The polymorphous questlove shape shifts into a memoirist. In 20, he published two books a memoir, mo meta blues, and a book on soul train and would write three more including a cookbook. I wrote this last summer, when the drummer questloves autobiography came out, but my piece slipped through the cracks, so im posting it now. Exploring creativity with innovative chefs, along with coauthor ben greenman and photographer kyoko hamada, which was published by clarkson potter books on april 12, 2016.
Questlove talks new roots album, tonight show and self. Pitchforks editors scored the roots successive albums better and better. Mo meta blues by ahmir thompson, ben greenman waterstones. It may not be the psychedelic hair on mo better blues.
Questlove on police racial profiling, hiphop, michele. Jimmy fallon and questlove have the greatest prince. He digs deep into the album cuts of his life and unearths some pivotal moments in black art, hip hop, and pop culture. Its a dialogue about the nature of memory and the idea of a postmodern black man saddled with some postmodern blues.
As is clear from mometa blues, questlove isnt precisely an intellectual. The world according to questlove by ahmir thompson and ben greenman. Mo meta blues the world according to questlove mo meta blues is a punchdrunk memoir in which everyones favorite questlove tells his own story while tackling some of the lates, the greats, the fakes, the philosophers, the heavyweights, and the true originals of the music world. The coleader of the roots and author of mo meta blues joins us to talk about where life meets art in his new book creative quest. The world according to questloveone of the best things about the jimmy fallon show. He digs deep into the album cuts of his life and unearths some pivotal moments in black art. Mometa blues the christian science monitor, june 29.
Mo meta blues is a punchdrunk memoir in which everyones favorite questlove tells his own story while tackling some of the lates, the greats, the fakes, the philosophers, the heavyweights, and the true originals of the music world. Mo meta blues unleashes questloves inner nerd musician questlove from the band the roots, poses for a portrait, thursday, dec. Finally in paperback comes mo meta blues questloves new york times bestselling and critically acclaimed psychedelic, punchdrunk memoir. The name, he writes, combined a mix of substance and style. Youll be getting a little more questlove real name amir thompson in your life this summer. Ben greenman is an editor at the new yorker and the author of several acclaimed books of fiction, including. Most times, the longer the list, the better the book. The world according to questlove, detailed the artists ascendance and overall relationship with music, creative quest provides tips on how to. Better to have the memory than to go back and have to adjust your truth. Questlove talks new book creative quest, the roots.
Questlove on music and rollerskating questlove, drummer and cofounder of the roots, is coming out with a memoir in june called mo. The world according to questlove by ahmir questlove thompson and ben greenman. Four years later, questlove keeps padding his fan base this time with the publication of mo meta blues, an ardent riff on rap and race, fandom and inspiration and a life lived onstage. Jimmy fallon and questlove have the greatest prince stories youll ever hear. I can only give myself credit for 12 of mo meta blues. In fact, in the very first pages of his new book creative quest, questlove aka ahmir khalib thompson reveals his own skepticism toward the genre. Questlove writes about his musical upbringing in its historical and cultural context, and his own passions as a music nerdfrom childhood to his middleaged presentis proustian in its richness. Questlove is a drummer, dj, producer, culinary entrepreneur, designer, new york times bestselling and james beard awardnominated author, and cofounder of philadelphias most influential hiphop group, the roots. The title is a reference to spike lees mo better blues, a flick that really highlights the fine line between courting an audience and catering to itchallenging fans to expand their. Its a book that questions what a book like mo meta blues really is. The roots seminal 1999 album, things fall apart, begins with a contentious bit of dialogue from spike lees jazz drama mo better.
Mo meta blues ultimately does more than explain why the roots are considered legendary, and why theyre still important after more than 25 years. Were ostensibly on the phone to discuss mo meta blues. Hes also the musical director of late night with jimmy fallon. Questlove takes a cerebral look at hiphop houston chronicle. Roots drummer and budding restaurateur ahmir thompson, whos better known to the world as questlove, takes to immaculate infatuation to cheekily plug his chelsea market friedchicken. Mo meta blues is a magical kaleidoscope about a high concept, low maintenance genius named ahmir. Mo meta blues is a punchdrunkonculture memoir in which ahmir tells his own story while tackling the greats, the lates, the fakes, the headliners, and the almostweres of music, as well as pivotal moments in black art and culture. The 10 best rap biographies, from trick daddys magic city and julia beverlys pimp c book to questloves mo meta blues and scarfaces diary of madman. As questlove writes of the mo better debate, its a dialectic in the classic sense.
Ben greenman ahmir questlove thompson june 22, 20 6. Mo meta blues is the title of a new memoir from ahmir thompson, better known as questlove, the thoughtful and charismatic drummer for the hiphopneosoul band the roots. The first half of the book was great, but by the middle of the book, when the roots finally made it, the hip hop and rap bands discussed are not anything that im interested in not questloves fault, just my own preference in music. Questlove on his musical upbringing, hiphops 40th, soul.
Questlove publishes his memoir, mo meta blues the new. Like him, its smart, funny, sweet and in a thousand places at once. The world according to questlove and over one million other books are available for amazon kindle. For those of us of a certain age, it helps us to understand and better appreciate the music that was playing in the background as our lives were happening.
The world according to questlove thompson, ahmir questlove, greenman, ben on. The world according to questlove by ahmir questlove thompson and ben greenman mo meta blues is a punchdrunk memoir in which everyones favorite questlove tells his own story while tackling some of the lates, the greats, the fakes, the philosophers, the heavyweights, and the true originals of the music world. He digs deep into the album cuts of his life and unearths some. Questlove released his third book, something to food about. When quest was writing his memoir mo meta blues, he found himself hopelessly distracted by the internet. But that was just the tip of the questlove iceberg. About halfway through the memoir of ahmir thompson, better known as questlove from the roots, he writes of his role as a dj and how even though its him people are coming to see, its not really his show. Questlove biography, age, real name, weight loss, family. But the titles play on words has a more specific meaning. Mo meta blues is the title of a new memoir from ahmir thompson, better known as questlove, the thoughtful and charismatic drummer for. Ben greenman is an editor at the new yorker and the author of several acclaimed books of fiction, including superbad. As one of our most recognizable cultural chameleons, ahmir writes his story in his inimitable, passionate, streamofconsciousness style. Questloves story, cowritten with ben greenman, begins in a small house in philadelphia and ends in a manhattan television studio.
Mo meta blues is a punchdrunk memoir in which everyones favourite questlove tells his own story while tackling some of the lates, the greats, the fakes, the philosophers, the heavyweights, and the true originals of. A questlove interview should always have the word ostensibly attached to it. In september 2016, questlove launched a weekly radio show on pandora, questlove supreme. Although he attended private school for a while, his family wasnt middleclass enough to. This book changed my perception of ques for the better. He is the musical director for the tonight show starring jimmy fallon, where the roots serve as the house band, and a fourtime grammy awardwinning musician. Grammy awardwinning musician, dj, and writer, ahmir questlove thompson, sat down with democracy now. Questloves range and acuteness are so integral to the show that many believe theyre why fallon is about to displace jay leno and turn a hiphopper into the thinking mans paul shaffer. Ahmir thompson, the big man under the afro by garner.
The world according to questlove will break down the roots bandleaders upbringing in 1970s philadelphia, pivotal moments in black music and pop culture, and encounters. Questlove announces summer release for memoir, mo meta. In ahmir thompsons memoir, mo meta blues, the drummer writes about his decision to go by his better known moniker, questlove. Mo meta blues is a deconstruction of autobiography, but the material one reads an autobiography for is also there. Stop reading about vampires and read what questlove has to say instead.
109 1042 1379 1519 722 415 564 986 1349 117 1213 304 360 1227 1431 907 386 1539 1350 78 942 842 759 703 1015 322 1360 1138 490 189 1117