Manawatu Standard

Those evil Aussies redefine a snow job

- MARK REASON

In the context of society, they [Jesse Bromwich and Kevin Proctor] are not role models, they're just a couple of young doofahs out on a mad night.

COMMENT dropped ‘em, but I thank ‘em just the same.’’

Hmmm, time for a philosophi­cal aside. Why is it that if a rugby league player snorts a line of coke he is permanentl­y banned from society, but a rock star parties on to further deificatio­n. Johnny Cash even sang Cocaine Blues at Folsom Prison.

Glenn Frey took a road trip with a dealer called the Count and the Eagles called it Life in the Fast Lane.

The whole of Sticky Fingers by the Rolling Stones is an anthem to drugs. David Bowie was the thin white duke. Eric Clapton recorded JJ Cale’s ambiguousl­y titled song Cocaine. Neil Young was coked out at the Last Waltz. And it’s all cool.

It’s 40 years since Jay Mcinerney came out with New York’s paean to cocaine, Bright Lights, Big City. But he is still venerated for it.

Lines like ‘‘There is a shabby nobility in failing all by yourself’’ and ‘‘Something changed. Somewhere along the line you stopped accelerati­ng’’ still resonate.

The Wolf of Wall Street was nominated for an Oscar. It wasn’t mentioned at the time that Jonah Hill, who played a coked-up investment banker, had urgent medical treatment during the shoot, because every day for seven months he was sniffing fake coke.

He said: ‘‘If you ingest that much matter into your lungs you’ll get very sick. I never had more vitamin D in my entire life; I could have lifted a car over my f ..... g head!’’

So spare me the double standards. I don’t remember hordes of policemen rushing into the investment banks and pulling out pin-striped coke heads. I don’t remember Slash getting arrested for remarking, ‘‘I don’t do cocaine any more. Well, only occasional­ly’’. I don’t remember Mcinerney’s book being pulled off the shelves or Scorsese’s film being banned.

Bromwich and Proctor drank way, way too much. They then made a very bad decision.

Fine them heavily and ban them for a couple of tests. But in the context of society, they are not role models, they’re just a couple of young doofahs out on a mad night. They haven’t broken my trust, despite what the coach says.

Oh, and it’s all an Aussie conspiracy.

 ?? PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES ?? Shaun Kenny-dowall has offered to undertake a follicle test after being charged with drug possession.
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES Shaun Kenny-dowall has offered to undertake a follicle test after being charged with drug possession.
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