Remembering Betty Davis, a Futuristic Funk Force

Popcast

The New York Times

Music Interviews, Music Commentary, Music

3.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 23 February 2022

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A conversation about her unique music, her short career and the path that led to her rediscovery. Guests: Jon Pareles, Maureen Mahon and Oliver Wang.

Transcript

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0:00.0	No, I don't want to love you.
0:03.3	Because I know how you are.
0:08.7	Welcome to The New York Times Popcast, your game is my middle name, and all the other
0:14.3	ones too.
0:15.3	Of music news and criticism, I am your host, John Keramonika.
0:26.2	We're listening to anti-love song from the first Betty Davis album back in 1973.
0:32.0	There do not appear to be words that capture the fullness of what Betty Davis did in music
0:35.7	in the 1970s pioneer feels insufficient, incredible funk musician, a style icon, a shaper of
0:44.6	Miles Davis' important shift in the Bitches Brew era, and much, much more.
0:50.0	Betty passed away earlier this month, she was 77 years old, and had compressed a fascinating
0:57.2	career into just a few years, really, in the 70s, and then more or less disappeared.
1:05.1	Her music had been long coveted by Craig Diggers and record collectors, and in the late 2000s,
1:12.0	her albums began to be reissued and more attention was paid to her, and her legacy was beginning
1:17.2	to be recovered.
1:18.2	There was a documentary a few years ago as well.
1:21.2	So we're going to spend this episode of Popcast talking about the career of Betty Davis
1:25.5	and legacy of Betty Davis, and we have the All Star Squad here today to do that.
1:32.3	First, Dr. John Parellis, JP, the chief pop music critic of The New York Times, JP,
1:36.9	what's good?
1:37.9	Hi there.
1:38.9	Maureen Nan is here, Maureen is associate professor at NYU's Department of Music, and also
1:44.0	the author of two books, including Black Diamond Queens, African American Women in Rock
	...

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