The Roots on Amy, Jay-Z and Barack at the Hot Press Chatroom

Asked what guests he has lined-up next for the next Roots album, ?uest informed us: “If she can manage to weather the storm, Amy (Winehouse) and I have been talking for the last four or five years about her being on a record. I think she’d be absolutely awesome with The Roots.”
The conversation turned next to Noel Gallagher saying that his buddy Jay-Z had no business being at Glastonbury.
“I told J, ‘That’s the best thing that ever happened to you!’” ?uest laughed. “The day he got word on that, we were on a TV show together and I was like, ‘Are you going to cancel the gig ‘cause of him making a snicker about that?’ I’ve seen hip-hop suffer greatly on the main stage at Glastonbury and other festivals – y’know, people having piss bottles ready for 50 Cent and acts they don’t approve of. He just looked at me and went, ‘bffffffffhhhh, right! I’m prepared now.’ When his back’s against the wall, that’s when he comes out swinging. I put that band together for him, but sadly I couldn’t be there.”
Did he know Jay-Z was going to open with ‘Wonderwall’?
“No, he didn’t tell me that part ‘cause he was afraid I’d blab about it on the internet. And I would’ve!”
?uestlove finished by stressing how desperate he is for Barack Obama to become President in November.
“I pray that Barack gets out of this unscathed ‘cause this is the first time in 40 years we’ve had a candidate who actually has compassion for the people they’re governing. He can relate to the suffering. I’m working for Barack’s campaign – during the California and Texas primaries my job was to get up at four in the morning and put leaflets and pamphlets on all the doors, and make sure that people are registered. I’ve been volunteering for his campaign for the last six months.”
As for the story about him jamming with Stevie Wonder round at Prince’s, I’m afraid that’ll have to wait for another day!