Ken Follett not short a word or two
Ken Follett not short a word or two
Best-selling British author Ken Follett, like his big books, is not short of a word or two, as Shane Gilchrist discovers.
Shane Gilchrist
Hands up for water safety
Hands up for water safety
The predictions are for a long, hot summer, so the fact that drowning - in beaches, rivers and lakes - is the third-leading cause of unintentional death in this country is no small cause for concern. Shane Gilchrist reports.
Ken Follett interview transcipt
Ken Follett interview transcipt
The following is an edited transcript of Shane Gilchrist's interview with best-selling British author Ken Follett in Queenstown on Friday, December 3:
Growing for gold
Growing for gold
Amid the thousands of trees growing row upon row in the various orchards of Earnscleugh, there is one over which much fuss is being made. Newly named "Clutha Summer", its branches are...
Still The Chills
Still The Chills
"This first one is called Motels and Cars, and we are probably going to call ourselves The Chills." So said Martin Phillipps, then a 17-year-old Logan Park High School pupil, when...
Greg Johnson: Writing like crazy
Greg Johnson: Writing like crazy
It is likely that by the time you read this Kiwi troubadour Greg Johnson will have packed his bags in readiness for the flight from his old haunt, Auckland, to his more recent home, Los Angeles. ...
In tune for Christmas
In tune for Christmas
Why would a former Dunedin woman who has toured with Chuck Berry and performed for the Dalai Lama release a collection of Christmas covers by New Zealand artists? Well, a clue might be found in...
Book learning
Book learning
Prof Jim Flynn has been lecturing students for more than half a century. Over that time, he has taken note of the fact even his best students haven't been reading great literature. So he's decided...
From strike to thunder
From strike to thunder
Why is it that softly spoken blokes often make the most noise? Before attempting to answer this, Adam Falconer, guitarist and one half of Dunedin sonic explorers Operation Rolling Thunder, pauses. ...
Opera keeps actors moving
Opera keeps actors moving
Alan Spencer, director of Gilbert and Sullivan production The Gondoliers, knows all about moving around, writes Shane Gilchrist.
Saint to be praised
Saint to be praised
In the middle of Arrowtown, up a gentle rise away from the shops and meandering tourists, sits a small, yellow stucco building, not quite dwarfed by the adjacent St Patrick's Catholic Church. To...
Progress of the pilgrimage
Progress of the pilgrimage
The South Australian town of Penola is, according to both history books and tourism blurbs, the place where Mary MacKillop's path to sainthood started. Thus others are keen to follow in her footsteps.
The side of the angels
The side of the angels
The canonisation of Sister Mary MacKillop this weekend is the latest chapter in a long history of saints, writes Shane Gilchrist.
Sweetly barbed
Sweetly barbed
Much has been made, and rightly so, of the endeavours of Dunedin's Leese family, in particular soprano Anna and her brother, medieval singer-composer Matthew. Yet there is another sibling who is...
These chicks rock
These chicks rock
Dunedin pop culture specialist Ian Chapman has released a well-overdue tribute to some of New Zealand's leading female musicians, writes Shane Gilchrist.
Middle aged dread
Middle aged dread
No stage of life has a worse reputation than middle age. There might be some very good reasons for that, writes Shane Gilchrist.
Out of the swamp
Out of the swamp
CC Adcock, founder of swamp-pop supergroup Lil' Band O' Gold, is calling from Lafayette, Louisiana. It is 9pm (his time) and he has a glass of wine and, clearly, time to kill. "I have another...
War and peace
War and peace
Flip Grater doesn't muck around. The opening line of her new album sets a theme of love lost and she sticks to it. "After the scene I was walking away, tired and divorced of my wounds ......
Pioneers of Maori sound
Pioneers of Maori sound
From the backblocks of the King Country to the bright lights of Las Vegas, a new television series sheds light on generations of Maori musicians. Shane Gilchrist reports.
Crime write shows character
Crime write shows character
British author R. J. Ellory has had his share of drama, writes Shane Gilchrist.