Standing Room Only for Sunday 9 April 2017

12:12  Maurice Clark: preserving Wellington's historical buildings 

Since the November earthquake, most of the news about Wellington buildings has been about damaged ones coming down.  But developer and engineer Maurice Clark is determined to save the capital's historic buildings. Maurice lovingly restored the quake-damaged deco-style Old Public Trust Building - though at a cost of 10-million dollars.  At the moment he's behind a massive renovation of the old Dominion Post buildings on Boulcott Street. Here's a time-lapse video of the project. Lynn Freeman talks to Maurice White what significant values heritage buildings offer to the city

 

12:34 Remembering those old TV and radio ads

This month marks 56 years since the first television commercial was screened in New Zealand. To celebrate that event - if "celebrate" is the right word! - Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has selected, restored and posted more than 300 ads - TV, film and radio - in an online exhibition called Sellabration. Sarah Johnston, Client Service Co-ordinator for Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision talks to Lynn Freeman about the exhibition, and take us back to the 1930s when Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage had to persuade the public that ads on radio should be allowed.

 

1:10 At The Movies

This week Simon Morris reviews CHiPs, Ghost in the Shell and Beauty and the Beast.

 

1:34 Taking New Zealand's stories to the Bologna Children's Book Fair

The 2017 Bologna Children's Book Fair in Italy is one of the biggest events of its kind in the world, with the world-wide rights to books for children and Young Adults up for sale - including over one hundred New Zealand ones. Leading our big push at the 54th Fair this year is long-time literary agent - and Bologna veteran - Frances Plumpton, and Sophie Siers from a new publisher, Millwood Press.

So how have they managed to stand out from the rest? Lynn Freeman spoke to Frances and Sophie on Wednesday, halfway through the four day event...and also to Nicky Page who asked them to manage the one-off Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature stand at the Book Fair.

 

1:48 Pop artist Wayne Youle

Amberley-based artist Wayne Youle is in the studio to tell Lynn Freeman about his two big shows this month.   There's a retrospective exhibition at Christchurch Art Gallery with the intriguing title Look mum no hands.

And there's Strangely Familiar - pop-art inspired portraits of 34 artists including Colin McCahon and Rita Angus, and writers like Hone Tuwhare and Margaret Mahy.  They will go out on tour after their time at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery in Wellington. As Lynn Freeman discovers,the paintings were often based around well known photographs of the artists by the likes of Ans Westra and the late Marti Freidlander.

 

2:04 The Laugh Track - Nic Sampson

Nic Sampson is another of those dauntingly energetic comedy Renaissance men that TV seems to be turning out at the moment. You might have seen him as "Yellow Power Ranger" in Mystic Force - apparently the most hated season of the show!  But it's more likely you know him as Detective Constable Sam Breen in The Brokenwood Mysteries, or playing various idiots in Funny Girls and Jono qand Ben.  Nic also writes for just about every comedy show on TV, host his own movie podcast and tells Simon Morris he's about to launch his latest standup show Jewel Heist. 

Nic's choices include Fricken Dangerous Bro, Fan Brigade, Jake and Amir and Laura Daniel and Frankie Stevens.

 

2:26 Leap of Faith, Jenny Pattrick's latest historical novel.

Historical novelist Jenny Pattrick is fascinated by the workers - often men - who built New Zealand.  Her earlier novels described the lives of the Denniston Miners.  Her latest book Leap of Faith explores what it took to build the massive viaducts on the Main Trunk Line - in particular the viaduct in Makatote, an area she knows well.

Jenny talks to Lynn Freeman about the engineering and physical feats, the leadership, ingenuity and the sheer determination it took to build the viaduct.

 

2:41 A New Collection of Poems from Marilyn Duckworth

Marilyn Duckworth's just published her first poetry collection since 1975. Mind you she's written many a novel, short story and even a memoir during that time. And just last year she was received the Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement for Fiction - the most recent of many awards she's won throughout her long literary career.

Her last poetry collection Other Lovers' Children was published in 1975 - this new one is called The Chiming Blue. Lynn Freeman asks her about her poetry, and how it fits in with her fiction and non fiction writing.

 

2:49 On the Way To The Opera with the Drug Lord and Mr X. - An Exhibition by Simon Kerr

Artist Simon Kerr has just launched his sixth exhibition at Wellington's Pilocki Patterson Gallery, supported by Art Access.  The works are striking - handwriting and colourful scrawls, like the love-child of Banksy and Colin McCahon.  The title's strong too - On the Way To The Opera with the Drug Lord and Mr X.  But that's not the most interesting thing about him.  Simon talks about his own life of crime and his art with Simon Morris.

 

3:04 Drama at 3 -   Potiki's Memory of Stone by Briar Grace-Smith

 

 

 

Music played in this show

Artist:B O B
Song: Ghost in the Machine
Composer: Simmons
Album: BOB presents: The Adventures of Boby Ray
Label: Atlantic
Played at: 12.12

Artist: Pentatonix
Song: Theme to Ghostbusters
Composer:Parker
Album: Ghostbusters (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Label: RCA Records
Played at: 12.31

Artist: Theme
Song: Ghost World
Composer: David Kitay
Album:Ghost World
Label:SHANACHIE
Played at:12.58

Artist: R Dean Taylor
Song: There's a ghost in my house
Composer: Holland-Dozier-Holland
Album: R. Dean Taylor: Essential Collection (Compilation)
Label: Motown
Played at: 1.10

Artist:  Band of Horses
Song: Is there a ghost
Composer: Band of Horses
Album: Cease to Begin
Label: Subpop
Played at: 1.45

Artist: The Specials
Song:  Ghost Town
Composer: Grachan Moncur III
Album: More Specials
Label: Twotone
Played at:  1.58

Artist:  George Formby
Song: The ghost
Composer:George Formby
Album: George Formby: The War And Postwar Years 1939-1951 (Compilation)
Label:JSP
Played at:  2.04

Artist: Karen Elson
Song: The ghost who walks
Composer:Elson
Album:The ghost who walks
Label:XL
Played at: 2.38

Artist:  Jeffrey Foucault
Song: Ghost repeater
Composer:Foucault
Album:Ghost repeater
Label: Signature
Played at: 2.58

Artist: Bruce Springsteen
Song:  The ghost of Tom Joad
Composer:  Springsteen
Album:  The ghost of Tom Joad
Label:Colombia
Played at: 3.04

Artist: Glen Campbell
Song:  Ghost on the canvas
Composer:Westerberg
Album:Ghost on the Canvas
Label:Thrillhill
Played at:3.58