My Space: surround sound

Godfrey De Grut’s office – filled with keyboards, guitars, albums, music awards and even a keytar – is a musician’s paradise.

What’s outside, though, also brings him joy. Last year the School of Music professional teaching fellow moved from the sixth to the ninth floor of the Fisher Building on Waterloo Quadrant, which brought expanded horizons.

“My goal in life was to have some greenery and in summer the outlook from here is very, very green,” he says. “It’s lovely.”

An award-winning musician and songwriter, music has taken Godfrey, who lectures in popular music, on tours around the country and the world. But despite having a lanyard from playing the SXSW music festival, an APRA Silver Scroll for co-writing ‘Misty Frequencies’ with Che Fu, and signed albums from multi- Grammy winning saxophonist Michael Brecker in his office, it’s that 1980s music video staple – the keytar – that really gets students’ attention, he says.

What do you like to have in your space, and why?

I like to surround myself with vintage keyboards and synthesisers. I used to have so many more, but I’ve pared it down now to just the necessary elements. And guitars. And I like having access to sound equipment, percussion equipment – anything that’s useful for making music.

Do you use the keyboards regularly?

There will be seasons when they’re used quite a lot, and then seasons when they’re mothballed, and that kind of goes hand in hand with the semesters of the University. I also do gigs, so sometimes I pick them up and take them out. About ten years ago, that would have been all the time, but now it’s less often.

I have a Juno-106 synthesiser. I love them, but they’re famous for breaking down. I started collecting them about 30 years ago and this is my third.

I also have a Poly-800, which I used on tour through the States back in the early 2000s with various bands because it was somewhat portable. It was easier to get in the van and to fly with.

How many guitars do you have here?

Quite a few. Most of them were gifted to me by my uncle who got me into guitar around age 13. He loved playing in bands and loved gear.

What are your favourite items in this space?

I have a signed copy of Steps Ahead by Michael Brecker, which is my pride and joy. He came to tour New Zealand for the Roger Fox Big Band 20th anniversary, and I played for Roger for about 12 years, so I was lucky enough to be on tour with Michael for two weeks.

I got him to sign some things, and he played my saxophones. I also have a signed copy of a Joni Mitchell album that he played on, where he drew a little picture of me. He was very kind.

Also, my wife suggested I put all my favourite lanyards from my tours together. So, I have this frame with them in, and she’s doing the same because she’s also a musician. It surprises me that I threw so many of these lanyards away in the moment, though; you just need to imagine that 30 years later you’ll probably want to have held on to some of these mementos.

What’s the most unusual item here?

Bizarrely, I’d say it’s the t-shirt. I wore it in the Che Fu video for ‘Misty Frequencies’, and we all had leads coming out our backs, which is why the shirt has a hole in the back.

Nobody else in the band has kept their video t-shirt, but I somehow managed to keep mine and I wore it when we played the 20th anniversary concert for The Navigator album at the Auckland Town Hall in 2021.

How do your students respond when they come into this space?

They generally notice the keytar. I got that in 2000 on a tour with Che Fu when I decided that I wanted to spend all my per diems and then some on it. It’s fun because it’s very portable, and you just plug it into a computer. I’ve played that on lots of tours.

A lot of students don’t really notice the awards, but I do need to update my degree that’s hanging in the corner because last year I got my masters. It’s good to remind the students that hanging in at university can sometimes help.

Caitlin Sykes