Homegrown groan

Blogger/music writer Simon Sweetman posted a blog earlier today called "Homegrown and social responsiblity."

excerpt: "... There's some okay music on display - stretched thinly across too many stages for far too long. But, for the most part, this money-maker encourages antisocial behaviour; it provides bad role models.

Many of the artists were smoking onstage - and drinking. Jim Beam is one of the big sponsors. And our largely inarticulate, thoughtless musicians were cussing and ranting, using the f-word as multi-purpose adjective.

The issue I have with this is that Homegrown makes its money by appealing to teens. And to young student-types in this university town; people in their early 20s, so sure of themselves but still, ultimately, young kids.

When DJ Sir-Vere started his party-set that had him pressing play on a bunch of American hip-hop records (a stunning display of the home-grown talent - how did he do that? So very Kiwi to just press play on an American hip-hop tune. That's New Zealand music right there!) he was saying f**k this and f**k that and then Che Fu told the audience that they were playing a bunch of songs they loved to listen to when they were "wasted".

My problem with this - apart from the laziness of boasting and toasting over someone else's record at an event that is nominally trying to promote Kiwi music, if not Kiwi musical innovation - is that it's an event pushed at kids and teens. If you are prepared to take the money, to make loads of money pushing merchandise and overpriced food and drink and tickets then you have a social responsibility to pitch (correctly) to that audience..."

One of the targets of that blog, DJ Sir-vere, reacted to Sweetman on Twitter, saying "Honestly @BlogOnTheTracks just fuck up. You shouldn't go to festivals cos people drink there and take drugs - all those old rockers you love lived in a drug daze their whole careers. We do what we do - period. I'm not a role model - so it fucking is what it is.

"Apparently I have a social responsibility? I am who I am - I've never mixed words ever. And I'm a good person, with a good job, and a father."

Sir-vere also had some more comments about this on his Facebook page,as did Che Fu, who wrote "Hey "The Dominion Post", I never ever said I was [a role model]. To put it in context, the venue we played in was R18, and they were selling alcohol. So what are you on about? Leave my name out of your "I'm sick of drunks at Homegrown" rant. Role models should be your Mum, Dad, uncle, aunty, close family, friends etc.. Not Entertainers! I've always said this, and its what I tell my kids."