Have you ever wondered how much the story that we learn as we grow up about what it means to be a man affects our mental health? What about the male suicide rate? Well today we are speaking with internationally acclaimed Australian actor, director, playwright and author Brendan Cowell. The driving force behind Brendan’s prolific creative output galvanised during his formative years growing up in an environment where male suicide was a regular part of “life”... In this episode, we unpack a new cultural narrative - and how Brendan is using stories to heal a wound…
Brendan Cowell is a writer, director, actor, playwright and musician who has made a life out of exploring these topics, and he has been incredibly successful at it to boot. In 2008 Brendan wrote a smash hit play RUBEN GUTHRIE, which then became a film of the same name. He wrote and starred in a number of episodes for the multi award winning series THE SLAP and for the acclaimed Foxtel TV series LOVE MY WAY. Brendan appeared in Game of Thrones as Harrag the Ironborn - and will also be in the next two AVATAR films soon to be released, as Mick Scoresby, captain of a large-scale marine hunting vessel on Pandora. Yeah - not bad at all. Brendan’s second book PLUM just came out in September 2021.
Brendan grew up in the Sutherland Shire on the southern side of Sydney in a land of “green lawns and healthy labradors, beautiful beaches, sunshine, football teams, boats and white people operating on a joyous Christian level eating salad sandwiches”. This same place was also characterised by the highest rate of male youth suicide in the country, during which time at the age of 21 Brendan’s best mate took his own life with a gun.
This experience, and the environment and circumstances in which it took place, had a massive impact on Brendan, resulting in a life-long fascination with what it means to be a man in Australia. In this interview I seemed to have been fixated on the notion that as men, we need a new “story / narrative” to follow. Storytellers play a critical role in any society - they provide us with the opportunity to observe and critique, and to laugh at ourselves - and to laugh at the darkness - one of the best ways to get through it. Brendan’s latest book PLUM is a very fine piece of work - it’s very entertaining - funny, sad, insightful, but for me most of all it pairs two traditionally distinct worlds - the kind and compassionate artist, and the meathead jock.
At the end of the interview - Brendan does a reading from PLUM. It’s amazing, he’s unreal - and I feel incredibly fortunate that such a creative powerhouse shared so much of his time, insight and passion on the show. I hope you feel the same way too. We join the interview with Brendan updating the traditional Australian male definition of courage.
Thank you for tuning in, and I hope you enjoy the show.
-~~-
Links from the show:
- Brendan’s Instagram to buy his new book "PLUM"
- You can find six of Zadie Smith's critically acclaimed, and wonderfully human essays about lockdown in her book "Intimations”
-~~-
Do you agree that reaching out for help when we need it, making decisions with the input of others, and sharing what’s rolling around between our ears with others is a needed cultural shift for men? Do you think our show supports this shift? If so, then please take a moment to review us on Spotify, Apple podcasts or Podchaser for the sake of promoting the show to others. Reviews and ratings really work!
Support the show
