G’day! How’s it going? I’m in Australia. Those who subscribe (and there are now LOADS of you which is incredibly flattering) will know that I spent a year living in Australia and have always longed to come back and you’ll know that I’ve been searching specifically for podcasts that aren’t from the UK or US, and by golly, I’ve succeeded. So I’m going to swim in the Great Barrier Reef while it’s still here, and you should scroll down to find my favourite Australian podcasts.
Australian politics live
First things first, did you know that the Guardian do an Australian politics podcast? Well we do, and here’s producer Miles to tell you all about the most recent edition:
The podcast is hosted by our political editor Katharine Murphy and she untangles the web of Australian politics by looking in depth at important issues like how to improve the mental health outcomes for veterans and ending the cycle of trauma the stolen generations set into motion. She also takes her time with politicians so that they don’t just talk about the same three pre-prepared lines they say to the media all day and instead tell us what they really think. My favourite episode recently has been when one of our past treasurers, Wayne Swan, spent the whole podcast explaining why neoliberal economics needs to be stopped before it’s too late. He argues: ‘What we’ve seen is the radicalisation of both the Liberal party [confusingly they are the conservative party here in Australia] and very significant sections of the business community aligned with very wealthy plutocrats who are driving far harder for a much stronger and bigger and more powerful trickle-down agenda’. In our latest episode, we got three of the best economic brains in the country and tried to figure out if our economy is prospering or slowly dying. You’d be surprised how difficult that is to figure out from what the government tells us!
SPUN
Belinda Lewis got in touch to tell me about a podcast from the very top of Australia. I’m so glad she did. It’s called Spun and it’s amazing!
Spun is a series of perfectly recorded live events (which is no mean feat), where people come on stage to tell their particular story. It has everything from personal tragedies, true love, growing up, becoming a parent, finding yourself, you name it. The nice thing about this is that everyone involved is so normal. In a lot of American podcasts we can hear some very self-centred and self-important people talk about how amazing they are. Not so with Spun. It’s a thing I’ve found in Australian culture, particularly the further north you go: the people are real, they are tough and don’t take nonsense. And Spun showcases some of the ordinary people with extraordinary stories, from all races and backgrounds.
I’ll let Belinda take it from here:
Spun’s podcast has appeal for listeners familiar with Australia’s Northern Territory and easily extends its audience to those unfamiliar, providing a sense of the people who chose to live there. The Northern Territory is closer to Indonesia than Sydney and boasts extreme remote beauty and the oldest continuous Indigenous cultures in the world. Spun doesn’t feature Sydney or Melbourne voices, but distinctly Northern Territory voices sharing their personal world but speaking to listeners about the universal.
Stories released so far include dealing with cyclones and extreme weather and the resilience in character that many people had to find. There is mass appeal in stories shared by people who had to leave in order to find their way back home. The Spun team have selected stories that encapsulate the NT and focus on big themes. They explore love, family, purpose and the complexity of identity. The stories share a rawness; Jackson Browne’s voice catches when he shares his grief and you can picture the smirk of Nick Hose when he mimics his mother’s welcome home. You can hear members of Elliana Lawford’s family laugh and hoot in anticipation of the confession she makes in her episode.
Give it a listen to get a sense of the people that make up the NT. If you’re not lucky enough to be there, it will make you feel like you’re visiting.
The Weekly Planet
When I lived in Australia I made friends with a group of extraordinary people. They were, for all intents and purposes, complete and utter nerds and I loved them for it. I found myself learning about comic books and fandoms, playing boardgames with elves in them, and, dare I say it, dipping my toes into Magic the Gathering. I became completely obsessed with nerd culture, particularly loving the genteelness and welcoming nature that came with it. There’s nothing like it. I was already massively into podcasts by this point and tried to find one that fulfilled this new section of my life. Enter, The Weekly Planet.
The Weekly Planet covers all things movies, TV shows and comics, as well as news reviews and “general nonsense” relating to their parent website, comicbookmovie.com. I found that it encapsulated everything I loved about my Australian nerd friends, through the medium of two fully grown men, chatting about nerd life.
So when Jo Watson emailed in the other day to recommend the Weekly Planet, I was grinning from ear to ear. Here’s what Jo had to say.
The Weekly Planet is, as they will tell you, the official podcast of comicbookmovie.com and is hosted by Nick Mason and ‘Mr Sunday Movies’ (aka James) two Aussie friends well versed in TV, video games, movies, and comic books, but who specialise and focus more on the latter two.
The podcast is usually aired on a Sunday and debuted in November 2013. Since then the duo have had a multitude of episodes (currently 187) with plenty of guest spots and YouTube spin-offs in between.
One of the key components to a good podcast (if not the main ingredient, in my opinion) is the chemistry between hosts. You could be listening to the most compelling news stories ever. Something completely up your street … but if the hosts are delivering it in a stuttering monotone voice, the likelihood of you switching off is very high. James and Nick are the perfect pairing. Their loveable sense of humour and Aussie references (which I never get, but still always enjoy) make each episode a joy to listen to. These are two men who have clearly known each other a long time and because of this, are able to throw in the odd jibe or two to add to the humour.
They are also insanely knowledgeable about their chosen subject. The minute Nick begins to break down story arcs (from comic book to movie) you can instantly tell he knows what he’s talking about. The ease in which he is able to bring up the year of the comic and issue number, and how it differs from what the film is giving us etc certifies him as a ‘go-to guy’ for comic book history. James, meanwhile, is able dissect films, scene by scene. Pointing out ‘Easter eggs’ and speculating on how a story and its characters may move forward.
You don’t need to be a diehard comic book nerd to appreciate this pod. As mentioned previously, they cover a whole host of films, games and TV shows, spanning decades of films and actors. If you want a fun and smart podcast to listen to, then this is definitely the pod for you.
