Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast

Writer Robert Dessaix, now based in Hobart, was named Thomas Robert Jones by his adoptive parents. His name change to Dessaix, to reflect his French family heritage, is just one of many shifts Robert has made through his long life, around sexuality, friendships, appreciating art and travel, and facing the end of life. Guest: Robert Dessaix, author of 'Chameleon' (Text)Previous books include: 'A mother's disgrace', 'Corfu' and 'Arabesques'Producers: Ann Arnold/David MarrOriginally broadcast March 6, 2025

Veteran British journalist and editor Alan Rusbridger discusses Donald Trump’s attacks on the US press, Jeff Bezos’s editorial about-face at the Washington Post, the threats to the media in the West and how the industry should respond. GUEST: Alan Rusbridger, Editor, Prospect MagazinePRODUCER: Catherine ZengererOriginally broadcast March 6, 2025. Editor's note: The barring of Associate Press from the White House Press Room in March was subsequently overturned. 

We're living in unusual times, with political history being made every week and the seemingly imminent collapse of a certain global super power on the horizon. "Once you pull on the thread of collapse, the entire tapestry of history begins to unravel," writes Luke Kemp. What can we learn from looking at the collapse of past societies?Guest: Luke Kemp, research affiliate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge. His first book is 'Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse'.Originally broadcast on 21 May, 2025

A new history of the union movement in Australia says marginalised groups like migrants, women, Indigenous Australians and LGBTQIA+ people were often left to run their own grassroots campaigns, and were only embraced by the broader union movement once their campaigns had gained momentum. But the approach of unions reflected the broader attitudes of the Australia of the day. GUEST: Dr Liam Byrne, author of ‘No Power Greater - A History of Union Action in Australia’  published by Melbourne University Press. Originally broadcast on 21 May, 2025

Before the 1967 war, radio ruled the Middle East—TV was a rare luxury. For the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Israel, the airwaves buzzed with news, and more often than not, propaganda. Alongside the giants like the BBC, hundreds of smaller stations across the region churned out their own political messages.GUEST: Margaret Peacock, Professor of History, University of Alabama and author of Frequencies of Deceit: How Global Propaganda Wars Shaped the Middle EastPRODUCER: Ali BentonOriginally broadcast on March 19, 2025

'One day, when it's safe, when there's no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it's too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.' That tweet, by Omar El Akkad, in October 2023, three weeks after Israel invaded Gaza, has been viewed over ten million times. Its author, Omar El Akkad, has now written a book of searing essays, asking, among other things, what it is that 'polite liberal progressives' actually stand for.Guest: Omar El Akkad, US-based journalist, novelist, author of ‘One day, everyone will have always been against this’ (Text) Producer: Ann ArnoldOriginally broadcast March 27, 2025

The thickness, colour and texture of facial and head hair showed character traits about men and women, it was believed in 19th century America. The assessments were imbued with judgements about race and gender. Guest: Sarah Gold McBride, author of 'Whiskerology: the culture of hair in 19th century America’ (Harvard University Press, due out in June 2025). Sarah is an historian, and lecturer in the Program in American Studies, University of California, Berkely Producer: Ann ArnoldOriginally broadcast April 24, 2025

In 1973, the Australian government acquired the painting Blue Poles by Jackson Pollock for $1.3 million AUD. It created huge division in Australia, and arguably contributed to the downfall of the Whitlam Government. A new book revisits this important intersection of art and politics. Guest: Tom McIlroy, political editor at Guardian Australia, Author of 'Blue Poles: Jackson Pollock, Gough Whitlam and the Painting that Changed a Nation’ (Hachette)Producer: Ann ArnoldOriginally broadcast February 26, 2025

David Marr is joined by Laura Tingle, Hannah Ferguson and Craig Reucassel to review the monumental year of 2025 - including its weirdest moments - and ask where Australia finds itself as another year looms. Guests:Laura Tingle, Global Affairs Editor, ABC (formerly Political Editor, 7.30)Hannah Ferguson, founder of Cheek Media, co host of Big Small TalkCraig Reucassel, presenter of ABC Radio Sydney 702 BreakfastProducer: Catherine Zengerer

A new exhibition at the University of Melbourne's Medical History Museum, Cultural Medicine: The Art of Indigenous Healing celebrates 65,000 years of First Nations medical knowledge and practice from across the continent. It reveals fascinating stories of medical practice, including when Indigenous knowledge of the corkwood plant was used to develop a seasickness pill for the Allied D-Day invasion. Guest: Jacqueline Healy, Curator and Director of Museums, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health SciencesProducer: Jack Schmidt