Episode #288 | 9.29.26

Quincy Jones: True or False? His Wild Life and the Stories Behind His Wildest Claims

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In this episode

Quincy Jones brought truth through music. We heard what America really felt like in the albums he produced, and in the films he scored. At the end of his life he made wild claims; that Michael Jackson was a thief (“he stole a lot of songs”), that the Beatles were frauds (“no-playing motherfu*ckers”), and that he knows “who killed Kennedy” in part because of his relationship with Frank Sinatra. In this episode we dive into these crimes—-musical and otherwise—to determine if arguably the greatest producer who ever lived, the man who claimed “all I’ve ever done is tell the truth”, was in fact, telling us the truth.

Sources

Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones, by Quincy Jones

Quincy: A Life Beyond Measure (2018, dir. Alex Hicks and Rashida Jones)

Paul McCartney Responds to Quincy Jones Diss: ‘He’s Totally Out of His Tree’ (Vulture)

The 5 Craziest Statements From Quincy Jones’ New Interview (Variety) 

Quincy Jones Has a Story About That (GQ)

10 classic Beatles songs that are hiding mistakes (Far Out)

Flea’s Debut Solo Album 'Honora' Out Now on Nonesuch Records (Nonesuch)

“There are 4 drummers on the Beatles’ music. Ringo’s not one of them.” (Medium)

Replacing Ringo? The Story Behind Bernard Purdie and The Beatles (FabFourArchivist)