WEBVTT - Questlove Supreme: Larry Gold 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:03.199 Of course. Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. 0:00:05.880 --> 0:00:12.280 Suprema Su Su Suprema role called Suprema Suck Sun Supreme 0:00:12.560 --> 0:00:18.799 role called Suprema Sun Sun Supremo role called Suprema Sun 0:00:19.040 --> 0:00:20.560 Sucks Supremo role. 0:00:21.320 --> 0:00:24.840 I may have moved, Yeah, you could say I roomed. Yeah, 0:00:24.920 --> 0:00:27.600 when I'm back in the studio. Yeah, ain't no place 0:00:27.720 --> 0:00:28.160 like home. 0:00:29.600 --> 0:00:36.800 Suprema Su Supremo. Roll called Suprema Sun Sun Suprema roll call. 0:00:36.960 --> 0:00:38.160 My name is Fante. 0:00:38.400 --> 0:00:38.640 Yeah. 0:00:38.720 --> 0:00:41.600 My favorite movie is Belly. Yeah. I just learned that 0:00:41.640 --> 0:00:44.080 the plural of cello is chilly. 0:00:45.520 --> 0:00:52.800 Supreme Suprema roll call, Suprema So Supreme, roll called. 0:00:52.920 --> 0:00:56.920 My name is Sugar, Yeah, I keep it mellow. Yeah 0:00:57.040 --> 0:01:00.360 when Larry Gold, Yeah, playing this check though. 0:01:02.960 --> 0:01:06.000 So Supremo, Roll Suprema. 0:01:08.840 --> 0:01:12.600 My name is Boss pill Yeah, just here to say hello. Yeah, 0:01:12.760 --> 0:01:20.000 and I'm feeling great. Yeah, mellow as a cello. 0:01:23.280 --> 0:01:28.559 Supremo roll It's like yeah, and my boot Larry Gold, Yeah, 0:01:28.800 --> 0:01:29.960 my favorite tough jew. 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:31.959 Yeah, that never gets old. 0:01:33.400 --> 0:01:33.960 Supremo. 0:01:36.160 --> 0:01:43.400 Roll call, Supremo, roll call. They say I play thee 0:01:43.680 --> 0:01:46.800 I'm very nice Yellow, but I'm not. I'm the last 0:01:46.880 --> 0:01:54.080 name Gold and I'm very bold. 0:01:53.280 --> 0:01:55.880 Suprema son So supremo. 0:01:56.080 --> 0:02:04.560 Roll call sup Prima son so supremo, suprema suprema. 0:02:05.920 --> 0:02:08.280 See was that really was? 0:02:08.720 --> 0:02:12.200 It was a bit intimidating, especially with all the everybody. 0:02:14.639 --> 0:02:18.840 It flashed through my head, you know, I was, I mean, 0:02:19.320 --> 0:02:19.919 I don't. 0:02:19.680 --> 0:02:22.960 Know a lot with Larry Gold as he did the 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:26.680 word mold bold. Oh yeah, there you go, Old. 0:02:27.040 --> 0:02:29.200 I was going to leave that go even though she 0:02:29.280 --> 0:02:30.480 could have gone that way right. 0:02:30.880 --> 0:02:34.840 My My favorite part of uh taping this podcast is 0:02:35.880 --> 0:02:40.040 when guests of the show start expressing fear when I 0:02:40.080 --> 0:02:42.760 tell them two minutes ahead of time they're about to start. 0:02:43.520 --> 0:02:45.440 We never, of course, you know, we never tell the 0:02:45.440 --> 0:02:47.840 guests that they're doing the freestyle. 0:02:48.280 --> 0:02:50.560 Uh was looking at her phone. 0:02:50.720 --> 0:02:52.880 Oh we know, yeah, you. 0:02:54.760 --> 0:02:57.639 See this lets us know, like, you know, your enthusiasm 0:02:57.720 --> 0:02:59.720 for doing the show, like you know, you're there. 0:03:00.320 --> 0:03:01.040 We'll give you an eight. 0:03:01.360 --> 0:03:02.640 It definitely is intimidating. 0:03:02.680 --> 0:03:04.880 You got an eight. You're good man. You can eat. 0:03:05.040 --> 0:03:06.560 Fuck. I didn't get that in school. 0:03:07.840 --> 0:03:09.440 You got you got an eat. 0:03:09.639 --> 0:03:12.440 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of Quest Love Supreme. 0:03:13.280 --> 0:03:15.400 Your host Quest Love, and we're here with Teams Supreme 0:03:15.880 --> 0:03:16.560 find Tickeolo. 0:03:17.120 --> 0:03:21.600 Yeah, Sugar Steve and Boss Bill Hello, and. 0:03:21.639 --> 0:03:28.600 Like, yeah, how you doing. Uh, we're man down now Bill, 0:03:28.680 --> 0:03:31.399 And he didn't make it. I think that we might 0:03:31.440 --> 0:03:34.760 have have affected uh two of our guests with the 0:03:35.760 --> 0:03:39.960 love the Quest Love Supreme diet here. Yeah, so we fed, 0:03:40.040 --> 0:03:44.600 we fed uh unpaid Bill. He had impossible cheese steaks. 0:03:45.360 --> 0:03:46.120 He has some drink. 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:51.640 Uh, he had some David's chicken from Chinatown and this 0:03:51.680 --> 0:03:53.760 is all in the same night and have more drink. 0:03:54.640 --> 0:03:58.320 And now he's out of commission. So I think that 0:03:58.800 --> 0:04:01.960 if I had a rough morning to yeah, yeah, we 0:04:02.000 --> 0:04:02.280 went to. 0:04:04.400 --> 0:04:06.840 Barley, went to Barkley Pro and I. 0:04:06.800 --> 0:04:10.560 Had a ribby and the truffle mac and geese and 0:04:10.600 --> 0:04:11.400 the mac and geese. 0:04:11.640 --> 0:04:14.480 It came back to say what's up? Really? Yeah, it 0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:16.960 was I just yeah, oh, I'm sorry. 0:04:17.000 --> 0:04:19.839 I meant I haven't I mean really really rich rich 0:04:19.920 --> 0:04:23.000 dairy ship. Right, it was good, but but yeah, this 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:24.279 morning not it reminded me. 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:25.960 But do y'all hear that that's the dopeness of the 0:04:25.960 --> 0:04:28.760 Philly because that's all Philly food. That's like Bill got 0:04:28.760 --> 0:04:31.120 sucked up. He couldn't take it, got fucked up. He 0:04:31.120 --> 0:04:34.280 couldn't take it because it was good as hell. 0:04:34.480 --> 0:04:37.760 Yeah, that's why I went to McDonald's. Damn. 0:04:39.040 --> 0:04:43.080 Actually that that speaks more about me, like I'm killing off. 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:50.440 Our sometimes were all your choices, ladies and gentlemen. Uh, 0:04:50.560 --> 0:04:51.599 so let's say that. 0:04:51.839 --> 0:04:55.960 Uh you remember that moment where you were in your 0:04:55.960 --> 0:04:58.920 feelings when you first heard those strings on Love My 0:04:59.440 --> 0:05:00.320 Things part. 0:05:00.560 --> 0:05:02.080 Yeah, that rush. 0:05:01.839 --> 0:05:05.160 You felt like, whoa, the roots are growing up here 0:05:05.200 --> 0:05:07.200 and I might be cutting onions. 0:05:07.760 --> 0:05:08.160 I don't know. 0:05:08.480 --> 0:05:13.320 Our next guest today, I'll say, has his both his 0:05:13.360 --> 0:05:17.359 feet planet in the the history of Philadelphia and also 0:05:17.440 --> 0:05:22.400 the future of Philadelphia as integral part of the foundation 0:05:22.480 --> 0:05:25.560 of what we know as the Sound of Philadelphia. Of course, 0:05:26.120 --> 0:05:29.160 if you're familiar with the any of the works from 0:05:29.200 --> 0:05:32.719 the Sound of Philadelphia, be it Gambled and Huff creations, 0:05:32.800 --> 0:05:37.560 or even things produced by Tom Moulton or Tom Bell, Yeah, 0:05:37.640 --> 0:05:42.120 Tom Bell, or any any of the Sound of Philadelphia luminaries, 0:05:42.160 --> 0:05:44.240 dex of Winzel, whoever, Baker. 0:05:44.040 --> 0:05:48.400 Harris, yes, Nick Fadden and white Fad and Whitehead. Just 0:05:49.360 --> 0:05:52.039 they the the the. 0:05:51.440 --> 0:05:55.080 Secret sauce, the special sauce of the Sound of Philadelphia, 0:05:55.600 --> 0:05:59.160 I will say, are the less strings it gives a 0:05:59.200 --> 0:06:02.320 touch of class, a step further than what I think 0:06:02.360 --> 0:06:04.880 Barry Gordy thought he was doing with the Motown sound, 0:06:05.320 --> 0:06:08.640 trying to make it palatable to America. 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:10.159 And our guest today was a part of that. 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:13.479 But not only that, we can also say that he 0:06:13.560 --> 0:06:17.920 had his hand in the second resurgence of the sound 0:06:18.000 --> 0:06:24.440 of Philadelphia as owner of the much fabled the studio here. 0:06:24.600 --> 0:06:29.560 And what part of town are we Northern Liberties Okay, 0:06:29.720 --> 0:06:31.240 we'll call it Northern Liberties. 0:06:30.960 --> 0:06:35.560 Or North Chinatown Okay, which I prefer, but North Chinatown, 0:06:35.760 --> 0:06:39.320 Northern Liberties, And at this very studio, I will say 0:06:39.360 --> 0:06:42.080 that pretty much any and everybody. 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:43.760 This is where I first met the great Bruce with 0:06:43.880 --> 0:06:47.279 Dean oh wow, when he was doing Jennifer Lopez. 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:48.719 Yeah. 0:06:48.760 --> 0:06:52.080 But uh, this has been home to the roots for 0:06:52.160 --> 0:06:53.840 at least ten albums. 0:06:54.200 --> 0:06:56.560 It's it's it's a list not to mention. You've done 0:06:57.120 --> 0:07:00.960 string arrangements for everyone justin Timberlake. 0:07:01.240 --> 0:07:04.159 Just yeah, I've done good. 0:07:04.839 --> 0:07:07.400 He's done good. He's done good for himself. 0:07:10.640 --> 0:07:12.320 How you doing, man, Thank you? I'm fine. 0:07:12.520 --> 0:07:13.200 I was I was. 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:18.880 Trying to figure out when did we first cross paths? 0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:23.880 I remember my version of the story was, well, I 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:26.240 know that Fateen danceler, Uh. 0:07:26.400 --> 0:07:31.360 Daddy Kendrick told me about the studio. 0:07:32.080 --> 0:07:34.720 But at that time, you know, I was I was 0:07:34.760 --> 0:07:37.920 married to the sound and set up that I had 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:42.920 at Sigma both of our old homes, and then an 0:07:42.960 --> 0:07:43.840 incident happened. 0:07:45.080 --> 0:07:48.360 That's what I remember. An incident happened, and James Poyser 0:07:48.400 --> 0:07:48.800 called me. 0:07:49.040 --> 0:07:54.600 Yeah, so an incident happened without putting out the business 0:07:54.600 --> 0:07:55.400 of one of the. 0:07:56.840 --> 0:08:00.200 Former members of the Roots. 0:07:59.520 --> 0:08:01.840 No, I don't want you know. 0:08:01.960 --> 0:08:05.320 I mean, we've we've we've made no bones about our 0:08:05.720 --> 0:08:07.880 feelings about Malix situation. 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:09.960 Uh much left to Malik be. 0:08:11.000 --> 0:08:13.600 But an incident happened at the studio that kind of 0:08:13.600 --> 0:08:14.560 got us all kicked out. 0:08:17.200 --> 0:08:19.680 Yeah, it got us all kicked out. Well here's the 0:08:19.680 --> 0:08:20.480 thing though. 0:08:20.800 --> 0:08:22.600 Sort of overnight too as well. 0:08:22.920 --> 0:08:28.880 It was instantly and for me, uh, I kind of 0:08:29.120 --> 0:08:33.720 played the the sentimental card. You remember in in uh 0:08:33.920 --> 0:08:37.000 Chris Tucker's Money Talks when he was sort of like 0:08:37.400 --> 0:08:41.280 what my mom staatement, Come on, pitty pat right, what 0:08:41.280 --> 0:08:42.160 would my mom say? 0:08:42.320 --> 0:08:42.400 Like? 0:08:42.440 --> 0:08:44.400 It was that situation where me and Joe tarci At, 0:08:44.440 --> 0:08:47.320 the owner of Sigma, get the I want them back. 0:08:47.160 --> 0:08:49.960 Here, and I was just like, come on, man, you 0:08:50.000 --> 0:08:51.040 know my daddy. 0:08:52.880 --> 0:08:55.120 And my plea was like, at least I didn't want 0:08:55.200 --> 0:09:00.400 an inconsistent sound like I recorded the album right, maybe 0:09:00.559 --> 0:09:03.480 seventy of the music in sigma, and I wanted a 0:09:03.559 --> 0:09:07.520 consistence down throughout. So he he was like, all right, well, 0:09:07.600 --> 0:09:09.720 I'll let you guys track the music here, but you 0:09:09.760 --> 0:09:13.880 know Malik can never come back here, so uh so, 0:09:13.960 --> 0:09:18.000 thus all the vocals were then done here in this 0:09:18.120 --> 0:09:20.360 very room that we're in. Wow, So I'll say that 0:09:21.000 --> 0:09:25.160 adrenaline all aside to almost an adrenaline. 0:09:25.240 --> 0:09:32.400 You got me? What's that? So? Why don't do everything? 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:35.760 And then eventually, once we started working on Phrenology, we 0:09:35.920 --> 0:09:37.280 just moved here. 0:09:37.520 --> 0:09:40.560 Stay here. You know, he made this offer we couldn't refuse. 0:09:40.600 --> 0:09:42.400 I think the first song I cut here was that 0:09:43.160 --> 0:09:48.400 it was the impronounceable, the plump yeah good. 0:09:48.280 --> 0:09:49.760 One number, the one that fans are still waiting for 0:09:49.760 --> 0:09:52.120 you to give them the lyrics to. I gotta find it. 0:09:52.120 --> 0:09:54.360 It's somewhere in this building. Whatever it was. I was 0:09:54.440 --> 0:09:56.560 cussing out the Angelo, so I'll give you that much. 0:09:57.600 --> 0:09:59.760 This was this. 0:10:00.000 --> 0:10:01.880 It was four days after he stood us up or 0:10:01.960 --> 0:10:07.080 break you off? I remember that night. Yeah, yeah, I think. 0:10:06.880 --> 0:10:09.480 One of the lines I remember is meanwhile your hero 0:10:09.600 --> 0:10:12.120 is running scared some some something. 0:10:12.960 --> 0:10:17.240 Oh no, no, no it was it was a distract for you. Anyway, Larry, 0:10:17.240 --> 0:10:17.840 how you doing, bro? 0:10:21.520 --> 0:10:22.360 I'm sorry? 0:10:23.000 --> 0:10:24.960 Anyway, how's it going Mary? 0:10:25.400 --> 0:10:25.600 Well? 0:10:26.200 --> 0:10:28.319 Yeah, well it's going on. Yeah yeah. Yeah. Are you 0:10:28.360 --> 0:10:30.000 a Philadelphia native, did you? 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:33.480 Yeah? I grew up a few blocks from here in 0:10:33.520 --> 0:10:38.680 North Philly. Really yeah. My dad had a toy store, little, 0:10:38.920 --> 0:10:42.280 you know, toy and hardware store, and we grew up upstairs. 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:45.880 Really we're part of well, you know our h or. 0:10:45.840 --> 0:10:48.960 You o R thirty the thirty the twenty nine hundred 0:10:49.000 --> 0:10:52.880 block of Frankfurt Avenue, which is the Heroin district right 0:10:52.920 --> 0:10:57.079 now in Philadelphia. It's really hardcore. Really yeah. 0:10:57.440 --> 0:10:59.520 So yeah, I as. 0:10:59.360 --> 0:11:04.720 A let's put it this way, I had many cellos 0:11:05.280 --> 0:11:09.640 cracked open on the way home from the elevated really, 0:11:09.800 --> 0:11:12.440 oh yeah, I had. I had to run home sometimes 0:11:13.520 --> 0:11:15.320 carrying your carrying the cello. 0:11:16.679 --> 0:11:19.120 So it's always been I guess we should note that 0:11:19.559 --> 0:11:21.960 I had to find out through a New York Times 0:11:22.000 --> 0:11:25.839 story that I guess you could say the Kensington section or. 0:11:26.160 --> 0:11:29.440 It is it's the Kensington section, even though the there's 0:11:29.480 --> 0:11:33.720 a whole group of twenty year olds now moving further 0:11:34.240 --> 0:11:36.640 north than where you guys were when you were. 0:11:36.920 --> 0:11:39.040 Well, Fisttown is becoming gentrified. 0:11:39.120 --> 0:11:39.679 My goodness. 0:11:39.760 --> 0:11:41.800 Yeah, they try to sell me a trip there for 0:11:41.960 --> 0:11:45.760 a lot of money. No, Fisttown is gentrified, which like 0:11:46.040 --> 0:11:47.400 thirty years ago, Fishtown was. 0:11:47.360 --> 0:11:48.360 Sort of like benson Hurst. 0:11:49.200 --> 0:11:50.679 Oh yeah, that's the only place in the world I've 0:11:50.679 --> 0:11:51.560 ever been called a nigger. 0:11:51.920 --> 0:11:55.360 Yes, yeah, like thirty years ago it was. 0:11:56.160 --> 0:11:59.400 And I'm not surprised. Well yeah, yeah, I mean now like. 0:11:59.360 --> 0:12:01.680 Some of the world US restaurants and you know, Stephen's 0:12:02.440 --> 0:12:07.240 like it's it's upscale. However, further north northeast, northeast of 0:12:07.280 --> 0:12:11.240 there and Kensington, Philly's like getting hit with its third 0:12:11.280 --> 0:12:14.280 wave of you know, we we had a little or whatever. 0:12:14.480 --> 0:12:16.199 Yeah, we had a thing like in two thousand and six. 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:18.079 I think we have the worst problem right now that 0:12:18.640 --> 0:12:22.480 major city. We are really well. I think we hit 0:12:22.520 --> 0:12:25.200 a low point in town here right now. You know, 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:30.480 the school system sucks, you know, I mean, and you know, 0:12:30.520 --> 0:12:32.920 the property and taxes are so high that you can't 0:12:32.920 --> 0:12:35.960 really raise them anymore without people suffering, you know. I 0:12:35.960 --> 0:12:39.640 mean it's, you know, time to deal with the cities again, 0:12:39.800 --> 0:12:41.800 you know, to take a good look at everything. 0:12:42.559 --> 0:12:42.760 You know. 0:12:44.240 --> 0:12:47.000 Hey, people aren't getting an even break it, you know, 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:48.240 and that's that's the thing. 0:12:48.360 --> 0:12:54.040 Yeah, I feel like we have to come back now. Well, 0:12:54.080 --> 0:12:56.320 I mean that was kind of the solution before. It 0:12:56.360 --> 0:12:58.600 was like nothing's happened in this town. Hey, let's make 0:12:58.679 --> 0:13:01.920 something happen. And well, you did, you know you did. 0:13:02.040 --> 0:13:02.959 I don't know if that's. 0:13:02.800 --> 0:13:07.360 Going to say that that's my little You represented Philly 0:13:07.480 --> 0:13:11.040 music for the a period of time. I remember early 0:13:11.120 --> 0:13:15.160 in the nineties when you guys were first starting, one 0:13:15.200 --> 0:13:17.040 of the big executives said to me, have you heard 0:13:17.080 --> 0:13:21.200 the Roots? And I said the Roots? He said they're 0:13:21.200 --> 0:13:25.040 from Philly and I felt like an ignorant SunUp fool, 0:13:25.280 --> 0:13:27.560 you know, I had not heard of them. And then 0:13:27.600 --> 0:13:32.680 I remembered you played Columbia's Oak freshman party and my 0:13:32.800 --> 0:13:35.120 daughter went to see you when she was a freshman there, 0:13:35.440 --> 0:13:40.200 and she called me on the phone and said, they're extraordinary. Wow, Dad, 0:13:40.360 --> 0:13:44.719 you got to go introduce them, introduce you know. And 0:13:45.920 --> 0:13:50.240 so you guys were representing Philadelphia long before Neo Soul. 0:13:50.400 --> 0:13:52.560 Wow, thank you. I appreciate that. 0:13:53.080 --> 0:13:56.760 So where does your musical introduction start, Like, how did 0:13:56.800 --> 0:13:58.760 you were your plans? 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:01.120 Were your plans to be like Curtis Institute? 0:14:01.200 --> 0:14:05.439 Yeah, classical cellist? Early early on, I got I got 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:08.160 caught by the fever of popular music though, really as 0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:08.600 a kid. 0:14:08.960 --> 0:14:10.839 So how did you ease out of that? And did 0:14:10.880 --> 0:14:12.200 you disappoint people when you? 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:15.800 He told Okay, explain well, first of all, he explained, 0:14:16.200 --> 0:14:19.200 a lot of people hold Juilliard in the highlight of like, Okay, 0:14:19.200 --> 0:14:23.560 well that's the that's the pinnacle of music education, for 0:14:23.640 --> 0:14:24.440 classical music. 0:14:24.480 --> 0:14:26.640 But can you explain how. 0:14:28.000 --> 0:14:31.960 Hard and I think Curtis has a harder, way, harder curriculum. 0:14:32.320 --> 0:14:36.120 It's it's it's not particularly a curriculum. It's just Curtis 0:14:36.120 --> 0:14:38.520 has always been about. When I was there, there were 0:14:38.520 --> 0:14:43.120 seventy five kids. Now there's about one hundred and fifty Julliard. 0:14:43.160 --> 0:14:46.720 There's thousands that take lessons. Right, it's a different it's 0:14:46.760 --> 0:14:50.840 a different kind of entity, you know. I mean, Curtis 0:14:50.960 --> 0:14:52.920 might be up to two hundred by now, I don't know. 0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:54.920 They build a new building and they got a lot 0:14:54.920 --> 0:14:56.920 of money, and it was a very it was a 0:14:57.000 --> 0:15:00.000 very private school, yeah, curtis Is. It's in Philadelphia. 0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:02.760 Way harder to get in the Curtis than for me, 0:15:02.800 --> 0:15:05.240 at least, like I saw the audition, I failed them. 0:15:05.400 --> 0:15:09.280 This is a performing arts school, yeah, servatory, yeah, conservatory, 0:15:09.480 --> 0:15:13.800 but performing arts, mostly instrumental arts. 0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:17.080 You know, it's now operatic and a lot of other things. 0:15:17.320 --> 0:15:21.520 And I think they're teaching improvisation starting next year. They 0:15:21.560 --> 0:15:24.040 brought somebody in and I think they're going to. Like 0:15:24.160 --> 0:15:27.960 everyone else in this world, things have changed since the sixties. 0:15:28.320 --> 0:15:30.560 In the sixties, you were put in a box. If 0:15:30.600 --> 0:15:33.000 you got out of that box, nobody knew what to 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:36.080 do with you, you know. I mean it was like 0:15:36.240 --> 0:15:38.160 it was a weird time, you know. When I wanted 0:15:38.160 --> 0:15:41.400 to be in popular music and classical music, that wasn't 0:15:41.400 --> 0:15:43.720 even really possible in the early sixties. 0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:47.440 What year did you attend Curtis. 0:15:47.600 --> 0:15:50.160 I was fifteen, so that would have been in nineteen 0:15:50.240 --> 0:15:50.880 sixty three. 0:15:51.240 --> 0:15:54.880 So by this point are you seeing your other I. 0:15:55.720 --> 0:15:58.000 Was already making a little bit of a living. I 0:15:58.120 --> 0:16:01.280 met some of the in those days. The Union in 0:16:01.280 --> 0:16:06.320 Philadelphia was run by you know, South Philly musicians, and 0:16:06.400 --> 0:16:08.800 that's the nicest way I could say, you know, you 0:16:08.840 --> 0:16:09.320 know back. 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:12.440 You mean some friends of our Yes, yeah. 0:16:11.800 --> 0:16:15.320 Some you know back all right, back in the early sixties. 0:16:15.400 --> 0:16:19.000 I made a when I first started playing on records, 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:21.760 I made a brilliant discovery. There was a white union 0:16:21.800 --> 0:16:22.680 and a Black union. 0:16:23.320 --> 0:16:24.320 I did not know that. 0:16:24.400 --> 0:16:26.960 Well, I'm telling you that. And mister Gamba, I it 0:16:27.000 --> 0:16:28.920 was here yesterday, Kenny was here. Yes, he would have 0:16:28.920 --> 0:16:36.600 told you that, which I found amazing. And I don't 0:16:36.640 --> 0:16:38.680 know much about it, but I know that by the 0:16:38.760 --> 0:16:43.440 time the mid sixties rolled around, they formed one union. Okay, okay, 0:16:43.480 --> 0:16:46.240 so I would say, I think sixty six or something 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:48.600 like that, there was one union. 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:51.920 Technically, I'm a union guy, yeah, I know, but I'd 0:16:51.920 --> 0:16:54.480 never go to the meetings and no, I know, like 0:16:54.880 --> 0:16:57.920 what who does the union benefit? 0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:01.400 Well, because they always ask me in the old days. 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:03.560 In the old days, it was a real sort of 0:17:03.640 --> 0:17:06.240 like mob kind of a thing because they would go 0:17:06.320 --> 0:17:08.280 into a restaurant and if you had live musicians, they 0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:11.679 would make sure they were union players. So I mean 0:17:12.920 --> 0:17:16.000 collect yeah, exactly. If you go back to the twenties 0:17:16.040 --> 0:17:18.040 and the thirties and the forties, yeah, it was a 0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:20.720 way to collect dues, a way to have easy jobs, 0:17:20.880 --> 0:17:22.640 you know, I mean then a way to make sure 0:17:22.680 --> 0:17:26.040 your musicians union people were represented in these clubs or 0:17:26.080 --> 0:17:30.680 these places. I always thought, I think the union is 0:17:30.720 --> 0:17:33.159 a good thing because I think people take advantage of 0:17:33.160 --> 0:17:36.600 other people without them at times. Absolutely okay, But I 0:17:37.240 --> 0:17:39.640 also think that the union gets too like. 0:17:41.520 --> 0:17:45.600 Yes, yes, I felt okay, so and doing that we 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:49.199 both know that. So in doing the Hamilton recording, this 0:17:49.280 --> 0:17:51.440 is when I knew, like, oh god, man, these union 0:17:51.440 --> 0:17:55.439 people get on the nerves, like they literally have a 0:17:55.440 --> 0:17:59.240 person over your shoulder micromanaging with the stop watch. Yeah, 0:17:59.280 --> 0:18:02.800 and it's like they're always reminding you like T minus 0:18:03.000 --> 0:18:06.159 three hours and nineteen minutes folks, and it's like, yo, 0:18:06.240 --> 0:18:07.000 can we get rid. 0:18:06.840 --> 0:18:07.320 Of this person? 0:18:07.760 --> 0:18:11.280 But then don't get down to like they'll say T 0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:14.520 minus nine minutes before first twenty minute break and they 0:18:14.520 --> 0:18:16.840 have to make this loud declaration no matter what you're doing, 0:18:16.920 --> 0:18:19.800 it blows the vibe. But like their job is there 0:18:19.840 --> 0:18:26.159 to protect. But then I found out once you speak 0:18:26.200 --> 0:18:29.360 to maybe a label president or whatever, and you slide 0:18:30.600 --> 0:18:33.880 some squills or whatever, then maybe they could just sit 0:18:34.000 --> 0:18:36.159 in the in the break room or whatever. Like this 0:18:36.280 --> 0:18:39.119 happens with like the cast albums I've worked on. So 0:18:39.640 --> 0:18:45.000 I just I realized that, Okay, maybe to protect you 0:18:46.040 --> 0:18:49.600 so that you know, I don't underpay you or that 0:18:49.640 --> 0:18:52.400 sort of thing. You join the union, then of course 0:18:52.440 --> 0:18:54.600 I have to pay you union scale or double scale 0:18:54.640 --> 0:18:56.320 or triple scale or whatever your price is. 0:18:56.359 --> 0:18:59.280 So I see that benefit. But and it goes into 0:18:59.280 --> 0:19:00.000 your healthy shurance. 0:19:00.680 --> 0:19:05.120 Yeah. And also supposedly, you know here we are talking 0:19:05.160 --> 0:19:08.280 about this is bullshit, but I mean supposedly, like I'm 0:19:08.320 --> 0:19:08.920 on a. 0:19:08.760 --> 0:19:09.800 Pension from pension. 0:19:09.840 --> 0:19:12.439 Yeah, but they're fucking around with the pension man, you know. 0:19:12.640 --> 0:19:14.840 I mean, so I don't know what to say about 0:19:14.880 --> 0:19:15.480 all these people. 0:19:15.480 --> 0:19:18.800 But from a non union perspective, union just looks like heaven. 0:19:19.640 --> 0:19:21.960 I'm just gonna tell you, Like all my life, i mean, 0:19:22.000 --> 0:19:26.320 even in black radio has never been unionized. 0:19:25.680 --> 0:19:26.600 Like it's a whole thing. 0:19:26.760 --> 0:19:32.520 So it's like I've always looked at y'all like, Wow, protections, doubility. 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:33.800 Well, some of it, some of it's good, you know. 0:19:33.960 --> 0:19:35.640 I mean, I see, do. 0:19:35.600 --> 0:19:39.679 You remember the first professional gig that you did in 0:19:39.760 --> 0:19:40.360 a studio? 0:19:41.480 --> 0:19:44.000 I don't I knew you were going to ask me this, 0:19:44.040 --> 0:19:46.480 and I really it was you know, it was like 0:19:46.560 --> 0:19:50.440 came on Parkway. It was probably in nineteen sixty three 0:19:50.520 --> 0:19:54.680 or before sixty two, and I started playing on records. 0:19:54.760 --> 0:19:59.760 Whenever they used two cellos, there used to be I guess, 0:20:00.280 --> 0:20:02.920 like maybe four violins, one viola, one cello. Then they 0:20:02.960 --> 0:20:06.119 expanded they went six violins, two viola's, two cellos. So 0:20:06.160 --> 0:20:09.680 as soon as they did that, the head guy took 0:20:09.680 --> 0:20:11.479 a liking to me. He really liked He was a 0:20:11.520 --> 0:20:15.280 really good jazz violin player. He grew up legit, but 0:20:15.359 --> 0:20:18.080 he was more like Jovenudi. He had a real sort 0:20:18.119 --> 0:20:21.480 of that sound. You know that most legit players have 0:20:21.560 --> 0:20:23.560 a great sound, but it's more formal. 0:20:23.840 --> 0:20:24.159 Okay. 0:20:25.440 --> 0:20:27.440 His was much looser, and I liked him. He was 0:20:27.480 --> 0:20:29.719 a great guy. His name was Dom Ronaldo. He's on 0:20:29.880 --> 0:20:34.760 every record the Gamblingoff ever made Dom Ronaldo strings and Horns. Well, 0:20:34.800 --> 0:20:35.399 Don Renaldo. 0:20:35.600 --> 0:20:37.600 That was the name of the of. 0:20:37.680 --> 0:20:40.840 The strings and horns. In other words, it was it 0:20:40.960 --> 0:20:44.840 always said, none of our individual names, right, It was 0:20:44.920 --> 0:20:50.200 Don Ronaldo's strings and horns. So he was an executive 0:20:50.240 --> 0:20:52.159 at the Union. He got me into the Union. I 0:20:52.240 --> 0:20:55.720 was probably fourteen or something. He was supposed to be sixteen, okay, 0:20:55.920 --> 0:20:57.680 and he started, get me gigs. 0:20:58.080 --> 0:21:00.159 Okay, this is something that I should know that I 0:21:00.240 --> 0:21:04.720 don't know. Can you explain the difference between the violin, 0:21:05.160 --> 0:21:10.800 the viola, and the cello and the bass. 0:21:11.080 --> 0:21:15.080 Yes, the base, So those four string instruments. The bass 0:21:15.119 --> 0:21:17.960 starts the first string. On the bass, the lowest ring 0:21:18.080 --> 0:21:21.720 is like an E low E. On the piano, R low. 0:21:22.800 --> 0:21:26.280 The lowest string on the cello is a C above 0:21:26.320 --> 0:21:31.000 that see right, A C above that the next. On 0:21:31.080 --> 0:21:34.000 the viola, the lowest string is an octave above that 0:21:34.160 --> 0:21:38.920 cello C A C C right. Then on the violin, 0:21:39.200 --> 0:21:42.760