Local music and media, Vorsprung, contingency plans and revolution

Cornia Pretorius in Sunday Times Lifestyle and Lisa Cohn in Sunday Independent Sunday Life both wrote pieces on local music and where it could be heading.

Pretorius deals with 'Liberation rock' in a look into the "soul of Afrikaans rock 'n roll". Karen Zoid is the focal point of the article. She has at least one smashed guitar on stage in her CV and espouses a curious business-like approach to her music.

Not for her the angst ridden ramblings of Janis Joplin wannabes, she is serious about making a career. Pretorius lists others like Brasse vannie Kaap, Koos Kombuis, the Brixton Moord en Roof Orches and Plank ending on a positive note. "There is a new generation of South Africans who believe local is lekker. They have disposed of their hang-ups about identity and language, in particular being Afrikaans. They speak it, they write it and they rock'n roll in it."

Cohn talks about The Phoebes (an all girl punk outfit) and Henry Ate (the brainchild of Karma and more soulful than the punksters). Waxing lyrical about getting home late and having no voice after shouting all night she lists some current faves like Wonderboom and Tweak and rages at her readers to get out there and see them while they're still around.

The power of the written word is so underestimated at times. SA musos have gone through hell over the years being largely ignored by their media brethren. Before the reader starts moaning about me demanding some sort of quota solution all I'm saying is give us more local music stories and less lip service to international acts simply 'cause they're international.

The stupid thing is that the media make and break bands as without publicity you never really make it no matter how good you are. There could just be a South African INXS out there ready to hit the stratosphere.

That's my rant over as far as music goes. Next up is the ongoing debate around the Audi Vorsprung ads. It has been an instructive deconstruction of our communications industry.

Some sages have lambasted the ads for being aimed at women, others have dismissed them because the product doesn't feature in the ads.

What about the debate Audi have triggered off and the fact that the Audi way of life has been so well portrayed. The pay off line is probably the reason why most diss it so religiously. "Either you have it or you don't."

At Woodstock recently I spotted a great t-shirt. Nothing on it except two words, Plan B. Now there's a confident and resourceful attitude.

A bumper sticker recently made me blink. "Quit bitchin'. Start a revolution." Complete with a Che Guevara image the message was perfectly packaged.

BTW keep those comments and ideas coming. I will be chatting about some of them in articles to come.