Rachael Williams - Poems Are for the Boys

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Slam poetry doesn't care if it's
perfect.

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It's time to slam.
It's the biggest poem I've got

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inside of her.
She was a thief.

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You love me to love a haunted
house.

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Yelling, angry blood black
nothingness began to spin this

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day.
I hate pork chops.

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I am the master of my thing.
I am the captain of myself.

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It's poetry in motion.
Welcome to I Think Therefore I

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Slam, the podcast bringing you
the best spoken word in slam

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poetry artist from Australia and
beyond.

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My name is Andrew Rogerson and
my guest today is a spoken word

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poet and writer from dark and
young country on the NSW Central

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Coast.
She's featured at poetry slams

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and festivals all across NSW
including the Byron Writers

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Festival, Yours and Ours
Festival and in the ACT at

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Canberra Slam.
She's a two time finalist in the

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National Youth Poetry Slam and
in 2024 performed with Bankstown

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Poetry Grand Slam for a sold out
Sydney Town Hall.

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She's hit venues like the Sydney
Opera House and the State

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Library last year.
She was also the 2024 NSW State

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Poetry Slam Champion and the
2024 national runner up in the

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Australian Poetry Slam, her
collection.

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I have loved you Since you were
Tiny and Crawling and I Wasn't

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Born or Alive Yet launched at
the State Library of NSW last

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October.
Rachel Williams, welcome to the

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show.
Hey, thank you so much for

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having me Andrew.
Lovely reading voice for that

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intro too.
Loved it, happy to be here.

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My vocal warmups have not gone
to waste.

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That's good to see.
Rachel, you're playing somewhat

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of an expat at the moment
because you're, you're over

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there in Canada on a, a bit of
a, a working holiday.

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How?
How are things over there?

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Canada's great, I love Canada.
I always imagined I would come

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here and be a ski instructor.
Like 10 years ago I was here

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with my family on exactly in
this same ski town and I'm so

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happy to be back.
I'm so happy that I'm, like,

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travelling a lot.
Now in my mid 20s, I'm doing

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like kind of all the things that
I always wanted to do and

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everything is like, awesome, to
be honest, Andrew, I'm loving it

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over here.
Yeah.

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Good to hear.
Well, Rachel, we're ready to see

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what incredible arts you're
gonna bring us today.

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So would you like to start off
with your first piece?

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Sure, My first piece is called
Getty's Place Cabramatta.

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It is a love letter to my
childhood, my school holidays

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spent at my nan's house when I
felt like I was like one of the

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only kids, like leaving the
Central Coast and going away

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from the beach in the school
holidays or something like that.

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But I have cherished memories.
The poem also imagines me and a

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best friend in her house, and
I'm super proud of this piece.

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So, Getty's Place, Cabramatta.
I wouldn't know him without the

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Internet, but if we were 11, I
imagine we would have met

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climbing my grandmother's
eternal Mulberry tree out West

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in Cabramatta in the school
holidays.

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Or in someone's auntie's
backyard next to a hot plastic

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slip and slide.
A blue camping top drizzled with

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neon green morning fresh.
A bucket of silky suds.

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Ashcrawny, wet legs, shins torn,
knees blooming, welts rubbing

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our ankles, itchy as we fail to
flake.

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The sticky grass, the mud we
have ripped up from the earth

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when battering our young bones
past the finish line.

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Home in our fingernails and hair
until our mothers and their

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mothers banished us from the
house, scolding us filthy.

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We might have felt weird
standing in the baking heat,

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naked in our cozies with no
swimming pool or sprinkler

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insight.
Until someone's older brother

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pushes the tip of their thumb
inside the mouth of a garden

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hose and sprays us like a fan,
pelting our faces, laughing.

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And we are forgetting our
awkward bodies trying to capture

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the disappearing rainbow in the
grass with our feet, throwing

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ourselves on bin lids lined
against the fence to catapult

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into the neighbor's backyard
where ice blocks are promised

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creamy banana smoothie
moustaches.

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Some are cooking the new
cul-de-sac tar into lava.

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And after losing the ball down
the storm drain, we would bash

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tennis rackets against each
other like night with their

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swords jousting at the dead end
of the street, yelling car.

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Even without one.
I swoon when you spare my life

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at laser tag.
We might watch the first

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Avengers movie at Parramatta,
Westfield's bathing in the only

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air conditioning to touch us
after enduring the simmering

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seat belt bones that got us
there.

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The first time I would have said
I love you would have been on

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the back steps of the laundry as
the southerly hits the

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unforgiving slam of the fly
screen, the pokey nails in the

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timber I stubbed my toes on and
my nan forever listening from

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the kitchen sink, our yellow
labs metal bowl with three cups

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of kibble inside, the music of
its skinning the pavement.

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You would beat me to feeding her
and we wouldn't have looked at

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each other until we knocked down
the box of lucky dog biscuits

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from on top of the fridge as Nan
calls me for a bath and

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spaghetti and cheese for dinner.
It's the 6:00 news, the foot fan

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always clicking its turning
neck.

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I send you home with freshly
washed clothes from the day

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before and the love tattered
board games you brought over.

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You say it back when I am
letting you out the front door,

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2 hands undoing the latch, your
board shorts splashing the lino,

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my Nan scowling, your father
burning up in the driveway.

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Do you remember the last time
you were small enough to shove

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your put inside the bottom of a
bucket?

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The horror of it being stuck
there for a second?

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Do you remember the last time
you filled regular party

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balloons with the outside tap
until they snapped?

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How sometimes the sacred source
would be guarded by a cousin?

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Do you remember, like me, how
sometimes childhood was a

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Kingdom, when no one ever died
or was lost?

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Life was as long as those
sweltering summer days, waking

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up to a muffled 2UE, radio
static buzzing, falling out of a

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tree, forgetting our bodies
before the Internet, before the

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southerly and bedtime.
Thank you.

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Wow.
Thanks for listening.

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What an amazingly vivid picture
of an Australian summer.

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That's all I've I've got.
To say thank you so much.

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I was so out of breath.
That's OK.

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The hot plastic slip and slide,
like I think every kid who grew

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up in sweltering yeah,
Australian summers knows exactly

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what you're talking about, some
of this kind of universal

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experience and universal
imagery.

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What do you reckon was like the
best summer of your life?

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Is that something that you've
considered?

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Oh my gosh, OK, I'm obviously
we're blessed with summer and

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Christmas happening at the same
time in Australia.

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I have vivid memories of my
brothers and I.

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We used to play cricket in the
city on Christmas Day when I was

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like 9/10/12 years old and we
would catch a ferry from Balmain

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under the Harbour Bridge.
And then like my brothers would

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get in trouble from security
guards because we were just like

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bowling and whacking tennis
balls off city buildings, off

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like the modern Art Museum in
Circular Quay 1.

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Christmas Day my dad had to jump
in Sydney Harbour and get our

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tennis ball back so we could
keep playing cricket.

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I don't know.
I have a lot of memories around

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my brothers.
Yeah, a lot of memories around

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sport.
And my brothers and I just like

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growing up outside in summer.
So very lucky, very lucky.

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Nothing will get in the way of
summer cricket in the park

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happening, not even losing the
ball in the in the ocean.

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No, no didn't shark infested
Sydney Harbour?

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No way Dad going in.
Excellent.

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Well, thank you again for
sharing, Rachel.

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I want to start off with a bit
of a favorite question of the

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podcast, which is your origin
story?

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Your origin story of starting to
share your creative work with

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people.
How did this come about?

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Was it a friend who who dubbed
you into something?

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Were you invited into a space?
Were you inspired by an elder?

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What's the TI?
Was reflecting on this in

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preparation for this interview.
The true story is I was nine

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years old with a Facebook
account just so I could play

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Farm Villain Pet Society.
I'm not sure if anyone else had

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that experience.
You can't do that.

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Anymore, but because of this
Facebook account, no, you can't,

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you can't do that anymore.
It was back in the day, it was

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2009.
Because of this Facebook

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account, my 9 year old self felt
the need to like post little

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poems on Facebook for like my
primary school friends I guess.

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And one of them, I remembered
one.

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It was really sweet.
Magic is real, A dream is a

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dream.
Tomorrow it's sunny.

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Well, that's how it seems.
Love is a fairy tale.

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I start my day with laughter
because when I'm a Princess I

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will live happily ever after.
Thank you everyone, thank you.

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I loved writing poetry from like
that age to be honest.

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Didn't really know what it was.
When I was 16 my best friend in

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in advanced English brought me
to a local poetry slam in

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Gosford.
It was called speak up.

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Then I ended up doing like a
year St. poets artist residency

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with them in a group, Fell in
love with spoken word.

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When I went to university in
Wollongong, I joined the enough

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said poetry slam scene, which
I'm such a big fan of the people

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that run that and they're my
good mates now, Kept growing

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through university doing that.
Then I got myself a bit of a

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muse when I like, fell in love
when I was like 19 years old.

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So I started writing lots about
him and performing about him,

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and then I just started taking
it really seriously and now

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we're here.
Unreal.

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So what I'm hearing is, yeah, it
really kind of came in for you

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at A at a very young age and as
a result, I feel like we've seen

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you become so capable and so
accomplished at the slam poetry

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kind of competition level so
early.

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You know, we know that you're a
two time National Youth Poetry

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Slam finalists and in 2024 you
were national runner up at the

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Australian Poetry Slam, which is
a massive, massive achievement.

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What I want to ask you though,
is that we know that in these

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competition scenes there is, you
know, this scoring system and

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all these kind of processes that
you don't normally get at your

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regular open mics, right?
I want to know how do you kind

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of wade through or reconcile
your own artistic standards

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about what is, you know, success
for you with the, if you like,

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arbitrary nature of competitive
scoring?

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Because it is arbitrary.
It's kind of part of the fun,

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the fact that that the judges
picked are just ordinary people

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and stuff.
But yeah.

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Did you have any thoughts about
that?

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Yeah, there's like, I think
there's a little bit of an

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understanding in at least like
the Sydney Slam scene where I'm

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from is that now it's like
people have the mindset you can

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write for slam and you can write
this three minute like smash,

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like hit, hit, hit pace and
like, you know, it's function,

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you know what it's doing.
Like you're writing for the

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competition or you're writing
for yourself and you're you can

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do both, but you don't want to
crush your soul by trying to

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write for slam just so you can
win a competition.

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Either I feel lucky now that I
don't feel like I have to prove

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myself or compete as much.
I'm like I'm I'm very grateful

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that when I'm performing now, I
get to like do sets of poetry.

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But if I'm performing a piece, I
have to believe in the piece by

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myself without thinking about
judges or five random people

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that have a subjective view of
poetry as a it's all very

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subjective.
I let the scoring go because

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like if people don't know, often
the judges are 5 random people

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that have picked up from the
audience that that means that

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like that could be 5 people that
have never seen spoken word ever

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before and they're judging like
the national final, they're

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judging the NSW final or
something like that.

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So I try to take scoring very
lightly.

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I think artistry and
storytelling always comes first.

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Slam and scoring has its like
place.

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I, I respect its place, but I
don't like to do it a bunch now.

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I don't like competing the
points, especially when you have

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a very personal adverse piece or
a piece that is about suicide or

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or mental health.
And it kind of feels like I've

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competed with those pieces
before and it just kind of feels

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wrong.
After you sit down, you're like,

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that didn't feel good that my
story got like a numerical value

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on something.
So personal scoring and slam

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culture is important, but it's
not the be all end all.

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And I hope every artist like
works out their relationship to

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it because it our stories matter
more.

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Like the point.
There's a good saying like the

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point is the point is not the
point.

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The point is the poetry.
I'm sure you've heard that, but

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it's true.
Like we just need to tell

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stories man Man, I hope I answer
that.

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00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:39,760
Yeah.
Absolutely.

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I think it hit the nail on the
head in saying, you know, you

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don't want the number to define.
First off, you don't want the

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00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:49,520
numbers to define you and you
don't want the numbers to define

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the work because like you said,
you're, you're presenting

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00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:55,360
extremely personal things that
might be about yourself or

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00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:58,320
someone else that you really
care about and they

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automatically transcend any kind
of scoring.

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Like that's not going to do them
justice.

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It's.
Also kind of gutting to see a

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00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:08,800
first time poet get up and
they've got like they're shaking

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00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,960
and it's like their most
intimate pace and then they get

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00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:14,320
like a low score and then they
get disheartened.

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But the most amazing thing that
they should be proud of is that

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the fact they stood on a stage
and told their story and opened

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up and what was what, they were
vulnerable.

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00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,000
Now for sure, you were saying
that I think every poet has a

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different relationship to the
numbers or scoring.

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I'll give you a quick tip.
I've done the the Victorian

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00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:35,840
final twice at this point.
And when the scores come out

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00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:39,640
after I performed, I will try,
try and deliberately do a Homer

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00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:44,760
Simpson in my head and just be
like, hey, like I'm trying to

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00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:47,000
scramble, not hearing them.
I don't want to.

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00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,440
I like, I don't want to be
tracking that in my head

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throughout the night.
Yeah.

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00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:54,360
So that's my strategy.
Oh, totally.

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It's like, yeah, man, celebrate
the fact that you're at the

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00:14:57,560 --> 00:15:02,600
Victorian final and like, yeah,
do do The Simpsons thing.

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Do The Simpsons song in your
head.

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00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:07,000
Like absolutely it's.
Just blacking it all out.

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Even though I love the, I love
the world we're a part of, it's

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00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:14,320
like a funny, it's a funny
culture in in the sense of like

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00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:16,400
the scoring and how we value it,
right?

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00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:19,800
Like I'm sure lots of poets feel
the same way.

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00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:25,200
I think Therefore I Slam is
brought to you by the Slam Fam

271
00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:28,120
on Patreon.
Yes, these are the generous,

272
00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:31,880
beautiful, creative souls who
help keep the lights on here at

273
00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:35,080
Podcast HQ.
And for less than the price of a

274
00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:37,720
coffee a month, they get access
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275
00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:40,520
goodies, including bonus
episodes, previews of upcoming

276
00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:44,320
content, new poems and musings
from me, and much more.

277
00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:49,760
To become a member, you can head
on over to patreon.com, ittis,

278
00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:51,840
or click the link in the
description.

279
00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:59,560
Now back to the conversation,
Speaking of things like routine,

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00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:01,640
and this is not something that
we've talked about along the

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00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:05,160
podcast yet, Rachel, do you have
any pre performance things?

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So anything you do physically or
mentally or ritually that help

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00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:14,520
you prepare the most before you
get on a stage, you know, are

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00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:17,240
you, are you superstitious about
what you want in the green room

285
00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:20,600
or anything like that?
Oh dude, I I don't have an ego

286
00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:22,400
to think about like what's in
the green room.

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00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:25,640
If there's like any snack in the
green room, like I'm so happy,

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00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:30,600
like, but if I'm not working
that day, then I will wake up,

289
00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:34,440
jump in the ocean, wash my hair,
put on a Princess dress, do my

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00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:35,920
makeup.
Then I've got like an hour and a

291
00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:40,120
half of driving to get to the
city, which is just like banger

292
00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:43,280
after banger.
I work on a lot of like nervous

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00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:45,560
energy on like a day that I'm
performing.

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00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:49,800
So usually backstage with the
poet, I'm just like talking like

295
00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:52,720
a lot and just like making lots
of jokes and trying to be

296
00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:55,120
friends with everyone backstage
because I'm trying to get out.

297
00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:57,520
I'm trying not to think about
the fact that we're about to

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00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:00,720
perform for like 500 people and
I need to get out of the energy.

299
00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:06,359
But yeah, the best advice I got
when I was 18 about it, it's

300
00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:09,200
like if you like physically
exert yourself before you go on

301
00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:12,800
stage, like if you go running or
you exercise before you are

302
00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:15,839
performing, that gets out of
like that gets out to nervous

303
00:17:15,839 --> 00:17:20,240
energy too.
But personally, before I start

304
00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:25,240
and before quite emotional
poems, I take like this dramatic

305
00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:27,960
big breath, like in front of the
microphone.

306
00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:30,000
I step back.
Like I take a few breaths.

307
00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:33,200
Like the audience can see that
I'm like really like trying to

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00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:38,040
take a moment that helps me and
my nerves and my breath work on

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00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:41,840
stage, I guess.
And it also like, that is my

310
00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:44,640
ritual, especially before my
poem for the boys.

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00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:49,440
I take like a few big breaths.
And I was told by an audience

312
00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:52,640
member like, like he knew we
were going to like get deep and

313
00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:56,680
get real because I had this
whole moment of heavy breathing

314
00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:01,080
and it like was a serious, like,
it's leaves serious space before

315
00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:03,600
you start speaking.
Like they know I'm emotionally

316
00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:07,040
preparing right now to do this
piece or something like that.

317
00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:09,600
For sure I'm I'm all about the
breathing as well.

318
00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:14,640
All about closing my eyes and
breathing before I launch in and

319
00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:17,400
trying to block out any other
distractions.

320
00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:21,520
I kind of wish that it was maybe
a bit more socially acceptable

321
00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:25,760
to just like maybe move a bit
more during a slam piece.

322
00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:27,800
But you know, you got to kind of
make sure you're, you're

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00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:30,000
speaking to the mic.
Because I feel like I'd be like

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00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:32,880
nervous jumping or, or like
running from one side of the

325
00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:35,680
stage to the other.
But that might, that might quite

326
00:18:36,120 --> 00:18:37,640
focus on the, on the piece
itself.

327
00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:39,800
That might be distracting, but
who knows, maybe one day.

328
00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:43,760
Yeah, imagine if we all had
like, headsets, like all the

329
00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:46,680
slam poets had microphone
headsets, and we'll just, like,

330
00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:48,120
walk.
Well, it's Broadway by that

331
00:18:48,120 --> 00:18:50,360
point.
Yeah, that's true.

332
00:18:50,360 --> 00:18:53,520
That is true.
Like I would love to see a bunch

333
00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:57,440
of slim poets walking around and
getting out their feelings by,

334
00:18:57,440 --> 00:18:58,880
like, throughout the crowd.
Yeah.

335
00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:00,800
Yeah, absolutely.
I think that's the next step.

336
00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:03,800
What are your rituals like?
What are your?

337
00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:08,000
What's your things?
I so I like to memorize pieces

338
00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:11,600
if I can, especially if it's if
it's comp I will have a print

339
00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:15,880
out so I won't use my phone.
I'll have a large text print out

340
00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:19,400
on however many pages and I'll
put them at the base of the mic.

341
00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:22,920
That is what I found to be the
best prompt if I need it.

342
00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:26,600
If I need it rather than having
my phone distract me.

343
00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:31,960
I'm also I guess I could be
pretty chatty before a night

344
00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:34,080
kicks off.
I do remember at the, the

345
00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:37,800
Victoria finals kind of being
chatty and, and, and maybe

346
00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:40,320
nervously introducing myself to,
to everyone.

347
00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:43,680
Maybe that's just 'cause, you
know, I feel like I'm also there

348
00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:46,520
to entertain in a way.
And so if I can help someone

349
00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:48,960
else get over their nerves, that
that helps me.

350
00:19:49,360 --> 00:19:51,600
Totally.
I think the best comedy is

351
00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:54,600
backstage when all the poets are
so nervous that we're just like

352
00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:59,160
constantly like making jokes and
everyone's kind of like on this,

353
00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:01,240
like odd like this high from
performing as well.

354
00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:05,400
Yeah, and it's nice to I, I find
it nice to go early.

355
00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:08,240
I know that again, in
competition you don't

356
00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:11,880
necessarily want to go early
because of something called

357
00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:15,880
score creep, but obviously you
get it out of the way and you

358
00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:18,360
can kind of try to enjoy the
rest of the night.

359
00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:22,400
I've told this story on the pod
before, but the Victorian spoken

360
00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:26,240
Word prize in 2019.
Rest in peace A-25 performance,

361
00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:27,720
right?
Kind of like a showcase night

362
00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:30,080
for the whole State 25
performers.

363
00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:34,160
I'm dead last.
And as much as I remember parts

364
00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:37,720
from the night and enjoy parts
from the night, it was kind of

365
00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:41,240
sickening having to wait so long
to do it.

366
00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:45,720
So yeah, somewhere in the middle
or towards the start will suit

367
00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:49,040
me. 100% and you're the finale
and you're like, if I don't

368
00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:51,840
knock it out of the park like
it's going to be a problem.

369
00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:54,080
And I was so new.
I was just so new, Rachel.

370
00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:57,960
Like it was overwhelming just
watching kind of the who's who

371
00:20:57,960 --> 00:21:00,200
and and and being like, what am
I doing here?

372
00:21:00,360 --> 00:21:03,120
I got in through wild card.
So the impostor syndrome was

373
00:21:03,120 --> 00:21:06,160
already so strong.
But yeah, did my best.

374
00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:09,960
No Andrew, you deserve to be
there and I hope you I hope you

375
00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:13,680
scared the other poets with your
amazing poetry.

376
00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:17,720
Well, I'm slowly but surely, you
know, having everyone who was

377
00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:20,120
featured on that night guest
guested on the podcast.

378
00:21:20,120 --> 00:21:22,360
So we're getting there.
We, we all have different

379
00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:24,200
recollections.
Some people have said they don't

380
00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:26,680
remember anything, like it's
just a black whatever.

381
00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:28,760
And I go, Oh no, it was it was a
big night for me.

382
00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:33,240
True.
Hey, I'd love to like I visit

383
00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:35,040
the Melbourne scene.
I hear great things.

384
00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:37,280
I hear great things from the
Victorian Slam scene.

385
00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:39,480
Yeah.
Oh, we'd, we'd love to have you.

386
00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:40,520
Right, you have.
You love it.

387
00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:43,360
Yeah, I mean it's do.
You love it like.

388
00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:46,360
Yeah, absolutely.
If you know where to look, there

389
00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:50,800
are things happening most days
of the week, which is such a

390
00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:53,000
privilege.
You know, that's not not the

391
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,840
same in other cities.
It's interesting that you say

392
00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:58,960
that because I, I certainly look
at what's going on in Sydney in

393
00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:01,760
terms of things like the
Bankstown Grand Slam.

394
00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:05,920
And I go, oh, I feel like that's
maybe the heart of the country.

395
00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:08,480
But then I hear people from NSW
saying the same thing about

396
00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:10,600
Melbourne.
So you got to look in your own

397
00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:14,320
backyard and there's, there's
some new events that are, that

398
00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:18,120
are kind of blossoming as some
older events wrap up or change.

399
00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:20,960
There's always new projects.
Like I always say that if I

400
00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:24,520
didn't start the podcast, I
would be doing an event

401
00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:26,600
somewhere.
So that that's kind of the way

402
00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:27,880
it is.
But yeah, we'd love to have you,

403
00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:29,200
Rachel.
I'd love to be there.

404
00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:32,160
Yeah.
I'm just a big fan of like, our

405
00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:34,200
poetry scene growing in
Australia.

406
00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:36,480
Like, I think it's such a big
win for all of us.

407
00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:40,000
And like anyone who wants to
start or join the community too,

408
00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:43,040
like it as it gets stronger,
like we all, we're all winning.

409
00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:45,680
We're all winning.
And there's people out there who

410
00:22:46,360 --> 00:22:49,520
I think there's a lot of
nascent, you know, talent out

411
00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:54,880
there in terms of people who
they wouldn't even know that

412
00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:57,040
they love doing this yet, you
know what I mean?

413
00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:00,480
And it'll just take them being
in the right context to discover

414
00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:03,560
them, you know, and people in
regional areas and other places

415
00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:05,320
where where maybe there's not as
much opportunity.

416
00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:07,400
So I think it's a very bright
future.

417
00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:11,000
Speaking of big events, I do
want to talk about the

418
00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:15,040
Australian Poetry Slam 2024
final where you were national

419
00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:17,320
runner up.
Your original piece that you

420
00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:21,320
shared there was a very, very
powerful piece that highlighted

421
00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:24,600
male suicide.
I want to know from your

422
00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:28,600
perspective, what do you think
are the major factors nowadays

423
00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:31,600
that are impacting not just
men's mental health, but like

424
00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:34,600
young people's mental health and
and what do you think are some

425
00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:37,280
things we need to do as a
society to look after each

426
00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:40,160
other?
I think it's a lack of

427
00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:44,440
connection and a lack of
belonging as well as things of

428
00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:47,920
in Australia we have like this
binge drinking culture that no

429
00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:51,160
one really addresses.
Yeah.

430
00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:56,080
I feel like if we all did more
things that like feeds like that

431
00:23:56,080 --> 00:24:00,760
feeds our soul and with people
that feeds our soul, we'd be

432
00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:03,240
better off.
I I don't, I don't feel like an

433
00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:09,600
expert at all in this area.
But from my understanding, if we

434
00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:12,320
had more community, if we had
more belonging and connection,

435
00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:15,440
people would feel less alone and
less isolated.

436
00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:18,480
The loneliness epidemic is like
real.

437
00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:22,400
Yeah, it's very real.
I think we need to continue to

438
00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:28,360
end the stigma of talking about
mental health and talking about

439
00:24:28,360 --> 00:24:33,160
it as loudly as we can in on our
stages in our media, like in the

440
00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:35,880
world.
I think like, it won't hurt

441
00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:39,880
anyone if we talk about these
issues more and more.

442
00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:44,680
I have my own like team.
I've been through a lot in the

443
00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:47,200
last four years, personally.
I've been through a lot.

444
00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:55,160
I was very sick actually when I
was 22 and I lost like my life

445
00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:56,880
and my control, control of my
life.

446
00:24:56,880 --> 00:24:58,800
And I was in like a pretty bad
place.

447
00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:03,640
But since then, I've like, built
this amazing team and I have

448
00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:07,200
this amazing normal life now
because of my team, of my

449
00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:10,840
psychiatrist I've had for four
years, my GP I've known since I

450
00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:15,120
was 19 years old at university,
my friends and my family who can

451
00:25:15,120 --> 00:25:18,480
vouch for me and know my
character and know who I am and

452
00:25:19,360 --> 00:25:24,960
what's going on with me.
I put myself in spaces that are

453
00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:27,640
really good for me.
Like poetry is freaking

454
00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:30,520
listening and talking and
therapy and sharing.

455
00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:34,880
Like, I feel at home in those
spaces.

456
00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:36,760
It's like therapy.
Yeah.

457
00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:40,480
Get a team around you to support
you who know you.

458
00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:43,800
I sound so preachy, but like we
need to get off our phones.

459
00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:47,080
Like if my friends pick up their
phone at the pub, like I will

460
00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:49,080
have a go at my friends.
We don't do it.

461
00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:51,160
But if anyone picks up their
phone at the pub, it's like what

462
00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:52,480
are you doing?
Like I'm right here.

463
00:25:52,480 --> 00:25:56,560
Like I'm a person, I'm a person.
Get off your phone or something.

464
00:25:58,280 --> 00:25:59,680
I don't know.
We need more connection.

465
00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:02,120
Absolutely.
If someone, if I'm having lunch

466
00:26:02,120 --> 00:26:04,120
with someone, they try and take
a photo of the food.

467
00:26:04,120 --> 00:26:06,280
I'll be slapping that thing out
of your hands.

468
00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,680
What are you doing?
Who who are you doing this for

469
00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:10,240
right now?
You know what I mean?

470
00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:12,760
Like this is not what what
today's about, I suppose.

471
00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:15,640
I absolutely agree with you
about connection and community.

472
00:26:16,120 --> 00:26:18,720
What I will note though, like
from my understanding, the

473
00:26:18,720 --> 00:26:21,720
socialization between girls and
boys is different.

474
00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:24,840
Like I grew up talking about
every single feeling with all my

475
00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:26,520
best friends and that was very
normal.

476
00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:28,960
And like, I don't think it's the
same.

477
00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:32,600
I don't think, well, it used to
be not the same boys being

478
00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:37,320
raised the same like this man up
culture.

479
00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:43,400
This how we talk to our boys and
how we deal with like boys

480
00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:47,480
feelings and emotions in boyhood
and adolescence as well.

481
00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:49,720
I think that needs to change as
well.

482
00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:53,600
The whole idea of like men
should always be tough.

483
00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:56,600
I don't know.
But it needs to change because

484
00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:01,200
yeah, but it is changing now.
There's things going on.

485
00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:04,840
I mean, you know, the, the
debate about nature and nurture

486
00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:06,440
is, is infinite.
Do you know what I mean?

487
00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:10,040
I think from the reading and the
listing that I've done, I think

488
00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:14,360
there is something different
going on in general between, I

489
00:27:14,360 --> 00:27:18,280
guess men and women in terms of
what happens to us under duress

490
00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:20,520
or stress.
I think, again, generally

491
00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:25,360
speaking, I think women are more
likely to build social supports

492
00:27:25,360 --> 00:27:30,000
in that kind of context, whereas
men, I think there's something

493
00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:34,200
that draws us to a more isolated
kind of lone wolf thing.

494
00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:37,800
And I will spend the rest of my
life trying to understand that

495
00:27:37,800 --> 00:27:43,560
and and try to be like, why is
it so hard to talk about this or

496
00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:45,720
touch on this?
I think we'll be figuring it

497
00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:47,400
out.
Really interesting point I

498
00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:50,440
thought you raised.
I know you just touched on about

499
00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:54,400
like binge drinking culture, and
this is a hot take from me.

500
00:27:54,400 --> 00:27:58,360
So I I want to make it clear
like, I don't care what anyone

501
00:27:58,360 --> 00:28:00,600
does, right?
I'm not here to police

502
00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:03,960
individual behaviour.
That's not what I'm here to do.

503
00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:07,840
What I do care about is, is
larger, like systemic things

504
00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:13,920
about what gets romanticized or
what gets advertised for me as a

505
00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:17,440
sport lover.
Like the amount of leeway that

506
00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:20,840
like our society in Australia
has given like sports gambling

507
00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:25,240
companies is fucking disgusting.
We know that this is not good

508
00:28:25,240 --> 00:28:28,720
for us to be engaging in this
like habitually.

509
00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:31,080
Again, I don't care what people
do.

510
00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:33,560
If you like having a punt,
that's fine.

511
00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:36,080
If you think it's a problem for
you, then that's your

512
00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:38,840
responsibility to deal with.
I'm not here to outlaw or

513
00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:41,160
anything.
What I would like to see is I'd

514
00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:44,560
like to see a lot more or things
stripped of their advertising

515
00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:48,000
license because I don't think
there's any space for you to be

516
00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:51,880
encouraging people to do this.
Like we know this is bad and

517
00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:54,400
there's so many things I'm
ranting now, but there's there's

518
00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:58,320
so many things in modern society
that are like just our brains

519
00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:00,800
are not kind of built for
everything from obviously like

520
00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:04,280
social media and sensationalist,
sensationalist news.

521
00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:09,360
So I think we need to get good
at even realizing, oh, I thought

522
00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:12,160
I could like do this thing
sensibly and control this thing

523
00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:14,560
and I actually can't.
It's actually like it's out of

524
00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:16,160
my reach.
Anyway, that's just some

525
00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:17,880
thoughts from me.
No 100%.

526
00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:21,400
It's also very normalized
gambling in sport and binge

527
00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:24,280
drinking around sport and the
advert, the advertising around

528
00:29:24,280 --> 00:29:27,120
that, there's ads to gambling
and at the end it's like, by the

529
00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:28,880
way, don't do, don't do this.
It's actually very bad.

530
00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:30,680
And you can lose your house
really quickly, by the way,

531
00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:32,480
really quickly.
Like what?

532
00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:35,400
For those who are not familiar
there, there is, there is the,

533
00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:38,280
the disclaimer at the end, which
is, you know, often gamble

534
00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:41,800
responsibly.
And I, I mean, they, they put it

535
00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:44,720
there 'cause they have to, but
like, why don't you advertise

536
00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:46,840
responsibly?
Like why, why does it come down

537
00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:49,160
to individual choice and not
corporate responsibility?

538
00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:51,600
That's what I'm trying to say.
I, I want to see more corporate

539
00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:54,480
responsibility.
And obviously they're not going

540
00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:57,400
to do it themselves.
So an outside party has to say,

541
00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:00,920
quit fucking around and like
doing this.

542
00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:03,520
The gravy days are over.
You know, people, people are

543
00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:04,640
always going to drink and
gamble.

544
00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:07,400
And that's fine.
Again, I don't care what you do,

545
00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:12,440
but I care about how how it's
portrayed because as artists,

546
00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:14,040
like we know how powerful media
is.

547
00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:16,880
We know how powerful the medium
and the message is.

548
00:30:16,880 --> 00:30:19,480
So.
So anyway, there you go.

549
00:30:19,480 --> 00:30:21,880
It sounds like we're both, you
know, passionate about similar

550
00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:25,280
things.
We need somebody to intercept

551
00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:28,600
the advertising and the whole
culture.

552
00:30:29,280 --> 00:30:30,560
I agree absolutely.
I agree all.

553
00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:33,440
Right, little, little circuit
breaker here, Rachel, I think, I

554
00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:35,320
think we'd love to hear your
second piece.

555
00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:38,160
Now all.
Right as we know Andrew, before

556
00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:41,760
this interview started, my
laptop died and because it's a a

557
00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:47,080
second hand not great laptop
from Japan purchased in Japan,

558
00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:49,240
it died.
So I'm gonna go off the top of

559
00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:53,800
my head with this For the Boys
poem and we'll see how we go.

560
00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:56,680
But thank you for listening to
this.

561
00:30:56,680 --> 00:30:58,400
I would like to give a content
warning.

562
00:30:58,840 --> 00:31:03,040
This poem references suicide in
young men very close to my

563
00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:06,720
heart.
This cause and yeah, just

564
00:31:06,720 --> 00:31:12,480
viewer, viewer listener
discretion poem for the boys

565
00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:16,000
home for the footy boys the
yeah, the boys, boys, The

566
00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:19,880
Saturdays are for the boys, boys
the full credit to the boys,

567
00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:22,720
boys.
The how's that boys?

568
00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:26,400
They got the vaccine early just
to go to the pub first boys they

569
00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:30,000
I'll only tell you after 10
beers boys, that I love you

570
00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:32,720
boys.
The Triple J medal boys the emo

571
00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:36,280
Spotify playlist boys the gamer
boys, the broke boys, the Jim

572
00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:39,920
Bros and the army boys.
The my engineering degree almost

573
00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:42,520
killed me boys.
The secret by boys.

574
00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:47,640
The Bible boys that I walked in
on him hanging boys.

575
00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:50,760
The always laughing boys.
The boys who want to go on

576
00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:54,320
drives for hours boys and don't
care if they don't come back

577
00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:57,480
boys.
The smoke weed every second of

578
00:31:57,480 --> 00:32:00,680
the day boys.
I'm dropping acid alone boys.

579
00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:04,160
And for the boys born
biologically female boys for all

580
00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:09,720
the boys I love.
Fuck what a shit show.

581
00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:12,520
I'm sorry for the entire shit
show.

582
00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:15,560
The slaughterhouse statistics
and stabbing silence, Your

583
00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:18,200
mental monologue so quiet, so
compliant.

584
00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:21,760
It's like you've all made an
alliance not to describe it.

585
00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:25,240
So blast your music, wear your
seatbelts, and drive.

586
00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:28,880
Because car crashes aren't the
biggest killer of young boys.

587
00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:33,760
It's suicide, boys.
I see you small and scared and

588
00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:37,000
so human.
I see you when I cannot see my

589
00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:42,360
own best friend.
So I hug you, tie at parties and

590
00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:46,120
I hand you letters I have
written and you will think I'm

591
00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:50,560
weird but I'm grabbing at any
man that reminds me of him,

592
00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:52,800
which is all of them, to feel a
pulse.

593
00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:56,960
Come back to life boys.
Sometimes when I hug you I will

594
00:32:56,960 --> 00:33:01,080
press my ear to your chest just
so I can hear how alive you

595
00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:04,800
really are.
Boys, have I told you I am now

596
00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:08,040
becoming the age he was when I
last saw him?

597
00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:13,600
Boys, I ask you to play your
music in the car because I want

598
00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:17,800
you to tell me how you feel.
I don't want you to skip the

599
00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:21,720
depressing songs or try to set
the vibe with an indie pop surf

600
00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:24,560
rock disguise.
Play me the shit you fall asleep

601
00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:27,440
to.
Play me all of your heavy, heavy

602
00:33:27,440 --> 00:33:30,040
music.
Play me the records that saved

603
00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:34,160
your life and I'll play you all
the records I wish I sent him.

604
00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:43,280
Lastly, the boys who have passed
over, God knows you can hear me.

605
00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:49,920
I camp overnight on your
Facebook accounts and I watch

606
00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:53,640
your mother perform CPR every
year.

607
00:33:54,080 --> 00:33:58,360
I wonder how many of our 200
mutual friends stalk your

608
00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:02,400
digital grave like I do.
How many are sitting, watching,

609
00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:07,240
replaying to I sit and I watch
and I pretend I am not scrolling

610
00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:11,560
through a haunted Times Square
front row of an autopsy at the

611
00:34:11,560 --> 00:34:15,080
top of your profile.
You are a stuck statue frozen in

612
00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:19,679
time Forever. 14 and at a Gather
tasting beer for the first time.

613
00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:24,719
You died when fisheye camera
lenses were still being used at

614
00:34:24,719 --> 00:34:28,400
parties.
And now this is 10 years ago so

615
00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:34,560
I'm falling asleep.
So until next year I'll read on

616
00:34:34,560 --> 00:34:40,800
your Facebook account Your
mother says happy heavenly

617
00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:44,960
birthday son.
You are 24 today.

618
00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:50,880
Thank you for saying hi when you
flickered the lights on and off

619
00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:55,400
for us.
I know you are still here.

620
00:34:57,720 --> 00:35:00,400
Thank you for listening to that.
Stunning.

621
00:35:01,480 --> 00:35:03,120
That's all I got.
Yeah.

622
00:35:03,680 --> 00:35:06,120
Yeah.
No, thank you, Rachel.

623
00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:10,840
There is something that is very
appreciated, I think, when

624
00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:12,200
someone gives a voice to that
stuff.

625
00:35:13,200 --> 00:35:17,760
So yeah, thank you again.
Hey, quick pep talk.

626
00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:20,600
If you're enjoying the episode,
I'd love it if you could leave a

627
00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:25,080
rating review comment or like
wherever you're listening right

628
00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:26,760
now.
You know how this works.

629
00:35:26,800 --> 00:35:29,560
Every little bit of digital
interaction helps people to find

630
00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:31,840
the show and keeps the poetry
flowing.

631
00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:34,920
And if you want to do something
extra special, please share the

632
00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:36,960
episode with someone who you
think will vibe with it.

633
00:35:36,960 --> 00:35:38,920
That also helps with all of the
above.

634
00:35:39,520 --> 00:35:41,760
Thanks so much for listening.
And now back to our guest.

635
00:35:45,240 --> 00:35:48,040
I want to talk about your poetry
collection.

636
00:35:48,240 --> 00:35:51,080
Love the title, by the way.
Very full out boy, I have loved

637
00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:55,200
you very, very the 1975.
I should say I have loved you

638
00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:57,960
since you were tiny and oh.
My God, wait.

639
00:35:57,960 --> 00:35:59,800
I'm so excited that you
referenced that because that's

640
00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:01,480
part of the reason that I named
the title.

641
00:36:01,480 --> 00:36:03,680
But like, we can go into that.
I'll let you continue, OK?

642
00:36:03,720 --> 00:36:04,920
Well, let's start with the
title.

643
00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:07,840
So you have named it.
I have loved you since you were

644
00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:10,120
tidy and crawling and I wasn't
born or alive yet.

645
00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:14,280
Now does remind me a little bit
of of the 1970 Fives.

646
00:36:14,600 --> 00:36:16,880
I love it when you sleep because
you are so beautiful yet so

647
00:36:16,880 --> 00:36:18,840
unaware of it.
Are you saying there's a direct

648
00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:22,840
connection between these things?
As someone who loves the 1975, I

649
00:36:22,840 --> 00:36:25,720
have camped on the streets of
New Zealand for that band.

650
00:36:25,720 --> 00:36:29,680
Like, no, I'm so happy that you
called that reference because I

651
00:36:29,680 --> 00:36:33,120
love like, a dramatic title.
Yes, it's a reference to their

652
00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:34,520
sophomore record.
I like.

653
00:36:34,560 --> 00:36:35,600
I like it when you sleep for
you.

654
00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:37,080
You're so beautiful yet so
unaware of it.

655
00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:40,040
That is so cool to me that you
said that.

656
00:36:40,040 --> 00:36:41,400
Like, that's beyond cool to me.
How?

657
00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:42,480
Many times you've seen them
live.

658
00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:45,440
Probably like 20 honestly.
Like.

659
00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:47,040
Great work.
Are you a big fan?

660
00:36:47,120 --> 00:36:50,200
I'm.
A big fan and I I understand

661
00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:51,920
that they are not everyone's cup
of tea.

662
00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:57,280
I understand that they that
Maddie is as a spaceman, A

663
00:36:57,280 --> 00:37:00,080
spaceman spaceman, but I'll,
I'll take it all.

664
00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:04,120
I'll take the whole package and
very interested to see what what

665
00:37:04,120 --> 00:37:07,160
they do next.
And it's, it's been bizarre and

666
00:37:07,160 --> 00:37:10,960
kind of cool to see them just
like explode in popularity over

667
00:37:10,960 --> 00:37:13,960
the years and, and have been
incredibly influential when you

668
00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:16,320
think about it, when you think
about what they were doing with

669
00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:19,600
their production and what else
has been born out of like the

670
00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:21,560
the record label they're on and
whatever.

671
00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:25,520
I think we'll look back and see
them as a defining group from

672
00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:28,080
this time.
Yeah, I think obviously I love

673
00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:29,520
them.
I think they're awesome.

674
00:37:29,560 --> 00:37:34,560
I do not take any responsibility
for Maddie Healey or his

675
00:37:35,080 --> 00:37:38,640
choices, but big respect to his
songwriting as well.

676
00:37:39,280 --> 00:37:41,760
Yeah, I love like I love them.
I love everything they do.

677
00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:46,000
So much like the 1975, you know,
you had to put together this

678
00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:49,640
collection, and you said that
you'd gone back through six

679
00:37:49,640 --> 00:37:53,200
years of notebooks in order to
curate for the collection.

680
00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:56,320
Yeah, that seems staggering.
We're probably looking at

681
00:37:56,320 --> 00:37:58,280
hundreds of of possible pieces
there.

682
00:37:58,560 --> 00:38:00,800
How on earth did you decide what
made the cut?

683
00:38:01,240 --> 00:38:04,640
OK, firstly, I would like to
acknowledge just quickly the

684
00:38:04,640 --> 00:38:08,760
title is dramatic and it's kind
of funny because I try to stay

685
00:38:08,760 --> 00:38:11,560
on stage.
By the way, like I say like this

686
00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:13,960
title.
I say like my, my, my book is

687
00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:16,600
called I have loved you since
you were tiny and crawling and I

688
00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:19,000
wasn't born or alive yet.
And then I say, because I'm a

689
00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:22,880
super chill person and I'm
really cool and chill.

690
00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:26,000
And that's, yeah, that's which
is I'm not.

691
00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:30,000
I'm really not.
I had to look through all that

692
00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:34,680
I've written in six years.
The whole collection is a nod to

693
00:38:34,680 --> 00:38:37,880
my older brothers and the boys I
grew up with, my friends.

694
00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:41,360
And.
But truly, if I'm being honest,

695
00:38:41,360 --> 00:38:44,560
it is the collection is about
one person.

696
00:38:45,040 --> 00:38:47,280
If that person read the
collection, I think they would

697
00:38:47,280 --> 00:38:50,760
know it's about them.
I had to be really careful.

698
00:38:50,760 --> 00:38:55,240
Like I want to respect this
person a lot.

699
00:38:55,440 --> 00:38:58,080
I love the memories I have with
this person.

700
00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:03,720
But now that I've put something
out into the world, I never want

701
00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:07,080
to say the wrong thing and upset
someone.

702
00:39:07,080 --> 00:39:11,520
Or I was pretty careful
crafting.

703
00:39:11,560 --> 00:39:16,160
Like if this person read the
collection, they wouldn't be

704
00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:21,360
offended and hopefully they'd be
able to see like, this is how I

705
00:39:21,360 --> 00:39:26,760
love them now, like at a
distance as an old friend and

706
00:39:27,320 --> 00:39:29,280
that I only send them like love
and light.

707
00:39:30,400 --> 00:39:33,160
That is how I selected the
poems.

708
00:39:33,160 --> 00:39:36,520
I wanted the collection to be a
good representation of how I

709
00:39:36,520 --> 00:39:40,720
felt in 2026 about this
relationship.

710
00:39:40,720 --> 00:39:46,600
I also wanted to if I'm being
honest, I love this person and

711
00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:51,560
if someone asked me about this
relationship now I would hand

712
00:39:51,560 --> 00:39:55,240
them the book and be like this
is how I feel about the thing.

713
00:39:55,440 --> 00:39:59,000
This relationship is the most
significant experience of love

714
00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:03,520
I've ever had and I don't mind
writing about like what has been

715
00:40:03,520 --> 00:40:07,040
most impactful in my life.
He has changed my life.

716
00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:08,680
I'm sure I have changed his
life.

717
00:40:09,640 --> 00:40:14,120
Years have passed, like 5 years
have passed since I've been with

718
00:40:14,120 --> 00:40:18,080
this person and.
Yeah, I only want him to know

719
00:40:18,080 --> 00:40:21,720
that I loved him and it's all
good.

720
00:40:21,720 --> 00:40:24,760
It's all good, man.
It's all good.

721
00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:29,720
It's nice to talk and perform
poetry about someone like that.

722
00:40:29,720 --> 00:40:32,720
You really careful that you
think is it like a great person

723
00:40:32,720 --> 00:40:37,640
and that you loved like it makes
me feel good inside regardless

724
00:40:37,640 --> 00:40:42,800
of what happens in the future.
So you really scoured the pages

725
00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:46,880
for the pieces that just
resonated the most and and got

726
00:40:46,880 --> 00:40:49,280
the most across about what this
person is to you.

727
00:40:49,800 --> 00:40:54,600
Yes, there's all sorts of over 8
years of knowing this person and

728
00:40:54,600 --> 00:40:57,000
like 6 years of writing about
it.

729
00:40:57,400 --> 00:41:00,360
There's lots I could have said,
but I know what I want to say

730
00:41:00,840 --> 00:41:04,920
and it's it's only with care and
compassion and love because

731
00:41:04,920 --> 00:41:08,440
that's how I feel.
I don't feel anything else.

732
00:41:08,840 --> 00:41:12,920
There were some, there was some
like, sexy poems that I had to,

733
00:41:12,920 --> 00:41:16,840
like, cut out completely because
I was like, you know what?

734
00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:22,360
Like, maybe I was naive and
juvenile before, but I don't

735
00:41:22,480 --> 00:41:27,520
want to overstep and like, talk
about too much sexy stuff, you

736
00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:28,640
know?
Like, that's for me.

737
00:41:30,040 --> 00:41:33,000
Would you say that the the
write, the writing of the book

738
00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:36,680
if you like, went down a few
steps from from maybe a bit a

739
00:41:36,800 --> 00:41:39,040
bit R rated to maybe an M or
something like that?

740
00:41:39,680 --> 00:41:44,120
Look, it was only, it was only
one poem that was about No, no,

741
00:41:44,120 --> 00:41:46,800
there was one poem where and I
used to perform it, which I feel

742
00:41:46,800 --> 00:41:51,280
bad about now because it's quite
intense, like, but it was when

743
00:41:51,280 --> 00:41:53,360
he would come over when I was at
university.

744
00:41:53,960 --> 00:41:57,160
And I loved those times.
But like, I probably shouldn't

745
00:41:57,160 --> 00:42:02,120
be talking such sexy material on
big stages.

746
00:42:02,480 --> 00:42:05,880
So mad respect.
But I'll keep those for myself.

747
00:42:06,920 --> 00:42:07,840
OK, Fair enough.
Fair enough.

748
00:42:09,280 --> 00:42:12,560
Rachel, I've seen pictures of
you with who I describe as like

749
00:42:12,560 --> 00:42:16,720
the who's who of NSW Slam,
including some guests that we've

750
00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:20,920
had on the pod before.
Reflecting on your journey of,

751
00:42:21,040 --> 00:42:24,360
of, of seemingly, yeah, growing
up on different kind of slam

752
00:42:24,360 --> 00:42:29,080
stages and things like that.
Who are the people, so poets or

753
00:42:29,080 --> 00:42:33,160
or otherwise, who have really
been in your corner on your

754
00:42:33,160 --> 00:42:36,080
creative journey, would you say?
Thank you for asking this

755
00:42:36,120 --> 00:42:40,000
because I used to drive like 4
slams a month so I feel like I

756
00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:43,680
have community at in Bankstown
poetry slam, in Bread and Butter

757
00:42:43,680 --> 00:42:47,360
poetry slam in Newtown, in the
inner West of Sydney at Enough

758
00:42:47,360 --> 00:42:52,040
Said slam in Wollongong and on
the Central Coast as well at

759
00:42:52,040 --> 00:42:54,760
Saltwater Slam.
Rob Waters, the national

760
00:42:54,760 --> 00:42:57,960
champion of 2023.
He's like one of my good mates

761
00:42:57,960 --> 00:43:01,600
from the coast and he's always
been so supportive of me and we

762
00:43:01,600 --> 00:43:06,000
like, we hang out as mates like
at poetry nights on the Central

763
00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:10,560
Coast, which is awesome.
Troy Wong has always been

764
00:43:10,560 --> 00:43:16,080
supportive, Adara and Lauren
Elizabeth from what I've said.

765
00:43:16,680 --> 00:43:20,840
And my friends are in my corner.
My friends are also awesome

766
00:43:20,840 --> 00:43:24,840
because they like, love to make
fun of me for being a slime poet

767
00:43:24,840 --> 00:43:26,720
and like take the piss out of
me.

768
00:43:27,160 --> 00:43:30,920
And I appreciate that because
like they just think I'm like

769
00:43:30,920 --> 00:43:34,360
some love poet, which I am.
But like, I appreciate.

770
00:43:34,760 --> 00:43:37,840
Yeah.
My friends and my parents have

771
00:43:37,840 --> 00:43:42,440
always been super supportive.
My mom was like a theatre mom

772
00:43:42,440 --> 00:43:45,920
and took me to lots of theatre
and always was supportive of me

773
00:43:45,920 --> 00:43:49,280
performing on stages.
So like they're, so they come to

774
00:43:49,280 --> 00:43:54,640
like all my shows and they love
seeing me performing and the.

775
00:43:55,000 --> 00:43:56,880
Yeah.
So I have a good team.

776
00:43:56,880 --> 00:43:59,960
I have a good team, Andrew.
Sounds like it.

777
00:43:59,960 --> 00:44:02,600
And hey, shout out to theatre
mums, you know, setting the

778
00:44:02,600 --> 00:44:04,080
scene, setting the stage, so to
speak.

779
00:44:04,440 --> 00:44:08,720
Rachel, I, I want to talk and,
and kind of deep dive about one

780
00:44:08,720 --> 00:44:12,360
of your kind of older pieces,
which I recently rewatched.

781
00:44:12,520 --> 00:44:16,560
And this is a piece that you had
just called God, the word God.

782
00:44:17,120 --> 00:44:21,080
I found it very, very moving.
And I'd love to hear more about

783
00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:26,800
the story behind the piece and
what your journey towards

784
00:44:26,840 --> 00:44:30,720
authenticity that you seem to
reference through this piece was

785
00:44:30,720 --> 00:44:34,160
like.
When I was 17, I like kind of

786
00:44:34,160 --> 00:44:36,760
fell in love with my best friend
and I was at an all girls

787
00:44:36,760 --> 00:44:40,240
Catholic school at the time.
What an experience.

788
00:44:40,440 --> 00:44:42,160
I don't recommend it for
everyone.

789
00:44:43,320 --> 00:44:47,120
She was great and we were like
together, but we're best friends

790
00:44:47,120 --> 00:44:49,920
and it was really confusing
because neither of us had ever

791
00:44:49,920 --> 00:44:53,120
experienced something like that.
It was very powerful, very

792
00:44:53,120 --> 00:44:55,080
intense.
And we were like 17 years old

793
00:44:57,600 --> 00:45:00,000
when I was 19.
And when I wrote that piece, I

794
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:04,960
was reflecting on like 10 years
of what how I felt being queer

795
00:45:04,960 --> 00:45:09,560
and being growing up Catholic,
what it felt like and touching

796
00:45:09,560 --> 00:45:15,960
on the ages.
It was intimidating, a little

797
00:45:15,960 --> 00:45:22,120
bit like scary, being queer and
kind of out before marriage was

798
00:45:22,120 --> 00:45:26,400
legalized in Australia.
The first time I went to Mardi

799
00:45:26,400 --> 00:45:29,320
Gras when I was 18 years old was
pretty formative.

800
00:45:30,040 --> 00:45:33,400
Like seeing that amazing rainbow
parade and like seeing all these

801
00:45:33,400 --> 00:45:37,320
people that are so accepting and
inclusive and Pride is such a

802
00:45:37,320 --> 00:45:41,320
big celebration.
It's not like like like a big

803
00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:45,400
celebration where it's not so
dark.

804
00:45:45,400 --> 00:45:49,240
I felt I didn't feel good about
my sexuality for a long time

805
00:45:49,240 --> 00:45:52,720
there.
I felt very shameful and scared

806
00:45:52,720 --> 00:45:57,480
and anxious about it.
Growing up and making friends at

807
00:45:57,480 --> 00:46:02,560
university who were queer helped
me so much and the more people

808
00:46:02,560 --> 00:46:07,280
were accepting the more open
minded people I met at

809
00:46:07,280 --> 00:46:10,360
university was like an was an
amazing thing for me.

810
00:46:11,400 --> 00:46:14,400
I don't think I will date a girl
again, and I don't think I will

811
00:46:15,320 --> 00:46:20,800
marry a girl either.
And I am constantly checking in

812
00:46:20,800 --> 00:46:25,560
with myself on where I'm at with
my sexuality.

813
00:46:25,640 --> 00:46:28,600
The thing that helps me the most
is just staying honest with

814
00:46:28,600 --> 00:46:31,240
myself and my friends and, like,
where my heart's at.

815
00:46:31,640 --> 00:46:34,520
That helps me a lot.
But it gets easier as you get

816
00:46:34,520 --> 00:46:37,400
older.
Like, it's like, I feel like all

817
00:46:37,400 --> 00:46:41,520
this shame and this, like,
burden on my shoulders, like,

818
00:46:41,520 --> 00:46:44,880
just lifted and gets lighter
every year.

819
00:46:45,160 --> 00:46:47,000
I don't think about it as much
anymore.

820
00:46:47,760 --> 00:46:53,000
Yeah, it was, it was a hard
time, but it made me, it kind

821
00:46:53,000 --> 00:46:56,520
of, it helps me be who I am
today.

822
00:46:57,480 --> 00:47:00,440
And I've had like family members
and friends be really like

823
00:47:01,160 --> 00:47:05,400
supportive and respectful while
I work myself out, like while I

824
00:47:05,400 --> 00:47:11,960
was trying to figure out if I
like girls or if I like boys or

825
00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:16,640
whatever.
So shout out to my support

826
00:47:16,640 --> 00:47:21,080
circle for being there for me
while I worked it out.

827
00:47:21,400 --> 00:47:25,360
My family also are really cool.
Even though I grew up Catholic,

828
00:47:25,800 --> 00:47:29,520
it was never an issue.
Everyone was always really

829
00:47:29,560 --> 00:47:30,680
supportive.
Yeah.

830
00:47:30,920 --> 00:47:32,560
Which is not the experience for
many people.

831
00:47:32,560 --> 00:47:34,520
So yeah.
So I yeah.

832
00:47:34,520 --> 00:47:36,920
So I'm very lucky.
I'm very lucky.

833
00:47:37,480 --> 00:47:39,320
Amazing.
Bringing it back to the support

834
00:47:39,320 --> 00:47:41,480
circle as you've done, you know,
several times today.

835
00:47:41,640 --> 00:47:44,240
It sounds like you've got great
foundations there.

836
00:47:44,920 --> 00:47:47,560
I think you know, I I said this
to you pre call.

837
00:47:47,560 --> 00:47:50,520
I think part of the reason I
just found it moving is having

838
00:47:50,520 --> 00:47:55,560
grown up as a church kid, I saw
a similar story play out for

839
00:47:55,560 --> 00:48:00,320
some of my friends and saw the
pain of what was happening when

840
00:48:00,320 --> 00:48:03,240
they were rejected by
communities that they'd grown up

841
00:48:03,240 --> 00:48:05,920
in because of their sexuality or
whatever they were.

842
00:48:06,200 --> 00:48:08,440
They were working out.
You know, this is a thing that

843
00:48:08,440 --> 00:48:12,680
is continuing to play out in in,
in places that, you know, I kind

844
00:48:12,680 --> 00:48:14,560
of keep an eye on.
For example, you know, I've

845
00:48:14,560 --> 00:48:18,040
people in my extended family who
who run a church, right?

846
00:48:18,520 --> 00:48:22,040
And it's only very recently
they've gone through a really

847
00:48:22,040 --> 00:48:25,520
big process of changing their
minds on things.

848
00:48:25,520 --> 00:48:29,720
And now they are like much more
welcoming and much bigger

849
00:48:29,720 --> 00:48:31,480
advocates of the queer
community.

850
00:48:31,840 --> 00:48:36,120
And it's just been amazing to
see that, to see that change can

851
00:48:36,120 --> 00:48:39,040
happen over time.
And, and we can kind of use that

852
00:48:39,040 --> 00:48:42,800
as a springboard for, for better
things because, you know, the,

853
00:48:42,840 --> 00:48:46,440
the, the stats on the, on the
suffering and, and, and, and the

854
00:48:46,440 --> 00:48:48,640
grief around these things are,
are pretty staggering.

855
00:48:48,640 --> 00:48:52,760
So your piece, which I just
love, just reminded me of that.

856
00:48:52,760 --> 00:48:55,880
So yeah, I I really enjoyed
hearing a bit more of the story

857
00:48:55,880 --> 00:48:58,960
behind that.
Don't worry, every time I if I

858
00:48:58,960 --> 00:49:02,920
ever feel shame or anything like
that, I just remind myself how

859
00:49:03,040 --> 00:49:06,320
short life is and how like time
is precious.

860
00:49:06,320 --> 00:49:10,200
We don't have that much of it in
this life and I kind of like it.

861
00:49:10,240 --> 00:49:14,520
Sounds basic, but it's really
easy to overcome a lot of things

862
00:49:14,520 --> 00:49:18,680
when you think about time and
how you want to live your life

863
00:49:19,600 --> 00:49:22,840
in that time.
Yeah, yeah, totally, totally.

864
00:49:24,040 --> 00:49:29,080
I, I now want to get your input,
Rachel, on the overarching

865
00:49:29,320 --> 00:49:31,160
creative metaphor that we're
using for Season 3.

866
00:49:31,760 --> 00:49:35,600
I want to know if your creative
work was a colour or shade on

867
00:49:35,600 --> 00:49:39,040
the colour spectrum.
Which one is it and why?

868
00:49:39,760 --> 00:49:43,680
Look, I thought about this.
It's going to have to be emerald

869
00:49:43,680 --> 00:49:49,720
green or Forest Green because I
love life.

870
00:49:50,720 --> 00:49:53,240
That sounds so funny.
But like the colours of life.

871
00:49:53,240 --> 00:49:58,040
So like the colours of like a
great bushwalk or the colours of

872
00:49:58,520 --> 00:50:01,000
my ring or Wicked the musical,
for example.

873
00:50:02,000 --> 00:50:05,640
Yeah.
Like I love, like lush colours

874
00:50:05,640 --> 00:50:10,160
that bring life.
And I hope that, yeah, I hope I

875
00:50:10,240 --> 00:50:14,080
live and create with life.
Love it.

876
00:50:14,080 --> 00:50:15,360
I don't think we've had a green
yet.

877
00:50:15,360 --> 00:50:18,520
So I'm looking forward to
filling out the rest of the the

878
00:50:18,520 --> 00:50:21,040
bow and the and the spectrum.
So we've got you in there.

879
00:50:21,040 --> 00:50:23,680
Now.
We've also had our final

880
00:50:23,680 --> 00:50:27,680
question, which was left by our
my previous guest.

881
00:50:27,840 --> 00:50:31,480
This comes from Adara Intala.
Oh cool.

882
00:50:32,840 --> 00:50:34,760
I I knew you would flip when you
when you heard that.

883
00:50:35,160 --> 00:50:38,200
So there's spoken word poetry
and there is page poetry.

884
00:50:39,200 --> 00:50:43,440
How much do you think these two
forms of poetry can and should

885
00:50:43,440 --> 00:50:45,640
overlap?
And Dara was talking about, you

886
00:50:45,640 --> 00:50:49,840
know, should the slam poet try
to get themselves published on

887
00:50:49,840 --> 00:50:52,040
the page?
Should the page poet be

888
00:50:52,040 --> 00:50:54,160
performing in public?
What do you think?

889
00:50:54,160 --> 00:50:56,280
Do you think these worlds that
can collide?

890
00:50:56,960 --> 00:51:01,880
It is the good argument like can
maybe all page poetry can be

891
00:51:01,880 --> 00:51:05,560
slam poetry?
Like can all slam poetry be page

892
00:51:05,560 --> 00:51:06,560
poetry?
I agree.

893
00:51:06,560 --> 00:51:10,880
At the end of the day, I love
you Dara, but there are no rules

894
00:51:10,880 --> 00:51:14,440
to poetry.
Like like there's no true rules.

895
00:51:14,440 --> 00:51:16,520
You got to like live the
expression and love the

896
00:51:16,520 --> 00:51:20,800
expression.
No, like do whatever you want

897
00:51:20,800 --> 00:51:23,200
man.
There shouldn't be a division.

898
00:51:23,760 --> 00:51:30,040
Some of my favorite like slam
poets have great written work

899
00:51:30,040 --> 00:51:37,920
even if it's not like super
eloquent or wordy or technical.

900
00:51:37,920 --> 00:51:42,880
Like I love reading slam pieces.
No rules.

901
00:51:42,880 --> 00:51:44,440
No rules to poetry.
There's no rules.

902
00:51:44,680 --> 00:51:45,960
That's it.
We're making our own way.

903
00:51:45,960 --> 00:51:48,760
We're trailblazing.
So we want our stage poets on

904
00:51:48,760 --> 00:51:50,160
the page.
We want our page poets on the

905
00:51:50,160 --> 00:51:51,800
stage.
Show us what you got.

906
00:51:53,120 --> 00:51:54,680
Yes, yes.
Love it, love it.

907
00:51:55,640 --> 00:51:58,440
Rachel, this has been fantastic.
If people want to find out more

908
00:51:58,440 --> 00:52:03,080
about you, get your book, your
poetry collection, or follow

909
00:52:03,320 --> 00:52:07,400
what you're doing in the poetry
space or soon in the in the

910
00:52:07,400 --> 00:52:10,160
Canadian poetry space, I'm sure.
Where should they head?

911
00:52:10,240 --> 00:52:13,120
Yeah, if you would like to, you
can follow my Instagram.

912
00:52:13,120 --> 00:52:18,440
It's at 2000s Love poetry.
Catch me in Banff this summer on

913
00:52:18,440 --> 00:52:22,360
a stage doing poetry there.
I don't know my next plan to

914
00:52:22,360 --> 00:52:25,400
perform in Australia, but I will
post them when I know.

915
00:52:26,080 --> 00:52:29,720
And that's where you can find me
for now.

916
00:52:30,040 --> 00:52:35,200
You might find me on an icy ski
hill in the meantime.

917
00:52:35,760 --> 00:52:37,400
But thank you for this time,
Andrew.

918
00:52:37,480 --> 00:52:38,520
I appreciate it.
No worries.

919
00:52:38,560 --> 00:52:39,840
What?
And what about the book?

920
00:52:39,840 --> 00:52:41,160
I'm sure people are championing
at the bit.

921
00:52:41,160 --> 00:52:42,160
Where's the best place to get
it?

922
00:52:42,680 --> 00:52:48,200
Oh yes, it's on the Word Travels
website, which is they're

923
00:52:48,200 --> 00:52:50,320
they're partnered with the
Australian Poetry Slam.

924
00:52:50,800 --> 00:52:53,200
The link to that is in my
Instagram bio.

925
00:52:53,200 --> 00:52:55,720
If you would like to check out
my collection.

926
00:52:56,320 --> 00:52:59,560
Thank you for listening to my
Ted talk and.

927
00:53:00,240 --> 00:53:02,240
So good.
And we'll have we'll have links

928
00:53:02,240 --> 00:53:04,760
to everything in the show
description so that people can

929
00:53:04,800 --> 00:53:07,440
can find their way nice and nice
and easy.

930
00:53:08,040 --> 00:53:11,600
It would be amazing if you could
play us out with your last piece

931
00:53:11,600 --> 00:53:15,960
for today.
OK, this is called Everything

932
00:53:15,960 --> 00:53:19,960
You Love is a Museum.
I tried to learn a list of notes

933
00:53:21,120 --> 00:53:27,280
and it's kind of in reference to
when you when you love someone,

934
00:53:27,480 --> 00:53:30,920
you want to get close to them
and you want to understand what

935
00:53:30,920 --> 00:53:33,200
they love and how they love
those things and why.

936
00:53:33,640 --> 00:53:37,640
So I kind of felt like that's
where the title came from.

937
00:53:39,040 --> 00:53:43,800
Everything You love is a museum.
I tried to learn and once, when

938
00:53:43,800 --> 00:53:47,520
visiting you planted your
overnight bag in my bedroom,

939
00:53:47,560 --> 00:53:50,160
hugged me, exhaled, shook your
head.

940
00:53:50,160 --> 00:53:53,720
You told me there are so many
roundabouts on the Central

941
00:53:53,720 --> 00:53:58,600
Coast, so I counted 17 from the
Arimba exit to my parents'

942
00:53:58,600 --> 00:54:00,320
house.
What?

943
00:54:00,320 --> 00:54:04,080
I said, I miss you so much it
hurts.

944
00:54:04,640 --> 00:54:09,080
What I meant I miss you more
than life itself.

945
00:54:09,800 --> 00:54:13,040
If you are the home I dream of
building, it appears I'll be

946
00:54:13,040 --> 00:54:15,800
somewhat homesick until I am
home with you.

947
00:54:16,200 --> 00:54:19,080
In the lull.
I count lithium levels, I take

948
00:54:19,080 --> 00:54:21,320
the blood tests, I swallow the
medication.

949
00:54:21,320 --> 00:54:25,600
I sleep, I sleep, I sleep, and
I'm afraid one of my lullabies

950
00:54:25,600 --> 00:54:29,800
doesn't want to know me anymore.
Have you kept my love letters?

951
00:54:30,840 --> 00:54:34,440
I meet strangers who cried the
poems I have written in your

952
00:54:34,440 --> 00:54:36,720
dedication for men's mental
health.

953
00:54:37,120 --> 00:54:41,040
I hope you are proud of me too.
I know we haven't talked in

954
00:54:41,040 --> 00:54:45,680
eight months lol, but I want our
future backyard to have fairy

955
00:54:45,680 --> 00:54:48,880
lights hung around the trees.
I'll ask you to picnic and dance

956
00:54:48,880 --> 00:54:51,000
under them.
And I'll surrender the love

957
00:54:51,000 --> 00:54:53,680
letters you haven't read yet.
Will you keep them?

958
00:54:54,800 --> 00:54:58,600
Every night I fall asleep in a
21 pilot shirt, the one I told

959
00:54:58,600 --> 00:55:00,200
you I loved you in for the first
time.

960
00:55:00,440 --> 00:55:07,480
That's how gay I am.
Your beautiful mother would have

961
00:55:07,480 --> 00:55:12,200
loved me had she ever met me.
Had you ever introduced us, I

962
00:55:12,200 --> 00:55:14,320
would have loved her
wholeheartedly too.

963
00:55:14,680 --> 00:55:19,360
I'm still salty about that.
You have worked out how I figure

964
00:55:19,360 --> 00:55:23,080
out life with touch.
You often place my hand under

965
00:55:23,080 --> 00:55:25,880
your hands to guide me to what
you want me to feel.

966
00:55:26,440 --> 00:55:30,040
You have kissed me and you have
told me how you feel when you

967
00:55:30,040 --> 00:55:33,760
know I can't understand.
Thank you for this kindness.

968
00:55:34,440 --> 00:55:37,520
Once you threw me a metaphor
about time and I clocked it out

969
00:55:37,520 --> 00:55:39,680
of the air.
You tell me as I Chuck my

970
00:55:39,680 --> 00:55:41,160
notebook on the hood of your
car.

971
00:55:41,160 --> 00:55:44,520
Time is finite.
You heard it in a song once and

972
00:55:44,520 --> 00:55:46,440
I haven't been able to track it
down.

973
00:55:46,680 --> 00:55:50,360
The music you love is a library
I try to learn.

974
00:55:50,560 --> 00:55:54,840
You say we have all the time
we'll ever have, and our clock

975
00:55:54,840 --> 00:55:58,400
is ticking down.
What will you do with the time

976
00:55:58,400 --> 00:56:01,440
left on your clock?
And I wonder what it's like to

977
00:56:01,440 --> 00:56:04,760
be you, to be loved to my by me,
to live in this sense intimate.

978
00:56:04,760 --> 00:56:09,360
Have your life turned to poetry?
You left me your ring on the

979
00:56:09,360 --> 00:56:12,160
shower sill.
And now when I see you, I check

980
00:56:12,160 --> 00:56:14,720
your ring finger and maybe you
check mine.

981
00:56:15,600 --> 00:56:18,200
Drunk pirates in Newtown art
galleries.

982
00:56:18,240 --> 00:56:21,000
Ask me about the boyfriend I
have written about.

983
00:56:21,520 --> 00:56:24,560
Ask me how I loved you through
the Black Summer bushfires.

984
00:56:24,560 --> 00:56:27,800
Ask how your backyard was alight
and burning.

985
00:56:27,800 --> 00:56:32,200
They stumble and hiccup.
You must have really loved him.

986
00:56:33,400 --> 00:56:37,040
I grip my teeth and I make my
pain stained face into a rosy

987
00:56:37,040 --> 00:56:38,640
love note.
I tell the truth.

988
00:56:39,520 --> 00:56:43,720
Yeah, of course.
He's a good one.

989
00:56:45,080 --> 00:56:50,000
The best.
And I still count 17 roundabouts

990
00:56:50,320 --> 00:56:53,320
from the Arimba exit to my
parents' house.

991
00:56:54,400 --> 00:56:58,200
Thank you.
Rachel Williams, the Australian

992
00:56:58,200 --> 00:57:02,200
slam scene is richer for your
presence and your work.

993
00:57:02,400 --> 00:57:05,400
Canada's not going to know what
hit them once you move to the

994
00:57:05,400 --> 00:57:07,800
cities and and start doing your
thing again.

995
00:57:08,000 --> 00:57:10,640
Thank you so much for thinking
with us and slamming with us

996
00:57:10,640 --> 00:57:12,640
today.
Thank you so much for having me,

997
00:57:12,640 --> 00:57:16,040
Andrew.
This was a joy and it's so good

998
00:57:16,040 --> 00:57:20,760
to have a podcast that it is
pure slam and pure like what we

999
00:57:20,760 --> 00:57:22,440
do.
So it's really cool to like

1000
00:57:22,680 --> 00:57:24,720
spend this time talking to you
about everything.

1001
00:57:24,840 --> 00:57:36,040
So thank you, very welcome.
Wait, you Big Sands, what's that

1002
00:57:36,040 --> 00:57:36,560
all about?