Good Or Shit: Urthboy And Politics

There was a time when I often heard women claim that Urthboy was the only ginge they would shag. This was back in The Great Anti-Ginge Days before Ron Weasley got hot and Homeland started. And as he gets older and more mature his appeal is only going to increase. I know I've just spent the last few days with Smokey's Haunt on repeat admiring the man for his skill, his intelligence, humility, and unassuming thoughtfulness – all culminating in hot.

Smokey's Haunt is good. Very good. After a few listens I was most struck by the obvious appearance of a maturing man. I visualised him gracefully spinning through an existential ether, leaving behind the psychological childhood and entering the next phase – whatever that is – paying homage to the past, aware of the present, frightened, hopeful, and with some clear ideas of what he wants for the future. I laughed – Knee Length Socks – I cried – Glimpses, Calling Cards, The Big Sleep – I felt comforted – Stories – grateful that I'm not into pokies – Cleopatra – and had my nationalistic and revolutionary spirit IGNITED by Empire Tags.

Empire Tags runs through the history of Australia acknowledging many events and characteristics respectfully. Colonisation, terra nullius, Aboriginal culture, the Eureka Stockade, the stolen generation, bushrangers, ANZACs, droughts and flooding rains, refugees, immigration, and so on, taking everything into account with, like I said, respect; without any hysterical lamenting of the bad things or over-glorifying of the good things; Just looking at everything.

And then looking at the Union Jack and saying – this is not who we are anymore.

Now let's take a minute to remember that Urthboy and the rest of the Elefants (sic) – I always like to picture them as some kind of new-age socialist community where everyone has equal rights and where they are always picking each other up with their trunks and squeezing lovingly – have a reputation for politics. They are often referred to as being 'politically conscious'. One of the most memorable Herd tracks is 77%. A song about racism, refugees, and the Tampa (“Wake up, this country needs a fucking shake up”). So, I was pretty dismayed to read a review of Smokey's Haunt that claimed Empire Tags was the album's “least interesting idea”.

I think what the reviewer means is “least interesting idea TO ME, because I don't care about the Australian national identity.” Which is fine, I guess, just a tad disappointing.

Personally I LOVE this song. I love that someone is talking about this stuff. I love that it's being delivered over an upbeat tune with a catchy chorus so that it's easily digestible, quite celebratory, and in effect – moving. Smart, Urthboy, very smart. To have delivered this with rage, anger, and calls for shame, over a complex and sinister beat, would only have been to limit the audience. Leave that stuff to the Melbourne Angries – whose work I still respect – Empire tags is political pragmatism.

I hope it takes off, goes radio-mental, and infects the minds of the youth so that they can't stop singing it and so they actually start thinking about it.

This country is home to loads of Empire-loving fogies. Out of date and out of touch with the reality of contemporary Australia. I'm not calling for anyone to bash Britain, more 'Thanks England, we've had our ups and downs, it's been swell, but now, for want of a better analogy, it's time for us to move out of home and forge our own identity.' Or, as Urthboy so eloquently and hip hop-ily put it –  

“Once upon a time it's who we were/Once upon a time we clung to her/Once upon a time but no longer/One corner of our flag is insecure.

From a time when the Empire tagged the globe/We 'aint cleaned that graffiti of the front of our home/What I'm telling you, you already know/That it's time, time for the Jack to go.”

Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.