Interviews
If you were an Australian kid in the late 80's or 90's then you would've - at some point - picked up a book by Paul Jennings. Or, of course, you would've watched the brilliant tv show Round the Twist.
He's a legendary author. He has sold around 8.9 million copies of his over 60 different books. He doesn't give a lot of interviews but he kindly allowed us to come visit his home and talk about his life, his career, his moving family experience and more.
It was pretty special.
I get a musical masterclass from Alan Menken in how Disney movies are made and learns how AIDS shaped some of the most iconic movies of our childhood.
It is the largest, best-known (possibly only) independent women's media company in Australia. It commands millions in video views and podcasts. Creator Mia Freedman has told the story of Mama Mia in her new book "Work Strife Balance". She takes Marc through the journey from her lounge to an international media brand. What she's learnt from old and new media. What she wouldn't do again and the fine line between a great headline and bad click bait.
The goal of MDA is to create positive solutions. It’s about understanding the reasons why diverse Australians aren’t finding their way onto our screens.
Read More“When you sit down with somebody, at a dinner table or here [at Parliament on King], and you meet them, and talk to them, you get to know them as a human being.”
I sat down with Bob Odenkirk ahead of the launch of season 3 of Better Call Saul (airing in Australia on Stan from April 11) and the conversation took a turn for the serious. We talked about how comedy acts as therapy for Odenkirk, why he opts out of too much involvement in Better Call Saul and there's a fascinating moment where we talk about his time as a writer on SNL. Turns out Bob would really like to host. And Lorne Micheals knows it.
She's one of the UK's most successful singer-songwriters and iconic voices: I sit down with Emeli Sande.
Genuine triple threat Josh Gad is starring as Disney's first openly gay character LeFou in the live action Beauty and the Beast and he chatted everything from Robin Williams to Juilliard with Marc Fennell.
They say you shouldn't meet your heroes, but for Aussie musician Harts meeting his hero Prince quite literally changed his life.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Danny Boyle sits down with Marc Fennell to talk about his sequel to Trainspotting, using drugs and directing the Queen.
She has played a Disney princess twice, she's the first Asian woman to win a Tony Award and she's the voice behind Aladdin's A Whole New World.
Real-life Lion: meet the guy who inspired the hit film starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman
Naomie Harris has just been nominated for an Oscar for Moonlight where she plays the hate-filled drug-riddled mother of young, gay boy, Chiron, growing up in the rough end of Miami. It's an incredible performance made more so by the fact that she filmed it all in just 3 days. Yes, 3 days.
Harris built up a pretty bloody great career with the likes of Spectre, Pirates of the Carribean and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. She's also got a few hard and fast rules about what kinds of roles she will and won't take. And playing a stereotypical black crack addict was right up on that list. It's a rule she broke for the Golden Globe winning, Oscar nominated film.
Naomie and I chatted on ABC radio about why Harris' mother has proven to be a guiding force in her career choices, what she'd like to change about Hollywood and filmmaking. And then she promised to go win an Oscar for us.
It was the largest short film festival in the world. A truly unique Australian media property. And then it all came to a crashing halt. In this special conversation on Download This Show, Polson opens up about how Tropfest has changed in the last year. He addresses accusations about whether Tropfest is a boys club and how they’re changing to face the future.
So, you know the classic 80's hits, right? I Got U Babe, Red Red Wine etc etc (and yes, they literally have their own brand of wine) Well here's the thing. Earlier this week I had the original lead singer Ali Campbell from the iconic Birmingham reggae troupe on ABC Radio. And I brought up the idea that there is, in fact *another* touring UB40 which is technically the *original* version of the band which Campbell left in 2008. He calls this other version "The Dark Side" even though at least 2 of his brothers are in it. The whole situation is very, very odd and I'll let Ali explain...
These interviews are the most fun thing I do. I love getting lost in someone’s work, I love editing them and I love getting to show them to you. Here is my 2015 list.
Every year, Madeleine Genner (my excellent wife) and I gather up the sounds of the year and I break out the old ProTools to mix a mashup of the year in news, politics, sport, power chords and dead famous people.
And hoooo boy, was 2016 a doozy.
This is the 6th year we've made the montage for ABC Radio. It always provokes much argument in our house but we still do it.
Leave a comment if this makes you cry at any point. It'll validate this whole exercise.
