Sunrise
Boulevarde by Rod Quantock
Trades Hall, June –
July 1997
Reviewed by Kate
Herbert around June 22, 1997
I'm building a
monument to Rod Quantock, the last of his species: political stand-ups. It is a beautiful, historic construction with
a bit of Victorian lacework around the top.
It harmonises with its surroundings and reminds us of the
lost Paris End of Collins Street or Melbourne's terraces. It has no view of the
Casino, the Grand Prix track, the new museum or the Tulla Tollway Gate.
Only hard-earned cash will be accepted: no 'speculative' or
'conservative' money. Walker cannot own it, Williams cannot invest in it,
Elliott cannot sell it and Alan Stockdale will never privatise it.
It will be built by anyone who has walked up those well-worn
stone steps of the Trades Hall where Rod is doing his show, Sunrise Boulevarde.
It has Rod's boot firmly planted in the backsides of the 'Mates' who have
uglified our city.
Quantock is heroic and angry. He chose the ugliest room in
the Trades Hall to highlight the Ugliness of our political regime and its
cronies. We may have bulldozed the Gas and Fuel but there is worse to come.
"Money is ugliometric".
Rod is hilarious, accessible and passionate as he leads us
through a disturbing chalk and talk lecture in Politics and Economics a la
Quantock. His impeccable understanding of our political system is pickled in
his satirical and wry point of view.
He points out the supreme irony of our 'Free-way Toll-way'.
He draws comparisons between our new, thrusting 'Look at me!' architecture and
Mussolini's. Our old AAA+++ Moody's rating must have been good " 'cos it's
more than we got in woodwork".
He prophesies 'World Series Democracy' and proposes
measuring the unemployed by weight. He decries a state slogan that can fit on a
number plate and calls this paper 'The Hairoiled Sin'. Ron Walker called him
'Unvictorian', 'a terrorist' and 'a rabble'. "It's very hard to be a
rabble alone" an d"name-calling is now a substitute for
politics."
To overcome our helplessness he suggests three solutions,
the final being a beauty. "They won't do any good but they'll make you
feel better." His view is grim but must be heard. Social satire is one of
the few remaining means of protest. As Rod says, " At least in Indonesia
the government takes notice when you protest." Now that's depressing!
See this!
KATE HERBERT
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