Recently, whenever I have plans to write about something, people die.

Is it something about this year? Because 2016 certainly seems to have been a particularly attritious time for the arts sector. At the risk of depressing y'all, before mentioning a groovy gig next weekend, I thought I'd briefly pause to tip the hat to three indubitably eccentric artists who touched my life and are no longer with us. First up let's salute the wild undisciplined talent that was film director Michael Cimino.

Michael is most widely known as the maker of ‘The Deer Hunter', one of the first fiction films to seriously confront the Vietnam War. It is a deeply personal and visceral film, mourning for a lost working class America torn apart by the draft, and terrifyingly tense in its war scenes. Great cast too – including De Niro, Walken and Streep. I remember it as a teenager in an English cinema, furiously puffing cigarettes – as you were allowed to in those days – to ride the horror of the 'Russian roulette” confrontations. And that conflicted melancholic ending still haunts.

There are three big Vietnam films from that time: ‘The Deer Hunter', the Coppola masterwork ‘Apocalypse Now', and Stanley Kubrick's ‘Full Metal Jacket'. And, by strange coincidence, the other hero of mine who died last week was the writer Michael Herr.

I was still at school when I read his definitive grunt's-eye-view book about Vietnam, titled ‘Dispatches'.

I would unhesitatingly recommend it. Herr also wrote the narration for ‘Apocalypse Now' and co-wrote the script for ‘Full Metal Jacket'. He was a helluva wordsmith. After the director's death produced a small book called ‘Kubrick', which is simply the best thing ever written about ‘Stanley'.

But back to Cimino, who moved from ‘The Deer Hunter' to ‘Heaven's Gate', a western so far over budget and length – of four-plus hours – and such a box office disaster that it effectively sank one of Hollywood's major studios, United Artists.

That was largely the end of Cimino's directorial career, though he made a cop film with Mickey Rourke, ‘Year of the Dragon', that I rather like. Great promise squandered perhaps but how many people even create one masterpiece? ‘The Deer Hunter' was that, a rare and special achievement, and ‘Heaven's Gate' wasn't far behind. Talking about Michael Cimino to a friend – in an 'everyone is dying” conversation – he mentioned Dan Hicks. Dan Hicks was a brilliant country/swing singer/songwriter.

Turns out he died in February. I hadn't heard so I'm guessing there might be others similarly unaware.

He wrote ‘I Scare Myself' and much else. I remember him at Sweetwaters with a fantastic swing trio. It seems a bit belated to go on about him now so all I'll say is please have a listen. Actually, watch him if you can. Just find whatever's on YouTube – it's all great and, as I discovered at Sweetwaters, the man had a way of dancing that needs to be seen to be believed! Okay. Enough death. Skipping jazz, folk, blues and everything rocky, I've got a classical gigs that might be of interest...Next weekend The Bay of Plenty Symphonia is putting on a fascinating-sounding concert at St Mary's Church on Cameron Rd. ‘Time Travels' presents classics that showcase the development of music from the Renaissance to contemporary times.

The programme stretches from the early 1600s and Monteverdi, through Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven and more to 1977's ‘Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten' by Paert.

Past president of the Symphonia Maggie Gething tells me that a big draw is their 'stunning violin soloist, Benjamin Morrison”.

'Ben is a highly talented New Zealander who is a member of the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera, two of the most prestigious orchestras in the world, as well as making a big name for himself internationally as a soloist and chamber musician,” says Maggie. 'We are so lucky to have him join us for this concert.” Even to a relative dilettante such as myself that sounds pretty damned impressive!
Things kick off at 3.30pm, and cost various amounts between $20 and $30. Check on www.iticket.co.nz.

There will also be door sales.

watusi@thesun.co.nz