Rememories of Throw's 'All Different Things' video, with Greg Page, Justin Harris and Kirstin Marcon

​A couple of weeks ago, Failsafe Records re-released the magnificent 1995 ‘Rememory’ album by Christchurch indie dreampop band Throw. I’m not going to review the album here – it’s brilliant, and you either know it already, or you are on your way to listen to it right now. Anyway, Failsafe bands used to get a lot of airplay on Contact 89FM back in the day, and we still love every new release Failsafe’s Rob Mayes sends HUP’s way. But Hamilton has a special connection with the Rememory release, in particular, with the video for their exquisite single ‘All Different Things’ having been shot here – largely on location at our once much-loved Metropolis Caffe. So, to give a tangential Hamilton spin to mark the album’s 30 year anniversary re-release, we spoke with three former Hamiltonians about their memories of the making of the video; the video-maker Greg Page, and the central characters in the video, mad-scientist Justin Harris and love-interest Kirstin Marcon. 

HUP: Greg, how did you develop the concept for the ‘All Different Things’ video?

​Greg: The ‘All Different Things’ concept was me trying to combine the Frankenstein idea with my own style, which was slowly forming. It's fun to look at it now and marvel at how much stuff we got in the clip. All the props and stuff. All the help and people acting. In hindsight, it's amazing. I went all in to get all the elements. Metropolis Caffe as a location, lots of paper mache and bespoke robots made with trash…

Justin did a great job and has the best cartoon eyes. Marky Mark was the drummer. I painted his kit as a thank you. It's cheesy and Hammy and like most narrative clips drags in the middle, but I still get a giggle at the awkward presentation of the flowers that leads to the Kirstin ‘dream girl’ getting hit by Andy Newth’s Mercedes. I wouldn't try to make a clip with that narrative and that huge amount of visual treatment now. I'm older and lazier and understand how much $5000 actually is. But back then, I had a million bucks worth of drive and energy. 

HUP: I know so many of your videos, but in the mists of time I can no longer place them all in context. Where were you at in your career at this point, and how did you come to the attention of Rob Mayes at Failsafe, or the band, to make this video?

Greg: This clip was pretty early in my clip making career. I was at Waikato Polytech in Hamiltron at the time. I think we hired in a 16 mm film camera and used lights from the Polytech. I also had access to the edit suite there, so I would have cut it myself at nighttime... I ended up failing my degree in the third year because I missed too many core classes. On the other hand, I made between five and ten clips outside of class and essentially worked my way into the film industry that way. I made a couple of ‘Throw’ clips. And did a bunch with Failsafe. Rob Mayes was the first record company person to give me a shot and trust me.

[A little while later…]: I made this massive list of all the clips I've made, funded and unfunded.  The total is 96!!  The first actual NZ on Air clip was Inchworm’s 'Come Out, Come Out', and Throw would have been the year after that, so definitely one the first twelve clips I ever made. It makes me think I had better lift my game if I wanna hit a century of clips!
 
Fun fact: I made a claymation clip from the Throw song 'Honey Blonde’: I built a miniature drum kit for a claymation drummer to play. Then I re-used that kit with the mighty Rob Talsma playing it in the Inchworm ‘Shine' clip. Hehe.
 
HUP: The NZ on Air logos were ubiquitous in New Zealand videos at this point, but you added a twist here, with the logo found spinning immersed in a liquid in some kind of scientific glassware. Is this the one that got you into a little bit of trouble?

​Greg: Back then I always tried to make the NZ on Air logo fit the clip. I've never read the actual fine print of the NZ on Air grants. I knew the required size and placement of the logo on any NZ on Air clip and always met that rule. I've always believed the logo stood out more and was better received if it had a point of difference.

HUP: Justin, you were pretty much the main character. Was there any prior acting experience needed?
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Justin: No, I don't think so. My only acting experience was playing a guest at a dinner party in one of Kirstin's student films and a drama course at university. It probably helped that it was a music video so I didn't have to say any lines - that would be a bigger giveaway of no talent for acting. I was very excited to be involved in the music video for one of my favourite New Zealand songs. I know you didn't ask, but I was a massive Throw fan, and I remember in the very early ‘90s trying to get a CD copy of their EP, and not being able to find it. Finally I managed to track it down on a trip to Auckland, I think. Then to be in the video was a wonderful opportunity. I have no idea why Greg asked me, but presumably he was blinded by the hair.

HUP: Kirstin, you played the love-interest to Justin’s mad scientist. How did you come to be involved in the video?

Kirstin: I was at film school with Greg, at Waikato Polytech. I was the year ahead of him, but he was–by far–the most prolific and hard-working student, making the most amazing stuff, and working on external projects like music videos, way outside the set projects. He fully embodied the idea of film school being about access to gear and made the most of being able to work around the clock. Our tutor Paul Swadel had been frustrated by his experience at Ilam, where there was one project brief a year and limited access to equipment. So, he ensured that we had 24-hour access to everything, the first AVID at a film school in New Zealand, and a lot of great projects. But Greg took it way further than anyone else. He was an inspiration. I hope no one reads this and feels offended, but I think it’s true! To an extent that was demoralising almost... I’m pretty sure I must have offered to crew on his work in order to be doing more myself! And partly because I wanted to make music videos too, but was far too shy to broach it to anyone. 

I helped him out with a few projects as a crew member, but it was both exciting and slightly scary to be asked to be onscreen in this one. The other reason is that I loved Throw, loved the album, and loved ‘All Different Things’ in particular.
 
HUP: I knew you then, and I have seen you a bit recently, but in this video you are absolutely unrecognisable. What did they do to you?!

​Kirstin: Haha! Greg gave me a red curly wig, and I think his lovely girlfriend at the time, Rebekah (I hope I’m spelling that correctly) gave me a silent film makeup job. Then I just did my best to do what I was told and not smile constantly (my default expression). I also bought a nun-like black dress which I wore for years afterwards.

HUP: Do you remember what direction you got on the night, and how the story was explained to you?

Justin: I like how you expect anyone to remember things from that long ago. Umm, no idea. Probably just the usual direction of "Do it again, but good this time."
 
Kirstin: I distinctly remember how much fun it was. We were in Metropolis Caffe after hours and, as always, Greg’s exploding creativity turned it into a mad scientist setting for a reanimated band, all designed to express feels to a lady. 

My job was to stay still, and try to be a mysterious silent era ingénue. Greg is a fabulous director. I was nervous but he definitely put me at my ease, gave me reassuring direction, and made it fun. His energy and enthusiasm carried everyone through, but we were all into it anyway. I loved this time at film school–and in my twenties–when working all night on creative projects was just part of every week. And perfectly for me I was a small part of the video, and not the main performance it rested on as Justin was.
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Greg’s vision for the whole thing is so fabulous and well realised. He made or helped others make all the props from scratch, did or oversaw all the production design, storyboarded, directed, edited, produced, probably did a tonne of other stuff too. I put together a selection of music videos from Hamilton bands recently from the Contact 89FM era; about two-thirds of them directed by Greg, and all really, really good and madly creative. It’s hard to imagine the music scene of that time without his contributions. It was amazing to see just how many videos he made, and some that at first glance weren’t even obviously his, as he tried out different styles and genres. ‘All Different Things’ didn’t make the cut as Throw were from Christchurch, but it’s one of my favourites of Greg’s. Even down to the lovely touch of the NZ ON AIR logo in the specimen jar. 

This being the ‘90s and me being a tall girl who’d grown up on solid home cooked meals in the country, I was of course anxious I was going to be too heavy to carry. Justin staggers very convincingly. I’m not sure to what extent it’s acting!
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I think Justin is fantastic in the video, as are the band. He really projects believable emotion, and luckily he carries the story, because to be honest I think it’s definitive proof I belong behind the camera and not in front of it! But it was an incredibly fun experience, and I loved being involved, and I can say I’ve been directed by Greg Page in a video for one of my favourite songs in which I died and was on the verge of being cut open and reanimated–which is ridiculously cool. 
 
HUP: Justin, do you have any other particular memories of the experience?

​Justin: Again, memory problems. I only really remember the order of filming. We filmed the ending early on. The lab stuff was done somewhere in the Polytech, I think. Actually, we spent a fair bit of time at the Polytech in those days. That's where Greg was often editing stuff, and we filmed at least part of two Inchworm videos there too. The cafe stuff in Metropolis was done late at night after they closed, I think. Then we went back to the Polytech to film the carrying Kirstin bit. I don't know if there was a fog machine involved or if we were waiting for some authentic Hamilton fog and that's why it was the last thing filmed. Then again, this could all be wrong. I'd suggest listening to what the others say and go with that as fact.

HUP: Kirstin, you are a screenwriter and film director, famous enough to have your very own proper Wikipedia page! Do you see this a stepping stone on your way to that?

​Kirstin: Well, you know the truth about the Wikipedia page. And Paul Swadel’s password is lost to time. I’ve considered writing to Wikipedia and explaining he made it to help me promote my film at the time, but I’m worried explaining would be a road to nowhere. [HUP: should we tell Kirstin that any page on Wikipedia is editable by anyone?]

I think being at film school with someone as hardworking and prolific as Greg was genuinely a stepping-stone - in terms of seeing evidence of what was possible if you genuinely went for it. I am more of a slow burn person, who’s made an order of magnitude less work than Greg, but I figured out my own path and somehow have just kept going. I’ve been working on scripts for a new project for years now but nothing has been right to go ahead with, although it’s starting to come together now... I am just grateful to Greg for the inspiration and showing me what was possible. It was also incredible to get to come through film school in the nineties. We didn’t realise sexism would be a thing we had to deal with. We had never heard the phrase 'self-care', and no one thought that sleep was something to prioritise. We all thought that the only thing that mattered was the work. I’m super glad that was my era, even as I’m glad some things have since changed for the better. The Hamilton music/film school/Contact 89FM scene was an incredible thing to be a small part of. 

Find Rememory on Bandcamp, or in the meantime, listen to the wonderful 'Wishes From Her Heart', below:

- Ian Duggan