| SCOTT MACLACHLAN hearts Aotearoa - guest blog! |
| Written by Scott Maclachlan |
| Thursday, 27 May 2010 11:33 |
 I don’t hate very much in my life, but at a push, it comes down to people mostly. Celine Dion, Cherie Booth(Blair) and Posh Spice. Now, that’s not supposed to portray me as some sort of misogynist git, they’re just the first names that came up. I could continue and include plenty of blokes, but I’m trying to practice my Buddhist mantra of - “out with the bad and in with the good”. There is however, loads that I love. Loads. Music, food, people, places. And actually, one place in particular. At the risk of being a brown-nose of a Pinnochian scale - and with a view to actually offering the rare alternate to the “Whinging Pom” - I have a mistress, a dirty little secret that I love with all my heart. And she is called Aotearoa. Geez, what a gal, what a name, what a figure. The Land of the Long White Cloud. How bloody romantic is that? Who wouldn’t be seduced? And her list of attributes are immense.  You see, I love that they play Neil Young in Burger Fuel. I love that the moment you step outside your house in the Winter months, all you can smell is burning wood. That there isn’t a camera on every corner of every street. That tomatoes taste of something. That people here, know more about British New Wave, than the British. The haka. The fact that you have a walk-in-fridge for your beer in the bottle store. The words “hoon” and “ranga”. I could go on...  But there is one thing, that sets this great country apart from all others. The traditional greeting is derived from an exchange of breath. A sharing of senses and spirits. Blimey, the Anglo-Saxon handshake is derived from checking another fellow for a weapon. And it’s that idea, that permeates this wonderful place, its people, its attitude. That basically - life is pretty good - and why not smile, laugh, and crack open a cold one. SCOTT MACLACHLAN is the A&R Director/Head of Business Development at Universal Music NZ - and will be a panelist at the 2010 Official Music Month Summit. The Summit is being held this year at the Auckland Museum (Domain Drive, Parnell), from 10:00AM-5:00PM, on Saturday May 29th. Maclachlan is a guest-speaker for the 'Record Companies' seminar at 10:00am.  |
