Transcript of "Alicia Keys"

Hey, guys. So I go back home tomorrow to Los Angeles. I've been in New York for quite some time. I've really missed my dog Ricky. I haven't seen him in. Sorry. In a while.

Sorry.

Sorry. And I'm really excited.

Sorry. Really excited to see.

Really excited to see him.

Does it not sound like I'm crying?

Crying?

Should it sound like I'm crying more? Welcome to new Smart list.

Smart.

Less.

Smart less. Smart Less.

What is that, like peanut butter toast?

Rice Krispies treat.

So dessert.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

It's 15 minutes shy of 10am and you're eating dessert?

Well, it's my breakfast, really.

Okay. I mean, Rice Krispies are a breakfast cereal, but when they're baked with marshmallows, I guess it kind of takes away.

And chase it with some cow pus.

That's what I.

So walk me through just a little bit. Walk me through this morning. Cause you've been out of town for a minute and you came home and there was a fresh pan of Rice Krispie treats.

Oh, my God. Yeah, there was actually.

Did you make it?

No, I didn't make it. Somebody else made it. Yeah, and. But it.

Was it a request or did they. Did you say, hey, when I get home, I want a full pan of Rice Krispies treats ready? No.

There is a person that I know that knows what I like.

And when you say no, do you mean to say paid?

Maybe just a little bit.

Is this a good friend who just does it out of the goodness of their heart?

Yeah.

Do you doctor up Rice Krispies? Some people like to drop M&M's in there.

Oh, Ms. Would be great. No, this is. This is done regular. It's like breakfast, though.

It's just the breakfast for the marshmallows. Will mentioned a really good point.

There's no difference between this and this. Like this and a milk.

Except for the melted down marshmallows into a glue situation.

Yeah, a little bit.

All right.

Yeah. Well, we got through that.

Will, should we start the recast process? I don't know how much longer we're going to have Sean with us.

You know, what a wonderful ride home we had together, what wonderful time spent we had in New York together.

We did have a nice time in New York. We got so far. We got to see our friend Robert's play, which was amazing.

Yeah. McNeil.

It's called McNeil. Go see it at Lincoln Center.

He was so. Robert was so good. Robert Downey was so good in that play.

Yeah.

How cool was that to go There and see him do that. Just excel and be.

It was. It was. It was a lot of work. It was very admirable to see. Oh, anything on stage is just nuts, Sean. You should try you really. Somewhere. I'm showing people what you can do.

I think you might eat some Rice Krispies if I go on.

If your Colin lasts long enough to book some sort of a Broadway gig.

Has anybody ever done a Broadway show wearing a diaper? Do you know? Hey, Sean, you know, I will say one of the things I enjoyed about going that night was before and afterwards with a very sort of New York theater crowd, seeing how many people you know in the community.

Wow.

Yeah, it was really fun to see.

Yeah, it was. It's good to see all those people. It's just like, you know, just like this coast. Everybody knows everybody, you know.

Yeah.

I really want so badly to do that, to do something on stage. Will you?

Well, you better be careful, because somebody's going to hear that.

No, I'm screaming it. I just don't know when the. The time would be. The best time, the right time with the kids really carved out stuff that I'm working on, and it's a full.

I almost, as you know, I almost pulled the trigger this fall to do something.

But you've done a bunch in the past, right?

Yeah, but not on. But not on Broadway.

Broadway, but some New York theater.

Yeah, yeah, but I mean, goddamn is million goddamn years ago. But I really was like. I was. You know what, Sean? I was inspired by you and how great you were.

Oh, you're very sweet.

And it's true. And I thought, God, that really looks like a lot of fun. And seeing Robert do it looks like a lot of fun, but I. And so it's.

You have no life. You literally go from the apartment to your theater to the theater.

But that's part of the thing that appeals to me, too, is like, you know, New York City is one of my favorite places in the whole world. I've always wanted to live there, but I worry that if I just picked up and moved there, I would be like, whoa, okay, what do I do all day? You know, because as an. As an actor or a director or whatever, you know, before you're working, you're not doing anything, right?

You have to.

And doing. Doing a play would give me rehearsals all day. And then once the rehearsals are done, now I've got something to do at night, and then filling a day is, you know, And I think a lot.

Of the day, Sean, it feels like a lot of the day, and correct me if I'm wrong, is taking care of your health.

Yeah. Is PT Physical therapy? Because you're like, what do you mean? I got it. But it's. It's the repetitive motions day after day, every single day of, like, repetitive motions. That's right.

And the plate from off the plate. Piece of mouth off the plate in demise.

Christopher Shoulders. In Robert's play, if you remember, there's this one moment where the guy playing his son pushes him on the couch, and the first thing I thought of was, oh, my God, his leg must be killing, because his leg hits the arm of the. Of the couch, and then he falls on the couch. Falling on the couch isn't horrible because you get cushion. But when his leg hits the couch, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, twice on Thursday, Friday, and then twice on Saturday, you have to go get that, like, pt. A physical therapy. Like, figure out how to. Or wear, like, a. Do you think he's wearing a pad pad or something? Yeah.

The people with incredibly admirable true labor situations in the world are. They want to come through the microphone and blow your brains out.

I know.

Oh, is he banging his leg on a couch once a night? They're like these fucking clowns.

No, man.

These guys building buildings or fighting wars.

I know. Totally. I get it. I'm just. In our little, you know, privileged world.

How many of our listeners do you think are. How many of our listeners are operating a jackhammer while they're listening to us, do you think? I don't know.

By the way, I got home from New York to, you know, to our house here in la, and I forgot that I stopped using a sheet under the. Under the bed.

The comforter.

Yeah, under the comforter. And it's great.

Like.

Yeah.

Yeah. So I have. You guys. Do you guys still sleep with a sheet and then a duvet?

No, because.

Yeah. I can't do. It Gets in your legs and you get tired.

I go one better. I go one better. Amanda and I have two separate duvets.

Yeah.

So that there's no midnight. Midnight fighting over the duvet.

Oh, that's.

I can. I can cocoon myself. She can cocoon her. You can knock on the door and go and enter her cocoon if you're. If. You know, if it's a special day. That's how.

That's how the kids were made.

Yeah.

You asked to enter her cocoon.

Knock, knock, cocoon, enter.

You're very traditional that way.

Permission to board? Well, it's. Permission to board is the language she prefers. And then flutter in like a butterfly.

Permission to board. I'm sorry, you're. You're in the back tonight.

Wow. Wow, that's really cool. I stole that trick from you, jb, with the separate duvets. And very, very works, right? Yeah.

Oh, God.

But don't you agree that the sheet of sheet you get tangled up in?

I don't get it.

Yeah.

I don't get that. All right, here we go.

All right, it's. It's not the classiest transition into our classy guest, but it's gonna have to do. Gang, what is an impressive number of Grammys to win? Okay, Sean, you go first.

Any more than one, Will?

Yeah, I would. I would say one is very impressive. One is amazing. It never happened. But two, like more than one, right?

It wasn't a fluke.

No, no, correct. Exactly.

Well, three would definitely. Would definitely go higher. I feel like you're going to go higher. But like, what about. What would eight do for you? Well, that would be impressive.

That's a bounty, right?

If you doubled that, it would be. It'd be outrageous. Right? So that's what she's gone and done. She's won 16 Grammy awards. She's also a best selling author, New York Times list. She's a producer of film and television and Broadway. She's an entrepreneur, a force in the world of activism. She has sold over million records and has had over 5 billion streams. What we can talk about her music, her skincare line, her art collection, or her new Broadway hit which has received 13 Tony nominations. I've seen it. It's incredible. Please welcome the one and only Alicia Keys.

Oh my gosh.

That was good vibe.

This is amazing.

It's a very impressive intro.

Amazing.

I didn't embellish any of it.

Wow.

Hi.

Oh my God. It's so nice to meet you.

I'm so happy to see you.

Jason texted me or emailed me like a couple months ago. I don't know, three or four months. He's like, you're the Broadway king or queen.

No, I think I said queen.

Tell me what show to see. And I told him to see your show.

Yes. You told him to see Hell's Kitchen.

Oh my God. Was it good? My goodness. I went with my 17 year old daughter and we lost our mind.

That's the vibe right there.

So damn good. Remind me, I apologize, I should know this. The actor that plays you or the version of you, she was just stunning.

She's amazing. Her name is Malia Joy Moon. She's.

Yes, she's incredible.

She's turned 22. Like, she's. This is her very first kind of foray into this world. And she's the protagonist of Hell's Kitchen named Allie. So it's awesome.

What is that? Like, what is that? I mean, the most obvious dumb answer opener.

Yeah.

I mean, dumb question, sorry, is what is that? Like, to have gone through that process, to go, wow, this phenomenal talent is singing my songs and, like, playing a version of me. Ish. Kind of. But what was that like? That must be crazy, right?

So Hell's Kitchen is definitely. It's not autobiographical, but it is based on my experiences growing up in New York.

Right.

And so finding that power, that girl, that young woman who's on the precipice of kind of, you know, finding who she is and rebelling against all the people that wanna confine her and keep her safe in a box and all those things. And especially based in New York in the 90s, it definitely required a certain energy. And that was actually really tricky to find. Cause, you know, you can't act certain things, you know?

Yeah, she had. She did have, like, this intangible sort of swagger and comfort in her skin and this pres. That was just magnetic from the very start, you know, and she just took you the whole way through it, as did the rest of the cast. It was.

Yeah, it's gonna be hard to find that person. I mean. Yeah.

You know, it definitely. You know, we workshopped. We developed this piece for 13 years, so. Wow. It definitely took quite a long time. But I think that the coolest part is really, you know, when you do find those spirits and that energy. Same with the mom who plays Jersey, Shoshana Bean, who is just like. She's exploding your brain. You can't even. So it's thrilling.

I would imagine that maybe at the beginning, 13 years ago, you might humbly say that you're not young enough to play that part right now, but I would disagree with you. But certainly 13 years ago, it must have been a conversation at some point that you might play that part. Maybe.

You know, I really. I didn't plan to play the part. I mean, maybe there was conversations at times, or maybe it would be like, we could do some fun, limited moment of it or something. But I realized that it really is so. It's so cool to be able to just come to the theater, watch the show. You know what I mean? Like, I have to deliver.

It's a lot less work to watch it than to be in it.

Am I remembering Correctly. That you. That you did perform with them at the Tonys.

I did, I did. I did. You know, just. Can just harvest the New York energy for them.

That must have been exciting to like, to be on stage with them and do some of that stuff.

Yeah, and that was my first. That was my first Tonys ever, you know, so that was a unique experience. Super cool.

That's great.

Have you done. If you. Have you done a musical or a play or anything? As an actor?

As an actor, I have not. As a producer, I did a play called Stick Fly, which was one of the most written by Lydia Diamond. It was one of the most, like, unique, incredible pieces about a family, a black family in Martha's Vineyard. And it was, like, stunning. It was really, really unique. That was one of the first ones, and. But this would be my first musical.

Do you have any desire, like what we were talking about earlier, to go on stage and do a play, either as an actor or a dancer, singer in a musical?

You know, I have to say that I have the utmost respect for these artists. I think that artists and musicals are by far the most talented. You have to be a triple threat at all times. You have to deliver every single part of it. I don't know if I would have that stamina and that capacity.

Yeah, you seem kind of limited in what you can do in this life.

No, for you.

For knowing your ceiling.

No, but I was just talking about, like, we were talking about it before you came on, Alicia. The stamina of it. You hit it, which is the stamina of it. Not just going and being amazing, performing and singing and doing all that, but doing it night after night. It's mind blowing.

Yeah, but you do it, Alicia, when you go on tour.

You do it on tour.

Yeah, it's kind of like a.

It's totally like tour, for sure. And tour is. Tour is hard. Tour is not eight nights a week, eight shows a week, or nine shows a week. It's not. You know, I'm. I'm probably doing five shows a week maximum still. And. But I definitely. And I think that's what, as the lead producer of the show, and also just. I think me having that experience is definitely different for them because they know that I do understand the rigor and the power and the energy it takes to harness, to bring that together. So they definitely feel like understood by me, and I totally understand it, so. But it's incredible watching them work and. So, yes. Could I do it? Yes, I could do it, but I actually haven't. I haven't done it yet.

Right. Well, maybe you and I will do a two hander.

Right.

I'll find something we can.

This is great. This is. We're making. Yeah, we're making this today.

We're going to do it together. All right. So, Alicia, So now speaking of that of Hell's Kitchen is the part you say it's loosely based on your upbringing or inspired by. Tell me about the early part of that story with the influence of the mentor and the piano playing. How did all that. How did you find the piano? Is that true to story there? Well, how did take me through that start of the musical sort of fascination for you? Music fascination, Sorry.

Okay. Just music fascination for me separate of the musical.

Correct, Correct.

Okay.

How'd you start playing music?

Right, how did I start. Thank you for a direct question.

Yeah, I do tend to flower.

How'd you do music first?

Well, I guess I started playing. I started playing piano around six or seven years old.

Were people playing piano at home? Like, were your mom and dad super.

Into it or, you know, they weren't. I was raised by my mother. She was definitely an artist, but not necessarily a musician. My grandmother, her mother did play piano. So I do remember when we would. She would come watch me when my mother would have to go out of town for work or whatever and she would play the piano or if we visited her and they grew up in. In Toledo, Ohio. So if we went to Ohio to visit grandma, she definitely would play piano. So she was, she was a person who played piano in my life. But the obsession with piano was felt kind of natural. It just. I was drawn to it in this very natural way. I would pass the steinway store on 57th street and I would just nose to the windows.

Oh, really? I love that story too. And I don't even play piano, and I've always been fascinated with that story.

Yeah, I love it too.

But did you sit down? So you started taking lessons? You were. How old did you say you were? Like you were little?

Seven. Six. Seven.

So did you sit down and were you like. Yeah, I. I get this. Like, they're like, this is this. And you're like, yeah, I kind of got this.

It was definitely not as. Learning an instrument is not natural. It's. It's difficult, you know, it's not. And especially as a young person and you're kind of trying to find your focus and how do you, like, put it all together and the ambidextrous, you know, using both hands at the same time, two different things. I remember When I first started playing Bach, who's one of my favorite composers, Bach, I just. I love the way, like, the right hand will take it and then the left hand will grab it. But your left hand, I'm a right. I'm righty. So my left hand is not as strong as my right hand. So the practice that it would take to kind of be able to find the fluidity was really, really hard. So I definitely didn't remember being just like, oh, poof, I can play.

Right, right, right. But how about the Bach, like, impromptus and the fugues, where, like, you're saying, like, you have to. All cylinders have to be firing with the left. But the right is trained. It's easier to play the right because the right always plays the melody, and the left is the foundation, the bass. So there's very few composers that write as intricately as Bach for the left hand. So it's kind of screws with your mind. That's why I look at a drummer and I'm like, okay, I thought playing piano was hard. Drummer. You gotta have all limbs going all the time. Like, I don't understand that.

And independent of one another, independent, there's a drummer.

I don't want to just sidebar. There's this drummer, I swear to God. He's a Spanish drummer, and his name is, like, Estapio or something. He's made his name for himself. He's become quite big on Instagram, this guy.

Oh, I know this guy.

Do you know that guy?

Yes, yes.

He's the most incredible drummer. Alicia, you can't believe this guy. What he can do. It's.

Send me one of those, because I love drumming.

Oh, I will be a drummer. And there are people out there who have Instagram accounts that are almost based solely on watching him play on his Instagram account. And then they just spend their drummers who are going like, what the hell is he doing?

How did he do this? And how did he do this?

And he's like, no, it's really easy, everybody. And he does this. And then all of a sudden, the left leg. And then he's got. And he's got like a triple bass pedal sometimes going at the same time. Like, it's not. Anyway. But so you learn. So you're learning that stuff. Like you're. And it. And then. But there's a moment where what. It just, like, it just hits you. Like, how.

When did the crossover from classical, like, when we were kids, we all kind of took those classical piano lessons, right? That's true. I Stayed on that path for many, many years. And you went, wait a minute, what's this? This isn't classical. This is much cooler.

I think that. Well, at first, I started to really discover. I discovered jazz and, like, unique. I really discovered stride piano, and that was actually really cool for me.

Scott Joplin, what's that stride?

It's like bong bonga ba da ba ba ba da da da da da.

Da da da da.

And so the way you play is like, it's a lot of jumping, striding, and you're doing. So it's a whole nother way.

It almost sounds like boogie woogie, like a little. You know what I mean?

It's the beginnings of it, for sure. Cause it was like the 20s and, you know, and so it's really. And I remember my piano teacher used to make me play it blindfolded, and she was really trying to make sure that I could get out of, like, trying to look and just try to find. And it was terrifying. I was like, I can't. How can I?

Like Luke Skywalker, right?

How can I. And she was big on. She was big on, like, never apologize. Oh, I'm sorry. I messed up. Don't apologize. Do not apologize.

And if I made a mistake, she's like, I would go back. She's like, never go back. Just keep going forward. Right? Don't acknowledge the.

The mistake. Just go. And I think that taught me a lot. I think that taught me a lot to just, like, just keep rolling. Just keep trying to find your way through.

Great life lesson.

Didn't always work, but just try to keep going.

Yeah, we'll be right back.

And back to the show.

So you end up going, what, through high school, did you go to, like, a performance arts type school?

I did. I went to a performing arts junior high school, like, seven, eight. And then all the way through high school, professional performing arts school. It was like a small version of the Fame School. So that was cool.

Nice.

But there it was more music. It was more vocal, singing, arranging. And that's where I met my teacher, Ms. Aziza, who actually, the character of Ms. Liza Jane in Hell's Kitchen is based, is inspired by Ms. Aziza, that teacher, and my grandmother. Kind of a mixture of the two of them. And I met her there, and she was a big influence just on kind of like arranging and singing and harmonizing and creating and producing and as a woman. And also when I put my eyes on Nina Simone, she was a woman that truly, like, just blew my mind. I was like, oh, she's great. Oh, this is crazy. And that was the mixture of classical and R and B and soul and blues. And that's where I started realizing, oh, you can merge and fuse these sounds. And then hip hop inspiration for me, just on the streets of New York, so it all kind of came together.

It's such an exciting.

We hope it works out for you.

Thank you.

Is that. Is that woman. Is that woman that was your mentor there at the performing arts school? She's still with us.

Yes. And believe it or not, she plays piano for the Miss Liza Jane character in Hell's Kitchen.

Like, oh, my God. No way.

For real.

It's amazing.

Insane. It's so.

Because that was gonna be my question, like, did she get to see any of your success? So she's still here with us and is a part of it.

It's a blessing.

How rewarding is that?

Very, very. I mean, when that was. When that was a conversation. And you know how on Broadway, it's like quite. Like all industries, it's quite institutionalized, and there's like, kind of a way that things go with the thing and you hire the people that are always hired in the thing, and you do the thing that's always done in the thing. And so it was really a big. Really a big part of it. And I think everything is evolving now to really start to break through those traditions that are now ready to evolve. And so to really bring people into the mix that maybe aren't normally in. It really creates just another energy. And I think you feel it.

It is an interesting medium. Right. Talking more about theater and Broadway specifically. The backbone of it is supported by the FOL that have been going there for years and years and years, the subscription audience. And I'll bet that it's a very complicated and disciplined process to try to transition that with somewhat conservative audience into the more modern takes on art and what qualifies as entertainment nowadays and all this sort of atypical stuff. It's really a lot of interesting things going on there right now.

Well, I would imagine. But what do you think? I wonder if a lot of those people also. What percentage of them, when you do sign up for that, when that's your thing, you're kind of saying to a group of artists or a group saying, take me on a journey. Like, open my mind to new stuff. I'm here. I want to see what is new. It's a little bit of both. Do you know what I mean?

Probably, yeah. You hope.

I think people want a great story, and I think that what happens is when you're able to deliver a story, if it's a song, if it's a play, if it's a musical, if it's theater, if it's a film, if it's a piece of art, like, if you're able to create this emotional connection, I do think that if you do it in a slightly different way, but they can follow the emotional arc of it, then people are open. I think that. I think that that's at the heart of a lot of things. Even with a great song, you might completely create a new genre, but when you have that song that you know you can sing and you feel it emotionally, it really doesn't actually matter ultimately. So I think there's something that people are looking for that connects to them.

Jason's a real storyteller. I think he was about to say that.

Can I ask you about that, then? Because this is a little off topic, but, like, speaking of drums, I always listen to, like, just the drums in a song. Most people listen to the lyrics. I've tried to listen to the lyrics and train myself to be that kind of music, enjoy music in that way, but so often I can't hear what they're saying. And so to go to your point about if it's, you know, you're telling a story through lyrics and through a song, do you ever battle with that when you're recording and it just sounds better to kind of not enunciate a line, but then do you battle yourself going, yeah, but if they miss that line, they kind of miss a part of the story. Do you ever have that struggle as a.

As a singer? That's a good point. I mean, there's definitely lines that just because of the emotion of it or the way that you want to deliver it, it might not be as clear as ever. And definitely that's more even now. Like, there is like, this. This. This. This way of delivering that. Ne not necessarily clear, but as the song writer, because I am the songwriter, I do feel connected to wanting to the. Wanting the lyrics to connect to each other. You know, I want to clear so.

That people can kind of follow Jason. You used to always think that song was, I want to know who Doug is. Right. You always think that.

That always happens.

I will. I will be honest. The last time, one of the last times I looked up lyrics because I was a part of a song I just couldn't understand and now feel like an idiot that I didn't was concrete jungle where dreams are made of. I was just like, O. Oh, yeah.

No, no, no. People have all types of. They say concrete jungle, wet dreams, tomatoes. They have all kinds of crazy.

I have one. I have one. It was an old song from the 80s called. From a group called Till Tuesday, Amy Mayer. And she. It was Hush, Hush, Hush, Hush, Hush is Carrie. Yes. And the lyrics are hush, hush, Keep it down now. Voices, Carrie. And all through high school, I was like, hush, hush, we go downtown. It's so scary.

Wait. Wait a second.

Awful.

Wait a second. I want to say, because, jb, you brought it up. Empire State of Mind. I mean, that song is. It must be kind of an anthem. It is an anthem. It's such an iconic song. An iconic song about New York. It's so emblematic of a time. There is part. I love that. I don't think that there's anybody who hears that song who doesn't turn it up.

Yeah.

And get. And feel good. And even those sort of like, you know, millennial white chicks who are like, that's my fucking jam.

You know, I think it's replaced. It's the modern day Frank Sinatra version of New York, New York. Like, it's like.

That's the.

It's the new anthem.

Alicia, it's incredible. Do you feel a. Not even. Not a burden. I don't want to say a burden, but, like, just not a burden, because that has a negative connotation. But do you. Are you able to appreciate or understand how meaningful that song is?

I feel so, like, stunned by many of the songs that, like, become a soundtrack to people's life. It's, like, crazy. And for it to just live and evolve and continue to be, like, a staple like that, particularly for my hometown, I mean, that is my home town. And the craziest part is, you know, there was a moment where that song wasn't even gonna happen, really. Or it wasn't gonna happen with me. Because there were some things at the time, and Jay was kind of trying to get in touch with me about doing the song. And at the time, the people that I was working with, whatever happened, it just didn't get to me. And he was gonna have to move on. Cause he was like, I don't know. It's not working out. I can't get a response. It's not gonna happen, literally, just.

Cause he couldn't get in touch. I find it so hard to believe that Jay Z couldn't get in touch with Alicia Keys. You know what I mean?

Your reps were putting up too high a wall.

It wasn't progressing in the way that needed to happen to make it happen. And I wasn't aware of that. Fortunately, he was friends with a friend of mine, and, you know, that was kind of how we got a chance to connect. And I was like, what? What do you mean? You haven't heard from me, Here I am. What do you mean?

Isn't that funny? Everybody from the outside like, my idea. It's like, oh, everybody in the music world must know each other. Everybody.

Yeah, you know, we know. We definitely, you know a lot of people, and you connect in a lot of ways, and then sometimes you don't, you know.

So, yeah, there's no hotline.

Right.

Let me call these.

So thank goodness that happened because, man, it was. It would have been crazy for it to not happen. And so that. And hearing the way that song has taken, you know, just its own place in the universe.

What was that process like, recording that song? As much as you're comfortable talking about, like, how did that sort of. So he gets in touch with you and he's like, what? How's Tuesday at 11?

So was it his. Was it his song that he brought you into, or vice versa?

He had begun the song, so he was like, here's the vibe of it. Here's the beginning of it.

Because you're a songwriter on it as well.

Yeah, correct. And there are. There are also other tremendous songwriters on it. So it's like, it's one of those songs that had that right collaboration of all the right people together.

Yeah.

And. And so. And so it had. It had the beginnings of it, and it was. It was starting to really take shape. And when I heard it, I was like, his lyrics weren't even completely finished. He maybe had, like, a beginning of a verse, and. But you could tell. You could just feel it. All the parts were just incredible. And so I was like, man, we got to do this asap. And I remember the soonest I could do it, I was in la, and so I was like, all right, I'll cut it while I'm in la. And I was there, and I wasn't feeling the best. I was a little bit sick. I was on tour. I was a little bit rundown. So I sing the song, I gave it my all. I sing it, I send it back. And he's like, yeah, we'll be in touch.

Yeah.

Do you think you could sing it one more time? And I was like, what? Like, what do you mean, sing it one more time? What do you mean, why do I have to sing it one more time? But I was Sick. I mean, we can't sing a New York song in la. It's just like you gotta be in the space.

I said that to Sean so many.

Times.

So we were able to take it back again. He was like, could you put some of that, like when you go, yeah, can you do some of like all that and then do it one more time? He said that he had to, like, he had to think about how he was going to call me and tell me this for like a decent amount of time. He's like, how do I say this in a way that feels encouraging? But sure enough, I got back to my studio in New York. It was the right time. I felt much better. We delivered the whole thing and that's when it like really got that magic. And that's the version that you hear when we, when we read it again. It's pretty funny, but it was great.

Have you guys, have you guys performed it together? I think at the, even at the Tonys. Like I feel like he was like on a different stage maybe or uh huh.

We performed it at the Tonys together. We performed it at the World Series, the. Of the Yankees rookie's World Series. That was one of the first plays we performed in.

Oh my God.

And then we did another one. Maybe it was like the AMAs or something like that. So maybe three times, like three or four times we've done. We did one where I took over Times Square and the whole Times Square and every like building had.

Oh, I'm gonna look that up too. Was that shot. That must be on YouTube.

That was insane.

That must have been. I mean, by the way, also, not just in New York. If you're in Times Square, you're blocks away from where you grew up. Like you're right there now.

I remember getting off the stage that night. I was like, if I. If this is my last day. Yeah, I'm good. Like I'm good. I feel like I'm good.

Well, like that's what Sean said. Walked out when he walked out of an Arby's once and they had all.

The horsey sauce he could handle.

So I had some of that sauce one.

Did you ever allow yourself to even dream of things like that when you were. And is this true? When you signed your first record with your first record label at 15.

Did.

You think, well, I am starting nice and young here. Things are looking good? Something like performing in Times Square, getting Tony's Grammys, all that stuff that is possible. Did you allow yourself to dream that big?

I feel like there's things that you definitely dream. And I do feel like the big stage singing in front of the mirror, like, one day they'll all sing my songs. I do remember having those moments because you were, you know, you're looking at a Whitney Houston or a Michael Jackson, and you're like, man, maybe one day, would it be like that? I remember feeling like that. I do recall that when we. You know, speaking of the Times Square, when we did take over Times Square, I remember feeling like I never dreamed this big before. Like, I never even thought that something like this.

So what does that do? Does it make you nervous when it hits you like that? Does it. Do you get like. Does it. Are you, like, gosh, I don't know if I'm deserving of this. This is weird. This is freaky. Or did you, like, you know what? I worked hard. I deserve to be here. Like, what was the emotion behind that when you first felt that?

I definitely have gone through my. I don't deserve this phase. For sure. Had plenty of that.

I wake up that way.

All of us get in line. Yeah.

But I think that in that moment, I felt like, this adrenaline. This, like, unbelievable adrenaline. I'm like, we shut down the entire Times Square. There's 2,000 cops out here. Making sure that all the people have their place to be. We have every screen. We meticulously chose how each screen is gonna reflect the songs we're singing. I was like, incredible, this. John Mayer's coming out. Jay Z's coming out. Questlove is playing drums. I'm like, this shit is out of control. I more felt like a disbelief, like a adrenaline excitement. Pinch me. How did this happen?

So you were there. You were present.

Yeah. And I bet if you're. I bet because, like, you said, like, having that moment of saying, like, I never dreamed this big. This is beyond what I thought. You almost don't have a chance maybe to be nervous because you have no preconceived notion of being in this situation.

Wow, that's a good one.

Do you know what I mean?

That's a good one. I mean, you feel nervous because I feel like that's a healthy emotion. Like, you know, you feel those. That's why. I guess it's adrenaline more. Cause you feel, like, that energy, and you feel like, whoa, let me. Let me. And I think what I do remember, though, especially during this time, I remember feeling like I was starting to talk to myself about being comfortable being great. I wanted to become comfortable being great and not somehow kind of getting in my own way for it, you know, and that's actually a conversation that I have to have often with myself. Like, you're going to take this moment and you're allowed to execute this moment to the highest capacity, as opposed to, like, I'm a fuck this up. This ain't going to go right. This. You know, all these things that we allow in our defense. So I just, like, I remember I was talking to myself in that way, so I was like, God, go. Like, go, go. Just go. And. And I felt it.

That is so evolved. That is.

I just.

I don't need to write it down because I never.

I want to tattoo that.

I never have to worry about getting. Being great, so I don't have to worry about.

Well, don't you say that, Will.

No, it's okay.

William, get over here. Right.

Is that a double negative or, like a double positive?

No, I know. I'm just. I'm leaving the door open for all you guys to go.

Compliments and stuff.

Alicia, where did you know. I mean, we're talking about that sort of God, writing this song and all the. Right. When did you start? When's the moment? I'm always interested when you're playing and you're learning how to play and you're going through and you're developing your skill and all that in your artistry. And then when do you start writing a song? When do you have the audacity to write a song? Like, I wouldn't have the guts, you.

Know, I love that question. My first. The first time I had the audacity to write a song was 11. And it was. It was actually a really important moment because I had lost my grandfather. And that was the first kind of big loss in my life in that way that just felt so, like, whoa, I didn't know what to do with it. And it was the first time that I was moved to write because I felt something that was so genuine that I had to write the thing. And that was the. That was the basis of how I learned how to songwrite. And so that's actually my style of writing. I write because I feel the thing to write. And so. And so even though it was a, you know, a sad time for me, I do feel like it connected me with the idea of how do you bring out whatever that emotion is into real life? And so that was when I first wrote. That was my first song. My second song I wrote at 14, and that was that I actually made it on my first album. And that was kind of like.

Because it was My first love. And I just had this feeling, and I never felt that feeling before. And so I wrote that type of feeling down. And that song is called Butterflies. And that's on the first. That's on the first album. And that was kind of my first other one. And then from there, you know, other things kind of flew.

Well, so that now. So that first. First album was Songs in A Minor.

Yeah.

Yes. And was a big hit. Massive success. Yeah. And so when you walk into your second album, did you allow yourself to be great or were you playing defense? How early on did you start to kind of lean forward and go, okay, let's get going and let's have a long career here?

I mean, it was definitely always the talk of the sophomore jinx. I mean, people always say, like, that that's when it. Yeah, you get your whole life to write your first album, and then you. You get like two months to write the next one or whatever it is. But I remember feeling pretty supported to be able to go in and just start to craft and play. It was my. I had just come off my first tour that was like a mind bender, because I was just like, what are all these people doing here? Why are they here? And. And when I was able to kind of let release that and be back into a quiet space back in New York, it felt really nice just to be, like, in that. In that universe. I didn't. At the time, I thought I had to work every hour of every day of every minute of every second because I had to, like, deliver this thing. So I didn't understand the balance yet of, like, how do you actually enjoy and then create? And I didn't have that down yet, but I felt like I had time to create.

And then all of a sudden, once we found the first song, then time kind of got cut short and they were like, now we're moving. Let's go. So. But I didn't. So that was actually a very difficult process because I was continuing to write and promoting the record before the record was finished. And that was. That was. That was hard for me as like, 22 or 21 or whatever I was at that time. And I remember just asking, because I was in Europe and we started in Europe, and I asked them to please sit me in. In a restaurant for whatever 800 hours of interviews that we were doing so I could see the Eiffel Tower. We were in Paris. I said, I just want to see the Eiffel Tower.

Yeah, that's hysterical.

That's a really. Actually, that's A really great move. I really like that. Because you're like, hey, if I'm going to be stuck here doing this, I.

Want to look at something nice. Yeah.

I want my experience to be kind of, you know, good in the place, in the space. That's great. That's. You know what? That's a really good sign of self care. You've got, like, a healthy dose of self care on you.

Speaking of self care, you've got. You've got it.

You've.

You've branched out into a. Is it. Well, how would you qualify a skincare line?

No, I would call it a lifestyle. I would call it a lifestyle brand, but it is based in. It's called soul care, and it is based in these offerings of skin care or body care that really give you the opportunity to connect with a deeper part of yourself. And so we have affirmations on every bottle and everything is kind of, you know, there's crystals and ancient rituals and all these beautiful organic ingredients. That really helps.

Well, yeah, let me tell you. Let me tell you that the skin thing is working because your skin is, like, perfect.

Listen, I'm just happy that we're not going to use this recording because I'm like, I could just jump out the shower.

That's why we do it. That's why we don't release the video. Exactly.

Thank you.

Yeah. They don't have to worry about what they're gonna wear, what their hair's looking like, what, the exact hair.

Perfect.

So thank you. Thank you.

It's the best.

And we will be right back.

And now back to the show.

Now, going back to allow yourself to be great. I would imagine the roots of that, if not verbatim, was given to you by an adult in your life when you were younger. And if that was your mom, do you. Have you had that? You have. You have children now? Are they. Have you had that yet? Do you enjoy sharing that and helping, you know, these. These little birds jump out of the nest?

I do. I mean, it's really. It's really incredible, the conversations that we have and also just like observing them and seeing what they're feeling and what they're experiencing and also allowing them to draw their own conclusions, too, which is a. Which is, you know, unique because I think sometimes as parents or as people who have more experience, you always want to kind of lay your whole thing.

On a person and sometimes cut some corners for them.

Yeah, you do. Like, if you just listen to me, I swear.

But kids, the home and parents are the last place Kids and people. Kids listen to, right? It seems like the older they get, especially in teenage years, you guys tell me, I don't have kids. But it always seems like their lessons and the inspiration and the motivation always come from outside sources. Which is so weird because as a parent, you're like, jason, like, you're saying. You're just like, no, but listen to what I'm telling you, right?

But they need to, like, make their own scars, too, because it's just noise.

I guess, after all.

But they do have. They do have. I have all boys and my teenage boys, I'm always like, well, don't take my word for it. I mean, I only got this far. And they're like, yeah, but they don't.

Yeah, they don't. Can't. They're like, sure, whatever. Yeah, exactly.

Yeah, right.

You know, I think that. I do think they definitely get a lot from outside, and especially now, like, all of the phones, the social medias, like, crazy. The amount of information that they're getting, which some of it is, like, you know, incredible. Like, they're actually leaps and bounds ahead of us in so many ways. And some of it is just like, man, there's so much to figure out, what's real and what's not real. And, you know, what do you learn from that? Or what do you take from that? So I think although they are getting a lot of information from outside, they do know if you open a door, they do know that they can trust when they speak with you that, you know, they can kind of share their thoughts and it is a safe place.

I'm always a good point, always surprised. Now I'm going back on what I just said. I'm always surprised when there are kids, there are parents who've done it correctly. Where the kids do listen to what their parents say, they do listen. And there's a respect there that the parents have taught the kids, so that as they get older, they actually listen to what their parents say. I've witnessed both sides, both versions.

I think they hear you sometimes. They might not do exactly what you want them to do, or you're hoping they do, but they do internalize what you're saying, and it comes out in different points.

And what I've started hearing more and more lately, and I think I'm a believer in it, is that as articulate as you can be, as profound as you can be with the shit you tell your kid, really the thing that penetrates and holds with them is example. They watch you. They watch you do what you do and. And not what you do. And. Yeah, living a good example, I think, is the best thing you can give your kid.

I think that's true. And I think that goes for kind of all relationships, too, I think, just with people in general. And I have a good friend. We talk about this all the time, which is you can't really coach people up. You can only model it. And. Yeah, especially people that you're really close with. It's really tough in an interpersonal relationship to coach them up to say, like, hey, you need to be doing this, or, hey, this is how. And all you can do. And certainly it goes, jb, to what you were saying. Like, it goes like that for your kids. You just model it, and you just behave a certain way. And your kids. What I know, again, I'm no expert, but my kids. My reaction to stuff gives them a lot of information.

That's right.

So if they get a bad grade or if they get a thing like that, how I react to it is really important in informing them on how they should.

Yeah, that's interesting.

Yeah. I want to talk about. We're almost out of time here. We will let you get back in your busy life. But your passion for. For art and your considerable collection with your husband. Talk to me about that. I know that you enjoy discovering and supporting new and emerging artists. And did it start with that, your fascination with art, your passion for art? Or was that just a part that became sort of the philanthropy of it all?

Man. No. I mean, my husband really is an incredible lover of art, and he has an uncanny ability to really identify artists that are going to be, you know, the next, next and the next. And so it's unreal. And so. And that's because he actually. He actually, we are artists, obviously. He also is an artist who draws and paints. And so there's this real, genuine love for the art art that I think comes from being artists and connecting with artists and also, you know, being in position of owning our art and being the custodians of art in a way that, like, is protecting it, you know, exploiting it. And so.

Yeah, but you're displaying it, too, right? Isn't your collection a portion of it on tour right now?

It is. It started at the Brooklyn Museum. It's called the. It's called Giants. We called it Giants because. Because it's all these oversized works of artists. And it is also, we consider the artists in the exhibition giants of their craft, their masterpieces.

And you hate the jets and what? And you hate the jets because the jets.

Right.

And the Dodgers might.

I was like, wait, wait, what?

Who are the artists, Alicia? Who are the artists I'm really interested in? I'm so jealous of you. Who are the artists that you really. That are exciting you right now? And they don't have to be new. Like, what are the things.

There's so many incredible, unbelievable artists. I mean, in Giants. We actually just opened it at the High Museum, so it's touring now in Atlanta at the High Museum. And man, all of the artists in this exhibition are completely tremendous. Jordan Castile is a beautiful young artist, artists that we adore. Amy Sherald is super incredible. And when you. When you see these works of art, it's. It's unbelievable. Jamel Shabazz is paired with Gordon Parks. So you see the photography side of the lens from the 30s, the 40s and the 50s and 60s up to Jamel Shabazz starting in the 80s. And it just really shows the pass off of the inspiration.

I'm not a super, super dummy asshole who doesn't. Who wished they understood it.

But, you know, but Sean, we talked about this this summer, which is. I'm so new to it. I. I realized about five. Not. I've always known this, but I said to somebody, I met a bunch of artists this summer, and I kept saying, I have this crazy blind spot in my life, which is I never appreciated art in a way or I never understood it. I never spent the time.

And I feel like we don't go to museums.

I felt really delinquent. Or galleries or go to shows.

Yeah, because I'll go. Because I'll go to a museum and there'll be a canvas, a painting that is from the floor to the ceiling that is massive, that takes up the whole wall. And it's just painted one color. It's just painted black. Let's just paint it painted red or whatever it is. And I'll go, I could have done that. That's dumb. And then somebody will go, no, that's brilliant, because. And then I'll go, oh, wow. It's kind of fun. Fascinating.

Yeah.

Well, I went in. I met this. I met. And he was there the other night. I met. So this summer I met and hung out a couple times. I went to his house because he was a friend of a friend to Rasheed Johnson's house. And he's got all this art in his. Rasheed's got all this and a bunch of his own art. And I'm like. And he was the guy. And I said, I go, rasheed I gotta be honest with you. I don't know anything about art. And literally, he was so kind, and he goes, I got you. And so we started talking, and he started kind of like, educating me and saying, I really want to learn.

I actually want to learn.

Yeah, dude. And what's. Really what I found, as you know, I started reading biographies on artists, and it gives you such a sense of who they are.

Yeah.

And then when you do that, then you start to appreciate their process.

Kind of like how you found soccer, right, Will? Like, you start learning about kind of the players and the whole drama behind the team. Yeah, just like anything.

That's exactly how I got into it.

And when I discovered the blend of Rice Krispies and marshmallows, I was like.

Oh, you were the one eating the marshmallows and the Rice Krispies treats. I was trying to figure out who. Oh, listen, I couldn't.

He's a. He's a test kitchen for the Kraft Food Corporation.

He does it while we record. Let me ask you a super dumb, practical question. You say all these. All these pieces of art are. These works are large scale. How do you. You live in New York City. You can't have the wall space to house all these things. Where do. Where do a lot of them live? Or do they just kind of. Do you lend them to museums? Do you. Are they always on tour? Like, how do you go about buying large pieces?

Well, this is the first time that the exhibition. This particular version of our collection, because this Maybe represents about 30% of the collection. So this particular part of the collection is touring for the first time, and it is actually the first. The first touring exhibition of color ever in any of these museums of a private collection. So this is. This is real. A very, very important and special thing. And one of the things we did realize is not only is it really giving so much exposure to so many brilliant, brilliant artists. Ebony G. Patterson, Mickalene Thomas, Titus Kaphar. I mean, when you see this exhibition, you do have to see it. It is stunning. There's also a book that goes along with it. The Giants Book is spectacular, but otherwise, it would. And as much as, you know, it has to be kept safe and stored properly. But how beautiful it is that people from all walks of life can go see this art and to your point, feel actually connected to it, not just like they're seeing something that they don't really connect to. And when you see these works, you, like, you. You see things in your life.

You see you're emotional. It really brings you to beautiful spaces. And for everybody, not just certain blocks of life or certain people to be exposed is really the point. Yeah.

And it's so generous of you guys to do that, to let the public see, because these are all one.

It's like someone coming over to your house or something.

Yeah, exactly.

It is like that, actually.

So for you to. Otherwise, people would have no chance to see all this stuff. If you did have all the wall space, you know, some big, huge. The fact that you're touring, it is philanthropic in and of itself. So that's very, very, very cool, you guys.

It's a public service. I'm just. I'm just looking it up. It's. It's so cool. So it's. It's right now at Atlanta's High Museum, right? Is that what it is? It is, yeah. And then. And it was at the Brooklyn Museum. That's so cool.

I want to go back to one question, because I just want to know, do you still know I want to.

Go to Atlanta and see it. Sorry.

I do, too.

Yes.

Do you still get nervous performing at all? Because we were. Before, we talked about adrenaline versus nerves. So do you get, like. Before you perform, do you get at all nervous anymore? You're just like, no, I got this. I've done this. I know this. It's in me.

It kind of depends, you know, it's like, when I've been on tour for six months, I'm good. I'm like, okay, I know what I'm doing. I'm gonna go out there, and I'm about. At the beginning, I think of everything. There's. There is such a beautiful feeling of, like, do I have this? Is this gonna go right?

Scary, isn't it?

You know, are they gonna get me necessary fuel?

Yeah.

Yeah. But I think it's really cool because you do get a chance to kind of like you. You just give it a shot. So I definitely can feel nerves when I'm. When I'm crafting something new or, you know, even just, you know, I'll start creating new music soon. And even that, I'm like, how do I want to start that? Like, how do I want to create the space for that? What does it want to feel like? So I even think about, like, what do I want to do? And there's this beautiful book called the Sage Warrior by a woman named Valerie Carr, who's this incredible. She's a. She's, you know, she's a lawyer. She's an activist. She's a woman who just. She's a writer. She does all this incredible stuff, and she paired this book with this album of music that represents the theme of the book.

Yeah, that's great.

And I said, you know, when I start to create, I just want to sit in a room, and I want to read the book and hear the music, and I want to, like, what does that make me feel? And so just create space for, like, how do you create? Or what do you want to bring out of yourself? It's scary, but just allow the space for you to do it is the first step. So.

Yes.

Do I even get nervous? So to your point, I even get nervous kind of writing songs, writing new songs more than performing or performing for the first time when I hear that, or a lot of times when it's just me, if I'm doing a piano show only, I feel the most nervous because I'm like, man, I don't have anything to cover up or hide behind.

There's no safe nets. Yeah, yeah, right.

Like, this is. This is it. But I've learned that, you know, it's also okay to just make mistakes and, like, you're human.

Yes, I know. And that's the thing that got me out of being a classical music pianist, like, to perform live, because I did it for, like, you know, 15 years or 20 years, and every single time, I would go out, like, for. To compete in competitions or whatever it was. So I just wanted to shit my pants every single time. I'm like, what's the joy? Like, and. Because if you're playing Beethoven or Chopin or Mozart or whoever it is, the notes are the notes. Like, those are the notes. And if you miss them, everybody hears it. At least the people judging you hear it, right? And so you can miss it and go on, but in. It breaks you down the second you start missing a passage. And, you know, I was performing in college once with this Mozart concert in the orchestra behind me, and I blanked on, like, for half a page. I stopped playing, and the orchestra kept going. And I was like, oh, my God, I'm sweating. I'm like, how am I? It's just me on stage, terrifying 2,000 people. And I'm like. And then you finally. I don't know how I got back in, but you just get back in.

I'm like, you know what? I'm out. I'm not doing this. This is not a career.

No, it's psychologically, really.

And then you won a Tony for playing Gershwin all by yourself on stage.

Which was a challenge that I wanted to overcome. Jay, that's such a great point because I was like, if I'm ever going to live my life and get over this incredible nerves I have about performing the piano for you, man, I just have to tackle it.

Yeah, go right through it.

Did you play on stage? Did you play?

Oh, yeah.

Every night.

Every night.

All by himself with a big grand piano. Rhapsody in Blue, Start to finish. Rhapsody in Blue, Start to finish, to end the show.

It was incredible. Section of it.

Yeah, it was very moving.

Well, that's very nice. Not why I told the story, but thank you.

No, it does seem like we backed into it, though, a little bit.

Pretty good.

Sean. Go ahead, Sean.

I was going to say, at least all three of us have either lived or stayed in different parts of New York City. Is there a favorite. Favorite of yours?

A favorite part?

Yeah, because we all kind of.

We all just got back from there. We all just got back from there. But yesterday we came back together. Oh, amazing. Was it yesterday?

I mean, somewhere between Harlem and Hell's Kitchen is definitely my.

On the west side.

Yep. I feel like I've always been a Westside girl. I really like it there. It has the energy. Obviously, Hell's Kitchen is where I was raised, and then Harlem. I did a lot of growing up in my teenage years, and there was. And obviously Harlem was also a different place then. It was. It was just so unique, and the culture was just so clearly its own universe. And so there was so much that I received from being able to be exposed to that. So I say somewhere between Harlem and Hell's Kitchen, even now, you know, I spend a lot of time uptown, and I just really like it. So I'm kind of uptown west, somewhere in that universe. Midtown, Harlem and Hell's Kitchen. That's my vibe.

I'm a West side.

Well, we're going to let you get back into that incredible city and your life, and you're just an absolute delight. I'm so, so happy.

I was going to say. I kept wanting to say I could listen to you, Todd. You're so unbelievably in touch with yourself, and you're able to articulate so well your connection with yourself. I. It's. Yeah, it's unbelievable. Honestly, it's so cool.

Thank you, guys. I'm really glad to be able to be a part of your crew today. Thank you for having me.

We're so lucky.

So excited to just build with you guys. This was awesome.

Thanks. Likewise.

Thanks for doing it and keep putting out all this incredible stuff. I can't wait to see what you do next.

Yes.

And I'll look you up on the west side.

Yes. Thank you, guys.

Thanks, Alicia.

Thanks for the rest of your day.

All right, bye. Thank you.

Bye. Bye.

Bye.

She's just like.

Yeah, she is.

I mean, a listener. I wish you could have seen the sunshine on her face. She had a grin on her face the whole time. Yeah, she has such a.

Like, that's somebody who's like, this is what I'm gonna do. This is fulfilling to me, and I'm not gonna stop for the rest of my life.

And the way she's able to deliver how she's feeling and talk about her experience, her past experience, where she's at now, like, the facility that she has. The facility that I obviously don't have is pretty.

It's great.

I found it remarkable.

Do you find me as eloquent? Yeah.

Well, boy, I'm losing you. Are you going through a canyon?

I try not. I try not to find you. Put it that way.

You know what? There is one song that I love by hers, but we're going to get to it later. It's called Goodbye. She actually wrote a song called Goodbye. But before I say that, you're going.

To save that for your body.

Yeah.

Oh, sorry. You putting a steak in your.

Thanks for previewing that for us. We're ready.

What are you doing? You're a disaster. Listen, listen, you're crashing from that Rice Krispie treat now.

Wait, can you hear it if I play it on here or.

No, no, probably not. Then we'll have to pay for it. What's your question, caller?

My question was. Well, first. Oh, the art thing. Like, I wish I'd give anything to.

Be in Atlanta right now to see that show.

Yeah, well, that. Ye. And also just to, like, learn about art. I just don't.

Well, you don't have to. You don't have to be. And there are a ton of. As. She was saying that her husband is good at identifying emerging artists. There are, as you can imagine, every day, tons of great young artists that you can go. And you can kind of. And you. What you do is you. I know people who know about it, so I start asking them questions. And you just go, I'm gonna ask you the dumbest question. You know what? Who do you like? Shit like that.

Help me understand.

Where are they? But you don't even. It's. But not even what's good, because the good is different for everybody. You know what I mean? Just who do you like? And then you start identifying with other people. And you have to be the ultimate arbiter of what's good, developing your taste. Yeah. Because you can't rely on other people's opinion on art. I mean, that sure drives the commerce of it.

I think what we're all saying, too, is that like you said earlier, we are missing that in our lives.

100%.

That's an entire. A modular. You know, there's a section of life that we can easily go by. And we have gone by up and down.

Put it this way. Put it this way. I don't know about you guys. I would look at, like, a Jackson Pollock my entire life, and I'd be like, do that thing which, you know, Heathens do. Like me, is go. I could do that. I could just drop some fucking paint splat on the thing. And then you start reading about his life, and then you start reading about where he was when he was doing those particular paintings and what was going on. And you have a different appreciation for what he did. And when. When you start to factor that in, it changes the way you look at it and appreciate it.

Yeah, totally. Did you see this yesterday? The story came out yesterday where this kid, this guy found a Picasso in a Picasso painting in a basement somewhere. And this is years and years and years and years and years ago. And the mom didn't know it was a Picasso, brought it over to the kitchen sink, used just soap and water to clean it off, and then hung it up on their wall. Look, it's in the background there. You see it in the background?

No way. Yeah.

Of their house. And they didn't know it was a Picasso. She's like, well, I'll just put this painting up. And they just found out, like, this week that it's a real Picasso. Yes. The whole fucking time. Their family.

This in the background of their family photo.

No. No. Yeah. And then they did the chat. You know, the people looked at it.

That's pretty cool.

Isn't that wild?

Well, there's all sorts of stories. There's. The guy in. There was that guy who lived in Munich, and they kept. He was. Kept taking the train to Switzerland. They're like, what's up with this dude? And then he had a bunch of dough on him, and they go back to his apartment and they bust through the wall, and they realize he's got billions of dollars worth behind drywall in his house. In this apartment.

It's like stolen from World War II.

Probably, you know, a bunch of it unaccounted for, but quite literally billions of dollars worth of art so there's all sorts of things about the art world that's kind of amazing, dubious when you start to get into the commerce of it, too. Like you go like, where do you store the art? Do you know that? Do you know about the whole system of duty free sort of port art storage that exists at airports in the world? A few different places, yeah. So they have these big, huge lockers, warehouses that are like the utmost security and they stay there. And because they're not technically in that particular country, they can store them there tax free.

Is this art? Is this art?

Oh, it is. Look at Sean and Scotty.

Can I say this? And this is going to seem like a cheap joke, but when it looked like that, it's not art, it's fart. That is fart. Because it looks like you're both farting.

What's your favorite Alicia Q song?

I'm not sure. Sean, what's yours? Good bye.

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