Darren Hayes Basically Tells Bernardi To Go Fuck Himself In New Statement

Imagine for one second that you’re Cory Bernardi.

Imagine you, having lost the same-sex marriage battle, decide to turn your attention to Indigenous Australians. You don’t like the fact that some Indigenous Aussies think celebrating January 26 with booze and tunes is distasteful. You’re just raging hot mad that Triple J – a taxpayer-funded radio station that you’ve never once in your life listened to – held an opinion poll on whether it should move the date of the Hottest 100. And you’re apoplectic that they did.

So you decide to ~own the libs~ by creating your own Hottest 100. True blue Aussie songs! For real Australians! These are the songs that unite us!

And now imagine that every single artist you included in your Hottest 100 said has said they want absolutely sweet fuck all to do with you.

Jimmy Barnes, Savage Garden‘s Darren Hayes, Hilltop Hoods, Men at Work and Powderfinger – all of whom appear on the #AC100 – have all slammed Bernardi’s playlist.

Hilltop Hoods told him to go fuck himself. Barnesy asked why anyone would listen to Bernardi about anything, “especially about music?” Hayes told him politely but firmly that he wants absolutely nothing to do with him.

Bernardi’s responded by throwing an all-mighty tantrum to pretty much anyone who’ll listen.

https://twitter.com/corybernardi/status/953560606040182784

https://twitter.com/corybernardi/status/953939129535901696

Hayes has now released a longer statement about the playlist, accusing Bernardi of co-opting his (and others’) music for a political statement, and reminding him that it’s actually against Spotify’s terms and conditions.

“I am vehemently opposed to everything Cory Bernadi and his party stand for,” he said.

“Anyone can listen to any music. Anyone can make a Spotify playlist. But if you are a political party, you can’t compile a playlist of songs that espouse your platform, name it after your party, promote it from your political websites and social media, then pretend you are not politicising the artists involved. You are and you’re doing it without our permission.

“You can not make a political statement that requires music as the medium for the message, without it implying the tacit approval of all of those artists mentioned. I, and many of the artists on this bogus playlist would never endorse The Australian Conservatives party. This is not a situation where a customer has made a fun digital mix-tape and shared with their friends. This is a political party using Spotify and the works of artists as the content from which to advertise a very specific political stance. 

“There can be no confusion, the Australian Conservatives party playlist promoted by Cory Bernardi is a political stunt designed to make a political statement. “

You can read his full statement here, fyi.

Spotify has since removed the playlist for violating its guidelines. Bernardi is taking it about as well as can be expected (by calling the artists “narcissists”) and generally going on and on about political correctness when really, he’s just being a huge dumbass.

He’s not owned. He’s laughing.

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