Questlove and Team Supreme sat down with the legendary Carlos Santana in late 2021 for a wide‑ranging conversation on spirituality, music, and a lifetime of artistic risk-taking. Santana breaks down his morning gratitude ritual, his concept of grace, and how John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, and African rhythms shaped his sound from Caravanserai through his 1970s catalog.

He revisits his journey from Autlán, Tijuana, and the Bay Area to Woodstock, talks about avoiding the dark side of the ’70s Rock lifestyle, and explains why he’s committed “career suicide” multiple times in order to protect his artistic integrity. Along the way, he shares stories about Tony Williams and John McLaughlin at Slugs, Michael Jackson and Lauryn Hill collabs, his iconic PRS tone, and his vision for drums, community, and a world less driven by fear.

This is Santana in full shaman mode—funny, candid, and deeply philosophical.

Questlove and Team Supreme sat down with the legendary Carlos Santana in late 2021 for a wide‑ranging conversation on spirituality, music, and a lifetime of artistic risk-taking. Santana breaks down his morning gratitude ritual, his concept of grace, and how John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, and African rhythms shaped his sound from Caravanserai through his 1970s catalog.
He revisits his journey from Autl&aacute;n, Tijuana, and the Bay Area to Woodstock, talks about avoiding the dark side of the &rsquo;70s Rock lifestyle, and explains why he&rsquo;s committed &ldquo;career suicide&rdquo; multiple times in order to protect his artistic integrity. Along the way, he shares stories about Tony Williams and John McLaughlin at Slugs, Michael Jackson and Lauryn Hill collabs, his iconic PRS tone, and his vision for drums, community, and a world less driven by fear.
This is Santana in full shaman mode&mdash;funny, candid, and deeply philosophical.

The Questlove Show builds on the award-winning Questlove Supreme podcast, bringing listeners into intimate, one-on-one conversations with peers, influences, and friends. Hosted by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, each episode uncovers the unexpected — from morning rituals and hidden talents to the art and experiences that shaped a guest’s journey. Sometimes playful, sometimes profound, always curious, QLS offers rare insight into leaders in music, film, television, comedy, literature, mental health, and beyond. It’s a fresh, unpredictable spin from a trusted source — a place where randomness is encouraged, tangents are welcomed, and conversations are anything but ordinary.

The Questlove Show builds on the award-winning Questlove Supreme podcast, bringing listeners into intimate, one-on-one conversations with peers, influences, and friends. Hosted by Ahmir &ldquo;Questlove&rdquo; Thompson, each episode uncovers the unexpected &mdash; from morning rituals and hidden talents to the art and experiences that shaped a guest&rsquo;s journey. Sometimes playful, sometimes profound, always curious, QLS offers rare insight into leaders in music, film, television, comedy, literature, mental health, and beyond. It&rsquo;s a fresh, unpredictable spin from a trusted source &mdash; a place where randomness is encouraged, tangents are welcomed, and conversations are anything but ordinary.

The Questlove Show

The truly miraculous Carlos Santana shares his history, inspirations and his soul with Quest

QLS Classic: Carlos Santana

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/e38488f8-2bce-4e9d-bb88-ae320076cc95/transcript

In this QLS Mini, Open Mike Eagle and Cousin Jake briefly unpack their stress soundtracks, from comfort spins like XTC and R.E.M. to the way MTV and MTV News quietly raised a generation. Using their recent Kurt Loder Questlove Show interview as a springboard, they revisit formative moments like the Kurt Cobain and Tupac reports, the Real World era, and how Loder became a kind of Gen X Walter Cronkite. The conversation tracks how we used to “lean back” and receive culture versus today’s hyper-controlled feeds, while celebrating the dignity and care MTV News brought to covering cultures.

In this QLS Mini, Open Mike Eagle and Cousin Jake briefly unpack their stress soundtracks, from comfort spins like XTC and R.E.M. to the way MTV and MTV News quietly raised a generation. Using their recent Kurt Loder Questlove Show interview as a springboard, they revisit formative moments like the Kurt Cobain and Tupac reports, the Real World era, and how Loder became a kind of Gen X Walter Cronkite. The conversation tracks how we used to &ldquo;lean back&rdquo; and receive culture versus today&rsquo;s hyper-controlled feeds, while celebrating the dignity and care MTV News brought to covering cultures.

A Reaction To The Kurt Loder Episode Of The Questlove Show

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b83f225e-6390-4de1-babb-b4b6001c286f/transcript

Questlove and JoJo are NOT close friends. They aren’t—or at least, that’s how they approached this conversation: two pals from different genres and generations who have bonded in recent years, sitting down to see what else they might have in common.

For The Questlove Show, the two get into JoJo’s evolution from teen prodigy to Grammy-winning, multi-platinum artist—songwriting camps, vocal discipline, Broadway chops, creative blocks, and what it means to define success on your own terms. JoJo also gets real about periods of feeling low, her family, and why she’s no longer interested in trauma-dumping in the studio—but still wants the music to hit you hard.

And, because this is QLS, we go everywhere: Boston accents, mermaid dreams, theater nerd deep dives, the standards for singing in the age of AI, and the story behind her viral flip of “Marvin’s Room” by Drake.

This is a conversation about craft, resilience, growing up in public, and choosing joy without losing the soul.

Questlove and JoJo are NOT close friends. They aren&rsquo;t&mdash;or at least, that&rsquo;s how they approached this conversation: two pals from different genres and generations who have bonded in recent years, sitting down to see what else they might have in common.
For&nbsp;The Questlove Show, the two get into JoJo&rsquo;s evolution from teen prodigy to Grammy-winning, multi-platinum artist&mdash;songwriting camps, vocal discipline, Broadway chops, creative blocks, and what it means to define success on your own terms. JoJo also gets real about periods of feeling low, her family, and why she&rsquo;s no longer interested in trauma-dumping in the studio&mdash;but still wants the music to hit you hard.
And, because this is QLS, we go everywhere: Boston accents, mermaid dreams, theater nerd deep dives, the standards for singing in the age of AI, and the story behind her viral flip of &ldquo;Marvin&rsquo;s Room&rdquo; by Drake.
This is a conversation about craft, resilience, growing up in public, and choosing joy without losing the soul.

JoJo

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/c7ec82c1-9678-45a2-9317-b4ad013149fc/transcript

Bruce Hornsby joined Questlove Supreme in 2020 for a deep-dive that went way beyond “The Way It Is,” tracing his late-blooming journey from Virginia jock to conservatory-trained improviser to unlikely pop star. Bruce broke down how playing with The Grateful Dead rewired his approach to live performance, why he’d spent decades upsetting soft-core fans, and how a small-town Southern upbringing informed his blunt (and progressive) songwriting about race and class. He shared wild, personal stories about mentoring Allen Iverson, getting discovered by Michael McDonald, and being the piano heartbeat behind (fellow QLS guest) Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” Hornsby also talked about doing (fellow QLS guest) Spike Lee scores, his modern Classical influences, and why he’d rather chase new harmonic territory than nostalgia. It was a rare, funny, and candid portrait of a virtuoso who kept reinventing himself—even as his most famous song found new life with artists from 2Pac to Polo G.

Bruce Hornsby joined Questlove Supreme in 2020 for a deep-dive that went way beyond &ldquo;The Way It Is,&rdquo; tracing his late-blooming journey from Virginia jock to conservatory-trained improviser to unlikely pop star. Bruce broke down how playing with The Grateful Dead rewired his approach to live performance, why he&rsquo;d spent decades upsetting soft-core fans, and how a small-town Southern upbringing informed his blunt (and progressive) songwriting about race and class. He shared wild, personal stories about mentoring Allen Iverson, getting discovered by Michael McDonald, and being the piano heartbeat behind (fellow QLS guest) Bonnie Raitt&rsquo;s &ldquo;I Can&rsquo;t Make You Love Me.&rdquo; Hornsby also talked about doing (fellow QLS guest) Spike Lee scores, his modern Classical influences, and why he&rsquo;d rather chase new harmonic territory than nostalgia. It was a rare, funny, and candid portrait of a virtuoso who kept reinventing himself&mdash;even as his most famous song found new life with artists from 2Pac to Polo G.

This week on Questlove Supreme mega talented, multiple award winning singer songwriter, composer and pianist Bruce Hornsby shares his story.

QLS Classic: Bruce Hornsby

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/bc46283a-eb51-425f-a2aa-ae3200a0b69a/transcript

QLS Classic: Carlos Santana

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