Bob Marley: Revolutionary of the Soul

Think you know all about Bob Marley? Well, we all do don’t we. His image is everywhere and so is the music, but if you want some fresh ears and fresh eyes to reconsider his well-lived life you could do a lot worse than watch the film Marley. I heard the director, Kevin MacDonald, on BBC Radio 4’s Start the Week on Monday and was intrigued – not least because the documentary is over 2 hours long. That was like a challenge for me. If I can concentrate that long on anything, then the thing is good. I did concentrate and I learned plenty, all worth knowing.

Much of the content is moving. I won’t spoil it by listing it all, but it seems that to know Bob was to love Bob, and to love him was to hurt sometimes. As he said himself, ‘The good times of today are the sad thoughts of tomorrow.’ When he was touring the States in 1980 he collapsed with a seizure whilst out jogging. He was taken to hospital and told that the melanoma cancer, found in his toe in 1977, had spread throughout his body, into his brain and lungs. The medical opinion was that it was untreatable. The next concert on the tour was in Pittsburgh. Without saying anything to his band they completed the usual sound check before the gig. Except, to the amazement of his musicians, this sound check lasted over 2 hours and Bob Marley only played this one song.

The Pittsburgh concert was his last, but Bob Marley lives on, just as he said he would.

My music will go on forever.
Maybe it’s a fool say that, but when me know facts me can say facts.
My music will go on forever.

America: ‘Forward Ever, Backward Never’

Like all good quotes, this is attributable to more than one person: one attribution is to Maurice Bishop, a Grenadian leader and revolutionary but it is preceded by Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana who advocated independence from the British.

This morning, as America has chosen to keep their President Barack Obama for four more years, I feel it is apt.

Turbulence: my new favourite

I love this guy: direct from downtown Kingston, Jamica. Jah Rule…

Reggae with a little Drum N Bass to get things started

I seem to have a set of double standards going on. When Rihanna comes out with another set of explicit lyrics I tut and sigh and find myself turning the radio off; when Gyptian comes on with his all-round lewdness I can’t help but turn it up. This mix is a perfect pick me up in the morning.

Warning: an entirely self-indulgent post and of no interest to anyone I know of. In fact, I will be disappointed if the WBWC contingent aren’t throwing rotten fruit at the Apple Mac already.