Posts by Robyn Gallagher

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  • Hard News: It was 20 years ago tomorrow ...,

    Even the "best cover" prize (WTF?) went to a version of the song that won Urlich best single.

    I was just having a look around the NZ Music Awards winners lists from the late '80s (research, I swear) and I realised what "best cover" actually means. It's the album cover; the design of the cover of the album.

    And I actually think the design of la Urlich's "Safety In Numbers" was worthy of that award.

    Having said that, the late '80s were still fairly bleak for NZ music.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report

  • Field Theory: All White on the night,

    I had trouble singing the national anthem because... I got all choked up and emotional. This completely surprised me, but there I was, unable to get around the simple lyrics without needing a big hard swallow first.

    Also, YouTube reveals that the All Whites had two (2) songs for the 1982 World Cup.

    Marching on to Spain:

    Heading for the Top:

    The last one is particularly painful, so if there is a requirement for a song for 2010, I offer this as the minimum requirement:

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report

  • Southerly: A World First of the Second Kind,

    I certainly agree that it's easy to overuse this font -- if that's what your comment is suggesting -- but there are times when it sends just the right message. This, I felt, was one of those times. If you look in any 50s or 60s Annual you'll see a similar font (particularly on the front 'sticker').

    But it's using a font that wasn't available in the '50s or '60s. Oh, you think anachronistic font use isn't worth worrying about? Think again, sonny-jim.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report

  • Southerly: A World First of the Second Kind,

    WTF, is that MS Comic Sans?

    Disappointed.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report

  • Field Theory: State of Disbelief,

    There were some parts that made me angry. ... If you are a child of the 70s/80s and you think it's cool to buy your kids the toys you used to have (Transformers, Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake) you are a "Heritage Parent" and they are targeting you.

    Did that make you angry because you are exactly one of those people?

    Man, that new A Team movie looks awesome.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report

  • Field Theory: Who won the weekend?,

    I went to the roller derby on Saturday, and it was the first time I'd experienced it.

    Here's the thing. There are sports that involve teams racing around a track (like the Madison), sports that have an emphasis on physical appearance (like synchronised swimming), sports that have an emphasis on showmanship (like pro wrestling). So why was it that roller derby, that combines all these elements, left me a bit cold?

    I think it comes down to the varied abilities of the individual skaters. Some of them are brilliant athletes and skilled roller derbyists, but others are more... amateur, and are less impressive to watch.

    Maybe I fell for the hype, but I was expecting something of a higher athletic standard. Tutus and sequins and faux tantrums are fine, but that has to be supported by athleticism to work as a sport, and not just showbiz.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report

  • Hard News: It was 20 years ago tomorrow ...,

    Ok, here's something from the dusty vaults of pop - "Looking Good Diving" by Morgan McVey, a run-of-the mill SAW-produced piece of late '80s British pop:

    Here's the story. Half of Morgan McVey is Cameron McVey, the husband of Neneh Cherry (who can be seen being all cool in the video). Morgan McVey did a b-side remix of "Looking Good Diving" called "Looking Good Diving (with the Wild Bunch)". It was an instrumental verison of the song with Cameron's missus rapping over the top about the Buffalo fashion scene that they were part of.

    They liked the way it sounded so much that three years later they rerecorded it and released it as Neneh Cherry's debut single, "Buffalo Stance".

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report

  • Hard News: It was 20 years ago tomorrow ...,

    And in the New Zealand Music Awards that year, Margaret Urlich won best album, best single and best female vocalist.

    You know, just recently I've started hearing this song being played around in airports, malls, etc. It's creeping me out because the undulating nature of La Urlich's voice is not something that works as passive background music. Wo-oh-OH-OH!

    But for me, 1989 was a good year for music (though I was only 14 so perhaps my requirements for a good song were simpler). I used to note my "song of the week" in my notebook, and was never short of good stuff. Also, 1989 was the year that Neneh Cherry released "Buffalo Stance" and that, like, totally changed my life.

    Also, I am very much loving what I've heard so far of the Bridle Path EP. What a splendid duo!

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report

  • Field Theory: Entropy,

    What interests me is how sports uniforms relate to contemporary fashions. Do shirt collars reflect whatever is hot in menswear at the time?

    And in a country like New Zealand where we wear quite a lot of black, does the donning of a colourful sports uniform* allow the Kiwi bloke to put on a colourful shirt without feeling... weird.

    * Except most national teams, of course.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report

  • Field Theory: Zombies with Wheels,

    I have just finished this book, and it was, in my considered critical over-educated opinion, fucking appalling.

    Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is like a Worth 1000 mash-up that's somehow been fleshed out into an actual novel.

    It's just something that's so hot right now that's rapidly jumping the zombie shark.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report

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