NZ music heroes deserve better
Rmike.alexander@fairfaxmedia.co.nz PETER Grattan is on a mission: to honour the pioneers of New Zealand Music. He’s a pioneer in his own right, with a CV that includes playing drums for Peter Posa and fronting his own band Peter Grattan and The Hot Tips. He’s the man who put music vidoes on New Zealand TV with Radio With Pictures and later Shazam! and is a former Head of Entertainment at TVNZ and, as an entrepreneur, worked on Live Aid. He is now based in Washington DC and involved in music and video production.
There is already a New Zealand Music Hall of Fame website, so why have you set up a public forum Facebook page of the same name and what do you hope to achieve?
I ama huge advocate for NZ Music. I proposed a NZMHOF in 1990, while Head Of Entertainment for TVNZ. The idea was ahead of its time. NZ was in recession, the powers that be did not see NZ music as a priority. Little has changed. Again, I tried to set it up in 2002, upon my return to NZ. I’d been involved in the RNRHOF in London in 1986, I saw the potential. I contacted many in the industry, wrote proposals, met with Te Papa who were going to help, prior to the curator’s death. I wanted to set it up in Nelson. No interest from NCC. They said, ‘‘we haveWOW(World Of Wearable Arts)! Why would we want that?’’ They lost WOWthe following year to Wellington, their Nelson School Of Music closed and they still do not have a decent concert venue. Six years ago, I set up the unofficial NZMHOF Facebook page to draw attention to what I and many believe is a gross injustice. RIANZ had my proposal in 2002, they set up the NZMHOF in 2006, only 18 are inducted, the husband of APRA’s Head, Jordan Luck, is in twice. He is a talented man. I debuted him on TVNZ but, in my view, there are dozens who need to be inducted. 3000 on my Facebook page seem to agree. My aim is to see the dozens awaiting recognition inducted, far too many like Peter Posa, Max Merritt and Dinah Lee, Dame Kiri, John Rowles and The Kiwi Concert Party are waiting. I believe our ‘‘agitating’’ ensured Bill Sevesi was inducted recently prior to his passing. We need our icons honoured in their lifetimes.
Has there been any official correspondence between the official and unofficial New Zealand Music Halls of Fame?
I have written to them on occasion. About 10 years ago, someone there tried to contact me, but I was tied up in the US.
I gather you were part of the initial discussion for a New Zealand Music Hall of Fame. What happened?
I sent my ideas to them in 2002, when RMNZ was RIANZ. I proposed an annual TV show, a NZ MUSIC-EUM and 10 to 12 inductees annually. Two is an insult to the dozens of Kiwis awaiting recognition, in my view.
You live overseas, why do you care?
Good question. Because Aotearoa is home. Many of us left because our ideas fell on deaf ears, or to further our careers. I have a home in Northland and return annually. But mainly because I love NZ Music and want to give back for what I gained from producing music there.