XYZ Magazine June

more bile...politikin'

Rock Against Racism is back (re-branded as Love Music Hate Racism) and I’m hoping it’s not too little too late. I’m hoping it stays in the limelight and doesn’t disappear in a flurry of articles destined for the recycle bin.

As we ride culture’s tin-pot carousel, spewing its hilarious tat and knock-off rewards, why not sit back and enjoy this return to politics in music as its hijacked by the blur of our own sinister status quo…brought to you in HD, 5.1 surround sound, of course.

Big Brother rallies to win the hearts, minds and votes of a planet and the Battle of the Birkenstocks takes place on a global yoga mat. Therapies, meditation, conspiracy theories (and other ‘faiths’) pull the plug on these fine communities as self-preservation descends like a giant fair-trade Bag For Life, smothering the good folk in an all encompassing ‘victim fog’. A wailing soundtrack of modern life commands all to ‘chill the fuck out...now!’ This cast of millions, who once had their eyes on the prize, lose the plot and the credits roll.

God that film was rubbish, get a round in.

In the last twenty years the swing from human to global politics has been huge. A concern for the global community over societies still prevalent ‘isms’, now occupies the majority of punters brain-politic and, while such concerns maybe honest and true, the scale of these problems is so great and non-specific, a certain punch has been lost from the fight.

As confrontation is perceived to be at the heart of all politics, too often I hear ‘I don’t really do politics’; opting for a lifestyle of liberal trappings y’know, Fair-trade coffee, awful hemp clothes and Coldplay. All have this element of ‘invisible politics’ where you can pay to feel involved; commerce replaces protest and (thankfully) your own voice is untraceable.

The argument that music and politics don’t work is as conclusive as that age-old ‘frapaccino vs latte’ debate…pointless distracting guff. No doubt, ‘yoof cultcha’ never had it so good, Nokia,GTA4,MSN,Bit Torrents and you even get rubber johnnies from school. So, while I don’t hold my breath for a new dawn in social politics following LMHR’s latest big push, the brattish holler of ‘Mum, can you start this revolution for me?’ would be a start. At least it proves there’s a voice out there.