On the bus with Ruby Rose: pop and politics

DJ launching her very own pop-up music festival on wheels but says one day she could be making a different kind of noise.

Ruby Rose

IT'S one thing rock stars and politicians have in common as they hit the touring circuit or the campaign trail.

But this summer, Ruby Rose plans to give the humble bus a makeover – travelling around DJ-ing for fans, guerrilla-style, as part of her very own pop-up music festival on wheels.

And while for now “Bustival”, is all about the music – with fans voting online where they want her to play – the increasingly vocal Rose told news.com.au one day she could be making a very different kind of noise.

“Next it’ll be Bustival, the politician version,” she said with a grin. “We’ll have debates, live on the Bustival.”

Rose may have found fame as a MTV VJ and fashion designer, but in recent years she’s become known for her public stances on gay marriage and youth affairs issues.

“I‘m very interested in politics,” she said. “I’m very much behind it, and I spend a lot of my time watching debates and I’m obviously very pro certain things and anti-certain things.”

But while Rose will have a ready-made campaign bus, Julia Gillard can rest easy – if anything the model and designer would prefer to stick to education or youth affairs and in any case has plenty of creative work to do before she “grows up”.

“I’m going to leave that up to politicians for now,” she said. “Once I’ve maybe got a couple of years on me, we’ll see.

“If Arnie (Schwarzenegger) can do it, I reckon I can do something.”

Meanwhile, she’ll have enough of a taste of organisation and government getting Bustival on the road.

While some of the details on logistics and getting through council hoops remain slightly hazy, Rose is adamant the event will be “very well organised”.

“It’s not like we’re booking out Centennial Park and getting Rammstein,” she said.

“We’re working with councils. It’s not so guerrilla that it’s illegal.

“This isn’t marketed up against the Big Day Out… this is bringing it back and saying let’s start the summer with our own music festival that’s free and really up close and intimate… it’s very exciting.”