The Godfather of South African Rock

During my early teens my bedtime story usually started with a man warning: “He’s coming through the door.” Followed by a loud creek and a scream: “He didn’t even open them!” What followed was the effervescent jingle that opened the steel gates of Rock ‘n Roll and welcomed the listeners into the jungle of Barney Simon’s Night Zoo.

The Night Zoo was the place where the wild animals of Rock music lived. The place where acting zookeeper Barney Simon exhibited these creatures in their natural environment – loud and uncensored. The Night Zoo gospel summed it up beautifully: “If it’s too loud, you’re too old!”

These songs became my lullabies, my goodnight kiss if you wish. From the punk nights showcasing Rancid, Green Day and The Offspring; to Seether (Saron Gas in those days) getting their first airplay on radio. Barney Simon was the man responsible for initiating countless discoveries of new music and bands. It therefore feels fitting that this man be referred to as The Godfather of South African Rock.

In 2005 Barney was made an offer he couldn’t refuse and the scissors of commercialism left Barney Simon’s Night Zoo on the cutting room floor. Bringing an end to more than two decades of rock on 5fm and, in effect, national radio. But, Barney cites leaving the SABC to join Tuks FM 107.2 and Jacaranda 94.2 as the highlight of his career.

In South Africa campus radio stations are basically the last lighthouse left amidst an ocean of mainstream constraints. The beauty of Campus Radio is that it is “raw and real.” Barney believes that we need more rock music stations and less Hip-Hop and R&B stations competing against each other.
“DJ’s should take control and play what they want to play and what their listeners really want to hear. Not what some trendy jerk in a suit with no music knowledge tells them to play.” It is exactly this damn-the-man attitude that has endeared him to his listeners over the years as well as showcasing his confidence in trusting his intuition in what music to play on the radio.

As a result, Barney breaks new music way before anyone else. He knows about an impending revolution seemingly light years before anyone else, regardless of where the mainstream was at the moment. The most evident example I remember was when Barney Simon played Fokofpolisiekar – ‘Hemel op die platteland’ on 5fm for the first time. The rest is now cult history.

However, that is simply a snowflake on top of the iceberg as there are scores of bands who can pay testament to the fact that he believed in their music when no one else did.
“I felt it was my duty and still is to this day to promote and push SA bands. There’s nothing like watching bands perform live and then playing their demo or CD on the radio. I have thousands of demos in my collection and they will go to the grave with me!”

Even if the majority of radio stations see fit to play music from the likes of single cell organisms like Paris Hilton, bands should never sell their souls to the mainstream devil. The Godfather believes that: “Bands should never sell out – radio will eventually have to play their music. A good example is Kings of Leon. It makes me sick when I hear a Kings of Leon song scheduled with Britney Spears, Westlife and 50 Cent. Puke and switch off your radio!”

Barney’s passion has always been and will always be radio. And that passion is fueled by a true love for the music that he plays. Barney Simon is South Africa’s William Wallace fronting the crusade for freedom from music suppression. This basically leaves us with one question. On what side of the battlefield are you?

NM - Andre Kluyts