Nina Simone Talks Being in Control of Her Image and Her Career in a Never Aired Interview

PBS' Blank on Blank animated a 1968 interview with Nina Simone. Taken from a 1960s radio show hosted by Lilian Terry, the audio originally aired in Italy in the 1960s. And, until now, it has never been heard in the United States.


She talks about her love for fashion and how that influences her artistry. "If you come out and you look the way you want to look, you will create a mood before you open your mouth," she said.

She goes on to explore the socially conscious themes of a couple of her famous songs. We also get a glimpse of how little things have changed in the nearly 50 years since the interview. "It's a good time for Black people to be alive," she says to Terry. "It's a lot of hell and a lot of violence, but I feel more alive now than I ever had in my life.

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interviews Nina Simone