Dylan Taite: NZ music’s lifetime achiever

Dylan Taite: NZ music’s lifetime achiever

You could say of the late Dylan Taite that his boots were made for talking.

That’s because he is renowned for snaring an interview with the late great king of reggae Bob Marley by taking his soccer boots to the maestro’s press conference.

Former television music reporter and producer Dylan has been honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s New Zealand Music Awards.

The award has been presented to Dylan’s sons by the president of the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand, Michael Glading.

Mr Glading says Dylan is incredibly deserving of one of the New Zealand music industry’s highest accolades.

“This year’s recipient is someone who, throughout his life, has never looked for recognition, nor wanted it. Dylan Taite was a true friend to our industry, someone we miss enormously, someone who always tried to help, particularly New Zealand musicians.”

In a music story almost as legendary as its subject, in 1979 Dylan ended up playing soccer with Marley and his cohorts after the singer chose not to talk to Auckland journalists at a scheduled press conference.

Needless to say, the reporter got his interview and bits of it still appear when the media examines the Jamaican’s life.

Dylan Taite was also renowned for his laconic, laid back style and penchant for quirky interview locations such as darkened lifts. An interview with former Velvet Underground stalwart Lou Reed apparently was conducted in a chemist shop.

Dylan has a musical heritage being born in Liverpool and, after coming to Auckland, becoming a drummer in the band The Merseymen in the 1960s working under the stage name Jett Rink.

He began his journalism career at the Waikato Times as a proof reader and moved to a Hamilton radio station before making the transition to television in 1970. Most of his TV career was spent with TVNZ apart from a short stint with TV3 in the early ‘90s.

Dylan Taite, who died in January, was most recently producing TV One’s current affairs programme Sunday.

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