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Hot Ones - Season 29 - Episode 07: Charlie Puth Beats Himself Up While Eating Spicy Wings
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00:00I swear, I'm not, but this isn't for clout. This isn't for like, oh, he's so funny. I'm in pain.
00:13Hey, what's going on, everybody? For First We Feast, I'm Sean Evans, and you're watching Hot Ones.
00:17It's the show with hot questions and even hotter wings, and today we're joined by Charlie Puth.
00:21He's a four-time Grammy Award-nominated singer, songwriter, and producer. His latest album is
00:25called Whatever's Clever, and it's scheduled to release on March 27th. Check out the singles,
00:29changes, and beat yourself up out now, as well as the Whatever's Clever World Tour to follow.
00:34But in the meantime, it's a go-round with the wings of death. Charlie Puth, welcome to the show.
00:38Thank you for having me. I'm a little, I haven't been this nervous since the Super Bowl,
00:42if I'm going to be completely honest. Are you not much of a spicy food guy?
00:46No. I actually haven't had spice in probably a couple of years.
01:14The smell itself kind of smells spicy. This one here?
01:19Yep. That's the one.
01:21This one. Okay. Ready?
01:25Mmm.
01:28Wait, hold on. That's not that bad.
01:35That's actually good.
01:37So, from Jeff Goldblum...
01:38It's hot.
01:41I think I'm going to be good.
01:43So, from Jeff Goldblum to a Tata, even a saxophone solo from Kenny G,
01:48the features on your new album, Absolutely Rule.
01:51Can you talk me through the origin story of a song like Love and Exile,
01:54and specifically what it was like to record alongside
01:57Yacht Rock legends Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins?
02:00We just got together, had a couple of mochas,
02:03and just, uh, Kenny was like,
02:05okay, the song is called Love and Exile.
02:07And I'm like, that sounds like a book.
02:08That sounds like a novel.
02:09What, uh...
02:10I was playing something.
02:11I'll never forget this.
02:12I was playing something,
02:13and then he whispered in my ear quite loudly,
02:16I think you should let Mike play the keyboard.
02:20I'm like, say less.
02:21Michael McDonald walked over to my Rode 73
02:24and just played...
02:28I'm like, ooh, a shuffle.
02:31It hurts.
02:37You'll hear it,
02:38but it's kind of like a modern-day Yacht Rock anthem.
02:41How would you describe Yacht Rock?
02:43Like, are there qualities that make a song peak yacht?
02:46I think what makes a song peak yacht
02:49is the jazzy chord structure.
02:53You listen to Ambrosia.
02:54It's not just a regular F chord.
02:57It's like an F suspended chord,
02:59which is just a fancy word
03:01for a little bit more notes in the actual chord.
03:04If a triad, C-E-G, looks like this,
03:08a Yacht Rock chord would be C-D-E-G-B-D-F-S-R-F.
03:13So it's just more colors in the chord structure
03:16and a lot of dry drums.
03:19Like, you listen to a record by Steely Dan called Asia.
03:22It's some of the best production ever
03:24because they kept the drums dry.
03:25They, like, kind of hit you in the face.
03:27And I think it might have been one of the origins
03:28for hip-hop and, like, you know,
03:30early New York-based hip-hop
03:32where the drums are, like, really just in your face.
03:34Early LL Cool J, Mama Said Knock You Out.
03:36Like, those drums are all just, like, in your face
03:38and everything behind it is wet.
03:40I think that's what Yacht Rock is as well.
03:46Does it have an exciting flavor, like garlic in it?
03:49It does have garlic in it.
03:51This is a pickled garlic sriracha, in fact.
03:53Okay, talk to me.
03:54I'm going to go to this end.
03:58Mmm.
04:01Wait, I'm, like, really confident all the time.
04:04This is not bad at all.
04:06So I understand that in college,
04:08you do weekly hustle days,
04:10which was bringing your music on the train with you
04:12and then sitting outside record executive doors
04:15for hours on end.
04:16Yeah.
04:16What stands out as, like,
04:17your best or most productive hustle day?
04:19And is there another one that stands out in your memory
04:22for being the harshest feedback or door slammed in your face?
04:25Ooh.
04:25I think the most successful hustle day
04:27was when I successfully got into
04:29the Universal Music Publishing building on Broadway
04:32and successfully finagled my way into a session
04:37with some up-and-coming songwriters.
04:39When I had nothing to my name,
04:42I was just making beats at my parents' house in New Jersey.
04:44The harshest advice was from Cara Diaguardi
04:48when she told me that my lyrics weren't any good.
04:50And I did not take a...
04:5120-year-old me did not take that very well.
04:54But it ended up being the best advice I could ever get
04:57because it introduced me to the idea of collaboration in music.
05:01And all my best songs, in my opinion,
05:03have been made through collaboration.
05:05Attention, written with Jay Cash,
05:06and See You Again, written with...
05:09Like, it's...
05:10Different brains make a great song.
05:16I hear my sister laughing in the background
05:18because she knows what's about to happen.
05:21All right.
05:23Mmm.
05:25Mmm!
05:29Holy moly, wait a minute.
05:31Maybe you're a hot sauce guy all along, Charlie.
05:34Do we ever...
05:34Mmm!
05:36I'm feeling pretty good right now.
05:37And you should.
05:38Oh.
05:39Wait.
05:41Okay, no.
05:42It's just like a little...
05:43A tickle.
05:44Mm-hmm.
05:45Yeah.
05:45Nothing you can't handle, though.
05:46Yeah.
05:47So I've heard you say that your goal with any hook
05:50is to find the balance between too boring and too annoying.
05:54Mm-hmm.
05:54Can you talk me through what that tightrope walk is like for a songwriter?
05:57I think what a...
06:00A song that will resonate with people the most
06:05is a song that has little bits of repetition.
06:08M-m-m-m-mai, Sharona.
06:10I wanna dance, dance, dance, dance.
06:12I came to dance, dance, dance.
06:14But there's just a fine line.
06:17If, like, a little bit too much in the glass...
06:21It's starting to get really hot.
06:22There's a little bit in the glass.
06:24Too much in the glass, rather.
06:26It starts to kind of pour over, and then it becomes annoying.
06:29There's just...
06:30It's like...
06:31You can't go 51%.
06:32You have to go 50%.
06:38My heart's racing all of a sudden.
06:42Mm-mm-mm.
06:44Mm-mm.
06:46Mm-mm-mm.
06:47Double bite.
06:48Yeah.
06:48I...
06:49Oof.
06:49Okay.
06:51I've heard you describe your production process
06:53as being inseparable from your process as a songwriter.
06:56Mm-mm.
06:57Can you give us an example of a specific sonic choice
07:00where the sound was the lyric?
07:02Like, what does the texture of a synth say?
07:05Ooh.
07:06See, I like your questions.
07:07It makes up for this heat.
07:10I think...
07:11If you listen to a song like We Don't Talk Anymore,
07:14that can't have anything but the guitar.
07:17Like, when you press play on the song,
07:18the first thing you hear is do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do.
07:20If that was a piano,
07:21do-do-do-do-do-do-do.
07:22It'd sound too delicate.
07:23If you take that guitar out,
07:25it messes up the lyric.
07:27It doesn't make you feel as impactful.
07:30It's weird.
07:31It's a weird dichotomy because I really...
07:34I really...
07:35Oh, God.
07:35I really love these...
07:36I really like these questions.
07:39I just hate this.
07:40But unfortunately, it has the caveat
07:42of being attached to this format
07:43where the deeper and deeper we go,
07:46the hotter and hotter it gets.
07:47I understand why you do this, by the way,
07:49because when I worked with Pharrell,
07:52we worked at 5 o'clock in the morning
07:54and we used a different part of our brains
07:55because we were kind of half awake.
07:57This is...
07:58I'm not half awake,
07:59but I'm like half in pain.
08:01So my answers are going to be really honest.
08:04That's the point.
08:05Yes.
08:05All right.
08:05So this one is Tropical Amorio
08:07and you can be proud of yourself
08:08officially at the halfway mark.
08:10Excellent.
08:13Mm-mm-mm.
08:15Mm-mm-mm.
08:20Whew.
08:21Okay.
08:22So I feel like most people
08:24have had the experience
08:25of hearing a song...
08:27Yep.
08:31Oh, God.
08:32...of hearing a song
08:33that makes them sad,
08:34even if nothing is sad,
08:35is happening in their lives.
08:36I look kind of sad right now.
08:37Yeah, you do.
08:39Well, make sure that we bet it accordingly.
08:42Go ahead.
08:42Sorry.
08:43What is it about the notes themselves
08:45that trigger that kind of emotional response
08:48in listeners' brains?
08:51Oh.
08:53The notes themselves
08:55that trigger the emotional response,
08:57well,
08:58it has a lot to do
09:02with frequencies.
09:04Do you know the song,
09:06I thought I saw a man brought to life?
09:10Don't seem to know.
09:11Seem to care.
09:12Yeah.
09:13I'm familiar.
09:14It was another song originally
09:16in 1993.
09:17Oh, my God.
09:18It was a punk rock song,
09:20and forgive me,
09:21I don't remember
09:21the name of the band,
09:24but in the late 90s,
09:25they reproduced it
09:26to make it sound
09:27like a breath of fresh air
09:28because the lyric itself
09:31is very sad,
09:32but when you accompany it
09:34with it,
09:35but the melody, rather,
09:37that's what I meant to say.
09:38The lyric is sad,
09:38but the melody is really happy.
09:41I'm torn,
09:42I'm a little late,
09:44la, la, la, la, la.
09:45When you mix happy
09:46with sad,
09:48you get a mix of emotions,
09:49potential mix of emotions
09:50from the listener,
09:51and that's something
09:52I love to do
09:53in my music,
09:54so the melody
09:55is very important,
09:57and it could actually
09:59say the lyric
09:59without the lyric
10:00being there.
10:05I'm going to take
10:06a bite of this yogurt.
10:07You've earned it.
10:09I've had obstacles
10:10thrown my way before,
10:11but I always push through
10:12for music.
10:14That's exactly right.
10:15I love music,
10:16even if it means
10:17being in pain.
10:23This is which one?
10:24Homegrown Hell
10:25is what this one is called,
10:27for better or worse.
10:29Okay, this one's...
10:34Oh my god.
10:36Okay.
10:37You got it.
10:38Yeah.
10:39Okay, I'm good.
10:40So, as we've covered today,
10:42you have this
10:42well-documented ability
10:44to deconstruct
10:44exactly what makes
10:45a song work.
10:46I wonder,
10:47when you look at
10:48the current pop music
10:49landscape,
10:50and you think about
10:50the sounds that define it,
10:52what excites you the most,
10:54and is there anything
10:54you think the game
10:55is missing?
10:56What excites me?
10:57We'll start with
10:57what excites me
10:58the most right now.
10:59I like the fact,
11:02on a logistical standpoint,
11:04that there's no longer
11:06people telling you
11:07what song you have to sing
11:09in order to get played
11:10on this radio station,
11:12in order to get played
11:13on Spotify,
11:13in order to get played
11:14on Apple.
11:16It's just,
11:17best song wins,
11:18which is what
11:19I've always wanted.
11:20I love artists
11:22like Sombra,
11:23who are putting
11:24a lot of reverb
11:24on their vocals,
11:26and I do think
11:27pop music,
11:28in my opinion,
11:29will expand
11:30because of hip-hop.
11:31It's always expanded
11:32because of hip-hop.
11:34You know,
11:35Katy Perry,
11:36Dark Horse,
11:36would not be here
11:38without Juicy J,
11:393-6 Mafia,
11:40and Memphis, Tennessee.
11:42Maybe I'm just,
11:44like,
11:44not keen to,
11:45or hip to what's going on
11:47underground right now,
11:48but I'm really waiting
11:49for something
11:50to raise its hand
11:51and change pop music
11:52because,
11:53I mean,
11:54that's,
11:55that's,
11:56I feel like that's
11:57always how it goes.
12:02The Nightmare Continues Here.
12:04Oh, God.
12:05That's a good title
12:07for Hot Sauce,
12:08The Nightmare Continues.
12:16You know,
12:17on the fifth one,
12:18I was a little,
12:20it was a lot,
12:22but this is,
12:24Don't speak too soon,
12:25though.
12:26Oh, God.
12:27Okay.
12:35Is the yogurt helping at all?
12:37No.
12:40How has your pizza palette
12:41evolved over the course
12:42of your career?
12:43Like,
12:43do you ever think about
12:44how you went
12:45from Nelly's Pizzeria
12:47and Rumson
12:48to Ollie?
12:51Do you ever think
12:52about the journey?
12:53Oh,
12:53Nelly's Fat Blunt
12:54is a good sandwich.
12:58And Mark Luke Hawley
12:59is a good friend.
13:00Best slice in Brooklyn.
13:04Oh,
13:04I was like,
13:05yeah,
13:05take your time.
13:06Take your time.
13:07I don't know.
13:08I still like a $1.50 slice
13:10from two bros.
13:12It makes your pee burn.
13:15I love pizza chefs
13:17in New York
13:17and how hard they work.
13:19And I love pizza
13:20in New Jersey.
13:21I love pizza
13:22in Connecticut.
13:23I love Pete and Elders.
13:27Would you like
13:28some ice cream,
13:28by the way?
13:29I love Seabright Pizza.
13:30I would.
13:31Okay,
13:31come on in.
13:35I love Seabright Pizza.
13:37Shout out to Kono.
13:38I love
13:39a lot of industry.
13:42Oh my God.
13:44How good
13:45does that taste?
13:47I started having
13:47an anxiety attack
13:48a little bit.
13:49I'm like,
13:50actually serious.
13:51I just need a second.
13:53Yeah,
13:53yeah,
13:53yeah.
13:54The sibilance hurts.
13:56The more
13:57I progress
13:57in my career,
14:00I don't become
14:00a pizza snob.
14:02I still
14:03will go to the shore
14:04for a slice.
14:05I still will go
14:06to Luigi's
14:07for a square slice
14:08no matter how greasy
14:09the bottom of it is.
14:11I'll eat.
14:11I'm not a pizza snob.
14:13I go all around
14:13the world
14:14and eat pizza.
14:17no matter
14:18how successful
14:18I may be.
14:26I can't believe
14:27I got to go
14:27to JFK on a Thursday
14:28after this.
14:32I think I,
14:33okay,
14:33so this one
14:33to bomb
14:34beyond insanity.
14:39This one
14:40will be immediate.
14:42This one's
14:42tough for me.
14:44What makes
14:45the Spongebob
14:46episode
14:47Band Geeks
14:47one of the
14:48greatest pieces
14:49of television
14:50ever made?
14:52It's the best
14:55show,
14:56it's the best
14:58cartoon
14:59episode.
15:01Oh my God.
15:02Yeah,
15:02no,
15:03I get it.
15:04It's the best
15:08when you see
15:09the bird's eye view
15:10of Pearl,
15:12Mr. Krabs'
15:13daughter,
15:15being so huge
15:19amongst these
15:20nematodes
15:21and fish.
15:23It's the most,
15:25it's the most
15:25genius thing.
15:26Oh my God.
15:28Yep.
15:29It's the most
15:31Steven Hillenburg,
15:33God rest his soul.
15:34I,
15:35my personality
15:35is based off
15:36that show
15:36and so is my wife's.
15:38You're an alum
15:39of the New England
15:40music camp.
15:41Yeah,
15:42how did you know that?
15:42You're a band geek
15:43yourself.
15:44Uh-huh.
15:45Do you have
15:45a most treasured
15:46memory from that
15:46experience?
15:47Mm.
15:48Having my,
15:50having my first
15:51camp girlfriend
15:51and being 15
15:54amongst other
15:56music nerds
15:57and weirdos.
15:58I was in
15:59percussion group.
16:00I played the
16:00xylophone.
16:01I was horrible
16:02at it.
16:03Oh my God.
16:04Sorry.
16:06Okay.
16:07What else
16:08we got?
16:09Oh.
16:09So up next
16:10is a squash
16:11reaper X
16:12from Vermont.
16:13Okay.
16:25Where in
16:26Vermont?
16:27Bear?
16:28Oh,
16:29fine.
16:29Bear Vermont?
16:30Yeah.
16:31I don't ski
16:32very well,
16:33but I like
16:33to ski there.
16:35So fond
16:36memories.
16:37Being in
16:38And on top
16:38of the sauce
16:39too.
16:39The trick
16:40is to have
16:41the ice cream
16:41right away.
16:42Hmm.
16:43Okay.
16:43You're learning
16:43things along
16:44the way.
16:44Okay.
16:45It's getting
16:45better.
16:47What makes
16:47a song like
16:48the Star
16:48Spangled Banner
16:49so exceptional?
16:50I've heard
16:51you describe
16:51it as the
16:52hardest piece
16:52of music
16:53ever written.
16:54It's constant
16:55tension and
16:56release.
16:58Oh,
16:59say,
17:00can you see?
17:01I can't even,
17:01I can't even
17:02bother right now.
17:03Just look it up.
17:04Listen to it.
17:09A song
17:10like the
17:13Oh God.
17:16It's constant
17:16tension and
17:17release.
17:18It's major
17:18chord,
17:19minor chord.
17:20And it's just,
17:22I don't know,
17:22it just has a
17:23melody that
17:24soars and when
17:25you put it in
17:254-4 timing,
17:27this is good.
17:29So typically,
17:30we dab the
17:31last wing.
17:32I'm going to
17:32not make that
17:33an option.
17:35Why is it
17:35really bad?
17:41Let me just
17:41look at
17:42doing it.
17:44All my friends
17:45are going to
17:45make fun of me.
17:46No one's going
17:47to make fun of me.
17:47No, no, no.
17:48Like, Mike and
17:49Adam are going
17:50to because they've
17:51known me since
17:51college and
17:52they've seen me
17:53throw up in the
17:54bushes for eating
17:54something too
17:55spicy in Boston.
17:56Like,
17:57oh,
17:58no.
17:59I didn't,
18:00I thought it was
18:01going to,
18:01I thought it was
18:02like cinnamon.
18:06I'm not going
18:07to put that
18:08much here.
18:08Yeah, yeah, yeah.
18:09Can I smell it?
18:10Go, yeah,
18:10go for it.
18:11I'm not sure
18:11that's going to
18:11help you.
18:15I can't,
18:16I'm like shaking.
18:17Okay,
18:18I'm just going
18:18to do a teensy
18:19tiny bit.
18:20Yep,
18:20me too.
18:24Wow,
18:24incredible,
18:25Charlie.
18:26JFK.
18:26JF to JFK.
18:30To airport
18:31rides.
18:31Oh, my
18:32fucking
18:32God.
18:32Mm-hmm.
18:33Hold on,
18:34hold on,
18:34hold on.
18:35Mm-hmm.
18:37Okay,
18:37Charlie Puth,
18:37to close things
18:38out,
18:38I understand
18:39that early
18:39on in your
18:40career,
18:40you would
18:41cold message
18:42YouTubers
18:42and offer
18:43to make
18:43them a
18:44theme song
18:44for their
18:44channel
18:45at $50.
18:46Yeah.
18:47I'd imagine
18:47you've added
18:48a few zeros
18:48to the remittance
18:49since then,
18:50but I was
18:51wondering
18:51if under
18:52these ridiculous
18:53circumstances,
18:53you could
18:54maybe beatbox
18:55us a theme
18:56song.
18:57I got the
18:5750 on me.
19:06I did
19:07used to
19:07do that
19:08for
19:08YouTubers
19:08because
19:11it was a
19:12way to
19:12promote
19:12myself
19:16on the
19:16internet
19:18and have
19:18them shout
19:19me out.
19:21and I
19:22enjoyed
19:22doing it
19:22too.
19:25I can't
19:25even use
19:26my lips.
19:27I know,
19:28there's a lot
19:28going on.
19:30Hold on.
19:33It's getting
19:33worse.
19:37Listen,
19:38for the first
19:39time,
19:39you got
19:40nothing out
19:40of me
19:40physically.
19:41You're just
19:42going to
19:42have to
19:42use some
19:43stock music.
19:44I don't
19:44know.
19:45You know
19:45what?
19:46You've
19:46given us
19:46more than
19:47enough
19:48today and
19:49look at
19:49you taking
19:50on the
19:50wings of
19:50death,
19:51living to
19:52tell the
19:52tale.
19:52Now there's
19:52nothing left
19:53to do but
19:53roll out the
19:54red carpet
19:54for you.
19:55This camera,
19:55this camera,
19:56this camera,
19:56let the
19:57people know
19:57what you
19:57have going
19:58on in
19:58your life.
19:59My new
20:00album,
20:01which camera
20:02do I look
20:03at?
20:03Whichever
20:03one you
20:04want.
20:04My new
20:04album,
20:05Whatever's
20:05Clever,
20:06is out
20:08March 27th.
20:09My son or
20:10daughter is
20:11going to look
20:11at this
20:11one day.
20:13I'll be
20:13like laugh
20:14or be
20:14embarrassed.
20:15Hold on.
20:17Come see
20:18me at
20:18Madison
20:19Square
20:19Garden if
20:20you're in
20:20New York.
20:22We have
20:23Coco Jones,
20:24Raven
20:24Linnae,
20:25Jeff Goldblum,
20:26Michael
20:26McDonald,
20:27Kenny
20:27Loggins,
20:28Kenny G,
20:29all on
20:29Whatever's
20:30Clever,
20:30which is my
20:30new album.
20:31This has been
20:32horrible, but
20:33again, I will
20:33do anything for
20:34music and I
20:35want to inspire
20:36all of you to
20:37make music and
20:39just put your
20:40thoughts into
20:41art.
20:47great job.
20:50Thank you for
20:51the nice
20:51questions.
20:53I've watched
20:53almost every
20:54episode.
20:55Yeah.
20:55Oh, really?
20:55Yeah.
20:56No, I'm a
20:57big fan.
20:57I really
20:57wanted to do
20:58this.
20:58I'm so happy
20:59you guys reached
20:59out.
21:00I really,
21:01really am.
21:01Well, we love
21:02the album.
21:03I've turned
21:03so many people
21:03onto it.
21:04Yeah, yeah,
21:04yeah.
21:05This is like a
21:06big deal for me
21:07being here.
21:07In all seriousness,
21:08I really wanted to
21:09do this for a long
21:10time.
21:11Was it worth
21:12it?
21:13Yes.
21:14We'll take it.
21:16Hot ones.
21:17La la la la la.
21:20Hot ones fans,
21:22what happens when
21:23you combine the
21:23four hottest
21:24peppers on
21:24planet Earth?
21:25You get the
21:26hottest dab
21:27ever.
21:28Introducing the
21:29last dab,
21:30Thermageddon.
21:31Grown by the
21:32one and only
21:32Smokin' Ed
21:33Curriot unites
21:33some of the
21:34hottest peppers
21:34on the planet.
21:35Pepper X,
21:36the Apollo,
21:37Carolina Reaper,
21:38and Scorpion
21:39Pepper.
21:39Are you built
21:41for it?
21:41Pick up your
21:42bottle at
21:43hotones.com,
21:44hotones.com,
21:45that's hotones.com
21:46to get your
21:46hands on the
21:47last dab
21:48Thermageddon.
21:48And don't say
21:49I didn't warn
21:50you.
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