Questlove may have no choice. Ahmir Thompson, that is, the music scholar, drummer for Jimmy Fallon's late-night show, and documentarian ("Summer of Soul," among others). His next film project just might need to be a reconsideration of Kid Creole and the Coconuts.
That would be Bronx-born August Darnell, zoot-suit-wearing showman, former English teacher, inspiration for Prince, and front man of one of the biggest and most energetic bands of the late 20th century, and, per usual, particularly big in Europe. A horn section in Hawaiian shirts? You'll never hear a trombone as rocking.
One of the first things I ever searched for on YouTube was a Kid Creole favorite of mine from 1985, "Endicott," at once one of popular music's great self-justifications and great stakings-out of personal freedom, as the title character — straw man, real man, resented man — is propped up as a point of contrast.
"Endicott's carryin' a heavy load but / Endicott never really ever moans / Endicott's not a wealthy guy but / Endicott pays the bills on time."
"Endicott don't drink alcohol / Endicott use no drugs at all."
"Endicott's frame is mighty strong / Endicott make love hard and long."
And here, as after every verse, the hectoring Greek chorus of the Coconuts chimes in, singsong: "Why can't you be like Endicott?"
Kid Creole's rejoinder: " 'Cause I'm free / Free of any made-to-order liabilities / Thank God I'm free / 'Cause it's hard enough for me / To take care of me, oh-oh."
Off the same album, "In Praise of Older Women and Other Crimes," and equally evocative, is "Caroline Was a Dropout," in which he introduces his old friend:
"Lazy child, she was always poking fun at those / Who worked all their lives."
"If you want her, here's a portrait / Of a wasted mind / Don't condemn her, don't commend her / Don't give pearls to swine."
"She has the tendency / To blame society / I got no sympathy / She had the same opportunities as me."
You get the devastating picture. Now she dances at the Pussycat.
"Dropout, dropout, dropout!" Kid Creole drives it home. "Dropout, dropout, dropout!"
One reason not to simply listen, but watch, mesmerized, is the Coconuts. Swiss, American, the blond-in-triplicate lineup tended to shift, but from what I can tell the core at the height was Adriana Kaegi, Cheryl Poirier, and Ulrika Svedberg, who had the mind-boggling stamina to keep up elaborate, quirky, syncopated dance moves onstage for hours nonstop.
These endlessly entertaining shows have to be seen to be believed. They'll make you laugh out loud and grin like an idiot, or else weep for what's been lost.
Submitted with deep admiration, Questlove. Keep up the top-notch work.