Michael Bublé Shifts Focus to Business, Acting After Son's Cancer Recovery

儿子癌症康复后，Michael Bublé 将重心转向商业与演艺 这位格莱美奖得主在儿子确诊癌症彻底改变了他对个人成功的看法后，重新调整了职业规划，优先考虑家庭与新事业。 在这次坦诚的专访中，Michael Bublé 回顾了在打入乐坛之前长达十年的挫折与挣扎，并将自己的坚持归功于家人的坚定支持和深信不疑的自我信念。他反思了自身在全球取得的巨大成功，阐述了舞台人设与真实自我之间的区隔，并分享了儿子确诊癌症如何彻底重塑了他的人生优先级，将家庭和信仰置于事业抱负之上。此外，他还谈及了拓展新的创意领域，包括涉足表演、创立个人品牌 Fraser & Thompson 威士忌，同时保持着持久的圣诞音乐影响力，并在 TikTok 上与粉丝进行直接互动。 迈克尔·布雷（Michael Bublé）回顾了早年在无行业背景的蓝领家庭支持下起步的历程；如今他坚持将巡演限制在两至三周内，并每年与身为演员的妻子协调日程，确保把陪伴家人置于追求最大经济利益之上。 (4:24) 在成名之前，他忍受了长达十年的行业拒绝与杂工生活，一度在26岁时考虑转行学习新闻；最终他通过自筹每首歌10万美元的制作费并大胆向华纳唱片争取，才获得突破契机。 (20:37) 儿子 Noah 确诊癌症的经历如重锤般打破了他的自我膨胀与名利执念，让他彻底清醒，从此将信仰与家庭永远置于音乐事业之上。 (41:59) 他明确区分了光鲜完美的舞台人设“Michael Bublé”与生活中幽默随性的真实自我“Mike”，目前正通过涉足影视表演及创立威士忌品牌 Fraser & Thompson 寻求音乐之外的全新挑战。 (51:53)

In an interview with Steven Bartlett, singer Michael Bublé reflects on enduring a decade of industry rejection, recalibrating his life and career following his son's cancer diagnosis, and disentangling his personal identity from his polished public persona. Enduring Decade-Long Rejection and Securing Warner Backing (20:37) Coming from a blue-collar Vancouver background of Italian immigrants, plumbers, and commercial salmon fishermen, Bublé spent his formative years absorbing the Great American Songbook through his grandfather Mitch. Despite grassroots family support packing his early club appearances, Bublé faced ten consecutive years of rejection from industry executives who praised his talent but claimed they did not know how to market traditional pop standards. By age 26, after working odd jobs and singing at corporate events, he contemplated abandoning music to study journalism at Simon Fraser University or Douglas College. His breakthrough required both stubborn persistence and unconventional financing. After performing at the wedding of the Canadian Prime Minister's daughter, producer David Foster offered to produce his record only if Bublé secured $100,000 per track for at least six songs. Bublé and his manager raised the funds through Vancouver banks. When pitching to Warner Records president Tom Wally—who questioned signing another crooner when the label already held Frank Sinatra's catalog—Bublé argued, 'Frank's dead. Don't bury the music.' Warner signed him, though commercial viability required relentless international touring in Southeast Asia and South Africa before domestic radio embraced him. Recalibrating Ambition and Fatherhood After Childhood Illness (41:59) Bublé describes his early career as driven by ego, ambition, and financial milestones until his three-year-old son, Noah, was diagnosed with cancer on Halloween. Terming the event a 'sledgehammer to my reality,' the medical crisis stripped away his ambition-driven blinders and prompted a vow at Children's Hospital Los Angeles to lead a life rooted in empathy and gratitude. Bublé acknowledges that while Noah is now ten and doing well, the psychological toll means he will 'never be carefree again,' permanently reshaping his life hierarchy to place faith first, family second, and career a distant third. This shift directly dictated his working parameters. Recalling childhood memories of his own father spending weeks at sea commercial fishing—phoning home via coin-filled socks at payphones—Bublé decided he could not use breadwinning to justify prolonged absences to his four children. He deliberately caps his touring schedules at two to three weeks away followed by two weeks home, coordinating annual schedules with his wife and their managers to pause his touring entirely whenever she is filming on location. Separating Stage Persona from Personal Creative Fulfillment Bublé makes a sharp distinction between 'Michael Bublé'—the suited, polished stage entertainer—and 'Mike,' his self-described informal, everyday self. After twenty years of repeating an eighteen-month album-and-tour cycle, Bublé felt the urge to pursue broader creative projects that satisfy his own curiosity rather than industry expectations. These pursuits include comedic acting, such as working with Taika Waititi on an Asda holiday commercial, and founding Fraser & Thompson Whisky with Master Distiller Paul Cirka, named after the British Columbia river fork where his grandfather was born in 1927. Despite earning five Grammy Awards and multi-platinum sales, Bublé admits to recurring imposter syndrome and feelings of being artistically misplaced between jazz, classical, and mainstream pop. While the ubiquity of his 2011 holiday album initially led to seasonal typecasting, he now embraces his association with Christmas as a lasting legacy that brings comfort to households well beyond his lifetime. Bypassing Industry Gatekeepers and Grounding in Live Craft (82:33) Reflecting on the evolution of media distribution, Bublé and Bartlett examine the decline of corporate gatekeepers. Bartlett recounts an early career broadcast audition where an executive walked out halfway through, contrasting that gatekeeping with independent creator platforms that allow audiences to decide resonance directly. Bublé actively engages on TikTok, personally responding to fan creations and viral parodies rather than delegating community interactions to publicists. However, Bublé notes a modern industry pitfall: record labels aggressively signing online creators who possess millions of social media followers but lack live performance experience. He argues that genuine artistic longevity remains tied to the discipline of live stage craft—the ability to hold an audience's attention in a physical room—which cannot be entirely replaced by digital metrics. While facing an impending creative fork in the road that he plans to evaluate with his wife and close advisors, Bublé dismisses any prospect of retiring from performing, stating that making music remains as involuntary and fundamental to his life as breathing.

Michael Bublé 在接受《The Diary Of A CEO》专访时指出，其音乐事业建立在长达十年的残酷行业拒绝与坚韧的家庭支持之上；而儿子确诊癌症的家庭变故，则成为彻底粉碎其名利虚荣的现实重击，迫使他重塑生命坐标，将信仰与家庭置于远超事业的首要位置。 十年行业拒绝与孤注一掷的突破 (20:37) Bublé 坦言自己成名并非一蹴而就。他出身于温哥华的工薪阶层家庭，没有任何业内裙带关系，早期全靠经营水管工生意的外祖父 Mitch 以维修劳务置换声乐课程，并陪他在街头以每小时20美元的酬劳卖唱。在长达十年的时间里，各大唱片公司与经纪人均以“不知道该如何包装传统流行乐与大乐队爵士”为由拒绝签约。26岁时，在多伦多辗转谋生的 Bublé 一度陷入财务困境，甚至计划放弃音乐去修读新闻学。但他坚持认为，长年在商演、酒吧和葬礼等严苛现场获得的积极反馈，证明自己具备打动观众的真实能力，这种信念支撑他度过了漫长的低谷期。 转折点发生在他受邀为加拿大前总理女儿的婚礼献唱后。著名制作人 David Foster 虽然注意到他，却开出了每首歌筹集10万美元、制作至少6首歌的苛刻条件。Bublé 与经纪人在温哥华四处奔走获取了这笔担保资金，并在合作濒临破裂之际争取到向华纳唱片总裁 Tom Wally 当面陈词的机会。面对总裁关于旗下已拥有 Frank Sinatra 版权库的质疑，Bublé 直言“Sinatra 已经去世，请不要埋葬这门音乐”，最终赢得合约。在北美本土首张专辑反响平平的背景下，Bublé 接受经纪人 Bruce Allen 的建议，辗转菲律宾、南非等海外市场进行密集宣传，最终实现了全球突破。 现实的重击与不可逆的人生转折 (41:59) 在快速累积财富与声名之后，Bublé 承认自己曾一度被权力、财务目标和自我虚荣蒙蔽。然而，其年幼儿子 Noah 在万圣节确诊癌症的创伤，被他形容为“重击现实的大铁锤”，瞬间剥离了所有虚饰。Bublé 回忆在洛杉矶儿童医院的洗手间里向神祈祷，许诺若能度过难关便以同理心和感激重过一生。尽管 Noah 现已康复至10岁且状态良好，但这场危机留下了不可磨灭的印记，Bublé 明确表示自己“永远无法再无忧无虑”，并彻底确立了“第一是信仰、第二是家庭、第三才是遥远的事业”的价值排序。 童年时期父亲因远洋捕鲑鱼常年离家的记忆，促使 Bublé 严密防范自己在财务自由后缺席子女成长。他制定了在商业上被视为“不划算”的巡演规则：外出巡演两至三周后，必须完整休假两周回归家庭。此外，他每年年初都会与经纪人及演员妻子 Luisana Lopilato 的团队协同日程；若妻子需要在夏季进组拍摄电影，他会全面停摆巡演随行陪护，以制度化手段捍卫家庭生活。 人设解离、商业探索与边缘归属感 Bublé 深入剖析了舞台人格与真实自我之间的割裂。他将身着西装、举止无可挑剔的舞台形象界定为“Michael Bublé”，而将私下热爱冰球与梦幻橄榄球的自己称为“Mike”。在经历二十年“录制专辑、40国宣传、18个月全球巡演”的封闭循环后，他渴望跳出安全区，通过涉足喜剧与影视表演（如由 Taika Waititi 执导的圣诞广告）来释放真实的个性，并携手调酒大师 Paul Cirka 历时三年创立了 Fraser & Thompson 威士忌。该品牌以其外祖父出生的两条河流交汇处命名，瓶身印有外祖父出生年份1927等致敬细节，定价在35至40美元之间，贯彻其家族看重的平实质感。 尽管手握五座格莱美奖且多张唱片达多白金销量，Bublé 却坦承自己始终深陷艺术边缘感，认为自己在流行乐、传统爵士与古典乐三个领域均属于格格不入的局外人。不过，随着心智成熟，他完全接纳了自己作为“圣诞节代名词”的流行文化标签。他回忆自己在医院陪伴儿子时意识到，即便百年后世人遗忘其流行单曲，其录音作品仍会在每年圣诞节传递善意与温暖，这使他与自身代表作《Home》以及节日经典音乐达成了深刻的和解。 行业把关人消亡与内在财富的衡量 (76:01) 针对流媒体与社交平台的发展，Bublé 与主持人 Steven Bartlett 讨论了娱乐行业权力的去中心化变革。两人回顾了过去艺人需要向唱片与电台高层苦苦求索机会的困境，Bartlett 亦分享了早年试镜英国主流电台遭总监中途离席弃置、多年后因播客影响力巨大反被邀请做客的荒谬经历。Bublé 肯定了 TikTok 等平台打破传统把关人壁垒、让创作者与受众直接联结的积极面，甚至自述每日亲自回复网友的幽默二创；但他亦审慎指出，仅凭线上数据爆红却从未在真实观众面前演出的新人，在产业长线中面临着现场掌控力的考验。 结合数十年的人生起伏，Bublé 对“财富”做出了本质定义。他常告诫四个孩子，真正的富足与豪车、奢华消费品毫无关联，物质最丰富的人往往也是内心最空虚的。在他看来，坚定的精神信仰、亲密的家庭纽带与深厚友谊构成了不可替代的财富资产；倘若生命在当下终结，他在拥有深爱伴侣、孩子与内心从容的状态下，已没有任何实质性的人生遗憾。 该访谈勾勒出一位在历经十年挫折登顶、后因家庭重病彻底重置生活重心的成熟艺术家形象。尽管 Bublé 明确宣称绝不可能退出如呼吸般不可或缺的音乐事业，但他透露自己即将面临重大人生分岔路抉择；如何在恪守家庭优先排序的同时，平衡新商业板块扩张、跨界表演探索与核心音乐事业，构成了他未来生涯的核心考题。

## Background 该视频由 YouTube 频道 The Diary Of A CEO（主持人为 Steven Bartlett）于 2023 年 12 月 21 日发布。视频简介介绍了对全球流行音乐巨星迈克尔·布雷（Michael Bublé）的深度专访，内容涵盖他的早年草根出身、屡遭拒绝的长达十年的低谷期、儿子的患癌危机、全新威士忌品牌创业以及对名利与家庭优先级的深刻反思。 ## TL;DR 在长达一个半小时的对谈中，迈克尔·布雷毫无保留地回顾了自己的成名之路与人生起伏。他讲述了自己出身于温哥华蓝领家庭、在夜总会与商场摸爬滚打十年碰壁的磨砺，以及在伯班克华纳总部背水一战争取唱片合约的关键时刻。更重要的是，布雷直面长子确诊癌症对他内心产生的剧烈震动，这一变故彻底粉碎了他的名利虚荣心，重塑了信仰与家庭至上的人生优先级。此外，他还畅谈了舞台绅士形象之外随性幽默的自我、创立 Fraser & Thompson 威士忌的过程、沉迷 TikTok 发掘素人歌手的乐趣，以及在去中心化时代对艺术创作本质的真挚领悟。 ## Atmosphere & style 整场访谈充盈着极具感染力的真诚、幽默与深刻的情感张力。迈克尔·布雷在镜头前展现出惊人的自嘲与松弛感，时不时改词清唱、掏出手机分享短视频，仿佛好友在壁炉旁对饮叙旧；而当话题切入儿子患癌与洛杉矶儿童医院洗手间里的誓言时，气氛骤然沉静，言语间流露出直击人心的脆弱与沧桑。两位同有底层打拼经历的对话者惺惺相惜、层层剖开名利场背后的假象，让整场节目在欢声笑语与热泪盈眶之间自然流转，兼具极高的启发性与温暖的人文底色。 ## Bulletin - [20:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=1244s) 迈克尔·布雷（Michael Bublé）经历长达十年的底层碰壁与自筹60万美元录音绝境，直至28岁签约华纳并在海外市场爆发，才迎来全球巨星生涯的转折。 - [42:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=2550s) 大儿子诺亚确诊癌症的重击彻底打碎了布雷的名利滤镜，迫使他确立了“信仰第一、家庭第二、事业第三”的不可动摇人生优先级。 - [59:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=3578s) 布雷打破传统音乐人宣发闭环，创立致敬祖父的平价威士忌 Fraser & Thompson，并积极涉足喜剧与影视表演以寻求全新的自我表达。 - [01:25:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=5129s) 从早年依赖唱片业少数把关人到如今沉迷 TikTok 算法发掘草根歌手，布雷与主持人指出由少数精英独揽生杀大权的“把关人时代”已彻底终结。 ## Key takeaways - [02:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=132s) 家庭蓝领背景是布雷艺术生涯的基石，水管工外公甚至通过免费修水管为他换取声乐训练课，早期的演出现场全靠全家族动员填满。 - [04:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=264s) 为了最大化陪伴家庭并支持身为演员的妻子的档期，布雷不惜承担高昂财务成本推行“巡演两至三周、休息两周”的高频折返模式。 - [16:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=1005s) 早年通过反复临摹弗兰克·辛纳屈、迪恩·马丁等爵士大师的声音汲取养分，并践行托尼·班奈特的金句：“只偷一个人是小偷，偷遍所有人则是学术研究”。 - [25:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=1502s) 十年默默无闻的打拼历练出坚不可摧的舞台信心与“50,000人法则”：只要台下有一名观众低头看表，他就会将整场演出视为一场必须征服对方的对决。 - [30:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=1856s) 遭遇资金断裂险些夭折之际，布雷在制作人亨伯托的脚本指导下直面大卫·福斯特，并在华纳兄弟总裁面前掷地有声地宣称“辛纳屈已逝，别让这门音乐陪葬”，成功逆转局势。 - [35:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=2102s) 首张专辑在北美遇冷后，通过避开内卷、远征菲律宾与南非等海外基层路演，最终以跨海反哺欧美主流乐坛的路径打破僵局。 - [42:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=2550s) 儿子确诊癌症粉碎了一切功利滤镜，布雷坦言自己“这辈子再也无法无忧无虑”，但深刻体会到能够活着面对苦难本身就是一种特权。 - [46:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=2782s) 在洛杉矶儿童医院隔间许下庄严誓言后，布雷将自省与真诚放在首位，通过不断阅读《当下的力量》警惕内心虚荣膨胀的“假我（False Self）”。 - [51:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=3111s) 舞台上西装革履的流行巨星“Michael Bublé”与私底下热爱体育的真实乐天派“Mike”存在割裂，他正试图打破20年的单调巡演闭环，拥抱喜剧表演。 - [01:01:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=3705s) 创办 Fraser & Thompson 威士忌不仅是对童年陪伴自己的祖父致敬，更践行渔民父亲“给予消费者实在价值”的平价路线，拒绝明星虚高溢价。 - [01:05:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=3930s) 从一度苦恼于被定型为“圣诞歌手”，到后来释怀领悟：能通过经典唱片在每年最温情的节日陪伴千家万户，是一项能跨越世纪的无上荣誉。 - [01:08:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=4130s) 原创金曲《Home》在洗澡沐浴时一气呵成，但早年坚持写原创歌曲时却屡遭唱片公司高层冷嘲热讽与路线质疑。 - [01:11:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=4310s) 长期身处流行、古典与爵士边缘的布雷深感艺术上的孤独与“冒名顶替综合征”，但也正是这种不属于任何圈子的特质成就了其不可替代的独特性。 - [01:16:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=4561s) 对四个孩子关于“成功”的终极建议是：坚定的信仰、温暖的家庭以及持久的友谊才是真正的富有，临终前绝不会有人后悔没收集更多物质奢侈品。 - [01:19:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=4757s) 艺术创作具有对抗万有引力般的“无中生有”魔法，在残酷的世界里，对热爱的专注是唯一永远忠诚、永不背叛的心灵避难所。 - [01:25:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=5129s) TikTok 等去中心化平台的崛起瓦解了传统唱片与广播高管独断专行的“把关人时代”，评判作品生死的权力真正交还给了大众的每一次点击与共鸣。 ## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=0s) 序幕：偷师、十年沉寂与生命的重击 访谈在一阵幽默中拉开序幕。迈克尔·布雷（Michael Bublé）随性哼唱起自己的代表作《Home》，开玩笑说歌词本该写成“巴黎或罗马再好，但我想回家，因为这地方烂透了”。随后画面切入他跌宕起伏的人生概述：从痴迷于弗兰克·辛纳屈（Frank Sinatra）、鲍比·达林（Bobby Darin）与迪恩·马丁（Dean Martin）的声音，到汲取众家之长融为己用。布雷风趣地指出：“如果你只从一个人身上偷学，你只是个小偷；但如果你从所有人身上偷学，那就是在做学术研究。” 在迎来举世瞩目的成功前，布雷经历了长达十年的俱乐部驻唱与屡屡碰壁，每一位经纪人都曾对他说过“我们绝不会签你”。然而，支撑他熬过十年失败的，是一种近乎偏执的自信——他深信只要遇到对的伯乐，自己就能成为“地球上最伟大的舞台表演者之一”。即便台下坐着五万人，只要看到角落里有一个人低头看表，他就会把整场演出当成一场对决，全力以赴唱到攻破那名观众的防线为止。然而，就在事业如日中天之际，儿子的癌症确诊如同一把沉重的铁锤，“重重地砸碎了我的现实世界”。这场家庭变故彻底颠覆了他的认知，让他暗自发誓，如果一家人能熬过这一关，他必须换一种完全不同的人生方式去生活。 --- ### [02:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=132s) 家庭“熔炉”：没有裙带关系的草根后盾 主持人史蒂文·巴特利特（Steven Bartlett）将人的童年成长环境比喻为一个“熔炉”，好奇究竟是怎样的环境塑造了布雷如今独特而富有魅力的个性。布雷坦言，自己的底色完全来自于一个不可思议的家庭。作为家中的长子，他从小获得了倾注式的关爱与夸奖，家人总是告诉他“你太棒了，你无所不能”，这也成了他如今如此热爱表达、滔滔不绝的原因。 布雷在十三、四岁时便下定决心走职业歌手之路，十六岁时外公就带着他辗转于各个夜总会演出。十八、九岁时，他在当地知名夜店（如 Babalu's 和 The Purple Onion）驻唱，现场总是座无虚席。外人惊诧于这个初出茅庐的毛头小子为何能场场爆满，其实背后的秘密纯粹是一场浩大的“家庭总动员”：他的表亲、阿姨、祖父母以及母亲，挨个打电话发动身边的所有亲朋好友买票捧场。布雷感叹自己没有任何裙带资本可以依靠，曾祖父是从意大利移民而来的造船工，祖父则是以围网捕捞三文鱼为生的渔民，全家都是踏踏实实的蓝领，正是一整个家族毫无保留的爱与支持，将他推上了最初的音乐舞台。 --- ### [04:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=264s) 父亲的背影与“不计成本”的家庭巡演法则 祖辈的渔民生活让布雷很早就尝到了亲人间聚少离多的滋味。他的父亲常年出海捕鱼，每当小布雷追问“爸爸你为什么要走”时，父亲的回答务实而沉重：“这是爸爸的工作，爸爸要靠这个挣钱买食物、还房贷，才能供得起我们一家的开销与度假。”巧合的是，长大成人后的布雷脱离了渔船，却同样踏上了一条需要常年背井离乡的巡演之路。 然而，当布雷取得商业成功、生活富足之后，面对孩子们天真地发问“爸爸你为什么要走”，他再也无法用“养家糊口”作为借口。为了平衡事业与家庭，布雷做出了他在财务上“极不理智”的巡演妥协： ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 布雷的家庭优先日程规划流程 accDescr: 展示布雷如何协调个人巡演与妻子演艺事业以确保家庭陪伴的决策图 subgraph 巡演节奏规划 A["设定巡演周期模式"] --> B["巡演3周 / 休息2周"] A --> C["巡演2周 / 休息2周"] end subgraph 夫妻日程对齐 D["年初统筹全家日历<br/>（布雷、妻子及各自经纪人）"] --> E{"妻子是否有影视拍摄档期？"} E -- "是（如6-7月进组）" --> F["布雷彻底停工<br/>带全家进组陪同"] E -- "否" --> G["按节奏安排巡演场次"] end B & C --> H["确保高频往返陪伴孩子"] F --> H ``` - **高昂的往返成本**：为了能经常回家，他推行“巡演三周休息两周”或“巡演两周休息两周”的折返模式，这在需要维持巨型巡演团队规模的情况下，财务消耗极其庞大。 - **尊重妻子的事业**：他的妻子（阿根廷知名演员路易莎娜·洛皮拉托 Luisana Lopilato）拥有自己热爱且充实的演艺生涯。每年年初，布雷会与妻子以及双方的经纪人坐在一起对齐整年日历。如果妻子在六、七月份有电影拍摄安排，布雷就会全面停工，带着孩子陪伴在妻子身边。 --- ### [06:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=399s) 一双装满硬币的袜子：两代父亲的思念与传承 谈到童年对父亲的思念，布雷深感自己生逢科技发达的时代何其幸运。如今身在异乡巡演，他只要在房间里架起 iPad，就能通过 Zoom 陪伴家中的孩子们一起吃爆米花、看圣诞电影。布雷还打趣提到自己曾在英国《诺顿秀》（The Graham Norton Show）上与影星马修·麦康纳（Matthew McConaughey）分享的趣事：布雷长期依赖冥想助眠软件 Calm 听麦康纳讲故事入睡，妻子甚至打趣说“麦康纳每晚都睡在我们中间”。后来 Calm 团队主动邀请布雷录制自己的睡前故事，如今在巡演的夜晚，他就会在视频里播放自己录制的助眠故事，哄孩子们安静入眠。 科技的便利让他不禁联想起自己的父亲当年离家出海的辛酸： - **硬币与公用电话**：父亲出海时身上总是带着一只塞满25美分硬币的厚袜子，每隔两周渔船靠港，父亲就冲下船在公用电话亭前排长队，把一把把硬币投进去给家里报平安。 - **藏在家中的纸条**：父亲每次离家前，都会在家里各个隐蔽的角落留下写满思念的便签。父亲出海一个月后，七、八岁的小布雷去抽屉里拿铅笔时，便会意外翻出父亲留下的字条。 - **抱衣痛哭的童年**：布雷动情地回忆，年幼的自己因为太过思念父亲，常常偷偷抱着父亲留在家里的衣服痛哭，那是他当年唯一能感受到父亲温度的方式。 - **命运的轮回**：经历了大半生的起伏，布雷感慨道，自己如今不仅理解了父亲，更在言行举止与对家庭的责任感上，完完全全活成了父亲的模样。 --- ### [09:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=564s) 肯尼迪中心的致敬：缅怀外公米奇 在布雷的生命中，外公米奇（Grandpa Mitch）同样扮演着不可替代的精神支柱角色。在录制节目的前一天，布雷经历了他职业生涯中最令人精神紧绷的舞台之一：他受邀前往华盛顿，在著名的肯尼迪中心荣誉奖（Kennedy Center Honors）典礼上担任惊喜嘉宾，为传奇乐队比吉斯合唱团（Bee Gees）的成员巴里·吉布（Barry Gibb）献唱致敬歌曲。 对布雷而言，肯尼迪中心荣誉奖是美国文化艺术界至高无上的殿堂之一，而演出的前一天恰逢外公米奇逝世五周年的忌日。双重情绪的叠加让这位见过无数大场面的巨星在候场时陷入了巨大的紧张。舞台侧翼报幕声响起时，布雷感到自己心跳如雷，耳膜里全是怦怦的心跳声，嘴唇发干。在走上舞台的那一刻，他深吸了一口气，在心中向逝去的外公默默祈祷与倾诉。 ### [10:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=630s) 祖父与自幼扎根的音乐灵魂 谈及与祖父的关系，迈克尔·布雷（Michael Bublé）回忆起在台上感到与祖父同在的那种震撼。他时刻警醒自己作为父亲的担当——在孩子面前绝不能展现软弱或恐惧，这种强烈的信念反而奇妙地为他注入了一股莫大的宁静，让他走上舞台时感到自己魅力十足、掌控全场。从十三岁起，祖父就成了他最要好的知己与兄弟。在常人眼里这种忘年交或许有些不可思议，但他们就是天然契合，总有聊不完的冰球和音乐。 在那样的年纪，布雷便深深迷恋上了“大美国歌集”（Great American Songbook）。他甚至感到困惑与不解，为什么身边的同龄人无法理解奈特·金·科尔（Nat King Cole）的绝妙之处，听到埃拉·费兹杰拉（Ella Fitzgerald）的歌声时为何不会震撼得目瞪口呆。虽然他也承认嘻哈音乐非常棒，但在十三岁的布雷耳中，Dr. Dre 制作的嘻哈鼓点，其厚重与摇摆感根本无法与博比·达林（Bobby Darin）演唱《Mack the Knife》时背后那支华丽火爆的大乐队管弦乐相提并论。 - 与祖父的情感连接：十三岁起便成为挚友，日常话题围绕冰球和经典爵士乐。 - 对经典音乐的早慧认知：对大乐队编制和摇摆乐（Swing）极度敏感，认为老唱片里的铜管乐与律动远比当时的流行乐更具冲击力。 ### [12:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=733s) 淋浴间的麦迪逊广场花园与十四岁的原声 音乐对布雷而言从来不是一道“要不要选择”的单选题，而是他生命本质的绝对核心。当许多父母向他请教十四岁的女儿想当歌手该怎么办时，布雷总是给出两条核心建议：第一是跨越所有流派拼命去听，“把所有风格下载下来并消化掉，偷师其中最棒的部分，你就能在这个过程中找到自己”；第二则是疯狂去幻想。少年时期的布雷，几乎把每一次进浴室冲凉都当成在麦迪逊广场花园（Madison Square Garden）面对山呼海啸的观众进行个人专场演出。他庆幸当时还没有《美国之声》（The Voice）或《美国偶像》（American Idol），否则十三岁的他肯定会在洗澡时对着喷头叫嚣：“嘿，西蒙（Simon Cowell），瞧瞧这个！” 更神奇的是，布雷翻听自己十四岁时的录音时惊讶地发现，那时的声音听起来和现在几乎一模一样。这种浑厚圆润的嗓音绝非刻意伪装或添加效果，而是天生如此。当时校车上的死党布拉德（Brad）常常拿他打趣，嘲弄说“布雷又在车上用他那假嗓门唱歌了”。直到今天，两人喝着啤酒时，布拉德依然会用当年的老梗与他斗嘴。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 布雷的音乐启蒙与成长路径 accDescr: 展现布雷从早期广泛聆听、私下幻想，到偷师巨匠并最终融合出自我风格的过程。 subgraph Phase1["输入与吸收"] A["跨流派聆听<br/>吸收吸收爵士、大乐队、流行与摇滚"] B["沉浸式幻想<br/>把淋浴间当成麦迪逊广场花园舞台"] end subgraph Phase2["实践与偷师"] C["逐帧模仿巨匠<br/>Sinatra、Dean Martin、Mills Brothers"] D["街头与商场实战<br/>祖父牵线，20美元/小时驻唱磨砺"] end subgraph Phase3["自我形成"] E["博采众长的质变<br/>'偷遍所有人即是研究'"] F["独特个人声线与风格确立"] end Phase1 --> Phase2 Phase2 --> Phase3 ``` ### [14:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=864s) 水管工祖父的付出与家庭车厢里的顿悟时刻 一般家庭在听到孩子想要以唱歌为生时往往会极力阻拦，但布雷的家人却给予了异乎寻常的全力支持。他的祖父本身是一名普通水管工，为了给布雷争取声乐训练课和试镜机会，祖父甚至会主动帮人免费修管道、换水管来抵扣学费。不仅如此，祖父还帮他在商场牵线搭桥，让十四岁的布雷和一个吉他手搭档在商场中庭或温哥华的固兰湖岛（Granville Island）街头卖唱，每小时赚取二十美元报酬。无论天气如何、有没有路人驻足，祖父总是安安静静地坐在旁边陪伴支持。 布雷第一次公开展现歌喉并引起全家震惊，发生在一个平安夜。当时他大约十一二岁，声音刚开始进入变声期，一家人乘车从本拿比国会山（Capitol Hill）的祖父母家返回。后座的两个妹妹正欢快地唱着《White Christmas》，唱到中途时，坐在后面的布雷顺势接了一句“May your days be merry and bright”。刹那间，整辆车宛如被按下了静音键，全家人目瞪口呆，不敢相信这样醇厚成熟的歌声竟然来自车里那个未成年的男孩。这也是大乐队与爵士乐正式闯入他生命的起点，家里的老式唱片机从此成了他的圣地。 - 祖父的支持举动：用通渠修水管的手艺换取声乐课程，甘当街头卖唱的坚实后盾。 - 顿悟时刻：11-12岁变声期在平安夜车厢内合唱《White Christmas》，一嗓惊艳全家人。 - 音乐启蒙导师：平·克劳斯贝（Bing Crosby）的节日唱片成为他接触大乐队与爵士摇摆乐的启蒙之作。 ### [16:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=1005s) “偷遍所有人，那就叫研究”：偷师巨匠与艺术锻造 布雷与祖父常常坐在铺着绿色长毛地毯的房间里，祖父用一台连着卡带机的黑胶唱机为他录制唱片，一坐就是几个小时。布雷拿着录好的卡带，戴着 Walkman 躺在床上彻夜单曲循环，疯狂吸收每一位传奇歌手的咬字与呼吸方式。为了第二天能到祖父母的餐桌前唱给他们听，他开始全方位“偷师”巨星： - 模仿弗兰克·辛纳屈（Frank Sinatra）与 The Pied Pipers 合作时的发音线条与叙事感，挑战演唱《Stormy Weather》； - 模仿迪恩·马丁（Dean Martin）随性醇厚的慵懒唱腔； - 学习米尔斯兄弟（The Mills Brothers）在《Paper Doll》里独特的节奏弹跳； - 汲取奈特·金·科尔在《The Very Thought of You》中舒展宽广的音色质感与咬字细节。 日复一日的模仿中，布雷逐渐将所有伟人的精华揉捏成了自己的表达方式。他回忆起第一次见到托尼·班奈特（Tony Bennett）时的趣事：布雷当面坦白自己是铁杆乐迷，并从托尼、平·克劳斯贝和辛纳屈身上“偷”了太多东西；托尼·班奈特听后幽默地鼓励道：“很好！因为如果你只偷一个人的东西，你只是个小偷；但如果你偷遍了所有人的东西，那就是在做深入研究（research）。” 回望祖父当年的倾力栽培，布雷动情地表示，那绝非为了功利的目标，那种纯粹的陪伴与热爱“对我们两个人来说比吸毒还过瘾”。如果祖父能亲眼看到孙子在麦迪逊广场花园延续那些传奇偶像的薪火，他会感到无比欣慰。事实上，当布雷人生第一次登上麦迪逊广场花园并询问祖父是否曾料到这一天时，祖父在纪录片中非常坦率地承认：“完全没有，我当时以为你能混个拉斯维加斯酒店驻唱就很了不起了。”毕竟，他们只是来自温哥华的水管工与渔民家庭，在名流圈毫无背景与人脉，未来的漫漫征途在当时看来宛如天方夜谭。 ### [20:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=1244s) 十年碰壁与总理女儿婚礼上的契机 在成名之前，Michael Bublé 经历了整整十年的底层挣扎。从渔船、Chuck E. Cheese 亲子餐厅、普通餐馆端盘子，再到混迹各种地下酒吧与演出俱乐部，他一路搬到多伦多，挨家挨户敲唱片公司的大门，却连门槛都跨不进去。当时每一个经纪人和制作人对他的说辞都如出一辙，仿佛私底下串通好了一样：“你很有才华，是个很棒的年轻人，但我们实在不知道该拿你怎么办。”到了26岁时，Bublé 感到前途渺茫，在音乐行业里，如果到了26、27岁还没有签约或折腾出动静，基本上就会被主流唱片公司打入冷宫。他一度心灰意冷，准备收拾行李回温哥华，打算去西蒙菲莎大学（SFU）或道格拉斯学院（Douglas College）念新闻学专业。 转折点发生在他之前在一次企业商演中递出的一张独立制作 CD。顺着这条线索，他意外受邀前往加拿大时任总理的女儿婚礼上献唱。当时对方告诉他，不仅这是极大的荣誉，而且享誉全球的金牌音乐制作人 David Foster（坐拥无数座格莱美奖、制作过数以亿计唱片销量的传奇人物）也会出席现场。Bublé 以为抓住了改变命运的绝佳机会。然而，在婚礼现场表演后，现实并未如电影般戏剧化——David Foster 并没有像伯乐发现千里马那样惊呼“就是你了”，只是平淡地对他说：“来洛杉矶吧，你现在进入我的雷达范围了。”当时满心欢喜的 Bublé 并不知道，Foster 的雷达上同时还挂着另外18个怀揣梦想的年轻人。 ### [23:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=1382s) 十年无人区的坚守：究竟是激情还是“愚蠢”？ 主持人 Steven Bartlett 打断并强调，绝不能轻易略过这整整十年的沉沦期。这是大多数成功人士绝不会被聚光灯照到的“无人区”（no man's land），也是99%的人选择放弃的地方——没有麦迪逊广场花园的掌声，没有百万美元的支票，没有任何名利与光环。Steven 直言，从客观理性的角度来看，这种坚持甚至显得“极其愚蠢”，就像原本能成为顶尖学者或律师的人，偏偏跑去餐馆餐桌上变魔术或讲脱口秀。Bublé 笑着附和，坦言自己也是该播客的忠实听众，甚至打趣说这个节目不如干脆改名叫《失败及其为何如此伟大》（Failure and Why It's So Great），因为每位嘉宾坐在这张桌子前，讲的都是一次次被拒绝、一次次失败却又硬着头皮走下去的故事。 谈及这十年的意义，Bublé 坦言前半段岁月赋予了他不可替代的谦逊与感恩。正是经历了漫长的被拒与冷遇，日后当机遇与名誉降临时，他才能够时刻保持清醒，深知自己有多么幸运，懂得珍惜拥有的一切。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 迈克尔·布雷的十年瓶颈与破局之路 accDescr: 展现迈克尔·布雷从底层打拼到遇到戴维·福斯特的曲折历程 subgraph Phase1["漫长沉沦（10年）"] A["多伦多底层打拼<br/>捕鱼船/餐厅/酒吧驻唱"] --> B["全行业闭门羹<br/>'你很有才华，但不知如何定位'"] B --> C["26岁遭遇职业危机<br/>计划回温哥华改行读新闻"] end subgraph Phase2["转机初现"] C --> D["婚礼契机<br/>为加拿大总理女儿婚礼献唱"] D --> E["结识金牌制作人 David Foster<br/>'你进入我的雷达了'"] end subgraph Phase3["自筹资金与录音危机"] E --> F["苛刻条件<br/>单曲10万美元，自筹60万录6首"] F --> G["经纪人四处奔走拉赞助<br/>获得资金启动录音"] G --> H["突生变故<br/>录完4首歌后资金链断裂"] end ``` ### [25:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=1502s) 是绝对自信还是自欺欺人？舞台掌控力的秘密 当被问及究竟是什么支撑他在毫无希望的情况下死撑十年时，Bublé 给出了一个极其大胆却坦诚的答案：“因为我知道自己是全世界最棒的。”他坚信，只要遇到对的伯乐，或者只要任何人走进他的演出现场，哪怕观众起初只是为了喝闷酒或寻欢作乐，演出结束时也必然会被他折服。针对 Steven 提出的犀利质问——“你怎么知道这不是一种自欺欺人的妄想（delusion）？就像孩子跑来对父亲自信唱歌却难听至极一样”，Bublé 解释说，这种自信绝非关在浴室镜子前的自恋幻想，而是过去十年里无数次现场演出的真实反馈。无论是在廉价商场、街角、夜总会、酒吧，还是在婚礼或葬礼上，每一次表演的现场反响都是绝对一致的。 Bublé 将这种强大的舞台感染力归功于自己骨子里的敏感与脆弱。在家庭充满爱意与同理心的熏陶下成长，他将敏锐的情感触觉带到了舞台上。他透露了一个至今依然坚持的舞台习惯：即使面对五万名狂热的观众，只要看到台下有一个人低头看手表显出不耐烦，他整场演出的焦点就会彻底转移到那一个人身上。“我对剩下的49,999人充满爱意，但至于你——在我彻底征服你、打破你的冷漠之前，我是绝不会离开这个舞台的。” - **十年磨砺的底色**：商场、街头、酒吧、夜店、婚礼乃至葬礼的全地形演出历练，磨炼出无死角的控场能力。 - **50,000人法则**：演出时执着于攻克台下唯一一个低头看表或心不在焉的观众，不达目的绝不收兵。 - **边缘化的独立路线**：早期风格游离于主流流行乐之外，更像一个做着冷门音乐的独立艺人，因而长期被主流唱片工业拒之门外。 ### [27:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=1626s) 逼入绝境的“六十万美金赌局”与突遭变故 即使见到了 David Foster，成名之路也并未豁然开朗。Foster 当初对这种传统爵士流行乐并不看好，甚至直截了当地告诉他：“我绝不可能给你制作专辑，我们也绝不会签下你，绝不。”Foster 身边一位名叫 Neil 的助理也曾好心私下劝 Bublé：“兄弟，收手吧，这根本不可能发生，你不是他要找的人。”在 Bublé 屡次登门恳求后，Foster 被逼得有些不耐烦，直接甩出一个近乎不可能完成的苛刻门槛：每首歌制作费10万美元，至少录制6首歌——这意味着 Bublé 必须自筹60万美元现金，否则免谈。 面对这笔天文数字，Bublé 与他极具魄力的女经纪人回到温哥华，挨家挨户跑银行、拉赞助，奇迹般找到了一位愿意出资担保的投资人，拿着支票杀回了 Foster 位于马里布的豪宅。看到眼前堆满格莱美奖杯的钢琴上真切放着这笔巨款，Foster 惊呆了，只好答应制作，但附加条件是华纳唱片拥有优先购买权（first right of refusal）。 在录音初期，传奇巨星 Paul Anka（曾创作《Put Your Head on My Shoulder》、《Diana》以及法兰克·辛纳屈代表作《My Way》的殿堂级歌手）也介入其中。Anka 提出用自己的人脉和资金取代原有的资助人。然而，在唱片录制到第4首歌的关键节点，这笔资金合作方案却意外彻底告吹。Foster 随即冷酷地宣布项目终止：“一切结束了，这事成不了，找别人去做吧。”刚刚摸到梦想边缘的 Bublé 瞬间坠入冰窟，另一位重量级制作人 Humberto Gatica 只能心疼地将情绪近乎崩溃的 Bublé 护送带回车里。 ### [30:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=1856s) 绝境中的提点：亨伯托给出的破局之道 当唱片项目眼看就要夭折、所有人都劝他放弃时，智利裔传奇混音师兼制作人亨伯托·加蒂卡（Humberto Gatica）成为了迈克尔·布布雷生命中的关键转折点。那天迈克尔万念俱灰，感觉自己明明已经触碰到了梦想的边缘，却又眼睁睁看着它从指缝中溜走。亨伯托开车送心碎的迈克尔回到他位于洛杉矶韦斯特伍德（Westwood）租住的小公寓前。停稳车后，亨伯托看着瘫坐在副驾上的迈克尔，直截了当地点破迷津：“听着，米盖利托（Miguelito），大卫·福斯特（David Foster）表面上很强势，但他骨子里极度害怕正面的直接冲突。以下这些话，你一字不差地去讲给他听。”亨伯托如同战术导师一般，当场把迈克尔该说的每一句台词都细致地排练了一遍。 大约三天后，迈克尔受雇去给萨克斯大师肯尼·基（Kenny G）夫妻的周年纪念派对演出，大卫·福斯特也在场。迈克尔瞅准时机，硬着头皮把视若神明又令人敬畏的福斯特拉到了宴会厅旁的一间空小偏房里。他强压着内心的惶恐，一字不差地复述了亨伯托的脚本：“我们已经完成了不可思议的作品，手头这四五首歌质量惊人。请只给我一次去华纳兄弟唱片（Warner Bros. Records）的机会，让我当面去见唱片公司总裁陈述我的理由。如果总裁听完不想要我，我保证永远不再来烦你，你再也不会从我这听到任何抱怨。以后你需要我随叫随到，我照样全力以赴，但我发誓绝不再提签约的事。”福斯特向来讨厌当面起冲突，便勉强应允了下来。果不其然，两天后福斯特给迈克尔打来电话：“行啊，那就让我们看看一个26岁的小子到底懂不懂唱片行业。” ### [33:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=1982s) “弗兰克已经不在了”：伯班克生死面试 迈克尔走进了位于加州伯班克的华纳唱片总部大楼，他将这形容为“人生中最惊悚的一天”。踩在这座木质装潢的唱片殿堂里，墙上挂满了神级巨星的肖像：王子（Prince）、汤姆·佩蒂（Tom Petty）、麦当娜（Madonna）、红辣椒乐队（Red Hot Chili Peppers）。迈克尔走入时任总裁汤姆·沃利（Tom Whalley）的办公室——沃利气度不凡，英俊得像演员埃里克·斯托尔兹（Eric Stoltz）。坐定之后，沃利抛出的第一个问题就带着唱片巨头的傲慢与杀气：“我们为什么要签你？我们厂牌旗下的 Reprise Records 可拥有弗兰克·辛纳屈（Frank Sinatra）。” 那一刻犹如站在天国之门前，手中握着仅有的一次准入机会。迈克尔毫无退缩，直视着沃利掷地有声地答道：“沃利先生，恕我直言，弗兰克已经去世了。不要让这种音乐随他一起陪葬。我会让它重焕生机，我热爱它、珍惜它。我会为你拼断脊梁骨，我走到哪里都会把这张唱片推向顶峰！”沃利当场坐下来听完了那四首演示带（demos）。迈克尔走出大楼时，感激地对大卫·福斯特说：“谢谢你今天冒着声誉风险为我撑腰。”福斯特则坦承，迈克尔表现得无懈可击，但他自己也完全吃不准这位总裁心里究竟在想什么。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 签约华纳与全球突破历程 accDescr: 展示迈克尔·布布雷从伯班克面试、获得唱片合约，到转向海外市场并最终在菲律宾迎来突破的流程。 subgraph Phase1["伯班克决战与签约"] A["华纳总裁质疑：<br/>'我们已有辛纳屈'"] --> B["迈克尔直言回应：<br/>'弗兰克已逝，别埋葬音乐'"] B --> C["福斯特来电正式签约：<br/>'欢迎加入华纳唱片'"] end subgraph Phase2["冷启动与曲线救国"] C --> D["首张同名专辑发行<br/>告示牌 Billboard 仅列 198 位"] D --> E["王牌经纪人布鲁斯·艾伦掌舵<br/>避开北美内卷，远征亚非欧市场"] E --> F["高密度路演：<br/>酒店大堂、小媒体群访全面铺开"] end subgraph Phase3["爆发与巨星诞生"] F --> G["东南亚与南非引爆热潮<br/>菲律宾商场遭遇狂热粉丝围堵"] G --> H["跨海反哺欧美主流乐坛<br/>确立全球巨星地位"] end ``` ### [35:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=2102s) 绝处逢生：泪水、录音室合约与第198位起步 面试两天后，承受巨大精神压力的迈克尔把相依为命的祖父接到了洛杉矶，因为他觉得自己一个人快扛不住了。当时迈克尔正在公寓楼下的跑步机上挥汗如雨，门突然被猛地推开，祖父和当时的经理人贝芙（Bev）泪流满面地出现在他面前，抽泣着催他：“快上楼！快接电话！”迈克尔冲进电梯回到房间抓起听筒，大卫·福斯特在电话那头平静而有力地说道：“嘿迈克，欢迎加入华纳兄弟唱片。我想让你知道，我们会在背后全力支持你，你再也不用为此担惊受怕了。” 然而，拿到唱片合约并非童话故事的圆满结局。2003年首张同名专辑发行后，尽管制作精良，但在美国本土反响平平，首周仅排在告示牌（Billboard）专辑榜的第198位。就在前途未卜之时，行业教父级传奇经理人布鲁斯·艾伦（Bruce Allen）接管了他的事业。艾伦开门见山地泼了盆冷水：“小子，你虽然签了美国主流大厂，但现在毫无水花，根本没人理你。你愿不愿意去东南亚和非洲跑市场？”迈克尔毫不犹豫地回答：“去哪儿都行！”这成了他演艺生涯最英明的决定——他的第一波狂潮在菲律宾和南非彻底爆发。 - **硬核的基层路演**：即使专辑在海外已卖出数百万张，艾伦打来电话说德国有八家媒体想采访，但只能在凯悦酒店（Hyatt）的大堂做现场弹唱展示，迈克尔依然欣然前往，绝不觉得自降身价。 - **迟来的成名**：瑞士、德国、波兰……迈克尔把地球仪上的国家跑了个遍。与年少成名的偶像不同，他在28岁才尝到走红的滋味，真正觉得自己“成了”甚至已经接近30岁。 ### [37:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=2266s) 马尼拉巨幅外墙与战胜自我内心的“假我” 迈克尔至今难忘成名那一瞬带来的震撼。28岁那年他在马尼拉宣传，独自溜出酒店去商场买寿司，甩掉了警告他“别擅自行动”的当地保镖。结果他在商场瞬间被潮水般说塔加洛语（Tagalog）的热情歌迷围困索要签名合照，寸步难行。当被解救回酒店房间后，气急败坏的保镖一把拉开房间窗帘——正对面整座摩天大楼的外立面，赫然全部印着迈克尔·布布雷的巨大面容。那一刻他目瞪口呆，终于意识到自己已经像当红偶像团体一样红遍海外。 在底层摸爬滚打了十四到十六年才站上巅峰，这种经历往往伴随着对“失去一切”的深层恐惧。迈克尔承认，任何行当都不存在永恒的王冠，事物有起必有落；尤其在事业低谷或迷茫时，前辈保罗·安卡（Paul Anka）常会突然来电打气：“别慌，守住你的本心，做你自己。”如今迈克尔通过家庭找到了抵御焦虑的心灵锚点： - **人生优先级**：每天清晨面对家人时，他都无比笃定——“第一是信仰，第二是家庭，事业只能排在极其遥远的第三位”。 - **防范“假我”（False Self）**：迈克尔坦白，这种清醒并非一劳永逸，内心膨胀的虚荣与小我（Ego）常常会试图夺回控制权。他反复研读埃克哈特·托利（Eckhart Tolle）的《当下的力量》（*The Power of Now*），借此提醒自己不要在名利的幻象中迷失自我。 ### [41:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=2487s) 成功的盲目追逐与对人生优先级的终极恐惧 在谈及温哥华巨人队（Vancouver Giants）以及多年来如何克制内心的恐惧与虚妄自我（false self）后，史蒂文·巴特利特（Steven Bartlett）坦承了自己内心深处长期存在的一种存在主义恐惧：他害怕自己将人生优先级的顺序排错了，而且直到为时已晚才幡然醒悟。史蒂文坦言，作为一个过去十二年全身心扑在创业、拼命追逐各种形式成功的人，他始终害怕某一天生活会无情地当头棒喝，告诉他当家庭或伴侣需要他摆正重心时，他的重心全在别处。他向迈克尔·布雷（Michael Bublé）请教：究竟是什么样的契机，才真正照亮并让他认清了生命中不可动摇的优先顺位？ 迈克尔回答说，这一切的根基始终是家庭。他非常幸运，有着极具爱心的父母和祖父母，让他骨子里明白是非对错以及“将自我（ego）置于首位”的危害。然而，在真正遭遇变故之前，即便出身于充满爱的家庭，他也曾深陷盲目之中。他解释说，自己的大儿子诺亚（Noah）拥有属于自己的生活与篇章，因此他不愿过多触及医疗隐私，但他坦承诺亚的癌症确诊彻底击碎了他的整个世界，就像一把沉重的铁锤猛砸向他的现实。 ### [42:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=2550s) 诊断书如铁锤重击：“我这辈子再也无法无忧无虑了” 迈克尔回忆道，在确诊发生前，他其实正深陷一场严重的精神危机——就如同史蒂文所描述的那种盲目状态。那时他的眼前仿佛戴着一副遮光眼罩，视线被职业抱负完全遮蔽：“如何成为最狠、最强、最好的存在，追求更大的膨胀心、更多的权力和金钱。”他形容自己此前的人生犹如隔着一层滤镜或帷幕在生活。而在数年前的万圣节，当医生平静地说出“情况就是这样”的那一秒钟，那层遮蔽现实的滤镜瞬间被彻底扯掉。 迈克尔深切地感叹：“在那一刻，我意识到：好，这就是生活，这才是真正重要的东西。”不需要任何时间去思考和消化，生活瞬间逼迫他厘清了所有优先级——信仰、家庭，唯有这些才能让人真正感到幸福。他极其动情地说道：“我这辈子再也无法无忧无虑了（I will never be carefree again in my life），但这没关系。能够活在这个世界上，对我来说本身就是一种特权。”痛苦、恐惧与苦难，本就是生命美丽旅程的一部分。史蒂文对此产生强烈共鸣，分享了自己某位家人被确诊类似重病时的瞬间震撼，正是那一通电话将沉浸在个人世界中的他彻底拽回现实，让他顿悟生命绝不该只聚焦于自我。 - **生活重心的撕裂与重塑**：确诊消息传来之前，迈克尔整个人被野心、名利和膨胀的自我所绑架；消息传来瞬间，所有滤镜粉碎，现实赤裸呈现。 - **关于无忧无虑的代价**：迈克尔坦言经此一役，内心彻底告别了彻底的轻快与无忧无虑，但他将继续存在与活着视为一种莫大的“特权”。 ### [46:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=2782s) 洛杉矶儿童医院洗手间里的誓言与自我审视 迈克尔向史蒂文分享了一个极为私人且毫无光彩修饰的瞬间：在洛杉矶儿童医院（CHLA）的洗手间隔间里，他站在那里闭上双眼，在心底许下了一个庄严的誓言：“如果我们能熬过这一关，如果我们能走出去，我一定要过一种完全不同的人生，一种更好的人生。”他承诺自己要变得更加善良、更有同理心，绝不再让虚荣心和假面掌控自己，并时刻铭记自己是多么幸运。他深情地提及妻子路易莎娜·洛皮拉托（Luisana Lopilato），感慨自己何其有幸能拥有这样一位卓越的伴侣带领并支撑着他跨越绝境。 这一转变延伸到了深刻的自我诚实。史蒂文提到许多人在名利场上拼搏，直到离婚法庭或失去至亲才追悔莫及，反思那一堆“金币”到底有何意义。迈克尔赞同地表示，欺骗别人很容易，但欺骗自己更容易、也更具毁灭性。在年轻时，他就曾尖锐地质问自己：“你喜欢你自己吗？你信任你自己吗？你尊重你自己吗？如果你连自己都不喜欢，凭什么奢求别人来爱你？”他希望每个人都能拥有直面镜子、进行自我诊断的坦诚，看清自己做得糟糕的地方，并承认“我可以做得更好”。 ### [49:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=2940s) 男性的心理创伤与从“迈克”到“品牌”的剥离 史蒂文谈及诺亚如今已经十岁且恢复良好，家里也有四个可爱的孩子，但这种生死创伤的“冲击波半径”对父母心理健康的漫长消耗是常人难以想象的。迈克尔回应道，生老病死是每个人生命中无法逃避的功课，正如他每天都无比思念逝去的祖父一样，这会从灵魂中生生带走一部分碎片，也是人们往往转向信仰寻求寄托的原因。然而，社会文化往往剥夺了男性表达脆弱的空间，认为男性必须坚强、不能哭泣；史蒂文也反思自己从十八岁担任 CEO 掌管数百名员工以来，始终逼迫自己表现得坚不可摧、绝不退缩。 随后，迈克尔突然反客为主，向史蒂文抛出了一个深刻的问题：史蒂文如今不仅是一个好人，更是一个巨大的“个人品牌”，身处于团队、商业合作与汹涌商业浪潮的中心。迈克尔好奇，当团队不断提醒“这不符合你的品牌形象”时，史蒂文是如何在急速前行的海啸中保持清醒与自我认知的？史蒂文回答道，这一切的核心在于“真实性”（authenticity）。一个人内心深处始终有一道直觉信号，清晰地预警自己是否在背离自我，尤其面对巨额金钱诱惑时更是如此。因此，无论在节目选品还是招商（如赞助商 Huel、ZOE 等）上，他只选择与自身价值观高度契合、真正日常使用的产品合作。 ### [51:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=3111s) “西装男” Michael 与真实的“笨蛋” Mike 在谈及品牌合作与个人身份时，Michael Bublé 坦言自己其实是“两个人”。舞台上的那个人是大家熟知的巨星 Michael Bublé——穿着笔挺合身的西装，举止从容，犹如刀枪不入的“特氟龙”（Teflon），永远说最得体的话，是每个人心目中无可挑剔的绅士，也是 Michael 幼时一直渴望成为的完美形象。但在舞台之下，他自称只是一个叫“Mike”的普通人。 私底下的 Mike 是个狂热沉迷于范特西橄榄球（fantasy football）和冰球的“大笨蛋”，性格更接近美剧《办公室》（The Office）里的 Michael Scott。他幽默地指出，人们总以为台前的西装绅士就是全部，但生活中的他其实笨拙又随性。过去二十年里，他的职业生涯陷入了一种严格固定的闭环：写歌、录制唱片、辗转 40 多个国家宣传，随后展开长达一年半的全球巡演。这个“写唱片、推唱片、开巡演”的循环周而复始。如今他感到是时候迈出舒适圈，让全世界认识那个脱下西装、更具表现力、热爱影视与喜剧表演的真实的“Mike”。 - **身份对比**： - **Michael Bublé**：舞台形象、穿西装的完美绅士、“刀枪不入”的流行巨星。 - **Mike**：生活中的真实自我、狂热体育迷、酷似 Michael Scott 的搞笑乐天派。 - **20年职业循环**：写唱片（Write it） $\to$ 全球宣传（Promote it） $\to$ 巡回演出（Tour it）。 --- ### [54:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=3280s) 突破舒适圈：从歌手到演员的自我表达 面对 Steven Bartlett 关于“是否对音乐产生倦怠”的追问，Michael 坚决否认。他强调音乐永远是他的避风港和最爱，巡演与合作二十年的乐队兄弟登台依然能让他倍感充实和快乐。但他渴望改变的原因并非源于对现状的厌倦，而是来自内心探索新事物的驱动力——他需要用不同的方式来表达自己，这一追求纯粹是为了取悦自我，而非迎合大众。 近年来商业广告的转型也验证了他的想法。品牌方不再仅仅邀请他去献唱，而是希望他在镜头前展现天然的喜剧人格。他提及近期与导演兼编剧 Taika Waititi 合作拍摄的英国超市 Asda 圣诞广告。在片场，Waititi 提议让他饰演一名自大、一无所知却担任“品控主管”的搞笑角色，两人在为期三天的拍摄中即兴碰撞出极多笑料。这种不需要唱歌、纯粹靠表演与幽默打动观众的经历，让他意识到自己在演戏和喜剧中同样能获得极高的成就感与满足感。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Michael Buble Dual Identity and Career Shift accDescr: 展现从传统的音乐人模式转型为兼顾影视与喜剧表演的多元探索路径 subgraph MusicLoop["过去20年的舒适圈（Michael 模式）"] A["创作新专辑<br/>(Write it)"] --> B["赴40国全球宣发<br/>(Promote it)"] B --> C["长达一年半巡演<br/>(Tour it)"] C --> A end subgraph PersonalShift["全新的自我驱动（Mike 模式）"] D["释放真实个性<br/>(喜剧/影视表演)"] E["跨界合作案例<br/>(Taika Waititi 执导的 Asda 广告)"] F["全新商业实体<br/>(Fraser & Thompson 威士忌)"] end MusicLoop -.->|"追求新挑战与自我表达"| PersonalShift ``` --- ### [58:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=3502s) 心理支持：上帝、妻子与现实拷问 当 Steven 询问 Michael 在陷入迷茫或心理低谷时如何寻求支持、是否尝试过心理咨询时，Michael 直言自己曾去过心理咨询，但效果并不理想。他回忆道，在前几次倾诉确实感觉不错，但到了第四次左右，他就开始怀疑自己是不是在为了填满咨询时间而“胡扯”编造话题，因为真正的核心难题早已聊完，心理咨询并不能真正解开他的心结。 对他而言，真正的精神寄托来自他的信仰以及与妻子的沟通。他与妻子之间保持着绝对的真实与坦诚，每当他情绪低落、陷入纠结时，妻子不会用客套话敷衍他，而是会一针见血地直击要害，叫他“别再犯傻了”。Michael 认为，拥有一个能够在关键时刻戳破假象、毫无保留指出自己错误的伴侣，才是人生中最宝贵的支持系统。 --- ### [59:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=3578s) 打造 Fraser & Thompson 威士忌品牌 访谈进行中，Steven 拿出了 Michael 创立的威士忌品牌 Fraser & Thompson，现场气氛顿时变得轻松起来。不同于许多明星仅挂名做代言的商业模式，Michael 深度参与了该品牌的搭建与运营，但他也坦承自己在专业酿酒领域毫无经验，甚至曾把酿酒厂（distillery）口误说成啤酒厂（brewery），当场被合伙人纠正。他的商业哲学是：在自己不懂的领域，一定要聘请行业顶尖专家并虚心听取意见。 为此，Michael 与威士忌调配大师 Paul Cirka 紧密合作了整整三年。他不愿推出一款自己不热爱的产品，因此团队致力于通过“逆向工程”研发出一款即使原本不喝威士忌的人也能爱上的产品。与市面上那些动辄陈酿 47 年、大谈橡木桶复杂风味的昂贵高冷威士忌不同，Fraser & Thompson 走的是亲和易饮（approachable）路线。这款酒不仅赢得了他和妻子的青睐，也得到了周围威士忌老饕的一致认可，成为他引以为傲的全新事业。 - **品牌名称**：Fraser & Thompson 威士忌。 - **核心酿酒师兼合伙人**：Paul Cirka。 - **研发周期**：历经三年精心调配，主打平易近人、打破传统威士忌门槛的顺滑口感。 ### [01:01:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=3705s) Fraser & Thompson 威士忌品牌的诞生与祖父致敬 迈克尔·布布雷（Michael Bublé）谈及自己创办威士忌品牌 Fraser & Thompson 的幕后故事。在长达三年的研发筹备期中，他与酿酒师保罗（Paul）在酒厂里精益求精，甚至觉得自己“像个难缠鬼，快把所有人都逼疯了”。当主持人史蒂文·巴特利特（Steven Bartlett）问及这个品牌名称的渊源时，布布雷动情地表示这完全是对他祖父的致敬。童年时期，祖父常带他们去露营；而在不列颠哥伦比亚省，泥泞浑厚的弗雷泽河（Fraser River）与清澈冰凉的汤普森河（Thompson River）在此交汇，形成壮丽的双河汇流景观。 最初构思品牌名时，团队提出了很多俗气且充满刻板音乐色彩的提案，比如直接叫“Bublé”或是“Serenade in Blue”（蓝色小夜曲）等。布布雷一次次否决，而那些自认为很酷很高端的名字又早就被其他人抢注了。最终他下定决心以祖父的名义命名，将这位对自己影响深远的老人永久铭刻在品牌中。酒瓶上隐藏了许多彩蛋，比如祖父的出生年份 1927 年，以及标签上印刻的“Born at the fork of two rivers, Fraser and Thompson”（生于弗雷泽河与汤普森河的双河交汇处）。史蒂文赞扬这种品牌塑造极其纯粹且真实，带有深厚的故事底蕴。 ```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: Fraser and Thompson Brand Naming Flow accDescr: 品牌命名从庸俗音乐标签转向深厚情感家族致敬的过程 subgraph Origin["命名灵感与决策"] A["早期被否决提案<br/>（Bublé / 蓝色小夜曲）"] --> B{"寻找真诚内核"} B --> C["祖父的露营记忆<br/>（双河交汇处）"] end subgraph Brand["品牌细节落地"] C --> D["Fraser & Thompson"] D --> E["瓶身彩蛋：1927年"] D --> F["致敬标语：两河汇流处"] end ``` ### [01:03:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=3790s) 亲民的威士忌理念与家庭创业 谈到品饮方式，布布雷分享了一个自己独创的私人喝法：倒出少许威士忌，加入红糖、香草和苦精（bitters）搅拌均匀，再挤入新鲜橙汁，随后整瓶丢进冰箱冷冻室。他的妻子原本从不沾威士忌，如今也爱上了这款酒。布布雷强调，Fraser & Thompson 的初衷就是打造一款口感顺滑、平易近人、所有人都能轻松享用的威士忌。 在定价策略上，这款酒定在 35 至 40 美元左右。布布雷解释说，他的父亲是一名渔民，一生都在灌输“物有所值”（value）的观念——无论是演唱会门票还是卖酒，只要消费者觉得物超所值，他们就会再次光顾；一旦让人感觉被敲竹杠，你将永远失去他们。这家威士忌企业并不是布布雷一个人的生意，而是一个紧密的家庭与好友联盟：他的妻子是合伙人，他的父亲、挚友罗恩（Ron）以及经纪人布鲁斯（Bruce）全员入股参与。尽管布布雷坦言自己由衷讨厌“向人推销东西”，甚至一提到推销就浑身发痒，但他内心渴望大家去尝一尝，并惊叹一声：“原来布布雷做出来的东西一点都不赖！” - **独创冷冻喝法**：倒出少量酒液，混入红糖、香草精、少许苦精并挤压整只橙子，冷冻后口感极佳。 - **平民定价策略**：定价 35–40 美元，践行渔民父亲“给予顾客实在价值”的人生教诲。 - **全家合伙创业**：妻子、父亲、好友 Ron 以及经纪人 Bruce 共同作为合伙人参与运营。 ### [01:05:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=3930s) 瑞安·雷诺兹的指点与“圣诞之王”的心理转变 布布雷在涉足烈酒领域之初感到迷茫，于是向同为加拿大老乡、创办了 Aviation Gin（航空金酒）的好莱坞明星瑞安·雷诺兹（Ryan Reynolds）求教。布布雷坦白自己完全是个门外汉，瑞安给出的建议则非常直接：“迈克，放轻松去玩就行了！你不需要什么都懂，把酿酒交给懂行的专业团队去搞，你只要做自己、享受这个过程就好。” 随后史蒂文将话题引向布布雷的现象级成就——2011年发行的《Christmas》专辑，被公认为21世纪最畅销的唱片之一。布布雷笑言自己前一天刚坐大巴前往白宫参加肯尼迪中心荣誉奖（Kennedy Center Honors），车上坐着西格妮·韦弗（Sigourney Weaver）和希拉·E（Sheila E.）等名流，结果一到白宫门口，音响里正放着他唱的《Have a Holly Jolly Christmas》，让他尴尬得直喊“真是不好意思”。大约在专辑大火七年之后，他曾一度为此感到苦恼：每年一到十月，所有名流同行、包括演员杰克·怀特霍尔（Jack Whitehall）等人都会打电话给他，原以为是要合作拍电影或合唱，结果开口全都是邀请他合作圣诞项目。 然而，在儿子患癌住院期间，布布雷迎来了思想上的顿悟。他意识到，圣诞节是一年之中人与人之间放下刻薄、充满善良与温情的特殊时刻。能够被千家万户邀请进客厅、陪伴人们最重要的家庭记忆，是一种无上的荣耀。他释怀地感叹，就算两百年后自己彻底化为尘土，人们或许早已忘记了他的其他流行热单或这瓶威士忌，但每逢圣诞，大家依然会唱起他留下的经典旋律。 ### [01:08:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=4130s) 热门单曲《Home》与灵感降临时刻 史蒂文分享了自己对布布雷经典代表作《Home》（家）的极度热爱，甚至透露在录制前一小时，他和团队四个人还在办公室包厢里开卡拉OK大唱《Home》，虽然自己五音不全，却对每一句歌词烂熟于心。史蒂文问布布雷在他演唱过的无数金曲中，哪一首是他的最爱，布布雷笑称好歌实在太多，根本挑不出唯一。 随后布布雷即兴轻唱起《Home》的开篇旋律：“Another summer day has come and gone away in Paris or Rome, but I want to go home...” 并调侃这首歌原本该写上一句“因为这些地方烂透了”。谈到这首歌的创作契机，布布雷回忆起自己的一位南非好友狄昂（Dion）。狄昂曾操着浓重的南非口音告诫他：“世界上最伟大的艺术家，所做的不过是将思维向整个宇宙敞开，任由宇宙的力量流淌进来。写歌的时候，放空心灵迎接宇宙就好。”正是带着这份心态，在一次洗澡沐浴时，创作的灵感火花悄然降临。 ### [01:10:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=4225s) 浴室里诞生的原创金曲与唱片公司的质疑 迈克尔·布雷（Michael Bublé）回忆起自己开始写原创歌曲的奇妙契机。当时他试着向创作敞开心扉，脑海中莫名回响着帕海贝尔的《D大调卡农》（Canon in D）旋律。随后，脑海中突然蹦出了一段旋律与词句：“Another summer day has come and gone away. In Paris or Rome, but I want to go home.”（又一个夏日悄然流逝，无论在巴黎还是罗马，我只想回家）。几乎整首主歌和副歌前导段（pre-chorus）在短短两分钟之内一气呵成。他裹着浴巾冲出浴室，在那个还没有智能手机的年代，赶紧抓起一台小型磁带录音机把灵感录了下来。回放时，连他自己都难以置信，心想：“完蛋了，我肯定是抄了别人的哪首歌，这绝对是从哪儿偷来的旋律。” 然而，当他把原创的想法告诉唱片公司时，高层们却兜头浇了一盆冷水：“我们不要原创歌曲，哥们儿，你是弗兰克·辛纳屈（Frank Sinatra），你的定位是唱流行经典标准曲（Standards）。”面对质疑，迈克尔坚持认为自己能够写歌。到了筹备后续专辑时，他写出了《Everything》、《Hold On》和《Lost》等代表作。迈克尔回忆起在拍摄《Everything》MV的现场，唱片公司总裁居然对他说：“老兄，我早知道你想唱原创音乐，我们就会专门花钱给你雇一批顶尖词曲作者了。”听到这番话，迈克尔哭笑不得，心里直呼“天哪，这简直太打击人了”。 ### [01:11:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=4310s) 艺术上的“局外人”：永远格格不入的孤独感 迈克尔坦言，自己在艺术领域一直身处一个十分尴尬而奇特的境地——他感觉自己“从来都不属于任何一个圈子”。早年去参加格莱美等各大颁奖礼时，他环顾四周，发现自己既不属于纯粹的流行圈，也不属于古典圈，甚至算不上正统爵士圈。“我唱着几十年前的老歌，但歌曲又在商业流行电台里大播特播。我到底算什么？”这种格格不入的迷茫，至今仍偶尔困扰着他。 史蒂芬·巴特利特（Steven Bartlett）随即指出，正是这种“不属于任何圈子”的独特性，才成就了他今天的惊人成就：6张多白金唱片、5座格莱美奖杯，以及不计其数的数十亿流媒体播放量。如果迈克尔随波逐流、泯然众人，绝不可能取得如此辉煌的成就。但迈克尔解释说，这种状态在现实中其实非常孤独。就在前一晚出席肯尼迪中心荣誉奖（Kennedy Center Honors）时，他依然感到局促：百老汇的艺术家们聚在一起击掌寒暄，流行歌星们彼此熟络，唯独他站在一旁不知所措。哪怕看到心目中的偶像赫比·汉考克（Herbie Hancock）正与奇塔·里维拉（Chita Rivera）交谈，他激动万分，却也拘谨得不敢上前打扰，生怕自己成了那个令人尴尬的闯入者。 史蒂芬对此深有共鸣，坦言自己在做这档节目时也常常饱受“冒名顶替综合征”的困扰：既不是科班出身的记者，也从未受邀参加过任何传统媒体圈的盛典，节目既像播客又像电视节目，甚至在飞机上播放。那种随时担心有人拍拍肩膀质问“你到底凭什么坐在这里”的不安全感，两人如出一辙。 ### [01:14:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=4455s) 互为知己的惺惺相惜：教育与娱乐的完美结合 当史蒂芬询问迈克尔会如何向外人定义这档节目时，迈克尔给出了极高的评价。他表示自己多年来一直是节目的忠实观众，在他看来，这档节目是“教育与娱乐的完美结合”（a perfect mix of education and entertainment）。观众在观看过程中能获得极高的娱乐享受，而在节目结束时，内心深处又能学到真正的硬核知识——无论是深刻的哲学思想、人生理念，还是严谨的物流与科学逻辑。听到自己从小在普利茅斯家中电视机前仰望的巨星给予如此真挚的肯定，史蒂芬感到不可思议且深受触动。 ### [01:16:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=4561s) 什么是真正的富有？给四个孩子的终极人生建议 谈到家庭，史蒂芬问迈克尔，如果他的四个孩子排成一排站在他面前，认真向他讨教“如何过好这一生”的秘诀，他会给出怎样的答案。迈克尔笑着说，虽然孩子们不会用这么正式的措辞，但他给出的答案永远只有一个：“孩子们，真正的‘富有’绝不是你们想象的那样。” 在迈克尔看来，孩子们口中同龄人谈论的“富有”，往往代表着金钱、物质、兰博基尼跑车或是梅西比赛的贵宾门票，但这根本不是富有： - **真正的富有是拥有坚定的信仰**； - **真正的富有是拥有温暖的家庭并深爱着他们**； - **真正的富有是拥有真挚持久的友谊**。 迈克尔直言，在他认识的人群中，那些拥有最多物质财富的人，往往是他所见过最痛苦、最悲惨的人。他承认，普通观众可能会觉得“迈克尔你自己坐拥财富，当然说得轻松”，但人迟早会明白生活与物质毫无干系——当我们躺在临终的病榻上面对死亡时，绝没有任何一个人会后悔自己生前没有收集更多奢侈品。 当史蒂芬追问“如果今天就是生命的最后一天，你会有什么遗憾吗”，迈克尔毫不犹豫地回答：“没有任何遗憾，一件都没有。”他感慨自己的人生无比圆满且深受眷顾：有深爱着自己的妻子，有四个可爱的孩子。他坦言当初要第四个孩子时内心充满恐惧，怀疑自己是否有精力应付，但如今看着小女儿西耶洛（Cielo）健康可爱的模样，他无法想象没有她的生活。迈克尔常对妻子说，如果上帝召唤他的时刻到了，他内心完全是满足而无憾的——唯一的“遗憾”，大概就是“没能把眼前这杯威士忌喝得再快一点”。 ### [01:18:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=4720s) 追逐梦想永不嫌晚：给44岁依然怀抱希望的人 史蒂芬由衷赞叹迈克尔的人生故事——从少年时期日复一日的坚持与幻想，到如今梦想成真，这种坚韧给无数人带来了希望。史蒂芬感慨道，世上有太多人曾是那个14岁做着白日梦的迈克尔，但如今他们可能已经44岁，依然在心底守护着未竟的梦想：或许是在秘鲁群山中跳芭蕾，或许是学弹钢琴，又或许是开创自己的事业。面对史蒂芬“对他们来说现在是否为时已晚”的提问，迈克尔斩钉截铁地反驳：“不，老兄，绝对不晚。”尽管深知这听起来可能有些陈词滥调，但他坚信追逐梦想永远没有年龄的枷锁。 ### [01:19:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=4757s) 无中生有的艺术魔法与音乐的忠诚陪伴 迈克尔·布雷（Michael Bublé）谈起他最近在加利福尼亚州橙县（Orange County）为一群贫困弱势儿童举办大师班的经历。这所学校甚至没有设立任何正规的音乐课程。在面对这群孩子时，迈克尔首先向他们提起了天体物理学家天文学家尼尔·德格拉斯·泰森（Neil deGrasse Tyson）的科学观点：“世界上最顶尖的科学家都会告诉你，‘无’不可能生出‘有’，事物绝不可能平白无故地从虚无中产生；无论你重复多少次科学实验，无中生有在物理法则上都是不可能存在的。”但他随后告诉孩子们，艺术家却能打破这条铁律：“然而你们这群神奇的小家伙，两手空空、一无所有地走进房间，走出来时却带着一件前所未有的艺术作品。你们在对抗万有引力，你们就是真正的魔术师。” 迈克尔深情地强调，现实生活极其残酷，人的一生注定会在人际关系中遭受重创，伴侣可能会伤透你的心，创业可能会遭遇惨败，无数扇大门会在你面前狠狠关上，世界会拒绝你成百上千次。但如果一个人足够幸运，能拥有音乐或某种发自内心热爱的激情，这种热情将永远不会伤害你，永远不会离弃你，而是会自始至终对你保持忠诚，这本身就是一份不可思议的生命馈赠。 - **科学与艺术的对比**：物理世界坚信“无中无法生有”，但创作过程是纯粹的心智奇迹，赋予创作者对抗物理定律的“超能力”。 - **热爱的庇护所**：商业可能倒闭、伴侣可能背叛，但对音乐的热爱是一生中唯一永远忠诚、永不背弃的情感支柱。 --- ### [01:20:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=4832s) 沉迷 TikTok：发掘被传统唱片工业遗忘的原生态天赋 话题随后转到了看似风马牛不相及的 TikTok 上。迈克尔坦白，起初是他妻子（路易莎娜·洛皮拉托）一直劝他开通 TikTok，而他当时还自命不凡地抗拒，觉得“以我这种咖位的明星，上 TikTok 实在太掉价了”。但他妻子立刻回击道：“得了吧，你骨子里就是个 TikTok 人（You are TikTok），你绝对会爱上它的。”迈克尔一开始笨手笨脚地拍了一条傻乎乎的视频，但很快，他发现这个平台的真正魅力不仅在于自己发视频搞怪，而是在于刷内容。他彻底“上瘾”了——这种上瘾并不是为了看无聊恶搞，而是为了在算法的深海里挖掘那些才华横溢却籍籍无名的草根创作者。 迈克尔在现场甚至忍不住把手伸进裤子后口袋掏手机，想向斯蒂芬·巴特利特展示那些让他惊叹的博主。例如一位网名叫“Julia Michaels voice”的女孩，迈克尔推测她只是在父母家的卧室里录视频唱歌，但其嗓音的惊艳程度让迈克尔直呼“天哪”。迈克尔感叹，在过去传统唱片公司垄断通道的行业架构下，大众根本没有机会听到这种纯粹的声音。他还提到了专门记录鸸鹋攻击自己的搞笑农场博主“Useless Farm”，以及演员亚当·罗斯（Adam Rose）。在迈克尔看来，这些天才创作者最终被成千上万的人看到，正如《黑客帝国》里的台词那样——“这是不可避免的，安德森先生（It was just inevitable, Mr. Anderson）”，他们的光芒早已无法被掩盖。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 音乐发掘机制的时代演进 accDescr: 展示从传统唱片工业把关机制到现代去中心化算法平台的内容发掘模式演变。 subgraph 传统把关人模式["传统把关人模式 (门槛极高)"] A["草根创作者"] --> B["少数行业把关人 (唱片高管/电台总监)"] B -- "主观筛选/闭门淘汰" --> C["极少数签约艺人"] B -- "99% 被拒之门外" --> D["被埋没的天赋"] C --> E["传统大众受众"] end subgraph 去中心化平台模式["去中心化平台模式 (算法与大众决定)"] F["草根创作者 (卧室/农场)"] --> G["社交创作平台 (TikTok / YouTube)"] G -- "算法直接推流" --> H["全球大众与同行关注"] H -- "病毒式传播与共鸣" --> I["直接获得观众与话语权"] end ``` --- ### [01:23:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=4985s) 私信创作者、即兴清唱与去中心化的社区生态 为了向斯蒂芬展示一条令他拍案叫绝的短视频，迈克尔在手机上笨拙地翻找，期间为了填补现场空白，他直接即兴改词清唱起了自己的代表作《Home》（“虽然被上百万人簇拥……但我想回家，我想跳舞，即便我觉得穿这条裤子显得我很胖”）。找到视频后，他展示了一个名为“当你在错误的时间换台”的音频拼接视频：原本温馨经典的圣诞歌《Santa Claus Is Coming To Town》在转台瞬间无缝切入极具反差的流行节奏。这种天马行空的幽默在网上获得了数以亿计的播放量。迈克尔兴奋地透露，他甚至亲自私信给创作者留言：“这就是我做梦都没想到自己居然需要的混音神作！” 斯蒂芬感叹，普通创作者在恶搞后突然收到巨星迈克尔·布雷的亲自私信，场面该有多么不可思议。迈克尔对此却极其谦逊，他指出 TikTok 最酷的地方在于“去中心化”：“在这个平台上，根本没人把迈克尔·布雷当回事，明星在 TikTok 上并不高人一等；事实上没有任何名人真正天然属于 TikTok，除非你理解这个平台的本质是一个由创作者互相支持、彼此启发、一同欢笑的纯粹社区。” 斯蒂芬直言，这正是迈克尔当年苦熬了十五年才求得的舞台——当年迈克尔必须一家家餐馆跑场、在婚礼宴会厅把唱片制作人大卫·福斯特硬拉进后堂包厢唱歌自荐，而今天的年轻人不再需要冒险去后台堵截任何人。 - **日常互动与回复**：迈克尔每天都亲自给 TikTok 上的草根创作者和恶搞自己的网友留言，完全不通过经纪人或公关团队代笔。 - **明星光环的消解**：在算法和去中心化社区面前，传统明星的头衔毫无特权，唯有真正有趣、能产生共鸣的内容才能赢得观众。 --- ### [01:25:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=5129s) 告别行业把关人：从“卧室歌手”到斯蒂芬的电台复仇 迈克尔和斯蒂芬回顾了从贾斯汀·比伯（Justin Bieber）、艾德·希兰（Ed Sheeran）通过 YouTube 崭露头角，再到当今 TikTok 彻底颠覆造星逻辑的变迁。迈克尔指出，虽然传播载体变了，但音乐产业的底层逻辑依旧没变——现场演出（Live performance）才是试金石。现在常有唱片公司高层兴奋地向迈克尔炫耀“我们刚签了一个超级火的新人”，但当迈克尔询问去哪里能看他们的巡演时，高管却回答：“他们从不巡演，他们这辈子甚至没走出过卧室，从未在真人面前唱过歌。”这种卧室歌手与现场舞台的巨大脱节，让迈克尔感到难以置信。 斯蒂芬借此分享了一段从未公开披露过的往事。三四年前，在开办《首席执行官日记》（The Diary Of A CEO）播客之前，斯蒂芬曾前往英国一家顶尖主流广播电台（如 BBC 或 Radio 1 等大型机构）卑微地争取一次试镜机会。他在演播室里模拟假打电话录了整整两个小时，而负责考核的总监不仅全程心不在焉，中间甚至直接接了个私人电话就走出了房间，再也没有回来。斯蒂芬离开电台后，没有得到任何反馈——无论好坏，彻底石沉大海。 被行业冷落后，斯蒂芬选择架起设备独立做播客并获得了巨大成功。直到大约一年前，同一家电台竟然给斯蒂芬发来邮件，邀请他以名人和新书作者的身份去电台做客串节目。斯蒂芬毫不客气地直接回复：“我还在等你们两年前那次试镜的反馈结果呢。”这句反讽直接惊动了电台高层，甚至在内部发起了一场严厉的调查，以查明当年究竟是谁怠慢了斯蒂芬并导致了这场失职。迈克尔和斯蒂芬一致感慨，如今那个由少数几个人独揽大权、决定谁生谁死的“把关人时代”（The Gatekeeper Era）已经彻底终结；评判作品好坏的权力终于交还给了大众，大众的每一次点击与共鸣，就是最真实的选票。 - **斯蒂芬试镜被冷落事件**：约三四年前参加英国顶级电台试镜，考核官接电话中途离席两小时，事后完全无任何反馈。 - **高调反击与内部调查**：电台在斯蒂芬爆火后向其发出嘉宾邀约，斯蒂芬用“试镜反馈尚未收到”回绝，促使电台内部追责调查。 - **把关人制度的消亡**：传统媒体或唱片业中独断专行的高管不再能决定创作者的生死，去中心化渠道让大众用直觉和喜爱来完成最终投票。 ### [01:28:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=5303s) 上一位嘉宾的问题：人生的重要分岔路口 当主持人史蒂芬·巴特利特（Steven Bartlett）向迈克尔·布布雷（Michael Bublé）致谢并表示访谈已经接近尾声时，迈克尔意犹未尽地开玩笑说自己正准备喝第二杯咖啡，状态才刚刚完全放松开来。此时史蒂芬提出了节目的保留压轴环节：每位嘉宾在离开前都会在一本日志中为下一位未知的访客留下一个问题。而上一位嘉宾留给迈克尔的问题是：“你上一次面临重大的‘人生分岔路口’抉择是什么？你是如何做出决定的？” 出人意料的是，迈克尔并没有回顾过去的旧事，而是直言这个重大抉择并非过去式，而是“即将到来”（"It's coming"），并且预计就在接下来的短短几周之内。谈及自己面对人生十字路口的决策逻辑，迈克尔表示他的首要步骤永远是与妻子商量，紧接着会向所有自己信任的核心圈子成员倾诉。他会认真权衡每一个人的建议与看法，借助亲友智囊团的力量来协助自己做出最终决断。 迈克尔神秘而严肃的态度让史蒂芬顿时感到一丝担忧，忍不住追问他：“迈克尔，你该不会是要退出乐坛了吧？”迈克尔立刻笑着打消了他的顾虑，斩钉截铁地回答：“绝不可能，这就像是在问我会不会停止呼吸一样，老兄！我喜欢呼吸，而音乐就是我的呼吸，我不可能停下来。”迈克尔宽慰史蒂芬不要胡思乱想，强调即将面临的选择绝对是一件好事，只是关乎未来走向的重大决定而已。随后，迈克尔兴致勃勃地准备在笔记本上写下留给下一位神秘嘉宾的问题，直呼自己脑海里已经冒出了无数个精彩的想法。 - **决策机制**：首要商谈对象永远是妻子，其次向核心信任圈征求意见，综合权衡后作出选择。 - **关于隐退的澄清**：迈克尔将音乐比作生命中必不可少的“呼吸”，明确否认任何关于放弃音乐事业的猜测。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 迈克尔·布布雷的重大人生决策流程 accDescr: 展示迈克尔面对人生十字路口时的核心协商与决策逻辑 A["重大人生分岔路口决策"] --> B["第一顺位协商：妻子"] B --> C["核心信任圈成员讨论与建议"] C --> D["权衡各方观点与风险"] D --> E["做出最终关键决定"] ``` ### [01:29:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=5395s) 赞助商公告与下期节目推荐 访谈结束之际，主持人史蒂芬向听众分享了节目的赞助商资讯。作为营养代餐品牌 Huel 的投资人兼董事会成员，史蒂芬宣布了该品牌备受期待的产品“Daily Greens”（每日综合蔬菜粉）即将在英国正式发售的消息。史蒂芬提到，这款产品富含 91 种营养素、维生素与矿物质，能够极其便捷地补足日常饮食中所欠缺的绿色蔬果营养，也是他个人最青睐的 Huel 产品之一。该产品此前在美国受到广泛关注，并定于次年一月正式登陆英国市场。 最后，史蒂芬向观众推荐了频道的延伸收听内容，指出喜欢本期迈克尔·布布雷人生故事的听众，同样会对频道近期与音乐先锋 will.i.am 的深入对谈产生强烈共鸣，并邀请大家通过下方简介链接继续探索更多精彩对白。 - **Huel Daily Greens 规格**：含有 91 种营养成分、维生素与矿物质，主打快速补充每日身体所需绿植营养。 - **发售时间**：历经消费者长期的呼吁后，正式于 1 月在英国市场推出。 ## Notable quotes > [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=0s) 如果你只从一个人身上偷学，你只是个小偷；但如果你从所有人身上偷学，那就是在做学术研究。 — Michael Bublé > [12:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=733s) 把所有风格下载下来并消化掉，偷师其中最棒的部分，你就能在这个过程中找到自己。 — Michael Bublé > [25:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=1502s) 因为我知道自己是全世界最棒的。 — Michael Bublé > [25:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=1502s) 我对剩下的49,999人充满爱意，但至于你——在我彻底征服你、打破你的冷漠之前，我是绝不会离开这个舞台的。 — Michael Bublé > [33:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=1982s) 沃利先生，恕我直言，弗兰克已经去世了。不要让这种音乐随他一起陪葬。我会让它重焕生机，我热爱它、珍惜它。我会为你拼断脊梁骨，我走到哪里都会把这张唱片推向顶峰！ — Michael Bublé > [37:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=2266s) 第一是信仰，第二是家庭，事业只能排在极其遥远的第三位。 — Michael Bublé > [42:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=2550s) 我这辈子再也无法无忧无虑了（I will never be carefree again in my life），但这没关系。能够活在这个世界上，对我来说本身就是一种特权。 — Michael Bublé > [46:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=2782s) 如果我们能熬过这一关，如果我们能走出去，我一定要过一种完全不同的人生，一种更好的人生。 — Michael Bublé > [46:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=2782s) 你喜欢你自己吗？你信任你自己吗？你尊重你自己吗？如果你连自己都不喜欢，凭什么奢求别人来爱你？ — Michael Bublé > [01:23:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=4985s) 在这个平台上，根本没人把迈克尔·布雷当回事，明星在 TikTok 上并不高人一等；事实上没有任何名人真正天然属于 TikTok，除非你理解这个平台的本质是一个由创作者互相支持、彼此启发、一同欢笑的纯粹社区。 — Michael Bublé > [01:25:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=5129s) 我还在等你们两年前那次试镜的反馈结果呢。 — Steven Bartlett > [01:28:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs&t=5303s) 绝不可能，这就像是在问我会不会停止呼吸一样，老兄！我喜欢呼吸，而音乐就是我的呼吸，我不可能停下来。 — Michael Bublé ## Mentioned Michael Bublé, Steven Bartlett, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Dean Martin, Luisana Lopilato, Grandpa Mitch, Barry Gibb, Bee Gees, Kennedy Center Honors, Calm, Matthew McConaughey, The Graham Norton Show, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Dr. Dre, Simon Cowell, Bing Crosby, Tony Bennett, David Foster, Paul Anka, Humberto Gatica, Kenny G, Warner Bros. Records, Tom Whalley, Reprise Records, Bruce Allen, Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now, Noah Bublé, Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), Huel, ZOE, The Office, Taika Waititi, Asda, Fraser & Thompson, Paul Cirka, Ryan Reynolds, Aviation Gin, Sigourney Weaver, Sheila E., Jack Whitehall, Home, Everything, Hold On, Lost, Herbie Hancock, Chita Rivera, Cielo Bublé, Neil deGrasse Tyson, TikTok, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, BBC, Radio 1, The Diary Of A CEO, will.i.am ## Video description If you enjoy hearing about Michael’s life story, check out my conversation with musical innovator, will.i.am, which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m-2QhqdlfI&t=899s 00:00 Intro 02:12 Michael Bublé's beginnings 04:24 Your Father. 09:24 Your Grandfather. 12:11 Music Has Been Ingrained in You from a Young Age. 15:21 The First Time Got a Reaction for Your Voice. 17:08 Stealing Elements from Other Artists. 20:37 Ten Years of Being Told No. 23:02 Why Did You Continue After Ten Years of Failure? 27:06 Getting Signed and Releasing Your First Record. 37:16 When Did You Actually Think You'd Made It? 38:46 Have You Ever Been Scared You'll Lose It All? 41:59 Your Son's Cancer Diagnosis. 49:00 What Effect Is This Having on You Now? 51:22 Your Brand: Michael Bible vs. Mike. 59:38 Your Whisk Brand. 01:06:01 Does It Bother You That You're So Synonymous with Christmas? 01:09:15 Starting to Write Original Songs. 01:16:01 What Is the Nature of Living a Good Life? 01:18:41 The Power of TikTok. 01:28:33 The Last Guest's Question. Michael’s Instagram: https://bit.ly/48mwLOv Try Michael’s new Whisky available to buy here: https://bit.ly/48hntmW The Conversation Cards: https://bit.ly/4amtNew My new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' is out now: https://smarturl.it/DOACbook Listen on: Apple podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-diary-of-a-ceo-by-steven-bartlett/id1291423644 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7iQXmUT7XGuZSzAMjoNWlX Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGq-a57w-aPwyi3pW7XLiHw/join FOLLOW ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steven/ Twitter: https://x.com/StevenBartlett?s=20 Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-bartlett-56986834/ Sponsors: Huel: https://my.huel.com/daily-greens-uk ZOE: http://joinzoe.com with an exclusive code CEO10 for 10% off [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bUfUN9wUrs)

[0:00] Michael Bublé: 如果你只从一个人身上偷学，你只是个小偷；但如果你从所有人身上偷学，那就是在做学术研究。 [12:13] Michael Bublé: 把所有风格下载下来并消化掉，偷师其中最棒的部分，你就能在这个过程中找到自己。 [25:02] Michael Bublé: 因为我知道自己是全世界最棒的。 [25:02] Michael Bublé: 我对剩下的49,999人充满爱意，但至于你——在我彻底征服你、打破你的冷漠之前，我是绝不会离开这个舞台的。 [33:02] Michael Bublé: 沃利先生，恕我直言，弗兰克已经去世了。不要让这种音乐随他一起陪葬。我会让它重焕生机，我热爱它、珍惜它。我会为你拼断脊梁骨，我走到哪里都会把这张唱片推向顶峰！ [37:46] Michael Bublé: 第一是信仰，第二是家庭，事业只能排在极其遥远的第三位。 [42:30] Michael Bublé: 我这辈子再也无法无忧无虑了（I will never be carefree again in my life），但这没关系。能够活在这个世界上，对我来说本身就是一种特权。 [46:22] Michael Bublé: 如果我们能熬过这一关，如果我们能走出去，我一定要过一种完全不同的人生，一种更好的人生。 [46:22] Michael Bublé: 你喜欢你自己吗？你信任你自己吗？你尊重你自己吗？如果你连自己都不喜欢，凭什么奢求别人来爱你？ [83:05] Michael Bublé: 在这个平台上，根本没人把迈克尔·布雷当回事，明星在 TikTok 上并不高人一等；事实上没有任何名人真正天然属于 TikTok，除非你理解这个平台的本质是一个由创作者互相支持、彼此启发、一同欢笑的纯粹社区。 [85:29] Steven Bartlett: 我还在等你们两年前那次试镜的反馈结果呢。 [88:23] Michael Bublé: 绝不可能，这就像是在问我会不会停止呼吸一样，老兄！我喜欢呼吸，而音乐就是我的呼吸，我不可能停下来。

[12:11] Michael Bublé: If you steal from one person, you're just a thief, but when you steal from everybody, it's research [23:02] Michael Bublé: The reason that I didn't stop in those 10 years was because I knew I was the best in the world... All you need to do is come into my room... By the end of the night, you'll know. [27:06] David Foster: I will never produce your record and we will never sign you. Never. [27:06] Michael Bublé: With all due respect, Mr. Wally, Frank's dead. Don't bury the music. [34:35] David Foster: Welcome to Warner Bros. Records... we have your back and you're never going to have to worry again. [37:16] Michael Bublé: Faith, number one. My family, number two. And my career, a really, you know, a distant third. [57:24] Michael Bublé: I have been to therapy... it felt good to talk about stuff, but then after about like four times, I was like, am I just bullshitting right now? Am I just telling her something just to fill up the hour? [66:01] Michael Bublé: Yesterday when I was on the bus... driving to the White House because of the Kennedy Center Honors... I got on the bus and we got to the White House and the first thing that I heard was me going, 'Have a Holly Jolly Christmas...' and I was like, 'Oh [expletive], I am so sorry.' [71:52] Michael Bublé: I look around and I was not in the pop thing, and I was not in the classical thing, and I wasn't in a jazz thing... Early on I was like, 'What am I? This is weird.' [82:33] Michael Bublé: That's what the coolest part of that TikTok is, is that it isn't about you. No one gives a [s***] about me... I think the only way you belong on TikTok is if you understand what TikTok is, and TikTok is about a community of creators and like supporting and laughing and being inspired. [86:22] Steven Bartlett: I responded, 'I'm still waiting to hear my feedback'... They conducted this internal investigation to find out why nobody ever got back to me. [88:33] Michael Bublé: It's impossible. That's like saying, are you going to stop breathing, dude? No, no, no. I like to breathe. And music is my breath. I can't stop.

[0:00] Another summer day has come and gone [0:03] away in Paris or Rome, but I want to go [0:07] home cuz this place sucks. I should have [0:10] I should have had That should have been [0:12] the lyrics. [0:13] Michael Bublé, smoothest singer in town. [0:16] The king of Christmas. Have a holly [0:19] jolly Christmas. [0:21] Everything I did was music. I would [0:23] listen to Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, [0:25] Dean Martin. I don't know why, I just [0:29] do. [0:30] Emulate them and then I would steal it [0:32] all. Cuz if you steal from one person, [0:34] you're just a thief, but when you steal [0:35] from everybody, it's research. But [0:37] there's 10 years of clubs, 10 years of [0:39] every agent saying the exact same thing, [0:41] "We will never sign you." But the reason [0:43] I didn't stop in those 10 years was [0:46] because if the right person sees me, [0:49] I am one of the greatest entertainers on [0:51] Earth. I play 50,000 people and if [0:53] there's one looking at their watch, I [0:55] will play to that man. [0:57] I'm not leaving here until I break you. [0:59] Hell, I'm a feeling [1:03] good. But in a moment, [1:07] my son's cancer diagnosis was a [1:09] sledgehammer to my reality. And I [1:12] remember saying to myself, "If we get [1:14] out of this, [1:16] um [1:18] if we get out of this, I'm living a [1:19] different life." [1:21] And I feel like I'm at a this point [1:23] where I want to do something different. [1:25] Michael, you're you're not going to quit [1:26] music, are you? [1:30] Quick one. This is really, really [1:31] fascinating to me. On the back end of [1:33] our YouTube channel, it says that 69.9% [1:37] of you that watch this channel [1:38] frequently over the lifetime of this [1:39] channel haven't yet hit the subscribe [1:41] button. I just wanted to ask you a [1:43] favor. It helps this channel so much if [1:45] you choose to just subscribe, helps us [1:47] scale the guests, helps us scale the [1:48] production, and it makes the show [1:50] bigger. So, if I could ask you for one [1:51] favor, if you've watched this show [1:53] before and you've enjoyed it, could you [1:54] please hit the subscribe button? Thank [1:56] you so much and I will repay that [1:58] gesture by making sure that everything [2:00] we do here gets better and better and [2:02] better and better. That is a promise I'm [2:03] willing to make you. Do we have a deal? [2:12] Michael, what do I need to know about [2:14] your [2:15] earliest context to understand the way [2:17] that you are? Cuz you are a unique [2:18] individual personality-wise, [2:20] talent-wise, your life is full of [2:23] uniqueness. So, where is the What is the [2:26] oven? Cuz I always think about humans [2:27] like an oven. Yeah. Um you know, they [2:29] get cooked in this oven when they're [2:30] young. What is that oven? What is that [2:32] environment? Well, the environment was [2:34] probably having the most incredible [2:37] family. And everybody says that. [2:39] Everybody says And of course, that's [2:40] beautiful that people always think their [2:42] family is the most special, but [2:45] if you met them, you'd like them all [2:47] more than me. [2:48] And then for me, personally, I think [2:50] being [2:51] the first child who uh [2:53] got way too much attention, [2:56] you know, probably [2:58] probably got told like, "You're amazing [3:00] and you're good at every And like uh [3:03] it's probably the reason I talk so much. [3:05] But everything I am, [3:08] everything I have, every decision I make [3:11] is based on [3:14] that family. [3:15] Even deciding, you know, "I want to be a [3:17] singer. This is what I'm going to do." [3:18] At 13, 14, [3:20] you know, by the time I was 16, my [3:21] grandfather was already taking me to [3:24] nightclubs and when I started playing in [3:26] the nightclubs at 18, 19, [3:29] they were full. And I was raw, but they [3:32] were full, full. And people were like, [3:35] "What Who is this kid? Like why did How [3:37] did he fill up Babalu's? Or how did he [3:40] fill up the Purple Onion? Or how did he [3:41] fill up, you know, this theater?" Well, [3:44] they didn't know, but it was [3:47] my cousins and aunts and my my [3:50] grandparents and my mom calling all her [3:52] friends and saying, "Come to the club." [3:54] So, this was a strange family affair [3:56] because [3:58] uh we had no connections. I wish I had [4:00] nepotism to lean on, [4:02] but uh [4:04] I didn't and uh so instead it took all [4:08] of these incredible people just loving [4:09] me and going, "Yeah, let's go." Let's I [4:12] mean, I was shocked. I was a fisherman, [4:13] you know, my fa- My great-grandfather [4:15] immigrated from Italy. He was a [4:16] shipbuilder. [4:18] Um my grandfather was a commercial seine [4:20] salmon fisherman [4:22] on a seine boat. Um That took him away a [4:24] lot, right? [4:26] Your father? Yeah, for sure. For sure. [4:29] Yeah. [4:30] Which is something that we understood [4:32] and uh it's interesting because um who [4:36] knew that [4:37] after leaving that life and having that [4:40] thing where your father's gone quite a [4:42] bit would be the life that I ended up [4:44] lea- leading, you know, where I had to [4:47] be gone quite a bit and um [4:49] the only difference was [4:52] I could say, "Dad, why are you leaving?" [4:54] And he would say, "Son, [4:57] this is my This is my job. This is how I [4:59] put [5:00] food on the table. This is how um [5:03] This is how Dad pays for for our house [5:05] and [5:06] for the for the holidays that we go on [5:08] and everything." And it changed for me [5:10] after certain amount of success because [5:12] my kids would say, "Poppy, why are you [5:13] going?" [5:16] And I couldn't say, [5:17] you know, "It's to pay to put food on [5:19] the table." You know, because obviously [5:21] it was [5:23] you know, we passed that point. Got very [5:25] lucky. So. [5:26] How do you answer that question? Uh I [5:29] answer it by [5:31] Well, I don't just answer it [5:33] with with language. I I answer it with [5:36] action. So, [5:38] um I have probably [5:41] I've probably made my tours uh I would [5:44] say financially [5:45] maybe one of the most irresponsible [5:47] tours [5:49] in in all of touring. [5:51] Um so, I started a rule where I said, "I [5:54] will do three weeks on, two weeks off, [5:55] two weeks on, two weeks off." So, that I [5:58] could come back or I would literally sit [6:00] with my wife and she's a tremendous [6:02] actress, you know, and she has a great [6:04] career and I I know how fulfilled she is [6:07] by it. And so, I would say to her, [6:09] "Let's sit down at the beginning, you [6:10] and your manager Peppo and me and my [6:11] manager Bruce, and uh let's go through [6:13] the calendar. So, when you making those [6:15] two films? Okay, June, July, I'm done. I [6:18] come with you and it can't happen if I [6:20] tour [6:21] in a financially responsible way. It's [6:23] so interesting to me because I'm coming [6:26] into that phase of life now. I'm going [6:27] to be starting a family soon and I'm [6:28] going to be getting married. And it's [6:30] interesting to hear from you about the [6:31] tradeoffs you have to make and you have [6:33] more experience in both sides of the [6:36] cost and the benefit of those tradeoffs. [6:38] Did you miss your father growing up? Oh, [6:40] man. Of course I missed my dad. I [6:42] remember used to And it's You know [6:44] what's interesting cuz [6:46] I am so lucky to to have been born when [6:48] I was born because my nights on tour [6:51] away from them, like tonight, I mean, [6:53] last night, for example. Last night was [6:55] doing a zoom [6:57] and uh [6:58] they put their iPad in their room and I [7:01] sat with them and I watched a Christmas [7:03] movie. [7:04] And uh we they ate popcorn and Poppy was [7:07] there. [7:07] I was just there. I was, you know, they [7:09] were walking around and [7:11] wrestling and um they I It's really [7:14] strange to say this, but uh I did this [7:17] thing. Have you ever heard of Calm? [7:18] Yeah, yeah. [7:19] The Calm app? [7:20] Yeah, I know the founder, Michael. So, [7:21] yeah, it's it's about like I So, I used [7:23] to listen to this Calm app to go to [7:24] sleep. My wife hated it. And um Same [7:27] with me and my partner. [7:28] I was on the Graham Norton show and [7:30] Matthew McConaughey was a guest and I [7:32] was so excited and Graham was like, "Why [7:34] Why are you so excited? Well, everyone [7:35] loves McConaughey." I said, "Oh, no, no, [7:36] no. I I love McConaughey because my wife [7:40] would hate it, but every night I listen [7:42] Hi, it's Matthew. Hey, hey, hey, I got a [7:44] sleep story for you." And I would like [7:46] listen every night and I was like, [7:47] "Matthew, you sleep with my wife and I." [7:51] I was like I I [7:52] I was like, "I listen to your Calm sleep [7:54] story." And it became a you know, he He [7:56] was very good sport and he thought it [7:58] was funny. And then Calm called and they [7:59] were like, "Hey, you wanted to do a [8:00] sleep story?" I was like, "Hell yeah, I [8:02] want to do a sleep story." But I didn't [8:03] know So, last night, that's every [8:05] night's the same. So, we chill and then [8:08] I put on Poppy's sleep story. Oh, man. [8:10] Hi, this is Michael. [8:12] And tonight in this sleep story, woof [8:14] and the kids just go [8:17] That's so beautiful. So, what I was [8:18] saying about you asking about my father, [8:21] dude, [8:22] my dad used to carry a sock full of [8:24] quarters [8:25] and every two weeks he'd come into port [8:28] and he'd wait in line at a payphone [8:30] and then he'd call. [8:32] And then he used to Oh, man, it makes me [8:34] emotional, but [8:36] and I do the same thing now, but he used [8:38] to uh [8:39] he would leave notes [8:41] and he'd hide them everywhere. [8:43] And so, he'd be gone for like a month or [8:45] something and [8:46] you'd go into a drawer to go get your, [8:49] you know, pencils and [8:51] and then you'd see the note. And uh [8:55] I remember being like 7, 8 years old and [8:57] I don't know if you ever did this stuff [8:59] or maybe I'm just a weird kid, but I [9:01] remember like holding his clothes [9:04] being little and like [9:07] and just crying, you know, missing him [9:09] so much and this was the closest thing [9:10] that I would get [9:12] to him. [9:13] And uh [9:15] and it's crazy that as life went on, I [9:18] became [9:19] dude, I'm him. [9:20] Like thank Jesus, thank God I'm him, but [9:23] I turned out to be my dad. Your granddad [9:25] played a huge role in your life, didn't [9:26] he? [9:27] Yes, sir. [9:27] Grandpa Mitch. Grandpa Mitch, yeah. [9:29] Huge, huge, massive. [9:31] As a ma- As a matter of fact, yesterday [9:33] I did one of the probably scarier things [9:35] that you can do [9:36] in this entertainment business. I uh [9:40] I was asked to be a surprise [9:43] guest at to sing a song as a tribute to [9:46] Barry Gibb and the Bee Gees in his [9:48] induction and to the Kennedy Center [9:50] Honors, which I I think is [9:52] in my opinion, maybe if not the [9:55] pinnacle, one of the pinnacles of [9:58] of uh Americans uh celebrating culture. [10:02] But uh weirdly enough, my grandpa um he [10:05] passed away 5 years ago yesterday. Oh, [10:08] wow. And so [10:10] um [10:10] more than anything, I was standing [10:13] backstage [10:14] and um [10:17] I could hear my introduction. [10:19] And I was like, [10:21] my mouth was dry. [10:24] And my heart I could hear my heartbeat [10:25] in my ear. [10:27] And uh [10:29] I just took a big breath and I said [10:30] like, "Wow, Grandpa, okay. This is us, [10:32] man. This is us and um I always think [10:35] about my kids and say like, "Okay, be [10:37] strong. Don't let your kids ever see you [10:38] weak. Don't let your kids ever see you [10:40] scared." And weirdly, it just brought [10:43] this [10:44] wonderful calm over me and um [10:48] it was really nice, man. Like I [10:50] I it just brought me calm and I went out [10:53] there and I thought I killed it. I [10:54] thought I was very charming. [10:58] He was my hero, is my hero. Um at 13 [11:02] years old, we were always best friends. [11:04] I don't know why, you know, you know, [11:06] dude, sometimes certain people [11:08] you connect [11:10] and [11:11] it's like you were made for each other [11:12] and that was my best buddy. We talked [11:15] about hockey [11:17] and we talked about music and even at a [11:20] young age, I was fascinated by [11:22] by the Great American Songbook. I was [11:25] just I didn't know how [11:27] I didn't understand and I remember being [11:30] confused why I was the only one to How [11:33] could other people not [11:36] understand [11:38] that Nat King Cole is that unbelievable. [11:41] What's wrong? How could they [11:43] How How does someone his age not hear [11:45] Ella Fitzgerald and just [ __ ] a brick [11:47] and realize that is stupid. That's just [11:51] too good or that that gorgeous uh or [11:55] castral arrangement of that song and [11:56] those horns doing that thing and that [11:58] that swinging real like I know hip hop [12:00] is great, but no, that that beat that I [12:02] just heard in that Dre song, that isn't [12:04] close to being as fat as the one I just [12:06] heard um backing up Bobby Darin in Mack [12:10] the Knife. Like that's smoking. I knew. [12:13] 13 years old. Oh, dude, even before [12:15] that. For me, music was [12:18] it wasn't even a question. It was [12:21] it was a defining part of my the essence [12:25] of me. [12:26] Like I [12:28] everything I did was music. Was just you [12:31] know, a fascination and it's funny when [12:35] many times parents will go like, "My [12:36] daughter is 14 and she's and do you have [12:39] advice? You know, she wants to be a [12:40] singer." And I always I have advice and [12:42] it's like, "Listen to as much music and [12:45] all of it. Like go across the board of [12:47] every genre and download it and process [12:50] it and steal all of it. Steal the best [12:53] parts of all of it and you will find [12:54] yourself." [12:55] But another thing I always say is [12:56] fantasize. [12:58] Like dude, that it for me, [13:01] I would fantasize about [13:05] being on stage. I would fantasize about [13:07] singing in front of the crowd. Every [13:08] shower was another opportunity to go and [13:12] [ __ ] kill Madison Square Garden and [13:14] you know, know that the uh you know, [13:16] that that crowd in the shower was just [13:18] loving. Madison Square Garden? [13:20] Oh, yeah, you know, like you know what I [13:22] mean? Like I was 14 absolutely and like [13:24] thank god there wasn't like The Voice or [13:26] American Idol cuz if I was 13, I [13:27] would've been in the shower saying like, [13:29] "Hey, Simon, check this out." [13:31] Um Did you sound good at that age? Do [13:34] you do you have recordings? Do you have [13:35] like [13:36] You know [13:37] Yeah, man, I do. I do have recordings. [13:38] Cuz I'm wondering how much of your [13:39] a recording when I'm 14 and it tripped [13:42] me out because I sound ex- I don't I [13:45] don't know if it's good, but Exactly the [13:47] same. [13:48] Exactly the same. What? [13:49] And I think it was like [13:50] it had to be you. I sound like that. I [13:55] sound exactly like that. The same way [13:57] and um what's weird is like it wasn't [13:59] like I put on an effect. That's what [14:02] That's how the voice sounded and uh my [14:04] buddies used to make fun of me. They'd [14:06] be I have one of my best friends, Brad, [14:08] would be in the bus and he'd go, [14:09] "There's Bublé singing with that fake [14:11] voice again." [14:13] There's [14:14] And even today and he's still my one of [14:16] my best literally one of my best friends [14:19] and we're drinking beer and he's he's [14:20] like, "Shut up, man." And he loves to [14:22] sing, too, and uh [14:24] But um I couldn't believe how much your [14:26] grandfather and your father and your [14:28] family supported you. [14:30] Oh, yeah. [14:31] I when I was reading that your [14:31] grandfather would trade plumbing work [14:34] Yeah, man. for for you to go and do [14:36] singing lessons or you know, auditions [14:38] etc. [14:39] Mhm. [14:40] That's that's unusual. [14:42] Yeah. Cuz most parents would go, "Oh my [14:44] god, my child's singing. That's not a [14:45] career." [14:46] No, I know. I know. It was [14:47] uncomfortable, too, cuz he loved me so [14:49] much. Listen, dude, my grandpa did more [14:51] than just [14:52] trade his plumbing things. He took me to [14:55] auditions. He would say I mean, they [14:56] used to hire me um to go work in the [14:59] malls [15:00] and he got me like these gigs where they [15:02] would pay me 20 bucks an hour and then I [15:04] would go to the mall and with a a guitar [15:06] player [15:07] and I would like busk. I guess it's [15:09] busking is what it is, right? And I [15:10] would go or outside I'd busk at [15:13] Granville Island or places and he would [15:14] just sit. And I loved it, man. I didn't [15:16] care who was listening, where I was. I [15:18] did [15:19] anything. And what was the first song [15:21] the first time you performed in front of [15:22] people and got a reaction? The first [15:24] song weirdly was uh [15:26] yeah, as I I think it was a Christmas [15:27] song. [15:28] Really? Well, it was cuz it was [15:29] Christmas Eve. We were coming home from [15:31] uh [15:32] This is I've told this story many times, [15:34] but it's we were coming home from uh my [15:36] grandma and grandpa's on Capitol Hill [15:38] and uh [15:40] I think it was like White Christmas or [15:41] something and my little sisters, I [15:44] would've been 12 [15:45] maybe 11. [15:47] 12. My voice was just starting to change [15:50] and um [15:52] and the girls were in the back, my two [15:53] sis- my sisters are great beautiful [15:55] voices and they were like, "I'm dreaming [15:58] of a white Christmas man." You know, [16:01] "with every Christmas card I write." And [16:03] I think from the back I went, "May your [16:05] days be merry and bright." [16:10] And it was like the whole car went, [16:14] And I think that was the first time they [16:15] were like, "What the [ __ ] is that? Where [16:18] did that just come from?" And uh [16:22] What's interesting is I think if I [16:23] really am honest with myself when I look [16:25] back, [16:26] that Bing Crosby was the first cuz that [16:29] was like [16:30] that was the first record in that style [16:33] and that played through the house at [16:34] Christmas. [16:35] That was my introduction to big band. [16:37] That was my introduction to jazz. That [16:39] was my introduction to um [16:41] those that swinging feeling and then [16:45] with that relationship with my granddad, [16:48] he used to we used to have a some of [16:49] shag He had this like a green shag [16:51] carpet and he had a [16:53] a record machine that he would he [16:54] attached to a cassette machine. [16:57] And we would sit down and we would just [16:59] for I'm not kidding you, man, hours. I [17:02] loved it. I loved it. And I used to go [17:05] with those cassettes [17:06] and I had a Walkman and I would just sit [17:09] in bed [17:10] and I would listen over [17:13] and over and then I would I would listen [17:15] to each of these singers and um [17:18] and I would learn songs for grandpa and [17:20] grandma so I could come over the next [17:21] day and I could I could sing for them. [17:23] And I'd sit at the table with them and [17:25] we, you know, [17:27] but I started to just steal. I mean, [17:29] steal. Full on [17:32] steal. [17:33] And uh [17:36] and I started to like almost impersonate [17:38] each of them and I would listen to Frank [17:41] Sinatra with the Pied Pipers. [17:43] There was ways that he would sing and I [17:44] would try to emulate. So, I would sit [17:46] there and then I would I would be like I [17:48] was a record player, you know, I'd come [17:49] home and grandpa would say, "Okay, [17:50] what's today? Stormy Weather." And I'd [17:52] say, [17:53] "Don't know why. [17:57] There's no sun up in the sky. [18:01] Stormy weather." I can't do it now, but [18:04] and then the next day would be, "Okay." [18:06] He'd go, "Dean Martin." Dean Martin and [18:09] uh [18:09] I'd say, "I don't know why I love you [18:13] like I do. I don't know why. I just do." [18:19] And I would emulate them. God damn. I [18:22] like listen to the Mills Brothers and [18:24] when I'm saying all of this, you [18:24] probably have no idea sometimes what I'm [18:26] talking about. [18:27] Music. Yeah, the way the Mills Brothers [18:29] sing, there was this weird "I want to [18:31] buy a paper doll that I could call my [18:36] own. A doll that other fella" or Nat. [18:41] I just he would the way he would open up [18:43] and everything was so "The very thought [18:46] of you and I forget to do." And there [18:51] was all these things that I would just [18:52] like, "Oh my god, I love that." And that [18:54] and then I would steal it all and I [18:56] would try to emulate all of it and then [18:58] one day, [18:59] you know, sitting with grandpa, I [19:01] started to realize, "Okay, I'm starting [19:02] to [19:04] Wow, grandpa, I'm starting This is the [19:05] way I do it now." Taking all those [19:07] things and And that's what creativity [19:09] is, right? [19:09] It is, man. And I met I'm I've told this [19:11] story too too many times, but I remember [19:13] the first time I met Tony Bennett, I [19:14] said uh you know, "Tony, I'm a [19:17] obviously, you know, [19:19] a huge fan. I've stolen so much from you [19:21] and Bing and Frank and [19:23] all of them." And he said uh "Good." He [19:26] said, "Cuz if you steal from one person, [19:28] you're just a thief. But when you steal [19:30] from everybody, it's research." [19:32] And I thought that was amazing. And I've [19:34] told that story a million times, too, [19:35] but it was everything, man. Like Elvis [19:37] was a big part of it and [19:39] you know, I just all of those things [19:41] that I loved, but um [19:43] Why was your grandfather doing that in [19:45] hindsight? Why was Are you kidding me, [19:46] dude? Yeah. Like [19:49] are you kidding me? So It was better [19:51] than crack. For who? For both of us. [19:54] It's my happiness. It's my It's my [19:56] passion. It's my thing. [19:57] And you know, and like I I love [20:00] Um he would have died to know that his [20:02] grandson was continuing the legacy of [20:05] our heroes. [20:06] You know, cuz he if he was being honest [20:08] when I played Madison Square Garden for [20:09] the first time and I said, "Did you [20:11] think I'd get here?" He said, "Oh, no. [20:12] No, definitely not." [20:14] Yeah, he says there's a clip of him on a [20:16] on a documentary. He goes, "No, I [20:18] thought you'd be good, you know, maybe [20:19] Vegas." [20:21] Um [20:22] But I just think it was because how [20:24] could I? We were this [20:27] My grandpa was a plumber and we came [20:28] we're fishermen. We didn't know anybody. [20:31] We're never going to get [20:32] We're never going to get to there. We [20:33] didn't even know We're from Vancouver. [20:35] We didn't even know anybody. How are we [20:36] going to get to there? [20:37] Your story is not a straight line [20:39] because you went and worked on those [20:40] fishing boats as well. Like so it's not [20:41] just you start singing at 30. Dude, my [20:42] story isn't even a straight line [20:44] from from fishing boats to [20:47] Chuck-E-Cheese to [20:49] working at restaurants to singing It's [20:51] There's 10 years of clubs. There's 10 [20:53] years of me moving to Toronto. There's [20:55] 10 years of me going into every record [20:57] company not getting in the door. There's [21:00] 10 years of every agent saying the exact [21:02] same thing. Every manager I thought they [21:03] had a [ __ ] note that they would send [21:05] each other. [21:06] The note that said, "You're really [21:08] talented. You're a great young kid. [21:11] We just don't know what to do with you." [21:13] Over [21:14] too much Dude, to a point where I was [21:16] like, "You know what? [21:17] Okay. [21:18] I'm 26. [21:20] It's too late." And in this business, [21:22] you can people can say, "Oh, 26." No, [21:24] dude. [21:25] It's late. If you haven't been signed or [21:28] you haven't made a bunch of noise at 26, [21:31] 27, I don't think it's right. I think [21:34] there should be late bloomers, but it's [21:36] it isn't the usual. You know, like the [21:38] record companies will be like, "Mhm." [21:41] And uh so I was going to go back to [21:42] Canada. I was going to go back to [21:43] Vancouver and I was thinking about going [21:44] to SFU or Douglas and taking up [21:46] journalism. [21:48] So even then, once I I I was in Toronto, [21:51] I got [21:52] I got, you know, connected to uh the [21:54] Prime Minister of our country who their [21:57] daughter was getting married and she [21:58] asked if I would sing at the wedding and [22:00] cuz I'd given an independent CD to [22:02] another guy at some corporate gig I'd [22:04] done. Um [22:06] and um [22:09] They said I I I was like, "Yeah, okay, [22:12] you know, I what an honor, you know?" [22:14] And she was like, "You know, David [22:15] Foster will be there." [22:17] And this one this producer who and he's [22:19] a one of the biggest producers in the [22:21] world. Billions of I mean, half a [22:23] billion or a billion records, I think. [22:25] Okay, this is my chance. This is the [22:26] shot for somebody see me. But even then, [22:29] after he saw me, [22:31] this story didn't it wasn't like [22:34] He didn't David Foster didn't say, "You. [22:37] I found my guy." He said, [22:39] "Come to LA [22:41] and uh [22:42] you're on my He actually said you're on [22:43] my radar now is what he said. Well, I [22:45] didn't know that he had another 18 kids [22:48] that were on his radar. Mhm. You know, I [22:51] was I you know, man, I got I was good. I [22:53] was going to I was in the atmosphere [22:54] now. You know, I was closer than I'd [22:56] ever been to a real guy. 10 years in. 10 [23:00] years in that could make it. And like [23:01] and I remember he had this [23:02] I have to say, Michael, I think it's [23:04] very very important not to brush past [23:06] this 10 years. Because that is the no [23:09] man's land [23:10] that only passion could make someone [23:13] wade through. Yeah. And that is where [23:16] 99% of people quit. And it's the bit [23:18] that no one ever gets to see. So it's [23:20] maybe the more more important part [23:23] of of of the journey which is why does [23:26] someone continue doing something for 10 [23:28] years of their life when there's there's [23:30] no Madison Square Gardens, there's no [23:32] million dollar checks, and there's no [23:34] fame and fortune. [23:36] Like that that's the S cuz it's a it's a [23:38] recurring theme on my show. Yeah. That [23:40] these very very successful people, they [23:42] they did something which is objectively [23:44] dumb. [23:45] Yeah. [23:46] like they gave up their amazing chance [23:48] of being an academic and they went and [23:49] played magic on a restaurant card [23:51] tables. [23:51] I know. Comedians, you go you could have [23:54] been a lawyer. Yep. And now they're you [23:55] know It's funny I I was going to tell [23:57] you today I got watched your show I [23:58] watch your show religiously and I was [24:00] like, "What if you just call yourself [24:01] failure and why it's so great?" Because [24:04] it's like so many of the stories that [24:07] are told across this table are [24:10] I failed. I failed. They said no. [24:13] Um over and over again [24:15] and over again. Mhm. And uh I just [24:17] continued to to go forward. These people [24:19] seem like they had no choice though. And [24:21] when I say no choice, I mean because of [24:23] passion. [24:24] Mike, listen to me, man. I'm going to [24:25] say it's going to sound like it directly [24:29] um [24:31] it's sort of I don't want it to be [24:32] condescending at all, but [24:34] um [24:37] Half of that 10 years [24:41] was gave me humility. [24:44] Gave me appreciation [24:46] for when it would happen, [24:49] I would [24:50] be appreciative and I would still have [24:53] humility and I would [24:55] you know, still be able to be present [24:57] and aware enough of how lucky [24:59] I was, you know. [25:02] But the reason [25:04] that I didn't stop in those 10 years was [25:07] because [25:09] I knew I was the best in the world. [25:11] I mean, [25:13] no doubt that if the right person sees [25:17] me, I am one of the greatest [25:19] entertainers on Earth. And all you need [25:21] to do is come into my room [25:23] and you don't have to pay to see me. You [25:25] can be there just to drink booze and get [25:26] laid. But by the end of the night, [25:30] you'll you'll know. How do you know [25:31] that's not delusion? No, no, dude. I [25:33] You know what? It I knew because every [25:35] room I ever walked into, I was such a I [25:37] was a sensitive [25:39] um [25:41] insecure [25:42] kid. Really sensitive. And I think that [25:46] that beautiful kindness and empathy that [25:48] my family drove into me and my sisters [25:51] is what made me that man on stage. [25:55] You You understand this? [25:57] I even now, man, I play 50,000 people [25:59] and if there's one looking at their [26:00] watch and [26:02] I will play to that man. And my mission [26:04] my mission I love the rest of the 49,999 [26:09] of you, [26:10] but you. [26:11] I'm not leaving here until I break you. [26:14] I'm not leaving here until [26:16] you know, [26:17] you get me. You might not I might not be [26:19] your cup of tea. I might not be your [26:20] favorite, but you'll walk away and [26:22] you'll say, "Okay. [26:24] The kid's better than you. He's a He's I [26:25] get it." You one of your kids comes to [26:28] you and says, "Dad, I know." And and [26:30] they go Dad Dad they go No, they go Dad [26:32] listen. They sing and it's terrible. And [26:35] then they go Dad, I know. And this is [26:36] what I'm getting at as like how do we [26:38] know we're not just deluding ourselves? [26:39] Yeah. [26:41] Well, you know, it's interesting you say [26:42] that because if that was just me sitting [26:44] in my bathroom mirror [26:45] and going, "I'm amazing." Mhm. Yeah, [26:47] that's I understand that that's [26:50] But it wasn't. It was 10 years [26:52] of um of I don't care if it was a [26:54] shopping mall or a street corner or a [26:57] night club or a bar or a wedding or a [27:00] funeral, [27:02] every room was the same. Every single [27:04] room was the same. So why wouldn't why [27:06] wasn't the industry letting you in? Why [27:07] would they? I didn't do anything that [27:09] was mainstream. I mean, I used to do it [27:10] was like I had an indie record. I would [27:13] do indie festivals. [27:14] Um it's so funny, man. I talk about it [27:16] now. It's like you know, I'm so like [27:18] mainstream whatever you want to call it [27:20] like where I could probably, you know, [27:23] you know, [27:24] but I was like an indie act. It was a [27:26] full-on indie act. It was like doing [27:28] weird [ __ ] that no one else was doing [27:29] and uh [27:30] um I think it was just so outside Even [27:33] listen, David Foster, that David Foster [27:35] producer guy I'm talking about? [27:37] Um it's funny he doesn't remember it [27:39] this way, but I I [27:40] I [27:41] I remind him [27:43] many times [27:44] that like Dave I said, "Dave, when you [27:47] going to you know, when are we going to [27:49] do this? You're going to produce my [27:50] record." And he said in quotations, "I [27:51] will never produce your record and we [27:54] will never sign you. Never." He had a [27:56] very sweet assistant named Neil who's a [27:58] beauty. The sweetest kid. And um [28:02] when I see him once I mean, I would see [28:04] him and he would laugh and he would go, [28:05] "Dude, [28:06] I remember that I would like say to you, [28:09] just walk away [28:10] cuz [28:11] this isn't going to happen for you. [28:13] You know, he's not You're not You're not [28:15] the one." [28:16] I remember he said to me I got he got [28:18] pissed with me cuz I had again said to [28:21] him, "Hey, man, [28:22] come on, like [28:23] sign me." And he was like, "Uh [28:25] you need to get out. [28:27] You need to go." He said, "Like listen, [28:29] dude, I told you you're on my radar. [28:31] You and another 19 kids are [28:34] you know, [28:35] it's just not happening." And it And [28:37] it's funny because [28:39] the reason it happened when it came down [28:41] to it was I was like, "What do I need to [28:43] do? Surely this is not impossible." And [28:46] he went, "Okay. [28:48] Uh it's this much a track [28:50] and six tracks minimum [28:52] and uh [28:54] Money. Money. And I was like, "Okay." [28:57] And so this manager and I literally went [29:00] back to Vancouver and she was an amazing [29:01] woman and she went door-to-door, [29:03] bank-to-bank and we found this [29:05] incredible dude who underwrote and and [29:07] we bought the money. We bought the [29:09] check. [29:10] And I went to David's in Malibu and said [29:12] that we said uh [29:14] "We got it. Here's the money." [29:16] Um [29:17] David's a massive producer. I think it [29:18] was a hundred thousand a song. [29:21] And uh I think for David I remember [29:25] sitting up he had a this room in Malibu [29:27] and he had like all the Grammys all over [29:29] his piano and and I remember we were [29:31] like, "We got it." And he was like, "You [29:33] got it?" It was like I was like, [29:35] "Well, okay, you know, okay." He said, [29:38] "But Warner will get the first right of [29:39] refusal." And even that wasn't the end [29:41] of the story. We started making a demo [29:42] and [29:43] that [29:44] we ended up going he got Paul Anka. Do [29:47] you Paul Anka? No. Okay, well Paul is [29:49] I'll remind you who Paul Anka is if you [29:51] don't know. Paul at 16 or maybe 15 had [29:54] written [29:56] a song [29:57] called Put Your Head on My Shoulder. [29:59] Put your head on my shoulder or Diana, [30:03] I'm so young and you're so old. He wrote [30:06] another song called My Way. [30:08] And now the end is near. Huge massive [30:11] star. He is Justin Bieber, okay? [30:13] Of course I know who that is. [30:14] still a huge star. He's still a but he [30:16] got involved and then he was like, you [30:18] don't need that money. My guys will get [30:20] the money and for whatever reason when [30:22] we started making the record that deal [30:24] somehow fell through and David was like, [30:26] it's over. The money deal fell through? [30:28] Yeah, the money deal fell through and he [30:29] was like, uh it didn't work out and [30:31] somebody else will do this. [30:33] And I was like, dude, you know, and [30:35] there was a another producer named [30:36] Humberto Gatica. He was a another [30:38] massive producer. [30:40] Beautiful guy and he said, he took me to [30:42] the car. I was destroyed cuz I was this [30:44] I I was there. I was making the record. [30:46] It was I was four songs into making a [30:48] record. [30:49] And uh [30:51] and then it was done. [30:52] And David was like, I'm really sorry, [30:54] Mike, you know, it's just it's just [30:56] not going to happen. Why didn't you quit [30:58] like Neil told you to? [30:58] Well, it was a big a big deal was [31:01] Humberto and he said he was a he's a [31:04] Chilean guy and he said, hey Buble, man, [31:06] you need a [31:07] he said, you need a I drive you to your [31:09] apartment and I was [31:12] I was dead. Like I was I I had it. I was [31:15] there, dude. It was there [31:17] in my hand. [31:19] It was there and then it was gone and he [31:21] drove me home and I remember he parked I [31:24] lived in Westwood. I'd rented this [31:25] little place in Westwood. [31:27] And Humberto parked the car outside [31:30] and he looked at me and he said [31:33] Okay, Miguelito. [31:35] He said [31:37] David Foster is a strong guy but he [31:39] doesn't like confrontation at all. He [31:41] said, here's what you're going to say to [31:43] him. [31:44] And he literally [31:46] told me [31:47] what to say. And about 3 days later uh [31:50] David had brought me in hired me to do [31:52] something I think it was for Kenny G and [31:54] his wife at the time had a anniversary [31:56] party. [31:57] And I said, David, can I speak to you? [31:59] And he said like, okay. And [32:01] I took David to this other little room [32:04] beside the banquet hall [32:06] and literally regurgitated word for word [32:09] you know, what Humberto had told me to [32:10] tell this guy. You know, David was my [32:12] hero, right? David is a scary guy. You [32:15] you know, you look wow, this is [32:17] and uh [32:18] basically the gist of the conversation [32:20] was [32:21] um [32:22] we have done something incredible. We [32:24] have four or five songs here that are [32:27] you know, they're amazing. [32:29] Please give me one opportunity to go to [32:32] Warner Brother Records [32:34] and to speak to the president and play [32:36] my case. [32:37] And if he [32:39] doesn't want me, I will never ever [32:41] bother you again. You'll never hear from [32:43] me again. You want me to show up and do [32:45] stuff for you, I'll do it but [32:47] I'll never ask that question again. And [32:49] uh [32:50] he was like, okay. And he I don't think [32:52] he did love confrontation and I remember [32:55] he called me about a day two days later [32:58] and he said, let's see what a [32:59] 26-year-old kid knows about the record [33:01] business. [33:02] And uh I went into Warner Records in [33:05] Burbank. [33:06] Maybe probably [33:08] the scariest day of my life of my life. [33:11] And wood building [33:13] you know, look up on the wall and and [33:16] it's Prince [33:17] and Tom Petty and Madonna [33:20] and Red Hot Chili Peppers and like [33:24] you know, holy [ __ ] you know. [33:27] And [33:28] I sat in the meeting with Wally, Tom [33:30] Wally is the president and he's like [33:32] real good looking dude like like imagine [33:34] like Eric Stoltz or something but you [33:36] know, as that you know, the executive [33:37] and [33:38] you know, um [33:40] I said he sat down in the office and I [33:42] think he said uh well, why should we [33:44] sign you? We have Sinatra on Reprise. I [33:46] think this is one of the first things he [33:47] said. Sinatra on Reprise, what does that [33:48] mean? Uh so Reprise was a subsidiary of [33:51] of Warner that that Frank had started. [33:53] Ah. And and they had Frank in on the [33:56] label, you know, they had Sinatra on [33:59] Reprise, you know. And he said, why [34:01] should we sign you? We have Frank. [34:03] Must be like getting to the pearly gates [34:06] and having one opportunity [34:09] to get in. [34:11] And I said, with all due respect, Mr. [34:12] Wally, Frank's dead. [34:14] You know. [34:15] Don't bury the music. [34:17] I said, I will keep it alive. I love it. [34:19] I cherish it. I will break my ass for [34:22] you. I will go out there and I will will [34:24] this to be great. And uh [34:28] he sat, he listened to the four demos [34:30] and then two days later I I had flown my [34:32] grandfather down to LA [34:35] cuz I I mean, I had it's funny when I [34:36] walked out with David that day, I said, [34:38] thank you, David, for putting your balls [34:40] on the line for me like that. I said, so [34:42] what do you think? And he looked at me [34:44] and he said I think you did a great job. [34:47] Uh but Mike [34:50] I I have no idea what that means. Like [34:53] he had no idea. And he honestly, I don't [34:55] think he had any [34:57] concept when we walked out of those [34:59] doors [35:00] what Mr. Wally was going to say, you [35:02] know. And then two days later I flew my [35:04] grandfather down I said, Grandpa, I I [35:05] can't do this. I need you, man. [35:08] So he flew down to LA [35:09] and in that little Westwood apartment [35:12] and I was down in the on the treadmill. [35:15] And uh [35:16] the door sort of flung open and he and [35:18] the manager at the time, Bev [35:20] opened the door and they were just [35:21] crying, you know. I said, you know Come [35:24] on, Bev. Yeah, come upstairs. Come [35:26] upstairs. Come upstairs, you know. And [35:29] so I we took the elevator up and I [35:32] grabbed the telephone and [35:33] said, hello and David said, hey Mike, [35:35] man. And I said, hi, David. He said [35:38] hey Mike, man. [35:40] I want to welcome you to Warner Brothers [35:41] Records and I want you to know we have [35:43] your back and you're never going to have [35:44] to worry again. [35:45] And it was like, man, it was I don't [35:48] know. [35:49] And again, dude, it sounds like that's [35:51] the end of the story but [35:54] that wasn't the end because the record [35:56] came out [35:57] and it was awesome [35:58] but I believe I debuted at 198 on [36:01] Billboard. [36:03] And I had a manager named Bruce Allen. [36:06] Uh he was known as the one of the [36:08] greatest manager in the business and [36:09] still is. [36:11] And he said to me, kid, you're an [36:12] American signed act but um [36:16] you know, it's not it's not it's not [36:18] you're not killing it. There's not [36:19] there's not a ton of interest. [36:21] He said um [36:22] would you consider [36:24] going to Southeast Asia and Africa? [36:27] And I was like, yeah, I'll go anywhere [36:28] you want. And I did, dude. I just [36:30] started going to all the and man, that's [36:32] where it happened. I made it in my first [36:34] big hit was in the Philippines [36:36] South Africa. [36:38] I started to do pretty good. I had sold [36:39] a couple million records and my manager [36:41] Bruce would call and he would say [36:43] hey kid. [36:45] You want to go to Germany? [36:47] I said like, what's in Germany? Well, [36:49] they they got a about eight journalists [36:51] there and you'd be singing in the Hyatt [36:54] lobby [36:55] doing a showcase [36:56] and uh [36:58] you know, and I guess there might have [37:00] been a thought at even that point maybe [37:01] that's beneath [37:02] and I was like, no [ __ ] man, go, yeah. [37:04] And I did it, dude. I just went [37:06] literally, man. I did that in [37:09] all over Asia, Switzerland, Ger Pol [37:12] dude, you name the country and I showed [37:14] up and did a showcase and What age were [37:17] you when you thought, [ __ ] this is [37:19] you know, this is big now. Oh, probably [37:25] probably 30. [37:27] 20 29. So like it's happened late for [37:29] me, man. Like it this whole this whole [37:31] thing happened late. I was [37:33] really for for what isn't the normal [37:35] Yeah, man. I I didn't know what it I had [37:38] my first taste of [37:40] fame at maybe [37:43] 28. [37:46] That is so And it was in the [37:47] Philippines. [37:48] And I went to get sushi at a mall in [37:50] Manila and there was there was a [37:52] security guy he was like, don't go [37:54] without me. And I was like, yeah, sure. [37:56] And I went and went bought sushi and [37:58] then all of a sudden [38:00] I was like surrounded by all these [38:02] beautiful Filipinos speaking Tagalog and [38:04] asking for pictures and I was like [38:06] and uh [38:07] I remember he was really pissed with me. [38:10] He was really upset that I hadn't taken [38:11] him, the security. I was like, why? I [38:13] don't need security. [38:15] And then he took me we went up to my [38:16] room [38:17] and I was like, dude, I'm sorry like [38:19] that was crazy. Like I've never this is [38:21] crazy. I feel like like a [ __ ] [38:23] Backstreet Boy or something, you know, [38:25] like they were they [38:26] and then he I remember that he opened [38:28] the [38:29] curtain and this curtain [38:32] opened [38:33] and it was a building facing us and the [38:36] dude, the full building was just my [38:38] face. You're joking. Yeah, and I was [38:41] like, oh [ __ ] I understand now. This is [38:44] but dude, it was so new [38:45] you know. When you've had to fight to [38:48] get there for say 14, 15, 16 years, [38:50] whatever it is [38:52] is there a part of you that is sort of [38:53] innately scared of losing it in a way [38:55] that someone who just got it like that [38:57] might not appreciate? Yeah, there was. [39:00] There for sure there was, man. And does [39:01] that result in workaholism? [39:02] for all of us. There is for you. I'm [39:04] sure you sit and go like, I'm kicking [39:06] ass right now but you know what? [39:09] Well, but you know why? Because [39:10] naturally [39:11] everything that goes up must come down. [39:14] No, there's no there's no crown given. I [39:16] don't care if you're a school teacher or [39:18] you're a doctor. I mean, nothing just [39:20] continues to go. I mean, [39:22] you have to understand that there are [39:24] peaks and valleys [39:25] and that there are times when um you [39:29] might not be the hottest but those are [39:30] the times when you continue [39:33] to uh stay true to the brand, you know. [39:35] You don't panic. It's hard not to panic. [39:37] Like I was talking about Paul Anka but [39:40] you know, Paul is very sweet like he'll [39:42] call me. Just out of the blue, and he'll [39:44] go like, "Hey, dude. [39:46] You're the man. Don't don't trip. You [39:48] know, whatever you're feeling, if you're [39:49] feeling it's up or down, [39:51] just keep doing your thing, man. Be true [39:54] to yourself. Don't panic. And it's [39:56] beautiful. It's a beautiful [39:58] You know, and listen, for me [40:00] having four kids [40:02] and an incre- like a wife that is my [40:04] favorite human being in the whole [40:05] planet, that made It makes the process [40:09] of [40:10] that worry easier because, you know, [40:12] it's funny, dude. I [40:15] I was terrified yesterday at that event. [40:17] Terrified, man. I I wanted to be great, [40:19] and it's scary to be in front of your [40:21] peers. It's something you know is so [40:22] important. [40:25] And uh this morning I woke up and I was [40:26] brushing my teeth, and I was on FaceTime [40:28] with my wife and the kids, you know. And [40:30] uh [40:31] And she said, "Okay, how are you? How do [40:33] you feel?" And it was like I said, [40:34] "Listen, Lou." I said, [40:37] "Faith, number one. My family, number [40:40] two. And my career, a really, you know, [40:42] a distant third." [40:44] And so [40:45] for me, I'm I'm blessed to to really [40:49] feel that. [40:50] Because, of course, I get scared, man. I [40:52] don't want to lose it, and there's a [40:53] million ways to lose it, and [40:56] but I also haven't put all of my eggs [40:58] into that one basket. Has it always been [41:02] as clear the priorities? [41:04] No. [41:05] Of course not. Absolutely not. And by [41:07] the way, there can be times where my [41:09] fault self [41:11] allows that to change. My fault self? [41:15] Yeah, my fault self. My I would say the [41:17] ego. [41:18] Um I I you know, I I you know, I should [41:22] read more Eckhart Tolle and [41:23] Power of Now and he tells stories about [41:25] the hockey team that I'm a part owner [41:27] of, the Vancouver Giants. [41:29] Talks about eight the ages, how how [41:31] substantial that that is. But uh [41:34] he's a big part of my life, too, you [41:36] know. And by the way, practicing to get [41:38] to this place where [41:40] it's really easy to let your fears and [41:42] and your uh [41:44] your fault self give you these negative [41:46] messages and [41:47] and um [41:49] it was it it was helpful for me to [41:50] understood to understand that I could [41:52] control that. You know, not not allowing [41:55] those negative things to get a hold of [41:57] me. One of my sort of deep, I think, [41:59] existential fears is that I'm not going [42:02] to have my [42:03] priorities in the right order, and I'm [42:05] going to find out too late. I've said [42:07] this a few times on this show. Yeah. I'm [42:09] scared that as a guy who's like spent, I [42:11] don't know, 12 years building businesses [42:13] and pursuing success in whatever form, [42:16] that life is going to tell me, Steve, at [42:18] the moment when you needed to have your [42:19] priorities in order, they weren't. When [42:21] maybe you want to have a family or a [42:22] wife or something, you know. What was it [42:24] that changed illuminated the true nature [42:27] of what your priorities should be? [42:30] I I listen, I had like I said to you [42:32] before, this whole thing starts with [42:34] family. [42:35] And I uh [42:37] I have never been so out of touch [42:40] because I have too good of a family. [42:42] My mom and dad are just [42:44] they just they're just two beautiful [42:46] people, and my grandparents, and um [42:49] listen, I may not do it, but I know what [42:51] the difference is between right and [42:53] wrong and and um [42:55] and putting ego first. Um [42:58] I don't want to get too deep into it [42:59] because it's it's not it's not that it [43:01] isn't comfortable for me, [43:03] but my son has his own life and his own [43:05] story. [43:06] Um My son's cancer diagnosis [43:10] rocked my world. [43:12] It pulled a curtain from over my eyes, [43:15] and um I don't want to get deeper into [43:17] it, but I can tell you that [43:20] um [43:22] I don't think [43:25] that I had what you're talking about. I [43:26] don't think I had context. [43:28] And that [43:29] was a sledgehammer to my reality. [43:33] And um [43:36] I will [43:37] I will never be carefree again in my [43:39] life, [43:40] and that's okay. [43:42] Um it is a privilege for me to [43:47] to exist. [43:48] And uh [43:50] and that [43:52] that pain, the fear, the suffering that [43:53] comes with those sort of things is I [43:55] guess it's part of that [43:57] beautiful [43:58] this life, you know. It's uh [44:00] But it I if I wasn't clear, and I wasn't [44:04] clear, and it's interesting because when [44:06] it actually happened, [44:08] I was going through, I think, a crisis. [44:11] Like really, like the crisis that you're [44:13] talking about. You know, um [44:16] I don't think I had my priorities [44:18] straight. [44:19] I mean, I I I I always my family was [44:22] always a love of, you know, I think I [44:23] don't think I was a terrible guy, but um [44:26] dude, [44:27] it was [44:29] the blinders. [44:31] Career. [44:32] You know, ambition. [44:34] How do I become [44:36] the baddest, biggest, best [44:39] uh [44:40] you know, [44:41] more ego, more power, more money, more [44:44] and um [44:46] on Halloween, however many years ago [44:48] that was, [44:49] dude, it's like life was lived with like [44:51] a curtain in front of me. [44:54] Like a filter? Mhm. And the moment that [44:57] they said, [44:58] "This is what's happening." [45:00] Um [45:03] I that reality [45:05] hit me. [45:06] Um [45:09] Filter gone. [45:11] Filter gone, and I mean [45:13] in a moment, in one [45:16] moment, gone. [45:18] And I went, [45:20] "Okay. This is it. This is life. This is [45:24] This is it. This is what's important." [45:26] Um [45:27] and that's when that's when [45:29] It's not like I thought about it. It [45:31] didn't There was no time to process it. [45:33] It was um you have your priorities. [45:36] Uh this this is what your priorities [45:38] are. And they This is what your [45:39] priorities must be in order to be happy [45:42] in your life. And um [45:45] it is [45:46] I just can't imagine. I just can't [45:48] faith it's faith, family, and and [45:51] A member of my family got diagnosed with [45:54] um [45:56] a very similar illness, and I remember [45:58] where I was and where I was stood when I [46:00] got that call. And again, I'd been [46:01] running, you know, just in my own little [46:03] world, hadn't called them in a while. [46:04] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wasn't really in touch [46:06] with them. And then in that exact [46:08] moment, [46:10] it made me realize the true reason why I [46:12] do what I do. [46:14] Like I I you know, Yeah. and that my [46:17] life should never have been so focused [46:19] on self in such a way, if that makes [46:20] sense. [46:21] Yeah, of course. Absolutely. Absolutely. [46:23] Dude, I remember being at CHLA. [46:26] I remember peeing in a stall. [46:28] I know it sounds weird, and it's not [46:29] sexy, but [46:32] I remember just sitting in the stall, [46:34] standing there, you know. The Children's [46:35] Hospital? Yes, sir. And uh [46:38] and I remember [46:40] closing my eyes and saying to myself, [46:45] "If I get If we get out of this, [46:48] um [46:52] if we get out of this, I'm living a [46:53] different life. [46:56] A better life." And I did. I made that [46:58] promise to myself in like a moment, you [47:00] know. [47:01] I want to be kinder. [47:03] I want to be more empathetic. [47:06] I don't ever want to allow that ego and [47:07] that fault self to take over. I want to [47:09] know how lucky I am. [47:11] And dude, I'm a lucky man. Like I you [47:13] know, I just look at I look at my wife, [47:15] like you know, it's like, "How the [47:17] How did that happen? How did I get, you [47:19] know, this incredible human being [47:23] who's the best of all of us, you know, [47:25] to [47:26] to sort of lead me through and and carry [47:29] me through these things, you know." [47:33] Mhm. [47:33] Yeah. [47:34] Yeah, it's a it's a [47:36] it's it's um [47:38] I was just thinking about um goes back [47:40] to what I was saying about how [47:42] I don't want life life to [47:45] show show me my priorities, um [47:49] especially as it relates to my romantic [47:50] relationships, where you know, you can [47:51] end up in divorce court or you lose [47:53] something, and then you think, "Fuck, [47:54] what's what are all these gold coins [47:56] worth?" [47:58] No, but I had the Dude, it's funny, you [47:59] know, we've all had those moments, too. [48:01] Like, listen, much younger, I had that [48:03] moment where I was like, "Oh, dude. Do [48:05] you like you? [48:07] Do you trust you? Do you respect you?" [48:10] And then I was like, "If you don't, [48:12] Yeah. and you're expecting that person [48:14] to or any person to, maybe you're asking [48:17] too much." [48:18] I hope we're allowed to look at [48:19] ourselves in the mirror, and man, it's [48:20] so easy to lie to other people, but it's [48:23] even easier to lie to yourself. [48:25] You know? [48:25] Harmful. Dude, it's so easy, and it's [48:28] like [48:29] um [48:31] I hope everybody has the chance to [48:33] figure your way to do it. I don't know [48:35] what it is or how you get there. If you [48:37] need like medicine or mushrooms or [48:39] whatever it is, Mhm. but like to look in [48:42] the mirror and to go, "Hey, these are [48:43] the things that [48:44] I think I suck at." Um and uh [48:48] you know, and I hope I really do. I hope [48:49] within us there's a opportunity for all [48:52] of us to to have that self-diagnosis and [48:55] honesty and to go, "Yeah, I can do [48:57] better than that." Mhm. You know? I on [49:00] this podcast so many times I've spoken [49:02] to parents about about grief, but I've [49:06] never really shine a shone a light on [49:10] just the trauma of going through [49:12] moments like that, and really the like [49:14] blast radius of of knock-on effects that [49:17] person's life that it can have, [49:19] implications to their mental health. [49:20] Your son, Noah, Is it Noah? Yeah. You've [49:22] got four wonderful kids, I hear. Um is [49:25] doing great. 10 years 10 years old? 10 [49:27] years old. 10 years old. Yeah. [49:28] But for all the all the priorities and [49:31] the the curtain that it pulled back, [49:34] is there still a healing process there [49:36] that that [49:37] needs to have it happen that you [49:39] typically see similar to grief, if you [49:40] know what I'm saying? Oh, no, no, no, [49:42] because you already I think any parent I [49:44] mean I've now I've become [49:46] I've had such great relationship with so [49:47] many parents and people have not just [49:49] gone through this. I mean listen, man, [49:50] going through any kind of thing with [49:52] like you know, you're got you're not [49:54] going to get away without it, man. I [49:55] don't know if you have already, but I [49:56] haven't had kids yet, so [49:57] No, I'm not talking about kids. I'm [49:58] talking about your siblings or your mom [50:00] and dad or we're all going to go I mean [50:03] it's just a part of life. It takes a [50:05] piece of us, you know, like my grandpa, [50:06] man, I miss my grandpa every day, but [50:08] that's just that's life. That's a part [50:10] of life and um [50:12] I don't know that any of us even have [50:14] the capacity to deal with it. I think [50:15] it's why obviously we we move to faith, [50:19] you know, something feels good about [50:21] hoping [50:22] that there's something more. [50:24] But men in the mental health, we don't [50:25] talk about these things. [50:26] No, dude, you must be soft. Don't be [50:28] soft and no crying. I'm guilty of this [50:30] more than anyone, especially as like a [50:31] CEO and I've been a CEO since I was 18 [50:33] and I had hundreds of employees. So I [50:35] can't I felt like I couldn't flinch. [50:37] Yeah. You know? [50:38] But how do you Can I ask you how do you [50:40] because you are a brand now, man. [50:42] Okay, I know you're a beautiful nice [50:43] guy, human being, but dude, there's a [50:45] brand it's a brand and I know you have [50:48] people on your team and I know you have [50:50] a team [50:51] that like they come to you and say we'd [50:53] love you to do this and your team goes [50:55] you can't do that. Mhm. That is off [50:57] brand. Yeah, yeah. [50:59] How do you How do you [51:01] are you able to [51:03] cuz you're in the wave, man, you're [51:04] going to tidal wave is moving, but [51:06] you're inside it. All you got all your [51:08] people on top and they can all kind of [51:10] see [51:11] but how do you deal with it? Like what [51:12] do you do? Can you Do you feel it? Do [51:14] you think you're self-aware enough to [51:16] know [51:17] what the brand is or how to protect it [51:20] or how to move it forward? [51:21] I think it comes back to this point [51:22] about authenticity. You know, you know [51:24] when something is you and when it's in [51:26] line with you and you know when you're [51:27] kind of abandoning yourself. There's [51:28] some signal inside of me that goes, hey, [51:30] you know, you you know, this isn't [51:31] right. [51:32] You know, especially if someone offers [51:33] you a lot of money to do something and [51:34] you're like, oh my god, oof, I know [51:35] that's not me. So fortunately [51:38] Go ahead. No, I was going to say for [51:40] this show's a good example, which is a [51:41] good question is what are the sponsors? [51:43] The sponsors are companies that I [51:45] are in line with my values, so Yes. you [51:47] know, my We my my Zoe, my you know, [51:50] Yeah. the products that I and also I'm a [51:51] shareholder in these companies that [51:53] sponsor the podcast and I'm in the team. [51:55] That's a good example of it, whereas [51:56] Yes. some brands aren't aligned. Yeah. I [51:59] think what I meant even more than just [52:00] brands is like, you know, I'm you know, [52:02] I understand I'm I'm I'm two different [52:04] people, right? [52:06] Who's Who's the other guy? Well, the [52:07] other guy is this is me. I'm Michael [52:09] Bublé. Um I'm an idiot who is I think [52:12] sweet and [52:14] um So the guy I met? Little bit. Well, I [52:16] mean the other guy from stage. Yeah, [52:17] well, that's that's a completely [52:18] different dude. That guy? That's Michael [52:21] Bublé. [52:22] This I'm Mike. [52:24] Uh fantasy football hockey loving idiot [52:26] who, you know, [52:28] um [52:30] you know, is a bigger idiot than you [52:34] than you I'm your seeing Really? Even [52:35] I'm I'm I'm a little bit more of the [52:37] suit guy, right? Oh, [ __ ] Yeah, man, [52:39] like [52:39] Bigger? Um [52:41] I would say closer to Michael Scott from [52:44] The Office. [52:45] But dude, every night I go and I put on [52:47] this like this suit [52:50] and then when I walk out on stage I [52:53] become the guy that I always wanted to [52:56] be. [52:57] He is so cool and Teflon and he says all [53:00] the right things and nothing can nothing [53:02] can and I'm I can be goofy, but [53:05] you know, um [53:07] but there's this there's an other I mean [53:10] Can I meet him? Oh, dude, you're going [53:11] to meet him. [53:13] You're going to meet him. I'm going to [53:14] make sure that that the whole world [53:15] meets him. [53:16] For 20 years I have done the same thing. [53:18] It's It's been cyclical. [53:20] Michael writes and [53:23] um makes a great record and then I go [53:25] and I promote it. I go to 40 countries [53:27] and promote it and then I go and tour [53:29] for for a year and a half and for 20 [53:32] years it has been [53:34] write it promote it [53:36] tour it [53:37] and um [53:40] and I feel like I'm at this point of my [53:43] life and my career where [53:45] I I want to do something different. [53:48] I listen, again, music will never it [53:50] will always be [53:52] my my happy place and and my love, [53:55] but um [53:57] I need time to do some other stuff, man. [53:58] I need time to challenge myself and to [54:01] to wake up and go, yeah, this is [54:02] different and fun and um [54:05] and and it's really it's about being [54:08] that other guy, not the suit guy. [54:11] Um being Mike. Being Mike, man, and and [54:14] doing that whether that's in in movies [54:17] or television or whatever it is, it has [54:20] to happen now. [54:21] Why? Cuz dude, this is my favorite part [54:23] of me. [54:24] And I never I've never really [54:26] there was just it was just too good. All [54:29] the other stuff was so [54:32] um [54:33] cuz I love the other stuff. I love [54:34] touring. I love [54:36] like I love making money doing that. [54:38] That's amazing, dude. What's the symptom [54:40] telling you that you should do more of [54:41] Mike and less of Michael? Uh well, just [54:44] that I honestly, truly [54:46] the excitement of doing something [54:48] different, [54:49] you know? Like, yeah, it's time to [54:51] um [54:53] it's time to take that challenge. It's [54:54] time to take that trip, you know? Like [54:56] uh [54:57] and I know it's there. The same way I [54:59] kind of told you like that I had so much [55:01] faith in [55:02] in [55:04] um [55:04] in knowing like, hey, man, I think I'm a [55:06] like I got a pretty good voice and I can [55:08] be good I'm a good entertainer. Like I [55:09] can if I do this, I have the potential [55:12] to really have fun doing that at a level [55:15] I think I can I can do. [55:17] For the challenge as well, for the [55:18] pursuit of of Yeah, it's fun to wake up [55:21] and go like, you know what? Instead of [55:23] that same cycle, I'm going to do the [55:25] record, make the record, sell the [55:26] record. The music again will always be [55:28] there, but I need to express myself in a [55:30] different way. For me, man, and and [55:33] it really isn't for for them. [55:36] It isn't for the audience. It's for me. [55:38] It's like But is there a moment where [55:40] you you something happens cuz I'm trying [55:42] to put this into like my world or [55:44] whoever's listening to the world. Is [55:45] there a moment where you wake up then [55:46] you go [55:47] I'm just a little bit less excited and [55:49] it's just fallen below the level of [55:51] excitement that I need to do this again. [55:53] No, I know. No, because man, honestly, [55:55] genuinely [55:57] um [55:58] I love being out with I love making I [56:00] dude, I just the music is just it fills [56:02] me up with happiness, you know? So the [56:04] second I mean I just did uh [56:07] I did like a corporate gig the other [56:08] night with my boys and this this band [56:09] has been with me for 20 years. They're [56:11] my brothers, man. So [56:14] I get up there and it's like I'm home, [56:16] you know? And it's like it's it's fun. [56:18] It's it's fulfilling. It's everything, [56:20] but dude, it's [56:22] I'm as fulfilled in in acting, you know? [56:26] Well, when this tour started to wrap [56:27] down and I was like [56:28] you know what? I [56:30] I want to have fun doing something [56:31] little different. Everyone can relate to [56:33] that in their own context because when [56:35] you have a comfort zone per se, [56:37] something you're really good at [56:38] Yeah. and then you have the rewards also [56:40] will align with the thing that you've [56:41] developed mastery in. It's very easy to [56:43] spend a decade doing or two decades [56:45] doing that thing and wake up one day and [56:47] go, [ __ ] I'm a lawyer. Why am I lawyer [56:49] again? Oh, cuz it paid really well and I [56:50] good at it. Yeah. But that doesn't [56:52] necessarily mean it will make you happy, [56:53] right? [56:54] Totally. And I think the branding stuff [56:56] definitely had an impact where all of a [56:58] sudden [56:59] it wasn't we we want you to come and [57:01] sing something. Mhm. It was like, you [57:04] know, we want you. Yeah. We want Bublé. [57:07] We want Bublé to do a [57:09] a Bublé commercial or we want Bublé to [57:11] show up and do an Asda commercial or we [57:13] want you we want you to be the face of [57:14] our thing. We want you [57:16] and I was like, okay, well, what do I [57:18] sing? And they were like, no. [57:20] No, we don't want you to sing. We just [57:22] we want you to be your idiot stuff. I [57:24] mean that Asda ad that I just did, I [57:27] don't know if you've seen it. [57:28] That was like getting to sit with Taika [57:30] Waititi, who's one of my favorite [57:31] directors and writers of all time and to [57:33] have him [57:35] direct this thing. I mean I I was I had [57:37] so much fun and it wasn't singing. It [57:39] was just [57:40] it was literally you know, we had this [57:43] talk about the concept and and we were [57:44] like, what if I'm this [57:46] I was like, what if I he's he said to me [57:48] like, dude, dude, what if you're um the [57:52] head of uh [57:53] you know, quality control. [57:55] And I was like, yes, and I think I know [57:57] what exactly I'm an [ __ ] who has no [58:00] idea what I'm doing, but you know, [58:02] egotistically you I am you know, um and [58:05] he and he understood exactly what I was [58:07] going for [58:09] and we we laughed, dude. We had it was [58:10] like it was three days of us just [58:13] you know, just laughing, laughing at [58:15] ourselves, laughing [58:17] and it that just I was so happy and it's [58:19] like another reason why I'm like, man, [58:20] this is my personality. This is me. [58:22] Where do you go for [58:24] support, Michael? [58:26] When you're when you're struggling or [58:27] when you're trying to figure out these [58:28] sort of impasses in life, is there Do [58:30] you Have you ever been to therapy? Do [58:32] you speak to each other? [58:34] Yeah, I've been to therapy, but I don't [58:36] know. [58:37] I don't know what to say, man. [58:40] I don't know if it [58:42] I don't know if it if it worked for me. [58:44] Mhm. [58:45] You know? Like it felt good to talk [58:46] about stuff, Mhm. but then [58:49] after about like four times, I was like [58:53] am I just am I bullshitting right now? [58:54] Am I just telling her something Mhm. [58:56] just to fill up the hour because I sort [58:58] of went through my my big stuff [59:00] and it didn't [59:02] and this therapy doesn't feel like it [59:03] worked very well. Mhm. You know, hey, [59:05] man, for me, listen, my relationship [59:08] again with with the God and and that [59:11] that is a far that brings me far more [59:13] satisfaction. [59:15] And uh [59:16] and so that for me and by the way and [59:18] like my wife, like being able to say to [59:19] my wife like and I'm so honest with her. [59:21] Like I'm like, hey, dude, I'm not doing [59:23] good with this thing and [59:25] and and um she's like, well, stop being [59:28] an idiot, you know? [59:31] My point is I I think that's part of the [59:33] role of being a [59:34] a wonderful partner is that [59:36] they they call you out on your [ __ ] [59:38] I love you that you're opening it. Are [59:39] we allowed to drink this? We are allowed [59:41] to drink it if you want to drink it. [59:42] God, my morning my morning just got way [59:44] better. I just found this on the floor. [59:46] No, I didn't really. Um Fraser and [59:47] Thompson Yes, sir. [59:50] This is a whiskey brand that I'm holding [59:51] in my hands that [59:52] Yes, sir. you have built in a building [59:54] with an incredible team of whiskey [59:55] experts and [59:56] nothing. [59:57] They've told me that you're in you're [59:59] driving this business and incredibly [60:01] involved, which is atypical of you. [60:02] mean, like I'm involved in in this this [60:05] I'm you know [60:07] But like what do I know about whiskey? [60:10] No, I mean what you know about Fraser [60:11] and Thompson. I mean, this is [60:12] I I I know that listen to me. I know [60:15] that if you don't know what you're doing [60:18] you [60:19] you hire and bring in the greatest [60:21] people in the universe Mhm. who [60:23] literally holds your hand and uh [60:26] tell you what to do. And you know that [60:28] when you find a guy like Paul Cerka, [60:30] who's one of the greatest whiskey, you [60:33] know, connoisseurs in the world and he [60:36] and then you ask him how big his brewery [60:38] is and he tells you idiot, it's called a [60:41] distillery, not a brewery. [60:43] You realize that you don't know what [60:45] you're talking about. [60:47] But this [60:48] Yeah. is [60:50] you. You worked with Paul for the last [60:52] three years, but this is you. [60:53] dude. We worked three years three years. [60:55] I'll tell you what, I worked three years [60:56] because I wasn't going to be part of [60:57] something that I didn't love. [60:59] And uh [61:01] the truth, man. [61:04] We tried to reverse engineer [61:07] a whiskey for people that may not love [61:08] whiskey. [61:10] And um [61:13] you know, I know that there's [61:14] highfalutin fancy dancy whiskeys that we [61:17] can talk about the oakiness of the [61:18] barrel and uh [61:20] they've been aged 47 years and uh [61:24] and this isn't that. [61:26] This is an approachable drink [61:28] that truthfully [61:30] I love and as you're opening it [61:32] my mouth is going like [61:35] And uh my wife loves it and my friends [61:38] all love it and all the whiskey snobs I [61:40] know like it and I'm so proud of it and [61:42] Paul Cerka I you know I know who that is [61:45] but he's a star. No, I read about him. [61:47] Dude, three years and he we went we I I [61:49] was a pain in the ass and I drove them [61:51] all crazy. I've researched I was [61:53] researching photos of you and Paul and [61:55] seeing you down at the distillery and [61:56] you said you were annoyed. [61:57] I know. Um [61:58] Fraser and Thompson, where's the where's [62:00] the name come from? [62:01] That's from my grandpa. [62:02] Because when when I was a kid, my [62:03] grandpa used to take us up to uh [62:06] camping and we would go to we in in [62:08] British Columbia, we have the Fraser [62:10] River. It's like the muddy Fraser and it [62:12] and uh we have the mighty Thompson, [62:14] which is glacial water. And they come [62:16] together in this beautiful confluence. [62:19] And um the truth is that it was a in [62:21] tribute to my grandfather, but better [62:23] than that is they said to me, you know, [62:25] we have the juice. Now we need a name. [62:27] And like there was all these stupid [62:29] ideas like Bublé and [62:31] and then and Serenade in Blue and all [62:35] these musical things and I was like and [62:37] every time I'd come up with a good one, [62:39] like some I would thought was like real [62:40] cool and sophisticated they'd be like [62:42] that one's taken. [62:44] And uh finally I was like, you know [62:45] what? Why don't I just [62:48] pay tribute to my grandpa who is my guy. [62:50] And it's funny, man, if you look on the [62:51] bottle, there's all these little hidden [62:53] Easter eggs like his birthday's on [62:54] there. [62:54] 1927. [62:55] Yes, sir. [62:56] Born at the fork of two rivers, Fraser [62:58] and Thompson. [62:59] Yeah, and doesn't it just smell so good? [63:00] It sounds the branding is you've nailed [63:02] it. Because there's No, you have because [63:04] there's a story there and it's a very [63:06] authentic story, but the smell Yeah. [63:10] You know what I really like? I I [63:12] actually pour out a little bit of the [63:13] bottle [63:14] and then I take like this uh I take like [63:16] brown sugar, I mix it up and I put like [63:18] brown sugar in there with vanilla and a [63:20] little bit of bitters [63:21] and then I smash an orange and I just [63:24] put it in the freezer. [63:25] And it's weird cuz my wife was never a [63:26] whiskey drinker, but again, that's what [63:28] it was for. It was for it was to make an [63:30] approachable [63:31] delicious whiskey for everybody. And you [63:34] know what I really like about it? [63:36] We were talking about money. [63:38] So I was like really happy that we could [63:39] come up with what it was. I think it was [63:41] like 35, 40 bucks and I was like that is [63:44] I was like that is great value cuz my [63:46] dad as a fisherman, he talks about value [63:48] all the time. [63:49] Cuz we even in my ticket sales, he's [63:51] like, if you know, son, if you just [63:53] bring them if you give them value for [63:54] their money, they'll come back. Mhm. You [63:56] know? If they feel that they've been [63:58] ripped off, you'll never see them again. [64:00] So, that was part of the whole thing. [64:02] Are you scared? [64:03] No, I can I drink it a little bit? [64:05] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cuz you keep touching [64:06] it and I just So we have a little Oh, [64:07] here we go. Look at this guy. [64:09] Look at this guy. Am I scared of of of [64:12] getting wasted with you at the table? [64:13] It's like a a reinvention, isn't it? [64:15] It's a new mountain to climb building a [64:18] a whiskey company. So [64:19] Dude, it is it is uh what's nice about [64:21] the Dumbo brand? It's so me, dude. It's [64:23] just like uh [64:26] it's an easy thing. It's me. And again, [64:28] you know how we were talking about the [64:29] challenge of it? [64:31] We were talking about the challenge. [64:33] This isn't just me. [64:35] This is a This is my wife. [64:37] We're partners. This is my best friend [64:39] Ron, my dad. Um [64:42] my manager Bruce [64:44] uh we're all like this is our thing. It [64:46] was like part of that thing of going [64:48] um what can we do that's fun and like [64:51] and new. [64:52] It would be really nice to make a [64:54] gillion dollars, too. [64:55] You know? [64:56] I have a feeling it's I have a feeling [64:57] it's going to do extremely well because [64:59] it has all the cool components of just a [65:01] a beautiful brand and product. It's I [65:04] mean, it's gorgeous in every respect. [65:06] man. I [65:08] I don't even know what to say. This is [65:09] You know what? I hate selling [ __ ] Can [65:11] I be honest with you? [65:12] I really do. I feel itchy. [65:17] But it's I just hope people will go and [65:19] however they need to do it [65:21] get a free [65:22] What do you want them to [65:23] I want them to just try it. I feel like [65:25] if people just try it, they'll go like [65:27] Bublé. [65:28] Bublé, you don't suck. [65:30] I actually one of the first things I did [65:32] was called Ryan Reynolds. Oh, yeah. [65:34] Because this company is the same these [65:36] my partners are the same as as Ryan with [65:38] his Aviation Gin, right? [65:40] And so I called Ryan and I was like, [65:42] Ryan do [65:44] like what do I do? And he was like, [65:46] Mike, but just have fun, dude. Like have [65:48] fun. I was like, Ryan, but I don't know [65:50] what I'm doing. He was like, well, I [65:51] didn't He goes, you don't have to know. [65:53] Let the Let the [65:55] Let the other people that are helping [65:56] make it and let them know what they're [65:58] doing. He said, just have Dude, just be [65:59] yourself and have fun. [66:00] It's really It's really incredible. So, [66:02] you know, one of the things I always [66:03] think about people that become really [66:04] successful, I always wonder if [66:06] it's a curse in a way because you've [66:08] been such a successful artist. You've [66:11] been I mean, your Christmas record was [66:13] released in 2011. [66:14] I'm so sorry about that. And I'm so I'm [66:17] told it is one of the best-selling [66:19] albums of the 21st century. [66:22] You know what's cute? Yesterday when I [66:24] was on the bus [66:25] I was driving to the White House [66:27] because of the Kennedy Center Honors. My [66:29] first time, you know, Paul. I think I [66:30] was the only Canadian. And uh Sigourney [66:33] Weaver was behind me and I was sitting [66:35] with Sheila E [66:36] and uh there was all these fancy people [66:39] on the bus and I got on the bus and um [66:42] and we got to the White House and the [66:43] first thing that I heard was me going, [66:46] Have a Holly Jolly Christmas. It's the [66:49] best time and I was like, oh [ __ ] [66:52] I am so sorry. [66:54] Has that ever bothered you that you're [66:55] so you were so successful with that [66:58] Christmas album that you hear yourself [67:00] every Christmas and [67:02] at first, you know what's funny? Like [67:03] about seven years into it [67:05] I was like I was cuz, you know, it all I [67:08] would get was calls at like especially, [67:10] dude, come October. It was like, if you [67:12] were a famous person with a movie or a [67:15] or a record [67:17] I was you were calling me. Like I'm not [67:19] even exaggerating. Like it was [67:21] you know, and I would get so excited. It [67:23] was like, oh my god, you know, this oh [67:25] my god, my hero's called. [67:27] Are they going to ask me to be in their [67:28] film? Are they going to a duet? And it [67:30] would be like, so we're doing a [67:31] Christmas and I'd be like, oh [ __ ] [67:35] Um [67:37] I I So actually funny, Jack Jack [67:38] Whitehall, you know Jack? [67:39] Yeah, yeah, yeah. He called me the other [67:40] day. He's like, Mike, I have this idea [67:42] and I was like, you're going to say [67:43] Christmas, aren't you? And he was like, [67:44] yes. And I was like, Jack, I love Dude, [67:48] um [67:49] it's interesting. We were talking about [67:50] my son in that moment. [67:51] Mhm. [67:52] But that again was [67:54] an epiphany moment for me where I was [67:56] sitting in the hospital room and I was [67:58] like [67:59] oh my god, I am now synonymous with this [68:03] beautiful time of year [68:06] where people don't treat each other like [68:08] [ __ ] [68:09] Mhm. And um [68:11] and there's kindness and goodness and [68:13] that's this is I get to be a part of [68:15] this and then people invite me into [68:17] their homes at a time that is is [68:20] everything to them and their connection [68:22] with the people they love and their [68:23] memories and [68:24] and then I started getting deeper and I [68:25] was like, oh my god, oh my god, they're [68:27] not going to the people aren't going to [68:28] remember [ __ ] when I die. They're not [68:30] going to remember home or the duet or [68:32] this whiskey. [68:33] Excuse me. But you know what I mean? But [68:35] they like it it goes, you know what I [68:36] mean? But I'm like, dude, 200 years from [68:38] now when I am deader than dead [68:41] you know? [68:42] People are going to be singing Have a [68:44] Holly Jolly Christmas. I'm going to be [68:47] there. It's so cool. [68:50] Yeah. I associate you with great [68:52] memories, good times and I have to say [68:54] Home is my favorite song. Oh, dude, I [68:56] love you. Thank you. I I mean [68:58] we were we were I was in karaoke before [68:59] you came an hour ago and I was like, put [69:01] that Are you joking? Really? No, it's on [69:03] video. [69:04] That's amazing. I was I went go on [69:05] YouTube. I went put on Michael Bublé [69:07] Home and I went lyric video. We're going [69:09] to do karaoke and there was four of us. [69:10] I was the only one singing and I can't [69:11] sing. Yeah. But I sang I know every [69:13] word. I know every word of that song. [69:15] Thank you. What's your favorite song? [69:17] Other Christmas stuff? [69:18] No, no, no. [69:19] Oh, of anything? Yeah. No, of the of [69:21] songs that you sing and that you Yes, [69:24] songs that you sing. [69:25] Songs that I sing are the standards. [69:27] Either your own or someone else's? [69:29] god, there's so many. [69:31] Just one. [69:32] It's impossible. [69:34] It's impossible, man. It's impossible. [69:37] Home? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Another summer day [69:41] has come and gone away in Paris or Rome, [69:45] but I want to go home. [69:49] Cuz this place sucks. I should have I [69:52] should have had I should have been the [69:53] lyric. [69:54] I was yeah, I that's uh it's so weird, [69:57] you know, like not to get too deep into [69:58] like [69:59] weird, but uh I have this friend Dion [70:02] and I do his I love doing his accent. [70:03] He's South African. And uh before I [70:05] wrote that song, um I remember he used [70:08] to say, "Eh, my god, poach it." He's [70:11] from South Africa. He'd say, "My god, [70:13] you know what? The greatest artists in [70:15] the world just open up their minds to [70:17] the universe. And they let the universe [70:19] in. So, when you're writing, just open [70:21] up your mind to the universe. And I was [70:24] in the shower. [70:25] And I was like and I was think I was [70:27] like, "You know what? I'm going to open [70:29] up my mind to this." So weird, but I was [70:31] like, "Hm, you know, enter." [70:33] And uh I think weirdly enough, [70:36] for whatever reason, I had like Canon in [70:38] D [70:39] in my head. [70:47] Then I just went, "Another summer day [70:51] has come and gone away. [70:53] In Paris or Rome, but I want to go [70:55] home." And the whole literally [70:57] almost the whole I mean that and the pre [71:00] boom in in 2 minutes. And I remember [71:03] getting out of the shower with a towel. [71:05] In those days, we didn't have the iPhone [71:06] or anything, right? I had like a one of [71:08] those little tape recorders. And I [71:10] remember singing the tape recorder and [71:11] listening back and going, "Oh, no, no, [71:13] I've most definitely stole this from [71:14] somewhere. I stole this from somewhere." [71:17] And uh [71:19] it was it was cool. And at that point, [71:20] too, my record company, [71:22] they were like, "We don't want original [71:23] songs. You're Frank Sinatra, man. You're [71:25] going to sing you're going to do the [71:27] standards." And I was like, "No, I think [71:28] I can I I write." [71:30] It's weird. Even as I got on to writing [71:32] other songs, I the second record I wrote [71:33] everything in Hold On or Lost are one of [71:35] the songs. And [71:37] And I remember the president of the [71:38] label, we were at the video shoot for [71:40] everything and he said um [71:42] "Man, I wish I would have known that you [71:43] wanted original music, cuz we would have [71:44] hired we would have hired writers [71:46] writers for you." And I was like, "Oh, [71:48] my god, this is terrible." [71:50] Uh but it's weird, man, like, you know, [71:52] like [71:53] it's I'm I live in a weird place [71:56] artistically, too, right? [71:59] It's You know what I mean? I don't [72:00] belong. [72:01] And I never did. I never did. Like I go [72:03] to those Grammys and stuff [72:05] and I would like look around and I was [72:07] like I was not in the pop thing and I [72:09] was not in the classical thing and I [72:12] wasn't in a jazz thing. And [72:15] so many times I was like early on I was [72:17] like, "What What What am I? This is [72:19] weird. Like I'm doing standards and yet [72:22] my you know, I'm on the radio It was [72:25] weird. Still weird sometimes. [72:26] about this when you say this and I go, [72:28] but isn't not belonging how you end up [72:31] doing these kind of numbers? Because if [72:33] you were more of the same artistically, [72:36] vocally, you wouldn't have have all [72:38] these Grammys and all the, you know, [72:39] best-selling [72:40] six multi-platinum albums, five Grammy [72:44] Awards, [72:45] more billions of streams than I could [72:46] possibly count. [72:47] myself a lot, yeah. But I go, if you [72:49] were if you were like everybody else, [72:52] you wouldn't have those [72:54] achievements. [72:54] Yeah, I I don't know. I wonder if it's [72:56] because [72:56] lonely. Like sometimes I look at like [72:58] like I go to those award shows. Even [73:00] last night at the Kennedy Center Honors, [73:02] I felt like everybody knew each other. [73:04] Like they kept like high-fiving and then [73:05] there was like this group of Broadway [73:07] people that all know each other from the [73:09] functions they do on Broadway. And there [73:11] was like cool pop people and like [73:13] and then there there was like me. And I [73:15] was like I saw Herbie Hancock. I was so [73:17] excited. I love Herbie Hancock. And but [73:20] I didn't want to go in it. He was [73:21] talking to Chita Rivera and I love her, [73:23] too. And I didn't want to be that guy [73:24] that went [73:25] But um [73:27] You know what I mean? I don't know where [73:28] I I mean, maybe I'll never know where I [73:31] really belong. But I'm trying to say [73:32] that that's why you're so special. [73:34] I don't know. I even with what I do [73:37] here, I absolutely don't feel like I [73:39] belong anywhere. I'm not a journalist. I [73:41] I'm not qualified to do this. [73:42] Yeah. I go to they don't invite me to [73:44] the award shows for journalists and [73:45] media. I'm not invited to the [73:46] Yeah, how how does that work? I No, I [73:48] don't know. We I don't know where we [73:49] sit. I don't even know what we are. Are [73:51] we a podcast, but it's on TV? It's a [73:53] This is on planes. It's on Yeah. So, you [73:56] you do have that sense of like someone's [73:57] going to come up to you and tap you go, [73:58] "What are you doing in this place?" [73:59] cuz I feel like [74:01] I [74:02] if you ask me, if someone asked me about [74:04] you, [74:05] I would [74:07] I would I would in a sentence be able to [74:10] define what I what I feel is Please give [74:13] me the sentence. Oh, man, I I honestly [74:15] think watching you and watching the show [74:17] and like I have for years, um [74:20] is a perfect mix [74:23] of [74:24] education and entertainment. I don't [74:26] know how else to say it. It's like [74:28] really it really is. It's both things. [74:30] I'm I'm often highly entertained by [74:32] what's happening. But at the end, I feel [74:35] like I [74:36] I was educated. I learned something. [74:38] Either something [74:40] um [74:41] that is uh [74:43] you know, I either ideas or philosophies [74:47] or sometimes it's literally literally [74:49] logistic science. [74:51] Where you know what I mean? I can't tell [74:52] you how weird that is to hear from you, [74:54] someone that I've I've looked up to you [74:56] since I was a [74:57] kid at home in Plymouth all those years [74:59] ago watching my TV. Yeah. As you guys [75:01] know, I'm an investor in a company [75:02] called Zoe and also they sponsor this [75:04] podcast and they're one of my favorite [75:05] businesses literally of all time. We're [75:07] in December now, which is the season of [75:09] gifting, the season of family gatherings [75:12] and parties. But what I'll be doing this [75:14] December is making sure I double down on [75:16] my health, because it's this time of [75:18] year where I think it's easiest to get [75:19] distracted and derailed. And that is [75:21] where Zoe comes in. For many years, I [75:24] thought we all had the same relationship [75:25] with food. And now I know that every [75:28] single person has a different [75:29] relationship with every single type of [75:31] food. And knowing the type of food that [75:33] you have the best relationship with, the [75:35] food that loves you back, can quite [75:37] literally change your life. And that's [75:39] where a Zoe membership comes in. So, if [75:41] there was ever a time to become a Zoe [75:42] member, it is right now in December. [75:46] That rhymes. [75:47] Huh, should have been a rapper. For a [75:48] limited time only, you can get 50 pounds [75:51] off your Zoe kit with code CEO 50. Keep [75:55] this to yourself, okay? And this might [75:57] be the last time that that code is [75:58] available. Use it while you can. [76:01] Four kids, Michael. I know. God. They [76:03] come to you now, line up in front of you [76:04] here and they go, "Daddy, listen. Um [76:08] just need some advice on this thing [76:10] called life. Yeah. You know, you've [76:12] you've lived a great life and it's [76:13] twisted and turned and all those [76:14] wonderful things. [76:16] Daddy, what should we know [76:18] about the nature of living a good life [76:19] and [76:21] I say that I Dude, I they ask me. [76:23] They don't ask me in that way. Yeah, I [76:25] was going to say Jesus Christ. I have to [76:26] believe [76:26] and I say [76:27] Dude, I I'm telling you right now. I [76:29] have the same I have the same answer [76:30] every time. [76:32] I say rich isn't what you think it is, [76:33] kid. [76:35] That word rich that your friends use, [76:37] rich sounds like money and stuff and [76:39] things and Lamborghinis and [76:41] tickets to go see Messi, Mhm. [76:44] that's not rich. [76:45] Um rich is having a strong faith. [76:48] Rich is having a great family and loving [76:51] your family. Rich is having great [76:52] friendships. [76:54] Because those rich things they're [76:56] talking about the money the people that [76:57] I know that have the most stuff [77:00] are the most miserable people that I [77:02] know. [77:04] And I don't know how else to [77:06] to explain it, you know. Those are all [77:08] be It's lovely. Listen, it's easy to [77:09] say, right? It's easy for somebody [77:11] watching this podcast to go like, "Well, [77:13] that's easy for you to say, Bublé. You [77:15] know, you got a bunch of stuff." But it [77:17] doesn't take long to realize [77:19] that life [77:21] has nothing to do with stuff. We're all [77:23] sitting on that deathbed. We're all [77:24] going to die, every single one of us. [77:26] And nobody looks back and says, "Shit, I [77:28] wish I collected more stuff." What would [77:31] you regret if that was this if today was [77:32] that day? [77:33] Nothing, my friend. [77:35] Not a thing. Not one thing. [77:37] Not one thing. I have lived a beautiful [77:39] life. [77:40] And uh [77:43] I have been so blessed. And I don't even [77:45] think it was like I made this. Thank [77:47] god, you know. I got great family. I got [77:49] beautiful you know, my wife is the best [77:51] thing ever loved me. And I got kids. I [77:53] look at my four kids. I was scared to [77:55] have the fourth one. I was like, "Oh my [77:56] god, I'm How are [77:58] And then I now I look at this little [77:59] girl Cielo and I think like, "Wow, how [78:01] could I ever [78:02] How did I live without her?" Like this [78:05] like this gorgeous little fat little [78:07] beautiful [78:08] personality. Like what I you know, not a [78:11] thing. [78:12] I I and I say it's funny. I said it to [78:14] my wife many times, you know. [78:16] God forbid, [78:17] you know, it's my time. [78:19] I've said it many times. [78:21] Um [78:23] I would just know that [78:26] I would I am completely satisfied. [78:29] Satisfied. I have lived a full and [78:32] beautiful life. And that I have no [78:34] regrets. [78:37] Except that I didn't drink more of this [78:38] whiskey faster. [78:40] Your story is so incredible. [78:42] The thing that I I mean [78:44] the perseverance at the heart of your [78:45] story and where you coming from and the [78:46] fantasizing [78:47] um about the life that you now live, all [78:49] of those things are so unbelievably [78:51] inspiring because there's so many people [78:52] out there that are [78:54] you know, they're Michael at 14. Yeah. [78:56] May maybe they're Michael at you know, [78:57] maybe they are that fantasizing Michael [79:00] that was 14, but maybe they're 44. And [79:02] they're still holding out hope that [79:03] maybe those dreams, that ballet dancing [79:06] in the hills of Peru or that playing the [79:08] piano or starting that business, [79:11] um [79:12] is it too late for them? And No, dude. [79:14] This is going to sound so cheesy, but um [79:17] dude, it is. [79:18] I say this to people all the time. I [79:20] just did a [79:21] um a master class thing for these [79:23] beautiful kids these underprivileged [79:25] kids basically it was in Orange County [79:26] and [79:27] um they didn't have any music programs [79:29] in their school and the first thing I [79:31] said to all of them was uh I talked [79:33] about Neil deGrasse Tyson. [79:34] And I said you know the greatest [79:36] scientist on the planet will tell you [79:38] uh that not nothing cannot make [79:41] something. Something cannot come from [79:43] nothing. I mean I don't care how many [79:45] times they run the experiment it [79:48] something cannot come from nothing. It [79:50] cannot exist. [79:52] Yet somehow [79:54] you magical little beasts walk into a [79:56] room with absolutely nothing [79:58] and you walk out with something. [80:01] You are defying gravity. You are you're [80:04] magicians and [80:07] Listen we will be crushed in [80:08] relationships. [80:10] Our partners will break our hearts. [80:12] We will have businesses that fail. We'll [80:14] be have doors shut on us and [80:16] they'll say [80:18] no to us a million times but if you're [80:20] lucky enough [80:22] to have something like music or a [80:23] passion that you really fall in love [80:25] with it will never hurt you. It will [80:27] never leave you. [80:28] You know it'll stay loyal to you and to [80:30] me it's a it's a massive gift and it's [80:32] funny I it's a going to sound like a [80:34] really strange transition. [80:37] But I love Tik Tok. [80:39] And my wife said to me go on Tik Tok. I [80:42] said like I'm too famous to go on I'm [80:45] Tik Tok and she was like you you are Tik [80:48] Tok. She was like you will love it and I [80:49] was like no I'm not going to love it and [80:51] then I did my stupid Tik Tok and I I and [80:54] you know I did a dumb whatever it was [80:55] the first Tik Tok. [80:57] And then like I started to like I was [80:59] like oh you can go it's not just about [81:00] making the Tik Tok which I cuz I'm an [81:03] idiot it was fun. [81:06] It was about oh wow you can go through [81:08] Tik Tok. [81:09] And then the addiction began and the [81:11] addiction wasn't [81:14] wasn't [81:15] uh about seeing stupid Tik Toks. The [81:18] addiction was finding those people [81:20] you're talking about. [81:22] Mhm. And that was like [81:25] oh my god like like if I I don't know [81:28] where my phone Here's my phone it's in [81:29] my butt. I could go on to Tik Tok and [81:31] can I just May I do this? [81:33] This is going to be weird but um [81:35] okay here's a good example. There's a [81:37] girl named Julia Michaels voice that's [81:40] what she goes under. [81:42] I think she was making Tik Toks from [81:43] like her [81:45] her maybe her parents house or something [81:47] I don't want to [81:48] but like I heard her voice and I was [81:49] like oh my god you're she has a [81:51] beautiful voice like [81:53] and I never would have [81:55] you know in the in the way that our [81:56] structure of business used to exist [81:58] And the record labels and stuff. [81:59] Dude I never would have heard her. [82:02] And then there's a girl named Useless [82:03] Farm [82:05] who works on a farm where she has emus [82:07] that attack her. [82:10] Um Adam Rose who is an actor who is [82:14] Anyway I like [82:16] I deeply love that I can go on Tik Tok [82:19] and it's exactly what you're talking [82:21] about where I like see these people and [82:23] I'm like oh my god you are [82:25] you are tremendous like people need to [82:27] know like they [82:29] and it's funny cuz now with some of them [82:31] it's happening. It is exactly what we [82:33] were talking about where [82:36] it was just inevitable Mr. Anderson. [82:38] People were going to find out because [82:42] they're really good. [82:43] You know what I mean? It's just [82:45] But life just tells you to [ __ ] get [82:47] your [ __ ] together and go get a real job [82:49] and stop messing up. [82:49] like I think it might be in this [82:51] business it might be changing a little [82:52] bit with with um [82:54] platforms like Tik Tok where [82:57] you know I know it sounds so goofy but [82:59] like [83:00] dude I love that there's a community and [83:02] you know I love even more that I write [83:03] them. [83:05] You write to them? [83:05] Yeah man I do I write to them it's me I [83:07] do every day I like I love oh my god [83:09] dude that is hilarious or people making [83:11] fun of me. Like can I show you one that [83:13] I just saw that just [83:14] Seriously people would think it's your [83:15] like agent or something that's what you [83:16] say to your manager. Let's see if this [83:18] can work. I'm not I'm not great with [83:20] this. [83:21] Maybe surrounded We're going to just do [83:23] an interlude while I sing. [83:25] Maybe surrounded by a million people Mhm [83:29] just feel all alone. I want to go home. [83:35] Let me go home. [83:37] I don't want to sing cuz people are [83:38] listening. Let me go home [83:44] but [83:45] cuz I want to dance even though this I [83:48] feel fat in these pants. [83:50] You couldn't remember the rhyme. I'm so [83:51] sorry that this is Here it is I found [83:53] it. Um [83:54] You never have to apologize. Okay [83:56] sometimes once in a while like I find [83:58] stuff like this and I go like [84:00] they're geniuses like truly geniuses. [84:03] So the heading says when you change [84:08] When you change when you change the [84:10] radio station at the wrong time. Santa [84:12] Claus is coming [84:20] Uh that was a long lead up but [84:24] We said That's a nice window in it. But [84:25] like dude I see that and I go like [84:28] someone [84:30] like thought of that and then shared it [84:32] and it was like I think I don't even [84:34] know hundreds of millions of times [84:36] people have watched that. That's crazy. [84:37] I think it's crazy. I think it's [84:39] beautiful and I love that I wrote the [84:40] guy. I said this is the mashup that I I [84:42] didn't know I needed. [84:44] Can't imagine getting a message from [84:45] Michael Bublé when when you've made [84:47] something so so like ridiculous. [84:49] That's what the coolest part of that Tik [84:50] Tok is is that it isn't about you. No [84:52] one gives a [ __ ] about me and by the way [84:54] I don't even belong on Tik Tok and no [84:56] celebrity really does. [84:57] I think the only way you belong on Tik [84:59] Tok is if you understand what Tik Tok is [85:02] and Tik Tok is about a community of [85:04] creators and like supporting and [85:06] laughing and and being inspired and [85:09] It's the platform that you spent 14 15 [85:12] years fighting for which you know you [85:14] know what I mean before we had [85:15] social media there were people like you [85:17] just singing at restaurants and singing [85:19] here there and everywhere. Man just [85:20] knocking on doors pulling someone into a [85:22] back room in a [85:23] banquet and now you don't need to go and [85:25] No. you know attack David in a back [85:28] room. [85:28] No. [85:29] I think it's funny cuz it started like I [85:30] remember Bieber Justin talking to Justin [85:32] about how how it you know what I mean or [85:34] even Ed even Ed um it was uh [85:37] you know [85:38] it wasn't Tik Tok but it was YouTube and [85:40] Bieber. Ex- exactly. [85:41] Yeah back in the day that's where I [85:42] first saw Justin. [85:43] It's so different now man and it's like [85:45] uh [85:46] but it's still fundamentally the same [85:47] business too where if you can [85:51] it's all about live business. If you can [85:54] do the job of [85:55] putting people in seats and to entertain [85:57] them live cuz what's really weird is [85:59] like even talking with my record company [86:00] it's like oh they just we just signed [86:02] this act it's great and I go like oh [86:04] cool like where can I go see them and [86:05] they go oh no they don't [86:08] they don't tour no they don't they've [86:10] never ever played outside of their [86:12] bedroom. They've never been in front of [86:14] people and you go like what? [86:18] Different but just what it is. And this [86:20] is not just about music. Look at me. [86:22] I used the same platforms to build a [86:24] show and I Do you know what's crazy no [86:26] one knows this I went no one knows this [86:27] story. I went to a big radio station in [86:30] the UK before I started this podcast and [86:32] I begged them to give me um an audition. [86:35] I went down there for 2 hours. They know [86:37] who they are I won't name them cuz it [86:38] will cause issues. [86:39] or it was One or it was BBC or it was I [86:41] I won't say which one it was. [86:43] okay yeah. [86:43] And I I went there and I did I knew [86:45] somebody. [86:49] And I went in there I sat in there and [86:51] the guy wasn't paying attention to me [86:52] pretty much at all. I sat in there my [86:54] audition started the guy that's meant to [86:56] be judging my audition takes a phone [86:57] call walks out doesn't come back. The [86:59] I'm in there for 2 hours doing these [87:01] fake phone calls. I leave the radio [87:03] station this was only like 3 years 3 4 [87:05] years ago. [87:06] I leave the radio station I never hear [87:08] anything. No feedback no you did well [87:10] you did badly you were crap nothing. [87:12] Never hear anything. So [87:14] started a podcast myself [87:16] which did well. Yeah and then yeah like [87:18] a year ago the same radio station [87:21] sent me an email saying hey we'd love [87:22] you to come in and do like a little [87:24] guest thing to promote your book of and [87:26] I responded I said I'm still waiting to [87:27] hear my feedback. to the guy and they [87:29] were like and they conducted this in [87:31] like internal investigation to find out [87:33] why nobody ever got back to me so They [87:35] really did? Yeah they really did cuz [87:37] they sent me an email asking me to come [87:38] back and do some like guest appearance [87:40] and I said I was like I I came they were [87:42] asking me to like a guest show or [87:42] whatever and I said I'm I came and did [87:44] an audition and I still haven't heard [87:46] back and it's been almost 2 years now. [87:48] Um but we have these platforms where we [87:50] can do it ourselves. Whether you're a [87:51] podcaster a singer [87:53] That's what I think I find so cool about [87:55] it is that there's no more the [87:56] gatekeeper. It's gone. [87:58] It's gone that one guy who why the hell [88:00] did why did why was he the gatekeeper? [88:02] What did he have that and now it's like [88:04] no no no now nobody likes you but the [88:06] people like the people get to choose [88:09] right? And and there's no honestly [88:11] sometimes like I'll watch something and [88:13] there's no even there's no rhyme or [88:14] reason. It just [88:16] it resonates man and you go like oh okay [88:19] well that's the people have spoken. Yeah [88:21] that's a vote isn't it from that? Yeah. [88:23] Michael thank you. Thank you. [88:25] We're done? We're done. Okay. [88:28] Fine. [88:29] I just now I'm ready for my second cup. [88:31] I'm feeling really I'm starting to feel [88:32] really good and loose. I've got one more [88:34] last question for you. Oh yeah go yeah. [88:36] We have a closing tradition where the [88:37] last guest leaves a question for the [88:39] next guest not knowing who they're going [88:40] to be leaving it for. [88:43] Interesting. [88:44] The question that's been left is what [88:46] was your last big fork in the road [88:48] decision and how did you make it? It's [88:50] coming. [88:51] Right literally it's coming. [88:54] I would say within weeks. [88:55] And I will make it by speaking to number [88:58] one first thing I'll speak to my wife. [89:00] And uh [89:02] and then I'll speak to all the people [89:03] that I trust and uh [89:06] and I'll [89:08] I will weigh what everyone says and then [89:10] I'll [89:11] they'll help me make the decision. [89:13] It's coming. [89:13] Michael you're [89:15] you're not going to quit music are you? [89:16] No. No, I'm not. Never. [89:19] It's impossible. That's like saying, are [89:21] you going to are you going to stop [89:22] breathing, dude? [89:23] No, no, no. I like to breathe. [89:26] And music is is is my breath. I can't I [89:29] can't stop. [89:30] You made me a little bit concerned [89:31] that's all when you said that. [89:32] Oh, no, no. Don't let it be like that. [89:33] It's a good thing. Oh, okay. It's just a [89:35] big, you know, just a big decision. [89:39] Interesting. We shall wait and we shall [89:41] see. [89:41] Yeah. Michael, thank you so much. I [89:43] appreciate [89:43] I leave my question for the next guest? [89:45] In the book. [89:46] so excited. I've got so many. Thank you [89:48] so much. [89:55] As you'll know if you've listened to [89:56] this podcast before, I'm an investor in [89:57] a company called Huel, I'm on their [89:59] board, and they sponsor this podcast. [90:01] And I have a very exciting announcement [90:02] to make. This product called Daily [90:04] Greens is one of the most highly [90:06] requested products at Huel, but it's [90:07] never been sold in the UK before, until [90:11] now. I've tried a variety of the [90:12] different greens products that are out [90:14] in the market. And this one, of course [90:16] I'm biased, but if you try it, I think [90:18] you'll understand why I'm saying this. [90:20] It is maybe, and I I have to give this a [90:23] little bit more thought, but it's maybe [90:24] my favorite Huel product ever, for all [90:27] the reasons I've described. Delicious, [90:29] 91 nutrients, vitamins, minerals, quick [90:33] and easy, and it serves to fill one of [90:35] the most important parts of my diet, [90:36] which is getting the greens into my [90:38] body. I've received hundreds of messages [90:40] from you about Daily Greens, asking when [90:43] it's going to launch in the UK. The good [90:44] news is that it launches in January. The [90:46] link is in the description below. You [90:47] can sign up now so that you have access [90:50] when it launches. Because of the demand, [90:52] I'm pretty sure it's going to sell out. [90:55] Do you need a podcast to listen to next? [90:57] We've discovered that people who liked [90:59] this episode also tend to absolutely [91:02] love another recent episode we've done. [91:04] So, I've linked that episode in the [91:06] description below. I know you'll enjoy [91:08] it.