I is an Entertainer

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The last gig I played was for Love Music, Hate Racism, an update of Rock against Racism, which successfully prevented the National Front gaining recruits to fascism in the 70s - using music and fashion as a springboard.

The idea was (and is) that if you can create an atmosphere within the existing youth culture where hatred and blame are given no houseroom, political ideas which rely on scapegoating gypsies, immigrants, gays etc. can't get a foothold. You could call it communicating with young people in their own terms, or hijacking and perverting their culture, as you wish.

There are of course right wing groups which try the same tactic, with projects like Rock against Communism. There are plenty of racist and right wing musicians - including those like Eric Clapton who really, really ought to know better, considering his blues influences - but right wing music always comes out...well, silly.

Why this should be, I'm not sure, but I can't think of a single right wing political song that's any good as a song. These people just don't seem to get music.

Just think of The Right Brothers, who after four albums are still mainly listened and linked to as a joke band. Or Prussian Blue - the girlband with the Nazi salutes and smileyface Hitler-moustache teeshirts.

It's a similar story with comedy. There's absolutely no shortage of hate-filled, ranting comedians - but how many of them actually tell jokes? Dennis Miller probably comes closest - most likely because he stole his entire act from George Carlin, replacing the jokes with rapidfire Fox News bulletpoints.

Anyway, I've got another gig. And this one's for...Love Music, Hate Homophobia. Which I'd never heard of till they needed an extra act quickly to go on stage first. Fairy nuff, I suppose.

I'll be one half of a duo this time - me on synths, beats, samples and, erm, rap breaks, and the other bloke on guitar and most of the singing. We're called Darqroom, we sound a bit like Massive Attack, and there'll be a MySpace page just as soon as we figure out how to use the new mixer.

And that's why I've spent two days watching films with gay themes, and sampling their dialogue. Last night Naked Lunch and Mulholland Drive, tonight Torch Song Trilogy and Nighthawks. But not Powertool.

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