Standing Room Only for Sunday 9 October 2016

12:16 Featherston's Grand Old Lady

The ANZAC Hall in Featherston was built to give the thousands of World War I soldiers camped nearby a place to relax - a 'home away from home' - before they went to war. Since then, the building has served many purposes - from a hospital, to hosting generations of Wairarapa weddings, parties, civic events and funerals. She's about to celebrate her 100th birthday in grand style. A substantial renovation has included a new paint and varnish job inside and out, and a new roof. Even the floor's been buffed. Lynn Freeman spoke to some of the many dedicated volunteers helping with the big weekend and asked why a small community went to so much trouble to build a huge hall in the first place.

12:43 British actor Christopher Eccleston and The A Word 

British actor Christopher Eccleston famously abandoned the coveted role of Dr Who after just one series, despite it being a hugely popular reboot of the scifi show. Christopher may be fussy about his roles - but he's still constantly in work. His latest role is Maurice, the outspoken grandfather of a child on the autism spectrum in a TV series called The A Word, soon to be screened on Sky.  It's based on an Israeli series called Yellow Peppers, and examines a family struggling with the shocking diagnosis for five-year-old Joe. Lynn Freeman asked Christopher about the flood of remakes of foreign series on American and English television at the moment. Are home-grown writers running out of inspiration?

1:10 At The Movies

Eight Days a Week, The Magnificent Seven, Hitchcock/Truffaut and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

1:35 Artist Michel Tuffery explores Waiheke Island

A community art project at Waiheke Art Gallery on Waiheke Island has uncovered rich material for artist Michel Tuffery. Michel works with objects - you might remember his cattle sculptures made from corned beef cans. But he also projects videos on the walls of buildings, as well as producing woodcuts, lithographs, paintings on canvas and tapa, sculpture, carving and performance art. For the past few years he's been involved in an on-going series of works about Rarotonga's 500 Kuki Airani soldiers who served in World War I. On Waiheke he worked mainly with shells from historic midden sites.  He tells Lynn Freeman the offer of the residency came at the perfect time.

1:49  When New Zealand bands met the Beatles

From the Audio Culture files, Director Chris Bourke looks back on the Beatlemania years from a Kiwi perspective.  Many New Zealand singers and musicians were deeply suspicious of the Fab Four - it had to be a flash in the pan, the thought.  But others - including Ray Columbus and Max Merritt - saw the way the wind was blowing and went with it.   Chris tells all to Simon Morris - including the story of the fake Liverpudlian from Auckland who had a "Merseyside" hit in Canada!

2:06 The Laugh Track - Dean Hewison

Dean Hewison is part of the new breed of writer-directors - the ones that don't think about it, but just get on with it.  Best known for the "stalker comedy" How to meet girls at a distance, Dean's strength is comedy and short films, and he's had an extremely busy year. Last year he was - once again - a finalist in the 48 Hour Film Competition. His Fringe show Jingles was awarded Best Comedy, Best Musical and Best Ensemble. He's directed a comedy special - On the conditions and possibilities of Hillary Clinton taking me for a young lover, which is out on Amazon.  His short film Judgement Day...  well, you get the idea. Dean's about to direct his first stage play that he hasn't written himself - Lungs at Wellington's Circa. 

His Laugh Track picks include Louis CK, What We Do in the Shadows, Key and Peel, The Flight of the Conchords and The Mighty Boosh.

2:26 Sargam Fusion combine the classical music of India and the West

East meets West in Sargam Fusion - and the Auckland-based Indian group are about to push the boundaries even further. For the upcoming 15th Auckland Diwali Festival, classical Indian musicians will take the stage with members of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Diwali classical programme director - and founder of the Sargam School of Music - Basant Madhur, and Eric Renwick, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's principal percussionist, are collaborating on the project. As Lynn Freeman discovers, four musicians each from the APO and the Sargam School of Music will join forces on stage on the 15th and 16th of October. So how did the project begin?

2:40 Linda Olsson's new novel The blackbird sings at dusk

Imagine that a new neighbour in your apartment block hardly ever emerges from their room. They seem more shadow than human. Do you dare to knock on their door, or respect their clear desire for privacy? In her new novel, The Blackbird sings at Dusk, Auckland writer Linda Olsson brings together three people in an apartment in her homeland of Sweden.

2:49 Art from bronze and iron

Three artists who've made their names sculpting metals - but in very different ways - are putting on solo shows in the same venue for Artweek Auckland. Jeff Thomson encourages us to look at corrugated iron in an entirely new light, while Onehunga-based Phil Neary works in bronze and is showing recent works like caps - so detailed you would swear they're made from material. And Paul Dibble also works in bronze. His works range  from the small and detailed to massive public art works, like the Featherston sculpture project. Lynn Freeman talks to Jeff Thomson and Phil Neary about their show at Northart Gallery in Northcote - Bronze and Iron - and about all three sculptors' connection with Westlake Boy's High School..

3:06 Drama at 3

Part 1 of Tumanbay by John Dryden and Mike Walker (BBC Radio 4) - When Rudyard Kipling Came to Town
 

Music played in this show

It's songs from The Beatles today, partially inspired by the Ron Howard documentary Eight Days a Week.

Artist: The Beatles
Song: Girl
Composer: Lennon-McCartney
Album: Rubber Soul
Label: Parlophone
Played at: 12.16

Artist: The Beatles
Song: It's Only Love
Composer: Lennon-McCartney
Album: Help
Label: Parlophone
Played at: 12.40

Artist: The Beatles
Song: I'm Happy Just To Dance With You
Composer: Lennon-McCartney
Album: A Hard Day's Night
Label: Parlophone
Played at: 12.58

Artist: The Beatles
Song: Wait
Composer: Lennon-McCartney
Album: Rubber soul
Label: Parlophone
Played at: 1.10

Artist: The Beatles
Song: Little Child
Composer: Lennon-McCartney
Album: With The Beatles
Label: Parlophone
Played at: 1.46

Artist: Ray Columbus And The Invaders
Song: On My Mind
Composer: Berry
Album: What Did You Do In The Beat Era Daddy!!!
Label: Frenzy
Played at: 2.50

Artist: Tommy Adderley
Song: I Jus Don't Understand
Composer: Wilkens-Westberry
Album: What Did You Do In The Beat Era Daddy!!!
Label: Frenzy
Played at: 2.51

Artist: The Librettos
Song: It's Alright
Composer: Andrews
Album: What Did You Do In The Beat Era Daddy!!!
Label: Frenzy
Played at: 2.53

Artist: Max Merritt And The Meteors
Song: Almost Grown
Composer: Berry
Album: What Did You Do In The Beat Era Daddy!!!
Label: Frenzy
Played at: 2.54

Artist: Dinah Lee
Song: Yeah Yeah Wer Love Them All
Composer: Mann-Appell
Album: Let Me Take You Down Under
Label: Frenzy
Played at: 2.56

Artist: The Beatles
Song: I'm Only Sleeping
Composer: Lennon-McCartney
Album: Revolver
Label: Parlophone
Played at: 1.58

Artist: The Beatles
Song: For No One
Composer: Lennon-McCartney
Album: Revolver
Label: Parlophone
Played at: 2.04

Artist: The Beatles
Song: The Inner Light
Composer: Harrison
Album: Past Masters 2
Label: Parlophone
Played at: 2.35

Artist: The Beatles
Song: There's A Place
Composer: Lennon-McCartney
Album: Please please me
Label: Parlophone
Played at: 2.58

Artist: The Beatles
Song: If I Needed Someone
Composer: Harrison
Album: Revolver
Label: Parlophone
Played at: 3.04

Artist: The Beatles
Song: I Wanna Be Your Man
Composer: Lennon-McCartney
Album: With The Beatles
Label: Parlophone
Played at: 3.50

And finally the song most Beatles concerts ended with - Little Richard's 'Long Tall Sally'.

Artist: The Beatles
Song: Long Tall Sally
Composer: Penniman
Album: Past Masters 1
Label: Parlophone
Played at: 3.58