Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Good Newsing

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  • Russell Brown,

    Yep. Self released. I helped distribute in Ak, and sold it on mail order. It came out in late 1980, quite a while before FN existed.

    Yep. Still got my original self-released vinyl and my Furtive label 3 Songs. I bought the latter the day it hit shops in Christchurch. We were very excited to hear what Chris and Alec were doing next.

    The Gordons stands out as one of the best albums to be recorded in New Zealand, IMHO. It's been fun to hear Dimmer covering 'Machine Song', but what I really want is someone good to have a crack at 'Coalminer's Song'.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • recordari,

    The Gordons stands out as one of the best albums to be recorded in New Zealand, IMHO. It's been fun to hear Dimmer covering 'Machine Song', but what I really want is someone good to have a crack at 'Coalminer's Song'.

    I would have loved to hear Randolph's Going Home. Peter Jefferies, and brother Graeme, are among my all time favourite NZ musicians, and that track is fab. Gather that Dimmer played it at the Chris Knox tribute, which makes me even more annoyed I missed it. I didn't post video because sound is bit crap. The Flying Nun road is a long and winding one once you get started. We could be here for days. Years even...
    Here's some Cakekitchen singing TKOP Hall of Rememberance in 2007.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Blake Monkley,

    Vector Arena...

    Auckland • Since Jul 2008 • 215 posts Report Reply

  • philipmatthews,

    The Gordons stands out as one of the best albums to be recorded in New Zealand, IMHO. It's been fun to hear Dimmer covering 'Machine Song', but what I really want is someone good to have a crack at 'Coalminer's Song'.

    Someone needs to have a word to them about a reunion tour.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2007 • 656 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    Vector Arena...

    I feel so, so jammy for making it to both shows.

    (It also occurred to me, as 12,000 people sang 'you are the son of incestuous union!' under the house lights during 'Nimrod's Son', what very strange lyrics they are for us to know so well.)

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • Blake Monkley,

    I feel so, so jammy for making it to both shows.

    Lucky you, the stage looked pretty neat.

    My luck for the week was taking Kim Deal sailing Wednesday, and after the show Thursday I got to have a glass of wine and talk with Charles in the backroom. I know I'm bragging but WTF it was the Pixies.

    Auckland • Since Jul 2008 • 215 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Someone needs to have a word to them about a reunion tour.

    Actually, one of those "play the album as a piece" anniversary tours would be great.

    But that means it has to be this year!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • recordari,

    (It also occurred to me, as 12,000 people sang 'you are the son of incestuous union!' under the house lights during 'Nimrod's Son', what very strange lyrics they are for us to know so well.)

    I spent quite a bit of the concert with my eyes closed, rocking back and forth in my chair, playing drums on my thighs, while singing along. They are quite simply the Masters of the Rock Universe, IMNSHO.

    There were quite a number of pregnant punters around too I noticed. Is this a new genre? Preg Rock?

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    I got to have a glass of wine and talk with Charles in the backroom. I know I'm bragging but WTF it was the Pixies.

    They seem to be been very sociable sorts!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    taking Kim Deal sailing Wednesday

    <boggle> Awesome!

    There were quite a number of pregnant punters around too I noticed. Is this a new genre? Preg Rock?

    I noticed that too. I think it's the age of the band and the fans. As we were filing out I said to my husband 'success! And I didn't give birth!' The guy in the row below us laughed and said 'yeah, I'm pretty happy about that myself!' He would have been in prime catcher position. :)

    So yeah, I think we can safely discount 'two consecutive Pixies shows' as a labour induction technique. I suppose I should start eating vindaloo?

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • recordari,

    So yeah, I think we can safely discount 'two consecutive Pixies shows' as a labour induction technique. I suppose I should start eating vindaloo?

    I'm somewhat baffled, if not a little disappointed. Clearly bubs (god don't you hate it when people start making up cute names for your bump?) just liked all the reverb. All the best with the vindaloo.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    This new undersea cable doesn't seem to add up to me.
    The SCC is making $90 mil a year for its owners. We are told that the SCC is not running at full capacity and that the owners are deliberately rationing bandwidth to keep prices high.
    I pay about $80 a month with a 20 gig cap on a 1.6 meg connection if we had access to higher speed I would more than likely use much more than that 20 gig cap but would I want to pay more?.
    This raises the question as to whether Kordia et al could recoup their investment. At a cost of $900 million it would take ten years to recoup the investment if they took all the traffic from the SCC, which ain't gonna happen.
    Sure, it would be great to have Youtube load in a few seconds and watch hi def streaming video whilst uploading your family pix to Picassa but are we willing to pay much more for that?
    I know that from a technical point of view it looks good but as a financial venture it looks like pie in the sky rather than gold at the end of the rainbow.
    Don't get me wrong here, I love the idea, it's just that it don't add up in my head.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart,

    Sure, it would be great to have Youtube load in a few seconds and watch hi def streaming video whilst uploading your family pix to Picassa but are we willing to pay much more for that?

    You're forgetting business users - who can use a great deal more data than residential users, think of the opportunities for companies like Weta - and population growth/uptake of broadband.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Herald story about Pacific Fibre's business prospects says it's a long-term play involving future demand increase and returns over many years. Uncertainty might be reduced by signing 'anchor tenants' like Google (and maybe even Weta, in time), but it still seems the challenge is signing up enough confident customers to underpin financing the build.

    Brett O'Riley, chief executive of technology industry association NZICT and one of the original architects of the Telecom-backed Southern Cross cable said financing will be one of the challenges for the project, with a lot depending on the financial model.

    A pure infrastructure play offering capacity on a cost plus basis - prices set to cover the cable rollout and operation costs, with some margin on top - would appeal to investors with a longer term investment horizon, said O'Riley.

    Listen to Pacific Fibre strategic advisor Lance Wiggs talking about the plan on RNZ (streaming 19 mins).

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    You're forgetting business users - who can use a great deal more data than residential users

    I wasn't forgetting, I just didn't mention. The numbers still remain and regardless of who the end user is, supply and demand still factor. Yes, commercial users will use more bandwidth but what they are prepared to pay, overall, will not change unless the technology can replace another expense.
    For instance. I might be willing to spend more on the ability to watch streaming video over the expense of paying for Sky TV. Weta, for example may choose to employ people overseas to work on digital animation on line, the downside of that is that more money goes out of the country. The reverse is also possible that Weta could do more overseas work from Wellington thus earning valuable foreign currency but then you get to the point of running out of actual people to do the work and you are back to square one.
    I'm still thinking "Pipe Dreams" here. I personally think that the economies of scale are not linear or even scalable in fact diminishing returns may even come into play here.
    The internet itself makes nothing, it is merely a conduit and as such is dependent on the content being worth the cost. Even if that content is financial data or vital information there still has to be a viable cost/benefit ratio.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Sam Vilain,

    Here's Sam, Luke and co playing at the Merry Kriskmass(?) EP release Gig at Slowboat in Wellington:

    San Francisco (was Wellin… • Since Jun 2007 • 24 posts Report Reply

  • Robbie Siataga,

    The company i did the antenna work for is scorch.

    Now bearing in mind the gubbmint is about to invest a cool billion, probably to telecom...pffft, to roll out fibre all over the show, not that it'll get down our end anyway but...

    My question is, why not invest in wireless technology like Scorch ? and how does the transition form wireless to transcontinental cable work or doesn't it ? Is the data bounced off satellites ? and if so why not buy a few satellites and position them over NZ for nationwide coverage that wil reach all those hard to reach places without digging earthquake prone trenches all over the show ? Is that something Pacific fibre should be looking at instead ?

    Since Feb 2010 • 259 posts Report Reply

  • Tony Parker,

    OK so you all went to the Pixies...and I'm envious. But I saw Calexico in Welly last night at the maligned Festival Club venue which wasn't as bad as they made out. Plenty for me to love-pedal steel/stand up bass/trumpets/spanish-mexican country vibe/and some great western shirts. A truely great band.

    Napier • Since Nov 2008 • 232 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    Just Conduit!
    that's a big tick for the new cable idea...
    and i can well imagine Weta et al making good use of it, or maybe for linking to this beast - 322 terabits per second is a lot of data isn't it?.

    Grey Lynn Wood...
    Flying Nun collection is a great start
    and remember before Wellywood there was Hakanoawood!
    Chris Knox has filmed many epics at home, most rooms were used at one time or another The brain that wouldn't die is probably the biggest ensemble & genre piece, all filmed under the house. From memory the cast includes Robert Key (Expendables, Not really anything, Cake Kitchen) as the Doktor, Barbara Ward & Jay Clarkson as the pikelets (the singing heads in the background)
    Bob Sutton (protopunk) & Johnny Pierce - R.I.P. (Headless Chooks) as the two headed monster, Siobahn (I think) as the transplantee bride of Frankenstein, oh and I am the hunchback - doo doodo doo (with Dick Driver's hair it seems!) though after quarter of a century my memory plays tricks... and I can't get the clip to play at proper speed - it jumps and stalls on both Safari & Firefox - bloody wireless internet...

    Don't take the Brown Bread...
    just in... the CIA is an ass(id) in the Pain

    A 50-year mystery over the 'cursed bread' of Pont-Saint-Esprit, which left residents suffering hallucinations, has been solved...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    My question is, why not invest in wireless technology like Scorch ?

    Wireless is ok for hard to reach places but the latency is hell and as for satellites for international communications the latency is even hellier (think of the delay on a live report from the Oscars the other night). A geosynchronous satellite needs to be close to 36,000 km above the earth making the signal round trip around .25 of a second, not good for gaming.
    Funnily enough one of the main supporters of Kordia's new cable is the same guy that sunk so much money into Woosh wreless, Stephen Tyndall

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Christopher Dempsey,

    @ Tony - Calexico would have been neat. My partner's brother had them on the stereo when we were over at his place - he and his wife liked them ever since seeing them in the States somewhere...

    I would have liked to have seen them as well... oh well, perhaps they'll come back for the AK11 festival! Which is not that far away yet!!

    Parnell / Tamaki-Auckland… • Since Sep 2008 • 659 posts Report Reply

  • Islander,

    Dalzeilisms!
    Choice!

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report Reply

  • recordari,

    it jumps and stalls on both Safari & Firefox

    Someone mentioned Firefox, right?

    Version 3.6 just came out, and it has themes. I just chose the 'Star Wars Death Star' theme. Ooooh! Dark and mysterious!

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • TracyMac,

    It's so nice to see some of these classic NZ music clips again.

    Although I managed to miss that 3Ds clip the first time round, and it was obviously no great loss. It was fine until the gurning started halfway though. I think I prefer the vids with the band standing motionless and a single camera pointed head-on.

    Canberra, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 701 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    Technology like Scorch and NZ Wireless are good for people living in remote places like the back of Karori where you can't get ADSL. That kind of thing has a limit of around 2MBit/s (as opposed to a mooted 100MBit/s from FTTH). LTE and LTE Advanced may get to those 100MBit rates, and we might see fibre-to-the-lamppost being used. That would remove the need for home wiring and fluffing around with wireless hubs.

    However, building such things isn't straightforward (not to mention making a return out of them) as Telecom's issues with XT have shown.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

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