The Almost Perfect Podcast

Caelin Roodt is a photographer who has recently become a Visual Arts student in her 30s, on top of being a single mom and having a 9-5. Caelin is someone I’ve respected and admired for a long time, both for her hustle and her views on the world. She’s consistently called me out on my bullshit, and for that, I am grateful. She also takes remarkable photos, and for that, I'm even more grateful. 

In this podcast, we find out how she started her photojournalism career with the Times of London, we get into the struggles of freelance vs the security of a 9-5, and we discuss how to juggle a career, studying, and motherhood. We also get into the politics of life in South Africa a lot, even though I was mostly looking to chat photography in this one, but as you’ll learn on this cast, photography IS political to Caelin. It's a deep one. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-23-caelin-roodt/

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Kwanda Radebe is a comedian who never wants to have a job. Thankfully for him, he's one of the rising stars of the Durban comedy scene so it just might work out for him. He's a consistently funny act who has won a number of competitions and cracked a nomination for the audience choice award at the Comics' Choice Awards.  We're joined on this cast by Thami Dlamini, a fellow comedian who weighs in with some poignant points as the conversation goes on. 

We discuss whether or not you can make it from Durban, we take a deep dive on language in South Africa, and we learn about why alcohol and knives are a bad combination when you're a teenager. It's quite a roller coaster.

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-22-kwanda-radebe/

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Dillan Oliphant is by far one of the funniest comedians in South Africa. His level of wit his hard to match and he has a knack for really putting you in his world with his stories. And yup, I said stories. If you haven't seen Dillan in a while, you might still think of him as a one-liner guy, but he's evolved into a storyteller with depth and insight. 

We get into how a kid from Eldorado Park who grew up being inspired by Chris Rock specials, now has his own stand-up specials and is an inspiration to his own community. We get into the struggles of starting out, and how much things have changed since early days 9 years ago. It's been quite a journey. We also get into his love of Man Utd. and how it's lead to his new role as a hilarious sports pundit online. 

If you're an up-and-coming comedian looking for a bit of inspiration from a local source, this might just be the podcast for you.

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-21-dillan-oliphant/

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Colleen Balchin aka Rosie Parade aka Coco is a promoter, DJ, actor, and mama to honeys in Jozi and around the country. Colleen and her partner Ri make up Broaden a New Sound, an umbrella label they use for the events and projects they put together. 

Together they manage the promoters at Kitcheners and book their own lineups there as well as whatever other cute spots they can find. Their philosophy is always to try and broaden perspectives and introduce people to new sounds, people, and ideas, and the work they’ve done has had a major impact on the underground scene in South Africa. 

Colleen also heads up Pussy Party, a collective of people who are seeking to change the landscape of the SA party scene.

We get into how the art of clowning comes into play when working the door, what goes into booking a good lineup, and we learn about how they put together a 24+ hour non-stop celebration of music called Churn.

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-20-colleen-balchin/

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Nas Hoosen is a cartoonist, writer, and lover of most things nerd culture. I've always enjoyed reading his many opinions online, so it was a real treat to pick his brain IRL and find out his thoughts on Skynet as a reality, Jeff Bezos vs Elon Musk as Lex Luthor, The Killing Joke, Zack Snyder, liars vs truthsayers, reptilian brains and ego, mental health, and so much more. We go FULL NERD on this one and I love it. I've got a feeling you will too. 

Correction on my pronunciation on the cast: It's Nas like Ass, not Naas, like Botha.  And who-sen, not who-sin. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-19-nas-hoosen/

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Leigh Vermaak is one of the smartest and most world-worn people I know. She’s lived a life that’s taken her all around the world and back to Durban, where she now works as a wardrobe and prop stylist. It took her quite a while to figure out that being a stylist is actually what she wants to do though. In this cast, we discuss the myriad of job titles Leigh has donned, from teaching in Thailand to writing Creed reviews for Saltwater Girl, to managing bands, to eventually landing up as an accounts manager in advertising, and eventually getting out. 

Often, we hear the stories of people who feel their calling from a young age and find success early, but for Leigh, finding her calling only came in her 30s. She found herself sacrificing and going hungry for her dream job at a time where most other people are aiming for promotions. A few years later, she couldn’t be happier and is thriving in a relatively small industry back at home.

Leigh is a fantastic storyteller and has quite an interesting story to tell. If you're struggling to find your way in life, this might just be for you. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-18-leigh-vermaak/

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I've got a feeling that you probably think you know who Aewon Wolf is. The rapper has been on our TV screens and radio airwaves for years and has achieved success by most measures, but over the last 2 years, he's taken a step back from the spotlight to find himself and open a creative centre and events venue called The Werehouse. 

In this interview, we find out why Aewon took a step back from living the rap fantasy and how he's stepped into his new role as a creative father of sorts to a new wave of Durban artists. We also find out about his early days of starting a hip-hop club at Westville Boys High and how it lead to he and Sketchy Bongo starting a lifelong friendship.

There's a lot to learn from this one about what it really means to be successful and how sometimes the thing you think you want isn't really what you need. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-17-aewon-wolf/

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Simmi Areff is a comedian, podcaster, and maverick. The dude is living that Frank Sinatra life and doing things his way, and he's finding success doing so. His podcast Lesser Known Somebodies is one of the most popular in South Africa, and his one-man show Lesser Known Somebody was picked up by Showmax after being made for just R9k, so there are more than a few lessons to be learned from this one.

I enjoy Simmi's honesty as much as I enjoy when he's full of shit, and we go back a long way, so this episode has plenty of both from both sides. We dive deep on SA comedy, podcasting, our personal lives, and so much more. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-16-simmi-areff/

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Sabelo Mkhabela is one of my favourite music journalists in South Africa. His knowledge and insight into hip-hop, and the way he breaks it all down, make him a valuable asset to the Okay Africa team. He's clearly very passionate about hip-hop, but it takes more than passion to cut it in as a music journalist in the click-bait era.

We get into all kinds of discussion about hip-hop and local music journalism. From the future of the written word to why the public always wants to put rappers up against each other. It's an insightful chat. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-15-sabelo-mkhabela/

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Lex LaFoy might be one of the deepest thinkers we've had on the podcast so far. This rapper, activist, graduate, mother, poet, and all-around dope person has just so much of herself to share. She's an eternal student who is constantly reading and learning and has a lot of interesting ideas of her own. 

We get into so many different topics, from the difference between meditation and prayer to meeting Beyonce. We also talk all about her musical journey, from Lexicon the poet to Lex LaFoy- The Honey Bass Queen, and we also get into her upcoming EP release, twentytwo.  It's a wild and thrilling ride. 

I make one or two mistakes on the cast, like saying Honey Bass was released in 2018 or that the Bible had nothing against nudity. But hey, it's called The Almost Perfect Podcast for a reason. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-14-lex-lafoy/

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