Episode notes
The album: Betty Davis: They Say I’m Different (1974)
As part of our “Women Behaving Boldly” series, we decided to re-air the episode that launched Heat Rocks: our interview with future soul trailblazer and architect, Joi Gilliam.
This was one the pilot episodes we recorded in the spring of 2017 and when we left the taping, we turned to one another and knew this show had potential.
The pairing of artist and album came from Morgan and it was inspired: the undersung Betty Davis, one of the most original and fascinating figures of the 1970s, being feted by future soul artist and Dungeon Family-affiliate Joi, an artist very much cut from Betty’s cloth but a generation later. We had a fantastic conversation about the importance and uniqueness of Betty and what she’s meant, especially, to waves of Black women artists who’ve followed in her path in the 40+ years since.
On a personal note, this also meant a lot to Oliver because he’s written three sets of liner notes on Betty Davis albums (including They Say I’m Different) and interviewed her extensively as part of that. He forever holds a torch for her.
More on Betty Davis:
- Betty interviewed by Jesse Thorn on Bullseye
- An interview with Oliver Wang on Betty Davis for Light In the Attic
- Pop Matters review of Betty Davis and They Say I’m Different
More on Joi:
Tracklisting(all songs from They Say I’m Different unless indicated otherwise):
- They Say I’m Different
- Joi: Sunshine & The Rain
- Bone Crusher: Never Scared
- Joi: Fatal Lovesick Journey
- Don’t Call Her No Tramp
- Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him
- Ice Cube: Once Upon a Time in the Projects
- They Say I’m Different
- 70’s Blues
- Special People
- Joi: If I’m in Luck I Just Might Get Picked Up
- Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him
- He Was a Big Freak
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there.
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In this episode...
Guests
- Joi Gilliam
About the show
Hosted by Oliver Wang and Morgan Rhodes, every episode of Heat Rocks invites a special guest to talk about a heat rock – a hot album, a scorching record. These are in-depth conversations about the albums that shape our lives.
Our guests include musicians, writers, and scholars and though we don’t exclusively focus on any one genre, expect to hear about albums from the worlds of soul, hip-hop, funk, jazz, Latin, and more.
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