Save articles for later
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.
Noel Gallagher’s manager forbade ABC broadcaster Zan Rowe from broaching the subject of his largely estranged Oasis bandmate and brother, Liam, during their conversation for her program, Take 5 with Zan Rowe. But so comfortable was Gallagher with being guided down memory lane in his London recording studio by five songs that shaped him, he brought up the subject himself. Such is the power of this simple format that Rowe first launched on Triple J in 2006, inspired by the long-running BBC Radio show, Desert Island Discs, and has been podcasting ever since, that all her guests, from Paul McCartney and Tori Amos, to Paul Kelly and Billy Bragg freely open up, often to the point of tears.
Happy to talk: Noel Gallagher and Zan Rowe in Take 5.
“We don’t want to push the cry button too much,” says Rowe. “But when we speak about the songs in the interview set-up, and then we film the part which is the music listening station, where we’re standing around a record player, it’s fascinating to see the difference. Someone can speak cerebrally about a piece of music and talk about their memories, but like any sort of sensory memory, as soon as you experience it, that’s the trigger. When you hear a song that was a soundtrack to an amazing moment in your life, or a tough moment, it will always take you back … People forget they’re on television or radio and they’re just open books and ready to talk.”
With her warmth and encyclopaedic music knowledge, Rowe is a refreshing interviewer. She doesn’t “go for the jugular”; there are no gotcha moments, just respectful, meaningful conversations that have proven a hit with viewers. The inaugural television version of Take 5 was the most-watched ABC arts commission in three years, averaging national audiences of 800,000 to 900,000.
“It can become like a therapy session. I’m not a trained therapist, but you see these themes that emerge in people’s lives and often, they’re not aware of them. I think audiences connect because we’ve experienced that too, understanding our stories through music.”
This second season invites six more artists into the nostalgia-stirring space. Along with Gallagher, whose theme was “Songs of Escape”; Natalie Imbruglia shares, in another London recording studio, the tunes that “Tell her Story”. Back in Australia, Jimmy Barnes, actor Mark Coles-Smith, G Flip, and Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda, whom Rowe managed to intercept while he was in Brisbane to speak with Leigh Sales for In The Room, also participate, each with extraordinary results. Miranda posted online that Take 5 was “maybe the best interview ever”.
“We’re trying to go for big names, people we’re not used to seeing on the ABC. We’re building new audiences and opening up stories and surprising ABC viewers … So many of the people I’ve spoken to over the years have been doing media interviews for so long and they’re used to talking about their own stuff. There’s something different that happens when they talk about the things they love because they’re not as self-conscious.”
There is no shortage of artists putting up their hands. On Rowe’s wish list is Kylie Minogue, who has been on the podcast; Dolly Parton, who was almost part of season two; and Margot Robbie, who would likely be the first to bring death metal to the listening station.
“Margot Robbie’s a huge hardcore death metal fan and I’d really love to have that conversation! One of the things I love about Take 5 is discovering new music myself. I’m one of those people who likes being completely surprised.”
Still thanked by strangers for getting them through the pandemic lockdowns with her Double J show, Rowe is keenly aware of the power of radio to do more than broaden musical tastes, in a way that digital music service algorithms cannot.
Zan Rowe would love to have Margot Robbie on the show.Credit: Getty
“The way we engage with radio is changing, but I never underestimate that need for human connection.”
Take 5 returns on Tuesday, October 10, 8pm, ABC.
Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.
Most Viewed in Culture
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article
