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Jack Donaghy called in every favor he had for30 Rocksseason-three finale in 2009.
When you realize the stakes, how could he not?
to outsource the problem to a benevolent soul with an organ to spare.
One by one, musicians agree to participate when Jack presses them.
(Unsurprisingly, Clay Aiken is roped in because hes Kenneth Parcells cousin.)
(Milton Green needs a kidney just like I need this beard, McDonald says mid-song.
You dont want to know whats under here.)
Take me back to where you were, life- and career-wise, in early 2009.
I know you had recently wrapped up a trio of Motown cover albums.
Were you actively looking to broaden your creative pursuits?Not particularly.
We played in Banff at an event and talked briefly, so the idea could have come from him.
My acting chops arent that great, so Im hoping I didnt disappoint them too much.
But it was a very funny bit.
I loved the characters they were so vivid and neurotic.
It was all the things you love about your friends and how totally flawed they are.
It was brilliant writing.
You cant get enough of that stuff.Seinfeldkind of started that.
I remember hearing an interview with Larry David where he said, Most of our scripts were improvised.
Really, they were just based on conversations we would have at the grocery store about the produce.
We tried to see, How neurotic are we really?
How were you approached and wooed with this idea?
I dont think you ever hear about these things and go,Oh wow, thats great.
But it turned out to be very funny, and its probably one of the better episodes.
I remember my manager going, Youve got a chance to be on30 Rock.
He didnt know if it was worth it.
Typically, Im game for anything.
I responded, Sure, yeah, itll be something funny.
you’re free to almost bet on that.
The hardest part is keeping a straight face while youre singing it.
Youre supposed to be delivering whatever this text is as if you really believe its logical and lucid.
They think its actually a sacrosanct truth.
By my understanding, everyone had only one day to shoot this.
Is that correct?It was all shot in one chaotic day.
A lot of the principal actors werent there.
They just brought the music people in to do this scene.
There wasnt much individual dialogue from any of us.
There was one or two lines in the song that we all got.
You were grouped together to sing with Steve Earle and Wyclef Jean.
It was a very serious, heartfelt thing.
It created a little bit of awkwardness.
And then he ended it with, Nah, Im just bullshitting you.
So that broke the ice for everyone.
We all felt better about making light of something as serious as kidney disease.
Sheryl Crow was there and oh, Im having a senior moment.
Girls Just Want to Have Fun?
Cyndi Lauper.She was fun, and I always enjoy meeting other musicians.
Steve Earle and I were neighbors for years in Nashville, and we never met.
We finally got to socialize for the first time on30 Rock.Can you believe that?
I could have thrown a rock at his house, and I just never saw him.
He was always on the road, and I was too.
A running joke in the song is that no one was paid for their performance except Sheryl Crow.
I mean, that was my experience with a charity I was once part of.
But thats a common thread in a lot of these charity events.
Theres that one person who always winds up being paid, and then everybody else goes,Aww.
Where do you stand on this?Its a philosophical statement.
I guess its true.
Of course, weve all pursued this career hoping wed be onBillboardcharts at some point in our efforts.
But I get it from both angles.
We all grew up with aspirations to be a rock star.
So were usually lying through our teeth.
Tell me what it was like in the aftermath of its airing.
Its like when the Doobie Brothersappeared onWhats Happening!
!back in the 70s.
I always find it interesting, the impact some of these shows have.
To this day, I get people coming up and making jokes about the kidney song.
He Needs a Kidney wasnt among them, and I feel it was a missed opportunity.
Are you reconsidering now?Well, youve given me some pause and some food for thought here.
Ill have to think about that one.
But up until this moment, no, Ive never really thought about it.
Were you considered for the 1985 single?
You were in an orbit there.I dont really have an answer to that because I dont know, myself.
I thought it was a great effort on Michael Jackson and Quincy Joness part.
So even though I wasnt on it, I still think it was a wonderful thing they did.
Im also a big fan of the comedians fromSaturday Night Live.
Its the same whenever I appear on Jimmy Fallons show.
I think those things do have a tendency to snowball.
One thing leads to another and it works out, you know what I mean?
Its all about how if you do one thing, it might launch the door to something else.
Thats the mind-set I choose to embrace.
Are you sure you dont want to be more specific?
That would be where I would start to give up a kidney.
And then you would have to be compatible.
Thats a big question.
Personally, I would do it in a heartbeat for someone I loved in my immediate familial circle.
