By Chaos, Freelance Writer
Lee 'Scratch' Perry during an interview last Saturday. - Carlington Wilmot /Freelance Photographer
LEGENDARY Jamaican producer and music pioneer Lee 'Scratch' Perry received another honour last Saturday, after having been nominated for the Reggae Grammy Award for his CD Jamaican E.T..
On December 22 of last year, the 'Poetry Industry Network', which is located at the Zacharama Edutainment Centre in Allman Town, St. Andrew, and operates as the 'Dub Traffickers', introduced the 'Poetic Pioneers Awards'.
According to Ras Rod, the spokesman for the group, the award is a celebration of poets and written, audio and visual expressions.
Ras Rod told The Gleaner that "...in continuing into the research of poetic pioneers, you stumble across the nexus between dub music and dub poetry." That nexus was Lee 'Scratch' Perry.
In the days before Perry practically sent himself into self-imposed exile from Jamaica, his Black Ark home studio was a popular hangout for those of the Rastafarian persuasion or those who simply saw themselves as rebels against 'the system'.
Legend has it that the man credited as being one of the creators of dub and punk music and indeed rap, subsequently burnt down his studio before leaving the island. "You find out that his studio was one of those studios where people would hang around. The personality of Lee 'Scratch' Perry would allow those types of personalities with a voice of resistance, so the roots of resistance would provide the redemption through Rastafari," says Ras Rod.
Perry received the award during a live broadcast at the headquarters of cable television company Real TV at 15A Braemar Avenue, New Kingston, last Saturday during the programme 'Face Off'.
To describe the legend as eccentric would be putting it mildly, the man exists in a world all of his own and is extremely comfortable there. His visits to Jamaica have been few and far between and the Dub Traffickers getting him here was somewhat of a coup.
Perry and Ras Rod arrived at the studio of Real TV slightly after 3 p.m. last Saturday and immediately everyone present knew they were in for a treat. Perry was bedecked with various medallions, pieces of broken mirror, icons representing Jesus Christ and Haile Selassie, some CDs and a cap lined inside with banknotes of practically every currency known to man, including a US$100 bill, which he called his 'IMF Cap'. Every single digit on both of his hands had at least one ornament of some kind.
Ras Rod was just as colourful, in a green, black and yellow costume with a headpiece made from coconut husks. The headpiece actually drew a comment from Perry, who said, "...that is really strange, it goes with the name?" (this from a man with probably enough money on his head to feed a family of four for a month) before inquiring about the possibility of a 'spliff' - which sent people scurrying to find the necessary ingredients.
Scheduled for an interview at Real TV, he first was asked to autograph some LPs by some of the people present. One was a Bob Marley record, which Perry immediately rejected, saying, "Don't wanna see that guy, don't wanna see that 'rebel'," his sarcasm evident.
After the interview he took a break and finally received his spliff. Having fielded some more questions, he went back inside the studio to have a conversation on-air with Ras Rod and receive his Poetic Pioneers' plaque.
According to Ras Rod, when the Dub Traffickers were finally able to track down the Grammy-nominated reggae pioneer and tell him of their intentions to honour him, "...the mere fact that he came- him sey the pigeons and the rabbits sey yes is a man wey raise animal (in Switzerland, where he primarily resides with his wife and children) ...an' 'him use him animal to help figure out the spirit of people."
"Even to get Lee 'Scratch' Perry, who is not known to come to Jamaica, him come for the Traffickers, me now feel like a child who just get a new fire truck fi Christmas fire truck is used to out fire, well dis fire truck is used to carry fire.
"People like himself an' wiself (the Dub Traffickers) have always, in all the environmental pollution, a we ah identify mental pollution, that's why Lee 'Scratch' Perry nuh waan music mix up inna dancehall when Lee 'Scratch' Perry win di Grammy, it a go change the face of the music. America and England have fallen to Jamaica culturally, dem have it and dem run it but dem caan steer it ... if the face of the music change, radio haffi change," said the Dub Traffickers spokesman.
Having received the award, to again quote Ras Rod, "His face said it all."
