Yobbo singer doesn’t mind the laws

Press, 2 December 1987, Page 51

Yobbo singer doesn’t mind the laws

STEVE MASCORD

By

NZPA-AAP Sydney Kevin Bloody Wilson, the ribald Western Australian satirist who has been arrested several times on obscenity charges, says he doesn’t want the law changed in his favour. "I don’t necesssarily want to see laws I've been arrested on taken away,” the former electrician, touring the east coast to promote his new album,“Born Again Piss Tank,” said over breakfast at Sydney’s plush Boulevard Hotel. “Like, if I came in here and some guy who was playing Elton John suddenly broke out into one of my songs — you know ‘f... this’ and *f... that’ - then that would be offensive,” he said. "But if there was a sign outside saying ‘this is rated R entertainment,’ then I would be able to make an informed decision as to whether I wanted to go in or not.”

Wilson’s last record, “Kev’s Back,” was one of the best selling Australian albums of 1986, despite a dearth of promotion and almost no airplay.

‘T’ve made no compromises, and I pride myself on that,” he said. “I refuse to be put on the rock’n’roll assembly line. I won’t let the record company do any publicity or ads for me unless they’re done my way.” Wilson, whose latest record features titles like"! Knew The Bride*. .(When

She Used To Be A Moll)” and"Rootin’ in the Back of the Ute,” has been accused of being racist and sexist.

“The only people who have ever accused me of being racist are the white Australians,” he said.“ The ethnics love it

“As for being sexist, I am and that’s it. Not that I think that blokes are better or anything. "Everyone’s equal ... except women,” he laughed, trying to keep the image intact. Despite the somewhat controversial nature of his material, Wilson says he has received only two pieces of hate mail. “And they both quoted the Bible. Anyone who takes me seriously isn’t worth worrying about. “All of my stuff is based on things I’ve actually done or seen and I honestly believe there’s a lot of people out there like me.”

Only two years ago Wilson was marketing and selling his own tapes in Western Australia and topping the charts without the back-up of a multinational record company. Selling cassettes from his back door, Wilson sold a staggering. 46,000 copies, winning such influential fans as business magnate, Alan Bond and the veteran pop star, David Bowie. He turned down two national record deals before finally signing up with C.B.S.