Miscellany

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May 18, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

The Way It Is With Prince

When Prince died I wasn’t a mess, and I was surprised somewhat by that. It just never happened. It was a strange day, sure. And I wrote about it – the memory of (finally) seeing him (just two months earlier) still so fresh in my head – but I find it so much harder to listen to his music these days. I start an album and cannot finish it. Maybe because it comes now with the realisation that he’ll never finish the work. When I was at my peak as a Prince fan, I just imagined him, Willy Wonka-like, having the production line of music that never ended. A mad wizard concocting spells forever. Read More »

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May 16, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Poem: Knowing The Score

Some time ago when I was 10 or 11 or
maybe I was 5 or 6, music hit me and
I’m glad it did.  I felt no pain, only joy,

sorrow of course, when the music told me
to feel that way – and thanks must go
to Mark Knopfler for his soundtracks

of Last Exit to Brooklyn and Local Hero
and Cal, thanks to Danny Elfman and
Wendy Carlos and Bill Conti and many others

(Thomas and Randy Newman, Hans Zimmer,
John Barry, Howard Shore, James Horner
and of course Bernard Herrmann).

The music reached me through movies, it
was grabbing me by the shoulders from
the radio, in the form of pop songs – but

the real hit came from soundtrack music;
a sneak attack. Hitting out in stealth, disguised
as background, as part of a scene within a film.

It has changed my life.

Made me who I am.

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May 16, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Where Have All The Kiwi Soundtracks Gone?

My fascination with film scores – listening to them, collecting them – began with a New Zealand movie. But you wouldn’t have such luck now.

When I was a kid the Footrot Flats movie, A Dog’s Tail Tale, was a local blockbuster. It was at the cinemas, at a time when not every Kiwi film made it that far. Not only that, its trailer played ahead of the big movies of the day. I remember being in the theatre watching Crocodile Dundee and we were treated to the trailer for Dog’s Tale. It wasn’t so much a teaser for the film as it was an entire music video (“that’s not a trailer. THIS is a trailer!”) Read More »

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May 16, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Watching Music

The best way you can learn about music is by listening to it – sure, you can research, ask questions, read up, get opinions from others…these are all smart ways to build your knowledge, but number one is to listen widely. And far too often.

Reading about music has been a big part of my life. Going and seeing shows in the flesh, absolutely. Listening to music is something I’ve probably done far too much – it’s still a constant, music on in my ears while working, while walking, in the car, and at home before and after a day at work.

But one of my favourite things to do is watch music concerts on a screen and watch music docos.

I am talking about any kind of music documentary. Read More »

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May 13, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Everything Must Go: My Last Time At The Record Fair

Today I will be at A Vinyl Affair – Wellington’s Record Fair. I am pretty sure it will be my last time selling records there. Not because it’s a bad time – it’s a great time and a great place, but because it’s the end of the road for me as a record sell. Last year I sold up big time. It was great. Moved out a bunch of stuff I needed to sell at a time when I needed some money and no longer needed the records.

This time I am selling the last of what I have to offer that I no longer require. Read More »

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May 13, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Poem: Running Lines

The horror maze was filled with shrieks
and jump-scares, limbs tumbled down
out of trap-door openings, parts were

well-played, weird moans, demented
laughing, while we walked through
darkness and burst out laughing, once

or even twice. It was fun but never truly
scary. And not because I’m desensitised
to horror,  although it’s true that I don’t

jump and barely get scared. See, there just
wasn’t an email asking if I have capacity
to pick up some of a colleague’s workflow.

My fifteen minutes in the maze felt like a
warm blanket, a nice escape, just curl up
with a cuppa, let the actors run their lines.

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May 12, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Bono’s Book

This is absolutely no lie: I’m pumped to read Bono’s memoir. Out in November.  Here’s a wee extract.

Bono is perhaps best known of course for being the “There’s Wally!” of rock-docs. But when he’s not being memed, when he’s not promising change, when he’s not getting right in under the goat(ee) of post-punkers, he’s also (still) the frontman of U2.

I’m a lapsed fan. Read More »

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May 12, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Poem: Don’t say slave, you are free

i clearly said ‘no’ when the guy
asked me if i wanted
my receipt.               but he still

made a face as i walked off
while the machine was
flashing its ‘acceptance’.

either we are both at fault,
or it’s neither of us – but certainly
this is not anyone else’s problem.

Archive

May 12, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Mike Post About My Favourite TV Composer

In primary school, way back a hundred years ago or so, I learned about Mike Post. He was the guy that wrote the theme tune for Hill Street Blues. I loved that show. I didn’t really understand it so well, at first. But it was one of the shows I was allowed to stay up and watch – if I couldn’t get to sleep, if I just wanted a bit more time up and with my folks, and from there I started to follow some of the storylines.

I certainly understood that piece of soundtrack music though. Along with Chariots of Fire and the music to Our World (Jean Michel Jarre’s Equinox) it had an enormous impact – on m listening then. And now. Read More »

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