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Dead People I Have Known
In Dead People I Have Known, the legendary New Zealand musician Shayne Carter tells the story of a life in music, taking us deep behind the scenes and songs of his riotous teenage bands Bored Games and the Doublehappys and his best-known bands Straitjacket Fits and Dimmer. He traces an intimate history of the Dunedin Sound—that distinctive jangly indie sound that emerged in the seventies, heavily influenced by punk—and the record label Flying Nun.
As well as the pop culture of the seventies, eighties and nineties, Carter writes candidly of the bleak and violent aspects of Dunedin, the city where he grew up and would later return. His childhood was shaped by violence and addiction, as well as love and music. Alongside the fellow musicians, friends and family who appear so vividly here, this book is peopled by neighbours, kids at school, people on the street, and the other passing characters who have stayed on in his memory.
We also learn of the other major force in Carter’s life: sport. Harness racing, wrestling, basketball and football have provided him with a similar solace, even escape, as music.
Dead People I Have Known is a frank, moving, often incredibly funny autobiography; the story of making a life as a musician over the last forty years in New Zealand, and a work of art in its own right.
As well as the pop culture of the seventies, eighties and nineties, Carter writes candidly of the bleak and violent aspects of Dunedin, the city where he grew up and would later return. His childhood was shaped by violence and addiction, as well as love and music. Alongside the fellow musicians, friends and family who appear so vividly here, this book is peopled by neighbours, kids at school, people on the street, and the other passing characters who have stayed on in his memory.
We also learn of the other major force in Carter’s life: sport. Harness racing, wrestling, basketball and football have provided him with a similar solace, even escape, as music.
Dead People I Have Known is a frank, moving, often incredibly funny autobiography; the story of making a life as a musician over the last forty years in New Zealand, and a work of art in its own right.
407 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
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147 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
July 27, 2020
reading this book was a big nostalgia trip for me: i was a teenager in dunedin in the early 80s, and regularly attended the coronation hall dances described in this book (we lived just down the road), as well as other concerts and parties. i know or knew many of the people who make appearances as shayne carter relates his story - and some of it is also my story. shayne writes eloquently, with a lot of humour and honesty. he acknowledges his own flaws without trying to excuse them, and reveals childhood details that can lead to understanding. it was a unique time, a special time to be a floundering young misfit discovering a like-minded tribe in the bands that flourished in dunedin.
the second half of the book was less close to me, but still interesting to follow shayne's journey and get a sense of his musical development and the paths he chose to follow or not. i got irritated by the deliberate non-naming of his girlfriends - perhaps this decision was intended to protect or respect, or a request from one or more of the women not to be named. but the effect is that these women - at least some of whom i know are talented musicians in their own right - become invisibilised in this his-tory, and that doesn't feel right. so many others, nearly all men, are acknowledged for their various artistic contributions, while these women are not.
that aside, the book is powerful and engaging, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny and sometimes deeply tragic. i may be biased, but i think it would still be a good read even if you didn't grow up in dunedin in the 1980s.
the second half of the book was less close to me, but still interesting to follow shayne's journey and get a sense of his musical development and the paths he chose to follow or not. i got irritated by the deliberate non-naming of his girlfriends - perhaps this decision was intended to protect or respect, or a request from one or more of the women not to be named. but the effect is that these women - at least some of whom i know are talented musicians in their own right - become invisibilised in this his-tory, and that doesn't feel right. so many others, nearly all men, are acknowledged for their various artistic contributions, while these women are not.
that aside, the book is powerful and engaging, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny and sometimes deeply tragic. i may be biased, but i think it would still be a good read even if you didn't grow up in dunedin in the 1980s.
June 1, 2019
A raw autobiography that will be of interest to fans of the Dunedin music scene of the eighties and nineties. Carter talks about many people involved in the music industry and it really gives the reader an insight into the life of a musician with all the struggles, the highs and the lows.
July 9, 2019
Wonderful - well worth anyone’s time
May 27, 2020
I really enjoyed this. I'm not familiar with a lot of Shayne Carter's music, although She Speeds has long been one of my favourites, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of this memoir. Lots of the people and places he talks about are familiar, and I loved the brief 'cameos', where a person might feature for just a paragraph or so in a way that added an extra layer of understanding to the person Carter is. There is plenty of hardship, poverty, violence and substance abuse from time to time but the overall impression is of the journey that is Shayne Carter's life, the successes and mistakes he's made along the way, and the complicated love he has for his family and his mates. It's well written, and even poetic at times, and some of the insights are unpretentious and thoughtful. Definitely recommended if you're interested in NZ music, but also if you're a fan of autobiographies by interesting people.
July 19, 2020
This was probably 4.5 for me. A fascinating book - and one that took me back to my uni years. Another biography when I realise that when you’re in the audience watching, you truly have no idea what is going on for the people on the stage.
October 31, 2024
Me and my buddy Dan once wrote a song about Shayne Carter, but we never recorded it or performed it live. More of a song sketch where we’d sing ‘Shay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ayne’ repeatedly, mocking the way Carter sometimes liked to stretch words to ridiculous lengths. Dan and I went to a few fantastic Straightjacket Fits gigs at places like the Power Station. Drummer John Collie lived upstairs and put our names on the door. Thanks John!
Carter’s book is a good read, at least for me who’s already invested in the indie New Zealand music of Carter’s generation. That’d be my generation too, I’m guessing Carter’s about three years older than me. I can’t find the evidence, there’s no birth date on the vain bastards Wiki. He comes across as a confusing character at times, ready to tell the reader he’s a sexy rock god, without a shred of irony, then turning to claim New Zealander’s ‘we’re a bit shit, eh’ self-deprecation. Can you have it both ways?
An honest account. Honest enough that when I was introduced to Carter just a couple of weeks ago I didn’t say I was reading his memoir, thought it might make him feel self-conscious, lol. Brave in its honesty I guess, inclusive of the ‘I’m a sexy rock god’ bits. Perhaps a little even, it feels like every year of Carter’s life is represented from the age of about thirteen. Perhaps some key chapters in his life could have been the focus.
Some early punk bits:
P62. ‘I loved that the Pistols were scrawny and pimply – in their deliberate ugliness they were the exact opposite of what heroes were meant to be. Screw that, their music said.’
P63. ‘I’d heard that the dances in town could be wild, but that they usually passed without real violence because the punks and surfies had a pact. A surfy shat on the floor at a Beneficiary Hall gig once, but it was unclear if it was in protest or an expression of support.’
Carter’s book is a good read, at least for me who’s already invested in the indie New Zealand music of Carter’s generation. That’d be my generation too, I’m guessing Carter’s about three years older than me. I can’t find the evidence, there’s no birth date on the vain bastards Wiki. He comes across as a confusing character at times, ready to tell the reader he’s a sexy rock god, without a shred of irony, then turning to claim New Zealander’s ‘we’re a bit shit, eh’ self-deprecation. Can you have it both ways?
An honest account. Honest enough that when I was introduced to Carter just a couple of weeks ago I didn’t say I was reading his memoir, thought it might make him feel self-conscious, lol. Brave in its honesty I guess, inclusive of the ‘I’m a sexy rock god’ bits. Perhaps a little even, it feels like every year of Carter’s life is represented from the age of about thirteen. Perhaps some key chapters in his life could have been the focus.
Some early punk bits:
P62. ‘I loved that the Pistols were scrawny and pimply – in their deliberate ugliness they were the exact opposite of what heroes were meant to be. Screw that, their music said.’
P63. ‘I’d heard that the dances in town could be wild, but that they usually passed without real violence because the punks and surfies had a pact. A surfy shat on the floor at a Beneficiary Hall gig once, but it was unclear if it was in protest or an expression of support.’
May 16, 2023
This book was fantastic - a dark, funny, sad and honest memoir that took me to early '80s Dunedin and all of the great music being made at the time, through the Straitjacket Fits and their major-label dealings and beyond. Shayne also writes about music brilliantly, from what makes a song work to encapsulating the feeling of being in a band and all the highs and lows that go along with it. Shayne is coming to the Booktown Festival next week, and maybe, if I'm feeling bold enough, I might see if I can get the book signed.
UPDATE: I did get it signed & had a good chat with Shayne about the book & music etc. Top bloke!
UPDATE: I did get it signed & had a good chat with Shayne about the book & music etc. Top bloke!
July 16, 2019
WORLD FAMOUS IN NEW ZEALAND
“I learned some early lessons that night-the good guy isn’t always the one in white, and you shouldn’t always believe the hype.”
I have to be honest, when I picked this up I had no idea who this guy was, but then I found out he was in Straitjacket Fits, who recorded the utterly sublime “She Speeds”. They of course were part of the so called Dunedin sound which was synonymous with the Flying Nun label based in Christchurch.
Growing up in the working class suburbs of Dunedin, Carter describes a childhood riddled with alcoholism, bullying, domestic violence, mental illness and other trials and tribulations. And yet in spite of all the dark obstacles he never seems to indulge in any self-pity, not a whisper of victimhood. Instead he manages to marshal these various ordeals into a series of events which just happened, a clever way to rob them of any power or hold over him. But of course these obstacles present themselves later on in adulthood in the form of alcoholism and all that comes with that.
There is some really nice writing in here, but it went on a little too long and could have been better edited. Carter seems to shift between salt of the earth, ordinary Kiwi bloke to borderline delusions of grandeur. Almost every time that he talks about playing a gig with a more successful group, he feels the need to add that his band’s performance was equal to or blew away the other bands, the acts in question include REM, The La’s, My Bloody Valentine, Soundgarden and Smashing Pumpkins as well as a number of other Antipodean acts.
Talking of his style of music he claims that, “Its instrumental section predates art noise banks like Sonic Youth.” Except that Sonic Youth released their debut away back in 1983. Straitjacket Fits didn’t even form until 1986. He then adds, “'Dialling' is better than any song Sonic Youth ever wrote.” Again this shows us how much Carter rates his own talents. At another point he describes Crowded House’s music as “a lot of it seemed based on a vague, middle-class angst.” which did make me laugh in agreement, but that doesn’t make their music any less great, or his any better.
He is often guilty of inverse snobbery, in the same way that not all rich people are awful or poor people wholesome, not all bands who sell a lot of records are crap and not all obscure or unsuccessful bands are great either. His habit of namedropping as many obscure acts as possible, whilst slagging off commercially successful ones, is like overhearing a teenage student desperate to sound cool.
Carter has the annoying habit of repeatedly quoting his own song lyrics (something which I have yet to see look good in a music autobiography). It can take up a third of the page and makes for cringe worthy reading, as often any song lyrics, even great ones are too easily rendered mediocre or ridiculous when you don’t have the music.
I have read my fair share of rock star biographies, and I can honestly say I don’t think I have ever heard someone talk up their own music so much as he does in here. It becomes exhausting listening to someone telling you again and again how great they think they are. I mostly enjoyed this but it is too long and I often found it very annoying.
July 25, 2019
“Dead People” evokes a time and place for me, with a vivid, visceral quality. Dunedin in the 1980’s – there is no mistaking it – dark and moody – and the music – there were so many bands that were born in a grungy Dunedin student flat. This is where the term “the Dunedin Sound” originated, a distinctive jangly, jarring, alternative/indie rock sound, heavily influenced by punk and mostly produced by record label Flying Nun.
Like a stream of consciousness, Carter describes his childhood and his years in the music industry. In his teens he was in “Bored Games” then “The Double Happys” but he is probably better known for fronting “Straightjacket Fits” and then “Dimmer”. He talks about the music, musos, lyrics, sounds, and relationships that have influenced his music over the last 40 years.
Carter’s book is the best New Zealand memoir I have ever read. I don’t feel that cultural cringe factor at all and it doesn’t matter if you aren’t into the Dunedin Sound - the book is well worth reading for its raw honesty and many flashes of humour. Carter is extremely generous in sharing his life - it is as if he has sliced himself wide open to allow us to peer inside. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Like a stream of consciousness, Carter describes his childhood and his years in the music industry. In his teens he was in “Bored Games” then “The Double Happys” but he is probably better known for fronting “Straightjacket Fits” and then “Dimmer”. He talks about the music, musos, lyrics, sounds, and relationships that have influenced his music over the last 40 years.
Carter’s book is the best New Zealand memoir I have ever read. I don’t feel that cultural cringe factor at all and it doesn’t matter if you aren’t into the Dunedin Sound - the book is well worth reading for its raw honesty and many flashes of humour. Carter is extremely generous in sharing his life - it is as if he has sliced himself wide open to allow us to peer inside. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
December 15, 2025
First 100 pages five stars, the rest three - so I say four all up. The phrase 'Never meet your heroes' springs to mind. I love Shayne and love his music but I found his egotism off-putting at times. Do you really need to be so opinionated about people's music if you are so secure about your own? Also his attitude to women was a bit sad. He admits most of it himself though and he's bloody funny, a consummate entertainer and his music can't be faulted.
As I said, the first 100 pages of his childhood is truly outstanding writing. It makes me think that this was when his writing was really flowing from the heart. He probably needed to be edited a bit more harshly - not sure if it was Steve Braunius who was the editor but probably needed to chop about 50 pages out. Really great read though. Recommended. And he should definitely keep writing. Would love to see some fiction.
As I said, the first 100 pages of his childhood is truly outstanding writing. It makes me think that this was when his writing was really flowing from the heart. He probably needed to be edited a bit more harshly - not sure if it was Steve Braunius who was the editor but probably needed to chop about 50 pages out. Really great read though. Recommended. And he should definitely keep writing. Would love to see some fiction.
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April 26, 2020Great book. Shayne is a very good writer and he has an interesting story to tell. The narrative runs on twin threads - the muddling puzzle of self threaded around the powerful clarity of an always evolving, obsessive pursuit of music.
It is the story of a life that has been both terribly difficult and remarkably blessed, not in the two halves narrative arc of a kid from the wrong part of town who made it, but throughout. Added entertainment comes when the brutal honesty is peppered with occasional little rapier taps of ancient points re-scored - perfect! It makes for a fascinating read.
It is the story of a life that has been both terribly difficult and remarkably blessed, not in the two halves narrative arc of a kid from the wrong part of town who made it, but throughout. Added entertainment comes when the brutal honesty is peppered with occasional little rapier taps of ancient points re-scored - perfect! It makes for a fascinating read.
July 12, 2023
Ok so this took me forever and maybe that was because of uni but maybe it was because this guy sounds like a total utter narcissistic nutter but also in the best way possible. Great job fic if ur wanting to laugh or cringe but also I was like what the hell is the point of this. He just tells us all about his life like ok mate ur not that famous. Nonetheless I still enjoyed so can’t be too critical. He had some great lines: pg 59 “I had a game where I’d stare into the mirror until I started spinning out…”
If u want to laugh but also cry but also be like what am I reading this is the book for u. When his friend died I was a shell of a human.
If u want to laugh but also cry but also be like what am I reading this is the book for u. When his friend died I was a shell of a human.
September 4, 2020
OMG I had forgotten how much pleasure i get from reading this genre. combining two of my passions reading and Music.
Candid, frank and oh so such an Aotearoa journey, Shayne Carter not only provide an inside lens on his music journey but the lives on too many New Zealanders. Thanks Shayne for laying your life bare.
A deserved winner in this year's book awards and a reminder only in Aotearoa can anyone make their way and it doesn't always need to be glossy.
Our Janet Frame House hosted Shayne as our writer this year and he was insightful, generous, introspective and open, and a reminder to us all not all learning happens in the classroom.
Candid, frank and oh so such an Aotearoa journey, Shayne Carter not only provide an inside lens on his music journey but the lives on too many New Zealanders. Thanks Shayne for laying your life bare.
A deserved winner in this year's book awards and a reminder only in Aotearoa can anyone make their way and it doesn't always need to be glossy.
Our Janet Frame House hosted Shayne as our writer this year and he was insightful, generous, introspective and open, and a reminder to us all not all learning happens in the classroom.
November 10, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this book. I looked up a lot of the songs and bands he mentions and have discovered a huge amount of great stuff, as well as rediscovering a lot of songs I loved growing up. The Dunedin history aspect is really interesting as well. His descriptions of his life events and the people in them feel very genuine, you can really feel the emotion behind the writing. I was definitely teary eyed at the end.
September 9, 2021
An outstanding tour through the life of the talented songwriter and guitar slinger who ultimately made good of a troubled past. Having seen the Double Happys, the Fits and Dimmer from one side of the stage it was insightful to see the other. Carter is generous, honest, occasionally spiteful (Sonic Youth, Primal Scream) but shows a lot of learning and personal development that makes for a reflective and forgiving book. Dunedin sound was a formative life affirming thing for many and this tale adds to its telling from one of its favourite sons. Compelling and haunting, highs and lows, on stage and off stage, the music/the tunes ring through.
Here is my Medium review: New Zealand has a strong artistic and creative marrow in the lively arts, but to date little strength in the musical biography. That was until Shayne Carter put down the plectrum for the pen in Aromoana, Dunedin and produced the goods in this award-winning book. Like the Replacements, the back story is not pretty in places, and as the title suggests a darkness haunts his back pages. Like his music the words flow on the page into something else, and although he shares some of the usual vices, and mistakes, the tone is on a higher plane. He does not succumb to the mind-numbing repetition of the middle and last chapters being the endless mind-numbing narrative of drink, drugs, record, tour, drink, drugs … as many others do. Instead he looks hard at himself, reflects on his surroundings, the things that made him, the regret, and the good times, as well as the quality of his musical output. In a class of its own in New Zealand rock and number two here. See:
https://medium.com/music-voices/the-r...
Here is my Medium review: New Zealand has a strong artistic and creative marrow in the lively arts, but to date little strength in the musical biography. That was until Shayne Carter put down the plectrum for the pen in Aromoana, Dunedin and produced the goods in this award-winning book. Like the Replacements, the back story is not pretty in places, and as the title suggests a darkness haunts his back pages. Like his music the words flow on the page into something else, and although he shares some of the usual vices, and mistakes, the tone is on a higher plane. He does not succumb to the mind-numbing repetition of the middle and last chapters being the endless mind-numbing narrative of drink, drugs, record, tour, drink, drugs … as many others do. Instead he looks hard at himself, reflects on his surroundings, the things that made him, the regret, and the good times, as well as the quality of his musical output. In a class of its own in New Zealand rock and number two here. See:
https://medium.com/music-voices/the-r...
October 18, 2019
Brilliant read. Fascinating insight into one of the greats on the NZ music scene.
June 12, 2019
Marvellous!
July 28, 2019
A wonderful account of the NZ music scene anchored in tales of family life and hard times in Dunedin. The title is very true...so many untimely deaths!
November 29, 2020
As I am a person with a visual impairment. I had the pleasure of listening to this book on the blind foundation’s audiobook library service. Cord book link. So firstly I would like to think Shane Carter and the publishes for allowing this book to be recorded and provided for people with visual impairment.
I did not know too much about the flying nun experience. And the sound that came out of Duneden. I am currently on a book reading journey. Where on Wednesdays I read 30 minutes of a book that pertains to music. And this book was the next book in my list of musical, musician books to read.
I had first Heard about this book on radio New Zealand. Where they announce that this particular book and a book from Vicky Manawatu were reviewed and had received some amazing reviews.
And I can 100% agree with this book being a great read. At first this book was an enigma. Jumping from time space, two times space and then landing like the tardis right in the thick of it all.
The candid perspective, thought-provoking ideas and exploration of the early punk scene gave me a great insight into a part of New Zealand musical history that I did not know about and fire this book of punk signposts. I have been able to jump on the Carter punk tour bus and be showing the sights and sounds of this punk underbelly
I particularly enjoyed Shanes open, vulnerability and war experiences of being Maori. In a community that had white washed a significant indigenous Community from this part of our country. By the end of this book I was still wanting more. And also wanted to give more to the author who was so brave and sharing The difficult conversations of growing up as a Maori in this time. Where the tools of colonisation weren’t just being overly used. But worse than this subconsciously used by the majority of New Zealanders. I hope that Shane continues on his journey of discovery. And if in the future decides to update this book. She is the journey to connect with his Maori genealogy.
I am impressed by the respect and honour that Shane gave to a named people in the book. I think it is too easy in this day of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to name and shame people. And even though Shane took us through the processes of his mind in the relationships he had with people. I found his reflections of what he was responsible for, quite refreshing and something that many males here in New Zealand could take some lessons from.
Thank you Shane, this book was supposed to take me a couple of weeks to read. Because I had allowed 30 minutes per week. I pushed all my other books to the side to keep listening to this book. I really enjoyed this tour of the significant people who you have loved, loved, cried, laughed andCreated with. These people that have died but have left hidden treasures along your pathway. Thank you for sharing these treasures with us.
I did not know too much about the flying nun experience. And the sound that came out of Duneden. I am currently on a book reading journey. Where on Wednesdays I read 30 minutes of a book that pertains to music. And this book was the next book in my list of musical, musician books to read.
I had first Heard about this book on radio New Zealand. Where they announce that this particular book and a book from Vicky Manawatu were reviewed and had received some amazing reviews.
And I can 100% agree with this book being a great read. At first this book was an enigma. Jumping from time space, two times space and then landing like the tardis right in the thick of it all.
The candid perspective, thought-provoking ideas and exploration of the early punk scene gave me a great insight into a part of New Zealand musical history that I did not know about and fire this book of punk signposts. I have been able to jump on the Carter punk tour bus and be showing the sights and sounds of this punk underbelly
I particularly enjoyed Shanes open, vulnerability and war experiences of being Maori. In a community that had white washed a significant indigenous Community from this part of our country. By the end of this book I was still wanting more. And also wanted to give more to the author who was so brave and sharing The difficult conversations of growing up as a Maori in this time. Where the tools of colonisation weren’t just being overly used. But worse than this subconsciously used by the majority of New Zealanders. I hope that Shane continues on his journey of discovery. And if in the future decides to update this book. She is the journey to connect with his Maori genealogy.
I am impressed by the respect and honour that Shane gave to a named people in the book. I think it is too easy in this day of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to name and shame people. And even though Shane took us through the processes of his mind in the relationships he had with people. I found his reflections of what he was responsible for, quite refreshing and something that many males here in New Zealand could take some lessons from.
Thank you Shane, this book was supposed to take me a couple of weeks to read. Because I had allowed 30 minutes per week. I pushed all my other books to the side to keep listening to this book. I really enjoyed this tour of the significant people who you have loved, loved, cried, laughed andCreated with. These people that have died but have left hidden treasures along your pathway. Thank you for sharing these treasures with us.
May 6, 2023
While I’m grateful for this book, as one is for a good read, it’s taken me more than a couple weeks to finish it. And most of the time I haven’t been reading it I wasn’t doing anything important. I was procrastinating reading AND writing at once. That’s an intellectual block. Imperfect mental health doesn’t want you to be creative.
My one-liner sum up of ‘Dead People I Have Known’ as I experienced it was: I wish there was a second, abridged edition. OR The title made me think it’d be about dead people I’d have known.
And more and more name people crop up, Joey Ramone, Björk (alive), Chris Knox… I am grateful for the not famous too. His dad is an important figure for Māori disgraced by early New Zealand governance. I was never a scholar for musicians’ names based on their music alone, unless it were King Crimson, Uriah Heep, favourite bands of various phases. I only know Metallica’s names because of the excellent documentary. Personality-first, talent-last? That’s how pop culture works, right? Celebrity culture.
I had varying levels of interest. I didn’t have much interest in reading about Shayne’s childhood before he started to create. And how for pages, every paragraph is another little anecdote of no consequence other than getting the memory out there. The consistent quality moments are Shayne’s music writing. The book could’ve been elevated if it seemed to revolve around the songs written about. Using poetics, a lyric bleeds into memories, has a life-imitates-art-coincidence, sounds evoke this or that moment, etc.
Shayne Carter is a rock star.
‘I Believe You Are a Star’ is too trip-hop to be ahead of its time. It’s well crafted music though. ‘Sad Guy’ made me sad that he tried so hard. It’s a moving instrumental in any case. Put that in a ‘Whiplash’ deleted scene.
My one-liner sum up of ‘Dead People I Have Known’ as I experienced it was: I wish there was a second, abridged edition. OR The title made me think it’d be about dead people I’d have known.
And more and more name people crop up, Joey Ramone, Björk (alive), Chris Knox… I am grateful for the not famous too. His dad is an important figure for Māori disgraced by early New Zealand governance. I was never a scholar for musicians’ names based on their music alone, unless it were King Crimson, Uriah Heep, favourite bands of various phases. I only know Metallica’s names because of the excellent documentary. Personality-first, talent-last? That’s how pop culture works, right? Celebrity culture.
I had varying levels of interest. I didn’t have much interest in reading about Shayne’s childhood before he started to create. And how for pages, every paragraph is another little anecdote of no consequence other than getting the memory out there. The consistent quality moments are Shayne’s music writing. The book could’ve been elevated if it seemed to revolve around the songs written about. Using poetics, a lyric bleeds into memories, has a life-imitates-art-coincidence, sounds evoke this or that moment, etc.
Shayne Carter is a rock star.
‘I Believe You Are a Star’ is too trip-hop to be ahead of its time. It’s well crafted music though. ‘Sad Guy’ made me sad that he tried so hard. It’s a moving instrumental in any case. Put that in a ‘Whiplash’ deleted scene.
Read
November 28, 2021Borrowed from a friend. I was aware of Shayne’s music and had listened to a bit of Straitjacket Fits, Dimmer and his excellent single “Randolph’s Going Home” but wasn’t super well versed in his work.
Shayne grew up in the same area I did and went to the same school (albeit a few years before I made it there) so that added to my interest in reading the book.
His upbringing was a bit of an eye-opener, and I’d have to say that the school and the neighbourhood were a lot less violent when I came through, with the number of crappy cars that were being worked on on the footpath during the day and hooned about loudly at night decreasing noticeably over the time I was living there.
Carter comes across as a bit of a curmudgeon at times and there’s a bit of mild score settling in play, but mostly he is a thoughtful, emotive, engaging and often funny writer. He is also a man who knows his mind. He makes no bones about stating that his band/music is good when he feels it is, which is very against the ‘tall poppies’ “don’t hype yourself” attitude of NZers, but then I guess it is an attitude you have to have if want any chance of ‘making it’.
His descriptions of working his way up through the nascent NZ punk scene, to the early days of the Flying Nun label, through to making it onto a major (and beyond) is interesting. He cuts back and forth through time to loop in anecdotes and appropriate times, and while he is sometimes respectful in withholding the names of some of his ex-partners, he is fairly candid in talking about his family, his career, and the titular dead people he has known.
As good music memoirs/autobiographies should, this made me want to check out more of his music (and spurred me on with my own).
Shayne grew up in the same area I did and went to the same school (albeit a few years before I made it there) so that added to my interest in reading the book.
His upbringing was a bit of an eye-opener, and I’d have to say that the school and the neighbourhood were a lot less violent when I came through, with the number of crappy cars that were being worked on on the footpath during the day and hooned about loudly at night decreasing noticeably over the time I was living there.
Carter comes across as a bit of a curmudgeon at times and there’s a bit of mild score settling in play, but mostly he is a thoughtful, emotive, engaging and often funny writer. He is also a man who knows his mind. He makes no bones about stating that his band/music is good when he feels it is, which is very against the ‘tall poppies’ “don’t hype yourself” attitude of NZers, but then I guess it is an attitude you have to have if want any chance of ‘making it’.
His descriptions of working his way up through the nascent NZ punk scene, to the early days of the Flying Nun label, through to making it onto a major (and beyond) is interesting. He cuts back and forth through time to loop in anecdotes and appropriate times, and while he is sometimes respectful in withholding the names of some of his ex-partners, he is fairly candid in talking about his family, his career, and the titular dead people he has known.
As good music memoirs/autobiographies should, this made me want to check out more of his music (and spurred me on with my own).
June 13, 2020
A startlingly honest memoir about rock n roll NZ style. The part about his childhood made me feel like 1970s suburban Aotearoa was totally f#@$%d up with a kind of carelessness to parenting, generally brought on by the trauma the adults had suffered themselves at the hands of their parents or the state, and a lack of empathy for anyone who didn't fit the Kiwi mould with carboys (is this Dunedin for bogans or boyracers? Never heard the term before) beating up everyone else. It's not my experience of growing up in suburban Aotearoa in the 70s and 80s but it's the experience of many.
Then reading about Shayne at his worst when drinking bought back memories of how normal this kind of drunken anger was in my late teens and early 20s for a lot of people (in Aotearoa). As well as all the Flying Nun I spent that period of my life listening to.
And then there's the self-sabotage which seems to be something Kiwi musos excel in. And the conflict between wanting success but not wanting to sell out, which probably explains the self-sabotaging.
I only wish there was a spotify list I could have played at the appropriate time to jog my memory when a song or band was mentioned. Just as a by the by 'If I were you' is my all time favourite SJF song, no surprise it doesn't seem to be one of Shayne's!
Then reading about Shayne at his worst when drinking bought back memories of how normal this kind of drunken anger was in my late teens and early 20s for a lot of people (in Aotearoa). As well as all the Flying Nun I spent that period of my life listening to.
And then there's the self-sabotage which seems to be something Kiwi musos excel in. And the conflict between wanting success but not wanting to sell out, which probably explains the self-sabotaging.
I only wish there was a spotify list I could have played at the appropriate time to jog my memory when a song or band was mentioned. Just as a by the by 'If I were you' is my all time favourite SJF song, no surprise it doesn't seem to be one of Shayne's!
February 3, 2020
Carter lays out his life unvarnished: a man who has behaved objectionably at many times in his life, who has drunk and snorted whatever was put in front of him, who worked his way through untold numbers of women, who can trace it to alcoholic and occasionally violent but also distant parents, who alienated everyone in the industry with his creative choices. What sets this memoir apart from a thousand other rock star reflections is the lack of gloss. The bottles explode against the wall at regular speed, the women leave in resigned frustration. He seems to have no agenda other than to write down what happened, without embellishment. Not to say that he isn't an excellent writer. With a loose chronological structure, Carter riffs on whatever tangent he feels like exploring, and nearly always has something interesting to say. And his prose does reach a ecstatic peak whenever he gets deep into his craft -- not just the moments of glory on stage, but also the deep explorations of why a particular song worked, how his idiosyncratic style evolved (and how it clashed with the industry powers that be), which pieces by other musicians strike him as particularly ingenious, beat by beat. These are the best descriptions of music since AMADEUS.
October 6, 2020
Whether you grew up or threw up in Dunedin (New Zealand) in the 80s and 90s, this book is going to jump-start your misty memories of a unique place in time where anything was possible. Shayne Carter, an unlikely lad from Brockville, proved it so.
This is his story - an eclectic arrangement of yarns, insights, song analyses, scored points and near-apologies that form the complex tapestry that is his life story (so far).
Must-have companions to the book include Spotify and a book that documents Flying Nun and/or New Zealand musicians from the 70s (I used 'The Dunedin Sound' by Ian Chapman). Both were referenced regularly as I put songs, song snippets and characters he refers to into place.
He has some sentences that are perfect, like lyrics of your favourite song. I do love his candor, his uniqueness, his clear talent and drive, his Dunedin tales from a time so vivid in my own mind, and his story.
Shayne is clearly a complex character, and I oscillated between adoring him and being repelled by his ego. Ultimately he wouldn't care because, as he says, he only cares about the opinions of his musician peers. And that's not all musicians, by the way. That's good musicians, in his assessment.
This is his story - an eclectic arrangement of yarns, insights, song analyses, scored points and near-apologies that form the complex tapestry that is his life story (so far).
Must-have companions to the book include Spotify and a book that documents Flying Nun and/or New Zealand musicians from the 70s (I used 'The Dunedin Sound' by Ian Chapman). Both were referenced regularly as I put songs, song snippets and characters he refers to into place.
He has some sentences that are perfect, like lyrics of your favourite song. I do love his candor, his uniqueness, his clear talent and drive, his Dunedin tales from a time so vivid in my own mind, and his story.
Shayne is clearly a complex character, and I oscillated between adoring him and being repelled by his ego. Ultimately he wouldn't care because, as he says, he only cares about the opinions of his musician peers. And that's not all musicians, by the way. That's good musicians, in his assessment.
December 8, 2024
An extraordinary book. Shepherd ties himself in knots trying to please everybody and justify some of his past actions and Bannister tries to right wrongs and analyse previous actions, insulting people carelessly as he does so. Carter clearly and absolutely does not give a fuck. He’s warm and generous about those he loves, and cutting and pithy about those who he clearly disdains. And that includes himself a great deal. But mostly it’s incredibly insightful and very moving. I love a lot of his music, but also other bits don’t do much for me (oddly enough probably how he would regard himself too), but as a prose writer he’s absolutely extraordinary. The sequence about Wayne Elsey’s tragic death (and a grim little moment including the Young Ones) is incredibly haunting, as is a statement by a friend about how Carter should probably remove the bookmark from the halfway point that Elsey left Under the Volcano just before he died. It’s an incredibly image and so vivid and moving. And the book is littered with these moments. It’s an exceptional bit of writing, a masterpiece of memoir and easily the best written of the New Zealand music scene books I’ve been reading during this hyperfixation of the last few months
June 12, 2020
OK. I don't really know Carter's music very well, so bits of this passed me by, but I am from the same town (and am ambivalent about the place) and school and I did hear him when he toured with Don McGlashan. So.
It's a book written in a simple and direct style yet some of the descriptions and expressed thoughts are lyrical. I like it when he says " I liked how a song could be about one thing but equally about another. My lyrics often have a lot of ambiguity-maybe partly because I'm not quite sure how I truly feel'.
I admire the way he tells us how he learned to play the guitar and the piano and how he immersed himself in different types of music to understand them. He is open about his mother and father and life at home, and while he mentions many women he's been in love with he never names them. Good on him.
It's a tough old life, and as you'd expect in the rock'n'roll life, some of his mates have not made it. He talks about booze and drugs and how they've affected himself and people he loved.
It's a good read. A valuable look into a life. A look at music in the 1980s in New Zealand, a story that deserves to be told and one worth winning the non-fiction Ockham Book Awards.
Sometimes I got annoyed with the book but overall I liked it, and I think I liked him.
It's a book written in a simple and direct style yet some of the descriptions and expressed thoughts are lyrical. I like it when he says " I liked how a song could be about one thing but equally about another. My lyrics often have a lot of ambiguity-maybe partly because I'm not quite sure how I truly feel'.
I admire the way he tells us how he learned to play the guitar and the piano and how he immersed himself in different types of music to understand them. He is open about his mother and father and life at home, and while he mentions many women he's been in love with he never names them. Good on him.
It's a tough old life, and as you'd expect in the rock'n'roll life, some of his mates have not made it. He talks about booze and drugs and how they've affected himself and people he loved.
It's a good read. A valuable look into a life. A look at music in the 1980s in New Zealand, a story that deserves to be told and one worth winning the non-fiction Ockham Book Awards.
Sometimes I got annoyed with the book but overall I liked it, and I think I liked him.
June 23, 2019
A mixed bag of writing - much of it is a terrific read, the descriptions of life in Shayne's family, Brockville, the "Dunedin scene", kicking around fed up with life and wanting more, Shayne's rock start determination to make music on his own terms. Sometimes the story drifts into pages of less polished anecdotes, reflections on band dynamics, names after names, and yes many of them now dead, or people Shayne wants to acknowledge and maybe apologise to. Shayne's unerring ability when drunk (which was a lot of the time) to abuse anyone whose presence or talent threatened him, coupled with the vast stretches of his life when he was completely off his face, make it quite remarkable he's actually around to write this story. His has been a heck of a life. His creative projects continue and we're all the better for this unstoppable talent.
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June 21, 2019Epic, brutal, soaring, crashing, raw, heartbreaking, beautiful...
I've always thought Shayne Carter was a musical genius, not in the 'classically trained and brilliant' way but because his music is of him, it comes from him - it can't be defined but only described. This book gives some insight into that as well as being a great tale of a life at full noise. He gives what he does everything he has and this book is no exception.
Moments of laugh-aloud dry humour and a few blunt observations on kiwi culture that can't be argued with. I didn't expect to like this as much as I did and I haven't enjoyed an autobiography so much since Dean Wareham's.
I've always thought Shayne Carter was a musical genius, not in the 'classically trained and brilliant' way but because his music is of him, it comes from him - it can't be defined but only described. This book gives some insight into that as well as being a great tale of a life at full noise. He gives what he does everything he has and this book is no exception.
Moments of laugh-aloud dry humour and a few blunt observations on kiwi culture that can't be argued with. I didn't expect to like this as much as I did and I haven't enjoyed an autobiography so much since Dean Wareham's.
January 27, 2021
Early in the book Shayne Carter says "I sometimes forget that I'm a rock star...When I do what I can do, anyone with half a brain can see it." This is absolutely true. Only a rock star could tell their story this way.
Dead People I Have Known is a terrific read. An interesting perspective on the Dunedin/Flying Nun scene; a great account of the tribulations of trying to stay true to yourself while dealing with the expectations that come with record deals and being called "the greatest guitar band in the world"; and a genuine and sometimes infuriating tale of a rock star living in the world with the rest of us squares.
Dead People I Have Known is a terrific read. An interesting perspective on the Dunedin/Flying Nun scene; a great account of the tribulations of trying to stay true to yourself while dealing with the expectations that come with record deals and being called "the greatest guitar band in the world"; and a genuine and sometimes infuriating tale of a rock star living in the world with the rest of us squares.
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