The Treat: Edward Norton

0:00Welcome to The Treat. I'm Elvis Mitchell. Actor Edward Norton's career has seen him through many roles, from his newest in the comedy The Invite to more dramatic work, such as his Oscar-nominated role in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown. For The Treat, his turn-on is the newest solo endeavor by a musician making a big departure from his well-known group. Hey, this is Edward Norton with The Treat.

0:36I think something that inspired me a lot recently is actually the new album that a very old friend of mine, Flea, put out called Onora.

0:52It's Flea's first jazz fusion record. He plays not only bass, but the trumpet.

1:08It's full stop, just a great, great piece of music. The whole thing is this drift, and I've spent a lot of nights putting it on in good headphones, and just, it takes me away. You know, it takes me out of my head and takes me away, which these days in particular feels like a real gift. I have found myself really inspired by it, because as long as I've known him, you know, he's a Red Hot Chili Peppers and great funk rock bassist of our time. And he went back to USC. He got an advanced degree in musicology and music theory on trumpet.

1:51I live near Flea, and whenever he'd get back off tour, the next day you hear the bass and you hear the trumpet floating out down the street because he practices every day. He takes jazz lessons, he takes piano lessons, and he's held this love of jazz his whole life and as long as I've known him. And I think that pushing yourself into the danger zone again as an artist, taking the risk of all that comes with making a jazz record, you know when you're not known as a jazz musician and choosing to express yourself in an in a whole new language that's that's like where I want to be I heard heard that Pink Floyd track Wish You Were Here the other day and I we've all heard it 10 million times but I hadn't heard it in a long time and that line about um did you exchange a walk-on part in the war for a lead role in a cage I listened to Flea's record and I was like, this guy could do the Red Hot Chili Peppers for the rest of his life and be beloved, but he went out and put out a jazz record.

3:04I went and saw him at the Fonda Theater with his jazz band and I just sat there going like, what a crazy thing to say, but I felt to myself, this is his peak moment. He has taken himself to his own highest aspiration after all this time, and it's not in the way anybody would recognize as what they know about him. And I think that's beautiful to me. Really, really beautiful.

3:47Actor Edward Norton, currently starring in The Invite, on the jazz album Honora, the new solo project by Flea. The Treat is produced by Rebecca Mooney and mixed by Katie Gilgrist. We like keeping the spirit of jazz alive here at The Treat. I'm Elvis Mitchell.

4:14The future teller lineman is still on the line

4:28Still on the line

4:35I'm still alone

4:58Still on my love

5:09you