LETTERS

Rip It Up, Issue 62, 1 September 1982, Page 25

LETTERS

Post to RIU LETTERS', PO Box 5689, Auckland 1. Want to know something? I'm telling you anyway! Rip It Up, TVNZ, record companies (even little ones) and all the rest of you (nearly forgot the Arts Council!) are conceited, constricted, bland, boring, hypocritical, dishonest, bigoted controllers with no feeling for music, who set (or try to) in everyday media fashion, has-been tin-music trends. No wonder we're laughed at as a record-producing country overseas. No one gets to see its real heart and soul. People who make genuine effort (without the help of the fucking dole!) are too often forced to give up after being pressured into being paranoid over what they do or/and starving. Some people who make music in this country are spending their time playing, organising, advertising and arranging more or less 24 sweaty hours a day and the efforts might pay the bill for the venue hire, maybe covering the cost of the posters as well. Other people laze around all day on the dole or behind a counter or a desk and play in pubs to make a second income and pick up lollipops to dribble over after a gig. These sort of "bands" (sick of the word yet?) are promoted by some or all of the above mentioned bureaucracies because they comply to an idea of what a band is you'd probably say "music". Aren't you sick of going to see groups who play in the same old song construction way with bass player turning on the motor and driving the rest of the band's

members around the paddock, lead singers strutting, half-pissed and: singing about rebellion and other standard procedures in songwriting. . Isn't it time this: "It's not what you are, but who you know" rubbish was given the boot, including has-beens like Brazier, Lyon, .Split Enz, Blams, Chris Knox' and all the ' love-toy love . crap. Scrap it! Step aside boys. You've had your turn. Admit you're tired old swindlers. And as for This Sporting Life, No' Tag, Dance Exponents and : such-like you're just the same old re-hashed shit churned out again and given the thumbs up by scenesetters or rather scene-stay-the-samers. And as for you personally Rip It Up, are you owned by the breweries now? All taken care of are we so we don't even have to go outside to see what's happening in music. Or even if you do venture out to see a "band": you've probably been spoon-fed by some friend previously into believing they're good, hence a good review of them. Take heed please! Give music a go, forget has-beens, tried and true formulas and step out of your cells. There's lots and lots and lots to open up to and it's to your benefit. JC & BH It's a glad day in this deadly time when Music World of Christchurch release another. Trojan record. It shows class to release African Herbsman with its original track listing and. sleeve, like they did with Rasta Revolution earlier this year. If you're into Bob Marley and the Waiters, these are as hot as

you'll get and they're budget priced, buy them both. Barry Linton Auckland We think you are wonderful, but Wellington Rumours said our name was Cardinal Sin. Although this is close, it is in fact not our name. We are CARNIVAL DIN. Why? Because we came out of the Wellington Summer City circus and because we play original songs in all kinds of styles zulu, funk, pump, slam, smooth, dumb, funny, brilliant, simple, crazed and straight. Carnival Dinner Club Wellington