debate issue 9, 2010

Issue 9 2010

Big day out feature issue 9 may 2010

band profiles

Comedy reviews + INTerviews

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Inside

Issue 9 2010

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On the cover Illustration by Ben Carroll

editor

Samantha McQueen samantha.mcqueen@aut.ac.nz

publisher

AuSM – Auckland Student Movement @ AUT (Inc)

design

Nonavee Dale nonavee.dale@aut.ac.nz

printer

PMP Print

sub editor

all rights reserved

Jared Van Huenen

debate intern Jess Cann

contributors Lisa Arthur | Jo Barker | Talia Blewitt | Nureete Burnie | Ben Carroll | Critic | Alicia Crocket | Sarah Denton | Amy Donohue | Carl Ewen | Vinny Francesco | Tenani French | Veronika Gulyayeva | Natalie Hampshire | Ben Hope | Judy Ingham | Brendan Kelly | Selena La Fleur | Elana Kluner | Samantha McSkimming | Sacha Molloy | Katie Montgomerie | Scott Moyes | Veronica Ng Lam | Tiria Rakena | Lisa Rapley | Amy Rosenfeld | Heather Rutherford | Kat Saunders | Catherine Selfe | Mystery Shopper | Tamsyn Solomon | Jo Twyford | Carol Wilder | Matiu Workman

advertising contact

Kate Campbell kate.campbell@aut.ac.nz

issue 9 may 2010

This publication is entitled to the full protection given by the Copyright Act 1994 (“the Act”) to the holders of the copyright, being AUCKLAND STUDENT MOVEMENT AT AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED (“AuSM”). Reproduction, storage or display of any part of this publication by any process, electronic or otherwise (except for the educational purposes specified in the Act) without express permission is a break of the copyright of the publisher and will be prosecuted accordingly. Inquiries seeking permission to reproduce should be addressed to AuSM.

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Material contained in this publication does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of AuSM, its advertisers, contributors, PMP Print or its subsidiaries.

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his week’s editorial piece was the hardest I’ve had to write on the job so far. I have 500(ish) words to describe how music plays a part in my life. Short answer: It’s a huge part of my life. Long answer: too many words to fill this magazine. Every morning I wake up, roll off my purple iPod nano which has wedged itself under my back, and get ready for work. My shoes go on my feet at the same time as those white headphones go into my ears. Screw caffeine, nothing gets me awake like Paramore or The Temper Trap as I’m battling the uphill slogs.

As the cold onslaught of winter rolls around, I find myself turning to summer nostalgia, such as Florence and the Machine, Muse, Ladyhawke or Taylor Swift (yes, I do love me some Swifty) to brighten my mood. As I stroll down Symonds St, I pass hundreds of students who have similar morning rituals to myself, albeit with different musical taste.

That is the beauty of music; everyone can listen to the same piece of music, but everyone hears something completely different. It’s a personal journey (corny, I know). It’s often said that you can tell a lot about a person if you look through their music collection. In a scene in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (an adorable music film), Norah looks through Nick’s iPod and says, “This is amazing! You are literally like my musical soul mate”. I’d hate to know who my music soulmate is. Put my iPod on shuffle and it can go from Kings of Leons to Westlife, Ellie Goulding to Imogen Heap, The Beatles to the Wicked soundtrack. I can’t compartmentalise my musical tastes into a specific box. I don’t have a dedicated genre which I swoon over; I can slip easily between pop and rock, jazz and country, house to acoustic. It’s all over the place, chaotic and random, which is much like my personality.

Maybe this is why music is often used as a key talking point when you meet someone for the first time. After the awkward “where are you from” and “what do you do?” questions, people have to fill the “chit-chat” void and turn to either the weather or music usually.

Example:

Boy: “This is a great song, do you like (insert artist name here)?

Girl: “Yeah, it’s alright, but I’m really loving (insert inspirational song title here) Oh, obviously the conversation is probably a lot more riveting than the above, but you get the gist.

May is New Zealand Music Month, and while for some this means little more than seeing that black and white bulls eye more than normal, for others it’s a month to celebrate and recognise all the great artists in our country. We have a smaller industry than most but that doesn’t stop our artists conquering the charts and producing gold or platinum albums. Just look at Dane Rumble, whose album The Experiment went straight to number one, or Minuit, who had one of their singles on American drama Grey’s Anatomy. We have venues around Auckland dedicated to live music, like the Dogs Bollix on Newton Road or Juice Bar on Parnell Road, so you really have no excuse not to emerge yourself in New Zealand’s music scene and lap up all the good tunes that come out of our country.

Happy listening everyone!

Sam

RECEPTION City Campus Level 2, WC Building 921 9805 8am-5 pm Mon-Thurs 8am-3.30pm Fri North Shore Campus Level 2, AS Building 921 9949 8.30am-3pm Mon-Fri Manukau Campus MB107 921 9999 ext 6672 9am-3:30pm Mon-Thurs MANAGEMENT Sue Higgins General Manager 921 9999 ext 5111 sue.higgins@aut.ac.nz REPRESENTATION Veronica Ng Lam AuSM Student President 921 9999 ext 8571 vnglam@aut.ac.nz ADVOCACY Nick Buckby Liaison Manager 921 9999 ext 8379 nick.buckby@aut.ac.nz MARKETING Rebecca Williams Marketing Manager 921 9999 ext 8909 rebecca.williams@aut.ac.nz EVENTS Barry Smith Events Team Leader 921 9999 ext 8931 barry.smith@aut.ac.nz MEDIA Samantha McQueen Publications Co-ordinator 921 9999 ext 8774 samantha.mcqueen@aut.ac.nz SPORTS Melita Martorana Sports Team Leader 921 9999 ext 7259 melita.martorana@aut.ac.nz CLUBS Ryan Waite Clubs Development Officer 921 9999 ext 8911 ryan.waite@aut.ac.nz VESBAR Zane Chase Vesbar Manager 921 9999 ext 8378 zane.chase@aut.ac.nz For a full list of contact details plus profiles of AuSM staff and student executive visit: www.ausm.org.nz

issue 9 may 2010

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s r e t t e L

Yay, we got mail! But we want more! Send us your thoughts on the magazine. What is grinding your gears at university?

What do you want to see more of? Tell us your thoughts! Letter of the week will win two movie tickets for Skycity Cinemas! debate letters policy: Letters longer than 250 words may be subject to editing. Letters are printed as they are received – spelling and grammar will not be corrected. The editor reserves the right to decline letters without explanation. The views contained on the letters page do not necessarily represent the views of AuSM. Send your letters to PO Box 6116, Wellesley St or debate@aut.ac.nz

letter of the week Why, in the face of overwhelming evidence do supposedly intelligent tertiary students continue to smoke? And why does AUT not ban smoking on campus as Auckland University has? I can hear the screams from the smoking brigade now. Smokers have rights, blah blah blah. Non smokers have rights too, the right to breath air not contaminated by the cancer brigade. Walking past the library at Akoranga is disgusting, with smoke and blasted butts everywhere.

In addition, don’t smokers realise how bad they smell?

Gross. I propose a smoking area away from AUT and suggest the dividing strip on the motorway would be a good spot. Darwin would agree, it may speed up natural selection.

Greg Shepherd

Being in my fourth year of uni, I have seen debate slowly slip from the power it once was.

But then an article in last weeks issue turned my opinion around - the one about female chauvinists.

THANK GOD some one finally has the balls to step up and put them in their place. Ever since the disgusting birth of Feminism in the 70’s women have started taking a stronger hold upon the world. Did you know that there are now more men that stay at home than women? Woman are occupying higher levels of power in business. And yet they still bitch and moan about

Promiscuous Pear PART 2

by Elana Kluner Pear has a theory that if you’ve slept with him once, you can sleep with him again. It’s like a piece of jewellery.

Once you’ve worn it, you can wear it again without having to buy a new one. You already know it matches that dress and you know exactly where you left it. Pear believes it is off the record if you find yourself in his bed again and it saves you from adding another one to your list. So this theory of hers was applied the other night when she decided to ring up one of her exes who she hadn’t seen in years.

“Miss Pear, never thought I would see this number ring on my phone again.” His husky voice brought her back instantly.

“Well surprise surprise. You free tonight?” Pear had nothing in mind but was feeling spontaneous.

“My friend is having an opening of his new club tonight. I’ll pick you up at eight.”

Pear was already turned on by his assertiveness. “You know where I live.”

He showed up at her house at eight o’clock on the dot. Pear was still in the shower. He remembered the keypad and let himself in, poured himself a glass of wine, and took a seat on her couch. That’s what’s so great about exes; they are already comfortable and

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their rights. If they want equal rights then they should have equal punishments. As pointed out, why is there a womens refuge, but not a mans? Did you know that violence against men in relationships and at home has tripled in the last ten years?

Why is it ok for a company to be called “Hire A Hubby”, but there is not allowed to be one called “Hire A Housewife”.

Imagine the feminist uproar over that. We gave women the right to vote - they should thank us not condemn us.

Women are now the predators.

One merely needs to take a look at any bar in the Viaduct on a Friday to see women exploiting men to spend hundreds on them, and then give nothing back. The same goes for relationships why do women NEED diamonds, and men get nothing?

Bring on Meninism Sincerely, A True Red Blooded Male

know where everything is. She heard the TV on so she rushed out of the shower and yelled, “Brady?

Sorry, I’ll be just a minute.” She sort of wished that he would interpret that as “come in here right now and let’s forget about the club tonight”, but he didn’t and he waited until every last jewel was clipped onto her wrists, neck, and ears.

Pear looked stunning. She was wearing a gold dress that complimented her curves and was tight in all the right places. Brady’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when she walked in front of him. She grabbed a glass and poured herself some wine. He politely noted that they’d better get going so she threw back the wine and put the empty glass in the sink. Brady laughed in recognition of what she was like when they were together. He still adored her. Brady opened the door for Pear like a gentleman and Pear leaned over to open his. It was exactly like how it used to be. So comfortable. So simple. So easy.

They pulled up to the club and were greeted by the doorman. Apparently Brady had become the new “it guy” since Pear and him broke up. Everyone seemed to know his name and was very enthusiastic to see him. The DJ made an announcement that Brady was ‘in the house’ and Pear’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor. She laughed and teased him about it, but Brady insisted that the DJ only did that because he went to

school with him.

Pear was impressed.

Brady pulled Pear over to a circle of beautiful girls surrounding the bar.

He told her he had someone he wanted her to meet. She replied with, “I’m not having a threesome with you”, but it was too loud in the club for him to hear. He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd. There was a man sitting at the bar who looked very important. Pear could only see the back of his head. Brady cupped his hand over Pear’s ear as if he was telling her a secret and said, “I want you to meet my friend, the owner of the club.”

He put his arm around her waist and pulled her into him. She felt like she was his girlfriend again.

Brady patted his friend on the back.

His friend put his drink back on the bar and started to turn around. Brady said, “Saul, this is my dear friend...”

“Pear!” Saul exclaimed. Pear gasped in shock.

“You two already know each other?”

Brady questioned “Sort of. Not really. Hey I’m going to go to the bathroom.” Pear hurried away as fast as she could. Saul yelled her name and pointed in the other direction. Pear raised her hand, in thanks, and shuffled her blushed cheeks back through the crowd. While passing Saul, she mouthed, “You own a club?” And Saul modestly shrugged his shoulders and smiled. Pear covered her forehead with her hand and silently said to herself, “oh no”.

When Pear came back from the bathroom, Brady was waiting in the

hall for her with a drink in his hand. Her favorite drink, a mojito. “For you darling,” he said in a joking manner. She kindly accepted it and drank it a little faster than usual. She thanked him and they migrated over to the lounge area. They took a seat and Pear was dreading the soon to come moment where Brady asks her about Saul. But surprisingly, he said nothing.

A few hours later, and many songs danced, Brady took Pear back to his place and cracked open a bottle of tequila. They had a few drinks, talked, reminisced, laughed and somewhere along the way, decided that she was going to stay the night.

A few hours later, Pear found herself in his bed. The same bed she had spent so many nights in before.

It had the same smell, the same feel, and the same person laying next to her in it. They laid about two feet away from each other for quite some time, while both of their minds reviewed the situation. Pear felt Brady’s foot slide across hers and her heart began to race, she knew what was going to happen. Let’s just say, within the few years that they had been apart, Brady had learned a hell of a lot. He was not the man he used to be and it blew Pear’s mind.

They fell asleep in each other’s arms and Pear woke up in the morning to a scent of cinnamon streaming past her nose. Brady was in the kitchen cooking French toast. She walked up behind him, wearing nothing but his shirt, and whispered in his ear, “my, have you changed” and the rest was history.

AUT cafes undergo healthy makeover

by Talia Blewitt AUT-owned cafes are facing a health-focused revamp, thanks to an initiative driven by PhD student and debate columnist Alicia Crocket.

Students may have already noticed small changes in campus cafes. Fruit has dropped in price, been made more visible and is stocked up daily for freshness.

But it is not just the food styling that has changed – but also the layout and atmosphere of our eating areas. The Hub, above Wellesley’s quad, was redecorated over summer to look less dark and more inviting.

‘Feed Your Need’, the name of Crocket’s project, will see green, orange and red stickers, much like a traffic light system, being placed on food products.

“The green stickers indicate foods that can be eaten every day and the orange stickers should be ‘sometimes’ foods. If food has a red sticker on it or none at all, it should be eaten less often.

Adults don’t like being told what they can’t eat but having the information there helps,” says Crocket, who commutes from Hamilton to work on campus with café management.

Crocket has been consulting AUT staff and students, finding out what their food needs are.

“Cheaper, more convenient food is what everyone is after. They want the healthy options

New Zealand Music Month blows out 10 candles

made obvious to them because everyone is always on the run. And there also needs to be more access to after-hour food on campus.”

Crocket has been working with this feedback and adapting it to nutritional criteria for school-food guidelines but keeping in mind adult needs.

Students will see their regular eateries affected – The Counter and Beanz along with The Hub on Wellesley campus, Akoranga’s Lime café, and the café on Manukau’s new campus.

The 29-year-old Otago graduate is overhauling the way students will pick what they eat as part of her PhD studies. Her studies are a major part of the reason for doing this, but also her passion for “levelling the playing field where consumers are so manipulated by marketers”.

Crocket knows the challenges involved in changing food and the way it is marketed. Before coming to AUT she helped implement Jamie Oliver’s school eating service management in England on her OE, something that was a “tough job but rewarding”.

TXT - a -Taxi

by Sacha Molloy Thousands of local artists are performing in gigs across the country as New Zealand Music Month (NZMM) celebrates its 10th birthday during May. NZMM was created to spread the good word about local music, sell albums and raise awareness, says NZMM manager Steve Newall.

He says from a music fan’s perspective, the New Zealand music industry is thriving.

“It’s the healthiest it’s ever been in terms of how much music there is to tap into and the sheer number of acts.”

Newall says the focus has changed over the last decade.

“Originally it was about encouraging radio and television to play more New Zealand music…now it’s more of a national celebration.

“We’re much better at celebrating success now. We’re not shy about liking our local artists in the same way we were 10 years ago”.

AUT communications student Jimmy Hills is the guitarist for Papa Eden, one of the eight bands who will be performing in the upcoming AUT Battle of the Bands competition.

Papa Eden formed in 2007 at Auckland Grammar when Hills’ teacher did not show up for his fifth form music class one day.

Hills, along with his classmates Rory Maguire and Campbell Rehu, started jamming together and two weeks later they produced a covers album.

“I listen back now and it’s awful…but my mum still thinks it’s good,” says Hills.

issue 9 may 2010

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AUT student wins John Mayer for her birthday

by Jo Twyford All Kate Allinson wanted for her 21st birthday was John Mayer serenading her at the end of her bed.

It’s not the easiest present to get somebody but Mel Lee got pretty close to getting Allinson just what she wanted.

A week earlier Lee, who studies communications at AUT with Allinson, won a radio competition on The Edge for her and a friend to attend a meetand-greet with John Mayer and tickets to his Wellington concert on April 27.

“It was unbelievable,” says Allinson. “John Mayer is my favourite musician and a beautiful guy.”

Morning Madhouse host Jay-Jay Feeney says the competition was based on the lyrics from John Mayer’s song No Such Thing where he says, “I wanna scream at the top of my lungs”.

The contestants had to find a public location and scream “I love John Mayer!” as loud as possible.

The people who won had to make a “complete dick of themselves”, says Feeney.

Lee says she thought it would be the perfect

present for Allinson’s birthday. She rang the station thinking the line would be engaged but got through.

Lee screamed outside Britomart where there were about 1000 people around.

“It was really embarrassing.”

Feeney says Lee won because Britomart was “one of the busiest places”.

Lee announced her present to Allinson during a speech at her 21st birthday party three days before the concert.

“I felt like I had the best friend in the world,” Allinson says.

Before the concert the two AUT students got to have “an autograph, a photo, a hug and some banter” with the singer, along with 14 others who were involved in the meet-and-greet.

Kate says he was “relaxed, witty and funny” and they talked about what New Zealand’s best beer to drink was.

Mel found him “nice” and taller than she expected.

“He tried to make awkward Kiwi jokes about sheep,” she laughed.

Universities to compete with charities for extra funding

by Anthony Riseley (Critic) The Tertiary Education Minister, Steven Joyce, has indicated universities will have to rely more on charitable donations, commercialisation, and foreign student fees for funding when the 2010 Budget is announced.

Joyce says there is a limit to how much taxpayers could support the tertiary education sector and he believes "we're pretty close to that limit”. The minister indicated alternative sources of funding for universities would become increasingly important.

Specifically, Joyce believes institutions need to look at other parts of the equation in terms of income in order to compete successfully with their international counterparts.

"That means looking at their international education, both students coming in and joint ventures elsewhere; it means the philanthropic endowment funds and it also means the commercialisation of research."

Canterbury University set up a $50 million philanthropic bond offer last year, and it has had been fully subscribed with about 1000 investors.

Bond-holders get 7.25 per cent interest for the first five years from their investment. The university encourages investors to donate their

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interest or their bond at some stage.

Canterbury is also looking into donations as a means of funding. “There are people out there who just think education is a good thing and they're happy to leave their money to education," Canterbury University Vice Chancellor Rod Carr says.

However, according to Sandra Kirby, Chief Executive of Arthritis New Zealand, “in the current state of the economy, it is not the time to add universities to the overcrowded list of organisations desperately seeking more funding through donations”.

Victoria University Vice Chancellor Pat Walsh says all universities are looking at different ways of boosting funding from other streams.

"Revenue is constrained so we have to explore every possible source."

Recent figures show a six per cent increase in international fee-paying student enrolments last year compared with 2008. Joyce believes New Zealand could still get more income from international students, and universities need to actively pursue this revenue channel.

Protestors fight against mining proposal

by Judy Ingham

Tens of thousands of protestors took up placards and lined the main street of Auckland last weekend to protest against the Government proposal to use conservation land for mining.

Protestors came from across the Auckland region, Great Barrier, Wellington and three busloads from the Coromandel.

A small group of mining supporters gathered on Queen Street which sparked some heated arguments.

But Sergeant Steve Fagan, of the Balmoral police, said everybody was “very well behaved”.

Official crowd estimates range from 20,000 to 50,000 people.

A speaker on the day and environmental activist Steve Abel, of Auckland, said the march would certainly send a message to parliament, but it wouldn’t be the end.

“We can’t just go home and have a cup of tea and forget about it. We fight from here until it stops.”

Nicola Vallance recently left her government job at the Department of Conservation as she was upset by the plans for mining.

She has taken up a position at Forest and Bird based in Christchurch.

Vallance spoke at Myers Park, where protestors gathered after the march.

“The Government is actually right when they say this is about the economy,” she said. “They’re right; they just didn’t do the maths.”

She said mining would ruin New Zealand’s international clean, green image, and would harm the tourism and export economies.

The protest was organised by a coalition of environmental groups including Greenpeace, Forest and Bird, and Coromandel Watchdog.

Labour Party and

Students abseiled off AB block at the North Shore campus, which was organised by the DORLY House.

Thinking about postgraduate study?

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WEEK 17 21 MAY

Monday - Arts, Education, Engineering Tuesday - Business, Law, National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries Wednesday - Science, Education, Medical and Health Sciences Throughout the week - National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries showcasing special exhibitions, concerts and presentations

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www.auckland.ac.nz/postgradweek

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Air Guitar Championships 2010

by Bridgette Uru The atmosphere was tense, the music loud but the guitars in the hands of the musicians were imaginary.

This was the Annual Air Guitar Championships held at AUT’s Vesbar. Among the judges was the 2005 New Zealand champion and second in the world, Gizzy Guitar: a woman.

She was impressed by the calibre of Friday night’s performances.

“It was a really tight competition. We struggled to make a decision that’s why we had a riff off. We almost never have a riff off.”

This year’s champion, Ben Greaney, or ‘The Hellmutt Experience’ is excited by the prospect of playing in Canberra later in the month and is confident and hopeful for a win. He has been‘playing’ air guitar for seven years.

“I feel more relaxed and like I’ve found myself as an air guitarist.”

Mike Bancroft or ‘The Ginge Shreddor’, the 2008 winner, came in third after Louis Ewen aka ‘Gat Rockin Randy Reaper’.

Bancroft did not take the competition too seriously.

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reetings Fellow AUT Titans, Hope you all enjoyed Mother’s day with all your beautiful mothers and spoiling them even just for a day for all the hard work they put in for us. For those who might not have their moms with them I hope the fond memories were there for your family to celebrate the day. And for those of you who are mothers, my hope is that you were all blessed and given lots of love for your special day. I pay special tribute to my own mother who has been a true pillar and rock in my own life. For always believing in me even when I could not muster up that same belief.

For allowing me to grow as my own person with all the faults and shortcomings that I have and for always loving me through it. Thank you mum for inspiring me to always strive, to be the best of who I am and for instilling in me the heart to serve others. A big part of who I am is true testimony of your strength as a woman and your characteristic of a fearless individual. I love you mum for all your support, wise counsel and your unending love - Happy Mother’s Day Line Ng Lam. Please don’t forget our free movie screening for The Losers. There will be free popcorn and drink so I shall see you there! Make sure you’re pumped to answer my super hard questions and win the cool prizes we have for you all!

Lastly, and most importantly, AuSM are now promoting our Annual General Meeting (AGM) over the next two weeks. I encourage you to come along; take a little time out of your busy schedule and win some free prizes! This is a fantastic opportunity for all of you to hear exactly what your student association does for you. I will be there and I invite you to come along and support, eat free food and mingle with other students.

Keep an eye out for this and don’t forget an informed student body is a productive student body.

Wishing you all the best with the week ahead, I shall see you same time, same place next week.

Ia Manuia Your fellow president signing off,

Veronica

How’s it going AUT students?

Hope studies are going good and the social side of things have been a BLAST! My name is Tiria Rakena and I’m the Te Ara Poutama faculty representative on the AuSM exec. On behalf of AuSM, don’t forget we have services there to assist you personally and financially, make sure to use them as much as you can. Everyone, us included, wants university and student life to be as stress free as possible.

It seems like only yesterday you sat down in your first lecture this year, but now we’re rapidly approaching the dreaded examination period.

Make sure you are well prepped for final assignments and exams, and remember, like you, everyone is feeling the workload at this time of year.

Te Tari Awhina’s doors are always open to help students so please don’t be shy to ask for any assistance or guidance. Also, if you’re living near the AUT Manukau campus but study in the city, there is the library and computers that are accessible to you. Also, it is a great way to meet the Manukau students and to have a look at the new campus. It is a great environment there indeed and a good way to socialise amongst other AUT Titans.

I wish you all the best for the remainder of the semester. Work hard and enjoy your studies here at AUT and remember... the world is your oyster!

Mauri Ora

Tiria

issue 9 may 2010

12 pm -1 pm, Monday 31 May WC202, AUT University City Campus Please bring your student id card to present when completing sign in record.

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E

thical and environmental eating is becoming popular among the affluent in New Zealand. However, it doesn’t just have to be reserved for the well-to-do of society. This week I’m looking at how to eat ethically and environmentally on a budget. My environmental and ethical eating started after reading a depressing, yet inspiring book called The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, which motivated me to make changes to my eating. I can’t do everything I want to do on a student budget, but I do what I can and here is how I afford it!

Buying organic food is much more environmentally friendly, but they’re also incredibly expensive, so that’s one I can’t do right now. You can be environmentally friendly by reducing your food miles however. There are two options to reduce your food miles; one is to buy locally produced food from the local farmers market (search for farmers markets at aucklandnz. com). I get fruit and vegetables from the local farmers market only if I know they’re the same price or cheaper than what is in the supermarket. The other option to reduce your food miles is to look for New Zealand sourced products in the supermarket. Many supermarkets have country of origin labelling in the produce section and some pre-packaged products will say where the ingredients are sourced from. Regardless of where you buy your fruits and vegetables from they should be seasonal to minimise cost and resource usage.

Next up: free range foods. I only buy free range eggs, chicken and pork.

This can be a more expensive option, so I tend to have these products less often. Free range eggs are available from the farmers market for slightly more

than the supermarket price. I’ve found a local butcher where it’s only $16 per kilo for free range chicken, but prior to this I had to cut right back on chicken.

Cheaper free range bacon is starting to appear in the supermarket so look out for this.

Finally, the meat question. Meat uses up significantly more resources than growing grains and vegetables. This inefficiency is because the animal uses most of what it eats to live, just as humans do, so when we eat meat we’re really just eating grains second hand. So rather than using the world’s resources to feed ourselves we’re using them to feed animals which we in turn eat. Seems a bit of a double up, doesn’t it? If you can find some local, less intensively farmed meat at the farmers market, buy that. It tends to be more expensive, so I don’t have meat every night, but when I do I’m amazed at how good it tastes! I’ll never buy supermarket beef again; it’s tasteless and tough compared to the local stuff. Remember, you don’t have to give up meat entirely; even having two vegetarian meals a week can make a difference.

You might not be able to save the world by changing your diet but you can certainly do your part to help reduce your carbon footprint, so why not give these easy, cost effective methods a try.

Soups: The ultimate comfort food As the weather starts to cool, nothing beats a nice hot bowl of soup with toast for lunch or dinner. Soup is incredibly simple to make; all you need is a big pot and some vegetables! Here are my favourite soup recipes that I make and freeze in portions for when I can’t be bothered cooking. If you do freeze your soup and notice it’s too thick when you defrost it, just add some milk or water to thin it out to the desired consistency when you’re reheating it. Bon appétit!

Pumpkin Soup

Leek and Potato soup

Red Lentil Soup

¼ - ½ crown pumpkin or 1 buttercup pumpkin cut into small cubes 1 tablespoon oil 1 onion, diced 1 teaspoon freshly ground ginger Garlic, to taste (I normally use about 2 cloves) 1 teaspoon curry powder (to taste) Salt and pepper to taste ½ cup red lentils 2 – 4 teaspoons stock powder

1-2 leeks, sliced 1 tablespoon oil 3-4 medium potatoes cut into small cubes Salt and pepper to taste Stock powder 1 cup milk (optional)

1 cup red lentils 1 litre stock (made with 2 – 4 teaspoons stock powder) 1 onion, diced 1 medium potato, diced 1 teaspoon paprika 1 tablespoon tomato paste Lemons and freshly cut coriander to serve Salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté onion, garlic, ginger and curry powder in oil 2. Add pumpkin, stock powder, water to cover, lentils and salt and pepper 3. Put on the lid, bring to the boil and simmer for approximately 30 minutes adding more water if required.

4. Once pumpkin and lentils are cooked blend soup in a blender or a food processor. If not, use a potato masher.

5. Serve

1. Sauté leeks in oil 2. Add potato, stock powder, salt and pepper and water to cover 3. Put on the lid, bring to the boil and simmer for approximately 30 minutes adding more water if required.

4. Once potato is cooked blend soup in a blender or a food processor. If not, use a potato masher.

5. Add milk if you prefer a creamier soup (I do).

6. Serve

1. Sauté onion and paprika in oil 2. Add potato, stock powder, lentils, salt and pepper, tomato paste and water 3. Put on the lid, bring to the boil and simmer for approximately 30 - 40 minutes adding more water if required.

4. Once potato is cooked blend soup in a blender or a food processor. If not, use a potato masher.

5. Serve with freshly cut coriander and a lemon wedge to squeeze into the soup

Serves 4-6. Dairy free. Gluten free (if use GF stock).

Cost: $0.70 per serve.

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Serves 4-6. Dairy free. Gluten free (if use GF stock).

Cost: $1.17 per serve.

Serves 4 – 6. Dairy free. Gluten free (if use GF stock).

Cost: $0.60 per serve.

should nrl salaries be capped?

By Jared Van Huenen The Melbourne Storm, or at least the ex-CEO at the Melbourne Storm, has put a sufficient dent in the credibility of the NRL. By snaking around the rules, paying players illegally and lying to their own club officials and the NRL, one club has managed to make the whole competition look silly.

As a huge league fan, I was massively disappointed when I found out the truth some three weeks ago.

Now that the dust has settled and disciplinary action has and is being taken, the point of blame has shifted and the focus seems to be: why? The NRL prides itself on being the world’s best league competition and in my opinion, it can’t do that with a salary cap in place.

The NRL insists a salary cap is necessary to “spread the player talent”, saying that poor clubs wouldn’t be able to afford to play anymore if the cap was lifted. If your club is too poor to play in the NRL then you shouldn’t be in it. I know there are clubs who have struggled financially over the years – the Sharks of late fit into that category perfectly, and they’re a club with one of the longest histories in the game. The way I see it, keeping poor clubs in the game just because they’re old is a sure-fire way to turn the quality of the game to shit.

At the moment (and over the last five years) a huge number of players have left Australian clubs to play in England for the money. Not old players near retirement either – just this year the NRL has lost NRL stalwart Matt Orford and Penrith’s Jarrod Sammut – following players like Matt King and Mark Gasnier who were at the very peak of their game when they left the comp. You can’t possibly say that the game is better off for the departure of those players.

Now that the Storm can’t gain competition points, their season is useless and their players, over time, will become disgruntled. Some of them will leave. Already Israel Folau looks set to head to the AFL or Super 15, and there have been rumours that the Super 15 franchise Melbourne Rebels have offered Billy Slater a $1 million deal to switch codes. Surely losing players of this calibre because of a CEO’s decision to cheat is a terrible result for the game – but that’s a debate for another day. What we can take from this, however, is that we need to have incentives for the game’s best to choose league over rugby, and over Aussie rules – if anything clubs should be vying for the services of players from those codes – not the other way around.

If there wasn’t a salary cap, more talent would stay in the game. It’s that simple. There may be a few clubs that couldn’t cut it but if the NRL wants to boast about being the best – the best clubs and the best players – it needs to make some sacrifices. I acknowledge that heritage is one of the biggest foundations of the game, and that without the efforts of longstanding 20th century clubs the NRL wouldn’t exist, but refusing to evolve and adapt is a good idea if we want the game to suffer.

Nobody doubts that the Storm has cheated. Their team is illegal and their dirty dealings will leave a sour note on the 2010 season, irrespective of the result. We’d be foolish not to look at what happened over in Melbourne and not do anything about it. There’s a tonne of evidence (including the 15+ salary cap breaches over the last 10 years) to suggest that most teams are breaching the cap in some way or another already – so what’s the point of it?

If a team can afford to have the best players in the world, then that should be their prerogative – it goes against all of the values of league as a sport to say ‘you’re too good. Stop it you’re hurting everyone’s feelings’.

Imagine telling Cameron Smith or Greg Inglis that they had to stop playing so well because they kept winning. That’s the equivalent.

And if you’re going to start telling league players and clubs that they can’t perform at their peak with whatever talent they can procure, then not only are you saying you don’t want the best, you’re saying that the NRL isn’t the best – and what league fan wants that?

issue 9 may 2010

By Scott Moyes When NRL chief executive officer David Gallop announced that the most successful league club of the past decade was illegally assembled and would be stripped of its successes, he immediately declared that “now was not the time for salary cap speculation”. What absolute rubbish. When will it be the right time David? The day Cronulla wins the competition?

Melbourne’s elaborate schemes to defy the salary cap must surely serve as a wakeup call to the NRL’s administration that now is the time to address the issue. David Gallop is either extremely naïve, ignorant or both in claiming his current system is satisfying all stakeholders of the game. You cannot deny the fact that the sport’s biggest names are being lured to all corners of the earth to earn a bit of cash before professional sport renders them decrepit.

This isn’t to say I think the salary cap should be abolished; it just needs to be modified. The concept is one which gives the fans a competitive competition and not an English Premier League scenario which deems the richest club champions. Such examples in the NRL are 1950s and 60s Dragons and Rabbitohs teams, which dominated the competition with multiple titles.

The cap is often scrutinised for its more frustrating aspects, such as the difficulty to hold a premiership winning team together. However it is rarely acknowledged for its ability to revive withering clubs and put them back into premiership contention faster than you can say Toulon. I look to 2008 when Sonny Bill Williams walked out on the Bulldogs, leaving them with the wooden spoon. The result was a large chunk of the salary cap being freed for the next season, allowing some exceptional off season purchasing including David Stagg, Ben Hannant, Josh Morris, Brett Kimmorely and Michael Ennis.

The Bulldogs finished 2nd on the table and within one game of the final in 2009, repaying the loyal fans who stuck with them.

The salary cap does not punish success, it builds it. If there was no cap and a premiership winning team stayed together for years on end then the junior players would be denied their chance to make it in the big time. If Matt King had not left the Storm and held the position of left centre, would Greg Inglis have had ample opportunity to stamp his mark on the game from the same spot? Would Brett Morris still be scoring hat-tricks every weekend if Mark Gasnier was receiving a large percentage of the ball on the other side of the field?

However we can’t just say “see you later” to every what’s-his-face that earns over $200,000 a year. The stars keep the fans rolling through the turn-stiles and I see three conceivable options for tweaking the $4.1 million salary cap and keeping them in the sport. The salary cap applies only to the 25 highest paid players at the club, and a simple solution could be to reduce that figure to 20. This way the bigger stars can demand a pay packet similar to what an open market could offer and the clubs could still retain their fringe players should they have sufficient funds.

Another solution could be raising the salary cap. Although a number of clubs are currently in financial crisis, the NRL currently makes $150 million a year in profits. Only a third of that goes back to the clubs. If more went back to the clubs, then we could look at securing the big name signatures for longer and not ask them to stay out of loyalty alone.

On the other hand, we could retain the current salary cap figure and look at a system that rewards loyalty to the club itself. Perhaps once a player has been part of the club for a certain number of seasons, then only half of his salary comes under the cap?

You see, not all clubs have nurseries such as the Storm’s. Sometimes the only option is to lure players with cash alone. Without the cap, the Warriors couldn’t dream of securing the services of New Zealand’s favourite Aussie, Steve Price. Petro Civinoceva wouldn’t be guiding the Panthers through their purple patch. Scott Prince would be sharing the limelight with Benji Marshall at the Tigers. Just because the Storm cheated the system, doesn’t mean the system should be over-turned. Haven’t we got enough problems as it is?

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Full English 2 Comedy Cellar at The Elliott Stables April 24 Comedy Review by Catherine Selfe The New Zealand International Comedy Festival has brought us many laughs over the years but comedians Reuben Lee and Daniel McChrystal, who bring us Full English 2, have reduced many to a few.

The team did not apply the rule “saving the best til last” as first to take the stage was Reuben Lee and he proved to be the best that the night was going to hold. His humour was quick-witted, relevant and frequent and consisted of anything from day-to-day existence to getting in a ginger joke here and there. His humour often reflected the “it’s funny ‘cause it’s true” approach and political correctness was punted out the door.

Reuben’s son took to the stage next and proved to the audience that comedic tendencies are not genetic. He was a cocky teenager who thought that just by swearing a lot qualified him as funny. His humour was so poor I felt that even a polite giggle was unworthy of him. I’m questioning whether the few laughs he received were with or at him.

Last to take to the stage was Danny McChrystal and while he was an immense improvement on his predecessor he lacked the quality of his comedic counterpart. His humour was generic, lacking in originality and he did not give the impression of a natural performer. Despite this I did get a few sniggers from him but I was far from being in stitches.

The duo say the comedy festival will be their final performances but just like numerous other performers “final” is more of an extended sabbatical and while future performances are not on the books, never say never. Even I won’t go as far to say that I would never watch Full English 2 again but I will say I will NEVER go see them if that cocky, unamusing teenager is planning to take the stage.

Steve Wrigley – @Wrigglemania Live at The Basement Theatre Tuesday, May 4 Comedy Review by Jess Cann If you read last week’s edition of debate, you would’ve seen/skimmed over my interview with Steve Wrigley, and from that interview you would’ve gathered that I am indeed a Steve Wrigley fan. So when the Ed, Sam, offered me a ticket to go see his new show called Wrigglemania, I happily accepted.

Wrigley’s show is a mash up of previous stories with new and hilarious takes on his personal life and life in New Zealand. It’s not New Zealand-centric, but Steve does take a stab at our own Apprentice NZ, the airport in Taupo and Wellington’s insane wind speed.

He is a self-professed nerd, and it shows as he tries to make Star Wars and wizard jokes to the unsuspecting audience, complete with light saber movements and sounds. My favourite story of the night involved wizards and words Harry Potter uses, such as sticking “maximus” on the end of every spell he conjures.

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At a venue like the Basement, you’re practically sitting on the stage, which meant you could see the reactions of a lot of the audience, allowing for onstage banter. There was one “stoney-faced lady” in the front row, which Wrigley turned into a challenge for the night. I believe he finally cracked her when he made a joke about Twilight, which must mean she loves vamps.

The best thing about live comedy is that it’s short but sweet. You can rock up 10 minutes before it starts, get a primo seat, and just over an hour later you’re walking out with a newly formed six pack.

I know how difficult it can be when making a choice about which shows to see during the comedy festival, but if you didn’t catch his show this time around, definitely check out Steve Wrigley when you can. You will not be disappointed at all.

Te Radar – Eating the Dog SKYCITY Theatre Friday, April 30 Comedy Review by Carol Wilder Te Radar’s award winning show Eating the Dog played to a packed house at SKYCITY Theatre on April 30. As a new fan, I had come to appreciate his quirkiness from watching his TV shows Radar’s Patch and Off the Radar. However, I have never seen him in a stand up setting, even though he’s been around for more than a decade.

The crowd was slightly older than I expected, with mostly couples and the odd girls-night-out crowd making up the audience. There was some light audience banter as to who followed the TV shows or read his blog on Stuff.

Te Radar wove together an eclectic mix of carefully researched stories from New Zealand’s history. With power point props and proudly sporting his new getup, complete with waistcoat, cravat, braces, breeches and boots, audiences were eager to see the live performance of the ginge they had become so fond of from the television.

With his passion for New Zealand history and his gift of storytelling, he charted some of our lesser known foibles and fables with a dash of crosscultural miscommunication and just a little touch of national pride.

His gentle narrative and superb wit steered the audience through tales of explorers, gangs and a highwayman in Taranaki, the Great Uranium Rush of 1955 and the sad tale of an aeronautical endeavour gone wrong. Inventions and contraptions also played their part in demonstrating perfectly what the kiwi “she’ll be right” spirit is all about. Did you even know we had a gold-seeking submarine called the Platypus?

The audience was invited to ask questions at any time during the show and a few felt comfortable enough to do so, especially a question as to the origins of his name, which he humoured and then summarised as a “long and old story” from his time in uni. The audience remained riveted to his tales and from where I was sitting almost nobody could be seen leaving the room for fear of missing a detail.

Te Radar turned stand up into a history lesson with a difference and a laugh (or 10), but unlike school, it was most enjoyable and superbly told.

The Giant Face Live at the Herald Theatre Tuesday, May 4 Comedy Review by Amy Donohue Reviews are supposed to be detached, objective pieces of reflection. Screw that. The Giant Face was awesome and by the time you read this, it will be over. If you were lucky enough to see it - how brilliant was it, right? If you missed it - shame on your giant face.

Firstly, a comedic play called The Giant Face was always going to be brilliant. A comedic play starring - squeal! - Fleur Saville from Being Eve was always going to make my companion, Gingersnaps, and I giddy. Add in the Harry McNaughton (Gerald from Shortland St) and we were already declaring this the Greatest. Thing. Ever.

Devised by uber-funnies Natalie Medlock and Dan Musgrove, the play involved two interwoven, yet separate performances. The first: Medlock and Musgrove performing very funny ditties on a guitar and keyboard. The other: a documentary on actor Harry McNaughton (played convincingly by McNaughton) during the aftermath of Shortland St’s cancellation. Desperate for the money to separate his conjoined twin sisters, as well as looking for some sort of meaningful work after becoming unemployed, McNaughton grapples with a career-defining role offered to him by Peter Jackson and James Cameron (played BRILLIANTLY

by Musgrove and Medlock) in exchange for killing Jackson’s lovechildren.

Saville played McNaughton’s hairy, homophobic and altogether frightening agent Malcolm, as well as a few other characters. She was good but Gingersnaps and I felt that in terms of roles, she drew the short straw a bit - or we could have just been pining after her Eve days? McNaughton was funny and realistically just a hammed up version of his real self. The standouts though were easily Medlock and Musgrove. Their musical interludes were charming and irreverent, while their imitations of Jackson and Cameron were my personal highlight. Special mention too to Musgrove’s delightful turn as McNaughton’s mother.

There were also pre-recorded cameos of wellknown actors from the television and stage too, with Robbie Magasiva and Oliver Driver the most memorable. Driver self-deprecatingly took the piss out of Sunrise’s cancellation, which had Gingersnaps and I in giggles. It helped also that basically the entire cast of Shortland St were in the crowd (Yvonne!) and seemed to (rightly so) find everything hilarious.

Basically, if you didn’t see this you missed out.

I am relatively hard to make laugh and I was chuckling the whole way through. Luckily, Medlock and Musgrove do regular shows around Auckland - they also did Christ Almighty at Christmas time and undoubtedly they have something else up their collective sleeves. Gingersnaps and I will most certainly be there. You should be too.

Rhys Mathewson At only 19 Rhys Mathewson is New Zealand’s youngest professional comedian. He’s been on the scene since he was 15 as part of Class Comedians, performed his first solo show last year called The Best $18 You’ll Ever Spend, and is back this year with his second offering, Rhyspect, a show promising arrogance, a whiteboard and possibly some Disney references.

He’s also a student at the University of Auckland as well, and he has the Lion Red t-shirt and the uncut hairstyle to prove it.

The show is based around “a quest for change” and fixing himself as a person, which he had started coming up with before last year’s festival had even taken place.

“I think that a lot of people when they’re 17 to say 20 go through this period of saying ‘this is what I’m going to be like as a person. I like these things, but don’t like these things’. But then you get to a point where you go ‘OK, some of this hasn’t worked and I’m a bit of a dick’, and then you have to go around and kind of fix it. That’s kind of what the show’s about,” he says.

So what is his favourite Disney movie?

“Old school Robin Hood, because it’s not overdone. Most people say the Lion King and stuff like that but no, Robin Hood was my favourite.”

Despite making a career out of telling jokes, he’s serious about what he does. He spends the day of his show re-reading his set list to make sure he doesn’t blank on stage, but let’s loose a few hours before the show he’ll have a Red Bull and do some air boxing to get himself pumped up.

“It’s a bit spastic but it keeps me a bit more agile I think. I like to think

that, otherwise I’m just doing it for no reason.”

Growing up on the comedy scene at a young age hasn’t affected him professionally at all, aside from the fact that he couldn’t drink after a show until 2 years ago and 80s references go over his head. Mathewson says the comedy scene in New Zealand is a good place to start out because it’s such a small industry that you get lots of support, advice and move on to better gigs at early stages. One such gig was a spot at the Edinburgh film festival, which he can’t stop raving about.

“I cannot recommend Edinburgh enough to anyone reading. Definitely go over; it’s like a month long party with some really good comedy and good drama and music…happening at the same time.”

While the downside to doing comedy in New Zealand is that the industry is too small for everyone to make a living solely off of comedy, Mathewson’s confident that in 10 years time, he’ll still be trying to make people laugh.

“A lot of people would say ‘I want to get into movies’ or ‘I want to do TV or radio’, which I really don’t want to do at the moment because I don’t think I really have anything interesting to say. So at the moment, where I see myself is just standing on stage telling people some jokes. That’s what I want to do and I haven’t made plans after that.”

Rhys Mathewson is playing at The Classic Studio from Wednesday May 12 - Saturday May 15 at 10pm. Check out www.comedyfestival.co.nz for more details.

Heidi O’Loughlin & Rose Matafeo Heidi O’Loughlin and Rose Matafeo sit on the balcony of Rakinos, surrounded by a pile of empty coffee cups, wearing matching tortoise-shell glasses. They talk in broken sentences, and whenever there’s a slight pause, the other one jumps in and finishes off the thought.

They’re one of New Zealand’s youngest comedy duos (O’Loughlin is 21, while Matafeo is only 18), but they’ve both been on the scene since they were 15. Their road to comedy starts the same: they both started out in Class Comedians, where they “take small children and give them Chinese burns until they tell jokes”, according to O’Loughlin. They met at a RAW comedy gig where O’Loughlin forced Matafeo to be her friend (although Matafeo argues she had a bit to do with it as well) and their love of Arrested Development (before it was cool), old TV shows and generally anything awkward or “uncool” set them up with the ‘Heidi and Rose’ partnership. Their style is described by others as quirky, kitschy and twee, but they use words like country and rock n roll, just to be different. Looking at them at first glance, and listening to their conversation, you would be forgiven for thinking they were the same person, but they both insist they each have distinctive comedy styles.

“It’s interesting because our writing styles and our material, it differs, but we do share the similarity in that we’re both self-deprecating and [have] got really awkward humour, but we’re completely different on stage,” says Matafeo.

After the success of last year’s show, A Guide to the Uncool, they have branched out into their first solo shows. Matafeo – the taller, curly-haired half of the partnership – just wrapped up Life Lessons I’ve Learnt From The ‘60s (Based On Things I’ve Seen On The Television); which was based on exactly what the title says. You would think she would resent being a 90s baby, but she’s quick to point out that even though she’s currently obsessed with the 60s, she wouldn’t have wanted to grow up in it.

“You sort of idolise decades. [In the] 60s you’re still fighting for women’s rights and racial equality.”

When asked if she had to pick one decade other than now to grow up in, she settled on the 70s, because her hair “would have worked in the 70s”.

O’Loughlin’s project, Life Without Michael: One Year On, is a lot more topical. She plays a life-long Michael Jackson fan, distraught by his death. It’s inspired by a story she heard over in the UK about a girl who had dedicated her whole life to Michael Jackson since leaving school at 15.

“That really fascinated me because I was quite struck by his death but what if I had been the sort of fan who had dedicated my entire life… what would you do when he died? You’d have no prospects, you’d have no education.”

“Quite struck” by his death is an understatement. She first heard the news issue 9 may 2010

when she woke up and saw 20 missed calls and 30 messages on her phone, which all started with ‘Michael Jackson’. She spent the day in her pajamas, glued to the TV and crying over the news.

“I found myself being more devastated than I could have ever imagined. It was so bad. It was so embarrassing.”

Both of them say their shows are for a niche audience, and while it is one of the first opportunities they’ve had to develop separate distinctive styles, they’re still directing each other’s shows and plan on resurrecting the duo in the future.

“It’s different, but I think it’s always good to have that person you trust to run by what you’re doing. Because we’re both not big sharers and we’ve realised that we’re not very good at getting outside directors, just because we’re very self-conscious about our material. But because we’re so used to each other…we can honestly tell each other [what we think] and we don’t feel bad about it.”

Aside from being some of the younger comedians in New Zealand’s comedy scene, they’re also fall under “female comedians”, a category that sends them off in a rapid-fire spiel, with the conversation jumping from one side of the table to the other.

“Our whole thing is that we want to be funny comedians, not funny female comedians, but then that’s a problem because people have this whole thing over here where they’re like ‘well you better [show] extra support for the females’,” says O’Loughlin.

“Saying ‘you’re funny for a girl’ is like saying ‘you’re funny for a Samoan,” adds Matafeo.

“If you find me funny – good – but don’t find me funny because I’m a girl or I’m this culture or I’m this age…Judge it on the material and the jokes.”

Heidi O’Loughlin’s Life Without Michael: One Year On is playing at The Basement this Saturday, May 15 at 5pm. Check out Heidi and Rose’s blog at http://heidiandrose.wordpress.com/ for updates, vlogs, YouTube favourites and comedic ramblings.

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As cruel as it may sound, I really struggle to find anything cool about my parents. Perhaps cruel isn’t the

correct terminology, try unsurprising. I mean, yeah I love my parents and everything, and you created me so obviously somewhere deep inside your loins there is something incredibly cool. Oh, that’s gross – I totally apologise for that. I really don’t want to get into that. On a more PG note, there is one thing I have to thank my parents for: their awesome taste in music.

I find listening to music can really influence someone’s emotions; sometimes an awesome song actually gives me chills. I know it’s revoltingly cheesy, however I preach the truth dudes. It’s not any shit like “oh wow, these lyrics totally speak to me” or “Taylor Swift totally wrote the soundtrack of my life” It’s more like: “Fuck. This just sounds so cool”. You know what I mean?

You don’t? Maybe that’s just me then. Doesn’t really matter, but if any of you DO understand, you’re great humans.

These days you hear a lot of complaints about how bad music is becoming.

I both agree and disagree with this. I have a fairly broad musical taste – I don’t like lame quotes like “music is like lollies... all the rappers have to be remove” and in fact I am pretty “down” with some “gangsta” music. Word. In saying this I couldn’t listen to more than three RnB songs in a row without

wanting to hurt a small animal.

In this same context techno music and dubstep is also really great but there is only so many songs I can listen to before my head starts pounding like a drum. It’s nothing to do with the lyrics not having a meaning; more that I find music created straight from artists far more moving. Instruments are hard to tackle and to be able to make a unique aurally pleasing (yes I did just say that) tune is pretty awesome in my opinion. In turn, finding lyrics which suit the tone of the music is just as difficult as is vocalising them. This is exactly why I love original rock and roll bands.

Coming to uni, I realised how little TV I watched at home. The other night I had an epiphany. It’s because mum and dad always had CDs playing. In my lifetime I’ve been exposed to mainly 60s, 70s and 80s rock, and know lyrics to songs my friends don’t even recognise. It wasn’t until the mid-years of my youth that I started taking an interest in learning all the bands and discovered how incredibly cool and talented they all were. Jimi Hendrix is a fucking guitar legend and I love that I can actually sing along to his songs.

I know the story behind the song Smoke on the Water. As for Jim Morrison, he is the sexiest dead guy I know of. Watching DVDs of him performing at concerts is better than any lesbian-twin crap you’ll find these days. Then you get the wicked hippy bands like Pink Floyd, who were one of the best of their decade, with unique acoustic sounds and triptastic light shows. Just gonna chuck out there that Wish You Were Here is an awesome song. The father of grunge Neil Young, he’s bloody brilliant. Then of course there’s classic grunge Nirvana; must say it’s nice to know more than just the song Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Alongside these legendary bands, I’ve also fallen in love with the less mainstream old school bands. Supertramp are the grooviest sounding band; they have three different vocalists, so unless you know their distinctive music it’s quite hard to recognise them. Steely Dan is a real funky band too, I once saw a quotation to one of their songs on Family Guy – it was gold.

Phil Collins from the Cadbury Gorilla ad? Yeah, I was familiar with that song before it was re-released. Recently mum replaced dad’s shitty record-player with a brand new one. There is something special about vinyl; even the way they look is way cooler than some ugly, shiny, silver disc. There is something transporting about the fuzzy sound of a vinyl. The music isn’t so crisp, and I find that it kind of suits the eras this music was created in. Everything was a little hazy, there’s no denying all the great musicians back then were hardcore druggies. I mean, as I write I am listening to a song by Lynard Skynard which goes “don’t put out that joint my friend, pass it over to me”.

But something about these druggies was classy. Well as classy as snorting powder can be.

So for anyone out there who feels like the only Bieber-fever they’ve caught is that they’re fucking SICK of him, I suggest you take a browse through your parents’ CD collection. You may just find you love it. For something totally bizarre, try Pavlov’s Dog – is the vocalist a man or woman?

Investigating

musical quality Is all music created equally? At its most basic level, yes – the raw sound and noise is something fundamental to music.

This is stating the obvious, but it leads to the next point; that music is beyond noise. Music traces its lineage to the word “muse” which means inspiration. Hence at the most basic artistic level, the production of music is all about inspiration. Music generally benefits both the musician and the listener, but how exactly do we gauge or measure the quality of the musical world? Is inspiration limited to human subjectivity and hence beyond measurement?

Well, like most things, demonstration is illustrated best with a radical example. Ask yourself sincerely; is there a difference between noise and music? Noise is something effervescent, whether you live in the middle of town or the heart of a jungle. Yet much of this noise we would clearly identify as simply noise, and nothing near resembling music. For instance, the sound of car traffic and people talking as you walk to uni is considered noise. However, I have actually seen a video on YouTube where a guy made a song using himself, a synthesiser, a few mates and a Jeep.

It seems fairly conclusive then that music must be the result of human agency, yet not all human noise is music.

Is it that a whisper is noise, a spoken word potentially invigorating, but only singing has its dominion over creativity? Not exactly. Music obviously does not have ownership over inspiration; rather music is inspiration packaged in an attractive format. It could be said then, that music is essentially poetry with a beat. Personally, I would say rap music definitely fits in there. Of course we have music without lyrics!

Understanding the potentially inspirational quality of words is something which applies to many aspects of life. However, when it comes to music, as stated earlier, sound is guaranteed.

Is music without lyrics just noise? Well no, noise is disorganised production of sound by human agents. I can say as a bass player, without a doubt; instrumentation is something immensely inspirational. However that is something perhaps more on the platform of artist satisfaction, and not listener satisfaction, and this article is about the listener. To speak allegorically, if music were a dessert, lyrics would be the pudding, whilst instrumentation is the chocolate sauce coating. Chocolate sauce isn’t so bad on its own. Similarly, instrumentation on its own sound alright, but it is incomparable to the glorious symbiosis which occurs when poetry and sound commune.

This is because words (lyrics) are abstractions of thoughts, and hence when words are heard, so too are thoughts. Conversely with raw instrumentation, rhythm appeals to our emotional nature and/or our bodily nature (for instance, it may compel us to dance). But without lyrics what are you dancing too? Arguably music without lyrics finds its nature somewhere between crude inspiration and complex noise. To surmise, no matter how complex one makes a sound, if it is not intelligible language, it can neither explain experience nor articulate philosophy; that is what grants lyrical superiority. Of course at this point, we must continue our investigation by asking the question; are any and every lyrical expressions inspirational?

Real and true artisans are those who have insight beyond ours. If insight is below ours, what attracts us to listen? There is an innumerable list of artists throughout the ages, not only contemporary times, who have made their auspicious contribution to humanity. In fact, all the information wouldn’t fit in a paragraph; it would be an encyclopaedic

issue 9 may 2010

volume. Music is all about purporting experience and expressing inward disposition outwardly. In popular media, we are only given information and insight onto select matters. In the technological age, with the advent of the internet, we can literally discover the world while sitting on our ass.

It’s something beyond mundane information and theoretical knowledge, a spiritual experience if you will.

Therefore true artists are to be held in high regard by all, because they actually help our life. Yet it is fairly evident our modern injunction of celebrity is tainted, for so many are imitators. With the hopes that I don’t sound bigoted, prejudiced and discriminatory; mainstream music is shit and so are mainstream artists. Allow me to articulate exactly what is meant by this.

Music has a culture surrounding it, comprised of the instrumental, the intrinsic and the institutional. As one would go to a museum and observe historical relics, music lovers would experience these different facets. The museum is there under government mandate, because it is seen as being beneficial to the society; that is institutional. A group of school children may go on a field trip to the museum so they may become more educated; that is instrumental. The fascination and marvel at the small slice of our planet’s history encapsulated in this building; that is intrinsic.

Similarly there is corporate agenda and power within musical culture; that is institutional. There is YouTube, Bittorrent, Limewire and other internet applications which allow one to browse through an array of music; that is instrumental. Then there is the experience of jamming with yourself or some mates, or chilling out after a hard day’s work and putting on some tunes; the intrinsic value.

I think I can sum up this whole argument with two words; Justin Bieber. We can see in him what is true for so many puppets, that he can sing well and proper, but he himself has nothing of value to say. It is far easier to see this in the shell of a youthful body, but far harder to see in our idolised adult-sized mainstream puppets. Did you know there are tens of thousands of record labels, yet the top five have 75 per cent of market share? Doesn’t this statistic mean anything to you? Don’t you wonder how it is that these artists pop up in the billboards out of nowhere? If the primary goal is to make money, the ambition of inspiration is going to be sacrificed at some point or another.

It needs to be clear what I mean when I say that mainstream music being abominable is the musical executives’ agenda. Our institutional overlords, who are prepared to sacrifice our music’s quality for a buck or two more in their wallet. Marketing is actually proclaimed and taught by some as a science, and actually, sadly this is somewhat true in the case of music. In a nutshell, people, particularly kids, are being trained to have aesthetic preference for music in the billboards; they are inclined to because of popularity.

If this is the case, you basically have a stable and reliable formula for selling music that takes birth out of insincerity. Music can be used to create inertia, as a social engineering tool. When the intrinsic value becomes inexplicably modelled and fashioned according to the institution, that kind of noise deserves another name; it is closer to pollution than inspiration. The conclusion seems to be that real and true good quality music is something that is intimate and illuminating rather than just enjoyable or fun. If one masquerades as an artist when really he is a businessman then that is insincere and a lie, and surely the quality of our music will suffer because of it.

17

A New Zealand Music Institution

by Lisa Rapley

What do Metallica, Neil Young, Dizzee Rascal and Lily Allen all have in common? Apart from being some of the biggest names in music, they have all played at Big Day Out (BDO). Seeing some of the leading names in music grace the red, blue, green and orange stages of the one-day event, is the highlight of summer for most New Zealand music aficionados.

With its good times and bad, the popularity of the festival just keeps reaching new heights. The first announcement for the 2010 BDO on September 29 saw ticket sales skyrocket in the following weeks, ending with all Australian shows selling out within two weeks – a first for the BDO. Beginning in 1992 with a modest line-up, the BDO had a crowd of just 9,500 people in Sydney. People rocked out to numerous Australian acts, but the main appeal were international acts Nirvana and Violent Femmes. With the success of the Sydney show, the BDO expanded to include Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, the Gold Coast and eventually Auckland over the next few years.

Since then the BDO has continued to grow with some of the biggest names – popular and veteran – in the music industry playing the coloured stages. Artists like Marilyn Manson, Korn, The Dandy Warhols, Black Eyed Peas, Kings of Leon, Patti Smith, Neil Young, Bjork, Rage Against the Machine, Tool, Muse… and the list goes on. The biggest accumulative crowd the BDO has ever seen was in 2008 with more than 282,000 people turning up to enjoy the day of rock in the sun.

Auckland celebrated its 16th Big Day Out on January 15, 2010 in 25 degree heat, with a 45,000-strong crowd turning out to celebrate all things music. The crowd lapped up all things British. Dizzee Rascal turned the crowd into an overwhelming swell of jumping bodies during Bonkers (YouTube it), Groove Armada creating a sweaty dance/mosh finale in the boiler room, and headliners Muse entrancing the crowd with lasers, keytars and a rare ability to sound better live than on their albums. New Zealand’s own Kora got the biggest crowd from their 4pm performance on the main stage, which had writhing, sweating bodies bursting from inside the D barrier (the mosh pit).

Big Day Out also celebrated two other accomplishments as a festival; it had to include a second show in Sydney because of demand (the first time two BDOs have been held in the same city) and it also celebrated its 100th festival, which is a mighty feat from its humble beginnings.

But as smoothly as the BDO has grown in popularity, some years events have not gone so. It has been marred by controversy in more recent years with deaths, drugs and flag banning. And then denying media passes because of a bad review, which highlighted the inherent problems of the festival.

In 2001 at the Sydney BDO while Limp Bizkit had the stage, teenager Jessica Michalik was crushed in the mosh pit and died five days later in hospital from asphyxiation. The band was cleared and security for the event took most of the blame; with the mosh pit exceeding capacity before Limp Bizkit ever took the stage. Following this, founder Vivian Lees said the band would never be invited to play the BDO again.

Drug use is a common part of any Big Day Out, no matter how hard organisers try to prevent its use. At the 2009 Sydney festival, police arrested 53 people for drug-related offences, whereas in 2008, they arrested 86.

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Unfortunately even with the precautions in place, there are still some that slip through. At the 2009 Perth BDO, a teenage girl died from an overdose after taking three ecstasy tablets.

At the Sydney 2007 festival, people were banned from carrying and showing the Australian flag for fear of racial clashes breaking out. It came after Croatian and Serbian fans outside the Australian Tennis Open the previous week ended in fighting, where the flag had been used as gang colours.

Having most of the controversy take place in Australia, the Auckland BDO has not escaped scot-free. Duncan Greive, the former editor of Real Groove magazine, gave a not-so-stellar review for the 2008 festival, which upset promoters for Auckland and ended in them not taking advertising and refusing media passes to Real Groove for the 2009 BDO. Greive has been reviewing the BDO for the last eight years and for the most part had a great time, but says the BDO has had little systemic problems they did not fix.

“At the start of [2008] at my review, they had reached a real crescendo of shitty-ness. Sound was really bad year-after-year and it seemed to be getting worse. What really should have been a good position [to listen], you wouldn’t be able to hear [the band].”

Greive describes that there were not enough toilets and the drinking areas were tiny and these were things they were doing badly over and over.

Greive did not hear anything from the organisers of the BDO, something he was surprised about, as BDO promoter Campbell Smith is renowned for speaking his mind, he says.

However, when it came time to apply for media passes for the 2009 festival, Greive was told Real Groove were not being given them. That was what got to Greive, who believes Real Groove is the only publication that runs a proper review of the BDO as a festival.

“Real Groove is the only one where you see criticism, or a real engagement with the day as it felt opposed to 50 words on every band. So for them to say that, and it came on the back of seven years of largely positive coverage, the first time we try to say anything bad, they try to kick us out.

“You can do that, it’s not illegal, but you have to expect we will file a retaliatory shot. It wasn’t good for the BDO. We went and bought tickets anyway. And what did it achieve?”

Many describe the best parts of the experience as the line-ups, the vibe and the general atmosphere that the day brings.

Masters student Halie McCaffrey, who went to the 2009 festival, says she was drawn to it since she was a child because people had told her stories of how amazing it was.

“In that way the BDO seems to be a rite of passage for most New Zealanders. It is a coveted experience that everyone has to do at least once in their lifetime, because it is New Zealand’s biggest musical festival.”

Natalie Pettitt, who has been to two BDOs, agrees and says it is a staple of the New Zealand music experience.

“It’s almost a coming-of-age experience to a lot of music-loving teenagers, so it’s always going to have the support of the younger people.”

The line-ups are what make the BDO what it is and by having so many big bands, as well as many unknown, is what makes it a must for everyone.

Pettitt says only two line-ups were good enough for her to travel up to Auckland from Christchurch for the festival, but says they do get some pretty amazing bands, as well as the awesome little indie bands that people love.

“People around me are practically wetting their pants with excitement when the line-ups are announced, so I think they do pretty good. They have to go with who is touring as well and people who are willing to come to New Zealand, so I think the line-ups have been pretty stellar.”

Cotterall thinks along the same line. She says past line-ups have been good, but she was disappointed in the 2009 line-up as it tended more towards the drum and bass and electronica, but also other acts were not aimed to the age bracket of gig-goers, like Neil Young.

But, she says it can still be a great experience even if you don’t know the bands or artists that are playing. Cotterall names Bjork as one artist that she saw and ended up being amazing, even though she had never heard her before. She recalls of the 2007 BDO, how Muse really shocked people and made more fans after their performance, just because they were so good.

Journalist Charlie Anderson has been to six BDOs in his time and says during the day you will eventually find a band you have not heard before and that can end up being the best experience.

“There are always going to be bands you haven’t heard, or heard much of.

“You often don’t have the best experience with big bands,” he says.

McCaffrey and Pettitt both say the BDO is an opportunity to see some bands that you would not ordinarily go out and listen to.

Pettitt says: “Because New Zealand is a small, out of the way country sometimes the only opportunity you will get to see a band you love is by seeing them at the BDO. It’s a fun day out in the sun with the chance to maybe find a new awesome band you hadn’t heard before.”

Drummer of The Tutts James Percy, who has played at the Big Day Out twice, says this great collaboration is what gives people the opportunity to see the huge international acts, but also exposes them to local acts and new music.

“Exposure to new stuff is what the festival is all about,” he says.

Steve Newall, the New Zealand Music Month manager, says the BDO is just as important in getting international acts to New Zealand. He says it may be the only guaranteed way for some international acts to travel, because they may not generate enough money themselves, it is a way to make performing possible. He describes the BDO as New Zealand’s Glastonbury (The largest green field music and performing arts festival in the world, which attracts almost 200,000 people each year). It is this comparison that is a good draw card for getting international bands to the country.

“We’re getting more mainstream bands and really strong international acts each year,” Steve says.

Newall has been to every Auckland BDO and says it is the only festival in New Zealand on the same scale as Glastonbury and is the most established in the country. He says the BDO is really important to New Zealand bands because they get exposed to a new audience and shows they are established.

“Bands are really proud to play it and if the BDO is in your bio everyone knows it. It’s a good calling card.”

The Tutts had just released their single K when they took the stage in 2007, and were invited back a second time in 2009 because their album had just hit shelves in New Zealand. Percy says the exposure as a band is great, but really it’s just a privilege to be asked to play at such a reputable festival.

“You get to play in front of a huge crowd; 6-8000 people.

“That is pretty good experience.”

However for some, the experience will have to wait. Last year, festival organisers announced that for the first time, the BDO would be an R15 event. In previous years, people under 15 needed to be accompanied by an adult. This move is welcomed by many, as areas like the mosh pit and the boiler room can get quite dangerous.

Pettitt approves the move, even though she would have hated it when she was younger – her first BDO was when she was 14. issue 9 may 2010

“I got pretty badly hurt at my first BDO and I have the scars to prove it. I just wasn’t prepared for how intense the mosh pits would be. Also, as much as they try to keep them out, there are a lot of people on drugs milling around and I’ve seen some nasty fights and mosh pit freak-outs, also some scary medical emergencies because of them.”

But McCaffrey thinks the new age restriction is sad and live music is such a joy to be involved in and experience.

“You deny young people the opportunity to be excited about music and gain the experience that a large festival can give you. If my Dad hadn’t taken me to Alanis Morissette when I was 12, which was my first concert experience, I wouldn’t have had the chance to fall in love with live music.

“I think music festivals should have a wide diversity of people like the older crowd that came with Neil Young playing.”

It is this diversity that helps BDO stand out amongst some of the other New Zealand festivals, along with ticket prices and location. Cotterall says the BDO is the best of the lot because other festivals like Rhythm and Vines are extremely expensive and in less convenient places, whereas Auckland is a good place for a festival. While festival-goers grumble each year about the ticket prices going up, it’s still only $132 plus booking fee for the entire festival. That’s less than the price of a ticket to a Justin Timberlake, AC/DC or John Mayer concert, and you get 10 hours and a lot more bands to pick and choose from.

“With the BDO you get the best of New Zealand bands as well as international acts. People go for their first year and more often than not, go the next year because of the atmosphere,” McCaffrey says.

McCaffrey has been to the Isle of Wight festival in England, which is over two days and one stage and she says the BDO stands up alongside music festivals like this.

“That’s what these big music festivals are about – the diversity of the acts that makes them enjoyable. For me, the Big Day Out does this effortlessly, especially with their multiple stages and acts.”

Pettitt says the BDO is on a different level to other New Zealand festivals saying although they manage to host international acts, none of them ever get the number the BDO does. Also, while New Zealand music is getting better, overseas acts always pull more mainstream punters and create more excitement.

“The BDO generates more interest than all of the other festivals.

Every year by the time September rolls around everyone is buzzing and speculating about who will be in the first line up – no other festival has the amount of buzz about it that BDO has,” she says.

Which is why the BDO will be around for years to come – it is an institution in New Zealand music and a rite of passage. As long as it keeps doing what it’s doing, there will always be the crowds to support. Newall put it best saying the BDO is a fixture.

“It’s so established, it’s hard to see it going anywhere.”

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Congratulations on the upcoming release of your first album.

You must be so excited about it! How did you get your start into the industry? Did you always want to record your own album?

Let me try and remember... Well I've been DJing now for about seven years and started in Wellington – I was organising and promoting all-age dance parties, which let me play trance music to over 800 kids for my first couple of sets. From there I've changed my musical styles a few times and finally found the sound that I can call my own – progressive house. I think as soon as I discovered this I knew it was time to start an album.

Tell us in a few words what Progression is about? What lies beneath the naming of the album?

Since I started DJing, my music style has changed a few times and always I was trying to find the genre that really resonated with me. This album title embodies this journey through the years.

Have you got a favourite song on the album and why?

Wow that's a hard question! I think that I've got a few different favourites, but the one in particular that I've been liking more than the rest would have to be Get To Know You feat. Penelope Holland, which is a mean little electro prog house track.

What are your thoughts of New Zealand music scene? Do you think there has been much development in the last few years?

You've got a pretty funky style, can you give us a bit more description on that? And was it something to work towards or was it always your style?

I think that the scene here and abroad is constantly evolving and changing, which is exciting. It means that your sound must always be evolving and as an artist that’s exciting because its fun always writing something new and challenging yourself!

It's definitely been a work in progress, seeing as I've always loved so many different styles of music. It’s been hard finding a specific style, but progressive house is exactly what I love out of all the genres; it's got melody, funk, groove and plenty of appeal to plenty of people.

As a musician, who are some of the artists that inspire and influence you?

There's so many artists that I've found inspirational, I don't think I could narrow it down to just a few. But if I had to, I would say that any New Zealand artist in the scene is a constant inspiration. Shapeshifter, State of Mind, Tiki Tane, Emerson Todd, Aural Trash and more... all awesome artists!

Have you got some exciting plans for the future you could tell us about?

Yeah definitely! We have our label Get Loaded Records bringing out a CD compilation at the end of the year with some talented NZ producers on it. I'm really looking forward to that!

What advice would you give to new upcoming artists?

Hmmmm, that's a good question! I think the best advice is to just be yourself.

Don't feel like you have to conform to other people’s taste or styles and do what you think is the best for you. Feel free to chase after what you want and never be afraid too aim high and to pursue all of your dreams! Cheese factor much?

What was one of the most memorable experiences while making of the album?

I'd say going down to Christchurch to work with Phil Alexander. I played a set at Concrete Club the night before and was so hungover I couldn't move out of bed... but after a voluntary spew, a smoke and a coffee we got in the studio and wrote our collab tune His Name Is George in a couple of hours. After that, we went out that night and got home at 11 in the morning. Very rockstar (laughs).

The album was released from nationwide exclusively through Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch at Real Groovy from the beginning of May. It is also available online through his website, kylebourke.com. Get Loaded Records is hosting the official album release party at Ink on May 27 to coincide with the digital release of the album being sold on iTunes. This party will host most of the artists on the album, as well as a special live set from Kyle Bourke.

Indie rock band Autozamm is carving their way into the live music scene and with their new release Want It, Need It hitting radio stations now. Selena La Fleur chats to drummer Richard Orr (you may know him from the band Falter, winners of Smokefree Rock Quest 2003) about the New Zealand music scene, inspirations and middle aged dominatrixes.

When did you begin to take an interest in the music scene?

It was during high school when I started getting into music. I was really keen to play bass so I started getting lessons in 3rd form and kept on doing so for a few years. I got into drums in about 5th form only because some friends of mine were playing guitars and they needed a drummer to jam with and I happened to know a couple of beats as my older brother had a kit. Pretty much from then I stopped playing the bass and just rocked out with my cock out on the drums.

How did you get into the music scene?

My high school music teacher suggested that my friends and I enter the Rock Quest. So we did and managed to come second in the national finals. We decided to enter again the following year and won which gave us a video and single release amongst other things which I guess let us get a taste of what being in a band is like, which for whatever reason, I was attracted to.

Which bands/musicians influenced you when you were growing up?

I have vivid memories of days I would put on the Dire Straits album Brothers in Arms whilst waiting to be taken to kindy. I loved that record, still do. I used to use this old wooden tennis racket as a guitar. I’d also air guitar to the Swedish band Europe and Motley Crue.

After the success of Drama Queen in 2008, are you guys working on a third album?

The third album is as yet untitled and unreleased. From what I’ve heard of it sounds pretty sweet. I think it could be getting released within the next month or so but I’m not sure.

Are you working on anything special at the moment?

We released a single last week. I think it’s on a few radio stations with the video on the music channels. We have a bunch of upcoming gigs at some local bars and at the Ohakune Mountain Mardi Gras!

issue 9 may 2010

What has been your most memorable moment playing in Autozamm?

The most memorable moment was when we played a wine festival on Waiheke Island and Nick (singer) got a couple of 40 year old dominatrixes on stage (they were in the crowd, he didn’t bring them with him) and he got down on all fours and they were doing some weird shit to him. It was quite surreal at the time.

What bands/musicians influence Autozamm now?

Everyone has different influences in the band. Mike loves his pop, Nick and Steve seem to be into most things, Ollie and myself are into the heavier side of things. So I guess we’re a fairly eclectic bunch.

Is the band looking to go overseas, and are there any goals that you guys want to achieve this year?

We’re not certain on anything as yet. I guess it’s all dictated by the success of the upcoming album. Overseas would be sweet if we get the chance.

Otherwise I think we’ll just take it as it comes.

Do you have advice for people interested in starting out in a band?

Be proactive. Play as many shows as possible. Once you’ve got a few songs together record a demo so you can take it to venue managers so they can hear what you do and recommend you to bands passing through your town as a possible opening band. Practice with your band and at your own instrument.

Listen to as many different bands/musicians as you can and play the music y o u want to hear.

To learn more about Autozamm, or to find out about upcoming gigs, check out them out on the web:

www.autozamm.co.nz www.myspace.com/autozamm

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Glorious Tunes They’re five years on from forming and have just released their second EP but the band The Glory Sea are showing no signs of slowing down. I met with band members Joel Greatbatch and Andrew Speir who give us an insight into who The Glory Sea is and where they’re going from here.

The group consists of Joel Greatbatch (Vocals, guitar), Andrew Speir (Backing vocals, guitars, keys,) Benjamin Cullen (Bass, backing vocals) and Catherine Wild (Drums), who came together after the band that Joel and Catherine were previously in went their separate ways. In their time together The Glory Sea has released two EPs, first was Rumours of Light and has just been followed with My Own Soul. They have played numerous gigs at locations ranging from The Kings Arms in Auckland to Christian music festival Parachute. When asked if they were a Christian band Andrew says “I used to say that we were Christians who played in a band,” he says that he was unsure how to best answer this question when asked as how could they be a band of Christians but not a Christian band?

But his answer to this now is that the term Christian band doesn’t best describe the group as they don’t play worship music. “We don’t want to be unfairly put in a box,” says Joel. So, if not a Christian band what genre can The Glory Sea be put into? Greatbatch and Speir hummed and hawed over this question, deliberating what best describes their sound before deciding to label themselves as somewhat of an indie/rock group.

Their new EP My Own Soul, which took approximately 3 months to complete, was released on the 25th March and features seven new tracks and while Joel and Andrew say they love it and are very proud of it, it’s a stepping stone towards high aspirations for the group. Joel says “to get some stuff on the radio” and to take the New Zealand music scene as far as possible is definitely on the list and Andrew says that “a video would be great.” They are united in their goals and both are adamant that they would love to get an album out and to have worked with a producer on it.

And do their personal aspirations reflect those they hold as a group? Speir believes that his “will always be musical in some way,” yet Greatbatch feels

that “to lose some weight around my tummy,” is on his list. As they both start debating the true state of their own girth I steer the conversation back to the music, asking what would qualify as some of the worst band moments. Andrew animatedly describes a particular performance when bass guitarist Ben Cullen (no relation to Edward or Twilight girls, sorry) got up on an amp mid-song but after becoming void of his initial confidence wouldn’t jump off and had to wait for the end of the song to clamber down.

It was described by Andrew as “the worst rocker moment in history.”

For any band there are always those performances that stand out above the others. For Andrew it was being able to play a solid hour of their own music at My Own Soul’s EP release party whereas Joel recalled one gig they played at The King’s Arms and were following on from a previous band.

The majority of the crowd had been there for the earlier performance but were soon really getting into The Glory Sea. “When you play for a crowd who don’t know you and they really get into it it’s great,” says Joel.

The music industry is extremely competitive and everyone has heard of the life of a struggling musician, so where does the drive to follow that road come from? “It’s something that fits in with who I am,” says Greenbatch. And Andrew gives his reason in such simplicity that no contradiction is needed, “I love it.” * * * A Sea of Randomness (a few questions just for fun): What are you listening to at the moment?

Joel: JJ72 Andrew: Switchfoot, Mars Volta, Radiohead Favourite song of your own?

Joel: Phoenix (from Rumours of Light EP) Andrew: Stop Breathing (from My Own Soul EP) If you could open for any band or musician, dead or alive who would it be?

Joel: Original members of Smashing Pumpkins Andrew: Muse What are your day jobs?

Joel: Sale/Marketing/Customer Support ‘lackey’ Andrew: Bartender Benjamin: Engineer Catherine: Accountant

Check out The Glory Sea on MySpace and Facebook (their website is currently in construction) and purchase their EP from Real Groovy or online at amplifier.co.nz

22

Clint Eastwood:

He’s better than you and he knows it

by Brendan Kelly

You’ve got to ask yourself one question- “Do I feel lucky?” Well? Do ya, punk?

Clint Eastwood is the original badass. The reason for the dying out of the Chuck Norris phase was because Clint Eastwood got tired of that annoying ginger and trapped him in a Korean-war style tiger pit (pretty sure they had those). When Sylvester Stallone was being all “AAAAAAaaaaaaaaadriel” or whatever he says at the end of Rocky, Eastwood had already appeared in 32 movies, and was completely coherent in almost all of them. If you think Gerard Butler is the man because he killed some Persians, you have no right to read this article. Gerard Butler is an undeniable pussy. This isn’t Sparta. This is Eastwood.

Clint Eastwood was born a baby. There are rumours that he exited the womb smoking a cigar and drinking a brandy on the rocks. These are largely unconfirmed, with some authorities arguing that it was in fact scotch, neat. He weighed 12 pounds, six ounces, which is apparently big for a baby, showing that even as an infant Eastwood refused to settle for mediocrity. It is assumed that this extra size was to accommodate the overflow of awesome.

He was so big the nurses nicknamed him Samson (it’s true. Look it up). After some fairly uneventful years, Eastwood was drafted into the U.S Army, where he probably did some cool shit that he doesn’t talk about.

On his way back from Korea his plane went down, and, evidence of abundant masculinity already showing, Eastwood swam several miles to shore. (His plane ran out of gas. That doesn’t make the story any less cool. And besides he wasn’t the pilot. It wasn’t even his fault.

Fuck.)

In 1963, Eastwood had his first big break in the movies (note: I’ve skipped a few years. Obviously.

He didn’t get out of the ocean, issue 9 may 2010

step onto the beach and immediately get his big break. Use your brains).

He was offered the part of “The Man With No Name” in Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars, the first part of a trilogy which culminates with the better known and slightly more awesome The Good, The Bad and The Ugly in 1966. The level of kickass Eastwood brings to the role of “cowboy who kills people at random because he can” is extreme. He doesn’t talk.

What he does do is look at people coldly and then shoots them in the face.

There’s no barbaric yelling, no Neanderthal proclamation of which state of Greece he is in. ‘Cos that shit is weak.

In 1971, after making his directorial debut and starring in Play Misty For Me, Eastwood was given the title role of Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry.

Once again kicking ass, and once again shooting people in the face, this is the actor’s best known role and for good reason. In 1974, he teamed up with Jeff Bridges (also the man) in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, a film described as a “buddy action caper”. He was also in a few crappy comedies, but it wasn’t until the 90s that he decided to once again rise up like a really wrinkly, manly tidal wave of awesomeness.

In Unforgiven, Eastwood plays an aging gunfighter who roams around being an aging gunfighter and shooting people in the face despite the fact he is aging. This won Eastwood an Academy Award for best director and a nomination for best actor (at the age of 60), as well as taking out best picture in 1992. He went on to direct Mystic River, which won two Oscars, and Million Dollar Baby, for which he won his second best director Oscar and also another best picture win in 2005.

And then we come to 2008. Gran Torino. Clint Eastwood, at the age of 78, directs and stars in a movie in which he spends the majority of the time telling “zipperheads” to “get off his lawn”. And although Eastwood looks a little like he has been mummified and is being operated by an intricate system of pulleys, he still somehow manages to be cool. And he has an awesome car. And guns. And he turns out to be a good guy. And it’s just awesome. Watch it.

There is no way to argue that Eastwood hasn’t aged with style, something which cannot be said for Stallone, whose veins in Rocky XII make him look like a six foot erection.

Further examples of why Clint Eastwood is better than you: Jeremy Bulloch, the guy who played Boba Fett (also the man) in Star Wars claims that Eastwood was the inspiration for how he played the character, stating that he was essentially “Clint Eastwood in a suit of armour”. Also, when he’s directing, Eastwood refuses to say “action” to begin a take. He simply broods quietly and then says “okay”. To end a take, he has been known to utter the words “that’s enough of that shit” (this is all true).

Clint Eastwood is one of the few faces in the cinema who has never really had a slump. He’s an aging actor who still refuses to get involved in a movie that is obviously going to be a morbid heap of shit. I’m not going to name names, but Cuba Gooding Jr, Robert de Niro, pretty much everyone who starred in Pulp Fiction; actors who may once have had a solid presence in the acting world – Clint looks down on you with a cold look of disapproval and a .44 Magnum in his hand.

That’s enough of that shit.

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But hey! That’s just what I think

Concerts are a very important part of the metal

Saying yes to writing a column is a big

culture. Whether it be a tiny club gig to 10 members of your family, or a sold out stadium gig to 100,000 people, live shows are what keeps the metal scene going. Concerts are a way for bands to get their name out to the masses. It’s also where bands can generate a lot of their income, as so few in this genre sell large enough amounts to make a profit from album sales. Concerts also provide a congregation point for fans, further enhancing the sense of community. This week I’m going to look at the different types of concerts you can encounter in the metal community, and what each kind has to offer.

To start off with I’m going to look at the club or pub gig. This is normally the realm of the local bands, or bands that are not very well known in the country they are playing in. You’re normally going to get a maximum of about 200 people at these gigs, and these people will be made up of a mixture of fans, and people just there for some cheap entertainment. There may be some lighting effects and a smoke machine, but not much else.

Next is the dedicated music venue, both big and small. Even the smallest of these music venues tend to offer a higher capacity, usually starting at around 400 people. Because it is a dedicated music venue, it offers bands a wider variety of effects available, so expect to see better lighting displays. The medium to bigger venues can even accommodate pyrotechnic displays, but not in the same league as the arenas or stadiums (more on that later). Dedicated music venues can offer you the best of both worlds. You can still get an up close and personal live experience with the band, whilst getting a higher sound quality and more visually interesting show.

Lastly are the arenas and stadiums. These are pretty much restricted to the higher selling artists and music festivals, as they need to draw in the large crowds to make a profit. Naturally these bigger venues allow for much bigger stages, much bigger effects and a much bigger show.

These are the types of shows where bands can go crazy with flame cannons, explosions, fireworks, confetti, fake snow, water curtains, pretty much anything their hearts desire and wallets can afford. While you do get a more visually interesting show, many people consider that the size of these shows means you lose the personal touch of being close and intimate with the band.

For a band like Metallica or Iron Maiden, you would have to go back some 20 years in order to see them somewhere other than in a stadium or arena. But for some of the newer successful bands such as Within Temptation, you can see play in a tiny music venue with 300 people in the United States, and then see them fill a 3000 seat arena over in Europe.

Each venue has its own pros and cons, and it really is up to personal preference as to which you prefer. But my advice is to see a band at a small venue while you can, because it could get to a point where they are just too famous to play in such small venues anymore.

commitment. It’s hard finding something to write about every couple of weeks that is diverse, has a wide range and doesn’t just reiterate what I or somebody else has already said.

I could cop out and write a ‘list’ or ‘best of’ or a review, but that’s just not me. I loathe to read reviews because no two people ever really like the same thing, and if you and your significant other do - it most likely will not end well, I’ll put money on it.

I don’t follow enough sports to write some cutting edge comment about how the Blues forward pack this year is reminiscent of the Auckland form of 1994. I also did not want to cop out in true 6th form English fashion and write a speech or piece about writing speeches. That is just not cool.

So instead I’ll be a bit edgy. In most of my meandering written thought processes, I try to be witty and maybe a little pretentious but not enough to look like a dick, and it is difficult to know how fine a line I am truly walking, so now I’ll test the strength of that wire and possibly look like a true plonker.

I’m pretty sure most women harbor strong lesbian feelings. I don’t say this in a particularly male chauvinist way, and maybe that’s not what I mean. To clarify, sex sells, mostly female sex sells, but women use other women to sell things, ergo women must be remotely attracted to other women. Follow me? (I also know that 20 per cent of females have had lesbian experience. Not sure on the male figures, but I don’t think it’d be as high. But then, that’s just what I think.)

In your average men’s magazine (Esquire, GQ not Zoo or Ralph etc, but real men’s magazines) women are used to sell a majority of products, but the same women are then used throughout women’s magazines?

The last time I bought this up I was told that it was in the interest of mimicry; women want to see themselves looking as good as the model on the cover or in the ad, so they would buy whatever article of clothing, make-up or accessory is needed. But wouldn’t there have to be an underlying acceptance of beauty or sex appeal to sell on? Or am I just a bit misguided?

I wouldn’t disagree with you that the same can be argued for with men’s magazines, but I can honestly say I’ve never seen an ad for Ben Sherman or Ted Baker and thought, “I would look as good as them if I wore those clothes”. This may be because I’m a realist and understand that even if I were to buy the exact mannequin it will never sit quite right on me. It can suck having an odd body shape.

This column may ruffle feather boas, but that’s what ‘debate’ is all about. This isn’t an attack on sexual orientation, think of it more as an attack on the over usage of sex to sell to women, thus making them possibly more sexualised than males? Which would be a whole other column.

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Lean, Green, Eco-machine

Pop N Good

By Amy Rosenfeld I recently had a friend cut off her dreadlocks on

I like celebrities. They are sparkly and dramatic.

the grounds that she was sick of everyone assuming she was into drugs.

And it got me thinking… what do you think of when you hear the word “environmentalist”?

If you answered “a dreadlocked, pot-smoking, free-loving hippy listening to reggae, eating tofu and hugging trees”, you wouldn’t be the only one.

I often run into a similar (non-drug-related) problem as my dreadlocked friend, with people assuming that because I’m a “greenie” I must not eat meat.

Although my meat intake is pretty limited due to budget restraints (there isn’t a lot of meat in a diet of rice and noodles), and I’ll often buy vege options just because they look tastier, I’ve never been consciously vegetarian.

Growing up with a brother, step-dad and grandfather who loved pighunting meant vegetarianism was never really an option at family dinners. The philosophy in my family was that hunting for hunting’s sake was wrong, as was the mistreatment of animals, but hunting for food was OK. As a result, I’ve spent my life so far buying free-range eggs and meat whenever money allows, campaigning against blood sports and the use of animals for experiments or entertainment – but not as a vegetarian.

Lately, however, people have been bringing to my attention a reason for avoiding meat that has nothing to do with animal cruelty – global warming.

When you think carbon emissions, the first things that come to mind are probably smoke belching factories or trucks and (maybe) deforestation.

What a lot of people don’t realize (and I didn’t until about six months ago) is that worldwide, animal agriculture actually produces more greenhouse gas emissions than the transport industry – and in New Zealand it’s almost HALF of our total emissions.

Okay, so it’s not really feasible to wipe out the dairy industry in New Zealand… at the moment and for the foreseeable future it’s pretty much essential to keep our economy up and running, but the way farming in New Zealand is done at the moment is a bit of an environmental worry to say the least.

Over the last few decades the average number of cows in a pasture has gone way up and, because the grass can’t naturally sustain the large number of animals on the land, artificial fertilisers are used. This not only releases lots of harmful chemicals but also makes the grass less resistant to droughts and floods. The worst part of it all though, is the importing of palm kernel as animal feed, which of course causes the destruction of rainforests.

Don’t even get me started on indoor dairy farming.

Animal agriculture is also not very efficient. Apparently it takes 10 times the amount of crops to feed the animals we eat than it would to feed us all on a vegetarian diet.

So I’m thinking, maybe it’s time for me to change my philosophy. I’m not saying we should all cut meat completely out of our diets (and if you do, make sure you do some research and replace all that protein and iron with legumes/ spinach and the like), but cutting back on meat a little wouldn’t hurt.

To put things in perspective, cheeseburger production around the world has a similar effect on global warming as nearly 20 million SUVs! So next time you have a late night Macca’s craving, think of the polar-bears, and save yourself some calories, some money and the planet.

They wear pretty clothes and have umpty jillion times more money than me. I watch the media interpret their shiny lives and follow the juicy gossip.

But there are some people that consistently ruin my fun, reminding me that there is something perverse in looking into these people’s lives.

In their desperation and ugliness I see a sad culture of celebrity. So a big fuck you to the following people, who I hate for invading my sphere of famousness.

1. Speidi.

The power couple of skeeziness. For the uninitiated, Speidi = Heidi Montag and her flesh beard wearing husband, Spencer Pratt. These reality TV alum have made a name for themselves by making a name for themselves.

Spencer has shown time and time again on his Twitter that he is a petty bastard. Heidi has come back into the limelight after remodelling herself into a creepy frozen faced Barbie, then accusing someone from The Hills production crew of harassing her to drum up some more press. God forbid they ever procreate.

2. Tila Tequila Some of you may remember her as the MySpace queen who had a bisexual dating show on MTV a while back. Anyone who follows gossip blogs at all might know her as a batshit crazy little elf. I mean crazy in a literal sense. She does strip shows for her teen fans via webcam. She was “engaged” for a month to a socialite who died. She pretended to be a surrogate mother, and then pregnant by someone famous. Then she had a pretend miscarriage and pretended to adopt a Russian orphan (as if they’d fucking let her) She is also another “star” idiotically using Twitter, the 140 character medium, to post long rants and crazy bullshit.

3. Jon and Kate Gosselin Our exposure to the Gosselins in New Zealand has thankfully been low.

My exposure to them on the internet has made my eyes sad. They gained notoriety after starring in a reality TV show about their family, which consists of twins and a set of sextuplets (six babies). They are in the midst of a divorce, and Kate got kicked off Dancing with the Stars. Jon wears Ed hardy t-shirts and sleazes around town with 20-somethings, which I don’t understand because he is deeply unattractive – and wears Ed Hardy t-shirts.

4. Lindsay Lohan and her father Lindsay Lohan was once on top. She was queen of teen movies and a real up and comer. Now? She is an unhinged has-been who pines over her ex-girlfriend, is constantly shot looking drunk, and now resembles some creepy 40-year-old prostitute. She’s sunk so low I don’t even admire her nice boobs anymore.

5. The entire cast of the Jersey Shore I don’t understand the allure of that show. Why on earth do people watch it? Does anyone out there actually find any of the over tanned and over gelled cast attractive? And why do I still have to hear about it now that it’s over? And how suck does your nightclub to be to have to hire a cast member to make an appearance? And does Snooki really think that the beehive hairdo is back in style?

I know why these people get press. I know why they get their photos taken. I know that our culture of celebrity worship has let this downward slide happen. But some people shouldn’t be given their 15 minutes. I can’t pretend that I am just following the lives of people who are glamorous and talented when the aforementioned keep popping into view, so clearly possessing neither. Why must the media allow these people to be relevant?

Why do we fuel their ego and their desperation with our attention? They’re covering the media with trash, and I don’t like it.

issue 9 may 2010

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Dear annoying lit tle cough, Dear Agony Aunt, I have had an annoying cough for the past two weeks and it doesn’ t seem to be going away. Do I need to see a doctor about it?

It’s that time of year when everyone seems to be coughing and sneezing all over the place. It’s quite a job dodging other people’s germs. Unfortunately we occasionally get caught and experience a variety of illnesses often caused by viruses and sometimes bacterial infections.

Often colds and flu-like illnesses are caused through viruses. There are a multitude of different viruses that are responsible for making us feel ill. Often symptoms start with a feeling of being generally tired and lethargic followed by a sore throat, cough, runny or blocked nose, headache and sometimes fever. The best advice if you are From annoying little cough. experiencing these symptoms is to take two paracetamol, drink plenty of fluids and rest as much as possible. You probably won’t feel like doing anything so give in and go to bed. Don’t forget to let friends know that you are not feeling good so they can check up on you later. Be mindful that meningitis often starts with cold and flu symptoms and if left untreated is life threatening. If you deteriorate rapidly and develop any symptoms such as neck stiffness, photophobia (strong aversion to bright light), a red/purplish rash that does not pass the glass test (press bottom of glass to skin, you shouldn’t be able to see the rash through the glass) or severe headache then medical help should be sought as a matter of urgency. If you are worried about yourself or a friend don’t be afraid to seek medical advice. Fortunately meningitis is uncommon and most cold and flu like illnesses resolve with little or no medical intervention.

Antibiotics have no effect on viruses and will make no difference to recovery. In fact, they will probably make things worse as you may experience side effects e.g. diarrhoea, rash, allergy etc.

However secondary bacterial infections can occur following viral illnesses and can lead to other conditions such as strep throat or pneumonia. These conditions need to be treated with antibiotics. If you are worried that you may have developed a secondary infection contact Health, Counselling and Wellbeing and make an appointment to see a doctor or drop in and see a nurse if you are unsure.

You do not need to book an appointment to see a nurse.

Unfortunately symptoms of viral illness can last for two-three weeks and some symptoms can last even longer. If you are still bothered by a tickly cough you could try cough linctus. Take advice from your pharmacist as to what type of linctus would be best for you. You could also try raising the head of your bed slightly by placing a pillow under the mattress to help reduce coughing at night.

by Samantha McQueen If you are a smoker then this might be the time to think about quitting. There is a lot of support and help available to you if you decide that you would like Approximately 74 per cent* of students have a Facebook account. Whether you have it to to stop smoking. Speak to a nurse or doctor at Health, keep in touch with friends, as part of “research” or to spend Sunday afternoon tagging photos Counselling and Wellbeing for more information on from the weekend, it’s become an integral part of student culture. Which of course, is why stopping smoking.

Lamebook.com; to promote “the funniest and lamest of Facebook”.

Finally, be selfish and don’t share your bugs with Every time I go onto this site I’m left gobsmacked at the content people put on Facebook. anyone else. Remember germs are spread in the air, Everything from inappropriate photos, to unbelievable relationship drama to incredibly bad on our skin and by touching other surfaces. Wash your grammar gets posted online and I for one love to witness it and have a good laugh. hands regularly particularly after using the toilet. Cover Make sure you log on and have a chuckle at other people’s misfortunes, but also take it on your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing and board as etiquette for what NOT to do on Facebook. discard tissues immediately after use.

website of the

week

lamebook.com

To make an appointment to see a nurse or doctor phone Health, Counselling and Wellbeing on 921992 (city campus) or 9219998 (North Shore campus). Alternatively you could call Healthline on 0800 611 611 and speak to a registered nurse.

If you have a question you would like to submit to Agony Aunt, email it through to jbarker@aut. ac.nz with Agony Aunt in the subject box, or drop it in to the Health, Counselling and Wellbeing centres. All names will be kept anonymous.

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with Tenani French

Horoscopes ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Crave it!

Mexican food I have been having a MAJOR craving for Mexican food this week and still haven’t been able to quench it. Know when you really want something but have absolutely no time to go hunt it down? That’s what’s happening to me. Too bad Mexican isn’t more widespread here in NZ. Pity.

With winter coming up, it’s about time you conformed and looked exactly like every other Auckland student – with a Kathmandu jacket. They are soooo 2005, but they’re still warm, still not waterproof and still ridiculously popular.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) This week you’ll be short of cash and extra-hungry. In fact, this prediction will last until you head home for the summer. Don’t you love student life?

Try it!

GEMINI (May 21-June 21)

You’ve probably seen the super cheesy infomercial for CyberClean and thought ‘why the hell would I rub green flubber all over my computer? Surely it doesn’t actually work?’ You would be wrong.

I was sceptical at first but this stuff fucking rocks. My computer looks like new AND smells like lemons! HOW CAN YOU BEAT A LEMON SCENT?

CANCER (June 22-July 22)

CyberClean

Accept it!

The stars predict that you might lose a best friend this week.

Fucking pessimistic stars.

Let’s be honest Cancerians, you’ve always had a wee bit of trouble telling the time on analog clocks. This week you’ll be a bit of a loser, so it’s the perfect time to brush up on your big hand, little hand skills.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

Winter is here

My feet are freezing, but I’m far too busy lazy to go find socks. This has me reaching the realisation that winter is upon us and I can no longer walk around with my feet free to meet the afternoon air.

Time for hibernation. Anyone got a spare Snuggie?

Can’t avoid it!

Clamp down on smoking Are you a smoker? I feel sorry for you, I really do. I don’t smoke, nor do I much like the idea of it, but something I like more than not smoking is people’s right to do what they like. It seems like every few months the powers that be come up with another genius way to make a smoker’s life hell. First you got kicked out of offices, bars, stadiums, the University of Auckland, now you have to pay a bunch more for your habit too? Sucks man, sucks big time.

Celebrate it!

Eat What You Want Day This may be simply because I’ve been craving Mexican food today but I did a little poking around the internet and it seems tomorrow (Tuesday, May 11) is actually World Eat What You Want Day (seriously, Google it). So in honour of the timeless celebration I shall leave you now to run down to Mexicali Fresh and stuff my face. Farewell.

There’s a chance that you might accidentally drop the f bomb in front of an elderly person this week. Be careful, and tone down the swear words.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) If you want to snag a special someone before this weekend, you need to brush up on your political knowledge. Nothing says romance like rating the members of parliament.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) It’s time to finally chase that dream. Or cat. Or whatever you want to chase.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) It’s very, very important that you join as many Facebook groups as possible before Thursday. Don’t ask questions, just do it.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) While you’ll meet someone special this week, are they REALLY good looking enough for you? Big decisions over the next seven days.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Show your support for New Zealand Music Month by serenading your lecture on Monday morning. You never know who might be listening.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) If there’s something you think the student masses of AUT need to know about, send us an email to debate@aut.ac.nz with Suggestions in the subject line.

You can’t spell Aquarius without US. Think about your significant other this week, and you’ll be rewarded.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) It’s about time you played some more sports. No offence but you’re getting kinda chubby. Not bad chubby, just a bit different.

Don’t take it like that. The stars didn’t say fat.

issue 9 may 2010

27

Transcendence in Fashion?

Australian fashion designer, Akira Isogawa takes a unique approach in his design philosophy to other designers in his field. In an interview with writer David Megher he described this philosophy: “A garment can transcend just being a garment, giving it a soul. My clothes are for the wearer to express their inner soul”. Isogawa creates this perceived “transcendence” by using natural fibres and traditional fabric in timeless designs that evoke a sense of beauty and Zen. In a world that is steadily becoming more discerning about consumerism and more disillusioned about the fulfilment consumerism can bring, the idea of creating clothing and giving it an additional dimension of “transcendence” or “soul” is an intriguing one. But aside from Isogawa’s description, how exactly does one define this transcendence, or how is it created in clothing?

I found this to be quite a sticky question. First of all, to many people, the idea of fashion being more than a trend-driven machine is absurd. To them it changes every season, making the last season redundant. On the surface this is true, that is the main “purpose” of fashion.

But it does not necessarily follow that this formulae, although good for the economy, is the be all and end all of clothing and what it can mean to an individual. When thinking about this idea, one particular quote from a book called The Little Prince (by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1943) kept springing to mind. “It is the time you have spent with your rose that makes your rose so important.” Obvious as it sounds like an item of clothing can, for the wearer, take on a life of its own depending on its history. This can be the history of what has happened while wearing it, or even the methods in which it was made. Akira Isogawa uses this idea, and is heavily influenced by traditional Japanese garment construction methods. This more personalised approach can help breathe some life into what would otherwise be nothing more than an expendable piece of clothing. For example I have a favourite dress that has been passed down to me from my mum. Actually it is a skirt but I wear it as a dress. It was made in India using traditional dying techniques in a traditional print. My mum brought it during her university days in the late 60s when Indian culture was all the rage (courtesy of The Beatles and Ravi Shankar). After passing it along to me, I have worn it consistently three summers running, including two trips to China. If I had to pick one thing from my wardrobe that summed up how I felt about myself as a person, this would be it.

Isogawa’s second idea, that a wearer can use clothing to express their soul, is something that is true to many people on one level or another. Many people, consciously or not portray some aspect of themselves through their clothing. In my opinion, this concept applies to mostly everyone. Even the people who claim they do not care what they look like. If you have any opinion on what you put on your body, you are saying something about yourself.

For me the whole idea of fashion being more of a form of self-expression than just another way for people to spend their money is a very intriguing one. To conclude, I asked three other Fashion students, all who have a unique sense of style, to describe themselves in terms of fashion, and to pick out something from their wardrobe that has lasted over the seasons: Mary Winnington (photo left) How do you describe your style?

A less polished version of Bjork/scuffed up doll/Jim Morrison chic, according to my sister.

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How does your style reflect you as a person?

I suppose it’s kind of different/unusual/eclectic and I’m a bit like that - a bit all over the place.

What’s the story behind your jacket?

I got it at Topshop in the middle of the summer about two years ago. I think I actually ran at it in the shop and fell in love. I didn’t buy it straight away because it was summer and I wasn’t in the mindset of winter coats. After a few days of talking about it to everyone I knew I went and bought it and proceeded to wear it on a baking European June evening. I got lots of weird looks. Since then I have worn it pretty much every day, every winter.

Kate Burgoyne (photo left) How do you describe your style?

Haha! Um, Courtney Love pre-heroin?

How does your style reflect you as a person?

It reflects my mood to some degree as cliché as that sounds.

What’s the story behind your shoes?

I got my Creepers when I was 16, initially because I was right into the rockabilly scene but they’ve lasted me through the years. I love them to bits, especially because they add about five centimetres to my short self. They also have a secret compartment in the sole, which I’m yet to use. It’s cool to know that 60 years ago teddy boys were rocking them on the streets; evolution of style is a wonderful thing.

Paris Mitchell (photo right) How do you describe your style?

Eclectic, I like to mix and match designer and vintage clothing and love colours and prints!

How does your style reflect you as a person?

I dress to my mood. I like to dress comfortably but different – I guess that’s why I love vintage clothing so much, because you’re guaranteed no one else will have the same thing as you! I think when you’re wearing something you love and feel confident in, it can have a nice effect on your day.

What’s the story behind the way you’re dressed?

I’ve got several of these military jackets in my wardrobe from my mum’s old vintage shop she had in the 90s. My gumboots I got in London; I’ve made them ultra cosy for the winter by putting possum inner soles in. My skirt’s from Karen Walker where I work part time, definitely one of my favourite New Zealand designers.

Amy Zheng

Bachelor of Design (Spatial, 1st Year) Entire outfit from Japan

Stephanie Monks

Bachelor of Communication Studies (1st Year) Shoes-Peachy Keen, Dress-Lonely Hearts, Jumper-Her mums, Bag-Country Road

Esther Williams

Bachelor of Communication Studies (2nd Year) Jumper & shoes-Her mums Pants-Lee, Hat-Vintage, Bag-Vintage Top-Vintage, Rings-Stolen Girlfriends Club and some from America

Ok, so it’s New Zealand music month, and to celebrate we are going to do something a little different. I’ve decided to review some of the best sites to buy music from in NZ, and let you know which are the best to get NZ music. So here we go, I’ve sussed out: Real Groovy, Mighty Ape, and Amplifier for you.

Real Groovy

www.realgroovy.co.nz Cost: from $7.95 Formats sold: CD, LP (for those DJs among us) NZ music available: 46 items Shipping: Next Day, over $30 free, under $30 costs $3.50 As you go into the music section of the Real Groovy site, the index on the side is the most exciting I’ve seen! Options include turntable music and “second hand faves”. So now if you’re poor, you can sell some of your old coasters to get new stuff! When you look up a CD, they give you the list of tracks for it which is great, although to look at the 2nd hand stuff you have to create a user account.

However, when you do this you get a personalised search, so pretty cool.

Mighty Ape

www.mightyape.co.nz Cost: from $7.99 (though that’s for Mariah Carey’s Christmas Album, so they are probably trying really hard to get rid of that one!)

Formats sold: CD NZ music available: 797 items Shipping: 1-2 days, over $49 free, under $49 costs $4.90 Ok, I do not like the colours on the Mighty Ape site, I feel like I’m looking at a kids webpage. But getting over that, it is really well laid out. They have a phenomenal amount of NZ music, I’m really impressed actually, and the page is really easy to use. Ok, and the smiley ape face staring down from the top is issue 9 may 2010

growing on me. It has the largest range of music I’ve ever seen for a NZ site, I mean you can even get country music!

Amplifier

www.amplifier.co.nz Cost: from $1.99 for individual tracks Formats Sold: CD, MP3 NZ Music Available: It’s the home of NZ music, enough said.

Shipping: Free for MP3 (duh) but $4.50 for CDs if you want the coaster Finally! A site that sells MP3s! Get with the times I tell you! Amplifier is the best out of the three I think, great graphics, interesting display and write ups.

I’m sold. And because they sell MP3s, a lot more economical. They have EPs of new artists too, so they have some music on there from the guys who are just starting up, and as it is NZ Music Month, the best way to support it is to go and buy some new NZ band’s music, someone you’ve never even heard of, and be pleasantly surprised. You can also watch video clips on here for free, so you can check out what they look like too, and see if anyone you know is in the background on the clips

This review was written by a graduate in Retailing. If you are interested in retail and why people buy, take a look at papers in the Retail major in the Business School. You don’t have to be a business student to take the papers, so check out the website today!

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She and Him

Vampire Weekend

Volume Two CD Review by Catherine Selfe

Bruce Mason Centre, Thursday, April 29 Live Review by Lisa Arthur The lights flashed, the crowd jumped up and

Billy Ray Cyrus, David Hasslehoff, Lindsay Lohan and Zac Efron are all prime reasons for why acting and singing should not mix. However, there are always the exceptions to the rule and Zooey Deschanel is one of them.

Sister to Bone’s star, Emily Deschanel, and commonly known for her roles in The New Guy, The Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and 500 Days of Summer, Zooey is generally unknown for her musical talents. This is unfortunate as Deschanel’s band She and Him hits the right notes. The band, for which Zooey writes the songs, sings and plays piano includes musician, Matt Ward whose main contribution is guitar and vocals. If you’ve haven’t heard of the group before it’s not because you’ve been living under a rock. She and Him only formed after Ward heard Deschanel singing in the film Elf in which she starred. Their first album was released in March 2008 but in music terms the group has stayed reasonably under the radar.

The combo has recently released their second album, albeit unoriginal in title, Volume Two, which follows its unoriginally named predecessor, Volume One. Yet, we have been told time and time again to not judge a book by its cover and it’s lucky I didn’t as I would have let a great band disappear into the sound waves.

She and Him brings us 13 new tracks showcasing the band’s great talents and Zooey’s smooth tonality. Her voice has a classic sound to it and is reminiscent of female singers out of the Rock and Roll Love Ballad genre. Me and You is great with its sweet tune and easy going style but my favourite from Volume 2 is the upbeat and easy sing-along song I’m Gonna Make it Better. Unfortunately the album opens with my least favourite song Thieves in which I found the lyrics hard to hear as Deschanel sounded somewhat whiney and pitchy in this track.

Volume Two is a great follow on from Volume One. It remains true to the group’s musical style, however, one criticism is that some songs between the two albums felt somewhat repetitive. It’s relaxed while managing to be upbeat and it only took me two plays through the album until I was singing along. She and Him is perfect company for all your road trips, having on in the background or for a lazy afternoon but not the blaring music to get you going in the morning. So grab a drink, a snack and sit and listen.

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down, and Vampire Weekend’s first show in New Zealand was a success. Held on a Thursday night at the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna, the indie prepsters Vampire Weekend brought the sounds of their U.S. number one album Contra to our shores.

For those not into the indie-rock scene, Vampire Weekend is named after an amateur film Ezra, the lead singer, was in. The song Walcott also references this film. The band describe their genre as “Upper West Side Soweto”, which sounds incredibly strange but once you listen to Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa and know that they are all graduates of Colombia University it makes sense. You may recognise A-Punk from the movie Step Brothers, or Ottoman from Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.

It was a great set, opening with a couple of songs from their sophomore album, then alternating between that and songs from their eponymous first album.

It was an interesting crowd, consisting of mostly indie kids. You had the wannabe hipsters with their outfits lifted straight from an American Apparel catalogue, ironic beards, ironic cameras and David Bain sweaters.

There was even a Justin Bieber look-alike, two girls surreptitiously smoking a joint in the middle of the crowd, two guys finishing a bottle of Jager between them, and then making the night extremely difficult for everyone around them (Douches. My only consolation was that one of them had an ugly sweater tied around his waist. What is this, 1994?) and there was also the ubiquitous “I’ll make everyone dance by pushing them all!” guy in a wool hat.

Whatever you considered yourself to be, however ugly your sweater, we were all linked by our love and lust (Give me Ezra over Bieber any day) for Vampire Weekend. Tickets sold out in two days, and with a smaller venue like the Bruce Mason, and little advertising done for them, it was clear that this was a gig for true fans only.

It was clearly their first album that the crowd was better acquainted with. While songs from their new album still had the crowd yelling and dancing, the songs from the first album were what had the entire crowd screaming out that Blake has indeed got a new face. There were two notable exceptions, which were Cousins and Giving Up the Gun, of which the crowd joyously sang along to.

It was a great gig, and I was pleased that I didn’t feel let down in any way. When Kings of Leon came last year, I had put them up on a pedestal and had subsequently been let down by the inferior sound and ridiculously forced banter by their frontman, Caleb. Instead Vampire Weekend were perhaps one of the best acts I’ve seen live.

Iron Man 2

Ellie Goulding

Directed by Jon Favreau Film Review by Catherine Selfe

Lights CD Review by Samantha McQueen

They say heroes aren’t born, they’re made. Well Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is back with manmade hero Iron Man for round two. The first Iron Man, released in 2008, was nominated for two Oscars and showed audiences a great balance between action and comedic relief. Iron Man 2 has continued in the same style, with a few more laughs, yet without detracting from its action genre.

Tony Stark is now known to the public as Iron Man and while he has used his invention to instil peace between the world’s superpowers, he is now facing a battle on the home front. While coming under attack from the Government, media and public to relinquish rights to the Iron Man suit, Stark must also face new enemy Ivan Vanko, aka Whiplash (Mickey Rourke). And to turn his issues into a trilogy Stark also has personal grievances which he looks to conquer.

Robert Downey Jr. once again pulls off the role of the often blasé Tony Stark with extreme ease. He portrays his character realistically and brings comedy, action, suspense and emotion to his role. Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts) also returns as a member of the core cast however Lt. Colonel James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes is no longer played by Terrence Howard but has been replaced with Don Cheadle. Cheadle handles the role well and although it’s never easy to slip into a “pre-worn” role, he becomes the character Rhodey and does so in a way that audiences do not feel the change dramatically. If one villain dies, another will always come along; this time in the form of Sin City actor Mickey Rourke (Ivan Vanko) and he’s out to settle grievances with Stark. While his performance was good, I felt a lack of character development and thought the role of the villain needed more creative attention. Other new cast members include Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Scarlett Johansson as Natalie Rushman/ Natasha Romanoff. While these two are undisputedly good actors their characters were unrealistic and not in tone with the movie and detracted from the performance given.

Iron Man 2 is definitely one to be seen but it has numerous weaknesses. I felt that some events and characters were put in just so the basic storyline would make sense. This led to me feeling that the plot development was rather rushed and reflected badly on the actors’ performances and the overall finish of the film. So while actor/director Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan) generally balanced his duties between acting and directing well, he should have spent more time fine tuning if he wanted a widely acknowledged successful sequel.

On a lighter note I found the film to be very visually stimulating, great effects and sets and the soundtrack was well in keeping with the film. I was kept immersed in the film for the duration and feel that it was a good use of my time.

issue 9 may 2010

When you listen to Ellie Goulding for the first time, you can’t think who she reminds you of. She has the upbeat dance tunes that are reminiscent of Little Boots and La Roux, but her vocals, while equally infectious, are more ethereal. She sounds like a whimsical blend of Laura Marling, Kate Bush and Kate Nash, but with a fairytale aspect to her lyrics, rather than the matter-of-fact tone a lot of female British singers take on. The truth is, 22-year-old Goulding is one of a kind, and her debut album Lights, which released last month, combines the right amount of fantasy, romance, and ecstasy that leaves listeners reeling.

Goulding grew up in Kington, a small village on the Wales-England border, where she changed the way she spoke to a more posh accent.

She received little encouragement about her singing; it wasn’t until she went to university that she discovered her calling. She entered a talent competition, won first prize, sat down with her guitar and began to write.

Lights opens with Guns and Horses, a futuristic folk tune that revolves around the predominant theme of the album; love. She mixes the familiar – a simple drum beat and soft acoustics – with the modern – a subtle techno beat and a spacey echo effort – which complements Goulding’s range perfectly. Right from the bat, we’re introduced to just what this girl can do. Her voice effortlessly switches from soaring melodic notes to soft whispers to a passionate acapella ending that gives us a sneak peek at a grittier sound.

When you hear The Writer for the first time, you envisage a murky blues club, with Goulding crooning over an old school microphone. She’s belting her heart out in this haunting tune to an unsuspecting audience member. It makes you sit up and take notice, and you can’t help but hit repeat. This feeling is again felt on Wish I Stayed and Your Biggest Mistake, although the blues club has changed to somewhere more eclectic.

Like her impressive singing abilities, the track list flits from spacey dance anthems to tender, angst-filled ballads. It’s an album ridden with oxymoron. There are sweeping numbers that seem to envelop you for hours, yet only two songs surpass the four minute mark. You’re taken on a rollercoaster of emotions, yet with only 10 songs, the ride ends too quickly.

At the heart of all her songs is simplicity. Whether it’s pop, folk or dance, the tunes are uncomplicated and centred around one theme or beat. There are no epic guitar riffs or drum solos, but both instruments feature in every song. The atmosphere playing behind her vocals sounds somewhat like twinkling. It’s like the album has been made as a soundtrack for your dreams. The result is effective; even after one listen, you feel like you’ve been bathing in the warm glow of Ellie Goulding‘s Lights for years.

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BOXFIT ENTRIES CLOSE

July 27 every wednesday morning

7:45 - 8: 45 AM student lounge

Aut City campus

AUT Sport & Fitness Centre North Shore Campus

August 10 2010 FINALS October 14 2010 MAX 16 TEAMS

KICK OFF

Men and Women’s Single

Friday, May 21 2010 Takapuna Tennis Club

TO ENTER EMAIL melita.martorana@aut.ac.nz

Entries Close May 14, 2010

Friday, August�6 Sports include: basketball, netball, soccer, touch, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, rowing, lacrosse contact Kate Lowden: klowden@aut.ac.nz or 0212882586

AuSM Sport Team Leader Melita Martorana melita.martorana@aut.ac.nz 021 813 428

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WEBSITE: www.ausm.org.nz/recreation for more on Sport @ AUT FACEBOOK: become a fan of the “AUT Titans @ NZ Uni Games 2010 – Invercargill” FACEBOOK: join our group “AuSM Sport”

AuSM Sport Co-ordinator Kate Lowden kate.lowden@aut.ac.nz 021 288 2586

the t o Spfference

di

Correctly identify the FIVE differences in the two photos then drop your entry into your nearest AuSM Office, or the box on the side of the red debate stands, or post to debate PO Box 6116 Wellesley St before 12pm Thursday.

What's up for grabs? A $10 voucher for The Counter cafe. Nom nom nom!

Name Phone Email Campus Answer

Important graduation information Winter graduation will be held Thursday 29 July and Friday 30 July at the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna.

Students in their ďŹ nal semester will be invited to apply to graduate from 11 May. To make sure you receive important graduation information, please ensure your email address and other contact details are up-to-date by visiting the Arion website, http://arion.aut.ac.nz.

For more information, visit our website: www.aut.ac.nz/graduation

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micro-celebs City Campus

Sarah

Bachelor of Communication Studies (Journalism) What is your favourite music genre?

Pop Who is your favourite New Zealand artist?’

Michael Murphy Do you celebrate New Zealand music month?

Sure, i’m going to try get my dance on On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most important, how important is music in your life?

That would be a 7.65 Complete this sentence. Music makes me...

Music makes me act a little silly

Aziz

Bachelor of Communication Studies (Television) What is your favourite music genre?

A bit of everything!

Who is your favourite New Zealand artist?

The Mint Chicks, Brooke Fraser, anything is good Do you celebrate New Zealand music month?

Yes, I wear the t-shirt and stuff On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most important, how important is music in your life?

9.74 Complete this sentence. Music makes me...

Music makes me happy and it makes me think

Hamish

Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism What is your favourite music genre?

Kraut-rock Who is your favourite New Zealand artist?

The Axemen Do you celebrate New Zealand music month?

No On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most important, how important is music in your life?

9.25 Complete this sentence. Music makes me...

Music makes me lose control

This could be YOU!

Watch out for debate around campus – you could be the next microceleb!

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James

Bachelor of Criminology What is your favourite music genre?

East London hip hop Who is your favourite New Zealand artist?

Dave Dobbyn Do you celebrate New Zealand music month?

Yes! On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most important, how important is music in your life?

6 Complete this sentence. Music makes me...

Music makes me feel good

feel good fest Get some assets for your mental wealth!

q Try Pasifika drumming, massage or Wii boxing for stress relief q Learn about happiness and stress relief q Information on healthy eating q Get information that aids your learning q Free giveaways and fruit when: where:

Thurs 13 May, 11am–1pm Hikuwai Plaza

HEALTH, COUNSELLING AND WELLBEING

“we care for you, mind, body and spirit”

North Shore Campus: AS104 Ph: 921 9998 City Campus: WB219 Ph: 921 9992 Web: www.aut.ac.nz/student_services/health

Pool Competition

Heat 2 : May 11th Heat 3 : May 18th Finals : May 25th at Sign up at www.ausm.org.nz issue 9 may 2010

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UBS is proud to be associated with the launch of

Me’a Kai

The Food and Flavours of the South Pacific This remarkable and loving culinary journey through Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, the Cook Islands and Vanuatu conjures the spirit and warmth of island life.

With over 90 recipes, brilliant photos that capture the essence of the Pacific and stories from outstanding chef Robert Oliver and Dr Tracy Berno, this book is a must-own for anyone connected to the South Pacific (or who wants to be!).

RRP $75.00

Save 20%

$60.00

each*

Student / Staff price - see in store for details. Offer valid until 16/5/10 or while stocks last.

NETT price - no further discounts apply.

*

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