I Saw
It !
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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.