“I bought Bob Marley’s Rastaman Vibrations shortly after I started skateboarding in 1984, purely because the only good skateboard ramp where I lived was called “The Rasta Ramp.”  I had mostly been listening to punk rock, but I was excited to discover reggae, which even more boldly embodied many of the same elements of social protest as punk but in a way that was much more palatable to my parents.  I think my parents bought me Bob Marley and the Wailers records for every Christmas or birthday until I had accumulated their entire catalog; my very conservative grandmother even bought me a Bob Marley shirt from Jamaica.  I leaned more towards punk, but some punk bands, most notably Bad Brains, embraced both punk and reggae.  Bob Marley’s music always cheered me up during my high-school years of personal struggle.  I’m always inspired by how steadfast and positive Bob was.” (quote from Shepard’s 20th Year Supply & Demand)