You may not realise this but The Afterword wraps its bingo-winged, liver-spotted arms all around the world. From the top of Scandanavia where KFD and Locust roam among shiverimg trolls, all the way to Antarctica where Neil Dyson once posted from, where I believe he was on a hunting trip to pick up some delicious baby penguins.
And everywhere in between…. Thaiiland! Vietnam! Vancouver! It doesn’t matter what you wear* – just as long as you are there.
*Just keep it to yourself if you’re flapping around in the buff.
Anyway, after a robust and transparent selection process, TV’s Auckland has been chosen as the Southern Hemisphere venue for the 2017 event. Largely because it’s where me and Nick Duvet live. So we will be there! And there’s every chance that Precious Mackenzie, Bryan Gould and Nyree Dawn Porter will pop in.
Where? The Northern Steamship Company (it’s a pub), Quay Street, Auckland.
When? 7:30pm Thursday 2 November 2017
The video is a NZ song from the 60s that should be a worldwide well known song but for whatever reason it isn’t. We will be discussing this and many more things on the night.
Previous gatherings have been, shall we say, compact and bijou. So if you are coming and you’re not me or Nick Duvet, give us an indication in the comments and we will make ourselves known by talking loudly about The Incredible String Band or something.
mikethep says
Will Sam Neill be there? Or the Conchords mob?
I’m strangely tempted to nip over, if a 3-hr flight can be said to be nipping.
“Just nipping over to Auckland, dear. I’ll be home for breakfast. What? No, never met them…”
Like most things I’m strangely tempted by, it probably won’t happen, so don’t hold your breath.
Black Celebration says
Almost certainly, Mike! I have just had a bit of a holiday in Australia – very easy and quick flight to Auckland – hardly even got to cruising altitude. We have a new tunnel and everything so the journey into town is a breeze (SkyBus – $17). You will be welcomed with many beverages of your choice if you decide to do it.
Gary says
˙(ɐsɹǝʌ -ǝɔıʌ ʇou ‘ʎlƃuısıɹdɹns ‘ɥƃnoɥʇlɐ) sǝıuɐdɯoɔ dıɥsɯɐǝʇs ɹǝʇɟɐ pǝɯɐu sqnd ɟo ʎɹɐʍ sʎɐʍlɐ ɯ,ı oslɐ ˙noʎ uıoɾ ʎllɐnʇɔɐ oʇ ɥƃnouǝ ʇou ʇsnɾ ˙noʎ uıoɾ oʇ ǝʌol p,ı
Black Celebration says
Good point, Gary. But I don’t want to hog the thread, so perhaps you could tell the readers what on earth is going on?
Gary says
˙ǝɯıʇ llnɟ sıɥʇ ɥʇıʍ ǝdoɔ sɐllǝɟ noʎ ʍoɥ ʍouʞ ʇ,uop ı ˙ʎzzıp ƃuıʇʇǝƃ ɯ,ı ʇnq plnoʍ ı
H.P. Saucecraft says
˙suɹoɔ ʎɯ ɟo ǝsnɐɔǝq ssɐlɔ ssǝuᴉsnq ǝq oʇ sɐɥ ʇI ˙ǝɹɐɟɹᴉɐ ʎɯ ɹoɟ ƃuᴉɔɹnospʍoɹɔ lnɟssǝɔɔns ɐ uo spuǝdǝp ǝɔuǝsǝɹd ʎW
Moose the Mooche says
All the blood’s gone to your head
(hur)
Mousey says
Well I’d love to be there, seeing as how I live in Sydney but spend a lot of time in NZ
I’ll be in Auckland for a week from Sat Nov 11 if by any chance the date can be shifted. Doing a solo piano concert actually on Sat 11th…
mikethep says
I’m even more strangely interested…
Black Celebration says
Well we’d be daft to pass up that opportunity Mousey. I am at a family wedding on the Saturday in Nelson but the week following that could be a goer. @nickduvet could you do Weds 15th?
nickduvet says
Yes, I’m free!
Junior Wells says
Wasn’t there a kiwi in the blog with a name something to do with cloud ?
Black Celebration says
I believe that is @mclongwhitecloud – possibly based in Wellington if memory serves?
Colin H says
Let us celebrate our friends in this distant, little-known outpost with a brief extract of the tale of the Mahavishnu Orchestra in New Zealand in 1974 (the Oz/NZ tour covers 12 pages in ‘Echoes From Then’, by the way, including the recollections of at least one AWer in real-life guise):
For the members of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, New Zealand remains memorable for the days off they enjoyed in between their two concerts:
‘New Zealand was fun because John had arranged through the promoter to take us on a private plane ride,’ says [roadie] Greg DiGiovine, ‘overseeing the mountains, and that was really nice. Either one or two small planes took us up and seeing everything from the sky, it was so beautiful – New Zealand looked to us just like Switzerland, so drop-dead beautiful. And the people were so friendly. It was just like being in a little fairyland or something! On tours, whenever there was time off, an opportunity to go skiing or do anything sports-like, though skiing was his favourite thing, [we’d do it]. He wasn’t afraid to try new things. In New Zealand he wanted to go hang-gliding and he took a whole group of us and got these instructors and they taught us all how to hang-glide – and we all got hurt, we all broke the hang-gliding things… It cost a lot of money! But John was so excited to try it.’
‘As an Orchestra, we all went over on a field trip to Rota Rua,’ says [violinist] Steve Kindler, ‘the place where they have steam baths, geysers, etcetera. And we all got to fly a hang-glider! These friends of the promoter brought a hang-glider along.’
‘The whole band was invited by a fan who was coaching, teaching top hang-glide,’ says [electric violinist] Jean-Luc. ‘And when I saw how difficult it was I made sure I was the last in line! And by the time it was my turn we had to go back – we had to rush back to be in time for the gig. So I pretended I was really sorry! That was pretty funny. Soon after maybe a couple of metres then, boom! – down in the sand.’
‘Bob and I and John McLaughlin,’ says [cellist] Phil Hirschi, ‘as a result of that, and mostly through Bob’s instigation, the three of us bought a hang-glider. Bob and I went hang-gliding up in upstate New York several times. Bob was very competent at it, while I at least never managed to break my neck. And we never got John out to do it! We invited him and invited him. But John paid for a third of it!’
‘Good for them!’ says Steve Kindler. ‘I remember now that they were very enthusiastic. Jean-Luc had this 35mm camera along and he took pictures of us all day – tethered to this hang-glider, being pulled along a beach, flying us like a colossal kite! It was great fun, and there were some very exciting crashes. Mahavishnu could be a very adventurous, fun-loving guy when it came to being on the road. One moment he would be serene and withdrawn, completely immersed in spiritual thoughts and contemplation of Guru, and the next moment he could be the most rascally, adventurous, mischievous person who could get into all kinds of trouble. I remember Elliott [Sears] telling me of when they would all rent these sports cars, Porsches, BMWs [in the first MO], these really high-end cars, and have road rallies through the Alps, racing from gig to gig. At one point, so the story went, those in the trailing car looked in the rear view and saw flashing lights way back in the distance. It was Interpol, who had been chasing them for hours, ever since the border… but couldn’t catch up! Just like the rest of us, they couldn’t catch up.’
nickduvet says
Thanks Colin. The town is called Rotorua, renowned as mentioned for its geothermal activity
Colin H says
A direct (written/emailed) quotation – I should have checked the spelling. One never manages to 100% get it right, alas.
Black Celebration says
Great stuff. I have asked the admins to change the OP to 15th November to accommodate @mousey and possibly @mikethep.
Mousey says
Brilliant!
mikethep says
Well, egged on by the Fun Facilitation Officer for reasons of her own, I seem to be on the point of committing to spending several days in Auckland…@mousey‘s gig looks like a lot of fun. Twelve pianists!
Here’s the thing though. @black-celebration, @nickduvet, how committed are you to Wednesday 15? Reason I ask is that I have choir practice on Weds nights, and I’d really like to be back in Bris for that. So if our mingle could be moved forward to Tuesday or even Monday that would be fab.
Koeeoaddi there!
Black Celebration says
I’m open to that @mikethep – Monday, then? @nickduvet, @mousey ?
Mousey says
Any day good for me
nickduvet says
Yes, Monday works for me. Good effort by Mr Thep.
Mousey says
So I’m playing a solo piano set as part of this occasion – http://www.audiofoundation.org.nz/programmes/live-events/joanna-joanna
mikethep says
I’ll be there! Looking into flights now…
mikethep says
And…flights looked into and bought, Air b’n’b scored, all good. Just need a ticket for Mousey’s gig.
I can resist anything except strange temptation.
Black Celebration says
That’s tremendous news @mikethep. !! Look forward to seeing you there.