ARCHIE ROACH

Rip It Up, Issue 165, 1 April 1991, Page 20

ARCHIE ROACH

Visiting NZ this month with Paul Kelly, is singer/ songwriter

Archie Roach, who was recently voted Best New Talent at the Australian Music Awards. He also won Best Indigenous Album and accepting an award said, “I believe in the future of this

country and I believe that music is and will be the great equaliser.”

Roach has seen his share of inequality in his lifetime, yet there's not a trace of bitterness in Archie - Roach’s music, yet his lyrics recount events in Australian history that are almost unbelieveable.

The Welfare and the policeman Said you’ve got to understand We'll give them what you can’t give

Teach them how to really live Teach them how to really live they said Humiliated them instead Taught them that and taught them this

And others taught them prejudice. (‘Took The Children Away’) »

Roach was a victim of the 1950 s policy of Assimilation, when he was taken forcefully from his rural

Aboriginal parents at the age of SiX, to live in institutions or with various

urban foster parents. Ifs interesting that it took Roach'’s pop song ‘Took the Children Away’ to publicise this Government policy that removed thousands of Aboriginal children from their parents. ' For Archie Roach, recording his album Charcoal Lane helped him cope with his past.

“Atfirst it was a bit painful to sing or talk about what I've experienced but after a while it became a bit of a therapy for me to get it out and share it with somebody other than my family. It became a healing thing forme.” “I wrote Took the Children Away’ to make people aware, give a bit of understanding, question it, so it becomes atalking point.” The policy of separating children from their parents now seems absurd. - Was it confined to the 195052 “The assimilation policy or Half Caste Act was abolished in the 60s but it started way back, possibly the 20s. It was when most Aboriginal people were contained on missions and settlements. It didn't take long for them to try to assimilate them because they were being taught secretly by elders in the bush — so they took the kids away.”

Roach was 15 when he received a letter from his sister telling him his mother had died a week earlier. He was never reunited with his mother but travelled to Sydney to meet his sister. But he didn't find stability and a Magistrate ordered him to return

to Melbourne and the “port” lifestyle of Charcoal Lane, Fitzroy.

The fitle track ‘Charcoal Lane’ is about Roach’s fight, as a young man, with alcoholism. Was alcohol a

serious threat to your well-being? “Drinking was killing me, my spirit as well as physically. When | went and searched for my people, a lot of them were mixed up with grog, so | thought this is what it is — I'll stick around and get stuck into it.”

Then we’d all get drunk Oh so drunk And maybe a little insane And we’d stagger home, all alone And the next day we’d do it again Have a reviver in Charcoal Lane I'm a surviver of Charcoal Lane. (Charcoal Lane) His wife Ruby, forced Roach to leave alcohol behind. “She just walked away from it, took our two boys . .. when she walked over the hill | felt like the lonelinest man on earth. | needed the alcohol but | need her more.” Now Roach abstains from alcohol but doesn't mind playing licensed venues. :

“Here in Melbourne the music scene is in pubs. That's where you see a good rock'n'roll band in pubs where alcohol is served — it's all part of enjoying themselves and having a good time. If they can do it without destroying themselves or others, so beit”

How did Roach come to record an album with Mushroom's Aurora label

“Paul Kelly was doing an Australian tour about two years ago and I'd done a show on an

aborigional current affairs show and Steve Connelly (Kelly’s guitarist) suggested they use me fora 15 minute acoustic spot at their Melbourne concert. There were a few execs in the crowd from Mushroom and a few weeks later | signed a contract.” - Was Paul Kelly involved in the recording? “Paul was co-producer with Steve Connelly. Paul helped select the best songs. Some songs are old, Took the Children Away’ from five years ago, some are recent. It took about three weeks fo record.” Will Paul and yourself do songs together when you tour? “Its a possibility, Paul knows a bit of my stuff and | know a bit of his. ‘We'll probably do something together. Itll be good.” :

MURRAY CAMMICK