Bang On The Strillers

Late in 2016, singer-songwriter, fruit-pusher and maybe witch Benn Bennett returned to the stage after a far-too-long hiatus with the enchanting 'Occasional Suburban Witch'; a cabaret collaboration Bec Matthews and Sarah Ward celebrating the women of the Western suburbs of Melbourne who Benn loved and laughed with. In fact, Benn is one of the great collaborators, having created unique, hilarious, touching and award-nominated work with previous guest (and drunk pash of the podcast) Wes Snelling (episodes #3 and #5). We sat in his sunny Western 'burbs kitchen listening to Kate Bush (it was with Benn that I took part in The Most Wuthering Day Ever last year, both dressed to the nines in 'Wuthering Heights' frocks and wigs) and talked in our everyday circular fashion about footy franks, songwriting, suburbia, working with other artists, being terrified of debuting your own songs, Prince, matryoshka dolls, 'Return to Oz', and musicians' musicians. Also my Toni Childs impression rears its head...but only when I was

It's 2017! Where better to start than with an old friend, much theatre/Dr Who nerdiness, and absolutely filthy sexual content. Seriously - **STRONG ADULT/SCIFI CONTENT** Scott Brennan and I met twenty years ago when we were both cast in an amateur production of Marat/Sade and we've been complimentary dickheads ever since. A writer, stand up comedian, actor, skilled improvisor, musician, voice-over artist, mentor, producer, star of the Talking Poofy podcast and all round spunk, Scott has been a familiar face on Australian TV and a familiar voice on Australian radio for more years than either of our ageing, forgetful brains care - or are able - to remember. We share a love of the timelord and an adoration of David Bowie (Scott was my date for the David Bowie Is... exhibition in 2015), and he's one of my favourite guest singers in my many idiotic band ventures. Not to overstate it, but he's the David to my Freddie in Under Pressure. From the changing face of gay identity, to which people over 50 years old we'd r

Part 2 of my conversation with Gillian Cosgriff which, I am slightly chastened to admit, was recorded a full year ago (21 December 2015). She was still writing To The Moon And Back, a show which is now award-nominated, and it turns out we're both book nerds - TO THE EXTREME. Also discuss procrastinating, Quentin Tarantino, robots and the film Gravity; it's a good old nuts and bolts cabaret chat! Bonus content: during recording I was embroiled in a Facebook argument with some random angry person regarding Nabokov's Lolita (one of my favourite books, and one I have studied and read many, many times). Cosgriff is an excellent voice of reason, but never underestimate how stubborn I can be. Listen in to hear this play out in real time...silly Quinn...

  What accent does your dog have? Would 'Wuthering Heights' have been even better if Bronte had incorporated an alien abduction into the plot? How expensive IS working with a band? And wait - HOW many nieces/nephews does Quinn have now??? Recorded on the historic day of the US presidential election/birth of my latest family member (take your pick as to which is better for the world at large), join myself and Helpmann-award-winning super-music-hero Casey Bennetto (Keating! The Musical, A Swingin' Bella Christmas, The Terminativity The Narelles, and all-round in-demand dramaturg, writer, MC, performer and beloved local scenester) as we splash around in pre-apocalyptic bliss, discussing the pitfalls of performance, dogs, The 12 Keys of Christmas, Tasmania, loving the art while having problems with the artist, SO many elections, the delicious image of Mark Trevorrow (Bob Downe) and Julie Gillard on the piss in New York, Neil Hannon, performance personas (and Bowie obviously), writer's block solutions, Dave Allen,

Richard Chadwick has only been performing as Karen From Finance in the drag/cabaret/burlesque scenes for three and a half years and already he's made sparkling waves across the globe. From his viral mash up of former Prime Minister Julia Gillard's misogyny speech at Midsumma Festival to a very public stoush with Foxtel over the need to fast-track RuPaul's Drag Race to Australia, none of Karen's controversies should detract from the fact the Richard is one of the best and most tireless performance makers in Melbourne, nay, Australia. We talk about the post-US-election funk, faux queens (aka bio queens), the heady rise (and problems) in the local drag and burlesque scenes, RuPaul's Drag Race and that fight with Foxtel, Dolly Parton's wigs, Joy 94.4 FM, Mortein-can-flamethrower-wielding altar boys, Dandenong, Facebook algorithms, Richard's fabulous poodle (not a euphemism) and plaster animals. And make sure you stick around until after the closing 'Fang It (To Tony's Place)' credits for an extra surprise revelat

Part 2 of my conversation with music theatre/cabaret star and creator of Jan van de Stool (as seen on Australia's Got Talent - ROBBED! SHE WAS ROBBED!). Originally recorded in January 2016, we talk about people who call people "toxic", forgiveness, depression and anxiety in the arts, what shits us (oh all right, what shits ME) about music theatre, why the hell cabaret is so dominantly white in Australia (apart from Mama Alto, and this was pre-Hot Brown Honey, btw), the lack of casting diversity not just in cultural background, but also in gender, age and body shape, how cabaret is great because it really IS what you bring to it, and that it's OK to have a fight with your friends. If your life isn't sorted out by the end of this one, we're out of ideas. Because Queenie has seriously read every self-help book there is. All of them. Hey - remember: Barbra Streisand can never be as good at being you as YOU can. P.S. I do talk a fair bit in this one. We both do. It's a conversation. If you were expecting an interv

Oof, this is a great episode, I reckon. The thumbnail just doesn't do it justice (it's really hard putting text on fountains, guys - REALLY HARD). Wynter's a smart cookie and we have a good, thorough chat about independent producing. Smeriously. I rectum-end it. Jenny Wynter is a Queensland-based singer/songwriter/performance maker and she's a gem. We not only manage to rattle off some pretty damn insightful political commentary, but we covered the joy of silliness, quite a lot more about lettuce than you would expect from cabaret artists, a labrador called Bublé, working smarter not harder, the future of performance vs online production, and how phenomenal Mad Max Fury Road is. So good... FANG IT!! Since the recording of this podcast (June 2016) I have had my own brush with not being able to walk for a while so it's been quite enlightening to listen to this again...wow. Who knows what the future will bring? P.S. If you do like the theme tune Fang It (To Tony's Place) you can purchase the album You're the Voi

Covers vs original cabaret! Deal or No Deal! River Phoenix! Marrying young! Aaaand why we're not big fans of the Australian Football League. After 5-odd weeks of medical ridiculousness (follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to work out what was going on - OK now), I've finally had a chance to edit this podcast from May 2016 which I recorded with the King of (Perth) Cabaret Tomas Ford, in a teeny, tiny room in a doss house in Melbourne. Tomas is a darling of the WA cabaret scene and frequenter of our east coast, as well as an Edinburgh Fringe invader. He's of average height and pleasant demeanour, and not only has produced original (and confronting) electro cabarets Australia-wide for the last decade, but he is also the creator of Crap Rave Party, a celebration of the worst songs (by request) which has toured Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide and Edinburgh. He has produced a small child and  supported Gary Numan - neither of which I have done.But I have had my face on a tram. Swings and roundabouts.

WE DID IT! After a guerilla season of Bang On The Strillers live at The Butterfly Club in January 2016, Quinn put her welfare cheque where her mouth is an coralled some of the best cabaret writers/singer/performers in the industry together to record a live show as part of the 2016 Melbourne Cabaret Festival. Featuring Mike McLeish, Michelle Brasier and original songs from Astrid & Otto Rot (aka Die Roten Punkte), Karlis Zaid (and Karin Muiznieks), Shanon Whitelock (who also played house band) and myself - I even wrote a song specially for the show! Thanks to Chapel Off Chapel and to Mike McLeish for being so supportive with the project, and to the audience who came, and specially to the audience to PAID to come. Forgive the mic blow outs, I couldn't afford someone to ride the mix, but it still sounds like a great bootleg and if you get behind us, we'll only get better. Considering I basically pulled this show out of my arse in the middle of a horrible cold, with a brand new all original show opening two

Actor, performance maker and cabaret artiste Ash Flanders (Sisters Grimm) joins me for the second Melbourne Cabaret Festival 2016 special to talk about inbred dogs (yeah, I mean pugs), music theatre cabaret, brothels, stand up versus cabaret, being "safe" onstage, our mutual fascination with John Farnham, Casey Bennetto (again), theatre schools, the glamour of an artist's life, puppy play and how everyone's a failure and THAT'S OK!! And I didn't have too much libelous material out. And why did I say "next week" at the end?? AM I A LUNATIC!?!? If you get onto this early, you can still see Ash Flanders' show 'Playing To Win' at the Melbourne Cabaret Festival 2016 (at 6:45pm until 19 June 2016). I'm going tonight. And the fact I used the present tense is evidence of how hopeful I am that this podcast will upload with no problems (seriously, the amount of tech stuff that has been going awry lately, I'm about to throw my computer out the window and destroy the internet...check out my chipmunk transitions in this e

In 2013, 'Slutmonster and Friends' blew Melbourne Fringe audiences away, winning a highly commended nod in the Fringe awards. It was frankly one of the most depraved and disgusting and hilarious things ever committed to theatre. And none of us will ever be the same. This episode is a terrific example of how wrong our sense of humour is, and it's also the first time I've recorded more than two people at a time. We had some synching problems, and were recording on two different devices, so we also had some weird time-skip problems due to an unidentified problem (possibly SD card), but I would like to stress that in spite of this, it came out pretty good, and I was negotiating quiet boys and loud girls, and averaging it out, but also IT'S MY BIRTHDAY. Be nice. Please note: there are many swears and sometimes we just yell "sex offenders" for no reason. Basically Slutmonster was like a late-90s episode of Red Dwarf crossed with a soft-core porn film but SO Much more funny. And now I can't wait until 'Trying My Bes

*Content warning - We discuss violence in this episode, in the context of writing about dark stories. If you feel like this may be a topic that brings up issues for you,  go back and have a listen to Michelle Brasier's episode - she's a bubbly wonder! Next episode will be ridiculously cheerful. This one's still interesting, however I thought you should know.* Welcome to the first special Melbourne Cabaret Festival episode of the podcast! In between touring with musicals and teaching performance, Karlis Zaid has been splashing about in the dark side of cabaret for years and years. Zaid is currently appearing in the 2016 Melbourne Cabaret Festival with 'Australian Horror Story', as show he originally wrote with Karin Muiznieks in 2012. Since then, he's reworked, rewritten and added content, roped in the magnificent Aurora Sheehan (nee Kurth) and Mark Jones as co-performers and managed to snaffle Steven Gates from Tripod to direct (and I'm not jealous at all) and is re-launching the show in June 2016. From Colli

Adelaide Fringe cabaret king Matt Gilbertson (aka Hans the German) and Geraldine Quinn met at The Adelaide Fringe Bar through mutual friend Lori Bell more years ago than either of them care to remember, and together are two of the most be-sequinned, Eurovision-obsessed cabaret performers in the country - which is really saying something.  In this episode we talk about grief porn, Grindr, why Geraldine is pathetically envious of her niece, how a stage persona like Hans can liberate the artist (as well as let you get away with terrible, terrible things), straight women at gay clubs, Lady Gaga's Bowie tribute (look, I was pressured to give a response), online outrage, Tina Arena, and we drop a TONNE of names. So many names dropped... Please book for the live variety jamboree and podcast record on 21 June 2016! And here is a link to an article about Sir Tim Hunt who we talked about regarding the #distractinglysexy incident. Please also follow BOTS on Twitter (@bangotstrillers) so the account doesn't look so lonel

In episode 11, Geraldine talks to fellow musical pan-artist (although he's made a lot more films than I have) and Hairy Soul Man Kai Smythe about festivals vs "fistivals", candle-making parents, non-childproof comedy spots, how bloody adorable his room-mate's dog is, status anxiety in the arts, growing up the odd one out in your town and why it's OK to take a little while to find your creative voice. Kai Smythe along with his some-time musical comedy partner Tim Mager recently won Best Cabaret in Melbourne Fringe (2015) and were nominated for a staggering six Green Room Awards in Victoria, Australia (2015). He is a writer, film-maker, actor, musician and songwriter and plays enough instruments for me to want to rehearse a lot more. We first met at Triple RRR Community Radio when were both shortlisted for the 2011 Brian McCarthy Moosehead Award, and have crossed paths ever since. He's a hairy man, and a snappy dresser.  Includes some swearing and stories of kids getting insults wrong or learning horrible insul

Before UK comedian Alexis Dubus caused an international stir with a measured, and initially private, Facebook post about the Adelaide Fringe glut, I was chasing the sparkly-eyed UK dynamo for a podcast chat. How fortunate, for it makes me look incredibly relevant. This cabaret podcast, we chat about the fall-out from his post, the perils of independent arts, strange encounters in Perth, passionate people with odd but grand ideas, and how to argue with a guy who has a rabbit on his knob.  Alexis Dubus (aka Marcel Lucont) is an award-winning UK performer who has been traipsing the Australian and UK Fringe circuits for almost a decade, which means we would run into each other maybe twice a year (back when I did Edinburgh Fringe more often...I know, I'm sorry guys, I've not been over for way too long...). He's a very fine wordsmith, a very funny performer, a resourceful artist, a great photographer, and a mischievous imp, as you will hear.    If you, like us, love odd corners of the world and people who have a dr

Part 1 of Quinn & Queenie's kitchen rambles - neuroscience, Elvis Costello, learning to sight-read in your 40s, Margaret Fulton, ceramic owls and inappropriate rubbing. Episode 9 is the first half of Quinn's conversation with actor, singer, cabaret artist, mentor and beloved music theatre performer (she's my favourite, anyway) Queenie van de Zandt. Canberra-born (but she didn't know Wagga Wagga was a city? Weird...) Queenie confesses her love of self-help, how to deal with the Dutch, her yearning to own a dream catcher, her magnificent alter ego Jan van de Stool, and her terrible, terrible memory. The greatest lesson in this first part of our conversation is that if Queenie is talking to you and suddenly runs to the other side of the room mid-sentence, she has definitely forgotten your name.By the way, the language in this one is mostly clean. There are a couple of zingers, including early on, but overall it is significantly less fruity than usual. Don't take it personally... 

Part 1 of my conversation (aka The Cabaret Book Club) with Melbourne-based singer-songwriter (and actor, comedian, etc. - grossly overachieving) Gillian Cosgriff.   She's from Brisbane, she studied in Perth but she lives here in Melbourne (so there, Queensland and WA), Cosgriff is a much sought after performer, writer and actor, and award-winning to boot. She spent a solid six months on the road with Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow (I'm really jealous) and she has a laugh like Sid James. She's also very well cultured, so we sat next to my bookshelf and basically unpicked all sorts of topics, from women's stories on television, perspectives in literature, how neither of us have read Tolstoy and the pathetic reason why, what responsibility the artist has to the audience in terms of what the viewer infers versus the artist's intent, how grace through self-realisation and repentance seems to be increasingly rare, weird 1980s Disney releases and Rhett Butler's genitals. A good episode for people w

Jude Perl is a singer-songwriter based in Melbourne who is about to embark on her second solo show. She's an American. She spent about a year in a cult when she was a tiny child. But she lives here now, and is only in one cult - the cult of being AWESOME. Seriously, I was joking when I asked her about the cult thing, I didn't expect a serious response in the affirmative...moving forward! Anyway, Jude and Geraldine (that's me) talk about how writing can be a pain in the arse, the weird way people who don't sing for a living seem to consider themselves experts on what is an amazing voice, the asbestosis risk of my rental property, discovering that explaining The Leyland Brothers to someone who has never seen them is a significant challenge, eating Tang by the spoonful, Jude's tenuous grip on reality (she struggles to differentiate movies from life, apparently...COME ON JUDE!!), quokkas, how Paul McCartney gives us musical blue balls, empaths, cultural appropriation, weird noises people make in their sleep, haun

Michael Dalton (also known by his alter ego's name Dolly Diamond) is an international theatre and cabaret star who lives across the road from a hospital (trust me, the relevance becomes clear as the podcast rolls along). Originally from the United Kingdom he now lives in the leafy southeast of Melbourne and is one of the country's hardest working performers.   Listeners to Joy FM will know him as one half of The Royal Daltons who sadly retired from the airwaves in late 2015, but they can now drink in Dalton one more time as we talk about rubbish gigs, what not to say to people after a rubbish gig, school punishments, Masterchef, The Brady Bunch, lookie-likies, the greatest brothers-based TV concept ever (it involves the Sheens, the Baldwins and the Daddos - my idea, hands off), drug-taking, horrible Christmases, being a child actor on the West End, Kylie Minogue, Eddie Perfect to Tim Minchin, and a tiny bit of Australian TV slander. Just a bit. I've edited around it so we can still get jobs.    From London to

Part 2 of the Quinn/Snelling conversation includes discourse on some of Australian television's deep dark past, various animal attacks (including some startling revelations about Wes's country upbringing) and whether or not there is a bicycle heaven.   Wes Snelling is a multi-award-winning and multi-award-nominated cabaret artist, mentor, dramaturg, director and producer. He is also the creator of the spectacular cabaret diva alter ego Tina Del Twiste. We talked about The Big Gig (ABC TV) and the Return To Eden miniseries which involved Rebecca GIlling getting eaten by a crocodile. In fact, there's quite a lot of stuff about animals, including a reference to Wes's house mouse, ferreting, why rabbits are SATAN, cats that act like dogs, close encounters with sharks and a mystery animal under a school building. That's not the start of a repressed memory, I'm fine.   We've known each other for basically twenty years, and it is evidence of my respect for him that in this episode I allowed my single most embarrassi