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Recent Posts
- Greetings from Great Barrier Island – April 2015 August 4, 2015
- A Day In The Life – 27 September 1969 March 21, 2015
- Laneway Festival, Auckland, 26 January 2015 January 27, 2015
- Disneyworld Hollywood Studios, Orlando: September 2014 January 25, 2015
- A Day In The Life – 27 September 1968 January 20, 2015
- Cape Canaveral – Mission Accomplished: September 2014 January 14, 2015
- Musical Micropause: Z December 13, 2014
- Legoland Florida: September 2014 December 10, 2014
- Nick Cave – live in Auckland, 7 December 2014 December 8, 2014
- Musical Micropause: Y November 19, 2014
- Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center: September 2014 November 14, 2014
- Musical Micropause: X November 12, 2014
- I need my Space! Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Washington DC: September 2014 November 9, 2014
- Musical Micropause: W October 19, 2014
- Natural History and Many Memorials – Washington DC: September 2014 October 12, 2014
- Musical Micropause: V October 5, 2014
- Washington DC: September 2014 October 5, 2014
- Musical Micropause U: 35 years of U2 live December 13, 2013
- Musical Micropause: T December 12, 2013
- New York – first taste of the Apple: May 1994 December 12, 2013
- Musical Micropause: S November 29, 2013
- Amédée Island, New Caledonia: September 1991 November 28, 2013
- Musical Micropause: R November 20, 2013
- Weathering the Burns Day Storm: 25-26 January 1990 November 18, 2013
- Musical Micropause: Q November 5, 2013
- Westwards to Wales: January 1990 October 31, 2013
- Musical Micropause: P October 30, 2013
- Musical Micropause: O October 28, 2013
- To Brittany and beyond: January 1990 October 25, 2013
- Musical Micropause: N October 17, 2013
- Last train to Lannemezan: November 1989 October 14, 2013
- Musical Micropause: M October 3, 2013
- You have to laugh – mishaps and misadventures in France October 2, 2013
- From the Basque Country to the Holy Waters: December 1989 September 25, 2013
- Musical Micropause: L September 20, 2013
- Rocamadour and the Black Madonna: December 1989 September 15, 2013
- Musical Micropause: K September 10, 2013
- Cave paintings and Chocolate croissants: November 1989 September 4, 2013
- Musical micropause: J September 3, 2013
- Keep on Running – back to Bordeaux: November 1989 August 29, 2013
- Musical micropause: I August 23, 2013
- Amsterdam in installments: 1989-2008 August 20, 2013
- Musical micropause: H August 14, 2013
- Blacklisted in Bordeaux: December 1987 August 10, 2013
- Musical micropause: G August 4, 2013
- Searching for Snow in the Pyrenees: December 1987 July 31, 2013
- Musical micropause: F – voices from down under July 16, 2013
- Christmas in Bordeaux, December 1987 July 12, 2013
- Musical micropause: E July 9, 2013
- Bonjour Bordeaux! – December 1987 July 5, 2013
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Author Archives: westiedad
A Day In The Life – 27 September 1969
Has it really been that long since my last post? Moving house seems to be a process that never quite finishes. With only a few boxes left to unpack, I don’t feel too guilty visiting the 60’s again. 27 September … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged 1969, Black Sabbath, david bowie, Dr John, Fleetwood Mac, Grateful Dead, I'm Gonna Move Right In, Jimi Hendrix, music, nana mouskouri, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Saint Paul, Sanata, Scooby Doo, Shane, Simon and Garfunkel, Terry Knight, The Who, Van Morrison, velvet underground, vu
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Disneyworld Hollywood Studios, Orlando: September 2014
Like sand after a day at the beach, New Zealanders seem to get everywhere. We’ve just entered Orlando’s Disneyworld Hollywood Studios and are exchanging our vouchers for day cards with our pre-booked rides scheduled. It’s called Fast Pass Plus and … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged Action! Extreme Stunt Show, Captain Jack Sparrow, Disneyworld, Fast Pass Plus, Florida, Great Movie Ride, Helicopter, Honey I Shrunk The Kids, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, International Heli-tours, Lights, Motors, Muppet Show, Muppet Vision, Pizza Planet, Star Tours, Toy Story, travel, Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream
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A Day In The Life – 27 September 1968
“I was born the same year the greatest automobile in the history of automobiles was created, the 1957 Chevrolet. Thank God only one of us had tail fins.” ― Michael Buffalo Smith, Prisoner of Southern Rock: A Memoir I think … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged 27 September 68, Allison Durbin, Baby Please Don't Go, Beatles, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Big Joe Williams, Carl Perkins, Chicago, CTA, Dunoon, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, I Have Loved Me A Man, Janis Joplin, John Mayall, Led Zeppelin, Mick Taylor, music, Piece Of My Heart, Pink Floyd, Restless, The Who, Tommy
1 Comment
Cape Canaveral – Mission Accomplished: September 2014
Cape Canaveral. As a kid growing up in the 70’s, the word Canaveral had a wonderfully evocative sound – the sound of a place where great things happen. You couldn’t call a small country town Canaveral. I had no idea … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged Apollo 1, Apollo 13, Apollo 19, Apollo Center, Atlantis Experience, Bald Eagle, Banana River, Cape Canaveral, Crawler Transporters, Falcon 9, Firing Theater, Florida, Franz, Hans, James Reilly, Jim Reilly, Lost In Space, Lunch With An Astronaut, NASA, Rocket Garden, Saturn V, Space Coast, Space Shuttle, SpaceX, VAB, Vehicle Assembly Building
6 Comments
Musical Micropause: Z
Zoot Woman: Grey Day (2003) Zoot Woman is a three-piece electronica band from the UK. They released their debut EP in 1995, and in August 2014 they released their fourth full-length CD. During that time they’ve picked up a range … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Billy Gibbons, Body Memory, Carmelita, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, Grey Day, Thalia Zedek, Tush, Warren Zevon, Zoot Woman, ZZ Top
2 Comments
Legoland Florida: September 2014
My boys were always destined to be legoheads. My own Lego had been kept in a suitcase at my parents’ house for decades, with each set stored in its own blue plastic bag, and instructions meticulously hole-punched and numerically filed. … Continue reading
Nick Cave – live in Auckland, 7 December 2014
It has to be a sign of a great gig, where you can’t stop the songs from going around your head a day later, and after listening to nothing but Nick Cave for weeks, you don’t want to stop. My … Continue reading
Musical Micropause: Y
Neil Young: Rockin In The Free World (1989) How do you pick one Neil Young song? Do you choose acoustic Neil or noisy Neil? There’s a world between “See The Sky About To Rain” and “Cortex The Killer”, but both … Continue reading
Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center: September 2014
Who doesn’t like a good waffle? These have become a key part of the daily routine for my boys, and Sam is more than happy to share his new skills on the waffle maker with anyone looking slightly nervous. Most … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged Blackbird, Cessna, chantilly, Concorde, Discovery, Enola Gay, Hiroshima, metro, Space Shuttle, Udvar-Hazy, waffles, Washington DC
4 Comments
Musical Micropause: X
XTC: Making Plans For Nigel (1979) It’s generally a sign that a single has been a major success in the UK if it manages to find its way to New Zealand airwaves, and this was particularly true in the late … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Afraid Of Monsters, Arms For Hostages, For Frosty Mornings and Summer Nights, hey Zeus!, John Twells, Making Plans for Nigel, music, VCR, X, xela, XTC, XX
2 Comments
I need my Space! Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Washington DC: September 2014
I confess to being a maker of lists. While some people count sheep, I might be working out my top ten bands that I have yet to see, or my top ten unvisited destinations in Europe. Barcelona is still leading, … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged Air and Space Museum, amelia earhart, Apollo, Columbia, Curiosity, Einstein Planetarium, flyer, fridge magnet, Gemini, Hubble, John Glenn, lindbergh, Lunar Module, Mars, Mercury, Moon, moonrock, rover, simulator, Skylab, Smithsonian, space food, spacefood, spirit of st louis, Washington, wright brothers, Yuri Gagarin
2 Comments
Musical Micropause: W
White Stripes: You’re Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl) (2000) I wish I’d seen these guys live, but hopefully I’ll see Jack White one day. This song seems to contain all the elements of a classic White Stripes song: slightly ragged but … Continue reading
Natural History and Many Memorials – Washington DC: September 2014
Day Three: Our first stop at Washington’s Museum of Natural History has been booked well in advance. Not far behind my mum’s wish to take her kids to Disneyland has been her visit to the Gems and Minerals section of … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged ammonite, angler fish, Coelacanth, Foggy Bottom, fossils, gems, hope diamond, Jefferson Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, minerals, nemo, Roosevelt Memorial, tarantula, Washington DC, Watergate
2 Comments
Musical Micropause: V
Townes Van Zandt: No Place To Fall – Live At The Old Quarter, Houston, Texas (1973) I’d come across the name of Townes Van Zandt in many interviews and articles, with one quote attributed to Steve Earle getting my attention: “Townes … Continue reading
Washington DC: September 2014
Well this is a bit embarrassing. It feels a bit like ringing my mum having not called for far too long. I made some very nice friends in these parts, and hopefully some of them still live in the neighbourhood. … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged Calexico, Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Harry Truman, Mark Twain, metro, Pentagon, Potbelly, Spy Museum, United States, Washington DC, White House
3 Comments
Musical Micropause U: 35 years of U2 live
Just as Q is dominated by Queen, so it is with U and U2. Underworld did have a great track with Born Slippy, and UB40 were nothing to be ashamed of in their early days, but it gets tricky after … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Adam Clayton, Bono, dublin, Edge, ireland, Larry Mullen, Live Aid, Street Mission, u2, Vertigo, ZooTV
2 Comments
Musical Micropause: T
TV On The Radio: Wolf Like Me (2006) Rated as Spin’s album of the year, no 2 for Pitchfork, and no 4 for both Stylus and Rolling Stone, it was hard not to hear the positive reviews received in 2006 … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Ain’t Too Proud To Beg, Amy Winehouse, Came So Far for Beauty, David Byrne, Dusk, I'm Your Man, Johnny Marr, leonard cohen, Life During Wartime, Return To Cookie Mountain, Rolling Stones, Slow Emotion Reply, Talking Heads, Teddy Thompson, Temptations, The The, Tonight Will Be Fine, TV On The Radio, Wolf Like Me
5 Comments
New York – first taste of the Apple: May 1994
My neighbor is very chatty, and as she’s a New Yorker, I try to get some hints that aren’t covered by the guidebooks. I’m on the countdown now. This is my first visit to New York, and I’ve managed to … Continue reading
Posted in Music, Travel
Tagged Andy Warhol, John cale, Lou Reed, Manhattan, New York, Tom Wilson, travel, USA, velvet underground
2 Comments
Amédée Island, New Caledonia: September 1991
I’m sure I’ve imagined this island, probably at about 3pm on a Friday, when the “to do” list for the afternoon is drifting into the “must do” list for Monday. And it exists – Amédée Island, 24 kilometres due south … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged Amedee, archery, beach soccer, french, frogs, New Caledonia, Noumea, snails, travel
5 Comments
Musical Micropause: R
Commercially and critically, R surely has to be recognised as one of the most successful letters in the modern musical era. A micropauser is truly spoiled for choice. Open up and say….R! Lou Reed: Dirty Boulevard (live in New York, … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged auckland, Bryan Ferry, Bulgakov, Dirty Boulevard, Glastonbury, Idioteque, Kid A, Lou Reed, Master and Margarita, music, New York, radiohead, REM, Rolling Stones, Roxy Music, Sympathy For The Devil, Virginia Plain
3 Comments
Weathering the Burns Day Storm: 25-26 January 1990
Is this really a typical Winter’s day in the UK? I’ve heard bad stories, but this is a bit extreme. It’s been a long day and I’m supposed to be in France by now. I feel the need for a … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged amiens, arras, bloody weather, burns day storm, calais, daria, Dover, England, eurail, france, hurricane, paris, storm, travel, United Kingdom, wind
2 Comments
Musical Micropause: Q
There’s no way around it. If you wouldn’t recognise Queens of the Stone Age, and don’t know Q-Tip, then Q is for Queen. Queen: Love of My Life – Live (1986) I think my main problem with Queen’s music is … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Brian May, david bowie, Freddie Mercury, John Deacon, Love of my life, music, Queen, Roger Taylor, Somebody to Love, The Show Must Go On, Under Pressure
3 Comments
Westwards to Wales: January 1990
Despite the lack of bluebirds, as first impressions go, seeing the white cliffs of Dover appearing out of the mist isn’t a bad introduction. In my childhood I was in no position to escape my Mum’s musical taste, so I’m … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged Bath, Britrail, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Chepstow, Dover, England, London, Monmouth, Oxford, rain, Stonehenge, tank, Tintern Abbey, trains, travel, umbrella, United Kingdom, Vera Lynn, Wales
7 Comments
Musical Micropause: O
Okkervil River: Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe (2007) Another band that I’ve discovered through the pages of Word and Uncut, Okkervil River are sometimes labelled indie-folk, sometimes Americana. Being named after a short story by a Russian author hints … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged a minha menina, beth orton, feel to believe, masterplan, noel gallagher, oasis, okkervil river, os mutantes, will sheff
6 Comments
To Brittany and beyond: January 1990
Maybe it’s the sheep jokes, but for some reason I feel a certain affinity with Brittany. I wasn’t aware that Brittany enjoys a similarly unfounded reputation for their hospitality to sheep as my homeland. The younger crowd in Bordeaux do … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged angers, apocalypse tapestries, brittany, chateau villemaurine, france, jersey, lorient, nantes, new years eve, pontorson, rennes, st emilion, st helier, st malo, train, travel
2 Comments
Musical Micropause: N
New Pornographers: Myriad Harbour (2007) Another band that I’ve discovered through Word and Uncut magazines, the New Pornographers formed in Vancouver in 1999. This track was one of the singles from Challengers, the CD that the were promoting when they … Continue reading
Last train to Lannemezan: November 1989
When three french heads simultaneously stop their conversations and look at you, you know that something is up. In fact, I’m up – up in the Pyrenees, when I should be getting closer to Bordeaux. How did that happen? And … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged Bob Dylan, bordeaux, Carcassonne, eurail, france, Lannemezan, Toulouse, train, travel, walkman
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Musical Micropause: M
Unintentionally all old school today. Tales from the M drawer… Bob Mould: See A Little Light (1989) This is from Workbook, Bob Mould’s first solo album after the break-up of Hüsker Dü in 1988. After the volume of Hüsker Dü, this … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged angel, bob mould, deserters songs, don mcglashan, massive attack, mercury rev, mezzanine, mutton birds, opus 40, white valiant, workbook
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You have to laugh – mishaps and misadventures in France
Have you ever had that feeling that you’re stuck inside a phone booth in Bordeaux at 11pm with only a beer for company? I think I may be one of the few – it was an interesting way to finish … Continue reading
From the Basque Country to the Holy Waters: December 1989
When I visited France in late 1987, ETA, an armed group of Basque nationalists, were active in Spain with 44 deaths in the previous twelve months from car bomb attacks in Madrid, Barcelona and Zaragoza. Almost 200 others have been … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged Basque, Benesses-les-dax, Boulevard des Pyrenees, Dax, france, holy water, Lourdes, miracles, Pau, pyrenees, St-Jean_de-Luz, travel
3 Comments
Musical Micropause: L
Luna: 23 Minutes In Brussels (1995) My introduction to Luna was their 1995 CD, “Penthouse”, which includes this track. A lot of bands claim to be influenced by the Velvet Underground, but with their relentless chug I think these guys may … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged jens lekman, lambchop, low, luna, mojo, music, robert plant, silver rider, uncut, word magazine
2 Comments
Rocamadour and the Black Madonna: December 1989
There isn’t much that can be said about the origins of Rocamadour with certainty, but it can’t be denied that the setting is stunning. I’ve taken the train from Bordeaux to Brive-la-Gaillarde, and then on to Rocamadour Padirac station. From … Continue reading
Musical Micropause: K
Kings of Convenience: I’d Rather Dance With You (2004) My favourite act of 2013. The Kings of Convenience produce beautiful melodies, but how do two guys from Bergen, Norway, come up with such intricate lyrics? With a tall blond guy leading the … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged Killers, Kings of Convenience, Kinks, Mark Knopfler, Romeo and Juliet, Waterloo Sunset
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Cave paintings and Chocolate croissants: November 1989
One advantage of Google Maps is that I finally have a map with enough detail to show me exactly where I was on my travels over twenty years ago. Places in France like Bénesse-lès-Dax or Condat-le-Lardin; I’ve always known which train … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged cave paintings, chocolatine, condat-le-lardin, france, lanterne des morts, lascaux, montignac, sarlat, travel
8 Comments
Musical micropause: J
Joy Division: Disorder (1979) Disorder opens Unknown Pleasures, Joy Division’s debut studio album from 1979. Until the last few years I’ve only been vaguely familiar with their story, knowing only “Love Will Tear Us Apart”, and that they became New Order … Continue reading
Keep on Running – back to Bordeaux: November 1989
Wake UP! What the..?? What is hell is THAT?? It’s pitch black outside. It sounds like a drill? Have I fallen asleep in a construction site? No, that’s the phone, but the ringer volume seems to have been set by … Continue reading
Posted in Music, Travel
Tagged 1989, amsterdam, auckland, Austerlitz, bordeaux, busker, gare du nord, Kronenbourg, lovetown, metro, music, paris, travel, u2
3 Comments
Musical micropause: I
This one was hard work. If you’re going to start a band, try something beginning with R, like REM, Radiohead and the Rolling Stones. There aren’t that many big name I-bands out there, especially if you don’t like Iron Maiden. … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged closer to fine, great southern land, icehouse, indigo girls, interpol, iva davies, mullet, nyc, obstacle 1
4 Comments
Amsterdam in installments: 1989-2008
Schiphol! Now there’s a famous name. I’m sure I’m not saying it right, but just seeing the name on the airport building as we taxi to the gate makes me smile. After two nights in Hong Kong, and pitstops in … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged amsterdam, bookmark, costers diamonds, damrak, holland, john lennon, jordaan, krasnapolsky, netherlands, red light district, sexmuseum, travel, van gogh museum, vincent van gogh
8 Comments
Musical micropause: H
Some guilty pleasures (Caution: NSFW, nothing wrong with the language, but people will talk about you) Harpo: Moviestar (1975) Definitely one for the car with all windows wound up tight. A native of Sweden, Jan Harpo Torsten Svensson was assigned to two … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged abba, frida, harpo, hat, heebeegeebees, husker du, love is all around, mary tyler moore, meaningless songs, minneapolis, movie star
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Blacklisted in Bordeaux: December 1987
The early days in a group that has been randomly thrown together are always interesting. First impressions are made, and sometimes soon corrected. But this is most of our team of twelve travellers, in the interior courtyard of the Chateau … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged Biarritz, Blois, bordeaux, Cannes, Cote d'Azur, La Rochelle, Monaco, Nice, paris, pyrenees, Riviera, travel
16 Comments
Searching for Snow in the Pyrenees: December 1987
Life in Condom can’t be fun. I’m sure the most photographed attractions are the town’s welcome signs. Being a bunch of teenage boys, my french brothers have made a detour here for my benefit, so I have to show my … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged 1987, col du portet, espiaube, floc de gascogne, france, lac de l'oule, new years eve, pyrenees, saint lary, simple minds, skiing, snow, st lary, travel
2 Comments
Musical micropause: F – voices from down under
I’m feeling patriotic today, so here are four favourites from New Zealand, starting on Takapuna Beach, Auckland… The Front Lawn: Andy (1989) The short-lived Front Lawn was founded in 1985, and this is probably their best-known song. Andy was written by … Continue reading
Posted in Music, Travel
Tagged all blacks, andy, cheer up murray, couldn't be done, don mcglashan, faster than light, fish and chups, flight of the conchords, front lawn, kiwifruit, murray hewitt, neil finn, new zealand, new zealand take your mum, pavlova, sheep, tim finn, try whistling this
3 Comments
Christmas in Bordeaux, December 1987
Just call me Lord of the Flies. My new family must be wondering who they’ve invited into their home after tonight’s behaviour. We’re having a quiet drink while watching the french version of Wheel of Fortune, when someone asks me … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged bordeaux, Cathédrale Saint-André, Christmas, Fève, france, Galette, Henri Leconte, Ishtar, La Fête Des Rois, Meg Ryan, Pineau, trabel, Wheel of Fortune
4 Comments
Musical micropause: E
Move over iTunes, here come the eTunes… Easy Star All*Stars: Let Down (2006) Radiohead meets reggae on the Easy Star All*Stars cover album of OK Computer. This was recorded with Toots and the Maytals, and according to this concert report from Philadelphia … Continue reading
Posted in Music
Tagged easy star allstars, editors, elbow, everything but the girl, let down, munich, radiohead, seldom seen kid, walking wounded, weather to fly, wrong
4 Comments
Bonjour Bordeaux! – December 1987
Oh dear – I think I’ve broken this girl’s nose. This isn’t good. I can’t see blood but she’s still clutching it like it may fall off and roll into the Bordeaux gutter. Maybe we’ll laugh about this later? I’ll … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged bise, bordeaux, france, france gall, joe le taxi, johnny hallyday, travel, vanessa paradis
12 Comments
onlylivingboyintitirangi 