Sathnam Sanghera's new book Empireword explores the contrasting dichotomies of the empire's lasting legacy.

We’ve all looked to the heavens in a moment of panic and made a deal with whoever is up there to get out of a pickle that we’re in. Mozart must've known that feeling when he wrote the opera Idomeneo at the age of 25.

It’s as Scottish as haggis, smoked kipper and single malt whiskey - or is it? You’re about to learn that Tartan has a story far wider and perhaps older than Vivienne Westwood or the Punks, far older than William Wallace and Scotland the Brave as we know it.

A tall, dark and handsome man with his shirt half unbuttoned, stands holding a woman in his muscular embrace. She is also in a state of undress looking up at her saviour, swooning. There’s a rugged landscape behind them …. even the horse is looking lusty and brooding. 

This time last year Alexander Campbell, walked out his front door and just kept walking. He walked through Sydney to Katoomba, up through Lithgow, Muswellbrook and Toowoomba through to Karumba then Katherine and Darwin. 

In the beginning, there was Adam and Eve. This is where humans and their reproduction systems began, fully formed and ready to go. So says the big book anyway. Author and researcher Cat Bohannon has other ideas about who Eve is and how her body contributed to the continuation of humanity. 

Before critically acclaimed actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman died, he developed a play called  ‘7 Captiva Road’ and before it’s world premiere in Melbourne, two of the actors will bring a scene to life here in the studio.

Spies, Russian moles, stolen documents, double agents and a case never properly solved - all the hallmarks of your dad's favourite spy novel ... the incredible true story of how ASIO was infiltrated by the KGB in the new podcast 'Secrets We Keep: Nest of Traitors'.Guest: Joey Watson, podcast host 

Imagine what it would be like playing a grand piano on an iceberg in the Arctic ... composer and musician Ludovico Einaudi can tell you, he's done it. 

Imagine finding out that your parents, their extended family and friends played a major part in India’s fight for independence and acquaintances of a leader like Mahatma Gandhi.

The American singer-songwriter and creative force, Amanda Palmer wears many hats... she's a  musician, has presented a Ted talk, she's a New York Times best-seller, and a former street performer.

Andrew Blanch and Emily Granger are a pioneering guitar and harp duo. Both celebrated soloists in their own right the two combine forces in this dreamy instrumental album Suite mágica which celebrates Australian composers.

Forming in 1995, at a time when Brit Pop was king, Mogwai was an Indie Scottish post-rock band and everything about them was a rebellion - against being considered ‘British’, against pop music, against having lyrics for lyrics sake, and against big record labels.

It’s common to see court cases depicted on TV and in movies or written up in the news; a guilty or not guilty verdict is often where the story ends but we rarely get to see and hear about another part of the prison system... parole.

The documentary A Compassionate Spy explores the life and love story behind the youngest scientist on the team behind the atomic bomb Ted Hall, who risked everything to do what he thought was right.

When Mo moved across the seas to Europe he brought South Africa’s AfroHouse music with him. Running Afroelectronic club nights and inviting all sorts of African DJ’s to play bringing sounds and communities together in Paris and London.

What happens when you sit down with 16 directors and ask them about the future of cinema and do the answers differ when you revisit that same question 40 years later?We speak to the director of a documentary, about a documentary, about film.

We're a nation obsessed by houses and one woman has tapped into our fascination with ‘other people's homes' with her passion project and new book.

At a time of growing concern about plummeting birth rates, the number of babies born to surrogates is rising globally.But what kind of woman is willing to give over her body to create another human life out of the goodness of her heart?

Imagine trying to use voice activation like Siri with a stutter. It’s just another reminder of the aspects of modern life that aren't made for everyone.

A selection of the choristers from The Australian Girls Choir joined Andy in the studio to sing some Christmas songs. They sang Jingle Bell Rock, The Man With The Bag and Carol of the Bells.Guests:Tanya RomeoIsabelle OgierMiranda ChargeLucy ChisholmSophie CrookshanksAlannah DundasApril FordSarah FyvieSienna HazellMelanie HigginsLauren HirstEmily LathamIsabelle OgierIsabel OsbonReya Ramanujachari

In the 1890’s the pianola was the biggest case in copyright law. Musicians and writers were worried it would make them redundant. Well, there’s another similar copyright case underway at the moment that will have a huge effect on the way we use generative A.I platforms from music and art to coding.Guest:Matthew Butterick, lawyer

They’re often derided, ignored, and under-loved. They’re in almost every city, they are buildings in the Brutalist architectural style - affectionately known as 'The Brutes'.A chance encounter outside Sydney’s famous Sirius building, led author Heidi Dokulil to investigate everything about this architectural style for her new book, Sydney Brutalism.Guest:Heidi Dokulil, design writer and author

Opera is often as much about the venue and the occasion as the music. Think of the sumptuous opera houses of Europe filled with black ties, dainty ladies with binoculars, and the chink of champagne flutes. But one opera company has broken the rules by performing in the public toilets in the Queen Victoria Building.Their new performance Track Works goes even further, taking up a wonderfully historical building normally associated with death. Very operatic indeed.Guest: Thomas De Angelis, Artistic DirectorEden Shifroni, Soprano

Why have you got a chin? Why can you dance, when other bipeds can’t? Did you know that your DNA has fragments of ghostly code from early hominids for whom we haven't found any other physical evidence?Go back in time to when there were at least nine different hominins roaming the earth at the same time ... Human Origins: A Short History outlines our fellow hominins and thinks about how we became the last ones standing.Guest: Sarah Wild, author and journalist

The Ten Tenors join Andy live in the studio to chat about what makes a Tenor, life with the group, and sing a couple of their favourite tunes. Guests: Michael EdwardsCameron BarclayBoyd OwenJared NewallAdrian LiDonniJoseph NaimAmmon BennettJesse LaytBenjamin Clark

Maybe you’ve heard the expression “being a bit too cute”? Someone pushing the boundaries, going a bit far, maybe even being a bit pushy or cunning.Joshua Paul Dale studies the psychological and biological reactions to cute things like puppies and babies and how the digital world and AI is preying on your very human reaction to these stimuli in his new book Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired our Brains and Conquered the World'

How strongly do you believe in your political convictions? Strong enough to whisk your family away to the other side of the world to pursue your communist ideals?Boris Frankel was ten when his dad decided to move to the Soviet Union - they were already on an ASIO watch list at the time due to their red-coloured friends in the 1950s. But did the Frankel’s find a perfect communist dream in Russia?Boris tells the tales of the cast of characters and the challenges they came across in his new book 'No Country for Idealists'Guest:Boris Frankel, author 

You’ve probably never heard of Dale Francis Drake. Still, just like in the hit series Breaking Bad, his entrepreneurialism not only went unnoticed by law enforcement but became a blueprint for the methamphetamine business worldwide…Australia's obsession with the drug is the focus of the new book Meth Road.Guest:Conor Woodman, Author and journalist

Like in the hit series Breaking Bad, Dale Francis Drake's entrepreneurialism not only went unnoticed by law enforcement but became a blueprint for the methamphetamine business worldwide.Australia's obsession with the drug is the focus of the new book Meth Road.Guest:Conor Woodman, Author and journalist

Look around you right now ... wherever you are, you're likely to be surrounded by glass ... windows, reading glasses, device screens, drinking glass or maybe a vase.Despite making glass for thousands of years, we still don’t fully understand what type of material it is and what happens to it over time.Guest:Peter Harrowell, Professor of Theoretical Chemistry at the University of Sydney

Foy Vance is known for his gravelly voice and eclectic musical style that blends elements of folk, soul, and blues.His emotive music is regularly used to tug at heart your heartstrings in television and films and you’ll get to hear why when he plays his hits Guiding Light and She Burns live in the studio. Guest: Foy Vance, musician 

If you know even the slightest thing about Iranian cinema, it’s consumed by love and subtlety … love because, well all cinema is about love, but subtlety out of necessity.Iranian state censors won’t permit anything overt so directors like Behrooz Karamizade need to get creative. He talks about how he got around censorship in his new film Empty Nets.Guest:Behrooz Karamizade, Director

It's a story based on Norse mythology involving dragons and maidens, Gods and gold. The struggle of choosing between power and love … two human but ultimately incompatible pursuits. It could only be Wagner's The Ring Cycle.Often described using words like epic the roughly 15-hour performance spread over four operas may seem daunting to some, but Opera singer Daniel Sumegi who’s playing the protagonist Wotan or The Wanderer, King of the Gods says not to overthink it.You can see him in Opera Australia's performance in Brisbane.Guest:Daniel Sumegi, Bass-baritone Opera Singer

Alfred Hitchcock more than any other auteur in the 20th century understood the combination of sound when paired with emotion and suspense.Added to that was his uncanny understanding of branding and marketing for example he once locked the doors of the cinema during the premiere of Psycho. If you don't love Hitchcock, you're about to, as the new documentary My Name is Alfred Hitchcock explores the sometimes malevolent art of Hitchcockian cinema. Guest: Dr Wendy Haslem, Associate Professor in Screen Studies at the University of Melbourne

Right now, a secretive war is being waged, pitting hackers against their hunters, in a game in which no one fully knows the true cost, but it's likely in the tens of billions of dollars.The world's most sought-after ransomware hunter gets more requests than the FBI each day, and it turns out he lives in relative poverty in the town of Normal, Illinois, with 8 cats, two dogs and a bunny rabbit.Welcome to the world of The Ransomware Hunting TeamGuest:Renee Dudley, author

Rinaldo by Handel tells the story of love, war and redemption, set at the time of the First Crusade.It was the first Italian language opera written for the London stage and enjoyed great popularity until it was forgotten for two hundred years. It is the latest offering from Pinchgut Opera. Guests:Alexandra Oomens, SopranoErin Helyard, Artistic Director

Do you sometimes wish you could be more persuasive in the workplace ... or the family home?The art of persuasion is often painted as Machiavellian but author Michael McQueen's new book Mindstuck: Mastering the Art of Changing Minds argues that in our ideology-driven and polarised age, certainty has taken the place of curiosity and open-mindedness has given way to stubbornness. Guest: Michael McQueen, Author

There's one industry that has been portrayed in film and books more than any other and yet very few people ever have first-hand contact with it. Jana Monroe is a trailblazing female agent and criminal profiler of serial killers in the famous behavioural science unit at the FBI.She is also the one who trained Jodie Foster in her role for The Silence of the Lambs to understand what it's like to deal with serial killers as your day job. She's written about her experiences in Hearts of DarknessGuest:Jana Monroe, Author

There’s a certain mystery that parents have. Who were they before you? What did they do? How did they think?Journalist Rachelle Unreich thought she knew her mother Mira’s life well - her upbringing in Czechoslovakia, her time in concentration camps during World War 2 and the life she created after migrating to Australia. She ended up finding out much more through interviews with her shortly before her death which formed her book A Brilliant Life. Guest:Rachelle Unreich, Author 

What does democracy mean to you? It's a simple enough question but the answer is often a lot more difficult. Astra Taylor realised that looking at insecurity within the American democratic system could be a way of uniting people and co-founded The Debt Collective. Her new book The Age of Insecurity explores that idea in detail.Guest:Astra Taylor, Author and Organiser

There was a time when you could not walk past a work desk or notice board, nor newspaper or wall calendar, without seeing simple squiggly in cartoons, perhaps a little man with a curly head, tenderly cradling a duck. Such was the pervasiveness and power of Micheal Leunig's drawings.Singer-songwriter Katie Noonan is also connected with Leunig’s cartoons and has now made a new album with her band Elixir based on Leunig’s poetry. She’s here in the studio to play On a Hill and Boyhood Poem from that new album A Small Shy Truth.Guest:Katie Noonan, Musician

You carry around a camera in your pocket every day. Documenting both the important and mundane moments - from weddings to a receipt you might need later. It’s your story but also our story.Now, these collections are digital, but over the last decades, people have donated their photos from shoe boxes, mantel pieces, photo albums and negatives to the New South Wales State Library.The library’s new ‘Shot’ exhibition showcases 400 photos taken between 1845 and 2022 giving us a history of Australia and the art form itself.Guest:Geoffrey Barker, Curator of 'Shot'

Studies show that we really do like the sound of our own voice, with people rating the sound of their own accents highly on a list of ‘social attractiveness’, but it also helps us project our sense of identity and relate to others.Rob Drummond’s own accent has been described as ‘vanilla’ - an admission he makes in his new book You’re All Talk: Why We Are What We Speak.Guest:Rob Drummond, author and linguist

In 2009 comedian Dara Ó Briain was described as “television broadcaster Sir Terry Wogan's heir apparent as Britain's favourite Irishman…” Conversely, and as a testament to his own modesty, he once described himself as looking like "one of Tony Soprano's henchmen, on a bad day"... I don’t know which one comes with more pressure. He is in Australia on tour at the moment and he’s picking up where he left off before the pandemic with his show ‘So Where Were We’. Guest: Dara Ó Briain, Comedian

David McBride was a lawyer in the Australian army who leaked classified information to the ABC that revealed allegations of war crimes by special forces in Afghanistan. But who was he before that? and what makes a man willing to risk everything, to tell the truth. His autobiography  ‘The Nature of Honour’ is out now. Guest: David McBride, Author

American blues country Americana man Charley Crockett last came by in January and spoke about growing up in a trailer park in South Texas … about country music being exclusionary at its worst and unifying at its best. You can listen to our previous interview with Charley here. He's back to talk about his favourite parts of the American landscape and his passion for telling the story from Osage County. He'll be back here in Australia touring next year. Guest: Charley Crockett, Musician 

Cottagecore is an aesthetic that celebrates simple living … an escapist movement that developed a following during the pandemic. Anastasia Vanderbyl and her sister Julia have tapped into this movement by documenting their life living on a rural property in Northern NSW with a new book Mother the Mountain. Guest: Anastasia Vanderbyl

Were you watching when Steven Bradbury came from the back of the pack to win gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics?  I remember the story absolutely gripped Australia and we've seen countless retelling of that moment both in musical and documentary forms. Still, I haven't even seen it as a combination of both…  Chris Taylor and Andrew Hansen decided it was long overdue and have written a new musical-comedy-docuseries that looks at six critical events in recent Australian history and re-tells them through interviews and songs in Australian Epic. Guest: Chris Taylor

What would you be willing to do to raise money for charity? Share a post on Facebook? Door knock? A fun run?  How about a solo bike ride of thousands of kilometres across Australia … twice. Andrew Kerec has done exactly that to raise money for charities supporting people with spinal cord injuries after his father Ludvig became a quadriplegic. Andrew has just completed his second solo trip The Spine-tingling Ride Guest: Andrew Kerec

What does retirement look like to you? Is it putting your feet up, and enjoying the fruits of your labour by travelling or spending time with your grandkids?  What about buying and restoring a French Chateau that has fallen into disrepair and will probably cost millions and never be quite finished? Well, former Victorian labour water and tourism minister Tim Holding has done precisely that and written a book about it - Château Reawakening.  Guest: Tim Holding, author

Grammy award-winning band WILCO's music is characterised by lead singer Jeff Tweedy's introspective, poetic and heartfelt vocals. Again a signature on their new record “Cousin” as they prepare to tour Australia early next year. Guest: Jeff Tweedy, Musician WILCO

The colour and movement of Bollywood seem almost the antithesis of Australia's smaller, perhaps more serious film industry. Anupam Sharma's new documentary Brand Bollywood Downunder explores the links between the two nations' film industries. Guest: Anupam Sharma, Filmmaker 

You might be familiar with Rossini’s charming opera The Barber of Saville or the dramatic overture in William Tell but listen a little closer and you might notice the wit and humour of the characters he paints in his opera and his expert use of crescendo to build tension and excitement... Everywhere you look there’s more to be found in Rossini… Peruvian Tenor Juan Diego Flórez is a fan and will be singing his music on his tour of Australia. Guest:  Juan Diego Flórez, Singer

Friendship and failure are the two big “F words” that loom large in the work of podcaster and writer Elizabeth Day. In her podcast How To Fail she interviews successful, high-profile people about how they’ve overcome failure and she talks about the complexities of friendship in modern life in her book Friendaholic: Confessions of a Friendship Addict Guest: Elizabeth Day, Podcast host and author

When photographer Andrew Quilty landed in Kabul for the first time in 2013 to cover the Afghanistan cricket team as they prepared for the cricket World Cup, he admits his motivation at first wasn't noble story-telling, but more ‘ego-driven’... being able to say he’d worked in a ‘conflict zone’. His two-week stay finally ended nearly a decade later, his new book of photographs “This is Afghanistan” captures the country during the draw down and withdrawal of Allied troops and the return of the Taliban. Welcome to you, Andrew 

You often hear interviews with bands that are well-established … that have been on tour a couple of times … they have a trademark ‘sound’. But it’s rare to witness the unfurling of something new.  Officially formed last year in August, Minor Gold has just returned from touring in the US and they are now on their Australian tour having just released their self-titled debut album. It’s certainly been a busy first year.  Guests: Tracy McNeil, Musician Dan Parsons, Musician

Humans and horses have shared a special connection for thousands of years. More recently, their calming nature has been shown to be beneficial for our mental health. Scott Brodie knows this well working to rehabilitate both ex-servicemen and servicewomen and ex-racehorses. His program is the focus of the new documentary The Healing, directed by Nick Barkla.

If you’ve been to a concert in the past 20 years and bought a T-shirt then chances are it was Brian Taranto’s (BT) business that you bought it off. As a one-man band, BT’s company, Love Police, also organises tours - in fact, he’s been involved behind the scenes with many of the artists who have appeared in our very own Studio 240. Guest: Brian Taranto

When it comes to humour do you prefer the simplicity of slapstick … Mister Bean fiddling with the reclining chair at his dentist. Or the biting political satire of The Thick of It that perfectly skewers the business of politics? Or maybe it's following the ludicrous escapades of Edina and Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous. Whatever you prefer there's a British comedy for everyone. The new book Different Times chronicles the history of the television genre.  Guest: David Stubbs, author

Mention Ben Folds to most people and they might know ‘Rocking The Suburbs’ or maybe ‘Brick’. But mention Ben Folds to a true music nerd and they’ll tell you about the acoustic version of Emaline and how it was one of the first songs he was proud of writing … or the fact that the gentle love song The Luckiest was originally written for a scene in the teen movie ‘Loser’ which incredibly ended up being cut. Whatever you do know about Ben Folds, I can guarantee there is always more to find out. The new documentary directed by Scott Hicks is 'MY NAME'S BEN FOLDS I play piano' Guest: Ben Folds, Musician

In early 70’s Australia, Gough Whitlam was elected riding a wave of protest and demands for change. We withdrew from Vietnam … removed The White Australia policy … Germaine Greer published The Female Eunuch. We were grappling with our sense of identity and needed something to unify us and represent our diverse cultural and national identity. We found it in The Opera House. It turns 50 today. 

From the sea to the spinifex, the Northern Territory is a kaleidoscope of colour. The weather isn’t just experienced- it is lived. The heat and humidity can be oppressive… stifling… maddening... a place described as a law unto itself.  12 years ago, in Katherine, a murder was committed. The motive was clear and so was the method but was Zak Grieve also there, or did he pull out? Either way, the Northern Territory Mandatory Sentencing laws meant that Zak was locked up with a life sentence. Award-winning journalist Dan Box examines the case and his own response to it, in his new book The Man Who Wasn’t There.

There’s nothing like history and science to remind us just how precarious our existence on this rotating rock we like to call home, really is.  There were many points in human history where things were touch-and-go for humanity, yet here we are, and this time we’re facing another challenge… this time, of our own creation. Climatologist and author Michael E. Mann's new book Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth’s Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis aims to dispel the narrative of despair, by reminding you that humans have survived changes to our climate before and we can do it again.

Humans really do have a bizarre relationship with food. We’re obsessed with talking about food, cooking food, buying food, and eating food. Some love watching people eat spectacular amounts of food in record time and yes, some like competing in these feats. Why? Is it a symbol of modern gluttony or is it a sport that requires endurance and training just like any other? Guest: James Webb, Competitive Eater

Sinéad O’Connor, James Joyce, U2, Oscar Wilde … even Derry Girls  For such a small population Ireland has provided some real heavy hitters, culturally speaking…  Some of these could be written off as just pop culture but writer and podcaster Caroline O’Donoghue wants people to embrace the popular, and not just from Ireland. Her hugely successful podcast Sentimental Garbage takes a deep dive into themes and references from across the pop cultural landscape to find out why they mean so much to us.  Her latest book The Rachel Incident is set in 2009… a time ripe for these sorts of cultural references.

Why is there such a strong connection between surfing and music?  Is it the downtime waiting for the swell to pick up that gives you time for jotting down sandy lyrics? Is it the rhythm and timing needed to ride that wave?  The Beach Boys sang about surf culture. Jack Johnson started out as a competitive surfer. Jimmy Buffett even enjoyed a surf. Blues and roots musician Ash Grunwald has thought about this deeply - writing, podcasting and singing about it. 

A tired, lonely Chinese worker labours on the factory line inserting tiny screws into what will become the smartphone in your pocket.  The unrelenting work conditions have seen 14 of his co-workers die. But in his mind he writes poetry about his life and experience ... a movement is underway Canadian artist Njo Kong Kie came across the poetry of one such worker Xu Lizhi, and has created a performance called ‘I Swallowed A Moon Made of Iron’

Peter Harbison's new book ‘Alan Joyce and Qantas: The Trials and Transformation of an Australian Icon’ examines Joyce's time in the top job. The clean out of the top echelons of Qantas leadership today appears almost complete with the chairman of the board, Richard Goyder announcing he’ll retire before the end of next year. It follows the departure of Alan Joyce last month after 15 years as CEO a difficult tenure filled with challenges  Guest: Peter Harbison, author

About 30-40% of the world’s population and five million Australians are dealing with food or environmental allergies. Despite this, not a whole lot is actually known about them, in fact, their definition can’t even be agreed upon. A new book, Allergic: How Our Immune System Reacts to a Changing World breaks down the complicated way allergies and the immune system work.  Guest:  Dr. Theresa MacPhail, author

How often do you rely on spellcheck… or autocorrect to tidy up those minor errors in your emails, documents or texts each day? They might do the trick for us mere mortals but for newspapers, it’s a different story. Joanne Anderson is the chief desk editor of  The Age, which means that she is the authority on all the words in all the articles that pass her desk each day. Such is her knowledge of the English language that she has written us plebs a helpful and humorous handbook ‘Writely or Wrongly: An unstuffy guide to language stuff’ Guest: Joanne Anderson, author

What is it about 80's music that is so recognisable? Is it the pan-pipes, the sax, the synth? You can almost touch the shoulder pads, feel the Miami humidity and see the Palm Trees. Because it's so visceral, it also holds a special place in film history. Edward Gamper aka Sunglasses Kid has found a niche with his nostalgic 1980's tunes and movie themes. 

Gary Janetti has achieved the dream of many - making a successful career creating TV in Hollywood.  Writer, producer, executive producer, creator, voice actor and author he’s worked on Will & Grace, Family Guy, Vicious and The Prince.  He’s here to bring his witty quips and tales from his books to Australia with his show ‘An Evening(ish) in Oz. With Gary Janetti’

The year is 1963. Lawrence of Arabia wins the Oscar for Best Picture. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech ... and JFK is shot and killed in Dallas. Valentina Tereshkova the first woman in space, returns to Earth, but it will be six years until we land on the moon. Humanity seems to be largely moving forward… reaching up. In the wake of these advancements five thinkers were asked ‘Has humanity’s conquest of space increased or diminished our stature?’  Sixty years on, as part of World Space Week, the Wheeler Centre is discussing the question.

Afrofuturism is a genre of music and art and cultural aesthetic that explores the intersection of the African experience with history, science and technology.  It imagines alternative futures; speculative fiction with a black lens. Mixing science, and space to explore something that is disproportionately prevalent in African genetics and a possible future without it, ‘Sweet Mama’ is set in an intergalactic game-like scenario where our hero fights the battle of Type 2 Diabetes within the body. 

When Hannah Ferguson landed a job with the Queensland Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions … she was 22 years old and full of ambition and hope ... she found herself sitting in an office cubicle for hours on end transcribing police recordings of interviews with victims and accused perpetrators hearing, in detail, stories of trauma, abuse and violence. It transformed her perception of the justice system and the media’s reporting of it … so she started Cheek Media Co.  She's just written her first book 'Bite Back: Feminism, media, politics and our power to change it all' a scathing critique of the current state of Australian politics, media and feminism… with some ideas on how we might be able to help make change.

From meeting at a Thailand Maccas in an age before social media... to having a fan in Liam Gallagher. Tim and Oscar from Holy Holy have managed to create music across time and space, having never lived in the same city... or state. They came into the studio and played their songs 'Rosé and 'Ready' from their new album 'Cellophane'

There comes a point in everybody's life when the relationship between parent and child changes. When we start to become our own adults, parents no longer need to provide care and advice in the same way.  It used to be when around the age we left school and went to uni but that is beginning to change… which can make the  Dr Laurence Steinberg argues in his new book ‘You And Your Adult Child: How to Grow Together in Challenging Times’  that factors like work and the economy mean that we’re moving through our life stages at about 5 -10 year later than our parents.

You may have heard it said… that truly good design is actually design you don’t notice. Clothes that just seem to fit perfectly…  the warm invitation of a beautifully lit room… or the ease of comfortable furniture… the natural flow of highly functional architecture. But some argue that design should also contribute to a bigger conversation… one about ideas… and art... our vision of the future. Speculation: 8 Billion Little Utopias is part of the Design Fringe program and explores this idea. Guest: Dr. Vincent Alessi, Curator and Director of The Linden New Art Gallery 

If you knew your body wasn’t going to fall apart and you could live forever with augmented or even improved body parts… with no need to worry about failing eyesight … that bung knee … heart disease … would that make you more interested? This is Transhumanism … a movement that wants to use science and technology to make humans … better and live forever. Zoltan Istvan has been a journalist, and science fiction writer, worked in Real estate and has been a political candidate and believes in the transhumanist movement. He even drove a coffin-shaped bus around America to promote the ‘longevity movement’. 

When you imagine a circus what do you picture?  A ringmaster … a trapeze artist… Strong-man… clowns… amazing feats of physical stamina and acrobatics... even fleas? While circus arts have progressed from this, our picture of it might not have caught up with the possibilities of this art form. The National Institute of Circus Arts is holding a summit on Circus arts and the industry's issues as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival.

Born in Nairobi, Kenya in the early 90’s, Ondara listened to the family’s battery-operated radio, devouring any sort of music he could cram into his young ears. Eventually he came to folk music, after losing a bet, and finding out that ‘Knockin' On Heaven Door’ wasn't in fact a Guns N Roses Song, but by some guy called Bob Dylan. He won the Green Card Lottery and moved to the States, not LA or New York … but Maple Grove, Minnesota - a place as American as Apple pie and more importantly, Dylan’s home state. Tour info for Ondara can be found here

Most of us have a connection to divorce. Maybe your parents got a divorce… or you’re supporting a friend through a marriage breakdown ... or perhaps you’ve been through one (or more) yourself.  The narrative surrounding divorce is mostly sad … painful … messy.  Photographer Harry Borden illustrates the ripple effect that the breakdown of marriage creates … including the positive outcomes of peace, reflection and re-creation, in his new book On Divorce. 

Cephalopods make for a perfect canvas to discuss natural intelligence versus Artificial intelligence in ‘Distributed Consciousness’. The technicolour images and distorted voiceovers explore biological and artificial intelligence, distributed computation and cognition, cryptography, evolution, phenomenology, ecological awareness, climate change, and activism. Got it? good. You can see Distributed Consciousness at the Melbourne ACMI Gallery. 

Bamboo is considered one of the most versatile and environmentally friendly materials in the world. It’s long supported all manner of construction in the east, more recently being used to build pavilions in China and even schools in Bali … so why don’t we see more of it used in Western nations? Italian architect Mauricio Cardenas Laverde is in Melbourne as part of the Tools for After Design festival.

What do polymer bank notes, the electric drill and Zinc sunscreen all have in common? They were all inventions with patents written in Australia. And while these became highly successful, not all patents are.  ‘IP Provocations’ is a new podcast exploring whether patents are facilitating the spread of knowledge and innovation as they were designed to do or whether they’re in fact inhibiting it.

This winter it felt like absolutely every person was overseas for a European summer … and the one place they all seemed to be going was Italy. If your friends did not send you a postcard or bring you back a souvenir, then let the Australian Chamber Orchestra send you a little taste of Italy. Postcards from Italy takes a look at the way five selected works from across four centuries display the cultural influences of Italy ... Music is not necessarily the Italian stereotype you might expect. Principle cellist Timo-Vekko ‘Tipi’ Valve take you on an Vacansa Italiana.

In a year where the planet has been lashed by non-stop catastrophic weather events ... being reminded of the people who are working towards change gives you hope rather than despair at the amount of work ahead. Professor Tim Flannery’s new documentary ‘Climate Changers’ introduces you to some of the leaders within the climate activist community across the world.

She was at one time named the “Woman who saved Australia”.  Gladys Berejiklian's political trajectory saw her lead Australia’s largest state through catastrophic times. But one question at a press conference began to unravel that and led to an ICAC investigation which would find that she breached public trust and found her guilty of serious corrupt conduct.  The reporter who asked that question was Paul Farrell, from ABC Investigations. He is the author of a new book Gladys: A Leader’s Undoing. 

Imagine seeing your first dates and flirtations with your partner play out on national TV. Your romance is a storyline at the whim of editors and producers. Then imagine your romance, and your personality, being picked apart on the internet, strangers weighing in on you and your actions in forums and social media.  Alisha Aitken-Radburn has written about her time in The Bachelor franchise in her book The Villain Edit.

What's the difference between a viola and an onion? No one cries when you cut up a viola. Brett Yang and Eddy Chen of TwoSet Violin, enjoy a joke about violas as much as the next person … maybe more as they combine classical music appreciation and YouTube culture, in a channel that’s had more than 1.3 billion views. They're currently on a world tour having a chuckle at chamber music.

When you look at photos of the band The Cruel Sea many of them are your typical band picture … what these pictures don’t tell you is how much of a laugh The Cruel Sea loves to have.  And while band members have come and gone, The Cruel Sea have been having a laugh and playing tunes for more than three decades and they’re heading off their 30th-anniversary tour for their award-winning album ‘The Honeymoon Is Over’.

When you go to a concert what do you wanna see? Do you want to hear your favourite songs you already know every single word to …. or do you want to hear the new songs that may be your new favourites? Every set list by every band has struggled with this idea. Singer-songwriter Tim Finn is giving the people both. After a decade or so off the touring circuit, he’s heading out on tour. The Lives and Times Of Tim Finn will have all the fan faves from Split Enz, Crowded House, his solo work, and everything in between.

In Mixed Martial Arts or MMA you win one of two ways - either by punching or kicking your opponent hard enough to render them unconscious or if they tap out … in the ring, there are rules and your enemy and the objective is clear.  However, in life, sometimes the lines are blurred and the rules aren’t clear. Sometimes your opponent is you … and the mistakes you make result in more than just losing points. Nigerian-born New Zealander and current UFC middle-weight champion - Israel ‘Izzy’ Adesanya is the subject of Zöe McIntosh’s documentary Stylebender. 

A bolt of lightning in movies, TV and literature is often portrayed as a message from the heavens, a catalyst for great destruction or transformation.  In real life being struck by lightning usually leads to any number of physical and cognitive symptoms… usually leaving the person irrevocably changed in some way. Cellist Zoë Barry had not 1, not 2 but 3 close encounters with lightning within 6 months. Her work The Nervous Atmosphere explores the after-effects.

He’s one of those artists that every time you read about him he’s doing something entirely different. From a tour with Ben Kweller and Ben Folds … to becoming a death doula, from a kid's album about Islam to selling essential oils on the internet … even a nominee for World’s Sexiest Vegetarian.  Ben Lee is fun, even his album says so. He's heading on tour to bring the fun to everyone.

In the busy streets of Manilla, you’ll see people getting in and out of what looks like a mix between a Jeep and a Jitney which is a minibus - therefore a Jeepney.  Intricately painted and riotously decorated. The Jeepney is a symbol of Filipino art and culture and so Darwin-based artist Kuya James has found inspiration in them for his new album 'Jeepney Rock'

A big, ungainly baby waddles down the road, hands outstretched holding a cigarette. A huge roving eyeball looks out over a hotel balcony. A giant brain lumbers slowly down the stairs, bumping off the handrail. A gigantic disembodied foot treads on a too-slow picnicker, and a severed hand appears out of nowhere to push it off, all the while a nose bounces around behind them. Such is the surreal spectacle of a Snuff Puppets public performance. You might encounter an oversized body part or animal the size of a bus and the beauty of these beasts is their ability to surprise, delight and sometimes even disgust.

David Cossini calls himself an immersive photographer. He prefers to meet his subjects on their level... even going so far as to inhabit a squat with his subjects for his collection on punks in London.  David's work in Uganda has just won the Art Handlers' Award in the National Photographic Portrait Prize. His latest collection 'Business in the Front, Party in the Back!' is a study of the mullet and those who don them.  

Once you reach 7000 meters above sea level, your body is never warm. No matter how suitable your clothes are, your body isn't burning enough oxygen to trap and heat and you still have 1000 meters to go. 

This is the astonishing private life of Bee Miles. One of Australia’s most iconic eccentrics known in the 50s and 60s for her Shakespeare recitals and her dangerous obsession with jumping onto moving trains, trams and vehicles. A firebrand even as her decline neared. Rose Ellis has completed a biography of the Sydney personality - Bee Miles: Australia’s famous bohemian rebel, and the untold story behind the legend

Sometimes you get a stroke of genius at unlikely times

Do you remember those magic eye picture books?  Hungarian visual artist László Bordos also plays with image and visual tricks creating a kind of trompe l'oeil- projecting onto some of the the most beautiful architecture in the world, plunging them in and out of darkness, so that you’d almost swear that parts of the building disappear. His next canvas is Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance, part of the Now or Never Festival.

As Australia’s first Human Rights Commissioner, Brian Burdekin has spent a lifetime advocating for the needs of these children, those with disabilities and mental illness.

What do you picture when you imagine a poker game? A dimly lit, smokey room with a green felt table? Stacks of chips? decks of cards? I’m willing to bet, you were imagining a group of men playing poker.  It’s a game often depicted as a masculine - where risk, strategy, assertiveness and financial savviness are key. Options trader and businesswoman Jenny Just says she noticed a lack of these traits in her daughter and female employees, so she took a gamble and began teaching women to play poker with her company PokerPower.

What do you picture when you imagine a poker game? A dimly lit, smokey room with a green felt table? Stacks of chips? decks of cards? I’m willing to bet, you were imagining a group of men playing poker.  It’s a game often depicted as masculine - where risk, strategy, assertiveness and financial savvy are key. Options trader and businesswoman Jenny Just says she noticed a lack of these traits in her daughter and female employees, so she took a gamble and began teaching women to play poker with her company PokerPower.

Using a wealth of archive material and interviews with those who worked with her 'MERKEL' the documentary takes a look at the personal and political life of the previous Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel. Director Eva Weber joins the show to discuss what she found out about the leader and her legacy. Guest:  Eva Weber, Director

The 9-stringed romantic guitar has a particular kind of sound to it... the extra strings provide a balanced blend of the treble and bass giving it a kind of depth… a richness to it.  Guitarist Petra Poláĉková is one of the very few female 9-string classical guitar players. She discusses her influence and listens as she graces our ears with a romantic piece by Johann Kaspar Mertz. Petra is currently touring Australia performing and running workshops.

Summer is such a part of the Australian national identity. But what if there was no longer a winter to counterbalance summer? What if there was no reprieve from the heat? What better way to express and process our anger, sorrow, and worry about the inevitable changes climate change will bring through art? Written in the aftermath of the 2019/2020 bushfires Noëlle Janaczewsk's play The End of Winter grapples with exactly this. Guest:  Jane Phegan, actor

It’s the closest thing to space we have here on Earth; extreme isolation and confinement, limited communication. No plants or animals to be seen. Months of total darkness and only 12 other people to talk to for a year. It’s the Concordia research station in Antarctica and if you’re feeling claustrophobic, then maybe being an astronaut isn't for you.  But for Dr Meganne Christian spending a year at the research station helped her realise her dream of becoming an astronaut. Guests: Dr Meganne Christian, Reserve Astronaut

1966 Greenwich Village, the centre of counter-culture. 23-year-old Patricia Field opens her boutique and it would become a hub for creatives for the next five decades. Today, at 82 years old her costume and styling work has made hit shows like Sex And The City, the Devil Wears Prada and Emily In Paris iconic fashion touchstones. She is the subject of Michael Selditch's new documentary 'Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field' Guest: Michael Selditch, producer/director

Old and rare book collections bring to mind the personal libraries of the landed gentry in England. Floor-to-ceiling shelves of dark leather bound books with gold engraved covers. Maybe a little bit dusty… perhaps musty.  What is the future of these books and book collections if they cannot be poured over… shared… handled… enjoyed... it's a question raised - and potentially answered - by digitising old and rare books. History of Books and Shakespeare expert Emma Smith spoke on the topic for the launch of the State Library Victoria's new online exhibition Beyond The Book.

In 1989 rock was king. On the mid-north coast of NSW, Newcastle was serving up some of Australia’s best new music. 

There’s nothing more pitiful or senseless than a mass stranding of whales. Around 100 Pilot whales stranded themselves recently on the WEST coast. It’s senseless, largely because we still don't really know WHY whales beach themselves. The largest recorded mass stranding in Australia was in 2020, when almost 500 whales beached, at possibly the most treacherous and infamous inlet in the country - Hells Gates, at Macquarie Harbour on the western coast of Tasmania.  Little did the locals who tried to save them know that whales would beach again exactly two years later TO THE DAY. Their testimonies form the new show, “Hells Gates” by Joel Carnegie, welcome to you.

Banzai Pipeline is the centre of the surfing universe. It's made careers but it has also claimed lives. In 2015 Aussie pro surfer Owen Wright emerged from these frothing blue waves a different version of himself, he was lucky to emerge at all. His new book about his experience is called 'Against the Water'

When we think of our culture it’s easy to think of the culture of the big urban cities. 

Much like hip-hop DJs sample a genre-busting variety of music to create something new in itself Australian artistic duo Soda Jerk does so for video. Creating a film HELLO DANKNESS, which skewers the farcical nature of American politics using video and audio samples from over 500 tv shows and movies.

When you think of a cellist, you might think of Jacqueline Du Pre or Yo-Yo Ma, and less about Skrillex, the soundtrack for The Hangover 2 or heavy metal. Cellist Tina Guo is a rebel. She’s created a unique brand for herself and her stringed instrument, bringing the cello into all sorts of places across different musical genres and projects you may not expect. 

Considered one of the top rock operas of all time and The Who’s Magnum Opus Tommy is getting a new lease on life.  Legendary Australian band You Am I is taking Tommy on tour with special guest vocals from Sarah McLeod and Hayley Mary. It’s a delicious rock’n’roll layer dip. 

Ever wondered what your life might look like if you hadn’t made a particular decision? The Sydney Theatre Company ‘Constellations’ uses the idea of the multiverse taken from quantum physics to explore the concept of infinite outcomes. It follows Roland, a beekeeper and Marianne, a physicist through their romantic relationship, depicting moments and possibilities.

Not many people get to control their legacy. Even fewer of those get to do it with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. 

A soldier, farmer, diplomat, advocate, father… and politician - he was the leader of the National Party and Deputy Prime Minister. Tim Fischer was one of those rare politicians who was well-liked and respected across the political spectrum by colleagues and constituents. Peter Rees has just completed a biography on Tim Fisher called ‘I Am Tim: Life, Politics and Beyond’. 

There's a rich history of country duos but not many from Queensland let alone the town of Rockhampton. Busby Marou talk about shifting genre but always coming back to country music. Tom and Jeremy make up Busby Marou and their new album Blood Red is out now. They'll be touring nationally in August.

At this very minute, microorganisms in your gut are impacting your how you think and behave. Think about that before blaming others for being on your nerves. Bowel health. Probiotics. Faecal transplants; Gut health is certainly not the sexy side of medicine, but it is an increasingly important one, impacting everything from your allergies to obesity. Sarah Schenck and Steven Lawrence produced the documentary The Invisible Extinction to explore the current research around microbiomes.

It’s 1993. Paul Keating is the Prime Minister. Sydney has won the bid to host the 2000 Olympics, Newcomer Shane Warne delivers the ball of the century in the Ashes and on the radio amongst the wall of Oz rock in the Triple J hottest 100 that year, this smooth, Lou Reed-esque tune leaps out at you... it's 'Night of the Wolverine' by Dave Graney and The Coral Snakes. On the 30th anniversary of the hit record, the band are taking it back on tour. 

Should former slave-holding countries pay for their past wrongs? That’s what a group of Caribbean nations are looking to do.  The Caribbean group says reparations are not only about monetary compensation for enslaved people’s descendants… but a wider recognition of the continuing effects of colonisation.

At one time considered Australia’s most important book - Nevil Shute’s novel On the Beach follows a group of friends and colleagues in 1960’s Melbourne after the fallout of a short but disastrous nuclear war which has wiped out humanity north of the equator.  The characters are living on borrowed time, speculating wildly about the direction of the deadly radiation clouds, desperately grasping at scientific theories about its toxicity and the possibility of survival. Australian playwright Tommy Murphy has adapted the novel for a first-ever stage version for the Sydney Theatre Company. Guest: Tommy Murphy, playwright

Their angelic voices belie their rugged and hairy visage. The Spooky Men are a choir made up of men, but they want you to know they are definitely NOT a men's group. 

Canberra is a landlocked city. But that hasn't stopped naval ships being named after our bush capital. There's of course the HMAS Canberra. But this Saturday a new ship will be officially commissioned at Garden Island in Sydney Harbour: The USS Canberra.  It's a US naval ship and to mark the occasion the U.S. 7th Fleet Band - based in Japan - is here to perform this weekend.  

Did you know that The Kimberley in WA was at one time seriously considered as an option for the Jewish Homeland? That’s according to SBS’s new docu-series Who The Bloody Hell Are We, a three-part series uncovering the unknown histories of the Jewish, New Zealand and Chinese communities in Australia. John Safran discusses delving into Australia's Jewish history in the first episode.

What does a glacier sound like? Internationally acclaimed visual artist Benjamin Knock went to Iceland with a sound recordist and captured recordings of the glaciers and the surrounding volcanically active areas with bizarre things called hydrophones, Seizmaphones and Geophones for his exhibition Terra-Therma. He's compiled a multi-disciplinary exhibition to bring the sights and sounds of Iceland to Melbourne.

Fresh from releasing reissues of classic albums Electrical Storm and Honey Steel’s Gold, the legendary punk pioneer and co-founder of The Saints, The Aints and Laughing Clowns, Ed Kuepper has announced a national tour in September. He reflects on his influences, inspirations and how his grandkids interact with his music.

Singer-songwriter Julie Byrne’s folk songs may sound gentle and ethereal, but they carry the weight of immense emotional heft. Following the sudden passing of her long-term collaborator and producer, Eric Littmann, her new album “The Greater Wings” moves through shared experiences that are both timeless and life-affirming.

Ukrainian composer and electronic musician Heinali has transformed years of pre-war audio recordings of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv into a time capsule of ambient sound and memories of a city now besieged in his album 'Kyiv Eternal'.

Scott Patterson's new book “Chaos Kings: How wall street traders make billions in the new age of crisis” looks into the world of the doom-mongers making a fortune from the worst-case scenarios.

‘The Days Toppled Over’ unravels the complex systems that lead to the exploitation of international students in Australia, through a heartening story about family, success and the migrant experience.

A new film asks if our drive to tell stories is overriding our ability to put the subjects of documentaries first?

Mutti Mutti man Uncle Kutcha Edwards is a highly respected elder and survivor of the Stolen Generations who has been combining songwriting and activism since 1991. 

Aboriginal Elder Uncle Thomas Slockee has spent the last four decades championing his community and advocating for housing justice for Indigenous people.

Did you know that the Southern Cross constellations tells the story of the first man who died on earth? 

A new documentary from Indigenous filmmaker Professor Larissa Behrendt, ‘You Can Go Now’ explores Richard Bell's life, art and activism.

Author, filmmaker and proud Wiradjuri woman Brenda Matthews is part of the Stolen Generation. But her story is unlike anything we’ve heard before -  she was taken not once but twice from families who loved and cared for her deeply.

Growing up in northern Alabama, Musician Jason Isbell’s grandfather taught him to play music and a love of Blues music, leading him to a massively successful career.

The Sydney opera house is about to launch a new restaurant with a never before seen range of native ingredients on the menu.

Investigative reporter Nick McKenzie's new book ‘Crossing the Line’ details the journey from the alleged war crimes in Afghanistan to the ultimate triumph in the Federal Court earlier this month.

A new documentary investigates the history of an organised crime group with links to the Calabrian mafia, that wreaked terror in the sugarcane fields of north Queensland.

Lucinda Williams forged her own way through the predominantly male business side of country music, but in 2020, she was dealt not one, but a trio of crises.

When it comes to the weapons of war and conflict, it’s ultimately humans from the other side who are the guinea pigs.

In 1920's post-revolution Mexico, the country is rebuilding and stabilising itself after ousting authoritarian rule and giving way to the so-called ‘Mexican Renaissance’.

The famous and gruelling 24-hour Le Mans car race has drivers working around the clock, taking turns to push their machines in the ultimate test of endurance and continuity. Charlie Chan is about to attempt the same on the piano, find out how they plan to do with a little help from some friends and a counterpart called... chAI.

Humans have long looked to the animal world to help explain our own. Think George Orwell's Animal Farm; a mirror of our own complexity with simple and deeply sardonic animal metaphors. Slavic folklore and storytelling traditions also echo this dark humour and anthropomorphism — a new performance looks at human history and migration through the lens of a chicken — a character almost never cast as a hero.

Verdi claimed Rigoletto was his best opera, saying he would never write any better. With themes of greed, betrayal, revenge and misogyny - it’s a much-loved Opera and one of the most popular of all time. Soprano Stacey Alleaume discusses her role as Gilda in Opera Australia’s Rigoletto.

In Europe, around 1780 there was a bold and wild new idea in popular music which has shaped the concerts you see to this very day. Up until then, orchestras were background music for entertaining in small rooms in private homes salons while everyone tittered, japed and drank. Along came Joseph Haydn, who wrote music for grander spaces, where a larger orchestra was the main event, in turn, inspiring a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to pen a rapid-fire flurry of ‘Joyous’ and ‘energising’ symphonies all within a five-year period. 

They were the first Australian sports team to ever visit North Korea, they were also the first side to pose nude for a calendar and they're the first Australian team – male or female – to reach the quarter finals of a FIFA World Cup, not once but three times.  This team is the Matildas. Their journey to global success hasn't been easy. Like women's football around the world, male football associations denied their existence for decades. 

Restless Dance Theatre's latest show is ‘Exposed'. It explores the way we deal with our vulnerabilities and how we react when we are challenged. Artistic Director Michelle Ryan joins us to discuss the dance company's mission and methods for bringing the concept to life.

Whatever Fatherhood is, it’s not what it used to be. And probably not what it will be in the future. In fact, it largely mirrors what it is to be a man itself. And for some men, the inability to talk about these two factors, we know, leads to much higher rates of suicide.  When Liam Budge, aka “Creswick” became a father in 2018 it was a profound transition and source of creative inspiration. In his first multi-disciplinary live performance, he takes the real experiences of men and combines them with song. 

In Pormpuraaw Western Cape York, Far North Queensland, we see a tropical landscape - crystal clear waters, green mangroves and hot sun. A picture of paradise. But in the deep north - the communities are small, remote, and almost impenetrable. When the law breaks, nobody is around to hear it. The documentary The Cape investigates the life and law of the fisherman, the true story of two family clans- the Gaters, and the Wards - and the disappearance of a father and son in 2003.

Director, Christoffer Guldbrandsen speaks with Andy about the attraction of the politician for a documentary maker and the man he found behind Trump. 

Across this expansive land, our great range of landscapes and environs play host to the buildings in which we live, work, learn, worship, and play.  Self-professed ‘architecture nerd’ Tim Ross explores examples of Australia’s built environment, both historical and contemporary, and how they inform our sense of culture and community in the second series of 'Designing A Legacy'

On June 6, 1944, in Normandy, the Allies launched the largest seaborne invasion in history known as D-day or Operation Overlord. 79 Years later and another war is still raging in Europe. It can be hard to connect to something that is happening so far away and so long ago. So, what is our connection to war and peace … and why does history repeat itself?

Our fascination with the intersection of light and nature and rituals around painting the night sky is something that designer, innovator, architect poet, and educator Daan Roosegaarde is delving into - in his latest exhibition SPARK, a new sustainable celebration at Federation Square in Melbourne for Rising Festival.

Folk Bitch Trio started as a joke when three teenagers were 17, now they're living together and sharing the stage with names like Julia Jacklin and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Their three-part harmony has been described as heavenly and while the band is making serious moves Gracie, Jeanie, and Heide are making sure they still have fun. Chain mail included, of course. 

Could there be anything more romanticised than the bohemian share houses of your youth, with a cast of random characters, perhaps painters, activists, addicts, the odd petty criminal, all floating around on the philanthropy of couches and begged cigarettes? Where I Slept by Libby Angel is autofiction, blending autobiography and fiction about living on the fringes of Melbourne society in the 1990's.

Dylan Thomas's famous poem 'Do Not Go Gentle Into The Night' is befitting of the story of Captain Robert Scott’s historic attempt to reach the south pole in 1912, in the latest play from Patricia Cornelius.  Combing Thomas's words and themes and Scott's legendary journey, Sydney Theatre Company’s new production Do Not Go Gentle explores the importance of living to the fullest, ageing, and dying.

Oral traditions often provide a rich and incontestable foundation for artists … but what do you do if that heritage is a combination of Filipino, Wiradjuri, and European origins, in a family packed to the rafters with musicians?  Mo’Ju uses a mixture of soul, blues, and R&B to explore and make sense of their histories.

Could there be any other domain, more male or more Australian, than the barbecue. But Australian born cook, author and influencer Jess Pryles has come to challenge both those stereotypes, and living in Texas, has become a sensation even in American barbecue culture.

Anthony Joseph was born on the warm, spiced trade winds of Trinidad and Tobago. Before he moved to the rainy doldrums of England at the age of 22 and becoming the lead singer of a heavy rock band. Cut to earlier this year and the poet, writer, and academic won the T. S Eliot Prize for his book ‘Sonnets for Albert’. 

Some of us, like me, adore camping, the great outdoors, getting away from it all. But usually we’d have a tent, sleeping bag, maybe a portable burner, perhaps a double pronged telescopic marshmallow fork, for the camping maximalist. But the winner of the Australian series of ALONE, the successful TV import from the US and Canada, survived in the wilderness longer than anyone else… completely alone and unequipped.

Mis and disinformation or 'alternative facts' have become a mainstay of our modern world. As trust in journalism is eroded, how do we protect the truth?

He hails from Sweden, sings mostly in English but has been described as having ‘the soul of an Argentine troubadour’. José González is a singer-songwriter whose vocals and intricate guitar melodies simultaneously blend of folk, indie rock, and classical influences. González first captured the hearts of listeners worldwide with his debut album ‘Veneer’.

Weyes Blood, the musical persona of Natalie Mering, filters the best of pop’s history into a sound that’s timeless and uniquely her own. The latest album, And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow, is the second in a trilogy of sorts…  following on from the critically acclaimed Titanic Risen.

Sony music gave him his first record deal when he was 16. He wasn't a pop star or the lead in a boy band. He's a classical guitarist and according to some ‘The King of Strings’.   You might think he might have a big head after all that but Slava Grigoryan's new album is all about gratitude.

If the past couple of years have taught us anything it’s that what we previously thought was rock solid (our health, our jobs, relationships… the economy) might actually crumble at any moment. And with live music, we certainly didn’t know what we had until it was gone.  Lead singer of The Last Drinks,  Cash Savage talks about her experience of performing without an audience at Hamer Hall and her new appreciation for the fragility of mental health. 

The Venetian opera Giustino by Giovanni Legrenzi was THEE smash hit of the 1680’s’. It tells the story of a shepherd who, through a series of quests and magical interventions, ultimately becomes the Emperor of Rome. Giustino is notoriously action packed for a baroque opera, involving sea monsters, elephants, ghosts, bear fights, damsels - you name it, Giustino pretty much has it.  Pinchgut Opera is preparing this production directed by Dean Bryant with Guistino played by Nicholas Tamagna.

Everyone's life could benefit from a soundtrack sometimes. A swelling score to emphasise the highs and the lows.  One of Australia's best loved artists Kate Ceberano has been able to do just this. She joins us to talk about her 30th album My Life Is A Symphony, which re-imagines some of her biggest hits and her personal favourites with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. She'll be touring nationally with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra from May 27th, you can find more info on her website here

When Tanya Lee was nine, she was sexually abused by her father in secret, that would go on for five years. She’s now turning this taboo inside out in her podcast, No Laughing Matter.

Dan Sultan has captivated audiences since his debut album in 2006, been an ARIA musician of the year and has a string of other awards and nominations hanging from his belt.  But his life hasn’t been without its challenges…and through some of the darkest times has come hope, bound together with the love and support from those around him. This journey has set the tone for his latest studio album, self titled Dan Sultan

The National Herbarium of New South Wales, houses a growing collection of over 1 point 4 million plant specimens… It's here that author and research academic Dr Prue Gibson learnt about the plant naming wars, and the fascinating keepers of this knowledge for her book The Plant Thieves: Secrets of the herbarium.

"When you don't know what you're looking at, you can't see the red flags until it's too late".   It’s a hard reality for many trapped in abusive relationships. Sometimes it’s safer to stay, sometimes it’s impossible to escape. But do we really understand just how high the stakes are for women, children and those trying to save them? SBS’s new drama series Safe Home opens up some of the stories behind family violence.

From photography to photoshop, technology has a long history of changing the way that artists approach their work. But is AI part of that same lineage? Or something else entirely? In his new exhibition, GEN, Ry David Bradley combines AI generated fields with a traditional artist's brush, to create something entirely unique.

Pulling together a handful of brilliant singer-songwriters for one acclaimed album seems tricky enough, but keeping it going for decades is something else entirely. That's just another day at the office for The New Pornographers — whose ninth album, Continue As A Guest, continues their tradition of catchy hooks and clever lyrics. In the Drawing Room, A.C. Newman talks about the ideas behind the new release.

He was the first elected representative for the Greens in Australia, and helped build the party into the force it is today. But Bob Brown's actions have never been limited to the halls of power. From the campaign to stop the Franklin dam, to his protests against logging, Brown has been arrested multiple times for standing up for his beliefs, and its that conviction that's helped to create enduring movements. A new film, The Giants, not only looks at Brown's life, but in parallel, the magical ecosystems he's dedicated that life to protecting.

Growing up and growing old can lead to some significant changes in our family relationships. Where once the children were the ones in need of care and attention, they sometimes need to become the carers in turn. But what do those changes mean for our relationships with each other?And what is it like when you realise that you share the same traits that drive you to distraction? Todd Alexander talks about his own experience and his new book, Over the Hill & Up the Wall.

The tales of Bluey Heeler and her family have captured children and parents alike and it isn't just an Australian phenomenon — it's become perhaps the country's biggest cultural export since The Wiggles. In the Drawing Room, the show's executive producer, Daley Pearson, and director, Richard Jeffery, talk about how the show comes to life.

The leadership of a business can make a huge difference, not just to the bottom line, but to the happiness of the people who work there and the culture that they create. But in his latest book, First Leaders, Andrew O'Keeffe wanted to move away from the traditions of the big Western companies and look instead to the lessons of First Nations societies around the world. He visited twelve different societies looking at how they've worked together for centuries, building sustainable bonds with each other and the world around them.

"My subject is War, and the pity of War. The poetry is in the pity… All a poet can do today is warn" Those are the words of Wilfred Owen that Benjamin Britten quoted on the score of his War Requiem: one of the great pieces of sacred music and one of the great warnings. The British tenor Toby Spence is lending his voice to the requiem when he performs with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and in the Drawing Room he discusses the work, his battle back to the stage, and the importance of sound imagination.

Hong Kong: where a protest movement has clashed with an increasingly authoritarian regime and a man who claimed to be the King of Kowloon became the city's most collected artist. In Louisa Lim's latest book, Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong, she dives back into the history of the Island and her own relationship with the city she grew up in, before returning to the protests and what it means to be an ethical journalist. Indelible City has been shortlisted for the Stella Prize.

Mixing wall-of-sound guitars with an ear for a good hook, Melbourne band Flyying Colours have continued the proud tradition of shoe-gaze, and won an international fan base along the way. In the Drawing Room, Brodie J Brummer talks about international tours, opening his own venue, and the band's third album, You Never Know.

In the grand hotels of Europe, a young boy spends his days around the rich, the influential, and the exiled. His mother is absent, away on some unnamed journeys, but in her place are two powerful women who take him under their wings. Around him are conversations of art and philosophy, politics and war. It's a rare grounding in the world, which leads to a rare book. Red Heaven is the latest work by Nicolas Rothwell and it was recognised with the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction.

In an era of food that's seen chefs with larger than life personalities arrive as celebrities — in the kitchen and on the screen — Marco Pierre White is one of the biggest names. Marco was, at the time, the youngest chef to ever be awarded three Michelin Stars, and has hosted a range of shows, including Hell's Kitchen. He's set to tour Australia, telling his story in a new show, Out Of The Kitchen, and in the Drawing Room he talks about what makes a good meal and what he's made of his adventures so far.

Showrunners are the figures who guide and build the current age of prestige television — often starting out from the director's chair or the writers' room. But do those opportunities exist on Australian shows? And, when it does, how does it change what audiences see on the screen? A new program, called The Creators, is taking some of Australia's top writers to the US to talk to their American colleagues about showrunning In the Drawing Room, Suzie Miller and Jane Allen, talk about their experience on the stage and the screen.

The Counting Crows burst onto the scene in the early nineties when their first album, August and Everything After, became a huge success, with multiple hit singles and record sales that most bands can only dream of. Over the decades since, they've built a back catalogue of beloved songs, toured the world many times, and even received an Oscar nomination for the song they wrote for Shrek 2. In the Drawing Room Adam Duritz and David Immerglück talk inspiration, tour buses, and Butter Miracle Suite One.

One morning in 2017, a 33-year-old Iraq War veteran, Brian Brown-Easley, walked into a bank in the US state of Georgia and informed the tellers that he had a bomb. But Brian wasn't robbing the bank. He had two demands: he wanted the Department of Veterans Affairs to return his paycheck and he wanted people to know his story. Abi Damaris Corbin is making sure the second part comes true. She's the director and co-writer of a new film Breaking, starring John Boyega, which takes audiences into the bank that day.

It has been twenty years since Australia joined the coalition of the willing and the US President, George W Bush, launched Operation Iraqi Freedom. The choice drew mass protests around Australia and, while the war itself was relatively brief, it was years before troops were permanently withdrawn. Donna Mulhearn is a writer and activist, and in 2003 she traveled to Iraq as a human shield. Mulhearn has written about her experiences in two books, and in the Drawing Room she looks back on her experience and on the lessons she feels still need to be learnt two decades later.

Over his ten albums, Billy Bragg has been a voice of conscience, of anger, and of empathy. He's merged politics with music in a way that very few artists have managed and become a voice that's connected generations of fans In the Drawing Room, Billy talks about his latest album The Million Things That Never Happened.

The Dark Side of the Moon catapulted Pink Floyd to heights that very few bands have reached, but it didn't come out of nowhere. This was a group that had already put out seven albums and set a standard for progressive and psychedelic music that would inspire generations of artists. Nick Mason, the band's drummer and one of the founding members, was there from the beginning, and it's those early days that lie at the heart of his latest project, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets. On the Drawing Room, Nick talks about heading into Abbey Road Studios, the joys of improvisation, and getting back on the road.

The sculptures of Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran are bright, colourful, sometimes provocative, and always recognisable. It's seen him collected by some of Australia's top institutions and selected as GQ's artist of the year. In the Drawing Room, he talks about leaving the mark of humanness in his art, the melting pot of history, and his new exhibition, Undergod.

Between albums, EPs, collaborations, documentaries, and tours, Kurt Vile sets a relentless pace for someone who sounds so laid back. In The Drawing Room, Kurt talks about his love for lo-fi instruments, covering The Boss, and his latest album (watch my moves).

It was the pain in Billie Holiday's voice that first drew Mary Coughlan to her songs. That shared pain has been an inspiration over the years, as Coughlan took her own experience of addiction and childhood abuse and became one of the most revered jazz and blues singers in her home of Ireland, covering Holiday's songbook along the way. In the Drawing Room, Coughlan looks back at the moments of joy, sorrow, and forgiveness that have made up her life so far.

The photographs of Nan Goldin bear witness to the communities that she's been a part of, providing a loving tribute to those around her and scandalising those who would rather ignore the truths that she presents. It's work that has been collected by many of the world's great museums. But more recently, Nan has turned her gaze on those museums, campaigning to have the Sackler name removed from their walls and their collections, because of the family's involvement with Oxycontin and the opioid crisis. Documentary maker Laura Poitras takes audiences into Nan's campaign, her life and her career in the new film All the Beauty and the Bloodshed.

Large parts of the world's most populous countries could become uninhabitable. That's the stark warning behind Gaia Vince's new book, Nomad Century, which looks at what could happen if temperatures rise to four degrees above pre-industrial levels, a possibility that she says is far more likely than we want to believe. That would mean billions of people affected, and many of them on the move — an era of climate refugees. But Vince believes that migration can be a solution instead of a problem, and that beginning to plan now will prevent much worse upheaval in the long term.

Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn are two of the world's greatest banjo players. Both Grammy Award winners, who have worked across many different styles and collaborations. In the Drawing Room they talk about the history of the banjo, their different styles, and how working together has impacted their relationship.

Macquarie Bank is one of Australia's great success stories, with thousands of employees around the globe and a position at the top of the field when it comes to infrastructure asset management. And it's a company known for rewarding its employees. In their new book, The Millionaires' Factory, Joyce Moullakis and Chris Wright, talked to more than a hundred people to bring together an examination of the company's past and its future.

Christopher Makos first made his name capturing New York's music scene in the 1970s, as glam rock and punk brought a visual kick to the city. That scene led him to a long friendship and collaboration with Andy Warhol, and to a body of work that's been exhibited everywhere from the Guggenheim to the Whitney. Makos' work is part the Art Gallery of South Australia's exhibition, Andy Warhol and Photography: A Social Media, and in the Drawing Room he talks about Warhol, candlelit blackouts with Debbie Harry, and how he creates a sense of intimacy in his images.

In the town of Salem, a madness has swept the village and allegations of witchcraft, born of greed and vengeance, see the townsfolk brought before the court and hanged. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a classic of the stage, both a telling of history and a parable for Miller's time, and perhaps our own. In the recent production of The Crucible by the London's National Theatre, Brendan Cowell takes on the role of John Proctor, and, in the Drawing Room, Cowell shares his own feelings on authority and the madness of the mob.

For more than a decade, the people of Roeburn, a small town in the Pilbara, have been coming together to create songs, stories and theatre. That work has led to a new album, Songs For Freedom, which is also a call to end the disproportionate levels of incarceration of Indigenous children. In the Drawing Room, Fred Ryan and Lucky Oceans talk about the lead single, prisons as a part of the community, and how they became part of the project.

Behind the imposing walls of Colditz Castle, during the second world war, hundreds of foreign officers were kept under lock and key. But despite the impressive facade, it wasn't the most successful prison: dozens of successful escapes were made by the prisoners there, and many more were attempted. The myth around the camp is of British derring-do, but the people in the camp were far more diverse than the legends suggest. In his new book, Colditz: Prisoners of the Castle, Ben Macintyre sets out to widen the narrative.

Michael Franti's music operates as a place of hope. His songs choose optimism over pessimism and reminds us that the world can be good, even when he's pointing out the big problems. His latest album, Follow Your Heart, comes in the wake of the challenges we all faced during Covid, but also the personal loss Michael experienced when his father passed. So how does a musician find hope in the dark moments and use it to uplift us all?

Reggie Watts is a beat-boxer and musician, using loops of his voice to craft live improvised works that sound like tracks from the best album you've never heard. He's also a comedian, one half of the electronica group Wajata, a television host, actor, and the bandleader on the Late Late Show with James Cordern. In the Drawing Room, Reggie talks about putting a band together, the power of absurdism, and how improv allows him to surprise everyone — even himself.

What Rhymes With Cars and Girls, Tim Rogers' first album away from You Am I, was a triumphant release that was eventually turned into a stage musical, and saw Tim pick up an ARIA Award. But it seems that Rogers has unfinished business. His new album with The Twin Set, Tines of Stars, Unfurled, is more than a sequel: it's an album in conversation with the original, with each song talking back to one of those earlier tracks.

Olympic Girls, the last album by New Zealand band Tiny Ruins, took them around the world and solidified Hollie Fullbrook's reputation as one of the best songwriters around. Now a new album, Ceremony, is on the way, and in the Drawing Room, Fullbrook shares the inspirations behind the record, and how she collaborated on a very unusual project with the novelist David Mitchell.

From The Go-Betweens to his own solo albums, Robert Forster is one of the great figures of Australian music. His latest album, The Candle and the Flame, is another triumph. It's also an intensely personal record, recorded in the wake of his wife's diagnosis with ovarian cancer.

The master of Australian Americana, Henry Wagons, has just released a new solo album, South of Everywhere, and is heading off to stages around the country. On RN Drive, Henry talks about finding inspiration after lockdown, LA writers rooms, and whether we need a better term for international flavours of Americana.

Sport is meant to be the healthiest thing in the world, and professional athletes operate at the top levels of fitness. So why do women at the top level face stress fractures at three times the rate of their male peers? And why is disordered eating so common among this cohort? Lauren Fleshman was a professional runner: a college phenomenon and a multiple-time National Champion in the 5000m race. Now, in her new book, Good For A Girl: A Woman Running In A Man's World, she looks back on her career, and examines what needs to change so that sport is healthy for women: in body and mind.

A professor of English at Harvard, a Pulitzer prize winner and a staff writer at The New Yorker, Louis Menand brings a careful eye to the big picture of history. In his latest book, The Free World: Art and Thought in the Cold War, he's looking back at a time when the US became the cultural force in the world — and at the figures who helped to shape that time A professor of English at Harvard, a Pulitzer prize winner and a staff writer at The New Yorker, Louis Menand brings a careful eye to the big picture of history. In his latest book, The Free World: Art and Thought in the Cold War, he's looking back at a time when the US became the cultural force in the world — and at the figures who helped to shape that time

This is meant to be an age of amazing potential for artists. Global streaming promised access to huge audiences and self-publishing the potential for personal control. So why are artists earning less than they used to? And how have a smaller and smaller number of companies come to control the distribution of books, movies, and music? Rebecca Giblin is a professor at Melbourne Law School and the Director of the Intellectual Property Research Institute of Australia. Cory Doctorow is a best-selling author and activist Together they're the authors of Chokepoint Capitalism, which looks at why these promises have never been realised, and what we can do to change the system.

Hannah Arendt was one of the foremost political theorists of the 20th Century. Perhaps best known for the phrase 'the banality of evil', Arendt wrote extensively on power, freedom, and the importance of individual action, and she remains a key figure of moral philosophy. In her book, Hannah Arendt, Samantha Rose Hill has taken a fresh and fascinating look back at Arendt's life and work. She's also published a collection of Arendt's poetry. Ahead of her appearance at Adelaide Writers Week, Hill talks about the importance of experience, the meaning of 'understanding', and Arendt's significant sense of humour.

With decades in the business and multiple Grammy nominations, Eric Bibb is one of the enduring voices of the blues — and what a voice. Over his latest two albums, Dear America and Ridin', he's looking at America and what it means to be a part of the history of that country.

What makes for a good ending? Of a work of art; of a career; of a life? And does the ending matter, if what's happened before it has been a grand success? Geoff Dyer has written about photography, jazz, travel, cinema, service and anything else that captures his attention, and taken home a bushel of prizes along the way. And in his latest work, The Last Days of Roger Federer, he's turned his eye to endings.

Aurora Mardiganian became a surprising sensation in America in the late 1910s. A survivor of the massacre and exile of the Armenian people, her story became a cause celebre and was turned into a movie: Auction of Souls. Following the first World War, President Wilson sought an American mandate for Armenia, but his plan was defeated in Congress and, shortly afterwards, copies of the film vanished. A new documentary, Aurora's Sunrise, uses recovered scenes from the film, archival testimony, and animation, to tell Aurora's story. Inna Sahakyan is the film's director and co-writer and in the Drawing Room she explores the story around the film, which won Best Animated Film at the Asian Pacific Screen Awards, and was the Armenian entry for the Oscars this year.

Tina Turner is a true superstar, with decades of hits, so what's it like to take to the stage and become the legend? Ruva Ngwenya has be playing the role of Tina Turner in the Australian production of the musical, Tina, and in the Drawing Room she talks high school musicals, training regimes, and channeling the spirit of Tina Turner

Simone Young is a world-renowned conductor who has led symphony orchestras and opera companies across the globe and shattered more than a few glass ceilings along the way. She's returned home as the chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and is the centre of a new documentary, Knowing The Score. In the Drawing Room, Simone discusses music, Tár, and what real life is actually like for one of the world's elite conductors.

When Michael Fabiano's music teacher, the legendary tenor George Shirley, told him he had a moral duty to share his voice, everything changed. Michael abandoned his plans for business or law and went home to map out in extraordinary detail what it would take to become one of the world's premiere opera singers. Now he's performing on the world's biggest stages, with a foundation that brings music education to a new generation.

Named as the Americana Music Emerging Act of the Year in 2021 — about the same time as his 8th release — Charley Crockett has built a career on his own terms. With a sound that recalls the greats of blues, folk and country music, and a personal story better than any song could contain, it's no surprise that he's getting people's attention.  

Being one of the best in the world at what you do is an almost impossible goal. And maintaining that position is the work of a lifetime. Australian born Connor O'Leary is one of the top surfers in the world, but he's had to prove his skill many times, fighting for qualification to the sport's Championship Tour His journey is one of the stories at the centre of a new documentary series, Chasing Waves, which explores the Japanese connection to surfing, in the wake of the 2021 Olympics.

Beginning life as a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, then an Oscar-winning film, The Hours tells the story of three women, separated by time, but connected by Virginia Woolf's book Mrs Dalloway. Now, the story has its own third life: as an opera. Presented by New York's Metropolitan Opera, the production was composed by another Pulitzer Prize winner, Kevin Puts, and is now heading to screens as part of their HD Live series.  

She's photographed the rich and famous, worked with Nick Cave over the decades and even taken Queen Elizabeth's portrait. But after stepping away from commercial portraiture, Polly Borland has produced her most interesting work, exploring the human body in abstract and sometimes unsettling ways that have seen her exhibited around the world. In her latest collection, Nudie and Blobs, Borland has turned the lens on herself, with abstract selfies of her own body taken with a mobile phone and a selfie stick.

Across Australia, down suburban alleyways or in the heart of the cities, are dozens of small theatres. They work without the budgets or the recognition of the big state companies, but that means they can take risks and give a home to unusual and emerging Australian voices. For five decades, Liz Jones has been working with the legendary La Mama Theatre in Melbourne, and for most of that time she's been the artistic director. Now, she's finally calling time on the role, leaving a thriving theatre and a remarkable legacy.

"The first rule of a cult is that you are never in a cult. It's always them, not us." So writes Daniella Mestyanek Young: former military intelligence officer; combat veteran; and survivor of a childhood spent growing up in the Children of God: isolated from the outside world in compounds across South America. In the Drawing Room, Daniella shares her remarkable story and why she decided to tell it in a new memoir, Uncultured.  

With sumptuous design and a clever use of modern pop songs, Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge was a tremendous success, consolidating his reputation after Romeo and Juliet. Almost two decades later, the stage musical, based on that film, created its own legend: packing out its Broadway theatre and winning 10 Tony Awards. Justin Levine is the show's music supervisor, orchestrator and arranger, and in the Drawing Room he explains how he put the pieces together.

A leader in the work that led to the detection of gravitational waves, Distinguished Professor Susan Scott is one of the world's leading physicists. A childhood interest in mathematics and gravity has led to remarkable discoveries around black holes and neutron stars. Distinguished Professor Scott has become the first Australian to win the prestigious Blaise Pascal Medal, and the first Australian to be elected as a Fellow of the International Society on General Relativity. In the Drawing Room, she shares her path to science and what it felt like to see the result of decades of work.

The Seekers were perhaps the first Australian band to truly capture the world stage, even dislodging The Beatles and The Rolling Stones from their positions at the top of the charts. In the Drawing Room, founding member Keith Potger looks back on the last sixty years, the personal losses of 2022, and the band's final song together, Carry Me.  

Sir Andrew Davis is one of the most highly regarded conductors in the world, with a career spanning decades and taking in a number of the leading opera companies and orchestras. He's so well regarded in fact, that orchestras just can't let him go: he's the conductor laureate at the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In the Drawing Room he talks about crafting his own take on Handel's Messiah and finding comfort in translating Virgil's Aeneid.

We all know the classic pieces of orchestral music, the Stravinskys, the Beethovens, and the Bachs; music that has stood the test of time and been performed on stages across the world. But how does a composer, working today, begin to join those ranks and hear their work come to life on stage? In the Drawing Room, composer Leah Curtis and conductor Jessica Cottis talk about their paths to music and the debut of Leah's new composition, Infinite Possibilities.  

For more than a decade, Sharon Van Etten has been winning over fans across the world with her beautiful voice and raw, emotional songs. Her journey has taken her from New York to California, with a stop at the Roadhouse in Twin Peaks along the way and her new album, We've Been Going About This All Wrong, is music for our times: reflecting on the darkness, but with a spark of hope. In the Drawing Room, Sharon talks about finding a community in California, reflects on the joys of touring with friends, and pays tribute to Low's Mimi Parker.

Is money a means to an end for you or a goal in itself? And, if you're worried that you might not always be making the best decisions when it comes to your finances, is it possible to change? Evan Lucas is the chief market strategist at InvestSMART, and in his new book, Mind Over Money, he's looking at how we can learn about ourselves and our investments. In the Drawing Room, Evan talks about the nature of time, the challenges of envy, and why it's important to see the whole elephant.

In May last year, the Taliban once again took control of Afghanistan, following the withdrawal of US military forces. The regime promised to respect women's rights, but the reality has been a return to earlier restrictions: on jobs, study and basic human rights. In 2001, the Canadian author Deborah Ellis wrote the first book in her Breadwinner series, which introduced readers to Parvana, a young Afghan girl, and her struggles to overcome her place in society. This year, Deb is taking us back to Afghanistan where an adult Parvana and her family must escape once more.

We've all those moments at the dinner table: the brilliant idea that's going to take the market by storm. Most of us leave the idea there. After all, starting a business is a lot of work and usually involves a fair amount of risk. But for those who want to take that good idea and make it a reality, where do you even begin? Richard Turner has founded businesses across four different industries, most recently ZEN Energy, and was, for a time, the entrepreneur in residence for the University of South Australia. In the Drawing Room, Richard shares his experience in business and the lessons he's included in his new book, The Essential Entrepreneur.

An icon of the art world, and the creator of the now famous Secret Garden at Lavender Bay in Sydney, Wendy Whiteley has led a remarkable life. The former wife of Brett Whiteley, she inspired and influenced his work and became responsible for his legacy. But in his new book, A year With Wendy Whiteley, Ashleigh Wilson is interested in Wendy's life and legacy, captured over hours of intimate conversations at her home.

Spencer Tunick's artwork is a mass event, drawing together thousands to pose unclothed in the public space. And whether it becomes an almost abstract landscape or a very human statement of defiance, the end result is a remarkable collection of photographs that outlive that initial moment and are displayed in galleries across the world. In the Drawing Room, he talks about his latest work, a collaboration with Skin Check Champions on a beach in Sydney, which is using fine art to draw attention to skin cancer.

What do the objects of our past tell us about Australia and the way in which we saw each other? And how can art change our perspective on those objects and on our shared history. Tony Albert is a leading contemporary artist, who has used his collection of 'Aboriginalia' as the foundation for much of his work, reclaiming those depictions and engaging with the complications of the past. Tony was a founding member of the proppaNOW collective, which was recently awarded the Jane Lombard Prize for Art and Social Justice, and his work appears in major galleries across the country. In the Drawing Room, Tony speaks about his path to art and his latest exhibition, Remark.

The friends we make in childhood can remain with us for life. They become the people who have known us through thick and thin, and lift us up when things are down. But, in a world of polarised politics, is it possible to hang on to friendships that are based on the innocence of youth? Best Of Friends, the new novel by Kamila Shamsie follows Zhara and Maryam across two parts of their lives: the end of the dictatorship in Pakistan, when the girls are 14, and the adult women they become in London, decades later.

Bryce Courtenay was one of the most successful writers Australia has ever known, a high-profile ad executive who turned to fiction late and became synonymous with the term best-seller in this country. But how did a man who grew up struggling and once said, in a letter to his mother, that "Writing to me means mostly slow drudgery and hard work", become a force of fiction? His wife Christine Courtney is telling his story in a new biography, Bryce Courtenay: Storyteller.

"Whatever feeling Beethoven is expressing, he is expressing it with all of his being." So says Jonathan Biss about the 'phenomenal intensity' that first drew him to the composer as a young boy. These days, Biss is a celebrated pianist, performing across the world and commissioning work inspired by Beethoven. In the Drawing Room, he shares the joys and the tribulations that music has brought him throughout his life.

Between pandemics, politics, inflation and the daily stresses of life, there can be a lot to worry about these days. But why is a particular situation stressful for some of us, and easier for others? And how do we look after our mental well-being? Professor Ian Hickie and James O'Loghlin share their expertise in a new book, Minding the Mind.  

From the summits of Australia to some of the remotest peaks in the world David Neilson has spent his life exploring and capturing photos of natural beauty. His work has appeared in books and museums and even on a set of stamps. In his latest book, Chasing the Mountain Light, he's taking a look back at his own life and adventures.

From attacks on voters rights to tobacco companies denying responsibility for their products, every controversial lawsuit has one thing in common: lawyers, fighting on their client's behalf. After all, the right to counsel is a central plank of the legal system. If you are accused of a crime, you will be represented by someone who knows the law. But as the world's biggest law firms have grown larger and more powerful, has their success changed their relationship with politics and the law? David Enrich is the business investigations editor at the New York Times, and in his new book, Servants of the Damned, he looks at the power these firms wield and explores how they came to wield it.

Jacob Boehme has been a dancer, a writer, and an artistic director, creating everything from intimate theatre to the opening ceremonies for major sporting events. But what role does a garden play in his latest work? And how has Australia's appetite for First Nations stories changed during his time in the business? Boehme is the inaugural director of First Nations programs at Carriageworks in Sydney, and in the Drawing Room he discusses his new event: Party | Protest | Remember.

 "When people ask: how did you go from that to this? I want to say: I knew how to forget." So says the critic, writer and academic, Shannon Burns, who details the neglect, violence of poverty of his youth in his memoir, Childhood. In the Drawing Room, Shannon talks about the desire for escape and what it means to forget or to remember our past.

Climate change, and what to do about it, has been a central political debate in Australia for more than a decade. The election of the Teal candidates, alongside Labor and the Greens, at the last Federal election, suggest that voters want action, but what will action mean for the country and the economy. Ross Garnaut is a distinguished economist and a key advisor to previous governments on climate change policy. And in his latest book as contributing editor, The Superpower Transformation, he explores the possibilities that exist for Australia as it transitions to a net-zero economy.

When David Farrier heard about a parking dispute at an antiques store in Auckland, he thought it would result in one quirky article and then he'd be on to the next story. Instead, it consumed 5 years of his life. The final result of that time is Mister Organ, an unusual documentary about a man who has claimed to be royalty, pretended to be a lawyer, and appears to have left a trail of damaged people in his wake. In the Drawing Room, David talks about how the film ended up taking on a life of its own.

Long before the Lonely Planet writers, long before missionaries, adventurers, or even the Crusaders — the Muslim travelers of the Islamic Golden Age, traveled the roads of the early kingdoms, holding to the Quranic commandment "Go about the earth and look". They were curious, prized practical geography but also embraced storytelling in the most wonderful way: the poet and traveller Abu Dular said "My adventurous soul finds peace in alien things, not in the comfort of the known world". When broadcaster Richard Fidler was himself unable to find peace in alien things due to the pandemic, his adventurous soul took him into these historical records, piecing together a picture of that lost world. And in the Drawing Room, Richard talks about his resulting book, The Book of Roads and Kingdoms.

In Dos Estaciones, the new film by Juan Pablo González, a tequila factory in the highlands of Mexico becomes the scene of a slow moving crisis. Maria, the owner of the factory, battles plagues, floods, and debts as she attempts to hang on to the business and her place in society. But against the power of nature and big business, is there any chance for history to survive? In the Drawing Room, Juan talks about his own family's history with Tequila, the impact of NAFTA, and how his background in documentary shaped this film.

What did the strategists, the analysts and the political leaders make of the 2022 Federal election? And what did the result mean for the country, and for the future of our major parties? In the Drawing Room, Peter Van Onselen shares some of the conversations he's had with the key players since the election, and talks about his new book, Victory.

Founded in New Zealand at the end of the 1960s by an Australian preacher, the Gloriavale Christian Community is home to around 600 people. Led by a small group of 'shepherds', members are isolated from outside society and ex-communication means exile from the community, and your own family. Allegations of exploitation, sexual abuse, corruption and human rights violations have led to multiple lawsuits against the community, which—at this point—remains a registered charity. In the Drawing Room, director Fergus Grady talks about his new documentary, Gloriavale, co-created with Noel Smyth, and introduces the community and the people fighting back against it.

Revenge, love, and betrayal are the classic themes of opera: an art known for its grand emotions. But what sort of grand emotion does it take to seek revenge on Attila, one of the greatest warlords the world has ever known. In a new production of Verdi's Attila, the setting has been moved to 1930s, but the fierce Odabella remains set on the death of the king. Natalie Aroyan is a principal artist with Opera Australia and in the Drawing Room she talks about taking on the role of Odabella.

Last year, the documentary maker Matthew Heineman was embedded with a special forces unit in Afghanistan. He expected to spend months filming them on their missions in that country. Instead, after Joe Biden announced the US was finally withdrawing, the troops had ten days to pull out, and Matthew needed to decide whether he had a film. The end result, Retrograde, documents the withdrawal, the struggles of the Afghan army in the aftermath, and the final shocking moments of escape at the airport of Kabul.

We like to think that we define our own lives, but each of us is part of a family, a lineage, a place in history; we have our health and our mental health and each of those play a role in who we are and the decisions that we make. Jonathan Seidler's new memoir, It's a Shame About Ray, looks at the forces that have shaped his life, none stronger than his father, a successful doctor and loving family man, who took his own life. In the Drawing Room, Jonathan talks about growing up and grief, mental health and nu-metal music.

What does it mean to look at Hong Kong as a local? To acknowledge the weight of history amid the current struggles for independence. Blue Island, the new film by Chan Tze-Woon blurs the lines between documentary and re-enactment, between past and present, and uses cinema to interrogate what it means to be part of Hong Kong.

Mohawks, piercings, studs, and boots: when the punk rock scene first started in Australia, the symbols were as loud as the music. It was a rejection of authority; a challenge to the conservative politicians and police, who pushed back hard. But it was also a community, a generation of activists, and a scene that left a lasting musical legacy. In her debut feature documentary, Age of Rage, Jennifer Ross has taken a look back at the Australian punk scene of the 1980s and 1990s.

Over a decade of writing, recording, releasing and touring, Big Scary gathered an enviable reputation, building to critical acclaim and the commercial success of their 2016 album, Animal. The band stepped off the relentless treadmill of the music industry for a time, but last year they announced their return with the synth-led Daisy, and they've quickly followed that up with the new album, Me and You. In the Drawing Room, Tom Iansek and Jo Syme chat about growing up, gaining confidence, and freedom as a mark of success.

When Douglas Rushkoff was invited to speak at an exclusive retreat, he prepared for questions like 'Bitcoin or Ethereum?'. What he wasn't expecting to be asked was "How do I maintain authority over my security force after 'the event'?" War, disease, climate change, societal collapse, whatever it was that would signal the end of society, these men wanted his opinions on the best ways to survive and thrive in the aftermath. And that got him thinking about why some of the most privileged men in the world were expecting everything to come crashing down. In the Drawing Room, Douglas chats about the problems with eternal growth, finding what really matters, and his latest book Survival of the Richest.

How does the place we live in shape the way we live? And does the built environment define our roles within the home, and our relationship to the people and the world outside of it? Tatiana Bilbao is a prize-winning architect and in her installation piece at the NGV, she examines the communal washing spaces that were once common, and how modern society has hidden the impact of domestic work.

Honor Eastly's ABC podcast, No Feeling Is Final, was a searingly honest examination of mental health and her search for answers to the big questions: of what it means to feel helpless and why we should strive to stay alive. It went on to spark conversations and win awards around the world, and Honor became a key advisor to the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System. Now, No Feeling is Final is taking on a new form: as a live stage show. In the Drawing Room, Honor and her sister, Amy Haywood, talk about the show and how their own relationship has changed since the podcast was released.  

Premiering at the Cannes film festival earlier this year, Thomas M Wright's sophomore film, The Stranger, is inspired by a real act of unthinkable violence, but isn't a movie about the violence itself. Instead it examines the cost of befriending a man you believe to be a killer, in the service of bringing him to justice. In the Drawing Room, Wright talks about good and evil, darkness and light, and the cost of telling stories.

For millennia, people have sought out the finest scents, first exploring nearby lands and eventually creating trade routes which spanned the globe. But what repels or attracts us so strongly to a particular smell? And if you had to describe the scent of a rose, could you do better than calling it 'rosey' or 'floral'? In the Drawing Room, Elise Pearlstine explains the science, the stories, and the language of scent.

History has many layers and, often, underneath a simple surface, is a deep and complicated past. That is perhaps especially true in Australia, where the tens of thousands of years before colonisation can be obscured by more recent events. In their new exhibition together, the red thread of history, loose ends, renowned Australian artists Judy Watson and Helen Johnson take to the canvas to investigate the continent's past and their own reaction to it.

What does it mean to be part of a community? And to what extent are we defined by our relationships? In the Drawing Room, Sally Olds takes us from largely forgotten fraternal orders to the communal experience of a nightclub, explores post-work politics and polyamory and discusses her new collection of essays, People Who Lunch.

In 2020, ASIO revealed that up to 40% of its counter-terrorism caseload involved far-right extremists. Meanwhile, in countries like America, Norway and New Zealand, shocking attacks have been perpetrated by men with manifestos. And while these attacks are usually described as 'lone-wolf' events, there are similarities in the goals and beliefs that drive them. So what has driven this rise in extreme beliefs and in violence across so many different parts of the world? In the Drawing Room, Lydia Khalil examines those questions and talks about her book, Rise of the Extreme Right.

'Instill me with a greater sense of compassion so that I can be liberated' It was this line in Avinu Malkeinuan, a Jewish hymn, which spoke to singer-songwriter Lior and led him to perform it at a tribute to the son of composer Nigel Westlake. That chance meeting led to something remarkable, a song cycle called Compassion, which combines beautiful music with ancient Jewish and Arabic texts.

Dr Lachlan McIver has found himself fighting for the lives of his patients all over the world: from a remote medical clinic, where a headlamp normally used to avoid snakes provided the light for a surgery, to the biggest cities, where he advocates for action about the health impacts of climate change. Lachlan is the tropical diseases and planetary health advisor at Médecins Sans Frontières, and in the Drawing Room, he shares his expertise and the remarkable moments of community and survival he's seen throughout his career.

The stories that we see on our stages entertain us, but they also reflect our world and help us to understand who we are and who we can be. So what does it mean to be in charge of those stories? To help shape the conversation and that sense of self? As the new artistic director at the Melbourne Theatre Company, Anne-Louise Sarks is in that rare and privileged position. In the Drawing Room, Anne-Louise shares her path to the stage.

Georgie Stone is an actor and an activist who has received the Medal of the Order of Australia and became the first openly trans actor on Neighbours. But before all of that, Georgie was a young girl who had to fight for the right to live her own life and who carried others with her along the way. In the Drawing Room, Georgie and director Maya Newell discuss the new documentary, The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone, and share their perspectives on filmmaking and life.

Stories can transport us to times and places we never imagined, opening up perspectives beyond our own. But, by and large, literature tends to focus on the human experience. Chris Flynn's latest collection, Here Be Leviathans, takes a very different approach. Over nine stories, Chris gives a voice to the world around us, with narrators including a bear, a river, a platypus and a hotel room.

When Nicola Harvey left her high-powered job in the media in Sydney to take on a small cattle farm in New Zealand, she had little idea what she was getting into. And as she and her husband slowly developed their skills, they realised that the typical goals of commercial farms—centered around efficiency and exports—didn't match what they wanted from life or the land. So, from land management to waste use, they sought out ways to let the business match their ideals, and along the way discovered a different approach to farming, which merges tradition with technology. In the Drawing Room, Nicola shares her experience and talks about her new book, Farm: the making of a climate activist.

Sophie Cunningham has been involved with every part of writing in this country, from her celebrated works of fiction and non-fiction, to her work as an editor, publisher and even co-founder of the Stella Prize. Her latest work is This Devastating Fever — a deeply inventive novel that examines the life of Leonard Woolf and his wife, the much more celebrated Virginia, as well as the Bloomsbury set of which they were a part.

Across countries and across centuries, something is going wrong and reality seems fragile. Bombs are exploding and the people responsible are left confused and uncertain, until a man with mismatched eyes appears and asks them to hold a black stone sphere. Psalms for the End of the World is a kaleidoscopic debut novel by Cole Haddon, and in the Drawing Room, he talks about David Bowie and the importance of questions.  

The Dandy Warhols swept to global fame in the late 90s with singles like Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth and Bohemian Like You.  Over the last two decades, they’ve gone on to create an enduring and unusual catalogue: albums that vary in sound and style, but always have the same creativity and wit. In the Drawing Room, Courtney Taylor-Taylor chats about wine bars, inspirational cars and DIY venues.

The films of Peter Strickland exist in a world slightly off-kilter from our own, but which feel perfectly alive; even if the dresses are deadly and sound studios are dangerous territory. His latest, Flux Gourmet, introduces audiences to a group of sonic caterers: sound artists who use food as their instruments. Led by the controlling force of Elle di Elle, the unnamed band have taken up a prestigious residency at an art institute. But close quarters can lead to unexpected tensions.

What is it like to represent your country on the biggest stage? To become part of a tradition that is far bigger than yourself? The All Blacks are one of the most successful teams in world sport and former captain Richie McCaw is one of their very best. In the Drawing Room, Richie shares his experiences on and off the field.

In a small town, a young man wakes up to find a different person staring back in the mirror. His skin, once white, has darkened overnight to a 'deep and undeniable brown' and he no longer recognises himself. At first it seems a unique event, a solitary and individual metamorphosis. But slowly, news spreads: one case becomes several; several becomes many. And, faced with the prospect of change, society becomes uncertain and fractures. In the Drawing Room, the award-winning author Mohsin Hamid discusses his new novel, The Last White Man, and how reality forms and changes.

When a young girl from a large Catholic family is sent away for the Summer to live on the farm of relatives that she barely knows, she finds the kindness and attention that allows her to blossom and begin to find her voice. The Quiet Girl, based on a short story by Claire Keegan, is set in Ireland and presents the world from the perspective of the child, with a brilliant debut by Catherine Clinch. In the Drawing Room, the director, Colm Bairéad, discusses the film and how he chose to tackle big ideas of love and loss with a gentle hand.

The tradition of choral music reaches back through centuries, voices rising in unison to meet across time as well as across the octaves. So what does it mean to chart your own path within that tradition? Eric Whiteacre is a Grammy Award-winning composer and conductor, and his work The Sacred Veil was inspired by poetry written by Eric’s collaborator Charles Anthony Silvestri, after the loss of Silvestri's wife to cancer.

Eternal Nightcap, by The Whitlams, was a surprise hit, swimming as it did against the popular tide of guitar rock and house music in Australia at the time. But not only did it launch the band to national attention, it inspired a new generation of Australian artists.  In the Drawing Room, Tim Freedman looks back at the album on its 25th anniversary and explains why he's returned to the recording studio after an extended break.

It's been twenty years since George released their debut album Polyserena to massive acclaim, becoming a sort of six year overnight sensation. Since then, sibling stars Katie and Tyrone Noonan have gone on to other projects, but in the Drawing Room they're returning to where it all began, talking about the triumphs of youth and the strangeness of success.

Over the last few years, we have seen a cascade of governance failures in companies around the world. CEOs and board chairs have been removed and questions raised around probity and community expectations. Fred Hilmer has held leadership positions in many leading Australian companies, and has written extensively on what the role of a board can and should be. In the Drawing Room he examines the problems and solutions of governance in business and his new book, What's Wrong With Boards.

For thirteen years, Lyndon Terracini has seen Opera Australia through good times and bad: handling the aftermath of the GFC and the recent lockdowns, while expanding the company's stages to include huge performances on the harbour and a digital platform. And now, as he approaches his final year as artistic director, it's time to take stock. In the Drawing Room, Lyndon recounts his own path onto the stage and explains how the constant phone calls during Covid led to one of his favourite productions in his finale with the company.

One of the foremost Shakespearean actors and directors of our time, John Bell has brought the words of the bard to stages across Australia, and was the founding Artistic Director of Bell Shakespeare. In a new show, One Man in His Time, Bell is looking back at the works of Shakespeare: what they teach us; why they've endured; and their impact on his own life.

Tenzin Choegyal is one of the world's leading Tibetan musicians, fusing the traditions of nomadic musical culture with his own contemporary style. He's worked with the luminaries of the musical world, has been nominated for a Grammy and even performed for the Dalai Lama. In the Drawing Room, Tenzin shares the sounds of his youth and his reminiscences of Archie Roach.

The Phantom of the Opera is one of the most successful shows of all time: a mammoth piece of musical theatre that swiftly became part of the cultural zeitgeist and ended up as the longest running musical in Broadway history. So how do you bring a production of that scale to the stage and keep it running? And what brings audience members back time-and-time again? Seth Sklar-Heyn, the associate director of the new Australian tour, has been involved with the show for many years, and in the Drawing Room he shares the ideas behind the updated production and why explains why the staff doors at Disneyland started his own path to the theatre.

When a crime occurs, it leaves behind questions. We search for an understanding: the who, the what, and the how. But for journalists the biggest question is often why? In the Drawing Room, Patrick Radden Keefe and Kate McClymont share their experiences reporting on cons: how to manage a source; whether empathy is possible; and what to do when your subject offers you a job.  

The 'unicorn' is the great prize of startups: a privately held company valued at more than one billion dollars. Building a unicorn doesn't just make fortunes, it makes legends. But, like the name suggests, those remarkable stories of success are few and far between, and not without their share of risk. David Shein founded perhaps Australia's first unicorn—Com Tech—and has gone on to become a venture capitalist, helping other companies find their own success. In the Drawing Room, David shares the wisdom he's learnt from his years in business, and talks about his book, The Dumbest Guy at the Table.

Pankaj Mishra is a celebrated thinker and essayist writing on politics, literature, and philosophy for many of the world's best papers and magazines. But it was fiction where he made his name, and, this year, Mishra has returned to that form with his first novel in two decades: Run and Hide. The book follows the story of Arun, the child of a relatively poor regional family who escapes his upbringing through academic excellence, but rarely seems at peace with his place in the world. It looks at India's present through its recent past and explores the way we're shaped by our own experience, even when we'd rather set the past aside.

Aftersun is a remarkable debut feature: a story of family and memory; of looking back and coming-of-age. In a Turkish beachside resort, somewhere in the 1990s, 11 year-old Sophie and her dad, Calum, are spending the holidays together, ahead of his 31st birthday. They have the casual, easy affection of a pair that genuinely likes each other, but under the attentive and loving exterior, we see hints of the darkness that Calum is grappling with. In the Drawing Room, the film's writer and director Charlotte Wells discusses personal inspiration, trusting the audience, and recreating the 90s.

Leonor was once a big deal in the film industry in the Philippines, creating the sort of action movies that were once turned out by the hundreds each year. When a freak accident leaves her in a coma, Leonor finds herself in one of her own films, walking in on sex scenes and pre-empting the lines before a fight. Leonor Will Never Die melds independent modern cinema with classic Filipino action and creates something entirely unique. Martika Ramirez Escobar is the film's writer and director and in the Drawing Room, she speaks about the story behind her debut feature.

Science fiction invites us to imagine the universe as it could be, and to find our place in it. "To boldly go," as one show put it. In a 1968 episode of Star Trek, the writers dreamt up a new engine called an ion engine, a fanciful form of propulsion. Some years later NASA, inspired by Star Trek, decided to prototype the engine and it worked. It's often quoted as an example of science fiction inspiring science. These days, Dr Brad Tucker and Dr Natasha Hurley-Walker are highly regarded scientists: experts in their fields of astrophysics and radio-astronomy. But once upon a time, they were young people, wondering what their future would hold. In the Drawing Room, they share their inspirations and the way it impacts their work today.

You don't have to look far in the political news to find a story about mates doing favours for mates. But while some cases of political mateship reach the front page, many of them slide through in the grey area of 'how things work'. But are backroom favours and a revolving door between regulators and  the industries they govern really a natural part of doing business? Rigged, by Cameron K Murray and Paul Frijters looks at the game of mates in Australia and sets out to explain the cost.

Across a remarkable body of work, Carlos Reygadas has built a reputation as one of the more intriguing directors working today: celebrated around the world, including at Cannes, where he has received the best director award. Natalia López Gallardo's debut, Robe of Gems, is gathering similar compliments, garnering critical acclaim and winning the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival. Natalia and Carlos have worked together across a number of films and in the Drawing Room they discuss their philosophies about the role of cinema.

When the young daughter of a merchant sets sail on the Batavia to join her father, she's excited by everything around her: the nimble sailors, the giant soldier, the colours and sounds of the ship. But anyone with a knowledge of the history will know that this story isn't going to end well. The story of The Batavia is one of horror: shipwreck, treacher,y murder and enslavement. The Night Ship, the new novel by Jess Kidd, takes that history and crafts something new, moving between the distant and recent past, as the stories of two lonely children connect across the centuries.

What does it mean to be without a past? To have your connection to history taken away? During the 20th Century, hundreds of thousands of children—some Australian born, some migrants—were placed in institutions or out-of-home care in Australia. In 2009, then Prime Minister Keven Rudd made a formal apology to these Forgotten Australians, and pledged to stop it from happening again. In their new show Sleeplessness, Kaz Therese explores what it means to be one of those familes and tells the story of their past through the fragments of history that remain.

Nature, we are often taught, is one giant competition: kill or be killed; survival of the fittest. But have we missed the forest for the trees? As we learn more about the environment around us, we are finding complex layers of cooperation that allow the world to survive and to thrive. Kristin Ohlson is an award winning writer, and in her latest book, Sweet in Tooth and Claw, Kristin looks at this changing understanding of nature and our own place within it.

Seen from the outside, the archipelago of Palawan is a place of amazing natural beauty, with remarkable forests and pristine beaches. But Delikado, the new documentary by Karl Malakunas, exposes a darker truth: a province that is described as ‘eating itself up from the inside’. The movie follows a small band of land defenders, who risk their lives to confront and arrest the illegal loggers who are clearing those forests.

For decades, Anthony Ham has travelled to the world’s wildest places and shared their stories, for the likes of Lonely Planet, National Geographic, and the New York Times. His latest book, The Man Who Loved Pink Dolphins, takes readers deep into the Amazon rainforest, where a Scottish man, Christopher Clark, made his home with the people of Xixuaú and helped to to protect their land.

Tom Boyd is a champion of his game: the number one AFL draft-pick, he signed a massive contract with the Western Bulldogs and became a key part of their premiership-winning team. But in the aftermath of his greatest victory, Tom faced perhaps his biggest challenge, and had to sit out part of the following season as he dealt with panic attacks and depression. In 2019, he quit the game he had once loved, to find a new path. Now, Tom’s written about that time, his struggles and his success, in a new memoir called Nowhere to Hide.

Tim Baker was living the dream as an award-winning surf writer, but one day everything was turned upside down when he learned that he had metastatic prostate cancer. Doctors talked about survival rates and treatment plans, but Tim didn’t just want to survive, he wanted to heal and to keep a life worth living. In the Drawing Room, Tim shares the ups and downs of his experience and talks about his new memoir, Patting the Shark.

With a collaboration that began before they ever met in person, Mindy Meng Wang and Tim Shiel have combined the tradition and history of the guzheng with the current trends of electronic music. The end result is some beautiful cascading lo-fi vibes and their debut EP, Nervous Energy.

The global pandemic put the brakes on our ability to move around the globe for a time, but we’re once again on the move, and in droves, so what does this mean for our fragile planet? That’s one of the questions at the heart of the latest project by the Australian Chamber Orchestra - The Crowd & I. In the Drawing Room, the ACO's artistic director Richard Tognetti shares his thoughts on crowds, concert halls, and the challenge to concentrate.

What happens when you create your own take on a beloved character and it doesn’t go well? Doctor Who is a central figure in pop culture in Australia and the 2005 relaunch of the show has been hugely successful. But in 1996, an attempt to reboot Dr Who for an American audience received a very different response. The 8th doctor appeared in a single television movie, sparked outrage amongst fans, and then vanished from screens. Matthew Jacobs was the writer on that project, and he’s the director, alongside Vanessa Yuille, of a new film, Doctor Who Am I, which explores his attempt to reconnect with the fandom that rejected him.

What does it mean to have a home? To have a roof over your head and somewhere safe to sleep at night? Almost a quarter of a million women over 55 are at risk of homelessness in Australia; in fact, they’ve been the fastest growing group of homeless people in this country for some time now. A new documentary, Under Cover, introduces audiences to some of the women who have fallen through the cracks, with stories that range from one bad day, to years of domestic violence, to the new challenges of COVID-19. In the Drawing Room, the film's director Sue Thomson talks about the women she met while filming, and the personal reality behind the statistics.

The Illusionist Brain

When the patriarch of a French board game company is murdered in his family home, everyone is a suspect. But the killer wants to play a game of their own: the gates are locked, the phones are dead, and if the remaining members of the household want to survive, they’ll need to find the clues, and the killer, before the time limit runs out. Murder Party is the debut feature by Nicolas Pleskof, and in the Drawing Room Nicolas discusses murder mysteries and the importance of not taking things too seriously.

Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour is a thing of legend: a moment of musical genius onstage and chaos offstage that may never be replicated. It married big band and rock; built reputations and relationships for some and ended them for others. A new documentary, Learning to Live Together, follows a one-off reunion, as the Tedeschi Trucks Band brings the touring band back together. In the Drawing Room, the director, Jesse Lauter, looks at what made those concerts a special part of history.

How much does the story of an object change, depending on who is looking at it? Should a pink dress be described by the woman who wore it? By the history of its creation? By the changing way we understand the colour pink? In the Drawing Room, the director of Newcastle Museum, Julie Baird, talks about the 1x4 exhibition and the way she aims to provide a wider view of history and an understanding of the role that curation plays in the way we understand the world.

What do you get when you mix a bunch of musicians on a stage with no script, no sheet music, and a licence to do whatever they want? The answer is Supergroup! Live music as it’s never been heard before or perhaps will be again. In the Drawing Room, Georgia Mooney talks music writing, going solo, and getting a little bit selfish.

Now considered one of the most celebrated composers in history, JS Bach was just one member of a talented family of musicians who, between them, created tens of thousands of works. For a new tour, Shunske Sato, one of the world’s best Baroque violinists, is joining the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra for a journey into The Bachs. In the Drawing Room he shares his earliest memories of the violin, when he was only 2, and explains what set the Bachs apart from their peers.

How do you say goodbye, when you feel someone you love slipping away from you? And how do you embrace your time with them, while they're still here? Renee Brack is a journalist and a storyteller who has covered war from the frontline, but it was when Renee’s father died, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, that she found herself ‘stuck’; struggling with the loss and the guilt of that time. In the Drawing Room, Renee talks about her new documentary, Ticketyboo, where she’s told her father's story and her own.

Can artificial intelligence make art? Or is it a uniquely human pursuit? Ouchhh Studios have been on the forefront of digital art for more than a decade. They’re the artists in residence at Illuminate Adelaide this year, and in the Drawing Room, Ferdi Alici explains how the studio works with AI, and how that's led to collaborations with CERN, NASA, and Leonardo da Vinci.

September 11, 2001 was a day of shocking violence and loss. But, in the aftermath, it was also a day of heroism and of community. As planes bound for New York were being turned away, many of them found themselves being directed to the small town of Gander, in Newfoundland, Canada. Almost seven thousand people landed in Gander on that day. It could have been impossible. It could have been overwhelming. But instead, the town opened its arms to those strangers. Their story was turned into a Tony Award winning musical, Come From Away, and in the Drawing Room, Gander residents Oz Fudge and Brian Mosher share how those days changed their lives.

Robert Wilson is an acclaimed director of experimental theatre and opera. but his latest work sees him stepping away from the stage and into the gallery, with a series of portraits. But these are no ordinary portraits. They’re short films, which mix celebrity and art history and involve large teams behind the scenes. Helping it all come together is Chris Green, Robert's producer, who also happens to be the executive director of Harvard Law School’s Animal Law & Policy Program.

Is it possible to tell when someone is lying to you? Not just to guess, but to truly know? Michael Robotham's debut thriller sold more than a million copies, he's since become one of the biggest names in crime, and his latest novel features a woman with that precise skill In the Drawing Room, Michael explains how he keeps the tension high, when the truth can be so easily exposed.

In the small city of Yellowstone, in the old west, the mine has shut and the town is slowly dying. Then, one day, a wild local strikes gold. But hopes for a revival are quickly dashed when the man is murdered on his way home from celebrating. A recently arrived outsider makes for a convenient suspect, but in this town, nothing is what it seems. Australian director Richard Gray talks about his new film, Murder at Yellowstone City, and the town he built along the way.

Most of us would think of Australia as a trustworthy country, largely free from corruption and dirty money, at least in a global context. But, if that's right, why has Australia been pointed to as one of the top targets in the world to launder money through real estate? And why have several major institutions in Australia been linked to money laundering? Nathan Lynch is an expert on financial crime and the author of a new book, The Lucky Laundry.

Whether it's “can’t we all just get along” or “agree to disagree”, not everyone embraces an argument when it arrives. But Lee Siegel argues that argument is essential: to the individual, to art, and to society. Argument leads to change and it helps us to understand the world. Whether that argument plays out in political platforms, in art, or, increasingly, online, it’s a way of understanding the other side and convincing them that your point of view is better.

Stanley Jordan is a guitar virtuoso who has been pushing the boundaries with his playing for over four decades.

The worlds of classical music and urban culture very rarely rub shoulders. However, KLASSIK underground, aims to bring these worlds together by combining classical music with other art forms such as dance, street art, poetry and video installations - to create innovative music events. In the Drawing Room, Australian violist and creative producer, Tahlia Petrosian, talks about how she's bringing together laser artistry with Shostakovich.

Our Blood Runs in the Street is a visceral and raw examination of the violence and persecution experienced by the LGBTQI community in Australia. Blending physical theatre with verbatim text, the production looks at a spate of brutal bashings and murders in Sydney that brought terror to the LGBTQI community for decades. In the Drawing Room, award-winning director, Shane Anthony, talks about how he went about bringing these challenging and important stories to the stage.

Il Trovatore is perhaps Verdi's most complicated opera, with betrayals, abductions, revenge and hidden identities. The character of Leonora is led by her heart and lacks reason. For singer, Leah Crocetto, who is taking on the role in Opera Australia's latest production, it's not a character she easily identifies with. In the Drawing Room, Leah talk about how she's learnt to channel her inner teenager for the role and shares how a rejection from the Met Chorus changed the trajectory of her career.

What magic happens when a musical genius is exposed to Beethoven, Vivaldi, and AC/DC at a young age, and loves them all? William Barton is a composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and one of Australia's leading didgeridoo players. His latest song is a cover of the classic rock song Johnny B. Goode, as part of Chess Records' seventieth anniversary album, Everybody Knows I'm Here.

Robert Dessaix is an essential part of the Australian literary world. As a writer, a performer, and an interviewer, he's explored the meaning of life and the stories behind the stories. For that work, he's the recipient of the 2022 Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature. In the Drawing Room, Robert shares how he likes to connect ideas and talks about his latest release, Abracadabra.

The songs of Jimmy Barnes have become anthems for generations of Australians; his is a voice and a sound that's part of the fabric of this country. But the sound that Jimmy grew up with was something else entirely. He grew up listening to the classics of soul, and that's a sound that's stayed with him throughout his career. In the Drawing Room, Jimmy Barnes talks about the 30th anniversary of his Soul Deep record, crashing a Tina Turner concert, and music as communion.

What would Australia look like if we were to put children at the centre of public policy? Would we see more children thrive in school and stay out of prisons? And would they then go on to be more productive and prosperous adults?   In the Drawing Room, Jeni Whalan, Chief Strategy Officer at the Paul Ramsay Foundation and host of the Life's Lottery podcast talks about what it would mean to put kids at the centre of public policy.

Verdi's La Traviata invites you to indulge in the opulence and glamour of the Parisian salon. Violetta is a free-spirited courtesan who throws lavish parties with the finest champagne but amidst the glitz and glamour a tragic love story unfolds as our effervescent host relinquishes her only chance at love. In the Drawing Room, Constantine Costi, the opera's revival director, talks about how he's making sparks fly in his new interpretation of this well-known opera classic.

Return to Seoul follows a young French-Korean woman as she travels to her country of birth on a holiday. She swears she isn’t there to connect to her biological family, but, once in the country, she can’t help but reach out. This isn’t the tale of a joyous reunion though, it’s complicated, messy, and prickly, just like real life. In the Drawing Room, the film’s creator, Davy Chou, talks about the real experience that inspired the script, and the complicated questions of belonging that lie at its heart.

When faith and power collide, is it possible to avoid compromising your beliefs? Tarik Saleh's new film, Boy from Heaven, was inspired by Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, but takes audiences to al-Azhar University in Cairo, where the death of the Grand Imam could change the power dynamics of the country. In the Drawing Room he talks about the importance of truth in fiction and why he loves a country that doesn't love him back.

Representation is everything, it validates people and their experiences. So what happens when a large part of a country's population don’t see themselves reflected in society? Arabs represent almost 21% of Israelis but there are still very few Arab-Israeli journalists in the newsroom. Haaretz, one of Israel’s major newspapers, is trying to change that. In the Drawing Room, Noa Landau, the deputy editor-in-chief of Haaretz talks about the new initiative she's founded, Haaretz 21, that will give a voice to Arab-Israel writers.

Across installations, sculptures, and performance, food is front and centre in Elizabeth Willing's art. Her new body of work, Forced Rhubarb, features hand-printed and embroidered linens, but also a large, looping floorwork made from brightly coloured sherbet-filled straws. In the Drawing Room, Elizabeth talks about her own relationship with food, the surprising power of yeast, and how high-end dining compares to a gallery.

What would you do if you had one of the most dangerous men in the world handcuffed in a room and, for 20 minutes, it was just you and him? That's the starting point of a new play, where two highway patrol officers accidentally arrest a powerful drug lord for speeding away from the jail he'd just broken out of. Twenty Minutes With The Devil is based on real life events around the capture of El Chapo. In the Drawing Room, playwrights and legal professors Desmond Manderson and Luis Gomez Romero talk about their approach to the stage.

The Jezabels were catapulted into the spotlight a decade ago when their debut album, Prisoner, won the 2011 Australian Music Prize and reached number two on the ARIA chart. A lot has happened over those ten years, but the band have come back together for a national tour to celebrate the album and the chance to perform together again. In the Drawing Room, Hayley Mary revisits those days in the studio and shares the ups and downs of a life in the music industry.

The Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau people have, for centuries, lived deep in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil. First contact with the Brazilian state came in 1981, and it came with a great cost: disease and illness killed off half the tribe. Their territory is meant to be protected, but instead they’re facing invasion, with settlers moving into the forest and claiming the land as their own, with chainsaws and with fire. A new documentary, The Territory, filmed in part by the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau themselves, captures the struggle between the two groups.

On streets and in halls around Australia, remarkable dancers are coming together in battle. This is the world of competitive street dance, where the challengers break and pop their way to the top. A new documentary, Keep Stepping, follows two dancers in Sydney as they prepare for one of the year's biggest competitions. In the Drawing Room, the director, Luke Cornish, introduces us to the scene and explores the community at its heart.

Are we doing enough to protect our children’s mental and physical wellbeing?  It’s the tough question being tackled in a recent UNICEF report - Places and Spaces: Environments and children’s well-being. Professor Fiona Stanley has long been a vocal advocate for the needs of children and their families and in 2003 she was named Australian of the Year in recognition of her public health work. In The Drawing Room, Fiona talks about the report's findings and how over-consumption in some of the world’s richest countries is damaging our children’s environments.

The best songwriters tell us stories about the world around us, about shared experiences, but it's a rare treat when we get to hear about them and their story. On her latest album, Home Video, Lucy Dacus, opens up about her own life, with songs that capture her coming of age, finding love, making friends and risking losing them. In the Drawing Room, Lucy talks about the process of figuring out who she is and why she still writes in her journal.   

When Ana Roxanne released her debut LP, Because of A Flower, in 2020, it provided a peaceful, meditative space for listeners to sit amongst the stress and the noise. Inspired by her own personal story and the experience of identifying as intersex, it weaves complicated ideas into a deceptively simple sound. In the Drawing Room, Ana explores resonant spaces and childhood influences.