Me: Getting high as a kite with Elton John’s memoirSinger-songwriter Elton John puts down in words how colourful life was when touring the world – his arrest in Auckland included – in an amusing autobiography. Elton John’s autobiography is less a rock’n’roller-coaster ride than a three-day pass to an… Nov 28 19November 28, 2019Article at Noted
Shayne Carter’s memoir is hilarious, harrowing and brutally honestRussell Baillie reviews the veteran musician’s confessional autobiography Dead People I Have Known. The cultural impact of the music that emerged from Dunedin in the 1980s has echoed in the decades since. Lately, they’ve been resounding more… May 09 19May 09, 2019Article at Noted
We still remember them: The best in new Anzac Day readingThe tide of great New Zealand books on the world wars shows no sign of going out. Russell Baillie reviews four new Anzac books. Weighing enough to suggest it may need its own gun carriage, the latest study about the much-documented and… Apr 25 19April 25, 2019Article at Noted
Colin Hogg goes on the road in the Altered States of AmericaThe High Road by Colin Hogg is a true joint effort. Declaration: I worked with the venerable Colin Hogg towards the end of his newspaper rock-critic days and towards the start of mine. We haven’t stayed in touch since. But even as he swerved in and… Nov 09 17November 09, 2017Article at Noted
Good-bye Maoriland and Fearless – book reviewsTwo new histories are high-calibre additions to the WWI book blitz. The centennial of World War I has unleashed a sustained barrage of books about New Zealand’s involvement in the conflict. It’s enough to think that with only a year of observance to… Oct 13 17October 13, 2017Article at Noted
How occupied Europe kept up the fight against the NazisLast Hope Island by Lynne Olson is a refreshing history lesson. At a time when screen dramas are delivering back-to-back Churchills and Christopher Nolan’s imminent Dunkirk will recall Britain’s dark days at the start of World War II, the arrival of… Jul 15 17July 15, 2017Article at Noted
Was the Dunedin sound a thing?Was the Dunedin sound a thing? Or was it just a coincidence that in the early 80s a bunch of bands with the same area code, much the same influences, who pretty much dressed the same, drank the same beer, saw Chris Knox's punk band The Enemy at the… Nov 19 16November 19, 2016Article at NZ Herald
Book review: Epic Bike Rides of the World, Lonely PlanetMountain bike enthusiast Russell Baillie reviews the dangerous new tome from Lonely Planet. I don't think I have ever read a more dangerous book. Inside its 300-plus pages are the makings of some very entertaining travel insurance claims ("My wife… Aug 30 16August 30, 2016Article at NZ Herald
Positively George StreetPositively George Street By Matthew Bannister (Reed) **** Positively George Street Sneaky Feelings (Flying Nun) **** Reviewed by Russell Baillie A multimedia experience this — the book and the album to read it by. Poring through Matthew Bannister's… Jul 01 00July 01, 2000Article at NZ Herald
