-♪ ♪ -ANNOUNCER: Coming to you
from New York City, the only city in America,
it's The Daily Show.
Tonight: Biden gets got.
That's a wrap on January 6th.
And Blitz Bazawule.
This is The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
-♪ ♪ -(cheering, applause)
What's going on, everybody. Welcome to The Daily Show.
I'm Trevor Noah. Thank you so much for tuning in.
Thank you for coming out in person.
Love it. Look at it. Take a seat, everybody. Let's do it.
We've got a jam-packed show for you tonight.
Donald Trump is running from the law.
Well, not running, but you know.
Boris Johnson gives the greatest farewell speech of all time,
And you'll never guess which U.S. president got COVID.
So let's do this, people.
Let's jump straight into today's headlines.
♪ ♪
All right. Let's kick things off
with the big news of the day.
President Biden has had a rough time recently.
He couldn't get climate change action.
He couldn't get free community college.
He couldn't get tax hikes on the rich.
But it turns out there's one thing he could get.
We begin this hour with breaking news
from the White House, where President Joe Biden
is in isolation after he tested positive for COVID.
The White House press secretary saying that
the president is fully vaccinated.
Uh, he's been twice boosted, he's experiencing
what they say are very mild symptoms at this point.
So he will be isolating,
but he will be able to continue in his role.
He won't need to turn over any duties, it appears,
to the vice president at this point.
Okay, okay. First things first.
I'm sure all of our thoughts are with President Biden
for a speedy recovery. Get well soon, sir.
You made it through the Spanish flu,
you can make it through this.
I know you can do it.
And also, it does look like he's gonna be fine, right?
He's even got, like, swag in that video. He's like,
"Hey, ah, ha.
You probably heard I got COVID, ha, ha."
But I get why he's got swag, you know?
He's been vaxxed, he's been boosted,
he's been double boosted and he's taking antiviral drugs.
And just to be safe, he's sipping some bleach
on the side. You know? Yeah, that shit seems ridiculous
till you get COVID, then you're like,
"I'll try anything. I..."
Another reason the president's gonna be fine
is because, let's be honest,
there's not much that COVID can do to him.
Yeah, think about it. What's gonna happen?
The virus is gonna get in his body and be like,
"Let's see what can I do here. Time to get some brain fog,
"some fatigue, some dizzi-- Wait, wait.
Have I already been here? What's going on?"
Now, in the meantime, Biden says
he will not be taking any sick days.
Which is what sucks about being president, right?
You still got to put on a strong face.
Any other job, you'd be milking that shit.
You know? Just like, "(coughs) Oh, COVID really got me.
"Oh... Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick
"for the rest of the summer.
"(coughs) If you see pictures of me
by the pool, my phone was hacked. (coughs)"
All right, but let's move on from the big news out of America
to the big news that's coming out of the United Kingdom.
The queen has COVID. No, I'm joking, I'm joking.
That would be crazy, though, right? That would be crazy.
No, I'm joking. She doesn't have COVID.
She's been dead for years.
Anyway, back in 2019,
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party--
they won a landslide election victory. It was huge.
They won everywhere-- in southern England,
in Manchester, in Sherlock-upon-Watson,
in East Narnia-- all the places.
Basically, between Boris and Ed Sheeran,
2019 was a good year.
Especially for British people who look like
they're from the year 1326. It was a good time.
And it was such a commanding victory that
people thought Boris Johnson might become the prime minister
who is up there for a decade. You know?
Which would be amazing for Britain's first human broom.
But then Boris started getting caught up in scandals.
Right? He botched the COVID response,
then he got caught throwing a bunch of parties
while the rest of Britain had to be in lockdown
and then he hired people who he knew
were alleged sex offenders,
and, of course, there was that time
when he showed up to Parliament wearing a T-shirt that said
"The Carpet Matches the Drapes,"
which is totally inappropriate, because it doesn't.
He combs the carpet.
So, finally, last month,
he was forced to resign in disgrace.
And yesterday he gave
the greatest farewell speech of all time.
Boris Johnson facing Parliament for one last time
as British prime minister as only he would.
Johnson defended his record in his farewell remarks.
He also gave some words of advice to his successor.
Number one, stay close to the Americans,
stick up for the Ukrainians,
stick up for freedom and democracy everywhere.
Cut taxes and deregulate wherever you can
to make this the greatest place to live and invest, which it is.
Focus on the road ahead, focus on the road ahead
but always remember to check the rearview mirror.
-(laughter) -And remember, remember,
above all, it's not Twitter that counts.
-(others assenting) -It's the people that sent us here.
Mr. Speaker, I-I want to thank everybody here, and...
hasta la vista, baby.
-(cheering) -Thank you.
(laughter)
"Hasta la vista, baby"?
This is the land of Shakespeare and Jane Austen,
and the quote Boris chose was from The Terminator?
I mean, I guess that shows you the power of American culture.
Even the prime minister of the United Kingdom is like,
"Farewell and Godspeed, okrrr?"
The most ridiculous thing ever.
And, and I don't know if you saw.
Like, the speech was weird, the whole thing.
In the middle it looked like he just started giving
random advice about driving.
"Focus on the road ahead,
"uh, always check the rearview mirror,
"and remember, it's not a hit-and-run
if you drive away slowly, all right?"
You know, it's also like,
normally when you're giving a speech,
especially about resigning or being fired,
like, surely you want to make people regret it.
Like, when you give the speech you want people to go, like,
"Oh, oh, man, have we made the wrong choice?
They're leaving..."
Like, remember with Obama, all right,
when he gave his farewell speech,
even racists in America were like,
"Maybe he was one of the good ones."
But this guy, this guy gives a speech and you're like,
"Yo, how did he get the job, huh?
"Like, did he win a contest or something?
Who is this person?"
Anyway, let's, let's move on to some news
about America's most powerful institution-- Amazon.
And I know, I know from the get-go,
people have mixed feelings about Amazon.
"Oh, they exploit their workers, oh, they ruin local economies."
Quit bitching, I love them. You know why?
If I need more Charmin, I get it on Amazon,
and, boom, it's at my house in six hours.
And, yeah, maybe it's not exactly Charmin,
maybe it's like a Chinese knockoff,
and maybe the toilet paper's mostly made out of lead.
But am I gonna get brain poisoning from wiping with lead?
No, and I certainly am not gonna get
brain poisoning from wiping with lead.
Anyway, the fact is,
Amazon is a part of life in America
and I'm not gonna get brain poisoning from wiping with lead.
And now Amazon
is going to be expanding even more.
NEWSMAN: We have breaking news out of Seattle this morning,
home to Amazon, the company announcing
it is diving further into the health care industry
with plans to buy health care provider One Medical
for about $3.9 billion.
Amazon says health care
is high on its list of things that needs reinventing.
Yeah! Finally a win for Jeff Bezos.
-Ah, man. -(laughter)
I could not be more excited.
Yeah, 'cause with Amazon's prediction algorithm,
health care will never be the same. You know?
You notice how they always know what you want,
what you need before you even know it.
Imagine them with health care.
You're gonna buy a pack of double... double A batteries
and then just before you check out, they'll be like,
"You might also need chemotherapy."
Uh, I mean, chemotherapy? I-I don't have...
Ah, shit!
Shouldn't have used that lead toilet paper.
-Now... -(applause and laughter)
Now... I know, I know some people
are a little uncomfortable with the idea
of Amazon getting into every industry.
You know, 'cause they're buying medicine now.
They run the cloud, they own TV studios,
they have grocery stores.
And you know what, so what?
What's the worst that could happen, huh?
Oh, what, what, at some point Jeff Bezos owns everything?
Yeah, so what?
And then he has all of our money
so now we're his slaves working crazy hours in the warehouse,
you know, peeing in bottles.
That doesn't sound so bad, yeah.
At least I'll know where my packages are.
Yeah, I'll take it for myself.
The one thing that does suck about this
is if Amazon also owns your medicine,
you realize that means Alexa knows your medical secrets.
You gotta watch out for that.
Yeah, 'cause you're gonna be hanging out at home
with your friends and all of a sudden, Alexa will be like,
"Your hemorrhoid cream is arriving this afternoon."
No, Alexa, cancel, cancel. Cancel.
"You would like me to cancel
your giant tub of hemorrhoid cream?"
No, no, no. Cancel.
All right, that's it for the headlines
but before we go to break,
it's time to check in on the weather forecast
with our very own Desi Lydic, everybody.
(cheering and applause)
Desi...
(cheering and applause continue)
Desi, it is... it's absolutely insane.
Please, just, just help us out.
What is the weather looking like?
Oh. Trevor, it is hot out there.
So let's make it quick 'cause I got a kid in my car.
-(laughter) -What?
Relax, relax, it's not my kid.
It's just some actor I hired so I could use the carpool lane.
(laughter)
Anyway, it is scorching all across this country
as you can see.
And is really important that we take precaution.
So I'm just gonna, I'm gonna give everyone a few tips
to stay safe out there, okay?
Safe and cool.
Now this heat is dangerous
especially for pets and the elderly.
Basically anyone who eats out of a bowl
is considered high risk.
Um, so do your elderly neighbors a favor.
Pop by, see how they are doing.
Check in because if they die, God rest their soul,
you get first dibs on that real estate.
And this real estate market is a beast.
You got to be competitive.
I... I actually checked in on my noi--
my neighbor this morning.
Unfortunately, she was fine.
-(laughter) -Well, I-I guess
-at least you checked in. -What do you do?
-Yeah. -What do you do? Second tip--
it is cooler at night,
so you're gonna want to leave those windows open before bed.
And I know what you're thinking, Trevor--
what about robbers, right?
Crime rates are up.
So this is why I Home-Alone my house
every single night.
Marbles on the floor.
Blowtorches up above.
The whole deal.
You just-- Takes care of everything.
The one thing you're gonna want to do
is you're gonna want to remind anyone that you live with
about that. Because my...
my husband has not been the same
since the paint can in-incident.
-Oh, wow. -It was...
a little bit rough.
Next tip--
wear loose clothing, okay?
Especially if you sweat a lot like me.
And I mean a lot.
Trevor, it is like a Slip 'N Slide under this suit.
It is a whole situation.
I'm talking violently moist.
You do not want to know what's happening
-all... -Yeah. I-I-- Yeah.
-Uh, yes, I do-- I do not-- I don't want to know. -You do not.
-Yeah. -The sh...
the sheer volume of it.
Sometimes there's a grit to it.
You know what I'm talking about? Like, gritty.
Have you ever opened up a dishwasher mid-cycle?
That's what it's like.
-It's like that. -Well, I'm-I'm glad you didn't tell me,
-Desi. Thank you. -Yeah.
Anyway, it is a medical condition.
Which is why I so appreciate you being such an ally--
leaving out those towels for me.
Those beautiful, clean towels in your bathroom
for me to use three, four,
five times a day, sometimes.
I just-- I really appreciate that.
And-and to show you, that's why I always fold it up neatly
-and put it exactly how you left it. -(groaning, laughter)
Thank you.
I...
Desi, I use those towels
-on my face. -Anyway, of course...
the most effective way to beat the heat
is to stay hydrated, okay?
But, please, please, be careful.
Watch out for products that claim
to be more hydrating than water.
That's a cash grab.
There is only one thing that can hydrate you more than water
and that is...
Darrell's Hard Brown Lemonade.
What makes it brown?
After one or two, no one cares.
If it ain't brown, it's not going down.
(cheering and applause)
Has-- So good. So good.
(sniffs)
You know who could use Darrell's Hard Brown?
President Biden.
You know why? 'Cause it also cures COVID.
-I... -The only hard brown lemonade
that also cures COVID.
Mmm.
That is why I love this stuff.
It is thick.
Anyway,
those are the big tips to carry you through this heat.
Oh, um, one more thing, actually.
If a guy named Darrell offers you $50,000,
no strings attached,
there are strings attached.
Oh, shit, this kid's calling me again.
Ugh. Yeah.
No, you can't put the windows down.
Someone could steal something.
Well, did you Home-Alone the car?
Is she gonna leave the kid-- Uh, Desi Lydic, everybody.
-That... -(cheering and applause)
I think that's illegal.
All right, when we come back,
we're gonna find out if Donald Trump
is going to be president or prisoner.
You don't want to miss it.
-(cheering and applause) -(chuckles)
(cheering, applause)
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
Tonight was the season finale of the January 6th hearings--
the TV event that investigates the day
a mob of MAGA maniacs
tried to help Mike Pence meet his hero.
So, with phase one of the hearings coming to a close,
let's catch up on the latest developments
in our ongoing coverage of January 6th.
♪ ♪
After weeks of televised hearings,
we're learning a lot about what happened
on January 6th and the days that led up to it.
We learned that Donald Trump was told by his closest advisors
that the election wasn't stolen,
we also learned that he set up a fake election defense fund
that took millions of dollars from his supporters,
we also learned that he knew his crowd was armed that day
and still sent them to the Capitol anyway.
And after all of this, guys, I-I don't know about you,
but I'm starting to think
this Donald Trump guy might be bad news. I, uh...
I'm seeing, like, one or two red flags here.
And I'm not the only one.
Because, remember how we learned in those hearings
about how Trump tried to get Mike Pence to single-handedly
toss out the election results-- you remember that part, yeah?
Well, a bipartisan group of senators
has decided that shit should never happen again.
Here in Washington, a bipartisan group of senators
have cut a deal that would make it much tougher to pull off
a repeat of what former President Trump tried to do--
that effort to pressure his vice president
into overturning the election.
One measure would reform the Electoral Count Act
to make it clear that the VP's job is...
(reading)
Wow, this is big. This is big.
Senators from both parties have agreed
to amend the Electoral Count Act of 1887
to make it clear once and for all
that the VP cannot just toss out the election results.
Which, yes, is something everyone in America already knew
except for one guy.
You know?
It's kind of like when in kindergarten
the t-- the teacher makes an announcement to the whole class,
but it was clearly directed at one kid.
You know, it was like, "Okay, class, remember,
"we don't poop on the toilet, we poop in the toilet.
That-That's for everyone to understand, okay, Donald?"
-(laughter, applause) -Because...
...it was, it was obvious to everyone else
that the vice president can't just throw out
the election results.
That would make no sense.
Why would you give so much power to someone
who is otherwise totally powerless, huh?
It would be like handing over control of America's drones
to whichever kid wins the National Spelling Bee.
"It's what the founders wanted."
But either way this is a big deal.
And it's also a good reminder for America
that if an old-ass law doesn't make sense anymore,
you can just change that shit.
(cheering and applause)
Right?
And don't get me wrong, don't get me wrong.
I'm not saying it's because people in the day were stupid.
No, people back in the day were smart as hell.
All right? They studied the classics,
they-they knew how to write in cursive,
they wore top hats, all the signs of an intelligent person,
but they wrote the laws that made sense for their time.
Huh?
Yeah, they didn't need to spell this out
because they didn't have a Donald Trump.
So that law has changed.
The vice president can't just overturn the election.
And knowing America and whoever writes this story,
what's going to happen is,
Donald Trump's gonna get all his people
to become the electors in each state,
they're gonna ignore the voters, right,
and they're gonna go, "These are the votes,"
and then it's gonna come to Kamala Harris.
We'll be like, "Kamala, flip the thing."
She's like, "Meh...!"
But it looks like overturning the next election might be
the least of Donald Trump's worries
because after all the facts that the committee has exposed
about his last overturning,
the Justice Department might be paying Donald a visit.
NEWSWOMAN: The spotlight on the justice department's
investigation is growing.
Attorney General Merrick Garland making it clear
he will hold accountable every person
who was criminally responsible.
No person is above the law in this country.
Nothing stops us. No per...
I don't know how to... Let me say that again.
No person is above the law in this country.
I can't say it any more clearly than that.
-Damn. -(applause)
I've never seen that side of Merrick Garland.
Looked like he was about to cut a bitch.
Did you see what he did there?
(laughter)
Yeah, he like, he turned into Samuel L. Jackson for a second.
He's like, "No person is above the..."
"What about the American...?"
He's like, "What part of 'no person'
don't you understand, mother(bleep)?
I said no person."
(applause)
Now what's interesting about the story,
is that some Democrats are actually mad at Merrick Garland
because they think he doesn't really want to prosecute Trump.
All right? They say he's slow rolling,
he's trying to hide behind things,
but I'll be honest, I get it.
I think the man is in a tough spot here.
Think about it.
Even if Trump is definitely guilty,
can you imagine what would happen
if he gets sent to prison?
The country would explode.
Yeah, you thought January 6 was bad? Huh?
Trump supporters would be storming everything
if he got arrested: the Capitol, the White House,
the Supreme Court.
The only place that would be safe from them is libraries.
Be like, "Don't go in there, they got history books."
(applause and whooping)
But it turns out...
it turns out Merrick Garland isn't even Trump's only problem
because right now he's being investigated by everyone, right.
Congress, the State of New York,
a district attorney in Georgia, the Men in Black.
And I get it, I get it.
No, human beings don't just look like this.
It doesn't make sense, that's not a human thing.
So Trump looks like he's in a tough spot right now
but if there's one thing we know about Donald Trump,
is that getting out of tough spots is his specialty.
He can get out of anything: criminal cases, lawsuits,
marriages, marriages, other marriages
and apparently, apparently Trump thinks he's found
an ingenuous way to get out of his current troubles.
It is sounding more likely that an announcement
from former President Trump about a 2024 election bid
is more of a matter of when and not an if.
But it's not just about avenging a loss.
Four people with knowledge of the situation
tell Rolling Stone magazine
that mounting legal issues are a motivating factor
for Trump's desire to retake the Oval Office.
According to the Justice Department's
Office of Legal Counsel,
a sitting president cannot be charged with a federal crime.
-(groaning, chuckling) -Yeah.
So it turns out some people are above the law.
And it's crazy that Trump might run for president
so that he doesn't go to jail.
Yeah. You know, it's almost wild
that Donald Trump is the only person who runs for president
but has no interest in being president.
You know? The first time, he did it to try and drum up ratings
for The Apprentice.
And now he's gonna run
just to stay out of d-- out of jail.
Like, his campaign slogan is probably gonna be "Trump 2024.
I can't do time!"
I actually think it would make the campaign more fun.
Yeah. Can you imagine if Trump's running for president
while he's running from the law? (chuckles)
At every rally, he's just like,
"No child should ever learn pronouns or w--
"Oh, shit. The cops are here.
"Rudy, open the sewer gate!
"You'll never get me!
-"Pow, pow! Pow, pow! -(applause)
Pow, pow!"
So, that's the end of the first season
of the January 6 committee,
and it ends with the possibility of Trump going to prison.
And I'm sure, right now, wherever he is,
the man is probably terrified.
He's just like, "What do I do?
"Melania, I can't go to prison.
How am I gonna survive?"
"Don't worry, Donald. I'll give you tips.
I've been a prisoner for 20 years."
-(gasping, laughter) -All right, stay tuned!
-(applause) -'Cause when we come back,
Blitz Bazawule will be joining me on the show.
Don't go away.
-(laughs) -(cheering and applause)
(cheering)
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
My guest tonight is a musician,
an artist, filmmaker who has collaborated
with the likes of Beyoncé and Oprah Winfrey.
He's here to talk about his debut novel
The Scent of Burnt Flowers.
Please welcome Blitz Bazawule.
-♪ ♪ -(cheering, applause)
(indistinct chatter)
-How are you, sir? -How are you doing, sir?
I'm fantastic.
This is so good to have you here because, you know,
there are few people in the world who can say
that they have people like
Oprah Winfrey and Beyoncé as their fans.
A few?
None. Maybe you, maybe you.
I-- Let's-let's start with this-with this idea.
I mean, you know, people have seen your work
even if they don't know you, if they don't know your name,
you do so many different things, you know?
Uh, nominated for a Grammy for codirecting Black is King,
-right? Uh... -Yeah.
You're also now creating the musical adaptation
-of The Color Purple. -Absolutely.
Ans all of this, and your journey begins in Ghana.
I'm always fascinated, as an African,
how does that journey begin?
How does it get you to this point here?
Well, first, no African has one job. We have many.
-(laughs) -You know, you got to do them all,
you got to do it all.
And, um, you know, I've always
been enamored by storytelling.
That, for me, is the beginning.
I grew up, uh, with a grandmother
-that told stories. -Right.
They were incredible. They were always visual.
Um, I call it
the HBO-Showtime-Netflix of its time.
And-and the beauty of that
was they were imaginative.
-Hmm. -So I grew understanding
that stories could be nonlinear,
they could be-- they're powerful tools...
-um, for the imagination. -Right.
And so, over time, for me, that's just been it.
It's just chasing this idea of storytelling.
Understanding that stories bring us together.
Understanding-- Especially as a continent.
Where stories are so few and far between
and so few people know about our stories,
I've found that having to do it in multiple mediums
allows me to tell more of the same exact story.
I-I love that you've done that across multiple mediums,
because, you know, you don't just direct,
uh, and you don't just, uh, you know, produce and create movies.
-You-you also, uh, are-are a rapper. -I do.
You have, like, four self-released albums, right?
-I do, I do, I do. -You-you-- And now a novel
-to throw into the mix. -A novel. Absolutely.
What-What's happening-- you just-you just winning so hard
and then you get bored and move on to the next thing?
Like, explain, like, not many people would think that
they can write the book and then not many people would write
a book that is getting the reviews your book is getting.
Indeed. I mean, I-I really...
Look, it was COVID.
-It was COVID. It was COVID. -Okay. I'll take it.
Everyone else was-- everyone else was baking bread
and were you writing a book. It's a fantastic book, as well.
-Thank you. -You know? And-and the premise,
to your point of stories, is beautiful.
I won't give away all of the details, but essentially,
it's a story of a couple in the '60s--
a Black couple in the '60s-- living in America
-who escape to Africa -Yes. Yes.
and, you know, a whole journey unfolds.
Now, what I loved is that it is set in the '60s
-Yes. -and we know the civil rights movement,
we know all the stories in and around that time.
But it feels strangely like it could be set today, as well.
-Absolutely. -You know? There's people going like,
"America, I'm not sure, I need to go to Africa."
-Absolutely, and-- -(audience laughs)
-And it-and it-it's been been an ongoing thing. -Uh-huh.
And for me what it is is also about expectiation.
You know, I have a lot of friends who say
they want to go to Africa, and they go and they go,
"Oh, this is-this is the real Africa."
-And it-and it's real. It's very real to them. -Yes.
And I-I find that, ultimately, um,
-I always have friends who want to come to America. -Yes.
And you know, they're told, they're-- you know,
there are no homeless people, there are no, uh,
attempted coup d'états, you know, things like that.
-Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. -And then-and then you arrive
-and you go, "Oh, wait, uh, that happens here too. -Right.
And so the expectation back and forth for me has been
one of the most interesting juxtapositions of this book,
and whether it's now, whether it's then,
I think the story's still the same--
we're all longing for a home
that we hope will be better than the one we're in.
I love that.
-(applause) -Thank you. -Wow, I really love that.
I also... I also enjoy how, you know,
how-how real you made the story.
This-this is-- if I'm not mistaken,
this-this has already been bought
to be turned into a series,
-correct? -Absolutely.
This is, this is wild because, you know, most of the time,
most of the time the book has to be out.
-Yes. -And then people will be like,
-"Oh, we need to make this into a movie or a TV series." -Yeah.
And then you wrote the book and then there was a bidding war
and people were like, "We want the book, we want the book..."
-Yes. -How did they even know what was in the book?
Did they know, or did they just know you
and then they were like, "We'll take it, we'll take it, Blitz"?
(laughs) I would love that.
-Okay, okay. -That-that wasn't the case.
-Okay, so they, so they've read... -They had to read it,
-yes, they had to. -Okay, got it, got it, got it.
So, now here's-here's a question I have.
Everyone says the same thing about everything.
"Oh, the book was always better--
the book is better, the book is better."
How are you gonna make sure that the book isn't just better?
How do you make sure that the series, you know,
holds a candle to the book?
Absolutely. I mean, I think first, you know,
shout-out to Yahya Abdul-Mateen,
who is gonna be starring in-in-in the show.
-(cheering and applause) -Um...
I mean, it's-it's going-- it's really going to be
a fantastic, um, exploration
because one thing I found about writing
is that you can create these multiple layers
and backstory in ways that you probably couldn't in television.
But in television, and all film, you've got a visual medium
in which you can tell nonverbal stories
so you can show people as opposed to tell them.
And so I feel like I'm... I have the best of both worlds
because I can go in here whenever I need it
but I also have the visual to tell the story,
-so, to help. -I love that.
So you're going to be working on the adaptation,
-the musical is... -Yes.
What's the process with that right now?
Because, you know, The Color Purple is one of those stories
that is really held in high esteem
-in the United States. -Absolutely.
It's such an important story.
-Absolutely. -You know, it's multigenerational.
-You're going to be redoing it as a musical... -Yes.
-...which is particularly interesting. -Yes.
How do you... how do you capture the essence of something
whilst also bringing in elements of the new
and then making sure that the world's merge together?
How you did it.
-Wha...? -How you did it.
I didn't make The Color Purple.
-No, no, no... (laughing) -(laughter)
I think you're confusing me with Steven Spielberg.
That's... There are a lot of people tell me that
on this side.
"Steven Spielberg," then I turn. They're like, "Sorry."
I mean, I mean The Daily Show.
I mean, it's what you did.
And I have to be honest, it's such an inspiration.
-You know, when I... -(cheering)
-Seriously. Seriously. -Thank you, man. Thank you.
When I got this job, when I got this job
you were one of the first people I thought about.
Which is how do you take something that is classic,
how do you take something that people love,
and make it your own?
And... and you did that.
And so in going into The Color Purple,
which we just wrapped, by the way.
-(applause) -Um, yes.
-Congrats. -Fantastic.
Um, shout-out to Steven Spielberg and-and Oprah
for the support and love
-and the Warner Brothers family for the love. -Mm-hmm.
But they really allowed me to make this my own,
and-and they allowed me to-to experiment.
They allowed me to give Celie an imagination.
They allowed me to do things that I think, um,
elevate the story and-and make it something that's modern
and something that still holds, uh, its foundations together.
And also Alice Walker's amazing text,
which is the original inspiration
-for all of this. -Yeah. Yeah.
Very, very lucky.
I think we're lucky, because we-we're gonna be the ones
who experience, you know, how you put the work together.
I-I find myself intrigued with a lot of the work you create,
because you can tell that, you know,
Ghana and Africa as a whole
have an indelible impression
on how you think and how you apply your mind
to the projects that you're working on.
Y-You see this in the book,
and I-I loved how you did it.
You tell a story about people who are connected
by so many things
and yet have so many things
that actually make them different.
-Yes. -You know? Particularly an African American couple
-going to Africa and going... -Yes.
-"This is our home..." -Yeah.
-...and then realizing it's not but it is. -Yeah.
And-and there are things that are different.
How did-- how did you tackle that sensitively?
Because what I felt reading the book was,
-wow, we are the people... -Absolutely.
...but we can also celebrate the fact
that new cultures have emerged
and new ideas have spread across the, you know--
from generation to generation.
How did you-- how did you capture that?
And did you do it on purpose or is it just innate?
I mean, it's-it's on purpose.
I mean, the fact that I grew up in Ghana through high school.
I went to Achimota Secondary School,
which is a fantastic school.
Produced presidents.
-I'm lu-- I'm lucky to be from that school. -Okay.
-Okay, okay, okay. -(chuckles) And, um...
And the-the beauty there was that I-I've been able
to really never let go
of, you know, that early--
-those early years of my life. -Got it, got it.
Which then, you know, spending as much time
-as I have now in the U.S... -Mm-hmm.
...it's kind of found a way to kind of all "coagulesce"
-as one thing. -Ah.
Which now-- which now is kind of the-the mirror
through which I-I am--
or the vessel through which I have made music.
It's the same. It was like taking,
you know, Public Enemy
-and mixing it with... Fela Kuti. -Yes.
Which-which, you know, you know,
now you got Afrobeats and everybody knows it.
-Right. -But ten years ago, it was...
-That idea was wild. -It was-- it was wild.
It was-- it was K'naan. It was myself.
-Uh-huh, uh-huh. -It was very few people who were--
who were attempting to do this.
And I think it's all about this double consciousness,
where you kind of zigzag through these worlds
where you know that you're never quite either,
-because they both become one thing. -Mm.
And-and that's how these characters find themselves.
They find themselves constantly wrestling with identity.
Um, who am I?
You know? U-Um, where-where am I going?
-In-in what world do I belong, ultimately? -Mm-hmm.
Is it where you are? Is it where you were born?
-Is it-- is it where you're-- where you're going next? -Mm.
And that's kind of what I-I find--
I've personally wrestled with that myself.
Um, and many-many immigrants do.
Um, and so that's kind of how I-I filter all that through
-into this book. -You've done an amazing job.
-It's gonna be an amazing show. -Thank you, sir.
-And, uh, thank you so much for joining me. -Thank you.
-Such a pleasure. Such a pleasure. -I appreciate you.
-Thank you very much for being here. -(cheering)
The Scent of Burnt Flowers is available now.
Blitz Bazawule, everybody. We're gonna take a quick break,
but we'll be right back after this.
-Thank you, my brother. -(cheering and applause)
-(cheering) -Well, that's our show for tonight.
But before we go, before we go,
please consider supporting Keen.
They're a fantastic organization providing free fitness
and recreation programs for youth with disabilities.
So if you want to help them offer equal occo-- opportunities
for recreation, fitness, and friendship,
then please donate at the link below.
Until next time, uh, stay safe out there.
And remember-- if you can't do the time,
don't do the crime.
Or just run for president.
Now here it is, Your Moment of Zen.
♪ ♪
I don't want any bad health on him.
I think life comes at you fast.
I think when you're pretending to have cancer one day
and you've got COVID the next,
you might want to recalibrate how you treat things
-and how you talk. -(chuckles)
That's karma, man. You don't want to--
you don't want to fool with that.