The Questlove Show - Questlove Supreme: Robert Townsend Part 2

Episode Date: February 14, 2024

Here is part 2 from one of the greatest Questlove Supreme conversations ever. Robert Townsend speaks about the passion and purpose that went into making The Five Heartbeats. He details directing Eddie Murphy Raw and nearly getting an X-rating. Robert also discusses why the world needed Meteor Man and recalls coaching a shy Beyoncé for Carmen: A Hip Hop Opera. This interview runs deep with love, wisdom, and comedy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Quest Love Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. What up, y'all? It's Laia. And we are back with part two of our interview with the incredible, incomparable, trailblazing Robert Towson. Y'all know this conversation is everything I love about Quest Love Supreme. It's funny, informative, and, like, so heartfelt. Last week, Robert spoke about his inroads to comedy and acting as he delighted us all with a bunch of impersonations. He spoke about working on the Warriors, the movie y'all, nearly joining SNL and a deep dive into how he made Hollywood shuffle with a dream and a credit card.

So now we're back for part two. Join us as we celebrate Black History Month with an American treasure, Robert Townsend. Part two taped in studio at I Heart Hollywood. Would enjoy y'all. Once the success of the film brings you to this platform, what's your internal feelings? Because oftentimes when a person has like that type of success out the box. I mean, we can say this is the elmatic, nah, situation, whatever. Like the follow up, getting over the mountain.

Like, in your mind, what are you envisioning your next step to be? You know what's funny is that I've always known exactly what I want to do and then it's just that when you Like what after Hollywood Shuffle I was being offered everything in the universe every project every script every da da da da what was being offered to you? Um It was all kinds of bad comedies it was like a lot of bad stuff that I wouldn't want to do and so I was like you know when people go like well this you You haven't made a lot of films. This is funny. And then it's like, no, it's not funny.

And you're dealing with TV guide because I grew up on television. So there's a certain I have my- What's funny to them. Yeah. And so I was being offered to everything, but there was nothing that spoke to me. And the one story that I wanted to do, when I was a kid in Chicago, in 1968, Herb Kent, the cool gent gets on the radio and says, the temptations are breaking up.

And David Ruffin is leaving the group. And that was my favorite group. And so I was like, what? What happened? This is wrong. Blah, blah, blah. And so then that kind of stayed in my head. And so my thing was, you know, I told Keenan, I said, we could do a story.

I wasn't, you know, arrogant enough to say we could get the temptation story. I said, let's make our own movie. But I want to know what happened. Right. I want to know what happened to that singing group. Why did they break up? You know, because I was devastated as a kid. I just remember looking at the radio and I was like going, what?

Why did he's leaving? And then that took me on the journey for the next movie. But all the stuff that they were offering me, there was nothing that I was really like, you know, eh. With the five heartbeats, you, at the end credits, you mentioned the Dells. Yes. How involved were they in, you know,

with making a movie with you and how much of the story is from their personal kind of experience. So, so let me give you the backstory behind the film. I did a documentary on it. It's called Making the Five Hard Beats. I watched it. So the whole thing that I would say is that initially I wanted David Ruffin and Eddie Kendrix to be the technical advisors. And so I had reached out to them.

And David, he was going through his drug thing. He was struggling. And so I went to meet with him and, you know, he was strung out a little bit. And Keenan and I, we said, hey, once the film gets green lit, we're going to put him in rehab. We'll just pay for it and just take care of him and blah, blah, blah. So that was our plan. because I told Keenan, man, David doesn't look good, and he was doing that snorting and all that,

and I could just tell. And so we were gonna, you know, take care, you know, put him in rehab. So anyway, the studio, Joe Roth finally greenlights the movie. And so I go, hey, I got David Ruffin and Eddie Kendrix, and then he goes, no. And I said, why not? And he says, because everybody's gonna think

it's the Motown story. And you got that big red character. And so they're going to say, oh, the temptations, and you're going to get lawsuits up the wazoo because people are going to say, oh, this is the Motown story. Right. Because you got these two as your technical advisors. And so then at that point, I had to say no to them, which broke my heart. And then they were saying, who else would you want to be technical advisors? And then that's when the Dells, you know, I said the Dells and then the Dells.

God, you knew Marvin Jr. That's crazy. Oh my God. Oh, my God. Yo, man. Like, I was born, so I wasn't born at Adele's concert, but my mom, like, damn near on the eighth, ninth a month. But I started kicking at Adel's concert. Are you serious?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I was in the womb. But yeah, I mean, I grew up, like, I grew up in the Charles Stephanie period of the Dell, so, like, how sweet can funk be and all. But yeah, Marvin Jr., like, to me yeah even knowing like the briefly like my dad knew teddy pendergars whatever like teddy would even say like that's his north star like what what was it what was it like just

dealing with it because the world does not know about the dells and how so so let me so the del's you know my favorite singing group people know oh what a night is one of their big big big songs and marvin singing the long note and at first they got pushed back from that red because they go, this record is too long, but the DJs eventually loved it because they could take a break and people love that long note and then the whole thing. So the first meeting with the Dells

could have been the last meeting because they were at the Will Turn Theater and I was like, oh, they're, you know, like after the whole thing happened with the temptation, I was like, they're in town. So I go, I'll go talk to them. Now, I don't know how to interview people, so I was never like that.

So we, I do my, research before I go there on their first album cover they weren't on the cover it's a white couple walking along Michigan Avenue looking so in love and so I'm like in the and they're on the back and a little square this big and so then I was like that's kind of messed up their first album I was like that's kind of weird so anyway I go to the will turn they're getting ready for the show they're all in their white bath robes and they're putting their makeup on and just chilling and everything and so they're all friendly and nice Robert Towns is coming to see us man Robert Towns hey how you doing Robert

How are you doing? And so then we're talking. And so then I'm looking at them and I'm like going, I said, hey, man, I'm trying to do this movie. I want to get it real about how groups were treated, how much money you made. And I could see their faces changing in the mirror. And I was like, okay, I just said something wrong. And so then they were like, yeah, man, yeah, we made money. Yeah, we did.

We did. And so then they continued talking. And I said, your album cover. I said, why weren't you on the front page of the album cover? And I don't know. I just, because I had just looked at it. And so then in the mirror, now they're in their 70s, late 60s, and I see Marvin Jr. go. And I go, oh, man, Rob, you shouldn't have brought that up.

And then he goes, you know, they made a decision. And we just decided that, you know, that's how they was going to go. And then all of a sudden it was Vern. And Vern says, they wanted us to cross over. they said it would be good for our audience, you know. And then I forgot, Mickey said, you know, yeah, because they couldn't, you know, they could hear our music, but white people don't want to see our faces. And so they started going back and forth.

And then I was like, and I was in the mirror right. Right, right. I was like, because the crossover ain't nothing but the double cross. That came from them. And so as they were going through it, and it kind of broke my heart because they were old, older men, but then when I was looking through the mirror, because I was sitting back while they were all at the mirrors, but they couldn't, they could see me, they couldn't see me. But then as I was looking at them, that memory was like it was yesterday.

And I was like, oh my God, these poor, the pain was, because then, then Mickey said, yeah, man, we went to the barbershop and they clowned us hard, man. Everybody at the barbershop was like, what is this bullshit? And we felt so disrespected and da-da-da-da-da, but then, you know, they made it up to us and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But so that's how the Dells, and that's what the Dells gave me. So how much of Johnny Carter's life was in the high voice? Quire Boy?

Quiet boy. Yeah. We just took pieces of different, you know, it, you know, every, let me say this, the thing of the church and secular music has always been there, so everybody dealt with that. So that's why we, you know, it was that, you know, which is real, you know, like, hey, you can't serve two masters, you know, so all of that was real. The actor you cast for, I can't remember his name off the top of my head, but you also, he also played your dad, I think, in... Oh, David McKnight.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. David McNight. And he was in Hollywood Shuffle, but then also he played choir boy's dad. Yeah, that's David McKnight. David Knight. No, I love him as an actor. He was the first actor, Pay Moon, Rami. He entered, when I was in college and I was in speech contest in college, the first time I came to Los Angeles, he was the first person to show me around, David

and midnight and he had just finished a movie called jd's revenge yes he was the bad he was the bag he was he was jd so yeah man i wait do you have another i have so many but uh go ahead final i guess final five heartbeats question one of the things i remember about that movie it wasn't even so much about the movie i remember because this probably is what 91 91 yes sir i was 12 right so i'm watching teen summit hey right you know what i mean and so So, you know, back then I would just go to the movies. My mom would just let me go to the movies by myself. I just go watch.

And so I went and saw Five Heartbeats, and I'm like, oh, my God, this is the greatest movie ever. You know what I mean? So then later on, I see you guys on Team Summit and you're like, yo, y'all need to support it. We need to whatever. And it really kind of cracked the facade. I was like, oh, wow. Like, is it not successful? Like, how is it not?

This movie is amazing. But I really appreciate it just how real y'all kept it. I remember you and Michael Wright, I think he was with it. And they was just like, yo, like, you know, we need to support this. And you were talking about the marketing. And that was just something that, you know, seeing black artists on a platform like BET talking so openly about the struggles that y'all were having on a movie that was in theaters. You know what I mean?

Like, that shit was big. You know, I mean. And so I just want you to talk about that, man, and kind of what happened. You know, it is, you know, let me just say this. The five heartbeats, that's the. madness of Townsend on the highest level because I saw close to 10,000 people to be in that film. You know, I had auditions in three different cities and just trying to make it. I'm co-writing, I'm directing, I'm producing, I'm acting, so I'm wearing all these hats,

and then I'm playing music guy as well because I had to pick the music and the lyrics have to make sense and learned choreography. So it was like one of the hardest things for me, but I loved every second of it. But again, it's that thing again of like the marketing wasn't what I thought it was going to be, and I wasn't happy. And, you know, that was my second movie.

You know what I mean? But I've always been like, ha, you know. And so I lost the battle on the marketing. So when the film started to die, I was like, this can't be. this can't be and the film died

but it didn't die it was just did it yeah I was like do you consider it called classic because to me it's

not anytime that movie's on I'm watching it yeah period no I mean I when I say it didn't the box office numbers right

but I think because the marketing people didn't know what they were getting so we didn't make any money but then now it's like over a

billion almost two billion clips shared worldwide because they send me the numbers on like people will send the sister scene and they'll send Eddie King and then all the memes of gang and we haven't finished yet what does that mean for you monetarily though that doesn't that doesn't well the thing is that it means but see so I'll put it like this no I do not make any money on the clips but the brand is I was not wrong you know I mean I have ideas sometimes and I think my mind goes

You know, like I will create so many, like right now in my brain there's so many different shows and stuff that I'm working on, but they're all different. And I just, it's like there's a certain touch that I have, like you can watch movies. And I design my movies in such a way that I want you to watch them again and again and again. If I've done it right, if I've done it right.

You know, if I've added, like even like movies that I just directed like BAPS, you know, there's so many people that want to remake BAPS. I thought they were. I thought there was a whole thing. That was a whole other stuff. They want to do it, but it's not, it's not, it's got to be right. It's got to be right.

Meteor man. Media man. Thank you. That's the first. So wait, wait, real quick, because I want to give props to the young, young in, just doing our makeup upstairs, Aaron. She said, wait, did Robert Townsend put the first black action hero on film? Oh, with a meteor man.

Yeah, and I was like, yeah. I mean, that was, you said, that was, you said, that was, you said, that was, that was, you said, the thing. The thing is that, again, that's a Trojan horse. It's like when my nephew was really little Greg Jr., and I was coming back to Chicago, and it was like around Halloween, and I was like, who are you going to be for Halloween? Superman, Batman?

And he was like, I can't be them because they're white. And I was, you know, because like you grew up in the hood, there's a certain, you know, and I was like, no, that's wrong, man. Everybody can be a hero. You know, I like Superman. I like Batman. You could be whatever you want to be. And so then I said, oh, I'll create a hero that looks like, you know, looks like him.

Man, what was it like having Luther Vandros, like that's like one of the only act? You know, you know, like Luther, I, well, that's a whole nother because when I got married, you know, it was like we would only play Luther, go to Luther concerts and all of that. So when I reached. I heard he buses too. Huh? We heard he heard Johnny Yield say he's a hell of a busser. like the dozens. Yes.

So, no, but the thing that I would say is that, you know, when I said, hey, would you want to be in the movie? Because I called him, and he was working with Gregory Hines on an album or something. There's nothing better than love, yeah. And so then I said, would you be in the movie? And so then he goes, you want me to be in a movie? And I says, yeah, but I want you to play the bad guy. And I want you to have a gun.

And he says, I have a gun. And so he was going through this whole thing. And he goes, are you serious? And I said, yeah, we're just in pre-production. He says, can I, will you give me six months? And I was like, give you six months. And he was like, and I was like, if you need, you know, I was like, yeah, we'll be ready.

But you know, you know, I'll schedule around your schedule. He said, give me six months. And he was heavier then. And then he lost all that weight for the role. So when he showed up, I was like, no. Right, right, right. I want you to be the big guy. Yeah.

Yeah, no, but he was perfect. But he took it serious. He took it really serious. And we were trying to do some other stuff. So it broke my heart when he passed. Oh, another actor. One thing I always appreciated you, like kind of like with Spike where you have your kind of crew of actors

that you keep working with. Yes. And one guy that I always love, man, Roy Fagin. Roy Fagan is a beast. Dude, he was like, I met Roy. Bro, I was like, so he was, um... Bird. Bird.

Bird, midnight, fast. He got dangled out the road. That's Roy. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Play with my time. So, look, Roy, bro, I met Roy. This was, man, I was a kid. I'm like 13 years old, and I went to,

he was doing a play in my city in Greensboro, of Carolina. He was doing a play at, it was an A&T, which is the HBCU in our Titty. And he was on a play there. And I afterwards, I just went down in the front row and, you know, the cast came out. And I just started chopping up with him and talking about acting and like kind of like, what is it like? What is it being? He was just giving me game. He's like, oh, man, you know, you seem like a smart kid. You know, you got a nice commercial look. You know what I mean? Like, he was, he was cool. And I always respected that and remember that. And I just wanted to know what was it like working with him because I always love job to work together.

Roy has been, so Roy was the bad guy in Hollywood shuffle that was like, don't sell out. And then he sold out. And then he sold out. Which really happened in real life. That's something that Keenan and I wrote because he read the auditioned. This guy messed our heads up. He was like, brother, don't go in there, man. They're trying to get some brother to sell out again.

And me and Keen were like, really, really? And then he went in there with that same kind of energy. But no, Roy's just a great actor. I mean, you know, like even a meteor man playing the bad guy, you know, he's just a versatile. He's just a really versatile actor. Yeah, man. That's what's up. Can you talk about why you decided to do this in D.C.?

There was a part of me that the whole thing of Washington justice... Yeah, so that's why I wanted to ground it there. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay. All right. You're from Atlanta last episode. I was born in Howard University Hospital, sir. Okay. All right.

So, D.C., I get it. A win is a win. 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 bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life. mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends.

I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends... Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no.

I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone?

I'm Ago Wodam. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Fulton. Barrel. Woo! Woo!

My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with him one day, and I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up-and-coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah.

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

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

If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice in someone's, correct? I doctored the test ones.

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

This is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at Americopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I want to talk raw, but it just hit me. He's responsible for probably one of my best known songs.

in my canon. He's responsible for sometimes. Bala? Okay, so here's the story. Balao. Here's the story. Okay, okay. And it just hit me right now. You directed Carmen, the hip-hop opera. Yes, yes. Oh, yeah. So here's the deal.

Now, you know, I'm doing residency at Electric Lady Studios, and basically DeAngel and I, you know, get along famously, form of friendship, and he's like, yo, when I make my second album, I need you to be my co-pilot. We're going to start working on the voodoo record. So from like 96 till 2003, we set up in the house of Hendrix. Jimmy Hendricks is in the village, and that's our operation. So all these albums are coming there. The roots are making their records there.

De Anzal is making his records. Eric, Badoo, anyone that's in that Soul Query and Neosol bubble. And so we're working on commons like Water, for chocolate album and he's coming in with an extra pephing a step today he's like yo man he's i got i got an audition man is this is oh man i'm i'm gonna say what is it and he's talking about yeah man you know i'm gonna be um an investigator like a in a cop in this hip hop and a old girl gonna be in this too i'm like who's old girl he's a you know old girl from bills bill bill oh destiny style you what yeah we didn't know her name whatever and so it's

So we, now the thing was, even though I'm the guy who, I'm the planner, I'm the bridge, I'm the person that introduces people and all that stuff, it wasn't like my intent. But by year three, I realized like, okay, when I throw jam sessions, I'm bringing people together. And when I'm producing people, I'm bringing these musicians together. And I thought about, I said, yo, if Common gets this part and this role, then all, girl I'm gonna I'm gonna bring her into our world like I was like all right Beyonce I'm gonna bring her into our world and so think of the sitcom switch things so he comes in the next morning he is like his sweater on his tie everything his

hat like he's coming to audition he's not coming in his pajamas like you know we'll sleep there for five six hours whatever and so common he's coming in all excited like yeah man I'm gonna knock this audition out whatever and we're like all right good luck good luck and we're looking like you know you think's gonna get it's like no We ain't going to get it. Anyway, so the thing of the sitcom switch where it's like, you can do it, you can do it. Switch, and he comes back and all dejected. I was like, what happened?

What happened? You get the role? You get the roll? Nah, man. Ah, man, most audition, too, man. He's going to get it. So, we got jokes. So that whole time, we're just watching our dreams deferred.

Our dreams just, like, sail away. And basically, what happens is we can. can't stop clowning common about losing his role, acting with old girl. So we just start mocking Bill's, Bill's, Bills. And the main line in Bills, Bill's, Bills is, I don't think you do. So that just became this ongoing joke for 12 hours. Like we play something, no, Colin, I don't think you got that role. So we're just going on all day and all day.

And then once most gets the role, then we really start mocking him by like mocking umi says by most deaf my umi says so for some reason james poyser decided to amalgamate the two songs bills bills bills and umi says and we did it for like 20 minutes for fun and the below's like that's a jam man i like that and we're like nah man It was cool. All right, let's figure out a new song. And no, he's like, no, no, go back to what y'all was just doing. And eventually, our mocking of Bill's, Bill's, Bills, and Umi says is like one of Balao's most love songs sometimes.

Best B'Low song of all times. Even then. That's how that song came out? Yeah, but even then, maybe 60% of his vocals was just a one, you know, like, Steve was our engineer at the time. Basically, like he just took a 57 mic and was just singing anything. I wish I wasn't me. And literally, that's how that song,

but it was based on Commons experience with- Losing out the most. Carmen, right. It just hit me. You're directly- What was that like, man, directing that, just doing that. Like, that shit was crazy.

You know, I like taking on, you know, chances and trying different things. And when MTV approached me about doing a hip hop opera, I was like, ooh, that sounds a lot of fun. And initially, they didn't want Beyonce because they were like, has she ever acted before? So there were certain executives that were giving me pushback.

So here's the story. So then I have to go to New York to have the audition there. She's doing something in New York. And I say, we'll have her audition at the MTV. office in New York, you know, with the big windows and all that stuff. So anyway, she comes in and she comes in with a bodyguard because she's in Destiny's Child and she comes in with some A&R woman. And so when she comes in, I can see she's nervous. And I was like, oh my gosh, she's nervous. And I'm like, I had seen her. I had hosted some event in Cincinnati with Destiny's Child. And I go, she's really charismatic that, you know, I didn't know her name either, like Beyonce, but I was like, that girl, that one singer is really, you know, that one singer is really. charismatic the camera like somebody so anyway I go no no she should do it and it's like Robert you know you want to get an actress you know she's never acted before so um so then she shows up she's nervous and so I go like oh man all the executives you know I don't want them to think you know

they got me on this one so I go she goes yeah I mean I've never acted before and so on so on so so so then I flipped the script I said to the security to the bodyguard I said you're going to be acting in the scene and then I say to the A&R woman you're going to be acting in the scene. And then they got really, Mr. Townsend, I don't act Mr. Townsend. You act in a day. And so then he grabs the script and he's shaking. And then the, the, uh, uh,

A and R woman, she's nervous. Stephanie. I can't, I think, I can't think of, it's Stephanie. Yes. And so she's nervous. And then I see Beyonce get relaxed. And so then she gets relaxed.

And then I was like, okay, so we're going to do the scene now. This is the scene where you get shot. And I go, you get shot in the hip and you're going to turn around. You're going to spin around and so on, so on, so on. And she goes, yeah, let's do it again, let's do it again. And she had those red bottoms on rolling around the floor and her suit and everything. And she goes, I don't care, I don't care about that. And we were doing it again and again and again.

And I just remember I showed this stuff to the studio. And they were like, you're right. She is. I said she hasn't acted before, but I said she does her music videos, but this is a hip hop. And so when we were on set, you know, the only thing, the only thing. The only thing that got tricky was that she was really a baby. She had never been in a relationship. You know what I mean?

She was a baby that blew up. And so she was concerned about the kiss scene because she had to kiss Mackay Fyfer. And so she would be like, do I really kiss him? I said, well, it's a kiss. You got to kiss him. And so then she was just so shy because she's a baby. So anyway, so every day she would ask me when we were shooting. is it today? And I says, no, the kiss doesn't happen today. She's working out like, it's day seven.

No, it's not today. You know, day eight, no, it's not today. Day 15, it's today. And she goes, oh. And so I said, just give me a good kiss, but she has not, you know, I said, watch me kiss my hand, and I do the whole hand kiss and I do the whole thing, you know, just to show her because she wasn't, and so then Mackay wasn't helping because he's going like, right, right. Ready. I can now, wait. Come on. Come on.

Come on. Don't be shy. Don't be shy. And so then, you know, it was like comedy because then I said kiss him and she goes. And I go, no, no, no, no. You got to kiss him a little bit longer. How long? How long, Robert?

Like three seconds, three seconds. She is counting in her head. And then she's like, four thousand. Two thousand. And so I said, no, no, no. You got to kiss him. And you know, I said, give me one juicy one and we're out of here. Cockballs.

Give me one. You know what I'm saying? Give me what juicy. Hey, Rock Nation, don't come after me. That's sugar steep talking. Yeah, come after me. And so she finally does it and then it comes together. But I just remember, you know, like now when I see her,

I was like, oh, she has grown. And when I watched her in Cadillac Records, I mean, it's just like, you know, she's just, but I saw it back then, even when we were in the studio recording the rap. Did she look at any Dorothy Dandridge stuff? Or did anybody even? I think I told her not to,

because I wasn't trying to compare performances because she she just you know I could see she was a natural she just needed to like I said that little switch of the people acting opposite her made her relax and then I saw it and then when we were on set it was just fun I wanted to ask you about a project that it never came out not to my knowledge the Sunny Liston movie that you were working on with Ving Rames oh it it it was a company out of Canada so it had like a really small release I'm really proud of that movie yeah being is a thing is a hell let me say this

this, Ving Rames is an amazing actor, and he doesn't get all the respect, you know. So what happened was I had finished, I worked with him on the film Holiday Heart with Alfrie Woodard, and she got nominated for the Golden Globe for her performance, and Ving, he had just come off of baby boy, but then he was playing this gay man, and, I mean, he was just brilliant in it, brilliant, brilliant. So after we got finished with the film, he was, he says, hey man, I'm working on this movie in Canada with this small production company. It's the Sunny Liston.

He goes, I don't like this director. I'm spoiled because I got to work with you. And, you know, people really love, you know, working, you know, our chemistry as a working team. And so then I flew to Toronto and we shot the movie up there. It's available on DVD. Okay. But it's like a small production company out of Toronto. Yeah.

I mean, I saw it. I mean, this been years ago. Like, I saw it. but I always wondered why I never, you know, what kind of happened with. Yeah, because there was something about, there was stuff going on behind the scenes with the money and, you know, with the production company. But Ving does an amazing job. No, I enjoyed the movie, man. Thank you so much.

No, for real. Can you talk about the process of Raw? Because the thing is, if someone to ask you to shoot a concert film, you really can't reinvent the will. Right. But is the pressure on, is there a pressure on you? Because, I mean, by that point, I know that for certain comedians in the 60s, Cosby albums are their North Star, prior albums are, you know, the North Star of 70s comedians. And, you know, Delirious was pretty much like people knew was an instant classic the second it came out. Right.

So in your mind, are you like, like, what's the planning process for raw and, you know, And that how did you have the wherewithal to know who Samuel Jackson was or Bud? Dionne, Deon Richmond or Colt? I'm about to say Dionne Colour. Dionne Richmond or Ashley. Tata, Tassi. Yeah, yeah. Like, you have in that opening sketch, like, these are established.

The next 30 years. Right. But see, but you know, you know what it is, it's kind of like, I have laser eyes when it comes to casting. Like, my eyes are like laser focused. So even back then, I'm looking, and I can tell when people really have the talent, they really have the gift. And like Sam, I just knew he had something special. I could just tell. And I was like, oh, he can improvise, he can do whatever.

And then with the kids, there's a reason why people are stars. There's a certain look. There's a certain energy. There's a certain frequency. So when I am casting, I cast on people's energy. And so even back then, those baby actors, they had that little spark. and I saw the spark. With Sam, you know, I see a lot of actors,

and some actors are not magical. You know, I mean, I'm hard on talent, you know, because I mean, if I've cast it right, then they will be perfect for the role. If I've done my job, and you don't, you go like, there's something extra going on, like people don't know that there's extra sauce going on. Like Babs, for example, Natalie, who played opposite Hallie,

the studios wanted me to cast whatever black actress was on television at that time, and it's like, well, she's hot, She can get on the Tonight Show. She can get on Letterman. She can get on so on and so and so and so. And I was like, no, it's got to be about chemistry. And she happened to be in an acting class with Phazon Love.

And Phazon goes, there's this girl that's in my acting class that I think could be perfect for your movie. And I said, you know, I'll meet her at your house. And we did a two-hour improv doing all the scenes from the film. And so I was like, I finished doing the improv with her. And I was like, she's the star. She's the one who's going to be in the film with Halley. I call the studio and the studio goes, Robert, Robert, she hasn't made a movie before. You know, what do you mean?

Some unknown with Hallie. I say, would you just look at her, please? Just look at her. I think she's got something special. So anyway, he says, well, bring it to the callbacks, whatever. So we have the callbacks, and I'm scouting locations that day. So I've got the top black actresses from television, movies, theater, all waiting for a callback. Now, nothing against any of them, but I'm not.

I need a certain chemistry with, you know, this is Hallie's first real comedy comedy. So I'm like, she's gonna be a fool in it and I need to create a comedy team that we've never seen before. So I get there, Natalie is a nervous wreck, you know, and I see, I come in and I go, hey everybody, thank you guys so much, sorry I was running late,

we were scouting, blah, blah, blah. And so then I look at Natalie and she's like, rabbit, rabbit, you know, and so I pull it to this side. It's like, come here, girl, come here. And she's like, you know, like, I know half these actresses from TV and movies. What am I doing here, Robert? What am I doing here?

This is a big mistake. I ain't never done nothing. So anyway, I said, would you just relax and just be cool? So I said, don't worry about that. Do be who God made you to be. Just walk through that door. So anyway, she walks through, we bring all the other actresses in. She walks through the door.

The whole time we're sitting behind a table like this. Hallie's on this side. Executives over here, other people. And Hallie has the script reader read with everybody. and she's just watching and she'll read, you know, blah, blah, blah. When Natalie comes in, shaking a little bit, she goes, hi, y'all, this is my first big audition. I hope, you know.

And then Hallie gets up from behind the desk and walks up and hugs her. And says, let's read together. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're 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. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Vodam.

My next guest, you know from Stepbrothers, Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with him one day. And I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot.

I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head and going to, the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit.

If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. and we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for

to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar, this is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, for wherever you get your podcast. And for more, Follow Timbo Slice of Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth.

You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Sond's, correct? I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their. tax dollars were being used for. Sunlight's the greatest disinfected. They would uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been

through the same thing. Greg Alesspian, Michael Marantini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at

Maricopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, so this is what I want to ask you advice was. So when my dad taught me how to audition musicians, which is you pick the simplest ballot ever and make them audition the easiest ballot ever. Like think of something simple like color my world by like Chicago. whatever just something very it's almost like chop six level of easy and he

tells me and I would say that why why do we we got more intricate songs in the show like let's audition then he says no he's like because a ballot will reveal to me like a musician will fall apart if he can't just do the simple task of you know so it's like forget forget the seven eight meters and all the riles and all of that and even now like with my group if I present something really intricate put their mind power to study, you know, but if it's just do nothing except this every three seconds, it's the hardest thing in the world. What is the director's equivalent of that in the

audition process? Because in about three months, I'm about to go through this process, and I don't know what to look for or cheat codes to, they have, they have it, they don't have it. Like, what do you look for when you, is there a specific go-to? So let me say this. You're a bowl of fruit. So, no, no, no. I mean, here's the, it's easy. I make it very easy.

The first thing is that I don't touch the actors initially. I don't even, you know, I said, let me see your instincts. Let me see how you see the role. Let me just see your instincts. I don't even direct them initially. So then they'll go like, I want to do, and I just go, relax, breathe, breathe. Like right now, breathe, breathe, breathe, relax. Take your time, close your eyes, okay?

Whatever is stressing you, work, about get it off of you shake the energy out shake it out shake it out check it out check it out check it out here we go settle settle settle settle settle settle settle settle settle settle settle settle settle do whatever you want to do here we go and action so now I ain't be got no weapon no way no but no but so so once I see their natural instincts I can see if they You know, it's kind of like probably with musicians, you can see that little magic or little flur or something,

and you go like, oh, there's something there. I let them do that, and then I start to play. Then I go, oh, I love what you're doing. Hey, can you do ain't be got no weapon again? But this time, I want you to take your glasses off and put them on and go, I ain't be got no weapon. And then I'll just give them like little things to play with. And then I'll just start, you know, I'll get on their frequency.

So part of it is like getting on their frequency. because it depends on the role. Like, oh, I had a scene. There's a movie I did that I'm really proud of, and it was like this little film called In the Hive. It's with Loretta Devine, and it was Michael Clark Duncan's last movie. Wow.

And she was nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Best Actress and the movie was so powerful, and there's scenes with him in there's so powerful, we played a scene at his funeral when he passed. The family was like, could you play this scene because it just showed him? But here's my directing style. I'll give you just like a little tibbit.

So anyway, there's a young actor. He's 20, but he hasn't done anything. And he's got this monologue. He's playing a kid that's supposed to be 14, but he looks really young. So anyway, there's a scene where she, it's based on a true story of this woman in North Carolina who was the cook of the school.

And when all the kids were getting kicked out for drug dealing gang bang, and she says, I'll take them. I'll teach him. And she starts at school with this football player played by Michael Clark Duncan. So anyway, the kid has a long monologue where he's supposed to break down and cry. And so he couldn't cry for some reason.

And I only do like three takes. I never do more than three, maybe four, if the camera has a bobble or something. I only do three takes and I was up to 12. And so the crew was looking at me like, Rob, he ain't gonna cry, we are not gonna get it. So then I have to dig into my bag of tricks. So then I say to him, I said,

you're working with Michael Clark Duncan and Loretta Devine and Robert Towns is directing you. I said, who is not with us that would be so proud of you right now in this moment? So he goes, my Aunt Betty, and I said, your Aunt Betty. And so I said, you know what? I said, Loretta, can you come over here? Now Loretta was on Broadway and Dream Girls.

And so I said, Loretta, can you sing precious Lord? Oh, Lord. And so she started to do. And so she starts to sing, "'Presses Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand.'" And so I said, we're here at Betty's funeral, and she is so proud of her nephew who is working on this movie. Roll cameras, roll cameras, here we go, here we go.

A camera, let's go please, here we go. Background, background, background, here we go, settle, settle, settle, and action. Now here's the part, he starts doing it. The scene is perfect, he's crying the whole thing, but this is where it gets messed up. He couldn't stop crying. He released so hard, he says, I had never cried at her real funeral.

He goes, I never released. And I just held him, you know, and like certain times as a director, because, you know, I have the arsenal. I felt bad because he got the performance. I got the performance I wanted, but he had never really released at his own. The same thing happened with Natalie Cole

when I was working on the Natalie Cole story about her life. And she had a mom. monologue and I just remember she had a monologue because she's talking about her father it was like angel on my shoulder for NBC and so Natalie she she had this monologue because she was she she's in it performing in it and she's also doing the narration so she goes my father was such a powerful man when he would sing his songs I remember so and so and so and she did it really perfectly and that part of my brain where like that extra sauce comes in I go I go I know that's it

you know he really lived. He really lived. And she goes like, and we go behind the green screen and she's crying in my arms because she goes, I forgot my father because it's all like,

Nat King Cole! Right, right, right. Unforgettable. And then she goes like, I said, this moment here is really about you talking about that real man rather than like,

my father. It was like, like, if you should, talked about your father or your mother whatever you would go my mother you went like my mother was and she released and then we cleaned her makeup up and did the whole thing and then we did it again and it was grounded and it was real but it's like sometimes like with like for you if you talk about directing or creating and stuff you got to get on that frequency of the actors the actor was uh the actress was that who was who played her i remember Teresa randall Teresa randall

yeah man she was really good she was really good yeah yeah yeah Wow. How was it working with her? Wonderful. I mean, we had so many, because she was, you know, it's like when an artist lives a life and you talk about surrounding yourself with good people and there were certain people in her life there were like snakes and took advantage. And so we would have those real conversations which, which breaks your heart because there's a constant learning curve. Like you got to learn this world. You got to learn. Okay, hey, so and so, the business manager, okay, so-and-so, the agent, so-and-so, my lawyer, can I trust him?

Oh, my best friend, is she really my best friend, or she hate me, you know what I mean, friend of me, you know, so, so, you know, it's stuff like that that just kind of breaks your heart. You have a favorite Natalie Cole song real quick? Inseparable. Mine is La Costa. Look, I'm about to say La Costa. That's my jam.

My mother, I watched that movie. My mother, she, I think, me and my mom, she watched that movie together, and I think about it. Natalie Cole was her favorite singer. And Nat King Cole was my granddad's favorite scene. Oh, man. No, Nat King Cole, yes. Again, that was, again, man, you really created those moments that, like, really brought, like, generations together, man.

Like, for real. I heard a story from Keenan or someone in Keenan's family saying that initially did the MPAA board wanted to give Raw an X rating? Yeah, that's true. I do a whole story about that because basically, you asked me like, what was the hardest thing? You know, like, when you working on Raw, you got a comedian that's a genius, and Eddie is a genius.

And so I, you know, like, I talk all the time when I direct, I do. You know, when you cast really well, you direct like this. That's all I do. That. If I've cast really well, that's all I do. So Eddie's a master comedian.

So you can't really direct him. You can give him notes and make an adjustment. Hey, you could be a little bit more animated when you do that bit. Hey, I'm gonna be on your face here. So just give me a little bit of, uh, so I said, You know, but you could go a little bit further with the body here.

How many shows did you shoot? Two. At the Paramount Theater. At the Paramount Theater in Madison Square Garden. And so we did the two shows. So anyway, we do the two shows. We're all excited, happy. I put my cut together.

I showed a cut to Keenan. Keenan loves it. We make adjustments. I show it to the studio. The studio loves it. I show it to Eddie. Eddie loves it. Everything is great.

We're going to have a big hit. The studio calls back. got a problem. We got a big problem. We showed it to the ratings board and they've given it an X rating. You're going to have to recut everything. What? And Eddie was like, no, I ain't cutting shit, bullshit. And so then he goes, I ain't cut nothing. And so then the studio's like, look, Eddie, we can't release an X rated film. Eddie, they're willing to work with us, Eddie. They're willing to work with us. And so then we have to have this emergency meeting at Eddie's house. And we have the lawyers from Paramount and the lawyers from the ratings board. And they're all around this long table in

Eddie's house and they've counted every curse word in the film and you know he's got a lawyer there's 72 motherfuckers 52 bitches 13 cunts and various various cocksuckers so let's begin and so are you taking that motherfucker are we taking that motherfucker how many motherfuckers for an are and so we go back and forth we go back and forth and we negotiate and then we finally get line you guys had to negotiate yeah and then Eddie would get upset that Eddie goes like no no no I need that motherfucker I give you two I'll give you two bitches and a hole for that motherfucker And so we go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, and then he goes, we finally have an R. I know, this is good, this is good, this is good.

I think we're almost there. We're almost there. And so they go through the whole thing. What is it like to have it and then suddenly you have to dissect and... Well, you know, I mean, here's the thing. It's part, you know, the film is called Raw and it really was raw. He had, you know, Eddie's a genius, man. He's a genius.

So there was no filter. And it was like, but it was like having a front. to watch pure genius. I mean, he's still that guy. He's still that guy. So it's like watching pure genius. I know this is kind of a ridiculous concept, but did anybody bring up the idea of like a clean version of Raw?

Like, was that even like an option? No. At that point, Eddie was so, no, because at that point, Eddie was so far, you know, he was like, he was a rock star. God, yeah, but I'm saying, the way you can release a song now, that's like a clean version and a,

the people ask me all the things, People ask me all the time, how much did you cut out? And it's like, yeah, we cut out a bunch of stuff, but it was like being a surgeon. Like, okay, take this one out, take that fuck out. Because he did, you know, the Italian guys grabbing their ball. You know, he did, I mean, he was just on some, just, he's a genius. He's a genius. But we couldn't, we couldn't do, it would have just been beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is there a director's cut in your layer? I wish, I wish there could be a director's cut, but, I mean, that was so long. ago and then after we went through cutting cutting cutting cutting you know it would be a nightmare to try to figure it out a win a win a win is a win i don't care what i'm saying yep that's me clifert 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 Clivert Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. 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 IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast.

I'm Ego Wadam. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers, Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. Woo. Woo. Woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day. And I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up-and-coming talent.

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

Yeah. It would not be... Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice

podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits, teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice in so much, correct?

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

I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at Americopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We can go through your entire canon, but we'd be here for 12.

But we got to add the beer. Yeah, I was gonna say you playing Ayo's father. Yeah, man. What is, what is it like? You know, let me say this. Love it. Nah, man, it was so, I was so happy to be. Here's the thing.

It is so well written, so well directed, produced, wonderful talent cast. So, you know, for me, you know, she loves me from the parenthood. She was like, that was my show growing up and blah, blah, blah. And I was like, oh. And so when they reached out, I was like, I'd love And here's the thing. I was watching the show before they even called and said, hey, would you like to be a part of the world? Because it's just so, I just like quality, man.

And it's a quality show. And so I don't know what's going to happen in the next season. But, you know, everybody's, you know, loving it. And I just feel blessed to be a part of it. Yeah, I was going to say. And we got to get her on the show. I saw Bottoms this weekend. And she's like, that's the star's born moment. Band camp thing, too, right? She got a couple things. Yeah, well, she has everything going on doing stuff with Tyler and all that stuff. But, man, I, you know, I know this is going to be one of those things where when you leave, then we're just going to be going back and forth. Right, exactly.

Like, did I exhaust everything? You're still teaching at USC? Professor, yes. Okay, and the class is? I'm directing. Mike, you know, let me say, you know, let me say this. I'm tenured at USC directing. And so let me say this.

I think I'm like probably one of the few professors where I have more students in my class than are registered. Yeah, I was about to find out because you can just go sit in. People come in. People sneak in? Well, you know, students, you know, reach out. They love, you know, here's the thing. You know, it's kind of like, it's like I want everybody to live their dream. And if, and I, my philosophy is that if you want to direct, write, produce, you can do it.

You just got to be willing to go the extra mile. So a lot of the students, I see their hunger like they want it. And then sometimes there's professors that don't know how to reach them or communicate. And the students that I have, you know, and I just feel, I mean, you know, like when you're a kid and you go like, when I grow up, I'm going to be an actor, a writer, director, producer and a professor. Yes. And I'm a little bit. I'm doing all this. You know what I mean? And so so the the students, I love it when they have their breakthroughs. And so my babies, they're all, you know, they're my babies, my cinematic babies. And they're having like one of my students, Christian won the DGA award for a student. And I was like, and I work with that boy. And I was just like, he won. And I was like, he's, and he's really good. He's really good. So, so I just feel, I just feel

Speaking of your babies, we gotta talk about your baby. Oh, Jesus, Sky. Yeah. Yeah, what is it like to see? Her level of comedy is frightening to me. Because what she's, like, she's, when she jumps into those characters, like there's, I know people that can jump in the character,

especially, like, I've been at 30 Rock for like 15 years now. now. And so watching people like the level of improvisation that like if any of those S&L Fallon like anybody in that stratosphere they get into a circle they just start improvising like it's the magic like Harlem Globe Chowers like that sort of thing. Yeah. First of all, all your children like that like they all have special. It's a supernatural level watching her do characters. And you know here's the thing. You know, it's kind of like we are all blessed. And if you walk in your purpose, she's been blessed with a lot of talent.

I mean, and yes, on the show, she's showing you her character, she can go so deep. You know, like sometimes we, I'm blown away. But she's been doing it since she was little, like she was a baby. Like when I used to take them to school, you know, we would play the, we called it the radio game. And I'd be in the car and I'll just change the radio station. and whatever the music is, and we go to the different stations. And so if it's French, she'd be going French back and forth. If it was Southern, so good morning.

You know, we just do characters. British, English, if it sounded like the BBC. So, you know, as a baby, she was doing that. So seeing her on the show, we just have these beautiful moments because I just want her to, like, I, because at one point I was really hard on her, and I said, let me stop. I was like, do you give notes?

Yeah, well, I didn't want to be the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, Joe Jackson of impression. Yeah, baby, do that voice, do that voice again. You better do that damn voice. You better do Dorothy from the Wizard of Eyes. You better learn how to do that, you know. So the thing is that I pulled back and we just have the best because she'll be working on characters and we'll just play.

And it's like, you know, it's like, I got a question for you. Like, as musicians, like for me, like she has a magical thing that she just just, you know, like she just lives in that pocket. When you're looking at musicians and artists, do they have to have a level of magic that maybe somebody doesn't see? Is there magic involved? Here's the thing.

I possess that magic. Yes. And then you got to be careful in how you use it, because one day that magic just wound up being my job. And I didn't realize that, even though I channeled that magic, all that time. I was just, it was so effort, like Steph Curry, like I could phone it in.

Right, right. I could talk to you right now and literally do the same performance I did on record. Like, that's how it is. The one thing I could say like pre-pandemic was I was not in love with music, the way I was in love with it as a kid. Like as a kid, you know, TG's, play games with me.

Like, okay, name all six Commodores in 20 seconds. Okay, Ronald LaPree, Mylon Williams, Walter Arons. Ronald Richie, Thomas McClary. Like, I was that guy. And then, like, when my fan base would suddenly, like, approach me and, you know, they'll be overzealous guy like, yeah, you know, the Japanese B-side that you did and the remix or whatever.

And I'm not saying I was the guy that was easily annoyed. I'm willing to admit now and in hindsight that a lot of my self-deprecation, not deserving it like I had to maybe create a character where it's like maybe I felt so guilty for the the positioning that I'm in that I was willing to psychologically disassociate myself so like okay yeah I'm like I don't care about that shit like oh man all right you know I'll be like okay calm down or thank you just say just say you're a fan and I like I was that person so I actually had to learn how to be vulnerable again in the pandemic because that's the first. first time my adult life that I didn't do anything.

Like I've been on stage since I was five with my dad and then the route started in high school. And then so I had to learn how to be vulnerable again and order to like actually love playing music. And it's a weird thing. Like it was a passion, then became a job, then became a burden. Then it just became, I don't want to do this anymore. It became obligation. Like, all right, they need to pay their rent. So let me, I'll still do this.

But when you have silence on your hands, like we did with the pandemic, one of the things that my coach therapist said was like, you know, where's the mind state you want to get to? And she suggested to me, like, it sounds to me that you are your happiest with music at the age of 11. So I need you to return to that 11-year-old. Ooh. And when you're, like, holding the world on your shoulders, you know, you're dismissing. That's responsibility. Oh, man, I don't got time to, you know, I got lives to, you know, take care of.

But that 11-year-old is why you got that. That's the right, yeah. So I had to allow myself the levity to be an 11-year-old. So now I'm 11-year-old again. Like, I would never be this giddy, 2015, you know. Yeah, Robert Town is going on. No big deal. Rob is well, man, like to your point, you ask him about.

about magic, you know what I'm saying? Is there magic, you know, with musicians? You know what I'm saying? And it absolutely is. And the thing about us, you know, in our craft, that I, in my career, you know, going through it, you know that magic is elusive, you know what I'm saying? Like, magic is, you feel me?

So it's like, if you're working on an album, the thing with our crew, we kind of take is like, all right, if I'm working on a record, you're gonna do some records and you're gonna have one record that's a 10, that is like, yo, we body this shit, fuck you. We clap like, fuck what you talk about, fuck your opinion. We clap this shit up, right?

Right. If you're lucky, you, I mean, if you get two tens on an album, oh my God, but like, you're gonna get that one. So for us, the mentality is kind of, to your point, is like, good is the enemy of great. Yes. We've been so, we're so technically good at what we do. We can just pull up and do whatever and it'll be good. Fuck good.

Good is the minimum. We're trying to get greatness. So if you getting a 10 on one record, you feel me? Yes. If you got a 10, it's like, okay, we know that's magic. We know that was, you know, that was our Moby dick. Okay, we caught him one time. But if we got a 10, we can't have nothing else on this album that's less than an eight.

Because we've shown that we can hit a 10. So you come to here with these six and seven, fuck out of here, bro. Like, that ain't, nah. See, I feel glory glory glory. I feel glory glory, was your return, like, of all your verses on all your again. That's how it was little just thinking. I was like, so therefore, Fonte, what would you recommend to Robert as your your 10 album? What's the one?

No, the listening is, and I know for you, the listening is almost like my things fall apart, like, when people say things fall apart, I've been like, oh man, but I've done other albums that's just great, but I understand, it's just the thing that speaks to the person where they're at at that time. Where they were like. Yeah, yeah. What, not, what are you saying? What was my 10? Yeah, because in my mind, I'm thinking Robert might not really know,

he don't know what your 10 sound like and he should probably know. So I would like to know, yeah. Oh, man, like a, I got 10 for us I would say on the Little Brother side, I think our last album made a little watch. That was our first record in like 10 years. And we just had, I just developed a skill set, you know, as getting older, working in TV, learning the language of like storytelling. Because that's essentially, for me, that's what musicianship is. It's all storytelling.

Yes, sir. And so, you know what I mean? So working in TV, writing songs for TV, writing songs for Sesame Street, doing TV stuff, like that really gave me a whole new skill set in terms of telling stories and that translated to like my MC and the songwriting. So I would say, Maylor, Lord Washington, leave it all behind, which is the record I did with my other group for an exchange, R&B group. We would not bring me all this stuff.

Yes. I'm not saying that's a Lydia. Yes. I would say the perfect gateway drug. He's also being modest and can't be a fan of something he's a part of. but what he represents is kind of like okay so Drake has went on record to say that that's his hero so Fonte came along in a period in which

when the internet and social media and the blog sphere was becoming the standard like for you was pounding on the pavement going to these brick and mortar yes sir houses whatever whereas now you can get a whole career based on this machine he's the first person really take advantage of what this device had to offer in terms of he's made albums with people he's never met yet in other countries. Yeah, the record I did a foreign exchange vibe. My partner, Nicolet, at the time, he was living in the Netherlands and I was in North Carolina and Durham.

And so we were just on AIM. We want Instant Messenger. And we would just send tracks through Instant Messenger. And we completed the whole album. We didn't meet until the album was finished, like in person. And it's not just a record. It's an artistic piece. It's a classic album, so. But yeah, the listening, I mean, I think the thing. Please, please send it to me.

Please. Not, I'll see you, the listening. I'll put it up there, connect our album. I'll sing you stuff. But I say all that to say, man, you really hearing your story, like, I don't think you understand, man, like, you lit a fire. Whether you recognize you were doing it or not, you lit a fire under, like, so many black creators and black artists that were like, yo, we not waiting.

Fuck waiting. We're not waiting on somebody to give us a chance. We're not waiting. We're going to make the shit we want to make. and figure it out how we're going to do it. And I think now, you know, I mean, a Robert Townsend in 2023, you know what I'm saying? A young guy, there's so many tools now

that, you know, you really don't need them to some degree. I mean, unless you're trying to make, you know, fucking something with Iron Man in it, then yeah. But if you're just trying to tell a story that's true to you, if you know how to make it and you got your people, and I really like what you said about how, you know, when Amir was asking about the actors, and it was like, yo, it was my word.

Like, that is the exact same way we run. bro it's like everybody gets paid you're gonna be compensated you're gonna be shown that your value for your time but if you can't if you can't take a person that they were they signature don't me yes sir yes sir you know i mean so it was just you really lit a fire under us man and like watching hollywood shuffle like i showed that to my kids my boys are 22 and 17 like i showed them that movie and they laugh at it you know i mean so you know i mean so um i just you again inspiration i can't is too small of a word, like you were a fucking and are a blueprint for us. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. I don't want to take no way. You gave the final thing. He's an Aquarius. He can't take all these compliments. I accept compliments.

Talk about Robert. Oh, you're an Aquarian too? Of course you are. February 6, what is yours? January 20th. Oh, okay. Yes. Wait, I'm right now making the obligatory phone call

that I have to do whenever we do a classic episode, he's not going to pick up. I'll pick up. He better pick up. Jimmy. Oh, okay, so he's not going to pick up. So, you know, okay, so he's not going to pick up. Whenever we do an exemplary classic episode of Quest Love Supreme, I have to let Jimmy Jam know that he's going down a rink.

He's been- You better stop. It took him six hours. We didn't sit with six hours. Yeah, Jimmy Jam was a six, it was supposed to be 90 minutes. It wanted to be six, three episodes. Jimmy, but then the family stand came and. Family Stan came in and did the most unexpected episode of all time. This, to me, I'm willing to say this is probably the episode I needed.

Nah, we all need it. Jimmy Jam is now in third place. Sorry, sorry, Jimmy Jam. Control is still a great album. Yes, exactly. It wasn't the bold, the black and the beautiful. All right, right. Come on, man.

Hold on one of my favorite seat I have to do for, come on, man. We left you alone think you was gonna lead that Dragan and Drug shit before. We left you long thinking you was gonna come down. Like, Harry Lennox? Like, that's like, bro. I love that scene, man. Thank you. Oh, Hawthor and Jay.

God, just the actors, man. Arthur James. Oh, my God, Big Red, like. Oh, big Red, yeah. No, he saw him doing Shakespeare at the... He got Shakespeare? I could see that. Oh, yeah.

What? He was doing Macbeth, and he was, I think, Nautumash, you know, and I was like, this guy could be a bad guy really good. You know, I mean, he's... No, he's a brilliant. Your eye for talent, man. Like, seriously. Like, we, no, we salute you, bro.

Unpaid Bill, you missed a masterpiece of that. I cannot wait to gloat. Are you still in contact with Anne-Marie? Because we're looking for her to give her some flowers, too. I haven't talked to her, but I can get, you know, because she did. We just, they just released Hollywood Shuffle on the Criterion Collection. Yes, they did. And they did a whole thing with Anne-Marie.

So I can reach out. So, yeah, I can get the, I can get your number. Well, on behalf of Fonticolo, Sugar Steve, Laya, and Unpaid Bill, I'm sorry. Yeah, Robert, that one episode of match, man. Robert, Town is you, ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you very much. We'll see you on the next to go around. I'll go Questlove Supreme. Thank you guys. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for listening to Questlove Supreme. This podcast is hosted by Amir

Questlove Thompson, Laia St. Clair, Fonte Coleman, Sugar Steve, Mandela, and myself, unpaid Bill Sherman. The executive producers are Amir just walked into the goddamn room,

Thompson, Sean G, G, and Brian Calhoun. Produced by Brittany Benjamin, Jake Payne, and Laia Sinclair, edited by Alex Conroy. I know Alex Conroy. Produced for IHeart by Noel Brown and Mike John. Auto engineering by Graham Gibson at IHeart's L.A. Studio.

Thank you very much. What's Love Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. For more podcasts from IHart Radio, visit the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the Fire. 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, 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 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. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed, I will be his last target.

He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe, on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Vodom.

guest, it's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot. But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written

down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat, just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be... Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax. You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Owens, correct? I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to uncover. cover 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.