You know that question about who you’d invite to your dream dinner party? Beth Ditto is always at the top of my list. This sassy icon from the deep south grabbed my attention more than 20 years ago fronting the Gossip, and has held it ever since. From punk beginnings, to big hit bangers, gracing catwalks and the small screen, and carving out a space for those without that huge, powerful voice, she is legendary.

From day dot, Beth Ditto has been out and proud. A queer woman whose body positivity predates current conversations and whose activism makes its way into every one of her songs. The political and personal are always intertwined with Beth, and she’s always making us dance. Gossip took a break for more than a decade; most of us assumed they were done. But in 2024 they came back. With new album Real Power and plenty of fire still inside.

It gave me the chance to tick off one from the bucket list, and ask her to Take 5. What followed is more than I could have dreamed of, a capture of everything I know keeps the flames lit inside, and a beautiful connection to the power of song. Take 5 is always about our heroes becoming fans, and it was a joy to witness Beth Ditto’s fandom and her rebel songs.

• George Michael - Freedom! '90
• Nina Simone - Mississippi Goddam
• Queen - We Are The Champions
• Missy Elliott - She’s a Bitch
• Bikini Kill – Rebel Girl

Bri Lee is an author, journalist, and activist. You’ve probably seen her pop up on telly, in panels, and online, because in just over 5 years Bri has carved out an acclaimed career, publishing the bestselling Eggshell Skull and another two books of non-fiction. Her work has interrogated how the legal system deals with sexual crimes, the realm of eating disorders, and the class structures within education, and all of it is written through a personal prism.

In 2024, Bri turns her hand to fiction for the first time in her debut novel The Work. It’s the story of New Yorker Lally and Sydneysider Pat; two people in the art world who are not artists themselves, but trying to curate a life better than the one they came from. In everything she writes, Bri has a fascination with power. And from DC to AC/DC, you'll hear why.

• Destiny's Child - Independent Women, Pt. 1
• AC/DC - Back In Black
• The Preatures - Yanada
• Karen O & Danger Mouse - Redeemer
• Chappell Roan - After Midnight

Dave McCormack has one of those voices. As lead singer of Custard, his husky tones and the band’s playful indie rock beamed out of Brisbane in the 90s. They were a happy haven from the angsty guitar scene of the time. In 1999, after 5 albums and tonnes of shows as one of Australia’s favourite live acts, Custard called it a day.

Dave McCormack would go on to play in other bands, he began composing soundtracks for film and television, and his voice would become familiar to an entirely new generation playing Bandit, the blue heeler dad in the mega hit kid’s show Bluey.

Custard reunited in 2015 and have since released another 3 albums together. In 2020, during the first wave of lockdowns, I asked Dave McCormack to Take 5. His theme was cornerstone songs; the tunes he always returns to. And the reason I want to return to this wonderful conversation, is because we’re celebrating the most famous blue heeler in the world gracing our screens once again. This time with an epic 28-minute episode of Bluey. That’s like the Oppenheimer of the Bluey universe.

So settle in for this very fun chat from the archives. And if your kids are listening, sorry for the confusion. Now you have an excuse to play them your old Custard albums.

• ABBA – S.O.S.
• Pet Shop Boys - Always On My Mind
• Britney Spears - Toxic
• Devo – Peek-A-Boo
• Bob Dylan - Tangled Up In Blue

This episode was originally broadcast in 2020.

Adrianne Lenker feels things deeply. You hear it in every one of her songs, whether solo, or with her band Big Thief. Lucky for us, she shares it all, and over the past few years has become one of the most promising and prolific songwriters around; making 6 albums on her own and 5 with her band.  

Her latest is “Bright Future” and it’s another stunning record of genius songwriting, and the inspiration for me to head back into the Take 5 archives and share this wonderful conversation from 2019.

At the time, Adrianne was actually on holiday in Australia and it felt fitting, because her life had been a transient one, constantly on the road touring all over the world. But even when taking a break, she made time to share a conversation about music.

This ended up being so much more. It’s about connection, about how melancholy can filter through joy, and how you can find space in the most intensely crowded of sounds. Even if you don’t know Adrianne’s work intimately, this is a conversation that will speak to you. It’s one I haven’t stopped thinking about since.

It feels like, for Adrianne, music has always helped her understand the world around her. When she speaks about songs, everything slows down. She has a way of articulating what is often intangible, and when I watch interviews with her I find I’m drawn in to a kind of meditative state – she just has a way of seeing the world that is captivating. For all of these reasons, back in 2019 I asked her to Take 5. Her music gets under my skin, and I wanted to find out what got under hers. Dive in for this unforgettable and poetic conversation.

• Sibylle Baier – Driving
• Bill Callahan – What Comes After Certainty
• Ithaca – Impulse Crush
• Sheer Mag – Point Breeze
• Life Without Buildings – Sorrow

This episode was originally broadcast in 2019.

Well I hope you’re up for a laugh, cos this Take 5 is a special one. As comedy festival season kicks it around Australia, I’ve dug into the Take 5 archives and pulled out some of my favourite chats with comedians. Unsurprisingly, they’re great storytellers. And as we know from almost 20 years of Taking 5, everyone has a connection to music.

There’s another throughline to these tales too, they all speak to adventure; to shifting to a new place for a new perspective, and often a whole new beginning.

You’ll hear Celia Pacquola remember her early shows making it big in Edinburgh, Fred Armisen talk about his transition from music to comedy, Rose Matafeo’s Rastafarian parents, how Steph Tisdell was gonna be a lawyer before hopping on a plane to the UK, and Simon Amstell’s tip into teenage years onstage.

• Belle & Sebastian – Step Into My Office, Baby
• Sleater-Kinney - Start Together
• Stormzy – Cigarettes & Cush (Ft. Kehlani & Lily Allen)
• Kelis – Millionaire (Ft. Andre 3000)
• Patrick Wolf – The City

Laurie Anderson is bucket list. The artist, violinist, and poet has been exploring the world in her unique way for decades. She caught our breath releasing O Superman, and has continued to bring play, humour, and curiosity into all she does.

Laurie was also the yin to Lou Reed’s yang, as a life and creative partner; putting on concerts for dogs, and most recently feeding her and his writing into a supercomputer to see what AI would spit out, in their voice.

That was the catalyst for me asking Laurie to Take 5; and her work in AI as an artist over the past few years explores all the questions we’re having today about machine learning. Settle in, this is such a poetic conversation, full of great wisdom and plenty of laughs as well. I loved speaking with Laurie about music, and loved how much she embraced the theme I gave her, of duality. From Marianne Faithfull to Maggie Rogers, this is an extraordinary conversation with an all time great.

• Marianne Faithful – Falling in Love Again 
• Ornette Coleman – Lonely Woman
• Lou Reed – Magic And Loss (The Summation)
• Bob Dylan – Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright
• Maggie Rogers – Alaska

Kate Crawford's atlas of sound.

Jack Antonoff is one of the most celebrated producers working today. With 10 Grammys under his belt, including three in a row for Producer of the Year, he has shaped the sound of pop music over the last decade.

Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, The 1975, Lorde… these are just some of the names he’s produced and co-written with. And within the industry, he’s known as a brilliant collaborator – opposite to the classic Svengali directing himself into the story. Jack listens, guides, and celebrates the song. For him, it’s about the feel more than anything else.

Jack is also a muso himself; for years he’s played in bands and written songs. And you can tell what a fan he is, and how his big heart is filled with music. From R.E.M. to Joanna Newsom to Waterboys, this is a glorious celebration of songwriting, from a Jersey boy who followed his dreams.

• R.E.M. – At My Most Beautiful
• Saves The Day – Hold
• Joanna Newsom – Sadie 
• Tom Waits – Hold On
• Waterboys – The Whole Of The Moon

It’s fair to say, boygenius’ debut album was highly anticipated. But did you know that it was an Australian producer that helped bring it to life? Catherine Marks was born and bred in Melbourne, but made her way to the UK where she’s been working with everyone from PJ Harvey to Foals, The Killers to, yes, boygenius.

Her work is lauded across the world, winning awards and fans as one of the rare women to celebrated in the field. And while home in Australia for a hot minute, Catherine joined Zan Rowe to Take 5. The magic of what happens when crafting a song or an album can sometimes be intangible, and it’s made up of a million elements that bring music to life. You're invited into her studio to see the big picture of making five extraordinary songs.

• Wolf Alice – Storms 
• The Big Moon – Bonfire 
• Manchester Orchestra - The Silence 
• Roman Lewis - Mindless Town
• boygenius - Not Strong Enough 

In the early 00’s The Streets burst onto the scene. Original Pirate Material was like nothing else around, combining garage beats with everyday stories from a geezer we could all relate to. Mike Skinner wanted to literally push things forward, taking the garage genre in a new direction and using his lyrics to talk about what was really going on inside the hearts and minds of people in the clubs. It struck a chord, and The Streets got a lot of attention.

Over five albums Mike Skinner would tour Australia a whole lot, always playing festivals and always drawing a huge crowd. Then in 2011 he called it a day, releasing his final album and doing his final shows as The Streets. Music stayed in his life though. He threw himself into producing, directing, and most notably DJ-ing, behind the decks instead of out front on stage.

Across his five songs choices we get a snapshot of a kid writing raps in his notebook in a hostel in Sydney. As well as the man today who is older, wiser, more grounded but with plenty of stories to tell. From Johnny Cash to Grim Sickers to Daft Punk, this is The Streets, Taking 5 with Zan Rowe and playing us his songs from then and now.

• Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue
• Snoop Dogg - Serial Killa [Ft. D.O.C., RBX & Tha Dogg Pound] 
• Grim Sickers - Open The Till [Ft. Ghetts & Darker The Shadow Brighter The Light]
• Daniel Bedingfield – Gotta Get Thru This
• Daft Punk - Human / Together / One More Time / Music Sounds Better with You / Stardust (Instrumental) [Live]

Comedian Cameron James loves music. For years he’s been telling his stories through song, ploughing through personal history with a hook and a melody. You would have seen him pop up on funny panel shows, or heard him in hit podcast Finding Drago.

Cameron’s latest comedy show is called Mixtape, and it’s a love letter to the songs that shape our lives. Which is why he’s the perfect person to Take 5. From Silverchair to Gladys Knight & the Pips, settle in for some ripper stories and the art of the mixtape.

• Silverchair – The Greatest View
• Iggy Pop – Candy
• New Radicals – You Get What You Give
• Gladys Knight & the Pips – Midnight Train To Georgia
• Tyler, the Creator – See You Again

Zoë Coombs Marr has been making us laugh for years. You might have seen her doing award winning stand up comedy, often doing meta shows that twist our brains. Maybe you caught her alter ego Dave, or have seen Zoë pop up on The Weekly, The Project and watched her brilliant 3 part series Queerstralia.

Zoë is one of my favourite creators; she always keeps me guessing with what she’ll do next, and she always does it differently to everyone else.

Her 2024 comedy show seems to be her most personal to date, cos it’s her story. “Every Single Thing In My Whole Entire Life” will see her dig through it all, on stage across Australia. It’s an idea that lends itself well to a soundtrack, which is why I asked her to Take 5. From Elaine Stritch to Yothu Yindi to Romy, this is a funny and glorious conversation about life itself.

• Yothu Yindi - Treaty 
• Elaine Stritch - Are You Having Any Fun 
• The Lemonheads - The Outdoor Type 
• Hot Chip - Bath Full of Ecstasy
• Romy - Enjoy Your Life