KCRW Rewind — Barry White & DJ Tom Schnabel

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In late 1991, I interviewed the great love doctor Barry White.  The a/c had broken down and the temperature in master control was about 95 degrees. Barry’s vanilla-scented jheri-curl suffused the air.

He said his car was parked illegally outside, so I sent my production assistant out to move it.

What kind of car would Barry drive?  Cadillac? Rolls?  Lincoln Continental?

No, he drove a Stutz.  A metallic gold one.

If you don’t know what a Stutz looks like, Google it.  The car indeed fit the man.

I asked him about the kind of woman he liked (and how to make her feel good).

He told me that he liked a woman with class, self-confidence, and who enjoyed treating her man right.

He didn’t care whether this woman was thin or plus-size, tall or short.  It was more about feeling—not just outward appearance.

Barry left, telling me, “Tom, you are incredible.”  Did that feel good or what?

Tom Schnabel

Editor’s Note: Find Tom’s weekly show Rhythm Planet — as well as regular blog posts on a variety of music genres and topics — here.