'I would rather have sex with a very ugly crayfish than let them use my music.”

So said Don McGlashan last week, and who can blame him? How would you feel? You're a confirmed supporter of the left of centre parties, you get home on election night, and not only has the smarmy young face of the new right romped into power, but he's going to be aided and abetted by the Great Satan of New Zealand politics, Roger bloody Douglas.
And then TVNZ rub salt in the wound by showing a victory montage of celebrating Nats. And to accompany it they use your music.
That's what Don was faced with. 'Anchor Me” as National Party election-winning music. As he so eloquently put it, he'd 'rather have sex with a very ugly crayfish.”
Actually, that wasn't quite it.
Don wasn't home and didn't in fact see it. He came home to a 'a death-in-the-family atmosphere”. His daughter was, as he told the Herald on Sunday 'in shock”.
But then many of us were in shock. Particularly here at the Watusi Spiritual Retreat where our election predictions of a landslide for the Green Party failed to materialise in a fairly noticeable way. We can only assume that their traditionally young voters were either too hung-over or too stoned to vote. Or perhaps they thought that simply telling a pollster that you intend to vote Green constitutes actually casting a vote. Who can tell?
But Don has cause to be doubly bummed out. Music is a personal thing. He'd given that song away for political use once before – to Greenpeace to commemorate the 25 anniversary of the Rainbow Warrior bombing – but this time was not only against his wishes but, sadly, completely legal and above board.
Still he was diplomatic. 'Of course I am in no way criticising the process of democracy or New Zealanders' right to throw out the best government we've had in years because we happen to be a bit bored, but you might as well know I've never voted National.”
It's that last bit that interested me.
So Don McGlashan has never voted National. Well, so what? I suspect many if not most musicians and people involved in the arts could say the same.
But they don't.
Because of the coincidental timing it was easy to observe the many striking differences between the American election campaign and our own scaled-down version. And, while bashing all things American it still a popular pastime, they do seem a little ahead of us in several respects.
Both of the candidates there appeared to have vision and a plan for the country (however much you might have disagreed with them). I say this as we still eagerly await the National government's policies but, hey, who needs to know those prickly details until after an election? The US managed to have debates (well, the last debate) where the candidates actually engaged with each other and had a civil intelligent discussion.
And the US had musicians out supporting candidates.
Piles of them. Famous rock folk out on the hustings raising awareness and money for their candidate's campaign. The most obvious and visible example was Bruce Springsteen, but there were a bucketload of them just as there are every election, many of them respected members of the musical old guard.
Not here. It's interesting to note that what we might regard as the 'elder statesmen” of Kiwi music are pretty silent on the political front. On the bright side, they're still making music, which is nothing but a good thing as, a few years back (pre-Labour government) when Kiwi music was in the doldrums, it looked like many of the veteran singer-songwriters might not be heard from again.
But they're still here and making great music. Dave Dobbyn goes from strength to strength, Hammond Gamble has a new album out (see review next week), Dave McCartney's underrated Hook from a couple of years back still dazzles, Graham Brazier's most recent was East of Eden, the Finn brothers are constantly on the go, as is McGlashan of course, and then there's Shona Laing, back in full swing.
Of course Shona has always worn her socialist heart on her sleeve, but that is the rare exception in a country where most musicians keep their politics to themselves.
watusi@thesun.co.nz