1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,040 Speaker 1: Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 2: Welcome back to Quest Love Supreme and we're celebrating Women's 3 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 2: History Month here in March with some special programming drawn 4 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 2: from nearly a decade of shows and conversations. And shout 5 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:24,119 Speaker 2: out to Laya from Team Supreme who always pushed the 6 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:27,040 Speaker 2: programming to QLs to make sure that there is space 7 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 2: for these conversations to even happen, especially at times when 8 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 2: the team was sometimes crowded by guys. 9 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 3: In the room. 10 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: Yes, we are guilty. 11 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 2: It's so weird how we take for granted women's roles 12 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 2: in music and in history. I remember as a child 13 00:00:54,360 --> 00:01:02,280 Speaker 2: oftentimes getting records and legit being shocked. I remember one 14 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 2: time my aunt was a part of the Columbia Music House. 15 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:10,680 Speaker 2: Asked your parents about that at Google Columbia Music House 16 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 2: that was the original Spotify. That's how we got records rapidly. 17 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 2: And one day we got night Birds by label in 18 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:21,759 Speaker 2: the package in the mail. 19 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:23,959 Speaker 1: I believe that was the. 20 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 2: Very first time that I saw all women on an 21 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 2: album cover and I kept staring at it, and I 22 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 2: remember asking my aunt. I was like four years old, 23 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:36,720 Speaker 2: and night Birds is the LaBelle album that kind of 24 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 2: like brought them to prominence. Of course, their timeless Lady 25 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 2: Marmalade was the lead single, that Monster single from that album. 26 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 2: And I remember asking my aunt, like, are women allowed 27 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 2: to make music? And you know, it's so weird how 28 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 2: even at the age of four I had to ask 29 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 2: that question, but because you know, you just often didn't 30 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 2: see such a thing, which now you know, after having 31 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:07,720 Speaker 2: worked on the slo and the Family Stone documentary, I 32 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,359 Speaker 2: see how revolutionary sly Stone was in nineteen sixty seven. 33 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:16,080 Speaker 2: As far as like ginger pairing is concerned, seeing Cynthia 34 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 2: Robinson on the trumpet, that's something you just didn't see 35 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 2: every day, you know, you didn't see those things. I 36 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 2: remember there was a group called Ecstasy, Passion and Pain 37 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:28,520 Speaker 2: from Philadelphia and they had a drummer named Cookie and 38 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 2: they were on Soul Train, and I was like, wow, 39 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 2: girls are allowed. 40 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:32,800 Speaker 1: To play drums? 41 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 2: Like And you know, I lived in a household with 42 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 2: three women, my aunt, my sister, and my mother, and 43 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 2: they were constantly, constantly reprogramming me to always give consideration 44 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:47,959 Speaker 2: to women and to give them their proper do and 45 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 2: their proper respect. And so that's kind of how it 46 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 2: starts with me, and you know, as a result, women. 47 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: Were a big part of our creative circle. 48 00:02:56,919 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 2: Like you know, if you just look at the first 49 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 2: movement of jam sessions that we had with Black Lily, 50 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 2: primarily female led, simply because when that movement started out 51 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 2: initially as the Roots Jam session, a lot of the 52 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 2: women that would come would just be huddled up in 53 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:17,919 Speaker 2: the corner rather, you know, kind of pissed off that 54 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 2: they're not getting any time on the microphone. Like they 55 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 2: would sing for like two seconds and then suddenly like 56 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 2: an MC would come on and. 57 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 1: Then you know, they just give up and walk away 58 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:31,520 Speaker 1: in the corner. 59 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 2: I remember one particular night there's epic battle between Tracy 60 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 2: and the Jazzy Fat Nasties and Rest in Peace Mum's 61 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 2: the poet, and they were going at each other and 62 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 2: Tracy was getting in his ass like like I'm tired 63 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 2: of y'all hogging up the microphone not giving us our 64 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 2: say and whatever. 65 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: You know, Richard Nichols is his whole solution. Rich's job 66 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 1: was always to come with this solution. He didn't break 67 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: up arguments, He just came up with the solution. The 68 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 1: solution was, Okay, we will now start a female led 69 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: jam session so that women get their say. 70 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 2: And that's the Black Lily Jam sessions for you. 71 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 1: So shout out to Tracy for holding it down. This 72 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 1: is part three. 73 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 2: Enjoy all right, So we're going to begin with the 74 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:30,599 Speaker 2: amazing Tracy Ellis Ross. In this clip, she speaks about 75 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:34,040 Speaker 2: wishing to use the physical life changes that women experience 76 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 2: to push her towards stand up. This conversation also touches 77 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:42,720 Speaker 2: on Blackish covering postpartum and how Tracy had a complicated 78 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 2: relationship being an actress with a very famous mother. 79 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 1: I really enjoyed this conversation. 80 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 2: I always tried to imagine what it was like to 81 00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:59,679 Speaker 2: grow up in Los Angeles or Hollywood. 82 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:00,839 Speaker 1: Assume that you grew up. 83 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 4: I grew up in New York. 84 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:05,600 Speaker 5: Really yeah, New York, New York and Europe. So I 85 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:07,839 Speaker 5: was born here in La I went to the Center, 86 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:09,280 Speaker 5: and then we moved to New York so my mom 87 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:13,360 Speaker 5: could do the whiz in seventy nine, and we left 88 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:16,159 Speaker 5: and started school in New York in seventy. 89 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:20,600 Speaker 4: Nine and stayed there until seventh grade. And I'm we 90 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 4: moved to Paris and then Switzerland. 91 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:25,520 Speaker 5: So I did eighth and ninth grade in Europe, which 92 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 5: are pivotal years, and then moved back to the East 93 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:31,039 Speaker 5: Coast and then went to Brown. 94 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:37,159 Speaker 3: You've got a couple of languages and maybe oh. 95 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 6: I just forgot all my friendship. 96 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:48,919 Speaker 5: I have lost most of my vocabulary, but I have 97 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:52,039 Speaker 5: a strong French accent that can you know, get me 98 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 5: by and I can speak English with a French accent 99 00:05:54,839 --> 00:05:55,840 Speaker 5: like nobody's business. 100 00:05:56,920 --> 00:05:58,680 Speaker 7: Then you have no idea because you don't know that 101 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:01,680 Speaker 7: I speak English of conscience doesn't matter because the people 102 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 7: they wander and don't know how you stay in English 103 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:05,640 Speaker 7: because the people are their wonder all the time. 104 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 4: You know how you say, how you say? 105 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:09,240 Speaker 1: Uh? 106 00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:09,520 Speaker 4: You know? 107 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:14,320 Speaker 6: Wait, I'm sorry, I mean almos Tracy, Tracy? 108 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 8: Do you right? 109 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 5: I do? 110 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:17,640 Speaker 8: I write so me. 111 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 3: It's funny because I was just thinking you. I know 112 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:21,839 Speaker 3: you've done improv. I seen you sketch comedy with the 113 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:24,320 Speaker 3: lyricists lounge. Of course, You're a funny lady. How come 114 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 3: and I know your I a stand up? Have you 115 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:28,040 Speaker 3: ever thought of like just doing. 116 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 5: I've not done stand up, but I have to tell 117 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:31,039 Speaker 5: you I mean this. 118 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 4: I'm forty eight years old. 119 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:36,240 Speaker 5: At my forty eight, I'm forty eight and I'm going 120 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:41,360 Speaker 5: through the beginning of some changes, some perimenopause, and I've 121 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 5: got to tell you that I really get to stand 122 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:46,719 Speaker 5: up on this ship because I, first of all, it's 123 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:51,640 Speaker 5: got Did you see the that two second pool video 124 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:52,320 Speaker 5: I posted? 125 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 2: Yes, thoughts there, I heard about that fool video. 126 00:06:59,440 --> 00:06:59,840 Speaker 1: It's funny. 127 00:06:59,880 --> 00:07:04,640 Speaker 4: I think it's two seconds. It's two seconds in. 128 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:06,880 Speaker 6: That videocy Mater you was in a bathing suit. That's 129 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:08,359 Speaker 6: what I heard. That's all I had in a pool. 130 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:13,679 Speaker 5: I mean, you know, I have a like it wasn't 131 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:15,480 Speaker 5: me in a bathing suit in the kitchen. 132 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 8: Actually in the pool. 133 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:21,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, I was like, why is this two seconds? 134 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:22,160 Speaker 6: You should do that? 135 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:24,280 Speaker 3: Because a female comedian told me that female shouldn't talk 136 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 3: about female issues, so please do that. 137 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 6: Why was I. 138 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 4: Wish more people would talk about it. 139 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 5: I mean, I don't know about you, but some of 140 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:36,480 Speaker 5: the sexiest and most admirable women that I look at 141 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 5: are my age and older. I want to know what's 142 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 5: happening and it's. 143 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:44,000 Speaker 6: Still happening, and how it happens and what. 144 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:46,040 Speaker 5: It is, and like it should be demystified. And I 145 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:47,800 Speaker 5: don't think it should be scary to men either. I 146 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:50,080 Speaker 5: think it's it's certainly not the end of my life. 147 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 5: I am not being pushed out on a canoe out 148 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 5: into nowhere. 149 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:54,880 Speaker 4: I'll tell you that right now. 150 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:57,760 Speaker 5: I as I said before, I am a liberated woman. I 151 00:07:57,800 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 5: am out here living my life in all. 152 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:00,600 Speaker 4: Of its fullness. 153 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 5: Well yeah, and I think people we should talk about 154 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:06,480 Speaker 5: it in that way so that we let go of 155 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 5: the stigma. It's the same thing like on Blackish when 156 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 5: we did that episode on postpartum depression. Why are we 157 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:14,240 Speaker 5: not talking about these things when you're siloed off by yourself. 158 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:17,760 Speaker 5: That's when you feel termally unique and you don't think 159 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 5: that you can you know, it's just you that's in 160 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:21,000 Speaker 5: that situation. 161 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:22,240 Speaker 4: Nah, We're all doing it. 162 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 5: And by the way, men have their own version of 163 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:27,240 Speaker 5: what's happening at this age as their home hormones are 164 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 5: shifting and changing. 165 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, hey, well yeah, I was about to say, 166 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:35,080 Speaker 2: will set it off yesterday, even though this is coming. 167 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:35,440 Speaker 1: On way later. 168 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:38,200 Speaker 4: Oh my god, that was so charming and lovely that 169 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:38,800 Speaker 4: he did that. 170 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:40,360 Speaker 1: And that was my favorite post. 171 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:41,960 Speaker 4: Yes, it was so lovely. 172 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:43,800 Speaker 5: But I also have to say, like a friend, so 173 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:45,600 Speaker 5: many friends and me a text. 174 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 4: I did a video on that on Instagram too of 175 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 4: people saying you have gained so much weight. 176 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:52,640 Speaker 5: Good, bravo, thank your body. You just made it through 177 00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:55,439 Speaker 5: a pandemic. What else were you supposed to do? And 178 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:59,679 Speaker 5: I'm sorry, but that layer of softness welcome it because 179 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:02,880 Speaker 5: the ship was hard and scary and sharp out there. 180 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:04,440 Speaker 8: Everybody make it? 181 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:08,840 Speaker 5: No, you know, and so and and our joy and 182 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:12,680 Speaker 5: spontaneity was all funneled into very few spaces, most of 183 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:16,480 Speaker 5: which involved food and drink. So what y'all thought was 184 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 5: gonna happen? And you well, I've never done that, but 185 00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:21,680 Speaker 5: you know that. 186 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:23,000 Speaker 4: But don't worry. 187 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:25,320 Speaker 5: I had It's okay, I'm okay. 188 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:29,439 Speaker 1: No truth, you never had, no true at all. 189 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:33,760 Speaker 4: No, and my friends know. I call it the devil's lettuce. 190 00:09:35,559 --> 00:09:37,559 Speaker 6: Why did they let you in? The lyricsis lounge? 191 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:38,000 Speaker 8: I didn't. 192 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:38,840 Speaker 4: I don't know. 193 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:40,000 Speaker 8: I don't know. 194 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:44,920 Speaker 2: It can happen. I'm gonna leave bloom or two trades. Yeah, 195 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:46,559 Speaker 2: I will guide you through this. 196 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:49,360 Speaker 5: Yeah, I've been I've been saying. I mean, I have 197 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:51,680 Speaker 5: so many stories about me thinking I'm gonna walk that 198 00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 5: way and. 199 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:54,400 Speaker 6: Wait till fifty. Just go ahead of wait till fifty. 200 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:56,800 Speaker 5: Okay, maybe it'll be my fiftieth birthday, You're gonna send 201 00:09:56,840 --> 00:09:57,400 Speaker 5: me a package. 202 00:09:57,600 --> 00:09:59,760 Speaker 1: I'll leave the light one for you. Trust me, I 203 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:02,440 Speaker 1: got I got you, Okay. 204 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:06,520 Speaker 2: So I always wanted to know, as far as you're 205 00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:10,160 Speaker 2: growing up as concerned and that you were paired with 206 00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:12,040 Speaker 2: other kids that were sort of in the same position 207 00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:16,000 Speaker 2: as you, at what point, at any point, did you 208 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:19,400 Speaker 2: ever had to adjust in a world in which people 209 00:10:20,559 --> 00:10:24,360 Speaker 2: weren't of that sort of cut from that that same cloth, 210 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:28,319 Speaker 2: where you had to deal with everyday people, Like, at 211 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 2: what point. 212 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:31,240 Speaker 4: Were you every day in life? I mean I was, 213 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:31,600 Speaker 4: you know. 214 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,920 Speaker 5: I First of all, the way I was raised again 215 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:36,720 Speaker 5: is everybody is a person. 216 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:39,640 Speaker 4: I am one of people. I was not raised to 217 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:40,960 Speaker 4: think I was better than anybody. 218 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:46,080 Speaker 5: I had certain different opportunities and experiences than other people, 219 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:49,440 Speaker 5: but I was always taught to connect on the places 220 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:52,520 Speaker 5: that we are the same. We've all got blood running 221 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 5: through our veins, and we all have feelings, and we all, 222 00:10:56,760 --> 00:10:58,840 Speaker 5: most of us are getting up every day trying to 223 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:01,520 Speaker 5: do our best and work our hardest and and sort 224 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:04,040 Speaker 5: of make at least our lives work. 225 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:05,480 Speaker 4: And function properly. 226 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:09,280 Speaker 5: So I also come I don't know if I was 227 00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:11,800 Speaker 5: top this, if I came up with this, if. 228 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:16,400 Speaker 4: You know, but to sort of put my. 229 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 5: My humanness as the front runner of who I am not. 230 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:21,480 Speaker 4: And first of all, I didn't do that. My mom 231 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:23,920 Speaker 4: did all those things. 232 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:24,080 Speaker 8: She did. 233 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:26,280 Speaker 3: She keep you around like a couple of Detroit cousins 234 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:27,520 Speaker 3: just to make sure it does y'all new. 235 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:31,960 Speaker 4: I went to Detroit every summer, and that's how you 236 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:32,400 Speaker 4: do it. 237 00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:35,480 Speaker 5: Yeah, on a palette on the floor and on Bobby's 238 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:38,640 Speaker 5: house up the street from Grandmammy and Aunt. 239 00:11:38,679 --> 00:11:39,520 Speaker 4: Bobby sat me. 240 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 5: Between her legs and did my hair with that goodie 241 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:46,200 Speaker 5: comb and tried to kill my scalp. And you know, Grandmommy, 242 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:49,480 Speaker 5: my Grandma lined us up outside the fancy bathroom downstairs 243 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:51,880 Speaker 5: and put all the cousins and put mayonnaise in our 244 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:54,440 Speaker 5: hair on the on the laid on the kitchen sink, 245 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:56,760 Speaker 5: put our head in the sink, and then filled our 246 00:11:56,800 --> 00:11:58,880 Speaker 5: hair with mayonnaise. You had to walk around smell on 247 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:02,160 Speaker 5: like a sandwich forever to getition your hair. 248 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:05,480 Speaker 4: I mean, all all of our cousins and boys and girls. 249 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:07,440 Speaker 4: It wasn't just the girl. The girls like the boys 250 00:12:07,440 --> 00:12:07,719 Speaker 4: and girl. 251 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:09,839 Speaker 5: We all got lined up step and Monica Kevin Kevin 252 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:11,320 Speaker 5: we all just line up. 253 00:12:11,559 --> 00:12:14,000 Speaker 6: We see that in Rainbow. That is so beautiful, that's dope, 254 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:15,080 Speaker 6: it's funny. 255 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:18,280 Speaker 5: So so yeah, that's what I'm saying, Like, we weren't 256 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:23,880 Speaker 5: sheltered to be up in some crystal palace somewhere, although. 257 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:27,840 Speaker 4: We lived, you know, in a hotel, and I'm not 258 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:28,720 Speaker 4: to work in. 259 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:30,839 Speaker 5: A rolls at the school at a rolls verse every 260 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:32,480 Speaker 5: day with a driver by the name of Bartha. 261 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:35,160 Speaker 8: But that's. 262 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:37,400 Speaker 1: As you do. 263 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:42,360 Speaker 5: Wait a minute, okay, so yeah, like, okay, so these 264 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:43,800 Speaker 5: things also did happen. 265 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 4: I'm not saying they didn't, but. 266 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:49,840 Speaker 6: Wow, that's amazing. 267 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:52,199 Speaker 9: Christmas in a ritz. 268 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:54,640 Speaker 4: But then we were in Detroit in the summer. 269 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:59,360 Speaker 1: So they did you. 270 00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:02,360 Speaker 2: I know that singing at least when when I first 271 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:07,040 Speaker 2: met you in the early arts, singing was always a 272 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:11,560 Speaker 2: big passion of yours. With a household like yours, in 273 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:14,720 Speaker 2: an environment like you grew up in, how easy was 274 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:16,880 Speaker 2: it for you to express the desire to want to 275 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:20,559 Speaker 2: do something in the arts or not be shy about. 276 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:26,640 Speaker 5: It, Like Harry, My mother supported us in finding our 277 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:29,160 Speaker 5: version of expression in whatever that looked like. 278 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:32,280 Speaker 1: But you know, are you the only singing ross? 279 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:35,880 Speaker 5: No, Roonda is a singer. 280 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:38,600 Speaker 4: Evan's a singer. I'm the last. 281 00:13:38,679 --> 00:13:39,960 Speaker 1: I forgot your brother, Evan Ross. 282 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:42,280 Speaker 4: That's okay, I'm the last to the party. 283 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:45,560 Speaker 5: And it's so funny because I remember, I can't remember 284 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:47,000 Speaker 5: how many years ago it was, but my mom was 285 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:50,560 Speaker 5: in Vegas and on stage and she was like, you know, 286 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:51,840 Speaker 5: my children sing. 287 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:54,160 Speaker 4: Blah blah blah whatever, and I want to bring someone 288 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:55,000 Speaker 4: up to sing with me. 289 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:57,880 Speaker 5: And I'm like standing there, like, go ahead, Evan, go ahead, 290 00:13:57,920 --> 00:13:59,560 Speaker 5: you know whatever, and she said. 291 00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:02,200 Speaker 4: My name, and I was like, with what's happening right now? 292 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:04,880 Speaker 4: I was like, this is not my thing. I'm the 293 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:06,960 Speaker 4: funny one. What are we doing? What's happening? 294 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:09,920 Speaker 5: And she made me sing on stage and it was 295 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:14,040 Speaker 5: so hilarious because if you watch the video, you see. 296 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:18,720 Speaker 4: My mom turn into my mom and thinks, oh no. 297 00:14:18,679 --> 00:14:22,600 Speaker 5: Did I just put Tracy put my baby in a 298 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:26,400 Speaker 5: position that she didn't want to be in inadvertently, like 299 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:29,359 Speaker 5: did I make her put her, you know, too exposed 300 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 5: on something that makes her shy? 301 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:33,640 Speaker 4: And she sort of she got this tone in her 302 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:34,760 Speaker 4: voice that was such. 303 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:37,040 Speaker 5: My mom's tone of okay, everybody be quiet because this 304 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:40,960 Speaker 5: is important, like we need we need to support this moment? 305 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:41,520 Speaker 4: Be quiet? 306 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:44,960 Speaker 2: Are you speaking of the infamous when she puts people 307 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:46,720 Speaker 2: on the spot to sing reach out in touch? 308 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:49,800 Speaker 5: No, she put me on stage and had me sing 309 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 5: sing like Billie Holiday. Oh, Like I was sing that 310 00:14:56,040 --> 00:14:59,960 Speaker 5: around the house and she was like, go ahead, did you? 311 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:02,640 Speaker 5: Because every time I mean, I sang in high school 312 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:03,920 Speaker 5: and whatever, every time I sang. 313 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:06,080 Speaker 4: When I was twenty two, my mom said to me, 314 00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:09,680 Speaker 4: all right, Tracy, it's time. And I was like, it's 315 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 4: time for what? She's like, it's time for you to 316 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:11,680 Speaker 4: record an album? 317 00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 5: And I was like, hell, no, no, no, no, no no. 318 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:16,720 Speaker 4: No no no, I'm gonna go the other way. 319 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:20,640 Speaker 5: Nope, We're gonna make people laugh and we're just gonna 320 00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:22,280 Speaker 5: keep them at arm's length and that'll be good. 321 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:27,320 Speaker 1: But why, Okay, in hindsight, why do you think that 322 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:28,200 Speaker 1: was your decision? 323 00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:29,360 Speaker 5: Uh? 324 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:30,440 Speaker 4: For a lot of reasons. 325 00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:35,440 Speaker 5: I think unconsciously, I the idea of being. 326 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:38,400 Speaker 4: Compared to my mom was just too much to think of. 327 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 5: I had also seen children of be obliterated in the press, 328 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:50,320 Speaker 5: just shredded, And you think back to that time and 329 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 5: being the child of or any of those things. 330 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:54,280 Speaker 4: That's not that was not cool. 331 00:15:54,360 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 5: Then that was not something that was also the time 332 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:01,080 Speaker 5: when you didn't move from TV to movies, when you 333 00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:04,160 Speaker 5: didn't move from being a host to an actor, Like 334 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:09,600 Speaker 5: everything was very pigeonholed, and there certainly wasn't this spirit 335 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:12,800 Speaker 5: of oh, you're Dona Ross as child. Maybe you want 336 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 5: to say, well, no, not at all. And I look 337 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 5: like my mom, And the truth is I sound kind 338 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:22,240 Speaker 5: of like her. So you know, there was no you 339 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:24,720 Speaker 5: put you as soon as you put a sparkly dress 340 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 5: on me. I mean, I've seen it now, I've won 341 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:31,400 Speaker 5: a Golden Globe. I've been doing working in the I'm 342 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 5: forty eight years old. I'm not a child anymore, and 343 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:38,360 Speaker 5: I still cannot do anything without my mom's name. 344 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:42,440 Speaker 4: Like maybe my mom is just like it's she's larger, 345 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:43,280 Speaker 4: she's an. 346 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:47,640 Speaker 1: Interesting let me but let me interject. 347 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:54,840 Speaker 2: I definitely now feel as though, you know, to Dinah Ross, 348 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:58,840 Speaker 2: it's like, yo, Tracy Ellis is your daughter, Like, yeah, 349 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:03,200 Speaker 2: you've done You've definitely done something that is I don't 350 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 2: know if any person, maybe Janet Overcoming who her her 351 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:10,320 Speaker 2: brothers were to be in her own right, but. 352 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:14,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, like you made your own name though, Yeah, yeah, you're. 353 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,679 Speaker 2: When history books are written like you know, you have 354 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:22,280 Speaker 2: your own and not even to compare like that, you know, 355 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:22,919 Speaker 2: like we can. 356 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:25,399 Speaker 5: All well that was part of what I came to, 357 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:29,000 Speaker 5: I mean and understood it's like and an adult mind 358 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:31,240 Speaker 5: can look at it that way, but a kid cannot. 359 00:17:31,359 --> 00:17:32,600 Speaker 4: And so now I. 360 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:35,560 Speaker 6: Know, like I'm not my mom right. 361 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:38,920 Speaker 4: Like I'm not trying to be here, I'm not like never, 362 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:42,080 Speaker 4: that's not what's happening. But as a kid, you think you. 363 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:45,320 Speaker 3: Know and you have something that's really super special. I 364 00:17:45,359 --> 00:17:47,800 Speaker 3: was going to ask you because your production company is 365 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:51,840 Speaker 3: named Joy Mills, but I'm assuming that you're aware that 366 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:55,280 Speaker 3: you have that superpower and that's why you named it that. 367 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:58,639 Speaker 3: Are you aware that like Tracy Ella's Ross is a 368 00:17:58,760 --> 00:17:59,880 Speaker 3: joy bringer. 369 00:18:02,119 --> 00:18:04,240 Speaker 4: That like makes my heart very very full. 370 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:05,439 Speaker 6: I'm just trying to tell you. 371 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:12,440 Speaker 4: My I was born Tracy Joy Silverstein. That's my name, 372 00:18:13,119 --> 00:18:14,560 Speaker 4: so right. 373 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:18,680 Speaker 6: Now, so because I'm like, well what about mister Ellen. 374 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:21,120 Speaker 5: Okay, okay, go ahead, Okay, So this is and that 375 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:24,119 Speaker 5: was the third point okay about my dad. 376 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:27,640 Speaker 4: So when I joined so like many kids, uh so. 377 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:30,479 Speaker 5: Then I was Tracy Joy Ross Silberstein. All through growing up, 378 00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:32,879 Speaker 5: t j R S were my initials all through growing up. 379 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:36,680 Speaker 5: But then, like so many people, you dropped this name. 380 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:39,080 Speaker 5: That name is too long. I was Tracy Joy Ross. 381 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:41,600 Speaker 5: You know what I mean, drop these names too many names. 382 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:43,960 Speaker 5: So I became Tracy Joy Ross. And then when I 383 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:48,160 Speaker 5: joined SAG there was another Tracy Ross. 384 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:55,280 Speaker 4: In the Union. Remember Tracy Ross. She was. 385 00:18:55,720 --> 00:18:55,960 Speaker 5: Yes. 386 00:18:56,320 --> 00:19:01,720 Speaker 8: I thought, yeah, that very god she grew up. 387 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:05,600 Speaker 1: Wow, I didn't know you were my age. 388 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:07,720 Speaker 6: I thought like, you know, we don't all look alike. 389 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:08,800 Speaker 6: They looked nothing alive. 390 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:13,639 Speaker 2: I heard the name Tracy Ellis. I remember watching that 391 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:15,359 Speaker 2: Tracy Ross on Star Search. 392 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:16,080 Speaker 6: He was a hero. 393 00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:19,920 Speaker 2: And then she thought like, oh, that's Diana Ross's daughter. 394 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:21,359 Speaker 2: That's the one she talked about. 395 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:24,600 Speaker 5: When I joined the Union, there was another Tracy Ross. 396 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:26,399 Speaker 5: So they were like, uh, do you want to be 397 00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 5: Tracy Joy Ross in the Union? And I was like yes, 398 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:33,760 Speaker 5: But everybody like I look like my mom, and people 399 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:36,560 Speaker 5: know I'm my mom's child and I'm so much a 400 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:38,440 Speaker 5: product of both of my parents, Like. 401 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:40,680 Speaker 4: I am my dad's child and I'm my mom's child. 402 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:44,479 Speaker 4: And I wanted him to have a steak. 403 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:47,120 Speaker 5: You know, it's so crazy because I talk so much 404 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:50,800 Speaker 5: about women and women of color, and particularly black and 405 00:19:50,840 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 5: brown women that we historically have not had a steak 406 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:56,720 Speaker 5: in what we make, and even with our children, we 407 00:19:56,800 --> 00:19:59,720 Speaker 5: give up our name, and so there's often this you 408 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:02,840 Speaker 5: can't I even follow our bloodline because of that. But 409 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:06,200 Speaker 5: we have been at the center of economic, cultural, political 410 00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:09,840 Speaker 5: revolutions in this country, and we are often doing the work, 411 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:13,800 Speaker 5: but not centered in the prize from that work. And 412 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:19,679 Speaker 5: strangely enough, I was worried about my dad having a 413 00:20:19,720 --> 00:20:23,199 Speaker 5: piece of what he made, and so I put Ellis 414 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:25,320 Speaker 5: in my name and I became Tracy Ellis Ross at 415 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:28,439 Speaker 5: the beginning of my career, and my first you know, 416 00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:31,959 Speaker 5: SAG card was Tracy Ellis Ross. And now you know, 417 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:34,600 Speaker 5: my name goes up there and people go and Bob 418 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:35,360 Speaker 5: Elis's kid. 419 00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:41,359 Speaker 2: Okay, what was the first major creative thing that you 420 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:44,840 Speaker 2: at least for you, What was the first major creative 421 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:49,159 Speaker 2: thing that you did as far as doing television or 422 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:50,560 Speaker 2: commercials or well, the. 423 00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:53,760 Speaker 5: First big thing I did was the gap ad with 424 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:58,320 Speaker 5: my mom. Yeah, and I remember it was on billboards 425 00:20:58,320 --> 00:20:59,639 Speaker 5: and it was like a big. 426 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:00,800 Speaker 4: Wall in airport. 427 00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:02,960 Speaker 5: I walked through and I was just like, oh my god, 428 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:05,720 Speaker 5: I made fifteen hundred dollars and I thought I had made. 429 00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:11,840 Speaker 4: I was like, I'm rich. I don't my mother. 430 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:12,720 Speaker 6: I'm rich. 431 00:21:15,480 --> 00:21:17,720 Speaker 4: I was like, that was so amazing. I could pay 432 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:21,040 Speaker 4: my own doctor's fees. I can just I can make 433 00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:21,960 Speaker 4: my own food. 434 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:22,840 Speaker 1: Was a crowd. 435 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:28,320 Speaker 4: I was so much money. I was like, I was like, 436 00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:30,439 Speaker 4: I will never work again. 437 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:37,520 Speaker 5: I actually think it was it was seven hundred and 438 00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:39,800 Speaker 5: fifty dollars and then I think I made fifteen hundred 439 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:43,080 Speaker 5: on the first show I did. But then the next 440 00:21:43,119 --> 00:21:45,760 Speaker 5: thing was I did an Infinity commercial. So I was 441 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:50,399 Speaker 5: modeling with Wilhelmine Agency and I went in for. 442 00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:56,080 Speaker 4: A modeling like commercial job and go see. 443 00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:59,160 Speaker 5: And at the place where they were doing it, they 444 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:02,520 Speaker 5: were like, the people that are doing me. It was 445 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:07,040 Speaker 5: a secret deodorant ad I went in for and there 446 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:09,600 Speaker 5: was a sign in sheet next to it for Infinity 447 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:13,879 Speaker 5: car commercial and whoever ran the commercial audition place was like, 448 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:16,160 Speaker 5: you should go in and try for the Infinity commercial. 449 00:22:16,160 --> 00:22:19,000 Speaker 4: And I was like, oh, yes, of course I'll drive. 450 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:22,320 Speaker 5: So I went in and that was the job that 451 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:25,960 Speaker 5: taft heart lead me into SAG, which is the job 452 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:28,919 Speaker 5: that will pay the money to get you into SAG. 453 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:33,120 Speaker 10: And yeah, I just love the idea that Tracy Els 454 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:35,199 Speaker 10: had to Taft Hartley. I mean, I've done that and 455 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:37,600 Speaker 10: it just just makes me laugh. That's okay, keep continuing, please, 456 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:42,120 Speaker 10: But also also, why are there not people with multiple 457 00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:44,760 Speaker 10: names in SAG? Couldn't there be multiple Tracy? 458 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:46,000 Speaker 1: Really? 459 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:48,919 Speaker 6: But Nessa Williams Remember Vanessa william. 460 00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:55,360 Speaker 1: L Williams Vanessa L Williams. Yeah, well shit, okay, cool, Yeah, 461 00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:56,919 Speaker 1: I learned something again. 462 00:22:58,200 --> 00:22:59,679 Speaker 4: So I got taft heart lead in. 463 00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:04,480 Speaker 5: I did that commercial and then I don't know. 464 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:06,359 Speaker 4: I mean, it has not been a fast and easy 465 00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:07,000 Speaker 4: road for me. 466 00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:11,760 Speaker 5: I remember there was a movie called Mixing Nia that 467 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:18,080 Speaker 5: Karen Parsons from Fresh Press. She ended up getting that movie, 468 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:20,720 Speaker 5: and I've never been more devastated in my life. 469 00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:21,399 Speaker 1: Really. 470 00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:25,360 Speaker 7: I was like, I mean, I was sure a meror 471 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:28,200 Speaker 7: that this was going to launch me into. 472 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:29,399 Speaker 8: The stratosphere of the Roscar. 473 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:34,320 Speaker 7: I was going to the Academy Awards with my seven 474 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:37,600 Speaker 7: hundred and fifty dollars from my gap aad. I was 475 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:41,240 Speaker 7: going to march my way into Hollywood and be received 476 00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:44,919 Speaker 7: with open arms for a career that would last a lifetime. 477 00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:45,840 Speaker 5: Didn't happen. 478 00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:49,760 Speaker 2: What is that process like? Like your version of the 479 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:54,720 Speaker 2: Hollywood Shuffle? As far as callbacks near missus, what did 480 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:56,280 Speaker 2: you audition for that you didn't get? 481 00:23:57,080 --> 00:23:58,719 Speaker 6: Oh my god, I don't even remember. 482 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:01,120 Speaker 5: I had a three ring binder, like one of those 483 00:24:01,119 --> 00:24:04,320 Speaker 5: Whopper three ringfinders of like every audition I had auditioned for. 484 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:06,320 Speaker 6: I didn't care. 485 00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:08,440 Speaker 1: You keep all the receipts of everything. 486 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:13,199 Speaker 5: I didn't get nothing, really well, because according to us, 487 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:14,320 Speaker 5: it's like Daddy's Girls. 488 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:17,960 Speaker 6: I had no in right, Like, I'm trying to think no, no, no, no. 489 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:21,840 Speaker 5: There from from the time that I did I did 490 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:26,000 Speaker 5: Far Harbor, that first movie I did with Jennifer Connelly 491 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:29,199 Speaker 5: and Marsha k Harden. Okay, so I did that, and 492 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:32,639 Speaker 5: then I did the show and before that, I did 493 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:35,480 Speaker 5: the show The Dish on Lifetime. 494 00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:39,360 Speaker 4: That was because I'm a TV girl. I live in 495 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:44,439 Speaker 4: your TV and I'm a TV girl, like like it 496 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:44,800 Speaker 4: was like. 497 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:48,199 Speaker 5: A magazine show about TV shows. 498 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:54,720 Speaker 6: What nothing? He ain't say nothing, he says, she. 499 00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:59,480 Speaker 1: Said, first, I'm like. 500 00:24:58,560 --> 00:24:59,960 Speaker 6: I started watching Lifetime. 501 00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:01,919 Speaker 4: Yeah, okay, you know. 502 00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:06,600 Speaker 5: And and then I got an agent and auditioned and 503 00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:12,399 Speaker 5: auditioned and auditioned and auditioned and auditioned and auditioned and 504 00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:16,240 Speaker 5: auditioned and auditioned, and I auditioned some more and I 505 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:18,760 Speaker 5: didn't get many callbacks, and then they dropped me. And 506 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:19,639 Speaker 5: this is what they said. 507 00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:22,960 Speaker 4: It stuck with me for a really long time. 508 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:28,120 Speaker 5: Listen, Tracy, We're gonna let you go because you come 509 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:31,160 Speaker 5: with all these bells and whistles, but then you get 510 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:33,320 Speaker 5: in the room and you just don't pop? 511 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:39,639 Speaker 3: Would you face bitch? 512 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:41,960 Speaker 4: I could, but you know what, it was a turning 513 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:43,240 Speaker 4: point for crazy. 514 00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:46,760 Speaker 5: I could not get out of there without those you know, 515 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:49,240 Speaker 5: those tears they sit. 516 00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:58,399 Speaker 4: There because you're so ha you know those office chairs 517 00:25:58,400 --> 00:26:01,080 Speaker 4: with the wheels of the the wheels on the bottom 518 00:26:01,119 --> 00:26:01,440 Speaker 4: of them. 519 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 5: I felt like my heart had come out and it 520 00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:07,760 Speaker 5: was like stuck underneath the wheel and she kept moving 521 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:10,359 Speaker 5: the chair and it was just getting all tangled in 522 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:12,840 Speaker 5: there with my heart and then there was blood and 523 00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:15,880 Speaker 5: stuff and then the tears, and I couldn't get out 524 00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:19,080 Speaker 5: fast enough. But I made a decision at that point. 525 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:20,600 Speaker 5: I remember calling my sister. 526 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:36,960 Speaker 11: I called I was like, I don't I don't wop I. 527 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:34,280 Speaker 5: Know no popper. 528 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:37,239 Speaker 6: Stand up. 529 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:41,800 Speaker 2: At any point, did you ever consider dropping the ross 530 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:47,000 Speaker 2: from your name? It was too late the thought that like, okay, 531 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:51,240 Speaker 2: maybe they're holding that against me, like my lineage and well, you. 532 00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:52,439 Speaker 4: Know I used to say that. 533 00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:55,359 Speaker 7: People were like, well, doesn't being done roszda open doors 534 00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:55,600 Speaker 7: for you? 535 00:26:55,680 --> 00:26:57,159 Speaker 5: And I was like, no, what it does is and 536 00:26:57,240 --> 00:26:59,160 Speaker 5: unlocks the door. And then people sit on the other 537 00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:01,240 Speaker 5: side like, going, how's she going. 538 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:01,600 Speaker 4: To walk in? 539 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:03,800 Speaker 1: Oh? 540 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:07,160 Speaker 4: They're like, okay, show us what. But I don't think 541 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:09,119 Speaker 4: that had anything to do with it. I think I sucked. 542 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:13,600 Speaker 5: I think I didn't know how to bring the person 543 00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:17,840 Speaker 5: that I was inside myself and in the privacy of 544 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:21,600 Speaker 5: my home out into the world. And I needed that 545 00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:26,199 Speaker 5: hit in order to ask myself, did I have the 546 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:29,240 Speaker 5: courage to do what it took to bring. 547 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:32,480 Speaker 4: That person out? Or did I just. 548 00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:35,879 Speaker 5: Want to go back into my hole and sort of 549 00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:38,320 Speaker 5: live privately as I chose? 550 00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:38,600 Speaker 8: You know. 551 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:46,879 Speaker 1: That was Tracy Ellis Ross. 552 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:49,320 Speaker 2: And next up is Shirley Jones at The Jones Girls 553 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:52,880 Speaker 2: and this clip she speaks about the power of Tracy's mom, 554 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:57,359 Speaker 2: Diana Ross, and the sexism that went into see a 555 00:27:57,440 --> 00:28:00,440 Speaker 2: strong black woman who was a perfectionist and the early 556 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:04,200 Speaker 2: nineteen seventies. Shirley also tells how Diana made a way 557 00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:07,920 Speaker 2: for her as an artist outside of an accomplished background singer. 558 00:28:08,359 --> 00:28:13,320 Speaker 1: Shirley also speaks about a powerful anthem for women nineteen 559 00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:15,600 Speaker 1: seventy nine, so You're Gonna make Me love somebody. 560 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:18,359 Speaker 2: Else sampled by Jay Z, as well as being covered 561 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:22,240 Speaker 2: by Escape in the nineteen nineties. There's some great history here, 562 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:25,840 Speaker 2: Shirley Jones from twenty twenty one. 563 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:29,760 Speaker 1: What was it like to finally land that job? 564 00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:37,399 Speaker 8: It was amazing. We actually, we were perfectly happy. We 565 00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:41,560 Speaker 8: had just moved to Detroit to LA with McKinley Jackson. 566 00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:44,720 Speaker 8: He was managing us at the time, and we were 567 00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:48,400 Speaker 8: perfectly happy doing background sessions because because we were doing 568 00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:50,680 Speaker 8: like three and four day it was either us or 569 00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:54,240 Speaker 8: the waters that people wanted to do their water back then, 570 00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:57,120 Speaker 8: Oh yeah, those are my buddies. Yeah, it was either 571 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:00,400 Speaker 8: us or them. That's who we were, those premier groups 572 00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:04,800 Speaker 8: for background singing back then. And McKinley said, well, you know, 573 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:11,200 Speaker 8: Diana's auditioning for some singers and she's been turning everybody down, 574 00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:13,440 Speaker 8: and you know, and I and he said, you guys 575 00:29:13,480 --> 00:29:15,560 Speaker 8: want to try We like Diana. Yeah, I mean, you know, 576 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:18,160 Speaker 8: we're from Detroit. Hey, let's give it a shot. And 577 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:20,680 Speaker 8: so we went up there actually thinking we were singing 578 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:24,680 Speaker 8: for gil Aski, her music director and her road manager 579 00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:29,200 Speaker 8: Don Peak up lower canyon somewhere and we went up 580 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:33,480 Speaker 8: there and McKinley started playing. We had rehearsed ain't no 581 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:36,480 Speaker 8: mountain high enough and reach out and touch somebody's hand 582 00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:39,200 Speaker 8: for our audition, and right in the middle of singing, 583 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:44,840 Speaker 8: who comes down the hall but Diana Ross and yeah, 584 00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:48,440 Speaker 8: And the only words out of her mouth was, you 585 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:52,000 Speaker 8: guys are terrific. Can you get passports? We're going to London? 586 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:57,840 Speaker 8: And we, of course, you know, we were like, yeah, 587 00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:00,440 Speaker 8: we can go to London, but we had to work 588 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:03,640 Speaker 8: out some things on our contract because of our background singing, 589 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:06,400 Speaker 8: which she did allow. We traveled seven months of the 590 00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:09,680 Speaker 8: year with her, and then when she was on hiatus, 591 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:12,760 Speaker 8: she did allow us to keep our background singing. Career. 592 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:17,760 Speaker 2: For other artists, I failed you, she ailed you and retainer, 593 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:19,880 Speaker 2: but you were allowed to We were. 594 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:21,960 Speaker 8: Allowed to sing, right, but we were still getting you know, 595 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:25,120 Speaker 8: we were getting half of our paycheck when she was 596 00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:28,000 Speaker 8: when she wasn't working, but she still allowed us to 597 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:33,080 Speaker 8: do our singing, our background singing. And over the years 598 00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:38,160 Speaker 8: I have defended and set said so many people have said, 599 00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:40,480 Speaker 8: what was she like? I hear, you know, she's this, 600 00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:42,000 Speaker 8: she's that, and the other. I said, let me just 601 00:30:42,040 --> 00:30:48,080 Speaker 8: tell you one thing. She was the hottest entertainer in 602 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:52,200 Speaker 8: the world back in the seventies. Absolutely nobody was bigger 603 00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:56,960 Speaker 8: than Diana Ross except maybe Frank Sinatra. And she was 604 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:02,280 Speaker 8: a perfectionist. She was a female, and she was demanding. 605 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:07,360 Speaker 8: She demanded that her from her band to her singers 606 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:11,800 Speaker 8: to be as into the show and rehearse and be 607 00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:16,320 Speaker 8: on top of your gig as she was. And because 608 00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:20,440 Speaker 8: that was drilled in us, and that's what we did. Anyway. 609 00:31:20,560 --> 00:31:24,320 Speaker 8: She was absolutely one of the best people to work for, 610 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:30,320 Speaker 8: and she was so concerned for us because up until 611 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:33,120 Speaker 8: we went to London with her, the only places we 612 00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:40,160 Speaker 8: had been was Detroit surrounding areas and then California. And 613 00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:43,640 Speaker 8: she loved and respected our sounds so much that after 614 00:31:43,720 --> 00:31:46,680 Speaker 8: the European tour is when she came to us, she 615 00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:49,120 Speaker 8: was getting ready to do her yearly twice a year 616 00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:52,160 Speaker 8: residency at Caesar's Palace, and she came to us and said, 617 00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:56,080 Speaker 8: you know, you girls are too good to be singing 618 00:31:56,160 --> 00:32:00,880 Speaker 8: background behind me or anybody else whatever, So you know, 619 00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:03,520 Speaker 8: I changed clothes at least five times in my show. 620 00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:06,280 Speaker 8: I want you to get a song together and i 621 00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:08,840 Speaker 8: want you to sing it. I'm gonna bring you out 622 00:32:08,920 --> 00:32:12,240 Speaker 8: the Jones sisters and I'm gonna introduce you to the world. 623 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 8: And that's actually she did that. We chose if I 624 00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:18,160 Speaker 8: Ever Lose This Heaven from Quincy Jones' album that was 625 00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:22,000 Speaker 8: hot back then, and uh, that's how we got with 626 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:27,280 Speaker 8: gamb One Huff at the theater, yeah, the subar s Yeah, 627 00:32:27,360 --> 00:32:30,240 Speaker 8: from the Schubert Theater, and she called us and Cynthia 628 00:32:30,280 --> 00:32:32,600 Speaker 8: Biggs and Dexter Wanzelle they were in the audience and 629 00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:35,600 Speaker 8: they said all they could think about and look at 630 00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:38,080 Speaker 8: during the whole show was us. They kept saying, you 631 00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:42,200 Speaker 8: hear those girls, you hear her background singers, they're tearing 632 00:32:42,280 --> 00:32:45,960 Speaker 8: it up and Gambling Huff came backstage and they said, 633 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:49,320 Speaker 8: you guys are terrific. Are you signed with anybody? And 634 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:51,480 Speaker 8: we're like no, And we're like, oh my god, gamb 635 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:54,680 Speaker 8: when I'm asking us if we're signed with anybody? And 636 00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:57,440 Speaker 8: so we went back to LA and within a month 637 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:01,280 Speaker 8: we had our attorneys did we worked out the deal, 638 00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:04,360 Speaker 8: and within two months we were flown to Philadelphia to 639 00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:06,160 Speaker 8: work on that first Jones Girls album. 640 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:09,600 Speaker 1: Wow, Yes, that's amazing, that's amazing. 641 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:16,320 Speaker 2: Wait a minute, I always wanted to know was this 642 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:21,760 Speaker 2: the tour where she would it would start with the 643 00:33:22,480 --> 00:33:25,240 Speaker 2: video thing with the guys carrying her open. 644 00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:28,800 Speaker 8: No, No, this was before then, okay, because. 645 00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:33,000 Speaker 2: I always wanted to know how she did that illusion. No, Okay, 646 00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:34,480 Speaker 2: I was a kid when I see it, like a 647 00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:35,200 Speaker 2: long time ago. 648 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:36,640 Speaker 8: But yeah, wow. 649 00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:39,760 Speaker 3: Can you also talk about like the gig with her 650 00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:42,000 Speaker 3: and how it was different than other background kids as 651 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:44,880 Speaker 3: far as like she said she changed her clothes five times, 652 00:33:45,040 --> 00:33:46,920 Speaker 3: did you guys get to change your clothes? Did you 653 00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:48,640 Speaker 3: have the same outfit you had to wear every night 654 00:33:48,720 --> 00:33:50,440 Speaker 3: or what? Because it was Diana Ross, y'all had like 655 00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:52,400 Speaker 3: a nice rotation, and what did. 656 00:33:52,280 --> 00:33:53,840 Speaker 6: She require before every show? 657 00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:55,720 Speaker 3: As far as we hur soul and stuff like that, 658 00:33:56,400 --> 00:33:58,680 Speaker 3: it's the comparison to everybody else you work for. 659 00:34:00,360 --> 00:34:04,000 Speaker 8: With her being a perfectionist. We rehearsed a lot before 660 00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:08,239 Speaker 8: we would go out on tour with her. I mean 661 00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:11,680 Speaker 8: we rehearsed a lot. And yes she did curse. She 662 00:34:11,719 --> 00:34:13,919 Speaker 8: would come in there and if you if the bad 663 00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:15,759 Speaker 8: and she never had to curse with us because we 664 00:34:15,760 --> 00:34:17,680 Speaker 8: were gonna be on top of our game. But if 665 00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:19,799 Speaker 8: she would, she would curse them out. And I and 666 00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:21,759 Speaker 8: you know, and I often tell people, I said, now, 667 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:25,239 Speaker 8: if she were a man like Frank Sinatra coming out 668 00:34:25,680 --> 00:34:29,160 Speaker 8: cursing because somebody wasn't doing their absolute best and she 669 00:34:29,239 --> 00:34:32,759 Speaker 8: felt that they should be, he'd be applauded. He would 670 00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:35,960 Speaker 8: be applauded and said, oh, he's just such a strong individual. 671 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:38,759 Speaker 8: He's he'd make sure that, you know. But because she's 672 00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:42,120 Speaker 8: a woman, and she was that demanding at that time, 673 00:34:42,640 --> 00:34:45,399 Speaker 8: you know, women weren't supposed to, you know, come if 674 00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:47,360 Speaker 8: you done, weren't doing your job. You were supposed to 675 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:49,759 Speaker 8: be demure and say well would you please? You know, 676 00:34:50,520 --> 00:34:53,640 Speaker 8: she would come in there cursing like us, saying oh, yeah. 677 00:34:53,680 --> 00:34:56,040 Speaker 6: Beyond it makes me think of Beyonce is allowed to 678 00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:56,560 Speaker 6: be today? 679 00:34:56,920 --> 00:35:01,040 Speaker 8: Yeah exactly, So I gets I give I give her 680 00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:05,160 Speaker 8: kudos because she was demanding, yes she was, but she 681 00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:08,040 Speaker 8: was also she would she would also make sure that 682 00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:11,399 Speaker 8: she was doing the you know, as far as rehearsing too, 683 00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:17,640 Speaker 8: she was always always immaculate, impeccable. Two people that I 684 00:35:17,719 --> 00:35:20,719 Speaker 8: learned the most from as far as entertaining myself. I 685 00:35:20,760 --> 00:35:23,520 Speaker 8: always say, is Diana Ross and Eddie Lebert from the 686 00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:27,799 Speaker 8: o Jays because they are show people. Absolutely show people 687 00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:28,520 Speaker 8: can't wait to hear. 688 00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:32,319 Speaker 1: What can Yeah, I want I want to know for you? 689 00:35:33,239 --> 00:35:35,560 Speaker 2: Or is it a thing where the grass is greener 690 00:35:35,640 --> 00:35:41,680 Speaker 2: On the other side, do you prefer studio sessions or 691 00:35:41,719 --> 00:35:46,880 Speaker 2: do you prefer uh traveling? This I'm talking in strictly 692 00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:49,600 Speaker 2: in terms of your days as a background singer. 693 00:35:50,480 --> 00:35:54,560 Speaker 8: As a background singer, I prefer being in the studio. Yeah, 694 00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:56,840 Speaker 8: I prefer being in the studio because I'm more of 695 00:35:56,840 --> 00:36:00,680 Speaker 8: a like Well, when we were traveling doing background for her, 696 00:36:00,680 --> 00:36:03,120 Speaker 8: that was exciting because that was the first time we 697 00:36:03,200 --> 00:36:07,479 Speaker 8: you know, we're traveling doing background and making money. But now, 698 00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:12,800 Speaker 8: I mean I prefer doing studio work versus traveling singing 699 00:36:12,840 --> 00:36:14,320 Speaker 8: background for someone. 700 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:17,280 Speaker 2: Isn't it a bigger pressure though in the studio because 701 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:20,640 Speaker 2: I'm almost certain that there's you know, there's really not 702 00:36:21,120 --> 00:36:25,040 Speaker 2: enough time for you to you borderline, have to catch 703 00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:27,680 Speaker 2: it and perfect it in you know, in a short 704 00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:30,200 Speaker 2: amount of time, I would assume correct, Yes. 705 00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:34,759 Speaker 8: Yeah, in real time. That's one of the reasons why 706 00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:38,320 Speaker 8: but so many people wanted us to do background because 707 00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:41,319 Speaker 8: they knew that we were going to rehearse so much 708 00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:43,120 Speaker 8: so that when we got in the studio, you know, 709 00:36:43,239 --> 00:36:45,880 Speaker 8: time is money, we would knock that stuff out just 710 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:49,359 Speaker 8: like that. That's why some some sometimes we would have 711 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:52,680 Speaker 8: two and three sessions a day because we were able to. 712 00:36:52,880 --> 00:36:56,600 Speaker 8: We would rehearse and practice our parts for whoever, and 713 00:36:56,719 --> 00:36:58,640 Speaker 8: to make sure that when we went in the studio 714 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:00,880 Speaker 8: bam bam bam, we could do it. And you know, 715 00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:03,160 Speaker 8: back in the day, you're talking about eight tracks, and 716 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:05,600 Speaker 8: you're talking about not being able to sing one little 717 00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:08,080 Speaker 8: part and then they fly it through the song. You 718 00:37:08,120 --> 00:37:11,840 Speaker 8: had to sing that exact same way four and five, 719 00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:14,880 Speaker 8: you know, three to double it and and uh so. 720 00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:17,840 Speaker 8: And I think that's one of the reasons why the 721 00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:24,000 Speaker 8: artists today today don't as far as live performances. They 722 00:37:24,239 --> 00:37:27,680 Speaker 8: cannot do it like us that were trained to have 723 00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:30,600 Speaker 8: to sing a song all the way through three and 724 00:37:30,680 --> 00:37:33,520 Speaker 8: four different times to stack that harmony and sound the 725 00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:36,239 Speaker 8: exact same way each time. 726 00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:39,080 Speaker 1: Right, I see, I agree. I agree with you. 727 00:37:39,280 --> 00:37:41,200 Speaker 3: Curious who were your peers or I don't want to 728 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:45,200 Speaker 3: say competitors, but who were the peers who if you 729 00:37:45,239 --> 00:37:46,719 Speaker 3: can't get the Jones sisters. 730 00:37:46,880 --> 00:37:49,879 Speaker 6: You know, we should call so and so the waters. 731 00:37:49,920 --> 00:37:52,879 Speaker 8: That was it. It was ya and it was us 732 00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:55,279 Speaker 8: in California for the longest. Yeah, that was it. 733 00:37:55,400 --> 00:37:56,120 Speaker 6: I'm sorry. 734 00:37:56,239 --> 00:37:56,439 Speaker 8: Yep. 735 00:37:58,239 --> 00:38:03,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, So what I know you mentioned working under Holadozah 736 00:38:03,880 --> 00:38:07,080 Speaker 2: Holland when you came to Los Angeles. 737 00:38:07,080 --> 00:38:08,080 Speaker 1: What year was that. 738 00:38:08,600 --> 00:38:14,839 Speaker 8: We went to Los Angeles in nineteen seventy five? Yeah, 739 00:38:14,840 --> 00:38:18,719 Speaker 8: about seventy five seventy six, that's when Motown moved and 740 00:38:18,760 --> 00:38:22,359 Speaker 8: then you know they had given Hollandojah Holland the Invictus 741 00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:26,520 Speaker 8: and the music Merchant labels, right, and I think Motown 742 00:38:26,560 --> 00:38:29,080 Speaker 8: moved what in seventy three seventy four, and then those 743 00:38:29,239 --> 00:38:33,160 Speaker 8: like McKinley and Hollandojah Holland moved out I think seventy five. 744 00:38:33,600 --> 00:38:36,960 Speaker 2: So it was just basically everyone in Detroit was migrating 745 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:39,120 Speaker 2: to Los Angeles and we might as well follow suit 746 00:38:39,160 --> 00:38:40,640 Speaker 2: and follow them as well. 747 00:38:40,239 --> 00:38:42,120 Speaker 8: Follow them exactly exactly. 748 00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:42,640 Speaker 1: I see. 749 00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:45,880 Speaker 2: Could you tell me, like, what other notable acts were 750 00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:48,719 Speaker 2: you singing background for that we might not be aware of. 751 00:38:50,440 --> 00:38:56,799 Speaker 8: Helen Ready share songs? Yeah, Helen Ready. Oh my god, 752 00:38:57,200 --> 00:38:59,960 Speaker 8: somebody just posted it the other day. I forgot that 753 00:39:00,160 --> 00:39:02,960 Speaker 8: song that we did for her, we did the entire 754 00:39:03,120 --> 00:39:06,600 Speaker 8: album because she just passed I think recently, and someone 755 00:39:06,719 --> 00:39:07,480 Speaker 8: posted it. 756 00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:12,640 Speaker 1: And share I share like half read or take Me Home. 757 00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:15,640 Speaker 8: Or I forgot what song. But the song that we 758 00:39:15,719 --> 00:39:19,480 Speaker 8: did do for share, I don't think it made the album, okay, 759 00:39:19,560 --> 00:39:21,680 Speaker 8: but we did a session. We did a session because 760 00:39:21,719 --> 00:39:24,120 Speaker 8: we did two songs with her and they never met. 761 00:39:24,160 --> 00:39:26,680 Speaker 8: I don't think they made the album. Now, somebody's gonna 762 00:39:26,680 --> 00:39:29,200 Speaker 8: probably prove me wrong and post it. 763 00:39:29,560 --> 00:39:34,880 Speaker 2: You know, I know that you've done background on some 764 00:39:35,040 --> 00:39:37,040 Speaker 2: notable affilly international songs as well. 765 00:39:37,520 --> 00:39:39,600 Speaker 1: So am I to assume. 766 00:39:39,360 --> 00:39:43,359 Speaker 2: That you're you're basically all the female voices that I 767 00:39:43,400 --> 00:39:47,800 Speaker 2: hear on like You'll never find another love like Mine 768 00:39:47,840 --> 00:39:51,080 Speaker 2: and those those songs as well, like with Lou Rawl's. 769 00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:54,279 Speaker 8: And now we did do Lou Rawl's album. There was 770 00:39:54,640 --> 00:39:58,879 Speaker 8: a group of girls in Philadelphia, Okay, I can't think 771 00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:00,520 Speaker 8: of their names that were doing and a lot of 772 00:40:00,560 --> 00:40:05,000 Speaker 8: background singing for Gambling them because once we became the 773 00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:08,719 Speaker 8: Jones girls, you know, we didn't do as much background 774 00:40:08,760 --> 00:40:11,759 Speaker 8: singing for other people once we got with Gambling Huff 775 00:40:11,800 --> 00:40:16,279 Speaker 8: in seventy nine, just select people, you know, when we 776 00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:18,680 Speaker 8: had the time because you know, with you're going to 777 00:40:18,760 --> 00:40:21,200 Speaker 8: make me love somebody else coming out the box being 778 00:40:21,640 --> 00:40:24,520 Speaker 8: so big, we immediate get Gamble, immediately sent us to 779 00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:31,680 Speaker 8: Ohio with Charlie Atkins, who put the OJS and Temptations 780 00:40:32,200 --> 00:40:35,880 Speaker 8: with him, and we were we were rehearsing to go 781 00:40:35,960 --> 00:40:48,000 Speaker 8: out on tour with the OJS. Oh yes, oh man. 782 00:40:44,239 --> 00:40:44,319 Speaker 2: He. 783 00:40:46,520 --> 00:40:46,600 Speaker 5: Was. 784 00:40:46,880 --> 00:40:49,560 Speaker 8: He was. And I have two left feet, so he 785 00:40:49,680 --> 00:40:53,640 Speaker 8: was always on me. He was constantly on me because 786 00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:55,799 Speaker 8: I'm not. I was the only one that couldn't dance. 787 00:40:55,840 --> 00:40:58,880 Speaker 8: Brendan Valleie could dance, you know, and me, I'd always 788 00:40:58,880 --> 00:41:01,080 Speaker 8: tried to, Well, I'm saying and lead anyway. Can I 789 00:41:01,160 --> 00:41:03,640 Speaker 8: just stand on? No, you cannot. You're gonna do those 790 00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:08,280 Speaker 8: You're doing them too, girl. So oh he was a testent. 791 00:41:08,719 --> 00:41:11,600 Speaker 8: You just just eat a banana. Eat a banana before 792 00:41:11,600 --> 00:41:13,799 Speaker 8: you come in here to rehearsal for that potassium so 793 00:41:13,840 --> 00:41:19,399 Speaker 8: you could move those feet. He was a drill master. 794 00:41:20,080 --> 00:41:24,239 Speaker 2: No, I heard every every act that's ever worked with him. 795 00:41:24,480 --> 00:41:28,800 Speaker 2: Oh wait, what what period were you guys? 796 00:41:28,960 --> 00:41:29,360 Speaker 8: Uh? 797 00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:31,080 Speaker 1: With Aretha Franklin. 798 00:41:31,280 --> 00:41:33,399 Speaker 8: We did the Almighty Fire album with her. 799 00:41:33,520 --> 00:41:39,359 Speaker 2: Oh God, yes, only only say this. 800 00:41:39,360 --> 00:41:42,120 Speaker 1: Because the kind of the kind of household I grew 801 00:41:42,200 --> 00:41:46,799 Speaker 1: up in. I would. I grew up with. 802 00:41:46,800 --> 00:41:50,360 Speaker 2: Three binge shoppers when it came to records, so like 803 00:41:51,360 --> 00:41:55,000 Speaker 2: every week, stacks and stacks and stacks of forty five 804 00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:57,200 Speaker 2: stacks and stacks and stacks of thirty three's would. 805 00:41:57,040 --> 00:41:57,680 Speaker 1: Come in the house. 806 00:41:58,560 --> 00:42:00,880 Speaker 2: The thing is is that I would get the records 807 00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:06,080 Speaker 2: that my parents didn't want. So, you know, as far 808 00:42:06,120 --> 00:42:09,560 Speaker 2: as my Aretha collection, like there there was a period 809 00:42:09,640 --> 00:42:13,440 Speaker 2: like Almighty Fire, the U record all the way up 810 00:42:13,480 --> 00:42:17,319 Speaker 2: to La Diva, like basically the post Sparkle records that 811 00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:21,200 Speaker 2: really weren't hitting the same right I inherited, So I 812 00:42:21,239 --> 00:42:23,600 Speaker 2: know all those like Sweet Passion, like all those Aretha 813 00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:27,759 Speaker 2: records that weren't quite you know up there with the 814 00:42:28,200 --> 00:42:29,160 Speaker 2: legacy albums. 815 00:42:29,400 --> 00:42:30,319 Speaker 1: What was it like? 816 00:42:30,400 --> 00:42:33,560 Speaker 2: Oh god, and she was wearing that space suit too, yep, 817 00:42:34,080 --> 00:42:37,120 Speaker 2: the Green Space I remember that that period. 818 00:42:38,280 --> 00:42:38,960 Speaker 1: What was it like? 819 00:42:39,560 --> 00:42:45,000 Speaker 2: And how intimidating is it you know working with her? 820 00:42:45,280 --> 00:42:48,200 Speaker 2: Or was she just you know, another Detroit person that 821 00:42:48,239 --> 00:42:49,040 Speaker 2: you could connect with. 822 00:42:49,680 --> 00:42:53,880 Speaker 8: Well, we had sang as children at her father's church 823 00:42:53,960 --> 00:42:58,200 Speaker 8: with my mother one Sunday when we were there. I 824 00:42:58,239 --> 00:43:01,960 Speaker 8: believe it was one of her father's anniversary, and we 825 00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:03,839 Speaker 8: knew that she was going to be there. At that time, 826 00:43:03,920 --> 00:43:07,520 Speaker 8: she was she was a superstar. She had respect out, 827 00:43:07,640 --> 00:43:10,200 Speaker 8: you know, she was like and they said she was 828 00:43:10,239 --> 00:43:13,520 Speaker 8: going to be at the church. And after we performed, 829 00:43:13,520 --> 00:43:15,520 Speaker 8: she came up to my mother and said, boy, those 830 00:43:15,560 --> 00:43:18,280 Speaker 8: are some singing girls you got there. And then fast 831 00:43:18,360 --> 00:43:21,560 Speaker 8: forward like fifteen years later, we were doing Almighty Fire. 832 00:43:21,920 --> 00:43:23,640 Speaker 8: And what a lot of people don't know is that 833 00:43:23,719 --> 00:43:29,160 Speaker 8: when that Sparkle movie was, you know, they were looking 834 00:43:29,239 --> 00:43:33,200 Speaker 8: for the actor, the actors and actresses for that movie. 835 00:43:33,680 --> 00:43:40,400 Speaker 8: Aretha Franklin and Kenny Gamble wanted us to play the sisters. 836 00:43:42,920 --> 00:43:45,880 Speaker 8: Aretha put pitched in for She wanted us to do 837 00:43:45,960 --> 00:43:48,920 Speaker 8: it because because of our voices and we had just 838 00:43:49,040 --> 00:43:54,600 Speaker 8: sang on her album, and Kenny felt that that would 839 00:43:54,640 --> 00:43:57,600 Speaker 8: be a great We were the you know, the Jones girls. 840 00:43:57,640 --> 00:44:01,239 Speaker 8: He felt that we were just coming out that they 841 00:44:01,280 --> 00:44:05,240 Speaker 8: sent us to New York and a limo and uh 842 00:44:05,280 --> 00:44:07,359 Speaker 8: it was uh. I think they both were very and 843 00:44:07,440 --> 00:44:12,040 Speaker 8: I know we were disappointed, Uh, especially when uh and 844 00:44:12,080 --> 00:44:15,560 Speaker 8: you know Aretha she was activist, but back then, especially 845 00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:19,000 Speaker 8: when those girls, they you know, was very light, bright 846 00:44:19,080 --> 00:44:22,319 Speaker 8: girls that got the part her thing was to them 847 00:44:22,560 --> 00:44:25,520 Speaker 8: was you know this, this is ridiculous. Those girls can 848 00:44:25,680 --> 00:44:28,400 Speaker 8: you know they they're they're singers and they could be 849 00:44:28,719 --> 00:44:32,320 Speaker 8: taught to be actresses too, and she she was quite 850 00:44:32,400 --> 00:44:33,839 Speaker 8: upset about that. 851 00:44:34,880 --> 00:44:39,320 Speaker 1: So there was almost a chance that you could have yeah, sparkle. 852 00:44:39,239 --> 00:44:41,520 Speaker 6: Yes sing the songs. 853 00:44:43,160 --> 00:44:44,080 Speaker 8: Yeah. 854 00:44:44,320 --> 00:44:47,640 Speaker 2: Was there was there ever a background gig that you 855 00:44:47,800 --> 00:44:51,400 Speaker 2: had that was like a little too intimidating or that 856 00:44:51,480 --> 00:44:55,120 Speaker 2: you you know, it was just all right to you. 857 00:44:55,120 --> 00:44:58,799 Speaker 8: Now, we we no matter who the artist was, and 858 00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:01,560 Speaker 8: there were a lot of artists that you know, hadn't 859 00:45:01,560 --> 00:45:04,399 Speaker 8: even made it yet. But you know, if we liked 860 00:45:04,440 --> 00:45:07,080 Speaker 8: the song, and you know, they they were willing to pay, 861 00:45:07,200 --> 00:45:11,200 Speaker 8: because pay the money, you know, we were we would 862 00:45:11,200 --> 00:45:13,960 Speaker 8: do it and we would give our best. And the 863 00:45:14,760 --> 00:45:16,480 Speaker 8: thing that a lot of people don't know is that 864 00:45:16,520 --> 00:45:20,319 Speaker 8: for another reason why so many people liked us is 865 00:45:20,440 --> 00:45:25,520 Speaker 8: because we created a lot of those backgrounds. They knew 866 00:45:25,560 --> 00:45:28,719 Speaker 8: that if they gave us the song, we were going 867 00:45:28,800 --> 00:45:35,200 Speaker 8: to create the background parts. Yeah, I mean arrangement, some 868 00:45:35,200 --> 00:45:38,600 Speaker 8: some on some for a lot. Now some did come with, 869 00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:43,200 Speaker 8: you know, specific backgrounds, but our reputation became such that 870 00:45:43,239 --> 00:45:46,560 Speaker 8: they'd be like Okay, well, hey, here's the song. What 871 00:45:46,600 --> 00:45:55,840 Speaker 8: do you guys think you know, no Norman Connors, Lou Rawls. 872 00:45:55,920 --> 00:45:56,160 Speaker 2: Uh. 873 00:45:57,719 --> 00:46:01,640 Speaker 8: Else that we they've let us do, just you know, 874 00:46:01,800 --> 00:46:05,120 Speaker 8: control the background. God, it's so many people. 875 00:46:05,120 --> 00:46:07,000 Speaker 3: Just songs. But you were just like artists that were like, 876 00:46:07,040 --> 00:46:09,400 Speaker 3: it don't matter what song I'm doing. Let the Jones girls. 877 00:46:09,200 --> 00:46:12,040 Speaker 8: Come in here and do and do our thing. Now. 878 00:46:12,520 --> 00:46:15,280 Speaker 8: Brenda was alive because her memory is so much better 879 00:46:15,320 --> 00:46:18,720 Speaker 8: than mine. She she she can remember every single artist 880 00:46:18,840 --> 00:46:23,279 Speaker 8: we did background on and everything. But but me, it 881 00:46:23,280 --> 00:46:26,960 Speaker 8: gets a little fuzzy sometime because when people post stuff 882 00:46:27,000 --> 00:46:28,960 Speaker 8: now and I'll be like, oh, yeah, I remember that 883 00:46:29,080 --> 00:46:30,640 Speaker 8: we did do that song, you know. 884 00:46:31,040 --> 00:46:39,640 Speaker 2: So so with with signing to Philly International, I'll say 885 00:46:39,680 --> 00:46:45,480 Speaker 2: that probably in my opinion, because you know, we my 886 00:46:45,600 --> 00:46:47,360 Speaker 2: dad purchased all the records and played it at the 887 00:46:47,400 --> 00:46:51,200 Speaker 2: house all the time, I will say that you guys 888 00:46:51,200 --> 00:46:56,000 Speaker 2: were probably given them more contemporary, up to date town 889 00:46:56,640 --> 00:46:59,560 Speaker 2: than a lot of the acts that were on Philly 890 00:46:59,560 --> 00:47:02,400 Speaker 2: International back then. Like it was almost a thing where 891 00:47:03,520 --> 00:47:06,360 Speaker 2: you know, you knew instantly within the first two seconds 892 00:47:06,360 --> 00:47:10,320 Speaker 2: that you were listening to a Filly International song based 893 00:47:10,360 --> 00:47:12,640 Speaker 2: on like the trademark of the strings and all the 894 00:47:12,680 --> 00:47:15,719 Speaker 2: mixing on the record or whatever, but like, You're gonna 895 00:47:15,719 --> 00:47:22,600 Speaker 2: make me love somebody else sounded nothing like what Philadelphia, 896 00:47:22,719 --> 00:47:27,680 Speaker 2: especially what was happening in nineteen seventy nine, if anything, right, Yeah, 897 00:47:27,960 --> 00:47:28,319 Speaker 2: because it. 898 00:47:28,400 --> 00:47:30,040 Speaker 6: Was like a woman telling me you better get your 899 00:47:30,040 --> 00:47:30,960 Speaker 6: shit together. 900 00:47:30,920 --> 00:47:32,120 Speaker 8: Right exactly. 901 00:47:33,040 --> 00:47:38,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, So what I mean, I would assume that it's 902 00:47:38,719 --> 00:47:41,720 Speaker 2: still the same group of people, like it's still dexter 903 00:47:41,840 --> 00:47:46,319 Speaker 2: Anzel and Gambling Huff and all those Well, I know 904 00:47:46,440 --> 00:47:50,120 Speaker 2: McKinley Jackson also worked on the record as well, But right, like, 905 00:47:50,280 --> 00:47:53,839 Speaker 2: what was the discussion basically on how to present you 906 00:47:53,880 --> 00:47:56,760 Speaker 2: guys in your sound. 907 00:47:56,800 --> 00:48:00,640 Speaker 8: That's one of the things that I think Gamble and 908 00:48:00,800 --> 00:48:05,040 Speaker 8: Hope they were purposely trying to take us away just 909 00:48:05,160 --> 00:48:10,120 Speaker 8: a little bit for from the the strings and horns 910 00:48:10,120 --> 00:48:12,279 Speaker 8: of like say, like of what they did with three 911 00:48:12,280 --> 00:48:15,920 Speaker 8: Degrees three Degrees, and wanted they wanted us to be 912 00:48:16,000 --> 00:48:21,120 Speaker 8: more funky, more soulful, more R and B And if 913 00:48:21,120 --> 00:48:24,640 Speaker 8: you noticed the very first Jones Girls album, that's exactly 914 00:48:24,880 --> 00:48:27,719 Speaker 8: I mean. I'm at your Mercies on there, which is 915 00:48:27,800 --> 00:48:31,000 Speaker 8: a you know, heart wrenching ballad. 916 00:48:31,280 --> 00:48:31,440 Speaker 3: Uh. 917 00:48:32,000 --> 00:48:38,000 Speaker 8: Then of course there's You're Gonna make Me love somebody else? Yeah, exactly, 918 00:48:38,320 --> 00:48:42,479 Speaker 8: So yeah, who Can I Run To? Us? Yep? 919 00:48:44,640 --> 00:48:45,719 Speaker 1: What were your feelings on? 920 00:48:46,680 --> 00:48:50,120 Speaker 2: Of course, not what your feelings on were you How 921 00:48:50,160 --> 00:48:55,040 Speaker 2: did it feel for Escape to sort of reintroduce that 922 00:48:55,160 --> 00:48:57,120 Speaker 2: song onto a holy generation? 923 00:48:57,600 --> 00:49:01,520 Speaker 8: Yeah? When I when I heard it, when I first 924 00:49:01,560 --> 00:49:04,600 Speaker 8: heard it, it was well nineteen ninety five, so by 925 00:49:04,640 --> 00:49:10,080 Speaker 8: that time it was sixteen years future from when we 926 00:49:10,120 --> 00:49:14,359 Speaker 8: did it, and so many I remember so many of 927 00:49:14,360 --> 00:49:17,360 Speaker 8: the producers when Gambled back in the day, you know, 928 00:49:17,400 --> 00:49:19,680 Speaker 8: you had a A side and a B side on records, 929 00:49:20,120 --> 00:49:22,200 Speaker 8: and who Can I Run To? Was on the B side. 930 00:49:23,200 --> 00:49:25,799 Speaker 8: So many people did not want Gamble to put that. 931 00:49:25,880 --> 00:49:28,640 Speaker 8: They said, put show love today, put anything on that 932 00:49:29,160 --> 00:49:31,040 Speaker 8: on the B side of You're Gonna make Me Love 933 00:49:31,080 --> 00:49:33,560 Speaker 8: somebody else? Besides who Can I Run To? Because that 934 00:49:33,719 --> 00:49:37,160 Speaker 8: is a that is a single of its own. But 935 00:49:37,280 --> 00:49:41,400 Speaker 8: of course that didn't happen. So n I mean we 936 00:49:41,520 --> 00:49:44,360 Speaker 8: you know, we were working and and the girls and 937 00:49:44,400 --> 00:49:46,240 Speaker 8: I had broken up by then, and when we heard 938 00:49:47,520 --> 00:49:52,239 Speaker 8: who Can I Run To? I was happy actually because 939 00:49:52,960 --> 00:49:55,920 Speaker 8: back then when their record came out, there were so 940 00:49:56,200 --> 00:50:00,920 Speaker 8: many DJs that were, you know, into new that we 941 00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:04,359 Speaker 8: had done it first, because people used to flip it 942 00:50:04,440 --> 00:50:07,560 Speaker 8: on the radio sometimes and play who Can I Run to? 943 00:50:08,000 --> 00:50:11,440 Speaker 8: So what they would do is like, yeah, I know 944 00:50:11,480 --> 00:50:15,160 Speaker 8: you guys love this one by Escape, but guess what 945 00:50:15,400 --> 00:50:17,959 Speaker 8: Escape didn't do it first the Jones. Then they would 946 00:50:17,960 --> 00:50:20,680 Speaker 8: play our version too and have people call in which 947 00:50:20,800 --> 00:50:23,480 Speaker 8: version they like the best, and all of that. And 948 00:50:23,840 --> 00:50:27,120 Speaker 8: I happened to the girls on a radio show some 949 00:50:27,360 --> 00:50:30,640 Speaker 8: years back, and they said, we hope we did a 950 00:50:30,719 --> 00:50:33,839 Speaker 8: good job, but we just love you guys and love 951 00:50:33,920 --> 00:50:36,279 Speaker 8: you all sound. And I told them, I said, you 952 00:50:36,320 --> 00:50:38,400 Speaker 8: all did a great job because what you did was 953 00:50:38,440 --> 00:50:40,800 Speaker 8: you brought back a lot of attention to the Jones girls, 954 00:50:41,560 --> 00:50:45,479 Speaker 8: so I was saying, I told them, I said, so, hey, 955 00:50:45,560 --> 00:50:48,800 Speaker 8: thank you, thank you all, because it brought back some attention. 956 00:50:48,920 --> 00:50:52,560 Speaker 8: Because I mean, up until you know, from sixteen years later, 957 00:50:53,120 --> 00:50:54,960 Speaker 8: you know, we had kind of died out, like we 958 00:50:54,960 --> 00:50:58,040 Speaker 8: weren't together anymore. We had done we would do some 959 00:50:58,080 --> 00:51:01,640 Speaker 8: things occasionally over in Europe, but it was it brought 960 00:51:01,680 --> 00:51:03,760 Speaker 8: back a lot of attention and put that Jones girl's 961 00:51:03,840 --> 00:51:04,680 Speaker 8: name back out there. 962 00:51:11,400 --> 00:51:14,319 Speaker 2: And last week's episode, we heard an excerpt from my 963 00:51:14,400 --> 00:51:18,120 Speaker 2: one on one with Kathleen Henna. A few years earlier, 964 00:51:18,200 --> 00:51:21,480 Speaker 2: we spoke to Sleeeder Kenny, and in this group, Carrie 965 00:51:21,680 --> 00:51:25,640 Speaker 2: and Korn speak about Kathleen's influence and the Riot Girl movement. 966 00:51:26,040 --> 00:51:28,880 Speaker 2: You also hear about being a part of a strong 967 00:51:28,880 --> 00:51:32,319 Speaker 2: community and the challenges of fame and success coming out 968 00:51:32,320 --> 00:51:37,799 Speaker 2: of that. At what point for the both of you, 969 00:51:38,160 --> 00:51:43,560 Speaker 2: are you realizing that you have a voice or that 970 00:51:44,600 --> 00:51:47,759 Speaker 2: music is something that you're interested in pursuing, not just 971 00:51:47,800 --> 00:51:52,200 Speaker 2: something that casually that just happens, you know, in your household. 972 00:51:52,880 --> 00:51:56,960 Speaker 12: I think for me, I I moved to Olympia to 973 00:51:57,000 --> 00:51:59,560 Speaker 12: go to college. I went to like, you know, the 974 00:51:59,560 --> 00:52:03,200 Speaker 12: Evergreen State College when all of the stuff was happening, 975 00:52:03,320 --> 00:52:09,440 Speaker 12: and I have to credit Bikini Kill and Brat Mobile 976 00:52:09,920 --> 00:52:13,040 Speaker 12: playing a show, and I was just I just got 977 00:52:13,040 --> 00:52:16,000 Speaker 12: to be like right up close, like right there when 978 00:52:16,000 --> 00:52:18,680 Speaker 12: they were doing their thing, and I was like, I 979 00:52:18,680 --> 00:52:21,600 Speaker 12: want to do that. I'm going to start a band, 980 00:52:21,640 --> 00:52:23,759 Speaker 12: and I in my head I started a band Like 981 00:52:23,800 --> 00:52:26,600 Speaker 12: that night. I was just like I'm in I'm doing 982 00:52:26,680 --> 00:52:30,160 Speaker 12: it too, okay, you know, because I saw them do it. 983 00:52:30,360 --> 00:52:33,560 Speaker 12: They were my age and they were they were just 984 00:52:33,600 --> 00:52:36,200 Speaker 12: starting out, and so it just like opened the door. 985 00:52:37,040 --> 00:52:40,839 Speaker 2: He explained to me the whole idea of what Rye 986 00:52:40,920 --> 00:52:45,880 Speaker 2: Girl represents, and is that a title that was invented 987 00:52:45,880 --> 00:52:50,000 Speaker 2: by the proprietors or again, was it some guy from 988 00:52:50,080 --> 00:52:53,120 Speaker 2: Spin magazine sort of searching for the next big thing 989 00:52:53,160 --> 00:52:56,279 Speaker 2: and then said, okay, this right girl with a bunch 990 00:52:56,320 --> 00:52:56,920 Speaker 2: of rs in it. 991 00:52:57,840 --> 00:53:01,880 Speaker 12: No, it was it was actually like a a genuine movement, 992 00:53:02,120 --> 00:53:06,400 Speaker 12: you know. It was the title was you know, started 993 00:53:06,480 --> 00:53:11,080 Speaker 12: by a young woman in DC who was like, we 994 00:53:11,160 --> 00:53:15,440 Speaker 12: need to start an actual movement for women in the 995 00:53:15,520 --> 00:53:20,200 Speaker 12: independent music scene that that highlights women's roles and supports 996 00:53:20,239 --> 00:53:24,440 Speaker 12: women and talks about safe spaces for women. And there 997 00:53:24,480 --> 00:53:26,399 Speaker 12: were meetings. You could go to a meeting you could 998 00:53:26,440 --> 00:53:29,440 Speaker 12: talk about all these things. You could talk about, you know, 999 00:53:30,400 --> 00:53:33,480 Speaker 12: being in a bad relationship, sexual assault, like all. 1000 00:53:33,360 --> 00:53:35,960 Speaker 13: Of the kind of like taboo stuff at. 1001 00:53:35,800 --> 00:53:37,560 Speaker 9: The time at that time. 1002 00:53:37,680 --> 00:53:40,440 Speaker 12: Yeah, at the time, there just wasn't another space for 1003 00:53:40,480 --> 00:53:42,160 Speaker 12: that stuff to come out and happen. 1004 00:53:42,239 --> 00:53:45,520 Speaker 8: So it was it was very real. It was very. 1005 00:53:45,360 --> 00:53:46,680 Speaker 13: Taboo at the time. 1006 00:53:47,520 --> 00:53:51,960 Speaker 12: And you know Kathleen Hannah was she was you know, 1007 00:53:52,560 --> 00:53:56,239 Speaker 12: very much like a cultural leader, right, she was like 1008 00:53:56,840 --> 00:54:00,560 Speaker 12: our poet because she was writing this stuff that she 1009 00:54:00,680 --> 00:54:06,040 Speaker 12: was incredible poet, incredible writer and performer, you know, and 1010 00:54:07,239 --> 00:54:09,560 Speaker 12: very confrontational. But she was saying all the stuff that 1011 00:54:09,600 --> 00:54:14,360 Speaker 12: we were all like so afraid to say ourselves. 1012 00:54:15,440 --> 00:54:18,960 Speaker 2: Okay, So the first time I met Kathleen Hanna, I 1013 00:54:18,960 --> 00:54:21,040 Speaker 2: didn't know I was mean, Like I didn't know anything 1014 00:54:21,040 --> 00:54:23,400 Speaker 2: about Rye girl whatever. Like the Roots are just doing 1015 00:54:24,360 --> 00:54:29,760 Speaker 2: a show somewhere up in Seattle. I forget the spot 1016 00:54:29,760 --> 00:54:31,480 Speaker 2: in Seattle that we were playing. I know it was 1017 00:54:31,560 --> 00:54:33,640 Speaker 2: across the sheet from the spot where they throw fish. 1018 00:54:34,160 --> 00:54:35,719 Speaker 9: Oh yeah, the showbox. 1019 00:54:36,239 --> 00:54:39,919 Speaker 1: Yeah, we were at the showbox. Yeah, I'll say that. Yeah, 1020 00:54:39,920 --> 00:54:40,359 Speaker 1: I met. 1021 00:54:40,719 --> 00:54:43,560 Speaker 2: Matter of fact, the first three times I've met or 1022 00:54:43,600 --> 00:54:47,400 Speaker 2: seen Kathleen, she was like cursing someone out like it 1023 00:54:47,480 --> 00:54:48,160 Speaker 2: was always like. 1024 00:54:49,600 --> 00:54:50,560 Speaker 5: Yeah yeah. 1025 00:54:50,600 --> 00:54:53,879 Speaker 2: And my manager of Rich was they those two were 1026 00:54:53,880 --> 00:54:57,760 Speaker 2: like really good friends. So he's sort of my manager 1027 00:54:57,760 --> 00:55:01,600 Speaker 2: who passed away. Him and her really became good friends. 1028 00:55:01,640 --> 00:55:05,640 Speaker 1: And you know, he just liked, that makes all the sense. 1029 00:55:05,719 --> 00:55:07,840 Speaker 2: Oh my god, you see it down here and you describe, 1030 00:55:07,880 --> 00:55:09,040 Speaker 2: Oh my god, that makes ye. 1031 00:55:09,080 --> 00:55:10,680 Speaker 1: Oh that's how it really shit, Like my shit is 1032 00:55:10,680 --> 00:55:11,359 Speaker 1: all trickles down. 1033 00:55:11,440 --> 00:55:14,600 Speaker 2: Economics were Rich and him, Him and Kathleen were like 1034 00:55:14,600 --> 00:55:18,520 Speaker 2: talking whatever, Like I mean, but she was just I've 1035 00:55:18,560 --> 00:55:21,319 Speaker 2: never seen the person so just wild and unhinged and 1036 00:55:21,400 --> 00:55:24,200 Speaker 2: just told what the fuck she felt and all that. 1037 00:55:24,360 --> 00:55:27,840 Speaker 2: Like I was just like, yoh, this is unheard of whatever. 1038 00:55:27,960 --> 00:55:30,200 Speaker 2: So that that was like my introduction to her. She 1039 00:55:30,360 --> 00:55:32,680 Speaker 2: was cool and very nice to us, but like in 1040 00:55:32,719 --> 00:55:35,879 Speaker 2: a second, she will she'll bring the ruckus and I've 1041 00:55:35,920 --> 00:55:39,239 Speaker 2: just never seen that shit, so you know, and I 1042 00:55:39,280 --> 00:55:41,560 Speaker 2: don't really be like, oh intense or whatever, but that's 1043 00:55:41,560 --> 00:55:44,319 Speaker 2: what it was like for me meeting her. So could 1044 00:55:44,400 --> 00:55:46,759 Speaker 2: you tell me what the environment was, at least at 1045 00:55:46,760 --> 00:55:51,760 Speaker 2: the time in the Northwest that really prompted this movement 1046 00:55:51,800 --> 00:55:54,080 Speaker 2: to really find its legs. 1047 00:55:55,400 --> 00:55:58,839 Speaker 12: Yeah, I mean, you know, the Northwest was was this 1048 00:55:58,960 --> 00:56:02,640 Speaker 12: hotbed of like independent music. So there was all of 1049 00:56:02,680 --> 00:56:10,120 Speaker 12: this like criticism of mainstream music that was you know, 1050 00:56:10,760 --> 00:56:15,160 Speaker 12: that wasn't genuine, It wasn't you know, real art and everything. 1051 00:56:15,239 --> 00:56:19,960 Speaker 12: And this music scene was about you know, like real 1052 00:56:20,000 --> 00:56:23,080 Speaker 12: people telling their stories and making music available to everyone, 1053 00:56:23,280 --> 00:56:25,400 Speaker 12: so you know, five dollars shows. 1054 00:56:25,120 --> 00:56:26,439 Speaker 13: And all of that. 1055 00:56:26,920 --> 00:56:31,440 Speaker 12: But it was also this kind of like slam dancing, 1056 00:56:32,080 --> 00:56:36,920 Speaker 12: rather violent culture at every show, and so there was 1057 00:56:37,000 --> 00:56:40,759 Speaker 12: just not a lot of space for women to feel like, 1058 00:56:40,880 --> 00:56:43,200 Speaker 12: am I going to be safe going to this show? 1059 00:56:43,680 --> 00:56:45,680 Speaker 12: Am I going to feel like I you know, my 1060 00:56:45,800 --> 00:56:48,680 Speaker 12: voice is heard? And the roles for women were still 1061 00:56:48,760 --> 00:56:52,120 Speaker 12: like oh yeah, you know, my boyfriend's. 1062 00:56:51,560 --> 00:56:53,879 Speaker 13: In that band, and right, and. 1063 00:56:53,520 --> 00:56:56,880 Speaker 12: And just like when we're still yeah a foil. And 1064 00:56:57,000 --> 00:57:00,680 Speaker 12: so when you had a personality like Kathleen who was 1065 00:57:00,800 --> 00:57:07,480 Speaker 12: like protagonist, right, so she was like center stage at 1066 00:57:07,480 --> 00:57:11,960 Speaker 12: all times, it was like an arrow like shot through 1067 00:57:12,000 --> 00:57:15,640 Speaker 12: our hearts. It was like, I want to be like that. 1068 00:57:16,400 --> 00:57:19,560 Speaker 12: Like I'm I was a shy, awkward, kind of academic 1069 00:57:19,640 --> 00:57:24,360 Speaker 12: type kid. But I saw someone just like take control 1070 00:57:24,600 --> 00:57:26,880 Speaker 12: of the stage, be like I have a story to 1071 00:57:26,920 --> 00:57:28,880 Speaker 12: tell and everyone in this room is going to listen, 1072 00:57:29,680 --> 00:57:31,240 Speaker 12: And that just opened the door. 1073 00:57:31,880 --> 00:57:34,760 Speaker 14: It kind of took feminism and you know, even though 1074 00:57:34,760 --> 00:57:38,080 Speaker 14: they're definitely you know, very fair critiques of right girl, 1075 00:57:38,160 --> 00:57:42,080 Speaker 14: like just like other early iterations of feminism, it lacked intersectionality, 1076 00:57:42,800 --> 00:57:46,000 Speaker 14: and you know, it was it was largely white women, 1077 00:57:46,040 --> 00:57:49,000 Speaker 14: although there was tons of women of color there as well, 1078 00:57:50,240 --> 00:57:55,960 Speaker 14: but it definitely took feminism out of an academic context 1079 00:57:56,000 --> 00:57:59,960 Speaker 14: and gave it a very like punk, very colloquial vernacular. 1080 00:58:00,280 --> 00:58:02,640 Speaker 14: It was like here was you know, like a world 1081 00:58:02,760 --> 00:58:05,320 Speaker 14: of punk had just come out of like a hardcore phase, 1082 00:58:05,400 --> 00:58:08,160 Speaker 14: especially on the West Coast, which was super violent. So 1083 00:58:08,200 --> 00:58:09,760 Speaker 14: all of a sudden, it was like, what if we 1084 00:58:09,800 --> 00:58:14,640 Speaker 14: took this movement, these ideas that are largely like in 1085 00:58:15,000 --> 00:58:18,520 Speaker 14: you know, college textbooks, and just put it over three 1086 00:58:18,600 --> 00:58:19,880 Speaker 14: courts and screamed it? 1087 00:58:20,000 --> 00:58:21,360 Speaker 9: And that was very liberating. 1088 00:58:21,400 --> 00:58:23,600 Speaker 14: I think to think that if you had a message, 1089 00:58:23,640 --> 00:58:26,160 Speaker 14: it didn't necessarily need to be couched in a book, 1090 00:58:26,360 --> 00:58:29,080 Speaker 14: you know, that it could be couched in a scream 1091 00:58:29,200 --> 00:58:31,960 Speaker 14: or a yelp. And I think that just freed up 1092 00:58:32,000 --> 00:58:34,040 Speaker 14: a lot of people to express themselves. I mean the 1093 00:58:34,040 --> 00:58:37,400 Speaker 14: same way so much music just becomes like a source 1094 00:58:37,520 --> 00:58:40,080 Speaker 14: of liberation for people, where it's like I have something 1095 00:58:40,080 --> 00:58:41,400 Speaker 14: to say, and now I can say it over this 1096 00:58:41,520 --> 00:58:45,280 Speaker 14: song instead of you know, writing out this exactly. 1097 00:58:50,480 --> 00:58:54,400 Speaker 2: So what's the point where you two meet each other 1098 00:58:55,120 --> 00:59:00,800 Speaker 2: and sort of talk in terms of starting a group 1099 00:59:00,840 --> 00:59:07,040 Speaker 2: in and starting the beginning of Slater Kenney. 1100 00:59:06,240 --> 00:59:07,560 Speaker 9: That was yeah, I was ninety four. 1101 00:59:08,480 --> 00:59:11,400 Speaker 14: I was already living in Olympia to go to college 1102 00:59:11,400 --> 00:59:13,680 Speaker 14: as as well. Koran was I think you were in 1103 00:59:13,720 --> 00:59:16,280 Speaker 14: your senior year, and we were both in other bands. 1104 00:59:16,320 --> 00:59:22,840 Speaker 14: Koran was in a much more like prototypical or archetypal 1105 00:59:22,920 --> 00:59:25,120 Speaker 14: right girl band called Heavens to Betsy, and I was 1106 00:59:25,160 --> 00:59:28,240 Speaker 14: in a band called Excuse seventeen. You know that was 1107 00:59:28,240 --> 00:59:30,200 Speaker 14: that like day, those days, we were in that group. 1108 00:59:30,240 --> 00:59:33,960 Speaker 14: To correct the Kathleen, no, she was in neither she 1109 00:59:34,120 --> 00:59:36,720 Speaker 14: was in but other bands. 1110 00:59:36,720 --> 00:59:37,840 Speaker 1: I didn't know if. 1111 00:59:37,880 --> 00:59:41,440 Speaker 14: Everyone was in so many bands, okay, yeah, And so 1112 00:59:42,760 --> 00:59:45,800 Speaker 14: we just saw this kindred spirit in each other, like 1113 00:59:46,240 --> 00:59:49,200 Speaker 14: you know, Koran was the only her band was two people. 1114 00:59:49,440 --> 00:59:51,520 Speaker 9: Koran on guitar and a drummer. 1115 00:59:52,000 --> 00:59:54,960 Speaker 14: And then I was in a band with a similar 1116 00:59:55,520 --> 00:59:58,440 Speaker 14: setup to Slater Kenney what Slater Keny would be two 1117 00:59:58,440 --> 01:00:01,640 Speaker 14: guitars and drums, and we just we thought, I know, 1118 01:00:01,640 --> 01:00:03,959 Speaker 14: I heard Korn sing and I was like, I would 1119 01:00:04,040 --> 01:00:06,560 Speaker 14: love to be writing songs with this person. And she 1120 01:00:06,800 --> 01:00:09,200 Speaker 14: heard me play guitar and had the same feeling, and 1121 01:00:09,320 --> 01:00:11,200 Speaker 14: so we started playing kind of as a side project, 1122 01:00:11,240 --> 01:00:14,720 Speaker 14: and then pretty quickly that became what we wanted to do. 1123 01:00:14,800 --> 01:00:16,680 Speaker 14: It was just a very innate chemistry. 1124 01:00:17,160 --> 01:00:21,840 Speaker 10: Why was there always no bass players, I'm just just 1125 01:00:21,840 --> 01:00:22,960 Speaker 10: because he didn't want them. 1126 01:00:23,400 --> 01:00:23,720 Speaker 8: It was. 1127 01:00:23,800 --> 01:00:26,600 Speaker 12: It was definitely like a thing in the northwest of like, 1128 01:00:27,040 --> 01:00:31,360 Speaker 12: you know, how can we be different and not not like, 1129 01:00:31,600 --> 01:00:34,640 Speaker 12: you know, sort of the archetype rock band. 1130 01:00:35,800 --> 01:00:37,680 Speaker 14: Yeah, and neither of us played I think it just 1131 01:00:37,800 --> 01:00:40,360 Speaker 14: was played bass and we just wanted to be this 1132 01:00:40,440 --> 01:00:43,520 Speaker 14: like kind of tight unit. I think there's sometimes when 1133 01:00:43,520 --> 01:00:46,240 Speaker 14: you're when something is perceived as a lack, it actually 1134 01:00:46,240 --> 01:00:48,840 Speaker 14: can be a strength through like how can we find 1135 01:00:48,840 --> 01:00:53,440 Speaker 14: a way into these songs without the traditional instrumentation, you know, 1136 01:00:53,480 --> 01:00:55,800 Speaker 14: it kind of forces you to write differently. We detuned 1137 01:00:55,840 --> 01:00:58,320 Speaker 14: to see sharp, so Korn was singing in this really 1138 01:00:58,400 --> 01:01:01,280 Speaker 14: high register and you know, trying to get low end 1139 01:01:01,360 --> 01:01:03,919 Speaker 14: sound out of for a guitar. And yeah, I think 1140 01:01:03,960 --> 01:01:06,840 Speaker 14: we used it to our advantage. Although now in the 1141 01:01:06,880 --> 01:01:09,360 Speaker 14: past couple of years. You know, obviously we like bass. 1142 01:01:09,440 --> 01:01:11,560 Speaker 14: Early on though people always ask us like, do you 1143 01:01:11,600 --> 01:01:14,080 Speaker 14: guys not like bass? I'm like, no, ninety nine point 1144 01:01:14,120 --> 01:01:16,120 Speaker 14: nine percent of all music we listened to has bass. 1145 01:01:16,480 --> 01:01:20,080 Speaker 1: Okay, how long have you been playing guitar, Carrie? 1146 01:01:20,560 --> 01:01:23,040 Speaker 14: I started when I was fifteen, so it has been 1147 01:01:24,000 --> 01:01:25,760 Speaker 14: what is that thirty years? 1148 01:01:26,600 --> 01:01:26,720 Speaker 1: Ok? 1149 01:01:27,320 --> 01:01:28,680 Speaker 13: Yeah? 1150 01:01:29,000 --> 01:01:31,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, Corian, how long have you been playing guitar? 1151 01:01:32,680 --> 01:01:34,840 Speaker 13: It is it's like thirty years because I started when 1152 01:01:34,880 --> 01:01:36,680 Speaker 13: I was like eighteen, so. 1153 01:01:37,600 --> 01:01:42,120 Speaker 2: Okay, well resisting the temptation of making a spinal tap joke. 1154 01:01:42,840 --> 01:01:47,160 Speaker 2: And I know that Janet joined the band three albums later, 1155 01:01:47,240 --> 01:01:50,000 Speaker 2: but was it always the plan to sort of have 1156 01:01:50,200 --> 01:01:53,640 Speaker 2: various musicians because I noticed that what determines what your 1157 01:01:53,680 --> 01:01:57,000 Speaker 2: sound is probably also depends on the musicians that are 1158 01:01:57,040 --> 01:02:02,000 Speaker 2: playing with you as well. So first drummer Laura McFarlane, 1159 01:02:02,520 --> 01:02:05,160 Speaker 2: how do musicians come in the group and how do 1160 01:02:05,240 --> 01:02:08,120 Speaker 2: they leave? Like is it just a one and done 1161 01:02:08,160 --> 01:02:10,320 Speaker 2: thing or you guys are just taking this a little 1162 01:02:10,360 --> 01:02:11,720 Speaker 2: more serious than the other. 1163 01:02:11,760 --> 01:02:15,600 Speaker 14: Or no, I mean definitely. Just to say about Janet, 1164 01:02:15,600 --> 01:02:17,040 Speaker 14: and she was an integral part of the band. I 1165 01:02:17,040 --> 01:02:19,080 Speaker 14: mean I wrote about it in my book when she joined, 1166 01:02:19,760 --> 01:02:20,600 Speaker 14: you know, we. 1167 01:02:20,440 --> 01:02:21,600 Speaker 1: Were like, yeah, that's when you jelled. 1168 01:02:21,800 --> 01:02:23,800 Speaker 9: Yeah, we were like this is this is great? 1169 01:02:23,840 --> 01:02:26,520 Speaker 14: I would I'm I am sure as people assess us, 1170 01:02:27,120 --> 01:02:30,080 Speaker 14: you know, ten fifteen years from now or you know, 1171 01:02:30,080 --> 01:02:32,160 Speaker 14: they're like, that will be the classic period of the band, 1172 01:02:32,200 --> 01:02:34,520 Speaker 14: So you know they were never throwaway. 1173 01:02:34,560 --> 01:02:36,240 Speaker 1: Being the rock and Hall of Fame, I get it. 1174 01:02:36,600 --> 01:02:39,080 Speaker 14: Yeah, she's a great drummer, so that Korn can talk 1175 01:02:39,120 --> 01:02:42,040 Speaker 14: about Laura because yeah, she had brought her own avant 1176 01:02:42,040 --> 01:02:43,200 Speaker 14: guard style for sure. 1177 01:02:44,520 --> 01:02:44,760 Speaker 8: Yeah. 1178 01:02:44,800 --> 01:02:47,560 Speaker 12: I mean I think a lot of it is like 1179 01:02:48,400 --> 01:02:52,920 Speaker 12: a little bit happenstance on our part, Like you know, 1180 01:02:52,960 --> 01:02:56,160 Speaker 12: we went we did go to Australia thinking like, hey, 1181 01:02:56,200 --> 01:02:58,720 Speaker 12: let's play music, you know, and there was there was 1182 01:02:58,760 --> 01:03:02,880 Speaker 12: like this international underground music community for real, And we 1183 01:03:02,920 --> 01:03:07,360 Speaker 12: wrote her a letter, We wrote like the record label 1184 01:03:07,600 --> 01:03:09,840 Speaker 12: a letter, and she wrote back like yeah. 1185 01:03:09,680 --> 01:03:10,440 Speaker 13: Let's play music. 1186 01:03:11,440 --> 01:03:13,880 Speaker 12: And that's just how it happened, and you know, and 1187 01:03:13,920 --> 01:03:17,000 Speaker 12: then eventually it was like, well she did come over 1188 01:03:17,040 --> 01:03:19,240 Speaker 12: and we played music here, and then she was like 1189 01:03:19,320 --> 01:03:20,200 Speaker 12: I kind of need. 1190 01:03:20,080 --> 01:03:22,920 Speaker 13: To go back to Australia. We're like, yeah, oh. 1191 01:03:22,880 --> 01:03:26,800 Speaker 2: Okay, now that you're in the game of being on 1192 01:03:26,840 --> 01:03:29,560 Speaker 2: an indie label, can you just walk us through the 1193 01:03:29,560 --> 01:03:35,800 Speaker 2: process of how do you manage to survive and be 1194 01:03:35,920 --> 01:03:39,560 Speaker 2: creative at the same time, Like for those first few albums, 1195 01:03:39,560 --> 01:03:42,840 Speaker 2: did you still have to have day jobs or was 1196 01:03:42,880 --> 01:03:46,600 Speaker 2: it like, Okay, you know, we can sort of survive 1197 01:03:46,760 --> 01:03:50,360 Speaker 2: off of our club gigs and what units that we're selling. 1198 01:03:51,400 --> 01:03:54,320 Speaker 12: I mean, I think there's there was definitely some back 1199 01:03:54,360 --> 01:03:58,000 Speaker 12: and forth, you know, like there were still temp jobs. 1200 01:03:58,040 --> 01:03:59,720 Speaker 13: I think even after dig Me Out. 1201 01:04:00,520 --> 01:04:04,040 Speaker 9: I think that we kind of put this. 1202 01:04:03,960 --> 01:04:08,160 Speaker 12: Like idea about being creative and being control of the 1203 01:04:08,200 --> 01:04:10,880 Speaker 12: creative part of things as something that was really important 1204 01:04:10,880 --> 01:04:13,360 Speaker 12: to us. So we were always willing to like do 1205 01:04:13,440 --> 01:04:16,120 Speaker 12: whatever other jobs needed to be done, I think, just 1206 01:04:16,160 --> 01:04:17,960 Speaker 12: to like make money or whatever. 1207 01:04:18,120 --> 01:04:18,800 Speaker 8: I mean, we weren't. 1208 01:04:18,960 --> 01:04:21,960 Speaker 12: We weren't not making money from touring, and we were 1209 01:04:22,000 --> 01:04:24,880 Speaker 12: always wanting to figure that out and make it better. 1210 01:04:25,280 --> 01:04:28,760 Speaker 12: We were always like ambitious about that. It just it 1211 01:04:28,800 --> 01:04:30,320 Speaker 12: took us a while to get there. 1212 01:04:30,440 --> 01:04:36,080 Speaker 2: But at what point are you absolutely full time? We're 1213 01:04:36,200 --> 01:04:40,920 Speaker 2: ban I can pay my bills, I can put cheese 1214 01:04:40,960 --> 01:04:44,080 Speaker 2: or my whopper and not break the bank like. 1215 01:04:44,800 --> 01:04:48,640 Speaker 14: Probably dig me Out, I would say, So that's ninety seven. 1216 01:04:48,880 --> 01:04:52,000 Speaker 9: I mean, let's also be clear. I was living in Olympia. 1217 01:04:52,000 --> 01:04:54,280 Speaker 14: I think my rent was three ninety five a month, 1218 01:04:54,640 --> 01:04:57,560 Speaker 14: so that doesn't take that much. You know, you can 1219 01:04:57,840 --> 01:05:00,960 Speaker 14: you can play a couple of shows even as a 1220 01:05:01,000 --> 01:05:04,080 Speaker 14: tiny band and make you know. So we were living 1221 01:05:04,120 --> 01:05:07,160 Speaker 14: in small towns and like you know, sharehouses and stuff. 1222 01:05:07,360 --> 01:05:09,720 Speaker 14: But dig me Out, I mean, one thing at the 1223 01:05:09,800 --> 01:05:14,520 Speaker 14: time on indie labels was thesefit profit shares, which you know, 1224 01:05:14,720 --> 01:05:17,600 Speaker 14: you just it was a split and people actually bought records. 1225 01:05:17,600 --> 01:05:22,400 Speaker 14: So even though these these records weren't going gold or platinum, 1226 01:05:22,760 --> 01:05:26,080 Speaker 14: you know, when dig Me out sells you know, seventy 1227 01:05:26,080 --> 01:05:28,560 Speaker 14: five thousand copies or one hundred thousand copies and you have, 1228 01:05:29,280 --> 01:05:33,000 Speaker 14: you know, getting fifty percent of profit share, like at 1229 01:05:33,000 --> 01:05:35,560 Speaker 14: the time when you're in your early twenties, that's that's 1230 01:05:35,560 --> 01:05:38,120 Speaker 14: definitely enough to live off of, even if you're splitting 1231 01:05:38,160 --> 01:05:39,280 Speaker 14: it three ways. 1232 01:05:39,640 --> 01:05:44,160 Speaker 2: So by the time that you guys are out, I 1233 01:05:44,160 --> 01:05:48,840 Speaker 2: also know that every major label was looking up and 1234 01:05:48,880 --> 01:05:51,040 Speaker 2: down the aisles for the next big thing or whatever 1235 01:05:51,480 --> 01:05:53,600 Speaker 2: I mean. So at no point, like you know, I 1236 01:05:53,640 --> 01:05:57,320 Speaker 2: know you guys started off on Chainsaw and then the 1237 01:05:57,560 --> 01:06:01,200 Speaker 2: lovely title Kill All rock Stars. First of all, with 1238 01:06:01,200 --> 01:06:06,280 Speaker 2: with those labels, is that are there actual are these 1239 01:06:06,320 --> 01:06:08,520 Speaker 2: actual labels or just like okay, well what are we 1240 01:06:08,560 --> 01:06:11,160 Speaker 2: going to call the label this time? Or like is 1241 01:06:11,200 --> 01:06:14,120 Speaker 2: that your label and you guys have a distribution system? 1242 01:06:14,400 --> 01:06:19,120 Speaker 2: Or is Kill All walk Stars like an actual label 1243 01:06:19,200 --> 01:06:21,000 Speaker 2: like sub Pop is, and you know. 1244 01:06:21,120 --> 01:06:24,960 Speaker 12: Yeah, no, Kill rock Stars is definitely an actual label. 1245 01:06:25,160 --> 01:06:27,720 Speaker 12: And and that point I think was pretty critical for 1246 01:06:27,840 --> 01:06:31,720 Speaker 12: us because after the first record came out on Chainsaw, 1247 01:06:32,560 --> 01:06:37,160 Speaker 12: which was another a label run by fellow musicians, but 1248 01:06:37,200 --> 01:06:40,600 Speaker 12: they were like still touring that it was Jody and 1249 01:06:41,280 --> 01:06:44,520 Speaker 12: Donna from Team Drash, so that was, you know, problematic. 1250 01:06:44,960 --> 01:06:47,360 Speaker 12: We did have a time when we were courted by 1251 01:06:48,040 --> 01:06:51,440 Speaker 12: major labels before dig Me Out, and we considered it. 1252 01:06:52,040 --> 01:06:55,320 Speaker 12: You know, we considered, we argued about it, We thought 1253 01:06:55,320 --> 01:06:56,200 Speaker 12: about it like crazy. 1254 01:06:56,480 --> 01:07:00,200 Speaker 2: So I'm gonna ask you a question, okay, because I 1255 01:07:00,280 --> 01:07:03,080 Speaker 2: knew this was a parallel story with hip hop and 1256 01:07:03,120 --> 01:07:09,560 Speaker 2: with with this movement, how at what point are you 1257 01:07:09,720 --> 01:07:13,840 Speaker 2: able to really relax and really not live in fear 1258 01:07:14,200 --> 01:07:20,200 Speaker 2: of the idea of quote unquote selling out? You know, 1259 01:07:20,320 --> 01:07:24,720 Speaker 2: that shadow following you, like the perception of how we're 1260 01:07:24,760 --> 01:07:27,320 Speaker 2: because the thing is is that knowing what I know 1261 01:07:27,440 --> 01:07:31,040 Speaker 2: now and again because I worked backwards, I'm like, yo, 1262 01:07:31,200 --> 01:07:33,240 Speaker 2: like you know, and you can even tell them that, 1263 01:07:33,320 --> 01:07:35,640 Speaker 2: like with the videos that you're doing now and all 1264 01:07:35,640 --> 01:07:38,280 Speaker 2: that stuff, like the humor element and all those things 1265 01:07:38,320 --> 01:07:41,520 Speaker 2: that you're really showing your personalities. Whereas once I went 1266 01:07:41,560 --> 01:07:44,240 Speaker 2: back to the beginning and realized like, oh okay, it 1267 01:07:44,360 --> 01:07:48,360 Speaker 2: started off here and then you guys slowly blossomed into 1268 01:07:48,400 --> 01:07:54,479 Speaker 2: this thing. I can imagine that the perception of who 1269 01:07:54,520 --> 01:07:58,760 Speaker 2: you guys were as a group or trying to present 1270 01:07:59,360 --> 01:08:05,120 Speaker 2: also probably played, you know, decisions made by the band. 1271 01:08:05,280 --> 01:08:09,520 Speaker 2: And I always wanted to know, like how the perception 1272 01:08:09,640 --> 01:08:14,280 Speaker 2: of being seen as sellouts or being too successful? Should 1273 01:08:14,320 --> 01:08:18,760 Speaker 2: we do this commercial or should we sign to this 1274 01:08:18,760 --> 01:08:21,880 Speaker 2: this label, this major label, like will we be the same? 1275 01:08:22,360 --> 01:08:27,719 Speaker 2: Like how important is that perception playing in the band 1276 01:08:28,080 --> 01:08:31,080 Speaker 2: at that period in you're at least for the first 1277 01:08:31,080 --> 01:08:34,280 Speaker 2: three or four records, it was huge. 1278 01:08:34,320 --> 01:08:37,559 Speaker 14: I mean, I mean you were around during that time too. 1279 01:08:37,600 --> 01:08:39,679 Speaker 14: I mean that it just was such a different beast. 1280 01:08:39,800 --> 01:08:42,960 Speaker 14: You know, this this idea that somehow, you know, a 1281 01:08:43,040 --> 01:08:46,400 Speaker 14: major label was going to you know, rob you of 1282 01:08:46,439 --> 01:08:49,760 Speaker 14: your artistic credibility, that by aligning yourself with anything that 1283 01:08:49,880 --> 01:08:54,760 Speaker 14: was corporated or commercial, you know, signified you know, something 1284 01:08:54,840 --> 01:08:57,120 Speaker 14: that was anti art you know. 1285 01:08:57,160 --> 01:08:59,800 Speaker 9: And there were a lot of arguments. 1286 01:08:59,360 --> 01:09:04,640 Speaker 14: Treaties, know, books, zines, you know, and very lively polemic 1287 01:09:05,080 --> 01:09:08,200 Speaker 14: and a lot of real anger, I think from people 1288 01:09:09,360 --> 01:09:12,439 Speaker 14: that never really took into consideration how anyone grew up 1289 01:09:12,439 --> 01:09:14,720 Speaker 14: in terms of you know, if they had money and 1290 01:09:14,720 --> 01:09:16,800 Speaker 14: that you know, like it just never it was not 1291 01:09:16,840 --> 01:09:19,840 Speaker 14: a very nuanced conversation, but it was very real because 1292 01:09:19,880 --> 01:09:22,639 Speaker 14: you cared about your friends and to sort of admit, 1293 01:09:23,240 --> 01:09:26,439 Speaker 14: you know, I want something more than I can get. 1294 01:09:26,960 --> 01:09:30,280 Speaker 14: This route was really tricky, so we just we really 1295 01:09:30,360 --> 01:09:33,200 Speaker 14: didn't consider it. And I was probably the most hard 1296 01:09:33,280 --> 01:09:36,519 Speaker 14: line at the time. I was like the youngest, I 1297 01:09:36,560 --> 01:09:39,479 Speaker 14: was the baby in the band, and I think Corn 1298 01:09:39,680 --> 01:09:44,599 Speaker 14: was probably you probably were the most interested, am I right? 1299 01:09:44,760 --> 01:09:47,880 Speaker 13: No, Steel Magnolia is the termine years. 1300 01:09:49,680 --> 01:09:52,000 Speaker 12: I was always my eyes were always on the business 1301 01:09:52,120 --> 01:09:53,400 Speaker 12: route more than anyone else. 1302 01:09:53,600 --> 01:09:55,360 Speaker 9: Yeah, she's good about that. But you know, there were 1303 01:09:55,400 --> 01:09:56,639 Speaker 9: also these horror stories. 1304 01:09:56,680 --> 01:09:59,439 Speaker 14: You know, you would for every band that had a 1305 01:09:59,479 --> 01:10:02,400 Speaker 14: decent relationship with their A and R person, there was 1306 01:10:02,439 --> 01:10:05,040 Speaker 14: someone that ad signed to a major and been dropped, 1307 01:10:05,200 --> 01:10:07,519 Speaker 14: you know, like a band like Spoon or like or 1308 01:10:07,560 --> 01:10:10,880 Speaker 14: even coming from the Northwest, you see Nirvana, you see 1309 01:10:10,960 --> 01:10:15,120 Speaker 14: this guy that was tort supposedly, you know, tortured by 1310 01:10:15,120 --> 01:10:18,040 Speaker 14: the fact that you know, he no longer felt connected 1311 01:10:18,040 --> 01:10:20,320 Speaker 14: to who he was and his fans. So there were 1312 01:10:20,360 --> 01:10:21,639 Speaker 14: all these cautionary tales. 1313 01:10:28,000 --> 01:10:30,320 Speaker 2: In twenty twenty two, we did a two party with 1314 01:10:30,439 --> 01:10:34,440 Speaker 2: Monica Lynch as the president of Tommy Boy Records, Monica 1315 01:10:34,720 --> 01:10:38,200 Speaker 2: is responsible for releasing some of my favorite hip hop 1316 01:10:38,320 --> 01:10:41,960 Speaker 2: by day La Skul, Queen, Antifa and others. To listen 1317 01:10:42,040 --> 01:10:45,040 Speaker 2: to Monica speak, you can hear her passion and dedications 1318 01:10:45,360 --> 01:10:46,320 Speaker 2: which remains today. 1319 01:10:46,920 --> 01:10:49,439 Speaker 1: And this clip she speaks about being a white woman 1320 01:10:49,520 --> 01:10:51,920 Speaker 1: in a position of power and influence in a male 1321 01:10:52,040 --> 01:10:52,920 Speaker 1: dominated space. 1322 01:10:53,560 --> 01:10:56,520 Speaker 2: What's cool about Monica is she also was a steadfast 1323 01:10:56,520 --> 01:11:00,400 Speaker 2: supporter of afrocentric hip hop, as well as other forms 1324 01:11:00,760 --> 01:11:06,200 Speaker 2: of music and sometimes marginalized communities. At this place, are 1325 01:11:06,280 --> 01:11:10,320 Speaker 2: you shocked that, even though you know Sylvia Robinson was 1326 01:11:10,400 --> 01:11:15,120 Speaker 2: running sugar Able Records or whatnot, were women in executive 1327 01:11:15,160 --> 01:11:20,760 Speaker 2: positions really not a thing? And I'm taking it out 1328 01:11:20,800 --> 01:11:22,960 Speaker 2: of hip hop just general at labels like I know 1329 01:11:23,000 --> 01:11:26,240 Speaker 2: about Sylvia Ron at least her, you know, coming up 1330 01:11:26,280 --> 01:11:30,120 Speaker 2: at at at Atlantic and starting east West and whatnot. 1331 01:11:30,120 --> 01:11:32,360 Speaker 1: And maybe I mean Cassargramils was more. 1332 01:11:32,960 --> 01:11:34,519 Speaker 15: At Casablanca before then. 1333 01:11:36,160 --> 01:11:38,599 Speaker 2: Well okay, well I knew about Neil Bogart, but who 1334 01:11:38,720 --> 01:11:40,240 Speaker 2: was running who was at Casablanca? 1335 01:11:40,600 --> 01:11:43,320 Speaker 15: Well, I believe Sylvia had started. 1336 01:11:43,520 --> 01:11:46,680 Speaker 1: I did not know. Oh wow, all right, we give 1337 01:11:46,760 --> 01:11:47,240 Speaker 1: fact check it. 1338 01:11:47,800 --> 01:11:50,760 Speaker 16: This is a great, great subject matter, And I'm really 1339 01:11:50,800 --> 01:11:54,400 Speaker 16: happy you brought this up, because you know, there's a 1340 01:11:54,479 --> 01:11:59,160 Speaker 16: lot of women from that early eighties period who didn't 1341 01:11:59,240 --> 01:12:02,360 Speaker 16: necessarily get at their shine or necessarily get titles. 1342 01:12:02,400 --> 01:12:04,840 Speaker 15: I was, I think I was made president in eighty five. 1343 01:12:05,520 --> 01:12:07,479 Speaker 15: I still have the press release. And why do I 1344 01:12:07,600 --> 01:12:08,960 Speaker 15: have it because I had to write it. 1345 01:12:09,520 --> 01:12:13,160 Speaker 1: The writing Wikipedia entry. 1346 01:12:13,760 --> 01:12:16,240 Speaker 15: Yeah, like, yeah, your president, Now, could you go write 1347 01:12:16,240 --> 01:12:16,519 Speaker 15: this up? 1348 01:12:16,640 --> 01:12:16,800 Speaker 5: Yes? 1349 01:12:16,840 --> 01:12:22,160 Speaker 15: Okay, fine, so the but yeah, before in that. 1350 01:12:22,280 --> 01:12:25,040 Speaker 16: Early eighties period, I would say that the people that 1351 01:12:25,200 --> 01:12:27,880 Speaker 16: really come to my mind is like women who were 1352 01:12:28,040 --> 01:12:31,200 Speaker 16: doing a lot in the early hip hop labels would 1353 01:12:31,200 --> 01:12:35,360 Speaker 16: be Ann Carly at Jive Records, you know who. I 1354 01:12:35,439 --> 01:12:37,760 Speaker 16: actually knew Anne when she was working in the New 1355 01:12:37,840 --> 01:12:39,280 Speaker 16: York office of EG Records. 1356 01:12:39,280 --> 01:12:42,439 Speaker 15: I used to harass her for rocky music tour tickets 1357 01:12:42,920 --> 01:12:43,120 Speaker 15: and that. 1358 01:12:44,680 --> 01:12:44,800 Speaker 4: Uh. 1359 01:12:44,960 --> 01:12:50,439 Speaker 16: There was Jeanine Leclair who was at Next Plateau Records 1360 01:12:50,479 --> 01:12:51,920 Speaker 16: that worked with Eddie o'lachlin. 1361 01:12:52,680 --> 01:12:55,040 Speaker 8: There was D. D. 1362 01:12:55,280 --> 01:13:01,040 Speaker 16: Joseph who worked with at Prism Records, which became you know, 1363 01:13:01,520 --> 01:13:08,800 Speaker 16: which began Chill. Of course, there was Sylvia and there 1364 01:13:08,840 --> 01:13:11,880 Speaker 16: were others. And I'm really sorry because I should have 1365 01:13:11,960 --> 01:13:14,320 Speaker 16: prepared a list for this because it is important and 1366 01:13:14,400 --> 01:13:16,840 Speaker 16: there's a lot of people who you know, it was 1367 01:13:17,240 --> 01:13:20,960 Speaker 16: a bit later in the eighties when there were more 1368 01:13:21,040 --> 01:13:23,800 Speaker 16: women who were getting into the business, but there were 1369 01:13:23,840 --> 01:13:25,439 Speaker 16: a lot of women who were in the business then 1370 01:13:25,880 --> 01:13:28,760 Speaker 16: and they just didn't necessarily get as much recognition. They 1371 01:13:28,840 --> 01:13:32,719 Speaker 16: might have started as a receptionist and became press or promo. 1372 01:13:33,640 --> 01:13:34,920 Speaker 15: So there's there's this whole. 1373 01:13:34,760 --> 01:13:37,280 Speaker 16: Wave of women that were part of the even like 1374 01:13:37,479 --> 01:13:41,679 Speaker 16: late seventies and early eighties, whose whose names just don't 1375 01:13:41,800 --> 01:13:43,599 Speaker 16: tend to come up as much. 1376 01:13:44,560 --> 01:13:45,679 Speaker 15: So much in hip hop. 1377 01:13:45,640 --> 01:13:48,640 Speaker 16: Has been told and told again through books and documentaries 1378 01:13:48,680 --> 01:13:50,800 Speaker 16: and everything, but there's still a lot of terrain that 1379 01:13:50,920 --> 01:13:52,920 Speaker 16: hasn't been touched really, So. 1380 01:13:53,800 --> 01:13:56,960 Speaker 2: What's the difficulty level of you like really as far 1381 01:13:57,000 --> 01:14:02,160 Speaker 2: as like pounding the desk and demanding that respect, like 1382 01:14:02,240 --> 01:14:05,360 Speaker 2: do you have to be tough as nails? 1383 01:14:05,840 --> 01:14:09,360 Speaker 1: Who ran book? And uh winter? Right? And when you 1384 01:14:09,439 --> 01:14:11,040 Speaker 1: have to come do you have to run it in 1385 01:14:11,160 --> 01:14:11,960 Speaker 1: a winter style? 1386 01:14:12,080 --> 01:14:18,439 Speaker 15: And you know, no, no, well I don't yeah, no, 1387 01:14:18,560 --> 01:14:20,200 Speaker 15: I know what you're saying. I know what you're saying. 1388 01:14:20,320 --> 01:14:22,720 Speaker 16: You know. I get asked a lot over the years, 1389 01:14:22,760 --> 01:14:26,360 Speaker 16: people said, well, what was it like being a woman 1390 01:14:26,520 --> 01:14:28,320 Speaker 16: in the hip hop world, or what was it like 1391 01:14:28,400 --> 01:14:30,840 Speaker 16: being a white woman in the hip hop world? And 1392 01:14:30,920 --> 01:14:34,479 Speaker 16: I'm like, my response is usually like, you know what, 1393 01:14:34,680 --> 01:14:38,760 Speaker 16: there were so many opportunities for women in the fledgling 1394 01:14:38,960 --> 01:14:40,440 Speaker 16: hip hop industry. 1395 01:14:40,680 --> 01:14:44,120 Speaker 15: Again, it was so small back then. If I had 1396 01:14:44,240 --> 01:14:47,000 Speaker 15: gone to say, oh, you. 1397 01:14:47,040 --> 01:14:51,960 Speaker 16: Know, Columbia Records or Mercury or PolyGram or whatever Warner Brothers, 1398 01:14:52,479 --> 01:14:54,439 Speaker 16: you know, and said, hey, you know, I'm looking for 1399 01:14:54,520 --> 01:14:58,400 Speaker 16: a job, I would have been lucky to get you know, 1400 01:14:58,640 --> 01:15:00,559 Speaker 16: be the coffee run or for some. 1401 01:15:00,720 --> 01:15:05,559 Speaker 15: Guy doing mid Atlantic radio promotion. Okay, so in hip 1402 01:15:05,600 --> 01:15:06,280 Speaker 15: hop because it. 1403 01:15:06,360 --> 01:15:08,760 Speaker 16: Was just a small little industry and no one was 1404 01:15:08,840 --> 01:15:11,920 Speaker 16: really checking. You know, like a lot of women were 1405 01:15:11,960 --> 01:15:14,559 Speaker 16: able to sort of get ahead in this business because 1406 01:15:14,560 --> 01:15:15,880 Speaker 16: there wasn't like a precedent. 1407 01:15:16,360 --> 01:15:19,200 Speaker 15: It wasn't an old boys network, you. 1408 01:15:19,280 --> 01:15:23,240 Speaker 16: Know, so it was still being it was still being 1409 01:15:23,920 --> 01:15:26,080 Speaker 16: the story was being written, and you know, there was 1410 01:15:27,000 --> 01:15:29,439 Speaker 16: a lot of opportunities. Although I will say when I 1411 01:15:29,479 --> 01:15:32,920 Speaker 16: went to the first Jack the Rapper Convention, uh, a 1412 01:15:33,000 --> 01:15:36,280 Speaker 16: lot of people thought I was hired help for another reason. So, 1413 01:15:37,920 --> 01:15:41,519 Speaker 16: but you know the Rapper Convention, that's another documentary somebody 1414 01:15:41,560 --> 01:15:42,000 Speaker 16: should too. 1415 01:15:43,400 --> 01:15:46,519 Speaker 1: Oh boy, tales from the Rap Convention. 1416 01:15:47,560 --> 01:15:52,920 Speaker 2: So okay, when when okay, so eighty six, when Club 1417 01:15:53,000 --> 01:15:57,719 Speaker 2: Neuveau starts hitting you know, lean on me and jealousy 1418 01:15:57,720 --> 01:15:59,800 Speaker 2: and all that. So it was highly it was on 1419 01:15:59,880 --> 01:16:03,920 Speaker 2: a capable like by that point, you guys are just 1420 01:16:04,200 --> 01:16:07,880 Speaker 2: you know, a force. Was there ever a temptation to 1421 01:16:08,200 --> 01:16:12,360 Speaker 2: say leave Tommy Boy and maybe and I don't want 1422 01:16:12,360 --> 01:16:15,760 Speaker 2: to discredit hip hop's you know, force or whatnot, but 1423 01:16:16,000 --> 01:16:18,720 Speaker 2: in the mind state of eighty seven, did you ever 1424 01:16:18,840 --> 01:16:23,080 Speaker 2: have the temptation or did someone from RCA or Warner 1425 01:16:23,160 --> 01:16:26,560 Speaker 2: Brothers or quote a legit major. 1426 01:16:26,360 --> 01:16:29,880 Speaker 1: Label try to poach you away and say, come work 1427 01:16:29,920 --> 01:16:30,240 Speaker 1: for us. 1428 01:16:30,960 --> 01:16:36,240 Speaker 16: Yeah, there was a label A and M actually and 1429 01:16:36,880 --> 01:16:39,680 Speaker 16: A M was a real class operation, you know it was. 1430 01:16:39,800 --> 01:16:42,880 Speaker 15: I mean, there was like, uh and they even bought 1431 01:16:42,920 --> 01:16:44,840 Speaker 15: me a plane ticket and put me in a hotel. 1432 01:16:44,920 --> 01:16:46,479 Speaker 15: It was like, oh my god, you know, this is 1433 01:16:46,600 --> 01:16:52,960 Speaker 15: pretty great. But I it didn't didn't happen. I really 1434 01:16:53,080 --> 01:16:55,959 Speaker 15: sort of sense that I was better. 1435 01:16:55,760 --> 01:16:57,639 Speaker 16: Where it was, and it turned out to be true, 1436 01:16:57,880 --> 01:17:01,720 Speaker 16: you know, because it was towards you know, it was 1437 01:17:02,160 --> 01:17:05,000 Speaker 16: made president. I guess eighty five eighty six, I can't 1438 01:17:05,160 --> 01:17:09,120 Speaker 16: remember exactly, but you know, it was towards the end, 1439 01:17:09,640 --> 01:17:12,400 Speaker 16: you know, towards the late eighties where I really oversaw 1440 01:17:12,600 --> 01:17:15,120 Speaker 16: A and R and the creative direction for the label. 1441 01:17:15,160 --> 01:17:18,559 Speaker 15: I was already doing quite a bit already in both 1442 01:17:18,600 --> 01:17:19,439 Speaker 15: of those areas. 1443 01:17:19,520 --> 01:17:23,880 Speaker 16: And also, you know, in the early days, whether it 1444 01:17:24,000 --> 01:17:27,720 Speaker 16: was collecting money from distributors, or putting in pressers with 1445 01:17:27,840 --> 01:17:31,240 Speaker 16: the pressing plant, or getting the label copy typed up, 1446 01:17:31,439 --> 01:17:34,320 Speaker 16: or sitting with Bambada while he wrote out of special things, 1447 01:17:34,439 --> 01:17:38,320 Speaker 16: or creating a press list and writing press releases, talking to. 1448 01:17:39,880 --> 01:17:41,320 Speaker 15: You name it. It was like you got to do 1449 01:17:41,400 --> 01:17:44,920 Speaker 15: a lot of different things. But it was, you know, 1450 01:17:45,040 --> 01:17:47,720 Speaker 15: in the late eighties where I sort of really I 1451 01:17:47,800 --> 01:17:50,479 Speaker 15: think that was a really golden erape for Tommy Boy 1452 01:17:50,560 --> 01:17:52,439 Speaker 15: in the late eighties and the early nineties. 1453 01:17:53,520 --> 01:17:57,240 Speaker 2: In nineteen eighty eight, you know, for me, at least 1454 01:17:57,280 --> 01:18:01,439 Speaker 2: in my life, one of the greatest pairaradigm shifts that 1455 01:18:01,680 --> 01:18:04,040 Speaker 2: really affected I mean, eighty eight was such a banner year. 1456 01:18:04,120 --> 01:18:07,719 Speaker 2: But you sign a group that literally changes the course 1457 01:18:07,760 --> 01:18:13,000 Speaker 2: of my life. And we've had various people involved with 1458 01:18:14,400 --> 01:18:16,479 Speaker 2: Daylas Soul projects, so we you know, you don't have 1459 01:18:16,560 --> 01:18:19,080 Speaker 2: to go through the every day, but what I do 1460 01:18:19,240 --> 01:18:24,839 Speaker 2: want to know is who was responsible for the genius 1461 01:18:25,080 --> 01:18:30,639 Speaker 2: marketing of day Las Soul because from the press photos 1462 01:18:30,680 --> 01:18:33,920 Speaker 2: to the fonts to the stickers. You know, for only 1463 01:18:34,000 --> 01:18:35,880 Speaker 2: time on life I ever got sent to the principal's 1464 01:18:35,920 --> 01:18:38,960 Speaker 2: office was because I put day Lost Soul stickers all 1465 01:18:38,960 --> 01:18:43,600 Speaker 2: over my high school. Like, so, who was responsible? Like 1466 01:18:43,960 --> 01:18:49,400 Speaker 2: what was the brainchild operation of we can make these 1467 01:18:49,479 --> 01:18:51,439 Speaker 2: guys bigger than hip hop? 1468 01:18:51,880 --> 01:18:53,760 Speaker 1: And I read that hip hop for hippies? Wasn't that 1469 01:18:54,040 --> 01:18:57,120 Speaker 1: your ship? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, I was. 1470 01:18:57,280 --> 01:18:59,920 Speaker 15: Very involved in all of that, but it was also. 1471 01:19:01,360 --> 01:19:04,080 Speaker 16: There's a lot of people at Tommy Boy that I 1472 01:19:04,120 --> 01:19:07,679 Speaker 16: would credit for being a huge part of this campaign. 1473 01:19:08,120 --> 01:19:11,960 Speaker 16: I think that it was a very critical decision to 1474 01:19:12,160 --> 01:19:17,680 Speaker 16: have the Gray organization do the all the you know, 1475 01:19:17,840 --> 01:19:22,160 Speaker 16: all of the daisy or the imagery for the for 1476 01:19:22,280 --> 01:19:25,200 Speaker 16: the album cover. That was so that was I would 1477 01:19:25,240 --> 01:19:31,320 Speaker 16: say such a radical move at that point because they 1478 01:19:31,479 --> 01:19:35,160 Speaker 16: basically sort of threw down a gauntlet, uh to what 1479 01:19:35,360 --> 01:19:40,800 Speaker 16: the prevailing visual aesthetic was of hip hop. And I 1480 01:19:40,960 --> 01:19:43,840 Speaker 16: think it was the type of thing that a lot 1481 01:19:43,920 --> 01:19:47,200 Speaker 16: of people were like, what is this but you know, 1482 01:19:47,520 --> 01:19:50,120 Speaker 16: but but but the thing is before the album, before 1483 01:19:50,160 --> 01:19:52,760 Speaker 16: the album, and you saw all those visuals. You know, 1484 01:19:53,120 --> 01:19:58,680 Speaker 16: Plug Tune In was a radical record and and and 1485 01:19:59,320 --> 01:20:02,000 Speaker 16: I still have I still have the demo tape and 1486 01:20:02,080 --> 01:20:05,040 Speaker 16: I still have the write up that I did after 1487 01:20:05,200 --> 01:20:07,920 Speaker 16: my meeting with Daddy O. And I want to make 1488 01:20:07,960 --> 01:20:10,599 Speaker 16: sure to credit Daddyo because it was Daddy O from 1489 01:20:10,680 --> 01:20:15,120 Speaker 16: Stetsasnic who called me and said, Hey, I've got these 1490 01:20:15,200 --> 01:20:16,240 Speaker 16: groups I'm shopping. 1491 01:20:16,560 --> 01:20:18,400 Speaker 15: Can we set up a meeting. I'm like yeah, da 1492 01:20:18,479 --> 01:20:20,160 Speaker 15: da da, And he sat on the phone. There were 1493 01:20:20,200 --> 01:20:20,759 Speaker 15: three groups. 1494 01:20:21,160 --> 01:20:23,840 Speaker 16: Two of them were like Sore, these more mainstream like 1495 01:20:24,920 --> 01:20:29,040 Speaker 16: Rene and angela type of groups or something, and he mentioned, uh, 1496 01:20:29,400 --> 01:20:30,040 Speaker 16: Dela Saul. 1497 01:20:30,200 --> 01:20:32,559 Speaker 15: He said, oh, and there's this group that Paul's working 1498 01:20:32,680 --> 01:20:34,040 Speaker 15: with called De La Soult. 1499 01:20:34,760 --> 01:20:37,960 Speaker 16: And I do remember thinking that's a really intriguing name. 1500 01:20:38,120 --> 01:20:39,920 Speaker 16: You know what is that it didn't sound like a 1501 01:20:40,000 --> 01:20:44,040 Speaker 16: hip hop group. And so I met with him, and 1502 01:20:44,240 --> 01:20:46,800 Speaker 16: that's in that demo tape of plug Tuning and. 1503 01:20:48,600 --> 01:20:53,639 Speaker 15: Freedom, Freedom of Speak I think was the freedom. 1504 01:20:53,840 --> 01:20:56,640 Speaker 16: Yeah, it was the two tracks on the on the 1505 01:20:56,680 --> 01:20:59,680 Speaker 16: one cassette, and it was like you immediately knew that 1506 01:21:00,560 --> 01:21:03,840 Speaker 16: it was either gonna be big or nothing. And that's 1507 01:21:03,880 --> 01:21:08,879 Speaker 16: where I think Tommy Boys legacy largely lies with signings 1508 01:21:08,920 --> 01:21:12,240 Speaker 16: that were sort of in that category you're gonna love 1509 01:21:12,280 --> 01:21:13,760 Speaker 16: it or you're not gonna hate it, but it wasn't 1510 01:21:13,800 --> 01:21:18,200 Speaker 16: in the middle, and Dala Soul I think personifies that. 1511 01:21:19,120 --> 01:21:22,360 Speaker 16: And you know, the the demo of plug Tuning sounds 1512 01:21:22,400 --> 01:21:24,760 Speaker 16: pretty much. I'm pretty sure I don't think that it 1513 01:21:24,880 --> 01:21:27,680 Speaker 16: was even even mixed, you know. I think it was 1514 01:21:27,720 --> 01:21:29,960 Speaker 16: an eight track that Paul did and I don't think 1515 01:21:30,040 --> 01:21:31,800 Speaker 16: it even went beyond that. 1516 01:21:32,120 --> 01:21:33,560 Speaker 15: By the time it was mastered. I think it was 1517 01:21:33,600 --> 01:21:36,120 Speaker 15: still like this eight trick demo sounding thing. 1518 01:21:36,600 --> 01:21:39,519 Speaker 16: And we had this We did this ad campaign where 1519 01:21:39,520 --> 01:21:42,600 Speaker 16: we got all these different people to say, you. 1520 01:21:42,680 --> 01:21:44,840 Speaker 1: Know, you know how it is, you know, like when 1521 01:21:44,880 --> 01:21:47,360 Speaker 1: you know Latifa's mom, she was part of it. 1522 01:21:48,200 --> 01:21:51,000 Speaker 15: Latifa's mom, the lake Rita Owens we did. 1523 01:21:51,120 --> 01:21:54,400 Speaker 16: We did a campaign that I came in for Dala Soul, 1524 01:21:54,640 --> 01:21:56,920 Speaker 16: I came in for Patty LaBelle, I came out with 1525 01:21:57,080 --> 01:22:01,760 Speaker 16: Dala Saul. We had this with like some goofy, you know, 1526 01:22:01,920 --> 01:22:04,160 Speaker 16: sort of straight looking white guy like you know, I 1527 01:22:04,280 --> 01:22:05,000 Speaker 16: came in for. 1528 01:22:06,640 --> 01:22:08,320 Speaker 15: I forget it wasn't steely Dan. 1529 01:22:08,560 --> 01:22:10,920 Speaker 1: We hung that up in Sam Goodies. I worked at 1530 01:22:10,920 --> 01:22:11,800 Speaker 1: Sam goodies at the time. 1531 01:22:11,920 --> 01:22:16,800 Speaker 16: Oh man, well then you know, so this is that 1532 01:22:17,080 --> 01:22:21,160 Speaker 16: imaging campaign I think was fantastic. We had a great 1533 01:22:21,320 --> 01:22:24,439 Speaker 16: full page ad and billboard. I said DLA gold when 1534 01:22:24,479 --> 01:22:27,920 Speaker 16: it went gold. But you know, I think a lot 1535 01:22:28,000 --> 01:22:32,880 Speaker 16: of it sprung from the group itself, because you know, 1536 01:22:32,920 --> 01:22:36,200 Speaker 16: I still have and I shared this with pass actually 1537 01:22:36,360 --> 01:22:37,040 Speaker 16: just last week. 1538 01:22:38,400 --> 01:22:42,840 Speaker 15: He sat down in the office and with this he has. 1539 01:22:42,800 --> 01:22:47,000 Speaker 16: A very distinctive style of cursive and he was writing 1540 01:22:47,160 --> 01:22:51,760 Speaker 16: down the history of Dala Soul on this notebook paper set, 1541 01:22:52,080 --> 01:22:56,000 Speaker 16: describing who each group member was. And he was writing 1542 01:22:56,080 --> 01:22:59,479 Speaker 16: it in day La speak. And that was another thing too, 1543 01:22:59,640 --> 01:23:03,080 Speaker 16: because like, nobody knew what the fuck they were talking about. 1544 01:23:03,960 --> 01:23:07,120 Speaker 15: They had their own language, like what are they tell? 1545 01:23:07,240 --> 01:23:08,000 Speaker 8: What the what do you mean? 1546 01:23:08,080 --> 01:23:08,679 Speaker 15: Plug tune? 1547 01:23:08,760 --> 01:23:09,560 Speaker 6: And what's that you know? 1548 01:23:10,320 --> 01:23:11,880 Speaker 15: And what is true? Guy the dove? 1549 01:23:12,120 --> 01:23:12,240 Speaker 8: You know? 1550 01:23:12,320 --> 01:23:13,559 Speaker 15: What is all this stuff? 1551 01:23:14,960 --> 01:23:17,680 Speaker 16: But they but they had a different look, They had 1552 01:23:17,720 --> 01:23:21,680 Speaker 16: a different sensibility. So there was a lot there to 1553 01:23:21,800 --> 01:23:24,920 Speaker 16: already work with and to sort of get inspired to 1554 01:23:25,080 --> 01:23:30,200 Speaker 16: do interesting and creative marketing and promotion. You really can't 1555 01:23:30,280 --> 01:23:34,560 Speaker 16: do something unless the something that the project and the 1556 01:23:34,720 --> 01:23:37,320 Speaker 16: recordings and the artists that you're working with are interesting in. 1557 01:23:37,360 --> 01:23:38,160 Speaker 15: And of themselves. 1558 01:23:38,240 --> 01:23:40,960 Speaker 16: You can blow it up and magnify it. But if 1559 01:23:41,000 --> 01:23:44,519 Speaker 16: they're not, if it's not inherently interesting and great, you 1560 01:23:44,640 --> 01:23:45,679 Speaker 16: can't really do anything. 1561 01:23:45,920 --> 01:23:49,800 Speaker 15: So so they really they were like, wow, this group 1562 01:23:49,880 --> 01:23:53,000 Speaker 15: pretty interesting. There a lot of people played role. 1563 01:23:53,160 --> 01:23:54,960 Speaker 16: I don't know if you know Rod Houston because he's 1564 01:23:55,000 --> 01:23:56,760 Speaker 16: also from from Philadelphia. 1565 01:23:56,880 --> 01:23:58,599 Speaker 15: He's now one of the biggest voice. 1566 01:23:58,400 --> 01:23:59,639 Speaker 1: Side He's a voice aided guy. 1567 01:24:00,680 --> 01:24:01,320 Speaker 6: He's huge. 1568 01:24:01,560 --> 01:24:02,160 Speaker 15: He's huge. 1569 01:24:02,360 --> 01:24:05,880 Speaker 16: And Rod I still have the copy that he wrote 1570 01:24:05,960 --> 01:24:10,000 Speaker 16: up because we did this contest to name the sample and. 1571 01:24:10,080 --> 01:24:14,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, did you did you enter? 1572 01:24:14,720 --> 01:24:15,080 Speaker 6: I didn't. 1573 01:24:15,120 --> 01:24:17,800 Speaker 1: I didn't know the LIBERACEI or any Yeah I didn't 1574 01:24:17,840 --> 01:24:18,000 Speaker 1: know that. 1575 01:24:19,640 --> 01:24:21,920 Speaker 16: Yeah we got I still have a lot of the 1576 01:24:22,200 --> 01:24:25,160 Speaker 16: entries from the contest that I kept. A lot of 1577 01:24:25,200 --> 01:24:28,559 Speaker 16: people thought it was Bobby Bloom And the only person 1578 01:24:28,640 --> 01:24:31,960 Speaker 16: who got the who the only person who got it 1579 01:24:32,120 --> 01:24:35,400 Speaker 16: right was Joel Weber, as I mentioned to him earlier 1580 01:24:35,760 --> 01:24:38,840 Speaker 16: with the Partners in the New Music Seminar. And he's 1581 01:24:38,840 --> 01:24:40,560 Speaker 16: the guy who put out He was an A and 1582 01:24:40,680 --> 01:24:42,960 Speaker 16: R guy at Fourth and Broadway in Island. He put 1583 01:24:43,000 --> 01:24:46,599 Speaker 16: out the Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight and he was the only 1584 01:24:46,720 --> 01:24:50,760 Speaker 16: one who identified the invitations right, It's written on the 1585 01:24:50,800 --> 01:24:54,720 Speaker 16: wall is the sample right record. So they So there 1586 01:24:54,880 --> 01:24:57,040 Speaker 16: was a lot of really great things that sort of 1587 01:24:57,080 --> 01:24:59,519 Speaker 16: sprung from the fact that the group themselves were so 1588 01:24:59,680 --> 01:25:02,880 Speaker 16: different and so interesting. And I think that that whole 1589 01:25:03,040 --> 01:25:07,120 Speaker 16: Daisy age imagery, you know, was certainly a blessing and 1590 01:25:07,160 --> 01:25:09,599 Speaker 16: a curse for the group, because then they didn't really 1591 01:25:09,800 --> 01:25:12,400 Speaker 16: like being named the hippies of hip. 1592 01:25:12,240 --> 01:25:15,720 Speaker 15: Hop, and you know, pushed back against it, you know. 1593 01:25:15,880 --> 01:25:19,479 Speaker 16: But that was that album Three Feet High in Rising, 1594 01:25:20,320 --> 01:25:22,280 Speaker 16: you know, And that was actually the first project I 1595 01:25:22,360 --> 01:25:26,439 Speaker 16: assigned to Dante. I loved that, Dante, make sure you 1596 01:25:26,600 --> 01:25:30,519 Speaker 16: get this, get the clearances for so and so and 1597 01:25:30,640 --> 01:25:32,280 Speaker 16: so and so. But it was the first project that 1598 01:25:32,400 --> 01:25:35,760 Speaker 16: he worked on, which was fantastic. He did an amazing job. 1599 01:25:36,320 --> 01:25:42,760 Speaker 15: And Paul, of course, you know, yeah, thank you for this. 1600 01:25:42,920 --> 01:25:46,439 Speaker 2: Listen back for Women's History Month. Ket's new episodes a 1601 01:25:46,520 --> 01:25:48,360 Speaker 2: Quest Love Supreme coming soon. 1602 01:25:50,360 --> 01:25:53,080 Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to Quest Love Supreme. Posted by 1603 01:25:53,560 --> 01:25:57,040 Speaker 1: I'm here Quest Love Thompson. Are you saying clear? Sugar? 1604 01:25:57,080 --> 01:26:02,559 Speaker 1: Steve mandel An unpaid Bill Sherman. The executive producers are Amir, 1605 01:26:02,680 --> 01:26:09,080 Speaker 1: Quest Love Thomas, Sean Cheek and Brian Calvin. Produced by Britney, 1606 01:26:09,120 --> 01:26:16,040 Speaker 1: Benjamin Cousin, Jake Payne, Eliah Saint Clair, edited by Alex Conroy. 1607 01:26:16,640 --> 01:26:24,400 Speaker 1: Produced by iHeart by Noel Brown and quest Love Supreme 1608 01:26:24,479 --> 01:26:31,120 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts from 1609 01:26:31,160 --> 01:26:35,320 Speaker 1: iHeart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 1610 01:26:35,360 --> 01:26:36,679 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.