Review
Publication date : Tuesday, July 11th 2006 - 33 776 views When words are no longer enough...
Bob Marley, la légende des Wailers
 Let's say it straight away: fans of Bob and the Wailers will learn nothing new about their story from reading Roland Monpierre's comic. They will, however, surely be charmed by the artist's talent. His images, which sometimes look like simple sketches, give the story its rhythm. We live at a hundred miles an hour, like the young orphans of the ghetto, who spend their time running: to get to work, to escape the police, to record, to join a woman... At the start there are only Bunny and Bob (with short hair), the "bad boys" of Trenchtown, until the day their paths cross Peter's, in Joe Higgs's yard. A superb yard, incidentally, taking up half a page. Warm colours: the green of the palm trees, the yellow of the human silhouettes, the red of the walls and the ground. This is the birth of the "Wailing Wailers", the mythical group.
Then Coxsone appears (shirt open, cap pulled down on his head), Rita (leaning against her bedroom window at dusk), the Barrett brothers, Lee Perry... Not one of Bob's close circle is missing from the roll call. It is not easy, though, to sum up 15 years of creation in fewer than 50 pages... but Roland Monpierre does it very well. The world of Jamaica is familiar to him, a native of Guadeloupe, and you can feel that this ghetto he draws so well could have been his own... He did not try to embellish it. He shows us life as it is there: hard, gruelling, often violent. A world peopled with characters, such as "Take Life", who have nothing to lose and know only the language of guns.
 Later it is the lush vegetation of Nine Miles that delights our eyes, with the little wooden shacks you can make out here and there. If you listen closely, you can almost hear Ziggy Marley's first cry in one of them. And here is Bob in dungarees holding him in his arms while Rita hangs out the washing. This is also what Roland Monpierre wanted to share with us: the daily life of musicians who, at the time, although already famous, lived like paupers. We finally find the Wailers again in the London winter, at the time of the meeting with Chris Blackwell (nicknamed "Whitehell" by Peter): Bunny's departure, the Boston concert... Peter's anger at discovering "Bob Marley and the Wailers" on the sleeve of their latest record... Then the break-up... The book ends with the arrival at 56 Hope Road, with a vision of Bob, who now has his long dreads... "And the Wailers: that's you!".
Bob Marley, la légende des Wailers
Editions Albin Michel; €12.50
Meeting Roland Monpierre, author of the comic
"Bob Marley, la légende des Wailers"
Rucksack on his back and sunglasses on, Roland Monpierre arrives at an unhurried pace at the café where we have arranged to meet on this fine June afternoon. "Bob Marley, la légende des Wailers", his latest comic, came out in the spring with Albin Michel. A reggae fan, this Guadeloupean was above all interested in Bob's youth in the Trenchtown ghetto. He speaks about it with passion.
 Where did this desire to make a comic about Bob Marley come from?
In fact I discovered Bob Marley thanks to my brother, Aimé, himself a reggae composer, singer and guitarist. I was 20 when he played me an album he had brought back from London, "Rastaman Vibration". It was a revelation! From that day on, like a whole generation, I learned to hear and to dance to Marley's language. Then came a moment when words were no longer enough. I needed to convey my emotions through images. I drew a first book on Bob Marley, in black and white, a few years ago. This time I wanted to focus more on the Wailers. On that story of orphans from the Trenchtown ghetto fighting to satisfy their hunger for recognition. It is my interpretation, as someone who is neither Rasta nor Jamaican, just a reggae fan.
Did you do any research trips in Jamaica?
No, in fact I worked mainly from photos, films and press articles of the time. Notably those by Hélène Lee for Libération. I also met people close to Bob: Joe Higgs, his son Ziggy. And I saw him in concert, of course, in 1980 I think. With Steel Pulse as the opening act, a historic moment! This time, however, I am going to Jamaica to prepare the follow-up, which should come out in December 2007. But you know, I am Guadeloupean, and there is only a short distance between the two islands. Besides, as I say in my preface, both are lands of memory and of black culture. In Guadeloupe, as in Jamaica, music is very important, because it carries hope. Bob Marley is much loved in the West Indies.
How long did it take you to make this book on the Wailers?
About nine months, but it was a bit tight. For the next one I'm giving myself a year, which will let me polish it.
What was your publisher's reaction at Albin Michel when you told him about the project?
At first he found it odd that a French author wanted to make a comic about Bob Marley, who was English-speaking himself, but he agreed. And it worked out well, since the release came in 2006, at the time of the commemorations for the 25th anniversary of Bob Marley's death. Another comic about reggae came out at Albin Michel two years ago, "Accros de reggae", to which Ptiluc, Joan and Harty contributed.
Was "Bob Marley, la légende des Wailers" a big print run?
10,000 copies, but I very much hope there will be reprints!
How did the promotion go?
Rather well! The comic was talked about on France 2, Canal +, RFI, and I also took part in the programme "Equinoxe", a tribute to Bob Marley on France Culture. As it is a comic about music, the promotion works on both fronts. In fact, depending on the shop, the comic is sometimes placed in the comics section and sometimes in the music section... but you can find it just about everywhere! I also do signings regularly, which lets me meet readers.
Speaking of which, the readers: are they only people interested in reggae?
Yes, the majority are fans all the same. And among them there are famous readers, like Tyrone Downie, who really liked the book. He even asked me for copies for his friends!
Have there been any translations?
Only in German, but as the feedback is very positive, I think there will be others.
Will there be an exhibition of the original plates?
Yes, there is a project under way with the town of Aubervilliers. It should happen after the summer break, in September 2006. The plan is to combine it with an activity with children, who would talk about their culture.
Had no artist before ever wanted to make a comic about Bob Marley?
Yes, yes, there was an American, Gene Colan*, who drew three books on Bob, one of which was never published. Unfortunately they are impossible to find today.
Which comic authors do you take as your references?
There are many, but I would say Moebius, Franquin and Philippe Druillet.
Any projects after the Bob Marley series?
Yes, of course, I always have lots of projects. But there is one that is particularly close to my heart, about the people of the West Indies. I plan to start on it within a year or two.
What will you take away from this adventure alongside a reggae legend?
I have always thought that artists had an important role to play in relation to their culture. I could not have found a better illustration than the story of Bob Marley and the Wailers.
*Gene Colan's official site: http://www.genecolan.com
Report written by Christine Avignon
Tags : Bande-dessinées reggae (5)
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