Benjamin Law is a writer, broadcaster, television creator and producer, and refined homosexual about town in Sydney. He's also a former competitor on Australian Survivor – important.

If you haven't already, I implore you to read some of Ben's sharp, warm, illuminating writing.

There's Gaysia, an exploration of LGBTQ+ cultures across South East Asia; The Family Law, a memoir of his childhood that he adapted into three seasons of television; Growing Up Queer, a collection of stories from LGBTQ Australians, and Wellmania, the Netflix comedy series he co-created and wrote.

Not only is he insufferably talented, but he's a sheer joy to converse with. We discuss music by his partner Scott Spark, Beyoncé, and Rufus Wainwright, with some dabbling in Björk and Kylie along the way.

The other bits:

• Tracks of Our Queers is recorded and edited between Gadigal and Ngarigo land by me, Andy Gott
• Listen to all of the music discussed in the pod with the Selections from Tracks of Our Queers playlist
• You can email me with your own queer tracks or guest recommendations at [email protected]
• Our beautiful artwork is illustrated by Luke Tribe (Ben's friend!)

Support the show

• Follow the pod on Insta at @tracksofourqueers, or email me at [email protected]
• Help keep the show ad-free by shouting me a coffee right here
• Enjoy the Selections from Tracks of Our Queers Spotify playlist

Thanks besties.

Bright Light Bright Light, aka Rod Thomas, is an entirely independent pop superstar based in New York City.

Hailing from Wales, Rod has rewritten the rulebook for being a singer songwriter without major label backing, mostly through tremendously hard work, and an ever-growing back catalogue of bangers.

He's been backed, endorsed, and collaborated with legends like Sir Elton John, Erasure, Scissor Sisters and Ultra Naté over the years, but the latest Bright Light Bright Light album, Enjoy Youth, is Rod's most critically and commercially successful yet.

We discuss music by Björk, Pino Donaggio, and Grace Jones.

Further reading:

• Follow Bright Light Bright Light on Instagram
• Purchase Enjoy Youth here
• Check out Rod's Grace Jones playlist here

The other bits:

• Tracks of Our Queers is recorded and edited between Gadigal and Ngarigo land by me, Andy Gott
• Listen to all of the music discussed in the pod with the Selections from Tracks of Our Queers playlist
• You can email me with your own queer tracks or guest recommendations at [email protected]
• Our beautiful artwork is illustrated by Luke Tribe

Support the show

• Follow the pod on Insta at @tracksofourqueers, or email me at [email protected]
• Help keep the show ad-free by shouting me a coffee right here
• Enjoy the Selections from Tracks of Our Queers Spotify playlist

Thanks besties.

Geraldine Hickey is one of Australia's most beloved comedians, and multiple award-winning at that. She's a regular face on TV, a veteran of the Melbourne International Comedy and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, and... a bird watcher. More on that in the episode.

We discuss music by Diana Ross, RVG, and Cash Savage.

Further reading:

• Follow Geraldine on Instagram
• Buy tickets to her upcoming Oct/Nov 24 shows here
• Check out the Switchboard charity here

The other bits:

• Tracks of Our Queers is recorded and edited between Gadigal and Ngarigo land by me, Andy Gott
• Listen to all of the music discussed in the pod with the Selections from Tracks of Our Queers playlist
• You can email me with your own queer tracks or guest recommendations at [email protected]
• Our beautiful artwork is illustrated by Luke Tribe

Support the show

• Follow the pod on Insta at @tracksofourqueers, or email me at [email protected]
• Help keep the show ad-free by shouting me a coffee right here
• Enjoy the Selections from Tracks of Our Queers Spotify playlist

Thanks besties.

Carlton Wilborn is an actor, life coach, and former dancer with Madonna.

At 25, Carlton was hand-picked to join the Blond Ambition World Tour, documented in the ground-breaking concert film Truth or Dare (or, In Bed with Madonna). He would go on to join her second tour, The Girlie Show, before embarking on a career in acting, and life coaching.

Apologies in advance for slightly iffy audio – I hope the conversation is worth it.

Further reading:

• Follow Carlton on Instagram
• Learn more about his life coaching work
• Check out Carlton dancing with Madonna at the Girlie Show Down Under

The other bits:

• Tracks of Our Queers is recorded and edited between Gadigal and Ngarigo land by me, Andy Gott
• Listen to all of the music discussed in the pod with the Selections from Tracks of Our Queers playlist
• You can email me with your own queer tracks or guest recommendations at [email protected]
• Our beautiful artwork is illustrated by Luke Tribe

Support the show

• Follow the pod on Insta at @tracksofourqueers, or email me at [email protected]
• Help keep the show ad-free by shouting me a coffee right here
• Enjoy the Selections from Tracks of Our Queers Spotify playlist

Thanks besties.

Fenton Bailey is a co-founder of production studio World of Wonder, the home of RuPaul's Drag Race.

Together with Randy Barbato, Fenton has creatively collaborated with RuPaul since the mid-80s, helping birth his albums, imagery, VH1 chat show, even directing the iconic "Supermodel" music video, before launching the queer cultural juggernaut that is Drag Race in 2009. Over 25 international variations are currently airing around the world.

Fenton joins me for the first episode of Season 4 to discuss an enormous list of tracks that have soundtracked his queer life. I hope you enjoy the chat!

Further reading:

• Follow Fenton on Instagram
• Learn more about the Drag Defence Fund
• Purchase Fenton's book on the phenomenon of television, ScreenAge
• Check out Nelson Sullivan's video archive on YouTube

The other bits:

• Tracks of Our Queers is recorded and edited between Gadigal and Ngarigo land by me, Andy Gott
• Listen to all of the music discussed in the pod with the Selections from Tracks of Our Queers playlist
• You can email me with your own queer tracks or guest recommendations at [email protected]
• Our beautiful artwork is illustrated by Luke Tribe

Support the show

• Follow the pod on Insta at @tracksofourqueers, or email me at [email protected]
• Help keep the show ad-free by shouting me a coffee right here
• Enjoy the Selections from Tracks of Our Queers Spotify playlist

Thanks besties.

Sarah Keyworth is an award-winning comedian from Nottingham, England, who you may know from Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, 8 Out of 10 Cats, or their own BBC Sounds show, Am I a Boy or a Girl? 

Sarah just won the top prize at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and sat down with me to muse on some of the music that has soundtracked their queer journey, including (but not limited to) Katy Perry, MUNA, and Taylor Swift.

This is the final episode of Season 3. I'm taking a few months to rest and reset ahead of Season 4, but do enjoy any episodes you've missed in the mean time.

You can email me thoughts, recommendations, or gay ramblings to [email protected].

Listen to all previous guest choices in one handy Spotify playlist, Selections from Tracks of Our Queers and follow the pod on Instagram.

Support the show

• Follow the pod on Insta at @tracksofourqueers, or email me at [email protected]
• Help keep the show ad-free by shouting me a coffee right here
• Enjoy the Selections from Tracks of Our Queers Spotify playlist

Thanks besties.

Brontez Purnell is a writer, musician, critic, model, zinemaker, dancer, choreographer, and quite literally, more.

An Oakland punk by way of Alabama, Brontez has just published his fifth book, 10 Bridges I've Burnt. I'm an enormous admirer of Brontez's writing, and am thrilled to chat about his queer tracks.

In this conversation, we discuss music by Carol Hahn, Emily's Sassy Lime, and his own musical collaboration with a special friend from his past.

Links to Brontez online:

• "I’ve Listened to This Breakup Song a Million Times" in the New York Times
• Brontez's books on Goodreads
• The Social Lies on Bandcamp
• Instagram

Listen to all previous guest choices in one handy Spotify playlist, Selections from Tracks of Our Queers and follow the pod on Instagram.

Support the show

• Follow the pod on Insta at @tracksofourqueers, or email me at [email protected]
• Help keep the show ad-free by shouting me a coffee right here
• Enjoy the Selections from Tracks of Our Queers Spotify playlist

Thanks besties.

Carl Austin-Behan served in the British Royal Air Force from 1991 until 1997, when he was discharged for being openly gay.

Lauded with honours for services to his country, including a medal for bravery, nonetheless he was ejected from the RAF – simply for choosing not to hide who he was.

Carl went on to win Mr Gay UK pageants, elections in local government, and the title of Lord Mayor of Manchester (the first to be openly gay).

We discuss music by Gloria Gaynor, Erasure, and Bronski Beat.

Carl currently works as a Community Ambassador for the LGBT Foundation. Read about their work here, and follow Carl online here.

Listen to all previous guest choices in one handy Spotify playlist, Selections from Tracks of Our Queers and follow the pod on Instagram.

Support the show

• Follow the pod on Insta at @tracksofourqueers, or email me at [email protected]
• Help keep the show ad-free by shouting me a coffee right here
• Enjoy the Selections from Tracks of Our Queers Spotify playlist

Thanks besties.

Jenna Suffern is a Sydney-based comedian, producer and writer.

One half of comedy due Two Queers Walk Into a Bar, a writer and producer for Pedestrian.TV and VICE AU, and the star of her own one-woman show, It's Not Funny, It's Private, Jenna has helped curate a flourishing queer comedy safe space in Sydney and beyond.

We recorded this conversation live in the studio, on Gadigal land, and had a lot of fun – apologies in advance for the hijinks. We managed to discuss music by Leagues, Janelle Monáe, and G Flip.

Listen to all previous guest choices in one handy Spotify playlist, Selections from Tracks of Our Queers and follow the pod on Instagram.

Support the show

• Follow the pod on Insta at @tracksofourqueers, or email me at [email protected]
• Help keep the show ad-free by shouting me a coffee right here
• Enjoy the Selections from Tracks of Our Queers Spotify playlist

Thanks besties.

Josh Rivers is a cultural worker, broadcaster, and the presenter of the conversation series Busy Being Black, a podcast exploring how queer Black folks live "in the fullness of their lives".

Josh conducts his interviews in a way that allows people to unfold into their vulnerability, leading to inspiring conversations with fascinating guests from across the queer Black spectrum, including HIV activists from 80s London, Anglican priests, and Moud Goba – a guest on one of my favourite Tracks of Our Queers episodes.

In this conversation, I experience some of Josh’s conversational magic myself, as we discuss the joy of discovering your own taste, welcoming back the little dancing boy that many of us once were, and perhaps most importantly, Beyoncé.

Listen to all previous guest choices in one handy Spotify playlist, Selections from Tracks of Our Queers and follow the pod on Instagram.

Support the show

• Follow the pod on Insta at @tracksofourqueers, or email me at [email protected]
• Help keep the show ad-free by shouting me a coffee right here
• Enjoy the Selections from Tracks of Our Queers Spotify playlist

Thanks besties.