>>> IT HAS BEEN QUITE A WEEK. YOU CAN PROBABLY FEEL LIFE
CHANGING BEFORE YOUR EYES.
THIS PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS IS
RESHAPING OUR DAILY LIVES.
WE DON’T KNOW FOR HOW LONG.
THAT MEANS RESHAPING CULTURE
WHICH IS SOMETHING WE WANT TO
GET INTO RIGHT NOW, THE WAY
PEOPLE LIVE, WHETHER YOU GET TO
GO TO THE THEATER, SPORTS,
CONCERTS AND MORE.
>> ALL EVERYBODY IS TALKING
ABOUT IS THE CORONAVIRUS
PANDEMIC.
PANDEMIC. >> AS YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED, NONE
OF YOU ARE HERE RIGHT NOW.
>> THE NBA MADE THE STUNNING
DECISION TO SUSPEND THE SEASON
INDEFINITELY BECAUSE OF THE
CORONAVIRUS.
CORONAVIRUS. >> THE NCAA IS INDEED NOW
CANCELING ITS MEN’S AND WOMEN’S
BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS OVER
CORONAVIRUS FEARS.
CORONAVIRUS FEARS. >> BROADWAY SHOWS WILL NOW
CLOSE, SO WILL THE MET OPERA AND
MET MUSEUMS OF ART.
>> DISNEY WORLD ANNOUNCED
THEY’RE CLOSING ON SUNDAY.
DISNEY LAND DOING SO AS WELL.
>> PEOPLE FRANTICALLY BUYING UP
SUPPLIES, PRICES ARE
SKYROCKETING ONLINE.
SKYROCKETING ONLINE. >> WHEN IT COMES TO GOING OUT,
YOU CAN SAY YOU GOT TO CHILL.
WE’RE JOINED BY ERIC SERMON FROM
THE LEGENDARY RAP GROUP EPMD
PERFORMING WITH PARIS SMITH.
BACK WITH ME, ANOTHER MEMBER IN
THAT EAST-WEST COAST DIVIDE
HAILING FROM THE EAST, TONY
SCHWARTZ, FORMER "NEW YORK
TIMES" JOURNALIST, THE AUTHOR OF
FIVE BOOKS INCLUDING THE ONE
PEOPLE KNOW IN POLITICS "THE ART
OF THE DEAL."
GREAT TO HAVE YOU BOTH HERE.
ERICK, I’M A LONG TIME FAN.
HERE WE ARE THINKING ABOUT THE
CULTURE BEING AFFECTED.
WITH REGARD TO OUR USUAL
QUESTION, WHAT NEEDS TO FALL
BACK AND YOU PUBLIC
HEALTH CRISIS, WHAT NEEDS TO
FALL BACK IN YOUR MIND?
>> I THINK THAT IT IS A HOAX
NEEDS TO FALL BACK.
I THINK THAT ONCE THE NBA
STEPPED UP AND THEN OF COURSE
TOM HANKS AND HIS WIFE GETTING
THE VIRUS, IT MADE IT REALLY
REAL.
REAL. ME AND TONY TALKED ABOUT THAT
JUST RECENTLY.
JUST RECENTLY. THAT IT IS A REAL DEAL.
SO ENOUGH WITH THE HOAX.
IT’S REAL.
IT’S REAL. TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.
>> MM-HMM.
>> MM-HMM. SO PEOPLE BASICALLY NOT BEING
SERIOUS.
SERIOUS. WE SAW AT LEAST AN ATHLETE, NBA
PLAYER FOR EXAMPLE WAS SAYING
OH, JOKING AROUND ABOUT IT AND
ENDED UP GETTING DID.
>> AND THEN GAVE IT TO HIS
TEAMMATE.
TEAMMATE. >> TONY.
>> TONY. >> WHAT TO FALL BACK ON.
I THINK TAKING ANYTHING FOR
GRANTED.
GRANTED. YOU SEE AS SOON AS WE ARE --
THERE IS NO FOOD ON THE SHELVES
AND PEOPLE CAN’T GO TO THE
THEATER AND GO TO CONCERTS AND
ALL OF THIS STUFF, HOW MUCH WITH
WE TAKE FOR GRANTED IN OUR
LIVES.
LIVES. THIS IS A CHANCE TO ACTUALLY
STEP BACK AND APPRECIATE THAT
YOU’RE NOT AUTOMATICALLY
ENTITLED TO ALL OF THESE THINGS
AND YOUR GRATITUDE FOR WHAT YOU
DO HAVE OUGHT TO BE BIGGER THAN
IT IS.
IT IS. >> AND THAT IS INTERESTING
BECAUSE SO MUCH OF THIS HAS
BEEN, WOW, PEOPLE ARE SCARED.
WE TALKED ABOUT THAT.
YOU’RE SPEAKING TO THE IDEA,
TONY, AS WE REFLECT ON THIS, IT
IS TIME TO THINK ABOUT SACRIFICE
AND PERSPECTIVE AS WELL.
>> 100%.
>> 100%. FROM I’VE SAID IT IN VARIOUS
FORMS ON THIS SHOW, BUT THAT
MOVEMENT FROM ME TO WE, WE CAN’T
DO THIS ALONE AND THIS IS THIS
RARE EXPERIENCE WHERE YOU CAN’T
GET AWAY FROM BEING INFLUENCED
BY THIS.
BY THIS. YOU CAN’T GET AWAY FROM BEING
AFFECTED.
AFFECTED. AND THE BEST WAY TO MANAGE YOUR
ENERGY THROUGH THIS IS THROUGH
OUR VERSION OF THE ENERGY AND
SERENITY PRAYER, INVEST YOUR
ENERGY IN WHAT YOU HAVE THE
POWER TO INFLUENCE, DON’T
SQUANDER YOUR ENERGY AN WHAT YOU
CAN’T INFLUENCE AND HAVE THE
WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.
THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING.
BECAUSE IT MEANS YOU DON’T WASTE
ALL THAT TIME ON THINGS YOU’RE
NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO CHANGE.
>> I HAVE ANOTHER THING I WANTED
TO FLAG WHEN WITH WE LOOK AT
THAT PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY AND
IT IS NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT
THING BUT WE HAVE FOOTAGE OF
PEOPLE WHO ARE LITERALLY
PRESENTED TO THE NATION, SETTING
THE EXAMPLE, AND WHEN IT IS
TRIAL TO GREET EACH OTHER, I
THINK WE HAVE THIS, YOU’LL SEE
AT "TODAY"’S PRESS CONFERENCE,
THE HANDSHAKES.
THE HANDSHAKES. THE HANDSHAKE AGAIN.
AND THERE WAS SOME ELBOW
DABBING.
DABBING. BUT RIGHT THERE, YOU SAW SEVERAL
HANDSHAKES IN A ROW.
THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE
SUPPOSED TO SET THE EXAMPLE.
>> HE SHOULDN’T DO THAT.
HE’S OVER 70.
>> A DANGER TO HIMSELF.
>> SHOULDN’T BE DOING THAT AT
ALL.
ALL. BUT AGAIN, AT END OF THE DAY,
YOU HAVE TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY.
YOU HAVE TO.
YOU SEE THAT IT IS REALLY
AFFECTING PEOPLE ALL OVER THE
WORLD.
WORLD. SO DON’T JUST LOOK AT IT AS
BEING SOMETHING SMALL.
IT IS SOMETHING BIG.
IT’S GOING TO GET WORSE BEFORE
IT GETS BETTER.
>> AND I ALSO WANT TO ASK YOU,
WE POINTED THIS OUT IN THE BIG
PICTURE, CANCELED GATHERING AND
LIMITED SPORTS AND HAD YOU A
TOUR AND THAT IS OVER.
>> I’M SUPPOSED TO LEAVE APRIL
1st TO GO TO GERMANY AND THEN
PARTS OF LONDON.
BUT IT GOT CANCELED BECAUSE OF
THE FACT THAT YOU CAN’T HAVE THE
VENUES OVER 500 PEOPLE NOW AND
OURS WAS 5,000 PEOPLE.
SO AT THE END OF THE DAY THEY
CANCELED AND SHUT DOWN THE CITY,
SHUTTING DOWN THE COUNTRIES,
PEOPLE FROM FLYING, COMING IN
AND LEAVING OUT.
SO THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN.
SO I’M GLAD IT HAPPENED --
>> HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT.
>> MY LITTLE TOUR AGAINST THE
NBA OR BASEBALL OR WHATEVER, I
HAD TO CANCEL BECAUSE IF THE
REST OF THE WORLD IS DOING, THE
NCAA, THIS IS BIG.
>> BUT YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT.
PART OF YOU WANTED TO PERFORM
BUT YOU UNDERSTAND THIS IS GOT
TO HAPPEN I KNOW IN THIS GAME
THE FANS DON’T CARE IF I GOT HIT
BY A TRUCK.
IF I GET UP AND GRAB THE
MICROPHONE, THEN I’M GOOD ENOUGH
TO PERFORM.
TO PERFORM. THAT IS HOW FANS ARE.
ESPECIALLY IN EUROPE.
THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT THAT.
SO FOR THEM TO UNDERSTAND THAT
OH, THE VIRUS IS STOPPING YOU
FROM COMING, THEY BELIEVE IT
NOW.
NOW. BECAUSE THEY SEE THAT AS
SOMETHING SERIOUS.
SOMETHING SERIOUS. >> INTERESTING.
>> INTERESTING. WHAT ABOUT YOU, TONY, ARE YOU
STILL GOING ON TOUR?
>> I’VE CANCELED MY TOUR.
I’VE CANCELED MY TOUR.
>> DON’T TALK, YOU HAVE TO SHAKE
HANDS AND KISS BABIES.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. I’M NOT DOING ANY BIG RALLIES.
I LIKE THE ENERGY OF THE BIG
RALLIES BUT I DECIDED NO, IN THE
INTEREST OF THE GREATER GOOD I
WON’T.
WON’T. >> AND THE LAST THING, WHAT DO
YOU THINK ABOUT THE PRICE
GOUGING AND THE SANITIZER DO --
GOES UP TEN TIMES.
>> I THINK IT IS PREDICTABLE BUT
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO
RECOGNIZE THAT ACTUALLY THESE
DIFFERENCES THAT WE THINK AREN’T
SUCH BIG DIFFERENCES WHEN ALL
THIS STUFF GOES AWAY.
AND SO I AM HOPEFUL THAT WHAT
WILL COME OUT OF THIS IS
SOMETHING POSITIVE FOR ALL OF
THE PAIN THAT IT MIGHT CAUSE IN
THE SHORT-TERM, I THINK IT COULD
SHAKE THINGS UP FOR PEOPLE IN A
WAY THAT SEVENS US WELL.
>> I GOTTA TURN IT OVER.
I APPRECIATE THE LEGEND.