Louis Johnson. It’s been a tough few weeks for fans of classic soul and R&B with the deaths of Ben E. King, then Hot Chocolate’s Errol Brown, followed by blues giant B.B. King and now Brothers Johnson bassist Louis Johnson. Johnson has died at the age of 60 and he leaves this world widely regarded…
Category: Music
RIP Ben E. King & Hot Chocolate’s Errol Brown – An Aretha Franklin Cover + What ‘Emma’ Is Really About
Errol Brown. A belated RIP to two soul stars who’ve recently passed away. Other than their time of departure from this world, both the American Ben E. King (76) and the Brit (by way of Jamaica) Errol Brown (71) were also linked by being disproportionately known for solitary songs. The serious and the slightly silly,…
My Favourite Interviews, A Montage Including Barry Gibb, Lionel Richie, Lindsey Buckingham, Sheryl Crow, Paul Michael Glaser and More
With Barry Gibb, February 2013. Over the course of my broadcasting career I’ve been incredibly fortunate to interview so many people I admire, from music legends to sporting heroes to movie stars to Prime Ministers. People often want to know who was the funniest, friendliest, the most down-to-earth and of course, the worst. The truth…
Amazing Grace – The Final Redemptive Song Of The Bali 9 Ringleaders
The pastor and the painter, Bali Nine ringleaders Chan and Sukumaran. Several times over the past few days I had listeners challenge me as to why I don’t believe in the death penalty. I fumbled my way more than I wished through explaining the lack of any evidence that the death penalty acts as a…
6 Of The Best, Most Underrated Eagles Songs – Including A Heartbreaking Gram Parsons Tribute
The Eagles as they look today. Nearly a month late (apologies), here’s a list of my favourite half dozen underrated Eagles songs. I saw their first of two concerts in Auckland last month and while in part it was everything you’d expect from an Eagles show – perfect harmonies, precision of performance etc – there…
Barry Gibb Unveils Autobiographical New Track: ‘The Home Truth Song’
Barry Gibb. Sandwiched between a couple of classic early-period Bee Gees recordings, Barry Gibb unveiled a spirited new song during his 12-song set at the Miami Beach Centennial concert last week. Following the soul of perhaps the most covered Gibb song To Love Somebody* and before the Beatle-esque foot-stamper Lonely Days, Barry inserted a track…
‘Blurred Lines’ And The Blurred Lines Of Copyright Infringement – Why This Decision Is All Wrong
Marvin Gaye. The ruling in the copyright infringement case against Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke is ridiculous. Like any good student of 70s R&B, the first time I heard Blurred Lines – the Thicke / Williams / T.I. collaboration that became the biggest hit of 2013 – I knew it wasn’t only inspired by Marvin Gaye, but inspired by…
Barry Gibb on friendships with Michael Jackson, Chris Martin & Olivia Newton-John – our extended 2009 London interview
Bee Gees with their Saturday Night Fever Album Of The Year Grammy, 1979. Celebrating the Bee Gees Lifetime Achievement Grammy from earlier this month, I thought it might be nice to provide a transcription of highlights from one of my interviews with Barry Gibb over the years. Add to that the news that Barry will…
Chris Martin Was Right – Rihanna Can Sing Anything – ‘FourFiveSeconds’ By Rihanna, Kanye West & Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney, Rihanna, Kanye West. I remember Coldplay’s Chris Martin once saying the reason he so badly wanted to write a song for Rihanna was that she could sing anything. One listen to FourFiveSeconds, the brand new Rihanna / Kanye West / Paul McCartney collaboration, and you understand Martin was so, so right. Princess Of…
Remembering ‘We Are The World’ – When Lindsey Buckingham Bumped Into Michael Jackson In The Bathroom
USA For Africa. It’s 30 years today since USA For Africa’s We Are The World was recorded. The perennially cool Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) was part of the all-star chorus and I remember him telling me that one of his defining memories of that day was bumping into Michael Jackson in the bathroom. For the…
Uptown Funk Live On Ellen – Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson & The Most Electrifying Live TV Performance In Years
This is hands down the most electrifying live performance of a song on a TV show I’ve seen in years. It’s not everyday you can get everyone in a radio newsroom united behind one computer to watch a five minute video from start to finish. But this is Uptown Funk! Last Thursday about ten of us…
Sunglasses Inside Episode 2 – Happy New Year With Rod Stewart & His Tartan Suit
Happy New Year! 2015 is here which is ridiculous. I remember the mayhem of that rainy night in Paihia, Northland, New Zealand in 1999/2000 so vividly that I really cannot believe it was 15 years ago. There were torrential downpours, midnight pashes, 111 calls on brick cellphones for severed toes and many other mild shenanigans…
