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Woodstock man to interview reggae greats at upcoming festival
The Oxford Review
By Eric Schmiedl - Staff writer
Saturday April 29, 2006 The allure of music, fishing and partying drew George Tait to Jamaica more than two decades ago.
And the history Tait has built up with the Jamaican people, and the
reggae music that’s such a big part of their lives, is much of the
reason Tait has become linked to the Montreal International Reggae
Festival.
"Reggae is a way to bring peace to the planet," said Tait, who was born and raised in the Woodstock area.
At last year’s festival, Tait interviewed several reggae artists
including Gregory Isaacs as well as Chaka Demus and Pliers. For this
year’s reggae extravaganza, running July 14-16, Tait is lined up to
talk to such big reggae names as Shaggy and Maxi Priest.
Tait was called in to talk to reggae notables last year when the
artists and their dreadlocks intimidated the interviewer the festival
had lined up. For Tait, who has dreadlocks himself and has been
immersed in the culture surrounding them for years, that wasn’t a
problem.
That’s particularly true since those dreadlocks, which were once
forbidden to Jamaicans, are expressions of freedom and peace, he said.
In addition to being familiar with the music, Tait’s background for the
job was further bolstered by his own DVD on the Jamaican people,
Destination Jamaica, which was finalized in 2005 even though work and
interviews dating back more than 20 years went into it.
On the DVD, Tait’s quest for soundtrack music drew 40 bands responding
via the Internet. From there, 17 bands from varied countries including
Argentina and France ultimately played for that soundtrack.
The trips that opened the door for that DVD were made possible by Tait
working for his father in his younger days. That allowed him the
flexibility and opportunity for travel.
"I really wanted to go fishing ... for the barracuda and the big fish," he recalled.
That was more than 20 years ago. Now, at 46, Tait - who converted to
Rastafarianism years ago - continues to be immersed in its ways.
Even though the Rastafarian culture is associated with marijuana use,
the prevailing thought, even in that culture, is it’s not for everyone,
he said.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Rastafarianism as a religious
movement "among black Jamaicans that teaches the eventual redemption of
blacks and their return to Africa" that, among other things, forbids
the cutting of hair.
Tait himself sports a lengthy beard and long dreadlocks, which
sometimes sprout through a hole in a bowler hat he picked up on EBay,
representing freedom pushing through the British monarchy’s rule.
Reggae is basically a sonic expression of that sense of freedom.
"Reggae is about peace and happiness," he said, adding it can be used
in meditation and that it’s a far cry from the Metallica tunes he used
to listen to "when I was young and crazy."
His take on reggae is something Pliers agreed with in his interview with Tait.
"We live together as humans," the artist said in last year’s festival DVD.
By his side, Chaka Demus was wearing camouflage combat fatigues. Those
clothes aren’t there to represent warfare, Tait said, but rather to
reflect the music’s fight for peace.
As for Isaacs, artists like him have a huge place in the reggae world, Tait said.
"Just phenomenal. To white people it’d be like talking to Led Zeppelin."
Indeed, the tunes of such musical greats as the late Bob Marley hold an esteemed place among Jamaicans.
"Music is more important to the Jamaicans that it is here in Canada."
Having the Rastafarian look himself helps open things up for his
festival interviews, Tait said, adding he also reads up on the people
he’ll be talking to beforehand.
This month, the festival released a DVD titled In the Beginning,
featuring the first two editions of the event. In it, Tait does several
backstage interviews with reggae artists and is listed in the credits
as "Jungle" George Tait. It’s a nickname he’s had for a long time and
it suits him.
That nickname goes back to times even before his arrival in Jamaica in
late 1983. Shortly thereafter, he decided to document the country’s
smaller communities to promote tourism there.
However, as the self-described first white man seen in the Jamaican
community of South Broughton, things weren’t always easy, Tait said in
a past Oxford Review interview.
One day, Tait was walking along a street with a camera and drew the
wrath of two men who said they’d kill him if they spotted him with his
camera again. In response, Tait pointed the camera at them and said he
was broadcasting live to Canada. The men fled.
"I decided to leave my camera behind after that. I set it up on a
tripod on the beach and told people I was filming a talk show. People
would come down with their fish and potatoes. They thought they were
talking to people in Canada."
Even though Jamaica is known for tourism, there’s a catch-22 when it comes to that, Tait said.
The economy in that country depends greatly on that tourism, with Tait
estimating that 80 per cent or more of the nation’s economy is based on
the tourist trade. However, when people there see wealthy tourists come
in, that drives home how little they have in comparison - that can
evoke feelings of jealousy, he said.
"That causes problems."
However, left on their own, Jamaicans are generally happy, hardworking
people despite what he described as their "meagre" earnings.
There isn’t much meagre about the numbers coming into the festival, though.
Last year, the event drew 16,000 people and the goal is to get 25,000
this time around, said Cezar Brumeanu, the festival’s producer.
The larger turnout is anticipated due to this year’s big-name acts, a
free stage and a growing base of support from previous years.
This year’s festival, at the Old Port of Montreal, will continue the united against violence theme from last year.
Festival organizers were pleased with Tait’s interviewing efforts last
year, which is why he’ll be back this time around. Tait is comfortable
with interviewing, has background on the Jamaican culture and knows
which questions to ask, Brumeanu said.
The festival will feature a special musical tribute to Marley,
described in a festival release as "reggae’s most famous son." Various
artists will perform such Marley classics as Jamming and Get Up Stand
Up. There will also be a Marley multimedia presentation.
Reggae artists from Jamaica, the United States, the United Kingdom, the
Caribbean and Canada will be taking part in the festival this year.
Shaggy will perform on the festival’s first day, while Ky’mani Marley
and Richie Spice will be up for the second. The third day will feature
Maxi Priest and Barrington Levy.
For more festival details, visit www.montrealreggaefestival.com or call 514-448-8383.
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