Lot's Wife Edition 1 2017

Artists Should Be Punished, Not Celebrated
edition one
Let’s be honest. Despite their numerous indiscretions, public gaffes and even crimes, we hold
celebrities in a ludicrously high regard. We are, for some reason, willing to ignore the immoral and illegal
acts they commit so that we may benefit from continued production of their art. This cannot continue,
and a boycott of their work is what is required.
Notable celebrities such as Chris Brown and Mel Gibson have all earned varying degrees of fame and
success in their careers, and still command the attention of millions, and yet they are perpetrators of
domestic violence. Brown’s abuse of then-partner Rihanna is common knowledge and, despite this,
he has since released five albums with reasonable success and become a face of a footwear company,
Snipes. Mel Gibson, charged with physical assault on his then-partner, has gone on to direct the Oscarnominated
Hacksaw Ridge.
By separating acts from the artist, we are ignoring what both informs and drives these people to do
what they do. An artwork is not distinct from the behaviours and actions of the artist, and by ignoring
the indiscretions, we are normalising and even forgiving these awful acts.
This attempt to ignore the misdeeds of celebrities is becoming endemic in pop culture, with people
so infatuated with a celebrity’s work that they are willing to ignore criminal acts. Take the #freebieber
slogan which whirled around the internet following Justin Bieber’s arrest for a DUI. No matter that he
was driving while drink and endangering countless lives, he was too precious to be punished and the
incident has left no mark on his popularity.
Furthermore, and most importantly, by refusing to punish these celebrities we are silencing their
victims and are continuing to suppress much needed dialogue on these crimes. Woody Allen, a famed
filmmaker and actor, has been accused of the sexual assault of his adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow.
Whilst no convictions were upheld, Allen continues to direct at least one film per year. For most, being
accused of sexual assault would make one unemployable. For Allen, job opportunities continued in quick
succession, effectively diminishing and ignoring the potential victim Dylan Farrow.
Giving artists accolades and fortune when they commit serious misdeeds only works to silence their
victims. This is because they are celebrated for the two minutes of a song or two hours in a cinema.
Separating the work from the artist only enhances and magnifies the victims respective harm and
contributes to a continued cycle of normalising crime. We need to hold these people accountable for
their actions, and have them treated as any other offender. Otherwise, these crimes will continue to go
unpunished.
lot’s wife
article by nick jarrett
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds: Gig Review
At the second performance of their Australian tour, fans young and old were treated to an
electric and energetic performance. Cave’s powerful stage presence remains as palpable as ever.
The Bad Seeds formed in 1986 and since then, have cemented their name as one of Australia’s biggest
and longest lasting rock exports.
The support act, The Necks, are an Australian 3-piece experimental jazz band that provided a great
atmosphere and sound track for the start of the gig. However, it was obvious that the masses of fans had
come for Cave.
The Bad Seeds set list consisted mainly of the band’s most recent 2016 release Skeleton Tree. This is
their 16th full studio album and can best be described as atmospheric, lyrical and deeply personal, as
much of the record’s production was shaped by the tragic death of Cave’s son in 2015. Spacing out the
newer, heavier style of music with fan favourites from older albums such as The Boat Song and From Her
to Eternity was a good choice to maintain the energy of the crowd… not that Cave’s performance wasn’t
enough already.
Cave’s artistry as a musician and performer was apparent from the second he appeared on stage. There
was an anticipation in the audience that made me almost sure he would appear in a puff of smoke, like
some kind of enigmatic magic-man. As the rest of the band entered, a hush momentarily fell over the
audience. When Cave took the stage seconds later it was broken by a deafening wave of cheering and
clapping. At the age of 59, he is still a true rock star; reaching into the audience, holding hands with
those lucky enough to have fought their way to the front of the crowd.
It would be wrong not to acknowledge the brilliance that is Warren Ellis, the band’s multi-talented
violinist (Ballarat-born) who shines as a live performer. Ellis’s famously experimental violin style is
heightened immensely in a live setting. He rips into the songs that maintain the band’s rock roots with
ferocity and lends beautiful, sensitive sounds to tracks of the ballad variety. On stage, both Ellis and
Cave radiate joy and give passionate performances.
A personal highlight of the performance was the encore. The narrative track Stagger Lee from the 1996
album Murder Ballads really becomes an epic with the full brunt of the band behind it.
I would 100% recommend to anyone who is a music lover to go see Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds live
at some point. The depth of emotion, energy and pure musical talent makes them an act which bears
relevance to the lives of so many.
The tour reached Melbourne’s Sydney Myer Music Bowl on the 27th and 28th of January and concluded
in Perth on the 31st of January.
review & illustration by molly dixon