First published on RNZ, ethnomusicologist Kirsten Zemke weighs in what fans should do with the music of alleged bad men. American rapper R Kelly has been the subject of sexual abuse allegations for a number of years, for Michael Jackson it’s been decades. Both have remained popular and celebrated artists. Two new documentaries, Surviving R Kelly and Leaving Neverland feature the … Read more
How is Austin Powers still relevant in 2019? And why hire the Queen for your birthday party? Alex Casey talks to the movers and shakers of New Zealand’s celebrity impersonator scene. It ain’t easy being shagadelic. Orewa local Gary Brown, the only legally authorised Austin Powers impersonator in the world, knows that cold hard truth … Read more
On a Friday at the Upper Hutt Cosmopolitan Club, John Summers saw Elvis. Or, sixteen of him. Elvis was Māori. He was Pākehā. He was young. He was usually fairly old. He was drunk, possibly, or maybe just feeling nervy. He was blind, helped to his cane when stepping off the stage. He looked remarkably … Read more