Jamie Foxx Interview by Tim Ferriss

This is a very long podcast, but I loved it, so more than just link to it on Twitter, I wanted to post it here and give a bit more color on it and why I’d recommend it. It’s over two hours long, as a disclaimer. I listened to it over three days. It was that good. Tim Ferriss sits down with Jamie Foxx and discusses a whole range of issues with incredible candor: Race relations; the media bias; parenting and coaching; finding, nurturing, and developing talent; people in industry who work so hard but never get attention (he calls them “warriors, with no shine”); how he grew up in a small town in rural Texas; how he encountered racism and how he was taught to deal with it; how he found music, and acting, and the thrust behind his standup comedy; how “In Living Color” formed; and, most powerfully, how he was orphaned, adopted by his grandmother (who ran a nursery), and how he learned to grow up under her wing.

You’ve just got to listen to it. There are 4-5 parts where I just burst out laughing. There are parts which are dead serious, heavy stuff, and very moving. You can listen to the podcast above, or click here on Tim’s site to see other places where you can hear the podcast on iTunes, etc. When you’re done (and don’t jump the gun), watch Foxx’s acceptance speech (see below) when he won an Oscar for his performance in “Ray.” And, don’t cheat — listen to the podcast first. Thanks, Tim, for doing this one — amazing contribution.