Paul Anka | Club Random with Bill Maher

Paul Anka | Club Random with Bill Maher

From Club Random with Bill Maher by Bill Maher

May 25, 2026 · 2h 3m · Episode 223

About this episode

Bill Maher converses with Paul Anka about his extraordinary life and the craft of songwriting.

Bill Maher welcomes legendary singer-songwriter Paul Anka for a conversation packed with stories that sound almost too wild to be true. From helping bring The Beatles to America before Beatlemania exploded, to partying with the Rat Pack in steam rooms full of Vegas showgirls, to learning of JFK’s assassination while performing behind the Iron Curtain in communist Poland, Anka has lived a life that reads like historical fiction.But this isn’t just Hollywood lore and old Vegas chaos. Bill and Paul dig into the craft of songwriting: why the simplest melodies last forever, what made Frank Sinatra both magnetic and impossible, and how Barry White could seduce a room with a single note. Anka also opens up about reinventing himself with his cult-classic Rock Swings album, surviving massive cultural shifts across generations, and why true artists never stop evolving. Support our Advertisers: -Take Cheers Restore after your last drink or before going to bed and wake up feeling at least 50% better — or your money back. For a limited time our listeners are getting 20% off their entire order at https://www.CheersHealth.com/RANDOM. #Cheers #ad -Try Claude for free at…

People in this episode

Host: Bill Maher

Guest: Paul Anka

Topics covered

  • songwriting
  • music history
  • celebrity stories
  • cultural shifts
  • personal reinvention

Keywords

  • Paul Anka
  • Bill Maher
  • songwriting
  • Frank Sinatra
  • Barry White
  • music history
  • celebrity stories

Sponsors

Cheers Health, Claude

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