Episode 173

Idris Goodwin on 'Doctor De Soto' and Sparking Imagination Through Storytelling

Published on: 14th January, 2025

On this episode of Queue Points, we sit down with the award-winning playwright, creative, and author Idris Goodwin. We discuss his upcoming play, an adaptation of William Steig’s Doctor De Soto, which opens at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta on January 18, 2024. Idris shares his journey of storytelling rooted in community and the importance of music in children’s theater. Don't miss this inspiring conversation that celebrates art, legacy, and intergenerational storytelling.

Learn more about Doctor De Soto at the Alliance Theatre: https://qpnt.net/desoto-alliance

#AllianceTheatre #BlackCreatives #DoctorDeSoto #TheaterForYouth #Storytelling

Chapters

00:00 Intro Theme

00:15 Idris Goodwin Bio

02:32 Welcome to the Show

04:42 The Impact of Nikki Giovanni on Idris

05:46 The Role of Music in Children's Theater

10:24 Exploring Doctor De Soto

18:34 The Importance of Community in Theater

22:43 Closing

24:01 Outro Theme

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Transcript
Jay Ray:

On this episode of Queue Points, we welcome Idris Goodwin.

Jay Ray:

Idris Goodwin is an award-winning creative driven by a passion

Jay Ray:

for impactful storytelling.

Jay Ray:

Currently serving as Artistic Director of Seattle Children’s Theater,

Jay Ray:

Idris writes, directs, programs and /or produces relevant content

Jay Ray:

for intergenerational audiences.

Jay Ray:

Recognized as a culture bearer who celebrates community values and cultivates

Jay Ray:

histories with care, Goodwin’s impact spans generation and artistic mediums,

Jay Ray:

with well over 60 original plays produced coast to coast, from Oregon Shakespeare

Jay Ray:

Festival to The John F Kennedy Center.

Jay Ray:

Several of these works are published, as are his forays into poetry and

Jay Ray:

prose, including the collections Can I Kick It and These Are The Breaks.

Jay Ray:

Harper Collins Clarion released his 1st picture book, Your

Jay Ray:

House is Not Just A House.

Jay Ray:

A performer and recording artist, he’s created original video content for

Jay Ray:

and/or appeared on Wondery, Nickelodeon, HBO Def Poetry, Sesame Street, NPR,

Jay Ray:

BBC Radio, and the Discovery Channel.

Jay Ray:

Before stepping into his current tenure with SCT, Idris served as Artistic

Jay Ray:

Director of StageOne Family Theatre in Louisville, as well as Executive

Jay Ray:

Director of The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College,

Jay Ray:

where he also taught as a professor in The Department of Theater and Dance.

Jay Ray:

As Board President of Theater For Young Audiences/USA, he is a champion

Jay Ray:

for theater makers and institutions with a stated focus on cultivating

Jay Ray:

the arts patrons of tomorrow.

Jay Ray:

King Of The Neuro Verse, his 1st novel, will be released in 2025.

Jay Ray:

We spoke to Idris in December 2024 as he was preparing for his newest play,

Jay Ray:

Doctor De Soto, to hit the stage.

Jay Ray:

Doctor De Soto opens at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta on January 18th

Jay Ray:

and runs through March 2, 2025.

Jay Ray:

DJ Sir Daniel: Jay Ray, guess what?

Jay Ray:

What's up?

Jay Ray:

DJ Sir Daniel: Today's queued up guest is no stranger to Queue Points, right?

Jay Ray:

As a matter of fact.

Jay Ray:

I got to experience his magic when I attended a magical production of

Jay Ray:

his stage play, The Boy Who Kissed the Sky, here at the Alliance

Jay Ray:

Theater in Atlanta about a year ago.

Jay Ray:

And Jay Ray, we also had the pleasure of interviewing the co

Jay Ray:

musical directors, IV, last year.

Jay Ray:

And now, bringing it all back, we have the honor of speaking with

Jay Ray:

the author, Playwright and MC.

Jay Ray:

We're going to find out about that.

Jay Ray:

I'm talking about none other than today's guest Idris Goodwin.

Jay Ray:

Welcome Idris.

Idris Goodwin:

What's going on, y'all?

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: How are you feeling today?

Idris Goodwin:

I just want to do a quick checking with you.

Idris Goodwin:

How are you feeling?

Idris Goodwin:

And, um, you know, you're in the moment, you're in the moment right now,

Idris Goodwin:

getting to play this, this new stage play that we're about to talk about.

Idris Goodwin:

You're in the midst of that, but how are you doing in this, at this moment?

Idris Goodwin:

Oh, you know, it's always good to be in Atlanta.

Idris Goodwin:

Um, I was, uh, you know, my, my, I grew up coming here a lot.

Idris Goodwin:

I got hella family out here.

Idris Goodwin:

Uh, I was actually just back here a couple of weeks ago.

Idris Goodwin:

Cause great.

Idris Goodwin:

Granny turned a hundred years old.

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: Oh,

Jay Ray:

granny.

Idris Goodwin:

yeah, so I'm very comfortable here.

Idris Goodwin:

I'm very familiar here.

Idris Goodwin:

Working at Alliance is always a treat.

Idris Goodwin:

Uh, they treat me well here.

Idris Goodwin:

I've had a few shows here before, like the Boy who Kissed this guy that you

Idris Goodwin:

mentioned, as well as, uh, adaptation of Jason Reynolds ghosts as well.

Idris Goodwin:

I've been here a lot of times for conferences and other things.

Idris Goodwin:

So, uh, I'm doing quite well, man, and we're in the room where it happens.

Idris Goodwin:

We're, we're, we're rehearsing starting to kick the tires.

Idris Goodwin:

I've been revisions, so yeah, just, uh, and a and, but a great, great, um,

Idris Goodwin:

to take a break to get to talk to you brothers about, uh, about this piece.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Jay Ray:

DJ Sir Daniel: it.

Jay Ray:

I just also want to check in quickly with you.

Jay Ray:

You know, um, we can't get around it.

Jay Ray:

Um, we recently lost, um, who is, well, we had now have a new ancestor, right?

Jay Ray:

And Nikki Giovanni.

Jay Ray:

And as a playwright and author, you know, what impact has her work had on you?

Jay Ray:

Yes, there

Idris Goodwin:

Ego Trip and, or Ego Trip.

Idris Goodwin:

Um,

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Idris Goodwin:

um, and you know, I am in that lineage of

Idris Goodwin:

griots, black arts movement.

Idris Goodwin:

um, I had the pleasure to actually, um, curate an event.

Idris Goodwin:

that featured Nikki Giovanni back in the day at the Hothouse in Chicago.

Idris Goodwin:

Um, and it was an amazing experience.

Idris Goodwin:

I'll never forget it.

Idris Goodwin:

I remember my mom and one of her homegirls drove all the way up

Idris Goodwin:

from Detroit to see, to see it.

Idris Goodwin:

Cause, uh, you know, Nikki was, was, was always on our shelves growing up.

Idris Goodwin:

So Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, like, you know, we go down the line.

Idris Goodwin:

So yeah, yeah.

Idris Goodwin:

Rest in, rest in poetry, um, Queen Nikki.

Idris Goodwin:

Yeah,

Jay Ray:

Um, once again, thank you so much for the work that you do.

Jay Ray:

I am curious, before we jump into this upcoming work for Doctor De

Jay Ray:

Soto, um, can we talk a bit about the importance of music for children?

Jay Ray:

Because that's like a consistent thing that we see in your work,

Jay Ray:

particularly your work for kids.

Jay Ray:

Can you talk about the importance of that?

Idris Goodwin:

Oh, well, I mean, look, first and foremost, the first

Idris Goodwin:

kind of writing I did as a, as a young Thundercat was, was lyrics.

Idris Goodwin:

Um, I drew comics and I started writing lyrics to rap songs,

Idris Goodwin:

you know, rap songs and whatnot.

Idris Goodwin:

And that, that.

Idris Goodwin:

always spoke to me.

Idris Goodwin:

I found out later that it's become a lifelong struggle

Idris Goodwin:

with neurodivergency, ADHD.

Idris Goodwin:

And, you know, and it answered a lot of questions for me about challenges I had in

Idris Goodwin:

school growing up with the written word.

Idris Goodwin:

And, um, And some of this is the subject.

Idris Goodwin:

I have a, I have a, uh, a novel coming in, in, uh, 2025, uh, called king of the

Idris Goodwin:

neural verse, which is it's fictional, but it's very much based on, uh, that,

Idris Goodwin:

that challenge in that time of my life.

Idris Goodwin:

Um, but anyway, uh, so the, but the music always

Idris Goodwin:

gave me clarity, uh, you know, very intuitively, um, I was, I was wired in and

Idris Goodwin:

there was always music in the household.

Idris Goodwin:

Um, and the music, especially like, you know, pre internet, know, music, more

Idris Goodwin:

particularly specifically black music, had, it carried so much history in it,

Idris Goodwin:

you know, it carried, So much in it.

Idris Goodwin:

It was so jam packed, much like our food.

Idris Goodwin:

You know, it is, it has got layers and levels and richness to it because

Idris Goodwin:

it's doing, it's doing all this work.

Idris Goodwin:

It's, it's carrying the history.

Idris Goodwin:

It's the word on the street.

Idris Goodwin:

It's the, you know, it's all of it.

Idris Goodwin:

Right.

Idris Goodwin:

And it also is trying to make you move and feel good too.

Idris Goodwin:

Right.

Idris Goodwin:

So it is ethos, pathos, and You know, all of that, all of those is,

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Idris Goodwin:

you know, in one.

Idris Goodwin:

So for me, um, I think for the performing arts, for theater, you know, it's

Idris Goodwin:

storytelling, but it's live storytelling and, you know, and, or like, you know,

Idris Goodwin:

it's, it's in the tradition of the black church, like it's the living word.

Idris Goodwin:

And there is a, there's, it's a dialogue, like

Jay Ray:

Mm hmm.

Idris Goodwin:

live performance is a dialogue.

Idris Goodwin:

Um, you know, I just watched the, um, the Jamie Foxx special last night.

Jay Ray:

Mm hmm.

Idris Goodwin:

Um, which, which was shot here in Atlanta, uh, on, on the stage

Idris Goodwin:

where Boy Who Gets the Sky, uh, was

Jay Ray:

Yes.

Idris Goodwin:

So I was like, oh snap.

Idris Goodwin:

I can say I've shared the stage with Jamie

Jay Ray:

Yeah!

Idris Goodwin:

Um, yeah.

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: you go.

Idris Goodwin:

I'm lying.

Idris Goodwin:

Tell me I'm lying.

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: Heh heh heh heh.

Idris Goodwin:

I love about his performance, is that to me, it

Idris Goodwin:

just reminds, it was such a, it was, it was like a revivalist.

Idris Goodwin:

Like he's doing testimony,

Jay Ray:

Mm hmm.

Idris Goodwin:

songs, he's telling jokes.

Idris Goodwin:

The audience is, is a scene partner with

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: Yes.

Idris Goodwin:

And to me, like that is a distinctly, you know, you

Idris Goodwin:

know, I think that is a very African thing, but it's definitely a, a,

Idris Goodwin:

a black American, uh, aesthetic.

Jay Ray:

Yes.

Idris Goodwin:

how we get down.

Idris Goodwin:

And so for me, know, my work as a playwright, it was like, cool, I'm

Idris Goodwin:

going to follow the fundamental tenets of Western drama, right?

Idris Goodwin:

Of narrative.

Idris Goodwin:

But within there, there is room for me to, uh, sprinkle in or

Idris Goodwin:

bring in any, any, any, any of the things I got in my, in my toolbox.

Idris Goodwin:

Right.

Idris Goodwin:

And so, because I started with lyrics, uh, in the rap tradition,

Idris Goodwin:

which is, which is on the branch of the blues, which is, you know, make

Idris Goodwin:

it, make it plain as the pastor says,

Jay Ray:

Mm hmm.

Idris Goodwin:

make it plain, make it memorable, make it funky.

Idris Goodwin:

And so that is, uh, to me, the role of, I mean, listen, I

Idris Goodwin:

approach plays or really any of the living word, the time based word.

Idris Goodwin:

it, um, like it's all music.

Idris Goodwin:

It's all falling.

Idris Goodwin:

It's all rhythmic.

Idris Goodwin:

It's all, it's falling.

Idris Goodwin:

Like it's not behind you.

Idris Goodwin:

It's not behind you.

Idris Goodwin:

It's not in front of you.

Idris Goodwin:

It's just right here in front of you.

Idris Goodwin:

It's just now

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: Mmm.

Idris Goodwin:

and it's and if it's on the one, um, you know, it's

Idris Goodwin:

gonna make the body react and do

Jay Ray:

Mm hmm.

Jay Ray:

Amazing.

Idris Goodwin:

So, so to me, I always jokingly say I don't write musicals.

Idris Goodwin:

I just write musical plays.

Idris Goodwin:

Um, uh, but it really is like that, but that's just how I exist in the world, man.

Idris Goodwin:

Like I just, It's always, the music is always there.

Idris Goodwin:

I'm always listening to it.

Idris Goodwin:

I'm always, you know, it's always, it's how I approach a lot of things.

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: So tell us about Doctor De Soto.

Idris Goodwin:

Opening January 18th, uh, here at the Hertz stage at the Alliance Theater.

Idris Goodwin:

And, um, what can, I know this is a kid's play, like for starting for six

Idris Goodwin:

and up, but what can adults learn from this production of Doctor De Soto?

Idris Goodwin:

That's a great question.

Idris Goodwin:

Um, so Doctor De Soto is a book I loved when I was a kid.

Idris Goodwin:

It's picture books by William Stieg.

Idris Goodwin:

William Stieg's biggest claim to fame is he wrote the book that

Idris Goodwin:

the Shrek series is based on.

Idris Goodwin:

So, um, but he's got a whole body of picture books.

Idris Goodwin:

Um, and he is, he is, um, I, I consider him, he's like, um,

Idris Goodwin:

of more of a contemporary, like Grimm's brothers kind of vibe

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: Okay.

Idris Goodwin:

he, he was never, he's not afraid to, put his heroes in real danger

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: Yeah.

Idris Goodwin:

and peril.

Idris Goodwin:

And there's always like, You know, they're not, they're not like super,

Idris Goodwin:

you know, create, you know, out there like that, but like he would, he

Idris Goodwin:

wouldn't, you know, you'll, you'll see, you'll just see what I, what I mean.

Idris Goodwin:

So, um, but he reminds me also of like Aesop as well.

Idris Goodwin:

So like, you know, animals like predators and prey interacting, that kind of thing.

Idris Goodwin:

So Doctor De Soto, Is about, um, uh, a husband and wife team, they run a

Idris Goodwin:

dental office and because they're mice, they can climb inside the mouths of

Idris Goodwin:

larger animals and do a really good job, intricate job cleaning their teeth.

Idris Goodwin:

And they're the best.

Idris Goodwin:

Everybody loves the, the sodos, but but they have a sign that says, no,

Idris Goodwin:

no, we will not treat any carnivores.

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: Hmm.

Idris Goodwin:

like if you, if you out in the streets, gobbling up smaller mammals.

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: Right.

Idris Goodwin:

keep pushing.

Idris Goodwin:

keep, take it down the road.

Idris Goodwin:

one day a fox shows up,

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: Hmm.

Idris Goodwin:

you know, in, in just pain, just, just whimpering,

Idris Goodwin:

just, just, just a mess.

Idris Goodwin:

And they take sympathy on this fox and they say, come on up here.

Idris Goodwin:

Come on, come on.

Idris Goodwin:

And they, and they, and they put, they, they, um, they say

Idris Goodwin:

you got a rotten by cuspid.

Idris Goodwin:

And so, um, they put the fox under and when the fox is under.

Idris Goodwin:

It's like muttering to us.

Idris Goodwin:

It's like, yeah, they're going to be delicious.

Idris Goodwin:

Right.

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: Hmm.

Idris Goodwin:

De Soto and his wife are in a conundrum now.

Idris Goodwin:

Right.

Idris Goodwin:

Because, you know, they, they have this model when they, when

Idris Goodwin:

they start a job, they finish it.

Idris Goodwin:

they pull, they pull the tooth out, but then the fox got to come

Idris Goodwin:

back to get the new tooth put in.

Idris Goodwin:

And, and so they're like, what are we going to do?

Idris Goodwin:

Like on one hand, You know, he was, he was under, we may

Idris Goodwin:

not have heard what we heard.

Idris Goodwin:

Seems like a nice enough Fox, certainly well dressed, you know.

Idris Goodwin:

So what is we to do, right?

Idris Goodwin:

Do we, do we turn this Fox away in the middle of this job?

Idris Goodwin:

just because of our fear, do we figure out how we, how we can

Idris Goodwin:

have it both ways, so to speak.

Idris Goodwin:

So, so, you know, it's a very simple, lovely, story in, in its,

Idris Goodwin:

in its, in its, uh, printed form.

Idris Goodwin:

And I think what I responded to as a kid was just like the simplicity of that,

Idris Goodwin:

like, you know, it's like the small and the large, but you know, to now get very

Idris Goodwin:

egghead y about it, um, What it, what it's ultimately about is something that

Idris Goodwin:

is very real that we as adults deal with all the time too, which is like these

Idris Goodwin:

tough calls when our, when our values of collide with, you know, our needs

Idris Goodwin:

to survive or, or our fears really, if we're keeping it a buck, right.

Idris Goodwin:

It's like, you know, what is, what is good, you know, good

Idris Goodwin:

sense versus, um, what's right.

Idris Goodwin:

You know,

Jay Ray:

Mhm.

Jay Ray:

Mhm.

Idris Goodwin:

I think that is 100 percent what I think the role of theater

Idris Goodwin:

is in the lives of, of young people is to, is to show them choices and

Idris Goodwin:

to show them difficult choices that different kinds of characters approach

Idris Goodwin:

good, bad, or otherwise, you know, and that's, those are the tools for life.

Idris Goodwin:

It's like, you will have a choice.

Idris Goodwin:

You will need to make a choice.

Idris Goodwin:

And whether you make the right one or the wrong one.

Idris Goodwin:

You then have to deal with the constant, you know, the aftermath of those

Idris Goodwin:

choices, good, bad or otherwise, right?

Idris Goodwin:

So you're constantly making choices.

Idris Goodwin:

Um, you know, on another level, though, what, what was really appealing to

Idris Goodwin:

me as a theater maker and a theater person was, you know, In the book,

Idris Goodwin:

you see this, they play with scale.

Idris Goodwin:

And so in the opening pages of the book, it's like everybody was rocking

Idris Goodwin:

with the de Soto's, like other mice and gophers and other small animals, mammals.

Idris Goodwin:

But, but, but like the hooved community was rocking with them big time.

Idris Goodwin:

So like, there's a image of, Doctor De Soto's wife, like cranking him

Idris Goodwin:

up on this pulley to like be in the, in the inside of this mule's

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Idris Goodwin:

like as big old mule, this big old cow with the mouth open.

Idris Goodwin:

And I'm like, wow.

Idris Goodwin:

Like, how do you do that on set?

Idris Goodwin:

How do you do scale on stage?

Idris Goodwin:

Right.

Idris Goodwin:

Like, how do you play with, know, these, these perceptions of big

Idris Goodwin:

and small, uh, on, on, on stage.

Idris Goodwin:

So that is like the Genesis.

Idris Goodwin:

And so, you know, I, I like to think of myself as, as

Idris Goodwin:

writing for multi generational

Jay Ray:

Mhm.

Idris Goodwin:

kids don't.

Idris Goodwin:

don't come to the theater by themselves

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: Well, yeah.

Jay Ray:

Right.

Idris Goodwin:

time too.

Idris Goodwin:

Cause the fundamentals of good storytelling are age.

Idris Goodwin:

That doesn't matter what age you are, you know, Kung Fu Panda four was fire.

Idris Goodwin:

You know, my wife and I used to go on dates and see Pixar movies

Idris Goodwin:

before we even had children.

Idris Goodwin:

So like good stories are good stories.

Idris Goodwin:

And it does, it really doesn't matter.

Idris Goodwin:

And it's a very human thing to like identify with another human being.

Idris Goodwin:

So what we, what what we're making right now and shout out Director, uh,

Idris Goodwin:

Mark Valdez and Chris Moses, um, and Tanasha for, um, know, our wonderful

Idris Goodwin:

artistic directors of the Lions.

Idris Goodwin:

All the support.

Idris Goodwin:

We got a huge team.

Idris Goodwin:

It's gonna be a really cool feast of cool costumes.

Idris Goodwin:

puppetry, shadow puppetry, you know, lights inside, you know, and we're

Idris Goodwin:

going to be in a relatively, the Hertz stage is a very intimate space.

Idris Goodwin:

And so we're going to play with this, this, this piece about creatures big

Idris Goodwin:

and small and a really tight space.

Idris Goodwin:

So it's really, about theatricality, which is the other thing I love.

Idris Goodwin:

I love showing people, especially in this increasingly digital world that,

Idris Goodwin:

you know, you can, you can You can do slights of hands and tricks and

Idris Goodwin:

play, you can do it in very simple ways, you know, shadow puppetry.

Idris Goodwin:

I love because it's just light.

Idris Goodwin:

It's just

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Idris Goodwin:

it's yin and yang, you know what I'm saying?

Idris Goodwin:

It's just light and darkness and just playing with that.

Idris Goodwin:

So anyway, um, so yeah, it's got something for everybody.

Idris Goodwin:

fun.

Idris Goodwin:

It's silly.

Idris Goodwin:

There's a lot of like rhyming and music in it inevitably just cause why not?

Idris Goodwin:

Um, and, uh, the one change I did from the book is I added, and not the one

Idris Goodwin:

change, I would say the most significant change is that in the book, it's just Dr.

Idris Goodwin:

Mrs.

Idris Goodwin:

De Soto in my jam.

Idris Goodwin:

Uh, there's, there's young De Soto.

Jay Ray:

Let

Idris Goodwin:

who grew, grows up in this family business and is

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: Okay.

Idris Goodwin:

is, is almost like a young apprentice and is, and of

Idris Goodwin:

course is ready, is ready to go.

Idris Goodwin:

It's like, I'm 10, I'm double digits.

Idris Goodwin:

Like, let me, let me get in

Jay Ray:

me get up in that cow's mouth and

Jay Ray:

DJ Sir Daniel: Yes.

Jay Ray:

this bicuspid out, you know, and pops is like,

Jay Ray:

Chill.

Jay Ray:

Slow down.

Jay Ray:

Laughter

Idris Goodwin:

calm, calm the tape, you know what I'm saying?

Idris Goodwin:

And, um, and so it's, it's also about that too, about, you know, young De Soto

Idris Goodwin:

makes these, These choices that put the whole family and the business at risk too.

Idris Goodwin:

So it is also about that too.

Idris Goodwin:

It's like to face the music and when your ambition gets,

Idris Goodwin:

you know, whatever, whatever.

Idris Goodwin:

So anyway, uh, it's a good time.

Idris Goodwin:

It's a good time.

Idris Goodwin:

We'll get you in and out in an hour or so.

Jay Ray:

man, listen, I, I actually, hopefully I will be in Atlanta

Jay Ray:

during the dates of this performance.

Jay Ray:

I think I will.

Jay Ray:

So I'm looking forward to taking this in, but you actually, um, were

Jay Ray:

talking about this in your answer.

Jay Ray:

you were talking about all the people that are working that are working

Jay Ray:

with you to like in the theater to bring this thing to life, right?

Idris Goodwin:

Yeah.

Jay Ray:

one of the things I was talking to Sir Daniel about was the thing that

Jay Ray:

really stood out to me, um, and it feels just very Black, is community

Jay Ray:

taking care of each other, right?

Idris Goodwin:

Mm.

Jay Ray:

So the Doctor De Soto and his wife are like members of this community

Jay Ray:

and there's all of these people, right, that are all of these, all of these,

Jay Ray:

uh, these animals that are different from them in the community that they

Jay Ray:

are also choosing to take care of.

Jay Ray:

And I just wanted to get you to wax poetic a bit about the importance of

Jay Ray:

community in your work, like you, like displaying that in the work, because

Jay Ray:

we could see that as well in the, the, the boy who kissed the sky to this

Idris Goodwin:

course.

Jay Ray:

of that, that interplay.

Idris Goodwin:

Yeah.

Idris Goodwin:

Yeah.

Idris Goodwin:

I mean, I, I think there's a thing that was just ingrained in me a little

Idris Goodwin:

bit about being, being of service and being, and being like, you know, what

Idris Goodwin:

and, and, and, and, and a thing around like, you know, so, so boy, boy, boy

Idris Goodwin:

who kissed the sky, uh, is, is very, uh, much inspired by the Jimi Hendrix story,

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: Yes.

Idris Goodwin:

Um, I have another play called And In This Corner, Cash is

Idris Goodwin:

Clay, which is about Muhammad Ali's young life in Louisville, Kentucky.

Idris Goodwin:

Um, and so, there's there's this interest I have these stories about

Idris Goodwin:

these great people, these icons, um, at Seattle Children's Theater,

Idris Goodwin:

we're producing, I'm not writing this one, but I'm producing it.

Idris Goodwin:

Uh, we're, we're doing a story about Bruce Lee's years in Seattle.

Jay Ray:

Wow.

Idris Goodwin:

there a relative short amount of time, but he's, he's

Idris Goodwin:

buried there now as his, his son.

Idris Goodwin:

And most people don't, know that story or why people assume he's buried in

Idris Goodwin:

Hollywood or Hong Kong, but there was this really interesting time

Idris Goodwin:

in his life when he was like about to start college and everything.

Idris Goodwin:

So there's something about, there's something about, um, and for me in these

Idris Goodwin:

kinds of stories, I often look to who were the mentors, who were the people in

Idris Goodwin:

their community, who were their friends,

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Idris Goodwin:

it's about how these people influence them

Idris Goodwin:

and shape the thing we know.

Idris Goodwin:

So we already know, you know, we see these people on the posters and in the

Idris Goodwin:

documentaries, we know Muhammad Ali the greatest and rumble in the jungle

Idris Goodwin:

and, and you know, uh, uh, what is it?

Idris Goodwin:

Conscious, uh, conscientious objector.

Idris Goodwin:

Uh, we know about all that.

Idris Goodwin:

Right.

Idris Goodwin:

But we don't, but not a lot of people know at what age he started boxing and why,

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: Mhm.

Idris Goodwin:

um,

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: Mhm.

Idris Goodwin:

And, and, and that he was fighting on local TV at age 12 and

Idris Goodwin:

that he had two trainers, he had a white trainer and a black trainer, like, you

Idris Goodwin:

know, um, we don't know this stuff.

Idris Goodwin:

And so, and so again, it is about the way that.

Idris Goodwin:

community influences and shapes us, especially when we're young

Idris Goodwin:

often present us with those, as I talked about before, those choices,

Jay Ray:

Yes.

Idris Goodwin:

They influence our choices.

Idris Goodwin:

They activate our choices.

Idris Goodwin:

They pick us up when we make a choice that knocks us down,

Idris Goodwin:

you know, et cetera, et cetera.

Idris Goodwin:

So, you know, and then also to take it further theater in and of itself

Idris Goodwin:

is for me is about, know, I'm writing.

Idris Goodwin:

writing something that's going to gather people.

Idris Goodwin:

I'm very conscious of that, that I am writing, not only gathering a creative

Idris Goodwin:

team, you know, actors, designers, whatever, but then gathering an

Idris Goodwin:

audience as well, and we're going to go on this, this journey together

Idris Goodwin:

and have this conversation together.

Idris Goodwin:

So I think, you know, intuitively perhaps I am.

Idris Goodwin:

In the case of De Soto, it's ironic you say that because I think the,

Idris Goodwin:

the, theater writer slash producer in me was like, Oh, this is actually

Idris Goodwin:

a very small, like it's, it's Mr.

Idris Goodwin:

It's Dr.

Idris Goodwin:

and Mrs.

Idris Goodwin:

De Soto and then the Fox.

Idris Goodwin:

was like, that's, that's pretty smart.

Idris Goodwin:

And they're, they're mostly in this one space.

Idris Goodwin:

Right.

Jay Ray:

Right.

Idris Goodwin:

as we've evolved it, you know, it has become about,

Idris Goodwin:

um, how they engage with other members of the animal world.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Idris Goodwin:

how important that is.

Idris Goodwin:

So even inevitably, uh, you know, these other, these other, you know,

Idris Goodwin:

the, the, the, um, the lens widens.

Idris Goodwin:

Right.

Idris Goodwin:

Yeah.

Jay Ray:

Idris Goodwin, thank you so much, brother, for the work that you are doing.

Jay Ray:

Um, the ability to just kind of spark imagination.

Jay Ray:

You know, as we get older, right.

Jay Ray:

As.

Jay Ray:

adults.

Jay Ray:

We grow up and our imagination gets just like life hammers that thing out of us.

Jay Ray:

But you are doing the work to remind adults about the importance of imagination

Jay Ray:

and to spark children's imagination.

Jay Ray:

So we all are ready for Doctor De Soto, sir.

Jay Ray:

So thank you so much for joining us here at Queue Points and doing your work, man.

Jay Ray:

This is done.

Idris Goodwin:

so much my honor, thanks guys

Idris Goodwin:

DJ Sir Daniel: Absolutely.

Idris Goodwin:

Like I always say in this life, you have a choice.

Idris Goodwin:

You can either pick up the needle or you can let the record play.

Idris Goodwin:

I'm DJ Sir Daniel,

Jay Ray:

My name is Jay Ray, y'all.

Jay Ray:

DJ Sir Daniel: and this has been Queue Points podcast, dropping

Jay Ray:

the needle on black music history.

Jay Ray:

We will see you on the next go round.

Jay Ray:

Peace.

Jay Ray:

Peace, y'all.

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About the Podcast

Queue Points
Queue Points is the Black Podcasting Award and Ambie Award nominated music podcast that is dropping the needle on Black Music history and celebrating Black music through meaningful dialogue. The show is hosted by DJ Sir Daniel and Jay Ray. Visit https://queuepoints.com to learn more.
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About your hosts

DJ Sir Daniel

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DJ Sir Daniel is a DJ/Selector and part of Atlanta's, all-vinyl crew, Wax Fundamentals. Co-host of the Queue Points podcast, he is an advocate for DJ culture and is passionate about creating atmospheres of inclusivity and jubilation from a Black perspective.

Jay Ray

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Johnnie Ray Kornegay III (Jay Ray) is a podcast consultant and co-host and producer of Queue Points, the Ambie Award-nominated podcast that drops the needle on Black music history. In addition to his duties at Queue Points, he is the Deputy Director of Strategy and Impact for CNP (Counter Narrative Project). A photographer, creative consultant and social commentator, Jay Ray's work is centered around a commitment to telling full and honest stories about communities often ignored.