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.

Mateo Stoneman, White Mariachi; My Way on the Highway; Where Your Money Goes; Dumpster Diving For the Working Poor; Skid Row's Only Women's Shelter; Tree of Life; Words as Currency; Classical Music Forecast; Guacamole, Mon Amour; NPR Name Game; The Unsung Pelon; Giving's Only Natural; Soundtrack of Your Life; Letters

Off-Ramp wins LA Press Club's National Entertainment Journalism Award; City Government says: Waste Water; Prudent Planting; Immigration Affairs; Videos Galore; The Barbers at Legends; Let It Snow, Let It Snow; Life in the "Fast" Lane; Pasadena Newsstand Closes; Bratton on Britney; The Restaurant With No Sign; A San Francisco Dandy; My Story

Soundtrack of Your Life; Song Stories; Okies at the Getty; Sound of Los Angeles; Skid Row: Treating Diabetes; Bike On; Mix Tapes; Letters

BCAM Cometh; How Great The Art?; Bob Dylan at the Skirball; Marlene Dietrich sings "Blowin' In The Wind."; Firth In Our Hearts; Happy Valentine's Day! Love, Milton; Shabu Shabu; For Valentine's Day; Racism for Dummies; Commuters Looking For Community; Holocaust Museum Breaks Ground; Letters

Former Daily Show Correspondent on Super Tuesday; Fast Food Dude on the State of the Union; Buy America; How To Get Around Saving; In the Spin Room; Young American; McCain's New Theme Song; Rally Maverick; Latino Vote; Bill Can't Stop Thinking About Yesterday; Ch-Ch-Changes; D.I.Y. T.V.; Super Bowl Past; Doo Dah; JPL Marks 50th Anniversary of the First U.S. Mission Into Space

Doo Dah-Palooza; A (Deli)cious Tradition; Guacamole, Mon Amour; The Ineffable Off-Ramp Mysterions land at Doo-Dah; The Dresser's Dilemma; The Dresser's Answer; Too Hot!; Pop Star; Abundant Pharmacy; And We're Off!; Grand Theft Antiquities?; Tarzan of Tarzana

Father's Day; Stay at home dad; MYOB; Maila Nuri, Vamp Extraordinaire; It's a Wonderful Life in Encino; A Broad View of History; A Dream Partnership; Inside Huxley's World; No Frills B.B.Q.; Nothing, Honey.; Off-Ramp Exit Interview; Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Grade A Investigator; Grover Grades Restaurants; Gotcha!; Graciela Iturbide on La Fotografia; Identy Theft or Art?; Watching the L-Word Is Code for I'm Gay!; It's Raining, It's Pouring, The Ocean is Groaning; Green Streets; He Giveth and Taketh Away; Don't Burn the Beans!; Seven Spicy Seas