Questlove Supreme: Spike Lee

Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeart Radio.

People, Citizens of the World. What's Up quest Love? Welcome to a special Friday q LS Live. I guess we're doing it in tandem. This will also be archived on our iHeart podcast our special with Spike Lee Today. We we haven't done this in a minute. We haven't done this in the last two weeks.

Long. Yeah, a lot.

When you when you let wait two months, it's been that long? Its like it?

Yeah, thanks, I you know tom this I used to laugh at.

Uh.

There's there's always two quotes that come from movies that deal with jail Street jail Uh you know the one, the one cliches like you know, they take your body, but not take your mind. Your mind, that's what you always hear. And number two is there's always two days.

Only two days you come in and the day you walk out, the day you walk out.

So yeah, I just lose track of time. You said, that's kind of.

True, Like you, I said, what movie is that.

Every day you walk in? That's from what I heard.

I know it from the wire the you only do two days, the day you come in and the day you walk.

Out the wire.

I'm sorry that was our friend David Chappelle called us, Oh, speaking of.

The last two weeks eight four to six.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, a lot a lot has that. Well, we have not spoken since. Uh the what are we calling? Are we calling the uprising?

I like the uprising?

The uprising. I like uprising. I like that better than riot because, you know.

Protests, it's just something more progressive about it.

Yeah, and more act it, you know what I'm saying.

I mean, because just because riot sounds like or protests, riot sounds like, it's just it sounds reckless, you know what I'm saying, Like these people are just out here rioting and being stupid for no reason whatsoever, you know what I mean?

So I like uprising.

It's people that right, nobody wants to be what Donald all right? Well yeah I didn't even I don't watch him, but I got you.

I'm with you. I was literally like, who's that? Yeah?

So are we going to do another episode on election night like we did it four years ago?

Looking at the results we got from election night, I'd say hopefully not, because.

Like, do we do we you know, do we go through that again or do we try and break the chinks by not doing a show that night.

Oh god, why trying to.

Break the I think it was Russia and the white ladies. They're voted for Trump. But that's that's with us.

Yeah, who is our guest that night? I forgot Stephen Hill. That was Steve Hill.

It was also the same night my uncle got shot and subsequently died like a couple of weeks later.

He got shot that night.

It was like that was like the eighth I want to say, and then he died on Thanksgiving Day.

Ship that was it was just that was just a fun up day.

And I remember it was like with with up Front, with with up selling out right, that was the weirdness about it. It's like the life and the funniest day about life, like upselling. What do you call it when you talk of the music on the radio?

The back cell?

Yeah, yes, I forgot.

I remember doing that interview when we were all sitting there and everybody had like their laptops or their phones or whatever, and we're all trying to keep it cool, and you just see the ship flipping red results red, like.

Yeah, And by the end of the interview it was crazy.

Literally in a three hour interview, the world changed because that in the beginning, we were all like word up inside.

And then by the end of that ship and by the end it was a wrap. It was a rep.

That's not happening this time, y'all, that's not happening.

We should we should re reair that episode with Stephen Hill.

Well longer did that. At the time, Stephen Hill was the hell of b T and at.

That time, and then that's right after that, Oh wow, A lot, a lot has happened on that show, DJ and a.

Hell of a set on I G live.

Hey Stephen, I be there, Yeah, Stephen, He DJ is on. He does.

It's a little it's about eleven people watching. But you know me and old boy uh news, Uh dude from TV one.

Uh listen, it's all a battles.

Roling Martin Yeah, Roland Martin yeah. Oh yeah, I ain't going to that ship. Rolland Lord and blocked me for calling him a nigga on Twitter.

So I don't don't know your what notable people will blocked you Twitter.

The only one I know of I know. I remember rollingd Martin did and this was years ago because he was like, we deserve he just I don't have a list, like I just say things and people listen.

I don't.

I don't try to, you know, provoke anyone. But no, he was just on Twitter. And this was years ago, this was before I found Christ. But he was just like, look, we need to ban the N word and all this. And I was like, nigga please, and that was it. And and and he just you know, he he banned me. And he still banned me and still has blocked me, which I mean, fine, whatever, But then.

Mc Hammer has me blocked. I don't know why. And that was like.

Like Hammer, like yo, Hammer, if you see this Hammer, bro, I don't know what I said. It could have been a joke order, but look, man, I saw the too legit to quit tour. Please haven't heard him tour?

Uh?

When I was in like seventh grade, it was you boys and men and Josy. That shit changed my life. Like Hammer, please all the forgiven, bro, Like, come on the show, man, let's please please us.

Don't hurt him, right, please hurt it.

I would love to have y'all come to Jesus moment on this show, much like we had your Solange come to Jesus moment on the show.

Yeah, would you even think that Hammer was even remotely aware of who he blocked or what the situation was.

He probably had no fun. I'm sure he doesn't have any clue. I mean it could have I don't know what it could have been. It could have been a joke, it could have been whatever. But the bottom line is I was following him c Hammer like, I mean, I you know, I fucked with.

Him Hammer legend. But so if we get him on the show, we straighten it out. Maybe it's usually get him on the show. I don't even know why.

Okay, I would like to get Hammer the other guy on too, please from from even Roland Martin, Roland Martin.

Yeah, let's get him on.

Oh yeah, it's time.

I mean we can't because he don't listen. I'm not I'm not ducking no smoke for nobody. I just don't think because he's very he has very specific views about about the N word and like coon and stuff and I.

Don't use that word, but yeah, he's like very big on those words.

And that is yes, I use like nigga is noun adjective, verb, ain't ad verb.

So listen, stand near you're doing.

Yeah, I'm like, come on, bro, you ain't about to tell me what I can't say on the show we're doing.

So, Hey, yeah, if we could work in with Spike about the way Bamboozle kind of is relevant to I mean a lot of ways, but especially to what's going on like literally today like Cream of Wheat is changing their logo.

And Temima and the Washington Red Finally, yeah, I was about to say, are the Redskins considering as well?

Yeah?

Yeah, everybody is considering it now, you know, like so, but bamboozo was kind of like specifically about that symbolism stuff.

That was a good pool. I didn't I didn't think about that. Yeah, I know that.

Uh that Netflix did their whole Black Lives Matter section for Spike reason, you know, like get on the bus and Rodney King thing and some of the stuff he did Jango.

Uh Jengo was done by.

I.

You know that That's what I was making. I was just saying black lead because the Netflix section is no, no, no.

I just been like, Spike has his own wing in the he has his own suite in the Black Lives Matter hotel on Netflix.

Netflix is going above and beyond. You know, the President just gave all this money to HBCUs. But most notably the riches of HBC used more houses film and I'm not mad.

I'm just right right.

Yeah, man, wait a minute before we get Spike on, I need somebody to translate something for me, cause I don't you know, I don't want to be tone deaf and say I don't speak millennial. And on top of that, you know, I'm pals with this particular person.

Okay, can someone I'm gen x.

X.

He's gen X man, look it up.

Okay, I'm not going I'm just gonna look it up. Go ahead, look it up.

I was born I was born in seventy eight. I'm forty one years old. I'm like, he's gen X.

He's US. I'm like, yeah, I'm like the youngest in but yeah, I'm like right there.

But can someone translate this? Can you give me a movie in the minute version of this? J Cole no name thing?

What's that about?

Yeah?

I talked, come on, never mind too much? No, no, no, no, it's not too much. It's okay, So moving in a minute. J Cole, no name, Okay, no name, and I'm just giving context. No name did a talk which I did not see. I just saw kind of the out the out you know, the fallout of it. She did a talk with Boots Riley on Live I think, and they were just talking about I guess socialism and police abolition, like they were just having a conversation. I didn't see

Then J Cole puts out.

A song and he's saying, yo, it was this sister on her timeline. She don't like the crackers, she don't like the police, she don't like this, and you know, it was something about her tone that's bothering me.

Now.

At no point in this song did he ever say no name. At no point in no names tweets or in her talk with Boots Riley. As I understood, she had said something about, you know, with all these rappers, these rich rappers or something, you know, they they ain't said nothing. But she never said his name or anyone's name. So Cole puts out this song saying it's this girl online saying this that, and the third out like her tone.

So then the next morning, Cole put out.

A series of tweets and he was just like, look, I said what I said.

You know, all love the No Name.

You know.

He you know, he was like, you know, she's doing the work. I'm not a dude to be reading like that. And these are his words.

He's like, I don't be.

Reading like that.

He's like, he's like, you know, red J Cole.

But he says in his verse, he's like, Yo, don't let my degree fool you.

You know you can have you.

Know, just because I went to college doesn't mean i'm as up on these issues as everyone else. So so that was so that was that, and I mean that was it to me.

Yeah, it was just a ship show for day and I mean.

I came in the middle of it, and didn't you know was Donald Glover walking to the apartment on fire?

Like exactly, that's exactly. I was like, what in the hell exactly?

Can I just say one month thing before we bring the spike in because he's here. I just wanted to say congratulations to old girl who created you about to lose your job because I don't know if y'all heard, but she found her family and they got her off the streets.

I was just really excited that story.

Are you serious?

Ship?

And she was like, y'all have no idea what that did for me.

So I wish I had her name in front of me, but I don't, But I.

I had no you know, I will say this just to tap off big Upsta the girl that that with that coin that you were about to lose or lose your job anthem. The best tweet of the j Cole No Name debacle goes to my man al Shipley and he won Twitter. It's only like eight of us that like got it, but it was a great tweet. He goes, and I quote the j cole lyric is something about the Queen tone that's bothering me. It's problematic because nobody questions Brian May's pedal board and amp settings.

And I'm bringing in bigger like that's it. I mean, come on, that's all you need to know. Like, that's that's it.

That's what it is, and.

Figure out that joke because that was a total like musical type.

Uh.

It was that it was made for me and all the people, all the people. Brian May was the.

Guitarist in Queen and so the pedal board is the UH.

Ladies and gentlemen, We are joined by friends of the show, newly bestowed Academy Award winner storyteller Our Tour African American Griot and always the UH.

A cinematic provocateur.

UH, one of the last original storytellers we have today. Please welcome back to q LS Live and quest Love Supreme UH for his second appearance, our pale and friend, mister Spike Lee.

How are you house?

Everyone doing? Everybody's safe?

Were good? Brother? Were good? You up? Are you right now?

Now? This is my office hearing the People's Republic of Brookly, New York for Green Baby.

Yeah, Sames Fall. I visited with the baseball Mint in the in the.

Room, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, but just one of the editing rooms.

I took a nap in everyone once I forgot what I was there for. You you had a super Bowl party or something, and I.

Faid, where's everybody.

I'm at home in North Carolina.

Raley, I'm in Los Angeles, LA.

I'm in Manhattan.

Uh.

And I'm in a ranch somewhere in Westchester on a friends farm. But I just closed him on my house yesterday. So yes, I'll be thank you.

What can I ask for?

Burrow?

Uh?

This is in Palisades, so yeah, I have to say, Spike, I believe that the last time I physically saw you, I saw you twice, you were flying on your way. I believe, just somewhere in Africa or somewhere overseas where you told me that it was the first day of scouting wherever.

I don't know where you shot the.

Film, but I was going to I was going to Thieland.

Okay, maybe I thought Africa. Okay, I remember you telling me that you were going somewhere far off to shoot, yeah, yeah, I saw you there.

And then at jay Z's party.

No, no, no, no, I saw you in the airport.

Well, I forget where it was, but it was you were on your way to scout for locations. And then I saw you on the way back home, oh, coming from it.

So that's a police circle exactly.

You gave me a synopsis on the way home, and I was like, I'm trying to figure that out and quest people still trying to figure it out.

Yeah, let's talk about it. Let's talk about it. Okay. Look, okay, So I got a question for you.

What was the idea of naming all the soldiers after the Temptations and Norman Whitfield like being stormy Norman?

You got that one.

I didn't catch that.

I didn't catch that.

Look like, wait, what happened to five? And when a good thing though? A great happy? The other day, Otis Lee was called me, wow, okay, the last living member of the Temptations, and he says, he told me, I'm speaking behalf of all my brothers aren't here. Thank you for doing that.

That's what's up, man.

It was out of nowhere, so out of nowhere.

One one question I wanted to ask you the last time we spoke that I didn't what is for this movie specifically? And I think the last time we spoke to you, you were just about to launch. Uh, she's got to have it on Netflix. So this is even before Black Clansmen, even though you were still working on it. Okay, So I guess I can start with now, like now that this is in the can, what what is what is your what is your daily or weekly process when it comes to conceptualizing.

What do you want to add next to your cannon?

Like I don't know the name of whatever movie you're about to do, but like, does the idea of start in that room that you're in right now?

Do you sit for silence? Do you do you have a a notepad where you.

I'm open, you know, I think that I've learned. I'm qus I think you might forgot. I'm sixty three years old. I'm I'm in my fourth decade.

So I've learned that I gotta be open when the news comes.

I just can't like now I'm gonna now, I gotta think of an ideal. It doesn't for me, mhm, it doesn't work like that. So I just gotta be open to the muse. I trusted, you know, I trust the muse.

So where did it start for this film? Like? What was the he was we.

Were interviewing him when we interviewed you an Electric Lady, you were telling us singing the Praises about nineteen seventeen, right.

That was the movie?

Is a movie?

That was the war movie?

That was a war movie.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, right, So that's the question.

Just being back on the mirrors question, I was like, didn't it start all the way back then when you were talking.

To No No, But let me let me tell you the story this is. I did not write the original script for this. The original script was written by Danny Bilson and Paul the Male. Paul the Mail has since died. Since he died before we started to shoot the film of an Illness, they produced the Lloyd Levin option. The script. It was called The Last Tour and it was about white Vietnam vets except one. They automatically brought it to Alvar Stone Alice Don't sat on it for two years

My favorite films, which is a Treasure Sarah Madre starring Humphrey Bogart h and the tape There's a Gold that the whole gold in this.

Film was came directly from the trust Sarah Madre. He called me up, said set you know, step a meeting. We get we're getting ready to go right into Black Klansmen. So we met with my co writer Kevin Wilmont, and we told I told, look, I like it. It's a great script. I want to change for me to be involved, we have to change the viewpoint. This has to be told to the viewpoint of African American Vietnam debts.

And Kevin and I we wrote it, you know, twisted it, put some funk on it.

And Marvin Gaye, you know everybody and the world of Senior result now on Netflix.

Yeah.

I love the way you use the barbing gay A cappellas in the joint.

Man was only there was only one? No, there was only one?

Yeah, yeah, that was beautiful. Man.

And you said you filmed this in Thailand, not Vietnam.

Right, No, mostly in Thailand, and we ended in Vietnam.

So can you talk about this?

I was talking to another filmmaker about filming in Vietnam, and they were talking about since it's a communist country, how sometimes challenging it could be, like sometimes they have people following people to make sure you're doing what you say you're gonna do.

And what was that?

No, we never had that, but we had to have the script passed through it as censor, so we didn't know.

And we were up.

There last week in Thailand and we still not gotten the green light to shoot in Vietnam. But once we got the green light, no one's following us. It was all love. And it's also number one in Vietnam too.

Netflix, do you prefer Is this an adjustment to you? Like, I know, I would imagine the same way for it is for me making records, Like I miss the sort of the romantic view of like having a tangible piece

Or Netflix was the last place I had to go and this every other studio said, no, coming off black class.

Even off even coming off of an Oscar Win.

Well, that's not happened. But we were nominated, right, okay, six nominations turn us down, So God bless Netflix. Now. Of course, no one knew the world was going to change.

Mm hmm.

So a lot of people have films ready, but their studios, which they made them for, does not have a streaming service. So because of that, and this was Next Six's film, This film debuted all around the world at the same time, before the world changed BC, not before christ but before Corona. I was going to be the president of the Jury, the first black president ever. And the con film festimes. Yes, and this is you hear that, and this is in the world and the world premiere of the Five Bloods

The world, right, facts, The timing couldn't have been more uncanny.

Yeah, exactly, exactly. And then another thing, another thing. I know you have questions for me, but go down say something right away to not forget it. People asking me, friends and journalists. Spike, didn't you, well, all this should happen. Didn't you run back and shoot that Black Lives Matter scene? Wrong? That is the first thing we shot. Wow, really, this is the slate of a camera. The first day of Princeville Talkley was March twenty nineteen, and we went to

Wow.

So anyway, there are a lot of things that happen in this film. It's on some spiritual level that nothing to do.

With that's happened with a lot of your films. Though. We were talking before, like before you came on.

About how Bamboozo and like how now we're seeing like they're getting you know, Uncle Ben and not Jemima and like getting all that out of the paint.

You know what I'm saying. And you were showing that you know that was you know twenty years ago. Are there?

You know you leave it out, You leave it out something, do the right thing. We were talking about global warming.

You weren't. You weren't talking about global you don't you know?

My friends called me what Nico domas to be like you we talking about ship before it should even happened. You did.

Wait, that's okay, So I'll say like every other month I might bug you with the text asking why your entire uh film uh, your film collection isn't in one space.

I mean right now is do you not think?

Now?

Is is uh?

And its twentieth in its twentieth anniversary, now's the time for bamboozo to come out again because I can't find it anywhere and I need to see it.

It just came out and Criterion just put on a great new blue rail of it, restored picture, sound, everything.

Bamboozos is a Criterion Collection film. Yes what you did that?

Yeah?

Man is in This is like two months ago.

This is a very suite. Like in my mind, I'm such a film nerd.

I'm like, wow, I wish one day I could be a Criterion film And now I will say that. All right, So living on a tour bus for like the last twenty five years, you know, you just buy any and every DVD that to keep your mind occupied. So Criterion Collection is basically like it's it's it's the it's the upper echelon line Rolls Royce. Yeah, it's the upper echelon of film releases. It's like a committee that decides that this particular film, regardless of it, of its stature and

Fifth Anniversity of Purple Raine and no da da.

But like back in the day, when Criterion approaches you and says we would like to re release, it would be like an independent label deciding, Okay, I'm gonna take Fante's for a record, the first Little Brother record the listening and give it the royal treatment, remaster it you outum.

Cover great analogy, great analogy.

Yeah and so uh wow, that's funny. It's always been my dream to be in a Criterion.

Be careful.

Wait, can I just ask this question, Spike, because you more than me, but like you said, you are Negro domas And what does it feel like present day? Because we were just talking about this before you came on where Number one, we have protests, including all kinds of people outside of us. Number two, we wake up to no more Uncle Ben, no more an't your mama. Twitter says Junie teenth is a holiday. New York says June teenth is a state holiday. Like, I feel overwhelmed. What

In other words, how many calls did you get? How many calls did you get the last two weeks? To explain stuff to them, and how.

Many you didn't explain?

Many rough drafts did you have to read to make sure that this tweet was okay? And though here's my answer, they barely.

Motherfucker, Uncle Ben alone, Uncle Ben man.

Right, you came with Jemima, she got a whole new look, so.

You got a right.

No the story. Actually, you know what I just read that.

I didn't realize that similar to the family that won that settlement for the line Sleeps Tonight.

The South African family for writing it.

For the last thirty seven years, the family of the woman who was the original aunt Jemima Logo, who was also instrumental in them getting the recipe together, has been trying to like she's basically owed.

The minimum is at least a two billion dollar settlement for the last money.

So let's let's see what happened.

But white corporations, they're like the money way, like it's all right.

Yeah, Like I don't know, I'm a shocked. I don't know whether to take people on their word, like it's gonna change in a week. I don't want to get used to it.

It's very you know what it is like reparation cool it's it's cool, but it's like, I don't I feel like this is more like a get out of discussions

So I mean, yeah, like.

It's it's it's cool now, but I still feel as though that's that's kind of a get out of discussions free card, and that's the deeper that's the deeper conversation that needs to be had. So I mean it's cute, but I'm watching very skeptically right now.

Yeah, Spike, I always wanted to ask you after you one for Black Clansmen, Uh, being the director that won, you know, finally got an oscar like later in your career, what changes was it?

Because or where there changes?

You know, we've seen people that win them early and they kind of you know, it changes them, But you had been putting in the work for so long, and your track record already spoke for itself.

So a lot of times a question, well you see a question between Black Class and the Five Bloods that you think that affected Kemy Wood affected the Five Bloods.

But so but you said, had you won? Oh, we just fat you had nominated.

You were nominated, but then they still passed, but you didn't and you won. I guess it was after was the Five was already in production when you won.

No, the morning after, the morning after, I was on a plane that Thailand, Bangkok, Ah.

Okay, Okay, I got even after you wan, it was still a fight to get your stuff without.

Now the deal was done. I'm just saying that Netflix was the last one I had to I could. It was doing else to go to.

Too, you know.

So we won the Oscar. We partied that night. That morning I never went to bed, packed my bags and was on a plane that Bangkok, Thailand.

It was l a X. Now I'm sorry, okay.

And so my production, my great productions, I to win Thomas whose first film was She's Gonna Have It in nineteen eighties. My climatoger Tom Siegel. They had been in Bangkock for four weeks already. The Anxis too had to do the Oscar shit, so I had to catch up. So minute I landed in Bangkock, in that one hundred degrees hit outside the head, that Oscar stuff out the fucking window, it was over here. I had to catch

Wow.

I guess it would be more apt to ask an actor, what kind of director are you?

Are you the director that?

Well?

No, no, no, no, okay, so.

I answered, I can't answer that, I asked.

I asked Paul Thomas answer this question like he Paul Thomas pt Anderson is the type of guy that will do twenty takes of the same scene because he knows, by like the thirty team time, there will be a certain rhythm that feels natural.

But the level of intensity that you.

Got Delroy Lindo did really give you in this film his most Yeah, his most, so, like how many takes does it take to get him to that level?

Like was this just take one he was on? Or it took a few times.

I mean, I'll give more than one take. But here's the thing. This is my fourth film with Delroy, but it's been twenty five years between this and the last one. Delroy first worked with me played Western Archie, Yeah, Malcolm xIC great. He was in Clocks, played the drug Kingpinn. Also played my actual Fatherokly Forgot about Crookly.

He played my father in All you guys, Lazy and Jim.

You all notice that you can have great talent, but sometimes you get lost in the sauce. Putting in work, putting in work, but you get that that vehicle. Mm hmm, you get that role. Thats been putting work w r K for.

The get been here sorry fighting the air.

Delroy did not fall off the truck. He's been putting in work and this role he had the vehicle. He took it to another level and he was in his own.

Can we talk about casting, because I was going to say, how did you in your mind?

Like, how did you how did you decide that this was the right ensemble for you.

I've worked with them three other times. I know I know what he could do first ten experience.

But Spike, on fairness, you've done so many movies with such a large collective of actors that you have a vat that you could have picked out of.

I mean, you know from Laurence Fishburne of people that could have Nah.

We me and my wife we were talking the other night and last night we were watching I think they've been showing She They've been showing He Got Game a lot on HBO now, like they've been showing that a lot.

Jonathan Major. Have you seen San Francisco?

I have the place I didn't see him in that film after the audition.

That's why I thought you chose him.

No. Casting director Kim Coleman, Wow, I just wanted to, you know, let's talk but but but talk about I mean, here's the thing. Do the right thing? Was Rosie President's first film, had the late Great Robin Harsh's first film, Mark lawrence first film, Jungle Fee was Howie Berry's first film, Queenly Chiefess first film, and we can go on and on and Barry Gory Yeah, but John that was that

I would like to know what's the barometer for I mean, I would think that having a ninety two in Rotten Tomatoes, I mean it doesn't doesn't.

Hurt at all.

But what is what is the barometer now that there isn't a box office listing per se to determine if a film does well or not does well? Like, how do you what's what's the what's the new standard or the number?

Well this is I heard that our opening box offers if you could make analogy from the people saw it on Netflix to people buying a ticket, we open up like one hundred and twenty five million dollars weekend. Real good, it very good. OK.

Yeah, I just want to know, But is it good enough for Netflix to say let's make it? Are you just say one at a time?

No, no, no, I mean it. It's there's love again, I said before no one else wanted to do this film.

In light of his new studio in Atlanta? Did you take it down to Noah?

Was?

It was?

No?

And that's no direspect to my brother, because.

Yeah, no, no, no, no, no, no quest It's all love, baby, And I just want to say something that you know in.

This suddenly showed me and Tyler a mad cool. That beat was splashed years ago. I called him up out of the blue. He said, I said, you gotta talk.

I jumped, put my ass, my black guys.

On a plane from La Guardian in Atlanta.

Went out to his mansion. We sat down, talked brother the brother.

Man a black man, gave each other hug and for nothing but love ever since.

To get it.

Remember this, he did not, you know, all that big complex he has. He not had to put my name on a studio, on one of the studios, one of those stages he had to do that, so.

Because there would be no Tyler not for you, but he did.

But that it wasn't even about that. I know, It's just it's love. I did not want to put Tyler in a position You're like come on.

Like.

Yeah, but I would think. My thing is that if you if you're I mean, okay, so establishing the studios.

Here's the thing though, when I when I answer that and let me if I can adjust that answer, I was I.

Was only asking because I know that he has the complex up and he's open for business.

But then I was kind of wondering, like what's step two?

Is step two now like for future for directors and screenwriters, like do they is it a studio in the terms of like MGM, like do you is he an option to take it to?

Or is Georgia is.

Just Georgia stop you from wanting to go down there because of their laws and what they do and the women's suppression on their bodies and whatnot.

Because some people are considering that too. I'm just saying it is an actor that they.

True, I don't I can't ask that question. I don't know if you know, is the studio in the centuries also financing films or is it that?

Is it just a place to shoot? That's my question.

I don't know if he was the studio in terms of I don't know Warner Brothers or MGM.

That's what I was trying to ask.

I don't think he was. I didn't think he was yet.

So that's just the place to shoot if you want to shoot.

So now, I mean, I don't know what the his his his.

The end game of it all. Okay, I want to vacuum. That's all I wanted to do.

When you did well, kind of following up on that question, when you did X and you know, as we talked last time, you was like you call call folke up, Like, Yo, it's station time, let's get it, you know what I mean?

Uh?

Was there ever consideration after that of saying, well, if we can come together to do this, why don't we keep going? What are some of the challenges in self funding and put doing stuff like that?

The challenge is really most people lose money when you invest in the film, okay, and very few of us have disposable income where they could just write a check and like not even be you know, hurt.

Just take them losses.

Yeah, so it's it's Look, it's not. This thing's been a struggle since sixteen nineteen when that first ship lanted James thom Virginia. And if history has tost anything, you know, it's the struggle continues. We take it by day by day. It was like, you're not gonna chop down a redwood tree with that first wing. We gotta be John hearing like a motherfucker though, right?

Can I ask you that the Five bloods real quick? It's a in the movie.

It's a picture of Delroy has shown it looked like he was. Actually he actually served in the military. Is that the case?

Yeah? That was from American graffeiti too? What?

Wow? I didn't know if there was an American graffiti too. Wait see what we found it? There is such a thing. Yes, how come I don't know about this because I've never heard America graffiti too?

Google Google, I am dB sugar.

Computer too on a computer?

You know you want to, but he's not talking. Let him do it.

I haven't I haven't seen that.

I haven't seen that movie, but I have the soundtrack for it. So if there's a soundtrack for it in my period.

Real did you use any Vietnamese actors.

Wow, a more American.

You're right, everybody was Vietnamese.

So then okay, so this is this leads to my next question.

Then the scene on the boat with del Roy and the god selling the chickens, right, it seemed to me did you ever have to have a off camera come to Jesus moment with the cast because history is so deep in that way and y'all were shooting in Vietnam and some of these Vietnamese actors do have a history with this war in that way because it was it was so you know, it's so emotional part about you killed my father and my mother body thought chicken?

I told I told my brother to use that because he didn't speak that much English, but I said, black Gi, black Gi.

Right, Were there real moments about it.

Was? Because there's history?

Yeah.

I mean one of the key lines everybody in the film is a war never ends.

And we had a Vietnamese brother, Ben say that line.

People in America in Vietnam is still deal with this war is coming on fifty years from them, fifty years ago. Another thing that I learned very quickly that if you're in Vietnam and you say the Vietnam War. They say, no, no, no.

No American War.

We call it their American War. We did not go the motherfucker United States in America. You motherfuckers came here, got your ass kicked. And before that, the French came here and got the ass kicked.

You did mention that was mentioned in the movie while they speak.

The French, the French colonized Vietnam. If you, I mean, if you look when you get a chance, we get a chance, get look at your globe, globe that's cute, or you just go to your Google a world map. Look how big Vietnam is.

I'm looking.

Wow, Okay, what state you think?

What's the question? You got it? What state you think it's comfortable in size to Vietnam?

I guess by the looks of it.

I mean not Texas, for Texas bigger than Vietnam. I'm looking one of the smaller states.

Yeah, this is This could be up in New England somewhere.

Mm hmmm. So just say, like four guests, maybe it's the size of the Rhode Island or New Hampshire, Vermont, that is the size of Vietnam. They kicked mothers.

Yea.

They know when you came to be like Spike Lee.

Some did, some did, but we made a conscious effort in this film not to dehumanize being these people, not to make them villains. We treat them with love, respect, and we got that in return.

Uh.

One question I had about your because you say, you know war that was the theme?

You know war never ends?

Was that a part of the decision to keep the main actors the same age and the flashbacks? Uh, you know what I mean? And the only one that was young was was Chad you know Norman.

It was thank you? Big question again, that's question I've been asked a question a million times already now, so I have there. As I said earlier, everybody. Netflix was the last person who started to do the film. But they said we're doing it for a price, a price that you a price. If I to add the dou to do the age that the d age actors would added another one hundred million dollars.

To a film.

Would have to do that one hundred down. That's more the whole film car. Another part of this answer and complicated answer, is that we had very few days when the temperature was not over one hundred degrees. We were shooting in the jungles of Thailand, make up aesthetics would

Yeah.

Yeah, My good friend Sarah McDonald who writes for The Undefeated, and she gave the Five Bloods good review. She was the one that kind of made that point of just how that was the way even though it was you know, it may have been a budgetarystriction whatever, but that was just a way to show that they never left the war, like they're still there.

Yes, And what did Marvin Gate sing? War is hell?

But win it?

And I'm not gonna sing it when we start getting back together again.

So I know the questions coming.

About Marvion Gate. Marvin Gay had an older brother named Franklin. He did three tours in Vietnam, three tours. He was a radio operator and he was right his brother every week, and Marvin never answered one of those others.

Wow.

And I think a lot of ways that album is an answer. It was a lettering never wrote. So Marvin is getting a first hand account from his brother who's doing three tours of Vietnam. Plus Marvin is in Detroit Motown, so they're seeing the buds come back, maimed, fucked up, strung on heroin. So all those things it might look, I might be wrong. I think those are the things that all came together that he gave the world the gift of one of the greatest albums ever in my opinion.

What's going on?

So Marvin is a character in this movie.

Did you know from the gate that you were going to use that album, that entire record as Yes, now I'm gonna do that because it introduces another, yet another generation to an album that's about to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary.

So and another thing is that we did. Another thing that we did is that my brother Sanki, who does all my still photography and not not still with Talk Records, he's behind the scenes. While we were in Thailand, he gave me that Acapella birds was I never heard it before? M hmm, I never.

Heard it, had never ever heard of acapella What's going on?

And once I heard it, I knew we had to put it on a scene with Paul as he's on his dissent and the depths.

You know, right, Yeah, I feel like that was your That was your living for the City moment from ju Jungle Fever.

That was your Yeah, just using a song.

Like go to the Tosh.

Also do one of my favorite scenes where you did that is in Girl six, when you use how come you don't call me no more?

Any boardwalk?

In spite as a I'm gonna get on you with it again every time I talk to you, I'm gonna just say, as a c Au person, I found it very interesting the way you again go more House into.

Another of yours.

I just the house history. Though you were absolutely right, I do not mention clark Au now it's called back on Clark was called Clark College. My maid was that even like graduating from Morehouse ELECTUS class of nineteen seventy nine, my major, Herb. Eichelberger, taught me he's the one that

Was that you're doing.

Hey, I thought about it like the rest of the world.

Okay, okay, listen though.

You know why that's special to me, No bullshit. My father went to Morehouse. Well, my father was a freshman doctor Martin Luther King was a senior. Martin Luther King the Third and I are classmates. We both graduated class thirty nine. My grandfather went to Morehouse. My mother, who is a centophile, she's the one. She's the reason why I'm a filmmaker. She went to Spellman. My grandma lived

I was the first born, I had first DIBs.

My grandmother put me through Morehouse, put me through n YU, and gave me the same money. But she's gotta have it.

I get it.

So that's why I show Love Morehouse and Spellman plus the world's grades Hurd. Love with Moses was one year ahead of me classes seventy eight.

Nobody rides out of school like morehouse men and spellman women.

I'm gonna tell I'm the motherfucking house what all right, one day I'll do it for OKAYK got to do it.

A mirror my pros from me her culture festival. All right, y'all?

No Bill None who used to teach at Clark and Land and where you go? I don't know the house And Samuel Jackson Sam, I.

Think he was about.

Sam, Sam, Sam and John I mean Sam then Bill were classmates some more Hawks.

When you saw Sam presenting the award, you you kind of you already, right.

I had an inkling, but I didn't want to go for the dope bean double cross again. I gotta love you so much. I don't want to go for that.

I wanted going. I look, I was a hit.

It was a hit. But I've seen that skull bluggery, that Agan's subterfuge before.

Right, we all have. Man, I was I was there before.

I was there, and that that was That was like one of the most electric moments in the audience.

Man, like watching that and Ruth get one too, Like it was.

Just oh, there was a bunch of us. Yeah, that was a good knight for negroes all, not just the ones that want.

Yes. Yeah, it was great. That was a great night. What is next for you?

And how are you preparing for whatever is next for you?

You know what?

Another you guys give me nothing A great question.

I thank you for because it's hard to answer the questions that you're like, WTF. OMG. This is the first time. If I just had as my mother, my late mother will say, sit your skinny, rusty black ass down. I've been working non stop.

She used to have.

It was eighty six, do the right thing.

It's gonna be thirty one years old this coming June thirty. The film was released the same day as Tim Baton. Tim Burton's Batman was between feature films, featured documentaries, short films for Michael Jackson, Prince Public Enemy, Miles Davis, Anita Baker. You know, a whole bunch of people, and then being married twenty six years, my group of wife Tanya, two kids, grown kids, this pandemic both and you know there's two.

Of them, alright me.

Yeah, Like, sit the fuck down and be still.

Stop the ripping and running here and ripping running air My family, we were. You know, I just went out the first two months just to take.

Out the garbage.

Wow. Sometimes you just using up.

Now it's loosen up, you know, ride my bike, spending a lot of dollar demonstrations. But I had to be still because I want. I wanted to live and I don't want to do nothing that's gonna, you know, put my family in jeopardy. And when you're just there, you think your mind and maybe maybe everybody, some other beautiful people might have felt this way too. My mind was not racing, and.

It was like I'm taking this one motherfucking day and a motherfucking at time, one day at a time, not trying to plan on us.

We don't know when it's just going to change whatever. I'm just gonna be still. And I've done a lot of reflections. I thought about my brother Chris, who died not recently, but you know he was a brother right under me. You know, he had an addiction.

I thought of my mother, who died of liver cancer.

You saw a crook one I'm wanted. She was forty one years old, you know, another sophomore in more house. So I've had time to think about It's not just all you know, dark stuff. But I've had a lot of time to reflect the good and bad, which I think has been very beneficial to my growth because I just had to shit the fuck down. Hey man, I'm trying to be like, you know, like mister.

No, that's real. No, that's really, that's real.

Even when at the beginning when you were saying, you know, like I'm sixty three years old, like me and my wife were even talking about that about how you've always been someone who he your output has always been very prolific, and so you've always like every year or at least every other year, we know, Spike got something coming. And then on top of that, your subject matter is always timely to what's going on. So it's easy to forget

You know what I mean?

People, we want to freeze just like it all right, But if I could just say this, and this is because I gotta go, but I want to thank you guys. But but also another thing I left out I've been thinking about. I was, you know, the first time ever I'm thinking about my own mortality. Death has been around us around me, people have died left and right, and it really you know, maybe think about you know, like I'm not going to be the fuck here forever, you know.

Bullshit doesn't become a cliche.

Truth does, in my opinion.

In fact, we got to enjoy what we got because no one knows when that last breath is we're gonna take, and nothing is reaffirmed that.

I mean, you hear that, you hear that, hear that he has some bulls that will live ever. But living through New York City in this epicenter that changed is like I said, nah, that shit is real.

You gotta we.

Gotta enjoy this ship while you're here, because this was a motherfucking epicenter New York City.

People dying left and right.

Funeral homes have motherfucking U haul trucks.

They're unrefrigerated. People have to call the cops because valley fueled fluid and just a stinch is like, just be crazy. That's like living Fort Green not right next to Brooklyn Hospital.

And you see the refrigeration trucks they had they're gone now, yeah, but that they had to bring in refrigeration trucks to keep the course of the the dead bodies.

You're on ice.

Yeah.

And the last thing, my brother, I'm gonna sing you out because I want to let you know that I love.

You and it's love, love, love.

And I think that this is time history that we're living through is going to reduce great albums, great plays, great movies, great documentaries, great art is going to come out of this historic moment we're living in. I believe in my heart, amen, that they're great, that they that for me, what makes artists great is a God given gift and that god even gift is is the connection between the heart and the mind. And you watch just me cold.

Because the the the.

Horrible things have happened, art, great art is going to comment on this period we lived.

Thank you, amen, Thank you very much, Spike Lee.

Thank you.

I appreciate it.

Thank you for your art.

Not a special Q slive with Spike Lee Bontelo. Fight Yeah, Steve, that was a mouthful.

We got it.

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