-Welcome back. I'm talking with Common.
I always love talking to you, buddy.
The new Audible original is available tomorrow.
It's called "Bluebird Memories:
A Journey Through Lyrics and Life."
Tell me about the concept,
and how would you describe this to listeners out there?
-Well, I would describe it as a combination
of theater and live performance.
Because we did it at a theater, we performed it at a theater,
but it's a written piece.
It's kind of a new expression from me,
because I wanted to combine what I do as an actor,
and I've been yearning to do live theater,
and what I've done as a musician and a live performer.
So, I came up with this concept where I wanted
to write a letter to my father, who passed in 2014,
and the letter would be a journey through my life
and through my career and through the music,
but also just who I am as a human being.
And it would show the laughter, the good times,
the times I missed him, the times I might have been angry,
but also just the times we celebrated and had a great time.
And I really think it's the journey of a human being,
a man going through life,
and it's told through these monologues
and through the music.
-Yeah, I loved in the Audible original,
you talk about your dad buying your first rap album.
-Yeah, yeah. That was --
Yeah, so my dad, he come to town, and he took me
to a record store that we had in my neighborhood,
called Metro Music.
That's where I would get some of my music, you know?
And he said, "What do you want me to get you?"
and I said, "Yeah, can you get me this rap song right here?
It's called 'The Message,' by Melle Mel,
Grandmaster Flash, and the Furious Five."
And he was like, "What?" You know, like --
'Cause rap wasn't his thing.
He wasn't really too much up on rap.
He was a doo-wop, a jazz dude. So he was like, "What?"
And then, you know, hey, he bought it, he got it for me.
I put it on, the story goes, man.
I started writing. Like, maybe two weeks later,
I wrote my first rap, you know? -That's awesome.
I'm trying to think of my --
the records I would make my dad get me.
We were into 45s at the time.
-What did you like? What did you get?
What was one of...? -I wanted Musical Youth.
"Pass the Dutchie" was my jam. -Oh, yeah.
-Ooh! Ooh! I used to love that!
-And he came home, he's like -- Dad's got two 45s,
and me and my sister are like, "What?! Oh, my gosh!"
And it was "Mandy," by Barry Manilow,
and some medley of The Beach Boys.
And we were like, "Okay." -[ Laughing ]
Like, again, now I'm older,
and I'm like, "Oh, they were great jams,"
but I was like, "Anything on the top 40
that we were pointing out, we didn't get that at all."
Eventually, I ended up getting the Musical Youth one,
but I remember it was Barry Manilow and Beach Boys,
and then I just started going --
I started flipping through his 45s
and just playing doo-wop, like you were saying,
or when you get to hear the drums
on The Rolling Stones or something like that.
I remember him playing "Honky Tonk Woman,"
Rolling Stones, and he was like,
"Just watch the woofer when you put this on,"
and it was like, "Ba bum, ck, buh-ck, boo boo-ck,"
and you see the thing moving.
I was like, "Whoa, the speaker's moving.
I didn't even know it was that --"
But I loved any of that stuff.
-I loved getting introduced to those things,
but, you know, when you a kid, you want to hear your music.
Like, I roll around with my daughter,
I would take her ice-skating with her friends,
and I remember playing Lauryn Hill.
She claims I was playing Michael Jackson,
but I say I was playing Lauryn Hill, and she said --
she was like, "Dad, can you put on music
that was made after '98?" and I was like...
-[ Laughing ]
It happens to generations and generations.
It's so fun, right?
-Yeah, I'm just like, "Yo, chill out.
Like, this is classic." Now she loves Lauryn Hill.
Now she loves Lauryn Hill. -Yeah, of course.
And I know every doo-wop song in the world.
Yeah, it's like -- It all --
-Generations. -Yeah, exactly.
Great catching up with you, Common.
I love talking to you.
Congrats on the Audible original.
It's out tomorrow -- "Bluebird Memories:
A Journey Through Lyrics and Life."
Please come back. I want to see you in person, bud.
-Yes, I will see you in person, man. God bless.
Be well, Jimmy, a'ight? -You too. Bye, bud.