Flying Nun: in print

There's about to be a plethora of words flowing about the importance of that hallowed label, Flying Nun. Buckle up.

Label founder Roger Shepard has a book coming out soon, a memoir about the label. Called 'In love with these times: the Flying Nun Story', it's out thru Harper Collins on May 23rd June 1st.

"In this long-awaited memoir, label founder Roger Shepherd describes the idealism and passion that drove the project in the first place, the hard realities of the music industry, and the constant tension between art and commerce.

Filled with revealing anecdote and insight, this is the definitive insider history of the one of the most innovative and original record labels of the modern era."

It's one of several books on the New Zealand label hitting bookshelves soon.

Matthew Goody and Sean Elliot has a book out in the Northern spring thru Canadian publishers Assembly House, called Needles and Plastic:

"Needles & Plastic: A Flying Nun Discography 1981-1988 provides a comprehensive overview and fully illustrated discography of the label up to 1988, with exclusive insight into both the legendary favourites and hidden gems released on the label. Lavishly illustrated, the book uncovers the fascinating wonder of the artists on the label and the records they produced, revealing how unique the label was in the history of underground rock music."

They also claim that it "... is the first book published exclusively about New Zealand’s legendary independent record label Flying Nun." If it's out before May 23, that will be true. 

Alan Holt, former Flying Nun staffer and now NZ Music Commission, is also writing a book on Flying Nun, and received a $7000 grant from Creative NZ towards it.

Former Flying Nun artist David Pine is also behind a move to establish a Flying Nun Archive. The rumour that a statue of Roger Shepherd was planned as part of the Christchurch rebuild has proven to be untrue.