Interview with Andrew Denton

If Australians can agree about one thing, it’s that we’re not that impressed by our politicians. Julie Bishop is one of the very few exceptions to the rule. As foreign minister, it didn’t matter where she was in the world or how jetlagged she might’ve been, she always turned up immaculately dressed, super organised and on it. And usually after having done a six-kilometre run. But when it came to the crunch, her party chose to ignore the most electable alternative to Malcolm Turnbull and voted in Scott Morrison. How much did that hurt?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Neil’s a musical legend. Liam’s had his own share of success in a 15 year career that started with the band Betchadupa. Now they’re finally playing together, when Neil can get time off from his Fleetwood mac duties. They recently made an album, Lightsleeper. How do two generations work together without it ending in tears?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all remember first seeing Jess as that kid from Darwin on Australian Idol, the shy girl who didn’t need to win that competition to be a star. Her voice and that inner radiance did it all. She’s since had a string of hits, sung with Snoop Dogg, supported Beyonce, represented us at Eurovision and on Sesame Street. She flexed her acting muscles in The Sapphires, Bran Nue Dae and The Secret Daughter. And is about to bring out a new album called Hilda. All this and she’s just turned 30.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The man who has it all. Good looks, loads of talent, a hugely successful musical career, two beautiful kids, an equally smart and successful wife. Ahead of his Australian tour of Graffiti U, he spoke to Andrew from the stage of the Shoreline Amphitheatre in California, discussing his career, reminiscing about touring with Slim Dusty, and revealing that Nicole saved him from the downward spiral of drug and alcohol addiction with a “divine intervention”.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She rode into our hearts as the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup, then followed the win with a rousing speech calling out sexism in racing. Now she reflects on her upbringing as one of ten siblings, a relationship with her tough-love father, and in quite extraordinary detail, the number of ways she has almost killed herself on the track.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She’s arguably Australia’s most successful porn star, but she may not be what comes to mind when you hear those two words. She uses her real name for a start. She has no shame about what she does. And she’s no easily led dummy. She has an Honours Degree in Gender Studies from Melbourne University, her thesis on Women in the Porn Industry. She produces, directs and stars in her own videos. She calls herself a feminist. And she believes porn can be a force for good. Warning: this episode is adults only, pretty graphic in places.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amanda can probably lay claim to being the most successful woman working in Australian show business. No one else has achieved the double of being inducted into the Commercial Radio Hall of Fame and twice being nominated for television’s top award, the Gold Logie. She’s also one of Andrew’s oldest friends, which makes for a very special interview.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an era of cookie cutter pop stars, Lily Allen stands out. Where others seem obsessed with 24/7 permanent image management, manicuring their public self to the point that it no longer appears to be real, Lily is the opposite: flawed, messy and gloriously human.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carl Barron is Australia’s most successful, yet in some ways least known comedian. He’s incredibly funny on stage, but in real life manages to avoid attention wherever possible. This is a rare chance to find out what’s actually going on inside the head of an Australian enigma, a comic who hides in plain sight.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Five time winner of the Australian Open, Logie-winning TV and radio host, author, disability advocate and organiser of Australia’s most inclusive music festival, Dylan Alcott is a human Energiser Bunny. This rocket-fuelled interview covers his life and the impact he hopes to have on Australia.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well before her 18th birthday, Jade became the youngest person ever to complete what’s known as The Polar Hat Trick, skiing to the North Pole, the South Pole and across the Greenland Ice Cap, braving temperatures below minus 50, mortal danger, constant pain and, toughest of all, having to share a tent with her Dad.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian surfing legend Mick Fanning talks about what he learned over his career, about family and the loss of two of his brothers along the way, about surfing under the Northern Lights and off the end of a glacier and, of course, about punching sharks, even though he loves them.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You loved Stephen Curry in The Castle. You loved him as Graham Kennedy in The King. From his teenage debut in Fast Forward, he’s been a constant presence on our screens. In this revealing interview, you’ll meet the Stephen Currys you may not already know: song and dance man, exiled cub scout, plate spinner, inventor of odd sports, altar boy, part-time serial killer, mooning specialist and devoted husband and father of two.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She’s had No. 1 hits in six decades. With husband Sonny Bono, she was the biggest thing on US TV in the early 1970s. She scored an Oscar for her role in Moonstruck. What hasn’t Cher conquered? Now in her 70s, this genuine entertainment icon is still taking no prisoners as this wide-ranging interview shows.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The good doctor’s bold new approach to surgery is helping hundreds of Aussie amputees to walk again. Inspired by watching The Terminator as a teen, he is now in the business of fusing human and machine, a pioneering specialist in osseointegration, which attaches prosthetic limbs directly to the bones of amputees. If his groundbreaking work was not incredible enough, you won’t believe the story of how he came to be in this country.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The winner and first runner-up of Miss First Nations 2018, Lasey and Felicia are indigenous, gay drag queens. As they say themselves, triple minorities. With some guests you know, from the moment you see them, that they will have had experiences the rest of us could only guess at, life stories that are rich and challenging and illuminating. So it is with Lasey and Felicia. Amazing to look at, amazing to listen to. They have much in common, but also much about them that is different. One is a 37 year old father of two who grew up in a very religious family, the other an 18 year old who first dressed in drag at age 5.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marking the release of her new album, Madame X, the pop icon sits down for a chat with Andrew in London. This wide-ranging, funny, thoughtful conversation touches on: the Madame X persona and what it means to her; the move to Lisbon and the musical inspiration it provided; her memories of the first time she went to a gay club; motherhood, her six children and the surprising places they have taken her; why Catholic iconography continues to draw her in; what she would say to the Pope if they met; and her makeover tips for Andrew, one of which defines her whole career: “Be daring”.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How would you survive if your worst nightmare came true? Rosie Batty found out when her estranged partner, Greg, killed their only son, Luke. She became the face of the Family Violence cause in Australia, using her own trauma to help others. But at what cost to herself?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sir Michael Caine has two Oscars, more than a hundred movie credits and a life story so long it’s taken three autobiographies to cover it. This conversation with Andrew is wide-ranging, covering the brother he never knew he had, sharing a dole queue with Sean Connery, being frightened by Heath Ledger on the set of Batman and spotting his future wife in a TV commercial, among many, many other things. Andrew also does his Michael Caine impersonation for the man himself.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the back of his novel The Shepherd’s Hut, which tells the story of outback lost boy Jaxie, Australia’s most beloved author talks about toxic masculinity, what he’s learned about our young men and how he thinks they can be helped to have fuller, richer lives, for their own good and for the good of all of us.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.