The forever-young, 51-year-old musician, Pharrell Williams, has thrown himself into the fiery ring of Hot Ones, bravely facing off against host Sean Evans and a lineup of wings so spicy, they make the sun look like a lukewarm bath. As Pharrell wiped away tears (probably both from the heat and nostalgia), he took a trip down memory lane, reflecting on his epic career. But really, who cares about career highlights when you’re sweating out your soul on national internet?
Letβs dig into this hot and saucy chat!
On working with Timbaland, Missy Elliott, and Clipse:
“Man, we were just a bunch of kids goofing around in the studio, clueless about where it would all end up. Spoiler: it ended up in musical history, but who knew? It was less like βLetβs make a hitβ and more like, βLetβs see what happens if we press this button and then yell weird sounds into the mic!β The journey was the best part β kinda like when you try to eat these spicy wings and youβre halfway through, wondering why you ever thought this was a good idea, but you keep going βcause youβre too deep to stop now.”
On creating the McDonaldβs “Iβm Lovinβ It” jingle after being fired from McDonaldβs:
“Okay, so this is where it gets hilarious. Imagine this: you get fired from flipping burgers, only to come back years later and theyβre like, βHey, can you make us a jingle?β Itβs poetic justice, really. I didnβt just wake up like, βA-ha! Iβve got the perfect tune for McDonaldβs!β Nah, they handed me the βba-da-ba-ba-baβ and we just rolled with it. Funny thing is, I got paid way more to sing about burgers than I ever did flipping βem!”
On his evolving relationship with luxury:
“I love designing things, man. But honestly? Iβm not about that βI need this solid gold toilet seatβ life. Iβm happy with what I have, and thatβs mostly the chance to make cool stuff and collab with other people. You can keep the diamond-encrusted bathrobes. Give me a nice sketchbook and some chill studio time and Iβm goldenβliterally, I guess, if you count some of the shoes Iβve designed.”
On crate digging for samples, and the “Wait A Minute” moment for βLemonβ:
“Listen, inspiration comes from everywhere. Iβm talking everywhere. One time, I was watching this dude, Arlen Specter, at a town hall meeting, and someone started losing it on him. He was all, βWait, wait, wait a minute!β and I thought, βThis is GOLD!β So we chopped that up and boom β next thing you know, itβs in βLemon.β Itβs like alchemy, turning random moments into musical gold. Or in this case, lemonade.”
On the possibility of us living on Mars (because, you know, why not?):
“Yeah, totally, Mars could be the next big thing. Just imagine: ‘Pharrell on Mars.’ Terraforming sounds like some sci-fi stuff, but honestly, with the way things are going on Earth, I wouldnβt be surprised if people are like, βYeah, I think Iβll take a summer home on Mars.β Just gotta make sure they have Wi-Fi and weβre good.”
On the future of music:
“Look, 15 years ago, if you told someone what music sounds like now, theyβd probably drop their flip phone in shock. Music evolves as fast as the memes do. Whatβs okay to say or not say in songs now? Who knows anymore? All Iβm saying is, in another 15 years, we might be making music with our thoughts, or telepathic beats or something. The futureβs wild like that.”
On working with artists in the studio:
– Daft Punk: βBeing with the robots? Pure euphoria. Itβs like hanging out with two Jedi masters, except theyβre wearing helmets and donβt talk much. You feel like youβre in a sci-fi movie. Or at least a really cool rave.β
– Beck: βBeckβs brain is like the Library of Congress, but with more records. This guy can pull out facts and genres like heβs flipping through a mental Rolodex. Every session with him is like a field trip for your mind.β
– N.O.R.E.: βOh man, N.O.R.E. brings the ENERGY. Heβs like a human firecracker, and every time we work together, it feels like I need to wear a helmet and strap in for the ride.β
Now, if you havenβt seen Pharrellβs episode yet, do yourself a favor and watch this man keep his cool (or try to) as he tackles the spicy wings of doom while dropping wisdom bombs left and right. Youβll laugh, youβll cry, and most importantly, youβll probably crave some McNuggets.