Five minutes with Dave Dobbyn
Dave Dobbyn is th’ dude, there ain’t no two ways about it: Slice of Heaven spent eight weeks at number one in New Zealand, and four in Australia; in 2002, Loyal was chosen by Team New Zealand for its international campaign to win back the America’s Cup; when New Zealand’s songwriters and music industry experts voted for the 30 best New Zealand songs written in the previous 75 years, five of Dave’s achieved Top 30 status — more songs than by any other songwriter. Since he was more than happy to chat with NZBC, we asked DD what’s happening in his world and, when he’d finished telling us, he said “thanks for the great questions”, which proves he’s an all-round good bloke.
Congratulations on winning the 2005 Tui NZ Music Award for ‘Songwriter of the Year’ at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards, Dave. Would we be correct in thinking that the composer Tui meant more to you than any of the others on offer?
“Yes, it’s the songwriting one that tickles me. Of course, it’s great the songs get the limelight and nice that I can continue to hone the craft and keep delivering.”
In 1978 you stole NZBC blogger Stephen Stratford’s bass player, Lez White, for Th’ Dudes. If you’ve finished with him, can he have him back, please?
“My apologies. Lez is a great musician and a veritable encyclopaedia of music. He’s also a great guy and a sharp wit and I have nothing but fondness for him. It took us a while to get Lez to shave off his beard and pout for the girls, but he took to it just fine and had a very rock ‘n’ roll time on the road with Th’ Dudes. I’m still feeling bad about the only punch I ever threw, fracturing his wrist, but I’m sure he’s still a fine player and you’d do well to hire him. Give him my love.”
Will Freeman, the protagonist of Nick Hornby’s About A Boy, lived a comfortable and indolent life on the royalties to a Christmas song his late father composed in 1938. Do you think, ethically, copyright should be limited to the lifetime of the composer?
“Well, songs are property, and property doesn’t vanish when someone dies. It’s important to pass on a legacy, and mine is my catalogue of songs. If it was the rights to a book or film it wouldn’t be swallowed up in the public domain upon my demise, so neither should my copyrights.”
If NZBC readers only read one book this year, which book should it be?
“The Life of Pi by Yann Martell.”
Bob Dylan and Van Morrison have both said that Christianity has influenced their music for the better. Has it changed songwriting and performing in any way for you?
“Yes, when you live in the hope and eternal perspective of Christ, everything changes and often. To work in the spirit of taking care of your brothers and sisters, regardless of race or creed, and to be able to express that purity is so much better than beating up on yourself with the destructive side of rock ‘n’ roll. There’s a worthiness that lives in that belief, and it has you with your heart laid bare and ready to take risks. My king died for me and for all men, so I have no choice but to shout His name and spread the love. It’s the very making of peace that I’m interested in, and in music I have the perfect weapon.”
Your trip to Morocco screened recently in New Zealand on TV One’s Intrepid Journeys series. In a piece you wrote for the Listener you said that Morocco “has me vowing to return”. To which other countries of the world would you like to journey intrepidly, and what would you miss most while you were gone?
“I’d love to travel through Cambodia and Vietnam and I’m busting to go to Antarctica, just to know where the back yard ends. I’d love to go to Jamaica and Cuba for the music. Israel is where I long to go. It’s the size of Northland but has the most significance of any strip of land anywhere. I want to explore that and sit above Jerusalem, writing in my journal. I would miss family most, but texting helps.”
What project is keeping you busy at the moment, and when will we get to hear the results?
“I’m always writing something, and I feel like there is a river delivering songs on a regular basis. I have a studio now and the independence has me buzzing. Collaborations are hatching and I have all next year to produce some interesting stuff. I may have a movie soundtrack to write, which I love doing. It’s an NZ family story and quite meaty. I’m interested in composing and recording in surround-sound. There are some live recordings in the pipeline and I want to post-produce them. I’m also working on a book, which should surface within 18 months or so. Quite busy, really.”
Coming soon to NZBC: Five minutes with Don McGlashan.
Congratulations on winning the 2005 Tui NZ Music Award for ‘Songwriter of the Year’ at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards, Dave. Would we be correct in thinking that the composer Tui meant more to you than any of the others on offer?
“Yes, it’s the songwriting one that tickles me. Of course, it’s great the songs get the limelight and nice that I can continue to hone the craft and keep delivering.”
In 1978 you stole NZBC blogger Stephen Stratford’s bass player, Lez White, for Th’ Dudes. If you’ve finished with him, can he have him back, please?
“My apologies. Lez is a great musician and a veritable encyclopaedia of music. He’s also a great guy and a sharp wit and I have nothing but fondness for him. It took us a while to get Lez to shave off his beard and pout for the girls, but he took to it just fine and had a very rock ‘n’ roll time on the road with Th’ Dudes. I’m still feeling bad about the only punch I ever threw, fracturing his wrist, but I’m sure he’s still a fine player and you’d do well to hire him. Give him my love.”
Will Freeman, the protagonist of Nick Hornby’s About A Boy, lived a comfortable and indolent life on the royalties to a Christmas song his late father composed in 1938. Do you think, ethically, copyright should be limited to the lifetime of the composer?
“Well, songs are property, and property doesn’t vanish when someone dies. It’s important to pass on a legacy, and mine is my catalogue of songs. If it was the rights to a book or film it wouldn’t be swallowed up in the public domain upon my demise, so neither should my copyrights.”
If NZBC readers only read one book this year, which book should it be?
“The Life of Pi by Yann Martell.”
Bob Dylan and Van Morrison have both said that Christianity has influenced their music for the better. Has it changed songwriting and performing in any way for you?
“Yes, when you live in the hope and eternal perspective of Christ, everything changes and often. To work in the spirit of taking care of your brothers and sisters, regardless of race or creed, and to be able to express that purity is so much better than beating up on yourself with the destructive side of rock ‘n’ roll. There’s a worthiness that lives in that belief, and it has you with your heart laid bare and ready to take risks. My king died for me and for all men, so I have no choice but to shout His name and spread the love. It’s the very making of peace that I’m interested in, and in music I have the perfect weapon.”
Your trip to Morocco screened recently in New Zealand on TV One’s Intrepid Journeys series. In a piece you wrote for the Listener you said that Morocco “has me vowing to return”. To which other countries of the world would you like to journey intrepidly, and what would you miss most while you were gone?
“I’d love to travel through Cambodia and Vietnam and I’m busting to go to Antarctica, just to know where the back yard ends. I’d love to go to Jamaica and Cuba for the music. Israel is where I long to go. It’s the size of Northland but has the most significance of any strip of land anywhere. I want to explore that and sit above Jerusalem, writing in my journal. I would miss family most, but texting helps.”
What project is keeping you busy at the moment, and when will we get to hear the results?
“I’m always writing something, and I feel like there is a river delivering songs on a regular basis. I have a studio now and the independence has me buzzing. Collaborations are hatching and I have all next year to produce some interesting stuff. I may have a movie soundtrack to write, which I love doing. It’s an NZ family story and quite meaty. I’m interested in composing and recording in surround-sound. There are some live recordings in the pipeline and I want to post-produce them. I’m also working on a book, which should surface within 18 months or so. Quite busy, really.”
Coming soon to NZBC: Five minutes with Don McGlashan.
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