Ziggy Marley: The only reason why I do music is because I'm inspired to say something. Joann Butler: You did a tribute to your dad. Ziggy Marley: He was really deep in my consciousness. I see him as my father, but I never really looked at him on my level.
I'm much older than him now. Boy, he was so young. He was a young kid when he passed away. Like it was the first time I kind of like realized that.
This album is a great representation of where I am now. I've matured into it. I feel like I have a deeper relationship with the songs. I spent more time with the songs.
Joann Butler: Sitting in on The Wailers recordings at just 10 years old. Ziggy Marley: Younger than that. Joann Butler: Wow. Ziggy Marley: From when I was born, I was born into it, you know?
You know, we've been through many experiences. My father gets shot, my mother gets shot, you know, ups and downs. Even when we didn’t have a lot, we were happy. I don't believe in that name thing.
It's not about the Marley. No, it's about who you are as a human being. We always learned humility. We learned that from the example that my mother and my father set.
Just the basic foundation of how to be a good person. Hey, what's up? You're watching Joann Butler In Studio With… me, Ziggy Marley. Joann Butler: Nine-time Grammy Award-winning musician, Emmy winner, producer, humanitarian, Ziggy Marley in the house!
Woohoo! Welcome to LifeMinute. Ziggy Marley: Yeah, man. Good to be here.
Joann Butler: So honored to have you. How are you doing? Ziggy Marley: Doing good. Doing good.
Feeling good, happy. Yeah. Joann Butler: Good! You look it.
So, tell us what you got going on. Ziggy Marley: What I got going on? Joann Butler: A new book, let’s start with that. Ziggy Marley: Yeah, we have a new book.
Yeah, we have a new kids' book for children called True to Myself. It's kind of based upon one of my songs, which is called "True to Myself." 20 years ago, I did an album called Love Is My Religion. That was like, it's a fan favorite, that song. We kind of put a kids' book together with that idea of being true to who you are.
I feel like the message within the book is like, there's goodness within us. That is who you truly are. That good, that goodness that’s in you, that's who you truly are. You must be true to that.
So, you know, a good message for the kids then, you know for, don't be afraid to be good, you know? To be loving, you know? Be, that's who you truly are, you know. Joann Butler: Yup, I love it.
How do you stay true to yourself in everyday life? Ziggy Marley: Well, you know, I mean, for me personally, my experience with my consciousness, you know, we have, we have a voice inside of us that speaks. I have a voice inside of me that speaks truth to me, that even if I try lie to myself, that voice will be like, "Uh-uh, no, that's not the truth," you know? So, I try to follow that voice, and I've developed that voice throughout the years, and I trust that voice.
It's just being natural, not putting up a wall. You know, the wall comes up if necessary, but I don't start with a wall. I start with an open door. You know what I mean?
That is, that is who I am, and so that is how I be true to myself, is by just starting with an open door for everyone, you know? And then if I have to build a wall, I build a wall, 'cause that's also being true to myself, too. Every day I do it. Every day I wake up, "All right, yo, you have to exercise today, bro.
Come on, come on." You know? Like that's, you know, that's true. "Let's go," you know? Even if I don't feel like it, I'm like, yo, that voice is saying, “Bro, it's been two days, come on.
Get something going." So it's that inner, it's that inner voice that I have developed that speaks truth to me, you know? Yeah. And even like, sometimes like if I do something wrong, you know, and if I do something wrong in, in my day, or maybe how I react to somebody, or how I interact with somebody, and I don't feel good about that. Then I realize, you know, I did something wrong, you know.
I didn't treat that moment properly. Within myself, I know that, and I correct myself going forward, you know what I say? So it's about, it's about understanding that we're not perfect, too, and we make mistakes, but realizing that we make mistakes and be responsible for those mistakes and try to better yourself. That's that true voice within me that speaks those things also, you know?
Joann Butler: It's a gift because so many people struggle with finding that voice, you know, remembering it. Ziggy Marley: True. Joann Butler: So especially now. How has being a father of seven helped you write this book?
Ziggy Marley: The book comes from the song. It comes from my life. Most of my songs, I feel like it's for all ages, my music, but it's just the experiences of having kids at a young age. And, you know, as I say, I made mistakes and learning from them, and then understanding that the original idea for this song, which is now the book, came from me having to make decisions and a decision that would affect not just myself, but others.
But is either, I choose to stay in a situation where it hurts everyone, but then you're not hurt anymore going forward, you know what I mean? So… Joann Butler: Learn from it. Ziggy Marley: Yeah.
That, that's how it is. My whole life is a, is a teaching experience, and so it's, it's all a part of that. Having kids, everything is a part of, everything that I express is all a part of my experiences in life. Joann Butler: Yeah.
Obviously, you're carrying the torch for your dad, the legacy. He was the same way. What did you learn from him? Ziggy Marley: Yeah, I mean, he was true to himself, but specifically, I learned from him that hard work, discipline, being of service to others, using the gifts that we get as a tool, not just for ourselves, you know?
My family grew up like that, there’s, we always learned humility. We learned that from the example that my mother and my father set, and my great aunt, you know, we grew up learning to have manners, you know, respect your elders. Just the basic foundation of how to be a good person was set by my parents, and not just, not, not even by speaking, but just by how they lived their life and what we saw as kids growing up. And that we emulate, you know, today.
Yeah. Joann Butler: I love it. Let’s talk about the tour a little bit. Ziggy Marley: Yeah.
Joann Butler: 16 dates. Ziggy Marley: I don't even know. I don't count the dates. Joann Butler: You don't even know where you're going, you're just going.
Ziggy Marley: It don't really matter to me. Like, I don't, people ask me, "Where you going next?" I don't know, 'cause I don't really care. I'm just doing it, you know? Like, it don't really matter to me.
Joann Butler: Just doing it and loving it. Ziggy Marley: Yeah, that’s how I do it, man, 'cause it's a part of who we are, you know. We have to do it. It's a, we have a purpose.
We have a purpose, you know. It's not just for, come and make some money and, yeah. But we have a bigger purpose. The things, the music that we bring to the, to the audience, it carries a message in it, you know.
It carries different, different ideas, different consciousness. What I've been experiencing recently on the tours is that people need it, you know. We need it. I need it, and it's something that is missing within the musical experience now, is that a lot of things is just entertainment, which is good, but a lot of things is not feeding the consciousness or expressing, you know, what we're going through in the world today in a way that is beneficial, you know?
So I feel like we're doing, we have a real purpose, behind what we're doing. I'm happy to fulfill my purpose in life, you know? Joann Butler: We’re happy, too. What's the difference for you between recording in a studio and playing live?
Ziggy Marley: Yeah, two different experiences, because recording in the studio is like, I like recording. I mean, creating the songs. I like that. I like the creative process.
It's a spiritual process for me. It puts me in touch with something beyond the material world. When I write songs and create, it's like, it's magical, and I'm always fascinated by it, because I don't know how it works. You know what I mean?
I know can make a word, or come up with some stuff, but it's fascinating how it works to me. I don't know how I do it. Joann Butler: Me either. It’s a gift.
Ziggy Marley: I just, you know, but I mean, some of it, some of it’s practical, but a lot of it is unexplainable to me. Maybe if somebody watched me, they can explain it to me, but I can't, I can't explain it to myself. So I like the creative process. I like going in the studio, you know, experiment.
I like experimenting like a scientist and trying different things, and I, I love that, because it keeps my mind active, it keeps me fresh. It just, I love creating. Joann Butler: Yeah, yeah. Ziggy Marley: But once you create that, it is what it is.
I tell my band members that we're not just playing music, you know. I know I did an album, and we're playing the songs from that album that I made, but I'm not just playing that music. I'm, we're still making music. And so I'm still creating, even the songs that I did before I already made, I'm still like, developing them and changing them and like fine-tuning them for the live, for the live show, 'cause a different experience that, it's not the same as the album.
Joann Butler: Yeah. Ziggy Marley: So I like, I like tinkering and like just changing stuff, and the live shows, I mean, the interaction with people and speaking to people directly and looking at people and feeling the energy between us and people, I really love that, too, you know. So that's a difference, you know. The studio is like, you're kind of isolated.
The live shows, you're a part of the people, you know? Joann Butler: Yeah. That's so cool. I love it, I love it.
And besides giving us great music, which is the most healing of all, you're a humanitarian. You want to tell us a little bit about that? Some of the things you do. Ziggy Marley: Humanitarian.
Yeah, we just try to be good people, man. Just try helping people, you know. That's all. It’s not that complicated.
If you have the ability to help someone, you help someone, and we have the ability to help someone. So we have a charity called U.R.G.E. And before we had a charity, we was doing charitable work. You know, we have kids, mainly children, education, some, you know, hungry kids.
We adopt schools. We have one in Jamaica. We adopted more, trying to help kids have a better education, have a better life, and set a good foundation. And we work with other charities as well, because for me, you know, sometimes people ask me, "How can I help?" I say, "Don't worry.
Like, the first thing you can do is help your community, who you're around, even before you come to me. That's what I want you to do. That's how you can help me. You can help me by helping your community where you are.” And that's where charity starts, you know.
A lot of our shows, we donate like a certain, like a dollar from each ticket goes to the charity, and that helps, helps us keep it going and, you know. Yes. So it's just, just being helpful people, you know? Joann Butler: That's great, so nice.
Brightside. Let's talk a little bit about that, your latest record. Ziggy Marley: Yeah. Joann Butler: Even the title is bright and sunny.
The album centered on healing and optimism, everything you stand for. Ziggy Marley: Brightside is a milestone for me. A few milestones in my life, musically speaking. Love Is My Religion, 20 years ago was one, because that was a time I kind of, my consciousness awoke to the idea of Love Is My Religion.
That's my answer to the question, Love Is My Religion. And then with Brightside now, it is part of my, part of my growth, part of my understanding of, of myself, really understanding myself more and being more open to expressing myself, my internal self, more just in the, in the musical sense. It's, for me personally, nobody else might know this, but for my journey that I know of myself musically and lyrically, and just how I feel about this album, I took a leap ahead. One of the things I did on the record was we, we recorded at a different frequency.
Joann Butler: Yes. Ziggy Marley: 432 Hz. Joann Butler: Yep. Ziggy Marley: Which, most music you hear is 440 Hz, right?
And 432 Hz is a thing that I've heard about. What I heard about it kind of, you know, piqued my interest in like, “Let me find out what this is all about.” I heard this 432 Hz. The frequency vibrates more closer to the frequency that we vibrate at as human beings. I like that, I like that, you know.
And it, it, it is a meditative frequency, it's a healing frequency, and so I experimented with it, with it, and I like it personally. And so this record, I, you know, made an effort to do the songs in 432 Hz. And I like to be different, too. Like, I've been doing music so long, it's always fun to like, try something new.
Joann Butler: Yes. Ziggy Marley: And it keeps me just excited about what I'm doing, you know, 'cause I don't like being repetitive or just doing music just to do it. I like creating. I like creating.
And so, yeah, this album is a, is a great representation of where I am now. And for me, it's a big step forward in my own journey. Joann Butler: How so, exactly? Ziggy Marley: A good question.
I couldn't say how so exactly, but I tell the difference in this record and how I feel that I've matured into it. I feel like I have a deeper relationship with the songs. I spent more time with the songs. So before, all right, this is an example.
So previous records, previous recent records, I would like, write some of the songs, and then be excited to get in the studio and, you know, work on the stuff and do the creative stuff that I like doing, and finish the songs then while I'm doing other stuff. This time, I said I don't want to do it that way. I've been doing that way. I'm used to doing it that way.
I want to do it differently. So I wrote the songs. I made sure like I had the songs, them finished before I go into the studio. And I spent, as I said, I had a, a longer relationship with the songs before they came out.
Usually have a shorter relationship and then put them out. This time, I spent, you know, I, I nurtured the relationship, you know, spent time and got a great relationship with the song before I went into the studio to do all that fun stuff. Joann Butler: Right. Ziggy Marley: So that is one of the differences.
That's, that's one of the differences. I really like that. I really like that I took the time to do that. Joann Butler: Yeah.
That’s cool. Ziggy Marley: Because usually I get excited, like, "Let's go in the studio and start." Yeah. You know? But I did spend a lot of time with the songs, having a more intimate relationship with them before thinking about like, you know, let me write and go in the studio and hurry up and do this thing.
So, it was a great experience, you know? Joann Butler: Heck with you, when you get on tour and play them live, they'll probably change again. Ziggy Marley: Yeah. Joann Butler: It'll keep growing, that experience.
Let's talk about a couple of the songs. You collabed with Trombone Shorty, Sheila E., Jake Shimabukuro, who's been here a couple times actually. He’s cool. What did those partnerships bring out?
Ziggy Marley: Nikka Costa. Joann Butler: Oh, yes. Right, right, right. Ziggy Marley: No, those are all my friends.
You know that's, you make music with your friends then, because sometimes people say, "Oh, you know, do some collabs." But it's hard for me to do collabs with people who I don't know or have a, some kind of connection to, because sometimes collabs are just done for, you know, the commercial, or the publicity of it, you know. "Let me do a collab with the biggest star in the world, that's going to help me," you know? But it's hard for me to do that because as an artist and, and someone, I want to be true to myself, you know? That's, it goes back to that.
Really, everything is to be true to who you are, and I'm not like that. So the collabs on the album are really true collabs. These are people who I know and, you know, we have a, we have a vibe together, you know? Joann Butler: Yeah.
A cool vibe. Let's talk about them a little, Sheila E. Such a great drummer. Ziggy Marley: Sheila, Sheila, Sheila is a great artist, you know?
Sheila E. It's funny, the story with that. I was doing, we were at Stevie Wonder’s birthday party, you know, and Sheila would come up and say, "Hey," we said hi, and we exchanged numbers. And I was doing that, I was working on the album, so I was posting up like, "Hey, I'm doing percussions on my album." And she texted right away.
She's like, "Yo, looks like you need a good percussionist on this record." I was like, "Yeah, come on over." So, you know, some real, some real stuff like that, you know? I was like, "Boy, you're so real." And Sheila, I mean, you know, is a, is a spiritual musician. Real, she's a real musician. Like, I like working with real musicians who, because you can have people who can play very well, technical skills, they could do magic, they could do all, they could read music, they could do all the stuff, but without the soul, I cannot feel it.
So you can be very technical, but if you're not, the attitude and the soul that you put into it is what connects it to the human being. It's not the technical skills. So she has the technical skills, but she also has the soul that she puts into the music that you can feel, and that's, I mean, it was such an honor to work with her on the record. A great privilege, you know.
Joann Butler: So cool. I love that. And you did a tribute to your dad, "Many Mourn For Bob.” What made now the right time to write that song? Ziggy Marley: I don't know.
As I said, some things I can't, I don't know how to explain that. But when I look back at it and try to analyze it, what I see is that I think it's been a few years coming, because I've been working on some stuff for my father. We did a book. I did a book where I had to go through a lot of pictures, and we did a picture book, and then I worked on the movie.
He was really deep in my consciousness in a different way, and I had to explore him in a different way, too. I had to explore him in a more emotional human way as a man, because I see him as my father, but I never really looked at him on my level, you know? On my level, I'm much older than him now, and to understand the stuff that he went through, and to take a deeper look into the humanity of him, not just my father the legend, but as a, just as a person, what he went through. I think it, that was a part of why this song came out, because I, I kind of went deeper into him than I did before, you know?
So I think that's, that's what kind of made the song come out, you know. Joann Butler: All my hairs are sticking up. How did you dig, like, how did you learn about him? You were only, were you 12 when he passed?
Ziggy Marley: Yeah, 12, yeah. Joann Butler: How did you really learn about him, and like, how did it change the way you saw him then as a little kid and the way you see him now? Ziggy Marley: Well, we had so much experience with him, 'cause we were, I was always around him, 'cause, you know, I was always, we had, had a life full experience with him, being around him, you know, traveling with him, being around him and his friends. We have a strong connection, and even spiritually speaking, we have a strong connection beyond the physical.
We, from my experience, I acknowledge the existence beyond physical. That's from my personal experience. I only can tell it that, from my, from what I've been through, that I acknowledge and accept the universe is more than just what we see here. It's more than this physical realm.
There's another realm that, that I know of, you know? And so in that realm, the connection is strong, also. But as my experience grew, and, and as my life went on, and as I became more conscious of myself, it even made me closer to him, because we are, we are alike in a lot of ways. We are alike in a lot of ways.
But it, it runs deep. It runs, it runs really deep. But I mean, I remember when I was doing the picture book, I was like, “Boy, he was so young.” He was a young kid when he passed away. Like, it was the first time I kind of like realized that.
And that was like maybe seven, eight years ago, maybe. It was like, “Yo, he was so young.” I never really said that to myself when I was 12, 13, in my teenage years, even my early 20s, I never really connected that. Joann Butler: Yeah. Ziggy Marley: But when I passed his age, I was like, “He was so young.” You know?
So that, that, that kind of striked me. The connection that I talk about, it's like correlating my experiences with his life, and his life with my life. The experiences of what we go through, you know. Yeah.
I mean, I can't explain all of that stuff, it's hard. Joann Butler: Well, it's pretty clear. I mean, you're, you're a living like legacy of him, like a mini, mini version, or older version now. Ziggy Marley: Yeah.
Joann Butler: You kind of told me, but what does it feel like? Did it ever feel like a lot of pressure for you at times, I mean you obviously carried the torch like… Ziggy Marley: I mean, it only became, it only feels like pressure when people start asking about pressure, because it's not something that we grew up with. Joann Butler: Good.
Ziggy Marley: We never really accept that, that thing that people were trying to put on us, "Oh, the pressure." Like, “What, what are you talking about?” It's my father. I mean, I knew, I knew my father before he was famous. Like, we went through life, there's a whole life that you never know him that I knew him, you know what I mean? There's a whole thing that you don't even understand.
Joann Butler: Yeah, tell us some. What don't we know? Ziggy Marley: There’s a whole thing. Joann Butler: What's a small, ordinary memory of him that we would never know, besides the icon that we know?
Ziggy Marley: Besides the icon? Yeah, well… Joann Butler: Well, we're getting the vibe now for sure, but… Ziggy Marley: Everything, because certain things you still keep personal, you know?
Not everything is for public consumption. But, you know, my father was a, was tough on the outside, soft on the inside. Went through a lot, but hid a lot. Was strong, but weak.
I think he had a lot of peer pressure, too, you know. Joann Butler: From who? Ziggy Marley: From his friends. Peer pressure.
Those are some of the human stuff that people don't see or understand, you know? Joann Butler: Did you always know you wanted to be a musician and follow in the footsteps? Ziggy Marley: I mean, a musician is only part of who I am. I'm not just a musician, you know.
I'm a human being. Musician, the musician part of me is, it's a gift. I didn't want, I don't, I don't think I wanted to be. I think I grew up in it.
What do you call it, sim-… Joann Butler: It's like a calling. Ziggy Marley: Sim-sim-... Joann Butler: Symbiosis?
Ziggy Marley: Symbiosis. I think that's the word I was looking for before. You know, that symbiosis. I think, I grew up, but the only reason why I do music is because I'm inspired to say something.
Like if I wasn't writing songs, I wouldn't, like, "Hey, I want to be a musician. Write me a song, John. Send me a song, and I want to sing it, 'cause I want to be a musician." No, I'm only a musician because I'm inspired by, to write songs and express them. That's the only reason.
Otherwise, I wouldn't be a musician. I would be a farmer, or a doctor, or a pilot. I like planes. I think I'd be a pilot.
Joann Butler: Really? Ziggy Marley: Yeah. Joann Butler: Do you fly? Ziggy Marley: Only on the computer.
Joann Butler: Is it true you started sitting in on The Wailers recordings at just 10 years old? Ziggy Marley: Younger than that. Joann Butler: Wow. Ziggy Marley: From birth I was, from birth, I remember going around with my father to different record manufacturing to get records, going to the studio with him.
Yeah man, it was a whole experience. So from when I was born, I was born into it, you know? Yeah. Joann Butler: What about, did he, did he teach you drums, guitar?
Did you teach yourself, or… Ziggy Marley: No, I teach myself. Joann Butler: You taught yourself? Ziggy Marley: But then, but that is the question, because teaching is not, is not talking.
Teaching is, is living. Teaching is how the lion teaches the cub, not by saying, but by, "Look what I do. Look how I hunt, look how I do this, look how…" That's how you teach, by example. So yeah, he teach me a lot by example.
Not by like, "Hey, this is how you do this, this is how you do that." But then I had to pick up a book and learn to play guitar, took a few lessons, and, you know, learn to play piano. I’m self-taught mostly, you know. Joann Butler: Yeah. Amazing.
Do you have a favorite instrument that you play? Ziggy Marley: Mostly the guitar. I play mostly the guitar, yeah. Joann Butler: Amazing.
Okay. “Everything's Gonna Be Alright.” I have a painting of that in my kitchen. It's like the mantra for everything. Ziggy Marley: Yeah.
Joann Butler: That obviously was instilled in you, too, of just that mentality of, positive mentality. Ziggy Marley: Yeah, man. Our vibration is positive. It couldn't be anything.
We have to be positive. I mean, that's what we use, our positive vibration. Joann Butler: Another gift, a whole separate gift. Ziggy Marley: True.
Joann Butler: You have to do more. You have to get out there more, because it's, the whole world needs it, right? And it's just like everything right now. And finally, people are starting to get into more self-care and self-awareness, and this whole thing, you know, more than ever.
What do you think fuels that positive mental being in a world that's not so nice? Like, what keeps you… Ziggy Marley: This is who we are. I mean, you can't, you have to be true to yourself.
It goes back to that. This is who we are. We cannot be nothing else than that, because this is just how I know myself to be. I wasn't taught it.
Nobody didn't teach me how to be positive. You know, we've been through many experiences. My father gets shot, my mother gets shot, you know, ups and downs. Start out poor, live, move life, get rich, whatever.
I feel like one of the things I saw was that even when we didn’t have a lot, we were happy. And so our happiness never depended on material things. We make our own happiness, and the world has become so materialistic, and that causes a lot of sadness, because people depend on material things to be happy. But I think that is one of our gifts, is that my parents, my great aunt, when we never had anything in the fridge, we were still happy.
We were still like, we were fine. Like we never knew any different. I didn't, we never had internet or a lot of TV. “Hey look at that.” It's just, this was our life, and we're living it, and we were positive, that was it.
If you was hungry, “Yeah, I'm hungry, but I'm still happy.” You know what I mean? So we're privileged in a lot of ways in that mental state. And now after a while, you know, you have more material things, that’s another privilege, but the first privilege is our state of mind. That's where we were rich, you know, in our happiness, 'cause my father said it, too.
One of, one of his famous quotes was like, "Money make you rich?" ‘Cause a guy asked him, "You have a lot of money? You're a rich man?" And Bob was like, "Money make you rich?" He said, "No, man. My richness is life." So the richness that we have, that we grew up with, don't depend upon materiality, and I think that is a part of the foundation for that positive mentality. You know me, I say, for when, whatever we're going through, we’re always trying for, we always see a bright side to things, because we have faith in our spirituality, too.
And, you know, you know, example like the COVID thing, right? When, when the whole world went through this COVID thing, was sad and all of that, the loss of life, but we had to, we had to turn it into a positive, you know. We spent more family time, you know. We, we started a little class where kids would come over to my house and we would have a teacher teach them like outside.
And so we’re always trying to counteract whatever negativity is going on with positivity, for, for balance it, because you can't just live in the negativity. It won't, it's not, there's, it won't work. Like that state of mind is, is a, is a bad state of mind. So we're always looking, you know, we always look upon the bright side, you know?
Joann Butler: Do you have any like practical strategies for people that really don't, can't do it, or struggle? Ziggy Marley: No, what, you know what I tell people when I'm doing the shows and I do that song, is that you, you, and I had to do it, too, is that the first thing you have to do is remember that there is a bright side. It exists. It's like yin-yang, left, right, positive, negative.
Even, even if you're living in darkness, you know that there's light somewhere there out, somewhere. You know what I mean? So I think that is the first thing I would tell people, to acknowledge it. Acknowledge that there is one, that there is a bright side.
Realize that first, you know? I mean, that's the first thing you have to do, like say to yourself, "There is a bright side, you just have to find a way to get to it." You know man, so not getting caught up in, in such a way where you say, "There's no bright side. There's, it, there's no better, it cannot be better. You know, the world will never be peaceful, you know, the world is, is always going to be like...” Getting caught in that is, is what keeps us down.
So for, just remember, there is one. There is a bright side, you know. There is, even if you can't see it, it's there, you know? Joann Butler: That's good, that's a good one.
Ziggy Marley: Yeah. Joann Butler: What about your dad's music for a second? How has your relationship to his music changed as you've gotten older? Do you hear it differently now than you did in your 20s?
Ziggy Marley: Yeah, I mean, my dad's music now. Let's talk about that. So it's not my dad's music, right? It's the band, it's his music, but it's the guys that, with him, too.
So a lot of time, people talk about my father alone, then forget that Family Man played the bass, Carlton played the drums, Tyrone played the keyboards, Wya played the… I know all of those guys. I grew up with all of them. So that group of guys are special guys, my father included in that, because with the way he played the guitar is, is only him play the guitar like that.
The way, the way the drummer played is only, he's the only drummer that plays like that. Same with the bass player. So that, that group of guys, I don't know how they got together, but it's a special group of guys, musician-wise. And so even today when I listen to the music, first thing, first thing, they're my big, biggest inspiration.
Regardless of my father, this, this set of musicians are my biggest musical inspiration. I try to emulate the, the way Fams played bass, because I, I dabble in bass, too. And I try to emulate that, and I try to emulate the drum, too, because I play a little drums. You know?
Them really have a big role in my musical journey. And so when I listen to the music today, I'm still hearing stuff I didn't hear 20 years ago. There's always new stuff to hear and learn. And I think one of the greatest things that, no matter, there's this one song called "Jamming," and, you know, we know we're so intellectual with music that we hear s*** that wasn't important back in the day, like, "Oh, that timing is off." But the, the, the thing with them is that the timing was off to me, but they were all off together.
It's not like one guy went, everybody went off. So it, it worked, 'cause it wasn't like one thing was off, it was like, everybody went off, and everybody came back, and it's all done together, because they were feeling the music together. They're feeling each other. So yeah, man, it was a, a great band, man, Wailers, you know?
Joann Butler: You think? Ziggy Marley: One of the greatest ever. Joann Butler: Amazing. What else did you take away from that, musically?
Is there anything else? Ziggy Marley: Yeah, I mean, it's like what I realized is that, you know, within this reggae genre, right, so they were revolutionary. And there's a lot of artists like that, that, that's what draws me to music, is, is those who are unafraid, those who are open-minded. And these guys were willing to, that's why, that's why they're special, because they were willing to not be held in a box.
Them include jazz, them do all type of crazy, them do stuff that other reggae artists of that time were not doing. They were out there. They were out there mentally, open-minded, just playing music, not thinking about, "Oh, I'm a reggae, I got to play whatever reggae, whatever reggae is supposed to be. I got to play that, because reggae don't, if I do it, oh, reggae don't do that, I can't do that." No, we, we're playing music with feelings, how we feel, not because of any genre.
And I respect that about them. And like Miles Davis, a, a lot of artists who I love are the artists that don't put boundaries on themselves. And my father and that band was one of those type of artists. They had no, they had no boundaries, they had no rules.
The rules was how them feel about the music. You know what I’m saying? So that's how I work. I work without boundaries.
I make music with how I feel, not, not within any idea of what I should be doing, you know what I say, or what the genre should be doing. I don't believe in that, you know? Joann Butler: Yeah, yeah. What other artists did you grow up listening to that inspired you?
Ziggy Marley: Stevie Wonder. You know, one of the, one of the fun, one of my favorite songs growing up was a Glen Campbell song, "Rhinestone Cowboy." “Like a rhinestone cowboy.” I’ll never forget that song. I think it's the melody that hooked me. So all of them things that, all of the things I've grown up with still within my subconscious, and still plays a part in my creativity, you know?
Joann Butler: And speaking of, kind of that genre, I shouldn't say that word, but Gov't Mule you're touring with. Ziggy Marley: Yeah, Gov’t Mule. Joann Butler: That's a cool pairing. Ziggy Marley: Yeah, man.
Gov't Mule, yeah, man. A good, a good energy, that, man. With the Gov't Mule, I feel style again, is that freestyle, you know, the freestyle, and all that. And for me, it's a privilege to be able to speak, to bring, that's what music is, it brings different people together.
So Gov't Mule fans, my fans, they may not have met each other before in life, but now they're going to meet each other, and they're going to talk and say, "Hey, what…" It's human connectivity, and I've done that a lot throughout the years. We've toured with a lot of artists who are, you know, with hip-hop, we toured with like, when Lauryn was with The Fugees, and Busta Rhymes, we toured with INXS, The Black Crowes, Blues Traveler. So we’re always bringing people together from different parts of the musical sphere, and that's a very important thing that I love doing, and, you know, hopefully we can continue doing that. Just people who probably would never have been in the same space.
Joann Butler: That's so cool, I love that. What's something you want to do that you haven't done yet? Ziggy Marley: I want to have some goats and some chickies. Joann Butler: I'm surprised you don't, haven't done that yet.
Ziggy Marley: No, I grew up on a farm, though. My mother, my mother, that's why I want to do it now, because I grew up that way. I grew up like with goats, and chickens, and cows, you know, and donkeys, you know. So my mother, she, she loved the farming thing.
So now, it's like, I just built my own studio, you know? So that was a, that was a dream. So I have my own studio. Now I want, I want a place where I can have chickens and goats and just have a little place, I can have a nice garden and grow food.
That's, that's what I want to do next. Joann Butler: That sounds great. I hope you do it. Ziggy Marley: Yeah, I will do it.
Joann Butler: Yes, you will do it. What do you do when you're not working? Ziggy Marley: Take the kids to soccer games, and watch some movies, and play some video games, and, but music is always with me. So, I mean, not touring would be the more specific question, because music is not work, you know?
But not touring, that's what I do, you know? Joann Butler: Yeah. Ziggy Marley: Yeah. Joann Butler: How do you relax?
Ziggy Marley: I'm kind of naturally relaxed, like I don't, you know, I'm kind of just, I'm already kind of relaxed… Joann Butler: I get it. Alright, seven kids. Ziggy Marley: Yeah.
Joann Butler: How do you think about passing on the Marley name and the legacy on to your own children? Ziggy Marley: Well, I'm against that, 'cause I don't believe in passing on a name, because a name don't mean nothing. Is it, just like I grew up, from my example, I believe in passing on traits. I don't believe in that name thing, I'm not into that name thing that much.
It's not about the Marley, no. It's about who you are as a human being. I want to pass on that humanity, the example that I set, that I saw set, that I know set, has nothing to do with the name. Somebody can be named Marley and be just, not like, you know what I mean?
So, I don't believe in that. I think everyone should be judged, and, not judged, but everyone should be accountable for their actions regardless of your name. Who you are as a person, as an individual, as a human being, and that is what I want to pass on, that you're responsible. Your name don't mean nothing, bro.
You're responsible for your actions and who you are. Be a good person, you know, no matter what your name, you know what I mean? So, I think that's, that's the thing with me. That's what I'm dealing with, you know?
I don't believe in this name thing, I don't, I don't really think, yeah. Joann Butler: That's a good answer. After 40 years in this career, what still surprises you about making music? Ziggy Marley: For me, making music is, is new all the time, and it's like, it surprises me that it's still new to me, that I'm still like, like discovering.
I'm still like, but this is like the first time, like I'm, I still have that excitement, that energy. I mean, it don't surprise me like, "Wow!" I mean, but I do think about it like, "Yo, this is incredible that I still feel this way." Like it's still new. Joann Butler: It's good. Ziggy Marley: Yeah.
Joann Butler: What would your current self tell your younger? Ziggy Marley: I mean, I would have done some things different. Actually I, you know, you know in my experience in life, I regret certain interactions that I had with people. It's personal, you know, like it's nothing big.
It's not, not a big deal, but to me it's a big deal. You know, I would have treated somebody different, and I would have spoken differently. It’s stuff like that I would tell myself like if I could, "Don't, don't talk to the person like that." And I've, I've corrected myself already, and I think, you know what, if I tell you the truth, it's all a learning experience, and so probably shouldn't change anything, because, yeah, I am who I am today because of the things I went through. But because I have that inner voice that speaks to me and speaks truth to me, you know, I’m always self-correcting and always thinking how I could be a better person, you know?
So yeah, I try to be better. Yeah, I think just, I would just tell myself, "Just keep trying to be a better person," the same, the same way I am now. Joann Butler: What's something about yourself that has nothing to do with being Bob Marley's son that you wish people asked you more? Ziggy Marley: Well, this Bob Marley's son thing, I think, because like, Bob Marley can't have a child without, he couldn't have a child by himself.
So my mother, what happened to my mother, why you not ask about my mother, because Bob can't have a son without the mother. You can't have the yin without the yang. You know, my mother’s good, man. She’s all right, but my mother is an integral part of my father's whole legend.
Without my mother, you wouldn't know about Bob Marley. So a lot of people don't understand that. And so, yeah, I wish they would ask me about my mother, but they don't know her. She's not, you know, she’s not in the limelight like Bob is.
So everybody’s like, "You're Bob Marley's son." Yeah, I'm also my mother's son. Without her, I would not be. She carried me and she gave birth to me. My father was there.
I was born at home in Trench Town. And so, yeah, my mother, my mother is the one I wish, I do not wish, I really don't care if people ask me that, but everybody says “Bob Marley's son,” but I'm also Rita Marley’s son, Bob and Rita Marley's son. Joann Butler: She's what, 80 right now? She's doing good?
Ziggy Marley: Yeah, man. Joann Butler: Good, good. She, she's cool. She did good, too.
Ziggy Marley: I’ll tell the truth, you know. Her music, people don't even know yet, but people, some people know, but, Who Feels It Knows It, that album, 'cause I'm a lot, I'm a lot like her, too, actually. Yeah, I'm a good balance between my father and my mother. I have a lot of traits of her.
I'm a very quiet force. I'm not a loud force. I'm a force, but I'm not loud. I'm quiet.
A quiet strength, that's her, that's her thing. She's a quiet strength. As you know, you don't talk about her, but she's the force behind everything. So I think I get that from her.
I'm like, I'm, I'm a little quiet, but I'm not, that quiet strength, you know? Yeah. Joann Butler: What's your favorite comfort food? Ziggy Marley: Comfort food?
I'm like, cinnamon roll? Cinnamon roll. Joann Butler: That’s a good one. Ziggy Marley: Like, I'm a sweet tooth sometimes.
A cinnamon roll. Joann Butler: God, what else could I ask this legend here? What does music do for people? You kind of said it, but…
Ziggy Marley: No, but you see the thing is, I don't know if people don't understand this. Music is a tool, right? It's a weapon, too, because music is like the most influential thing on Earth. And if you check, if you check the time, if you check how society, let's look at America, let's say '60s, you know, even '50s, '60s music, '70s music, '80s, '90s, now music, right?
Look at the trajectory of, of America and the, and the type of music that was like, popular during certain times, right? And what the people was going through, and what their consciousness was going through, and what their actions were going through. In my mind, the music, the industry that was music isn't anymore, and something took over the music industry that made it harder for music with a consciousness to get to the people, to get to the mass. It is harder for us to get through with our music than it was in the '60s.
I mean, in the '60s, music was political and the message, it was easier. But because of the corporatization of the industry and the, the money, the, the objective being money and not art, it becomes harder for conscious music to get to the masses. And I think that might be, in some way, a deliberate way to subjugate the people, because music is influential. Now, if you can put music out that just tells people, "Hey, party," or, "Hey, let's go buy cars," or, "Hey, look flashy in your chain," or whatever, "Let's have sex," or, you know, whatever, whatever, you know, whatever.
Then if that is the music that you're going to put out to the masses and say that, "Oh, if I'm doing a song about some kind of like, you know, “One Love” or, you know, “Stand up for your rights,” that's not going to work, it's not commercial enough, it's not going to make enough money." So that's how I see music, you know, music is a powerful tool. But even with that going on, we’re still not going to stop doing what we're doing, because it’s essential. Even the smallest part that we play is essential to the bigger picture. Then, because we're not just looking on today, we're looking on the future, also.
And so we're not going to stop doing what we're doing, and we're not going to change to fit the industry standard. We're not doing the industry standard. We’re doing our standard. So I'm doing 432 Hz, the industry standard is 440 Hz.
I'm not doing the industry, I'm not going to try and make music that is just for the commerciality of it. I'm making music that is true to who I am, you know. So yeah, music's a power-, music is powerful, though. Music is powerful, one of the most powerful things, influential.
If, if the masses could hear the music of consciousness, the world would be a better place. You know, the world would be a much better place if the masses, if the most popular music was a music that said, "Hey, live together and unite." If that was a, if that is, if that was what the music was out there, then the world would be more united, wouldn't be so divided, you know what I say? But again, those music gets suppressed, and the other type of music gets kind of more like, "Hey, this is the music you should be listening to." So people have to search more, you know? People have to search more, 'cause it's there.
The bright side is there. You understand me? It's there. Don't forget that.
Joann Butler: So good. Ziggy Marley: Yeah. Joann Butler: Ziggy, you're awesome. Ziggy Marley: Thank you, thank you.
