Listen To Older Voices presents the stories, views and opinions of our older citizens. It is predominantly in a life & times format, with interviewees reflecting upon their lives from earliest memories. An underlying principle of the program is to promote the concept of positive ageing, reinforcing the principle that older people have & continue to make a valuable contribution to both their local & wider community.

 This is the the 3^rd and penultimate program featuring the story of NZ born and Australian icon of music – Mike Rudd.

A Baby Boomer Mike was grabbed by the sweeping changes in music that swept NZ and indeed the world, in the 1960’s.

He arrived in Australia in 1966, joined the party machine before meeting Bill Putt, his lifelong friend a music compatriot. It was then that when Mike formed the brilliant and much loved Spectrum and its spin-off Murtcepts.

Mike is totally driven by a desire to produce quality music and original music. We learn more about another of his groups – Ariel. In discussing Ariel we learn of the various brilliant musicians that went through its various formations.

In his desire to push music boundaries Mike write what he calls his rock opera – Jellabad Mutant

We also learn why, in Mike’s opinion, it never became the success he had hoped for.

His story includes how the second version of Ariel with Mike and Bill Putt, headed for England in search of success.  Discover why the recording contract offered to Ariel Version I, was changed after he arrived in the UK with Ariel version II. This was to Mike’s dismay. In order to get gigs, the band was forced to go back to revisions of Spectrum songs.

So many stories which include one about recording at Abbey road studios, not all that long after the breakup of the Beatles. Yet it’s the shock of losing his long-time friend, Bill Putt, that affects him most.

Click to hear – Mike Rudd – Part 3

[Listen To Older Voices receives funding from the Commonwealth 
Government through the Commonwealth Home Support Program Program]