The story of the man, the music, the art, the attitude. Chris Knox: Not Given Lightly tells the story of one extraordinarily creative man’s journey from the obscurity of punk rock to the heart of New Zealand culture.

 ‘I’ve got things I can’t recall
Like the colours of my bedroom wall
Oh, I can’t decide if I
Want to know these things or why
They bother me and tantalise me so’
― from ‘I’ve Left Memories Behind’

In the mid-1990s, the Village Voice described Chris Knox as ‘indie rock’s premier oddball singer songwriter’ and, when Knox suffered a stroke a decade later, music icons such as Yo La Tengo, Bill Callahan, Neil Finn and Shayne Carter all showed up for concerts and a tribute album. Who is this epileptic, opinionated, shorts-and-jandals-wearing, endlessly creative musician and artist from New Zealand?

This is his story – from a childhood in ‘flat, rectangular and boring’ Invercargill to years of creative experimentation in Dunedin to family life in Auckland; from The Enemy’s first gig at Dunedin’s Beneficiaries Hall to Toy Love’s tour of Australia and on to Tall Dwarfs’ escapades around the globe; from tape loops and crashing cutlery recorded on a TEAC 4-track to the biting satire of Jesus on a Stick comics and Listener opinion pieces; and from home-recorded LPs delivered by hand to the ubiquitous voice on ads for Vogels and Heineken.

Chris Knox: Not Given Lightly tells the story of one extraordinarily creative man’s journey from the obscurity of punk rock to the heart of New Zealand culture.

‘Then again, all the time, every minute, neverending, unrelenting, all around us, without pausing, endless endless, all-pervading, movement motion, this way that way, ticktock, freefall, love love, kiss kiss, make do be is was I me b c d e f g h I think nothing’s going to happen.’
― from ‘Nothing’s Going to Happen’

‘I felt Chris’s presence strongly throughout. I could hear his voice and picture him in a way that felt very real. Past events felt authentic and vivid as though Robertson was there in the background taking notes. Chris comes across as all the things we know he is: likeable, funny, talented, highly intelligent; sometimes caustic, very often opinionated! It’s a big book for a big personality.’ ― Alec Bathgate, Tall Dwarfs

‘It isn’t every day you meet someone whose art and whose life are one and the same thing: a person living the art they make. I met one such person when Chris Knox and I ended up in the same van for a week in 1995. Chris Knox: Not Given Lightly tells, in meticulous detail, the story of his life, which is also to say that it reveals, clarifies and magnifies his art. In so doing it tells a hundred other stories and more, all the things that go into making a life in art. An exemplary rock bio and a crucial read.’  ―John Darnielle, The Mountain Goats

“A remarkable book . . .  a compulsive page-turner that tells the human story of one of our greatest creative eccentrics.” ― Simon Grigg, author of How Bizarre: Pauly Fuemana and the Song that Stormed the World.

“An encyclopedic recounting of a fully lived human life, and of the effects that the need to create can impose on an individual, along with the struggles and rewards of its execution and reception . . . an outstanding achievement.” ― David Herkt, The Landfall Tauraka Review.

“Knox did so much, was so influential and remains so loved by so many that any biography faces high expectations. Robertson has met them. This is a book written and produced with great care and respect. You could even say it is the most important and thorough music biography ever published in New Zealand.” ― Phillip Matthews, Newsroom

“A fascinating, deeply rewarding read.” ― Grant McDougall, Otago Daily Times 

“an attentive and absorbing account of one of Aotearoa’s most restlessly inventive cultural figures . . . the thematic richness of the book lies in its exploration of artistic integrity, cultural influence and the uneasy boundary between personal flaw and creative brilliance.”  ― Chris Reed, NZ Booklovers.

“With care, Craig Robertson has brought together interviews with over 80 people to meticulously craft a fascinating, inspiring and prismatic portrait of Knox’s creative life and the social backdrop of his work. Rich in detail where you can really get among the weeds, this is also a visually stunning book, jam-packed with ephemera.” ― Kiran Dass, The Spinoff’s Best Books of 2025.

“a remarkable piece of well-illustrated research and lively writing.”  ― Graham Reid, The Listener

“I feel richer for having read Robertson’s passion project . . . the book (and its gorgeous design and strategically placed inserts) is a testament to the kind of self-belief that it takes to lead a creative life.” ― Clare Mabey, The Spinoff