Ziggy Marley celebrates household enjoyable with new youngsters’s e-book

S1: Welcome in San Diego. It’s Jade Hindman on as we speak’s present. Ziggy Marley joins me to speak about freedom and his new youngsters’s e-book , pajamas. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities via dialog. You know , music has a singular capacity to inform tales. You know , the tales that join , soothe and encourage us. One nice instance is Bob Marley’s 1977 music Jammin.

S2: Name of the Lord.

S3: We’re jammin.

S1: The lyrics actually have fun togetherness , neighborhood , peace and mutual respect. The iconic music can also be the inspiration behind a brand new youngsters’s e-book by Ziggy Marley , Bob Marley’s eldest son. It’s referred to as Jammin. Ziggy Marley is a 9 time Grammy winner , Emmy winner , musician , producer , humanitarian and writer. He’ll even be a headliner on the inaugural KPBS Book Festival on Saturday , August twenty third. He joins me now. Ziggy , welcome to Midday Edition. Yeah.

S4: Yeah. Nice to be right here with you.

S1: I am unable to complain , and so glad to have you ever right here. You know , first inform me about pajamas. And it is about , you realize , a household pajama social gathering. Um , inform me about that. Yeah.

S5: Yeah. I imply , it is prefer it’s about my household. You know , my my instant household of , um. When I began penning this advert for younger children , and we we used to speak via , via music , via , um , making up my little jingles right here and there to get into do stuff , whether or not it is if they will brush their enamel or if they’ve time for supper. We often I often talk with them via music or , you realize , make up a bit rhyme or one thing. So pajama is , you realize , it is simply it is about how we talk with our kids. And , you realize , the e-book is predicated upon my father’s music jamming. Um , when it comes to the vitality and the vibe and the melody of the thought. But yeah , it is only a approach of speaking , you realize , some some issues to the children. Really. Wow.

S1: Wow. Well , okay.

S5: Um , my different one is 14 , and we now have two. What about 18 12 months olds simply went to school like yesterday. Congratulations.

S1: Congratulations. Yeah.

S5: Yeah. Another one in faculty. And I’m too previous. All. All the children , you realize. Yeah. Wow.

S1: Wow. I imply , you realize , although this e-book is a couple of household pajama social gathering , and , you realize , after we consider it , we’re considering of very babies. Um , it is one thing that you just actually keep on at the same time as your children develop up and grow old. It’s that that connection , proper is vital. Yeah.

S5: Yeah. My subsequent query , I imply , the connection the place we’re bringing everybody sort of again to the childhood frame of mind , the place irrespective of how previous you get , you are still my baby and I’m nonetheless your guardian , and we at all times can dial down the , the , the , um , the grownup world , you realize , and convey it again to that in a way of once you had been a baby. You know , once I was a baby , being a baby , you realize , it is only a it is a good time in our lives , of their lives. And , you realize , we at all times can deliver it again to that , you realize , as a household , you realize , even when it is only for enjoyable , you realize.

S1: Yeah , completely. I imply , you realize , so all through the story , you actually weave in lyrics from that iconic music we simply heard , jam.

S5: We make up stuff. We we adlib stuff , you realize ? So it is not it is simply part of who we’re and what we do. We like having enjoyable. We like making enjoyable , and music is part of our life , and we now have enjoyable with music. And so with. With songs of my father. We are we at all times like , you realize , try to for associated to our on a regular basis life and spin it in that approach. And so that is one that we are going to spin it , you realize , spin the fiber of his spirit into his grandchildren , you realize , in a really enjoyable approach. Yeah.

S1: Yeah. I’d love to listen to a few of the story , uh , in your personal voice.

S5: I learn a couple of traces. Of course I like studying. Yeah. All proper , so right here we go. This is from the primary couple of pages , proper. It began within the day , approach earlier than sleepy time. The pleasure was constructing for a really jamming stuffed event. The plans had been made. The invite despatched as we speak is right here and tonight is subsequent. The good time to do that factor. It’s an previous custom , Benjamin , you realize. So that is. Yeah.

S1: I like that. I find it irresistible creating these household traditions. It’s so vital. Um , you realize , illustrations are such an enormous a part of youngsters’s books , too. And these illustrations , they’re shiny and and colourful , nearly whimsical , like a child’s creativeness. Leticia moreno did the illustrations. What was it wish to deliver the pictures to life along with her ? Yeah.

S5: I imply , I simply say pictures , colours , particularly for youths. You know , I’m crucial. It’s a full the total spectrum of of of their , um , how they how they obtain info. It’s it is it is not only one approach. It’s in colours. It’s in phrases , it is in sound. And so , um , you realize , it is a backwards and forwards. It’s a , it is a collaborative , um , course of. Um , you realize , she despatched us artwork to say , I do that , do that , do this. Um , and we simply that is how we work. Most of the stuff we do is collaborative. And so we simply strive come to a factor the place it simply feels good , as a result of generally it is about the way it appears to be like. But quite a lot of occasions the way it feels once you take a look at it , how you are feeling once you take a look at one thing. It’s how we sort of decide issues. We actually use quite a lot of coronary heart and quite a lot of feeling , um , to additionally interpret issues and never simply how we see it , however how we really feel it , you realize. Mhm.

S1: Mhm. That’s proper. Well , you realize , was studying and storytelling a giant a part of your personal childhood rising up. Yeah.

S5: Yeah. Well the studying you realize I used to be not a lot about storytelling. Um , as a result of you realize , I grew up in Jamaica and we now have quite a lot of folktales in Jamaica that we had been advised. There’s this one well-known , um , character referred to as Anansi , which is definitely it is , uh , it is coming from West Africa and our heritage in Africa. Mhm. Um , so we used to listen to tales about Anansi on a regular basis , and we used to listen to quite a lot of , uh , we name them duppy , however it’s ghost tales as children. Um , our , our grandson would inform us , like , these dope tales , these ghost tales that scare about enjoyable nonetheless , you realize. Um , and so it is actually a world that we grew up with , listening to tales. And so it is at all times been part of my life. And music tells tales. My father music is storytelling additionally , so it is a huge a part of our life.

S1:

S5: Just like this aspect of me. That’s not so heavy. You know , that is not so grownup and and and and never be self-conscious about it. You know , like , you realize , we will we could be we could be youngsters. We I is usually a baby once more and never fear about what another may say about , you realize , what they learn or what I sing. Um , and I’m truly I’m actually like that for actual. Like , I’ve a robust creativeness. I’ve had one since I used to be a baby. You know , I may , I may , I may make up my very own video games and play within the , within the bushes or use a chair as an airplane. I keep in mind rising up doing that stuff. So I’m very imaginative and I’ve at all times been and I’ve by no means misplaced that. I’ve by no means misplaced that creativeness and that we now have , like sort of escaping the world in my thoughts , you realize , discovering a strategy to do it , you realize. Mhm.

S1: Mhm. It’s vital to not lose that , that a part of your self , you realize , that imaginative half , that childlike half. But so many individuals do.

S5: I imply , hear , it is quite a lot of love. I imply , you have got a extremely open thoughts and actually quite a lot of love in your coronary heart for actually settle for your self. Accept your self. You know , all of the completely different aspects of who you might be. And simply be actual with your self , you realize , be true to your self. Really , that is what it’s as a result of all of us have that in us. But generally we try to disguise it or try to attempt to put our fears , and generally the world or the scenario or the variations we now have in tradition and all these items , makes us placed on a the facade of who we’re. We really feel like we now have to be a sure approach. But , you realize , I imply , the actual factor is to simply be actual and true to your self. I feel that’s one of the simplest ways. And not like you do not have to be this , this grownup concept that society places on you. You know , you need to be this. You have to do that. You must be very you realize , you do not have to be that approach. You can simply be true to who you might be. You know , society sort of tries to , um , type us in what they need , what society expects us to be. But we now have a bit extra free than that. And I feel that is what is actually being a free spirit. And I personal my coronary heart. I will not thoughts it. Person , you realize , you will get there by that approach. You know , simply let go. Just let it go. You know.

S1: That’s nice recommendation. Uh , yeah.

S5: It was. Nothing actually occurred. Yeah. So I feel it is going to occur once more. I do not know when , however , you realize , I do know it is going to occur once more as a result of I like doing it and I loved doing it. I loved it for my children and for different children. And it is simply and for me , it is so useful. It’s prefer it’s a reduction of the stress of the world , actually , for proper for youngsters and the music for youngsters. It’s a break from the world of maturity stress , you realize ? Yeah.

S1: It’s staying true to you. Yeah.

S5: And once more , I’ll put the surface noise away as a result of there are quite a lot of noise outdoors on the earth , you realize. Mhm. And simply get collectively as a household actually. I imply that is what I’ll. It’s identical to lock off the noise of the surface world for a second and let’s be a household and let’s get again collectively and share and love and simply generally do issues that approach. It’s me breaking the principles in the home. But it is enjoyable on the identical time , you realize ? So freedom. Really. I would like children and oldsters have a bit freedom , after which we will get again to. Okay , you bought to go to , um , you bought you bought courses , you bought tutoring , you bought soccer , you bought this. You received that. Kids are so busy today. Kids are so busy today. So a lot strain on children. This is let’s take some strain off the children , you realize , and have some enjoyable. You know.

S1: That’s a terrific reminder and message , uh , for individuals to obtain. I’ve been talking with Ziggy Marley. Ziggy Marley is a 9 time Grammy winner , Emmy winner , musician , producer , humanitarian and writer. He’ll even be a headliner on the inaugural KPBS Book Festival on Saturday , August twenty third. Ziggy , thanks a lot.

S5: Thank you guys. Thank you for all the things you guys do additionally , you realize , respect that. Yeah.

S1: That’s our present for as we speak. I’m your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be certain to have a terrific day on objective , everybody.