🎟️ BUY TICKETS TO OUR MELBOURNE 1,000,000th DOWNLOAD SHOW: https://www.malthousetheatre.com.au/what-s-on/malthouse-outdoor-stage/a-rational-fear/

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John Delmenico, the editor of The Chaser, joins the podcast to discuss his role and the future of the publication. John shares his journey from dropping out of university to becoming a writer for The Chaser and eventually the editor. He talks about the process of writing satire, the challenges of covering politics, and the need for a fresh approach in 2024. John also discusses the revenue model of The Chaser and his experience as a young leader in the media industry.

John has been writing jokes for The Chaser for ages, and if you're one of those people who are terminally online you certainly would have come across his work on Twitter, as well as his fine headlines and articles.

If you like conversations about media, comedy and the craft of making jokes and business of making money from them, this is a great podcast.

Also John shares his unlikely journey from youth stoke victim to punchline king.

Dan

P.S. Melbourne, we'll see you at the live show at the Malthouse Theatre: https://www.malthousetheatre.com.au/what-s-on/malthouse-outdoor-stage/a-rational-fear/

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G’day Fearmongers —

Thrilled to drop our end of the year special 2023 — hosted by Peter Dutton. Sorry, we have to for balance or risk jail in 2024.

We’ve performed in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, and Thursday Island. We won Best Comedy Podcast at the Australian Podcast Awards for the 4th time in a row — AND we hit 1,000,000 downloads last month so we’re putting on a big show to celebrate:

It’s at Melbourne’s Malthouse Theatre and the line up is stacked with ARF favourites including Charlie Pickering, Kirsty Webeck, Sami Shah, Dj Andrew McClelland and the man with the most downloads in Australia Richard Fidler.

🎟️ Buy a ticket now before they’re all sold out.

THANKS RØDE

Thanks to our friends at RØDE Microphones for hooking Lewis Hobba with a brand new RØDEecaster Duo. If you ever think about starting your own podcast or even if you have to do zoom calls from home, it’s worth the investment in some RØDE gear of your own! Buy yours here.

Thanks to everyone who came to gigs, downloaded the show, told their friends about the show, shared on social media, to our Patreon supporters who pay for the show, and to all the comedians, guests and experts who join us, Jacob Round on the teppanyaki timeline — and a special thanks to my love, Kate Holdsworth, who relentlessly writes some of the best jokes for the show when I’m in a panic, and happily endorses this stupid hobby even if it means writing emails in the holidays.

Happy New Fear everyone!

Cheers,

Dan

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🎟️ BUY TICKETS TO OUR 1,000,000th DOWNLOAD LIVE SHOW: https://www.malthousetheatre.com.au/tickets/malthouse-outdoor-stage/a-rational-fear/

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It's tricky times to be a satirical comedian on the world stage right now.

The world is full of sad things, but it's a comedians job to find the catharsis in the contemporary anxiety.

One comedian who is doing that on the toughest of subjects is Matt Lieb.

A progressive jewish person Matt has created online sarcastic persona of the Liberal Zionist who attempts to justify the scale of violence being unleashed upon civilians in Gaza.

 Matt Lieb discusses his use of humour in addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict and the risks involved in speaking out. 

He highlights the challenges of navigating the minefield of criticising Israel and the consequences that individuals face for expressing their opinions. Matt also shares his experiences as a Jewish comedian and the different perspectives he brings to his comedy. 

Throughout the conversation, Matt emphasises the importance of separating criticism of the Israeli government from anti-Semitism and the need for open and honest dialogue on the topic.

The conversation covers various aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including language use, the perspective of Israeli comedians, the impossible situation faced by Israelis, the lack of hope for peace, imagining alternative solutions, and the role of comedy in discussing sensitive topics.

Follow Matt Lieb's work:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattliebjokes/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlieb

It was a super interesting conversation. Speaking of conversations. Richard Fidler from the most downloaded podcast in Australia, “CONVERSATIONS” is joining us for our 1,000,000th download live show which is on sale now.

A Rational Fear is turning 1,000,000 in downloads. Buy a ticket to our 1,000,000th download live show here:

https://www.malthousetheatre.com.au/tickets/malthouse-outdoor-stage/a-rational-fear/

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If you enjoyed this please drop us a review on Apple podcasts:

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🎟️ BUY TICKETS TO OUR 1,000,000th DOWNLOAD LIVE SHOW: https://www.malthousetheatre.com.au/tickets/malthouse-outdoor-stage/a-rational-fear/

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In this conversation, Dan and Lewis interview Wendy Harmer, a comedy legend and former radio host. They discuss the evolution of comedy and radio, the impact of commercial radio, memorable interactions with radio management, and unconventional radio stunts. Wendy shares stories from her time on The Morning Crew and reflects on the cultural significance of the show. They also discuss the changing media landscape and the success of radio hosts like Kyle and Jackie O. Overall, the conversation highlights the unique and influential role of radio in the comedy industry.

Takeaways

• Radio has played a significant role in the evolution of comedy, providing a platform for comedians to showcase their talent and reach a wide audience.
• Commercial radio has undergone significant changes over the years, with comedians becoming a staple on radio shows and management often lacking experience in the medium.
• Unconventional radio stunts and promotions have been a hallmark of the industry, with hosts often pushing boundaries to engage listeners and boost ratings.
• Wendy Harmer's time on The Morning Crew was culturally significant, as she brought a female perspective to radio and helped redefine the role of women in the industry.
• The media landscape has changed dramatically, with the rise of social media and digital platforms providing new avenues for content creation and consumption.

A Rational Fear is turning 1,000,000 in downloads. Buy a ticket to our 1,000,000th download live show here:

https://www.malthousetheatre.com.au/tickets/malthouse-outdoor-stage/a-rational-fear/

Chapters

00:00

Introduction and One Millionth Download Show

02:25

Introducing Wendy Harmer

03:05

The Evolution of Comedy and Radio

05:01

Capturing the Comedy Community

08:07

Finding Your Tribe in Comedy

09:08

The Impact of Commercial Radio

10:10

Memorable Interactions in Radio

12:39

Unconventional Radio Stunts

17:30

The Influence of Radio Management

19:16

The Dash for Cash and Other Stunts

21:53

The Origin of 'Two Strangers and a Wedding'

23:45

The Cultural Significance of The Morning Crew

30:32

The Impact of Wendy Harmer's Radio Career

33:36

The Changing Landscape of Media

36:06

The Success of Kyle and Jackie O

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If you enjoyed this please drop us a review on Apple podcasts:

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Lewis and Dan catch up after winning the Best Comedy Podcast at the Australian Podcast Awards.

Come see the 1,000,000th download show at the Malthouse Theatre February 1st

TICKETS https://www.malthousetheatre.com.au/tickets/malthouse-outdoor-stage/a-rational-fear

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If you enjoyed this please drop us a review on Apple podcasts:

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 A Rational Fear is LIVE at SXSW SYDNEY!

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If you enjoyed this please drop us a review on Apple podcasts:

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G’day Fearmongers,

I’m sure many of you who are comedy fans would have already seen the news that our friend Cal Wilson passed away this week.

Everything everyone says of Cal is right — she’s simply one of the kindest, just and joyful people who worked in comedy. We were all so lucky to be friends with her, we all thought we’d probably have her for quite a few more decades to come.

Here is a short podcast of when she performed on A Rational Fear in 2019 at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

Two other things:

Vote Yes— in Tomorrow’s referendum. Thanks to everyone from A Rational Fear land who chipped into F-Yes. We’ve reached about 2 million people over the 4 weeks we ran our campaign.

SXSW SYDNEY —

If you’re the holder of a SXSW Sydney badge you can come and check out A Rational Fear on stage at the podcast stage 3.30pm October 20th. It’ll be me, Chris Taylor, Lee Constable, Antoinette Lattouf and some other fun people.

That’s it for this week’s podcast newsletter —

Vale Cale Wilson.

Vote yes.

Vome to our SXSW show.

Cheers

Dan Ilic

F-Yes

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G'day Fearmongers,

Last Monday — A Rational Fear performed live on stage at the Thursday Island Bowls Club where we set the table to have a discussion about The Voice and Climate Change.

The maestro of all things arts and culture on TI Diat Alferink produced and performed in the show as well as joined by other First Nations comedians Leon Filewood, Jay Wymarra and Dane Simpson.

This was one of the most fun shows we have ever done. I know I say that after most live shows, but this show had a unique quality. Maybe it was the bowls club, maybe it was because everyone is related to each other, but this show had a sense of community, that we haven’t really experienced. It was like doing a show for your family.

We took the opportunity to talk about The Voice, and the bad actors and misinformation surrounding it, the cost of living on TI, climate change and everyone took an opportunity to bully Lewis Hobba for being white.

The show — you’ll hear — gets more and more raucous as it goes on, and for the community, it was a great opportunity for them to hear discussion about serious topics in a funny way to spark conversation about The Voice and climate change.

We were so lucky to have Aaron Smith join us for the trip to document show. The day of the show we spent running around making sketches to roll out for F-Yes. Which you can see on Instagram / Facebook / TikTok and X

Big thanks go to Diat Alferink. Diat made us feel so special, and welcomed, she even cooked us a post-show meal, that I won’t forget. Also shows like this are not possible without the Patreon and a generous Impact Grant from the team at the The Bertha Foundation.

Please follow A Rational Fear on social media, and F-Yes, and share every piece of content we’re publishing between now and the referendum.

Cheers,

Dan Ilic

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If you enjoyed this please drop us a review on Apple podcasts:

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🤑 CHIP IN TO OUR PATREON https://www.patreon.com/ARationalFear

Here's all the fun stuff you get when you sign up to Patreon.

🎧 Get an ad-free and sponsor free version of the show.

🎟 Get early access and discounts to live shows.

🎥 Get early access to final videos, and draft edits of upcoming videos.

👨🏼‍⚖️ Make show suggestions.

💬 Get a link to the A Rational Fear discord.

If you enjoyed this please drop us a review on Apple podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/a-rational-fear/id522303261

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