Brian May. UPDATE JULY 2014: Queen + Adam Lambert will be playing a concert at Auckland’s Vector Arena on Wednesday September 3rd. Tickets go on sale 9am, Thursday July 24. On last night’s episode of The Two we played a clip of a six minute long Queen number one hit which has several different stanzas and…
Category: Artists: Q-Z
The Roxborogh Report Hits 250,000 Visitors – An Extraordinary Stevie Wonder Song For Nelson Mandela
With Stevie Wonder, Ronald LaPread (Commodores) and Clare Healy, 2008. This week the two-and-a-half year old Roxborogh Report had its 250,000th visitor. When I first started this music and travel blog back in Canada late in 2010 it was getting about 1,000 hits a month, making the possibility of hitting 250,000 more of a 20-year…
Nelson Mandela In Hospital – Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna’ Come’
Nelson Mandela. With the news 94 year old Nelson Mandela is back in hospital, I wanted to end last night’s episode of The Two (co-hosted by Pam Corkery, Newstalk ZB Friday and Sunday evenings from 8pm) with a suitably incredible song for such an incredible man. I chose a song which these days is better…
When A Great Band Gets A Good Album’s First Single Wrong #U2 #TheKillers
Apologies for the hashtags in the headline, but two of my favourite bands have erred in recent times with their new album’s first single and somebody needs to come forward and tell them. Pick me! Today I was at JB HiFi and was reminded of just how brilliant and inspirational U2 can be. Lots of…
Why Rod Stewart’s Shag-tastic Autobiography Is Genuinely Inspiring, Plus A Forgotten Early Fave
I’ve just got home from four nights in Melbourne and in between a reunion with a dozen of the best Aussies I’ve ever met, taking in Derby Day at Flemington, playing (and losing) tennis with a long-time rival and catching up with my sister and brother-in-law, I found time to read Rod Stewart’s brand new…
Barry Gibb’s First Solo Tour – The Time The Bee Gees Did Simon & Garfunkel Better Than Simon & Garfunkel
With advance tickets to Barry Gibb’s first solo concert tour (Australia, February next year) having just gone on sale, I couldn’t not draw attention (yet again) to one of the lesser known treasures in the Gibb catalogue. The Mythology tour will be tinged with sadness with Barry coming to terms with the fact he is…
The Perils Of Discussing Gay Marriage In Talkbackland & The Rod Stewart Song That Saved The Night
The last two nights on talkback were undoubtedly the most challenging of my career. For those outside of New Zealand, a bill on gay marriage passed its first reading in parliament by a vote of 80 to 40. I tried to encourage nuanced thought on the topic, but when it’s an issue as emotive as…
Bee Gees Offspring Spencer Gibb On Why Whitney Houston’s Detractors Are Sad, Cynical & Plain Wrong
Whitney Houston. The following entry I just found on Facebook and is written by Spencer Gibb*, son of Bee Gee Robin Gibb. He provides an insight and perspective into the life of Whitney Houston, her statistical links to the Bee Gees and why heartless comments regarding drug addiction are based on ignorance. I do not…
Legendary Motown Songwriter Nickolas Ashford Dies – His Greatest Ever Song
Nickolas Ashford, of the famed soul songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson, died yesterday in New York from throat cancer, aged 70. His death will not attract the column inches of someone like Amy Winehouse, though he departs this world as one of the greatest soul hitmakers of the 20th century. And thanks to Winehouse, he and…
The Edge Turns 50 – U2’s Best Soul Song
The vitriol against U2 fascinates me. A recent article here in New Zealand about Bono being the biggest prat in music attracted pages and pages of comments, most of them agreeing. Here is arguably the most dominant band of the last 30 years, a musical outfit capable of rock, pop, soul, electronica, dance, rock ‘n’ roll,…
Did TLC Rip-off Paul McCartney?
Amidst all the excitement that the latest addition to the Beckham clan has the middle name Seven (Harper Seven Beckham), another equally historic piece of entertainment news has semi-slipped through the cracks. Rumour has it Paul McCartney will play a part in the 2012 London Olympics, be it the opening or closing ceremony, and will most…
When U2 Teamed Up With Johnny Cash
U2. With news U2 have just beaten the Rolling Stones for the highest grossing concert tour of all time, (tipped to pass US $700 million) I felt compelled to go for a stroll around the Lindeman Island golf-course with my iPod set to nothing but Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry. And Johnny. I’ve always…
