Great NZ mag and band
May 6th 2003, 4:14 am
#1
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Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: NZ
Posts: 207
Great NZ mag and band
Hi
In NZ (they may have it in Oz, I don't know) there is a weekly mag called The NZ Listener - presumably based on The Listener in the UK - that is really excellent. It manages to combine being a very readable TV guide and entertainment review mag with being a very sharply written politics/society comment mag. It really does seem to succeed in being many things to many people and I don't remember the UK Listener being so good - or so varied. Its writers vary from very clued up academics to young dudes going to gigs, etc, and is one of the things I would miss most about NZ. It is the best general interest periodical I have ever read in any country.
NZ and NZers have a lot less confidence in what they do in the literary world than they should have - always pushing themselves internationally as just a holiday destination, place to emigrate and chill out, etc - and what a great shame. There are some very talented writers here. The comedy needs work though, although there was a parody on the imminent power cuts here at the end of a national news prog last night that was really excellent - people being caught with extension leads pinching power, etc. The spoof reporter said that when his dog was electrocuted last year it seemed at the time to be a terrible tragedy. It was only now, with the coming black outs, that he realised just what a privilege that really had been. Great.
This leads me on to my second congrats to NZ and something for future immigrants to look out for. There is a band here called Nesian Mystick (sp?) that are really great. Their music is very enjoyable and they have such a great sense of humour with their videos. They remind me a bit of Madness, though they are very much their own band and quite difft music. Again, one gets the feeling that they may end up just being a great NZ band rather than the world band that they should be. I wish NZ pushed itself out into the world more sometimes. They are always thinking everyone else does things better. What a laugh.
Slippers
In NZ (they may have it in Oz, I don't know) there is a weekly mag called The NZ Listener - presumably based on The Listener in the UK - that is really excellent. It manages to combine being a very readable TV guide and entertainment review mag with being a very sharply written politics/society comment mag. It really does seem to succeed in being many things to many people and I don't remember the UK Listener being so good - or so varied. Its writers vary from very clued up academics to young dudes going to gigs, etc, and is one of the things I would miss most about NZ. It is the best general interest periodical I have ever read in any country.
NZ and NZers have a lot less confidence in what they do in the literary world than they should have - always pushing themselves internationally as just a holiday destination, place to emigrate and chill out, etc - and what a great shame. There are some very talented writers here. The comedy needs work though, although there was a parody on the imminent power cuts here at the end of a national news prog last night that was really excellent - people being caught with extension leads pinching power, etc. The spoof reporter said that when his dog was electrocuted last year it seemed at the time to be a terrible tragedy. It was only now, with the coming black outs, that he realised just what a privilege that really had been. Great.
This leads me on to my second congrats to NZ and something for future immigrants to look out for. There is a band here called Nesian Mystick (sp?) that are really great. Their music is very enjoyable and they have such a great sense of humour with their videos. They remind me a bit of Madness, though they are very much their own band and quite difft music. Again, one gets the feeling that they may end up just being a great NZ band rather than the world band that they should be. I wish NZ pushed itself out into the world more sometimes. They are always thinking everyone else does things better. What a laugh.
Slippers
May 6th 2003, 10:48 am
#2
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Joined: Jan 2003
Location: Sussex, formerly Christchurch
Posts: 395
Re: Great NZ mag and band
Originally posted by Slippers
Hi
In NZ (they may have it in Oz, I don't know) there is a weekly mag called The NZ Listener - presumably based on The Listener in the UK - that is really excellent. It manages to combine being a very readable TV guide and entertainment review mag with being a very sharply written politics/society comment mag. It really does seem to succeed in being many things to many people and I don't remember the UK Listener being so good - or so varied. Its writers vary from very clued up academics to young dudes going to gigs, etc, and is one of the things I would miss most about NZ. It is the best general interest periodical I have ever read in any country.
NZ and NZers have a lot less confidence in what they do in the literary world than they should have - always pushing themselves internationally as just a holiday destination, place to emigrate and chill out, etc - and what a great shame. There are some very talented writers here. The comedy needs work though, although there was a parody on the imminent power cuts here at the end of a national news prog last night that was really excellent - people being caught with extension leads pinching power, etc. The spoof reporter said that when his dog was electrocuted last year it seemed at the time to be a terrible tragedy. It was only now, with the coming black outs, that he realised just what a privilege that really had been. Great.
This leads me on to my second congrats to NZ and something for future immigrants to look out for. There is a band here called Nesian Mystick (sp?) that are really great. Their music is very enjoyable and they have such a great sense of humour with their videos. They remind me a bit of Madness, though they are very much their own band and quite difft music. Again, one gets the feeling that they may end up just being a great NZ band rather than the world band that they should be. I wish NZ pushed itself out into the world more sometimes. They are always thinking everyone else does things better. What a laugh.
Slippers
Hi
In NZ (they may have it in Oz, I don't know) there is a weekly mag called The NZ Listener - presumably based on The Listener in the UK - that is really excellent. It manages to combine being a very readable TV guide and entertainment review mag with being a very sharply written politics/society comment mag. It really does seem to succeed in being many things to many people and I don't remember the UK Listener being so good - or so varied. Its writers vary from very clued up academics to young dudes going to gigs, etc, and is one of the things I would miss most about NZ. It is the best general interest periodical I have ever read in any country.
NZ and NZers have a lot less confidence in what they do in the literary world than they should have - always pushing themselves internationally as just a holiday destination, place to emigrate and chill out, etc - and what a great shame. There are some very talented writers here. The comedy needs work though, although there was a parody on the imminent power cuts here at the end of a national news prog last night that was really excellent - people being caught with extension leads pinching power, etc. The spoof reporter said that when his dog was electrocuted last year it seemed at the time to be a terrible tragedy. It was only now, with the coming black outs, that he realised just what a privilege that really had been. Great.
This leads me on to my second congrats to NZ and something for future immigrants to look out for. There is a band here called Nesian Mystick (sp?) that are really great. Their music is very enjoyable and they have such a great sense of humour with their videos. They remind me a bit of Madness, though they are very much their own band and quite difft music. Again, one gets the feeling that they may end up just being a great NZ band rather than the world band that they should be. I wish NZ pushed itself out into the world more sometimes. They are always thinking everyone else does things better. What a laugh.
Slippers
May 6th 2003, 2:04 pm
#3
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: NZ
Posts: 207
Re: Great NZ mag and band
Originally posted by muppetking
I think the best Kiwi bands are innovative and don't try and imitate the UK's/Europe's image.
I think the best Kiwi bands are innovative and don't try and imitate the UK's/Europe's image.
I wouldn't mind being Nesian Mystik's manager and if I just had the know-how, the contacts, the music business experience, the haircut, the limo, the helicopter and helipad, the security guards and the dobermanns then I would be on the blower to them first thing in the morning. I will investigate the Feelers (so to speak).
Your point on the general quality of the NZ media is well made. I have developed a soft spot for NZ Listener - if you get it, I like Brian Easton's columns a fair bit (even if I sometimes disagree with him) and the crossword's not bad - but then again, I like Lloyd Scott on national radio, so there is no accounting for taste. Radio: Newstalk ZB is a bit of a laugh too and it is surprising how much good sense you can get - I like a surprise. I like the down to earth NZ take on life sometimes - but not all times. Parochial? Yep - often.
Cheers
Slippers
May 6th 2003, 2:54 pm
#4
Release the hounds!
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 302
Re: Great NZ mag and band
Originally posted by muppetking
Credit where it's due Slippers...the Datsuns are flavour of the month in the UK!
Credit where it's due Slippers...the Datsuns are flavour of the month in the UK!
The datsuns do indeed rock! A hairy cross between iron maiden and the white stripes perhaps. I downloaded their album a month or two back and have been listening to it since.
btw...I saw an interview with them in which they said they formed a band because they're was f**l all else to do in NZ! called it the arse-end of the world
...(their words not mine!)
May 6th 2003, 3:43 pm
#5
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: NZ
Posts: 207
Re: Great NZ mag and band
Originally posted by AndrewR
The datsuns do indeed rock! A hairy cross between iron maiden and the white stripes perhaps. I downloaded their album a month or two back and have been listening to it since.
btw...I saw an interview with them in which they said they formed a band because they're was f**l all else to do in NZ! called it the arse-end of the world ...(their words not mine!)
The datsuns do indeed rock! A hairy cross between iron maiden and the white stripes perhaps. I downloaded their album a month or two back and have been listening to it since.
btw...I saw an interview with them in which they said they formed a band because they're was f**l all else to do in NZ! called it the arse-end of the world
...(their words not mine!)
Slippers
