INTERVIEW : CLINTON FEARON
Interview by : Maxime Nordez
Pictures by : Catherine Geiss - www.reggaelution.net
on Thursday, December 28th 2006 - 12 448 views
We met Clinton Fearon just as "Give & Take", a superb roots album cooked up in Seattle in 2004, had come out. Since then have come the acoustic "Mi and mi guitar" (2005) and the very recent "Vision", his sixth album, which has just reached the shops. The ex-Gladiator looks back with us on the work accomplished in recent years.
Reggaefrance / The last time we met was for the release of the album "Give & Take" in 2004. Since then, you haven't been idle.
Clinton Fearon / I made "Mi an Mi Guitar", which really surprises me because it keeps selling well. I've also made progress on a project called Faculty of Dub. It's a project that began at the same time as the "Vision" project, after I met Nelson Miller, Burning Spear's former drummer. We started playing together and writing bass and drums. After that the horn section was added, for which we added a trombone. We then added percussion and a few vocal parts with Ire. I immediately suggested to Nelson that we go and record it in the studio. In the end, those recordings became "Vision". The further we went, the more I wanted to "fill out" these dub parts. But the idea of releasing a dub album still stands (laughs).
Tell us about the "Give & Take" adventure...
I'm very happy because everyone agrees it's a good album. It's not handled by a big company so in terms of sales, it's not huge. But I know the people at Sankofa Black Star defend it well and find good connections. We sell a lot through our website and a download platform à la iTunes based in Miami. We still sell plenty at our concerts.
Isn't it difficult to make your album available in the four corners of the world?
Yes, it's the biggest problem: distribution. I'm too small as a producer to reach the big companies that distribute thousands of artists. What interests them is label distribution. It would be easier if I had a catalogue of a hundred albums. They only see the numbers. I'm not very interested in that. It's another sphere and a world of its own. I could look into it but I know I'd very quickly want to get back to my creative work. That's my business and nothing else.
On "Mi an Mi Guitar", there's Richman Poorman, a track from your Gladiators period. Was it important to remind people where you come from?
I just asked myself which songs would sound better than others in acoustic form. I chose them independently of any other consideration. There's also "Too long too long..." (he sings) (Street of Freedom, editor's note).
I thought you might want to remind everyone that you were a Gladiator...
It's not even that. In fact it's funny to see that nowadays young people don't necessarily know that part of my career. The only reason I recorded this album is my message. I'd come with a good song and I realised the message was getting diluted in my choices of instrumentation. In the end, what I wanted to say wasn't really being heard. By choosing to use just one guitar, the message is clear and the music can't interfere with the word. It was a way for me to concentrate on the voice.
With hindsight, are you satisfied with how this acoustic album turned out?
Yes. If I had to do it again, I'd make a few changes. I'd add a light bass on some tracks, a bit of percussion... I'd "fill out" each track a little more. But I think I'd repeat the experiment, it was very cool.
You can hear a violin on the first track. What did you want to achieve by using that instrument?
To get different sounds! I think all types of sounds can find their place. I have this idea of a sonic alchemy in terms of harmony, like a higher feeling, harmony wise! (laughs) These ideas of blending came after recording "Mi an Mi Guitar". I had my idea in mind and I wanted to try other possibilities. I used the marimba on Jah Know His People and we always use a lot of percussion. Reggae music can absorb anything, it all depends on how you use it. The big novelty on this album is that I play the basslines on 9 tracks. This time, with Nelson, we managed to change things a little.
When I listened to "Vision", it seemed to me I was hearing the second episode of "Give & Take"...
It's like climbing a mountain. You put one foot after another and you try to be better with each step. You go through the stages one by one and you get stronger. For me, that applies to vocals and lyrics. I quickly saw that there were songs that were too 'love', maybe too light, on "Give & Take". "Vision" is for me a very sweet album. It has a message... but my message, my messages always stay the same! It's as if I'd been writing one long song from the start (laughs). The message is "Hey Man! What if we finally managed to live together!". For our cause, we don't use an academic method but a spiritual one. We're here to raise everyone's consciousness and values. Because today, people are trying to be more powerful than others. We forget the essential. Enjoying the beauty of Nature, for example.
What is this vision that gives the album its title?
As the song says, it's the vision of a better tomorrow. The world is currently going through a crisis and it has been for years. We realise the crisis is getting worse. On "Give & Take" you found songs like Blood for blood and others that were fairly negative. This album sees things more positively. It's more like saying: if you think what you're doing is right then you'll be happy. So I told myself, if my vision is right, happiness will come (laughs).
Did you work differently on the sound?
This time I paid more attention to aspects I used to neglect. I tried to sort things out and listen to my music very critically. I think that in terms of production, I get a better result here.
How are you adapting to the new ways of consuming music?
It's very hard. You just have to get stuck in, you have no choice. Personally I've stayed with vinyl. It has an artistic vibe that matches the music itself. You take care of it, it's fragile... (He points to the table) It's like owning this table. You love it because it has character. You won't get attached to a plastic table (laughs). So we moved on to CD and now to... the iPod. I understand none of it! But someone takes care of my affairs so that I'm present and available on the internet. I think it's better to keep working rather than complain about the system.
Have you had any news of Albert Griffiths?
The last time I went to Jamaica, I tried to see him and I ran into his son Al. He was supposed to find him for me but couldn't. Since I found out he was ill I haven't seen him again. I last saw him three years ago in Sierra Nevada, we went on stage together. He is seriously ill and that's why his son Al is standing in for him. I heard it's an incurable illness. He has what Cassius Clay had, Parkinson's syndrome.
How did you take the death of Joseph Hill?
It really shocked me. I knew Joseph really well. We were at the same school. We played, we drew together as children. We were good friends. We ended up in Kingston making music. At one point, while we were still living in the mountains, we decided to leave for Kingston. We were kids, it didn't work (laughs)! I'd forgotten that story, it was Joseph who reminded me of it! It was Nelson Miller who called me to tell me my brother Joseph had passed. It was hard but we live, we die, we all know that. Death is not an end, it's a transition. You have to see the spiritual side of each of us. It is within us and exists without us. You come to life and you return to life. You come back in different forms... but now I'm surely going too far!
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