Andrew Bolt, one of the Liberal Party’s loudest stooges, has angered J Award winning artist Mojo Juju over another of his twisted statements.
After the Prime Minister was criticized for his lack of Australian artist in his playlist Bolt bolted to his defense with the obscene statement “old white males are the new Jews. To be despised, blamed for all ills, and shunned”.
Bolt continued … “Seriously? Morrison is meant to bop in his car to a song complaining about being an Aboriginal who “doesn’t speak my father’s tongue”? Is music listening a political activity or an aesthetic one? Should we listen out of pity or for our pleasure? Can Morrison please be allowed to listen to music to please himself, rather than to further some political agenda?”
Morrison released a playlist on Spotify last week. Out of 146 songs, 92 artists and 11 hours of music there was only one Australia song, Wa Wa Nee’s ‘Stimulation’.
Outraged Mojo Juju, who only last week won Australian Music Video of the Year at the J Awards for her politically inspiring ‘Native Tongue’ released this statement:
Of all the amazing things that have been happening in my world of late, (from ARIA nominations, Dreamtime & J Awards to sold out shows and more…) I think one of my biggest highlights was seeing Native Tongue referenced in Andrew Bolt’s column.
I’d like to say a big thank you to Andrew Bolt for his recent shout out and also congratulate him on doing such an excellent job of demonstrating some of the reasons why writing a song and an album like Native Tongue was so important to me. (Whether he intended to or not).
While defending Scott Morrison’s right to listen to whatever music he likes, Mr. Bolt managed to highlight a huge failing in the approach to leadership and governance in this country… (one of many if we are being honest)… you can read the article here if you like:
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/academic-complains-morrisons-music-is-too-white/news-story/ee33826c54898e3b701e3131fd01e138Unfortunately, I think Mr. Bolt may have missed some of the nuances of my song.
The song ‘Native Tongue’ is not a ‘complaint’ as he suggested, and I think to view it as complaining would be slightly reductive, but that’s just my opinion. I wrote this song as an expression of some complex emotions, such as grief for a loss of culture and Indigenous languages and other impacts of assimilation, colonisation and the white-washing of non-western cultures. This is not a song of self-pity, it is a song of self-empowerment.
Due to the overwhelming response I have received to this song and the stories that people have since shared with me of their own experiences, I am inclined to think that this is a topic that resonates with a LOT more of Scott Morrison’s constituents than either he or Mr. Bolt might like to recognise. And while my exact mixed heritage may not be the norm, the feelings I raise in the song are more common than he might realise. Regardless of whether ScoMo can personally relate to the lyrics or the experience, as a leader, he should be concerned with how his constituents relate to this song and what they experience.
I believe that good leadership is about listening.
I also believe that music is a powerful communication tool, one that transgresses time, geography, age, gender and race. Music can unite, divide, and inspire revolutions, across generations.
Mr. Bolt is wrong to suggest that listening to music is PURELY an aesthetic pursuit. Sure, we all listen to music for pleasure, but music has always held a mirror to society. It has always been a snapshot of the issues that affect the people.
Sure, ScoMO should listen to whatever music he likes when he is turning those snags on his BBQ or cruisin’ around in his luxury car, but if he cared about what is happening out in this Country that he is supposedly leading he would listen to more of our voices.
So thank you Mr. Bolt, for highlighting an important issue and including me in the conversation.
Love Mojo xx
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