Monday, August 30, 2004
Suspended in space at that blissful intersection, when music inspires the written word, "Writing to a reggae beat":
Channer believes that reggae lyrics offer Caribbean writers a model: "The American Motown tradition is 'oooh baby baby, you're the greatest thing and I'm going to give you this and that.'
"But the Trenchtown tradition is about the complications of love. You have these working-class black men who are welders in their day jobs who can find in themselves these tender places from which to write about women in their neighbourhood. Like when Gregory Isaacs sings, 'Although she wasn't the best girl/ She brought happiness into my world.' "
¶ 8/30/2004 09:12:00 PM
Channer believes that reggae lyrics offer Caribbean writers a model: "The American Motown tradition is 'oooh baby baby, you're the greatest thing and I'm going to give you this and that.'
"But the Trenchtown tradition is about the complications of love. You have these working-class black men who are welders in their day jobs who can find in themselves these tender places from which to write about women in their neighbourhood. Like when Gregory Isaacs sings, 'Although she wasn't the best girl/ She brought happiness into my world.' "
¶ 8/30/2004 09:12:00 PM
