...make your time
be a tradition
right now,
where we just
all deal with the
musical aspect.
Cause one,
one person
can't do it.

Interview by Kathy Todd
Photo by E.K. Waller

This interview with Michael took place a year or so ago, at the start of what was to have been thirteen months on the road. Due to certain objectionable business practises Michael Rose and Heartbeat Records withdrew their participation in the tour. Although that particular arrangement fell through, Michael has continued with a busy performance schedule. Aside from this, the interview remains timely.

Let's start with the new cd, DANCE WICKED!, tell me a bit about it, like how was it working with Mafia and...

With Mafia and Fluxie? Well, different producers, it was good. Some of the tracks were recorded in London and some of the tracks were done in Jamaica at Grafton, Mickey Bennet's studio.

It was different with them?

Well, you see it's like, it's something that we wanted to do for a long time. Cause the first album that was produced by Niney, they recorded most of the tracks, Mafia and Fluxie. From then they wanted to work with me, together. So, this time around, with their manager, Jackie Davidson, we did the album together. So, it was a nice experience and I like the album, it's different.

It was done specifically for Heartbeat, or have you released it on another label as well?

No, we don't release it, it's not released in Jamaica yet. Heartbeat got the album.

How is it going, the relationship? This is what, the third release, well, plus the dub?

Yeah. Well, things are coming together. I'm on the road now, so it's like, this is not really a moneymaking tour. It's a promotional level, wherein, it's just a love of the music why I'm really on the road right now, and the supporters all over. The tour so far, we've been having a good one on the road right now. Cause you know, the vibes is right. It's all work, but as we are dedicated people, and I'm quite experienced.

What about working with Maxi Priest on the Lion In The Jungle track?

Yeah mon, Maxi irie. It was a pleasure work with Maxi, you know. Yeah mon, Lion In the Jungle, we record the track, voiced the track in London, because I was in London at the time.

So you actually recorded it together? There's so much now of sending a tape this way and that, back and forth.

Yeah, oh, yeah. No, no, we record together.

So, how is it that you go about writing songs?

It's just like, I'm maybe in the hotel room and I wrote two songs last night, just like that. (Michael sings) Mr. New York, faster than fast, Mr. New York, how long will you last, Mr. New York ... You know, (singing again), is a hole in the ground, and it goes round and round ... it's just how me feel and the vibes. No special way of really writing, just songs can be written. I've done a remake of Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, it's called Caroleena. Different lyrics. (Michael sings again) Guess who's coming to dinner, Caroleena. Oh, I can see you brought some food for me, Caroleena ... It's bad. It was done with Dr. Albans; he s from Africa, but he lives in Sweden; he does house music. Well, he wanted that track for his album, so we did it. And, we did a video, cause I think it's the first single from the album.

For about ten years people up here (the U.S.) didn't hear too much about Michael Rose. What were you up to?

Just doing farming and all kind of things. But you know, I did a couple of singles; cause I did even an album with Sly and Robbie, the Taxi sessions. I did a track with Shabba, Shine Eye Gal, and quite a few singles with different, different producers. It's like right now, we don't want to make no mistake; so this time around I'm going to be on the road for a long time. It's gonna be thirteen months.

That is a long tour.

No breaks, straight.

You should be ready for that break, when it comes.

What do you mean break, there's no break.

Yes, I know that. I mean the final break, the end of the tour.

But the tour won't end. Cause as we cruise along we are supposed to do South America, and after then we're supposed to get into Europe. Then after Europe, maybe come back into America again, or maybe Japan.

So, thirteen months on the road, that ought to do it. For sure, your name and your music will be back out there. In fact, after I got your schedule from Heartbeat I also looked it up on the Internet and found the information listed, tour dates, venues and the like, in a couple of different locations.

We've been having some awesome gigs. The thing is that we're not playing any big festivals. We've only played one, and I wasn't even advertised. It's like I was a surprise guest, Red Rock.

Red Rocks is a wonderful venue for a concert, but then, I don't know what it's like playing there ...

It was kickin'. Culture was there, Toots, Inner Circle, Pato Banton. A clean environment. You see, right now it's like the business is really low right now, with reggae. So this why I'm on the road right now touring with my catalogue.

Well, it's only my opinion, but I think that when the major labels stepped in and started signing up reggae artists, ninety percent deejays, it only did harm to the music. It got the name reggae out there, but most of the kids are now left with the wrong impression about what reggae music is.

Yeah, yeah, but you see the time is like it come right round again and the table turn again. You have quite a few artists on the road right now, you have Spear, you have Ziggy Marley, you have Damien Marley, and what's the other one, Junior Gong ... they were touring with Snoop Doggy Dog. So, you know, right now it's like you just have to make your time be a tradition right now, where we just all deal with the musical aspect, cause one, one person can't do it. And, everyday you have new talents a come out of Jamaica, still.

I realize that Black Uhuru, Don Carlos and Garth, are also currently on tour. Do you have any thoughts about this.

What I think about right now is Michael Rose, I don't really think about what others are doing. What I think about is my material and, like, product, the next release, and to keep my unit together, the band and everything. This is all I think about right now, cause we are like a family on the road.

So their performing your older material doesn't bother you?

Who, Black Uhuru? Well, what can I say? You know what I mean?

Since this interview is going to be going out over the Internet, there are a lot of people who may not know that much about yourself or about reggae and its culture. What is your perspective on Rastafari?

Well, Rastafari is love, you know. Rastafari is love, there is no two way street about it. It's a traditional thing, where a lot of people right now seems to be getting involved, to help to uplift themselves out of the struggle. Therefor, about Rastafari still, you have to check ... it's not like a one day talking, because Rastafari is a way of life.

More than say, a religion ...

Yeah, yeah, it's a clean way of life, definitely. And it's not like it can be said in one topic, or one momentary talk, or anything like that. It's like one pray, so we can have a better world, cause this is what it's all about, don't do hurt. The world has been astray for years, millions of years; we just can't blame no one. We just have to try to change, and set the positive in front of us; cause if you a go blame someone, it's like you're wasting time.

Do herbs fit into your way of life, not necessarily ganja ... like healing herbs ... Chinese and ...

Yeah, but ganja herb is the same healing herb.

True, it's also a healing herb ...

Cause if you watch the TV they are telling you right now that, you know I'm saying? (Editor's note: Medical marijuana was a hot topic in the news at the time that this talk took place.)

They are finding out that the herb is a healer. They've been denying that for years, but ...

Yeah, but how long the truth can remain under? You know, it's like it have to come to the light now. We're in the times now where you can't fool the people too long.

What other herbs do you find helpful ... ginseng, cayenne, gotu kola, gaurana?

Well, I drink, me tell you the truth. I drink like mint tea a lot. And like echenesia and comfry, chamomile ... herbs are just herbs, you know. Any herbs you can put your hands upon, you just drink a cup a tea.

What benefits do you see in an ital lifestyle, a vegetarian lifestyle?

Well, you see the eating of the flesh is really, I would say, a traditional thing with humanity, whereas we are vegetarian. It's like, they used to use animal as sacrifice, and they used to bury it so it fatten the soil. So, when you plant things like vegetables and trees, and this and that, it grow strong. We don't really believe in the eating of the flesh.

In your spare time, which you're not going to have a lot of, what do you do to unwind, to have fun, when you re not on tour and you're not in the studio?

To have fun? Most of the time I just go to the farm and just cool out, cause it's like up in a woodland, up Portland. You just go up there and like put up a hammock and just cool out. Just burn two spliff and cool, you know. We play football (soccer), too, you know. We have a ball and two a we, we kick ball. We got a gym nearby, catch two exercise in the gym same way. And then, bredren and bredren gather together and keep prayer meeting and come reason, all kind of vibe.

In addition to reggae, what music do you listen to?

I listen to everything. When I start in this business I used to entertain tourists on the North Coast in Jamaica. The business wasn't like how it is right now; it was much harder, more complicated. So, you ask I about what I listen to; it's like I listen to a lot of things. Music is music, music is love, there is no limit to music. I used to listen to all like B.B. King, I used to listen to this New York City group, I used to listen to Temptations, Dells, you know, anything that you could only think of. I listened, a lot. Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Jackson Five, everything, we listen to everything, basically. Even today we still listen, fe hear the range of the music, fe hear. Cause like the young kids (yankees) them have to listen, to their level a where them carry the music. It's all music though, you have to listen. I used to listen to Gil Evans, used to listen to the Stones, the Rolling Stones, used to listen to, ahm, even Frank Zappa. Yeah mon. We used to play with Frank Zappa, and all J. Geils, and Roger Chapman, you know. There is no limit to the music.

So, if you were to guest host a radio program, what five songs would you choose to play?

What would I play? Well, I would maybe play "Walk And Don't Look Back" by Peter Tosh and Mick Jagger, and then play a Bob Marley, a Burning Spear, and you know I'm gonna play a Black Uhuru, and then I'd play a Frankie Beverly. Yes, I.

Do you take a personal interest in any specific charitable organization or issue of public concern? Ecology or education, or something of public concern? Of course, with your schedule ...

Yeah, but we're supposed to be doing a college tour, too, you know. So, that could be maybe promising to uplift the youth them from certain areas, from like drugs and certain things. Right now the youth them, it's like the youth them need something to hold onto. Definitely, them need something to hold onto right now, cause it's in the news every day. If you even check it, even with the prison situation right now. Soledad in California, prison inna Atlanta, Georgia; it's like the lifestyle, it not right.

It's a big issue right now. It's been in the news in Texas right now, because we're housing inmates from different states; when they don't have room they send them down to Texas. Well, they got on video tape some guards just beating these prisoners and putting the dogs on them and all. So, now this other state is suing Texas because of the treatment. This was like just last week that this came to light.

I have a song recently produced by Winston Reilly, the Techniques in Jamaica, I have a song called Jailhouse Ram Till It Can't Ram No More, you know, music like those. Them need a program like, people who them have in prison, you just can't have them inna prison so. You have to have things that either admit them to yoga or get them involved, whether a turn them into farmers or something, and maybe pay them or whatever. Because them are people still, you can't have people just shut way. You have a man shut way, under confinement for so long, and when he comes back out it's like he wants to go back in. There's nothing better for him on the street, so he wants to go back there; he'd rather to be locked up. So, them have to have a program right now throughout the world, everywhere, to teach a skill, something to do when they do get out. Therefore, at the end of your sentence it's like maybe you come out as a man who can be a yoga instructor or, you know, your lifestyle change, because you have something to do. It's not like when you're dere pon de street , and you don't have nothin fe do. Because the competition big, that mean you must find some doing, and some not good. It happen everyday same way, over and over. So, if you go have a place like prison, then bwoy, you have to have something to keep the people them inna prison occupied. Not just have them wasted, because them have energy, too.

Well, you know that we hear that they watch TV a lot, and then they pump iron a lot; but there nothing to expand the mind.

Yeah, it's like them don't do nothing with them (creative) energy, them a just sit down. And that very frustrating, because sometimes a man do things even because of even the system; we are forced to do things. It's like, Jah bless those who can help themself.

You have kids that are getting ready to be teenagers, right? What advise would you give to them, or to any youth preparing to face the real world?

Well, just show them, say bwoy, them have to know, them have to get themself alert from now. Whatever they want to do, they have to aim towards a goal from now. Whether them are going to be a farmer or what; people have to eat food, because it no go no other way. So if you farm, it like you a go support the world with food, which is good. You have to encourage them to uplift themselves. You may provide things for them, but at the end of the game, or at the end of college or whatever, they maybe have qualification standards and them can't get no job. So, at the same time them have to can self-employed, them have to can deal with aspects, so even if I go up pon the road and call them to come monitor the tour or whatever, them have to can do something. Or, I leave them to run a studio or I leave them to do something, not just hangin. No, the hang out thing, and then the careless thing, and then get involved with the law and, you know, the waste thing. So, that's the advice to most upcoming youth right now, throughout America, Europe, everywhere.