Dr. Angela Lauria and Matt Lowry LPP, dive into the fascinating world of musician, producer, and DJ—Questlove (Amir Khalib Thompson)—who briefly shared his childhood autism diagnosis in his 2013 memoir. Questlove’s special interests in Soul Train and Black music history, and his stim of watching records spin, intertwine to create his unique perspective and career.
Questlove has a massive record collection, encyclopedic music knowledge, and amazing ability to instantly identify the beats per minute of songs. His special interests led him to amass a huge collection of Black music memorabilia that will be housed in the National Museum of African American History and Culture after he dies. He sees himself as a “walking Blacksonian” historian preserving Black music history. The Autistic artist’s passion for social justice drives his mission to ensure Black music takes its rightful place in history.
Angela: So when one collects data, especially when one is a linguistic Autistic like me and Questlove, one wants to write a book about all the data we have collected.
Matt: Once you collect the data, you have to share the data. That's the other half.
Angela: Must share data. So good. Yes.
The podcast hosts analyze how Questlove's Autistic traits like stimming, special interests, attention to detail, pattern recognition, and monotropism all interconnect and contribute to his creative successes. They see his story as representing what can happen when autism is not pathologized but instead allowed to flourish. Questlove embraces and celebrates his Autistic identity and life on the autism spectrum through his passions and work.
“‘My mom said it was a blessing because I never gave her trouble. It was the opposite. They knew exactly how to sedate me, which was to sit me in the front of something that held my interest and then just leave.’ This is the way. This is how we roll.” –Matt
Join Matt and Angela on this week’s virtual culture trip as they explore Questlove's Autistic journey, his amazing accomplishments, and the important role that his unique mind plays in the world of Autistic culture.
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Episode 19: Eminem is Autistic
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Questlove is Autistic (Episode 29)