Martin Crump.
Radio review
All in the family
by Lindsay Rabbitt
"Every minute that goes you lose something else, it’s usually people’s memories … If you ever go north of the Bombay Hills, have a butcher’s round the far north … it’s the cradle of New Zealand history; whether the tangata whenua or Pakeha: that’s where it all started …” says veteran broadcaster Merv Smith on Radio Pacific.
It’s a little before 7.00am on Father’s Day. Smith is filling in for “young Martin Crump”. I’m impressed with the old pro’s knowledge: he’s been trading pieces of rail history with Connie from Kawa Kawa. “The first boiler explosion in New Zealand on a railway engine occurred on the Bay of Islands coal railway: a couple of guys were killed. It was the only one to happen here to my knowledge,” Smith informs.
Crump, a devoted family man, had taken the morning off to spend Father’s Day with his children. I had listened to his show, Crump’s Country – started in 1980 by his famous father Barry – the previous morning. The grain of the father’s voice is inherent in the son’s, but there the similarities end. If Barry was a rough diamond, then Martin is a creamy opal.
When I tuned in, Crump was playing a David Gates song: “I tried to tell this world how much I loved you, but they don’t understand how deep it goes.”
“Now isn’t that just beautiful?” says Crump. “That’s a new song by David Gates … So tell us about your love songs … An interview with David Gates is coming up just after seven o’clock. Another thing we could look at is simple pleasures … what about mushrooming … black-berrying and making a crumble … just simple little pleasures, something we seem to have lost touch with.”
He went on to talk about family photographs – the subject of his next show – and to Jill about making trolleys and tree houses and about his holiday home on the Coromandel and playing with his children in the rain. Mary talked about making daisy chains and sliding down sand dunes in plastic bags. Jane says her favourite tunes are “Some Enchanted Evening” and “Oh Sweet Mystery of Life”.
For someone so young (early forties?), Crump is an old-fashioned, sentimental fellow and could be described as right of Sounds Historical’s Jim Sullivan, but my Mum testifies that he is well loved by his listeners. I have to admit my eyes glazed over during his David Gates interview. The show wasn’t my cup of tea.
But I’m enjoying Merv Smith. So is Sam Hunt. “It’s nine minutes after seven and look who’s on the phone,” says Smith. “It’s the man from Bottle Creek, Sam Hunt.” “Actually, the man from the Kaipara,” corrects Hunt. “Just a quick call to say hello and how great it is to hear a person like yourself on the radio – a person with a knowledge of and a love of small-town New Zealand.”
Hunt says he’s drinking Tiger tea. “I’ve brought Tiger tea to the Kaipara. Tiger tea comes from Dunedin.” His five-year-old son Alf “worked out the day before yesterday that we’ve been here for one year one week and two days”. Hunt’s speaking like a man on top of his game. He’s been exploring the gumfields and reading Jane Mander’s classics The Story of a New Zealand River and Allen Adair. “Wonderful books.
“It’s a bit undiscovered here,” he says, “tucked away, a bit sombre, a bit more minor key and I love it. I’ve spent a large part of my adult life on the run in front of bulldozer blades.” The bard is in a purple patch. “But I never take a poem for granted – touch wood and face east.”
