He's toured the world as a rock star, but ended up in Hobart running an arts festival.

In this episode of Good Weekend Talks, Brian Ritchie, bass player for American folk punk band Violent Femmes speaks to The Age arts editor Elizabeth Flux about his career in music, how he became artistic director for Mona Foma, his friendship with the eccentric head of MONA, David Walsh, and how the Shakuhachi flute keeps him grounded. 

He's toured the world as a rock star, but ended up in Hobart running an arts festival.
In this episode of Good Weekend Talks, Brian Ritchie, bass player for American folk punk band Violent Femmes speaks to The Age arts editor Elizabeth Flux about his career in music, how he became artistic director for Mona Foma, his friendship with the eccentric head of MONA, David Walsh, and how the Shakuhachi flute keeps him grounded.

Good Weekend Talks features in-depth conversations with the people fascinating Australians right now, from sport to politics to the arts, business and beyond, interviewed weekly by the country's top journalists. Consider it a magazine for your ears.

Good Weekend Talks features in-depth conversations with the people fascinating Australians right now, from sport to politics to the arts, business and beyond, interviewed weekly by the country's top journalists. Consider it a magazine for your ears.

Good Weekend Talks

New episodes from ongoing Metro podcast series. 

New episodes from ongoing Metro podcast series.&nbsp;

New episodes

Brian Ritchie on the Violent Femmes, MONA, and his meditative flute

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/5d77f94a-be39-4ed2-9ec5-b111006ba1ea/transcript

When Fran Lebowitz was growing up in suburban New Jersey in the 1950s, she won a school award for being “the Class Wit” – and in her 50-year career as a writer and speaker, she’s repeatedly earned that label. Among her countless famous aphorisms, this zinger: "The best fame is a writer's fame. It's enough to get a table at a good restaurant, but not enough to get you interrupted when you eat."

As a writer herself, Lebowitz has published two best-selling collections of essays – and a children’s book – but today she’s better known as a public intellectual, renowned for her acerbic social commentary, sardonic wit, and iconic status in the cultural life of New York City.

Lebowitz joins us ahead of her Australian speaking tour for a chat about everything from the nightmare of long-haul plane travel for smokers, to the only monogamous love of her life: her 1979 Checker Marathon car.

Today's episode is hosted by Good Weekend senior writer Amanda Hooton.

When Fran Lebowitz was growing up in suburban New Jersey in the 1950s, she won a school award for being &ldquo;the Class Wit&rdquo; &ndash; and in her 50-year career as a writer and speaker, she&rsquo;s repeatedly earned that label.&nbsp;Among her countless famous aphorisms, this zinger: "The best fame is a writer's fame. It's enough to get a table at a good restaurant, but not enough to get you interrupted when you eat."
As a writer herself, Lebowitz has published two best-selling collections of essays &ndash; and a children&rsquo;s book &ndash; but today she&rsquo;s better known as a public intellectual, renowned for her acerbic social commentary, sardonic wit, and iconic status in the cultural life of New York City.
Lebowitz joins us ahead of her Australian speaking tour for a chat about everything from the nightmare of long-haul plane travel for smokers, to the only monogamous love of her life: her 1979 Checker Marathon car.
Today's episode is hosted by Good Weekend senior writer Amanda Hooton.

Fran Lebowitz on smoking, Trump and today's young people being another species

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/6076015a-7d55-43ae-84f7-b435007725bb/transcript

Luke Bateman is perhaps Australia’s most unlikely book critic – a former rugby league star and recovered gambling addict who works as a logger on a remote Queensland property. While hardly your average inner-city literary type, Bateman had always loved reading – especially fantasy books – but living in the bush with only black snakes for company, had no one to talk to about it. So one day in April last year, he posted a clip of himself on TikTok, talking about his love of books. The post made him famous – he now has more than a million social media followers, including Reese Witherspoon. His mission: to make reading cool again, and he is most definitely succeeding. Today's episode is hosted by Good Weekend senior writer Tim Elliott.
(Please note, this conversation deals with difficult topics – from addiction to suicide. If you are seeking help, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.)

Luke Bateman is perhaps Australia&rsquo;s most unlikely book critic &ndash; a former rugby league star and recovered gambling addict who works as a logger on a remote Queensland property. While hardly your average inner-city literary type, Bateman had always loved reading &ndash; especially fantasy books &ndash; but living in the bush with only black snakes for company, had no one to talk to about it. So one day in April last year, he posted a clip of himself on TikTok, talking about his love of books. The post made him famous &ndash; he now has more than a million social media followers, including Reese Witherspoon. His mission: to make reading cool again, and he is most definitely succeeding. Today's episode is hosted by Good Weekend senior writer Tim Elliott. (Please note, this conversation deals with difficult topics &ndash; from addiction to suicide. If you are seeking help, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.)

Luke Bateman: Former NRL star and gambling addict, now lumberjack ‘bookfluencer’

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/4d25e8b0-9ae0-439d-8ec8-b42e0033b675/transcript

Investigative journalist Patrick Radden Keefe has made a career out of chasing the kinds of stories that most people would be wise to leave alone. The New Yorker writer is drawn to powerful institutions and the people at their heart – from the Sackler dynasty, whose pharmaceutical company created the opioid painkiller OxyContin, in Empire of Pain, to the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland in Say Nothing. His latest book, London Falling, delves into the story of 19-year-old Briton Zac Brettler, who had been living a double life, pretending to be the son of a Russian oligarch, before he mysteriously fell to his death from a luxury apartment building in London. Radden Keefe, the so-called “journalist’s journalist”, joins us to discuss London Falling, the ethics of true-crime reporting, and a reporter’s need for scepticism. Plus, we get our own scoop on what he might tackle next – and why it could bring him to Australia. Today’s episode is hosted by Spectrum editor Melanie Kembrey.

Investigative journalist Patrick Radden Keefe has made a career out of chasing the kinds of stories that most people would be wise to leave alone. The&nbsp;New Yorker writer is drawn to powerful institutions and the people at their heart &ndash; from the Sackler dynasty, whose pharmaceutical company created the opioid painkiller OxyContin, in Empire of Pain, to the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland in Say Nothing. His latest book, London Falling, delves into the story of 19-year-old Briton Zac Brettler, who had been living a double life, pretending to be the son of a Russian oligarch, before he mysteriously fell to his death from a luxury apartment building in London. Radden Keefe, the so-called &ldquo;journalist&rsquo;s journalist&rdquo;, joins us to discuss London Falling, the ethics of true-crime reporting, and a reporter&rsquo;s need for scepticism. Plus, we get our own scoop on what he might tackle next &ndash; and why it could bring him to Australia. Today&rsquo;s episode is hosted by Spectrum editor Melanie Kembrey.

The New Yorker's Patrick Radden Keefe on investigating 'an unnatural death'

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/ad4e58cf-7b3b-453b-87a7-b426017a563e/transcript

Brian Ritchie on the Violent Femmes, MONA, and his meditative flute

In 2 playlist(s)

Good Weekend Talks

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips