An series following the fortunes of a young Kiwi band.
1) Dave Nelson has had enough of playing with Axis, a nightclub outfit that’s going nowhere. When he meets Peter. Knight at an audition there seems to be a new band in the making, but nothing’s that simple.
Dave: Michael Hurst
Peter: John Gibson
Ron: Jay Lavea Lagaaia
Maxine: Margaret Humbers
Philippa: Suzanne Lee
Singer: Grant Bridger
Sid: Alistair Douglas
Petshop owner: Bill Harman.
Writer Grant Morris
Producer/director Mike Smith
2) The band are rehearsing for their first gig. All they’re short of is 40 minutes of music to perform ---and some posters.
Peter: John Gibson,
Dave: Michael Hurst,
Ron: Jay Lavea Lagaaia,
Maxine: Margaret Umbers
Philippa: Suzanne Lee,
Chris: Philip Holder,
Frank: Richard Hanna,
Dave's Boss: Waric Slyfield,
Shopkeeper: Jonathan Hardy.
Writer Grant Morris
Producer/director:Mike Smith.
3) The police and the shopkeeper are serious about the charge - and the band are noticeably short of ready cash. Meanwhile Dave lines up their first pub gig.
Maxine Margaret Umbers
Peter John Gibson
Dave Michael Hurst
Ron Jay Lavea Lagania
Philippa Suzanne Lee
Chris Philip Holder
Shopkeeper Jonathan Hardy
Pub Manager Paul Minifie
Dave's Boss Waric Slyfield
Writer GRANT MORRIS
Producer/director MIKE SMITH
4) Dave, Max, and Ron struggle through a gig without Peter. Little do they know that he is being held at knifepoint.
Dave Michael Hurst
Ron Jay Lavea Lagaain
Maxine Margaret Umbers
Peter John Gibson
Phillipa Suzanne Lee
Chris Philip Holder
Writer GRANT MORRIS
Producer/director MIKE SMITH
5) The Mainstreet gig is only days away an the band knows they aren't ready. The confront Chris but the deal is not all it seems
Dave Michael Hurst
Ron Jay Lavea Lagaaia
Maxine Margaret Umbers
Peter Jobin Gibson
Philippa Suzanne Lee
Chris Philip Holder
Leslie Frank Whitten
Tony Peter McCauley
Brent Michael Morrissey
Musical director STEVE MCCURDY
Writer GRANT MORRIS
Producer/director MIKE SMITH
6) While Dave auditions with a heavy metal outfit, Max, Ron and Peter try out some prospective replacements. Then their gear disappears and suspicion falls on Leslie.
Dave Michael Hurst
Rin Jay Lavea Lagaaia
Maxine Margaret Umbers
Peter John Gibson
Philippe Suzanne Lee
Julie Vicky Haughton
Black Magnet Leader Gary Stalker
Doctor Vivienne Laube
Winter GRANT MORRIS
Producer director MIKE SMITH
7) Maxine tries to recover from the crash, while Leslie and Peter set about salvaging the gear. The pub gig is at risk and nobody's seen Dave since yesterday.
Dave Michael Hurst.
Ron Jay Lavea Lagaaia
Maxine Margaret Umbers
Peter John Gibson
Philippa Suzanne Lee
Julie Vicky Haughton
Leslie Frank Whitten
Doctor Vivienne Laube
Steve Roberts Kapa Kitchen
Musical director STEPHEN MCCURDY
Writer GRANT MORRIS
Producer/director MIKE SMITH
8) The band have recorded their first single - but Steve Roberts has bad news for them. Philippa confronts Peter about their relationship while Julie faces a difficult decision.
Dave Michael Hurst
Ron Jay Lavea Lagaaia
Maxine Margaret Umbers
Peter John Gibson
Philippa Suzanne Lee
Julie Vicky Haughton
Leslie Frank Whitten
Griffin Raymond Hawthorne
Steve Roberts Kapa Kitchen
Receptionist Rebecca Saunders
Musical director STEPHEN MCCURDY
Writer GRANT MORRIS
Producer/director MIKE SMITH
Story of rock band
Press, 20 October 1984
“Heroes,” says its producer and director, Mike Smith, is not a “Rock Follies,” nor is it “Fame.”
The eight-part drama series, which will begin on Two at 7 p.m. tomorrow, is about a rock band trying hard for a big break in the entertainment business.
It deals with the pub scene, with the ways in which a group starting out can get “ripped off’ by management — and even by friends. “Heroes” is also about the relationships that develop between members of the band and their associates.
The show’s producer grew up in Christchurch and had a brother who played in a band. “I always wanted to be in a band — I envied my brother,” says Mike Smith.
“Heroes” developed from a number of ideas Smith put forward for a television series that would appeal to a market aged 12 and upward. “About two years ago I felt that there was a dearth of programmes for the youth audience. We had a lot of ‘kidult’ series but nothing, in drama terms, aimed at these kids.
‘Heroes’ is an urban series, dealing with contemporary issues. I feel it is credible, interesting and above all, entertaining,” he says. “There are harsh realities in the entertainment business and in the recording industry, the pub scene. They create good dramatic situations. Of course, we have taken dramatic licence in a few instances.”
Smith and the writer, Grant Morris, who spent some of his teen-age years playing in a rock band, thoroughly researched the subject before committing themselves to the series.
“We talked to people in the industry, people who had been in bands, entrepreneurs, recording industry people. Some ideas are drawn from actual experiences.” Smith says he was a little concerned about some of the more outrageous stories Grant was writing but then someone would tell him a real life story that was even worse.
“The most common reaction we would get from people was that of ‘been there, done that,’ especially when we talked about the various rip-offs.” Smith faced an interesting dilemma when casting the series. Should he choose actors who could not sing or play musical instruments — or musicians who could not act but could play? He auditioned 250 people to find the four members of the rock band, and ended up with two musicians, one actor and one actress. The band did a month’s rehearsal as a musical group — the two non-musi-cians learnt music — and then went into the studio to
record the musical numbers for the series. Then it was into the television studios and time for the musicians to learn how to act. Was this difficult working with people who had never acted before? “No, you just work differently with untrained actors,” says Smith.
He recalls meeting John Gibson, who plays Peter in the series. “The character was supposed to be a good musician — serious and vague. Charming and absentminded. That’s what John is. I couldn’t believe it when I met him.
Jay (who plays Ron in the band) was also ideal casting. The series is a tribute to all of them because they have done well. It took a lot of work but the band can function as a band now.”
He worked closely with both Grant Morris and the musical director for the series, Stephen McCurdy.
“Stephen came to the auditions and was a great help in casting.”
The music, he says, did not come from a preconceived sound but developed from the actors, the musicians and Stephen McCurdy.
“Heroes” was filmed on location in Auckland pubs, at Mainstreet, Retro (now defunct), Progressive Music Studios and many other venues over 13 weeks.
Smith has directed “Radio Waves,” “Mortimer’s Patch,” “The Sullivans,” “Casualties of Peace,” episodes of “Both Sides of the Fence," and “Close to Home.”
Original songs in ‘Heroes’
Press 31 October 1984
Stephen McCurdy, formerly of Christchurch, is one of New Zealand’s most respected musical directors with a number of stage and feature film scores to his credit.
"Heroes,” screening on Two on Sundays, is the first television series he has written and scored in collaboration with another musician, John Gibson. It was a remarkable feat, he feels.
“We had a difficulty finding people who could handle all of the various aspects of the role. We looked at so many actors and musicians, looking for people who could handle the music while having a camera lens stuck in front of them,” he says.
He was extremely pleased with the four they finally cast in the band. “Their commitment was tremendous. They worked very hard — they got stuck in and for the little experience they had, they were brilliant. The studio is really exposing — there’s no hiding in there and the people did pretty well.” \
It took a while for Mr McCurdy to get accustomed to working with someone else. “There’s not a lot of co-writing but we both worked on each other’s songs,” he says.
“My Cousin the Cop,” “Vertigo” and “High Life” were dual compositions; “Fragile,” “Since I Saw You,” “Donna” and “Hey Mama” were written by Mr McCurdy; “Indifferent,” “Grafton Bridge,” “Head and Heart” (the title song) and “Name of the Game” were John Gibson’s numbers.
The music is more diverse than a band like “Heroes,” working the pub venues and clubs, would normally use, according to Mr McCurdy. “It’s a pretty broad selection. I wouldn’t like to categorise it.”
Comments