December 21, 2024 • 43 mins
Agro wasn’t just a puppet; he was chaos personified. Jamie Dunn spills on what made the cheeky character a TV legend, and why some stories are too wild for children’s television!
Jamie Dunn and Agro, names synonymous with Australian TV and radio nostalgia. In this laugh-out-loud episode of Pure Grit, Jamie takes us on a trip down memory lane, sharing the wild, hilarious, and sometimes outrageous moments behind Agro’s antics. From iconic interviews with celebrities like Jason Donovan to the chaos of live TV and the infamous Agro showbags, Jamie reveals what made this puppet a household name.
But there’s more to Jamie than Agro. He talks candidly about his journey from drummer to TV and radio star, balancing a legendary career with fatherhood, and finding new passions in life. Through it all, Jamie’s razor-sharp wit and cheeky charm shine as he and Agro deliver punchline after punchline.
This episode is a love letter to the golden days of Aussie TV and the characters who shaped a generation’s laughter. Whether you grew up watching Agro’s Cartoon Connection or simply love hearing behind-the-scenes stories, this is an episode that promises to leave you grinning ear to ear.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Pure Grit with Paul McGrath. If you search
the word grit, you'd see that it means to have courage,
show strength of character, passion and perseverance. Throughout the series,
Paul chat to guest from all walks of life who
have shown pure grit to get to where they are now.
(00:24):
PAULA PAULA, yeah, look he it looks fine. I've done
the intro, so ready for you to talk now?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yeah, you do your talking things.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Welcome to another episode of Pure Grit. Well, my guest,
or maybe I should say guests today. Both absolute Australian icons.
They have been for over four decades in television radio comedians.
One's a husband, father and the other just as famous,
but a little bit cheekier maybe and a Pat Matt.
He's also interviewed some very famous people, rock stars and celebrities.
(00:58):
Both began their careers together on seven bat one, though
I was a singer, songwriter and drummer before that. He's
also been a movie star too, and has done many
funny stunts such as what do I remember dressing in
a gold bikini and pretending to be a meter maid.
Anything in the name of charity. This is an extra
(01:19):
special podcast for me today because I'm smiling just at
the thought. I would not have done what I've done
and been able to achieve what I've been able to
achieve in my career if it wasn't for meeting these
two in my early years, maybe year eleven, I went
down to Channel seven in Brisbane for work experience and
I'll never forget it. I had my signed fan card
(01:40):
still from Jewel Ray and my two guests, please welcome
to Pure Grip Jamie Dunn and Agro Jamie.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Hey, hell are you my god? You're a woman.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
I am a woman, and I remember.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
You as like thirteen year old or something.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
I was very young when I first met you. I
actually met you before I even came for work experience
to Channel seven.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
I met you, I remember up on the Sunshine coach
on the Sunshine Is.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
At the top of Alex Hill.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah yeah, with your mum.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
I remember it to this day. And you, Jamie, you
sadly or scarily shaped my career really because of the
words of wisdom you gave me way back then and
now now I'm now I'm fifty.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Two and retired. Yeah pretty shit. At the moment, I'm
nearly dead.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
I'm still alive. I'm still alive, but I never forget it.
I actually, funnily enough, you know, my mom's now just
about to turn eighty two, and she just cleaned out,
cleaning out all us four kids things, and she gave
me a collection of my things that I had the
(03:00):
fan card from you, Agro and Jil Ray signed. Still
have it. And I also did a year or eleven
journalism sort of writing on you guys, and I have
it here and it's terrible. I still can't read my writing.
My writing's probably worse than the now or maybe the same.
And I even submitted it to school. And it was
(03:23):
all about meeting you and actually interviewing Jill Ray, mainly
because I wanted to be Jill. I wanted to be Jill,
That's what I wanted to be. I didn't want to
be Agro and I didn't want to Jamie.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Well, let me tell you. Just two days ago, I
was in the Woolen Bar and in the main street
stop for a coffee. Who do I sit down beside
Jill Ray? Unbelievable. Yeah, yeah, she's and that wasn't planned. No, no, no, no,
(03:55):
I haven't seen her for a long time. You know,
I have a message there and safe work. But I
was going to do a comic con in Mackay and
there was a couple of grand in it and I
rang her and said, you know, it's like has beans
on parade? Do you want to do it? And she
said no, I've got a really good work life balance.
(04:15):
Now that's the exact word.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Yeah, Because I actually follow her on her Facebook and
stuff still to this day. So she does do a
lot of you know, she's so healthy and she's so
health conscious, which is something I am too. So I
love her little tips and things about health. She's amazing actually,
but I.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Really know her skin doesn't fit anymore. She looks like
a grandma.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
She would be a grandma. Now, well yeah, how would
you be?
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Now? I don't know. But she needs a couple of
pegs at the back of the neck.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Just I think I do too, though I'm getting that
way we all, you know, we're all aging. But I
just have a look here, what does she say about you?
She was giving me tips about working with you and
agro and I can't believe that I've still got it.
It's like Jill really enjoys this. This is my this
(05:22):
is my journalism thing, I submitted. I never became a
journalist mind Joe. Jill really enjoys Agro's humor. She reveals
that Jamie Dunn, the man behind Agro the bald Man,
is so different to the character Agro. A lot of
embarrassing things happened to me filming with Agro. I still
(05:43):
have that.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
I remember when we first met and you were I
guess fourteen, maybe even younger with your mom Alex there,
and I kind of remember that your mum was saying
that you wanted to get into television and you wanted
to kind of do that sort of thing. And did
you and I come back for a coffee at your
(06:05):
house or something?
Speaker 3 (06:06):
I think so, I think so. But that's how I
ended up coming for work experience. I did work experience
also in Maryborough like that was that was oh gosh.
And then I throw you and Jill got to come
down to Channel seven like later once I was in
year eleven and your words of wisdom to me said,
you'll be really good when you're older, like you said, Yeah,
(06:30):
you just told me when you're when you're older, you'll
be you know, you'll be good, like you knew that.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
I needed oracle.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
I was, yeah, you're an oracle, like you really did?
You said that to me? And I never ever wanted
any other Koreer like I knew. All I wanted to
do was being TV. It was very hard because it's
not an easy thing to get into and that's all
I ever wanted to do. And it took me going
into radio first and then weaving my way to television.
(06:59):
But I did it because Jill said to me, persistence
is the key. Keep knocking on those doors. I never
forget what she said to me, Keep knocking on those doors.
Persistence is the key. But the door came.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
I'll never forget what she said to me last weekend.
She said, Oh, oh, you're standing on my skirts, Jamie.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
How's Agro.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Y? Can you see you? Oh?
Speaker 3 (07:36):
I haven't seen you for years. You haven't aged one bit.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
That's a really being a.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
You just look as handsome as ever. I wish I
could kiss you. Yeah, Oh I'm kissing Agro through the
beautiful Agro. How are you doing?
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Yeah? Yeah, it used to be someone, you know what
it's like in television.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
Yeah, but it's still somebody, so like, there's still so
much things on the internet, you know, the thing called
the interweb, Agro. You were all over You're all over it.
There's still so many funny interviews that you did. They
they're there.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Now. Where are you? What are you doing?
Speaker 3 (08:22):
What am I doing? I'm chatting to your best mate,
Jamie doing a bit of a podcast.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Are you on radio? You're on television? Mate? What are
you doing apart from the podcast?
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Well, that's the thing. I was filling in on a
local radio station for the last ten years, feeling in
on breakfast. But things have changed, their management's changed, so
it's got a bit quiet. You know, you start getting
put out to pass to Agro.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Oh yeah, I know that. In radio they say can
I see you for a moment. Don't ever do that,
don't ever take holidays.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
I'm happy. That's what I have been doing the last
ten years, geting in a radio, being a mom, Agro.
I have a just about to turn thirteen year old
in two days. Oh gosh, that's hard. Yeah, just the
one one son. His name's Jim and he is, yeah,
(09:20):
just about to turn thirteen. He's a lot taller than me,
which isn't.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Oh. Oh, mister Dan's got five children, six if you
count the one from the first marriage.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
He's a baby making machine.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Yeah, he doesn't remember the first one's name, but he knows.
He starts with a J.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
I knew.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
I knew he has that wrong. Is that so wrong?
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
I really had lots of kids.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
I'm worried about the Lasian one.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
I don't know he had an Asian one. Sounds like
my ex husband too, agro Can I talk to Jamie?
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Let me, let me just get generally, get out of shot.
Generally out of shot.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Oh, Jamie, So five kids? What are their ages now?
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Oh? God, thirty something, twenty something? Yeah, yeah, my youngest
is twenty who maybe, Oh my god, he doesn't speak
to me though, why, well, I don't know. Things fall apart.
You know she calls herself a child or divorce.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Oh well, I'm a child of divorce.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
I know. I did say to her, I should get
her an audition for Home and Away because she's such
a drama queen.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Well, I'm a child of divorce and my mum and
dad got divorced when I was eight. But we're still,
you know, have a relationship with our dad. And you know,
time will heal. That might change. I hope, Jamie, because
it's you know, it's not worth it. It's nothing, you.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Know now they say that, but it doesn't times, it
doesn't change. No, it doesn't in a long and painful life.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
Sorry, yeah, well we all I mean actually, probably my
oldest maybe my oldest brother hasn't hasn't been as forgiving.
But the rest, you know, we've all moved on. You
know what happens between I can't.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
No, I'm not a forgiver.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
You're not a forgiver. I can't Actually, I can't imagine
you being a forgiver.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
So I have I have, I have two columns. You're
either in the good column or the bad column.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Who is in the bad?
Speaker 2 (11:52):
I don't want to know you once you make the
bad who's in.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
The bad column?
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Is?
Speaker 3 (11:55):
There lots of people in radio in the bad column?
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Are a few? You know? But I'm kind of It's
interesting because I think I was telling you I got
a chance to do a Saturday show on what ninety
one up on those of the and that was only
just a couple of years ago. And I sat down
with this young program director. He must have been to
(12:23):
all the courses those program directors go to, you know,
and they learn how to ask the questions that you
know they need to answer to. This guy says to me,
mind you is the age of my son. He says,
where do you see yourself in ten years time? I said,
Tuong Cemetery. I didn't give the job.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
Oh my god, that is a classic ware.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
You see.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
So in ten years time.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Already? Do you see me in ten years time? You
regon ten fronder?
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Maybe yeah, exactly, You're lucky. If you're lucky, Jamie, if
you're lucky, you know, seriously.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
I can't I can't wait. I can't wait to pass
to make sure whether if I can come back, we'll
get out.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
Oh god, that'll be scary. So the days I also
did remember you so fondly from in my early days
of radio because I ended up coming down to in
my career. I started on the Sumpchhine Coast, started in Nambor, launched,
did the first breakfast show for CFM, and then I
came down to be what I five, So you were
(13:28):
still there, I think that was you were there. You
were there with Ian Skipper.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
I was I was in God. I was a god.
You're an absolute god.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
Like it was like I had to sort of like Bow.
Before I came.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
In, it was like, oh gosh, yeah, well that was
part of the contract. People had to bat to me
before they came in. And when you were you know,
in radio, when you start, you might have an idea
and they all go, they all put who and they
get out why will we do that? And all this
sort of stuff. When you start to rate, you know,
(14:01):
you say something like, oh, I thought we might do that. Oh,
what a great Ideaie.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
That's exactly right. They love the ideas.
Speaker 5 (14:10):
Until it's your time to go, you know, when you
have that little Yeah, radio is cruel, as is television.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
They go, we need an oldish sort of guy, bald
gray with the ability to do a puppet, and we're
looking to put a shower together with someone like that,
which is why we're taking her. They just overlook it.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
But look, we've had a huge career.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
You know, you have to learn how to deal with no.
You can't deal with no, then you're in the wrong
business because you get more nose than you get yeses.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
You know, absolutely, like I was. I guess I was
pretty lucky. I had good. I had good in my
early I didn't know plan to go into radio. I
think I was just stalking you. I was just like
following you. You know how you've had stalkers, didn't you
have a stalker, A.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Real stalker, A real stalkers a day? What?
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Really, that's a true.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Story, true story, yeah, stalk you. I mean, you know,
I know they made a mistake because I didn't go
to the police.
Speaker 5 (15:30):
I went to a Current Affairs even better even.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Publicity of course.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
And was there a reason? Did he get charged or
did he it was a lady, No, I don't think so.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
There was a pretended to be a guy but ended
up being a journalist from Woodford.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Ye oh, that's yeah, Woodford, Woodford in a house or
in a in somewhere else, not in.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Jail, in a house. And when the police rang me
and said we were going to arrest today, but there's
a gun registered to that house. We're going to take
our time.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Oh my gosh, I know, I know. Wow, you you've
got a claim to fame. You actually had a real
life talk and that's how famous you are.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
That's how famous, Oh my god.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
And also you used to be in a band. That's
how you that's what you did. You were a singer
and something high school.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
I was, and yeah the Beatles. The Beatles came out
and I wanted to be a Beatle. And I was
a drummer, so joined a band at high school and
it kind of just led into entertainment really yeah, oh.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
And so how did you how did you meet a
Where did angro come from? Well we just know everyone
knows a.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Gro, but where did Yeah, entertainment in entertainment. If you're
like so, I was a drummer. But in Australia you
have to say yes to everything. They yes to everything
and then work out how to do it later. So
if someone says, you know, we were looking to do
(17:42):
a radio show, how are you with radio? And don't
even think about it? You go, oh, yeah, no problem,
do that. Then you go home, shut the door, cut
the door, and go how the hell am I going
to do radio? So I say yes to everything still unfortunately,
and then worked out how to do it an agro.
I was a singer songwriter. You were, so, who do
(18:08):
you sell songs to in Australia? You try and make
a list? Yeah, fun, maybe or yeah, I don't know.
There's no one, no one. So I wasn't the first Agro.
There was another guy. I did Agro and I wrote
a song for him and Fiana McDonald.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Oh bless, I brought my eyes out watching Australian Story.
Just I thought of you. I thought of you with
Fiona passing Jamie actually yeah, if you.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
And yeah, well I'm glad it wasn't me, you know.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
Where, Yeah, having a drink.
Speaker 5 (18:51):
With Well, I've had a cracker of a life.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
So yeah, so that's how. So you wrote the song
for Agro.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Yeah, I wrote the song for the original Agro, and
and I showed him what I wanted in the song.
It had a monologue in the middle and Agro goes
little very guys like me. And after that song went
(19:21):
to count seven, the guy tried to claim the ownership
rights to Agro and had an issue with seven. They
moved him and had heard my voice on the demo
and so they rang me on the Friday night and said,
you know, can you do Agro tomorrow morning? And I
said yes, that's straight away without that big pause though.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Brilland but that's how that's how it began. It's just incredible.
I knew no one, no one could have been with
Agro the new a real not you and were the
unformidable team amazing the win that, but I used to
just dream of Ben Jill being having the innuendos throwing
(20:11):
at him like a grow I just I just had
the wrong color hair because you only ever had blondes.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
I know that was that it was more about the
personality than the hair color.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
There was a lot of blondes though, what well Kill?
Then what.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
I saw Jill in Tomba working working with a puppet
call Ebonese of the Dragon, and I made a mental
note that she was good. And then seven were going
to have auditions for people who work with Agro and
they had Tiffany Am and whole people lined up, and
(20:57):
I decided that Kill was the one. She really wasn't
But when we did the audition, was really really good
with Jill and very difficult with everybody else.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
I can imagine Aro got his way.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Yeah you know that I felt sorry for you know.
I remember Lamb said, well hi hi, yeah, oh yeah, Hi, Jennie.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
Where did you grow up?
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Uh? I was born in England, came out to Australia
when I was about five or six. I was born
in braves and Kent, Okay. But I loved the name
for a town.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Graves End, and where do you go to where you're
going to be in ten years? That's just the.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
In graves End, I think. Yeah, I came out here
and went to Rockley State School and yeah, yeah, I started.
They used to have a parade every morning at State
School and Errol Sparks was the drama to bring us
in on the parade, and I thought a lot to
do that, and he was lovely. He taught me how
(22:27):
to play the paradiddle, and you know, so I ended
up getting a drum and there was the Erl Sparks
and me, yeah, marching people into the school after parade.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
Oh wow. So yeah, Brisbane so always in You were
always in Brisbane.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
In Brisbane, that's why I talked so so aba.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Yeah, And that's when I moved up from Adelaide. Everyone
thought I was from England because I'd be like, oh,
you're so posh. You said plant, plant and chance are
an answer. But I'm like, well, I can't help it.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Well, I remember your mum being yeah when we first bet,
I remember your mom saying that you, even at that age,
you wanted to be in television or like that.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
You know, I did, and I didn't know, it was
hard to work out how to get there, but it
just happened through being in radio. I think radio was
just the best training ground to then go on to
live TV.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
Oh absolutely, it was just yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
And I didn't know I was in being put by
them in Canberra, so I was doing breakfast in camera,
which I used to say the best thing about camera
was seeing in the rear vision mirror on the way
back to the city. It didn't go down.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Well. I always maintained the hardest person to be on
radio is yourself, because people when they get into radio,
particularly men, are like you, well, there's thirty three degrees
chance of a late stores storm. Here's the rain by dragon.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Yeah yeah, no, that was never me. I didn't even know.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
It's a good breeding ground.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
I reckon it was amazing and I didn't know I
wasn't so I was like, oh, no, I'm getting put
down to Camber now from Sydney because I've been at
Today FM, and then oh we need someone to do
breakfast in Camber and it was like, oh, it's going
to be freezing, you know, used to the warmths, but
I went down it was it was amazing. I only
(24:31):
last did a year went number one and that's when
I got the call up to Channel V to go
to live TV. So it just sort of happened when
it did the audition and the rest was history and
it was like, oh, see later radio for that bit.
But yeah, no, I used to. I did end up
being a bit like you doing stunts. Wasn't wasn't scared
(24:53):
of anything. I did a stunt thinking of you. One day,
I went nude on the streets of Canberra, body painted
I should never tom raising money. Then all these wads
were coming up and putting money in the tin. But
I'm body painted, but it's still nude. They're coming real close,
and I was like, this is not And then a
(25:16):
crash happened. Cars were like, I think she's new. They smashed.
There was a smash. Oh gosh, I'm thinking, why would
I don't Why did I do that? That's quite it's
quite risky. It was completely stuck.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Well, it's easy for you're a man to go nude,
isn't it. I mean like, I went nude and I
think I made off. The town's sick.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
Oh gosh. You know the things you do. You were
just you were just funny and then you was at
like our very good friend that you met. I met
at B one o five. So how did you meet
Peter Clay? Because Peter Clay I met at being one
or five and that's what we became like long friends.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
And Peter Clay was a junior producer at Today FM.
When I got the call to go from Brisbane to
Sydney and do breakfast. He was the very first person
that I met. And the night before I had been
at the Arias I think or something whatever radio award.
It was then the run he was that he was,
(26:25):
I have no he was seen. So there was a
guy who was quite big in Sydney radio at the
radio awards. I left my bag with agro in him
next to my chair, went to the loop, came back.
(26:47):
This guy had opened my bag, got Agro out, put
him on his arm without my knowledge and I come
back to the table. At this school, was you know,
voluntily up him. So anyway, the next morning I was
Today FEM and Pete came in and he said, oh,
so so is on the phone for you? And I
said to him, I said, tell him I got no
(27:09):
interest in talking to him. I've got no interest in
an apology. And he'd go out and tell him to
fuck off, and I'm sure Pete went back to the phone,
pick up the phone right now.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Yeah, of course, it's the beautiful way Pete does. So
I'm just trying to work out how old I was
when I met Pete. We used to do sausage sistles
together and we'd be out on the I've got the
classic old photos of us. So he must have been
back in Brisbane for some reason, because you.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Well, he used to run agro Enterprises for me charge
it of that. So I bought him up from Sydney.
I met him at today f M and Brisbane has
always been my base kind of, and so he came
up and worked with me as the manager of Aros And.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
That's I have to thank you for me being introduced
to Peter then, because that's how I met Peter, working
at BI with him round about in the black thunders,
you know, thundering around.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
And I am still very close friends for life.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
And he has done he has done amazing things. So
when I went to Channel V, I was I got
Peter to come and do producing because I couldn't think
of a better person. And that's the days when we
were just doing wild stuff because the live TV would
do whatever we want. Let's do this, let's do that, Yeah,
let's do it now. You could never do what we
(28:47):
were doing, like, you know, just so much fun. And
now look at him.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
If you've seen any of the outtakes of Agro on YouTube,
you know that Agro will never be in children's television again.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
Never. And I can't believe he was in children's TV.
He's just he's just always been so cheeky and witty. So, yeah,
you still catch up with Peter. I've seen pictures of
you two.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Yeah, still good friends with Pete. We had a holiday
together a little while ago.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Thank god he took a holiday, like honestly, yeah, yeah
he had to because I asked him.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
You know, he couldn't say no. We were to say yes,
that's wolln Borough is where we were, and that's where
I met Jill last weekend. And yeah, Pete and I
we're up in the mountains and you know my wife,
I'll stack. It's called Hillcrest mountain View Retreat. It is
(29:49):
just beautiful. Yeah, run by a couple of couple of
gay guys. It was a wonderful check and the other
guys are just a constant happiness is lovely.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
Oh just so amazing. So yeah, I've been you know,
Peter has always been a bit of a champion for
me too, and that's all thanks to you. He's always,
you know, been real champion of my career. Like it's
been such a great friendship too, and I just just
you know, that's that's all thanks to you, Like just
even with my podcast, it's been amazing.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
You have to stop thanking me.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
No, well it was, well it was you. I mean
you were like you were actually what you said to me,
I'll never forget like you were. And you said to me,
with a few years experience on you, when you're older,
you know, you knew it would take me. You were
you know, you were honest. You were brutally honest. Basically
you said, when you're older, you'll be good. So I
(30:45):
don't know what you saw in me. I don't know
because also I looked like I think I looked about
nine when I.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Was That's right, Yeah, when we first met. That's I'm
going I'm gone. I wasn't.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
I wasn't thirteen. I was actually when I met you.
I because I didn't move up to Queensland till nineteen
eighty eight. So I was older than you think, but
I looked like I looked so young.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
Well I remember your mum inviting us back to your Yeah. Yeah,
and Jill and I came back and had a cup
of coffee and whatever.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
So your mom, your mom was like your manager.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
Oh she was, and she goes she knew. It's like
my brother Kevin, like he knew from two that he
wanted to be a pilot. Used to say from two
there was going to be a pilot. Kevin ended up
being an F one eleven pilot. Like she just a
single mom with four kids. She just never said we
couldn't you know she was one of them.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
I don't.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
I think she's been instrumental in what we've done in
our careers because I look at what everyone's done, and
I think it's from that's from gay really, because she
just said, well, what's nothing stopping you from doing what
you want to do? And you know, I went to
school and did well at school, but didn't really need
it for what I ended up doing. You know, it's like,
(32:02):
how are you at high school? You would have been cheekiest.
How are the poor teachers?
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Oh look, I'll tell my kids. I got seven percent
for maths. That's how bad I was maths. My son,
Jackson said seven percent. I said, that's seven out of
one hundred.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
Oh my gosh, Jamie.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
So you want a good mother's story. I was on
the radio one time with Alfre Langer, a wonderful, funny
funny man, and Alfie was promoting the Broncos game that
was coming up on Mother's Day and he says to me,
he said, Jamie, you should bring your mom along to
the Broncos game at Aynsid Stadium on a Sunday for
(32:51):
the Mother's Day game. Be fantastic. I said, oh I can't, Alfie,
I can't. He said why not? I said, he's dead?
Speaker 3 (33:01):
And what did he do?
Speaker 2 (33:04):
It didn't?
Speaker 3 (33:04):
Be?
Speaker 2 (33:07):
Shut up.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
Story. So so now you're you live on a bit
of a property. You're still live on a farm.
Speaker 2 (33:25):
My wife and I I just came in to do
the podcast with you from planting trees with my wife.
Speaker 3 (33:34):
Yes, trees were planting.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
We planted eucalypse. Lemon scented the eucalypse and unbelievable the leaf.
You run your son across the leaf and it is
so infused with like lemon scent. It's amazing, truly amazing.
And she when when we first when she came to
(34:00):
the farm, she started taking down the fences and just
letting the land flow. And there's a huge gully that
was a rainforest and she's recreating that, you know, like
bringing it back. It's really something to to watch them grow.
(34:21):
I know this sounds really cheesy, but.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
That's that's that's a new passion for you. So do
you have any animals?
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Yeah? No, animals scare me. Oh what, he's the only
one I like.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
So no animals. There must be a lot of wildlife.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
No, No, I tried. I tried some cattle and I
get the phone call in Brisbane. On my farm's about
two and a half hours north of Brisbane. Oh, and
I get the phone call your cows are out. And
so I'd have to get in the car and drive
up and then oh man, I parked the car across
(35:05):
the road, put the bins across the road open, and
then I'd have to walk right down the bottom get
behind the.
Speaker 3 (35:12):
Cattle trying to get back in. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Yeah, you know what a farmer. I was behind them.
Speaker 6 (35:23):
I'm going please go in the paddock please whatever. So yeah, no,
I got them in the paddock, but uh, that happened
so many times.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
I decided that they would have to be a happy meal.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
Oh so the cows went into my tummy.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
Yeah exactly.
Speaker 3 (35:44):
Oh that's funny. I can't imagine you're trying to get
the cows in. That's very funny. So Jamie, so you
and Agro is there. You know we're going to see
you too soon anywhere.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
And I've got one show to do in glad To
next year in March, and it's a they call a
grow Up Late and it's an interview and then there's
a outakes and then there's an Angro show and then
you know, it goes through. It's like a two hour show.
(36:19):
And we did that in Mackay and got eight hundred people.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
It's amazing.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
I would go, I would go, I guess it's because
Agro was in your lounge room, in your face and
he was just that naughty kid. You know.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
Well, Rachel, who used to work with Radio Reporth for Brado,
she ed, it's my podcast. She'll be listening. She still
has she's a fair bit younger than me, right, she
still has Agro's pink photo album that she got the
show back from the Brisbane She still got it out
her house, big photo album story.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
Yeah, to produces. We would sell fifty thousand the Brisbane show,
fifty thousand show bags in Sydney. The show bag was
like eighty cents worth of value for just eight bucks.
Speaker 3 (37:14):
Well, she has still got it. She has still.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
Got she was a collector's item.
Speaker 3 (37:20):
Forty Yep, she's still got her. Agro people, Yeah, rage Yep,
she's still got it. She's a big fan. She's a
big fan. And I, you know, I was. We were
chatting about it, and I was like, that is just
the best. So you know, Agro show bag was very
very popular. It was just like and it still is.
We need to bring back. We want Agro, we want Aga.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
You know, Agro was popular. Like I said, fifty thousand
we used to sell per show, and the Triple M
bag back in the day used to sell one hundred thousand.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
Wow, Okay that's.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
How popular that was. Yeah, amazing.
Speaker 3 (37:58):
Maybe I could do a podcast with a god that
would be fun.
Speaker 2 (38:04):
Yeah yeah, but look at me, I can't be bothered
doing anything.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
It would be hilarious though, it would be very good
who's Agro? I mean, Agro interviewed so many celebrities. Who
do you think Agro's best? You know, like celebrity interview
was like he started I just remember.
Speaker 2 (38:25):
Seeing him did so many Yeah, Jason Donovan.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
I'm going to Donovan.
Speaker 2 (38:34):
Because he came on one bed. I think it was like.
Speaker 3 (38:42):
Huge. He was huge then Jason Donovan.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
It was a cooking, cooking segment. He he was uncomfortable
right from the start. He couldn't look at he was
looking at me on the floor. Oh no, guys, what
are you looking at down there? And Jason kind of goes, oh,
you know, you can see you're thinking, oh, I can't
(39:06):
say the man nothing in the Greg. Can't you see
the guy under the desk? And anyway, we cooked cupcakes
and Jason says, are would you like the one on?
I do an't got a throat, mat, I'm a pappa,
(39:29):
I don't have a trade, and He's gone, oh, oh right, okay.
It was I just it was like I was like
toying with him, like a cat with a grasshopper.
Speaker 3 (39:40):
It was just just so funny. I wonder if we
could still find that interview. Well.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
I think he started to collapse just after that.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
Oh no, that was oh gosh. I just remember he
interviewed so many people and they were just it's like
comic genius.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
It was just.
Speaker 3 (40:05):
Absolutely the best. And I just want to say thank
you Jamie and a grow for the best laughed from
But that would be on the behalf of the whole country.
Like everybody, there's nobody that doesn't love a grow and Jamie,
there's nobody maybe maybe maybe we did so maybe grow
especially never die.
Speaker 2 (40:29):
My son, my son Jackson said to me in the
car the other day, he said, when when you when
if you when? I said, yeah, okay, if I if
I die? What ye who? Who gets to do? You know?
And I said, well, your problem is do Ara. You've
(40:54):
got to have a personality, mate.
Speaker 3 (41:00):
If no one else I can do. Agro, Jamie, there
is somebody Jackson, Jackson, a lot of funny comment. Got
to have a personality. Jamie, thank you and Agro. Thank
you for coming on pure grit.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
You've been like on the floor.
Speaker 3 (41:21):
Thank you, Hi, every thank you, I Gro, Thank you Jamie,
and hopefully we'll see you and Agro pop up somewhere.
I'd love to see you guys on the sunshine coast.
Speaker 2 (41:36):
Do me a favor, you know what I mean? Talking
a lot about death. If I do pass away, well
everyone does. But you know, if I do at the funeral, yes,
and you come out of the audience, throw yourself on
the coffin. Promise. I'll shake hands with everyone. Everyone else
(41:58):
will be there going what the hell was going?
Speaker 3 (42:02):
Okay, that's the deal. And you know what, there's all
my listeners are witnesses. I will do that. That's if
that's it. If you go before me, you never know,
you never know.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
I'm hoping. I'm hoping you'll go first.
Speaker 3 (42:14):
And then you throw agro throws himself on my at
my funeral and does the same thing, same thing. The deal,
an absolute deal.
Speaker 2 (42:26):
Is there a fee? Will they pay a fee to.
Speaker 3 (42:30):
Absolutely? I'll pay a fee. I'll put that in my
funeral costs.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
Well, thanks for inviting me on your podcast.
Speaker 3 (42:39):
I'll do it for free for you, Jamie. Good, Thanks Jamie,
thanks for coming on pure great.
Speaker 2 (42:48):
All right, I'm sorry I looked so old.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
Oh doesn't matter. We're already listening to your voice.
Speaker 2 (42:55):
Good for me, I sound younger, you sound really young.
Speaker 3 (43:00):
It will sound exactly the same. Thanks Jamie.
Speaker 1 (43:05):
Well there you Thanks for listening to Pure Grip with
Paul McGrath. Now the web guy's been a very busy boy.
You can now visit the website pure grit dot com
dot au, search Pure Group podcast on Facebook and Instagram
for the fun behind the scenes stuff. And I was
wondering why Paul had started wearing makeup. Turns out all
the chats are now on YouTube as well, so make
sure you give that a subscribe
Welcome to Pure Grit with Paul McGrath. If you search
the word grit, you'd see that it means to have courage,
show strength of character, passion and perseverance. Throughout the series,
Paul chat to guest from all walks of life who
have shown pure grit to get to where they are now.
(00:24):
PAULA PAULA, yeah, look he it looks fine. I've done
the intro, so ready for you to talk now?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yeah, you do your talking things.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Welcome to another episode of Pure Grit. Well, my guest,
or maybe I should say guests today. Both absolute Australian icons.
They have been for over four decades in television radio comedians.
One's a husband, father and the other just as famous,
but a little bit cheekier maybe and a Pat Matt.
He's also interviewed some very famous people, rock stars and celebrities.
(00:58):
Both began their careers together on seven bat one, though
I was a singer, songwriter and drummer before that. He's
also been a movie star too, and has done many
funny stunts such as what do I remember dressing in
a gold bikini and pretending to be a meter maid.
Anything in the name of charity. This is an extra
(01:19):
special podcast for me today because I'm smiling just at
the thought. I would not have done what I've done
and been able to achieve what I've been able to
achieve in my career if it wasn't for meeting these
two in my early years, maybe year eleven, I went
down to Channel seven in Brisbane for work experience and
I'll never forget it. I had my signed fan card
(01:40):
still from Jewel Ray and my two guests, please welcome
to Pure Grip Jamie Dunn and Agro Jamie.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Hey, hell are you my god? You're a woman.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
I am a woman, and I remember.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
You as like thirteen year old or something.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
I was very young when I first met you. I
actually met you before I even came for work experience
to Channel seven.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
I met you, I remember up on the Sunshine coach
on the Sunshine Is.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
At the top of Alex Hill.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah yeah, with your mum.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
I remember it to this day. And you, Jamie, you
sadly or scarily shaped my career really because of the
words of wisdom you gave me way back then and
now now I'm now I'm fifty.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Two and retired. Yeah pretty shit. At the moment, I'm
nearly dead.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
I'm still alive. I'm still alive, but I never forget it.
I actually, funnily enough, you know, my mom's now just
about to turn eighty two, and she just cleaned out,
cleaning out all us four kids things, and she gave
me a collection of my things that I had the
(03:00):
fan card from you, Agro and Jil Ray signed. Still
have it. And I also did a year or eleven
journalism sort of writing on you guys, and I have
it here and it's terrible. I still can't read my writing.
My writing's probably worse than the now or maybe the same.
And I even submitted it to school. And it was
(03:23):
all about meeting you and actually interviewing Jill Ray, mainly
because I wanted to be Jill. I wanted to be Jill,
That's what I wanted to be. I didn't want to
be Agro and I didn't want to Jamie.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Well, let me tell you. Just two days ago, I
was in the Woolen Bar and in the main street
stop for a coffee. Who do I sit down beside
Jill Ray? Unbelievable. Yeah, yeah, she's and that wasn't planned. No, no, no, no,
(03:55):
I haven't seen her for a long time. You know,
I have a message there and safe work. But I
was going to do a comic con in Mackay and
there was a couple of grand in it and I
rang her and said, you know, it's like has beans
on parade? Do you want to do it? And she
said no, I've got a really good work life balance.
(04:15):
Now that's the exact word.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Yeah, Because I actually follow her on her Facebook and
stuff still to this day. So she does do a
lot of you know, she's so healthy and she's so
health conscious, which is something I am too. So I
love her little tips and things about health. She's amazing actually,
but I.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Really know her skin doesn't fit anymore. She looks like
a grandma.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
She would be a grandma. Now, well yeah, how would
you be?
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Now? I don't know. But she needs a couple of
pegs at the back of the neck.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Just I think I do too, though I'm getting that
way we all, you know, we're all aging. But I
just have a look here, what does she say about you?
She was giving me tips about working with you and
agro and I can't believe that I've still got it.
It's like Jill really enjoys this. This is my this
(05:22):
is my journalism thing, I submitted. I never became a
journalist mind Joe. Jill really enjoys Agro's humor. She reveals
that Jamie Dunn, the man behind Agro the bald Man,
is so different to the character Agro. A lot of
embarrassing things happened to me filming with Agro. I still
(05:43):
have that.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
I remember when we first met and you were I
guess fourteen, maybe even younger with your mom Alex there,
and I kind of remember that your mum was saying
that you wanted to get into television and you wanted
to kind of do that sort of thing. And did
you and I come back for a coffee at your
(06:05):
house or something?
Speaker 3 (06:06):
I think so, I think so. But that's how I
ended up coming for work experience. I did work experience
also in Maryborough like that was that was oh gosh.
And then I throw you and Jill got to come
down to Channel seven like later once I was in
year eleven and your words of wisdom to me said,
you'll be really good when you're older, like you said, Yeah,
(06:30):
you just told me when you're when you're older, you'll
be you know, you'll be good, like you knew that.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
I needed oracle.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
I was, yeah, you're an oracle, like you really did?
You said that to me? And I never ever wanted
any other Koreer like I knew. All I wanted to
do was being TV. It was very hard because it's
not an easy thing to get into and that's all
I ever wanted to do. And it took me going
into radio first and then weaving my way to television.
(06:59):
But I did it because Jill said to me, persistence
is the key. Keep knocking on those doors. I never
forget what she said to me, Keep knocking on those doors.
Persistence is the key. But the door came.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
I'll never forget what she said to me last weekend.
She said, Oh, oh, you're standing on my skirts, Jamie.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
How's Agro.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Y? Can you see you? Oh?
Speaker 3 (07:36):
I haven't seen you for years. You haven't aged one bit.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
That's a really being a.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
You just look as handsome as ever. I wish I
could kiss you. Yeah, Oh I'm kissing Agro through the
beautiful Agro. How are you doing?
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Yeah? Yeah, it used to be someone, you know what
it's like in television.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
Yeah, but it's still somebody, so like, there's still so
much things on the internet, you know, the thing called
the interweb, Agro. You were all over You're all over it.
There's still so many funny interviews that you did. They
they're there.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Now. Where are you? What are you doing?
Speaker 3 (08:22):
What am I doing? I'm chatting to your best mate,
Jamie doing a bit of a podcast.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Are you on radio? You're on television? Mate? What are
you doing apart from the podcast?
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Well, that's the thing. I was filling in on a
local radio station for the last ten years, feeling in
on breakfast. But things have changed, their management's changed, so
it's got a bit quiet. You know, you start getting
put out to pass to Agro.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Oh yeah, I know that. In radio they say can
I see you for a moment. Don't ever do that,
don't ever take holidays.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
I'm happy. That's what I have been doing the last
ten years, geting in a radio, being a mom, Agro.
I have a just about to turn thirteen year old
in two days. Oh gosh, that's hard. Yeah, just the
one one son. His name's Jim and he is, yeah,
(09:20):
just about to turn thirteen. He's a lot taller than me,
which isn't.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Oh. Oh, mister Dan's got five children, six if you
count the one from the first marriage.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
He's a baby making machine.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Yeah, he doesn't remember the first one's name, but he knows.
He starts with a J.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
I knew.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
I knew he has that wrong. Is that so wrong?
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
I really had lots of kids.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
I'm worried about the Lasian one.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
I don't know he had an Asian one. Sounds like
my ex husband too, agro Can I talk to Jamie?
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Let me, let me just get generally, get out of shot.
Generally out of shot.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Oh, Jamie, So five kids? What are their ages now?
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Oh? God, thirty something, twenty something? Yeah, yeah, my youngest
is twenty who maybe, Oh my god, he doesn't speak
to me though, why, well, I don't know. Things fall apart.
You know she calls herself a child or divorce.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Oh well, I'm a child of divorce.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
I know. I did say to her, I should get
her an audition for Home and Away because she's such
a drama queen.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Well, I'm a child of divorce and my mum and
dad got divorced when I was eight. But we're still,
you know, have a relationship with our dad. And you know,
time will heal. That might change. I hope, Jamie, because
it's you know, it's not worth it. It's nothing, you.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Know now they say that, but it doesn't times, it
doesn't change. No, it doesn't in a long and painful life.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
Sorry, yeah, well we all I mean actually, probably my
oldest maybe my oldest brother hasn't hasn't been as forgiving.
But the rest, you know, we've all moved on. You
know what happens between I can't.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
No, I'm not a forgiver.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
You're not a forgiver. I can't Actually, I can't imagine
you being a forgiver.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
So I have I have, I have two columns. You're
either in the good column or the bad column.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Who is in the bad?
Speaker 2 (11:52):
I don't want to know you once you make the
bad who's in.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
The bad column?
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Is?
Speaker 3 (11:55):
There lots of people in radio in the bad column?
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Are a few? You know? But I'm kind of It's
interesting because I think I was telling you I got
a chance to do a Saturday show on what ninety
one up on those of the and that was only
just a couple of years ago. And I sat down
with this young program director. He must have been to
(12:23):
all the courses those program directors go to, you know,
and they learn how to ask the questions that you
know they need to answer to. This guy says to me,
mind you is the age of my son. He says,
where do you see yourself in ten years time? I said,
Tuong Cemetery. I didn't give the job.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
Oh my god, that is a classic ware.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
You see.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
So in ten years time.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Already? Do you see me in ten years time? You
regon ten fronder?
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Maybe yeah, exactly, You're lucky. If you're lucky, Jamie, if
you're lucky, you know, seriously.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
I can't I can't wait. I can't wait to pass
to make sure whether if I can come back, we'll
get out.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
Oh god, that'll be scary. So the days I also
did remember you so fondly from in my early days
of radio because I ended up coming down to in
my career. I started on the Sumpchhine Coast, started in Nambor, launched,
did the first breakfast show for CFM, and then I
came down to be what I five, So you were
(13:28):
still there, I think that was you were there. You
were there with Ian Skipper.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
I was I was in God. I was a god.
You're an absolute god.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
Like it was like I had to sort of like Bow.
Before I came.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
In, it was like, oh gosh, yeah, well that was
part of the contract. People had to bat to me
before they came in. And when you were you know,
in radio, when you start, you might have an idea
and they all go, they all put who and they
get out why will we do that? And all this
sort of stuff. When you start to rate, you know,
(14:01):
you say something like, oh, I thought we might do that. Oh,
what a great Ideaie.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
That's exactly right. They love the ideas.
Speaker 5 (14:10):
Until it's your time to go, you know, when you
have that little Yeah, radio is cruel, as is television.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
They go, we need an oldish sort of guy, bald
gray with the ability to do a puppet, and we're
looking to put a shower together with someone like that,
which is why we're taking her. They just overlook it.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
But look, we've had a huge career.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
You know, you have to learn how to deal with no.
You can't deal with no, then you're in the wrong
business because you get more nose than you get yeses.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
You know, absolutely, like I was. I guess I was
pretty lucky. I had good. I had good in my
early I didn't know plan to go into radio. I
think I was just stalking you. I was just like
following you. You know how you've had stalkers, didn't you
have a stalker, A.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Real stalker, A real stalkers a day? What?
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Really, that's a true.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Story, true story, yeah, stalk you. I mean, you know,
I know they made a mistake because I didn't go
to the police.
Speaker 5 (15:30):
I went to a Current Affairs even better even.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Publicity of course.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
And was there a reason? Did he get charged or
did he it was a lady, No, I don't think so.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
There was a pretended to be a guy but ended
up being a journalist from Woodford.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Ye oh, that's yeah, Woodford, Woodford in a house or
in a in somewhere else, not in.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Jail, in a house. And when the police rang me
and said we were going to arrest today, but there's
a gun registered to that house. We're going to take
our time.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Oh my gosh, I know, I know. Wow, you you've
got a claim to fame. You actually had a real
life talk and that's how famous you are.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
That's how famous, Oh my god.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
And also you used to be in a band. That's
how you that's what you did. You were a singer
and something high school.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
I was, and yeah the Beatles. The Beatles came out
and I wanted to be a Beatle. And I was
a drummer, so joined a band at high school and
it kind of just led into entertainment really yeah, oh.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
And so how did you how did you meet a
Where did angro come from? Well we just know everyone
knows a.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Gro, but where did Yeah, entertainment in entertainment. If you're
like so, I was a drummer. But in Australia you
have to say yes to everything. They yes to everything
and then work out how to do it later. So
if someone says, you know, we were looking to do
(17:42):
a radio show, how are you with radio? And don't
even think about it? You go, oh, yeah, no problem,
do that. Then you go home, shut the door, cut
the door, and go how the hell am I going
to do radio? So I say yes to everything still unfortunately,
and then worked out how to do it an agro.
I was a singer songwriter. You were, so, who do
(18:08):
you sell songs to in Australia? You try and make
a list? Yeah, fun, maybe or yeah, I don't know.
There's no one, no one. So I wasn't the first Agro.
There was another guy. I did Agro and I wrote
a song for him and Fiana McDonald.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Oh bless, I brought my eyes out watching Australian Story.
Just I thought of you. I thought of you with
Fiona passing Jamie actually yeah, if you.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
And yeah, well I'm glad it wasn't me, you know.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
Where, Yeah, having a drink.
Speaker 5 (18:51):
With Well, I've had a cracker of a life.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
So yeah, so that's how. So you wrote the song
for Agro.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Yeah, I wrote the song for the original Agro, and
and I showed him what I wanted in the song.
It had a monologue in the middle and Agro goes
little very guys like me. And after that song went
(19:21):
to count seven, the guy tried to claim the ownership
rights to Agro and had an issue with seven. They
moved him and had heard my voice on the demo
and so they rang me on the Friday night and said,
you know, can you do Agro tomorrow morning? And I
said yes, that's straight away without that big pause though.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Brilland but that's how that's how it began. It's just incredible.
I knew no one, no one could have been with
Agro the new a real not you and were the
unformidable team amazing the win that, but I used to
just dream of Ben Jill being having the innuendos throwing
(20:11):
at him like a grow I just I just had
the wrong color hair because you only ever had blondes.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
I know that was that it was more about the
personality than the hair color.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
There was a lot of blondes though, what well Kill?
Then what.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
I saw Jill in Tomba working working with a puppet
call Ebonese of the Dragon, and I made a mental
note that she was good. And then seven were going
to have auditions for people who work with Agro and
they had Tiffany Am and whole people lined up, and
(20:57):
I decided that Kill was the one. She really wasn't
But when we did the audition, was really really good
with Jill and very difficult with everybody else.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
I can imagine Aro got his way.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Yeah you know that I felt sorry for you know.
I remember Lamb said, well hi hi, yeah, oh yeah, Hi, Jennie.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
Where did you grow up?
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Uh? I was born in England, came out to Australia
when I was about five or six. I was born
in braves and Kent, Okay. But I loved the name
for a town.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Graves End, and where do you go to where you're
going to be in ten years? That's just the.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
In graves End, I think. Yeah, I came out here
and went to Rockley State School and yeah, yeah, I started.
They used to have a parade every morning at State
School and Errol Sparks was the drama to bring us
in on the parade, and I thought a lot to
do that, and he was lovely. He taught me how
(22:27):
to play the paradiddle, and you know, so I ended
up getting a drum and there was the Erl Sparks
and me, yeah, marching people into the school after parade.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
Oh wow. So yeah, Brisbane so always in You were
always in Brisbane.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
In Brisbane, that's why I talked so so aba.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Yeah, And that's when I moved up from Adelaide. Everyone
thought I was from England because I'd be like, oh,
you're so posh. You said plant, plant and chance are
an answer. But I'm like, well, I can't help it.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Well, I remember your mum being yeah when we first bet,
I remember your mom saying that you, even at that age,
you wanted to be in television or like that.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
You know, I did, and I didn't know, it was
hard to work out how to get there, but it
just happened through being in radio. I think radio was
just the best training ground to then go on to
live TV.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
Oh absolutely, it was just yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
And I didn't know I was in being put by
them in Canberra, so I was doing breakfast in camera,
which I used to say the best thing about camera
was seeing in the rear vision mirror on the way
back to the city. It didn't go down.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Well. I always maintained the hardest person to be on
radio is yourself, because people when they get into radio,
particularly men, are like you, well, there's thirty three degrees
chance of a late stores storm. Here's the rain by dragon.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Yeah yeah, no, that was never me. I didn't even know.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
It's a good breeding ground.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
I reckon it was amazing and I didn't know I
wasn't so I was like, oh, no, I'm getting put
down to Camber now from Sydney because I've been at
Today FM, and then oh we need someone to do
breakfast in Camber and it was like, oh, it's going
to be freezing, you know, used to the warmths, but
I went down it was it was amazing. I only
(24:31):
last did a year went number one and that's when
I got the call up to Channel V to go
to live TV. So it just sort of happened when
it did the audition and the rest was history and
it was like, oh, see later radio for that bit.
But yeah, no, I used to. I did end up
being a bit like you doing stunts. Wasn't wasn't scared
(24:53):
of anything. I did a stunt thinking of you. One day,
I went nude on the streets of Canberra, body painted
I should never tom raising money. Then all these wads
were coming up and putting money in the tin. But
I'm body painted, but it's still nude. They're coming real close,
and I was like, this is not And then a
(25:16):
crash happened. Cars were like, I think she's new. They smashed.
There was a smash. Oh gosh, I'm thinking, why would
I don't Why did I do that? That's quite it's
quite risky. It was completely stuck.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Well, it's easy for you're a man to go nude,
isn't it. I mean like, I went nude and I
think I made off. The town's sick.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
Oh gosh. You know the things you do. You were
just you were just funny and then you was at
like our very good friend that you met. I met
at B one o five. So how did you meet
Peter Clay? Because Peter Clay I met at being one
or five and that's what we became like long friends.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
And Peter Clay was a junior producer at Today FM.
When I got the call to go from Brisbane to
Sydney and do breakfast. He was the very first person
that I met. And the night before I had been
at the Arias I think or something whatever radio award.
It was then the run he was that he was,
(26:25):
I have no he was seen. So there was a
guy who was quite big in Sydney radio at the
radio awards. I left my bag with agro in him
next to my chair, went to the loop, came back.
(26:47):
This guy had opened my bag, got Agro out, put
him on his arm without my knowledge and I come
back to the table. At this school, was you know,
voluntily up him. So anyway, the next morning I was
Today FEM and Pete came in and he said, oh,
so so is on the phone for you? And I
said to him, I said, tell him I got no
(27:09):
interest in talking to him. I've got no interest in
an apology. And he'd go out and tell him to
fuck off, and I'm sure Pete went back to the phone,
pick up the phone right now.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Yeah, of course, it's the beautiful way Pete does. So
I'm just trying to work out how old I was
when I met Pete. We used to do sausage sistles
together and we'd be out on the I've got the
classic old photos of us. So he must have been
back in Brisbane for some reason, because you.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Well, he used to run agro Enterprises for me charge
it of that. So I bought him up from Sydney.
I met him at today f M and Brisbane has
always been my base kind of, and so he came
up and worked with me as the manager of Aros And.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
That's I have to thank you for me being introduced
to Peter then, because that's how I met Peter, working
at BI with him round about in the black thunders,
you know, thundering around.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
And I am still very close friends for life.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
And he has done he has done amazing things. So
when I went to Channel V, I was I got
Peter to come and do producing because I couldn't think
of a better person. And that's the days when we
were just doing wild stuff because the live TV would
do whatever we want. Let's do this, let's do that, Yeah,
let's do it now. You could never do what we
(28:47):
were doing, like, you know, just so much fun. And
now look at him.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
If you've seen any of the outtakes of Agro on YouTube,
you know that Agro will never be in children's television again.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
Never. And I can't believe he was in children's TV.
He's just he's just always been so cheeky and witty. So, yeah,
you still catch up with Peter. I've seen pictures of
you two.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Yeah, still good friends with Pete. We had a holiday
together a little while ago.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Thank god he took a holiday, like honestly, yeah, yeah
he had to because I asked him.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
You know, he couldn't say no. We were to say yes,
that's wolln Borough is where we were, and that's where
I met Jill last weekend. And yeah, Pete and I
we're up in the mountains and you know my wife,
I'll stack. It's called Hillcrest mountain View Retreat. It is
(29:49):
just beautiful. Yeah, run by a couple of couple of
gay guys. It was a wonderful check and the other
guys are just a constant happiness is lovely.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
Oh just so amazing. So yeah, I've been you know,
Peter has always been a bit of a champion for
me too, and that's all thanks to you. He's always,
you know, been real champion of my career. Like it's
been such a great friendship too, and I just just
you know, that's that's all thanks to you, Like just
even with my podcast, it's been amazing.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
You have to stop thanking me.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
No, well it was, well it was you. I mean
you were like you were actually what you said to me,
I'll never forget like you were. And you said to me,
with a few years experience on you, when you're older,
you know, you knew it would take me. You were
you know, you were honest. You were brutally honest. Basically
you said, when you're older, you'll be good. So I
(30:45):
don't know what you saw in me. I don't know
because also I looked like I think I looked about
nine when I.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Was That's right, Yeah, when we first met. That's I'm
going I'm gone. I wasn't.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
I wasn't thirteen. I was actually when I met you.
I because I didn't move up to Queensland till nineteen
eighty eight. So I was older than you think, but
I looked like I looked so young.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
Well I remember your mum inviting us back to your Yeah. Yeah,
and Jill and I came back and had a cup
of coffee and whatever.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
So your mom, your mom was like your manager.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
Oh she was, and she goes she knew. It's like
my brother Kevin, like he knew from two that he
wanted to be a pilot. Used to say from two
there was going to be a pilot. Kevin ended up
being an F one eleven pilot. Like she just a
single mom with four kids. She just never said we
couldn't you know she was one of them.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
I don't.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
I think she's been instrumental in what we've done in
our careers because I look at what everyone's done, and
I think it's from that's from gay really, because she
just said, well, what's nothing stopping you from doing what
you want to do? And you know, I went to
school and did well at school, but didn't really need
it for what I ended up doing. You know, it's like,
(32:02):
how are you at high school? You would have been cheekiest.
How are the poor teachers?
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Oh look, I'll tell my kids. I got seven percent
for maths. That's how bad I was maths. My son,
Jackson said seven percent. I said, that's seven out of
one hundred.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
Oh my gosh, Jamie.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
So you want a good mother's story. I was on
the radio one time with Alfre Langer, a wonderful, funny
funny man, and Alfie was promoting the Broncos game that
was coming up on Mother's Day and he says to me,
he said, Jamie, you should bring your mom along to
the Broncos game at Aynsid Stadium on a Sunday for
(32:51):
the Mother's Day game. Be fantastic. I said, oh I can't, Alfie,
I can't. He said why not? I said, he's dead?
Speaker 3 (33:01):
And what did he do?
Speaker 2 (33:04):
It didn't?
Speaker 3 (33:04):
Be?
Speaker 2 (33:07):
Shut up.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
Story. So so now you're you live on a bit
of a property. You're still live on a farm.
Speaker 2 (33:25):
My wife and I I just came in to do
the podcast with you from planting trees with my wife.
Speaker 3 (33:34):
Yes, trees were planting.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
We planted eucalypse. Lemon scented the eucalypse and unbelievable the leaf.
You run your son across the leaf and it is
so infused with like lemon scent. It's amazing, truly amazing.
And she when when we first when she came to
(34:00):
the farm, she started taking down the fences and just
letting the land flow. And there's a huge gully that
was a rainforest and she's recreating that, you know, like
bringing it back. It's really something to to watch them grow.
(34:21):
I know this sounds really cheesy, but.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
That's that's that's a new passion for you. So do
you have any animals?
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Yeah? No, animals scare me. Oh what, he's the only
one I like.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
So no animals. There must be a lot of wildlife.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
No, No, I tried. I tried some cattle and I
get the phone call in Brisbane. On my farm's about
two and a half hours north of Brisbane. Oh, and
I get the phone call your cows are out. And
so I'd have to get in the car and drive
up and then oh man, I parked the car across
(35:05):
the road, put the bins across the road open, and
then I'd have to walk right down the bottom get
behind the.
Speaker 3 (35:12):
Cattle trying to get back in. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Yeah, you know what a farmer. I was behind them.
Speaker 6 (35:23):
I'm going please go in the paddock please whatever. So yeah, no,
I got them in the paddock, but uh, that happened
so many times.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
I decided that they would have to be a happy meal.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
Oh so the cows went into my tummy.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
Yeah exactly.
Speaker 3 (35:44):
Oh that's funny. I can't imagine you're trying to get
the cows in. That's very funny. So Jamie, so you
and Agro is there. You know we're going to see
you too soon anywhere.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
And I've got one show to do in glad To
next year in March, and it's a they call a
grow Up Late and it's an interview and then there's
a outakes and then there's an Angro show and then
you know, it goes through. It's like a two hour show.
(36:19):
And we did that in Mackay and got eight hundred people.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
It's amazing.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
I would go, I would go, I guess it's because
Agro was in your lounge room, in your face and
he was just that naughty kid. You know.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
Well, Rachel, who used to work with Radio Reporth for Brado,
she ed, it's my podcast. She'll be listening. She still
has she's a fair bit younger than me, right, she
still has Agro's pink photo album that she got the
show back from the Brisbane She still got it out
her house, big photo album story.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
Yeah, to produces. We would sell fifty thousand the Brisbane show,
fifty thousand show bags in Sydney. The show bag was
like eighty cents worth of value for just eight bucks.
Speaker 3 (37:14):
Well, she has still got it. She has still.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
Got she was a collector's item.
Speaker 3 (37:20):
Forty Yep, she's still got her. Agro people, Yeah, rage Yep,
she's still got it. She's a big fan. She's a
big fan. And I, you know, I was. We were
chatting about it, and I was like, that is just
the best. So you know, Agro show bag was very
very popular. It was just like and it still is.
We need to bring back. We want Agro, we want Aga.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
You know, Agro was popular. Like I said, fifty thousand
we used to sell per show, and the Triple M
bag back in the day used to sell one hundred thousand.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
Wow, Okay that's.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
How popular that was. Yeah, amazing.
Speaker 3 (37:58):
Maybe I could do a podcast with a god that
would be fun.
Speaker 2 (38:04):
Yeah yeah, but look at me, I can't be bothered
doing anything.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
It would be hilarious though, it would be very good
who's Agro? I mean, Agro interviewed so many celebrities. Who
do you think Agro's best? You know, like celebrity interview
was like he started I just remember.
Speaker 2 (38:25):
Seeing him did so many Yeah, Jason Donovan.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
I'm going to Donovan.
Speaker 2 (38:34):
Because he came on one bed. I think it was like.
Speaker 3 (38:42):
Huge. He was huge then Jason Donovan.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
It was a cooking, cooking segment. He he was uncomfortable
right from the start. He couldn't look at he was
looking at me on the floor. Oh no, guys, what
are you looking at down there? And Jason kind of goes, oh,
you know, you can see you're thinking, oh, I can't
(39:06):
say the man nothing in the Greg. Can't you see
the guy under the desk? And anyway, we cooked cupcakes
and Jason says, are would you like the one on?
I do an't got a throat, mat, I'm a pappa,
(39:29):
I don't have a trade, and He's gone, oh, oh right, okay.
It was I just it was like I was like
toying with him, like a cat with a grasshopper.
Speaker 3 (39:40):
It was just just so funny. I wonder if we
could still find that interview. Well.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
I think he started to collapse just after that.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
Oh no, that was oh gosh. I just remember he
interviewed so many people and they were just it's like
comic genius.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
It was just.
Speaker 3 (40:05):
Absolutely the best. And I just want to say thank
you Jamie and a grow for the best laughed from
But that would be on the behalf of the whole country.
Like everybody, there's nobody that doesn't love a grow and Jamie,
there's nobody maybe maybe maybe we did so maybe grow
especially never die.
Speaker 2 (40:29):
My son, my son Jackson said to me in the
car the other day, he said, when when you when
if you when? I said, yeah, okay, if I if
I die? What ye who? Who gets to do? You know?
And I said, well, your problem is do Ara. You've
(40:54):
got to have a personality, mate.
Speaker 3 (41:00):
If no one else I can do. Agro, Jamie, there
is somebody Jackson, Jackson, a lot of funny comment. Got
to have a personality. Jamie, thank you and Agro. Thank
you for coming on pure grit.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
You've been like on the floor.
Speaker 3 (41:21):
Thank you, Hi, every thank you, I Gro, Thank you Jamie,
and hopefully we'll see you and Agro pop up somewhere.
I'd love to see you guys on the sunshine coast.
Speaker 2 (41:36):
Do me a favor, you know what I mean? Talking
a lot about death. If I do pass away, well
everyone does. But you know, if I do at the funeral, yes,
and you come out of the audience, throw yourself on
the coffin. Promise. I'll shake hands with everyone. Everyone else
(41:58):
will be there going what the hell was going?
Speaker 3 (42:02):
Okay, that's the deal. And you know what, there's all
my listeners are witnesses. I will do that. That's if
that's it. If you go before me, you never know,
you never know.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
I'm hoping. I'm hoping you'll go first.
Speaker 3 (42:14):
And then you throw agro throws himself on my at
my funeral and does the same thing, same thing. The deal,
an absolute deal.
Speaker 2 (42:26):
Is there a fee? Will they pay a fee to.
Speaker 3 (42:30):
Absolutely? I'll pay a fee. I'll put that in my
funeral costs.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
Well, thanks for inviting me on your podcast.
Speaker 3 (42:39):
I'll do it for free for you, Jamie. Good, Thanks Jamie,
thanks for coming on pure great.
Speaker 2 (42:48):
All right, I'm sorry I looked so old.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
Oh doesn't matter. We're already listening to your voice.
Speaker 2 (42:55):
Good for me, I sound younger, you sound really young.
Speaker 3 (43:00):
It will sound exactly the same. Thanks Jamie.
Speaker 1 (43:05):
Well there you Thanks for listening to Pure Grip with
Paul McGrath. Now the web guy's been a very busy boy.
You can now visit the website pure grit dot com
dot au, search Pure Group podcast on Facebook and Instagram
for the fun behind the scenes stuff. And I was
wondering why Paul had started wearing makeup. Turns out all
the chats are now on YouTube as well, so make
sure you give that a subscribe
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