Conversations: Art & Passions

Iconic Australian musician, actor, youth advocate and charity ambassador Angry Anderson has died at the age of 79.

Angry spent 50 years in the music industry with his legendary rock band, Rose Tattoo, and the band was due to return to the stage this month for another Australian tour.

But Angry was much more than a raging rock n' roll animal.

He was an incurable romantic, despite his violent childhood in Melbourne. 

He was a loyal, devoted father of four, and Angry was always a friend to the little guy.

You can read more about Angry Anderson's remarkable life at the ABC News website.

Originally broadcast in January 2007.

Angry's youngest son, Liam Anderson, died in 2018.

This episode of Conversations explores Australian music, celebrity deaths, cardiac arrest, Obituaries, fatherhood, childhood abuse, pub rock, Countdown, musical controversies, Sharpies, modern fatherhood, substance abuse, television, Australian television, Kylie Minogue, Neighbours, Ray Martin, politics, Australian icons, Australian legends, Australian kitsch, RIP Angry Anderson.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Growing up Lisa Henson and her siblings spent a lot of time in their father's workshop and studio, watching puppets get drawn, sculpted and brought to life.

Jim Henson first started messing around with puppets as a teenager, and not long afterwards he began collaborating with his wife Jane. 

Together they founded Muppets Incorporated.

Puppets became a way for Jim to share his extraordinary imagination with the world, and he went on to become one of the most influential creative minds of the 20th century. 

His legacy includes Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and the movies The Dark Crystal and The Labyrinth.

Jim’s creations, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, and the Cookie Monster remain recognisable and beloved around the world.

Jim Henson died in 1990, but the Jim Henson company is still owned by the family, and his eldest child Lisa is now the CEO.

Further Information 

The Jim Henson exhibition at QAGOMA in Brisbane is on until April 2027

Make, Believe, Magic, The worlds of the of the Jim Henson companyThis episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake and the Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores Jim Henson, Lisa Henson, puppets, The Muppets, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, creativity, puppetry, The Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, television, animatronics. Frank Oz, Sesame Street, children's television,  Sam and Friends, creativity, technology, Jane Henson, Harvard University, England, The Creature Shop

Urzila Carlson grew up in South Africa. Her father threatened the family with a gun when she was 6, and he walked out on the family soon afterwards.

Urzila's mum, who she describes as a 'warrior woman', raised Urzila and her sister.

When she was in primary school, one of Urzila's teachers taught her a big lesson about regret, which has stayed with her for life.

Urzila moved to New Zealand in 2006 to begin working in advertising.

One day a group of her co-workers persuaded her to perform at a local open mic night.

Within a year she had become a professional comedian in Australia and New Zealand.

Further information

Watch Urzila's latest comedy special 

Watch Urzila's TV sketch show on ABC TV

This episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison and the Executive Producer was Pam O'Brien.

It explores South Africa, comedy, family, domestic violence, alcoholism, Afrikaans, racism, violence, home invasion, stand up comedy, confidence, body image, migration, New Zealand, Australia, memoir, siblings.

Louise Adler has been one of the biggest and most controversial names in Australian publishing for decades. This is the story of how she fell in love with the world of books.⁠An asthmatic child, she spent most of Melbourne’s winters in bed with nothing else to do but read novels.

But it wasn't until her parents intervened in Louise's obsession with Enid Blyton’s boarding school series that her deep pleasure in the world of books began in earnest.⁠Shaped by her family's story of surviving World War Two, Louise grew up in questioning everything.

She was 15 years old when she went to her first Vietnam moratorium and was locked up for her role in the protests.⁠

She travelled to Israel at the age of 17, which was a transformative experience for her.⁠⁠Back in Australia, Louise began her career in publishing, backing some unconventional and headline-grabbing authors from Tony Abbott and Mark Latham to Louise Milligan and Mick Gatto.⁠Louise was Director of Adelaide Writers’ Week from 2023, until the dramatic collapse of the 2026 festival.⁠

This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It was recorded live at the Byron Writers Festival.

It explores writing, writers, books, Australian literature, Randa Abdel-Fattah, Israel, Palestine, Anti-Semitism commission, Judaism, WWII, Holocaust survivors, Adelaide Writers Festival, Byron Writers Festival, freedom of speech, Australian literary scene, origin story, Auspol, politics, big ideas, memoir, love, marriage, safe spaces, Grace Tame.

For writer Richard Flanagan, the political belief that white Australians do not belong in this land is wrong and it's damaging any progress we might hope to make as a collective people.

Richard has spent the last 30 years writing award-winning pieces of fiction and non-fiction, tackling the climate crisis, the meaning of art, free speech and the stubborn necessity of hope.

Threaded through all of Richard's writing is a contempt for power and its acolytes, and a great tenderness for human struggle and goodness.

Richard says that while writing novels is an introspective process, and journalistic writing is very much outward-looking, they share the same fundamental purpose - telling the truth.

His latest book is a collection of speeches and opinion pieces that assembled in order to contextualise and define the rest of his oeuvre as fiercely Australian.

Because Richard says the story Australia tells itself as a nation must change, to include all of us as profoundly belonging to its land and history.

For Richard, the political belief that white Australians do not belong in this land is wrong and it's damaging any progress we might hope to make as a collective people.

Heresies is published by Penguin.

This episode of Conversations was recorded live at the Byron Writers Festival in August 2026. It was produced by Jennifer Leake. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores white history, black history, Australian history, Indigenous, non-Indigenous, Aboriginal Australia, writing, books, politics, climate crisis, black arm band view of history, colonialism, settlers, invasion, national identity, bushfires, natural disasters, early onset dementia, incorrect medical diagnosis, monoculture, multiculturalism, One Nation, fedpols, federal politics, Pauline Hanson, First Nations identity, the Voice Referendum.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Gardening Australia's Hannah Moloney on the heartwarming and heartbreaking reasons humans continue to lovingly tend to their gardens — for healing, beauty and joy.

For thousands of years, tending to a garden or a small farm meant human survival. 

But now, with massive commercial farms, genetically modified crops, refrigerated freight and modern irrigation, we don't need to tend to our own gardens to survive.

So why, then, do so many of us still lovingly plant, water and cultivate flowers, fruits and vegetables? Or watch 'lawn porn' to relax?

It's a question that Hannah Moloney has asked thousands of gardeners from around the world.

Hannah is a permaculture educator, landscape designer and the Tasmanian presenter for ABC TV's Gardening Australia. 

Gardening is in Hannah's blood, having grown up in a herb nursery run by her green-thumbed father in the Brisbane suburbs.

For Hannah, gardening remains a lifeline, a way to bond with her family and a joyful act of protest.

Why We Garden is published by Simon & Schuster.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores gardening, hobbies, outdoor activities, mental health, grief gardening, why we like being outdoors, gardening as meditation, the beauty of our gardens, Australian native gardens, vegetable patches, how to grow your own vegetables, fruit trees, family origin stories, losing a parent, pregnancy, motherhood, postpartum depression, gardening for healing, creative inspiration, human history, horticulture, climate change, global warming, food scarcity, food supply, drought, flood, famine, Costa Georgiadis, green thumb, meditation.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

The much-loved actor Sam Neill had an unusual path into acting. Raised in New Zealand as a shy boy with a stutter named Nigel, he was 30 when he got his big break (R) Sam, who has died at the age of 78, was an acclaimed actor, a winemaker, an author, a cancer survivor and a Dad to four children. 

In recent years he had cared for cows, pigs, ducks and horses on his farm in New Zealand while making Pinot Noir.

In his remarkable career as an actor he starred in more than 100 films including Jurassic Park, My Brilliant Career, and The Piano.

A few years ago, stuck in Sydney while undergoing treatment for cancer, Sam found himself with a lot of time on his hands to reflect on his eclectic life.

Sarah spoke to him in 2023 after the release of his quirky, funny and life-affirming memoir.

Further information:

Did I Ever Tell You This is published by Text

Molly's niche career began over a decade ago when she entered a whistling competition on a whim and she now performs all over the world. 

Her music sits somewhere between birdsong and the soundtrack to a film noir.

Born in Sydney, Molly moved to Hollywood as a baby before returning to Australia for high school in Byron Bay. 

Once she realised her talent was more than just a hobby for family and friends, she began performing live with musicians in LA and has collaborated with the likes of Dr Dre, Beck and Karen O. 

Mark Ronson even asked her to whistle on the Barbie soundtrack.

Now Molly is at the centre of a new documentary, Whistle, which follows whistlers from around the world as they prepare for the Masters of Musical Whistling competition.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake, the Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores whistling, music, art, film soundtracks, Hollywood, LA, Byron Bay, whistling competitions, African Grey Parrots, Mark Ronson, Barbie, Alessandro Alessandroni, Ennio Morricone, The Good the Bad the Ugly, Harry Dean Stanton, Cafe Molly, John C Reilly,African Grey Parrots, Mark Lewis

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Dan Rankine (aka 'trials') was the only little Aboriginal boy living in his rural Welsh village when he woke up shaking from a nightmare. That's when he and his mother knew they needed to go home to Adelaide.

Dan is now one of Australia's most respected hip hop producers, writers and rappers.

Born in Adelaide, Dan spent his early years on the other side of the world - in the rolling, green hills of rural Wales - with his mum, who had fled there from Dan's violent father in the middle of the night.

Far from his Ngarrindjeri connections, and with no one around who looked like him, Dan felt isolated.

After an unexplained nightmare, he and his mum decided to move back to Adelaide, where things didn't suddenly become perfect.

But a car crash, which could have been tragic, became an incredible turning point in Dan's life, allowing him to buy his first set of turntables.

And at 16 years old, Dad set himself on the path to becoming 'trials', performing, writing and producing with and for artists like the Funkoars, Hilltop Hoods, Archie Roach and A.B. Original.

Dan has recently stepped out on his own, to release his debut solo album Hendle - something of an origin story, full of honesty, pain and passion.

Hendle is out now. Dan is set to publish an accompanying memoir later this year.

Keep up to date with Dan's music, art and tour dates at on his Instagram page.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer was Eliza Kirsch.

It explores First Nations excellence, substance abuse, family violence, domestic violence, cultural education, blended families, Briggs, Paul Kelly, Gurrumul, childhood trauma, art, expression, alcoholism, fatherhood, love, grief, estrangement, Australian hip-hop, Dune Rats, DZ Deathrays, TV and film soundtrack, systemic racism, justice system, violent crime, art as therapy, painting, memoir, writing, book, sobriety, poetry, Dan Sultan, triple J, Reclaim Australia, Aus Music Month, how to write songs, dark humour, growing up, becoming a man, journalling, self improvement, metaphysical, the Dreaming, belonging, prison, incarceration, beats, NWA, Wu Tang Clan.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

The former Canberra Raiders player on hiding his fantasy reading habits as a kid in Western Queensland, the joy of doing hard things, and how books brought him back from the brink. Warning: Discussion of suicide.

Luke was a sensitive kid, growing up on a cattle station in Western Queensland. 

He loved being transported by fantasy novels — following the quests, battles and magic they offered him.

Luke found release in these books, beyond the hard work and zipped lips of the strong men he saw around him.

Luke didn’t fit into that mould, though he did plenty of work on the farm and loved playing footy. 

The sport helped him find a place to belong in his world.

As a young man, he scored a place in the Canberra Raiders NRL team, and was introduced to the world of gambling.

This quickly spiralled into an addiction, and Luke abused drugs and alcohol to numb the pain of this period.

Despite being at the height of his young life, and earning hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, Luke couldn’t pay for his groceries. He couldn’t put fuel in the car. 

He was spending all his money on betting.

When things hit rock bottom, Luke relied on the strongest, most loving person he knew — his mum.

He understood, somehow, that to get out of the deep hole he was in, he had to find his way back to reading.

Further information

Luke is writing his first two fantasy novels, which will be released in early 2027 under Atria Books Australia, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

If you need someone to speak to, you can always call or chat online with Lifeline on 13 11 14.

This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan. The Executive Producer is Eliza Kirsch.

This episode touches on suicide, gambling, having a flutter, addiction, rehab, love mum, strong mum, single mum, horse racing, the trots, syndicate, racing horse, borrowing money, Newcastle, rock bottom, hitting rock bottom, powerless over addiction, hero's journey, MDMA, cocaine, alcohol abuse, relapse, recovery, non-linear journey, toxic masculinity, self help, sensitive man.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.