Michael Lington Interview Page 4

Smitty:  (Laughs.)

ML:  They said “What we have is not really up to snuff.”  I said “Well, what do you mean?  You’re on Cuban soil?  What are you talking about?”  They said “Yeah, but we can’t for obvious reasons have Cubans here, so we don’t really have great cigars.”  So the next thing I know, they’d called and I got an e-mail saying “We’re removing every existing stock we have in all officer bars and lounges and we’re stocking every single humidor with Michael Lington Cigars” and they are ordering boxes and the only cigar being smoked on Guantanamo Bay is Michael Lington Cigars.

Smitty:  Whoa!

ML:  I mean, that is pretty, pretty cool stuff.

Smitty:  Yeah, man, wow.  So that means you really did your homework and what you’ve produced once again is something that people love.  So Michael, I think you’ve hit on something, man.

ML:  Well, it’s just fun when stuff like this happens because as you can imagine, two years ago it wasn’t even a thought and then all of a sudden we got a cigar company and people—I hold events and you sit there and watch 125 people smoke your cigars and we’re walking around—I mean, it’s just hilarious.  You gotta be careful what you dream for because you just may—

Smitty:  It might happen.

ML:  You just might get it, you know? 

Smitty:  Well, Michael, you’ve been successful on so many levels and I applaud you for all the wonderful things you’ve done.  I mean, you’ve given back to the community, you’ve done some things for abandoned kids, kids with HIV in South Africa, you’ve done the thing with Mr. Holland’s Opus, just some wonderful things that you’ve done.  You’ve not rested on your laurels, you have not taken anything for granted, and I think on every level you’ve always put your heart in everything you do, and when people do that, great things happen. So I just want to congratulate you on just really doing everything on a top shelf level.

ML:  Well, thank you.  I am always very involved and active in things that I believe in, and talking about the abandoned kids, actually, they’re called Forever Homes in South Africa and Jonathan Butler turned me onto this organization and I did some work with them raising some money, and that was a pleasure to be a part of.  You’ve got these kids that have either been abandoned by their parents either because that they can’t afford to take care of them anymore or because that their parents were either very ill or had died of AIDS.  So they built these homes where they have sort of a main person in each home and they raise these kids and take them through school and actually give these kids a real chance at life, and things like that are important. 

I do this on a local level.  I work with an organization called Create Now! that gets kids referred from the social system, young kids anywhere from, say, 10, 11 to 15, 16, that are adolescents that have dropped out of school and start getting involved in gangs and for some reason have gotten arrested and are in juvenile facilities.  Once they get the shock in there about the kind of path that they are starting, all of a sudden they realize that perhaps this is not the right way and a lot of these kids find music or God, but in my case they find music as sort of their savior.

I work with an organization that where these kids basically surrendered saying “You know what?  We don’t want this life for ourselves but I love playing the trumpet” or “I love playing the saxophone” and I get together with these kids and sort of just tell them that “You don’t have to do these things in order to feel that—you don’t have to belong to a gang in order to feel like you have a family, you don’t have to steal in order to feel that you get things,” and these kinds of things, it’s really something that I love doing.  I get just as much out of it as those kids do.

Smitty:  That’s very cool.  You’ve got a heart of gold, my friend, and I tell you what, you’re appreciated more than you will ever know because it’s hard to quantify the appreciation when people reach out to the capacity that you have.

ML:  Oh, thank you.  But again, as I said, I get a lot out of it myself.  It’s really an eye-opening experience.  I happen to be considered a lucky one because I was brought up in a different country where the system sort of took care of you and I had instruments to play when I wanted to play one, but I also realize without those opportunities, I may not have been able to do the things I’ve done in life, so to give kids an opportunity, that’s someone that just needed opportunity.

Smitty:  Yeah, exactly.

ML:  So that stuff is really—that’s a no brainer for me.  I love doing that.

Smitty:  Very cool, man.  Well, once again, man, congratulations on just being a cool person and just really doing your thing on such a classy level.  Now, we’ve talked about The Chackster, David Chackler, quite a bit.

ML:  I think I’ve mentioned him three times.

Smitty:  (Laughs.)  Okay, we’ve given him his three props, huh?

ML:  Right.

Smitty:  Oh, man.  Well, let’s give him one more.  Man, you’re on a new label.

ML:  Well, I’m on a new old label.  We do have a history.  He was the guy that actually signed me to my first deal and we did my first album together and it was just kinda interesting how things over the years have developed.  We always kept in touch and have always been friends, we even worked together in some capacity, and when I sort of became a free agent again, if you will, I had a few options but I gotta tell you, the kind of energy that David brought to the table I realized that that would be the right fit, and I think I was proven right.  I think it is a perfect fit and I’m so impressed with his ideas, his energy, his dedication.  I mean, you only know about two percent of the stuff that is actually going on, you know what I mean?

Smitty:  Yeah, exactly.

ML:  The things that he is doing and things that are happening every day, and it really is great, and both my manager and myself, we’re shaking our heads going “Wow, wow, this is kinda nice,” you know?  “This is really nice when you’ve got such a team behind you and this kind of dedication.”

Smitty:  Yeah, and those are the elements that are so important with a label, to have that kind of support and feeling that you have that and knowing that you’ve got someone behind you that is really going to give you what you really need to further your career.  Yeah, it’s great.

ML:  But, I mean, with that being said, I’ve been very fortunate to have been on great labels along the way, made many friends, and so you know what?  It’s all a part of the bigger picture, you know what I mean?

Smitty:  Oh yeah.

ML:  I feel very fortunate.  I mean, I’m making a living off what I love to do.  And just by that alone, I feel very fortunate.

Smitty:  Yes, and rightly so.  Well, I tell ya, Michael, once again, just going back to the record, congratulations on just doing a marvelous job with this record, and I know it’s a lotta work, I know what it takes to put out a record like this, and I know that the hard work will pay off with this record in so many ways, so feel good about it like you do and just ride with it and have fun with it, my friend, because you have really created something special.

ML:  Oh, thank you.  That means a lot.  It means a lot to me, especially coming from you.

Smitty:  Absolutely, and I hope to see you real soon out on the road, my friend, and see some real live stuff out there and you’re doing your thing and get to hang a little bit and really sort of catch up on a few things, you know?  When I hear you’re doing a new record that makes me feel good and know that you’re still out there doing your thing.

ML:  Right, right. Thank you so much for your time and it’s great talking to you.

Smitty:  Oh, it’s always a pleasure, my friend, and you know you have a standing welcome here, you know that.

ML:  I appreciate that, thanks.

Smitty:  Yes indeed.  We’ve been talking with the incredible Mr. Michael Lington.  His great new record is called Heat.  It is 10 fantastic tracks with just a phenomenal list of A-List players on this record that I know you truly will enjoy.  I highly recommend it.  Michael, thanks again, my friend, and all the best in 2008 and beyond, my friend.

ML:  Thank you.  Looking forward to seeing you again soon, Smitty.

Baldwin “Smitty” Smith

For More Information Visit www.michaellington.com and www.thenugroove.com and www.myspace.com/michaellington1