I got into dub a long time ago. I was into dub before I even had any interest in reggae or Jamaican songs, Bob Marley, or any of those established artists. I just thought it was such an unusual sound.
I love a lot of reggae, but I've never had the opportunity to play with any reggae guys.
I've never shied away from country. 'Karma Chameleon' verges on country. Reggae and country are very closely linked. If you go to Jamaica, you hear a lot of country music. There's a correlation.
In the early part of the '70s, we had glam rock, but we also had reggae and ska happening at the same time. I just took all those influences I had as a kid and threw them together, and somehow it works.
I learn tons of John Frusciante's licks from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I'm never going to play like the Chili Peppers, but I might use that if I've got a dub beat or reggae thing mixed with a soul thing.
In Hawaii, some of the biggest radio stations are reggae. The local bands are heavily influenced by Bob Marley.
My dad used to play reggae and Afrobeats. Every Sunday, we used to have these records, vinyls. And he would just play all of them - Super Cat, Ninja Man, Buju Banton.
Music is creation. In reggae the lyric, the music itself, arrangement, that vibe, such melody - everything within the music moves the people, understand?
Every musician tries to blend in some reggae. It's the only music that brings all people together, different races, different religions.
Reggae music don't really focus on one thing, you know. If reggae music is speaking about the struggle of people, and the suffering, it don't mean black people. It mean people in general.
