Posts by Robyn Gallagher
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There will be the usual pillaging of the social media production of local sportspeople and their significant others.
Serious question: is this a skill that journalism schools should be teaching now - how to turn a tweet by Lorde or Jemaine Clement into a 300-word article?
I'm all for a fun local gossip/showbiz news site, but it had better have some fresh local content, otherwise what's the point?
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I heartily recommend How Bizarre. As well as being a great pop biz story, it's extra special because it's our story - it's a New Zealand story. No one deliberately sets out to make a one-hit wonder, and because of that, the stories behind those blips of genius pop are often more interesting than tales of long-term success.
It's also a good account of how the music biz functioned 20 years ago. It seemed like such a major physical effort to break "How Bizarre" in every country, and it feels like much of the book takes place on long-haul flights.
Here's the video for "Team, Ball, Player, Thing", the delightfully good NZ RWC supporter's song (and it's in aid of Cure Kids). The song is written by Joel Little (and little kids), the video is by Taika Waititi and it features a really decent selection of NZ musos as well as some All Blacks. And unicorns with lasers.
In the UK, the media seem to have been sent a press release touting the song as starring "Lorde and Daniel Bedingfield". Well, you take what you can get.
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There were arguments that Baise-moi was so injurious to the public that allowing anyone to see it would be harmful.
I'd forgotten about all that fuss around Baise-moi. When the ban was lifted, I ended up seeing it (on my birthday!) in 2002. I literally cannot remember anything about it and my diary doesn't record any emotional damage from seeing it.
The webs tell me it was about a two women (both sex workers) who go on a killing spree. Killing men. I'm sure if it was about a couple of dudes who were killing women, there wouldn't have been such a fuss.
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Hard News: Not yet standing upright, in reply to Dylan Reeve,
I hate the spoiling the ballot campaigns. It’s literally the same as not voting.
"Wow, look at all these votes with "THIS SUCKS" written on them. I had no idea people felt this way. This is a serious wake-up call. Let's just scrap the referendum."
- No one, 2015
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As well as going against the design principles in that video, it seems the panel didn't even heed their own advice.
"A great flag should be distinctive and so simple it can be drawn by a child from memory."
Simple is a kid drawing green, white and orange stripes and making the Irish flag. Those complicated fern designs are not simple.
This whole exercise has been really depressing. This is exactly what happens when a design competition is judged by a panel of people with zero design knowledge or experience.
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Turns out I wasn’t the only one a bit mystified by Sony NZ’s big local signing Maala. It seemed the mystery was strategic, but who exactly was he? Melody Thomas’s Music 101 interview with Maala (real name: Evan Sinton) explains a lot.
I'm so glad he's out! I worked out his secret identity when the Silver Scrolls long list was announced but I kept quiet because I figured it was being kept a secret because NZers can be such bitches about contestants on TV talent shows.
From the RNZ interview, it's encouraging that Sony have given him time to develop his sound (the TV show was three years ago). This ain't no Jackie Thomas/Beau Monga quickie covers album for fans of the TV show. The result - "Touch" is easily the best New Zealand pop song of the year (so far).
And the video for his new song "In the Air" has been released today. So good!
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Hard News: Friday Music: Play Versions, in reply to Mandy S,
Why does NZ on Screen always have to post things at such a low resolution?
I think it might just be down to what the standard res was when the site was built back in 2008. But it might also have something to do with some rights holders not wanting high res versions of their shows online.
It is frustrating when YouTube sometimes has better quality videos than NZOS.
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I'm stoked to see "Asian Paradise" online. It looks gorgeous! And weirdly enough, the colour palette, lighting and general style of the video is the sort of thing enjoying a bit of a revival at the moment. Go, Sharon!
Inspired by the Randa video, here's another one that was set at the Point Erin Pool, "The Pool" by the Reduction Agents. The Parnell Baths are a more popular location for music videos, but the Pt Erin videos tend to be weirder.
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Contact FM was my first experience with alternative Hamilton - the other side that wasn't obsessed with rugby and convenient parking. And with it came that mind-blowing idea that there was maybe actually more to life than just mainstream culture.
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BTW, for those worried that New Zealand music isn't selling (or whatever), the No.2 album this week is the brilliantly titled Give Up Your Dreams by the Phoenix Foundation, only kept from No.1 by Dr Dre. And there are seven other albums by New Zealand artists in the top 40, which is brilliant.
It's less encouraging in the singles chart - only two songs by NZ artists, but it's been a surprisingly weak year for local chart hits. Hurry up with your new stuff, Lorde!