The Circuits of Happyness
At Happy tomorrow night you can hear three of New Zealand’s rising stars of minimalist electronic music:
- Sam Hamilton
- Angeline Chirnside aka Jane Austen
- Nigel Wright
These artists are described in the media release as “wonderful and amazing; think the magnificent beauty of Rosy Parlane, Minit, and Rachel Shearer’s Lovely Midget project. Hell, think of the internationally reknowned Fennesz, Tim Hecker or Keith Fullerton Whitman, if you like.”
Cheers drive
With so much happening in this fair and glorious city of ours (it’s not just mine, it is all of ours) there’s a high chance that you’re gonna bump into some “out of towners”, especially the next few days as the city fills up with drunk penguins, herds of Elvis-es and not an unwelcome amount of nearly naked people … the rugby Sevens are on!
Whilst we all know that nearly everything is within walking distance of the Stadium (“It’s a very walkable city” was probably only just pipped by “Absolutely Positively Wellington”) we at the Towers are sure that there will be a high proportion of these tourists catching buses from ‘here’ to ‘there’.
And once on the bus they will be pleasantly surprised by how, as Wellingtonians leave the bus, there is a hearty, “Cheers drive!”
Well, actually it’s likely to be a, “Thank you” or even a, “Thanks driver” but why shouldn’t it be, “Cheers drive”?
Nothing on
It has been brought to my attention that “a common complaint … from native Aucklanders when they venture south, or even tourists, is that, after three days in Wellington there is nothing to do”. While the writer of that comment doesn’t agree, looking around the city at the moment, I can see that they may have a point.
Wellingtonista boos: ads on our sacred space
Adjusting to the new offices on Lambton Quay hasn’t been easy, and a huge part of the problem has been trying to get into a new coffee routine. That is why it’s so distressing that Fresco*, which sells Mojo coffee, is now using takeaway cups printed with Telecom advertising. How many minutes will I spend thinking about coffee over the next two years? A lot more than I’ll think about switching to Telecom, you punks. Even if I hadn’t had my vodafone number since it was Bell South, there’s no way I’d switch now. Leave me alone and stop hounding me when all I am trying to do is wake up!
* Yes, their takeaway lattes are $4.50, but their muffins are $2.50, so breakfast is only 20 cents more expensive than getting a cheese scone and coffee from Kyrani.
Craft 2.0
TheNewDowse is due to re-open on February 17th. There are exciting activities planned for the 4 weeks following, culminating in da da da dah! Craft2.0.
Craft2.0 is going to be on the 17th of March, and will be a craftacular, a spectacraft, if you will.
There will be bands, and a terrific array of local crafty goodies. I will be there with Babylicious, SuperVery will have fabulous jewellery, magnets and badges, tres talented Sam Broad will have some of his delicious prints and frames, and the original John Campbell t shirts by Hadyn will have a starring role. It is all dead exciting.
The Cook Strait Rollercoaster Ride
Shot by an ex-workmate of Wellingtonistas Tom and Noizy, presumably spread by the magic of email, and now shared to the world thanks to someone in the UK, here’s some footage to rival that of our previous YouTube hit ‘Classic Landings at Wellington Airport’.
This time it’s some serious weather doing its thing in Cook Strait, with the captain of the ferry Suilven deciding no gigantic swells were going to stop him from getting his freight and passengers to the South Island. Much, one thinks, to the horror of his passengers, who probably spent most of the trip in white-knuckled terror as the ship pitched and yawed its way across this particularly hostile stretch of ocean water.
Details on just how horrific the weather conditions (and a few stills of the Suilven making its way over some mountainous waves) can be found at the MetService site.
[hat-tip: spare room]
Sounds of the city
Frey (aka Damian Stewart, aka Mr bleep) is putting together a reactive sound and light installation for next month’s Fringe Festival, and he wants your help. Specifically, if you know of any interesting sounds around Wellington that he can record and use in the installation, drop him a line.
What’s on in wonderful (wet*) Wellington this weeekend
If they** are correct then it’s gonna be a weekend of indoor activities this weekend and here at Wellingtonista Towers we are great advocates of NOT sitting around and merely watching the goggle-box.
And so, how could you entertain yourselves, little people under your command and those out-of-town visitors you’ve been supplied with? How about these to get the creative juices flowing:
- View John Badcock’s “Passing People” exhibition at Shed 11
- Go and see “IRIS” at Bats Theatre
- Take the littlies to Kids Activities During Sunday Brunch at Southern Cross
And if none of these grab you by the fancy parts then check out the following excellent “what’s on” sites
Let’s all shut up about the weather now.
Dear Wellingtonians,
I’ve become so sick of you whinging all the time that tonight I made this for you:
Sunset at Lyall Bay
Royal Bank of Sheep
Imagine that you are a large Scottish Bank. You want to film a new advert. For no doubt good reasons you already have a short list of ingredients:
- The agreeable voice of Ken Stott; and
- A flock of sheep.
But no location. Yet. Hmmmm. Sheep. Where should you send your advert-wallahs?
New Zealand of course! But you also need an urban setting, and lots of production talent. Oh, and if there’s the occasional Stagecoach liveried bus then all for the cheaper (less sfx, you realise.)
And so your sheep and your advert-wallahs turn up in… Wellington!
They have a fine old time, too. In the airport, at the train station, and on a (digitally manipulated) motorway offramp, the suspiciously tidy sheep act the part of inert bank customers following each other around the place. But one brave ewe models the desired behaviour for all the other sheep to, er, follow: to breakaway and join the Royal Bank of Sheep!
Here at the Wellingtonista we won’t point out the irony inherent in using sheep to promote slightly more individualistic behaviour. Nope. Instead, we’d suggest a nice game of spot the fleeting Wellington locations, while having your day’s concerns soothed away in the Scotch Whisky balm that is Ken Stott’s voice.
Hat tip, and where to go to see this spot: the Best Ads On TV Blog.