Short Drive to Freedom

by Koos Kombuis

"Was Voelvry and all that stuff really worth it?"

This memoir is maverick musician Koos Kombuis's attempt to answer that question. He writes with raw honesty and humour about his life as a rebel, and his involvement in the Alternative Movement of the 1980s, the Voelvry tour, the people and the events - from Piekniek by Dingaan to Oppikoppi and beyond. And his years in the wilderness of drug abuse and rock music. Witty, touching, horrific, provocative.

253 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Koos Kombuis (born André le Roux du Toit, 5 November 1954) is a South African musician, singer, songwriter and writer who became famous as part of a group of anti-establishment maverick Afrikaans musicians, who, under the collective name of Voëlvry (directly translated meaning "Free as a bird"; in Afrikaans "voëlvry" is synonymous to the words "fugitive" and "outlaw"), toured campuses across South Africa in the 1980s, to "liberate Afrikaans from the shackles of its past". Fellow musicians of this movement were Johannes Kerkorrel and Bernoldus Niemand (James Phillips).

They were a younger generation Afrikaner who didn't believe in apartheid and didn't toe the ruling National Party line. This movement coined the term "Alternative Afrikaner" for themselves. Kombuis is something of an icon among certain South Africans who consider him the guru of Afrikaans rock music and father of non-conformist Afrikaans culture.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally Koos breaks his silence and talks about his role as one of the guiding lights in the biggest cultural explosion to have ever hit the Afrikaner people. It's the story of how a bunch of guys with guitars dragged the Afrikaner into the present day, caused huge mayhem, and were the last nail in the coffin of the apartheid government.

I make an appearance for a page or two as one of the clever, dagga-smoking, god-despising liberal students Koos stayed with during a sojourn in Grahamstown. It was wild, lemme tell you...

[Mathilde Myburgh]

A necessary extension of his original autobiography looking specifically at his frame of mind and frames of reference before and during the Voelvry era. Still unbelievable to me that he never thought
to cover this most auspicious event in Afrikaans music history in his original autobiography, but then, he says it scarred him so much he couldn't face it til recently. Brilliant insight on the rest of the Voelvryers, brilliant insight on his love life and wife. Genuinely felt like sitting down and having a doctored coffee with the man instead of reading his writing. He speaks my language. I've also learned and saw again - everything is a performance.

[Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb read, lots of anecdotes