7 Days 8th December 1971 All photographs by Nevis Cameron ‘I w as afraid o f that one...' Cross-examining Richard Neville Of all the people in the underground Richard Neville has clashed most spectacularly with courts, police, Mary Whitehouse and the rest of the custodians of moral behaviour. In his book Play Power he attempted a rationale for the “underground’s” emphasis on cultural liberation as opposed to the somewhat slighted efforts of more orthodox socialist activists. Here we take up the themes of cultural revolution, rock, the underground, opened up in our last two issues, in an extended (and argumentative) interview with Neville. 7 DAYS staffers Anthony Barnett, Judith Ferguson and Maxine Molyneux, along with Clive Goodwin spent an evening with Neville and a tape recorder. I went to an upper middle class boarding preceded by a broad culturally liberating move­ that I can write about anything I want, with the difference in income, to make it a difference in school in Australia, run on English public ment. If you don’t believe it, compare their exception of drugs, and I get £70 a fortnight. It their relations to the community. Edgar school lines. We wore boaters made of manifestos to the more traditional homosexual totally supports me and frees me to involve myself Broughton down in Brighton is getting involved in reform groups. Talking to people I know in Gay in other underground activities. It may perhaps political struggles, giving free concerts, being straw and striped ties, and there was Power in this country, their sexual precosity, lack influence my very personal life by upsetting this harrassed, living like the people, not like a pop compulsory cadets and sports. When I left I of guilts, the way they dressed was a necessary incredible Australian hangover relationship with group. Which is why they are being prosecuted. joined an advertising agency, and after precursor to their openness, to their whole policy Louise, my girl friend or whatever, woman’s It’s not just a matter of giving money back, its a writing "43 beans to every cup", I of “Come Out”. They are one of the few groups liberation hasn’t really affected that. The thing for matter of living and relating. that are demonstrating liberating power. They go suddenly discovered there were things me to do now is to apply my ideas in a more to pubs which for years have been exploiting detailed, personal way. called universities. My family was totally Are you saying that music forms a kind of homosexuals, getting a scene going, overcharging, revolutionary consciousness, and if so, which are apolitical, I never remember politics being and they go in and say “we are not ashamed, stop the groups, and what is the kind of intervention it discussed. My mother was a writer overcharging us, what about reflecting our life Pop music doesn’t seem relevant anymore. makes? -journalist type, very very Australian style”. The publicans call the police, Gay Power People seem to be looking for more directly refuse to leave unless the publican closes his pub; political means of change. middle-class, singing songs round the piano Music alone does not form a revolutionary he closes it and loses his business. Is it a political consciousness, but it is a very intrinsic culture of a would be the social side. Even at university action or a cultural action? I don’t know. It seems I think that’s true, but it’s difficult to say, you lot of people. A few years ago it was liberating to it was apolitical, though I got involved in to me that all the people in Gay Power are feel different every morning. Sometimes one feels hear the music, to hear Jagger sing “I can’t get no anarchistic anti-authoritarian action. radicalised by that; Gay Power was there marching very pessimistic and thinks that it’s all just a satisfaction” and that was exciting enough, but against internment. I’m saying tha Gay Power process of ultra-capitalist absorption, yet I’m quite now I don’t think that that washes anymore. That When Lenny Bruce came out to Australia, could never have happened without the cultural excited because now the new groups coming up song would not be valid anymore, it would be like he went on at a beer garden and three or four disc chaos, it would never have happened with groups are very conscious of EMI making money out of Jimmy Saville singing it. jockeys walked out. There were headlines the next like I.S., it need the funny, ozish, psychedelicky, them, or Mick Jagger eating caviar at the George V day that he had used a four letter word. His fashiony, underground, which, as well, means Hotel in Paris. It’s a matter — it sound like a joke In parallel terms do you think Oz has outlived its contract was immediately cancelled. So I booked boutiques called “Guevara”. — of the Rock Liberation Front, which A.J. time? the university hall, rang him up and asked him The culture has contributed to, and fused Weberman first mooted when he started going over,' he said fantastic, came out, the Vice- with the left. But I think that the Red Mole line, through Bob Dylan’s garbage, which seems very Well, look, Oz has altered a lot, but we covered Chancellor got to know and over my head the or the Black Dwarf line, although the people tasteless and irrelevant of this crazy Yippie, but France in May 1968, it was the only paper in this concert was cancelled. That was the first behind the papers are perhaps sure of their rigid what he wanted was to rock Dylan’s conscience, to country that forewarned people about Chicago in realisation that free speech, even at university, was political line, people who read them, broadly are show the difference between Dylan’s life style now 68. a meaningless term. not. The don’t really care about some event in a and when he began. It’s just how an old-fashioned Then I edited the student newspaper, it was Marxist bureaucracy 25 years ago. socialist must feel when he sees Harold Wilson Yes, I agree that Oz had a function at that time. It satirical, anti-church. Next we launched Australian I don’t want to overemphasise the sexual driving round in Rolls Royces. liberated peopled into their own self-expression, Oz, which was like the old Private Eye with it right liberation part of it, because then you come to but it was an individualistic development and Oz is wing Tory court jesterism. Say on Vietnam we very contradictory things like Germaine Greer. I still floating around despite all its talk. The were not sure of our position then. On the other agree with Sheila Rowbotham that Germaine has But hasn’t that movement come to a halt, aren’t liberation that took place was often at the expense hand we were facing obscenity trials and covering nothing to do with Women’s Liberation. She is not they now looking for politics in a more traditional of others, certainly of women. It can’t stay where aspects of the new culture, drugs, Bob Dylan and attached to a movement. sense? it is. so on. Then I came over here, by way of Asia and To say ‘traditional’ is a little unfair. They are Yes I agree with th at. .. the Middle East, and that was where I was very Aren't you getting into the same position? trying to apply politics, apply it more. It will be much hit with the culture and the drug taking, interesting to see whether the new auditorium that with communalism and with the absence, even if Yes, I know, my problem now, after having has just opened, the Rainbow, is there to cash in All the same you seem a bit complacent about it. temporary, of material goods. When I got here I headlines on the front page of The Times, is do I on the profits or whether it will plough its profits launched Oz out of an impulsive and exhibitionist try and just be a car salesman for the underground, back into the community, organisations like Well wait a minute, I couldn’t agree more with making money out of that, living in an Italian Release, Bit, Street Aid. desire I admit. you, but I would argue that every male three or commune, occasionally flying to New York for four years ago was a male chauvinist. floor shows. You said in “Playpower”, that revolution can be You just seem to be saying that the profits should brought about by cultural “guerrillaism”. be made more bearable, not that they should be Oz is still sexist. You are writing in the Evening Standard? abolished. I really don’t know. It probably can. I am against Ah, much less so than it was. Wait, first of all I had the school of dismissing the value of cultural Sure, It’s no different to me than appearing on It is starting as a question of degree but what is nothing to do with the last two Oz’s at all, I only radicalism. A movement like Gay Liberation, you Television. Writing in the Standard means I can happening, what Rock and Roll Liberation Front read the last issue. Two years ago there were see, would not have happened it if hadn' t been write in Ink and Oz for nothing. The contract says seems to be doing, is to make it more than just a debates within Oz as to whether it was sexist, 18 7 Days 8th December 1971 work, I also support the right not to work, or to where huge numbers live a totally deprived Perhaps we can go over to another subject, your existence, what are all their emotions directed at? relationship to marxism.