Michael Rose Interview vom 04.02.2000

Das Interview führten Olaf Jacobsen und Angela von Rootsmans Reggaeland 

Now you are on tour in Europe. You already played in Switzerland. Today you start here in Germany. How long are you touring this year and where are you going next?

We played in Holland yesterday. We already played in Amsterdam, in Rotterdam and we played in Switzerland. This tour it doesn`t stop. We tour all through Germany until next week. Then we`ll go to Bob Marley day in Long Beach California. We will play then in San Diego, San Francisco and in Long Beach there are three Bob Marley days. And then we will play in Europe again.

At this tour you are playing with a newcomer from the Bahamas, a singer called Avaran. Can you tell us something about him?

Well he`s a new upcoming artist. and hes getting a taste of what the road feels like and I think he`s good, a good experience for him.

In the Reggae Newsgroup people are discussing about the phrase "Tu Tu Tweng" in some of your songs.Is it only a scat or has it a special meaning? One guy said it has something to do with your brother and a cricket game, what`s about that?

No I don`t know about that. But what I can tell you: It`s "Too Too Twelve". It`s like a ghetto number.

At your last production there is a song called "Revolution". Do you think there is a real chance for the different political and rasta-groups in JA to find together in one love, one heart and one destiny?

Well yes. Rasta is all about one love one heart and one aim at all times. We seem to confront situations where I think maybe dialects get so heavy and people get scared of what is happening. But it is just the movement of rasta. And the more pressure is added to the youth the more deep it gets, so is Babylon system. Cause thats the way it looks.

Since the last years you worked regularly together with Mafia and Fluxy. You published one album with Sly and Robbie and others with different producers and musicians. Will you continue the work with Mafia & Fluxy?

Well, I always work with different producers, this is how I feel. Mafia and Fluxy they are good. If it comes to the situation that maybe I`m in London or maybe they are in Jamaica we will do some work together.

In the last 5 years you published 7 albums and every year you are on tour too. Don`t you think that sometimes it causes too much stress, so that sometimes you feel burnt out?

No it doesn`t. You would have to understand me: Do you ever check to yourself why is it that the rich is rich and the poor is always poor. Does it feel something empty? You see: I can`t feel empty when I`m doing something for the people. If I`m doing something and it`s getting nowwhere then I`ll be empty. If it wasn`t for people like you who come and have a talk with me then my music has no purpose. So I`can`t be empty at no time. It makes me feel good to sit and have a talk with you. Cause the people are the ones who are going through the depression. So you have to look out for the people. Cause they can only say about that so much. But with the music we can tell the world that the world needs to check itself and look into itself. So we don`t get soiled up by pollution. So at no time I do feel empty.

People are suppressed all over the world. Have you ever sit and watched CNN news? People in Russia, people in Kosovo, people in Israel, people in Germany too, it`s terrible. Not only in Jamaica. Jamaicans are very rebellous. It speaks for itself and you see it, now that`s my narrity compared to the rest of the world. Every day somebody dies somewhere.

What are your musical plans for the future?Do you work at any new project?

I always have a new project. I have a new album it`s called 'Musical rate' and it`s coming out sometime of this year in the millenium. Did you see the Bonanza? Okay. It`s a revolution now. Let`s speak about it, revolution. Revolution, if you check it today so much things are happening just like you asked me. In Jamaica what is happening? The people look like something is going to happen. Can you tell me what`s going to happen? It`s going to happen in the church all over the world. There must be a change, a change has to come. It will happen in the church I tell you. People have to show more love for each other and show the care for our environment so we don`t lose everything. The world is leading to Sodom right now if you check it. Maybe this time no flood, but it always start in the church. So that the reason for revolution.

You already toured through Germany last year. What do you think about the German Reggae posse?

It`s just like the music get`s bigger. The kids are making sound system now just like in Jamaica. It`s just the love of the music. This music is not something to play with. It`s a force and it`s a positive force. So the youth that are growing up, their parents used to come and watched the Bob Marley, the Black Uhuru and the Burning Spear. Now the children come up and the next sound systems and it looks crazy. It`s just the music but it`s growing.

There is a great increase of the new medium internet the last years. The musical industry is participating of this development. On the other side there are many reggae fans all over the world who create reggae websites and discuss reggae themes at a special newsgroup. What do you think about the new medium?

Well it`s a dangerous technology. In some way it is a babylonian technique. But it has two sides and theres good and bad in it.

Thank you very much for this interview Michael !

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© Olaf Jacobsen, February 2000

Peace & Love

Roots & Rootswoman