Shows
Tracks of Our QueersJohn Benjamin Hickey, actor and directorTony Award-winning actor and director John Benjamin Hickey joins me on Tracks of Our Queers.From his breakout role in Terrence McNally's Love! Valour! Compassion! to his devastating turn in Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart, John has been at the heart of some of theatre's most important queer work. Far from being typecast, John has appeared in hundreds of roles across TV, film, and theatre (I loved him in The Big C, and of course, the dad in Pitch Perfect).Outside of acting and directing, John once presented his own music interview series...
2025-06-3058 minTracks of Our QueersWilliam Yang, photographer and artistWilliam Yang is one of Australia’s most vital storytellers. For over five decades, he's documented queer life in Sydney -- its parades, parties, politics, and people -- through photography, performance, and prose. Born in 1943 in Far North Queensland, William came out as gay in the early 1970s during the wave of gay liberation, and later came out again -- this time as Chinese -- after reconnecting with his heritage through Taoism and travel. His landmark exhibitions and live slide shows, like Sydneyphiles, Sadness, and Friends of Dorothy, have cemented his place as a queer cul...
2025-06-2353 minTracks of Our QueersKate Pierson of the B-52s, singer songwriterKate Pierson is a founding member of the B-52s: The World's Greatest Party Band, and a beacon for weirdos and queer-does since the late 70s. After decades of collaborating with the likes of Iggy Pop, R.E.M., and her Japanese side-band NiNa (more on that in the episode), Kate began writing and recording her entirely solo output in 2015. Last year, her second album Radios and Rainbows was released, and at the age of 77, Kate is bubbling with inspiration and drive to create. Between the B-52s...
2025-06-1759 minTracks of Our QueersSabah Choudrey, activistSabah Choudrey is an award-winning, reluctant activist. He's also an author, youth worker, Pride organiser, Saturday morning Fun Run participant – the list is exhausting, but they somehow found time for me and Tracks of Our Queers.Sabah has also featured on the Diversity Power List 24/25, serves as the Vice Chair of Trustees for the Inclusive Mosque Initiative, a Gay Times Future Fighters Honouree, and the writer of the book Supporting Trans People of Colour. We discuss music by Planningtorock, Linkin Park, and Dr Zeus.Follow Sabah online.T...
2025-03-2444 minTracks of Our QueersRhys Nicholson, comedianRhys Nicholson is a comedian, actor, and judge on Drag Race Down Under.They began their stand-up journey in their teens, with regular train rides to Sydney’s open mic evenings, before launching onto the global comedy scene with a slot on Conan O’Brien. This, in turn, lead to a Netflix special, which found it’s way to one RuPaul. They’ve won countless awards, have toured globally multiple times, and are a regular panellist and host on Australian television. Their book DISH was published in 2023. Their experience and voice on the rel...
2025-03-1753 minTracks of Our QueersPeppermint, entertainer and activistPeppermint joins me for our 50th episode. A mainstay of New York nightlife, Peppermint burst onto the global queer scene as a finalist in RuPaul's Drag Race's ninth season. Soon after, she became the first trans actress to originate a principle role on Broadway, and has starred in dozens of television roles, most recently in Michelle Buteau's Survival of the Thickest on Netflix.She continues to regularly appear on mainstream news outlets as a powerfully articulate activist for trans folk, and co-hosts Town Hall: A Black Queer Podcast with Bob the Drag Queen. ...
2025-03-1155 minTracks of Our QueersEric Schnall, author and Broadway producerEric Schnall is a Broadway producer and author from New York.Eric grew up attending Broadway productions with his parents, leading to a professional career which saw him driving critically-lauded shows like the Hedwig and the Angry Inch revival, and Fleabag.In 2024, Eric published his first book, I Make Envy on Your Disco – a love letter to Berlin, through the eyes of a late 30s gay man exploring the city in the early 2000s, running from personal turmoil and finding solace in the concrete jungle.I love Berlin, so I was al...
2025-03-0355 minTracks of Our QueersChloe Petts, comedianChloe Petts is a *very* funny comedian from the UK. Her work is littered with brilliant examples of what I think of as 'soft' activism – she skilfully endears audiences with her warmth, before a one-two punch reminder of the foolishness of homo- and transphobia. Chloe is touring the UK and Australia throughout 2025, and you can find her tour dates here.We discuss music by Tina Turner, Haim, and Kasabian (!). Follow Chloe online.The other bits:Tracks of Our Queers is recorded and edit...
2025-02-2446 minTracks of Our QueersMargaret Cho, entertainerMargaret Cho. Period.A groundbreaking comedian, actor, musician, and advocate, Margaret Cho has been smashing barriers and ceilings in entertainment since the early 1990s. She's a massive queero of mine, and I was quite honestly shook to be on a Zoom with the Notorious C.H.O. herself.Margaret just released her third studio album, Lucky Gift, including punk pop girl group bangers, musings on opioid addiction, and a beautiful tribute to her mentor, Robin Williams.We discuss music by Erasure, the Hedwig and the Angry Inch soundtrack, and k.d...
2025-02-1744 minTracks of Our QueersDavid Polson AM, HIV advocate and educatorDavid Polson AM is an advocate and educator for HIV awareness. Just 29 in 1984 when he was diagnosed in HIV himself, David is currently celebrating his 70th birthday.In 2023, he founded Qtopia, a museum in Sydney dedicated to the commemoration and celebration of LGBTQIA+ resilience. To mark his milestone birthday and contributions to HIV advocacy, the museum will open a memorial garden, dedicated to all queer Australians lost to HIV/AIDS. In this live, in-person conversation, we discuss music by Edith Piaf, Ricky May, and Maria Callas. Learn more about David here, and Qtopia...
2024-11-2649 minTracks of Our QueersAsh Gordon, songwriter and composerAsh Gordon is a New York-bred, LA-based songwriter, producer, and now playwright, best known for her collaborations with a galaxy of stars from RuPaul’s Drag Race, including but not limited to Trixie Mattel, Sharon Needles, Trinity the Tuck, and most prolifically, Alaska, with ten #1 albums on the iTunes charts to her name. Together with Alaska and their collaborator Tomas Costanza, Ash wrote the book, score, and lyrics for DRAG: The Musical, a high octane, high camp spectacle currently selling out performances off Broadway. We discuss music by the Kinks, the Spice Girls, and...
2024-11-1948 minTracks of Our QueersBishi, artist and composerBishi is an artist, composer and producer born in London of Bengali heritage. Trained in both Hindustani and Western Classical styles, she has released and composed three albums, several EPs, movie and documentary soundtracks, and tirelessly advocates for the elevation of women, trans, and non-binary creative practitioners in music and technology. From coming up in London's queer underground in the 90s, Bishi has carved out a career path precisely for herself – to be frank, she is completely bad ass. I first saw her perform many moons ago at Latitude Festival in 2009, and this conversation was a...
2024-11-1255 minTracks of Our QueersSimon Graser / Simonetti, DJSimon Graser is a DJ and nightlife curator based in Naarm/Melbourne, and performs as Simonetti. He co-founded the Melbourne party CONFIDE, a love letter to the roots of house, and a means for relief, release, and respect. Five points if you know the iconic Australian song it was named for.We discuss music by DASCO, Scissor Sisters, and of course, Kylie Minogue.Follow Simonetti, Club CONFIDE, and Minus 18 here.The other bits:Tracks of Our Queers is recorded and edited between G...
2024-11-0544 minTracks of Our QueersChristy DeGallerie, writerChristy DeGallerie is a writer and interdisciplinary artist from New York. Her contribution to the Modern Love column in the New York Times took my breath away a year ago, in which she wrote about her decision to come out to her mother on the day of her deportation. It's a moving, funny, sharp dissertation on migration, queerness, and gardening, and I insist you give it a read.Christy is also an enormous music fan, and made this interview exceptionally easy by showing up with some fabulous selections and stories. We discuss music...
2024-10-2950 minTracks of Our QueersBenjamin Law, writer and broadcasterBenjamin Law is a writer, broadcaster, television creator and producer, and refined homosexual about town in Sydney. He's also a former competitor on Australian Survivor – important.If you haven't already, I implore you to read some of Ben's sharp, warm, illuminating writing. There's Gaysia, an exploration of LGBTQ+ cultures across South East Asia; The Family Law, a memoir of his childhood that he adapted into three seasons of television; Growing Up Queer, a collection of stories from LGBTQ Australians, and Wellmania, the Netflix comedy series he co-created and wrote.Not only is he in...
2024-10-2247 minTracks of Our QueersBright Light Bright Light, singer songwriterBright Light Bright Light, aka Rod Thomas, is an entirely independent pop superstar based in New York City.Hailing from Wales, Rod has rewritten the rulebook for being a singer songwriter without major label backing, mostly through tremendously hard work, and an ever-growing back catalogue of bangers. He's been backed, endorsed, and collaborated with legends like Sir Elton John, Erasure, Scissor Sisters and Ultra Naté over the years, but the latest Bright Light Bright Light album, Enjoy Youth, is Rod's most critically and commercially successful yet.We discuss music b...
2024-10-1541 minTracks of Our QueersGeraldine Hickey, comedianGeraldine Hickey is one of Australia's most beloved comedians, and multiple award-winning at that. She's a regular face on TV, a veteran of the Melbourne International Comedy and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, and... a bird watcher. More on that in the episode.We discuss music by Diana Ross, RVG, and Cash Savage.Further reading:Follow Geraldine on InstagramBuy tickets to her upcoming Oct/Nov 24 shows hereCheck out the Switchboard charity hereThe other bits:Tracks of Our Queers is recorded and edited between Gadigal and...
2024-10-0837 minTracks of Our QueersCarlton Wilborn, life coach and former Madonna dancerCarlton Wilborn is an actor, life coach, and former dancer with Madonna.At 25, Carlton was hand-picked to join the Blond Ambition World Tour, documented in the ground-breaking concert film Truth or Dare (or, In Bed with Madonna). He would go on to join her second tour, The Girlie Show, before embarking on a career in acting, and life coaching.Apologies in advance for slightly iffy audio – I hope the conversation is worth it.Further reading:Follow Carlton on InstagramLearn more about his life coaching workCheck out Carlton dancing wi...
2024-09-3042 minTracks of Our QueersFenton Bailey, producer and co-creator of RuPaul's Drag RaceFenton Bailey is a co-founder of production studio World of Wonder, the home of RuPaul's Drag Race. Together with Randy Barbato, Fenton has creatively collaborated with RuPaul since the mid-80s, helping birth his albums, imagery, VH1 chat show, even directing the iconic "Supermodel" music video, before launching the queer cultural juggernaut that is Drag Race in 2009. Over 25 international variations are currently airing around the world.Fenton joins me for the first episode of Season 4 to discuss an enormous list of tracks that have soundtracked his queer life. I hope you enjoy the...
2024-09-2453 minTracks of Our QueersAdriano Cappelletta, writer and actorAdriano Cappelletta is an actor, writer, and creator across film, television, cabaret, and music. After researching Australia's reponse to AIDS in 2016 after years of volunteering with HIV/AIDS organisations, Adriano wrote the play Never Let Me Go, which was adapted into the 2022 television series In Our Blood by the ABC.We discuss music by Arthur Russell, the Pet Shop Boys, and Madonna. You can follow about Adriano on Instagram here, and learn more about All Out here.Tracks of Our Queers is produced, presented and edited by Andy Gott.
2023-09-1245 minTracks of Our QueersPaul Southwell, musicianIn 1975, a very young and very gay trio of musicians were signed to Jet Records, a London label headed up by, well, Sharon Osbourne's dad. Handbag regaled audiences with outrageous on-stage simulated sex and snogging, before recording their debut album... which sadly remained unreleased, due to the stifling and fearful climate of the time. Earlier this year, frontman Paul Southwell dusted off his copies of the album, digitised them, and uploaded them to streaming services. A flurry of global interest ensued, including this article from The Guardian that I was shared. P...
2023-09-0534 minTracks of Our QueersAnnie Frost Nicholson, artistAnnie Frost Nicholson is a multi-disciplinary artist based in London. It's easier to list which forms of art she doesn't bring her magic too, but I have particularly fallen in love with her visual meditations on loss, grief, and a lust for life. Annie's own experience of a particularly unique tragedy has coloured her work ever since, leading right up to her roaming Grief Rave. In this conversation, we discuss music by Pulp, New Order, and Prince.You can follow Annie on Instagram here, explore her website here, and listen to...
2023-08-3037 minTracks of Our QueersGary Lonesborough, authorGary Lonesborough is a Yuin writer from the South Coast of New South Wales. He's the author of two young adult novels, The Boy from the Mish – a stunning depiction of a queer summer romance between two Indigenous teenagers – and the brand new We Didn't Think It Through. We discuss music by Bob Dylan, Kylie Minogue, and Elton John.You can follow Gary on X here, and on Instagram here. You can learn more about Black Rainbow here, and listen to Gary's Queerstories episode here. Tracks of Our Queers is pro...
2023-08-2235 minTracks of Our QueersSOFT LAD, musicianSophie Galpin is a UK-based multi-instrumentalist musician and artist, writing and performing as SOFT LAD. Collaborating and touring with Self Esteem, the Breeders, and Jessie Ware, Sophie began putting out her own work last year, and continues to shape her own artistic voice with a new EP on the way. We discuss some proper bangers this episode, by the likes of CeCe Peniston, Jessie Ware and Melanie C.You can follow SOFT LAD on Instagram here, and listen on Spotify here.Tracks of Our Queers is produced...
2023-08-1531 minTracks of Our QueersBill Hayes, writerBill Hayes is a writer and photographer, recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in nonfiction, and a frequent contributor to the New York Times.The author of seven books, Bill is perhaps best known for his magical 2017 memoir Insomniac City, covering his move from San Francisco to New York, and his relationship with the groundbreaking neurologist Oliver Sacks.Bill's taste in music is as diverse as the rest of my guests', but for this conversation, we chose to focus on the inimitable Joni Mitchell and her 1976 album, Hejira. You can follow Bill...
2023-08-0839 minTracks of Our QueersShamir, singer songwriterShamir Bailey is an American singer-songwriter based in Philadelphia. Bursting into the stratos-queer in 2014 with "On the Regular", Shamir has since continually defined and redefined his musical language, visual identity, and artistry, on his own terms. His latest album, Homo Anxietatum, is out on August 18th on Kill Rock Stars. It was an absolute pleasure to discuss Shamir's own queer musical influences for Tracks of Our Queers. We explore music by Mykki Blanco, Tegan and Sara, and Tracy Chapman. You can follow Shamir on Instagram here.Tracks of Our Queers
2023-08-0139 minTracks of Our QueersKris Andrew Small, artistKris Andrew Small has left his distinctive signature on art for clients including Apple, Adobe, and Adidas — queering the mainstream along the way.He joined me in the studio for this conversation, in Sydney / on Gadigal Land. We discuss music by Brockhampton, Madonna, and M.I.A. You can follow Kris on Instagram here, and purchase his art here.Tracks of Our Queers is produced, presented and edited by Andy Gott.You can listen to our Spotify playlist, Selections from Tracks of Our Queers, ...
2023-07-2533 minTracks of Our QueersEmma Goswell, broadcasterEmma Goswell is a broadcaster and producer based in Manchester. She's the host of Coming Out Stories, an archive of personal experiences of that moment, and has presented for the BBC, Virgin Radio and Gaydio for several years. We discuss music by Yazoo, Erasure, and Prince. You can follow Emma on Instagram here. Tracks of Our Queers is produced, presented and edited by Andy Gott.You can listen to our Spotify playlist, Selections from Tracks of Our Queers, and find Aural Fixation in your favourite podcast provider.
2023-07-1935 minTracks of Our QueersJustin Hopkins, opera singerJustin Hopkins is an opera singer and musical theatre performer from Philadelphia, and currently based in Antwerp.Justin is the first guest to take me on a particularly classical journey, and I was thrilled to dive into his selections. We discuss pieces by Tchaikovsky, Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman, and Elton John.You can follow Justin on Instagram here.Tracks of Our Queers is produced, presented and edited by Andy Gott.You can listen to our Spotify playlist, Selections from Tracks of Our Queers, and...
2023-07-1246 minTracks of Our QueersLarry Flick, journalistLarry Flick is a former senior editor at Billboard Magazine, broadcaster for Sirius XM, and LGBTQ+ activist. He joins me for the first episode of our second season. We discuss tracks by Paul Parker, Sylvester, Bronski Beat, and David Bowie.You can follow Larry on Instagram here. Tracks of Our Queers is produced, presented and edited by Andy Gott.You can listen to our Spotify playlist, Selections from Tracks of Our Queers, and find Aural Fixation in your favourite podcast provider. Support the s...
2023-07-0544 minTracks of Our QueersMoud Goba, charity manager and former refugeeMoud Goba is the National Manager of Micro Rainbow, a UK charity that supports LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers, and a former refugee herself, from Zimbabwe.We discuss some of Moud's favourite songs from her home country.You can follow Micro Rainbow on Instagram here. You can purchase something from Micro Rainbow's Amazon wishlist for LGBTQ+ refugees right here.Tracks of Our Queers is produced, presented and edited by Andy Gott, with the support of Forbes Street Studios, Sydney. A big thank you to Anthony Garvin.You can listen...
2023-03-1430 minTracks of Our QueersJonny Seymour, producer and activistJonny Seymour is a producer, activist and sound stylist, and one half of Stereogamous.We discuss “I Need Somebody to Love Tonight" by Sylvester, Age of Consent by Bronski Beat, and SOPHIE.You can follow Jonny on Instagram here.Tracks of Our Queers is produced, presented and edited by Andy Gott, with the support of Forbes Street Studios, Sydney. A big thank you to Anthony Garvin.You can listen to our Spotify playlist, Selections from Tracks of Our Queers, and find Aural Fixation in your fa...
2023-03-0843 minTracks of Our QueersSui Zhen, singer songwriterSui Zhen is an experimental pop producer, performance artist, and singer songwriter based in Melbourne. We discuss “Walking and Falling" by Laurie Anderson, Medusa by Annie Lennox, and Pablo's Eye.You can follow Sui Zhen on Instagram here, and learn more her charity of choice, Red Nose Australia.Tracks of Our Queers is produced, presented and edited by Andy Gott, with the support of Forbes Street Studios, Sydney. A big thank you to Anthony Garvin.You can listen to our Spotify playlist, Selections from Tracks of Our Queers...
2023-02-2834 minTracks of Our QueersMatt Vaughan, nightlife promoterMatt Vaughan is a nightlife promoter and founder of queer Australian institution, Loose Ends. Matt is a good friend, and kindly agreed to be my interviewee guinea pig as I was exploring the podcast's format last year. This is that conversation. We discuss “Can You Forgive Her?" by the Pet Shop Boys, Debut by Björk, and Madonna.You can follow Matt on Instagram here, and learn more about the Bearded Tit here.Tracks of Our Queers is produced, presented and edited by Andy Gott, with the support of Forb...
2023-02-2132 minTracks of Our QueersShahmen Suku / Radha, performance artistShahmen Suku is a Singaporean performance artist exploring racial and cultural identity, religion, gender and food through their drag as Radha La Bia. We discuss “If" by Janet Jackson, the original soundtrack to Phantom of the Opera, and the Spice Girls.You can follow Radha on Instagram here, and learn more about Twenty10 here.Tracks of Our Queers is produced, presented and edited by Andy Gott, with the support of Forbes Street Studios, Sydney. A big thank you to Anthony Garvin.You can listen to our Spotify playlist, Se...
2023-02-1434 minTracks of Our QueersWaltpaper, former Club KidWalt Cassidy is an artist, jeweller and curator based in New York. Formerly known as Waltpaper, Walt was a central figure in the city's Club Kids phenomenon.We discuss “Ball and Chain" by Janis Joplin, The Serpent's Egg by Dead Can Dance, and KISS.You can learn more about Walt's work here, follow him on Instagram here, as well as the New York Anti-Violence Project here.Tracks of Our Queers is produced, presented and edited by Andy Gott, with the support of Forbes Street Studios, Sydney. A big thank yo...
2023-02-0846 minTracks of Our QueersCharlie Villas, DJCharlie Villas is a DJ and party promoter based in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney, on Dharug land. We discuss “With Every Heartbeat" by Robyn and Kleerup, Prince's soundtrack to Spike Lee's Girl 6, and Janelle Monáe.You can learn more about Sydney's Out West social group here, and follow Charlie on Instagram here.Tracks of Our Queers is produced, presented and edited by Andy Gott, with the support of Forbes Street Studios, Sydney. A big thank you to Anthony Garvin and Dan Stanley Freeman.You can listen to our...
2023-01-3133 minTracks of Our QueersMark O'Donovan, comedian and writerMark O'Donovan is a comedian, writer and Internet funny person based in Dublin. We discuss “Before the Parade Passes By" by Barbra Streisand, the Marie Antoinette (2006) soundtrack, and Helen Reddy.You can read and subscribe to Mark's writing here, and learn more about the AIDS Memorial here. You can (and must) follow Mark on Instagram here.Tracks of Our Queers is produced, presented and edited by Andy Gott, with the support of Forbes Street Studios, Sydney. A big thank you to Anthony Garvin and Dan Stanley Freeman.You can li...
2023-01-2437 minTracks of Our QueersKatherine Wolfgramme, activistKatherine Wolfgramme is an award-winning gender diversity consultant and trailblazing trans activist. She's also a Rainbow Champion for the upcoming Sydney WorldPride.We discuss “Where Do You Go to My Lovely?" by Right Said Fred, Princess Tabu by Vika and Linda, and Sarah Brightman. You can find more about Katherine and her work right here.Tracks of Our Queers is produced, presented and edited by Andy Gott, with the support of Forbes Street Studios, Sydney. A big thank you to Anthony Garvin and Dan Stanley Freeman.This episode was rec...
2023-01-1733 minTracks of Our QueersDameyon Bonson, charity founderDameyon Bonson is the founder of Black Rainbow, a social enterprise set up to prevent Indigenous LGBQTI suicide and self-harm in Australia. We discuss “Nothing is Wrong" by Gomez, and The Beautiful Ones (The Best of) by Suede. You can find Black Rainbow on Instagram right here, while Dameyon is @dameyon.Tracks of Our Queers is produced, presented and edited by Andy Gott, with the support of Forbes Street Studios, Sydney. A big thank you to Anthony Garvin and Dan Stanley Freeman.This episode was recorded on Gadigal Land....
2023-01-1138 minTracks of Our QueersBonzai Bonner, nightlife promoterBonzai Bonner is a DJ, nightlife promoter and activist based in Glasgow. We discuss “Always On My Mind [Extended Dance Remix]” by the Pet Shop Boys, Hits! The Very Best of by Erasure, and well, Erasure!Bonner’s queer charity shout-out is the Small Trans Library in Glasgow, and you can find them on Instagram at @bonzaibonner.Tracks of Our Queers is produced, presented and edited by Andy Gott, with the support of Forbes Street Studios, Sydney. Thank you to Anthony Garvin, Nick Stillone and Dan Stanley Freeman.You can listen to our...
2023-01-1140 minTracks of Our QueersAbdi Nazemian, author and producerAbdi Nazemian is an Iranian-American author, screenwriter and producer based in Los Angeles. He joins me for our debut episode.We discuss “Put the Blame on Mame” by Rita Hayworth, Infinity Within by Deee-Lite, and Lana Del Rey.Abdi’s queer charity shout-out is the Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees, and you can find him on Instagram at @abdaddy.Tracks of Our Queers is produced, presented and edited by Andy Gott, with the support of Forbes Street Studios, Sydney. A big thank you to Anthony Garvin, Drew Tweddle, and Dan Stanley Freeman...
2023-01-1145 min
Aural FixationEyes Pride Open: Aural Fixation's Mardi Gras Special 2022The boys are back from their UK adventures and ready for Mardi Gras weekend in Sydney, shooting the shit on Shrove Tuesday, corporate queers and biodegradable glitter. We also aboard a round-the-world Pride tour from Cardiff and Manchester to Quito and Orlando, soundtracked by Andy and Drew’s favourite Mardi Gras musical classics.Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect. And don't forget to check ou...
2022-03-031h 02Aural Fixation'Two in the P!nk', or the Missundaztanding of Alecia MooreWe're coming up so you better get this party started! Aural Fixation's eighth cycle wraps up with a good old fashioned Drew and Andy romp, and this time, it's Missundaztood by the one and only P!nk. Some of the queer topics we cover around and amongst Alecia Moore's iconic sophomore outing include Shirley Bassey's Marks & Spencer adverts, "Get the Party Started" being about completely nothing, and rifling through Billy B's phone book. We also muse on Liv Tyler's paternal parentage, shout out to our gaymers, and raise our fists (not glasses) to Max Martin's sl...
2022-01-131h 04Aural FixationInsincere to the point of nausea: Dead or Alive’s 'Nukleopatra' with Adem EveIt's New Queer's Eve and we're wrapping up an oddity of a year by delving into the magic and mayhem of Pete Burns, frontman of Dead or Alive and bonafide pio-queer. No one knows Pete better than our old friend and host of various incredible podcasts (The Record Doctor, This Is Disco and the brand new You Can't Mistake Their Anthology to name three), Adem Eve. Adem takes us through possibly the most chaotic album we've covered yet on Aural Fixation, iconically a global flop everywhere apart from Japan... Dead or Alive's Nukleopatra. We also...
2021-12-301h 21Aural FixationQueer thinking; straight talking – Geri Halliwell's Schizophonic with Malcolm MacLeanOn May 31 1998, Geri Halliwell shook the globe by announcing that she was leaving the Spice Girls, effective immediately. Caught in the tumult of one of the biggest scandals in pop history, Geri she did what any gay icon would – she packed a bag and headed straight for George Michael's gaff. It was there that she decided what the hell she was going to do next. The result was Schizophonic.Lauded as a parallel universe third Spice Girls album, Geri's debut is a cacophony of frenetic but catchy bops, boasting three UK number ones. But on re-listen over tw...
2021-12-151h 16Aural FixationWho took the ram from the rama-lama-ding-dong? Le Tigre's queer feminist debutHow are you? What's your take on Cassavettes? Who took the bomp from the bomp-a-lomp-a-lomp? And who the HELL took the ram from the rama-lama-ding-dong? All these questions and more are answered in this ep dedicated to dancepunk trio Le Tigre.We tackle the band's debut self-titled album, the brainchild of Kathleen Hanna, Johanna Fateman and Sadie Benning, which sits at the precipice of '60s surfer bops, 80's new wave and 90's queercore New York... with a healthy splash of third-wave feminism.So grab yr metrocard and take the train direct to Friendship Station...
2021-12-0149 minAural FixationBells dinged; heartstrings zinged – Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall with Alexander AndrewsJudy Garland's concert appearance at New York's Carnegie Hall is often described as the greatest night in show business history. After ongoing battles with a variety of substances for most of the 1950s, many had come to judge Judy. Her 1961 return to the stage, however, was a roaring success devoured by a crowd made up almost entirely of screaming queens.Discussion on the original gay icon must be taken seriously, and Andy and Drew recruited Judy super-stan Alexander Andrews for a conversation that covers the legendary performance.Want more from the boys? Visit our online...
2021-11-171h 12Aural FixationTalkin' about Tracy ChapmanWhat do the forces of Nicki Minaj, Ronan Keating, and those who imprint queerness on successful figures in pop culture all have in common? They all want a piece of Tracy Chapman, ladies, and count us in. One of the best-selling albums of all time by anyone, anywhere, 1988's Tracy Chapman took the singer-songwriter traditions of the 70s and brought them into a new musical landscape and sparking another decade of heartfelt guitar confessionals – but there's so much more than meets the eye in the Tracy Chapman House (TCH). Press play to find out. Want more...
2021-11-0354 minAural FixationWe could drink a case of Joni Mitchell with Matthew Arthur WilliamsThe boys are joined by artist, photographer, DJ, and Andy's mate from uni, Matthew Arthur Williams, to discuss the legendary Joni Mitchell and her 1975 album, The Hissing of Summer Lawns. An unrivalled figure in pop culture, Joni loves the queers and the queers love Joni but her icon status isn't as obvious or surface level as most of our usual Aural Fixation subjects. Matthew takes us on a memory lane trip back to the mid-00s, when Joni was the soundtrack of his blossoming queerhood. You can find Matthew on Instagram here, and follow his...
2021-10-201h 16Aural FixationOn Christina Aguilera's 'Stripped’, an avalanche of empowerment that is beautiful in every single wayChristina Aguilera's masterpiece Stripped has been cited as inspiration by countless pop sensations including Rihanna, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande. From self love, to feminism, to sex positivity, the music gave gals, gays and theys permission to roar when it hit the shelves in 2002.Nearly two decades later, Stripped still gets our temperatures up. What better way to kick off our eighth cycle than with a full strip-search of the album that made us fighters and taught us to trust the voice within. So here it is – no hype, no glass, no pretence. Just Andy an...
2021-10-061h 07Aural FixationDrag Race Double Dip Pt. 2: We're all born naked and the rest is Drag Race with Entertainment Weekly's Joey NolfiAfter over seventy episodes and several many bottles of chilled Semillon (send me home), we've reached our Cycle 7 finale! As is tradition (of which there are many!) this ep sees us tackling a subject that's a little... left of the usual format.Second only to Madonna (welcome to her fempire), RuPaul's Drag Race is the cultural touchstone of Aural Fixation. We're hard-pressed to find an episode of the podcast that doesn't in some way reference the show (Tamar, have you ever watched the show?) or its contestants. Beyond the pod, we'd go so far as to say...
2021-09-221h 13Aural FixationDrag Race Double Dip Pt. 1: Maxi Shield took a shot from Madonna's diamanté bananaWe're in for a treat this fortnight with our first of two very special Drag Race episodes. First up, superstar of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under, Maxi Shield, regales us with her long and very personal history with... Madonna. Yes, we know, every Aural Fixation episode is essentially about Madonna, but this topic was Maxi's choice and for good reason. Our album of focus is the incomparable Immaculate Collection, but it was her brush with a diamanté banana on the Rebel Heart Tour that will prick up your ears. Want more from the boys? Visit our...
2021-09-081h 20Aural FixationSTFU! and listen to this episode about Rina SawayamaApril 2020 was a rough time to release new music, but that didn't stop Rina Sawayama from having one of the strongest pop albums of last year. The eponymous Sawayama was an eclectic mash-up of Y2K nostalgia, paying homage to early 2000's manufactured pop, nu-metal and R&B.The album went on to feature on several best of lists, and Sawayama herself made history after criticising major British music awards such as the Mercury Prize and the BRITs who deemed her illegible to be nominated as a British artist, despite having lived in the UK since she...
2021-08-251h 03Aural FixationSinéad O'Connor wearing a rainbow hijab on Good Morning Britain is queerA mere 18 years old and mother of a three week old baby when her debut album, The Lion and the Cobra, was released, Sinéad O’Connor shot to stratospheric success off of her haunting vocals, powerful songwriting and give-no-fucks visuals. In this episode, we use Sinéad's blistering debut as a starting point for an exploration of her distilled queerness, her massive appeal to queer listeners, and exactly why is she so... very... O'Conic? We also touch on the Prince Thing, the Pope Thing, and the Madonna Thing (spoiler alert, we're Team Sinéad on all).
2021-08-121h 03Aural FixationIt all comes back to Céline Dion – 'Falling Into You' with GwynneWhen it comes to sweeping romance, earnest lyrics and – let's face it, songs that last six minutes MINIMUM – there really is no topping Ms. Céline Marie Claudette Dion.From humble beginnings in Charlemagne, Quebec (which is queer) to becoming the best-selling Canadian recording artist in history, Queen Céline has dominated the music industry for over three decades. In 1996, her star was in full ascendence when she unleashed Falling Into You on the unsuspecting masses. Playing host to career-defining tracks such as "Because You Loved Me", "All By Myself" and, importantly, the first single Drew ever bought...
2021-07-281h 25Aural FixationAll of us wants all of Sufjan Stevens – 'Carrie & Lowell' with Jared RichardsThis fortnight, we're joined by Jared Richards, a cultural critic living on Gadigal land, and writer for NME, The Guardian, The Big Issue, Sissy Screens and more. Last year, Jared wrote a beautiful article on the evolution of Sufjan Stevens that caught our queer eye, so we welcomed him into the studio (pre-second Sydney lockdown) to unpack the mystery and intrigue surrounding a long-awaited Aural Fixation topic. We talk grief and catharsis (or lack there of), Lady Gaga's aunt, and the romance wank of Call Me By Your Name. It's all queer.Visit o...
2021-07-1559 minAural FixationDrake-ing the binary with Kris Chesson from Bad QueersIt's a Bad Queers double dip as we welcome on Kris Chesson, the podcasting partner of Shana Sumers from our Beyonce episode, to explore why her queer icon is... Drake. Just hold on, we're going homo.In this episode we use Drake's 2011 album Take Care to centre a discussion on the dos and don'ts of 'dirty macking', what it means to be a stud, and why his disdain for toxic masculinity is just one of the things that make Drake queer. We also close off Pride Month with a deep dive into the minefield that is corporate...
2021-06-301h 15Aural FixationSex, Liza and Videotape – 'Live from Radio City Music Hall' with Trevor AshleyStart spreading the news because this is one for the ages, Mein Herr. In an ep that might as well be titled "Legends on Legends" we welcome Australian stage actor and drag superstar Trevor Ashley to tackle Liza Minnelli's groundbreaking Live from Radio City Music Hall album. The show was directed for television in 1992, around the time of Liza's third divorce, and features a concoction of her hits and jukebox standards, as well as original compositions by long-term collaborators Kander and Ebb. There's no queen better qualified to dish on the performance than Trevor. His...
2021-06-161h 07Aural FixationBreathing new life into Florence and the Machine's 'Lungs' with Peach FuzzNo matter what hemisphere you’re in, a solstice is upon us. And what better way to ring it in than with a heart-to-rabbit heart on British pop music’s sacred moon child, Florence Welch (and, of course, her Machine).In Cycle 7’s premiere episode, Andy and Drew are accompanied by Sydney drag monarch Peach Fuzz (aka Anthony Severino) to tackle the band’s debut offering Lungs. From the celestial rapture of "Cosmic Love" to the vigorous uproar of "Kiss With a Fist", the trio share their elemental experiences of the album and examine why us queer folks ar...
2021-06-021h 01Aural FixationHoward Ashman's queer Disney legacy with Daniel LamminIcons are a dime a dozen here at Aural Fixation (that's what we do... it's what we live for) but heroes are a different kettle of sea-witch – and they don't get more queer-oic than Howard Ashman. For better and for worse, the animated motion pictures produced by the Walt Disney Animation Studios have profoundly shaped the media consumed by children since 1928. Like any entertainment behemoth, quality and fortune has ebbed and flowed, but it was the sheer and singular talent of one queer man that steered Disney’s legacy from their lowest trough to their highest peak....
2021-05-201h 24Aural FixationTaking apart 'Take Me Apart' by KelelaOver the past six cycles of Aural Fixation, we have discussed many artists who have either eluded to their queerness without directly acknowledging it, or generated a vast queer fanbase without actually being qard qarrrying queers themselves. However sometimes there are artists that we deeply revere who just so happen to be out and proud, which makes our hearts burst because it means that we can fast track them straight to the front of the queue.Enter stage left, Kelela whose debut album Take Me Apart is a delicious blend of R&B, electronic and garage music...
2021-05-051h 00Aural FixationNever kissed a Tori (Amos) – 'Boys for Pele' with Tyson KohThere's a lot to cover off when it comes to Tori Amos when it's just Tori Amos – but when your guest star is a former TV producer, current radio DJ and the singular driving force behind the bid to save Sydney's nightlife scene, we somehow filled 90 minutes of your precious time! Fear not, we've made it worth your while. Tyson Koh joins the Aural Fixation-ers to discuss the myriad of mysteries and treats on Tori's 1996 critical masterpiece Boys for Pele, including Courtney Love, Janice Dickinson and of course, a bit o' (Kate) Bush. If you’re in S...
2021-04-211h 25Aural FixationThe agony and the ecstasy of Perfume Genius' 'Set My Heart On Fire IMMEDIATELY'Perfume Genius has long been synonymous with gay angst but in his fifth and most recent album Set My Heart On Fire IMMEDIATELY, he takes steps towards acceptance. The album's opener "Whole Life" speaks to a reckoning of self that seems to have taken half a lifetime and sets the stage for the personal examination of a gay man approaching middle age.Recorded and released just before the onslaught of the pandemic, PG followed up SMHOFI with companion album IMMEDIATELY Remixes in March 2021 – arguably one of the more satisfying outcomes of lockdown. Join Andy and Drew as th...
2021-04-0759 minAural FixationClear the area for Imogen Heap's 'Speak for Yourself'Techno-instrument inventor, West End composer and globally-renowned baby soother Imogen Heap has come a long way since her groundbreaking 2005 release Speak for Yourself, but we reckon it remains her queerest piece of work and we're about to tell you why. Tales of Ariana Grande's latent veganism, keeping TERFs out of Hogwarts and the most airtime Jason Derulo will ever get on Aural Fixation are just some of the delights that await you in this queersploration. Where are we, and what the hell is going on? Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us...
2021-03-2457 minAural FixationBeyoncé is a dykon and '4' is her best album. Fight us. (feat. Shana Sumers)"Forget being cool, I'm going to be honest," states a defiant Beyoncé in her 2013 documentary Life is But a Dream. "I'm going to be sad, I'm going to be passionate, I'm going to be vulnerable. And I'm going to sing from my heart." It was with this mindset that Bey embarked on her fourth solo album, 4. Fresh from a pretty public separation from her father's management, Bey was determined to prove that she could run things in accordance with her own agenda. The outcome was a reflective and triumphant album that re-introduced R&B to commercial radio, a...
2021-03-101h 04Aural FixationSelf actualisation and crashing the cis-tem in Antony and the Johnsons' 'I Am a Bird Now'Antony and the Johnsons' I Am a Bird Now is a story told from within a chrysalis.Featuring the unmistakably haunting vocals of lead singer ANOHNI, the album speaks of a yearning to be grown, the confronting nature of evolution and the delicious freedom of eventual self-actualisation. While it’s fair to assume the subject matter was directly informed by the experiences of ANOHNI, a trans woman, the themes of I Am a Bird Now hold assorted meanings for folks across the queer spectrum.Collaborations from AF alumni Boy George and Lou Reed, as well as...
2021-02-1053 minAural FixationThe rise and fall, and rise again, of David Bowie's queernessThis episode we explore Bowie's succinctly titled The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. We journey on through Bowie's legacy to queer audiences, his vast array of bangers, and how we turned death into an art form. Facts are facts – David Bowie made life more bearable for othered people around the world. From the Seventies onwards, queer people could see parts of themselves in an unconventional patron saint – sexually ambiguous, highly successful, and full of joy. He also probably wasn't gay. As in, putting his d*** in other men...
2021-01-271h 02
Aural FixationMelanie C – Northern StarAs one fifth of the most successful girl group of all time, Mel C spent her early twenties inseparably tied to her athletic alter ego. Her status as Sporty Spice was so entrenched in her public persona that when the Spice Girls took a hiatus in 1999, Mel C did what any trapped queer person would do; she cut her hair, dyed it blonde, changed her name and reached out to Madonna.Northern Star by Melanie C was the outcome. The debut tells tales of aggrieved emancipation, potential secret sapphism and the ongoing plight of the homeless through...
2020-11-251h 00
Aural FixationABBA – Voulez-VousAfter a winning streak of iconique guests, Andy and Drew sit down this episode with nothing but a bottle of bubbles and one of the world's biggest pop acts... ever. If you've been to a wedding, experienced a road trip or watched a film starring Meryl Streep, Julie Walters and Christine Baranski, you've probably heard an ABBA song. If you've enjoyed a £2.50 triple gin and tonic at Thompson's on Canal Street in Manchester, you definitely have.If so, you'll know it's fabulous, you'll know it's joy, but have you acknowledged the slightly unsettling melancholy you f...
2020-11-111h 01
Aural FixationHoney Dijon – The Best of Both Worlds (feat. Belinda O'Brien)Honey Dijon was born in Chicago and leapt headfirst into the club scene as a teenager. Mentored by house music legends Derrick Carter and Mark Farina, it wasn’t long before she established herself as a world-class club and remix DJ and producer.In 2017, Honey produced her debut album with an array of guests lending their vocals. Aptly named The Best of Both Worlds, the album takes its cues from a plethora of musical references and evades genre. Pretty on-brand for Honey, who renounces gender binaries, lives in two cities (New York and Berlin) and moves in fo...
2020-10-281h 00
Aural FixationPrince – Dirty Mind (feat. DJ Matt Vaughan)In 2009, multi-talented queer power duo Wendy & Lisa confirmed that their former bandleader, brother-in-arms and boss, Prince, was definitely not gay, but rather a… fancy lesbian. What a relief. Not that we’re scrambling for excuses to explore the Purple One for Aural Fixation. Purveyor of assless chaps, a deft hand with eyeliner and a spiritual connection with the fight to be one’s authentic self are just the tip of Prince’s queer iceberg. To lead Drew and Andy to Paisley Park, we secured the wisdom of DJ Matt Vaughan, the father of Sydney’s own iconic q...
2020-10-141h 10
Aural FixationSelena – Dreaming of You (feat. Rícardo Garcia)In the pop pantheon of stars taken from us too soon, few tales are as tragic – or as gruesome – as the tale of Selena. The lead singer in a family band created by her ambitious father, Selena spent most of her young life on the road playing in restaurants and state fairs. Despite being a first-language English speaker, most of Selena’s music was recorded and performed in Spanish, and Latin crowds swiftly became enamoured by the singer’s voice and charm. In early 1995, with four Spanish albums and a Grammy under her belt, Selena began to r...
2020-09-3056 min
Aural FixationKate Bush – Hounds of LoveWe’ve reached Cycle 5 of Aural Fixation, and what better way to celebrate than with a discussion on the woman that completes the quinfecta of Andy’s top bitches – the incomparable Miss Kate Bush.A child prodigy with a penchant for dancing, karate and pianos, Bush released her first album The Kick Inside aged 19 (with some songs written when she was just a young teenager). From there, Bush parlayed her subsequent albums to firmly establish herself as British pop music’s sacred moonchild, before releasing her fifth studio album Hounds of Love in 1985.Split into two sect...
2020-09-021h 03Aural FixationQ&A #4 (feat. @mynameisnotsusanthony)We started Aural Fixation's Cycle 4 by paying homage to Mother Robyn, with no idea of the extent we would truly be dancing on our own over the next few months. We found solace with queer giants like Queen, Janelle Monáe and Cher, and explored iconic queer tracks in a streak of mini episodes. We also recorded mostly 600km apart, with technical difficulties, corrupt memory cards and deleted vocal tracks just adding to the general 2020-ness of it all. But dolls – we soldiered. It’s with relief and well, a surprise, that we reach the finish line, and th...
2020-08-0658 min
Aural FixationDolly Parton – The Very Best of (feat. Fanny Lumsden)Iconic duos have been cruelly separated by Miss Rona the world over, but finally your most loved audio couple reunite. Against the suitably spectacular backdrop of Australia's Snowy Mountains region, Drew and Andy are joined by a very special guest, for a very special topic. ARIA-nominated, Golden Guitar Award-winning, chart-topping country singer Fanny Lumsden invites Aural Fixation to swap the Snowies for the Smokies and hitch a ride to Dollywood. No other artist manages to unite the United States (and beyond) quite like Dolly Parton, a fact made all the more remarkable as her flame burns brighter...
2020-07-081h 00
Aural FixationYears & Years – CommunionYears & Years bound to the top of the UK charts in 2015 with their fourth single "King", the band's unapologetically queer frontman Olly Alexander sitting proudly at the helm. Their debut album Communion shortly followed, an 18-strong cavalcade that spawned a total of seven (!) singles and global recognition among straight and gay fans alike.As the band started to make traction, so Alexander began to use his ever-growing platform to speak candidly but fluently about mental health, sexuality and identity. This episode, Andy and Drew use Communion to frame a discussion on the band's trajectory and the importance o...
2020-06-1056 min
Aural FixationCher – Believe (feat. Matthew Harden AKA Slaydy Diana)Mom, she is a rich man – and one of the fiercest icons in the queer canon at that. Cherilyn Sarkisian's inimitable force has carried her from 1965 to the present day. There really is no one like Cher. A towering goddess of this stature couldn't be tackled by Drew and Andy alone, so we roped in long-time listener and huge friend of the pod, Matthew Harden – aka @slaydydiana. Slaydy dialled in from Melbourne to offer up a deeper understanding of Cher's place in the pop pantheon through the lens of her Believe album, possibly the most commercially successful come...
2020-05-271h 01
Aural FixationEpisode Zero: The Aural Fixation PilotAs we’re sure you’re aware, recent developments surrounding Madame Rona and government mandates regarding social distancing mean that for the foreseeable future, Drew and Andy won't be able to record Aural Fixation in the same room as one another for a while. While we play around with ways in which we can record our episodes remotely, we wanted to share our first ever experiment with you – Episode Zero. Recorded in October 2018, this is the pilot episode of Aural Fixation – just two boys, a laptop and one burning question: do we have what it takes to become po...
2020-04-1553 min
Aural FixationQuick Fix: Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Lil' Kim and Mýa – Lady MarmaladeIn the grand tradition of reality TV show companion spin-offs broadcast on D-grade companion TV channels, we're keeping the flame burning at Aural Fixation with Quick Fix: Shorter episodes focusing on a song, rather than an album, which left a similar impact on our queer selves. We're kicking off with a look at the "finest all-female collaboration between 1988 and 2018" (a big call from Entertainment Weekly), the 2001 cover of "Lady Marmalade" by Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Lil' Kim and Mya. We explore this stratospheric meeting of the minds between late 90s/early 00s icons, and Mya, w...
2020-04-0929 min
Aural FixationRobyn – Body TalkThe world continues to get more topsy turvy, but it also continues to spin, so therefore you have a brand new episode of Aural Fixation. We're kicking off with an artist who, quite frankly we cannot believe we haven't tackled sooner! Hang on – have we done Robyn before? As you can imagine with three EPs and a lot of heartbreak to get through, it's a bumper episode indeed, which we hope provides a glimpse of escapism (if that be what you're seeking). Andy gets emotional about Candi Staton's life of regrets, Drew muses on a past life whe...
2020-04-011h 01
Aural FixationQ&A #3 – Q&SléWe can't lie – these are mysterious times. Everything feels a little bizarre and confusing at the moment, but something you can rely on is your fortnightly dose of unbridled queer joy from Drew and Andy. To wrap up our third (third!) season (cycle?), the boys once again take a deep dive into the DMs to provide their answers to your questions.This ep is pepped with conjecture on Gaga's upcoming Chromatica (save us Mother Monster), discourse on Whitney's bisexuality (RIP our Queen of the Night) and even questions the queerness of hettie god Harry Styles AND his he...
2020-03-1851 min
Aural FixationFrank Ocean – Channel OrangeA tornado blew around the Aural Fixation recording studio before we came, and, well, excuse the mess it made! Ok, that analogy can only go so far, but nonetheless, the memorable opener from Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You” has endured since it’s 2012 release on Channel Orange. At the time, a ground-breaking hip hop album documenting the lost loves of a 23 year old finding out who he is, Frank had us shook with the mainstream explosion of queerness in a traditionally not-very-queer music scene. Or, so it seems. Eight years later, Drew and Andy venture not too far d...
2020-02-0555 min
Aural FixationSpice Girls – Spiceworld (feat. Rebecca Gibbs)It’s hard to believe that the Spice Girls were active for less than two years during their initial run as a (Spice Force) five-piece. Hot on the heels of their ground-breaking 1996 debut Spice, the gals were on a roll when they put out both Spiceworld (the album) and Spice World (the movie) in 1997. By this point they were cooking with gasoline-soaked platforms, overtaking the globe with their trademark Girl Power at a rate the music industry (and impressionable young music stans) had never seen before. On 31 May 1998 Geri peaced out, breaking our hearts and sending us in...
2020-01-2258 min
Aural FixationIndigo Girls – Indigo GirlsAmy Ray and Emily Saliers met at school before forming femme folk twosome Indigo Girls in 1985. They’ve performed together steadily ever since, providing the soundtrack to sapphic glances across campfire singalongs the world over. In this episode, Drew and Andy take a look at their self-titled LP. Released at a time where queer female voices were scarce, the album became a beacon for the lesbian community, its songs speaking to love, loss and longing. Indigo Girls has since gone on to inspire a number of female artists, queer and otherwise. But did they ever as...
2020-01-0848 minAural FixationAn Aural Fixation Christmas SpecialGod rest ye merry queers, and step into an Aural Fixation wonderland for our very first Christmas special. Drew and Andy take each other on a Yuletide journey down and up their respective memory lanes, applying their now trademark Queer Analysis™ to exactly what makes a merry music moment so magical. Each picking their eight favourite festive bops, the boys riff on the spectrum of emotions Christmas music can conjure up - from joy and mysticism, to loneliness and longing. With cameos* from LGBT icons like Tinky Winky, Enya and Carol Vorderman (*mentions, really), we're gift...
2019-12-181h 01
Aural FixationBjörk – HomogenicWe begin our third collection of musings on queer musos with a deep dive into Andy’s second favourite of all time, Mother Björk. Defiantly impossible to compare to pretty much any other artist, queers the world over have clasped Bjork to their alternative bosoms since her 1993 first album Debut, but what exactly is it about her body of work, visual language and legacy that appeals so directly to so many queer fans?Drew and Andy take her commercial and critical peak, 1997’s Homogenic, as a starting point for a journey attempting to answer those...
2019-11-131h 01Aural FixationQ&A #2 – Q&A with Drew & AQ: Can Andy and Drew last an hour without talking about Madame X or Mother Monster?A: No. Q: Can Andy and Drew last five minutes without talking about Madame X or Mother Monster?A: Also no. By popular demand, the boys wrap up the second season (!) of Aural Fixation with another bumper Q&A session. But this time there’s a twist – any word of either of their #1 bitches comes with a punishment. If you sliced Aural Fixation straight down the middle, this episode’s companion playlist would come gushing out so be...
2019-10-301h 09
Aural FixationAriana Grande – Sweetener / thank u, nextAural Fixation’s second season of queer icons wraps up with our most contemporary yet. Ariana Grande might be the most popular artist among queer people under the age of, erm... twenty-five, but in recent years has trodden a path taken by very few, if any, of her peers. Released just six months apart, Sweetener and thank u, next both represent a different side to the complex coin of Grande’s career in 2018. Common threads carry through both, of relationship woes, mental health struggles and inevitable resilience, not to mention the bangers and bops galore. Grande also conti...
2019-10-161h 00
Aural FixationElton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick RoadIt’s the early seventies and Dame Elton John is spaffing out music like it’s nobody’s business. As part of his songwriting sisterhood with Bernie Taupin, Elton had already gifted us with six albums by early 1973, featuring hits such as “Your Song”, “Tiny Dancer” and “Crocodile Rock”. You’d think at this point the gal needed a break. Actually – if you’ve seen Rocket Man, you’d know the gal needed a break. But anyway... Break he did not, for it was straight back into the studio with our Elt. What came out what undoubtedly Elton’s most experimental o...
2019-10-0257 min
Aural FixationGarbage – Beautiful Garbage (feat. Liam Casey)Whether you've been a regular on the fan forum since 2002 or you simply know them as the band that did the song from Romeo and Juliet, chances are you know a little about this episode's subject – Garbage. But there is no way in gay hell you know anywhere near as much as this episode's guest, Liam, who has deeply stanned the band ever since discovering an obscure Garbage remix on his 12th birthday.Experimental and unapologetically queer, Garbage cut their tusks in the nineties with their inimitable cocktail of genres across grunge, trip-hop, pop and rock. The me...
2019-09-1853 min
Aural FixationJanet Jackson – ControlGimme a beat! This is a story about Control – Janet Jackon's Control, the 1986 album which quite literally birthed an entire genre (Siri, what's 'new jack swing'?), and placed the Jackson Five's little sister on a path to international stardom, selling 100 million records worldwide and directly influencing artists as diverse as Britney, Beyoncé and, erm, Heidi from the Sugababes... according to Wikipedia. At just twenty years old, Janet set out to cast off her family's astronomical shadow, while repositioning her image and sense of self as firmly in Control – control of her sexuality and relationships, control of her indepe...
2019-09-0455 min
Aural FixationMadonna – American LifeAfter slyly dominating the first ten episodes of your new favourite music podcast, we're finally giving a much-deserved hour to the pop monolith that is... Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone. Madame X, if you're nasty. Fourteen studio albums, three hundred million records sold and a superlative-exhausting run of smashed records later, the Queen of Pop has been thrusting queer sensibility to the forefront of mainstream pop culture for nearly 40 years, spanning from her early 80s association with Keith Haring and Andy Warhol right through up to her 2019 World Pride performance marking five decades since the Stonewall uprising.
2019-07-251h 02
Aural FixationKelis – Flesh ToneAny typical conversation about Kelis will almost undoubtedly centre around *that* dairy-based beverage, and its power to lure ~the boys~ to her front lawn for a taste. Of course, Drew and Andy aren’t interested in typical conversations. This episode, the boys have gone lactose-intolerant – they didn’t come here to talk milkshakes; they came here for flesh. 2010’s Flesh Tone was recorded in collaboration with visionary – if not ever-so-irritating – Black Eyed Pea will.i.am and marked the beginning of a new era for our Kel. The R&B soul sister of the early 00s was dust and an e...
2019-07-1052 min
Aural FixationQ&A #1 – In Bed with Drew and AndyOur email servers have crashed time and time again underneath the sheer influx of mail, and our fans have questions which need answering. It was time to give the people what they want.Drew and Andy settle down with a glass of cask wine and give our listeners insight into what makes us tick, what gets us razzed, and what makes up our pop DNA. Forty-five minutes isn’t enough to get through all the enquiries, but tune in to find out who soundtracks our seduction techniques, what we’d love to see our icons cover, what musi...
2019-06-2648 min
Aural FixationLady Gaga – The Fame Monster (feat. Charlotte Tweddle)When 23-year-old Lady Gaga strode boldly into the flashing lights with 'The Fame' in 2008, she was lauded as a new kind of pop princess – honest, opinionated, perhaps a little extra but with the vocal chops to back it all up. Her eight-track 2009 follow-up 'The Fame Monster' dug its gilded heel into the zeitgeist with instant classics like 'Bad Romance' and 'Telephone', clinching Gaga a spot in the sonic hall of fame. From here her war cry was clear: Be your authentic self, celebrate difference, and party in the margins. In this episode, Andy, Drew and th...
2019-05-291h 05
Aural FixationGrace Jones – Island LifeFrom daughter of a preacher man to empress of New York nightlife, Grace Jones has spent her career challenging, scintillating and titillating listeners, audiences and baffled onlookers, with panache like no other. Andy and Drew meet underneath the disco balls of Manhattan, dancing through Grace's early greatest hits, before skipping thirty years ahead to a decade-in-the-making comeback, recorded in the heady hills of Jamaica. Through 1985’s ‘Island Life’ and 2008’s ‘Hurricane’, we tackle one of the few pop culture icons who can lay genuine claim to the title of, well, ‘icon’. You can find this episode's companio...
2019-05-1544 min
Aural FixationBritney Spears – BlackoutLet us break the ice and give you more in our third episode, an exploration of a pop masterpiece created at the most tumultuous intersection of Britney Jean's career. Released four years following her commercial zenith with 'In the Zone', 2007's 'Blackout' gathered innovative producer upstarts, like Danja and Bloodshy & Avant, alongside industry veterans, like the Neptunes, to mark Britney's personal struggles with futuristic-sounding anthems of frustration, sex and independence. Drew and Andy dive into their own personal histories with one of the widest-reaching gay icons in recent years. There's Timbaland-related tension and some tough Br...
2019-04-0746 min
Aural FixationThe Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & NicoEpisode two of your new favourite podcast plunges deep into The Velvet Underground and their debut album 'The Velvet Underground and Nico'. Produced by Andy Warhol and featuring the trickley tones of German songstress Nico, 'The Velvet Underground and Nico' is lauded as the first indie rock album ever, and one of the greatest of all time. Join Drew and Andy as they wax intrigued on the mysteries shrouding the album's inception and the sexuality of frontman Lou Reed. You can find this episode's companion playlist on Spotify, and follow us on Instagram a...
2019-04-0746 min
Aural FixationBette Midler – Experience the DivineDrew and Andy kick off Aural Fixation with a personal analysis of the Divine Miss M, the wind beneath our wings, Bathhouse Bette herself: Bette Midler. In our inaugural episode, the conversation centres around Bette's 1993 greatest hits collection 'Experience the Divine' – a childhood favourite of Drew's – featuring beloved hits such as 'Chapel of Love', 'From a Distance' and 'The Rose'. Allow us to put a spell on you as we discuss, arguably, the best Bette, in which Drew and Andy pose all the important questions such as: What makes a gay icon? Is 'Beaches' overrated? And...
2019-04-0746 min