The Chronicle Q&A with Stanley Manthyng: Matariki reflections, dinner with the Don and painting modern icons

Whanganui artist Stanley Manthyng with the David Bowie portrait he was working on when the artist died in 2016. Photo / Bevan Conley

You are known as a visual artist, musician and house renovator - are there other strings to your bow that people don’t know about?

I enjoy beading - I buy old necklaces from second-hand shops and create beaded curtains. I also love gardening and have a beautiful garden.

You are working on a new collection of paintings right now. Can you tell us what the theme is and who some of the subjects are?

The theme is iconic movie and music stars from the last century including people like Sade, Tina Turner and Grace Jones, to name a few, and they are looking amazing.

Debbie Harry of Blondie is one of your favourite subjects and she is also a friend of yours. How did you meet her and form that connection?

My friend Matt is the keyboard player with Blondie and has been with them for about 13 years. When they come to New Zealand to play, Matt always gets me free tickets and backstage passes, so I’ve hung with them a few times. I’ve loved her since I was a child, so it’s been amazing to have the opportunity to meet her and hang with her - she’s really nice.

Stanley Manthyng plants a kiss on Debbie Harry's famous cheekbone after a Blondie concert at Spark Arena in Auckland.

You’ve been in Whanganui for a long while. What keeps you here and why is it preferable to the larger cities you’ve lived in?

Yeah, I’ve been here for about eight years now. The people keep me here, the art keeps me here, the music keeps me here. I really love Whanganui and I spend time in big cities still, but couldn’t live in a bigger city now. I don’t think I have got the energy as I’ve got older to keep up with what’s going on in large cities.

What are your favourite things to do in Whanganui when you have time off?

I eat out a lot, I hang with friends, I go to the beach and I go watch people play music.

What is your favourite film of all time and how many times have you watched it?

There’s a couple. I love Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? - that’s so over-the-top and pairing Joan Crawford and Bette Davis up against each other was a stroke of genius. I also love John Water’s Desperate Living. It’s way too funny and I’ve probably seen that 20 times - I know it word for word.

What recent music have you been listening to and do you have a favourite artist?

I listen to a lot of house music and I love going to see local DJs play at different venues. I haven’t got a favourite artist at the moment and if I’m at home I usually resort to listening to some old-school reggae, to tell the truth.

Name three famous people (living or dead) you would like to host at a dinner party and why would you choose them?

Probably, Grace Jones in the hope of experiencing some drama. Donald Trump to see if he really looks like a terracotta pot. And Jennifer Coolidge because I think she’s amazing and she would be a good laugh. We could cause some trouble together.

You have tried a number of vocations but was there a career path you might have followed when you were younger?

I probably should have put more effort into acting. I was cast in a lead role in a movie one time but halfway through filming they stopped production and said that further funding hadn’t come through. I found out years later they pulled the plug on it because my acting was so bad - haha.

We have observed Matariki as a country for the second time. What are your reflections on the year that has passed and your aspirations for the year ahead?

I’ve had a strange last year. I’ve experienced a lot of personal loss but I just keep looking forward and being positive - hoping for a bright future. I love surrounding myself with my beautiful friends here in Whanganui and want to continue doing that.

Liz Wylie is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. She joined the editorial team in 2014 and regularly covers stories from Whanganui and the wider region. She also writes features and profile stories.