Featured Podcast: I Love Green Guide Letters
'The Green Guide' is the TV and radio lift-out in Melbourne's The Age. This podcast is dedicated to reviewing the letters within it.
If you ever pick up MX, flick through the readers’ letters, the ‘Here’s Looking At You’ and the ‘Overheard columns’, and if you give everyone a back story and in the end probably over analyse why anyone might consider picking up mid-commute, then you might appreciate some comedians making fun of similar idiots, on the record.
The Concept:
‘The Green Guide’ is the television and radio lift out from The Age newspaper in Melbourne. I Love Green Guide Letters is a podcast dedicated to reviewing the letters within it. Letter writers feel obliged to write in about anything, from the correct pronunciation of ‘kilometre’, to the size of Tom Waterhouse’s face, to the slightest change in the ABC programming schedule.
Steele Saunders is the host, and guests come from all through the Australian comedy and televisions circles: Wil Anderson, Derryn Hinch, Celia Pacquola, Charlie Pickering, Ryan Moloney (Tody from neighbours), Justin Hamilton, Adam Zwar and Calire Hooper are just a few of the letters lovers who’ve been given the chance to respond and review.
Podcast Themes & Must Knows:
- Steele Saunders has a very unique way of impersonating the letter writers, apparently inspired by the voices from Media Watch.
- “Staple Gate”: The Age stopped stapling the lift-outs pages together earlier in the year, this inspired a lot of ridiculous letters.
- Costa was not well-received as the new host of Gardening Australia. Apparently he’s got nothing on Peter Cundall or Stephen Ryan .
- Tom Waterhouse is very popular. A letter written into The Green Guide complaining about his picture is more likely to inspire a bigger picture of his face than the removal of it.
- Arthur Comer is a retiree and regularly published letter writer; he thinks he has had over 300 letters published. The podcast once took a trip to his home in Ballarat to record a live episode, and he recently recorded introductions for the live shows at The Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Where To Start?
Episode 55: Adam Richard & Tommy Dassalo
You’ll know Adam Richard as a contestant on Celebrity Splash, and you’d know Tommy Dassalo from the Commonwealth Bank ‘CAN’ ads. After 80 minutes the three are renamed The Snake (from Dubbo FM), Sti Sti and Zazzle. Oh and they talk about how Matthew Fox is a let down in real life, and whether they can get sued for saying so on a podcast.
Episode 63: Josh Thomas & Declan Fay
Josh Thomas talks all about Please Like Me, in amongst reviews of letters about Chrissie Swan and some Channel 7 show that features racial stereotypes. Possibly My Kitchen Rules?
Episode 58: Lawrence Mooney & Andrew Murfett (ex-editor of The Green Guide)
Lawrence Mooney is a regular guest on the show — he’s hilarious, has been around for a while and has a lot of industry insight. Andrew Murfett is the old editor, and he pulls the curtain back on the lift-out. Don’t listen to this first, but it’s defiantly essential listening for fans.
If in doubt, just pick a guest you like and listen to that episode. Or if in Sydney, head down to The Factory Theatre next Saturday for a live podcast recording, with Special Guest Jonathan Holmes — as part of Sydney Comedy Festival. In the meantime, check out this Sizzle from the Melbourne live shows:
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