The Sheriff, the 99% Untruth and the McTurk Effect

When last we featured Bill Demeter from It's Our City Incorporated on Monday Report in July, we spoke among other things about Mayor Bob Parker's assertion at the launch of his mayoralty campaign that transparency would be among the key issues of his re-election bid.

Less than a month later Transparency Bob stumbled on this promise when sand was kicked in his face by residents angry about Cr Gail Sheriff's CCC-funded junket to the ironically named Imperial Beach in California, USA.

After initially claiming to be 99 per cent certain Sheriff had paid for the trip herself, it later emerged that the payment for the junket had been approved by both the council's chief executive, Tony Marryatt, and Transparency Bob and that a discretionary fund available to councillors had been tapped.

Citing a failure of memory - always a handy crutch for those who have had their legs kicked out from under them by lies uncovered - Transparency Bob later conceded an "unintentional error"; I'm sure I'm joined by many others who view it as an own-goal on the field of transparency.

This week Michael was joined from 12:00 to 13:00 by It's Our City Inc. chair Bill Demeter and from 13:00 to 14:00 by film reviewer Kate McRae for an analysis of the DVD of Michael Moore's latest film, Capitalism: A Love Story.

New York-born writer and psychiatry lecturer Andrew Solomon closed the show with this week's story from The Moth, with an inspiring and moving tale about a survivor of Pol Pot's death squads who taught other female victims how to handle depression.

Andrew Solomon has written for publications such as the New York Times, The New Yorker, and Artforum, on topics including depression, Soviet artists, the cultural rebirth of Afghanistan, Libyan politics, and Deaf politics.

In 2008, he was awarded the Humanitarian Award of the Society of Biological Psychiatry for his contributions to the field of mental health. He has a staff appointment as a Lecturer in Psychiatry at Cornell Medical School (Weill-Cornell Medical College).

 His most recent book, The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression, won the 2001 National Book Award; it was a finalist for the 2002 Pulitzer Prize, and has been published 24 languages.

Music interludes were:

"I Don't Believe You" off The Thermals's 2010 album 'Personal Life'. Claiming an indie/alternative/post-pop-punk rock label, the band formed in 2002 and recorded their début LP, 'More Parts Per Million', on a 4-track cassette machine for an estimated tracking cost of 10. The group describes MPPM as 'a blistering slice of "no-fi"' and recall that the LP was rated everything from "un-listenable" to "very fucking listenable".

"Rockaway" off  Rogue Valley's 2010 album 'The Bookseller's House'. Released last week on Friday 13, Rockaway is Track 11 off this Americana/Folk Rock/Psychedelic band's latest album. Rogue Valley lists as its main influences 'music, art museums, novels, dancers, movies, and driving, driving, driving...'

"I Heart California" is the title track off Admiral Radley's most recent album. Comprising Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray from Earlimart and Jason Lytle and Aaron Burtch of Grandaddy, the title track 'I Heart California' describes Jason Lytle's complex relationship with his home state, delivered with characteristically sensual breathy vocals that suggest more than a passing acquaintance with hedonism.

"Out of Control" off The Foxymorons's 2010 album 'Bible Stories'. This power-pop Texan duo's story began in 1994 in the sun-baked suburb of Mesquite when David Dewese and Jerry James discovered an abandoned drum kit in a Sunday School classroom. As they tell it, the discovery sparked a 'fervent series of elegant experiments in life and literature, noise and nihilism.'

"Fade Up" off Shawn Lee's 2010 album 'Sing a Song'. Multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee usually showcases his love for '60s and '70s soul on his albums but his latest release reveals his more psychedelic and cinematic side in a 12-part production that plays 'like a breezy summertime mixtape'.
We played back-to-back Fade Up and "Moonbender", track 8 off Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra 2006 release ‘String and Things’. Treat yourself and visit his site to hear his soul-style take of OutKast's hit "Hey Ya!"



"Harry & Bess" off Ferraby Lionheart's 2010 album 'The Jack of Hearts'. "Harry & Bess" is a song about Harry Houdini and his wife. The story goes that Bess Houdini passed a key to Harry in a kiss struggling for an hour in widely publicized 1904 escape.


"Shades of Marble" off Anders Trentemøller's 2010 album 'The Great Wide Yonder'. Danish producer and multi-instrumentalist Anders Trentemøller's debut album ‘The Last Resort’ was released in 2006 and helped cement Trentemøller's reputation as a great electronic music talent.

"Always" off Junip's 2010 album 'Fields'. A cosmopolitan three piece from Gothenburg, Sweden, formed sometime in 1999, 'maybe even 1998', Junip features Tobias Winterkorn (keyboards), Elias Araya (drums) and José González (vocals & guitar). "Always" is a breezy song that showcases the sort of 'hazy, organic, melodic and hypnotic musical environment' the trio creates.


"Avalon" off Storyhill's 2010 album 'Shades of the Trees'. Weaving infectious melodies, clever stories and heartbreaking harmonies, Chris Cunningham and John Hermanson's songs feature spare acoustic arrangements and big-theme lyrics.
 Listen to "Paradise Lost", which was recorded live at Coffee With A Conscience.

"Road Regrets" off Dan Mangan's 2010 album 'Nice, Nice, Very Nice'. This Canadian indie folk-rock singer-songwriter has released two full-length albums – 'Postcards and Daydreaming' in 2007 and earlier this year, 'Nice, Nice, Very Nice'.

Coming Up: August 09, 2010

Next week on Monday Report we feature:

• From 12:00 to 13:00 - City Issues with Bill Demeter from It's Our City Incorporated. Once a month Monday Report hosts a wide-ranging conversation with Bill about restoring transparency, accountability, and participation to local government. 
• From 13:00 to 14:00 - Jeweler, translator and Magma Gallery co-owner Barbara Simsch joins us on the Conversations With Creators. 
• From 14:00 to 14:45 - Film reviewer, contemporary culture commentator, and epicurean Kate McRae shares her disquiet about film festivals and her best picks from the 2010 New Zealand International Film Festival's catalogue.
• From 14:45 to 15:00 - Michaela Murphy on The Moth with 'All-Star Game', a fast-paced account of her efforts to get her little brother to the all-important game. Michaela Murphy is a writer, director, producer, actor and frequent Moth storyteller. She has also told stories for her storytelling group, Hearsay, Studio 360, and in the show "Fired." She is currently writing a memoir, "The Green Monster"; a Young Adult novel, "Things I Learned in Charm School;" and a musical, "Fast Forward." Her work has been featured on NPR, Off-Broadway and on the Moth mainstage. 

Also on the show, music interludes provided by emerging notables and noteworthy artists.

Mayor with no history of delivering the steak caught selling the sizzle

After 32 months in office and almost 20 years in local government politics, Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker appears to have discovered the virtue of transparency.

Parker was quoted in an article (04/07/10) about the launch of his mayoralty campaign as saying transparency would be among the key issues of his re-election bid.

The irony of this statement was obviously lost on Parker - transparency, or more correctly, the absence of transparency - has been a key issue of his mayoralty and ranks as a key concern with citizen groups and members of the public who value the sanctified principles of democracy - responsibility, transparency and participation.

This week Michael was joined from 12:00 to 13:00 by It's Our City Inc. chair Bill Demeter and from 13:00 to 14:00 by Hagley-Ferrymead ward City Council candidate Peter Taylor.

Music interludes were:

'Save Me' by rock guitarist, bassist, singer, and songwriter of note Aimee Mann. The track appears on the 'Magnolia' soundtrack, which was released in 1999. ‘Save Me’ was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song but lost out to ‘You'll be in my heart’ from the Disney movie Tarzan.



'I Need a Dollar (How to Make It in America)' by American soul singer, rapper, and musician, Aloe Blacc. His first album, entitled ‘Shine Through’ was released in 2006 by Stones Throw Records. Blacc began his career in 1995 and you'll hear elements of jazz, R&B, soul, and hip hop in his music. His song 'I Need a Dollar' is the intro song for the TV show 'How to Make it in America'. He is currently working on a new album titled ‘Good Things’, which is set to be released in mid-September 2010.

‘Dragon’s Song’, the sunny seventh track from Blitzen Trapper's 2010 album ‘Destroyer of the Void’. Blitzen Trapper is an experimental USA folk-rock sextet signed to Sub Pop Records. The band formed in 2000, characterising their music with psychedelia, sweet harmonies, and ’60s/’70s vibe mixed up with a creative edge and a southern twang.

‘Dog Eared Summer’ from indie rock/electronica band Brite Futures self-released 2010 single. Hailing from Seattle, Washington, the band released its debut album in July 2008. Their former name (Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, sometimes shortened simply to NPSH) is a reference to actress Natalie Portman's appearance in the film 'V for Vendetta'.

‘Cloudy Shoes’ - an intensely personal and spiritual track - from Damien Jurado's Saint Bartlett album. Jurado is a school teacher by day but reportedly follows his musical muse at night. He has been described as ‘prolific and dedicated’, spinning tales that colour his lyrics and which have earned him comparisons to short story writer Raymond Carver. His latest album, Saint Bartlett, is produced by Richard Swift.

‘You always Hurt the One You Love’ is a pop standard written by Allan Roberts and Doris Fisher. It has been performed by many artists over the years, including The Mills Brothers. The jazz and pop vocal quartet from Ohio went by several names before the CBS Radio audition that simultaneously earned them a three-year contract and an entry in music history as the first African-Americans to have a network show on radio. They clocked up over 2,000 recordings and sales of more than 50 million copies, garnering at least three dozen gold records. The Mills Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.

'Lookout' by nine-piece LA band Orgone. The group blends jazz, funk, and R&B to celebrate the universal energy source of the same name promoted in the 1930s by Wilhelm Reich. ‘Lookout’ features on their album ‘Cali Fever’, which was released earlier this year on Ubiquity Records.

‘You (Understood)’ by Oklahoma-based singer Samantha Crain. The song describes the experiences she's had over the 100,000 miles she’s notched up performing at venues throughout the USA. Born in 1986, Crain often plays as part of Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers.

‘The Leather-Winged Bat’ off Spider John Koerner's 1986 album ‘Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Been’. Koerner is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as a guitarist and vocalist for the blues trio Koerner, Ray & Glover.

‘Hearts Are Down’, the seventh track from The Beauties' self-titled album released earlier this year on Six Shooter Records. The roots/country band hail from Toronto, Canada.

'Bohemian Like You' by The Dandy Warhols, an American rock band formed in 1993 and claiming influences from a veritable roll of rock luminaries - the Velvet Underground, the Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel, the Beatles, the Shadows, and the Rolling Stones. Front man Courtney Taylor-Taylor describes the band's origin as a group of friends who ‘needed music to drink to’.

From Wilco's 2002 album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, we'll take track five, ‘Jesus, etc’. Wilco is an American alternative rock band that gets its name from the voice procedure term ‘wilco’, meaning ‘will comply’. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo.