Something Elsewhere
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BIEBER FEVER (2010): In defense of cheap pop
1 Oct 2014 | 3 min read
Police. Security. Screams. A singer comes to town. Because I've spent the past week immersed in a collection of essays and rants entitled Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth, I'm a bit bemused but increasingly annoyed by the babble from adults about tweenie star Justin Bieber. I heard him on radio dismissed with the self-damning line from a commentator, “I'd never heard of him... > Read more
ALL APOLOGIES: The insincerities of saying sorry
1 Oct 2014 | 2 min read | 1
An apology means nothing if you do it on Facebook or You Tube. Or Twitter or e-mail or txt. Or a talk show. An apology by an actor who cries probably doesn’t mean much. These people are actors, they are trained to fake sincerity. An apology by a politician who appears contrite probably doesn’t mean much. These people are politicians, they are trained to fake... > Read more
BACK TO BLACK (2014): 12 inch vinyl, a Sign o' The Times
29 Aug 2014 | 11 min read | 1
At last! Although seriously serious old Beatles' fans didn't have long to wait. Just fortysomething years after the band broke up . . . but a mere five years since their albums and singles were given long overdue remastered reissue, here it is. Mono Beatles at last on vinyl record again . . . a real back to the . . . Well, in truth, not "back to the... > Read more
Only a Northern Song (mono)
THE CORNERSTONE COLLECTION (2011): The 101 building blocks of any serious CD collection
9 Jul 2014 | 3 min read | 6
In early 2011 I was invited by JB HiFi to collate -- for a giveaway booklet through their New Zealand stores -- the 101 albums I thought which should be in any serious music collection. That was the start and end of their input, they left me alone to deliver what I considered cornerstone albums ofr a broad-based collection. They also posted the selection on-line for comment and asked... > Read more
COLIN LINWOOD INTERVIEWED (2014): Keeping the records straight
30 Jun 2014 | 11 min read | 1
The most extraordinary thing about the extraordinary Colin Linwood is just how ordinary he is. In his early 50s, he's married with children, has worked from the time he left school, is trim and in good condition, and when he walks into the lobby bar of the Heritage Hotel in Auckland for a chat, few in the room give him a second glance. He's an ordinary man . . . and at home he has . . .... > Read more
THE WORLD COMES TO SARAWAK (2014): The Rainforest World Music Festival
27 Jun 2014 | 3 min read
It's a happily weird thing, especially at this time of year, to listen to taonga puoro master Horomona Horo evoke the sounds of New Zealand bush and its native birds . . . then walk outside into the 36 degree heat and hot breeze. Even with the ocean on its doorstep and the towering jungle of Mt Santubong at its back, the Damai region of Sarawak – about 40 minutes from the city... > Read more
Bagun Wei
RADIO RADIO: Odd podcasts from Radio New Zealand's Concert Programme
25 Jun 2014 | <1 min read
For many years now I have been contributing a 20 minute chat with music to Radio New Zealand's Upbeat segment on the Concert Programme. My brief has been broad, so broad that I might be best described as "contributor without portfolio" because I have covered world music (not just worthy ethnographic stuff, quite a lot of pop), Indian Bollywood psychedelic music, songs from the... > Read more
THE MYSTERY AND MUSIC OF OF MARGARET (2014): A photo, a cassette and a strange tale
26 May 2014 | 4 min read | 11
Cassette tapes don't turn up in my letterbox that often these days. In fact not for at least a decade, maybe even much longer. They tell me there's a cult audience out there who like the idea of cassettes, but there's a cult audience for most things and tapes are damnably problematic because you can never find a track again, and they break. Remember the Seventies when the side of... > Read more
sample of music by Margaret (extract only)
HISTORY ACTUALLY REPEATS (2014): Rare, lost or out-of-print New Zealand music gets a second coming
21 May 2014 | 2 min read
This week I was invited to a function in Auckland hosted by recordedmusic.co.nz. The event -- at which Shona Laing and John Hanlon performed -- was entitled Tied to the Tracks, named after a rarely-heard Laing album which she had recorded in London at the dawn of her career. But in good news, this album is no longer rare or unavailable. Because the event -- in Tyler Street Garage, a bar and... > Read more
The White Rabbit
CANON MEDIA AWARDS (2014): A judge's comments
10 May 2014 | 5 min read | 1
Some months ago I was invited to judge the Reviewer of the Year category for the Canon Media Awards. The awards ceremony was last night and I have been asked to post here the comments I wrote for the judging panel. I make some points about the reviewing process which may be of interest to general readers. It is common for judges of any award to note how difficult the decision was. Just... > Read more
THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF . . . (2014): Kiss pokes tongue at honour? No!
11 Apr 2014 | 6 min read
Trust Gene Simmons of Kiss to inject some controversy into the band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame today (April 10, US time). While so many others are happy to take the accolade, do the handshakes and attend the slap-up dinner, Simmons was blunt and got the headline. He recently told a US radio jock that hip-hop doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame, and nor do disco... > Read more
KYARY PAMYU PAMYU EXPLAINED, OR NOT (2014): It's the money-go-round
31 Mar 2014 | 4 min read | 1
Like French pop, the mainstream pop music of Japan is largely a mystery to outsiders. If so much French pop is breathy or more like an innocous soundtrack to high-end visuals, Japanese pop can seem like cliches come to life. And J-pop works in an enclosed world. Japan and Korea were the only countries last year to have their end-of-year top 10 album sales made up entirely of local artists.... > Read more
PonPonPon
FILM IT AND THEY WILL COME (2014): Movie and television tourism
23 Mar 2014 | 2 min read | 1
Hamad suddenly pulls us aside in the canyon between towering rock faces and says, “See” as he points to a gap in the path ahead. “This is 'Wow', right? Indiana Jones, yes?” Well yes, it is wow and Indiana Jones because through the corridor of sheer stone we can see that breathtaking building carved from solid rock which appeared near the end of Indiana... > Read more
10 ALBUM COVER PARODIES: It looks familiar but . . .
17 Mar 2014 | 4 min read
There are any number of books dedicated to the art of the album cover, and at Elsewhere we've indulged ourselves in articles about 10 Shameful Record Covers I'm Proud to Own (four columns, see here) as well as an article on 10 Good Albums in Bad Covers. You could fill a handsome coffeetable book with parodies of Beatles covers alone (hmmm, that's an idea), especially Please Please Me, With... > Read more
A CRITIC INTERVIEWED (2004): Putting opinion in print
8 Jan 2014 | <1 min read
A decade ago I was interviewed by Trevor Reekie of National Radio as part of his series about music writing and critics. I recently found the CD of it which he gave me -- the 30 minute un-editied version was very loose and funny and the anecdotes were obviously embellished -- but this edited seven minute version covers a fair bit of ground. The Mick Jagger story I mentioned is... > Read more
THE IDIOT BOY WHO FLEW: A story of saints, holy fools and Southern Italy
3 Jan 2014 | 32 min read | 3
A strange journey begins with some good advice---the saint and storyteller---from Amalfi to ugly---the romance of Italy considered---a shocking discovery---the sad south---the idiot boy---the flying men of a faraway place---even more aerial saints---the hometown of the idiot boy---inflationary practices among the Catholics---once upon a time of miracles---the why and wherefore---a dark... > Read more
MONEY DON'T GET EVERYTHING IT'S TRUE: What it don't get, I can't use
15 Sep 2013 | 2 min read
In a Mumbai bar a guy from Amsterdam tells me (from New Zealand), about an American television programme. Despite the cultural collisions of that, he's got a good story. Apparently the host – Jimmy Kimmel or maybe Conan O'Brien, he couldn't remember – went into the street and asked passers-by whose face was on the dollar bill. Rather than admit they didn't know – it's... > Read more
A FAST 15 MINUTES: Sounds peculiar to me, pal
11 Sep 2013 | <1 min read
In this fast 15 minute programme we listen to the sound of unusual instruments like PVC pipes, flowerpots and other found objects. Peculiar, but in a good way. For more of these fast 15 minute programmes go here > Read more
point that thing the other way
A FAST 15 MINUTES: The ones that got away
4 Sep 2013 | <1 min read
Well known artists can deliver great songs, but they don't often find an audience. This 15 minute audio programme introduces some that unfortunately went right past most people. For more of these fast 15 minute programmes go here > Read more
hey, stop and listen to this!
A FAST 15 MINUTES: Storytime for big kids
28 Aug 2013 | <1 min read
If you've got 15 minutes to spare here are some stories and nonsense lyrics to amuse . . . and hopefully brighten your day. For more of these fast 15 minute programmes go here > Read more