Comments | littlegirltoast: Dancehall reggae and the socio-sexual mores of art

littlegirltoast

Dancehall reggae and the socio-sexual mores of art

Oct 05, 2010 16:20

To say that I am not the world's most ardent reggae fan would be something of an understatement. Lately I have been heard grumbling when anyone puts on the five-song Bob Marley playlist at work, and thinking about what bothers me about his music (which I used to enjoy, two lifetimes ago) has led me to develop the theory that if you will put on Bob ( Read more... )

Comments 20

roman_mclaze October 5 2010, 23:09:57 UTC

"if you will put on Bob Marley records but not Christian rock, then you are being racist."

I too have detected a general aversion to Christian music amongst non-Christians, not only among those who listen to reggae albums (or more likely, just Bob Marley's Legend), but also people who adore New Age chants or other obviously religious art (Even if they aren't exactly educated about it...I once saw a dorm room where a self-identified pagan had used nails to hang a musallah on the wall).

As an atheist who still enjoys the gospel and worship music I grew up with, my sympathy for all the people missing out on good music because of their hangups is tempered by the fact that I can use it as an Asshole Detector. If somebody happily bops along with Skillet's "Hero", but immediately become contemptuous when they find out they're listening to a Christian band, then I give better-than-average odds that they're an intolerant asshole. Probably the kind who is very proud of not being one ( ... )

littlegirltoast October 6 2010, 02:25:27 UTC

Hm that's not exactly the point I was making. I listen to Danielson, a bit of Sufjan Stevens and Castanets, and a billion zillion rappers who talk about their Christian or Islamic faith all over the place, some of whom I find difficult to tolerate and some of whom I don't. My aesthetic issues with Bob Marley's oeuvre (which developed after my teens) are probably stronger than my aversion to his lyrical content, but I do have a big problem with what in particular he is expressing, not the least reason being that it is Rastafarianism, of which I have a very low opinion ( ... )

roman_mclaze October 6 2010, 03:53:50 UTC

Hell yes on the exoticizing thing! I think that's the same reason why there were so many Americans in the late 90s who wouldn't have been caught dead in a church that wasn't holding a wedding or a funeral but had no qualms with using chanting Benedictines as background for yoga and/or improving their baby's beta-waves.

Also, I confess that I really like some Bob Marley...and that my first experience of his music was from Legend.

littlegirltoast October 6 2010, 20:12:46 UTC

Ha my first experience of Bob Marley was reading a biography when I was thirteen or so. The songs sounded really interesting from their descriptions, so I ordered Legend from BMG or Columbia or whatever music club I was suckered into.

robotropolis October 6 2010, 01:15:20 UTC

There's a huge difference between liking good bands with Christian content like Sufjan Stevens, Danielson Famile, Low, Iron and Wine...and liking the steaming pile of crap with midi vibraphone sprinkled on top that is Christian Rock. No comment on Bob Marley's quality -- I don't listen to the guy but he certainly was part of my soundscape growing up.

littlegirltoast October 6 2010, 02:27:58 UTC

Mine too! I don't like listening to music with the messages his music has, though.

I guess though I am thinking of people who opt not to listen to what I described as "christian rock" because of its content, and not its form as much. Which maybe is fewer people than I think? I guess everyone loves Paramore.

jsangspar October 6 2010, 05:37:45 UTC

That band name makes me want to stab so many faces because you can just tell they had no gorram idea how to spell a word.

Have you heard any Max Romeo? I mean if you have played a Grand Theft Auto game you have heard any ("Chase the Devil" in San Andreas is what I mean.) - he is definitely all kinds of rasta-christian-macabee-spiritualist but I haven't ever heard him be evil and War Ina Babylon is the kind of socially-just dope-fuckin'-production wicked awesome reggae music that I don't think there is anywhere else. Also if this means anything I think it was produced by Lee 'Scratch' Perry? It is a great album, is what I am trying to say. THERE IS A SONG ABOUT WEED ON THERE THOUGH I SHOULD WARN YOU.

littlegirltoast October 8 2010, 17:47:59 UTC

Yeah I've known "Chase The Devil" for a long long time... I think J first showed it to me because people he knew would play a dub version (or jungle remix?) at raves. Then of course everyone knew a tiny bit of it from Kanye's beat for Jay-Z's "Lucifer" off The Black Album.

Kind of even crazier, b. dolan flipped that instrumental into a howl of political rage and personal call-out to corporate motherfuckers who killed thousands and profited... home addresses and everything. Check this:

Mark my favourite rap group from the age of 11 to like 16 was Cypress Hill. I can handle a little weed talk.

Thread 7

juan70x October 6 2010, 05:27:41 UTC

For me, it's musical. I love reggae and ska, and plan on visiting Jamaica sometime next year if I can pull some things together. I'm not someone who listens to any Christian music, as I am not a Christian, yet I love and admire the emotion found in certain styles. I love black gospel, I also enjoy good hard rock and metal bands that do it well, and yet there are elements of reggae that is the equivalent of reciting verses, whether it's Christian or Rastafarianism. I have no issues with either, I love Indian classical music and Pakistani qawwaki, the latter of which can be very religious and is spiritual. I'm embracing it for the musical qualities and their means of storytelling ( ... )

human_loser October 6 2010, 16:54:32 UTC

I hope it all worked out great for Gwen, Karen, Jen, Ken, and Eek-A-Mouse!

T-shirt time!

audrawilliams October 6 2010, 18:22:20 UTC

Seconded!

That was my favourite part of the entry for sure.

I love when you write about this stuff, Jesse D!

anonymous October 7 2010, 18:12:03 UTC

I think if you're going to compare Bob Marley to Christian rock, you can add John Lennon to the list. Lennon and Marley were trying to deliver the same message, just different words and music.

littlegirltoast October 8 2010, 00:42:43 UTC

This makes me feel like you, anonymous commenter, have never paid attention to the messages of either artist.

Both featured the occasional entreaty for peace, broadly, but they didn't even mean the same thing by it.

anonymous October 8 2010, 04:31:53 UTC

Both said and did far more than supplicate for peace. Peace wasn't the message, just a byproduct of hoped for behaviour. They weren't pounding the same spike, but Lennon and Marley were working the same rail line. Lennon never came across as being religious, but take away his anger and his was the voice of Christ or Buddha or Ghandi ( ... )

littlegirltoast October 8 2010, 09:04:49 UTC

It's impossible for me to "consider" that you grew up with both of them, as you are posting anonymously and I don't know anything about to whom I am speaking. Everyone under the age of seventy grew up with them. I certainly grew up with them ( ... )

Thread 6