FROM ROCK 'N 'ROLL TO HARD CORE PUNK - UKZN ...

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factors for consideration it seems, are financial and
qualitative, since according to Clark:
...the population for and demand of rock music in
South Africa is small. There are only five million
whites, of whom only half enjoy rock music. This
results in a small amount of competition and thus
lower standards among rock musicians. 15
This view is regarded as typical of record executives in South
Africa by rock musicians. 16 Yet, one does have to concur that the
demand fbr local rock as opposed to local traditional or African
musics is lower in South Africa simply because of the population
numbers. This, however, should not be used as an excuse to
ignore local rock musicians. The question of lower standards is
a very contentious one, and is at the heart of the identity issue
at stake. The assumption that South African rock is inferior to
international rock is one which has pervaded our consciousness
over the decades, and has largely been perpetuated by the South
African music industry. The recent re-issue by Gallo of four
compact discs containing white pop songs from 1960-1990
demonstrates that those local artists who did record, recorded
mostly trite versions of already-popular songs. As Muller points
out, it is clear when judging from this collection, that
'English-speaking whites were never able to look locally, they
were never encouraged to look inside themselves for musical and
cultural resources,.17 The saying 'Local is Lekker' was created
in an attempt to discourage such thinking patterns, albeit not
only in musical circles.
1994.
15 Quoted from Don Clark from my interview with him on the 21 April
16 Syd Kitchen, for example, strongly opposed this statement and felt it
was tYP,ic,al, of the music industry in South Africa in side-stepping its
responslblllty to support local music.
17C . Muller, 'White Pop and an Imagined English-Speaking Community in
South Africa 1950-1990', p.6.