Angkor Wat at sunrise, 2010. Four years since I was last in Cambodia and six years on from my first visit, I thought it was time to compile my favourite photos from those two adventures. Cambodia gets under your skin. A country with so much tragedy, so much darkness and even today, so much corruption….
45 Years Since The Bee Gees Released 1 Of The Great Double LPs Of The 60s, ‘Odessa’
Barry Gibb’s Mythology tour begins its US leg this month – see below for details. It’s the first of May so it would be rude not to play the Bee Gees 1969 UK top 10 hit of the same name. First Of May was the only single released from the Bee Gees Odessa album –…
The Best Hall & Oates Deep Cuts, Songs 11-20
A few days ago I came up with my top 10 deep cuts from Hall & Oates to mark their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Originally it was just going to be a top five and now here I am, realising I’m letting down my whole H&O appreciation unless I come…
Happy Easter With A Guatemalan Jesus Chair!
Happy Easter everyone, from me, my Sheryl Crow T-shirt and a Guatemalan Jesus Chair – Antigua, Guatemala, August 2009. My word!
The Top 10 Hall & Oates Deep Cuts
Celebrating Hall & Oates’ long overdue induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame last week, I thought it was time for another list. Songs like She’s Gone, Sara Smile, Rich Girl, Kiss On My List, I Can’t Go For That, Maneater, Say It Isn’t So, Out Of Touch etc were all major hits for the…
How Hall & Oates Overcame The Smouldering Aftermath Of Disco
Hall & Oates at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction. I’m thrilled Daryl Hall and John Oates are finally in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. This article is about why this record-breaking duo had to fight long and hard for their credibility, a fight they have ultimately won in spectacular style….
Cutters Cove At New Zealand’s Mini Gold Coast – Mount Maunganui, Autumn 2014
The beach at Mount Maunganui in front of Cutters Cove. A couple of weeks ago I had a wedding to attend at New Zealand’s mini-version of Australia’s Gold Coast – Mount Maunganui – and as is traditionally the case with me, I thought, “Let’s stay somewhere awesome!” The Mount (as it’s known by Kiwis) is…
Marvin Gaye: 30 Years Since His Death, His 75th Birthday & My 5 Favourite Songs
Last week was simultaneously 30 years since Marvin Gaye was shot dead as well as being what should’ve been his 75th birthday. For me, Marvin epitomises much of the human condition as well as being one of the giants of popular music history. Marvin Gaye was an artist torn so desperately in so many different…
Hanson Announce Australasian Tour – Their 3 Best Songs That Aren’t Called ‘MMMBop’
On April 1st it was announced that brotherly trio Hanson will be touring Australasia for the very first time this August. “Oh the hilarity!” said much of the media. Surely news of the 90s one-hit-wonder’s August concert at Auckland’s Powerstation must’ve been an April Fool’s Day joke? I’ve always had a prickly relationship with the…
How Does Myanmar’s Bagan Compare With Cambodia’s Angkor Temples? My NZ Herald Series Part 3 + 15 Favourite Photos
Here is the link to my third and final New Zealand Herald travel article on Burma / Myanmar, this one all about Bagan. Bagan – a temple-filled plain, bordered by the Irrawaddy River and ringed by jagged mountains – is regarded as the premier tourist destination in Myanmar. Nobody is really sure of the…
Diana Ross Turns 70 – 3 Of Her Best Superstar-Written Songs
For Diana Ross who turned 70 today, here are three of her biggest hits. For a full tribute to her towering role in 20th Century popular music, click here to link to a piece in the British paper The Telegraph written to mark her 70th. But for now, I want to focus on just three…
Dan News Interviews Newstalk ZB’s ‘The Two’ – How The Show Became Such A Success
Newstalk ZB’s The Two. UPDATE APRIL 2014: Radio ratings in New Zealand only come out twice a year and we are very humbled to say The Two remains the nation’s #1 rated radio show on both Friday and Sunday evenings. Our Sunday show has gone up 5.4 percentage points in Auckland to have 17.3% of…
