Nile Rodgers, 68, is the co-founder of Chic, whose hits include “Le Freak” and “Good Times”. Records he has written, produced or performed on have sold an estimated 500 million copies worldwide. His many awards include three Grammys.
What was your childhood or earliest ambition?
A chair in a symphony orchestra was a big desire.
Private school or state school? University or straight into work?
My parents were incredibly loving but they were heroin addicts, so my childhood was very nomadic. I went to maybe 30 schools. I was always the new kid, usually the only black kid in an all-white school. Music and science were my two great loves. I devoted myself to music and my biological father was a musician, so I always had some form of training going on — music was always around.
Who was or still is your mentor?
For classical music, Julio Prol, a master and a great teacher of Spanish guitar. For jazz, Ted Dunbar, probably my greatest influence other than my partner Bernard [Edwards] in Chic.
How physically fit are you?
I can meet any challenge put before me. I think I expend more energy at my concerts than I did in my thirties. I don’t think of myself as 68 — yesterday I went roller skating.
How politically committed are you?
I grew up in very political times — Black Power, women’s liberation, gay rights. We all seemed to be of like mind. It was very frustrating to me when I saw America stop having that mindset where we think about other people and start to think about personal and financial success instead — what I call the billionaire-boys’-club mentality.
Ambition or talent: which matters more to success?
Ambition. Being naturally gifted is a wonderful thing. But people who aren’t naturally gifted seem to work harder.
What would you like to own that you don’t currently possess?
More virtuosity! I play well but I always want to play better.
What’s your biggest extravagance?
The two things I love outside of my art form are reading and going to the cinema. School was so difficult for me — cutting it and going to the cinema was a pleasure and more of an education. I saw Truffaut, Fellini, Hitchcock at a very young age.
In what place are you happiest?
In the movie theatre! And practising guitar.
What ambitions do you still have?
Because I like to read, I also like to write, so right now I’m working on what may wind up being a television series about my life.
What drives you on?
My favourite thing in life is problem-solving. I like trying to make music tell a story — I look at compositions cinematically. I like long versions of songs — that’s the movie. The short versions are the trailer.
What is the greatest achievement of your life so far?
Still being alive. I’ve had some very close calls.
What do you find most irritating in other people?
I really feel uncomfortable around dogmatic people. Dogma is probably the thing that’s ruining this world right now.
If your 20-year-old self could see you now, what would he think?
He would be amazed I was alive. I thought I’d end up dying of drug addiction or alcoholism. A lot of the people I idolised died really young. I remember seeing Jimi Hendrix perform and within a few weeks he was dead.
Which object that you’ve lost do you wish you still had?
Two things that seemed to leave my life are now back. The original demos of David Bowie’s Let’s Dance — the whole album. I didn’t realise the estate had a copy. And a Robert Mapplethorpe photo of me commissioned by Andy Warhol. A gentleman who lives in London wound up buying it. I didn’t ask for the original back but I asked him to copy it perfectly.
What is the greatest challenge of our time?
Saving the planet. I am 68 years old and I have watched this world change. My eyes and my heart don’t lie — I have seen this.
Do you believe in an afterlife?
No. I believe that the earth is a closed ecosystem and everything that’s here has always been here. I believe that when my body dies, I become part of the earth. I like the natural order of things.
If you had to rate your satisfaction with your life so far, out of 10, what would you score?
Six or seven. I am happy with what I’ve accomplished but there are so many things I still want to do.
Nile Rodgers recently headlined the Festival of Marketing 2020. A recording of his session is available at festivalofmarketing.com
Follow @FTMag on Twitter to find out about our latest stories first. Listen to our podcast, Culture Call, where FT editors and special guests discuss life and art in the time of coronavirus. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.