Examining the Creative Process of Bob Marley Through the Framework of David Usher’s Let the Elephants Run

Jamaican singer, composer and musician, Bob Marley, has made himself a legendary name in the world of reggae and global culture as a whole. He sold over 20 million records during his career, making him one of the world’s best selling artists of all time. Marley’s commitment to Rastafari attributed to his campaign for social change with his politically charged, spiritual music founded in love. Reggae was therefore not simply an art form, but a culture and way of life that has greatly influenced social justice campaigns while providing respite in the form of lively music to dance to. Bob Marley’s methodologies of creating music fit with David Usher’s model of the creative process since the unification of several practices amounted to many creative collisions and substantial success within Marley’s career.

METHODOLOGIES AND PRACTICES

Curved line thinking. Diane Dobson, Marley’s long time friend and lawyer, remarks an account of when Bob was strumming his guitar and singing on the porch:

. . .he made a beautiful song but we never heard anything more about it. I remember him making a remark, he said ‘Ah right now, you see me a-sing, you should be wiring down the words, what I’m doing.’ I said ‘True, Bob.’ I picked up the phone directory and turned to a page and wrote the words of the song on it. He just did a verse and stopped. Two years later I picked up the phone book and was marveling at the lyric. It was so beautiful. (Dawes, 49)

This exhibits Marley’s approach in writing as a process of allowing the lyrics and music to take shape together, without force, the organic merging of lyrics and sound. Kwame Dawes author of Bob Marley: Lyrical Genius, states that, “you would never find him working hard to cram a lyric into a line. Instead he allowed the lyric space to find its own sound connection. His rhymes would not follow a rigid syllabic or line length, but would seem most natural in the way the song found its unity of melody and meaning” (53). The spontaneity demonstrated with the relaxed combining of lyric and melody suggest Marley’s understanding of the importance of unexpected outcomes. David Usher, author of Let The Elephants Run, suggests that stepping across ‘the 4th wall’ and allowing for unpredictability is a recipe for creative success. The curved line thinking theory permits for “creativity to observe, study and explore all the various points of interest along the way” (Usher 87). Marley was always exploring these points of interest as his friend Neville Garrick recounts of Bob’s amazing ability to “hear a line or phrase, turn it around and make it his own or come up with a verse and melody out of the air” (“Marley Natural”).

Filtering and Experimentation. Marley’s approach to merging separate ideas and coming back to them is also a form of filtering. David Usher explains the idea of digging through various concepts of lyrics and arrangements allows him to “spend more time building good ideas and less time chasing dead ends” (Usher 225). Furthermore, the combination of curved line thinking and filtering, is a method of experimentation that Usher describes as “never static and aways evolving” (231). The experimentation process employed by Marley in his songs is also evident within the evolution of his rhythmic structure; the evolution of ‘ska’ music to reggae. Jimmy Cliff and Bunny Wailer explain how they experimented alongside Marley with the structure of ‘ska’ and they came upon reggae through an “accidental change of guitar rhythm, creating a double stroke on the strings — rather than a single” (Nicolini). Marley’s song creation process was an evolution over time as a result of merging elements, filtering, manipulating and experimenting.

Everyday Practice. Moreover, Marley’s creative genius was not only spontaneous. There was inherent passion and dedication that led him to spending a lot of time intensely working. The first early example of this was when Marley worked for Coxsone Dodd in the mid-1960’s; producing 30 songs in two or three years (Dawes 72). In addition, Marley had another intensive creative spark when he worked with Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry in the early 1970’s (72). “Few use the word obsessive about Marley, but it is clear that when he was writing, his daily routine was driven by the need to make songs…Stories abound of Marley plotting out songs while sitting in his hotel room or while riding on a bus” (52). The Kaya/Exodus (1978) tracks from Bob Marley and The Wailers, were developed from a passionate four month period of writing and recording. David Usher advocates that 95 percent of the creative process is working, grinding and planning. Spending 10,000 hours of dedication is a necessary investment if an artist plans to become great (Usher 113). Bob Marley clearly understood the importance of dedicating time towards the entire creative process. Yet, Marley’s intensive work seemed to be fueled by his passion to speak of political and social revolution to Rastafarians and the rest of the world. Marley had a vision to change the world through his music; he had an agenda that was more than himself. Therefore, this selfless desire influenced his enthusiasm to create stimulating, rebellious music.

Release the Mind. Although experimentation and dedication are extremely crucial in the creative processes of Marley and Usher, “working harder is sometimes not the answer”. Usher explains that when a creative roadblock surfaces, it makes a significant difference once you “take your mind somewhere else and give your subconscious a chance to work on the problem” (Usher 254). Marley’s practice of relaxing his mind to make connections was through playing soccer; many recalled of Marley as being quite skilled at the sport. When describing how Marley would become inspired, Neville Garrick illustrates, “Bob would smoke a spliff and play soccer to make the words come out.” In addition to playing soccer, Marley would use cannabis as a form of creative stimulation. Marley embraced cannabis and was a supporter of its “meditational, spiritual and healing abilities, and a fierce opponent to those political forces who tried using marijuana as a vehicle for oppression” (“Marley Natural”). Marley’s daughter Cedella reported that “every time he smoked, he was inspired and an open mind was the open door for his creative inspiration. He thought the herb was actually a gift” (Lavender). Transcendental, inspiring art originates from the heart, the soul. Thus to experience more “aha” moments, its occasionally necessary to stop forcing the process; get out of the mind and into the body, into the present moment, where there is better connection to the heart and soul.

CONCLUSION

To conclude, exploring Bob Marley’s and David Usher’s creative processes reveals many similarities within the framework of some of their most useful methodologies. The practice of curved line thinking amounts to unexpected outcomes, in turn allowing for a process of filtering to occur. The filtering then enables for experimentation through daily practice and intensive dedication to the art. As a result, such creative processes amount to necessary releasing of the analytical mind, to return to the emotion behind the creative motivation. This progression and use of various methods over time amounts to many ‘moments of creative collision’. Thus, the usefulness of such methods is clearly recognizable through the brilliant works of Bob Marley.

Works Cited

“Bob Marley and the Herb.” Marley Natural , 2016,

http://www.marleynatural.com/bob-marley-and-the-herb.

Accessed 18 October 2016.

Dawes, Kwame. Bob Marley: Lyrical Genius. London, Sanctuary, 2002.
Accessed 17 October 2016.

Lavender, Paige. “On Bob Marley’s Birthday, A Look At What He Had To Say About Government Opposition To Weed.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 9 Feb. 2015,

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/06/bob-marley-weed- government_n_6631410.html.
Accessed 18 October 2016.

Nicolini , Kim. “Rebel Music.” Counter Punch , 25 May 2015,

http:www.counterpunch.org/2012/05/25/rebel-music/.

Accessed 18 October 2016.

Ross, Matt. “Bob Marley and Lee Jaffe.” Citizens of Humanity Magazine , 28 July 2016,
https://mag.citizensofhumanity.com/blog/2015/12/11/bob-marley-and lee-jaffe/.

Accessed 18 October 2016.

Usher, David. Let the Elephants Run: Unlock Your Creativity and Change Everything. Toronto, ON, House of Anansi Press Inc. , 2015.

Accessed 10 October 2016.