Damien Lawlor
Presents Lime Champions
How did you first connect with Triple R?
Progressing through high school in the nineties, I spent more and more time doing homework in my bedroom, listening to my top-40 FM radio station of choice. I became increasingly frustrated at the repetition of songs, until one day - upon hearing a particular Noiseworks song for the third time in a day - I snapped and decided to search the dial for something else. I happened upon a show called Fast Fictions in which two guys were talking about a dog running away with an amputated penis in its mouth. That was precisely what I was after.
So basically I have Jon Stevens and Noiseworks to thank for my involvement at Triple R - if it wasn't for them I'd still be listening to them.
What/when was your first show?
I did my first graveyard shift in 2004. I think the first words I spoke on air were ""Um..okay...ah...hello...er, right...um..." This was a style of presenting that came naturally to me and I've stuck with it ever since.
What's your favourite Triple R story?
Not long after my third graveyard shift, I got a call from Tracee Hutchison asking how I was feeling about it all. I said something along the lines of "Um...okay I guess...I'm getting the hang of it...I think". I swear the next words out her mouth were going to be "Well it's been great having you, but we probably won't be using you on-air again. All the best in your future endeavours.". But she actually said "I've really enjoyed what you've been doing on your graveyards, would you be interested in doing some daytime shifts over the summer?" To this day I'm sure she meant to call someone else. Or that she did it for a dare.
Your favourite other Triple R program and why?
I like the graveyard shift because it's bigger than all the other shows, and plays more music. I don't know why it hasn't been given a better timeslot.
What does Triple R mean to you?
I've had to tell friends to shut up so I can hear an announcer back-announce a song I wanted the name of, I've been late for appointments and missed opportunities because I've been listening to an interesting interview and been unable to leave the car, and I've spent huge amounts of money on tickets, CDs and rare recordings from bands I've discovered through listening to the station. So, more than anything else, Triple R is responsible for me living a life of loneliness, poverty and regret.
The studio door has accidentally jammed shut with you stuck inside. If there was only one CD in there with you what would you want it to be and why?
I wouldn't need a CD. I'd just play the Karen O station ID, and have the bit with her saying "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" on repeat.
Do you agree that the Essendon premiership team of the mid-eighties was the greatest ever and if they were to play the Geelong team of today they would make Geelong look like little girls; and do you also agree that the last quarter of the 1984 Grand Final was the greatest 30 minutes of football ever?
Yes I do.
