World Famous in Dunedin
Had a great night out on the town in Dunedin last night. Started the socialisation at the University staff club around 3 pm having caught up for an old mate, Ross Blanch, for the first time in around 19 years. Ross was elected OUSA President in 1986 in a by-election when the then President quit to join the Labour Research Unit. Ross was actually declared the loser by one vote on the day voting ended (which prompted much alcohol to drown sorrows), but then the next day in the recount they found one vote had been placed in the wrong pile, and he then won by one vote (which prompted much alcohol to celebrate).
Nowadays he is very respectable managing the Clubs and Socs Centre, and is filling in for a year as the General Manager of OUSA. After drinks at the staff club with Ross and Andrew Geddis, I headed to the Cook to meet bloggers Bryce Edwards and Geoffrey Miller. Geoffrey does the ACT Watch blog “From Douglas to Dancing” and is just visiting Dunedin from Germany where he normally resides. Also in the group was a young Austrian socialist, who is here as part of her “masculinity studies” academic research. What a great research topic I thought – so she gets to study Kiwi males out on the town 
After a few drinks at the Captain Cook we went to Mou Very – the self titled Smallest Bar in the Universe.
It was here that the Austrian gained the impression that I am a famous person. As we squeezed through the alleyway, a guy in the alleyway looked at me and asked if I was David Farrar. Then as we went outside, I had a brief chat with the owner (who I had done some polling for in 2007 when he stood for Mayor). Then we sat down on the pavement seats and were engaged in an animated discussion when a gentleman walking past stopped and asked the group if one of us was David Farrar, as he had heard me on National Radio but did not know what I looked like. God – I know my voice can be distinctive but that is weird to be recognised on voice alone. The gentleman was actually visiting from Timaru. Then finally a few minutes after that a IT tech and his girlfriend passed by and greeted me.
We then headed further south to the Octagon and went to Pequeno, where the stag party had been the night before. The waitress of course greeted me by name, further cementing the impression everyone in Dunedin knows me. We then took a corner booth and had several rounds of cocktails. Pequeno is a gorgeous hidden away bar, and I recommend it thoroughly to anyone else visiting NZ. The booths even have curtains around them so you can have total privacy. Mind you the staff were a bit alarmed, when we pulled the curtains so we could take a photo of our Austrian colleague’s tatoo!
I am technically half Austrian, so was interesting to talk to about Vienna, as I am planning to visit there next year.
Finally got home on Saturday morning. Partying in Dunedin is proving to be very tiring, and I may need a holiday to recover from it!
March 28th, 2009 at 10:40 am
“Also in the group was a young Austrian socialist, who is here as part of her “masculinity studies” academic research. What a great research topic I thought – so she gets to study Kiwi males out on the town ”
So what have the current crop of “Kiwi males” got to do with “masculinity”, a trait that’s gradually by means of social custom in NZ, being suppressed in men and encouraged in women?
As well, that Austrian socialist would be hard pressed to find any evidence of it in any trendy student bar.
Good story though.
BTW, ever done any study on the roots of alcohol addiction Mr. Farrar?
March 28th, 2009 at 10:46 am
I think I saw you out last night actually, but I thought you wouldn’t want random blog commenters cramping your style
March 28th, 2009 at 11:07 am
The most glaring omission from David’s account of last night is the fact that nearly everyone he drunk with in Dunedin probably fit in some form or another under the label of “socialist”! He even took pleasure in generously paying for others’ drinks under the Marxist slogan of “from each according to their ability [to pay], to each according to their need [to drink]“.
The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy should just about have enough evidence to expel him. Hopefully.
Bryce
http://www.liberation.org.nz
[DPF: Bryce forgets to mention his delight in finding out how much I get paid by TVNZ, Radio NZ and NBR for various media activities, and as each round of cocktails would emerge he would toast thanks to NBR or TVNZ. Bryce toasting NBR surely warrants expulsion from the vast left wing conspiracy]
March 28th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Noted Bryce!
I had a great time checking out all the pubs in Dunners on my return late last year. There are some great places to go and have a few, and with a lot more atmosphere than bars I have drank at all over NZ. Highly recommended to all those Otagophobes!
March 28th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
And the picture of the tattoo is where???
[DPF: On my blackberry
]
March 28th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Sad you don’t know of connections in Austria David
They would’ve been very proud of you.
March 28th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
“BTW, ever done any study on the roots of alcohol addiction Mr. Farrar?”
The roots of alcohol addiction are genetic
Or was I missing some sarcasm?
March 29th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Possibly I am wrong here but I think the thrust of Wikiriwhis Business’ comments are that;
If your parents were drunk when they rooted then you are likely to become an alcoholic, for the roots of alcoholism are genetic.
If one takes that logic further, then the offspring of Greenie women are more likely, than others, to become alcoholic.
When one thinks of the likes of Stephanie Mills, one would have to be intoxicated to mate with her.