Music Plus with Winston Watusi watusi@thesun.co.nz

There is so much music to write about but, once again, this week death has intervened.

Local artist, musician, father, husband, and friend to so many, Dave Roy, has finally lost his long battle with cancer.

He was a remarkable guy, whose creativity was an inspiration.

Dave was not a trained artist or musician. Yet he recorded 15 albums and produced a huge number of artworks. A lot of it started as therapy. Occasionally through his life Dave had mental health issues; music and art helped. I'm sure he wouldn't mind me mentioning this. He certainly did: his Still Seeking Sanity exhibition centred bravely around those struggles.

That's why he started with music: at first just Tuesday sessions at The Boatshed with Nigel Masters, but after debut album, Consistently Erratic, he never stopped, once producing 3 full albums in a year. I wanted to write about Dave while he could read it. I've been talking to him about getting his music on Spotify and was holding off till then. Too late now.

Since he played rudimentary guitar and only sang a little, Dave's music existed through the boundless expanse of his creativity. Some albums were just his songs, others were “concepts”. On one every song had a different country and different drink; one was covers all sung to the tunes of different songs; one featured a different guitarist on each song.

The late Dave Roy. Photo: File.

Dave knew everyone, and everyone came in to play on his albums. Of course you did. Oscar Laven, Trevor Braunias, Mike Kirk, Derrin Richards, Grant Bullot, John Michaelz, Robbie Laven, Beano Gilpin, Marion Arts, Harry Prastiti, Dave Porter, Sonia Bullot, and many more...

Folk art 

I call it “folk art”. His music and art succeeded because of their ideas and their emotion, not through technical accomplishment.

Dave wasn't trained as a painter either but his sculptures – bronze and stainless steel – assembled stuff in unexpected ways, and later he did paint, again led by his creativity.

There was the mental heath exhibition and a striking collection commemorating World War One; I wish I had one of his early “crucified barbies”.

The late Dave Roy’s painting ‘Pablo Picasso and Tony Lane Do a Spot of Fishing While Enjoying a Nice Pinot Noir’. Photo: supplied

Now Dave’s gone. In all honesty, I feel nothing but depressed and sad. But another David, the great film director David Lynch – who coincidentally died on the same day – used to say: “Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.”

Funny, unique and clever 

Losing Dave has left a huge hole, not just for his family and friends but also Tauranga’s creative community.

I’ve got three of his paintings. One is Dr Who’s Tardis; one is a plaintive view of a Leunig-like figure. The other is bloody huge.

It takes an entire wall in the bedroom and is pure Dave through and through: Pablo Picasso and Tony Lane Do a Spot of Fishing While Enjoying a Nice Pinot Noir.

I keep my eye on it. It’s funny, unique and clever all at once, firing your imagination, making you both laugh and think. Just like my friend Dave. There is no playlist this week.