The last Chic record came out in 1992.
They have a beginning, a middle, and an end.
So we have to tell you who we are on every song like, Gimme a C!
Credit: Jill Furmanovsky
We are Chic, C-H-I-C!
[laughs]
Listen, I dont write music to make me a star.
I write music so that collectively, we can make people happy.
Dimitri Hakke/Getty Images
Because in todays world I can electronically manipulate things.
If you looked at the credits youd see Luther Vandross, just everybody, on there.
And then I was going to follow that up with the album.
It was a tribute to Bowie and Prince, and when Bowie passed away I was just stunned.
So I started to think, whats really important to me?
And Im proud of that fact, so that became the new direction.
Its the life that I lead now.
And I said, Huh?
Youre coming off ofScary Monstersand you want me to make hits?
David, my career is plummeting now because I make hits.
I didnt care if it sold or not.
I never had to make another record after I did Diana Rosss [blockbuster 1980 albumdiana].
I was financially set.
You know, no matter what record I had that was a hit, they called it disco.
[Rosss] Im Coming Out doesnt sound like a disco record not even a little bit!
Its the most avant garde bebop fanfare record you ever want to hear.
And for me, that was the hugest compliment.
And when Bowie passed away she called me up and we did the Grammy tribute.
[Laughs]But we just got along great.
Theres a natural love there.
You also got Elton John and Janelle Monae together on Queen.
Are you a big Jangle fan?Shes amazing.
She talks about interesting subject matter, she performs her head off.
Janelle is the real deal.
There are a lot of lesser known artists on your resume between all the superstars.
Im always trying to carve out a new space.
But when artists youve worked with do hit, theyve been huge.
Do you feel that you have some special Nostradamus sense for talent?
Like Madonna when I first met Madonna I was perplexed.
The second time I met Madonna.
I was in love.
So it went from Huh to Youre the fing greatest s Ive ever seen.
It happened that fast, because everybody was watchingthose first MTV Awards,going Whos that girl?
The biggest one was Miles Davis.
We lived next door to each other at certain points in time, and wed go out.
He had a reputation for sometimes being quite cruel to people, but he was never cruel to me.
How do you feel about legacy acts being labeled nostalgia?
And somehow they think that the music is going to transport them back to another time and place.
Some artists balk at playing their old hits, and some embrace it.
Where do you fall?Im thrilled, are you kidding?
As a composer, the most satisfying thing in the world is to have people know your music.
Its such a solitary, lonely job.
Chic is literally theGood Timesband.
Like wow, really?
Did we go that far backwards?
I never thought that we would be anti-refugee anti this, just anti anti anti.
With the two bouts of cancer behind you, how is your health?It seems like its great!
[Laughs]Yeah, Im good.
