Laid back and loving it
Last week Ziggy Marley released an album of music for young people called “Family Time.” The album has a whole crowd, including his mother, Rita, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson and Jamie Lee Curtis. He will play a show for kids in L.A. as part of a “What Is Reggae?” day June 6 at Club Nokia.
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They say you get up late in the day. But you have five young children -- how do you manage that?
That’s after I get up early! After I get up early, then I get up late.
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So you work in two shifts.
Yeah, usually I wake up early and sometimes I make them breakfast, sometimes my wife makes them breakfast and I can go back to sleep. We play outside; they like to go outside.
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That’s excellent -- the kids today spend way too much time indoors.
It’s true. And outside is very interesting. There’s a whole world there.
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You travel to pretty parts of the world a lot. Do they appreciate that yet?
Yeah, I think. I think so! I don’t know. They show interest in nature, you know? They love the outdoors and they love to see the trees and the moon and the sun and the stars. They know a lot of things. My little son is always asking questions: “What is that? What is that?” That’s a butterfly, that’s a snail. They’re very interested.
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Are you going to write a child-rearing book?
I don’t know about that. I’ve been writing some stories, working on some stories for kids. Give me a couple more years.
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Well, with parenting, it’s hard to do it really wrong.
Yeah, you have to do it bad to do it really wrong. It’s a natural thing about it -- that you want to give love. You want to do the best thing for your children.
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With this album, you seem to share credits with lots of people.
Oh yeah! It’s really a team effort. And it has to do with children. Whenever children are involved there are a lot of people who wouldn’t normally come because it’s children. And not only is the music for children but obviously some of the proceeds from the record are going to help me develop this school in Jamaica. We call it a basic school -- you call it kindergarten.
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And now what do you make next?
Ha ha! Well, I’m thinking about it. The next record I probably won’t be thinking about kids. But musically? I want to be trying to take a trip, going on a journey. Who knows where it ends up? It has to be an adventure if I’m going to enjoy it. You know?
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What are you listening to?
My ears is open to all kinds of stuff. I work sometimes with friends who are a rock-and-roll kind of thing -- but lots of kids’ music going on in the house. Father’s stuff, my stuff. My collection is very big: Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke, African music, jazz, blues.
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Did 40 take you by surprise?
Oh no, man! I don’t know what it means. I guess it means something to more people but it don’t mean anything to me. Whatever. I just continue to be the same person when I was a 5-year-old. The sense of me remains the same.
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You’re exceptionally mellow.
Yeah, yeah, yeah! Ha ha. We learn. That is one of the best ways to be: levelheaded. I think life works best in that way, where it doesn’t matter what comes at you, it doesn’t really -- yeah. I’m still mellow.
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When was the last time you had a big screaming fight with somebody?
My screaming fits are about five seconds. Cuz you know -- sometimes, well, I don’t like fighting. Screaming, it’s not me. I tried it before! Action is more my thing. Not talking. It’s hard for me to have word fights, fighting with words. I’d rather just listen.
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Which sibling do you talk to the most?
A few! I talk to my sister more often than [my brother] Stephen.
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On Stephen’s website, he is smoking a really enormous spliff on the front page.
That’s Steve! That’s him, you know.
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And so you’re going on tour? The good news is that parents are desperate to have their kids entertained, so you’re in luck!
Well, as long as people keep having children we’ll be all right. And we’ll have music for the children. We’re always looking for something for all kids: music, good food, good toys to play with. Stuff that means something! I think parents today are looking for meaningful things for their kid. It’s about feeding them something with meaning.
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