hereissomethingprettyspecialaboutconnectingwithanartistwho
hasthrivedandsurvivedtheemergingandmid-careerstagesoftheir
practice.Evenmoresowhentheyareanartistwhohaslived;anartist
whohasusedtheircreativityforadvocacy,justiceandpolitics.XavierRuddis
nostrangertoaccoladesandsuccess,havingcarvedouta formidablecareer
asa songwriter,performerandmusicianoverthepast 20 years.Butheis
not the type of artist who is motivated by such things—he is well known
for his stance on environmentalism and animal rights, and for promoting
the strength and resilience of First Nations culture within Australia.
Although an extremely skilled and avid performer—sometimes even
performing as a one-man band playing Yidaki, guitar, percussion and vocals
at once—Xavier is first and foremost a prolific songwriter. His latest release,
Storm Boy, is a fine example of how to walk the delicate line between raising
awareness and maintaining hope. In the first track off the album, “Walk
Away,” Xavier shares the liberation of letting go, and of seeing an old version
of himself in others who are holding on too tightly. It is these words that
make me realise I too have an outdated notion of what his inner world must
be like. I’m a little ashamed to admit that when we meet, I am surprised by
his wisdom, calmness and even Eldership. But apparently after decades of
non-stop touring across Australia, the US and Europe, and the myriad of life
experiences and connections that only that type of traversing can bring, you
do learn a thing or two. Xavier is neither a voracious activist, nor a middle-
aged muso who has become apathetic. He is warm, gentle, funny and wise.
As we speak, he invokes a sense of the environment around him. I am all
too familiar with the country he is on, having grown up there myself. I can
smell the lemon scented tea trees, feel the relief of winter approaching after
a long, humid summer and hear the yellow-tailed black cockatoos feeding
in small but noisy flocks. I am instantly faced with a pang of homesickness.
And although I try to inspire (persuade?) him to offer up vast and complex
visions of truth and understanding, it becomes quite clear that his truth
is a simple one. His words end up inspiring me to let go, lighten up, stop
thinking so much and to revel in the simplistic beauty of a fire in the
backyard, a first-class yarn and the companionship of a good dog. He is
the modern-day spiritual warrior: one who has been to war and fought and
come home, still believing and passionate about all of the things he was
fighting for, but never again prepared to bear arms for the sake of peace.
T
