Some time in the early 1980s I became aware of Bob Marley and reggae music and even bought an audio cassette, the Rastaman Vibration (1976) album. At Biola listening to reggae was a bit “edgy” and definitely outside the acceptable cannon of music that good Christians should be listening to. I mean, how can anyone listen to Bob Marley and not start dancing. Alas, at Biola dancing was strictly forbidden. In a world of sorrows of the early 1980s dancing was the line fundamentalist Christian institutes, like Biola university, forbade their students to cross. Whatever. By this time in my journey, listening to one Bob Marley album was hardly a prohibition that worried me. 

Bob Marley & the Wailers - Rastaman Vibration
Bob Marley & the Wailers - Rastaman Vibration
Bob Marley & the Wailers - Rastaman Vibration

I was fully engaged in my Christian musician efforts and Marley’s music was a nice step up from the mellow 70s acoustic pop that I was emulating. But the whole Haile Selassie, Rastafarian, pot milieu was a bit too much for my suburban sensibilities and the flirtation with the genre ended, kind’a like the fling with the girl I was hanging out with at the time (I wonder whatever happened to Lori Kelly…). Sadly, as much as I enjoy the vibe and the sounds, I didn’t explore the music or the life of Bob Marley any further. So, except for knowing that he died of Cancer not long into his career and brief life, I had no knowledge of his story before watching the movie.  

bob marley one love
bob marley one love

To go from being the skinny scared teenager who was just part of a vocal group to becoming “Bob Marley” is an amazing evolution. I generally take bio-pics about famous musicians with a grain of salt, knowing that they’re likely to under-play the imperfections that don’t lend themselves to a heroic biography. So, I was a bit surprised that they didn’t gloss over Marley’s marital indiscretions and struggles to remain true to his beliefs. The movie’s depiction of his yearning to connect and be recognized by his absent father and his mixed-race lineage reminds me of something  Bruce Springsteen has said, that all of Rock n’ Roll can be reduced to a desperate scream of “Daddy!” dressed up to sound rebellious. Marley comes across as a driven person, who came from nothing and is sincere in his pursuit of spiritual guidance and creative expression. The 1970s and early 80s were a crazy time for spiritual awakening. 

I do need to add more of this music to my listening and playing routines. It does remind me that I have a bad habit of being more of a musical voyeur, knowing virtually nothing about the artists and genres I enjoy (except the Beatles, of course), and that I really should do something about this gap in my knowledge. I should probably get a copy of the Exodus recording, featured in the movie. If you know of, but very little about the life and times of Bob Marley, this movie is an excellent place to start. 

And AFTER you’ve watched the movie, come back and watch the following video by WatchMojo about the things they got right and wrong about the bio-pic. Enjoy. 

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