Posts Tagged Interviews
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October 25, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
On Song: Five Years Old/Five Years On
Five years ago I released a book. On Song looked at 30 of the best New Zealand songs, 30 of my favourites. We started with a long list of at least 100 songs and whittled and whittled. I say ‘we’ – I am referring to the publisher, Penguin. And me. I was commissioned to write […]Archive
September 21, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Litcrawl 2017: Program Announced
Litcrawl is the little Wellington writing festival that could. In fact it did. And still is. Here we are now nearing its fourth iteration – Litcrawl 2017 will run across November 10-12 and will feature local, national and international names in literature. As with previous years the festival seeks to create boutique events, to place […]Archive
May 3, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Virginia Hanlon Grohl: From Cradle To Stage
From Cradle to Stage: Stories From The Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars Virginia Hanlon Grohl Seal Press Nepotism meets meta-prank – or something? – as Dave Grohl’s mother rolls out a book just in time for Mother’s Day…Archive
April 10, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. John Clarke
John Clarke has died. He was 68. There will be many mentions of ‘Trev’ and ‘Good on ya’ and the need for gumboots today and tomorrow and into next week. His 40 year old catchphrases were taken from the farms of New Zealand and placed into the mainstream of TV and radio and his frequently […]Archive
November 13, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
The Interview: What It’s Really Like To Talk To The Famous Person On The Other End Of The Line
I always think, no matter how bad an interview goes at least I have never done this. And really, these days, with this thing you’re on – the internet – there is no excuse for that. It’s a funny thing, the music interview. Whenever I tell someone that I’ve scored an interview I get some […]Archive
August 21, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
Tom Roston: I Lost It At The Video Store – A Filmmakers’ Oral History of a Vanished Era
I Lost It At The Video Store: A Filmmakers’ Oral History of a Vanished Era Tom Roston The Critical Press This well-intentioned, slim volume aims to bring together a range of voices around the idea of the local video store being the birth place of modern independent cinema and indie-filmmaking; most famously Quentin Tarantino and […]Archive
August 12, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
WWE Eric Bischoff – Sports Entertainment’s Most Controversial Figure: DVD
Eric Bischoff: Sports Entertainment’s Most Controversial Figure WWE Madman Here – sprawling over three discs – we have the story of Eric Bischoff, dubbed “Sports Entertainment’s Most Controversial Figure” and if that’s a big call, then it’s also a pretty large call thinking he’s worth a feature-length DVD with bonus matches and ephemera. But, the […]Archive
February 10, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
Stubs: #187 – Diana Krall, Wellington, 2010
I had seen Diana Krall one other time – and it was very good. I’m no huge fan of her but she was a great interviewee, really great. And seeing her play with a kick-ass wee combo was thoroughly decent. But this was a triple bill – or appearing as something resembling that…and Krall was […]Archive
January 6, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
Warren Zanes: Petty – The Biography
Petty: The Biography Warren Zanes Henry Holt & Co/First Edition edition Tom Petty – class act. Magnificent run of albums and singles, kick-ass live band, a bit of time out on his own, but a fantastic bandleader, also a member of music’s first serious attempt at a living Mount Rushmore of Rock band, The Traveling […]Archive
October 18, 2015 by Simon Sweetman
Paul Du Noyer: Conversations with McCartney
Conversations with McCartney Paul Du Noyer Hodder & Stoughton Ltd./Hachette I was tempted to just link to Steve Braunias’ spot-on assessment of this book – just leave you with that review; it does essentially sum it up. Here, collected in one place, are many of Paul McCartney’s dullest interviews, most of them commissioned, scripted damn-near, […]Archive
February 24, 2015 by Simon Sweetman