Bruce Mahalski sees the irony that it fell to him to organise a gig celebrating the release of a book about Flying Nun.
And yet, there’s also a symmetry of sorts.
The gig, tonight, is helping to launch the publication of Needles and Plastic: Flying Nun Records, 1981-1988, a new book by Canadian Matthew Goody detailing every last piece of vinyl issued by the label during those years, and spinning a yarn in the process.
Mahalski features in the book, in the chapter on his ’80s Dunedin band Crystal Zoom! So far, not much irony. But their tale is something of a outlier in terms of the book’s building narrative, consistent with the contrarian band/art project’s trickster approach.
"It is very ironic really," Mahalski says. "I mean, back then, Crystal Zoom! was seen as — I will say — pariahs, by most of the scene."
That’s backed up in Goody’s take on the "troublemakers Crystal Zoom! ... the band were notorious around town for their piss-take antics."
That culminated in Mahalski’s plan to take a leaf out of Dutch outfit Stars On 45’s playbook and record Dunedin Sound On 45 — a medley set to a dance drum track.
"The plan is to subvert the whole music business," Mahalski wrote of the project at the time.
In the event, he managed to enlist Dunedin Sound progenitors Martin Phillipps (on bass) and David Kilgour (on guitar).
"We were really proud of the way it turned out," Mahalski recalls. "Having Martin and David both work on it really helped give it the chops, but we also had a really good engineer and some really good people, so I have heard a number of people say the harmonies on [Chills song] Doldrums were better than on the original. It’s a pretty decent recording."
Mahalski and his partner Kat Spears both helped with Goody’s book, contributing photographs and making introductions.
And hearing it was both finished and being launched in Dunedin, with the author present, Mahalski thought it only appropriate that there should be music.
"I thought this was like one of those many books that people I know start on and never finish, because this has been going on for a long time, this project," he says.
"So when I found out the thing was finished and being published, and the publisher Sam Elworthy [of Auckland University Press] is an old friend of mine as well, I thought it would be good to do a gig — because it would be disappointing for Matt to come to Dunedin and nobody is playing that night."
He teamed up with Francisca Griffin, who released vinyl back during the book’s period with Look Blue Go Purple, and put together a line-up of musicians from those years. She’ll be playing, as will Mahalski, with his band Pretty Trippy.
"I am just glad that Matt’s in town. It will be good to see him and there will be a gig he can go to."
The launch, the gig
- Needles and Plastic book launch, Relics Music Store, St Andrews St, today at 5pm.
- Gig, featuring Alastair Galbraith, Francisca Griffin, Bruce Blucher’s Seething Mass, Bob Scott & That Lot, Pretty Trippy, Jay Clarkson and The Containers. Screaming Rooster Gallery, Stafford St, today at 9pm.
