Dix remembers Bruno on AudioCulture ...

I quite often use everythingsgonegreen to link to my own work published elsewhere but very rarely do I feel the need to blog or re-publish the work of another author. Sometimes though I come across a piece of writing so compelling I feel I have to share it. Whether it’s something I think will be of specific interest to regular readers of this blog, or just something I wish to link to purely for my own future ease of access.

A few weeks back the 20^th anniversary of the death of iconic Kiwi actor and musician Bruno Lawrence passed without much fanfare. To New Zealanders of a certain generation - my own, those of us growing up in the 1970s and 1980s - Lawrence’s work was pretty much everywhere and he was an unsung local hero for many of us. Not only was he an inspiration as a musician, as the leading man behind Blerta or as the drummer for pub-rockers The Crocodiles, I believe his lead performances in movies such as ‘Smash Palace’ and ‘The Quiet Earth’ established Lawrence as New Zealand’s first genuinely world-class actor (alongside Sam Neill, perhaps).

As close as biographer Roger Booth was to Bruno Lawrence the man, I’ve always thought Booth’s ‘Bruno’ was a something of a bore to read, and it failed to do any real justice to Lawrence’s otherwise wildly entertaining life story. A couple of times I’ve tried to read it all the way through but Booth’s account is rather sterile, and each time I’ve faltered, putting the book aside, and opting to read something else (anything else) instead.
 
Finally though, over at AudioCulture, thanks to 'Stranded In Paradise' author John Dix, we have ‘I Remember Bruno’, published a week ago, a 4000-odd word offering/profile on Lawrence - and his friendship with Dix - that explores some of the less public, and rather more intimate or personal aspects of his life. It’s a wonderful piece of writing by someone who was obviously very close to Lawrence. Dix’s passion for his subject fair drips off the page. I recommend you click on the link below and have a read:

AudioCulture: I Remember Bruno by John Dix