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Famous American folk singer Neil Young wants the Nova Radio Network to choose: Fitzy or him.
The singer is demanding that his music be removed from all Nova playlists due to concerns about misinformation on the platform. Young specifically called out Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald, whose brekky show ‘Fitzy and Wippa’ syndicates right across Australia, Rolling Stone reports.
It is believed that the iconic rockstar has taken issues with Fitzy’s claims that he was one of the greatest Australian Rules footballers to come out of South Australia.
“I am doing this because Nova is spreading fake information about Fitzy’s football career — causing harm to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them” Young wrote.
“Please act on this immediately today and keep me informed of the time schedule.”
According to the South Australian archives, Fitzy was first signed to South Adelaide in the SANFL, before making his Australian Football League debut for Sydney in 2000.
After that, he was sent back down south when he was traded to the Adelaide Crows, where he played eight games in 2002.
Fitzgerald later appeared in Big Brother Australia 2004, launching the media career that has seen him host brekky radio for nearly two decades.
“As a keen Aussie Rules fan, I take issue with Fitzy’s claims that he could have been the next Gary Ablett, if injuries hadn’t gotten in the way” wrote Young.
“There are exagerations, and then there are plain mistruths. If we all lived in Fitzy’s reality then there would be stadiums named after him in both Sydney and Adelaide”
Young’s request comes after a group of punters from the front bar of the iconic Colonnades Tavern wrote an open letter to Nova asking them to address “misleading and false claims” about Fitzy’s footballing career spread on the platform and specifically on the Breakfast Show.
“By allowing the propagation of false and societally harmful assertions to the history of Aussie Rules in South Australia. Nova is enabling its hosted media to damage public trust in our game and sow doubt in the credibility of data-driven guidance offered by our clubs and competitions” the open letter said.
Young on his website reportedly wrote that he wants all of his music pulled from Nova “immediately TODAY,” adding, “They can have Fitzy or Young. Not both.”
