134 – Alex Dyson

My childhood friend Alex Dyson is a very nice and very funny man who I got to host the triple j breakfast show with for four years.

Now, somewhat insanely, he is running as an independent candidate in our home seat of Wannon in south-west Victoria. It’s a seat that’s been held by the Liberals for 64 years and is currently held by Minister for Education Dan Tehan by a margin of 10%.

We drank a lot of wine, watched the godawful Leaders’ Debate and had a long and fun and slightly-tipsy chat about his politics, why he thinks it’s worth running in a safe seat, political ideology and Lupe Fiasco. We laughed, we reminisced, we respectfully disagreed, we danced. Enjoy!

Become a Patron of the show (please) yummy money yum yum

ENOUGH is coming to Sydney Comedy Festival for 4 shows only next week

ENOUGH is coming to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August

@alexdyson

Alex’s very good instagram

ARTICLE: Legit Political Candidate Alex “Sesh Gremlin” Dyson Revealed Why He’s Running

PM Julia Gillard Addresses the End of the World

Cause of the Week: Dangerous Females (dangerousfemales.com.au

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133 – Kath Larkin

Kath Larkin is a unionist and socialist activist. She’s the Victorian Socialists candidate for the seat of Cooper (formerly Batman) in the 2019 federal election, running against Labor’s Ged Kearney.

In this conversation Kath told me about asking Jordan Peterson a question on Q&A (that he didn’t like), her history of union organising, why she’s running in Cooper (and whether she’s going to win), her vision of a socialist future in Australia and she maintains hope in the idea of achieving radical change.

You can become a Patron of the show and help cover the basic costs of making this thing happen (please)

ENOUGH is coming to Sydney Comedy Festival for 4 shows only 

ENOUGH is coming to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August

@vic_socialists

Kath Larkin’s Victorian Socialists candidate page

Kath Larkin’s campaign on Facebook 

Kath’s writing for Red Flag

Kath’s episode of Q&A

Cause of the Week: Victorian Socialists (victoriansocialists.org.au

 

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ENOUGH – 2019 FESTIVAL TOUR

I HAVE A NEW HOUR OF STAND UP COMEDY TO PERFORM FOR YOU IN 2019.

It is called ENOUGH.

Here’s some slick copy about it:

Tom doesn’t have a real job any more. Please come and give him some of your hard-earned money in exchange for the product of laughter.

This will help fuel the economy, demonstrate the power of the free market and lead to jobs and growth.Plus hopefully it will distract you from the neoliberal horror that surrounds us in every waking moment, destroying our collective future.

Mmmm, fascinating.

Here are the details:

 

PERTH FRINGEWORLD 

FRIDAY JANUARY 18TH – SUNDAY JANUARY 27TH  (10 SHOWS)

BIG TOP @ THE PLEASURE GARDEN

8:10PM

 

BRISBANE COMEDY FESTIVAL

TUESDAY MARCH 19TH – SUNDAY MARCH 24TH (6 SHOWS)

BRISBANE TOWN HALL

8PM

AUSLAN-INTERPRETED SHOW THURSDAY MARCH 21ST

 

MELBOURNE COMEDY FESTIVAL

THURSDAY MARCH 28TH – SUNDAY APRIL 21ST (22 SHOWS, NO SHOW MONDAYS)

MELBOURNE TOWN HALL & MAX WATT’S

9:45PM (7PM FRIDAYS, 8:45PM SUNDAYS)

AUSLAN-INTERPRETED SHOW WEDNESDAY APRIL 10TH

 

SYDNEY COMEDY FESTIVAL

THURSDAY MAY 9TH – SUNDAY MAY 12TH (4 SHOWS)

GIANT DWARF THEATRE

7:30PM (6:30PM SUNDAY)

AUSLAN-INTERPRETED SHOW SUNDAY MAY 12TH

Book tickets here.

 

132 – Simon Holmes à Court

Simon Holmes à Court is an energy transition expert. He’s a Senior Advisor to at the Climate Energy College at Melbourne University, sits on the board of the Smart Energy Council and spends a lot of his time on twitter correcting the likes of Josh Frydenberg and Chris Uhlmann when they say silly wrong things about climate and energy issues issues.

In this conversation (recorded on an unseasonably warm April day), Simon talks me through the influence of fossil fuel money, the dumb culture war between coal and renewables, why he’s a climate optimist and what the parties are offering in this climate election.

MAKE SURE YOU’RE ENROLLED TO VOTE BY 8PM TONIGHT PLEASE!!!

You can become a Patron of the show and help cover the basic costs of making this thing happen (please)

My show ENOUGH has just four shows left at the Melbourne Comedy Festival 

Plus I’m doing my play #KWANDA which is also good and funny! Just 2 shows left

ENOUGH is coming to Sydney Comedy Festival for 4 shows only 

@simonahac

Simon’s writing at The Guardian

Simon’s writing on medium

Article: No, Minister Canavan, coal will not be king for 20 more years

Article: Australia’s energy policy is a tangled mess built on a foundation of lies

Cause of the Week: Margo Kingston’s #IndependentsDay for Climate Change Action on chuffed.org

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131 – Greg Larsen

Greg Larsen is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met in my whole bloody life. He and I worked together on Tonightly where we made some very silly and naughty comedy together before we were cruelly cancelled by the FASCIST LIBERAL GOVERNMENT.

In this chat I ask Greg to reflect on the Tonightly months, his political punk band The Feminazis, wokeness, debate and the pointlessness of protests.

You can become a Patron of the show and help cover the basic costs of making this thing happen (please)

My show ENOUGH is on at the Melbourne Comedy Festival right now! Hot dang!

Plus I’m doing my play #KWANDA which is also good and funny! Just 4 shows left

ENOUGH is coming to Sydney Comedy Festival for 4 shows only 

My spot at the 2019 Comedy Festival Opening Night Gala

@gregmlarsen

Greg’s show USEFUL IDIOT is at Melbourne Comedy Festival NOW

Greg’s podcast The Grub

The infamous Tonightly sketch that sparked “Cuntgate”

And this sketch about Germans wanking is one of the funniest things I’ve ever been involved in

Cause of the Week: Donate to The Australian Greens (greens.org.au/donate

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130 – Sally McManus

Sorry about the delayed episode, all! My bad. Comedy Festival is on and all that. Anyway.

Sally McManus has been the Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions since 2017. She’s the public face of the trade union movement in Australia and she takes little to no shit whatsoever.

We recorded this chat on the day the ACTU launched their call for the minimum wage to be raised to a living wage. I asked Sally to explain what that means, as well as her stances on democratic socialism, neoliberalism, privatisation, insecure work, just how hard it is to go on strike in Australia and how the ALP could become a helluva lot better.

You can become a Patron of the show and help cover the basic costs of making this thing happen (please)

My show ENOUGH is on at the Melbourne Comedy Festival right now! Hot dang!

Plus I’m doing my play #KWANDA which is also good and funny! Just 6 shows left

ENOUGH is coming to Sydney Comedy Festival for 4 shows only 

@sallymcmanus

actu.org.au

On Fairness by Sally McManus, Melbourne University Publishing

ARTICLE: Is Sally McManus the woman the Coalition fears most? 

RALLY TO CHANGE THE RULES happening around the country on Wednesday April 10th

changetherules.org.au

Cause of the Week: JOIN YOUR FUCKING UNION PLEASE (australianunions.org.au)

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129 – Samah Sabawi

Samah Sabawi is a playwright, poet and activist who is passionate about fighting for the rights of the Palestinian people. Just days after the horrific massacre in Christchurch, Samah explains to me why she was “disappointed but not shocked” by the horrific attack and how nearly two decades of poisonous Islamophobia has led us to this point.

Samah also lays out what life is like for Palestinians in their own land, what the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions movement is calling for and why it’s important you #BoycottEurovision2019.

Become a Patron of the show and help cover the basic costs of making this thing happen (please)

My stand-show ENOUGH is on at the Brisbane Comedy Festival this week 

Then ENOUGH heads to the Melbourne & Sydney Comedy Festivals. It’s funny! Please come!

My play #KWANDA will be on at the Melbourne Comedy Festival for 8 shows only

@gazaheart

Donate to the families of the Christchurch victims

See Samah’s play Them at La Mama Courthouse

ARTICLE: We told you the threat is white supremacy by Randa Abdel-Fattah

ARTICLE: 2,891 Murdoch Media Stories Trashing Islam In A Single Year, Study Reveals by Michael Brull

AustraliansForPalestine.com

Cause of the Week: The BDS petition to #BoycottEurovision2019

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#KWANDA: A PLAY

Very excited to let you know that I have written a play and I’m going to perform with a bunch of funny friends at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Here’s the blurb:

Monday night, 9.30pm, ABC.

Five panellists join a veteran journalist host on the nation’s flagship discussion program, ready to answer audience questions about the 2019 Australian federal election.

It’s set to be a scintillating display of civilised and enlightening debate. Then someone starts saying what they really think and it all goes to shit.

A new satire from Tom Ballard (Tonightly, three-time pretend Tony Jones) about politics, words, honesty and The Discourse.

‘Bold, daring and delightfully offensive, this is political comedy – no, scratch that – comedy at its very best.’  Adelaide Advertiser

‘An entertaining, informed and damn funny trip around the zeitgeist from a compelling and spirited comedian.’ Chortle (UK)

Directed by Alan Brough

8 SHOWS ONLY!

Book your tickets here please

 

UPDATE: CAST ANNOUNCED! WOW! COOL!

128 – Melissa Davey

Melissa Davey is the Melbourne Bureau Chief for Guardian Australia. She’s done brilliant reporting about lots of different things over her career, but over the past few weeks has been diligently covering on the trial and conviction of George Pell.

As Pell receives his sentencing today and as we learn more about his case for appeal, Melissa explains what it’s been like following this massive story, the journalistic ethics at play, the judicial process and the reactions from the media and the Church to the guilty verdict.

WARNING: This conversation contains discussion of sexual assault and abuse 

Become a Patron of the show and rest in peace knowing you’ll go to heaven

My stand-show ENOUGH is on at the Brisbane Comedy Festival next week 

Then ENOUGH heads to the Melbourne & Sydney Comedy Festivals. It’s funny! Please come!

My play #KWANDA will be on at the Melbourne Comedy Festival for 8 shows only

The School Strike 4 Climate is on this Friday!

@MelissaLDavey

Melissa’s writing at Guardian Australia

ARTICLE: Cardinal Pell’s Conviction: The Questions That Remain

ARTICLE: Andrew Bolt, Please Stop Implying That You Know All The Facts About George Pell by Clare Linane

ARTICLE: Five Times Guilty: How George Pell’s Child-Abusing Past Caught Up With Him in Courtroom

ARTICLE: The inconsistencies of George Pell’s defenders just displays their power by Richard Cooke

Cause of the Week: Dementia Australia (dementia-australia.org

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