Conversations

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Conversations with Richard Fidler is an Australian radio program that frequently finds its way on to my podcast list. Conversations is a daily broadcast that operates in a interview format. Richard Fidler is a warm and  engaging host. When he sits down with his guest for an hour long chat it feels more like they're in his living room rather than a recording studio. He interviewees cover a broad spectrum of Australian society. There was an octogenarian who immigrated from Ireland when she was a girl and became a school teacher at a Quaker school in the outback. A trio of driving school instructors confirmed for me that Sydney drivers are in fact terrible and it's not just my imagination. He guests range from farther afield as well. He had a chat with the Dalai Lama not to long ago. I like Fidler because he takes an active interest in a person's experiences regardless of their station in society.

Conversations has been off the air for the past couple of months as Richard Fidler was on holiday. Turns out it was a working holiday. When he was visiting America he interviewed the host of another podcast I often listen to, This American Life. Hearing Richard Fidler and Ira Glass in the same sound space was a strange but gratifying experience. It was kind of like (but not quite) watching an episode of Star Trek: Next Generation where one of the old cast members shows up.

After wracking my brain for half an hour that's the best comparison I could come up with. I'm afraid Gene Roddenberry has ruined me. If you want to check out the interview with Ira Glass you can listen to it here.

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