Aye Iâve read it a couple of times and Iâm not really sure what heâs getting at. Upthread I said that Idles have become a bit performative and these are the sort of comments that Iâm thinking of.
I do agree that for this change to occur, societal norms need to be addressed. Except, he doesnât dig down into what he means by that, nor does he further this point about people needing to reappraise those norms/unlearn negative stereotypical behaviour. Instead he points to the government and says the onus should be on them to change things, which is shockingly naĂŻve from a band invested in these issues.
But, what does he mean âgovernment legislationâ? Does he want the UK to have something akin to the Canada Music Fund? Or more dedicated funding specifically for female musicians like Women Make Music? Or is he saying that bigger-picture we need to address the intersectional reasons a woman will be less likely to be involved with music and touring, that exist outside of the music industry e.g. childcare? Itâs a total brain-fart of a comment - an attempt to be knowledgeable about an issue by only mentioning something at its most surface level, then for whatever reason, diverting away instead of expanding on his point. (At least, thatâs how itâs depicted in the interview which may not be accurate to how the conversation actually went)
I donât doubt that Idles want to reduce the gender disparity in music, but, it often reads like they donât realise they have power to push for this change themselves. They could encourage representation and education, but they donât seem to understand the politics in play and/or the feminist theory outlining why these problems exist in our society.
Itâs frustrating because generally I agree with him. Things should be better! But it just doesnât make much sense, especially when you do what Iâve done and spend way too long pouring over a few minor points from an NME interview.
