What goes with acid-wash

I've said before that Shortis & Simpson are local gems and I stand by it. Capable musicians with wide knowledge of popular song and political wit in a cabaret package. S&S are a Canberra institution and how perfect are they for this town with its seat of government, as disappointing as it may sometimes be! We got to another of their Out of the Cabinet annual series. It's held at the National Archives of Australia, it looks at recently released Cabinet documents in music and in more prosaic historical form, with a summary from the NAA's resident historian. What a lark.

The year was 1986/87. Hawke and Keating were in power. Unleaded petrol cost 51cpl; a house in Duffy sold for $79K; DINKs, acid-wash jeans and scrunchies were just discovered; the first computer virus arrived and Email was still the name of a fridge. Halley's comet arrived with the grim reaper and Badgery's Creek was on the agenda (some things never change). An early mobile phone conversation between Peacock and Kennett was hacked and caused ructions in the Opposition. Keating was the Boy from Ipanema with the Banana republic and other brilliant putdowns. Jo blew the Coalition's election by going for PM and The Moonlight State led to the Fitzgerald Commission and the exposure of corruption up north. It was the International Year of Peace if we ignore Libya, Nicaragua, Arms to Iran and Starwars. Marcos fell and we were more interested in Imelda's shoes. Chernobyl led to Sting's haunting song, Russians ("We share the same biology / Regardless of ideology / What might save us, me, and you / Is if the Russians love their children too"). Hawkey promised no child would be living in poverty by 1990. And MFP, Fiji coups, Defence White paper (anothery),Collins Class subs, Land Rights legislation, Maralinga Royal Commission (there's a RC with a real purpose), Qld & Tassie forests, blonde jokes (how did that get in there?), Neighbours and Kylie, final Countdown, Lady Gaga b. 1986, Andie married Fergie and Malcolm Fraser was caught with his pants down (we ignore that he was doing worthy international work at the time). As for songs, think, Crowded House Don't dream it's over, Paul Simon Gracelands, Cyndi Lauper True colours, U2 Joshua Tree and Hunters & Collectors' enduring Australian anthem Throw your arms around me. John gathers all this after extensive time in the National Library combining with his love of popular music. On stage, he's piano and harmony and chatter. Moya is chatter and song with malleable voice ("Donald Malcolm Where's Your Troosers") and tongue-in-cheek wit. Dr Jim Stokes is their straight-man and occasional whipping boy. This was Jim's last Cabinet show after his recent retirement.

We were there that year as were the many grey hairs in the audience. No surprise there: it's great as a relived memory while perfectly good as history for others. Great mirth and pleasure and intelligence and even a bit of wisdom amongst the laughs from S&S, another discrete Canberra gem. Shortis & Simpson are John Shortis (piano, chatter, vocals and extensive research) and Moya Simpson (chatter, vocals). They were accompanied by Dr Jim Stokes (NAA historian, retired).

An open Cabinet

The host introduced 1984/1985 as years of memories from childhood, but it was a lot closer to most of the audience, and to Megan and me too. We were at the National Archives to see Shortis & Simpson, the humourous and clever musical duo who sing of politics and Canberra, and in this case, pop culture. We were also there for Dr Jim Stokes and his summary of recently released Cabinet papers from the years 1984/1985. Something I didn’t know is that Labor recently reduced the waiting period for Cabinet records, and more recent years are being gradually released for inspection and study. Thus two years.

There’s a lot of work in this show, on both sides. John told of spending two days reading newspapers in the National Library, and then the writing of lyrics for whatever melodies and the learning of the show and jokes and patter. I’m impressed. Shortis & Simpson are a local gem. Clever, funny and informed; knowing but not defeated. In this case, we heard from them of Cyndi Lauper (Girls just wanna have fun, Time after time); what a $1 coin or $100 note would buy (they were each introduced in these years); of dotcom, Apple Mac and Windows (neologisms of the time); Madonna’s rejection for a part in a musical (to Like a virgin and Like a surgeon); of Medicare and the Hawke reelection and of David Lange and nuclear visits and French nuclear and MX missile tests (to Stevie Wonder and Redgum); of Les Mis (first year on the stage in English, in London, and still in the pop culture zeitgeist) , of Abba and Chess (the musical) and Michael Jackson buying up rights to the Beatles songbook; of Green and gold for sports and Mondo Rock and Wham. At one stage, Moya said “For baby boomers like us, the more we move into the ‘80s, the harder the songs are to love”. I’m sure the audience sympathised.

Then the serious stuff, with Jim rushing headlong through Australian political history. Bob Hawke, family tribulations, tax summit, The Gang of Four, Peacock and Howard, bank reform, MX missiles and Palm Sunday peace marches, Anzus and NZ, Lionel Murphy, the Accord, Button’s Car plan, the Australia card, Royal Commissions - Evatt’s on chemicals in Vietnam (read Agent Orange) and McClelland’s on British Nuclear tests in Australia (read Maralinga) - affirmative action and women in the workplace and land rights and the continuing story of illegal immigrants (not then boat people, as I remember). Even Cabinet agreement for a Bill of Rights, which was something I didn’t remember. Now, that’s a big list, and the issues are important and this was over only 2 years, or perhaps less. It helps to view this from a distance. One thing I realise is that many of those themes continue. Many reforms get put on the backburner for reasons of politics. Some get settled (GST); others linger like a bad smell. Also, how good is a government that achieves so much. It makes you admire the leadership we had then. Keating with his razor wit and Hawke with his public affability. Jim mentioned some elements leading to Hawke’s success: consensus, management skills and hard work. It was Hawke/Keating Labor that did those economic changes that the dries claim and love (deregulation, banking and financial reform, floating the dollar; the consumption tax/GST waited for Howard to claim) but they did it in a way that recognised issues of winners and losers (distribution of wealth) and consensus. We have issues with poverty but we are nowhere near the 1%-99% societies courtesy of Thatcher and Reagan. Also, we are the ones in the comfy position in world economic terms, so their inequality hasn’t even served those economies. Enough on this, but it gets you thinking. The Archives are one component in knowing our history through evidence rather than through ideology and/or ignorance.

S&S finished off with another few snippets of pop history. Movies (1984, that’s obvious, but others), Thatcher’s win over miners to the accompaniment of Sting (We work the black seam together), Neighbours (apparently the first, unsuccessful incarnation was on Channel 7 in 1985, before it moved to Channel 10 and international success a fews years later), and to a finish on Leonard Cohen’s classic song Hallelujah.

The other pics are from the touching NAA exhibition On their own : British child migrants. “More than 100,000 children were sent from Britain to Canada, Australia and other Commonwealth countries through child migration schemes from the 1860s onwards. / The lives of these children changed dramatically and fortunes varied. / Some succeeded in creating new futures. Others suffered lonely, brutal childhoods. All experienced disruption and separation from family and homeland.” (http://www.naa.gov.au/visit-us/exhibitions/on-their-own/index.aspx, viewed 2 Feb 2013). Another eason to visit the Archives.

Shortis & Simpson are local gems, no doubt about that, but so are the worthy and informed branches of the APS such as our National Archives and their quietly informed people. All components, if not always conspicuous, of this interesting city of Canberra. Shortis & Simpson are John Shortis (piano, vocals) and Moya Simpson (vocals). They came out of the Cabinet at the National Archives of Australia with Dr Jim Stokes (researcher).