Whoa. There I was, sitting on the piano bench as he played the hits he was involved in. "I know that song. And that one. I played that one on the radio when I was a DJ!" 

Because if it was a hit, there's a good chance Clarence McDonald had a couple hands in  it - on the keyboard or as producer. James Taylor's "How Sweet It Is," Seals & Crofts' "Summer Breeze," Hall & Oates' "Sara Smile," Bill Withers' "Lovely Day," The Emotions' "Best of My Love." Plus Ray Charles, Nancy Wilson, Erykah Badu, The Jackson 5, Barbra Streisand, Aretha ... just read the liner notes and you'll find his name all over the place.

Clarence, who passed away last year at the age of 76, was an early guest on Off-Ramp, and I caught him at exactly the right time. He'd had a lung cancer scare, had met the love of his life Susan, and was feeling like he oughta get out of his shell and share some of his knowledge ... gained from luminaries like legendary LA music teacher Alma Hightower and Eubie Blake. I was honored he trusted me with his story. 

These two interviews debuted in 2009, and there are more to come.

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live; and bythe Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios.

When I interviewed Norman Lear for Veterans Day in 2019, I asked for dibs on his 100th birthday interview. He immediately agreed, looked skyward, and said, "Hear that God? I've got a commitment!" 

Then Covid-19 happened. So as Lear turns 100 (on July 27), we'll have to make do with a rerun ... but if anybody should be okay with a rerun, it's Norman Lear, creator of so many groundbreaking TV shows - like "All in the Family," "The Jeffersons," and "Maude" -- that helped America confront its demons.

But mostly, in this interview done for KPCC's Take Two show, we talked about America, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and its promise of "the pursuit of happiness," and his service on a B-17 bomber in World War 2.

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live; and bythe Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios.

LeVar Burton on Reading Rainbow, Roots, and Next Gen ... Matt Groening on Huell Howser's retirement ... Gordon and the spider ...

Huell retired after 20 years of California's Gold ... Countercultural Paul Krassner remembers getting stoned with Groucho, John, and Yoko; celebrating the dean of radio DJs, Art LaBoe, 87; another Instagram winner!

1914: 28 men set off to cross Antarctica and wind up with an even greater accomplishment by failing in their original mission.

Time machines: "Classic Dining: Discovering America’s Finest Mid-Century Restaurants;" the 25th anniversary of "Star Trek: The Next Generation;" and the frozen wing of the Alexandria Hotel, locked in space and time since 1938.

Richard Simmons is still sweating to the oldies. Carole Bayer Sager on her second act. Suicide by train. Facing death with dignity.

How LAX killed Surfridge ... Painter Phil Stein, Siqueiros assistant & friend ... Laurie Rubin dreams & sings in color ... commentators Brody & Rosenfeld ... Tattoo U?

Martians invade the US, terrorize, murder, and destroy! The complete 1938 "War of the Worlds" from Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre on the Air.

Amateur unearths US President Franklin Marshall ... the Green Book guided black motorists ... Yanow and Beer ... Instagram contest ... the love of K-Pop.