Ziggy Marley

0:04Hey Ziggy, how are you? Yeah, we're good. Where are you right now? California, California. How are things in California? I'm pretty glad I can't smoke liquor, urban, you know getting it too much trouble. Yeah, that's a plot. We'll talk about that. I'm sure within the next 15 minutes. But you got a new record at Wild and Free out in two weeks here, June 14th. It's coming out, this is even a new record, it's on Wild and Free. Yeah, I'd phone doing it, you know. How do you get Woody Harrelson, has he ever sang on a song before? On record? I don't know. I don't know. When Woody came over to Maya, please, and I was right in the song at the time, I just said, what do you want to sing? I didn't really know what he could sing.

0:54You know, yeah, you could sing. So I was just, you know, hey, let's just generally come and do it. But when he was singing, I was like, oh, do the night to get you on the song, singing on the record. It's got like a Stevie Wonder feel that tune, Wild and Free. Yeah, I love Stevie Wonder. Were you trying to? I don't know. I just, maybe I'll try to end him without trying. I didn't think of him, but I was thinking of the mood at the song. What the mood should be, because I know I played some of the key boys on that song, and I guess that Stevie Wonder, you're right. Yeah, you're right. I'll take that. No, thank you. I'll take that. I'm really right. I'll take that. Actually, I'll tell you if you said it. Well, good. I'm glad. Thank you. I was reading a quote from Don Woss on the record where he says that you embrace the more traditional and familiar textures and rhythms of reggae.

1:39Were you trying to move away from that before, or did that just kind of happen for this record? I think I was, you know, I was experimenting. Trying, you know, before you kind of know where you're heading, you kind of try different directions and see, you know, see what you like, because if you don't experience it, how are you going to know? Exactly. I agree. So, you know, you have to know, you know, and then when you get to where you think you want to be at the time, then you feel good. Yeah, I've been there. I've done that. I'm your incorporate, some of those other things in it, but moment, you know, I mean, the root, the idea was to keep the root strong. And then, you know, I can't measure on the branches. It could be done. You know, whatever I feel on top of that, you know, but I wanted the root to be very strong.

2:25What do you think is the best traditional reggae tune on the record? What brings back the oldest vibes? The one that would be the most traditional is the one that is the most basic. What song would that be on the new disc? You know, even with tradition, it's still not traditional, actually. Alright. Actually, it's personal revolution, I would say, but it would be the most challenging, you know, my opinion. Yeah, I agree. Well, especially the feeling of rebelling and even the, but it's got that military beat to it, which is a little different. But once it gets into the sound, it's very simple, very simple, one-job argan shuffle sound, very simple, the B-A-6. Just the B-A-6 are in that, really. The thing that I like to do is stuff like that, but not have it so undiated.

3:18You know, it's still have a song fresh to me. Well, speaking of sounding fresh to the tune on there called Get Out of Town, very haunting, but it's got these beautiful acoustic riffs that kind of circumvent the a's and the hauntingness of it and really blend it together really well. Can you tell me about Right and Get Out of Town? Get Out of Town, I wanted it to be a Western. I felt I was a Western. When I did the demo, it was even more Western. Yeah, you know, I was trying to forget some of those all like the good, the bad and the ugly. Like those all Clint Eastwood cobweye. I was trying to get that vibe off it, because I'm a fan of those movies. So I was like, oh, get out of town. And then when I started writing it, I started releasing it back to living in the West, you know, all West Town, you know, the train, you know, goal and I feel like, you know.

4:18So that was the idea. But it's not the same thing about it. That's another different kind of reggae song, you know, element in it that you wouldn't find in just like, you know, per B-A-6 reggae music. So the record is coming out in a few weeks here June 14th, like we said, but you also just put out a comic book, Meryl Wannaman, a graphic comic book, if you will. Yeah, the graphic comic book card cover. The hero stands up for truth, but doesn't smoke weed. You know, he doesn't smoke, but he's affected by it though. Right, how is he affected by it? First, he's affected by the plant itself. Just being around the plant without even smoking or having anybody smoke and smoke stuff.

5:15You know, and so don't, he inhales the cards. Yeah. And here's because of his alien DNA that he has the level of THC that he gets super hero. I mean, he doesn't call himself Meryl Wannaman, but people call him that because they realize, oh, when he weighs around the plant, I inhale it is something that happens to him, you know. I read you saying something about how hemp can save the planet. What do you mean by that? Well, what I mean by that is that with, you know, little by little, you know, on the planet.

6:04It's like all about it. It's like the planet is your body, am I a body? We have to keep our body clean, you know, we have to keep inside clean, outside clean. I guess we're going to get sick, we're going to get, you know, ill. And so that's what we do into the planet. No, the hemp plant, no doubt on the planet. We have unearthed because of how much things it can be used for. Because of the low impact pocket for the correct, the low impact it will have on the environment. Because using hemp with the practical thing, like it will save trees. It will save trees. No trees. We, the human species at least our life, life on earth is to treat the trees.

6:54Because trees have, have clean environment, trees have, give us oxygen. You know, trees are very important. So if we can't feel the trees by using hemp, and this is a simple explanation, we're going to go. Sealing trees will seal the planet, meaning the planet will, will, will seal in those trees will seal the planet. And if we plant hemp, a lot of things will use a lot of the reason for cutting on trees will, will, will, will. Yeah. A lot of the, the problem trees, you know, fire bar for even paper, fire bar for, for plow, or right on.

7:45Yeah, and ropes and stuff too, I heard. So that is a simple way to put it. But there's, I mean, there's numerous uses and reasons why. And the plant, I mean, crops, such and not, so, and not use it. Why would you do that? Why would, why would me, why would I be on, why would you, why would you, what is, why you want to use that? I don't, I don't understand it. If you, if you know drinking water is good for you, if you know, you know, you know, you know, something is good for you. Why wouldn't you want to aspire to that? Why would you deny that? Why would you deny that? What reason would you? I don't want to eat fresh food because I don't want to feel good.

8:35I don't, you know, I don't know. I don't know. It's so simple, but yet still. Well, California is close. You know, close. I mean, one, a world world to be close, though, because it's not, it's not worth smoking. Everybody think it's just about smoking. That's a problem. That's what the problem is. Right? No, it's just about smoking. And it shouldn't be just about smoking. It should be about everything. The, the, the fight to, to, to utilize this plant should be about everything about the plant. Not one aspect of it, but everything. And the, and the forces, cause right now it's divided. You have the hemp crawl and everybody's looking out for their cells. The marijuana guy wants to smoke it. And the hemp guy wants to have industry. And they're not united.

9:23That's true. Well, hopefully you can unite them with your music. Yeah, yeah, right. Tell me about the song It, cause that kind of talks about, I mean, long, desired goals and getting to, and getting to those goals. And I guess one of the goals for you is, is, is the proliferation of the hemp plant. Tell me about the song It's got beautiful, beautiful rhythms and the melody, the guitar melody is fantastic. It, it is about, it, basically. That's about it, you know, you, you, you know, a lot of, was. Was it always music for you? Was it, was it, was it always music for you? Was there any doubt in your mind that you would be a musician for the rest of your life?

10:11Yeah, man. Sometimes I don't, because sometimes I want to, you know, who's listening, who's hearing, you know, I'm saying, is it working? Am I being effective? Mm hmm. You know, many years ago, you know, I, I might be, is it effective? Why isn't, why isn't things changing, you know? Yeah, why is, why haven't things changed? Why, why aren't things changing? Well, things are changing slowly, very slowly. And it's changing the culture that are not open to the idea. And I, I don't want to keep, who keep on getting the wrong messages from, from whatever medium they're getting it from. And so the slow goal is like, you know, one, one pressure, you know, until we get the meal stream found.

11:01Well, that dropped a water way to help a couple weeks ago with Jimmy Fallon. They did a week in honor of your father, of course, and you got up there and played get up stand up. Do you play his songs often? Oh, yeah, I love playing this song. Ooh. Then I'm in trouble. I understand. And then I'm in trouble in the concert. I just play about my son. You win everybody over. It's true. Yeah, I can't lose. There you are. You're not listening here. Let's play about my son. We don't have much time left. So I'm wondering if I could get just a memory of your father from you. Something, something you remember. My father is like brothers. You know what I'm saying? I mean, memories of my father. But tell people, memories of my father's recent memories because we, you know, we believe in our world beyond physical.

11:55We believe there is. And so because of that belief, I guess our minds are exposed to things, you know, because you believe it. You know what I mean? See it. You know, belief is a very strong thing. Where they can't prove a scientific kind of, I don't know. But we believe in it and we're existing it. So, I mean, last time, I was telling the last name of my father. He's no word doctor. You know, a sense of like, you know, father, that's a good job. You know? That would be the last number. We do something on the show called Five Questions. Five quick questions, one word answers. Road or studio? Oh, come on. You cannot just do it on the road nowadays. You know what I mean?

12:43True, fair enough, okay. All right. Lening or McCartney? Lening. What's your favorite way to smoke? Bong vaporizer joint. Which one? Oh, oh, pipe. I like a pipe. Song you've written your most proud of. Love is my religion. Cool. A off the last record. I like that song. And in one word, Ziggy Marley.