Quincy Jones issues public apology for calling Beatles "the worst musicians in the world"

[Miles Archer]

Speaking to Vulture, he’d called the British band “the worst musicians in the world” and “no-playing motherfuckers,” adding that “Paul [McCartney] was the worst bass player I ever heard. And Ringo [Starr]? Don’t even talk about it.” He also criticized U2’s recent albums and put down Michael Jackson and actor Marlon Brando.

Jones said his children had staged a “family intervention” after his interviews. “Let me tell you, I am so grateful for my daughters because they are not afraid to stand up to their daddy,” he tweeted. “I am an imperfect human and I’m not afraid to say it. I’m sorry and I’m not afraid to say it.”

The 85-year-old Jones added that, even at his age, "‘wordvomit’ and bad-mouthing is inexcusable. When you live a public life you have a responsibility to be an example, and since I do live a public life, I wanted to make a public apology. I am sorry to anyone to whom my words offended, and I’m especially sorry to my friends who are still here with me and to those who aren’t.”

Jones said he’d made private approaches to some people to say sorry personally, and emphasized that he hadn’t had a drink in three years He said he's learned a valuable lesson. “I want you to know I hear you," he said. "I hear ALL of you. … I encourage you all to please grow with me and keep on keepin’ on. Love, an 85-year-old bowlegged man who is still learning from his mistakes.”

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/quincy-jones-beatles-apology/

[skylucy]

1. As a lifelong Beatles fan...I accept his apology.

[unblock]

3. i think he dug his hole deeper.

unless i missed it, he still didn't have a kind word to say about the beatles.

without that, it's reads like an apology for getting caught.

[skylucy]

4. I thought he was saying that he was drunk or somehow impaired. I'll read it

again. As someone with parents aged 89 and 91, I am familiar with how aged brains and mild dementia can cause people to say things that are not cool. I guess that makes me more tolerant of someone aged 85. He could be going through something like that.

The Beatles are and will always be historic and GREAT!

[Generic Brad]

8. He claims he quit drinking three years ago

That is no excuse for his recently made boorish remarks. His past drinking has no bearing on his recent statements.

[rurallib]

12. and he thought he was fixing a hole

[unblock]

2. "i'm completely right, but too many think it's sacrilege, so i shouldn't have said it out loud."

ok.

whatever.

[Le Gaucher]

5. I know where he is coming from.

Here is probably talking about technical virtuosity. He regarded Toots Thielmans ( chromatic harmonica) as the one of the greatest soloists... To the extent that even Jimi Hendrix was scared playing along side him .. (I read this in an interview somewhere....). I can try googling for the article and post the link here

Now I would have never heard about Toots had he not played with the great Pat Metheny ( Always and for ever) and discovered his playing.

The point is, there are just brilliant jazz musicians like Toots and Roy Haynes ( Drums) who are Giants in music.. But are totally unknown.

Now to be fair, the music of the Beatles gained complexity as they aged. Eleanor Rigby is downright brilliant in it's arrangement and hold it's own against most compositions.. Yeah Ringo is not a monster .. but he was just perfect for the Beatles. And it's a good chance that people will still know about the Beatles 100 years from now. That makes them as much of an institution as any other musician.

[malthaussen]

7. I assumed he was talking about technical virtuosity, too.

Still thought he was a bit harsh. But virtuosity tends to be a concern more of musicians than the consumers of music, who are more concerned with how good the music sounds than how well the musicians play. Well, except for those who argue about their favorite being the "best" in some instrument or other, who normally don't even begin to explain what criteria they are using for judgement, and often have no clue what is or is not technically noteworthy.

I was lucky enough to live in an area where my University radio station played jazz 24/7, and had a weekly edition of the late Harrison Ridley's show. So I learned about Toots a long time ago. But I don't play any musical instrument well enough to judge the technical proficiency of any musician, so I tend to ignore those discussions.

-- Mal

[MicaelS]

9. I have never been a Jazz aficionado.

I like music to have a structure, and Jazz has always sounded too unstructured for my tastes. That and the fact Jazz musicians seem to me as if they are playing to impress one another, and not their audience.

I DO like Smooth Jazz, but I assume that is considered heresy by Jazz aficionados.

[Le Gaucher]

10. You are almost right...

True musicians play not even for each other but for themselves.

It's almost a calling.

A calling to be in the moment and let the music flow through you and out into the world.

To be honest the truest definition of Jazz is that it is spontaneous music. It is the vast system of oceans into which various musical rivers empty into. Blues and rock flow into it. As does samba and flamenco. As does Afro music. As do Indian melodic improvisational idioms.

Jazz musicians are like the fish that swim in these oceans. Constantly evolving and discovering new things.

You don't have to understand anything..just find something to latch on, rhythmically or melodically..and just go with the flow ..

Personally my life has been blessed that I have been exposed such rich tapestry which marketing folks call jazz/ fusion etc.

It's just music.

[Major Nikon]

14. That's not just limited to jazz

Pretty much everything that's been elevated to a high art form abandons considerations for commercial success. The people who tend to be the best critics of such things are those who produce the same material because they know and understand the challenges involved.

[malthaussen]

6. I was sure this was the Onion.

But it's apparently straight news? Damn, I hate living in a world where Poe's Law is the dominant reality.

-- Mal

[red dog 1]

11. I don't really care much for Quincy Jones, or his music.

(I rarely post "negative" comments)

[Glorfindel]

13. Quincy who?

[Blue_Tires]

15. No apology for "outing" Marlon Brando and Richard Pryor??

I knew there was something fishy about a dude who has mostly played it straight andnarrow all of a sudden going THAT far into left field...

[Ohiya]

16. There is a lot more to musicianship than technical ability.

Robots can be technically proficient.

[ProfessorGAC]

17. Yep, There Has To Be A Combination

There are guitar players that people love that i found terrible because the skill level is TOO low. But, there are guitar players that are technocrats, and if they didn't have that much speed, they'd still be playing in bar bands.

Listen to someone who is a phenomenally fast typist (like my mom was when alive.) It's actually impressive, but it's not music.

[DFW]

18. The Beatles were adequate for their time, and granted, their genius lay not in their virtuosity

But they were brilliant at utilizing their musical skills to bring out their songs, and of the four of them, I actually thought Paul McCartney's bass playing was the most innovative and fresh. Maybe because he was a guitarist first, but his bass lines enhanced their songs. The Beatles' songwriting abilities surpassed their instrumental skills in a very short time, but the arranging genius of George Martin, plus the band's willingness to let him guide them, always made for great music.