Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2023 April 22

Welcome to the Wikipedia Entertainment Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

April 22

Did Bob Marley say something?

Per the Possible false quote on the Bob Marley Wikipedia page discussion, I wonder if someone can find a source for Bob Marley's quote "The people who are trying to make this world worse aren't taking a day off. How can I?" that pre-dates its appearance on WP in January 2009. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 13:29, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

According to Wikiquote: As quoted in Rolling Stone's The Immortals (2004}^[1] --136.56.52.157 (talk) 13:47, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

Actually: "Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman, in I Am Legend (2007)". The attribution is a bit unclear, but Protosevich and Goldsman wrote the screenplay; the words are spoken by the fictional virologist Robert Neville (portrayed by Will Smith) who ascribes them to Bob Marley. I see no clear reason to think otherwise than that the writers used artistic licence to make up a quotation for dramatic effect.  --Lambiam 14:17, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

That is quite possible. But at least WP wasn't first with it. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 14:24, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

Another source: "Happy Birthday, Bob Marley". education.nationalgeographic.org. National Geographic. [not dated] --136.56.52.157 (talk) 14:04, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

That one seems to be 2022. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 14:09, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

According to Quotespark

Response, after being asked why he went ahead and performed in the concert "Smile Jamaica", two days after he, his wife and manager were wounded inside his home after an assault by unknown gunmen, thought to be politically motivated (5 December 1976), as quoted in Bob Marley The Father of Music (2010) by Jean-Pierre Hombasch, p. 5

--136.56.52.157 (talk) 14:17, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

Lulu.com book, unfortunately. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 14:26, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

The 2004 Rolling Stone book (actually, a single-issue magazine) might be the best option; it exists, but I could not find text online. 136.56.52.157 (talk) 14:44, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

According to Wikiquote [2], that is for an unrelated quote. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 14:53, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

Oh! You're right (my bad). 136.56.52.157 (talk) 15:11, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

You helped anyway, so thanks! Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 15:45, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

According to Perplexity.AI, there is no definitive source for the quote.[3] --136.56.52.157 (talk) 15:20, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

Interesting. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 15:47, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

I decided to sign up for the "enhanced" version of Perplexity.AI ("powered by GPT-4"), and got a different response to the same query: [4]. However, in response to a followup question: ...but the location where he said this quote is not specified in the search results. This NYT article might be helpful (but I'm not a subscriber). 136.56.52.157 (talk) 17:05, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

I am a New York Times subscriber. The article is an account of the shooting that was published the day after the shooting and the day before the concert. It says it was then unknown if Marley would perform. It contains no quotes from Marley. Cullen328 (talk)

It is a Reuters report, not original reporting by the NYT. Cullen328 (talk) 17:43, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

Something reported by "the press" is not very useful. 136.56.52.157 (talk) 18:38, 22 April 2023 (UTC)