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.

Saturday at noon, a special live, 2-hour broadcast, as we march with Endeavour -- and hundreds of thousands of Angelinos -- from LAX to the California Science Center.

EatLA tastes olive oil, tells obsessive foodies to chill, and discovers why canned beer is better than bottled beer; Dylan Brody remembers the charms of Schuylerville NY; San Antonio Winery turns 95; look out for Frank Stoltze at your local restaurant - he wants to talk politics with you.

A TNG extravaganza for the ground-up restoration, now on Blu-Ray ... My Imported Bride, Part Two ... The man who invented "Gaytino." Brian has Mice.

Hunter Davis and his preternatural Ian McKellen impression; Masami Teraoka on almost 50 years of boundary-stretching art; Happy Birthday Rocky, Natasha, and Witch Hazel (June Foray); Pat Metheny on tenor sax; and probably one or two other things you wouldn't expect on a public radio show.

Smokey Robinson for Poet Laurate! Larry Davis, working on his second album at 74. Carlos Almaraz, influential Chicano artist, remembered at Vincent Price Art Gallery.

Wayne White gets a documentary; Jerry Gorin reports on the history of Pasadena's Doo Dah Parade and meets Roxette; the late Hal David sings his own hits, including "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head;" "The People's Guide to Los Angeles;" Bienvenu! the Super Scooper arrives in LA (from Quebec) in time for wildfire season;

This week on Off-Ramp, we revisit some of our favorite moments from this year: A homeless advocate finds a way to give back to the very community he took from. What do you do after you've been robbed? (Become a superhero.) And John Rabe calls Betty White a grandma.

This week on Off-Ramp, named best public affairs program by the LA Press Club: Will lowering the speed limit on the 110 between downtown and Pasadena automatically make it safer? What happens when 71 artists fill a sketchbook? (They help build 4 libraries.) And one of the greatest music festivals you've never heard of, Wattstax, which happened 40 years ago.