Miles and Me: An Interview with Quincy Troupe

Abstract

A Renaissance man for twenty-first century, author and poet Quincy Troupe is Professor of Creative Writing and American and Caribbean Literature at University of California, San Diego. A nationally recognized poet and biographer, he has authored twelve books and won two American Book Awards, in 1980 for Snake-Back Solos, a volume of poetry, and for Miles: The Autobiography. He wrote and co-produced The Miles Davis Radio Project, for which he received a Peabody Award; served as Editorial Director of Code, a national monthly magazine for men of color; and has edited James Baldwin: The Legacy. Troupe is also two-time Heavyweight Champion of Poetry, a title he won at World Poetry Bout, a national competition that draws distinguished poets to Taos, New Mexico. Troupe's latest work is Miles and Me, a candid account of his friendship with enigmatic trumpeter. In it Troupe offers a glimpse into inner sanctum of jazz's Prince of Darkness. The book also shows power of music--in particular, music of Miles Davis--on Troupe's own development as an artist. On October 25, 2000, Troupe appeared on Return to Source, a jazz show I produce and host on WJAB 90.9FM in Huntsville, Alabama. What followed was a freewheeling, wide-ranging, engaging interview that covered Miles and Me, impact of jazz and Miles's music on Troupe's own artistic development, role of African American artist, poetry, and Troupe's latest projects, including his first screenplay, for an upcoming movie on Miles Davis. Turner: Your new book is a much more personal account of your relationship with Miles, and in that sense it's as much about you as it is about Miles. We get a chance to see your background and your first exposure to jazz and Miles's music. What was your hometown, St. Louis, like when you were growing up? Troupe: When I grew up there it was segregated. I remember we didn't have a television, and going to listen to Joe Louis fight on radio. When television came in, it was downtown at department store, and black people, including my dad and other black men, would take me down to department store to watch Joe Louis on television. There would be a whole lot of black people, and white people too, on sidewalk looking at Joe Louis knock somebody out. Other than that, we would sit around radio and listen to those boxing matches and baseball games. The only thing we really had to do was to listen to music, go to movies, and play sports. My father was a great baseball player, so I grew up between St. Louis, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. He was second greatest catcher of all-time in old Negro Leagues. So in my house, we were listening to salsa and other Latin music. My mother liked Count Basie, Duke Ellington , Billy Eckstine, Charlie Parker. So I grew up around a lot of different stuff. The second man she married, after divorcing my father, was a blues musician. He played all blues musicians--B. B. King, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley. Kids are always against what their parents like. I was listening to Johnny Ace and Coasters ... Platters. I remember going into this fish joint one day in St. Louis. I was about 15 years old, and I saw these four black guys. I had transferred by that time to an all-white high school, and it was so square at that school. They were listening to Pat Boone covering black songs. I just wanted to be around something hip. These four black guys were sitting in a booth in fish joint and they were really clean. They had on dark glasses, ascots. I had never seen a guy with an ascot, and a beret. They had their hats up on three-pronged poles and they were smoking cigarettes, drinking soda, and eating fish sandwiches. I said, Let me sit behind them and see if I can catch something. They were talking about the homeboy across river from East St. …