Ian Dickson, aka Dicko, is best known for his role as the tough-love judge on Australian Idol, making him a household name and a staple part of Australian TV & Radio for the last 20 years. Prior to Idol, Dicko spent over 20 years in the record industry in the UK.

But Dicko is far more complex than the person we tuned into each week. In this episode he opens up to Jess about his addiction to fame, and why his confidence was rocked when the phone stopped ringing. Behind his charm and confidence Dicko was battling imposter syndrome, just ‘waiting to be found out’.

Once described as the most hated man in Australia, Dicko says he meant every word he said on TV, and shares the confronting moment he realised his words carried a weight. You're also going to hear who he is when the cameras stop rolling, and you might be surprised to learn that Dicko cares a lot about what other people think of him.

Content warning: This conversation touches on some heavy topics including drugs and sexual abuse.

Dicko has returned to his roots mentoring artists and producing live music festivals here. He also has a podcast called Game on Mole 

The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show acknowledges the Gadigal people, Traditional Custodians of the land on which we recorded this podcast, and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples here today.

Show Credits:
Host: Jessica Rowe
Executive Producer: Nic McClure
Audio Producer: Nicola Sitch
Digital Content Producer: Amy Code 

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