Andrew Dickens Afternoons

There's an admirable perversity to one of the world's great lyricists - perhaps the world's greatest - delivering those great lyrics - perhaps the world's greatest - in a voice that regularly borders on damn near incomprehensible.
Dylan's words slur and soar and crash into each other, more rhythmic onomatopoeia than anything else, in a croaking voice that sounds like he's spent the day gargling gravel. It has to be said that against the backing of his crash hot blues band this sounds absolutely fantastic. Grizzled, swampy and, often, quite moving and beautiful.
It also borders on trolling that the man who started a musical revolution, smirking off accusations of being a folk Judas for having the audacity to pick up an electric guitar, spent the evening hammering away at a grand piano.
Dylan did leave it once - doing a snazzy little dance shuffle to center stage to sing Love Sick, heck, he even busted out some unexpected Elvis Presley style, mic stand poses an indication that yes, he was having fun up there - before retreating back to his piano.
His blaring harmonica, as recognisable as his voice, was never far away and when he was really feeling the music, he'd shrug off his famous silhouette to jump up off his seat and play his piano standing up.
With his band on fire Dylan rocked the arena, even if the crowd stayed resolutely seated, whipping up blazing and raucous rock n' roll (Highway 61 Revisited, Summer Days, a reworked Tangled Up in Blue), sneering thunder (Ballad of a Thin Man) and apocalyptic, raw blues (Honest with Me).
But it was on the slower numbers, like Simple Twist of Fate, It Ain't Me Babe and Pay in Blood, which comprised roughly half the set that saw the night becoming truly transplendid. The gruff old bluesman singing songs that while never straightforward encompass love and loss and leaving and life and, well, everything really. There was a tangible melancholy in Dylan's hoarse, husky delivery that you couldn't help but feel and be moved by.
As expected most songs were drastically reworked. Blowin' in the Wind, It Ain't Me Babe and Don't Think Twice, It's All Right all received cheers when the crowd eventually recognised them.
"I ain't dead yet," he sung on the blues stomp of Early Roman Kings and last night's show more than proved that. Yes, he played hits, some stretching all the way back to 1963's The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, but they were reworked, rewritten and repurposed. Revitalised.
Dylan's not playing a nostalgia show here, that ain't him, babe. Instead he's playing something much, much better.
*** Bob Dylan plays Christchurch, Tuesday 28th August, at Horncastle Arena. Tickets from ticketek.co.nz.
LISTEN ABOVE AS NZ HERALD ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER KARL PUSCHMANN SPEAKS TO ANDREW DICKENS

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It was a weekend where there was much to take pleasure in.
Friday saw the Warriors make the post season for the first time since 2011.  That is a long time between drinks.  Warriors players have come and gone without knowing the thrill of finals play.  That Simon Mannering will finally be back at the business end after racking up 300 appearances is very sweet. But the people I’m happiest for are the faithful fans. Crowds have been up this season as fairweather fans came back to Mt Smart, but in amongst them are the 10,000 or so who kept the faith. They deserve this.
Saturday saw the All Blacks wallop the Wallabies even though they had less possession.  This side are the most vicious counter attackers on the planet. As many have pointed out there is even more upside for this team which must be putting the wibble wobbles under everyone else. Chris Rattue this morning said just give next years World Cup to us now. You got to love Mr Rattue. He’s either too grumpy or too enthusiastic.
The Black Ferns also thumped the Wallaroos. They needed a big crowd as a calling card to score the hosting rights for the Women’s World Cup tournament. They got close but they could have done with more. But the 2 matches against the Aussies have been seen by a big audience and it’s been a great advertisement for the women’s game. I enjoy women’s rugby. It’s a great watch and here’s to it going from strength to strength.
Possibly the best performance of the weekend is Rose Matafeo winning the best comedy award at the Edinburgh Festival.  This is massive. Previous winners have included Steve Coogan, Dylan Moran and Demetri Martin.  This puts Rose on the map globally.  It’s an award flight of the Conchords did not win. The Netflix special can’t be too far away. It makes me particularly happy because Rose’s Mum taught my kids and I’ve known of Rose since she was at intermediate school.  I know how hard she worked and how supportive her family has been. And what I love the most about Rose’s comedy is that it’s simply the truth. The truth about being a 20 something woman in 2018.  She’s doing more for feminism than thousands of others who trumpet themselves as standard bearers for the F word.
And finally on the subject of the truth, John McCain died yesterday. This morning Richard Arnold played some audio from his last speech to Congress which reminded me why I liked him
Now I know from time to time I’m one of those bombasts he disliked but what I liked is that you never died wondering what John McCain thought. Alone amongst almost all politicians in the world today he thought of the clients.  The people who vote the politicians there. He was a lone voice of truth who will be missed.

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Bewitched is making a return - but with a very different take on things.
Entertainment industry website Deadline says the hit sitcom of the 1960s is being reworked with an interracial family.
Samantha will be a hardworking black single mum who marries Darrin, a white mortal who happens to be a bit of a slacker.
They struggle to navigate their differences as she discovers that in America, even when a black woman is literally magic, she’s still not as powerful as a white man in America. 
LISTEN TO GEORGE FENWICK TALK WITH ANDREW DICKENS ABOUT THE NEWS ABOVE

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I was thinking today about how New Zealand seems to be slowly changing under our feet and I wonder if we’ve acknowledged it.
A while back, it seemed like every second issue was an issue driven on or caused by our largest city. It got to the point where the A word was hated by half the country and the people who lived there were more and more reticent to mention the place.
But the place seems to have gone off the boil lately while the rest of New Zealand is on fire.  I thought that when I heard that Phil Collins is coming but only playing Napier and Christchurch. Dunedin is now on the global stadium music venue radar. 
Frankly, if I was a mega star flying halfway across the world to play a gig I’d rather plat those exotic places rather than a bog standard mid-sized Westernised city like A town.
The investment in facilities up and down the country is another great thing.  Tauranga today is boasting that 120,000 visitors are heading to the Bay because of their music festivals but also the development of the international cricket ground at the Mount.
Here’s to the cities that invested and stole cricket from the biggest city.  Nelson’s Saxton Oval is the prettiest ground.  The University Oval and Seddon Park are great places to watch the sport.
But sport and music are the cream.  The cake is the regions boom.  Regional real estate prices are surging as refugees escape the big smoke. The Waikato and Cambridge Expressways are a revolution for Central Waikato and making South Waikato more attractive as well.  When the new Wellington motorway is completed then the Kapiti Coast and Levin are going to explode.
In Queenstown, the debate is what to do with the airport.  Do we make the present one bigger or do we look for a new location for a big Central Otago air transport hub. No matter which prospect you prefer it’s still a sign of great confidence in the region.
In a generation Queenstown and Frankton will be a thriving city not a pretty town.  With Air New Zealand showing such strength in yesterday’s financial report you’d hope that they’d be expanding services to the regions.
All over the nation, towns are lifting their game and improving their infrastructure and becoming more attractive.  The country is getting bigger but at the same time it’s getting smaller and smaller.   We’ve never been so connected, both electronically and in transport options
I tell you, these days if I was setting up the headquarters for a medium sized nationwide business, the last place I’d be looking is the country’s biggest city. The cost and the hassle of the place is just not worth it.
It seems to me that the market is correcting the issue that we’ve complained about for a couple of decades, bit by bit. The A word will always a bit a pain in the butt, but the Queen City’s problems are proving to be an opportunity for the rest of the country.
And look at that, I didn’t say Auckland once.
 

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A talkback caller has left Andrew Dickens with her story about bullying, with him calling it 'one of the most remarkable calls' he has ever received. 
After a father received community service for assaulting a boy who was bullying his son, Dickens wanted to know what people's bullying experiences are. 
One caller, Lisa, talked about how her son nearly faced a 40-strong retaliation after he had spat on someone.
The situation escalated, with bricks being thrown through her window, but Lisa says that that's not where it ends. 
LISTEN TO LISA TALK WITH ANDREW DICKENS

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The Criminal Justice Summit has come to an end, and honestly, I think we’re in a worse place than when we started.
When Andrew Little said his intention was to overhaul the system during his tenure as Justice Minister, I think we all cautiously agreed because there’s no way you can say the current system is a success.
Of course, people had differing opinions.  Some want a more punitive regime, others a more rehabilitative regime and others still want a society where less people resort to crime in the first place.  Some of us want all of the above.
So Andrew Little appointed a working group of 10 to look at the nuts and bolts.  Meanwhile, he decided to have an open slather Criminal Justice Summit to let the people have their say.  It’s fair to say that many rolled their eyes and sighed fearing a waffly talkfest that would go nowhere.
Well, that’s exactly what we got, but it was worse than that.  It was far nastier and corrosive that we had hoped for.
It has been the most remarkable display of self-interest that I can only describe as some sort of Victim Idol competition. Submission after submission from people with justifiable concerns but believing their concerns were greater than any others.
And then it got nasty and racist. First, it was victims saying offenders can’t also be victims. Even though common sense will tell you that before they become offenders they’ve suffered, either through abuse, or neglect or mental illness or a raft of other factors that push people into criminality. 
Then a Māori woman said Europeans could not know what it was like to be victims of crime. Which prompted European victims to angrily denounce that idea and claim they’d be victimised again.
Everyone in the room seemed to be saying “Shut up.  I’m more victimised than you.  So there!”
So this morning Andrew Little had to come out and say the summit missed the point and maybe we should do it all over again. Honestly, who didn’t see this mess coming?
We live in a selfish age.  We live in a time of victimhood. A time of offence taking and in turn offence giving. On all sides of the political spectrum and it’s splitting us apart and neutering any efforts to make things better.
This victimhood mindset is getting so bad we’ve even got rich old white men in a cocoon of privilege complaining that they’re the new lepers of the world.   Oh diddums.
I’ve often thought that with the rise of the #metoo movement that we need another movement to run beside it.  With #metoo we also need a #youtoo movement.  One where some empathy for other points of view exists.  A world where reality and common sense finally comes to bear. A world where we don’t wear our victimhood as some badge of honour.

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Tributes from fans and viewers are flowing in for broadcaster Greg Boyed.
The One News host, who has worked for Newstalk ZB, passed away suddenly while on holiday in Switzerland.
Callers to Andrew Dickens expressed their shock and sadness that they would not see him on their screens again.
Jan says that Greg was ‘in their homes every single night’.
Geanne commented that she loved his music choices and how he made the news more personal without becoming biased.
Bill had worked with Greg in Tauranga, and lamented that he had not had an opportunity to meet up with him again.
LISTEN TO THEIR TRIBUTES ABOVE
Where to get help:
• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (available 24/7)• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)• Youthline: 0800 376 633• Kidsline: 0800 543 754 (available 24/7)• Whatsup: 0800 942 8787 (1pm to 11pm)• Depression helpline: 0800 111 757 (available 24/7)If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

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LISTEN TO JORDAN BOND TALK WITH ANDREW DICKENS ABOVE
A vigilant cyclist on Auckland's Northwestern Cycleway was able to avert danger after vandals created a lethal roadblock using rocks.
The popular bike route was closed off by a row of small rocks behind a blind corner and on a downhill section near the Patiki Rd underpass, between Te Atatu and Waterview.
The cyclist who spotted and removed the blockage told other cyclists to keep an eye out on the cycleway for more barriers.
Bike Auckland was notified of the incident this morning by the cyclist, who cleared the rocks immediately, this morning.
"Luckily I was going [the] other way so had time to stop. If I/someone was coming downhill it could have been very nasty.
"There are some serious dick-heads out there," they said.

Ugh. Who does this? This has been cleared away, but please look out if you're traveling the NW cycleway. (Attention @AklTransport @nzpolice) pic.twitter.com/QR7xfOHOjz
— Bike Auckland (@BikeAKL) August 21, 2018

Bike Auckland spokeswoman Jolisa Gracewood said as far as they know, nothing like this had happened before.
"Whether mischievous or malevolent, it's a silly and dangerous thing to do, and someone could have been seriously hurt ... we firmly hope it's a one-off.
"Hundreds of people enjoy riding the Northwestern Cycleway across the causeway every day without incident and value this safe route enormously.
"It's a jewel in the cycle network since being upgraded a couple of years ago, and especially at rush hour is often the fastest way into and out of the city," she said.
Auckland Transport spokesman James Ireland told the Herald they want everyone to be safe when using cycleways.
"Putting rocks across a cycleway is incredibly dangerous and irresponsible.
"We are glad no one was hurt. And if anyone sees anything like this in the future please get in contact with AT straight away," he said.

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So in another life, I worked in private radio and with the IRN news team under Ed Taylor.  I distinctly remember the day when a teenage Greg Boyed walked into the newsroom for the first time.
He made an impression. He was tall and skinny and his hair was swish and he had a Roger Ramjet chin and then he opened his mouth and a big ballsy voice came out. He knew he had a good voice and it was a source of entertainment to go and watch Greg read the news and watch his body and mouth contort to get the best sound ever. He was one of those newsreaders who always wanted to smile. 
But right from the start, we knew he was ambitious and talented and relatively humble.  He was a true broadcaster.  A journalist, a presenter, a producer.  He could do everything and do it well.  He was no one trick pony.  And he was funny and caring towards his co-workers. 
And like anyone who strives for high standards he could be terribly disappointed if he didn’t reach them.  If he had one weakness perhaps it was that he cared too much. He sometimes hid his disappointment in a swagger that some people misread.
It is a terrible day for many in the business and this radio station and a reminder to always be kind to yourself first.
Meanwhile, in other poignant news, I was very moved by the repatriation yesterday of the remains of 27 New Zealand Army soldiers and one child buried in Malaysia and Singapore.  It’s called Te Auraki, or the return. 

The New Zealand Defence Force with the casket of a child among the returned remains. Photo / Greg Bowker
As I commented yesterday afternoon, the pictures on the news will be affecting and they were. 28 coffins, including a tiny white one. Over 160 pallbearers drawn from defence personnel. The hakas, the solemnity and the emotion of the relatives finally reunited.
This morning in the paper, I spied a notice in the Memorial Services column for one of the repatriated. Sergeant Isaac King. Isaac will be celebrated at the Papakura RSA this Friday at 11am.
Now Isaac’s daughter went to school with my partner, and his wife was on the telly last night and it gave Helen a bit of a jolt.
She remembers growing up with the King kids and she remembers the big hole that Isaac left behind in the family. His absence hung over the household. Now, Isaac’s daughter has just finished a battle against a health issue and she’s been brave and she’s done well.  So the return of her Dad at this time is an incredible event of closure.
It needed a change of government policy for this to happen and what a good change that was.  It is a kind thing to do and in the wake of today’s events I think kindness is something we all need to strive for.
Where to get help:
• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (available 24/7)• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)• Youthline: 0800 376 633• Kidsline: 0800 543 754 (available 24/7)• Whatsup: 0800 942 8787 (1pm to 11pm)• Depression helpline: 0800 111 757 (available 24/7)If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

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Former residential red zone owners are getting payment from the Government for their uninsured homes.
Minister Megan Woods has announced 103 property owners will get 100 percent of the 2007/08 rateable value for their homes - at a cost of about 12 million dollars.
Andrew Dickens spoke with Christchurch residents on what they think of the announcement, and if they believe it was the right decision
LISTEN ABOVE AS CHRISTCHURCH CALLERS SPEAK TO ANDREW DICKENS

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