Morley Talk

Rip It Up, Issue 113, 1 December 1986, Page 8

Morley Talk

ASK: the Chatter of Pop by Paul Morley (Faber & Faber, $25.62) Frank Zappa once said that rock journalism was for people who can’t read, by people who can’t write, interviewing people who can’t talk. There’s some truth in that, but with ASK, a beautifully designed large-format collection of his interviews with additional commentary, Paul Morley shows where Zappa’s flippant simplification misses out. Cynical but loving, it’s the year’s most intelligent music book, and the most revealing look at pop since Rock Stars in their Underpants. Rather than taking their selfimportant waffle at face value, Morley gets inside the brain and phenomenon of the popstar: “Three weeks ago, no one wanted to talk to Gary Numan. Now there’s a queue. I’m at the end of it. Tm enjoying it,’ he says. ‘And I’m making the most of it in case the single bombs next week’.” Significantly, the best interviews are with the characters of pop (Gary Glitter, Ted Nugent, Meatloaf), rather than those who, though they might have more talent, take themselves seriously (Jim Kerr, Paul Weller).

Accordingly the book is weighted towards the eccentrics, who in different circumstances would be equally successful in another field, given their vaudevillian strength of personality: "It’s getting better because I’m getting fatter and it’s funnier” — Glitter. Paul Morley so completely understands the essence of pop that it’s only appropriate that he leapt in and got involved as a“molester” for ZTT. Apparently he’s thinking of returning to journalism; it will be our gain. Chris Bourke South Pacific Sunrise by David Eggleton (Penguin, $11.95) I have only once seen David Eggleton, on TV. He seemed ill at ease, standing about in the studio, and his poetry started stilted. But as he warmed up he got an injection of energy, and you could see the lad (b. 1953) was really into it. It was good stuff. Well that was some time ago, and since then Eggleton has been hailed in the latest major anthology of NZ poetry, become well known, and now has his first book published, by Penguin. Penguin’s last major foray into NZ poem publication was Sam Hunt, in some respects a similar writer. Eggleton, the Mad Kiwi Ranter, also has similarities to John Cooper Clarke, Bob Dylan, and Melle Mel. But specifically Kiwi, specifically Auckland. To Eggleton, South Pacific Sunrise takes place here: During the Vietnam war against imperialist aggression I was schooled in classrooms near Mangere International Airport So, to David Eggleton, a b00k... but for the winner of the London Street Entertainer of the Year Award for Poetry, not the best medium.

Michael Howley