Peter McKay, Curator of Contemporary Australian Art, QAGOMA
‘Get What You Want’ hones in on the idea that music is a space for increased ambition and lowered inhibitions ...
Music and film – although appreciated by different audiences – can essentially be categorised into one umbrella label. Art. When the two artistic pursuits merge, magic happens, which is part of the charm of the upcoming showcase Get What You Want: Music Cinema. Throughout September, the GOMA Cinémathèque will be screening films and documentaries that examine and explore the stories behind several of the world’s acclaimed musicians and they scenes they helped spawn. Ahead of the start of the showcase, we chatted to QAGOMA’s Curator of Contemporary Australian Art Peter McKay to talk about his love of music, how he went about curating such a stellar showcase of music cinema and what we can learn from such films.
Let’s start with a fun one, and be honest! What was the first album you ever bought?
That question is testing my memory, but I do know I was always demanding to play music as a youngster. My best guess is either a Peter Coombe or Michael Jackson cassette. It’s a pity those two never did a duets album.
How did you originally discover your love for art?
In high school I found there where a lot of things I wasn’t good at such as history, math, physics, chemistry, even PE. For some reason I was good at English and art and by matric my art teachers would direct my classmates to me when they didn’t know the answers to their research questions.
When did the passion turn into a desire to pursue a curatorial career?
I started off more as an artist, but it just wasn’t sustainable. I didn’t seem to make the kind of work that people felt there was a market for … what is great about being a curator though is that you can pursue a broader range of interests than you might as an artist because each artist you work with comes along with all their own knowledge and interests. It’s the perfect job for me.
We are very excited for the Get What You Want: Music Cinema program at QAGOMA. What inspired you to curate a film program around music?
Great! I love it when people are excited about my projects. I was inspired by a book titled The Song Machine by John Seabrook which is all about the way music is produced, marketed and distributed today. That’s what I wanted the program to be about too, but I struggled to find enough specific content. Inclusions such as Nine Muses of Star Empire and Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton: This Is Stones Throw Records came from this original idea before the seed grew into Get What You Want, which hones in on the idea that music is a space for increased ambition and lowered inhibitions.
The program features a great cross-section of films about many genres! How did you go about selecting the films that would be showcased throughout the month?
I overdosed on films – I spent four months watching everything I could. Before that I took a month just making lists trying to map what was out there. In whittling it down I wanted to give an opportunity for audiences to introduce themselves to different genres of music and also film making, while being mindful of the quality of the films too. Each film had to have something special about it.
What do you hope patrons take away from viewing these films?
Well, I am really curious about the way that musical tastes can polarise people, myself included, although I try to keep my listening very broad. Music draws crowds together to share an aesthetic experience, but often the crowds that go to different concerts are divided along lines of genre or culture. So I hope that audiences can see something of the way that the artists, audiences, labels, media and retailers all coexist, and that there is a lot of common history and behaviours across the music scenes.
What do you personally consider to be the must-see film of the program?
I can’t pick a favourite child! I like them all for different reasons. In terms of a recommendation though, I’d iterate the previous question and say choose something you know you would like and also choose something that is going to push your comfort zone too. You might leave with a new appreciation for something totally unexpected.
If you could commission a film or documentary about the life of one of your favourite musicians, who would you pick?
Wow, so many have been done already. I think there should be a J Dilla film. Jay Dee is often cited as the beat maker who redefined hip hop in the mid-1990s and 2000s. There are t-shirts that say ‘Dilla changed my life’ but I don’t think the mainstream knows him. He died ten years ago at the age of 32 from a rare blood disease, but his sound influenced so many musicians working today both in hip hop and beyond. And a David Bowie film would be timely and Cate Blanchett could play him! Has there been a Stevie Wonder documentary?
What are some words of wisdom that you live by?
“Those who dance are considered insane by those who can’t hear the music” – Anon.
Get What You Want: Music Cinema will be screening at GOMA’s Cinémathèque from Friday September 2 until Saturday October 2. Head to the QAGOMA website to see the selection of films and to book tickets.
