What ever happened to Shona Laing

Glad I'm not a Kennedy is an iconic New Zealand song by an iconoclastic New Zealand artiste. I never really liked it, too gimmicky for me. But the other day Monique Rhodes mentioned she'd heard from Laing.Last I heard was an interview on National Radio. What interests me about the clip is that I think it was directed by Kerry Brown, the talented fashion photographer turned director. Kerry shot an annual report for me in 1986 - the last year of disgraceful indulgences before the share market crash (correction) of 1987. We made some very nice portraits of the Brewer's employees in fashionista tritone black and white. It was a two volume set - one for the pitch and one for the financial - with a slip cover. Very Genesis - high concept… I will never forget shooting the board. We were carefully briefed that when they emerged from their board meeting we would have one minute with each. No longer. We were not to interfere with their lunch any more than necessary (to inspire investor confidence - always found that curious…these guys were heavy hitters in the kiwi business world. They could lunch with anyone anytime anywhere, but the effort to make a lasting impression was an afterthought. Most of the men - they were all men were actually quite gracious - a couple of skinny little kids directing them didn't phase them for a moment. Only Douglas Myers felt the need to treat us like shit on his shoe. He behaved disgracefully, insisting that he be photographed in front of the Brass Lion in the foyer of the building and crossing his arms carefully so the camera could catch his Rolex. Yawn. I hope he has gotten over himself. Kerry behaved with complete professionalism. The shot was ok but looked silly - all of the other directors looked great. Myers looked weird. I won't say that he brought about the stock market crash. Butyaneverknow.

Kerry also shot possibly the worst ad I ever made - for Coruba rum. We filmed it in the Bahamas.

But that's a story for another time.

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Ze Frank thinks so you don't have to

Ze Frank appeared on my radar when I saw his presentation among the excellent TED Talks videos . This morning I was reading Russell Davies planning blog in which he referred to a clip by Ze Frank - Where do ideas come from. Here's the transcript: "...Hungry Hippo licks Aunt JEmima [sic] writes, "Are you ever gonna break into song again? Are you running out of ideas?" Hungry Hippo licks Aunt JEmima, that's a good question. I run out of ideas every day! Each day I live in mortal fear that I've used up the last idea that'll ever come to me. If you don't wanna run out of ideas the best thing to do is not to execute them. You can tell yourself that you don't have the time or resources to do 'em right. Then they stay around in your head like brain crack. No matter how bad things get, at least you have those good ideas that you'll get to later. Some people get addicted to that brain crack. And the longer they wait, the more they convince themse...

Johnny Bunko competiton

The Great Johnny Bunko Challenge from DHP on Vimeo . There's a young chap in Indiana, one Alec Quig , who has written to me about creating a career based on a polymathic degree, from which he has recently graduated. He's an interesting young man and his concerns about going forward in life are the anxieties we all face at crossroads in our lives when we are forced to make choices. Dan Pink's latest book The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need might help: "From a New York Times, BusinessWeek, and Washington Post bestselling author comes a first-of-its- kind career guide for a new generation of job seekers.There's never been a career guide like it.the fully illustrated story (ingeniously told in Manga form) of a young Everyman just out of college who lands his first job. Johnny Bunko is new to parachute company Boggs Corp., and he stumbles through his early days as a working stiff until a crisis prompts him to find a new job. St...

Why billboards must go.

The problem with billboards and advertising in public places is they are an invasion of privacy. Unlike magazine, tv, radio (etc) advertising you cannot choose to turn it off or avoid it. Nor does it offer anything in return. It is a medium that offers no benefit or advantage to the person it is inflicted on. At least television ads subsidise the programming. Without doubt some billboards are entertaining - I thought the anti GE poster for short lived MADGE activist group was particularly good. But most are rubbish. Literally. Badly executed. Nothing important to say. The debate has led to a great deal of hysteria - mostly from people with a vested interest in perpetuating the deployment of hoardings. Perhaps the idea that the issue at stake is 'property rights' is the creepiest. If you own a building you have every right to plaster anything you like on its external surfaces. Is that an antisocial point of view? I think so. In the UK you could have an ASBO slapped on you for si...

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