My first vote was for Dukakis, believe it or not. That's how old you are. That's how old you are. You just got the thumbs up.

Dukakis. Anyway, live in CDM studios is where we are. And we are very honored to have music lover, musician. And incidentally, the 42nd president of these United States, William Jefferson, Cleveland. Linton on the Quest Loves' Supreme Show. Thank you. Bang, bang.

What is happening? So how are you today? I'm good. I'm better now. This is, I didn't find out about this much before you did. Right. You were like an hour before, oh, let's sit down. Just a casual question.

Like, what did you do this morning? Like, what's your morning routine like as of lately? Well, lately, I get up in the morning and I read the papers. My old fast, I still read the papers. And then I get my phone and I read. The papers I didn't read. Okay. I read my local Westchester County paper and the New York Times and paper.

Then I read the Washington Post online, and then I look and see what other articles there are. And then I work puzzles for a while because it's good, like I do that word puzzle in New York Times every day. Are you a wordal person or a New York Times crossword person? I only do the crossword on Sunday. Okay. But I do wordle. You do wordal? I do the wordle.

Nice. And I do the spelling bee? The spelling bee every day. I would like to think that I have an expansive vocabulary. But, you know, it's so frustrating. I give up after, like, the seventh word. Unpaid bill, you strike me as a person that can at least get to 15. I can't.

I go in on this one. Yeah, I can't stop. It's just like you keep on. It's pretty hard today. It was hard today. There was a lot of, every time there's an X, it's like, what's the hell is going to be? What's the vow for today? Well, there's a bunch of vowel.

So it's A is a letter in the middle. Oh, A. Oh. Well. Wait, and y'all saying that's hard? It was like, I'm going to, no one's going to listen. It was like oxidation, annotation, notation, notation, intation. Oh, there's an X in there too?

Yeah. It was tough. During the pandemic, you'll be shocked at, you know, what you do for entertainment, especially because I was on a farm with no cable. So that's when I started my rabbit holeing inside of crosswords and that sort of thing. So you're a word old person, too. Yeah. I started that later.

I did that the spelling bee for a long time and now normally around dinner time Hillary and I'll get back together and between the two of us we can get them all. What? So we have a conspiracy for spelling bee. We didn't do it yesterday and I didn't get them all yesterday either.

So you like to do it at nighttime around dinner or first thing in the morning person? I like to do it first thing in the morning and then whichever ones I don't have I'll just put it away and think about it and start working. Because I do, I call people in the morning when I'm fresh and thoughtful. And then I'm trying to finish two books I've been working on.

And it's been very frustrating. So I do that in the middle of the day. I take time off and I try to take a walk every day. My day is determined on if I'm able to solve word. Good day or bad day? One thing that frustrates me. The other day, I got three of the five letters in order. Right.

Off the first word, which I put in a row. And I got three of the first, and I got R-O and then E. And I literally went through five permutations before I got to write one. I was going nuts. You wanted to throw your phone, right? Yeah, it was broke. I think broke was a wordle. And I went through all, you know, wrote, I don't know, all these other words.

That's what makes you feel. You don't know what it was dumb, unlucky, what's going on? Yeah. It has a way of determining how good or rotten your day is going to be. So I try to do it now in the afternoon. So it can't spoil your morning. Yeah. You know, all right, so you walked in with two albums,

and being as though we're jazz fanatics here at Questlop Supreme, I'm curious to see what you brought to the table. Why did you choose? This is an old Sonny Rollins album. You can see I had to tape it up. I see. That's how official is. it forever. Right. And it's the first one he did on Brazilian music. I once told

Rylans that I love the album he did in Harlem in the late 90s. He said it wasn't worth a damn. And I said what was the matter with it? He said I didn't learn anything. I didn't do anything new. There he is, you know, at his age and he's just still doing things new. So this is great. What's the name of that album present? It's Sunny Rollins brings the jazz new rhythm from South America. Oh, okay. Do you often get disappointed when you meet notable people that have done things amazing that you think are amazing and then they're just dismissive of it?

That often happens here at the show where, you know, I'll see. Oh, my God, the thing you did, and they'll just be like, nah, whatever. One of the things that I really loved when I was president is nearly anybody I've come play for you. Talk about it. If you ask them. And one day I looked up, I was sitting at my desk, and I looked up and then we had the door open to the outside. Dave Brubeck was standing there.

And he was getting some award, not the Kennedy Center Award. Oh, he got the National Medal of Arts at you. So I went out and shook hands with him, and I told him how much I liked him. And I said, you know, when I was 15 years old, you played about some. 70 miles from my home, so I went to your concert in Arkansas, because he was friends with a guy who was a great music teacher there, jazz fanatic. He looked at me kind of skeptically, he said, besides take five, what's your favorite? Oh, he's one of those people?

What's your favorite Brubeck's on? I thought, oh, he's giving me, I said, Blue Rondo. He said, nobody knows that. I said, it's a great song. He said, hum the bridge. Oh, he's one of those. people. Wow. So you did what? So I hum the bridge for it.

And three days later, he sent me a great autographed copy of the chart. And that still hangs in my music room today. Wow. Just because I knew the bridge to root from Blue Rhonda. Wow. That's terrifying.

Yo, like, that's the one that you don't want. You know what does that? Like, Tariq does that a lot. Of course he does. Where I'll just take the compliment and be like, you know, because they'll save something obscure like, yo man, I have the bootleg and da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. And then Tarek's the person that actually wants evidence that you really believe.

And then I'm like, what if it winds up being a pie-in-face moment? And then you can't say it. Then how's the conversation go? I'm glad you knew his history. That's right. Me too. What other records did you bring in there? I got Dizzy Gillespie's New Wave, which also has a couple of Brazilian songs on it,

including the morning of the course. Carnival from Black Orpheus, which is one of my favorite songs. I think it's one of the most beautiful songs ever written. I love Brazilian music, Mr. President. It's like my favorite. Ooh, I'm like... Humb the bridge. And this is...

Yeah, home the bridge. No, no, I said the music, not that album. This is a record of Jimmy Smith, who I think is the greatest jazz organist to ever live. And he used to play at a place called Alesselador in Washington when I was in college. So I would go and

listen to him. And the first time he's I thought that organ is going to walk out of this room all by itself. Oh, he was unbelievable. What year was this? 64, 65, something like that. And this is my favorite jazz samba record. This is the first record done by Stan Gats and Charlie Birds out of Brazil. You did it again.

You did it again, Stan Gets. So when did you fall in love with Brazilian jazz? I was interested in jazz. I started listening to bigger jazz bands when I was six or seven years old and my folks had a record player and they'd go away and I'd just get these records, just record after record and sit there on the floor and listen to them. So was your parents' collection? Yeah, and then I started ordering Downbeat Magazine when I was in grade school.

And because they asked me, I started out on clarinet and they asked me to shift a saxophone because the school needed a saxophone in the band. and I fell in love with jazz, and I started reading Downbeat. And I read it all through high school. And when I could, I'd supplement the record collection, you know. Did you have aspirations of being a professional musician, or did you just love the music? Absolutely. Yeah, I went to summer camp at the university, and they had some good teachers,

and I would sometimes play 12 hours a day. I mean, I played my guns were practically bleeding. And I loved it. But when I was 16, I looked in a mirror one day and I said, will you ever be as good as cold train? That's not fair. You talked yourself. Nobody would ever be. How are you the president talking yourself out of your own dream that young?

Oh, I didn't talk myself. I was conflicted. Okay. I wanted to do three things in my life. I wanted to be a doctor that helped people that didn't have access to health care. I didn't want to be a rich doctor I wanted to get out there I wanted to be Paul Farmer when I grew up

I wanted to be a doctor I wanted to be a musician and I wanted to be in politics because I could see when I was a boy how much conflict there still was in America so I remember it like it was yesterday

I was 16 looking in a mirror just begun to shave felt big and the reason I asked this question is, you couldn't make a living as a jazz musician in the 60s unless you did the clubs. You know, nobody had these massive record contracts. You didn't, jazz musicians didn't feel, you know, wasn't like Kenny G. later made a lot of money, you know, going around.

You couldn't make a living unless you did the clubs. And so your chances of becoming addicted to drugs were roughly three times your, you're chances of having a successful family and raising kids that were healthy. I mean, you had to, it was a big risk. As Coltrane and lots of others found out, he was a genius. Have you ever got to witness him in person? No, I never heard Coltrane in person. I do have at home an autographed album that a friend of mine found for me where he's, his face is like, has gone into runny paint. It's fascinating looking album. I never heard. heard him. I never heard Gets. I did

I heard Alford he gets his last saxophone. And he had it in a safe so he sent me a note when I got elected and he said if you come out here I'll let you play it. But I never

got to do it. But anyway, I just thought that it wasn't worth the risk and I did love it but I had a sort of troubled home growing up and I knew I'd be disappointed in my life if I didn't, you know, have a child

and do a halfway decent job of raising her. And a musician is not the salary that's going to happen. How old were you when you left Arkansas? Like, how long did you live there before you went to college? From my birth. I was born in a little town in Arkansas, and then we moved to a bigger town when I was six after the first grade. And I stayed there until I graduated from high school,

and I went to college and Washington for four years. And I lived in England for two years, which was a great thing. What part of England did you live in? I was in school in Oxford. Okay. So I got a scholarship to go to school there. And that was great because it was in the middle of all the Vietnam War to do, and I kept waiting to be drafted every month.

And I was called once, but the law allowed you to finish the year. you were in if you were in school. And then the lottery came in and I got a high number. Did you go to the club scene a lot in London when you were living there? No, but I went to, like we were talking about concerts. I tried to find whatever music I could. And I remember the most memorable one for me was when Mahalia Jackson played the Albert Hall, which is this great old Victorian venue.

you. And, you know, the country, England was deeply divided, America was deeply divided, everybody was upset, kids were cynical, and all of a sudden I go to the, but I was determined to hear Mulheda Jackson. So I go with a friend who knew nothing about her or music. I said, you're going to love this. You'll thank me for the rest of your life. So we got a seat, you know, pretty far back. And when I looked around, and most of the people there were young people. And she said, started singing. And by about the third song, half the audience was crying. Wow. I mean, she was so enormously powerful. She just was, she just radiated her. Still gospel music, right?

You were not thinking to be a bunch of kids going out to see a gospel singer. Then at the end of the performance, they stormed the stage, and they were like seven or eight deep, writer on the stage screaming like they were groupies at a rock concert and begging her to keep singing,

begging her. She sang another song or two and then finally had to leave, you know. And she was just her standing alone on the stage, you know, the way she did. It was amazing. It was one of the most amazing concerts I ever saw. Just she was something. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care 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. became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

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

this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest.

The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galko, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matter 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 Podcasts on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, for wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice of Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. I'm John Green.

You may know me as the author of The Fault and Our Stars, and now, I guess also is the co-host of The Away End, a brand new world soccer podcast. I'm Daniel Alarcon, a writer and journalist, and John and I have known each other since we were kids. My first World Cup was Mexico 86. I was nine years old. I watched every game, and I fell in love.

On our new podcast, The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. For us, soccer... Football is a story we've shared for over 30 years since Daniel was the star player on our high school soccer team. Very debatable. And I was their most loyal and sometimes only fan.

I love this game. I love its history, its hope, its heartbreak, and above all, it's beauty. Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things, football, soccer, is the most important. Listen to the away end with Daniel Auer Kohn and John Green on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When you listen to podcasts about AI and tech and the future of humanity, the hosts always act like they know what they're talking about, and they are experts at everything. Here, the Nick Dick and Poll Show, we're not afraid to make mistakes.

What Kugler did that I think was so unique. He's the writer-director. Who do you think he is? I don't know. You meet the president? You think Canada has a president. You think China has a president? Does law a russet.

God, I love that thing. I used it all the president. time. I wrap it in a blanket and sing to it at like. It's like the old Polish saying, not my monkeys, not my circus. Yep. It was a good one. I like that. It is an actual Polish saying. It is an actual Polish saying. It is an actual point. Better version of Play Stupid Games, win stupid prizes.

Yes. Which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift who said that for the first time. I actually, I thought it was. I got that wrong. Listen to the Nick Dick and Poll show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of IHard Media, and I'm kicking off a brand new season of my podcast, Math and Magic, stories from the Frontiers of Marketing. Math and Magic takes you behind the scenes of the biggest businesses and industries while sharing insights from the smartest minds in marketing. I'm talking to leaders from the entertainment industry to finance and everywhere in between. This season on Math and Magic, I'm talking to CEO of Liquid Death Mike Sassario, financier and public health advocate, Mike Milken, take two interactive. CEO Strauss-Zalny.

If you're unable to take meaningful creative risk and therefore run the risk of making horrible creative mistakes, then you can't play in this business. Sesame Street CEO Sherry Weston and her own chief business officer, Lisa Coffey. Making consumers see the value of the human voice and to have that guaranteed human promise behind it really makes it wise to the top.

Listen to math and magic, stories from the frontiers of marketing on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Well, I wanted to know what your music experience was in Arkansas. Because you seem pretty open-minded to just art and all that stuff. Like, how does one do that from...

And the segregated stuff? Yeah. Well, we weren't all the same, you know. It's not like it, even today, it's more well to the right of where it was in the 1970s. Okay. Most southern states are in the small towns and rural areas

because of what's happened to the information ecosystem and a lot of other things. But I remember when I went to the Bruyck concert I was telling you about that he was friends with the band director down there who had work with Stan Kenton.

Okay. And they did all that groundbreaking musical work in the 50s. There were always chances to do that. Ray Charles once when he was kind of on slow circuit in a little venue in western Arkansas. When I was in college, I heard Ray Charles sing where Marian Anderson did in Constitution Hall. She wanted to sing in Constitution Hall. You remember that?

Right, yeah. And the daughters of... Daughters of American Revolution drove her out. So Harold Icky's the Interior Secretary for Roosevelt, whose son worked for me in the White House. amazing. He gave her the Lincoln Memorial when Mary and Anderson said. Right, right. The famous concert.

When Ray Charles came in 1967, he was saying in Constitution Hall. And I called this woman that I had just met, and on a lark, I asked if she wanted to go to this concert. She was about six feet tall.

By the time I got the tickets, we had to sit way up in the back. on the second floor. And we were only, there were fewer than ten white people there. Right. I was, yes, yes. It was unbelievable, though. I never forget, he played, you know, his repertoire, and he saved Georgia until

near the last, and he plays the introduction on the piano. It doesn't do anything. He holds it, and the crowd's, and then finally he just reaches up to microphone. He said, Georgia? Like that? And the crowd went nuts. Just nuts. And I was so excited at that Ray Charles concert.

I remember it was June the 24th, 1967. I so remember where it was that I stayed up to 3 o'clock in the morning. I couldn't go to sleep. And I went out and ran three miles so I could sleep a little. And I saved that ticket stub for, I don't know, 10, 15 years. I kept it in my billful. Wow. And I was so grateful that I finally got to meet him, you know, when I was president.

And we became friends. And Quincy Jones was helpful to me because he was a friend of mine. And, you know, he and Charles knew each other in Seattle when Quincy was 14 and Charles was 17. And Ray Charles got himself all the way from central Florida, where he was a boy, as a blind man. He was not blind in his early years, but he was blind. And he took a bus. He said he wanted to get as far away from Central Florida as he could without having to leave the country. Seattle was pretty damn.

So he went to Seattle. And Quincy said, you know, I decided I could make it music coming. Here's this blind guy who's 17 and he's got his own apartment. He's got three suits in the closet and he's got a girlfriend. right there. And that was a great story. And I genuinely came to not only admire, but have enormous infection for Ray Charles. And a couple of weeks before he died, and this is long after I left the White House. And I knew he was sick. His young staff person called my office and said, Ray wants to talk to President Clinton, and can he do it? And I said, sure, anytime. You know,

So he called me, and I knew he was sick. And it was pretty well public by then. He didn't talk about any of that. He had no interest in talking about it. He said, I'm just calling a few of my friends. People I want to talk to, you know, one more time. And we shot the breeze for like 20 minutes. What did that feel like if you're going to your younger self

and realize that Ray Charles called you? And he wanted to call you before some things happened. Yeah. And he knew he was going to die. Yeah. But he didn't want to talk about that. He wanted to just talk about life with people that he had. And I forget it.

I think there were 12 or 15 people. He just called that he wanted to talk to. And I always thought he was something special. What was the moment did you think the music community? You talked about being friends with Quincy Jones and Ray Charles. And I'm curious, when they learned that you were beyond a passerby, Was it like the sax moment on Arsenio? Like when did everybody realize like he is not just a fan?

He's a part of this community. Well, I got a little of that on Johnny Carson. You know, Johnny Carson was, I bombed at my speech at the Democratic Convention in 1988. And we don't have time for me to explain what I was. I bombed. And so Carson. Hence Dukakis. A woman, actually is very interesting.

The people, this shows you the difference in commentary. People that heard the speech on the radio were 90% positive about it. Because it was not interrupted. I got hundreds and hundreds of letters from people who heard on radio. But anyway, a woman named Amy Baker, who just passed away a couple years ago, a wonderful woman was working for Carson. And she called a friend of mine in California. and said, I think Clinton should come on the show.

I think Johnny would like him, and he said, he'll have to take a ribbon. They talked and he said, and he never lets politicians come on the show anymore. So we need him to play something, so we can use it as an excuse. I think we played Billy Holidays, God Bless the Child, and maybe Heartbreak Hotel. We played something, but I played anyway. Really? And then Carson takes out an hour. glass and, you know, one of those, like, three minutes was it, turned it up and the sand starts

running out the living. And I said, well, I want to thank you for giving me a chance to come here and finish my speech. So, we had a great time. And then I did Arsenio. Okay. Oh, that's when, so that's where all the black folks saw you. So we didn't know about Carson. We just knew about Ms. Carson. That's the first time I'm hearing about that today. Yeah, I was like, this happened? Yeah. Then, so Arsenio, you know, knew I could, it was halfway, be halfway decent if I played. And I wasn't playing really much then. I think we did my funny Valentine and summertime.

I think that's what we played. You did Elvis song. I think you did Heartbreak Hotel. That part I do remember on the commercial break. Well, Elvis was my Secret Service code name. Okay. Oh, wow. When I was running for president.

I literally could sing the Jordanaires' background to every single. Elvis Presley song. I remembered long sections of dialogue from Love Me Tender and, you know, all that stuff. I liked him. And if you saw Baz Luhrman's film about him, we did. One thing the film finally showed was why Presley was so close to the black community and why he deliberately sang in the ghetto and some other songs. He didn't have much politics, but he felt pretty strongly about civil rights because he'd grown

up on the edge of the black neighborhoods in Tupelo. And he had, you know, the voice of a generation. I can't wait for you to see the Little Richard documentary where he, he, little Richard says, Elvis actually told him behind the scenes that you are basically the reason that I am here. And Bill Richard was like, well, can you say it out loud? Right, right. Yeah, he was great, Little Richard. I love him.

I was curious to know about the Arsenio performance, because this was in the 90s. So it was pre-Twitter, pre-going viral, so to speak. So how did your team know, like, after that performance, what were the markers then of like, yo, we killed that? Like, how did you see the impact of it on your campaign? A lot of it was like print media commentary and people calling in, calling to all your headquarters. You know, we used to send out our idea of rapid response

was we had a system, we had 10,000 people throughout the country that we sent fax machines, faxes to every day. We sent them faxes and he says, here's what we need to push today. And they would call their local newspapers, they would call their local radio stations and try to get the message out. Or they would write a letter to their local newspapers. I mean, it seems like creaky today. That's what viral was back then? Listen up, kids. This is what the 90s were like, and that wasn't so far away.

But we were, you know, we did the best we could. And, you know, I think there were some good things about the 80s and the 90s. It's still most towns had their own newspaper. And they were pretty much on the level. You know, they could be in real right-wing towns or real liberal towns, but they were, well, newspapers pretty well on the level. And they would give you access if you showed up. And they would say what you said.

And if they dumped on you, they would do it on the editorial page. They wouldn't twist the news story. It was very different than that. And almost every town of any size had their own locally owned radio station. It meant a huge difference. I mean, I might not be here if it weren't for that. A win is a win. A win is a win.

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

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

podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 Slical Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. I'm John Green. You may know me as the author of The Fault and Our Stars.

And now, I guess also is the co-host of the away end, a brand new world soccer podcast. I'm Daniel Alarcon, a writer and journalist. And John and I have known each other since we were kids. My first World Cup was Mexico 86. I was nine years old. I watched every game. and I fell in love. On our new podcast, the away end,

we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. For us, soccer, football, is a story we've shared for over 30 years since Daniel was the star player on our high school soccer team. Very debatable.

And I was their most loyal and sometimes only fan. I love this game. I love its history, its hope, it's heartbreak, and above all, it's beauty. Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things, football, soccer, is the most important.

Listen to the away end with Daniel Auerkone and John Green on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When you listen to podcasts about AI and tech and the future of humanity, the hosts always act like they know what they're talking about and they are experts at everything. Here, the Nick Dick and Poll Show, we're not afraid to make mistakes. What Cougler did that I think was so unique. He's the writer-director. Who do you think he is?

I don't know. You meet the president? You think Canada has a president. You think China has a president. The law crusade. God, I love that thing. I use it all the time. I wrap it in a blanket and sing to it at night.

It's like the old Polish saying, not my monkeys, not my circus. Yep. It's a good one. I like that saying. It is an actual Polish saying. Yeah. It is an actual Polish saying.

Better version of Play Stupid Games, win stupid prizes. Yes. Which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift who said that for the first time. I actually, I thought it was.

I got that wrong. Listen to the Nick, Dick, and Paul show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of IHeartMedia,

and I'm kicking off a brand new season of my podcast, Math and Magic, stories from the frontiers of marketing. Math and Magic takes you behind the scenes of the biggest businesses

and industries while sharing insights from the smartest minds in marketing. I'm talking to leaders from the entertainment industry to finance and everywhere in between. This seasonal math and magic, I'm talking to CEO of Liquid Death Mike Cessario,

financier and public health advocate, Mike Milken, take-to-interactive CEO Strauss Elning. If you're unable to take meaningful creative risk and therefore run the risk of making horrible creative mistakes, then you can't play in this business. Sesame Street CEO Sherry Weston and her own chief business officer, Lisa Coffey. Making consumers see the value of the human voice and to have that guaranteed human promise behind it really makes it rise to the top.

Listen to math and magic. Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. All right, I got a question. And, you know, I was trying to figure out, again, with 24-hour, less than 24-hour warning, you don't know, like, what angle we're going to go in. And this brings me back to, if you remember on the internet, they started this trending question, like, would you rather have half a million dollars or a dinner with Jay-Z?

What would you choose? Half a million dollars? Come on, that. No, but the thing is, is like, you know, it's either, would you rather get wisdom on how to do-da-da-da-da. To run the game and create your own game. Or just whatever.

Just give me the money. Money. Okay, but time. I'm out. But I got it. But my question... Jay-Z would tell you to take the money. Yeah, you would. We're going to talk about. No, but, you know, since we have you here, and I feel like, at least for the five of us,

and by the five of us, I also mean, like, the community that listens to this particular podcast. All of us, I feel, are either in our pivot moment in our lives or in our career. Like, all of us do something notable here. Like, he was part of the Hamilton team, and... You know, he's been a long-time engineer. She's been radio host. He's been, like, a hero to many in the hip-hop community.

And now we're kind of at this place in our lives where we're sort of flirting with leadership roles. And, you know, I would like to ask you as a person who sort of volunteered for this life to be a leader in all those things. Because it comes with a lot from what, from the outside looking in or I don't know if I'm inside thinking I'm outside looking. and it seems like, one, a thinkless job to be a leader. And I'm not just talking about president. Let's take it down. Why would you ever want to subject yourself to having to always think quick on your feet, always having the answer, having to, whatever the metaphorical term,

reach across the aisle to speak to someone, to nuance a relationship, to do a long dinner just for that one person. and you got to do it like a hundred times. I guess I'm basically asking is, like, all of us are right now sort of at the bottom, looking at whatever our Mount Fiji or whatever the mountain is that we see. Why should we want to be a leader? Like, what is the, what's the motivation? Yeah, what's the driving force?

Most of life is a social experiment and a social experience. So if you feel strongly about something and you want to impact it, your chances are much better if you can lead a pact that agrees with you. And I think that's really important. All these questions, no one can answer but the person affected. But I think it starts with how you keep score. I mean, we all keep score. What do we admit or not?

We keep score on ourselves. I wish I were a little taller. I wish I were a little taller. If I'd had a LeBron's body, I'd have gone a different line of work, that kind of stuff. You know, we do that. So if you keep score in a way that is at all other directed, then if you get a chance to lead, you have to do it. And people won't resent you if they see that it's other directed.

I mean, to me, I decided when I got into this, I said, why are you doing this? And I realized I had to have some way of keeping score. So I keep score as follows. Are people better off when you quit than when you started? The children have a brighter future. And are things coming together instead of falling apart? And if you can answer yes to all three of those questions,

I think your life's runaway success, even if you have heartbreak, even if you fail, even if you make colloquy. muscle mistakes, and if you make enough decisions and you live long enough, you will make mistakes. I think that's it. But if you keep scoring any way that is other record, you want to increase people's love for music, you want to increase people's understanding of the social impact of music. You want to get people who never thought about how America got started to see it through as they can feel.

and you do Hamilton. You know, you did whatever it is. There's a price. You should be president. So bad news, guys. We have to care about other people. Right. And not just ourselves.

Hang on one second. We got to let this go. I knew who's coming. I knew that was coming. Sorry, that's my theme music when I say something brilliant. Go ahead. We didn't mean to interrupt you, Mr. President.

Will you finish with your thought? Yeah. Yeah. Well, as of the statement, thing. You know, we lost Harry Belafonte. Yeah, one of the most crucial leaders of someone that I looked up to

because the role that Harry Belafonte played all those things. And social change, right. You know, because I don't want to have to, like, what I'm previously, what I'm known for now is just like, hey, a hustler, I'll do this job and that job and this project and that project. But, you know,

I'm wondering, like, at 60, at 70, like, what is my life going to be? And right now, I'm thinking like, okay, I want to get into philanthropy. So I'm kind of like working my behind off now so that I can be in the position to be that person when I get to my 60. And I also trying to get out the place where like I'm writing my future down. Like, okay, 10 years from now, I'm going to do that.

I'm now learning a lesson where I wake up every day and just like this. Like, this was definitely not on my bingo cart list like at all. this conversation. But things like this have been happening to me almost consistently for the last two years where, you know, I'm such a meticulous planner and this is what I'm doing. This is how my future is going to be. And then universe like kicks over and this, no, this is what you're actually going to do. So, you know, as far as Harry Belafonte's concerned, that's kind of how I thought, okay, that might be the path I go where I plant ideas and people and then they implement these things and change happens.

Be it be we are the world or the civil rights movement or even beach street right even beach street but I don't know it just you said keeping score and for me keeping score means that there are two sides and you have to be a coach to do that and the way that politics is now it's enough to give me pause and just be like I don't know let me just come cut a check and hide in the woods, you know, like I've never been the hiding a woods person, but I brought a farm three years ago thinking like I need a place in the woods to hide in case the worst case scenario happens. So me personally, I'm just on the precipice, on the line of like, do I have to be that person? Do I have to be the Harabella Fonte that's no longer here

or do I just hide behind somebody here and you do it? Like, what would you say? because... I would say you need to do a little bit of both. Let me explain what I mean by that. Harry Belafani worked his way into what you might call direct action where he's marching with Dr. King. But I was thinking of...

I was telling, Honey, a little way down here today, I remember one of his earliest movies when he was still a Calypso King. And he was a beautiful man. God knows he was beautiful. And so it's sort of... a proto-colonial movie. I'm embarrassed. I can't remember the name of it. But he's a guy in the

Caribbean. He's interested in what's going on in this country. And this white lady sort of falls in love with him. And when they did this movie, it was a pretty brave thing to do, to deal with all that. There wasn't many movies dealing with all that. So he made his statements in the movie. And it was, as a matter of fact, a good movie. And he did a good thing and then he used what he had earned to start marching and getting involved with these

other things and doing it. I want to say that almost contradicts what I told you earlier. I do think you have to know how you're going to keep score. And then you lay out a plan. But people ask me all the time about how did I survive these tough campaigns or

what do you do when you're president and I remember when Hillary ran for the Senate from New York, nobody asks her or her opponent, what are you going to do when they bring down the World Trade Center? So life is always happening to you. So basically, you have to think about what you just said. And I think it's a good thing you bought a farm, by the way, but it's a... Oh, I'm right next to you. Trust me. But let's just take a politician.

Say, vote for me for mayor, and I will do one, two, three. Okay. Then you get in and George Floyd gets killed on your streets. Or you're way up north, but for the first time ever a tornado takes out half your town because of climate change. It's moving to tornado north. Okay. So you say, how should I think about this? Well, first of all, you have to be heartless not to deal with what's happening that you didn't plan for.

but if you don't also do what you said you would do when you ran, the people that were your most ardent supporters may feel let them, and you may feel let them. So life is a constant struggle to do what you said you do and what you plan to do. Deal with the incoming fire that you never expected. Let me ask you a question real quick before you go. We're going to probably be playing this interview back around June,

which is Black Music Month. I wanted to mention this because although President Carter was the first one to invite, of course, the Black Music Coalition to come to the White House, you, my friend, were the one who signed the order and invited Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Deanna Williams, the Isley brothers, to come to the White House and make it official. Can you talk about that? Yeah, I remember that. First, I wanted to do it. And secondly, it was another excuse to get people to come see me. I mean, I was a huge... President of All right. Osley Brothers friend.

And I love this old heart of mine. I get it out every now and then just play it again. There are all these songs. You have songs you replay from your life, don't you? Yeah. All the time. I live in the best. I think Nina Simone's, I wish I knew how it would feel to be three.

It's the best recording of that song, and it's the best little-known song of the Civil Rights era. And when I get really down, I just put it on and play it. But anyway, that's what I want. wanted to say about it. I didn't, I want to make the point I was trying to make before. How, whatever, anybody's listening to us. Okay. You worry about how much money is it and what am I going to do? People need to worry more about how am I going to do it. If you're going to keep score in terms of other people's lives and your impact on it, you have to worry as much about how you're going

to do as what you're going to do and how much money you have or don't. Beautiful. What's the stuff you listen to when you need to get up? Oh, for once in my life. Oh, really? I play Stevie Wonder all the time. One last jazz question from me. With regards to the saxophone, Oliver Nelson. Are you an Oliver Nelson fan?

Yes. So there's an album on Impulse called A Tribute to John Fitzgerald Kennedy. I was just wondering if you've ever read that one. No. Check it out. Don't do that. Yeah, it's a classic. I got a bunch of those albums.

Yeah, Oliver Nelson. Farrell Sanders. Were you a fan of his as well? Oh, yeah. You know, he had Arkansas connections. Yeah, he's right. And I talked to his family when he died. You're reminding me that I'm doing my first show in Arkansas in four days.

Wow. You are? Ever? Yeah, the roots have never went to Arkansas ever. Wow. So there's a festival. Where are you going to do it? Little Rock? I think we're going to Little Rock.

Yeah, there's a festival down there. So it'll be interesting to see the town. You'll like it. They'll be, that's a good town. I'm going to see it. If you want to go to my library, let me know. I'll set it up. It's right there.

I might do that. Just say yes. No doubt. I will absolutely do this. And there's an, we just opened the new Arkansas Art Gallery, which is an old, and it's beautiful. Really? Uh-huh. And a brilliant woman architect named Jenny Gang from Chicago did it.

Okay. It is a fabulous place. Wow. I shall be going there. How big is that vinyl collection? You didn't tell us. Like how many records you got? And where you keep those things?

Oh, I keep them in home in New York. Okay. I've got probably, I've got over 100 of these in New York. Okay. But I also have that many in Arkansas. There's an apartment upstairs in the library, and I've got them there. Okay. So I still play them.

There you go. Well, sir, yeah, this could actually go on for 12 hours. And we wouldn't care, but your people are like, nah, you got to wrap it up now. So on behalf of Fonigolo and Laia and Sugar Steve and Unpaid Bill, thank you very much, President Clinton, for gracing our show. Yes. Oh, you didn't get to, a president, you didn't get to tell about your summer or so. Damn, we're supposed to talk about that.

That's next time. That's next time. Part two. Okay, part two. Thank you very much. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeartRadio. For more podcasts from IHeartRadio, visit the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, 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, unfiltered conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Cliford Show on the I-Hart Ready, 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 Podcasts on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slice of Life 12 and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. I'm Daniel Alarcon, and this is my friend. It's much more famous than I am. I wouldn't go that far. But I'm John Green, co-hosted the podcast The Away End, with my old friend Daniel on our podcast The Away End. we'll share with you the magic of international football,

all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things, football, soccer, is the most important. Listen to the away end with Daniel Auerkone and John Green on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Readers, Katie's finalists, publicists. We have an incredible new episode this week for you guys. We have our girl Hillary Duff in here,

and we can't wait for you to hear this episode. They put on Lizzie McGuire at 2 a.m. Video on demand. This guy's... 2 a.m. Whatever time it is. Lizzie McGuire. And I'm like... A wild bat you were with. It was like a first closet moment for me where I was like... You're like, I don't feel like she's hot.

Like the rest of that. No, no, no. I was like, she's beautiful. But I'm appreciating her in a different way than these boys are. I'm not like... But listen to Los Coleristas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or whatever you get your podcast. This financial literacy month, we are talking about the one investment. most people ignore. Building a business around the life you actually want.

It was just us. Making happen whatever he said was going to happen and then it happened. On those amigos, entrepreneurs like America Sam and Joe Huff get real about money, taking risk, and while your dream might be the smartest move. At the end of my life, what am I really going to care about? And the conclusion I came to is what I did

to make the world a better place in whatever way. Listen to those amigos on the IHare Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.