Michael Bublé: "I Will NEVER Be Carefree Again!", Cancer Diagnosis, Dealing With Rejection & Being Mr Christmas!

[0] Another summer day has come and gone away In Paris or home But I want to go home Because this place sucks I should have that, that should have been the lyric Michael Blue Blaine!

[1] Smoothest singer in town It's the king of Christmas I have a holly jolly Christmas Everything I did was music I would listen to Frank Sinatra with Bobby Darren, Dean Martin I don't know why I just do emulate them, and then I would steal it all.

[2] Because if you steal from one person, you're just a thief.

[3] But when you steal from everybody, it's research.

[4] But there's 10 years of clubs, 10 years of every agent saying the exact same thing.

[5] We will never sign you.

[6] But the reason I didn't stop in those 10 years was because if the right person sees me, I am one of the greatest entertainers on Earth.

[7] I play 50 ,000 people, and if there's one looking at their watch, I will play to that man. I'm not leaving here until I break you.

[8] But in a moment My son's cancer diagnosis was a sledgehammer to my reality And I remember saying to myself If we get out of this If we get out of this, I'm living a different life And I feel like I'm at this point where I want to do something different Michael, you're not going to quit music, are you?

[9] Michael, what do I need to know?

[10] about your earliest context to understand the way that you are.

[11] Because you are a unique individual personality -wise, talent -wise.

[12] Your life is full of uniqueness.

[13] So what is the oven?

[14] Because I always think about humans like an oven.

[15] Yeah.

[16] You know, they get cooked in this oven when they're young.

[17] What is that oven?

[18] What is that environment?

[19] Well, the environment was probably having the most incredible family.

[20] And everybody says that.

[21] Everybody says, and of course, that's beautiful, that people always think their family is the most.

[22] special but if you met them you'd like them all more than me and then for me personally I think being the first child who got way too much attention for you know probably got told like you're amazing and you're good at every and like it's probably the reason I talk so much but everything I am everything I have every decision I make is based on that family, even deciding, you know, I'm going to be a singer.

[23] This is what I'm going to do it.

[24] 13, 14, you know, by the time I was 16, my grandfather was already taking me to nightclubs.

[25] And when I started playing in the nightclubs at 1819, they were full.

[26] And I was raw, but they were full, full.

[27] And people were like, who is this kid?

[28] Like, why did, how did he fill up Babeloo's or how did he fill up the purple onion?

[29] Or how did he fill up, you know, this theater?

[30] Well, they didn't know, but it was my cousins and aunts and my grandparents and my mom calling all of our friends and saying, come to the club.

[31] So this was a strange family affair because we had no connections.

[32] I wish I had nepotism to lean on, but I didn't.

[33] And so instead it took all of these incredible people just loving me and going, yeah, let's go.

[34] I mean, I was shocked.

[35] I was a fisherman.

[36] You know, my great -grandfather immigrated from Italy.

[37] He was a shipbuilder.

[38] My grandfather was a commercial sane salmon fisherman on a sane boat.

[39] That took him away a lot, right?

[40] Your father?

[41] Yeah, for sure.

[42] For sure, yeah.

[43] Which is something that we understood.

[44] And it's interesting because who knew that after leaving that life and having that thing where your father's gone.

[45] quite a bit would be the life that I ended up leading, you know, where I had to be gone quite a bit.

[46] And the only difference was I could say, Dad, why are you leaving?

[47] And he would say, son, this is my, this is my job.

[48] This is how I put food on the table.

[49] This is how, this is how dad pays for our house and for the holidays that we go on and everything.

[50] And it changed for me after a certain amount of success because my kids would say poppy why are you going and i couldn't say you know it's to pay to put food on the table you know because obviously it was you know we passed that point got very lucky so how do you answer that question uh i answer it by well i don't just answer it with with language i i answer it with action so um i have probably I've probably made my tours, I would say financially, maybe one of the most irresponsible tours in all of touring.

[51] So I started a rule where I said, I will do three weeks on, two weeks off, two weeks on, two weeks off, so that I could come back.

[52] Or I would literally sit with my wife and she's a tremendous actress, you know, and she has a great career and I know how fulfilled she is by it.

[53] And so I would say to her, let's sit down at the beginning.

[54] your manager, PEPO, and me and my manager, Bruce, and let's go through the calendar.

[55] So when are you making those two films?

[56] Okay, June, July, I'm done.

[57] I come with you, and it can't happen if I tour in a financially responsible way.

[58] It's so interesting to me because I'm coming into that phase of life now.

[59] I'm going to be starting a family soon, and I'm going to be getting married.

[60] And it's interesting to hear from you about the trade -offs you have to make, and you have more experience in both sides of the cost and the benefit of those trade -offs.

[61] Did you miss your father growing up?

[62] Oh man, of course I missed my dad.

[63] I remember used to, and you know what's interesting because I am so lucky to have been born when I was born because my nights on tour away from them like tonight.

[64] I mean, last night, for example, last night was doing a Zoom and they put their iPad in their room and I sat with them and I watched a Christmas movie.

[65] And they ate popcorn and Poppy was there.

[66] I was just there.

[67] I was, you know, they were walking around and wrestling and they, it's really strange to say this, but I did this thing.

[68] Have you ever heard of calm?

[69] Yeah, the calm app?

[70] Yeah, I knew the phone.

[71] So, it's about, like, I saw I used to listen to this calm app to go to sleep.

[72] My wife hated it.

[73] And I was on the Graham Norton show and Matthew McConaughey was a guest.

[74] And I was so excited.

[75] And Graham was like, why are you so excited?

[76] Everyone loves McCona.

[77] He said, oh, no, no, no. I love it.

[78] because my wife would hate it, but every night I would listen, ah, it's Matthew.

[79] Hey, hey, hey, hey, I got a sleep story for you.

[80] And I would like listen every night.

[81] And I was like, Matthew, you sleep with my wife and I?

[82] I was like, I know, I was like, I listened to your calm sleep story.

[83] And it became, you know, he was a very good sport and he thought it was funny.

[84] And then calm called and they were like, hey, you want to do a sleep story?

[85] I was like, hell yeah, I wanted to do a sleep story.

[86] But I didn't know.

[87] So last night, that's every night's the same.

[88] So we chill, and then I put it on Poppy's sleep story.

[89] Hi, this is Michael.

[90] And tonight, in this sleep story, and the kids just go, that's so beautiful.

[91] So what I was saying about, you were asking about my father, dude, my dad used to carry a sock full of quarters.

[92] And every two weeks, he'd come into port, and he'd wait in a line at a pay phone.

[93] And then he'd call.

[94] And then he used to, oh, man, it makes me emotional, but.

[95] And I do the same thing now, but he used to, he would leave notes and he'd hide them everywhere.

[96] And so he'd be gone for like a month or something and you'd go into a drawer to go get your, you know, pencils and then you'd see the note.

[97] And I remember being like seven, eight years old and I don't know if you ever did this stuff or maybe I'm just a weird kid, but I remember like holding his clothes, being little.

[98] And like, and just crying, you know, missing him so much.

[99] And this was the closest thing that I would get to him.

[100] And it's crazy that as life went on, I became, dude, I'm him.

[101] Like, thank Jesus.

[102] Thank God I'm him.

[103] But I turned out to be my dad.

[104] Your granddad played a huge role in your life, didn't he?

[105] Grandpa Mitch.

[106] Grandpa Mitch, yeah.

[107] Huge, huge, massive.

[108] As a matter of fact, yesterday, I did one of the probably scarier things that you can do.

[109] in this entertainment business.

[110] I was asked to be a surprise guest to sing a song as a tribute to Barry Gibb and the Bee Gees in his induction and to the Kennedy Center Honors, which I think is, in my opinion, maybe if not the pinnacle, one of the pinnacles of Americans celebrating culture.

[111] But weirdly enough, my grandpa, he passed away, five years ago yesterday.

[112] Oh, wow.

[113] And so, more than anything, I was standing backstage, and I could hear my introduction.

[114] And I was like, my mouth was dry.

[115] And my heart, I could hear my heart beating in my ear.

[116] And I just took a big breath, and I said, like, wow, grandpa, okay, this is us, man. This is us.

[117] And I always think about my kids.

[118] say like okay be strong don't let your kids ever see you weak don't let your kids ever see you scared and weirdly it just brought this wonderful calm over me and um it was really nice man like i i it just brought me calm and i went out there and i thought i killed it i thought i was very charming he was my hero is my hero um at 13 years old we were always best friends i don't know why you know you know dude sometimes certain people you connect, and it's like you were made for each other.

[119] And that was my best buddy.

[120] We talked about hockey, and we talked about music.

[121] And even at a young age, I was fascinated by the great American songbook.

[122] I was just, I didn't understand, and I remember being confused, why I was the only one, too.

[123] How could other people not understand that Nat King Cole is that unbelievable?

[124] What's wrong?

[125] How could they, how does some ways not hear Ella Fitzgerald and just shit a brick and realize that that is stupid?

[126] That's just too good or that that gorgeous orchestral arrangement of that song and those horns doing that thing and that that swinging.

[127] I know hip hop is great, but no, that beat that I just heard in that.

[128] race song, that isn't close to being as fat as the one I just heard backing up Bobby Darren in Mac the Knife.

[129] Like, that's smoking, I knew.

[130] 13 years old.

[131] Oh, dude, even before that.

[132] For me, music was, it wasn't even a question.

[133] It was, it was a defining part of my, the essence of me. Like, I, everything I did was music was just, you know, a fascination.

[134] And it's funny when many times parents will go like, my daughter is 14 and she's, and do you have advice?

[135] You know, she wants to be a singer.

[136] And I always, I have advice.

[137] And it's like, listen to as much music and all of it.

[138] Like go across the board of every genre and download it and process it and steal all of it.

[139] Steal the best parts of all of it and you will find yourself.

[140] But another thing I always say is fantasize.

[141] Like, dude, that is for me, I would fantasize.

[142] about being on stage, I would fantasize about singing in front of the crowd.

[143] Every shower was another opportunity to go and fucking kill Madison Square Garden and, you know, know that the, you know, that that crowd in the shower was just loving.

[144] Madison Square Garden?

[145] Oh, yeah.

[146] You know what I mean?

[147] Like, I was 14.

[148] Absolutely.

[149] And like, thank God there wasn't like the voice for American Idol.

[150] Because if I was 13, I would have been in the shower saying like, hey, salmon, check this out.

[151] did you sound good at that age do you have recording yeah man I do I do have recordings because I'm wondering how much of your talent is I have a recording when I'm 14 and it tripped me out because I sound I don't know if it's good but exactly the same exactly the same and I think it was like it had to be you I sound like that I sound exactly like that the same way and what's weird is like it wasn't like I put on an effect that's what that's how the voice sounded and uh my buddies used to make fun of me be having one of my best friends brad would be in the bus and he goes there's booblae singing with that fake voice again there's and even today and he's still my one of my better literally one of my best friends and we're drinking beer and he's he's like shut up man and he loves to sing too and uh but um i couldn't believe how much your grandfather and your father and your family supported you oh yeah when I was reading that your grandfather would trade plumbing work for you to go and do singing lessons or, you know, auditions, et cetera, that's unusual.

[152] Yeah.

[153] Because most parents would go, oh my God, my child's singing, that's not a career.

[154] No, I know.

[155] I know.

[156] It was uncomfortable, too, because he loved me so much.

[157] Listen, dude, my grandpa did more than just trade his plumbing things.

[158] He took me to auditions.

[159] They used to hire me to go work in the malls.

[160] and he got me like these gigs where they would pay me 20 bucks an hour and then I would go to the mall and with a guitar player and I would like busk I guess it's busky is what it is right and I would go or outside I'd busk at gravel island or places and he would just sit and I loved it man I didn't care who was listening where I was I did anything what's the first song the first time you performed in front of a people and got a reaction the first song weirdly was I think it was a Christmas song really well it was because it was Christmas Eve.

[161] We were coming home from, I've told the story many times, but we were coming home from my grandma and grandpa's on Capitol Hill.

[162] And I think it was like White Christmas or something.

[163] And my little sisters, I would have been 12, maybe 11, 12.

[164] My voice was just starting to change.

[165] And the girls were in the back.

[166] My two sisters, my sisters are great, beautiful voices.

[167] And they were, I'm dreaming of a white, red man. You know, with every criminal card I write.

[168] And I think from the back, I went, may your days be merry and bright.

[169] And it was like the whole car went, who?

[170] And I think that was the first time they were like, what the, that?

[171] Where did that just come from?

[172] And what's interesting is I think if I really am honest with myself and I look back, that Bing Crosby was the first, because that was the first record in that style and that played through the house at Christmas.

[173] That was my introduction to big band.

[174] That was my introduction to jazz.

[175] That was my introduction to that swing and feeling.

[176] And then with that relationship with my granddad, he used to, we used to have a shag, he had just like a green shag carpet and he had a record machine that he attached to a cassette machine and we would sit down and we would just for i'm not kidding you man hours i loved it i loved it and i used to go with those cassettes and i had a walkman and i would just sit in bed and i would listen over and over and then i would i would listen to each of these singers and um and i would learn the song for grandpa and grandma so i could come over the next day and I could sing for him and I'd sit at the table with him and we you know but I started to just steal I mean steal full on steel and uh and I started to like almost impersonate each of them and I would listen to Frank Sinatra with the Pied Piper's there was ways that he would sing and I would try to emulate so I would sit there and then I would be like I was a record player you know I'd come home and Grandpa would say, okay, what's today?

[177] Stormy weather.

[178] And I'd say, don't know why there's no sun up in the sky, stormy weather.

[179] I can't do it now, but, and then the next day would be, okay, he'd go, Dean Martin, Dean Martin, and I'd say, I don't know why, I love you like I do, I don't know why I just do.

[180] And I would emulate them.

[181] God damn, I'd like listen to Mills Brothers.

[182] And when I'm saying all of this, you probably have no idea sometimes what I'm talking about.

[183] Yeah, the way the Mills Brothers was saying there was this weird, I want to buy a paper dough that I could call my own, a doll that other fella.

[184] Or Nat, just the way he would open up and everything was so, the very thought of you.

[185] and I forget to do.

[186] And there was all these things that I would just like, oh my God, I love that and then I would steal it all.

[187] And I would try to emulate all of it.

[188] And then one day, you know, sitting with Grandpa, I started realizing, okay, I'm starting to, wow, grandpa, this is the way I do it now.

[189] I'm taking all those things.

[190] And that's what creativity is, right?

[191] It is, man. And I've told the story too many times, but I remember the first time I met Tony Bennett.

[192] I said, you know, Tony.

[193] I'm obviously, you know, I'm a huge fan.

[194] I've stolen so much from you and Bing and Frank and all of them.

[195] And he said, good.

[196] He said, because if you steal from one person, you're just a thief.

[197] But when you steal from everybody, it's research.

[198] And I thought that was amazing.

[199] And I've told that it's a million times too.

[200] But it was everything, man. Like Elvis was a big part of it.

[201] And, you know, I just all of those things that I loved.

[202] But why was your grandfather doing that in hindsight?

[203] Are you kidding me?

[204] dude yeah like are you kidding me so it was better than crack for who for both of us it's my happiness it's my it's my it's my passion it's my thing and you know and like i i love um he would have died to know that his grandson was continuing the legacy of our heroes you know because if he was being honest when i played madison square garden for the first time and i said did you think i'd get here he said oh no no definitely not there's a clip of him on a i On a documentary, he goes, no, I thought you'd be good, you know, maybe Vegas.

[205] But I just think it was because, how could I?

[206] We were this, my grandpa was a plumber and we were a fisherman.

[207] We didn't know anybody.

[208] We're never going to get.

[209] We're never going to get to there.

[210] We didn't even know.

[211] We're from Vancouver.

[212] You didn't even know anybody.

[213] How are we going to get to there?

[214] Your story's not a straight line because you went and worked on those fishing boats as well.

[215] So it's not just you started singing at 30.

[216] Dude, my story isn't even a straight line from fishing boats to.

[217] to Chuck E. Cheese, to working at restaurants, to singing.

[218] There's 10 years of clubs.

[219] There's 10 years of me moving to Toronto.

[220] There's 10 years of me going into every record company, not getting in the door.

[221] There's 10 years of every agent saying the exact same thing.

[222] Every manager, I thought they had a fucking note that they would send each other.

[223] The note that said, you're really talented.

[224] You're a great young kid.

[225] We just don't know what to do with you.

[226] Over two months.

[227] Dude, to a point where I was like, you know, what, okay, I'm 26.

[228] It's too late.

[229] And in this business, you can, people can say, oh, 26, now dude, it's late.

[230] If you haven't been signed or you haven't made a bunch of noise at 26, 27, I don't think it's right.

[231] I think there should be late bloomers, but it's, it isn't the usual.

[232] You know, like the record companies, they'll be like, mm -hmm.

[233] And so I was going to go back to Canada.

[234] I was going to go back to Vancouver and I was thinking about going to SFU or Douglas and taking up journalism so even then once i i was in toronto i got i got you know connected to uh the prime minister of our country who their daughter was getting married and she asked if i would sing of the wedding and because i'd given an independent cd to another guy at some corporate gig i'd done um and um they said i i was like yeah okay you know what an honor you know and she was like you know David Foster will be there and this one this producer who and he's a one of the biggest producers in the world billions of I mean half a billion or a billion records I think okay this is my chance this is the shot for somebody see me but even then after he saw me this story didn't it wasn't like he didn't David Foster didn't say you I found my guy he said come to L .A and you're on my he actually said you're on my radar now is what he said Well, I didn't know that he had another 18 kids that were on his radar.

[235] You know, I was, you know, man, I got, I was good.

[236] I was going to, I was in the atmosphere now.

[237] You know, I was closer than I'd ever been to a real guy.

[238] 10 years in.

[239] 10 years in.

[240] They could make it.

[241] And I remember.

[242] I think, I have to say, Michael, I think it's very important not to brush past this 10 years because that is the no man's land that only passion could make someone weighed through.

[243] and that is where 99 % of people quit.

[244] And it's the bit that no one ever gets to see.

[245] So it's maybe the more important part of the journey, which is why does someone continue doing something for 10 years of their life when there's no Madison Square Gardens, there's no million dollar checks, and there's no fame and fortune?

[246] Like that's the, because it's a recurring theme on my show that these very successful people, they did something which is objectively dumb, which is like they gave up their amazing chance of being an academic and they went and played magic on a restaurant card tables.

[247] I know.

[248] Comedians.

[249] You could have been a lawyer.

[250] Yep.

[251] And now that, you know.

[252] It's funny.

[253] I was going to tell you today.

[254] I watch your show religiously and I was like, what if you just call yourself failure and why it's so great?

[255] Because it's like so many of the stories that are told across this table are, I failed.

[256] I failed.

[257] They said no. over and over again and over again and I just continued to go forward these people seem like they had no choice though and when I say no choice I mean because of passion you might listen to me man I'm going to say it's going to sound like it directly it's sort of I don't want it to be condescending at all but half of that 10 years was gave me humility gave me appreciation for when it would happen I would be appreciative and I would still have humility and I would still be able to be present and aware enough of how lucky I was you know but the reason that I didn't stop in those 10 years was because I knew I was the best in the world I mean in no doubt that if the right person sees me, I am one of the greatest entertainers on earth.

[258] And all you need to do is come into my room.

[259] And you don't have to pay to see me. You can be there just to drink, booze, and get laid.

[260] But by the end of the night, you'll know.

[261] How do you know that's not delusion?

[262] No, no, dude.

[263] You know what?

[264] I knew because every room I ever walked into, I was such a, I was a sensitive, insecure, kid really sensitive and i think that that beautiful kindness and empathy that my family drove into me and my sisters is what made me that man on stage you know you understand there's i even now man i play 50 000 people and if there's one looking at their watch and i will play to that man and my mission my mission i love the rest of 49 ,999 of you but you i'm not leaving here until I break you.

[265] I'm not leaving here until, you know, you get me. You might not, I might not be your cup of tea.

[266] I might not be your favorite, but you'll walk away and you'll say, okay, the kid's better than, you know, he's okay, he's, I get it.

[267] One of your kids comes to you and says, dad, I know.

[268] And they go, dad, dad, they go, dad, they go, dad listen, they sing and it's terrible.

[269] And then they go, dad, I know.

[270] And this is what I'm getting at.

[271] I was like, how do we know we're not just deluding ourselves?

[272] Yeah.

[273] Well, you know, it's interesting.

[274] thing you say that because if that was just me sitting in my bathroom mirror and going I'm amazing yeah that's i understand that that's but it wasn't it was 10 years of a i don't care if it was a shopping mall or a street corner or a nightclub or a bar or a wedding or a funeral every room was the same every single room was the same so why wouldn't why wasn't the industry letting you in why would they i didn't do anything that was mainstream i mean i used to do it was like i had an indie record I would do indie festivals.

[275] It's so funny, man. I talk about it now.

[276] It's like, you know, I'm so like mainstream, whatever you want to call it, like where I could probably, you know, you know.

[277] But I was like an indie act.

[278] It was a full -on indie act.

[279] It was like doing weird shit that no one else was doing.

[280] And I think it was just so outside.

[281] Even, listen, David Foster, that David Foster producer I'm talking about.

[282] It's funny.

[283] He doesn't remember this way.

[284] But I remind.

[285] him many times that like Dave I said that when are you going to you know when are we going to do this you can produce my record and he said in quotations I will never produce your record and we will never sign you never he had a very sweet assistant named Neil who's a beauty the sweetest kid and when I see him once I mean I would see him and he would laugh and he would go dude I remember that I would like say to you just walk away because this isn't going to happened for you you know he's not you're not you're not the one i remember he said to me he got pissed with me because i again said to him hey man come on like sign me and he was like i you need to get out you need to go he said like listen dude i told you you're on my radar you and another 19 kids are you know it's just not happening and it and it's funny because the reason it happened when it came down to it was I was like, what do I need to do?

[286] Surely, this is not impossible.

[287] And he went, okay, it's this much a track and six tracks minimum and money.

[288] And I was like, okay.

[289] And so this manager and I literally went back to Vancouver and she was an amazing woman and she went door to door bank to and we found this incredible dude who underwrote and we bought the money.

[290] We brought the check.

[291] And I went to David's in Malibu and said that we said we got it here's the money um David's a massive producer I think it was a hundred thousand a song and uh I think for David I remember sitting up he had a this room in Malibu and he had like all the Grammys all over his piano and and I remember we were like we got it and he was like you got it it was like well okay you know okay he said but Warner will get the first ride of refusal.

[292] And even that wasn't the end of the story.

[293] We started making a demo and that we ended up going, he got Paul Anka.

[294] Do you know Paul Anka?

[295] No. Well, Paul is, I'll remind you of who Paulank is, if you don't know.

[296] Paul at 16 or maybe 15 had written a song called Put Your Head on My Shoulder.

[297] Put your head on my shoulder.

[298] Or Diana, I'm so young and you're so old.

[299] He wrote another song called Mile Way.

[300] And now the end is near huge massive star.

[301] He was Justin Bieber, okay?

[302] And he's still a huge star.

[303] He still, but he got involved.

[304] And then he was like, you don't need that money.

[305] My guys will get the money.

[306] And for whatever reason, when we started making the record, that deal somehow fell through.

[307] And David was like, it's over.

[308] The money deal fell through.

[309] Yeah, the money deal fell through.

[310] And he was like, and it didn't work out.

[311] And somebody else will do this.

[312] And I was like, dude, you know, and there was another producer of Mbreda Gittica.

[313] He was at another.

[314] massive producer, beautiful guy.

[315] And he said, he took me into the car.

[316] I was destroyed because I was this, I was there.

[317] I was making the record.

[318] I was, I was four songs into making a record.

[319] And then it was done.

[320] And David was like, I'm really sorry, Mike.

[321] You know, it's just, it's just not going to happen.

[322] Why didn't you quit?

[323] Like Neil told you to.

[324] Well, it was a big, a big deal was Umberto.

[325] And he said, uh, he's a Chilean guy.

[326] And he said, hey, Boubley, man, you need a, he said, you need a I drive you to your apartment and I was I was dead like I was I had it I was there dude it was there in my hand it was there and then it was gone and he drove me home and I remember he parked I lived in Westwood I'd rented this little place in Westwood and umberto parked the car outside and he looked at me and he said okay miclito he said story.

[327] It's a strong guy, but he doesn't like confrontation at all.

[328] He said, here's what you're going to say to him.

[329] And he literally told me what to say.

[330] And about three days later, David had brought me and hired me to do something I think it was for Kenny G. And his wife at the time had an anniversary party.

[331] And I said, David, can I speak to you?

[332] And he said, like, okay.

[333] And I took David to this other little room beside the banquet hall and literally regurgitated word for word, you know, what Umberto had told me to tell this guy.

[334] You know, David was my hero, right?

[335] David is a scary guy.

[336] You and you're, you know, you're looking, wow, this is my, and basically the gist of the conversation was, um, we have done something incredible.

[337] We have four or five songs here that are, you know, they're amazing.

[338] Please give me one opportunity to go to Warner Brother Records and to speak to the president and play my case.

[339] And if, you know, you know, If he doesn't want me, I will never, ever bother you again.

[340] You'll never hear from me again.

[341] You want me to show up and do stuff for you?

[342] I'll do it, but I'll never ask that question again.

[343] And he was like, okay, and I don't think he did love confrontation.

[344] And I remember he called me about a day, two days later.

[345] And he said, let's see what a 26 -year -old kid knows about the record business.

[346] And I went into Warner Records in Burbank, probably.

[347] the scariest day of my life of my life and uh wood building you know look up on the wall and in its prince and tom paddy and madonna and red hot chili peppers and like you know holy shit you know and uh i sat in the meeting with wally tom wally is the president and he's like real good looking dude like like imagine like eric stoltz or something but you know as that you know the executive and you know i said he sat down in the office and i think he said uh well why should we sign you we have sinatra on reprise i think it's one of the first things he said sonatra on reprise what does that mean uh so reprise was a subsidiary of of warner that that frank had started and and they had frank and on the label you know they had sinatra on reprise you know and he said why should we sign you we have frank must be like getting to the pearly gates and having one of the opportunity to get in.

[348] And I said, with all due respect, Mr. Wally, Frank's dead.

[349] You know, don't bury the music.

[350] I said, I will keep it alive.

[351] I love it.

[352] I cherish it.

[353] I will break my ass for you.

[354] I will go out there and I will will will this to be great.

[355] And he sat, he listened to the four demos.

[356] And then two days later, I had flown my grandfather down to LA because I mean it's funny when I walked out with David that day I say thank you David for putting your balls on the line for me like that I said so what do you think and he looked at me and he said I think you did a great job but like I have no idea what that man is like he had no idea and he honestly I don't think he had any concept when we walked out of those doors what Mr. Wally was going to say, you know.

[357] And then two days later, I flew my grandfather down.

[358] I said, Grandpa, I can't do this.

[359] I need you, man. So he flew down to L .A. And in that little Westwood apartment, and I was down on the treadmill.

[360] And the door sort of flung open, and he and the manager at the time, Bev, he opened the door, and they were just crying, you know.

[361] I said, you know.

[362] Come on, Beck.

[363] Yeah.

[364] Come upstairs.

[365] Come upstairs.

[366] Come upstairs.

[367] You know?

[368] And so we took the elevator up and I grabbed the telephone and said, hello.

[369] And David said, hey, Mike, man. And I said, hi, David.

[370] And he said, hey, Mike, man, I want to welcome you to Warner Brothers Records.

[371] And I want you to know, we have your back and you're never going to have to worry again.

[372] And it was like, man, it was, I don't know.

[373] And again, dude, it sounds like that's the end of the story, but that wasn't the end because the record came out and it was awesome.

[374] but I believe I debuted at 198 on Billboard and I had a manager named Bruce Allen he was known as one of the greatest manager in the business and still is and he said to me kid you're an American signed act but you're not killing it.

[375] There's not a ton of interest he said would you consider going to Southeast Asia and Africa and I was like yeah I'll go anywhere you want.

[376] And I did, dude.

[377] I just started going to all the...

[378] And man, that's where it happened.

[379] I made it, and my first big hit was in the Philippines, South Africa.

[380] I started to do pretty good.

[381] I'd sold a couple million records.

[382] And my manager, Bruce, would call.

[383] And he would say, hey, kid, you want to go to Germany?

[384] I'd say, like, what's in Germany?

[385] Well, they got about eight journalists there.

[386] And you'd be singing in the Hyatt Lobby, doing a showcase.

[387] and uh you know and i guess there might have been a thought at even that point maybe that's beneath and i was like no shit man go yeah and i did it dude i just went literally man i did that in all over asia switzerland jermpole like dude you named the country and i shut up and did a showcase and what age were you and you thought shit this is you know this is big now oh probably probably 30 2029 so like it's happened late for me man like this whole this whole thing happened late I was really for what isn't the norm yeah man I I didn't know what I had my first taste of fame at maybe 28 and it was in the Philippines and I went to get sushi at a mall in Manila and there was a security guy he was like don't go without me And I was like, yeah, sure.

[388] And I went and bought sushi.

[389] And then all of a sudden, I was, like, surrounded by all these beautiful Filipinos speaking to Gallic and asking for pictures.

[390] And I was like, and I remember he was really pissed with me. He was really upset that I hadn't taken him to security.

[391] I was like, why?

[392] I don't need security.

[393] And then he took me, we went up to my room.

[394] And I was like, dude, I'm sorry.

[395] Like, that was crazy.

[396] Like, this is crazy.

[397] I feel like a fucking backstreet boy or something, you know?

[398] Like they were, and then he, I remember that he opened the curtain and this curtain opened and it was a building facing us.

[399] And the, dude, the full building was just my face.

[400] You're true.

[401] And I was like, oh shit, I understand now.

[402] This is, but dude, it was so new, you know.

[403] When you've had to fight to get there for, say, 14, 15, 16 years, whatever it is, is there a part of you that is sort of innately scared of losing, it in a way that someone who just got it like that might not appreciate.

[404] Yeah, there was.

[405] For sure there was, man. And does that result in work holidays?

[406] There is for all this.

[407] There is for you.

[408] I'm sure you sit and go like, I'm kicking ass right now, but you know what?

[409] Well, but you know why?

[410] Because naturally, everything that goes up must come down.

[411] No, there's no, there's no career.

[412] I don't give it.

[413] I don't care if you're a school teacher or you're a doctor.

[414] I mean, nothing just continues to go.

[415] I mean, you have to understand that there are peaks and valleys.

[416] and that there are times when you might not be the hottest, but those are the times when you continue to stay true to the brand, you know.

[417] You don't panic.

[418] It's hard not to panic.

[419] Like I was talking about Paul Anka, but, you know, Paul is very sweet.

[420] Like, he'll call me, just out of the blue.

[421] And he'll go like, hey, dude, you're the man. Don't trip.

[422] You know, whatever you're feeling, if you're feeling it's up or down, just keep doing your thing, man. Be true to yourself.

[423] Don't panic.

[424] And it's beautiful.

[425] It's a beautiful, you know, and listen, for me, having four kids and a wife that is my favorite human being in the whole planet, that made, it makes the process of that worry easier because, you know, it's funny, dude.

[426] I was terrified yesterday at that event.

[427] I terrified, man. I wanted to be great and scary to be in front of your peers.

[428] That's something you know is so important.

[429] And this morning I woke up and I was brushing my teeth and I was on FaceTime with my wife and the kids, you know.

[430] And she said, okay, how are you?

[431] How do you feel?

[432] And it was like, I said, listen, Lou, I said, faith number one, my family number two, and my career, a really, you know, a distant third.

[433] And so for me, I'm blessed to really feel that because, of course, I get scared, man. I don't want to lose it.

[434] And there's a million ways to lose it.

[435] but I also haven't put all of my eggs into that one basket.

[436] Has it always been as clear the priorities?

[437] No, man. No. Of course not.

[438] Absolutely not.

[439] And by the way, there can be times where my fault self allows that to change.

[440] My fault self.

[441] Yeah, my fault self.

[442] I would say the ego.

[443] I, you know, I should read more Eckertollian power of now.

[444] and he tells stories about the hockey team that I'm a part owner of, the Vancouver Giants.

[445] He talks about the ages, how substantial that is.

[446] But he is a big part of my life too, you know.

[447] And by the way, practicing to get to this place where it's really easy to let your fears and your fault self give you these negative messages and it was helpful for me to understand that I could control that, you know not not allowing those negative things to get a hold of me one of my sort of deep i think existential fears is that i'm not going to have my priorities in the right order and i'm going to find out too late i've said this a few times on this show yeah i'm scared that as a guy who's like spent i know 12 years building businesses and pursuing success in whatever form that life is going to tell me steve at the moment when you needed to have your priorities in order they weren't or maybe you want to have a family or a wife or something you know what was it that change illuminated the true nature of what your priorities should be i listen i like i said to you before this whole thing starts with family and i i have never been so out of touch because i have too good of a family my mom and dad are just they just they're just too beautiful people and my grandparents and um listen i may not do it but i know where i know what the difference is between right and wrong and putting ego first.

[448] I don't want to get too deep into it because it's not that it is uncomfortable for me, but my son has his own life and his own story.

[449] My son's cancer diagnosis rocked my world.

[450] It pulled a curtain from over my eyes.

[451] And I don't want to get deeper into it, but I can tell you that, I don't think that I had what you're talking about.

[452] I don't think I had context.

[453] And that was a sledgehammer to my reality.

[454] And I will never be carefree again in my life.

[455] And that's okay.

[456] It is a privilege for me to exist.

[457] and that pain, the fear, the suffering that comes with those sort of things is, I guess it's part of that beautiful, this life, you know, it's, but it, I, if I wasn't clear, and I wasn't clear, and it's interesting, because when it actually happened, I was going through, I think, a crisis, like really, like the crisis that you're talking about, you know, I don't think I had my priority straight.

[458] I mean, I always, my family was always a love of, you know, I think I don't think I was a terrible guy, but, dude, it was blinders career, you know, ambition.

[459] How do I become the baddest, biggest, best, you know, more ego, more power, more money, anymore.

[460] And on Halloween, however many years ago that was, dude, it's like life was lived with like a curtain in front of me, like a filter.

[461] And the moment that they said, this is what's happening.

[462] That reality hit me. Filter gone.

[463] And I mean, in a moment, in one moment, gone and I went okay this is it this is life this is this is it this is what's important and that's when that's when it's not like I thought about it it didn't there was no time to process it it was you have your priorities this this is what your priorities are and they this is what your priorities must be in order to be happy in your life and it is I just can't imagine.

[464] Yeah, it's faith, family, and...

[465] A member of my family got diagnosed with a very similar illness.

[466] And I remember where I was and where I stood when I got that call.

[467] And again, I'd been running, you know, just in my own little world, hadn't called them in a while.

[468] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[469] Wasn't really in touch with them.

[470] And then in that exact moment, it made me realize the true reason why I do what I do.

[471] Like, I, you know?

[472] and that my life should never have been so focused on self in such a way, if that makes sense?

[473] Yeah, of course, absolutely, absolutely.

[474] Dude, I remember being at CHLA.

[475] I remember peeing in a stall.

[476] I know it sounds weird and it's not sexy, but I remember just sitting in the stall, standing there, you know?

[477] The children's hospital.

[478] Yes, sir.

[479] And I remember closing my eyes and saying to myself, if we get out of this, if we get out of this i'm living a different life a better life and i did i made that promise to myself in like a moment you know i want to be kinder i want to be more empathetic i don't ever want to allow that ego and that false self to take over i want to know how lucky i am and dude i'm a lucky man like i you know i just look at i look at my wife like you know it's like how the how did that happen And how did I get, you know, this incredible human being who's the best of all of us, you know, to sort of lead me through and carry me through these things, you know?

[480] Yeah.

[481] Yeah, it's a, it's a, I was just thinking about, goes back to what I was saying, about how I don't want life, life to show me my priorities.

[482] especially as it relates to my romantic relationships where you can end up in divorce court or you lose something and then you think what are all these gold coins worth?

[483] No, no. Dude, it's funny.

[484] You know, we've all had those moments too.

[485] Like, listen, much younger, I had that moment where I was like, oh, dude, do you like you?

[486] Do you trust you?

[487] Do you respect you?

[488] And then I was like, if you don't, and you're expecting that person to or any person to, maybe you're asking too much.

[489] I hope we're allowed to look at ourselves in the mirror.

[490] And man, it's so easy to lie to other people, but it's even easier to lie to yourself, you know?

[491] Oh, harmful.

[492] Dude, it's so easy.

[493] And it's like, I hope everybody has the chance to figure your way to do it.

[494] I don't know what it is or how you get there if you need, like, medicine or mushrooms or whatever it is.

[495] But, like, to look in the mirror and to go, and these are the things that I think I suck at.

[496] And, you know, and I hope, I really do.

[497] I hope within us there's a opportunity for all of us to have that self -diagnosis and honesty.

[498] And they go, yeah, I can do better than that, you know.

[499] I, on this podcast so many times I've spoken to parents about grief, but I've never really shone a light on just the trauma of going through moments like that.

[500] and really the like blast radius of knock on effects to that person's life that it can have, implications to their mental health.

[501] Your son, Noah, is it Noah?

[502] Yeah, yeah.

[503] And you've got four wonderful kids I hear.

[504] Yeah, yeah.

[505] Is doing great.

[506] Ten years old?

[507] 10 years old?

[508] Yeah.

[509] But for all the, all the priorities and the curtain that it pulled back, is there still a healing process there that needs to have it happen that you typically see similar to grief, if you know what I'm saying?

[510] Oh, no, no, no, because you already, I think.

[511] I think any parent, I mean, now I've become, I've had such great relationship with so many parents and people have not just gone through this.

[512] I mean, listen, man, going through any kind of thing with, like, you know, you're not going to get away without it, man. I don't know if you have already, but.

[513] I haven't had kids yet.

[514] No, I'm not talking about kids.

[515] I'm talking about your siblings or your mom and dad.

[516] We're all going to go.

[517] I mean, it's just a part of life.

[518] It takes a piece of us, you know, like my grandpa, man. I miss my grandpa every day.

[519] But that's just, that's life.

[520] That's a part of life.

[521] And I don't know that any.

[522] of us even have the capacity to deal with it i think it's why obviously we we move to faith you know something feels good about hoping that there's something more but men in the mental health we don't talk about these things no dude you must be soft don't be soft i'm no crying i'm guilty of this more than anyone especially as like a CEO and i've been a CEO since i was 18 and i had hundreds of employees so i would i can't i felt like i couldn't flinch yeah you know but how do you can i ask you how do you nice guy, a human being, but dude, there's a brand.

[523] It's a brand.

[524] And I know you have people on your team, and I know you have a team that, like, they come to you and say, we'd love you to do this.

[525] And your team goes, you can't do that.

[526] That is off brand.

[527] Yeah, yeah.

[528] How do you, how do you, are you able to, because you're in the wave, man, that tidal wave is moving, but you're inside it.

[529] You got all your people on top, and they can all kind of see, how do you deal with it?

[530] Like, what do you do you feel it do you think you're self -aware enough to know what the brand is or how to protect it or how to move it forward i think it comes back to this point about authenticity you know you know when something is you and when it's in line with you and you know when you're kind of abandoning yourself some signal inside of me goes you know you know you know this isn't right you know especially if someone offers you a lot of money to do something yeah sure god i know that's not so fortunate go ahead i was going to say this shows a good example which is a good questions what are the sponsors the sponsors are companies that I are in line with my value so yes you know my woo my my my my my you know the products that I and I also I'm a shareholder in those companies there's a podcast and I'm in the team yeah that's a good example of it whereas yes some brands aren't on aligned yeah I think what I meant even more than just brands is like you know I'm you don't understand I'm I'm I'm two different people right who's who's the other guy well the other guy is this is me I'm Michael Bouble yeah I'm an idiot who is I think sweet and, um...

[531] So you guy I met.

[532] A little bit.

[533] Well, I knew the other guy from stage.

[534] That one, that's a completely different dude.

[535] That guy?

[536] That's Michael Bublay.

[537] This is, I'm Mike.

[538] Uh, fantasy football, hockey -loving idiot who, you know, um, you know, is a bigger idiot than you, than you're seeing here.

[539] Even I'm, I'm a little bit more of the suit guy.

[540] Really?

[541] Even.

[542] Oh, fuck.

[543] Yeah, man. Like, bigger?

[544] I would say closer to Michael Scott from the office.

[545] But, dude, every night I go and I put on this suit.

[546] And then when I walk out on stage, I become the guy that I always wanted to be.

[547] He is so cool and Teflon.

[548] And he says all the right things and nothing can.

[549] And I can be goofy, but, you know, but there's this, there's an other, I mean...

[550] Can I meet him?

[551] Oh, dude, you're going to meet him.

[552] You're going to meet him.

[553] I'm going to make sure that the whole world meets him.

[554] For 20 years, I have done the same thing.

[555] It's been cyclical.

[556] Michael Rideson makes a great record.

[557] And then I go and I promote it.

[558] I go to 40 countries and promote it.

[559] And then I go and tour for a year and a half.

[560] And for 20 years, it has been...

[561] Write it, promo it, tour it.

[562] And I feel like I'm at this point of my life and my career where I want to do something different.

[563] Listen, again, music will never, it will always be my happy place and my love.

[564] But I need time to do some other stuff, man. I need time to challenge myself and to wake up and go, yeah, this is different and fun.

[565] and um and and it's really it's about being that other guy not the suit guy um being mike being mike man and and doing that whether that's in in movies or television or whatever it is it has to happen now why because dude this is my favorite part of me and i never i've never really there was just it was just too good all the other stuff was so um because i love the other stuff.

[566] I love touring.

[567] I love, like, I love making money doing that.

[568] That's amazing, dude.

[569] What's the symptom telling you that you should do more of Mike and less of Michael?

[570] Well, just that I, honestly, truly, the excitement of doing something different, you know?

[571] Like, yeah, it's time to, it's time to take that challenge.

[572] It's time to take that trip, you know?

[573] Like, and I know it's there.

[574] The same way I kind of told you, like, that I had so much faith in, in knowing like, hey, man, I think I got a pretty good voice and I'm a good, I'm a good entertainer.

[575] Like, I can, if I do this, I have the potential to really have fun doing that at a level I think I can do.

[576] For the challenge as well, for the pursuit of.

[577] Yeah, it's fun to wake up and go like, you know what, instead of that same cycle, I'm going to do the record, make the record, sell the record.

[578] A musical, again, will always be there, but I need to express myself in a different way for me man and and it really isn't for for them it isn't for the audience it's for me it's like but is there a moment where you you something happens because i'm trying to put this into like my world or whoever's listening to it is there a moment where you wake up and you go i'm just a little bit less excited and it's just fallen below the level of excitement that i need to do this again no no no because man honestly genuinely um i love being out with i love me with i love me Dude, I just, the music is just, it fills me up with happiness, you know.

[579] So the second, I mean, I just did, I lived like a corporate gig the other night with my voice.

[580] And this band has been with you, 20 years.

[581] They're my brothers, man. So I get up there and it's like, I'm home, you know?

[582] And it's like, it's fun.

[583] It's fulfilling.

[584] It's everything.

[585] But, dude, it's, I'm as fulfilled in acting, you know.

[586] When this tour started a rap down and I was like, you know what?

[587] I want to have fun doing something a little different.

[588] Everyone can relate to that in their own context because when you have a comfort zone per se, something you're really good at, and then you have the rewards also will align with the thing that you've developed mastery in.

[589] It's very easy to spend a decade or two decades doing that thing and wake up one day and go, shit, I'm a lawyer.

[590] Why am I lawyer again?

[591] Oh, because it paid really well and I'm good at it?

[592] Yeah.

[593] But that doesn't necessarily mean it will make you happy, right?

[594] Totally.

[595] And I think the branding stuff, I definitely had an impact where all of a sudden, And it wasn't, we want you to come and sing something.

[596] It was like, you know, we want you.

[597] Yeah.

[598] We want Bubele.

[599] We want Bubele to do a bubbly commercial.

[600] Or we want Bouglae to show up and do an ASDA commercial.

[601] We want, you know, we want you to be the face of our thing.

[602] We want you to.

[603] And I was like, okay, well, what do I sing?

[604] And they were like, no, no, we don't want you to sing.

[605] We just, we want you to be your idiot stuff.

[606] I mean, that ASDA ad that I just did, I don't know if you've seen it.

[607] And that was like getting to sit with Taika Watiti, who's one of my favorite directors and writers of all time, and to have him direct this thing.

[608] I mean, I was, I had so much fun and it wasn't singing.

[609] It was just, it was literally, you know, we had this talk about the concept.

[610] And we were like, what if I'm this, I was like, what if I, he said to me like, dude, dude, what if you're the head of, you know, quality control?

[611] And I was like, yes.

[612] And I think I know what exact, but I'm an asshole who has no idea what I'm doing.

[613] But, you know, egotistically, I'm, you know, and he understood exactly what I was going for.

[614] And we laughed.

[615] We had, it was three days of us just, you know, just laughing, laughing at ourselves, laughing.

[616] And that just, I was so happy.

[617] And it's like another reason why I'm like, man, this is my personality.

[618] This is me. Where did you go for support, Michael?

[619] When you're struggling or when you're trying to figure out these sort of impasses in life, have you ever been to therapy?

[620] Do you speak to each other?

[621] Yeah, I've been to therapy, but I don't know.

[622] I don't know what to say, man. I don't know if it, I don't know if it worked for me. You know?

[623] Like it felt good to talk about stuff.

[624] But then after about like four times, I was like, am I just, am I bullshitting right now?

[625] am I just telling her something just to fill up the hour because I sort of went through my big stuff and it didn't and the therapy doesn't feel like it worked very well you know amen for me listen my relationship again with with God and that that is a far that brings me far more satisfaction and so that for me and by the way and like my wife like being able to say to my wife and I'm so honest with her I'm like hey dude I'm not doing good with this thing and and she's like while still being an idiot you know my partner is i think that's part of the role of being a a wonderful partner is that they they call you out on your question oh god i love you that you're opening it are we allowed to drink this we are allowed to drink it if you want to drink it god my morning my morning just got way better i just found this on the floor no i didn't really um fraser and thompson yes sir this is a whiskey brand that i'm holding in my hands that you have built in a building with an incredible team of whiskey experts.

[626] I know nothing.

[627] They've told me that you're driving this business and incredibly involved, which is antipical.

[628] I mean, like, I'm involved in this, this, I'm, you know.

[629] But like, what do I know about whiskey?

[630] No, I mean, what you know about Fraser and Thompson?

[631] I know, I know that, listen to me, I know that if you don't know what you're doing, you hire and bring in the greatest, people in the universe who literally hold your hand and tell you what to do.

[632] And you know that when you find a guy like Paul Circa, who is one of the greatest whiskey, you know, connoisseurs in the world, and he, and then you ask him how big his brewery is, and he tells you, idiot, it's called a distillery, not a brewery, you realize that you don't know what you're talking about.

[633] But this is you.

[634] You've worked with Paul.

[635] phenomenal lex three years dude we would three years three years i tell you what i worked three years because i wasn't going to be part of something that i didn't love and uh the truth man we tried to reverse engineer a whiskey for people that may not love whiskey and um you know i know that there's highfalute and fancied dancing whiskeys that we can talk about the oakiness of the barrel and uh they've been aged 47 years and uh this isn't that This is an approachable drink that truthfully I love.

[636] And as you're opening it, my mouth is going like, and my wife loves it and my friends all love it and all the whiskey snobs I know like it.

[637] And I'm so proud of it.

[638] And Paul Circa, you don't know who that is, but he's a star.

[639] Oh, I read about him.

[640] Dude, three years.

[641] And we went, I was a pain in the ass and I drove them all crazy.

[642] I was researching photos of you and Paul.

[643] seeing you down at the distillery, Emily Cerey.

[644] I know.

[645] Fraser and Thompson, where does the name come from?

[646] That's for my grandpa.

[647] Because when I was a kid, my grandpa used to take us up to camping.

[648] And we would go to, in British Columbia, we have the Fraser River.

[649] It's like the muddy Fraser.

[650] And we have the mighty Thompson, which is glacier water.

[651] And they come together in this beautiful confluence.

[652] And the truth is that it was in tribute to my grandfather.

[653] But better than that is they said to me, you know, we have the juice, now we need a name.

[654] And like, there was all these stupid ideas, like, booblay, blah, and, and then, and serenade in blue and all these musical things.

[655] And I was like, and every time I'd come up with a good one, like, some I thought was like real cool and sophisticated, they'd be like, that one's taken.

[656] And finally, I was like, you know what?

[657] Why don't I just pay tribute to my grandpa who is my guy?

[658] And it's funny, man, And if you look on the bottle, there's all these little hidden Easterags, like his birthday's on there.

[659] 1927.

[660] Yes, sir.

[661] Born at the Fork of Two Rivers, Fraser and Thompson.

[662] Yeah.

[663] And doesn't it just sound so good?

[664] It sounds, the branding, you've nailed it.

[665] No, you have, because there's a story there, and it's a very authentic story.

[666] But the smell.

[667] Yeah.

[668] You know what I really like?

[669] I actually pour out a little bit of the bottle, and then I take, like, this, I take, like, brown sugar.

[670] I mix it up, and I put, like, brown sugar in there with vanilla and a little bit of bitters.

[671] And then I smash an orange and I just put it in the freezer.

[672] And it's weird because my wife was never a whiskey drinker.

[673] But again, that's what it was for.

[674] It was to make an approachable, delicious whiskey for everybody.

[675] And you know what I really like about it?

[676] We were talking about money.

[677] So I was like really happy that we could come up with what it was.

[678] I think it was like $35, $40.

[679] And I was like, that is great value.

[680] Because my dad, as a fisherman, he talks about value all the time.

[681] Because even in my ticket sales, he's like, Like if, you know, son, if you just bring them, if you give them value for their money, they'll come back.

[682] You know?

[683] If they feel that they've been ripped off, you'll never see them again.

[684] So that was part of the whole thing.

[685] Are you scared?

[686] No, can I drink it a little bit?

[687] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[688] Because you keep touching it.

[689] Yeah, I just have a little high glasses.

[690] Here we this guy.

[691] Am I scared of getting wasted with you at the deal?

[692] It's like a reinvention, isn't it?

[693] It's a new mountain to climb building a whiskey company.

[694] It is, it is, what's nice?

[695] I used to talking about brand.

[696] It's so me, dude.

[697] It's just, like, yeah, it's an easy thing.

[698] It's me. And again, you know how we were talking about the challenge of it?

[699] We were talking about the challenge.

[700] This isn't just me. This is my wife.

[701] We're partners.

[702] This is my best friend Ron, my dad, my manager, Bruce.

[703] We're all, like, this is our thing.

[704] It was, like, part of that thing of going, what can we do that's fun?

[705] and like, and new, it would be really nice to make a billion dollars to, you know?

[706] I have a feeling it's going to do extremely well because it has all the core components of just a beautiful brand and product.

[707] It's, I mean, it's gorgeous in every respect.

[708] I'm sorry, man. I don't even know what to say.

[709] You know what?

[710] I hate selling shit.

[711] Can I be honest with you?

[712] I really do.

[713] I feel itchy.

[714] I just hope people will go and however they need to do it get a free what you want them to just try it i feel like if people just try it they'll go like booblay booblay you don't suck i actually one of the first things i did was called ryan reynolds oh yeah because this company is the same these my partners are the same as ryan with his aviation gin right and so i called ryan and i was like ryan do like what do i do and he was like Mike, just have fun, dude.

[715] Like, have fun.

[716] I was like, Ryan, but I don't know what I'm doing.

[717] He was like, I didn't, he goes, you don't have to know.

[718] Let the other people that are helping make it and let them know what they're doing.

[719] He said, just have, dude, just be yourself and have fun.

[720] It's really incredible.

[721] So, you know, one of the things I always think about people that become really successful.

[722] I always wonder if it's a curse in a way because you've been such a successful artist.

[723] You've been, I mean, your Christmas record was released in 2011.

[724] I'm so sorry about that.

[725] And I'm told it is one of the best -selling albums of the 21st century.

[726] Isn't that crazy?

[727] You know what's cute?

[728] Yesterday when I was on the bus, I was driving to the White House because of the Kennes -Sanian honors my first time.

[729] You know, I think I was the only Canadian.

[730] And Sigourney Weaver was behind me, and I was sitting with Sheila Easton, and there was all these fancy people on the bus.

[731] And I got on the bus and we got to the White House, and the first thing that I heard was me going, going, have a jolly Christmas.

[732] It's the best time.

[733] And I was like, oh, shit.

[734] I am so sorry.

[735] Has that ever bothered you that you were so successful with that Christmas album?

[736] That you hear yourself every Christmas.

[737] At first, you know what's funny?

[738] Like about seven years into it, I was like, I was, because, you know, all I would get was was calls it, like, especially to come October.

[739] It was like, if you were a famous person with a movie or a, or a, you know, record i was you were calling me like i'm not even exaggerating like it was you know and i would get so excited it was like oh my god you know this oh my god my god my hero's call are they going to ask me to be in their film are they going to a duet and it would be like so we're doing a christmas and i'd be like oh shit um it's actually funny jack jack whitehall you know jack he called me the other day he's like mike i have this idea and i was like you're going to say christmas aren't you and he was like yes And I was like, Jack, I love it.

[740] Dude, it's interesting.

[741] We were talking about my son and that moment.

[742] But that, again, was an epiphany moment for me where I was sitting in the hospital room and I was like, oh my God, I am now synonymous with this beautiful time of year where people don't treat each other like assholes.

[743] And there's kindness and goodness.

[744] And that's, this is, I get to be a part of this.

[745] this.

[746] And then people invite me into their homes at a time that is everything to them and their connection with the people they love and their memories.

[747] And then I started getting deeper.

[748] And I was like, oh, my God, oh, my God.

[749] They're not going to, the people aren't going to remember shit when I die.

[750] They're not going to remember home or the duet or this whiskey.

[751] I'm my favorite song.

[752] Excuse me. But you know what I mean?

[753] But it goes.

[754] You know what I'm like, dude, 200 years from now where I am deader than dead, you know, people are going to be singing, Have a holly, jolly Christmas.

[755] I'm going to be there.

[756] It's so cool.

[757] It's so cool.

[758] I associate you with great memories, good times, and I have to say, Home is my favorite song.

[759] Oh, and dude, I love you.

[760] Thank you.

[761] I mean, I was in karaoke before you came, an hour ago.

[762] And I was a put the...

[763] Are you joking, really?

[764] No, it's on video.

[765] That's amazing.

[766] I went, go on YouTube, I went, put on Michael Bublate home, and I had lyric video.

[767] We're going to do karaoke.

[768] And there was four of us.

[769] I was the only one singing, and I can't sing.

[770] Yeah.

[771] But I sang, I know every world.

[772] I know every word of that song.

[773] Thank you.

[774] What's your favorite song?

[775] Of the Christmas stuff?

[776] No, no, no. Oh, of anything?

[777] Yeah.

[778] No, of the songs that you sing and that you, yes, songs that you sing.

[779] Songs that I sing?

[780] Of the standards.

[781] Either your own or someone else's.

[782] Oh, my God.

[783] There's so many.

[784] Just one.

[785] It's impossible.

[786] Could you sing some.

[787] It's impossible, man. Could you sing some hype for me?

[788] Home?

[789] Yeah.

[790] Oh, yeah.

[791] Another summer day has come and gone away.

[792] in Paris or home but I want to go home because this place sucks I should have that that should have been the lyric I was yeah it's so weird you know like not to get too deep and too like weird but I have this friend Dion and I love doing his accent he's South African and before I wrote that song I remember he used to say oh my God Bacic he's from South Africa he'd say oh my God you know what But the greatest artist in the world just open up their mind to the universe.

[793] And they let the universe in.

[794] So when you're writing, just open up your mind to the universe.

[795] And I was in the shower.

[796] And I was like, and I was like, you know what?

[797] I'm going to open my mind.

[798] It's so weird.

[799] But I was like, hmm, you know, enter.

[800] And I think, weirdly enough, for whatever reason, I had like Canon and D in my head.

[801] done da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da and i just went no another summer day is come and gone away in paris room but i want to go home and the whole literally almost the whole i mean that and the pre boom in two minutes and i remember getting out of the shower with a towel and those days we didn't have the iPhone or anything right i had like one of those little tape recorders And I remember singing a tape recorder and listening back and going, oh, no, no, I've most definitely stole this from somewhere.

[802] I stole this from somewhere.

[803] And it was cool.

[804] And at that point, too, my record company, they were like, we don't want original songs.

[805] You're the Frank guy, man. You're going to sing, you're going to do the standards.

[806] And I was like, no, I think I can, I write.

[807] It's weird.

[808] Even as I got on to writing other songs, I had the second record, I wrote everything and hold on or lost to one of the songs.

[809] And I remember the president of the label.

[810] we were at the video shoot for everything and he said, man, I wish I would have known that you wanted original music because we would have hired writers for you and I was like, oh my God, this is terrible.

[811] But it's weird, man, like, you know, like, I live in a weird place artistically too, right?

[812] You know what I mean?

[813] I don't belong.

[814] I never did.

[815] I never did.

[816] Like I go to those Grammys and stuff and I would like look around and I was like, I was not in the pop thing and I was not on a classical thing and I wasn't in a jazz thing and so many times I was like early on I was like what what what am I this is weird like I'm doing standards and yet my you know I'm on the radio it was weird still weird sometimes I think about this when you say this and I go but isn't not belonging how you end up doing these kind of numbers because if you were more of the same artistically vocally you wouldn't have have all these Grammys and all the best -selling six multi -platinum albums, five Grammy Awards, more billions of streams than I could possibly count.

[817] I stream myself a lot, yeah.

[818] But I go, if you were like everybody else, you wouldn't have those achievements.

[819] Yeah, I don't know.

[820] It just feels lonely.

[821] Like, sometimes I look at like, like, I go to those awards shows.

[822] Even last night at the Kennedy Center honors, I felt like everybody knew each other.

[823] Like, they kept, like, high -fiving.

[824] And then there was, like, this group of Broadway people that all know each other.

[825] from the functions they don't broad when there was like cool pop people and like and then there there was like me and i was like i saw herbie hancock i was so excited i love herby hancock and but i didn't want to go and he was talking to chea river and i love her too and i didn't want to be that guy that went but um you know what i mean i don't know where i i mean maybe i'll never know where i really belong but i'm trying to say that that's why you're so special i don't know i even with what I do here, I absolutely don't feel like I belong anyway.

[826] I'm not a journalist.

[827] I'm not qualified to do this.

[828] I go to, they don't invite me to the award shows for journalists and media.

[829] I'm not invited to them.

[830] How does that work?

[831] I don't know.

[832] I don't know where we sit.

[833] I don't even know what we are.

[834] Are we a podcast, but it's on TV.

[835] It's a this.

[836] It's on planes.

[837] It's on chat.

[838] Yeah.

[839] So you do have that sense of like someone's going to come up to you and tap you.

[840] What are you doing this room?

[841] Yeah, it's interesting because I feel like I, if you ask me, if someone asked me about you, I would, I would in a sentence be able to define what I, what I feel is.

[842] Please give me the sentence.

[843] Oh, man, I honestly think watching you and watching this show like I have for years is a perfect mix of education and entertainment.

[844] I don't know how else to say it.

[845] It's like really, it really is.

[846] It's both things.

[847] I'm often highly entertained by what's happening, but at the end, I feel like I was educated.

[848] I learned something, either something that is, you know, either ideas or philosophies, or sometimes it's literally, literally logistic science where, you know what I mean?

[849] I can't tell you how weird that is to hear from you, someone that I've looked up to since I was a kid at home in Plymouth all those years ago watching my TV.

[850] Yeah.

[851] Four kids, Michael.

[852] I know.

[853] They come to you now, line up in front of you here, and they go, Daddy, listen, just need some advice on this thing called life.

[854] Yeah.

[855] You know, you've lived a great life and it's twisted and turned and all those wonderful things.

[856] Daddy, what should we know about the nature of living a good life?

[857] I say, dude, they ask me. They don't ask me in that way.

[858] Yeah, I was going to say, Jesus Christ.

[859] They ask me, and I say, dude, I'm telling you right now, I have the same answer every time.

[860] I say rich isn't what you think it is, kid.

[861] That word rich that your friends use, rich sounds like money and stuff and things and Lamborghinis and tickets to go see messy.

[862] That's not rich.

[863] Rich is having a strong faith.

[864] Rich is having a great family and loving your family.

[865] Rich is having great friendships because those rich things they're talking about the The people that I know that have the most stuff are the most miserable people that I know.

[866] And I don't know how else to explain it, you know.

[867] Those are all, it's lovely.

[868] Listen, it's easy to say, right?

[869] It's easy for somebody watching this podcast to go like, well, that's easy for you to say, Boula, you know, you got a bunch of stuff, but it doesn't take long to realize that life has nothing to do with stuff.

[870] And we're all sitting on that deathbed.

[871] We're all going to die every single one of us.

[872] And nobody looks back and says, shit, I wish I collected more stuff.

[873] What would you regret if that was this, if today was that day?

[874] Nothing, my friend.

[875] Not a thing, not one thing, not one thing.

[876] I have lived a beautiful life.

[877] And I have been so blessed.

[878] And I don't even think it was like I made this, thank Guy, you know, I got a great family.

[879] I got beautiful, you know, my wife is the best thing I ever loved me. And I got kids, I look at my four kids.

[880] I mean, I was scared to have the fourth one.

[881] And I was like, oh, my God, I'm not, how we, and then now I look at this little girl's yellow and I think like, wow, how could I ever, how did I live without her?

[882] Like this, like this gorgeous little fat, little beautiful personality like a, you know, not a thing.

[883] I, and I say, it's funny, I said it to my wife many times, you know, God forbid, you know, it's my time.

[884] I've said it many times.

[885] I would just know that I am completely satisfied.

[886] Satisfied.

[887] I have lived a full and beautiful life and that I have no regrets, except that I didn't drink more of this whiskey faster.

[888] Your story is so incredible.

[889] The thing that, I mean, the perseverance at the heart of your story and where you come from and the fantasizing about the life that you now lead, all of those things are so unbelievably inspiring because there's so many people.

[890] people out there that are, you know, they're Michael at 14.

[891] Yeah.

[892] Maybe they're Michael at 40, you know, maybe they are that fantasizing Michael that was 14, but maybe they're 44.

[893] And they're still holding out hope that maybe those dreams, that ballet dancing in the hills of Peru or that playing the piano or starting that business, is it too late for them?

[894] No, dude, this is going to sound so cheesy, but, dude, it is, I say this to people all the time.

[895] I just did a master class thing for these beautiful kids, these underprivileged kids, basically.

[896] It was in Orange County, and they didn't have music programs in their school.

[897] And the first thing I said to all of them was I talked about Neil deGrasse Tyson.

[898] And I said, you know, the greatest scientist on the planet will tell you that nothing cannot make something.

[899] Something cannot come from nothing.

[900] I mean, I don't care how many times they run the experiment, And something cannot come from nothing.

[901] It cannot exist.

[902] Yet somehow, you magical little beasts walk into a room with absolutely nothing, and you walk out with something.

[903] You are defying gravity.

[904] You are your magicians.

[905] And listen, we will be crushed in relationships.

[906] Our partners will break our hearts.

[907] We will have businesses that fail.

[908] We'll have doors shut on us.

[909] and they'll say no to us a million times.

[910] But if you're lucky enough to have something like music or a passion that you really fall in love, it will never hurt you.

[911] It will never leave you.

[912] You know, it'll stay loyal to you.

[913] And to me, it's a massive gift.

[914] And it's funny.

[915] It's going to sound like a really strange transition.

[916] But I love TikTok.

[917] And my wife said to me, go on TikTok.

[918] I said, like, I'm too famous to go on TikTok.

[919] I'm TikTok.

[920] And she was like, you, you are TikTok.

[921] She was like, you will love it.

[922] And I was like, no, I'm not going to love it.

[923] And then I did my stupid TikTok.

[924] And I did a dumb, whatever it was, the first TikTok.

[925] And then, like, I started to like, I was like, oh, you can go.

[926] It's not just about making the TikTok, which I, because I'm an idiot, it was fun.

[927] It was about, oh, wow, you can go through TikTok.

[928] And then the addiction began.

[929] And the addiction wasn't, wasn't about.

[930] saying stupid TikToks, the addiction was finding those people you're talking about.

[931] And that was like, oh, my God.

[932] Like, if I, I don't know where my phone, here's my phone, it's in my butt.

[933] I could go on to TikTok and can I just, may I do this?

[934] Look it out.

[935] This is going to be weird, but, okay, here's a good example.

[936] There's a girl named Julia Michelle Voice.

[937] That's what she goes under.

[938] I think she was making TikToks from like her, maybe her parents.

[939] house or something i don't want it but like i heard her voice and i was like oh my god you she has a beautiful voice like and i never would have you know in the in the way that our structure of business used to exist in the record labels and dude i never would have heard her and then there's a girl named useless farm who works on a farm where she has emus that attack her and um adam rose who is an actor who is Anyway, I, like, I deeply love that I can go on TikTok, and it's exactly what you're talking about, where I, like, see these people and I'm like, oh, my God, you are tremendous.

[940] Like, people need to know.

[941] And it's funny, because now with some of them, it's happening.

[942] And it's exactly what we were talking about, where it was just inevitable, Mr. Anderson.

[943] People were going to find out because they're really good.

[944] you know what I mean it's just but life just tells you to fucking get your shit together and go get a real job I know but it's I think it might be in this business it might be changing a little bit with with platforms like TikTok where you know I know it sounds so goofy but like dude I love that there's a community and you know I love even more that I write them you write to them yeah man I do I write to them as me I do every day I love oh my God dude that is hilarious people making fun of me like can I show you one that I just saw that just people think it's your like agent or something that's we're social manager let's see if this can work I'm not great with this maybe surround we're just doing an interlude while I sing maybe surrounded by a million people I just feel all alone I want to go home let me go home I don't want to sing because people are listening Because I want to dance even though he's fat in his pants I couldn't remember the rhyme.

[945] I'm so sorry that this is.

[946] Here it is, I found it.

[947] You never have to apologize.

[948] Okay, sometimes once in a while, like, I find stuff like this, and I go like, they're geniuses, like truly geniuses.

[949] So the Tedding says, when you change the radio station at the wrong time.

[950] Santa Claus is coming.

[951] That was a long lead -up, but...

[952] That's a nice window.

[953] Dude, I see that, and I go, like, someone, like, thought of that.

[954] And then shared it, and it was like, I think, I don't even know, hundreds of millions of times people have watched that.

[955] That's crazy.

[956] I think it's crazy.

[957] I think it's beautiful.

[958] And I love that I wrote the guy.

[959] I said, this is the mash -up that I didn't know I needed.

[960] God, imagine getting a message from Michael Boubley when you've made something so, like, that's what the coolest part of that TikTok is, is that it is.

[961] It isn't about you.

[962] No one gives a shit about me. And by the way, I don't even belong on TikTok.

[963] And no celebrity really does.

[964] I think the only way you belong on TikTok is if you understand what TikTok is.

[965] And TikTok is about a community of creators and, like, supporting and laughing and being inspired.

[966] It's the platform that you spent 14, 15 years fighting for, which, you know what I mean?

[967] Before we had social media, there was people like you just singing at restaurants and singing here, there and everywhere, just knocking on doors, pulling, someone into a back room in a banquet and now you don't need to go and no you know attack david in a back room no i think it's funny because it started like i remember beber justin talking to justin about how how how you know what i mean or even ed even ed um it was uh you know it wasn't ticot but it was youtube and bebo exactly yeah back in the day that's where first of all just it's so different now man and it's like uh but it's still fundamentally the same business too where if you can, it's all about live business.

[968] If you can do the job of putting people in seats and to entertain them live, because what's really weird is like even talking with my record company, it's like, oh, we just sign this act, it's great.

[969] And I go like, oh, cool, like, where can I go see them?

[970] And they go, oh, no, they don't tour.

[971] No, they don't, they've never ever played outside of their bedroom.

[972] They've never been in front of people.

[973] And you go like, what?

[974] different but just what it is and this is not just about music look at me i use the same platforms to build a show yeah and i do you know what's crazy no one knows this i went no one knows this story i went to a big radio station in the uk before i start this podcast and i begged them to give me um an audition i went down there for two hours they know who they are i wouldn't name them because it was either sky or it was one or it was bbc or it was like i won't say which one it was okay yeah i went there and i did capital somebody I did.

[975] I knew.

[976] I knew.

[977] And I went in there.

[978] I sat in there, and the guy wasn't paying attention to me pretty much at all.

[979] I sat in there.

[980] My audition started.

[981] The guy that's meant to be judging my audition takes a phone call, walks out, doesn't come back.

[982] I'm in there for two hours doing these fake phone calls.

[983] I leave the radio station.

[984] This was only like three years, three, four years ago.

[985] I leave the radio station.

[986] I never hear anything.

[987] No feedback.

[988] No, you did well.

[989] You did badly.

[990] You were crap.

[991] Nothing.

[992] Never hear anything.

[993] So started a podcast myself.

[994] which did well and then yeah like a year ago the same radio station sent me an email saying hey I would love you to come in and do like a little guest thing to promote your book and I've responded and I said I'm still waiting to hear my feedback to the guy and they were like and they conducted this like internal investigation to find out why nobody ever got back to me they really did yeah they really did because they sent me an email asking me to come back and do some like guest appearance I said I was like I came they were asked me to like a guest show whatever and I said I came in and did an audition and I still haven't heard and it's been almost two years now.

[995] But we have these platforms where we can do it ourselves.

[996] Whether you're a podcaster, a singer.

[997] That's what I think I find so cool about it, is that there's no more, the gatekeeper.

[998] It's gone.

[999] It's gone.

[1000] That one guy who, why the hell that, why was he the gatekeeper?

[1001] What did he have the, and now it's like, no, no, no. Now nobody likes you but the people.

[1002] Like the people get to choose.

[1003] Right?

[1004] And there's no, honestly, sometimes, like, I'll watch something.

[1005] And there's no, even there's no rhyme of reason.

[1006] it just it resonates man and you go like oh okay well that's the people have spoken that's a vote isn't it yeah yeah yeah Michael thank you thank you we're done we're done okay fine I just now I'm ready for my second cup I'm feeling really I'm starting to feel really good and loose I've got one last question for oh yeah go yeah we have a closing tradition where the last guest leaves a question for the next guest not knowing who they're going to be leaving it for interesting the question that's been left is what we your last big fork in the road decision and how did you make it it's coming right literally it's coming i would say within weeks and i will make it by speaking to number one first thing i'll speak to my wife and uh and then i'll speak to all the people that i trust and uh and i'll i will uh way what everyone says and then i'll they'll help me make the decision it's coming michael you're not going to quit music are you?

[1007] No. No, I'm not.

[1008] Never.

[1009] It's impossible.

[1010] That's like saying, are you going to stop breathing, dude?

[1011] No, no, no. I like to breathe.

[1012] And music is, it's my breath.

[1013] I can't, I can't stop.

[1014] Give me a little bit of concern.

[1015] That's all when you said.

[1016] Oh, no, no. Don't let it be like it.

[1017] It's a good thing.

[1018] Oh, okay.

[1019] It's just a big, you know, just a big decision.

[1020] Interesting.

[1021] Yeah.

[1022] We shall wait and we shall see.

[1023] Yeah.

[1024] Michael, thank you so much.

[1025] What do I leave my question for the next guest?

[1026] In the book.

[1027] Oh, I'm just excited.

[1028] I've got.

[1029] That's so many.

[1030] Thank you so much.

[1031] Do you need a podcast to listen to next?

[1032] We've discovered that people who liked this episode also tend to absolutely love another recent episode we've done.

[1033] So I've linked that episode in the description below.

[1034] I know you'll enjoy it.