In November, Waleed Aly paid earnest tribute to the English rock pioneers Pink Floyd (‘Obscured by Clouds’). While I listen to Pink Floyd’s debut album, Piper at the Gates of Dawn, almost daily, and find their story interesting, I question its relevance in the context of the Monthly. Surely a magazine that offers such informative and stimulating accounts of developments in Australian literature, art and politics could have devoted those pages – spent covering the history of an English band – to a story that is relevant to the experiences of contemporary Australian music. If anyone were to look outside the narrow, advertorial content of street press and into the depths of Australia’s inner cities, they would find a wealth of exciting, newsworthy developments in local music. Because of the shortsighted music media in this country, these topics are relegated to online blogs and discussion forums.

Daniel Stewart
Melbourne, VIC