Ryan Bridge: Let's be more like Barry Crump

Look don't mind confessing you, dear listener, that I don't read many books.

I do listen to them on audio. I do read on holiday.

But who has the time to actually sit down and get stuck into hundreds of pages.

People don't even watch full movies anymore.

You can't do much when you're checking your phone on average 1 billion times per hour.

But I did happen to stumble across one of the best reads I've had in a while a few weeks back in Barry Crump's 'a Good Keen Man'.

It's unpretentious. It's funny. It's outrageous. It paints a picture of New Zealand and New Zealanders that I think most can relate to.

We generally get along with each other. We generally call a spade a spade. We don't like people who bullshit or cheat.

We like a fair fight. We love the bush. The beach. The beautiful place we get to call home every day.

I'm now finished two other Crump books, and I am getting through the audio version of some short stories.

What an adventure. If you haven't read or listened to them. You should.

They should be compulsory reading for anyone wanting to become a New Zealander.

I'm aware it's an election period. There's a lot of fighting and whinging.

But really, if you take a step back. Look at the people around you. Your neighbours. Your mates. Your country.

We're not doing too bad. We've got a lot to be grateful for.

And Crumpy was. Everyday.

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