Rude Boy: Once Upon a Time in Jamaica

by Chris Salewicz

A crucial work from the co-writer of the most successful Jamaican film ever, "Third World Cop." Chris Salewicz also wrote an authorized biography of Bob Marley and was a writer for famed music magazine NME for several years.

Genres: Music

262 pages, Paperback

First published November 2, 2000

About the author

Chris Salewicz's writing on music and popular culture has appeared in publications around the globe. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer."

Reviews

[Craig White · Rating 4 out of 5]

a risk-free punt for me as i always enjoyed chris salewicz's writings for the n.m.e., and remember reading the pieces that form part of the narrative of this book, at the time, which perhaps demonstrates the quality of such. this book weaves together his experiences on several visits to jamaica with passages of historical and political natures, by way of providing the wider picture. although serving as scene setting, it's these interludes that slow things down a little for me (although they are both relevant and informative), so compelling and convincing are the accounts of his visits and those he encountered. the sense of danger is perfectly related, the tension of very real threats to his life conveyed skilfully, and his passion for reggae music, and the individuals involved in the creation of such, is demonstrated in spades.
for those of us that haven't had an opportunity to visit jamaica, these pieces ably demonstrate what conditions on the front line were actually like, and many thanks to chris salewicz for taking the risks to bring it to us.

[Ed, North London · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, having read Salewicz' excellent biographies of Joe Strummer and Bob Marley.

"Rude Boy..." is a love letter to Jamaica, in all of it's contradictory, chaotic beauty...as Don Letts says on the back cover "Paradise or pair of dice..."

I read the book in Jamaica, and it's a gonzo journalism type of flit between reportage, personal experience, colonial history, exploration of rasta, dancehall etc.

It is similar to another factual, journalistic book about Jamaica, "The Dead Yard" by Ian Thomson, but where that book was pessimistic and somewhat mean spirited, making a thesis about Jamaica's spiritual, intellectual and economic poverty, Salewicz brings a more loving, affectionate lens to the island.

It is clear Salewicz adores Jamaica all the more for it's edginess and complexity. Like The Clash, the punk band who wrote about their fear and adoration of Jamaica in the song "Safe European Home", Salewicz wants to go back again and again, even when he has been bruised. Maximum respect!