Presents
How did you first connect with Triple R?
When I was living in Sydney, I met Best Of The Brat's Holly C through mutual friends and she asked me to begin doing pop culture updates for the show on the phone from the Harbour City. My dear friend Will, a Melburnian living briefly in Sydney, took me out for coffee to celebrate and informed me that a ten minute monthly spot on the airwaves was "quite a big deal, as RRR is the best radio station in Melbourne. Don't fuck it up!"
What/when was your first show?
In October of 2005, I moved down to Melbourne with only a handful of friends, no money, and a pocket full of dreams. I was thoroughly honoured when Clem Bastow asked me if I'd appear on her RRR demo so she had someone to talk to on it. We clicked, we loved the idea of belting out pop hits over the airwaves, and after a couple of months of doing graveyards and fill in shifts together, we applied for a show of our very own (which we'd decided to call I'd Rather Jack after somewhat forgotten Stock Aitken Waterman tune from the eighties). To our great surprise - and that of the listening public - we were given a cosy little midnight slot on a Wednesday. Clem moved on to presenting the Tuesday Drive program Transference in 2008, and ol' muggins here spent the next year terrifying Ritalin-addled long haul truck drivers by playing twelve minute remixes of Meatloaf's 'I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)' in the late hours of the evening until April 2009. Now I host Wired For Sound on Friday nights (7pm - 10pm) and get to provide the soundtrack to the beginning of the weekend to the good folks of RRR. And I love it.
What's your favourite Triple R story?
When Clem and yours truly first started doing I'd Rather Jack, we were always paranoid about forgetting to turn off the microphones after pressing play on a CD. So one evening we were having a cheeky off-air gossip about certain Melbourne rock stars and their bedroom habits, and just as Clem said something totally libellous for my entertainment, I feigned a look of horror then mouthed the words "THE MICS ARE ON!". Clem went completely white with shock, and it took a few delicious seconds before she realised I was having her on. Then she threw things at my head. They hurt, and a lesson was learned. Don't lie unless you're wearing a helmet.
Your favourite other Triple R program and why?
Do I have to pick just one? I love the very bones of the Breakfasters. Clem's show Transference is chockers with ace tunes and makes for great listening on a Tuesday afternoon. Jacinta's Dynamite makes my heart explode, and the beautiful Sophie Brous' Dance Cadaverous thrills and delights me each week.
What does Triple R mean to you?
IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME - LET'S NEVER BREAK UP, TRIPLE R! In all seriousness, I adore this radio station with every part of my being. There's nothing like it anywhere else in the world, and I truly believe it's the reason why the Melbourne music scene is the best in the land. And any radio station which allows me to talk to artists like Sia about the genius of Britney Spears and the true status of Lindsay Lohan's relationship with Samantha Ronson has my lifelong loyalty.
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?
Oh god. Oh god. Alright, I reckon I'd take in Hits by Phil Collins. Jiving merrily to 'Easy Lover', 'Two Hearts', and 'Sussudio' would keep me amused while I waited for rescue, 'Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)' would be the soundtrack to my desperation and loneliness once the initial Home Alone-esque thrill had waned, and 'A Groovy Kind Of Love' would ensure that listeners and station volunteers alike would be wholeheartedly devoting all their time and resources to rescuing me/turning off the CD player.