The Sheikh ( or Shiek ) of Scrubby Creek reigned supreme and we were all happy in the nuthouse.
Trouble is we are all living in the nuthouse and too many people don't give a stuff.
This is one of those Aussie articles. When everything was just cruising along and we didn't really give a shit because we were basically happy with life and all was going well. We cruise Downunder. Much like Canada. Like New Zealand. Leave us alone and we leave our government alone.
Fair deal.
But our governments went and buggered it up.
They decided to tell us what to do.
If you are not from one of the " colonies " you will not understand that many of us do not like being told what to do. Might be something about convicts or freedom.
It brought me to Chad Morgan. The Shiek from Scrubby Creek.
Where no one outside of our great sunburnt country has a bloody clue what I am talking about.
Who the hell is the Shiek from Scrubby Creek
Well, it is a bloke called Chad Morgan.
A buck toothed balladeer from Queensland who managed to make us laugh and sing along and we were too entranced with his visual attributes to hear the wisdom in his words.
Chad Morgan was born in Wondai Queensland the eldest of 14 children to Dave and Ivy Morgan.
From an early age he was raised by his grandparents, Bill and Eva Hopkins. After his grandfather died in 1945, he and his grandmother moved back to Scrubby Creek to live with his parents and siblings. Morgan left school at age 12 and found work cutting timber.
Chad's songs are peppered with Australian slang such as Sheilas, Drongos, Dills and Geezers. His songs are, in todays climate, politically incorrect. Barry Humphries used Morgan as his inspiration for Les Patterson's teeth. In 2009, Chad Morgan wrote a song about his Aboriginal heritage, dedicated to his grandparents who raised him as a child, titled "The Ballad of Bill and Eva". It was recorded with his granddaughter, Caitlin Morgan
I just finished watching this 11 minute tribute to Chad Morgan and I laughed and smiled. But it does take an Aussie to appreciate the nuance and the intellect that went into this great man's work: believe it or not, I rate Chad Morgan as a genius.
What the hell are we becoming?
How can our politicians do this to us?
As Chad Morgan said:
"It's all so nice here in the nut house
alone in my padded cell
It's all so nice in the nuthouse..
and the doctors and nurses treat me swell. "
