tavis: good evening from los angeles. i am tavis smiley. two conversations. first, with john galecki from "the big bang theory." second, robert randolph. " is set tong theory revitalize sitcoms, a form that had been called dead in the water. then we will turn to another great conversation, this one with robert randolph, one of the greatest guitarists of all time. his latest cd is called "lickety split." >> there is a saying that dr.

king had, there is always the right time to do the right thing. i just try to live my life everyday by doing the right thing. we know that we are only about halfway to completely eliminate hunger. we have a lot of work to do. walmart committed $2 billion to fighting hunger in the u.s. as we work together, we can snap hunger out. and by contributions to your pbs station by viewers like you. thank you. ♪ tavis: it is impossible to overstate the success of "the big bang theory," with its completed just now sixth season. the cbs sitcom regularly draws about 20 million viewers each week, a rare feat in today's

multichannel broadcast universe. anchoring the series is johnny galecki. >> hello, sir. tavis: i like saying that -- johnny galecki. >> i like how you say it. tavis: johnny galecki. >> music to my ears. [laughter] tavis: who plays a brilliant but nevertheless sensible physicist, providing an excellent foil to jim parsons' brilliant but clueless sheldon cooper. later this year, johnny galecki [laughter] will be seen in the independent film "cbgb." say that fast three times. let's take a look at a scene, though, from "the big bang theory." >> ok, glasses off. find waldo. [applause] [laughter] hurry up. find him. >> i'm trying. don't you let me. >> he's wearing a hat, glasses, and a red striped shirt. >> there he is. i've got him. >> how could you not find him? >> because he is hard to find. [laughter]

it would besy, called there is waldo. tavis: you walked in. i almost didn't recognize you with the beard. >> oh, yes. tavis: is this your summer look? >> summer break, yeah, absolutely. [laughter] pure laziness. tavis: do you look forward to these breaks, or are you one of those persons who just loves to work -- >> i do, i love to work, i absolutely love to work. no, so i don't really look forward to the break. every once in a while we have week-long hiatuses to kind of let the writers catch up and do some writing, and i don't even like those. no, i'm happiest when i'm working. tavis: i'm honored to have you on. >> oh, thanks. tavis: my staff told me - >> i'm honored to be on. i'm a long-time fan. tavis: i appreciate it, likewise. when my staff told me that we had you booked, i was like, well, it's about time we finally got johnny galecki. >> well, that's nice. tavis: then i turned to kim, our producer, and i said, literally don't be offended by this -- i said, "are they still in first run?" the reason why i asked that question is i see you like five times a day. >> it's crazy, isn't it? tavis: it's on all the time, and i literally had to go back and look again to realize that you

guys are still on in first run and in syndication, and both are killing it. >> it's a lot. it's a lot of "big bang theory"" tavis: it doesn't, you're not feeding on each other. it obviously works. >> no, it does. i think they do feed each other, benefit each other. it's put a lot of new -- the syndication has put a lot of new eyes on our prime time first runs, yeah. tavis: that's amazing, though. that's, like, almost unheard of. >> it's been a really healthy, relatively slow climb, which is good for all of us on the show. because i think to come out of the barrel and just be a phenomenon must be pretty jarring. tavis: when you say "slow climb," you'll have to unpack that and define that, because you're the most successful thing on tv these days. so when you say slow climb, you mean what? >> it took five or six years. it wasn't, say, like "friends," that came out of the box and was just this explosion. that was, when i started on "roseanne," they were in their third season, the show was number one, and number one, as

you said, back then, before we all had 800 channels and internet, that was 30, 35 million viewers a week. so three or four lines in my first episode on that show, that changed my life the next day. so i think a slower climb, if for no other reason personally, is much more manageable. tavis: that one answer opens up for me two or three lanes i want to follow in. let me jump right quick. >> please. tavis: number one, that's rare in television these days, to be allowed to have a slow build. >> yes. tavis: you don't hit the first two or three shows, bing. >> yeah. tavis: you're out the door. >> i think in our case, well, there was a few different things that happened. first of all, we did a pilot. jim and i are the only cast members that were in that pilot, and it just wasn't good. it didn't work. cbs called and said, "why don't you give it another shot? there's something here, there's a chemistry between these two characters that we like, but the rest of it wasn't really," and you never hear that. you hear you're picked up or the phone just doesn't ring.

you don't even hear no. they just go away. so that was incredibly wise of them to have that foresight, and they gave us another shot. we re-cast the rest of the cast, and the whole thing was rewritten and we reshot it, and then ironically, that hundred- day writer's strike that we had in the first year, i think we were only seven or eight episodes in, that actually helped us. we might be the only show that that actually benefitted, because the network just didn't have anything else to put on. they re-ran those seven or eight episode four times in that span of time, and that's when the numbers really started to pick up. so i know everyone feels like their show is the little show that could, but i feel like we looked over the edge a couple of times and survived it. tavis: when you say that the show, the pilot, that is, wasn't good, you're right about the fact this isn't a story that we often hear, that a show got a chance to build slowly. it just doesn't happen anymore, so we both agree on that.

but i also rarely hear an actor say to me, "i did a pilot and it wasn't good." it seems to me that there's an honesty with yourself, not that it was all about you, but you were pretty clear that this pilot initially wasn't very good. you could feel that? >> i don't know if i felt it when we were filming it, but i went into chuck lorre's office, and honestly i can only really say that out loud or in a forum like this, that it didn't work, because chuck has said it out loud. [laughter] i don't know if i would be so open about it. but i watched it and i just wasn't sure. i thought well, maybe it's just not my own personal sensibilities, and that's something that in my early twenties, i really felt like everything i did had to be of 100% my own tastes and sensibilities, and that's just really elitist. you know when you're in your idealistic twenties.

i thought, well, maybe this will be one of those things if it does go that i just necessarily won't get. if other people do, that's fine. if it makes other people happy, i don't need to be number one on the list here. but it was a shared feeling. there were some things that are intangible. you never know with this stuff. if there was a recipe, then every show would have 20 million viewers and every film would make 400 million at the box office the first weekend. tavis: yet it did work for you, and i know your fans are obviously grateful that it worked for you. it's working for you because you make it work. that's symbiotic there. but when you talked about the strike and how that might have benefitted the show, i sense in that a willingness on your part to acknowledge that providence does play a role in success in this town. >> wow. tavis: or certainly can. >> it certainly can. tavis: yeah. >> i mean -- tavis: because you had no control over the writer's strike. >> well, i think a lot -- no, and i think a lot of it had to do with the pedigree of the

people that are behind the camera too, and the success that chuck had had with "two and a half men" and then his relationship with the network and the studio. they knew -- chuck felt like we could have done a better job, and they trusted that. but yeah, you take a look at any of the first few episodes of any great show, like i just re- watched the pilot of "all in the family," or any of the -- "seinfeld," "cheers," and boy, they're just vastly different than come a season or two in. nobody's really sure of the tone, the actors don't really know what -- their characters haven't settled yet. the writers don't know what the actors' strengths are. tavis: but the fact that that strike, and by providence, what i meant by that was the fact that that strike was happening at that moment, that it forced the network to play this over and over and over again, that is a goodly fate that just fell in your lap. >> well, and on stage, i think it showed all of us -- we all

love what we do and we get along great and we love working together. but if anybody had one foot out of the water before that strike, we came back with new, fresh, very grateful eyes at that stage and the people that we were working with. it really showed us how valuable this opportunity is. tavis: there are folk in this town, and i don't need to tell you this, who wait for years, some wait a lifetime, for some it never happens, no matter how gifted or talented they may be, how badly they want it, how hard they've worked, they just never get that one show that you now have. in your case, lightning has struck at least a couple of times. you're now on two -- your resume will always say that you were on two iconic shows -- "roseanne" and "the big bang theory." what do you make of that? whatever else is to come, they can't take this from you. [laughter] >> that's true. you know what?

i understand how incredibly rare it is. i know a lot of incredibly, profoundly talented, skilled people that aren't given certain opportunities or any opportunities, and that aren't working. beyond that, just feeling as grateful as all heck. i can't really dwell on it too much. there's an element that might be uncomfortable, the degree of -- i don't like the word "luck," but of good fortune that i've had an opportunities that i've been given. it's hard. those people that you mentioned, i think one of the pitfalls of the rejection in this business is starting to question yourself and your talent, or your looks, or your height or your weight or whatever it might be. i think a lot of people, it's

hard not to. it's hard to keep your head up, but i think a lot of people shoot themselves in the foot by then altering themselves. you just can't. i'm a midwestern boy. my father tavis: that's what i like. midwest. >> where the worst thing in the world you can be is a hot dog, is a showoff, is to have any sort of not just vanity but healthy ego, even, about yourself can be mistaken as something just unforgiveable. so it took me a long time to realize that to walk around without a certain amount of belief in myself, to walk onto a job with my tail between my legs wasn't behooving anyone else. so whether i truly believe that i can contribute something or not, it's not going to help whoever wrote it, it's not going to help my fellow cast mates. even if it's a lie for those couple hours a day, you just

have to believe in yourself and the fact that you can contribute to this storytelling. tavis: so tell me before i let you go about your independent film work. >> oh, i started that when they used to make a lot more independent films, near the end of "roseanne," and i did a film last summer called "cbgb" in savannah about the iconic punk rock club. i play a music manager named terry ork, who was a real fellow, and unfortunately, he's passed away. but i spoke to some friends of his and sat down with people that knew him and worked with him at the time, and even though mr. ork was not someone who was a celebrity by any means, you've got to start with a character somewhere. it may as well be the truth. so yeah, i have yet to see the movie, actually, but i hear great things about it, some great music, and it's a massive cast. it should be a lot of fun. tavis: if nothing else, the music can't be bad. >> no, exactly, exactly.

[laughter] tavis: i'm sure it's fine, because you're in it, but the music is going to be great. i'm honored to have you on. >> oh, man, thank you so much. anytime. tavis: it took a while to get you here. you come back again whenever you want to. >> oh, please. oh, thank you so much. tavis: good to have you here. >> thank you very much, sir. tavis: my man, johnny galecki. >> thank you. tavis: "rolling stone" magazine named robert randolph one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. he plays one of the most difficult instruments there is, in fact -- a pedal steel guitar. he perfected his artistry by the way of the pentecostal church, same church i grew up in, where for those of you who don't know, we call this instrument "sacred steel." now with his longtime band, robert is about to release his first studio album in more than three years. it's titled "lickety split." let's take a look at a cut from that cd. come on. ♪ come on get on board

one sweet leap we ain;'t coming back. free your soul move your feet dance in the streets throw your hands spin around jump on in there's a party wherever we go. tavis: see, i could shout to that. [laughter] >> me too. tavis: i could shout to that. >> you can cut a step to it, huh? tavis: i can cut a step to that. [laughter] how do you process that? every time i hear you play, especially on a lick like this >> yeah. tavis: i think there's a scene in ray charles, the movie, "ray?" >> uh-huh, uh-huh. tavis: you know the scene i'm going to, where he's in the club? >> yup, yeah, yeah. tavis: and they jump on him -- "stop playing that church music." >> yeah, "stop playing that." tavis: and they're in there dancing and cutting a step to it. and ray's just got that church backbeat behind it. >> yeah.

tavis: when i hear that, i could go to church on that. [laughter] so how do you process hearing that, or have you stopped hearing that now? >> no. well for me, i haven't stopped hearing it at all. like i said, i got a bunch of old uncles and aunts that call me up, and "you ain't mixed that church beat in that song. you ain't do that. you went too rock and roll this time." tavis: yeah, yeah. >> so they get on me, but it's the roots of -- our church, we're sort of like the rock and roll church, kind of like the scene from out of "blues brothers," with everybody flipping and jumping. tavis: james brown, yeah. [laughter] >> so by me playing the lap steel and the pedal steel, it's got that loud sort of guitar edgy thing, and i've incorporated some different things to make it all work. tavis: yeah. how did you end up on this instrument? >> well, our church has a long history of pedal steel and lap steel guitars going all the way back to the 1920s, so it's sort of life if anybody's familiar -- it's sort of like the reggae or buena vista social club, or those kind of things. but guys before me weren't allowed to go outside the church

and play, but i was a younger guy that came up in the late '90s, and i said, "look, i'm going out, take this music out, because it's just something that it has a broader sound and a broader appeal, and let the world know what's been going on in our church for the last hundred years." tavis: did you struggle with that personally, or how did you -- not a whole lto of people are playing it. how does a young guy end up being really good at this? >> i was a hard worker. tavis: how are you getting the skills? >> in our church, we had a sum over guide -- older guys, calvin cooke who played the steel guitar, henry nelson. they dedicate their time to teaching a lot of the young kids like they did me growing up.

they spent a lot of hours with me. giving the advice on how to be precise. how to connect with the spiritual thing. church, it's common to play the pedal steel and the lap steel guitar. now there's hundreds of kids playing since we've sort of taken off and we're traveling and we're playing, and all of these kids are like, "oh, i want to play, i want to play that, i want to do that." so it's just been hours of hard work, just playing and trying to incorporate different styles. tavis: tell me about this new project, "lickety split," the new one. >> "lickety split." tavis: yeah. >> i came up with that title from hanging around down in the country, down in nashville and alabama, and we just compiled a bunch of songs that have our spiritual roots, compiled with carlos santana guesting on two songs, many guest stars -- buddy guy. secret track coming soon. trombone shorty. it's just the music makes you

feel like lickety-split. you're like, "what is that?" well, get up and dance. [laughter] let's get it done. tavis: how do you process -- you've played around the world at this point, but in some ways you're still that young kid from new jersey -- >> yeah. tavis: who many in the country are starting to discover now, and you're playing with legends like santana and buddy guy on your record. how do you process that? that's high cotton, as they say in the south. >> yeah. well, it's -- for me, i've been fortunate to have these guys appreciate what i do musically, and i really don't process it until i'm listening back, and i'm like, "wow, i'm actually battling with carlos santana on this song, doing this song, and we're going at it." out came this great, energetic piece of music. that's when it all hits me, when i'm sort of driving in the car one day, because hey, we were in the studio with this guy; now i can't get him on the phone.

[laughter] tavis: yeah. >> but that part is cool. but i've been very fortunate to have been accepted into the fraternity of great musicians and great artists -- eric clapton, carlos santana, dave matthews. i've recorded with great gospel artists -- karen clark, marvin winans. so they've all accepted me into their great music fraternity. tavis: you going to tour for this? >> yes, we've got a tour coming in the summertime. we'll be out everywhere. look at the schedule at robertrandolph.net, @rrtfb on twitter. you could follow me, because i need more twitter followers. [laughter] tavis: you and everybody else try to push those numbers up. >> i actually follow you on twitter too. tavis: i appreciate that. is that your way of telling me i need to follow you now? >> yeah, you've got to follow me. [laughter] tell your followers to follow me. tavis: okay, i will do that for you. you have my word, i will make

that happen. for those who have not been to a robert randolph show, they will get a chance to perhaps see you this summer. how would you describe your show? what's the show like? >> the show is like the scene from "coming to america." you're not sure what you're supposed to do and you go, "can i get an amen?" "amen." somebody jumps up, "i'm very happy to be here." [laughter] you're not really sure what you want to do. you're not sure if you want to breakdance, if you want to shout, if you want to throw the rock and roll symbol. tavis: yeah. >> but it's great. i tell people it's a mixture of james brown, sly and the family stone, the scene from out of "blues brothers" when everybody's doing backflips in church -- it's a mixture of all of that, and that's what you get at a robert randolph and the family band show. tavis: on this "lickety split" project, how did you -- give me some sense of the track selection, how you put together the project in terms of the songs. >> what we did putting together the record, because i've recorded probably 40 songs, and in choosing the songs that's

actually on the "lickety split" album, we just wanted to make sure we kept the energy up. we had the signature guitar licks in all of the songs, the performances were good. but i'm real critical of myself, so that's why i'm trying to process it all. but we just wanted to make sure; we've kind of gotten back -- because for a few years, we've kind of gotten away from our roots with including the whole gospel influence with the party vibe of the whole thing that makes you feel good. with this record i just wanted to make sure we got back to that tavis: you're on blue note now. >> i'm on blue note records now, blue note, brand new label, and they've been great. tavis: don was. >> mr. don was. tavis: yeah, yeah, yeah. >> great historically music label that allows musicians and artists to be who they are, and not try to force you down a path of oh, why don't you do this, why don't -- you need to do that? it's like, i'm not that guy. tavis: one thing i will say about a robert randolph show, you will not sit down.

>> no, there's no sitting. tavis: your whole records, man, from like beginning to end, it's like you like a workout tape. it's like you can't sit down. you don't do slow stuff. >> no, no, no. tavis: yeah. >> no, no, unless -- tavis: it's all up-tempo. >> yeah, yeah. that's the thing. every once in a while i try to write a love song and i go, "ah, it's not working." tavis: yeah. [laughter] leave that to stevie wonder, huh? >> yeah, leave it to stevie, marvin gaye, john legend and all them cats. tavis: yeah. >> but yeah, i like to make music that's very upbeat and makes you want to dance, but choose lyrics that are really inspiring. tavis: right. >> that's really my thing as a young black artist. i really, my goal in every song is to try and be a positive influence for younger up-and- coming artists, to show them that you can make great popular music while having something good to say. because i've seen the effect

that a lot of the negative hip- hop music or r&b has had on our young kids, so. tavis: you work with young kids too. >> yes, yes, yes. i've got the robert randolph music and arts resource center coming. tavis: right. >> in irvington, in newark, new jersey. it's been a big battle trying to sift through all of the stuff with the board of education, which -- tavis: it's politics. >> it's been a headache, man, and that's really the problem with our school system. it's the board of education, it's not the teachers. but now we have the robert randolph music and arts resource center coming soon, where we'll be working with kids, working with parents also, in inner cities, underprivileged kids. tavis: i assume there probably will be a music program somewhere in there. >> oh, yeah, yeah, music and arts program where you're going

to see a lot of kids playing pedal steel and lap steel guitars. tavis: i'm sure. >> organs and just giving these kids something to do. tavis: yeah. well, you heard him say he doesn't do love songs -- [laughter] but if you want to have a good time you should pick up the new project coming shortly from robert randolph, called "lickety split." it is an awfully good time, and as you heard at the top, that little bit we played for you, you won't put this thing down. robert, congratulations, man, good to have you on the program. >> thank you, brother, thank you. tavis: have a great summer. i will see you on tour this summer. >> i'll see you. tavis: somewhere. that's our show for tonight. thanks for joining us, and as always, keep the faith. ♪ >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time for a conversation with jimmy connors. he has just released a biography

-- an autobiography. that is next time. we will see you then. >> there's a saying that dr. king had, and he said, "there's always a right time to do the right thing." i just try to live my life every day by doing the right thing. we know that we're only about halfway to completely eliminate hunger, and we have a lot of work to do. and walmart committed $2 billion to fighting hunger in the u.s. as we work together, we can stamp hunger out. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> be more. pbs.

tonight on "quest" -- after two centuries of logging, only 5% of california's old growth redwood trees remain. climb into the canopy as scientists try to protect these giants from what might be an even greater threat to their survival. and how'd you like an excuse to eat more chocolate? from aztec temples to high-tech flavor labs, "quest" peels back the wrapper on the sweet science of chocolate. major funding for quest is provided by the national science