think it's available now.

MUSIC

By 1974, with another album, The Bluesmakers, to her credit, Australia seemed too small and Margret headed for the States and Europe: "That year I got my first grant and took my first trip overseas, mainly to America but it also included Europe. I used to trip to catch up with what was happening in music and to see a lot of black music performed. To my surprise I found that my material went over very well in the States."

"I was introduced to the classic blues singers like Bessie Smith. The critics in America thought that I was one of the very few people who do that type of music in an authentic manner. There's never been a stage where I've taken a dramatic change in musical direction and I can still trace everything back to the first songs that I did.

"I also discovered African music; at one stage I was doing more African music than I did Australian songs. I redressed the balance a little later after my overseas trip. Once you've been overseas you become far more patriotic."

A self-entitled album appeared in 1976, followed by Ice in 1978. "I was mostly working as a solo act then and I still basically work as a solo act. I like to be independent and to be able to pick up a guitar and go overseas or interstate. Here in Sydney about half the gigs I do are with a piano and bass as well, but I still do solo songs. I will never abandon the idea of being independent, even if it does restrict me in some ways. I'm not a great accompanist for myself by any stretch of the imagination, but it means if I know a song I can do it without having to worry whether or not the accompanists know it. It's a plus and a minus.

"In 1978 I also went overseas as a part of the Australian Theatre People's tour of China. This seems funny but in 1980, after having sung nearly all over the world, I finally got the chance to sing in New Zealand and Tonga. Tonga is my idea of paradise."

Margret's most recent album Out of Fashion not out of Style was released in 1981. "As well as the album, 1981 was the year I began promoting other artists such as Ella McIlwaine. We became the Honky Tonk Angels and toured Australia. After that I did another tour of the States. I was guest at some. Holly Near concerts and the opening act for Marvin Wainright.

"Last year I was invited back to the States to be part of the Australian Peace Delegation to the United Nations Special Session on Disarmament in June which included singing at the million-strong rally for Nuclear Disarmament in New York. That was one of my largest audiences, although I didn't sing to a million people as there were three stages along the route of the march. I sang at the one in the middle while heavies like Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor did their stuff at the stage in Central Park.

"More recently I've been getting far more involved with the commercial side of the business. I promoted the Jeannie Lewis show Piaf as well as her current show. In the future I am planning on presenting the English singer Jeremy Taylor in Sydney and Holly Near towards the end of the year. I don't enjoy it as much as singing but it's a challenge and somebody has to do it. Promoters tend to stick to people like the Joan

Armatradings and the Joni Mitchells and don't do anything about the Holly Nears and the Ella McIlwaines, who aren't big billings but have as much, if not more, than these other people to contribute.

Being involved in so many causes, Margret Roadknight is extremely difficult to place in a pigeon-hole as any specific type of person: "I'm not necessarily a radical but I am a feminist and I view things decidedly from the left. I don't think that I or my music can be stereo-typed: I understand why people call me a folk-singer but it's really only part of the picture. I've been called everything from a folk singer to a jazz singer and when Girls in Our Town hit the top40, I immediately became a pop singer.

"Although I'm a feminist I no longer see the women's movement as a charity and I'm less likely to do things for them without being paid, although if it was a specific cause such as refugees I would think about it.

"Similarly, although I believe in the gay movement, I no longer see it as a charity, although I did the benefit at Gay Day to raise funds for a gay old-age home. That seems like a reasonable-enough project considering gays have less family than other groups to look after them.

"I'm caught between sympathy and anger at a lot of things that occupy the gay community. I can understand that gay men feel persecuted about happenings such as the Club 80 raids but I think that like me, a lot of women generally and probably most of the lesbian community can't understand it, let alone sympathise with it on any level other than intellectual. Why men want to do the type of things that go on at Club 80 is still a mystery to

me.

"I think that Robyn Tyler, the American Lesbian comedienne encapsulated the dichotomy between the male and female gay communities when she said not to call her gay because that stands for the male community. She had very little in common with them so another term should be used.

"If you want an example of the differences just look at our music: gay men are into things like "Clang, Clang, Clang, went the Trolley," and the women are into some sweet song by Chriss Williamson. There are a million exceptions that spring to mind, of course, but I think generally that is the case.

Margret's material can be as controversial as her ideas: "I do a lot of controversial material today. Some of them are very straight dramatic songs but I find that most of the songs that I choose dealing with controversial subjects use humour as the weapon. People are more likely to think about it and accept it if they can laugh at themselves.

"I do most of it tongue-in-cheek; I mean when I do "Short People" you have to remember that everyone in the audience is short compared to me, and all the song is doing is pointing out how extreme prejudices can be.

"I find myself that being so tall is an advantage and a disadvantage. I was 6'1" when I was 13 and I just kept on growing. It's a plus in show business because people tend to recognise me and instead of saying 'God, isn't she tall!' they say 'Hey, that's Margret, isn't she tall!'

"I like being tall, although it was hell when I was growing up. If I could choose a height I think I'd pick six foot so I could tower above most people anyway.

"I was beginning to think about what I should do with this year and all of a sudden it's fallen into place. Unfortunately I have a bronchial cyst. I think it's a leftover from the days when we used to have gills. Within the next month I'll be going into hospital to have it surgically removed. I'm a bit worried because my throat is my livelihood but I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

"After I've had a rest from that I'll be doing a short tour and then promoting Jeremy Taylor. What I really want to do is establish myself in the States. I know I can do it, so if it never eventuated I'll look back and regret the decision.

"I'd love to be a pop star in as much as it opens a lot of gates for you, but it would have to be on my terms in as much as it has to be a song I could live with: it would have to be compatible with my views and my repertoire. I constantly walk a fine line between underemployment and overexposure but life's pretty good at the moment!

GUARA

LA

H

ESTAURAN

MEXICAN FOOD

(Country Style Dishes)

Phone 33 6530

Open Monday to Friday from 11.30 am Saturday from 6 pm

263 Victoria Street Darlinghurst

IMPERIAL GARDENS

COFFEE LOUNGE AND RESTAURANT MON-SAT 8AM TO MIDNIGHT

IMPERIAL ARCADE CASTLEREAGH ST SYDNEY

(02) 232-7180

Come in and enjoy our comfortable decor and be served in style enjoy a cup of coffee and a snack or B.Y.O. with a three course meal in Victorian opulence

GAY BUSINESS ASSOCIATION (NSW) invites guests to attend their monthly dinner meeting

to hear

ROSEMARY FOOT M.P. and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party

on Monday, May 23 1983 $20.00 per person (includes dinner and wine)

at Trethaway Gardens, 18 Shaw St, Petersham Deadline for bookings: May 16.

Bookings essential, limited numbers Respond to: Denise Coleman (02) 51 3022

Everybody's doing it!

3

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