top of page
Notes from George Harrison
The third film should emphasise how awful a life it was to live their 24/7 lives. - At the office, the guys called it sugar rather than cannabis (at least among themselves). We call it coffee in one of my networks. This was before the Beatles got into cocaine. Other people at the office were on all sorts of things. - Klaus taught Paul how to ask for pegging in Hamburg. With fingers was common until my generation. One of my friends got told by Stephanie that there's a male
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
6 days ago1 min read
To the musicals people
I can't help but notice that the Guardian article from Tuesday regarding the difficulties the local scene is facing called out the West End for vacuous celebrity casting. Telling me to make a musical based on Weeded Out would be exactly the same. You'd trade on my connection to Sondheim and ignore The Perfumed Garden. I'm not famous because he thought I was good: it's my original songs and movies. What did I inherit from him? The ability to write convincingly in most idioms
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
6 days ago2 min read


.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
7 days ago0 min read


.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
7 days ago0 min read
Sir Peter on LOTR and racism
He reckons it captured what was there, rather than adding to it.
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
7 days ago1 min read
Song for Sue
Don said it was something he wrote after Andy was diagnosed with cancer.
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Jul 221 min read


To Bernard and Lynn
No, I'm not at risk of going to jail. They're lying to you. AMPP was banned until October for copyright violations, not defamatory content. Steve Barr is a lying sleazeball who doesn't want to lose the upcoming injunction. No, he didn't co-write the screenplay. All four episodes of Weeded Out are timestamped. He isn't on the list of collaborators, and there's a clear difference between that script and The Beatles Invade New Zealand, where Sir Paul was actively collaboratin
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Jul 221 min read
To Salina, Gemma New and Cassandra
Stop calling me a racist when you only want to talk to me thanks to my whakapapa. Dave A was fairly sure that I was Samoan; his wife knew my mother slightly. He hasn't brought it up.
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Jul 211 min read
'ok, no Shipwrecked songs; we'll use other ones'
No, it doesn't work like that. Steve Barr and associated producers have no legal right to my catalogue. As I said: if you can't get it funded without my IP, then you're defrauding me. - Mr. Barr and his mates at Disney have miscalculated. I've inherited money, and I'm going to seek an injunction.
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Jul 211 min read
Tūpuna - chords and lyrics
Dm7 Dbdim7 Eyes closing; mauri ebbing. Cmaj9 What are they seeing? Dm7 Dbdim7 From matter to stardust: D/C What are they hearing? Dbm7 Dbdim7 Rushed service, then ashes: Eb9 Can they still hear them? Dm7 Dbdim7 Each moment some linger, Cmaj9 so don't pull the trigger. Bbmaj7 They're calling us close, F Linking our whānau. Bbmaj7 They're calling us close G7 To our surroundings. Bbmaj7 They're calling
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Jul 201 min read
Everybody Loves Louis - revision
'Louis can only make his way/George can only make his' Bake makes no sense. It's one where it's clever in his mind, but weird. Another option: 'Louis can only make his way/George can only bake his' That's more like classic Sondheim.
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Jul 191 min read
Top 20 - my favourite songs that I've written
Your Scent Collective Memories On High Lattes on the Beltway No Disguises Reverie The Knight On My Couch Machine Fatigue Sing It From Your Heart Watch Her Go! Since I Was Romeo My Soul Shall Not Bend Chardonnay Socialists There Is One Among... Here and Now It's Gonna Sink In Unimportant Birthdays Celebrity Confession Industry White House Blues
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Jul 191 min read
'stop using'
No. A drug is typically defined as anything that, when ingested, alters consciousness. It's like if I told you to stop eating steaks or spicy meals, stop drinking Chardonnay, and then told you to stop taking your medications. Alcohol is a psychoactive drug. So is caffeine. So is kava. - That's my answer to my enemies. My drug use isn't seen as a clinical disorder.
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Jul 181 min read
Evidence of interference
Well, we've seen the hundreds and hundreds of pornographic images. We've seen the blackmail threats. We've seen the giant billboards that were erected to fuck with AMPP. We've seen targeted subscription emails being sent despite not having subscribed. This year, I've been taken off the air three times for spurious reasons. The first one was over deliberately literal interpretations of offhanded comments. The second one was over copyright violations. The third one was over
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Jul 182 min read
To The Greens
No, Steve Barr's film is not possible. Your insistence that I be Tina = no Auckland gigs. You have to agree to a sensible solution where Green staffers admit to being bigoted. No matter what you thought, I was ripped off and I'm filing an injunction. If Paul Wedel had been through the same thing, you'd have paid for his lawyers. If Guy Williams had been through the same thing, you'd have made it news. - Marama has to accept that she put her trust in the wrong people, chie
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Jul 172 min read
Forthcoming media circus
I've been very clear: if my allegations are taken seriously, then we'll do my hui. That will save oodles of time, while still punishing my perpetrators for civil liability. I'll give one hour-long interview, then journalists can investigate the story rather than making the victim into the subject of endless interviews and clickbait articles. - I'm expecting the media to cover the injunction. It's obviously newsworthy. If I'm not mistaken, Stuff ran a hit piece this year.
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Jul 171 min read
To Alice Snedden
Alice, you might actually end up in jail if you don't back off. Ainsley and Steve are almost certain to be charged. - Ms. Snedden, you're being an entitled bitch. I've made more TV and feature films than your total combined. How many features have you directed? I've directed six and produced another. I've made two 20-hour TV series and a bunch of music videos. I did them for less money, with virtually no state support. In fact, the machinery of the state was largely agains
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Jul 171 min read
'please read our script; you'll plotz!'
While I'm sure your derivative is also illegal, the injunction I'm planning to file regards the unauthorised use of my songs and the threats I've received. Those songs aren't replicable. You can't even sing them or get the chords right. I'm not a member of the NZ Writer's Guild (too pricey), but APRA has my back. As I say, Ella uses APRA. Marlon uses APRA. If you stole their songs, you'd be in court. - This is your fault for believing in all that status game garbage. Cas
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Jul 171 min read
IP war
Look, if you're going to threaten me over IP, make sure that you own it. Weeded Out is my legal property, not yours. Sorry: that's how copyright works. My original songs are registered with APRA. The script is timestamped. If the Film Commission gave out money, then they have egg on their face. If SPADA backed up the fraud, they've got more than egg on their face. It doesn't matter how much money you offer me, or how long you delay things. My lawyers already have my inheri
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Jul 172 min read
To my enemies
Look, have you even heard of common decency and good manners? If I've never met you or never spoken to you, then I'm not your friend. If you're attempting to avoid an injunction, you're simply out of time. You can either back off or go to the High Court with me. - Going to New York doesn't make you my friend. It makes you a jealous enemy. Even in a city that you want to live in, they're talking about Amanda and Taylor. I'm cooler than you. That's obvious. I'm not that ob
.jpg/v1/fill/w_320,h_320/file.jpg)
Amanda Riddell
Jul 162 min read
bottom of page