Just had 5 weeks in Hokitika which was very calming; now in Wellington and on the way North again.
A lot of time spent in that buzzy little town called Hoki. I gotta write about the tour.
Finally can write another blog to you my friends who like me are interested in the state of the heart of our vanishing world of convivial places to meet and talk and play. It’s been a long time away.
The tour started with one gig in Christchurch and then just a case of going where invited. It’s a real eye opener seeing in real life the state of your own country.
Everywhere there are small enterprises closing.
Dunedin lost in the space of a few weeks three key watering holes. Nova. Dog with Two Tails and the Zuccini Brothers* and most likely more have closed their doors since. Meanwhile the corporate food giants feed on our addiction to the familiar. Don’t matter if it’s crappy just so long as it’s the same crappy. (* Eds note. Zucchini owners retired after 28 years)
Kids in our time probably don’t know the sheer joy of visiting places where the sole owner went to great lengths to create (key word there) a convivial civilised space for us to meet and greet and find true nourishment for body and soul. Real venues like Arc in Dunedin. Like The Island Of Real in Auckland.
There are still good places and I’m on a mission to find them so please if you know of such let us know.
What is going on though really?one can understand poorly patronized places going under but in the case of those Dunedin venues they were in fact thriving.
How can this be?
Could it be that the allurement of a keyboard and a screen has made the great unwashed happy to stay home on a government recreation scholarship rather than mix with our own flesh and blood Brothers and sisters in little ol real world ?
It’s astonishing.
At least my loafing experience involved something real with a box and vibrating strings and a mouth that could express my deepest longings. It involves reaching into the soul and finding your own unique take on things and not being at the mercy of an algorithm and simulations and titillating from the information stations.
I leave you with the lyrics of a song called Information Station. It’s on an album called Reha which is on www.bandcamp.com. look it up we wanna see you support this great facility and busy it up ok? Listen to Information Station – embedded below.
Anyway here’s a few key lines.i wrote this song 32 years ago and released it in 1994. It’s a sleeper. Wake it up ok?
“Meanwhile try to work at home
With a keyboard and this honky phone
Where is it written – Creation groans
Computer bureau bound to know”.
(i.e. what became Google and such)
i think I was bang on.
We really do have this option of vegetating in a simulation.i call it once removed living.
Do this or just get out more. Go to concerts. Go to the mountain. To the sea. Anything but tippy tippy and watching the devils eyeball .
Anything but tippy tappy and mesmerisation at a hopeless little screen……..to quote the late uncle Lenny
Real life is always gonna surpass these imaginings on a screen. We gotta support the watering holes that remain.
By the way I am playing at Firebird again. It’s in Levin. Saturday 7pm
The acoustics are great. Food is wonderful and it’s not only pizza…the kitchen is being renovated and extended significantly.
Support anywhere that encourages live music. Such places are very rare.
I should give up but I simply cannot do that. There is still too much to say and it’s gotta be said. Come and join in. Door charge 20. Call me if ya want a ticket and just have a chat…otherwise doorsales is fine. The good thing about being a little guy is you get to talk to all your supporters. 021 0259 2919.
Call me if I can help or if you want to chew the fat. It’s a dying art…talking on the phone.corporates hate it. They prefer you use the tippy tippy and don’t engage at all at all.
@#%÷ them.
God bless.keep us posted.communication is love. Love is in short supply in the world of humans .
By the way. A new album or four is waiting to be posted up .help the cause. It is costly to make album.very costly.
Just to give you a glimpse of how impossible it is to recover the cost of making an album. 20,000 listens on Spotikleptofy realises 20 bucks for the artist.
It takes YEARS to get that many listens for tiny acts like this. We ain’t going broke coz we got your support right?
