Goeie Nag Generaal

Piet Botha and Jackhammer

This may seen out of place in the timeline but I start with it because in the Introduction to The Story of Rock and Roll I use it to explain just how powerful great music can be and how it can transport you from terrible lows to incredible highs. It’s all about the big chords coming through all that fucking morbidity. When I saw this movie for the first time I got goose bumps , I still get them everytime The Stones fire up ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ which is exactly why this clip is so important. Hilton Bennet who was a great mate and has a bit part in TSORR got me into this movie and I am forever grateful for that

Piet’s solo album’s marked a slight change of direction from what he was doing with Jack Hammer. These albums were all in Afrikaans and they show cased his incredible ability to write lyrics that were deeply relevant to the country. His stories of faded washouts who inhabit small town bars and who lost limbs in places like Ondangwa and still get nervous when crackers go off, or the English Lieutenant who had it all and then hung himself in a tree, touch the dark SA psyche in a very deep way. These albums are among the best I have ever heard and they really should be considered National Treasures.

JAMES DAUBENEY