Graham Reid | | 3 min read
Last year Elsewhere spoke about the price musicians pay for their career choice: the hours are anti-social and some of the people are too; the rewards can be elusive; the competition is vast; with every success comes self-doubt and the thought that it may never be repeated . . .
So why do they do it? The allure of fame is seductive, the thought the sex and drugs might be better, it’s be cool to hang out with your idols . . . and mostly just because these people have to. They are creative individuals and music is their vehicle.
But when it all goes wrong, when the health
packs up and the doubts become crushing, when the rent can’t be paid and the
medical bills are mounting . . .
Where to turn?
Well, the New Zealand Music Foundation Wellbeing Service is there and available
for musicians who have fallen on hard times or whose health is impaired.
This is what we wrote about last year, this
world-first 24-hour service for musicians. It is a registered charity and the
man who helms it Peter Dickens.
He is one of the speakers at the
forthcoming Music Month Summit to be held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
Billed as “For the
Love of Music; Industry Professionals Talk About Their Passion”, the event
takes place on Saturday May 20 (10am-5pm) in the museum’s auditorium . . . not so coincidentally the final day of
the long-running Volume: Making Music in Aotearoa exhibition.
Amoing the many guests
are producer Greg Haver, manager Scott Maclaughlan, performers Kings, Moana Maniapoto
and others, DJ Aroha Harawira . . .
Tickets
and information about the summit are available here,
but meantime let’s hear from Peter Dickens . . .
The first piece of music which really
affected you was . . .
Earth Wind and Fire – Fantasy. Dropped it on
my unsuspecting classmates at a school disco age 7 or 8. It bombed.
Your first (possibly embarrassing) role
models in music were . . .
Depeche Mode. Never went full string vest
though.
Lennon or Jagger, Ramones or Nirvana,
Madonna or Gaga, Jacko or Jay-Z?
Lennon, Nirvana, Gaga and Jackson
If music was denied you, your other career choice
would be . . .
Human rights lawyer, cause campaigner, some
kind of wrong-righter. I need windmills to tilt at.
The three songs (yours, or by others) you
would love everyone to hear are . . .
The Temptations – Law of the Land, Recoil -
Electro Blues for Bukka White, SJD – Was I always here
Any interesting, valuable or just plain
strange musical memorabilia at home...
A “Breakfast with The Clean” set: three
artworks that Hamish, David and Robert did for the charity which we put on a
mug, tea-towel and toast plate limited edition set. You
can get a set for yourself still at Real Groovy.
The best book on music or musicians you
have read is . . .
Roger Shepherd, In Love With These Times.
Close to home for me and vital history.
If you could get on stage with anyone it
would be?
Supergroove on the
distraction tour. Lordy what times. When has a national tour gone to
Dannevirke since?
The three films you'd insist anybody watch
because they might understand you better are . . .
Alive
Inside (shows the power of music therapy in the treatment of dementia),
Love & Mercy (Brian Wilson biopic, shows brilliantly the difficulty of
maintaining good mental health at the cutting edge of creativity), Grand
Budapest Hotel (because that’s what makes me laugh)
The last CD or vinyl album you bought
was . . . (And your most recent
downloads include...)
Latest download: The Japanese House, Swim Against the Tide EP. I have no turntable: I should do something about that.
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 . . .
Prince - Never take the place of your man.
What a man, what a year, what a live movie… taken too soon.
The poster, album cover or piece of art
could you live with on your bedroom forever would be . . .
Johnny Cash – Man comes
around
You are allowed just one tattoo, and it is
of . . .
A greyhound by Nellie Doodles
in honour of Will, our
retired speedster hound.
David Bowie sang, “Five years, that's all
we've got . . .” You would spend them where and doing what?
In Spain, eating, drinking, travelling,
talking and rescuing
galgos.
And finally, in the nature of press
conferences in Japan, “Can you tell me please why this is your best album
ever?”
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