The latest streaming video on Radical Times with the permission of the videomaker, Ben Carr.
Brisbane Blacks: The Story of Mop and the Dropouts
Brisbane 1982: The Commonwealth Games were on. A land rights movement was taking place, and a little known band from Cherbourg was about to make history.
Despite what Dennis ‘Mop’ Conlon knew when writing the song Brisbane Blacks, he could not have anticipated it would go on to become an anthem and define a period in time.
Looking back on the history of the band, but also the political and social climate of Brisbane in the 1970’s and 80’s, the film delves into why Aboriginal people needed a voice to stand up against a conservative and racist government.
As Dennis Conlon says, “We’re not into politics, we play music.”
However, being in a band at the time and being Aboriginal, Mop and the Dropouts couldn’t help but be political.
LeftPress provided footage from “Land Rights Campaign” (1982).