This week, we've been doing a series called "Men Turning 50," and our own Matt Lauer is turning 50 later this month. I sat down with Al Roker, who has already hit the half-century milestone, to talk about being 50 and what advice he has for Matt.
DF: What's the biggest misconception about men in their fifties?
Al Roker: There are no misconceptions. It's all true. We've all fallen apart. First of all, big deal. You're 50. So what. Shut up. Did your father complain about being 50? Did your dad go, "I'm 50, oh, woe is me"? No. Shut up.
DF: I don't recall him doing any complaining about it.
Al: When your dad hit 50, was there wailing and gnashing of teeth?
DF: No.
Al: Did he rend his garments?
DF: No. He would never rend his garments on purpose.
Al: It was a birthday, maybe had a cake.
DF: I imagine there was a cake.
Al: And then you moved on.
DF: Yeah.
Al: That was it. Shut up.
DF: The stereotype is that as men get older, they like to buy themselves expensive toys to make them feel young. Have you indulged in that kind of behavior?
Al: I'm very fortunate, I'm very blessed, I have a good job. So I buy myself stuff all the time.
DF: Just because you like stuff.
Al: Because I like stuff. I like tech stuff. When the iPod first came out -- it was a 3gb iPod. It was the size of a bus, and I got it. The whole midlife crisis thing, "Oh, I have to get a Ferrari." No, I never did that.
You know what I got when I turned 50? This gives you the complete picture of where I am. I got a minivan. It's a living room on wheels. It's a sweet ride. I always wanted a minivan, and I got one. It's a Toyota Sienna.
DF: Is it candy-apple red?
Al: No, it's gun-metal gray. And it's got Sirius radio. Which, by the way, the only thing I play on it is Radio Disney, for God's sake. So I can hear Hannah Montana wherever I go. I should point out that I have two small children. Although I do enjoy a little Hannah Montana.
DF: Have you ever listened to Hannah Montana in the minivan when you were alone?
Al: No. No. No. No. Maybe High School Musical, but not Hannah Montana.
DF: Matt is turning 50 this month, as we know--
Al: He is? I hadn't heard that.
DF: And Giada's pregnant, I don't know if you had heard that either--
Al: And Giada De Laurentiis is pregnant? Wow!
DF: Do you have any advice for Matt as he turns 50?
Al: Call it a hunch, but I don't think Matt's really gonna have a big problem. It's not like this is a guy who doesn't have a good job. Or an attractive wife. Or gorgeous children. Or lives in a nice house.
So now he's gotta wear glasses. Oh God! Oh, how horrible for him! Welcome to the club, all right? Suck it up!
DF: How old were you when you got glasses?
Al: Uh, six? First grade, all right? So this has been part of my life.
Here's the problem for guys like Matt when they hit 50. They are gonna start going downhill. It's inevitable. Some of them look good as they age, but most of them start going downhill. Guys like me, we start actually looking a little better. Start losing a little weight, not so bad.
The pressure on guys like Matt, these incredible, good-looking, smart, funny guys -- the pressure is there because they've got nowhere to go but down. Nowhere to go. The best they can hope for is maintaining. That's the best. So if your only hope is maintaining, I can understand why you would get a little verklempt about turning 50.
DF: You weren't chosen for the top 15 hottest men over 50.
Al: What a shock.
DF: Are you upset about this?
Al: I would seriously question America's taste if I had been. So it's just a re-affirmation that the country does have some good sense.
DF: Though if you're indeed on the upswing, maybe you can someday crack the over-60 list.
Al: I got a good seven years to work on it.
DF: Hone your game.
Al: Yeah, bring my "A" game. No, this is about as good as it gets. I don't need the adulation of total strangers telling me, "Hey, we think you're hot." Because if they did, I'd have to question it. It's like what Groucho Marx said, any club that wants me as a member, I wouldn't want to be a part of.
DF: Who would you vote for to be on the list of hottest men over 50 -- the hottest pieces of man candy, if you will.
Al: Fifty-year-old man candy. I would say, Denzel Washington.
DF: He made the list.
Al: Of course. Um, Harrison Ford.
DF: Also on the list.
Al: Sean Connery.
DF: Didn't make it this time.
Al: Well, he's like, I don't know, 80 or something like that. Sexiest prehistoric man: Larry King.
DF: Still gettin' it done.
Al: Yeah, he gets it done. He gets the guests. And let's face it, this is a man who originally interviewed Fred Flintsone. Can't go wrong with him.
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