SAM PANG IS GOING TO DIE

You know comedian, radio and television presenter, writer and occasional Logies host Sam Pang from - well, everywhere. He's the first to leap in with a witticism (or devastating sledge) when the occasion calls for it, and not shy about naming and shaming those who could use taking down a peg or two. But how do you plan a Dream Funeral for a man who is most comfortable outside the spotlight looking in? 

Sam Pang on HYBPA (IG @HYBPA)

Marieke Hardy Is Going To Die is a podcast made by Marieke Hardy (IG @marieke_hardy).
You can follow at IG @GoingToDiePod

Music by Lord Fascinator (IG @lordfascinator)
Produced by Darren Scarce (IG @Dazz26)
Video edits by Andy Nedelkovski (IG @AndyNeds)
Artwork by Lauren Egan (IG @heylaurenegan)
Photography by Eamon Leggett (IG @anxietyoptions)

With thanks to Amelia Chappelow (IG @ameliachappelow)
Camilla McKewen (IG @CamillaLucyLucy)
and Rhys Graham (IG @RhysJGraham)

Support the show via www.patreon.com/mariekehardy and drop an email to [email protected]

Whilst acknowledging the privilege that comes with having the space to discuss death and mortality, we want to also recognise that discussing these topics can raise some  wounds. Should you wish to seek extra support, please consider the following resources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/online-grief-support-groups

https://www.grief.org.au/ga/ga/Support/Support_Groups.aspx

https://www.headspace.com/meditation/grief

https://www.mindful.org/a-10-minute-guided-meditation-for-working-with-grief/

https://griefline.org.au/get-help/

LA PETITE MORT: MALIA DEWSE IS GOING TO DIE

Why do so many of us resist writing a will until it's too late?

Holistic end-of-life planning is more than formal documents (will and advanced care plan). It reflects our values, interests and the breadth of our lives: emotional housekeeping, end-of-life, our legacy and more. It needs doing before it’s really needed.

A long-held interest in death and dying, as well as both positive and challenging personal experiences with loved ones’ dying and death, drove Malia Dewse to establish Beyond the Will. The service provides a holistic planning approach to the end-of-life. It supports individuals and families to plan before they really need to and identify and prioritise the things that really matter to them.

Malia currently lives and works in Merri-bek with her family and a demanding cat. She loves to cook, eat, garden and plant trees as well as connect with friends and community. She is also currently on the board of Tender Funerals Greater Eastern Melbourne.

Beyond The Will (FB @BeyondTheWill)

Marieke Hardy Is Going To Die is a podcast made by Marieke Hardy (IG @marieke_hardy).
You can follow at IG @GoingToDiePod

Music by Lord Fascinator (IG @lordfascinator)
Produced by Darren Scarce (IG @Dazz26)
Video edits by Andy Nedelkovski (IG @AndyNeds)
Artwork by Lauren Egan (IG @heylaurenegan)
Photography by Eamon Leggett (IG @anxietyoptions)

With thanks to Amelia Chappelow (IG @ameliachappelow)
Camilla McKewen (IG @CamillaLucyLucy)
and Rhys Graham (IG @RhysJGraham)

Support the show via www.patreon.com/mariekehardy and drop an email to [email protected]

Whilst acknowledging the privilege that comes with having the space to discuss death and mortality, we want to also recognise that discussing these topics can raise some  wounds. Should you wish to seek extra support, please consider the following resources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/online-grief-support-groups

https://www.grief.org.au/ga/ga/Support/Support_Groups.aspx

https://www.headspace.com/meditation/grief

https://www.mindful.org/a-10-minute-guided-meditation-for-working-with-grief/

https://griefline.org.au/get-help/

TONY BIRCH IS GOING TO DIE

The brilliant writer and academic Dr Tony Birch was born in inner-city Melbourne, into a large family of Aboriginal, West Indian and Irish descent. An altar boy and exceptional student at his local Catholic primary school, in adolescence, Birch went 'off the rails' as a teenager. He was expelled from two high schools for fighting and found trouble with the police for the same reason. Although somewhat adrift following his expulsions, he remained a voracious reader – once, when he was arrested by police, all they found when they patted him down was a copy of Camus’ The Outsider, which remains his favourite book.

Birch has written a great deal about death and grief, most recently in his 2021 short story collection Dark As Last Night, where he interrogates the death of his brother Wayne. Here, he reads from the collection whilst musing on his own legacy and eventual funeral plans.

Birch has been publishing short stories and poetry regularly since the 1980s, although his first collection, Shadowboxing, only appeared in 2006. Since this, he has published four more collections of short stories and poetry (Father's Day [2009], The Promise [2014], Broken Teeth [2016], and Common People [2017] and two novels (Blood [2011] and Ghost River [2015]).

Among his awards are the Scanlon Prize and the Prize for Indigenous Writing (Victorian Premier's Literary Awards). He has also been shortlisted for the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction (NSW Premier's Literary Awards), the Steele Rudd Award (with both the original Queensland Premier's Literary Awards and the later Queensland Literary Awards), and the Miles Franklin Literary Award.

In 2015, he joined Victoria University as the first recipient of its Dr Bruce McGuinness Indigenous Research Fellowship. His role sits within the Moondani Balluk Academic Unit and is linked to the University’s creative arts and writing programs. He has also taught creative writing at the University of Melbourne for many years.

In 2022, he was appointed as the third Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne, following Richard Flanagan and Alexis Wright.

Tony Birch (IG @Tony_Birch_)

Marieke Hardy Is Going To Die is a podcast made by Marieke Hardy (IG @marieke_hardy).
You can follow at IG @GoingToDiePod

Music by Lord Fascinator (IG @lordfascinator)
Produced by Darren Scarce (IG @Dazz26)
Video edits by Andy Nedelkovski (IG @AndyNeds)
Artwork by Lauren Egan (IG @heylaurenegan)
Photography by Eamon Leggett (IG @anxietyoptions)

With thanks to Amelia Chappelow (IG @ameliachappelow)
Camilla McKewen (IG @CamillaLucyLucy)
and Rhys Graham (IG @RhysJGraham)

Support the show via www.patreon.com/mariekehardy and drop an email to [email protected]

Whilst acknowledging the privilege that comes with having the space to discuss death and mortality, we want to also recognise that discussing these topics can raise some  wounds. Should you wish to seek extra support, please consider the following resources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/online-grief-support-groups

https://www.grief.org.au/ga/ga/Support/Support_Groups.aspx

https://www.headspace.com/meditation/grief

https://www.mindful.org/a-10-minute-guided-meditation-for-working-with-grief/

https://griefline.org.au/get-help/

LA PETITE MORT: CELEBRATING MIKE NOGA

In these special episodes, we celebrate the life of a person who has died via someone who loved them deeply - keeping the memory of them alive through shared recollections, joy and grief.

These conversations can be intensely raw, and many tears are shed. Please move gently as you listen.

TW: Substance abuse, mental health, suicide.

Mike Noga was a singer/songwriter and former drummer of the alt-rock band The Drones - who won the inaugural Australian Music Prize in 2005 for their album Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By. Mike also built a name for himself in the Australian music industry with four critically acclaimed solo albums - Folk Songs (2005), The Balladeer Hunter (2012), KING (2016) and the posthumous Open Fire (2021) which was nominated for the Best Independent Rock Album in the 2022 AIR Awards and one of the best albums of 2022 by NME. He toured extensively both in Australia and overseas during his career, opening for acts such as Spoon, Band of Horses, Mark Lanegan and LOW.

Celebrating him with us is his beautiful sister Ali Noga - a ceramic artist based in nipaluna/Hobart. Her work reveals itself as a quest for meaning and connection in a world that often feels disconnected and occasionally, meaningless, and has been strongly influenced by Mike’s death and grief. It is also an avenue for self-discovery and transformation as she attempts to explore the depths of human consciousness and the ability (or not) to connect with something greater than ourselves. When not getting muddy Ali prefers the company of dogs over humans, particularly her Chihuahua Pedro.

Mike Noga (IG Mike Noga)
Ali Noga (IG AliNogaCeramics)

Marieke Hardy Is Going To Die is a podcast made by Marieke Hardy (IG @marieke_hardy).
You can follow at IG @GoingToDiePod

Music by Lord Fascinator (IG @lordfascinator)
Produced by Darren Scarce (IG @Dazz26)
Video edits by Andy Nedelkovski (IG @AndyNeds)
Artwork by Lauren Egan (IG @heylaurenegan)
Photography by Eamon Leggett (IG @anxietyoptions)

With thanks to Amelia Chappelow (IG @ameliachappelow)
Camilla McKewen (IG @CamillaLucyLucy)
and Rhys Graham (IG @RhysJGraham)

Support the show via www.patreon.com/mariekehardy and drop an email to [email protected]

Whilst acknowledging the privilege that comes with having the space to discuss death and mortality, we want to also recognise that discussing these topics can raise some  wounds. Should you wish to seek extra support, please consider the following resources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/online-grief-support-groups

https://www.grief.org.au/ga/ga/Support/Support_Groups.aspx

https://www.headspace.com/meditation/grief

https://www.mindful.org/a-10-minute-guided-meditation-for-working-with-grief/

https://griefline.org.au/get-help/

MARK WATSON IS GOING TO DIE

Hyperactive, prolific and emotionally generous UK comedy superstar Mark Watson has won numerous awards for his work in standup over the years. Yet with all his success - in television, radio, and as the author of seven (!) novels, with an eighth on the way in 2025 - he's struggled a great deal with anxiety and mental health issues, both publicly and privately. What does a Dream Funeral look like for someone who has lived such a massive life, with some deeply human triumphs and regrets?

TW: Suicide

Mark Watson (IG @WatsonComedian)

Marieke Hardy Is Going To Die is a podcast made by Marieke Hardy (IG @marieke_hardy).
You can follow at IG @GoingToDiePod

Music by Lord Fascinator (IG @lordfascinator)
Produced by Darren Scarce (IG @Dazz26)
Video edits by Andy Nedelkovski (IG @AndyNeds)
Artwork by Lauren Egan (IG @heylaurenegan)
Photography by Eamon Leggett (IG @anxietyoptions)

With thanks to Amelia Chappelow (IG @ameliachappelow)
Camilla McKewen (IG @CamillaLucyLucy)
and Rhys Graham (IG @RhysJGraham)

Support the show via www.patreon.com/mariekehardy and drop an email to [email protected]

Whilst acknowledging the privilege that comes with having the space to discuss death and mortality, we want to also recognise that discussing these topics can raise some  wounds. Should you wish to seek extra support, please consider the following resources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/online-grief-support-groups

https://www.grief.org.au/ga/ga/Support/Support_Groups.aspx

https://www.headspace.com/meditation/grief

https://www.mindful.org/a-10-minute-guided-meditation-for-working-with-grief/

https://griefline.org.au/get-help/

LA PETITE MORT: SISTA ZAI ZANDA IS GOING TO DIE

Every second week on MHIGTD we explore a conversation about mortality and survival with human beings who have skin in the game. And today we're asking the question: what does African philosophy teach us about the eternal nature of life? 

Sista Zai Zanda (Sista Zai/VaChihera) is an Afrofuturist, Poet and Womanist. Sista Zai was born in Harare, Zimbabwe and raised in a large extended family. VaChihera is from the Karanga language group and now lives as a Black African settler on Kulin Nations.

Amongst career highlights, VaChihera is a 2019 recipient of the Neilma Sidney Travel Fund and a recipient of a Melbourne Strategic Scholarship for a PhD in Afrofuturism at the University Of Melbourne. One of her favourite Afrofuturistic philosophies is the ancient belief that no one and nothing dies, we just change form and, sometimes, reincarnate.

Please follow Pan Afrikan Poets Café on Instagram, @papoets. Something delicious is slowly and intentionally brewing at the home of the Afroliterati.

Sista Zai (IG @SistaZai)

Marieke Hardy Is Going To Die is a podcast made by Marieke Hardy (IG @marieke_hardy).
You can follow at IG @GoingToDiePod

Music by Lord Fascinator (IG @lordfascinator)
Produced by Darren Scarce (IG @Dazz26)
Video edits by Andy Nedelkovski (IG @AndyNeds)
Artwork by Lauren Egan (IG @heylaurenegan)
Photography by Eamon Leggett (IG @anxietyoptions)

With thanks to Amelia Chappelow (IG @ameliachappelow)
Camilla McKewen (IG @CamillaLucyLucy)
and Rhys Graham (IG @RhysJGraham)

Support the show via www.patreon.com/mariekehardy and drop an email to [email protected]

Whilst acknowledging the privilege that comes with having the space to discuss death and mortality, we want to also recognise that discussing these topics can raise some  wounds. Should you wish to seek extra support, please consider the following resources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/online-grief-support-groups

https://www.grief.org.au/ga/ga/Support/Support_Groups.aspx

https://www.headspace.com/meditation/grief

https://www.mindful.org/a-10-minute-guided-meditation-for-working-with-grief/

https://griefline.org.au/get-help/

ADAM LIAW IS GOING TO DIE.

As irritatingly clever and kind and funny as he is, it pains me to tell you that chef, TV host and writer Adam Liaw is definitely going to die. But he's okay about it! Sort of, kind of, whenever he actually gives the idea of his own mortality some thought - which isn't often. In this episode, Adam puts his formidable brain to the task of planning his Dream Funeral - discussing legacies passed down via food, updating wills, and whether children should ever be allowed at funerals...

Adam Liaw is a cook, TV presenter and writer based in Sydney, Australia. The winner of MasterChef Australia’s hugely popular second season, Adam’s triumph on the show still remains the #1 most watched non-sporting event in Australian television history. He was born in Malaysia before moving to Australia at a young age, and has lived and worked around the world including Australia, China, Malaysia, New Zealand, India and most recently a 7-year stint in Tokyo, Japan.

Adam currently hosts the primetime food and travel program Destination Flavour on Australia’s SBS network, and is the author of the two cookbooks – Asian After Work and Two Asian Kitchens. He writes a regular column for The Wall Street Journal's Scene Asia and contributes regularly to Australian newspapers and magazines.

Adam is a qualified lawyer and is currently UNICEF Australia's National Ambassador for Nutrition.

Adam Liaw (IG @AdamLiaw)
Facebook (FB @AdamLiawFanPage)

How to write a legally binding will in Australia (here)

Marieke Hardy Is Going To Die is a podcast made by Marieke Hardy (IG @marieke_hardy).
You can follow at IG @GoingToDiePod

Music by Lord Fascinator (IG @lordfascinator)
Produced by Darren Scarce (IG @Dazz26)
Video edits by Andy Nedelkovski (IG @AndyNeds)
Artwork by Lauren Egan (IG @heylaurenegan)
Photography by Eamon Leggett (IG @anxietyoptions)

With thanks to Amelia Chappelow (IG @ameliachappelow)

Support the show via www.patreon.com/mariekehardy and drop an email to [email protected]

Whilst acknowledging the privilege that comes with having the space to discuss death and mortality, we want to also recognise that discussing these topics can raise some  wounds. Should you wish to seek extra support, please consider the following resources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/online-grief-support-groups

https://www.grief.org.au/ga/ga/Support/Support_Groups.aspx

https://www.headspace.com/meditation/grief

https://www.mindful.org/a-10-minute-guided-meditation-for-working-with-grief/

https://griefline.org.au/get-help/

LA PETITE MORT: BEHROUZ BOOCHANI IS GOING TO DIE

Every second week on MHIGTD we explore a conversation about mortality and survival with human beings who have skin in the game. And today we're asking the question: How do you retain your humanity when you've borne witness to some of the greatest atrocities the world has to offer?

Associate Professor Behrouz Boochani graduated from Tarbiat Moallem University and Tarbiat Modares University, both in Tehran; he holds a Masters degree in political science, political geography and geopolitics.

His book, No Friend But The Mountains: Writing From Manus Prison won the 2019 Victorian Prize for Literature in addition to the Nonfiction category. He has also won the Special Award at the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, the Australian Book Industry Award for Nonfiction Book of the Year, and the National Biography Prize. It has been published in 18 languages in 23 countries and is currently being adapted for both stage and screen.

Behrouz was a political prisoner incarcerated by the Australian government in Papua New Guinea for almost seven years. In November 2019 he escaped to New Zealand and now resides in Wellington, NZ.

Behrouz Boochani (IG @BehrouzBoochani)

Marieke Hardy Is Going To Die is a podcast made by Marieke Hardy (IG @marieke_hardy).
You can follow at IG @GoingToDiePod

Music by Lord Fascinator (IG @lordfascinator)
Produced by Darren Scarce (IG @Dazz26)
Video edits by Andy Nedelkovski (IG @AndyNeds)
Artwork by Lauren Egan (IG @heylaurenegan)
Photography by Eamon Leggett (IG @anxietyoptions)

With thanks to Amelia Chappelow (IG @ameliachappelow)
Camilla McKewen (IG @CamillaLucyLucy)
and Rhys Graham (IG @RhysJGraham)

Support the show via www.patreon.com/mariekehardy and drop an email to [email protected]

Whilst acknowledging the privilege that comes with having the space to discuss death and mortality, we want to also recognise that discussing these topics can raise some  wounds. Should you wish to seek extra support, please consider the following resources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/online-grief-support-groups

https://www.grief.org.au/ga/ga/Support/Support_Groups.aspx

https://www.headspace.com/meditation/grief

https://www.mindful.org/a-10-minute-guided-meditation-for-working-with-grief/

https://griefline.org.au/get-help/

MIRIAM MARGOLYES IS GOING TO DIE.

What does planning a Dream Funeral look like for an 82-year-old national treasure (or 'national trinket' as she'd rather be known)? In this extraordinarily broad conversation the actress, writer, and straight shooter unpacks ageing, religion, a complex relationship with her body, losing friends and lovers, and how one should always channel their inner cunt on the appropriate occasions.

MIRIAM MARGOLYES O.B.E. was born in Oxford and read English Literature at Newnham College, Cambridge. She is 
still working in drama and documentaries (she is the Mother Superior in CALL THE MIDWIFE). She has a passion for
Charles Dickens, for radio, for Palestine and is highly outspoken on talk shows, for which she is much in demand.  She
loves Martha Argerich and Cecilia Bartoli. She is a lesbian, a non-believing Jew and an Arsenal fan. She loathes Trump,
Boris Johnson and Modi. She loves India, food, politics and Italy.

Miriam's Facebook (FB Miriam Margolyes)
'O Miriam' book tour dates (here)

Marieke Hardy Is Going To Die is a podcast made by Marieke Hardy (IG @marieke_hardy).
You can follow at IG @GoingToDiePod

Music by Lord Fascinator (IG @lordfascinator)
Produced by Darren Scarce (IG @Dazz26)
Video edits by Andy Nedelkovski (IG @AndyNeds)
Artwork by Lauren Egan (IG @heylaurenegan)
Photography by Eamon Leggett (IG @anxietyoptions)

With thanks to Amelia Chappelow (IG @ameliachappelow)

Support the show via www.patreon.com/mariekehardy and drop an email to [email protected]

Whilst acknowledging the privilege that comes with having the space to discuss death and mortality, we want to also recognise that discussing these topics can raise some  wounds. Should you wish to seek extra support, please consider the following resources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/online-grief-support-groups

https://www.grief.org.au/ga/ga/Support/Support_Groups.aspx

https://www.headspace.com/meditation/grief

https://www.mindful.org/a-10-minute-guided-meditation-for-working-with-grief/

https://griefline.org.au/get-help/

LA PETITE MORT: PETER GOLDSWORTHY IS GOING TO DIE
Every second week on MHIGTD we explore a conversation about mortality and survival with human beings who have skin in the game. And today we're asking the question: What happens when you're a doctor who is diagnosed with a terminal illness?

Novelist and GP Peter Goldsworthy was faced with this specifically life-changing predicament in 2018 when a chance medical check-up revealed a blood cancer diagnosis.

‘My first stray thought: cancer is a gift. I’m lucky to have it. What priceless material for a doctor-writer.’

 Peter has won literary awards across a range of genres, including the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, the FAW Christina Stead Award for fiction, and, together with composer Richard Mills,  the inaugural Helpmann Award for Best New Work for the opera Batavia. His most recent novel is Minotaur, published by Penguin Viking in 2019; his 1995 novel Wish has been reissued in the Text Classics series, his 1988 novel Maestro as an Angus & Robertson Australian Classic, and Honk If you Are Jesus (1992) last year in the Untapped heritage series.  His novels have been widely translated, and adapted for the stage.   He has also written opera libretti for the composers Luke Styles and Graeme Koehne.  Online, his poetry can be read and heard at The Poetry Archive, and read at The Australian Poetry Library and at The Poetry Foundation.

Peter Goldsworthy (author page)
The Cancer Finishing School (available here)

Marieke Hardy Is Going To Die is a podcast made by Marieke Hardy (IG @marieke_hardy).
You can follow at IG @GoingToDiePod

Music by Lord Fascinator (IG @lordfascinator)
Produced by Darren Scarce (IG @Dazz26)
Video edits by Andy Nedelkovski (IG @AndyNeds)
Artwork by Lauren Egan (IG @heylaurenegan)
Photography by Eamon Leggett (IG @anxietyoptions)

With thanks to Amelia Chappelow (IG @ameliachappelow)
Camilla McKewen (IG @CamillaLucyLucy)
and Rhys Graham (IG @RhysJGraham)

Support the show via www.patreon.com/mariekehardy and drop an email to [email protected]

Whilst acknowledging the privilege that comes with having the space to discuss death and mortality, we want to also recognise that discussing these topics can raise some  wounds. Should you wish to seek extra support, please consider the following resources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/online-grief-support-groups

https://www.grief.org.au/ga/ga/Support/Support_Groups.aspx

https://www.headspace.com/meditation/grief

https://www.mindful.org/a-10-minute-guided-meditation-for-working-with-grief/

https://griefline.org.au/get-help/

GEN FRICKER IS GOING TO DIE.
In 2018, radio host, comedian and writer Gen Fricker's life changed dramatically after an assault in the workplace - which made her reassess her own mortality and existence up to that point. In this Dream Funeral episode, Gen interrogates the Maori grief ritual of Tangihanga, ruminates on what she wants to leave behind as her legacy, and uncovers a slightly NSFW personal collection stashed away by her dead grandfather...

TW: Assault

Gen Fricker (IG Gen Fricker)
'Forever' at MICF (Forever)

Marieke Hardy Is Going To Die is a podcast made by Marieke Hardy (IG @marieke_hardy).
You can follow at IG @GoingToDiePod

Music by Lord Fascinator (IG @lordfascinator)
Recorded by James Milsom (IG @JamesMMilsom)
Additional production by Darren Scarce (IG @Dazz26)
Video edits by Andy Nedelkovski (IG @AndyNeds)
Artwork by Lauren Egan (IG @heylaurenegan)
Photography by Eamon Leggett (IG @anxietyoptions)

With thanks to Amelia Chappelow (IG @ameliachappelow)

Support the show via www.patreon.com/mariekehardy and drop an email to [email protected]

Whilst acknowledging the privilege that comes with having the space to discuss death and mortality, we want to also recognise that discussing these topics can raise some  wounds. Should you wish to seek extra support, please consider the following resources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/online-grief-support-groups

https://www.grief.org.au/ga/ga/Support/Support_Groups.aspx

https://www.headspace.com/meditation/grief

https://www.mindful.org/a-10-minute-guided-meditation-for-working-with-grief/

https://griefline.org.au/get-help/