Hard News by Russell Brown

Not being able to sign in to comment on Spin off (can't remember passwords for various options) I'll post this here:

"There’s also the quite bizarre admission that he spent an entire weekend drinking backstage at the Sweetwaters festival without seeing any of the bands, without any explanation"

Actually Gary there is a fine explanation given - you must have just skim read the book with your blinkers on tightly...

Actually Gary there is a fine explanation given – you must have just skim read the book with your blinkers on tightly…

To quote: “I was having so much fun I only ventured out of the sanctuary of the backstage area once,” to see a bit of Simple Minds.

I can testify that that was an awesome three-day party – Doug's PA, the cricket and the various intoxicants – although I did get out and see bands play. I mean, hell: Simple Minds, The Pretenders, Eurythmics and Talking Heads.

But I did commit perhaps my worst reviewing sin that weekend. A certain local band (let’s call them Tomorrow’s Parties) always finished their sets with a bunch of pretty average cover versions. I watched them and when it seemed the covers were looming, I escaped back to the backstage camp.

I wrote a review full of faint praise and then observed how tedious their end-of-set covers were. Trouble was, they hadn’t played any of the covers. D’oh. Bad music writer.

PS: I also interviewed Simple Minds' Jim Kerr in his backstage caravan. I can't vouch for how much cocaine he'd had immediately before my arrival, but that was one very fast-talking Scotsman.

A nice little blog post (with pics) from Unity Books on the Wellington launch of Roger's book.

Saw that Gary Steel item, it is a particularly vile and mean spirited article. I could not describe it as a review of the book because clearly it is not. Sad and tone-deaf.

Yes, Jansen guitars and amps! (And not to forget the glorious Holden spring reverb). Somehow my sickly Jansen combo amp made enough noise for Albino Slug/early SPUD c.1987-9, and to this day I cherish and use the 100% scar tissue-covered Jansen Invader guitar given to me by the late and incomparable Cameron Bain of Constant Pain, Supercar, The Mean Streaks etc. etc. etc.
mh.

In Love With These Times

Here’s a wee round up of a few other reviewers who managed to see past themselves regarding Roger’s memoir…
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/81046626/flying-nun-founder-roger-shepherd-releases-book

http://didnotchart.blogspot.co.nz/2016/06/in-love-with-these-times-by-roger.html

http://www.elsewhere.co.nz/writingelsewhere/7500/in-love-with-these-times-by-roger-shepherd/

http://m.nzherald.co.nz/music/news/article.cfm?c_id=264&objectid=11648664

http://www.nzmusician.com/2016/06/08/roger-shepherd-autobiography/

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30304520-in-love-with-these-times

some media interviews:
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/andrew-dickens-sunday-cafe/audio/roger-shepherd-in-love-with-these-times/

http://95bfm.com/assets/sm/upload/7h/30/ta/9l/loose%20reads.mp3

and some earlier overviews on Flying Nun worthy of mention:
http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/in-love-with-those-times-flying-nun-and-the-dunedin-sound.htm

http://www.thevinylfactory.com/vinyl-factory-releases/flying-nun-the-untold-story-of-a-trailblazing-indie-label/

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/flyingnunrecords/library

and of course
http://www.audioculture.co.nz/

A nice story on Roger and his book by Kiran Dass, for tomorrow’s Your Weekend.

And the illustration page looks fab.

Cheers for the link to the Anna Coddington/Dick Johnson collaboration. Maybe you missed this a few years back? Such fun, catchy as:
https://soundcloud.com/streetneighbourz/noise-control-dick-johnson