Who gets to go to heaven and who doesn’t? According to John Lee Hooker Jr., son of the legendary bluesman and author of From The Shadow of the Blues, many are called but not everyone is chosen. In the new autobiography, he confesses his own journey from addiction and imprisonment to religious redemption, while reflecting on growing up in his father's musical shadow. Hooker Jr. distinguishes between genius (like Prince) and talent (like himself), and offers thoughtful insights on the blues as both a response to African-American suffering and as a celebration of joy. And then there’s his take on the heaven question which won’t please everyone, especially those from the LGBTQ community.
Here are the 5 KEEN ON takeaways from our conversation with Hooker Jr:
* On living in his father's shadow - John Lee Hooker Jr. describes it as both a blessing and a burden. While his father was humble and encouraged him to find his own authentic sound, he felt pressure from the music industry to live up to the Hooker name. He makes an important distinction between talent (which he says he has) and genius (which he attributes to artists like Stevie Wonder and Prince who could master multiple instruments and aspects of music production).
* His perspective on the blues - He explains that blues music served a dual purpose: expressing the pain and suffering of African Americans during slavery and Jim Crow, but also celebrating joy and dance. He notes that people "sung the blues because they had the blues" - tired of discrimination and different treatment - but the genre encompasses both hardship and happiness.
* His battle with addiction - Hooker Jr. describes addiction as a spiritual chain that can't be broken by human means alone. He differentiates between what he sees as lighter "addictions" (like social media) and the physical, desperate nature of drug and alcohol addiction that affected his body and led him to criminal behavior. His struggles led to multiple incarcerations and nearly cost him his life.
* His path to redemption - After multiple failed attempts at rehabilitation, including joining a cult called Synanon, he found salvation through religious faith. This transformation occurred after hitting rock bottom in San Francisco's Tenderloin district. He wrote his book to offer hope to others struggling with addiction, showing that change is possible even after multiple relapses and failures.
* His current perspectives - While acknowledging the reality of racial discrimination in America, he takes personal responsibility for his past actions rather than blaming the system. He now lives in Germany, not having given up on America, but because he found love there. He maintains strong Christian convictions that guide his now conservative worldview and describes himself as loving everyone while holding firm to his literal biblical interpretations.
Reverend John Lee Hooker Jr., was born in Detroit, Michigan, and he is the son of one of the greatest blues legends that has ever lived, the late and the great, John Lee Hooker (1917-2001). He is an artist who has received multiple awards throughout his career; he was also nominated for a Grammy in 2004 and 2008, and the recipient of the 2018 “Bobby Bland Lifetime Achievement Award.”
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Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting the daily KEEN ON show, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy interview series. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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