tv Tavis Smiley PBS April 19, 2010 12:00pm-12:30pm EDT
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tavis: first, we have an interview with -- also, we have a talented and a pop and r&b artist raheem devaughn. is that currently in new allen is called "the love and war masterpiece." -- his new album is called "the love and war masterpiece." >> there are so many things that wal-mart is looking for it to doing, like helping people live better. we are looking for to help you
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build a stronger communities and relationships. with your help, the best is still to come. >> tavis and nationwide insurance, working to improve literacy and the impairment that comes with it. >> the u.s. census can make your voice heard your community can benefit from federal funds. we cannot move forward until you mail it back. >> and by contributions from your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪
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tavis: please welcome indymac delta this program. -- will come andie mcdowell to the program. here's a scene from "the front." >> howard? where are you? >> monique. >> my, god, cal. >> you look good in that broad. >> you scared me to death. how did you get past the security? >> it is the same security code that you give me to download your video. i bet you climbed about 15 points in the polls. >> 20. now get out of here. i am too tired. >> too tired to make another with a little less clothing? tavis: had you read her stuff before you decided to play this?
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>> actually, i had met her. she was raised in black mountain, not far from where i live. tavis: she doesn't let her stuff get turned into a movie. >> hopefully, we will get to see more of her stuff. she is such a great writer. her characters are very interesting and complex. tavis: to your mind, where her work is concerned, what makes good fodder for television material? >> people love that whole genre, the whole murder mystery, that sort of suspense of stuff. that is a great john rav4 television. -- that is a great john rav4 television. -- that is a great genre for television. i get to sleep with young man could i am very narcissistic. i am a politician.
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i am a very powerful, powerful woman. those kinds of characters do not come by every day. i believe the petition does not limit for women in any way. it is a very modern approach to her characters. tavis: obviously, you are a fine thespian. but in terms of the types of female carriers that cornwell will read, is this fun for you to do -- female characters that cornwell will write, is this fun for you to do? >> she is so comfortable with her sexuality. the first night i worked on this, it was 3:00 in the morning. i had to take my shirt off. i was and my brother. i had to admire myself in the mirror while this kid was filming me. i was just saying hello to the guys on the set and that day and i had to do this. and here they are.
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and, well, i am comfortable. as it went on, i became more and more comfortable. it today, i had to be this person. i got more into it. by the end of it, i was fine. tavis: she is a pretty colorful and complex da >> yes, definitely. we had a little premiere in new york. i get to hear how the audience reacts to it. they really get the humor behind her wickedness. they enjoyed just how bad she really was. there was some laughter. that was fantastic. nothing brings me more pleasure than to make people laugh. they were laughing at how bad she really is. >tavis: every actor has her own and his own process.
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what is your process? once you do it, do you want to see it? you do not want to see it? do you want to see it with other people? >> i want to see it with an audience. i cannot pass judgment on myself. i will be my worst critic. i will be looking at all the details. but if you can hear it with an audience, you have that feedback that is real. then you go, okay, this worked. tavis: at this point in your career, speaking of his character, do you like looking for stuff? deal like characters that put you outside of people? >> something i enjoy about where i am now is the characters. it is no longer about -- for me, when i was in my 30's, everybody was always worried about how i looked. now i can take that away and beale kinds of things -- and the be all kinds of things. i can be darker and all of these
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other things because of the sheer factor of my age. it is a bonus, finally. so it is a nice time. i get really good characters now. tavis: breaking news to andie mcdowell. there are many of us who still like the way you look. [laughter] >> it >> me up when people -- >> it cracks me up when people say that on hot because i do not have to deal with that anymore. tavis: i think most women want to be admired or thought of as attractive or beautiful no matter what age. >> yes. we always have that side of ourselves that we want to be seen as beautiful. tavis: on the flip side, particularly with somebody like you who is so well known and has been a model, is it strange
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for you? does it ever becoming negative? do you have to get other folks to get around it? >> my perspective has changed so much. i love being an advocate for women as we get older so that we can be more comfortable with ourselves. but it is all about being healthy for me now appeared it is like a weight has been taken off. it is not so much of that really wanting to be hot. i think it is great when people say it and it is kind of comical. even when i and 70, i think i am glad to appreciate it. but i want to be strong. that is more important to me. tavis: when you look back, getting older, which beats the alternative. we could be dead. >> is also what you are doing as you are getting older. i still want to do great things.
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tavis: i want to come back to that. there are two things that i am trying to get out at the same time. slowdown. as you look back now on your body of work, are you happy with the way your career has taken shape? >> yes. the thing that i have going for me is that i am happy to work. i want to be creative. i am comfortable in effect -- the one thing i can do is reflect on the things that i have done and said, "you know what, i had so many of very successful movie is." i have worked with some incredible people. altman, i did "shortcuts." i have done some great work and had some really big hits.
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there was "four weddings and a funeral." what do i really have to prove? do i have to prove anything to anybody? i do not feel that i have to prove anything, except to myself, that i have value. if i can look at the character and say, "that is going to be fine," that is what i want to do. i like that energy to be creative. i do not feel that i have to be a big superstar. tavis: that was my next question about what you're doing with your time and how you want to a venture carrier. when you look in the rearview mirror, is there other stuff now for the second half of your life? >> i want to take risk. i want to have fun. i just want to keep working. that is all i really care about tavis.
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♪ ♪ tavis: i leaned into you and said that radio is loving this thing. it is "bulletproofed." you started to said it was interesting because -- what were you about to say? >> first of all, when i created the record, i wanted to make something to reflect upon a *, current events that are going on right now in this country and throughout the world and touch upon the past, and show how they coexist with one another. when i first did the record, i figured there would be an urban
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ac record. as far as syndication, it has been great. shout out to. basin -- shout out to michael basin and steve. it has been doing well. it was received at urban radio. i think we are on to one of those records of that will last the duration. tavis: we will talk about that in just a second. about this track, tell me more about it and why you think black radio would embrace a song called "bulletproofed." >> is a catch-22, with the title be what it is. once again, when you get to
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continental records, there are not a lot of records that have substance. there are definitely some artists felt there who were waving the flag. but i wanted to show that you can do this as an artist. you don't have to compromise your art or your message for you have something that you want to say that isn't cowering to your people -- you can do that. once again, it has been interesting to see how everybody has embraced the record. ludacris jumping on the record, that helped out a lot. it gave him a platform to say something that he has wanted to say. he touched on a topic. tavis: in the lyrical content on that song is what? what is the message? >> "bulletproofed" is my modern day of a good sign of the times" by prince -- is my modern-day
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"son of the times" by prince. -- "sign of the times" by prince. let's move forward from there. tavis: what do you think about the fact that a record that is message music is working in the country. everybody is talking about it. everything from marvin gaye, to be able to do that back in the day -- of course, the times were different then veered but he was not deal -- different then. but he was not the only person sending a message then picked what do you make of -- message then. what you think of the message now? >> let's take hip-hop for example. you have the essence of hip-hop
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and it became commercialized. >> that is a generous reed. it sold out. it was not just a little commercial. >> there was the evolution of it all. then you had the bling era. you had the pilot error, the gangster rap. . then you had the -- you had the violent era, the gangster rap. at the height of that, which was probably the most positive, it was neutralized. right now, at the height of where music is and the misogyny and whenever you want to call it, -- and whatever you want to call it, that has been neutralized. unemployment is on the rise.
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we have a lot of things to tackle in this country. cats cannot relate to certain things. there is no budget to glenn right now. [laughter] tavis: no budget for bling. >> you're going to see more and more artists spread their wings and come with a message. it is coming back. tavis: even before i heard the first track, west had called me one day -- we had called me one day and he was reaaving about the project. before i had even heard the first track, he shared with the title of the record, which i think is pretty masterfully in itself .
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tell me why you call it "love and war masterpeace." >> doing the album and treating it, the processes -- and creating it, the process is deciding what is going to be the theme. i wanted -- i always want to put out something that is conceptually, when you put it in from beginning to end, it exudes a spirit of love. you can put it in and go on with whatever your routine is while it is playing. in particular,-peace, we are all in a place and we'll come to a place and our live where you try to master peace.
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you want to master peace and move forward and do it in the workplace and in your relationships. you want to constantly master your face with the creator and get closer to god. those are the sons of the times and clearly are. once again, it is to create a sound track for the times that we are living in right now. tavis: this play on words, if this turned out to be -- i know that you are a long way from being done with music -- but if this --cd turned out to be -- but if this cd turned out to be your final album -- >> this is a project that i put
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together over three years. i started this when i was finishing up "love behind the melody." i really feel like -- if i did not make any more music, i could be cruel with this album being out. it has definitely set me up for that frankie beverly and maze run. but i am back in the studio and tried to create new ways to tell the story and collaborations. the song "nobody wins the war" is an example. there is a gang of artists that i still could have had. tavis: you have a lot of them, though. >> yes. tavis: you have enough on their.
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>> -- on there. >> yes. tavis: you mentioned that this is your third album in five years. >> yes. tavis: you have been busy. part of this new sound, this message music, music that is really saying something, part of what allow that to happen for you is that you were working with your record label and . duke -- and you one,. do you think the industry is ready for the flip? >> ultimately, it is a business. they are a machine. they put out what you turn into them. so this is what i turned and could be with job records,
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there is a history -- so this is what i turned in. with java record, there is a history. they came to the level with a sound. this is my thing. this is what it is. market it and packaged it and promote it. raheem devaughn, anthony hamilton, chris brown -- it is where you want to be as an artist. it is definitely going back to the essence of it. i do not necessarily agree with the old school mentality of how they do things. i am in the street constantly. i have what you call a grass- roots movement. it is built on word-of-mouth. tavis: and dropping next tapes. [laughter] >> and dropping mixed tapes.
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between laser releases of four independent albums, 13 cd's 414 cd's, there is enough music out there for a lifetime. tavis: i said a longtime ago that raheem devaughn is a long time from being done. if this is not the masterpiece, it certainly ranks at the top of whatever gift he has to share with us. i know that it is early in the year, if there ain't but one record that you get this year in this genre, this is the when you have to have. go get it. >> thank you. tavis: that is our show for tonight. you can access our radio podcast through our web site. i will see you next time on pbs.
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>> for more information on today's show, visit tavissmily. org. tavis: next time, we will have raquel welch on her new memoir. that is next time. >> there are so many things that wal-mart is looking for to doing, like helping people live better. mostly, we're looking for work to helping build a stronger communities and relationships. with your help, the best is still to come. >> nationwide insurance public support tavis smiley. tavis and nationwide insurance, working to improve literacy and the economic empowerment that comes with it.
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