“You’re going to record this conversation, aren’t you?” Mireille Campbell asks before putting her husband, dub pioneer Lee “Scratch” Perry, on the phone. “Otherwise you’re going to have a hard time understanding him.”
This proved to be sage advice: as established by New Times’ previous interview with Perry in January 2018, speaking with him can be as challenging, absurd and playful as one of his songs. Over the course of the 20-minute conversation, the Godfather of Dub sang “I Believe in Miracles,” claimed that late Jamaican political activist Marcus Garvey was his drummer and led me in a call-and-response that started with him saying “Amen,” followed with “Hallelujah,” and quickly had me chanting back into the telephone what he claimed were African words like “ashkabash” and “alakabuk”. The lines between Perry’s earnestness and inclination to mess around became blurred (if they were ever there at all.)
Take, for example, Perry’s response when asked about his origins as a recording artist.
“When I was 24 I went to Kingston,” he says. “I decided to make some sounds. My God say what to make. My God tells me exactly what to sing. I follow my dream. I dream to become king of Africa, and king of the world; the king of kings and lord of lords.”
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While he might not have accomplished such lofty goals in a literal sense, Perry did manage to build a musical career that spans the history of popular music. Over the last 60 years he’s worked with some of the heaviest musical hitters one can think of: the Clash and Paul McCartney recorded at his famed studio built in his back yard, the Black Ark. Later, he collaborated with the Beastie Boys and English electronic act the Orb. But if there is one act Perry cherishes being associated with above all others, it is Bob Marley. Speaking about Marley, Perry says “Bob Marley was my twin brother. I died when Bob died. Reggae music died when Bob died.” In addition to recording much of Marley’s early work, many members of the Jamaican icon’s backing band the Wailers were once in Perry’s own band, the Upsetters.
With or without his many esteemed collaborators, Perry’s own musical output is extraordinary. Even more remarkable is at the ripe age of 83, Perry continues to put out the goods. Last year he released Rainford, an album that stands shoulder to shoulder with the best works from his decades-long career. The LP holds nine tracks of infectious grooves capped off with by the sonic memoir “Autobiography of the Upsetter,” a seven-minute joint where the mischievous reggae Sphinx invites listeners into an intimate walkthrough of his past.
But if you ask Perry for an explanation of how he continues to find his muse, all you get is more Zen koan. “I believe in soul music, old music. I believe in old people. I have the old ear. I’m a miracle worker. I’m a magic worker. I’m a scientist. I’m a magician. I believe in my magic. I believe in my logic.”
Perry rattles off a similar list when asked what concertgoers who are seeing him perform live at Culture Room on Saturday, February 15, can expect from the show.
“You get the past and the present,” he says. “Word power. Soul power. Drum and bass from Marcus Garvey. Africa music. Africa foundation.” Maybe over a proper dub beat, it’ll all make perfect sense.
Lee “Scratch” Perry. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 1,5 at Culture Room, 3045 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale; 954-564-1074; cultureroom.net.Tickets cost $25 via ticketmaster.com.