TONY MARTIN, COMEDIAN, WRITER AND RADIO STAR
Tony Martin is a game changer. He joined the D-Gen - a truly revolutionary FM breakfast show - in 1987, and continued with them until 1992. In 1995 he and Mick Molloy re-imagined the way we would listen to drive radio. They created Martin/Molloy, which became Australia’s first national Drive show and dominated the FM landscape for three years. In 2006 he created one of the most talked about radio shows ever, 'Get This', with Ed Kavalee and Richard Marsland. The show’s fan base is as rabid today as it was a decade ago. In 2017, Tony and Ed are together again on the TEAM Effort podcast.


READ THE SHOW NOTES
2:08 Craig Bruce summarising Tony’s three rules: make it perfect, make it funny and do work you can be proud of
2:47 Discussing the fan base that demanded this podcast happen
3:48 Craig Bruce joking Tony is Australian radio’s Crowded House (meaning not quite Aussie)
4:34 Describing living as a child at sea with his dad listening to the radio
5:16 Growing up listening to Kenny Everett’s Captain Kremmen
5:30 Loving elaborate sound effects (like on The Goon Show)
6:11 Discussing the number of radio signals in NZ
6:50 Explaining his start in radio
9:13 Leaving his fancy ad job to move back to Hamilton in New Zealand to write and produce ads
9:43 Moving to Australia
10:21 Writing comedy for free
11:11 Craig Bruce noting many great broadcasters start writing first
11:43 Explaining his interest was comedy on radio
11:59 Explaining Tom Gleisner’s Joke Meter
12:33 Discussing the amount of time he spends writing
13:11 Craig Bruce remembering out in 1987 at EON FM and the influence of his mentors
14:00 Craig Bruce explaining the two applicants at EON for daily content: Steve Vizard the D-Generation
15:28 Being mentored by Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner
15:58 Explaining the culture of the D-Generation (with so many people working on content)
16:39 Flying to Sydney to watch Doug Mulray
17:37 Reminiscing about developing work that they could do live on EON
18:19 Bringing in Peter O’Callaghan (who promptly left) and working with no announcers
19:08 Explaining how Jane Kennedy was the only one 'playing herself' in the team
19:32 Recalling the ratings improving despite the chaos of the style of the radio
20:40 Pitching to The Late Show
21:29 Listening to the 'Five in a row' parody
22:00 Explaining how the sketches came together for Gudinski for a Christmas CD
23:40 Explaining how the TV advert came about
25:28 Talking about the beginnings of Bulltwang came about
26:31 Explaining how being given three hours of freedom on Sunday nights became the template for Martin/Molloy
28:20 Explaining the Mick Molloy partnership
29:50 Describing the level of work involved to create Martin/Molloy
31:07 Sharing his unexpected favourite thing in radio
31:54 Explaining how sketches are brought together
32:35 Training himself out of being too prepared
33:10 Sounding improvised and the end of comedy being read out
34:00 Creating a show, not a shift
35:06 Craig Bruce noting Kyle Sandilands believes content - not news - comes first
36:02 Listening to Mick Molloy talking about refusing to interview Celine Dion
36:50 Explaining how he would only use interviews to get jokes on air
37:50 Trying to decipher why they were on Fox not Triple M and how it just didn’t work
40:32 Stepping away from a successful program
41:10 Explaining the Get This experience
42:22 Avoiding fake laughs
43:16 Describing how Ed Kavalee came on board
44:29 Describing how three similar people come together
45:20 Getting involved (Richard Marsland and Matt Dower)
45:37 Talking about Matt Dower and sketch production
45:50 Sharing memories of working with Richard Marsland
48:11 Thinking back on Get This
48:51 Understanding the role of research in radio
50:27 Explaining how some content may be enjoyable because of the way you enjoy it
51:30 Craig Bruce sharing quotes from radio talent about 'talentless middle management' and their impact on radio
52:15 Describing how Get This was too successful in gaining the wrong kind of audience
54:24 Discussing ratings
55:59 Ending Get This and remembering to check your contract
58:26 Being on air for six weeks knowing the show was ending
59:07 Divulging the only trouble he has ever had in radio
59:33 Talking about his radio future.