Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove

The title of this review is taken from a line in this memoir, and is delivered by Questlove's manager Rich, who appears throughout the book as somewhat of a music "Sensei" to the prolific drummer. Applying this proverbial phrase to Hip-Hop really struck a chord with me. It fits perfectly: Hip-Hop is the culmination of so many musical genres before it, it spearheads the future of popular music, samples (borrows) from great songs and styles, and lyrically continues the tradition of the 'blues' with expression of struggle and doubt.

I was indecisive on rating this book three or four stars, but ultimately "rounded up" because I feel it's more difficult to write about a modern musician than one from decades ago, say, a Carole King (whose auto-biography is a "must-read" for any music fan: [[ASIN:1455512621 A Natural Woman: A Memoir]]). Also, rock star Marilyn Manson once said in an interview, "I try not to explain my music, I let my music explain me". I think that wisdom applies here as well -- while the writing is interesting, I believe Mr. Thompson's music is the true 'World According to Questlove".

What I like about this memoir is he covers a lot of ground by moving quickly. It's evident that if permitted, he could write an Epic about music that has inspired him over the years. Instead, it seems that he is forced to select one album per year of his life in a recurring segment called "Quest Loves Records". Additionally, he discusses in great depth both the artistry and political sides of the music industry (e.g. the art of reconciling an underground and commercial sound, the effect of bouncing around major labels, the process and goal of the band when crafting each of their albums).

One of the highlights of the book is when he attends Prince's post-Grammy Rollerskating party. It's great for a few reasons: 1) Questlove talks about Prince a lot throughout his memoir, and it is clear Prince is a huge influence on his life. 2) Without revealing any spoilers, let's just say this party includes Eddie Murphy, and what occurs will undoubtedly conjure up associations with the "Charlie Murphy" segment of these two celebrities on the Chappelle Show (on which, of course, Questlove served as musical director).

One of my criticisms of the book is that he tells so many stories and industry briefings that they begin to seem anecdotal instead of notable. And, though not too frequently, I felt myself at times getting impatient with his nearly obsessive analysis of musical direction. The fragmented narrative voice (linear storytelling, conversations with Rich, e-mails from Ben Greenman, etc.), which is clearly intentional, seems disruptive at times.

However, all and all, I would absolutely recommend this read. The reader will learn a great deal about the industry and the photos are a trip (look at the one of Questlove age 6 rockin' a huge Afro and tell me he ain't bad). And, despite the incredible career of Questlove up to this point, I still believe he is constantly maturing as an artist and the best is still yet to come.

Amazing account of one of music's unsung geniuses of this generation. Couldn't put this book down.

Must-read for anyone who is a fan of music. The stories within the story make for such a fascinating read. Really worthwhile.

If I were to recommend a music memoir to a person who loves music and to a person who isn't too crazy for music, this would be the one hands down.

I've been a fan of The Roots since the mid-nineties. Wwhat initially attracted me to them was the interplay between the live band behind the rapping, thus merging two forms of music that I had love since I was a little kid but up till then had seen as mutually exclusive, at least in what would truly be categorized as hip hop (vs. rock rap like 311 or Rage Against The Machine). Anyway, I already digress.
When I found out that Questlove had written a book, I can honestly say I had mixed feelings, first because on a number of music-related films I've seen in recent years, the camera would turn to him as this sage-like authority on music, and he seemed all to pleased to play the part, making me wonder if he was full of himself. On top of that, when I heard The Roots took a gig as a backing band on a late night talk show, as much as I respect an artist's freedom of direction and need to make money and have an audience, I couldn't keep the term "sellout" from popping up in my head. Nevertheless, the high ratings on this site suggested this book would be a worthwhile read, and were they ever right!
If you haven't already lost interest in this review, unless you're both a musician and a voracious reader, you probably will soon since my reasons for loving this book are very personal. Still, it moved me so much I just felt the need to testify.
Now the review begins in earnest:
What moved me most about this book is the fact that Questlove, like me, is clearly a musician, music lover, and a voracious reader of both reviews (are you reading this?) and books about music. He states early on that like me, musician autobiographies are one of his favorite kinds of books, and that when he decided to write one, he decided to take an avant garde approach to writing it by including atypical elements like memos from the co-author to the editor, a soundtrack to his early life (precisely what I have students of mine do and have considered writing an entire book on myself), and a sort of foil to his voice in their long-term road manager, who at first gets his own chapters but ultimately, and I'd say more effectively, gets a sort of veto power in the form of footnotes. At first, the skeptic in me saw all this as a shallow gimmick, but it didn't take too long for me to view it as a brilliant remix to the format of what's become (I believe) the best selling non-fiction genre: the memoir.
In terms of pure content, the book serves as a fantastic first-hand retrospective of hip hop's golden era in the nineties, not to mention a delivery room recounting of the birth (and ultimately death?) of what ist sadly seeming like a brief and wonderful hybrid of hip hop and R&B in neo soul. The list of names present at the house party jam sessions at his place in Philly contained the bulk of the roster of artists who revolutionized my concept of what could be done with music between 1999 and the mid-O's.
Genres aside, this is ultimately the story of a person who has dedicated his existence to music while rarely compromising his principles (yes, I'm deliberately contradicting my earlier accusation). This struck such a chord with me because I have put a massive portion of my adult life into developing my skills in creating music. It is partially the lack of desire to compromise my principles that has kept me from "making it big," but another part of it is not being able to find a band that is willing to stick it out long enough to make a name for itself. In Questlove's impressively honest recounting of Tthe Roots' existence as a band, he shows what a challenge and a rollercoaster it is to keep a band going. From the hand-to-mouth struggles of their early days to the mixed reactions to their later albums, it's evident that it's been no walk in the park for the roots and Questlove, who is clearly his own separate institution on so many levels, but it seems like it was (and continues to be) all worth it.
To go back to my earlier comment on the TV gig, reading his explanation of it makes total sense to me, and it looks like it's actually been a phenomenal boon to the band. I don't normally watch TV, but I'm now curious to see them do their thing on that show since it sounds like there's lots of love, intelligence, wit and hard work going into it.
The last element I'd like to address is his love for music. Like Questlove, I would call music my one overt addiction (I even recorded a song about it back in the days of my Tascam 4-track called "Musical Junky"). To hear Questlove talk about his genre-spanning appreciation of music hit home so hard, especially the element of having certain songs and artists that you kind of secretly appreciate. (I thought that I was the only one who frequently skips tunes on my iPod to avoid shame when friends are listening.) The last detail that really jumped out was when he mentioned DJing and not playing his own stuff when he does it. It's a trip to hear someone at that level make a statement like that, but let's just say I know exactly what he means. It's one thing to put your songs out there with a band on stage, but when playing them next to other artists' tunes that have the dance floor moving, what if people clear the floor like what happened in the club in Florida? That was a super poignant detail in the book, but it also shows how the art of music is not only about selling records and making people want to shake that thing, and for that I am very thankful for all Questlove and other uncompromising artists like him have done.
P.S. After reading what I wrote, I realized I didn't address my earlier suspicions about him being full of himself. In getting to understand him better, I realized that he really is a sage-like authority on music, which is why documentarians more in the know than me sought him out for his input. I'd actually say that after reading this book, I'd consider him to be impressively humble and practical.

But a bit hard to read given the amount of dates and straight information...a little dry but would be good for the right person.

Confession. To my knowledge, I've never heard a Roots song. Everything I know about the Roots comes from hearing them as the house band on Jimmy Fallon and on the wonderful viral videos of the group playing Call Me Maybe and Blurred Lines on kids instruments.

Truthfully, I went into the book hoping to read a bunch of Jimmy Fallon and celebrity stories. What I got instead was the story of a man my age who pours his love of music onto every page. ?uestlove shatters all of my hip hop stereotypes by pointing out just how in love he and his fellow artists are not just with a select few artists, but the entire universe of music. He draws you into his life story and how he consumed every bit of music growing up, from the grooves in the speakers to the grooves in the record. The stories of reading reviews in Rolling Stone, being blown away the first time he hears certain artists, and even the memories forever tied to certain songs, album covers, and record labels will ring true to any person who ever geeked out on music. ?uestlove shares how his musical family gave him his education, even giving him a memorable visit with KISS, while also laying the foundation for the hard work that has gone into ?uestlove's career. Even though there are very few Jimmy Fallon stories, or much dishing of dirt, the book is full of a music fan and artist's love for both the history and the present of his art form. Like a hip hop Dave Grohl, his love for what he does shines through in what he does in his life, and on every page.

Highly recommended for any music fan. Now I'm off to educate myself about the music of the Roots.

gave as a gift

First of all let me start by saying I've never been much of a reader, though I've always liked the idea of reading, the mystique of knowledge and wisdom that people see when they know you read and the growth you gain from it have always intrigued me. With that said Mo' Meta Blues is only the second book I've ever read (in it's entirety) in my life. It is funny, sad, intriguing, and insightful. I cried, laughed, and questioned life at times, the way it is written I truly felt like Questlove was personally sharing his experiences with me. If you are a Roots fan this is a must read, even if you are slightly familiar with "The Legendary Roots Crew" you should read it, I guarantee you will become a bigger fan. Though the JimmY Fallon Show parts are short, they are funny and explains how they become the late night band during a "meeting of the minds" which made me happy and made me laugh. I will read this again at some point in my life, it is the book that has sparked my interest in actually reading an entire book.

I finished this book in one sitting as I just couldn't put it down. Questlove (and others) manage to tell his memoirs in a fresh, welcoming approach. When his manager joins in through footnotes to correct or adjust Questlove's memories, it really brings to light how everyone remembers things differently. I wonder how other memoirs I've read would be affected if they had taken this approach.

Interesting without being trashy. Educational without being preachy. I feel like I know him so much better - but still want to know more.

I am not an avid reader so when this book was recommended to me at first I balked at giving it a try, even thought the Roots are one of my favorite bands. Getting through the first chapters was a bit of a chore because of all the detail but once you break through it was awesome and a real page turner. This book shattered some of my beliefs and confirmed some of my suspicions about the music industry (hip-hop in particular). I have to mention that I was a bit heart broken to know how Questlove felt about what I thought was their greatest track (Break you off) but that is neither here nor there. You will not be satisfied with the end because the Roots and the author continue to live and add pages to the chronicle of their life and until that day comes when neo-soul is gone the the story goes on. If you like neo-soul or hip-hop you will appreciate the book. If you love music period then you will appreciate it as well.

For YEARS, the opinions of Questlove have been respected by those in the know. It's very fitting that The World According to Questlove be documented.