Reggae master a spiritual being

Lee "Scratch" Perry is guilty of arson. He did it. In 1979, after two days of aimless wandering and hammer wielding on the streets of Kingston, Jamaica, he burned down his own Black Ark Studios, a place where he had recorded many a reggae and dub masterpiece.

Perry, who plays the Studio on K Rd tomorrow with the Mad Professor, was arrested but released without being charged because of lack of evidence. Today though, the man behind some of Bob Marley's best music, is adamant: "I didn't do anything wrong. I had to burn [it] down."

For Perry, burning the Ark was a matter of life and death. After he recorded the Congos' classic album, Heart of the Congos - one of reggae's best albums - he realised the Ark had to be destroyed because it housed too many "demons".

"When I opened the Black Ark Studio [in the early 70s] it was to heal. It was to change [the] poor into rich, rags into riches, and we start the experiment in making poor people sing there, and they become superstar, millionaire," he says, in his rambling English.

As he continues, Perry becomes nuttier. "All the poverty, the bad vibrations and bad energy was left in the Ark. If we don't want to live with their bad energy then we must burn it down. So when I burn down the Ark, I burn down Bob Marley and the Wailers, and Peter Tosh, and the Congos.

"That [burning it down] was the best thing I ever do, to save myself. If I didn't do that I would not be alive now. Those Congo demons were the heaviest demons we have, and those Congo demons would eat me alive.

"I would be in my grave before Bob Marley. I would be in my grave before [producer, King] Tubby. I would be in my grave before Coxsone [Dodd, the founder of reggae label Studio One]."

Dodd, a former mentor of Perry, died this year and Perry says flippantly that if he had burned down Studio One then he might still be alive today. "But Coxsone let the demons get to him first," he offers.

It is easy to write off Perry as a crazy man. And you have every right to jump to that conclusion when he answers a simple question about why he keeps touring, even though he's nearly 70, with: "My secret is that I am the angel of rain, I am the angel of hurricanes, I am the angel of lightning ... "

Plus, he speaks in raves - sometimes sensible, sometimes not - and punctuates them with giggles that sound more like a poodle than a laughing hyena.

And making things even more mad is that Perry clearly thinks he is not of this world. "You have human beings on the planet Earth, and you have angels, and you have spiritual beings. I am for sure not one of the human beings.

"I'm a spiritual being. I am an angel being, and not a human being. And I am going to be here for the next 244,000 years, in the music business."

But he is surprisingly lucid when it comes to the traditions of reggae and dub. "Reggae music was created spiritually," he explains. "Mentally, spiritually and physically ... from ska and rocksteady.

"It's a spiritual music with spiritual source with sexy feeling and sexy vibrations, for the bed, to make love," he giggles.

Perry was born in Jamaica in 1936, but he left his homeland in the late 80s after Black Ark burned down and he began to grow sick of the local music industry.

He now lives in Zurich with his wife Mirelle who, during this interview, coaxes him to elaborate on his answers.

Throughout his prolific solo career he has had some great moments, including Super Ape (1976) and Technomajikal (1997) - and some stinkers.

But his latest album, Panic In Babylon, which was released in New Zealand this week to coincide with his shows, is a return to form.

The album is recorded with Swiss reggae band the White Valley Rats ("They have the good vibration about the music," says Perry) whose deep, rich grooves are a solid backing for Perry's lyrical rants.

"You like Panic In Babylon?" he asks innocently and then starts meowing - more like a kitten than a cat - down the phone. Then he says, "I am Dr Lee and I am the pussy man, you understand," in reference to the song, Pussy Man, off Panic In Babylon.

This return to form on record has a lot to do with having a quality band behind him, but it is also a result of giving up marijuana a while ago. "More than two years ago I stopped smoke. I stopped smoke, stopped drinking alcohol, been without cigarettes, without any ganja, without any alcohol."

He promises a better show in New Zealand this time round after a disappointing concert three years ago when the bong that he was constantly chugging on got in the way of the music.

"I am going to come down there to help you, support the children, and help the people, and save the angel beings."

And with those friendly words of wisdom he signs off. "Enjoy life and be good," he giggles.