My Kind of Scene – Details, episodes & analysis

My Kind of Scene uncovers the past and present of Australian music. In this episode, we discuss all the charm and quirks of the Triple J Hottest 100 annual listener poll, with the guy who literally wrote the book on it – author, comedian and podcaster, Tom W. Clarke. Check out his awesome book, Shoulda Been Higher: A Celebration of 30 Years of Triple J's Hottest 100.

Find the episode playlist on Spotify and YouTube.  Send questions or compliments to mykindofscenepod[@]gmail.com.

My Kind Of Scene acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of the land many of us call Australia.

Sources

• Clarke, T.W. Shoulda Been Higher: A Celebration of 30 Years of Triple J's Hottest 100 Melbourne Books, 2023 
• The Hottest 100 Archive abc.net.au
• Wikipedia
• Clarke, T.W. Spinning Around Spotify, 2021-22

My Kind of Scene uncovers the past and present of Australian music. In this episode, we travel through the annals of time according to Myer Grace Bros' (not a sponsor!) yearly The Spirit of Christmas charity compilation CD, which for 25 years featured Aussie artists interpreting Christmas tunes. We discuss the highlights and weird-lights and ultimately count down the top 5 versions of the perennial holiday favorite, "Silent Night."

Find the episode playlist on YouTube.  Send questions or compliments to mykindofscenepod[@]gmail.com.

My Kind Of Scene acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of the land many of us call Australia.

Sources

• Wikipedia
• "Charity album". The Canberra Times. Supplement. Vol. 71, no. 22, 146. 5 December 1995. p. 3. Retrieved 22 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
• Blake, J. "Sass, soul and old-school panache in musical gem" The Sydney Morning Herald, May 29, 2010

I'd like to acknowledge and pay respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of the nation many of us call Australia.

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners should be aware that this episode contains the voices and words of people who have died. This episode also contains adult themes, explicit language and references to sexual harassment and assault. If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, and needs support in Australia call 1800-RESPECT, or in the United States, call 800-656-HOPE. 

This is the second and final installment of our exploration of Australian protest and political songs. We pick up our story in 1990. Find the episode playlist on the Spotify Cara Diaria artist page.  Send questions or compliments to mykindofscenepod[@]gmail.com.

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• Took the Children Away
• Archie Roach: His Story in Song
• Archie Roach
• Archie Roach tells his story...
• Paul Kelly: the crowd was stunned...
• The writing... of Yothu Yindi's 'Treaty'
• Yothu Yindi and The Treaty Project...
• When Dirty Cash Becomes Filthy Lucre
• NT signs historic Barunga agreement...
• treatynt.com.au
• Landmark NT Treaty a step closer...
• Australian anthems... From Little Things Big Things Grow
•  Indigenous songwriter Kev Carmody...
• A.B. Original's Powerful Rap...
• 'A mic drop on the nation'...
• 'We didn't expect to hit the main nerve:'...
• A.B. Original: 'We wrote the hardest...'
• Triple J to hold 2017 Hottest 100...

I’d like to acknowledge and pay respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of the nation many of us call Australia.

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners should be aware that this episode contains the voices and words of people who have died.

This is part one of our two-part exploration of Australian political and protest songs. We explore the role of music in bringing about social and political change, and discover the songs that have helped disseminate information, change public opinion, galvanize a movement, or even transform laws or policies.

Find the episode playlist on the Spotify Cara Diaria artist page.  Send questions or compliments to mykindofscenepod[@]gmail.com.

Sources:

• Wikipedia
•  “Jimmy Little’s ‘The Coloured Lad’ was a plea for a fair go” abc.net.au. June 1, 2021.
• Browne, D. “‘I Am Woman’: How Helen Reddy’s Feminist Anthem Quietly Changed Pop” Rolling Stone, Sep 30, 2020
• “I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green) by Redgum” Awesome Aussie Songs, Dec 30, 2021
• Williams, M. “I was only 19: The real soldier behind the Australian Vietnam veterans' anthem” abc.net.au, Nov 10, 2016
• “Vietnam War 1962–75” Australian War Memorial
• Hughes, R. “How Midnight Oil made an art of mixing politics with music” Louder, Jun 22, 2017
• McCabe, K. “Peter Garrett reflects on Midnight Oil anthem Beds Are Burning as you decide the Best ARIA Song” News.com.au, Nov 14, 2016

This podcast is free and hopefully brings you joy! Why not bring someone else joy?

Support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities here:

• NPY Women's Council – led by women’s law, authority and culture to deliver health, social and cultural services for all Anangu
• Seed – Australia’s first Indigenous youth climate network
• ANTaR – National advocacy organisation dedicated specifically to the rights - and overcoming the disadvantage - of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

In this episode, we’ll explore the phenomenon of particular Aussie songs becoming even more popular and significant, years after their release. I’m calling it “The Horses Effect,” after Daryl Braithwaite’s 1991 hit, The Horses, which enjoyed a cultural revival more than 15 years after its release, and is today firmly entrenched as an unofficial Aussie anthem. 

Find the episode playlist on the Spotify Cara Diaria artist page.  Send questions or compliments to mykindofscenepod[@]gmail.com.

 Sources

•  Wikipedia
• Cashmere, Paul. “Daryl Braithwaite ‘The Horses’ Celebrates 25th Anniversary” noise11.com, May 18, 2016
• Jary, Marta. “Daryl Braithwaite reveals his classic song The Horses may have never have been released...” Daily Mail, Oct 23, 2020
• “The Enduring Appeal of Daryl Braithwaite's The Horses | What Is Music” ABC News, 2018
• Sewell, Eliza. “Hawthorn celebrates victory singing Daryl Braithwaite's pub rock anthem” Herald Sun, Sep 30, 2013
• “Hawthorn drop Daryl Braithwaite’s hit song The Horses as its unofficial anthem” Herald Sun, Mar 22, 2017
• True, Everett. “Friday on my Mind by the Easybeats – bristling with pent-up frustration” The Guardian, Dec 8, 2014
• “Friday on my mind - YOU AM I ( easybeats tribute )” YouTube
• “Step Back / Cara-Lyn: JOHNNY YOUNG AND KOMPANY” Bang a Gong
• “I write the songs” Sydney Morning Herald, Jan 28, 2003.
• “The Sounds of Australia” National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.
• Broughton, J. “Jim Keays (Masters Apprentices) Interview 1999” Casey Radio via YouTube, 1999
• Port Adelaide Highlights “Never Tear Us Apart - Round 8, 2021 vs Adelaide” YouTube, 2021
• Carmen, Lo. “Riveting, terrifying, completely singular: how Chrissy Amphlett changed the game” The Guardian, Mar 1, 2022
• Amphlett, Chrissy. “Pleasure and Pain: My Life” Hodder Australia, 2005
• “TikTok Songs 2022 Australia – Most Used Music on TikTok 2022 (Australia Playlist)” Spotify, 2022
• “I Touch Myself Project”

This two-part episode explores the history and merits of cover songs in Australian pop music. We resume our exploration with one of the biggest and most enduring songs of the 90s… that just happens to be… you guessed it, a cover! We then uncover the covers that were breakthrough hits for some of Australia's best alternative bands in the 2000s. And we ponder some crossover cover hits of the 2010s before reaching our answer to the question: is recording a cover song a good way to make, or break, an Aussie artist’s career?

Find the episode playlist on the Spotify Cara Diaria artist page.  Send questions or compliments to mykindofscenepod[@]gmail.com.

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• Patrin, Nate. “Torn” Between Worlds: One Hit, Many Artists Stereogum. Oct 27, 2017.
• Holmes, Peter. “Minogue Wins Battle of Aussie Divas” Billboard. Jan, 2002. 
• Eliscu, Jenny. “Rooney, Jet Visit "The O.C."” Rolling Stone, Jan 30, 2004. 
• Youth Group biography, Epitaph Records. 
• Byron, Tim. “Number Ones: ‘You Don’t Own Me’, And The History Of The Cover Song On Australian Charts” Junkee. May 28, 2015.
• Langford, Jackson. “Jolyon Petch responds to Reigan in ‘Dreams’ credit controversy” NME. Nov 25, 2021.
• Weaver, Jackson. “TikTok video catapults Fleetwood Mac's Dreams back up the charts” CBC. Oct 6, 2020.
• Allyn, Bobby. “TikTok Sensation: Meet The Idaho Potato Worker Who Sent Fleetwood Mac Sales Soaring”

This two-part episode explores the history and merits of cover songs in Australian pop music. We’ll try to answer the question: is recording a cover song a good way to make, or break, an Aussie artist’s career? We begin our journey with a surprisingly successful cover of a stoner-rock band, by everybody’s favorite kids band. Then we travel back in time to the 60s, where lots of white guys named Johnny had hits with other people’s songs. We meet the mighty women of the 70s, who each defined their sound with well-chosen covers. We hear how pop, disco and blues records of the past were eightiesified (is that a word?) by new wavers, models and soapie stars, and pause our journey at the dawn of the 1990s.

Find the episode playlist on the Spotify Cara Diaria artist page.  Send questions or compliments to mykindofscenepod[@]gmail.com.

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• All The ARIA Singles Chart #1s” ARIA.com.au, Jan 28, 2022
• Lindvall, Helienne. “Behind the music: Can artists stop people from covering their songs?” The Guardian, Jun 18, 2009
• Newstead, Al. “The Wiggles’ historic Hottest 100 win…” abc.net.au, Jan 22, 2022
• “Johnny O’Keefe – Shout (live)” YouTube, Feb 8, 2012
• “Johnny O’Keefe” Discogs
• Gorr, Libby. “The history of John Farnham’s hit, Sadie The Cleaning Lady” abc.net.au, Apr 12, 2020
• Murphy, Mary. “Superstar Women and their Marriages” New York Magazine, Aug 9, 1976
• Watters, Jim. “Olivia Newton-John: Not Really the ‘Girl Next Door’” New York Times, Jun 11, 1978
• “Official Singles Chart Top 75 - 22 June 1980 - 28 June 1980” OfficialCharts.com. 
• “Interview Brian Canham Pseudo Echo” Female.com.au, 1999
• Renick, Eric. “Four-on-the-floor – That disco beat!” YouTube.com, Jun 10, 2018
• Rolfe, Brooke. “'No one really knew who she was!' Greg Petherick recalls his 'gut instinct' to record Locomotion with Kylie Minogue...” Daily Mail Australia, Aug 5, 2017
• Adams, Cameron. “Locomotion set Kylie on track” Daily Telegraph, Aug 2, 2007

In this episode, we’ll trace the humorous history of Australian novelty songs. The land down under has produced some memorable novelty acts and tunes that could come from nowhere else on the planet. Find the episode playlist on the Spotify Cara Diaria artist page.  Send questions or compliments to mykindofscenepod@gmail.com. 
Sources:
Wikipedia
aria.com.au/charts
Triple J Hottest 100 Archive
Aust Music Podcasts #12 Australian Novelty Songs
A look back at Hottest 100 novelty songs…
The Hen Convention
The first Australian sound recording...
The Career of Lucky Starr
How Lucky Starr reached stardom
A Pub With No Beer
He’s My Blond Headed Stompie Wompie...
‘The Stomp’ dance banned to protect buildings
John Williamson
Up There Brady
Up There Cazaly by Mike Brady…
Is there life after Shaddap You Face?
Queermusicheritage.com
Pauline Pantsdown Controversy
Will the real Pauline Hanson...
Pauline Pantsdown on making a comeback…
ABC news theme an unlikely hit
Could Pendulum’s ‘ABC News’ Remix...
After ten years away, Pendulum are...
Tune of Melbourne’s lockdown ‘Get on the Beers’...
So, Turns Out Mashd N Kutcher...
Dan Andrews just got into the Hottest...

Hey there, I’m Cara Diaria – Australian indie musician and total music nerd.

I’m just stopping by to let you know about my new podcast – My Kind of Scene – where we uncover the past and present of Australian music. 

 From titans to hidden gems, we discover the songs and artists that make up the fabric of our music scene, and explore what makes them succeed. We examine our history through a present-day lens, attempting to understand the giants whose shoulders we stand on, and the creative sparks defining our future.

As a female musician who came of age in the 90s, and has been immersed in the indie rock and pop scenes of the naughties and beyond, I’ll bring my unique perspective to the hits and misses, the movers and shakers, the goodness and greatness that makes the Australian music scene, My Kind Of Scene. 

Living in America recently has really opened my eyes to just how much Australians punch above their weight on the world’s musical stage, and at the same time, how much home-grown talent, for various reasons, doesn’t make it beyond our shores. With this podcast, I’m hoping to bring nostalgia and insight to those who grew up with Australian music soundtracking their lives, and also to open the ears of international listeners, who might be discovering some of this musical gold for the first time.

I’m also keen to dig into the gender and racial inequities that have characterized the scene, and highlight the importance of diversity and representation on our stereos and screens.

Episodes in our first season include an exploration of why a cheesy, comeback hit from the late 80s became an anthem of a generation more than 20 years later.  We’ll uncover how a novelty song about chooks became Australia’s oldest known recording. We’ll take a listen to the cover songs that make – and break – Aussie artists’ careers.  And we’ll lift the wig on one of our country’s most successful, and mysterious, musical exports. 

I’ll upload the playlist from each episode to my Spotify page, so you can keep listening to all the great music, after you’ve finished the episode.

All this, and much, much more coming to your ears every month – please follow My Kind of Scene, wherever you find good podcasts.

Episode playlists: Cara Diaria on Spotify

In this episode, we trace the career of Sia, one of the most successful musicians Australia has ever produced. We explore her achievements as a singer, songwriter, and collaborator, discover her influences, and the situations and decisions that opened doors to success. And we pose the question: did Sia have to leave Australia to find success?

Like the music? Find the episode playlist on the Spotify Cara Diaria artist page. 

Send questions or compliments to mykindofscenepod@gmail.com.

Subscribe to My Kind of Scene to hear each new episode when it drops!

Sources:

• Wikipedia – please donate!  
• Cliff, Aimee. “How Sia’s Polarising Vocals Have Invaded The Pop Mainstream,” thefader.com, 2016 
• Harry, Michael. "Sia Sensation" (PDF). The Adelaide Advertiser: 24–26. Archived 5 Nov 2010.
• “Sia – List of Songs” What Song.
• Domjen, Briana. “Singer Sia’s emotional tribute to Men at Work frontman Colin Hay” The Daily Telegraph, Feb 29, 2020.
• “Sia Wiki – Loene Furler” Fandom
• Madormo, Mary. “The Stunning Transformation of Sia” The List. Jul 5, 2017.
• Knopper, Steve. “Sia Furler, The Socially Reclusive Pop Star” New York Times, Apr 18, 2014.
• Murphett, Andrew. “Sia Furler: Fame Does Not Become her” Sydney Morning Herald, Jun 18, 2010.
• Puleston, Andy. “Sia Healing Is Difficult Review” BBC.co.uk, 2002.
• Adams, Cameron. “Sia Furler is enjoying attentions of Christina Aguilera” Herald Sun, Mar 12, 2009.
• “Sia – Where I Belong” Contact Music, 2004.
• The J Files: Hilltop Hoods. May 13, 2021.
• Hilltop Hoods “Sia Worked With Us For Free” Radar Music, Mar 2012.
• Sanders, Sam. A Reluctant Star, Sia Deals With Fame On Her Own Terms. NPR Music, Jul 8, 2014.
• Gallo, Phil. “Sia: The Billboard Cover Story.” Billboard, Oct 25, 2013. 
• Furler, Sia. “My Anti-Fame Manifesto.” Billboard, Oct 25, 2013. 
• Renshaw, David. “Sia reveals early details of brand new album ‘This Is Acting’.” NME, Feb 17, 2015.
• Inspiration: Molanphy, Chris. “Hit Parade” Slate.com