ENTERTAINMENT
M A N D Y N O LA N ’S
SOAPBOX
W W W . E C H O . N E T. A U /
80S V 90S
S O A P - B OX
TO PILL OR NOT TO PILL
After the death of a 19-year-old man at a music festival on the weekend a high-ranking police commander issued the statement: ‘There is no acceptable use for drugs’. What a weird thing to say. Someone’s lost their kid and he’s issued a moral statement telling kids ‘it’s wrong’. Is he blaming them? Does he really think that a moralising punitive approach is going to impact on partygoers? ‘I was going to take drugs this weekend but the cops said it’s unacceptable.’ What kind of language is that anyway? It’s like something out of a Jane Austen book. ‘Mr Darcy’s just dropped some MDMA, he bought it off Miss Bennett. It’s unacceptable.’ Drug taking would certainly make Pride and Prejudice a lot more tolerable. Acid can only improve a second reading. It’s been a while since I last took illicit drugs but I do remember it was fun. A lot of fun. Unacceptable fun. That’s the point of taking drugs isn’t it? All over the world young people take drugs at festivals. They don’t do it because it’s ‘acceptable’. They do it because it’s fun. And everyone else is doing it. I guess for them that makes it acceptable. In fact at some festivals if you’re not on drugs you’re the odd one out. Even young people who wouldn’t ordinarily take drugs will decide that this is their chance to give it a go. Festivals and illicit drug taking have always been bedfellows. Big Music, Big Lights, Big Pupils. I think not accepting that is unacceptable. I think not introducing pill testing at festivals is unacceptable. Kids dying when we could have prevented it with a change in policy is unacceptable. Harsh drug penalties clearly don’t work. If they did people would have stopped using drugs decades ago. But they haven’t. We can’t ‘stop’ kids taking drugs so why don’t we make it safer? Why not give them the agency to make a choice whether to take a substance by telling them just what it is they are about to take? Our government puts young people at risk because they won’t introduce a harm-minimisation strategy that has been shown to reduce these sort of outcomes. The NSW government won’t play ball. They’ve decided to have a beer and occupy the high moral ground. Kids die on high moral ground. Like that boy on the weekend – and the two kids a few months before. Instead of following the lead of countries worldwide who have introduced pill testing and reduced deaths, the government have introduced tougher drug supply and possession laws. Yep, if you take drugs, you’ll get the naughty chair. Great. Now they’ll just lock our kids up instead. More kids will be arrested. And you know what will happen? I predict that won’t impact on festival drug taking at all. It will probably just increase it. The 18-year-old woman at the Knockout Games of Destiny who was arrested with 400 MDMA caps will no doubt go to court and allegedly face her destiny. If found guilty (eg. of supply), she will face a long sentence, and she will bear the legal brunt of that young man’s death when it should be our government. Pill testing is a no-brainer. Prohibition puts our kids at risk. Young people are highly supportive of pill testing as it allows them to make informed choices. Not have their choices made for them. We’ve been making choices for our kids since they were born and I think you’ll find they don’t respect our authority that much. We talk to them about the dangers and unacceptability of drug use, but at the same time we continue to imbibe fossil fuels like there’s no tomorrow. Hang on, there is no tomorrow. It’s no wonder they want to get out of it. They are the first generation to deal with the impacts of climate change that could potentially see them never make it to 50. I’d say our dependence on fossil fuels in the face of our kids’ diminishing future is what I’d call ‘unacceptable’. I’d say that multinationals who continue to invest and expand their climate-change-causing portfolios are occasioning more deaths than a couple of backyard ecstasy manufacturers. Why aren’t we knocking on their doors and arresting a few CEOs? Coal dealers cause more deaths than drug dealers. So do something for the safety of young people: make fossil fuels illegal and introduce pill testing.
50 The Byron Shire Echo 'ĕĈĕŔćĕſ Ǩǩǽ ǩǧǨǯ
It’s 80s v 90s for Bay FM’s latest fundraiser when punters get to choose their corner: either The Choose Life Garden with 80s music and The Laser Room with 90s music are fighting it out. Get on the dancefloors with five one-hour battles of hits, classics, pop, rock and house. Ten of Bay FM’s best retro DJs are on the decks, competing to get you moving and grooving, in a celebration of Christmas and community. Pictured is The Velvet Fog of Boombastic DJs vibing out Mick Webb of Sand Pit DJs. They’ll be warming the floor from 7pm with an awesome hour of 80s and 90s movie hits. This Saturday at The Byron Bay Brewery 7pm till midnight.
Bay FM Christmas Discotheque at the Byron Brewery.
PIERCED AGAIN The Pierce Brothers are twin brothers Jack and Pat who have taken their unique brand of folk music from busking on the streets of Melbourne to the world. Their irresistible energy and world-class live show has generated a word-of-mouth buzz about their albumAtlas Shoulder released in October. Catch them at the Kingscliff Hotel on Friday at 7pm. Tix are $35.65 at kingscliffbeachhotel.com.au.
HUSSY HICKS AT THE DUSTY ATTIC Pierce Brothers play The Kingscliff Hotel on Friday.
After a mammoth year of national and international touring, Hussy Hicks are back home for the festive season and will be playing an intimate acoustic show at the Dusty Attic in Lismore this Friday. The girls have just returned from Europe and The Dusty Attic show will be a chance for the Hussies, Julz Parker and Leesa Gentz, to play tunes from their latest award-winning album On the Boundaries in a stripped-back, acoustic fashion – a contrast to their highly acclaimed band sets at this year’s Bluesfest. This Friday at 8pm. Tix $20 at dustyatticmusicbar.simpletix.com or via FB @dustyatticbarcafe.
GARDEN MUSIC Hussy Hicks play the Dusty Attic this Friday.
Local mystic minstrel Chad Wilkins stirs up some good vibes with a free show in Mullum on Friday at the Garden Party – it’s a totally family environment – in the garden behind Santos Organics. This will be Chad’s final show in the Shire for quite a while as he is heading overseas for an extended time. Food, drinks, and treats will be available. All are welcome at this free gig. Santos Garden Mullumbimby this Friday at 7pm.
LUBITZ LOVES REFUGEES
Chad Wilkins
Emily Lubitz
Tinpan Orange lead singer Emily Lubitz flies solo for a special gig for Federal Loves Refugees at Federal Hall on Friday. This is a rare solo outing for Lubitz who now calls the northern rivers home. Tinpan Orange won Triple J’s Unearthed award in 2013 and have gone from strength to strength as a regular on the festival circuit. Lubitz is a unique performer with a hauntingly mesmerising presence onstage so this a gig not to be missed. Tickets are $35 and are available through Eventbrite or at the door unless sold out prior to the night. Doors open at 7pm. All proceeds to Federal Loves Refugees.
Albie Falzon, 1972 “We are the measure of all things. And the beauty of our creation, of our art, is proportional to the beauty of ourselves of our souls” Jonas Mekas
7:30pm - Tuesday 18 December Doors & Bar open 6:30pm
Byron Theatre - All Tix $15 byroncentre.com.au - 02 6685 6807 North Coast news daily in Echonetdaily www.echo.net.au