>>> WELCOME BACK.
THIS MORNING WE’RE TALKING WITH
A BONA FIDE ROCK STAR.
LENNY KRAVTIZ HAS SOLD MORE THAN
40 MILLION ALBUMS WORLDWIDE.
>> AND SET THE RECORD FOR THE
MOST WINS IN THE BEST MALE ROCK
VOCAL PERFORMANCE.
>> LENNY RELEASING HIS VERY
FIRST MEMOIR TITLED "LET LOVE
RULE," CHRONICLE THE FIRST 25
YEARS OF HIS LIFE.
JOINING US LIVE NOW THIS
MORNING.
GOOD MORNING, LENNY.
>> GOOD MORNING.
WHAT’S UP, COUSIN?
>> IT’S ALL GOOD.
IT’S ALL GOOD.
FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS ON
THE BOOK.
>> THANK YOU.
>> WHAT I FIND INTERESTING IS
THAT YOU DIDN’T REALLY PLAN TO
WRITE THIS BOOK.
IT JUST HAPPENED BECAUSE OF
CHANCE ENCOUNTER?
>> YES.
THROUGH A MUTUAL FRIEND I MET,
FANTASTIC HUMAN BEING AND WRITER
BY THE NAME OF DAVID RITZ, WHO
HAS WRITTEN SO MANY BEAUTIFUL
BOOKS, RAY CHARLES, MARVIN GAYE,
ARETHA FRANKLIN, JUST TO NAME A
FEW.
AND HE SAID, YOU NEED TO WRITE A
BOOK.
YOU SHOULD WRITE A BOOK, AND I
WOULD LOVE TO HELP YOU.
AND I HAD NO INTEREST IN IT.
I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT.
AND BY THE END OF THIS DINNER
MEETING, HE HAD CONVINCED ME.
AND I TOOK IT AS A CHALLENGE,
NOT KNOWING WHAT A BLESSING IT
WOULD BE TO HAVE THE EXPERIENCE
OF WRITING THIS BOOK AND WHAT
FEELING THE BOOK WOULD BRING TO
ME.
>> I BELIEVE THAT.
LENNY, I THINK PEOPLE WILL
REALLY ENJOY THIS BOOK.
THERE’S SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY.
WE KNEW YOU AND AL WERE SECOND
COUSINS BUT DIDN’T REALIZE HOW
DEEP THAT CONNECTION GOES.
YOUR PARENTS MET HERE AT 30 ROCK
BECAUSE THEY BOTH WORKED HERE,
RIGHT?
>> THEY MET AT ROCKEFELLER
CENTER.
I GREW UP GOING THERE MY WHOLE
LIFE.
YEAH, THEY MET THERE.
MY FATHER WAS AN ASSIGNMENT
EDITOR FOR NBC NEWS AND A
PRODUCER, AND MY MOTHER WAS A
SECRETARY WORKING FOR A
GENTLEMAN BY THE NAME OF ED
STANLEY.
I DON’T REMEMBER WHAT HIS
POSITION WAS.
BUT THAT’S WHERE THEY MET, YEAH.
>> AND THE REST IS HISTORY.
>> THAT’S SO COOL.
I WANT TO ASK YOU, BECAUSE YOU
SAID WRITING THIS BOOK WAS VERY
THERAPEUTIC.
WHAT PARTS DID YOU FIND EXTRA
THERAPEUTIC AS YOU WERE WRITING
THIS BOOK?
>> THE BIGGEST THING FOR ME WAS
LEARNING ABOUT MY FATHER AND
HAVING DIFFERENT EYES IN VIEWING
HIM.
WE HAD A VERY CHALLENGING
RELATIONSHIP.
AND I GOT TO LOOK AT HIM AS A
CHARACTER AND NOT AS MY FATHER
FOR THE FIRST TIME.
AND I GOT TO SEE THAT HE WAS
JUST A MAN TRYING TO GET THROUGH
HIS LIFE EXPERIENCE WITH WHAT HE
HAD, DEALING WITH WHATEVER
ISSUES HE HAD IN LIFE, AND IT
ENABLED ME TO DROP ANY BIT OF
JUDGMENT THAT WAS LEFT.
AND IT WAS BEAUTIFUL.
I REALLY GOT TO UNDERSTAND HIM.
WE MADE PEACE BEFORE MY FATHER
PASSED YEARS LATER.
THIS IS BEYOND THE BOOK.
BUT I REALIZED I WAS STILL
HOLDING ON TO SOME THINGS AND
ALL OF THAT WAS LET GO, AND IT
WAS BEAUTIFUL.
I WAS ABLE TO LOVE HIM MORE,
UNDERSTAND HIM AND REALLY LIKE
HIM FOR WHO HE WAS, WITH HIS
FAULTS.
THAT IS THE STORY FOR ALL OF US.
WE ALL HAVE FAULTS.
WE ALL HAVE THINGS IN LIFE.
THE THING, HOW DO WE END THAT,
HOW DO WE COME THROUGH IT?
WITH LOVE, AND WE WERE ABLE TO
DO THAT.
>> I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE CAN
RELATE TO THAT.
WE ONLY HAVE A COUPLE OF MINUTES
LEFT.
YOU RECENTLY POSTED YOUR
PERSONAL NUMBER ON YOUR
INSTAGRAM, ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO
REACH OUT TO YOU DIRECTLY.
WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO DO THAT?
AND ARE YOU REALLY TALKING BACK
WITH PEOPLE?
>> I ABSOLUTELY AM, YES.
I JOINED A COMMUNITY.
I THOUGHT IT WAS AN INTERESTING
WAY TO TALK DIRECTLY TO PEOPLE
AND, YES, I AM ANSWERING, TYPING
WITH MY FINGERS.
THERE’S NO ASSISTANTS OR ANYBODY
BUT ME.
SO ANYBODY THAT’S HEARD FROM ME,
IT’S COMING FROM ME.
>> IT’S A VERY SIMPLE BACKGROUND
BEHIND YOU BUT IT STILL LOOKS
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.
MAYBE IT’S BECAUSE I KNOW YOU’RE
QUARANTINING IN THE BAHAMAS, I
DON’T KNOW.
>> I’LL ON THE PORCH.
>> BUT HOW HAS IT BEEN --
>> ON THE PORCH?
>> IT’S BEEN GOING REALLY WELL.
AS OF YESTERDAY I’VE BEEN HERE
FOR SEVEN MONTHS.
I DON’T THINK I’VE EVER BEEN
ANYWHERE FOR SEVEN MONTHS
STRAIGHT.
AND IT’S BEEN -- IT’S BEEN EYE
OPENING.
IT’S BEEN HEALING.
YOU KNOW, I DON’T LIKE THAT IT’S
AT THE EXPENSE OF PEOPLE’S
HEALTH AND LIVES THAT I HAVE TO
BE HERE IN ONE PLACE, BUT I AM
IN A FANTASTIC PLACE, AT HOME IN
THE BAHAMAS, AND I’M TAKING THIS
TIME TO WORK ON MYSELF AND BE
CREATIVE.
>> TALKING ABOUT CREATIVE, ANY
PLANS TO RECORD, RELEASE SOME
NEW MUSIC NOW THAT YOU’VE GOT
THE BOOK OUT?
>> I’M DOING THAT RIGHT NOW.
I PLAN ON RELEASING SOMETHING
VERY SOON.
I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.
>> I REALLY WANTED TO ASK YOU
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE A ROCK
STAR BUT WE’RE OUT OF TIME.
>> LENNY, IT IS SO GOOD TO SEE
YOU.
>> ASK AL ROKER.
>> OKAY.
>> AL ROKER KNOWS WHAT IT’S LIKE
TO BE A ROCK STAR, BECAUSE HE IS
ONE.
>> I LEARNED FROM YOU, CUZ.