No Fun! Politics pt2
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'Rock Against Conferences'
 Graham Lock NME 16.12.78

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Oh yes. the brotherhood was then joined by the sisterhood. Comrades we give you Rock Against Sexism (see article links below). Bands that been vetted for racism were to be further vetted for sexism where bands would be invited to sign an anti sexist contrct before a gig! Horror of horrors a band, The Fabulous Poodles, had played an anti racism gig but some of their songs may have offended women !!! It was serious stuff. At conferences motions were passed and on and on it fucking went in its own ludicrous way. Unsurprisingly this attempt to find the most boring right on bands in the universe failed and RAS collapsed in debt. True to form they blamed Polytechnic Student Unions for charging too much for gigs and they suggested forcing them to charge future anti sexist gigs less. Right on comrade.

Motorhead - services not required.

Things were so complicated. What bands could be used to give the message "There's no point us putting on Judas Priest when they strut around with their bollocks hanging out." On Motorhead "neither would want the other." On Adam & The Antz "We finally decided it would be alienating for us to put them on, so we just did an interview with them in Temporary Hoarding instead" (and what a witch hunt that was).

When it came down to it RAR and RAS chose the bands they liked pure and simple:

"The thing is RAR is trying to get involved with people we're all into and interested in, instead of doing things we just feel we ought to be doing...What it comes down to is RAR has certain predilections in terms of music, and its therefore certain bands that are going to get used."  (NME 24.3.79)

Temporary Hoarding 
Interview With Adam Ant 1979

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Wow that was militant ! In other words through their censorship they were to choose what we were to hear. There were plans for an RAR record label ..just imagine the artistic freedom that would have been there.  The truth of the matter is that Motorhead were one of the least racist bands around and ironically were the greatest supporters of Girlschool the only all female hard rock band around. Judas Priest wanted to play an anti racist benefit as did Blondie but oh no coz they weren't politically sound. Getting complicated eh ?

<< Left  'Love Sex, Hate Racism' Martha Zenfell NME 7/4/79. Click on images to view larger readable ones

Judas Priest -Their services weren't required either ... bollocks or otherwise !

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