That the language of the poetry of Jamaican music is rastafarian or biblical language cannot simply be put down to the colonizer and his satanic missionaries. The fact is that the historical experience of the black Jamaican is an experience… — Linton Kwesi Johnson Copy Share Image
…the popular music of Jamaica, the music of the people, is an essentially experiential music, not merely in the sense that the people experience the music, but also in the sense that the music is true to the historical experience,… — Linton Kwesi Johnson Copy Share Image
At the end of the day, life's about realising one's human potential. I don't know if I've realised mine, but I've certainly gone a… — Linton Kwesi Johnson Copy Share Image
I don't go to see bands any more because I've got tinnitus, so I have to avoid loud music. You get used to it,… — Linton Kwesi Johnson Copy Share Image
That the language of the poetry of Jamaican music is rastafarian or biblical language cannot simply be put down to the colonizer and his… — Linton Kwesi Johnson Copy Share Image
Once you have a disease like cancer, you look at life a bit differently. Some things that were important no longer seem as important… — Linton Kwesi Johnson Copy Share Image
Back in those early days when I began my apprenticeship as a poet, I also tried to voice our anger, spirit of defiance and… — Linton Kwesi Johnson Copy Share Image
Writing was a political act and poetry was a cultural weapon. — Linton Kwesi Johnson Copy Share Image
The more I read my poems, the more I find out about them. I still read them with the same passion I felt when… — Linton Kwesi Johnson Copy Share Image
I wrote two poems about the '81 uprisings: 'Di Great Insohreckshan' and 'Mekin Histri.' I wrote those two poems from the perspective of those… — Linton Kwesi Johnson Copy Share Image
I am often asked why I started to write poetry. The answer is that my motivation sprang from a visceral need to creatively articulate… — Linton Kwesi Johnson Copy Share Image
I have never, ever sought validation from the arbiters of British poetic taste, — Linton Kwesi Johnson Copy Share Image
The modern stuff, I can take it or leave it. I like its danceability, but the DJs talk a lot of nonsense. — Linton Kwesi Johnson Copy Share Image
…the popular music of Jamaica, the music of the people, is an essentially experiential music, not merely in the sense that the people experience… — Linton Kwesi Johnson Copy Share Image
