It is impossible to tell the story of how Brisbane music and politics are uniquely intertwined without community radio station 4ZZZ.
Galvanised by the New Left movement over issues such as the Vietnam War and civil liberties, the station was started in 1975 in the student union complex of the University of Queensland before being dramatic turfed out by a conservative union in 1988 and eventually finding permanent digs in Fortitude Valley.
4ZZZ got people listening for the music, but they stayed for the on-air discussions and interviews.
Amanda Collins, journalist with the station at the time, said their morning ritual of ringing the infamous Queensland premier of the time, Joh Bjelke Petersen, became almost comical.
“Nearly every morning I would ring Joh as part of my work, and basically we would use these three-minute phone conversations between Joh and myself as sort of comedy tracks that the announcers would stick between the music tracks,” Ms Collins said.
“It would just always be the same thing… I’d ask him about the latest scandal or the latest riot at Boggo Road jail or the latest outrage from his government… and he’d just start waffling – don’t you worry about that, that’s none of your concern, I’ve told you not to ring me again.”
They also hosted countless live music gigs for local and touring acts.
According to early subscriber Kim, whose statement was recorded for an academic article: “Triple Zed was like a lifestyle thing, smaller crowds and people who were lifestyler punks and anarchists and people who wanted to see the music.”
With Indigenous music from bands such as Mop and the Dropouts beginning to be heard, in 1984, 4ZZZ established a show for First Nations voices – the Murri Hour.
Ross Watson, founder of Murri Hour, said: “There was a need for our voice on radio here, in the media. Somewhere we could present our perspective on issues, where we could play our own music.”
Even after the existence of gay men was decriminalised in 1991, Queensland had no anti-discrimination laws.
Gai Lemon, queer activist and radio announcer on 4ZZZ for 10 years, said they did a lot of campaigning to create discrimination laws.
In 1990, a queer radio show called Gaywaves was introduced at the 4ZZZ station, with the Lesbian Show, now called Dykes on Mikes, soon following.
She said there were a lot of hate crimes committed against gay people in the early 90s, with one young person who was part of their radio show assaulted and killed after the show in a hotel carpark.
“It really reminded us of just how important having good legislation in place was, but also just how much we had to fight for the right to just simply be,” she said.
50 years later, 4ZZZ is still a proud counter-cultural force that champions local original music and provides a voice for the oppressed.
