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This article largely concerns a speech given by Dame Lynda Topp at the New Zealand Music Awards. Recently Dame Lynda lost her beloved twin sister. It would therefore be very remiss of me, churlish even, to not give due deference to the contribution they have made in the arts area and also to the fabric of our society. They have been described as icons and I think that is entirely appropriate. I have no doubt the speech she gave at the Music Awards was given with strong emotional feelings, given the trauma she has just been through. For that Dame Lynda deserves some leeway. Having said that, the content of the speech and the event itself cannot go without comment.
It is difficult to decide which to start with but it probably should be the event, as without it the speech might not have been made. It was the perfect setting for it. Like the recent media journalist awards, these types of events are nothing more than leftie love-ins bordering on the incestuous. In most instances the way the awards are decided, in respect of who the winners are, make them pretty much pointless. Maiki Sherman is a case in point. She got the sympathy vote. She must have done. It couldn’t have been anything else, unless there was an award for spouting excess bias.
Most of the leftie luvvies who attend these love-ins are not living where you and I do, i.e., in the real world. The majority, if not all, think they are living in a place called Aotearoa, as Dame Lynda noted in her speech. These types, be they actors, dramatists, producers, musicians, directors, singers or playwrights are living in a parallel universe. Their thinking and priorities do not align with the majority. They think they and their make-believe world are all that matters. They are unable to see beyond it. They have unrealistic expectations.
I don’t wish to be unkind to Dame Lynda but certain points she made cannot go unchallenged. For instance, she thinks music and the arts should be allocated more monies than defence. This perfectly highlights the Alice in Wonderland world these people inhabit. I’m sure Chlöe Swarbrick thinks the same. When Labour are next in power (probably not this year) and Chlöe is the finance minister maybe Dame Lynda might like to assume the role of associate minister. Then, in economic terms, we would have the blind leading the blind. The Third World awaits.
Dame Lynda also said “If the government were to put Kiwi artists on the frontline, ain’t nobody going to get through us.” This is pure fantasising, unless she thinks that Kiwi music is so bad the enemy would run miles in the opposite direction to avoid having to listen to it. Addressing Paul Goldsmith, who was either brave enough or stupid enough to attend (depending on your point of view), she said, “We are not defined by a government. We are not defined by politicians. We are defined by people, and our culture and our art.” I have no doubt Dame Lynda believes that is the full story for that country she likes to call Aotearoa. Sadly it isn’t.
In any country, even in New Zealand, society is like a jigsaw puzzle, it is made up of many pieces and, sadly, I have to alert Dame Lynda and her leftie comrades that their world, important as it is to them, is but a tiny part of what makes society and the country prosperous and a great place to live. The thing that goes a long way to achieving this, even more than films, dramas or music, is something all governments produce once a year and it’s called the budget. From remarks made at the incestuous gathering, this budget was not a hit. To them it was akin to a song that failed to make the charts.
They were fairly vociferous that their little corner of the world was largely ignored and instead more money went to people in uniform and the toys they get to play with: planes, ships and tanks, etc, but this is the reality governments have to deal with. They have their own economic and other dramas to deal with, far removed from the stage or screen. This is the real world, not some make-believe country called Aotearoa that Gulliver might visit on his travels. This is the real life problem that these people, hiding in their bubble or living under a rock, don’t understand, don’t recognise and simply don’t want to know or care about. If only the government would flood them with our money.
So what does the arts sector get from the government? In the budget, admittedly NZ on Air funding was reduced, but they were still in receipt of $102.697 million for each of the next four financial years. It also has multiple funds to support artists. They help fund musicians touring new material and assist with funding of national tours. I have a friend in the music industry who, despite many applications, has not received a cent in assistance. My friend is fiercely right wing and therefore not in sync with the luvvies. I’ll put the question: could that have something to do with no money being forthcoming? Like religion, the arts, including NZ on Air, stray into the area of politics at their peril.
In conclusion, I have very little sympathy for these people. They think the slice of the apple they represent is bigger than the whole and get the pip when, in their inflated opinion, the slice offered is too small. When it comes to the budget, the government is like an orange squeezed in all directions and the arty farty types should be thankful for what is offered and not be singing for more. Like it or not, they are living in the real world and the money they are given is the evidence. If they are unhappy about it then they should sing for their supper elsewhere.
