Posts Tagged Music
Archive
January 23, 2022 by Simon Sweetman
Playlists By Writers
Just the other day this Stephen King playlist took my interest. A story of King’s ultimate selection. I had to hear this. And wow. Some pretty great choices. Now I have Stephen King’s favourite music to listen to when I’m reading a Stephen King book. Or as I’m writing. It won’t ever make me write […]Archive
January 7, 2022 by Simon Sweetman
My 2021 RNZ Features
Once a month or so I get to have a chat on RNZ and present a feature – 40 minutes or so of talking and music selections around a theme or particular act. These are fun. And challenging. It’s live radio. This year was particularly challenging given the pandemic and lockdown precautions meant recording live […]Archive
December 4, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
In Praise of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
In late 2007, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss released Raising Sand. What an album. I remember it well – the release and early years of playing it, I mean. The album is still with me now. A forever favourite. A modern classic that feels like it was beamed in from another time entirely. I was […]Archive
November 30, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
The Nostalgic Pull: Forever Grateful
I’ve always been aware of the nostalgic pull; it drives my writing in so many ways. The reason I wanted to get into writing about music in the way that I did was to recap. I used to keep diaries of the albums I bought, the albums I listened to each day. For years I […]Archive
November 16, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
So You Think You Wanna Be A Freelance Writer…
I finished school in Hawke’s Bay and moved to Wellington for University. I didn’t really know exactly what I wanted to do – but I was always interested in writing, so I figured I’d be a journalist. My plan was to do a BA in English and then apply to journalism school. In my second […]Archive
November 7, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
The Soundtrack Makes You Want To See The Film (Again)
So I’m listening to the soundtrack to Last Tango in Paris the other day – I picked up the LP more because I was on a Gato Barbieri kick, rather than for any nostalgia for seeing the film. I’ve seen Last Tango, I guess I enjoyed it – can acknowledge its classic/controversial status – but I can’t say […]Archive
November 1, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
In Praise of John Carpenter
By the time I first became aware of John Carpenter I’d already seen a few of his movies. I’d seen Big Trouble In Little China, certainly and most of They Live and of course Christine – which I really just watched as “a Stephen King film”, paying no attention to who made it. But the […]Archive
October 24, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
The Soul of The Music Is What Matters
I was flipping through this Joan Jett book – a really light read, some good pictures I guess, and it traces around her professional life. But there’s a quote from Joan I liked. Well, actually, it’s half a quote. The back half. The front half is not important, but the second part of the quote says, […]Archive
October 23, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: Mail Delivery
There was a special delivery in the mail yesterday, all of the records Alec Bathgate made as a solo act, all pressed to vinyl, brand new. Not only that, but Lindsay Rabbitt’s new volume of poetry – these were gifts from the creators; they’ll want me to write about them. But I want to write […]Archive
October 20, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Now Music Is Saved Somewhat From TV Advertising
When my folks come for a visit, at some point, every time, one of them will mention a catchphrase – something they’ve picked up from TV-advertising. And we’ll look at them with our very best blank look, because we don’t see ads. We certainly don’t remember them. If we happen to catch them – maybe […]Archive
October 9, 2021 by Simon Sweetman