Martin Phillipps Of The Chills, Dead At 61

The death of the brilliant, but troubled songwriter marks the final chapter in a lifetime of brilliant hits and near misses.

Martin Phillipps of the Chills in 1992. Photo by Paul Jones/Getty Images

Martin Phillipps was the Chills. He was the singer, songwriter, and brilliantly eccentric lyricist behind one of New Zealand’s most remarkable musical exports. He died this past week at the age of 61.

Phillipps began the Chills in his native Dunedin, New Zealand in 1980. Powered by the DIY ethos of first wave punk, and the jangle of the British Invasion, Phillipps and the Chills developed a new quirky, twee form of jangle pop known as The Dunedin Sound.

The Chills were a local hit and were quickly signed to the then just fledgling, but soon to be legendary Dunedin label Flying Nun. With the push from Flying Nun and the gothic beauty of their first big single, The Chills made an international splash with "‘Pink Frost’.

Throughout the remainder of the 1980s the Chills reeled off a string of albums and singles that were critically acclaimed, but were largely commercially ignored outside their native New Zealand. Then, came 1990’s Submarine Bells, which featured the international hit, "‘Heavenly Pop Hit’. The single, which lived up to its lofty title, and the album brought the Chills to the ears of young listeners around the world, including a burgeoning college audience in America. The album would go on to sweep the New Zealand Music Awards in 1990.

The future looked very bright for the Chills indeed.

Sadly, Soft Bomb, the follow up to Submarine Bells was an ambitious, expansive record filled with big musical ideas that failed to connect with the band’s newfound audience. The record became such a commercial failure that The Chills were dropped from their label in the middle of their tour and were forced to come home before completing their promised UK and European dates.

In the years after Soft Bomb, Philipps retreated back to substance abuse which eventually led to his contraction of Hepatitis C. His illness and drug addiction ushered in a period of fifteen years in which Phillipps released no new music. Much of Phillipps’s treatment and recovery is documented lovingly in the documentary, The Chills: The Triumph and Tragedy of Martin Phillipps. The film recounts his harrowing battle with Hepatitis C and impending liver failure. It’s a harrowing look at a man dealing directly with his own mortality.

Phillipps was a brilliant writer and arranger, but often not the best of bandmates. There have been more than thirty different members of the Chills, and for much of his career Phillipps himself admits that he did not appreciate the input and contributions of those around him. He was so focused on the arc of his career he failed to truly recognize those who were helping him to make it a reality.

As the film documents, Phillips spent much of his later years coming to grips with his past sins and seemed to genuinely be working to overcome them and atone for them. Near the end of the film, Phillipps physician tells him he has been cured of Hepatitis C and he could possibly live to be 90. Sadly, Martin Phillipps and his brilliant sense of songwriting and wordplay only made it to 61. Thankfully, we still have the music.

Cheers,
Matty C