Usher talks Bieber, hidden cash and the contents of his wardrobe
Scott was sitting in for Grimmy on Breakfast and began with Josh from Kirk, who had won a school talent competition with a seal impression. Scott’s misunderstanding of the word “seal” led to an abortive attempt to perform Kiss from a Rose before Josh clarified that he meant the animal.
The day’s major guest was Usher, in London to promote Climax and about to work with Labrinth. He spoke warmly about the British producer and explained that a record could arrive quickly, recalling that OMG had been built in 15 minutes before he recorded it in about an hour.
Fashion became an unexpectedly large part of the conversation. Usher said he had a four-room wardrobe, collected clothes as ideas for his own line and regularly cleared things out for charity shops. He also admitted he sometimes hid $100 notes inside shoes, meaning an unsuspecting shopper might find a bonus in an old pair.
Scott was especially keen to discuss Justin Bieber, whom Usher had helped mentor. Usher said Bieber had already been a willing student and that he had encouraged him to keep playing guitar and writing, while Scott pressed the more important issue of whether Bieber had ever reciprocated the many presents Usher had given him.
The interview ended in the show’s usual practical territory: UK hotel kettles, American ice machines, sightseeing buses and the “wake me for food” sticker on aeroplanes. Usher was booked for Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend, and Scott was pleased to have secured both a thoughtful interview and an entirely unnecessary campaign for him to tour London by bus.
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