AustLit

'From the cops and the crocs of 1960s Palm Island to the blood-spattered dance floors of Melbourne in the '70s, Wrong Kind of Black is the personal story of Boori Monty Pryor (Clarence Ryan, in a career-making performance) and his brother Paul (Aaron McGrath). This four part high end digital drama comedy series brings a rare perspective to a tumultuous era in Australia’s history, one that resonates just as strongly today.

'At the height of the ‘70s disco inferno, Monty is Melbourne’s hottest DJ.

Jack Latimore reviews Wrong Type of Black. 

'Largely set in the inner-city north of 1970s Melbourne, and co-written by Pryor himself with Nick Musgrove, Wrong Kind of Black concisely portrays the racial tensions and Aboriginal rights issues that were waging amid the exuberant popular trends of the era.

'Twenty-something Monty – played by Wolf Creek’s Clarence Ryan – has relocated from north Queensland to Melbourne, where as a former male model and now DJ at the vibrant Albion Charles hotel in north Fitzroy, he is cruising in style, replete with deadly ’fro, flares and funky chunky-soled leather boots.

'Dulcie grew up under 'The Act'. She was a fifteen year old girl in 1957, when her home of Palm Island in North Queensland was disturbed by a strike. On that day, her family's life changed forever, as Dulcie records in words and pictures. Essential reading for Queensland history.' (Source: Black Ink Press website)

'In 1976, when Bill Rosser visited Palm Island, he was shocked at the restrictions the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living there were forced to endure in the course of their everyday lives. The manager determined where they could live, whom they could marry, where they could travel and when, and even what they wore when they went swimming. This work is an account of Rosser's experiences and the changes that he saw in both the people and the place since his first visit. He introduces readers to the island and its people by telling their stories with humour, affection and respect, but he also frankly discusses social issues such as alcohol abuse and domestic violence in the framework of poverty, prejudice and island politics.

An account of what life on Palm Island was like in 1974. 

'Boori Pryor is an Aboriginal man from Townsville where his family lived and some still do. After careers in the air force, sport, acting and being a DJ he became a storyteller working in schools and communities with his unique blend of word, music, dance and visual arts. He has performed over the last thirty years for in excess of one and a quarter million children and he and they have taken away the spirit of reconciliation and brotherhood from his brilliant and engaging workshops.'

'His story, as we shall see, is varied and has its share of tragedy but none of this is apparent in his work.