Podcast appearances and mentions of Brian Cadd

One FM presenter Josh Revens and Steve Dowers present 'Whatever Happened To?' This week's topic is Australian singer/songwriter Brian Cadd. This program originally aired on Monday the 2nd of June, 2025. Contact the station on admin@fm985.com.au or (+613) 58313131 The ONE FM 98.5 Community Radio podcast page operates under the license of Goulburn Valley Community Radio Inc. (ONE FM) Number 1385226/1. PRA AMCOS (Australasian Performing Right Association Limited and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society) that covers Simulcasting and Online content including podcasts with musical content, that we pay every year. This licence number is 1385226/1.

Ever wondered what happened to Little River Band's Glenn Shorrock? Do you know which songs Glenn wrote for the band? Or how the original LRB lost their name? Listen in here to find out answers to these and a whole lot of other questions about Australia's most famous band as Glenn Shorrock joins us for an intimate chat. English born Glenn Shorrock is one of the most iconic and influential singer-songwriters to emerge from Australia's rich music scene. Best known as the founding lead vocalist of Little River Band, Glenn's career spans over six decades, marked by global chart success, critically acclaimed albums, and unforgettable live performances. His deep, resonant voice and exceptional songwriting have defined the soundtracks of generations, contributing timeless classics that have shaped the landscape of classic rock and pop. Glenn's family moved to Adelaide in the 50s, where his love for music blossomed. By the early 60s, he co-founded The Twilights, a rock band that became one of Australia's most popular groups. The Twilights achieved national fame then in 69, Glenn co-founded Axiom, often regarded as one of Australia's first ‘supergroups.' Alongside music legend Brian Cadd, Axiom crafted sophisticated, soulful rock with hits like A Little Ray of Sunshine and Arkansas Grass. The band's blend of folk, rock, and pop elements set a new standard for Australian music, earning both critical and commercial success. The mid-70s saw Glenn co-found Little River Band . Combining lush harmonies and rock-driven melodies, LRB became the first Australian band to achieve sustained international success. As the lead vocalist, Glenn was the unmistakable voice behind all of their global hits, including “Reminiscing,” “Help Is on Its Way,” “Lonesome Loser,” “Cool Change,” and “Lady.” Little River Band enjoyed unprecedented success in the US with their sophisticated sound earning them 13 American Top 40 hits between 75 and 83. Shorrock's voice became synonymous with the band's transcontinental appeal. In 82, after some infighting amongst band members, Glenn went solo and has enjoyed considerable success ever since. Throughout the 80s and beyond, Shorrock released a series of solo works, dabbled in musical theatre and collaborated with several of his musical mates. Glenn was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame as part of Little River Band in 2004. Today at 80, Glenn Shorrock still inspires generations of musicians and songwriters and his songs which are often infused with themes of nostalgia, love, and self-reflection, continue to resonate with listeners around the world. Glenn remains a vibrant force in the music scene. He still performs live, delighting fans with renditions of his classic hits while introducing new music that highlights his ever-evolving artistry. His autobiography, Now, Where Was I?, offers an intimate glimpse into his storied life and career, showcasing the ups and downs of a truly remarkable musical journey. Shorrock's longevity in the industry is a testament to his talent, passion, and connection to his fans. His voice remains as captivating as ever, and his influence on rock, pop, and the Australian music legacy is enduring. #glennshorrock #littleriverband #australianrockhistory #1970srockmusic I truly hope you enjoy this episode with Glenn. Getting to know him a little better has been a highlight of mine. If there's someone you'd like to hear interviewed, please reach out to me by sending me a message through the website A Breath of Fresh Air

Rev Bill Crews talks to Brian Cadd, country-rock pioneer in Australia. A member of Axiom, Australia's first country-rock supergroup, he then had the solo smash ‘Let Go', a country classic that became his most recorded song – covered by more than 60 artists around the world. Brian has just released his brand album titled ‘Dream Train'.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are at the pointy end of the football season so we do a forensic deep dive into the abyss of the AFL teams that did not make it into September. It may get messy. Musically we dip our lids to the great Australian songwriters Vanda and Young, Terry Britten, Don Walker, Ross Wilson, Johnny Young, Brian Cadd and many many more.    Kevin Hillier, Mark Fine, Stephen J Peak Subscribe in iTunes!https://apple.co/2LUQuix Listen on Spotifyhttps://spoti.fi/2DdgYad Follow us on Facebook...https://bit.ly/2OOe7ag Post-production by Steve Visscher | Southern Skies Media for Howdy Partners Media | www.howdypartnersmedia.com.au/podcasts © 2024See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brian Cadd is an Australian songwriting legend, who has written hits for Glen Campbell, the Masters Apprentices, the Pointer Sisters, and John Farnham - plus for his own iconic 1960s band The Groop, and Axiom. Check out briancadd.com/live for tour dates.

The Two Amigos tour with Glenn Shorrock and Brian Cadd comes to SA on June 15 and June 16, Glenn joined Matthew ahead of the SA dates.  Listen live on the FIVEAA Player. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brian Cadd is an Australian singer-songwriter, keyboardist, producer and record label founder, a staple of Australian entertainment for over 50 years. As well as working internationally throughout Europe and the United States, he has performed as a member of numerous bands including the Groop, Axiom, The Bootleg Family Band and in America with the Flying Burrito Brothers before carving out a solo career in 1972.  Brian produced fellow Australian acts Robin Jolley, Ronnie Burns, Broderick Smith, Tina Arena and Glenn Shorrock and established his own record label called Bootleg Records. He also composed or performed music for several films and TV. Many of the songs he's written have been recorded by other acts, including the Pointer Sisters, Little River Band and John Farnham. In 2007, Brian Cadd was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame. He was awarded in the Queens Birthday Honours in 2018 for his 50-year service to the music industry as a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, mentor and producer and his work in production. The following year he released his fifteenth solo studio album titled Silver City and Brian has just seen all his dreams come true with the recent release of his first ever country album, titled Dream Train. Brian Cadd remains one of Australia's greatest treasures; a true Statesman of song writing and recording. He joins us this week to share his thoughts on his musical journey and to express his gratitude to his global audience for your unwavering loyalty. If you'd like to know more about Brian Cadd, head to his website https://briancadd.com/ If you'd like to request a guest - someone who made music in the 60s 70s or 80s, feel free to send me a message through my website https://www.abreathoffreshair.com.au I hope you enjoy hearing Brian Cadd's story as much as I did.

Music legend Brian Cadd joined Tony McManus to talk about his upcoming album Dream Train and his latest single The One That Got AwaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brian Cadd smiles when he reveals details of his brand-new album, Dream Train. Brian Cadd was a country-rock pioneer in Australia. A member of Axiom, Australia's first country-rock supergroup, he then had the solo smash ‘Let Go', a country classic that became his most recorded song – covered by more than 60 artists around the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aussie musician, Brian Cadd, joins Michael to discuss his new album 'Dream Train' out today!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is not to love about Brian Cadd? As well as being a bona fide music legend, he's one of the most down to earth blokes you'll ever meet, and we're so excited to have Caddy as our special guest on the Food Bytes podcast this week. We chat to him about everything from singing, songwriting and ‘little rays of sunshine,” to his penchant for a good tiramisu. And we've gone all seventies again for our Friday Food Poll topic – are you a fan of the devilled egg? Presented by Sarah Patterson & Kevin HillierBroadcast each Sunday on the ACE Radio Network - https://aceradio.com.au/ Catch us also on: The Buzzz - Melbourne's Home of Classic Hits - thebuzzz.com.au Radio 2DD - Easy Listening - On Line - https://www.2dd.online/ Follow us on Facebook... https://www.facebook.com/foodbyteswithsarahpatterson/ Twitter & Instagram - @sarahfoodbytes Post-production by Chris Gates for Howdy Partners Media | www.howdypartnersmedia.com.au/podcasts © 2024See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is much more to Barry Williams than just his Greg Brady days as you will discover in this chat. Barry talks about Greg and those heady days including when the axe fell on the show and whether he has ever wanted to kill Greg off. He also talks about his musical career and his recent experiences on Dancing with the Stars and The Masked Singer.  We revisit our visit with the always unpredictable John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten and play the new Brian Cadd song from his forthcoming album Dream Train.    Make 2024 the year you do something about making our roads a safer place for everyone. The team at Murcotts Driving Excellence are happy to chat about the right program to suit your needs and that of the people you care about. Give them a call. What is the number Brian? 1300 555 576 or visit murcotts.edu.au Murcotts has been helping drivers to think smarter, stay out of trouble and get home safely since 1969.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're chatting with legendary Aussie muso Brian Cadd ahead of his show at Lizottes ABOUT THE GOOD STUFF Join Bonnie for all The Good Stuff happening around Newcastle and the Hunter. Good people, awesome music and great events happening in Newcastle and the Hunter every weekday from 4 pm. The Good Stuff! https://newcastlelive.com.au/the-good-stuff/ ABOUT NEWCASTLE LIVE From what's on, to what matters. Newcastle Live is the Hunter's source of entertainment and lifestyle news and information. We're devoted to all the great things happening in the region. We'll keep you up to date with what's on in Newcastle, the Hunter and Lake Macquarie. https://newcastlelive.com.au/

Ed Cowlishaw recently caught up with Brian Cadd a multi-award winning songwriter and Aussie music icon. Brian's career began with Australian band The Groop in 1966 and wrote hits including Woman You're Breaking Me and Such A Lovely Way. He then formed Axiom, dubbed Australia's first super group, he penned hits Little Ray of Sunshine, Arkansas Grass and My Baby's Gone. Received gold and platinum records and awards for film scores, television themes, hits also included Ginger Man, Let Go, Don't You Know It's Magic and Alvin Purple. Brian is still playing to huge audiences nationwide. Kick back and enjoy a yarn with one of Australia's greatest songwriting and recording artists Brian Cadd on the Ed for Breakfast show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Cheryl Lee - That Radio Chick on STILL ROCKIN' IT for news, reviews, music and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians.My guest, Jason Vorherr, shares this harmonic connection, telling tales from his switch from saxophone to bass during his formative years, all the way to performing with Aussie icons like The Fabulous Caprettos, Glenn Shorrock, Brian Cadd and Daryl Braithwaite.  We take a nostalgic trip through his musical influences, share a laugh over our childhood heroes, and even give a nod to the legendary Cold Chisel, as Jason opens up about his enduring love for the unique sound of the Australian music scene.Recounting the spine-tingling experience of Russell Morris's orchestral collaboration, we chat about the symphonic blend with rock that elevates classic tunes to new heights. Rounding off, we shift gears for a heart-to-heart with Jason as he takes us through his latest project, "Living in the Suburbs," a testament to his versatility and the power of music to capture the essence of daily life.  It's a reminder of how local stories can resonate universally, much like the tune "Radio Show" from his album, a poignant homage to family ties and the shared experience of radio-listening. Celebrating the vibrancy of the Aussie music scene, we raise our voices in appreciation for the talent that continues to define our culture, from Kevin Bennett and the Flood to Steve Balby's Mi-Sex show. Tune in, for an episode that hits all the right notes and leaves you feeling plugged into the heart and soul of Australian music.What has Fabulous Capretto Jason Vorherr been up to lately ... lets's find out!Get out when you can, support local music and I'll see you down the front!!Visit: ThatRadioChick.com.au

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Here's who we have spoken to this year ... Ian Cover, Warwick Hadfield, Alyce Platt, Brian Cadd, Sam See, Toni Childs, Paul Bindig, Mike Rudd, Jean Stafford, Frankie J Holden, Greg Champion, Russell Morris, David Brookes, Brenden Mason, Mark Holden, Tamsin Lancaster, Harry Hook, Greg Evans, Misfit, Bob Bright, Eve Von Bibra, Greg Andrew, Michelle Leonard, Bradley McCaw, Normie Rowe, Ian Cover (again), Geoff Cox, Margaret McLaren, Dan Eddy, James Alexander Gibbs, Craig Willis, Jon Perry, Peter Holden, Anne Savage, Andrew Bews, Jane Crook, Brian Canham, Ross Wilson, Nigel Lappin, Russell Morris (again), Tommy Fleming, Warren Davies, Meg Deyell, Mark & Jo Caligiuri, Luke Outerbridge, Marianne Van Dorsler, Stuart Coupe, Richelle Cranston, David parkin & Ross Stevenson

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Lindsay Waddington is joined by Platinum Album Seller, ARIA Hall of Famer, Multi-award winning songwriter, and music legend Brian Cadd. They discuss Brian's career in music, from where and how he started, to his unique trip to Japan with John Farnham, and meeting Leon Russell and Elton John.

Join Cheryl Lee - That Radio Chick on STILL ROCKIN' IT for news, reviews, music and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians.This podcast you are a fly on the wall as we recently interviewed Australian music legend Brian Cadd in the green room of his concert venue for the tele.76 years young, Brian has a lot of stories to tell, and many he can't tell.To catch up on podcasts from other favourite artists, or for more radio chick stuff simply go to “ThatRadioChick.com.au”. Includes Songs:The Groop - Woman You're Breaking MeBrian Cadd - Little Ray of SunshineAxiom - Arkansas GrassRonnie Burns - When I Was Six Years OldThe Masters Apprentices - Elevator DriverBrian Cadd & The Bootleg Family Band - BulletproofThe Screaming Jets - It's TimeBrian Cadd - Theme from Alvin PurpleWhat has Brian Cadd been up to lately … let's find out!Get out when you can, support local music and I'll see you down the front!!Visit: ThatRadioChick.com.au

Bill Armstrong - Legendary Music Producer was born  in 1929.   The Melbourne audio technician-turned-producer has been at the forefront of the local music industry for more than 60 years.   In the mid-50s, Armstrong was working as a "balance officer" at ABC Radio, producing live-to-air programs, outside broadcasts and variety shows and working with the likes of Graham Kennedy. In 1956, he was charged with overseeing the PA system at the main stadium of the Melbourne Olympic Games.   In 1965, Armstrong opened his own studio in a small terrace house in Albert Rd, South Melbourne. One of the first pop recordings made there was the backing track for The Easybeats' 1965 breakthrough hit "She's So Fine", which was overseen by British-born engineer Roger Savage.   Over the next few years the studios  expanded into six adjoining properties, including four studios equipped with 4-track machines. In 1968 Armstrong installed one of the first 8-track recorders in Australia, followed by 16 and then 24-track machines, together with state-of-the-art mixing desks in the early '70s. During this time, many of Australia's most distinguished producers and engineers worked there. The original engineering team were Roger Savage, Allan Pay and Philip Webster. Armstrong's studios soon overtook two other major studios in Australia at the time - the EMI and Festival Records facilities in Sydney - to become the most sought-after recording venue in the country, and the "engine room" of Australian pop and rock recording. Many of the most popular and successful Australian recordings from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s were made there, including hit albums and singles by The Masters Apprentices, The Twilights, The Groove, The Groop, Zoot, The Aztecs, Russell Morris, Brian Cadd, Daddy Cool, Franciscus Henri, Hans Poulsen, Spectrum, John Farnham, Skyhooks, Little River Band, The Sports, Models and many others. Many famous overseas artists also recorded there while visiting Australia, including Earl Hines, Cleo Laine and John Dankworth, and Stephane Grapelli.[2]   Armstrong left the company in 1977 and stuck with the music industry, working as the manager of SBS Radio in Sydney and Melbourne before establishing the first commercial FM radio station in 1980, EON FM, now Triple M. His contribution to the industry has been well recognised – an ARIA for Lifetime contribution to the Australian Music Industry, the Advance Australia Award for outstanding contribution to the industry and commerce, an APRA for Outstanding Contribution to the music industry and the National Film and Sound Archive's Cochrane-Smith award for his contribution to Sound Heritage, among them.

Bill Armstrong - Legendary Music Producer was born  in 1929.   The Melbourne audio technician-turned-producer has been at the forefront of the local music industry for more than 60 years.   In the mid-50s, Armstrong was working as a "balance officer" at ABC Radio, producing live-to-air programs, outside broadcasts and variety shows and working with the likes of Graham Kennedy. In 1956, he was charged with overseeing the PA system at the main stadium of the Melbourne Olympic Games.   In 1965, Armstrong opened his own studio in a small terrace house in Albert Rd, South Melbourne. One of the first pop recordings made there was the backing track for The Easybeats' 1965 breakthrough hit "She's So Fine", which was overseen by British-born engineer Roger Savage.   Over the next few years the studios  expanded into six adjoining properties, including four studios equipped with 4-track machines. In 1968 Armstrong installed one of the first 8-track recorders in Australia, followed by 16 and then 24-track machines, together with state-of-the-art mixing desks in the early '70s. During this time, many of Australia's most distinguished producers and engineers worked there. The original engineering team were Roger Savage, Allan Pay and Philip Webster. Armstrong's studios soon overtook two other major studios in Australia at the time - the EMI and Festival Records facilities in Sydney - to become the most sought-after recording venue in the country, and the "engine room" of Australian pop and rock recording. Many of the most popular and successful Australian recordings from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s were made there, including hit albums and singles by The Masters Apprentices, The Twilights, The Groove, The Groop, Zoot, The Aztecs, Russell Morris, Brian Cadd, Daddy Cool, Franciscus Henri, Hans Poulsen, Spectrum, John Farnham, Skyhooks, Little River Band, The Sports, Models and many others. Many famous overseas artists also recorded there while visiting Australia, including Earl Hines, Cleo Laine and John Dankworth, and Stephane Grapelli.[2]   Armstrong left the company in 1977 and stuck with the music industry, working as the manager of SBS Radio in Sydney and Melbourne before establishing the first commercial FM radio station in 1980, EON FM, now Triple M. His contribution to the industry has been well recognised – an ARIA for Lifetime contribution to the Australian Music Industry, the Advance Australia Award for outstanding contribution to the industry and commerce, an APRA for Outstanding Contribution to the music industry and the National Film and Sound Archive's Cochrane-Smith award for his contribution to Sound Heritage, among them.

Wayne spoke to former Little River Band frontman, Glenn Shorrock recently before his upcoming show with Brian Cadd.Enjoy!!

This week's program features two artists; New York's Melanie and Aussie icon Brian Cadd. Melanie's biggest hit was Brand New Key. But she also found popularity with other songs like Look What They've Done To My Song... LEARN MORE The post Let's Remember Melanie and Brian Cadd appeared first on Yesterday Once More.

Brian, meet Brian. Cadd and Mannix are Gold Coast neighbours these days so they are up for a good old chat over the penthouse balcony about a new live album from Caddie's past. What happens on the gig certainly doesn't stay there with this pair.  From Guess Who to Bachman Turner Overdrive, Randy Bachman has produced classic hits like American Woman and Takin' Care of Business and a very talented son Tal. Bachman and Bachman talk about their music, life and much more in part one of their chat with Kevin.  Thanks to Murcotts Driving Excellence. One phone call could make such a difference to your life. Call them on 1300 555 576 to become a better driver or give a gift certificate to someone you care about. Visit murcotts.edu.au today (no steak knives included)      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aussie music legend Brian Cadd joins Darren and Wilbur in the DJ Booth  briancadd.com  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Rob and Neil chat with Australian Music Legend, Brian Cadd and as part of our Regional Roundup segment, they visit Boulia in Queensland and chat to Ann Britton.

---ARTICLES AND LINKS DISCUSSED"They all did it for Alvin""Alvin Purple" [1973] full film:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qd3PYfLqD0&t=127s---"Not Quite Hollywood" [2008] Trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v-JZb3vXE0---FOLLOW THE CONVERSATION ON reddit:https://www.reddit.com/r/sideboobcinema/---SUPPORT THE NEW FLESHPatreon:https://www.patreon.com/user?u=61455803Buy Me A Coffee:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thenewflesh---Instagram: @thenewfleshpodcast---Twitter: @TheNewFleshpod---Follow Ricky: @ricky_allpike on InstagramFollow Jon: @thejonastro on InstagramFollow AJ: @_aj_1985---SIDEBOOB CINEMA produced by Sheila EhksLogo Design by Made To Move: @made.tomoveTheme Song: Dreamdrive "Good In Red"

The episode is on The Groop and their song Woman You're Breaking Me. As a recording act, The Groop had two distinct periods featuring various different members. The Groop Mark 1 was a folk band and spanned 1964 to 66, while The Groop Mark 2 1966 to 69, had a pop rock sound. Our Special guest is former member of The Groop and one of Australia's greatest songwriters, Brian Cadd.

Brian Cadd is one of the great songwriters. He has written songs for some of the greatest artist of our generation - and thankfully, he has kept a couple of hits for himself as well. In their chat, Brian Cadd shares with Matt how a night with The Easybeats changed his career forever, he discuss his songwriting philosophies, and reveals where the iconic tune Little Ray of Sunshine comes from. Brian Cadd will be performing at the Parkes Elvis Festival. Get more information here.

Brian Cadd calls for a chat about his roadtrip with Glenn ShorrockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brian Cadd calls for a chat about his roadtrip with Glenn Shorrock

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In this episode, Rob and Neil chat to Australian Music Legend, Brian Cadd and as part of Regional Roundup, head to Grenfell in NSW to catch up with Moe Reynolds.

---ARTICLES AND LINKS DISCUSSED"They all did it for Alvin""Alvin Purple" [1973] full film:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qd3PYfLqD0&t=127s---"Not Quite Hollywood" [2008] Trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v-JZb3vXE0---SUPPORT THE NEW FLESHPatreon:https://www.patreon.com/user?u=61455803Buy Me A Coffee:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thenewflesh---Instagram: @thenewfleshpodcast---Twitter: @TheNewFleshpod---Follow Ricky: @ricky_allpike on InstagramFollow Jon: @thejonastro on InstagramFollow AJ: @_aj_1985---SIDEBOOB CINEMA produced by Sheila EhksLogo Design by Made To Move: @made.tomoveTheme Song: Dreamdrive "Good In Red"

Luke Grant interviews the legendary Ross Wilson about the upcoming Rock the House tour, also featuring John Paul Young, Glenn Shorrock, Russell Morris, Brian Cadd, and Ella Hooper. Find out more at www.rockthehouse.com.au Click play to listen to the interview. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brian Cadd joins Simon Owens and Gavin Wood to reminisce about his amazing cafreer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Simon Owens show s3e9 ep53  : Not Talking Football guest Rene Kink : Showbiz with Sandy Kaye  : Music hour with Gavin Wood (special guest Brian Cadd)   : Troy Zantuck's TV Triva Hour (special guest George Donikian) : Compilation Conversations : Shane McInnes : Jamie Duncan's Glory Days : Sennitt's Ice Cream See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FULL SHOW: Martin Nolan, Laurel Went To Dinner With Brian Cadd, Lip Goss + MORE! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FULL SHOW: Martin Nolan, Laurel Went To Dinner With Brian Cadd, Lip Goss + MORE! 

This weekend sees the return of the Airlie Beach Festival Of Music after COVID disrupted the annual event last year.Once more assembling a stellar line-up of bands and musicians – including Brian Cadd, The Angels, Russell Morris and Busby Marou, the festival is a three day weekend of fun, music and good times not to be missed!Another of the leading performers on this years bill is The Superjesus frontwoman Sarah McLeod, performing one of her many solo shows, and the great lady took time out from renovating to chat with HEAVY on the eve of the festival.We start by asking if she has ever had the pleasure of playing at one of the famous Far Northern festivals."The Superjesus played there,” she nodded. “I think it was... well it wasn't last year (laughs). I think it was the last festival they had and it was one of the best shows we've done in ages. I remember it well. The people that run it - this is what makes a good festival. There's a lot of things that go into making a good festival. A good line-up and lots of people coming, making sure that the punters are comfortable, and the bars are in the right places and the toilets, and the suns not setting in their eyes while watching the band... there's so many factors involved, and they seem to think of all those things. And they're really lovely to work with. Everyone is happy and comfortable. No-ones walking around going "this would be great if". You don't hear that at the Airlie Beach festival."In the full interview Sarah runs through what to expect from her show, if she will be playing any Superjesus songs, judging the Battle Of The Bands finals as well and how she will approach it, who she is most looking forward to seeing and why, pacing yourself over a three day festival, future plans for herself and The Superjesus and more.

If ARIA Hall of Famer Brian Cadd had a statue outside every music venue in Australia, I don't think anyone would be arguing about it. Music is something we all use to calm our inner beast - but for Brian, and many other musicians, music IS that inner beast. The balance, Brian says, is what's key to a sustainable career, and a happy life. Thank you to Uncle Jack Charles for the acknowledgement of country.Instagrammers! (Meaning everyone on the internet) Follow us for more Calm Ya Farm tips, and send us a message saying you came from the show notes, I need to know people read these!instagram.com/calmyafarm_/calmyafarm.com.au.Subscribe to BRAVE, your new favourite free monthly newsletter here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Steve Todd became a professional musician when he was 19, and has worked in the industry ever since. Born in to a family of entertainers Steve's profession was predestined, his father John Todd was a drummer, his mother a founding member of the 'Ethelton Entertainers' theatre group, and his grandfather a vaudevillian, it was a given that both he and his brother Larry would work in the industry. Steve was taught by Reg Bassett who not only taught him how to play, he taught him how to secure ongoing opportunities within the music industry. Steve first began playing while in Primary School, both he and Larry played the snare drum that was used to march the students into class everyday. He joined his first (out of school band) 'Bennie & The Jets' while attending High School, and his first major band was 'Centaur' (Adelaide Australia), this band saw him leave Adelaide for the first time, they toured up and down the East Coast. After leaving this band he returned to Adelaide and studied music to gain the reading skills required that would enable him to work as a freelance musician. In 1985 Steve began working for Banksia Productions, this is where he started to work in television and radio. Adelaide had one of the best music scenes in Australia, every TV Station had a House Band, and Steve had regular work during the day in children's television shows, recording and touring with 'Here's Humphrey', 'The Music Shop', 'The Book Place', and 'The Fairies' to name a few. Steve has recorded and toured with children's entertainer Peter Coombe for the past 30 years. He was the House Drummer for 'Pepper Studios', has worked with both the State Theatre Company and the Australian Dance Theatre, and spent 16 years playing with the 'South Australian Police Band'. Steve performed with various bands including 'Goose', and had a 7 year residency at the Grenfell Tavern with 'Mixed Bag'. In 2017 he was invited to join a group of Adelaide musicians who are collectively known as the 'Hindley Street Country Club' (HSCC), they release a cover of an 80s hit song every week, and have become so popular that they have had over 100 million views on YouTube! Major highlight's of Steve's career include playing percussion with his idols Jon English and Peter Cupples (Stylus), when they toured performing unplugged versions of their hits, and performing "A Little Ray Of Sunshine" with Glenn Shorrock and Brian Cadd. Personal highlight's performing onstage with his dad, brother, son and nephew, and every time that he gets to perform or record with his son Ben, Ben Todd was the (S2 E15) Engine Room Guest. Music: Intro "BAND IT ABOUT" written and recorded by Catherine Lambert and Michael Bryant. Outro "What's Up" written by Ben Todd Please remember to subscribe to this music interview podcast series. Band It About can be heard on all of the major podcast listening platforms including: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Anchor and Spotify. Email: banditabout17@gmail.com #banditabout #drummers #Adelaide #SteveTodd #realstories --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dianne-spillane/message

Join Cheryl Lee - That Radio Chick on STILL ROCKIN' IT for news, reviews, music and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians.Today we speak with Brian Cadd about his early days as a child performer, then his various bands including The Groop, Axiom, The Bootleg Family Band and Flying Burrito Brothers and his illustrious solo career.He shares details of his near death experience and also talks about his involvement at the very start of entertainment industry charity, Support Act, with David 'Daisy' Day.What's Brian up to at the moment?   Let's find out .....

The Marty Rose Band (MRB) is from Melbourne , Australia - David Briggs - Guitarist and Songwriter (ARIA hall of Fame - Little River Band and Grammy Nominated Musician ) joined John on the Phone to talk " Elvis T C B , A song he wrote / Performed and recorded for the band. from the bands forthcoming Album The Tear Drop Line. Elvis T C B The song is a tribute to the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, and pays homage to the man, while saluting all who continue to live in hope of sighting the legend himself. David as a member of LRB wrote US Billboard No 6 Song " Lonesome loser" which was the bands only Grammy Nominated Song. He also spoke about his "life " after LRB. The Marty Rose Band is: Marty Rose (vocals/piano) – Melbourne's own piano man David Briggs (guitar/vocals/production) – former LRB Pip Joyce (guitar/vocals) – Glenn Shorrock Band, Brian Cadd band Jo Imbroll (bass/vocals) – former Goanna, Ian Moss band, John Farnham band Gil ‘Rats' Matthews (drums/vocals) – former Aztecs, Mondo Rock, Richard Clapton band, Mouseketeer. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/2bacr90stonow/message

One of the road warriors of the Australian music scene, Brian Cadd is still writing great songs, doing brilliant live shows and chatting about his life and times in the biz. We are thrilled to have him on the show along with a comedy trio who are filling venues all over the country with their hilarious stage show - Sooshi Mango.  All thanks to Murcotts Driving Excellence 1300 555 576 murcotts.edu.au. We could all be better drivers and Murcotts are THE people to make that happen.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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If ARIA Hall of Famer Brian Cadd had a statue outside every music venue in Australia, I don't think anyone would be arguing about it. Music is something we all use to calm our inner beast - but for Brian, and many other musicians, music IS that inner beast. The balance, Brian says, is what's key to a sustainable career, and a happy life. Thank you to Uncle Jack Charles for the acknowledgement of country.Instagrammers! (Meaning everyone on the internet) Follow us for more Calm Ya Farm tips, and send us a message saying you came from the show notes, I need to know people read these!instagram.com/calmyafarm_/calmyafarm.com.au.Subscribe to BRAVE, your new favourite free monthly newsletter here.How do YOU #CalmYaFarm? Leave us a voice message via our Speakpipe! It's free! And we'll share our favourites in upcoming podcasts / newsletters. Record your message here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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Bonnie Tyler, born Gaynor Hopkins, was brought up in Skewen, a small village near Swansea. She grew up to become one of Wales' best known performers, achieving chart success all over the world. She is recognised for her distinctive husky voice, and a long list of hit singles including Total Eclipse of the Heart, It's a Heartache, Holding Out for a Hero, Lost in France, More Than a Lover, Bitterblue and If I Sing You a Love Song. In her 50-year career, Bonnie has performed for audiences in countries across the world, and she has enjoyed critical acclaim for her recent albums Rocks and Honey and Between The Earth and the Stars. Her latest album The Best Is Yet to Come – due for release on 26 February 2021 – is a contemporary approach to the sounds and styles of 80s pop rock.   As a teenager, Bonnie was influenced by the biggest female voices of the 60s, especially Tina Turner and Janis Joplin. After spending several years performing in local pubs and clubs around South Wales, first with Bobbie Wayne & the Dixies and later with her own band, Imagination, Bonnie was discovered by talent scout Roger Bell in 1974. RCA Records launched Bonnie's recording career two years later with her debut single My! My! Honeycomb. Her breakthrough hit was Lost in France, written by her managers Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe. The single peaked at no. 9 in the UK, and spent six months in the German charts. After enjoying further success with subsequent singles More Than a Lover and Heaven, Bonnie finally broke into the Billboard charts with It's a Heartache, which reached no. 3 in the United States. Of the four albums that Bonnie recorded for RCA, Natural Force was the most successful, selling over half a million copies in the United States. Ready to embrace the new decade, Bonnie moved to CBS Records to work with Jim Steinman in the early 80s. Their fateful collaboration resulted in the groundbreaking international hit Total Eclipse of the Heart, a multi-platinum selling single that still enjoys cultural relevance in the 21st century. It is lifted from her fifth album, Faster Than the Speed of Night, which saw Tyler become to first British female artist to make her debut appearance on the UK Albums Chart at no. 1. During the 80s, she recorded several songs for movie soundtracks, including the UK no. 2 hit Holding Out for a Hero for Footloose, and the Grammy-nominated single Here She Comes for a restoration of Metropolis. Hide Your Heart became Bonnie's third album for CBS, produced by Desmond Child. It features several songs that became hits for other artists, including The Best for Tina Turner and Save Up All Your Tears for Cher. In the 90s, Bonnie signed with German label Hansa Records for three albums. The first, Bitterblue, rivaled the success of her career-defining album Faster Than the Speed of Night in some European countries, earning 4x Platinum status in Norway. Her follow-up albums Angel Heart and Silhouette in Red also became Platinum records in parts of Europe. Bonnie reunited with Jim Steinman in 1995 after signing with EastWest Records. She recorded epic cover versions of Making Love (Out of Nothing At All) and Two Out of Three Ain't Bad for her album Free Spirit, which featured the work of top producers including Humberto Gatica, Christopher Neil and David Foster. Her second record with EastWest, titled All in One Voice, arrived shortly before the new milennium. The celtic-influenced pop album was recorded in Dublin and Hamburg, and features a haunting cover of “I Put a Spell on You”, produced by Mike Batt.   In the early 2000s, Bonnie signed a one-off deal with EMI to record Heart Strings, an album of classic rock covers featuring her touring band and the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Bonnie recorded her next two pop-rock albums, Simply Believe and Wings, with producers Jean Lahcene and Stuart Emerson. Bonnie received an ECHO Music Prize for ‘Best International Pop/Rock Female Artist' in 1994. She has also received three Goldene Europa awards, three Grammy and BRIT nominations, two AMA nominations and one ACM nomination. She is the recipient of an honorary degree from Swansea University,  and she was presented with a Gold Badge from BASCA (now The Ivors Academy) in 2013. Bonnie has represented the United Kingdom at two international music contests. In 1979, she won the Yamaha World Popular Song Festival with her song ‘Sitting On the Edge of the Ocean'. After competing in the Eurovision Song Contest with ‘Believe in Me' in 2013, Bonnie picked up two ESC Radio Awards for ‘Best Song' and ‘Best Singer'. Over and above the timeless tracks that made her a household name, Bonnie has proven her versatility by enjoying a bilingual number one album in France, and performing duets – past collaborators include Vince Gill, Cher, Fabio Jr., Shakin' Stevens and Todd Rundgren. In 2013, she released her country-influenced album Rocks and Honey, recorded at the legendary Blackbird Studios in Nashville with David Huff. In 2019, she released Between the Earth and the Stars, another contemporary record with nods to past moments from her 50-year career. She recorded it with David Mackay, who produced her first two albums back in the 70s. Songwriters include long-time collaborators Kevin Dunne, Brian Cadd and Stuart Emerson, with new contributions from Sir Barry Gibb and Amy Wadge. The album also boasts three exciting duets with Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard and Francis Rossi. Her follow-up album The Best Is Yet to Come will arrive in February 2021. The release was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but now Bonnie feels ready to celebrate: “I hope these new songs will lift your spirits. I am so happy and proud of this new album. It simply rocks and brings a smile to my face every time I put it on. The moment we can get back on stage and see your smiling faces will be extra special. I promise the best IS yet to come.“

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Rev. Bill chats with the woman who discovered Kylie Minogue and married rocker Brian Cadd.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Interviews from the archive with two veteran Australian songwriters: Kev Carmody and Brian Cadd.

The Real Thing was Australia’s most outlandish and biggest-selling single of 1969See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Real Thing was Australia's most outlandish and biggest-selling single of 1969 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Glenn Barrie Shorrock AM is an English-born Australian singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of rock bands the Twilights, Axiom, Little River Band and post LRB spin-off trio Birtles Shorrock Goble, ‘Blazing Salads' a duo with his mate Brian Cadd as well as being a solo performer.Having been front man in those iconic Australian bands Glenn has many stories to tell.Glenn and his band Little River Band conquered the American music scene with sold out concerts and huge stadium shows of 60,000 fans.The LRB songs now get awards for 5 million airplays on American radio. ‘Help is on it's Way' ‘Cool Change' ‘It's a Long Way There' ‘Reminiscing'‘Home on Monday' and so much more. I am so excited to catch up with one of my music heroes over decades of the best music. Lets get chatting with Glenn Shorrock.

In this Episode Gavin chats with Brian Cadd AM.In 2007 Brian Cadd was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame forhis 50 years of service to the music industry as a singer,songwriter, instrumentalist, mentor and producer. Brian is one ofthe greatest singer songwriters Australia has produced with asuccessful career in the USA and Europe. Brian speaks to usfrom New York about his 50 years in the business.Let's get talking to Brian Cadd AM

Matt & Clyde talk about live music in a fine dining environment, degustation menus and catch up with Aussie music great Brian Cadd!

"Band It About" S01 E04 chats with "RETROPOPIC" Neil Saint from Sydney's community radio station 2RRR. Music lovers in 130 countries have tuned in to listen to Neil Saint’s “RETROPOPIC”interviews. What began as a hobby, has now reached over 34,000 listeners worldwide! In depth interviews with artists including: Steve Hackett, Marky Ramone, Stash De Rola, Brian Cadd, Russell Morris, and Ross Wilson, all sharing their musical journeys. Today Neil experiences what it is like to be the one asked, starting from his early influences in the UK, through to moving to Australia, and becoming involved with community radio. Hear how an interview with Les McKeown inspired the light bulb moment which resulted in combining his love of 20th century pop music, his interviewing skills, and local radio show, to enter the world of podcasting. RETROPOPIC RADIO is NOT a radio station it is radio show, and popular music podcasting brand, with a focus on classic pop music from the 60's to the end of the 20th century. RETROPOPIC RADIO produces regular magazines of artist interviews or excerpts of artist interviews alongside their music. It is broadcasted each Friday evening at 2RRR, a Community Radio Station, in Sydney between 9 and 10pm. 00:00 Music Intro:  Edwin Astley & His Orchestra, Main Theme from “The Saint”, BBC Television Series 1962. 00:00:25 “Band It About” gets to know the “Saintly” beginnings, discussing Neil’s background including his childhood, education, and early career 00:15:23 when those Saints go marching out, Neil and his family leave the UK for France 00:20:00 Settling in Sydney, and starting a new hobby 00:27:08 that light bulb moment! 00:35:32 Neil discusses the Adelaide musicians he has interviewed 00:39:40 Neil reveals his favourite interview 00:45:50 The “RETROPOPIC” road ahead 00:52:44 it’s Neil’s turn for the “Band It About” 20 question challenge, will he be the first to finish? 00:56:58 Music: Edwin Astley & His Orchestra, Main Theme from “The Saint”, BBC Television Series 1962. Useful Links for S01 E04 To Listen to Retropopic: Friday evenings on 2RRR between 9 and 10pm: https://2rrr.org.au/guide/?retropopic Podcast: https://www.mixcloud.com/FrenchSpurs1/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neil5705/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1385764284810601/about/ https://www.facebook.com/Retropopic-Radios-Punk-Podcasts-107247557459356/ To Contact Band It About: Email: mailto:banditabout17@gmail.com Messenger: https://m.me/allowmetoguideyoutothegig?fbclid=IwAR0Ba6yazkxG4Wh2L-hDzwjZ_TRJK8MFHQlKJet6RsQcVdksh8mh0ZyXB2w To watch Band It About videos: https://www.facebook.com/allowmetoguideyoutothegig https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhg0WMgLVQYhLjgcWNQYKrg63Vh5suSfX Band IT About-Proudly Supporting Live Music #BandItAbout #MusicBusiness --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dianne-spillane/message

#MorningShow989 this week welcomes special guests Australian music legend Brian Cadd and UK singer/songwriter Nathan Ball. Catch…

This special 1001 Classic Short Stories presentation honors the people of Australia and their heritage.  Done as a thank you for giving 1001 Classic Short Stories and 1001 Heroes so many subscriptions and reviews. have given us huge rankings in Australia. Your national anthem always chokes me up when I hear it, because I recall your sacrifices for freedom in far off places like Gallipoli, North Africa, and the Phillipines. in WWII. The performance included here is listed as Creative Commons and is from National Australia Day 2009, featuring the voices of Wendy Matthews, john Schumann, Brian Cadd, and Kenny......? never got the last name.  Can help but get choked up whenever I hear any version but this one is very good. "Waltzing Matilda" by Banjo Paterson SUPPORT OUR SHOW MONTHLY AT PATREON Become an Assistant Producer at 1001 Stories Network ( a great resume enhancement) and support us at Patreon today! Here;s the link:  https://www.patreon.com/1001storiesnetwork YOUR REVIEWS AT APPLE/ITUNES ARE NEEDED AND APPRECIATED! Catch RADIO DAYS now at Apple  iTunes!   https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-radio-days/id1405045413?mt=2 Catch 1001 HEROES now at Apple iTunes Podcast App:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-heroes-legends-histories-mysteries-podcast/id956154836?mt=2 Catch 1001 CLASSIC SHORT STORIES at iTunes/apple Podcast App Now:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-classic-short-stories-tales/id1078098622?mt=2 Catch 1001 Stories for the Road at iTunes/Apple Podcast now:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-stories-for-the-road/id1227478901?mt=2 ANDROID USERS- CATCH OUR SHOWS AT WWW.CASTBOX.FM  SUBSCRIBE FREE  THEN SHARE  THANK YOU 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales:  https://castbox.fm/channel/1001-Classic-Short-Stories-%26-Tales-id381734?country=us 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries:  https://castbox.fm/channel/1001-Heroes%2C-Legends%2C-Histories-%26-Mysteries-Podcast-id1114843?country=us 1001 Stories for the Road: https://castbox.fm/channel/1001-Stories-For-The-Road-id1324757?country=us Catch ALL of our shows at one place by going to www.1001storiesnetwork.com- our home website with Megaphone. Website For  1001 Heroes is still www.1001storiespodcast.com  (we redirected that one to www.1001storiesnetwork.com) Website For 1001 Classic Short Stories is still www.1001classicshortstories.com ( we redirected that as well) Website for 1001 Stories For The Road is still www.1001storiesfortheroad  (we redirected that one, too) Website for 1001 Radio Days is www.1001radiodays.com

2013 has given Australian music icon, Russell Morris, an unexpected hit record some 44 years after his first national number one smash with pop-psychedelic smash, The Real Thing. I produced this music feature with Russell in 2014, although I first met him in about 1992 when I interviewed him in Hobart. He's smart, funny, brilliant and has always been just bloody fabulous and generous to me. Except for that time he rang my show to wish me a happy birthday and I thought he was JPY! Sorry, Russell! xxAustralian music industry icon Russell Morris joined Carol Duncan's program while doing a series of performances in Newcastle and surrounds. (Carol Duncan:Carol Duncan)"This album (Sharkmouth) was done out of a labour of love because I like roots and blues music and I'd always wanted to do a roots and blues album.""I chose Australian history because I've always loved any type of history. You'd think the two kisses of death for a gold album would be blues and Australian history, so it wasn't done with the intention, it was just done as a labour of love which has proved to be really enlightening.""Producer Mitch Cairns' foresight was out of desperation of staying alive. At that stage, Brian Cadd who I was working with, had decided that he was going overseas and he dropped the bomb on us that he might not be coming back.""At that stage Jim Keays was very sick and Mitch said, "You've gotta do something or we won't have any work!" And I said, "Well, I've got the blues album," and he said, "Well, FINISH IT!""It is a great thing (the success of Sharkmouth) and I have to thank particularly the ABC because they ABC embraced it from day one and just went 'bang', but the commercial stations just didn't want to know. The ABC just broke it right across the country.""If anyone was going to have a gold record this year you'd have put me at the bottom of the list.""I think what happens with a lot of my peers, a lot of people will see a new record and whether it's from Joe Camilleri, Daryl Braithwaite - they pre-judge it and don't listen to it.""I remember when we first started in Melbourne, Ian Meldrum said to me, "We'll go and see Stan Rofe at 3AW." Stan Rofe was a big star to me, he was on air and I'd heard him on the radio station and I said, "Well how are we going to do that?" and he said, "We'll just go up to the radio station!""So we went up to the radio station and walked in and Stan came down and had a cup of tea with us. Ian said, "We've got this, what do you think?" and Stan said, 'Love it, I'll play it.'And that's what it was like.""Well, Mitch and I spoke about it (initial expectations of Sharkmouth) and I said if we're lucky we might sell 5,000 copies, if we can get an independent release.""We'd have sold them at gigs to try and get our money back and if we had a small deal with a company and sold 5,000 or 8,000 we'd have made the money back." Gold status is in 2013 is 35,000 and Sharkmouth is now creeping up towards platinum - it's around 60,000 now and platinum is 70,000.""When I did the unplugged album with Liberation it sold around 8,000 so it's been a great experience for both of us.""We signed to an independent record company and they took it and then rang me up, the first time it went in to the charts at about number 89, then it jumped to 49 and I was over the moon. I rang Mitch and we celebrated, and then the next week it jumped 20 places again and it just kept going right up into the top 10."Russell has continued a great tradition started by The Beatles of being turned down by every record company in the country and then having a success."I tell you what is ironic, The Real Thing was turned down as well. EMI hated it, they thought it was the biggest load of rubbish they'd ever heard.""EMI didn't want to release it, they were only going to release it in Melbourne to try and make their money back because I had a following in Melbourne, so Ian Meldrum and I got in a car and drove to Sydney to go and see all the (radio) program managers because at that stage you could knock on the door of these commercial stations before they became corporate and say, "Can I speak to the program manager," "Here's the song, what do you think, our record company think it's a load of rubbish, would you play it?" 'Of course we'll play it, will you sign that?'"So we signed a petition that came out to really stick it to the record company. Radio and record companies at that stage weren't getting along very well. It was just prior to the record ban where radio wanted to stop paying royalties to radio for playing songs on the air."Russell Morris is thought of as having lots of pop hits and a pure voice but he dabbled in blues back in the 1970s when he used musicians from Chain on one of his albums."They were my favourite band. I always use Barry Harvey and Barry Sullivan always, on everything, and I'd always used Phil Manning, so strangely enough it's actually Phil Manning playing all those licks in 'Sweet, Sweet Love' and you'd think, 'Who's this syrupy guitar player?' and it's Phil Manning!""It's (blues) where I wanted to head but I was painted into a corner once I had a pop hit and the record company saying, 'You've got to produce another hit!' and it became a factory after a while. You get caught in it.""I actually wished Chain had been my band because it would have taken me on a whole other direction. I don't think Ian, Molly, would have been too happy although at that stage we'd sort of split.""He's still my best mate but we'd had a couple of professional disagreements. He saw me as Australia's Davey Jones from The Monkees or some such thing and I wanted to go in a different direction completely as a singer/songwriter so we differed on the way we were going and the record company was pressuring for another single, but I really would have loved to be with a band like Chain.""But your fate is your fate. Whatever happens, those doors open and close for a reason and maybe if I'd started it earlier then it wouldn't have worked.""I was happy doing The Real Thing, I quite liked psychedelia. I didn't like pop a lot but I remember Ian (Molly Meldrum) had done a number of songs with me and we'd done 'Only A Matter of Time' which I absolutely loathe, it was on the back of The Real Thing, and a couple of pop songs and I said to Ian, 'This is rubbish, we're not going in the direction I want to go,' I said, 'I'm not John Farnham, I'm not Ronnie Burns and I'm not Normie Rowe. I want to do something that they wouldn't even contemplate thinking about doing. I want to go in that direction. Let's go psychedelia, let's go into something more band oriented than a pop single.'"Ian, to his credit, agreed and said, 'You're right, they're not different enough."Russell Morris actually had a whole album ready to go at one stage and decided it wasn't good enough and he wanted to re-record the whole thing."EMI had gotten a record producer and he'd gotten a head of steam up and away he went. I tend to go along with things and say to people, 'I don't know if this is the right thing ...' and they don't listen, they don't listen ... and all of a sudden they go, 'You know what? Scrap it.' And that's what happened. He went ahead and put strings and brass on everything and it just drove me insane. I said to him, 'I'm not releasing it."Russell Morris on recording The Real Thing."We used 8-track recording for The Real Thing. There was only two tracks for the effects, one for the vocals, everything just kinda got bounced down, I don't think we even slaved another machine to worry about generations. I think we did slave another machine for the effects.""I cannot take any credit for it. Ian Meldrum was the total architect, it was his concept from start to finish.""A lot of it was trial and error, experimentation, but giving Molly his dues he doesn't know what he wants in the studio but when he stumbles across it he knows instinctively that it's right. Everyone else will be nodding off at 3am and he'll have had some poor bloody guitar player out there playing the part over and over, 'No! Try it this way! Try something else! Make it sound like stars!' And that's what happens."In December 2011, Ian 'Molly' Meldrum had a serious fall while at home which for a while it seemed he wouldn't survive."He wasn't putting up Christmas lights. I was with him that day and I think that was a story that got fed around.""I was there that day, the reason he fell is because of him. We were doing a song for Jerry Ryan who was doing The Green Edge, the cycling team, and I was doing a duet with Vanessa Amorosi.""Ian had the master tapes and he said, 'Can you take these down to Sing Sing as you're going home?" So I left. "He was about to head to Thailand and he probably thought he'd catch some extra rays of sun. He's got a latter cemented into the side of his wall which goes up to a sun deck. He was climbing up there with his mobile phone, his cigarettes and trying to juggle those and lost his balance and fell.""He would have died except his gardener, Joe, happened to be there. It was real touch and go as to whether he was going to survive but he's great now.""It was funny. They (the hospital) said, 'Ian wants to see you in hospital. You cannot talk to him about mobile phones. If he asks for your mobile phone you cannot give it to him. If he asks for drinks you can't go and get him one. Do not talk to him about getting out of hospital.""It was horrifying. I thought I was going to get in there and expected to see Ian sitting in a wheelchair and drinking soup through a straw, but I got in there and there he is sitting with his baseball cap on and his tracksuit reading the paper!""I said, 'Ian, I expected you to be sitting here dribbling, everyone's given me such a hard time!' And he said, 'Oh they're all such pains in the ....' "And they'd said to me, 'You cannot stay any longer than 20 minutes and if he shows any aggravation you have to leave immediately.""My 20 minutes came up and I said I'd better go but he said, 'Don't be ridiculous!" "I ended up staying for two hours.""I was also off to Thailand and flew out the next day. I got to Thailand and I got an email from Amanda Pelman who is Brian Cadd's partner who's great friend of Ian's, and it says, 'What have you done? Where is Ian? You were the last person to see him and now he's disappeared?""After I left, Ian started to figure out how to get out of there because you can't get out of the ward without a special card and the nurses won't let you out.""He conjured this story and told told them, 'I've decided to do physio' which he'd been refusing to do, and they said, 'Oh that's great Ian, when do you want to start, Monday?""He said, 'I want to start now, if you want me to do physio I want to go over and have a look and do it now.'" So they took him.""They got a nurse to take him over and took him down the street and as they got to the street he turned one way and just kept walking.""They couldn't find him!"

2013 has given Australian music icon, Russell Morris, an unexpected hit record some 44 years after his first national number one smash with pop-psychedelic smash, The Real Thing. I produced this music feature with Russell in 2014, although I first met him in about 1992 when I interviewed him in Hobart. He's smart, funny, brilliant and has always been just bloody fabulous and generous to me. Except for that time he rang my show to wish me a happy birthday and I thought he was JPY! Sorry, Russell! xxAustralian music industry icon Russell Morris joined Carol Duncan's program while doing a series of performances in Newcastle and surrounds. (Carol Duncan:Carol Duncan)"This album (Sharkmouth) was done out of a labour of love because I like roots and blues music and I'd always wanted to do a roots and blues album.""I chose Australian history because I've always loved any type of history. You'd think the two kisses of death for a gold album would be blues and Australian history, so it wasn't done with the intention, it was just done as a labour of love which has proved to be really enlightening.""Producer Mitch Cairns' foresight was out of desperation of staying alive. At that stage, Brian Cadd who I was working with, had decided that he was going overseas and he dropped the bomb on us that he might not be coming back.""At that stage Jim Keays was very sick and Mitch said, "You've gotta do something or we won't have any work!" And I said, "Well, I've got the blues album," and he said, "Well, FINISH IT!""It is a great thing (the success of Sharkmouth) and I have to thank particularly the ABC because they ABC embraced it from day one and just went 'bang', but the commercial stations just didn't want to know. The ABC just broke it right across the country.""If anyone was going to have a gold record this year you'd have put me at the bottom of the list.""I think what happens with a lot of my peers, a lot of people will see a new record and whether it's from Joe Camilleri, Daryl Braithwaite - they pre-judge it and don't listen to it.""I remember when we first started in Melbourne, Ian Meldrum said to me, "We'll go and see Stan Rofe at 3AW." Stan Rofe was a big star to me, he was on air and I'd heard him on the radio station and I said, "Well how are we going to do that?" and he said, "We'll just go up to the radio station!""So we went up to the radio station and walked in and Stan came down and had a cup of tea with us. Ian said, "We've got this, what do you think?" and Stan said, 'Love it, I'll play it.'And that's what it was like.""Well, Mitch and I spoke about it (initial expectations of Sharkmouth) and I said if we're lucky we might sell 5,000 copies, if we can get an independent release.""We'd have sold them at gigs to try and get our money back and if we had a small deal with a company and sold 5,000 or 8,000 we'd have made the money back." Gold status is in 2013 is 35,000 and Sharkmouth is now creeping up towards platinum - it's around 60,000 now and platinum is 70,000.""When I did the unplugged album with Liberation it sold around 8,000 so it's been a great experience for both of us.""We signed to an independent record company and they took it and then rang me up, the first time it went in to the charts at about number 89, then it jumped to 49 and I was over the moon. I rang Mitch and we celebrated, and then the next week it jumped 20 places again and it just kept going right up into the top 10."Russell has continued a great tradition started by The Beatles of being turned down by every record company in the country and then having a success."I tell you what is ironic, The Real Thing was turned down as well. EMI hated it, they thought it was the biggest load of rubbish they'd ever heard.""EMI didn't want to release it, they were only going to release it in Melbourne to try and make their money back because I had a following in Melbourne, so Ian Meldrum and I got in a car and drove to Sydney to go and see all the (radio) program managers because at that stage you could knock on the door of these commercial stations before they became corporate and say, "Can I speak to the program manager," "Here's the song, what do you think, our record company think it's a load of rubbish, would you play it?" 'Of course we'll play it, will you sign that?'"So we signed a petition that came out to really stick it to the record company. Radio and record companies at that stage weren't getting along very well. It was just prior to the record ban where radio wanted to stop paying royalties to radio for playing songs on the air."Russell Morris is thought of as having lots of pop hits and a pure voice but he dabbled in blues back in the 1970s when he used musicians from Chain on one of his albums."They were my favourite band. I always use Barry Harvey and Barry Sullivan always, on everything, and I'd always used Phil Manning, so strangely enough it's actually Phil Manning playing all those licks in 'Sweet, Sweet Love' and you'd think, 'Who's this syrupy guitar player?' and it's Phil Manning!""It's (blues) where I wanted to head but I was painted into a corner once I had a pop hit and the record company saying, 'You've got to produce another hit!' and it became a factory after a while. You get caught in it.""I actually wished Chain had been my band because it would have taken me on a whole other direction. I don't think Ian, Molly, would have been too happy although at that stage we'd sort of split.""He's still my best mate but we'd had a couple of professional disagreements. He saw me as Australia's Davey Jones from The Monkees or some such thing and I wanted to go in a different direction completely as a singer/songwriter so we differed on the way we were going and the record company was pressuring for another single, but I really would have loved to be with a band like Chain.""But your fate is your fate. Whatever happens, those doors open and close for a reason and maybe if I'd started it earlier then it wouldn't have worked.""I was happy doing The Real Thing, I quite liked psychedelia. I didn't like pop a lot but I remember Ian (Molly Meldrum) had done a number of songs with me and we'd done 'Only A Matter of Time' which I absolutely loathe, it was on the back of The Real Thing, and a couple of pop songs and I said to Ian, 'This is rubbish, we're not going in the direction I want to go,' I said, 'I'm not John Farnham, I'm not Ronnie Burns and I'm not Normie Rowe. I want to do something that they wouldn't even contemplate thinking about doing. I want to go in that direction. Let's go psychedelia, let's go into something more band oriented than a pop single.'"Ian, to his credit, agreed and said, 'You're right, they're not different enough."Russell Morris actually had a whole album ready to go at one stage and decided it wasn't good enough and he wanted to re-record the whole thing."EMI had gotten a record producer and he'd gotten a head of steam up and away he went. I tend to go along with things and say to people, 'I don't know if this is the right thing ...' and they don't listen, they don't listen ... and all of a sudden they go, 'You know what? Scrap it.' And that's what happened. He went ahead and put strings and brass on everything and it just drove me insane. I said to him, 'I'm not releasing it."Russell Morris on recording The Real Thing."We used 8-track recording for The Real Thing. There was only two tracks for the effects, one for the vocals, everything just kinda got bounced down, I don't think we even slaved another machine to worry about generations. I think we did slave another machine for the effects.""I cannot take any credit for it. Ian Meldrum was the total architect, it was his concept from start to finish.""A lot of it was trial and error, experimentation, but giving Molly his dues he doesn't know what he wants in the studio but when he stumbles across it he knows instinctively that it's right. Everyone else will be nodding off at 3am and he'll have had some poor bloody guitar player out there playing the part over and over, 'No! Try it this way! Try something else! Make it sound like stars!' And that's what happens."In December 2011, Ian 'Molly' Meldrum had a serious fall while at home which for a while it seemed he wouldn't survive."He wasn't putting up Christmas lights. I was with him that day and I think that was a story that got fed around.""I was there that day, the reason he fell is because of him. We were doing a song for Jerry Ryan who was doing The Green Edge, the cycling team, and I was doing a duet with Vanessa Amorosi.""Ian had the master tapes and he said, 'Can you take these down to Sing Sing as you're going home?" So I left. "He was about to head to Thailand and he probably thought he'd catch some extra rays of sun. He's got a latter cemented into the side of his wall which goes up to a sun deck. He was climbing up there with his mobile phone, his cigarettes and trying to juggle those and lost his balance and fell.""He would have died except his gardener, Joe, happened to be there. It was real touch and go as to whether he was going to survive but he's great now.""It was funny. They (the hospital) said, 'Ian wants to see you in hospital. You cannot talk to him about mobile phones. If he asks for your mobile phone you cannot give it to him. If he asks for drinks you can't go and get him one. Do not talk to him about getting out of hospital.""It was horrifying. I thought I was going to get in there and expected to see Ian sitting in a wheelchair and drinking soup through a straw, but I got in there and there he is sitting with his baseball cap on and his tracksuit reading the paper!""I said, 'Ian, I expected you to be sitting here dribbling, everyone's given me such a hard time!' And he said, 'Oh they're all such pains in the ....' "And they'd said to me, 'You cannot stay any longer than 20 minutes and if he shows any aggravation you have to leave immediately.""My 20 minutes came up and I said I'd better go but he said, 'Don't be ridiculous!" "I ended up staying for two hours.""I was also off to Thailand and flew out the next day. I got to Thailand and I got an email from Amanda Pelman who is Brian Cadd's partner who's great friend of Ian's, and it says, 'What have you done? Where is Ian? You were the last person to see him and now he's disappeared?""After I left, Ian started to figure out how to get out of there because you can't get out of the ward without a special card and the nurses won't let you out.""He conjured this story and told told them, 'I've decided to do physio' which he'd been refusing to do, and they said, 'Oh that's great Ian, when do you want to start, Monday?""He said, 'I want to start now, if you want me to do physio I want to go over and have a look and do it now.'" So they took him.""They got a nurse to take him over and took him down the street and as they got to the street he turned one way and just kept walking.""They couldn't find him!"

While the 60s exploded through the mass media seeking out stoned naked hippies in Haight Ashbury, it was a little more subdued and awkward in Australia. Roselands hosted a glittering cavalcade of stars from The Master's Apprentices to Little Stevie Wonder. It was always 70 degrees by the Raindrop Fountain and the entertainment was always family friendly, except when Graham Kennedy dropped his duds.

Elizabeth Harris visits Michael Salmon's studio in Kooyong, Melbourne, and learns from the children's author, illustrator, and entertainer of school children, what 50 years in the arts has taught him about -  Learning to trust your instincts about what early readers find funny. The importance of branching out and diversifying if you want to thrive as an author and illustrator in the long term. How your personality and people skills (or lack thereof) can influence your success in the arts. The pleasure of giving back to the community when you've attained a measure of professional success. How did a beloved children's book make it to the centre page of a newspaper, and its main character become 600 kilos of bronze outside a public library in the nation's capital? What's the connection between Michael, Healthy Harold (the Life Education giraffe that visits schools), and the Alannah and Madeline Foundation? Follow Michael as he travels around Australia visiting Indigenous schools and schools with students of diverse ethnicities, backgrounds, and levels of English fluency. Find out more about Michael Salmon's work at MichaelSalmon.com.au. Notes:Robyn Payne is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and audio engineer of 25 years’ experience in the album, film, TV and advertising industries. She composed the music for the theme song 'Victoria Dances', which is featured in host Elizabeth Harris' children's book, Chantelle's Wish, available for sale on Elizabeth's website at ElizabethHarris.net.au. The lyrics for 'Victoria Dances' were written by Elizabeth Harris. FULL TRANSCRIPT  Elizabeth:        Welcome to Writers’ Tête-à-Tête with Elizabeth Harris, the global show that connects authors, songwriters and poets with their global audience. So I can continue to bring you high-calibre guests, I invite you to go to iTunes, click Subscribe, leave a review, and share this podcast with your friends. Today I’m delighted to introduce the highly creative and entertaining children’s author and illustrator, Michael Salmon. Michael Salmon has been involved in graphics, children’s literature, TV and theatre since 1967. He started his career with surfing cartoons, and exhibitions of his psychedelic art, and then joined the famous marionette troupe – The Tintookies – as a trainee set designer stage manager in 1968 (the Elizabethan Theatre Trust, Sydney). Since then his work has been solely for young people, both here in Australia and overseas. His many credits include his Alexander Bunyip Show (ABC TV 1978-1988), pantomimes, fabric and merchandise design, toy and board game invention, writing and illustrating of 176 picture story books – which Michael I’m absolutely flabbergasted and astonished and in wonderment at, and everybody’s laughing at that, or maybe he’s laughing at me, I don’t know. (Laughter) I’ll say it again – 176 picture story books for young readers. Several million copies of his titles have been sold worldwide. Michael has been visiting Australian primary schools for over 40 years. His hour-long sessions are interesting, fun, humorous and entertaining, with the focus on students developing their own creativity, which is just fantastic. Suitable for all years, many of these school visits can be seen on Michael’s website, which I will ask you to repeat later. Michael:          Okay. Elizabeth:        Several trips have been up to the Gulf of Carpentaria Savannah Schools and to the remote Aboriginal community Schools on Cape York Peninsula, as a guest of EDU. EDU – what is that? Michael:          Education Department, Queensland. Elizabeth:        The Australian Government honoured his work in 2004 by printing a 32nd Centenary, special edition of his first book The Monster that ate Canberra – I like that - as a Commonwealth publication … for both residents and visitors to our Capital. Every Federal Politician received a copy. Michael:          Even if they didn’t want it, they got one. (Laughter) Elizabeth: Michael was also the designer of ‘Buddy Bear’ for the Alannah and Madeline Foundation (Port Arthur 1996). The Foundation financially supports Children/Families who are victims of violence/violent crime; they are currently running an anti-bullying campaign in Australian Schools. In 2010 the ACT Government further recognized his work by commissioning a bronze statue of his first book character ‘Alexander Bunyip’. Unveiled in April 2011, it stands next to the new – and I’ll get you to say this, Michael … Michael:          GUN-GAH-LIN. Elizabeth:        Gungahlin Library in our Federal Capital. Thank you for saying that. Michael has presented ‘Bunyip-themed history sessions’ for audiences of School Children at the National Library of Australia since 2011. School touring and book titles continue, which I’m blown away by, because you’ve written and illustrated 176 books! Michael:          Some of those were activity books, to be fair, but they were necessitated – writing, the requirements of children, and illustrations, so they were all lumped in together, basically. Elizabeth:        So Michael Salmon, welcome to Writers’ Tête-à-Tête with Elizabeth Harris. Michael: Thank you very much. It’s a pleasure, and thank you for visiting my studio here in downtown Kooyong, Melbourne. Elizabeth:        We are delighted to be here – Serena Low and I, everybody – Serena being my wonderful tech support. Michael, we have been Facebook friends for some time now, which is a wonderful way to keep in contact with people. But do you think social media has affected children adversely, and stopped them from reading and enjoying children’s literature? Michael:          Do you know, in order to answer some of the questions you asked, I probably pondered this one the most. It’s strange times. I’m 67 years old now. If I go back to when I was a teenager … Elizabeth:        Looking very dapper, I may say. Michael:          Yes, thank you, thank you. (Laughter) It’s amazing what no exercise will do. (Laughter) Things have changed so much. If you go back to the fifties and sixties – which both you ladies will have to look at the old films and see reruns of Gidget and all that kind of stuff – however, the main communication of young people several, several decades ago, socially, would have been the telephone. Invariably, houses only had one line that mums and dads would need. But the girls mostly – and perhaps the boys too – would be on the line talking to their friends and all this kind of stuff. And that was the only direction of communication. Perhaps letters and whatever, but certainly the telephone was the main thing. Now how things have changed these days. Having 12 grandchildren ranging from – what are they now, 2 to 24 – I’ve seen a whole gamut, and I see daily just how much social media – the iPads, tablets and things – are taking up their time and the manners in which they take up their time. Elizabeth:        What a wonderful family to have! Michael:          Well, it’s certainly a bit like a zoo (laughter) – I hope they don’t mind me saying that – and I’m the head monkey, but that’s about it. That’s true. But if you think of a child – and one of the main loves in life is visiting schools, and over the many years in Australia I’ve visited many, many schools – and just see what the teachers are up against these days. And often the teachers are – it’s well-known – surrogate parents on many occasions. Often it’s left to teachers, whether it be librarians or very kind teachers … Elizabeth:        Challenging job. Michael:          … To instill in the children a love of literature and how important reading is. But I think of going back to my youth and my toy soldier collection and making and making balsa wood castles and Ormond keeps and whatever it may be, playing in my room with this fantasy world I had grown up in. Elizabeth:        What an imagination! Michael:          Well, my father read to me – when it first came out, back in the fifties, and I was quite young, but – The Hobbit, C.S. Lewis and the Narnian … – beautiful. I was brought up in those kind of – and he also read most of Dickens to me, as well as Kipling. Quite incredible stuff. So my father was a major player in my love of literature. And I’m not sure that it happens hugely these days, but I grew up in a world of imagination. And it wasn’t any great surprise to my parents that I entered the world I’m in, which is the fantasy world of children, because I never got out of it, basically. 67 years we’re looking at at the moment. I would say mental age is about 8 or 9. (Laughter) Elizabeth:        But you make very good coffee for a 9-year-old, Michael. Michael:          But it did eventuate that sitting in my studio in the early hours of the morning, if I start laughing at a concept or whatever, I know full well through the passage of time that preppies or Grade Ones or Twos or kinders will start laughing at it too. So you get to trust your judgement after a while in the arts. You get to know where your strengths are. But going back to your original question, I have a couple of grandchildren who are absolute whizzes on their tablets. They’ve gone through the Minecraft thing; they’ve gone this, they’ve gone that. Almost an obsessive kind of stuff there. Elizabeth:        It’s an addiction, I think. Michael:          Sometimes, you must take time away from the use of imagination. Because let’s face it, in using our imagination, our creativity – and creativity can be cooking a magnificent meal, it can be keeping a well-balanced house. There’s all kinds of creativity, or it could be the artist creativity, but that’s such an important thing, of finding who we are. Elizabeth:        Yes. Michael:          And to have children taken away to a certain extent Magic Land which is absolutely fine until they become obsessive or addictive, as some of these things are, there’s a great danger that children are – shall we say – not able to evaluate or to progress their natural talents etcetera coming through, especially in the arts. Elizabeth:        I totally agree with you. Michael, you’ve written and illustrated so many books. As I’ve mentioned a couple of times, 176. How do you decide what to write about? Michael:          Well, it’s probably – I’ve always written from a cover idea. There’s a book of mine going way back. It’s one of my old favourites, a very simple one, which is called The Pirate Who Wouldn’t Wash. And when I talk to children and they say where do you get your ideas from, I say sometimes you get two ideas that are unrelated and you put them together, and because hopefully my books are rather funny and I was brought up in the fifties on things like The Fabulous Goon Show, Peter Sellers, and Spike Milligan. I loved Monty Python which was a direct sort of baby from The Goon Show. So my love of comedy has always been UK-based. And so that strange juxtaposition of whatever, so I thought, okay, a pirate, and perhaps a person who doesn’t like to wash. And you put them together and you have the pirate who wouldn’t wash. And then you simply – it’s easy if you have a vivid imagination – you list a whole lot of encounters or what could happen to a pirate who wouldn’t wash. Elizabeth:        Could we talk about that? I’d love to talk about that. Michael:          A monster, and then someone who doesn’t like vegetables. Which was one of my stepsons, William, and he was ‘Grunt the Monster’, which was one of my early characters. Refused to eat his vegetables. His teachers went to great lengths to find out how he could eat them, disguise them in milkshakes or whatever it may be. So it was William I was writing about, one of my younger stepsons at that stage. And at university when he went through Architectural course, he was called Grunt, because they knew full well the book was based on him. So it’s good sometimes to disguise – but nonetheless feature things you see around you. Elizabeth:        How did he cope with it? Michael:          He loved it, he loved it, he loved it. Elizabeth:        He got attention? Michael:          He got attention, all that kind of stuff, and he had one of his best mates who let everyone know that he was called ‘Grunt’ – that was sort of his name. But at some stage, I think he uses that – he lectures in Architecture around the country these days. He’s gone and done very well, dear William, and he will sometimes use that as a joke. Elizabeth:        Yes. Icebreaker. Michael:          Icebreaker, exactly. Elizabeth:        Was there a pivotal person who influenced your career? And if so, can you tell us how they inspired you? Michael:          Probably apart from the people I’ve mentioned previously, the Tolkiens and the Hobbits and the Lord of the Rings and the C.S. Lewises and that sort of thing, I’ve always loved the classic British thing like Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons. These are very famous books that everyone read at one stage. Back in those early fifties, my father was at Cambridge University so we were hoisted out of New Zealand; we went to live in the UK, and it was such a great time for a child to be in the UK. It’s still suffering war damage from Second World War, and London still roped off sections of it - the Doodlebugs, the flying bombs that the Germans sent over to hit London. So it was a rather strange place, but the television was brilliant. I was a Enid Blyton fan, a foundation member of the Secret Seven Club. Elizabeth:        Were you really. Michael:          Even though based in Cambridge, we looked forward to every month of the Enid Blyton magazines, so I grew up on The Faraway Tree and the Secret Seven and the Famous Five. I had my badges, I had all the merchandise. But also on the television in those days was a show we never got to hear in Australia – Muffin the Mule. There was also Sooty the Sweep, Bill and Ben the Flowerpot Men. Andy Pandy was another one. Most of those were for kindies and little bubs. Basil Brush was a little bit later on. And British television was always superb, especially for children. Blue Peter and some of those famous shows was a little bit later on. I mention this because I had ten years of my own show on ABC which you’ll learn later on, and used puppets and things which I’d seen being used on British television. Elizabeth:        Can you tell us about that show please? Michael:          The show itself … When Alexander first became a character, it was a Michael 'Smartypants book', a little book I had published in 1972. This is The Monster That Ate Canberra. And this basically the genesis of the television show. I thought I would do a – I wasn’t a university student but it was like a smartypants university student publication, because the bunyip himself was not the Kangaroo – was in fact an oversized pink bunyip, more like a Chinese dragon. However, the monster was the public service, and so it was like a joke about the public service. Because back in those seventies and late sixties, large departments were being taken from Melbourne and Sydney and relocated in Canberra, Melbourne Commonwealth finance and other things, so Canberra was being flooded with the public service. And that was why Canberra was being set up, but anyway, as a youngster back in 1972 when I first wrote that book, I envisaged this large King Kong kind of character over Civic, which was the main principal shopping centre, the oldest shopping centre, going on Northbourne Avenue as you come in from Sydney. There’s this large monster devouring things, but this monster has a problem: he is short-sighted. Anyway, he saw the buildings – the famous, iconic buildings of Canberra as objects of food. So put them into – like the Academy of Science, a gigantic apple pie; the National Library, which was recently built, at that stage and still looks like a gigantic birthday cake; and I had the Carillon looking like a Paddle Pop or something like that, which are all to do with objects of food. And the bunyip devoured them. And the Prime Minister – the original Prime Minister back then was (William) “Billy” McMahon, and when he chucked, we had then changed to Gough Whitlam. So Prime Minsters changed within the reprints of this book. The best thing about this … way way back when Gough Whitlam became our Prime Minister, one of the first things he did was institute an office that had never been there before, called the Department of Women. It was there specially to consider and to aid passage of women in Australia into jobs and a whole range of things that had never been heard before in a male-dominated kind of world. Elizabeth:        I’ve always been a fan of Gough, so I must say … (Laughter) Michael:          Well, Gough appointed a single mum called Elizabeth Reid – Liz Reid – and she was a very famous lady and she really championed the cause of women, you know, equal rights, and these ridiculous things that should have been fixed a long time but hadn’t. So Liz Reid was pictured in the centre page of the Woman’s Weekly, soon after Gough – this was one of his first appointments, Liz Reid. And there was Liz with her little bub – so she was a brand new single mum. Elizabeth:        Oh wow. Which in those days would have been scandalous, wouldn’t it. Michael:          Oh yes, but Gough was famous for that. He already went out specially with the arts. Regardless of how he was considered as a Prime Minister, he was certainly a great patron of the arts, Gough Whitlam. Elizabeth:        As I said, I’m a fan. Michael:          In this picture, centre pages of Woman’s Weekly, double spread, was little bubba. And in little bubba’s hands, supported by his mother, was a copy of The Monster That Ate Canberra. Elizabeth:        Wow! How did you feel? Michael:          I thought, “Fantastic!” I got a call within a week from one of the biggest educational publishers in the world, called McGraw-Hill, asking “Can you tell us a little bit about this? And I was described as this is probably not how I would think, and I said “No, but thank you very much for calling.” So the most unusual thing sort of kicked up, and we were reprinting this book again and again for Canberra, because Canberra was laughing its head off. Elizabeth:        Good on you Ms Reid – and baby. Michael:          So we had a theatrical presentation, pantomimes based on it with the local Canberra youth theatre. ABC then serialized it on radio, and then came to me – this was about 1977 or so – saying, “Would you consider having Alexander Bunyip on television?” Elizabeth:        Wow. Michael:          And I said “Yes please, thank you very much.” And it was through a mate of mine, quite a well-known scriptwriter for Australian films called John Stevens, and also director of plays and whatever around Australia, and he was one of the directors of the young people’s programs in ABC, who were based at that stage in Sydney. Anyway, Alexander got on television through this rather, uh, strange path he led, entertaining the people of Canberra. Elizabeth:        Can I ask you with that, and throughout your life, you have enjoyed such great success, and certainly rightly so. Have you found that there’s been what has been seen as insignificant moments, turn into huge, huge achievements for you? Michael:          Well, (I) try to step away from cliché but sometimes it’s hard to, when I say you make your own luck. But the fact that that for example, one of my main – I love it – the statue of Alexander Bunyip, 600 kilograms of bronze outside the library. Elizabeth:        In that place I can’t pronounce. Michael:          Gungahlin, that’s right, Gungahlin. Elizabeth:        I’ll practise it. Michael:          I’ll tell you how that happened. Sometimes on Google if you’re an artistic person and you’re an author or illustrator, if you just put your name in and see what’s the latest thing, are there any new entries. Sometimes schools put in things in comments or whatever. Sometimes odd things about your life come up – business life, work life. And there was a situation that occurred, when Gungahlin Community Council had discussed whether – because John Stanhope, who was the chief minister of the ACT at that stage was putting up statues left right and centre, because he wanted a lot of edifices in Canberra to entertain people. Elizabeth:        He was a visual. Michael:          Yeah, visual person. And someone said, “Why don’t we have Alexander Bunyip?” and there was general laughter. But that was supported in the Council vote of Hansard, you know, the documented notes taken in that particular Council session, and I saw this online. And so I merely wrote to this person, sent them one of the more recent copies of The Monster That Ate Canberra, and said “That sounds great. Let me know if I can help.” Elizabeth:        Absolutely! Michael:          Gosh, one thing after another happened, and the head of the Council Alan Kirlin, with John Stanhope, got it organized, and within a year there was a brand new statue being launched by John Stanhope, one of the last things he did before he resigned. He’d done some magnificent work in Canberra. So new ministers were appointed etcetera, so John – the statue was launched, and I made a speech which was dedicated to my mum, who had died the year before. She was a Canberra girl, and I thought that would be nice to dedicate, at least mention her. I’m sure if she were around - in ethereal style - she wouldn’t miss out on that one, I can assure you. Elizabeth:        I’m sure. Michael:          But when the statue was dedicated – the statue stands there – Elizabeth:        Can we go back, because I would like to talk about that speech about your mum. Can we talk about that? Michael:          Yes. Well, my mother Judy, as I said who passed on in 2010 – the statue was put up in 2011 – was a very … went bush Port Douglas many years ago, before Christopher Skase was up there. (Laughter) So I used to go up there and visit her. A hurricane holiday house, which is simply a house in Port Douglas without any windows. It was up in the hills towards the Mosman River valley. Elizabeth:        For those who don’t know Christoper Skase, can you please touch on him briefly. Michael:          Christopher Skase was one of our major financial entrepreneurs who died over in a Spanish location owing millions of dollars to many people. He was like a younger brother of Alan Bond. That’s where Christopher Skase fitted in. I don’t think New York or Spain ever really sort of – Elizabeth:        Recovered. Michael:          Recovered from the Australian paparazzi to see whether Skase was in fact dying or whether he was in a wheelchair with breathing apparatus, wheeled out by his ever-loving wife Pixie, who is back safely in the country now. But that’s by the by. (Laughter) Michael:          My mother was a fairly gregarious character. Elizabeth:        Bit like yourself. Michael:          (Laughter) Pushy. Elizabeth:        No, no, no. Delightful, and entertaining. Michael:          Judy was one of the younger daughters of her father, my grandfather, Canon W. Edwards – Bill Edwards. He was a young Anglican curate who’d been badly gassed on the fields of Flanders and the Somme in the First World War. Elizabeth:        Oh dear. Michael:          But he was an educationalist, as well as a very strong Anglican within the church. So he was sent on his return out to Grammar School looking after that in Cooma. When Canberra was designated as the place to have our new capital, the Anglican Church from Sydney said, “Please harness up one of the buggies, and take six of your seniors and go look at four different venues in Canberra that we are looking at to have a brand new school.” Elizabeth:        Wow. Michael:          And they chose the most beautiful place, in a road called Mugga Way just at the bottom of Red Hill, which is Canberra Boys’ Grammar. He was their founding Headmaster. Elizabeth:        Was he! Michael:          But the fact was that they settled on that because they pitched their tents under the gum trees. They woke up with the sound of intense kookaburra noise, and thought this was perfect for a grammar school, or any other school for that matter. Elizabeth:        Oh, beautiful. Michael:          They were all talking and whatever it was. Elizabeth:        Bit like sounding the bell, you know. Michael:          (Laughter) So going back to those days, that was the start of Canberra and my family going back there to the thirties of last century. However, back in those days in the Second World War, my father had graduated from school in New Zealand, and was sent across as one of those New Zealand young soldiers to become an officer at Duntroon, the training college. The Defence Academy they call it now, but good old Duntroon. So when he graduated, it was the end of World War Two, and he was sent up to war crimes trials in Japan, as one of his first things the Aus-New Zealand ANZAC forces when they went up there to look after things for a while. But my mother was quite a brilliant lady, and she would always be the one painting and decorating and doing all this kind of stuff. Always a dynamic kind of person. And apart from loving her very much as a mum, she instilled in me this gregarious, rather exhibitionist kind of thing. Elizabeth:        (Laughter) Thank you Judy. It’s Judy, isn’t it. Thank you Judy. I know you’re here. Michael:          So Judy was responsible for – in younger, thinner days, long hair, beads, not necessarily hippie stuff but just total exhibitionist kind of stuff. Elizabeth:        Oh I’ve seen photographs of this man, everybody. My goodness, what a heartthrob. Michael:          I looked like I could have been another guitarist in Led Zeppelin or something. Elizabeth:        I’m actually just fanning myself with my paper. (Laughter) Michael:          But anyway, it’s all a bit of fun. Elizabeth:        Did you ever sing? Michael:          No, no, no. I was actually a drummer at one of the schools I attended. Elizabeth:        Were you? I like drummers. Michael:          Yes, but not this kind of drummer. In the pipe bands at Scotch College, Sydney. I was a tenor drummer. Elizabeth:        Okay. Michael:          So they have the big, the double bass drum or whatever and the tenor drums and the drumsticks - I forget the name – like the Poi they have in New Zealand. And the tenor drums – you have to have coordination if you want to play the tenor drums as you march along in your dress: the Black Watch dress. Elizabeth:        Isn’t learning music so important, which reflects in other areas? Michael:          It is, it is. Elizabeth:        Can we talk about that? Michael:          Well, I think that – not being musical but having written lyrics in my pantomimes – and down at a very amateur level worked out what a bunyip would sing about, or go back to an early blues song or doo-wop kind of song when Alexander is stuck in a zoo in the pantomime. So I had great fun. So my musical experience – I was lucky to have some very clever people, including one gentleman who until a few years ago was one of the Heads of Tutors at Canberra School of Music called Jim Cotter. Now Jim Cotter and I – he wrote my first music for me, for the pantomimes I used to do way back in the early days. And then Peter Scriven – he was the head of the Tintookies Marionette Theatre, who were all under the auspices of the Elizabethan Theatre Trust in Sydney at Potts Point. And Peter had engaged him to do – I was doing some sets – it was the first show, our first children’s show at the Opera House – and I did the costumes for Tintookies. It was a revamp of what Peter Scriven had been doing back in the fifties. And Jim had some brand new music, and so my musical experience was purely admiring music and talented people who did that, realizing that it was not my forte. Elizabeth:        Aren’t they clever. Michael:          Nonetheless, by writing lyrics and giving some vague, vague “rock ‘n roll and I like it” -like, you know. Not exactly “Stairway to Heaven”, you know what I’m saying? Elizabeth:        (Laughter) Who was your favourite band at that stage? Michael:          Ahh, I grew up in the Sixties. I got myself a hearing aid the other day. You can hardly see it – one of these new things. But essentially, I’ve had to, because I spent a lot of my younger life surfing in the eastern beaches of Sydney. The promotion of bone growth over the ear – there’s some kind of term for it – and they had to cut away the bone if I were to hear properly. And I thought, I don’t want my ear cut, so I’ll just leave it as it is at 67. But also too, I do attribute some of those early groups to my lack of hearing these days, because I did study for my exams with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones. Pretty much one of my favourite groups of all time was a group that spread, with different members going to different other groups, were The Byrds in America. Dylan songs. “Mr Tambourine”. Elizabeth:        Yes. Was it Eric – Eric somebody? Or did I get the wrong group. Michael:          We’re talking about David Crosby, Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn who changed his name and became Roger, or was it the other way round. But they had the Dylan. They came out with “Mr. Tambourine Man”. Elizabeth:        Yes, I know that song. Michael:          Their next one was ‘Turn, Turn, Turn’. Then they went into more Dylan of, “All I Really Want to Do”. And these are hits of the Sixties. Elizabeth:        You could sing a few bars. Michael:          No I couldn’t. Not even Dylan-style. (Laughter) But I love those songs, mainly because - Elizabeth:        They’re great. Michael:          Jim McGuinn had a 12-string guitar, and it was this jingly-jangly feel to their songs that I loved dearly. But another group which I must tell you, because I met up with them in real life, which is one of my favourite groups, is The Seekers. Elizabeth:        Oh! Miss Judith! Michael:          Now Keith Potger is a good mate of mine. We go for gentlemen’s clubs like Savage Club; he’s a member of Savage, enjoy long lunches, and often with some other guests. Elizabeth:        Athol Guy? Michael:          Yes. And Judith Durham – where you’re sitting there – came and sat down there with her manager a few years ago. Elizabeth:        My goodness! Michael:          She’d seen a presentation – Elizabeth:        She’s beautiful. Michael:          Oh, magnificent. And her voice! Elizabeth:        Angel. Michael:          Judith had seen a production by Garry Ginivan, who is one of the principal Australian children’s entrepreneurs for theatrics, theatres. He’s just finished doing Hazel E.’s Hippopotamus on the Roof kind of stuff, and I’m not sure if he’s doing Leigh Hobbs’ Horrible Harriet. Now that’s going to the Opera House. I’m not sure if Garry Ginivan’s doing that for Leigh. He did for Graeme Base. He did My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch, and also brought packaged stuff like Noddy and Toyland, Enid Blyton and other stuff like The Faraway Tree. So anyway he was presenting Puff the Magic Dragon – and I’m just looking around the room to find a graphic of the poster, because I’d designed Puff the Magic Dragon. Elizabeth:        Did you? Michael:          And they used that for all the promotional material and stuff there, but it was the puppet that I designed. And Judith went along to see – it was at The Athenaum Theatre here in Melbourne, a few years ago now. Elizabeth:        Lovely theatre. Michael:          And she liked the whole idea of the dragon, and she rang me. And so here was this most beautiful angel on the other line … Anyway, she was round a couple of days with her management. She was at that time – this was before The Seekers got back together and did all that magnificent tours they did over the last five or six years, Andre Rieu included. Judith is a honky-tonk girl; she loves the music of spiritual and going across to honky-tonk, like Scott Joplin, the ragtime, and all this sort of stuff. Elizabeth:        Oh, fun! Michael:          And she had written several things that she wanted the sheet music to be illustrated to sell, as part of the Judith Durham empire. And she did the ‘Banana Rag’. So immediately I did the illustration for her. I didn’t take any payment. I said, “Look, Judith, might I be impertinent and ask you to come to one of my clubs and sing – come to dinner?” She was a very strict vegetarian and looked after herself incredibly well after a terrible accident where she had to look after her whole system and she’s done that magnificently. So there she was singing, and this was when The Seekers had just released one of their LP’s, called “Morning Town Ride to Christmas”, which was for children’s songs, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house of these senior gentlemen at the club I was talking about, one of these good old Melbourne clubs, when she sang “The Carnival’s Over”. Elizabeth:        Oh yes. Michael:          Absolutely superb, so that was more than enough payment for doing some artwork. But since then, I continued … and met the desperate Keith Potger. Elizabeth:        Weren’t you lucky. Weren’t you lucky. Weren’t you lucky to have that gorgeous woman. Michael:          I was lucky. I was lucky. But I had to tell you, Judith - they had an article on her website, and she’s on Facebook as well - had at that time recorded with The Lord Mayor’s Orchestra here in Melbourne. It was called “The Australian Cities Suite”, and she had written a song for every major city in Australia. And I remember she and I were trying to do a book together, a book based on a song that her husband – who passed on through, oh gosh, what was it – the wasting disease, muscular disease … Elizabeth:        MS? Muscular Dystrophy? Michael:          Muscular Dystrophy. I’m sure that must be it. He put in a song called “Billy the Bug and Sylvia Slug”, and so we put that into a book. And I took Judith along to see some of the heads of various publishing firms in Sydney as well as the head of ABC merchandising in their ivory tower down in Haymarket area. Beautiful beautiful premises they have there, ABC Studios. And so Judith was much heralded in both places when I took her as my guest to introduce this book to her. The book didn’t work unfortunately, but she did start singing in the car as we’d arrived early in the carpark of the ABC citadel in Haymarket. She started singing. And we were all sitting there. And she started singing songs again from The Seekers. Elizabeth:        I don’t think I’m ever going to stand up again. Michael:          So here we are in Kooyong, and there’s the beautiful strains of Judith Durham singing songs, and I thought, “It doesn’t get much better than this.” Elizabeth:        Oh wow. Michael:          I don’t think Deborah Harry could have done the same. Elizabeth:        Do you think Judith Durham would speak with me on this podcast? Michael:          Judith is a very accommodating person, and I’m sure that if you ask through her management, Graham her manager would – I’m sure - she would look at that favourably. Elizabeth:        Would I have to wear a ball gown? I have a couple. To meet the Queen. Michael:          Meet the Queen. (Laughter) But anyway, I suppose too, in my business – and Australia is not a huge place really, when it comes to who knows what and we talked before about the degrees of separation. Elizabeth:        Absolutely. Michael:          And so, a lot of my stuff has been … involved with, because of my work, a lot of singers and whatever via The Hat Books. I remember Russell Morris, not in this place but a previous place. Elizabeth:        “The Real Thing”? Michael:          “The Real Thing” Russell Morris. Brilliant, brilliant, and had the two LP’s as well. Elizabeth:        And Molly, Molly is attached to that – he produced it, didn’t he. Michael:          Yeah, but Russell Morris had this concept that he came up with his wife 30 years ago. It was about a toy that was pre-broken and you had to fix it. The whole idea of the toy was that you had to re-glue this broken toy. Elizabeth:        Right. Michael:          It was ceramic, and he was so keen on it, but I just didn’t think it was going to work. He was a man with an incredible imagination – Elizabeth:        Russell Morris? Michael:          Russell Morris. He had this toy concept, but it didn’t work, because I don’t think kids want to sit around re-gluing a toy that has been broken. I don’t know what he was on. Elizabeth:        He was quite resourceful. Michael:          Ah, he is. Look at the way Russell Morris has revived in recent times. And he’ll have to excuse me. I don’t remember, but I’ve certainly listened to his two LP’s – albums as we used to call them, back in the old days – that he did. All bluesy and whatever, and he’s still got a magnificent voice. Elizabeth:        You know, there are so many Australians that are not – what should I say – recognized as they should be, I think. And such talent. Michael:          Ah, yeah. Elizabeth:        And do you think we need to go overseas, like in the old day. I was listening to a program last night, actually, and Brian Cadd was on it. Love Brian Cadd. Beautiful, beautiful music. And he said you know, back in the day you had to go to London. Michael:          Yes, yes. Well, look at Easybeats and stuff like that. Elizabeth:        Do you think people need to go? Michael:          Brian Cadd and The (Bootleg) Family (Band), that’s what he calls his group, they are reappearing at – they are doing an Australian tour this month in February – I saw it on Facebook, actually. Elizabeth:        You know, a friend of mine who’s a pastel artist, highly acclaimed – we were talking about this, and she said in this country, she’s just not recognized and she really needs … She’s working in a boutique! Michael:          It is a problem. You know on Facebook, which is one of the loves of my life, you see a good deal of Australian up-and-coming authors and illustrators, and ones that you dearly wish would … And I do believe that you if you earn it, you deserve a place in the sun – your ten minutes, twelve minutes of fame, all that kind of stuff. And if you’re smart enough, after your time has been, you then start doing things which reinvent yourself. I’m not talking about Madonna-style, but I’m talking about coming up with new things, being aware of new trends and seeing whether you can adapt your talents. Elizabeth:        Being a survivor. Michael:          Being a survivor, absolutely. Because let’s face it, and I’m very grateful – for example, the schools around Australia – 45 years… Elizabeth:        I’m sure they’re grateful to you too. Michael:          I go into the schools and there are teachers there that say, “Look, the last time I saw you Michael, was when I was in Prep or Grade One, and I loved your books then and I still love them." I’m just so thankful. Elizabeth:        How do you feel, other than gratitude? Michael:          Well, this is one of those major things, of feedback you get. And some of them come up and say “I started drawing because of you drawing”. Elizabeth:        You’re inspirational! Michael:          There are just those things there that I … and also entertaining. Doing a bit of stand-up comedy, giving out very silly prizes like Barbie books to Grade Six boys for good behaviour. I know Preppies will never forget those things. Elizabeth:        Can you talk us through – when you present to the school, how do you do that? Michael:          This year I’ve got a ‘Michael Salmon’s Monster Show’ which is talking about more or less the same thing, but some different pictures to ones I’ve been doing before. Essentially what I realized right at the start is if I do some speed cartooning, right in the very first picture I draw there, and do it so quickly in a great show-off manner, you get the kids hooked.  Elizabeth:        It’s magic; it’s in front of us. Michael:          Because the little ones, they say “Look what he did! Look how fast he drew!” And I always knew that that particular facet, if you did it correctly, the little Preppies in the front – because we do try to get mixed grades, with the Grade Sixes at the back – is that you would have their attention if you kept on. So I sort of talked about the way I invented characters and how it happened. Bobo my dog who is not here today – dear Bobo in the book I wrote called Bobo My Super Dog, where I sort of – he saves the world a bit. Elizabeth:        Of course he would. (Laughter) Michael:          Oh, I don’t know. Let’s just go back to the bit about Australia and the people who are trying to make it, and they are doing their very best and you see their brilliant talent. And it’s very evident on Facebook – it’s one of my major purveyors of talent – the ideas that people come up with and all that sort of stuff. I mean, you’ve got some brilliant people here in Australia. You look at Leigh Hobbs for a start. Now he belongs to the Savage Club as I do, so I catch up with him for lunch on occasions. And there he is with his two-year tenure in his position championing children’s books and children’s literature around Australia. His cartoons are very much like Ronald Searle, the famous British cartoonist, who did the original cartoons that accompanied the original published books and also the film versions of St Trinian’s movies, of schoolgirls and things like that – the naughty schoolgirls. And Ronald Searle was a brilliant, brilliant artist, and he had the kind of nuttiness in his cartooning that Leigh Hobbs had. You look at Leigh Hobbs’ stuff – they are very, very sparse, great placement of colour, they are done in a very slapdash manner. It all works together beautifully – from Horrible Harriet, to Old Tom and whatever. And if you’ve got other people – what’s that book by Aaron Blabey – something or other Pug? (Pig the Pug) I bought some books for my very young grandchildren for Christmas, and I thought, “I haven’t seen these books before.” And here he is winning awards and YABBA (Young Australians Best Book Awards) Awards and all this kind of stuff. And so much talent around. And it’s hard in Australia to make a living as an author, because the royalties and stuff, even if you are one of the top ones, may suffice for a while but aren’t continuing. Elizabeth:        And yet Michael you’ve done that – for 50 years – haven’t you. Michael:          Only because of schools. 45 years in schools and 50 years in the arts. But mainly because I branched out and did things like theatre – the television show. You saw when you first entered the merchandise for 'Alexander Bunyip'. Spotlight stores were behind me for fabrics for a decade, and they finished not a huge many years ago. And that had nothing to do with 'Alexander Bunyip'. But the fact of really, of diversifying. Elizabeth:        Okay. Michael:          And the books for me lay a platform. When Mum or Dad read a book at night to their children, and it happens to be one of yours, and it’s something they like, and they happen to be one of the lead buyers of Spotlight stores and they say “We must do something about this guy”, and they came round and sat where you’re sitting, and they said “We’d like to offer you a deal.” And I thought, “Oh thank you. That’s great!” Elizabeth:        But can I interject? The vital part of that is certainly that there is talent and diversification, but it’s also the ability to connect with people - which you are very skilled at. And the warmth that you have … Michael:          Well, thanks to my mother, because she was a people person. Yes, you’re quite right – it does help to be a people person if you’re an artistic person. Of course sometimes it doesn’t flow. Some of the best children’s authors are not people persons. So you can’t expect to do anything. I learned long ago of creating an impact on your audience – start and hold them if you can from then on, and then you can impart any message you want. And the only message I really impart to the children is about developing their creativity, for them to start working on the things they’re good at, or keep drawing or singing or whatever it may be. Elizabeth:        I really want to segue into something from those comments about your work for the Alannah and Madeline Foundation. That is so, so pivotal. Can we talk about that? Michael:          Yes. Do you know, in general terms, it’s really good if you’ve had success, I’ve found, especially in the arts, to find venues and areas and avenues to give back to society. I hope that doesn’t sound too corny. Elizabeth:        It sounds beautiful. Michael:          Up here, I’ve got some – when I was one of the patrons of “Life Be In It” for the Victorian – Elizabeth:        Oh yes! Michael:          And I designed – not the vans, those large pantechnicon vans that went around and advertised anti-drugs and – Elizabeth:        It was Norm, wasn’t it. Norm. Michael:          Norm was “Life Be In It”. This was the Life Education Centre, the one started up by Ted Knox at King’s Cross Chapel, but they went to a huge thing. Large pantechnicon trailers filled with the latest kind of things, and all round Australia, but particularly in Victoria – because that’s where my expertise was, helping them design big wheels to go on, painted by local mums and dads. And I also do it to do some fundraising. But Life Education had a Harold Giraffe as their logo, and it’s still going gangbusters. So these things would go to schools, and like the dental van they locked you in that, and they would see these incredible digital displays of bodies and drugs and anti-drugs, things like that. Magnificent, magnificent. That was one thing I was involved in. A good mate of mine, a school librarian called Marie Stanley, who’s since not a school teacher anymore – a school librarian – she rang up soon after 1996 when the horrific Port Arthur thing had occurred. She had been seconded – Walter Mikac, whose wife Nanette and two daughters Alannah and Madeline were shot dead – he knew he had to do something. So he went to see the Victorian Premier at that stage, Steve Bracks, and also saw John Howard. And between them he got funding to set up a St Kilda Road office and start the Alannah and Madeline Foundation which is purely there to help the victims of violent crime – the families, the children – provide them with some kind of accommodation or support or clothing, needs, or toiletries – a whole range of stuff there. So they seconded Marie Stanley from Williamstown North Primary School. Because I’d visited her school many times, she rang me up and said, “Look, Michael, I’m doing this, I’m on salary, but I need your help. Could you help me invent a character?” So I came on board with Alannah and Madeline (Foundation) on a purely voluntary basis, which is my pleasure, and we invented a character called Buddy Bear as a very safe little bear and a spokes figure, whereby – and there are behind me as we speak in this interview – there are Buddy Bear chocolates up there. And they did something like five million chocolates with my name and my design on it through Coles stores and Target stores … Elizabeth:        You know Michael, next time we meet I need a camera. (Laughter) Michael:          That’s just 'Buddy Bear' stuff. And 'Buddy Bear' has gone on strongly and it’s now part of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation. But they got involved in a very important … the main focus of anti-bullying. And I was the person – I want to say one thing, because it’s true – I suggested that they should go – violence and all this stuff for families was terrible enough – but if they wanted to go to the bully, they really should get into the heart of the matter. And to me, I said to them once, “Look, please. I’ve seen what we’re doing. We’ve got Buddy Bear as the spokes figure for violence in the home. But we really should be hitting schools and things with something that centers around bullying and have an anti-bullying campaign. And you know, it is one of those things which is said at the right time and the right place. And now we’ve got Princess Mary of Denmark who is the international head of 'Buddy Bear' and they’ve got their own thing over there because of her Australian connection with Tasmania. We have the National Bank who are the sponsors of the 'Buddy Bear' program of the Alannah and Madeline (Foundation), so we have a fully-fledged charity. But the early days of inventing 'Buddy Bear', and a lot of people who gave their time and effort for no cost as I did, and pleasure to get the whole thing going. But it was all through initially Walter Mikac, thinking that with his deceased wife and two little girls, he had to do something. He was a pharmacist by trade and he was a smart man – he is a smart man – and he set the wheels in motion. And so it was a - ‘pleasure’ is not the right word. It was satisfying to be involved with a program that was ultimately going to help children feel better and safe and especially with this bullying thing, of being able to … Elizabeth:        Personally, I love fundraising and I do a lot of it. And actually we have on the agenda this year a fundraiser for another children’s author: Pat Guest. His son Noah, and Noah has Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy, and the family need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle. Michael:          Yes, yes, yes. Elizabeth:        Pat’s a wonderful person. He’s published five books and counting, and has written one about Noah called That’s What Wings Are For. He has actually podcasted with me. So I’m going to put you on the spot now and ask you if you would like to create something – Michael:          Absolutely! Let me know … Elizabeth:        I haven’t even finished my sentence! Michael:          No, no, no, the answer’s yes. The answer’s yes. Elizabeth:        The generosity! Thank you. Michael:          No, no, my pleasure. You talk about the – do you pronounce it ‘Duchenne’? There was a very famous fundraiser with that society up in Cairns several years ago, where various artists and musicians and illustrators were asked to provide – and they said a ukulele – so you had very famous artists and musicians and illustrators creating and painting their own version on this practical ukulele that was sent back to Cairns and auctioned off for charity and raised a whole lot of money. Elizabeth:        You know Pat, I think, would love to meet you. And I know Noah – the whole family are just beautiful people. Michael:          But I’ll have you know, only because of that connection where they contacted me saying “Would you like to …” and I had no knowledge whatever of the disease and the toll it took. Elizabeth:        I’ve nursed a couple of boys with it. Michael:          From my recollection, would it be quite correct to say it’s quite gender-specific? It hits boys more than girls? Elizabeth:        Yes. The two children that I nursed were brothers, and they passed. So we want to focus on the positive side, and this Saturday, actually there’s a trivia night which is sold out – Michael:          Oh good! Good, good. Elizabeth:        And it’s Eighties music which is my thing – I love that – so hopefully I will win, everybody. Don’t bet on me, Michael, but if there was a ticket, I’d invite you. But we’re looking at later in the year and we have some great people. Dave O’Neil wants to do a spot – Michael:          Oh yeah, good, good, good. Elizabeth:        And he podcasted with me. And like yourself, pretty much before I got my sentence out, he said 'yes'. Robyn Payne whom I wrote my song with for my children’s book – she wants to write a song. So we’ve got many … and Robyn Payne was in Hey Hey, It’s Saturday for many years. She was in that band, and Robyn’s incredible – she plays eight instruments. Michael:          Right, right, yes, yes. Elizabeth:        She’s performed at the Grand Final; incredibly talented lady. I just ran into her the other night with Neil, her husband, and Steph who’s a good friend of mine and recently performed with her on stage as well, they’re looking at writing a song for Noah. So it’s taking off. Michael:          One of the best fundraisers I’ve been to is a yearly event – still going – the Alannah and Madeline (Foundation) did. I don’t keep in contact with them directly; it was just a pleasure to work in, but what they did at the Palladium Ballroom – have 'Starry Starry Night'. Now 'Starry Starry Night' would have almost anyone who’s anyone in show business, on television and the media, would be there, from the jockeys at Melbourne Cup who would be singing Village People and whatever. Quite brilliant. And they had a huge host. We’re talking about – and I’m not exaggerating – 50 or so celebrities attended that. Black Night night and it really was a “starry starry night”. I haven’t attended for a long time, but I did my duty and it was a great pleasure to be there and part of it. But that was a brilliant fundraiser, and still continues as a fundraiser for the Alannah and Madeline Foundation. Elizabeth:        Oh, I’m so honoured that you said yes to me before I even finished my sentence. Thank you so much! Talking about stars, I’d like to go to my signature question, and then we’ll say adieu to you. Michael, this is a signature question I ask all my guests: what do you wish for, for the world, and most importantly for yourself? Michael:          Well, as we’re sitting here in early February of 2017, because of all these incredible events that are going on every quarter of the day from the United States there, where the world order seems to be rapidly changing, and oddities occurring there and without going into it too heavily we all know what we’re talking about, I have a hope that the situation in America remedies itself, and that the situations change rapidly, and that America gets back, because as the biggest country in the world for what it is and known as, because we need the stability of America etcetera, so it’s a fairly direct sort of wish that America gets its act together again soon, and maintains something that we can trust in. Because America really is being that main country in the world. Elizabeth:        Do you see a way – does that start one person at a time? Is that how things start to change? Michael:          Gosh, as we’ve evidenced with the Women’s March and a whole range of stuff now that the immigration – oh dear – it just goes on, goes on. And without going into a full-scale discussion of that, my wish is that America gets back together quickly, and maintains and gets someone new in charge. I don’t know how that’s going to happen – impeachment or … but something has to happen, so that the world can feel stable again. And that’s not grandiose, but that’s probably affecting a lot of people in the world. As every new edict or special signatory thing is signed in the White House, the ripples it sends across for instability is quite amazing. We’ve never seen it before, unless you were there during Chamberlain days when Neville Chamberlain was talking to Hitler, and some of those – not grandiose or high-flying stuff, but it does affect especially Aussies who love America dearly, and America loves us. Elizabeth:        But to me your books so beautifully reflect history. Michael:          Some of them do, some of them do. It’s like a Facebook page – I really do love entertaining people and making them laugh. And that’s probably the last part of your question – I really would like every child in the mass audiences I encounter, we’re talking about 500 or so -  I would like to think that every child had an opportunity – not because of anything to do with my talk that may be instrumental , it doesn’t really matter – the children of today can reach their potential, and the energy and the talents they have are recognized. Not squashed, quashed, forgotten, put to one side by society or families, issues, whatever it may be. Elizabeth:        You know, that reminds me of a good friend of mine, Andrew Eggelton. So Andrew Eggelton is an interesting man – he’s a New Zealander actually; he’s a Kiwi – and he believes in the Art of Play. So his wish is that everybody gets to use their God-given talents. Michael:          Ditto, ditto, absolutely. Because you do see the children out there. Just to give you an example: I spoke to close to 12,000 children during a tour that I organized myself – I do have some other agents organizing other states … Elizabeth:        How do you look after your throat? Michael:          Thank goodness I’ve always had a voice that can throw – a loud voice – I was captain of a rugby team in my machismo days. I was in New Zealand, and as a front row forward you don’t usually have a shy, retiring kind of personality. When you go out to tour, and on that tour we toured everything around the Riverina, we did places like West Wyalong, places you normally drive through as you are going up the back roads to Dubbo or some place like that. Then we went to Sydney, the western suburbs schools, and even this morning I had a phone call from one of the agents for a school near Loganlea. The school called and they want a couple of sessions. Most of their students are refugees with English ESL, so English Second Language. I would say English third or fourth language. Elizabeth:        How many children at that school? Michael:          Seven hundred. She said – the agent who rang me – and this is the first one in the tour that’s coming up late July for southeastern Queensland – “The reason no doubt that you’ve been invited to this particular school” which I know well, is because my act is highly visual. You don’t need a lot of language to understand it, because I draw all the cartoons. Or I’m caricaturing children, or getting them to caricature me. It’s almost like – ‘international language’ is not the right phrase – but it’s almost like a human comedy or whatever you call it. Elizabeth:        It’s like smiling. Michael:          It’s like smiling, and the more the merrier. So up there you’ve got the refugee children. You’ve got a lot of – and I really enjoy going to the Tongan or Samoan or Fijian or Maori schools or New Zealand, because I used to play rugby and I played with so many Islanders over the years and I’ve got some good mates there. And especially up there in southern parts of Brisbane, before you hit the Gold Coast, it’s always challenging, and I love to go up there, so it’s great to hear that. And the same thing applies to Indigenous schools up on the Gulf of Carpentaria, they call them, the Gulf Savannah schools up in Cape York, where you go to places like Weipa and stuff like that. And some of the notorious – notorious because of the troubles that have occurred – there’s a couple of places along the Peninsula there – they are trouble spots and have been for many years. Elizabeth:        You know Michael, that just says so much about you, because so many people would not go within cooee of those places, and it reflects your beautiful generosity. So I want to thank you very much for guesting on Writers’ Tête-à-Tête with Elizabeth Harris. And I think we need a Part Two. It’s been an absolute delight and thank you so much. Michael:          Thank you very much, and thank you Serena too. I babbled on a bit, but fifty years – fifty years of working in this country – there’s been a lot of water under the bridge. A lot of people, a lot of children, and I’m just very lucky. I consider myself very lucky to be in that position, to have that rapport with kids, and to just get on with them and entertain them and enjoy them. Elizabeth:        I consider those children and us very, very lucky to have met you today. Thank you so much. Michael:          Thank you guys. Thank you. [END OF TRANSCRIPT]

After 50 years in the music business ARIA Hall of Fame singer-songwriter Brian Cadd has released a new album called Bulletproof. He took some time with Pip to outline how it all came out, from taking on hits the wrote for other artists, to the Farnsy song which won an international songwriting competition - beating out ABBA!

Not only is Mitch Cairns is a top class bass player, he's also an ARIA Award winning Producer, Mix Engineer and Writer. Based in Melbourne Australia, Mitch works out of his private studio built within a spacious warehouse in Melbourne's western suburbs. Mitch Produced the multi award winning albums Sharkmouth, Van Diemen’s Land and Red Dirt Red Heart for ARIA Hall Of Fame inductee and no. 1 selling artist Russell Morris. His other work includes Grammy Winner Leo Sayer’s Restless Years, Glenn Shorrock, Joe Robinson, Renee Geyer, Chris Wilson, Brian Cadd, Rob Hirst (Midnight Oil), Rick Springfield, Joe Camilleri, Vika and Linda Bull, Ross Hannaford (Daddy Cool), Phil Manning (Chain), Troy Cassar-Daley, Kevin Borich, Diesel, Callee Mann, Mish Fornito, Grayson, Daryl Aberhart, Electric Mary, Electric Empire, Adam Miller and ABC Jazz Award winners Fumi Boca. Watch the video interview here: https://youtu.be/RlkM_N11wQ0

Welcome to episode 92 of Love That Album podcast.   In this final month of my sabbatical from the podcast, the good ship LTA is steered by previous co hosts (and passionate Australian music experts), Dave Blom and Sitting In a Bar In Adelaide’s, Michael Pursche.   Popular Australian music has gone through many phases over the years and presented here are 2 almost forgotten by the mainstream, Australian albums from the 1970’s that belong to two different eras, despite only being separated by a few years in terms of their release date.   At the Mountains of Madness by Blackfeather is a landmark Progressive Rock album,one that features a big hit single, the original version of "Seasons of Change" which featured Bon Scott on recorder. Scott was so taken by this song, that it was agreed that his band Fraternity would get to record it and release it. Blackfeathers' record label upon seeing the success of the Fraternity version, then decided to release the original Blackfeather version which is included on this Album. The album itself is an interesting blend of Rock and Roll combined with the sort of psychedelic noodling that would make early Pink Floyd proud. This album was recently re-issued by the Aztec label and is well worth the effort of listening to. Blackfeather then experienced several line-up changes over the years and a very different sound for their subsequent releases.   Most Australian people are familiar with the sounds of the Little River Band,Skyhooks, Sherbet and AC/DC. Avalanchestraddle the gap between the first 3 of these bands and the last, butunfortunately most people wouldn't be familiar with their fantastic self titledrelease  from 1976.  The musicians coming off the back of working with Brian Cadd produced this epic 11 track effort, that stands up well today. The music range on this album is extremely diverse and highlights the talent that each member brought to the studio.   Avalanche re-named themselves as Front Page in 1978 after Cox and Harrison had left and managed only one single "I Thought I'd Never Fall In Love Again"/"Rockin' Hollywood. After splitting, Naylor joined Jon English's backing band Baxter Funt and Campbell would be spotted in the early 80s as part of Funk band Adrian's Wall. Clive Harrison would later issue a 1982 solo album 'Once Bitten'. Geoff Cox went on to become a Media personality on radio and TV, most famous for his show "Coxy's Big break".   So,two forgotten gems, well worth checking out. We hope you Love these albums too. As long as Michael and Dave are discussing Australian bands with art rock leanings, Eric Reanimator has appropriately picked an album for his Album I Love segment by Dead can Dance. Originally out of Melbourne, they mix art rock and Middle Eastern Sounds on their album, Eric discusses their 1993 album Into The Labyrinth.   I am so immensely grateful to my great friends for hosting the podcast and keeping your earholes loaded with great music discussion. For better or worse,I am back next month.   You can download the show by searching for Love That Album in the iTunes store or downloading streaming directly from http://lovethatalbum.blogspot.com   Send the show feedback at rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au (writtenor mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum Download Sitting In A Bar In Adelaide from http://www.podcastgarden.com/podcast/siabia If you enjoy what you the podcast, please recommend us to a friend or ten....real life, social media, the guy at work whos ays he likes music....