Hi all,
When I was just a little boy I asked my mirror and the policeman at the pedestrian crossing – what will I be? It seemed to matter to me in spite of their lack of answers. I could work it out for myself?
Que sera sera……
I discovered that there is a melodic soundtrack, a rhythmic attention and most importantly - ::::: words – leading to Worlds that I could hold onto as if I owned them and own them I did. . And I quickly learnt what these special concoctions were SONGS.
SONGS They were songs and they were the keepers of the key to the locks. They were the answer to whatever I wanted to know - whatever I wanted to have in truth and that I could resolve. No-one could get in my way. It was all important to me. I was profoundly steeped in all this and a large number of songs came to be the foundation of my life. It was joyful.
I didn’t need to know why. I wasn’t viewing this as a scientific exploration. It was just something I was passionate about. And thanks to the disembodied voices that introduced songs to me on the radio – the repertoire of my life just – simply - came to be…….
And there it was. At 8 years old I started to weave songs into my waking hours. Which songs? Easy. The ones that sang to me and I sang back to them. In a force-field of engagement. Right on.
Yes, .. Right on. Far and Wide.
And who drove this magic land? If the rights of man must pervade all the nations of the earth, then a songwriter may set their foot anywhere on its surface and say “This is my world. This is my audience!”. And time passes and songs fill our planet. They are the literature of every nation. And they generate a set of resonances.
And to each songwriter that has positive reinforcement in their life – we the listeners out here can know this – and we must hold in our hearts - their songwriting prowess as a real achievement. And we will look out at what rustles, turns and twists out in front of the stage.
Standing back and perusing my twenty years as CEO of Play It Strange I took all my life experience and forged a path ahead there. I have taken the buzz line that the CEO of APRA gave me when he asked me to be the Director of Operations of NZs APRA office. He said – ‘Mike. I want APRA to have happy members’. Voila!!
I know a happy songwriter when I see one. So I was steadfast and weaved the passage of time and made sure that Play Ot Strange was somewhere songwriters would be - yes - HAPPY. There is a surreal structure there which we forged in that Parnell office. And with Stephanie Brown now firing new ammunition there is a powerful momentum.
Autograph Hunters grab the soft rails – gentle in their willingness to hold place and to orbit the stage. The audience- the crowd closes in on. And in this spacing of a seemingly random fluid population, a rigid stance is held: it exists and then evolves and all is in order. All is in order. And with a magical assembly of connected people - Play It Strange flourished as it moved onwards and upwards through the years. More than 21 years now.
Play It Strange has been managed and enlightened ----- those who have been trustees on the board populate our passage . They are unique array of people with a keen sense of balance and knowledge. A combination of trustees in a belief structure where there is a forward motion in the vision of our special trust. I am very grateful to you trustees here - and all those other trustees who have been at the table. And to add to this. All those who steered the trust as chairpersons. Crucial in their graft. Thank you. They are Bill Moran, Michael Glading, Tony Caughey and Fred Soar.
And our board secretary Pam Wardenburg whose administrative support has been extraordinary. Thank you Pam.
And the members of the Play It Strange staff who have taken to maintaining an energy which is evocative. Recently we have had Debbie Little and Tom Dalton and prior to their positions, a number of cool staff who played their part!
And here tonight, as I glance around I see my family of four children. – Georgia, Barney, Ruby and Johnny….
I applaud their support of my time and commitment to this unique charitable trust. And especially - voila – my extra special partner in life and love - Brigid. I could never have done this without you. That’s a fact.
And there it is. A new breed is on board nd the increase In the statistics of our songwriting competitions spells out the flourishing achievements.
So in a pause. - - - - my salutations and respectful thanks to all of you. It has been a monumental ride over this musical trip. And will never be forgotten.
