Surfpolitik Singing Rasta's Praise in Silence

In: Surfpolitik by Stu Nettle 76 Comments Tue 4th Oct '11

Tags: transparentsea , band of frequencies , santa barbara , Dave Rastovich

It's my belief that protesting would be much more popular if organisers played better music. Or at least if they had original chants. Like most people, I've got a strong sense of justice, yet if it can only be achieved by singing 100 back-to-back verses of 'What do we want?' then I'm happy to let it slide a little.

I've seen the effects of bad chants myself. A throng of righteous folk, fired up with the enthusiasm of the outraged and nothing can stop them. Then the first line of a horrible, hackneyed protest chant sounds from somewhere near the front. Watch the shoulders drop and see the uncomfortable glances as people realise they're expected to join in. Eyes roll, lips mouth "Oh fuck", silently of course lest their resistance to the song appear unsupportive to the cause. And the person who leads the chant figures that because everyone wants to march then they'll all want to sing the song over and over and over again.

Force a terrible protest song upon the people and you've got an agent more corrosive to unity than scab labour and enterprise bargaining agreements. It's why online petitions have become so popular – there's no chanting and no pressure to perform. Just tick a box on Facebook – do it in silence – then cash in the cosmic brownie points. Want to attract more people to your march? Get a better song.

All of which is a long way to introduce the new song Dave Rastovich recorded with The Band of Frequencies during his Californian Transparentsea voyage. The purpose of the song is to bring attention to twenty miles of threatened coastline near Santa Barbara. It's called 'These 20 Miles'. Here are the words. Put your finger on the scroll button and I'll meet you at the bottom.

These 20 Miles
These 20 Miles
These 20 Miles
These 20 Miles, we set Sail

These 20 Miles
These 20 Miles
These 20 Miles
These 20 Miles, we set Sail

These 20 Miles
These 20 Miles open up your heart
These 20 Miles
These 20 Miles go on open up your heart
These 20 Miles
These 20 Miles We set sail

Share your love with the land
Share your love with the Sea
Share your love with all of us like you and me
Share your love with the Sea oh with me

These 20 Miles
These 20 Miles open up your hearts
These 20 Miles we opened up your hearts
These 20 Miles oh we opened up our hearts
These 20 Miles

These 20 Miles, last 20 miles left now, what has been
These 20 miles, last 20 miles left now, these 20 Miles
These 20 Miles, last 20 miles left now behind, mind kind
These 20 Miles, last 20 miles left behind save these 20 miles I say

These 20 Miles
These 20 Miles
These 20 Miles
These 20 Miles
These 20 Miles
These 20 Miles

Open up your mind
Open up your heart

How'd you go? Still with us after being implored to open up your heart six times and hearing 35 repetitions of These 20 Miles? Where did it go wrong? I'll tell you: the protest song is supposed to be a rallying cry, an emotive singalong to fan the flames of indignation. Sing the above number 'round a campfire and just watch the flames go out...

Call me churlish for poking fun at Rasta based upon the low-tide lyrics to 'These 20 Miles', yet I support Rasta and the Transparentsea crew. Good on them for throwing a spotlight on environmental causes. However, when they strike up their latest protest song I'll be the person nodding their head but not mouthing the lyrics. Rasta is the only pro surfer alive who talks the talk and walks the walk, but he can't make me sing the song.

Find out more about the Transprentsea Voyage here
Click here for the Save Gaviota blog (where 'those' 20 miles are located)
Visit the Surfrider Foundation website (there's an online petition!)