Musician and record producer Mic Hardwick has launched a stinging musical attack on US President Donald Trump and his brand of tweeting politics. His parody song, Agent Orange, released on April 1, features a music video by respected Melbourne animation artist Matt Bissett-Johnson. Agent Orange, is a not so subtle dig at the political style of the current POTUS.
Hardwick, known around the Sydney music scene for his individual style and passionate idealism, says the idea for the song emerged at a dinner party where people were talking politics and he referred to Trump as Agent Orange.
“As time went on, I heard other people referring to him the same way, including rapper Eminem, which I thought was kind of cool. Good synchronicity”
Agent Orange features a canary, harking back to the caged bird used in the coal mines in days past, a distressed canary was an early warning. “A canary popped into my mind, all that tweeting, it never stops calling out ‘danger, danger’, so can it be trusted? I don’t use the word Trump anywhere in the song, but it’s hard to miss the subject matter.”
Hardwick with his long-time partner Deanne, operate Sydney based record label Underfoot Records where Agent Orange was produced and recorded. The April 1 release date is a bit of a nod to the way they feel about the American President. Perhaps more than merely an April Fool;
This is not Hardwick’s first musical dalliance with global politics. The song writer was on the receiving end of an angry tirade when his anti-war song Iraq Attack drew the ire of supporters of both George Bush Senior and Junior. Should he brace for the same kind of response from Trumpeteers, who tend not to respond well to criticism or jest?
Mic. Hardwick’s musical career began as the bass player with Blah Blah Blah who performed around the Sydney pub scene in the mid-1980s, gaining notoriety and recognition before a spinal tap implosion in the late 90’s on the eve of their first album release.
Undeterred and committed to independence, Hardwick realised early on in his career that he preferred to discover musical pathways of his own. “I simply wasn’t that great at playing other people’s songs” he says with a wry smile. Similarly, he was really only interested in producing original music, and has crafted Underfoot Studios, a unique audio facility that blends old school valve sounds with digital technology.
Hardwick is also known as the co-founder of Club Acoustica, a series of curated music evenings, offering the acoustic presentation of original music. The idea blossomed and chapters developed across Australia. Begun in 1998 and credited at the time for the renaissance of acoustic music in Sydney, performers like Sarah Blasko, Jeff Duff, The Beautiful Girls, Lyn Bowtell and Luke O’Shea, Club Acoustica graced the stages. Club Acoustica ran for over a decade with the Web archives now held at the National Film & Sound Archives of Australia.
Keen to understand music in all its intricate forms, he has developed a unique style. His lyrics and music reflect his idealism and embody the experience of loss, love, madness and pleasure. Singer/songwriter and producer, a creator, a seeker, a man who maintains a passionately spiritual individualism.
