Lee ’Scratch’ Perry: Reggae’s Mr Enigma (Part 2) | Entertainment

(In January 2003, Sunday Gleaner writer Chaos executed a two-portion interview with Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, a person of the nominees for the Reggae Grammy Award. This is a repeat of Part two. Part one was revealed yesterday.)

What is your just take on dancehall today as opposed to roots reggae?

Dancehall reggae, it achieve it overall destruction, it need to park, and something unique for the long term of the small children to teach their mind.

Dancehall reggae indicate knife and gun – and drum. Drum actively playing the chant of demise, actively playing demise chant and yuh have yuh knife inna yuh pocket, or yuh have yuh gun an’ yuh t’reaten yuh good friend bredda, yuh betta really like me or I get rid of you, nuh di dancehall dat?

Effectively, which is fascinating simply because you have been credited with aiding to develop the rap motion in The united states, but the rap motion is also largely associated with violence. What do you say about that?

Everyting commence from there, but right after the man having more, him having richer, him having more greedier and the other a person ‘round di corner sey ‘Wey yuh having so considerably funds?’ ’Im sey, if yuh do not notify mi, mi wi get rid of yuh yuh kno’ and yuh get no more funds, so ’im haffi notify ’im and carry in di relaxation a di pirate pon di manager. Dats why some a dem gwaan before long haffi arrive out a The united states, nuh tink dem a go be inna The united states considerably for a longer time… haffi go fin’ someway else go. And Jamaica nuh everywhere fi set neida, ’cause Jamaica is a well God-blessed place and want to get rid of the Taliban and the rebels negative. So that American people today can fin’ someplace to reside in a much better place. Due to the fact Bob Marley is possibly the only individual who has experienced a ‘straight’ reggae audio internationally… They need to arrest Bob Marley family. He organize it to get rid of the sheriff here, and shoot the deputy and afta he make that music … Jamaica mash up. He definitely did it. And it mentioned males were heading to die, do not ask him why, and ’im arrive again as Damian Marley, ’im son, the reincarnation. Speculate what ’im have for us up coming?

So you also imagine that Bob Marley personally assisted to wipe out Jamaica with that music or people music?

If he did not make that, Jamaica would not mash up. Text are potent, words and phrases have that means.

Wasn’t politics producing all of that extended in advance of Bob Marley?

Even the god that he serve is evil, name Gad. Fi him god name Gad … Fi ’im god give AIDS … ’im [god] give Dennis AIDS… to distribute here way too. They are terrorists.

But did not violence, especially political violence, exist extended in advance of Bob Marley even turned well-known?

Then what about the t’ret right after the evil tings dat is heading on, seem how Jamaica nuh have no more financial … the politician want to just take over the reggae audio, simply because Bob invoice it out to dem. Chris Blackwell, the third richest guy in the planet … when yuh nuh have no bad good friend … . (laughs) If it wasn’t for Blackwell, would reggae audio have gotten to where by … (nodding extended in advance of the dilemma was concluded). Men and women would recognise it faster or later, but he seize it to start with. He is a to start with-grabber, … is your blood mek ’im excess fat. Is not Mr Blackwell any longer, is ’Mr Fatwell’. Is not ’Mr Fatwell’ more, is ’Mr Rotwell’, ’Mr Fatwell, Batwell or Not Well’. I’m confident he is not well to be so excess fat. (laughs) If Mr Batwell experienced not recognised it any individual else would. Mr Rockwell would. Exciting.

What is your just take on the today craze, where by for Jamaican audio to make it abroad you have to do crossovers?

Present small business. No small business like show small business.

So it’s just show small business?

Present small business is the best from at any time given that. There is no small business like show small business – Frank Sinatra know that.

Have you listened to Alpha Blondy, the African who has been nominated (for the Reggae Grammy Award)?

(Nods) Sweet voice.

You like him?

Really considerably.

Do you feel he warrants it (the nomination)?

Hmmm… if he do not go so considerably into the ’yard’ small business he could be a best star, if he want to be a ‘yard’ guy he gonna end up as a devil or a rebel. You have to be an intercontinental star, do not be biased. If the people today a lawn really like this, test to really like any individual else do not test to really like what all people really like, you will be way too frequent.

So in this situation, when you say ’yard’ you indicate Jamaica?

Yeah, he want to be a yardie. He have a very sweet voice and he want to be like a Jamaican. Speculate if he know Jamaicans are the quantity a person hooligans in the worl’? He do not know that … they rob me, so me can sey anyting, mi nuh have anyting good fi say ’bout dem … mi not residing as no human staying… animal legal rights, not human legal rights. Hen rules, jungle rules and seabed rules me a defen’. Angels. We arrived here as angels an’ some tun cannibal afta dem take in way too considerably meat, not angel any longer, Bob accountable fi dem, and Mr. Rockwell.

In that situation, an additional point. One more nominee – Capleton, hearth, Rastafari … .

Hear, do not ask me anything at all. I am not a tribalist. I am not a 12 Tribe, I am by itself. I stand by itself, I am not a dread. I imagine in God, and I am confident that God is not a dread. I am one hundred per cent confident that God is not a dread. All per cent confident. I do not want to talk about … is whosever people people today god is, [is] their god. A fi dem small business.

So you do not want to talk about ’fire’.

I stand by itself. Dey say no guy stand by itself, but I want to verify it that I’m gonna stand by itself. All careless Ethiopian shall die by the proper hand of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, all careless Ethiopian shall die by this proper hand (mentioned with the mentioned, ornament-bedecked hand in dilemma raised, clenched into a fist). If I would not indicate it, I would not say that.

You have a status, apparently deserved, for staying relatively…eccentric, shall we say?

Men and women are hunting for the truth of the matter and the truth of the matter is God. Men and women have been hunting for the truth of the matter so extended, and the truth of the matter is God.

So what would you say to the people today who say you are bizarre?

I am bizarre (smiling), of study course. I am bizarre. I am Dr Odd. I see hypocrites … I can not say an evil guy is good. When you evil, you are evil and when you are good, you are good. And good is over evil, so is how good is the god, which is the truth of the matter.

1 couldn’t aid but notice that when you were placing up, you set up your flag and you set a mirror on the floor. Why the mirror?

The earth is the Lord’s. He show us our experience from downstairs, Men and women see it up there and they considered it arrive from upstairs. Is just a camera up there … and he demonstrating you the display from the seven sea. God is Neptune and god planet is less than the sea. So people today tink dey are residing dere (pointing upwards) he just pull dem down and sey, ’Yuh up way too extended. You are way too prosperous and you shouldn’t be prosperous. Arrive again down and just take 6 foot 6.’ I notify the people today why you died, a lie you lie simply because the result of sin is demise and the reward of God is everlasting daily life. So the people today who die is sin dem sin mek dem die.

So … the mirror serves the same function?

That is my spouse dat. Dat is my spouse dat dey don’ like. My spouse was black an’ she went into black coronary heart and steal all my tings wid black magic ability, an’ I change my spouse to white and dey don’ like har.

So where by is your spouse now?

She’s in Switzerland. She is talking to me less than there, she is a witch, a very good witch (laughs).

So you’re nonetheless married?

I would not depart har fi no a person. She’s the ideal in the planet. She pull me, just take me out of Coxsone trap, out of Heartbeat trap, out of GG trap, out of Pauline trap, out of the curse of African trap — Africa dey sey Selassie lifeless an’ Selassie kind a trap fi dem all. Marcus Garvey sey dem have to go to Africa, simply because Jamaica want to get rid of dem. When they go to Africa they not value anything at all, so the land is there cost-free simply because Jamaica do not want dem.

So what’s her name? Mary/Mirri?

She’s a Sagittarius angel. My son is Gabriel, the archangel my daughter is Shiva, the goddess of India.

1 cannot aid but notice you have pictures of Haile Selassie, you have pictures of Jesus Christ…

I am not an Antichrist. I am not a 12 Tribe, 12 Tribe is the Antichrist. I am not a Jad, I do not worship Jad, I imagine in Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is the coronary heart.

Ok. Describe the CDs, the mirrors, the medals, the emblems… anything that tends to make up your …

Emperor Selassie is my mind, my mind cell … and if you want to discover out who Jesus Christ…is Marcus Garvey. Without the need of Marcus Garvey, nobody exist. So if you’re hunting for any Christ, is Marcus Garvey here (tapping his chest instantly over his coronary heart). And ask him how min mek dis ting, dis is your motor, this is you car or truck, this is your personal computer (an additional hoarse chuckle).

Do you program on staying at the Grammy Awards arrive February 23?

Mi nuh know what it indicate.. What to be, will be. I’m making options, but suppose the headmaster say you’re not intended to be there, then I won’t be there. If the headmaster say I’ll be there, I’ll be there.

If you are there and you do acquire, what do feel you will say?

What will I say? When I’m heading everywhere I do not know what to sey… . When I open up my mouth the words and phrases fly out like lightning, greased tongue, hearth have to be on my tongue, I feel. I feel I am blessed with hearth on my tongue. I in no way know what I’m heading to say till I commence AAAHHH!!!! When any individual get hurt, sometime I cannot aid it ’cause sometime when I open up my lip and I listen to the tings, I even frighten, but I just have to chuckle but I cannot just take it again, is by now gaan, is not a slip of the tongue. Is a miracle.

On that take note, I experienced requested you earlier, you also have a status for staying booked for functions, say, and you may go and you may transform absent, or you may drop your trousers — why?

Effectively, a person time people today were trying to know about daily life and they hunting for God (in) outer house. I was trying to show people today that what tends to make you, anything is in the physique, nature’s grace. If you see your self, you could execute the performance of Jesus Christ, if you are correct. If yuh female really like you an’ you making really like to her in bed, you could give her a pleasant sex an’ say ’Jesus Christ’, simply because it’s coming from the cock. Men and women listen to that an’ misunderstand … they did not all set for me. Just demonstrating them the character, about the factors, an’ the instant … that you can say ’Jesus Christ’ an’ Jesus Christ surface. Just demonstrating dem everyting stripped down.

Men and women have mentioned things about you, people today have prepared things about you. What I want to listen to from you is what is your contribution to Jamaican audio?

My contribution to Jamaican audio is, ummm, the audio would not achieve anyting to anyting like it achieve now… . I am confident that the reggae audio is Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry audio. And I am confident that this audio wasn’t prepared here in Jamaica. It was prepared in London, England, Terrific Britain. Obtaining a bash, hope you are hearty, do not be naughty, it will be a punky reggae bash. I did not say it heading be a Rasta reggae or a dread reggae bash, it wasn’t prepared here … when I have my white punk buddies in England, we say it’s gonna, it gonna be a punky reggae bash, so Mr Blackwell rob us and just take absent our Punky Reggae Celebration.

You labored with The Clash and so on, proper?

That was my contribution not even to Jamaica, to the universe, Punky Reggae Celebration.

As you have implied, Bob Marley did a model of that music, how did you experience about that?

Effectively, I compose it, an’ for him to sing it it was kinda like a reward like. So at that level in time he wasn’t the ’devil’ per se? When you not significant yuh know is Ok, but when you get significant an’ guy can tempt you uncomplicated, you can be God nowadays and devil tomorrow, guide to temptation. Nowadays you a God an’ everting alright simply because yuh nuh have the prosperous, simply because everyting prosperous is the devil, nuh so it go?

So what have you been performing over the past number of yrs in terms of reggae?

Present small business. Mi by now do wha mi have to do in the reggae small business, mi nuh have anyting more fi do wid it, mi nuh want to be a portion of it, mi nuh waan to be in competitors wid it… mi have mek it holy, mek it righteous, just take it out of dancehall, mek it spritual, soulful. I have finished plenty of … all I do now is show small business.

Do you see reggae audio heading any even more?

If the people today reside non secular and righteous, it just take them even more than Bob Marley. When people today like UB40 and No Question provide millions and millions of records, do you feel Jamaicans are staying robbed? No, if they aiding the audio they not robbing Jamaica, they aiding the audio to boost the audio, [the] experience, an’ simply because they really like the audio they just take it even more. They not robbing any person.

1 previous dilemma, do you want to acquire the Grammy Award?

(With a smile) If they give it to me I will acknowledge it gladly, would not I?

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