Who really cares?

In the Age (5/5/07) there was an article about attempts to celebrate the 50^th Anniversary Of rock ‘n’ roll in Australia. The only problem was that no one could decide when it should be or who the Founder of Australian rock really was.

Apparently the majority have gone for Johnny O’Keefe, and some wanted to commemorate the date that JO’K released a cover version of an American song “You hit the wrong note Billy Goat”, in July of this year. But finally settled for early next year when he released “The Wild One”. Which was an Australian composition also. Which in one sense is fair enough but not everyone thinks that Johnny was even the first Australian Rocker with many other famous Australian singers of that era having released successful Rock songs, albeit covers of overseas songs, long before J O” K released even his first hit (Billy Goat) in 1957.

As I read the article a few things took my attention.

1. I was surprised by the heat and emotion that something as inconsequential as this, was creating. How come it has taken so long to decide who was the founder of Australian rock ‘n’ roll, if it was really that important?
2. How parochial are they, to want to decide between a song written overseas or here? If it was successful, it was successful, and that should be that.
3. How arbitrary was there choice of Johnny O’Keefe? Don’t get me wrong I love his music, but if others, (some still relatively well known, although few ever reached the heights that JO’K reached,) had hits before Johnny, then the first one, should be regarded as the father of Australian rock ‘n’ roll, even if his song was a cover and even if it was his only hit. After all, this is supposedly about who was the father and not who was the most successful father.
4. How desperate some people are to make a buck out of an otherwise insignificant event. An event, as I said that no one thought important enough to commemorate before.

All this led me too ponder if:

1. I too make Mountains out of Mole hills, and focus on the unimportant trivialities instead of more important things?
2. If I too am in danger of becoming obsessed about where a thing is made, rather than how it is made? Quality and value, should always triumph over price, irregardless of where it comes from.
3. How arbitrary am I in my choices? Do I choose the more famous over the not so famous, rather than choosing the truth?
4. How desperate am I also to make a buck? Will I too pick on something inconsequential, over quality, just to make a buck?

A good question considering I am even wasting my time writing about it, even though I am not making anything out it. What about you? Are you too being sided tracked by the interesting but otherwise worthless, over more important things. Over to you: Walter