what were the distinctive features of the music you were making that separated it from motown, philadelphia, new york? willie: the culture was a mixture of bahamian, jamaican, and people came down from georgia and alabama, but that bahamian influence was dominant. anthony: right. willie: we would have bands who would march from over town all the way to liberty city and back in big parades. this influence, the dancing and the moving and the marching, i would say that was the main difference. anthony: and you were teaching school during a lot of this period? willie: yeah, i was teaching school. i would look around, put my sign in, and walk out the back door and go straight to the studio. but you know, the principal knew
understand? anthony: i understand people deeply love them and i do like waffles and i do love fried chicken. put them on separate plates and i m okay. questlove: you don t want your food integrated? anthony: shrimp and grits, a southern classic made with florida shrimp, virginia ham, and south carolina stone ground grits. anthony: i was reading your book. is it curtis mayfield you have bad associations with? questlove: whenever i hear curtis mayfield, just as a kid, that particular structure always frightened. anthony: aqua lung, jethro tull, i whipped into a murderous rage right away. questlove: even now? anthony: even now. i m angry that that band ever existed. i hate that old englishy, old, bar minstrely, stand on one leg mother hate that shit. you never know when you play music were they molested by a rodeo clown to that song and jethro tull, he s my version of that.
have said southern people, whatever they want to call us, in all actuality, we re an island town. miami was made of bohemians that built the city of miami. so now you have a lot of different cultures. anthony: caribbean, southern american. very, very different. luther: yeah. anthony: how was that mix? how has that impacted music? luther: when people think about me, this guy makes bootie aking music. everybody s dancing. everybody is dancing in a sexual way. the girls are standing up on you. the girls stand up on you and put their butt on you. anthony: i ve seen this on television. luther: it s no different than a lap dance. anthony: among your other accomplishments, you ran for office. luther: yeah.