Speaker 1: Now here's a highlight from Coast to Coast AM on
Speaker 1: iHeart Radio, Jim berkenstat is the rock and roll detective
Speaker 1: mysteries in the music case closed the Beatle Who Vanished,
Speaker 1: which has been optioned for a movie, So look for
Speaker 1: that on the big screen perhaps sometimes soon. Never mind
Speaker 1: Nirvana and black market Beatles. So, Jim, before the break,
Speaker 1: we were gonna was gonna get you to tell me
Speaker 1: about Bob Marley two days before this big concert in Kingston, Jamaica,
Speaker 1: the Smile Jamaica Concert, Bob Marley and the Whalers. They're
Speaker 1: they're rehearsing at his home and gunmen descend on his house,
Speaker 1: sprayed the place with bullets. Bob Marley is struck in
Speaker 1: the I think the arm I think his manager was
Speaker 1: struck like five times, somehow miraculously survived. His wife, Rita
Speaker 1: was shot. I think she got hit in the head,
Speaker 1: but she survived. Obviously. Rumers persists that the CIA was involved.
Speaker 1: What do you think, Well, it was really fun to
Speaker 1: read search and right this chapter because there's so many
Speaker 1: interesting ingredients that make up this mystery slash conspiracy. You know,
Speaker 1: you have international countries involved, you have intrigue going on
Speaker 1: in Jamaica. You have rock and roll with Bob Marley
Speaker 1: or reggae. I should say, there's just so many great
Speaker 1: things to this. So I first found that that US
Speaker 1: corporations were digging up most of the island of Jamaica
Speaker 1: to mine it for box site. This is a an
Speaker 1: ore that's used to manufacture aluminum, and back in the seventies,
Speaker 1: aluminum was a big product and it was being used
Speaker 1: in a lot of construction, and this was a very
Speaker 1: inexpensive way for these big multinationals to get that product. However,
Speaker 1: the Jamaica had gotten a new prime minister at that time.
Speaker 1: He was moving towards socialism, which really scared our government
Speaker 1: because we still remembered the Russians putting missiles on Cuba,
Speaker 1: pointing them at our country, and we were still in
Speaker 1: a Cold War with Russia, and so we didn't like
Speaker 1: the fact that the Jamaican government was turning socialist. We
Speaker 1: didn't like that their prime minister was talking to Castro
Speaker 1: in Cuba. Henry Kissinger, our Secretary of State, went over
Speaker 1: there and tried to basically offer him a bunch of
Speaker 1: money for different programs if he would just let us
Speaker 1: go back to digging up black site and other things,
Speaker 1: and the prime ministers said nope. So next thing you know,
Speaker 1: we had had a diplomatic office down there of two people,
Speaker 1: like the ambassador and his secretary. Next thing you know,
Speaker 1: there's ten or fifteen people down there, and suddenly there's
Speaker 1: violence going on between the two political parties as we
Speaker 1: approach the election at the end of the year for
Speaker 1: a new prime minister. So there was a thought, well
Speaker 1: after Marley was shot, the thought was that the CIA
Speaker 1: had in fact infiltrated Jamaica was trying to disrupt the election.
Speaker 1: And also at that time, in the previous years, there
Speaker 1: had been a lot of assassin foreign assassinations by the CIA,
Speaker 1: taking out various leaders. So Bob Marley wanted to bring
Speaker 1: both sides together in peace. He wasn't political or favoring
Speaker 1: one side or the other. He just didn't like the
Speaker 1: fact that the Democraticsialists and the conservative parties were warring,
Speaker 1: and I mean literally warring because there were a lot
Speaker 1: of weapons being used. Yeah, they had their own possees, right, Yeah,
Speaker 1: they had their own policies. And at the same time
Speaker 1: he went to the Prime Minister and said, I want
Speaker 1: to give this concert, and the Prime Minister said, yeah, sure,
Speaker 1: no problem, but he put he put his name or
Speaker 1: you know, the prime by virtue of the Prime Minister,
Speaker 1: we present this concert. So he made it look like
Speaker 1: Bob Marley was for him and trying to get people
Speaker 1: to go to the concert. This guy the Prime Minister,
Speaker 1: so that would make him look good and help with
Speaker 1: the election. But in fact it kind of put Marley
Speaker 1: into the crosshairs. And so, as you said, these gunmen
Speaker 1: stormed into his home, shot up the place. All of
Speaker 1: the whalers escaped, but Bob was hit, his manager was hit,
Speaker 1: and his wife Rita was hit. They went to the hospital. Now,
Speaker 1: throughout most of this time, Bob had a pr guy
Speaker 1: from his record label, Jeff Walker, who was with him
Speaker 1: most of the time. So the question that people wanted
Speaker 1: to know was, well, did these CIA agents who were
Speaker 1: posing as diplomats try to kill Bob Marley. And so
Speaker 1: one of the things I did was I dug in
Speaker 1: and found the original classified CIA documents that mentioned Bob Marley.
Speaker 1: At this time, I also was able to locate President
Speaker 1: Gerald Ford's They get summaries of each country and what's
Speaker 1: going on, and so his summaries with respect to Bob Marley,
Speaker 1: and once I got those records, I did find that
Speaker 1: each of the CIA agents sent down there, it had
Speaker 1: their real name, then it had fake diplomatic title, and
Speaker 1: then it had their their real title with the CIA.
Speaker 1: So I found one of those agents and I was
Speaker 1: able to locate him, call him up and interview him
Speaker 1: on this whole issue. I also talked to Lieutenant Colonel
Speaker 1: Oliver North, who had become a national security advisor later
Speaker 1: under President Reagan, but he told me that he interviewed
Speaker 1: President Ford about what was going on in all the countries,
Speaker 1: including Jamaica at the time. I interviewed Jeff Walker, who
Speaker 1: was with Marley, and the real key that comes into
Speaker 1: this conspiracy is a gentleman named Carl Colby. He had
Speaker 1: been hired by Marley's record label to film this particular
Speaker 1: concert that Bob wanted to put on, and Walker, the
Speaker 1: pr man, explained that the reason for filming this particular
Speaker 1: transert was because Bob wasn't going to be touring for
Speaker 1: a while and they could get it onto those late
Speaker 1: night rock shows that used to play on Saturday nights,
Speaker 1: very late, where you'd see film clips of rock stars
Speaker 1: performing and and maybe Saturday Night Live. So that's why
Speaker 1: they wanted the film. Well, they hired Carl Colby, who
Speaker 1: was a young man who had gone to college and
Speaker 1: had gone to film school. But it turns out that
Speaker 1: Carl Colby was the son of William Colby, who had
Speaker 1: been the head of the CIA. So you can see
Speaker 1: how people start to put these things together because they
Speaker 1: can't explain any other you know, like Bob Marley could
Speaker 1: not have died of cancer. I'm sorry he you know,
Speaker 1: this guy was down there, so it had had to be.
Speaker 1: So my job was to go through the actual gunman
Speaker 1: coming into the house, compare that to the actual CIA
Speaker 1: books or manuals, to tell you how these things take place,
Speaker 1: how they're supposed to take place. I also learned about
Speaker 1: whether or not the CIA would ever assassinate a person
Speaker 1: who was powerful but not in power in terms of
Speaker 1: an elected position, So I wanted to know that and
Speaker 1: then believe it or not. There was an alleged second
Speaker 1: attempt where a conspiracy theorist said that Carl Colby was
Speaker 1: at the hideout where Bob Marley was for two days
Speaker 1: recovering from his gunshot wound, trying to decide whether or
Speaker 1: not to go down and play. And at this time,
Speaker 1: allegedly Carl Colby gave him a pair of soccer shoes
Speaker 1: as a gift, and when Bob put his toe into
Speaker 1: the soccer shoes had cut his big toe. And as
Speaker 1: many people know, Bob's cancer that he ultimately died of
Speaker 1: did start in his big toe and spread to his
Speaker 1: whole body. But when I looked at some of the
Speaker 1: facts that this person presented, for example, this conspiracy guy
Speaker 1: said that the whalers were there rehearsing. Well, the whalers
Speaker 1: had scattered like the wind. They were not at this place.
Speaker 1: And that was confirmed by Jeff Walker. So there's, you know,
Speaker 1: the thing that didn't addim. And Jeff Walker said, I
Speaker 1: was with Carl Colby the whole time. We all knew
Speaker 1: he was the son of the CIA director. And he said,
Speaker 1: you know, we all had parents that had done things. Well,
Speaker 1: we all knew about it. We all laughed about it.
Speaker 1: And I said, did Bob Marley know that Carl Colby
Speaker 1: was the son of a CIA A director And he said, yeah,
Speaker 1: Bob knew to it. We all knew. And he said,
Speaker 1: you know, Kyle Colby was the only cameraman brave enough
Speaker 1: to go down to the stage and start filming the concert,
Speaker 1: and it starts with a single shot because he's the
Speaker 1: only cameraman. The others were afraid that they'd be sitting targets,
Speaker 1: just as of course Bob Marley was. And in fact,
Speaker 1: Bob did not get on stage with the Whalers right away.
Speaker 1: He had some other backup band that happened to be
Speaker 1: playing that night, and they backed him up on his sons.
Speaker 1: There's just a lot of things where you have to
Speaker 1: take what you're given by conspiracy theorists and then look
Speaker 1: through each thing and see where are the facts and
Speaker 1: where do they lead us? Would you point out Bob
Speaker 1: Marley performed that that concert despite still having a bullet
Speaker 1: lodged in his elbow right, and not only that, if
Speaker 1: you if listeners want to see that show, most of
Speaker 1: it is all contained on YouTube and they can find
Speaker 1: it there. Did you get any answers as to who
Speaker 1: may have been responsible? Was it were they? Was it
Speaker 1: the the posse loyal to Edwards Siaga, who was my
Speaker 1: Prime Minister, Michael Manley's political rival. Well, I got a
Speaker 1: lot of answers to a lot of these questions, but
Speaker 1: I you know, I think it'd be best to leave
Speaker 1: it to the readers. Absolutely, absolutely, All right, let's grab
Speaker 1: a quick call here. John is in Wisconsin on the
Speaker 1: wild card line. Go ahead, John, and then I have
Speaker 1: a quick question for Richard, and in a comment for Jim, Richard,
Speaker 1: I so thoroughly enjoyed the opening of your show when
Speaker 1: you describe people in different phases or places they've been Richard.
Speaker 1: In nineteen seventy five, I gra educated from my high school,
Speaker 1: and for the next couple of years I lived in
Speaker 1: my parents' basement. I had an electric fireplace, and they
Speaker 1: had a wall hanging with the dogs playing poker. So
Speaker 1: when you say that when on, it just brings back
Speaker 1: to such warm memories. Thank you, thank you, Thank you, Jim,
Speaker 1: thank you for all the work you have done. Congratulations
Speaker 1: on your success. I remember like it was yesterday, February ninth,
Speaker 1: nineteen sixty four. I was seven years old. My grandmother
Speaker 1: was over and along with my parents and my sister,
Speaker 1: we watched the Ed Sullivan Show, which we did every week.
Speaker 1: All of a sudden, when the Beatles were introduced, my
Speaker 1: parents and my grandmother started laughing and they said they
Speaker 1: look funny, they sound funny, they act funny, and I
Speaker 1: was confused. I was very confused. I just did not
Speaker 1: get it well. Fast forward. We eventually all loved the Beatles,
Speaker 1: the British Invasion, and the decades of great music from
Speaker 1: the many artists that followed. Jim My question is, yeah,
Speaker 1: are good classic rockers now are passing away regularly because
Speaker 1: they're well into their seventies and then some. I'm just wondering,
Speaker 1: what do you see the future of rock and rolling?
Speaker 1: By that, I mean, you know, the traditional the drummer,
Speaker 1: the three guitarists, perhaps a keyboardist, and we've seen that
Speaker 1: era gone by, Jim, or is there any hope that
Speaker 1: will return one day? Thanks? John, great question. Yeah, thanks
Speaker 1: for your call and your kind words. I do think
Speaker 1: that we will not likely see another resurgence of rock
Speaker 1: and roll as it was with the you know, three
Speaker 1: four guitars, maybe keyboard and drums. I think that the
Speaker 1: last time we saw that was really the nineties with
Speaker 1: the alternative rock Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Garbage, and many others.
Speaker 1: But I I don't see it. You know, I'm seeing
Speaker 1: a lot of kids are creating music on computers, you know,
Speaker 1: in their own bedrooms now, and the computers have have
Speaker 1: come so far now, software and such that they can
Speaker 1: create all these sounds. But to the ears of us
Speaker 1: old classic rockers, it doesn't sound natural. It doesn't sound organic.
Speaker 1: You know. There's nothing like being near a stage and
Speaker 1: having someone strum the guitar and just heal the vibration
Speaker 1: and hear it. There's nothing like a real drum sound
Speaker 1: versus one that's done with a keyboard, you know. I is.
Speaker 1: Even though there are some rock bands, some new young
Speaker 1: rock bands that I think are pretty interesting, I don't know.
Speaker 1: I don't think there's going to be this whole resurgence
Speaker 1: of rock and roll as a genre as we knew it.
Speaker 1: Just hold on your vinyl and remember and cherishing The
Speaker 1: Beatle Who Vanished. That's going to be made into a movie. Yeah,
Speaker 1: so just a quick blur Bonnette. You know. A Beatle
Speaker 1: who Vanished is really the first historical account of Jimmy Nichol.
Speaker 1: And he was an unknown drummer whose journey from really
Speaker 1: humble beginnings to saving the Beatles First World Tour was
Speaker 1: only one part of his legend, though those thirteen Days
Speaker 1: of Fame made headlines for him. The true Mystery of
Speaker 1: Nicol is a story riddled with blacklisting, betrayal, drugs, divorced, bankruptcy,
Speaker 1: and an eventual disappearance that led many to question whether
Speaker 1: he is dead or alive. And so again that's another
Speaker 1: big mystery. I dug into the British film, indie film
Speaker 1: company called ecox Is currently has the rights and it's
Speaker 1: the movie's in development. They're working on screenwritings and I'm
Speaker 1: very excited it's and it's something that I'm doing with
Speaker 1: Alex Orbison, the son of Roy Orbison, and Ashley Hamilton,
Speaker 1: who's the son of Rod Stewart. George Hamilton, Yeah, George Hamilton, right, stepson.
Speaker 1: I think of Road Stewart. If I'm not mistaken. Ah well,
Speaker 1: I'm looking forward to that as well. Listen to more
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