Watch one of Aotearoa’s most beloved musical legends in videos from throughout his storied career with NZ On Screen’s Sir Dave Dobbyn Collection.
Auckland’s Eden Park was just the most recent venue to be wowed by the prowess of the iconic, incomparable (and as of this year, Sir) Dave Dobbyn. His music has been woven through life in Aotearoa for almost half a century, not least of all the enduring cultural treasure of his collaboration with Herbs for the soundtrack of Footrot Flats: The Dog’s Tail Tale.
As our annual celebration of homegrown music commences on May 1st, NZ On Screen is celebrating NZ Music Month 2021 with an extensive collection of clips spanning Sir Dave Dobbyn’s career—drawing from a wide variety of sources and covering his work with Th’ Dudes, DD Smash, and under his own name.
See also:
* All new streaming movies & series
* Movies now playing in cinemas
A number of full-length titles are available to watch now (and they’re free) including Dave Dobbyn in Concert, Dave Dobbyn – One Night in Matatā, Dreams Lie Deeper, Homegrown Profiles: Dave Dobbyn, Th’ Dudes – Right Second Time, and Intrepid Journeys – Dave Dobbyn in Morocco. You can also find a bunch of music videos, as well as interview excerpts from the likes of Holmes, Spot On and Talk Talk.
For contemporary context, NZ On Screen has also commissioned bespoke written backgrounders by Phoenix Foundation’s Samuel Scott and NZ On Screen writer Gabe McDonnell.
As Scott correctly notes in his piece:
“David’s music unites the regional bogan, the dairy farming elites, the urban hipsters. Integral to this is a man who deeply understands and is influenced heavily by the art rock and punk attitude of the 1970s, but is also wide open to the world—uncynical, unafraid to reach out and connect. I mean, how many knights of the realm have been accused of inciting a riot, and had a huge hit song gently lambasting the government for their treatment of a Muslim immigrant?”
You can browse through the collection here, or read on for more info from NZ On Screen’s media release:
Th’ Dudes began in the late 70s with a deft knack for a hook, and a tune that goes down well with a pint. Covering this section of Dobbyn’s career, you’ll find the classic tracks Be Mine Tonight, Bliss and That Look in Your Eyes – plus documentary Th’Dudes – Right Second Time which takes a look at Th’ Dudes’ reformation in 2006. The obligatory stories of sex, drugs and bad behaviour are unearthed in this walk down memory lane with Th’ Dudes original lineup.
Jumping into the 80s we take a look at DD Smash – Dobbyn’s pop project with musical sidekick, Peter ‘Rooda’ Warren. The Andrew Shaw-directed Outlook for Thursday won the Video of the Year award at the 1983 New Zealand Music Awards – while the Australian-made video for Whaling sees Dobbyn play a TV journalist, a filmmaker and a vicar. Warren dons some big hair, a pair of budgie smugglers and a spicy speed-racer jumpsuit.
The Making of Footrot Flats segues into Dobbyn’s solo work and here is where you’ll find a collection of singles that reflects the Dobbyn of today. Loyal, Language, Welcome Home and it’s 2017 te reo Māori rework, Nau Mai Rā – compositions that strike a personal chord, deliver a socially-conscious message or embody our feelings of home.
But what of the man behind the music?
The highs and lows of a life in music are discussed in Homegrown Profiles: Dave Dobbyn. In The Time of our Lives we see Dave perform in the UK to support of a “mob of veterans” and the unveiling of a war memorial in London’s Hyde Park. Dave soaks in the sights and sounds of Morocco in ‘travel show with a difference’ Intrepid Journeys. Back home, Dave Dobbyn – One Night in Matatā sees Dobbyn drop by the flood-ridden town to put on a free concert and check in with the locals. The emotion-laden documentary Dreams Lie Deeper follows Dave as he travels to Greymouth and meets with families of the victims of the Pike River disaster, and composes and performs a musical tribute. The spirit of community and togetherness sits firmly at the forefront of this collection of screen moments.
There’s so much more from Sir Dave Dobbyn’s career to view. Click here for the full list of collection titles.
NZ On Screen is New Zealand’s screen-culture showcase, with more than 4,500 free-to-view titles from the beginning of the screen industry to present day. Find us at www.nzonscreen.com.
