Jimmy Barnes Shut Down A Government Minister For Quoting ‘Working Class Man’
"Don't use my name to sell your shitty policies."
Australian icon, rock hero and all ’round legend Jimmy Barnes has given a federal government minister a thrashing for invoking his name and quoting from one of his most iconic songs.
Yesterday Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and energy minister Josh Frydenberg visited a steelworks factors in Port Kembla, just south of the NSW town of Wollongong, to talk about the government’s recently announced energy policy.
During the press conference, Frydenberg brought up the fact that Barnes shot the video for his 1985 hit ‘Working Class Man’ at the Port Kembla steelworks.
“Jimmy Barnes came to Port Kembla to make the film clip for ‘Working Class Man’,” Frydenberg said. “Today, the Prime Minister has come to Port Kembla to create jobs for Australia’s working class men and women. The way we will do that is by driving power prices lower.”
]But Frydenberg’s attempt to cash in on the classic song did not go down well with Barnes. He tweeted to Frydenberg: “Don’t use my name or my songs to sell your shitty policies. You don’t represent me”.
Hey @JoshFrydenberg don’t use my name or my songs to sell your shitty policies. You don’t represent me #portkembla #workingclassman #auspol
— Jimmy Barnes (@JimmyBarnes) November 27, 2017
Absolutely savage.
— k e a c e_ (@patricekeace) November 28, 2017
You tell him Jim. Know your product Frydenberg.
— Julia Zemiro (@julia_zemiro) November 27, 2017
It’s not the first time Barnes has taken a stand against his music being used for political causes. In 2015, he spoke up when the far-right organisation Reclaim Australia started using his music at their rallies.
“The Australia I belong to and love is a tolerant Australia,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “A place that is open and giving. It is a place that embraces all sorts of different people, in fact it is made stronger by the diversity of its people. If you look at my family you can see we are a multicultural family. Australia needs to stand up for Love and Tolerance in these modern times.
“None of these people represent me and I do not support them.”
Jimmy Barnes is woke af and we are here for it.