Ian Morris - Give It A Whirl Interview

Ian Morris was an important figure in the New Zealand music industry, from his performances with late 70s rock band Th' Dudes and a later solo career as Tex Pistol, to his work behind the scenes, producing notable albums for bands such as Hello Sailor.

Morris died in October 2010. In this interview, recorded for 2003 TV series Give It A Whirl, Morris covers many topics, including:

• Memories of Beatlemania while growing up in the United Kingdom, and the stark musical isolation of Aotearoa

• Going to school with Dave Dobbyn and Peter Urlich, and later forming Th’ Dudes (3 minutes in)

• The 1970s Auckland club scene, the influence of The Human Instinct and popular British bands (6 minutes in)

• Pushing Th' Dudes further, and using "the punk ethic of simplicity" (11 minutes) 

• Early Dudes recordings 'Be Mine Tonight' and 'That Look In Your Eyes' (16 minutes)

• Rowdy behaviour at live shows, while touring "every pub in the country" (19 minutes)

• Introducing improvements to New Zealand's live touring circuit (21 minutes)

• Thoughts on how Australia can change a band’s sound and path (25 minutes)

• After Th’ Dudes: working with Dobbyn, performing as Tex Pistol (28 minutes)

Read more about Ian Morris/Tex Pistol and Th' Dudes, on AudioCulture (NZ On Screen's sister website)

This interview was recorded for the 2003 season of TV series Give it a Whirl. All audiovisual content is copyright to Visionary Film & TV, and may not be reproduced.