T minus 20
The year is 2005... Anakin turns to the dark side, YouTube makes its debut and we’re all couch-jumping for Maria, McDreamy and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo…
T minus 20, rewind to this week in history 20 years ago with Joe and Mel.
T minus 20
Ryan Cabrera's reality revelations and the Royal Rumble fumble
From Iraq’s first free elections 🇮🇶 to Canada paving the way for same-sex marriage rights 🌈, we’re unpacking the headlines that shaped history. The Royal Rumble serves up chaos (and a limping Vince McMahon) in the WWE ring 🤼♂️...
But, the biggest story for us this week is that US pop rock sensation Ryan Cabrera drops by to talk about the 20th anniversary of his single “On the Way Down”, the golden years of MTV and early reality shows. 🎤
Destiny’s Child’s "Soldier" marches into controversy, Elvis Presley makes a posthumous UK chart comeback with "It’s Now or Never," and Nitty’s "Nasty Girl" dominates the Aussie airwaves. 🎵
On-screen, Robert De Niro and Dakota Fanning bring the chills in Hide and Seek 🌀, and RocKwiz makes its SBS debut, blending music trivia and live performances like a cozy night at the pub 🎸. Over in the literary world, John Grisham’s The Broker reminds us why spy thrillers sometimes miss the mark. 📚
Oh, and 3 Doors Down is back with Seventeen Days—a whole vibe for your rock playlist. 🎧 Tune in for nostalgia, laughs, and Ryan Cabrera’s inside scoop! 🤩
Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.
Transcript is generated automatically.
The year is 2005. Anakin turns to the Dark side, YouTube debuts, and we couch jump for Mariah Mcdreamy and a girl with a Dragon Tattoo. T minus. Rewind 20 years with Joe.
I.
Week of 13 January 2005.
T -, 20 I would.
Do this is a talk show.
It's an icebreaker. Don't judge me yet.
This is bananas. Now you will come home.
Here we'll. Wendy.
My question is who approved that?
Do you see where this is going? Not real.
Please.
Wendy's really interesting. I've been living with those sound bites for like 2 weeks now. It's still a period of adjustment because I'm so used to that. We did a whole year with the other. And now it's it feels fresh.
Feels wrong, feels invigorating. It's confusing, it feels wrong and.
I.
Invigorating at the same time.
I don't like change. I'm not learning that.
Have you done? Have you not done wrong things that have felt a little bit invigorating? You're like, oh, that's so wrong, but it feels so good.
No.
I've just reached that age where new things happen and I. Go. I'm too old for that. You're not learning that? No.
Enough, fair enough. This is where off to a flying start. This is actually the podcast that rewinds to this week in history 20 years ago with your host Joe and Mel. Who are, I don't know what we're.
We're not learning that.
But well. We're here. We're here for it. We're here for you, and we're gonna be talking about all the stuff that happened this week in history.
Yes.
20 years ago like this.
Today, the people of Iraq have spoken to the world. And the world is hearing the.
Yeah. Well, there there was elections. There was a huge election in Iraq.
Yes.
And George was very happy about that election.
Ultimately, Mr. There is only one issue before the House in this debate. For most Canadians. In most parts of our country, same sex marriage is already the law of the land.
Same sex marriage is already the law of the land in most parts of Canada, but they needed to get it universal across the entire country. And that happened 20 years ago.
I was still at school when my first band had an R&B hit in 1964. In 1968, a book of my lyrics was seized by the vice squad deemed as obscene and burnt.
The lyrics that was a great show, a great musical quiz show that debuted in Australia 20 years ago, and it's still.
Musical quiz show. Yeah, very good.
Hmm.
I think it still goes strong on and. MMM depends. I see. You know, I don't watch a lot of free to air. Days. I've got a stay. I did enjoy that show back in 2000 and.
It was a great show and something else that's coming up. We do have a book. I just need to mention this and someone that we've come across in.
It's.
Right.
Book reviews. Previously has popped up again and I have uncovered something that I'm not too happy about.
Yeah. In the book or in the book reviews from the from the reviewer, is that what you're?
In Goodreads book review. Saying someone that we know very well, something has popped up and I I I dug in. And I'm just not impressed.
Well, someone that we know very well from the point of view of researching. Yeah, good.
Rates, yeah, yeah.
For books, because we don't read books when we talk about books, we do read books, we just don't read the books that are in.
No. Don't read them.
Other people read them.
New York Times bestseller.
We read the reviews of the people that do read them, but anyway I've I've unearthed something and I want to put it back in. I'm very disappointed so I just want to put that out there.
Yes. Right. OK. There is another thing that is happening in this episode.
I'm so nervous. You are we we we haven't done an interview. And I mean when we did interviews, when we first started we. We're mainly talking to people that we.
They're like friends and stuff, and it's like, you know, how's your life? What? What were you like 20 years ago? What's changed? And that was all fun. I'd love to keep doing that, but we just don't have the time generally.
Most of the times. That people that we've come across, yeah. And we don't have that many friends.
No.
That's true. So we got an e-mail just before Christmas offering an interview with somebody who was massive, early 2000s and right through the 2000s and still is.
Be honest.
And you thought it was a joke. You thought it was. Well, you know, you thought it was a scam. e-mail to start.
I thought I thought it was so I just like if it you know what they say with the Internet melody. If it's too good to be true, it probably is, yeah.
With don't click the link.
Probably is. Well, no, this is legit and it's so funny because we're on the radio. Well, 21 years ago now, and we would interview artists all the time. That was part of the job, particularly music artists, when they'd have a new release, you would get that, you'd get the press release printed on coloured paper if they wanted to stand out.
Yes. Yeah, yeah.
Mm.
And you would do the phone interview and it was. Bread and butter. And never really thought too much about it, but now?
Night and it was like to the point where it was like, oh, who what? Who am I talking to? What am I talking to about now? Yeah.
Yeah. Oh.
Who? Yes, but this.
I think now because someone has reached out to us and it's like completely within our our niche, our.
Yeah.
Area of interest.
Our remit, hmm.
Yes, I am so nervous about this. To talk to this person, it's really exciting, but I'm also really nervous. Pooping my pants a bit.
Me too. Me too terrified. It is and especially because of his marital status and who he's married to as well. I'm pretty excited about that as well. There's, there's.
There's, there's a lot. A lot.
To unpack, there's a. There is a lot to unpack and and we will unpack all being well. We'll reveal who it is later on in the show, hmm.
Yes.
Very exciting. I can say that they had an album release that we spoke about in last year's show, so they had big album release in album.
Right. Yeah. Yep.
Releases remember back in you know the 90s, early 2000s and you'd find out that your favourite artist or group was going to release an album you usually find out quite a few months beforehand.
Uh. There'd be a hype train, know.
And you would be you would be counting down the days and the weeks, and you'd be putting your money aside because you know, in six weeks time this album is going to. Come out. You might put your name down for a pre release. You would be getting ready. You'd be going into sanity or HMV or whatever your music store of choice was and you'd just be brashius, yeah.
There's no brushes at.
Wow that you would.
Impact records, but down when it was on the corner of the. Interchange there, yeah.
But you would be waiting and you'd be planning and you'd know the day that it. Coming out, I think.
Uh.
Was usually a Thursday, was it? I can't remember, but you would be planning out when you were going.
Thursday. Yep.
Go in to pick up the album, yes. I haven't had that because I still listen to the same music I listen to in the early 2000s. I haven't moved. I haven't moved. I haven't shifted from there, so I haven't really.
Yes, same. I'm not excited for the you don't wanna. You don't wanna see what? You know what? Drake craps out next to.
Haven't been following the new releases. I have no idea what's caused. I have no idea what's coming out. What's a Drake? Don't know. I don't even understand. I don't understand any.
Like a male goose or a Duff 'cause I don't.
Of them I. Get it?
Yeah.
I haven't really been waiting for a release and because everything is on Apple Music or Spotify, I don't even know how that works anymore. You mean? I don't even know how you get an album like you don't go down to sanity and buy the physical CD. How to?
What do you? Now you just search for it and then. It to your favourites.
But the song is it? This is the song just appears like do they do album releases through streaming? I didn't know. And I had to figure this out like last year. Because Snoop Dogg.
Hmm.
Was releasing a new album and there was weeks and weeks leading up to.
This it's like but also with pop with pop music. It's generally not a whole album experience, right? With a lot of pop you know, it's like I can get a compilation. I can get the songs I like. That artist might have two or three. I like, you know, but but with like hip hop with. Genre specific, even with country with more genre specific music.
Hmm.
The album experience, I believe even in this day and age is still a thing.
Well, this is where it got tricky because I knew the album was coming out. I think it was sort of first, second week of December and I knew probably.
Yeah.
Four or five weeks in advance because Snoop had been teasing. And I was so. Yeah. Missionary. The album's called get it ***** ***** missionary.
Yeah. Uh. Oh.
Right, classic. Classic.
Well, he's you. He's aged. He's got a little conservative, yeah.
Australian Snoop. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Gotta think of the hips. I think of the hips. Yeah, they're going to take it easy. I don't want to throw out a hip, so I'm. I'm waiting for it to come out and I'm getting all excited and like it's coming out. It's.
Feels like he needs to face up to things, perhaps. Yeah, but yeah.
Out it's coming out. And I thought I was like. Hang on a minute. Where do I get it? How do I get? I don't. Understand. What do I do here? What do I do?
Hey I put an order in at the record store.
And then I'm thinking, well, does it just appear in the Apple music as the album or does he drop a song here and there? Do I try and find a CD store somewhere? Can I order it as a CD online? What do I do?
Yeah, yeah. You see, this is.
It was so confusing because you would know when they were in the in the store because the posters would be up. You'd know the date of release.
Yeah, yeah.
And.
It would be, you know, coming soon, coming soon, coming soon, and then the CD's would appear in the store the day it was released. So. Knew. Was there this is this is where I think like.
Few remaining music stores or record stores, even if they sell vinyl and stuff, they usually stock CDs and whatever. Need to be protected and treasured at all costs. You know it, and you often see that sort of that social media trend where people are like, oh, I really miss blockbuster and stuff like that. And I'm not talking about chain stores like Blockbuster or stuff like that, but but they used to talk about how they miss going to the video store and you can still go to a record store.
Absolutely.
Yes.
Just you can still go to a record store this like you know, land speed here. Dynamite records here that mainly do in second hand stuff, but land speed still get new stuff in. So you could go to land speed for example, and order that Snoop Dogg album and get a physical album and.
Yeah.
Recreate that experience. That seem to have been long lost, but how long can you actually sustain that? For how long can they keep going with this as well? While that big juggernaut of streaming is bearing down on those? You know, old school, beautiful, amazing record stores.
MMM. But it's just the whole experience has changed and it ended up being a couple of day and I've been counting down, but it wasn't till a couple of days later that I was like, oh, hang on a minute. Yeah, it's out.
You missed it.
Hang out. What do I do?
Here so you.
Missed it. So I went on to Spotify and it's there. The whole album's there. I.
Yeah.
Don't have to.
Spend any money. I don't have to go anywhere. I don't have to do anything. It's just there and it just felt wrong. And then?
Hollow Hollow, I think, is how it.
Because I didn't go to any effort and it's just there and this is the worst bit I started playing. I'm like, Oh well, I've got. Listen to it. But because it's on a platform and it's just. Series. Tracks and it's not, you know, like cassette. You'd have to listen to the whole a side and the whole B side of the cassette CD. You could. Maybe you could, you could skip, but I never did. But in these days now with streaming, I go into.
Yeah.
To it and I play like 5 seconds and I'm skipping to the next. I'm like, what's going to come?
Let's think.
What's going? And I was like, no.
You didn't do that to the Snoop Dogg.
I started to do that because that's just like, that's second nature. Now you just sort of I want to hear the next, what's the next one? What's it gonna? And I was kind of excited too because he's done it with Dre and I'm like, what's the flavour and a lot of the songs were quite different from each other. I wanted to get a bit of a.
Right.
But then I'm like and then I'm.
But you also the other thing with the albums right is when they put albums and you have the album experience, there's a reason why they've arranged the tracks the way that they have. So you want to listen to it in the sequence that the artist has intended it to be.
In that order, yes.
And the producer have intended it to be put on the recording as.
Well, I stopped myself and then I went back to the start and I sat through. I sat through the whole thing, but it just wasn't the same though. You just, you know, you're playing it through your phone or you're playing it through your computer and you're not. You're not sitting there and you're looking.
I'm proud of you.
The CD booklet. Or, you know, reading the lyrics in the in the cassette booklet or looking at the artwork on the vinyl. It's just completely changed.
Yes. Yeah. Yeah, I I I do agree and there's, there's the, the ritual, the ritual that is attached to physical media is something that I feel like we're lacking.
Yeah, yeah.
Hmm.
It's like putting a a record on a on a platter on on a turntable is no different to walking into a church and lighting a candle or putting a cassette into a you know the same deal like this. But but being able to just have that disposable. Thing in front of you from a subscription is kind of gross speak.
This is. The same. Yeah, it's gross.
There is already such a massive hook. At the start of the show. But if that fails, we'll we'll put this way. Hatches, hatches and dispatchers put this is somebody who was born this time 20 years ago.
Second best.
Ah, yes, yes.
There'll be an interesting conversation off the back of this later on in the show. I don't think you're going to have any idea who this person is.
But some hard stuff have been happening lately on the 8 passenger channel. Our whole family of log channel. My mom posted a video on how Fortnite is so addicting, especially for me because like she said in that video, I was addicted.
Unless you watch vlogs, then maybe because there's a bit of a giveaway there, but there's definitely a hint there. We'll find out exactly who that person is that was born at the end of the show.
30th of January 2005 Iraq holds the first free elections in 50 years, despite violence and insurgents attacks at many polling stations. This is a significant milestone in their political reconstruction. Obviously following the US-led invasion in 2003, the toppling of Saddam Hussein regime. Big deal.
Progress, yes. Tell him something, George.
Today, the people of Iraq. Have spoken to the world. And the world is hearing the voice of. From the centre of the Middle East. In great numbers and under great risk.
I.
Iraqis have shown their commitment to democracy. By participating in free elections, the Iraqi people have firmly rejected the anti democratic ideology of the terrorists. They have refused to be intimidated by thugs and assassins. And they have demonstrated the kind of courage. That is always the foundation of self government.
Jesus Christ. How many times does he have to pause? This is, you know, what? Last week we talked about his inauguration speech taking 21 minutes. That's. Why?
14 minutes of pause.
Oh my God. He would be really good and and now it's time for the easy read version as narrated by George W Bush.
Don't have a breath. It's like drama. He's building the tension. He's like drama dots everywhere. Yeah.
Oh, yeah, well, he certainly makes sure he's heard. Anyway, he was very happy that that all happened. And of course he had to have. Say about it because he also needs to stake a bit of a claim on this as well. Remember, just got elected back into power. People were protesting the motorcade as they were driving to wherever they the White House from the inauguration and whatnot. And sure, there's there's a little bit of dissent there. So it's important for him to keep up appearances when Iraqis having.
Mm.
Action CC. Now they're doing democratic things, hmm.
Doing stuff thanks to us. Yes, the purpose of the election was to elect a transitional National Assembly which was tasked with drafting a new Iraqi constitution. They were also responsible for forming an interim government and preparing for subsequent elections under the new constitution. We had over 7000 candidates, 7000.
Could you imagine?
That's a lot. People 7000, how would you know?
And I'll give it a go. The ballot paper.
To choose.
111 political parties with 7000 candidates.
Wow. I think it's weird when we have, you know.
Like an extra you.
Know like you have your main parties like, you know, four or five and then you have.
Then you get a ballot paper this.
Shooters party or the fishing party, the sex Party that was at the run, wasn't it? I love it. How you have those little random ones? Imagine.
Yes. Sex party sex party, hmm. Yes, you get a a ***** rebate.
Imagine how many random. One did have in 111 political parties.
Ah, enemy. I'd love to know the names of. The parties.
I'd love to know what they're representing. Yes, policies. There'd be some interesting ones. Isn't there, niche?
Yes, I mean. It still sounds pretty chaotic, doesn't it? 7000 candidates, 111 political parties.
Lost. It's a lot to figure out who you're.
Going to vote?
For if you want to read all the ponces.
People voting.
Yeah, 58% of eligible.
That, yeah.
Voters participated. That's alright.
Very tight security, still lots of insurgent violence over there. I think it you might be even risking your life even to go and vote. So the fact that 58% of eligible voters fronted up is is actually probably quite a bold statement.
Yes.
The United Iraqi Alliance, backed by Shia religious leaders, emerged as the largest bloc, securing 140. Of the 275 seats, Kurdistan Alliance 175 seats, reflecting very strong support for the Kurds who quite persecuted over there, Sunni representation was minimal due to low turn out in Sunni areas, leading to concerns about political exclusion and many Sunni leaders called for a boycott, arguing that. On the US, occupation lacked legitimacy.
The elections marked the first time in decades that Iraqis had the opportunity to choose their leaders in a free and fair vote. It was a crucial step in their transition from authoritarian rule to a more democratic system. But critics? Questioned whether, like you said with the the leaders calling for a boycott. Held under US occupation, does that really reflect the will of the Iraqi people?
Now I I mean I don't know. Like it's. It's not like you weren't spoiled for choice with 7000 people, but.
Yes, yes, 711.
Hours. Oh, that's just as a voter. That would be so stressful.
Parties.
Yeah, I feel tired just hearing that.
Yes, yeah, we are just the ballot papers we get. I mean, you're not. I'm voting above the line if it's 7000 candidates, I'm voting above.
I was really happy. Them. Are you happy when they brought out that app thing and it asked you a bunch of questions about what you believe and the different things and then it?
I was really.
Would give you the percentage of which party you'd that was so helpful.
Oh, that's bad. You're using AI to it. Inform your voting.
Was helpful. Ask me a few questions and went. You should vote.
For this, cut out the middleman and let the computers do everything really shouldn't we? Let's go to the 1st of February. Big news in Canada.
Hmm.
With Canada introducing the Civil Marriage Act, which was squarely focused really on same sex marriages. And what happened was, is they proposed this act to basically make the whole thing nationwide. What what happened in Canada is in some places it was illegal. In other places it was not the majority of places it was legal, but they needed to get everyone on the same page. So that's what they tried to do is is a pretty landmark piece of legislation. If you look at at at how early this is happening as well, I mean this is just after that conversation in the United States as well. Now it's happening in Canada by 2005, same sex marriage was already legal in several Canadian provinces and territories, including Ontario and Quebec and British Columbia. And the weird thing is, is that these legalisations were the result of court rulings that found the existing definition of marriage as between a man and a woman unconstitutional under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. And that's not to say that marriage between a man and a woman is unconstitutional. It's just it's just that it's not just, it's.
Hmm.
I think.
It's married. It's the definition. If it could be a man in a man or a woman.
Explorer than that.
And that's I think.
I think that's, I think that's as far as they go.
That's it. Yes, they're they're the options. And I think that's how they approached it in the US in. Where was it the one that started with M Massachusetts? Yes.
Mass. Massachusetts, Massachusetts.
Message yes, and I think that's that's how they determined it. They looked at the Constitution and yeah, and saying that it was unconstitutional, which which made sense. But what they wanted was this nationwide legalisation.
Yes. Hmm.
Consistency, yeah.
So.
Yeah. And let's stop with these different court rulings and and having it different in different places depending on the ruling and the interpretation. Let's. Make it legal, right?
Across the board.
Right. So they had some kind of charter in section 15 of that charter guaranteed equality under the law and prohibited discrimination based on characteristics such as sexual orientation and the courts across Canada had repeatedly ruled that denying same sex couples the right to marry. Violated those principles.
Yeah, that was part of the court rulings. So the proposed act that they were looking at redefined marriage. Yes. So this wasn't just about the court rulings against the the charters being on unconstitutional. Was let's actually. Redefine the terminology. Yeah to include same sex couples explicitly stating that marriage is a lawful union of two persons to the exclusion of all.
Others. That's wonderful. I think that's a, that is, whoever wrote that? I mean, that is the most.
Makes sense?
Clear to the point we all understand.
Like it's bureaucratic, but it's non bureaucratic and it's easy to follow. It's very simple, makes sense and it ensures that religious institutions.
Yes, we get it, we get it.
Or don't have to feel compelled to perform same sex marriages if that conflicts with their beliefs or whatever. They can just do their thing. But you can go and still go to the courthouse, or you can get a celebrate. Or you can do whatever you want. That's fine.
But.
Obviously there were naysayers and I think this is this is great. So the Prime Minister at the time, Paul Martin, he was in the Liberal government over in Canada and I think it was liberal by definition as well as opposed to conservative. He introduced the act and this is from his speech. It's wonderful.
Wow.
Ultimately, Mr speaker. There is only one issue before the House in this. For most Canadian in most parts of our country. Same sex marriage is already the law of the land. Thus the issue is not whether rights are to be granted. The issue is that whether rights that have been granted are to be taken away. Now summer, Frank and straightforward and say yes. Others have not been so candid. The fighting confused despite being confronted with clear facts, you are despite being confronted. Despite being confronted with clear facts, despite being confronted with unanimous opinion of 134 legal scholars, experts in their field intimately familiar with the Constitution. Some have chosen to not be forthright with Canadians. They've issued the honest approach in favour of the political approach they have attempted to cajole the public into believing that we can return to the past with a simple snap of the fingers. We can revert to the traditional definition of marriage without consequence and without overriding the Charter. They are insincere. They are disingenuous and they are wrong. Here here.
They are wrong. I my favourite part in that speech is where he stumbles and the guy's like, who's confused. He's like you are. This is such a great moment. He's just like thinking on his feet and he's just he can tell he's fired up and passionate about it. I think it's great. It was really good.
I.
Yeah.
Hmm.
There it was, a very heated debate, though obviously these things always are.
Hmm.
Just don't know why. By people who are married, who are not in a same sex union, are offended by what? Like, oh, it's a very principle of marriage. Well, I mean, have you seen the divorce rate?
Why do we care about what other people are doing? Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
Yeah.
Like, come on now, you know, get real.
A lot were opposed on religious or traditional grounds, so it passes the House of Commons in June 2005. So later this year, MM.
Hmm, sure.
And is approved by the Senate the following month, receiving Royal Assent on the 20th of July 2005. This made Canada the 4th country in the world after the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain to legalise same sex marriage nationwide. Very significant step signalling Canada's commitment to equality and inclusion. And it ensured that it was legal across all of these provinces and territories and got rid of those discrepancies. Yeah, that and it also meant because I think what you found and we, I think we saw it too, where we had a lot of same sex couples actually travelling overseas to get married. Similarly, in Canada, they would then travel to.
It's consistent like we're saying.
The provinces where where they could do it so they couldn't do it at home with friends and family, it was.
Yeah.
Yes.
I don't know. I you know, if you weddings are a pain in the ****. And to organise.
Running away from everyone doing it might not be such.
I I've been. Looking but with all due respect to all of our friends and family, if I had my time again, I would rather put the money in my pocket and they're like, absolutely, yeah, yeah, absolutely. It is interesting. And my favourite little footnote on.
There was a.
Lot of thinking there was a. Of thinking and preparation and go to Canada.
You get married over there.
This is that the the the opposition Conservative Party, which was led by a guy by Stephen Harper, opposed the bill and Stephen Harper vowed to revisit the issue if elected. So in 2006, Harper gets elected Prime Minister, right and his government hold this parliamentary vote to reopen. The debate on same sex marriage and the motion is defeated and thus the law is permanent like you can't. You can't stop it. So wonderful.
Very bad. So I had mate, yeah.
All right, enough talk of gay marriage and whatnot. And let's get in.
Sport. Yes. Yeah, sport. 30th of January 2005. I'm calling.
Well.
It is.
Sport sports entertainment.
Sport, you've gotta.
Predetermined sports entertainment.
There's a lot of effort involved, there's a lot of working out and muscles and.
Hey, I'm the fan. I'm the fan. I love it. I love it. I live for it. I am so happy that it's on Netflix now.
It's sport.
I'm saying sport.
The 18th Annual Royal Rumble Wrestling. Produced by.
WWE, yes.
And featuring the iconic 30 man over the top rope Royal Rumble match.
I love the Royal Rumble. It's so much fun because they have, like, the one person goes into the ring, and then there's a timer and I think it's like 2 minutes or something.
The main event is happening.
And then another person comes in, and then every couple of minutes another person comes in until all 30 are in there. Is like 30 man. And then you got 30 minute. Well, it's not all 30 minute because that you can get eliminated by getting thrown over the top. And then you feed.
So they're not all in the ring at the same time.
That's around, not necessarily potentially potentially could be if you can't throw them all out.
Don't. You'd fit 30 people on the ring. Oh gosh.
They used to. They used to do battle Royals, and they'd all start in the ring. The royal rumbles much more structured, very sensible, very sensible. No, it's it's it's wildly entertaining because nobody knows the order.
Something. No, it still sounds hectic.
Or who's going to come out next? So it's always a surprise. And you know how the wrestling do it? Like the theme music kicks in and then they come down to the the ring and then it's wonderful. It's really fun. That's them.
That's the main events and then they do matches in the lead up. Don't that before that.
Yes. They do. It's a big pay-per-view thing, so the WWE do like one big pay-per-view a month and the Royal Rumble happens in February and I believe whoever wins the Royal Rumble gets the.
Is that the lead up to WrestleMania? Right, OK. That makes sense. So the matches in the lead?
Yes. Yeah. Uh.
We had we had Triple H versus.
Yes, Randy Orton for the with the, with the World Heavyweight Championship. So Triple H owned the title and he retained it because he beat Randy Orton in a very physical match and there was a big storyline because they had evolution. I think that that was something that. Triple H and Orton had some kind of back story where they were working together, and then it all went to hell and then they got to fight each other at the Royal Rumble. Whatever JBL. Hmm. Kurt angle. Yeah.
JBL versus Fern angle versus big show for three three ways.
Yes, a. Way. A triple sorry, they don't call it a three-way wrestling. It's it's a triple threat, SIA the correct term.
I was gonna.
Say it's probably not not the best terminology.
Is a triple threat match. Yes, pinned Kurt Angle to win the three-way. No, the trip threat match.
It's not the story, right JBL? Vince to Bendy's three-way winning streak. Undertaker. Undertaker.
Hmm.
Who's the other guy I hired and hired? And Rick, hide and reach hide and right. Is that the only time he's done a car? Feel like I've seen a casket matched before, so I don't know if.
Heidenreich yes, there's a cut. Like you know, when I put him in the casket. Yeah. And then they get a closer lead and that's how they win. There's been a couple of casket matches. There's been casket matches with Undertaker is he's a buried alive one. Remember, they buried someone. They put him in the casket and then they put.
I watched.
Yes, I've actually seen because I've seen a casket match and I'm trying to think is this when?
I watched it but.
Do you do one in the late 90s? Was that in the 90s?
Dirt on him. They bury him.
Was that in the late 90s? No. I think that was an episode of Knight Rider. They buried someone alive and that freaked me.
Attitude error. It's good God. Oh yeah, many use the turbo boost to get out. I.
Out I just had this. That I was going to be buried in a coffin alive. Like I feared that as much as quicksand, when I.
No, I've. I've, I've.
A child.
I'm picking up what you're picking there.
Legionnaires disease. Quicksand. Buried alive in a casket. And the triads? They were my biggest fears.
Yeah, at least you would have a talking. But at least you would have a talking card to. You company.
But I didn't know if the car was coming.
I think it was in the show anyway. I'm just saying I'm picking up what you're putting down because I've actually seen that particular episode as well, and it frightened me as a child too.
But. Task of that.
Were you scared of?
I don't think anybody else. Really cares, and also we're we're talking about wrestling. So I don't if we're losing people or not, just remember big celebrity guests coming up, folks, big celebrity guest.
And a wrestling connection.
Well, there go. There's another hint for the the big celebrity guest that's coming up really soon on t -, 20. But in the meantime, please enjoy our conversation about the casket. Ratchet. The Royal Rumble. Yeah. Hmm.
Cask. And Knight Rider the other match was Edge versus Shawn Michaels.
Shawn Michaels. MMM. Yes. A singles match. Interestingly, though, some of these wrestlers came out into the Royal Rumble as well, including Edge. But the Royal Rumble.
Edged 1.
Batista won the 30 Man Royal Rumble. He defeated John Cena and I think there were like 4 left in the ring at the end. It was Batista, John Cena, Edge and Rey Mysterio. Rey Mysterio goes out, Edge goes out.
Oh, right.
And then it's Batista and John Cena. It was very chaotic at the end.
John Cena was wearing his denim shorts, the long denim denim is not it. That is not an appropriate attire for any type.
He was his jaws.
Of physical activity.
But Are you sure? Was he even there? No. Yes.
I saw him and I saw his joy.
Unbelievable. So what happened was this is this is this goes down in wrestling folklore, this particular match, there's a thing called a botch and.
They.
Don't really. Oh, yeah, I don't. I don't like the idea of it. They made a massive mistake. They made a massive mistake. This is a pay-per-view. Millions of dollars. Lots of people pay money to watch it. They.
Did they **** it up or did they? To do.
Did.
Jeez.
We know of the Royal Rumble because then they have to go to WrestleMania. So what happened?
Hmm.
Is is Batista John Cena are in the ring and they unintentionally eliminated each other at the same time because they botched a move and toppled over the top rope and both of them hit the ground at the same time and the theatre that ensued from this mistake. Like if you look at how people handle live. Right. Like you think about live television. There's a big adrenaline rush. We love. Do it. We used to love doing live radio, live TV, live events, live music, all of that sort of stuff. Anything can and will happen. And this is everything happening all at once. It's just unbelievable, is unbelievable. So they're muddling around and they're trying to sort of figure it out live on the.
Yeah. Did someone touch the ground first? Can we call it? What do?
As to.
Do here.
And it's wrestling. So it's very pantomime anyway, it's like.
And you've got the commentators at the table, and they don't. They're like, what do we say here? How do we explain this?
I. Know what's going on. But there is also. A position. They call it gorilla position, and. And what the guerrilla position is, is, is Vince McMahon is the head of creative. And these days, it's Triple H who's doing it? But at the back? Then it was Mr McMahon who's ahead of creative. And there's, like, the the in ring persona of him. Who was that big villain? But he's ahead of creative. So he's got his headset on and he's got Coms. The referees, like they've all got ear pieces and the camera guys and everything and the the producers. And he's dictating what's going on with the storyline and during the match, if something happens, he can communicate to the referee and the referee can then communicate to the wrestlers and say, hey, this is he wants this to happen or he's going to change the result of the match or whatever because he's ultimately in charge of the creative, predetermined entertainment. That's how it works. Everyone knows this. It's not a problem. But So what?
Hmm.
With this thing, because of this botch at the Royal Rumble, where they're supposed to get this ultimate winner that. Both of them go out, hit the canvas at the same time. Commentators everyone's not knowing what to do. They're doing this pantomime thing. Mince McMahon is going berserk in the gorilla losing his mind.
Could you imagine him in your ears in your earpiece, just losing his?
Well, Batista actually talks about it as if he may have lost his job. And you know Dave Batista now from all the movies and stuff like he's, he's retired from wrestling, he's he's very good in, in films. He's a great actor, he's doing really well for himself. So he's like, I've lost my job and Johnson is like it was John Cenas fault. He's owned up in hindsight and it was.
Yeah.
So McMahon comes running down out of that thing to the he's like, he's because nobody knows what the outcome's gonna be. He and he's yelling at everyone and he throws the headset off and storms out into the arena into the ring.
But he stormed out as Vince, the character, not as Vince, like the boss, who's angry because they're cuffed.
For the cameras, but you can tell that he is absolutely furious.
It up hmm.
Hmm.
And he's and he goes to get into the ring. Now he he does bodybuilding and stuff like that, but he's not, you know, a fine-tuned athlete like these guys that do acrobatics every day he dives into the ring and goes to slide across the canvas and his quads kind of connect with the edge of the ring and he tears both his quads. When he's going into the ring, which would be the most excruciatingly painful thing, and he goes to stand up once he gets in the ring, he can't.
It would. I shouldn't laugh that.
Would really hurt.
And then and so he's sitting down barking orders at the referees and everyone.
That is. The funniest moment because you see him sitting there and he's trying to get up and he can't and. He. Sits there and you're like, what are?
You doing what's going on?
And and and they and then they have to they the IT is surreal but the theatre of it too. It's so entertaining. It's one of the best moments.
It's just the weirdest thing. He kept going. He stayed in character. I just went for it.
Yeah, yeah. And and I think what I love, what I love about wrestling is when wrestlers have time to sort of break away from it all and break kayfabe and actually talk about. The mechanics of this it could be because that's how they build folklore. It's actually very clever. It's very clever because there's a lot of storytelling behind the scenes in wrestling and the things that happen in real life behind the scenes in wrestling are actually probably way more entertaining and interesting than the stories that they're trying to tell from time to time. And this is. Of those cases. There is an amazing. YouTube Channel and I think it's a podcast called Inside The Ropes where this guy goes and interviews wrestlers, and they're very candid about it and edge the third person who was eliminated tells. And this is just the abridged version. I just kind of cut this down, but I implore you because I don't want to get done for copyright or anything like that. But I implore you to go and actually look at the full. Because he tells it really well and it is very, very funny.
Now everyone remembers that they went out at the same time. It's like oh. What you might not remember is I was the 3rd last competitor in. So. I get eliminated. I'm going down the the starting to get up and go down the ramp and I see. Both land I went. I get through the curtain and all I see is him go to dive in, go to stand. And just Google.
Cool.
Although this is odd.
Tucker.
Those guys are standing in the ring now. He's sitting there.
Huh.
Go to get.
He.
Tore both. Laughter.
Yeah.
He nobody knew at that time. I just remember like, oh man, I am getting out of dodge. I am going back to that dressing room I am. And then and then we were told don't go in the hallway, don't go in the hallway, don't go in the hallway. They kept the hallways clear so that Vince. Could somehow manage to walk because he refused? Help. With two torn in quads.
That is just a gluteus movement about a guy who's like in his mid 50s. Gassed to the girls at walking. Who slides into a ring tears both his quads and then proceeds to scream instructions as he sits.
It's so true. It's.
The weirdest thing to watch? It's hilarious. But he sticks with it.
That's and that and that.
That is why they're all good actors.
Eat I I would wager right now that mate wrestling is probably the best thing. That's on TV, though. It's the best thing that's ever been on TV. Face it, it's just wonderful. Indulge a little bit of wrestling talk.
It was funny.
There might be a little bit more later on, we'll. What happens? You never know.
Oh. Let's do the charts to start with, though, we'll start with the Australian chart. We've still got head lice, a nasty girl by Nitties.
I got a lot of money.
Could you be my nasty girl? And let me do.
That dirty dance with you.
That's so gross.
Over in the UK, Elvis, a reissue of the Elvis Classic. Now or never.
It's not, never.
Come home anytime. Kiss me, my darling.
You kind of forget how good Elvis was until you hear his voice.
Over the US charm, can you play the top?
5.
Drop it like it's hot. Drop it like it's hot. Drop it like it's hot. The eggs try to get at you. Talk it like it's hot pocket like it's hot. Pock it like it's hot. The pimps. The crib. Mom, drop it.
Make sure you ride before you choose.
Fit no. You for what? Lunch.
Let.
Me. See you want to.
You should let me love you. Let me be the one to give you everything. Want any baby good.
That is exactly the same as last week.
Well, that's handy. Robot Guy got a week.
Yeah, it was good. Made my job a little bit easier. I have to say it's hard trying to find tune the robot sometimes. Sometimes I don't have the correct tools, you know.
Didn't have to do any work. 03 here. Sometimes it just goes a bit. And and. Makes it up as he goes.
Sits down, starts barking orders. Hmm. With two torn quads.
Yeah it does.
Drop it like it's hot. #5, soldier, #4 lovers and friends, number 312. Step number two. Let me love you is still #1.
But numbers win, yeah.
But we didn't talk about the song soldier last week, I said I'd save it till this week and so here it is, Destiny's Child.
If your.
Status ain't hood.
From the album, Destiny fulfilled features Ti Li. And it's a tribute to confidence, St savvy men who exude strength, loyalty and a sense of realness push the boundaries for destinies. Charles a little bit grittier, a little bit of urban vibe, less polished than some of their previous stuff, and they talk about hood men.
Yeah.
And street smart personas.
Um, just she's just pause for one minute.
None.
She said, like, I mean, like I I want to preface this by saying I'm no Adonis, OK? I'm not the physical specimen. I'm not the soldier that Beyoncé is looking for, right? I'm not. I'm I am not the hood man. I'm not the soldier that Beyoncé that is looking for.
You're the hood, man.
However, I would also argue. Jay-Z. Probably not. The hood man or the soldier era that Beyoncé is looking for. Hey am I wrong?
I'm not getting involved, not getting involved with everything that's going on at the moment. There's lots of lawsuits happening. I'm not getting involved.
And and and you know. I just think. Maybe it's the good sense of humour thing as well. You know, girls always say they want to go over the good sense of humour. I need a guy with a good sense of humour, but no.
Gsoh.
Don't. You're full of ****. You want to.
Gsoh.
Soldier, you want a hood guy and then, but then she chose Jay-Z. So maybe he has a good sense of humour and maybe I'm completely off base and wrong, but I'm. But I'm happy to have put that out into the universe for discussion. It's purely a theory. None of it is based in fact. It's all speculation.
And maybe we're about to. Sued. Thanks so much.
Happy for them.
Allegedly, please discuss.
Some listeners initially interpreted the song as a literal tribute to military personnel, with everything going on, they thought they'd talk about real soldiers. No, they're talking about hood. Men too busy in Iraq. No talking about hood men. There's a little bit of confusion. There was also rumours in the video clip that. I think it was Michelle and Kelly were pregnant because of what they were wearing. There was a lot of speculation that they were.
What?
With Childs really in the video clip, but they actually weren't, but Solange Beyoncé's little sister, the one that beat up Jay-Z in the lifts. Jeez, that was.
Yes, in the elevator, yeah.
That was that.
She she. His ***. Wow, she hooked into him. He must have done something really bad.
I know she's been in the Royal Rumble. It's amazing.
Yeah. Yeah, big chops. She's putting the chops.
She was.
Not that we condone that kind of behaviour. She was in the video clip and she was in fact, pregnant.
Chops.
No, of course not. Violence is never the answer.
Yeah.
Right. Fun fact, I don't know where, where.
And like is it a blink and? Miss it thing? Oh, there's.
I don't know.
Salonstation yeah, it's instead of where's Wally? Where's Solange? Oh, there she is. And she's with child.
Grace, an amazing piece of.
The truth.
Thank you. I thought it was interesting. I just thought it was interesting that everyone's starting these rumours about Michelle and Kelly and no, it's actually Solange. You were distracted by Michelle Inca. You didn't even pick Solange.
That's a.
Yes, and she and she was in. Sleep. Yeah. All right. So you know when you're at a dinner party and there's conversations and perhaps that comes up, you can chime in with, I think you'll find.
Hmm.
It was soloms that up the Duff.
It was Solange. She was pregnant, and then everyone would be like, how did you find out about that and say, well, there's this really, really factually correct and accurate podcast called T minus.
Yes.
How did you know that?
Do you even pronounce her name solo, or is it Solange? Have I maybe even saying it right? I think it's Solange.
Yeah, I think so. I hope so. OK, Solange. The. Potato. Potato. I'm not saying she's a potato.
Wow.
She might be a potato.
She's a good fighter but and. Was pregnant in soldier.
Yes, I really should be very careful.
Yes.
You should. What's next?
Oh, an album, an album.
Right.
3 Doors Down.
Oh brilliant.
Brought out an album 17 days because. We don't need to be confused.
Then this band, this band is a one hit wonder in Australia. What have they happened Kryptonites that was.
Well, these numbers.
You're 3 Doors Down. Oh, wasn't there something? Were they here without you?
1000 he would ask. He would ask you. That's incredibly attractive. Yes. He without you and kryptonite, that's all we got in Australia. But they.
Oh, I feel like there was another.
Really.
Yeah. When I'm gone.
When I'm gone.
When? Yeah, we talked about that and because we don't know that we we this is the discussion we had, yes, when I'm gone here without you when I'm gone.
What? No, that's a Netflix. I know, I know, yeah.
And kryptonite. There's 28 more songs from three doors down. Uh, loser. Be like that. Let me go. Let me be myself away from the sun landing in London. When you're young. The road I'm on, duck. And run your arms. Feel like home. So I need you, citizen soldier.
Ah.
But that's a real. That's a hood, soldier. That's a legit soldier in the dark here by me. Back to me. Goodbyes. Life of my own. Not enough behind those eyes going down in flames. It's the only one you've got trained. She won't want the world. Heaven believe it inside of me. One light pages.
Pages.
But yeah.
What's this album that they've got out?
I said it 17 days and three doors down. The third studio album.
Right. And there's what's on. What's, so what's this song on this one?
Featuring hits like let me go.
Me. But you don't know.
Oh, I am so there he go.
Let me go.
There you go. Let them go. Well, Australia did. Australia only had two of their.
Me.
Did you know that 3 Doors Down was the band? No, no.
We're pregnant in the video clip, OK?
They were there. I think a lot of people knocked back. Being involved in. In Donald Trump's inauguration, but 3 Doors Down, have a track record. They played George W Bush's inauguration, and so they all.
Oh, OK.
Decided to do well. They were. They were asked to do Trump's one, and they did. They play kryptonite at Donald. 'S.
Inauguration Kryptonite does not feel like an inauguration kind of tune, though, does it?
Well, no. But you, well, yeah and no. And I think he's lucky to have anyone to play at his inauguration given the vibe that we kind of got. From mainly leftist media, if I'm being honest, but 3 Doors Down so their manager is is a Kiwi guy. He's and his name is what's his name? Angus Vale. He's a he's a business manager of the band and they. Vice I think, asked him, what's their political beliefs were and they're like, they believe that God, guns and country and black and what white sort of viewpoint of things. So they spend they spent time going to Iraq and they've done a lot of things like. Concerts for the troops and stuff like that, you know, really nice stuff.
Oh yeah, I do remember that. Yep.
Doing good things for. People. And they respect the office, so there you. OK, there.
I think my Solange story was more interesting than that. I think pregnant, Solon, just more interesting than 3 Doors Down, liking guns.
That's terrible. This is terrible. This is. Absolutely. This is a terrible story and I think we we should talk about something else.
Well, we're still in the music and I think it's time to talk to our special guest now if they're available.
Christ, I hope they haven't been listening thus far.
If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again.
Mel, this is a pretty special week for us because we're getting to speak to this amazing person who was huge and has continued to be huge. His career has been fantastic, right throughout the early 2000s to now. It is an absolute honour to have Ryan Cabrera. On the podcast this week, G Day Ryan.
Yeah, I need you to do all my. That was fantastic.
Mate, we're a bit rusty. We worked on radio back in the day, so you know we've, we've we've had a bit of practise, but that was a long time ago.
Did you have? Did you have a different voice for like your radio voice versus you went the way you talk at home?
No, no, no, no. Like new school. Like when we're working with like some of the old school radio guys though in the business would be like good old mate. How's it going and.
Yes.
Be like oh.
That's. Yeah, there it.
Yeah, it's just.
Is. Yeah, we're back.
Yeah.
WP Let's talk about you. We have got the 20th anniversary rerelease of your single on the way down. Coming up before we get into that, let's do a quick rewind, because that's what we like to do on this show, we rewind 20 years, so this is perfect. This is perfect timing for us. So we.
Now.
OK.
Yeah.
OK, going best.
Ryan Cabrera, this is your early 2000s life.
The hair is spiky, it's fully out like that.
Yeah.
Let's let's take a moment for the hair. Actually, because your hair incredible.
OK.
Absolutely incredible. It was a work of art and I I've always wanted to know. Were you using the TG bed head wax stick? Is that how you achieved what product were you using to?
I'll take.
That that.
It was. You're very close. I know exactly what you're talking about. I wanted to use that stick that, but it it made my hair more limp and I was going really like, you know, very.
Yeah.
Kind of thing. And so there was a bed head product that they don't doesn't exist anymore. It was this really slim orange can. I think it was like a wax. It was a spray wax. But for some. Yeah. And it it used to get like caught all the time so I could use one can I was going through I could do that maybe.
Oh yes.
Well, cans of that entire thing a week when I was on tour, because every day except for I, I actually, I take it back 'cause usually day like.
Wow.
Like 2 for. Was always the best hair day. I didn't. That day? Yeah. When it's a little bit, a little bit dirty.
Yeah. Wow, this is like.
Other day.
It's like a massive hole in the ozone layer. Just.
I apologise, it's a lot of Hairspray.
It's OK, man. When you do like an album cover, you almost have to do like a gatefold, just so you could fit like the, you know, the hair on 1/2 of it.
That was very important. Yeah. I make sure make sure that the hair fit in all the pictures.
It was a complete work of art. I thought it was fantastic actually.
I there was funny. It says to me at that time by obviously looking back now I'm like, Oh my God. But yeah, I was like that time that was normal to me. But that just seemed completely normal, right. But I would go to the airport and, you know, 'cause, I was doing my hair like, every day. I just that's how I did my hair.
Yeah, yeah.
I always have like weird whatever hair, but I was so used to it and I thought it was normal like. The airport. Be like oh. At my hair. I'm like what I was like.
Fantastic. We got to check in there for security.
But then you Fast forward. Yeah, Fast forward like I started seeing people like doing, like similar kind of things whether. Know. Anything to do with me or not but. Oh, that's how I used to do.
It and own it. You're a child like, I mean, you know, and at.
Yeah, 100%. We just have happy to have some.
Right. And your look has evolved, you know, whereas me, like, I'm still dressing like I was 14 years old and I'm like 50. So you know it's not.
Hey, it's what's comfortable. Can I stay comfortable?
Well, it's especially when you go up, mate. It's all about comfortable, good footwear, you know, sensible shoes, all of that sort of stuff.
100% Yep, I'm croc guy.
Yeah, you know what I never used to be a croc guy, but I'm starting to embrace the croc.
I live in crock so. I wasn't either. I was the guy, I was a hater. I'll be honest, because I had all my friends. A couple of them would wear. And I'm like. It's terrible. Like, what the heck is that like? Dude, you've got to try. It's so comfortable, like, absolutely not. I would never do that. And I tried on. I was like, this is glorious. And I bought many, many, many pairs since then.
Have you got the accessories? What are? Called the giblets or giglets, or. Yeah, that's it.
Oh, the gibbets.
Gibbets yeah.
You have you got?
Yeah, 'cause I have well. Have the ones that come with the gym. It's because I bought the Margaritaville like the Jimmy Buffett. Which comes with a shot glass divot. It's got a lime jibbit. It's got a bottle opener, Jibbit. So that was obvious. You know what happened to happened there? And then I got. I have a lot of Disney ones.
No. Yeah.
Come with the jibbets.
And.
What I just got the buddy the elf ones.
For Christmas, just in time for Christmas.
Yep, Yep, Yep.
That's awesome.
Early 2000s fashion, though, besides the hair, I recall there was a time as well when you brought kind of ties from from business attire into. Punk rock every day where you make a big proponent of the tie. Did you just grab your dad's tie one day?
Oh yeah.
And it was a bit it. The. Time you know it was. It was what started. It was on Jay Leno. You remember, Jay Leno talked Tonight Show.
Yeah.
So I was doing that and they had I had my wardrobe at that time. I was wearing a lot of diesel like diesel was, I was obsessed with it. But I had my diesel shirt and had my wardrobe like done. And then I saw this like big. Really ugly tie that. It looked like something like my grandpa wore. And so I was like, oh, would this be funny? And I always like, you know, mess around and stuff. So I was like, oh, wouldn't this be hilarious if I wore, like, this grandpa looking big *** tie and then I kind of just thought it was dope. So I was like, I kind of like it like now, like you. The. Ten years. I'm a very I'm a skinny type kind of guy, so I would. I was like I would never wear a big tie. But it's funny because back then I was. I thought it was awesome. And then I started. I remember throwing one out at the end of a concert just randomly and then it. Became a thing and then started throwing and went out every single night. So that was the thing for. Fans at that time was like everybody tried to win the tie and they'd.
Fight over it. What a merchandising opportunity.
I reckon.
That's that's amazing.
Yeah, we did. Yeah. So I started making we had those, the big fat ties with my logo on. As merch.
So early 2000s music industry is vastly different. The landscape vastly different. You know, there was no there was streaming, hadn't really come in. We were still dealing with things like Napster and Limewire and things like that.
Yeah.
Right.
What?
We saw it from the other side, didn't we? Working radio.
Yeah, working working in radio when you singles or albums came out, we'd have the record company call us up. And the biggest thing was to get the single on radio and they'd be like we'll give away prize packs. We'll give you a bottle of bourbon if you give this song some airplay. And it was.
Yeah, they'll pay holidays, yeah.
Yeah, it was much up to the the label as to what was going to happen, the success of. And it. It was very. The the single they'd bring artists into play for us.
Yeah. And that was that was really interesting. Like you'd have like these really young artists and and a lot of them were local, but occasionally they'd bring international ones to, to Australia for the mainly not not a lot of times 'cause it's too expensive to bring someone new out. They need to be established here, but they would come and they would play in the boardroom to a group of crusty radio. Is in sales reps who would just be standing there like. Like that. And it was it was some of the most awkward. So that was the same you they they put you through that as well.
Oh, I remember that.
Had to do that kind of thing.
Oh, yeah, yeah, the radio. You, every single station you go boardrooms. And it was we were doing like 3A day. And it's yeah. Yeah. It's it's very luckily.
Yeah.
For me, I think one of the the benefits of the way I kind of came up at least to get signed was I had to go into. Room with. The President of whatever label, universal, whatever, and just and they would just go alright. Impress me. Like.
So.
That should. Start singing now is that is that. I should praise it. You know, it was just so weird. Awkward and having you do that, you know 100 times and you're just used to it. So when it came time to do, like the radio board rooms, I was like, oh, I got. I was like, I'm going to have this room. And cracking up and and I would do things that most other artists probably weren't doing it, and it was just having fun with it. And, you know, making them laugh and. Taking the the awkwardness out of it, so I actually at that point I actually kind of enjoyed it. So I was like, alright, let me see how if I can get him, you know, it's it's easy to, it's easy to go in a room and if it's, you know, specific fans that are there to see you. But if it's that radio board room.
Yeah. Yeah.
It's like all right, how can I turn this around and make this fun?
It's a challenge and I guess when you've been hustling like, up until that point like, yeah.
Yeah, that's yeah.
Exactly. Yeah, prepares you for the all those rooms. But yeah, the the music industry, just in general, obviously, with social media as well as such a different, you know, tool that we didn't have in the early 2000s. If you wanted, that was basically what we would call like our fan clubs, their pages and forums. Was back like the original, like the chat rooms and the forums is like the original Twitter essentially, you know like that. Fans would go on there and that was how they found out or stayed connected. And nowadays with social media, it's so much easier to access. You know, people, new fans, old fans, you know, and in, in, in like a second versus. Having to go, you have to have to go see that person live to figure out. They were doing in life, you know back then.
And it's so it is so different, isn't it too 'cause. I I remember back in the day when we were interviewing artists, we would get a print out of their bio, usually on coloured paper. If they're feeling a bit fancy with with black black ink. And that was what you had to go on. Whereas now like just preparing to chat to.
Hmm.
Today I feel like a stalker, I feel. I know you because because you.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like that really happened is that.
True, you're on. You're on the socials. So we can get a feel for what you get up to. I have seen the. On social. Very impressive. The way Yep. But also you have that real time interaction and that real time feedback from the fans and just from anyone who wants to comment, how do you find that to? Is that a? Good thing or a bad thing 'cause. It is very different to the old fan club days where you. I guess correct have that philtre or that layer where you wouldn't receive all of the information and then you'd have someone else kind of feeding the information back so you could curate it to to some degree.
Right. Yeah, you know, I've always been AI have, like a love hate relationship with it. I love it because I think it's incredible that I can just go boom and send a new video, a clip of a song, or I have an idea of something that I'm gonna do a show tonight. Can come watch. That part is incredible.
Well.
I'm. I'm not like one to try to create content just for the sake of content. You know, it's just not what I am good at. You know, I'm I like to write songs and entertain and and DJ and do that kind of stuff. But like that, you know, I have friends who are just like good at it and they're like their stuff looks so cool. I was like, I've never really had.
Yeah.
Like get into. Like a Instagram or whatever they call just for me personally, I was like I said, I'm not. It's I don't really love it. I think it's great for other people and I love that there's ways to monetize it and make money from it. So I think it's.
They certainly.
It's good as long. You're not. You know you consume your life.
There's a tipping point, though, right? Isn't there? There's a tipping point where it's like, almost too much information like I used to love the first Wednesday of every month where I'd go and buy my favourite music magazine, and I'd read about the artists that I that I looked up to there, and there was a little bit of an element of mystique about it all, whereas now it's just all out there.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And and.
Yeah. And I think that's what you know for me should because you know, as as an artist, it's like, here's my art, you know, here's the songs. There's the stories, you know, here's what I you know what I was thinking. But then when it comes to like, the other part of your life, like, you should know half the stuff about people.
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think we're so lucky that we're of a generation where we were able to have our formative years before social media in a lot of ways because it's yeah.
But.
Oh yeah, yeah, stuff to look forward to. Like yours reminded me of like, I remember every getting excited about every Monday or whatever, like new CDs were coming out or. Remember, I don't know if you remember Columbia or Sony had those. I don't know if they did it out there, but you get like 10 CDs for the price of one and they would come with these little stamps and all the stamps for the album covers. Oh, so you guys didn't have. Oh, it was amazing. So you get this big booklet of like, thousands of stamps and all the stamps were like, you know, Nirvana and utero sound.
9.
You know all the different bands, Bush, whoever. And that'll cover. So it looked really cool and you would spend like, the entire day choosing your 10 CDs that you were gonna get in the mail the next week. Like you would wait every day. You'd check the mail. Like, are they here? Are they here? You don't think all that? It was like it was an experience.
Oh wow.
Yeah.
You know, to find the music to, to get to hear the music versus now is I think a little bit less of an experience.
Yeah, it was earned. And yeah, and it's it's something that I I I actually I.
What what we did?
I mean, midlife crisis, right? So I started collecting vinyl and I did it because there was. There was no ritual involved in my music. I was passively consuming music, and I didn't want to do that. I wanted to sit down and listen and experience an album from start to finish and read the lyrics and look at the artwork and take in the whole package. And I found that I was taking.
Oh, I love mine.
Granted, and I didn't even realise it's like, you know, 10 years into like streaming or it's just like I can put something on, I can Fast forward. I could do whatever, you know, none of this stuff where you'd be worried about too many, like wasting the batteries on your Walkman because you got to go the next track. You just endure the one that you sort of was okay to get to the good stuff, you know.
Yeah.
So, so that ritual, I think was really critical and I think that's happening now with live music, right? Like, there's still that ritual in performing, you know.
Yeah. Well, you're seeing with I think. Maybe two years ago is where it. Or not exactly. But like a year or two years ago, you started seeing all these bands that you know you loved. Pop up out of nowhere, like, oh, my God. So touring and the same thing happens with us. I'm sure. You know, there's people when they see, like, your pop 2. Tour. See, you know we're going like, oh, my God, I didn't even know they were still touring. It's like, yeah. All have, but the past couple years especially. Has been an amazing resurgence for live shows and going see these shows and people are spending money at these shows, you know which is shocking because I know how things are getting so expensive and it's, you know, some people can't afford eggs, you know? But they'll come to a concert and they'll buy at shirt.
Yeah. Yep.
Sticker you know lyrics. All this stuff, but I'm like, it's pretty amazing to see 'cause. There was a time when, you know, like things are times are too tough and I don't have enough money to go to concert and get the this and this. And but people are supporting it live music. I think more than ever and our concerts are getting bigger and bigger. Every year we're on year seven, maybe 8-7 or eight and be because of this research of live music and people actually spending the money to go see shows. They're like, they're realising that. Experience makes their entire week month better, so it's worth. Music is one of those things that's just always worth spending money on, obviously. But yeah, to the point. Yeah, the live the live music scene is better than it's ever been.
Absolutely.
Yeah, that's so good. Yeah. I think two people are moving towards is this idea of experience, particularly after COVID and and not having the ability to go out and do things there is there's been this real shift towards experience over things, so. It's great to see people touring again and that momentum building once again in terms of performance too, like early, early 2000s. I need to ask, it was peak MTV, TRL. I remember I was in America 2003 and I was walking through Times Square doing the tourist thing and there were all these screaming girls on the side.
The best.
The the the pavement just going crazy. I was like what is that? And someone said, oh, that's kind of where they do TRL up there. Oh, there's a little bow. Wow. I think it was at the time. And I was just like, wow, you. You were part of that. What was that like?
That's definitely one of those things. Like if you look back and you, hey, what about, you know, coming out 20 years ago is like your favourite part that for sure was always, like, 'cause. I grew up watching that. And be like one day I'm gonna go to that window. You know, that is always, you know, in the back of my mind, I was like, I want to do that. And so getting to actually do that, you know, many times.
Yeah.
Like an. That's the stuff that you it it feels like just yesterday you were doing the. That kind of thing, because. Was such a. Experience just to get to.
Yeah.
That and.
I heard too when you did one of your performances. If this is correct, if the Internet is telling me the truth that you mixed it up and you went actually down. Outside and performed outside.
Oh yeah.
The crew would've hated you.
Yeah. So the first time I went, I was. I Oh my God, MTV hated me 'cause. I was like all those people have been down there since, you know, last night, you know, they, you know, they've waited, you know, 15 hours. I was like, why am I gonna perform up here when all those people are down there? So they're like, yeah, that's not really how it works. I was like, let's make it work. And they they made it happen. So they just brought a mic stand down. They just had to figure out, like, the technical part of getting a mic down there off the whim or off the cuff and brought it out in.
Yeah.
Middle of all those people and did it on the way down acoustic.
That is a that is a nightmare for a film crew. I I I work in video production these days and.
That's incredible.
Oh yeah, they just. They're like, OK, we're bringing 1 camera down. They only brought 1 camera down one Cam and one microphone and a flood for my guitar.
Yeah, yeah, they start, they start stipulating rules back. They're like, you'll get one camera, and you can have your guitar and one microphone. And that's it. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah, because they have everything set up in their studio for a reason, obviously.
Yeah, yeah. And they're like, look at this guy. That's amazing, though. You push the envelope and it obviously worked for you because you ended up hosting like, you've got this natural ability to present and do all that sort of stuff. So I'm thinking those radio boardrooms and all of that sort of stuff. Gave you that grounding to actually. Then get on there and host shows. We watched an episode of Score last Night and.
Oh yeah.
That was great.
Yeah. So I think and it was, I think even that show was a little bit ahead of its time in the fact of like, you know, the dating shows and people wanting to see people date that, that kind of thing but and then also music and songwriting, you know. Down. Road once you know some more music driven shows started to doing well on.
Yeah.
I think that that like time period could have been like I think that show could come out now and still be a pretty like a fun concept 'cause it. You know it shows. What it's like to write a song, but then there's the competition aspect and you know, then there's the she. So for those of you don't know scores, it was a dating show. Mixed with songwriting, where the person who chose. The the say the girl is not blindfolded, but next to a wall. He chose. She's going to go on a date with based on which song she likes better or voice she likes better. Now the kink was we had 24 hours. So one day to write the song.
Hmm.
So I would write it with the. Intestines and we just see what we come up with. And then my band would learn it and then we'd go perform it. And then she or he would pick who they wanted to go on a date with. That was actually really, really fun. It was cool, and it was cool too, because it was on after TRL every day. So for me, you know, just as, you know, fan. It was really just awesome to be like, Oh my God, I'm on after TRL every day, and one of those, like, if you would have told me in late high school or whatever, like, one day I'd have my own show and it's gonna be after TRL every day. Like, you know, when kids get home from school.
Yeah.
Sure.
I already thought you're crazy, but it was fun.
Oh, it was. It was really cool to watch and it is a great concept. I I like once you get over sort of really well you've you've got the band.
It was too expensive. That was the only problem. It was. It was. Yeah. There's too much production, cause MTV, you know, MTV plays music videos and has that kind of stuff in reality shows. And this one was like the budget was too big. So they're like. It's costing. This is the most like expensive show, I think in MTV history.
Mate, MTV don't play music videos anymore.
No, no. Then back then they did.
That's happened. A long time. Yeah, they did. They did. They did.
Is back then.
What I liked when I was watching it, I think, was seeing that you were fantastic, like working with the contestants and you, you obviously don't know who you're gonna get, but to have that patience, to actually coach them through because you're dealing with someone who's obviously a musician to a certain level as well, they're they're reasonably established because most of the musicians on there were quite good. Good. And then I was watching the band on it and looking at the body language for the band when these dudes walk in. Like I wanna do all of this with the band are just like.
Oh yeah? Well, cuz you know these these kids, you know, coming in and they're trying to tell, you know, some of these musicians who have been on tour for, you know, 15 years with some of the biggest bands and then you have this kid, you know, from Venice, who's like, you have to play like this and you need a little more feel and fingers. And like Taylor, Ethan was like.
Hmm.
All right, bud. Yeah, cool. I was a little. I was a little more patient than the than the band was with some of these kids, but there was a lot of hours spent and probably a lot that didn't make.
I think.
Show that we. We we would have probably shown some frustration at points. Eventually you're just like, OK, but it's your song. You know the other. So I'm just here to help.
Mate, the end results were great though. Like that's that's what surprised me the most. Like I was watching it and I was like, oh, this is gonna be a disaster. This guys coming with this attitude, I'm looking at the body language of the band. Like having work with bands. And you can you can just tell straight away right and it's.
Yeah, we wrote a. Of. Songs. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. You didn't hide that.
That's right. And and so you see that you're like this is going to be a complete train wreck. Then the. Result was always. It's really good, really pristine. It was great and I think that's largely thanks to the band and you coaching these guys. But like what an amazing.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Concept for a show and what an amazing job to do. No, I mean.
Well it. So fun that was such a good time and I and I still, you know in in. Maybe like 5 or six of those contestants, one of them went on to be one of my really, really close friends. And she wrote if I were a boy for Beyoncé, she was a she was one of the contestants on the show.
Ah yeah. Wow.
And then another one of the cats went on to be on Glee. That TV show Glee. And then there's another cat it. Like a influencer. A. Huge influencer. Now that I saw like. I was like you have. But what he's like dooda, I'm making these videos. I'm influencer now. I'm like, alright. And so it was cool to see that some of the people actually went on to do things, not from my show, like it wasn't like they were discovered on my show, but they were just talented people who, you know, kept at it. And then, you know, had that under their belt and then took that experience and just.
Yeah.
To use it. Yeah. So it's cool that you know, it was, that was one of the things on the show that we were very, very adamant about, too, is like I was like, I want people who are good. Like, I don't want, like, the half American Idol thing where we show. So you know the way you know, the people that you know were terrible for entertainment was like, I want everybody to be legit. So we went through every person and made sure that they were, we've heard some of the original songs. We heard their voices. So that's why that's why they.
Yeah. And I.
At the. Of the day, I was like that could be a hit song actually. Like damn.
Yeah. And I think if you if you look at that, that's where the integrity of the show lies, is that it didn't take advantage of people who are untalented, it just bought talented people to the floor, right and.
Hmm.
Yeah, we took the **** out of the dating part, you know, but the music part was all real.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But and. I think that's a great point of difference and I think. I'm thinking like if you took away some of the the MTV production values from the day 'cause, you know they used to have those real quick cuts and it'd be like front on shot side shot and they do and it was a standard formula when they introduced new people. And if you kind of polished that up, I think that it's got legs today. Like I reckon. I agree. Yeah, yeah. Would you be up? Would. Yeah. Would you be up for doing it again? Yeah.
Bring it back. Let's go. Oh, yeah, absolutely. I think the idea actually would withstand the deck. So people like people like dating shows, people like seeing people write songs and people like good songs. And now the only difference is.
I think so too.
We did not have iTunes then, so you couldn't hear the song on the show and then just buy it right after. So that that's something that now you could utilise that you couldn't do then is now, you know if we if we wrote a hit song.
Yeah.
For whoever artist that's on the show, because there's so much talented people now that get access to these things that they didn't have during that time, then you ever hit songs that come out in real time on iTunes, like the voice and that kind of thing. Come on, let's do this.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's ahead of.
Yes.
Time.
Bring it back. Score Part 2.
So re recording for the 20th anniversary rerelease. What was? How has? How has it changed? What's different in terms of of creating, producing, distributing music? What are you finding today versus when you were first starting out? How has it changed?
Yeah.
Well, the landscape for me has changed because even this goes back to that conversation we had before, when when I was in the studio then. It was. I had no thoughts in my brain. It was just make an album there. I wasn't overthinking it. I wasn't doubting anything. So then now going back and recording a song with a purpose. So I'm I'm I wanted to reimagine what would this song sound like today if I wrote this song today, but since I'm going in with that purpose, it there's of course you're gonna. Overthink everything, but like OK how where do we take this? That it, you know, hasn't gone, that still makes sense without losing the integrity of the song and the feel of the song, which is what made it a hit. So it was actually really hard. We were at the drawing board for a while, trying to. One point it was almost sounding like an EDM song. It was like 4 on the. We're like.
Well.
Is it cool? Like I don't know if it's cool, I can't tell because, you know, obviously I've heard the song of the same way for so long, but like.
Yeah.
I don't know, man. Let's just. Why don't we go back and keep it the same kind of, you know, Riddle like the drive and the feel. But just like update it and make it, you know, take out the electric guitars and make it a little more organic. Than you know, kind of the original, which was more rock pop loop driven. So when we did that, I was like there it is. OK, here's a way to hear this song completely different. Rent, but still has all the elements of why? If you if you did like that song, why you liked it, so that was.
Yeah.
The kind of. The biggest difference then to now is, you know, trying to just thinking too much of. Should we do this? Should we do that? But then when we got in the groove and we found, you know, what we were gonna do with it, then it just flew. And then it was like, oh, my God, what if. We get, you know, Taylor Hanson is in the second verse. And so I got him. And then, oh, you know, it could be cool on this. I was like, what?
Yeah.
AJ Convexion boys. Be or something. We're together a couple weeks ago and he was singing these riffs and I was like, that's dope as hell. And so then that that started to bring new elements of it and then it all just sort of come together. And it's got super fun just bringing friends and kind of put their stamp on one of my songs.
More about some of the reality TV stuff like obviously score on MTV was a big thing for you it. It was reality TV was so massive in the early 2000s idol it just started. We'd had one season of idol and I think that changed the landscape of music a lot.
Yeah.
I watched the osbournes I'm guilty.
I love the osbournes. I loved it. You know, aussie's a hero of mine.
Yeah, I loved me too. That's what's I mean. That's what. That's what started it at all. 'cause, you know, people be like. Oh my God. I have a window into some celebrities lives, you know, but kind of before, like, the paparazzi was even a thing. Or like those kind of things.
Yeah. Yeah.
But you were kind of immersed in the early reality TV with the the Ashley Simpson show, you guys.
Yeah, that's that's cool. Alive.
Obviously, dating in the early 2000s and and her show came out, I think. I. It was filmed in 2003, came out 2004. And you obviously featured in that and that again is still that very early time for reality where it actually was reality and cameras exactly cameras following you around and capturing the real life. What was it like being part of that in the early days?
Alright. It was actually real. Yeah. That show that was a blast like that was just, you know, two young kids. Like, we lived in the same house. Kind of coming up around the same time. And you know, being that age obviously being young and just, you know, everything was so. And fresh. They literally just followed us around with cameras, so at some point we literally didn't even realise they were there like it was.
Yeah.
Just us being us and whatever happened, happened and what's what's kinda cool? I guess ish for me is like to get the different perspective because obviously Fast forward and I was dating someone who happened to be on a different show called the. Pills, which was when she asked me. He's like you will. You know, we're going to spend time together. You know, we kind of have to be around this show ball. I'm like, and then you get there. And I'm like, all right, whatever. I've done this before and then you have a script and you like what you're doing that day and stuff. I'm like, whoa, wait. What? I was like, no, no, no.
Yeah.
Just me.
Yeah.
I'm gonna be having to be and. Like, well, wouldn't we need you to be? Little but that. But with this is Novell and I'm like, yeah, I'm saying that and not saying that, not saying that. So I just kind of had to navigate through that part, but when you go to like Ashley's show and like in Jessica's show, newlyweds, that was just cameras around and you forgot they were there and just you you be you forgetting all about it. And then it coming out, I guess in front of other people as well. And I don't even know what I know I've seen. Lot of clips. Some of the episodes, but I don't really know what it even looked like or. Already seen it?
So. So you never. You never watched any? It or.
Yeah, we didn't watch him. Yeah.
I do remember you getting in trouble on Valentine's Day for not not performing a song for Ashley. She was very upset and I don't think you gave her a flower either. Hope you've hope you've learned from that.
We just got it. Oh yeah. Yeah. I did. I did. I became that that became a whole thing because I had ended up. I did get her flowers, actually, but they did. They were waiting for her. I hope it was a surprise for when we got that because we.
Valentine's Day is coming up.
In the same apartment complex that I had. Put. And then when we got home and she saw him, it was like, oh damn, I just gave him so much because he didn't get me flowers. And then there they were, waiting in the apartment. And then I was like. I forget what I I think I ate one of them and I like got. It was weird, like it didn't like give me high, but I felt real funny after that I ate like one of I don't what was in that flower. But I'm like I was like, I feel real funny and I don't know if we should be filming right now because I don't know what I'm gonna say.
Oh, John.
One of those dyed roses or something.
Yeah. Yeah, man, listen, this is.
So let's cut the let's cut the cameras. First time.
It's right. It's a *******. I mean, what are? You telling me? Yeah. But I think that's that's given you obviously great grounding so that you've and it speaks to your integrity that you could go on to another show and be like Nah. Like I've been through this before and I'm there are things that I'm not gonna do a lot of people in that situation. I think walking in quite naive wide eyed would pretty much.
Oh.
You can get away with a lot when you point a camera at someone you know. You can make people feel a lot of things.
Yeah, there are a lot of people, obviously who you know, doing it for those reasons kind of things like they just, they're doing it either putting themselves as a different person in front of the camera, but then also just carrying. About just being on camera and yeah, with that with the ladder show, I was like, there's things that I'm not going to I'll do a couple of these things that to me are fine, but for the most part, that's why you don't see me much on. Because they're. Like, well, we can't use that because you're telling what? Is they're like.
Ain't my problem. You ruined the. Tyke.
Yeah, ain't gonna do it. I don't even know who half these people that you have me talking about are. I'd even met him. They're like, OK, so we're sending in. But then this person did that. So ask ask her about this.
Yeah.
They're like, I don't know what that is.
Absolutely. Now something that we ask everyone who comes on our show is if you could rewind back 20 years. So back to 2005, Ryan, and you could bump into 2005, Ryan.
Yeah. Mate.
And offer him some advice. What advice would you give him?
Oh, that's a great question. You know, I know it's it's crazy 'cause you thought at the time you're doing it. But at that time, for me, it would be. You know, like, enjoy what's happening that day and stop worrying about what you have on the schedule tomorrow kind of thing. Because. And I always try to be like, you know, you know, appreciate every, you know, everything that you're doing. And and I did, of course. But like, you know when. Happened so fast because. These things are moving, so many things are happening that you kind of. Along the way, at some point I kind of just forget, even if it's for a day, you forget of how, like even on the bad days, like how lucky you are to do what you're doing and or how lucky you are just to be alive, that it's like this is a great day. You know, every day.
Yeah. Yeah.
A great day if you're breathing. So it was just like, enjoy that day and stop worrying about the interview. You have to do at 4:00 in the morning tomorrow because tomorrow is tomorrow. Yeah. Kind of that I think that would be it.
Ryan, it's been an absolute honour having you on the show, it really and just for dedicating so much of your precious time to talking to little old us like we really do appreciate it and and and the new single is out this week.
Yeah. Thank you guys for having me. Thank. For chatting.
3030 thirty first of Jan.
At time of recording.
Yeah, 31st. Yeah, 31st of Jan. Finally, finally doing it. Finally. Do I record it? I recorded it.
Yep. So, so get on, right.
Early last year and so there's a lot of stuff. Up and but. Stoked to finally be able to put this out.
It's excellent timing. It works well for us. Get onto your streaming services and download a copy of Ryan's latest single or not latest single, but redone single latest version.
Great relief. Yeah. Reimbur 20 year anniversary of on the way down. Reimagine.
It re release. Live relive the magic in it. I'm not going to say new and improved, but a better different. Just go and check it out. It's going to be incredible. Yeah. Thank you so much.
Yeah. Thank you guys. I really appreciate it. Thank you for waking up early too.
Number one at the US box office for the week of the 30th of January 2005, new number one hide and seek.
It's not unusual for a child to create imaginary friends.
I don't want to be too forward, but I don't notice a lot of kids around and I'm trying to find other kids to play dates with Emily.
Do you like her, daddy? Charlie says you do. Daddy tell you that my mommy died.
Emily, stop this.
Let's hope you don't wind up like her.
You know, Charlie doesn't exist.
Shantel.
Why not?
Going to make him mad. Do you like games?
I love games. Would you like to play?
One I'm already playing. Charlie did it. You do, believe me, don't you, Daddy?
Nate recalled said there was a problem.
Oh, there's a problem.
It's.
Always. It's always the imaginary friend problem. What's this? Hide and seek? Is this film?
Hmm. Psychological. Yes, Robert De Niro, who's a psychologist.
So that's what it's called. Yes, you could probably pick the voice there. You talking to me while he was talking to someone? Yes.
Young daughter Emily Dakota Fanning. They moved to New York after the traumatic death of Emily's mother, Alison. Yes. And David hopes that the change of scenery will help them both heal. But once they're in their new home, Emily begins to exhibit disturbing behaviour, claiming to have this imaginary friend named. Holly, however, Charlie's game, soon escalate into dangerous and violent acts, including theories of sinister and frightening incidents. So Dave is trying to uncover the truth. He begins to question whether whether Charlie is truly imaginary or something is a little bit more sinister at play. Twist and turns. I think it's one of those movies with the twist you never saw coming. I've never seen it, so I don't know what?
Yes.
Twist is, did you see it?
I I I did not and I should have because I should be buying local. Do you know that it's the director was an Australian John Paulson?
I say you don't know if. Twist is the right. Right. Oh, did not know that.
Yes, yes, I should. So I should have bought local, but I.
I'm going to know what the twist. Now might just Google us.
Really. The twist is that Robert De Niro, I don't know what the twist is. Well, you shouldn't give the twist away anyway. You can't give the twist away. I hate it when people do that. Do you have to also say hate? Oh, really? The worst thing about it is if there's a twist at the end of a film like M Night Shyamalan films, you come to expect, there's a twist.
Know it's found the twigs.
The end. You're like, oh, there's a twist there. A. If someone tells you before you go in to see a movie, that there's a twist at the end of the movie that ***** up the entire movie for you.
But there's a place.
It's very distracting, isn't it? Because you're trying to work it out. It does, yeah, because you're trying to figure out what the swift is. You're not.
There's going to be a twist. What is it? Is this the twist? Yeah. And you? Just.
Attention. Yeah.
Come on, baby, let's do that. Twist. It's.
And if you. If you don't get it, you're disappointed in yourself, and if you do get it, you go, oh God, that was so obvious. But if they never said anything, you'd
Ridiculous.
Like. Oh, wow, excellent. Excellent. Yes.
I'd rather see the twist. Like. Yeah. And then you like Prince Harry, you'd be like I did not see that coming.
Oh dear, I think. I think we can blame the what was the I see dead people?
Oh, the the 6th sense. M Night Shyamalan, yeah.
Yeah, that's that's the whole one that started the have the have the big twist. And so then everyone started publicising that they had a big twist.
I love the the memes about Bruce Willis in that film. It's like ****** ****** was dead and they still made him go to work.
That's a good point.
I know, right? Yes. That was so that was a film we didn't see much. Like a book we didn't read. There was another film. And I guess it was a romantic drama. It was a very sexy film at the time. And I I look honestly. I didn't see this one either. I and it's got a great cast. It's got a great cast. I just. This is something about it. I wasn't interested in. It was a romantic drama. I think that's where you lost me. And it was a film called Closer. You flirting with me?
Thank you. Maybe.
Speak.
Why did you swear eternal love when all you wanted was excitement? Love bores you. It disappoints me.
You women don't understand the territory.
Because you are the touch. It's not.
A war it won't do.
This is based on a play by a gentleman called Patrick Marber that was written in 1997 and it had the same name. It's called closer. They developed it into a film directed by.
Closer or closer? I've read that as.
Closer, I said. Closer. Maybe it is closer. See, pronunciations is very interesting, isn't it?
But if it's romantic.
You think it's close?
Are you gonna be closing or are you gonna be closer? I think it's closer.
U you're probably right. Do I need to start the segment again? Alright, good. So yeah. Mike Nichols directed it. Dan Wolf is a character played by Jude Law. Who's a writer who works as an obituary writer for.
No, that's fine.
I don't know, like a newspaper or a funeral directors, but well, he's a writer who is working to write obituaries.
In the Hatch match and dispatch column.
Potentially or just maybe for the funeral directors, I don't know. I haven't seen the film, the Spice, to publish a book. Probably not about obituaries because that's his day job and he starts this relationship with Alice, but he comes infatuated with Anna. So Alice is played by Natalie Portman, and she's this young American stripper. She's a stripper.
Of the paper, that'll be an interesting job. Natalie, it is a stripping saying in it you should. There was a nude, there was a nude scene.
Yes. What's this? You had me. Natalie Portman is a stripper.
Umm, when she's being the stripper, but she asked for it to be taken out and was taken out. So I don't. See full nude. That's right, I.
Don't I don't.
Just insinuating you don't think you need to see a noosh? No. OK, I think I do, I think.
I really like Natalie Portman. I don't. I don't think I do. I don't think I do. I think she's quite credible and wonderful.
Let's keep the mystery there. Yeah. Yeah, fair enough.
Let my imagination know what are you talking about.
So. So he's in a relationship with stripper, then becomes infatuated with Anna. Who's Julia Roberts, who's a photographer?
Yes. But then she starts a relationship with Dan.
Yeah. Dan, Dan, who was going?
I was going out with Alice.
Dallas. But. And Anna married to.
Larry.
See, I'm already confused, yes.
Semi an affair, Larry. And she's going out, Dan. But Dan's going out with stripper. It's very clear. It's very straightforward.
Larry is played by Clive Owen, Clive Owen plays Larry Clive. Owen's a bit of a man's man. Yeah, he's in a movie called Shoot em up. It's really good. He plays like a gunslinger in this film. No, he's a he's a dermatologist. Yeah. And he gets involved with Anna because he's.
Please start on. I don't even know. Well, if he's a.
Yeah, and yeah. Anyway, that's that film.
Over on the small screen here in Australia we had a big debut rock Wiz music themed quiz show debuts on the 31st of January on the ESPN.
The I adore.
Adore this show. It was so great. I loved the.
I love Julia.
That was amazing about it is, is where it was held. It was held at the Esplanade Hotel in Melbourne. In the Gershwin Room, which is not a venue. That is purpose built to do a TV show and somehow they managed to make it make it work and they did very well, Julia Zamiro, the host. Did you? That I think you did.
Yeah, I said. I love her and your mum 'cause. She lives near. Mum. Yeah. And your mum was saying that she was shopping.
Yeah.
I think I. At no, she was shopping at ALDI.
ALDI and I already love her even more now, yeah.
I know. I think she was in the middle row checking out the special. Probably the boom box, yeah, PS is boombox. Everybody with a cassette deck at out.
Uh.
She your mom was shopping and your mom heard someone singing and your mom was like, that's really nice singing, but also love that someone singing in ALDI. And then she went around the corner and she saw it was Julia. Julia was shopping in ALDI and singing, singing and singing well.
Singing along. Along. That's.
Lovely, I think I.
Wish she was in our Audi.
That's really lovely. Yeah, don't forget to the DJ and the scorekeeper of the show, Brian Mancervice, aka Raymond J Bartholomew.
I like him too, yeah. He's great.
I am an island. I am an eastmith, but I don't believe in fathers. Yeah.
And the two of them worked so well.
Together too, didn't. Yeah.
They were really good and then so they get audience members. So you'd rock up, you'd rock up to the SP, you'd register, you'd rock up to the SP as an audience member, you do a pre show quiz and then you'd be paired with a celebrity musician if you got through to be a contestant on the show. And and then you'd have two teams. And so the contestants usually were really die hard music fans who would know a lot about music trivia. It was it was pretty niche, but it was wonderful.
That's right.
And but I've the good I love the Esplanade Hotel. I've I've been there a couple of times. I was fortunate enough to Rodi at a couple of gigs there, one in the Gershwin Room where they do rock quiz and one in the front bar. Front bar is nothing to write. About it's. Tough work in the front bar, but the Gershwin room is beautiful, but it's old and it's big, and I cannot believe they. TV show working there. It's like it's quite narrow and long and it's got a beautiful stage, but it's a very cramped stage and for what they did to put 2 desks.
Very theatre, isn't it? Yeah.
With two contestants in a quiz show and a band and and all of that stuff on that stage and then and. And then move cameras around there with extraordinary for TV extraordinary, extraordinary great show. But they had amazing questions on that. They had the segment who can it be now?
And to light it to be on TV. Yeah, yeah.
Yeah. Well, they they guess a song based on a short snippet played by the band $1,000,000 riff for the House band, played a riff and they had to guess the song and then questions of Doom, which was the rapid fire round. And then the finale was where the musical guests performed the duet. Which was a cover of a classic song, and I love that there's there's an amazing one where Tim Rogers from who's the lead singer from Umi and the **** *** sings with one of the Bull Sisters. I think as well maybe I don't know if it's vicar or Linda. I don't want to confuse it but you need to go look that up because they do a cover at Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones it's phenomenal. But they also, when they first debuted in 2005, used to weave the artists into the question, and then the artists would come up and and play part of their their their their. This was done amazingly when they introduced Ross Wilson.
I was still at school when my first band had an RB hit in 1964. In 1968, a book of my lyrics was seized by the vice squad deemed as obscene and burnt.
Ross Wilson.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Is as cold as I.
Your world is so nice, Eddie.
You don't.
Warn me around.
Isn't that great? Like I just I you know.
Oh.
I think that there is. Something missing in television these days and it's it shows like rock quiz speaks and specs as well are are great because they curate that culture, they they are the curators of a culture that we don't forget like we want to continue to remember. And I think I think rock quiz. Was definitely a more grassroots thing because it wasn't set in a TV studio. It had, and just that just gave so much more integrity to it as well. It was wonderful. Not and not not taking anything away from specs and specs, which is also an amazing show. I don't wanna put the two together. I think they both should coexist and more people should watch them and more people should learn about music and especially Australia.
Yeah, it had that pop.
But that curation of of, of all of our. History is being held and and and kept by those people because they're like carrying the torture by doing shows like that. And I think it's wonderful. And and they're also in in sort of TV and sometimes primetime TV exposing it to new audiences, which is great as well. But the thing about rock quiz that I think set.
Hmm.
It that set apart? Art from other shows like that were shot in TV studios was the fact that it was at the Esplanade Hotel in Melbourne. It was in the Gershwin Room. It was.
Yeah. In a pub and you pulled people up from the audience and their music knowledge was so incredible as well.
And the. Were part of it. Oh, so Melbourne. No, it was so Melbourne like.
It was you. Just how did you know that you'd just be watching and just in awe of these people answering all of these questions, but also to be a contestant. Imagine.
Yeah.
Answering a question about one of your music idols, and then they just appear on the show.
Yes.
It's great. What amazing. And it's a really good way to be exposed to those people who are experts and have a lot of knowledge in music because because you can watch them for an hour on the show and then you can go away.
Yeah.
You.
Don't have to deal with them at a party. For hours.
That I tell you that always very interesting and compelling, but everyone has their limits. And at parties, after a few drinks and a few more drinks, those people are insufferable. I go into this segment with a. Bit of trepidation after last.
Week we're fiction this.
Week so it's all right, we're.
Thank Christ for that.
Fiction. No, no, no, no Prince harrying this week. We New York Times bestseller for the week of the.
I'm not the Bible.
No.
OK. Yes.
What is it? The 30th of January 2000.
Yes.
We have the broker by John Brisham.
John Grisham? Yes. What? So what is this OK.
Yeah, I've done it for you. Grisham's I.
Want to be very careful? I don't want to be all like.
I think it's politics.
That's not going to work. OK, let's stop that.
No, no, no, no. Read the first sentence. It's got the word, the Oval Office. It's got the word, president. Controversial pardon power broker. OK. Yes, good.
It's one of these ones again. OK, in his final hours in the Oval Office, the outgoing president grants a controversial last minute pardon to Joel Bachman, a notorious Washington power broker who has spent the last six years hidden away in federal prison. What no one knows is that the president issued the pardon only after receiving enormous pressure from the CIA. It seems Bachman, in his power broker heyday, may have obtained secrets that compromise the world's most sophisticated satellite surveillance system. Well, isn't that a thing? That's good. Well done.
Hmm.
Bachmann. Bachmann is quietly smuggled out of the country in a military cargo plane, probably for the best given a new name and new identity and a new home in Italy. Ohh, nice new, nice little vineyard. Maybe in Tuscany or something like that. Growing Chianti or whatever? Yeah. Eventually. After he settled into his new life, growing Chianti and doing what not the CIA will leak his whereabouts to the Israelis. Oh, that's going to ruin a good time. The Russians as well. And the Chinese and.
Bellissimo.
Saudis. Jesus, that's not a good time at all. Then the CIA will do what it does best. Sit back and watch. Past the popcorn, the question is not whether Bachmann will survive. There is no chance of that. The question the CAA needs answered is.
Who will kill him?
Sorry, Joe Bachman, you're dead.
None.
Sema Doobie 1 star. I wrote a review. Can't find on Goodreads strange. Anyway, like I wrote earlier, Grisham picked up a guidebook on Italy and half heartedly tried to weave a story around. It fails miserably.
What?
I think the music really suits her review as well because she's like. Wrote a.
Review.
I can't find it on Goodreads.
And it mysteriously disappeared. Maybe Joel Bachman found it.
Strange.
The.
In the surveillance system.
It's trying to build some atmosphere there. Yes, well, I mean, anyone could read a Lonely Planet guide to Italy and write a book, I guess.
I think that's what people were saying was he was just basically pointing out all of these. What? And I think he wrote some of the bits in Italian and then translated them. So he was teaching everyone Italian.
Really. It's like when you do assignments at school back before the Internet and you weren't allowed to copy the words verbatim out of the encyclopaedia. It's like it's said it better, so you just rearrange the sentence a little bit. So that's what I reckon he's done with Lonely Planet.
Same time. Oh, you changed the order of the sentence.
Yeah. Fine.
Potentially.
Maybe I don't want to accuse John Grisham, one of the world's, you know, most popular bestselling authors of. Perhaps plagiarising or you know excellent, like drew here. What does Drew say? Drew says the COVID situation has limited my choices to books in free bins.
Oh, don't worry, all the one.
Star reviewers did. Yes, yes.
Get that you do. It's very thrifty. Yeah, very thrifty, Drew. I can see why somebody would give this away for free. Wow, drew.
It's. Yeah.
Yeah. Wow.
My biggest can't be choosers. In COVID times, when you're going to free bins, you know he's probably driving from neighbourhood to neighbourhood and when he says free bins, I think of the the libraries.
Particularly in covert times, exactly. Did he disinfect it though?
The little. Yeah. Think that's what it is?
The little libraries that people put out there and they always end up being on the radios, we need to do an appeal for the little libraries because somebody vandalised 1 and Marjorie is very upset.
Yes.
Would you disinfect it? You would in COVID times when? Have to get the.
How do you disinfect a book paper. Yeah, baby. What?
Just a baby wipe over the top and.
Paper the cover. You could put the actual pages, yeah. At the point I don't know. Whatever. Aaron One Star 6 steps to disappointment 1 obtain this book 2 expect the novel to be at least on par with other Grisham novels.
Be good.
Three, read the first half of this book. Four, remind yourself that this is a legal spy thriller and not all caps a low budget Travel Channel tour of Italy.
Well.
Five against your better judgement continue to the expect the book to up at any moment.
Can you tell me?
Six finish reading the book. Congratulations. You are now thoroughly disappointed, but I'm not thoroughly disappointed for this next review because I'm scrolling through the one star reviews.
Oh my God.
And as I'm scrolling. Very, very familiar profile picture pops up out of nowhere, right? And Can you imagine?
The joy I when you know what?
The joy that I experienced when this face popped up with their one star review of another Grisham book. I was like, jackpot.
Yeah. I was walking past the office Slash Studio when you were doing the the bits and pieces for this, and I and your reaction.
Yes.
Hmm. Yes.
It was, it was. It was more than that. And I actually thought that maybe a life at.
It. A moment.
There was a lot.
Changed. Maybe we'd won lottery and I could finally retire. And, you know, just actually do things that I enjoy in life.
9.
9 better.
No way better.
Yeah, way better. Our favourite One Star reviewer is back.
Lois, Lois, one star. I do own Grecian books, but only because family members keep buying them for me on birthdays and exmisses, I smile politely. And thank them, wishing they would include the receipt. I have read this. And don't recommend it unless you are 10 years old and want to start breeding adult fiction doll doll. How this man is a best selling writer? He's a reflection of today's societies IQ, same as her reviews stuff.
Wait, wait, wait. Just stop.
Oh, I did it wrong. Burgundy and actually read the part in the show notes. That's not meant for Lois.
No, there's not meant for Lois because. I read the review lowest popped up and I know what Lois looks like because I purposely joined Goodreads.
Yes.
That sounds very familiar.
I joined good raids to find Lois and learn more about Lois because she's called into the show. She's tough from appearances. Yep. Sometimes we'll just be driving to to ALDI to check out the special buys, and I'll hear lowest in the back seat just appear out of nowhere.
Neighbour toys. Jet campers are on special boys.
It's incredible. It's incredible.
Lois just shows up, so I was so excited when I joined Goodreads. Just to follow Lois reviews.
It's. Lucky you are very lucky.
On a joint Goodreads on my mobile and it didn't work.
I'm gonna **** this music off. It's.
Anyway, so today I was like, I'm gonna try and log into my Goodreads account on the House computer because, you know.
Me insane? Yes.
House computer is magical.
Yes, it's safe.
House computer can do things.
Secure. You won't get scammed that that you.
Bet that. Can do things that that the phone computer can't, so I log into Goodreads and I log in. I'm like, there's something weird about this lowest one star review. Something fishy? It's just it's lowest just looking at.
You smell a rat.
But for words. The words just feel. I don't know, I feel. I've read them before recycled. So I go into the show notes from 2003, which is when we first met Lois. Yep. And it was another John Christian book and the review.
Yeah.
I do own John Grisham books, but only because family members keep buying them for me on birthdays and exmisses on and on. Hang on a minute. So log in and I go to Lowe's profile page and the house computer lets me in and I can see all of Lois reviews and Lois has got her own hashtag. I think it's called a bookshelf in Goodreads terminology, but it's like it's like a hashtag where it says.
Right.
What did she call it?
Low like she must call herself low for short. That's a low.
OK. But she's she's assigned a hash tag to herself in order to sort all of her reviews.
Yeah. And it's something like.
Low lows, dud reviews or something so it.
Must be all.
OK. But you've, yes, that is by the by.
Books that she makes anyway. So I go into. Yeah. It doesn't matter, but nice use of a hash tag. So I go into all her reviews and I sort by author. And there is about 20 John Grisham. Books that she's reviewed. Under the author under G for Grisham.
All right. OK.
And I click on each review out of the 20.
And.
So we've got.
We go into bleachers was the first one we spoke about that in 2003 cause family members keep buying them on birthdays and exorcists. Run away. Family members keep buying them for me on birthdays and exmmisses. The street lawyer families keep buying them for me on birthdays and exmesses the partner families keep buying them for me. She has copied the same review.
For.
A time to kill the brethren. The testament she gave the Testament 3 stars, though with the same review. All the others had one star testament got three star, but families keep buying them for birthdays and ecmases.
Really with the same text, same text scenario, because you get that.
And the rainmaker.
Right then.
I get to Pelican brief, so Lois has also given the Pelican brief one star.
It's a Pelican brief, yes. Stewie Roberts was in the film of that.
But her review? Watched the movie. It is slightly better.
Than the book so.
For that one, she's given it a different but she has pasted the same review against all the Christian books, and I just feel I feel like we've been scammed.
Wow. I don't, I don't. I have a better theory.
I'm really disappointed.
I feel like Lois has gotta go somewhere to let this out, and Goodreads is where it is. I think Lois has probably attended family functions. Christmas, maybe a birthday or something. And maybe when she was younger, maybe she used to like 16 years old. And then there's one uncle is like. Lois, you like John Grisham books, don't you? So I love John Grisham. He's my favourite.
Just to be.
Be yeah, OK.
Just to be polite in conversation and as a consequence, and that uncle of. It's people like, oh, I don't want to get lassie like lizard. I'd smoke to her. She's like, just get her Jon Grushen book. She kind of loves Jon Grisham, right. And so. And. And that's been that's gone throughout the family. And so every time. Lois is on the gift list of someone they're just like, oh, you, John Grisham, book out. We'll just get it like.
John Krishna.
Lausanne.
This is like.
My life I am going on the good rates and I'm going to review the strategies as control C, Control V Control C, Control V panic, and brief Control C Control V the rain maker, Control C Control V. Then what is this random broker control C control V? Oh.
Hatches, matches, dispatches. We are there. We are done. It's been, I mean.
Being very emotional, I was very nervous about the guest and then I was very disappointed in Lower Swan.
Celebrity guests. Hi I'm I'm seeing every I'm seeing lowest in a new light. I think she I think she's cops the rough end of the stick and it should.
In the roller coaster.
Very disappointed.
A lot quiet. It's the end. It is. We will do this. A celebrity who was born this time 20 years ago. Can you believe it? Well, you can believe it, but you probably won't know who it is that said this.
Hmm.
But some hard stuff have been happening lately on the 8 passengers channel. Our whole family vlog channel, my mom posted a video on how Fortnite is so addicting, especially for me because like she said in that video, I was addicted.
Addicting. I I I don't know who this is, I have to say I didn't know until I did the research. But if you actually what's his name? Chad Franklin. Oh, Chad. Frankie, if you said. Chad. Frankie.
Frankie.
You would be correct. He was born on the second of Feb in 2005 and.
I think the reference to 8 passengers. I think a lot of people will actually.
Know who that kid is. Yeah, right.
Figured that out because this.
Is in the news today in in 2025 and was in late 2024.
Right.
8 passengers was a YouTube channel that Umm was started in 2015, I believe by Kevin and Ruby Frankie. They're the parents. And Chad is one of six kids and the channel had over I think 2,000,000 subscribers at one point. Chad is the second oldest. So these guys, this is when we started seeing a lot of these.
Early adopters, yeah.
Family bloggers. Remember we watched what was it family fun pack?
Otherwise known as floggers.
Yes. Remember family fun pack that I had. You know the big inflatable thing in the backyard for the but they always had a lot of money and they always did good things and they went on holiday. It was always look at my family. We're so impeccably dressed and we're so wholesome. And we're so wonderful.
Yeah, yeah.
You just go.
So you see, you see what a a platform is kind of built for in its early stages like YouTube, which is like, hey, it's great to share videos and stuff like that. And then and then vlogging. So pull a little pull little Chad's born on the second of Feb 2005 completely unsuspecting.
Then the monetising comes into it as well.
Hmm.
Into a world.
Ten years later, he's on the YouTube.
8 passages exist.
Originally posting five days a week at 6:00 AM.
Well, that was that was the other thing too. Content schedules like. So it was so competitive. So like you have to post your blogs all the time, morning, noon and night. Like you've got to be like content content content, the frequency and you've got to pull your subscribers and you've got to keep them watching you all the time.
Yeah.
It was hugely popular. It was a really, really popular channel. Then Fast forward to 2021 of the children, potentially Chad, because it said that this was a 16 year old boy. So it would be around 16 at this point.
Yeah, the math adds up.
Yeah, said he'd been banned from his bedroom and made to sleep on a beanbag for seven months. Once people watching are like, hang on a minute, you can't. You can't do that like this is this is a child like that. No, that's not cool.
Yeah, that's that's inhumane.
Yeah.
He's sick. He's a kid.
People started getting concerned because there were other there was other disciplinary measures that were happening through the channel where people were like. I don't know about this withholding food. Sending a child to a wilderness camp for troubled teens.
Well, it's good that they documented all the evidence as well. It makes it a lot easier for the authorities, I guess.
Threatening to. Behead a stuffed toy, telling them stuff around Christmas and other punishments, and it got to the point where there was an online petition law.
That's revolved.
Launched reporting and and it's interesting that it was done through a Change.org petition, but the petition was reporting perceived child abuse and neglect. The parents post in defence of their discipline, saying that it had been taken out of context.
So it's one of those things where I think, you know, 24 hours a day in a family household, they're obviously gathering content and stuff, although I will, I will say like, if you listen to the grab of this kid just for a SEC. And and we'll, we'll, we'll probably get more into this as the story unfolds. But he's like you. Listen to the way he talks.
But some hard stuff have been happening lately on the 8 passengers channel. Our whole family of law channel. My mom posted a video on how Fortnite is so addicting, especially.
Just the way they speak to a camera.
It's like the mum has told him to do a retraction. Almost I.
I just think it's, but I well maybe.
It's a. The way he's gone, there's been some stuff happening on the channel, blah blah. Like it. It feels like he's reading a statement.
It's just, it's just that it that is a universal tone and style that I think you hear across anyone that kind of hi guys.
Hmm.
La La La La La La La La la.
Me again that. Have you been asking about my makeup routine?
Blah blah, blah, blah blah blah and I just want a little. And I'm just like, who the **** is watching that?
Yeah.
Right and.
Well, 2.5 or so million people.
Right. And people make money off it, and then people are enabled to create more of it. And then this thing feeds itself. And then it's like, well, I have to do more extreme things in order to get people to watch. So I'm gonna deprive my kids of food. I'm gonna make them sleep on a beanbag for a few months. So I'm gonna like all of these things. They might not necessarily be true. They might not.
Hmm.
Exactly. Exactly.
Be true, but being thrown out into the. It's almost like wrestling, except for with wrestling. Everyone knows that it's not true, right? But nobody knows there's this massive grey area with this, and usually the I I'd hate to say, Oh no, I'm not. I don't. I hate to say it. I will say it a lot of the people that create this stuff are idiots.
In this case, it was true. So the parents, the parents separate in 2022, now it's this is actually quite terrible. They they separate in 2022. So husband moves out of the house. Mum, Ruby deletes the channel and began working as a mental health coach at this organisation.
So they're ******* idiots. That's a good fit, Yep.
And by Jodie Hildebrandt, who's a counsellor, they launch a video channel together. And join Instagram account called Mums of Truth and they offer these parenting classes we get to August 30, 2023, so a bit over a year ago they're arrested.
Oh, that's a good fit, yeah.
And two days later are charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse and a felony. And according to a statement.
Really.
The arrests were triggered by one of her sons, a 12 year old who appeared emaciated and had open wounds and duct tape around the extremities. He'd escaped through a window of the house.
That hildebrand's house. So this isn't the mum, this is Jodie Hildebrandt, the partner of the mother right, who runs the connections company. Yeah.
And ran. Yeah. Does the other the. Ran to a neighbour and asked. Food or water? So he he wasn't having food or water and he was being tied. Up. And they then went to the house and found another. Of the children. So now it it was actual child abuse and they're in gaol now and this has been all over the news and there I think one of the daughters has just released a book about it and I think Hulu has signed a documentary series called Devil in the Family, the fall of Ruby. Frankie. Yeah. Which is just.
There. Wow. Wow.
It's just crazy, isn't it? Like P/E. All these people subscribe to this wholesome family, doing this stuff, and we're just so engaged with it all. But this was all happening behind the. And and I'd argue potentially as well when you look at a lot of these family bloggers and you're putting your kids in front of the camera who are not old enough to understand or consent, even if they say I'm happy to do it, they don't know what that means. They don't know that they're going to be, their footprint is going to be on the.
Right. Consent consent is the key thing.
Internet forever? They're not. They're not able to consent even if they say I'm happy to do it. That's not consent at that age.
So they're being they're being groomed. You're grooming your own children. You're hideous people. What the **** are you thinking?
Correct. And you're.
Putting them out there and you're monetizing your kids and their identity. And that is on the Internet forever. And they have no control over that, which is scary. It's scary. I think there are laws coming in around it now.
Yeah, it's pretty gross. Pretty gross. Yeah, the the most disturbing thing that. I that I get out of it. All of that has happened, and when I'm watching this 16 year old kid or whatever he is doing a vlog and he's just mimicking the intonation, the style that all the presentation is just, it's all learned behaviour.
Hmm.
And it's like if this is the behaviour that people are learning, like what we got to get, we got I I actually think in 2025. And I mean 2005, that guy was born. All of that stuff happened in the period between then in 20 years. Between then, I I I do think that in 2025 we're a little bit more aware of these sort of things and these sort of things hopefully don't happen as much. But I think we're really starting to see. The consequences of some of the things that were put in place 20 years ago now manifesting in our children and and just in in the broader society like it's and that's really gross and.
Hmm.
Hmm.
What a horrible way to end this podcast.
I'm sorry, I'm. Happy birthday. He. He did do a post on Instagram the other day that said happy prison Versary to my mum acknowledging 'cause she's I think she's been in gaol for a bit over a year now.
Wow. Wow.
It.
Then see then see what I mean. Like he's he's almost like. He's still trying to seek some kind of attention because that's all he's ever known. That's all he's ever learnt. I mean, he'd probably go eat. No, I mean, he's never going to hear this. Let's face it. But if he did, he'd be like, who, who the hell are you? You don't know me. You don't know a thing about me. That's right. He could be a really nice guy. I don't know. But.
Yeah.
You.
I'm just looking at the things that are put in front of me and going, oh, I'm reacting. To it. You know what I mean?
Isn't it interesting too? Like we look at Hatch match and dispatch as well. And when you're starting to look at? The hatches and the celebrity 20 years on it's tick tockers Youtubers, yeah.
You.
It it it's celebrity in a completely different context, but it's also celebrity without the protections that the celebrities that we grew up with had celebrities, celebrities were private, you know.
Yeah. Yeah. There was a mistake, there's mystery now. It's everything.
Now. And we have access to you 24/7. We know everything about you, but we can also con, we can contact you and we can comment and you can. That it's. Actually a scary.
I think I think it's gonna change. I think it's, I don't think you can ever put the lid back on the bottle, but I think it's going to change like I.
But the laws here, too, where they're gonna put the. Restrictions on social media, yeah.
Yeah, laws and stuff. You just see even the way you consume stuff. I'm just like, I just want to get away from that stuff of enough. Like I've had enough of that. It's just there's nothing there for me. There is nothing there for me. There's nothing that can enrich me culturally or spiritually or mentally or anything.
None.
Thing like that, I don't want to sit there and have somebody ram their own life down my throat like I'm happy trying to manage my own. I do think that dudes like chatter like collateral damage almost, and they'll do this just that. Like if you look at.
None.
Hierarchy of celebrity and where people like that sit. In spite, I mean, I don't know the people are selling their bodies on the Internet now like it's nothing. And then doing social media posts of themselves driving lambo's around and and being really wealthy and stuff and like showing some kind of lifestyle as a result of it. And that I don't I. That can end well either. Maybe it's worth.
Who knows? We're too old, too old to understand.
Hi, I'm wowsing. I don't want wowser. You're booming. I wanna. Yeah, I'm booming like that Selwyn song. I don't want to do that at the end of the show. We've spoken to great people and done great things and you know I have.
Who you are.
'Re Selwyn boomings yeah. We've uncovered a lowest conspiracy.
A.
Yeah, but I just.
Think I think that was great sleuthing on my behalf. Thank you.
I I I I do. But I I and I. But I I don't wish any ill will on law. So I think she's had a hard. Time I really do. We got some more stuff for you next week, but you can figure that out. We've worked hard enough to get the the this episode and everything going for the new year, so you can figure that out next week. Go and follow us on the socials. We'll maybe allude to it there. Facebook, Instagram, tick tock. Search for t -. 20 podcast. We love it. We really appreciate your support. And we'll see you next week.
See ya.
Thanks for taking the time to rewind. Join us next time for another week. If it was 20 years ago. In the meantime, come and reminisce on the socials search for T -, 20 podcast on Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok.
I.