When Lee "Scratch" Perry left this world on August 29th, we lost a towering figure of 20th century culture as a producer, singer, and trailblazer who spent decades at the forefront of Jamaican music. And while there has been a wave of articles celebrating the legacy of "The Upsetter," Saxon and Sam thought there had been far too little examination of the economic, political, social, religious and cultural background that structured his career, shaped his genius and cultivated his eccentric persona. Just how did Perry go from being born in a poverty-stricken rural part of Jamaica and raised on lasting Yoruba traditions in a post-slavery, heavily-colonized island to becoming a major player in the rise of reggae, Bob Marley, dub and the Jamaican music industry? Along the way they also discuss Jamaican political violence caught in a cold-war struggle, the neocolonial character of a predatory western music industry, Rastafarian politics, the cottage music scene of Kingston, the anti-colonial resonances of Perry’s lyrical style and how the man was to eventually capitalized on the heavily-commodified global reggae market we know today. Come for the legend of Black Ark--stay for Mr. Brown and his coffin.
Further Reading:
"People Funny Boy" by David Katz
Further listening:
33 Hour Lee "Scratch" Perry Playlist
Taking on Ticketmaster (W/ Kevin Erickson)
AI Music VS. The Lawsuit Tsunami
Are you Ex-Sphere-enced?
How Hip Hop Conquered the Charts (feat. Amy Coddington)
Embracing Our Fandom (W/ Monia Ali)
The Political Economy of Rap Beefs
Karaoke and Personal Pop
Millennials Nostalgia Tour
Keep on Streamin’ in the Free World
A Living Wage and a Tik Tok Ban: Could…Congress Transform Music?
Imagine Dragons: The Most Popular Band of the Millennium?
Universal VS. TikTok: The Showdown No One Should Have Wanted
Pitchfork, GQ, and the Music Criticism Lifestyle
Royalty Rumble at Spotify and a Crisis at Hipgnosis
BMI Sells Out
Can You Actually Support This Podcast On Patreon? (w/Penny Fractions)
E-Zoo and the Future of Nightlife
Bandcamp Blues: (Penny Fractions 4 Nothing)
Scooter, Baby! The Life and Times of the Most 2010’s Manager You Can Possibly Imagine
Moog’s World: The Story Behind the Synthesizer Behind Modern Music (feat. Albert Glinsky)
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Derringer Discoveries - A Music Adventure Podcast
Two Friends Big Bootie Mixes
Bandsplain
Popcast
Vampire Campfire