This was our common ground, the secret we shared but never spoke aloud.
A lot of journalists say, "Tell us about the '80s. " Nobody wants to know about the '70s!
In the '70s, anybody who was a connoisseur of collecting vinyl had the velvet brush. Remember the velvet brush? It would clean the record, and you would only grab the record from the sides and you would carefully slide it into the jacket. I never had a velvet brush.
I was reckless with records. I would pull them out by my fingertips. I would put my hands all over them.
Too many times, people are hearing the story from the second floor. Nobody's heard the story from the basement.
I needed to be able to hear the mix before you do - that's when I came up with the "peek-a-boo" system.
Hip-hop has always been chronologically misunderstood. Too many times, people are hearing the story from the second floor. Nobody's heard the story from the basement. If hip-hop was a cake, all I can tell you is the eggs, the flour, the sugar, the vanilla - the ingredient years.
I did have a love for literature that overpowered my hatred of the people who taught it, and I think because I had no respect for the teachers, their attitude didn't poison the writing that I was discovering for myself.
I played softball for a few years growing up. Both my brothers played baseball.
I suppose there is a lot of toughness in me.
I think fundamentally the bigger question is, what are we expecting peacekeepers to do? Are they actually, as the traditional conception would have it, keeping peace, in which case they're not there to actively intervene and stop violence? When we send them into these places, do we expect they will respond forcefully?