This was on  with Verg on a Thursday

Verg: I am here with our one our only, Zed, how are you guys?
Nathan: good thank you (Nathan, luv, I know you’re a rock star but don’t wear your sunnies inside)
Verg: busy day I hear
Nathan: very busy - tripping around the country
Verg: yeah? where have you been today
Nathan: oh Hamilton
Verg: the big Ham
Adrian: past the hills
Verg: lovely, so how many interviews including all your phone ones have you done just today?
Nathan: five or six
Ben: we’re veterans
Adrian: we love them though
Verg: do ya
Adrian: we’re feeding off them
Verg: do you ever get to feel like you’re a broken record, just the same old questions?
Nathan: sometimes, you gotta just make it interesting though ya know, spice it up a bit, maybe tell a few fibs
Verg: oh fibs ah
Adrian: get a few rumours going

Verg oh naughty naughty, so how long have you all been out of school for approximately?
They sort of look at each other, ‘three or four years’
Nathan: And just this year we’ve stopped studying and things like that
Verg: just to concentrate on the band?
Nathan: yep just doing full time muso
Verg: wicked
Ben: school’s way in past now
Verg: yeah, cashmere though, I went to school in Christchurch
Nathan: were’d you go?
Verg: Rangioro (spelling) Girls School
there’s a few ohh’s and ahh’s from the boys
Verg: eurgh they all go
Nathan: there was no way we were going there!
Verg: no, no, Its a bit of a deterrent generally though or so I hear. What was their music department like at Cashmere?
Adrian: pretty supportive and nurturing
Verg: did they put a lot of money into it?
Ben: it was more the time aye, the head of the music department, Gary Thunder was a legend he was always helping everyone out, doing more than he should of. I don’t think there was a lot of money involved - the instruments were crap. And ya know
Verg: yeah, teacher support can make all the difference. So I actually I got to sneak into the studio when you were making this here album called Silencer and I saw the whiteboard and the choices of all the different names you were going to call the album - why Silencer?
Adrian: we were under pressure and we had to
Nathan: it just sounds good
Adrian: after a while you just forget what it means and it’s just a poetic phrase
Verg: its a lovely name for an album, and nice cover and speaking of which - bloody good album! I like it a lot
thank you
Ben: it goes with your hair, your hair looks great that way
Verg: its a bit of a clash but anyway
Verg: so how was making the latest video. It’s groovy
Nathan: yeah, it was pretty full on, we shot it over one evening, started at 6pm and went to 8am, so it was a bit of an all nighter.
Verg: where abouts did you do it?
Adrian: in these old houses that were being relocated in a big yard, we moved from house to house, there were some cool rooms, and um yeah it was quite interesting
Verg: was it in Auckland
Andy: in Henderson
(this is the first time that you can really see Andy on the screen because he’s sitting on ground almost opposite Verg while the other boys are on a couch. You can’t really see him that well, just the neon orange hat that he’s wearing)
Verg: was it the same guy that directed your other stuff?
Nathan: no, new guy
Ben: he’s done a few other kiwi clips, he’s done ‘Wet Rubber’ HLAH
Verg: that’s a great one
Ben: yeah it is
Verg: that was filmed at Revolver, did they show you the tunnel?
Oh yeah
Verg: they laid down some tracks and run the camera up. You clap and it goes ‘clap clap clap (it’s an echo, Verg)
Verg: its a beautiful studio. How did it feel you’ve just come out of school and what not and your in one of the most lush studios in the country its beautiful place
Nathan: it was awesome, we were thanking our lucky stars, it was cool. we got to do the mix of the album over in Australia so that was even better
Ben: but that was a cool studio
Verg: is it what, only the best of everything, the control room’s like a MCR of a spaceship or something
Andy: starship enterprise
Verg: yeah, that’s the one
Verg: is that where that photo there is taken (she shows the photo on the inside cover where Nathan Andy and Adrian are on the couch and Ben has his hands partially over his face) that’s in Australia
Verg: what’s your favourite song off the album, not collectively, just each one of you, and why?
Ben: well we’ve all got pretty much the same favourites
Nathan: yeah, we do ‘don’t you wish’ which Andy is playing on the guitar now (This was on the Gibson Explorer which Juice TV are giving away with Eta and snitzer Claus whatever his name is off the cruncheese ads)
(oh gosh we actually get to see Andy’s face!!!)
Adrian: that’s the goth model
Verg: it’s hell goth then Ben and Andy start playing with some buttons or switches on the guitar I think
Andy: it’s classy
Verg: so what sort of instruments are you all playing at the moment, gibsons or fenders?
Ben: that’s two out of three, gibson’s fenders and (something else I didn’tknow what it was)
Nathan: and age your playing (something I didn’t know) drums?
Adrian: I play maxtone, anyway
Verg: Renegade Fighter, what is it about? I’m sitting there last night, going what does it mean? Is it talking about being a player or what?
Nathan: it’s got us stumped. Oh its just like a, age you describe it well dont’ ya?
Adrian: its a confident approach life really, about being confident without being aggressive, although fighting is aggressive, we don’t necessarily mean it.

Then it cuts off to about 3 songs

When it goes back to the studio Andy has moved off the ground by Ben’s feet and is sitting on the corner (I think) of the couch next to Nathan. He’s playing the guitar again and has taken off the orange hat.

Verg:show em how it’s done
Andy: some metal?
And he plays something
Verg: I’ve heard in some reviews, your playing described as ‘electric blue’ or was that you guys?
Nathan: nah, no way
Andy: it’s something that I blurted out and regret right now (its actually on the biography section at the official site)
Verg: so why did you guys choose Andy? You were a 3 piece now a 4?
Nathan: we’re actually really regretting it in a way
Andy: we’re going to court tomorrow
Verg: oh poor guy
Adrian: because he’s a great muso,
Nathan: he’s very good
Adrian: and he adds a lot to the band
Nathan: and when we met him we thought, what a top bloke and ever since then we’ve just got along like a house on fire
Andy: awww
Verg: how did you guys meet?
Nathan: huh?
Verg: how did you guys meet Andy?
Nathan: I kinda just lost it there for a second
Adrian: at a recording studio, we were both there, so got to know each other and that was a couple of years ago, and thought we need a new member lets give Andy a ring
Verg: and at the time you were in Brazil
Andy: yeah
Verg: chasing a girlfriend
Andy: yeah I was
Ben: or two
Andy: no
Andy: she went home, so I chased her ( and he does this cool little grin and points to the camera)
Verg: and was it worth it, did it work?
Andy: no it didn’t actually,
Verg: oh stink
Andy: it worked for a while, but yeah
Nathan: but we called him up and told him to come home
Verg: on the front of girlfriends I sure that half the little girls in New Zealand and the big girls wondering are they attached, are there stings attached to these Zed boys?
They all point to Adrian "this guy"
Andy: this guy has a puppet master
Adrian: and proud of it; and proud of it
Verg: nothing wrong with that but the rest of you are free and lovely
Andy and Nathan: yep
Ben: very much single
Verg: so how do you handle that sort of thing, that must be quite the luxury after a concert. (there’s a bit of quiet laughter here by the boys) I remember at the Big Day Out, screaming, crying girls in the front of you guys.
Adrian: it’s a hard life
Verg: its like a Beatles concert
Nathan: I don’t know
Adrian: I’m out of it! you guys can …
Nathan: oh ya just gotta be careful don’t ya, just gotta be sensible and not be too silly
Verg: and what do you mean by that? Have you been instructed? In certain ways
Nathan: well theres all a manner of things you could do, um
Ben: you can’t have Zed babies popping up all over the place though
Nathan:what would they be called? Zedlets?
Verg: too much. What does the song in my head mean?
Ben: in my mind. I wrote that song at the Gathering, my first Gathering that I went to
Verg: what year was that?
Ben: 97? I think. It’s a few years ago and I thought it just summed up the vibe of the Gathering for me, first year out of high school, going away and doing the independence thing, buying a combi van (if it was Ben’s first year out of High school it would have been 1998)
Verg: being psychedelic
Adrian: it was good in that combi van
Ben: it was great we loaded 10 people and all their gear up takeka (spelling) hill
Verg: at least you didn’t go this last year though
Ben oh we went a couple of hours later
Verg: oh you went, did you stay for the countdown?
Ben: no, well we were playing on New years, in Christchurch at the park; did a huge 80,000 person gig, biggest gig we’ve ever done
Verg: so that’s your favourite gig so far?
Nathan: I reckon
Adrian: yeah
Ben: Big day out was pretty fun
Nathan: yeah that was fun
Adrian: different kind of gig really
Verg: what’s your most embarrassing moment on stage?
Nathan: um, would it have been that time with the bass lead getting pulled out twice, that was pretty embarrassing.
Ben: oh, nah, that’s kinda embarrassing
Adrian: I’ve fallen off stage! There was this backdrop and there was nothing behind and my foot went down it and I fell off and everyone laughed.
Andy: Wellington?
Nathan: yeah
Ben: I did that in fourth form when I went up to get a certificate in front of the school, tripped on the stairs. I was like I knew I was going up and I was all ‘ I’ll trip over you watch’ and then I tripped over on accident and when I came back I was all ‘I did that on purpose cause I said I would’
Verg: what was your award for do you remember?
Adrian: spelling was it?
Andy: it was the chess team award
Nathan: it was p.e., co-ordination and stuff
Verg: what was the first song that you guys learnt to play? Individually, the first song you learnt to play on your instruments?
Nathan: oh that’s a tough question
Ben: it would have been like recorder days, you know 5 years old when you learn to play recorders
Adrian: B A G
Ben: probably like ‘Michael row the boat ashore’
Andy: how about this one?
Andy plays some song that we recognized but didn’t know, on the giveaway guitar which he is still holding
Ben: ‘stairway to heaven’ that was first guitar
Nathan: smoke on the water
Verg: nice we had a bit of a spice girl up there before, some unrecognisable Victoria Beckham, do you think she was better when she had a bit more meat on her bones?
A round of ‘yeah’s by the boys
Nathan: its kinda scary the whole too thin chick thing
Andy: bones freak me out then they mumble something about eating lard, and lots of pies, steak and cheese
Verg:if you had to sleep with a spice girl, which one would it be?
Ben: now or when they were the spice girls?
Verg: now, but with ginger and the rest
Ben: I don’t really rate any of them, I used to think Posh was alright
Andy:Scary Spice then there’s a whole heap of random names
Nathan: I don’t know, she’s pretty easy on the eye
Ben: who?
Nathan? Baby
Ben: nah
Andy: isn’t she like 30 something?
Adrian: you guys are like really worried about this, don’t worry it’s not going to happen.
Verg: truebliss or bardot
Nathan: I’m gonna go with Truebliss
Andy: truebliss
Adrian: keep it kiwi
Verg: the album is on sale already? You guys are about to tour?
Adrian: in about a month
Verg: looking forward to that?
Nathan: yep, end of September we begin
Verg: north and south islands?
Ben: full national, all the major centres
Verg: looking forward to going back down to home?
Ben: Nothing like going home for a couple of days, no music and no interviews, catching up with family and friends - that’s what I’m looking forward to.
Adrian leans to the camera and waves ‘ hi mum’
Verg: do your shoutouts, that’s right
Adrian: I’m pretty sure my mum’s not watching
Ben: we don’t even get this in Christchurch do we?
Adrian: yeah it’s on sky
Ben: is it? I thought it got canceled. Cause we used to then it stopped and I was quite gutted.
Nathan: well we’ll sort it out for you mate
Adrian: yeah
Verg: name on the door. What’s your favourite song at the moment or artist?
Nathan: mine is Travis and it’s um, the name eludes me right now, but it’s the first track on the album, someone help me out here
Adrian: don’t know, but it’s the first track
Verg: did you see them in concert?
Nathan: yes
Verg: and what did you think
Nathan: I thought it was really good um, his personality to me really sold it. Their songs are good songs and that but its not the kinda concert where you go rah rah (waves his arm in the air) like it’s quite mellow, but just really good band and good communication, made it like it was just you, and he was talking to you. And I got to meet him afterwards as well! (Nathan’s face lights up)
Verg: really? Were they all really friendly and down to earth?
Nathan: yeah, they were signing autographs for 20 minutes afterwards which I thought was pretty cool cause they could have easily walked out of their, got in their premier or whatever it was and zoomed off.
Verg: that’s a pretty cool way to keep your head in check. Um you guys even more so now that the album’s out, how do you keep your head in check? So it doesn’t expand four times the size it is and lose it a little bit
Andy: wear a small hat
Adrian: go home and see all your mates
Nathan: yeah I reckon your good friends keep your feet on the ground, and then when your mum makes you vacuum the house, and stuff like that.
Verg: and what’s the worst or most interesting thing that you have had to sign?
Ben: it would be the old trainer bras?
Adrian yeah
Nathan: I don’t know if it was a trainer, it was a bit bigger than that
Adrian: one of those wonder ones
Verg: have you had to sign skin?
Andy: oh yeah
Nathan: all sorts of places
Adrian: shirts bags ties
Verg: bums?
Nathan: no bums
Adrian: I’ve played a bum before
Verg: played a bum!
Adrian: that’s all I’m going to say
Andy: he left his drums at home
Nathan: lots of stomachs
Verg: bum-playing zed, lovely stuff
Adrian: can we finish on a different note?
Verg: lets finish on glorafilia. Thanks for coming in
Nathan: thanks for having us
Verg: good luck for the rest of the day, and the tour, we’ll be keeping everybody up with the dates etc
Nathan: come along, it will good
Verg: how much are tickets by the way?
Adrian: very, very, very cheap (they’re actually $23.50)
Ben: check out the dates on our website
Thanks

Then they played Glorafilia. I think it would have been better to play Renegade fighter so that Andy was in the video as well..
all in all, as much as I dislike Verg, it was a good interview, there was a few different questions to the same ones that are in every article. - and Ben was wearing his tight black T-shirt!
 
  

Austin, I am ... your ... father

Really?

No. I can't back that up. I was just grasping at straws. I had nothing