This interview with Michael Rose, conducted by the Ranking Miss P, was broadcast on GLR94.9fm in London on 12th March 2000.

Miss P: Michael, you started your musical career as a very successful solo artist, then you joined with Black Uhuru, split with the group, but somehow the people still associate the name Michael Rose with Black Uhuru. Now how do you overcome that sort of thing, 'cos I know it must be a bit wearing after a while, saying to people: "well, actually, I am Michael Rose solo artist, I am no longer with Black Uhuru, don't associate me with that anymore.

Michael: Right. Well, it's kinda rough. It tough because everywhere you turn, you hear the talk. It's just the vibes and as it goes along, Michael has this sound, and people identify that sound with the group. This is why I'm doing this mini tour right now, to let people see that this is Michael Rose.

Miss P: You're an individual, Michael.

Michael: Yes. Is like people know Black Uhuru, but they don't know Michael Rose.

Miss P: This is the last time I shall speak about Black Uhuru if you so wish, but...wrangles over Black Uhuru, who gets the name, who gets to use the songs, and whats the position around that at the moment?

Michael: Well, that was a problem among Don Carlos, Garth Dennis and Duckie (Simpson). They had some name problem t'ing.

Miss P: OK. So it's all sorted now and...

Michael: Yeah, I think so.

Miss P: Now, Michael, what about you now. You are touring the world, in stages, to let the world know you are out there on your own. What has the response been like from people seeing you as just a solo entity, and an individual without the rest of Uhuru behind you?

Michael: Well, I've been on the road from the 4th of January, and we played Paris, France. I was touring with this French DJ called Janek, from France up to Switzerland, then we played Germany and the response was good. After we played Germany, we went to Long Beach in LA to play the Bob Marley day.

Miss P: Alright, and how did that go?

Michael: It was good.

Miss P: You talk about this new round of touring, as a solo artist, as a new thing, but I remember touring with you - Japan! About 3, 4 years ago, and you was a solo artist there, and sort of drawing thousand and thousand and thousands of people back then. So surely the message must have sunk in by now.

Michael: Yeah man! But is like we just have to keep working becasue you sell records when you tour, so touring is very important. The problem that is happening right now in Europe, is that a lot of artists book and don't turn up for shows. It's very damaging for the rest of the artist. So it's like, this time around I'm standing up strong, and I'm making sure that whenever my names called I'm there! Yes, because you see, most of the time people have left from miles upon miles, and when them come is like the door closed.

Miss P: And sometimes it's their last money they've taken to buy this ticket, because you are their favourite artist in the whole world. Now I'm going to share a story of an experience that happened to us in Japan, thi girl that just went into hysterics. Do you remember that girl Michael? The Japanese girl, and she was shaking, she was crying, and screaming your name! I thought the girl was gonna collapse. Do you remember her?

Michael: Yeah, yeah, yeah, she couldn't handle it no more.

Miss P: I felt so sorry for her that I brought her to meet you, because I thought the girl was gonna have a seizure... Michael, Michael arrgh!!...Do you still get that kind of...(laughs)

Michael: Yeah, even right now, if you don't have security, t'ings happen.

Miss P: She was an extreme case, I haven't seen mania like that.

Michael: OK. When we were recording the Party In Session at Slims in San Francisco, a lady was at that concert and there wan an iron post, and she keep banging her head on the post, on the post, on the post, until me ha'fe call someone attention, kinda take the lady off a that becau' she hurt herself. Don't know what it was, if it was memories or what it was.

Miss P: Now, it might be strange to ask but, reggae has a profound effect. Maybe in Europe you don't see it so much because you have quite a lot of exposure to reggae, but further out around the world, where people don't have so much access to reggae, I find that it has a very profound effect in them, and can really effect them adversely. It will manifest itself in behaviour that we've seen around the world, which I don't see in England, so it was a shock to me.

Michael: Kind of strange. Yeah, it's just the whole atmosphere of the music, the whole vibes and everything because, look at the Japanese, they don't speak English, some of them. And they really like in hundreds of thousands, like bwoy, you deh a Jamaica You happy for the music.

Miss P: But what do you think it is, I mean, you touched on a really interesting point, they can't speak English, so maybe they can't even understand what you're actually saying. So Michael, what is the actual explaination?

Michael: It's like, they know it's happening. Is like, you know seh something a happen, and it's something good. That's the only thing I can say! Just Rastafari y'know!

Miss P: Now Michael, when people see your images especially, we get this kind of real mean and moody look, and I know the other Michael's a kitten really. But why do you use that exterior, that real moody exterior, it's kind of frightening sometimes.

Michael: Yeah, because sometimes you bump into people who disturb your meditation. So is like, once you show them the outward look of a lion, anyt'ing negative just blow away y'know.

Miss P: So you do it deliberately Michael.

Michael: Well, you have to do these things, fe hold off bad vibes. Yeah man, is just a counteraction.

Miss P: Now, I've been reading up about you recentley, and it seems that people have been criticising the fact that you are singing love songs, that I find really strange. And I really liked your response to that, y'know, saying that, "well, what the world needs now isn't it love?" So you can't always be singing about revolutions and these kind of things without love. So your stance on that is still the same?

Michael: Well y'see, how I was brought up with this music thing it's not like today, where the way is pave and, everything is easy, and the milk and the whipping of the cream. When I started I had to do hotel circuits in Jamaica, where I had to sing dinner music, calypso, r&b, reggae to entertain tourists, people from these places, like England, Germany, come to Jamaica.

I entertain these people, that was the only opportunity then. Even to record a song it was very hard. Just like with Jimmy Cliff, and the producer would slam the door in his face, say "come back next week or next year if possible". Is a whole different ball game. My acquired listening is a different skill. I used to listen like BB King, Temptations, my listening is wide.

Miss P: So your early influences came from a wide selection of music and people, and growing through your career, these influences have stayed with you, and some of them have blossomed into many different things. Michael: Exactly! The world can't function without love y'know, otherwisae is just pure destruction.

Miss P: But then, why would people be so adverse to seeing Michael Rose, who they consider to be like one of the only true revolutionaries left, taking these songs around the world, so they dead against you singing love songs as well. You're just looking at me going "right, right", but I want you to say what you said in the magazine-or I'll say it for you anyway! You said "well, Bob Marley did love songs, and it didn't cost him a thing" So why are they looking at you in a different way?

Michael: Me nuh know. A just the system y'know. More time people has their own opinions, and you just can't fight people for what they...I'm an artist and I'm open for critics. People will always have things to say. Like someone would say "how come your names spelled this way? What is happening?" Europe side would say M-Y-K-A-L-R-O-Z-E, but in America they say M-Y-C-H-A-E-L-R-O-S-E.

Miss P: But on Bonanza, we've gone back to the original Michael Rose, with an S...

Michael: But then when you look at the chart in the book, they put the M-Y-K-A-L-R-O-Z-E!

Miss P: But what do you like?

Michael: What do I like? I like both of them! Why? It makes people talk, and I like when people talk. Yeah, it's true, y'understand. 'Cos if it was just the one, they wouldn't say anything.

Miss P: They wouldn't wonder.

Michael: Yeah. So because it's two now, and it's the same meaning, them have something fe say.

Miss P: But is it the same meaning? It can't be the same meaning if it's two different spellings. One must signify...

Michael: One is closer to Ethiopia, y'see the link?

Miss P: You see I knew there was a different meaning. So you still like them both equally?

Michael: Yeah!

Miss P: You say that the spelling with the M- Y-K-A-L, signifies your closeness to Ethiopia, and the European spelling...

Michael: Is closer to Europe!

Miss P: Michael Rose, you're ever challenging! This was what you were like round the tour of Japan, you came up with some profound things, all the time ever challenging. I don't have the new album that you produced, but I still want to talk about it. It's called...

Michael: Musical Rate. People who use reggae, gives it no credit, you know what I'm saying? And yet they refuse...

Miss P: But you got a Grammy!

Michael: Yeah, but that's not all. You got other people who use reggae. For instance, look at UB40, they're reggae, but in America they say they're pop!

Miss P: Over here they classified as pop as well.

Michael: Exactly, but are reggae. So what's going on? Something is happening. So you see this is the fight weh me tell you say the music get all the while. This is why we keep a remind the people say, when them use anything from reggae, them fe just make a note and say it a come from the small people. 'Cos you see a lot of people use reggae, and reggae never gets credit.

Miss P: I think, yes you're right, a lot of people use reggae and dosen't give it the right credit, but a lot of the culprits are people within the music themselves. Not crediting each other, not respecting each other for each others works, so you have an established reggae producer, one who should know better, using another artists songs, without giving him any credit, without giving him royalties, so that man cannot make any money. He in turn does it to someone else, so it goes on, and that is just one small aspect. So I wouldn't look...in fact groups like UB40...

Michael: No I said people who use it. That mean it could be that same person you're talking about. 'Cos whenever I relate things, it doesn't point a finger, it goes to all the bad ones.

Miss P: It goes to whoever the cap fits.

Michael: Yes, the culprit I should say.

Miss P: I'm glad! Because I'm sort of...I've got a bit worn down over the years, people coming in to me and saying "oh well, it's the white man keeping down reggae, it's this keeping down reggae, it's that keeping down reggae".

Michael: No,no, no, not in that manner. No.

Miss P: OK. Groups like UB40, not neccesarily a group I would support by going and buying their records, but the work that they have done they have allowed people who wrote those songs originally to get revenue back from those songs, because they did credit people.

Michael: Yeah. I'm not talking about writing of the songs and things like that. What I'm talking about is like, UB40 is a reggae group, but then they are classified as a pop group. They mis-lead the people.

Miss P: I see what your saying. They not even giving THEM their credit, because they're playing reggae. So what is it about reggae that is frightening people, or what is it that certain people or certain establishments don't want to face up to it.

Michael: It's too powerful and they don't control it.

Miss P: Who controls it though?

Michael: The little man in Jamaica. That's where it start from. The poor man. Reggae a poor man music, is a poor people t'ing. Whether you are in Asia, or you're in Africa, or anywhere in the world, reggae is for poor people. Suffering class people. Becau' when you listen reggae you can ha'fe relate to the situation.

Miss P: So because reggae is a sufferers music, does that mean that reggae has to suffer as well?

Michael: A we nuh suffer reggae, a just barriers. Becau' just like you say "but you won the Grammy", we had to break barriers with Black Uhuru to win the Grammy.

Miss P: But where do we go now, we've won the Grammy, Burning Spear won the Grammy the other day, next year it'll be someone else, and that will go on, we've opened that door.

Michael: You see, what is happening right now is that the culture is on it's way again, which is a good sign.

Miss P: And the live sound.

Michael: And the live sound, the acoustic. So, it's looking good right now, it's growing.

Miss P: But what's gonna happen when it gets to a stage where it's ready to bust again, because reggae has had several bites at, or several offers to come and bite the big pie.

Michael: Everytime it ready to bust, a little man sell it to a man, it gone up the road again, and somebody else get the credit. A wha' gwan, it's all just the same t'ing.

Miss P: Not to say that you on your own are going to try and redress the balance, but you're doing your piece.

Michael: Yeah, because it's like a cake and you have to leave slice. Just take your slice and leave, because there's others.

Miss P: Lots of others. Tony Rebel told me "the cake is so big Miss P, that when I finish getting my slice, there'll be enough for my children, and my children's children, and still the cake is gonna be there, so there's no need to fight and grab...

Michael: Exactly, 'cos the baker never stop work (laughs).