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Eriq LaSalle's Latest Thriller "LAWS OF ANNIHILATION": A Must-Read Crime Fiction | SWAY’S UNIVERSE
Oct 27, 2023
Eriq LaSalle is a man of many talents. An accomplished actor, director, and producer, he has now carved a niche for himself as an award-winning author, with his Martyr Maker crime fiction series. The third installment in the series, "LAWS OF ANNIHILATION," has recently hit the stands, and LaSalle has been on a promotional spree, talking about his latest thriller. In a recent interview on Sway In The Morning, LaSalle discussed the inspiration behind his latest novel, his love for creative diversity, and how he's mentoring the next generation of Black directors and producers.
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Eriq LaSalle's Latest Thriller "LAWS OF ANNIHILATION": A Must-Read Crime Fiction | SWAY’S UNIVERSE
https://youtu.be/WnmykRpRza0
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0:00
what a powerful
0:01
voice we were speaking of this man
0:04
earlier for a number of reasons
0:08
yeah he's a supreme what we call
0:13
Storyteller
0:15
Oracle griot you will actor director
0:19
producer he's masterful in his craft we
0:23
know this for a fact educated at juliard
0:26
and nyu's tish's School of the Arts ow
0:31
that man paid some money my daughter
0:32
graduated from Tish I know it he been
0:35
working to pay off those student loans
0:37
ever since I already know what he's
0:38
going through maybe he had a scholarship
0:41
maybe he did have a scholarship I know
0:43
that man been writing his ass off since
0:45
we talked to him last time he got to pay
0:47
these damn
0:49
bills but it's a honor to have him on
0:52
here we were talking about some of his
0:53
prowers DB if you don't mind man some of
0:56
the things that we spoke about his
0:57
excellent Works in his past well it's
0:59
because because of that man that I was
1:00
so attached to this movie called Coming
1:02
To America that I had to go and buy
1:04
Prince aim's jacket that's too hard oh
1:06
my gosh the actual hat that he wore oh
1:08
my God the mcdow's
1:11
shirt yeah I got the mcdow's Hat you
1:13
know what I mean like and and it was
1:15
funny because I think I might have
1:16
mentioned this last time when you called
1:17
in when we spoke to you um my nanny the
1:19
woman used to babysit me and Aaron Aaron
1:21
who was just up here visiting uh was in
1:23
Coming to America she was in the the
1:25
subway scene you weren't in it but it
1:26
was a scene when AEM and Lisa are
1:28
arguing back and forth and there's a
1:29
three people who keep looking she was
1:31
the black woman in that scene so and
1:34
this is going to sound funny but you
1:35
look a lot like my dad so when I was
1:37
really young and I would watch the movie
1:38
I'd be like wow my dad has the same car
1:40
mustache hair and everything so hold on
1:43
hold on let's your dad had a Jerry Cur
1:45
he had more of a
1:47
fro it wasn't maybe it was I don't know
1:49
but was was it was it Carl
1:52
adjacent very very much so very much C
1:54
and Jason but yeah we're talking about
1:55
when he played Daryl and one of the I I
1:57
would say arguably the greatest comedy
1:59
of all time time uh Coming to America
2:01
which is a classic in my book but I mean
2:03
he's here to talk about this new book
2:05
pun attended that is called the laws of
2:07
annihilation from the Martyr maker
2:08
series please welcome he's already a
2:10
citizen of s the morning but he's a VIP
2:12
Citizen and somebody we all love Eric L
2:15
Eric L is
2:17
here hey good to have you in person man
2:20
yeah yeah yeah man you um it's pretty
2:24
fascinating having you here our last
2:25
conversation you said so many profound
2:28
things that uh just stuck to me one of
2:30
the things you said I'm curious to where
2:32
you are now one of the things we talked
2:33
about when we talked back in
2:35
2021 maybe I think so I said what are
2:39
you working on you said I'm working on
2:41
the third installment of my crime series
2:43
crazy and today ladies and gentlemen
2:45
we're celebrating that law of
2:48
analiation wow okay we're going to talk
2:51
about this um and another thing we
2:53
talked about was your concerns and you
2:56
said you know you're more concerned
2:58
about the Pres in the future than you
3:01
are the past right you recall saying
3:03
that yeah and and at that time this was
3:06
your future right so what what are
3:08
what's on your list now what are your
3:10
concerns today well you know I've been
3:12
building this thing for 10 years um so
3:15
it's been like pushing pushing pushing
3:18
um I've got the next book already um
3:21
that I'm working on um so for me it's
3:24
been really about this franchise
3:26
empowerment it's been about um you know
3:30
I I I like I've been talking for years
3:32
about black empowerment which means for
3:35
me ownership and so you know I didn't
3:38
set out just to write um a Trilogy I
3:41
didn't set out to write I wanted I
3:42
wanted it to be a novel I didn't want it
3:44
to be biographies I didn't want and I I
3:46
take no writing any kind of book is hard
3:49
very difficult but I wanted it to be all
3:51
about my imagination and you said a key
3:53
word a word that really means a lot to
3:55
me is craft yeah like craft is you know
3:57
so studying the craft of writing and and
4:00
so being able to put together this thing
4:02
it's and we've got uh aspirations the
4:06
goal of this is to turn this into a
4:08
movie series to turn it into a you know
4:11
a streaming Series so that's ownership
4:15
you know what I mean and that's the type
4:16
of empowerment like again you talk about
4:19
some black people being rich yeah and
4:21
some people being
4:23
wealthy differ and you get wealthy from
4:26
ownership and I'm not just talking about
4:27
financial wealth I'm talking about
4:29
creative artistic like this is my
4:31
freedom this is what I get to do so this
4:33
thing saved me uh you know we're going
4:36
through this horrible strike man that's
4:38
been you know six months now right so
4:41
people didn't have stuff to do I
4:44
fortunately threw myself into the book
4:46
so when you ask like what's the focus
4:48
the focus this thing has sort of just um
4:52
created its path for me and so I'm
4:54
following I'm following that so yeah so
4:56
it feels good man that's well that's
4:58
happen that's what happen is to me you
5:00
know when you able to live in your
5:02
purpose um and and I I I truly feel like
5:06
that's what that is when you talk about
5:07
black empowerment and proprietorship
5:09
these are these are phrases I quite
5:11
often use you know with that wealth that
5:14
you can acquire uh from these type of
5:17
projects from your craft what would you
5:19
want to do with it well that's the you
5:21
know here's the thing I'm in a unique
5:23
position because nine times out of 10
5:26
you see a movie that's been turned that
5:28
a book that's been turned into a movie n
5:30
out of 10 times people go the book was
5:32
better right that's because a an author
5:35
writes a book someone gives him a big
5:37
gives them a big check and I ain't
5:38
hating on this at all but somebody gives
5:40
them a big check they turn over the
5:41
rights to whoever now that person that
5:44
entity has to interpret what this author
5:47
meant what this author and a lot a lot a
5:50
lot gets lost in that interpretation
5:52
well I'm in a unique position because
5:53
being a writer being a director being a
5:56
producer um the goal is I uh co-write
6:00
the script I direct it I produce it so
6:03
I'm protecting that Vision yeah and and
6:06
that's rare that you you know people
6:08
turn that Vision over to someone and TR
6:10
you know it's like it's like having this
6:12
beautiful baby and turning it over to
6:13
someone and saying okay raise it and I
6:15
hope it has my values well no that they
6:18
the baby's going to have the values of
6:20
the person that's raising it and so you
6:22
you you hope you get it right um so for
6:25
me I feel like I'm in a unique position
6:27
to be able to you give my baby my
6:34
values right um I'm curious like when I
6:37
think of you as a director um as well as
6:40
a writer I'm looking at the likes of the
6:42
Ava duenes and the Lena wfs and a lot of
6:45
folks who have come up in recent time
6:47
have done extremely well is there a
6:49
fellowship going on with black directors
6:50
and writers that you're part of well I
6:53
mean you know look there are more of us
6:55
yeah and um and and so I've got my squad
6:58
of people and um you know that we we we
7:02
Fellowship man we we pour into each
7:04
other you know what I mean and it's
7:06
funny because like there have been
7:07
people that I've been a mentor to and
7:10
you know when I was on Chicago PD
7:12
brought in some uh cool directors
7:14
there's a young brother by the name of
7:15
Carl Satan who who's like a little
7:17
brother to me and um so it's been cool
7:21
to Mentor a brother like that but I
7:23
remember one day he came over and we
7:25
were just you know chopping it up and we
7:27
were kind of getting down on some people
7:29
that were we were getting down on
7:30
ourselves because some people were like
7:31
blowing up and they were doing these
7:32
things and we were like they're not that
7:34
great and he just turned to me he said
7:35
you know what brother we're Blue Collar
7:38
artists and I was like I looked at them
7:41
and it just meant we just do the work
7:44
we're not in it for whatever we're not
7:47
you know folk oh this person has this
7:48
deal this person I love I love the work
7:51
and so once you like he helped me to Def
7:54
redefine who I was and that determines
7:57
how you look at your purpose and how you
7:59
so your purpose might not be all the
8:02
glittering Glam of what somebody else's
8:05
journey is my my journey is my journey
8:08
and when I understand that my journey is
8:10
that as a a blue collar you know that
8:13
blue collar ethic you know that that
8:16
that that work ethic like you know you
8:17
think about how our generation like
8:19
we're for the most part most of us are
8:21
first
8:22
generation success on this level for the
8:25
most part I can't speak for everybody in
8:26
but for the most part you know that's
8:28
how we are you know first generation so
8:30
we don't have you know but now we're
8:32
creating that Legacy and so when you
8:35
have when you have that man it's just
8:37
and you know to to to say look just do
8:40
the work focus on the work um one of one
8:43
thing I I was like I don't want to be
8:44
considered when I first started this 10
8:46
years ago I do not want to be considered
8:48
a celebrity author I that I don't want I
8:50
want to be considered a good author I
8:53
don't even necessarily want to be
8:55
considered a black author like let's
8:58
like let's let's and what I mean by I
9:00
want to be very clear I don't want to be
9:02
limited by that because that's what
9:04
happens in this industry they start
9:05
going oh well that's a black what is a
9:07
black author I'm you want to be
9:09
considered a good author and so you
9:12
don't have white authors oh that's a
9:15
really good white author wow that's a
9:17
great author and so when you start
9:20
choosing your adjectives and how you
9:21
want to be defined and what you but you
9:23
got to come from a place of craft you
9:25
have to prove yourself because at the
9:27
end of the day celebrity might get me an
9:29
interview celebrity might get me so far
9:31
and also might hold me back because
9:33
people have preconceptions oh that's
9:34
just he can't write same thing they said
9:36
about me when I was a direct you know I
9:37
wanted to direct oh he's an actor he
9:39
can't and then all wow he's a really
9:41
good director then I became an executive
9:43
produc oh he can't executive oh wow he's
9:44
a really good executive producer so you
9:47
you know you control that but my thing
9:49
is I want the adjectives to be this is a
9:52
solid writer this is a solid author I
9:55
love that man Eric L get this man a
9:57
round of applause right here
9:59
dropping gems H I know I love it Eric
10:02
thank you again uh for being here today
10:05
um loving it no we we're loving having
10:07
you here talking about everything you
10:09
was talking about I can't help us to
10:10
think about Tyler Perry and all that he
10:13
has been able to do when you talk about
10:15
ownership and I had a chance to visit
10:17
Tyler Perry Studios and I was telling
10:19
Sway and Tracy and everybody here when I
10:21
got back I just kept going wow wow
10:24
because I remember the plays here in New
10:26
York City that were in the small
10:28
theaters and in the small places I
10:30
remember all the work that he talked
10:32
about doing how rare then just based on
10:34
what you were saying and how hard it is
10:36
is the air that he's in just owning this
10:39
big studio and now game shows are being
10:41
done films are being shot television
10:43
shows it's it's like phenomenal maybe
10:47
the first of its kind for
10:49
a yeah I mean well I mean people have
10:52
been doing things you have to realize
10:54
like look back in the day you had Sydney
10:57
potier who um helped formed a studio
11:00
back in the day and don't get me wrong I
11:02
mean what Tyler is doing is what Tyler
11:04
is doing I think the most important
11:05
thing here is
11:07
this you never know a where your journey
11:10
takes you and you never know who becomes
11:14
a part of your journey so you look at
11:17
something like what Tyler is doing it's
11:19
affecting hundreds thousands of people
11:23
you know what I'm saying so but you
11:24
don't you start off with the journey um
11:27
I didn't have the frame of reference is
11:29
when I was growing up um to say oh I
11:31
want to be like this actor this I didn't
11:33
have that frame of reference so what my
11:36
journey is now um I'm going back to my
11:39
hometown of Harford Connecticut on
11:41
Friday to do an event people get to see
11:43
wow this guy came from where I come from
11:45
he looks like me but when I start my
11:48
journey it's a very selfish Journey it's
11:50
a journey about wow I love Arts I love
11:53
storytelling you don't always know that
11:55
it's going to impact the world it's
11:57
going to impact your imunity um you try
12:00
to you do try to handle yourself with
12:02
dignity and respect um you know that's
12:05
how you were how I was raised but now
12:07
being an a African-American author um
12:12
and in this particular genre where there
12:15
aren't a lot of African-Americans so now
12:19
we get to see more and more and people
12:22
like well if he did this then wow why
12:24
can't I do it he looks like me he talks
12:26
like me he's he's from me he he
12:29
understands the language he he codes
12:30
whiches like
12:33
me he's like but you know but that's but
12:35
you understand why I've seen this person
12:37
navigate um I wish and maybe I don't
12:40
know maybe I wasn't smart enough at the
12:41
time I wish I had more examples that I
12:46
could that I could have because cuz look
12:49
as a as a as a young black man you know
12:50
you're trying to Define yourself when
12:52
you're you know young 20s and it's hard
12:55
you know what I mean and and and and you
12:57
need that positive POS you need that
13:00
someone's done it you need sometimes you
13:02
need that because you know why here's
13:04
here's people don't tell you and I use
13:07
this word lightly I don't I don't want
13:08
to say it about me but I'm just I'm just
13:09
using this as an example people don't
13:11
tell you if you are considered to be a
13:15
Pioneer is
13:17
lonely oh yeah cuz you're the first one
13:20
in you're in the dark Corners you're in
13:23
now you go in these dark corners and you
13:25
leave light for the next person so the
13:28
next
13:30
little but but people don't tell you
13:32
it's it's lonely you're trying to do
13:34
something that you know listen when I
13:36
was growing up people you know hard for
13:38
connecting like dude you can't be an
13:39
actor why because there's nobody from
13:42
this community that looks like you
13:44
that's doing it well I'm going to go do
13:46
it it was lonely it was lonely at juli
13:49
Art it was lonely being a minority and a
13:51
predominantly white environment but I
13:53
was getting great training as lonely as
13:55
and so and I'm not I don't I'm not
13:57
complaining what I'm saying I'm just
13:59
simply that's part of the thing is we
14:01
have to let people know particularly
14:03
younger generation it's okay to be
14:06
lonely it might mean you're doing the
14:08
right thing it means you're going places
14:10
that other people haven't been your job
14:13
once you're there leave a little light
14:16
and that light shines and then the next
14:17
person leaves that light next thing you
14:19
know it's like oh I'm I'm coming into a
14:21
light room I'm not coming into a dark
14:22
room but that's important for people to
14:24
understand thank you for that
14:26
confirmation than let that bring for a
14:28
second for
14:33
real Eric Lal is here laws of
14:36
annihilation is the book a martyr maker
14:38
novel award-winning author he's here
14:41
we're going to talk about that
14:43
momentarily uh Tracy G you want to dive
14:45
in yeah thank you Eric you speak like a
14:48
writer you know even what you just
14:49
shared with us right now I could see
14:51
myself highlighting it in a book W I'm
14:54
I'm such an avid um book reader and so
14:57
often times they notice different trends
14:59
like when I was younger I felt like
15:01
fiction was tremendous and I would say
15:04
maybe in the last 20 years I would say
15:08
personal development books have really
15:11
really taken over the self-help um genre
15:14
so to say but I do feel like we are in a
15:17
fiction Renaissance I'm seeing a lot of
15:19
people reach for novels um I think it's
15:22
because people want a form of escapism
15:24
or if self-help they've realized that no
15:26
matter what you can't get your life
15:28
perfect right and so they're in a place
15:30
of acceptance um if you feel the same
15:33
why do you feel like we're going into a
15:35
fiction a novel Renaissance and also
15:38
would you ever consider helping a
15:41
celebrity author with their
15:43
Memoir um let me answer that backwards
15:46
okay um no not really um
15:52
I I'm proud of again I want and I want
15:55
to be very clear you take nothing away
15:57
from anyone that sets out to write a
15:59
book I don't care what kind of book you
16:01
write it's hard I don't care if you're
16:04
collaborating with someone for me
16:07
personally it was important for me to
16:09
write fiction it was important that
16:11
every single word in my book comes from
16:14
me um I didn't have somebody helping me
16:17
I didn't have um that's important for me
16:19
and what I'm trying to establish um but
16:23
I think that like I don't you know
16:25
biographies you know I don't I don't I'm
16:28
a private person see this is another
16:31
thing I'm a very private person and so
16:34
how I get into other people's trauma and
16:39
personal things and sometimes there's a
16:41
fine line um I personally I thought
16:44
Viola Davis did a brilliant job
16:46
brilliant I mean that that book read to
16:48
me like fiction I was like oh man I was
16:50
turning Pages you know and she and I you
16:53
know we have the same uh publisher but I
16:55
so I got an early copy and so that's I
16:58
was like like okay and I see the
16:59
empowerment that this sister took from
17:01
this trauma and you know how made but
17:03
but a lot of times you know we have
17:05
books when it's just like let me give
17:06
you the dirt on my I don't I don't
17:08
really want to know your dirt I I'm
17:10
sorry so I so that's not where I lean it
17:12
feels gossipy it feels gossipy for me
17:14
and again I I take nothing nothing away
17:15
from people it's just not it doesn't
17:17
appeal to me um as far as fiction I
17:20
think fiction is growing there's a
17:22
there's a a brother that I want to give
17:23
a shout out to sa Cosby okay who is
17:27
killing the game he's changing the game
17:29
so this is an African-American author
17:31
who's in this genre who has elevated the
17:34
game and so now we're beginning to see
17:37
these examples um I want to be a part of
17:40
that I want to be a part of a situation
17:43
where um some young brother or sister is
17:46
sitting around going you know I want to
17:48
do this well why well Eric LEL did it as
17:52
a Cosby did it um so and so did it you
17:55
know I mean you got to think of like
17:56
look at authors like Octavia Butler can
17:59
when we talk about lonely Pioneers a
18:01
black woman writing science fiction and
18:04
now it's more acceptable it's still not
18:05
as popular but and so this whole thing
18:08
what we're trying to do with this genre
18:09
and we're trying to we're trying to show
18:11
that black people and people of color
18:13
and women that we have attitudes about
18:16
these genres we should be able to write
18:18
whatever genre and so we have a we have
18:20
a lot to do because it's not equal yet
18:22
yes but um but we're we're we're we're
18:25
in it and and I love being in it so
18:27
that's that's so I do hope fiction
18:29
becomes more popular and more and it
18:33
does feel like that and I love hopefully
18:36
being a part of that and I know and I
18:38
know that I'm you know within the circle
18:40
of my books and my genre um you know
18:44
we're doing it and it feels gooded I
18:46
love it Eric lales here um the book is
18:49
laws of
18:50
annihilation a race war is brewing in
18:53
New York City and nobody can stop
18:57
it
18:59
is that fiction is not right that's his
19:01
book I know well is it fiction or is it
19:04
not let me go on in the summer in New
19:07
York City in a sweltering Heatwave
19:09
stifles the area the entire city is on
19:11
edge tensions between the hidic and
19:14
black communities have been steadily
19:16
escalating since a tragic incident a few
19:18
weeks ago left a black teenager
19:22
dead I feel like I read that in a
19:24
Brooklyn newspaper last week or
19:26
something man you went there huh yeah
19:30
you know um I thought it was I mean
19:33
right now uh and I I don't I don't get
19:36
into politics in my book I get into
19:39
people I get into communities I get into
19:42
ideology I get into um personal
19:46
relationships the there's a there's a
19:48
weird thing there's a weird thing going
19:51
on there's a thing called that well I
19:53
just started saying this there's a thing
19:55
that I call the algorithm of hate M the
19:59
algorithm of hate and if you study the
20:01
algorithm of hate you understand every
20:06
cycle you start understanding that hate
20:10
happens in Cycles so we can we as black
20:12
people we can be like all it's been
20:14
about 3 months since somebody got shot
20:16
um some something about to go down you
20:18
know and then a couple of weeks later um
20:20
we look at the rise of anti-Semitism in
20:23
this uh country in the world we look at
20:26
um the rise of antiblack anti- like we
20:30
you know they're anti you know
20:32
homophobia all of this stuff there is an
20:34
algorithm to that hate so I write about
20:36
things that I feel are topical um
20:40
and relevant and so you know writing a a
20:44
book about you know and I think I I try
20:47
to take an interesting perspective and
20:48
so you have the Jewish Community which
20:52
has its issues and and and and racism
20:55
and and and anti-Semitism and all of
20:58
that that stuff you have black people so
21:00
we we technically outside of the Native
21:02
Americans cuz we always leave them out
21:03
they are the most oppressed people you
21:07
know but the most popular oppressed
21:09
people which is a crazy thing to say if
21:12
you think about is blacks and Jewish
21:14
community and yet we have our
21:16
differences with each other and so I
21:19
wanted to write and in the book one of
21:21
my favorite Parts the B storyline you
21:23
take a racist Jewish guy you imprison
21:27
him you throw him in a basement chained
21:31
next to 20t away from a racist black guy
21:34
and they hate each other and they have
21:36
reasons to hate each other and yet at
21:39
some point they got to realize the only
21:41
way they're going to survive is to try
21:43
to figure some stuff out to escape
21:46
together so it's kind of reminiscing of
21:48
the defiant ones um cuz you know being
21:51
being an actor and and growing up on and
21:53
and speaking the language of Cinema I
21:55
let the influence of film films come in
21:59
and and and and and season my story so
22:03
the it's it's it's not an accident that
22:05
it's the hottest day what does that
22:08
remind you of do the right thing do the
22:10
right thing there you go you see I'm say
22:12
because we talk about those tensions and
22:15
and what Spike did with d it was like
22:17
boom this is the so you knew some stuff
22:18
was going to go down so I wanted to take
22:20
it even to the next level that it's
22:22
going to get deadly and it's going to be
22:25
Citywide and so there's all this tension
22:27
and black community is trying to find
22:30
the kidnapped black guy the Jewish
22:32
Community is trying to find the
22:33
kidnapped Jewish guy who's holding them
22:36
hostage we start dealing with white
22:37
supremacy so these common enemies so I
22:40
write about topical things because I
22:42
think it's really important I think you
22:44
know to speak to your point readers on
22:47
average it takes about two weeks to read
22:49
a book on average if you going to give
22:52
me two weeks of your life I got to give
22:53
you something that sticks yes I got to
22:55
give you something that you're like oh
22:58
snap like you know what I mean like I
23:00
don't I've read books and two days later
23:03
I forgot I forgot characters I forgot
23:05
the book no I want I want my books to be
23:07
soul food I want my books to stick to
23:09
your ribs yeah the characters feel like
23:11
family exactly you're like oh and you
23:14
like oh whether you like that person
23:16
whether you're scared of that person
23:17
whether you whatever you or you
23:18
sympathize with that person and I do I
23:21
you know I I do I I don't make like I
23:23
said political statements I just do
23:25
characters I do the character of what
23:27
would it be like to be this
23:28
African-American man stuck in this
23:30
basement what would it be like to be
23:32
this Jewish um American man to be in
23:34
this with your enemy with what you've
23:36
defined as your enemy um that's what I
23:39
think resonates and so now when we come
23:43
back to the algorithm of hate look at
23:45
what's going on in the world right now
23:47
you know what I mean I and I wrote this
23:48
uh we talked about this two years ago
23:51
you see what I'm saying but the
23:52
algorithm of hate almost puts it out at
23:54
the time when it's it's at its highest
23:56
you know book laws of Anni Annihilation
24:00
an that was one of my troubl words as a
24:02
youth I was scared to say this in front
24:04
of Eric I've been I've been baffling
24:06
this this I've been stumbling over I
24:08
haven't really fully said it I don't
24:09
know if you
24:12
know this was my trouble word as a youth
24:15
bro Annihilation Annihilation there we
24:17
go I fixed
24:20
it DB take later so Dad I mean um Eric
24:24
sorry um
24:26
Jing um last time we spoke you said
24:29
something that really stuck with me and
24:31
it was talking about um you told a story
24:33
where somebody enlightened you about
24:34
nobody seeks to do a bad job at anything
24:37
and with that in mind I wanted to ask
24:40
you about the creative process because
24:42
whether you're you know filmmaker Arthur
24:43
whatever it is while you're doing
24:45
something you can add take away whatever
24:46
it is you have you know a little bit of
24:48
control anyway over that process but
24:50
it's the ending part knowing when to
24:51
stop and like okay it's done it's enough
24:54
don't add anymore just put it out in the
24:56
world how do you figure that out when it
24:59
comes to writing and acting is it the
25:01
same sort of like knowing when to stop
25:02
or is it different no it's different
25:04
because as a writer like I've had books
25:06
you got to realize I started writing
25:08
this series 10 years ago right actually
25:10
11 right so um you know you're right
25:13
you're right you grow and so like I come
25:17
in here I experience this new energy I
25:19
meet new
25:20
people you guys Dro some science like
25:24
that's what a writer does they said that
25:26
they the they only two types of the only
25:29
two phases of being a writer you're
25:31
either writing or you're thinking about
25:32
writing like that's your existence when
25:35
you're not writing you think about it
25:36
right so you know when you have that you
25:39
know when you have that ability I think
25:41
it's really important to absorb and as
25:45
you absorb you grow right and so I come
25:48
and so yeah there are times where I go
25:50
oh man we man that that was great like I
25:51
want to I want to put that in the book
25:53
so at some point you go it's done like
25:55
you know what I mean you got to let it
25:56
go as an actor but but you can there is
25:59
something there is value and I want to
26:02
get ahead of this there is value in
26:04
having a book complete leave it alone go
26:08
do your thing start working on another
26:10
one and have time to go back and season
26:12
it with new things that you're absorbing
26:15
because you're in a new you're in a new
26:16
place of growth and so as a writer art
26:21
art should cost you and you have to
26:24
always
26:25
determine how much does it cost
26:28
and so whether it costs your privacy
26:30
whether it cost a piece of your soul
26:33
whether it cost a piece of your trauma
26:35
whether it costs a piece of your joy
26:38
whether it costs a piece of your family
26:40
art because if you're going to go in
26:42
you're digging for truth truth
26:45
costs truth costs you know what I mean
26:48
you can't remain neutral TR truth can
26:50
cost you your job truth can particularly
26:53
in this day and age truth can cost so
26:56
you have to be fearless and I think what
26:57
separates artists great artists from
26:59
from from good artists from great
27:01
artists or great artists from good
27:02
artists is the courage to you know when
27:07
when I was uh as an actor we had a thing
27:10
that we used to always say acting is
27:12
having a private moment
27:14
publicly so but I I translate that as an
27:17
artist art is having a private moment
27:20
publicly like this crazy stuff that we
27:22
do at home when no one's looking yeah
27:25
who has the courage to take that and put
27:26
it out in the public and say the
27:28
dysfunction that we all have in families
27:31
and Thanksgiving and all that to take
27:34
that and put that into your work no
27:36
matter what you whether you're a rapper
27:38
whether you're a singer whether you're a
27:39
visual artist so you got to let it cost
27:43
and when it cost that's that's what pays
27:46
off that's the payoff and that's what I
27:48
for me I let it cost and I so I put some
27:51
I put me in my books and uh and I'm okay
27:55
with that cost because the reward Ward
27:57
is greater I need to get that tattooed
27:59
art cost art cost Eric Lile man hey wow
28:03
beautiful I didn't know if it could get
28:04
better in the flesh but it just went 10x
28:07
Next Level yes Next Level brother you
28:09
are always welcome in here good I love I
28:11
love listen I you know I've been saying
28:14
I told you privately but um so we got
28:17
together two years ago I was just uh
28:19
finishing my run I was running Chicago
28:21
PD and um I did my final episode and and
28:25
uh one of my people called me up and
28:27
said hey we you we got you an interview
28:28
with Sway in the morning and blah blah
28:30
blah I was like oh cool whatever right
28:32
didn't think too much about it had a
28:33
bunch of interviews and knocked them out
28:35
knocked them out knocked them out I was
28:37
okay this is cool and then you know I
28:39
did my interview with you guys on the
28:42
phone and that was two years ago man and
28:45
to this day I keep saying one of the
28:47
best interviews you got and I'm I'm
28:49
going back 30 years when we started when
28:51
we started ER cuz you got to real I've
28:53
been doing crazy interviews but I got to
28:55
tell you and I I'm not I'm not just
28:56
shining
28:58
dude this has been always like just a
29:02
you make you make people feel like fam
29:04
you're your game is you don't play you
29:08
don't reach for the lowest hanging fruit
29:11
um when you do interviews and I think
29:13
that that's really important because you
29:15
know that's reality TV and everybody
29:16
wants Scandal everybody wants the lowest
29:19
this you have a way of of your you and
29:22
your your team you guys have a way of
29:24
actually Mak allowing the artist to feel
29:27
elevated and and in a safe place in a
29:30
safe space that is so important and and
29:33
and I think that like I said I just it
29:35
was just kind of oh you get here's my
29:37
list of interviews okay fine whatever
29:39
this was the one and so to be able to I
29:41
was so excited when it you going in to
29:44
meet the team I was like this is the
29:46
interview so this has been the one that
29:48
I've held on to for a couple of years so
29:50
I thank you guys it really means a lot
29:54
wow reive wow receive for sure so much
29:58
all real all real real thank you brother
30:00
I'm ready got that recorded now too oh
30:03
that's going to be a sweeper oh yeah no
30:04
that's a sweeper that's every day we're
30:06
going to hear Eric say these wonderful
30:07
things about us thank you and we're
30:08
going to thank you every single day we
30:10
run that sweeper back and then I'm
30:12
planning my retirement party after those
30:14
words you just said it don't get no
30:16
better than this it don't get no better
30:19
thank you it means a lot coming from you
30:21
respect everything we respect the craft
30:23
the whole nine uh laws of Anni not ANH D
30:27
damn I know after the speech you see
30:30
what happens when you read your own
30:31
press release the way they give you the
30:34
flowers and you drop them yo I think
30:36
went back to the second grade right
30:38
there bro try it again you got it you
30:41
got it hold up
30:43
yep I can read everything else no you
30:46
can read that let's Al conquers yet
30:47
another medium a really great read that
30:49
was Dick Wolf what's the title laws of
30:53
[Music]
30:55
annihilation say it with confidence I
30:57
was going to do the kungu overdub for
30:59
you like
31:01
Annihilation also in celebration of this
31:04
book citizens you have the opportunity
31:06
to meet meet Eric yourself because he is
31:08
going to be doing a meet and greet on
31:10
Thursday October 26 7 p.m. at human
31:13
Grand Central here in New York that is
31:16
1166 6th Avenue on the entrance of 45th
31:20
Street the tickets are really cheap and
31:22
you even get yourself a glass of
31:24
prco you CL yourself so you had to say
31:28
Heather be information on his
31:32
Instagram what's your Instagram Eric uh
31:34
Eric LEL okay boom got got a blue star
31:38
so that's that's the blue check because
31:41
because you know what every week you get
31:42
like an impostor so that's I'll just say
31:44
that yes
31:45
ER thank you um doing y'all doing a
31:48
dinner that's not a public thing or did
31:50
you tell me mention a dinner diners are
31:51
not public oh never mind those
31:55
Areo sway her food and just want to
31:58
start sharing Eric who'd you come in
32:00
here with this amazing beautiful vision
32:02
of loveliness this is Yona Yona is my oh
32:05
my God yonah is my Grassroots put on
32:08
camera put her on camera yeah you you
32:10
got to get y camera y y you get a
32:13
closeup and let me tell you some reason
32:15
why why is she your grassroot ninja
32:17
she's you know you know we you when
32:19
you're doing like a marketing campaign
32:22
um you know because I I I self-published
32:24
so I got into the Grassroots everything
32:26
was Grassroots you know I couldn't
32:27
afford whatever so it's was like boom
32:29
and so I always said no matter what
32:31
happens even when we get a publisher we
32:33
want to maintain that Grassroots
32:36
mentality and so my agent introduced me
32:39
to Yona and Yona is like yo I'm G get
32:43
this I'm getting this done no ain't
32:45
nobody saying no to me no I'm getting
32:46
this done and you just but you know and
32:49
a lot of people no but a lot of people
32:50
talk a lot of people talk a good talk
32:53
this sister said I'm like okay you you
32:56
you you do you do it you know what I
32:58
mean and so she just made Tracy work she
33:01
just handed Tracy I was like how did
33:03
Tracy know that info that's pretty good
33:05
I got listen listen this I got I got I
33:07
got one for you I got one I got one for
33:09
you this is this is my so you know my
33:11
team is um my team is you know bunch of
33:14
sisters and you know agent publisher y
33:18
right and I literally
33:21
said I'm single I'm a single man right I
33:24
literally said if you want to accomplish
33:27
something great partner with a woman if
33:30
you want to accomplish something
33:32
impossible partner with a black woman
33:34
there you go they go in it right
33:37
[Music]
33:43
here
#Arts & Entertainment