Questlove
Prince has been a personal hero of mine for the longest time, since I was seven years old. The reason I remember his music so much was because when they premiered his single on WVAS-FM in Philadelphia, my mother had gotten a phone call that her father had died and they rushed me upstairs and put headphones on my ears to drown out what I was hearing. It just so happened at that time a Brothers Johnson song was on, called “Streetwave," and right after that was “Soft and Wet” by Prince. So that was the soundtrack: I could clearly see that something had happened, seeing my mom cry on her knees and sobbing, but this Prince song was on. So that image was frozen—he made a very serendipitous entry into my life. And from that point, I was familiar with him but I didn’t pay total attention until the Controversy period…you know, Dirty Mind was just a little bit too rude to enter my household, plus it really wasn’t getting radio play. So it took his fourth album to bring it back home, and I’ve been faithful ever since.
Have you hung out with Prince?
Yeah I’ve played with him a lot. Usually when he comes to New York, I’ve gone onstage and drummed with him.
Are you musical like-minds?
I would hope to be! [Laughs] He’s a hero of mine, so I try to learn all I can from him.
How did you decide on the guest list for Carnegie Hall?
Well, by the time I came aboard they had already started the process of pulling people in, so if anything, I was chosen last! [Laughs] Normally for this type of thing they would start with the bandleader—I guess they thought maybe I’d be too busy to do it. But I’m still gonna try and make it my own.
Are you the reason D’Angelo is on the lineup?
Yeah, I pulled him in; we found out about the project together. Prince definitely played a pivotal role in his influence on the Voodoo album, and on this new D’Angelo record—which will come out [Laughs], I promise.
Did you match the artists to the music?
Some people had already come equipped with their songs, so I had to work on that. I would’ve assigned some of these people with different songs, ’cos the thing with Prince, one of the easiest traps you can fall into—especially for a person with a jealously guarded fanbase like Prince has—is to do the obvious stuff, you know what I mean? So I’ve tended to pull in some obscure stuff, some lesser-known things. That way they’re given more freedom.
Are you worried people will come wanting to hear the hits?
There’s going to be a little bit of everything, but I didn’t wanna overdo it on the pop hits. I want to protect the interpreter from getting lambasted, because they can’t handle a song that has too many expectations. Is Prince gonna be there? I…cannot tell you that! [Laughs]