The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

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   Number 1: Take 5 with David Byrne

   David Byrne is a music icon. With Talking Heads, or his many wild collaborations, and as an acclaimed solo artist, he's continually pushed the boundaries of sound, crafting some of the most iconic live performances of our time. Over five decades, he's never stopped asking why. His curiosity has driven an extraordinary creative life that stretches way beyond music: on canvas, in writing, filmmaking, composing musicals. He's even designed bike racks. From hearing Bob Dylan's mysterious words on a tiny radio and discovering James Brown's interlocking grooves, to forming Talking Heads at the Rhode Island School of Design and moving to New York's CBGB scene, Byrne has always followed his curiosity wherever it leads. He wrote his very first song, "Psycho Killer," as a test to see if he could write one at all, and it became an instant classic. His collaborations read like a who's who of music history: Brian Eno, Arthur Russell, Parliament-Funkadelic, and even Celia Cruz. His 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense with Jonathan Demme remains one of the most celebrated live performances ever captured. And decades later, he's still rearranging his classic songs, finding new meaning in them, sometimes discovering, as with "Life During Wartime," that they feel more real and more close than ever. This episode was filmed for Season 5 of Take 5 with Zan Rowe in a recording studio in Sydney while David Byrne was in Australia touring over the 2025/26 summer. He was jubilant, fascinating, and so generous in exploring his huge life across five songs. As a lifelong DB fan, the theme was clear: curiosity. And as David himself says, the answers don't come in the songs. They come in the live shows, in how we perform and how we are with one another. David Byrne's song choices:James Brown - 'Get On the Good Foot'Joubert Singers - 'Stand On The Word' (Larry Levan mix)Celia Cruz - 'Cucala'James Blake - 'The Wilhelm Scream'Caetano Veloso - 'Tropicalia'00:00 Introduction: A Lifetime of Asking Questions 02:01 Meet David Byrne: Icon, Collaborator, Polymath 02:33 Extended Cut. Watch on ABC iview 02:55 The Theme: Curiosity and the Songs That Spark It 03:25 A Tiny Radio, The Byrds, and the Mysterious Words of Bob Dylan 04:45 James Brown: 'Get On the Good Foot' 05:09 Interlocking Puzzles: "I Treat Every Instrument as a Percussion Instrument" 05:34 The Social Metaphor of Funk. A Penny Drop Moment Decades Later 07:12 First Time Seeing James Brown Live: The Dancing Women Who Weren't Singing 08:37 Art School and Music as a Hobby: "Don't Get Your Hopes Up" 09:23 Rhode Island School of Design: Meeting Chris Frantz 09:52 Putting a Band Together and Writing the First Songs 10:39 Why Write Songs at All? "Just to See If You Could" 11:04 Writing "Psycho Killer" as a Test. And People Liked It 11:31 "Check That Box. I Can Write a Song." 12:12 Influences: James Brown, Disco, Bowie, and the Velvet Underground 12:54 Moving to New York: CBGB, Television, and Patti Smith 13:47 MTV and "Once in a Lifetime": Going Back to Art School for Music Videos 14:26 Joubert Singers: 'Stand On The Word' (Larry Levan mix) 14:53 Gospel in a Disco Club: The Shared Transcendence of Dance and Church 16:31 Hearing Talking Heads in the Clubs: "We've Been Validated" 17:11 My Life in the Bush of Ghosts: When the DJ Picked It 18:00 Losing Yourself: The Body Perceives Music Before the Mind 19:25 Trust and Surrender on the Dance Floor 20:01 Celia Cruz: 'Cucala' 20:41 The Latin Club Down the Street from CBGB 21:06 Dance Music Played Live: Salsa, Hips, and Sensuous Rhythms 21:56 Celia Cruz's Voice: "It Cuts Through Everything" 22:36 A Pinch-Yourself Moment: Recording a Song with Celia Cruz 23:12 Different Worlds: Spangly Outfits, Huge Hairdos, and Skinny Jeans 23:50 Collaborators Expanding: Arthur Russell's Cello Arrangement of "Psycho Killer" 24:44 Adding Parliament-Funkadelic Members: The Universe Keeps Growing 25:23 James Blake: 'The Wilhelm Scream' 26:03 Minimalism: "You Don't Have to Keep Piling Everything On" 26:51 Brian Eno vs. James Blake: Learning to Strip Things Down from a Song 27:18 Seeing James Blake Live and Discovering He's "a Great Singer" 27:43 James Blake the Producer: Pulling Things Apart and Stitching Them Back Together 27:58 Stop Making Sense: Showing the Audience How the Sausage Is Made 28:20 "You're Playing to Tracks, Aren't You?" Proving It's All Live 28:45 Breaking a Song Apart Onstage: One Instrument at a Time 29:09 Wireless Instruments and Witchcraft 29:21 Caetano Veloso: 'Tropicalia' 30:27 Caetano Celebrating Everything: "We Can Say Yes to All These Things" 30:50 A Mentor Who Keeps Evolving: "I Want to Be Able to Do That" 31:59 Political Messages in Flower Language: Getting Ideas Past the Censors 32:35 Learning from Caetano and Celia Cruz: Protest Songs Don't Have to Shout 32:58 "Years Ago, I Was an Angry Man" 33:31 Rearranging the Old Songs: They're Recognisable, But the Meaning Changes 33:57 Playing "Life During Wartime" Today: "It Seems Too Real, Too Close" 34:46 Licensing News Footage: "It Takes Your Breath Away" 35:17 Songs That Evolve Personally and Globally. Communion in Concert 36:32 What an Absolute Joy: David Byrne Across Five Songs 36:56 Next Time: Jacinda Ardern 37:31 Season 5 of Take 5 with Zan Rowe. Stream on ABC iview This episode was filmed for season 5 of Take 5 with Zan Rowe on ABC TV and ABC iview. You can stream the whole season on ABC iview now. Watch this episode of Take 5 on ABC iview: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/take-5-with-zan-rowe

   September 10, 2026·39min
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   Number 2: Take 5 with Jacinda Ardern

   Jacinda Ardern is a history-maker. As Prime Minister of New Zealand at 37, she became only the second woman in the world to give birth while in office. But it was her leadership style that defined her time at the top, leading with empathy and kindness in the face of back-to-back tragedies, and showing the strength of coming together. From growing up in small-town New Zealand singing country and western duets with her sister at the local community hall, to raging to Smashing Pumpkins in her first car with a discman plugged into the cassette deck, Ardern's musical taste has always been eclectic and deeply personal. She's the teenager who loved alternative music and heavy metal while being a dedicated student rep raised in the Mormon faith, and the world leader who chose a drum and bass track as her walk-on song. Her career path was never straightforward. She ran from the possibility of becoming a politician, buying a one-way ticket to New York to escape the suggestion she should run for office. But a sense of responsibility (what she calls her "oversized sense of duty"), kept pulling her back. In 2017, everything changed in a single year: a by-election, deputy leadership, then the top job itself, all while secretly pregnant. She led her country through the Christchurch mosque shootings, the Whakaari White Island eruption, and a global pandemic, all while insisting that being human is not a weakness. This episode was filmed for Season 5 of Take 5 with Zan Rowe at the Australian Chamber Orchestra's studios on Sydney Harbour. Jacinda caught the ferry to the location, rolling up without any entourage, proving just how down-to-earth she is. She was candid, emotional, and generous in exploring her extraordinary life across five songs. The theme that emerged was clear: optimism as a courageous act, and the enduring power of being useful. Jacinda Ardern's song choices: Smashing Pumpkins - 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings'Fat Freddy's Drop - 'Wandering Eye'Cat Stevens - 'Peace Train'The Mountain Goats - 'This Year'Shapeshifter - 'Stars'00:00 Introduction: Jacinda Ardern Made History 00:54 "They Are Us": Leading with Empathy and Kindness 01:04 Filming Take 5 with a Former PM 01:56 Extended Podcast Edit: The Most Eclectic Song List of the Season 02:02 Childhood in Rural New Zealand: The Record Player at Home 02:26 Roy Orbison, ABBA, and Parents' "Slightly Different Era" Taste 03:02 The Country and Western Club: Every Friday Night at the Community Hall 03:26 Singing Duets with Sister Louise: "She's the One Holding the Microphone" 04:03 "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" and the Christmas Special 04:58 Sister's Pop vs. Her Alternative: Cypress Hill, Rage Against the Machine 05:11 Smashing Pumpkins: 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings' 05:53 Growing Up in Morrinsville: Dairy Farms and $20 a Week at the Fish and Chip Shop 06:02 The Discman in the Car: Cassette Adapters and Judder Bars 06:39 The Multi-Change CD Player: "The Most Exciting Thing" 07:02 The Walkman and Sister Louise: "I've Never Gotten Over It" 07:44 Playing Every CD to Death: "You Valued Every One" 08:01 Teenage Angst: Rage Against the Machine, Metallica, Pantera, Nine Inch Nails 08:21 Smashing Pumpkins: "Both the Lyrics That Spoke to Teenage Angst and Great Music" 08:52 Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness: A Double Album for the Multi-CD Player 09:15 "Despite All My Rage, I'm Still Just a Rat in a Cage" 09:29 An Earnest Teenager: Raised in Religion, Student Rep, Working Hard 10:13 Not a Headbanger: "My Mother Would've Taken Me to a Chiropractor" 10:44 Parents Respected Their Own Musical Taste and Belief Systems 11:26 Born in Hamilton, Then Murupara: First Observations of Poverty and Inequality 12:00 "A Place That Made Me Quite Political" 12:29 Writing the Book: How Do You End Up in Politics? 12:48 "All of It Contributes to How You Come to Be the Person You Are" 13:15 The Kinship Between Australia and New Zealand 13:44 Empathy and Awareness: Seeing What Affects People 14:17 Father the Policeman: "Power as a Responsibility" 14:40 "Being Useful Is a Driving Force" 15:04 Fat Freddy's Drop: 'Wandering Eye' 15:13 Moving to Wellington in the Early 2000s 15:46 Sworn In as PM: Fat Freddy's Drop Playing on Parliament Steps 16:08 Carpooling on a Bus Instead of Crown Cars 16:33 "Sitting at the Base of the Steps, Just Playing for Us" 17:00 A Full Circle Moment: Unexpected PM, Secretly Pregnant 18:29 First Job in Parliament: Interning in Wellington 18:57 "I Couldn't Possibly Be a Politician" 19:36 People Identifying the Leader in Her Before She Did 20:22 The Beehive: Flatting and a Normal Life in Her 20s 21:06 Still a Practicing Mormon in Her Early 20s 21:25 Cognitive Dissonance: Progressive Politics and the Church 21:50 Campaigning for Equality on Saturday, Church on Sunday 22:02 Leaving the Church: "Something Had to Give" 23:08 Running from Politics: A One-Way Ticket to New York 23:36 London, Then Coming Back to New Zealand 23:55 "Two Dueling Wolves": Imposter Syndrome vs. Responsibility 24:18 Putting Herself Forward: "Turns Out I Was Wrong" 24:42 2017: Everything Happened in One Year 24:47 By-Election, Deputy Leader, Then Leader Nominated 25:28 Waiting for Winston Peters: Finding Out on the 6pm News 25:39 Secretly Pregnant During Coalition Negotiations 27:27 Malcolm Turnbull Calling to Congratulate 27:49 Cat Stevens: 'Peace Train' 28:11 Mrs. Bean's Class: Bursting Into Tears as a Child 28:55 Yusuf Islam Coming to New Zealand After the March 15 Terror Attack 29:30 Peace Train at the Memorial Service: "A Song of Hope in Hard Times" 30:00 Feeling the Same Way as a Child and as an Adult 31:18 Has Hope Always Led You Through Your Life? 31:35 Ernest Shackleton: "Optimism Is True Moral Courage" 32:10 Actively Choosing to Be an Optimistic Person 33:13 The Christchurch Mosque Shootings: Finding Out in Bits 34:01 Frustration and Anger: "A Manifesto of Hate" 34:47 "Simply a Human Response": Why Emotion Isn't Weakness 35:56 Learning from the Muslim Community: "They Opened Their Arms" 37:25 "A Sadness I'll Carry for the Rest of My Life" 37:42 Processing Grief: "I'll Never Set That Down" 38:21 The Mountain Goats: 'This Year' 38:39 The Song of the Year Tradition 39:18 "I Am Gonna Make It Through This Year If It Kills Me" 40:09 Keeping the Faith in Opposition: Purpose and Team Cohesion 41:19 Christchurch, Whakaari, COVID: "It Was Relentless" 42:52 Car Time Was Solo Time: Losing That as Prime Minister 44:04 Elton John's "Still Standing" and the Earthquake on Live TV 44:56 "The Universe Has to Let Up at Some Point" 45:02 Knowing It Was Time to Go 45:43 "Nothing Left in the Tank" 46:03 Not "Spending More Time With Family": The Language of Leaving 46:54 "I Am Human. Politicians Are Human." 47:33 The Emotional Announcement: "Got the Words Out in the End" 47:36 That Night After Stepping Down 48:11 Eventually Feeling Free: "It Takes a While" 49:04 "You Can Be in Politics and Also Be Kind" 49:10 Shapeshifter: 'Stars' 49:33 Drum and Bass Walk-On Song at the Labour Party Conference 50:46 Bonding with Clarke Over Shapeshifter 51:17 Seeing Shapeshifter During COVID New Year's: Joy and Responsibility 52:06 The Coffee Date with Clarke: Surprising Each Other 53:17 The Prime Minister Documentary: "We're Very Normal People" 54:55 Adapting the Memoir for Young Adults 56:10 "15-Year-Old Jacinda Would Be Very Surprised. But I Think She'd Be Proud." 56:24 Life in Sydney: Climate Change, AI Safety, and Empathetic Leadership 57:32 Making a Playlist for Her Niece: "I'm Absolutely Stuck in the 1990s" 57:37 Thank You and Goodbye 58:29 Zan's Wrap-Up: The Only World Leader with Drum and Bass as a Walk-On Song 58:44 Filmed at the ACO Studios on Sydney Harbour 59:10 Next Time: Lainey Wilson 59:55 Season 5 of Take 5 with Zan Rowe. Stream on ABC iview This episode was filmed for Season 5 of Take 5 with Zan Rowe on ABC TV and ABC iview. You can stream the whole season on ABC iview now. Watch this episode of Take 5 on ABC iviewhttps://iview.abc.net.au/show/take-5-with-zan-rowe

   September 17, 2026·1h 1min
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   Number 3: Take 5 with country music superstar Lainey Wilson

   Lainey Wilson is a force of nature. Raised in the tiny farming town of Baskin, Louisiana (population 170) she grew up between corn fields and country radio, where music wasn't a genre but a way of life. From writing her first song at nine years old to hauling a camper trailer to Nashville at 19, her path to becoming one of country music's biggest stars was anything but overnight. It took a decade of hustle, a Hannah Montana wig, and an unshakable belief that if she could just get one opportunity, she could do the rest. Now she's selling out arenas across the world, winning back-to-back CMA Entertainer of the Year awards, starring in Yellowstone, and counting Dolly Parton as a friend who called her "sister." Through it all, her southern charm and small-town values remain her compass; ride horses, sit on the front porch with your dogs, and never forget who you are. This episode was filmed for Season 5 of Take 5 with Zan Rowe. Lainey was warm, funny, and generous in sharing her extraordinary journey across five songs. The theme that emerged was clear: staying grounded is a choice you make every day, and being yourself is the bravest thing you can do. Lainey Wilson's song choices: Mel McDaniel - 'Louisiana Saturday Night'Lee Ann Womack - 'I Hope You Dance'CCR - 'Lookin' Out My Back Door'Brothers Osborne - 'I'm Not For Everyone'Tim McGraw - 'Humble and Kind'00:00 Introduction: "If Dolly Parton Believes in Me, Then I'm Fine" 00:24 From Yellowstone to CMA Entertainer of the Year: "Cowgirl of the Night" 00:52 "If You Tell All Your Business, You Ain't Got None": Lainey's Daddy's Wisdom 01:06 Filming Take 5: Songs That Keep Her Grounded 01:26 Growing Up in Baskin: Music as a Lifeline to the Outside World 01:48 "I Wanna Make People Feel That Way": The Power of a Three-and-a-Half Minute Song 01:55 Where Did Your Passion Come From? Daddy's Guitar, Mama Singing in Church 02:22 "Country Wasn't a Genre, It Was a Way of Life" 02:44 First Song: Mel McDaniel, 'Louisiana Saturday Night' 03:06 Baskin, Louisiana: Population 170 03:30 "You're Either Helping Your Daddy in the Field or Sitting Around a Table Telling Stories" 03:47 Farming and Music: "A Storm Could Roll Through and Wipe It All Away" 04:17 Sowing Seeds With Faith: Farming as Metaphor for a Music Career 04:33 "My Brother Bill and My Other Brother Jack": Feeling Like They Were Singing Your Story 04:54 "Redneck People Say Things Kind of in a Backwards Way" 05:15 The Beauty of the Everyday: A One-Eyed Dog and a Single-Shot Rifle 05:33 The People of Baskin: "I Will Give You the Shirt Off My Back" 05:50 Moving to Nashville: Finding Your Village of People 06:11 A Louisiana Saturday Night: Drive-Through Daiquiris and Backyard Bonfires 06:55 "As Long as You Don't Poke the Straw Into the Cup" 07:18 "Dance in the Kitchen Till the Morning Light" 07:47 Did You Know You Had Talent? "I Knew I Needed to Believe It" 08:18 Writing Songs at a Sleepover and Singing A Cappella to Mama 08:35 Mama as Sounding Board: Songs in the Bathroom at 11 Years Old 08:52 "I Had to Believe It First, Then the People Around Me Started Believing" 09:24 Nine Years Old in Nashville: "This Feels Like Home" 09:42 "I Just Knew It": A Calling Discovered on the Interstate 10:04 Writing About Tequila and Cigarettes at Nine 10:18 Finding Her Own Voice: "The Songwriting World Was Getting Bigger" 10:37 "Every Song I Write, I'm Finding More of My Voice": 5,000 Songs and Counting 10:55 Songwriting as Therapy: "Let Me Dump This on You" 11:05 Learning About the World Through Other People's Shoes 11:26 First Performance: Kindergarten Graduation Dressed as a Butterfly 12:09 The Cherry Incident: "I Spit It Into My Granny's Hands" 12:27 "I Should've Known This Was Gonna Be a Shitshow" 12:43 The Hannah Montana Impersonator: Five Years of Birthday Parties 13:04 "This Is My Moment": Volunteering in Eighth Grade 13:29 "It Spread Like Wildfire": Touring Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas 13:49 Opening as Lainey Wilson Before Becoming Hannah Montana 14:06 "Ain't Nobody Else Gonna Go Get It for You" 14:23 Changing Behind Trees: "You Just Do What You Gotta Do" 14:39 Second Song: Lee Ann Womack, 'I Hope You Dance' 14:59 Sixth Grade: The Teacher Walked in With a Boombox 15:18 "For the First Time in My Life, a Song Hit Me Different" 15:27 "Lee Ann Womack Made Me Feel Like I Could Do Anything" 15:49 Watching the Music Video on CMT and Dreaming 16:13 "I Hope You Still Feel Small": An Anthem for Throwing Your Hat in the Ring 16:26 "Go Stand Beside an Ocean and Remember There's a Much Bigger Plan" 16:56 Keeping Your Feet Planted on the Ground 17:23 "Give Faith a Fighting Chance": Using Your Gift for Good 17:54 Self-Belief and Drive From a Young Age 18:13 "My Family Always Encouraged Me to Be Nothing But Myself" 18:38 Finding People Who Weren't Trying to Change Her 19:00 Nashville Is a 10-Year Town — and It Was Spot On 19:23 Dolly Parton, Reba, and the '90s Ladies: "They Held Onto What Made Them Them" 19:54 What Were You Doing in Those 10 Years? 20:13 19 Years Old, 2011: A Camper Trailer Hauled to Nashville 20:46 Jerry Cupit: Parking the Camper for Free and Learning to Write Songs 21:07 "If You're Writing About a Blue Truck, How Does That Truck Make You Feel?" 21:24 My Grandfather's Favor: What He Did for Jerry Ended Up Helping Me 21:51 "Should've Packed It Up and Got the Hell Out of Dodge": Never Giving Up 22:13 Year Seven Publishing Deal, Year Eight Record Deal: "Now the Hard Work Started" 22:33 "I'd Been Preparing for the Race, and Then I Finally Entered It" 22:55 Keeping the Faith: "That Weird Sense of Peace I Got as a Nine-Year-Old" 23:19 "We Got One Life, and I Wanted to Be Happy Doing What I Love" 23:19 Heart Like a Truck: The Breakthrough Single 23:42 Paying It Forward: "I Want the Little Girls and Boys to Know This Was Not Overnight" 24:03 "Things Might Not Happen When You Want Them To, But They're Gonna Happen How They're Supposed To" 24:42 Cowgirl of the Night: "I Will Probably Still Be Crowning Somebody at 80 Years Old" 25:03 "I Am Beautiful. I Am Talented." 25:15 Scanning the Crowd: "What You Say to Yourself Is Very Important" 25:39 "Practice What I Preach": Telling Little Girls They're Smart and Beautiful 25:59 Third Song: CCR, 'Looking Out My Back Door' 26:10 Meeting John Fogerty: "You Won't Believe Who I Sat By Tonight" 26:32 The One CD in Daddy's Truck: "If He Was Tapping His Boot, He Liked It" 26:53 Kinetic Energy and Coming Home: "He's Talking About Locking the Front Door" 27:07 Writing About Home When You're Not at Home: "We All Wanna Feel Like We're There" 27:24 "It's Just About Perspective": Seeing the World From That Point of View 27:52 "I Was in the Backseat Playing Air Guitar": CCR Seeping Into Her System 28:11 "A Good Time, Not a Long Time": Credence and Hippie Culture 28:32 Bell-Bottoms and Free Love: "I Would Always Wanna Be a Hippie for Halloween" 28:51 "People Coming Up to My Mama Saying Lainey Gives Off a Free Spirit" 29:09 "I Just Have Always Felt a Little Free-Spirited" 29:29 "Giants Doing Cartwheels": The Wildness Beyond the Window 30:13 Yellowstone, Grammys, and CMA Entertainer of the Year: "Since Taylor Swift" 30:31 Coming Home to Nashville: "Is Your Mind Still Racing?" 30:49 "My Mind Is Always Racing": ADHD and the Song 'Can't Sit Still' 31:14 Getting Centered: Riding Horses and Sitting on the Front Porch 31:40 "Doing All the Simple Things Is What Helps Me Get There" 32:00 "I Can Be the Best Version of the Artist That People Have Connected To" 32:10 The First Thing She Does After Tour: Snuggling French Bulldog Hippie Mae Wilson 32:19 Architectural Digest and the Bedroom Sanctuary: "You Gotta Unplug Every Now and Then" 32:41 "You Can't Keep Pouring Out From a Half-Empty Cup for Very Long" 33:00 Fourth Song: Brothers Osborne, 'I'm Not For Everyone' 33:24 Shared Producer Jay Joyce: Eric Church and Brothers Osborne Records 34:00 "The Music Was Telling a Story of Its Own While the Lyrics Were Telling Another" 34:16 "You Could Pay Attention to Either One": Parallel Lines and ADHD 34:32 Jay Joyce: "He Can Stir Stuff Up in a Little Pot and Breathe Life Into It" 34:57 "Leaning Into the Things That Make You You" 35:18 "People That Love Ya, Like Ya, Don't Give a Damn, and Hate Ya" 35:37 "I'm Not for Everyone": Not an F You — "That's Okay" 35:53 Social Media: "You Aren't What You Do" 36:14 "I Am a Singer, I Am a Songwriter" — But What If This Is Taken Away Tomorrow? 36:30 Identity and the Dream: "How Much of Lainey Wilson Is There in Lainey Wilson?" 36:48 "Save a Little Bit Over Here for Myself" 37:11 Daddy's Saying Revisited: "If You Tell All Your Business, You Ain't Got None" 37:32 "That's How I'm Gonna Wind Up on the Prayer List Back Home" 37:52 TJ Coming Out as Gay: "Is Country Becoming More Welcoming?" 38:18 "We Don't Have to Live the Same Life to Love Each Other" 38:44 Big Tent Country: "Everyone's Welcome in the Big Tent" 39:05 Being a Unifying Voice in a Divided World 39:23 "Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don't": Actions Speak Louder Than Words 39:39 "I'm Like Scotch and Savin' Gold Bands" 40:01 Joyful and Uplifting Shows: "Country Can Be Sad, But Your Shows Are Really Happy" 40:21 "Manifest It. Fake It Till You Make It in the Best of Ways" 40:37 "Country Is Cool Again": The Netflix Documentary 40:55 Why Country Is Having a Big Moment: "I Don't Know Anybody Who Doesn't Love a Good Story" 41:41 "It Takes You Home. It Feels Family-Oriented." 42:01 Fifth and Final Song: Tim McGraw, 'Humble and Kind' 42:25 Written by Lori McKenna: Tim McGraw Grew Up Right Down the Road 42:53 "My Step-Grandmother Used to Babysit Him" 43:10 Tim Bringing Shows to Northeast Louisiana: "If He Did It, Maybe I Could Too" 43:35 "Hold the Door, Say Please, Say Thank You": A Blueprint for Staying Grounded 44:04 "Words to Live By": Lori McKenna Wrote It to Her Children 44:10 "I Haven't Met Him Just Yet": Sharing Headphones With Her Sister 44:28 "We'd Fight Over Them": Dance Routines on the Gravel Driveway 44:47 Hometown Hero: "This Guy Is From Here and He Did It" 45:09 Writing a Letter to Tim McGraw at 18: "All I Need Is an Opportunity" 45:26 "Maybe He Read It and Was Scared of the Power of Lainey" 45:45 Drawing the Line: Humble and Kind and Things a Man Ought to Know 46:09 "Country Music Raised Me": Reba, Vince Gill, and Tim McGraw 46:27 Writing About What Mom and Daddy Taught Her: "What's Right Is Right" 46:51 What Would Dolly Do? 47:07 Mama Meeting Dolly: "You're Like My Sister" 47:27 "Do You Have a Good Manager? Well, Is He an Asshole?" 47:48 Singing With Dolly: "Terrifying, Especially When She's Watching You" 48:06 "If Dolly Parton Believes in Me, Then I'm Fine" 48:31 What Would Little Lainey Think? "She'd Be Very Proud" 48:49 "I Didn't Know I'd Be in Australia Playing Double Arena Shows" 49:13 New Album, New Adventure: "Showing a Different Side and Pushing the Boundaries" 49:36 "You've Remained Incredibly Humble and Kind" 49:54 "This Is Not About Me": Lainey and Zan's Thank You 50:10 "Hold the Door, Say Please, Say Thank You" 50:51 Zan's Wrap-Up: "I Could Listen to Her Speak All Day Long" 51:11 Watch Take 5 With Shania Twain on ABC iview 51:22 Next Time: Genesis Owusu 51:58 From Ghana to Canberra: "We Don't Have Time for the Honey and the Dress-Ups" 52:21 Season 5 of Take 5 With Zan Rowe. Stream on ABC iview This episode was filmed for Season 5 of Take 5 with Zan Rowe on ABC TV and ABC iview. You can stream the whole season on ABC iview now. Watch this episode of Take 5 on ABC iview https://iview.abc.net.au/show/take-5-with-zan-rowe

   September 24, 2026·53min
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   Number 4: Take 5 with Darren Hayes from Savage Garden

   When you look back at the Australian artists who've made their mark internationally, Savage Garden are right up there. Two guys from Brisbane who went Number 1 around the world, cracked the notoriously tough U.S. market and sold nearly 30 million albums with hits like 'I Want You', 'To The Moon And Back', and 'Truly Madly Deeply'. They may have only been together for two albums, but the legacy of their pop breakthrough continues, as does frontman Darren Hayes' incredible story. While he was sailing the highs of global fame, behind the scenes, Darren was dealing with a fractured band relationship, battling depression, and in the closet, unable to be truly himself. As a now proudly out gay man, he continues to sing his stories as a solo artist, but the road hasn't always been smooth sailing. Growing up in Logan, Queensland, the youngest of three in a home shadowed by severe domestic violence, who could have predicted that this sensitive kid who loved to sing would one day stand on the world's biggest stages? Darren's story is extraordinary: 250 rejection letters before anyone would sign Savage Garden, a manager who mortgaged his home to make it happen, and a partnership with Daniel Jones that produced some of the most iconic pop of the '90s before it all came crashing down. There have been plenty of lows too; being told by his own record company to hide who he was, the sudden loss of his mother, and a terrifying accident that shattered his jaw and nearly ended his singing career for good. But Darren Hayes is back, and he's got stories. This episode was captured at Chaplin Studios in Los Angeles, which was the building originally built by Charlie Chaplin, later home to A&M Records, and the exact room where "We Are the World" was recorded (Quincy Jones directing Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, and a room full of legends). It's a space steeped in music history, and if you believe the people who work there, a few ghosts as well. It was the perfect place to sit down with Darren and travel through a life defined by music, survival, and healing. Darren Hayes' song choices: The Dream Academy - 'Life in a Northern Town'HAIM - 'Hallelujah'Young The Giant - 'The Walk Home'Coldplay - 'O'Maisie Peters – 'Two Weeks Ago'00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene at Chaplin Studios 02:31 The History of Chaplin Studios: From Charlie Chaplin to A&M Records 04:00 Karen Carpenter's Ghost and the Sacred Walls 05:13 The Theme: Songs of Healing and Music Saving a Life 05:41 Growing Up with Domestic Violence in Logan, Queensland 06:05 Music as Escape: AM Radio, The Carpenters, and Auntie Jenny's Records 06:56 Learning to Sing from Diana Ross and His Mother's Voice 08:01 The Dream Academy - 'Life in a Northern Town' 08:50 Catharsis Through Melancholy and the Sentimentality of Childhood 10:52 Transitions: Missing His Siblings and "The Morning Lasted All Day" 12:12 The End of High School and Not Wanting to Grow Up 14:23 Growing Up in Logan: Feeling Like a Prince Despite Poverty 15:12 A Hyper-Masculine World and Making Star Wars Toys Kiss 15:44 Deciding He Was Famous at Age Ten: Protective Armor Against Bullying 16:38 Being Called the F Word by His Father Before He Knew What It Meant 18:05 Either Be Famous and Magical, or Die 18:27 His Job Was to Keep His Mother Alive 19:21 Hockey Sticks and Midnight Escapes: Surviving His Father's Violence 20:15 Haim - 'Hallelujah' 21:02 The Sound of Grace: Guardian Angels and Being Protected 21:58 Being Uninvited from a Party and His Mother's Comfort 23:30 "You've Got a Hallelujah": Surviving Childhood 24:46 When Did Music Become the Path? High School Choir and Musical Theatre 25:50 Feeling the Molecules Change When He Sang 27:57 The First Band: A Death Metal Audition and Joining Red Edge with Daniel Jones 29:26 Throwing Up on the Way to Toowoomba: Playing Aussie Classics He Didn't Know 30:14 Leaving Red Edge and the Beginning of Savage Garden 31:05 The First Song They Wrote Together: A Thousand Words 31:25 The Australian Music Landscape: Grunge vs. Pop and 250 Rejection Letters 33:26 John Woodruff Mortgaged His Home and No One Was Laughing Anymore 33:46 Global Fame, Fans as Mirrors, and the Exhausting Rollercoaster 35:58 Secrets: Being Gay, Depression, and the Record Company Hiding Who He Was 36:45 Young The Giant - 'The Walk Home' 37:24 Why Savage Garden Ended: Daniel's Unhappiness with Fame 37:49 The Sum of the Parts and Beatlesque Chemistry in the Studio 38:32 Touring the World Knowing It Was Over 39:51 His Relationship with Daniel Now: "We Don't Talk Much Anymore" 41:21 Solo Records, Coming Out, and the Album Called Homosexual 42:01 Queer Fans and the First Dapple of Sunlight 42:49 What His Mother Thought of Fame: She Couldn't Have Given a Shit 43:47 Paying Cash for a House So His Mother Could Finally Leave 44:48 Coldplay - 'O' 45:08 Grief, Letting Go, and the Sudden Loss of His Mother 46:43 Choosing This Song for Her Funeral 47:22 The Flock of Birds Metaphor and Cutting the Tether 48:15 "I Had to Let Her Go Like a Beautiful Balloon" 50:18 The Accident: A Vasovagal Syncope Episode That Shattered His Jaw 50:44 Seventeen Teeth Broken, Mouth Wired Shut for Three Months, and Learning to Sing Again 51:02 The Troubadour Comeback: "If I Don't Get Back on Stage, I May Never" 51:51 What It Felt Like: Love 52:18 Carrying His Mother's DNA in His Heart and Vocal Cords 52:49 Maisie Peters - 'Two Weeks Ago' 53:14 In Love: How His Dog Huxley Found Eddie 54:38 Four Blocks Apart for a Decade and Zoom Dates with a New Partner 55:41 Never Spending a Night Apart in Three Years 56:23 2027: The 30th Anniversary of Savage Garden and a New Record 56:48 Writing Melodies with His Mouth Wired Shut 57:39 "I'm Back, Baby" 58:53 Next Time: David Byrne 59:53 Take 5 with Zan Rowe – Stream the Series on ABC iview This episode was filmed for season 5 of Take 5 with Zan Rowe on ABC TV and ABC iview. You can stream the whole season on ABC iview now. Watch this episode of Take 5 on ABC iview: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/take-5-with-zan-rowe There are parts of this conversation that explore Darren’s experiences with family violence. It’s a big part of his story, so please be warned. And if you need support, here are some resources who provide it:1800 Respect National Helpline on 1800 737 732Lifeline on 131 114Men's Referral Service on 1300 766 491Mensline on 1300 789 978Full Stop Australia on 1800 385 578Emergency services on triple-0 if you need immediate care

   September 03, 2026·1h 1min
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5. 5
   Number 5: Take 5 with Shania Twain

   Shania Twain holds the record for the biggest selling country album of all time: Come On Over. Growing up poor in a Canadian mining town, who could have foreseen that the woman born Eileen Regina Twain would go on to sell over 100 million records, cross country music into pop, and become one of the most recognisable voices on the planet? Her life has been extraordinary, dotted with hit albums and huge shows, songs known by their opening line worldwide, and fans ranging from country music loyalists to Harry Styles. There've been plenty of lows too, including almost losing her voice completely to Lyme disease. Shania Twain may be a little more raspy, but she's got stories. This episode was captured at the legendary Power Station in Midtown Manhattan (the recording studio where Bruce Springsteen made his biggest albums, where David Bowie recorded Let's Dance, and Madonna crafted Like a Virgin). It was the perfect place to sit down and travel back in time with Shania, as she reflected on the little Miss Twain that became the star. Stick around after the chat for a very funny story about what happened that day at the studio. Let's just say Take 5 alumni Lin-Manuel Miranda may have been involved (and Amanda Seyfried... and Hamilton star Phillipa Soo). Shania Twain's song choices: Dolly Parton - 'Coat of Many Colors'Tanya Tucker - 'Texas (When I Die)'Olivia Newton-John - 'Hopelessly Devoted to You'Tina Turner - 'What's Love Got to Do with It'Aretha Franklin - 'Respect'00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene at the Power Station 01:50 The Legendary Power Station Studio 02:35 Dolly Parton - 'Coat of Many Colors' 03:15 Growing Up Poor and Dolly Parton's Influence 06:45 Reflecting on Childhood and the New Album 'Little Miss Twain' 07:30 Singing in Bars as a Child and Tammy Wynette 09:01 Tanya Tucker - 'Texas (When I Die)' 09:30 Tanya Tucker: A Voice Beyond Her Years 11:00 First on Stage at Eight Years Old 12:45 Singing in the Bars of Timmins, Ontario 15:30 Mother's Dream: The Next Tanya Tucker 16:00 Dreaming of Horses Instead of Fame 17:05 Olivia Newton-John - 'Hopelessly Devoted to You' 17:45 Olivia Newton-John: Crossing Genres and Breaking Boundaries 20:30 Nashville, Crossing Over to Pop, and Doing It Her Way 24:00 The First Video, a Target Budget, and the Belly Button Scandal 27:10 Tina Turner - 'What's Love Got to Do with It' 28:00 The Queen of Comebacks 29:45 A 15-Year Break and Losing Her Voice 30:30 Lyme Disease, Vocal Cord Surgery, and Finding a New Voice 34:20 Aretha Franklin - 'Respect' 35:00 Aretha's Brilliance and Owning the Song 37:30 Respect, Recognition, and Not Feeling Like a Star 38:30 Finding Peace in the Bush 40:00 Full Circle: A Message to Little Miss Twain 41:00 A Surprise Visit from Lin-Manuel Miranda, Amanda Seyfried & Phillipa Soo 42:30 Next Time: Darren Hayes 43:30 Double J This episode was filmed for season 5 of Take 5 with Zan Rowe on ABC TV and ABC iview. You can stream the whole season on ABC iview now. Watch this episode of Take 5 on ABC iview:https://iview.abc.net.au/show/take-5-with-zan-rowe

   August 27, 2026·44min
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