The best underground/ indie/ alternative music scene in my lifetime happened in a small nation halfway around the world, a country that until those silly elf movies were made was mostly known for the fact that its inhabitants were a peace-loving people who happen to be outnumbered by sheep, at a ratio of about eight to one.

The music made in New Zealand on a handful of indie labels (well, mostly Flying Nun and later Xpressway) from 1980 to 1993 or so is stunningly good — the Chills, Dead C, 3Ds, Terminals, Headless Chickens, Gordons, Able Tasmans, the Clean, the Tall Dwarfs — each of these bands was fabulous, and there were dozens more.

One of the key fixtures, 57-year-old Chris Knox, apparently suffered a debilitating stroke over the weekend. As the enigmatic lead singer for punk band The Enemy in the late 1970s, Knox was essentially the country’s first alternative rock star. He was also a prolific visual artist, sound engineer, A+R person, and musician; you might know him from the “It’s Love” song which played on a beer commercial that was shown a lot last year. His two-person band with Alec Bathgate, the Tall Dwarfs, brilliantly married experimentation and melody and were a huge influence on U.S. acts such as Pavement and Neutral Milk Hotel. Here’s to hoping Knox has a speedy and full recovery!