But
let’s be honest, so far as criticism of Prime Minister John Key is concerned,
Watson’s track is a fairly mild mannered affair, and is this really an appropriate
level of censorship for a democratic country in 2014?
Personally,
I think it stinks (on one level) and it does seem very odd that newly released
biographies of Key, and that of political nemesis Winston Peters, can boldly
sit (and be heavily promoted) on the shelves of bookshops throughout the land.
Surely these books amount to little more than extended promotional blurbs? What
is the real difference between extended statements of that ilk, and a short
burst of humour from an otherwise fairly low profile local (Wellington-based) blues
musician?
On
the other hand, such madness often leads to curiosity among the masses, and
Watson must be quietly chuffed that his track has caused such a stir. News
coverage on national television and plenty of ongoing radio publicity (if not actual
radio play) has seen ‘Planet Key’ racing up the iTunes chart, and there’s real
irony in the Electoral Commission inadvertently giving the track a much higher
profile than it might otherwise have received.
Thinking
back to the 2011 general election, I can recall tracks from the likes of The
Eversons and Home Brew making a small (actually minimal) impact on the campaign
trail, and of course there was my own personal favourite from fellow
Wellingtonians Gold Medal Famous, who released multiple versions of ‘John Key
Is A Dick’ to very little fanfare or fuss.
In fact,
2014 has seen a Gold Medal Famous sequel to that release called ‘John Key Is
STILL A Dick’ … pick up a free and uncensored version of that track at the GMF bandcamp page here.
Meanwhile,
here’s the vastly underrated Darren Watson with ‘Planet Key’ …
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