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
THE GRETA CONSPIRACY
Greta Thunberg was right when she derided world leaders recently with ‘How Dare You’. How dare they, in fact, how dare we? How dare we not take immediate action to ensure a future for up-andcoming generations; the future generations we gave birth to, because we wanted hot mum pics to post on Instagram, or because we needed someone to love us and give our lives meaning, or someone to carry our family name into the environmental apocalypse. The backlash against a 16-year-old girl is astounding. Can’t teenage girls go back to twerking videos? Doing makeup tutorials on youtube? Watching the Kardashians? It’s clear many adults around the world have a serious case of ‘Ephebiphobia’. That’s a fear of youth, and it is characterised by ‘inaccurate, exaggerated and sensational characterisation of young people’. She’s a puppet! They proclaimed. She’s an actor! The whole thing looked rehearsed. Well der – if I had 4 minutes to pitch my case to the UN I’d be rehearsing too. As for her anger – that which adults are permitted to call passion – well, that’s what happens when you are enraged. And if you’re not enraged by our imminent mass extinction, then you’re a robot. No matter what her name-calling detractors say, Greta has had a massive impact. This is what happens when you educate girls! We were comfortable with Malala. We celebrated her because as a Pakistani activist for female education she spoke out against the Taliban. We don’t perceive them as us. They’re the Taliban. They’re fundamentalists. They operate with a corrupted and controlling mindset. They won’t change their dangerous ideology. Sound familiar? So, to governments and corporate leaders around the world – here’s a heads up; to young people, you are the Taliban. It’s your regime of self-interest that they’re raging against. It takes a 16-year-old girl with Aspergers and anxiety to reveal who you really are. It’s clear the world is not ready for outspoken and articulate young women. We are however comfortable trivialising young women’s interests as being shallow and fickle. We love to accuse them of being the ‘Me’ generation. The narcissists obsessed with taking selfies. We deride them for their lack of resilience, their high incidence of anxiety, their inability to leave home, to be like us. And when they speak out… we tell them that they should ask politely. Like good children. We attempt to discredit them, like the right-wing climate change deniers and media commentators around the world have done to Greta. If you’re a climate change denier… then how the F did you get into the media in the first place? There’s clearly been a sharp decline in critical thinking and an upsurge in ultra right-wing memes and dodgy graphs, resulting in a nasty social rash of people who mobilise around belief not fact. Like ex-footballer turned Australian TV ‘personality’ (and I use that term lightly) Sam Newman lashing out with tweets like: ‘That annoying little brat addressed the UN on the so-called climate crisis. WHO lets this shit have a platform? Mendacious, inbred sycophants, that who. #ClimateChangeHoax.’ Hey Sam, who let you have a platform? You’re a footballer FFS. Happy for you to talk about AFL. You must know something about that. But step away from science. And what exactly is the Climate Change Hoax? Who does it serve? No-one can really explain the big conspiracy in their own words, just with Facebook links and memes to photoshopped images of Greta eating lunch in front of some Ethiopian children. Scientists are clearly in the employ of… wind farmers, hemp producers and Farmers Markets? It’s obvious! There’s no reason for those corporations heavily invested in coal and fossil fuels to be pushing this agenda – those who fund government, who hold most of the world’s wealth, to be behind efforts to discredit climate science. I mean there’s no obvious reason they’d be the architects of this supposed ‘Climate Change Hoax.’ Hoax? Tut tut. Attacking the character of a 16-year-old girl and her parents to shift the conversation away from climate action? How dare you.
34 The Byron Shire Echo wĈƐşćĕſ ǩǽ ǩǧǨǰ
LIVE MUSIC E N T E R T A I N M E N T FIRST KISS GOODNIGHT
For over a decade now the patrons of Mullum Music Festival have brainstormed innovative projects to add to the creative footprint of this much-loved annual event. Mullum Music Festival is a festival with no VIP areas. It’s about artists and festival goers all being part of the musical melting-pot. Each year, the official festival patrons find a way to make their contribution meaningful, which means, as time goes on, it becomes a challenge to come up with something that hasn’t been done before! Rising to the challenge for their second and final year as patrons are Husky! This year, Husky Gawenda and Gideon Priess have decided, after doing some musical collaborations with friends last year, that 2019 is all about going way-out of the ballpark with something left-field. Something that includes sound AND vision! Welcome to First Kiss Goodnight Matt Redlich, as a producer and co-writer, and visual designer Erin Van Occi will produce video, music and images for some of Gideon and Husky’s newest side-project. The idea is to present the songs in a casual setting where the audience can come and dance and hang out and be part of this very organic music and visual exploration. Gideon Priess is excited about what’s in store this year. ‘It’s
this project that grew organically out of late night sessions, after we finished recording the Husky music and we wanted to keep the music going. It’s a free, open and inspired project. Matt had this old friend Erin, and sent her visuals, and she sent back these videos we thought were amazing. But the project hasn’t been officially launched. We are excited, no one out there has heard of it yet – we want to present this music and video at a late night hub with artists doing pop ups! That’s what I love about Glenn and the festival – you can go with any idea and they are up for it!’ As patrons, Husky will also be presenting a solo show where he shares some gems from his artist’s catalogue; including unreleased songs, songs that haven’t been played publicly before, and songs that are still being formed.
And of course, at night Gideon will do what he does best – host a wild and swinging Piano Bar frequented by an accidental ensemble of whomever makes it up the stairs! Last year this tiny improvised gig was one of the festival highlights. Says Gideon of Husky’s festival involvement: ‘In our second year as patrons of our favourite festival on the planet, we’re stoked to present three of our new side projects – Husky Gawenda solo (Friday eve), Gideon Preiss Piano Bar (Every evening) and First Kiss Goodnight (Late nights). Come see us, hear us, hang out with us, dance with us and be yourself with us. There will be music and love and madness in the air – trust us.’ Mullum Music Festival | 14–17 November www.mullummusicfestival.com
SING ALONG WITH AMBER AND STU SERENADES FOR STRINGS The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) is renowned for embracing celebrated classics alongside new commissions and Serenades for Strings is no exception. A romantic program of the finest classical music from Beethoven to Mendelssohn, mixed with an exciting new Australian work, Australian composer Paul Stanhope’s Dancing on Clouds from the Hush 18 Collective Wisdom Album. Helena Rathbone, Principal Violin and founding Director of ACO Collective, celebrates her 25th year with the ACO and will lead a magical night playing a 260 year old Guadagnini violin. The evening will take you from Edward Elgar’s tranquil Serenade for Strings, to Beethoven’s delightful and optimistic Romance for violin and orchestra. Helena proves she is a romantic at heart and you will experience the youthful and energetic Sinfonia No.7 by Mendelssohn, and Beethoven’s great String Quartet as the finale that brings the night to a gripping end! ACO Collective combines Australia’s most talented emerging string players with the professional musicians of the ACO to create a high-energy 17-piece string orchestra. ‘Music belongs to everyone. Australia is such a massive country, and I think what the ACO and ACO Collective are doing, through touring to regional parts of the country, is ensuring that all Australians have the opportunity to see their country’s best musicians perform. To bring music from other parts of the world and spread it through Australia is a task that we are very excited to play a small role in,’ says Pekka Kuusisto, ACO Collective Artistic Director. While in Lismore, ACO Collective will also perform a concert for local school children and Northern Rivers Conservatorium string students will have the opportunity to play alongside ACO Collective musicians in a special workshop. Lismore City Hall, Friday 25 October, 7.30pm. Secret Chef Diner open from 6pm. Recommended for ages 8+. Tickets: $25-$59. www.norpa.org.au | 1300 066 772
Quick – off the top of your head – what’s your favourite song to sing along to? Is it one that everyone knows the chorus? Miss Amber & Stukulele have compiled a ‘Sing-A-Longs’ Songbook for this month’s Ballina UKE NIGHT. So strap on your ukulele and warm up your voice… There’s gonna be some roof raisin’ at the Ballina RSL on Thursday 10 October from 7pm. Get there at 6.30pm for a uke lesson! $15 per adult, $5 kids under 16. Sweet Caroline… Bah Bah Bah!
North Coast news daily in Echonetdaily www.echo.net.au