Watch An Animated Nina Simone Interview ca. '68
In the halls musical excellence, Nina Simone's howls still hit a deafening pitch. And while many remember the jazz pioneer as the sharpest voice of her era, a new animated interview from the good folks at PBS shines light on the legend's more domestic purviews. In the latest installment of their always insightful Blank On Blank series, PBS brings to life a 1968 chat with journalist Jillian Terry, who was introduced to Simone through their mutual acquaintance Max Roach.
The interview took place at Simone's home in Mt. Vernon, New York, where they discussed her life as a mother, activist and musician. Simone also speaks of her daughter, hoping to instill within her a profound pride of her blackness, speaks of the creation of her devastatingly poignant "Why? (The King Of Love Is Dead)" (written and recorded the day after Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination by bassist Gene Taylor) and her love of posh clothing. All of this, of course, comes through the keen, cartoonish lens of this routinely great animated series. Watch the clip in its entirety down below and if you've yet to do so, get an even more intimate lens into the life and legacy of Nina Simone by streaming the Oscar nominated doc What Happened, Miss Simone? on Netflix today.
