Stevie Wonder gave a revealing interview to the Guardian this week to promote his upcoming headlining slot at the U.K.'s Bestival. During it, he said that he is still making music. "I'm still experimenting... There's a new instrument I'm learning to play called the harpejji. It's between a piano and a guitar," he said. "I'm writing really different songs with it – I have so many. The question is, will they outlive me? Time is long but life is short."
Wonder also expressed his overall dislike for drugs – a factor that may help explain his enduring career. "First of all, I'm no better than the next person," he said. "But I've never had a desire to do drugs. When I was 21, I smoked marijuana, and I didn't like the way it made me feel. When I woke up the next morning, I felt like I'd lost part of my brain."
Wonder had some suggestive statements regarding R&B artist Frank Ocean's recent announcement of his bisexuality. Though he enjoys Ocean, Wonder said, "I think honestly, some people who think they're gay, they're confused... People can misconstrue closeness for love. People can feel connected, they bond." He maintained that he doesn't think they're all confused, saying, "Some people have a desire to be with the same sex. But that's them."
Throughout the interview, Wonder was in good spirits, especially regarding what many people have long viewed as a handicap: his blindness. "Do you know, it's funny, but I never thought of being blind as a disadvantage, and I never thought of being black as a disadvantage," he said. "I am what I am. I love me! And I don't mean that egotistically – I love that God has allowed me to take whatever it was that I had and to make something out of it."
Stevie Wonder will headline Bestival on September 9th, the festival's final day.
