Mark Kozelek recently made a stop in Australia to play a handful of gigs as Sun Kil Moon, and on his brief visit he appeared to have upset some Aussie media voices.
A review of Sun Kil Moon by writer Derek Rielly appeared on the WA Times after his performance at Sydney’s City Retical Hall which alleged that Kozelek made racially insensitive comments on stage, inspiring journalist Andrew Bolt to pen a piece against the singer-songwriter via the Herald Sun – even though he wasn’t even at the show.
According to Rielly, Kozelek asked for the lights be turned on during his set so that he could see the audience to which he was shocked to see so many white faces, “Everyone here is so… white! Where are the black people in Sydney? White motherfuckers!” and then apparently went into a five-minute monologue on his many black friends, closing with “But, you know, I like white people too.”
Bolt, astounded by Kozelek’s comments, posted an article online, questioning his bizarre outburst and labelling him “ignorant” “intolerant” and an “alleged anti-racist”.
Bolt writes, “First, why this racist objection to a (largely) white crowd from a white performer? Second, exactly how many black-in-colour Australians does this American think actually live in Sydney?” before going on to question “Third, hasn’t he heard that it’s unlawful to assume that whites aren’t black? Fourth, why does he assume Chinese and Indians are “white”, and is this racist?”
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Interestingly, other punters at the gig have come forward and said that this racist tirade is a large fabrication.
FasterLouder’s Chris Familton believes Kozelek’s comments were tongue-in-cheek, “He asked for the lights to be turned up and he did make the comment about us being a ‘bunch of white motherfuckers’ though it did come across as faked incredulousness, accompanied by a smile on his face,” he said.
“It was a humorous aside in what was often a very funny show in terms of both his songs and anecdotes”, going on to explain that there wasn’t a five minute monologue about Kozelek’s black friends “If anything a two-second sentence making a passing reference to hanging out with black friends.”
The Sun Kil Moon frontman is yet to comment on Bolt slapping him as a racist, we wonder if he’ll care enough to pen a new track like he did with The War On Drugs last year. Time will tell.
