Posts by Scott Common
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Well congratulations on making it through Russell - I've been there myself a number of years ago, though not to the degree which you suffered.
I managed to get two in the space of 3 months (which was not fun at all). However mine were quite small in comparrison to yours and as such I just had to tough it through and pass them (with some lavish amounts of voltaren to help me through). Didn't help that the pain also triggered a series of chronic migraines for me to go with it.
I still find it incredibly difficult to describe the pain which I was in to other guys, there just doesn't seem to be anything to compare it too. When asked at the afterhours clinic (I never made it to the hospital) to rate the pain on a 1 to 10 I almost had a panic attack trying to express it to them - I believe I ended up yelling "2 to the power of 25" (or some such) when I couldn't make up my mind.
Anyway - glad you're doing better.
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Wow - I knew Deja Vodo were crap but they could have at least thought up their own title as opposed to just rehashing someone elses (I'm reference the excellent album from Refused "The Shape of Punk to Come" ).
I also like the cthulhu icon - being a huge lovecraft fan full stop. I have a soft cthulhu doll on my desk at work - gets a few odd looks from some folks (sits right next to my print out of the mathematical proof that 1+1=2).
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As an unashamed Bruce Sterling fan boy I for one almost wet myself when I saw he was coming for Webstock...
Thats all...
Except maybe, have a good christmas and new years all..
Scott
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I was at a very good friends funeral last year, she died in her 30's (there was an article in the dominion recently about her son accepting her degree on her behalf). It was a lovely service, and I spoke at it - no religous overtones and plenty of unexpected music.
Reflecting on that side of things I changed my mind about my funeral - I want to leave it mostly up to those I love (and love me) to remember and honor me in the way that they feel is most appropriate.
There will certainly be music (mostly NZ) as it's a huge part of my life - and I have a few tracks in mind, but really a funeral is a chance for those people who love you to pay honor and farewell you and I think that it would be rude of me to ask them to do it in any way except how they want too.
Having said that I'm almost certain there would be lots of drinking (and other) and plenty of loud music - and I trust my friends and family to do it in a way that I know I would appreciate.
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sorry scott I wasn't dissing you at all.
And ironically enough I didn't actually read it as you dissing me either!
I spent a long time, when I was younger, agonising over the entire NZ on Air situation, and it used to get me worked up. These days I'm more than happy to plod along at my own pace, funny how as you age aspirations of world domination and stardom become kind of silly and a bit embarrasing.
But this thread is full of good information as I'm in the planning stages for my next musical project.
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This is one of the biggest misunderstandings involving this issue. You are nz on airs target audience. we all are. Commercial radio is the delivery medium. NZ on Air serves us, all of us, not just a few narrowminded programmers for the most out of touch media in the country. Why do people keep accepting the situation as it is?
Perhaps I worded that incorrectly - the music that I've been involved in making hasn't be compatible with commercial radio, which as I understand it are the primary decision makers for funding. Hence my decision to not waste time applying for funding (not that it takes that much time). I understood the criteria, and even though I may disagree with the focus of it I still recognise that agencies need to operate under the mandate they are given (being a public servant myself and all).
I do understand, and actually do agree with the fact that the people of NZ should be those being served and not the radio programmers.
But I also agree with Brendan, Radio is not going to go away, as long as we have cars and factories.
But considering it's dimishing influence and market share (in regards to being a format by which people hear new music), and the fact that innovations like satelite radio are just around the corner, certainly the focus on commercial radio must change to reflect this. I think the comment previously about radio just being a delivery mechanism is even more valid - radio used to be an entity in of itself, now days it is simply a method of delivery - like cash vs eftpos - same results, different processes.
Simon - thanks for the agreement, was probably one of my more lucid moments in front of a keyboard recently.
It's not often I post on here, as to be honest there's a lot of personalities who I recognise as being massivley talented and experienced in the their areas which can be a bit intimidating. I'm glad my comments haven't come across as too uninformed! (I hope)
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Very interesting discussion here (as ususal). I'll start off by saying I haven't had a chance to check out the Media7 show due to our internet being down last night.
I've always had a clear view of what NZ on Air would and wouldn't fund, which is why none of the acts I've been involved with (all little piddlers of bands really) never bothered applying for them. This is not a bitter comment, just simply that the styles that we've played (being punk, country and instrumental rock) have never meshed with NZOA's target audience (being commercial radio). It's probably been 5 - 6 years since I've listened to commercial radio myself.
I've always had a concern though, as a musician, about what message NZOA sends to aspiring performers. Even before the advent of the internet as a distribution platform I felt that it's focus on commercial radio was a hugely limiting factor, as commercial radio is not known for being the most innovative format - even less innovative in a country with such a density of stations and level of competition in the market. It's always felt (to me) like the message has been, don't innovate, copy - give us something which listeners can instantly feel familiar with, something which they understand without having to think. Obviously my concern here is about the promotion of creativity and diversity of product - and I understand that these are areas which are not covered by NZOA (as it's not their focus - fair enough).
With New Zealand being such a small market for musicians I never did quite understand why we wern't promoting NZ music which stood out from it's international competitors. It seems that product differentiation is viewed as a bad thing by most commercial radio - when in fact this has always been the thing which NZ bands have been able to use to draw attention to themselves on the international stage. The dunedin sound (enough of the groans people) is a very good example of this - and I know it's a long gone day, but internationally people were interested because it was different from other material that was presented to them at the time.
I do think that it's time that the role and function of NZOA is relooked at - at very least to bring it into line with the changing nature of the music business.
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I have been contemplating how I would like to torture my computer at work into a state where it physically won't work (as opposed to it's current state where it spiritually doesn't work).
The hydrofluoric acid idea is great, but you may find some very nasty fumes from it (and you need a qualification to even buy hydrofluoric acid if you're not in a lab these days).
Personally I'd subject mine to pressure in a water tank that simulates deep water scenario's - watch it slowly crumple under the pressure and implode. Of course finding one would probably be difficult (unless you know the right folks).
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You'll excuse me if I wish the IRD staffer who wasted over an hour of my time this morning would die a lot. Or is it an unreasonable expectation that someone you've made an appointment to see be competent, well-trained and civil?
I'm one of those faceless 'crats myself (not at the IRD) and it actually appals me to hear the level of service that some people have received. I operate a contact centre for a government organisation (well I am the contact centre) and day in and day out I get people directed to me by departments who should know better, or haven't made any effort to actually help the person. There is nothing more embarrassing than having to direct a caller back to the agency which they had just spoken to (because the issue is something which is their responsibility) - it makes everyone (inlcuding myself) look bad.
Craig, it's certainly not too much to expect that when you contact a department you get someone who is competent, well trained and civil - if anything it should be the standard - and it's not a hard standard to attain either.
It does get to be very frustrating to work in a department which is chronically underfunded for the work we're doing (my entire group are working 1.2FTE's) and then see other departments who seem to have an excess of staff with times on their hands.
My concern is where these 'crats are going to be prunned from - because if they take the same approach to the prunning as they have to funding I can see those agencies with more "glamourous" roles keeping their staff whilst agencies doing important technical infrastructure work loosing out.
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Unfortunately, they are beyond the reach of the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act, which only applies to commercial messages.
Damn - I was wondering why I was the only person who had suggested the act - I guess thats why. Having said that all that there needs to be in one of the emails is some commercial element - I guess the test would be in the specific email.
I was quite looking forward to the idea of political parties being pulled up for spam :-(