Welcome back, Dave Thornton.
Good to be here.
Look, I normally don't have an order of business, but there's two stories that I've really been desperate to share with you.
Well, I'm here for up a stool. It's story team.
The first one is yes, I can't. Oh my god, my brain is just so full of other sheet at the moment. But when this happened to me at the supermarket, I was like, Dave's gonna love this.
Don't feel bad about it. Last week I was so tired. You know, when you're doing the old I do the old main click, you know, and it's something really easy. Yes, you know when you're driving like a car. Yes, that's what I was. That's the word. I was looking for.
The click click? Yes, what do I do?
Do?
I do the click? I know, I go, I do the shake, get the wave.
Yeah, I'll get there.
God. Anyway, I was at the IgA. Someone's doing it right, I know. And let me tell you I was. I never go there, very very rarely, but I was in such a rush and I hadn't done dinner, and I was like, it's there, I'm going to get some chicken or whatever.
But does it throw you off?
Not being specifically I needed sour dough bread. My kids won't eat wonder white. It's wrong with them.
Okay, I love wonder Wine, it's wrong with your kids. But you know, when you're not on your home turf for a supermarket, I get thrown off because I'm like, oh, I'm at six and sevens. Where's the aisles? I need this? What's going on?
Have we talked about this before? God?
Those Yeah, it sends me batty not having Oh there's nothing more stress. Yeah.
I have left many supermarkets because I don't know where anything is and I'm wandering the aisles, going I need a paperback to breathe into because I just want some sandray my egg pop there.
You know what always does impress me though, I finally bite the bullet, ask the staff, and I love it when they got like they just go into their own zone. You're like, hey, mat, I just need you know, some paprika, and they just go at aisle three down the end on the left. If you're coming from the fact the left hand side, and you go, oh, that's incredible, You've got it in there.
But it's one or the other. You either get that person or you get the equivalent of me or my casual job going. I'm so sorry. I've got no idea, no idea, that's true.
I've got a couple of guys who I think, because I'm in Brunswick, I think they're in bands because they've got mutton chops. Yeah for days, got the growth.
They wouldn't know and they just go, Man, come on, man, I.
Really wouldn't be here. Bro, Like, I get you, man, but I can't help you.
I I think I'm about to blow your mind. Did you know that at the end of every aisle is a little plastic clipboard with where to find everything?
No? What, I thought you were going to talk about the signs hanging from the roof because there's never enough information, But there's a clipboard.
Yes, day fucking water.
I know I don't know this. Yes, what do you mean? A cook bloket?
So at the end of every aisle, or sometimes every alternate aisle, there is a hard like perspecs file. Did you know this, Marcel?
Yeah, a fire come out that NOD was condescending because that's like yeah, most people.
Because no, because I thought, I mean, this is an ultimate community service announcement. If you don't know, I don't know this is it's like on attached to the end of the aisle on a big metal ring, and it is not comprehensive, as in, not every single item is listed. But and I love playing this game too. Let's say I need condensed milk. You'll go to see and it
might not have condensed milk. Having said that it might condensed milk, and then it goes six and then you go straight to L six if you're looking for condensed milk and it's not there. It's the funnest game because you go, if I was doing the categories for this supermarket and I had to put condensed milk somewhere, where would I put it? What I might put it with baking goods? And then you look up b baking goods five, You go to five, Bang it's there.
Yeah, what's your food friend? Like? Who were they sitting with?
What generally would you vibe with? Is what I do.
This is freaking me out because I have proposed this to mate, so I said, I wish I wish Google Maps did supermarkets so that I could go, you know, yeah, where is it? Where is it in this little street section?
I what the minute you said you have to ask someone. I thought, Oh my god, he doesn't know about the magic called clipboard.
I didn't know.
When do you have to go to the supermarket again.
I'm forty four years old and I just learned this right now.
That is really amazing.
Look it's not great, but we have a shopping center that hasn't been touched I think for forty years, North col Plaza. Oh no, this is Union Square in Brunswick, Okay, And we do call we do call it bag Dad Coles because you're turning up and going nos. It's martial law here. And I would I now need to go to find out if they have the clipboards.
Oh they will.
You'll get a text either way.
Particularly if it hasn't been changing forty years. Absolutely they'll have a clipboard. They might not even have the perspex ones like they might just have the vinyl clipboards that you used to have to get for school, just in case you went to the.
Zoomah and oh this is this is going to change my life.
You must report back. I need a photograph of you with the clipboard as soon as you can.
And is it it attached like pens at a bank, like is attached by a little Metal.
Metal Ring can't go anywhere. You love it so much, and I can't wait. Let's go back to when I was at the checkout at the fair, very fancy. I gae the woman that was putting through my It was one of those shops where I had I'd had nothing for school lunches. I had nothing, so I had to pay full price for the the yo play tabs. Anyway, very annoying. Going through. She says to me, I'm nervous to do her voice.
Oh fuck it, I'll do it.
He's still on the telly And I said, yeah, look, you know occasionally but you know, mainly radio, but yes, occasionally she goes I was on the telly recently. I said, oh, were you so exciting? What shows? She goes? So grant genius deal or no deal? Oh yeah, And I went, He's great, isn't he's good value? Such a pro. I've got the same lines that I use about people that I know in the biz, like about you, I would say, one of the great assholes, isn't he? If if anyone mentions you.
Didn't explain the grand Danya story that I can never get out of my mind of.
You and him, of him dreaming of me breastfeeding him. And then, because I'm a yes and person, I said on air, did I have you in the football hold looking down at that big cheesy grid.
Look at your wheedle. You're hosting a show, won't you, little fell Look at you you burping grand Danya over your shoulder. We'll never leave.
I might have to get him on this podcast with you, and we can just do a full deep dive on that dream. I want all the details.
Yeah, you and me and the scouts tea in the highchair.
Back to great Dania in the check out check said your thoughts on Delonde and I said, oh, you know, he's a pro. Was it great fun? She said, yea. I got to the last round and I had a because are you familiar with how deal or no deal works?
Not?
It's the one that involves the briefcases and like some sort of clairvoyance, because you've got to hold the briefcase and get a vibe from it and guess how much money is in it. I mean, it's the hardest game ever.
Yeah, but I mean it won't die. It's nice.
Anyway. So she's made it to the last round and she's holding this briefcase and it's come to the psychic medium part of the show, where you've just got to get a vibe from what's inside. And she says, is it five dollars? And she goes to me and I guess it was five dollars, but it turned out to be one hundred thousand, and we just looked at each other and I didn't know what to say. And then she filled the silence with grant gave me a nice stubby holder though.
Oh, a stubby holder.
Then she just kept beeping, beeped my I play six pack while berry and.
Then moved on and did you see like the color in her eyes just drop? Like did you see her thinking, oh, that was a real fork in there.
I don't think she thought it was as sad as I did. But as soon as I heard it, I thought, I've got a tell Thorne.
I know. And just as you said, the silence is then broken by you have fly bys.
I don't have fly bys at THEA.
And you can't get out of that awkward conversation, can you, because you're like, I need this food. I got to stand here and sit in this awkwardness.
Oh it was really, Oh, five dollars could have been one hundred thousand dollars.
Yeah, next time he's nuzzling in on me, like, grand you could have done better what you're doing, and good on you for like as in you're still holding on to it, like you know what I mean, Like you haven't gone it sucks to be you and moved on.
I'm very sensitive to people's hopes being dashed though. It's the one part of my radio job that even yesterday we had a carryover champion mechanic at work on the radio, where you know, someone calls up on Monday, and then if they get through to Tuesday and win against someone else, and then they get through on Wednesday, they've got to get through to Friday. And then this woman was set to win a you know, a return flight to Hong Kong to eat um. I mean, it was just such
a gorgeous prize and she wanted it so badly. Of course, I wanted her to have it so badly. But the day before she's done four in a row, and then the day before it was laid out miss of course she was going to and someone beat her. And then I just heard her little voice going, oh, well done, Nikita, and to the person that one, and I just was like, I just don't like it. I don't like people. I don't like to see people dealing with disappointments.
I know, because it's in that situation they've been not set up. But you know what I mean, the hopes, Well, of.
Course, you know, when she's driving along, she'd be thinking, oh, I'm going to get a new pair of walking shoes because it was just so much walking in Hong Kong, or you know, all I better shait my passport, God haven't oh.
And then done, And then just like that, I remembered the situation where when I was younger, I was a single man and met someone. Things went okay to the point, went back to her place, and then there was a grand piano just in the in the apartment. Because it didn't stand out. I was like, that's a big piano, and how did you get it up here? And then she was she just said, oh.
She said, we're gonna we're gonna relive the scene from Fabulous Baker Boys. But if I've arrives all over the.
Gold while I played chopsticks, then the one with the knuckles, how about it? That got you in the mood. But she but she said that. She said, ah, I was a classical pianist, and I said, okay, I've got a classical, but I.
Member check out this concerto.
But honestly, she said, oh yeah, I spent like when I was young, from when I was eight, becoming a classical pianist. And I remember I got to an age in my late teens and they said your fingers aren't long enough and I said, no, no, I will make this happen. And she said she kept pushing till she was like twenty eight, but it didn't happen. And then she's like, yeah, it was always my dream and now it sits there and I can't play it because it's just represented for my broken dreams. Sick.
You didn't sleep with her. Then it was.
Almost like she, you know, was willing to press on and I was like, I don't think I kid really, I just felt really, I was like, oh, this is I'm sorry. It was just an absolute mood killing.
Then you just organized for that piano to be removed.
Either the piano goes or I do. This is how it works.
I would not if there was something that reminded me of something sad, I get rid of it.
It was this like we were just having a really fun, just night and then it was like it sucked the oxygen out of the room moment.
Oh I'm so did you ever see her again? No?
Because I was yeah, no we weren't.
So she missed out on a career as a concert pianist, and she missed out on a relationship with you Dodge two bullets. That is a sad story.
I just I mean, yeah, it was. It was, honestly, I mean it was. It wasn't an elephant in the room, was it. It was the ivory in the room that was just like why is it here? You know what I mean? Yes, I was like that. I'm like, this is You've got this huge reminder of all your broken dreams.
I no, no, no, it killed me. Did you have a dream of anything growing up? Did you did you want to be something and then you didn't get there? Or have you ever dealt with a massive disappointment? Have you loved someone that hasn't loved you back?
Or oh yeah, plenty of that? Oh yeah yeah, I would four for people real quick. And then and but the funny thing is when I was a young teenager and like, what do you want to be I wanted to be a stand up comedian or a professional basketball player, and.
So well, then you would have understood the fingers girl.
Yeah, I mean yeah, because you're.
Not tall enough to be a basketball player.
No, and so like I'm pretty lucky like that I'm doing it.
That felt quite insulting to say, but it's a fact. When I said you're not tall enough to be a basketball player, it came out. It sounded mean coming out of my mouth. And when it was coming out of my mouth and I was looking at your beautiful face, I thought I'd never say these sorts of things. But it's a fact.
I'm not tall enough. I'm about six two and a half or so. My voice broke. Then was I confident in that? Ah? And I haven't hit puberty evidently, hah. But did you because you've got a like you've got an awesome career, and I'm sure yeah, it was always an accident, No, but it was just always something that you wanted to know.
Really Nope, No, never crossed my mind.
You're very good at this. I always feel like like you've obviously dedicated hours and do you know what I mean, you're an extremely good broadcaster. I would think that that only comes from someone doing something that they love.
No, I think, I mean, thank you very much for saying so, But I think for me, this whole career was a complete surprise, and there is no way I have known that I could do it, no way. Like I was a sort of kid at school that in the school arts festivals when my how my whole house, you know, they have colors and whatever, and they would have their turn in the big performance the concerts. I would not only never put my hand up to be on stage doing anything, I would sit in an opposing
house when they were performing. I would hide in playing sight to avoid being part of anything performance related. I never like, I would never accept awards. I wouldn't have all of that stuff, absolutely not.
So then what flicked the switch?
I really enjoyed radio? That was it? So are you talking about why did I give radio a go in the first place?
So memory serves because it was Big Brother? Was it not?
Yeah? Twenty one years ago?
What year was that?
Two thousand and three?
See, because I've heard this before. You know, early in your career it was quite often you know, Chrissy from Big Brother. But I was I was a dirty backpacker. Then I was away, right, so I never saw I remember seeing the first season of Big Brother and then I missed.
It was massive in Australia.
Seven or something. So you did that, But did you do that on a whim?
Yes? I did that because at that time there was nothing else on Australian television. Was the biggest show. You've got no concept of it now, Like I try and explain it to my kids, It's like, can you imagine everybody you know watching one show and then talking about it, talking about it, talking about it was massive.
Absolutely, it was a completely different experience watching something. Last time I ever felt it was Game of Thrones. That was the last I agree show where people are like, I can't wait for next week, what's going on? But that was every show, every primetime show. It was very much like, oh, what's happening next week?
Well, that's right. And I was thirty at the time, like I was old and old, but do you know what I mean? I wasn't nineteen, and you know, and me and my griovy friends, I was a copywriter advertising at the time. Me my grivy friends would watch it religiously, religiously and back before WhatsApp or whatever. There were text messages and phone calls and I would have viewing parties at my house where I would make you know, vegan dull and we would drink red wine, and you know,
we just loved it, absolutely loved it. And you know, in a way that thirty year old creatives that live in South Aera I love.
Something working advertise it's not a big thing.
We were addicted, and I thought so that the biggest event on our calendar for the viewing party was opening night. And if you cast your mind back to be brother opening Night, it was on a Sunday night at dream World Live, and it was the first time we got to see the housemates that were going in. And you know, there would have been teasers in the newspapers, leaks apparently there's a twenty one year old from dalrymple wway and a shadowed out photograph of their silhouette. I mean, it
was just massive, you can't believe it. Anyway, we would have a viewing party and we would eagerly be watching on my little tiny television in my apartment and chowing down on the aforementioned vegan curry. Anyway, I hatched an idea. Wouldn't it be funny if everyone was watching it at the viewing party and they were like, who's that in the open top audi arriving at Dreamworld on opening night? Oh my god, it looks like Chrissy. Fucking hell, it's Crissy.
I thought that would be an amazing moment. So I sort of applied, and then, you know, got on with my life, and I just kept on getting to the next stage. And it got to the stage where it was back before the casting call one where everybody would turn up to the showgrounds and you know, put on lipstick with their boobs or whatever. You know. It was before that. It was you had to send in an application. Basically, that was it. If it was a casting call, I never would have done it anyway.
So you weren't doing because a friend of mine did do that casting call and said I couldn't. He was in line going what is with these people? Because people are just going bananas to try and get the.
Taller That's right. Yeah, So I wouldn't have done that anyway. Keme on getting too the next stages, and then I got a phone call saying you're in. We want you to be in the house, and I remember where I was. I was visiting my mum and I was in her son room at the back of the house, and I was like, oh, I wasn't expecting this. I was running my own business and like, I can't. At that stage it was three months. I lived in a dream world for three months, I know anyway, So I wasn't expecting this.
I'm gonna have to get back to you because I've got like a cat and rent to pay and I don't know how to get out of my life for three months and who's going to run my business? And ah anyway, so I was sort of like, no, I can't do it. I can't. I can't be out of my life that.
It's a few like you need to leave in a week's time, Yes, in a week's time.
Yeah. Yeah. So I sort of went between I know, I can't and then I was like, oh, but it'd be so funny imagine the moment that you know. Anyway, I thought, if I don't at least try to get my affairs in order, I'll regret this because it's going to be an amazing experience. And it turned out to be an amazing experience. But the way that I organized it was I had someone write all my copy for
my clients while I was gone. I had my friend move into my house and pay my rent, and I said to them both, I am not a normal Big Brother house mate. This will be about two or three weeks. If you can just do it for two or three weeks, I think that's how long it is before the first person's voted out. See you back in our respective lives. Then. Anyway, I was not getting voted out, and I ended up staying there till the last day, and it changed my life forever.
At what staged you? Is it a very short period of time relatively until you forget about the cameras.
For me, it was to you know, my brain two seconds because I didn't realize then, but I realize now. The advantage for me was that if I can't see something, it doesn't exist. Okay, if I can't see it, it doesn't exist. That's why I don't really miss people or whatever, because if I don't, if you're not looking at me, it's fine.
So because they're so well hidden and they're dark. In those camera runs, occasionally one of the cameramen would, like, you know, bump into the wall and I would quite seriously go what's that and one of the other housemates have to go, it's a fucking cameraman. They're everywhere, you know this, And I go, oh, yeah, that's.
Right, half goldfish, and you just went yeah, yeah, because it was initially such an interesting social experiment of thinking, these people are being watched twenty.
Four yeah, oh, it's fascinating. Yeah, And then they've messed it up now I think by putting in too many bells and whistles. The original concept is enough.
I agree with you, because remember in France it was the most French thing where the initial housemates they went on strike to say they deserve an hour just for their own like just to bathe and do these things know that they and so on France. I remembered this story. They had to stop because they were so French, like our personal liberty has been deckoned away, just give me an hour, contract the contract. Yeah, but they just went no, it's not happening, and knew the power of the people.
And it was so fascinating to think. Because reality TV now it's so ubiquitous that we all just think, oh, so and so is in it, and probably people go in thinking too like you know, well, they'll get a book dealer out of this, or I can do this, and you know what I mean. Sometimes I'm not saying all of them, but back then it was like this is crazy, this is unprecedented areas who knows, And yeah, for that, I think if you, I think there was more interesting people in there.
Yeah, I think so to your point.
You were like, oh, do this for a laugh or do whatever, not knowing what you're getting into.
Yeah, that came later. That that sort of that mindset came later when you know, people saw people with no skills having these fun jobs. So I do understand why people would look at, you know, someone like me or Ryan Fitzgerald or you know, anyone that got their start on Bie Brother or similar and go, I want to have a crack at that. I can do that. I think I was just supremely lucky in my timing that
that hadn't fully started, you know, in full swing. It was very very, very very new, and I had the So Mike Purso, who you would know or you'd know his name at least, old radio dog, still doing breakfast on Smooth at the time. He was the group PD for Nova stations regionally and I told one story about falling over at Campbell Market and showing my vagina Mayo. Man.
I remember I told one story. It went to air and Mike Perso was casting the breakfast show for a new station that they were opening on the Sunshine Coast, and he was like, bitch, can tell a story. And that was it. It just had me in my sights. And I've never been pursued by a man more than Mike Perso for that job. Would not hear of it. I knocked him back so many times because I was like, no, I've never done radio. You just for me.
I'll just go back to my Yeah.
Yeah, and I did. I did go back to my copy running job. But it was too weird by that state.
What was that like? As you said, it was three months and then you come out. You wouldn't know the magnitude of the popularity of the show. I think you've seen it. You don't know personally yourself, whether what people think of that season. Yeah, people in the house.
Yeah, I think I'll never forget getting out of the car after being you know, after ending and walking down that gangplank towards Gretel and seeing people dressed as me, my face on signs, people screaming my name. I never forget it. The weirdest, most like new sign apps, bursting experience of my life. It was like a dream.
Were you because I remember those interviews. Again, I don't remember your season, but I do remember all those interviews and people coming out. Are you just dumb struck?
Yeah? Your eyes can't take it in enough. Yeah.
But they also lived in a house. Yeah, just a couple of people who were slowly leaving.
Utterly isolated. Yeah. It was the most interesting experience really, I've ever had. Was so incredible. Never forget it. And to your point about anxiety, I guess about what do people think of me? Now? After this? You know I'm not I don't care and I didn't then either. But in terms of how you know what you're coming out to,
whether you're facing fire or love. Literally, I got into a car and was driven to that throng of people and the colosseum essentially, and a psychologist was already in the car when I got in, and she said, they love you, don't worry five words.
Wow, Yeah, Because I mean that is a crazy experiment. And if you think about it's like the TV version of castaway with Tom Hanks. You've been left there and then all of a sudden found and thrown back.
Into Would you does that sort of thing appeal to your senses? Like, how would you? You know, let's assume that kind of format exists now it doesn't, but would you do that or what feelings come up at the idea of literally unplugging Dave Thornton from his entire life and putting him in a situation where there are no preconceptions, you don't know anyone, no one knows you, and living in those circumstances for three months. That means you have to describe your family, no one knows, no one even
knows your name when you arrive. It's extraordinary.
Yeah, I initially would balk at the idea, and this the fact that I do like being like alone and away from people a lot, like I can't be around people all the time. Yeah, me too, I get very yeah, but then I don't know. So it's funny how you said you don't think about people if they're not in front of you. I'm quite the opposite, Like I ruminate about not paranoid thoughts. Just so, what's going on there? What's going on? There, my brain will just run off
into all different directions. So I don't know if it'll do my head in thinking there is a guy behind that wall and he's filming me like that would kind of wreck my head a bit, right, Yeah, so i'd be the opposite, I think, But I don't know. But again, it could be a couple of days in and I did forget because that's their intention for you to drop.
Yeah. I was just lucky that that's how I'm wired, I think.
But then enormously to get me out of here. Yeah, by then you were obviously you guys are all there because you have profile.
Yes.
Did you find it was a similar run or was it? Was it anything from Big Brother that you thought translated to that or was it just felt.
Like yeah, I like in terms of my experience or the format of the show both. Well, Yeah, I forgot about the camera straight away, and that wasn't as good of an experience for me. No. Yeah, I just I'd come off a very sad experience. I've just been fired from my radio show that I thought was going to go forever, and I had three babies under four or five. I was completely financially responsible for I.
Remember seeing that when they brought your kids. Oh god, And I think about that now, like when you ask that question for me, I'll be like, I couldn't take three months away from the kids.
Yeah. Well Big Brother was. I mean, I'm a celebrity. Was six weeks and I didn't want to go. I had to go because I had to keep my kids in clothes and roof over their head. I had no choice. I had no choice. So it came at the experience very very differently. A. I had children and I didn't on Big Brother, and I didn't have a choice but to do it. I had to do it because I just lo was my job.
Isn't that funny? They feel diametrically opposed, don't they? Like you went in the first one thinking this will be a laugh. Your responsibilities were rent and I've got to write some copy. Yeah, And the other one is which absolutely.
And again I stayed till the last day. That one that devastated me. I would go in and beg the producers tell me how to get out of here, please, because if you say, obviously, to get me out of here, you don't get the money. I needed the money, ah god, because I was unemployed. Yeah, I had to move out of my house to go like it was just the worst time.
It's funny because as we were recording this, the Olympics are on and that's trying to highlight and it is for athletes. It's to think of like, this is your moment of glory, and then after that, what do you do when you're scratching yourself and you've got to find ways and means.
To speaking of disappointments? That's hard.
But then I often think there's I mean, in essence, sporting people are entertainers. We're watching it for entertainment. That's how the money is made. And so I always think the insecurity of what we do. It's not I'm not crying poor, but it's such a big factor in what we do because you're going, I don't know, mate, Look I might know a couple of months down the track. But as you said, contracts disappear, things go, and we've been we're both.
The addisions they do. Like I have had that open and it's have you ever had that happen that your entire livelihood has just disappeared in one second.
It's happened a fair few times. I think of myself as lucky in this and that. I started stand up two thousand and four and the GFC hit two thousand and eight, and I went from think I was earning, you know, starting to realize I could stand on mine and two feet with pardon the pun, we stand up. But then GFC hit. Now I didn't pay any tax that year.
No tax, that's.
How little I earned in that year, Like the taxman didn't have to look at me, and it was I just realized. Then I was like, oh, we're the last out, like they should say the first out of the boat as the Titanic is sinking. In that analogy, the band is playing as the water is coming up, but in reality, no lifeboats are thrown at the enter.
Tame the band or at the bottom of the ocean already.
Totally and then just enjoying the cold plunge before it taxes.
Oh god.
But I realized to live behind my money, which is, you know, I've never been too risky because I'm like, oh, okay, this can go like that. So I have had constant situations where you know your thought to pay you come in, it doesn't. You're kind of wondering if this and to live through that yoyo. I found it easier to live behind my money and just go this is like I don't bite off a lot. So I don't like being in debt and things like that because I don't like
that feeling. Yeah, often there's times you can't dodge it.
Oh, of course, most of the time you can't dodge it because you know, in my experience, those sorts of situations have nothing to do with you. You would never choose it, but somebody has chosen it and you've got
to wear it. But the biggest lesson I was so devastated, like flat, I've never been flatter after I'd lost my job, and I was like, there's got to be a lesson in this, Like once you threw the deep sadness, sure and panic of being responsible for so many people that you love with no means to do anything, after you've sort of had out that feeling of desperation, see if there's something in it. And it turned out there was, and I've kept that. So that would have been Leo.
I was fifteen. He was maybe four or five when he came into the jungle, so ten years ago more. And the biggest lesson I've taken I took from that was I don't get my self esteem from my work anymore because it's I was I was. I thought I thought it mattered more than it did, and so when it went, I took it so personally like, I was so mean to myself about it, and then I, yeah,
I just realized there's no win there. You can't put all your self esteem eggs in the work basket, because the work basket can just be Q gone.
Yes, And it is for me personally, I understand exactly what you're speaking about because it's your egos also because you're self worth quite often in people's eyes, come.
From Yeah, I think that I was so hurt.
I remember I left radio. That was the biggest gig that I'd had to that point and the biggest money maker, and I was just I was not having a good time and it was eating me up inside. And it was more of a moral decision than a financial decision. But I remember after that and if we're being honest now, and if anyone's listening to this, I'm not complaining about it.
This is just was the lay of the land. I also left at a time when I think we've done an amazing job of bringing diversity into especially on TV and intermedia. I did time when the world thought that was a good idea, and I think it is a good idea. However, when you're a straight white man, and again I'm not complaining, but it was one of those things where we're like, we don't need you, and there's people a bigger profile that I understand. There's a lot
of straight white guys out there, so I get it. Yeah, And so again, if anyone listening to this, I'm not saying it's a complaint. I'm just saying as a matter of fact, But to your point was that I realized the same thing we like, this isn't if you're going to hang off the opinions, the thoughts of other people. Yeah, it's just going to put should do a point that
you're not going to recover from. So there's something nice about it when you place your importance in other areas and areas that because I often think about this, think about it when you're young, they go, if someone jumped off a cliff, would you like, it's something you teach your child. But when you're in the performance space, you're quite off and everyone's like they're doing that. Yes, yes, It's like things you tell a child not to do
is what we're working. Yes, but that's fashionable. Do the fashionable thing, and that's not what we tell people growing up. Like, you be you and you do what you do and you know you have security and knowing that you're making the right decision yourself. Yeah, but the industry you're in constantly tells you no, no, do this, and then do that, and why don't you're copying them and do this, and you're like, oh god.
What happens if you do that? It feels like amaze. You've gone left because everyone's gone left, and then you've gone right because everyone's gone right, and then you've gone straight ahead, so oh, yes, everyone's going there. Eventually everyone else fucks off and you're left going how do I get back to where I was? I can't remember how to undo all the shit that I've done. So when I was in that situation where I was so devastated, I was like, let's unpack why I am even doing this.
And it came back to my family and I realized that my kids are never going to fire me. You're never going to fire me, and I was like, I'm going to focus on that I'm going to I'm going to get my self esteem and how I feel about myself from how they look at me and how we talk to each other and how much they share with me, not from work.
Well also, it sounds like you may have done the same, but I know I hand it over way too much to my job. Like it's almost like, I'll do it, I'll do whatever, I'll do this.
You know that my saying one of my mantras is something's up for sale, and you've got to be real firm with that totally. You're not to start with oh no.
And quite often that early energy and the way that you do it, I'm like, yeah, of course you would. Of course you've got energy to burn, You've got time to burn. You're only responsible for yourself.
Yeah, have at it, have had it. That's another one of my face it says, have at it.
Like I remember talking to you know, I've learned to you just meet people in sport and especially AFL players, and I remember them saying a couple of them saying, oh, once you get kids, it's kind of nice because you can have the most heartbreaking loss and your kids just like, hey, you were out in the field, how good was that? And then you go, yeah, you don't give a shit. Now you can't even read the score.
I don't care about it, absolutely not.
And there's something nice about that when you do come home and they could not care less, like they might tell them some stories about something cool that happened, you know, at whatever, at your job. And this happened.
A pert example of it. I came home from winning the logi, Yeah, and Leo was with a babysitter and he was up, he was about four and he was up doing a pooh like one in the morning. How much do you hate in the middle of the night pooh? Anyway, I walked in, you know, the frock the logi, you know, amazing, and the first words I heard screaming from the toilet were mom. I went, yeah, he goes, will you wipe
my bobbin? I had to put down the clutch, take of the vip necklace, go and wipe his ass, perfect picture, take.
Off the satin glove. Yes, I don't want to ruin the pearls.
That is exactly what it's like. And that is, you know a perfect example of don't get yourself astone from work.
Yeah, and there has to be some kind of almost a stoic not detachment, but you're like, yeah, and there's been some really great things that have happened and you try and soak it up. Yeah, and then some really bad things that you're like, could have better. But then I've tried to teach myself because it will still take it on a roller coaster ride. You know, you take a breath and go, no, it happened, and whatever happened, and we'll move through it. And there's something kind of
nice about that. But yeah, Jesus can put you through the ringers.
See, well, there's something nice about this podcast, talk about a roller coaster. We started at the supermarket with handy hints on how to find condensed milk, and we've ended up with self esteem shortcuts.
Like this is like Andrew Parkinson, do you know what?
Do you know what I did? If I can understand you, that's what it is. I can't wait for next time. I'm going to re listen to this. That was. That was good. That was You are a very interesting person, even more so than I thought.
Very low initially.
We're talking about that inside by