Category Archives: street stories

stories from the streets

Angel Gordon waiting to go on stage

The smalltime is the new bigtime

news, street stories

The thing that keeps me doing this is the idea that being a micro celebrity is probably more fun than the real thing except that there’s no money in it. Ha ha

Whereas a real celebrity might get thousands writing in to his blog …i get about one…..and that one person is more often than not my buddy who writes in to make it look like i have mail. Ha ha.

I heard a story about a real celebrity who used to be loved by millions. And how she would break down and cry some days when the postman passed her by.

“So what keeps people going when the machine lets them down?”

Well. It comes back to that one person who writes in. If that happens it can make your day. Please make our day!

And thanks to all of you who have come to any of the Luke & Friends concerts. Thanks also to Marcus Sellwood, Basant and the Professor; Duncan Gillies and Angel for playing at these shows. Pic below is from last weekend. More pics to come soon.

The next show is at Minnie St November 26. This time you can all get to see it (all one of you. Ha ha!) Its gonna be filmed and you can view the highlights in the comfort of your own phone/pc. More details coming soon so keep an eye out.

Angel Gordon waiting to go on stage
Photo: Clive Bartleet

You see it’s not about being “famous” its more about using technology to share ideas-emotions-rants and music. In this era everybody can be famous but what do we wanna SHARE.

Tell me please what YOU wanna share. Hop on board this micro machine!

Thanks to Clive wrote in about the last gig below…

A happy punter writes in

Last week on the evening of Saturday 22nd October at the Old Folks Association hall Ponsonby a special little entertainment event was taking place. The concert was a Luke Hurley and Friends gig, and what a surprising, varied and satisfying event it was. For a modest fee the audience were treated to a range of musical styles and skilled musicians.

Entertainment ranged from Lukes wonderful songs and innovative guitar work, delta blues played with passion and high energy,contemporary original acoustic songs and a memorable East meets West Indian and European fusion complimented by expertly interpreted classical Indian ragas played by an officianado of this form.

The whole quality experience was enhanced by the nourishing home cooked food for sale and the ambience that resulted giving the night a well rounded successful outcome. If everyone in the enthusiastic audience went away as satisfied as me, then all l can say there must a lot of satisfied punters.

Thanks to Luke and friends and we look forward to many more satisfying gigs in the near. Watch this space with expectation. Grateful punter Clive Bartleet.

Luke Hurley & Friends 22 Oct

October 22 concert – Coronation Hall – Auckland

music, news, street stories,

The next Luke & Friends concert show will be a convivial mix of styles from me and my bros.. Duncan Gillies & Angel Gordon. Marcus Sellwood. Basant & The Professor.

The sound is taken care of by Paul Crowther -Split Enz original drummer. We will probably record some of the show. There will be good food on offer and the venue is close to a number of famous watering holes being situated on the edge of K Rd and Ponsonby Rd so you can always come and go as you fancy. Runsheet will be to schedule that will be chalked up for all to see.

Luke Hurley live Oct 22nd

This is the 4th show of its kind and the feedback has been promising. Its gonna be a good one and nowhere could you get this standard and variety for so little outlay. If you can make it pls come or sponsor someone else to come. It costs a lot to stage this event and we don’t want to carry a deficit. So far so good so lets do it again except this time to a full house!

Venue is 8 Gundry Street – just off K- Rd in Auckland. Map link to concert

Any questions pls call +64 21 0259 2919. Volunteers welcome btw. We need help to get the word out.

Dave Brent on Tour

Saw this at the Capitol cinema on Dominion Rd if you are in Auckland. It’s a clever movie. It’s great how Gervais further develops a character famous as a loser in a high profile doco and gives him the ambition to risk his pension fund on the road with a band of paid friends. Ironically the band is called ‘Foregone Conclusion’

There is a beautiful twist in the way this totally awkward cringe merchant – David (everyone knows a loser when they see one) Brent wins the natural affection of the friends he previously had to buy.

The love shines thru. He gets a glimpse of insight into his own behaviour and finds love back in the world he was trying to escape. A unique tragic-comic resolution – you gotta see it!

Please use the buttons below for Oct 22 concert tickets

$20 a ticko et  P.S click on orange buttons below to buy shopping cart. You will be emailed directly by secure PayPal. Tickets will also be for sale on the door – bring cash.

One ticket $20 (NZD)
2 tickets $40 (NZD)
4 tickets $80 (NZD)
Group of 10 -bring 9 of your buddies & you get a free ticket $180.00 (NZD)

The concert venue is 8 Gundry St, Hall entrance off Abbey St – see photo below. In some places it might be called ‘Old Folks Association Hall’ or Coronation Hall.

8gundryst

Poster: Plus large .PDF version below

Luke Hurley & Friends 22 Oct

luke-a3-poster-october.pdf

In your wildest dreams the real life stories of the street

news, philosophy, street stories, video

You could not script it in your wildest dreams the real life stories of the street. Things happen that you just don’t understand. Like the guy on the pushbike who does a wheelstand riding full speed down Queen St block after block. He does this often. Why? Who knows?

Or the guy who forever checks out the bins going about his quest in the manner of a professional he is retrieving left over drinks to top up the paper cup he carries. So many characters that come up to you asking for particular things and you kinda have to give in sometimes.

Like one guy who looked like THE most unhappy person I ever ever saw in my life. I couldn’t help staring at him. He noticed this and said “I suppose you think I’m a fuckwit”. I told him that I had no way of knowing where he was at. I asked him what he wanted.

He replied in the most heart wrenching tone I ever heard “I want to be happy”. I asked him what would make him happy. “A burger and chips” was his reply. Not knowing if this was his true desire I asked him to go get his burger and chips and make sure he brought me the receipt so we could be sure he wasn’t gonna spend the money on alcopops.

He came back some time later literally shaking with fear and held out a receipt and said that they didn’t have a burger and chips so he bought chicken and chips instead.” Is that ok” he said in a voice trembling with fear.

He was convinced I would get angry with him for not doing exactly as instructed. Never forget his trembling hand holding out a receipt and his forlorn face like someone reaching out from the depths of hell. He didn’t ask for much and he didn’t even expect to be allowed to have it. OMG he was the saddest guy ever. So locked in the shame of his own imaginings

As you can see from this video that was made by Hayden Booth

“The street is a great place to make a record and thats what I am in the process of doing.”

Don’t worry I have new material it’s just that he requested I do this one for BFM…its on their site now.

Much to tell but there is so little feedback from these blogs…perhaps everyone is on stalkbook all the time these days. Who knows.

Social and media are two things that mix like oil and water. It seems that for media to be successful it has to behave in a way that is antisocial.

What do you think friendly blog reader? Can you buy me a burger and chips? I wanna be happy.

Words to live by

blog, news, philosophy, street stories

My friend Brazier with his baby.  He can sometimes be found in his bookshop in Dominion Rd.  Graham was a founding member of legendary NZ band Hello Sailor.

Somehow it is no surprise to find the songwriter of “Billy Bold” and many other songs at home with books and words.

GrahamB_resized

The shop abounds with interesting things.

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Here is a note Graham’s mum typed out many years ago. There are a few differences but most of this comes from a very famous poem.

notesfrommum

It turns out that the original was written by Samuel Ullman. We found a more complete version over here.

Here are a couple of verses from that poem called “Youth”.

“Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.

Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.

Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being’s heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what’s next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the infinite, so long are you young.”

Hone and his horse

news, street stories, travel

Meet Hone Heke and his horse. They trot into Nelson regular and park up where they will and have been doin so for many moons.  Hone Heke is his name….  But not by birth. (the real Hone Heke is here)

horse1

This Hone is also thumbing his nose at authority and gaining stature as a monumental misfit , widely despised and marginally loved he offers rides to anyone brave enough to be seen riding high on his cart.

Nelson is a desperately conservative town so his studious thumbing is greeted with studious shunning and most the time the best he gets is kids feeding the horse for the thrill of feeding a horse in a CBD that only welcomes “normal” things .

Few greet Hone but they do talk to the horse, of course.

In this little Britain a horse is esteemed while his master is barely tolerated.

So what is the point of it all?

horse2

Here is a typical traffic fine aquired by our intrepid Equestrian.  The day I saw him Hone acquired $500 worth and this was lighter than the usual $700 a day.

horse3

Notice the wording – The wording stipulates motorised transport as causing the infringement. Could anyone argue that Hone and horse are motorised?

They think not and the legal system can’t defeat their logic. There has been an open forum through the courts thats costing a bomb in legal fees.  It makes even the 120k in traffic fines seem trivial.

He keeps account of every ticket –  the tickets add up to a mere $ 124,303.67.

horse4

Hone’s opponents say its not a matter of “if” he goes to jail its a matter of when.

It’s The Bleak House of the moment with a real Dickensian character confounding a legal system that thought he was gone forever.