Fantastic Plastic Person

What was going on in Jimmy Cliff's mind when he named his 2002 album Fantastic Plastic People? Did he lose his grip on reality after spending 30 years helping to define Jamaican music? Or maybe, spinning off his song "Wonderful World, Beautiful People," he now finds himself surrounded by plastic...

By Lady English

August 14, 2003

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What was going on in Jimmy Cliff's mind when he named his 2002 album Fantastic Plastic People? Did he lose his grip on reality after spending 30 years helping to define Jamaican music? Or maybe, spinning off his song "Wonderful World, Beautiful People," he now finds himself surrounded by plastic people whom he considers to be fantastic? Produced by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, FPP includes duets with Sting, Joe Strummer, and Annie Lennox. Whatever the story with the album's title, the plastic man is heading to South Florida for the first time since the mid-'90s. Cliff hit the headlines after his debut acting role as Ivan, a wannabe singer who ended up a gun-toting, drug-dealing rude boy in the low-budget 1973 movie The Harder They Come. The performance earned him rave reviews and propelled him to international superstar status. "You Can Get It (If You Really Want)," "Many Rivers to Cross," and other catchy, classic reggae anthems were born. His more recent releases, however, have fused roots with mainstream reggae, then entangled the combination with some cutting lyrics for good measure. Cliff performs with Floetry at 8 p.m. Sunday, August 17, at the James L. Knight Center, 400 SE Second Ave., Miami. Call 305-372-4634.

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