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.

Chicano Batman ... CyberFrequencies ... ghosts of the past as Peruvians vote in LA ... downtown LA's power list ... downtown LA treasure: San Antonio Winery ... a stickfighting dojo ... Pato's response to the Friday haters ...

Noir film festival returns to The Egyptian ... The Angles on the Angels and the Dish on the Dodgers ... Peru Elections ... EatLA ... Dinner Party Download ... Play with Fire and Submit a Story for Burn This! ... Sam Slovick's gay teenage life, and new Slake short story: "Tommy Crow"

Slake's John Albert remembers when Van Halen was groundbreaking and good ... Riding the Blue Line ... Poison or Pleasant - what is the plant in Kevin's backyard ... Bike Advocate ... Seth MacFarlane ticket winners singing with spoons ... Simon Cowell previews The X Factor ...

Disaster preparedness in SoCal ... Dinner Party Download ... Apollo, the Getty Villa's handsome but dangerous god ... Poppies return ... Running the LA Marathon ... Owsley Stanley remembered ... Seth MacFarlane SINGS ... Lomita's "Black Widow"

Filmmaker and author R.H. Greene presents "Vampira and Me," a special documentary for Off-Ramp that tells the story of Maila Nurmi, creator of the cultural icon Vampira.

This week: Columbo co-creator William Link, hard times for Marshelle Mills, underemployed mother of three and more!

LA's Blue Line the most dangerous rail line in the US ... EatLA on the best sausage in LA ... the lonely wolverine ... home renovation advice from Kevin, Norm, and Richard of This Old House ... Dinner Party Download ...

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's doc on 1930's all-black basketball champions ... See Richard Run - but for/from what? ... CyberFrequencies on The Social Network ... Death warmed over is good ... butterflies in your backyard and flowers at Customs ... Meet Mr. Lincoln ...