May 30, 2025 • 31 mins
Our podcast is a supporter of the great work done by the good folks at Home Base here in Boston. If you want to learn more about the good work they do helping veterans and their families please go to www.homebase.org
This episode of Home Base Nation features 7 time Grammy nominated and 2 time Grammy winner Shaggy who is a veteran of the United States Marines. Shaggy has amazing spirit and grit that were undoubtably shaped by Marine discipline and deployment.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I'm buzznight and here at the Taking a Walk Podcast,
we love to occasionally share the great work of other
podcasters from time to time, and we also love to
share the tremendous work of charities doing meaningful work locally, nationally,
and in our global community. Check out this episode of
the Home Based Nation podcast from our friends at home
(00:24):
Base here in Boston. Led by General Jack Hammond, who's
been a previous guest on Taking a Walk, Doctor Ron
Hirshberg and their tremendous team. Home Base does amazing work
for veterans and their families and we urge you to
support them. This episode is with marine veteran dancehall and
(00:47):
reggae artist Orville Burrell otherwise known as Shaggy.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Hey, everybody, this is Ron Hersberg. You'r host a Home
Based Nation. Now, I know it's February, but around home
Base we're thinking about July because this is the eleventh
annual run to Home Base. This is a nine k
or five k run or walk and is sponsored by
New Balance and this is our opportunity right in the
iconic Fenway Park to honor our veterans in their military families.
(01:15):
Now there's two pretty cool things about this run in
my mind. One, all of the funds go to the
care that is provided at home Base, which is a
Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General program. And since two
thousand and nine, more than twenty seven thousand runners and
walkers have been involved from forty one states, and we've
been able to raise almost twenty two million dollars for
(01:36):
the care for post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury
than trauma based services. Now, the second thing I want
to mention about this race is that it'll start right
at Fenway Park and the runners and walkers will go
through the streets of Boston and wind up coming through
the back of the outfield right near the Green Monster,
which is up at left field, And the participants will
(01:57):
come down the third baseline and actually finish right at
home plate. And I can tell you from personal experience
that feels great. And I bet that's the only time
most of us are going to be stepping on home plate.
The eleventh annual run actually is on July eleventh at
Fenway Park, and the registration's open now now for all
the civilians supporting this event. Remember, the early bird fundraising
(02:19):
minimum is six hundred and twenty five dollars and that
goes until February twelfth, and then it jumps to eight
hundred and fifty dollars after February twelfth, So keep that
in mind. Go to run to home base dot org
and sign up. Okay, thanks for listening. This is a
great annual event and we hope to see you there
at Fenway Park.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
This is home Based Nation's Nation.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
There was a CEO one TMA says that as Christmas
is I e. I don't see color. Everybody I see
here is green. Yeah what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
I was like, yeah, now.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
That's what you gotta get that together. And I think
we could do it through music. And I try to
unite it and get it through music as much as
we can.
Speaker 5 (03:06):
You you would have let the seed.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
You're not.
Speaker 5 (03:13):
You don't even bring men to the.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
N wait to see her.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Hello everybody, and more appropriately wa guan. That's the proper
warm Jamaican greeting for today, and thank you for tuning in.
This is doctor Ron Hirschberg and that teaser of a
tune you just heard is called that Love, a to
twenty sixteen infectious song written and performed by our guest
today Grammy winner and Marine veteran Shaggy. It's worth visiting
(04:07):
the music video for that song because it paints a
vivid picture of our armed forces missing their loved ones
while they're overseas.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
It does the.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Job in giving the nod to all of our servicemen
and women who keep the love and connection alive while
fighting for our country. Shaggy was born Orville Richard Burrell
in Jamaica, and after moving to New York at age eighteen,
he would soon enlist in the Marines. Two years into service,
he deployed with the tenth Marine Regiment to the Persian Gulf,
and he looks back at that time in his life
(04:35):
as one of the building blocks of discipline that helped
launch him into superstardom into the world of dancehall and
reggae music. Shaggy is a seven time nominated and two
time Grammy winner, including the twenty nineteen collaborative album forty
four Slash eight seven six with Sting in studio and
on tour, Sting and Shaggy became bonded brothers immigrants of
(04:57):
different forms, not unlike military squad mates, except their continued
mission is unity through song that we can all experience
just by listening to the album or visiting them at
their office on stage together. For Shaggy, music has been
a vehicle to bring different kinds of people to the
same experience. But after meeting him, it's not just the
music that does this, it's the spirit and grit that
(05:20):
undoubtedly were shaped by marine discipline and deployment. So before
we begin the conversation, I'll leave you with this familiar
motto sempify or in English, always loyal. This sums up
a true motto for our guests as a marine who
served overseas and as a faithful artist who continues to
serve all his fans across the globe. Thanks for joining
(05:41):
us for this conversation and we'll see you on the
other end.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
I've known that you were a marine or marine. Thank
you by the way for that perspective.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
And this podcast is about creation, meaning people that create
things that are going to directly or indirectly help our
troops and help the families. Yeah, your passion is music.
You know, I've heard some of the songs that you've
you've created that do reflect on giving back to our military,
(06:20):
that love in particular that love.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Yeah, Yeah, there's Also, there was also another song that
we did on a previous album, I think Summer in Kingston,
that I literally spoke about just how recruitment and how
it is for a kid coming out of the ghetto
and what's their only choice at times. Yeah, I don't remember.
(06:44):
If you meant I was at farre night ninet eleven,
then watch where you know. I think one of the
recruiters was trying to recruit somebody who was in the
hood and the kid was like, yeah, I'm at a
rap and said, well, yeah you rap it, well shaggy
he rap. He wasn't men, which really dawned in me
because I was never a model marine in in the Marines.
(07:05):
I came out of you know, PFC want of a
private because I was a well half the time because
I used to drive to New York, you know, back
and forth just to h to do music. And but
in that song, it really talks about, uh, just the
whole energy, you know, going into the mirror and and
some somehow while being in the military, feeling like you're
(07:27):
a number, you know, I mean that that family feeling
wasn't there at that time, and I think brotherhood really
forms in when you're in crisis. Because when I was
in the First Gulf War, I ended up being in
opportunity that got really closer, you know, that a battery
that was that was really tight knit because of the
(07:49):
situations that we were in. That's when you started. You know,
that's when everything erases, color eRASS, you know, background erases,
everything is gone because you're now in the fighting whole
garden of fifty cal in the middle of nowhere with
a guy that has nothing in common with you culturally.
You know, you might be of different races, but now
you're gonna have to watch each other's back. I think
(08:11):
what needs to you know, a lot of that. It
shouldn't take acts of crisis or in a situation like
that to get that camaraderie that should get from before
going in, you know what I mean. And I remember
being in the military. There's divisions. You know, there's there's clicks,
and there's you know, all of.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
That within each brand, whether you're overseas.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Just see, it doesn't even even have to go to
a battalion. It could just be just in your battery,
you know, just in your just in your squad, just
in your you know, nobody is clicking to get nobody's
going there all clicking up because of their whether it
be ethnic backgrounds or you know, cultural background or whatever
it is. And I think those are some of the
(08:55):
things that needs, you know, to be addressed and pushed forward.
You know. When I came out, I ended up doing
a USO a lot of a couple of USO shows
with Wayne Newton, who at the time was ahead of it,
and we ended up going to UH Germany, which was
a really eerie concert that I had there because these
uh A lot of the veterans that were there were
(09:19):
war torn guys, and you know, they're partying and singing
to every song, but some of them didn't have limbs.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
You know.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
Yeah, that becomes a little uh tough because I think
it was a it's a hospital in Germany that we
went military, Yeah, I think it was that, and we
went there and played. I remember going to Bosnia with
me and Jessica Simpson and a whole who's slew of
artists at the time, and.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
That was pre nine to eleven.
Speaker 6 (09:45):
Yes, I grow the ceiling cling, find myself overwhelmed by
the ceiling something kneeling, spiritunic ling.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Yo.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
No, when the look from when they've gone from no.
Speaker 7 (10:02):
Money, no future, no ablums on everywhere.
Speaker 8 (10:05):
That's a look on a last one with a mouth
on every you a month, man, Yo, I'll give a
kiss to my girlfriend. No, I got a duel right
by the emblem because I didn't need a few potman
scientists many I just.
Speaker 7 (10:19):
Don't know when, yo, everywhere.
Speaker 4 (10:25):
That makes me think about the.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Concept of art and how in music and the vibes
of music culture can bring people together in positivity. I mean,
tell me about that experience with you as a it's
not only a writer but a performer.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
But I think you go through phases of it. You know,
when I just started doing music out of Flatbush, I
really got into music for chicks. It was, you know,
that was what I spit rhymes, I get chicks, you
know what I mean. I wasn't even thinking about money
at the time. I just was like, all right, cool,
you know, And I did local danceall records and with
in Flatbush and really in Brooklyn. Yeah. And then and
(11:05):
then after when you started doing you know, mister Boombastic
and mister uh and and that girl and wasn't me
And it became this a different vibe because now I
was one of the first that's doing it on that
scale and that level. So now I felt like I
had an opportunity to move my genre. I found myself
in that position at the time, to move the genre
(11:27):
into certain levels that it never had before, which was
dance all you know, and reggae. And then after that
it opened the door for people, you know, After that,
we had the Shawn Paul's and all of these other
acts that were huge, the waiting ones that that became huge,
and dance all as in an art form became profitable
to where record companies were starting to look at it
and all of that. So that was mine. Now that
(11:48):
I've gone through all of that, and and I'm older, yeah,
and I'm older. Things things that didn't bother you when
you were younger is starting to bother you now, you know,
Like whatever's on the news now, back then I didn't care,
you know, and now it's a different time. Back then
it was easily ignored. Now you can't ignore it. It's
on your phone, you know.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
Back then it wasn't to look to look company.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Yeah, now it's it's reaching you. And then then so
you get into the political system of it, and and
everything matters and you're elected official matters, and and uh,
you start to realize a lot of things socially that
you got to get involved. And so that sets the
tone of what is is now my recent Wuaguan album,
(12:34):
which really started from the four four eight seven sixth
album with Sting and I when we started, you know,
doing certain songs of a political nature, which was really
led by Sting and I just kind of got into
it after a while. And I've always said the Sting.
(12:54):
I said, Sting, you could say something certain things and
get away with it. I can you know what I'm saying.
We're two different shades here, bro what I'm saying, And uh,
you've said a lot though, but I've said it not
and and I did it following his lead.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
And uh, well tell me about dreaming in USA, because
I think of you know, two immigrants. How did that
feel to create something like that that did set the
stage and and and bring to light the beauty that
can come from people that become Americans.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
You just got you just got to look at the history.
My brother in history is pretty much saying it. You know,
none of us are pure. I'm a hybrid guy. I'm
a hybrid in music, I'm a hybrid in in life.
I'm a hybrid in race. I'm a hybrid. I like mixtures.
I like going places and feeling people's culture. And you know,
(13:52):
there's no saying that racism mistidious. It's it's it's taught.
You're not born that way, you know what I'm saying.
And a lot of it when you think about race,
it's fear.
Speaker 7 (14:03):
You see covies of your dream man of the US.
It's never easy looking for another. God bless America treatment
of the US. Are we stika treating of the Unitstates?
Speaker 1 (14:21):
The US? Here here of not knowing? You know what
I'm saying. It's like I always give a story that
I had in the military and in the fighting hole
that I was with this guy that is from Alabama
wherever the hell it was at that time, and he
did this was the first time he had ever seen
a black man is when he came to the military. Yeah,
he's associated with Yeah, and his thing is like I
(14:43):
saw it on TV. But he learned a lot from
me being a black man in the fighting hole with
him guarding the fifth cal and of me culturally as
a as a Caribbean person and as a black man
and then I learned a lot about him. I learned
about his his family and his I never knew there
was such a thing called tipping a cout. I was
(15:04):
blown away, like you what, yeh, what I'm saying?
Speaker 4 (15:10):
How come I never made it into a song?
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Yeah, you know, But we just sat there and culturally
figured it out and ended up liking each other, but
with a song like dreaming. At the time, it was
an issue that was going on when Sting and I
were in studio and we just needed to say it.
And all of that song was actually, apart from I
(15:32):
think my dance all part that I did it in
the end, most of it was written by Sting and
he brought it in that day and I was reading
the lyrics and he's like, I want you to sing
this this part, and he played in him and I
was like wow, and I started going through the lyrics.
I was just really like, Yo, this is dope. I
don't think I've ever done anything like this. Never. I've
(15:52):
never really ventured into because I've never touched on the
political side because I was always scared to be because
I've always I'm an immigrant and I'm I'm in a minority.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
Of music.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Right there.
Speaker 5 (16:10):
And work and stuff. Record when we were long and.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Said we talking about discriminate, you say you're Jewish. You know,
the Jews have been discriminated for years, much like the black,
much like anywhere else. Part of that discrimination was what
fear of not knowing what your culture is. Now, the
more I go to interact with with with Jewish people
and and because.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
There's a couple in the business and go to bar,
it's not But.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
I don't I really have Jewish music friends. I just
have friends that are just friends.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
Have you been bars?
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Yeah, I played a couple and I've been really a couple.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
I would love to see. My son just had a
bar miss last year.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
You probably your rates were a little haiger than the DJ.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Yeah, but we we went in. I used to live
in Brooklyn, you know, I've been Eastern Park where you
know where you have this city. Yeah, it's the whole.
So I've been around the whole culture of it. And
the more you get into it, the more you realize
that you know, when people look at this, oh that
is you know, they're weird or this is weird, or
that is weird, and this is this and this is that.
As you used to go and going. Now, it's all
(17:21):
that propaganda that builds that fair to you, and then
you start going in and realizes that these people are
no different from what the hell I do you know,
because there's so many people looking at me as Jamaica
and says, oh, man them Jamaican boys. Man, I don't
understand them, you know. Yeah, they were so many colors
they this day, but they're probably high right now. All
all the the statement, all the stereotypes, stereotypes and statements
(17:43):
that come with it.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Stay tuned, friends, Shaggy will be back in less than
two minutes after this message. We started planning this show
in January twenty nineteen, and it would not be possible
without the leadership and support from Brigadier General Jack Hammond,
Chief Operating Officer Michael Allard, and the Media Lab Chairman
Peter Smythe and on the front lines with me. There
(18:09):
are three key partners that have made this project possible.
Cassandra Falone, Charlotte Lucky and Steve Monico. Like all new shows,
we set our targets on growth and recognition while always
putting our energy into great content, conversations and stories that
we can share with you. But we do have a
special mission that is the driving force behind Home Based Nation,
(18:30):
and I want to talk to you about that. That's
simply getting the care to the veterans and families that
need it.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
Less than fifty.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
Percent of veterans seek the care that they can truly
benefit from. Stigma is everywhere, and in the case of
the veteran, stigma can be the single barrier to improving
quality of life, keeping families together, and sometimes even preventing suicide.
And because our two week intensive clinical program where the
ICP and other programs are provided at no cost to
(18:57):
veterans and families, Home Base can continue to with your support.
So please check out home based dot org slash home
Based Nation and you can see what we're up to
and there's always new events.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
And opportunities going on.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Any amount of donation helps and remember every year we
host a run to Home Base in Boston in July
and you can cross home Plate at Famway Park at
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(19:30):
helps us grow so that we can reach more civilian
and military folks like you. A grateful nation. Okay, thanks
for listening to this message, and now, as promise, let's
get back to more music and military talk with Shaggy.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
My music is dance all. At the time, I barely
got played on radio. And just the fact that I
got played on radios, I was the guy that was
trying to be as politically correct as possible. I was
not the guy that was trying to create any kind
of stuff. I just wanted to slide through because none
of nobody else before me was getting through and dance all. Uh,
but I was old. I was younger than and you know,
(20:08):
and it was probably very foolish because now thinking back
at it in hindsight, because I was at the top
of my game and I was this huge figure, I
probably should have that's the time for you to actually
say something and comment on it and get on it,
because then that that sparks conversations.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
And well, I think it's interesting too, because it's it's
you know, but it was fear. We're all about the
same age, and it's it's relative. I mean, you're young
in a sense. I guess what I'm going with it
is that this dreaming when you recorded that, it sounds
like a light bulb went off or but it was
something important, It was important something I don't know, if
what do you feel like you're gonna run with that more?
Speaker 1 (20:47):
But listen, of course we're going to probably do mostly
And this album that I did, walk Wan had more
of more social than than than even political. Yeah, it's
more personal and more personal. But the point I'm trying
to is why I'm feeling a little bit sad about that,
or or or regretful if I could, for the lack
(21:07):
of a better word, is when you're at you're young,
when you're young, at your prime, the future of the
country is not old guys, whether it be white, black, whatever,
it's not old. It's young people. And when these young
people find themselves in the position of power like I
was when I had hotshot and I was on top
of the world, use it, you know, now me doing
(21:29):
it at this age, after things you know, calmed on,
it's like it's easy for these kids to hear you
rant about you know, immigration and all theirs and say, yeah,
that's just the old miserable white black guy or just
the old yeah, the miserable old guy. You know what
I'm saying, It's easy for kids to just look at ye,
he's just old. That's why he's bitching about you. Because really,
(21:51):
when you were younger and you hear your mom bitch
about you know, she's just old. You know people, you
don't want to get to that point. And I mean
where you've us as cool, you know, I mean? I
saw jay Z put a record out was at four
for forgot what the name of the album was, and
I listened in it. There was so much knowledge in it,
and most of the kids I knew that were young kids.
(22:12):
There was like, I an't nobody want to hear that
ship he's as old. But what he was saying was
so knowledgeable to their future going by, but they was
just too young to get it. They're rat to being
in the club listening to megos talk about jewelry and
chicks and ass and you know what I mean, And
it's it's you know and what what? Which is good?
(22:34):
Now that you have people like j Cole and people
like Kendrick who are young people different exactly that feature
messages and and I just kind of wish at the
time that I I if anything, I could have done
that because I find myself doing it so well. But
I was in a position that I didn't have a movement.
You see. The good thing about j Cole and Kendrick
(22:55):
is that they're in a genre that is a movement
of this time. Rap is now the pop music, it's
now mainstream music. You know. At the time when I
was doing I'm Dance All and it's on the ground
and I'm the only guy these the one and only
guy that's getting on radio. So the pressure was on
(23:16):
at that point. And then I had management at the
time that really didn't know what the hell to make
of it because hits well, but they didn't know what.
They didn't know how to you know, they got beat
up by record company peoples and lawyers and all that
because they just weren't experienced. You know, there were young
guys that was in the street with me that's so weed,
you know, like like they knew what the hell was
(23:38):
you know, they you know, they got a contract in
even know what was on that damn thing, you know
what I mean. So we were just it was time
in and where we were and all of that. But
with a record like that with sting now, So I said,
Steam came into my life at a time to teach
me so many different things. And he taught me about
how to use your platform and how to you know,
(23:59):
address certain things things and to stand for something or
and if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything,
you know, and really kind of opened opened my eyes
to a lot of things in the music industry and
just socially and just about humanity and people and the
earth and all of that, you know. I mean, he's
big on the rainforest, he's big on so many things
(24:21):
that we share together.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
It's not surprising and what we've read about him, but
it's also it's from the heart, and it's even more
like it's poignant to hear it from a friend and
someone that's worked with him together because and that's part
of circling back to why we really wanted to talk
with you about.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
What I think if we didn't see eye to eye
and a lot of things. Yeah, I don't think the
camaraderie would go forward because he's that kind of guy.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
And you're touring together too, I imagine you're not just
in the studio. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so many conversations, conversations
up when you mentioned about giving back. One thing that
we're really proud about when we when we when we
talk about on this show, is that awareness and the
power that someone like you has and the voice. You know,
(25:10):
you may get millions of streams on Spotify and you're
out there obviously on the radio waves. There's a potential
use for that as well.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Absolutely, absolutely, and as we.
Speaker 3 (25:23):
Love the fact that we gave back to military by
you know, by writing those songs and shouting out to
the military, I think is something that we need.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
And absolutely it's really just understand point what I'm trying
to make within the military. I just think in America
in itself, we need to get to that point where
we start. As you said, we open it is a
healing process and healing together. It's not just the guys
in the military that has been traumatized with war that
(25:53):
needs healing. America needs healing, and I mean we need
to heal together and get together and the division needs
to stop. We're all just one people. We might have
different backgrounds and culture, but it's not nothing wrong with
learning that person's culture and being a part and dining
(26:14):
and sitting on people's tables.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
And you don't have to be in a fox hole
for that.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
No, you shouldn't have to be well on that note,
and I know you're gonna you know, you got a
busy night ahead.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
The How does music help with that?
Speaker 1 (26:28):
I think it helps in a big way because if
you notice now in the music business, remember rock music
used to be the major major art form, the major
music genre. Now you look at a rock a rock star,
and you look a rock star, they're the same people.
Remember rockers used to have tattoos and really wild hair
(26:50):
and dress really colorful and crazy, and we're like, oh,
those guys must be on drugs right to dress like that. Well,
now you look at these rappers now, yeah, look at
all these rappers. They look exact like those rock ross.
So what you've seen now you're seeing little white kids
want to be black and little black kids want to
be white. And it is flipped, you know what I mean,
you've seen that happen. Now you're seeing little white kids
(27:12):
loving hip hop music, and then you're going to see
a little black a bunch of black kids that starting
to figure out what the white kids are about. And
it's more interaction that's going on even countries exactly cross
country is crossing into it, right Aphabet. So the point
I'm trying to make that's how music is not uniting
it because it's uniting through culture, and I like and
(27:33):
what I would love to see is a lot more
interaction with military branches and culture. You know, if there's
throwing throwing huge festivals in aid of the military with
a lot of these acts, I don't know an act
that wouldn't go in and get involved in that, you know,
and kind of mix that generation so that that division
(27:56):
that you're seeing doesn't infiltrate than the military itself, you
know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
Because if you're blue or red, exactly white.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Yeah, there was a CEO one time that says that
this Christmas is I I don't see color. Everybody I
see here is green, you know what I'm saying. I
was like, Yeah, that's what you gotta. It's a brotherhood. Yeah,
you know, you gotta. You gotta get that together. And
I think we could do it through music. And I
tried to unite it and get it through music with
(28:26):
as much as we can.
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Definitely, well cheers to that, and you know, on that note,
we got a little gift for you. Well, this is
Home Base, MGH Red Sox. I don't you know, we're
not preaching the Red Sox here. I don't know where
where your loyalty is.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
You put a Red Sox hat on a on a
Yankee guy. Come on, man, you know what it is.
It's all about unity.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
It is, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (28:48):
So they can be friendly competition my brother. Yeah, so
I'm I'm definitely with it, all right. Hey, well, thank
you man, thanks for the interview in the chat.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (29:43):
We'd like to thank Shaggy for joining the Home Base
Nation family and for your service as a US Marine
and the unity that you bring through music. As you know,
brotherhood and connection have been strong themes for this show
and a fundamental basis for servicemen and women who recover
together right at Home Base. In November twenty nineteen, we
held our annual Veterans Day Dinner at the JFK Library
(30:04):
and Museum here in Boston. It was a night to
honor veterans and show the camaraderie of service members and
their families. Michael Allard and Brigadier General Jack Hammond welcome
Shaggy to the stage to recognize him for his service
as a marine in the tenth Regiment in the Gulf
War and for some live conversation. So I pulled up
a chair and had the honor to talk in front
of a live audience together. And it's not every day
(30:26):
that you get introduced with a walkout song boombastic booming
over the PA. So set your calendars for next week,
or subscribe and join us for a bonus episode live
at the JFK Library and Museum in the meantime. To
get to know Shaggy a little more, see what he's
up to in twenty twenty, or check out his new
solo album Waguan. Visit Shaggy online dot com. Special thanks
(30:48):
to Tracy Buffer at Team Shaggy and Sting for all
your collaboration and support, and thanks to Joe Wallace for
your never ending photographic eye for our guests, and to
Chuck Klow at Above the Basement Podcast for your on
location sound and support. On behalf of all of us
at home Base. I'm doctor Ron Hrsberg. Thank you for listening.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
And a bouts of the walk one did I get It?
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Thanks for listening to this special episode in the taken
a walk feed here of Home based nation with Shaggy
and thanks for listening to the Taking a Walk podcast.
Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I'm buzznight and here at the Taking a Walk Podcast,
we love to occasionally share the great work of other
podcasters from time to time, and we also love to
share the tremendous work of charities doing meaningful work locally, nationally,
and in our global community. Check out this episode of
the Home Based Nation podcast from our friends at home
(00:24):
Base here in Boston. Led by General Jack Hammond, who's
been a previous guest on Taking a Walk, Doctor Ron
Hirshberg and their tremendous team. Home Base does amazing work
for veterans and their families and we urge you to
support them. This episode is with marine veteran dancehall and
(00:47):
reggae artist Orville Burrell otherwise known as Shaggy.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Hey, everybody, this is Ron Hersberg. You'r host a Home
Based Nation. Now, I know it's February, but around home
Base we're thinking about July because this is the eleventh
annual run to Home Base. This is a nine k
or five k run or walk and is sponsored by
New Balance and this is our opportunity right in the
iconic Fenway Park to honor our veterans in their military families.
(01:15):
Now there's two pretty cool things about this run in
my mind. One, all of the funds go to the
care that is provided at home Base, which is a
Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General program. And since two
thousand and nine, more than twenty seven thousand runners and
walkers have been involved from forty one states, and we've
been able to raise almost twenty two million dollars for
(01:36):
the care for post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury
than trauma based services. Now, the second thing I want
to mention about this race is that it'll start right
at Fenway Park and the runners and walkers will go
through the streets of Boston and wind up coming through
the back of the outfield right near the Green Monster,
which is up at left field, And the participants will
(01:57):
come down the third baseline and actually finish right at
home plate. And I can tell you from personal experience
that feels great. And I bet that's the only time
most of us are going to be stepping on home plate.
The eleventh annual run actually is on July eleventh at
Fenway Park, and the registration's open now now for all
the civilians supporting this event. Remember, the early bird fundraising
(02:19):
minimum is six hundred and twenty five dollars and that
goes until February twelfth, and then it jumps to eight
hundred and fifty dollars after February twelfth, So keep that
in mind. Go to run to home base dot org
and sign up. Okay, thanks for listening. This is a
great annual event and we hope to see you there
at Fenway Park.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
This is home Based Nation's Nation.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
There was a CEO one TMA says that as Christmas
is I e. I don't see color. Everybody I see
here is green. Yeah what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
I was like, yeah, now.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
That's what you gotta get that together. And I think
we could do it through music. And I try to
unite it and get it through music as much as
we can.
Speaker 5 (03:06):
You you would have let the seed.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
You're not.
Speaker 5 (03:13):
You don't even bring men to the.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
N wait to see her.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Hello everybody, and more appropriately wa guan. That's the proper
warm Jamaican greeting for today, and thank you for tuning in.
This is doctor Ron Hirschberg and that teaser of a
tune you just heard is called that Love, a to
twenty sixteen infectious song written and performed by our guest
today Grammy winner and Marine veteran Shaggy. It's worth visiting
(04:07):
the music video for that song because it paints a
vivid picture of our armed forces missing their loved ones
while they're overseas.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
It does the.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Job in giving the nod to all of our servicemen
and women who keep the love and connection alive while
fighting for our country. Shaggy was born Orville Richard Burrell
in Jamaica, and after moving to New York at age eighteen,
he would soon enlist in the Marines. Two years into service,
he deployed with the tenth Marine Regiment to the Persian Gulf,
and he looks back at that time in his life
(04:35):
as one of the building blocks of discipline that helped
launch him into superstardom into the world of dancehall and
reggae music. Shaggy is a seven time nominated and two
time Grammy winner, including the twenty nineteen collaborative album forty
four Slash eight seven six with Sting in studio and
on tour, Sting and Shaggy became bonded brothers immigrants of
(04:57):
different forms, not unlike military squad mates, except their continued
mission is unity through song that we can all experience
just by listening to the album or visiting them at
their office on stage together. For Shaggy, music has been
a vehicle to bring different kinds of people to the
same experience. But after meeting him, it's not just the
music that does this, it's the spirit and grit that
(05:20):
undoubtedly were shaped by marine discipline and deployment. So before
we begin the conversation, I'll leave you with this familiar
motto sempify or in English, always loyal. This sums up
a true motto for our guests as a marine who
served overseas and as a faithful artist who continues to
serve all his fans across the globe. Thanks for joining
(05:41):
us for this conversation and we'll see you on the
other end.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
I've known that you were a marine or marine. Thank
you by the way for that perspective.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
And this podcast is about creation, meaning people that create
things that are going to directly or indirectly help our
troops and help the families. Yeah, your passion is music.
You know, I've heard some of the songs that you've
you've created that do reflect on giving back to our military,
(06:20):
that love in particular that love.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Yeah, Yeah, there's Also, there was also another song that
we did on a previous album, I think Summer in Kingston,
that I literally spoke about just how recruitment and how
it is for a kid coming out of the ghetto
and what's their only choice at times. Yeah, I don't remember.
(06:44):
If you meant I was at farre night ninet eleven,
then watch where you know. I think one of the
recruiters was trying to recruit somebody who was in the
hood and the kid was like, yeah, I'm at a
rap and said, well, yeah you rap it, well shaggy
he rap. He wasn't men, which really dawned in me
because I was never a model marine in in the Marines.
(07:05):
I came out of you know, PFC want of a
private because I was a well half the time because
I used to drive to New York, you know, back
and forth just to h to do music. And but
in that song, it really talks about, uh, just the
whole energy, you know, going into the mirror and and
some somehow while being in the military, feeling like you're
(07:27):
a number, you know, I mean that that family feeling
wasn't there at that time, and I think brotherhood really
forms in when you're in crisis. Because when I was
in the First Gulf War, I ended up being in
opportunity that got really closer, you know, that a battery
that was that was really tight knit because of the
(07:49):
situations that we were in. That's when you started. You know,
that's when everything erases, color eRASS, you know, background erases,
everything is gone because you're now in the fighting whole
garden of fifty cal in the middle of nowhere with
a guy that has nothing in common with you culturally.
You know, you might be of different races, but now
you're gonna have to watch each other's back. I think
(08:11):
what needs to you know, a lot of that. It
shouldn't take acts of crisis or in a situation like
that to get that camaraderie that should get from before
going in, you know what I mean. And I remember
being in the military. There's divisions. You know, there's there's clicks,
and there's you know, all of.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
That within each brand, whether you're overseas.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Just see, it doesn't even even have to go to
a battalion. It could just be just in your battery,
you know, just in your just in your squad, just
in your you know, nobody is clicking to get nobody's
going there all clicking up because of their whether it
be ethnic backgrounds or you know, cultural background or whatever
it is. And I think those are some of the
(08:55):
things that needs, you know, to be addressed and pushed forward.
You know. When I came out, I ended up doing
a USO a lot of a couple of USO shows
with Wayne Newton, who at the time was ahead of it,
and we ended up going to UH Germany, which was
a really eerie concert that I had there because these
uh A lot of the veterans that were there were
(09:19):
war torn guys, and you know, they're partying and singing
to every song, but some of them didn't have limbs.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
You know.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
Yeah, that becomes a little uh tough because I think
it was a it's a hospital in Germany that we
went military, Yeah, I think it was that, and we
went there and played. I remember going to Bosnia with
me and Jessica Simpson and a whole who's slew of
artists at the time, and.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
That was pre nine to eleven.
Speaker 6 (09:45):
Yes, I grow the ceiling cling, find myself overwhelmed by
the ceiling something kneeling, spiritunic ling.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Yo.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
No, when the look from when they've gone from no.
Speaker 7 (10:02):
Money, no future, no ablums on everywhere.
Speaker 8 (10:05):
That's a look on a last one with a mouth
on every you a month, man, Yo, I'll give a
kiss to my girlfriend. No, I got a duel right
by the emblem because I didn't need a few potman
scientists many I just.
Speaker 7 (10:19):
Don't know when, yo, everywhere.
Speaker 4 (10:25):
That makes me think about the.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Concept of art and how in music and the vibes
of music culture can bring people together in positivity. I mean,
tell me about that experience with you as a it's
not only a writer but a performer.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
But I think you go through phases of it. You know,
when I just started doing music out of Flatbush, I
really got into music for chicks. It was, you know,
that was what I spit rhymes, I get chicks, you
know what I mean. I wasn't even thinking about money
at the time. I just was like, all right, cool,
you know, And I did local danceall records and with
in Flatbush and really in Brooklyn. Yeah. And then and
(11:05):
then after when you started doing you know, mister Boombastic
and mister uh and and that girl and wasn't me
And it became this a different vibe because now I
was one of the first that's doing it on that
scale and that level. So now I felt like I
had an opportunity to move my genre. I found myself
in that position at the time, to move the genre
(11:27):
into certain levels that it never had before, which was
dance all you know, and reggae. And then after that
it opened the door for people, you know, After that,
we had the Shawn Paul's and all of these other
acts that were huge, the waiting ones that that became huge,
and dance all as in an art form became profitable
to where record companies were starting to look at it
and all of that. So that was mine. Now that
(11:48):
I've gone through all of that, and and I'm older, yeah,
and I'm older. Things things that didn't bother you when
you were younger is starting to bother you now, you know,
Like whatever's on the news now, back then I didn't care,
you know, and now it's a different time. Back then
it was easily ignored. Now you can't ignore it. It's
on your phone, you know.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
Back then it wasn't to look to look company.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Yeah, now it's it's reaching you. And then then so
you get into the political system of it, and and
everything matters and you're elected official matters, and and uh,
you start to realize a lot of things socially that
you got to get involved. And so that sets the
tone of what is is now my recent Wuaguan album,
(12:34):
which really started from the four four eight seven sixth
album with Sting and I when we started, you know,
doing certain songs of a political nature, which was really
led by Sting and I just kind of got into
it after a while. And I've always said the Sting.
(12:54):
I said, Sting, you could say something certain things and
get away with it. I can you know what I'm saying.
We're two different shades here, bro what I'm saying, And uh,
you've said a lot though, but I've said it not
and and I did it following his lead.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
And uh, well tell me about dreaming in USA, because
I think of you know, two immigrants. How did that
feel to create something like that that did set the
stage and and and bring to light the beauty that
can come from people that become Americans.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
You just got you just got to look at the history.
My brother in history is pretty much saying it. You know,
none of us are pure. I'm a hybrid guy. I'm
a hybrid in music, I'm a hybrid in in life.
I'm a hybrid in race. I'm a hybrid. I like mixtures.
I like going places and feeling people's culture. And you know,
(13:52):
there's no saying that racism mistidious. It's it's it's taught.
You're not born that way, you know what I'm saying.
And a lot of it when you think about race,
it's fear.
Speaker 7 (14:03):
You see covies of your dream man of the US.
It's never easy looking for another. God bless America treatment
of the US. Are we stika treating of the Unitstates?
Speaker 1 (14:21):
The US? Here here of not knowing? You know what
I'm saying. It's like I always give a story that
I had in the military and in the fighting hole
that I was with this guy that is from Alabama
wherever the hell it was at that time, and he
did this was the first time he had ever seen
a black man is when he came to the military. Yeah,
he's associated with Yeah, and his thing is like I
(14:43):
saw it on TV. But he learned a lot from
me being a black man in the fighting hole with
him guarding the fifth cal and of me culturally as
a as a Caribbean person and as a black man
and then I learned a lot about him. I learned
about his his family and his I never knew there
was such a thing called tipping a cout. I was
(15:04):
blown away, like you what, yeh, what I'm saying?
Speaker 4 (15:10):
How come I never made it into a song?
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Yeah, you know, But we just sat there and culturally
figured it out and ended up liking each other, but
with a song like dreaming. At the time, it was
an issue that was going on when Sting and I
were in studio and we just needed to say it.
And all of that song was actually, apart from I
(15:32):
think my dance all part that I did it in
the end, most of it was written by Sting and
he brought it in that day and I was reading
the lyrics and he's like, I want you to sing
this this part, and he played in him and I
was like wow, and I started going through the lyrics.
I was just really like, Yo, this is dope. I
don't think I've ever done anything like this. Never. I've
(15:52):
never really ventured into because I've never touched on the
political side because I was always scared to be because
I've always I'm an immigrant and I'm I'm in a minority.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
Of music.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Right there.
Speaker 5 (16:10):
And work and stuff. Record when we were long and.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Said we talking about discriminate, you say you're Jewish. You know,
the Jews have been discriminated for years, much like the black,
much like anywhere else. Part of that discrimination was what
fear of not knowing what your culture is. Now, the
more I go to interact with with with Jewish people
and and because.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
There's a couple in the business and go to bar,
it's not But.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
I don't I really have Jewish music friends. I just
have friends that are just friends.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
Have you been bars?
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Yeah, I played a couple and I've been really a couple.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
I would love to see. My son just had a
bar miss last year.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
You probably your rates were a little haiger than the DJ.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Yeah, but we we went in. I used to live
in Brooklyn, you know, I've been Eastern Park where you
know where you have this city. Yeah, it's the whole.
So I've been around the whole culture of it. And
the more you get into it, the more you realize
that you know, when people look at this, oh that
is you know, they're weird or this is weird, or
that is weird, and this is this and this is that.
As you used to go and going. Now, it's all
(17:21):
that propaganda that builds that fair to you, and then
you start going in and realizes that these people are
no different from what the hell I do you know,
because there's so many people looking at me as Jamaica
and says, oh, man them Jamaican boys. Man, I don't
understand them, you know. Yeah, they were so many colors
they this day, but they're probably high right now. All
all the the statement, all the stereotypes, stereotypes and statements
(17:43):
that come with it.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Stay tuned, friends, Shaggy will be back in less than
two minutes after this message. We started planning this show
in January twenty nineteen, and it would not be possible
without the leadership and support from Brigadier General Jack Hammond,
Chief Operating Officer Michael Allard, and the Media Lab Chairman
Peter Smythe and on the front lines with me. There
(18:09):
are three key partners that have made this project possible.
Cassandra Falone, Charlotte Lucky and Steve Monico. Like all new shows,
we set our targets on growth and recognition while always
putting our energy into great content, conversations and stories that
we can share with you. But we do have a
special mission that is the driving force behind Home Based Nation,
(18:30):
and I want to talk to you about that. That's
simply getting the care to the veterans and families that
need it.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
Less than fifty.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
Percent of veterans seek the care that they can truly
benefit from. Stigma is everywhere, and in the case of
the veteran, stigma can be the single barrier to improving
quality of life, keeping families together, and sometimes even preventing suicide.
And because our two week intensive clinical program where the
ICP and other programs are provided at no cost to
(18:57):
veterans and families, Home Base can continue to with your support.
So please check out home based dot org slash home
Based Nation and you can see what we're up to
and there's always new events.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
And opportunities going on.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Any amount of donation helps and remember every year we
host a run to Home Base in Boston in July
and you can cross home Plate at Famway Park at
the finish line. If you know somebody that would like
this show, let them know. And if not already, we'd
love for you to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher,
or any other place you get shows. This park really
(19:30):
helps us grow so that we can reach more civilian
and military folks like you. A grateful nation. Okay, thanks
for listening to this message, and now, as promise, let's
get back to more music and military talk with Shaggy.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
My music is dance all. At the time, I barely
got played on radio. And just the fact that I
got played on radios, I was the guy that was
trying to be as politically correct as possible. I was
not the guy that was trying to create any kind
of stuff. I just wanted to slide through because none
of nobody else before me was getting through and dance all. Uh,
but I was old. I was younger than and you know,
(20:08):
and it was probably very foolish because now thinking back
at it in hindsight, because I was at the top
of my game and I was this huge figure, I
probably should have that's the time for you to actually
say something and comment on it and get on it,
because then that that sparks conversations.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
And well, I think it's interesting too, because it's it's
you know, but it was fear. We're all about the
same age, and it's it's relative. I mean, you're young
in a sense. I guess what I'm going with it
is that this dreaming when you recorded that, it sounds
like a light bulb went off or but it was
something important, It was important something I don't know, if
what do you feel like you're gonna run with that more?
Speaker 1 (20:47):
But listen, of course we're going to probably do mostly
And this album that I did, walk Wan had more
of more social than than than even political. Yeah, it's
more personal and more personal. But the point I'm trying
to is why I'm feeling a little bit sad about that,
or or or regretful if I could, for the lack
(21:07):
of a better word, is when you're at you're young,
when you're young, at your prime, the future of the
country is not old guys, whether it be white, black, whatever,
it's not old. It's young people. And when these young
people find themselves in the position of power like I
was when I had hotshot and I was on top
of the world, use it, you know, now me doing
(21:29):
it at this age, after things you know, calmed on,
it's like it's easy for these kids to hear you
rant about you know, immigration and all theirs and say, yeah,
that's just the old miserable white black guy or just
the old yeah, the miserable old guy. You know what
I'm saying, It's easy for kids to just look at ye,
he's just old. That's why he's bitching about you. Because really,
(21:51):
when you were younger and you hear your mom bitch
about you know, she's just old. You know people, you
don't want to get to that point. And I mean
where you've us as cool, you know, I mean? I
saw jay Z put a record out was at four
for forgot what the name of the album was, and
I listened in it. There was so much knowledge in it,
and most of the kids I knew that were young kids.
(22:12):
There was like, I an't nobody want to hear that
ship he's as old. But what he was saying was
so knowledgeable to their future going by, but they was
just too young to get it. They're rat to being
in the club listening to megos talk about jewelry and
chicks and ass and you know what I mean, And
it's it's you know and what what? Which is good?
(22:34):
Now that you have people like j Cole and people
like Kendrick who are young people different exactly that feature
messages and and I just kind of wish at the
time that I I if anything, I could have done
that because I find myself doing it so well. But
I was in a position that I didn't have a movement.
You see. The good thing about j Cole and Kendrick
(22:55):
is that they're in a genre that is a movement
of this time. Rap is now the pop music, it's
now mainstream music. You know. At the time when I
was doing I'm Dance All and it's on the ground
and I'm the only guy these the one and only
guy that's getting on radio. So the pressure was on
(23:16):
at that point. And then I had management at the
time that really didn't know what the hell to make
of it because hits well, but they didn't know what.
They didn't know how to you know, they got beat
up by record company peoples and lawyers and all that
because they just weren't experienced. You know, there were young
guys that was in the street with me that's so weed,
you know, like like they knew what the hell was
(23:38):
you know, they you know, they got a contract in
even know what was on that damn thing, you know
what I mean. So we were just it was time
in and where we were and all of that. But
with a record like that with sting now, So I said,
Steam came into my life at a time to teach
me so many different things. And he taught me about
how to use your platform and how to you know,
(23:59):
address certain things things and to stand for something or
and if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything,
you know, and really kind of opened opened my eyes
to a lot of things in the music industry and
just socially and just about humanity and people and the
earth and all of that, you know. I mean, he's
big on the rainforest, he's big on so many things
(24:21):
that we share together.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
It's not surprising and what we've read about him, but
it's also it's from the heart, and it's even more
like it's poignant to hear it from a friend and
someone that's worked with him together because and that's part
of circling back to why we really wanted to talk
with you about.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
What I think if we didn't see eye to eye
and a lot of things. Yeah, I don't think the
camaraderie would go forward because he's that kind of guy.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
And you're touring together too, I imagine you're not just
in the studio. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so many conversations, conversations
up when you mentioned about giving back. One thing that
we're really proud about when we when we when we
talk about on this show, is that awareness and the
power that someone like you has and the voice. You know,
(25:10):
you may get millions of streams on Spotify and you're
out there obviously on the radio waves. There's a potential
use for that as well.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Absolutely, absolutely, and as we.
Speaker 3 (25:23):
Love the fact that we gave back to military by
you know, by writing those songs and shouting out to
the military, I think is something that we need.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
And absolutely it's really just understand point what I'm trying
to make within the military. I just think in America
in itself, we need to get to that point where
we start. As you said, we open it is a
healing process and healing together. It's not just the guys
in the military that has been traumatized with war that
(25:53):
needs healing. America needs healing, and I mean we need
to heal together and get together and the division needs
to stop. We're all just one people. We might have
different backgrounds and culture, but it's not nothing wrong with
learning that person's culture and being a part and dining
(26:14):
and sitting on people's tables.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
And you don't have to be in a fox hole
for that.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
No, you shouldn't have to be well on that note,
and I know you're gonna you know, you got a
busy night ahead.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
The How does music help with that?
Speaker 1 (26:28):
I think it helps in a big way because if
you notice now in the music business, remember rock music
used to be the major major art form, the major
music genre. Now you look at a rock a rock star,
and you look a rock star, they're the same people.
Remember rockers used to have tattoos and really wild hair
(26:50):
and dress really colorful and crazy, and we're like, oh,
those guys must be on drugs right to dress like that. Well,
now you look at these rappers now, yeah, look at
all these rappers. They look exact like those rock ross.
So what you've seen now you're seeing little white kids
want to be black and little black kids want to
be white. And it is flipped, you know what I mean,
you've seen that happen. Now you're seeing little white kids
(27:12):
loving hip hop music, and then you're going to see
a little black a bunch of black kids that starting
to figure out what the white kids are about. And
it's more interaction that's going on even countries exactly cross
country is crossing into it, right Aphabet. So the point
I'm trying to make that's how music is not uniting
it because it's uniting through culture, and I like and
(27:33):
what I would love to see is a lot more
interaction with military branches and culture. You know, if there's
throwing throwing huge festivals in aid of the military with
a lot of these acts, I don't know an act
that wouldn't go in and get involved in that, you know,
and kind of mix that generation so that that division
(27:56):
that you're seeing doesn't infiltrate than the military itself, you
know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
Because if you're blue or red, exactly white.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Yeah, there was a CEO one time that says that
this Christmas is I I don't see color. Everybody I
see here is green, you know what I'm saying. I
was like, Yeah, that's what you gotta. It's a brotherhood. Yeah,
you know, you gotta. You gotta get that together. And
I think we could do it through music. And I
tried to unite it and get it through music with
(28:26):
as much as we can.
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Definitely, well cheers to that, and you know, on that note,
we got a little gift for you. Well, this is
Home Base, MGH Red Sox. I don't you know, we're
not preaching the Red Sox here. I don't know where
where your loyalty is.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
You put a Red Sox hat on a on a
Yankee guy. Come on, man, you know what it is.
It's all about unity.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
It is, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (28:48):
So they can be friendly competition my brother. Yeah, so
I'm I'm definitely with it, all right. Hey, well, thank
you man, thanks for the interview in the chat.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (29:43):
We'd like to thank Shaggy for joining the Home Base
Nation family and for your service as a US Marine
and the unity that you bring through music. As you know,
brotherhood and connection have been strong themes for this show
and a fundamental basis for servicemen and women who recover
together right at Home Base. In November twenty nineteen, we
held our annual Veterans Day Dinner at the JFK Library
(30:04):
and Museum here in Boston. It was a night to
honor veterans and show the camaraderie of service members and
their families. Michael Allard and Brigadier General Jack Hammond welcome
Shaggy to the stage to recognize him for his service
as a marine in the tenth Regiment in the Gulf
War and for some live conversation. So I pulled up
a chair and had the honor to talk in front
of a live audience together. And it's not every day
(30:26):
that you get introduced with a walkout song boombastic booming
over the PA. So set your calendars for next week,
or subscribe and join us for a bonus episode live
at the JFK Library and Museum in the meantime. To
get to know Shaggy a little more, see what he's
up to in twenty twenty, or check out his new
solo album Waguan. Visit Shaggy online dot com. Special thanks
(30:48):
to Tracy Buffer at Team Shaggy and Sting for all
your collaboration and support, and thanks to Joe Wallace for
your never ending photographic eye for our guests, and to
Chuck Klow at Above the Basement Podcast for your on
location sound and support. On behalf of all of us
at home Base. I'm doctor Ron Hrsberg. Thank you for listening.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
And a bouts of the walk one did I get It?
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Thanks for listening to this special episode in the taken
a walk feed here of Home based nation with Shaggy
and thanks for listening to the Taking a Walk podcast.
Host
Lynn Hoffman
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