Photo: Fane Flaws
Sometime late in the 20th century, Peter Dasent, Fane Flaws and Arthur Baysting - long-time collaborators and bandmates in outfits like The Crocodiles - began writing children's songs.
It began with Baysting and Flaws writing poems, then Dasent starting putting them to music. It grew into the children's book and CD The Underwatermelon Man and other Unreasonable Rhymes.
Fane Flaws; gone but not forgotten. Photo: supplied
It was a hit with kids of all ages. Twenty five years later, the book/album is getting a digital re-release.
Sadly, Fane Flaws and Arthur Baysting are no longer alive to share in the glory, but Peter Dasent was able to speak to RNZ Concert host Bryan Crump about the digital revival of the much loved children's album.
He told Crump it was easy persuading some of New Zealand's best singers and actors to sing or voice all the unreasonable rhymes - everyone from Bic Runga to the late John Clarke.
John Rowles; missed a trick in 1999. Photo: Supplied
The only performer to turn them down was John Rowles.
"Bet he's regretting that now," says Crump.
The main problem, 25 years ago, was finding a record company or publisher prepared to combine a CD and book in the one package, which was why Dasent and Flaws did it themselves through their company, Monkey Biz.
And there's still a reasonable number of unreasonable rhymes to come.
Peter Dasent. Photo: Alex Craig
Dasent tells Crump there's a large number, maybe two more albums' worth of Flaw's rhymes, that he's finally gotten around to setting to music.
Now he just has to find another lot of singers.
John Rowles, this is your chance to put things right.
