Open the Pod Bay Doors

Et Al on the road

For a while now, Pete and I have been talking about taking the pod show on the road, as it were. We’ve come close to doing a couple of things before apathy and disorganisation has prevailed. Anyway, good news: Et Al is coming for Melbourne for a live pod, sponsored by the Wheeler Centre, which adjoins our beloved State Library and, in case you’re unaware, is ‘Melbourne’s home for smart, passionate and entertaining public talks’, .

A couple of good-looking roosters, am I right? Actually, my mug shot’s a half-hearted selfie for My Brother Jaz, while Pete puts me in mind of Dave Stewart from Eurythmics. Rather too precisely described as ‘veteran sports journalists’, we’ll be getting together at 6.30pm on Thursday 12 February. You can book here. Come along to see how the magic really happens, as two senior citizens of the fourth estate try remembering to press the record button. Memo: it doesn’t always happen.

Coincidentally, I’ve just been a guest on a podcast that actually does all that fiddly stuff really well: episode 721 of Meshel Laurie’s amazing Australian True Crime focuses this week on Who Is Wallace? The Enigma of the World’s Oldest Prisoner.

I wrote about the story of Bill Wallace here, and am still selling copies, which have now followed me from my old kitchen to my new one - just to reiterate, send me your address (gideonhaigh@hotmail.com), deposit $50 in bsb 733152, acct no 525322, and Who Is Wallace? is yours. You can get them at Readings too. Also should you be in Ararat on the afternoon of Wednesday 25 February, I’ll be launching the book at J Ward, the former Ararat Gaol that for more than a century was last stop on the line for Victoria’s criminally insane, and is now a brilliant community museum.

RSVP to info@jward.org.au. Ararat’s lovely, by the way, and both J Ward and Aradale are well worth a visit. Tell them Et Al sent you.