It seems that Taxi Drivers are beginning to get a spotty reputation when it comes to relations with musicians.
Following on from last year’s Gurrumul controversy, where the critically acclaimed indigenous singer was snubbed by a driver with accusations of racism. Two more musicians have been involved in some horrific incidents involving cabbies.
Having just completed a month-long residency at Cherry Bar, Brad Marr of Melbourne hard rock act Massive was assaulted by a taxi driver following a sold-out show at Sydney’s The Vanguard on Friday 15th February.
According to the band’s Facebook post on the incident, Marr claims that the driver refused a short fare, “so I slammed the door as hard as I could so he knocked me out,” reportedly dragging Marr from the vehicle and punching him in the face. The post also includes a photo of Marr’s injuries with the commentary: “Enough Likes and we will post the taxi number… Taxi Drivers. Think they own the road… and the law… I feel I need to write a song about this.”
“There are 3 other witnesses,” wrote Marr in response to user comments, “one of them a girl, and when she came to break it up he hit her as well, barely connected with her but still connected. Also He jumped out of the cab, he wasnt being threatened, he pursued violence… Nothing that happened that night justifies what that taxi driver did.”“Taxi Drivers. Think they own the road… and the law.” – Brad Marr, Massive
“Already pursued everything, cab company and police have been notified… all is well, have a stitch.” Despite his injuries, and a detour to the hospital, Marr and Massive played their next date at NewMarket Hotel in Bendigo the following night. Massive will continue their Full Throttle National Tour with dates around the nation through ’til May.
Another Melburnian who ended up the victim of a cabbie’s violent behaviour is Simon Findlay, drummer for local Melbourne electro-rock trio 8 Bit Love – who released their second EP In 3D last year, and are heading out on an eight date national tour in March to support the release.
Findlay had attended White Night Melbourne, the 24 hour arts and culture festival held in and around the CBD last Saturday (23rd February), and attempted to head home “around 4:30am… heading east,” but was refused a short fare after making a stop in the city; the driver rolled up the window with Findlay’s arm still inside and drove for “about 1km before Simon was able to get his arm out.”
As the band write in a Facebook post announcing they had to pull out of last Wednesday’s (27th February) Oh Fest in Geelong, the trio write:
Hi guys. Unfortunately we have to pull out of La Trobe’s Oh Fest this Wednesday. At White Night on Sunday morning around 4:30 am on Flinders St, heading east our drummer, Simon, went to catch a cab. The fare was apparently not far enough for the driver and he responded by rolling up the window with Simon’s arm inside and driving off for about 1 km before Simon was able to get his arm out. He has lost some feeling in his right arm and is experiencing quite a bit of soreness. It’s too early to tell whether he’ll be healed for Geelong on Friday, but we’re hoping for the best.
If you saw anything please get in contact with us. A police report is being lodged. Any extra information would be immensely helpful.
What links both incidents is that the drivers were angered by the offer of short fares, which under the Victorian Taxi Directorate (VTD) states that “once hailed, a driver cannot refuse a fare that is too short or inconvenient.”
It’s an issue the VTD had to look into in December, investigating claims made by Skinnyfish Music managers Mark Grose and Michael Hohnen after they hailed a taxi for singer Gurrumul following his support slot with Missy Higgins at the Palais, only for the awaiting driver to take off once the indigenous singer was guided to the vehicle.
“The taxi driver looked at him, said no, locked the car and drove off,” Grose told ABC Radio at the time. “I’m not kidding. I was absolutely gobsmacked… he just looked at the colour of his skin and said ‘that’s it, I’m not taking him’. There’s no other explanation,” says Grose.
In related news, the roles of driver and victim were reversed when Hard Ons frontman Peter ‘Blackie’ Black, who works as a taxi driver in Sydney, was the target of a vicious assault by two teenagers last May. Blackie suffered a skull fracture, 16 stitches and swelling on the brain after he was severely beaten by a 14-year-old girl and a 16-year old boy, taking five months of recuperation before he was legally allowed to take fares on the road again.
In an interview with Tone Deaf about the Hard Ons’ 30 year legacy this past January, Blackie recalled how he was due to face his assailants in court. “The kids have been in court a couple of times pleading ‘not guilty’, which fucking sickens me like you wouldn’t believe, but I guess that’s normal,” he says softly. “But I’m actually looking forward to [confronting them], because I want closure for this and I want the law to deal with this… as hard as it can.”
