McGrath had lived through it all so, like many, he was understandably sceptical about the idea of an outsider coming in to write and direct a drama series about those very personal experiences at first.
"I completely, utterly, totally understand that point of view, and I even thought the same thing. When Gaylene first talked to me, I was pretty cynical to say the least."
McGrath respected Preston's past work though ("Gaylene's invested her life in New Zealand stories, expressing stories that may be forgotten otherwise"), so when he met Preston about a year after the February 2011 quake - performing at a Wellington record store to promote the release of The Eastern's album Hope and Wire - he was happy to meet her.
"We had a brief talk then, and then she came to another show, and then she took me out for a bowl of chips. She was thinking about this idea, and whether it was something she could and should do, whether it was worthwhile, and she was interested in my experiences. Then she came down to Christchurch, and I drove her around, showed her a few things and introduced her to a few people."
Seeing the way she went about gathering stories from all over Christchurch convinced McGrath enough that he agreed to lend their song Hope and Wire for the opening titles, and eventually as the title of the series, as well as appearing in the episodes himself. The song is a reflection and summation of the things McGrath had seen in the months after the quake, and trying to work out how to move forward when everything's changed. It's a fitting accompaniment to the show, echoing its themes.
"The TV footage of things falling down or things being broken, things gone, that physical landscape, that's all one thing, and they're powerful pictures, but the big stuff is the stuff that's inside people. People are pretty stoic, people's ability to endure through all kinds of upheaval is incredible, but when you scratch the surface, you find people have been shaken even more than the buildings, and that all comes out in different ways. The word unsettled is spot on because everything is mixed up in a way it's never been before, and everyone's expectations of their lives are changed."
It's not all about despair and hardship though - just like The Eastern helped themselves and others by coming together to play music, there are scenes where people find comfort in community, of being part of a group, singing a song, having a cup of tea or a party, helping each other clean up.
"That was the way you found your way through all the shit that was happening. That was how you found moments of peace, or grace, or hope. It was really important, because those were the good things, and I'm really glad Gaylene saw that."
Who: Adam McGrath, frontman and songwriter for The Eastern
What: Hope and Wire, TV series
Where and when: Begins tonight on TV3 at 8.30pm
Also: The Eastern play at the Wine Cellar in Auckland on July
- TimeOut
