Posts by Simon Grigg
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The 'original' emo bands sound nothing like the bands that get labelled with it now
like techno....wonderful electronic soul music from Detroit becomes horrendous euro dance from Belgium..thankfully reclaimed of late.
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There actually was a another room at The Wag as I recall, but it wasn't cooler or bigger than the main room, just another room. Shitty little club owned by some guys from the Gulf who paid nobody, with Chris O'Sullivan from Blue Rondo a la Turk (now that is a forgotten band) fronting, us included. Saw some incredible stuff there though...Neneh Cherry Djing, Rip Rig & Panic, Todd Terry, Wild Bunch, Jazzy B, before the hits, lots of indie bands when the scenes were merging, . It was great in the pre House days..the gritty funk era before the pills took over.
jumped into the beamer / went down to the Wag / Winston on the door didn't give me any ag
(c)Derek Bolland 1988
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Um, what 'balance'? It would be fair comment to say Steve Maharey isn't exactly a universally adored figure in broadcasting circles, and there's some very heated debate around the government's broadcasting policy (or lack of, depending on your POV). None of which, in my prissy opinion, makes being an obnoxious arse - and a wee bit of a bully - any less objectionable.
This was the Recording Industry...not the Broadcasting Industry...their needs and political targets could not be more divergent.
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Robin was the greatest salesman I've ever met. Watched him in Sounds once when a guy came in to buy, I think, a new Iron Maiden album. Robin said he would be interested to know how the customer thought it stacked against their first three. The guy said he didn't have them..Robin pulled it away from him and said he wouldn't sell him the new album as it would not be right, since he didn't understand it's context. The guy left with the complete catalogue.
all sorts of interesting things used to go on upstairs in the Sounds office in K Rd
Charts...the second Mi-Sex album, due to a shipping problem, entered the NZ album charts at Number one....the day before it reached the shops. For most of their history NZ's charts bore no relationship to reality.
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Okay, some people did dress like they were in Def Leppard but we certainly didn't dress like Boy George.
You obviously didn't go to A Certain Bar....I think I saw Adam and his Ants, Boy George and various Stray Cats there most nights.
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I've seen that Andrew....it was actually on telly once if I recall. I saw it when Jan had the Classic Cinema when he actually used to show classic cinema.
Bain....yes always been an odd smell from that one. But we have a few, and if Arthur Thomas showed us anything it was the that the police are capable of all sorts of things to get their man.
The ugly whiff of homophobia in the NZ justice system still makes me shudder...Peter Ellis, Phillip Sturm...
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On ya Russell!
Neil...why in hell's name didn't he just shut up. The first quotes from RG got people talking, why did he need to come back and revisit. Sir Howard is a silly old twit, full of his own self importance and has been for years, who made some vaguely embarrassing records a long time ago, followed by a career in MOR covers....he was no Phil Warren (who WAS a great man)...although his work for Maori education was commendable...but the point is, there was no need to reply, and if he hadn't Neil would have stayed the respected but opinionated master craftsman he is...it did him no favours.
As you say, he may hold a grudge, which is sad, as Neil has contributed a lot as both a flag waver and as a financial contributor to the NZ music industry. He's an intelligent and forthright guy and I think he does have a point, and its not that far from the one Graham made in his blog. It's just that it's now getting lost amongst the petty rhetoric over Brash. I was at that show too and I felt embarrassed but you need to balance that with the gratitude the industry as a whole feels towards Clark and Tizard for the complete change of mindset in government towards what was, politically, largely ignored before their time. Brash, rightly or wrongly, represented a potential return to the bad old days.
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William,
It would be a miracle if Don't Dream didn't have some payola attached to it, but bear in mind, all it's competitors for that top slot also had that taint so the song played a big part..you can only put it on radio, the public desire to purchase needs to follow. The US pop charts are as corrupt as hell (ours are not that squeaky either). And Crowded House also suffered the misfortune of a change of management at Capitol which is why after DDIO they were more or less invisible in the US, and have been since.As an aside DDIO got to number two and the theory has always been that if they'd called it The Hey Now Song it would have got to one
Graham...I think the Kenny G's only came about because we were talking to issues raised in your point. It's been interesting here to get the Indonesian industry perspective on the much touted Blindspott SEA success...and they did make small inroads, which they never capitalised on
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Tonka had a little of the large horse in him, and I was always worried that he may have rolled at night smothering you.
I used to like the idea that, like the back of the sofa you could find all sorts of lost things in his fur.
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Good point. How many political parties has Russell Brown formed? That certainly renders most of his blogs moot then, doesn't it?
good to see we're setting a few issues here today....while RB is in Welly, he's getting the heave-ho too. I guess we need a new name for the place too....