The 1993 documentary, "Stepping Razor: Red X" riveted audiences around the world, many of whom could sing along to songs like "Stop the Train," but never probably understood the details surrounding his murder in 1987 or the extent to which his ideals influenced generations of musicians, both within and outside of the reggae genre. Following a screening of the film as part of the recently concluded February Reggae Month celebrations in Jamaica, documentarian Wayne Jobson caught up with BobMarley.com to discuss the documentary and his plans to move ahead with a feature film also based on Tosh's life.
Discussing the new feature, Jobson promised, "The film will have the drama of a revolutionary who the Jamaican government wanted dead."
Having risen to prominence as a member of the original Wailers alongside his friends Bunny Wailer and Bob Marley, the influential artist attained international acclaim for his charismatic, if somewhat confrontational performances leading the dynamic Word Sound and Power band. Tosh has also recorded some of reggae's most enduringly popular tunes. His powerful, drum and bass driven rendition of Chuck Berry's early rock and roll gem "Johnny B. Goode" reached the lower rungs of the U.S. Top 50 Billboard charts in 1983 and the song's video was among a mere handful of reggae clips to ever receive rotation on MTV. His definitive cover of Joe Higgs' "Steppin Razor," with the ominous refrain: "I'm dangerous," sounded as if it had been written specifically for the potent quality of Tosh's lyrics.
Tosh vociferously campaigned for the legalization of marijuana (oftentimes with a spliff in hand), a crusade succinctly summarized by his hit "Legalize It." He earned legions of new fans by collaborating with Mick Jagger on the crossover hit "Don't Look Back" (Tosh was signed to Rolling Stones Records in 1978 and "Bush Doctor" was his first release for the label). One of reggae's most revolutionary voices, Tosh did more than any Jamaican artist to protest the racist South African regime years before its demise; the signature (English language) liberation anthem of the South African struggle "Fight Against Apartheid" was taken from Tosh's landmark "Equal Rights" album released in 1977. But Tosh's militancy and his refusal to support corruption within the "shitstem" also made him a target for routine beatings by Jamaican police.
On September 11, 1987, three gunmen entered Tosh's home on Plymouth Avenue, Kingston, reportedly demanding money. When Tosh refused, he was killed along with two friends. Tosh's common law wife, Marlene Brown, and two other guests narrowly escaped with their lives. Two of the gunmen have never been identified but it is alleged they were killed, the outcome of street justice. The third, Dennis "Leppo" Lobban remains in a Jamaican prison, convicted after the shortest jury deliberation period in the history of Jamaica's court system: 11 minutes. Leppo, who Tosh had befriended and allowed to stay at his home, maintains his innocence.
Jamaican born Los Angeles based musician/record producer and all around reggae maverick Wayne Jobson knew Bob, Bunny and Peter. A founder of the progressive reggae band Native (whose album Rockstone was released in 2007 on the UK's Pressure Sound label), Jobson used to jam with the Wailers at Bob's 56 Hope Road residence. Jobson always had a special fondness for Tosh's intellect and sense of humor. But his respect for Tosh's music and concern for the preservation of Tosh's legacy motivated him to make the "Red X" documentary.
"Tosh was brilliant," Jobson reflected a few weeks after the screening of his film. "When Tosh was assassinated in 1987, I was devastated. A few years later I was still thinking about him. I went into record shops in the US and in Jamaica and I couldn't find his music anywhere. The whole world had forgotten about him, so I said let me put something together to keep his memory alive." Jobson, who also hosts a reggae show on LA's Indie Radio 103.1, decided the best way to honor Tosh was by making a documentary about his life. When he contacted Tosh's family for background information, he got more than he bargained for. "When I met Peter's family they said we have a lot of music tapes and videos," Jobson explained, "and then they said, 'We have some tapes here with Peter just talking.' They were called the 'Red X Tapes.'"
Between 1983 and 1987, Peter Tosh recorded a series of tapes recounting significant events and observations on life that he planned to transcribe and compile into a book. He called these musings the "Red X Tapes" because the Jamaican government placed a red x next to Tosh's name on all official documents. The "Red X Tapes" provided Jobson with an unexpected treasure trove of material. "Peter's family thought it was something I wouldn't be interested in," Jobson recalls, "but for me, finding these tapes was like finding the Lost Ark of the Covenant."
Jobson focused his Tosh documentary around the content of these tapes, thus he named the project "Stepping Razor Red X." Tosh's actual vocals provide the film's narration. Canadian actor Nicholas Campbell, who also directed the film, is shot in subdued light lip-syncing Tosh's words. The overall effect is a compelling, at times eerie, but certainly a credible celluloid reincarnation of the slain singer. Jobson intersperses Tosh's narration with concert clips, archival footage of the Wailers and interviews with some of the people closest to the stepping razor, including his mother Mrs. Alvera Coke, his cousin Pauline Morris and Marlene Brown. Towards the end of his life, the once gregarious Tosh became somewhat of a recluse, which has been widely speculated to have been the result of his relationship with Brown. He spoke of being chased by ghosts or "duppies," which is attributed to Brown's dabbling in what Jamaicans refer to as obeah or black magic.
"She awoke the duppy part of Peter," says Tosh's friend Evah Gordon in the documentary. "He said their house at Plymouth Avenue had 49 duppies and he was going to chase out every one of them."
Commencing in 1991, Jobson spent three years traveling back and forth to Jamaica, filming segments of "Red X." The documentary premiered at the 1994 Toronto Film Festival where it received rave reviews. Later that year it was nominated for a Canadian Academy Award for Best Documentary.
Fourteen years after the release of "Red X," Jobson is now working on a long awaited Peter Tosh feature film focusing on the singer's life from the break up of the Wailers in 1974 until his 1987 murder. Jobson has recruited veteran British filmmaker and Academy Award-nominated Sir Ridley Scott to direct the as of yet untitled project. The major roles have yet to be cast (Jobson's first choice for Tosh is Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle) and the script is unfinished but given the fascinating subject matter, Jobson is confident it will be a landmark addition to the reggae film canon and another significant effort in preserving Tosh's renown.
"[The new film] will have the songs of a brilliant musician who had an impact in reggae's early days and worked with the Rolling Stones," Jobson said. "Then there is the tragic love affair with Marlene, she turned him against everyone he became a recluse. I don't think there is any stronger bio pic in the world than the Peter Tosh story."