M A N D Y N O LA N ’S
SOAPBOX
W W W . E C H O . N E T. A U /
S O A P - B OX
WHY GOD SACKED ISRAEL
BADLANDS FOR THE BREWERY The Badlands have returned in 2019 with their highly anticipated new single Ultraviolent now out across all platforms. To celebrate they’re in the midst of a national tour, including Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne, and they play their hometown show this Thursday at the Byron Bay Brewery, with a host of new songs thrown in to their well-loved mix. As one of Byron’s most locally celebrated bands, the show promises to be the usual concoction of on- and off-stage rock’n’roll antics. To accompany the show and bring their
Why is Israel Folau obsessed with people’s sexuality? When did what other people do and whom they love become the business of a bloke who kicks a ball for a living? Stick to footy codes. Moral codes are above your pay grade. Even at $3 million. The whole ‘Israel Folau Gays Can Burn in Hell and so can my Footy Career’ thing is nuts. For someone who professes to find gay people some sort of ‘abomination’, Israel Folau sure spends a lot of time focusing on them. I’d reckon it occupies most of his thinking space. Doth he protest just a little too much? Has something stirred inside him that he can’t silence? I don’t follow football but I’ve seen enough games to observe that of all men’s sports it’s possibly the most homoerotic. Handsome buff men in tight shorts packed in a scrum face to butt. I mean, that’s serious man-on-man business. Lots of sweaty rough and tumble. Lots of macho male bonding. Crikey, they’re just a leather mask short of a Mardi Gras float. Israel had the world at his feet but his belief in his right to be a Christian bigot saw it all disappear. Now he’s throwing a crowdfunded tantie. And guess what, even though he’s raised over $700k, he’s breached the rules of the platform, who issued a statement that says, ‘As a company we are absolutely committed to the fight for equality for LGBTIQ people and fostering an environment of inclusivity‌ we do not tolerate the promotion of discrimination or exclusion’. And so all the bigots get their money back. On the upside, GoFundMe now has a list of homophobes and bigots they can supply as ‘persons of interest’. Folau and his followers have confused religious freedom with hate speech. So now poor ‘where’s my religious freedom to marginalise the gay community and inflict pain and abuse on a group that already has one of the highest suicide rates’ Folau is wanting to take his former employers to court for unfair dismissal. It’s the Folau Show (say it quickly three times). He had a crack at crowdfunding his ‘right to hate’, which, as a value in itself, is surely the antithesis of Christianity. Who exactly is Israel’s Christian God? He sounds like an arsehole. Definitely a man. I certainly don’t remember that God from my years of Bible bashing. I was brought up Christian too and I don’t ever remember reading ‘gays will go to hell’ in the Bible. I do remember ‘Love thy neighbour’ and ‘Do unto others as they do to you’ and other fairly clear instructions when it comes to tolerance and social integration. I really don’t think God is going to judge sexual orientation. Jesus was his own father. He was doing non-binary gender before it was even a thing. I don’t reckon he’d be judgey. But there is a positive in this story. It belongs to Rugby. Years ago, Folau would probably have got a pat on the back from the other blokes for hating poofs. But not now. Rugby Australian and Folau’s teammates have made it known that they don’t support that kind of attitude; they have also made it known they are disgusted that he attempted to crowdfund cash that could have gone to sick kids. There’s a GoFundMe campaign launched against Israel Folau by a disgruntled fan from the UK, who is raising money for Rainbow Laces to encourage tolerance and inclusivity across all sports. On my Twitter feed I found another GoFundMe initiative by someone that was named ‘send gay photos to Israel Folau’. Ironically, the one journalist in Australia who’s become an ally in Folau’s very public fall from grace with Australian Rugby is Alan Jones, the man ABC journalist and author Chris Masters described as â€˜â€Ś the hidden homosexual, forever hunting for love among the twentysomethings’. What strange ideological bedfellows those two are. In the words of Lewis Carroll, it just gets curiouser and curiouser. Anyway, Israel, instead of stealing money from dying children to fight for your multi-million-dollar contract, maybe you should just accept your sacking as part of the divine plan. Let’s face it: God Loves Gays, and your sacking, well maybe that’s just ‘God’s will’.
www.echo.net.au/byron-echo Byron Shire Echo archives
SHIRE CHOIR! One of the Shire’s most hotly anticipated events, pop-up singing experience Shire Choir is coming soon to a pub/ club/festival near you! Singing is an excellent mental-health tonic, and general all-round feelgood activity. Shire Choir promises an evening of uninhibited fun, laughter, and a palpable sense of community. Thousands of locals from Lismore to Lennox have experienced the thrill of learning a classic pop/rock song in three-part harmony, and then belting it out with hundreds of friends, new and old. From Fleetwood Mac to Guns ’n’ Roses to Simon and Garfunkel, the song of the night is fun, familiar, and arranged to make YOU sound fabulous. One collective voice. One song. Directed by the dynamic, award-winning singer/songwriter Melia Naughton (Scarlett Affection) and her team of ubertalented musicians, Shire Choir is for singers and nonsingers alike. We are all blessed with our own unique instrument – our voice. So, come and sing your heart out at Shire Choir!
Music, at its essence, is what gives us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more memories we have of it. Stevie Wonder
own show-stopping performance to the stage are Brisbane’s Port Royal, who celebrate the eve of the release of their new single Ain’t Got You. The band have a major national tour kicking off and are notorious for their flamboyant rock’n’roll performances and unique sense of style. The band enjoy a mix of Rolling Stones, Oasis, and AC/DC coming through their live sound. Their sellout shows at Brisbane’s The Zoo, as well as a swiftly growing national fanbase, are clear indicators of where the band are heading and this Thursday promises to be a sweet treat for Byron. At the Brewery on Thursday at 7pm. Free.
Tickets $10 via Eventbrite or at the door. Friday 28 June at Club Mullum, Mullumbimby ExServices Club, 7 – 9.30pm. Thursday 4 July and Thursday 1 August at the Bangalow Hotel. Byron Bay Writers Festival attendees will experience Shire Choir on Sunday 4 August when they close the festival with a fabulous, interactive singing session.
RUSSELL MORRIS Russell Morris and his band are playing the Byron Bay Services Club on Saturday 6 July, starting at 7.30pm with Pat Tierney. $35 presales or $40. Go to www.trybooking.com/510652 for the real thing!
WHAT’S ON
THIS WEEK OPEN MIC NIGHT
WED
with harry nichols
THUR
FRI SAT
SUN
COMING
SOON
HAPPY HOUR
THE BADLANDS + PORT ROYAL
HAPPY HOUR
FESTA JUNINA
HAPPY HOUR
COCO REPUBLIC
FREE BREWERY TOUR
PHIL & TILLEY
FREE BREWERY TOUR
PLTS | L D R U | EMMA LOUISE | FRIENDLY JORDIES | EMMA LOUISE | DOSED |
`Ć–Ĺ•Ä• ÇŠÇÇ˝ NJǧǨǰ The Byron Shire Echo 57