Main Lines, Blood Feasts, and Bad Taste - Lester Bangs [123]
“Would you like to see white kids in the U.S. with dreadlocks?” I asked.
“Yeahmon!” He laughed. “Sure!… y'see … righteousness shall cover d’earth like da water cover d'sea… y’unnarstan … so … as far as we can go … we gonna live right… we’re all jus’ children on d’earth… but all mind—wiggy-woggy…”
“What do the Rastas think is going to happen in Jamaica?”
“Yehmon… yehmon, whoever over here has come, Rasta man mus’ go over to Africa…”
“Will Rasta man settle for making Jamaica more like Africa and staying here?”
“No, no one settle for Jamaica… we like Jamaica, y’know, but— Jamaica spoiled … in a sense a Rasta man is concerned a history of Jamaica it has prophesy you know is something no one can change. Jus’ like if you have an egg an’ break, no one can put it together again— Jamaica is like dat. Something a must happen in creation, dat we from da wes’, go back to da eas’… Jamaica canna fix I&I, Rasta man. The only way Jamaica can be fix is we bow to the colonial type a thing what dem ‘bout…”
“Are you as disappointed,” wondered Stephen Davis, not quite getting the point yet, “with the current government as a lot of other Rastas seem to be in discussions I’ve had with them?”
“Well! The present government—past, present—only one government me love: the government of Rastafari. Ca’I know it, we don’ live in dem guys’ a-things, y’know, we live outside it. Come like a bird—we gon’ check out certain things, because we know what is going on, we
know dat the rule don’ come down from uptown, some a those guys a kick up hell mon, a nothing a goin’ on …”
“Are you concerned with changing government here in Jamaica, if Rastas don’t vote?” asked Swank.
“This thing’ll never change, mon. Y'see da beauty ‘bout it, ‘bout Jamaica, is dat we come from Africa, and none of the leaders they want to accept dat. All ‘em wan’ call it Jamaicans, and we not Jamaicans. They all live a thing, you mus’ say an die here.” Will the last person leaving Jamaica please turn out the lights.
“How many people do you think would go back to Africa if they gave them what they wanted?” nervously pressed Swank.
“Well, watch me. Today is not the day, mon, but 144,000, plus a multitude followed.”
“What will be the Rasta reaction if there's a lot of violence?”
“Dem guys not dealing with twelve tribes of Israel. We not talking about govanment now, govanment wrong, we talking ‘bout de twelve tribes of Israel. We wan’ the unity and the only unity we can get is troo Rasta. And the only way we can get the message troo right now is troo reggae.”
Swank tried to bring it down to business: “Since Chris Blackwell has come down with Island Records, he seems to be someone who can communicate very well with you… and uh the rest of the people making the music. But CBS records, the big companies in America are catching wind of reggae and starting to come down, what do you see happening in that situation, big people from Babylon coming to exploit the music?”
“It happen faster. Jus’ make the people, help to realize what is happnin’, quickah. Canna stop it. Because it's not for the money, yoknow, and da big company, and a money, it's soon ovah. Because if weah brothahs da money is nothing between us.” Right, and all Bob Dylan started out wanting was some couches and motorcycles. Marley did, however, have some advice for fledgling reggae musicians: “You have to be careful, ca you can get tricked, out deah. People have rob me, y’know, but once you can see dat dis is what happen, I know or I see dat dis happnin’, den dat trick don’ go on, y’know.” He laughed. “You make record an’ sell it, don’ get no royalties in Jamaica for long time … Lak Trojan