Martin Phillipps with some vinyl from his collection up for sale. Photo:
One of New Zealand's most prominent and influential songwriters, Martin Phillipps from Dunedin band The Chills is selling his music collection, and it is no ordinary collection. Thousands of rare CDs, DVDs, posters and vinyl are being auctioned on TradeMe.
Phillipps' friend Bruce Mahalski, who runs The Dunedin Museum of Natural Mystery, has taken on the huge task of selling it.
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He gave Music 101 a tour of the collection and shares the stories behind the records that sparked the iconic Dunedin sound.
Mahalski first met Phillipps in the early 1980s Dunedin music scene, when many budding musicians came out of Logan Park High School or Otago Boys' High School, and was himself a member of the Flying Nun band Crystal Zoom.
"Martin and me have been friends for a long time, and we both share an interest in the paranormal - like ghosts - and this was one of the things that cemented our friendship: we're both very interested in the Romantic and literature."
One of the items in Mahalski's private museum is a "very scary-looking doll" that Phillipps found at the then-ruined Larnach Castle when he was a boy. Flying Nun memorabilia is there, too.
The idea for the current sale first arose when Mahalski was living with Phillipps several years ago, when he moved back to Dunedin and was house-hunting.
"I noticed even back then that the house needed work, so I started talking to him - [along with] other friends and family."
The sale was the result of a "long discussion" with Phillipps, he said, and had needed to wait until Phillipps was ready.
Phillipps was a "mad collector", including vinyl, videos, DVDs, tapes, and music posters, as well as classic books, toys - and mummified cats, Mahalski said.
"You name it - there isn't much that Martin hasn't collected at one time or another."
Over the years, Phillipps also collected every single Flying Nun release in both cassette and vinyl format - the cost of which came out of his album royalties.
"He's a completist," Mahalski said.
Items for sale will be listed every couple of weeks on a dedicated Facebook page, and currently included:
- The Clean's first single, 'Tally Ho'
- The Androidss 'Auckland Tonight'
- A Toy Love EP
- Proud Scum and Terrorways EP
"He is not selling everything - there is so much, and some things that are very precious to Martin obviously he's going to hang on to."
Many of the items such as 'Tally Ho' were rare, and limited-edition, Mahalski said.
"I remember walking down Cumberland Street in Dunedin and bumping into a friend who'd just bought it in 1981, and the three of us just standing round and looking at this bit of vinyl - the first seen from a local band, and it [was] like, 'Holy cow! This is possible. You can release a record living in Dunedin.' I can't explain what a mind-blowing concept this was back then."
There was a lot of international interest in the Flying Nun back catalogue, and bids had already come in from overseas.
"I don't want to go into the prices, because I don't want anyone to think there's [price] gouging going on here, but we are trying to fix Martin's house... and we're going to take the best offer."
The sale is expected to go on for more than a year, and comics, books and posters would be sold for a "very reasonable" price.
Every item sold would include a note from Phillipps stating it had been part of his collection.
"As you get older you get crankier and crankier, and I just hope our friendship survives this!" Mahalski said.
