This Fri. June 29th, five-time Grammy Award
winner Ziggy Marley will bring his music, and message of love to the Newport
Yachting Center. Marley’s latest album Wild And Free is classic reggae in its truest form and features
the vocal styles of friends Woody Harrelson, the late Heavy D, and Marley’s son
Daniel. Through his songs, Marley shares his views on family, personal change,
political corruption, and the legalization of Marijuana. Aside from music,
Ziggy has keep busy with the production of Marley, an in depth documentary about the life of his
father Bob Marley, a new Sirus XM radio show “Ziggy Marley Legends of Reggae,”
a comic book Marijuanaman, and
even releasing his own organic food line. Over the phone, Marley fielded a few
questions.
Recently you acted as executive producer for the film Marley. How did making the film affect your relationship
with you father?
I’ve always been close with my father, and it’s been so long
since he passed away, but it made me understand his life a little better. Some
parts we weren’t aware of as kids, you know, the early days, stories that we
heard about him being teased because he was of mixed race, and then the later
days when he was in Germany during treatment, so, it was interesting to find
out about his experiences at that time.
You’ve been heavily involved with the non-profit group
U.R.G.E. (Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment) helping out in Chepstowe,
Jamaica building schools and planting trees. What else is coming down the
pipeling for U.R.G.E and how can others get involved?
The pipeline is basically what we’ve been doing with that
school and anything we can do. People can get involved within their own community,
that’s what I would say, everybody needs help, especially the children, let’s
focus on the kids in our own communities.
You conceived the character for the comic book Marijuanaman, which you said represents the hope of the
future, and the hope that we will utilize all the power the universe has given
us to save our planet. Most people know about using hemp for pulp, paper, and
clothing, but what are some of the more overlooked uses of the plant?
Well, you have bio-fuel. Henry Ford, I think, built a car
out of hemp, but way back in the day. You can build a car out of hemp, you know what I’m sayin’? A lot of the business we have today is based on oil,
not only for gas that runs our cars, but for a lot of products that we see in
stores…plastics, anything that is an oil by-product. So there is a lot of that
stuff that isn’t biodegradable, which hurts the environment, and if we can
switch to a more environmental way of making the products that we use, then
that would be better for us. Hemp can do that. Also the hemp seeds, which cannot get you high - it
is not a drug, are very nutritious, [it has] a lot of omegas and fatty acids
that’s good for the human body. This plant is an easy plant that can be grown
without a lot of pesticides, it’s very resistant, and it also helps the soil,
it regenerates the soil, it doesn’t damage the soil, it gets the soil ready for
the next crop weather it be corn or whatever. But, the world continues to deny
the uses of the plant, which is wrong.
Many states have, or are moving toward
de-criminalization, so it seems that things are moving in that direction.
Yeah, that’s one aspect of it though. What I would really
love to see is hemp. The smoking, I’m happy, that’s good but that’s one aspect.
I don’t know why the non-smoking part of it is so difficult to get done.
America used to grow a lot of hemp back in the day, but somehow it became this
evil thing. In my culture, the plant was a spiritual thing. This plant was
something that was used to open the mind to spiritual things. It wasn’t used to
get the munchies or joke, you know, we have all these different uses and we
have to be careful not to abuse it. I see the plant has changed so much since
growing up. It’s so manipulated; it’s not nature anymore…grown indoors with the
artificial lights, this strain and that strain. Just give it to me the way
nature intended it to be. Weather it be food or marijuana, the natural way is
the best way.
Speaking of food, what can you tell me a little bit about
your Ziggy Marley Organics food-line?
We’re making some flavored coconut oils, and we’re doing a
hemp seed, but it’s in the shell so it’s this crunchy, nutty thing and we have
different flavors for that too. It’s organic, it’s non-GMO, and we carry that
message with the food product, to have the people be aware, [to see] if their
food has been genetically modified in any way.
How do you feel about the current state of food that is
in the mainstream markets?
It’s terrible. It’s a business. Anytime the motive for food
or medicine becomes money, then it gets corrupted. Then, it’s not about “what’s
good for the people” it’s about, “how can we make the most money”. If it were
the other way around, and the priority was “how can we create something that is
beneficial to the people” then their methods of doing things would be
different. Instead of injecting the animals with all these drugs, genetically
modifying these food products so that it lasts longer on the shelves or
whatever, they would think of other ways to create the food product without
destroying us. You have to be careful when corporations and institutions are
driven by profit instead of what’s good for you. The people have to be the
police for themselves.
What power do we have to affect the way our food is made?
We buy things. We can actually affect corporations by not
buying things that they are producing. I don’t think they’re listening to our
voices so much. If you hit them in the pocket, that’s when they’ll listen.
It seems today that it’s harder to find quality music
within the confines of the mainstream. Why do you think that is?
Well, that’s the economic thing bro. You know…how can the
media work within the system to facilitate the continuous manipulations of
people, to want to buy things, and be like others, and not focus their minds on
the truth or what’s happening in the world. Music is a part of how society is
set up and what society wants its people to focus on. Music is a very important
tool. Imagine, again, if music was different…if kids were being influenced by
messages in music that made them more peaceful or loving or whatever, just more
positive things, society would be different.
In your song Changes, you call for change from ordinary people. What are some changes
that people can make in their everyday lives to help better society?
One of the things I think, is to seek the truth independent
of media, because I think a lot of the people is so dependant on what they see
on TV, and news organizations, and their way of thinking is slanted left or
right based on that. I think people should not be so easily swayed by media…you
know less TV more work, more individual effort to find out things.
That song also features your son Daniel. You now have six
kids, so how do you balance your workload with family time?
We just try to do our best. I have older kids now, they are
adults so, they have their lives, they have to be independent, and I have young
kids who still need that close relationship, so we just try to be a part of
their lives as much as possible.
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