Public Address - Island Life (Home)

Who's laughing? | Mar 28, 2007 08:52

Who, would you say, was the bravest person you've ever known?

Readers of this forum answer the question.

One nominates his father in law.

He was a Navy pilot in the Pacific during WWII. When I asked him one day if he was ever scared he replied, "I never made a carrier landing with my eyes open."

A proud parent picks their four year old.

This morning the little guy was learning to ride his bike... he had a bad high side spill. With a quivering lip he climbed back and and by God he RODE!

There is selflessness:

My mother who, when dying of cancer in the hospital, tried to comfort me.

There is Neolithic flippancy.

I leave spear here. I go to cow. I squeeze bottom. I drink what come out.

There is the courage only some possess.

He stood in a burning smoke filled hospital and carried invalid patients out windows for an hour.

No-one cites the obsessive blogger or the online stalker. Their accomplishments are acts of bravery in only their own minds.

Slinking into cyberspace to do your work of hate and menace is no act of courage. It's the safest place in the world for a misanthrope to hide. Snug in your darkened room, hunched over your keyboard, no-one can hit you back. You can fire at will.

You may even fire at Kathy Sierra. Sneering misogyny is possible; so is raw abuse. Hilarious photoshopped images? By all means. Death threats? Why not.

You may not mean to act upon these death threats; you're probably no more than you profess to be: someone who thinks they're making a joke. But Kathy Sierra is only the latest of many women online who have taken the prudent approach: don't give a death threat the benefit of the doubt.

We have something of this in our own neighbourhood. Some of the more extreme comment threads on the likes of Kiwiblog and Sir Humphreys, have been polluted by this same sneering misogyny, purporting to function as humour.

It's not funny.

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Good Bastards | Mar 20, 2007 19:19

No doubt he'll be saying it himself, but let me say it too: Russell Brown's mates are good bastards. You came in large numbers and you weren't shy to put your hands in your pockets for a good cause. The music wasn't half bad either, eh?

There was a nice touch of the exotic to it, too. You came through the door of the old Windsor Castle - now home to a sushi restaurant - and found yourself surrounded by glamorous Pead PR people bearing cocktails. Over at the auction table, Ahmed Zaoui was inspecting a soccer ball signed by Rod Stewart. At the other end of the room, legendary musicians were coiffed in improbable jet black wigs. The room was full of media ratbags, friends of Public Address, and rather more young women in high heels than you see at a Great Blend. Also John Campbell, Bridget Saunders and a cameraman.

You try to behave, but sometimes you have a rush of blood - or more accurately 42 Below - to the head. Ahmed Zaoui's friend Sally said it might be nice to send New Zealand's most well-known Algerian to the morning tea with Helen Clark, which was about to be auctioned. I collected a quick dozen or so hundred dollar pledges for a collective bid, but that was not nearly enough. It was probably just as well that the bidding opened at two thousand and quickly went past four. It wouldn't have been fair to imperil the blameless people who persuaded the Prime Minister to take part; not so soon after that painting business.

I told Deborah Hill-Cone that there would be no call on her pledge. She told me I should have made it $500 a piece and scolded me that I was clearly no capitalist. I began an indignant defence of my free market credentials – veteran exporter and stalwart defender of the current account for upwards of a decade etc - but she had already turned back to her conversation with Brent Hansen.

Such bidding! Thousands for RussB's signed, framed, and beautifully presented first blog; thousands for travel and art; the electronic gear, the CDs, the fine baby wear, all of them energetically contested. And once the speaking began you understood why you were digging deep. We heard a compelling story from Russell about Aspergers, family, the things life can ask you to cope with, and what you can learn from them. The only reason I can't say it was the best speech I've ever heard him give is because I was standing outside with the smokers where the acoustics are not kind to the hearing-impaired, and I lost a few lines. But you didn't need the lot to get the picture.

I've known Russell since ICONZ was an ISP in a broom cupboard in Airedale Street. He has always been part of my online life. Three years ago he did me the enormous favour of encouraging me to do something with my day beyond exporting noughts and ones to Americans. I have a lot to do yet to show my gratitude for that, but last night was one fine chance to do it.

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Ring Gina | Mar 19, 2007 08:02

If you have already have your tickets for the Hustle for Russell, then you know that it's happening tonight.

If you're one of those people who leaves things until the last minute, then today's schedule is:

1: Ring Gina at Pead PR 918 5545 to line up your ticket
2. Present yourself at Blowfish Sushi at 7.30 tonight.

If you're more inclined to stay home on a cold Monday night, you might want to look at the TV listings and compare the modest offerings with this:

MC – John Campbell
Entertainment – The Clean, SJD, Chris Knox
Food – the finest of Sushi

And then there's the auction booty:

Party in the Xbox 360 Lounge
Artwork by Chris Knox
Morning Tea with Helen Clark
Full page ad in Black Magazine
Book signed by Keri Hulme -
"Te Kaihau/The Windeater" (2nd Ed.)
L'Oreal Hamper
Original artwork collage for Flying Nun Eyeball/Cherub logo (1981) & Flying Nun collector pack*
First blog by Russell Brown signed
Air NZ flights for two to Melbourne
Domobar Coffee Machine
Xbox 360 Gaming Package
A special night in Auckland's Quadrant Hotel
Foodie Hamper
Beauty Hamper
Box of Cuban cigars and Rum
100 tracks from Digi Rama
Signed Blues Rugby Jersey and family pass to the Blues v Cheetah match on Friday 6 April.
Set of five Xbox 360 games
Pink PlayStation 2 and Singstar games.
Rare collectors pack incl.
- Flying Nun 10th anniversary cards (1991)
- Vintage bFM T-Shirt
- Signed Netherworld Dancing Toys album, Painted Years
- '80s Jumpsuit
- Flying Nun collector pack*
Flying Nun 25th Anniversary LIMITED EDITION Box set and collector pack*
XL Black Flying Nun / Little Brother TOY LOVE t-shirt and collector pack*
XL Grey Flying Nun / Little Brother BATS t-shirt and collector pack*
Public Address Advertising
Babylicious Voucher. www.babylicious.co.nz
Five Stinky Jim Mixtapes
Goldline Limousines Hire
NZ Listener 1-year subscription
Full body massage pamper pack
Deluxe foot soak, reflexology treatment & Pamper pack
Soccer Ball Signed by Rod Stewart

Today I will be driving up State Highway 3, stopping for
whitebait fritters at Mokau, talking our little girl to the glow-worm caves at Waitomo, and looking out for friendly road maintenance crews.

As much as I enjoy the prospect of all of those diversions, I expect the best part of the day to come at 7.30 this evening.

See you there. Now ring Gina.

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A Special Public Address Message | Mar 08, 2007 16:10

I've given over this space to Conor Roberts, who has something very important to say on behalf of our friends at Pead PR. All of us here at Public Address hope you'll take a moment to read it.

I arrived in Auckland as a fresh faced first year politics student in 2001. "Listen to Hard News on bfm," my girlfriend said, "you will love it". And I did.

Like a few thousand others before me, I joined Russell's email list to keep hearing his insights and observations. I've been on the list ever since. I was there for the end of Hard News the Radio Broadcast, and I was there for the start of Hard News the Blog. All for free.

Day in, day out, Russell has kept me entertained and informed about politics, culture and coffee, and I have come to know him personally through his words. Sometimes you can feel a bit like a stalker following someone's life through a blog. When you choose to write the way Russell does, you're pretty exposed. You open up your life for scrutiny and judgment. Sometimes you allow people to see a bit of your personal side.

That's why I know about Russell's gout. And that's why I know a little about Asperger's syndrome.

Like me, you may have read here and there in Russell's posts about his wonderful youngest son - Leo. You may have gained a sense that Russell and Leo are two peas in a pod. Quite alike, geek-like, in many ways. Leo has Asperger's syndrome. Russell thinks Leo could be a great computer programmer one day.

This year Russell and Fiona have had to pull Leo out of public schooling because one of the symptoms of Asperger's syndrome is an inability to deal with social situations and the "human noise" of the classroom. Leo needs homecare and his parents have found the perfect person to teach Leo - but that person will cost tens-of-thousands of dollars a year. That's an awful lot out of anyone's pay packet.

So a few of Russell's friends and Pead PR are getting together to throw him a benefit bash - Hustle for Russell. In the past we have worked with Russell on a couple of things and it's good to be able to help out someone we know.

We have sorted some great bands (a private The Clean gig, crossed with some SJD and mixed with some Chris Knox - where you gonna find that anywhere else?), some great drinks (like a special 42 below cocktail), and some great auction items (like accommodation at The Quadrant, an array of gaming fun, morning tea with Prime Minister Helen Clark, dinner at Blowfish, advertising packages and much more).

Yes the people who know Russell Brown in real life and through his online ramblings have got together to help him and his family out. We are having a benefit auction bash and you're invited.

If you would like to attend the Hustle for Russell benefit bash, please email gina@peadpr.co.nz and order your tickets for $75 per person. The event will be held at Blowfish Sushi in Parnell on Monday 19 March from 7.30pm.

Once the costs for home schooling Leo have been taken out, Russell will be using the remaining funds to help better serve kids like Leo who are "in" schools right now.

I know Russell is well known to you and we feel sure you'd love to support our benefit bash. And in true Russell Brown and Public Address style it will present a terrific mix of great music, good food, top booze, terrific people, auction items and some surprises.

It's time to help out someone we've come to know.

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