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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (May 22, 2003)
I Saw It ! on BY BEN FOGELSON Saturdays & Sundays - 9 AM Cable Channel 99 EugeneXchange TM We'll send a crew to tape your video classified - Just $19.95* Garage Sales, Homes for Sale, Used Vehicles, Local Goods & Services • Call: 685-9200 • Plus: Home & Gardening Features & Weekend Escapes *Up to 30 seconds for private party ads. Business ad prices based on length & category. Visions of Bob A n i n t e r v i e w w i t h Z i g g y M a r l e y. W hen Bob Marley died in May of 1981, his eldest son Ziggy had al- ready been two years under the groomer’s comb, recording and playing reg- gae gigs since the age of 12. With his sister Cedella, his brother Stephen and his half-sister Sharon, Ziggy formed the Melody Makers. The vacuum left by the king of reggae’s decease needed filling, and Ziggy’s uncanny resemblance, both visually and vocally to his father made him an obvious choice. One has to both root for and have sympa- thy for Ziggy Marley. Trodding the earth these last 34 years he’s honed his own musical sig- nature, and at the same time has inherited a portion of both his father’s talent and interna- tional reputation. What a mix of pressure and pleasure to have Bob Marley’s great dread- locked head forever floating behind you, rep- resentative of an entire nation, both an un- matchable inspiration and as a backdrop in the mind of your concert-goers and critics. Ziggy’s fabulous reggae albums, such as Conscious Party, One Bright Day and a hand- ful of others, have now been followed by his newest, Dragon Fly, and his reason for com- ing to Eugene. In a recent conversation with Ziggy Marley: EW: What’s the last memory you have of your father? Ziggy: Um … the last time I saw him was a couple of nights ago. Silence — EW: Where? Ziggy: In LA. That’s the last time I saw him. We were just talking. EW: Um … your father? Ziggy: Yeah, Bob Marley, y’know? EW: What’d you talk about? Ziggy: We talked about my childhood. EW: That’s amazing. I mean, talking to you is great, but that’s fantastic. Did anyone else talk to him? Ziggy: No no no. Stephen was there. EW: Did he say anything? Ziggy: We had a big discussion. I can’t re- member. 24 MAY 22, 2003 EW: How long did it last? Ziggy: I don’t know, time don’t exist in that way, y’know? There’s no notion of time. EW: Amazing. Being Bob Marley’s son, what’s it like being an artist, being recognized as Ziggy, and not just compared to your fa- ther? Ziggy: Sometimes the media make it a big point, but the music is different than my father music. Different experience, different life. The art reflects a different life, but the philosophy is the same, which is truth and love. The roots is the same. For me, I just make music. I don’t really think about what the media might say. EW: Did I see you in a Maybelline com- mercial? Ziggy: Cover Girl commercial once. It was good hanging out with all those models, espe- cially (laughs). That’s better than the pay- check. EW: Can you describe the Dragon Fly tour within the context of your musical evolution, from Ziggy and the Melody Makers to now? Ziggy: The tour itself without Stephen, Sharon, Cedella. It’s not going to be the same thing as when the group tour. It carry a differ- ent vibe. We have musicians from Jamaica, Japan, Puerto Rico and Belize. There’s a song about peace in the Middle East. I want to get in the minds of people, sing words that people take as meaningful. Then the world can be changed. EW: Many Jamaican artists have tried to cross into pop or rock to hit a bigger market. Many older-style or “roots” reggae fans don’t dig the change. It’s a powerful temptation to alter art for the promise of a paycheck. How have you dealt with that temptation in the past? Ziggy: Well, my music always cutting edge, never is the past. My music is always unique. I just make what I feel. I’m not just a reggae artist, I’m universal. ew Ziggy plays Friday, May 23 at the McDonald Theatre.
