In the Thermopylae of modern life, occasionally you encounter someone who is beyond a journeyman, way past a Renaissance man. In fact, George Hrab has gone straight through the Renaissance, leapt over the Napoleonic Wars, and now has his head currently right up the Jazz Age.

I first met and listened to George Hrab in 2010 when he was still a teenager. His podcast, The Geologic Podcast, once you get over the fact he never once mentioned, uh, igneous rocks, it’s actually a pretty good bath time listing. His latest funk fest of an album, Terpsichore, despite being named after the Olivia Newton John character in Xanadu, has not one single reference to roller skating.

Terpsichore album cover. Possibly not George Hrab’s tootsies.

Maynard: In fact, there is a mystery about your album that you’ve deliberately put in there. There’s a secret involved.

George: There is, there’s a little bit of a puzzle throughout my history of listening to records and you always get these myths and these urban legends arise. Did Pink Floyd consciously synchronize Dark Side of the Moon with The Wizard of Oz? Because when you put those two on at the same time, a lot of interesting coincidences happen.

Was this foreplanned? Was it on purpose? Usually the answer is no. So I wanted to have something not quite as trippy as that, but I wanted to have something incorporated into the album that was a purposeful kind of puzzle. So far, only one person has figured it out.

M: Well, you can jump that number up to two because I have figured it out, George.

G: Have you?

M : First I thought, okay, it’s something about the time signature in the linking rhythms between the tracks. Then I thought, no, it’s obvious. You’ve basically redone Duran Duran’s Rio album.

G: I can’t answer if you’re right or not, you know, I don’t want to give it away to the audience, but that’s a damn good answer. That’s a damn good answer…

“Very smart people being very silly is incredibly appealing to me.” – Geo

George Hrab in the nudie. From the cover of his Interrobang album, 2005. Still a hottie today.

George’s album at Bandcamp

George Hrab’s podcast

George’s YouTube channel

Last time George was on the show Bond, Bee Gees und more

The post George Hrab is a dancin’ fool. appeared first on Planet Maynard.

Australia’s Coldest 100 returns for 2024 this Saturday 27th January with @ozkitsch presenting 100 tunes you won’t find easily anywhere on any continent.

Just look at this list of artists that Andrew Sholl has curated that you’ll never again see on the same list. This is Andrew’s eighth Coldest 100 and he doesn’t see Farnham clips running out anytime soon.

The 2024 Coldest 100 brings you Barnsey, Alexander Downer, Tiny Tim, Cilla Black and a rubber chicken.

If that isn’t enough to incite your antipodean awkwardness, well, bugger ya.

After all, anyone can put together a list of the latest good songs. It takes a certain kind of expert like Andrew Sholl to put together 100 songs of Australian musical hoo-haa for 8 years in a row now.

This is a version of You Are The Voice you may enjoy, or not…

Andrew Sholl

It will all be going down from 10am Saturday 27th January on X and Instagram @Ozkitsch Andrew Sholl shows no sign of ever stopping his annual festival of Aussie awkwardness. So lean into it.

.

Look and listen to The Coldest 100 2020

Look and listen to The Coldest 100 2021

Maynard plays you some video clips from The Coldest 100 2022

Maynard plays you some video clips from The Coldest 100 2023

Muppets with their Kangaroo. This family is chuffed with their new Jimmy Barnes alarm clock

The post Australia’s Coldest 100 – 2024 appeared first on Planet Maynard.

Here’s the audio version of the Xmas show this year. To enjoy the full immersive cheapo experience, watch the show on the previous page. But enjoy both, it’s Shatmas.

A Very Maynard Xmas is the highlight of the year for people who don’t get out a lot. It’s just like an old style Xmas variety show, but without the style, or the show.

Our guests dropping by this year include Tim Ferguson getting a surprise gift, Lesley Fountain dancing with a choir, Brigitte Handley hanging out with some creepy German dolls, Christopher Laird eating some sort of donut, Tony Push reading his Bowie inspired Xmas poem, George Hrab becoming a super hero, Rob and Roy Darby supplying some quality original music and other people who should have something better to do at this time of year.

A Very Maynard Xmas 2023 promises you almost an hour of Xmas entertainment that you will only have yourself to blame for. Musically the show has everything from David Essex to The Gibson Brothers and Lulu. Plus a monkey washing a cat.

Tim Ferguson doesn’t seem too keen on the present Maynard got him for Xmas A Very Maynard Xmas 2023 gift. A Golden Girls metal lunchbox Lulu is the performer who will save the day on this year’s A Very Maynard Xmas Tim Ferguson and I let you know what you can expect. You will have trouble describing it yourself.

Watch the video of A Very Maynard Xmas 2023

Watch A Very Maynard Xmas 2022

Watch A Very Maynard Xmas 2021

Watch A Very 2020 Maynard Xmas.

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30 years ago this week, on a Sunday far, far away Sunday Afternoon Fever blasted across the 1993 landscape of Australia on Triple J…

Kirk Pengilly, world famous saxophonist from INXS was my special guest taking questions from live callers Molly, Lance, Rick, Damien, Jenny, Claire (Darwin), Fran (Syd), Melissa (Melb), David, Liz (Melb), Craig, Claire (Manly Vale), Erika, Elaine (Melb), David (Syd), Elvis Presley (Newcastle), Big Dave (Kempsey), Sam, Melissa, Luke, Vanessa and Paul (Brisbane). INXS latest album at the time was Full Moon, Dirty Hearts.

Their questions for Kirk Pengilly range from “What new bands do you like?” (Juice & You Am I) to “Do you remember what happened at the Kempsey RSL that night you supported Richard Clapton in 1980?”. (Let’s just say no bands were allowed there for a few years after the “incident”). Kirk turns up on the show 1 hour 55 minutes in.

INXS with their first single Simple Simon on Simon Townsend’s Wonderworld in 1980.

Listen to INXS at the 1992 Concert for Life, make up your own mind.

Other world altering events that afternoon include Steve in Adelaide forgetting to tape The Late Show last night. Lance & The Hollywood Kids gossiping about George Micheal, Rosanne, Corey Ham, Sharon Stone plus the shocking revelation that Brooke Shields was seen buying a book.

Crappy New Releases from Dr Ektomy and Mario Lanza. While Maynard’s mastermind finds Andrew wiping the floor with all the other contestants to win not only the new Duran Duran album, BUT also a picture of Nick Kershaw.

Always in step with international politics, I put in a call to order some new furniture for Boris Yeltsin. You know, just to be helpful.

I report on the Soloway sisters latest production from the opening night in LA Not Without My Nipples. Starring Janeane Garofalo, who was nice enough to give me a lift back to my hotel. Thanks for that.

Review of Not Without My Nipples in Variety.

But what snappy tunes are on the show Maynard? I hear you ask.

Pet Shop Boys – Normally I Wouldn’t Do This Kind of Thing
Weddings, Parties, Anything – Mondays Experts
Electric Hippies – It’s Cool
General Public – Tenderness
Ren & Stimpy – Happy Happy Joy Joy
Special AKA – Free Nelson Mandela
Mr Floppy – Wuthering Heights
New Order – World
Hoodoo Gurus – The Right Time
Weird Al Yankovic – Jurassic Park
Cocteau Twins – Iceblink Luck
Kate Bush – Eat The Music
Salt N Pepa – Shoop
Tom Jones – It’s Not Unusual
Pet Shop Boys – Go West
Freaky Realistic – Leonard Nimoy
Ice Cream Hands – You Can Smile Now
Prince – Peach
Denis Leary – Asshole
Strange Tenants – Soldier Boy
Weird Al Yankovic – Bedrock Anthem
Radiohead – Creep
Barbara Feldon – 99
Violent Femmes – Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?
Terence Trent D’Arby – Delicate
Juice Masters – Brady Bunch
Miki Howard – Ain’t Nobody Like You
INXS featuring Jenny Morris – Jackson
Donny Hathaway What’s Going On
INXS – Need You Tonight (Ben Liebrand remix)
Guy Delandro – Old Country Lanes
INXS – Simple Simon
Trey Lorenz – Wipe All My Tears Away
Fits Of Gloom – To Love
Yothu Yindi – World Turning
Stan – Suntan
Weird Al Yankovic- Achy Breaky Song
Apache Indian – Boom Shak A Lak
Weird Al Yankovic – Bohemian Polka

So there!!

Watch the claymation video for Weird Al Yankovic’s Jurassic Park

Special thanks to the work of Phil the work experience producer filling in for the day, Justine Lynch and all Triple J in 1993.

The post Sunday Afternoon Fever 17.10.1993 – Kirk Pengilly appeared first on Planet Maynard.

Bunga Bunga 74 answers the eternal question “what is art?” with Tim Ferguson and Maynard. “It’s on the wall you goose”, is the only answer you need.

“Art is problematic Maynard. Let’s face it. It doesn’t fucking go with anything.”

Wendy Harmer

Tim Ferguson has been making art, while Maynard has become a librarian. We find out what fridge magnets have to do with painting as Paul Livingston & Tim go big on the cask wine at their big arty opening at The Sheffer Gallery in Darlington. Hear from Wendy Harmer, Andrew Denton, Gretel Killeen, Russell Cheek and plenty of people who actually know what “outsider art” and “gestural” actually mean.

Come for the insults to an iconic Canadian mammal, stay for Herb Alpert’s maracas in your left ear.

Bunga Bunga 74 is the intersection that proves both Oscar Wilde and Wendy Harmer may be right. You don’t get that every day. But what you do get every day can’t be put on a wall with accent lights. It mightn’t be the Bunga you want, but in these contemporaneous times, it’s the Bunga Bunga you need.

Only 10 minutes after opening and it’s almost packed. Photo: David Art Wales

Have a look at the artworks of Tim Ferguson & Paul Livingston, there are only a few unsold.

Maynard likes this painting. It’s the only one done by both Paul and Tim at the exhibition. Paul talks about his desecration of Tim’s work during the podcast. Paul Livingston artwork. Photo: David Art Wales Tim Ferguson colour drawing of Paul Livingston. Photo: David Art Wales Kylie Minogue relaxes during Bunga Bunga 74 recording. Tim Ferguson and Wendy Harmer take a brief nap during the proceedings.

Details here for the online art contest Tim mentioned at the end of the show from Achieve Australia.

Bunga Bunga 73 was wild!

The post Bunga Bunga 74- Tim Ferguson & Maynard appeared first on Planet Maynard.

30 years to the month after the original broadcast, here’s Sunday Afternoon Fever, Maynard’s Triple J show from a public toilet in Ultimo for no apparent reason with The Andy 500, Rob Clarkson, and Melissa Tkautz. Even Simon Day sticks his head in.

There’s live music in front of a live studio audience. We even get into some True Crime (at 35 minutes) with a heartfelt plea from Simon of Redfern for his stolen trombone. A very emotional moment for all.

“Really big toilet you’ve got here Maynard.”

Simon Day, 11th July 1993 The Andy 500 at The Metro in Sydney.

The Andy 500 dressed up smart and wowed the live audience with their smooth sounds (at around 1 hour 7 minutes). They played four songs including Too Close For Comfort, I Love Your Brain and Touch Me.

Lance of The Hollywood Kids (40 minutes in) goes to the opening of new LA club Babylon and spots Cher, Shannon Doherty, Tori Spelling and James Woods. And you’ll never guess who his dinner date was…..

“Things are getting, really, really WEIRD here Maynard.”

Lance of The Hollywood Kids 11.7.1993 (about 2.49pm)

Melissa Tkautz was about to have a guest stint on Paradise Beach as the resident bitch character. She joins us for a chat (about 1 hour 57 minutes in) and you can imagine how the live audience was wary of a soap star coming on a Triple J show. But a really interesting phenomenon happened as I noted many times in my career. As soon as Melissa entered the studio and talked off air to the audience and was as highly professional as she always is, the crowd fell silent. No smarty bum comments, no looking down their noses at a pop star. It’s as if they realised she was actually talented as well as an actual person. She and Simon Day had a great old chin wag in the green room. She introduces her new single, Is It?

There’s Crappy New Releases (1 hour 50 minutes in), Maynard’s Mastermind Quiz (in which you can win a bow and arrow set to injure the child of your choice) and group Love Boat karaoke. It was a mint afternoon all round.

Join us in this show, the day when Pray by Take That was number one in the UK. In Australia, it was UB40 with Can’t Help Falling in Love. Neither of which are played on this show. But the Triple J feature album is from Paul Westerburg.

You WILL hear music from Matthew Sweet, Def FX, XTC, Straitjacket Fits, Phunk Junkeez and even Jimeoin.

Rob Clarkson with one of his songs he performed live on the show, The Human Equivalent of Penicillin.

Also the regular (very) odd couple segment of Richard Kingsmill dropping in live ( at around 1 hour 35 minutes) to give a hot take on a very early Burt Bacharach tune from his personal collection.

This tape doesn’t even cover all the show. Digital audio tapes were expensive in 1993, but I recorded this myself because Triple J wasn’t (and probably still isn’t) in the business of archiving most of their content.

So, get down in your underpants and pray to the Church of the Funky Chicken. It’s time for Sunday Afternoon Fever, July 11th, 1993.

Thanks to all our studio guests and especially the live studio audience for singing along with the Loveboat Theme.

Special thanks to the very professional Triple J Producer Anne-Maree Sargeant, Justine Lynch, Scott Whyte, all the studio 227 engineering crew and all at Triple J in 1993.

Sunday Afternoon Fever featuring Sultans of Ping FC

Sunday Afternoon Fever featuring Kate Ceberano

Melissa Tkautz with her 1993 single she talked about during the show, Is It?

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30 years to the day after the original broadcast, here’s Sunday Afternoon Fever, Maynard’s Triple J show for no apparent reason with Kate Ceberano, Anthony Morgan, Lance & The Hollywood Kids, Crappy New Releases, Warren Coleman, Richard Kingsmill’s Hot Tip and Getting Your Goat.

Kate Ceberano calls us from her Melbourne sauna to let us know about her upcoming mini tour. She also has a problem with the audience applause audio on her Kate Ceberano & Her Septet album.

“Now I’m giving up smoking, it feels like I’m singing through mucus.”

Kate Ceberano, 4th July 1993 (2.43pm) Lance and John, The Hollywood Kids – Regular gossip reporters on Sunday Afternoon Fever

Lance and the Hollywood Kids segment reports on the hot new sex club in LA and who Whitney is suing this week. Lots of people calling in from around Australia. Bronwyn in Tasmania is using a new fangled mobile phone on a chairlift while Kevin Markwell in Paddington, Sydney has a farting Ren doll he thinks we need to hear. Jose calls in with news that Kate Ceberano’s 1989 Brave album has just been released in Argentina and is selling well.

Melbourne comedy legend Anthony Morgan is back on the stand up circuit after a bit of time away. He’s talking personal poverty and marching bands.

“I’ve had a lot of practice at being poor when I was younger and we thought it was a political statement.”

Anthony Morgan 4th July 1993 (3.41pm)

Join us in this show, the day before Absolutely Fabulous went to air for the first time in Australia. A show that asks the eternal question, “why can’t Dire Straits make music as good as the Magilla Gorilla theme?

Anthony Morgan, Melbourne Comedy Festival 1995

Also the regular (very) odd couple segment of Richard Kingsmill dropping by to give a hot take on the upcoming release from Urge Overkill.

This tape only covers about half the show. Digital audio tapes were expensive in 1993, but I recorded this myself because Triple J wasn’t (and probably still isn’t) in the business of archiving most of their content.

So, get down in your underpants and pray to the Church of the Funky Chicken. It’s time for Sunday Afternoon Fever, July 4th, 1993.

Thanks to all our guests and callers.

Special thanks to the very professional Triple J Producer Anne-Maree Sargeant, Justine Lynch and all at Triple J in 1993.

Maynard at 1992 Melbourne Comedy Festival

Maynard on Foxtel Rewind Aussie Women special

Kate Ceberano on 60 Minutes 1992

The post Sunday Afternoon Fever 4.7.1993 – Kate Ceberano appeared first on Planet Maynard.

30 years to the day after the original broadcast, here’s Sunday Afternoon Fever, Maynard’s Triple J show in all its unlikely glory with Tlot Tlot, Mrs Sinatra, Sultans of Ping FC and Anthony Ackroyd. Set your dial for plenty of 1993 goodness.

“When radio shows were properly and lovingly put together and interviews were entertaining.”

Jane Gazzo 2023

This is very much a regular sounding Sunday Afternoon Fever (SAF) show from my final year at Triple J with mostly contemporary music, plenty of comedy and relatable retro thrown in.

Regular Mrs Fred Sinatra showcases a new pair of purple shorts. Lance and the Hollywood Kids segment reports on the MTV movie awards with Duran Duran, Whitney Houston and Rod Stewart gossip.

Fred and Millie Sinatra

A few King Missile inspired comedy moments turn up with Molly Meldrum Was Way Cool and Detachable Trombone.

My Australian guests on this show are Tlot Tlot, one of my favourite 90s bands, who came into the studio to promote their pistolbuttsatwinkle’atwinkle album which included a guest vocal from Angie Hart. I had witnessed their “reverse stage diving” at their Hobart gig and still stand by my conclusion during this show that they are “the future of Australian music”.

Maynard and Tlot Tlot after the 1993 interview

We enter the confusing world of Sultans of Ping FC. I had been playing them for about a year on import and in 1993 they still hadn’t been released locally. Their drummer Morty McCarthy had phoned into SAF the previous week and after I quizzed him on air as to his identity with Ping trivia questions, I invited him onto the show.

Jane Gazzo called the studio during the show, I gave her his number and they are still great friends to this day. So if this SAF show achieved anything, there is that – and maybe we also convinced Sony to eventually release their music in Australia.

Sultans of Ping FC live in 1993 with Morty on drums

Anthony Ackroyd was fresh off the release of the Yahoo Serious movie Reckless Kelly, and announced his Reckless Ackroyd tour across Australia with Haskel Daniel supporting. We discover where he got those loud shirts from and learn he was “just to big for that movie”.

Anthony Ackroyd embarks upon his Reckless Ackroyd tour

Also the regular (very) odd couple segment of Richard Kingsmill dropping by to give a hot take on the upcoming release from Fishbone.

And this tape only covers about half the show. Digital audio tapes were expensive in 1993, but I recorded this myself because Triple J wasn’t (and probably still isn’t) in the business of archiving most of their content.

So, get down in your underpants and pray to the Church of the Funky Chicken. It’s time for Sunday Afternoon Fever 1993.

Thanks to all our guests.

Special thanks to the very professional Triple J Producer Anne-Maree Sargeant, Justine Lynch and all at Triple J in 1993.

Maynard at 1992 Melbourne Comedy Festival

Maynard on Foxtel Channel V at 2000 Melbourne Comedy Festival

Tlot Tlot with The Girlfriend Song

The post Sunday Afternoon Fever 16.6.1993 – Sultans of Ping appeared first on Planet Maynard.

Brigitte Handley of The Dark Shadows has returned to Australia to let Maynard know what he is missing on German television. Also to remind all of us of the educational value of the work of Falco (even though he was Austrian).

She’s been exploring a new range of sounds there and has been working with Matahari Ranch to produce a full sound and stark video for Köln.

So enjoy a Sour Candy, meet us in the Kylie Minogue park in Glebe and prepare yee for the way of “Schlager”. Careful with your pronunciation of “Klaus Wunderlich”.

It’s great catching up with Brigitte, apparently Dr Who doesn’t translate well into German, but Skippy does?

Tilly Electronics have a new single as well “Tilly Pop”, but that’s a story for another day.

The Dark Shadows – Brigitte Handley, Ned Wu, Carly Chalker

Brigitte Handley’s Bandcamp

As mentioned, check out the lineup at The Sonic Ballroom in Köln

The post Brigitte Handley in Köln appeared first on Planet Maynard.

Bunga Bunga 73 has you wading fearlessly into the intellectual end of the inflatable kiddie pool with Tim Ferguson and Maynard.

You will soon learn your lesson in ethics as topics impetuously covered in this show include comedy, Gumby, cheese, poo and Peter Dutton.

Tim is writing a book, quelling a riot and giving advice to the Prime Minister. Maynard enjoys colourful plasticine.

It’s a great show! Just listen to these two tell you how good a listen it is. Look, cute puppy.

A ringing endorsement from your hosts. Look, cute puppy. Tim Ferguson at home with Daphne the dachshund.

Get along to see Tim Ferguson at Adelaide Fringe this week for the world premiere of his new show Disability Rules!

Bunga Bunga 72 was pretty cool.

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Jon English was a towering professional in the Australian theatre and music world from his first national appearance as Judas in the 1972 production of Jesus Christ Superstar. I first met Jon when he was working on his musical Paris and he dropped in to the Triple J breakfast show a number of times. Always...

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