Bernie Williams Interview

**Craig Carton** (0:00)
Number 51, one of the great Yankees of all time, my main man, Mr. Bernie Williams. V-Dub, what's happening, buddy? How you been?

**Bernie Williams** (0:09)
I've been great.

**Craig Carton** (0:10)
I've not seen you in a minute.

**Bernie Williams** (0:12)
Thank you so much for having me, though.

**Craig Carton** (0:14)
Of course.

**Chris McMonigle** (0:14)
It's our pleasure.

**Bernie Williams** (0:15)
This is great.

**Craig Carton** (0:16)
I didn't know you drank.

**Bernie Williams** (0:19)
Who wouldn't here?

**Craig Carton** (0:21)
By the way, you got it. I'm going to get to the wine in a second. First, let's catch up a little bit. How are you?

**Bernie Williams** (0:27)
I am doing great. I am making this great transition to the music world now.

**Craig Carton** (0:32)
I'm still playing guitar.

**Bernie Williams** (0:33)
I'm a performer. You saw me perform at Richie O'Maul.

**Craig Carton** (0:36)
I played with you.

**Bernie Williams** (0:37)
Yes. You were there.

**Chris McMonigle** (0:40)
He bothered you and made you come up and play drums?

**Craig Carton** (0:42)
He let me play drums with him at an outdoor. He was put on a concert.
You had, shoot, there was a guy that was-

**Bernie Williams** (0:49)
Richie Kanata, the music director of my band, is the first saxophone player for the Billy Joel band.

**Craig Carton** (0:55)
Right. That's what it was.
That was a long time ago. So you're still doing full-time music now?

**Bernie Williams** (1:02)
Well, as full as I could be, without touring 365 days out of the year. We did a concert at Carnegie Hall, very successful.
Florida Grand Opera.

**Craig Carton** (1:13)
Okay. Stop there for a second. What was it like for you as a very accomplished guitar player, and I mean that because you are, thank you, walking out on stage at Carnegie Hall versus taking center field at Yankee Stadium. Similar?

**Bernie Williams** (1:28)
They were very similar in the in the fact that I mean, there's like iconic places to perform, whether it's baseball or music. And, you know, the audience are going to expect some excellence. And you got to bring it. Carnegie Hall, man, you can hear a pin drop.

**Craig Carton** (1:44)
You missed a note at Carnegie Hall. Someone says, excuse me, excuse me, that wasn't a C major.

**Bernie Williams** (1:48)
That's the cool thing about music, however, is that they don't have stats for bat notes play.

**Chris McMonigle** (1:53)
That's all part of the plan.

**Bernie Williams** (1:56)
It's all part of the experience, but it was amazing.

**Craig Carton** (1:58)
And now you're delving into the wine business. Your beautiful daughter, helping design the wine labels. What's up with you?

**Bernie Williams** (2:04)
Yeah, my daughter and I sort of ventured together with Millbrook Winery, New York.
Out of a randomness, you know, about four or five years ago, we ran into this winery, one thing led to another. And, you know, next thing I know, I'm blending, you know, a Bordeaux blend of wines and with the last three, I think it's five years now, we have been selling it. And she has been designing the label for the wine bottle every year. She's an artist, Beatriz Williams. She's an artist in Brooklyn.

**Craig Carton** (2:38)
He's so proud of you. He's so proud of you.

**Bernie Williams** (2:40)
I am very proud of her.

**Craig Carton** (2:41)
As you should be.

**Bernie Williams** (2:42)
She has a great voice and obviously, you know, making it here in New York, it's a process, but...

**Craig Carton** (2:49)
So I want to turn to your daughter for a second. I know you're here for your dad. But I want to ask you, because...
Are you 30 now? 30 years old? So you caught the tail end of your dad's career, right? Obviously, to a point where you could appreciate who your dad was as a baseball player, which does not define him, obviously. He's much more than just a baseball player. But did you ever have... How old were you when you got to really appreciate the way the fans look at and think about your pops?

**Beatriz Williams** (3:21)
I mean, I was in middle school when he was retiring.

**Craig Carton** (3:25)
Right. So you were in elementary school during the great run.

**Beatriz Williams** (3:30)
So I think I had an awareness, but it wasn't...
I don't know. It's hard to explain because it's something I grew up with my whole life.

**Craig Carton** (3:38)
It's the only thing you knew.

**Beatriz Williams** (3:39)
Exactly.

**Craig Carton** (3:39)
Is it weird though now, maybe for you too, Bernie, where there's a new generation of people that they certainly might know your name, but now they look at you as their favorite guitar player and don't even know that you play baseball?