Inspiration and Gratitude
You grew on me, like mould upon cheese.
You grew on me like a tumour
And you spread through me like malignant melanoma
And now you’re in my heart
I should’ve cut you out back at the start
Song by Tim Minchin
Tim Minchin has a song about cheese; one clever dick in the audience yelled it out to him last night. I doubt Kiri Te Kanawa, who the room is named after, would’ve approved.
It wasn’t me, I should hasten to add. Funnily enough, after you give up the booze, yelling at stages entirely loses its appeal.
I mention this because today’s newsletter contains a bit about going to see Mr Minchin last night with Mrs Rockel and quite a lot of cheese. Nothing blue, but a little more gooey than this newsletter usually gets.
One of the things Tim talked about last night was the focus on the negative—social media’s emphasis on the awful—amplified by the algorithms. Yet, there remains so much that is joyous and wonderful in the world.
He spoke of the importance of seeing good in others, even though they may have very different views. Had we been born into the same circumstances, we might also hold such opinions.
So if you’re here to see me take the piss out of the coalition, you might need to hold on until tomorrow, and if you can’t manage that, might I recommend…
See, that’s the sort of thing I’m talking about; it’s unkind, not to mention untrue. Clearly, Mrs Willis gives one the shits; she doesn’t stop them - you’ll need a change in government for that, but that’s off-topic for today.
It’s that sort of dehumanising of people that perpetuates the divisions between us. We must look behind the horrid actions, and the cruel persona, to the real Nicola Willis. You know she loves her kids just as much as you do yours. Their family life is probably much the same, except for the bit where you teach your kids about caring for others.
If we are to listen to Mr Minchin, we need to sympathise with Nicola’s afflictions and appreciate why they might have made her the way she is. We need to understand how she has overcome the limitations of an expensive private education, and we should admire her efforts. Had we grown up in such an environment, we, too, might feel nothing but disdain for the poor.
There but for the decency of our parents, and all that…
Tim expressed gratitude for his career, a sentiment I could relate to on my own small scale. Today’s newsletter is about taking the time to recognise good things, particularly those who’ve inspired or enabled me to write for a living.
I appreciate that it is quite self-indulgent and probably a bit egotistical to think others might be interested, but hopefully, you enjoy the read.
Before that, there is one practical reality. The need to earn a living.
Inflation is coming down across this post-COVID world following the removal of government stimulus. In the UK, it has just dropped to 1.7%. Here in NZ, Nicola’s austerity policies, while disastrous for the economy, have reduced inflation by dampening demand. But prices continue to increase, albeit more slowly—and remain high compared to incomes.
As I’ve mentioned previously, I’ll be raising the price of a subscription for the first time in the new year. Paying for a full year from January will cost you $100, whereas if you subscribe now, it will cost $85. But wait, there’s more…
If you subscribe today, you’ll also get the first month completely free with no obligation to continue. That’s on either a monthly or an annual subscription.
Right, that’s out of the way. If you have subscribed, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. If you still need a moment to do so, we can wait… 🙂
Ok, so about those inspiring people I mentioned. Just before we headed into town yesterday, I saw a photo of these two lovely people together in Brisbane, which made me smile.
On the left is Alison, aka Reader #1. She was my first free subscriber and my first paid one too. The fact that someone I’d never met would be prepared to pay money for my words meant a heck of a lot, and she has been a fabulous supporter ever since. We actually did meet the last time Tim Minchin was here back in March:
On the right is Pam. As I’ve written about, she was the first politician I ever saw speak in person. Back at Uni in the Maidment in the mid-90s with Jim Anderton for the Alliance party. Her down-to-earth honesty, her values, and her own battle with the bottle are things I greatly admire Pam for. The fact that she now reads my words is a really nice feeling.
While I’m talking about generous readers, I would be greatly remiss not to mention Norm and Patricia Bremner.
As I’ve mentioned previously, Patricia was a teacher at the now-defunct Sunset Intermediate School when I was a pupil there in 1983/4. By coincidence, although my home town of Rotorua is not that large, she is very good friends with Margaret, the mother of my closest childhood friend. She and her husband Norm have been so generous in their support and are the first lifetime members of Nick’s Kōrero. I feel humbled that people I don’t know would be so kind.
I shouldn’t be too disparaging about politicians, though; some of them are pretty inspiring, too.
It’s easy to be cynical about our MPs, but they are not all the same. Some people are not there because of their egos or because they serve the interests of the wealthy and powerful, but they work incredibly hard because they care.
We reward those people with online abuse, tawdry newspaper headlines and eventually the loss of their jobs as the pendulum swings and they’re turfed out. Who the hell would sign up for that?
But they do, and quite frankly, we could be a bit more grateful. There are good people there who are motivated by improving New Zealanders' lives. Good hearts and heads. Marama, Grant, Rawiri, Chloe, Chippy, Megan, James, Debbie - many good ones, past, present, and future.
None more so that you know who. Say her name quietly; it really bothers some people even now…
Although, come to think of it, and forgetting the theme of the day momentarily, fuck those people. If they can’t feel a bit of gratitude by now, well, I guess I should be sympathetic to whatever life circumstances have led them to become complete assholes.
Ahh, that felt better. 🙂 I’m unsure about all this peace and love stuff, Tim; surely we can make a few exceptions? Anyway, it’s time for a picture of Jacinda, seriously if this doesn’t make you smile, I’m not sure there is anything that will help:
One of my favourite newsletters that I’ve written was about Jacinda. Back at the end of 2022, when I didn’t have many subscribers, it went somewhat viral. Not by the standards of a YouTube video by Mr Minchin, but many people read it, and I gained as many new readers in a couple of days as I normally would in a month.
I’m not saying it’s particularly well written, but it was definitely from the heart and resonated with how others felt. For a long time, it was my most-read article and although more recent ones have reached a wider audience, it will always be special one to me, even as I’ve completely forgotten many others:
Hmm, I seem to have gotten a bit sidetracked. I’m not going to talk much more about what Tim said; it’s a bit of a dick move. Plus, he specifically asked that some of the stories he told not be shared by bloggers, so I’ll respect that.
Did you ever buy a ticket for a concert to see a band you really like, and when you turned up for the show, you found the support act was someone you really loved that you had no idea was on? That’s how I felt when I found the person asking questions of Tim for the evening was none other than Kim Hill. Sometimes, lovely things happen.
She looked fabulous. I could describe her with the title of a poem I’m sure many of you know. Some of you might even have it hanging on the wall…
“When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple.” Kim wasn’t wearing purple, but that was her attitude.
She was an absolute delight, although I got a bit alarmed when she quoted one of Minchin’s better-known routines, thanking God for curing the sight of Sam’s mum, and I realised she was about to say a word I don’t use here. Some of you can probably guess what that word is through your knowledge of the routine, the offence of the word, or perhaps you remember this apology:
Kim left it hanging when she came to the word in question, unlike Mr Minchin, who happily finished it for her. Unfortunately, if any of you are feeling relieved, I can report that Kim did say it later on, as she admonished Tim for the number of times he’d said it.
You can find it below if you’re unfamiliar with the routine quoted. Obviously, it does contain a particular word, one which I can confirm Kim said with her renowned gusto. What an absolute bloody treasure she is.
I see that the word count is getting up there as I ramble on so this is the big finish where I unload the cheese. You might be thinking - come on then Nick, tell us about how we’re your inspiration, that knowing how these words make some of us feel is just the best reward there could be. That you couldn’t do this without us…
That is all true. But when Mr Minchin talks about the love and beauty in the world, no offence but I’m not thinking first and foremost of you.
There is someone else that I really couldn’t be doing this without. She was sitting next to me last night, laughing and clapping. She’s not big on public pronouncements of affection so I won’t mention her name, but if she reads this she’ll know. I’m guessing you do too. 🙂
Have a fabulous day all of you lovely people, especially you Mrs Rockel. Thank you most of all.
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One more from Tim, do give it a listen if you have time.
I am grateful for many things, but Jacinda has to be at the top of my list.
Seeing that beautiful pic of her at the palace getting her gong made me think. When I was first in parliament in 2005, she was union liaison for Helen Clark. She always listened, wasn’t arrogant and took us seriously. When she left for the US I gave her a reference for the SEIU where she worked as a volunteer and in a food bank. Came the time, she had union support to become an MP. I remember being blown away by her maiden statement, particularly the line “Hey I’m from Morrinsville” which said it all to me about her beginnings, not forgetting of course she spent time as a child in Murapara. Jonathan Hunt said to me and Mo that that woman will be PM one day. He was so right, tho she was surprised to become an MP because she was still overseas. As colleagues through some pretty turbulent times in the Labour Party she was a solid friend. She never venally sought leadership. I saw the inspiration she gave to young women and girls throughout the world and still does. I couldn’t have been more happy when she and Clarke had little Neve. Oh and btw she was a union member all the way through.
Kim Hill would make an excellent Governor General - let’s make it happen!