Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, March 20, 2013 - Page 91
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Radio Confidential: 900 shows for Alex .......... Page 92 Veritas: Mel B moves to Channel 9 ..................... Page 93 The Spoiler: Neighbours, Home and Away ................ Page 93 Jim and Aaron: Latest movies, DVDs - reviews .............. Page 94 Cheryl Threadgold: Local theatre news, auditions .............. Page 95 PLUS THE LOVATT”S MEGA CROSSWORD
BRIAN TAYLOR UNPLUGGED By GREG NEWMAN of Jocks Journal
● Brian Taylor heads the 3AW football team
‘Here Comes The Night’ at Palais
● Vince Jones, Vika Bull and Joe Camilleri ■ The Melbourne International Jazz Festival is presenting Here Comes The Night, a celebration of the Van Morrison songbook. Fans of Van Morrison's music will be able to enjoy his remarkable body of work as performed by Joe Camilleri, Vince Jones and Vika Bull at The Palais Theatre, St Kilda on Saturday, June 1 Joe Camilleri is the principal performer and Repertoire Director. A legend of Australian contemporary rock music through his bands Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons and The Black Sorrows, Joe has been a Van Morrison fan from the first stirrings of his interest in music. His knowledge of the Morrison songbook, combined with his understanding of Morrison's R&B, soul and Celtic arrangements make him the ideal celebrant of the genius of this enigmatic modern master. Vince Jones is a regular headliner at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. Here he joins Joe to bring his own skills to Morrison's jazz oriented arrangements. Vika Bull's recent starring role in At Last: Etta James landed her under a solo spotlight and reminded music fans of the energy that she added to Joe's Black Sorrows. To add to the line-up on stage will be The Voodoo Sheik and The Silo String Quartet. Music Director is John McCall. Venue: The Palais Theatre, St Kilda Date: Saturday, June 1 Tickets: Ticketmaster 136 100,www.ticketmaster.com.au Price: From $89 to $109
■ As a league footballer, Brian Taylor played 43 games for Richmond (1980-’84) and 97 games for Collingwood (19851989). In 1986 he kicked 100 goals and won the Coleman Medal. When you were running around the footy field, did you ever dream of one day calling a game? Not really until late in my career when I was about 26 or 27 did I ever think it would be a possibility. But I used football when I was still playing to ensure that I got the opportunity to show people that I could do it, by accepting every interview that was asked of me which was not the done thing in those days as clubs didn’t want you doing interviews with the media. But I knew if I was ever going to prove myself that was the way to do it. In your early days on radio and TV, who were your mentors? Harry Beitzel. I did some work for at a community station very early on. He was fantastic. Peter Vlahos, who is from 6PR in Perth and was working at a community university station, and I did some work with him as well. And there was ‘Smoky’ Dawson, who is one of the doyens of sport and broadcasting here in Australia - so those three guys were instumental in giving me an opportunity and teaching me. So when did your commercial radio career commence? In my last year of football in 1990 I got an opportunity to host a very early Saturday morning breakfast show on 3UZ, with Adrian Gallagher (Carlton) and a couple of other blokes, called The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. From there it led to other opportunities at 3UZ, hosting a morning show for about three years and also hosting a very late evening show. What’s the main point of difference when you are calling a game say on radio compared to television? A really good question and you’ve got to separate the two as they are not the same. Calling on the radio is a very descriptive, emotional connection with the game so the people listening feel that emotion and connection. Whereas TV is more than telling them the not so obvious. They, of course, can see the pictures and don’t want to be told what they are seeing. They want some other input as to predictions, how did he do that sort of thing, so it’s a very, very different call. Can you relate an embarrassing radio or TV moment? I’ve been doing it for nearly 20 years, so I guess it would be in the early days. You always get told that the golden rule is that the microphone is always on if you are anywhere near it and that is so very, very true. I can’t tell you the story of radio station 6PR but needless to say it went live to air and it wasn’t very funny. And I always get told this by people that have been around longer than I have, never speak in front of mics - they could be live. I never believed them really until it happened to me. Moving from Triple M to 3AW commentating on the football, did you have to change anything? Did the bosses at 3AW offer any advice or comments? Not really. They wanted the same sort of thing although they are two distinctive radio stations and methodology is very different. I never got told but I think within myself I knew that I had to adjust a little and become more conservative in what I did and not so ‘FM-ish’ in what I did. But that was a really easy adjustment because that’s who I am and it didn’t concern me at all but I was never told from anyone in management that I had to change, it was just me realising that was the situation. Tell us about your prep for a game. When do you front up for an AFL game? For example for a traditional Saturday game that would kick off just after 2pm? It’s a continuous cycle of prep. It’s reading the papers every day, listening to every person on the radio and TV talking about the football and then you put that at the back of your mind until the weekend. It’s a 10.30am arrive for me on a Saturday. We have a meeting at 11 o’clock and we’re on air at 12 o’clock basically. And leave the ground about 6pm? Yeah just after 6pm. We tend not to de-brief. We tend to get there earlier and decide what we’re going to talk about. For radio it is a very, very relaxed informal meeting. You don’t really say much other than the vox pops that you are going to talk about. You want the best stuff on air and not the meeting table.
● Brian Taylor at this year’s3AW football launch ■ A few future possibility questions. You are hosting a regular radio program. What are three songs you’d love to play? I’m musically illiterate. Music has never ever been my forte. I bought 10 records in my life and I’ve never bought one since. I’m musically illiterate and I have absolutely no idea. And if you had a brekky show. Who would be your co-host? James Brayshaw is a good fella at Triple M. He’s a great fella to work with. There’s lots of them. Often you don’t want the same sort of character as you. I’ve done a breakfast show or two and it’s been great fun. I really enjoy it. Thanks for your time BT. I’ve got to say I enjoy your calls and the excitement that you bring to the game and the ratings obviously bear out that you are one of the best. Good on ya Greg. Well the passion is everything that’s the No 1 thing for me and if you haven’t got the passion to do it then it’s not going to happen. - Greg Newman ■ Other members of the 3AW football team include: Dwayne Russell, Tim Lane, Tony Leonard, Steve Quartermain, Bruce Eva, Shane McInnes, Darren Boyd with commentators Matthew Lloyd, Cameron Ling, Leigh Matthews, Chris Johnson, Matthew Richardson and Tony Shaw. Special comments by Seb Costello and Graeme Bond, stats analyser.
Star Bursts ★
Final tickets have gone on sale this week for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang before it flies out of Melbourne on Sunday, April 14, bound for Adelaide. on Sunday 14 April. The cast at Her Majesty's Theatre includes David Hobson, Rachael Beck, Alan Brough, Jennifer Vuletic, Peter Carroll, George Kapiniaris and Tyler Coppin.
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Derryn Hinch is not missing radio. The former 3AW ‘Drive’ host was upgraded to the pointy end of the plane to London on his Sunday Night assignment for Channel 7, and was even offered a massage at each of the stopovers. That never happened at 3AW!
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Roni Wildeboer, convenor of Artists For Orphans, says Ruby’s Pop Up Wine Bar, 101 Mollison St, Kyneton, will host a fundraiser from 7pm-11pm on Saturday, April 6. Marcie Jones will MC the event. Harpist Mary Doumany will perform. Phone 0424 938 931.
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Driving Miss Daisy will premiere at The Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, on Saturday, April 6.