Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Monster Weekend

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  • Craig Ranapia,

    a scumbag like Robin Maxwell

    Sorry let's get the right scumbag: Ian Robert Maxwell born Ján Ludvík Hoch) -- decorated war veteran, Labour MP, media mogul and all-round shit bag.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Geoff Lealand,

    kia ora Russell (and the rest of you) : you went to BDO and didn't stroll down to the Orange Stage to see Arcade Fire? They were magnificent and after their hour-long set I left (for the delights of the Penrose rail station) because I considered nothing could surpass the brilliance and intelligence of these Canadians.

    I am about to do a piece on My BDO for Paul Smith's kiwiboomers.com site, so I will send a link when it appears.

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    kia ora Russell (and the rest of you) : you went to BDO and didn't stroll down to the Orange Stage to see Arcade Fire? They were magnificent and after their hour-long set I left (for the delights of the Penrose rail station) because I considered nothing could surpass the brilliance and intelligence of these Canadians.

    We caught some of it, and it did indeed sound pretty sweet, but my BDO came alive at Lilyworld, so I'm not regretting anything. But you should have stuck around for LCD Soundsystem ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Finn Higgins,

    The problem with Dizzee Rascal was that there was a long stretch with no international acts in the stadium. So a large part of the crowd was on the upper level of the site, and they all decided at once that they'd go and see Dizzee. It's unfortunate, but stuff happens sometimes.

    I think my issue with the whole thing was the way that the BDO schedules virtually anything that doesn't have guitars in the boiler room. It's hard not to see that as second-class-citizen treatment, considering what a horrid venue that tent is even when it's not a scorching sunny day. I mean, the green/essential stage wasn't far away and they were just leaving that to shite like the Nightwatchmen. That was just awful, and wasted a perfectly good outdoor slot that could have been given to somebody with actual fans.

    Wellington • Since Apr 2007 • 209 posts Report Reply

  • Tane,

    <i>I don't understand why anyone lets that happen.</i>

    Funny you say that Russell, we've actually just banned Dad for the second time (this time for life) for threatening other commenters, including myself (however jokingly, it's hard to tell with that guy sometimes).

    We have, unfortunately, attracted a lot of nasty characters and deliberate trolls from the right to our comments section as the site's grown, and that's to be expected. To be fair there have been a couple of less than savoury characters from the left as well. I'd be interested to find out how you moderate your forum as it's increasingly becoming an issue for us.

    I have commented just twice in the thread on the the issue of The Standard's lack of disclosure, with a gentle suggestion to Tane that voluntary disclosure at the time they accepted the hosting may have been desirable

    Yeah, you're probably right David. A big issue here I think is lack of communication. I wasn't even aware what our new server arrangements were (other than that we had some) until I saw your post on Kiwiblog and called another standard contributor, who gave me a garbled third hand explanation down a bad phone line.

    Thankfully it all turned out to be far less of an issue than I originally interpreted it to be, but I agree it's still not a good look and I probably should have taken a bigger interest in this and probably could have avoided all this mess.

    I'll have a yarn with Lynn and make sure it's cleared up as soon as possible.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2008 • 3 posts Report Reply

  • Geoff Lealand,

    At one point during the Arcade Fire set. I momentarily glanced to my right, to see John Campbell nodding sagely along to "Keep the car running..." Obviously, everyone and half the world, were there..

    Also kept a tally of the Most Offensive t-shirt. Saw a lumpy girl. around 18 years, wearing the slogan "Jesus is a c**t". How do you begin to read that one??

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    And just to semi-jack... Russell wrote:

    Yesterday, we saw the monster movie du jour: Cloverfield. I really liked it. The idea of capturing the entire narrative via one consumer video camera was perfectly executed (although that thing had some battery life …)

    Well, I loved the headline on the NYTimes review: "We're all going to die! Grab you camera!" Heh...when you think about it, it makes no sense whatsoever but all you have to do is maintain willing suspension of disbelief for a little under 80 minutes.

    The American reviewers who got all huffy about it being a cheap reference to 9/11 need to chill out. It's just a movie.

    Yes and no... I can understand why a lot of German critics and commentators couldn't say 'it's just a movie" after seeing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Untergang__Downfall__ -- which struck me as an interesting but flawed film from outside the pretty fraught cultural-political context the film exists in in Germany.

    I don't know if I'd be quite so blase about making a film in Auckland like this -- where the dramatic core is a terrorist attack on a crowded ferry. The Rainbow Warrior Bombing may have been a long time ago, but that's not imagely I'd allude to lightly.

    Anyway, I thought Cloverfield was a pretty good way to waste an hour and a half. Didn't live up to the hype, but nothing could have.

    Now JJ Abrahms is going to have to face a real monster: Trekkies. Live long and prosper, JJ, ;cause if you fuck this one up Marlena's explosively nasty death is going to look gentle by comparison.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Mark Easterbrook,

    I wouldn't call this BDO a vintage experience, but I had a good day, made all the better by having a good friend who's been absent for 12 years as my partner in crime for the day.

    I was a little bemused to realise afterwards that most of my day's favourites - SJD, The Phoenix Foundation, Liam Finn - could all have been seen elsewhere and in a better setting at other points this summer. Ah well...

    Must say I found the crowd very agreeable and noticeably less drunk this year, though I'm a little confused about how so many 18-24 year olds had jumped on to the RATM bandwagon.

    Noticeable improvement for 08: beer queues. I don't think I actually had to queue for a drink for more than 2 minutes at any point.

    Low point: forgoing the always quick and reliable bus service home, and choosing to head for the train. It took about 2 hours to get from Mt Smart Stadium to the Mt Albert station...aaaarggghhhhh.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 265 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Rowe,

    Paul - this is exposing the links to the Nats which I voluntarily disclose in a prominent place on my blog?

    I think you are being a bit disingenuous (sp?), David. They don't deny your links to the Nats, it is clearly the opinion of KBB & The Standard that your links to the Nats are much deeper than you admit to. In fact, the whole premise of KBB is that you get your political talking points directly from National Party HQ. That's not a charge to answer, but a statement of fact (about the KBB bit I mean), so you don't have to confirm or deny it.

    Lake Roxburgh, Central Ot… • Since Nov 2006 • 574 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    Also kept a tally of the Most Offensive t-shirt. Saw a lumpy girl. around 18 years, wearing the slogan "Jesus is a c**t". How do you begin to read that one??

    My son and I went to see the Otago Volts play Canterbury Wizards in 20/20 cricket yesterday. There were a bunch of kids collecting autographs in front of us - they were maybe 9 or 10 years old. One had a t-shirt, which had on the back, I eventually discovered, "Two Words - S*ck it!"

    Unfortunately the words were kinda large and the S got lost under his arm from where I was sitting behind and to the side. So I spent an hour wondering what sort of parent sends their kid to the cricket with "F*ck it!" on their back.

    Which is better than the parent who turned up to my son's 4 year old birthday with a t-shirt which had "I fucked your boyfriend" on the front. Yup...

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Funny you say that Russell, we've actually just banned Dad for the second time (this time for life) for threatening other commenters, including myself (however jokingly, it's hard to tell with that guy sometimes).

    I prefer not to take chances, especially after he's threatened to meet up and set me straight one day ...

    We have, unfortunately, attracted a lot of nasty characters and deliberate trolls from the right to our comments section as the site's grown, and that's to be expected. To be fair there have been a couple of less than savoury characters from the left as well. I'd be interested to find out how you moderate your forum as it's increasingly becoming an issue for us

    Urging (but not absolutely insisting on) the use of real names helps, as does setting an example in the original posts. But you're more partisan than than us, so you're always going to get a bit more, even if it's only the Level Two trolls like Tim Barclay and IP, who never seems to get bored with it.

    I feel lucky that I don't have to intervene much, but abuse towards the women here is the best way to cop a permanent ban.

    Yeah, you're probably right David. A big issue here I think is lack of communication. I wasn't even aware what our new server arrangements were (other than that we had some) until I saw your post on Kiwiblog and called another standard contributor, who gave me a garbled third hand explanation down a bad phone line.

    Thankfully it all turned out to be far less of an issue than I originally interpreted it to be, but I agree it's still not a good look and I probably should have taken a bigger interest in this and probably could have avoided all this mess.

    Yeah, I figured it looked more like marnus than malice, like me inadvertently posting Cameron's home address last week. I felt shit about that and it warranted an apology from me.

    I get the feeling anyone with any sense thinks it's getting a bit heated at the moment. I do think DPF tolerates too much vileness though, and is sometimes guilty of throwing out the raw meat. Or should that be "human berley"? ;-)

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Some more YouTube clips from Friday ...

    It seems like everyone got out their phones for 'Pacifier' ...

    http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=hWxKseyE-k4

    Arcade Fire, 'Wake Up':

    http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=-ulfT4ztDbQ

    Rage doing 'Know Your Enemy':

    http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=0wGKBjS08Ts

    Rage on Bush:

    http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=55O0DBt7YpE

    Bjork's entrance:

    http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=SdZ9F0eFG1g

    Lord of Lightning during Bjork:

    http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=HmX8sT8FSA0

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Tane,

    I don't really want to get into this debate now, but The Standard has never taken the position that David is doing anything wrong on his blog. Those who read it know where he's coming from and they can read his arguments with that in mind. The issue has always been that when the media use him as a political commentator they often don't point out his ties to the Nats, and that's problematic because people think they're getting an unbiased political analysis when more often than not he's just pushing the official National Party line. Incidentally, I don't think it's David's fault, I suspect it's more to do with sloppy (or, in Larry Williams' case, biased) journalism.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2008 • 3 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Which is better than the parent who turned up to my son's 4 year old birthday with a t-shirt which had "I fucked your boyfriend" on the front. Yup...

    Eww... If that's not an occasion to put a parent on the naughty step for some serious time out, what is?

    I feel lucky that I don't have to intervene much, but abuse towards the women here is the best way to cop a permanent ban.

    Very chivalrous, Russell. But dissing the laydeeze around here is more like to draw a request for protective custody than a ban. :) Seriously, I can see why you want to set standards and enforce 'em -- and 99.999% of us respond in kind and appreciate it. In the end, it boils down to karma. You get back what you put out there, and if you're not going to set the tone above a cock-fight, then don't play the victim when the commentators follow your lead.

    You might want to consider that, Tane. As they say in Boston, politics ain't beanbag -- but the political blogisphere doesn't have to be Saw-style torture porn either.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    You might want to consider that, Tane. As they say in Boston, politics ain't beanbag -- but the political blogisphere doesn't have to be Saw-style torture porn either.

    Do you have to be so ... lurid? :-)

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    I don't really want to get into this debate now, but The Standard has never taken the position that David is doing anything wrong on his blog.

    Tane: Can you excuse me if I raise my eyebrow in a Spock-like manner, here. And can you please try and get your head around this, not everyone who says something you happen to disagree with is "pushing the official National Party line"; by that standard Russell spends quite of bit of time "pushing the official Labour Party line". Heavens forfend that he might actually think in good faith, that the Labour Party -- or the Government -- is right on an issue?

    Hell, I could reel off the occasions I've heard DPF criticise National, give credit to the government when he thinks its due, and even defended the Evil One herself against attacks he considers unfair. But what's the point, really?

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Hey, a BDO blog roundup wouldn't truly be complete without the lovely Hannah Sarney and her burgeoning future husband collection.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    Also kept a tally of the Most Offensive t-shirt.

    I have a worthy entry: a young man wearing a shirt saying 'GET A FUCK BITCH'.

    (Or is that a pop-cultural reference that I'm missing because I'm old?)

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens,

    Looking around the boiler room as Carl Cox started I was freshly awed at just how much abuse humans can subject their bodies to and still stay upright and moving.

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • Neil Morrison,

    but The Standard has never taken the position that David is doing anything wrong on his blog.

    That's not how kbb and The Standard have come across. You both have featured some very nasty personal attacks on DPF. That might just be one reason your comment threads aren't up to much.

    Since Nov 2006 • 932 posts Report Reply

  • Deborah,

    a young man wearing a shirt saying 'GET A FUCK BITCH'.

    (Or is that a pop-cultural reference that I'm missing because I'm old?)

    No. That's just plain offensive.

    New Lynn • Since Nov 2006 • 1447 posts Report Reply

  • Raymond A Francis,

    Tane
    How about this comment from one who claims he is a moderator on "The Standard"

    ” you are a Short fat ugly Tory
    unfortunately you can only change two of the above ”


    He was banned from KB but it is amazing how often his claims of what the right were doing was exactly what he was doing
    A complete nutter of the D4J type

    45' South • Since Nov 2006 • 578 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Do you have to be so ... lurid? :-)

    'Fess up, Russell, you wouldn't have me any other way. Though I prefer, "disturbingly vivid turn of phrase" (true story - comment appended to one of my uni essays) myself. :-)

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • nanoplanet,

    The amount of hoohah from right wingers suggests this Standard is causing them some grief?

    Here • Since Apr 2007 • 15 posts Report Reply

  • Tane,

    Raymond, I'm not sure what you're on about. I doubt anyone who is actually a moderator on the standard would have said that. Feel free to provide a link and prove me wrong.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2008 • 3 posts Report Reply

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