Posts by Alan Perrott
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After watching that campbell i/v I thought he went into it a tad over excited and turned what should have been an exercise in shooting fish in a barrell into something less than satisfying. So I've got to agree with Charles umpteen posts ago - he should have done a soft shoe shuffle, let PB hang himself with his own bullshit and then quietly slipped the knife in. As it turned out I suspect Brown actually won kudos from his target audience who probably saw little more than a hamfisted attempt by JC to shout him down and/ or rattle him.
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I've been reluctant to make any further comment of that damn yarn, but bugger it. She 's had her go. Context be damned - sadly I'm a shorthand user, so you'll never hear her tone of voice - but what she said was what she meant. And then some. It wasn't my intention to beat up the Hayley-Kiri thing, although I obviously knew what I had as soon as she said it, I saw my job more as giving the reader a good idea of what she was like to talk to and back that up with some context. The experience left me bewildered, all I could say was 'what the fuck just happened?' so I checked around to see if it was just me she was reacting to. Nope, it seems she's a serial offender. I still don't understand why her people were so keen on it going ahead. In future I think it would be easier for everyone if she simply passed her views down to us on stone tablets.
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speaking of Kapa o Pango - with all the talk of it being the haka for this squad, their stake in the ground of rugby history and all that, will it now be retired?
most of the fullas will be packing for their playing OEs and it's more than likely the coaching team will be replaced, so whither new haka?
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Yep, ZB. I was hoping to enjoy some rabidly, hyperbolic talkback. It was just after Alison Mau - I think, might be wrong but - make the teary announcement during a news break-in on TV1.
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heh, that was a funny time to be journalising - I was on the mighty east & bays courier then and was sent out to do a tedious vox pop in Remuera. After a few odd looks from people this little ol' lady zimmered up and gave me whack with her brolly: ''Bloody paparazzi. You killed Diana.'' Damn photog didn't get the pic, he was too busy laughing.
I was channel surfing when I heard she'd died, so stuck on ZB to hear the outpourings. The first caller set on nice tone with her ''who cares, they're all Germans anyway..''
For the funeral we swapped between the weeping and wrestlemania. Very apropo when the Undertaker came on. Well, we'd had a few...
Oh, good times.
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Couldn't let Damian take the bullets alone. Firstly, nice try Hayden, but any question that invites 'no' as an answer will only leave you with dead air. Second, this is his first public appearance, it comes with more restrictions than you probably realise - one step too far, his minders pull the plug and you have to explain to your editor why you got squat. Third, as a newspaper type, why would I ask anything interesting when his answer will appear on the telly before my yarn can run? Fourth, just attracting the subject's attention is a mission in itself, you have less than a second to blurt before it moves on. It's standard practice to open with a warm bath question to establish rapport, when everyone's shouting difficult questions are easily ignored, the only problem here is that you rarely get a second. Fifth, how do you feel has whiskers for good reason - the idea is obviously to get them talking and journos will continue banging away until he does, especially when he brickwalls with apparent calm. Once a crack appears everything else will follow but he did very well to speak carefully and avoid providing the money quote. Even then, not everyone there would have picked up his responses, so they have to repeat what was said to get something useable. Mass situations like that seen last night are a total waste of time if you're looking for in-depth comment - they are always the mad opening stanza of a test match before everyone settles down.
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Ok, shove over, my turn.
T'was oooo early 90s, Dickens St flat in Grey Lynn.
A 70s pardy - yeah, themed, therefore inherently fascist, but stay with me.
The house is stripped of everything, all walls and windows are lined/ covered with black polythene. Hired oil lights, smoke machine, monster strobe, mirror ball, pin spots, and created sundry number 8 wire light contraptions with turntables, cardboard and light bulbs are set up. Hired crappy 70s videos play on upside down tellies. Someone arrives with two trays loaded high with Palmy North shrooms so nibbles are sorted.
Then add unknown numbers of cossied-up derelicts, dancers, media types and musicians with several car loads of fully-feathered Sth Auckland drag queens and shake until befuddled.
Around mumble mumble o'clock first stereo explodes, never fear three to go, so out comes the second biggest. Water is dripping from the ceiling, with the drops looking lovely when caught by the strobe while descending through the fug. Two guests return in their cop uniforms and enjoy scaring the bejeebus out of those who could still focus before settling on a Village People-type vibe. Second stereo fails. As third is dragged out, it's decided that the time would be best filled by mass leaping up and down on beds. Beds fail. Third stereo soldiers on till dawn. Nice. -
Most of mine relate to the late lamented Windsor Castle...ooo the days of 10 o'clock closing. Spilling out with ringing ears and watching the fights outside the Exchange across the road. At least we were in bed by a sensible hour.
But the gigs...
Final Children's Hour gig - stoopendous, dark and earshattering.
Tall Dwarfs, with that lovely Mr Knox crawling under the tables trailing a seemingly endless mic lead.
Fetus Productions with Jed Town in full vampire emsemble, incl blood caspule.
Unrestful Movements, not F Nun, but the tall chap in the high-heeled boots spouted anti-Nun invective between each track.
And the Sneakies, why has no-one mentioned the Sneakies? Poptastic.
Bird Nest Roys with duelling Rossies. Every time.
etc and so on and so forth...but the most memorable was the final Double Happies gig - still got the poster - a blissball of an evening quickly followed by the shock of Wayne's death. Life ain't always fair.