A couple of days ago, I watched on iview a documentary about the Australian band Midnight Oil called “The Hardest Line.” It was amazing, a real slice of Australian history, a time capsule of the issues affecting Australia 🇦🇺.
I think every one should see this. Midnight Oil are such a divisive band. You either love them passionately or hate them passionately. I am on the side of those who love them. So much of the issues and values I hold dear Midnight Oil have educated me about. My views on nuclear disarmament, the peace movement, the environmental movement and indigenous issues have been shaped and formed by Midnight Oils songs. So many people of my generation would agree. So many men of my age worshipped Midnight Oil , a lot who were into surf culture loved Midnight Oils style of music. Peter Garrett is famous for his politics and even my dad was aware of Peter Garrett and Midnight Oil. I think my dad was fascinated a bit by Midnight Oil singing about political issues. They certainly were very unapologetically in your face about issues. Midnight Oil are known as the only top charting Australian band of the 80s that never appeared on Countdown. When they were asked to appear on the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics, they went away to consider how they could do that without selling out and came back with all guns firing. They appeared in black tracksuits with the word SORRY emblazoned on them, summing up the view that our government needed to apologise to our indigenous population for the stolen generation. I think that was a bold move and think they did the right thing. Peter Garrett ended up being a Labor politician around the time the Labor party gave a national apology to the stolen generations. Without Midnight Oil taking such a public stance, this apology may never have happened the way it did.
Midnight Oil are certainly a political animal, but I, for one, respect them for their politics and their very special place in Australian history. I have learned much from them as did a lot of my generation. When all is said and done, their music 🎶 lives on.
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