Posts by 3410

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  • Random Play: So You Wanna Be A…,

    Herbie: general consensus was that it 'good'. Just a quartet, which was probably for the better. A few bad pop numbers ('I just called to say I love you' being one of the worst chosen and worst arranged I've ever seen), but when they got going it was cool. Personally, the two solo spots ('Maiden Voyage', and a very authentic African piece, from the guitarist) stood out, but ending with a 20-minute 'Chameleon' certainly drew no complaints. Like most 67 year olds, his taste may've gone to pot (monologues enthusing about Christina Aguilera and flat-screen TVs; the pop covers) and it was too long, but the funk and jazz was just fine. Like your man says: you gotta take what you can get.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report

  • Random Play: So You Wanna Be A…,

    My belief is that too often artists here -- and I am listening to two local albums at the moment which, while well intentioned, I wouldn’t give you tuppence for -- don’t have their work critiqued at every step of the process: in the writing, the recording, production, even the running order on an album.

    ...and the mastering...

    One wonders why so often bands with zero fanbase are making albums at all. Shouldn't they be learning their chops on singles, and then taking on the much greater challenge of an LP if and when they've made the grade in the short form? That applies even more so in the iPod era.

    .

    PS. Graham,
    Thanks for your Herbie review. I got funny looks from my 'hip' friends when I said 'Maiden Voyage' was the highlight. I feel vindicated.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report

  • Hard News: We'll find out where all the…,

    I was, on occasion, buying beer from the wholesaler and even pubs, from the age of 14. No-one (parents; school; publicans or wholesalers, friends' older brothers - no-one) *ever* gave me the slightest amount of information about alcohol use & abuse (and no internet, of course). It was learn-on-the-job until an almost fatal Tequila overdose at age 21 (thanks, Bob bar).

    It seems NZ may finally be prepared to stop pretending that under-age drinking doesn't exist. What is the current state of school alcohol / drug education?

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report

  • Hard News: We'll find out where all the…,

    A tip for dealing with unwanted skinheads at parties: Play the "Cabaret" OST, loudly. They can not stand it and will split.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report

  • Hard News: Compromise,

    er... "Thou shalt always kill", I mean.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report

  • Hard News: Compromise,

    Che,
    Nice wiki entry, but shouldn't the definition include explanation of the term's origin as being an unintended corruption of the idea of shouting "Fire!" in a crowded treatre?

    Also thanks for the "Thou shalt not kill" tip, yesterday. "Just a band"; now that's zeitgeist!

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report

  • Hard News: Compromise,

    OK [deep breath]...

    I plead guilty to not calling out every instance of a comment that could be considered abusive. That said, everyone else needs to share that.

    I responded to one particular comment from one particular commenter (not Deborah, as noted above), because I thought he was being a little bit off. In retrospect I failed to consider the wider context of the discussion, but in my defence, I'm sometimes too busy to do the thorough textual analysis of long threads which would ensure avoidance of this ever happenning.

    To reiterate, if there was any implication that I was taking sides, it was not intended, and I'm sorry if it looked like that. I feel kinda bad about this myself, since I was actually trying to help limit nastiness, not defend it.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report

  • Hard News: Compromise,

    rogerd,
    As I said, I'm going to re-read the thread more carefully before commenting further. Your point may be correct, but I wanted to say what I said before I spend 40 minutes contemplating what led to the problem.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report

  • Hard News: Compromise,

    What am I to make of all this?

    Deborah,
    My quoted comment was definitely not directed at you, but at another commenter who I didn't name in an attempt to avoid a personal flame war (though I'd hoped that calling him a newbie might have clarified it enough). I am terribly sorry to hear of your reaction, and do apologise if any ambiguousness in my comments contributed to this. You rock, and I've no complaints. :) :) :)

    I was trying to say something about abuse in general in the comment from which you drew my quote, though I guess I got it wrong in some way. I'm going to re-read the thread more carefully before commenting further.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report

  • Hard News: Compromise,

    Craig is a standup guy. Newbies and lurkers could do well to make a bit of a contribution before ripping into others.

    Look, *every* comment worth its salt will have *some* part of it that will strike *some* person as unusual. Would it not make more sense to just post your opinion, if necessary, and leave it at that? It's getting a bit 'cancerous and corrosive'.

    I'm guilty of this, and I've been on the receiving end, too, so I know what I'm talking about. The scrapping is diluting the quality of the threads. As PAS grows in popularity some of us, including myself, need to take more care with our 'silicon footprint' (c. 2007, 3410).

    I welcome free and open debate ('God' knows I'm grateful for the opportunity after a lifetime of having TV dickheads controlling the public discourse) but personally, I'm making a pledge to be a bit more serious, a bit more forgiving of slips of the tongue, and to take a bit more time thinkng "Is it really worth making this comment?" We need to lift our game if we want to maintain the high standards that this place is known for.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report

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