Cameron Crowe | Club Random with Bill Maher
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LinkedIn, the place to be, to be. He said, I know this character. I grew up with this character. And we said, we'll do it. And he goes, hire me and I'll do it. And we actually hired him. Everybody in the world has an idea for a movie or 10. That's not the hard part. How does it end? I tell you, ain't easy, Cameron. Yeah, heavy lifting.

So sit in the old chair. I love it here. I love it here, too. This is fantastic. It is. But here, sit in your place. Yeah, baby. Places. I'm here. I'm here. Places, people. Places. We're having a big show. No, I love it here, too. This was, I almost tore this place down because it was full of mold and termites and everything bad you could think of. And it was just, there was just a vibe about it.

When I bought it, it was just filled with video games. This room? Or this whole place? Yeah, that's what the former owner had in here. But I've never played a video game in my life. I never even played Pac-Man. Like in college, Pac-Man was what was-- is that what was going on when you were in college? Pac-Man. Did you play? A little bit. I never played-- I never even played pinball. Really? Even though Pinball Wizard-- not that I have to tell you-- --appreciated that.

Don't you? Of course. Pinball Wizard. We love all versions of Pinball Wizard. The Who, best of all. Who else did it? We have Elton John doing Pinball Wizard. Oh, yeah, that's right. That's right. Kind of a... That's quite a tribute when a...

a really super duper successful and great artist covers your song it's really that's kind of the ultimate tip of the cap i would think it's like saying boy i wish i'd written that one true what are some of the other like what's your top 10 like cover

Like this, The Art of McCartney, that album is good. And like Billy Joel does Maybe I'm Amazed. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Have you heard that? What did you think of Billy Joel and the Grammys? Don't get me started on Billy Joel. Let's do it. Let's go there. Because that reawakened. Not that I haven't always loved him.

But, like, I'm actually making... My girl is here this week, and I'm just fucking driving her nuts with, like, how awesome Billy Joel is. And, like, we have to learn about Billy Joel. And so I'm just going to go off, you know, like... I use the old iPod, as I've mentioned many times, because you can curate your songs better. And I know exactly how many songs I like of any artist. And, like, the Beatles have the most, of course, songs.

Billy has 51. Wow. Which is good for my iPod. Yeah. Because I weed my garden carefully. So only the stuff I really, really like. When I put it on shuffle, every song is great, even though it's like Frank Sinatra, then Green Day, and then, you know. But what they have in common is I love them all.

And I swear to God, his 50 one songs, now the one. He had 50, and now he's got a new one. It's pretty good. It is pretty good. Yeah. He's just amazing. And I mean, they are just of such a high quality. I might, I know this is sacrilege, but I might take that 50 over my top Beatle 50. Wow.

I had to be schooled in Billy Joel. But the people that love Billy Joel will teach you. Just the lyrics. I don't think people recognize that. I mean, a lot of pop. He's definitely a better lyricist than the Beatles. They range from downright awful to like, OK, but it's always a pop lyric. I mean, frequently it's gobbledygook.

And early stuff is just primitive. I love me do, I love you too, or whatever the fuck. But Paul Simon and Billy Joel are just on a different level as far as lyricists. They're just much more elegant, thought out, stand as poetry, really clever, you know,

John is a real estate novelist. Real estate novelist is a great-- I mean, not that the Beatles didn't have their moments like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But he's much more consistent. Do you love his characters? Like, he creates characters and scenes, and he does, like-- I think he got that from McCartney. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. McCartney was the ultimate character creator. Desmond has a barrow in the marketplace. You know, like, he always was just making people up. Remember "Another Day," his first single? Love "Another Day." I do, too.

Just a lady, morning she wets her hair. It's just another day. It's just another day. I'm obsessed with this one thing. John Lennon did a whole bunch of interviews, sadly, right before he was killed.

Like he was in the middle of a press junket. I wish I'd been able to interview him. You never did, even when you were the teenage wonder kind? Thanks. Really? That didn't get to John? No, because that was House Husband, period. But I saw him on the streets of New York once with Yoko.

Oh. This wasn't the story I was going to tell you, but he was... They got out of a cab, and another couple took their cab. And I saw this young couple, like, take the cab from John and Yoko, knowing it was John and Yoko. Right. And I... Bill, I think about them, like, fairly often. Like, can you break up if John and Yoko blessed you as a couple, couple to couple? I say...

it would be difficult. They're probably still together. But that's another thing. Or they could have been indifferent to the whole experience. True. I mean, were you close enough to see if they were cavelling? I saw some cavell, for sure. Most people would. There was some cavell. Isn't it amazing that they were taking cabs? Yes, I love that. I mean, that's what they wanted. They wanted a more...

regular life although new york life i mean you know he i love john lennon like i'll cede that to no man and the beatles and toto but and toto that's a pretty good bet um but uh

He was, he had a phony side to him. Like, he pretended to be the working class hero, and the other ones, I'll tell you, he was the one who had a much more middle class life. He was richer, though. He wasn't rich. But they were, like, real poor. Yeah. And he was in this little, he was like in a suburban, right? Yeah. Aunt Mimi, and, you know, I mean, she was strict, but it was not...

He was not the scraping by quite like the other ones were. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And Elvis Costello nailed him in the lyric with The Other Side of Summer. Do you remember that song? I do. Great record. Great record. No? Great. Great. I'm reminiscing. That's what it looks like. There's another lyricist. The first line of that song.

The Sun Struggles Up, Another Beautiful Day. That's a poet. The Sun Struggles Up. Yeah. Most, what, no? No, yeah, I'm with you. Yeah. He was, but he said, wasn't it a millionaire who said, imagine no possessions? Wow. In that song. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's true, because they were filling that Dakota, they kept buying apartments in the Dakota. Lining them up. Yeah.

And filling it with- With a cow farm. Yeah, the cow farm. State and everything. Remember that article in New York Magazine? Right. Yeah. But they filled up, you know, I think when he died and they went through this stuff, it was just like a floor of shit, rocking horses and whatever the fuck was in there. Amazing. You know, but- The thing that I remember he said in one of those last interviews that he did, they asked him about Billy Joel. And he said that he loved Just the Way You Are.

And he said that he knew where Billy Joel lived. I guess it was kind of in the same place or across the river from each other. And Lennon said he would be in a little boat out in the water and he would sing Just the Way You Are as loud as he could, hoping that Billy Joel would hear it.

So I always thought, like, you know, if I ever met Billy Joel, I would say, did you ever hear a wisp of John Lennon singing maybe, or just the way you are, like in the distance somewhere, like you dreamed it, but actually it was him in a boat serenading you. Or I bet he could have gotten his number. Good point. You know, you are John Lennon.

Maybe not as poetic as, you know, the boat serenade. It's funny because the only two big songs of Billy Joel that I do not like are probably his two biggest hits. I'm not a big fan of I Love You Just the Way You Are. And I'm not a big fan of We Started the Fire. Was that it? We Didn't Start the Fire. We Didn't Start the Fire.

I like the lyrics are clever. He was also quite the historian. He was very interested in history. He did that awesome song about Vietnam. Yeah, yeah. He did the one about Leningrad when he went to Russia, and it's really about the Cold War. Allentown is kind of like about recession in America. Allentown is great. You know, it was a lot more than just, bitch better have my money. Totally. Now-

Bill, when you listen to this stuff, does it take you to a sentimental place? Where do you go with the Billy Joel stuff? Oh, it just-- look, I have the luxury of having no musical ability.

I think you have no musical ability. I have no musical ability. Right. So we're free to be fans. To be fans. Just fans. And isn't it freeing? It's so freeing. I don't have a song that I will play for you that I've written. You don't have to deal with that. And I can also be totally honest and just say, I love this and I don't love that. I've just said, I don't love We

We didn't start the fire. It's just not. He's such a brilliant. For me, I love melody. Look, you cannot quantify. There's something in a song. Yes, part of it is lyrics. But I used to have this argument with Clive Davis. And he would say it was like the most important thing. And I would say maybe for women. But for men, it's.

Like, absolutely not. A song can have shit lyrics, like, excuse me, some Beatles songs. Sure. And I still love the song, because I just love the song. Yeah. And then, but he, you know, it's a cornflakes box. It's something that they just put to, you know. Totally. Do you listen to lyrics early, or do you just, like, listen to the groove first? Yeah.

Some people go right to the lyrics. I know that. I'm not that person. Right. They're called women. I'm telling you. I don't think that's our thing because women are, you know, obviously they're very moved. They're more communicative and they're looking for romance because the men in their actual lives are never romantic enough. So the men in their actual life don't say things like, I love you just the way you are. So when Billy Joel sings it.

He gets the most beautiful supermodel in the world. That's true. That's true. You know. Because you can play a song for somebody and just, you know, for your girlfriend or whoever and just be like, isn't this a great song? God, I feel so good listening to it. You know, I have no idea what it's about. She's like, oh.

You don't know what it's about? He doesn't want to have children. She does. They split up. In the third verse, they get a house together, and it's already over, and it's a terrible, tragic song. I'm like, I'll get there in a couple of years with what the words are.

But you're right. You're right. Well, half the time, I don't even know what the words are. Yeah, totally. Because I know today you can always get the words. I think it's part of the app, right? When you stream? Yes. Okay, but I don't... Your song lyric video accompanies. Right. I don't want that. If I'm really interested, I can look it up in two seconds on Google.

But there are songs I've been listening to for 50 years, and I still really don't know what the lyrics are. Pearl Jam songs. All-- well, you know, that's right. Are you aware of the Pearl Jam lyrics that Eddie worked so hard on? It's really interesting you would ask me this. I'm curious. Because Eddie Vedder and I became friends from our Hawaiian vacations. He's always there at the same time. And if you get into a gift war with Eddie Vedder, you will lose.

So because he's such a generous, sweet person. So sweet. He gave me something that was amazing. And then, of course, I'm in a gift war. And OK, one year. How do you come back? You know what I did? Tell me. I got all his lyrics of everything he's ever written and printed them out like as if it was a coffee table book and made that because I don't think he has that.

That's funny. Did you have photos in it? No, no. It was just your body. Here's your as a poetry book because nobody had done that yet. Killer. Yeah. What did he do? He beat it like the next year. Yeah. He got this. There used to be this show called Celebrity Box. It was a claymation thing where the celebrities would box each other. Remember that? Vaguely. It was, I think, on MTV or Comedy Central. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Celebrity fight-off. Yeah. And they did me once. I was one of the celebrities. I know they would fight you with somebody. Guess who they thought you should be fighting? And he got the claymation fight.

that they used. No. Yes, he did. That takes work. Oh, I know. I'm telling you, you don't want to get in a gift war. He doesn't have a team looking for it. I sense it's a personal quest. Eddie Vedder is just the ultimate human. I want to hear you. And artist. I mean, yes. But yeah, you're right. It was great to print out his lyrics because he is hard to understand. But I mean, so is Mick Jagger.

For sure. I still don't know the lyrics to "Hunky Tongue Woman." And he's okay with that. And I'm okay with it. And everybody's okay with it. I feel like I'd be disappointed. Yes, I mean-- Because they're also not genius lyricists, the Rolling Stones. Yeah, I mean, and he knows he can drop whole, you know, sentences and stuff. It's like, at a certain point, "Under My Thumb" became like, "Thumb, girl!" You know? You mean when he sings it in the concert? Yeah, yeah, it's just like, the words aren't essential anymore, Bill. Do they still sing that song?

I think they've pulled that chestnut out from time to time. I'd be very surprised. It is one of the most misogynistic... I love the song, and I could give a shit what it's about. Yeah. And I understand it was... Well, we don't know because we're not lyrics guys, so it's like... Well, but those... I know those... It's hard to escape the lyrics of that song. Oh, yeah. But I think they still...

I hope they do. I like a good Ruby Tuesday. Ruby, oh, Stones, they're, I mean, they have probably the same amount, 40, 50 songs in my iPod. And they're fantastic also. I mean, you can't always get what you want. I mean, they're all, their playlist that they do in their concert and a few others. I mean, they did an album with Don Wah's.

about 20 years ago. - For sure. - A couple of really good tracks on it. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - The new one is, there's a couple, you know, it's like, none of it is bad. You just want to kind of smudge like 12 pretty good songs into like just two awesome ones. You know what I mean? - I know. Which they've done before. Double back singles in the day. - No, I mean they-- - "Broody Tuesday" was a B-side, I think. - Is that right? - That's the power of the double A-side single.

What was the ultimate Beatle double A side single? Isn't it like Paperback Rider and Rain or something amazing like that? Yeah, but I don't think that would be the ultimate. I think the ultimate would be Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields. I'm with you. Because those were two, two iconics. I mean, even for them, that's in their iconic list. Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields. It's so great. Penny Lane's amazing. I've opined my theory to now a few publications that's been out there.

I used to just say it to friends, and somehow it got out, and I'm not afraid to talk about it, but I had a theory that they broke up because

To them, singles were everything. That's their era. Not that they didn't make amazing albums, but the singles didn't go on the albums. I got you, yeah. The Hey Jude album was a collection of those singles. It was an amazing album. That's only the American record company taking... The American record company put out different versions. Yeah, yeah. Until about Revolver, and then they... I think Rubber Soul, Revolver, I think that's when they demanded, no, you've got to put out the same album we put out in England, which was 14 songs and not the singles. Yeah.

I mean, Sergeant Pepper was supposed to begin with those two songs, Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields. That was the concept is our childhood. And then they forgot that and they just had a bunch of other really great songs. But-- You're a Beatles guy. That's cool. You're not? No, of course I am. But you're Deep Tissue Beatles, which--

Well, I'm talking to you. But I'm just saying, I hail you for digging into the B-sides. Well, I hail you. The first sequences of Sgt. Pepper and stuff like that. It's a world to disappear into, the Beatles...

The World of the Beatles. Let me ask you, how do you feel about the Sam Mendes four Beatles films, one on each of the members? Let's talk about that. Let's vet that. I just read it. I know what you're talking about. I don't quite get it yet. I mean, each Beatle has their own movie made about them.

I assume the other three have to be in it. I guess they cross paths. Is it a Rochamond thing where it's just first we see the same scene, but now it's from George's point of view, and then we see it from Ringo's point of view? What if they all saw the same thing? Hey, this Elvis has got him an asshole tonight. You know, I think they all have. He did all the movies, all four movies. Well, I mean, one of the reasons why they did so well is that certainly in the early days, they were tight.

They were tight, you know. I don't think they had a lot of different opinions. Then later they did.

Yeah, of course. So I don't know. I don't know. Does he direct them all? Who writes them? Like, what's the deal? If we could sit through and love, as I did and I bet you did, the eight hours of basically the let it be outtakes that Peter Jackson put together, I'm sure we'll like this too. That's right. You know, the Beatles are like, I mean, the way they can keep mining out of them. I know. They're like the...

when the Saudi Arabians, like, when they hit that one oil field that, like, in the 50s, and it's still going. Yeah, totally. They have an oil field there that's really big, hence their reputation for an oil-producing nation. So here's my question. So when the singles era, and actually, let's just say when the song, intensive song era of music started to slip into more of, like,

records as opposed to songs, I would say over the last 20 plus years, did you lose interest in music and that kind of music? Or do you like that there's less emphasis on lyrics now? It's more just vibe, right? I will answer that in one second, but I just remembered why I was telling you about Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields, my theory about why they broke up.

They prized singles, and John Lennon kept losing that race. Like, Hey Jude beat out Revolution. That's another two-sided, like, Revolution, Strawberry Fields, and you can't get the A side. Yeah, yeah. And that happened, Hello, Goodbye, Paperback Rider, and Rain. Rain is a great song, but it's the B side. And I think...

That bugged him. That's a wild concept. It feels right. But it feels right. Because he was that guy. And also, we're all competitive in this business. And we, I mean, they were competitive in a very positive way. But you also just don't want to flat out lose. Yeah. And at a certain point, I mean, Paul McCartney,

is more prolific. I don't think like his best are better than John Lennon's best. Yeah. I mean, you know, Day in the Life and Revolution and I Am the Walrus. And I mean, he's got tons of great ones. Yeah. But he was lazier by his own admission. Yeah. He would sit on the couch, he would say, and Paul would call up and say, we got to do this. And he'd be like, and Paul was like, oh, you know, the principal comes around and makes us work. Yeah, yeah. But he said, you know, honestly, I wouldn't have done it otherwise.

He didn't want to lose when they got in the studio. "Oh, you have more songs on the album than I do, and they're better." -So... -It's a great theory. Yeah. I mean, I don't know. And I don't think you could get a straight answer out of Paul McCartney about it, but, you know, who knows? You know, to that theory that John in the bedroom with a guitar was probably his most comfortable place,

Elliot Mintz put together, after John died, like all of these private homemade tapes. I don't know if you ever heard it. He had a radio show called The Lost Lennon Tapes. I remember Elliot. Wasn't he like their confidant? He was their confidant and publicist. Publicist, right. And Bill, he had like all of Lennon's work tapes and just stuff that he made, like shit that he was doing just with a tape recorder with a cassette player going in the bed and like Sean is crying across the room. And he's just like...

talking about stuff, and he hears Gotta Serve Somebody from Dylan, and he kind of plays Gotta Serve Somebody, and it's fascinating. It is that guy in his pulled-back-and-retired mode. But you're right, he's following pop music, and he's following all the hits of the time. And by the way, just before he died, came back with one of his greatest, and again, such a super, just a pop hit.

starting over. Yeah. Starting over. Watching the wheels. Watching the wheels. Great. Yeah, that's another great one. But starting over is just, you know, if you're like just a regular fan, just a young man in the 22nd row, that's the kind of record I love. And I mean, I certainly know people who hate music like that. It's just...

But it's not us. It's like, fuck you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You don't like music like that. Fine. No, I'm kidding. But, you know, there are people. And, like, enjoy your Miles Davis and your Acoustic Dylan or whatever. And I will enjoy popular music. I got you. Because, again, we're just the fan. There's new bands that I think you would love. I think there's new stuff. I listen to new stuff. Okay, good. Oh, yeah. Good, because I know...

I know you have expertise in the era we're talking about. Name some new bands that you like or artists. I think My Morning Jacket is a great band. Yeah, I have-- what's one of their big ones?

I don't have a lot of their stuff, but something crossed my transom about a year or two ago, and I love it. It's very, the vibe in this, immediate. Yeah. And I think it's long. It's like eight minutes. I can't remember the name. Golden, maybe? No, it's like a bit longer title than that. I don't know, but...

Okay, so get more of them. And that's a band, in another time, that band is huge, you know? I just think, like, live, they're explosive, they're amazing. It's amazing the way bands, which is what we grew up in, are so just out of vogue right now. I know. A band? Yeah. That's just, all the big stars are female singers. I mean, singles mostly. I mean, that's...

You could just name-- keep naming from Taylor Swift and Beyonce on to Rihanna and all the-- it just goes on and on. Those are the stars. That's what sells now. Women actually are buying more electric guitars than men now, which is kind of fantastic. And by the way, the kids who think that Taylor Swift invented the breakup song and the "I Will Get Back at You" song really have to listen to Carly Simon, "You're So Vain."

Because nobody ever did it quite with the velvet shiv that she did. Velvet shiv is correct. On your Sylvain. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Supposedly about Warren Beatty. Warren Beatty, yeah. With Mick Jagger singing on it. Yes. That's an awesome move.

it's like a ballsy carly it's so distinctive when that voice is dealing you her cards and they're that you know oh but you know it's amazing again it's a great record great lyric i mean also poetic lyrics there your your your scarf was apricot you what's there's another there's a word in there that's crazy like uh yes i know what you're talking about yeah it's like you're yeah

Your dance, yeah, whatever. I didn't hear it for 20 years. I didn't hear it because I don't listen to lyrics. Well, she's a scion of the publishing house, is she not? She is. So the literary got into her blood. That's true. You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht. You are strategically...

Something behind one. One. Yeah. Hats, whatever. Let's bring her out. Carly Simon, ladies and gentlemen. It's amazing. We've heard it a thousand times. And some things just, yeah. You probably think this song is about you. That's the lyric. And then, yeah. Her first single, that's the way I always. You had one eye in the mirror. One eye in the mirror is great. As you watched yourself gavotte. Gavotte. That's it. Thank you. That's it. That's. But then when you're where you should be all the time and when you're not.

You're with some underworld spy or the wife of a close friend. No, it's a shiv. There's no doubt about it. Taylor has got to study that. That's a shiv. That's high-end shiv work. And her first single is fantastic. That's the way I always heard it should be. Remember that? Now, there's one who's got like...

a dozen in my iPod. But again, they're all fantastic. Yes. I've gone through many Carly Simon song crushes, you know, where you just get a song where you just... For sure. You got to play it every day for two weeks. You just get a crush. Completely. Do you like interviewing musicians? Oh, sure. I mean, like here? Yeah. Oh, I mean, I'll, you know.

Those of us who are not musicians, it's always going to be a little fantastical for us. It's sort of like they are a little demigod because they just walk through this world. I mean, one of the things that just amazes me about the whole rock experience is that so many of them will say or have a story or a life pattern. And if I had to put the ending to it in three words, it's,

Drugs beat sex. Yeah. And I feel like if I had been a rock star and, you know, women were throwing themselves like... It was just...

think I would have like kept with that and not the drugs. Like so many of them have these stories where like, oh my God, you're living this amazing life. And then the drugs got to be way more important than the sex and ruined the sex. They were too sick and drunk and uncooked to even have sex. So why? But drugs beat sex usually. Yeah. I hope I would have been able to

do better. I think you would have been more strategic. What a noble wish. It is a noble wish. But see, you had it on your mind. You wouldn't have fallen into that trap. But you know what I'm talking about? So many of them. And very often, pedestrian drugs like drunk

Really? You're a drunk? Yeah. You get to the pinnacle so you can be a drunk and get away with it for a while? Wow. What is it? Is it imposter syndrome or something? It's like because there's so many bands that have one hit and then like a guy goes into a 7-Eleven and shoots someone and the band's over and it was only one hit. It's like that's how they celebrate. Yeah.

It's like, let's go loot, you know, Pink Dot. It's like, it's crazy. So there must be at least one person in the band that, like, hates themselves. And the success just... Oh, they all hate each other. Yeah. That's another thing. Right. I've talked about that with many of them. And then there's one guy in the band that's an archivist that kind of keeps the stuff.

And there's that guy. That guy must have been good for you. Yeah, we like that guy. Yeah, because you're an archivist. I am that guy. Yeah, you are that guy. I can't play.

But I am that guy. Right. You are an artist. And you're a little bit that guy because you saved all the stuff in this little enclave. This was your stash of stuff. The Supremes? From a poster? That was in an album? Bill, I had that in my room. These were the first women that I had on my wall. It was from the Supremes Greatest Hits album. It was like a fold-out poster, and I had it in my wall. And I remember my sister came into the room one day and was like,

You're into women now. Nice. So you had that very thing? Bill, I walked in and I saw it and it was just like, wow. Really? Yeah, that's what it is. Yeah, because we're around the same age. We bought albums. There were posters and albums. Finding the right clothing for the occasion can be a bigger pain in the ass than figuring out what to put over that same ass.

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I had a script I was working on and I thought like, forgive me. I thought like the perfect person to play. Sorry about my phone. I had like a really cool 60 ish character. This kind of like a,

like a Californian, you know, like post-socialite woman who was part of the California culture. Anyway, so I thought Raquel Welch would be the perfect person to play this part. And she died. This is just a script I was working on because I thought like there was more for Raquel Welch.

I thought there was an Anne Margaret carnal knowledge moment for her that she never quite got. There could have been. If somebody had cast her. I was thinking of chasing that. She was in The Last of Sheila in 1974, one of the great, amazing movies that's unsung because it invented a whole type of mystery shooting of a film that's used in everything. But...

Yeah, she could have. But so you're working on a screenplay now? Are you always working on something? Yeah, for sure. You're always writing a screenplay? Yeah, for sure. Well, you have a very impressive shelf, you know, I must say. My friend Salman Rushdie, he says, you know, I'm just glad that I have a shelf. You know, like he's got, in other words, he's got

and a whole shelf of books like he's you know when you get to a certain age you want and you know you have a very great shelf with all your the movies that you know the big the jerry maguire i look at it that way it's like a shell i'm working i've worked on a shelf yeah you've got you're got a good shelf i had a couple more slots there on the shelf i'm just like i'm into like lining up well i know you wrote the screenplay to fast times at ridgemont high

Yeah, your buddy Sean Penn's Tour de Force. Oh, right. Oh, of course. Yeah, man, he walked right into it. It was... I always thought... Is that the way you wrote that character? Or did he change it? Yeah, no, because he was based on a guy from San Diego who was like one of those young beachcomber guys. Bacoli. Yeah, his...

His real name is very close to Spicoli. It was really kind of a portrait of this guy. And actually, the last time I saw him, he was shirtless, the real guy. And he was walking down the street looking for a party. He had like a wings-- apropos of our conversation-- he had a wings necklace on somehow.

And he was shirtless, and I was talking with a friend of mine. The McCartney band? The band. And he had like cutoffs and stuff. And the guy I was hanging with said like, you know, Jeff's going to come looking for a party. And the guy walks up, and he's like, I'm looking for some Jack, and there's some at a party. Right? Right? And it's like, that's the last time. So.

I heard from him, and that was what Spicoli was based on. You taught Sean to say it like that? Sean-- Sean-- Bill Sean had it, had the character. And what was amazing was he didn't really audition. He had auditioned for the casting guy quietly, but when he came in to meet all of us, he had this attitude that was, like, so confident. And he hadn't even had a movie come out yet, and he said,

I know this character. I grew up with this character. I lived in Malibu. I know exactly what this guy's like. To this day, he's a big surfer. Yeah. He's a surfer, dude. And we said, we'll do it. And he goes, hire me and I'll do it. And we actually hired him. Really? And my thing was every day I would try and get him. He would only be called Jeff. He was in character the whole time. We would go out for pizza afterwards.

And I would try and coax him to say the line, "You dick." Because to me, if the guy didn't nail the line, "You dick," we're sunk. - Mr. Hand. - And so-- with Mr. Hand. And so, like, the day-- the countdown to the day where he-- he was killing it and everything, but we hadn't really heard him, like, unfurl and do it. He did it perfect. And we were all lined up by the camera, and he walked in, and Ray Walston, you know,

and he had done his stuff, and Sean rolls in, and he was just like, "You dick!" And we looked at each other like, "Jackpot!" Not only does he know how to do it, he's way inside of it. And, you know, he stole all our hearts. - Yeah. - Our stony hearts. And then the countries.

No, it was iconic. He was amazing, and it was based on a guy he knew. Right. But he walked in with the checkerboard vans and everything. I mean, they should have given him the company because I think because of Sean and the checkerboard vans, they got to resell the company for a billion or something. That's the scene where he walks out. But he walked right into it. With the smoke coming out of the vans. Fantastic. And he has that thing like Mr. Hand.

You know, is there someone like me every year? And that's when you see the genius of Sean because he's giving you the emotion underneath the joke. And you're like, oh my God, I care about this guy.

He's fantastic. I'm glad you guys are buds. Yeah. Another Hawaii dude. You have your Hawaiian pals. Yeah. We don't do it anymore, but it was 12 years. It was really, yeah, I would have loved to go with you. It would be fun. And Eddie in Hawaii is a magical thing. You've got your shelf. I've got my shelf to work on. I want to say something about you. Not to jump in. Not to jump in, but I want to say something about you.

We got to hang a little bit at a basketball game. Oh, yeah. And here's what I loved. I was kind of walking behind you as you were leaving. You're a man of the people.

It is like everywhere you look, it's like, Bill, Bill, hey, man, Bill, Bill. And you have a moment with all of them. You look at them and you see you have a moment with all of them. And it's like, Bill, Bill. And even the guy that came up and goes, Bill Murray, I love you. You're like, I love you. Close enough. I love you. Close enough. But I really loved how you have that kind of grassroots-y thing at the basketball game where they were just like,

Other people were there and they were like not noticing the other people. No, I love them because it's not, you know, it's not... And you were great with them. Yeah, but it's not like nine out of ten people in the crowd. It's like one out of ten or two is going to do that or something. But that's still a lot of people. A passionate one. And they're passionate, right. And we sort of like, I feel like we...

We're just on the same wavelength the way we see things, and we really think people who don't see things the way we do are kind of nuts. And maybe we're right, and maybe we're not. Maybe we're sometimes right. But yeah, no, that's a lovely thing. It's a lovely...

where I don't really have to worry about the kind of things. Who wants that kind of like they're parked outside your house, paparazzi life? Not me. And I don't have that. But you have, you know, it's nice to be appreciated for

Like you say, the man in the street, man, woman, whatever in the street, as long as they're in the street. And they're in the street. But I think that's like a valuable thing when somebody goes out on a limb a little bit and says like, Bill, and you're not like, yeah. You're like, hey, you've seen that. I feel like such a schmuck.

And I remember it takes guts. It does for everyone. I never did it. I saw people when I was younger and I was just too shy and like, oh, no. What if they actually start turn around and start talking to me? I don't want to deal with that. That's it. You know. So for every person who does it, there's a few who probably are. No, I would like to. But I mean, I definitely was shy like that. And I agree.

I would have been mortified. I was at the Yankee game once when I was very young. Maybe the first time my father took me to. We walked down. We weren't sitting down by the field, but we walked down before the game, batting practice. And Mickey Mantle was standing there like he was like 10 feet away from me. And I screamed, hey, Mickey, at the top of my lungs. And he turned around. And I was just like so scared at that moment.

And he turned around and just gave you a kind of a... He just turned around. He heard his name, like, screamed. And it's like, yeah, he's a human. But the fact that he turned around, it's like a moment you get to own, right? I'm just saying it scarred me for life. Mickey Mantle made me... You touched him. Yeah. Just say it. Yeah, I touched his eardrum. You did. And then he made me pee my pants. I mean, I may almost have literally... I'm sure I turned beet red, because that's what would happen at that age when...

- But you had a moment with the Mick, that's amazing. - That was my moment with the Mick. - The first time I ever got asked for an autograph, it was like, I thought it was a joke. And I had put out the movie Singles, and there were these really cool college kids in this Mexican restaurant that came up, and the guy was like-- - What was that, 91? - 91, way to go. - I'm very good with movies. - You are. - Jerry Maguire, 96. - 96.

Almost Famous, 2003. Damn. Good. Richmond High was 82 or 83. 83. 83. Because that's the year I moved out here and the soundtrack was my... You're good. My go-to make-out record. Wow.

Really? It was right after the Eagles broke up. So Don Henley. Love Rules. Love Rules. What a great unsung song. Unsung song. Also great lyrics. Great lyrics. Eagles could do it. Like Desperado, some great poetic lyrics. They should get a check in. Song power. The songs are great. I love that you've... Yeah, that was 83. Yes, my friend. Right. Okay. Then what else?

Jerry Maguire, I said that one. Oh, Say Anything was 91. No, no, no, no. 90. I can see in your eyes. You know you're close. 90. 89. 89. Close. I remember Ioni Sky. I remember that name. Thanks, man. I certainly remember. Oh, that was, I've watched that many, many times. Well, that's iconic with the holding up the boom box.

John Cusack, amazing. My theory, if he only had played the right record, he could have gotten her to come down. You'd be amazed at where that came from. I really liked this Billy Idol song for one day, and it was "To Be a Lover." So in the script, it was "To Be a Lover" by Billy Idol, and it really didn't work. And no song worked in that spot except for "In Your Eyes."

which we got super lucky because he-- he-- it was a very personal song for him, and he didn't want to give it to anybody. And a lot of people had told Peter Gabriel, like, you got to talk to this guy, and they really want to use your song. And so, like, I got up super early one morning, and he was in Germany, and--

I'd sent him a VHS tape of the movie, and there was this frail kind of voice that was Peter Gabriel on the phone, and I was really nervous. And he was like, "I can't give you the song." And I was like, "Oh, man." He goes, "It's a very personal song for me, and I can't-- I just can't do it. But thank you for sharing your film with me." And I was just, like, crushed. And as I was putting the phone down,

I just had like a teenage moment and I pulled the phone back up and he was still on the line and I go, "But why?" And he goes, "Well, because

When he takes the shot, it didn't quite work for me. And I'm like, takes the shot? And he goes, this is the John Belushi movie, isn't it? And I go, no. And he goes, oh, is it the high school movie? And I go, yes. And he goes, oh, I'm going to watch that tonight. I'm like, oh, thank God. Watch it. And he watched it and said yes, which was shocking and amazing and incredible. Yeah, it's a big compliment.

But it was a close call. I must admit, that is one rocker who sort of eluded me. Now, maybe I should say. Maybe. You're a big fan. I'm a big fan. I think he's got great stuff. It's Peter Gabriel's solo is a mother road, but that is Genesis. Okay. Because I must tell you, I never got into Genesis, wait, at the time. I love that you're confessing. I am confessing. I must tell you. I must.

I never was into them when they were huge. Yeah, nor I. Nor I. Or you weren't either? No. Okay. But I was aware that they were a big band. Right. But I literally couldn't name one song. And I thought, well, yeah, it's not really accurate to say I don't like Genesis. I just don't know Genesis. Yeah. And for some instinctive reason, I feel it is instinctive, because I can't remember any rational reason why I would have avoided them.

But so like this is one thing I love about the old iPod. You can, you know, or I guess I could have got it on streaming, but I just want to hear it the way I want to hear it. And then if I like something, keep it and get rid of the rest of it. So I downloaded like their greatest 35, I think it was quite a large selection, maybe even 40 or 50 songs. Body of work. Body of work. And I was like, okay, I'm going to listen to this.

Three times, you know, because you don't always like something-- True. Yeah. Still nothing.

Okay, all right. But that's just me, and I know that's terrible. I don't think you have to go back to that well. I think it's over. The reason why I don't feel bad about saying it is because this band and Mr. Gabriel need my fandom like a hole in the head. They're huge. They have thousands of devotees, and you just can't get mad at someone for not liking them. People do this all the time with each other. Listen to this, and then it's like, yeah, it's okay. What? You don't like it?

No, there's no reason why I do or I don't. I just do, and you just don't. You can't get mad at people for not liking your song. You can't. Or your band or whatever. Or if they give you the light compliment. It's cute. Right. No, it's meaningful. No, I mean, again. Changed my life. Something I like about the iPod, I can see how many songs I have, and it is a certain...

clarity to that of who's the best and I think Genesis didn't make it. I think they got the goose egg. I do. They may, I don't know. Phil Collins solo ever? Then I did it with Rush. Okay. How'd that go? Well, they have one in the maybe playlist. Okay. Which one? I wouldn't say they actually, you know, did that well. Which one? Yeah.

I don't remember. I do not remember. But they're in there. They got one. Well. You popped one in there. They're not out. OK. They're not quite in. But they're willing to. You know what? I've got to let the fields lie fallow, get it out of my head, and

And like in six months or a year, I'll play it. Or it'll come up in shuffle, which is what I really want when I'm not expecting it. And if I go like, oh, yeah, that's good. I mean, look, it's never going to be my top 500 greatest because if it was, it would already be in there by now. But, you know.

I got like 4,200 songs that I've cultivated from the late 60s when I think we must have both started. What was your first year listening to music? Oh, you're a precocious. No, probably the same as you, like 67, 68, something like that. You were like, what, how old, 13? Yeah, 12, 11, something like that. Yeah, I mean, for me it was 68. The Sgt. Pepper album had been out,

But when it came out, I was not interested in music. It was still Little League. Then like a year later, it was in the house and I played it. Then I liked it. And I think that was the beginning of it. But '68, I started to write down the survey.

From WABC radio. So I was listening to the radio. You're a music guy. Come on. Yes. Absolutely. This is fantastic. I still have those, too. I have the survey. The survey is fantastic. I've liked from September 1968. I think, like, heard it through the grapevine. Yeah. Would have been number one. I think Love Child. Your Supremes. Love Child was moving up the charts. Hell, Love Child was doing. Hey Jude had been amazing.

Or maybe that was number one at the time. I don't know. And then, of course, there was the fill it out with things by the association. Of course. Of course. The classics four. Windy. You know, Windy will pass through. Gary Puckett and the Union. Gary Puckett and the Union Gap. Had a great year in 68. Yes. Woman, woman. Young girl, woman, woman. Young girl, which I sang in my last special to make the point that

Yeah, they just didn't care back then. -They didn't. -The way-- You could not get away with singing "Young Girl." -"Get Out of My Mind." -"You're Way Too Young." -"My Love for You" is way out of line. -Way out of line. -He knew. See, he knew. -I am-- -He did. -But I am contemplating it. -But I am-- And I am here and making you the subject of my hit. So I have a suggestion for you. Have you listened to the John Mayer channel on Sirius? -No. -But I like John. -It's great. -I like John. It's great. He has his own channel, Channel 14.

And, uh, it's, it's what it is. It's like records. No, no. It's like he, he peppers it a little bit with his own stuff, but mostly he is Mr. Anti algorithm. He is like, he is like, I'm here to play you songs that you may never hear because of the way radio and streaming is now. And, um, and I love these songs personally and I've picked them out personally. And he's, he's,

He is a great DJ. Good. I'm not surprised. Club Random is brought to you by the audio marketing gurus at Radioactive Media. Being part Irish myself, I love the month of March, the month that represents new life and the luck of the Irish and the endless March madness pools. You know what would be true madness? Letting your business be reliant on luck.

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This podcast is brought to you by Max. Hey, that's my network. Larry David is back for one last round. Oh, don't miss the final season of the iconic HBO original series, Curb Your Enthusiasm, streaming now on Max. And it is funnier than ever. I can attest to that. I've seen every minute. And if you want to learn more about the show, join Susie Essman and Jeff Garlin as they host the History of Curb Your Enthusiasm podcast. This is Curb Your Enthusiasm.

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Hey, I'm coming back to the scene of the crime where I did my last special, the Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami on March 23rd. Miami, always love it. Come out and see me. And then the next night on the 24th, I'll be in Clearwater, Florida. Ruth Eckerd Hall, love that building. April 20th at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts here in San Jose, California. And April 21st at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, Utah. Come out and see it. You will laugh your ass off. The thing that...

the AI can't do, or they don't want to do maybe, is if you say to, if you're on Spotify or Pandora or whatever, and you say, you create a station based on a song. Yeah. It'll play stuff from around that era. My playlists, I want that, I want the same feel, but I can do it across decades. But I have to do it. Exactly. And I love doing that. I love putting together playlists that have, you know, something from...

you know, 1968. And then something that, I mean, I could play a weekend cut right after that. And that sounds like it could have been made back then. He, his, his big hits, his good hits. Absolutely. Right. I mean, but nobody, you have to do it yourself. Basically you have to do it yourself, you know, but it's kind of fun. It is fun. It's of course, fandom, which is, which is a mini thing. And also an appreciation. It's, you know, it's, uh,

Look, we're not in the game. We're the cheerleaders. But if we're enjoying ourselves, so what? And then they'd also cheer what we do. Musicians also sometimes really want to be comics, and they would love to be directors and be a big mocker in movies like you. That's certainly more than a few times.

A rock star, Prince, remember, trying to be a movie star? Yeah. Under the cherry tree? One for two.

i thought purple rain was great people under the chair right purple rain but purple rain's the origin story the the this is my life story so that's the easy one okay that's the give me you're gonna give him that that's good i got you it's the coming of age thing i should ask you this but under the cherry moon i have to ask you this because yes you're the perfect one

We've got to talk about Tarantino. You write your movies. Wait a second. You write your movies. You direct them. So my thing, I always say this to the movie makers, it's all about the ending. Everybody in the world has an idea for a movie or 10. That's not the hard part. How does it end? How do you get that ending that's just, you know, your movies have been very successful because you do that.

Every once in a while, we stick the ending.

But it's hard. You're absolutely right. Look, honestly, I didn't know what Vanilla Sky was about that one. I'm just not smart enough. But I love the Hawaiian one. Thank you. Aloha. Aloha. Is that what? Yeah, the last scene. And great. You know, like, it's a love triangle that, like, how does this work out? You're just, and then it's like, exact. And when it happens, it's like, what's the phrase? You know, it's...

destined and yet unpredictable. It would not, could not be. That's the goal always. Yeah. And it's like, of course she's with him for that. That makes sense. And he, and I can't know. You never know. It was not. Yeah. You know, you send them off, off, off and they really, and you follow and then it's, and then that's a good ending.

Sometimes the endings are super hard. My favorite ending is the Say Anything ending, which is like Cusack and Ione Skye just kind of waiting for the ding that happens when the turbulence ends on the plane flight, and then the ding happens on Black. And that was kind of a mistake, because I was reading it out loud to just get a sense of what it was. And it actually went on, and he said more, and the plane didn't land, but there was...

There was an attempt at an ending, and I was reading it out loud, and I got to, like, they're staring at the ding, you know, button. They're waiting for the sound, and I could feel like, I can end it here. And I go, and that's the end. And it was like, that's a great ending! And I'm like...

just don't use what I had written. So it's like-- which is kind of an editing room ending because you have it, but you just lop it off and that's the ending. Editing is everything. Editing is super-- is super everything. And casting and also, um...

spirit, the spirit that you bring to making the movie. When you interviewed Quentin, like his full spirit just like populates his movies. Wes Anderson's spirit populates his movies. By the way, both of those dudes are like titans of music in their movies. Yeah, you can tell with Quentin Tarantino. I mean, he's always...

Putting in he pisses me off feels like he Wrote the movie around the song I know he pisses me off because he'll take I have like some things in my back pocket that I'm like holding on to one of them was the delphonic song Didn't I blow your mind this time? Yes, and I'm watching Jackie Brown. I'm like this fucking guy is just bad

spanking me with Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time. It's like, there is not a chance anyone in the world will ever be able to use this song again. No. He so owns it. Yeah. And you've got to love that. I got a name in Django Unchained. Like, cool, I thought I'd put a fucking Jim Croce song on that scene. It's like, yeah, baby. He likes what he likes. He's great. I'm not afraid. I have a...

I have some cues in the next thing that I'm anxious to put up in front of Quentin, just to see like, "What do you think of that?"

A couple back pocket songs that I just want to like... Oh. Stuff that you wouldn't expect in a place that you wouldn't expect. But don't you want to save it for your movie? Yes, this would be... I would have made the movie already. Oh, I see. And let him see it. Oh, I see. I would not give it away up front. And he... I just... I like knowing that there's guys like Edgar Wright, Wes Anderson, and Quentin who are so good at music in their movies that like there's a part of me that is...

that wants to get them to go, ooh, the way they've done it to me. So it's super fun when people really crush it. I have many stories about calling musicians because I had to get this music for this documentary I did, Religious, which was like 2008 it came out.

So some people were very cooperative. Some people crazy. Narls Barkley told me that. Stevie Wonder did not want to be associated with a religion-bashing movie. He's tough, Stevie Wonder. Superstition was not going to be in this movie, even though it would have been perfect. I tried to get the purpose of a man is to love a woman. What was the Wayne Fontana and the Mindbender? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

The Game of Love or the story. The Game of Love. Something like, yeah. He wouldn't sell it to me. Really? Wayne Fontana? No, that's what I. Living on a cot in Covina? He's not going to sell you that? More than you know, exactly. But Pete Townshend.

Yes. Gave me The Seeker. Not gave me, sold me. I mean, that's, I think, something that stops people from putting some music in movies. These people can charge a lot of money. True. The Seeker, so great. Perfect for this movie. It's about religion. Townsend, there's another guy who can write a song. I don't know if you're a Who guy, but his lyrics are fantastic. Very much. Yeah. Yeah.

He's the best. Joni Mitchell as well. These are like some of the best interviews in rock. Like Pete Townshend is a spokesman for rock and music. He's incredible. Sometimes he writes rock journalism and he's the best.

Really? Yeah, because he does it and gets it and worships it too. Yeah. I mean, the amount of pleasure, so funny the way in life, like some things you can pay a lot of money for and they give you like this much. But, you know, like a song, say, you know, you bought it first on an album, for a lifetime of pleasure. You know, I've been listening to Tommy Quadrifreni for their hits, you know,

the one where they're pissing on the... Who's next? Who's next? I mean, there's just like albums that are like top to bottom. Every song is good, which is a hard thing to hit. And they hit that a few times. They do. Yeah. Quadrophenia, the movie. Did you have an opinion about that? I think I was watching it in the bathtub. Right. It's a bathtub movie for you. I love the tears. Yeah.

what's it about it's about like the mods and the rockers yeah but that's great it's it is i'll give it another shot it's worthy oh one of your tears t-i-e-r-s um i did not tell you this story of of i was going to tell you i so i got asked by for an autograph after singles and i thought it was a joke and so i said no

And I just thought the guy was making fun of me or something. So I was like, no, that's okay. It's okay. And I saw him go back to his buddies and say, like, you know, that guy's bullshit or whatever. And, like, they looked at me like, really? You're that guy? Oh. And I kind of, at that moment, I was like, I don't care if they're joking or not. Right. Or if there's somebody else that they wanted to get an autograph from, but they're stuck with me, I'll sign it. Because...

That is that moment, the courageous moment usually that you just mentioned, that's huge. And here's a story that kind of goes with that. We grew up in Palm Springs and there was a costume, like a Western costume. You grew up in Palm Springs? Yeah.

And my mom goes in there. Ugh. And she's, well, you know. It's like a million degrees. It's a million degrees. And you'll never meet somebody born in Palm Springs except me. Everybody else is passing through. I was born there.

But my mom goes into this place. Sinatra lived there. Sinatra, even Elvis. Honeymoon's there, baby. Bing Crosby. I mean, everybody loved it. Hope. Dinah Shore. Yeah. Come on. So my mom goes into this Western costume place, and she's just like looking around or whatever. And she is very much into metaphysics and health foods and all that stuff. About head of the curve.

And she looks over and realizes that, like, all the women in this store are staring at the guy that's just walked in, Steve McQueen. Not the director Steve McQueen, the star Steve McQueen. Of course. And so Steve McQueen is in this place. And my mom, you know, fearlessly goes right up to him and says...

What was the name of the horse that you rode in your movie, Junior Bonner? Junior Bonner. And my mom, little does she know that she's going to him after the Great Escape and all of his huge movies have come out. But no, she's going to him about Junior Bonner, which is a little horse movie or something. I remember the title. I never saw Junior Bonner. I don't think I ever saw it either, but...

But Steve McQueen is like-- Look how Welch had been in it, I would have seen. I'm with you. Steve McQueen goes like, you know, flicker. She goes, I love that horse. He goes, I love that horse. And they get into a 20-minute conversation about-- he was probably high as shit, right, because he smoked. But he spent like 20 minutes talking with my mom about health foods and the horse and all this stuff. And she came home and told us about it.

And I swear to you, we feel like Steve McQueen is part of our family. All because he spent 20 minutes with my mom. And that river runs through my family. So, like, we're fucking talking about it now. Steve McQueen was a very charismatic actor. Apparently so. She said his eyes were, like, fucking electric. Yeah, no, I'm sure. I mean, he was one of those. He got that chip. But, you know. But you were that guy walking out of the basketball game. And they're like, Bill, Bill.

Bill, Bill, Bill. You're like, you are. You're that guy. Well, Steve McQueen and I have a slightly different profile. And Steve McQueen. With the eyes, man. But Steve McQueen got a brain tumor. I know. And fucking died young. Well, not super young, but like a lot younger than I am now. Young. So maybe it's not so great to be the pretty boy. Ha ha.

No, I love Steve McQueen. I just want to make that clear. And the director, just to be completely safe. Interesting take. Yes. Okay, Quentin Tarantino. Yeah. I love all his movies. I felt like he absolutely topped himself with the last one, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It's my all-time favorite Tarantino movie. I'm with you.

Steve McQueen is portrayed in it. Not well. Oh, I thought very well. Really? I got to go revisit. It was the one part of the movie where I was like, yeah, Damien.

Damien's the devil in The Omen. That's right. No, his name is Damien Lewis? Harris? Winter? Lewis, it's Lewis. You're right, it's Lewis. I feel terrible. He's a great actor. He's a great actor. He was also in Homeland, which I love. He was great in Homeland. He's great in everything. Now he's in Billions. We love him so much. Okay, I love him. I love him in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. And I just thought he did Steve McQueen there. God, I've got to look at that again. You've got to. For some reason, I thought...

That and Mama Cass was a little bit of an almost thing. But I could be wrong. I could be wrong about that. I love that movie so much. Yeah, I do too. I don't remember the Mama Cass so much. But yeah, check out that scene. I think Barbie Benton might be in that scene also. I think Barbie Benton. Not that our life revolves around Barbie Benton, certainly, anymore. Not anymore, but for a while. So you found her very cute, huh? I did. Yeah.

I did. And like wholesome kind of though, you don't know what wholesome is that you're that age. It's like, she's not right. Threatening to me. She's like this sweet person who's beautiful and,

She's nice to the old man. You know, it's kind of... I don't know. It's... Yeah. They arrive... You know, your hormones arrive when they arrive, I guess. But she was... And Raquel Welch. They were, like, galvanizing. Also, I must say, and I really believe this, so good to have an innocent childhood. Like, yeah, maybe it's lame in some ways to people, but...

I would not give any amount of money to give up the innocence I had of, you know, my school had, like, none of the problems kids have today. Yeah. No racial problems because it was an all-white school. I'm not saying that's a good thing, but that is what I was born into. Yeah. No divorce. Yeah, yeah. No crime. You know, it was...

Oddly, I wasn't that happy as a child, but it was still idyllic compared to real problems people have. I just didn't like the...

Being a child bugged me. You're powerless. You're smaller. It was not for a control freak to be a child, just to begin with. But my parents were together. It was Leave it to Beaver. Was that the way it was in Palm Springs? Kind of. Kind of. I mean, you say Leave it to Beaver. Eddie Haskell was my favorite character. And Eddie Haskell was like...

A rogue guy, the kind of which I didn't have much at school like you. I had a very similar thing. No, I mean, what a bad kid was, was, I don't know, he put gum under the seat or something. We really had an innocent... Are you happy you grew up in the time that you grew up in? Well, that's what I'm saying. I mean, I feel like... You would choose that again, right?

Uh, yes, I would. I really think I would. I mean... Because you get to see it all if you're born in that time. I'm just saying childhood should be a time when you're... First of all, schools actually worked back then. Yeah. Unlike today where they don't teach, they don't know anything. It's true. Their kids can be very smart, but they generally don't know anything. You can leave a high school and know nothing. There's no, like...

Like serious curriculum. It's like whatever they fucking want to start teaching None of the traditional things are like sort of absolutely necessary whereas when I went no you had to take history and you had to take English you know to pass and Biology and all these things and I just think that and then the kids don't go and they don't care and they're on their phones And the teachers are checked out because it's a horrible thing that teachers get literally get beat up in schools I mean, it's it's insane so

Am I glad I didn't live through that? Yes. I'm with you. My mom was a teacher, and she was a hero. I mean, she was a hero, a heroine to her students. I mean, they would hang out at my house to get more time with her, and she would counsel them and help them. Yeah, I would come home sometimes. How did that make you feel? Kind of like she was... I'm not sure if I was going back in my mind. I would really be...

digging, sharing my mother with the neighborhood kids. That would seem-- Well, it was also like older kids, because she taught in college. So it was the older crowd, the kind of cool older people that would be like hanging out in our living room talking about the movement and stuff. And that seemed really cool.

What's the movement? Vietnam, you know. Oh. All of that stuff. And I got – my sister got me into a local underground paper and that's how I started reviewing records because everybody was so interested in politics. Nobody wanted to review the records. Oh. They had to review to get record company ads for their little underground paper. So I was like –

I'll review that Carole King record. You know, if I get to keep it, I'll review that Who record. They should put you in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. What? You know what? I'm going to start this. I don't play anything. No, but they put people in Hall of Fames. There's broadcasters who are in the Baseball Hall of Fame. That's true. Writers like Red Smith. Vin. No, you should be in the... Because...

contribution to music. Thanks. I'm a fan like you. I love what I love. I know, but you did something with it. I did some things, but I also had a lot of help. I had a lot of musicians. But what do you think of the concept? Should there even be a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? I feel like... I don't know. I'm not sure. I mean, it's sort of antithetical to the spirit of rock and roll. And also, if a bunch of musicians want to get together with each other and blow smoke up each other's ass, there's already a place they can do that. Rehab! Rehab!

"Hello!" That's funny. That's funny. But yeah, I just feel like the idea of taking rock and roll, which is about rebellion and, you know... I'm with you. You can't quite fit the two things together. You can't put it in a tux. When you do, you kill one. I agree, you shouldn't put it in a tux. You shouldn't do all that stuff. Right, you put it in a tux is a great way to say it. Yes. It's weird. But the fact that it's a given,

makes you kind of root for the people that aren't in the club now. So, like, I'm super jazzed that Peter Frampton is up as a nominee this year. Like, say what you will about Hall of Fame. But, like, I love that Peter Frampton... Yeah, he had some good ones. Peter Frampton deserves it. You know what they should do? They should do, like, they've tried to do Woodstock. I was at Woodstock 25. How was that? I was covering it as the correspondent for Jay Leno's Tonight Show.

in 1994. It was fun. We helicoptered in. It was awesome. I was like 37 and like, you know, I just started Politically Incorrect and I was doing this thing for Leno. Yeah, it was great. It was a lot of fun. But what was I asking you right before that? It was very important to me.

a woodstock oh yeah they should do a woodstock so then they yeah they then they tried to do woodstock 99 right that was a disaster have you seen the documentary on it no but i want to oh you have to i will like tonight okay because it's just ugly wow it's everything that the original one was not commercials commercialism

very misogynistic. Like the big bands at the time were like Limp Bizkit. Oh, wow. And so it was just a very bad male energy. Yeah. It's a great documentary. I'll check it out. Yeah. Ouch. So they should do, but now the people who went to Woodstock are really old. They should do like a ballroom Woodstock.

Where they have a mud pit. That hurts. What? It hurts. Yeah, I know, but you have to live with the age of the people who are your fans. I'm with you. I am with you. They can't really go to Woodstock again. I grew up with you. Literally, you grow up with me. I got it. I think it's great. I think it's great. Ballroom, I like it. No, people can't ever like...

uh recognize when something is a one-off you know like that was a oh that's so true it was such a you know leave it alone serendipity kind of a thing they didn't expect it to be an open concert of course it was just overrun right yeah and the bands and the mud and just the moments and i tell you one joni mitchell song i do like is what's up yeah but she didn't do it

Her boyfriend did it. Wasn't it Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young? She did it. She did it on her album, for sure. She wrote it while they were playing the festival. She didn't get to go. The fighter planes turning into butterflies. I'm telling you. Bitch better have my money. You've got to listen to her version. Her version is pretty compelling. I'll watch Woodstock, the disaster documentary.

You'll check out the earlier Woodstock by Joni. I love that you're such a music guy. It's fantastic. Yeah. You feel it. Yeah. I mean, I can't imagine a life without it. Although, if I had to, would it be worth killing myself if there was never any music? No. But I would miss it horribly. Yeah. I mean, very hard to dance. Very hard to dance.

And I do make dance playlists also. You know, you got to dance. You want to hear my top dance play? Please. Okay. I Love You Like a Love Song Baby by Selena Gomez. There you go. Do you know that song? Look at that. Do you know that song? I'm not obsessed with it, but I could be. You will be. Okay. I Touch Myself by The Vinyls, 1990. A good call. Yeah.

Good call. You're killing me. I love that record. I touch myself. Yeah.

when I Australian band right I don't know what the divinals were one hit wonder okay to my knowledge that's all you needed them for you need to know the back exactly I need the Wikipedia I've got other problems and I can't yeah I can't as far as it goes I'm so sorry another dance on back to life back to life that was kind of a great groove song

No, I can't answer that. Okay. No. Okay, so this is going to surprise you. Sugar Pie Honey Bunch by Kid Rock. Haven't heard it. Awesome. Okay. I hate to say it, but even better than the original, for the dancing purposes. Okay, and you're going to give that to Kid Rock? Okay. Music is music. And I like him. I know exactly who he is, and you know what? He's so honest.

And... There for the party. Yeah, yeah. You know what? We don't all have to agree on everything. You know what? That's... I got you. I sympathize with the anti-snob crusade. But you will behold like a singer-songwriter song in 2024, right? Behold? Like you'll appreciate. You might sneak a singer's song. Behold. You can sneak one of those songs onto your iPod, right? Yeah.

What do you mean? Like Maggie Rogers is a great artist. I don't know her. She's amazing. She's a great songwriter. Text me the name. I will. I'm always looking for a new talent. I will text you a little buzzy thing about Maggie Rogers. I am always looking for a new talent.

And young talent. I'm always looking for young talent. Wait, wait. Don't take that out of context. Duly noted here at Club Random in the VIP lounge. No. I'm all about charity and giving to humanity, especially young people. I want to touch young people. Wait, again. Wait a minute. Don't take that out of context. It's going to look terrible. I'm going to go play some pool. Work this out. Ha, ha, ha.

Did you just exit and leave me here alone? No, no, no. Come on. I could stay all night. Speaking of endings. Thank you. This is great, Bill. Thanks, man. That was exactly as great as I thought you'd be. We talked some music. We did that. I'm telling you. I'm telling you. My Mad Magazine covers?

Mike Tirico here with some of the 2024 Team USA athletes. What's your message for the team of tomorrow? To young athletes, never forget why you started doing it in the first place. You have to pursue something that you're passionate about. Win, lose, or draw, I'm always going to be the one having a smile on my face. Finding joy in why you do it keeps you doing it.

Be authentic, be you, and have fun. Joy is powering Team USA during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Comcast is proud to be bringing that inspiration home for the team of tomorrow.