Fane Michael Flaws (16 May 1951 â 17 June 2021) was a New Zealand musician, songwriter, director and artist.
Flaws was a member of bands including Blerta, Spats, and The Crocodiles. Until joining Blerta he was known by his second name Michael: Bruno Lawrence of Blerta insisted Fane was a better name.
When he was in The Crocodiles, he wrote the song "Tears" with Arthur Baysting. The single reached number 17 in the New Zealand charts.
He wrote songs for the films Braindead and Meet the Feebles, even voicing the Musician Frog in the latter.
He animated the revamped titles for Radio with Pictures in 1986, a Television New Zealand programme featuring popular and alternative music.
He was co-author, with Arthur Baysting and Peter Dasent, of the children's book The Underwater Melon Man and Other Unreasonable Rhymes. The book was published in 1998, a CD in 1999. In 2011, an edition was published with a DVD. Musicians appearing include Chris Knox, Jenny Morris, Neil Finn, Tim Finn, Renée Geyer, Tony Backhouse, Bic Runga and Boh Runga, the Topp Twins, Che Fu & King Kapisi and Dave Dobbyn.
He also designed rugs, paints and created assemblage art works from found objects such as demolition timber and building fittings.
Directed unless otherwise noted
Flaws died on 17 June 2021, aged 70.