What the hell is wrong with our legal system?

Powder Finger’s new song ‘Black Tears,’ which is due to be released next month, is due to go up in a legal battle. The 2^nd verse of the song supposedly refers to a racial incident which occurred between a member or members Palm Island Police and the local Aboriginal residents. Particularly, it supposedly refers one copper, one Officer Chris Hurley, who going up in court for the assault and manslaughter of Mulrunji Doomadgee who died while in his custody.

This death started a riot on the island.

The cop being charged is also the one making the complaint.


Photo ABC TV

What the hell is wrong with our legal system? Why shouldn’t an artist be allowed to comment on society? The police in this country (and loads of others countries) have a long history of abusing their power while musicians should have a right to comment on it and have done so in the past. Isn’t Waltzing Matilda commenting on a “class” incident that “supposedly” occurred between three coppers and a swagman?

If you can now be censored or worse sued for singing about something that is messed up then the world has gone crazy.

What do you think? What songs do you know that comment on the police and society?

Read more about it here (SMH)

Cock Rock Explodes!

I was shooting a video the other night in the park for a band called Bug Girl and this messed up thing happened. One of the filmic ideas was to make a cock-rocket (because you know the band's music is great but you might say its a little cock rock). So this dude had a stap-on strapped on, it was made from gaffer tape which was wrapped around a thousand match-heads and molded into the shape of a penis. Anyway...

So the other night i was making a music video for a band called Bug-Girl and this seriously messed up thing happened.



We were shooting in a park the other night (becuase cheap locations are the best, if you keep that under your hat) and as we were filming it all these local bums turned up to watch - guess there wasn't much going on down at the General Gordon (think of the crappest pub in the inner west of Sydney filled with pokies and old men staring at them), so instead they decided to sit around our set (the park) and watch and piss on.

Anyway, one of the filmic ideas was to make a cock-rocket (because you know they're music is good but you could say its a little bit cock rock) so this dude had his stap-on on, made from gaffer tape which was wrapped around a thousand match-heads and molded into the shape of a penis. He had attached this to a silver g-string, very visual. But the cock wasn't too big or anything, because you know, we didn't want it to look ridiculous.

So the guitar solo is cranking, Amber (shes' the lead guitarist) is reaching up with her guitar into the night sky. It's pure music cliche. Girls are lying at her feet holding onto her legs and next to them is Mr cock-rocket.

It's time for lift-off.

He lights up. Sparks fly. The rocket is a jet of fire shooting out of his crotch. And man, you should see the guy's face, he's scared shitless, like his looking down at a Rottweiler dog gnawing at his man-business.

I'm thinking, 'holy fuck - I hope this all doesn't go terribly wrong and I have to rush him to hospital (I could just imagine trying to explain it to the nurse on duty). but God, it looks so damn good on my camera. We gotta keep this rolling.'

The bums are interested too, one of them has come onto the set and looks like he's seen Jesus. One of those totally amazed looks. He gets down on his knees as the fiery cock starts to subside, pulls out a ciggie, takes a light and grins at the camera.

This is filmic art and I've been editing it up on my computer and i'm loving it

I'll post again soon when its up.

Tom Norton (Aka chicken Cheese)