I laughed through this entire interview. I had the pleasure of meeting Shortstraw after they performed at Boosh, an event they organize.
Okay first question, oh and hello guys.
All – hello hello hi.
It is Heritage day so I will be throwing in some related questions. What do you love about South Africa and what makes you proud to be South African?
Gad– I like pap.
Alastair– What was the question again? What makes me proud to be South African is the fact that, you know I am proud because well we are nice, it’s a rad nation. I would love to say we all are together as one, but it not necessarily the truth just yet, but I think we are getting there and close to being as one.
We are almost there I reckon all South African’s have the same kind of attitude and sense of being. Everyone is out to be a good person, have fun and enjoy the sunshine.
Tom – What I love about South Africa, especially on this heritage day you see it a lot. It’s going to sound lame but what I really love about South Africa is how everyone is very diverse. Everyone comes from a different culture, a different language. whatever it might be. But at the end of the day, everyone still has a braai together and still has a beer together, it is cool.
Alastair– Good answer man.
Tom– Thanks, I have been working on it all morning, jokes.
Jake– Hi, what I love about South Africa is that we are frank, if you go to a small cafe and the person serving you is in a shit mood, they will be in a shit mood and they will treat you like shit. But overseas they pretend that they like you and are friendly, they don’t treat you like shit. So we are frank and I appreciate that.
What you see is what you get.
Jake– Amen
Russel– What I like the most about South Africa is the fact that we have had a very interesting and very special past, that is still relevant today. It has made us very interesting and unique people. we have a fantastic sense of humour as a nation, we are able to laugh at ourselves. We are able to laugh at our racial politics as a way to make it better. As a kind of healing process, in a weird kind of way. We are quite progressive in that sense and that is what I like the most.
Very deep guys and Gad likes pap.
Gad– Sticking with my answers.
You guys have done a bit of travelling, what makes South Africa a great place to perform besides for it being home?
Gad– It is nice performing in your hometown, as I suppose everyone has seen us many times already and kind of know the songs. It’s always nice to have stuff sung back to you. I don’t know, they have good voices and make our songs sound nice.
And everyone likes pap, sorry you started.
Alastair– Why do we prefer performing to our home crowd?
Yes besides for it being home.
Alastair– No I don’t think it is besides being home, I think the whole reason South Africa is a great place to perform is that it is home. I think that will always be the case. I am sure it is the case with every band that they would rather perform in their hometown and home country than anywhere else. I mean we haven’t toured very extensively internationally, but we have been to two places. Actually three, no four including Zimbabwe and Mozambique. I don’t think you can compare it. I think home is always going to be the best.
Tom– Home, because home is where the heart is.
I was waiting for that from someone.
Tom– Well you do have 7 percent battery, I can see that.
Jake– Because people are not critical here, they just enjoy it.
Russel– I think objectively speaking South Africans are very enthusiastic. We are at the tip of Africa so we don’t get to see a lot. When good music is being played South African’s are very excited and are very keen to go and watch. We are desperate to get a chance to watch any internationals that come our way, we don’t get to see all our favourite bands all the time. So we are very excited and keen which is very cool.
What contribution do you feel you are making to Arts and Culture in SA? (A question my friends Jacqui and Josh offered when I asked them what one question they would ask the guys).
Gad– Well I think especially with something like Boosh that we organize, we try and give all the bands that are kind of coming up a chance to get an audience that we have worked towards building. We wouldn’t have gotten where we are if bands that have been our idols and mentors hadn’t given us the opportunity. Well, everything comes full circle, I guess.
Alastair– I don’t think we are making a giant contribution to the arts and culture of South Africa, we are doing our best to kind of try and yeah like Gad said by putting on a free show once a month that introduces a lot of bands that don’t necessarily get the exposure they would like to get and to help them get that exposure. People are happy to come and spend a day in the sun and are thus introduced to those bands. I think we are helping introduce everyone to the live music scene. We are trying our best we are not fucking changing lives.
Tom– Like Hermione Granger.
Alastair– What are you talking about?
Tom– Did you not see the speech she gave at the UN.
Alastair– She was talking about feminism.
Tom– Well, she is changing the world bro.
Alastair– She said her thing and then there was a threat that someone would leak her nudes.
Tom– No one has leaked our nudes.
Alastair– No that isn’t true, Marie Claire leaked our nudes.
Oh yes okay, you started this. Next question Marie Claire (The naked edition) let’s end off with this? How was that?
Tom– Naked
I was just going to say you were pretty naked.
Tom– Uncomfortable, naked and oily.
Alastair– They photoshopped our faces onto other peoples bodies. In real life, you can see our penises all the time.
Tom– They are so big, all of the time, wow.
How did we get here.
Alastair– You started this.
Okay, so an interesting experience.
Alastair– It was all for charity, we are all for charity, we are very charitable people.
A message on Heritage day to South Africans?
Tom– Be proud. Be a worthy representative of our country when you travel abroad.
Alastair– Don’t be a dick, bring people here.
A good message don’t be a dick.
Alastair/Tom – Never be a dick ever.
Can we all agree that your message to South Africa is not to be a dick. Just kidding.
Alastair– But really we all believe from the bottom of our hearts that we live in the best country in the world, everyone should be proud to be South African.
