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- [00:00]
James
Regular listeners of this life of mine will know that really on the show often we talk about great moments in people's lives, whether that's great memories or people that they love or songs or films. But you know and I know that life isn't always full of just great moments. And we all have times when everything just kind of piles up, whether that's work or family, friendships, relationships, whatever it might be. And you think, I think I might need to speak to somebody. I had one of those stretches fairly recently actually, and I'm away from home at the moment. I'm working in New York. And I tried to find a therapist online and honestly, it was hopeless. Every therapist I found, they were either fully booked or they were out of network or they were charging prices, which made me think, sorry, does this come with a yacht? And I remember thinking, it really shouldn't be this hard. Affordable, accessible mental health care shouldn't be something that's out of reach. But too often it is. And look, if we use insurance for physical health, why shouldn't our mental health get the same treatment? And that's exactly why I love what Ruler is doing. Here's the deal with Ruler. Most online therapy platforms don't work with insurance at all, which means you'll be stuck paying out of pocket or signing up for some incredibly expensive monthly subscription. But Ruler does it differently. They partner with over 100 insurance plans, which means the average copay is just $15 a session. And Ruler doesn't just match you with the first available therapist, they actually take the time to understand your goals. And then they will give you a curated list of therapists who are in network and genuinely aligned with what it is that you need. So if you go to ruler.com lifeofmind you can get started today. That's R U L A.com lifeofmine for quality therapy that is covered by insurance. There are no wait lists, no endless emails. Ruler helps you find someone who is available as soon as tomorrow. Because finding the right therapist, well, that could be life changing. Thousands of people are already using Rula to get affordable, high quality therapy that is actually covered by insurance. So if you visit ruler.comlifeofmind you can get started straight away. And after you sign up, they're gonna ask you how you heard about them. And it would be great if you could support our show and let them know that we sent you the that's r u l a.com lifeofmine. You deserve mental healthcare that works with you, not against your budget. This podcast is brought to you by Wise, the app for international people using money around the globe. With Wise, you can send, spend and receive up to 40 currencies with only a few simple taps. Whether you're buying souvenirs with pesos and Puerto Vallarta or or sending euros to a loved one in Paris, you know you're getting a fair exchange rate with no extra markups. That's what makes WISE the fast, affordable way to use your money around the globe. WISE offers 24.7live support and runs over 7 million daily checks to catch and prevent fraud. So you know your money is where it's supposed to be. Be Smart. Join the 15 million customers who choose Wise Wise. Download the Wise app today or visit wise.com Learn more by visiting wise.com us Compare T's and C's. Apply.
- [03:57]
Michael Buble
Lemonada.
- [04:12]
James
Hello and welcome to this Life of Mine. The show where our guests pick the places, people, possessions, music and memories that have made them who they are. My guest today is a five time Grammy award winning singer songwriter. He's become synonymous with that most wonderful time of the year ever since his Christmas LP became one of the best selling albums of the 21st century. He's had an extraordinary life and has carved a path that is very much his own and one that few would have seen coming for someone whose first career I found out was as a commercial fisherman. I'm so excited to talk about what he's chosen for today's show. Are you ready?
- [04:56]
Michael Buble
I'm ready.
- [04:57]
James
Well then take us away.
- [04:58]
Michael Buble
I'm Michael Buble. Welcome to this Life of mine. Oh, oh, oh.
- [05:12]
James
I'm so happy that you're here.
- [05:13]
Michael Buble
Thank you.
- [05:14]
James
As I said to you just now, I said, are you ready to start? And you said, yeah. And I did a little cough. I did like a. And you, you started a little sort of vocal warm up. Did I get a little glance at what Michael Bouvle's vocal warmup is like?
- [05:27]
Michael Buble
No, I was mocking you.
- [05:28]
James
Oh, you were mocking.
- [05:32]
Michael Buble
I heard you coughing and I was like hummer girl. Oh, I. You know what I actually do though, James, my wife hates it. Especially on tour. I go like this. I need to know if I have the head voice. I do it a lot.
- [05:51]
James
When do you start your warmup time wise before you go on?
- [05:53]
Michael Buble
I don't usually.
- [05:55]
James
You don't warm up your voice?
- [05:56]
Michael Buble
I do not do a warm up, no.
- [05:57]
James
So you just sort of do it throughout the day?
- [05:59]
Michael Buble
No, I have no discipline.
- [06:00]
James
No. Come on.
- [06:01]
Michael Buble
I have treated my voice terribly. No vocal exercises or warmups? Never, never. And I know I need to. I should sometimes I do like a kind of thing, but. But no.
- [06:14]
James
I remember when I saw you at the O2 arena in London, which is the biggest arena in Britain, which is, you know, sort of 16,000 people. You were playing multiple nights there. And anyone who's seen you live will have seen you do this thing that you do, which is an amazing thing. Towards the end of the show, you'll drop the mic.
- [06:32]
Michael Buble
Yeah.
- [06:32]
James
And you'll ask everyone to be quiet and you'll just sing in your voice. And wherever you are in that room, you can hear you clear as a bell.
- [06:41]
Michael Buble
Yeah.
- [06:41]
James
Let's say you're in, I don't know, Radio City. That's one thing. That's what, 5,000 people? Maybe you're in the Albert Halls. Another thing in an arena like that. Do you ever worry when you're doing that that people might not be able to hear you?
- [06:54]
Michael Buble
That's a really great question. I think I'm just hoping they would. You know what's funny? It started I was in LA doing a showcase 20 years ago at a place called Feinstein's. And at the end of the showcase, everything went out, the board went out.
- [07:08]
James
Oh, right.
- [07:09]
Michael Buble
It's just a little tiny place. And I watched my sound guy turn white. Cuz it was that close and I could see him just sort of give me that. We've lost it all, lost all power. And so the last song of that set was My Funny Valentine. It's one of those things. And I know you've done this cuz I know you're a fabulous entertainer and you understand how to improvise that. Sometimes when we're afraid or we think we can't do this, we're not gonna. I'm gonna fail. Something happens to us where you go out, the light goes on, the camera turns on and then things just go into slow motion. And in that moment I knew and I turned around to the band and it was this kind of funk version of Boom boom boom, My Funny Valentine. And I remember turning and looking at the band. They were all young guys at that time, still my same guys, but at that time they were all 18, 19 years old. And I remember putting my, you know, hand up and saying shh. Down. And at the end of that show I just acapella. Oh, you're a figure. Let the crazy life open it to speak. Are you smart? Don't. And I did the big ending and it was like this little small audience of people went nuts. Of course they probably felt this guy had planned this. This is the shtick of the show. But once that had happened, I knew I was like, oh my God, I gotta. And then slowly I went from those little tiny clubs to little theaters to soft theaters. And by the time I got to the arenas and I needed that ending, I was like, you know what? Put the mic down and end.
- [08:49]
James
It is a beautiful. It's an amazing moment in those arenas, I think. Is it really what you want as an audience is to feel like you are on some level witnessing something unique tonight. Do you know what I mean? You want to feel like, oh, I was there the night when. And what you really want is you go, oh, no. And then he ended the show in. And every. And also how often are people silent really in the room anymore?
- [09:15]
Michael Buble
And there's no boundary of technology. There's no line between us now. It's not a microphone, there's no amp, there's no. It is just me and you. And what was more interesting for me, James, is you probably you wouldn't remember because it was a long time ago, but the song that I ended up doing that with in the arenas was a song called Song for your. I've been so many places in my life and times. And so to finish those shows and to sing I love you in a place where there's no space or time. I love you for my life. Cause you're all friends of mine because we were alone and I was singing this song for you. It was such a nice, wonderful, sweet message that was clear, you know, and a really beautiful way to leave people. I might go back and do that again.
- [10:03]
James
Oh, I think you should.
- [10:04]
Michael Buble
Yeah.
- [10:05]
James
I mean, we've asked you on the show today to pick a person, a possession, a place, a memory, a movie and a piece of music. And your place relates to something I just mentioned then in the intro. So we're gonna start there. Tell me the place that you've chosen to talk about on the show today.
- [10:23]
Michael Buble
The place that I chose was the ocean surrounding the coast of British Columbia, Canada.
- [10:29]
James
Now tell me why, why is this such an important place for you?
- [10:32]
Michael Buble
Well, it's important because it is such a rich part of my family's history. My great grandfather immigrated from Italy and he came with very little. And he was a shipbuilder. I think that's exactly how his son Frank became a commercial seine fisherman. So he had, along with his brother in law had become captains of these sea seine vessels. They're called purse seiners. And he ran a ship called the East Point. And they Called him the General. And he was a no nonsense guy. Couldn't swim, which is crazy to me.
- [11:07]
James
Wow, that's a bold job to take.
- [11:09]
Michael Buble
If you can't swim. A bold job to take if you couldn't swim. But he was a great leader, great sense of humor. He had a really amazing laugh. And he had two sons and a daughter. He had my father, Louis, and his brother Frankie Jr. And Lisa, my Auntie Lisa, and my dad. And Frankie would go on to become captains of the second generation of seine fishermen. And so by the time I turned 13, I became a half crewman, which means that I would go out for the summers and I would get filled.
- [11:40]
James
Thirteen.
- [11:41]
Michael Buble
Thirteen, yeah. And I would get paid half the money, but to do half the job, basically, because I was too young. But it would change my whole life. It would change everything. It made me who I was.
- [11:52]
James
For anyone listening, describe that stretch of the Pacific that you're talking about.
- [11:58]
Michael Buble
Beautiful, serene, sometimes treacherous others.
- [12:02]
James
What was the scariest moment you had?
- [12:04]
Michael Buble
Oh, there's a million of them, man. There's. You know what? I remember a vessel, a big same boat had had flipped. There's this body of water where the tide is so strong that if you sort of tilted the wrong way or you went at the wrong time, you could go over. And so it was really crazy. And I remember it was traumatic for me because their family were waiting on the other side and they went over and we heard the mayday and then we went and searched for them. All that was left was sort of the. I just remember in the middle of the night, looking at all the debris and stuff and feeling sick to my stomach. And so it was a massive learning curve just as a human being, because, you know, you come from high school. Yeah. Where you treat everyone shittily, and then all of a sudden you're. You're with adults. And it doesn't work like that with adults. There's common respect in the adult world. You know, we've had the life experience of knowing that this is how we should treat each other. And especially in a. In a really tight environment where we're lying on each other. You know, we need to have respect, we need to have trust. We need to build all those things. And so for me, when I talk about why this place was the most exciting and the most important for me, because fundamentally, it made me who I am. I learned how to treat people. I learned how I wanted to be treated. When I turned 20 in 1920, I was singing in nightclubs and I would go in the nightclubs in the winter. And then I would go back fishing, and then I would go back and I'd do the clubs. And one summer, my mom said to me, you know, I think you're a singer now. I don't think you should go back on the boat. I think you should this summer and just go hard and play the clubs and do the things that you should do. But I can't lie, James. By the time I got my break, which was at 27, I was the guy I was gonna be. And I knew this is so much easier and better.
- [14:00]
James
Yeah. Than being out there.
- [14:01]
Michael Buble
Being out there, you know, like. And I was like. And so to this day, I'm like, I'll show up to do a thing with other artists, and they're like, this press junket is so hard. And I'm like, oh, my God, you don't know.
- [14:12]
James
Yeah.
- [14:12]
Michael Buble
I'm like, this is not very. This feels very easy compared to jellyfish in the eye or.
- [14:17]
James
Well, and so many other things. Like, so many other things. I really think that that's the most important thing you can kind of have in this industry that we both work in is the ability to try and somehow Google Earth yourself and your problems. You know what I mean? Like, you know, my sister works in social care and represents children in court. So if I ever think I've had a bad day, I'll call her and I'll go, oh, yeah, you know?
- [14:43]
Michael Buble
Yeah, shut up. And shut up. And fame, it can almost flash freeze your growth.
- [14:50]
James
My theory on fame is I don't care what anybody says. The first weekend that you're famous, on whatever level is the best weekend of your life. Right?
- [15:01]
Michael Buble
Yeah.
- [15:02]
James
What you're more often than not doing is you're going to the same places you've always been because you're in that first flush, and suddenly it's your birthday. People want to talk to you, didn't want to talk to you before. They want to be around you who didn't want to be around you before. They are more attracted to you than they were ever attracted to you in that way before. And I think the thing with fame and the reason you think, oh, you're kind of stunted and frozen there, I think it's that on some level, unless you really do the work on yourself, you on some level spend the rest of your life searching for the feeling of that.
- [15:35]
Michael Buble
Wow, that's a really deep. That's an interesting.
- [15:38]
James
Searching for that feeling.
- [15:40]
Michael Buble
That's interesting. That's. I never thought about it like that.
- [15:42]
James
The holidays are upon us and this season is crazy with holiday parties. When I get back to London, our home will be stuffed with friends and family. Add in some holiday travel, it's gonna be chaos. And all of that chaos has taught me one thing. You've got to make the easy things easier. And that's where cachava has quietly become my holiday miracle this year. What I do before I dash into a party or a work event or at that, a quick shake stops me from inhaling the entire buffet. Even when I'm traveling, I take a couple of servings right into the carry on. And here's the exciting bit. For this holiday season, Cachava has done something absolutely glorious. Their new limited edition chocolate mint flavor. It's basically the holiday season in a glass, but without the sugar crash. It's decadent, it's refreshing, and it still delivers all of the whole body nutrition that I've come to rely on so I can enjoy all of the festivities without feeling like I consistently need a lie down. Using Kachava has really made a huge difference in my life. My energy lasts all day thanks to all of the vitamins and minerals. My digestion is doing God's work with the fiber, probiotics. My metabolism stays steady with the B vitamins and minerals. The essential minerals help keep my mind sharp even when all of the holiday chaos ramps up. So if you would like to savor the season and survive it, chocolate mint Cachava might just be your new best friend. In every cachava shake, you get 25 grams of 100% plant based protein. It's an all in one nutrition shake with no nonsense. No artificial flavors, no colors, no sweeteners. It's non gmo, no soy, no gluten, no animal products, no preservatives. And you can try it all risk free with their love it guarantee. Thousands of reviews say that you are going to love it and honestly, you probably will. So you can calm the holiday chaos. Go to cachava.com use the code lifeofmine for 15 off. Your next order. That's Kachava. K A C-H-A-V-A.com code life of mine for 15% off. Regular listeners of this life of mine will know that really on the show. Often we talk about great moments in people's lives, whether that's great memories or people that they love or songs or films. But you know and I know that life isn't always full of just great moments. And we all have times when everything just kind of piles up. Whether that's work or family, friendships, relationships, whatever it might be. And you think? I think I might need to speak to somebody. I had one of those stretches fairly recently actually, and I'm away from home at the moment, I'm working in New York. And I tried to find a therapist online and honestly, it was hopeless. Every therapist I found, they were either fully booked or they were out of network or they were charging prices, which made me think, sorry, does this come with a yacht? And I remember thinking, it really shouldn't be this hard. Affordable, accessible mental health care shouldn't be something that's out of reach. But too often it is. And look, if we use insurance for physical health, why shouldn't our mental health get the same treatment? And that's exactly why I love what Ruler. Here's the deal with Ruler, most online therapy platforms don't work with insurance at all, which means you'll be stuck paying out of pocket or signing up for some incredibly expensive monthly subscription. But Ruler does it differently. They partner with over 100 insurance plans, which means the average copay is just $15 a session. And Ruler doesn't just match you with the first available therapist, they actually take the time to understand your go. And then they will give you a curated list of therapists who are in network and genuinely aligned with what it is that you need. So if you go to ruler.com lifeofmind you can get started today. That's R U L A.com lifeofmine for quality therapy that is covered by insurance. There are no wait lists, no endless emails. Ruler helps you find someone who is available as soon as tomorrow. Because finding the right therapist, well, that could be life changing. Thousands of people are already using Ruler to get affordable, high quality therapy that is actually covered by insurance. So if you visit ruler.comlifeofmind you can get started straight away. And after you sign up, they're gonna ask you how you heard about them. And it would be great if you could support our show and let them know that we sent you. That's r u l a.com lifeofmine. You deserve mental health care that works with you, not against your budget. Let's move on to your person that you'd like to talk about.
- [21:12]
Michael Buble
The person that I wanted to talk about was my father.
- [21:15]
James
Can I tell you how glad I am that you chose your father and not mine?
- [21:19]
Michael Buble
I know. You know, it was hard though. It was a real ab thing between Malcolm and Lewis.
- [21:24]
James
I did wonder because for listeners who don't know this, Michael has an extraordinary relationship with my dad ever since we did carpool karaoke.
- [21:34]
Michael Buble
Totally.
- [21:35]
James
And my dad got in the back of the car and played saxophone.
- [21:37]
Michael Buble
Yeah.
- [21:37]
James
And can I tell you, I don't think I've ever said this to you properly. Your relationship with my dad, which is, you know, on text and all those things, means so much to him and me.
- [21:49]
Michael Buble
Same like.
- [21:50]
James
No, no, no. Because you said in that carpool, you. Because dad was playing sax, and you said to him, oh, Malcolm, that was great. You should come on stage with me one day in the way that lots of people do.
- [22:01]
Michael Buble
Yeah.
- [22:01]
James
Sure enough, a few months later, my dad is. And that. I can't tell you that night that he had and he went on stage with you. He will never forget that as long as he lives. And I want to thank you for being so great to him.
- [22:12]
Michael Buble
That was so cute, seeing your family bopping around and dancing. Oh, your dad, as you know, is a special cat.
- [22:19]
James
But listen, that's enough about my dad.
- [22:20]
Michael Buble
All right?
- [22:21]
James
Let's talk about your dad. Tell me why your father's the person you've chosen to talk about.
- [22:28]
Michael Buble
Through my life, over and over again, the older I've gotten, I've realized that all the things that used to cringe me out when, you know, my mother or my friends or my wife would say, oh, my God, you know, you're your dad. You know, you're becoming Louis. And I would go, like, no, I'm not. I love my dad, you know, but, like, no, I'm not. I'm so different. I'm so edgy and. And the older I got, the more I realized that there could be no greater compliment from anyone in the universe than to tell me that I was becoming like my dad. Because my dad is and has always been a gentleman. Gentleman, but a gentle man. Right. Humble. Leads with joy and light and empathy and goodness. Realizes that his legacy will be the way he makes people feel every day. I keep it in my mind that that's my legacy that I leave to my kids, hoping that one day, when I'm long gone, they'll be able to feel the same way about me that I felt about my pop. And he's incredibly frugal, and he's, you.
- [23:43]
James
Know, the truth is about to ask, in what ways do you think you're like your father? And now I understand. Understand.
- [23:48]
Michael Buble
I call him Captain Safety. Like, for Christmas, we got him a picture of him, and we had it, like, AI'd so that it was him wrapped in a bunch of padding and phone books around him. So that when he, like, leaves the house to pick up the newspaper, and it turns out that I am him. You know, my wife is out there with my kids, and let's go surfing. Let's go to the thing. And I'm like, you know, there are sharks.
- [24:12]
James
Right.
- [24:13]
Michael Buble
But again, you know what? There could be worse things than being like Louis, because Lewis is the coolest dude ever.
- [24:23]
James
I mean, he's gonna love hearing that so much. I'm sure. To hear your child talk about you in that way is extraordinary. What was his reaction when you told him that you wanted to be a singer?
- [24:35]
Michael Buble
Full on support. Really? Yeah. I mean, listen, I sang a lot. So on the boat that it wasn't a secret. You know, when I lost and I had to wash the dishes for the crew, you know, I would have Van Morrison. I love Van Morrison so much. I would have Van Morrison playing an Ellen Louie, and I would have Bobby Darin and Dean and, you know, not even just singing. I bet you you did this, too. I should ask you.
- [24:57]
James
I was just never not singing. I was just never not.
- [25:00]
Michael Buble
I didn't just sing. I fantasized.
- [25:03]
James
Oh, yeah.
- [25:03]
Michael Buble
Like, everything was me pretending and fantasizing and envisioning myself.
- [25:10]
James
Sure.
- [25:11]
Michael Buble
Doing this for not.
- [25:12]
James
You know, those fish were, for all they knew, a stadium full of people.
- [25:17]
Michael Buble
Absolutely. Yeah. And it was like, man, I think I willed this. Like, it was me, just.
- [25:22]
James
But there's also that notion. There's that Malcolm gladwell thing, that 10,000 hours, you doing that, that is part of your 10,000 hours. You're going, oh, I can do a little spin here. And I know how to do it. So when the time comes, when you're there, it becomes a sort of muscle memory.
- [25:38]
Michael Buble
Yeah. So it's interesting when you ask what my dad and what he thought about the music. There was a moment when I was at Warner, the record hadn't come out. That was 21 years ago. One of the heads of the creative division had said, look, we have a problem. No one is ever going to buy a record from a person named Michael Buble. Your name is a joke. You need to go away, come up with a new name, and come back to us and tell us what it's going to be. So I went off. My mother's maiden name was Santaga, and I liked that. Michael Santaga didn't flow as well as my grandmother's maiden name, which was Moscone. Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Moscone. I played some clubs and stuff, and I remember that I came to my dad and I said, hey, dad, you know, a couple people there at the company, by the way, I had no power. And I was like, you know, they don't like Buble so much. And. And I said, so I think I'm going to do Michael Moscone. And I remember that he looked at me and he smiled and he said, son, you know, absolutely, if that is what they want to do, then, you know, you do it. Michael Moscone sounds great, but my dad, I don't think, is a great actor. And he smiled, but I didn't believe him. And I knew it hurt him somewhere. I knew he was proud of that name. I knew he had suffered being called the Boob, the Bubbles, The. You know, people massacre his name his whole life, but he was very proud of that name. And it's funny, because it got me really riled up because it hurt my dad. And I remember that I sat down in this big boardroom in Burbank at the Warner offices, and they said, okay, so what is the name? And I said, well, here's the deal. I said, I'm. And I write down a little contract here. I said, if I change my name from Buble to Moscone, you need to just sign something right here that promises me that, you know, you're going to sell the 50,000 records I need to make this next record done. And they said, well, you know, we can't do that. And I said, well, then if you can't do that, you're never going to fucking ask me again. My name is Michael Buble. And what's even crazier is this dude, Dion Singer, who worked for the company at that time, went out and they pressed all the records. And if you go and you find one of the original records, self titled Michael Buble, you can see it right on the COVID It says pronounced Boo Blake. And every ad they made, man, from South Africa to the Philippines to England, was it's pronounced Buble. And literally, it became their whole marketing tool. And it was a big. A big, massive part. Wow. Of why stuff started to stick. Isn't that crazy how that works? Yeah.
- [28:26]
James
I always liked Mickey Bubbles.
- [28:27]
Michael Buble
I always love Mickey Bubbles.
- [28:29]
James
Bubbles is a great name. You know, it's also good if you, you know, have to divert to crime.
- [28:33]
Michael Buble
Hey, Mickey Bubbles.
- [28:35]
James
It's okay. Mickey Bubbles assaulted it. Don't you worry.
- [28:37]
Michael Buble
What's weird, man, is now, I don't know if you know this, but, you know, in England, they call me Mickey, Mickey Bubbles. In Australia, Mickey Boobs. Anywhere where they speak Spanish, Latin America, my name is Miguel Budabuja, which means Michael Bubble. It's crazy.
- [28:50]
James
Yeah.
- [28:51]
Michael Buble
Yeah.
- [28:51]
James
Let's move on to music. I'm so happy you chose this song.
- [28:55]
Michael Buble
Oh, really?
- [28:56]
James
Tell us the piece of music you've chosen for the show today.
- [28:58]
Michael Buble
The piece of music I chose was a song written in 1924 called it had to be you.
- [29:03]
James
It is one of the greatest songs ever.
- [29:07]
Michael Buble
Greatest.
- [29:08]
James
I think this song has been performed by so many people. I mean, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Bobby Darren, Frank Sinatra. I first heard it because of The Harry Connick Jr. Connie Jr.
- [29:22]
Michael Buble
I think his best version.
- [29:24]
James
Sally album.
- [29:25]
Michael Buble
Yes.
- [29:25]
James
Which starts with that. Harry Connick opened his.
- [29:36]
Michael Buble
His.
- [29:36]
James
He did a show at the Royal Festival hall in London, and he opened it with that.
- [29:41]
Michael Buble
Oh, really? And, oh, I would have loved to see them.
- [29:46]
James
And it's just him.
- [29:51]
Michael Buble
And the way he starts. It had to be you. It had to be you. Yeah.
- [30:03]
James
With the lyrics. I wandered around and I finally found the somebody who could make me be.
- [30:09]
Michael Buble
True could make me be blue or even be glad Just to be sad Thinking of you.
- [30:23]
James
So when did you first hear it?
- [30:25]
Michael Buble
So the version I heard was from a singer named Vic Dana.
- [30:29]
James
Right.
- [30:29]
Michael Buble
It just happened to be one of those records that my grandpa had. And my grandpa was a plumber. He had this living room with this old record player. He would always have music playing. He'd have Bobby and he'd have. His favorite was Dean Martin. That was his number one. And he had this song on the record called it had to be you by Vic Dana. It had such a massive impact on me. And it wasn't only the beauty of the song. It was stylistically what was happening. It was the big band and the strings and this. This jazz thing that was so. I mean, this was this, what an exploration for me.
- [31:04]
James
It had to be you.
- [31:07]
Michael Buble
And I remember that I went to his desk and I took a pen and I played the record over and over so that I could write down the lyrics. It had to be you. I wandered around and finally found somebody who. And then I would just sing it over and over. And I remember that he was very happy. My grandpa was my best friend, James, for my whole life. Right. Came on every tour, went everywhere. I mean, everywhere with me, him and his younger brother, my Uncle Butch. I called him the Sunshine Boys. And he's the one who took me to all the auditions, took me to the cruise ships, took me to the malls when I would sing and all this stuff. And. And I remember. So it had to be you. I was about 8 or 9 and he said, like, you like that a sunshine? Oh, yeah, I like that. Oh, you like that? Well, check this out. And that's when it happened. It was like, you like this kind of music, huh? Well, you know what? Grandpa likes this too, but have you heard the Mills Brothers? No, I don't know what the Mills Brothers are. Yeah, you gotta check this thing out. This is called Glowworm. And then, you know, Sarah Vaughan. And then it just was the sensei teaching me, and. And it changed my whole life.
- [32:16]
James
I mean, talk about full circle moments. You then sing this song with Barbra Streisand on her album. Yeah. I mean, in the history of like nine years old to. Where does it get to is amazing.
- [32:33]
Michael Buble
With her sitting this far from me in the studio saying, honey, tell me how I should do this. I want, you know, because this is your thing, you know, and me going, like, what? By the way, talk about a woman that I'm in love with.
- [32:48]
James
I mean.
- [32:51]
Michael Buble
She is the coolest, funniest, most amazing, incredible.
- [32:57]
James
My dream is, and I'll say this publicly, I've said it to everyone here who works on this life of mine. I really won't stop making this show until Barbra Streisand does the show.
- [33:08]
Michael Buble
She'll do the show, won't she?
- [33:09]
James
I think so.
- [33:10]
Michael Buble
I do, too.
- [33:17]
James
When did you know that you could sing?
- [33:19]
Michael Buble
I think more. Maybe it was less about me realizing and more about my family. It was Christmas Eve, and I was coming home from my grandma and grandpa's, and, you know, I have two beautiful little sisters, and we were just kids, and mom and dad were, you know, we're singing to Bing Crosby. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas with every Christmas card I write. And all of a sudden, little me, 10 years old or whatever, May your days be merry and bright. And they all went, what the was that? And that literally was a moment of them, and I remember it of them turning around and going like. So maybe I was 12, 13, where that voice started to just change to get that baritone. But, yeah, I just had melted inside of that genre. I loved it so much that I couldn't. Can you imagine what I felt like when I heard Connick for the first time?
- [34:18]
James
Well, I wanted to talk to you about that because I imagine When Harry Connick Jr. Came out, did you go, ah, see, I can do that. Or did you go, oh, no?
- [34:27]
Michael Buble
Oh, no, the opposite.
- [34:29]
James
Someone's come along and already done the thing that I want to do.
- [34:32]
Michael Buble
I was like this, dude, firstly, I'm going to say this out loud. He is literally one of the most talented human beings on the planet Earth.
- [34:42]
James
I agree. I think he is an extraordinary talent.
- [34:45]
Michael Buble
I was like, really? Sex had a lot to do with it for me as a kid. You know, the wanting to kiss a girl and da, da. And it was like. I remember going in a locker at my high school, Caribou Hill, and a girl opened up a locker, and she had a photo of Conic, and she had, like. There was lipstick marks all over it. And I remember. I was like, this is so very good for me. This is so. And I just remember thinking, like, man, this dude is gonna open the door. Because it's funny, James. It used to almost be upsetting for me that I was listening to this music, and I would think, how is no one else hearing what I'm hearing?
- [35:21]
James
Yeah.
- [35:21]
Michael Buble
And then Connick came, and it was like, oh, no, no, no. I'm not alone. They get it. And this dude is doing it to the highest level. And, you know, you're talking about that record, the When Harry Met Sally record.
- [35:33]
James
I mean, that record is so good, dude.
- [35:36]
Michael Buble
When I'm on my tour bus. I've been with my band now for 20 years to this day. Our go to is on Ghost Conic, and we do every like, dude, if we play.
- [35:50]
James
It'S.
- [35:51]
Michael Buble
I can like. If you sing it right now, I will give you, like. Go ahead.
- [35:54]
James
Is recipe for making love.
- [35:56]
Michael Buble
Recipe's good. That's it. A little bit of me and a whole lot of you. I add a dash of starlight and.
- [36:02]
James
A dozen roses too. Then let it rise for a hundred years or two. And that's the recipe for making la puddle. It doesn't need sugar. Cause it's already sweet. It doesn't need an oven cause it's.
- [36:16]
Michael Buble
Got a lot of heat.
- [36:16]
James
Oh, just add a dash of kisses and you can make it all complete and that's the recipe for making love, man.
- [36:24]
Michael Buble
And it's like, I'm hanging with, literally now, the greatest jazz musicians on the planet. And we have that kind of reverence because we know how good he is. It's awesome. Yeah. So anyway, thank you, Harry.
- [36:38]
James
Let's move on to your film. Tell us the movie that you've chosen to talk about today.
- [36:42]
Michael Buble
The movie that I chose to talk about Today is the 1986 cult classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
- [36:50]
James
This is my ninth sick day this semester.
- [36:53]
Michael Buble
It's getting pretty tough coming up with new illnesses. If I go for 10, I'm probably gonna have to barf up a lung. So I Better make this one count. A lot of people will tell you.
- [37:03]
James
That a good phony fever is a deadlock, but you get a nervous mother.
- [37:08]
Michael Buble
You could wind up in a doctor's office. That's worse than school.
- [37:12]
James
I'm so surprised that this hasn't come up before on this show because when we were doing that, I was like, people are just gonna choose the Godfather or Ferris Bueller's Day Off. You are the first person to choose Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Tell me why.
- [37:24]
Michael Buble
Why? Because I think at the age I was at when it came out, all of that angst and insecurity and wanting to be Ferris Bueller, you know, when maybe a bigger part of me was Cameron.
- [37:37]
James
Right.
- [37:37]
Michael Buble
You know, that's interesting.
- [37:39]
James
That's really fascinating that you would see that.
- [37:41]
Michael Buble
Wow. And that thing of just watching him be loose and. And somehow, even though he didn't fuss, everybody loved him and everybody wanted to save Ferris. And, you know, here's Cameron working his ass off and trying to make it all good and right. And it just is just so much harder for him. I was so moved. I was so inspired by the float scene when he does twist and shout and donkeysen and, you know, he basically, one man, through love and goodness and light, inspires the whole city of Chicago to just rise up. Yeah. And party. And I think that had the biggest mark on me as an entertainer. I have taken it into every show I've ever done, every music video, every. Every time I've wanted for there to be a presentation, I have literally thought about Ferris. Right. It's funny, you know, I've. Through many shows, I've paid tribute. Many of the arena shows that I've built, there's a moment where I pay tribute to that movie. If I go back to one of my biggest, you know, songs. Haven't met you yet. I hired the choreographer that choreographed.
- [38:57]
James
Yeah. No way.
- [38:58]
Michael Buble
Yeah. And for the video.
- [38:59]
James
For the video, which is in the supermarket.
- [39:02]
Michael Buble
So if you watch the end of the video when I come out to the parking lot and this whole fantasy world has turned into Ferris Bueller's Day off, which is exactly what this was based on. It's the same choreography. And you'll notice now when I say that if you ever go and watch it, you'll see at the end they do a flip. They do the same, all the same movements. It was all a tribute and an ode to Ferris Bueller's Day Off. And my dad used to laugh because on the fishing boat, when I would have any time off, I Would go and put it in the vcr.
- [39:35]
James
Let's move on to your possession.
- [39:36]
Michael Buble
Sure.
- [39:36]
James
Tell us the possession.
- [39:37]
Michael Buble
The possession I chose was. Was my wedding ring. Why I chose it because from the moment I met my wife, I became a better man. And it sounds so cheesy to say that when I say it out loud, but my wife is a tough lady. She is strong. She has zero. Gray is black and white. I was just. You know, I was just a little lost. And I have no willpower when it came to control of whatever it was, whatever the hell it was, you know, partying or eating or doing whatever. And she loved me a lot, you know, but she would say to me, I love you, Mike. I really love you. But I don't want to be with a drinking man or a drug man or a smoking man or this or that. And. And it would have crushed her to go, but she was adamant, and, you know, she just helped me. And obviously, James, we've been through hell, you know, later, you know, with my son getting diagnosed, she just lifted me up in moments.
- [40:39]
James
This was Noah, right?
- [40:40]
Michael Buble
Noah. Yeah. And so moments where I. How the hell would I ever survive? She brought me back to faith. She brought me back to, you know, no, we're not perfect. I'm not. You know, every couple has. There are flaws and things, but.
- [40:54]
James
The.
- [40:54]
Michael Buble
Greatest thing that ever happened to me in my life was meeting my wife. She's my best friend, and she's my hero, and she's my rock, and turns out she's my boss. I couldn't ask for a better human being to take the journey with me in teaching me how to become a dad, in helping me look inside myself enough to want to change all of the shitty things that I.
- [41:21]
James
Talk to me about that for a minute because. Were you aware at that point in your life that you needed stability? From what I can work out, just talking on the show. You grown up in a stable environment, a loving family. You've got this dream of being a singer. You're 27. You sign this deal, you go on. There was the first, you know, the Michael Buble, the LP that we know about, which is, you know, covers and all those things. But then I think, then it's haven't met you yet, and it's home. Can I. I'm gonna say this now.
- [41:50]
Michael Buble
Sure. Go for it.
- [41:51]
James
Yeah. I think you don't get the credit you deserve as a writer for writing songs which I believe became standards overnight.
- [42:00]
Michael Buble
Thank you.
- [42:00]
James
Like Home and Haven't met you yet. Those two songs are if they came out on a Friday, by a Sunday night, someone was singing them in a bar in Vegas. Thank you. That is the mark of a truly great song. Like, I imagine in that time, everything just was going, oh, my God, I wanted to be this, but now it's actually growing into this and all the excess that was coming with that. How aware were you of needing stability in your life at that point?
- [42:31]
Michael Buble
I think I felt like I was pretty Teflon. No one ever hurt me. Nothing ever hurt me. I could do no wrong. And then I had a couple relationships that didn't work out, and I just wasn't ready to have a. I mean, God help me, as I look back now, I was just so immature. Just so emotionally immature. And by the way, I was like a kid in a candy store in fame. And like, oh, my God, there's all this stuff. And you can. Can buy the things you want. And I can part. And by the way, I could party, too. And weirdly, it didn't ruin my voice at the time. Like, now I'm, like, the most boring human on the not because I'm, like, disciplined. Because if I drink or it's over, the voice is gone for four days.
- [43:14]
James
So was there a bit of you wanting to sort of party in that way to show people I'm not just this guy in a suit who croons stuff. I also can mix it in these.
- [43:29]
Michael Buble
Oh, no, no, no. I am that guy. The guy in the suit was a creation of a record company. That thing that your grandma loves, that isn't me. Right. It never was me. Sure. I'm from Burnaby. Right. I'm the son of a fisherman who worked on a fishing boat. Snoop Dogg and I, we like each other because we're way more similar than we are different. Right. We're fam.
- [43:53]
James
Because I understand it.
- [43:54]
Michael Buble
Yeah. Like, that's. I come from there. And I know the suits are pretty and. And I can be that, of course, Christmas guy. But what was hard for me, James, was like, I didn't have control. And by the way, I didn't even want control because, you know, it was working. You know, they're market. They're marketing me as. You know what I mean? Your mom will love him. Yeah. You know, the more cats you have, the more adorable this guy will be. Sure. And I was like, okay. But what was kind of weird about it was when people would find out that I wasn't who they had felt that image was. I was very disappointing to people or it was harsh for people. Does that make Any sense.
- [44:31]
James
It does. But I've got to tell you, I was impressed by it. But I understand why people would have that reaction.
- [44:37]
Michael Buble
I guess harsh. It was like, wow. Like, this guy is like, that's not who you're supposed to be. Because here's the thing. In England, in Germany, all over the world, I got to go on the couch with Graham Norton. I got to go on the couch and take over for Paul o'. Grady. And people went, he's us. He's just us. He's from Burnaby.
- [44:58]
James
Sure.
- [44:58]
Michael Buble
Because they got to see that. And I don't know why, but in America, if I wanted to go on Letterman or at the time, Leno, they were gracious in having me on. But you come on and you sing. You come and you sing the song. And so that me, that personality, this guy that they found out about when I was on English television or German Wet and Dass, or I was on in South Africa, and they got to know me, that hasn't existed in America. It really hasn't. And so, again, shocking for people in a good way, but, like, people were shocked a little bit.
- [45:36]
James
Let's move on to your memory. This is a beautiful memory, and I'm so happy we're gonna end the show in this way. Tell me the memory that you've chosen.
- [45:47]
Michael Buble
Well, the memory wasn't one. The memory was four different memories. And those memories are each time that I got to hold one of my new babies onto my chest for the first time.
- [45:58]
James
An extraordinary moment. Extraordinary in anybody's life. What do you remember about Noah, Elias, Vida and Cielo? I pronounced all those right.
- [46:09]
Michael Buble
Yep. I remember having this great disconnect with these beings in the tummy of my best friend Lou. And in the moment, they came out and went on my chest. And I don't know if this is the right thing to say, it probably isn't. But I just remember distinctly each time wondering how I had ever lived life without them. What was this before that person? This person was meant to be with me. This person is the love of my life. And they've changed me in the best, the greatest way. The greatest way. I think I know what I'm here for, and my mission in life is to make them proud. And I think it's Maya Angelou who says, people will never remember what you did or said, but they'll never forget how you made them feel. And here's the deal, James. People are not going to remember my stupid records or songs. They will fade away into dust, and it'll be over the biggest stars on the planet. No one will remember them. Someone might wear their face on a T shirt and not know who the hell they are, but that they're cool to have on the T shirt. But every single day I wake up and my mission is to make my kids proud. You know, I just think to myself the same way my dad did for me. And words are cheap. So I always think I want to show them by my actions that I lead with love, empathy, kindness, light. Because at the end, that's all they're going to remember. That's all anyone's going to remember. You know, that's the legacy.
- [47:56]
James
Michael Buble. Your place is the ocean on the coast of British Columbia. Your person is your father. Your piece of music is it had to be you. Your movie is Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Your possession is your wedding ring. And your memory is each time for the first time you held your children. Noah, Elias, Vida, and Chiella. Thank you so much for sharing this life of yours. I'll never forget it.
- [48:24]
Michael Buble
Thanks, amigo. Thank you.
- [48:26]
James
Up next is this.
- [48:30]
Michael Buble
I'm Bryan Cranston, and welcome to this Life of Mine. We shot the pilot of Breaking Bad in February and March of 2007. Had Malcolm in the Middle gone an eighth season, we wouldn't be sitting here right now. I saw parents bursting out in laughter. All the kids around me were laughing. The teacher in the wings was laughing. Everybody was laughing at me. And I realized the power of language replacing one word created this massive reaction. My assignment in this acting class was to kiss this pretty girl and she was on me and all over and kissing me, kissing passionately. She put her body on top of mine and she's, you know, with tongue and the hands. And then she starts slapping my upstage thigh. And I thought, is that what spanking is?
- [49:38]
James
If you haven't subscribed to Lemonada Premium yet, now is the perfect time. You can listen to this Life of mine completely ad free, plus you'll unlock exclusive quick fire rounds of questions with all of my guests. They're all in two minutes or less. Just tap that subscribe button on Apple Podcasts or head to lemonadepremium.com to subscribe on any other app. Or you can listen ad free on Amazon Music with your prime membership. That's lemonadapremium.com. don't miss out on.