Ione Unlocks New Levels of Australian-ness

This episode of "Weirder Together" delves into the personal and cultural connections between Ione Skye and Australian culture, highlighted by her participation in an Australian pub quiz.

1. Ione Skye's participation in an Australian pub quiz symbolizes her integration into Australian culture.
2. The discussion on iconic Australian songs and artists highlights the unique cultural traits of Australia.
3. Differences in pub quiz formats between Australia and the U.S. underscore the subtle cultural variations.
4. The hosts explore the personal growth and public life of celebrities, using their experiences to illustrate these themes.
5. The episode offers insights into the impact of cultural familiarity and personal history on one’s identity.

1. Opening Discussion

The hosts open with a lively banter about Australian music, setting the tone for a discussion on cultural identity. Ben Lee: "It was my big crossover into a crazily, uniquely Australian experience."

2. Pub Quiz Experience

Ione and Ben share their experiences participating in an Australian pub quiz, emphasizing the cultural significance and personal connections made. Ione Skye: "It's a rite of passage."

3. Cultural Reflections

The conversation shifts to a broader reflection on adapting to different cultures and the nuances of public and personal life. Ione Skye: "That's how deeply your roots have grown into Australian culture."

4. Personal Growth and Public Life

They discuss the interplay between their personal evolution and their roles in the public eye, touching on themes of appreciation and acceptance. Ben Lee: "The older I get, the more I realize I like the public eye."

5. Closing Thoughts

The episode wraps up with further musings on cultural integration, the entertainment industry, and personal relationships. Ione Skye: "I'm all in."

1. Participate in Local Traditions: Engage with local customs and traditions to deepen your connection to a new culture.
2. Embrace Public Engagement: Find value in public participation and its impact on personal growth.
3. Appreciate Cultural Artifacts: Take time to understand and appreciate the cultural significance of music and art from different cultures.
4. Reflect on Personal Growth: Regularly reflect on how your experiences shape your public and private identities.
5. Foster Relationships: Use shared experiences to strengthen relationships in both personal and professional contexts.

We recap our night of Aussie celeb pub trivia where Ione sings the John Farnham classic "You're the Voice"

alongside Murray from the Wiggles.

Ben is "verklempt".

To watch the video of this episode head over to our substack at

https://weirdertogether.substack.com/

and consider supporting us for $5/month!

People

Ben Lee, Ione Skye

Content Warnings:

None

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Ben Lee

Sounded. Our dolly threw a great party. We all drank bacardi it got kinda gnarly. We're Linus a feather? We're tougher than weather?

Together we'll meet her? We're ready together? You're the voice? Tryin to understand it? Make a noise and make it clear?

Ione Skye

Whoa, whoa.

Ben Lee

I don't know why I was singing it like that. It was amazing. I was also thinking of the other song, but maybe that's the New Zealand band that Australia claims. Crowded house. Yeah.

Ione Skye

You were just thinking about them. Well, didn't we sing that song as well? Don't dream it's over. Yeah. Another classic, antipodean classic.

Ben Lee

But this one that you just sang is a classic. That wasn't a crossover classic like crowded. Not at all. Crowded house crossover. Johnny Farnham.

Ione Skye

Little Johnny Farnham. John Farnum Farnsi. That is a strictly australian experience. And you had possibly. What was interesting is you crossed over.

Ben Lee

I did. That was my big crossover into a. Crazily, uniquely australian experience the other day. Like, so much that. Do I have a hair on my face that I'm feeling and I can't.

On my face. Little tiny hair, like here. It's gonna bother me. I think so. All right.

Oh, well, yes. So you know when something's really crossed over inside is when you absolutely think you heard it your whole life. Like, I felt like it was a song that I knew my whole childhood. Right. And it's really not.

Ione Skye

Well, that's how deeply your roots have grown into australian culture. But let's tell the beautiful babies what the hell we are talking about. Okay. This hair is really stressing you out, isn't it? Yeah, well, it's just like, I can feel it over my.

Is that it? Yes. Okay. I think you did it. Thank you.

It's dripping again. Okay. Okay. So the other night you took place. You took part in a very australian phenomena, which is the pub quiz.

Ben Lee

Yes. Right. But this is this guy, Eamonn Clark from Brisbane, who runs this amazing sort of music themed pub quiz called not on your rider. And I've done it before. And he was like, do you think Ione would want to take part?

Ione Skye

And I was like, I bet she'd love to. Who doesn't like an online quiz? We went online. No, I know. I'm just saying, a quiz.

Ben Lee

Like a quiz. Well, that's true. But a pub quiz is very particular, and it's so old fashioned in a way, but I guess they're still going pub quizzes. Look, pub quizzes have not gone anywhere in Australia. The pub quiz is.

Ione Skye

It's just, like, part of the culture. So it's a rite of passage. I mean, they have those in America for sure, like trivia nights at bars. Yeah, that's true. But the flavor's different.

True. It has a different vibe. So this one, the way that these not on your rider events work is there's two teams we did at the factory theater, which is where I'd just seen Ricky Lee Jones play a few weeks before. And so there's two teams, one by our dear friend patience from the greats, friend of the pod, beautiful baby, who's been on before. Last time we were living Australia, she was our one house guest.

True. True. Spent the night. And this time, so far, she's our one house guest. True.

She's got a very, very special place in our hearts. In our guest room. Yeah. And the other team is run by Dicko, who's like an australian media personality. He was great.

Ben Lee

I actually could not understand a lot. That's where he was saying. That's where I knew I hadn't crossed over because I. I was like, wait, what did he say? What did he say?

Ione Skye

But where's he from originally? Is he scottish or british or something? Oh, I don't know. It just. He was just had a thick.

Ben Lee

Or lingo was. I don't know what was happening. Yeah. Yeah. But then there was me.

Ione Skye

You, patience, dico concetta Caristo. Another old school weirder together. She did. Did she do our first weirder together at giant dwarf or the second one? Oh, right.

Yes, the variety show. She was like, sure. And I was on her podcast a long time ago. B and T, big natural talents. And Murray from the Wiggles, who, you know, me and he have had a somewhat, what do you call it?

Adversarial relationship in the media, but not really. We're mates. But we did have a fake feud. Yeah. Which was, of course, funny, because Murray, if you know about the wiggles, he's like the sweetie pie.

Ben Lee

I mean, they're all sweetie pies. But he's just like, no one would want any harm to ever happen to him. And at a certain point, Ben, as a joke, said, come on, Murray, let's fight it out. And Murray's like, six'seven, maybe, or six'five. And Ben scooped him up on the stage and spun him around.

Ione Skye

I picked him up. That guy was so light. We weren't. Believe it. We were so worried.

Ben Lee

And therefore, you spun him around for a long time. And the whole panel and the audience were like, no, don't hurt. But he says he's 92 kilos. What I'm trying to get. I don't know anything about weight.

Ione Skye

Let me see. Kilos to pound. Maybe he just was doing that thing where, you know, when you can make yourself easier to be picked up. Oh, yeah. So that's 200 pounds.

Is that heavy or light? I mean, you know, reasonable. Yeah. But, yeah, maybe he just was like, a ballet dancer and just making it easy for you. Cause, you know when, like, a kid doesn't want you to pick them up and they go limp or, like, you can make yourself dead weight.

Absolutely. He probably was just like, let me make this. Cause he's so nice. He's probably, let me make this. Or you're just.

Ben Lee

You're very strong. So true. But I did. I love a feud. Like this whole Drake Kendrick thing that's been happening this week.

Ione Skye

It is just such juicy. It's such a juicy spectator sport for pop culture fanatics. Yeah. And I really. Yeah, I really.

I wish I had a good feud going nowadays. I know we gotta. There's no good fun. Well, we're feud a lot. Oh, just me and you.

Ben Lee

Yeah. But our feuds are pretty. Pretty good natured. They're not. I can't handle a feud.

Ione Skye

But I love to. Firstly. So I love doing the trivia night with you. I loved seeing you. You are so beloved in australian sort of show business culture.

Like, I think people just, you know, you have such an amazing, glamorous, sort of seminal history in film and culture, and I just love seeing you so appreciated. I like to be appreciated. Yeah. And I do love. I mean, this is not about being appreciative, but it's made me think about Murray, that he clearly doesn't have to do any of these talk shows and.

You know, he already got the bags. He has bags those wiggles have got. He's set for life. But I think it's, like, good mental health for him. I don't think it's about for me.

Ben Lee

I'm enjoying getting you know, admiration, but I'm not really doing it for that. But he's, he's, he. I think he just is doing it to, just to, like, keep, like, living life and being with people. But do you think, do you foresee a time where you wouldn't want to do things in the public eye? Is that where that comes from?

No, I hate it. The older I get, I think of it. I guess that's why it sort of, I thought about Murray and why people still do things. Obviously, some people do it for their business and to be relevant. And I just think for him, it's like mental health, like, good.

It's good for people to go out there and do things. And he likes hanging out with people and being on a stage and it's not depressing. Like, oh, well, that's how I've always felt about Lago. It's interesting seeing the comedians particularly, but, and musicians who have made lots and lots of money and have had huge success, but they just clearly love being on stage and developing their work and pushing it further and collaborating. Yeah, I mean, there's one thing about developing your work where you're doing it for your work, and then there's one thing about just doing it because you kind of enjoy it.

And for me, I think for me, the older I get, the more I'm realizing I like it. Like, I. It's sort of like I feel similarly to sex. Like, I just started with. And creativity and sex are kind of connected.

Ione Skye

Absolutely. But I felt very private about my creativity. I was in my room drawing, writing, you know, like, watching movies. But I was very uncomfortable being on stage. And I like, and I noticed I love the camera, like, right in my face.

Ben Lee

But it was a very big push pull, which it is for a lot of people. But the older I get, the more comfortable and the more I realize I like the public eye. And do you think you've grown to like it or you've sort of admitted to yourself? That's what I mean, it's similar to sex. I think it's more.

I think it's early days, but I think I've admitted that I like it. Right. Like, you earlier, felt more conflicted feelings around both those things. Yeah. Cause I felt kind of shy and uncomfortable in, like, a lot of psychological things, probably of am I deserving and all these things.

And so I do think it's like, I actually, I think, I mean, the sex thing, for sure. I think I genuinely like it. And it was just, I was, like, young and kind of confused. But the performance, I'm still not 100% sure how much I like it, but I think I like it more than I've admitted to myself. What do you think?

Ione Skye

I think that's right. I actually relate to that. Like, I think when I was younger, there were so many needs, and there still are. Like, my relationship to performing is complicated because I have so much I want to get out of it and to prove every time I do it. But I played three shows in Victoria this weekend, and it was, like, the whole thing, the mixture of, you know, the going somewhere.

I loved the mission of it. I loved the physical going to a place and playing, like, I love that. That the adventurer in me kind of loves that. I loved the connection with the audience and the validation. I love the creative.

You know, I don't have a set, set list, so there's a creativity that I'm looking for each night with how I sort of what the work has to say to me or what songs feel relevant and what songs don't. And then also just the honesty, the self esteem that comes with, like, the honesty of earning a paycheck for something that you've done your whole life. Yeah, I find that really interesting, how obviously, everyone needs to make money. That's just the reality of the world. But there is something about being paid for a trade and a craft that you've honed over many years that is just really good for your self esteem.

And I think that's the Jesus thing. You'll know a man by the fruits of his labor that there's something about the way we produce what we produce, whatever that is, that is sort of fundamental to having a good sense of identity or something. Yeah, for sure. But can I ask you about your other voice? That song, the John Farnham song that you ended up playing?

The kazoo. We all played the kazoo along to a performance of you're the voice. What are your associations with that song as a song that never connected in America? Like, what does that song mean to you? What do you feel from it?

Ben Lee

Well, I mean, it's just like one of those. Just celebratory, like, everyone together, just at the point where everyone's just, like, reveling in. The whole song is just peak, like. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not.

It's some songs. Like, some classical songs and certain songs that feel like a march to a war or fight or a march to, like, coming, overcoming, and they've got a kind of marching thing, and obviously there's, like, angsty songs and there's romantic. There's so many different types of songs, and that whole song is just joy. Yeah. It's one big expression of just authenticity and victory.

Ione Skye

But my other question for you is, would you know the singer John Farnham if you bumped into him on the straight? No way. What do you think he looks like? What do you imagine the singer of your. The voice to look like?

Ben Lee

Well, now or then. When did it come out? Came out, I think late eighties. But his look is quite similar. What do you envision?

Ione Skye

What type of singer sings a song. Like the other voice? I do. Okay. This is me being psychically imagined.

Ben Lee

I picture a short man, shorter, with, like, I don't know, like, shaggy hair. What color? Brown. Okay. And not terribly good looking and just sort of middle of the road look of clothes.

Ione Skye

Okay, cool. Should I show you a picture of him? Yes. And see if this is what you pictured. Okay.

I'm very curious because. Yeah, it's like he's got a very iconic look for Australia. Are you gonna show me him? I'll show you him then. Okay.

That was him when he sang that song. Oh, he's way more like the hoff than I thought. Oh, yeah. He's a. So he's super handsome.

He's pretty studly with blonde hair. That was him, too. Oh, my God. Gorgeous. Yeah.

Ben Lee

Oh, okay. I pictured. I didn't picture him such a looker. Look at that chin. Yeah.

He's a very classically good looking guy. Yeah. And this is him now. I mean, great. Yeah.

You know, he looks like, you know, an older man now. Daddish, but. Oh, okay. So he was like, what? When you look up australian man, that's what people who don't know that Australia is a melting pot.

Ione Skye

Right? Americans always thought Australia was all men that looked like that. Like a Ken doll, sort of, but a version, you know, people think, you know, Americans thought Australians were all blonde. Well, he's a bit of a. He's got a bit of the Michael Bolton also.

Ben Lee

Just this sort of, like, Michael Bolton. Alpha male singer in the club. Yeah. Okay. And that's good for that song.

Ione Skye

Exactly. I guess I just thought it was gonna be the. In reality, sometimes someone. Are you picturing, like, Jimmy Barnes? Yeah, I think so.

Ben Lee

Maybe I was picturing Jimmy Barnes. Okay, cool. Interesting. Very. Wow, that's great.

He really brought it. Yeah, he was one hit wonder, I hate to say. No, no, he had a. So he actually started as a kid singer. Okay.

With the song like the Bee Gees. Yeah. But I think he was quite little. He had a song called Sadie the Cleaning lady. Oh.

Ione Skye

Which you've probably heard me sing a little bit. The funny thing about Australia, America is. Okay, when you say that it's like America ten years ago, or it used to be. It's more like England 20 years ago or 30 years ago. Like, not anymore.

Ben Lee

But that English, the pub quiz, the whole, like, englishy culture of it. Like Sadie the cleaning lady, like all those little limerick y, like, sort of naughty songs. Yeah, that is. Cause that is very british culture, isn't it? Yeah.

Ione Skye

So he did that, and then he had a lot of hits through the eighties and nineties. But you're. The voice was such a big song that it transcended, you know, it was sort of like he's born in the USA. Yeah. Where it actually transcended his whole career.

Ben Lee

And did. It did. It was a hit immediately. Wasn't like a grower. I don't know.

Ione Skye

I don't think so. I remember it being, you know, number one for me. And did everyone think it was corny, but then came back around and we're like, no, this is just like, how can you deny. Yeah, it's gone through phases. Cause then at the referendum, it became, you know, there was the voice referendum last year that became a song that.

Ben Lee

Was used for that. And it's a song that's trotted out in, you know, football stadium. But when you were punk, were you like, this song's the worst. I mean, it was corny, but it was also like, if you'd be in the pub with friends and something, and it came on, you would sing along. Because it's sort of like, you sing along ironically, but not really.

You can't help but get, like, into the. Whoa. Yeah, exactly. I mean, songs the way you can. I do think that is kind of an amazing device.

Ione Skye

And born in the USA does do this where it gives people the option of understanding it, kind of, or embracing it at an ironic level. And that is. That is. Yeah. As opposed to things that are just so earnest that they just, I don't know, they never have the chance to have any humor injected into something.

But that's. Yeah.

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Ione Skye

Anyway, I was just really proud of you. It felt like. It's funny how this whole journey of you, I don't know, like, so much of our relationship has been in America. Yes. It's very.

I don't know, I feel a real sense of, like, warmth in my heart. Like, as you sort of. It's like you unlock levels of Australia ness in your journey. I know. I love that.

Ben Lee

I'm happy, and it's fun. Like, conchetta, you know, is someone who you met kind of at a much earlier stage of her career where she was just doing stand up and only gig, and now she's like, everyone knows her. She's the radio breakfast slut on triple J. Yes. And it's kind of fun.

Ione Skye

That's like, you have actually a sense of history now with australian performers. And patience, you met when she was in the greats. Yeah. Patience was probably my first of your friends, who was the. Well, Missy Higgins.

Yeah, yeah. But I met, I think, patients first. What about your history? What was your history with the Wiggles? Oh, big, big time major.

Ben Lee

Ironically, not with our kid, who's the half australian. She was the yoi Gabba gabba generation, but with Kate. She and I went deep into the wiggles and I was so impressed always with the kids performing on there. Like, they would have the kids doing little songs and dances, but I know it in and out. And Murray told the most interesting stories because some of the quizzes were about lyrics for some of his songs, and he would have to guess what song.

And he was like, you know, I remember the ones that we played when we would tour them, but the certain some songs we recorded once, and, like, everyone else knows the song, but I just remember knowing it for that one day. And he said it was interesting because there's certain autistic adults who are like fans, and they'll say to him, why on that episode did you say this to that person? And what did you mean by that? And he's just like, oh, my God. He's like.

Ione Skye

It was a line on his side that he got given one day at eight in the morning and said it. But I relate to that because I know I've seen episodes of the Wiggles, you know, as you do when you have a kid over and over and over and over and you remember them so well and it's just so funny. It's similar to when I'm in a movie and the editor has been sitting with me editing my scenes for months, and then I meet him for the first time, and he's like, I know you. I think podcasting is a lot like that, too, that a lot of the things we say are said vary on the fly. I mean, because our pod comes out so quickly after we do it, we're less affected by this.

But I remember Lauren Lapka saying, because, you know, they do threedom, and sometimes it comes out months, or some of these ones that it comes up months later and someone will come up to her out and be like, oh, my God, when you said that thing. And she's like, okay, I know. Oh, my gosh. Shout out. Lauren Lapkus and Mike Castle just brought their second child into the world.

Ben Lee

So, Gigi, cute. And, you know, friends of the pod, beautiful babies. I was so sending love to them and to Holly. I know, it's such a warm, fuzzy glow. It's also just kind of nice in, I mean, without being too traditionalist about it, because Hollywood is.

Ione Skye

It just sucks so much of the hope out of people. I feel like over years, like seeing people just growing a family in a very old fashioned, sweet way is really nice. It's hard to do in LA. You think about how many couples aren't able to keep a marriage together. You know what I mean?

Friends of ours. Well. Cause they're midwives. Are they midwest? She's from Chicago.

Yeah. No, they're both. Yeah. Evanston. That's probably it.

Maybe they brought those midwestern values something. But there is something about just how much marriage and stuff. It all seems like much more transient than it did for, like, generation. I grew up with so many single mothers, and it was, to me, foreign. When I went to school and I saw these families that were together, I thought, oh, that's.

Ben Lee

And also, I grew up probably in the height of divorce era, I guess, when was the biggest. They were in the seventies. Yeah. I mean, I feel like in the eighties it started becoming really normalized. Right?

So it was kind of. And I grew up with these single moms. And then when I. When I went to have my kid, when Kate was at school, all the most of the families were together. I was.

There were a couple of us who weren't. Right, but when they were young. But now a lot of those couples have broken up. Yeah, it's true. So that.

But I got a shock when they started breaking up because I was very attached to all these couples in the school being together. And it was just so funny because Kate's old babysitter and Goldie's babysitter said the other day, I, are you. She said to Goldie, are your parents still together? Because your family, all his family, all divorce and what a reputation. Yeah, but it's weird.

Like, I was like, I didn't feel like my feathers were not ruffled at all. It was just funny to me because I was like, oh, wow. I guess so. Because I think of my mom. She's been married for so long, but this is her third husband, and my brother's been divorced, and I've been divorced.

And I guess I just. It seems so normal to me. Yeah. I don't know. It's weird.

I mean, but I also am, like, a real, really love being married, so. But I guess a lot of people who get married a lot, I guess that's. They do love marriage. No, I'm just saying that I guess I can like you. I have a traditional side, but not.

Most of my friends have had. Yeah, it was interesting talking to Concha. A lot of relationships and not, I. Don'T think this is speaking out of school, because she's very open and transparent with her audience about her marriage journey. But she, when we met her, she was dying for Ben to her comedy.

Her comedy routine, but she pushed it. So hard, and now she's like, yeah, I'm not in a rush. You know, I want to get. It's kind of cool. It feels like.

Ione Skye

It's interesting how I think for some people, letting go a little bit of your attachment to the picture of having the perfect marriage is part of maturity, too. Yeah. Obviously, a lot of people love the idea of it more than the reality, and I do. I'm fascinated with long term relationships and the phases of I, you know, I feel like I'm studying it just because I also want to preemptively make sure, like, we can do the long haul. You're so good with that.

Like, you'll often say, like, if we haven't, like, I don't know, talked in a certain way, like, really dropped in with each other. You'll say, it's important for the health of our marriage. Like, you're really. I think that is one of the things, like, having passed through divorces and all that sort of stuff. One.

Ben Lee

I've had one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course we had one. And then you had a baby with someone else. Like you.

Ione Skye

You've had a very. You've given it a shot a few, like, more times than me. In a way. I think you have learned lessons about what it takes to, like, keep a relationship healthy. That's super valuable.

Ben Lee

Yeah, I'm curious about it. And also just. I want to. Yeah. I don't want to, you know, regret anything.

Ione Skye

Me, too. Me, too. I'm all in. Yeah, me too. I'm all in.

And what else was I gonna ask you? Oh, yeah. How's it going? You are, like, on the home stretch with your book. I mean, you literally, like, are in the last few weeks of writing.

Ben Lee

I get it. Before you turn in your first draft. I think there's 14. We're on chapter 14. That doesn't seem like.

I think there's, like, how many chapters have I laid out? I forgot. But. No, no, but you've gone past this. You're not working in order.

Ione Skye

I have this 14 you're doing right now is. What is this is the wedding. Yes. Because you've already written the chapters. Beyond that, there's girls, girls, girls.

There's all those. Oh, that's true. Like, you. You're not working in. That's true.

You're just polishing them in a way. That's true. That's true. Yeah. But it's like.

How's it feeling? It's feeling really intense and really good, and I'm scared to stop it because I love, love, love it. But I know. I just love. I love this job.

Ben Lee

I love writing this book. It's so fun. I mean, it's just so good. I mean, like, you know, you have those dreams. You hear these people who rent a little house in New Orleans or somewhere, and then they write for three months, and then they.

You know what I mean? I don't know. It's always sounded so amazing to me. I mean, people who are really writers, I think this is like the honeymoon of writing a first book. I mean, I wrote a kid's book, but that's, you know, that's a little different.

But I'm not putting. Minimizing children's books, but. Or minimizing children. You do like them? Yeah, I'm minimizing them because they're short.

But anyway, so, yeah, it's just like, I get to, like, sit in bed, then I'll move to the couch, then I move to the desk, and I go get. Take a walk. And then, I don't know, it's just like, an incredible. And I could do it at all hours, and it's like, last night you were sleeping, and I was, you know, editing one thing again, and I just cut. But I'm very.

Ione Skye

I love the sharing part of art, and I am really excited about when you, like, really announce it and we start, like, doing pre orders and you start being able to share little bits of it and giving little glimpses. It's like, I can't wait for people to read it. And events, I want to, like, do great events for it, you know, throw some book parties. And it's nice. It's going to be.

Ben Lee

It's different. I've had art shows, which is nerve wracking because you're walking around. It's this terrifying thing of you don't want to overhear what have. Because people are brutal. And I'm the same.

Like, I often, I'm at an art show and I'm like, oh, I love this one. I don't love that one. I would love this one. That one's not my style. Like, you say things, if the artist was standing there, they would be shattered.

And with the book, it's not like people in front of you are gonna say, I thought this part was, you're not gonna overhear someone. I mean, you might, but the chances, you know what I'm saying? It's safer than. I mean, my brother once was at a screening of a movie he did. It was a remake of in God created Woman, and he was sitting next to Bruce Willis in the eighties, who was the biggest star in the world at the time, and it was the worst movie.

And Dono sat through the whole screening of it, and he just was. And after, he just was like, yep, yep. And Bruce Willis is like, yeah, but he had a good sense of humor, but that's. It's. It's hard to fail in front of people, but this is gonna be.

I am very. I'm very confident. I'm very confident about this. Yeah, I don't think the challenge is going to be failure or criticism of the book. I just think there's going to be a vulnerability in people knowing more about you than they've ever known.

Ione Skye

Like, you are so much more transparent in this book than I just think, like, what's been cool about this pod is people have fallen in love with your way of thinking. I always thought that I was. I don't know. I guess I've always felt like I was transmitting my energy or my vibe, but I guess it's true. People don't.

Ben Lee

To know me is to love me. It's true. But there wasn't always platforms. Like, as an actor, you get the vibe of someone, but they're playing characters, and there was no social media, and interviews were so much more. It was just, I know.

And it's always nice when someone's terrific, but it's always a bummer when it's like, as time goes on, I'm just like, ugh, Jerry Seinfeld. Yeah. Why do I have to. Everyone's like that. It's collective growth, your work.

But what do I have to know about you? And then some people feel delightful and prickly in there. Like, Letterman seems like, sure, you must be a pain in the ass, but I'm not like, gross. Who else was not Gross was Seinfeld. But just like, who else was I thinking?

I wish I didn't know them about. About. Oh, yeah, a little bit. Oh, okay. I mean, only just, like, I do want to know.

I don't know. There's certain people, I think, a positive way to say it. Okay. A positive way to say it is there are certain people who are flattered by mysteriousness. Let's just say that.

Ione Skye

And a little bit of mysteriousness is actually more compelling than other people, that you bring them in really close and it's like, oh, my God, I want to live at your bosom. Yes, exactly. I want to quickly plug a few shows before we wrap up on Sunday. This Sunday, they're sold out. Mother's Day, Dangar island.

I'm doing two shows. There's Townsville, Castlemaine, St. Kilda, the weirded together variety show in, oh, sorry I said Brunswick heads first small fry rock in Brisbane. Also sold out Eumundi, Canberra, Aladdulla, Woiwoi, Avalon Beach, Ipswith, Kingston, Chatswood, Redland, Lismore and Coffs harbour. Those are all Ben Lee shows.

And then there's the weird. To get the variety show, 23 may coming up in Melbourne at the Brunswick ballroom. You can get tickets for all of these at Ben dashlee.com. Yay. Also, a quick big thank you to everybody that's supporting us over on the sub stack.

It's really nice to, like, we haven't monetized this podcast really at all. Like, we haven't had sponsorships or, you know, so it's really nice just to. It's just sustainable. It's sustainable. Support your artists.

Yeah. If you dig it, no pressure. If you're a casual listener, whatever. But if you really love it, enjoy it. It's really helpful.

Head over the substack. We give lots of exclusive content. I know the sub stack is worth it. Yeah, it's really fun. It's really good.

Why don't we end with a little bit of you're the voice. Okay, John Farnham. Everyone cheer. Yeah, everyone cheer for handsome Johnny Farnham. We love you.

Ben Lee

We love you. Beautiful babies.

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