QLS Classic: Cree Summer

Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. This classic episode was produced by the team at Pandora. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of QLs Classic. I'm Quest Love and we hear quest Love Supreme. We like to dig it into the archives to bring you some really amazing interviews and stories from past episodes. Coming up next, we're going to talk to actress Chris Summer about our pioneering work on the.

HBCU SIcom Classic A Different.

World, and her endless work of animated voiceovers.

For movies and television. We really hope you enjoyed we did. Are you ready? Let's get it. Here goes nothing, Here we go.

Supreme Supreme, O, Rome Supreme Supreme, Rome Suprema Sun Supreme Rome Supreme Sun Sun Supreme.

On some mumbers that are not a newcomer, humble brag nemon straight stunner, Yeah, hi Jack my theme. Ain't that a bummer roll gaes st up like twenty nine humbers? Oh god, thunder whoops ned Flanders. I made a blunder straight flag on my heather hunter craft work.

Can't do these numbers? Oh lord, ugly salad. Hold the cute cumbers. Gunner Runner, Running Connor, Yeah, Hayters.

Boom My Verse, Sleeping Slender, Yeah, mediocre album opening song, Bill Thunder, Robinson g Ross, Ruff and Jackson Wonder, Alphabet carries asking price, expensive, high feed, dumb and dumber. Yeah, a ya, that's a rhyme scheme for Crease Summers.

Somewhere that name Supreme Supremo road.

My name is Fante, Yeah, time to get deep. Yeah, Chris Sumo.

Woke me from my mean o.

Son Son Supremo roll call Supremo Supremo roll call.

My name is Sugar. Yeah, I got bad habits. Yeah, but I'm not the only one here who works with Joey Kravitz.

Son Supreme A roll call Suprema, son Son Supremo roll call.

Dude was younger, Yeah, Freddie Brookstream saying, but that opinion subject to change.

Son Son Supreme roll.

So sore roll call sly Ere Yeah, Oh my gosh, she's here.

Yeah, Chris Summer, I mean in your trip for years.

Whoa Supremo, Some Supremo roll call, some Supremo roll.

Call from Saskatchewan to Toronto to North Richmond, Sherman Oaks.

You know, let me fish, let me do it. Again.

Let me.

Supreme roll call Supremo, Supremo role cal Suprema son son sub freeo roll.

I didn't even get there. I was still trying to get there.

I think I met.

Everybody was looking at their books and I looked at my empty hairs.

You well from Saskatchewan.

I started in Saskatchewan, then I went to Toronto, then I went to North Richmond.

That I went to Sherman Oaks.

I make so many jokes about Saskatchewan, but don't think I know anyone from Substatchell.

That's amazing.

Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to another episode of Creston. This is Cree Supreme only on Pandora. We have a team Supreme with us. We got Sugar Steve and Boss Bill and Fantigolo and.

How's it going. I'm sweating.

We are extremely happy to have our guests with us today. She is I mean, is she our first Boho crush ever?

Second? Second? Second? Second?

You know.

Yes, because you said first said first, I saw Lisa. First battle is that we're doing.

It's not Denise versus Freddy, It's Freddy. Freddy was to me. Freddy was more idealistic like she was.

Was you know what I mean, Like she was just sonny and like you really like you would take Freddie on to your mama. Yeah, Like Denise was just kind of flighty and kind of like exactly, y'all are talking Denise versus Freddy.

So but I was just talking about who I saw first. Well, yeah, we technically my out.

My first question It was I was more questioning on Freddie Brooks than Denise. Denise didn't strike me as bowho. She just striked me as somebody couldn't keep a job, and I just I couldn't fuck with that.

Young favorite employee ever. Ladies, John please welcome Chris Summer.

Yes, it's a delight to be here.

Shout out to Zoe for giving me this number because love I had to, you know, hit her up fifty two billion times. She's one of those people that might answer the phone this week.

You know.

Now I feel bad that I disturb my roll call.

That Stevens were like legendary fighters.

Yeah, okay, but that feels yeah, hate relationship.

Going, But that's Steve. You know, you'll learn to hate them in five minutes.

You'll experience all the all the emotions.

I already have that spent moment I had to spit.

I gotta know that you Okay. Today you told me that you are. We're going to a Star Wars convention.

Yes, and I am now endeared to you because you let me come in a little early so I can still get there. It's a pop up Star Wars bar called The Dark Side, and it's been traveling all over America and it's interactive. They haven't told me too much. I do know that there's the possibility of a burlesque show, all the chicks representing all the different planets in the Star Wars universe.

Doesn't it sound amazing? Yes? Look I got this.

The bar that Jap of the Hut, was it right?

That's what you're I mean, I don't know what this bar is. They just call it the Dark Side. I'm hoping the band is going to be there, because that band is legendary.

I mean, yes, yes, you really are a Star Wars what's your I am? I love it?

What's your favorite all time scene in and all the Star Wars things combined?

It's probably when Luke.

I mean, it's kind of dour and a little maudlin, but I love that moment when Luke when his parents are dead and they're charred, and they're just fucking sitting there, you know, frozen. And he comes up out of that beautiful sphere that they live in, and he looks and there's those two moons, like those that clear sky, and those two blood red moons.

I don't know. That just always has rocked me.

I was going to say, have you seen the Last Jedi? But that's a stupid question. Of course, what did you think?

You know?

I just loved the nostalgia of it. I mean, everybody was getting so fucking hung up on you know, why is lay a flying and ship?

I don't give a fuck.

I mean, I think my heart is just so all encompassing all things Star Wars, except for of course, well know, he shall not be named jar Jar Banks, So I mean, you know, yeah may so, no fucking like it either, That's the only one I don't do.

But yeah, I mean I liked it.

I liked it.

It's hard to it's hard to make me not like I haven't.

Seen it yet.

I'm looking for as a as a so called nerd who is not that much into science fiction. Yeah, it's it's really hard for me to figure out which side is correct, because a lot of Star Wars dweebs are like Prince Vans.

Yeah, they're not really feeling this film.

But yet I trust a Rotten Tomatoes ninety one when I see it now, I mean, who am I to believe that all these critics were just blindly going to give this a claim across the board? Really no, because they ended up with a now report one one manly Portman and now those three middle one suck.

Yeah, yeah, I think we can all agree those were drag.

So you liked the New One though?

I did. I had a good time, man, I was so excited to get there. And favorite Star Wars movie of all time A New Hope, of course.

Yeah. I'm hearing a lot of people say Rogue one these days.

Now they can have it.

No, I liked it, but it ain't no New Hope, and a New Hope just changed my my world. I remember my daddy who's left now he's dead.

He he and I loved Star Wars together.

New Hope. He just were you trying to explain it to me like football?

I was telling Amre, who's not the biggest Star Wars fan, that New Hope.

Was episode one, Episode one, which is technically episode episode Well yeah, yeah.

I mean it was the very first one that came out, and I remember just this whole universe and this whole concept of the force.

I loved it.

It made sense to me being not a religious person, it occurred for me in a very religious way.

So did you ever have any dreams of, especially with all the voice over working, Yeah, and working with like Frank Oz and all that stuff, like, to ever do these things?

Well, you want to hear something crazy, My father, Don Frank's was the first one to ever give voice to Boba Fett in the Star Wars animation. Yeah, because you know, we never hear Boba Fett speak, so that in animation they let him speak. And then a couple of years later, George Lucas did an animated cartoon called Droid's and Ewoks, and I got to play Princess Nissa of the Ewoks.

So that I think I was ten years old.

Oh wow, was your father a voice actor?

Yeah, that's how I started. It was just your nepotis.

From the beginning.

I found where she told us in the in the so I'm driving the car, thank you, I appreciated.

In the back.

Let us know what we can ask directions.

So you were you were born in Saskatchewan.

I was, Actually, you want to hear something crazy. I was born in in Sino California.

Y born in Sino California, And I know, and then right away, I think at the maybe six or seven months, my parents dropped out of society and moved to Saskatchewan. And I was raised on an Indian reservation with the plains Kre Indians. We had lived in a house that my father made out of mud, which is traditional for this tribe.

And we were there until I was about seven years oldy Oh, it was beautiful. I mean well, I mean it was definitely hard.

I don't know if you've ever been in a Canadian tundra and the plane and the plains in the dead of fucking winter. I mean it's, you know, below forty it's pretty fucking cold.

Yeah, you have to use your lightsaber.

To open your eyes.

Yeah.

But we.

It was powerful.

I mean I was exposed to all kinds of beautiful native music, pow wow music, payota music, dancing powow as a girl. It was a nice way to grow up, I'd say. And then after that we left there res and we lived nomadic in a school bus for a couple of years and then finally settled in Toronto.

Wow.

Yeah, it sounds like a half of Freddy's backstory. I think they got it from me. I mean, I remember when I walked into audition. They had this idea that this that Freddie Winifred was from Santa Fe and so they and I know that they wanted her to be, you know, have a white mother, was what they said. And then they just kind of left it open end. And then I just remember them after auditioning, they were

What I mean? So, were you the only child or did you have something?

I have a baby brother. His name is Rainbow's son. He's also an actor. I don't know if there's any geeks out there. He was in the original Stargate with Jason Momoa. We're all very conted.

Yeah that's kind of strange.

Yeah. Yeah, he's ten years my junior.

So how are you well, not even how are you pulled into acting? Your father was my father was an voice over work, but you guys live this whole he was doing more.

Than voiceover work. I mean he when I was, like I said, I was born in Encino.

My parents met. My mother's a dancer and my father was was an actor, and he was an on camera actor at first.

He was did his well.

The movie that they met was Francis Ford Coppola's very first film and fred Astaire's very last film. It was a musical called Finian's Rainbow starring fred Astae Patulla Clark and my father and my mother was a dancer in the chorus, and that's how they met. So he was a very very popular working actor for years and years and years. And she danced all over all over Broadway, you know, and Sweet Charity with Juliet Prowse and you know, Shirley McLean and they were really magic.

So what was the decision to leave?

They were disillusioned.

They really were disillusioned.

I mean, he was really getting tired of playing bad guys that hurt babies and women. And she was my mother as beautiful and black as night, and she was tired of, you know, being the only one or never getting to be the one. And they just said fuck it. And they sold everything they had and moved to Saskatchewan, where my father had been dig this crazy thing. He's had so many incarnations. But for a while he was the spiritual advisor for this heavy metal band called Crowbar.

Yeah.

Ar did this tour of all the Indian reservations in Canada, and my old man just fell in love with.

Red Pheasant this reservation.

Then he really became family to them, and I think that's where the seeds were planted. And they told him if he ever wanted to come back, he could, and he came back when he found my mama.

Wow, there's a gorgeous picture of the two of you online. There is his hair braided.

Yeah, did you wear a lot?

Yeah?

I wear my parents' hats.

You know, I've been wearing It's so trendy now, but you know, I've been wearing these hats since I was a little girl.

You know.

So as a young girl, did you have dreams of getting it? How did you get into the industry.

Or I always wanted to be a performer. My parents performed even though we were on the res You know. My father did this amazing show on the reservation called The Insanity of One Man and it was just his ramblings and his thoughts. He'd had a projector he'd play autoharp, and then my mother would dance, you know. She the tap dancer retired from the National Tap Company of Canada at sixty nine years old. And so just watching them, I really never considered doing anything else. I wanted to

Do it too.

Did he have a like, was he of a male blink variety?

Like?

What type of voice did your father?

My father just had this really low and rich, resonant, low raspy voice, really beautiful. Yeah, I mean, but he did everything. I mean, he could alter himself. He was so talented. Can you tell I missed my old man?

Yeah?

Okay, so you're actual, I mean you're speaking voice, and I mean it's so there's such a not a trademark on it, but it's so distinctive.

Yeah.

Did you have this sort of raspy curse, this kind of voice when you were a kid? I did?

I Mean, my mama used to joke about it that I always sounded like I had a mentalated cool hanging out of my mouth. I mean even when I was like three years old, you know, was like Mama, you know, it's just this low, kind of froggy.

And my youngest daughter, Hero has that same voice.

Yeah, how old is she?

Hero?

Peregrine storm Born is four years old?

Oh wow, she's a star on Instagram.

I mean we got to an elevator after Dan's class and this chick was like Hero, you know, and it was, yeah, a little it was a little creepy.

I should Yeah, we spoke to pause.

Sorry.

We spoke to U Laila Hathaway recently about the way her voice sounds strikingly similar to her father's.

Isn't it.

The same as people looking physically? Yeah, their facial features or voices almost.

The same thing.

It's Sheila.

It's funny that you bring up, because you're exactly right. When you can have a white man and an Asian man who look the same and they will sound the same. It's jaw placement, and it's all these things that give us all these sounds, and that's why they sound so similar.

It's really freaky, you know.

Hashtag jaw placement.

Yeah, right now is a very hypnotic thing to every syllable, and it's an articulation.

That she does voiceover work people. Yeah, but where does that come from? Like were you trained for this? Like how did you even enter?

Well, like I said, it was it was pure nepotism. My father was doing a voice on Inspector Gadget and I was he Well, he would go on and off with with Welker, with Frank Welker, just sometimes guessing and doing doctor Claw, and then he would do a lot of in Daniel's, a lot of henchmen, a lot of you know, teachers in the school and shit like that. And then I remember, but this is just when he was auditioning. We didn't even know if he had the gig.

Oh really yeah, No, Inspector Gadget came from Okay, yeah.

It came from Deek Entertainment, which is a Canadian company. Oh, I mean, but in Toronto is where I did you know all the George Lucas productions. It's where I was in the very first Hello Kitty cartoon. I played her arch nemesis, cat Nip. God, what else did we do?

Hello Kitty had a cartoon, actual.

Had an actual cartoon.

Yeah, Hello Kitty's been around for quite a long a long time.

I've seen Hello Kitty. I just never knew it was a car, actual cartoon with voices, and.

And she had enemies.

She had enemies.

This really weird chick name cat Nip, which is a kick ass name, isn't it?

You? Guys?

Ye?

Sorry, I have a question.

Do you have like duel citizenship?

I do have dual citizenship? I love this guy, yet.

Give it?

No, I was I was just wondering what country we should get married.

She's married.

I'm actually not there, hold on bringing no, I I haven't man and he ain't going nowhere. I guess I should be married. You know it feels man you are committed. Yeah, yeah, it's not it's not important.

And I was just kidding, just kidding.

She lives in Canada.

On vacation in Niagaphone.

I know it's not looking at her like that.

See what high school? Did you go to high school?

I went to high school in Toronto for about ten minutes. I actually started school in the fourth grade and I dropped out right before I started the tenth grade. So I have six, almost six years of formal education. I went to the Toronto High School for the Performing Arts. There was thirty six students.

Wow, in the entire high school.

The entire high school. Fridays were dedicated to cleaning the school, all of us. Yeah.

So what was in between tenth grade and being seventeen and come into.

Well tenth I was honest, honest to god, I just was so. I was kind of burnt out. You know, I was working a lot, and I remember going to my father, my best friend and I who's in LA she's an actress too, Tamara Taylor.

She and I we just wanted to leave Toronto.

We had so many dreams about coming to la I wanted to come here and have a band, and I was going to make music and that was really my dream. And she was going to come here at the time and be a model, which she'd hate for me to say now that all changed, That all change, and she of course committed to being an incredible actress. But we looked at each other at we had just turned sixteen, and we said, do you want to do this anymore?

What tuki so long? Man?

Wow?

I were so disappointed that I'd gone this long.

And he said, you know, I was just giving you space, man, because I thought I thought you might might like it.

And I said, I I can't stand it. You know that was an option.

Yeah.

Oh, she felt the same way. I mean, they really had such disdain for the education system.

And you must have had a hell of us savings already for someone I'm just doing.

Okay, I can't here, okay, okay, secure at the bag damn.

So from that point on, once you came here, what was your first break?

I guess my first break was working for an amazing woman whose since retired. I'm miss sterely named Andrea Romano, and she directed a Steven Spielberg cartoon called Tiny Tunes.

Oh Yeah, obscure, and.

I played Elmira Almira. Yeah you know, I'm going to hug you and squeeze you think you go on the paper, Bobby.

Hilly, that's what I know. Yeah, that was my first job in LA.

How do you develop because you do so many voiceovers?

Yeah, how do you develop, uh, the specific characteristics in the voices.

That you do.

Luckily, they give they give you a picture of the character and then they usually get you like a little bitty paragraph describing the character. And I remember looking at Elmira. The paragraph threw me because it said she was Elmer Fudd's niece, and I remember, yeah, it just and I remember thinking like, oh, Ship, I can't do an Elmer Fudd.

I'm fucked.

And then I looked down and I saw that she had like a gerbil skull in the middle of her bow. Do you guys remember, And then I read the lines and I just thought, this chick is bad, ship nuts. I'm just going to play her so crazy and just see what happens. But I really had no expectation because I didn't put that, you know, that Elma fudd elment into so I.

Can't believe I never made that connection.

And now you look at her face and it's like she looks.

Tell me that Tiny Tuns came out before a Different World?

Yes it did, Yes, I'm I mean if it didn't come out before Different World, I got booked it before a Different World.

Oh okay, you came aboard a Different World eighty eight? I thought.

Ninety okay, well slightly one year right made it tomatow. So yeah, you just look at the character and you're like.

Yeah, and I read the paragraph and see what I usually go by what I feel, you know what I mean? You get a feeling when you look. I do anyway, and maybe it's just accumulated through all these years.

I get it just to look at the eyes.

So they're not telling you, like what's directing to go with them?

They do.

They give you a really tiny thing that says she's thirteen, or he's fourteen and he really likes sports, he's shy, he's always got a cold, or you know. Sometimes they give you little things or you know, but you really have to make it up yourself, which is you.

Know, acting, that's the cool part, man, are the what would so taping tiny tunes?

As a voice actor? How long would an episode take in order for you to get all the voices down for?

Maybe like an hour maybe if it's full cast, maybe an hour and a half.

Is this per episode or just like a season or per episode? And would you go to a studio? Like how would you do it?

You just like this?

You go and go in the studio and have all the chairs in a circle like us, and a booth with your stand and your script and then and those are the best ones. I mean oftentimes now things have changed so much and everybody's so damn busy. Oftentimes it's just me alone.

Yeah, you just read your lines and then they put it together later what did they mix it? But at the time you're doing that, you were all doing it together.

But there used to be a really golden age when we used to all record together and it felt like you were kind of doing live radio, which is fun, which I used to do in Toronto too, a lot of live radio.

There's fun.

Who are the uh kind of the veterans of that voice circle? I know the word I know mel Blank and I know Marsh Maurice Lamars.

Yeah, another Canadian.

A lot of us are Canadian, by the way, I would I mean listen Tress McNeil, Rob Paulson, Tara Strong, Robin Tayer and other Canadians Jennifer Hale, Grey.

Delisle, Like who were the idols, the gods.

The well for me? I mean, I really look up to Tress McNeil.

She's you probably know her from like Futurama and the Simpsons.

I mean, she's just one of these.

I remember when I walked into Tiny Tunes that was the first time I met Tress, and she did six voices in a row, talking to herself literally the entire scene. And I remember at seventeen just sitting down going, fuck, I am way out of my depth, man, because up until then, I think I was okay as a voiceover artist, but I don't know if I was committed to being really good, because sometimes when you do things as a kid,

Is it hard to to turn on? Sometimes?

Say, if you're on set and you might have gotten a text that blah blah blah's in the hospital or someone passes away, and suddenly it's like, all right, well, production, you got to turn on.

Let's go Like how hard is it to well?

You know, because you no, you, I mean, you do this too. You know exactly what the answer to that is, you do it as best you can, you know. I mean, I've been in that situation several times, and I think one thing, I just being a born gypsy and a hereditary performer, it definitely is the show must go on. So I will show up as best as I can, be a little afraid at the edges, and when they yell cut probably fault to pieces, you know.

So how did you get word of a Different World developing?

I had a manager is when I got to l a very kind man, Larry Robbins retired now, and he he and his wife let me live with him actually for the first six months, and he would drive me to all my auditions, and I think Different World was the first audition I had was for.

I'm gonna get you. I'm gonna get you, sucker.

I know, I was not.

I did not do the part. I didn't get any parts that was my audition for. I auditioned for the part that Don Lewis played.

Imagine you can imagine audition for the part that Amory Johnson taken off.

Listen.

I I just I think I just went there and just took a dump. I was probably just awful. But the next audition was a different world. So that was a real score, really really lucky.

So you're actually one of the few people in a different world that didn't go through school days. Yeah, so was there a moment for you to get on in that production or in that movie or never?

Just that didn't happen long prior.

Yeah, okay, but they were already all friends and everybody year and I came the second year, so they were already doing that.

Because so when you came along, that's the year that Wi Allen also came board.

We all came and Charnelle Brown and so Dad, we all came together.

So you came on the retooling what okay?

Explaining to me, I wasn't you know, because there was an Internet and none of that stuff that, So what was the problem with whatever happened the first year that they cleaned up and then I.

Don't know, I do know that.

I can't call her Lisa, but okay, well Lisa got pregnant and so she wasn't going to return to a different world was what we were told at the time.

Okay, but also with Marissa leaving and the director who was the first director before, I don't know that Debbie came along, Like I just know that they just had a.

Complete Yeah, they felt they I mean yeah, and Debbie came in saying, let's make it like a real black college.

Yeah.

The first season is like the week of season like, that's it didn't really look good until she came.

It wasn't It wasn't one person who was the star. It was kind of cool. Everybody.

Dwayne like finally fell in love with each other the last episode, or at least she kissed him the last episode.

Yeah, and.

She went back to the house. She was still at the Cosby Houseyne.

Was so traumatized.

He looked up with.

So what was it like for those was it four years for you? That was college.

And work?

Were you at the time I started it? The just turn God, I think I was just about to turn eighteen. I guess are you tired of talking about a different world?

You know?

I love it's a good world. Do you know what I love about a different world?

There was a lot of times, a long stretch of time, nobody fucking talked about Different World. Yeah, And I feel like Different World is very is you know, it was over and then nobody talked about it, and then just recently it's become this real retroactive, especially with You'll come back. It's just it's like, yes, I mean, maybe you loved it, you know, forever, and you were consistent, But the truth is, you know, well, you know, a Different World really wasn't

And that's the truth.

But every single now about every single black household had you on.

So maybe yes, I went knots very farm, I would get a lot of right in LA.

Otherwise it was really not that popular. I mean, I feel like it's much more beloved now.

Yeah, And I mean it's just I mean, I think the importance of it is more understood. I mean, for me, you know, that was the first time I really saw college. I mean, like my you know, my grandmother and my grandparents they were teachers, and so I had people in my family that were college graduates. But it was just always an idea. It's just you hear about this college thing,

It look like?

And you know, you have you know, the calf, like the whole going with you know, mister gangs like all that like that. Really yeah, yeah, that was you know, that was like, oh ship. And so I actually talked to Kadeen. It's been like a couple of years of but I just had a chance to tell him, you know, I man, just how much that show did for me, like going to and graduating from an HBCU.

I mean, a different world.

I know, a lot of cats my generation probably would not have even thought about college if you were not for a different world.

This is why this show is so magic, and this is also a reason I'll never get tired of talking about it, because I'm just proud. I mean, what a lovely thing to get to say that I was a part of it. Because there's not a place I go where I don't hear the same story where someone comes up and says, man, I never thought I could go to college.

I was.

I didn't have a you know, any kind of academic career. But then I started watching Different World and I got inspired. I got my ship together, and I went to college. And that's pretty damn beautiful.

So first season you ever, did you had a date rape episode?

Yes, with the Last Dragon sa.

It was her first season. Yeah, what was that like?

Well, first of all, I love that fucking movie, so I couldn't wait to meet him and I was so excited. I don't know, I don't want to was really awkward? Should I tell the stories?

Yes?

Yes, it was super awkward, but I just was All of us girls were in a you know, you know, we were in a tizzy. Man, we can wait for this dude to show up.

And then I got and no, no, no, I don't want to say that I'm such as everyone thinks I'm so kind. Okay, but no, but I just remember we were doing the thing, and this is not his fault because I just attribute this to a lack of experience. I don't know how many movies he did other than the Last.

Dragon it was, yeah, Janet video.

It's not like he was.

So it's not like he was coming in with a ton of experience. So I definitely cut him a little bit of slack. But I don't know if you guys are you guys are familiar When you have a table read, you're simply reading. I mean, you don't even have to make eye contact with the person you're in a love scene with. You can simply just look at your sides.

So I was doing the date rape sceneity he started raping me, not literally, like literally like groping me and trying to kiss me, and I was, you know, the whole take. The whole room went crazy. It's like a bunch of NBC exacts and everybody's like, whoa, whoa, Wow, is just a fucking table read. He's gonna kill me. It's not really bad.

It didn't.

It didn't go too far, didn't go to listening, but you were.

Always invited to question.

Somebody always said something, you know, what I.

Mean as soon as you I just you know what, It's okay, He's a god.

I still love that. I still love that movie.

On stage. Yes, Chappelle's Black Party, Yeah, it's a Chappelle's.

Uh. When we were shooting Dave Schapelle's Black Party in Brooklyn, Yeah, he.

Like say something about him.

He's so handsome. Still still still.

You know he.

Keeps it.

Like when you like, just hear what he said, did the see you miss it joint? Talking to me? That's he's Roselle's cousin. So is Roselle's cousin.

Yeah, So he invited him on stage and then like next thing, you know, he's doing karate with the microphone.

Brownouse kicks and everything, Brown House in the microphone. It was you were up there too. I don't remember that ship.

He was on stage like he and but Loud was like singing back and forth at the end when it just kind of all just went.

Did I know you back then?

Yeah?

Yeah, I was a little brother fan this.

Yeah.

Now you didn't get me in. I got in through other means of subterfuge.

Remember him and Rosario on stage and then he roundhoused Rosario's shoulder.

And then it was like, all right, all right, get off the stage. You get this on tape. I was definitely on tape. Yes, definitely, he's gonna feel that beautiful moment.

We were doing whom he says with most and then he gets on stage and fighting the wind and then he just starts roundhouse kicking, and then he roundhouse kicked the microphone standing and then brown house kick and it was like, all right, okay, get out the pool. Damn now you brought that up like I remember them, had to jump through.

The top of the.

Wait ready weight.

Yeah, and he was so cool because he had like a whole crush on him but he can't even though he wasn't knowing her like that. And I was in that dress, that purple dress viole.

I used to Okay, so which episode who time act was a date rapist? Which one was the episode with Shaza with Gary.

Quite a few off?

He remember he became my man.

And Byron's almost wedding.

Yeah, we were, we were together.

He was right, that's right, that's right.

I remember sha He was like the hotel dude speeches and ship like he was like people dying that the kids are going to sleep into something.

But oh, gel now, but shas started really sideways. He started first with this whole book that he had written about misunderstanding how the chicks were supposed to cater to their dudes. He came in sideways, but he was so fine. No one gave a.

Ship off up until five years ago.

That was.

The era, and that's what he.

Understanding.

Where is she now? Is she dead?

No?

She he did?

She did.

Now.

I thought she was there, but I don't know. I don't know. I can't say for sure.

Then I got to look her up. Yeah, shares out Ali. Wow, man, many many dining you appearance, no.

Reason that's.

After Well, you know, I know college isn't supposed to go on forever, so I guess having a good five year one was good enough for the show.

But I think it should have gone long. But you know, they just didn't give a ship about it. I'm telling you, man, we were really a step child.

We really did you like the storyline of you kind of straightened up and flying.

It was literally paved paradise and put up a parking lot. And it just bummed me out because even Friday and they flirted what was doing.

And it was weird. I never got behind. It was yeah, it was unforn you got all this. I want to do a Different World trivia.

Four hours a day, four hours a day. I've been watching a Different World for.

Hours a day because like, once it comes on, you know, you can't turn off because there's no commercials in between TV shows now because they show all the credits super fast.

You got to wear a diaper and it's like, you know, in one episode, you have.

Time to change the channel before the next episode starts. So it's like, is this episode I'm gonna watch? No, it's on TV one.

Did you'll hear who or Hulu?

Did y'all hear what you said? I just said, I said, Bill, I want battle you. She said, they have those.

There is a Different World trivia game by this company called Cards for the Culture, and they have a Martin Trivia game.

They have a Different World Trivia.

Actually they got.

On your team because you know everything.

Yeah, I love that show Man. So after the show, did you.

Were you interested in doing more live action things or was it just like you had a comfort zone with well, you know, the.

Whole time I was on a Different World. I had just started.

I had just started a rock band called Subject to Change and we were assigned to Capitol Records and on hiatus we had done tour, I don't know, we did like seven or eight months with Fishbone, and I remember coming here.

Whatever the first year of Different World was was when I did Subject to Change.

So doing like the whole Truth and Soul era fishone.

It was definitely truth and Soul. Yeah, that's what That's what we were, That's what we were touring.

Yeah. Yeah, how chaotic was that.

I was engaged to fish at the time, and it was crazy. I was yeah for years. Yeah, we were together for years.

I never knew that it was crazy.

If you know, yeah, then you know it was crazy. And then I remember that that was what I wanted to do the most. That's why I came to LA was to be a musician. It was never to be an actress. And it was I really thought, I would, you know, afford this music with acting. And I remember when Capitol Records just dropped us.

They dropped us before the album even came out, and I was so disillusioned.

So I went and did another series called Sweet Justice with Cecily Tyson and Melissa Gilbert, and you remember that, Yeah, you do it.

It was.

It was a sweet little thing though.

Yeah, and after that, I just was, you know, writing a little bit and then doing mostly voiceovers. At the time I remember that was that was when I just went into a really dark period. I was really crestfallen about that.

Man.

I couldn't get my shit together.

On the back end of that, on the back end of a different.

Subject to change.

Yeah, on the back end of that, because you know, we had toured that record almost two years straight, and that was when Capital was under this guy named Hal Milgram, and he really loved music. I mean, I'd never been to like, you know, had a CEO who was always at the fucking gig, you know, and we were just nothing.

Yeah, I'm surprised that the producers of a different world than trying to figure out a way to ease in your story.

Like the guest Freddy was not supposed to dance, know how to dance or sing? Yeah, comes I had to do my best time.

That they try me in the background episode.

Yeah, and Lisa doesn't want to get married. Yeah, here comes a bro.

I know he's got it all, but I mean, and then after that, I just did animation, animation until finally getting over it and getting to do a solo album on work Group.

How did you and lady hook up for that?

Well, you know, I met I can't call I met Lisa. I met Lisa when I was doing Different World, probably the first season. Uh, Kadiem and I were dating when we did Different World.

That was that was.

That was my boyfriend for about god. We were together, I don't know, three years, four years.

I did.

Duyne. We're together. We were together almost the entire run, I guess, not together the last year.

Is that hard?

Like mhm, I hate okay. I always use this term, but I mean it rather in a polite way.

Is that not weird? Shitting?

Where you eat first, it's delightful, then it's then it is ship Where you eat you know what I mean? Tastes good, then you don't want to eat it?

Well, just working on TV, you know, like I know that there's a lot of temptation to because you spend a lot of hours.

But Smiley, damn, that just slipped out.

Sorry, Tavis Valley, I'm waiting on he's been quiet lately, but sorry he edit that out.

I gotta say something in that in Kadeem's defense, because Kadeem was really my first real boyfriend, and he was an amazing boyfriend. I mean, we rode motorcycles together. We I remember, I remember I told him one time we had just gotten together. I told him I love this comic book Deathlock, and he one of our first dates was driving all over the city getting all ten issues because I think Marvel had only done ten issues, man, and he got them all.

And going, you know like it was. It was super sweet.

I mean, just.

Imagine being young and never having a real, real adult romantic relationship.

It was really a nice way to enter into what love is about.

Wait time, all over the city. Where did you get shoot?

We shot at CBS Radford in the valley. Yeah, but we had to go to you know, all the comic book shops to maybe one.

Shop had one issue, one shove had two. Oh no. We shot in La Yeah, in the valley, in the valley.

See this is ill because now it's like a whole different idea of who you guys behind the scenes, and even when you mentioned Lisa in our minds as you guys never were on the same show at the same time.

Is so ill she was.

To get back to what you said, Amya, she was. She was very good friends with Kadeen because of their first season, and I was in I think, yeah, I was in my band at the time, and I remember Kadeen was like, you gotta let love rule had not come out, he was, you know, and he was like, man, you got to meet my friend Lenny, and you gotta meet Lisa. I think you guys will love each other. And I remember them. They came over and Zoe was so tiny, and I remember I played I Think you

That is my sister.

I will.

I can't say enough about how deeply I love her. So anyway, that's how we all came together was all through Kadeen. Thank god.

I'm jealous that that Zoe was the second person to ever hear public enemies. It takes a nation of millions to hold us back.

Was she really the day that Lenny was done with making uh rule? Where is the day that pe was mastering Nation of Millions? She don't remember that shit?

And so no, well, there's a story that I think Lenny tells of like they really loved black Stiel in the Our Chaos, So they like played it three times in a row. That was like Lisa's favorite one, and they kept playing it like they felt the baby vibrating. Oh sweet, Yeah, crazy was jealous, something like, damn, you don't even know anything about that record.

You were there for it. You know. How did you go about getting your deal? It was with work.

Yeah, how did that go? That is Jeff are off. And I just remember.

I was shopping for a record at the time, you know, or trying to get a deal, and I was getting a lot of doors closed in my face.

It just they just didn't want the music.

And then Lilakoy or Lisa gave my like a three song demo to Lenny, and Lenny went crazy.

He was like, I love this ship. I'll produce this ship.

And then I think I had a meeting with Work Group and my manager at the time said, Lenny Kravitz will produce it, and they were like, well we you know, we started with Lenny at Virgin and they were like, let's do this.

So, I mean, I went to the only place that really wanted it. And that's the truth, man. I mean my money, yeah, you and twelve others that well, you know, you know that record really was a bonafide flop.

You know you gave me that record.

Is that why I don't have it anymore?

You gave me that record, and you gave me some group one talking loud. I forget the japan Japanese group. I'm so glad you don't smoke yoo. Yeah.

But United Future Organism, Yes, there you go. You gave me, you gave me crazy record, and you gave me United Future Organization work.

I mean, sometimes I don't know the worst, but I know what I like.

You used to host a Sunday radio program that was sort of like the percursor The Quest of Supreme line.

She was. She was the you.

Yeah long time ago, yeah, when she was six years old, nineteen ninety four, go mama, yeah, Mean Sleep.

How did that come together?

Oh gosh, I love that song.

You know, that's a funny one because I did not have the nerve to ask Lenny to do a duet, and we were we were Mean Sleep was Oh no, no, that's deliciously down Mean Sleep.

I remember we were.

We recorded the whole thing at Compass Point in now saw Bahamas, So talk about spoiled. I mean, what a magical place to be recording. And I think even the mandolin was Jimmy Page's mandolin that we used, and it's just so many little, you know, ancient magic things that went down in that studio. And I remember we're sitting at the control uh, sitting at the controls and I said we were.

Getting to Mean Sleep. And I said, man, you know, who are we going to get to do this duet? Thinking?

Please, please, please please feel this desperation I'm shooting at you, ma'am, and uh, I said, you know, I guess I could get You just have to be someone really good, man. It has to be something really fucking good. And he goes, well, I'm going to do it. Of course, you know.

So that was but I really didn't know if he was going to do it.

You know, when did you like your songs? How did you write them? Did you write on the instrument or did you just.

Want Really I'm really a shitty guitar player. Uh just kind of plunk it out. But I mostly write melody and lyric on my own, and then I bring it to whoever I'm writing with and I just sing it to them. I tell them what I wanted to sound like.

Have you and Zoe ever had a musical moment? Yes, we did, save you.

Save Yourself, that's right. I wrote this song called save Yourself and she was in the video.

Yeah, and we had was in the video. There's there's I assume that's three versions of you like you.

That's what it was.

And then who's the Because are my two other god children? That is Stry Sunshine and Body La La, two daughters of Hayes Rosen good good good friend of mine.

Man. When I have kids, I'm gonna have y' all name them.

My pleasure her kids.

They sound like action heroes, sound like Marvel characters, and it's so great.

I mean, just that you don't have to be like everybody else. You don't have to be to be Steve.

Yeah.

Sorry, tell us.

More about your friend Zoe.

Oh he's yeah, O yeah.

Yeah.

The greatst Zoe Steve movement was Zoe jumped out of a moving car that Steve was driving because she.

Could take She jumped out.

No, she jumped out because she saw standing on the corner.

Yeah, but that was all she needed.

She's like, like, we're driving up sixth Avenue, Steve's going like thirty miles an hour, just like, yeah, jump out of the car.

Talking, you know. Then headlines read engineer wrestled for Zoey Kravitz mishaf that was her fault.

I miss you guys are fighting like cats and dogs.

Man, excuse me, sir. Later, are we gonna do rapid fire? Different world questions? Because more to go? I just wanted to know. Okay, So.

Me and my mom were talking about the HIV AIDS episode the other I wanted you to talk about it and the filming and if you guys were there moments of tears because t.

Shir Yeah, she destroyed that didn't Well, here's the skinny about that.

Ship.

You guys got to remember, at that time, you couldn't even talk about sex. Censorship was so intense, man. You couldn't show a condom. You had to imply that it was in your purse and describe it as best you could. And this is at a time when masses we're dying of fucking age. I mean, just you know, when you

Carroll and Diane.

Such a pie.

I mean, like, you know, TV one actually did a marathon of just Patty LaBelle episodes.

Oh I love it, but I have to say that, you know, you got you gotta understand that these actors had never been some some of these actors had had to enter the soundstage from the back, you know, and they were coming to different world. They were driving on through the fucking front and they were greeted by the executive producer and creator who's a black woman. And then they look over and the director is a black woman. And then at the start of the fucking show is

Tears they would say, you guys have no idea. We didn't. We could never envision this.

Who you know, who is she the mother of dying here Whitley?

Yeah, she was Whitley's okay.

And Ron O'Neill was her father, depending what season.

It was, Yeah, ron.

Out.

Yeah, we had to shaft down.

Yeah everybody. Yeah, he's daddy.

Now he's being Mary Jans somebody daddy.

Now he's on Richard that Cobbler.

I'm just leaving space for you. Okay, I'll jump in when I need to, Okay. So I could do this all time.

So how did you feel about now the brother the brother storyline, the white brother's story.

I thought he was our brothers, like.

You talk about Matthew.

Yeah, Matthew, I can't hear you louder. That's all I think when when I hear Matthew.

Okay.

So I also wanted to ask you when the new cast came, not the new cast, but when the dis freshman new freshman freshman, you know Jada p.

Robinson.

Can I tell you, guys, here's a little known fact.

Bomber.

Robinson is a very big voice of her actor and he kicks assay.

Yeah, he was Dorian, Dorian.

The one that wouldn't sleep with Yeah, that's right, that's right, she couldn't take it.

Man. That's not on a Different World question, but on a Jada Pinkey question, did you guys bond rock and roll?

Wise behind?

She wasn't doing rock and roll at the time. I don't even think she listened to rock and roll all the time. I don't think so, I don't remember that anyway.

Yeah, you guys, ever see Seinfeld.

Whip it out, whip it out?

Playing What what's your favorite episode of the Different World.

That's such a good question. I'm going to say the one that everybody loves this stuffing show is.

Stepping Show is my favorite stepping show?

That the Do you know why the Stepping Show is my favorite?

Freddie couldn't get the step, yes, Gilbert.

So anyway, why I loved it was because, like I said, Freddie was supposed to be such an inconfident when it came to singing and dancing. And so when we got to the actual dance routine. You know, my mother's a dancer, and so I was doing the dance routine all out and I kept saying, I'll suck it up in the show, I'll.

Up in the show. And then I think it was Debbie or somebody said just let her get it because it'll be so much more rewarding if Freddy gets the dance. Yeah, So I don't know. I'm just it's a special one for me.

You got more different world questions.

I don't have to.

I was just going to ask you in retrospect the episode. The episode was where it's really focused on you and Jasmine, well, you and Whit and Roslyn Cash.

Yeah, talk about Oh my god, can I talk about ros Can I just tell you that the minute she walked in, what a goddess and what a life and you know, just her telling us stories about the movies that she did, and I don't know, she was like the kind of person you just were dying to hang out with on purpose, you know, I just wanted to go get a drink with and she cussed like a sailor.

That's my kind of fraud.

It was delightful to work with Roslyn and Jazzy. Jasmine is one of my favorite people on the planet, and we were and still are very much in love. Our firstborn daughters are born on the same day.

Oh yeah, and.

Album I wrote a song for her album.

She let me write a song everybody knows my name. Oh yeah, real, real good song, tray Ma.

We've inspired me. I remember, just like thinking, God, I hope my band gets a deal. I hope we get to do this.

When we found out that Jazmine Guy Guy was working with full Force, we were like, you know, this is going to be crazy.

What was the white chicken face? It's Samantha. It was just like tits on a chin. She was amazing. It was like a second period.

Jazmine would always remind you of her talent, like you see her dancing and the lift up video.

You know she dances.

Jazzy is no joke, and let's give kudos to the woman. She's written books, she directs and writes and produces plays.

She doesn't did she write a book with a phoenix about.

Well?

Since we're in a different world, I have a slight question. Whatever happened to the character of Millie.

I loved you too. I thought she was the sweetest little thing.

Little thing when Ron was still the dork h the first season.

I liked Million That's a character they could have kept, Yea.

I hate Steve right now he's making fun of it.

It's a great watched it.

I watched it a little bit.

I did a little bit.

You were talking about roseland Cash. What was she like.

I mean, she's just like a down sister. She was funny and she was really generous with herself. She spent time with us. You know, we got to eat with her and talk with her and ask her lots of questions. She never got tired, and she gets distillertful air her. We didn't do that with her, but we certainly did that a lot. I mean, I have to vuye honest with you. I don't even remember the last season. I

So you know, our theory was same show.

Twice and then they well, then they've edited and see what's the best from both shows, because most shows had a live audience, and they say, you know, what's the best. We'll take the scene from the first show. This scene from the second show. But by the last season, I was already on tour with subject to change in my mind. I was bylocating, you know what I mean. I was so ready to go do this thing that I've always wanted to do. Jazzy had a record coming out, you know, Kadem was about.

To do a big movie. We were really like, you know what I think he was about, You like, white men can't jump for something. We couldn't wait to.

Get the fuck out of there, you know, just in retrospect, what a bunch of dumb ass in grades, you know. But but last year was so well we, like I said, we taped the first episode. Then Jazzy and I would go to this little shitty restaurant and we would get as drunk as we fucking could, and then we go back and do the.

Tape the last episode. So when I see a lot of those shows, it's it's wonderful. It's the first time.

It was that wedding episode, and it was much fun filming as it is as much fun.

No, it was awful.

It was awful, you know, because that was awful because you got to understand as much as we were ready to leave that show just fucking ended. It ended with a thud, and it we didn't know why it ended, you know, as far as we knew, we were still going strong everybody loves you and blah blah blah, and all of a sudden, it was like it's over, you know.

And so that wedding episode, no cake, no nothing, no fucking party. Just don't let the door hits you on the way out, man, And we really didn't. Yeah, it came up. It was like, all of a sudden, oh, this is the last episode. Oh okay, we'll get them. You better get them, get them together, better make it a wedding, you know.

Oh wait, okay, yeah that was it.

You talking about the fake out, Well.

You're talking about the funk autum. Know that episode was amazing because when he said please, the audience went fucking.

Correctly crazy in your body because that's your man, Like yes, baby, no, no, I went.

To I'm sorry.

Someone someone, someone y'all know of, once gave this episode as a reference to me, uh to go grab my woman.

I really don't grab your woman.

Is this the Rick James story? No, no, no, no, it's it's someone else has done that. I'll mention off the off the air.

This was someone called someone kind of me and was like, yo, man, He's like, I already know who the call is.

Something's happening.

And if I was you, I'd be on that dwing win, I get on the plane right now, come out here and grab your one like Dwayne Wayne at Whitley's wedding.

Like they used this thing as as an example. Yeah, so that was a great episode. I'm so.

Curious.

It's brilliant.

Yes, he is as well. Well, all right, let me get you.

So I'm ready, Steve, because I can tell you about to say something off the off the change.

I'm good, I'm good. Okay, we're done with Different World though, because I watched it a little bit.

But not like which episode did you study it? Which episode was it that you saw?

What was what was a perfect episode?

Yeah?

I was watch for Alicia Bonet and Jasmine guy.

You know they weren't there at the same time.

I thought they were.

Yeah, yeah they were they were first season.

Yeah, I watched the first season and that's pretty much it.

You're still keep in touch with everybody, uh, the cast?

Yes you do, Yeah, there's not there's Yeah, I got to say.

The most memorable moment I've ever had in my career doing chows. It was like when the twelve of you showed up, Like imagine in like nineteen ninety four and you're doing your first show in Los Angeles, California, and then like it's Cree and it's Lisa, and it's Jasmine and it's Jada and Latifa.

Light was there too.

Yeah, it was right. And what's her name? She was the eighteen t girls. She y had short.

That's my best friend. That's what I'm talking about tomorrow. Yeah, we moved here together from Toronto. That's that's the godmother and my children.

Now, I loved it for so long.

Man, she just did a twelve year bid on Bones one. Oh no, no, no, I mean that's how long the show. Sorry God, sorry.

Yo, that night. Yeah, we were never the same.

We just thought because I mean we just thought, like, yo, the sky's a limit, Like you know, our first show in.

All of Black Hollywood is out here for us.

But you know what, we I am such a diehard roots fan. I mean we were so fucking excited.

To be there.

Oh man, that made Yeah, I'll say that of all I mean we've done, I think we're up to like forty five hundred shows.

But that that to me is that's a top tip memory.

Whenever I get together and there's a picture taken, I feel like y'all break the internet.

So yeah, we hang out on purpose, you know.

I think it has to do with just that we were you know, really there weren't a lot of black people on TV, and we were a part of such a movement. And like I said, when you're an underdog, you know you really you're bind together. You know, you got become really resilient and really strong. And I think that that's another beautiful thing about that show.

Is it really created you know, lifelong friendships, youts, you know that. Yeah, but they'd never touched this one. It's such a weird thing.

I just don't understand, no, no, what you can do without us. I mean, you don't wheel out the fucking ancients. I mean, bring us some new blood. How many wants to see our But that's white people. They can bring back anything.

O L E. R.

I mean they went to Japan and what happened, That's all I'm saying.

Yeah, yeah, they bring it back to with like with young young Blood.

To build on that question, where do you think Freddy Brooks would be?

Right now, Freddie might have well, god, you know, the unfortunate thing she had to become a lawyer. But maybe she used that, you know, maybe maybe she started you know,

I mean, I just think special.

If she was on Freddy Brooks in twenty eighteen, would be your Instagram honey.

Oh please, don't she like.

Not a scammer like, but she would be like she would be the Freddy Brooks. She would be the YouTube hair girl, like showing how to do the curls like.

She has.

I think she'd have more important things to do.

I do think she'd be back with she'd had babies, just to have all the good she'd ye because ronn ain't having all them kids.

Wasn't need to be two months ago.

Yeah, she wouldn't be with him.

Do you guys know this?

Another fun fact is that Darryl Bell is in love and been in love and living with tempest for a millionaires.

Yeah, I did a reality show.

Wow, Vanessa Hawks, they did a reality show.

Just your mind blown down your mind there, I'll say this off the record.

Yeah, okay, that explains why he was accompanying someone in the courtor.

Okay, okay, See.

Did you ever meet Bill Cosby?

I did for about ten minutes.

I was gonna say if it was just for a few minutes, and then everything goes went black.

Yeah, nor the car.

I eject myself from the understand though.

You do. Now you see where the line. I knew that it was coming. See see.

How it's starting to he is laughing.

Now cut is Mike off? So but you only met him once. That's what it was.

Very It was like it was like assembly, you know, like the opening day when we first first started working on the show, and he came out and kind of thanked everybody in the split was it was real short man, gotcha?

Okay, Now I want to know how hard is it?

Are you the only notable person of color in the voiceover world during O No, no, No, I'm sorry, I'm not going to answer.

That for no, but there's there's there's a few of us, but you know, not very many. I'll tell you there's probably about the three or four of us, or maybe maybe five. The thing about the voiceover community is it's so fucking small. It's like a click, you know, we've got of you?

Or is it?

Oh there's less than that, Oh there's I mean, when I.

Go to work, I probably see the same ten people every time, and when we see a new person, we're like, who the fuck is that?

Are you lost?

You know, No, we're not that mean, but I've seen that looking the way back.

Is don still doing a lot of voice ess?

I think she still does. Yeah, I don't see very much. Some other stuff she's done some really nice jobs.

I've just seen her in a movie, or she's something on Netflix lower, or it's just recently she was a lawyer or something.

So I think I know what you're talking about. And I can't remember it either. But I've seen it this week and I was like, oh, my god, that's doing.

Noise, doesn't she She's definitely sacrificing children. She looks great.

Man.

Are we ever going to see you back on the screen?

You know what?

Sometimes I sometimes I do do it for friends. I have friends that will ask me I actually just did a film for a friend and amazing writer named Charles Murray.

I just did a film for him. It's called Truth.

For Someone.

In terms of voice acting, because that's something that I'm looking to get into.

We do have a very nice voice. That's such a pretty residence.

Thank you so much. What where's the starting point for that?

Oh?

Boy, man, I gotta get real with you. It's so tough. It's so tough to get into.

But I I can't really give you the same advice i'd give anybody else, because you know, the sound of your own voice.

You do this all the time. I'd say, you just need to know somebody.

How you.

Who is who's the gatekeeper?

You know?

I think it's probably the casting agents and the you know, the different networks like Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network and well.

Actually, okay, I'll ask you a question. Yeah, I'm actually a little bit.

A sweating man. Hold on, I just got it.

Okay, all right, the thing you got, the wet and waving.

Yeah, I'm going listen, I'm going back home. I can feel it in the back that is getting very very upset.

Yeah, the living room turn into the kitchen.

Yes, okay, well, I'm in the process of developing two animated series.

Are so is it?

Oh?

Heying? But is there?

Is it kind of a mafia system? Like am I naive thinking like, oh, I'll choose who I want to do these voices?

All? No, no, you choose whoever you want and you'll be just fine. It's not like that.

So it's not like a union where you have to choose.

Oh god, no, yes there is.

And you watch Robot you watch Robot Chicken. They throw anybody in their situation and it sounds really great.

Yeah, no, listen, it's it's definitely not. I think, honestly, I think the reason that you see the same twelve people this guys are really fucking good, that's all. And they're really dependable.

You know.

It's like your studio musicians. You know, you got your your you know, like your your session, your session guys, you know, and I feel like we're the session.

Guys, and it's hard and I feel like it's a sacrifice sort of Like well, when I visited the settum of Sesame Street, it was almost like the same thing. Like that's a very specific area that it's hard to make a steady living and if you can.

Get in there.

Is it a good living for you now?

It's a wonderful living. Yeah, it's very nice. I mean, listen, I'm a mama. I started having babies real late. My children are really young, and I have time to hang out with them. I have time to write music, I have time to do all kinds of things, and I can still support myself, which is really nice.

So what is the average like a work week for you as a voice actor?

Well, you know, I have shows that I'm a regular on. I have a lot of shows that I reoccur on, and then I have a lot of shows that I just do guest spots on. So I have in your regular gigs, you have maybe two on Monday, one on Thursday, one on Friday, and then you'll have your reoccurring gigs that you do, you know, throughout the week too. I'd say work maybe four or five times a day.

And do you find it's a difference between Cause it's funny. I listen to you and I'm like, I've done voice over work, but I feel like it's a difference between a voiceover actress and a voice over I want to say, announcer, like different things versus Yeah, and.

You break that down to people, well, I think a voiceover a voice announcer, you're trying to do something that is going to of course lure them in. And the only quality that one has to have is that cell sell sell ability and that likability. And of course, when you're a voice over actress, you're playing characters, so likability and all those other things are not important. It's just important that you're delivering a well rounded, believable character.

How do you protect your voice?

I don't, man, I smoke weed, I smoke cigarettes. I smoke I'll smoke you if you'll fit in this paper.

But I you know, but so I don't.

I don't.

I don't take care of my voice. I'm an asshole when it comes to this voice. Man, I just go really fucking hard. I mean, yeah, so I got no.

Advice about.

It works.

Well, you know, it's also just it's real Rasby and it's always been and it's not going to clean up if I fly straight, you know, So why fat dairy?

I do?

I do?

Yeah?

Yes, in my mind, I think everybody thinks, you know, sometimes I'll just have my face and a rib and you know, a fan of walk By be like Oh my god, Freddy.

You eat meat and I just think, yeah, I love it. What do you want?

Man?

What did you think of Nika and Van's cover of Me Sleep?

I really am good friends with Nica because Nika's son, Suede, goes to school with my daughter Hero and so and I God, I love Van.

I loved it.

I just thought it was.

Cool, you know.

And yeah, I liked it a lot.

I thought they really did.

I thought they did a good job. Nika sings her as off man.

How did you eat Van in the first place? Street?

Van and I wrote together deliciously Down and Mean Sleep and some other songs that I wish the world would get to hear too.

I love writing with Van. We were you know what you're going to say. Listen.

They call me amish two thousand. I'm such a fucking tech retard. One would literally have to do the thing for me. You know, I don't know you know me, so we'll scratch. But that was something that the record company did. The record work group set me up with this dude, David Ryan Harris from Follow for Follow. I used to follow them around like a group album when they would come to l A. My friends and I like groupies. We would go to the gig, would wait by the fucking bus. It was embarrassed.

I was follow a record on it called If I had.

That one Boys Boys, So he did.

He did Dan Faris album That's right, and I think it was her m D for like a couple of years. So they set me up with David, Ryan Harris and Van uh because.

If you on work that you were labeling, you know what's with David Harris.

I wrote Still my Heart with Ryan Harris. That was our cool writing. An Astero is from Toronto. That's my girl. She's I met her because she was dating my brother and then he brought her to a gig and she was happened to be on the same label. An Astero is a pirate and a dear sister of mine.

David, No, he wasn't.

He wasn't.

No, he was on something else. Eagle Eye, the Cherry's Brother.

Save Tonight record that was a good man in a minute. That record was everywhere I heard it, like in Trader Joe's Oh Listen.

It drove me crazy because at the time my album was just laying there like it was laying like a fucking egg, and everywhere we went, We'd hear Saved Tonight and I'd be like that mother.

Yeah, the jealousy, man, it was deep. That was a hard time, man. I we had put so much love and you were.

Ahead of your time and you know, I don't know, man, it was it was rough. I mean, touring was beautiful. We were really adored and embraced everywhere we went. And then you know, you check the record sales.

I have a question for what should again the name of the band.

I was in a band called Subject to Change, and then I did a solo album and then okay, I left the Yeah, the band broke up and.

All right, but let's let's say the Subject to Change you did.

That album tanked as well.

But there's now that did actually come out?

It never came out, Yeah, I guess it.

I think it did come out. Yeah.

I think that's like one of those things you find by accident at a truck stop, right there beside trying to get it right beside Nam Campbell.

I got an idea.

Seeing that album.

It's called Baby Woman.

I've actually heard it. Hold up, Yes, she did what.

I bet Quincy produced it.

No, he didn't have to deal with Okay, but the subject to change.

Go ahead ahead, I'm sorry, sorry.

Now and waited too long.

Now it's going to sound.

How we just diffuse every Steve bomb.

Tell either forget or just won't sound right anymore.

Go ahead?

So the subject to change album? What's that called?

It was called womb Amnesia?

Okay, did it come out or not?

I don't think it.

I think it that.

There's copies, there's used copies for sale and discogs. I'm looking at them right now.

I guess it.

Doesn't matter whether it came out or not, actually, because the idea is to re release it now.

Oh god, I would hate to put that record out. I mean I I just think it sounds like a raging chipmunk.

You know.

It's like, you know, because I was I had just really become a feminist, you know, like just discovered that I you know that I was angry, and so I was really fucking like you know what you know when you first get angry.

I mean, I was mad about being black, I was mad about being a chick.

I was mad about everything, and so that album just sounds like a petulant frenzy, you know, And I.

Think, yeah, I mean, I'm it's sweet you know, fucking pissed, you know hearing it.

Now, is it kind of embarrassing?

Like the thing about like just like I think it's kind of cute, you know, it tickles me a little bit. And I just sound so small, you know, like I sound really small and mad.

So not very potent since you mentioned anger. Just curious to check your your temperature on the Hollywood right now as a feminist, and I love it.

Man, this is a great time.

I think a lot of motherfuckers are shaking in their boots and they should.

It really excites me.

I just can't wait for the next one, you know, you know what, I can't wait because know, I just can't wait for the next motherfucker to get strong because because the truth is, you know, I got two small daughters who have really already expressed a desire to perform and I and I don't want them to ever be pray for these predators. And I also know myself too,

Man looking like we were prey on purpose, you know.

And yeah, they all got to get got because this is this is ancient, this is the beginning of time. This is the plight of the weaker sex.

And time is up.

Time is up, motherfuckers. I have been god, no one ever got me completely. Let's say I got halfway got And I'll tell you another really sad, shitty fact that I know you can attest to. If you get a bunch of women together, not one woman has gotten out unscathed, not one, not a single one can say they didn't get me because we all were so fucking happy to be there. At one point let it go further than we wanted it to go. Maybe we even did say no,

What do you tell your daughter's like, what do you say to them?

You know, I have to be very careful. They're four and six. I don't want them to be afraid.

What I tell them is, if anybody tells you that they can touch you and don't say anything because they'll hurt your mom or dad. You tell them your mom is a wolf, your daddy's a fucking dragon, and nobody can hurt us. I said, anybody touches you, you tell us. I can't wait. You know, my babies know and they see me. I got you know, I'm not the one to cut off while driving.

I'm not. I'm not the one in the park. You know what I mean? Character it actually does, it actually does. Then don't forget.

My mother's family is from North Richmond, California, so I can don't push.

Me birthplace of Masterpiece.

That's right, That's right.

That's so dope. So now, like, what do you pretty much do?

Is it?

Are your days pretty much consistent of voiceover stuff?

It's all voiceover? I mean, I just started writing again. I'm super excited. I'm singing again, and that's setting me on fire.

I'm so happy.

Which is you know, when we talk about retro uh retroactive street Ferry is retroactive, you know, And all of a sudden, you know, people are talking to me about again.

I don't know. I mean, I don't know if you could get back the master or something, but I really I can't.

It's Sony that belongs to this. I'd have to re record the whole fucking you know.

But no, I think it was a record. I mean when it came out, I think it was kind of before it's time a little bit.

I think it was. I definitely wasn't ready for it. Yeah, it's definitely more for now.

It would be understood more now than it would, you know at that time, I think, which us back to my idea.

You can't do that.

But you know, also, don't forget there was a weird thing going on at that time in the nineties. Do you remember when you weren't allowed to do television and music?

Do you?

Guys you know what that was? You don't remember that thing? If you were on TV, if you, well, that's now.

But if you were on TV back in those days, you'd come on the stage and they'd be like, ah, fuck, this is that chick from different world. There's no way I remember God to say, remember everyone she used to just play Genghis cohen Man. But at that time you really couldn't do both a stigma about it. Now you better do it fucking everything.

Yeah, because I was thinking like maybe.

I think your journey with the music, maybe it would have been different if people knew you from the music first and then the acting they start. When you start with the acting first, people automatically discredit you as a musician. It's easy to be a musician, and I have a feeling that was what hinder Jasman's career as a singer as well, because people were expecting and they were waiting for Whitley to start singing.

Yeah, they wanted to give it.

RBL But I am I gotta say though, I am just super grateful for all the sweetness and love that people give Street Fairy.

Now.

I was just literally facetiming Lenny last night and he was saying, man, I can't believe how many people won't stop talking about Street Fairy.

It's so nice, you know, so you're writing now still.

I just have been really set on set a flame. I caught a fire. It feels so good. You're ready to perform too, I would like to, Yeah, I will. I will to.

Rewind back to your voice acting. Yeah you did. You've done video games as well? Right?

I do?

Not as many, not very many thought. Yeah, I like there's things I like about video games and things I don't fucking like about video games. I mean video games when they set down that script, it's like, right, thud.

That's what That's what I wanted to ask you about the strike that recently happened with the voice actors, because you know, you guys have to do you know, screams and so many different like you know, so many different screams and so many different yells.

It's real voice. Yeah, So I was wondering if that was something that you had ever encountered.

Well, oh yeah, man, there's some jobs you just call blood throat. That's like the kind of the code name. You know, how's your gig today? Blood throat? Man, fucking blood throat, because it's just page after page of like, you know, one punch has this sound, one punch has this sound, thirty fucking kicks, nineteen death cries, and by the end of the day, by the end of the day, you just feel like you've been hit by a semi

Were auditioning for.

So you'd go to this gig you it would just say unknown video game, right, and then you'd book it. They'd negotiate your fucking fee.

You'd book it. Yeah you're in Halo. You're in Halo, and you got paid ten cents. So we were pissed. Man, we're pissed. It's not okay.

Wow, So what you know is the union, Well, you guys did strike behind it.

Yeah, we did strike behind it. Okay, you're a little bit better.

You know.

They were also, you know, the the video game companies were saying that it didn't matter if professional actors were doing the doing the jobs, that it was all about the game, and that we were incidental.

Wow.

We'll always wondered it was why couldn't they just you know, once you've recorded, you know, twenty thirty people doing all these different screens, why can't you just reuse them?

Wait?

You know what the kind directors do, the ones that you love to work for do they say, ah, we got it, we got it, go home.

Yeah, we love those people. Yeah, that's Blizzard is really good like that. Andrea Torre is a Blizzard. They're a good company.

Which video games were you on oh god.

Honestly, I'd have to IMDb myself.

Much weed.

I spoke so much weed.

We won't be a fallout.

It won't be a lot of video games fall out because I don't do a lot.

Of final fantasies.

Are you an indict?

I like Sativa? I also like a little Skywalker in the hyd Yeah.

How do you feel about the new the new law situation.

We're going to be able to do it? Yeah, recreation, I think it's wonderful.

No, it's not yet, No, it's now, Yes, it is now.

I got I got mine on Wednesday, so I can do anybody. But there's only four shops in all of Los Angeles, and they're all and what's Hollywood.

But if you have a prescription, we get a discount.

I don't have a prescription. No, I just got a guy that drives it home. I've got the same guy that's been delivering this ship, you know, since the Coke Daisies.

You know what I mean.

It's something about the normal sys. I did that up until like a couple of months ago.

Yeah, night, what does it feel. I've never ever been in one of those shops.

Well, you know what's crazy, because it's like seven eleven, but we no, that sounds went into yeah yeah, And it's kind of crazy to get your prescription over the phone and you know, get it five minutes.

So, I mean, this is what I hear.

Drugs.

I like that door to door man, old school, but.

They have charged, you know, for delivery.

I don't mind, man, because you're just like now, you know.

It's like I don't want to get out of the house.

When you want to smoke. You don't want to go anywhere.

You're talking about drones delivering your weed.

Now, if I was motivated, I wouldn't be exact him. Yeah, we forgot you were here. We just kind of.

You're like in a different world over there.

Wait a minute, Wait a minute. I just read something you were supposed to be make Griffin.

I was Griffin for the first season.

That was was was I thought that was. I got to watch the first season again.

That's awful. Don't do it. You know, that's one of my heartbreaks. Like I just didn't fit, you know, I gotta say, how do.

You fit for? I mean, you're like I did.

I didn't veteran of listen, I've been fired from better jobs.

I have, man, I've been fired from some fucking gig everything. But can I tell you when I do when I go there from a voice though, you can just get the same call you get from every gig. You know, it's not working. You know, we really love her, it's not working.

You know.

Here's the thing. You know, when that fucking job smarts me.

When I go to do a guest spot on The Cleveland Show and it's a building a family guy like man, that fucking I get butt hurt going up on the elevator because I just like, think of all the fucking money I could have made that was probably get fired from. But I just didn't, you know, when you just don't gel. I mean, I have to tell you this. You know, Seth Green and I are that's my love. But the other Seth, I mean, we just didn't We didn't you do? Oh yeah, that's a love of my life. He's such

You know.

It's like Meg was always just a straight ahead character, said you didn't have to be silly.

I think that might have been a problem. I don't know how good I am as the straight man.

Oh, they wanted you more dryer. Yeah, and you were.

I think I was just trying everything everybody else was trying, you know, because I.

Love that first season, So I gotta watch it now. Well, yeah, I was one of the people that was like, I want to see a bit you know when when they got cancel when they got canceled all that stuff. It was one of those people too. Wow, Okay, now I gotta read Sorry, America, watch it. I gotta rewatch it.

Well, so.

I'm using the Simpsons as as the wrong example, But is the goal to be on a series so successful that those residual checks just it would be nice?

I mean, you know, it would be nice. You know I I don't even think I think about it in terms like that and in v O because it's such a constant. Do you know what I mean?

But what's what constitutes a successful series? Five years?

Twenty years of rug round?

Hold on, I'm sorry, I hate to rewind back to to a family guy, but I just read the wiki.

Together.

We want to we want to talk about Foxy loving.

Love the fox.

Yes, let me know if this is correct. On your.

Fat They're fun, get that your fun.

Okay, I just want to see if this is true.

This is on your Wikipedia page, but it says the reason why Meg got recast because they felt having a black woman's voice of white character would be racially insensitive.

The Cleveland show, that's.

A fucking.

Well, we thought it will be insensitive, so we fire the black girl white man. If it's true, I hope it's not true.

Yeah, that would kissed me off.

Yeah, let's let's say that's not You got to.

Go back in the building. Yeah, I gotta go back.

I had to update great filling games before you took off.

We talked about Foxy you know, Yeah.

She's not real. You know that, right, Foxy Love. I just feel that ask some question.

It's real.

She was a Jacoli colored, freaking amed foreman. Then for Maniac mistress Salva musician.

She plays Frisbee, that's right.

She played the ship out of the jingle frisk How many seasons we get out of that? That was like, I think we only got to God. It was so good. No one was exempt, I mean even God. I remember there was like this glory, glory, hollelujah, and he you know, sorry anyway, saying everybody got theirs you know.

Here's here's a good question. Do you think there should be limits in comedy? Because, like, you know, the Dave Chappelle, I love that and you love I love them too, But there are quite a few people that did not like the Specials because of some of the topics that he covered. So I'm assuming that you don't think that there should be any boundaries in comedy.

I don't know if I just think in comedy, I mean, I just think that, Oh, that's such a tough one. I use my instinct when it comes to when I'm offended, do.

You know what I mean?

I I can feel, I can feel when it hurts you. I can feel when it hurts and then I can feel when it's just a really fucking clever joke, man. And listen, caricatures exist for a reason. Yeah, we all got a little bit of that ship.

You hear actually said that word.

Caricatures, caricatures, the boxing, caricatures, caricatures.

I love it.

Hear it? Wow? And actually I almost wish I wasn't in the room with her so I could just hear it. Do you kids know what you are?

Do you know?

They don't give us ship, They don't watch TV.

They do.

They watch My daughter loves the Legend of Cora. Brave, Brave, Little Wing loves the Legend of Cora.

Mama, is that your voice?

You know which one hero loves? Vamporina.

This new show I do on Disney Junior and I actually the May the Circle Be Unbroken, bye and bye and bye and bye. I just got them a gig on Vampa.

They did, you're pulling.

Oh yeah, let's Mama's gonna be oldest started somebody else get to work.

To save this time she was seventeen.

Show you right?

Yes, yeah, But they don't really, they don't get very excited. I mean, every now and then a cartoon will come on and they'll say is that you? And I say yeah, and then they just go by the business. As a matter of fact, I got so excited about Vamporina because this is the only cartoon they've gotten excited about. At first, I was trying to push it on them. I'd be like, don't you want to check out this?

Look at this ship like, and they just didn't like it.

You know.

That One of our guys on the podcast is the musical director for Sesame Streak and his daughters.

Hate me just about to make even the Halloween episode when he was like trying to They were just like, no, I'm good. Well you know I think. I mean, I'm trying to think of Wars. I was about to say, like I wanted to be there so much. Anyway, Well, uh listen, this was so.

Long, cried I.

Well, I appreciate you coming.

Yeah, I'm happy I did well. Like I said, I'm a fan.

So we love you, thank you, thank you for.

Meeting you guys.

She looks at Steve any last words.

Steve now on behalf of two members of the Steve Miller Man myself, boss, belle yourself.

Yes, I had to step anyway, that's that's that on behap of it.

Thank you for raising a nation of weird and loving me.

Yes, yeah, just I guess I just want to say, God, bless the freaks. Freak shall inherit the earth and the squares.

Got will watch the fuck out at night?

Right the car back please then I'm stalking of all you freaks out there. Thank you for listening to question.

This is a question. We will thank you, thank you, thank you, and I love you. Freak goodbye.

West Love Supreme is a production of my Heart Radio. This classic episode was produced by the team at Pandora. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.