There is a rather perplexing conundrum I have been wrestling with of late. When does an iconic band merge into little more than a tribute band? An example of this was when “The Hollies” toured NZ last year. Since their halcyon days of the ‘60s there has been no fewer than nineteen different members entering and leaving their line up, all of whom can lay claim to being a “Hollie”, with only the lead guitarist Tony Hicks remaining from the original line up. The distinct lead vocals of Allen Clarke departed in 2000. So was it worth the price to see the Hollies live? It would have been but this band was the Hollies in name only, so I gave it a miss. Could you imagine The Beatles with only Ringo Starr remaining from the original line up?
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Politics is much like that. For fifty years I have been a National Party groupie but of course, hundreds have appeared and disappeared from their line up since I cast my first vote in the sixties. They too have merged over the years into a tribute National Party. This year under the leadership of Judith Collins they have at last found a lead vocalist who sings in tune. Not as distinct as the original, but much better than most. Then you have the young whippersnapper who’s ACT is destined to take over the charts which were once dominated by National. There is no telling for taste though, as the sickly singing nun still clings to number one.
There is no greater example though than the Green Party’s transforming itself from its earnest origins into a tribute party. In their heyday, the hills were alive with the sound of music but today they are living proof that Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious, of Sex Pistols fame, sowed many seeds whilst touring New Zealand, most of which bloomed into Green MPs but without the questionable talents of their donors.
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