THERE are many things that people seem to MISUNDERSTAND about life, EVEN WHEN it is spelled out to them.
Even this title (hence the reason above) is bound to cause confusion in the refusal/inability to see the deeper meaning of it.
SO, Nick Cave’s egoistic/narcissistic act of performing in ISRAEHELL, against requests from the BDS movement not to, claiming his choice of performing where and when he wants to as ‘his prerogative’, has somewhat (anti)dramatically brought my 36 year DJ career unexpectedly to a close.
Why? Why allow some asshole in some godforsaken part of the world, to affect me in such a way?
Firstly, I believe that CONSEQUENCE is not an imaginary principle (like religion) or, for that matter, an arbitrary selective one. In the latter sense, in having a selective memory where people know the facts, is a pointless exercise: you don’t fool anyone! And do not forget, that my entire 8 year court case is based on the principle of CONSEQUENCE. While LAWYERS tell me, without a qualm, that LIFE IS UNFAIR, it seems to go over their heads that there can be no greater self-confessed INDICTMENT of a legal system, than that!!
So you see, AS FREE AS I AM, I am still bound by the LOGIC OF CONNECTIVITY.
Also do not forget that I lived through every painful second of apartheid, and deeply respected boycott movements abroad and st home!
SECONDLY, the entire oeuvre of the alternative scene (as exercised by me through my DJ work) in Durban, was based on an uncompromising RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS.
THEREFORE, for Cave to play in ISRAEHELL, the only apartheid state in the world, exhibiting abuse of HUMAN RIGHTS of Palestinians, in the midst of a concerted and intensive/intentive GENOCIDE OF AN ENTIRE NATION, that is taking place before the GLOBAL EYE with such IMPUNITY, palls, pales and shatters humanity, not to mention compassionate LOGIC!
BUT: the notion of HUMAN RIGHTS is not an ABSOLUTE RIGHT existing in a vacuum. It exists within a CONTEXT and within an ASSOCIATION OF FAIRNESS i. e. I have ‘right’ to say what I like, but that does not give me permission to say racist things, to do hateful things, or to be racist.
Thirdly: Nick Cave, whether with the Bad Seeds or not, was/is a central and iconic player (excuse the pun) within this framework and ethos of the alternative movement in Durban, and my role in creating that framework is now history.
Fourthly: while I may be ‘just the DJ’ I am, first and foremost an artist, and I do NOT REQUIRE recognition within mainstream media/art circles for me to have ABSOLUTE FAITH in my own artistic value. I therefore DJ as an artist.
This means that I imparted this CONTEXT within which I gave the ENERGY, excitement and VALUE of my work, to the alternative scene in Durban as a COUNTERCULTURAL and UNDERGROUND resistance to the mainstream narrative, and within which it carried IMPORT and VALUE.
Nobody, or perhaps very few, have noticed that there has been a persistent intention (whether conscious or not) of the mainstream media to undermine the alternative movement by BLURRING THE LINES with ’80’s music! While the alternative movement ostensibly began in the ’80’s (in fact it mote than likely began in the ’70’s with the explosion of PUNK!!) it certainly DID NOT END there, whereas ’80’s music did….!!!
THINK about that for a minute!!
For the most part, I continue to be an enigma as far as the mainstream media are concerned, occasionally slipping through the net. I therefore remain largely unknown to the general public and I am OK with that!
AND YET, if there was an iota of authenticity in any of the alternative or artistic platforms on the world wide web (oh lol) OTHER THAN KAGABLOG, then I am still to be informed!
THINK about that for a minute!
It is not as if I do not have a public web site, managed by Robin Kearney, which gets approximately 1500 hits per month!!!
AND SO!!
To simply exclude Cave from my DJ repertois would be the equivalent of chopping off both my hands and pressing ‘random select’ with my toe, with Cave eliminated from my music library.
Who could forget “THE MERCY SEAT”?
Who could forget “THE CARNEY”?
Who could forget “HENRY’S DREAM”?
Who could forget “RELEASE THE BATS”
Who could forget “RED RIGHT HAND”?
Who could forget “UP STEPPED THE DEVIL”?
Who could forget “DO YOU LOVE ME”?
Who could forget “O’MAILEY’S BAR”?
Who could forget “JOHN FINN’S WIFE”?
Who could forget “THE SHIP SONG”?
and on and on…
I rest my case!
OVER AND OUT=
