#questlove

Last night we watched Questo's new documentary, Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) on Hulu. It is undeniably worth watching if you have access to it.

I was actually acquainted with much of the early biographical information from A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs's two-parter on Everyday People. And I was at least vaguely aware of his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame appearance---I remember reading an article at some point in the early-to-mid '90s (when I still subscribed to Rolling Stone) that was describing him having to wear a back brace and other mildly harrowing things.

But to see his whole arc, from childhood through today, laid out in one place is pretty wrenching---especially combined with Questlove's conversations with a number of other well-known black musicians of many ages about what it even means and what it implies.

It's also sad to see some of it documented on video. Several chunks are taken from an interview from what I would guess was the early 80s---though I honestly don't know; he was taking so many drugs (at least according to George Clinton) and in so much legal trouble at the time, it's hard to square with him doing what seemed like a pretty vulnerable interview. Anyway, there's several points in the interview that really seemed to bring him some pain---a question would be asked and you can just see him freeze for a second as if he's tamping down the truth to try and come up with something "acceptable" to say.

It got me thinking about a recent topic of interest: self-actualization. This was largely provoked by Philosophy Tube's "Was Nietzsche Woke?" video:

One of Abby's comments is that Nietzsche's "Will to Power" could also be thought of as the "Will to Agency"---the wherewithal to assert your ability to do what you really want.

Perhaps it's just because it's the lens through which I've been viewing a lot of things lately, but I found myself wondering if the burden so many of us carry is that we know what we truly need to do, but despite everything, we don't do it out of fear of what others will think---and how freeing it would be to walk away from those expectations.

Sly Stone, like so many of us, seems to have failed to dispense with those expectations, and it led him down a road to try and drown out his discomfort.

I saw Questlove on The Daily Show. I knew who he was in a general way---in fact, his signature drumsticks are my favorite sticks when I'm playing---but I hadn't, to the best of my knowledge, ever heard a single thing by The Roots. Ever.

Thinking back on it, my memory of the interview was that it was a little awkward. Re-watching it on the web just now, though, suggests that my memory is shot to shit---I mean, I didn't even remember that it was John Oliver, and while it was a low-key interview, it wasn't really awkwardness per se, or at least not on Questlove's part.

Regardless, it convinced me to buy the book.

I was a third of the way through it, when I realized that I had to by a copy of it for my friend Paul for a couple of reasons.

The first is because Paul is two months younger than me, and Questlove is a month younger than that---so when Questlove is talking about his childhood, it resonated with me surprisingly strongly. I mean, no, I was not black, nor was I growing up in Philly, but we share a passion for music, and many of the musical touchstones of his childhood are ones that I remember, even if they weren't quite as much a part of my cultural identity. I mean, I didn't really come to an appreciation of Parliament until I was in my 30s (incidentally, I'm going to see them at the end of the month), but there are Earth, Wind and Fire albums that I have known down to the note as far back as I can remember. I remember Soul Train in the 70's, though I mostly remember just being...baffled, it was that far outside of my experience.

Anyway, that was the first reason---we're all contemporaries, and I figured Paul would feel a kinship with many of those same things.

The second, of course, is because Paul owned a hip-hop club in Atlanta in the 90's. And so I sorta wondered if he had ever met Questlove. In fact, he and his wife knew the whole band. Not fast friends or anything, but they knew them.

Anyway, I think this is probably my favorite book I've read so far this year. It's interesting to read his perspective on the roots of hip-hop, about which I know relatively little---I've always been a rock and roll baby. It's hilarious to read his meetings with Kiss and Prince and Tracy Morgan. it's profound to read how The Roots are grappling with trying to be a band after 40.

If you care about music even a little bit, why haven't you already read this book?