Quincy Jones on who killed JFK, Beatles sucking, Marlon Brando sleeping with Richard Pryor, etc

[tynopik]

Stephen Colbert tries to figure out the craziest part of the amazing new Quincy Jones interviews

Legendary music producer Quincy Jones "may have given a pair of the greatest show-business interviews of all time," Stephen Colbert said on Wednesday's Late Show. "I can't get into everything he said, but let's start small: He knows who killed JFK," Colbert said. And "strangely, who killed the president was one of the less-explosive details."

Jones also dished on Michael Jackson, Jackson's feud with Prince, and President Trump, whom Jones said he "used to hang out with" and "can't stand," adding, "I used to date Ivanka, you know." While Colbert questioned the propriety of Jones dating Trump's daughter, Jon Batiste said Jones told him the same thing. "But that is still, still not the headline coming out of these interviews," Colbert said. That would be Jones' assertion that Marlon Brando slept with Richard Pryor, Marvin Gaye, and James Baldwin. Jones had a very pithy quote about Brando, which was upstaged only by the one from Pryor's wife. You can read the rest of the most eye-popping interview at Vulture to see what Colbert left out, and watch below.

What were your first impressions of the Beatles?

That they were the worst musicians in the world. They were no-playing motherfuckers. Paul was the worst bass player I ever heard. And Ringo? Don’t even talk about it. I remember once we were in the studio with George Martin, and Ringo had taken three hours for a four-bar thing he was trying to fix on a song. He couldn’t get it. We said, “Mate, why don’t you get some lager and lime, some shepherd’s pie, and take an hour-and-a-half and relax a little bit.” So he did, and we called Ronnie Verrell, a jazz drummer. Ronnie came in for 15 minutes and tore it up. Ringo comes back and says, “George, can you play it back for me one more time?” So George did, and Ringo says, “That didn’t sound so bad.” And I said, “Yeah, motherfucker because it ain’t you.” Great guy, though.

What’s something you wish you didn’t know?

Who killed Kennedy.

Who did it?

[Chicago mobster Sam] Giancana* The connection was there between Sinatra and the Mafia and Kennedy. Joe Kennedy — he was a bad man — he came to Frank to have him talk to Giancana about getting votes.

I’ve heard this theory before, that the mob helped win Illinois for Kennedy in 1960.

We shouldn’t talk about this publicly. Where you from?

*Chicago gangster Sam Giancana is a well-known name among Kennedy conspiracists, both for his alleged help in delivering Illinois votes for Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election and the 1963 assassination of the president. The latter theory largely stems from Giancana’s murder in 1975, not long before he was supposed to testify before a Senate committee investigating collusion between the mob and the CIA. .

 

[SKORPI0]

https://www.amazon.com/JFK-Sam-Connection-Giancana-Assassinations/dp/1581824874

 

[DaveSimmons]

Dementia?

I've read many people over the years who said RIngo was an excellent drummer -- not fancy but rock-steady with great timing.

 

[zinfamous]

Dementia?

I've read many people over the years who said RIngo was an excellent drummer -- not fancy but rock-steady with great timing.

Yes, boring people always waste no time in defending Ringo.

 

[PottedMeat]

But you know who sings and plays just like Hendrix?

Who?
Paul Allen.


Stop it. The Microsoft guy?
Yeah, man. I went on a trip on his yacht, and he had David Crosby, Joe Walsh, Sean Lennon — all those crazy motherfuckers. Then on the last two days, Stevie Wonder came on with his band and made Paul come up and play with him — he’s good, man.

WHAT THE FUCK

 

[DaveSimmons]

Yep, dementia. Though I'd accept "playing in Hendrix's style."

See: Pearl Jam - Yellow Ledbetter - https://youtu.be/hs8y3kneqrs

 

[Fritzo]

Dementia?

I've read many people over the years who said RIngo was an excellent drummer -- not fancy but rock-steady with great timing.

You may have read wrong. Ringo is widely considered an awful drummer, along with Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones. HOWEVER, Ringo's superpower is he's left-handed, and therefore all of his runs are reverse of what right-handed drummers go with. Most left-handers learn how to drum right-handed, but Ringo didn't. Therefore, his drumming sounds unique, and the band played around it.

Anyway, that interview was amazing. It was like Quincy had a bag full of red pills, said "swallow all of these" and threw the blue pill away. I'll never look at the world the same way again MARLON BRANDO AND RICHARD PRYOR??? WTF????

 

[Fritzo]

Yep, dementia. Though I'd accept "playing in Hendrix's style."

See: Pearl Jam - Yellow Ledbetter - https://youtu.be/hs8y3kneqrs

Don't think so. Dude's been around the big-wigs since the 1950s, and people are coming out confirming his claims.