3 minute read
Bandstanding: ‘I’ve always been into the DIY school of thought’
Musician, music video and documentary maker, skateboarder, fanzine publisher, gig promoter, and not to mention DIYer, you might think Andrew Moore could be described as a modern day renaissance man. Problem is though, that the term is just not a good fit for such a rock’n’roll rebel who cares little for society’s approval or airs and graces.
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Andrew Moore: If you got an idea you can’t wait around, just do it.
This is not to say the man is without standards. Growing up on Auckland’s North Shore, Andrew skateboarded his way to an Edwards sponsorship and won the 1979 junior division at the New Zealand Skateboarding Nationals. And his first band, The Growing Bones, reached the finals of a high school competition. “We ended up playing live on Shazam! We didn’t win but it’s a really cool song. Check it out on YouTube: Growing Bones – Nowhere to Run.” Inspired by his older brother, Andrew started listening to his punk and New Zealand records and loved them. “My brother formed a band called Goblin Mix who sometimes practised at our house. That really got me hooked on loud, jangly guitars and raucous pop songs. After The Growing Bones, I formed a band with David Saunders (who would go on to be in the 3D’s). We were called the Battling Strings. We both played 12-string guitars so it was a pretty massive sound. Dave wrote an amazing teen anthem called If I Do. It’s still one of my favourite songs and you could tell he was destined for big things. We played with the Chills, Straitjacket Fits, Goblin Mix and a bunch of other great bands. The scene round that time was incredibly supportive. We were younger than most bands, 16 or 17 and the older bands really helped us and became lifelong friends.”
The acquisition of a video camera not long after this led to a series of skateboarding videos.
“I started filming my friends. I travelled New Zealand skating and filmed a bunch of footage that I released on VHS tapes and sold via mail order. Later on, I reconnected with an old skate buddy Tony Hallam whose father had filmed a lot of Super 8 in the 70s and it was decided a film had to be made.”
The product of this idea is Andrew’s excellent documentary No More Heroes. “I interviewed close to 30 people and tracked down a lot more skateboarding footage and photos, and Graham Brazier agreed to be the narrator. It took me five years to make and it screened around the country as part of the 2006 New Zealand International Film Festival. It’s screened on Sky TV’s Rialto channel and I’m incredibly proud of it.”
Andrew’s camera skills and music connections led to making music videos, which has included working with some of New Zealand’s better known bands including The Exponents and Voom. Currently he’s working on a documentary project about the band King Loser.
“I started making it in 2016, so it’s been a massive but enjoyable job. King Loser were a great band who were around in the early 90s. They split up in 1997 and reformed in 2016 for a one-off national tour. They are quite volatile, unique characters and an epic live band so I knew it would be worth capturing on film. I wasn’t disappointed!”
Self-driven and self-funded Andrew says “I’ve always been into the DIY school of thought – self releasing tapes/records/CDs, making fanzines, putting on gigs, making videos and basically not waiting for anyone else’s help. If you got an idea you can’t wait around, just do it”.
Following along in the same vein, Andrew has converted a shed at his place into a venue called Ruru.
“We’ve had a few small gigs. I’ve got all my amps and guitars there so it’s a cool place to hangout, drink beers and play music. Ruru can only fit about a dozen people, but I usually film the gigs and hope to put together a kind of ‘Best of Ruru’ compilation that can be uploaded to YouTube.”
Influenced by Brian Wilson, the Clean and Guided by Voices, The Brian Jonestown Massacre also rate high on Andrew’s radar. “I saw them play at the Kings Arms once and it was a memorable show.
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Linda CooperLinda Cooper
Councillor for WaitākereCouncillor for Waitākere
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