Human/Ordinary

What’s it like to collaborate with your partner creatively, while raising kids? How do you give each other feedback, while keeping your marriage intact?

Beck is an illustrator and graphic designer who previously worked in advertising, and her husband Robin is a writer and creative in the advertising industry. Together they’ve created the books: If I was Prime Minister…. and My Folks Grew up in the 80s. 

Produced by Cinna...

Mic Cavazzini’s last story for this season of Human/Ordinary shares a lot of similarities with his first. It’s about the big things: life, death, and the Himalayas. It’s a story about journeys - how you end up doing what you do in life, and how you end up leaving it.

Produced by Mic Cavazzini

Recording assistance by Rojita Adhikari rojitadhikari.wordpress.com/ 

Original music by Kent Sutherland

Other music by Lenno...

Her whole life, May Jasper has felt nervous about going to the hairdresser. 

She didn’t know anything about fashion, and she didn’t understand all the questions they would ask like “do you want more volume in your hair?” (Why, is that gonna make it louder?) 

And so she fantasised about a world where hairdressers were like plumbers. Just getting the job done, no questions asked.

This episode, May finds out wh...

Even though many people think only of dot-style paintings when considering “Aboriginal art”, it is actually as diverse as the many Indigenous nations who live across the country we now call Australia. Each group has its own unique culture with different languages, different stories and songs, different tools and different art styles.

But increasingly, this art is being exploited in the souvenir market where ‘Aboriginal-style’ de...

Mic has a chance encounter with a woman who broke stereotypes for professional women and contributed to some groundbreaking conversations around civil rights in Australia. It’s the story of a remarkable and pioneering life.

Produced by Mic Cavazzini

Music courtesy of freemusicarchive.org, and is by David Szesztay (“The Hangover”), Blue Dot Sessions (“Cloudline”, “Periodicals”, “The Air Escaping”), Chris Za...

Most adults in Vietnam don't speak English. And yet, the country has a pretty large expat community, most of whom don't speak Vietnamese. So how does that work? In this episode, producer May Jasper takes a journey into Expat World.

Produced by May Jasper

Thanks to Anna, Paul, Mile, Albert, Carly, Chris, Dean, Nicholas, Remy, Vinh, and the Human/Ordinary team.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Human/Or...

Hundreds of metres above the ground, or dodging traffic and the police at a busy intersection, people are just people, but window washers are more than they seem. 

Produced by Sam Loy

Original music by Kent Sutherland

Thanks to Michael, Ben, Shane, Lucas, Paul, Sarah, the other Ben, and the Human/Ordinary team.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Human/Ordinary is produced in Melbourne and Sydney by Sam Loy, M...

What’s it like being the children of two international jazz musicians? In this episode of Human/Ordinary we meet Ruomi Lee-Hampel and his sister Cavana Hazelton who are divided by the Atlantic Ocean and united by jazz.

Produced by Cinnamon Nippard

For details on where you can find a Gunter Hampel show check out Facebook here, and Instagram here. 

Thanks to Cavana Hazelton and Ruomi Lee-Hampel for sharing their stories...

Geoff Allen has been around. As a ringer in the 50s and 60s, it was his job to tame wild horses and drove massive herds of cattle throughout the outback country. His tale is full of humour, hard work, mateship, and death, and gives an insight into a nearly-forgotten time. 

Produced by Mic Cavazzini

Music by Louis Edward Thorne (EMI Production Music - “The Swamp Sessions”), Nicolaj Sune Block (EMI Production Music - “Cine...

Monkol Lek’s story starts 40 years ago in Cambodia, before even he can remember. On the path to a successful career in computer engineering, a genetic disease shared with his sister sets him on a different path.

Produced by Sam Loy

Original music by Kent Sutherland

Thanks to Guy Scott-Wilson, Jordon Lott, Kate Lourey, and the Human/Ordinary team.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Human/Ordinary is produced i...

In many ways Melbourne is a distinctly un-Australian city, famous for its cold, rainy weather and lack of beaches. And yet, every morning at 7 am, a group of people gather at the South Melbourne foreshore and go for a swim in Port Phillip Bay. May Jasper wants to know why.

Produced by May Jasper

Original music by Kent Sutherland

Recording and Sound Design by Andrew Callaghan

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Huma...

In the face of the looming climate crisis it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed and helpless. Cinnamon Nippard grabs her keep-cup and has a chat to people who are doing what they can from picking up plastic on remote beaches, to caring for wildlife, and making their own homes more sustainable.

Produced by Cinnamon Nippard

Learn more about the interviewees and their work…

Michael Mobbs - environmental consultant, author and former ...

A fatal avalanche in Kashmir sees Human/Ordinary producer, Mic Cavazzini, pursue the truth of what happened and why, as he investigates the social and economic drivers that almost ensure it will happen again.

Produced by Mic Cavazzini

Original music by Kent Sutherland

Also featuring previously published songs: 

Darling Have I Told You and Calico by Ben Carey 

On The Spot and Backward by David Szesztay 

African ...

Foamers

Travelling across the USA by train can be relaxing, fun, and enlightening. It can also expose you to inexplicable things. This is a story about trying to understand and explain the inexplicable.

Produced by May Jasper

Recording and Sound Design by Andrew Callaghan

Music by Audionautix (song: Tennessee Hayride) and Royalty Free Music - NO Copyright Music (song: Blue Creek Trail).

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ...

Welcome to Season Four…

The Daddy Bear

Ever since we had kids, our house has been full of bears. But there’s one bear in particular, more dominant than the others, which I have a deep connection to.

Produced by Sam Loy

Music by Kent Sutherland

Thanks to Declan Fay, Eleanor McDowall, Kate Montague, Renee Imbesi, and the H/O Team

This story features snippets from We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxe...

When I was young, we thought we were clever insulting others by calling them Richard Cranium. This is his story.

Olivia Rosenman does a couple of podcasts, The Expressionists is all about words and phrases, and The History Lab Pod is an investigative history show.

Matt Chun is an artist with stuff you can check out here.

The Raccoon Club is a bar in Preston that also has a no kids rule. Getting rid of dickheads and kids you can pretty...

Fulfilling a childhood dream, I go behind the scenes at Melbourne City Wrestling.

Original music by Kent Sutherland.

Thanks to Sean Carney, Rhi Bell, Michael Jozis, James Mitchell, Criss Fresh, Dowie James, Kristen Mitchell, Indi Hartwell, Loverboy Lochy Hendricks, Mr Juicy, KrackerJak, all the fans, KellyAnne, and the awesome people that make up Melbourne City Wrestling.

Thanks also to Claire Tonti and Planet Broadcasting.

Special tha...

This is a story about my neighbourhood, but I hope it’s about yours too.

Inspired by this song from Tom Waits, and this piece from Scott Carrier.

Original music by Kent Sutherland.

Thanks to Planet Broadcasting, and Allison Chan for production and story advice and guidance.

Special thanks to Leila Brook for quality control and continued support.

For more on the show...

Website: humanordinary.com

Facebook: facebook.com/humanordinarypo...