Questlove on 'Black Woodstock' documentary, 'Summer of Soul'

Follow us wherever you get your podcasts: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson on how sifting through 40 hours of archival footage of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival — where legends like Nina Simone and Stevie Wonder performed in the same summer as Woodstock — led to his debut documentary, “Summer of Soul.” Plus, how the parallel protests of 2020 and 1969, as well as a focus on Black joy, helped to shape the film, and why he still considers “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon his creative epicenter. So at one point, our host’s brother-in-law, he told me — he’s like, “Where are you in this movie?” And in my mind, I didn’t want this to be a Questlove-driven project. Like, “Oh, I know Questlove’s coming up in three seconds.” And I was like, “Yeah.” And I said, “Wait a minute. Like, “I know I’m not invested because I feel like you’re the best presence to be in this film, and you’re denying yourself that.” So he really got to me. I’m like, “Damn, man, could this have made a difference?” Because the thing is, is that “Woodstock” the movie is what people are romanticizing.