WAIM 158: David Kilgour

David Kilgour and his older brother Hamish formed their band The Clean while they were still teenagers. The pair had fallen in love with the British Invasion sound that roared to life in their earliest years and incorporated it with the punk and new wave sounds happening in the late 1970s. Until their adolescent years, the Kilgours had lived an idyllic country lifestyle filled with long hours in nature and farm work. After moving to the city of Dunedin, the brothers quickly made the transition to “city kids”, as David puts it.Quite quickly The Clean began to make a name for themselves and began recording for the famed Dunedin label, Flying Nun. They would go on to record a legendary string of singles and EPs for the label through 1982 before going on a hiatus that lasted through the remainder of the 1980s. The Clean reformed for the 1990 LP Vehicle, and while their reformation would be sporadic, the band would go on to release a quintet of LPs between 1990 and 2009.In addition to his work in The Clean, Kilgour has released a spate of his own records both as a solo artist and with his band The Heavy Eights. He is also an acclaimed visual artist and painter. It’s clear from spending an hour with David Kilgour that he is a man who truly lives his life deeply immersed in art. During our chat we did our best to unpack the legendary Dunedin sound, and we explored the power and influence that punk had on the Kilgour brothers as they began to form their own band. Please be advised that David and I also discussed the impact of losing his brother to suicide in 2022.Join me now to look backwards and forwards with a bona fide New Zealand legend, Mr. David Kilgour.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C-------------------------End CreditsThanks so much to David for joining me. You can find out all about him and his work at https://www.davidkilgour.com/The What Am I Making podcast is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C.Our theme music was written and recorded by David J. Baldwin.You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it.Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show.You can email the show anytime at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe