Brow Beat

Barry White on What He Knew Best: Love and Hard Work

Barry White was known affectionately as the “Walrus of Love,” and for good reason: He was a big man with a deep voice who wrote some of the greatest love songs in American pop music. And in the latest installment of PBS’ Blank on Blank series, the talented musician offers some insights into why he became such a champion of love.

“Everyone, to me, has to pick a subject to talk about in music if you’re gonna be a writer,” he told Joe Smith in the 1987 interview. “Mine is love. Because I know when a man’s making love, the last thing he thinks about is war. The last thing he thinks about is how can he blow up a nation.”

White also discusses his hardscrabble beginnings and his determination to get into the music business. It’s a pleasant reminder of the genius and the heart of the late, great musician.

Previously:
A Lost Interview with Tupac About Life, Death, Race, and John Wayne
The Time JFK Correctly Identified Grace Kelly’s Designer Dress
20 Years Later, Kurt Cobain on Sexism, Punk, and Thinking He was Gay