Quote of the Day: “When I first laid my eyes upon you/I knew right then and there you were the one…” “Don’t You Want Me” by Jody Watley
Me and Jody Watley go way back. By way back I mean one of the first records I ever bought with my own money was by Jody’s group Shalamar. I didn’t think black pop came better than that singing, dancing styling trio. Then, when Miss Watley went solo, I was right there with her, looking for a new love even when I thought that the kat I was running with was indeed Some Kind of Lover. I interviewed her for Essence around the time of her Intimacy CD and we hit it off, chilling in her hotel room, spending much longer than we expected to, laughing and chatting about old movies, style, music.
I’ve always loved Jody for her taste as much as her music. She somehow always got the look or the sound or the move just right. Not overdoing it, not overselling it, never underwhelming by phoning it in. And a high level of taste—knowing who you are, what you can do best—will carry you far in the music biz.
Speaking of good taste, I found out that Jody loved the work of Bob Fosse, and I love to let the young folks know that Miss Watley was paying homage to Fosse’s choreographic brilliance by quoting shows like Sweet Charity in her music videos early on, slinking and sliding with the best of them. In fact, I think she should be one of those celebs stepping into Broadway’s Chicago as Foxy Roxy Hart for a few weeks. Don’t you? Are you listening Fran and Barry Weissler?
Today, Jody is the inaugural subject of The SPB Q. It’s a questionnaire I send to people I love and respect, just to get some fun inside skinny about what they think about, care about, love. Every Tuesday, they’ll be a new Q, so enjoy Jody’s and come back for more every week.
THE SPB Q
Name: Jody Watley
Hometown: Chicago IL
Zodiac sign: Aquarius
Favorite song: “As” by Stevie Wonder
Song you’ve been dying to cover: “A Little Respect” by Erasure
Favorite record to dance to: “Burning’ (Deep Burnt)” by Pepe Braddock & The Grand Brule’s Choir
Favorite movie: The black and white classic All About Eve with Bette Davis. It has some of the best dialogue ever.
Favorite book: The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Favorite word: It has to be a tie between ‘temerity’ and ‘gall’
Career High: Winning the Best New Artist Grammy.
Life High: Every time someone says what great people my son and daughter are.
You’re on a desert island and can only have 5 CDs shipped in to you. What are they?:
A compilation of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Maxwell, Prince and Michael Jackson 🙂
Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto & Stan Getz: Getz/Gilberto
4Hero – Two Pages
Diana Ross – The Boss
Jody Watley – Three Decades of Remixes
Your favorite quote: “When someone shows you who they are – believe them – the first time” — Maya Angelou
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