This week we sit with legendary bandleader of The Roots, Questlove! On the heels of his directorial debut, Summer of Soul, we discuss his winding road to making the documentary: from a trip to Japan (7:45) to a cold pitch backstage at The Tonight Show (8:55) to releasing the film last year (10:50). He also explains the historical significance of the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 (14:30), the indescribable warmth of analogue sound (16:02) and why B.B. King’s Why I Sing the Blues endures (17:54).
Then, in the spirit of Summer of Soul, we dive into the musical past of Questlove: listening to Sly & the Family Stone in the bathtub at age six (18:47), Stevie Wonder and Curtis Mayfield in the years following, performing in a traveling band with his parents (22:26), before eventually creating The Roots (27:04).
With distance, Questlove reflects on the group’s European excursion (31:47), the infamous Philadelphia jam sessions that placed The Roots in a larger, cultural context (33:15), how his definition of success has evolved with age (38:10), and the profound final words of his manager Richard Nichols (41:05). To close, we sit with the words of Nina Simone (45:52) and how they’ve inspired Questlove to preserve and restore the history of Black music for future generations (46:32).
To submit a question, comment, or reflection for our mailbag episode, write us at mail@talkeasypod.com.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
view more