Midnight Oil front man Peter Garrett didn’t hold back when talking about global megastar Taylor Swift on Friday.
Speaking to 107.1 SAFM’s Bec & Soda, the 70-year-old slammed everything from Swift’s private jet use, to how much she’s charging per ticket for her shows and how she’s displacing up and coming artists.
Garrett, a climate change activist, was particularly unimpressed with the megastar’s private jet usage, saying ‘she’s not setting a good example’.
‘I’m sure they could sit up the front of a Qantas plane or Japan Airlines plane and still get a tummy tickle,’ he said.
Host Mark ‘Soda’ Soderstrom reminisced about attending a Midnight Oil concert in 1985 when concert tickets were just $15.90.
Garrett went on to say ‘The dollar end of it… having been in this business forever, it is pretty brutal’.
Eras Tour tickets range from $80 for the cheapest pass to an eye watering $1,250 for the ‘It’s been a long time coming’ VIP package.
Garrett added: ‘I wouldn’t begrudge anyone’s success, that’s the first thing to say, she’s obviously touching a chord with masses of people, particularly people of a certain age group who have experienced growing up at a certain time, and what she’s singing and talking about is really ringing true with them.’
However, the Midnight Oil singer also noted that the superstar is making it harder for younger artists.
‘She has become such a phenomenon that she is displacing artists left right and centre,’ he said.
The rocker said he feels sorry for up and coming artists especially after Australia saw only three local performers in the ARIA’s Top 100 chart.
‘I think at one point in the last week or two, we only had three Australian artists in that top 100,’ he said.
Garrett’s rant comes as Swift is set to perform four shows in Sydney from Friday, February 23 to Monday February 26 after performing three sold-out shows in Melbourne.