Posts by Mike O'Connell
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Have really enjoyed reading this thread only catching up with it now. Totally agree, nothing beats a test match. Three in a row, has NZ ever done that before on the trot, same season?
Our side boasts a classy bowling line-up and the batting is maturing where it needs to, getting the runs and occupying the the crease - though the collapses are unnerving just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water!. Will need that Bondy quick (Adam Milne?) with 145/150 km/hr pace I think to trouble S Africa and Australia line-ups down the track.But we're heading in the right direction.
Living in the S Island, most test cricket of recent has been in Dunedin, No tests in Chch because of Lancaster Park (a diehard for the old name!) becoming a rugby/one-day only ground - and the quakes. I've trekked to one or two at the Basin since (4 years ago, the last time I went, the India test admission was I think $29 per day on the gate). But after eight very long years, test cricket could well re-appear in 2015 (vs. Sri Lanka) in Chch at the redeveloping Hagley Oval as a 'dress rehearsal' for the one-day World Cup.
I think with the novelty value of test cricket returing to Chch eight years in the waiting, Hagley Oval being an attractive venue (parking may be an issue) plus Sri Lanka likely bringing a superb batting line-up (Jayawardene, Sangakarra, etc), there could be some decent crowds (I believe it will seat up to 20,000 for the WC one-dayers). It's an ideal opportunity to bring in a new pricing plan and other features to entice spectators.
Early days yet and don't want to get our hopes up but can you say anything more on this Richard (@NZC)?
By the way, on Sommett Sports (Ch 14 on Freeview), over the last couple of weeks have been catching bits and pieces of live coverage from the two-test Bangladesh vs. Sri Lanka series. Those guys know how to occupy the crease - and get big scores. Jayawardene (M) especially is a joy to watch.
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Hard News: Friday Music: Starting Early, in reply to Russell Brown,
Can't track a review as yet but did come across this interesting (and lengthy) piece Great Still Sounds Great by Gavin Bertram in the ODT (Dec 2013) about the continuing interest in Dunedin music, e.g. the mostly cassette releases which came out on the Xpressway label, 88-93. He talks to Graeme Downes and Bruce Russell among others.
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Hard News: Friday Music: Starting Early, in reply to bob daktari,
Gosh, from Friday just gone.The second guitarist is of course Peter Gutteridge.
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Hard News: Friday Music: Starting Early, in reply to Russell Brown,
Looks like it could have been taken yesterday, it's that clear and doesn't really look dated.
I note Wayne is on bass. I recall one rollicking song in the Stones' live sets where he would swap his guitar for Jeff Batts' bass. Can hear the tune in my head but don't know the song title.
Any word BTW on Bruce Russell's plans to release a live collection of The Stones alongside studio-captured material (as per the 'last word' in the Stones Audioculture profile)?
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Hard News: Friday Music: Starting Early, in reply to Graham Dunster,
Graham, Minnie Dean is on SBT vol. 2. Unless vol. 3 has another version on it? A classic nevertheless. Vol. 1 at least was released on vinyl.
Delaney and Marlon (sans Tami) kicked off the Sad But True III tour last night in ...Mapua. Yep, playing in lots of cool little places like Okarito, Riverton and Onewhero through Feb.
Re: Minnie Dean, here's Marlon performing said tune on a Melbourne rooftop:
I love that rather macabre line, 'winters in the south make the heart beat slow, but hearts beat slower in the garden below'.
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Oh Lorde, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz? You've just won a Grammy, you must make amends.
At least a concert in the South Island - I'm counting on you Lorde, don't let me down!
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Hard News: Friday Music: Backwards and Forwards, in reply to Ian Dalziel,
And in Lyttelton tomorrow, Friday 24th, there's a (off to US) farewell to Flora (Knight, of the Eastern and varied fiddle accompaniment to various others); featuring Flora herself of course plus others like Delaney Davidson, The Eastern, Marlon Williams and Hannah Harding,
Not quite the Big Day Out or Laneways down south but lots of little days out this week: caught Flora last night at the Porthole in Lyttelton last night, chipping in with Hannah giving new life to the Carter Family! Flora has also at times played with Nadia Reid, who currently is in Chch this week providing musical interludes to the buskers, Nadia's set includes a stunning version of M Jackson's Billie Jean (quite unrecognisable from the original). Well worth catching (in Start-Up Mall). She's on until Sunday, adding string bass to her acoustic guitar from tomorrow (Friday).
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Us folk in Chc get relatively slim pickings in terms of all-dayers like BDO and Laneway. If I could make up to BDO, one band I'd be checking out is Arcade Fire - their Reflektor video is pretty cool, directed by Anton Corbijn (who also directed Control in 2007).
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Meantime, here’s a pic from the Western Springs of old. Crowds for the famous Rolling Stones show in 1973.
Led Zeppelin played a three hour set in 1972, Roy Colbert wrote a great review which is on the Led Zep site. Some of the pics there are attributed to Jed Town (I presume, later of Features, Fetus Productions fame).
One can only imagine what those poor Pearl Jam fans will need to get through their set. Colbert and friends procured a bottle of laughing gas, 'pre-loading' to enhance the experience!
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Hard News: Climate, money and risk, in reply to Christopher Dempsey,
Let’s not forget the carbon emitted from all the imported tellies, computers and what not, cars, white ware, the clothing, all the consumer goods we buy at the mall
That's right, this is embodied energy which can in turn be calculated as embodied carbon (dioxide). It's significant. And NZ is in the top ten per capita emitters; in data released in April 2013, we were 5th - see this Ministry for the Environment data.
China is probably exporting consumer goods to most if not all nations on the planet. It's scary to think that as China marches on (and its energy demand growing, adding purportedly a coal-fired power station to it's national grid every 1-2 weeks), there are other nations in the region snapping at its heels: e.g. Vietnam, Burma and Bangladesh, whose total emissions are comparable to ours but with populations a good order of magnitude larger. Greenhouse gas emissions won't stop, won't even plateau any time soon,