Hard News by Russell Brown

It was an inspired choice. 'Why Can't I Touch It?' is such a great song

Wonderful song, rapidly becoming my Buzzcocks favourite. Before it's time? After it's time? I dunno. Just fabulous playing on the turntable 'one louder'!

The truly great Can. This from the late '70s - miles ahead with their ideas, as always.

Kraut Mask Replica?

I see this book is finally out:
Time flowing backwards: a memoir
Graeme Jefferies
Mosaic Press (2018)
This book is co-published with Assembly House Books

This memoir is the fascinating and revealing story of Graeme Jefferies - one of the most inventive and influential musicians to emerge from New Zealand's vibrant independent music scene in the 1980s. Time Flowing Backwards spans over three decades of Jefferies career spent with bands Nocturnal Projections, This Kind of Punishment, and The Cakekitchen as well as a solo artist.

In a candid and in-depth style, Jefferies recounts his recording and songwriting process along with riveting tales from incident-filled tours with the likes of Pavement, Cat Power and the Mountain Goats.

This truly original and inimitable inside story highlights intense collaboration and DIY innovation, records made in hallways and houses rather than plush studios and a dedication to produce challenging and remarkable songs.

see: http://www.mosaic-press.com/product/time-flowing-backwards-memoir/

PS; and yes that is Chris Knox’s TEAC 4-track recorder on the front cover!

In lieu of any more recent music posts I'll put this here.

I've been trying to get Stuff to also run this Spotify story in the Entertainment/Music section - not just the Business section.

In their report Music Doesn't Just Happen, Recorded Music New Zealand said that while 83 per cent of New Zealand record company's income came from downloads and streaming, platforms like YouTube that don't negotiate licences with rights-holders have created a value gap.

Not great for the labels, but it's musicians that are getting the raw deal according to David Harrow, an LA-based musician and dub producer, who has worked with New Zealand acts Salmonella Dub and Headless Chickens.

"Streaming is a total scam in my opinion. There's a huge amount of money being made from it. Huge. Just none of that goes anywhere near the artist," he said.

Why wouldn't you put such a story where the actual consumers of disruptive models like Spotify can read it and then make better informed decisions - rather than leaving it to only be read by the Business wonks.

The news editors don't seem fussed or interested, to be honest - so much for Stuff's much vaunted community engagement.