Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson

speaker

61 appearances 1 recordings 1 series first heard Nov 2025 last heard 8 Nov

Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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recordings per month · last 12 months

Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 1 in all, peaking in Nov 2025 with 1.

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The Daily Show: Ears Edition · TDS Time Machine | Rock Stars - Pt. 1 · 8 Nov 2025 podcast

For a lot of people, their first view of us was either in blackface or mired in trouble or controversy or, you know, getting arrested, getting hosed down.

And, but black joy is the component that shows that we're human, you know, and this could have been that moment

had it allowed the spotlight that Woodstock had gotten.

The significance of the event, at least what I got from it was that this was a community trying to heal.

And so for me, shall I say, a really beautiful gander into the infinite possibilities of what a future is.

You're seeing Stevie Wonder

a mere two years before his genius period.

You're seeing Nina Simone give one of her very first non-jazz, non-love song, non-Broadway musical performances, like Nina Simone stepping into her activism shoes in real time.

So you're seeing all these artists, but really you're also just watching the people.

And that's the thing, like when I say like we were robbed of that, not just as black people, but the world to see, you know, oh, family's just like mine.

Just like mine.

Happiness just like, and that's sort of the missing fiber element in telling our stories from the civil rights period that people don't know.

Right, just knowing someone at your job

It showed a- There's just a human element that I didn't even know I was looking for.

Like, because I didn't know that this was going to invoke some sort of emotion out of Merlin McCoo as she's watching herself.

I'm thinking like you hosted Solid Gold.

Like, how do you remember this very specific show

back then, but you know, when she started to really open up about code switching and, you know, something that every black person relates to on the professional job.

And even I needed to see that, like, wow, even when you're the number one singing group in the world, like you still have to code switch and you still have to always be on guard and you're never comfortable.

And, you know, you have longings for just love from your people.

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