triple j's 30 years - classic interviews and stories

Producer of Today Today, Craig Schuftan talks about the making of Craig's prank calls - "One of the things I really like about them and what I was surprised by at first is the deadpan voice that Craig uses to do those calls. At first I thought it was really wrong. I remember saying can you speak up a bit, or perform a bit more."

triple j has this great history of putting really inexperienced people on the radio - allowing them to have a go. Just to name a few: Tim Ritchie, Rosie Beaton, Adam Spencer, Wil Anderson, Merrick and Rosso. triple j is willing to take risks with their presenters and sometimes, for unwittingly training them up for commercial radio!

After her first concert in Australia in 1996, Bjork tells us how to really pronounce her name and describes what it's like to live in Iceland.

Chris and Craig from Today Today, and their producer Craig Schufatan discuss what goes into producing the Coma FM sketches.

Adam and Wil play an elaborate April Fools Joke in 2000 based on the notion that Sydney had been stripped of hosting the Olympic Games. The well planned stunt even featured NSW premier Bob Carr giving a solemn speech.

Johnno and Danno return to triple j, kicking and screaming, to take us through some highlights of their program 'Off the Record' that ran for a few years in the early 80's.

The Star Hotel was a weird, egalitarian mix for Newcastle in 1979 - sailors in the front bar, drag shows in the middle bar, and bands in back bar, where the music was free every night of the week. It was the rebelliousness and rowdiness that drew the crowds and the wrath of the authorities. With just one week's notice, it was announced that The Star would be shut down forever. Despite organised protests and petitions, no one could save The Star from being closed.

Adam and Wil interviewed Dave Grohl in 2003. Adam asks "Of all your different professions, what's the one gig you'd least like to do again?"

triple j reporter, Philip Jack was in Afghanistan in 1980 when the Russians were at war there. He describes the violence and the devastation as bombs go off, and fighter planes soar overhead - "I thought I could smell a corpse! There's a corpse in the gutter there in khaki...black, bloated, indescribably disgusting." Philip dry-wretches and almost vomits into the microphone as he describes the scene.

After just one month on air, Double J was already considered to be ratbag radio. Aunty's unruly child was breaking all the rules according to the papers, the letter writers, and the moral crusaders who said the J's were rude, offensive and just downright naughty. What was Double J doing that was so outrageous?

In 1995, Angela Catterns interviewed one of the funniest men of the past century, Spike Milligan of The Goon Show. Angela: 'Spike, welcome to triple j", Spike: "You're welcome to it too!"

In commercial radio, normally you have somebody who "panels" for you. That means, playing the CDs, fading them in & out, turning your microphones on, and turning other people's microphones on - basically controlling the studio. At triple j, presenters have to do it themselves, as the station doesn't have the resources to pay for someone to panel for them. As a result, there has been a history of presenters lying about their panelling skills to get on the radio! What does this say about the people who work for triple j?

Alicia Brown talks to the guys who maded the triple j news theme with a bit of guitar, a drill, the beat from Prince's 'Get Off' the scratch from NWA's 'Fuck Tha Police'.

In the wake of 9/11 we spoke to Michael Moore about finding humour in desperate times.

Dr Poo was a huge comedy play on triple j, popular in the early 80s. Listen to an episode of Dr Poo and his adventures his turdis! Includes interviews with ex triple j staffers, Lillian Pascoe and Adam Bowen.