Standing Room Only for 10/09/2016

Standing Room Only is literally radio with pictures... and arts, theatre, film, comedy, books, dance, entertainment and music – all the things, in other words, that make life worth living. Full programme details are available on the Standing Room Only webpage                            Art from bronze and iron Three artists who've made their names sculpting metals, but in very different ways, are putting on solo shows in the same venue for Artweek Auckland. Jeff Thomson encourages us to look at corrugated iron in an entirely new light, while Onehunga-based Phil Neary works in bronze and is showing recent works like caps - so detailed you would swear they're made from material. And Paul Dibble also works in bronze. His works range from the small and detailed to massive public art works, like the Featherston sculpture project. Lynn Freeman talks to Jeff Thomson and Phil Neary about their show at Northart Gallery in Northcote - Bronze and Iron - and about all three sculptors' connection with Westlake Boy's High School. Oct 09, 2016 02:48 pm Linda Olsson's The Blackbird Sings at Dusk Imagine that a new neighbour in your apartment block hardly ever emerges from their room. They seem more shadow than human. Do you dare to knock on their door, or respect their clear desire for privacy? In her new novel, The Blackbird sings at Dusk, Auckland writer Linda Olsson brings together three people in an apartment in her homeland of Sweden. Oct 09, 2016 02:35 pm Sargam Fusion combine the classical music of India and the West East meets West in Sargam Fusion - and the Auckland-based Indian group are about to push the boundaries even further. For the upcoming 15th Auckland Diwali Festival, classical Indian musicians will take the stage with members of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Diwali classical programme director - and founder of the Sargam School of Music - Basant Madhur, and Eric Renwick, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's principal percussionist, are collaborating on the project. Oct 09, 2016 02:30 pm The Laugh Track - Dean Hewison Dean Hewison is part of the new breed of writer-directors - the ones that don't think about it, but just get on with it. Best known for the "stalker comedy" How To Meet Girls At a Distance, Dean's strength is comedy and short films, and he's had an extremely busy year. Last year he was - once again - a finalist in the 48 Hour Film Competition. His Fringe show Jingles was awarded Best Comedy, Best Musical and Best Ensemble. He's directed a comedy special - On the Conditions and Possibilities of Hillary Clinton Taking Me As Her Young Lover, which is out on Amazon. Dean's about to direct his first stage play that he hasn't written himself - Lungs at Wellington's Circa theatre. His Laugh Track picks include Louis CK, What We Do in the Shadows, Key and Peele, The Flight of the Conchords and The Mighty Boosh. Oct 09, 2016 02:08 pm When New Zealand bands met the Beatles New Audioculture director Chris Bourke looks back on the Beatlemania years from a Kiwi perspective. Many local musicians were deeply suspicious of the Fab Four - it had to be a flash in the pan, they thought. But others - including Ray Columbus and Max Merritt - saw the way the wind was blowing and went with it. Oct 09, 2016 01:45 pm Artist Michel Tuffery explores Waiheke Island A community art project at Waiheke Art Gallery on Waiheke Island has uncovered rich material for artist Michel Tuffery. Michel works with objects - you might remember his cattle sculptures made from corned beef cans. But he also projects videos on the walls of buildings, as well as producing woodcuts, lithographs, paintings on canvas and tapa, sculpture, carving and performance art. For the past few years he's been involved in an on-going series of works about Rarotonga's 500 Kuki Airani soldiers who served in World War I. On Waiheke he worked mainly with shells from historic midden sites. He tells Lynn Freeman the offer of the residency came at the perfect time. Oct 09, 2016 01:35 pm British actor Christopher Eccleston and The A Word British actor Christopher Eccleston famously abandoned the coveted lead role in Dr Who after just one series, despite it being a hugely popular reboot of the scifi show. Christopher may be fussy about his roles - but he's still constantly in work. His latest role is Maurice, the outspoken grandfather of a child on the autism spectrum in a TV series called The A Word, soon to be screened on UKTV. It's based on an Israeli series called Yellow Peppers, and examines a family struggling with the shocking diagnosis for five-year-old Joe. Lynn Freeman asked Christopher about the flood of remakes of foreign series on American and English television at the moment. Are home-grown writers running out of inspiration? Oct 09, 2016 12:43 pm Featherston's Grand Old Lady The ANZAC Hall in Featherston was built to give the thousands of World War I soldiers camped nearby a place to relax - a 'home away from home' - before they went to war. Since then, the building has served many purposes - from a hospital, to hosting generations of Wairarapa weddings, parties, civic events and funerals. She's about to celebrate her 100th birthday in grand style. A substantial renovation has included a new paint and varnish job inside and out, and a new roof. Even the floor's been buffed. Lynn Freeman spoke to some of the many dedicated volunteers helping with the big weekend and asked why a small community went to so much trouble to build a huge hall in the first place. Oct 09, 2016 12:12 pm   Older stories The Great Fire of London inspires a musical 350 years later Stephanie Johnson has a book for all dog-lovers - Good Dog! Shakespeare's Shylock - villain, victim or both? Show Me Shorts award-winners The rise and rise of the film festival Not all audio is available due to copyright restrictions