| Yarn with Steve... |
|
Mofo Shisken & Choomby July 29th Thurs
It's important to acknowledge and rehumanise the inspirational self-determined lives of ordinary Australian folk black white or brindle overlooked by the academics as they advise government from lofty institutions.
Steve Towson Touring Regional Queensland
G'day to a real Queensland character, singer-songwriter Steve Towson.
"All I know in life is I miss my loved ones- when I'm not with them or they are dead. I know as a singular fact that feeling is univeral - regardless of race " -Steve Towson.
One of Steve's unsung heroes is Cairns artist, writer, publisher Ron Edwards Another is Warren Fahey who was on ABC TV. Founder and former owner of Larrikin Records disparaged nationwide in their un-Australian activity, their succesful attempt to exploit Men at Work's Down Under song for the rights to a few notes of a folk tune Chris Oakenshot points out - "neither of them wrote"
Feb 2010 - Steve Towson: How ya goin' mate?
Maiia: Battling mozzies, an' laughing at myself mopping the toilet floor at 1.00 am as a work avoidance tactic. How's it going there?
Steve Towson: "Ahh the old dunny floor ey. Things here are ok - tour organising almost finished - so music is starting to sneak into the equation."
Maiia: Cleaned an Aussie pub toilet one Invasion day said to myself if the cleaners think they're too good to clean - I'll take a bucket & scrubbing brush in meself. Even left 'em the bucket as a hint..Steve Towson: Half my life I had an out door crappa, rain, wind, lil me - small skinny bum. Maiia: Gotta love an ol' long drop with an ocean view, a couple a lizards running around in the sand, an' a rainwater tank.
Steve Towson: Hmm ours wasn't too long a drop I can assure you - and just an old half a tank for protection.Maiia: Ahaha- This'll be some of the down to earth substance, some of the understanding you bring to your work.
Steve Towson: Hard to say - Dad was an athiest - Mum dragged me to church -but isn't religious - grew up in the bush. Poorest fucking family there -til one sorry arse poorer family moved in for about 6 months.
Maiia: LOL. How'd you mange to get an education?
Steve Towson - State school - and the difference in my Mum and Dad's personalities also created in itself a strong education about the world. I'm still enrolled at uni, but find it all a bit of a wank with the arts, esp. I'm not digging the stuff I read and then because its contemporary you are meant to agree with it all academically
Maiia: Yep my experience too. Steve Towson; "Yeah mate - uni's are often filled with intillegentsia that have great ideas that will sell or reflect postively on their organisations. It's all fucked -esp peoples views of the north, down south. The only communist elected to parliament -was from Bowen.
The guy who wrote DR WHO theme song, ( Ron Grainer studied under Eugene Goosens at Sydney Conservatorium) was from Atherton. A dude from Atherton Alexander Prokhorov won a Nobel Peace Prize. Maiia: Oh for sure, I love QLDs extraordinary blend of amazing people in all walks of life. Of many cultures and creeds. The small % of Australian content on TV is so mediocre we're dropping out of that old loop of consumption back into community like in your son "Who do you believe friends family or the press". Qld people, like Kiwis don't have time for bullshit. Still believe in a fair go too, take em as you find em - a good falla is a good falla an' that's all that matters. I see self-correction occuring too when experience proves stupid old ideas false.
Steve Towson: I find most people that are racist to a core, are people that don't know, or have never had contact with a person which they have a problem with based on race. Then if they are racist - "why are they so" Which then surely brings the responsibility of the academia to justify "WHY" someone is racist - not just attacking someone because they are scared.
All I know in life, is I miss my loved ones - when I'm not with them or they are dead - and I know as a singular fact that feeling of emptiness- is universal - regardless of race.
Steve Towson: My Grandma's family hid run away kanakas, she ate dugong and turtle because of local Murri dudes popping round when she was a kid honkier then me. Though he was too young, my grandfathers elder brothers could speak 3 Indigenous languages.
Maiia Ahh thank goodnss for the net. Isolation is a blessing and a curse - we're often been faceless statistics to Canberra. participatory democracy But good work surely gets done in the peace and beauty of regional Australia, we're raising a strong profile internationally too, hard work and a strong attitude get a lot done, the experts are starting to notice the innovation of seemingly disadvantaged people to solve problems themselves without the mega-budget that gets wasted on bureaucracy.
Steve Towson: CAIRNS has the POWER. There are dudes that care - up there - otherwise like so many other places I couldn't even get a space with my own PA to play for free - there would be no one tourin'.
Maiia: Being from NZ I notice what I call a cultural low self-esteem, what's called 'the cringe. Hierarchal nonsense. It wasn't justified in the past and is certainly not today.
Steve Towson - Lol- cringe is probably what happens about my music- lol.
Maiia: Oh I dunno - a lot of us still have a real softspot for an old fashioned siletting down the hair, just gotta show a few more people the fun of participating in life instead of a culture of consumption. Glad you mentioned Tom Robinson earlier- is it really 30 years since I used to jump round to TRB? - in that 30 year cycle of life, I observed my elders and peers become parodies of themselves. I dont think thats going to happen with your generation. I particularly enjoyed meeting Phil Monsour when he was up here.
I think down to earth community activism is very much alive and in very good hands today. A tour like you do, is a gesture of solidarity- it makes a difference, I might even shake-a-leg myself!
|
