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

Australian author and intellectual Anna Funder specialises in telling the stories of people forgotten or ignored by official histories. She began her writing career with Stasiland, detailing the state surveillance of the people of the former East Germany, which was followed by her prize-winning novel, All That I Am, telling the previously untold story of early resisters to the Nazis. In her most recent work, Wifedom, Funder shifted her lens to the unexamined life of author George Orwell’s wife, Eileen O’Shaughnessy, whose contribution had – until then – been obscured. The recently-appointed professor in creative writing at the University of Sydney is about to embark on a national speaking tour – live conversations exploring history, power, and the stories that shape public life. In this episode, she joins The Sydney Morning Herald senior writer and columnist Jacqueline Maley for a chat about everything from the dangers of AI to the livelihood of creatives.

Australian author and intellectual Anna Funder specialises in telling the stories of people forgotten or ignored by official histories. She began her writing career with Stasiland, detailing the state surveillance of the people of the former East Germany, which was followed by her prize-winning novel, All That I Am, telling the previously untold story of early resisters to the Nazis. In her most recent work, Wifedom, Funder shifted her lens to the unexamined life of author George Orwell&rsquo;s wife, Eileen O&rsquo;Shaughnessy, whose contribution had &ndash; until then &ndash; been obscured. The recently-appointed professor in creative writing at the University of Sydney is about to embark on a national speaking tour &ndash; live conversations exploring history, power, and the stories that shape public life. In this episode, she joins The Sydney Morning Herald senior writer and columnist Jacqueline Maley for a chat about everything from the dangers of AI to the livelihood of creatives.

Anna Funder on telling untold stories – and the blowback it sometimes brings

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/d535d688-c8c3-4ad4-b4de-b46e0024a6f8/transcript

Picture this: a crumbling Italian mansion in the Tuscan hills, an eccentric aristocrat, sun-soaked lunches, too much wine and a house humming with secrets. That’s the delightful world into which we’re heading today as we talk to writer Andrew Sean Greer, whose new novel, Villa Coco, is loosely inspired by his own time at an Italian estate around a famous Baroness. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less also joins us to discuss his life in Italy, the pleasures of the charm novel, and the one piece of travel advice he always comes back to. Today’s episode is hosted by books editor Melanie Kembrey.

Picture this: a crumbling Italian mansion in the Tuscan hills, an eccentric aristocrat, sun-soaked lunches, too much wine and a house humming with secrets. That&rsquo;s the delightful world into which we&rsquo;re heading today as we talk to writer Andrew Sean Greer, whose new novel, Villa Coco, is loosely inspired by his own time at an Italian estate around a famous Baroness. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less also joins us to discuss his life in Italy, the pleasures of the charm novel, and the one piece of travel advice he always comes back to. Today&rsquo;s episode is hosted by books editor Melanie Kembrey.

Pulitzer novelist Andrew Sean Greer on ‘charm novels’, the Italian life and travel wisdom

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/03197b63-7ba9-412f-a47b-b4670010506a/transcript

John Safran burst into the public consciousness in 1997 as a contestant in the ABC TV show Race Around the World, where young filmmakers travelled the world making four-minute films in just 10 days. Safran won the popular vote on the reality show after running through Jerusalem naked, and asking a voodoo priest to put a curse on an ex-girlfriend. Almost 30 years on, the show is back, with Safran as a judge. Today’s conversation is hosted by Good Weekend senior writer Gay Alcorn, who talks to Safran about that early experience, but also growing up Jewish, antisemitism and the contradictions and limits of free speech.

John Safran burst into the public consciousness in 1997 as a contestant in the ABC TV show Race Around the World, where young filmmakers travelled the world making four-minute films in just 10 days. Safran won the popular vote on the reality show after running through Jerusalem naked, and asking a voodoo priest to put a curse on an ex-girlfriend. Almost 30 years on, the show is back, with Safran as a judge. Today&rsquo;s conversation is hosted by Good Weekend senior writer Gay Alcorn, who talks to Safran about that early experience, but also growing up Jewish, antisemitism and the contradictions and limits of free speech.

John Safran on growing up Jewish, free speech, race - and Race Around the World

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/88d605cc-ed99-4e2c-9246-b45f00562e0c/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