Public Address | Cafe | Random Play: Life in the other lane https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/ en-us Copyright (c) 2026 Public Address philipmatthews https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161844#post161844 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161844#post161844

I struggled for a simile but I will wait for Graham's review.

Sounds like he had a marginally better experience. "Occasionally terrific ... enjoyable rather than exciting". Link here.

]]> Fri, 16 Apr 2010 11:28:41 +1200 Kyle Matthews https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161836#post161836 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161836#post161836

We saw This Guy tonight I was blown away.

If you buy drinks for him after a gig, he'll also sing requests for you at your table. I got him to sing 'mona lisa' for my girlfriend once. Great fun.

]]> Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:14:34 +1200 Steve Barnes https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161825#post161825 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161825#post161825 This Guy tonight I was blown away. The music just seemed to flow out of him, layering itself into wisps of magic flowing into streams of beauty weaving their way through the staccato transitions of the city street. Then we went into the Civic to witness… ]]> Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:49:45 +1200 Sofie Bribiesca https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161699#post161699 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161699#post161699

A fortnight ago my book The Idiot Boy Who Flew (below) won the Whitcoull's Reader's Choice prize at the Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards.

Fantastic! Well deserved fine Sir. :) I loved the book. Makes you feel like you're going along for the ride. Cogratulations.

]]> Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:21:33 +1200 Islander https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161696#post161696 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161696#post161696 Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:34:14 +1200 Steve Barnes https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161692#post161692 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161692#post161692 Indecent Publications Tribunal...? ]]> Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:13:08 +1200 Islander https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161690#post161690 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161690#post161690 Eeeeek!
No way!~
Indecent Publications Tribunal...we met some very interesting people at those sittings...

]]> Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:39:16 +1200 Steve Barnes https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161689#post161689 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161689#post161689 Not this guy I hope.
IPT
;-)

]]> Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:33:50 +1200 Islander https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161686#post161686 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161686#post161686 Will deeply consider this – O! wow! nanoseconds pass so fast!
Tho' buggering off with the prophet could have potential...hands this on to one of my former acquaintances on the IPT-

]]> Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:05:35 +1200 Steve Barnes https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161681#post161681 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161681#post161681 (almost as though other mass entertainment – and especially that which can have an electronic platform – is the way they intend the future to be.)Well it does make sense from their point of view. All they have to do now is monetize the web which is what the ACTA… ]]> Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:51:43 +1200 Islander https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161632#post161632 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161632#post161632 Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:15:47 +1200 Sam F https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161622#post161622 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161622#post161622

Love that response letter.

Me too.

Funny, the phrase "core incompetencies" came to my mind unbidden just the other day, and there it is in the letter. Synchronicity? I wonder how widespread the turn of phrase is.

]]> Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:47:07 +1200 Sacha https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161524#post161524 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161524#post161524 Well done.

what we call “Rocket Park” in Mt Albert

I doubt many call it the "Mt Albert War Memorial Reserve".

Perhaps the lack of range in Whitcoulls and Borders is because of things like this.

Love that response letter.

]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:15:32 +1200 Steve Barnes https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161520#post161520 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161520#post161520 Pacific Equity, strangling every publisher & book-seller they can...* Oh come on I, That's not all they do and They've been doing it a while too ]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:31:13 +1200 Islander https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161517#post161517 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161517#post161517 Stephen Judd – yep, Pacific Equity, strangling every publisher & book-seller they can...*

I support my local bookshops (TakeNote in FJG, PaperPlus in Oamaru) and buy selectively on-line (e.g *not* Amazon any more.) I also haunt secondhand booksellers and 'bookarama'-type sales. Those latter dont help current writers & publishers but...

*And you…

]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:13:33 +1200 dyan campbell https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161516#post161516 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161516#post161516 Congrats on the award Graham, it's well deserved.

The book, ironically, still isn't available at Whitcoulls ...

Is so sadly typical.

You think that's bad, you should have seen me trying to buy Dimmer's I Believe You Are a Star a few years back. The staff at the music store…

]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:09:35 +1200 Stephen Judd https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161514#post161514 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161514#post161514 Perhaps the lack of range in Whitcoulls and Borders is because of things like this.

Or perhaps Angus and Robertson are accountants who have grasped that 80% of the profit comes from 20% of the books, but who have drawn the incorrect conclusion that you can maximise profitability by only…

]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:50:11 +1200 Rob Stowell https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161512#post161512 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161512#post161512 Congrats Graham- blimin' good!
And... jeebus- Whitcoulls owns Borders? Where have I been- and how did that slip past the commerce commission?
Strange they have shops so close. And even stranger that Whitcoulls (I still don't get this) sells most of the same books on-line (actually a bigger stock) for…

]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:39:02 +1200 Dave Patrick https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161509#post161509 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161509#post161509 Good luck with the Whitcoulls thing – it would be nice to see a relevant, local-writer display in one, rather than the generic "big name publishes new book" ones.

On the subject of book shops, has any one else noticed a drop in quality of stock at Borders since they…

]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:12:03 +1200 Graham Reid https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161507#post161507 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161507#post161507 Good news! About two weeks ago I filled out a lot of paperwork to become a vendor to Whitcoulls and never heard any more about it. I gave up. It had been hard enough to get to that point.

But this very day I have heard back from a woman…

]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:53:57 +1200 stephen walker https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161505#post161505 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161505#post161505 even 25 years ago I had a pretty low opinion of Whitcoulls.

it is ironic, because in countries where Amazon is available with either no shipping charge or a very small cost, the bookshops are going to all sorts of lengths to get people through the door, browsing and reading,…

]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:41:01 +1200 Islander https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161495#post161495 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161495#post161495 One of the reasons Graham may be having problems with Whitcoulls is simply that it is no longer a New Zealand company and is managed by & large from Australia. They are not interested in stocking or promoting New Zealand titles any more.

And, congratulations & well done Graham!

Will be ordering…

]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:51:59 +1200 3410 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161494#post161494 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161494#post161494 Yeah, congrats, Graham.

Care to comment on the difficulties of getting Whittcoulls to stock it?

]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:44:27 +1200 Jackie Clark https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161488#post161488 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161488#post161488 Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:16:59 +1200 Steve Barnes https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161484#post161484 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161484#post161484 Congrats Bro, as they say in circles I rarely move in. I shall be badgering Borders and Whitcoulls, even though I have a copy already.
Oh so true on so many levels on the News front. I swear I can sit there some nights and recite (presite?) the the guff…

]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:14:49 +1200 Russell Brown https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161470#post161470 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161470#post161470 Congratuations on the prize!

And this ...

The book, ironically, still isn't available at Whitcoulls ...

Is so sadly typical.

but of course, if you are interested, it is through Public Address Books.

Right here, in fact.

]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:29:18 +1200 Grace Dalley https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161338#post161338 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161338#post161338 Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:54:56 +1200 3410 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161324#post161324 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161324#post161324

Rgarding Thailand, You might be interested in the posts Simon Grigg included on this thread.

Also, these on-the-spot videos on his blog.

]]> Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:50:11 +1200 Tim Michie https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161322#post161322 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161322#post161322 thread. ]]> Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:40:05 +1200 Mark Easterbrook https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161309#post161309 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161309#post161309 So much so, i tried to tell you twice. ]]> Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:51:27 +1200 Mark Easterbrook https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161306#post161306 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161306#post161306 Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:40:05 +1200 Public Address https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161305#post161305 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/random-play-life-in-the-other-lane/?p=161305#post161305 Discussion from blog post.

]]> Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:40:05 +1200