Interview with Smokey Robinson

The Motown OG, Smokey Robinson, is interviewed by Tavis Smiley (for his show on PBS) and answers questions on songwriting, Beethoven, sampling, performing the same material over the decades, surviving the rapidly shifting times, his experience with drugs, etc.
A quote from Smokey on sampling:

…when the first guys who came out who were doing the rap and then they would, what do you call, sample off your songs. There were people who I know who were writers who said, “Why are you sampling my music?”

Sample all of mine. (Laughter) Please. I beg of you, sample all of mine, man, because – really, because first of all, what better form of flattery is that, for a young artist who wasn’t even born when that song was written to hear that song and say, “Hey, man, I love this song so much I’m going to include it in one of my songs,” you know what I mean?

So as a songwriter, man, that’s a dream come true for me. So I love hearing my music, I love hearing it by other people. I hope it will always be played.

Via GG.