I’m really enjoying everything that I’m hearing about John Ellis’ new album Come Out Fighting.
You can read a short review here.
For those that don’t know, Ellis used to be the front man for the band Tree63. The band have broken up and now Ellis is embarking on a solo career, which is very different to what fans of Tree63 are used to. Ellis is getting political and I find myself saying, “yeah, now we’re talking.”
John Ellis is talking a lot about protest songs. Since he is South African he is protesting against many of the problems we have in South Africa. I love it.
I think that most people in our country complain and complain but seldom do anything about the problems. Ellis is using his talents to make South Africans think, to challenge their way of life, to kick people out of their moaning chairs and do something, and to shout from the rooftops that things must change. That’s the impression I get and I’m totally with it.
Armchair moaners really do need to move beyond moaning to action, we should all use our talents in some way — even a small way — to make a difference. But most of us just carry on with our lives and our world ends at our front door. Outside of that is someone else’s responsibility. Someone else should do something. I don’t have the time or the resources. What matters is my own prosperity, my own comfort, my own life, and if the outside doesn’t line up with helping me then I’m just going to moan. And we see it as our job to moan, but that’s it.
We have to come out of that mode of thinking.