2022-06-06
1 小时 6 分钟So much of the thing in music is like this objectivity.
I mean, if you're the fastest runner, you will win the Olympics.
It doesn't matter if people like you or if you get lucky.
If you're the fastest person, you'll win because you are the fastest, period.
And music doesn't have that, but people want to treat it as if it does.
You have to reach people emotionally and be lucky enough to have people that were able to help you do that.
And that's kind of what it is.
So imagine for a moment being a kid who loved music, who'd been brought up with jazz literally in your blood, graduating college, and instead of heading into the, quote, responsible adult job like all your other friends, you end up opening a record store in the heart of Seattle at a time where the neighborhood musicians, the ones who would hang out all day and talk about all things music, they also just happened to be budding icons who'd go on to become the scions in the music industry, forming bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, and so many others.
Well, this is just one season in the extraordinary life and career of my guest today, Nabil Ayers.
So now, years into a powerhouse career in music, he heads up one of the most iconic labels in the business, one, in fact, he'd fallen in love with as a young kid because of the artist that they brought to him.
And growing up mixed race, jewish and black in New York City in the eighties with a dad who was this legendary jazz musician but also entirely absent from his life, Nabil's mom and uncle, they made sure to surround him with music and musicians and all sorts of quirky characters.
And that seeded a passion not just for music, but also for the culture, the stories, and eventually the business of helping artists grow and thrive.
And along the way, Nabil also found himself becoming a storyteller of his own life, his own adventures, his own seasons, and also of the narrative of many of the artists that he'd end up championing and helping bring to the world.
And well into his career in music, he began writing about music, about his own life, and about story and race for publications including the New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, GQ, and the Root.
He's now the president of Beggars group, US and music label, where he has released albums by many Grammy award winning artists such as the national and many others.
And his new memoir, my life in the Sunshine, searching for my father and discovering my family, is about his journey to connect with his musician father, Roy Ayers, and ultimately redraw the lines that define family life and race.
So excited to share this conversation with you.
I'm Jonathan Fields, and this is good life project.
I'm just kind of excited to dive in.
We share a love of music.