Off the record

Rip It Up, Issue 46, 1 May 1981, Page 8

Off the record

On The Tube This is for the network audience.

Rock and roll TV is looking up a little, despite the efforts of last month's RWP seventies 'special' to scuttle it. There is a new show on the waves, Andy (sorry, Andrew) Shaw's Drop O' Kulture.

Promising to feature local talent and visitors only, it goes out on Wednesday at the annoying time of 5 pm. There have been mutterings about how closely the show will stick to its New Zealand format, so get your letter-writing crayons ready.

One band who won't be appearing on the show at least through the normal channels are the Screaming Meemees, who came to some kind of disagreement over style of presentation, and are now planning an independent Super 8 film clip. Meemee's manager, David Merritt, claims the allup cost of the venture is around SSOO. Some say you can add a nought to that to arrive at what it costs TVNZ to do an instudio job. If the programme's makers agree to buy the finished article for a realistic price, it could give a lot of bands a chance to get away from the dreaded Avalon look. Mind you, Avalon did turn out a fair result with the two tracks from the Blam Blam Blam EP featured on RWP. Perhaps the end is in sight for the era of the lead vocalist slowly dissolving into the guitar scratchplate, as the camera zooms in and out sickeningly. I know that C'mon

was a milestone, but twelve years on it's more like a millstone. On The Town This is strictly for Aucklanders. Rock and roll eating is looking up a little. There are two late-night diners flourishing in Auckland at the moment. Cafe Cafe is uptown, and caters very much for the strong black coffee and burger set. Starship II is in Vulcan Lane and features new management, very low prices and a very big menu. Besides strong black, coffee also comes half a dozen other ways and the deserts are registered with the Department of Health as coronary risks. Both have jukeboxes, with Starship's winning by a Chiffon or two. Both are packed at midnight, although other factors might bring about an early closure. So make the most of them while you can.

Francis Stark

Rip It Up, No. 46, May 1981 Post all correspondence to Rip It Up, PO Box 5689,Auckland 1 Editor Murray Cammick ' Staff Of One Mark Phillips Advertising Enquiries Phone 370-653. Rip It Up is typeset by Typesetting Systems and printed by Putaruru Press. Reproduction in whole or part without permission of the Publisher is strictly prohibited. Australia Rip It Up is available at Phantom Records and Record Plant in Sydney, and Missing Link Records in Melbourne. Part-time Help Wanted Rip It Up needs young person to work several hours a week on trivia involved in publishing. Must have interest in music. Write to RIU, PO Box 5689, Auckland 1, if interested.