Questlove: Always a risk with offshore drilling

Sarah Hoye/CNN

Questlove (Ahmir Thompson) bandleader of the Roots performs during the third annual Roots Picnic held at Festival Pier, Penns Landing in Philadelphia. (Photo by Sarah Hoye/CNN)

By SARAH HOVE, CNN

Story Created: Jun 8, 2010 at 11:28 PM PST

Story Updated: Jun 9, 2010 at 2:02 PM PST

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(CNN) -- Philadelphia's most recognizable hip-hop group kicked off summer on Saturday with their annual Roots Picnic concert, but even when in a celebratory mood, the impact of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico weighed heavily on the mind of the group's formidable drummer and bandleader, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson.

"They need to find another way...another solution besides offshore drilling, or onshore drilling. Another means of fuel solution," he said. "If Exxon Valdez wasn't what I thought [was] the death knell, then there should be absolutely no doubt in anyone's head that there's always a risk with offshore drilling."

The outcry of support in terms of benefit concerts or massive donation drives backed by celebrities or organized by the general public is low because of the difficulty in visualizing the impact, Questlove explained.

"People see the direct result of a tsunami or an earthquake and they say, 'Oh, action must be taken,' " he said. "I don't think that people really know the repercussions that we'll have to face now that all this oil has spilled. You're really not going to know the direct results 'til probably a year and a half from now."

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