Interview

KRISTINE MCKENNA: What was the first record that you ever bought?

YUSUF ISLAM: “Baby Face” by Little Richard. I was fascinated by the way he did these curly things with his voice.

MCKENNA: I read somewhere that you were deeply affected by the film West Side Story [1961] when you saw it as a teenager. Is this true?

ISLAM: That’s true. I was interested in the lifestyle it showed because it was the archetypal life on the street, which has to do with one gang dominating another. I was spending most of my time on the street then, so that’s probably why it interested me.

MCKENNA: You were at the peak of your career during a period when rock stars were elevated to an extraordinarily exalted position in the culture. The music industry that fostered that phenomenon has dissolved and been replaced by the Internet, which has changed the relationship between musicians and their audience. Has the public perception of musicians changed?

ISLAM: It’s true that the Internet is an equalizer, and everybody can be a star now. Musicians are more touchable these days, and that’s a good thing. It’s certainly the way I like to live my life, and it’s why I don’t do concerts in big arenas—I prefer to be in touch with my audience.

MCKENNA: When you were at the height of your success, did you enjoy it?

ISLAM: Yeah. Nobody could not enjoy being the center of attention and having such adoration. But I felt that it was a responsibility, too, and I often changed my track so people couldn’t predict where I was going next. I didn’t quite know myself, but I was trying to be sincere whichever direction I went.

MCKENNA: What’s the most dangerous thing about fame?

ISLAM: Vanity.

MCKENNA: Can you recall the first time you experienced a sense of divine presence?

ISLAM: It was when I was a kid, praying at school—prayer was always with me. I attended a Catholic school, but I was officially Greek Orthodox, so I couldn’t take part in many Catholic rituals. That led me to be a kind of observer within the Christian faith, and allowed me to maintain my belief in God without being tied to any particular denomination.

MCKENNA: During the mid-’70s, you devoted most of your time to searching for some kind of spiritual anchor. What prompted that?

ISLAM: Being larger than life, or being projected as such in the music business, leads you to question yourself. Some people try to forget about it by taking drugs or too much drink, but I was never like that. I was aware that there were very serious, big questions, and I was petrified about what might be in store for me.

MCKENNA: What did you find in the Islamic faith that was lacking for you in other spiritual paths?

ISLAM: It was the most direct and encompassing message I’d ever encountered. I was confused by many of the spiritual books because they used metaphysical and theological terminology I didn’t understand. But the Koran was very clear, especially about the fact that every soul eventually must meet its Maker and then be questioned. That, to me, was a wake-up call.

MCKENNA: What’s the most widely held misconception about Islam?

ISLAM: That there’s no link between Islam and Christianity and Judaism. There wouldn’t be Islam if there wasn’t Christianity or Judaism, because it’s all one long line of revelation. Seeing it from that point of view it makes you ask yourself why Muslims sometimes separate themselves from that large family that leads to Abraham and, even before that, to Adam. The only answer is that we’re conditioned to do it by thinking, Hey, I do things better than he does.

MCKENNA: Did you miss music during those 28 years you were away from it?

ISLAM: No, because I made my life my art. I’d been singing and composing songs for years, and you can lose touch with life if you don’t start living it. That was very important for me because I’m a realist as well as a surrealist. I love to touch life, and that’s what had to happen. I got married and had kids, and there’s nothing more astounding than having your kids look you in the eye, wanting to know what it’s all about.