SXSW Music Keynote: Nile Rodgers

“Do you really compose for a small audience?” asked Nile Rodgers to a packed house Wednesday morning for a SXSW keynote address.“[Sales] are the only barometer by which our art is judged by – how many souls you speak to.”

Given Rodgers’ history as guitarist for Chic and acclaimed songwriter for artists including David Bowie, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Daft Punk, the New York native’s catalog, dating back to the heart of disco in the Seventies, resonates worldwide. His advice for his continued success?

“Don’t be a snob” said Rodgers, 64. “When you meet jazz, classical, or any type of musical purists, they give off this vibe in which their level of appreciation is better than yours. Music is meant for everybody.”

This sort of optimism underlies Rodgers’ life as a series of chance meetings. Two prime encounters included running into Timothy Leary, who turned him on to LSD, which dominoed into a love of the Doors, and bumping into his musical brother and Chic bassist Bernard Edwards while touring as part of the Sesame Street band.

Another involved his jazz guitar teacher and mentor Ted Dunbar, who defended the merit of Top 40 hits. In an argument with Dunbar about the Archies’ hit “Sugar, Sugar,” Rodgers recalled his mentor's words: “Any song that sells into the Top 10 is a great composition. It speaks to the souls of a million strangers.”

This appreciation for ubiquitous charters allowed Rodgers and Edwards to write and produce their own, including Diana Ross’ 1980 LGBT anthem “I’m Coming Out.” The song was born from an encounter the former had in a restroom at a trans club with three Diana Ross impersonators sporting Afros like Ru Paul. Exiting the bathroom, Rodgers told his friend to write down the lyric “I’m coming out,” and the rest is Top 40 history.

“I knew this could be like James Brown, ‘I’m black and I’m proud’ moment for the gay community,” said Rodgers. “It’s about being open. Take everything around you and have big ears.”