Hi All – We had a neat night last night with the launch of the new New Artland series and an art auction fund-raiser for the Stroke Foundation of New Zealand. In excess of $40,000 dollars was raised so a big round of applause goes to Russell, Gemma & Cathy for organising the event. Thanks to all the artists who contributed work, and thanks to Sean, Paul, and Will for the music. My own thanks to Sam and Selena for helping out with the PA and lights. Thanks to everyone else for singing happy birthday to me!

Poor Chris has been laid out with a filthy cold this week. Monday was particularly rough on him – coughing & spluttering and delivering foul specimens to the world from the dank abyss that his lungs had become. However he’s been improving & he wanted to come to the launch last night, but the decision was made that he was still too unwell to attend.

Curses to the person that bid $300 on the Beatle mono box-set thus removing it from my clutches!

Hiya – I’ve had a neat last few days as more tracks for ‘Stroke’ arrive at my office. Me and a coupla friends had a listen through all the tracks I’ve received so far &, yup, it’s gunna be a goodie. One track in particular has really floored me … but I couldn’t possibly say which one now could I ….. that would be unfair.

Hopefully I’ll get all the remaining tracks in the next few weeks and then we’re into production.

Chris is doing well. Words are still difficult but walking is improving all the time. He does get very tired at times & we’re learning to read those moments to try and avoid him getting into trouble. Still lots of singing going on – in fact when he’s bored Chris does a sort of Beatle-esque scat be-bop thing and occasionally he looks at me in the expectation that I recognise a certain tune, there’s one in particular he keeps hitting me with …. but I’ve no idea. …. sounds kinda like an Italian opera to me!

We’ve been talking about finishing the Tall Dwarfs album that we were just about to complete before Chris’ stroke. Chris’s melodic sense is still intact & we think we can see a way it could work.

All the best

Rik

Hi All -

It’s been a very impressive week for Mr Knox. He’s much more communicative & he is now walking confidently with the aid of a stick. He’s had a huge surge in motivation in the last week -  maybe due to his acupuncture (?), but who knows, maybe he’s just decided ‘**** it’. He’s a bit of a terror around stairs as his enthusiasm with them currently outstrips his ability. He’s also moving the fingers on his right hand and lifting his arm slightly – which is pretty amazing.

So yet again I suggest a wee quaff of yer fave is not totally out of order.

Still no luck with Bagder, thanks Barry – I’ve found out that it does exist, so no-one’s sanity is called into question any longer, but beyond that I haven’t found a copy anywhere!

Hey everyone,

New Artland (series 2) starts screening from Saturday 29th August on TVNZ 7 (Sky channel 97). This is the crazily ambitious art series that Chris was filming for the first half of this year, in which he travels NZ meeting a bunch of artists and watching/commentating/getting his jandals mucky as they make works of art with Kiwi communities.

When Chris had the stroke we only had a few days of filming left, but we still had almost all of the voice-overs to go. Bugger. However, Chris being so brilliantly eloquent throughout the filming meant we had plenty of recorded material to get the series finished. (A sample CK interview question would find him discussing an artist’s shift from “monolithic solidity to ephemeral play…”)

Without voice-over, the episodes have a slightly surreal quality that kinda suits the art. It was odd editing the series without Chris popping in every few days, but he’s seen a few of the shows now and we’re feeling good about it.

Season two’s artists are Dick Frizzell, Grahame Sydney, Virginia King, Niki Hastings-McFall, Karl Maughan, Wayne Youle, Reuben Paterson, Jacquelyn Greenbank, Seung Yul Oh, Tracey Tawhiao, Regan Gentry, Alex Monteith and Steve Carr. The artworks involve farmers, flying squads, orchestras, graffiti artists, schoolkids, tattooists, knitters, BMX riders, snowballs and Westies. Near the end of filming when I interviewed Chris for the press kit, he said: “This is unique television. Watch it to get over any fear of art you may have.”

We’re kicking the series off with a launch party and art auction on Thursday 27th August in Auckland in collaboration with TVNZ 7 & Media 7. Most of our series 1 & 2 artists are contributing pieces and proceeds raised will go to the Stroke Foundation, tagged specifically for art therapy. We’ve got a tight invite list but if anyone here is keen to spend up large on some art on the 27th, email me and we’ll try to fit you in!    This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

All the best

Gemma Gracewood

PS Those overseas can try tvnzondemand.co.nz  but we’re not sure if it works overseas.
Broadcast dates for each episode…

Wayne Youle – Where You Stay?
29th August

Dick Frizzell – Teaching a Fencepost to Paint
5th September

Niki Hastings-McFall – Polynisation
12th September

Karl Maughan – Old School
19th September

Jacquelyn Greenbank – Nina and the Nitwits
26th September

Seung Yul Oh – The Ability to Blow Themselves Up
3rd October

Tracey Tawhiao – Tagging with Light
10th October

Regan Gentry – Paper Trail
17th October

Steve Carr – Snowballs
24th October

Virginia King – Pacific Stars
7th November

Grahame Sydney – Into The Nevis
14th November

Reuben Paterson – There Goes The Moon
21st November

Alex Monteith – Red Checkers
28th November

Hi – Reading the stats for the blog, we have a fairly steady readership out there – thanks to everyone for your continuing support and interest. I’m hoping one of you can help me (Sam?) – someone wants to do a cover of a song called ‘Badger’ for the album. Which is great, ‘cept we need to get a copy of the song to said artist and not only do I not know the song but I can’t track it down on any discography of Chris’.  Can anyone assist?

Thanks

Roy

Am hungover. Alcohol bad. Coffee good. Those darn friendly-types at Pastis who just hafta introduce me to Calvados after a night of beers’n'cider’n'wine’n'pernod’ oh’n'at-least-one vodka….  Looked at blog & realised I have been slacking – sorry folks.

Chris had a good weekend with plenty of visitors. We watched The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1939 version) -  seen it before of course, but fab movie. Was tempted to make connected jokes about Chris’ new physique with straps & buckles & related distortions, but held off on the grounds that my taste can be very questionable at times – my recent pillow gag re ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ Chris didn’t appreciate very much.

Ant Timpson came over with his new baby boy who Chris enjoyed meeting (kids & pets a big deal at the moment). Ant very kindly asked me what films from the last festival I thought Chris would be interested in seeing on DVD and I hafta admit that I substituted the films that I wanted to see ….. uhh ….. but you’d do the same in my position…. right? … right?

Chris is boppin’ around the house now without any need for his walking stick & was in a pretty cheery & Chris-like mood all weekend. Beautiful day in Auckland and lounging on the back deck was popular.

Tomorrow is the big day for the Mono boxset – tens of crazed Beatle loons won’t be sleeping tonight. I’ll be picking up Chris’ set first thing and of course I will be waiting for him to open it & have a listen, of course I will, I wouldn’t dream of anything else…..

It is totally true that you can’t Beatle too much. Go Beatle now – go on – you know you want to – it’s good for you – it really is – start with uhhhhh -  ‘Dear Prudence’

Hiya – Last night I was floored by Chris. I’d taken along an acoustic guitar to play some songs with Chris as Don McGlashan had done it and i’d been told it was really good for Chris (good on ya Don!). Anyway I wasn’t really prepared for what Chris did – his singing was just as fantastic as ever, ok no words, but we did lots of Beatle tracks  ‘Strawberry Fields’, ‘Bungalow Bill’, ‘Ticket To Ride’, a Velvets one, some of Chris’ songs & we even made up a chord sequence/melody on the spot – (so the musical creativity is untouched too!).

That thing that Chris can do was just THERE, if you know what I mean, and I am so f**king happy to see that that side of Chris is still intact – that amazing voice & melodic sensibility & superb phrasing & sheer musicality & that musical link for me to all the bands and records that I adore are all there in that voice. Ah bliss.

So, don’t slack, mac, go back to the bottle store for MORE celebration!

Rik Merkle