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GenX Gon Give It To Ya is ultimately about spreading love and bridging generations. I’m broadening connections while scoopin up some old friends along the way. We’ll reminisce on tv, movies, music, entertainment and events that helped form our culture cause the bond is deep!
Come Play!
[00:00:04]->[00:00:36] Speaker 01
What's good, y'all?
Welcome back to Gen X Gon'Give It To Ya.
I'm your host, Deshanta.
Today's episode is about to be a good one, because we're talking about something that raised us, shaped us, and
gave us some of the best memories we have, music.
And not just any music, we're talking about the incredible legacy of black music.
Soul, funk, R&B, gospel, disco, jazz, blues, hip-hop.
Come on now.
Y'all already know where I'm going with this.
Because if you're Gen X, music wasn't just something playing in the background.
[00:00:36]->[00:01:03] Speaker 01
Music was our life.
And today, I've got somebody with me who understands that on a whole different level.
His mission is to celebrate, document, and preserve the music and the stories behind the music that have influenced generations.
Please welcome Samuel Wilson Jr., the creator and host of the Black Soul Music Experience podcast.
Thank you, Samuel, so much for being here today.
You're just awesome.
I know that you grew up in the Bronx.
Where did you live?
[00:01:03]->[00:01:40] Speaker 02
I lived in all parts of the Bronx.
After I was moved from Harlem, because I'm originally from the village of Harlem in New York City,
and after my parents were divorced in the summer of 1969, I first lived on the west side of the Bronx.
I lived on Harrison Avenue between West Tremont and West Burnside Avenue.
Couple of blocks away from the number four subway station and then move to the east side.
I once lived in Parkchester on Metropolitan Avenue right before you hit the Metropolitan Oval where there used to be a Cornell's children's store
[00:01:40]->[00:02:16] Speaker 02
and Macy's is still there.
And it used to be three movie houses.
You had the Palace, the Lowe's American and the Circle, not too far away from the number six subway station.
And then when I moved back to the village of Harlem, you know,
for a while and then moved back to the Bronx and lived in the Wakefield section,
I lived on East 226th Street between Bronxwood and Barnes Avenue.
And we first had a two family house.
My mom and I, we lived on the street level.
And yes, there was a garage, but the outside garage for those houses back then.
[00:02:16]->[00:02:55] Speaker 02
And then I moved to Rylander Avenue between East Chester Road and Stilwell Avenue by Jacoby Hospital,
where my mother had worked at for many years, and then moved to the Baychester section.
I lived on Kingsland Avenue.
And then later moved to Eastchester Heights, who used to be known as Hillside Homes.
And then later moved to the Wakefield section by the number five Dyer Avenue station.
Last stop.
And then now present, I'm back at Eastchester Heights because I'm close by to the BX30 and 31 and the Westchester Beeline bus and the express
[00:02:55]->[00:02:55] Speaker 02
bus.
[00:02:56]->[00:02:56] Speaker 01
Uptown, baby.
[00:02:57]->[00:02:57] Speaker 02
Uptown, baby.
[00:02:58]->[00:03:00] Speaker 01
What are some things you like doing in the Bronx?
[00:03:00]->[00:03:04] Speaker 02
Shopping, bike riding, and going to the movies.
[00:03:04]->[00:03:06] Speaker 01
What type of movies did you enjoy watching?
[00:03:07]->[00:03:19] Speaker 02
I like the comedy and sci-fi and the adventure movies like Indiana Jones and a couple of spy movies like the 007 James Bond
movies.
[00:03:19]->[00:03:31] Speaker 01
And did you go with friends or was this something that you like snuck out of the house and just dipped in real quick
and was back home before your parents even knew what happened?
Because, you know, that's how Gen X was.
Don't even front.
[00:03:31]->[00:03:53] Speaker 02
Yes.
So I'm going to say like both.
Like one time I kind of sneaked out of the house and I was just getting ready to see Star Trek 2.
No.
It was playing in Midtown.
So then I kind of like took the five train and came back home.
And the other ones, I went by myself.
I would tell my mom, say, I want to go check out that movie.
[00:03:53]->[00:04:04] Speaker 01
That's what I was, too.
With regarding movies, it just happened that way.
But then I always had a friend, too.
It went back and forth, but I was always down for a movie.
What schools did you attend growing up?
[00:04:04]->[00:04:35] Speaker 02
I attended Kidney Garden in Washington Heights inside a Presbyterian church in Manhattan.
And then I went to two private schools, one in the Gramercy Park section of Manhattan and the other one on the Upper West
Side.
And I was taken out of private schools when I was in the third grade of 1976.
And that's when I went to PS 160 in Section 5 and then PS 108 on Neal Avenue right off of Williams Bridge Road.
[00:04:35]->[00:04:43] Speaker 02
And then I went to IS 144 on Gunther and Lodovic Avenue and then went to Harry S.
Truman High School.
[00:04:43]->[00:04:44] Speaker 01
How did you end up at 160?
[00:04:45]->[00:05:14] Speaker 02
Well, I first realized I didn't know I got left back in the third grade.
So it was my mother and my stepfather.
They pulled me out of private school in Manhattan.
So for the reason, I don't know.
And I didn't ask.
They just told me that you're going to go to a better school with a better education.
Your reading grades was kind of like, ugh.
So that's why they put me in PS160, the Walt Disney School in Section 5.
[00:05:14]->[00:05:18] Speaker 01
Are there any teachers that made an impact on your life that you can remember?
[00:05:18]->[00:05:36] Speaker 02
Well, in PS160, I remember Miss Gala and she was nice to me.
And when I was at PS108, Mrs.
Bender, she was nice to me and making sure that homework is done,
make sure you behave in class and just do the right thing.
[00:05:36]->[00:05:37] Speaker 01
What was your first job?
[00:05:37]->[00:06:09] Speaker 02
My first summer job was at St.
Luke's Episcopalian Church.
And this was from the summer jobs at St.
Andrews on Castle Hill Avenue.
So when I got my first summer job on the day after the 4th of July, 1982,
the problem was that all of the counselors got IDs and I was the only one that didn't get any IDs.
So is that weird?
Was the reason and then they called up saint andrews the next day and they said you're gonna be transferred down to saint margaret's
[00:06:09]->[00:06:29] Speaker 02
i didn't ask why they just transferred me down was it because i didn't get my id i didn't ask i was kept silent
and i didn't tell my mom on that friday and let them know that i got transferred to saint margaret's on east 156th street
right near prospect avenue they were like oh
[00:06:30]->[00:06:37] Speaker 01
You go into that dangerous area.
Reflecting on that now, why do you think you didn't get an ID or why do you think you didn't get transferred?
[00:06:37]->[00:07:09] Speaker 02
Well, here's the reason.
Or that you did get transferred, excuse me.
Yeah.
Well, here's the reason.
Our phone was not in service and didn't get no calls from St.
Andrews.
You know, we didn't pay the phone bill on time so that the phone was out of service.
And by the time that I got a letter from St.
Andrews saying you've got the summer job.
But by the time I got to St.
Luke's and didn't realize that I need an I.D.
And that's what happened.
Just been transferred down the St.
[00:07:09]->[00:07:15] Speaker 02
Rockets.
And I've been there from day two all the way until the last day in mid-August.
[00:07:15]->[00:07:25] Speaker 01
So it was a communication thing.
What made you choose your first job?
Like why the church?
Not knocking the church at all.
I'm just curious.
[00:07:25]->[00:07:38] Speaker 02
Well, when I was a daycare counselor at St.
Marcus Church, where they had a community center, the salary was good.
That was the main purpose.
The salary was good.
And the least one, I had to take care of those kids.
[00:07:39]->[00:07:42] Speaker 01
So you have an affinity for kids?
Kids mean something special to you?
[00:07:42]->[00:07:57] Speaker 02
Well, not that much, but I'm kind of used to the ones like from ages from seven to nine, you know,
like at my age.
But I wasn't ready like those when I was a daycare counselor for them back then.
[00:07:57]->[00:08:01] Speaker 01
You could have chosen so many things.
Why a daycare counselor?
[00:08:01]->[00:08:31] Speaker 02
Well, that was on that roster at St.
Andrews.
So when my mom and I, we went to St.
Andrews looking for a summer job, that was the only one that was there.
And that was for daycare counselors.
So they'll assign me to either the one that's close to me or like what happened yesterday.
The day after they'll transfer me.
And I was there 1982.
I did not go back there again.
And until 1984, mom said, we're going to have you back for a summer job.
[00:08:31]->[00:09:04] Speaker 02
So I went back to St.
Andrews.
And for the first time, someone has spoken about why I'm being transferred to another location.
They said this, you have to learn how to travel.
So I said to myself,
Learning how to travel.
Are you telling me that I have to go to a neighborhood that is not safe instead of going to the one that is
close to home?
And still up to this date, I still don't know why they had me transferred down to a place where there's not safe and the ones
that's right by me, which is close and safe.
[00:09:04]->[00:09:21] Speaker 01
What I've learned is some people are big on rites of passage.
It sounds like they were like, all right, this is the opportunity where he needs to learn this rite of passage.
I could be wrong.
I'm just saying.
What were some of your favorite TV shows or movies growing up?
[00:09:21]->[00:09:49] Speaker 02
Well, me growing up, all my favorite shows were The Brady Bunch, The Odd Couple, Room 222, Love American Style, and Carol Burnett,
and some of the other shows like Fat Albert and Nanny and the Professor, All in the Family, and it's spinoffs, Maude the Jeffersons,
and Good Times, and...
Mary Talamore and Bob Newhart.
And don't want to leave out Sample and Son and Chico and the Man and Alf.
[00:09:49]->[00:10:22] Speaker 01
Chico, aw.
Yep.
Aw, yeah.
You just went through a whole line of stuff.
I'm like, wait, I want to say something.
Wait, I want to say something.
You forgot Mary Hartman.
Mary Hartman.
I'm a big Carol Burnett fan.
Love American Style that came on, I think, Saturday nights late.
I was always up.
I don't know why.
But and sometimes I got access to a TV.
Don't hold me accountable.
It just happened.
But you just threw me back there.
So that was awesome.
Especially Chico and the Man and Sanford and Son.
[00:10:22]->[00:10:27] Speaker 01
You just went there.
You just went there.
So thank you for that.
Favorite celebrity, if you have one?
[00:10:27]->[00:10:42] Speaker 02
Favorite celebrity, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Richard Pryor, Cicely Tyson, and the new upcoming stars like Denzel Washington and Anthony Mackie.
You know, just those favorites.
[00:10:42]->[00:10:47] Speaker 01
It's interesting that you say Anthony Mackie.
What was your favorite performance by Anthony Mackie?
[00:10:47]->[00:11:18] Speaker 02
The best performance from Anthony Mackie was She Hate Me.
And that was a Spike Lee joint.
And he played the role of a person who works in the stockbroker business.
And then all of a sudden, there was something in the stockbrokers that got crashed.
And he got a call from someone that says like,
Hey you're on the news and then you got fired and 24 hours so in order for him to stay alive his ex-girlfriend who's
[00:11:18]->[00:11:52] Speaker 02
now a lesbian and then in order to stay in your apartment you got to make
Babies to different women i was like this was something new from that movie while at the same time there was dealing with some
other things you know spike lee you know was not afraid to discuss the issues and he'll throw something in that movie and then
dealing with you know money and then problems in the black communities not getting all the salaries that they deserve or like being victims
[00:11:52]->[00:12:04] Speaker 02
of what happened back then that was never
Talked about.
So shout out to Anthony Mackie and his performance and shout out to Spike Lee because anything he say from today's headlines,
gotta give a shout out to those guys.
[00:12:20]->[00:12:50] Speaker 01
Absolutely, I agree.
And it's funny that you mentioned this because within the last month, I watched She Hate Me.
I saw it back in the day when it came out because I am a big Spike Lee fan and I'm going to support.
But I recently watched it and it was prophetic because it resonated with what we're going through today.
We have these companies...
Stealing money and there's always a scapegoat trying to put all the blame on one person when really you're the one that is facilitating
[00:12:50]->[00:13:21] Speaker 01
fraud.
You're stealing everybody's money.
Spike Lee told us about this 20 years ago and here we are face value year after year after year of these companies just
finessing to get more money out of people and then scientists are disappearing.
It's this whole big thing.
But He's been telling us the truth for years.
People just want to discount it as, oh, conspiracy, blah, blah, blah, blah.
No, it's in our face right now to this day.
So shout out to Spike Lee, like you said.
Shout out to Anthony Mackie.
Because he's come up in the world.
[00:13:21]->[00:13:52] Speaker 01
When I first saw that, I was like, who's this dude?
Because, yeah, basically he was a gigolo.
Made mad money to have babies.
That's the perception that they gave us at the time.
But when you reflect on it now, going back to what you said...
It's political and it's about the more money you have, the more you got to take away from somebody else.
That's ultimately what I'm getting out of it.
So thank you for bringing that up.
And that's proper representation right there.
Again, shout out to Spike Lee and Anthony Mackie.
Thank you.
That was a gem.
You dropped the gem right there.
[00:13:52]->[00:13:56] Speaker 01
Are there any favorite TV jingles that you remember?
[00:13:56]->[00:14:10] Speaker 02
Yes, that Pulse Super Golden Chris, you know, Sugar Bear says, can't get enough of Super Golden Chris.
It's got the crunch with punch.
And then, you know, the Kool-Aid commercial.
I'm sure you remember Kool-Aid.
Oh, yeah.
[00:14:10]->[00:14:12] Speaker 01
Kool-Aid.
Oh, yeah.
[00:14:13]->[00:14:27] Speaker 02
Here comes Kool-Aid.
Coming to save the day.
Here comes kool-aid here comes kool-aid i'm gonna chase your thirst away so that that was the jingle this is horrible of me and i
[00:14:27]->[00:14:44] Speaker 01
can't believe i'm about to say this and it's probably going to be edited out but when you're singing this kool-aid jingle don't you see
like a girl bending over like kool-aid shaking the ass shaking the ass because that's where our society has gone but i digress favorite
cereals or candies
[00:14:44]->[00:15:04] Speaker 02
Favorite cereals, Kellogg's, Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks, Raisin Bran, and those Kellogg's jumble assortment and variety and snack packs for breakfast.
And favorite chocolate candy, M&M's, Peanuts, Snickers, Milky Way, Twix, Goobers, and Raisinets.
[00:15:04]->[00:15:24] Speaker 01
Nice.
I still eat Raisinets to this day and this is going to sound horrible because I should be eating better.
But dark chocolate Raisinets and popcorn at the movies, it all goes hand in hand.
And don't forget the butter.
But it's a great combination and you should try it.
Do you play video games or did you play video games?
[00:15:24]->[00:15:56] Speaker 02
I played video games, but I didn't have video games at home when I was little.
So I either go to my friend's house or I would go to a video arcade.
And not all of the video games that I like, but there was one that I liked when I went to the video arcade.
There used to be one on Bartow Avenue where Pathmark used to be.
It was a game called Intruders.
It wasn't like Space Intruders or those other games that you see on Atari or ColecoVision.
But this one's a little different.
[00:15:56]->[00:16:12] Speaker 02
It's kind of like Aliens or like here comes the intruder.
You got to go kill those little invaders.
And then you hear someone saying, I don't feel like let's not escape.
So that was kind of like the one that I like.
The little that intruder game.
[00:16:12]->[00:16:15] Speaker 01
So you walked around shooting people or shooting intruders?
[00:16:15]->[00:16:17] Speaker 02
Shooting intruders during space.
[00:16:17]->[00:16:21] Speaker 01
I would love that game.
I'm a shooter person.
Did you ever beat a game?
[00:16:21]->[00:16:43] Speaker 02
Ever beat a game?
Yes.
I was good at this game called Perfection, the little toy game.
You just turn the little thing and you got to come fast in 60 seconds before everything pops out.
So that was the game that I like.
The one that I keep beating all the time is usually checkers.
And I get losing at checkers all the time.
And also connect four.
[00:16:43]->[00:16:51] Speaker 01
Gotcha.
Four across.
One more game.
That worked perfectly.
Do you have favorite superheroes where you're a comic fan?
[00:16:51]->[00:16:58] Speaker 02
Yes.
And one of my favorite comic heroes was Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Incredible Hulk.
[00:16:58]->[00:16:59] Speaker 01
Why Spider-Man?
[00:16:59]->[00:17:28] Speaker 02
Spider-Man was, you know, different and coming out of the NYC.
And then all of a sudden he got bitten by a spider.
Peter Parker got bitten by a spider.
So then he would disguise him as Spider-Man.
He would spin a web.
He would go from building to building and catching crooks.
And when the cops come, they would take their picture.
So as Peter Parker, he would take a picture of that and put that in the newspaper.
[00:17:28]->[00:17:30] Speaker 01
What about that attracted you?
[00:17:30]->[00:17:46] Speaker 02
So I'm kind of like the cartoon version, but not the one that I usually see when you had the electric company and with Spider-Man.
Kind of like, you know, not the one that I kind of get used to, but I'm more like the cartoon version of it.
[00:17:46]->[00:17:52] Speaker 01
Okay.
Fair enough.
Did you have the opportunity to play Spider-Man in a video game?
[00:17:52]->[00:17:54] Speaker 02
Spider-Man the video game?
No.
[00:17:54]->[00:18:00] Speaker 01
I recommend it.
It's so much fun.
That's all.
Did you have a villain that you could relate to from their perspective?
[00:18:00]->[00:18:26] Speaker 02
A villain that I can relate to?
No.
And I'll tell you why.
Because when I see villains doing evil things like to destroy the city, destroy the world and everything like
That's the bad people, the bad guys and girls.
They like, like growing up, you never had anything that you wanted.
So you go after those people want to destroy everything.
So for the villains.
[00:18:26]->[00:18:34] Speaker 01
So you can't relate to, and I'm just being devil's advocate, Magneto.
Magneto, not that Magneto.
[00:18:34]->[00:18:44] Speaker 02
When he had those powers and technolectic powers, I can relate to that, you know, but not all that I can relate to.
[00:18:44]->[00:19:14] Speaker 01
Understood.
I feel like I relate to the perspective of him fighting for discrimination and bigotry and inequality.
So that's why I relate to Magneto.
And sometimes extremes have to be taken for there to be change there.
That's how I feel about anti-heroes versus villains versus heroes.
And that was just a question that I had.
So let's switch gears a little bit.
Did you have a sneaker brand that you rocked faithfully?
[00:19:14]->[00:19:45] Speaker 02
Nike.
So I had that sneaker back in the 80s.
So when my late mother had bought me Nikes, you know, because of the arches and everything.
So...
Those are the ones that I have been rocking from back in the 80s and still, you know, up to like 2020.
So when I don't see that Nike's anymore.
And then sometimes, you know, mom bought me a pair of Reeboks.
And back then, you know, I had Converse.
I had Pro Kids and Kids.
[00:19:45]->[00:19:50] Speaker 02
That's the sister label of Pro Kids.
You know, those are the ones that I like as well growing up.
[00:19:50]->[00:19:54] Speaker 01
Even so you didn't have a pair of classic Reeboks, black or white?
[00:19:54]->[00:20:04] Speaker 02
No, mom just bought, you know, it's a regular pair of Reeboks.
So, you know, I never paid any close attention, but my mom said, oh, look at them Reeboks, they're on sale.
[00:20:04]->[00:20:09] Speaker 01
Keyword, keyword on sale.
Favorite sports teams?
Are you into sports?
[00:20:09]->[00:20:41] Speaker 02
Yes, I'm into like baseball and the Olympic Games.
So for me, baseball, I was a Met fan and then over to a Yankee fan, then went back to a Met fan.
And the greatest experience that I will always cherish is that I got a chance to go to Shea Stadium.
This was back in May 1972.
My mom and I and her friends, we went to Shea Stadium for the very first time.
We got a chance to see the New York Mets playing the Cincinnati Reds.
[00:20:42]->[00:21:00] Speaker 02
I got a chance to see the whole stadium, just like I'd be watching it when the Mets was on Channel 9 back then.
But, you know, only thing that I missed was like the instant replays because I'm I'm more like if I miss something,
they'll play the instant replays and everything.
And also the sportscasters that I'd be intrigued with.
[00:21:00]->[00:21:02] Speaker 01
Do you remember if they won that game?
[00:21:02]->[00:21:14] Speaker 02
For the Mets, yes.
They beat the Cincinnati Reds.
So we didn't stay for the whole thing.
We just wanted to get out before everybody starts, you know, it's kind of like crowded and everything.
[00:21:14]->[00:21:16] Speaker 01
Old schools, do you still watch today?
[00:21:16]->[00:21:35] Speaker 02
TV-wise, Samford and Son, Barney Miller, One Day at a Time, Maude, The Jeffersons, and The Facts of Life, Different Strokes, Benson,
and also love me some Johnny Carson because he'll be coming on 11 o'clock at night on Antenna TV, all of those classic episodes.
[00:21:36]->[00:21:40] Speaker 01
I remember watching all of those shows, but you mentioning Barney Miller.
[00:21:41]->[00:22:11] Speaker 02
What is it that you liked about Barney Miller?
Well, it's a funny show, you know, taking place at 12th Precinct.
You got Barney Miller and then you got all those cops, including Detective Harris, you know, played by Ron Glass.
And you had Detective Yamana played by Jack Su.
And during the first two seasons, you had Gregory Sierra played Tiano and all the other characters.
But the best episode that I like from Barney Miller is when Woe Jehovah's brought in a box.
[00:22:11]->[00:22:27] Speaker 02
It was like brownies, but it was covered with hashish.
It was like kind of like, you know, like like weed or something like that.
And all of the cops went crazy when they started eating those brownies mixed with weed in it.
They'll be like blowing into another world.
[00:22:27]->[00:22:33] Speaker 01
I liked Barney Miller.
Favorite music genre and artists?
All genres of black music.
[00:22:33]->[00:23:03] Speaker 02
Gospel, jazz, blues, old school classic soul, old school hip hop.
I like some of a little bit of today's hip hop than R&B, but not a lot.
Caribbean, Latin, Afro beat, blue eyed soul, disco, go-go, line dances, and the lost classics.
One of my favorite singers still up to this date.
I'll have To pick like Elton John and Carly Simon and Carole King.
You know, those are the singers.
And Michael McDonald, the Doobie Brothers.
[00:23:03]->[00:23:06] Speaker 01
What favorite song do you have from Elton John?
[00:23:06]->[00:23:09] Speaker 02
Benny and the Jets.
Number one hit.
[00:23:09]->[00:23:09] Speaker 01
Benny!
[00:23:10]->[00:23:12] Speaker 02
And yeah, that laid a sample.
[00:23:12]->[00:23:14] Speaker 01
Is it the lyrics or just because he laid it down?
[00:23:14]->[00:23:36] Speaker 02
All of the above, he laid it down.
And then I would never believe that that song would be laid a sample for Mary J.
Blige.
When I hear that song, I was like, what are they doing?
They're doing Benny and the Jets.
And then Mary J.
Blige was doing that song deep inside and was like, you're sampling off from Benny and the Jets.
I was like, wow.
Benny and the Jets.
[00:23:37]->[00:23:49] Speaker 01
Okay.
I feel it.
Okay.
I feel you.
All right.
I got to ask, are you a Jackson 5 fan?
[00:23:49]->[00:24:15] Speaker 02
Yes.
And I still have my Jackson 5 Greatest Hits LP.
And that was a Christmas gift back in 1971.
I still have it in good faith.
The only thing was when you just tear it off and just stick it on the door and
So that was like a, you know, tear off poster ad and everything.
But I still got my LP is still in good condition.
Not a scratch yet.
[00:24:15]->[00:24:17] Speaker 01
Are you a Star Wars fan?
[00:24:17]->[00:24:35] Speaker 02
The original one?
Yes.
You know, with one came out in 1977 and then 1980 and 1983.
That was the ones that I loved, those three ones, but not used to those prequels,
but I'm kind of referred to the original ones that came out since 1977.
[00:24:36]->[00:24:41] Speaker 01
We can talk about those.
We ain't got to talk about the other ones.
What stands out for you in Star Wars?
[00:24:41]->[00:25:08] Speaker 02
What stands out for me in Star Wars, it was good versus evil up against Darth Vader.
And I see him in every three chapters.
I think part one, did Darth Vader die?
And then when I see him in part two, the Empire strikes back at the almost ending.
And when you hear Darth Vader say, Luke, I am your father.
And Luke was like, I was like, is this happening?
Are you for real?
You mean Darth Vader?
[00:25:26]->[00:25:50] Speaker 01
So it's safe to say you were on the the light side of the force okay and just because i have to no judgment
because there's no judgment but it's episode four five and six i just got to put that out there because somebody would be like
why you didn't tell him okay episode four five and six but i was with you along the whole way great all right highlight
zone fans
[00:25:50]->[00:26:22] Speaker 02
Yes, I am.
And like every Friday night, I will see some of those episodes that come on late night.
One of the episodes that I like was Nightmare at 20,000 feet.
You had a young William Shatner before he became Captain Kirk.
And he was taken out of the psychiatric ward.
And then you look out that airplane window, you see a mysterious monster.
And you got a call attendant.
There's a monster outside the window.
And they looked outside and says, the monster's not there.
[00:26:24]->[00:26:37] Speaker 02
So he kind of like sneaked in.
Oh, there's a gun.
And you killed that monster.
And like the end of the episode, people didn't believe him.
But what they saw, it really happened.
[00:26:37]->[00:27:07] Speaker 01
Right.
That plane was demolished.
I always ask those questions because those are the, I love me some Twilight Zone.
I love me some Star Wars.
So it's important that I always, and I love me the Jackson 5.
So that's like, if I could get that out of y'all, then y'all would tell me anything I want to know.
And then the conversation just flows.
So those are just the random questions that I'll sometimes ask.
You mentioned hip hop earlier and listening, but when hip hop emerged, was that something that you fully immersed yourself in?
[00:27:07]->[00:27:39] Speaker 02
At first, you know, I didn't know what it was.
But me growing up, I thought hip hop was kind of like the Jamaican version because my stepfather was Jamaican and I would play
some of his records.
So when I played the singing version and I would flip it over to the instrumental side.
And then I found out later on that there were some Jamaican DJs who started rapping.
And then I Never knew that hip-hop would originally come from Jamaica and then come bring it to the NYC.
[00:27:39]->[00:28:15] Speaker 02
And then when my first hip-hop song that I first heard was Rapper's Delight by the Sugarhill Gang.
So I would just keep listening to it.
I'd be like, hip, hop, hip, the hippity, hippity, hip, hip, hop.
Don't stop the rock, it's the bang, bang, reggae.
I'm just the rhythm to the rhythm of the boogie, the bee.
What you hear is not a test on rapping to the beat.
Because me and my friends are going to try to move your feet.
You see, I am Wonder Mike, and I like to say hello to the white, to the brown, the purple, the brown, the purple,
[00:28:15]->[00:28:36] Speaker 02
and yellow.
First, that's the bang, bang, the give it up, up, just the rhythm.
This rock, you don't stop.
It's going to make your body rock.
Oh, man.
When I heard that song, I was like in someone's car.
You just hear the middle of the song and you try to get to the bridge.
It was like, man, I couldn't hear the rest of the song.
[00:28:36]->[00:28:41] Speaker 01
You mentioned the Caribbean influence.
Can you shed more light on that?
[00:28:41]->[00:29:13] Speaker 02
Yes, the Caribbean influence.
When you hear a
Bob Marley and Peter Tosh and the Mighty Sparrow.
And then there are some of the singers like the Mighty Diamonds and Culture.
You hear some of their songs, but then it was way before 12 inch singles.
And then you hear the song and then the rappers started rapping to it.
So then once you hear the rapping DJs, that's what they they were known back in Jamaica, West Indies,
and then brought it to the U.S.
[00:29:13]->[00:29:49] Speaker 02
In the NYC.
So that was kind of influence.
But hip hop was a mixture of everything with the beats.
They would have some from Jamaica and then hip hop was influenced by James Brown.
So they would sample stuff from James Brown's beats.
I was like, I'm hearing something from Boogie Down Productions.
And they were sampling from James.
And I said, ain't it funky now?
And I was like, wait a minute.
They're sampling all from James Brown.
You know, hip hop was influenced.
Not just only James Brown, but they were influenced by some of the DJs that they were doing from Jamaica West Indies.
[00:29:49]->[00:30:00] Speaker 02
So once you hear it, you'll know it.
Especially when you hear it, those big mama hoofer speakers, when you hear it in stereo, the bass, boom, ba-boom.
And I was like, whoa, you'll hear it.
[00:30:00]->[00:30:04] Speaker 01
Thank you for sharing that.
What movie do you love that we'd least expect?
[00:30:04]->[00:30:35] Speaker 02
What movie does least expect?
I'm going to go with Sounder back in 1972 that starred Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield and a young Kevin Hooks.
And this was a story about a black sharecropper family.
This was during the Great Depression that you didn't see it in the history books.
So you hear from a black point of view.
And they had a dog named sound so then the father was arrested for stealing meat and then it was in jail so the mother
[00:30:35]->[00:30:48] Speaker 02
and the children bought in cake you know for the father so the son played by kevin hooks he had to walk through school
and that was the you know the best part of the movie and by the way the movie was rated g wow do you
[00:30:48]->[00:30:51] Speaker 01
know if that movie won any awards
[00:30:51]->[00:31:01] Speaker 02
It was nominated for an Oscar.
I think Paul Winfield was nominated for Best Actor or for Sounder.
Although they didn't win, someone else had won.
[00:31:02]->[00:31:03] Speaker 01
What career did you choose?
[00:31:03]->[00:31:34] Speaker 02
Radio broadcasting, and I'll tell you why.
Many people have come to me when I do presentations in church or when I was doing a presentation when I was at IS 144 in the
eighth grade doing a St.
Patrick's Day episode.
When they heard the voice, everybody was saying, I love your presentation.
You have a A wonderful voice.
So then when I get ready to go to trade school,
[00:31:34]->[00:32:05] Speaker 02
I went to Center for the Media Arts in the Chelsea section of Manhattan.
So when I told my mom that I was going to radio broadcasting, she thought I was nuts.
The only thing that she was concerned about is the pay, the salary.
Does it pay you?
Does it gives you like a social security and everything?
Or you go bring home a little itty bitty paycheck?
That's not giving you anything.
So then I was turned down by the first choice of radio broadcasting.
So the least was graphic art and design.
[00:32:05]->[00:32:36] Speaker 02
So even though I was joined for fun, but in that field, you got to be quick.
You got to know your ruler, your meters and everything.
So best part I like was doing album covers, but nothing.
That wasn't for me.
And the brochures, you have to know your rulers, your in-between, one-halves and your three-fourths and one-fourths.
The only thing I had to learn was those one-eighths and four-eighths and one-sixteenths.
So that was something that I didn't know about.
[00:32:37]->[00:32:41] Speaker 02
And when I got into the real world, that was a price to be paid.
So you got to be quick.
[00:32:41]->[00:32:45] Speaker 01
Did that career choice make you happy?
Does it make you happy?
[00:32:45]->[00:33:19] Speaker 02
For graphic art and design, not that much because when I got into the real world,
when I was working for that graphic office and I was not that quick, so radio kept calling me.
You know, that was my first choice.
And ever since I've gotten into radio and then
My mom said you should sign sign up an application at cbs and that's when her cousin was the first black to be hired
at cbs so i worked at black rock for 35 years and then when cbs sold to westinghouse and then i said the guy
[00:33:19]->[00:33:51] Speaker 02
have a backup plan so then i was listening to wvox and then his sister station 93.5 fm went rmb my former cbs co-worker
in the maryland said wr
WRTN with R&B.
I said WRTN with R&B.
I said, get out of here.
This was nothing but format, return radio or elevator music.
That's what we will call it.
When you go to the doctor's office, they will play some elevator music.
That was WRTN.
But when they changed the format to Classic Soul and Today's R&B, I said, OK, let me check this out.
[00:33:52]->[00:34:24] Speaker 02
So when I went back to WVOX and Christmas Eve 1994, when I was looking for WRTN,
then I found out that it was satellite coming from Dallas, Texas, and the network affiliate was ABC.
So when I was working at WVOX, I got a chance to work behind the radio board.
I've learned How to use the board operator.
And when they heard me on the radio Tuesday evening, 7.30, I was doing the intern.
One of the director or board operator that said, we got to hire you.
[00:34:24]->[00:34:57] Speaker 02
So they want me to put me on a Sunday shift.
They want me to put me in for nine o'clock.
I said, uh-uh.
Church comes first.
So I have to go to Sunday school and church.
So when CBS was sold to Westinghouse in June of 1995, I said, let's do it.
And they put me on a regular Sunday shift from 7 p.m., 1 in the morning, Monday morning.
I said, let's do it.
So I was a regular employee on the first Sunday of August of 1995.
I was the technical director for the Irish show and the church news.
[00:34:58]->[00:35:29] Speaker 02
And then at 530, I was on.
From 5 30 to 9 now the format at wvox was big band and jazz but it was integrated with talk and information so after
i signed off wvox at nine o'clock i would take care of the assistor station wrtn because on the weekends they had the block
time programs i was the technical director for the
Indo-Caribbean and the Caribbean programs.
I took care of Ken Williams, who once was a radio DJ personality at WLIB.
[00:35:29]->[00:36:06] Speaker 02
Then he left the station because there was format changes.
So he bought Black Airtime at WRTN.
I took care of his things, airing the commercials.
And in case if he wasn't there, he would leave a VHS tape to have him play.
And at the same time, he took care of Care of New York.
He did the Mace Jamaica.
Pageant so i was taking care of the board operator and taking care of the live broadcast so that was a big break for me and i was
there from 1995 until i was laid off at the end of october because computers were moving in and then i came back for the christmas
[00:36:07]->[00:36:22] Speaker 02
eve shift The best part I liked for WBOX was the Christmas Eve shift.
That was that year when PIX11 took off the Yule log.
And now it's my turn to do my version of the Yule log.
So that was the biggest experience that I had in my life.
[00:36:22]->[00:36:26] Speaker 01
Kudos to you.
And I agree.
You do have a really good radio voice.
[00:36:26]->[00:36:27] Speaker 02
Thank you very much.
[00:36:27]->[00:36:31] Speaker 01
Yeah.
What would your child self tell your adult self?
[00:36:31]->[00:36:44] Speaker 02
Listen, just listen.
And if you do all those things, you will be getting any punishments or whippings every single night.
If you do all the assignments that you were told to do, you will be victorious.
[00:36:44]->[00:36:47] Speaker 01
What are you most amazed by technology?
[00:36:47]->[00:37:20] Speaker 02
I'm just a little curious about AI.
People saying there's some good side of AI and then you have some of the bad side of AI.
Now, I didn't know what AI was all about.
And there was this movie that came out around 2008 or 2010 called AI.
When you see humans and then they're like robots.
So then when I got taken up these AI classes from the Department of Labor,
And then I got to start learning about all of this technology and what you're seeing now.
[00:37:20]->[00:37:51] Speaker 02
You know, once I was laid off from CBS and I was looking for different jobs and there was no jobs available because of AI.
So as I said, there are some good side of it and there are some bad side of it.
Because I got to learn not only AI, but chat, GBT, and then Copilot, which is on everyone's computers.
So I was kind of messing around with Copilot.
And I would ask Copilot, tell the audience about my podcast, the Black Soul Music Experience podcast.
[00:37:52]->[00:37:55] Speaker 02
And then the whole information had popped up in 60 seconds.
[00:38:12]->[00:38:44] Speaker 01
I was kind of impressed with that as well because of course I looked you up.
Yeah, AI is bonkers in a good way and a bad way because it helps so many businesses.
It helps so many entrepreneurs.
It helps so many job seekers.
But I, and like you, come from the generation of Terminator.
So there's red flags here and there.
I heard today that some AI hacked a system that they were engaged in and that's kind of disarming for me.
But as a whole, AI got it popping.
[00:38:44]->[00:39:14] Speaker 01
You just got to show discernment.
Some people are going to abuse it like everything else.
But for the most part, it's helping a lot of people.
You just got to use common sense.
Common sense is a factor too.
I said discernment.
Common sense.
Common sense is key.
Like, that's not where you find a girlfriend.
That's not where you find a boyfriend.
Like, let's keep this in perspective.
Let's keep this humane.
And maybe things will go smoothly.
But I'm not here to judge AI.
So that was just my two cents.
But I do want to get into your podcast.
[00:39:15]->[00:39:20] Speaker 01
Finally, let's talk about that.
What inspired you to create the Black Soul Music Experience?
[00:39:20]->[00:39:52] Speaker 02
Well, my inspiration of that was this was the first time that I was doing a music podcast.
Out of all the podcasts I've been watching on YouTube, you see like adult entertainment and news and things like that.
So before I was laid off, I participated in the CBS people development program.
So while I was waiting for a DJ gig, I was in the
office with my supervisor and my coworker that we loaned over for showtime and podcast was on the list.
So my supervisor said, you have a voice for it.
[00:39:52]->[00:40:24] Speaker 02
You should sign up.
So then after the meeting, I got a text.
From my paternal cousin, and he's in the music business.
I haven't met him yet, and he suggested me that I should do a podcast.
So I had the pitch and an idea, and I just named it the Black Soul Music Experience Podcast.
So then I was asking my coworker, what product do you use?
He said, Spotify.
So ever since October 2021, I would tell my audience on what the podcast is all about.
[00:40:24]->[00:40:55] Speaker 02
It's about genres of black music.
And my influence was the late Frankie Crocker.
And he played everything on his show.
He didn't care was white, black, Latino, Asian or Caribbean.
So I just kind of like dusted off from him.
So on my podcast, I would interview genres of black music.
But before that, I was playing music the first two seasons of music and talking.
But then when season three came, I finally got a hold of some guests that I would interview on my show.
[00:40:55]->[00:41:26] Speaker 02
And yes, I delved into some hot topics.
For example, you know, I did an episode on blacks and country music.
And that was the talk of it.
That was a hot button topic.
So I did an episode on that topic.
Part two, season two music.
Everything from Beyonce to some other unknown singers like DeFort Bailey and Cleve Francis and those ladies Chapel Heart and Second Chance and that.
Do a little experiment.
Throw in some Lil Nas X.
Throw it in with Jerry Reed and
[00:41:26]->[00:42:01] Speaker 02
Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton and Savannah Dexter and then close it out with singers who crossed all genres.
And like I said, it was a hot button topic.
And yes, I stepped on everybody's toes, including the you know what in politics,
because country music was known for its platform from Nixon to you know who in the White House right now as we speak.
So as i can see you know there was stuff that need to be talked about and then for season three i got a chance
to interview some of my cbs folks one of them was a lady that i delivered packages to who worked in the photo department
[00:42:01]->[00:42:33] Speaker 02
but when i saw something on youtube that she was a singer back then so i said come on be a guest on my
show we don't know everything about you and yeah
I've interviewed some of our Truman classmates.
A couple of them were DJs.
And I also interviewed some of my family relatives.
And one on my late father's side of the family is a musician.
And she's a member of the Recording Academy.
Her name is Tammy Harper.
On my late mother's side of the family, I have a cousin that I didn't know.
And I got a chance to interview him on Season 3.
[00:42:33]->[00:43:03] Speaker 02
And his name is Kurt Jones.
He was in a band called Slave back in the mid-late 70s.
And...
I had him for season five and we're meeting for the very first time face to face.
So that was an eye opener.
And he went to Dayton, Ohio.
He got a chance to meet Sugarfoot of the Ohio players.
But my podcast doesn't stop there.
I delve into some other issues because music play a part in everything.
Music play a part in education.
I did an episode on that.
[00:43:04]->[00:43:38] Speaker 02
Which is why music education is important.
I did an episode on music playing a part in fashion and the arts because when we watch the VMAs or the BET Awards
or the Grammys, you'll see some of our favorite singers marching down the red carpet.
And sometimes you'll see some singers wearing something unexpected that may be too hot for network or basic cable television.
And music playing a part in social issues.
I delve into some hard topics, including I've interviewed a singer who was a singer, songwriter, and she was a domestic abuse survivor.
[00:43:38]->[00:44:04] Speaker 02
And another one I interviewed was emergency preparedness.
This was new.
It was not talked about because, yes, music play a part in that.
Think of Marvin Gaye when he did Mercy, Mercy Me, the ecology.
We're dealing with climate change.
And then the Tramps had that song where wherever you that the lights went out in New York City.
I said to myself, who came up with that song was based on the blackout that took place.
[00:44:04]->[00:44:05] Speaker 01
You were going to say that in 1977.
[00:44:08]->[00:44:39] Speaker 02
And then we delve into some hard topics.
And I did an episode on songs as dealing with mental illness.
And yes, it played a part in that.
I would think about some of those songs that were used in for those PSAs.
Like, for example, The Sounds of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel.
That song was later used in that PSA called Closer Look.
And I looked at those PSAs and Closer Look was an organization that is helping children with special needs.
And I recently did a Dr.
[00:44:39]->[00:45:10] Speaker 02
King episode because ever since I started doing my podcast, I always leave something on the side.
I do a Dr.
King episode, Black History Month, Women's History Month, Valentine's Day episode, Hispanic History
Heritage Month episode and some Black Music Month episodes.
And I did Mother's Day and Father's Day episodes.
So me growing up, when you have those days off and you should have something on, because
that was me growing up when we all know that Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year's are automatic.
[00:45:10]->[00:45:41] Speaker 02
But you also need episodes for Dr.
King Day as well as Mother's Day and Father's Day.
So on my podcast, we just wrapped up season five.
We did two hundred and thirty episodes.
We did bonus episodes and we also did an Asian American Music Month episode.
So and not only that.
I got a chance to interview a singer coming out of Iran.
And we met on LinkedIn.
And I didn't know that that singer was from Iran.
[00:45:41]->[00:46:11] Speaker 02
So that's the same Iran that we dealt with those conflicts for years.
But you don't hear any good news coming out of Iran.
We don't know there's any singers or actors or actresses.
So I face no fear.
I've interviewed that lady.
And I aired that on her birthday, November 29th, just in time for Thanksgiving.
So...
There's some good sides of it, but, you know, there's not that much positive in everything.
And yes, I got a chance to do some other things,
[00:46:12]->[00:46:45] Speaker 02
including artists of why are not paying close attention to record labels when it comes to marketing and promotion.
And maybe that's the reason why you see some of the major artists like Alicia Keys and Sheryl Crow and Taylor Swift.
They're no longer on the major record labels.
They've gone independent.
And we're in a post-pandemic AI world that singers are doing their own thing without having the record CEOs dictate to them and saying,
you can't sing that song and you can't collaborate with that other artist.
[00:46:46]->[00:47:21] Speaker 02
So you have artistic freedom and creative control.
And I've interviewed all of the independent artists from hip hop and jazz and Caribbean and Afrobeats.
So that gives me an opportunity to interview everybody, not just here in the US.
I've interviewed some artists.
I mentioned Iran, but also from Africa and the UK and the Far East for the first time.
You just got to get up early in the morning because...
When I was a CBS employee, when I see those news reporters, when they had to report on those countries overseas,
[00:47:21]->[00:47:31] Speaker 02
it's like a six-hour difference.
So with my podcast, it gives you everything.
I've interviewed a diversity of singers who were influenced by Black music.
[00:47:31]->[00:47:39] Speaker 01
It sounds like we have a lot of content for all of us to go through, so I'm excited.
How do you decide which artist deserves the spotlight?
[00:47:40]->[00:48:10] Speaker 02
Bill.
Artists that deserve who gets the spotlight.
Okay.
I mentioned Nelly Haqqani.
That's the lady from Iran.
Because I was saying to myself, let's interview this singer.
And like I said, facing no fears, interview that lady.
And also I've interviewed Miss Tammy Smith.
That's the one from Arkansas who was a domestic abuse survivor.
So I got a chance to get a hold of them.
And when I'm on Alignable, I get a chance to juggle around who can I interview on my podcast,
[00:48:11]->[00:48:48] Speaker 02
whether it's on Alignable or LinkedIn.
And also, one more thing.
I got a chance to interview this lady who works at a production company that takes care of singers who does movie and TV
themes.
Because, you know, us black folks, we don't pay close attention to the credits, especially when you're at a movie theater.
You say, the movie's over with.
Time to go.
And then the same thing on television.
Change another channel.
So for me growing up, I always like to find out who did what on those shows.
Who did the music?
Because you never know your favorite TV show or movie could be a top 10 hit on Billboard's Hot 100 pop single charts.
[00:48:48]->[00:49:13] Speaker 02
So me growing up, that's very important because when award time comes, you never know who did what,
who did the music for that artist.
Who took care of the different tracks that made the song funky?
And for TV, who did that theme song that attracts the listener and the viewers?
So those are some of the things that really picky on who can I pick to be a guest on my show.
[00:49:13]->[00:49:41] Speaker 01
I agree.
It's important to pay attention to the credits.
I only know that because I work in film and TV.
So you do have to see who is running the show, who's the producer, who's the executive producer, who's the cinematographer,
who's the production assistant.
And all of those play a key factor into making a successful movie.
So I agree with you on that aspect.
What music from Gen X era do you think deserves more recognition today?
[00:49:41]->[00:50:11] Speaker 02
You know, I'm a 70s man, so I would say like funk and disco, especially funk music like George Clinton and also Donna Summer,
disco.
You know, never heard of that genre before.
Ever since the late Frankie Crocker played Donna Summer's song Love to Love You Baby.
And the first time I heard it is in 18 minutes.
So not that much disco stars out there.
But those are the two things, you know, really resonates.
And that's funk and disco.
[00:50:11]->[00:50:43] Speaker 01
I agree with you.
And my episode eight of my podcast is dedicated to Donna Summer, the queen of disco.
So everybody check that out.
And Love to Love You Baby was, I think, 17 minutes and maybe 30 seconds.
But producer from New York heard about her over in, I believe, Germany.
It wasn't hitting.
It kind of hit in Germany, but he brought it over here and played it at a party.
And after that, it was a wrap.
This is where we have Donna Summer today, queen of disco.
[00:50:43]->[00:50:47] Speaker 01
I love her with all of my heart.
And it was just an honor to do her episode.
[00:50:47]->[00:51:20] Speaker 02
Speaking of Donna Summer, I got a chance to see her.
And when I was coming back home from Virginia, Father's Day weekend, 1999,
and I was leaving work and there was a line at Coconuts later, FYE on 6th Avenue and 51st Street.
Someone was online to see Ginger Spice of the Spice Girls for her solo LP.
Coming out of nowhere, someone said, yo, Donna Summer is in town.
I said, Donna Summer is in town?
I said, psych!
I'm going to see a legend, Ginger Spice can wait for later.
[00:51:21]->[00:51:52] Speaker 02
But I went to HMV on 5th Avenue.
You had to get online and you had to buy an album of Donna Summer.
So I bought the VH1 Live and More version.
And when I saw Donna Summer, I got her autograph on the LP.
I still have it as of today.
Kept it in good faith.
It's in the record thing.
And wow.
And then by the time when Donna Summer passed away and then she got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
[00:51:52]->[00:52:01] Speaker 02
So I got a chance to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum.
Everybody is there, including Donna Summer.
So that was a wonderful experience.
[00:52:02]->[00:52:10] Speaker 01
I'm sure it was.
Donna Summer was just a legend.
After interviewing so many musicians, what have you learned about people behind the music?
[00:52:10]->[00:52:40] Speaker 02
What I've learned about people behind the music is mostly the producers and mostly the singers because they have a story to tell.
It either will be like relationships or
Or someone that you lose, someone in life, or if it's coming from today's headlines, maybe a little controversial,
but they have a story to tell and they would like to share it with the fans and especially with the musicians,
what they play behind the scenes that makes the song or the album successful.
[00:52:40]->[00:52:46] Speaker 01
If you could preserve just one lesson about black music for future generations, what would it be?
[00:52:46]->[00:53:18] Speaker 02
I would tell the future generation, I will tell them, pay close attention.
Look at some of the legends of the past that made black music great.
And when we have Black History Month at my church, we will talk about some of our favorites.
And especially our seniors, they would, you know, I would sit with them.
You know, they would play either Louis Armstrong or Duke Ellington.
And then my late mother would have a Gloria Lynn album.
And I would pay close attention to the background and the strings and everything.
[00:53:19]->[00:53:49] Speaker 02
And being dropped off at every babysitter, my grandfather had that Isaac Hayes LP.
He pulled it out and played the heck out of it.
And I mean, when you get to the rap and I said, enough of the talking,
get to the singing and stretched it from a three minute to an 18 minute song and then dropped off at my
Maternal aunt's apartment.
She would play gospel music all day from James Cleveland to Shirley Caesar to all the choirs and quartets.
[00:53:49]->[00:54:24] Speaker 02
And the same thing for a friend.
You know, they would play jazz.
Everything from Herbie Mann to Dave Brubeck to Roy Ayers.
These are some of the legends that we cannot forget.
And to the younger generation, there's a lot of things that you can learn about from these legends.
And as I said, I play all genres of black music.
I still got some of the greatest legends.
Today's music, that's fine.
There's some artists that I do like, but there's nothing compared to some of the music that I was brought up with.
[00:54:24]->[00:54:53] Speaker 02
And my youngest niece, she listens to some old school,
whether it's Michael Jackson or Prince or maybe some movies that had Sidney Poitier or Harry Belafonte.
You know, she's old school.
But my oldest niece, she was into today's hip hop and R&B.
So it's kind of like a generation gap.
When you have black music that you can preserve to and pass it on and share it with your family and pass it on for generations
to come.
[00:55:08]->[00:55:13] Speaker 01
Thank you for that transparency.
Tell me about a time you realized life wasn't easy.
How did you react?
[00:55:14]->[00:55:48] Speaker 02
Well, what I react was looking for a job and getting laid off from a job.
What was my reaction?
It's like saying I can't find a job and then being laid off from a job.
I was like so upset.
You know, I got no place to go to to look for a job because
Like we talked about earlier, that was some of the reactions that I was like,
if the company would have given me more time and, you know,
I was getting ready to leave that job because my salary was like, you know, from 2023.
And then when you hear about all those mergers and I said to myself,
[00:55:48]->[00:55:59] Speaker 02
I wanted to leave out here before that company had laid me off to give me more time.
So that was some of the reactions, you know, looking for a job.
You got the job and then you got laid off from a job.
[00:55:59]->[00:56:01] Speaker 01
What are some of your favorite moments in life?
[00:56:01]->[00:56:33] Speaker 02
What are my favorite moments in life?
Going to family reunions.
And this was the first time that I was one of my favorite moments.
The first time I went to a family reunion was Memorial Day 1982.
I was spending time with my paternal grandmother who lives in Harlem.
We went to the first Wilson-Dix family reunion out in Queens.
Now, there was something that she didn't talk about her first husband, my paternal grandfather.
Because it was never talked about or being left out, being void.
[00:56:33]->[00:57:11] Speaker 02
So I got a chance to see my paternal grandfather, but we didn't say hi face to face.
And I didn't see him again until at my grandmother's funeral, Mother's Day weekend.
So then I see some more relatives on my late father's side of the family that I never knew.
So that was some of the best moments that I've seen.
And like I said, I've been to family reunions on my late father's side and I never knew who I may bump into.
Someone in my family is a musician.
Someone in my family worked in the media and someone in my family was a teacher in education and someone in my family was in
[00:57:11]->[00:57:30] Speaker 02
politics.
So I was very glad that I come from my late father's lineage that represents the ministry, the media, education and politics.
And still up to this date, I share that with my two nieces and I tell them, Cousin Sam,
Uncle Sam has a cousin that made America great.
[00:57:30]->[00:57:33] Speaker 01
Is there anything that you wish you could redo?
[00:57:33]->[00:57:55] Speaker 02
Anything that I could redo?
I could have redo those paintings that I did when I was little.
Remember back in the days, we had those color by numbers, those pencils from back in the day.
That's something I could have redo because I was very good at those colors, but off by hand, not that much.
So that's something I do a little redo.
[00:57:55]->[00:57:58] Speaker 01
What is something common back in the day that you rarely see today?
[00:57:58]->[00:58:29] Speaker 02
Those platform shoes, those were the things that were coming back.
Some of the stuff that I saw in the 70s, they came back in the 90s.
I've seen the ladies wearing those big platform shoes, the big high heel shoes.
That was those are the ones that were coming back.
And those jeans that kind of ripped up those jeans, those holy jeans that came out in the 80s and then later.
All that time when mom always liked to check those dungarees and probably say, Sam,
[00:58:29]->[00:58:42] Speaker 02
you're not going out in the street like that wearing those dungarees with holes in them.
Who would never knew that that style would resonate that came in the 90s, the
same time as those platform shoes made that comeback from the 70s.
[00:58:42]->[00:58:44] Speaker 01
What are some of your favorite quotes?
[00:58:45]->[00:59:03] Speaker 02
Some of my favorite quotes.
You know, I never had any of those favorite quotes growing up.
So the only quotes that I like was was Dr.
King is like justice is injustice to everyone.
And and we all know Malcolm X's slogan by any means necessary.
[00:59:03]->[00:59:08] Speaker 01
Facts all day.
Want to shout out anybody in the community making a change?
[00:59:08]->[00:59:29] Speaker 02
I want to give a shout out to our New York mayor, Mondani, making a change.
And as a Democrat supporter, that's what Democrat socialism should be doing.
What is the symbol of the Democrat?
Helping the poor and the middle class, those who are trying to make ends meet and those who are trying to make something for a living.
[00:59:30]->[00:59:32] Speaker 01
Where can people connect with you and see your content?
[00:59:32]->[01:00:09] Speaker 02
All right.
They can look for my podcast, The Black Soul Music Experience Podcast.
You can look for me on these platforms.
I'm on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and Pocket Cast.
And for those who'd like to make a donation to my podcast and keep it going, look for my podcast on Patreon.
And be sure to look for my video podcast episodes on YouTube or the YouTube dot com slash the Black Soul Music Experience.
And for a special bonus, I just did a spinoff and I just branched out to Substack where I do my Black Soul Music
[01:00:09]->[01:00:27] Speaker 02
Experience podcast podcast.
So you'll be seeing or hearing those reports in the near future.
This is where I do for major upcoming events, where I'm going to do my DJ gigs,
what's going to be on the next episode of my podcast and for breaking music news.
[01:00:27]->[01:00:34] Speaker 01
Can you explain to us?
I was listening to one of your episodes earlier.
What is Substack?
[01:00:34]->[01:01:04] Speaker 02
Substack is a new platform that has just been happening for two years.
And when I saw it on my YouTube channel, I've seen some of our former news reporters,
if they were on CBS or NBC or ABC, and either they gotten laid off.
Now I see those, they are popping up on Substack.
So I see Jim Acosta, who once was on CNN.
He's the reporter who was asking Trump the toughest question.
And then Trump said, you're a fake news reporter.
[01:01:04]->[01:01:37] Speaker 02
You shouldn't be working at CNN.
So then CNN was trying to get Jim Acosta different times, but he said, I quit.
So that's why he's on Substack and Katie Couric is on Substack.
And then I'm following this young lady that I saw on my Facebook homepage.
She's the lady who has that
Heavy makeup and eyelashes and the nose ring and the pointy fingernails.
You can slash somebody.
And her name is Monet Maeder.
And she was a former Republican supporter, a former Trump supporter.
[01:01:37]->[01:02:09] Speaker 02
And she has a podcast called Flipping Tables.
And a couple of weeks ago, I see her doing something on Substack called Yesterday's News.
She's doing the top stories that is coming from AP and United Press International, not
Fox News.
So you get the real scoop.
And then, yes.
So also Midas Touch Network.
And yes, Katie Couric.
Sometimes you see her on Substack.
She once worked at MSNBC.
She was an attorney and she had her own show on MSNBC.
[01:02:09]->[01:02:43] Speaker 02
So both Katie Fang and Joy Riva fired.
So Katie Fang is on Substack and on the Midas Touch Network.
And sometimes Don Lemon from CNN, he has his own platform and he's on Substack as well.
So when you're going to see those orange background, like a ribbon or anything like that, you're
going to be seeing some former news reporters as well as some of the others like Monet Mader and some of the other folks
that, you know, on the Midas Touch Network, you're going to see branching out those things or whether they're doing some live news events
[01:02:43]->[01:02:54] Speaker 02
or some other stuff that they didn't get a chance to do.
Or some things that corporate media will not tell you.
And that's what SubSec is all about.
They're branching out to different platforms.
[01:02:55]->[01:03:26] Speaker 01
Samuel, thank you so much for joining me tonight.
I had so much fun and you've taught me some things.
I'm looking forward to hearing more of your podcast.
You had so many guests on there.
I didn't even know who to choose.
I clicked on one randomly.
I didn't know it was your cousin, but you had your cousin on a couple of months ago.
And it was nice hearing about how you reconnected with family that you never met.
I really liked your episodes on like up and coming and what's new.
Keeping us in the loop on people that we admired and grew up listening to.
[01:03:26]->[01:03:45] Speaker 01
It was just a pleasure.
Again, I thank you for being here.
I'm wondering, the Twilight Zone is a big deal for me.
I want to maybe have Twilight Zone fans come in and we just share ideas on about an episode that we might watch.
Would you be open to coming back to be on one of those episodes and participating?
[01:03:45]->[01:03:47] Speaker 02
Yes, I would love to.
[01:03:47]->[01:04:00] Speaker 01
I would love for you to be here.
You just taught us so much stuff and over 200 episodes is an inspiration for me.
So I know that I'm going to strive to get there and go past that.
And I thank you again and I will be in touch with you.
[01:04:00]->[01:04:08] Speaker 02
Yes.
And one more thing.
Yeah.
They can look for my website, the Black Soul Music Experience Podcast dot com.
[01:04:08]->[01:04:14] Speaker 01
Dot com.
Got it.
And I will make sure that is included.
I appreciate you and I will talk to you soon.
Be blessed.
[01:04:14]->[01:04:15] Speaker 02
Thank you so much.
God bless you.
[01:04:15]->[01:04:52] Speaker 01
Thank you.
Woo.
Y'all already know I could talk about music all day.
Samuel, thank you so much for hanging out with me and taking us down that musical memory lane.
And if this conversation reminded you of a song, an artist, an album, or maybe even a whole damn chapter of your life,
go listen to it.
That's what I love about music.
One song can take you right back.
And that's exactly what we do here at Gen X Young Give It To Ya.
We remember, we reminisce, we laugh, we tell stories, and we keep the culture alive.
So make sure you check out the Black Soul Music Experience podcast and support Samuel and the work he's doing to preserve the history
[01:04:52]->[01:05:14] Speaker 01
of black music.
And if you've enjoyed this episode, you know what to do.
Like it, share, follow it, subscribe.
Send it to somebody who knows that music just ain't the same when you can't hear the DJ say, and
this one's going out to everybody.
I'm Deshanta, and this is Gen X Gon'Give It To Ya.
Until next time, keep the memories alive, keep the music playing, and remember, Gen X Gon'G
ve It To Ya.