Chris Bourke
Chris Bourke is a New Zealand journalist whose biography of Crowded House, Something So Strong was published by Pan Macmillan Australia in 1997. He has been editor of two of the country's music magazines, Rip It Up and Real Groove, a producer for Radio New Zealand, and a staff writer and arts & books editor at the NZ Listener. He is currently working on his next book, Blue Smoke: the Dawn of New Zealand Popular Music, 1918-1964.
16 articles
List of articles in the library
Billy Idol: I Am Still the Greatest Says Billy Idol
Interview by Chris Bourke, Rip It Up (New Zealand), September 1987
"At the age of 14, Johnny Angelo was a heartthrob. He had three-inch sideboards and he wore his hair swept high in a golden quiff. ...
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Simon Napier-Bell, Svengali
Interview by Chris Bourke, Rip It Up (New Zealand), August 1988
SIMON NAPIER-BELL'S reputation has preceded him. He's used to that. "Some people are wary of me," he says. "So it's difficult to know what a ...
Graham Parker: Stick To Me: Graham Parker Looks Back In Anger
Interview by Chris Bourke, Rip It Up (New Zealand), November 1988
GRAHAM PARKER was a contender. Short, with a reason to live, he kicked the late 70s into life with a passion and fury that was ...
Steve Earle: Lonesome Dove: Steve Earle Puts the Celtic into Country
Interview by Chris Bourke, Rip It Up (New Zealand), December 1988
"Ring Steve Earle," said the message. "Area code 615 ..." ...
Living Colour, Public Enemy: Talking Loud & Saying Nothing: The Electricity of Afrocentricity
Report and Interview by Chris Bourke, Rip It Up (New Zealand), December 1989
SUMMER IN THE city, New York City, and the place smells. Hot times, an expected high of 90 today, and more than the back of ...
Those That Can, Do … Music Criticism and Other Evils
Report by Chris Bourke, Rip It Up (New Zealand), January 1990
Rock critics are a bunch of misanthropic know-alls who like to talk more than they like to dance. They think they're the only ones who ...
John Hiatt: The Fugitive: Slow Talking with John Hiatt
Interview by Chris Bourke, Rip It Up (New Zealand), April 1991
JOHN HIATT can't seem to relax. He's in his Auckland hotel room — at the Hyatt, naturally — getting his photo taken. His worn, buttoned-up ...
Report and Interview by Chris Bourke, Rip It Up (New Zealand), November 1993
AS YOU DRIVE south out of Memphis down Highway 61, the trees and houses stop at the edge of the city limits. On either side ...
Randy Newman: Thunderclap Newman: Randy, Poet Laureate of New Orleans
Interview by Chris Bourke, Real Groove, July 1994
I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED what Southerners think of Randy Newman's Good Old Boys, his 1974 concept album about the American Deep South. With its sardonic but ...
Tony Bennett: Take the L Train
Interview by Chris Bourke, New Zealand Listener, April 1995
AUCKLAND HAD TWO music legends in town over Easter Weekend. While the Rolling Stones dazzled the Western Springs ampitheatre with millions of dollars of high ...
Crowded House: My Second Life Has Just Begun – April 1994
Book Excerpt by Chris Bourke, 'Something So Strong' (Pan Macmillan Australia), 1997
NOTE: In this excerpt from Chris Bourke's Crowded House biography Something So Strong (Pan Macmillan Australia, 1997), drummer Paul Hester has been brooding for months ...
Gerry & The Pacemakers: Gerry Marsden's Beating Heart
Profile and Interview by Chris Bourke, The New Zealand Herald, March 1997
GERRY MARSDEN will never walk alone. All he needs to do is go to Anfield and watch his beloved Liverpool football team. He can sit ...
The Beatles: Taylor of Savile Row: Derek Taylor, 1932-1997
Obituary by Chris Bourke, The New Zealand Herald, September 1997
DEREK TAYLOR, WHO will forever be known as "the Beatles' press officer", leant across and switched my tape recorder to "pause". I had just admitted ...
Donnie Fritts: Leanin' Man from Alabam'
Interview by Chris Bourke, Real Groove, April 1998
DONNIE FRITTS MAY be one of the unsung heroes of American music, but a peek inside his address book shows how his talents are appreciated. ...
Interview by Chris Bourke, Real Groove, July 2002
WHEN SOLOMON BURKE makes an entrance, it's obvious that royalty has arrived. I once witnessed the self-proclaimed King of Rock'n'Soul take the stage. It was ...
Crowded House: Paul Hester, 1959-2005
Obituary by Chris Bourke, Sunday Star-Times (New Zealand), 3 April 2005
PAUL HESTER was known as "Hester the Jester," the clown prince of Crowded House. He was the one who gave the band its personality on ...
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