Keen On

Who gets to go to heaven and who doesn’t? According to John Lee Hooker Jr., son of the legendary bluesman and author of From The Shadow of the Blues, many are called but not everyone is chosen. In the new autobiography, he confesses his own journey from addiction and imprisonment to religious redemption, while reflecting on growing up in his father's musical shadow. Hooker Jr. distinguishes between genius (like Prince) and talent (like himself), and offers thoughtful insights on the blues as both a response to African-American suffering and as a celebration of joy. And then there’s his take on the heaven question which won’t please everyone, especially those from the LGBTQ community.Here are the 5 KEEN ON takeaways from our conversation with Hooker Jr:* On living in his father's shadow - John Lee Hooker Jr. describes it as both a blessing and a burden. While his father was humble and encouraged him to find his own authentic sound, he felt pressure from the music industry to live up to the Hooker name. He make