"positively george street - a personal history of Sneaky Feelings and the Dunedin sound." - Matthew Bannister.

Reed Publishing Ltd, Auckland 1999 ISBN 0 7900 0704 5

"You won't read a better book about New Zealand music!" shouts a Don McGlashan quote on the cover and I'd have to say Don is pretty much spot on. This book is excellent essential reading and uniquely charming at the same time.

You don't have to be a fan of the Sneaky Feelings to enjoy this book but some knowledge of the Dunedin sound is probably a prerequisite. That said this book has a whole heap of not entirely intentional but very subtle 'spinal-tapisms' that the general civilian populace can have a good snigger at.

Mick Elborrado gave me a copy of this book at a band practice last September and told me I simply had to read it. I must admit it was close to xmas by the time I actually got around to reading it but once I did I couldn't put it down.

I almost bought 'positively george street' a couple of years ago at Whitcoulls when it was stacked up in the bargain bin for $5 or maybe even less. I think I had been tempted by an interesting review I had heard on National radio.

Mick however snapped the book up when it first came out then saw it in the bargain bin and bought another half dozen copies as gifts for discerning friends.

The fact that Mick is a total mormon for this book says something in itself. You see back in the '80's one of Mick's excellent former bands 'Scorched Earth Policy' had a bit of a feud going with the Sneaky Feelings.

Scorched Earth Policy thought the Sneaky Feelings music was 'wet hippy shit' that didn't belong on an underground lo-fi rock label like Flying Nun. A certain incident even gets a mention on page 100.

As a teenager I was a big fan of just about everything Flying Nun. I didn't actually own any Sneaky Feelings other than on the 'Dunedin Double' EP but I liked them. I remember seeing the band at the University Union Dunedin in maybe 1988 and thinking they were pretty good. Mellow but nice so you could probably understand me liking this book but why does Mick love it so much?

Once you start to read 'positively george street' the answer to that becomes clear. This story has charms that go far beyond the music. It is maybe just about could be literature in a kind of autobiographical kind of historical way? An ironic tragedy or a coming of age tale depending upon your musical tastes.

You see Matthew Bannister our narrator and Sneaky Feelings guitarist as they say on US tv 'has issues' . However I'm sure that writing this book must have got a lot of them off his chest.

The story gets underway in 1991 and Flying Nun is at the beginning of it's sad slide. The Sneaky Feeling have just been omitted from the 10 year retrospective compilation 'Getting Older' and Mr Bannister is gutted.

They do however 'make' a series of commemorative 'flashcards' that read-"Back in 1981, most young Dunedin sounders were still rocking to the Velvet Underground and the post-punk UK scene but not Sneaky Feelings . . . This quartet was doing some serious listening to all sorts of weirder (by everyone elses standards) stuff including country music and west coast bands like Love. The 12" single 'Husband house" briefly nudged the NZ top 20 but despite their gentle melodies and intelligent friendly tunes, NZ radio denied Sneaky Feelings a chance at fame for being on Flying Nun."

Then it's back to 1979 where a sensitive Beatles fan and recent Scottish immigrant meets a kindred spirit at Otago Boys High School guitar club. Sneaky Feelings are more or less born and our story has begun in earnest.

As the flashcard attests Sneaky Feelings didn't really fit in. Yet surprisingly enough Matthew Bannister's autobiographical tale proves to be a superb vehicle for telling the best story yet of Flying Nun and the Dunedin sound.

The events and incidents that the recent Tv doco gave the total soap opera treatment are also covered. Fortunately this story is much more than just Flying Nun's dirty washing. That said the bullshit and the politics of being in a band in an indie scene are addressed superbly.

This book has a familiar music nerd style and I mean that in the nicest possible way. His hilarious teenage political correctness in the face of Fleetwood Mac's shockingly sexist lyrics had me in stitches but thinking 'oh no this guy is Adrian Mole with a guitar!'. Although that judgement proved unfair this book does contain both types of humour. That is to say laughing with and laughing at.

Superb witty, insightful quips abound. When nasty old Uncle Chris (Knox) says he is disgusted that the Sneaky Feelings are playing at the 1985 NZ music awards, Matthew, with the benefit of hindsight replies "It's the same old story - awards are all right as long as you win." Brilliant !

AS I said Matthew Bannister is one muso who really knows how to analyse a song! If he doesn't like something his sensitive ears and sharp pen can really put the boot into the middle eight.

This is a fabulous book that deserves a wider audience than it has probably already had. I'll leave you with this quote from when the band were having lunch with Lydia Lunch whilst on tour in Sweden. Boras is pronounced 'Burroughs' like the author.

"So where do you guys come from?" Lydia asked.
"Auckland . . "
"Oakland!"
"No, Auckland."
"Where the hell's that?"
"New Zealand."
"Why you wanna live in an asshole place like that?"

There was no answer to that. We were having lunch with Lydia. Lydia was having us for lunch. If only the gig had been in Boras it would have been a naked lunch.