I'm worthily more is one of the critics at the New York Times and we are having a moment a large seismic unpredictable ever changing moment and I have just been holding on to all these images, these videos of people, black men and women on streets screaming in the people's cameras about how that up they are with the entire situation. In everything you know as a black person in the United States of America, everything you felt everything you ve been made to feel you feel it in your heart

you gotta persevere. You gotta keep going and when you're, having a moment like this, where The ground is shifting beneath your feet in a thousand different ways, seemingly several times our every day for more than two weeks is useful to try to figure out a way to get your bearings two more yourself, so that you don't get lost in all the chaos and the care

doesn't swallow you up. So what happens for me in a moment like this, is I turn to art so a couple sundays ago I moved forward from my living room into my kitchen. It's been quite a weekend. This particular Sunday. I've had protesters on my story. Coming up and down my block with a great no justice, no peace and on this particular Sunday, I did what I normally do with my sundays. I cook and my companion was gonna, be music So one thing you should know about me is that when it comes to art a big completion that tends to be my motives, a critic, I tend to go through periods where our

every Philip Roth novel. I will watch every Andrea tar, Caskey Movie and the last couple of weeks have been spending my time with one patty. Labelle she's got a number Scylla records and I was going through all the seller records when I got to nineteen eighty five paddy Party Labelle, one of America's greatest singers. One of America. The greatest imaginations when it comes to how this thing has a voice that could stop traffic. It could send you in the outer space. Sometimes it is outer space. It is sometimes just the most beautiful, sustained singing the notes she can hit the way she can flattened boughs and then pole,

now like taffy and then album closes with us on that. I have heard. Thousand, which is a cover. If you don't. No me by now. It's a classic break up ballad. But I'm standing there in my kitchen over missing, into it like I've, never heard of my life amen and

there's a moment in the middle of the song, where the ban clears a space for her she's, talk in the audience through this moment of self reckoning about how that up. She is known about, I think, is kind of like agar gets in the way. Granted. Somebody just knows which are all about my dear and they just don't She is walking or through what it's like to be misunderstood under appreciated in the bargain and an contract of of a relationship break your legs regulating you break your face, Trying to make these people know your online, they just don't

that's right. No I'm me in your you and we ve been together. We ve been doing this for a long time and I can't believe after all this time you still haven't figured out, who I am, what I What I am about, what I believe, so you say to yourself As someone something I said to someone, and after Patty Labelle has walked everybody through this. Moment where she is regarding herself in a mirror, is how I imagine it she, just as sound, is aware that there are going to do. For ten more years am I gonna keep staying in this relations. And being that things get better because I'm not going to change. So unless you change- and you haven't changed yet you keep acting like you just met me.

And if you don't know what the deal is at this point, I want to tell you and then she disliked and all I can only you say stuff that I have been carrying around all these years with all these decades- I wonder epidemiologists, which say I was born with it, once in a while something reaches it and it squeezes it and as squeezes it in its squeezes it and then it pops

Impiety Labelle just popped that thing for me in this moment, and I just wept it is a rock through a window it is it is the burning down of a house, it's in anger, that I feel that I couldn't expressed the way she expresses it. Meanwhile rate to them. Me on George for dinner,.

It went to every other african American who has died at the hands of a police officer, Really, if anybody wrongfully. In how we sit with that each one of those death, even though that person is a total stranger to us, we carry it with. But I knew that this moment was the last straw for me and I suspect that this moment of Nina pop being killed in

we a tailor being killed and a monarchy being killed and George Floyd being killed. This is it because there is a lot of stuff coursing through a lot of people in this country and they ve had it This is it, this is the damn breaking and I dont know if there's anything that the racist of this country can do to re, damn What is broke

So this was essentially based on a piece of writing that I did and a few days after it published my phone rang and it was a Philadelphia number I'm from Philadelphia. So in my thinking when I see those numbers

I think, could it be my cousin Paulette? Could it be bumpy? Could it be one of my sister's many girlfriend who likes to call me every once in a while, but their number change too. I dont know what could happen anybody. So I take the call and it was someone who introduced himself is Eddie and he says Wesley Morris. I have Miss Patty Labelle here, waiting to speak to you and so, unlike ok, sure I'll, I'm taking the call. Yes, yes by all means I will I am taking this call and she'd basically reached out to tell me that she was so Pritchett of or written. We talked for about eleven minutes and she told me more things in eleven minutes. Then I think most people get done in eleven hours of talking shop,

so warm and a and in my being star struck I realized when we got off the phone. It actually did have a couple of questions that I wanted to ask her said the other day in the late afternoon. I sat down in the living room, and I called her back hello, hello good morning. As far as I'm concerned, good morning to you Miss Terry Labelle, I'm pretty good. How are you doing? I cannot complain. I woke up this morning, a man that was the main thing any

So how are you doing with what you do with your time? Rain? Are you spending it? You know how to spend. My time cannot cook so, therefore I ve been doing for the last four months. You know and loving it love to cook for everybody. Now, I'm in cooking I've been watching my grandkids swim. You know, because I can't swim say, get up there, If something on a girl, social, distancing, referenda and flowers, cooking meditating am praying, you know what I'm wondering is. What brings you comfort and in a moment that's a mean, there's the pandemic. On the one hand there are those

tests. Protests thing. What brings me peace think right. Billions of March is all over the world, marching for something that I'm feeling so strong on that's gonna happen. A change is gonna, be a positive change, because all these people and spare there lies the margin and covert they set out where the dry margin for someone so bad at it. That's what I get my carpet is what my little puppy watch and watching the tv and watch and things just watching everything and say: oh, my God, is their muse like when you ve been feeling on, I mean I don't down you get. I don't know how you know blues you started

he'll, but when you get when you get in those places, if you do what music get you out, what music captured through it, while there are so many types of music that helps me through it, I mean a lot of California. Love love. I love that I love tee said I love Bob Dylan, the answer is blown in the wind hand, is gonna come my perform that, like three weeks ago, in Philadelphia for fairly shout out for the cove it am, I found TAT. I was gonna come you know, I'm struggling being the black girl. Who thing? If you ask me to my mind, is not accepted the women offering you know you're talkin about he didn't like you're great aversion, if you as, if you ask me too far

the indian things it and it's a barrel, and it's like that in all parts of my life, I have to work harder and be seen to be seen. Not even listen to further that I see you say they want to see that please listen to that black lace. Music, do you know them when they do they compare and they take the other one. Instead of my and of course, better and she's one of my best friends, but you know it hurts, a whole bunch of honey. I now go on and on and take it, but I take it and I always smile. What was it about this, this gambling? song. If you dont know by now that you know what made you want to add. Well, because

Annie and Leon there from a much better friends- and after I heard the sun by pity, I then can they said you need to do the song or something happened. It was the great terrapin la right and can examples it girlfriend. You have to do the same, and I of course, listen listen to it before I can record their firm and, of course I did because that's the sun, without kidnap unsolved and badly wrong before a camera on the floor, now still get the palms of do you know and do that that back for another son, then I had to do

and I was doing I live in D C, a constitution. How and my voice was so bad. I saw a specialist man, he said Mister Bell, don't thing or or you'll, never seen again, and I said I can't sing the warmer run away because my boys is gone and I can't basic what is the night you know without saying so I ran away from the hotel right going right next door to a gas station from the Watergate hotel. So I was in there for like about our no one, they were looking for me. So you you're out a gas station for an where does nobody wants gas station for our nobody knew? Why was I wasn't gonna? Look like me, I was in the gas station is hiding from the world and nobody could care little. I work with me

No, but my husband and the passing honey they were looking for me said inside, but if I was hungry, ass women here of the scarce gives a good have money. So what at the still about it, you want to eat. So I fear what they eat. An idea wanna play the audience and I do want to show up and that's the night, but I did if you don't know me by now alive and I made up there Loretta every within an hour, a man at what I was made at myself or not voice, I want it, but the boy found ok on on the record, a you know, Are you kidding? I know you like a baby, that was a runaway night in my life ran away but came back and we did a great show, a constitutional. Well, I

to say that, I'm I'm glad that you change your mind, got yourself to the constitution right, I'm too, I'm so happy. I did do not fear sometimes can lead you in the wrong place. There is a fighter, and if you let beer wine, then your park. And in a low punkin bury ok, the girl without there. But I got the pleasure that already Then you can hear them, they are really. They are responding to YA daytime. It was so beautiful. You like me or you mommy, already hate me and I've been getting a lot of love. I hope you feel a right now. I do hurry from you.

What I read that article. I said this man must be my husband. I promise who paid him but say in closing before I let you go that, like you know, I listen to you all the time. You are part of my music diet, but I feel like that moment in the kitchen, but I am I mean I wasn't looking for like a release. I wasn't looking for catharsis. I wish listening to you and I feel like that song found me. Oh that's very interesting

new. I'm gonna play it when I know because our wisdom is expressing mom you gotta, listen to bodies would allow us to do that when you should it's. The person senior is is, is incredibly downloaded. Oh thank you darling. I love the way you love me I appreciate you so nice time. It's a pleasure talking you, ok, Honey Bee hurry, you'd be saved and half running a pool right watch them for my taste. When I get a kick in the part tat he that does justice good. I know it is I'm getting Wet exercise yet with my legs. Fire haven't only russian today, ok

I'll see you soon. Ok, I think everything I gave you

How does your home impact your health can virtual reality? Help million suffering from loneliness? I'm science, journalist Korea's Powell and I'm culture critic Kristen minds? Are we teamed up with invest, go cute? You, Q and T brand at the New York Times to create innovation uncovered the world is changing in real time, often in ways we can predict and innovation uncovered. We share stories about a groundbreaking people in technologies there reshaping our culture rate now listen. Any back guarantee? That's simply dot com, the daily to make sure they know that our show sent you