Concrete Playground Meets Tim Lambourne

in partnership with

Many people know Tim Lambourne for his knowledge of music and uncanny ability to talk about it for hours on end. His journalism background has seen him go from hosting George FM, fronting television shows, to spritely contributions in Metro Magazine and The Spinoff (you'll love his tale of how TV drama Suits saved him from a tenancy dispute).

But it is outside of the music and journalism world where more and more people are starting to take note. Yes he knows his music and my god can he chat. But Tim Lambourne the artist is where his attention now lies. We chat about his Asian and Tuakau roots, whether his career in comedy is still an option and his partnership with Tiger Beer on bringing the streets of Singapore to the streets of Auckland.

For further inspiration from Tiger Beer and information on their Streets of Singapore events, click here.

It is an absolute honour to have this interview with you. We have long admired your work. Without getting too deep on yourself, tell our readers who don't know you, who is Tim Lambourne?

I suppose the easiest way to describe my life is that I tell stories, which is a wanky way of saying I talk lots of shit.  Be it writing, radio and television, or photography.  I find it quite easy to jump between different mediums because different stories or ideas are better expressed with different forms.  With radio and television it's more fun, immediate and throw away.  With writing it's permanent, and you get more room to breath and let a story unfold, whereas with photography I enjoy communicating ideas in the abstract: moods and feelings to be interpreted any which way more than something concrete.

That was everything and more that we could expect in an intro question. Here is an easier one, where were you born, your roots?

Pukekohe Women's Hospital.  I spent my formative years in Tuakau, before moving into the city as soon as my student loan came through.

Makes complete sense. Anyway, we have long been following your career, you could say we launched it (jokes). But seriously, from the first Paper Pirates gig, through to your upcoming exhibitions. Where has this artistic streak come from?

I did art all through High School, then turned my back on it to chase journalism at AUT.  There is creativity required to be a news journalist, you're conjuring up stories that didn't exist previously, but I didn't like how news reports ultimately rely on facts and figures to get their points across. So I found myself gravitating towards art photography and narrative non-fiction.

Who do you draw inspiration from for your exhibitions?

My first solo photography exhibition, Tokyo Bloom, was a reaction to living in Tokyo, one of the most isolating and crushing urban environments in the world.

The Paper Pirates gigs are more about showcasing photography in a way that is accessible and democratic...there is no set theme to Paper Pirates, it's a bit of a free for all.  Which I really like about it.

Your recent travels to Asia, how has this had an effect on your creativity?

I have lived in a couple different cities in Asia (Hong Kong and Tokyo) and travelled through a large chunk of the region.  Because I'm Chinese I feel not only a strong connection to China, but Asia as a whole (I understand how ludicrous it is to bunch up so many cultures and histories into one word: Asia, but when you grow up in a predominantly white culture, where that word is thrown around as if it's just one people, it does take its toll, and bizarrely you do often think of yourself in those terms).  I think being Chinese, being Asian, has influenced me more than anything else.

In the case of Tokyo Bloom, and living in Japan, I was also influenced by the pursuit for perfection and excellence.  People don't strive for the best so they will be celebrated and praised, but because excellence is a reward in and of itself.  Whether you're making $8 ramen or $5000 shoes, creating something incredible is the goal.  It's not as if that doesn't exist in New Zealand, but we're so laid back, that often it can be hard to find the motivation to try and make something incredible.  I'm definitely guilty of that myself.

Are you a foodie? Which Asian eateries in Auckland are you a resident at?

I like cheap, fast, delicious Asian food, all of it.  So my spots are Food Alley, Wong Kok, PFC, Spicy House, basically anywhere that does a solid Wonton Soup, Duck on Rice, Tom Yum, or Laksa.

Working with Tiger Beer on their Streets of Singapore activations, what sort of music do you play at these events to reflect the streets of Singapore?

There is so much amazing stuff which is inspired by that part of the world from the likes of Bonobo, Onra and Flying Lotus, Tokimonsta and Gaslamp Killer.  It was pretty cool going deep into the Japanese beat scene.  OG heroes like Nujabes and Cornelius, but there's so much other stuff out there as well like Go Yama, Neiho and Mike Gao.

With your photography, how will you be working with Tiger Beer?

I've teamed up with Sam Lee and James Lowe to help Tiger uncage the experiences and vibrancy of street art, food and travel through photography on their Instagram @TigerBeerNZ. I have all of these images I shot on 35mm when I was travelling through South East Asia, so being able to showcase them to a new audience is awesome.  Plus I obviously shot a ton of stuff when I was working on Tokyo Bloom, so a few shots that people haven't seen from that series will go up as well.

You have even had a dabble at comedy? You getting back in front of the mic?

Ha. Maybe.

Well that's great. Thanks for your time Tim. To finish things up, tell us your favourite joke?

This is my friend Harry's joke which I'll steal.  How does the butcher introduce his wife? Meat patty.