TAKING LIBERTIES

Rip It Up, Issue 225, 1 May 1996, Page 9

TAKING LIBERTIES

Shredding through the latest RIU, I noticed the caption: ‘Member of the Liberty press group.’ I wonder, is the only Liberty you take to promote Wildside bands in your so-called New Zealand music magazine? If it isn’t another Wildside band, it’s a band from one of your other dinosaur mates’ labels, such as Flying Numb or Chronic. There is a lot of other great bands in New Zealand who.deserve credit and attention for what they’re doing, and who do it independently, without handouts from major labels, or free press from magazines with a vested interest in their future. How about you step out of the cave and promote New Zealand music as a whole? Isn’t that what RlLfs about? And isn’t having the owner of Wildside as RIWs editor a conflict of interest. Eh, Ed?

And what’s with all the Rumblefish clones, ie. Pumpkinhead and Future Stupid? Get off the weed, cut off the dreads, get with the 90s, and get real! Crux Kwon Do, Auckland. PS: It was great to see Nonoxonyl 9 and the Managers in the last issue. Editor replies: The magazine covers bands with releases on nationally distributed labels, such as Warners, Wildside, Zero, Flying Nun, Chronic, Pagan etc. What logic would there be in writing a magazine about bands not on labels (who would buy it?), or a magazine about tennis players not on tennis courts? The label ownership question is a yawn, as without exception, every person employed in music media or the music industry has ‘vested interests’ of some sort. The fact my ‘vested interests’ are well known, hopefully keeps them in check.