Graham Reid | | 2 min read
Superturtle: Sit Still Now
Darren McShane has been a serial offender in the New Zealand music scene, and we've all been the better for it. Way back he formed Stick No Bills (brilliant name, you'd see it everywhere) and then went on to form Chainsaw Masochist (on Flying Nun) who roared and sawed.
He was also on bFM hosting The Electric Chair show on which he played rarities and imports.
He moved on to the band Figure 60, moved into engineering and production at Earwig Studios, did occasional gigs with others and more recently formed Superturtle whose third album Beat Manifesto is released later this week on vinyl (and which comes with a free download) and CD through Sarang Bang.
They launch the album on April 20 at the Hard Luck Cafe on Auckland with Salon Kingsadore, Forest Shakes and Goon.
Time for Darren to answer the Famous Elsewhere Questionnaire.
The first piece of music which really affected you was . . .
The Spinners , the 7 inch single of The Rubber Band Man was the first record I ever brought as a child , around 1976 , so I thrashed it.
Your first (possibly embarrassing) role models in music were . . .
Elvis Costello was the first artist I became a real fan of , waiting eagerly for the next album , seeing live , reading biographies about and so on.
Lennon or Jagger, Ramones or Nirvana, Madonna or Gaga, Jacko or Jay-Z?
Lennon , Nirvana , Madonna , Jacko . Could I add the proviso that if it was recent output I’d choose Gaga over Madonna. Whose Jay-Z ?
If music was denied you, your other career choice would be . . .
Film and video maker , I’d have to make substantial improvements on my current skills in that area though .
The three songs (yours, or by others) you would love everyone to hear are . . .
The Flaming Lips – Do You Realise , The Hollies – The Air That I Breathe , Sex Pistols - Problems
Any interesting, valuable or just plain strange musical memorabilia at home?
All my music stuff is at Earwig Studios except records and CD’s . The studio has the console How Bizarre was recorded on , as well as Cat Stevens and Bryan Ferry’s tapemachines.
The best book on music or musicians you have read is . . .
The Real Frank Zappa Book
If you could get on stage with anyone
it would be . . . (And you would play?)
Doing an instrumental jam with Sonic Youth playing bass guitar
The three films you'd insist anybody watch because they might understand you better are . . .
Idiocracy , Giant , Brazil
The last CD or vinyl album you bought was . . . (And your most recent downloads include . . .)
I just got Television's Marquee Moon on vinyl , I’ve never downloaded a song , I don’t have an ipod or mp3 player.
One song, royalties for life, never have to work again. The song by anyone, yourself included, which wouldn't embarrass you in that case would be . . .
Ice by Chris Knox and The Nothing
The poster, album cover or piece of art could you live with on your bedroom forever would be . . .
The record sleeve for Buzzcocks' Different Kind Of Tension
You are allowed just one tattoo, and it
is of . . .
A flying turtle with an elephant trunk for a nose.
David Bowie sang, “Five years, that's all we've got . . .” You would spend them where, doing . . .?
Road trip holidays with the family and making music in Birkenhead.
And finally, in the nature of press conferences in Japan, “Can you tell me please why this is your best album ever?”
Of all the albums I’ve ever made , Beat Manifesto is the closest to the type of album that I’d like myself.
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