Quincy Jones: Cocaine to Cocoonism
Quincy Jones has seen a lot in his 81 years. In a recent conversation with the Guardian he made a number of frank revelations about his life and times.
Quincy Jones has seen a lot in his 81 years. In a recent colourful conversation with the Guardian’s correspondent Paul Lester he made a number of frank revelations about his life and times with plenty to make you both smile and raise a few eyebrows. He talks of Michael Jackson’s pet snake being over familiar, working with the Chinese to save the record industry, gives a historic perspective on the entire German Third Reich and their drug habits to the new age of what he calls ‘Cocoonism’ caused by mobile technology.
Asked if he is the living embodiment of The American Dream Quincy responds with a succinct piece of life advice, “I don’t know, man. I just know we had the biggest-selling record in the history of music Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’. That’s a good feeling. You should go with your feelings, because your feelings work.”
The Royal Academy Of Music hosted an intimate evening with Quincy Jones in London last night. DJ and writer Paul Gambaccini interviewed ‘Q’ and a long list of celebrity musicians and singers performed including Beverley Knight, Mica Paris, Jocelyn Brown, Sarah Jane Morris, Hamish Stuart from Average White Band and more.
During the evening Quincy became the first inductee to the new MOBO Hall Of Fame which is added to next year’s awards. The presentation was made by MOBO founder Kanya King MBE who will soon feature as a guest on Jazz FM’s Jazz Shapers programme in mid October.