Greg Fleming “Codeine Road”

1994-greg-fleming-codeine-roadNurofen Plus – it’s my wife and it’s my life. I’m not sure what this song is about. It might be about homebake, or it might be about debilitating lower back pain. All I know is that only Auckland could produce a gritty life-is-tough song based around an over-the-counter analgesic.

Regardless of the dramatic lyrics, the video is still pretty interesting. It’s shot around Karangahape Road when it was still seedy and grimy, a good decade before it started to get gentrified and all the pink bits moved away.

K Road regulars can be seen hanging around, and there’s even a shot of the old McDonald’s before K Road became too cool for a McDo. Another ’90s memory – the mural by the Baptist tabernacle that was all “No one comes to the father except through me”. Cut with this footage, Greg Fleming mooches around the area, sometimes with his bros, other times on his own.

I’m trying to think – was K Road scary and dark back then? Maybe it only felt that way if you were luxuriating in a warm blanket of Panadeine.

Best bit: the wistful looking lady holding an elaborately wrapped gift.

Director: Bruce Sheridan
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… for the children.

0 thoughts on “Greg Fleming “Codeine Road””

  1. Yet so little has changed on K-Road. This video as features members of The Trains band at the time – John Segovia (Shaft, Axlegrinders, Don McGlashan’s Seven Sisters), Rick McShane (Chainsaw Masochist, Black Swan White Swan) and Cameron Miller who went on to play bass for Mike Scott’s Waterboys. Rebekah Davies is the girl at the bar (Verona). ‘Codeine Road’ and thirty odd other of Greg’s songs were remastered and rereleased in 2010 as a 2 CD set. Greg is working on a new album now and still writing great songs about the Auckland environs. http://www.gregfleming.co.nz

  2. Old school K Road! Brilliant. I think Bruce directed this? It looks like his. I remember the song well however I had NO MEMORY of being in this particular clip until I stumbled across it here. I look like I’m about 12 years old; hanging out with a band at a bar; solo to boot. Tut tut.

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