In Conversation: Quincy Jones
Earlier this month, legendary record producer, composer and musician Quincy Jones sat down to talk about his career and the current state of the music industry with Vulture.
A record 79 Grammy nominations — with 23 wins — primary production credits on Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and "Bad," an Academy Award for Best Original Score and the first African American to receive the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. This is just a minute portion of Jones' vast accomplishments.
Initially a jazz musician, Jones mused on the raw talent of some of the greats; Bono, Eric Clapton, Roland Clirk, revealing that the first time he heard the Beatles he thought, "they were the worst musicians in the world." Unfortunately, to Jones, most of this old magic is lost in music today."
"There ain’t no fucking songs," he said in the interview. "It’s just loops, beats, rhymes and hooks. What is there for me to learn from that? The song is the power; the singer is the messenger."
To Jones, many musicians and producers of today are forgetting the art of creating a song and are simply motivated by money — how to make a song sell. It is a sentiment many lasting, legendary musicians share today.
"God walks out of the room when you’re thinking about money," Jones said.
He went further to discuss his relationships with stars like Michael Jackson, the Clintons, and Trump's negative effect on American ideals. When asked if he could fix one problem in the world, Jones pointed to racism.
Even at 85, Jones' insight into the music industry is just as sharp as it was when he started in the business more than six decades ago.
When asked about his greatest musical innovation, Jones cooly responded, "Everything I've done."
You can read the full interview here.
A record 79 Grammy nominations — with 23 wins — primary production credits on Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and "Bad," an Academy Award for Best Original Score and the first African American to receive the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. This is just a minute portion of Jones' vast accomplishments.
Initially a jazz musician, Jones mused on the raw talent of some of the greats; Bono, Eric Clapton, Roland Clirk, revealing that the first time he heard the Beatles he thought, "they were the worst musicians in the world." Unfortunately, to Jones, most of this old magic is lost in music today."
"There ain’t no fucking songs," he said in the interview. "It’s just loops, beats, rhymes and hooks. What is there for me to learn from that? The song is the power; the singer is the messenger."
To Jones, many musicians and producers of today are forgetting the art of creating a song and are simply motivated by money — how to make a song sell. It is a sentiment many lasting, legendary musicians share today.
"God walks out of the room when you’re thinking about money," Jones said.
He went further to discuss his relationships with stars like Michael Jackson, the Clintons, and Trump's negative effect on American ideals. When asked if he could fix one problem in the world, Jones pointed to racism.
Even at 85, Jones' insight into the music industry is just as sharp as it was when he started in the business more than six decades ago.
When asked about his greatest musical innovation, Jones cooly responded, "Everything I've done."
You can read the full interview here.
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