The Life of Bob Marley

Longtime collector and archivist of Marley recordings and artifacts, Roger Steffens, once again brought his travelling Bob Marley presentation to Chico. Steffens is obviously an impassioned and fervent follower of Marley's life and music and his zeal was rather contagious. He spoke in a resonating dramatic voice and is clearly skilled in holding the attention of an audience. Unfortunately, the presentation was marred by continuing technical difficulties with sound and video that the AS Presents staff were unable to fix. Steffens worked around these obstacles with admirable professionalism and the show was entertaining and well received in spite of the distractions.
Steffens' presentation consisted of a narrated version of Marley's life story, peppered with video footage of performances and interviews that helped to bring the story to life. Steffens is constantly collecting new material and he brought along some stuff that had not been seen during his last visit to Chico. Steffens presented an attractive view of Marley as a compassionate humanitarian who was always concerned with the plight of the poor and downtrodden, a populist revolutionary who was angry at social injustice and a proselytizer for peace, love and unity, all for humanity. Although Steffens perhaps exaggerated the scope of Marley's continuing and seemingly expanding popularity in the context of the 20th century, there is no denying that the appeal that Marley has come to hold for such a vast and diverse group of people around the world that far exceeds what one would expect of a popular musician. This appeal is evidence that the music of Bob Marley did far more than entertain. It touched issues and emotions that reside at the core of the souls of millions of people around the world.

- Shug

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