1:41PM Jess McGuire | My beloved chum Dave the Scot alerted me to
this astoundingly rubbish assessment of the Australian music press, as penned for The Guardian by UK rock critic Everett True who has moved to Brisbane and found himself bitterly disappointed by the local street press. Now, I’m not saying we have the greatest music rags in the world, but the following opening paragraph is just complete shit.
Australians don’t have much respect for the music press – it runs counter to their culture. Australian rock is all about “Good on ya, mate – well done for getting up on stage and switching that amplifier on”. The idea of anyone actually daring to criticise musicians for the sound they make is almost heresy. Everyone is treated equally, which means no knocking anyone back, however great the temptation. (That’ll be why Australian rock is best known to the outside world for such musical abominations as Silverchair, the Vines and Savage Garden.) Sport is the predominant culture here, and music is similarly viewed as a leisure activity – it’s all about “work rate”, “dedication” and “goals scored”. Unsurprisingly, Australians get the music press they deserve.
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