Interview: Gary Pine the Wailers / Love Generation

Richard Dyer

Date published: 14th Oct 2005

Pete Tong listed this little number as his Essential Tune of the week. It’s Bob Sinclar with ‘Love Generation’. This tune features the vocals of Gary Pine, lead singer of The Wailers. It melds laidback Caribbean beats, carefree whistling and hippy-esque lyrics – “feel the love generation”. Toni-T talks to Gary Pine, lead singer of the Wailers who features on this track.

How did you get hooked up with The Wailers?

I was working with ‘Supercat’ at the time. Someone heard about me and sent a video of me performing in Japan onto The Wailers. They really liked it and felt the vibration that they needed.

Were you doing Bob Marley numbers even before you met The Wailers?

Yeah since school day’s. Burning Spear used to rehearse at my house in Port Antonia, Jamaica. So I was around them from a very young age listening to cultural reggae music. That’s my deed.

Where are you from originally?

I’m from Norwich, Port Antonia, Jamaica

Where would you call home?

Jamaica most of all, but I also live in New York with my family.

How did you get involved in music? What were your influences before you got the position of the front man?

Well music is a thing we grew up around. Me and the bass player of Burning Spear (Devon Bradshaw) were from the same district Norwich, Port Antonia. So before Burning Spear we use to make our own drums kit and I used to blow through a comb with a piece of paper over it. We had our own band, and from there I went to sing in a hotel. We eventually left there as the City Heat Band. We then went to Kingston on tour. We ruled Kingston for a time, we even ruled Jamaica for a time. We left there and went to New York and got involved with ‘Supercat’.

Do you play your own instruments? Or are you just a vocalist?

I play a little bit of guitar and sing, just learning the guitar but both play and sing on stage.

In New York, do you go anywhere specifically, where’s your scene at?

Sometimes I go to S.O.B.’s, BB King’s, Irving Plaza and sometimes I just stay in my Studio.

How important is music to your life then?

Music in my life is extremely important. If I wake up in music then it basically means music is me, and that’s what I’m supposed to do. Music is everlasting. I spend a lot of time thinking about music and putting it together. I’m also working on my album. I haven’t really given it a name but I have a song called ‘Light it up’. I don’t know if I’ll go with that one. It just feels good.

Does spirituality play a big part in your life?

Yes most definitely because, as you grow up you realise what is good and what is evil. You learn to appreciate the hustlers from the true people. You appreciate the tricksters from real people. You have to know that God is alive to know that I am alive. I have to realise if I’m alive, then Jah is alive. No matter how they try to take religion and play a part in their country. Everyone is free to worship the almighty God in their own language and this is Rasta language spreading love all over.

Where has your music taken you recently?

We have just come back from Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Italy, France, England and we’re going to Thailand tomorrow.

How hard is it for you to step into Bob Marley’s shoes, when you first started with the Wailers?

It was a grand undertaking but since I grew up listening to Burning Spear, Dennis Brown and all sorts of Jamaican music, you know, I feel the music. I sing the music all the time. So the only thing was to get into the character. So not just to sing melodiously but also to sing with conviction. I bring the music to the people and let them know its not just dancing, drinking beer and smoking. It’s the learning thing, to satisfy your soul and not only your mind because your soul transfers more powerfully to the mind to make you understand the message.

I guess that when you write your songs you put like a message in all of these songs

I have to. The only thing is I find myself leaning towards too much of a world message. Sometimes I write 3 or 5 songs like that.

What is your message that you want to get across.

Let everyone know that god is alive and true, he is the true Emanuel, otherwise known as Jesus Christ. What ever language that you are speaking. People should love whole heartedly from the soul, a lot of people when you see them, you judge them, thats not the way they are really, we just judge, we just welcome. At The same we have to be able to scrutinise because you have wolves in sheeps clothing, so you have to know who to love, love everyone.

What is the message in Love Generation?

One part of the lyrics say everything is going to be alright, once you got that love there in no need for crying, the other thing is why should the children play in the street with broken hearts and faded dreams, that is because the children are not getting the proper direction. The older people are supposed to be responsible, not taking the time to balance their acts in life. Probably some of them are having too much of a fun so that the children get faded dreams, dreams that fade their life and soul into obscurity, into the depths like there is no coming back. They are lost. This is a message to the parents but at the same time to dance and love and feel good. Love is a really good feeling that sometimes just sends shivers that run over you. That’s the way it is and I feel that I have to be kind to everyone, because this is what Jah Says.

How did you meet Bob Sinclar?

We met when I was with my bredrine Carol in New York. We got together and he played me a dance track and I thought all right then. He gave me some ideas, and we worked from there.

How did it work, did he do the whistle and hen you wrote the lyrics?

The track was already finished; it was just the lyrics to be put down. He told me that he wanted a happy song. So I sang the lyrics.

So how do you feel about Dance music?

I love dance music man, I love the movement, its beautiful music.

Did it feel weird for you to be contributing to Dance music?

Yea! It felt really weird!

Its not your comfort zone is it.

Yea, yea definitely, but you know what, the vibrations was lovely!

That’s right Bob said at the time it felt really right and he knew it was going to be a big record.

Definitely!

So when you finished the record and completed the vocals did you know it was going to be a hit record strait away?

Oh yea, oh yea. We were writing together, feeling the ideas, and everything was moving from one level, up, up! Even if one idea didn’t work we kept the vibe going up and up. Beautiful.

Now the records doing well in Europe how does that make you feel?

That makes me feel great! I perform the record anywhere for anybody. I just want people to feel the record and dance to it and get the message.

Its going to make people in the UK more aware of Gary Pine too.

Ha ha. Yea! I got a few fans over there from the Wailers, I don’t forget the fans.

How do you think the Reggae purists are going to react to the record?

It will probably appear a little bit odd. I’m a Reggae man, I will never leave Reggae to go anywhere else but I will spread out, I’m a root, you know. I’m the young root, I have to spread all over and reach everyone, everywhere.

So I suppose you are really lucky to be able to do that with this record.

Yea, yea, definitely! They are gonna get a Reggae album from it, trust me!

Are you planning to do any more work with Bob Sinclar on any of his other projects?

Oh yea! As a matter of fact we’ve already started. One of the tracks has a touch of Reggae, some Reggae guitar. We have it and its coming!