Serj Tankian is a musician, activist, composer, artist and front man for metal band System of a Down.
He spent his #LifeinLockdown with his family in New Zealand. He talks with me about how the pandemic has impacted him and also shares a sincere hope for our future.
To explore Serj's work in music and the arts visit serjtankian.com
]]>I chat with shoe designer Kathryn Wilson about Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's ideal shoe, happy songs and karaoke challenges complete with dance offs.
]]>Kathryn Wilson is a shoe designer, respected business woman and arguably the nicest woman in fashion. She took a moment out of her preparations for business under Alert Level 3 to talk with me about Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's ideal shoe, happy songs that make her think about amazing times and karaoke challenges complete with dance offs.
To see Kathryn's collection of beautiful shoes please check out kathrynwilson.com
Kathryn Wilson’s #LifeinLockdown Staylist
What songs are on high rotate at the moment?
'9 to 5'- Dolly Parton
'Close to Me' – The Cure
'Losing You'- Solange
'You Are My Sunshine'- Anika Moa, Songs for Bubbas (My daughter's fave)
If you could live in any decade when would it be and what are your top 5 songs from it?
80’s!
'I Wanna Dance with Somebody'- Whitney Houston
'You Can't Hurry Love'- Phil Collins
'Faith'- George Michael
'What You Get Is What You See' - Tina Turner
'Buffalo Stance'- Neneh Cherry
Favourite song of all time?
'Songbird' - Fleetwood Mac
What's your go to Karaoke song?
'Like A Prayer'- Madonna
It’s Fashion Week and you have a packed venue eagerly awaiting your runway show… lights go down, and the crowd falls quiet in anticipation… what is that first song you drop?! Pow!
'Lose My Breath’ Beyonce / Destiny's Child
*Song order selected by Boh. For maximum Staylist Playback pleasure please go into your Spotify Settings in your Home screen and go into Playback. Go to Crossfade and set to 12s. Also select Enable Audio Normalization.
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Nick's #LifeinLockdown Staylist
What songs are on high rotate in lockdown?
'Crosby Sweater' Hilltop Hoods
'Reality' Lost Frequencies,
'Prayer in C' Robyn Shaults
'Wicked Games' James Vincent McMorrow
If you could live in any decade when would it be, why and what are your top 5 songs from it?
This is a hard one. I think I just missed the Love parade and that was a bit of me in my youth but the 60s seems like the decade I would love to have seen most..
'House of The Rising Sun' The Animals
'Dock of the Bay' - Ottis Redding
'Brown Eyed Girl’ Van Morrison
'Paint It Black' The Rolling Stones
'Born to Be Wild' Steppenwolf
Favourite song of all time?
'Are You With Me’ Lost Frequencies
What's your go to Karaoke song?
'Jeremiah was a bullfrog!.." 'Joy To The World' - Three Dog Night
If you were Romeo under Juliet’s balcony, with your ghetto blaster, what song would you hit play on?
'Kiss Me' Rebel, Sophie Simmons
*Song order selected by Boh. For maximum Staylist Playback pleasure please go into your Spotify Settings in your Home screen and go into Playback. Go to Crossfade and set to 12s. Also select Enable Audio Normalization.
]]>Here she chats with me from her hotel room about cabin fever, re-learning the Kiwi accent and what she is most looking forward to now she is very nearly home.
'Perfect' Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli
'Always A Woman’ Billy Joel
'Girls Like You’ Maroon5
'Dakota’ Stereophonics
'Valerie' - Amy Winehouse
If you could live in any decade when would it be, why and what are your top 5 songs from it?
This is hard, I'm thinking probably the 80's? Artist's I had been brought up with that my parents were listening to, but probably liked more in the 80’s
'Ashes to Ashes' - David Bowie
'Starfish and Coffee’ Prince
'Under Pressure’ Queen
'Sweet Dreams',' Here Comes the Rain Again', 'There Must be An Angel', 'Would I Lie to You' The Eurythmics ... Love them all!!!
Favourite song of all time?
'One Day Like This!' Elbow (Kings of Leon - Sex On Fire came close)
What's your go to Karaoke song?
LOL, Karaoke is not my forte. So remembering the first time I ever got dragged up for Karaoke in Manchester, it was Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue - Kids. Anything fun and stupid never to be taken seriously.
If you could sing like anyone, who would that be?
I would just like to be able to sing without assaulting someones ears - Annie Lennox or I'd love to be able to sing 'Jolene' - the Miley Cyrus version.
*Song order selected by Boh. For maximum Staylist Playback pleasure please go into your Spotify Settings in your Home screen and go into Playback. Go to Crossfade and set to 12s. Also select Enable Audio Normalization.
]]>'I got, I got Shelley from The Block!'
Interior designer and Challenge Host from New Zealand's 'The Block', Shelley Ferguson joins me from her bubble where we chat about #LifeinLockdown, the psychology of 'home' right now, Nana's crystal and her exciting new project.
To learn more about Shelley's Rock The House head to www.rockthehouse.net.nz, IG and FB @rockthehouseNZ
Shelley’s #LifeInLockdown Staylist
What songs do you have on high rotate in lockdown?
‘Better’ Khalid
‘Lost’ Frank Ocean
‘Joyride’ Sonia
‘Sonnentaz (Sun Don’t Shine)' Klangkarussell & Will Heard
If you could have lived in any decade or time, when would that have been and what songs evoke that period for you?
I would have lived in the 70s, baby!
‘Let’s Stay Together’ Al Green
‘Bennie and the Jets’ Elton John
‘Heart of Glass’ Blondie
‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’ Prince
Favourite song of all time?
'Bette Davis Eyes’ - Kim Carnes
What's your go to Karaoke song?
‘Islands in the Stream’ with my buddy Jeremy Hansen as Kenny Rodgers (RIP Kenny).
You're out of lockdown at a party with your best girlfriends and in charge of getting the party started with our first post isolation dance… what is your DJ request?
'Work It’ Missy Elliot
*Song order selected by Boh. For maximum Staylist Playback pleasure please go into your Spotify Settings in your Home screen and go into Playback. Go to Crossfade and set to 12s. Also select Enable Audio Normalization.
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With a lifetime of experiences traveling the world and shooting the biggest names in rock legend, my friend Ross Halfin talks with me about his #LifeInLockdown in London, fertility genies, being serenaded by Ozzy Osbourne on an alien landscape, and gives us a Show and Tell of some of his favourite art.
You can check out Ross' incredible catalogue of iconic images at RossHalfin.com
and on Instagram @rosshalfin and @ross.halfin
Ross Halfin #LifeInLockdown Staylist
What songs do you have on high rotate in lockdown?Led Zeppelin 'Whole Lotta Love' or Soundgarden 'Like Suicide'
What's your go to Karaoke song?
Don't be stupid.
In your opinion what is the best record cover of all time?
Pink Floyd Atom Heart Mother or UFO Phenomenon, as it was photographed next to my house.
*Song order selected by Boh. For maximum Staylist Playback pleasure please go into your Spotify Settings in your Home screen and go into Playback. Go to Crossfade and set to 12s. Also select Enable Audio Normalization.
]]>I chat with him about what he’s been up to in his lockdown bubble, Nature nerdiness and pick up lines.
]]>
He’s a well known personality on our screens and on our airwaves, giving us an insight into the beauty and wonder of our natural world.
Ruud Kleinpaste’s gregarious wit and charm is put to great use MC-ing Treemendous School Events where his table of critters and bugs surrounded by enthralled children, parents and teachers alike is a major drawcard.
I chat with Ruud about what he’s been up to in his bubble, Nature nerdiness and pick up lines.
Find out how your school could become a Treemendous School here and for more information about how The Mazda Foundation could help you or your community click here.
Ruud Kleinpaste #LifeInLockdown Staylist
What songs do you have on high rotate in lockdown?
Sarah Bareilles ‘Yellow Brick Road (Live)’
Imogen Heap ‘Climb to Sakteng’
Lucius ‘Tempest’
Peter Gabriel ‘Here Comes the Flood’
If you could live in any decade when would it be, why and what are your top 5 songs from it?
1965 – 1975:
Beatles ‘Till There Was You’
The Plainsman ‘Fairport Convention’
John Martyn ‘May You Never’
Genesis ‘Firth of Fifth’
Nick Drake ‘Cello Song’
What's your go to Karaoke song?
Beatles ‘And Your Bird Can’t Sing'
Favourite song of all time?
Anna Maria Jopek/Pat Metheney ‘Me Jedyna Niebo’
If you could sing like anyone, male, female, gender neutral - who would that be and what song would you sing?
The Mills Brothers‘Paper Doll’
Or… more importantly play piano like?
Ben Sidran ‘Old Folks’
Nathan King is a songwriter and musician, best known as the frontman of Zed. He lets me into his #LifeInLockdown to talk about the hazards of reproducing rabbits and why the Titanic is now part of his bubble.
]]>Nathan ‘Pretty Fingers’ King is a songwriter and musician, best known as the frontman of Zed, the band behind such pop rock songs as ‘Glorifilia’ and ‘Renegade Fighter’.
He joins me on the 2nd installment of #LifeInLockdown to talk about the hazards of rabbit reproduction and why the Titanic is now part of his bubble.
DISCLAIMER 1: This is long. We chatted for 30mins, we were on a roll, and I would like to not edit these interviews to keep them candid. Plus, what else have you got to do?
DISCLAIMER 2: When Nathan talks about ‘Inside Bill’s Brain’ and the screen comes back to me, that noise is a motorbike… I swear!
DISCLAIMER 3: Boh Runga Design takes no responsibility for the creation of copycat flying foxes...
If you'd like to take part in Nathan's music video project, email your footage to;
Nathan's #LifeInLockdown Staylist
What are 3 songs on your lockdown playlist?
'Face To Face' - Rex Orange County
'Nerve' – Jordan Rakei
'Come On And Mess Me Up' – Cub Sport
If you could live in any decade, when would it be, why and what are your top 5 songs from it?
THE SIXTIES:
'God Only Knows' – The Beach Boys
'Can't Help Falling In Love' – Elvis Presley
'Sweet Thing' – Van Morrison
'The Only Living Boy in New York' – Simon and Garfunkel
'Blackbird' – The Beatles
Favourite song of all time?
'Imagine' – John Lennon
What's your go to Karaoke song?
'Angels' – Robbie Williams
Song of yours?
'Never Too Late' – Nathan King
*Song order selected by Boh. For maximum Staylist Playback pleasure please go into your Spotify Settings in your Home screen and go into Playback. Go to Crossfade and set to 12s. Also select Enable Audio Normalization.
]]>First up, my sister Bic Runga. Mum of three and award winning singer and songwriter.
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Hello, my Locked Down friends...
Welcome to #LifeInLockdown, a series of interviews created to hopefully entertain you while you are doing the right thing and staying home, keeping us all safe.
Each #LifeinLockdown will feature a Q & A with people in lockdown too, and a Spotify ‘Staylist' featuring songs as selected by my lovely guests.
First up, my sister Bic Runga.
Mum of three, award winning singer and songwriter, she is the haunting voice behind the iconic New Zealand anthems Sway and Get Some Sleep.
She’s in Lockdown in Auckland with her family.
We chat about how these strange times have affected her, and how she believes that art is something that will help us through.
Enjoy!
xox b
P.S. big thank you to Tatum Savage and Gavin Pook for my amazing back drop.
Bic's #LifeInLockdown Staylist
What are 3 songs on your lockdown playlist?
Aaliyah, 'Try Again' because it's the most played song on my iPhone, Madonna, 'Get into the Groove' because this came out when I was a kid and I found it so inspiring, and Taylor Dayne, 'Tell it to my Heart' because I heard it recently and it made me nostalgic for my childhood too.
If you could live in any decade, when would it be, why and what are your top 5 songs from it? Can think outside the box if it's a cover...
80's New York! It makes me think of Madonna, 'Get into the Groove' again, but also things like Television, 'The Song Marquee Moon' and the music that the painter Jean Michel Basquiat made, which I only just discovered, with his group Gray's, 'I Wanna Go Back'. Lou Reed, 'A Perfect Day' and Grandmaster Flash, 'The Message'.
Favourite song of all time?
Louis Armstrong, 'What a Wonderful World'.
What's your go to Karaoke song?
'Do You Really Want to Hurt Me' by Culture Club.
*Song order selected by Boh. For maximum Staylist Playback pleasure please go into your Spotify Settings in your Home screen and go into Playback. Go to Crossfade and set to 12s. Also select Enable Audio Normalization.
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For maximum Staylist Playback pleasure please go into your Spotify Settings in your Home screen and go into Playback. Go to Crossfade and set to 12s. Also select Enable Audio Normalization.
Enjoy!
xox b
1. What are 3 songs on your Lockdown Staylist?
3 of my favourite songs at the moment are Deftones ‘Digital Bath’, The Prodigy ‘Spitfire’ and Santigold ‘Before The Fire’. These are some of my faves in headphones while I do housework.
2. If you could live in any decade, when would it be, why and what are your top 5 songs from it?
The Seventies, I should’ve been in my flared denims and glomesh dancing around to Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together’, Abba’s ‘Dancing Queen’, The Emotions ‘Best of My Love’, T Rex ‘Get It On’ and Steely Dan’s ‘Do It Again’.
3. Favourite song of all time?
‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ Roberta Flack. So beautiful.
4. What's your go to Karaoke song?
‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ Bonnie Tyler, everyone else in the room can sing the ‘Turnarounds..’ go for it.
Hello, friends...
I hope you are all keeping happy and healthy while we are adjusting to our new world of ‘#LifeInLockdown’.
Like many businesses, while New Zealand is at Covid-19 Alert Level 4, we are unable to deliver anything during the lockdown period.
Hello, friends...
I hope you are all keeping happy and healthy while we are adjusting to our new world of ‘#LifeInLockdown’.
Like many businesses, while New Zealand is at Covid-19 Alert Level 4, we are unable to deliver anything during the lockdown period.
Since we’ve got all this time on our hands now, we thought you might be up for a bit of lighthearted fun, so while we're in lockdown I’ll be reaching out to some friends (some of them you may recognise) to ask the big questions.
“How is #LifeInLockdown for you?”
We’ll be putting up a wee vlog so you can see us in all our Lockdown glory.
We’d love for you to join us… first one will be posted here this Wednesday, April 1st.
You can still place orders for meaningful gifts for your loved ones, or yourselves (it's times like these we need to treat ourselves), anytime. And if you need help picking the perfect gift, our lovely staff will be available online through live chat Monday - Friday, 8am - 4pm.
Being a small, independent business we have already taken the necessary steps to allow us to ship from home as soon as we are able, so please keep checking in to see when that will be.
Big love,
xox b