Conversations: Art & Passions

The Gen X actor on making peace with her absent father, the ghosts of her Hollywood past and nursing Anthony Kiedis through his drug addiction while she was still a teenager — a relationship she shudders at today.The 1990s It girl was named for the Scottish island where she was conceived, before her enigmatic folk singer father, Donovan abandoned the family before she was born.A string of stepfathers couldn’t remedy Ione's fundamental abandonment and she grew up surrounded by creative types who flowed freely through her mother’s house in Los Angeles.Following her beloved older brother into the world of acting and modelling, Ione had an early start in Hollywood and it led her to a full, messy life in which she starred alongside the likes of River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves and John Cusack.When she was only a teenager, she began a relationship with Anthony Kiedis, the lead singer of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, who was addicted to heroin. This dysfunctional relationship led to Ione’s marriage to the first great love of her life, Adam Horovitz of The Beastie Boys, and a period of time she describes as her 90s daydream.This happy period devolved as Ione joyfully and remorsefully explored her bisexuality and the infidelity eventually ended the marriage.Today Ione is happily married to Australian musician, Ben Lee and has two daughters.Further informationSay Everything is published by HarperCollins.Find out more about Ione Skye and Ben Lee’s creative project, Weirder Together.Conversations Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.This episode of Conversations deals with absent fathers, epic life stories, personal stories, cheating, divorce, relationship breakdowns, inappropriate relationships, age gap relationships, intimacy, therapy, Hollywood, Ad-Rock, partying, substance abuse, modelling, child actors and acting.To binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Song propelled Morris Stuart from his early life shepherding sheep in British Guyana to an unlikely love story in London. In his retirement, he found himself shaping a choir of Central Australian Aboriginal women, who had been breathing life into 138-year-old Lutheran hymns.Morris Stuart met his Australian wife, Barbara in London in the 1960s.The pair led a youth group attached to a nearby church, and initially tried to ignore their growing feelings for each other.Morris was a young, Guyanese activist who was descended from African slaves, and wasn’t ready to face the social reality of marrying across racial lines.Morris and Barb fell in love and married several years before the film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? was released, and featured at several screenings in London, where community members could ask them questions as a real life, interracial couple.The couple went on to have four children and moved to Australia, where Morris became a pastor with a community church in Melbourne.In their retirement, Morris and Barbara developed relationships with the Warlpiri community in Central Australia. They arrived in Alice Springs in 2005 and Morris started recruiting for a choir.More Indigenous communities started joining in and Morris formed the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s choir.They performed hymns brought by German Lutheran missionaries to the region in the late 19th Century, which were translated into Pitjantjatjara and Western Arrernte.The choir’s biggest achievement is a tour to Germany in 2015 — to perform the hymns that had all but vanished from use in Germany, but have been preserved in the Central Australian desert for 138 years.Follow the Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir on Facebook.Watch the documentary about the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir tour to Germany, The Song Keepers. This episode of Conversations touches on heritage, epic life story, origin stories, church, personal stories, childhood and reflection.To binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

The country music star remembers a childhood spent roaming the Nullarbor Plain, and the number one lesson she learned from her father.Kasey Chambers started singing around the campfire as a little girl.She and her family spent much of the year camping on the Nullarbor Plain, where her dad would hunt for foxes and rabbits.Kasey and her brother Nash had a free range childhood, and went to sleep to the sound of their father's rifle as he worked through the night. Singing came naturally to Kasey, and she loved all the old country classics, as well as some Cyndi Lauper and Bruce Springsteen.Kasey has spent her life making music and connecting with audiences. It’s what she believes she was put on the earth to do.This episode of Conversations touches on motherhood, family, country music, Kasey Chambers, singing, songwriting, nature, childhood, parenting, co-parenting, divorce, re-partnering, gentle parenting, making music, recording music, guitar, banjo, mandolin, Slim Dusty, Tamworth Country Music Festival.To binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Artist Michael Kelly's younger sister was born with intellectual disabilities in the 1950s, and went into care. The family lost touch with her until Michael decided it was time to find her again.Michael Kelly has been an artist all his life. When he was a young boy living in Brisbane, his younger sister was born with intellectual disabilities. She was institutionalised and the family eventually lost contact with her.That severed connection was a wound for the whole family, and followed Michael where he went.Over the years he’s lived in family squats, stayed in a decommissioned mental asylum, and in a van.Eventually he made his way to art school, where everything fell into place.All this time, he’s kept meticulous sketchbooks as a way to keep track of his artwork, dreams, ideas and sketches of a changing world. And his path back to his sister.Further informationMichael Kelly has an retrospective exhibition at the Frances Keevil Gallery in Double Bay, running from 7 August to 25 August.You can also see a selection of Michael's sketchbooks in the State Library's Amaze Gallery, until 1 December 2024. Learn more about that exhibition here.To binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

When Ray Kelly Snr's grandfather was asked to translate "telephone" into Gumbayngirr, he responded with “muuya barrigi”, or flying breath (CW: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners please be advised this program contains discussion of people who have died. Please take care when listening)To binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Robyn Davidson on her adventures high in the Himalayas, her love affair with an Indian prince, and her late in life reckoning with her own story (CW: mentions suicide)

Pádraig Ó Tuama survived conversion therapy and exorcism as a young gay man in a church in Ireland, then became a leading peace negotiator and a poet.Pádraig Ó Tuama grew up in the South of Ireland, and spent a long time not knowing quite where he fit in.He loved poetry, and prayer and talking to people so he decided to become a Priest.But a realisation about his sexuality began a struggle with his faith and his identity.Padraig now lives and works in Belfast, where he has helped many groups of people who see themselves as enemies listen to each other's stories.He's also a host of the podcast Poetry Unbound.Further informationPadraig's book is called 'Poetry Unbound'Listen to the podcast Poetry UnboundTo binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

As a Chinese-Australian girl growing up in the era of the White Australia Policy, artist Lindy Lee always felt that she didn't belong. When she began studying Zen Buddhism, some big shifts began to happen in her life, and her art

When an eruption began in 1994 in Papua New Guinea, the last thing singer-songwriter Ngaiire expected was a second volcano to begin spewing ash. Tuning in to the mystery and majesty of PNG has become a lifelong project (CW: Some listeners may find parts of this conversation upsetting. Please use discretion when listening)Throughout her childhood, singing was something Ngaiire did at church, somewhat begrudgingly, because her dad told her to.The singer-songwriter grew up between Palmerston North in New Zealand and her father's home in Rabaul, a volcanic hot spot on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea.As a child, she and her family survived a double volcanic eruption in 1994, and the chain of events that followed pulled Ngaiire to Wenamo, her mother's ancestral home in the Highlands.Amongst the mountains, Ngaiire leaned into quiet spirituality and connected with her ancestors, both living and deceased.Music is a delight and a necessity for Ngaiire, but in the past she tried to separate her Papua New Guinean heritage from her music career in Australia.That changed in 2017 when she made a pilgrimage to her mother's mountain.Further informationSome listeners may find parts of this conversation upsetting. Please use discretion when listening.The following songs have been edited for the podcast:ShiverHim To binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Australian comedian on Nanette, her 'farewell' to stand up comedy; being diagnosed with high-functioning autism as an adult; and on Douglas, the show and the dogHannah made an instant impression with her first comedy set, winning a national contest in 2006. She quickly became a regular on the Australian and UK festival circuits, and on television shows including Adam Hills Tonight and Please Like Me.After a decade of consistent work, Hannah wrote a show called Nanette, which she billed as her 'farewell' to comedy. In it, Hannah used the familiar context of stand-up to talk powerfully about trauma, her own trauma, and what her life's been like from the inside. It was confronting and raw, as well as tough for Hannah to perform, and made a huge impact with audiences, critics and other comedians.Nanette was filmed for a Netflix comedy special, becoming one of the most popular ever. It earned Hannah prestigious Peabody and Emmy awards and a level of fame she never expected.Hannah's most recent show was Douglas. In Douglas, Hannah explains that shortly before writing Nanette she received a diagnosis of high-functioning autism.Further informationDouglas and Nanette are available on NetflixTo binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Archie tells of writing Took the Children Away and playing it in public for the first time, of his belated reunion with his siblings, and his love story with Ruby HunterWidely admired for his powerful lyrics and the grace of his pin-drop performances, Archie has overcome blow after blow throughout his life.He was just two years old when he was taken from his Aboriginal mother and given to the Cox family to raise.His foster family brought him up with love, in a house filled with music. But when he discovered the truth about his birth family, Archie's world shattered.Years later, his song, Took the Children Away, would become an anthem for the Stolen Generations.As a teenager, Archie found his way to the streets, where he found solace in alcohol, and eventually, met his great love, Ruby Hunter.So many of the stories of Archie's life have become songs, starting with his debut hit record, Charcoal Lane (produced by Paul Kelly), and they're listened to all over the world.Writing and performing have helped Archie endure many sorrows, as well as celebrate the strength of his culture.Along with multiple awards for his music, Archie is a Member of the Order of Australia, and is the 2020 Victorian Australian of the Year.Further informationTell Me Why: the story of my life and my music is published by Simon and SchusterThe accompanying CD is also entitled Tell Me WhyArchie Roach Foundation

How the theatre tamed a wild child and helped him take on the worldWesley was a violent child who was expelled from school more than once until a teacher took him under her wing and introduced him to acting.Wesley credits the theatre with turning his life around completely, and he became a prolific playwright and director.His plays include the award-winning 7 Stages of Grieving, which he wrote with Deb Mailman.Wesley made a vow to himself he would become Artistic Director of the Queensland Theatre Company by the time he was 40.It was a dream he accomplished in 2010, making him the first Indigenous Australian to head a state theatre company.First broadcast October 2010To binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Broadcast date: Thursday 1st October 2009