The skinny from the Wordman
I’ve known my friend Wordman aka Keith Newman, a freelance Journalist, poet and lyricist for eons. I admire him because apart from being very good at what he does, he’s also a pretty good bloke. “He’s a passionate advocate for New Zealand arts and music” but the qualities that I most admire about him are that when he puts his hand to the plough he’s consistent and hardworking.
They’re the kind of qualities in a person, in their work experience, in their level of maturity that a small country like New Zealand ought to be encouraging, promoting and working closely with. Why? Because that’s the way to maintain a continued brain-stay of professional, intellectual, artistic and creative talent and that’s just scratching the surface of the why for ice cap. I hasten to add (in case you misinterpet what I just said) he’s not going anywhere outside of New Zealand any time soon!
Musical Chairs
He has produced and narrated over a dozen Musical Chairs programmes for Radio New Zealand and had his first book Ratana Revisited (580 pages with photographs by Ans Westra) published by Reed Publishing two years ago. In July this year, his book Connecting the Clouds: The Internet in New Zealand was published by Activity Press and documents the rise of the Internet in New Zealand and looks to the future as it becomes an increasingly vital part of our economic and social infrastructure.”
He has what I good-naturedly refer to as a shopping trolly load of specialist goods to his credit, “as a writer about technology and related subjects he has received a number of National Awards such as Best Magazine Feature Writer, IC&T, Qantas Media Awards 2004; Telecommunications Users Association (TUANZ ) Journalist of the Year 2004, finalist 2005 and 2006 and finalist MPA Business Journalist of the Year 2005. Last year he won the Best Produced Music Programme at the New Zealand Radio Awards for his Blerta Years series broadcast on Radio New Zealand National.” I told you he was good!
So what’s the skinny? On account of how I think he’s so famous I emailed the Wordman earlier in the week. My initial thought was kick-started by the trip up North where I’d wondered which recording artists I’d have as backseat passengers or a front seat driver. It rattled around in my head for a bit before it seemed to snowball into five questions. So I asked him and his answers, like ducks in a row are:
Penneylane: The name of the most prized NZ vinyl record you have in your collection?
Wordman: Corben Simpson’s first solo album released in 1972 with the Dick Frizzell cover, two Van Morrison covers and the Simpson original Mystery Lady. Lovely flowing rhythms and what a voice. It featured the core members of what was to become Blerta. I reviewed it for the Central Hawkes Bay Press, raved about it and saw Corben live a short while later. He later became a good friend.
Penneylane: Three NZ songwriters you’d want to get stranded with on the Chatham Islands?
Wordman: Dave Dobbyn, Shona Laing and John Hore Grennell (he’d probably know how to survive in that harsh land and lead us all in a few Kiwiana sing-alongs)
Penneylane: Two NZ albums you’d never leave the country without?
Wordman: Jacqui FitzGerald’s Masquerade and Ticket’s Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
Penneylane: If you could form a ‘Dream Group’ comprised of six NZ recording artists who would you have? N.B. You can’t have more than one member of a known NZ group and you have to have vocal/guitar/drum and keyboard.
Wordman: Evan Silva on vocals (the Action), Eddie Hansen on guitar (Ticket), Bruno Lawrence on drums, Dave Orams(Underdogs/Quincy Conserve) on bass and Eddie Rayner (Split Enz) on keyboards; and finally
Penneylane: All time iconic NZ song that epitomises a generation of unsung NZ creativity aka the ‘one that got away!’
Wordman: Pelicans, Banana Dominion
Some of the names of individuals and or bands took me back a few years but only now can I truly appreciate their contribution to creating the firm foundation that is the musical heritage of todays musicians, songwriter/producers and performers. I’d had my Jacqui Fitzgerald ‘Masquerade’ album for forever but strangely enough it never found its way back among my possessions after the divorce. Light-heartedly I’d say that was pretty good grounds for one!
I DO think New Zealanders ought to know that Shona Laing IS a brilliant songwriter. She was described recently during a 2008 Obitalive interview as having the ‘soul of kiwi music’. I had a listen to some of her more recent work. The ‘mortal coil’ has aged some, there’s an earthy comeliness in her personhood and her writing remains completely solid. I like that about her body of work.
My parents had the John Hore (Grennell came later) album ‘Encore’ (33 rpm) and which (if money were no object and I had a mere $USD 15k in my back pocket I’d get myself one of those fandango ELP vinyl record players that uses lasers to play your old records. The laser “stylus” reads the record grooves with light, therefore no groove contact and no wear, plus the unit features pure analog playback) I believe I could transport my vocal-memory back down penneylane and I’d pretty much remember every word (give or take a few lapses) from the songs on it. Very scary!
I played Pelicans ‘8 Duck Treasure’ album in my HCFM show too and if you’ve never seen it, the cover art for the album by Debra Bustin pops even by todays standards. I love it still. Anyway, tomorrow’s blog asks the same questions of Larry Morris of the Larry Morris Band fame. He’s as hardworking as ever because I catch him on the fly since he’s on the road right now. How will his ducks line up?
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