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Low Key
Let's Talk 'Guava Island,' Where Donald Glover Meets Bob Marley (and Rihanna's There, Too)
Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino) lures us to the beautiful, fictional "Guava Island" for his new Amazon film of the same name, and we're delighted to be there.
On this week's episode of the Low Key Podcast, we talk about the politics of Guava Island -- the place and the film -- as well as our thoughts about Glover's work overall, especially FX's "Atlanta." We also talk about how we wish Glover's "Guava Island" co-star, Rihanna, had a little more to do, and why Red (Nonso Anozie) is such a good villain.
"Guava Island" is the story of a singer who dreams of putting on a festival to bring joy to the people he loves. It reminds us a little of Bob Marley's 1976 "Smile Jamaica" concert -- which almost got Bob Marley killed. Two days before the performance, would-be killers shot Bob Marley in the chest and his wife Rita Marley in the head. They also shot his manager, Don Taylor, and band employee Louis Griffiths. Miraculously, everyone survived, and Marley put on a legendary concert that began with the song "War."
The story of Bob Marley surviving the assassination attempt is the subject of Marlon James' novel "A Brief History of Seven Killings," winner of the 2015 Man Booker Prize. It has inspired a TV series which will soon appear on Amazon -- the same place that brought us Guava Island.
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