Over a decade in the making, Swagger of Thieves charts New Zealand rockers ‘Head Like a Hole’ from the top of the charts to the bottom of a needle. Struggling to place past addictions and sabotaged dreams behind them, band founders and co-conspirators Nigel Booga Beazley and Nigel Regan walk the hard road out of hell in their continuing quest for rock music relevance.

Interview with Director/Producer Julian Boshier

Watch Swagger of Thieves on Vimeo on demand, DocPlay and Arovision

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I had been making music videos for numerous bands and artists in New Zealand for a few years. One band that I was particularly attracted to was Head Like a Hole. They possessed a degree of danger and derangement – this appealed, not only for music video purposes, but also for my personal reputation; I kinda liked the idea of working with the premier, drug addicted outlaws of New Zealand rock.

My relationship with Head Like a Hole had already spanned 16 odd years, when I suggested the idea of a documentary. I was looking for a challenging personal project; something that was more substantial in scope than what I had been doing previously.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

Right from the outset I was clear in my mind that I did not want to simply make your traditional band profile film. I wanted to deliver a film that would contain a strong human story; and the band would act as the backdrop, a film that could appeal to a broad non-fan audience.

I have had a lot of feed back from people (including elderly people) that do not know anything of the band or their history, and the response is unequivocal in that the film is in certain ways bigger than the band – it’s a film about friendship, addiction, struggle but also ageing, responsibility, reconciliation and laughter. Everybody agrees that to enjoy this film – you do not need to know about this band, but you will defiantly learn something about what it is like to be in a band.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

I started out with no script and no master plan. When dealing with Head Like a Hole, you never quite know what is going to happen so I have learnt that the best approach with these guys is just to hang out and shoot. I started to develop threads and sequences, but always in my mind I would semi edit and question if I had enough for a scene or the ability to resolve a thread. So I was always mindful of what I was doing, but equally just going with the flow. What the band presented I usually went along with.

My only setups were my base IV’s, where I wanted to gain certain relevant information or context. I think the key for me, was working out what I didn’t want to shoot. Eventually I arrived in the edit suite with a huge amount of material and a vague idea of what the film would become, but getting started and making some initial progress was very difficult; due to the monumental task and scope that faced us.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The New Zealand media was the first to respond, via quite extensive print and media coverage. I held a couple of media screenings and thus the film was generally received with shock and awe. The journalists had plenty to write about. Not many films if any, have come out of New Zealand, showing such an explicit display of bad behaviour and lunatic antics (ie needles and nudity). Head Like a Hole do have a reputation that precedes them, and for that reputation to be witnessed and confirmed via this film - the media and subsequently the general audience, found it be very insightful and entertaining but equally quite dark and brutal.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

The incredible feedback was a relief – as during the two years of editing, the project was happening ‘under the radar’ - very few people knew about it, and though I did have the intention to bring in some professional colleagues for feedback, that never actually happened. So for those two years, nobody saw what Eddie Larsen (editor) and I were doing. I guess I had a quiet confidence, and we had reworked most scenes several times, so I knew that from an editing perspective we had done a good job and the result was something quite unique and a fitting testament to the band.

The first few reactions from the initial couple of screenings made me feel incredibly relived in that it was confirmed that I hadn’t just wasted over ten years of my life and hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Interview: June 2018

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Swagger of Thieves

Length: 106 minutes

Director: Julian Boshier

Producer: Julian Boshier

About the writer, director and producer:

JULIAN BOSHIER works within the NZ film and television industry – he has produced and directed numerous music videos and shot a number of television documentaries. Based in Auckland, NZ – Swagger of Thieves is Julian’s first feature project.

Key cast: Nigel ‘Booga’ Beazley, Nigel Regan, Mark Hamill, Andrew Durno, Tom Waston, Mike Franklin-Browne, Andrew Ashton, Tamzin Beazley

Looking for: Distribution

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Swaggerfilm/

Twitter: @Swaggerfilm

Official website: http://swaggerofthievesfilm.com/index.html

Funders: Self-funded (Post assistance, New Zealand Film Commission)

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? MDFF (14 July)