Up Front by Emma Hart

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Up Front: Time for an Intervention

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  • Robbie Siataga,

    Never should have shut down the american base out at the airport. Just ask Ray Columbus where Churtown got its funkaliciousness from ?

    All them black americans forcing the clubs to play funky shit back in the day....ahhhh yeah, now thats what i'm talkin about.

    See the think about the funk is , you can't fake it. Christchurch used to be wayyyy cool when it was chocolate city.

    Since Feb 2010 • 259 posts Report Reply

  • amanda peter,

    Sacha tks 'nuf said', please don't mention that status as teacher trainee or my unique system of apostrophes that matches aforementioned spelling to any of the candidates, or we could end up with Sue Wells in that already dreadful mix...

    Otautahi-the flat city • Since Sep 2008 • 11 posts Report Reply

  • Islander,

    I grew up in CHCH(late 1950s through 1960s) - during the weekdays. Weekend we went south and really lived among the other sides o te whanau -Kai Tahu, Kotimana. And actually, since the the American-instigated base at the airport came about at roughly the same time I went to high school, I can truly say it meant diddlysquat and had buggerall effect in the city, in general (except, one of my Pakeha cuzzies met & married a Filipino dude, so I got hold of some excellent cigarillos in my last year of high school.)

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

  • Sacha,

    Ray Columbus mentioned on Give it A Whirl or suchlike that the band got their Fender guitars and amps via base connections, which gave them a better sound than the Auckland bands when they moved up.

    I doubt the accompanying musical influences (including directly imported singles) would have registered much outside clubs and musos at that stage. Certainly not as much as the supply of nylons and beefy servicemen did. And maybe cigarillos.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Islander,

    Sacha -"the accompanying musical influences" just werent around: the kind of clubs that played /might've played those imported records were -uh, suss.
    I can testify to the cigarillos-

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

  • Sacha,

    I think you'd enjoy the doco I was thinking of, just not 100% sure which one it was

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • philipmatthews,

    Never should have shut down the american base out at the airport. Just ask Ray Columbus where Churtown got its funkaliciousness from ?

    All them black americans forcing the clubs to play funky shit back in the day....ahhhh yeah, now thats what i'm talkin about.

    The music, and also the drugs. This is an excerpt from Martin Edmond's The Resurrection of Philip Clairmont, about Chch in the late 60s:

    Christchurch was in a unique position where drugs were concerned. There was the American base station for Operation Deepfreeze, the Antarctic research program, on the outskirts of the city, and passing through or stationed there were a lot of American military personnel. Most of the other ranks were black and most of them had used drugs. The first marijuana Clairmont smoked probably came from one of these black servicemen, although you could get it from Asian seamen on the ships coming into Lyttelton Harbour. Other contributions made by American servicemen were a taste for soul music and firsthand news of what was going on in Vietnam.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2007 • 656 posts Report Reply

  • Just thinking,

    If you caught the bit about curfews in Christchurch on RNZ. The thing missing was the Chair of my Community Bored, is a local Cop.

    Yanni mentioned Police State, or perceptions of CHurChur as a dangerous city.

    The most CCTV in NZ, in what the Cops Data privious proves is one of the safest Cities in NZ (keep clear of drugs and street prostitution & you're right).

    My Community Bored is controlled by a Cop (on the Right) & a Security Guard (on the left). The damage is No different to the damage done by Uni Students that the Cops have worked very hard to keep out of Court.
    The difference is Class, colour comes into it, but in ChurChur it is primarily one of class.

    These are all impacting the same community board. Those doing it have a very clear class divide, but actions and damage are much the same.

    Putaringamotu • Since Apr 2009 • 1158 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Wylie,

    Euuuuughhhhh. OTOH, competency + dickishness >>>>>> incompetency + dickishness, and we all know on which side of that equation Parker falls.
    Then again, wouldn't it be nice to be able to choose between *several* competent, decent candidates? One can only dream.

    Uh-huh. Does anyone recall the name of Parker's opponent last time around? I can't, even though I voted for her. Through gritted teeth, but.

    As for drugs and the US Antarctic base, the only time I encountered the notorious Thunderbird wine was at a wedding in Chch, where a local bint was getting hitched to a Californian from the base.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report Reply

  • Mikaere Curtis,

    Bob the show pony do seem cut from a similarly poor cloth as Banks and the "lets rip those hundred year old sheds down" brigade./

    Actually, Banks wants the sheds to be retained, he asserts they are part of our architectural heritage. Heritage or not, the are an ugly eyesore, and need to be removed. I hope someone creative gets to do something cool with the wood, though.

    Russelll is correct, Banks has been a lot better this time around, and was part of the push-back that put McCully's "party central" folly back in its box.

    Back on topic: Maybe Christchurch's solution is to only elect mayors who are named after aging rock guitarists. Myself, I'd be shoulder-tapping anyone named Page, Gilmour, Clapton...

    Tamaki Makaurau • Since Nov 2006 • 528 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Reid,

    Does anyone recall the name of Parker's opponent last time around? I can't, even though I voted for her. Through gritted teeth, but.

    It was Megan Woods. She is still the chair of 2021. We may hear who will run for 2021 by ... the end of May. Jo Kane? Sir Kerry Burke?

    South Africa • Since Nov 2006 • 80 posts Report Reply

  • Emma Hart,

    Sir Kerry Burke?

    There'd be some rich fecking irony in electing Kerry Burke that I could really get on board with...

    I have this awful feeling though, that I might end up voting negatively for the first time - voting for the person I think has the best chance of beating Parker (possibly Anderton) rather than the person I think would do the job best (possibly Liz Gordon, but don't hold me to that).

    Sue Wells

    is from Timaru. Just sayin'.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Wylie,

    It was Megan Woods. She is still the chair of 2021.

    Good on her. And good on her for giving Parker something of a run back in 2007. She gave the impression of being smart enough to know that she was on a hiding to nothing, but someone had to do it.

    Parker quickly revealed his true colours by doing a hatchet job on Tim Barnett as soon as he'd been elected. No doubt this was done at the behest of those who pull Parker's strings, and indicates something of the threat these vested interests felt Barnett to be at the time.

    If Burke stands it'll be party time at the Parker-bunker.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report Reply

  • Tim Michie,

    Remember how we used to say to Auckland, "So…. This famous mayor you've got yourself, how's that working out?" And we'd nod sympathetically and then go home and laugh so hard we couldn't breathe? Now they're laughing at us.

    I'd say it's more like our city dolor is now national currency...

    Auckward • Since Nov 2006 • 614 posts Report Reply

  • Ian MacKay,

    Remember it was about 10 Mayors who wrote to that nice Smith man (as he had asked them to do) in order to sink the elected ECan. And they did so without the consultation with any of their Councils. So get rid of all of the Mayors in Canterbury especially those who want to set up business selling bottled water. Water, water, water is the major mayoral issue.

    Bleheim • Since Nov 2006 • 498 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Wylie,

    Water, water, water is the major mayoral issue.

    Aaaaaagh! As someone once said of Margaret Thatcher, if it's wet she thinks she can walk on it.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report Reply

  • Emma Hart,

    Water, water, water is the major mayoral issue.

    Water's been an issue here for a depressingly long time. Every time someone says something like "Why don't Christchurch people get upset about this, why don't they protest?" I wonder if Sam Mahon's off somewhere quietly topping himself.

    Remember it was about 10 Mayors who wrote to that nice Smith man (as he had asked them to do) in order to sink the elected ECan.

    That whole thing just keeps getting dodgier and dodgier. It appears there's been some of that time-travelling from the other thread going on, where stupid Linear Time is making events happen in the wrong order.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report Reply

  • Ian MacKay,

    And if you are very lucky, it will come to a place near you, soon.

    Bleheim • Since Nov 2006 • 498 posts Report Reply

  • Robbie Siataga,

    Drugs, funk and soul...yup thats what my older cousins brought me up on :)

    Some of the stories they could tell of Christchurch in the 70's you'd barely think it was the same boring ass place it is now.

    I caught the tail end of sneaking into clubs before the base shut down and even then the DJ's would always try and draw for the black servicemen in showing how down they were with the up front tunes.

    Those smooth black bastards always got the pick of the nesian queens too leading to the inevitable odd but good natured fight :)

    The end result for Christchurch music was that it translated into alot of rare groove floating about the second handshops and the later influence on DJ's producers like the Solaa guys. Even Boh Runga started out singin funky covers and then there's the parents of scribe and ladisix who passed on their love for the music and were kickin it in the same crowd as my older cousins.
    They had some legendary parties to the bestest black music ever !!!

    Yup Christchurch was funk central more so i reckon than any other NZ city. Maybe the funk factor even influenced the creation of the jazz school there and flowed on its effects to the lot that came out of there like Redford from Shapeshifter and Oakley 'OG' Grenell in choosing not to follow their Dads country roots but opt for the funk. Or even the inherent soulfulness of Devin, also from Shapeshiter's Pacific Heights incarnation or Rhian Sheehans sublime noodlings.

    Since Feb 2010 • 259 posts Report Reply

  • recordari,

    Water, water, water is the major mayoral issue.

    The Albatross is coming. Or has it been? Nor any a drop, to think!

    And a good south wind sprung up behind;
    The Albatross did follow,
    And every day, for food or play,
    Came to the mariner's hollo!

    In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud,
    It perched for vespers nine;
    Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white,
    Glimmered the white moonshine."

    `God save thee, ancient Mariner,
    From the fiends that plague thee thus! -
    Why look'st thou so?' -"With my crossbow
    I shot the Albatross."

    Don't shoot the messenger.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    That whole thing just keeps getting dodgier and dodgier

    Worth a read. This govt really is raising outright dishonesty to a new level - not that politicians were ever that trustworthy.

    Unfortunately the opposition do not seem up to the task with this one - Russel Norman was floundering during Question Time yesterday and could do with help framing better questions.

    And as for the media, it's very much like the lagging Auckland coverage - we're all paying for them not taking local government rounds seriously, with lack of analytical capacity and strong off-record relationships.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Emma Hart,

    And as for the media, it's very much like the lagging Auckland coverage

    To give them their due, The Press seem to be doing pretty well. Those stories aren't being picked up nationally, though. The one about Nick Smith's brother I linked to got a brief airing on TV3 last night, but without any mention of the contradictions (Smith says he didn't know about it until recently, yet the charges go back four years. Even I'm more in touch with my family than that) or the fabulous 'just let the man keep talking' quotes. For non-link-followers, let me reproduce the money quote here:

    Tim Smith said he used more colourful language.

    "I told them (ECan) their organisation was bloody hopeless and they were all useless bastards who should be sacked," he said.

    "I also told them that with some luck my brother and Rodney Hide would do something about it. "

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    I think Nick Smith might have got an interesting phone call from the PM after that got aired.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Our noble rulers are such lucky people

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Robbie Siataga,

    Theres not much love lost between the Smith brothers.

    I've worked for 2 of them constructing tower cranes and they were snarking and backstabbing, undercutting on anything to get one over on the other.

    Imagine the childhood playing round the sandpit ? poor wee Nick in trying to be all diplomatic proabably would have just got poked in the eye for his troubles... hey maybe that explains

    ...oh never mind

    Since Feb 2010 • 259 posts Report Reply

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