THE NAKED CITY – with Miss Death, Jay Katz and Coffin Ed

BUGGER THE BLOG AND BRING BACK THE SOAPBOX

There was once a golden era of alfresco free speech in Sydney, when the placid green fields of the Domain hosted a regular speaker’s corner every Sunday afternoon.

It was the chance for anybody with an axe to grind or a philosophy to express to grab a soapbox and confront the crowds of both listeners and hecklers.

Foremost amongst the orators of the Domain was the somewhat notorious Webster whose radical views on everything from religion to sexual freedom were often greeted with a storm of abuse and ridicule.

Following Webster’s death at the ripe old aged of 95 last year, the Reverend Bill Crews from the Exodus Foundation approached the Botanic Gardens Trust about scattering his ashes in the Domain.

Amazingly the Trust hit on the Exodus Foundation, which provides free food for the needy, for a $10,000 donation, to “honour” the remains. Eventually Rev Crews chose to clandestinely sprinkle the ashes at night and pay homage to one of this city’s most colourful characters.

It’s unlikely that the Trust will ever erect a statue to Webster in the Domain, although what an attraction it would become if it was equipped with a recording of Webster’s classic rants and punters could not only admire the impressive bronze but backchat as well.

These days on a sunny winter’s afternoon you’d be lucky to find one or two speakers still carrying on the tradition of Webster and his ilk in the Domain. The halcyon days seem long departed, especially when everybody with a blog on the internet is their very own demagogue.

Hey, come on Sydney, it doesn’t have to be that way, There’s nothing like a big gulp of fresh open air oxygen to get the intellect pumping. Grab a milk crate and head on down to the Domain and maybe we can bring back the true glory days of free speech and good old fashioned shit stirring.

Just don’t tell the stingy Gardens’ Trust or you’ll need an orator’s licence and be paying hourly rent on that milk crate.

THE HIT LIST:
Eugene Hideaway Bridges – Back for his 24th tour of Australia the big man of blues and soul from Houston Texas invites everybody to a Southern style chitlin’ party at Notes, 73 Enmore Rd, Newtown – Friday 19 Feb, 8.30pm $25 – www.noteslive.net.au

Son of Steel – A rare screening of what has to be one of Australia’s wildest and most neglected cult classics – a post punk, apocalyptic sci-fi musical comedy so ground breaking in its day that distributors remained totally confused denying it any theatrical release in this country. Starring Jeff Duff and with a cameo from Gordon Wood (the gap murderer), the screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Gary Keady and Jeff. Saturday 20 Feb, 7.30pm – Mu-Meson Archives, Annandale www.mumeson.org