Australian rock legends pile on Bernardi’s playlist

Jimmy Barnes and Bernard Fanning have joined other Australian musicians in criticism of Cory Bernardi’s Australia Day playlist.

Jimmy Barnes performs at the MND concert. Picture:Getty/Michael Dodge

Australian rock legends Jimmy Barnes and Bernard Fanning have become the latest in a string of high profile Australian musicians to openly criticise Australian Conservatives leader Cory Bernardi and his party’s Australia Day playlist.

Popular streaming platform Spotify have also moved to distance themselves from the “Australian Conservatives 100” which is intended as a replacement to popular youth station triple j’s annual Hottest 100 countdown. “Spotify has actively supported marriage, gender and indigenous equality initiatives over the last five years, and believes in a diverse and multicultural Australia. We want to make clear we do not endorse this playlist, nor do we have any official ties to the Australian Conservatives party or any other political party.” they said in a statement.

Barnes mocked the conservative politician, tweeting “Why would you listen to anything @corybernardi says, especially about music?”

Why would you listen to anything @corybernardi says, especially about music?

— Jimmy Barnes (@JimmyBarnes) January 18, 2018

Former Powderfinger frontman Bernard Fanning was quick to distance himself, tweeting that he “does not endorse the inclusion of any of his music in the @AuConservatives Hottest 100”.

He also said the conservative playlist was “clearly another puerile attempt to distract people from what is a serious question that needs rigorous debate.”

...It is clearly another puerile attempt to distract people from what is a serious question that needs rigorous debate. This, typically from @corybernardi and his 19th Century thinking, adds nothing to it. #politicalincorrectnessgonemad

— Bernard Fanning (@bernardfanning) January 18, 2018

Bernardi: music protest absurd

Cory Bernardi, and Savage Garden, top right, and The Hilltop Hoods.

Australian Conservatives leader Cory Bernardi says calls from artists such as Savage Garden frontman Darren Hayes and Adelaide hip-hop group the Hilltop Hoods for him to remove their music from his party’s Australia Day playlist are “outrageous” and “absurd”.

Senator Bernardi created an “Australian Conservatives 100” Australian music playlist on streaming service Spotify, as a response to ABC youth station Triple J’s decision to shift its annual Hottest 100 from January 26.

The move prompted Hayes to demand Senator Bernardi remove his group’s song To The Moon and Back from the list, and the Hilltop Hoods to tweet: “Go f*** yourself @corybernardi”.

“I don’t support your party, values or views,” Hayes tweeted. “Remove my music from your promotions. You do not have permission to use my music.”

I don't support your party, values or views. Remove my music from your promotions. You do not have permission to use my music. https://t.co/fBmVisypLz

— Darren Hayes (@darrenhayes) January 17, 2018

In a second tweet several hours later, Hayes said: “Hi @CoryBernadi and @AuConservatives. I do not want to be associated with you, your party or your views. Remove my music from this stunt or expect contact from my publisher @SonyATV.”

In response, Senator Bernardi replied: “Get over yourself @darrenhayes. Music is for everyone.”

Get over yourself @darrenhayes. Music is for everyone. https://t.co/zZyYFd9nC1

— Cory Bernardi (@corybernardi) January 17, 2018

Hayes also appealed to other artists on the playlist, including Kylie Minogue, INXS, Peter Garrett and Jimmy Barnes, saying: “Are you guys cool with the far right Australian Conservatives using our music to promote their agenda? Because I’m not.”

Are you guys cool with the far right Australian Conservatives using our music to promote their agenda? Because I'm not. What say you @kylieminogue @JimmyBarnes @anuchristine @pgarrett @INXS @bernardfanning @paulkelly @tinaarena @Lisa_Veronica @TheVeronicas @Jessicaveronica https://t.co/fBmVisypLz

— Darren Hayes (@darrenhayes) January 17, 2018

This morning Senator Bernardi said he was encouraging people to celebrate Australia Day by listening to Australian music, denying he was appropriating the songs for political purposes.

“They’re not appropriated for my political purposes at all,” he told ABC radio.

“All of a sudden I’m not allowed to create a playlist on a music streaming service for which I subscribe because I might be politicising it. This is nonsensical.

“You’ve seized upon a tweet by an Australian artist, who I don’t even know if he lives in the country, who says he doesn’t want to be on the playlist.

“This is the type of intolerant censorship that we have warned about for such a long time.

“Suddenly artists are saying, you’re not allowed to add my song to your playlist, you’re not allowed to play my music, say you enjoy my music, because I don’t agree with your political views. This is absurd. It’s outrageous.”

Savage Garden.

Senator Bernardi said artists such as Hayes should be thanking him for the royalties he was sending their way.

“I want people to listen to great Australian music and I’ve made it easy for them to do so, using the very streaming service that the people who are complaining about this put their songs on and make them available for,” he said.

“It’s nothing more than that. They can beat it up and they can complain and they can threaten me with legal action and say Darren Hayes is going to get his music publishers onto me, but the simple answer is take your songs off the streaming service if you don’t want people to play them and support them.

“He gets a royalty for every time it’s played. He should be thanking us.”

.@CoryBernardi launches the #AC100, an alternative to @TripleJ "Hottest 100" after they abandoned #AustraliaDay. Click to listen to the @spotify playlist and vote for your favourites: https://t.co/qlknkhHH5j #auspol #ABetterWay pic.twitter.com/GHy6GDe659

— Aust Conservatives (@AuConservatives) January 17, 2018

Senator Bernardi said he still liked the Hilltop Hoods’ music, despite their abusive tweet.

“I actually do enjoy their music, but I don’t have to like their politics,” he said.

“I don’t have to enjoy their political or social activism to say, hey, they’re talented, they’re Australian, and they’ve got some boppy good songs that I kind of enjoy.

“This is the blurring of lines between what people are allowed to do and this group-think or this forced, ideological blinkered thinking when you get abuse because you think that someone thinks differently to you or you don’t conform to the zeitgeist of whatever it be, whether it be the entertainment industry or whether it be the public service or whatever else.

“I think Australians are heartily sick of it.”

The Hilltop Hoods.

Senator Bernardi said he had been criticised for including Savage Garden because Hayes is gay.

“I don’t care about that. You can divorce politics from enjoying someone’s craft. You can divorce other things for enjoying the craft. Unfortunately the artists are completely unable to do it,” he said.

David Campbell, co-host of the Today Show and son of Jimmy Barnes, also waded into the conversation. “I am going to just hazard a guess that my old man will want NOTHING to do with your list,” he tweeted. “Shall we ask him?? @JimmyBarnes”

Barnes, who is travelling overseas, was yet to respond this morning.

I am going to just hazard a guess that my old man will want NOTHING to do with your list. Shall we ask him?? @JimmyBarnes https://t.co/sSF9H5KYMF

— David Campbell (@DavidCampbell73) January 17, 2018

The Australian Conservatives 100 was created as a direct response to Triple J’s decision to move the Hottest 100 countdown from Australia Day, where it has been part of the schedule since the late 1980s.

The “AC100” includes Men at Work’s Down Under, Khe Sanh, You’re The Voice and Peter Allen’s I Still Call Australia Home in the top 10.

“As taxpayer-funded Triple J and their ‘Hottest 100’ abandon our national day for political correctness, we’re inviting you to cast your vote by telling us your favorite [sic] 3 tracks from our #AC100 playlist,” its website said.