Goodshirt

"Rodney Fisher" redirects here. For the Australian director, see Rodney Fisher (director).

Goodshirt
Mike, Rodney, Gareth and Murray
Background information
Origin	Grey Lynn, Auckland, New Zealand
Genres	Indie rock alternative rock pop rock rock
Years active	2000 (2000)–2005 (2005), 2012–present
Labels	CEMENT Records, Hark Entertainment

Goodshirt are an innovative alternative/pop/rock band from Auckland, ^{[1] [2] [3]} New Zealand. The band formed when keyboardist Gareth Thomas left his computer recording setup with the Fisher brothers, Rodney and Murray, for safe keeping. ^[4]

While still a three piece, the band submitted their song "Green" to a track competition run by radio station 9inety6dot1. Subsequently, station manager Grant Hislop became their manager, and the band was rounded out with drummer Mike Beehre joining the fold. ^[4]

"Sophie" by keyboard/bassist/vocalist Gareth Thomas ^{[5] [6]} was the fourth single from their debut album Good. It was a number one single in New Zealand. ^[7] Good was released in Canada, Australia, and Japan. ^[8]

A second album, Fiji Baby , was released in 2004. Like its predecessor, it reached number 5 in the New Zealand charts. ^[9]

The band went on hiatus in 2005 when Rodney Fisher moved to London to work with Breaks Co-Op, ^[10] but reunited in 2011, ^[11] and in early 2012 they began playing again with support gigs for Hall & Oates and Icehouse as part of the A Day on the Green festival. In May 2012 Goodshirt released the new EP Skinny Mirror and including the singles "So Charming" and "Out of Our League". ^[12]

In 2014, the band released a cover of "Sierra Leone" originally by Coconut Rough. It was made available as a free download through their SoundCloud band page, along with the release of an official music video on YouTube. ^{[13] [14]}

Members

• Rodney Fisher – guitar and vocals
• Murray Fisher – guitar
• Gareth Thomas – keyboards/bass and vocals
• Mike Beehre – drums

Music videos

Five videos were directed by Joe Lonie, including some that were shot in a single take. ^[15] Lonie notes that at the height of their close creative relationship, "they even talked about me being an unofficial fifth member of the band." ^[16]

Year	Music video	Director	Notes
2000	"Green" (version 1)	Florian Habicht	Set at a beach, the band are buried up to their necks in sand, surrounded by hula-hooping schoolgirls. Filmed in black and white.
2001	"Green" (version 2)	Joe Lonie	Filmed in one continuous take and upside down and sped-up. The band take turns using the sink in a bathroom, with all objects and liquids falling up. [17]
	"Blowing Dirt" (version 1)		Set at a car wrecker and filmed backwards and in one continuous take, Rodney sings while a Mazda 929 is "un-smashed-up" in the background. [16]
	"Blowing Dirt" (version 2)		Set at a car wrecker and filmed backwards and in one continuous take, Rodney sings while an Austin 1300 is "un-smashed-up" in the background. [18]
	"Place to Be"		Shot in a continuous take and slowed down, the camera follows Rodney through an old building as he eats fruit while singing, coming across a series of unusual situations. [19]
2002	"Sophie"		Filmed in a continuous take, a young woman listens to music on headphones, unaware that burglars (played by Goodshirt) are behind her, stealing everything in her flat. [20] "Sophie" won Best Music Video at the 2003 New Zealand Music Awards. [21]
	"Monotone"		Shot in a continuous take, with the camera circling a badminton court. The band are dressed as "Good" and "Evil" teams of badminton-playing beekeepers who seem unable to score a point. [22]
2003	"Buck it Up"	Kezia Barnett	A bullied schoolboy experiences strange visions one day at school. "Buck It Up" won Best Group Video at the 2004 Juice TV Awards. [23]
2004	"Cement"		After pursuing his Rapunzel-like dream woman, Gareth finds himself trapped in a domestic gothic nightmare. [24]
	"Fiji Baby"	Wade Shotter	Filmed primarily in a single hotel room set. Rodney checks into a fleabag hotel and messes around for a few hours. [25]
	"Lucy"		A current affairs show host (played by former 60 Minutes host Amanda Millar) profiles three men who are smitten with Lucy, a famous model. [26]
2011	"So Charming"	Helena Brooks	Dressed in sharp suits, the band members commit a number of anti-social acts and misdemeanours. [27]
2012	"Out of our League"	Rodney Fisher	Rodney plays a man whose two young children build a giant kite around him and fly him in the sky, with Goodshirt playing the "pro kite champions" team. [28]
2014	"Sierra Leone"	Tim Brown	Depicts a man struggling through a nightmarish, psychedelic desert environment. Heavily stylised and a departure from their previous video styles, combining film and animation techniques, with a nod to the original music video by Coconut Rough.

Discography

Albums

Year	Title	Details	Peak chart positions	Certifications
			NZ [29]
2001	Good	Released: July 2001 Label: Cement Records, EMI Catalogue: 5350602	5	NZ: Platinum
2004	Fiji Baby	Released: February 2004 Label: Cement Records, Capitol Records Catalogue: 5770902	5	NZ: Gold
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

EPs

Year	Title	Details	Peak chart positions
			NZ [29]
2002	E.G.	Australia release only	—
2012	Skinny Mirror	Released: 30 April 2012 Label: Cement Records, Hark Music Catalogue: skinny2012	—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions	Album
		NZ [29]
2000	"Green"	12	Good
	"Blowing Dirt"	13
2001	"Place To Be"	50
	"Sophie"	1
2003	"Monotone"	31
2004	"Buck It Up"	14	Fiji Baby
	"Cement"	—
	"Fiji Baby"	25
	"Lucy"	—
2012	"So Charming"	—	Skinny Mirror
	"Out of Our League"	—
2014	"Sierra Leone" (Cover)	—	—

Featured appearances

Goodshirt has appeared on many compilations and soundtracks in both New Zealand and Australia.

• 2001 – Starf(Star)Ckers Cyber Garage Music from Planet Aotearoa (Antenna Recordings/EMI) – "Everyday"
• 2001 – Channel Z The Best of Vol. 2(Warner Music) – "Blowing Dirt"
• 2001 – 100% Kiwi Rock (Warner Music) – "Green"
• 2002 – Top of the Pops 2002 Vol. 2 (Universal Music) – "Sophie"
• 2002 – Channel Z: The Best of Vol. 3(Universal Music) – "Green"
• 2003 – The Strip Soundtrack (Loop Recordings) – "Sophie"
• 2003 – Coleman Sessions Recorded Live at York Street (Warner Music) – "Green"
• 2004 – Hot Wheels: Hot Hits 4 (Shock Records) – "Blowing Dirt"
• 2004 – State of the Nation (EMI) – "Buck It Up"
• 2004 – Big Day Out 04 (Universal Music) – "Sophie"
• 2004 – Now That's What I Call Music 16 (EMI) – "Fiji Baby"
• 2004 – Triumph (Sony Music) – "Sophie"
• 2005 – Top of the Pops 2005 (Universal Music) – "Buck It Up"
• 2005 – Lazy Sunday 5(EMI) – "My Racing Head"
• 2005 – Triple J – Like a Version: Vol. 1 (ABC Music) – "Gouge Away" (Pixies cover)
• 2006 – More Nature (Sony BMG) – "Sophie"
• 2007 – Outrageous Fortune Westside Rules (WM New Zealand) – "Buck It Up"

References

1. admin (30 April 2024). "Goodshirt's Music Video For Sophie Still The Most Engaging Content Of All Time". The Whakataki Times. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
2. "Goodshirt: good - Lifestyle News". NZ Herald. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
3. Screen, NZ On. "Making Music - Goodshirt | Short Film | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
4. "Goodshirt – AudioCulture". www.audioculture.co.nz. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
5. "Why Goodshirt's 'Good' is an essential NZ album | Review by Nick Bollinger in Music". RNZ. 21 December 2024. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
6. "Give It a Whirl: Goodshirt interview - Article | AudioCulture". www.audioculture.co.nz. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
7. "charts.nz – Goodshirt – Sophie". charts.nz. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
8. Screen, NZ On. "NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
9. "charts.nz – Goodshirt – Good". charts.nz. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
10. "Album review: Rodney Fisher, Songs From The Backyard". 3 May 2012. ISSN   1170-0777 . Retrieved 8 June 2019.
11. "Goodshirt end six-year hiatus". Stuff. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
12. "Goodshirt take a look in the mirror". The Press. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
13. "Goodshirt cover kiwi classic 'Sierra Leone'". www.muzic.net.nz. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
14. "Video premiere: Goodshirt's Sierra Leone". 6 October 2014. ISSN   1170-0777 . Retrieved 8 June 2019.
15. "Goodshirt". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
16. "The Secret Life of Music Video Directors". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
17. "Goodshirt – Green". Fish 'n' Clips. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
18. "Goodshirt – Blowing Dirt". Hark Music NZ. Retrieved 23 January 2013.^{[ dead YouTube link ]}
19. "Goodshirt – Place To Be". Hark Music NZ. Retrieved 23 January 2013.^{[ dead YouTube link ]}
20. "Goodshirt – Sophie". Fish 'n' Clips. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
21. "2003 Winners". NZMA. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
22. "Goodshirt – Monotone". Joe Lonie. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
23. "Buck It Up". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
24. "Goodshirt – Cement". Hark Music NZ. Retrieved 23 January 2013.^{[ dead YouTube link ]}
25. "Goodshirt – Fiji Baby". Fish 'n' Clips. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
26. "Goodshirt – Lucy". Hark Music NZ. Retrieved 23 January 2013.^{[ dead YouTube link ]}
27. "Goodshirt – So Charming". Hark Music NZ. Retrieved 23 January 2013.^{[ dead YouTube link ]}
28. "Goodshirt – Out of Our League (Official)". Hark Music NZ. Retrieved 23 January 2013.^{[ dead YouTube link ]}
29. "GOODSHIRT IN NEW ZEALAND CHARTS". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2014.

External links

• AudioCulture profile