What do Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ice Cube, Status Quo, and Neil Diamond all have in common? Tana Douglas. She’s recognised as the world’s first female roadie, and got her start as a teenager working with a young band who were about to release their debut album. The band was AC/DC, and that story is just one of hundreds that have filled her extraordinary life. Tana would go on to tech for The Who at Wembley Stadium, Iggy Pop in Amsterdam, even Elton John, playing a birthday party at Windsor Castle.

She’s just published her story, a memoir titled LOUD, which captures not just the wild tales from the road but also the spirit of the crew who make magic happen every night on stage. It’s a brilliant read, and I was so excited to meet Tana when she joined me to Take 5. She didn’t disappoint. This is as much about a trailblazer as it is a testament to the many roadies who bring our favourite music to life on stage.

Foo Fighters - Darling Nikki

Urge Overkill - Girl You'll Be a Woman Soon

The Who - Who Are You

INXS - Never Tear Us Apart

Social Distortion - Story of My Life

Fat Mike from NOFX is a bit of a legend. As frontman for the band for almost four decades, he’s been the soundtrack to countless generations of punk fans. He set up Fat Wreck Chords, championing other bands for the past 30 years. And when he’s not doing that, he’s getting around with supergroup Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.

If you know anything about Fat Mike, you know he doesn’t play by the rules, so that’s where his theme led us. From formative songs by Meatloaf, to re-energising moments from Propoghandi, this is a rare peek into the music that fuels one of music’s risk takers.

The Dickies - 'Paranoid'

Meat Loaf - 'Hot Patootie - Bless My Soul'

Operation Ivy - 'Yellin' In My Ear'

Propagandhi - 'Anti-Manifesto'

The Spits - 'Tired & Lonely'

There are only a handful of people I ask back to Take 5. Brendan Cowell is one of them. The actor, author, playwright, and poet is a master storyteller who lives a full life. And in the decade since we last met on air, he’s starred alongside Billie Piper in hit plays on Broadway and the West End, had a key role on Game of Thrones, written a book, and scored a major part in the two new Avatar sequels shooting in New Zealand.

It’s no surprise though, Brendan has an electricity about him. He draws you in as an audience member and fires off the inspirations in his daily life, no matter where in the world he finds himself. From growing up in Cronulla, to living in New York and London, this is a conversation about the moments that were turning points for him, from Pearl Jam to Drake to Bob Seger.

Pearl Jam – 'Animal'

Sharon Van Etten – 'Give Out'

Drake – 'God’s Plan'

Justin Townes Earle – 'Lone Pine Hill'

Bob Seger – 'Night Moves'

I still remember the first time I heard Magic Dirt. The burning sounds of their single “Ice” captured my 16 year old heart, and I can still recall climbing the stairs of my favourite city record store to buy their “Life Was Better” EP. Adalita was the coolest woman I knew; she shredded on stage and exuded the ultimate rock n roll attitude. In the years that would follow, I’d see them play on stages small and large, then follow Ads down her solo path to hear a whole other side of her musical heart.

2021 marks 20 years since Magic Dirt scored their highest placing in a Hottest 100 for their pop tinged song “Dirty Jeans”. It’s also a year that Adalita plans to release her third solo album. In the years dotted around this, Adalita has gone through many evolutions in life and sound, and we explore the songs that took her there.

'Here Comes Your Man' - The Pixies

'Hieronymus' - The Clouds

'That Ain't Bad' – Ratcat

'50ft Queenie' - PJ Harvey

'Toys and Flavours' - The Hellacopters

So we’ve taken another trip around the sun, and before we have a short break – I want to leave you with the annual best of buffet, for the Take 5.

It’s been a remarkable year for this podcast. When the borders closed, and the tours stopped, we – just like everyone else – had to figure out how to do things differently. What I realised pretty quickly, is that music was central to how we got through… and for many of us, those deep connections in the stories that we tie to songs, got even stronger.

A silver lining to 2020 was reaching out beyond the guests I could share a studio with. We spoke to people from all over the world, all walks of life. And got heroes who had been on my bucket list for years, to finally say yes. This year we were also awarded Best Radio Podcast at the Australian Podcast Awards; which I’m hugely proud of. I love the Take 5 and love sharing these conversations with you every week.

If this is your first time listening, it’s a bloody good place to start. Over the next little while, we’ll visit some of the best moments...  that mirrored the beauty, the tumult, and the grounding force of music in all our lives.

J Walter Negro And The Loose Joints – ‘Shoot The Pump’ (chosen by Fatboy Slim)

Prince – 'Let’s Go Crazy' (chosen by Susan Rogers)

Christine Anu – 'Island Home' (chosen by Miranda Tapsell)

Micko Donovan - 'Promised Land' (chosen by Emma Donovan)

Elvis Costello - 'Shipbuilding' (chosen by Peter Garrett)

Midnight Oil – 'Beds are Burning' (chosen by Daniel Levitin)

Gloria Gaynor – 'I Will Survive' (chosen by Kylie Minogue)

Joe Smooth - ‘Promised Land’ (chosen by Bernard Sumner)

The Stooges - ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ (chosen by Roisin Murphy)

Nina Simone – 'Mississippi Goddamn' (chosen by Tori Amos)

American rapper Common is a renaissance man. Growing up on the south side of Chicago, his records reflected the world he saw; and the one he wanted to see. He’s an acclaimed poet, has featured on the silver screen as a lead actor, and taken to the stage as an activist; using his platform to rally against social injustice, and rally for unity, for peace, and for change.

He does this all with love, as you’ll hear for yourself. For his Take 5, I asked him to Take 5 with his music for a movement. The soundtrack that lifted him, and empowered him to make a change. From Fela Kuti to Mos Def to John Coltrane, this is a powerful and beautiful conversation about music’s ability to lift us all.

Brand Nubian - Wake Up (Reprise In The Sunshine)

Fela Kuti - Water No Get Enemy 

Mos Def - Umi Says 

Sounds of Blackness - Optimistic 

John Coltrane – A Love Supreme, Pt.3: Pursuance

Tara June Winch knows how to tell a story. In 2006 she released her first novel, Swallow the Air. It won a bunch of awards, and was added to the high school curriculum. Years passed. She released a collection of short stories, but it wasn’t until 2019 that she published her follow up. And oh what a follow up it was.

The Yield is the tale of two generations, a Language that tells their story, and a connection to culture that stretches back tens of thousands of years. A Wiradjuri woman herself, Tara’s novel is about finding lost connection in contemporary Australia, and it blew me away.

I’m not alone. The Yield has won a heap of prizes in the past year, including the highest literary accolade in Australia; the Miles Franklin Award. For all of these reasons, I asked Tara to Take 5. With the songs that share her story. Across five classics, this is a profound conversation about identity, empowerment, and what it truly means to find home.

Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl

Nirvana - The Man Who Sold the World (MTV Unplugged)

Paul Kelly - How to Make Gravy

Aretha Franklin - Think

Mo'ju - Native Tongue

2010 was a big year for bangers. The Australian dance music scene in particular, was thriving. Stalwarts like The Presets and Cut Copy were kicking it, and a new breed of beat makers were coming up, soundtracking hedonistic summer days and big festival party nights.

This was the year Bag Raiders released their debut album, and on it’s 10th anniversary I invited the duo to Take 5 and go back. Jack and Chris joined me for the final Take 5 for Ausmusic Month, and so I thought it’d be fun to stay local, and celebrate the incredible talent in our own backyard. From supermarket crossover hits, to deep club bangers, this is a glorious celebration of one very bright year in Australian music.

Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP - 'We No Speak Americano'

Flight Facilities — 'Crave You'

Tame Impala — 'Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind (Erol Alkan rework)'

Light Year — '5 Girls'

Temper Trap — 'Sweet Disposition'

I think we can all agree 2020 has been a YEAR. No one more so than country music singer Fanny Lumsden. Based in the tiny town of Tooma, on the western side of the Snowy Mountains, her release plans for her beautiful third album Fallow took a turn for the worse, when disaster and pandemic struck. But that didn’t stop Fanny. Her resilience, and optimism has carried her and her community through this year, and it’s why I asked her to share her songs of solace for her Take 5.

Fanny Lumsden has been making music since 2015, but her new album is what’s really put her on the map. It’s been nominated for seven Golden Guitar Awards, leading the pack. She’s up for an ARIA for Best Country Album, and she’s gained a whole lot more fans with this heartfelt and acclaimed new record. Fanny joined me from her property in Tooma to share her story, some beautiful songs, and a big dose of hope.

Josh Pyke - 'Middle of the Hill'

Allison Krauss - 'Baby Now That I Found You'

Fleet Foxes - 'Tiger Peasant Mountain Song'

Melanie Horsnell & Steve Appel - 'Someone Like You'

Debussy - ‘La Fille Aux Cheveux de Lin’

Bjorn Stewart is a slashie. An actor, director, writer, and comedian; I became a massive fan seeing him doing Quarantine Cooking Challenges on the lockdown TV series At Home Alone Together. He’s also written and appeared on Black Comedy, and has been performing on stage for years. Recently Bjorn flipped to director, and will soon showcase his latest project, a comedy called All My Friends Are Racist. I wanted to get to know Bjorn, so asked him to Take 5 with the full course. Five songs for five sides of his creative life... from appetizer all the way through to cheese. He thoroughly embraced it.

Gorillaz -  "19–2000 (Soulchild Remix)"

Thelma Plum - "Woke Blokes"

Run the Jewels - "Walking in the Snow"

Janelle Monae - "We Were Rock and Roll"

Electric Fields - "2000 And Whatever"