00:00:06
Raj Perry, welcome to my podcast. Dom, >> so good. I [laughter] don't know whether
00:00:11
you save the best to last or you got the the worst to last. Your MS you've had
00:00:15
Bryce and here I am. So, thank you. >> What do they say? They they uh they give
00:00:21
you any tips. They warn you. They What? >> Yeah. I didn't I to be honest, I haven't
00:00:25
seen Miles's one. I've seen Bryce's one and uh he said it was really hot in this
00:00:30
room. Whether it was you were grilling him or something, you felt the heat. But um no, Bryce's was very good. Actually,
00:00:34
I thought his was a great podcast. Uh he did very well. You did very well. So, no, he just said um be yourself, relax,
00:00:41
and you don't have to ask answer all of Dom's questions. [laughter] >> Well, you don't.
00:00:46
>> No, he was. No, no, he I saw Robert Scott one as well. That was very good,
00:00:50
too. Yeah. >> No, there's no um no no stitchups, no clickbait, no gotchas. So yeah, if
00:00:56
there's anything you want out afterwards, we take it out. Um it's just um a conversation and I'm really excited
00:01:01
about this because you and I um >> basically worked in like rooms like side
00:01:07
by side for the best part of 20 years and we never had a conversation like this.
00:01:11
>> No, it's so weird that we have known each other. We were literally we're
00:01:14
literally the same age cuz I heard you talking to Robert Scott. I mean I sort of knew anyway. You started in Palmy,
00:01:20
Palmyon North, uh to excess literally the same time I did start doing breakfast pretty much um at the rock. Um
00:01:30
I'm not saying our careers mirror each other, but there's a lot of similarities. We did breakfast the same
00:01:35
time, the same age. We've worked together for so long. We did work together for so long and we were never
00:01:41
we never really apart from, you know, survey parties and the odd, you know, stuff like that. Weirdly, we never
00:01:47
really had a lot to do each other with each other. >> Well, I think you're just you're just
00:01:50
busy. Like you're you're on you're on your station. I'm on mine. You might see
00:01:54
each other um at a urinal break or in the kitchen waiting for some toast. >> I know. So bizarre,
00:02:00
>> but this is going to be fun. This is going to be fun because you've um Yeah.
00:02:04
Okay. So, we're recording this at 11:30 on a Tuesday morning. >> Um so,
00:02:08
>> October 6. So, what's your what's your morning look like? You you got up at
00:02:13
4:30 a.m. >> Yeah, got up at 4:30. Uh so we've just finished So we've just finished the Rock
00:02:18
2000 countdown which lasts for a month and it's all go the actual countdown lasts a month and the buildup to that is
00:02:24
probably another four weeks maybe longer. So busiest time of the year for us and culminates in this massive last
00:02:30
day um on the Friday couple of Fridays ago like 6,400 people inside Spark Arena the last 20 odd songs counted down of
00:02:40
the countdown. So people are there listening to the radio essentially. Uh it's a crazy time. It's a so it's a very
00:02:46
good time. But after that finishes, you're on such a bit of a high and you come back to work and you still
00:02:54
you still got you think, "Oh Christ, I still got a few more months to go yet."
00:02:57
You know, you sort of you sort of peak, but you can't peak because you still you
00:03:01
can't it's not like it's a month away. So um so we're all I don't Yeah, we're
00:03:05
all a little bit tired, I think, after after that. It's such a big event. Um
00:03:09
>> it is it is it is iconic. So I have these moments where I think um your
00:03:13
radio is like a sunset industry that's on the way out and then you see on social media something like um that rock
00:03:18
show and you think no there's there's still a massive audience here. They're
00:03:22
still engaged. >> See a lot of stations do countdowns. I mean they're nothing new. Everyone's
00:03:26
done countdowns forever. But this one has just started off 25 years ago. So I mean it's it's got a it's got longevity
00:03:32
but it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger. And now now we're kind of wondering how do we make it bigger?
00:03:37
because we probably can't get too many more in Spark Arena. If we had to, they'd have to um sell seats, you know,
00:03:43
you can't expect people to sit down for like 8 hours or whatever, however long
00:03:47
they're there um with the countdown in bands and stuff. So, yeah. No, it's it
00:03:51
just gets um it's good for us. But yeah, no, I I think for um if you if you do
00:03:56
things well and properly and there's a good reason behind uh to do things like
00:04:00
that, I think it's um they'll they'll turn up in their droves and it always
00:04:03
seems to be a ratings winner for us as well. So, you know, it's very successful.
00:04:08
>> Are you are you So, are you tired right now? So, you you've done your morning
00:04:12
show. You've had a debrief meeting. >> Yeah, we did have a meeting today with
00:04:14
the boss, Brad. Um, but what we did have a meeting about, which I feel a little bit uh not funny about, but a bit weird
00:04:20
because I I am having the next couple months off. So, Leon, who you know, the big boss at Media Works, one of them
00:04:27
anyway. Um, he used to be your boss. We had discussions earlier on this year and
00:04:32
Brad, our other boss, the rock boss, and uh I was sort of wondering what to do with uh the rest of my career, whether
00:04:38
I'd finish end of this year or come back next year or whatever I was going to do.
00:04:43
So, they offered me a sbatical. So, I've got um November, December off. Uh and
00:04:48
and also most of Jan. Uh so, yeah. So, I mean that's just to recharge recharge
00:04:54
the batteries really. I feel a little bit burnt out. And I'm not just saying
00:04:57
that I'm feeling burnt out now, but I sort of been feeling burnt out off and
00:05:01
on the last couple of years. Sort of once I got to 50, I sort of felt a little bit bit different in my head and
00:05:07
and went, you know, I've been doing this for 31 years this year, breakfast, and
00:05:12
could be time for a I'm not saying I'm going to change, but it could be time
00:05:14
for a change. So, uh, they were great. They offered me this, uh, two-month break. Well, three months really, and
00:05:21
uh, so November three, I think I'll be off. So uh that's that. So that's yeah
00:05:26
that's great. I mean it's a bit of light at the end of the tunnel and I'm very
00:05:29
appreciative of it. I know so many people work harder than me work longer hours have been working [laughter]
00:05:35
real jobs >> have real jobs that don't ever think of getting sabaticals and having November
00:05:40
December and most of Janov. So I'm very appreciative of the fact uh that it's
00:05:44
come my way. Um but I just had to do 31 years of breakfast radio to get it. [laughter]
00:05:49
>> Yeah. I know like um >> I think people think it's a 4-hour a day
00:05:54
job, but a lot of a lot of work goes into it. And um yeah, when I had Bryce on the podcast, he said um you heard his
00:06:00
one, eh? Yes, I >> have. He said your your greatest strength is probably your greatest
00:06:04
weakness, and that is that you you you work you work too hard or you care too much.
00:06:07
>> Yeah, he said I care too. He's probably right. >> So, you put a lot into it.
00:06:10
>> Yeah, it's just I've been there since nearly day one and it's kind of feels
00:06:14
like it's not like I joined. >> It's not just a job. It's It can't just
00:06:18
be a job. It's got to be you're either 100% in or you're 100% out really. And I
00:06:23
was al I've been there for so long. I was there. It started end of 1991 and I
00:06:27
joined halfway through 1992. >> Um not doing breakfast but I've been there so long I've it's sort of
00:06:33
>> it was it's it's my life. It's my life. It's got me it got me everything
00:06:37
everything I ever wanted. So I feel >> I feel like um so dedicated to it. And
00:06:43
but then I feel now that >> I've I've sort [snorts] of maybe gone through that and it's like now it might
00:06:48
be time just to not kick back but yeah re-evaluate my future. So but I am I am back next year on on the Breakfast Show.
00:06:55
Yeah. >> Wow. I'm I'm calling [ __ ] on all of this. So you how old are you now?
00:06:59
>> 52. >> 52. Okay. So seven there's a guy I've had on the podcast called Fraser Grew.
00:07:03
He's a content creator. He's doing a project called 10,000 Dreams. >> I've I've done one of I've done one.
00:07:08
[laughter] >> I know. So this is 7 years ago. So you were 45. Oh, was I then? Yeah. Yeah.
00:07:12
Yeah. >> 45. And your dream was um to be retired at Mafify by the age of 50. [laughter]
00:07:20
>> Well, I'm not. Well, I did. So, I think Yes, they've played that back to me.
00:07:24
Actually, they played that back to me on air. And so, I'm half there because I do
00:07:28
have a house in Mangafi. [laughter] >> I think I said I wanted to retire on my
00:07:32
deck or something and drink wine or whatever. So, I do do that, but I'm not retired. No, I'm halfway there. I am
00:07:38
halfway there. Yeah. >> There's another thing. Um, and we'll give you some grace on this one. This
00:07:41
was a Women's Day article for 3 years ago. Um, I don't know when the time will
00:07:46
be. Uh, but I certainly won't be doing this show in 10 years time. >> No, that's Well, there. That's true. No,
00:07:51
I won't be. No. >> Do you think you won't be? >> No. When was that? 10.
00:07:54
>> So, this is three three years ago. So, you got seven years to go. >> No. No. Definitely not. No.
00:07:57
>> How can you say that? >> I just know. When you know, you know. I'm h I'm not just saying I'm going to
00:08:01
I'm not retiring, but No. I I do. When you know, you know. And I I >> Or do you think you'll you'll be done or
00:08:06
management will decide that you're done by then? both. [laughter] >> No. Well, I haven't yet. No, look, I'm
00:08:12
not going to make any statements, but um No, I I definitely I can honestly say like what's in seven years time, no, I
00:08:18
won't be doing the Breakfast Show. I'll nearly be 60 by then. So, >> why wouldn't But but if your heart was
00:08:24
still in it. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> I'd say they'd still want you to do it.
00:08:27
>> I think me I think so. Yeah. Yeah. I think it just gets a bit harder when you
00:08:31
get older uh to just to keep on getting up um for it. Uh it's also it's just
00:08:37
it's the it's the physical side of it getting out of bed, you know. I mean I'm
00:08:39
not everyone gets out of bed early, so don't think I'm complaining, but uh I've
00:08:43
been doing it for 31 years. Um but I just know within myself that I don't have like another seven years in me to
00:08:50
do I'd love I'd happily work in radio. Absolutely. But I don't think I'll be
00:08:54
getting out of bed early >> uh 4:30 in the morning for in for seven more years. No def definitely not. No. I
00:09:00
also don't think I'd I'd be mentally as as on to it. You know, I just think
00:09:06
you'd after a while you might just you're just not as sharp. You're not as
00:09:10
sharp anymore. You have to be sharp. Bang bang bang doing breakfast. >> I don't know. I don't I don't know. I I
00:09:16
reckon you could you could sign your own departure date, but who who knows? >> Um
00:09:21
>> Yeah. Okay. So, who is Roger Fairley away from the microphone? I I feel like
00:09:26
yourself and the rock. You've been there such a long time. It's one and the same.
00:09:28
And it's a it's a big part of your It's over half your life. It's a big part of
00:09:31
your identity. Yeah. Who is who is the real Roger Farrell? >> Yeah. Because my wife has said like you
00:09:36
are just Roj from the Rock whether you like it or not and whether wherever you go if you're [snorts] never anyone else
00:09:42
but Rod from the Rock. But I am like Raj the Family Man with two lovely daughters. So there's um away from it
00:09:48
all I I I do like my own company. I'm not I love being part of the rock. I love being I love doing promotions. I
00:09:55
love getting out there. Always have. That'll never that'll never change. But
00:09:59
there's also a part of when you just want to kick, you know, really just put
00:10:03
the walls up, so to speak, and and just not have to worry about any of that and not have to worry about talking on the
00:10:09
phone or talking to people. I'm Yeah, I'm >> I'm quite I'm quite happily in my own in
00:10:15
my own company. I don't feel the need I have to always >> hang out with mates and and all that
00:10:20
sort of I'm a bit different like like that. Like a lot of people like to, you
00:10:24
know, happy to hang out with mates and do stuff like that. I'm quite happy just
00:10:28
sort of kicking back by myself. Um, all the family. Um, it's weird cuz you don't
00:10:33
see them a lot. I don't see my wife a lot because I never see her in the mornings and then I'm in bed so early
00:10:39
like 8:30 night. I never see her at night. >> So that's the key to a [laughter] good
00:10:43
>> That's might be why we've lasted so long. >> What would What would So your wife Lisa,
00:10:50
what would she say about you? Like are you kind of introverted? Are you a deep thinker?
00:10:54
>> Am I introverted? No, I don't think she think I'm introverted. Um, but you'd
00:10:58
think I'm certainly not the happy guy that laughs a lot on on radio. I don't
00:11:03
think I'm I'm not like that at home, for example. You know, like a lot of your
00:11:06
friends have have said, "Oh, I hear him on the radio then I I'm not miserable
00:11:10
when they meet me, but I'm not that sort of >> exaggerated." Exaggerated version of
00:11:14
myself at at home. No. >> No, I'm more I'm more sort of um bit more quieter at home, actually. Yeah.
00:11:19
and and you've got real stuff to deal with in at home, you know, and life works easy compared to stuff you got to
00:11:26
deal with in life with kids and and that's kids from, >> you know, >> babies, toddlers all the way through to
00:11:31
now they're 24 and 20. There's still issues you got to deal with. So, yeah,
00:11:35
the the rock side of things sort of takes a backseat at home. Um, probably a little bit more quieter version of
00:11:41
myself. >> Boring. >> You're um How often do you get recognized by the voice? More than I
00:11:47
think, more than I thought should ever happen. Really? [laughter] Yeah. More more than I I mean. Yeah. It's I always
00:11:53
even before me in social media, it was I don't know how anyone does, but they
00:11:57
Yeah. More than I thought they would, to be honest. Yeah. And then now with um everything's on social media now. And
00:12:04
then >> Yeah. I mean, it's not like it's ridiculous, but it can, you know, it's
00:12:08
either it either happens a lot some days or it never happens at all. happened not
00:12:12
happened for months and months and months but then >> but yeah but yeah you like Dancing with
00:12:17
the Stars that was uh ridiculous for a while but yeah it's only New Zealand.
00:12:21
Yeah. [laughter] >> So it's not really a big it's not really a big deal. [snorts] No.
00:12:25
>> So when when when did your voice get deep like when >> I was light man I was really light. Like
00:12:29
I was um 60 kilos or something when I was like 16. I was there's nothing to me. No not there's much to me now but um
00:12:38
and I was a late developer. I was always the shortest in my class. Every photo bar, seventh form, like year 13, I'm
00:12:45
always the shortest in my class. Always. And I was always this thin little kid. And so nothing like all my It was so
00:12:52
humiliating. All my mates were growing taller, getting facial hair. And I had nothing, no pubes, I had [laughter] no
00:12:59
voice. I was like this. And then it wasn't until I was about so all 15 nothing happened. Then I think I that
00:13:08
summer I think so I was nearly 16 all of a sudden out of nowhere I was just this
00:13:13
I just was this croaky frog in my throat constantly that I could I was like what
00:13:18
is going on and that was and that was my voice dropping but I've heard tapes of
00:13:24
when I was on air at 18 and it was it sounds it sounds high then um but it was everyone used to think it was quite deep
00:13:33
then but it wasn't but it was yeah it was deep enough but that's when it
00:13:36
happened. I was very very late developer when it finally happened. Finally kicked
00:13:39
in. Yeah. >> Cuz it was weird because I'd always wanted to be in radio.
00:13:43
>> Yeah. From what age? >> Well, I used to I reckon about eight eight or nine. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. Why?
00:13:48
>> Because I used to listen to there was only one radio station I grew up in um
00:13:52
Ky um half an hour 40 minutes from Taranga. And there was only one station um as there was in each town. So radio
00:13:59
bop. Uh Brian Kelly used to I think he used to BK. >> Um he inspired me to I used to listen to
00:14:06
him as a kid do the birthday calls. He'd have this um which I used to think at the time he'd
00:14:13
have this uh duck come in called Quack of the Duck [laughter] and um knock stuff over in the studio
00:14:20
and cause mayhem. And it was just a guy with a duck caller obviously but >> theater of the mind.
00:14:25
>> Theater of the mind. And I still remember it to this day. And I was like
00:14:28
man that sounds like a fun job. And he he was very good. I he was very good at his job. And then um I was like, "Yeah,
00:14:34
I just want to be like Brian Kelly." >> Yeah. >> That time everyone had like um a
00:14:38
character. So I was in Palmer North. There was a guy there called Bernsy and he had um he had um I think it was Mory
00:14:44
Mouse or Monty Mouse [laughter] and it was just like a squeaky cork and a wine bottle and there was um there was a guy
00:14:49
called Lindsay Yo who was a star in Wellington. He had Buzzo Bumble. >> Mate, he had the bee. Everyone remembers
00:14:53
this sort [laughter] of stuff. So I think all these guys all around the country. Oh, he's got a mouse. He's got
00:14:58
a bee. I've got to get I've got to get something. And so it was a duck and I
00:15:02
had this poster on my wall of Quack of the Duck of this guy in a duck suit. And he was a guest that would you know he'd
00:15:08
come in every you know once an hour and quack [laughter] and it was like I want to be I want to
00:15:16
be like that. And then of course when you get in radio you'd feel it's just
00:15:19
some some promo guy with a duck caller probably the illusions. That's what I
00:15:24
love. That's what I loved about it. I always loved that side of it. Even when
00:15:27
I was got mid dawn a mid dawn job uh at a station called coastline FM which is now more FM in Tanga and even then it
00:15:36
was um I love that that side of of the theater even I was doing mid dawns then but I used to love uh the breakfast show
00:15:42
and what went on there and just you know character voices which was radio was all
00:15:46
about character voices in the in the early 90s that's what we carried on doing when we started doing breakfast.
00:15:51
Yeah. So yeah that's that's the side of I loved about it. So yeah, I had a I had
00:15:55
no voice at 8 or 9 and yet here I was thinking I was going to be a radio announcer. But luckily it certainly
00:16:01
helped that I my voice dropped. >> That it opened a few doors. It opened. Yeah.
00:16:06
>> Did you have a plan B? >> No, not really. I did apply when I was still at school to the Polytech and they
00:16:13
said I was too young. It was like a radio journalism/course and I applied to do that and they they
00:16:19
said I was too young and by then I think I'd got a part-time job at uh Coastline
00:16:25
doing mid dawn in the weekends. So I was like h I'm I've got I'm kind of near
00:16:30
nearly set here. I've got weekends and there was a job. So I was Yeah. So that's when I started when I was 17. I I
00:16:37
was still at school I think. >> Wow. >> Yeah. >> Can you remember your first your first
00:16:41
shift or your first breaks? >> Yeah. So first shift I was yes I just I think it was school was just wrapping up
00:16:47
just on my exams um bit of a story Grant hisop started coastline FM who I didn't
00:16:54
know but I friends of long story short friends of friends knew him and said send him a tape of you talking so I got
00:17:02
to the bay plenty of times and I read out an ad you know like you know Tony's
00:17:07
tractors you know call them 07839 [laughter] you know and they all you know and then And I did the weather, but
00:17:13
I have plenty weather today. It's going to be fine with a high of 18° and cloudy
00:17:16
tomorrow, Tuesday. And I sent this tape into him. And I get a call and he he wants to meet me, but I'm still at
00:17:22
school. And I'm petrified of going into the radio station by myself and meeting
00:17:28
this guy cuz just the thought of it just freaked me out. I thought, man, a radio
00:17:32
station. I'm actually going to go into a radio station. So I took my mom with me.
00:17:35
I was that scared. So I was at reception with my mom and he Grant comes out. Someone had said, "Rog's here to see
00:17:41
you. this guy that sent the tape in. Grant comes out, looks around, sees this kid at reception with his mother and and
00:17:47
thinks I'm just there to pick up a price, walks back in and says, "Where's
00:17:51
Roj? Why isn't he here? I thought he was here." And it was it was me. So he'd
00:17:54
heard this tape and couldn't match the voice. >> Oh, right. >> So he's like, he saw this little kid.
00:17:58
And I was a little kid. I was 17. But so he sits me down and goes, "Oh my god,
00:18:02
it's you. Uh your your voice is good." So um there's a job basically earning
00:18:07
nothing doing uh Weekend Midons. So that's how that's how I started. Yeah.
00:18:11
So your first show uh abs I was terrified. It was like midnight, you know, like all of Friday night, you're
00:18:19
stewing, your stomach, I used to get terrible like, you know, my stomach would let me down and I'd be like, "Oh."
00:18:27
And then mid yeah, midnight on air doing the weather was the top, you know, first
00:18:32
thing you did did the weather. But of course, you know, you you're nervous. You don't know how to use the equipment
00:18:37
properly. It doesn't work. So, it's that whole, you know, that whole you're
00:18:40
playing two things over at one, you know. So you're playing the weather bed,
00:18:43
which I kicked off. Weather bed plays, didn't fade that down properly. Kicked
00:18:47
the song off. So you had the weather song playing over the same, you know, same. And I went, "Oh shit." Like this.
00:18:53
[laughter] And then I thought, "Oh, I've just sworn my first ever break." Oh, you
00:18:57
probably couldn't hear it. And I was And then it was just like mic goes off and
00:19:01
I'm just like I'm like, >> "I'm done. I'm finished. >> I'm done." Everything I've ever wanted
00:19:06
to do my whole life. And I've just absolutely cocked up my first ever voice break. And the confidence just took a
00:19:12
massive dive and so you're like and your whole time you're just stressing for 6
00:19:17
hours. This is in terms no one listening at like three no [laughter] one is listening you know.
00:19:22
>> Yeah. Early early 90s there's maybe a thousand a couple of thousand people
00:19:25
listening. >> Yeah. This is one city and there were two stations then. So yeah there's no
00:19:29
one listening. >> I spent that whole six hours just stressing that I'd stuffed up and
00:19:34
someone had heard me swear and and it was the Yeah. And then I'd left and then
00:19:39
this guy came in at 6, the guy that took over from me. He was and he and I'd left
00:19:44
the studio in a mess and he just absolutely bollocked me for leaving the studio. All the records cuz there
00:19:49
records back then. So I'd left all the records cuz I was just cuz he never stayed up either. Like doing Midnight
00:19:56
till 600 is so uncommon and I was exhausted and he told me off leaving the records in a mess and and I was like,
00:20:04
"Oh man, is this am I do I really want to do this? Is this really what I want
00:20:08
to do? Cuz that was an absolute nightmare. Uh that was So that was my first show. Wasn't that good? Wasn't
00:20:13
that >> enjoyable? [laughter] >> What's the What's the oldest recording
00:20:15
you've got of yourself? >> I think there there's been some uh there
00:20:20
were some of of Coastline days. I I don't know where they are now, but I know there's some early ones of of Nick
00:20:27
and I on the Rock doing breakfast. So that's 1994 95. There's some of those
00:20:32
still around. I'm just trying to get them buried and destroyed. But but the people that hold on to them, they're not
00:20:38
going to tell me and they'll just going to come out when I you know like when I
00:20:41
had 30 my 30th year anniversary they they found them. >> They finally f mysteriously found them
00:20:47
and there they were like and they just sound awful. Yeah. >> Yeah. So so yeah. So two stations you've
00:20:53
worked at e straight out of school >> then you moved to the rock in 1992. >> Yeah. Yeah. So yeah. So Grant uh his and
00:21:01
um a few others started coastline. He left took quite a few with him to the rock and then started the rock up end of
00:21:07
91. Yeah. And then he I was every I was keen as I was doing mid dawns then full-time Midorms. So I did those for
00:21:13
about a year and a half and I was keen so keen to get to Hamilton and and excuse me start at the rock and so uh
00:21:20
yeah long story short he hired me to do drive. He was doing drive. He was doing afternoons. He's also running the
00:21:26
station. So he put me on nights for like a week just to make sure I was all right. And then I and I did drive for
00:21:32
like half all the rest of 92 93 and then we had breakfast in 94. Yeah. >> 94. So So that was um Nick and Rod.
00:21:40
>> Yes. Yes. Yes. >> Nick and Rod. So you So you're how old at the time? 20 like 23 22.
00:21:47
>> I started doing breakfast when I was like I was nearly 21. >> Yeah. Yeah. Just just so Yeah. I Yeah. I
00:21:52
>> It's crazy now. >> I know. I think I still think about it. Think about that. I was 20. I because we
00:21:57
I started doing it for like a month and Nick was at another radio station and they needed to try and find a fill in
00:22:03
for him. So we officially started together I think it was April 94 but I'd done it for like a month or two just by
00:22:10
myself just sort of line. It was not even really a breakfast show just waiting for him to to kick in. I know I
00:22:15
was I was 20. I was I turned 21 doing breakfast. It's it's so it's so it's so
00:22:20
young. >> I I was Yeah. I just Yeah. Sorry. Yeah. >> Yeah. No, you've you've you've you've
00:22:25
grown as a person and the station's grown with you and like now now The Rock
00:22:29
is such a big brand they'd never dream of putting a a kid on the breakfast show.
00:22:33
>> Um also Brad your boss who's who's still there like he was given that job as a
00:22:37
basically a kid as well. >> He he started about a year or two later as as the PD of of the rocket. He would
00:22:43
have only been sort of 24 then. >> Um yeah, that was the thing back then. Everyone was was so young. It was a
00:22:51
young staff. you would have been the same. Um, >> yeah, cuz you were a kid, too. Yeah,
00:22:56
it's just they wouldn't do it now. >> No, you you were allowed to make
00:22:59
mistakes and learn as you went. And >> it was it was Yeah, it was it was just a
00:23:05
different time. There were just because the government had deregulated the market. So, there were all these
00:23:10
stations popping up. So, hence you need more announcers >> and hence it was just loose. It was just
00:23:16
looser. Way looser. And you're allowed to be just just so different. Way more
00:23:20
different. Wow. >> How how long did um the Nick and Ro show last? >> So 94 we started together and then all
00:23:27
the way through. So then we left Oakland uh sorry left Hamilton in 99 when The Rock went to Aland in 99 and that's when
00:23:36
it to the whole country. So we were still going then. And then he left I always forget. I think it was the
00:23:43
beginning of 2005. >> I'm pretty sure that he he left. Yeah. >> Yes. He hated Oakland. E when the Rock
00:23:49
moved to Aland. Yeah. I remember we were in the building at the same time and he
00:23:52
just wasn't a fan. Never sort of adjusted. I think I think there was a murder in his street and that was the
00:23:56
moment where >> where him and his wife were like, "Nah, we got to we got to move back to the
00:23:59
07." >> No, there was he did he didn't like Oakland at all and um then he then he
00:24:05
moved back to Hamilton and but was commuting >> and that was kind of the beginning of
00:24:09
the end really, >> you know, getting up at 3:00 in the morning and having to drive from
00:24:12
Hamilton to to Oakland. So yeah, it's very hard to very hard to get a show to,
00:24:17
you know, happening when that's when that's going on. In the meantime, as
00:24:21
well, I think early sort of 2003 or four, um, they'd hired Leah Pariper and Simon D as part of the show too. So we
00:24:30
used Reader Sports Guy. So the show had changed quite a lot from the Hamilton days.
00:24:35
>> I think he missed the Hamilton days, the on air Hamilton days. Things sort of
00:24:38
changed a bit when we moved to Oakland. So yeah, he left then. Yeah. Beginning of 2005. Yeah.
00:24:42
>> Yeah. in in the in the early days of that show was it was like him doing
00:24:45
funny voices and stuff. >> Yeah, it was all character voices. A lot of radio was sort of I'm not saying all
00:24:50
but it was sort of a lot of it was then. Yeah. So it was he was very good at that. Um and he was all these character
00:24:55
voices and it worked it worked in the '90s. Yeah. It was you know it was working for us uh then but then things
00:25:02
changed when we moved to Auckland. >> Yeah. I I I was thinking about this um
00:25:06
when I was um prepping for this chat. I can't remember the exact details of it
00:25:09
but you can probably fill in some blanks. Wasn't there some lady in Napia that just had an interview and she was
00:25:14
like making hundreds of complaints? >> Fantastic memory. That's exactly right.
00:25:18
So from >> Do you remember her name? [laughter] >> No, but I No, but weirdly I remember she
00:25:23
lived on Kennedy Road because she >> it was like a onewoman crusade against
00:25:27
she was Yeah. So she hated us and and would write and would listen would record our shows. So I this is probably
00:25:33
95 96 on >> all the way through and we were still getting complaints when we moved to
00:25:38
Oakland. So that was, you know, 99 2000 still. So she would record our show and and highlight bits that she hated and
00:25:46
and complained about them to the BSA. So the BSA met, I don't know, once a quarter, maybe four times a year, four
00:25:54
year. And and so they'd accumulate all these complaints to us about us. And so
00:26:00
because backlog because because a backlog of three or four months of complaints that and when things are
00:26:05
written down they sound way worse than [laughter] than you talking like an on air character saying
00:26:12
something is way different to when it's written down in the Herald for example.
00:26:17
And so they would just they just bang us for all these complaints. And so it would just be thousands and thousands of
00:26:22
dollars that we'd have to pay the BSA. And so she got on she was like she found
00:26:27
success. So she said, "This is working." So she kept on doing it and kept on
00:26:32
doing it. And I think it was $68,000 worth of complaints to the BSA that she didn't get the money. It was um
00:26:41
>> Yeah. the government. It's just >> Helen Clark got the money. Yeah. We
00:26:44
interviewed Helen Clark about that. She had a great laugh [laughter] about it. >> Yeah. Well, what um what what comes to
00:26:50
mind when you think about the stuff you used to do that you'd never dream of
00:26:53
doing now? >> No. No. And I mean, it was that was the thing. It was appropriate at the time
00:26:58
though >> and it was working cuz I mean uh whether it was right or not it was no one
00:27:02
complained. I mean yeah she did but you know we were number one in Hamilton in 1998. So we've been on air since '94 and
00:27:08
by 98 we were number one. The rock was number one. We were number one. So um and we're going and weworked uh Steven
00:27:15
Joyce who had um control of the media works then radio works it was known then he was networking us like he was you
00:27:22
guys the edge to all these other um markets and we were writing well there and we were doing all these promotions
00:27:28
and drawing massive crowds and it was life was good so we thought we thought we were you know not maybe not
00:27:35
untouchable but maybe I did actually back then I was only 25 26 it was >> great time to be alive lot at a young
00:27:42
age. Can you can you remember any of I'm sure you can remember, but is there any
00:27:47
like content you did back then that you you want to share? >> No. >> NO. [laughter]
00:27:53
>> WELL, it was just it was more without sharing anything. It was just your
00:27:57
stereotypical, [snorts] okay, you know, so you had a Pakistani dairy owner, you know, you had
00:28:01
a a Samoan mother, you know, you had a young little kid, we had a gay guy ringing. It was, you know what I mean?
00:28:08
It was the stereotypical characters >> that were a thing back then. Um, so that
00:28:14
was it was like that. That's what it was like. >> I mean, like if if tapes of it surfaced
00:28:18
now, like it wouldn't have aged well, does it? It's all in context and it
00:28:22
found a big audience at the time that >> Yeah. I mean, look, I mean, it was, you
00:28:25
know, we were rating, no one was telling us to stop. Um, that was working. Yeah,
00:28:29
>> it was just when you got through sort of I think it was more >> early 2000s when it kind of fell out of
00:28:34
favor a bit and then we had to sort of um reinvent ourselves to a certain extent cuz they all that all just
00:28:40
stopped. Well, it certainly stopped when Nick left, but I think it had certainly
00:28:44
it had stopped >> a bit then before then anyway, you know. So, it was uh it was had it had to
00:28:49
change. Yeah. >> What's what's um what's better and what's worse about radio and the style
00:28:54
of radio now compared to then? Well, you you could be more risque back then and not have to worry because no one's going
00:28:59
to attack you on social media because it didn't exist. >> It's just a onewoman crusade
00:29:04
and it was and it was that's the thing. So, it was all these complaints. >> So, there were so many. There were
00:29:09
hundreds and but everyone thought it was everyone was thought, "Oh my god, everyone's complaining about you and
00:29:14
you're trying to explain to someone. It was one person and that's all it was.
00:29:19
There was literally hand on heart. Oh, there might have been the odd other one, but trust me, there was there was hardly
00:29:24
any and it was just her. And so, yeah, and that in the effect that we had, we were actually told by then we had a new
00:29:31
CEO, Bren Impy, had had become CEO. And he said, "You guys got to clean your act
00:29:35
up because I'm I'm not paying for your fines anymore." So, so you you either
00:29:40
pay out of your own budgets or clean up. So, we just said that's that was it
00:29:45
really. Had to clean our act up a bit. Had to change. >> But, back then, sorry to answer your
00:29:49
question. Um, anything went like any I reckon anything pretty much went back then. If you're talking the 90s, early
00:29:56
2000s, it was a real time. It was the time of uh Jackass, you know, Howard Stern finding getting popular. Um,
00:30:06
everything, the shock jock era, everything that was all culminating in the in the same time really.
00:30:12
>> You say at that time we were sort of doing outrageous stunts on the edge and
00:30:15
then the only place to go is up. So you have to keep escalating. I I know. >> I look back and it's amazing. No one was
00:30:21
killed cuz there was no health and safety. There was no checks and balances. >> No, cuz we No, I agree. There was So,
00:30:27
Jackass was massive obviously. And so we had Jono, we' do stuff to Jonno. Jonno
00:30:32
Prior. >> Yeah. Do stuff to J. >> Yeah. Yeah. Who's gone on to way bigger
00:30:36
things. Um and we would do things to him, torture him. Um and you're right. You are so right that no one that he's
00:30:43
so lucky that he didn't die because there's so many things that we like we
00:30:49
made him climb. It was when there was a the America's Cup was on and there was
00:30:54
an old America's Cup boat in the harbor and he we made him climb up a 16 mast
00:30:59
and jump off it. [laughter] That and that that could have gone horribly wrong. And there was another
00:31:06
time that I didn't quite realize the seriousness of the situation that we had
00:31:10
this idea to to float him from um it was called what was it called? Um float across the fobo or something. So from
00:31:19
Bluff to Stewart Island. We had this idea to float him on a tractor tire being towed in sharkinfested waters cuz
00:31:26
there's heaps of sharks down there. From Bluff to to Stewart Island. This is, you
00:31:30
know, early 2000s. So we fly him down. I mean, you're flying down. You talk about it. You got
00:31:35
to do it. You can't say, "Oh, we're not doing it today. It's too late. You're
00:31:38
you know, you're too far." Big part of the budget is blowing. Yeah. You're too
00:31:40
far. You're too far down. You got to do these things. I've already teased it.
00:31:44
Coming [laughter] up, Jonno, we're He's going to be in a boat. We're going to
00:31:47
throw him a tractor tire, throw him overboard, and we're going to float him across the Stewart Island. But of
00:31:52
course, that particular morning, there was a massive massive storm uh in the FO Straight, and even the fishermanmen were
00:31:59
like, "We can't we can't take him out. We absolutely can't take him out. Uh,
00:32:02
it's too dangerous. So, we just said, "Oh, you got to do something." So, just
00:32:05
throw him on the back of this tractor tire anyway and just tow him around the harbor a bit. But shark infested waters.
00:32:11
And I saw this cuz there was no no one was filming anything. >> No, no live streaming.
00:32:16
>> I don't even know where a website back then. It was if we did, it was a shitty
00:32:19
website. And there's nothing [snorts] there's no no evidence that really ever
00:32:22
happened. And so, someone took a photo and I was I freaked out because I saw in the distance. It looked like a little
00:32:28
lifesaver lolly in the middle of this massive wave. And there's Jono clinging
00:32:33
onto this tractor tire being tied by a little rope. I was like, "Oh yeah, that's we just um we might have got in
00:32:39
the way. We might have dodged a bullet here." But that was we did that for years.
00:32:43
>> Yes. So So we But the irony is the reason you got into radio, the theater
00:32:47
of the mind, like the dude making dark noises, like you you could have done that, but but everything was about being
00:32:52
real even though no one could see it. >> No. No. No one could see it. And if we
00:32:56
and you seen these these rookies out to try and take a photo of Okay, so we're
00:33:00
going to tow Jonno. This is poor Jonno. We're going to tow him. What we did was
00:33:04
we towed him. We lit some hay bales on fire and put them on like a car bonnet or something and towed him through these
00:33:10
hay bales full of fire and like you'd be praying that someone got a photo of it
00:33:14
at the right time. Otherwise, you'd [laughter] have nothing there's nothing
00:33:16
to there's nothing nothing to show. [cough] It's like did you get a photo?
00:33:22
Did you get a little video? So yeah, we couldn't even you couldn't even put
00:33:24
anything up on and it and no there was no like uh recording gear. It was just on your phone. So some guy was holding
00:33:30
his phone up hopefully getting some noise of something. Oh would have been the worst. It would have been the worst
00:33:36
radio. The [laughter] worst radio ever. But people I would say people loved it. They do stuff to Jonno. It was like oh
00:33:42
my god they loved it every Friday. And I think the actual um I think the idea was
00:33:48
bigger than the actual events cuz some of them were fairly average. >> Terrible. Terrible, terrible radio.
00:33:54
Terrible radio. >> They're great memories. You look back and like it could have been completely
00:33:58
different like from the Yeah. But um >> but I was also I was I was so happy to
00:34:03
be doing that sort of stuff. That's what I love that I was on I was on air and I
00:34:06
love doing that sort of stuff and being a part of that and doing the breakfast show and and just having Yeah. just
00:34:11
being able to do stuff like that that's not just normal radio. So yeah. So yeah,
00:34:17
that was that was a good time but a dangerous time. So, um, so your wife Lisa, um, who you're still with today
00:34:23
and you're you're almost empty nesters. You've got two daughters. Yeah. Um, you
00:34:27
you you meet um when she's 23. >> Would have been. Yes. >> And this is like a radio segment.
00:34:34
>> Yeah. Oh, that I met her at 23. >> Yeah. Yeah. Like she she a birthday
00:34:39
wish. So she's a school teacher. >> Yes. >> She says to her a friend at school like
00:34:43
her birthday wish is a date with Ro from the Rock. >> She did say that. Yeah. I know.
00:34:46
>> So this is this is pre- internet. So she she doesn't know what you look like. She
00:34:50
just likes your voice. >> I think she'd seen me once um Oh, she might have seen me at the around at the
00:34:54
pubs, you know, [snorts] >> doing promos or whatever. >> Yeah. And she saw me on stage do
00:34:59
something like for a Christmas thing. So she had she had seen me uh and surprisingly still wanted to go out with
00:35:06
me. Uh and so yeah, her friend had said, "Did you want to come to her birthday
00:35:10
dinner or something?" And I didn't I didn't go cuz I didn't know anything
00:35:14
about this person. And I had um and I think I I had I think I had met her. I had met her. Yes, I had met her. Yes, I
00:35:24
met her after that. I met her after that and she uh had met her at a pub after that and said, "Oh, was that your was
00:35:32
that your Cuz Hamilton was small then, you know, you could you kind of felt like you knew everyone back then,
00:35:37
especially the same age. >> Um especially cuz you always out doing promotions and stuff." So,
00:35:41
>> it's it's it's amazing. Um it's amazing meeting story though, like every day.
00:35:45
every you know these days everyone meets through apps I know whatever so yeah it's very unusual
00:35:50
>> it is we'd met a couple like we'd met each other at a pub and she had won I
00:35:55
remember she'd won tickets to Neil and Tim Finn were doing a gig at the founders theater together and she'd won
00:36:01
a randomly won a double pass off uh us and I had talked to her on the phone and said are you she said her name was Lisa
00:36:09
Davies I said are you the one I've met before are you the one whose friend wanted to go out said do you want to go
00:36:15
out on uh to on a date with you and she was like, "Oh my god, I don't don't
00:36:18
believe she rung you." And all this sort of thing. So So yeah, so I met her prop
00:36:22
I met her properly after the gig. After the Neil and Tim Finn gig. Yeah. It's
00:36:27
crazy. >> I met I met her I met her then I properly met her and talked to her then.
00:36:31
Yeah. >> Is she still like a fan >> of the rock? >> Yeah. You in particular?
00:36:37
>> Yeah. Your your work I mean >> Yes. And I and I and I and I I think
00:36:41
that's quite special because I it's she would she wouldn't have had to she
00:36:45
doesn't wouldn't have had to have been, you know, like that wouldn't it's great
00:36:48
she is she still listens and still enjoys the show and she's there's been
00:36:52
so many different versions of the show that she's had to listen to and there's
00:36:57
she's always and she's had me in her ear for ever um complaining about the show or having
00:37:04
stresses about the show um or having problems with the show. Not now, but in the past where she's she's had like 30
00:37:12
odd year more. No, nearly nearly. Yeah. Nearly 30 years of it. Um of me having to vent to her about the show cuz it's
00:37:19
such a part of my life that if it's not going well, if the show's not going
00:37:24
well, I feel I don't go well. >> I think so. That makes sense. >> And I wouldn't be surprised, you know,
00:37:31
it's great because she could have listened to she could have gone, I'm sick of your show and listened to
00:37:36
something else. Happens inevitable. Um, but no, she is still a fan of the show, which I think is I appreciate that.
00:37:43
>> Oh, that's wonderful. That's really cool. Um, yeah. Who have you been your
00:37:48
favorite people to interview? Like when you see you've got a particular artist
00:37:52
or someone coming up, who do you get excited about? [snorts] >> So, I've been I've been lucky to
00:37:56
interview some, you know, Metallica. So that was exciting. So, you know, I haven't met
00:38:01
>> It's such a small I think Bryce said this. It's you spend so long in radio so
00:38:05
long. >> It's funny you don't get to meet I certainly haven't meet got to interview
00:38:09
that many famous people. Um but I do get excited. I mean that was exciting. I got
00:38:15
to interview them. Um Slash from Guns and Roses. That was another one. Um, I'm
00:38:20
gutted that I was away when Oussie Osborne came into the building and everyone got to meet him and I I was
00:38:27
doing a promotion or something. I was I wasn't even in town and so that was um
00:38:30
gutting that I didn't get to meet Oussie. Anyone else did. Chris Cornell was another one I missed. He
00:38:36
>> he did the rounds of the station and I was I wasn't there >> and I missed him. Um
00:38:42
>> but back to your question about my some of my favorite guests. Some of my
00:38:45
favorite, some of them are just um the rock listeners, you know, who have these outrageous lives and tell the most
00:38:52
outrageous stories. It's just unbelievable what they go through. >> Well, I I listened to your show um from
00:38:59
start to finish yesterday morning. Oh, yeah. Um there was a some guy on that had like a a full back tattoo of a
00:39:04
Monster Energy logo. >> Yeah. Yeah. And [laughter] >> and that's just normal, you know? You
00:39:10
throw that out, that's just a normal. And then he had he'd had it for five
00:39:13
years or something and and had never contacted Monster Energy. Brody is his name if you're Brody if you're
00:39:18
listening. >> That's right. So So while you were chatting to him, someone from Monster
00:39:21
called gave him some merch. >> Yeah, merch. He he hadn't got round of after 5 years of um contacting Monster
00:39:27
and um and getting some getting it didn't even have a hat. And then [laughter]
00:39:32
as a side note, he we asked him how his tattoo was looking cuz it's a massive
00:39:36
one on his back. He said it looks a bit carved up cuz someone threw me through a
00:39:39
shop window. [laughter] Oh yeah, there was so many there was so many layers to the story and then um
00:39:45
then he won some competition once to get a tattoo removal and again he never got
00:39:49
round to get in. [laughter] >> Ironically ironically he didn't have the
00:39:54
energy um to [laughter] get off his ass and and get that sorted. >> Um I mean yeah there's so there's so
00:40:00
many um there's oh that that's just that sort of stuff. I love that sort of
00:40:05
stuff. some of the stories, some the lives some people live >> and the injuries and stuff that goes on
00:40:10
in some of their liv some of the rock listeners lives are just it's just unbelievable.
00:40:15
>> When it comes to your your radio career, um what are you most proud of that no
00:40:19
one ever brings up? >> Um well, I don't know. They probably do bring it up, but I think I mean I mean
00:40:25
the last sort of I mean the mental health stuff's been I mean they probably do bring that up,
00:40:30
>> but I I think that's been a real um set us apart from everyone else.
00:40:35
>> Yeah, it's been huge. A and it's g it's given the station a real sort of pulse
00:40:39
or heart I think. >> And we we didn't like that was we didn't really I think go out of our own way to
00:40:44
just go we've got to do it. It just organically happened when >> Bryson uh John O Pra lost a good mate.
00:40:50
And so that sort of started from then. Um but I mean I think people do bring that up but that's been um something
00:40:56
that has really and every time we do it it's it's been um emotional and successful and um but yeah has has got a
00:41:06
lot of um the amount yeah I mean Bryce gets it more trust me he gets it way more than
00:41:11
>> as far as people approaching him about it but yeah I certainly have as well
00:41:15
like the amount of people who appreciate what we do. Um, >> well, it even got a mentioned on
00:41:21
yesterday's show. There was like it was a real quick you were talking about um
00:41:24
some a boxer that took his own life in the UK. Ricky >> Ricky had Yeah. >> And it was um it was accompanied with
00:41:30
some information like, "Hey, here's a number you can text if you want some
00:41:34
help and you know, blah blah blah." >> But yeah, I mean, I think I just think
00:41:37
from day one, I mean, I feel The Rock's always been maybe not now. The Rock's
00:41:41
always been the underdog. So, I'm proud of the fact that it's it's lasted as
00:41:45
long as it has. And cuz I know there's probably times it could have folded um
00:41:50
throughout whatever whatever whatever reasons, but it's always been the underdog and it's um it's always the the
00:41:56
staff have always been largely the a great team, a great family all the way through. um which probably people don't
00:42:04
realize and then I I can look back and different periods of it all when it's um
00:42:10
and the people I've worked with and and the reason it probably still going today
00:42:14
is is because of what you know the early days and and now. So, I mean, people won't know that, but um it's been Yeah,
00:42:21
it's it's been >> it has certainly had our hard times, which I appreciate now. You go through
00:42:26
the hard times to get to where you are now, which I think maybe people don't
00:42:30
know. They just listen to it and don't realize what's going on. But, yeah, I'm
00:42:34
quite proud of that. >> Yeah. >> And and being a part of that. >> Who um Yeah. So, the lineup's been
00:42:39
unchanged for many years now. >> The breakfast show. Yeah, pretty much. Yeah.
00:42:43
>> Who Who's the boss of the show? Are you the boss of the show? I [snorts] I'm the
00:42:47
anchor. I don't feel I I think I I'm at times I was probably the boss. Others
00:42:54
might laugh at that. Not I don't I'm not now. I think because when I So yeah, cuz
00:42:59
Nick left and you know Nick was probably the boss more than me. Then he left and
00:43:04
then you know I was probably the boss cuz the others were new. And then it's,
00:43:08
you know, changes. Oh, you know, Bryce came on. He was, he don't, you know, he
00:43:13
he came in in 2008. So, he's been on the show a long time now. >> So, maybe I was the boss then cuz he was
00:43:19
younger, but certainly not now. No. >> Well, the impression I got when when
00:43:22
Bryce was on the podcast, we when he talked about how much you you you care about the show at home. You care too
00:43:26
much. I sort of read between the lines, oh, Roger is the, you know, the buck stops with Ro.
00:43:31
>> Yeah, I probably I mean, I'm not saying that that it is now. I probably was a
00:43:35
bit like that. I was probably too like, you know, a bit what's the word? Control. Control. Yeah. Yeah. I
00:43:42
definitely I I I like I hope to I like to think I've let go a bit now. Um but
00:43:49
yeah, I think there was certainly years when I was a bit control freaky cuz also
00:43:53
we just had and no one's fault. We just had a lot of lineup changes >> uh which doesn't help. So, you know,
00:43:58
like so it was like Yeah. Yeah. So many like, you know, I felt like there's quite a lot of lineup changes that
00:44:04
someone would leave, someone would come in, then they'd leave. And and it I mean, Bryce and I have been the staple
00:44:09
for a while, but then since then, you know, like Paul Ego was on it, he left. Dory left. Guy called Paul um Tom Furnus
00:44:15
came on, he left. Um Mel came in, he left, then he came back. So, it's been Leah left. You know, there's been a lot
00:44:23
lot of ch you know, >> it's like AC. [laughter] So it was if you sort of look at sort of
00:44:28
like 2012 to 2016 17 lot of change maybe 18 lot of change and so yeah that was probably when it was um I was a bit more
00:44:39
control freaky but now I don't feel like I need to be now it's sort of been Mels
00:44:43
and Bryce and myself and Mel sort of since 2020 and so it's yeah um and there's nothing a stable lineup is is is
00:44:51
it's a lot easier. Um it always s it's it's strange e when someone leaves
00:44:56
>> even though you think >> it takes months to get comfortable with a new person and to get to know their
00:45:01
>> just their cadence of speech and their timing and their sort of comedy lane
00:45:05
everything. >> Yeah. It takes a while. Yeah. To get to know them and even when someone's away
00:45:09
it's a little bit different for a bit like Mels was away today sort of thing.
00:45:12
So it's always a little bit Yeah. You get used to the you get used to what you're used to then
00:45:17
>> someone goes and um >> Was Miles away today because of his knee injury? [laughter]
00:45:21
>> Yeah. Yeah, yesterday's show. Yeah, it's it's quite funny. So, something
00:45:25
something appalling happens to you like something terrible and it's like immediately I suppose you think, "Oh,
00:45:30
great. This is going to give us a morning full of content." >> I won't lie to you. I was happy.
00:45:34
[laughter] I mean, even I think even he was he was he was he was like even on Saturday morning when he had done it, he
00:45:39
did it like early hours. He was in hospital on the Saturday. He was texting us and I think the first thing he said
00:45:44
he text to us was like there was a photo of his knee and he goes, "Well guys, the
00:45:49
show's sorted for [laughter] Monday. I've just done my knee and we were like,
00:45:53
"Yes, yes." You know, you're going to get at least an hour out of that. More
00:45:57
than that, that's ongoing, you know. So, yeah, I know it is. That's what radio's
00:46:01
like, you know, some You don't want someone to injure themselves, but if they do [laughter]
00:46:06
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. When life gives you lemons, >> we love it. We We'll we'll we'll ride
00:46:09
with it. We certainly will ride with it. Yeah. >> Is there um is there any content that's
00:46:14
um like off off limits for you personally? >> I there no go zones? Oh, I I mean I
00:46:20
wouldn't talk uh extensively about my kid my kid I mean I'll talk about my
00:46:25
kids but I you know I wouldn't I wouldn't go I wouldn't talk about what's
00:46:27
going on in their lives for example >> um >> I I was uh we did this stupid feature
00:46:34
not that long ago where I was talking about my ex-girlfriend and that that didn't go down so well and that I
00:46:39
shouldn't have said talked too much about that that >> ex-girlfriend how many like this is
00:46:43
decades >> I was just I I just got a bit carried away and I I just yeah I was just I was
00:46:47
even when I was saying it I going, "Shut up, Roger. You need to [laughter] stop talking now." And that
00:46:52
was Yeah, that was a bit stupid. So, yeah. I mean, [snorts] apart from that, no, not really. I mean, I would Yeah. I
00:46:58
mean, I wouldn't talk I wouldn't be talking about my kids in, you know, if
00:47:01
they if my kids had problems or whatever. I would that's I'd leave that aside. I wouldn't My wife doesn't
00:47:06
particularly uh >> excuse me, >> like me talking about her, so I don't
00:47:12
really much I don't really talk about her much, so I appreciate that. Some some don't worry, don't some don't seem
00:47:19
to mind, others are private. She's quite private, so I appreciate that. So, yeah,
00:47:23
I I'll keep that um off air. Yeah, >> I've actually She may not like this
00:47:27
then, but yeah, we were talking about how your you meet cute before, how you guys met.
00:47:30
>> Oh, no, she won't care about that. >> I got I got I got a photo of you guys.
00:47:33
Look at that [ __ ] You're so young, eh? >> So young. Just kids. >> I think that was uh that's uh that's
00:47:40
Jonty the cat. Yeah, I would have been 24 probably. Look at my hair. So young, eh? So lush and black and thick.
00:47:48
>> Amazing. That's what [laughter] 30 years of radio. >> How how do you feel the same as that kid
00:47:53
there? And how do you feel different? >> Well, that kid was still doing breakfast
00:47:57
then and same role. >> Same roll. I know. I was just doing it. That might be
00:48:03
that might be in our first house. Actually, we bought our first house in Hamilton in
00:48:09
>> 1997. Oh. >> So what am I then? 25 >> 28 years ago. >> Yeah. So that's probably why. So I was
00:48:17
uh I probably felt like I was um going quite well then. >> Um >> Oh, you were
00:48:22
>> 25 26 doing breakfast >> with a lovely girlfriend at the time. And I think I I'm I'm assuming that's
00:48:30
when that I think that's our first house >> that we bought in 97. So yeah, I would
00:48:34
have been going I would have been thinking life's pretty great back then. >> Yeah. And um
00:48:40
>> yeah, that's something that gets joked about on the air a lot, like your home
00:48:43
ownership, your property portfolio. [laughter] Are you um are you rich and tight?
00:48:50
>> Am I am I tight? >> Are you rich and tight or is it an exaggeration?
00:48:53
>> That's an exaggeration. I am quite tight, but then my dad was quite tight.
00:48:56
My dad was shocking. [laughter] Like my dad would would [snorts] let a would would have a he a tea bag would last a
00:49:02
week with my dad. He [laughter] was that's that's different levels of tightness. He'd have these tea bags
00:49:08
drying on the kitchen bench and he'd just reuse them. That's that's different
00:49:13
levels. And that's only that's just one example. [snorts] >> Yeah.
00:49:16
>> Um Yeah. Like he'd turn the hot water cylinder off when he was going out like
00:49:21
[laughter] stuff like that. He he he went to he went to hospital. He injured himself
00:49:29
long. Anyway, [snorts] he was in hospital and he turned the flipping hot water cylinder off. [laughter] So we get
00:49:34
there cuz we he was in hospital. It's like there's no hot water and he turned
00:49:39
the whole water, you know, stuff like that. Like that's just next level time.
00:49:42
But I Yeah, I am a bit tight. Yeah, I'd admit that. Yeah. I don't particularly
00:49:45
like spending money on if I don't have to spend money, I I this is well known.
00:49:50
If I don't have to spend money, I probably don't. Yes. So I'm a bit tight.
00:49:52
>> Oh, so so it's an exaggeration on the air, but there is a lot of truth behind
00:49:56
it. >> There's a bit of truth to it. Yeah. But I mean, >> what are you driving these days? Uh um
00:50:01
um a Mazda. >> Nothing extravagant. >> Nothing extravagant. >> So you've been you would have earned
00:50:06
good money over the years. Have you been smart with it? >> I'd like to think so. Yeah. Yeah. I mean
00:50:10
I Yeah. I mean I' >> I wouldn't have you know I wouldn't I wouldn't p I wouldn't personally go out
00:50:15
and buy a 60 $80,000 car. >> I just wouldn't even really think about that. Would probably hurt me to do that.
00:50:22
That's p that's my own personal um the car I've got now is probably the most
00:50:27
expensive car I've ever owned. So before the Mazda, I used to have a Toyota Vitz
00:50:31
which I got absolutely mercilessly mocked for. [laughter] And so I and I hate actually hated that car because I
00:50:37
got so much [ __ ] about it and I was so pleased to get rid of it. I gave it to my daughter and so um then I got the
00:50:42
Mazda 2. So that's uh that's probably the most expensive car. No, it is the
00:50:46
most expensive car we ever owned. But >> yeah, >> but I mean you and I we've both seen a
00:50:50
lot of a lot of people through um our radio careers that have been very successful and then and then they get
00:50:54
dumped or something happens and they've got nothing to show for it. >> I know. And it's it's a tragedy.
00:50:59
>> I heard. I know. I know. Yep. There was someone that had nothing. I know there's
00:51:03
someone that was in there for a long time who had nothing. I know. So, no, that's not
00:51:07
>> that doesn't I don't I don't want to I don't want to be that person. No. So,
00:51:11
and also my wife's very aligned with um that as well, like and I think it was
00:51:19
drilled into her by her dad as well. So, yeah. I mean, I think you sort of make hay where the sunshines really. And so,
00:51:25
that's that's what we've done. When I had Bryson here, you were in Europe at
00:51:28
the time seeing Oasis. I see you got the the t-shirt. Um I said, "Fuck it. Looks
00:51:32
like Roger's having a good trip." He goes, "Mate, it'll be the cheapest trip
00:51:35
to Europe [laughter] anyone." >> I was I tell you what, I I have to say
00:51:41
hand on heart that we were helped a lot because my daughter is uh flight attendant for Quantis, Olivia, 24. And
00:51:47
so uh she got us in this uh she got us some great some flights, staff travel. So, if you got if you if you got a like
00:51:56
a relation in the airline industry, um if you like direct family and or friends, you can get cheap flights to um
00:52:03
that's that did help. That I have to I have to back that up. We got cheap flights. We got cheap flights to Europe.
00:52:09
So, yeah, I'm not complaining. >> Do Do you ever after um after a day of
00:52:13
um like heavy ribbing um like when you're the subject of um when you're on
00:52:17
the receiving end on the show, you get back in your car, you drive home, do you do you ever feel raw?
00:52:22
>> Sometimes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes I don't think they mean to and it's all
00:52:26
fun. It's all fun. But I think if it's >> Yeah, I totally agree. And I and I'm the
00:52:30
first to I can't really complain cuz I'm I'm as quick to give it back, you know.
00:52:34
I love you know if someone else is getting a hard time, I'm I'm chipping in
00:52:38
too. But yeah, no, it it does it can build up uh because it's it can it it's
00:52:45
like it's just years of it if you know what I mean. So, [laughter] you know, it's just and sometimes it
00:52:49
gets it does get to me sometimes. Not a lot, but sometimes it gets to me. Yeah, it's just it's it can be just like the
00:52:56
same thing >> month after month [laughter] after month sometimes, which I understand you got to
00:53:00
do for radio because Yeah. But yeah, most of the time, no, but it it has done. Yeah. Yeah.
00:53:06
>> Cuz Bryce's giving you some props when he was in here. He was like, "Rod will
00:53:09
set himself up." Like you turn to him and say, "Hey, hey, remember that time I
00:53:13
>> recycled tea bags or whatever it happened to >> you?" No, there's there definitely Yeah,
00:53:17
you have to have your you have to every person on on the show has to have their sort of things that you can kind of
00:53:25
hone in. Maybe weakness is not the right word, but that you everyone's got their
00:53:29
character that you have to be able to go, you know, so and so has a problem with this or so and so always does this
00:53:36
or this person's tight or, >> you know, like Mel loves KFC, you know, loves it. So, we always give them a hard
00:53:41
time about loving KFC. And I mean, that's that's an example. But >> yeah, I mean, you guys are a welloiled
00:53:46
machine. Everyone knows their roles. The roles if if you're listening, it's like
00:53:50
um it's like when you watch the TV show Friends, you know, you know, you know
00:53:53
what sort of jokes Chandler's going to make. You know what Ross is going to make? It's the same as you guys. You
00:53:56
know, you know >> who's doing what making jokes about, I don't know, say like Bryce and Sharon,
00:54:02
you know, like and Sharon um you know, Bryce making out he's the man around the
00:54:07
house as as as for example and you know, Sharon coming on and just absolutely nailing him, you know, stuff like that.
00:54:12
They they they love that sort of thing. >> What What are the best and worst things
00:54:16
about all those guys, Miles, Bryce, and Mel? >> Oh, they're all great. I mean, no one's
00:54:21
got I mean, it's you have to get on with them. So, yeah. I don't I don't think
00:54:24
there's anything bad about any of them. Um but they're all they all really they
00:54:29
fit into the show as such. Um >> I mean Bryce is Bryce is just getting he's just getting better and better.
00:54:37
Yeah, Bryce is a great storyteller. I think he's a real strength of his. Yeah,
00:54:41
he tells some great great stories. And um >> Miles is uh quick. He's just real quick
00:54:48
sniper type humor. just comes in with stuff you don't really expect and just
00:54:53
bang. Um, wow. Where did that come from? That was, you know, some really great great stuff there. Mel's this uh Westy
00:55:00
chick who lives single. Um, so, you know, from our show's point of view. Um,
00:55:08
perfect, >> perfect really having this this single uh Westy chick. >> Not that she's that West, but she's not
00:55:16
she's not she's not Cheryl West. When when do you think over the three decades
00:55:21
when do you think you've been um happiest and most miserable on the job? >> I had a we had I was pretty h I mean I
00:55:27
was happy early days at Hamilton if I if I'm yeah being perfectly honest. Um
00:55:32
those sort of the Hamilton years were great because I just started Breakfast and then you know um and I just made all
00:55:39
probably I made all my best friends that I still got today. a lot of them from Hamilton and just starting everything
00:55:46
everything you did was you did for the first time and so every you have I have all these memories funnally of Hamilton
00:55:53
rock days friendship days pub days everything I did in Hamilton I have these really fond memories of because I
00:56:00
think I was only in my 20s growing up met lease there everything I did um was kind of the first time so I was really
00:56:08
happy then moving to Oakland was a bit harder because the show dipped down a bit and and living in Oakuckland was
00:56:15
hard after living in Hamilton and and you know the show wasn't going as well
00:56:20
and um that was a bit of a battle but then by like myself and Douly Leah Parnipa Paul ego
00:56:28
that was quite a good show there for a while that we had u we did pretty well then um but looking at the show and then
00:56:35
I think I don't think I was that happy sort of 2012ish a lot of changes. It's a bit of a
00:56:43
battle. Yeah, there's probably people that should have left. Um hung around for a bit too long, I I I think. Um and
00:56:52
so yeah, so but now is great. Yeah, now now is great. We got a great team, great producer, Ryan. He's he's great.
00:56:59
He he came on board about seven years ago. Oh, I might be wrong there. I'll have to have to check that. Yeah, he's
00:57:05
been he's been with us a while now. Maybe >> 2017, Ryan Magcguire. and he's sort of
00:57:10
um yeah, he's great. He's really good. And so yeah, uh now it's good. And like
00:57:14
last year we were number one breakfast share like not number one but number one >> share of breakfast um end of last year.
00:57:22
So yeah. No, it's great. It's it's going well. Yeah, >> it's cyclical. It's funny when the
00:57:27
ratings are good, everyone sort of leaves you alone. When the ratings are bad, that's when everyone in
00:57:31
management's got an opinion. They start bringing in consultants from overseas.
00:57:35
>> 100%. And and that's why I probably look back at that sort of 2012 on you know
00:57:39
when we didn't things were starting to um slip and yeah consultants were in everyone's looking at you and it's uh
00:57:46
you probably you probably overthink everything and um yeah not yeah not I don't remember I don't have fond
00:57:52
memories of of of any sort of around then. Yeah I don't Yeah I wasn't very
00:57:57
happy then. No no that was a while ago now. Yeah. >> I think I think I was the same when I
00:58:03
was doing radio. every every couple of years I'd have a moment where I'm
00:58:05
thinking what am I like an like some sort of like crisis it's like what am I
00:58:09
doing with my life and then you'd look on seek or zeal and you think what would
00:58:14
I do like if money was no object and you type it in and you realize like you get
00:58:17
60k a year and I'm like oh no I'll I'll suck it up >> I know I'd have these you'd have a
00:58:22
survey come out that was terrible and I look back now and I was just so >> it was the end of the world some some of
00:58:28
them for me they looking back they probably weren't even that bad >> but at the time and you've kind of
00:58:34
worked all year and these ser the results come out and they're terrible. Well, I thought they were and it's just
00:58:40
the end of the world >> and you're thinking, "Oh, I might have to do something else now
00:58:45
cuz I'm either going to get flacked or I'm I'm just I can't do this anymore."
00:58:51
>> And then it's funny, isn't it? a few months later um or however long later um
00:58:57
another result comes out and it's better [laughter] >> and then everything's well in the world,
00:59:01
you know, >> something happens like Kings of Leon put out a new album and suddenly
00:59:05
>> and you um all of a sudden you have a few good shows and a good week and a
00:59:10
good month and and then it's like what was I worried about? But you're all It's
00:59:13
funny, isn't it? Cuz I you're the only one who really cares. No one, you know,
00:59:17
no one in listen list listening really knows about survey >> or ratings and anything like that. It's
00:59:23
it's only really you that that worry about it. >> No. And that was probably the big
00:59:27
surprise for me getting out of radio cuz you put so much importance on it and I'd
00:59:30
be just devastated like heartbroken by some results and I have been >> and you take a step back and you realize
00:59:35
yeah no one no one knows and if someone listens to the rock as far as they're
00:59:38
concerned it's number one and that's all that matters. >> They they do say that a lot of the time.
00:59:42
Oh you guys must be number one. And it's like, no, no, not certainly not. Certainly not. But no, that's Yeah,
00:59:48
that's life, isn't it? That's if you're in if like if you're in radio and if
00:59:52
commercial radio, breakfast radio, that you kind of you've either you've always
00:59:56
kind of lived and died by results in a way. Um, certainly when you're younger.
01:00:02
>> Um, >> and now there's there were four a year and that kind of there's too many, you
01:00:07
know, that after four a year, you kind of you can't worry about all them. So,
01:00:11
you [laughter] kind of just You just kind to let go. You just have to let go. I just I have let go a lot I think.
01:00:17
Yeah. In the last few years. >> Have you? What's that? Is that um age maturity?
01:00:22
>> Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Also too, you're probably a bit
01:00:25
more I kind of know that >> we are doing a good job. I we are I think I know we are. Um
01:00:33
>> and that's sort of been proven the last few years. So yeah, you sort of know
01:00:37
you're doing it. You're not taking the piss. You know actually know you're
01:00:40
doing a good show. So whatever happens happens now. But I never used to be like that. No, I used to be a shocker. You
01:00:45
ask anyone. >> Anyone. I'm known I'm known for it. >> Mate, I I was exactly the same.
01:00:51
>> Yeah. Known for it. >> Just that Yeah. The night before, oh god, that's right. You're out today,
01:00:58
>> the morning of. >> Terrible. Terrible way to live your life. >> Terrible. Have Have you ever seriously
01:01:03
um considered quitting? [sighs] >> I think a couple of years ago I was over
01:01:08
it. Yeah. And I we had a meeting and I wasn't ready to I was kind of ready to
01:01:16
I was definitely thinking about it. I I I didn't know how what my plan was, how
01:01:21
I was going to live. [laughter] Um but the I I was I was honestly Yeah. a bit over it. Yeah. Two couple of years
01:01:27
ago. But then we had a meeting and sorted a few things out and and that was fine. So that was the first that was
01:01:34
only that it was the first time really. Seriously, the first time. Yeah. Most of
01:01:38
the time I I loved it. Yeah. >> Well, this break that you're having, this little sbatical like 3 months, this
01:01:43
this could buy you another another couple of years, three years, five years. >> And and I think that was Yeah. I was I
01:01:48
know earlier I was sort of you were saying I wouldn't be doing it for another seven years. And I but I think
01:01:53
that was also I'd like to also reiterate that. Yeah, that was kind of like, hey,
01:01:56
we'll give you this break, which I'm appreciative of. And it it it'll you'll
01:02:00
you know, you'll come back a different person. And I think I will. I'm ready
01:02:03
for a break. I just feel a little bit burnt out >> after. It's kind of it's it's and it's
01:02:08
not anything now. It's just I think it's just cumulative really of of you know
01:02:13
day after day after day. Um but but you're right and and I think I will come
01:02:16
back uh next year and I'll be a different person like 3 months who I've never had it. I've never had three
01:02:22
months off in my life. So >> um Oh, I'm looking forward to it. Yeah. And I I could I could come back and go,
01:02:28
"Yep, I'm set. My mind's free. I love it again." Um Yeah. But you know,
01:02:36
you're right. >> What what um what has been the key to your longevity? 30 30 years in any one
01:02:42
job is um an outstanding innings. But um in like a cutthroat industry like media,
01:02:47
it's um especially long, it's probably equivalent to like 90 years in a regular
01:02:51
job. >> Yeah. I mean, I've always loved it. I've always loved >> I [snorts] always wanted to get I always
01:02:56
wanted to do radio, so I always loved radio and I always most of the time loved doing the show. And so um and I
01:03:04
always felt that there was we always had more. I didn't really ever want to quit. I never wanted
01:03:10
to go out and I always you know there was always aiming for you know success whatever that looks like. And so
01:03:18
>> I never I never ever wanted to leave. Um I think I I think I work hard and I've
01:03:22
got a good attitude and so that always helps. And if the bosses like you and if the I think the rocks always as far as
01:03:30
me the rock's always um done well or well enough most of the time make you know moneywise
01:03:38
that they're never really seriously thought about. [laughter] >> So even when you're in a slum it's like
01:03:41
keepove your head above water. So it's always been I feel it's always looking back.
01:03:46
it's always done well enough even in the bad times um to get not really seriously
01:03:52
look at any change >> and then and I just think it's uh it's just got it's always and it's just I
01:04:00
think it's just got stronger it's just got stronger and stronger over the years
01:04:03
and so now it's now it's probably not even a not even a thing but um and I've
01:04:08
just sort of I've just ridden it. Yeah. I've always just sort of been being the
01:04:12
one the constant that's been there and and I guess if there's been ch you know
01:04:16
there has been a lot of changes over the years not recently but over the years. So they've probably felt they've had to
01:04:21
keep me because of this person's going and this person's coming in and etc etc.
01:04:26
Um they've always felt they needed me there. Uh and so and I and and also I've
01:04:31
been happy to stay. So yeah. Oh, mate, it's it's very comforting, you know, to
01:04:35
think that there's um like say a 10-year-old that started listening to the rock at the beginning of your
01:04:39
career. They're now a middle-aged man. >> And [laughter] I know and I meet it
01:04:43
strange now. And I do meet I meet generations now. So I meet dads and their kids
01:04:49
>> uh their sons or daughters. And so in >> It's really neat. >> It's it's it's blow. I don't think about
01:04:54
it in the studio and I don't really think about it out of the studio, but when you meet people at Rock 2000, it's
01:04:59
like, oh yeah, my dad listens or oh, their dad is with their son, you know, and they've been listening for 30 years
01:05:05
and then their son's, you know, >> 25 and they've been listening as well.
01:05:09
Or >> I was in this I was did this thing in Wellington last year, some pre-party and
01:05:13
this guy had Yeah. He just said, "I've listened to you my whole working life."
01:05:18
So when I started work when I was however old he was 18 or something >> and he was all the way through and he
01:05:24
was still listening at at his workplace and that I was that kind of >> it moved me a bit actually. I was like
01:05:30
wow that's amazing. Yeah. >> Yeah. It's really >> all the way all the way through.
01:05:35
>> Yeah. So so there's there's there's things like that which I think are
01:05:37
warranted given your um you know your contribution and your longevity and your your skill set. With that in mind, on
01:05:43
the flip side of that, does it annoy you when there's there's there's people that
01:05:47
like reduce your role to just an iconic laugh? >> Uh, no, maybe. No, no. I think maybe a
01:05:54
while, you know, years ago that I just that's all they used to think. I It doesn't worry me now. No. No. And they
01:06:00
do say that. Yeah. I'm happy with that. I don't That doesn't worry me
01:06:04
>> if that's what they uh if that's what they if that's what they think. That
01:06:06
could it could be way worse. Yeah. [laughter] I I I know I know what >> what your contribution is.
01:06:12
>> I Yeah, I know what needs to be done on air and off air to put a show on
01:06:18
>> and to be a radio announcer and that's not and it's all the stuff you do
01:06:23
>> public stuff and promotions and all that sort of thing that goes with it. So
01:06:26
yeah, I've done so much of that as well so that I I know what I've what I've
01:06:30
done. >> Yeah. And and anyone that says that is someone that doesn't have an
01:06:33
understanding of radio. Like like if I'm in if I'm in the car and I'm like
01:06:36
talking to a passenger and I've got the rock in the background at sort of a low
01:06:39
volume. >> It sounds like you guys even though I don't know what's going on, it sounds
01:06:43
like there's a party that I'm missing out on. >> Yeah. Yeah. And that's Yeah. That that's
01:06:46
another Yeah. Absolutely. You've got to be up. I mean, you have to try and be up
01:06:50
every day as as you know. Yeah. You can't be days when you even if you don't
01:06:53
want to be there or you're tired or something >> or something's happened. It's that's um
01:06:58
>> you've always got to be on >> or pretend to be on. Um and that Yeah.
01:07:03
So that's um that can be hard sometimes all you know every day but that's what
01:07:10
that's part of the job isn't it? Yeah. >> What about um legacy? What do you want
01:07:15
your legacy in broadcasting to be? >> I just wondered now if you're just I
01:07:20
don't know is it you could you can be quickly forgotten. Hey, I think no, you
01:07:26
know, like >> people people leave >> and you [snorts] look at you look at
01:07:30
Paul Holmes, it's like um Sir Paul Holmes, the most iconic New Zealand broadcaster ever,
01:07:35
>> TV show, radio show. >> You talk to someone in their 20s now, they won't know who you're talking to.
01:07:39
>> They won't. And I you think of Kevin Black, who I, you know, who I knew at
01:07:43
Solid Gold when he was just sort of, >> well, he retired and he came back.
01:07:47
>> Yeah, he was in the studio next door. >> Yeah, he was in the studio next door.
01:07:50
>> Didn't he tell you and Nick Off a couple of times early on? [laughter] Did he?
01:07:54
>> I I love Blackie, by the way. >> I love him. Oh, me. I was so nervous the
01:07:58
first time I met him. >> Oh, meeting him. Oh my god. >> He's the coolest guy. What did he tell
01:08:03
you off about? >> I think our music was too loud. [laughter] >> I think we had the Cuz it was right next
01:08:09
door. Yeah. And I think there was a time too. No, I remember this. Yeah. So, there was that. And then there was a
01:08:16
time we So, we were in Hamilton and that's a bit of a technicality. We were in Hamilton but broadcasting in
01:08:22
Oakuckland and we hadn't quite moved to Oakland yet. And so so they could so you could hear us in
01:08:28
Oakuckland, Nick and I. And we did some just juvenile joke on air where we were like taking
01:08:35
them off like so there's uh Kevin Black and uh Jenny Kevin and Jenny it was there was her co-host and uh I think
01:08:43
that I think that's what her name was and um >> Mark and we were taking the piss out of
01:08:48
them like Nick was pretending to be um Blackie and I was pretending to be Jenny or something and yeah they they heard
01:08:54
that and it was an absolute nothing but I think that's what he was pissed off
01:08:57
about. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then I spilled a cup of coffee on him my morning. That was horrific. I came
01:09:03
around the corner in a hurry with my coffee and he came the other way around and
01:09:08
all over him. But >> he was always he was >> he was great man. >> So I was a big fan of his as as a as a
01:09:14
you know like a little kid. I'd buy the albums of his prank calls and then then
01:09:17
I got to work in the same building with him and >> he was in his 60s then. He'd wear Hugo
01:09:21
Boss jeans and nice like cashmere sweaters. He was a fit handsome old dude. >> No, he was he was an absolute legend
01:09:27
that guy. Yeah. and he'd just come in and Blackie was Blackie. These guys, Tony Amos, big Tony, these legends of
01:09:33
radio, Macka as well >> and I was only in my 20s and uh meeting those guys, they were so they were
01:09:39
awesome. They >> really really good guys. >> But yeah, but I mean there's another
01:09:44
legend and um you're right there. Sadly there'll be people who um wouldn't know
01:09:50
who he is now if you're in your 20s. >> Probably not. >> Yeah, I Yes. I suppose in terms of
01:09:54
legacy it's like the um the the guy that you were talking about before that had
01:09:57
listened to you his entire work life >> like you you'll keep a place um in their
01:10:02
hearts and minds but maybe uh >> yeah I mean if you were to leave tomorrow I mean it's funny isn't it
01:10:07
because you know and someone else takes over someone and like in a year or two I'm not even saying two years you know 6
01:10:14
months to a year people get used to that other person you know I mean I've seen
01:10:18
it I've seen I've had so many co-hosts over the years I've seen it happen
01:10:22
>> um >> twoinut minutes after leaving there's another face on the billboard.
01:10:25
>> Well, I mean I the website >> because Nick and I were together 12
01:10:29
years on air and I and when he left I thought that was it. I thought ah I don't know how we're going to how this
01:10:36
is going to work. And it's funny, isn't it? Now there've been people who don't
01:10:39
wouldn't even know he was on uh the show. >> Um completely forgot. Yeah. Or not
01:10:44
wouldn't even know. Yeah. It was something that happened sort of in the '
01:10:47
90s. >> Yeah. >> So you you're not too concerned about that? You're not too bothered? I just
01:10:51
you just got to be realistic, don't you? Yeah. It's given it a good go. Um I
01:10:55
mean, who who knows uh what people will think of me, but yeah, I've tried. [laughter]
01:11:01
>> Oh, mate. Mate, it's been >> I've tried. >> It's been an incredible career, and it
01:11:06
still is. Um yeah, there was there was one thing that um I read about you. Um >> yeah, you mentioned before all the great
01:11:12
stuff you guys have done with um you know, I am hope Friday. There's a couple
01:11:16
of standout moments like um you getting Christopher Luxon to commit to giving some money towards mental health
01:11:22
and also there was um a hugely viral interview that you did with Mike King where he broke down on your show. I know
01:11:28
[snorts] >> but you personally you re revealed on there that you'd battled depression
01:11:31
early in your career and went to see a counselor. >> Yeah, I did. Yeah. >> When when was that?
01:11:35
>> Oh, I heard I've I've been through a couple of times. I was trying to think
01:11:39
of the first time. Um that was um that was probably a bit early on actually. Yeah. Yeah, that was early on. It was
01:11:46
probably It was probably when I was talking to you about that sort of 2012 times in my life where for whatever
01:11:53
reason everything wasn't going right. So, um I think my kids were younger. My
01:11:58
kids were definitely younger then. So, >> yeah, that was a that was a time I just
01:12:01
felt pretty low and depressed and didn't really have much joy in my life. Uh so,
01:12:05
that was then. Uh and yeah, recently I I have I don't know. I just uh I I don't
01:12:10
think anyone knows or picks up on it. I just have these times when I everything just seems a bit hard. Um,
01:12:19
and everything I don't find much joy in everything. Um, and I think I have sometimes I think my sleep is is key to
01:12:27
this. So if I if my sleep sort of goes >> it it sort of escalates things a lot and
01:12:33
it sort of for for whatever reason um >> sleeping is so key to me anyway, especially doing breakfast. Um if I can
01:12:41
if I Yeah, that seems to go sometimes and that makes life hard. Um I was I was seeing a counselor a few years ago a
01:12:49
little bit. Yeah, I just didn't feel like anything was great in my life >> even though it probably it was. Um but
01:12:58
it's funny how you have these negative thoughts and everything seems [ __ ] >> um for whatever reason.
01:13:05
>> But yeah, it's funny how I don't know why. I mean now I don't think it now but
01:13:10
nothing's changed really. Um but yeah I sort of got out of that hole. Yeah. >> When when did you and you might go back
01:13:15
into that hole at some point and I suppose that's the I I probably I probably will. Yeah.
01:13:20
>> Um and it's nothing >> I don't think it's anything that sets it
01:13:24
off. If it's just like I don't know it seems to be one thing happens and
01:13:28
another thing happens and another thing happens and it seems to I have these things in my brain and mind that my my
01:13:34
wife says I catastrophize things. It's like one thing will go wrong >> and then another thing and it's these
01:13:40
all these little things that that and then it's then I just feel like [ __ ]
01:13:45
But yeah. >> Are you good at talking about it? >> Uh no. [laughter] >> Like to Yeah. Yeah. To her. Yeah. Even
01:13:53
Yeah. >> She can just pick up when something's >> She's very good at that.
01:13:56
>> When you talk about 2012, we would have been working together then. >> It was around then that things were
01:14:01
pretty [ __ ] Yeah. >> Wouldn't have known. >> No, I don't think anyone would have
01:14:04
known. But then I suppose everyone can wear like a good mask. >> People do. Yeah, people. You hear about
01:14:09
people that are battling all the time and you have no idea that they're battling or going through stuff. Um you
01:14:14
[clears throat] hear about stuff. So yeah, I don't think they Well, they probably wouldn't have. No, I don't
01:14:18
think they would have known. >> Are you good at um recognizing when you when you're starting to spiral or you
01:14:23
just don't realize when it's >> No. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. Yeah. Um
01:14:31
yeah, I do. I do notice it. Yeah. Um, what do I do about that? Well, I I Exercise is good. I Yeah, it's it's when
01:14:38
you don't Yeah, it's just you get in a I think you need a great You just need to
01:14:42
be in a great sort of um what's the word? rhythm where you're exercising all the
01:14:47
time and and things are going well at home and things are going well at work and um everything's all good. Yeah. But
01:14:53
it's when it's um maybe you don't go to the gym for a bit and then >> something happens and you just feel like
01:15:01
Yeah. The world's getting on top of me. >> Yeah, the world's getting on top of me.
01:15:04
Yeah, that's what I feel like sometimes. Yeah. Yeah. >> Um, and like seeing a counselor, was
01:15:08
that scary for you? What was the >> It wasn't actually. No. No. I didn't
01:15:11
really mind that. No. No. I uh No, that wasn't um It's kind of a bit like this,
01:15:18
isn't it? Really, >> just just chatting. Yeah. Yeah. No, that that seemed to help. It's um
01:15:24
>> you probably know you know you know anyway, but you just have to talk to
01:15:28
someone about it. Um, and then you kind of find your way out of these things. So, yeah. No, it's good now. Yeah. But I
01:15:34
I definitely have seen someone about things. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> I'm not surprised, mate. It's it's a
01:15:40
like it's a it's a lot that you've done for a long time. E like early starts and
01:15:44
and there's um >> sacrifices that people wouldn't wouldn't It's a trade-off. I suppose sacrifices
01:15:49
are a trade-off, but like your your your daughters like you would have never have
01:15:52
really seen them in the morning. >> Never. No. It's a great life. It's a
01:15:56
great job. I've always I've never I'd like to think I've never complained
01:16:00
about it. I'm not complaining about it now. It's a great It's probably one of
01:16:03
the best jobs. I think you have to get up early. Um but it's still it still exists as a job.
01:16:10
>> Uh it um it pays all right. Pays well. Um it's I've had a great life. Yeah,
01:16:16
it's it's very good. But yeah, it's it's it's it's constant.
01:16:21
>> It is constant. You can't just sort of well I can't anyway just decide not to
01:16:26
do you know oh I I I won't worry too much about tomorrow's show you know
01:16:31
there's never it's always >> present in my mind. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. So it's always there
01:16:36
>> and it's it's an inferno of content as well. It's just a thirsty beast that
01:16:41
constantly needs feeding. >> You can't really just turn up. I mean some might. We don't. You just can't
01:16:46
turn up and wing it. Especially not when the shows get bigger, like when there's
01:16:51
five or six people involved in a show, like everyone needs to be on the same page.
01:16:56
>> Yeah. Everyone's got to know what's going on in in in every break. So, you
01:16:59
can't just turn up and wing it. So, it's always >> Luckily, there's a lot on the show that
01:17:03
helps. Um, you can't Yeah, it's it's >> it's always there. Yeah, it's it's a
01:17:08
lot. >> It's always But that's your job, isn't it? So, yeah. And like I said earlier,
01:17:13
you're either you're 100% in or you're not. So you're either in or out. Yeah.
01:17:18
You can't sort of do >> it's not you can't treat it like a hobby.
01:17:23
[laughter] >> Although I remember um last year a mutual friend of ours, Nixon, he was
01:17:28
doing um he was doing a drive an afternoon show and was spending the mornings as a green keeper at a golf
01:17:33
club. >> He's unique. [laughter] >> He's a very much energy.
01:17:38
>> He's he does apparently he doesn't he doesn't need sleep. [laughter]
01:17:42
>> I've heard he doesn't need sleep. So he happily can do he reckon he could do two
01:17:46
jobs if he wanted to. >> Yeah. No. Yeah. >> Well, he's he's just become a dad him
01:17:51
and his wife Sarah. So if he complains about sleep deprivation [laughter] >> if he Yeah. I mean perfect if he's just
01:17:57
a new dad and he doesn't need sleep. Oh. [laughter] Yeah. Yeah. He regularly
01:18:01
doesn't need it. So good on him. >> Um what's your what's your inner voice
01:18:05
like? Your inner critic. >> Mike King talks about the inner critic a lot. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um
01:18:11
>> are you quite kind to yourself? for you. Do you quite hard on yourself?
01:18:14
>> Oh, I can be quite hard on myself. [clears throat] Yeah. >> Yeah, I can be. I can be. Uh,
01:18:21
not all the time, but yeah. Most I have been I can be quite hard on myself. Yeah, I think it's
01:18:30
um when you've been doing it for so long as well, you kind of expect, you know, it just
01:18:36
you get to a norm a state of what you um know you can perform at or whatever and
01:18:42
it's when something he's like, Jesus, what the hell happened today? You know,
01:18:46
why did you [ __ ] that up? It's like, oh, why did you do this or why did you do
01:18:49
that? So, yeah. >> Yeah. No, I uh I need to probably work on that a bit, I'd say. Yeah. It's It
01:18:56
would be This is why I just need a break. That's why I'm looking forward to
01:19:00
it. Just not have to worry about it for a while. >> Nothing Nothing left in the tank.
01:19:04
>> Yeah. Oh, yeah. Not Yeah. Yeah. I'm Yeah. I mean, this year has been fine,
01:19:09
but I know I've sort of known that this is a this break was coming for a while.
01:19:13
So, it's kind of been a nice thing to to always have in the >> back of your mind that it's like, yeah,
01:19:19
I just need to kind of get through till end of October and then I'm then I can
01:19:23
have a break and I'll be, >> you know, it'll be I'll do me the world
01:19:26
of good. Really will. It'll be great. >> I I almost get the sense you feel like a
01:19:29
like a tiny bit guilty about having this extended break. >> Uh yeah. Well, I just wondered what the
01:19:33
others would think, but they were great with it. Um but I was Yeah, I didn't I
01:19:37
was offered it and I didn't see I didn't ask for it. I didn't see it coming and
01:19:40
it was offered to me and I went, "Oh, okay. Uh, I'll take it. Yeah, I'll um
01:19:46
didn't even think of the consequences. I said, "Yep, I'll I'll take that and uh
01:19:49
and we'll see how we go." Um, do I feel guilt? No, I I don't feel too guilty.
01:19:54
It's It's It'll It'll go so quick that it'll just But by the time it'll be over
01:19:59
before everyone knows it, really. So, I'll Yeah, I'll definitely enjoy it. I
01:20:03
know that. Yeah. Yeah. >> You You Yeah. What will your routine be? you won't be listening to the rock at
01:20:08
all or >> I'd probably like I I just want to sleep in a little bit. Um as you would if
01:20:15
you've been getting up at 4:30 if you don't have to. So it'll still be on.
01:20:19
Yeah. I'll have to I know the boss Leon said don't just stay at home and do
01:20:23
nothing and watch Netflix. You'll have to try and do something with your life.
01:20:26
So he's right. Um but my daughter's a flight attendant as I've said so there's
01:20:31
a chance I could go I might go to Las Vegas with her um when she's on a trip.
01:20:35
Um, so yeah, we've got a place up north, so I'll spend a bit of time up there and
01:20:40
do stuff that doesn't get done during the week. >> Jobs jobs, which which when it's your
01:20:46
own place, it's a little bit I don't mind. It'd be nice to like just be able
01:20:49
to do it and and see what what does a Monday or a Tuesday morning at 9:30 feel like when you're not having to work. Um,
01:20:56
so yeah, I've got a few plans. I'll go away a bit and um do a few things and um
01:21:03
yeah, just um I've been told I'll have to cook dinner every night [laughter]
01:21:07
now. So, >> can you cook? Do you like cooking? >> No, I can cook. I to No, some would say
01:21:12
no. >> Um enough to get away with. Yeah, I'm not a great cook. I don't particularly
01:21:17
like it, but I Yeah, I I I I do it. Absolutely. Yeah. Off the recipe. >> And And you you seem to have you've
01:21:23
mentioned your daughters a couple of times. You seem to have like a really good relationship with them. You must be
01:21:27
really proud of I am. I am because also too I Okay, you work in the mornings but
01:21:31
you're always home in the aros. So when the whole their whole lives it was always cuz lease um my wife then was a
01:21:39
school teacher. Now she's a deputy principal. So she was always it was always me in the afternoons. That's how
01:21:44
it worked. Her in the mornings, me and the aros. So I got to spend probably more time than most dads with their
01:21:49
daughters. Um, I'd pick them up from school, take them to whatever they did,
01:21:54
dance. Did a lot I did a lot of dance growing up and and stuff like that and then homework and dinner and everything.
01:22:00
So, yeah, I I have spent a lot of time Yeah, it's been great. You know, we get
01:22:04
on >> we get on really well and still do. Olivia is um she's just gone flatting
01:22:09
this year, but she was pretty much at home uh before then, so she's she loves
01:22:14
life. She's a flight attendant. >> Yeah. When did the transition h happen
01:22:18
from like being their dad to being their mate? >> Was there is there a noticeable time?
01:22:22
>> Yeah, I think Yeah, Liv. Yeah, probably. Well, Liv, it was weird actually. Liv um
01:22:29
started working at Media Works a few years ago. She was there about a year uh in like sales support and stuff. So,
01:22:36
that was kind of like Yeah. became sort of like your mate then really working in
01:22:41
the same building. That was uh and that was quite weird. Um, and >> that must have been quite quite cool for
01:22:48
for you having your daughter seeing you in your natural habitat. >> It was it was I I loved it. It was cool.
01:22:53
Yeah, I I was It was Yeah, she just applied for this job and I didn't really
01:22:58
even know. >> She said, "I'm going for a job at Media Works." And then there she got it. And
01:23:03
so she was there about a year and then she went to NZME and um just literally worked with everyone at Media Works that
01:23:10
used to work that Media Works now works at NZME. And then uh then she was um now
01:23:14
she's a flight attendant. So but yeah, now Grace, Grace, my youngest, is 20.
01:23:18
She's doing a AUT Bachelor of Communications. Um so she's got like a month left.
01:23:25
>> So she's been working at Media Works too, like doing promos and stuff. So
01:23:28
>> um she might end up there yet, which is uh >> both of them. Yeah.
01:23:34
>> Well, yeah. So I I don't know if Grace will end up doing radio, but I think
01:23:38
that's where she might start if promos or something. Yeah. >> Yeah. You must be proud of that. The
01:23:44
fact that they're adults now and they they still they still want to hang out
01:23:46
with you. >> Yeah. No, they they live maybe more than Grace. [laughter] >> Yeah. No, I am I am proud.
01:23:54
>> Why doesn't Grace want to hang out with you? >> I think I don't know. [laughter]
01:23:59
>> Personality. No, if she watches this, I do. [laughter] She does. Yeah. Not
01:24:05
maybe. I don't know. They're just different personalities. Uh, you know,
01:24:09
Liv's um really you I never she's really found her feet live as a flight
01:24:15
attendant. >> Couldn't be happier. And Grace is just starting, you know, this year. She's 20,
01:24:22
so she's um she's just starting to >> as far as um I I mean, I don't know what
01:24:27
she's going to do, but yeah. So, she's sort of starting out on that journey
01:24:30
now. So, yeah. Yeah. No, I'm proud of them both. They've done very well.
01:24:33
>> Yeah. Couldn't be prouder. >> Amazing. It must say a lot about you as
01:24:37
a person like you've managed to keep this career together for three decades.
01:24:39
You've kept your marriage together. You got a great relationship with your kids.
01:24:43
>> What are the um apart from the um the mental health dips that you talked about
01:24:47
before? Like any other sort of adversities, >> how's your health been?
01:24:51
>> Uh physical health, you >> Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I I I probably I do need to go to
01:24:57
the Yeah, I probably need to to gym more than I do. My wife's very good at that,
01:25:02
so I probably need to exercise more. Um, all in all, it's been all right. Yeah.
01:25:07
Yeah. I mean, I don't Yeah, I touch wood, Dom. Um, bizarrely this year, two of my teeth have fallen out. [laughter]
01:25:15
>> What do you mean? >> So, the most bizarre I thing I I don't know if I I had a root canal. This is
01:25:23
Yeah, this is not great. Root canal and that was torture in in March. So, I got that sorted. That was awful. And then
01:25:30
like straight after a month later, I had another one and I said, "I'm not going
01:25:36
through a root canal again. Just pull it out." So he pulled that out and then I
01:25:39
was driving home and another one just literally fell out. [laughter] So my health I don't know. I don't know
01:25:46
about that. I'm I'm a little bit worried that I've kind of lost two teeth and had
01:25:49
a root canal in the same year. Um that's that's a bit of a worry. My teeth have
01:25:53
never been great. So yeah, that's um I'm a little bit concerned about what's
01:25:57
going on there. Um, but I mean, yeah, I've had regular health checks, so um,
01:26:00
so far. Yeah, I'm fine. Yeah. Yeah. >> You just seem like a like a a meat and
01:26:04
two veg kind of guy. Like just [laughter] >> Yeah. I like >> just really easygoing, never too high,
01:26:10
never too low. >> Yeah. Yeah, I think you're right. Yeah. My blood pressure was high um a few
01:26:15
years ago. Uh, but I've got that down a bit. Um, talking like Bryce when he was
01:26:20
doing his bowling, one of the um fundraisers, Bryce was had been I think awake at that point for 30 or 40 hours
01:26:26
and the the St. John's turn up and I was just I was literally there just doing
01:26:30
the show and um they took Bryce Bryce's blood pressure and mine and and mine was
01:26:35
like 20 times worse than his and he'd been awake [laughter] for 40 hours and I
01:26:39
they were like what have you been doing? I said I've just been here like it was
01:26:43
just like so hyped and just you know [laughter] doing an OB and they were like man they
01:26:48
were yours your blood pressure is so high you should literally you literally should be going to hospital now it's it
01:26:54
was off the charts high. I think I was just stressed. >> Um, it was a bit high. It's come down.
01:26:59
It's come down now, though. So, yeah, that's that's good. Yeah. >> Oh, hey, one thing that we haven't
01:27:04
talked about is um >> the uh Dance with the Stars 2018. >> Yeah, 2018.
01:27:09
>> Is that like how do you reflect on that? Is that like a career highlight?
01:27:12
>> Uh, it was hard. It was I'm glad I said yes. It was hard. It was very hard. It
01:27:16
just It broke me. Uh, but yeah, I think it is a career one of the career highlights. I'm glad I did it. Um,
01:27:21
because now it doesn't exist. The show doesn't exist anymore. So, and I was
01:27:24
always a little bit envious of um previous series cuz there were quite a few series before that um where I, you
01:27:32
know, like JJ got to do it and stuff and um and others I knew had had done it and
01:27:37
I was a little bit envious that I had never been asked and then I got asked and I was like, "Yeah, I'll have to say
01:27:44
yes." You don't know what you're getting yourself in for though. I don't know if
01:27:47
you'd if you knew what you're getting yourself in for, would you do it? I
01:27:50
don't know. >> In terms of what? just training um and everything that goes with that
01:27:56
>> and going from zero dancing ability to have to dance live on TV. Yeah, it's
01:28:00
good for you in a lot of ways. It's good for your confidence and it's um it's
01:28:04
good for learning. Um yeah, learns a lot. Meet a lot of great people. Uh it's
01:28:10
it's fun. It's it's fun, terrifying, awful. You're always sore. You're always
01:28:16
training. It's stressful. But yeah, but there's not there's there's not many
01:28:21
better I've never had many better feelings in my life than doing it live. You're doing the dance and
01:28:29
not falling. Well, actually, I did fall over. I wasn't I [laughter] hated that
01:28:32
one. Um Carolyn was was she was a great teacher. Um and but doing like I'll never forget the feeling of the first
01:28:41
dance. How ner like I was so terrified. Pure terror doing that. nearly crying going oh my oh my god and then doing
01:28:51
that and doing it all right the feeling is is I don't get many there hasn't been many
01:28:57
better feelings than that the adrenaline it's an adrenaline ride >> e and then
01:29:02
>> it's up and down up and down yeah >> and then you just click into muscle
01:29:05
memory when it's live or >> it's funny you do yeah most yeah you do
01:29:09
yeah if you've trained if you've trained enough you do uh but then I did make
01:29:13
throughout this throughout my dances I made a lot of mistakes that's just ner
01:29:16
curves. But yeah, if you can Yeah. If you train if you trained enough, it'll
01:29:20
just happen >> and it goes like that. So >> where where did you finish? Like middle
01:29:25
of the pack. >> Yeah. Middle of the pack. Yeah. Yeah. So there was like uh
01:29:29
>> David Seymour's >> Yeah. So there was six there was six left I think
01:29:33
>> and there was me and then and the others and then I got eliminated and then there
01:29:37
were five and they're all into the semi-finals. Yeah. Yeah. I knew I was done. I we had this feeling,
01:29:44
>> both of us, Caroline and I had this feeling that we were going to go that
01:29:47
week and we and we did. >> But I mean, I was I was done. I was actually pleased to go. I cuz that next
01:29:52
week would had to have learned two dancers and I could barely learn one in a week.
01:29:57
>> You don't even have a week either. It's a bit of a >> So Samantha Hayes won that series.
01:30:01
>> She did. Yeah. >> Yeah. So you were on the same I was working with um Clint Randall at the
01:30:06
time. He was on the same series. I saw how >> he was on the one the year after. Okay.
01:30:10
Yeah, >> but I saw the work that he put in. It was um it was just all day every day.
01:30:15
Yeah, they say they [snorts] say it's 12 or 15 hours a week and in your head that
01:30:20
doesn't sound >> over a week that doesn't sound a lot >> but man it is. And it's that that's
01:30:25
minimum and yeah and also you don't really you don't really get as many days
01:30:30
as you think because you might uh say for example you get a new dance you find that out on the Monday for example. So
01:30:38
you barely do much on the Monday. It's a rush. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
01:30:42
Friday, Saturday you've got to know it. Saturday you do like a dress rehearsal
01:30:47
sort of thing. So you don't really get to have that long to do it. And Sunday
01:30:52
you just hope for the best. [laughter] You hope that it's going to work and sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.
01:30:58
It's amazing what Yeah. It's amazing what happens. Yeah. What you can actually do. Yeah. You you mentioned
01:31:04
before that um before your first dance you were almost cried. Are you a very emotional person?
01:31:09
>> I can I can be. >> When did you last cry? >> Um I pro last cried uh I had some well I
01:31:19
had some good news and bad news. I had some good news that my so say like so when when Olivia
01:31:26
because Olivia was Yeah. Olivia got into Quantis and um and she'd had all these interviews and
01:31:35
or two actually. So we were like really hoping that she'd get this job and we
01:31:40
knew kind of knew what it would what it meant to her and yeah and so she she came home and and and was crying and had
01:31:48
just found out that she had got into uh Quantis to flight flight flight school a
01:31:53
couple of years ago and we were so I was I was crying then I was so happy. Yeah.
01:31:57
How could a gratitude tears? >> Yeah. And then my um my wife had applied for this job as a deputy principal. This
01:32:05
was um this year and um and she got that and I I just broke down crying. >> I was so happy for her.
01:32:15
>> Yeah. That she got that. Um that was good times. Good times. Good times. And
01:32:20
then uh I was watching the Boy Zone documentary on TV [laughter] on TV and Zed and um and one of them
01:32:27
died. I I had no idea he died and I was like balling. Yeah. >> But I didn't Yeah. So I didn't I didn't
01:32:36
know there was this doco on them. >> Yeah. >> You you're getting um you're getting
01:32:40
emotional now reflecting on your family's um >> Yeah. >> Oh, there was also Yeah. There was also
01:32:46
a time um not that long. Well, >> yeah. Liv had um Liv had was in Abu Dhabi I believe I think and had found
01:32:58
out that she'd passed her she she'd passed she so she was a fullyfledged flight attendant. So yeah
01:33:06
and then she'd text us and that was yeah we >> yeah that was um that was pretty good.
01:33:11
>> Yeah. Um, sad. Yeah, sad. Yeah. Um, yeah, I think that was Yeah, that was
01:33:16
um, happy tears, sad tears. Yeah. Yeah. Some things funnally strangely will set you off on TV if you're watching
01:33:22
[laughter] something for the for whatever reason. I don't never really knew anything about Boy and I was
01:33:27
watching this documentary with my wife, you know, Ron and Katon and all that those guy Ron and Keing, those guys and
01:33:33
and I was like, one of them I this one of them died have a heart attack in his 30s. It was so sad. [laughter] Um,
01:33:40
>> did you talk about that on the air? No, but we've had very sad stories. We've
01:33:47
had sad stories on air when um >> I've been welling up. Yeah. Like when
01:33:52
that time Mike King came in, we were all crying. >> Yeah. When he broke down and we were all
01:33:56
crying as well and that was that was Yeah. sad. It's um it can be quite it's
01:34:01
very good. It can be good can be good for you actually. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Do you need a tissue? There's a tissue
01:34:05
there. Um Oh, no. It's I think it says a lot about your character like the the
01:34:09
the things that that you reflect on crying about that make you cry now are happy occasions for your family for the
01:34:15
>> two. Yeah. I mean some examples I just remember. Yeah. They weren't that long
01:34:19
ago are there? No. No. Yeah. Um >> so there's a lot a lot more to you than
01:34:23
what people that even listen to your show um may sort of think or know about you.
01:34:27
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> What are the what are what do you think the best and worst things about aging
01:34:31
are? >> Uh [snorts] teeth falling out. >> That's not good. Honestly, that's not
01:34:36
good. Now, I'm a little bit worried about that. I don't know why they just
01:34:38
decided to my teeth decided to fall out. Um, you uh I always find I'm a little
01:34:43
bit Oh, what's what's some of the worst things? You um you're always sore. Uh I
01:34:47
find [laughter] you make noises sitting down when you [laughter] find >> um Yeah. Yeah. You become a bit of a
01:34:59
nanner. Um >> kind of like I feel like I need a bit more sleep than I used to. Um, so I'm
01:35:04
always in bed like 8:30. Uh, is that a bad thing? I don't know. >> Um, but yeah, it's always just trying to
01:35:10
look just you have to try you just have to look after yourself a lot more than you used to.
01:35:14
>> Um, >> big nights are kind of aren't a thing anymore. >> Um, [snorts] good things you you just
01:35:22
don't care as much about things is you've let a lot go. I don't care
01:35:25
without sounding uh negative, you just don't care about a lot of things. You've
01:35:29
stuff you've been through in your life. So, you've sort of been there, done that
01:35:32
in a lot of ways, and so you don't you don't sort of seem to care as much as uh
01:35:36
you used to. >> Yeah. You let a lot of stuff go. I've learned to let a lot of stuff go. Yeah.
01:35:41
Well, you're just a little bit more free, I feel. Yeah. >> It's a good space to be playing,
01:35:46
>> Yeah. I think so. >> Yeah. It's just a lot of stresses. I used to stress about things. It's like I
01:35:52
don't really worry too much about it. Just doesn't matter. >> Just doesn't matter.
01:35:55
>> Well, it's like we were talking about before, anyone that's like, "Oh, all Ro
01:35:58
does is laugh." Doesn't matter. No, doesn't matter. >> Yeah, doesn't matter.
01:36:03
>> You know your career. You know what you bring. Everyone knows what you bring.
01:36:06
>> Yeah. And it's such a small >> This is New Zealand is such a small
01:36:10
place, you know, >> and so what are you what was I stressing about? What was I stressing about survey
01:36:15
results for? Um, you know, I went to Europe for God's sake. I mean, that's so
01:36:19
big and vast and and old >> old and everyone's probably has no idea about New Zealand and everyone just gets
01:36:26
on with their lives and doesn't even know what's going on in New Zealand,
01:36:29
>> let alone what's going on in radio in New Zealand. So, I mean, sure, you've
01:36:33
got to care, but >> I used to I just Yeah, I I was just I used to worry too much about it and I I
01:36:38
don't as much now. So, that's that's a good thing. Yeah. >> What do you think your best and worst
01:36:43
habits are? probably that like worst habits probably um catastrophizing a lot of things. So
01:36:51
it was yeah >> like overinking >> overthinking a little things little
01:36:55
things um worrying a little about things that probably didn't need worrying about. Um
01:37:01
[sighs] >> good habits. Um oh I'm always fairly I'm always quite a nice happy guy I think.
01:37:09
Yeah. >> Yeah. I think I'm I think I'm quite a nice person to be around.
01:37:13
>> Well no no one no one would ever say Roger's an [ __ ] >> No no. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think I'm I'm
01:37:19
just me. M yeah, I'm relatively happy in my own skin. I'm happy in my own skin.
01:37:24
Yeah, that comes with age though. But yeah. Yeah, I don't think I'm Yeah, I
01:37:28
think it's uh >> Yeah, I think that would be it. >> What about fears? What are you most
01:37:32
afraid of? >> From an animal point of view, I'm scared of rats and they brought somebody to the
01:37:40
studio a while ago and I dropped an Fbomb on air. I was so pissed off with them. [laughter]
01:37:46
Don't like them. What else do I fear? I hate heights. Um, things get gets worse
01:37:51
as I get older, actually. >> And I don't know now. I I I'm not a fan
01:37:56
of like small spaces now. I I didn't used to have a problem with that, but the thought of that now, like, nah, that
01:38:03
that that's not me. That's not me anymore. >> Um, general fears. Um,
01:38:10
[snorts] I mean, yeah, I I don't have any I don't lie awake at night worrying about
01:38:18
any great fear. [snorts] Um, >> I probably more worry about my kids actually. You know, I just hope that
01:38:24
they're going to be okay. And I know and that's why I think >> I think you know they're getting older.
01:38:30
So, um, that is get that that gets easier. It's quite stressful having teenage daughters. Mhm.
01:38:36
>> That's I used to worry a lot >> really. I'm way >> just there just so many things that can,
01:38:41
you know, >> just them going to parties and them driving and then hopefully saying,
01:38:47
[clears throat] >> you know, them telling me that they're going to be there and are they actually
01:38:51
going there or are they going are they going somewhere else or are they getting bullied? Are they hooking up with the
01:38:57
wrong people? And yeah, just it's a minefield. Yeah, but that was Yeah, it's
01:39:02
stress that teenage girls are stressful as as two parents. It's um it's a
01:39:07
stressful time. >> Yeah, >> it's a lot. And you want to be there for
01:39:09
them and you just can't be. >> No. No. And they don't Sometimes they
01:39:12
don't want you to be there, you know. >> And as we established, you're you're
01:39:15
like a control freak by nature and you just can't. >> Yeah. Yeah. It's Yeah, I know. You've
01:39:19
just got to And it's like Lisa's like, you know, [snorts] um having had has been a teenage girl,
01:39:26
so she's probably a bit more understanding than I was. Um, yeah, it's it's a stressful time. They're going
01:39:31
through a lot. They're going through school. They're going through, >> you know, exams, boyfriends, everything,
01:39:37
you know. It's Yeah, I found that quite quite stressful. Yeah. But, um, I you
01:39:41
worry so much about them >> when they're going through those years. you know, it's kind of like easier when
01:39:47
they're younger, you know, you'll just they'll do what you say, [laughter] you
01:39:52
know, >> and now they get to like 15, 16 and they're like out >> and they don't listen to you and you
01:39:59
know, they don't want to listen to you and um but you get navigating that is is
01:40:03
hard. So that was that was quite stressful. I used to worry about them a lot. Yeah.
01:40:07
>> Yeah. >> But you're through that and you got a great relationship with them now, which
01:40:09
is wonderful. >> Through that. Yeah. Through that. Do you are you much of a goal setter or a
01:40:13
planner? >> No, I never I never thought, oh, I want to be here or in 10 years or here in
01:40:20
five. No. No. I always just wanted to keep going on the rock. That was kind of my goal. My goal was always to I always
01:40:30
still I mean I love to >> you know my goal was to rate I loved you know >> success. Yeah, that's that's that's my
01:40:37
goal. But >> um you just need to keep on doing that every day. um to to to to achieve that.
01:40:43
But >> I never had I never had like a 5year goal or or anything like that. No, no,
01:40:49
there's never I never thought, oh, I want to do this or that's what I want to
01:40:53
do in 5 10 years time. But I mean, there's always been goals, >> you know, like stuff like, you know,
01:41:02
>> yeah, >> we wanted to buy we wanted to buy a batch, you know, and magnify and that's
01:41:06
we did. those goals more life goals more than work goals. Yeah. Yeah. >> What about um Yeah. In terms of what's
01:41:14
next? Is it like is there anything that you you'd love to do like in terms of
01:41:17
like a in your radio career or in broadcast media or >> I'd like I think I've got time now. I'd
01:41:24
like to attempt to write a book or have a think about writing a book whether it's a book about my life or book based
01:41:30
on my life or something. I've been doing it long enough I could you know whether
01:41:34
I do that. Um, yeah, I know you've done it. So, uh, so yeah, that that I I I
01:41:40
wouldn't mind that that doesn't I wouldn't mind doing that. Um, whether I Yeah, I mean, I'm obviously
01:41:46
back at doing the show next year, doing breakfast next year on the Rumble. So, uh, I've got one more I got one more
01:41:51
year, but that's, uh, >> one more year on your current contract cycle.
01:41:54
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so, we'll have a look at things um, next
01:41:59
next year. Yeah. Uh, but I mean I' I'd love to if if I stopped doing mornings
01:42:04
breakfast. Um, I I wouldn't want to walk away from radio. I'd like hopefully
01:42:09
there'd be something >> I could another show I could do uh on another station or
01:42:15
>> or probably it' be another station I say. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> My prediction is you you get to decide.
01:42:21
You get to end on your own terms whenever that may be. >> Yeah. >> Wouldn't that be sweet? It would be the
01:42:26
only way for you to go out after three decades. >> Oh, look. Yeah. I mean, I don't take
01:42:30
anything for granted, especially now. So, I'm certainly not going to demand anything. But, I mean, yeah, if I
01:42:36
>> I mean, if I was to do an afternoon show that I'd be pretty happy. Yeah. With
01:42:40
that, I' I wouldn't mind that at all. It' be a nice way to sort of >> finish your career.
01:42:45
>> You don't have to get up early anymore, which Yeah. >> Which I' probably can't keep on doing
01:42:52
that forever. No, >> it's it's a lot, eh? >> Yeah, it's early.
01:42:56
>> You must be You must be a wreck on Fridays. >> I am. Yeah, I am. That's one of the
01:43:00
things worst thing about getting old. Like, yeah, you're a wreck. I'm a wreck.
01:43:03
>> Do you have like a dad nap? You sit down in front of the TV. [laughter]
01:43:08
>> You You're sort of chipping into it now. [laughter] >> You know, you know, we My wife and I
01:43:18
shocking. Yeah. We get to Fridays and we're done. >> Yeah. It's like if we have to go out or
01:43:24
something, it's like >> Yeah. [laughter] >> Yeah. No, no, that's just me. Yeah.
01:43:29
>> Yeah. Oh, no. No. I think it's it's it's aging, but also early starts. Like if
01:43:33
you see any any dairy farmer or anyone that has an early morning job >> on Friday afternoon, by the end of the
01:43:39
week, they'll be they'll be asleep in front of the TV. >> Yeah. And look, I'm I'm well aware
01:43:43
there's people who get up just as early as me or earlier and work way longer and
01:43:47
probably aren't. So, yeah, I know. I appreciate that. I just um that's just
01:43:51
me. Yeah. That's how I feel. Yeah. Done by Fridays. Absolutely. Yeah. If if um
01:43:58
Lisa and your daughters were in the next room Yeah. Um and you couldn't hear what
01:44:02
they were saying, what three words would you like them to use to describe you as
01:44:06
a man? >> They would say uh that I Oh jeez. Um they would say that I probably am a
01:44:12
quite a good listener to them, I think. I don't know. All Yeah. Yeah. I'm I'm
01:44:16
caring. I'm a good listener. Um, they say nice things about me on air when uh whenever Ryan rings them for a
01:44:25
message and stuff for my birthday or whatever. They've said some beautiful things about [laughter] me, which I
01:44:29
appreciate. They left a lovely message for me on Father's Day that they played
01:44:33
out on air. So, um, now they said, yeah, kind, um, caring, um, good listener and,
01:44:42
um, they feel like they can tell me most things. Um, that that, yeah, I'm not,
01:44:47
uh, they probably feel like they can share stuff with me, which, uh, yeah, I think they can. Yeah. Um,
01:44:55
>> [ __ ] that's a special relationship, eh? >> It's Yeah, it's pretty good. Yeah. Yeah,
01:44:58
that is. Yeah, it is. Yeah, it is. Touchwood. It is um Yeah, it is. It is pretty close. Yeah, it is. It is close.
01:45:05
Um, you least Oh, what would Le say? Uh, hopefully she'd say good things about
01:45:10
me. [laughter] [laughter] No, she would. No, she she would. Yeah. Yeah. No, she Yeah. Yeah.
01:45:22
>> No, she said the other day, I've lost my spark a bit. So, really? Yeah. Yeah. And
01:45:26
she's probably right. >> [ __ ] Did that break your heart? >> No, I was probably agreed with her,
01:45:30
actually. Yeah. Yeah. >> Did she elaborate? What did she think? >> Oh, I just think I need a I just think I
01:45:34
need a break. Yeah. >> Yeah. It's come here. It's come at the right time.
01:45:39
>> Yeah. >> It's a hard thing to hear, but it's a probably a good thing to hear. I mean,
01:45:43
[ __ ] she's been your day one. >> Oh, look. I Yeah, I appreciate you know
01:45:46
better than >> Oh, she's I mean, she's just she's awesome with that. Yeah. Um and her
01:45:50
job's hard, so you know, to be a sort of take some of my problems on >> sometimes. Um no, she no, she she she
01:45:57
notices these things, but um yeah. Oh, look, the break it's just going to be
01:46:01
it's come at the right time and I appreciate it and um >> yeah, just it'll just be nice just to
01:46:07
kick back for a bit. Yeah. Sort of uh feel a bit freer. >> So, it's welld deserved.
01:46:12
>> How how we've been going for an hour 46. How how how do you find this? Are you
01:46:16
being being um like a control freak by nature and also being like a radio guy who's the anchor of your show?
01:46:22
>> Are you um Yeah. How do you feel being on the the receiving end? >> I I had to listen to a few of these with
01:46:27
you and with other guests. Um, I I hope it's been all right. I I just I'm just
01:46:32
uh happy to answer your questions really. I Yeah, I'm just sort of trying to be honest and and uh I don't know. I
01:46:38
don't mind. No, I don't mind. No, no, I [laughter] don't know if I want to do
01:46:42
one every day. But no, no, it's been No, it's been good. It's been It's been good. We We
01:46:48
We've known each other for a long time, so it's not like you're not a stranger
01:46:51
to me. No. And we have had similar careers as well. So you I mean I you can probably appreciate
01:46:57
>> some of the stuff I say and the fact that you did breakfast for a long time
01:47:00
too. So you kind of know what what goes on and the ins and outs and the ups and downs and everything. So you probably
01:47:05
you probably appreciate it as well. >> Yeah, I get it. >> You get it. You've done it. Yeah,
01:47:09
>> I get it. >> Yeah. >> Are you proud of yourself? >> Yeah, largely. Yeah. Yeah. At times no.
01:47:16
But I mean I if I had have quitted in 20 if I had have sort of finished like tw sort of 20 years I probably would have
01:47:24
felt there would have been some sort of um unfinished business like if I had to quit
01:47:30
>> 12 years ago or whatever um or what you know finished but no I I got to 30
01:47:38
whatever 30 years breakfast yes last year. Yeah. So 31 years now. So, no, I Yeah, I've done it the best,
01:47:46
you know. I've had a great I've had a great It's been It's been great. I mean,
01:47:50
it's a great job. Um, it's gone pretty quick. It really has. >> [ __ ] It does, though.
01:47:56
>> Yes. Yes. It sounds nuts that it's 31 years on Breakfast, but it's gone. It
01:48:01
sounds like a cliche. It really sounds like a cliche, but it has, it does go so quick, and it's already,
01:48:08
>> you know, October now. >> This year's gone so quick and so it has
01:48:11
gone quick, but yeah. Yeah. I mean, yeah. I mean, it's um some great things have happened and it's it's been Yeah. I
01:48:18
I can look I could look back and now go, "Yeah, um what more could I have done?"
01:48:24
You know, I've certainly I've >> tried. Yeah. Tried. >> You've done your best.
01:48:29
>> Done. I can honestly say that. Yeah. Done my best. Yeah. Yeah. >> Will will you be okay when you're no
01:48:34
longer Raj from The Rock? >> My wife says no. Um she reckons no. It's a big part of your identity. It's over
01:48:43
half your life. >> Yeah, it's it's it's um it's more Yeah.
01:48:46
Well, more than half. Um >> No, I mean it's not over you, but I I I think so. I think so. I think so. Yeah.
01:48:54
Yeah. Um whether it is or not. >> I've I've kind of had to come to terms
01:48:58
with it a little bit >> and it's not going to be around forever. Uh, so yeah, I I I think so, but I I
01:49:06
might be clamoring clamoring for it after a while and missing it and missing everything about it. But yeah, I think
01:49:13
having done it for so long, I I don't know. Um, I can't answer that question
01:49:18
cuz I I haven't quit or anything yet, so I haven't finished up. But whether I do
01:49:22
miss it, I I don't know. This this this little break will be a test, I think,
01:49:27
>> cuz I've never had this long off. So, um whether that is a, you know, after a
01:49:32
couple of months I'm bored and miss it or I'll get 3 months in and go, "No, it
01:49:37
was sweet." Yeah. Didn't didn't miss it at all. I don't know. I can't answer
01:49:40
that question yet. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Well, I'm really excited to see what the
01:49:44
future brings. No, thank you. >> It seems like um seems like there's there's there's two guys, right? There's
01:49:48
Ro from The Rock and there's Roger Fairley, the husband and the father. Um and um they're both they're the same
01:49:54
person obviously but um also different in a lot of ways but both great people and both have um been very very
01:50:00
successful and uh private life and you know professional life. >> No no it's no thank you. It's um yeah no
01:50:07
this it's uh he it's where the journey has um has to this point got us here. So
01:50:14
yeah no thank thank you. No it's been great. Enjoy the break mate. Cheers. >> Thanks so much. Cheers man.