RNZ Concert presenter Bryan Crump: My double life

This is the first in a new series where Kiwis share the side hustles, the hobbies or the dual careers that keep them busy. Bryan Crump is a Radio New Zealand Concert presenter and choir director

“I host the 3-7pm show on RNZ Concert, which is, as it says on the label, the programme RNZ Concert runs in the late afternoon/ early evening. It includes one interview but mostly it’s introducing and talking about music – and not talking too much because the music comes first.

Not talking too much is sometimes a bit difficult for me, but listeners remind me if I am going on a bit too much and not striking the right balance between enthusiasm for the music and actually playing it.

I like to think that people who are sharing their music with me actually give a damn about it, so I think a little bit of enthusiasm is good, but I am working on the balance.

In 2009, I co-founded and now arrange the music for the Doubtful Sounds Choir in Wellington. We rehearse on Sundays, even though I’ve got my evenings back now and could probably do it during the week.

That said, we’re cranking things up a bit now for the World Choir Games in Auckland next month. We’re doing four songs, starting with Slice of Heaven and then Fur Patrol’s Lydia.

We veer away from NZ songs to do Venus; Shocking Blue did it originally, but the Bananarama version is probably better known.

Then we’re going to finish with Batman – the theme from the TV series.

It’s got a great hook but it never had any lyrics apart from “Batman”. One of our singers, Garry Smith, has serious form in the Indie music world as a former member of the band The Body Electric that had a hit in the 80s with Pulsing. Anyway, he’s got a great voice and I could hear him singing some lyrics so I went ahead and wrote some.