My Kingston – Michael Harris Singer/Musician
What are your earliest memories of Kingston?
Driving around in the back of my parents’ VW bug to the Hope Zoo and Coconut Park, and my first day at Vaz Prep School. I think I cried for the entire first hour. LOL!
What do you miss when you are not in Kingston?
My friends and family — most of whom live in Kingston. The alternative Jamaican music scene and the 24-hour deli at the Jamaica Pegasus.
What are your favourite home comforts?
Air Conditioning. Creating in my home studio. A good book and a glass of wine or a chilled bottle of San Pellegrino — that’s really refreshing when you get home late.
What would you do if you were mayor (of Kingston) for a day?
I’m not really sure what I could accomplish in a day, but I’d put more art in public spaces, specifically fine art and performance art — everywhere — and educate us all in how best to appreciate it.
Share with us the title of the last book you read.
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.
What’s your middle name?
Sean.
And the last bit of music that stirred your soul?
Most recently Love of My Life by Queen.
Which cologne are you currently splashing?
L’eau D’Issey for men by Issey Miyake.
What’s your preferred beverage?
Coconut Water.
Alcohol: Red Wine.
What was your most memorable meal in Kingston?
Brunch at Boone Hall (is that really Kingston?).
What are your current projects?
Working on my album with an array of writers and producers. I’m also assisting a couple of friends with their albums as well. There are also vocal/performance workshops for private entities and my continuing work at Edna Manley –attempting to get a new music technology course off the ground.
What upsets you?
Brash insensitivity and an unwillingness to give credit where it’s due. Also, complete lack of awareness of one’s effect on others.
Name the last three places visited on holidays.
St Elizabeth (Jamaica); Mykonos (Greece); and Gothenberg (Sweden).
Share a few places in your black book.
How can I do that without offending someone… hmmm: Zurickau (Germany) — just a few too many neo-nazis there; and Auschwitz (Poland) — the history of the place weighs you down.
Name some of your all-time musical favourites.
Soldiers by ABBA, Bad Card by Bob Marley, The Caves at Altamira by Steely Dan, Words by Cynthia Schloss, Swallowed in the Sea by Coldplay.
What’s your advice to a first-time visitor to Kingston?
Make a friend quickly and have them take you around. Have your wits about you and enjoy everything — the accents, the sounds, the smells and the sights. Try the Jamexican food at Chilitos and go see a play and then enjoy some live music.
What’s your philosophy?
I have so many, but the parent philosophy is: To inspire joy in myself and others.
