THE PLEAZERS
Interview with Shane Hales
by Andrew Tidball

On 6 September 2007, we told you about Wild Things - a showcase event featuring original line-ups of some of New Zealand's most exciting 1960's rock and roll and R&B bands that will take place on Saturday 17 November. [read the artical here]

On 1 November 2007 Shavaughn Ruakere from C4 confirmed what many of us had suspected of her for a while now when she asked, dizzily, "Did they even have R&B in the sixties?"

The very next day I got to speak to one of New Zealand's rock and roll legends Shane Hales, who, before his own solo super-stardom, was one of The Pleazers two lead vocalists.

When you're interviewing someone who has been in the music business for longer than you have been alive (especially when you are as old as me!) you pretty much just let them do the talking.

Here is Shane, doing the talking...

THE PLEAZERS L-R Dennis Gilmore, Ron Peel, Peter Newing, Shane Hales, Billy London and Bruce Robinson seated. PHOTO COURTESY OF www.sergent.com.au

COT : I heard that The Pleazers got banned from New Zealand televsion...

SHANE: (laughs) That was just before I joined the band - I can remember seeing that performance. It (NZ society) was pretty weird back then, everything was so straight. But all it was really was that they came on and they had long hair. It was a bit of a novelty... Well, I rememberthe violin thing of Granada and it was out of tune and it quite hilarious, it was just a total piss-take, really, it cracked me up. And they just had two vocalists banging around and rolling around on the floor. Shortly after that they were supposed to go on a national tour of high-school but all the schools cancelled. But of course, they were resident band at The Galaxie and The Shiralee and a few months after that I was asked to join, and i jumped at the opportunity.

COT: So what was the story behind you joining the band?

SHANE: All I heard was that Bob got the sack. I was singing with my brother as a duo Shane and Steve at the Shiralee. I was approached, my brother Steve was asked to joined The Layabouts at the same time. Both The Pleazers and The Layabouts were resident bads at the Sheralee. They used to have one band on one stage and one on the other - we'd play the same song and cross over.

COT: So was it pretty wild times?

SHANE: Well, we were renowned for wild parties at the house where we lived. So much was going on - naked women riding horses through the house, the fire brigade being called....

COT: Wait up, naked women on horses?

SHANE: (laughs) She came through one night, an ex girlfriend of one of the guys , on a horse....

If you read Dennis's book about all the hijinks that went on.. A Drummers Tale, I think it's called....

We did all sorts of things - funeral directors would show up looking for the body, and stuff like that... a game started when we would ring up places and order stuff we didn't need. We'd have people arrive to measure up "Mrs Peel" for a corset - that was our bass player John... the police were always knocking on the door checking us out - they weren't looking for drugs or anything - it was all quite innocent fun - nobody got hurt or anything.

COT: (laughing) So you came to New Zealand from the UK?

SHANE : I left England in 1960; I emigrated to Australia - I lived there for a couple of years and then I moved here with my brother.- so we came here in 62 or 63. Of course when I came here it was quite a shock - I remember landing at Whenuapai Airport, which at the time was the international airport. I remember everyone in Australia teasing me that I was going to "the Shaky Isle" - i lived in fear of earthquakes for the first few months.

COT: I imagine it was quite a culture-shock moving to NZ in the early sixties?

SHANE: Yeah that it was all very quiet here - everything closed early. They had late-night Thursdays. But it's getting there now isn't it (laughs)

COT: Had you had much musical experience before you came to NZ?

SHANE: It's a cliched story but I was in the church choir and I can remember the nun; I used to sing louder than anyone else; and she'd used to say "One day you'll be on the BBC, I'm certain of it." I was absolutely mad-crazy on rock and roll - of course the Beatles hadnt really arrived at that time - it was pretty much Buddy Holly, Adam Faith, The Shadows and people like that.

COT: But when you came here was it feasable to make a decent living as a musician?

SHANE : Oh yes (emphatically), when i arrived I had a job as a linesman for the post office and I was earning about seven pounds a fortnight and then I joined The Pleazers I was on twelve pounds a week.

COT: So you were on a wage with the band?

SHANE: Yeah, it was like an hourly rate - we played the Galaxie and we were there till midnight every night of the week apart from mondays and Tuesdays, when we finished at eleven. It was seven nights a week. I as probably working more hours but I had more money in my pocket and was having fun so it was alright!

COT: So, people hungry for music here then?

SHANE: Oh yes, very. We had an exciting thing going on. It was like the same buzz as '77 thing with The Sex Pistols. The whole sixties explosion was huge here; it was so exciting; the vibe going round was great - everyone was just happy and just getting down and enjoying music. There were lunchtime gigs. It was just full on. We'd finish one gig and then haul all our amplifiers up the road from the bottom of Queen Street up to Durham Lane to the Top Twenty to a Midnight Rave and go till four in the morning. We were doing twelve hours a night some nights and then we'd do an afternoon set the next day!

COT: To thhe same crowd?

SHANE: There were two sets really, The Top Twenty set - you'd play to a different crowd at The Galaxie - if you played The Top Twenty they were a bit snootier. Everyone was very supportive of their own club - but we managed to cross over - we were just party animals I guess.

COT: So you are playing with a whole host of other acts on the 17th - do you remember them from back in the day?

SHANE: Oh, yeah, I knew the Breakaways from Wellington - that's Midge's band; I've known Midge for years, I see him a lot at different birthdays and gatherings.

We knew Peter Nelson & The Castawyas in Sydney. When we finished work at The Bowl at midnight we'd go down to this late night place The Hawaiian Eye where they were resident - all the gangsters and that used to hang out there. But we got to know them quite well going there - and we knew them over in Christchurch when we played there.

And the Chants - We always came across each other on our tours because we were always keen to check each other out. the thing that always sticks in my mind is that there was not a woman involved - it was an all-male domain.

It was just the way it was i think. Guys strapped on guitars and girls screamed! But I think it was that early sixties mentality still of girls became housewives and have babies - girls weren't encouraged to get out there - especially not to dance around stage and carry on.

COT : Have you been practicing?

SHANE: Not yet - the rest of the guys are in Australia - but we've been communicating and we've worked out or set list....

COT : How many songs you playing?

SHANE : We have got an hour set - I think maybe we got too much - I think we're on last - so hopefully we can just rock out! Last time we got together (1993 Galaxie reunion) to play in as unbelievable - the energy levels - it's hard explain it - it was like, it was weird, it was like this thing had been strapped down for so many years and then all of a sudden we were unleashed on stage and it just flew along!

COT : Wow - I am really looking forward to it!

SHANE: So am I - I'll see you there!

COT: Yeah, for sure, I can't wait. Anyway thanks for your time today.

SHANE : It was my pleasure.