After my little rant about this nonsense, sit back and enjoy my wide-ranging discussion with Melbourne’s one-and-only “larrikin priest”, dear Father Bob Maguire.

A humanitarian, broadcaster, philosopher and community leader who makes me laugh and think, Bob was an absolute joy a to talk to. We discussed his history with the Vietnam War, ideology, the problems in the Middle East, the idea of heaven, “doctrinal constipation”, his “wife” and much more besides.

At one point he exclaimed “Bugger Rome!” and that made me laugh quite a bit.

@fatherbob

Sunday Night Safran

Peter Greste on ABC’s Q&A

Article: What ISIS Really Wants

In Bob We Trust – a documentary 

My show Taxis & Rainbows & Hatred at the Perth Comedy Festival

My show Taxis & Rainbows & Hatred at the Edinburgh Fringe

Cause of the Week: The Father Bob Maguire Foundation (fatherbobsfoundation.com.au)

Here’s a special little treat because I love youse so much: my piece for Fan Fiction Comedy at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Based on this actual news story about the federal government spending $4 million on a telemovie designed to deter asylum seekers to come to Australia by boat, Deathboat – Bloody Borders is a gritty, action-packed drama that is sure to be a ratings winner.

Episode 4 – Senthorun Raj

Episode 9 – The Welcome Centre 

My show Taxis & Rainbows & Hatred at the Perth International Comedy Festival

My chat with Helen Razer continues and by now she’s really in her groove.  

Here we cover our obsession with gestures as opposed to real action, why we should tear down the catwalk, the evils of iPhones, the overuse of personal anecdotes, how “the world is just fucked” and much more.

Listen to Part One here

@helenrazer

badhostess.com

A Short History of Stupid by Helen Razer & Bernard Keane

Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard

My show Taxis & Rainbows & Hatred at the Perth Comedy Festival

Tommy Dassalo’s Cutie Pie at the Sydney Comedy Festival 

Cause of the Week: The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au), the Indigenous Marathon Project (imp.org.au)

Helen Razer is a writer, a broadcaster and a gardener who doesn’t fuck around. Presenting alongside Mikey Robbins on breakfast and Judith Lucy on drive, she was a defining voice on triple j throughout the 1990s thanks to her wit, her vocabulary and her distaste for bullshit.

Since her time on the radio, Helen has forged a reputation as a ruthless and incisive opinion writer, appearing in The Big Issue, The Saturday Paper, Crikey, The Guardian and elsewhere. She very kindly had me over to her place for lunch and to talk about her latest book on the quality of public debate and the spectre of “Stupid”.

In this first part of our chat, we discuss comedy, the value and purpose of university learning, feminism, killing liberalism, capitalism, marriage equality and the “banality of good”.

@HelenRazer

badhostess.com

A Short History of Stupid by Helen Razer & Bernard Keane

Helen’s writing for Crikey

Details for my show Taxis & Rainbows & Hatred at the Sydney & Perth Comedy Festivals 

Cause of the Week: The ABC’s Appeal for the Nepalese Earthquake (abc.net.au/appeals)

I was happier than a pig in shit to have a chat with comedian Robin Ince last week. I’ve been a fan of Robin’s comedy ever since I saw him supporting Ricky Gervais on his tour DVDs years ago and his recent work has really excited me as an atheist and as a (very novice) student of science.

Robin is in the country touring his Happiness Through Science show in association with the Atheist Foundation of Australia, critiquing silly religious ideas and celebrating the natural world through jokes. We talked and laughed about Australia’s religiosity, Robin’s journey to and conception of atheism, the “great big tumour of existence”, the danger of dogma, morality, Islam, the quantum qualities of plants, having children and whether or not he actually has sat on ham.

@robinince

robinince.com

Robin’s Happiness Through Science tour in Australia

The Sunday Assembly 

Dignity In Dying 

Robin’s TEDx Talk: The Mind Is A Choas Of Delight 

Cause of the Week: Water Aid (wateraid.org/au)