Ultra Successful Musician Explains How to Beat Anyone At Their Own Game | Randy Jackson

What implodes people that they have the talent? Maybe they even have the it factor [music] and they just they don't make it. There's a thing. There's three real pillars. Do you actually have the talent? Are you a star? A star is going to make it by hook or crook. If they have to sell their last dirty pair of underwear, they're going to make it. They are getting it no matter what, no matter how. Where do I got to go? Where do I have to move? Who do I have to see? What do I got to do? I'm getting it. You ain't going to stop me. Nobody's stopping me. [music] Stars have that ego. And that perseverance, that's what it really takes to make it. Do you really have what it takes to go through the And look, I see the people all the time. One of the things that helped me the most, all the no's and the rejections that I got cuz it made me get back up and go, "Okay, what I got to do?" [music] Hey everybody, welcome to Impact Theory. Today's guest is one of the most accomplished music industry professionals in history. He has produced for, worked with, and or helped shape the music and careers of some of the most legendary figures in the business including Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, and countless others. He's also an extraordinarily accomplished musician who's played with such worldwide phenomenons as Journey, Herbie Hancock, and the era-defining icon Bob Dylan. That insane string of bonafides, however, wasn't just his warm-up. The thing that took him from being famous and well-respected in the music industry to being a global brand and household name was his 12-year run as a judge on the ratings juggernaut American Idol. Showing the true depths of his versatility, his accomplishments extend behind the camera as well and even reach deeply into business. He was an executive producer on American Idol. He helped MTV develop and produce their own hit show America's Best Dance Crew and he even launched his own line of eyewear, which has continued to win in a very competitive marketplace for over half a dozen years. He's also an active philanthropist who's served as a spokesperson for the American Heart Association's Heart of Diabetes Campaign and he even founded his own charity to help combat childhood obesity. So, please help me in welcoming the man who went from playing music in local clubs to becoming one of the most influential creators of our time, the big dog himself, Randy Jackson. What's up, brother? What's up? [applause and cheering] How you doing, man? You know, that was quite an intro, man. Dude, your life is crazy. Dude, that was quite an intro. I love that. I was sitting there like, is he talking about me or somebody else? [laughter] Who is this guy? This guy sounds cool. Man, looking at your bio, it's nuts. Like if you only know you from American Idol, you really have only scratched the surface of what you've done. I mean, you've been at this game for a while, man. funny you say that because, you know, Idol was such a juggernaut cuz it was on twice a week, right? So, and at in the height of the show, it was seen by 60 million eyeballs a week. So, people would talk to you and they had no idea they didn't even care what you did before. They just only cared that you were on their screen in their home twice a week and they would talk to me like they knew me. Yeah. And I'd be somewhere and they'd like, "Yeah, man, but what are you guys going to do with" I was like, "Who is [laughter] this?" Cuz 60 million people, man, that is like that is those are crazy numbers. Crazy numbers twice a week. Like that really begins to shape people. It's super fascinating. And the interesting thing for me, because I've gotten to know you a a bit personally, is the when you walk in, you walk in as Randy Jackson. And then you really get to know you and you're like, "Whoa." I leave, who do I leave as? As like a real dude. But here's what I find is super [ __ ] interesting, man. You talk a lot about this and this is like the real thrust of today's interview, I think. You talk a lot about the it factor. You have that same thing. Like there's something about you, your ability to to see talent for sure, but also to be engaging, to like you're easy to be around. I don't know, there's just there's an it factor. It's really [ __ ] fascinating to see and I wonder how much of that is to see it like you have to have a bit of it. Well, I think it's a bit that Tom, honestly. And I think, look, the funny thing about me with Idol about this kind of a show, I was an A&R guy. Colin and I were A&R guys. So, exactly what the show was about, that's what our livelihood That's what we did for like 20 years. So, we would find, discover, shape, develop talent. Duh. The show's about finding, shaping, discovering, and selling, you know, figuring out how to make talent work. Mhm. But for me, it was even fivefold because I was that kid before I became the guy doing that. I was the kid in Louisiana, Baton Rouge, trying to make it. Playing in bars. I must have played a million bars for every made $4. So, I was that kid struggling trying to figure out how to make it. How do I get people to pay attention to me? I remember we were on a tour, we're playing like Holiday Inns. And people would not even give us any attention in the bar. And we're going like, "Okay, so what do we got to do to get people even turn around and look at us and notice that we're here?" So, all of that really helps to shape you and helps to show you that, "Okay, wait a minute. I need to do something compelling, interesting, and great for them to notice me. How do I get noticed?" Yeah, it's really interesting. One of the most fascinating music industry stories, and you probably know a lot more about this than I do, but the Beatles and the German years. Mhm. And it's like how you never hear about that, but it was like they were there for like a year or 18 months or something playing five shows a week. I was like that's that's an insane amount of practice. Well, cut to that. That's where First and Second Backstreet broke. Mhm. A band from America, put together in Florida, that's where they broke. First was in Germany. So, Germany is a very interesting marketplace. It's it's like probably you second largest market in Europe. Wow. Yeah, which most people don't realize. What I like about the Beatles story is the the grind of just like clocking the hours, putting in the time. You've talked about the Beatles really interestingly saying, "Hey, look, they didn't blow up because they were the cutest guys around. They didn't blow up because they were super charismatic. They they weren't even the best musicians, but hot damn did they write good songs." Well, that's the key. I mean, you know, I talk to people all the time. There new artists out there every day trying to make it, trying to figure it out. There people still on the charts. People say to me, "Well, why didn't so-and-so from grace? What happened to them?" I guess they didn't have compelling great songs. So, when you look at the the Beatles and Motown, probably two of the most prolific writing catalogs ever in the history of recorded music. I mean, what did the Beatles have like 70 number ones? Is that what it is? I mean, this is unfathomable. So, I mean, most people are trying to have one in their lifetime. [laughter] It's 70. And they just keep coming to coming. So, that in itself is what keeps you there. I want to go back to Baton Rouge. You're 13. You're sneaking out of the house. Right. You're playing in local clubs. What is the price of greatness? I have the chills. What's the price of greatness, man? Because what you've built in your own life, I'm no doubt, I'm sure that some percentage of it is you just have an eye for talent. You were born with it. You can hear it, whatever. But I there's way more than that. And I want to know the way more part. Well, the way more part for me then was you kind of young, dumb, and stupid, right? Hey. You have a desire, you have a passion, you want to be in music. The only way to play music is for me, I wanted to learn from all the people that were older than me and better than me. Because people my age were doing the same thing I was doing. So, for me early on it was about who's the best in town, who's doing this, where do people listen music, where do they consume music, how do they consume the music? Let me go to the bars and the churches. Mhm. I want to see that spirit take hold, take shape. Uh, and the bars were interesting me for me because I wasn't supposed to be there. It's where all the older people played, and these people were, you know, the eagle flies on Friday, they get their check, and they got the money, and so they living high that Friday night. Spine drinks, all partying, my God. So, What was that about? So, as a kid being able to have that advantage, and you know, the hood is very creative. So, growing up in a hood is very creative. Playing bars in a hood is very creative. I mean, it's probably not that many cops checking in on the bar in the hood to see how old are the people in here, you know what I mean? So, uh, it was just and I didn't really know any better. I thought probably every kid did that. But, the fact that I was chosen to play with the adults in the bar, Mhm. I was like, wow, this is so cool. How much were you practicing at the time? I was practicing a lot, at least a couple hours a day, but I was playing sports, I was in bands in school, I was playing in a church band. I mean, I was, you know, I was doing everything I could. Mhm. I was trying to immerse myself in it. You [snorts] were once asked, like, what's the secret to success? How do you end up doing this? And you said that people had to learn everything they could, they had to show up at the right time knowing the right things, and they had to persevere and and humble. Why is that the magic cocktail? Because you're going to learn everything you can, even stuff you don't think you need. The average kid that goes to college is saying to me, my own kids will say to me, "Dad, why am I learning this? I don't need this." A kid just said to me recently, "I'm going to Berkeley School of Music, but I want to be in a Stones band. The Stones like four chords, man, and like a bluesy rock, man. Why am I in Berkeley?" I said, "Listen, you never know when you're going to need that because you're now getting high-level information. So, maybe you can't repeat the Stones cuz nothing repeats, but maybe with all the learning and all the knowledge you're going to get, you can become a new version of the Stones." Ah. So, now you've built your own brand. So, this is how you become unique and different. But you need that information sometimes because you never know when ideas going to come from. So, a carpenter doesn't come to the house with just a one nail and one hammer. They come with a bunch of tools. So, when you learn all of these tools, you bring these tools with you and you say, "For this job, you know what I'm going to need? I may need a saw. I'm a carpenter, but So, that's what that's like. It's like apprenticeship. It's like becoming the best at what you say you're trying to do. So, walk me through your young, you're playing with the adults. How do you push that ability? How do you start like do you think, "All right, this guy's the best and I'm going to try to keep up with him." Did you set insane challenges for yourself? I said, "This guy is the best. I want to take lessons from this guy. I'm going to beg him to see if he'll show me." I'm a young kid playing with all the older guys, much, much older guys that are the best in town. I'm trying to keep up. I'm just happy that they're allowing me in the room and they're also giving me drops and fruits of wisdom along the way. You know, um you know, uh one of the greatest tidbits was and I still use it every day today. One of these days, you're going to learn to want what you need as opposed to need what you want. Wow. So, that applies to everything in life. Relationships, music, I mean, work, jobs, everything. What do I need to survive? What do I absolutely need? Because the want changes every hour. Mhm. We want pizza today, tomorrow it's pasta, the next week it's sushi. Next day it's like we want onions with tomatoes. I I mean, you know, like, you're driving yourself crazy with this want thing. The average person buys a car and 6 months later, I should have gotten a blue one. Well, maybe I'll get a different color next time. I feel the same I mean, now in my life I feel the same thing with houses. You get a house and you go, ah, that's cool but a couple years later I mean, I'm going to move. So, that want is never quite satisfied. Because it's a fleeting thought that's going on in your head and you just, you know, it's also attached to sensationalism, which is king and queen of America. There's 80 million ads everywhere you turn and look, turn on TV, radio, whatever. So, you got to be able to turn that noise off to get to what do I need? Talk to me about that as a process. How do people actually do that? Especially now as it's escalating, it's getting worse. Yet and this is Social media is the king of it. Yeah, yeah. It's everywhere. It's telling you who you should date, who you should marry. It tells you everything you should do. Tom needs a girl like this. [laughter] So, how do we turn it down? Well, I think you have to be able to turn off the noise. You have to be in a quiet quiet place and you just got to really get into yourself. One of my big things in life now, people actually have no idea who they are. So, if you don't know who you are and I mean, I know people 80 years old that don't know who they are. I know some 80-year-old boys that still haven't turned the corner to man. So, if you don't know who you are, how can you know how to navigate your life? So one of my other phrases in life that I love now, this is your mission Tom. Should you choose, you Tom, nobody else, you choose not your parents, not them, you choose to accept it. Do you know who you are and have you accepted that this is who I am, this is what I need? Most people don't even think about that. I mean, I see people getting married early and doing all this stuff. And I see the relationships don't work. I see the music thing doesn't work cuz they've no idea what they should be doing. I people would come into Idol auditions and they would rattle off, well, I do kind of blues, opera, gospel, country with little bluegrass with R&B. Wow, and we go, wow, okay, great. Sing for us. We go, of course. Right, you you you're not building a brand. So, how do I find what my brand is and how do I go about marketing? Because so what, you know, it's an A&R person or is a producer. The great ones do. They'll meet you Tom and they'll go, Tom tells me he wants to sing R&B. But you know what Tom does best? Tom's a polka singer. So I'm going to produce some polka on Tom. Like magic it happens. Cuz you have to put the best foot forward. You have to find out what you do best cuz everyone thinks they do everything right. Well, I could do this, I could do that, I could do anything. And then you get the whole parental thing with most kids, you can be anything you want to be. No, you can't. [laughter] I want to be Bill Gates. I'm not. I don't think I ever will be. I want to be him though, bad. [laughter] That's so interesting. Go go deeper in that. So what do you tell your kids? Like legitimate, Dad, can I be anything I want? Find out what you're passionate about and live it like there's no tomorrow. Learn everything you can about study. I don't care what it is. I don't care what you want to do, but do the hell out of that. What is doing the hell out of it? Like And this is part of it. can, going to conferences, listening to people, immersing yourself in I want to be a nutritionist. Immersing yourself in nutrition. Go all the way in. Yeah, that that to me is when I look at your life and I think back to the kid who's on the stoop in in Baton Rouge listening to people play, drinking it in, finding the people that are good, taking the lessons. Your whole thing about humility and ego being the like the big problem that really [ __ ] people up. It's really interesting and it it begins to put in my head this image of you as this person who one has the clarity, you know what you want. Two, you have the drive to actually learn the things that you want to learn. And then three, you consistency, man. And Tom, I didn't always know. I mean, I was a young, dumb, stupid kid, but I had a passion and a desire, but I made a promise to myself, I'm going to find out. And smart people do something very interesting in life. If you don't know, ask someone that knows. Don't just ask somebody else that probably doesn't know that you're age and whatever. Ask somebody who knows. Find somebody successful and say, "How did you do it?" Really listen to them and take that in because they're where you want to be. So, playing with the older guys, they were where I wanted to be. So, I was aspiring, looking to them. It's like, what's the Maya Angelou quote? Be the change you seek? I want change. Yeah, well, I don't want to change. Wait a minute. What are we doing? So, you can talk yourself and tell yourself a bunch of things. That's why the Kendrick thing was so poignant, to sit down and be humble. The record was so amazing. It's a great record. He's an unbelievable talent. But just him saying that to a woke community in the hood and and elsewhere and further out was just amazing. You know what I mean? I I think all the knowledge is out there for people to grasp and get. I don't think they go and get it. I think their ego catches up with them. They wake up and tell themselves, "I'm incredible." Are you really? Compared to what? Ah. And most people are afraid of reality. And most people I feel live in this movable reality. Well, I'm standing over here. This is real over here. No, no, no, no, no, no. What was real there is same here, same there, same there. Are you that good? Are you as good as you think you are? So, one of the things about music and about the entertainment business that I talk to people about is that you're in a competition whether you believe it or like it or not. And the competition's what's going to make you greater. What I love about big cities, LA and New York specifically, right. Guess what? All the leaders are here. Around the corner from here. Max Martin, every producer writer, Hit-Boy, Mustard, everybody's here trying to write it. I'm a writer around the corner from them. Heat. Wow. It's going to force me to really try and get it together and stay on it. If I go to the small pond, it's not going to push me. I'm going to be big in the small pond, but it won't mean anything. I'm not in the soup. So, I would say to people that win these shows, win Idol, The Voice, any of these shows, you've just got a ticket into the brass circle. Guess what, Kelly Clarkson? You love Mariah Whitney? You just got into the circle. Battle them out. Here we go. May the best one with the best song win. That's my friend how you achieve greatness. You don't achieve greatness by saying, "I'm out here on this island by myself. I'm great." And everybody's telling you, "Oh, you're great." Are you really? Compared to what? When you came up with your Quest bars, was it good compared to what? Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Was it because you had to sit there on the shelf with all the other bars. So, may the best one win. And whether people think they're in a competition or not, they are. So, that alone is to drive you like mad. I want to be the best. I don't want to just be in the game. I want to be the best. Get all the lessons I mean I don't I I I I don't understand. For me, I didn't know any other way. So, I guess I was kind of born with that sort of you know, thing in my in my system, in my get-up. I got to strive for the top. Yeah, I got to strive for the top. What am I doing? Why am I in this if I just want to be in the game? What? What implodes people that they have the talent? Maybe they even have the it factor and they just they don't make it. There's a thing. There's three real pillars. Do you actually have the talent? Are you a star? And do you actually have the perseverance? Everyone needs the song. Whether you write it or somebody else writes it, doesn't matter. Are you a star? A star? There's no stopping them. A star is going to make it by hook or crook. If they have to sell their last dirty pair of underwear, they're going to make it. They're getting it no matter what, no matter how. Where do I got to go? Where do I have to move? Who do I have to see? What do I got to do? I'm getting it. You ain't going to stop me. Nobody's stopping me. Stars have that ego. And that perseverance, that's what it really takes to make it. Do you really have what it takes to go through the And look, I see the people all the time. One of the things that helped me the most, all the no's and the rejections that I got. Cuz it made me get back up and go, "Okay, what I got to do?" I got to play better. I got to figure out what are these notes? What are so-and-so doing? Who do they love? Why are they loving them? When I decided I wanted to be a producer, I was working with a guy who became a mentor of mine, the great late great Tom Dowd, who was part of the Atlantic years, that had done all the Ray Charles records, all the Aretha records, all of the Rod Stewart records. This guy was a genius, genius. So, he said to me, he said, "Um So, you musician guy, you went to music school, graduated, what?" And I just played a session for him with a band called Taxi from from England. And I was doing a session up in the Bay Area where I was living. He says, "Ah, yeah, you music school kid, man. You play great, man. You're amazing. So, what do you want to do? You just want to keep doing sessions? You want to go on the road? What do you want to do?" He says, "Um I said, "Man, I'd love to be a producer, man. I've been writing some. I really want to be a producer." He says, "Ah, okay." I said, "Well, look, man, listen. I admire you. You I mean, all the records. I mean, Maggie May, Rod Stewart. I mean, all the Until You Come Back to Me, Aretha. Oh my god, I'm just This guy with Ahmet Ertegun. These guys Oh my god, right? All the Ray Charles. I mean, these guys are like legendary, right? I said, "Well, what's one thing you can give me right away that you think will help me?" Thinks about it for a second. He says, "You know what? Pick up the Billboard magazine." I pick it up. He says, "Musician kid, right? Music school guy?" Yeah. Look at the top 10." I look. He says, "No, no, look at the top 30." Anything in there you like that you think is great? I say, "Hey, you know, yeah, this stuff is cool, but it's like it's not really, you know, it's it's all right, you know, it's it's cool, but I'm not really, you know, crazy about much of it." He says, "That's what I thought you would say. See, the first rule for you, look at the top 20 or 30 or 10. Figure out why those songs are working with the public? How do you get those things, those traits to work for your music? Cuz you are in a competition and you need to be on this chart. Number one, why do they love it? And I I says, "I don't care what kind of music it is. Why is that working? And how can you apply that to yours? Cuz yours is not working yet. So, how are you going to get there?" Dude, I love that so much. And I said to myself, I looked at it and I was like, "You know what? He's absolutely correct. It's not whether I like it or not, people are buying it." People say to me all the time, I was listening to a bunch of music stores and somebody said to me, "Yeah, I don't like that new Katy Perry song. I don't like that other song. I don't like So, why don't you like it?" I don't know, I just don't like it. Well, okay, cool. So, I I immediately discount them because they don't even know what they're doing and what's going on. But, they have a valid opinion, but you needed to resonate with people that are going to download or stream it. Who am I to say that the public's wrong? You you have to tell the story about playing with Journey on stage for the first time, or at least the first time in front of the huge [ __ ] crowd. We were at Calaveras County Fairgrounds. And it was the first big gig we landed by chopper. This is like, you know, it's like a dream come true, right? I think there were 75,000 people. Woah. Um and there were a bunch of other bands on the show, Foreigner, Loverboy. I mean, all these great, amazing bands that I grew up loving. Um and man, it was just it was like it was like the ultimate dream. You like, you know, I remember I still get chills thinking about it. The last song in the set was Faithfully. I remember standing on stage playing and thinking to myself wow. This is what it's really about. Because 75,000 people were singing every word to that song. You hold the mic out. Highway run. They were all singing all the lyrics. And I was standing there and there were tears I I get choked up still thinking about it now. Tears running down my face because I'm thinking this is it. It's not money. It's not fame. It's the true connection with the human spirit. This is what it's all about. Woah. Music to soothe the savage in us. This takes you back to the beginning of time, the beginning of music. This is it. People loved it so much that they learned every word and every melody. Now you've made it. Forget the money, the private forget whatever. Now finally have true connection. 75,000 people, bro. And the audience is singing every lyric. That's the real true connection for an artist. That is really it. The money, all that goes and comes, all this kind of stuff, the houses, all that all that stuff is cool. But that real connection cuz you know somebody loved your stuff so much they're living on every word. Mhm. Wow. You can stand on stage and they're singing it to you. You don't even need to sing. You go like God. Thank you, Jesus. This is it. This is the holy mecca. I mean, you literally just explained why I do what I do. Like the ability to connect, like you said, to connect with the human spirit, to tap into something. This That story is why I love you so much. Like your approach about get [ __ ] good, learn everything you can, and the the public doesn't lie, I think, is a direct quote from you. And I thought that's so interesting. And when you think about this notion of the public doesn't lie, and like what's the organizing factor? I want to be famous, I think, and like I'm some upstart musician. I think I have it, and I'm chasing something. And your whole message is your job is to get so good that you can create something so beautiful that it connects with that many people at such a deep level that it it starts to become a part of the fabric of who they are. And that's like, God, man, we all have those songs that are like they're they're a part of us. Great music is timeless. The Beatles, timeless. Motown, timeless. Journey, timeless. Zeppelin, timeless. Mhm. It's music from 50 years ago that still sounds fresh and new today. The other thing that what happens that I think prepares you when you learn everything you can, Tom. You're able to start to concoct your own brand. Nobody wants another one of anything else. Mhm. Who are you? What are you giving me that I don't get from somewhere else? So, I say to every artist, people say, "Why do you decide to manage people? What do you What do you do?" See, I meet artists and I go, "Why do I care?" [snorts] "Why will anyone care about you?" "I'm great." Okay. Uh I can dance. Okay. I I'm beautiful. Oh, there's none of that on the planet. Oh, okay, great. That's not going to do it. What are you giving me that nobody else is giving me? What's special about you? We each have something. Spiritually, God has given us all something to get through this life differently from the other that's better than the other. It's up to you to find it. How? Exactly. You got to do a lot of self-exploration. You got to do a lot of digging to soul-searching and try and find it. And I think you have to do a lot of listening and being able to turn the noise down. Social media and otherwise, all of the sensationalism that it just begets America. Turn it off. Just try and dig deep and find out what makes you special. Also, what makes you happy? Maybe start there. What kind of song would you sing that you go, I would say to singers this trick. You have one song left to sing, what would you sing? One. [snorts] For the rest of your life. What is that song that rocks you at your core? If you don't know what that is, you don't know who you are. Ah. So, what are we talking about? We're just We're just wasting time. Cuz until you know who you are, we should not move forward. So, remember, I got to learn to want what I need as opposed to just need what I want. What do I need? I don't know if I don't know who I am. I don't even know what I like if I don't know who I am. You can tell yourself, I like this, I like that. Oh, I like 20 things. Yeah. There's something There's one thing in there that you cannot live without. What is that? What I like about your advice is that it applies to anything. Cuz everything in life is relative. It's life. Yeah, when I think about even like as I was describing the you know, having that connection and getting so good at something that you can really have a deep connection. I thought there is a correlate to this in accounting where it's like you and I love that Seth Godin calls what he calls linchpins. Somebody who's just so extraordinary at their job. He said, "I think of them as artists." Right. And I'm like, "Yes." Like when you tell people that they need to learn everything they can and you know, I'm I just want to be, you know, the next Zeppelin or whatever, the Stones. And so, do I really need to learn more than these four chords? Yes, [ __ ] because if you want to discover who you are, you've got to have access to everything so that your creation isn't limited by your ability to articulate. That's why people usually write the same song over and over. They don't know anything else. Yeah, I think the the notion of all of this is born out of knowing what you want, knowing who you are, and then most importantly building the skills to be able to get that out. Knowing what you need and knowing who you are. Cuz what you want is often I'm saying. Uh I don't think you're ever going to meet a music person that I want to be famous. Uh and people now today, you know, with the the whole millennial Gen Z thing is, "I want to be famous now." Yeah. Uh somebody said to me the other day, "I want to be signed in 3 months." Great. Just Don't don't wait. Just sign today. Just go to a label and say, "Sign me now." And see what happens. Yeah. Um but you know, even thinking about that, they're signing you on what basis? What do you have to show? What's your collateral? It's a bank. What do you have to show me? Well, I got a bunch of songs. I sign you on people walk in my office I got 10,000 songs. I go, great. I got 10 billion songs. You know I haven't heard any of them, they're all crap. Like I mean like you know, and we all write crap. We write good stuff, we write crap stuff, we're all a work in progress. I mean, if you do if if I'd have had these songs and all of them would have been hits, we probably wouldn't be sitting in this office. [laughter] You know, so it's it's um and it's also getting honest and real with yourself, digging deep. How good am I really? Let me look in the mirror. I know I'm hot, but am I really that cute? You know what I mean? I'm just really being honest with yourself. But the stars, my friend, they are the equalizers. So when I was doing A&R, I only looked for stars. Today, people say, "Well, why is rock music not prevalent and why is R&B not prevalent?" There are no stars. The stars are there in hip-hop because these are the guys that give zero [ __ ] Kanye doesn't care what anyone thinks about Kanye. [laughter] That's the mark of a star. Do you think Mick Jagger cared what people were saying about him? Hell no, this is what I'm doing. You think Bowie cared? No, you think Prince cared? Oh my god, I'm going to wear this G-string with these thigh-high [laughter] boots with the fishnets and this cross and I'm going to rock it hard. I know what they must be saying. I don't care. You had a really awesome quote. You were talking about these people that want to be stars, but they don't even love themselves. And you were like, "Meghan Trainor, Adele, Ruben Studdard, people that the outside world is like, you're you're you're too big for this. Like no way." Cowell and I would say to people that would come in on Idol and somebody go like, "Well, I don't know. I really got to lose weight." No, no, no, no, no, no. Don't let that become you. Don't let that shackle you in a weird place. A star is not about the weight. Meat Loaf was heavy. He was a star. You see what I'm saying? So, it's [laughter] it's less about how you look and it's what do they say? That said, chutzpah, said je ne sais quoi. It's that special something sauce that you got. Yeah. Hey, man, you know, we know people that can sell sand to the beach. That's a star. Beach already got enough sand. I got some more sand. It's blue. Well, we don't have blue. Let me take some. Yeah, these are the stars. Cuz as an artist, what you're out there doing is selling your wares, aren't you? So, people think I'm on Instagram and I've taken everything off. I mean, I had used to be on to I had a 100 million followers cuz I was just posing in my Speedo. And [snorts] guys, these are Speedos that Tom made for me. Tom, before anything else, was a Speedo maker. [laughter] The best of the best. Loud orange and electric green. But, no. I mean, listen. That will only get you so far. That'll get you people wanting your body. This does nothing for your talent. Doesn't mean anything. Doesn't translate into sales or anything else. Just translates into people wanting you. Got your clothes off. Yeah, I got 10 million followers. Yeah. What can you do with that? Give people a breakdown between a pop star and like just raw and unadulterated star performer. The best star in the world is the star that has commerce. It's what I like. Meaning that you're a star, you give zero [ __ ] You do what you beat by your own drum. You look to be unique. You don't care what people are thinking. And you strive to be the best. And you persevere. You never give up. That's a real star. And if that star is commerce, then it's all the better. So, when you look at the legendary people of our time, the Marleys, the Jacksons, the Princes, the Bowies, the Jaggers, the Steven Tylers, the Axl Roses, I mean, just Zeppelin, Hendrix, just go down I mean, there's trillions of them. The Beatles, Motown, James Brown, just just keep going. Well, whatever. The Eagles, just whatever. These are these artists that also have commerce. Now, there are a lot of pop stars around today. And there always has been since the beginning of time. The pop star, somebody tells where to stand, what color to wear, what to do. It's almost programmed almost as if it's a robot. Successful, because success is really more about the song, but a career is about the song and the artist. The longevity is about the artist. Anybody Listen, everybody in this room could find a song and put it out under any kind of name, the Troubles, and it could maybe become a hit if the song is great. Cuz the public doesn't really care who's doing it. They just care about the song. But, the real public cares about the song and the person. Hence, U2 doesn't have to put out another record, they could play stadiums. Wow. Wow. And their career's been going 25 years and counting. That's a career. That's a real star with commerce. So, you know, you can become a pop star and you're just programmed to death, but that's only going to lead you so far. Yeah, one thing I heard you say one time, and I thought it was so on the money, and it was so revealing, and it like was one of those I'd never thought of it before. And then as soon as you said it, I was like, "Oh my god." Is that the the star is somebody who can reveal the depths of their emotions. Like they're not the robot. They are they're almost peeling themselves bare before you in their performance. And so there's that that connection that you talked about earlier. As a singer, as a musician on a stage, you could be wearing 18 bear rugs. You're nude. The public is picking you apart to shreds. His eyes are too close together. Her knees she's knock-kneed. She's goofy and tall. Her teeth are crooked. I mean, I don't like his ears. They're too big for his body. I mean, they're ripping you to literal shreds. So you better have some stamina, and you better be able to take the heat or get out the kitchen. Cuz they're coming for you. Guns blazing as hard as they can. I don't like him. I don't know what something's weird about his he's got a cowlick hair. I don't know his nose is weird. I know he's had five nose jobs, and he needs another one. Whatever. They hate you before they're going to love you. The pop star can't take that. The artist can take that because you know what they're doing? They saying, "You know what? I'm going to sing my song. You're going to listen. You could hate me, but I'm not going away." I'm going to pour my lyrics out. I'm going to pour my heart out. I don't care what you see. Take all of me or nothing. That's the artist. How's your career lasted so long? I think, you know, I try and reinvent all the time. I keep my mind open and my eyes open. And I got became more of a philanthropist. I got into managing chefs. I got into managing writer producers and artists. I got into um doing more TV, developing TV shows, developing film, got into selling products on my own with other people. I became interested in other things because when you're an artist, ah, the great artist Tony Bennett, one of the real greats, who still to this day at 90 whatever years old he is, will out-sing almost every pop star on the planet. He still gets up and does 2 and 1/2 hours singing at the top of his lungs. Brilliant. Everyone should always go and see him. He's also a magnificent painter. Mhm. So, when you're an artist, artists aren't limited to one thing usually. That may be the thing you're best at, but there's other interests, you know. So, I think it's about furthering that and I grew up really loving evolution of the man. What do you mean? I did that. Now I'm going to be like Tom. Tom, what do you want to do next? Did that, conquered that, did what I wanted to do and that what's my next challenge? How do you stay hungry enough to pursue that? Something new is so difficult. It's always difficult, but that's what drives you, right? That's what drives I love building. So, if you were going to ask me what my real sort of secret passion is building is the core of it. Yeah. But if I were going to answer a question around drive, I'd probably give you a different answer. What would you say? [sighs and gasps] In truth, I have built a value system and part of that value system is impact. So, I have decided that it is important to have positive impact in the world and I've built that up with such importance and fervor in my mind that when we exited Quest, my wife and I, we just never needed to work again. Absurdly, right? Buy an island, like that kind of never need to work again. And that wasn't like even a real consideration. It was what do I know about myself? You talk about know thyself. I know for me, whether this is good or bad is somewhat irrelevant. I it is critical to me to matter. I don't need to be famous. I don't need to be visible. I need to be doing something that matters. That is so crushingly important to me that it borders on pathological. Well, I think that's the same thing for all of us, right? And for me also, it's also paying it forward. It's seeing the diamond in the rough and going that, nobody's seeing it. That could be amazing. But this is what I say to every artist, are you willing to listen or do you know everything already? If you know everything already, good luck. Um hopefully you have a good life. If you're willing to listen and do the work, possibly I can help you. You have to be open and humble. Still very compassionate. But being able to grow. Nobody's born with the whole thing. A ton of people helped me along the way. Sure a ton of people helped you along the way. For sure. So now you're doing that through your Impact Theory. I'm doing it through everything that I do. It's it's what we do. It's like not working is not an option. It's what I do. It's what I love. I love learning. I love exploring. I love teaching. It's what I do. Why are you so focused on helping kids? Uh because I think they have no real barrier of entry. When you're adult, you have a bunch of options. You're an adult, you can work various jobs. You can do a ton of things. You can move cities whenever. Kids don't have that option. They have their parents that love them and want to see them do well, but they don't really know the business usually. So, you need to, you know, somebody needs to help. So, it's one of those things. I As I say, a lot of people helped me, man. They didn't have to. They saw something in me I'm not even sure at the time I saw in myself. But, the fact that they could see it, I mean, look, playing in those bars with the older guys, what in the hell I didn't do? I'm like, what? Dude, what was I doing in there, man? Like I don't even know, man. I don't even know what that was. You know what I'm saying? Like I mean, you feel me? Like, I mean, what am I I'm like 13, these guys are like 40-some, they're great, like I mean, I thought I was pretty good, but I didn't have to, you know. Um But, yeah, I mean, but [clears throat] seeing how they connected with the music and just sitting there first hand with them was just so golden. Seeing how people would get up and dance out of music, make them move, and You feel like an example to me of when somebody really finds what they want to do, what makes them come alive, and they just went all in. And that's like my real secret hope for people is that they can create that in their life, that they can build into their life something that they love the way that you love music. But, I love that your message always comes back to learning, hard work, perseverance, get after it. It's not like, oh, I was born with this and that was that. Not enough. It's not enough. And you're in a competition whether you want to believe it or not, you are. You're being judged. People judge you. We say, as an artist is climbing to the top, everyone's cheering them along like it's the Rocky story. The butcher's going to beat the champ. Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go, go. Once you get to the top, oh, yeah, he sucks. I'm over him, you know what I mean? That's when you know you've made it. Yeah, they're falling off, dude, and I ain't even winning anymore, man. You know. Yes. It's kind of funny. I have to ask, what's the one song, if you could only ever play one song again, what would it be? For me? Yeah. What's the one song? Funnily enough, one of my favorite songs in life. I have about four or five favorites. Cuz Let It Be just popped in my head. That's one of my favorites, too, but Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Wow. The melody and the chords just so next level. The the theory of it and the joy and the happiness that it brings, though. Pure Imagination. The melody's so So, every time I hear it, it makes me feel happy. I love that. Yeah. It's just an amazing piece of music. An I mean I You'd have to Those guys are so accomplished to even write that and make it work. Mhm. It's just I mean, beautiful. Just beautiful. Just gorgeous. Your world is beyond interesting to me. Tell these people where they can dive into your world. Where's the best place to follow you? To dive into my world, you can connect with me on my socials. Um and everywhere you see me, I'm there everywhere. I try and fly under the radar a lot lately, but Tom's making me come back out. [laughter] Watch Impact Theory and you can find me. That's good advice. All right. What is the impact that you want to have on the world? I want to help be the change. I want to help push people to their greater highest good. I I respect it. Randy Jackson, thank you so much, my man. That was absolutely incredible. Guys, do yourselves a favor, dive into his world, see the way that he responds to music, the way that it moves him, the way that it is him. You want to build something like that in your life, it will change you forever. Go hard, y'all. Go hard or go home. If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe. And until next time, my friends, be legendary. Take care. Randy, you [ __ ] that was awesome. Thank you so much for that. Definition of success too often is [music] whoever has the most toys wins. Whoever is the most popping wins. Whoever is has the most likes on Instagram wins. And I think we have to change our definition of success. For me, success is doing what you love for a living.