Chris Knox by Robertson, Craig;

Rövid leírás:

The story of the man, the music, the art, the attitude.

Hosszú leírás:

‘I’ve got things I can’t recall

Like the colours of my bedroom wall

Oh, I can’t decide if I

Want to know these things or why

They bother me and tantalise me so’

— from ‘I’ve Left Memories Behind’

In the mid-1990s, the Village Voice described Chris Knox as ‘indie rock’s premier oddball singer songwriter’ and, when Knox suffered a stroke a decade later, music icons such as Yo La Tengo, Bill Callahan, Neil Finn and Shayne Carter all showed up for concerts and a tribute album. Who is this epileptic, opinionated, shorts-and-jandals-wearing, endlessly creative musician and artist from New Zealand?

This is his story – from a childhood in ‘flat, rectangular and boring’ Invercargill to years of creative experimentation in Dunedin to family life in Auckland; from The Enemy’s first gig at Dunedin’s Beneficiaries Hall to Toy Love’s tour of Australia and on to Tall Dwarfs’ escapades around the globe; from tape loops and crashing cutlery recorded on a TEAC 4-track to the biting satire of Jesus on a Stick comics and Listener opinion pieces; and from home-recorded LPs delivered by hand to the ubiquitous voice on ads for Vogels and Heineken.

Chris Knox: Not Given Lightly tells the story of one extraordinarily creative man’s journey from the obscurity of punk rock to the heart of New Zealand culture.

‘Then again, all the time, every minute, neverending, unrelenting, all around us, without pausing, endless endless, all-pervading, movement motion, this way that way, ticktock, freefall, love love, kiss kiss, make do be is was I me b c d e f g h I think nothing’s going to happen.’

— from ‘Nothing’s Going to Happen’

‘I felt Chris’s presence strongly throughout. I could hear his voice and picture him in a way that felt very real. Past events felt authentic and vivid as though Robertson was there in the background taking notes. Chris comes across as all the things we know he is: likeable, funny, talented, highly intelligent; sometimes caustic, very often opinionated! It’s a big book for a big personality.’