Roger Shepherd: My Life With Flying Nun

Roger Shepherd, the founder of iconic Kiwi independent record label Flying Nun, joins lifelong music fan, journalist and TV personality John Campbell to share the story of his life with the independent and much loved music label that has been taking the sounds of Aotearoa New Zealand to the world for nearly 40 years. For a worldwide community of music fans, Flying Nun is one of the most iconic independent record labels from outside the mainstream, defining a particular voice and sound of New Zealand. In 2016, the label’s founder penned his memoir In Love with these Times: My Life with Flying Nun Records. We invited Roger along to Going West for an animated and good-natured discussion with Flying Nun fanboy (and award winning journalist) John Campbell. The session begins with a heartfelt monologue from John, recounting his own discovery and deep love for “the Dunedin Sound”, as Flying Nun’s iconic output has often been called. Roger’s dry humour, honesty and humility shine through in the course of the conversation as he tells some fascinating tales from the label’s formative years. This session was a classic example of Going West at its best. A bright and sunny Titirangi afternoon, a friendly and engaged crowd, two relaxed guests swapping stories and jokes and insights, with the occasional interruption from a feral rooster strutting back and forth past the doors of the Titirangi War Memorial Hall.