PODCAST · arts
Counterturn
by Counterturn
Counterturn brings life to art, and art to life. Join Nelson Rufatt and guests, as they talk music, literature, science, history, and all the pursuits of the humanist heart.
Episodes
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25. Poet, Philosopher... Jakob Ziguras
I had the great honour of interviewing Jakob Ziguras about his latest and most accomplished book, Venetian Mirrors. Ziguras was born in Poland in 1977 to Polish and Greek parents and came to Australia in 1984. He studied fine arts before switching to a doctorate in philosophy at the University of...
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24. What Israel Is: A Conversation with the Multi-Instrumentalist Simon Starr
Simon Starr is a Melbourne musician. That's all he wanted in his bio. And wisely so, because this conversation about music, Israel, and the fundamental questions of history and culture, needs very little introduction. Starr has given me one of my strongest episodes to date. The theme song…
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23. Anna Goldsworthy
Professor Anna Goldsworthy is a concert pianist, both solo, and with the renowned Seraphim Trio. Her passion for teaching makes her the ideal Director of the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide. Her articles, plays, recent novel, and libretto, would be enough on their own to secure her reputation as...
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21. Children
In this episode, Nelson celebrates the up-coming birth of his child, and wonders why so many people don't want kids. The theme song 'Zaftik' was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.
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20. Trouble and Strife: Mrs Rufatt Interviews Her Mr
In today's episode, Nelson sits down in the interviewee's chair to chat with... his wife: Emma-Mae Rufatt. Together they clear up various mysteries, including why some musicians aren't artists, what makes good art, and what the ideal meat pie is made of. Emma-Mae is a classical soprano, choral...
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19. The Leaf-fattening Light: A Talk with the Poet Stephen Edgar
In this episode, Nelson talks to Stephen Edgar about poetry, and why it springs as much from technique as from inspiration. Edgar's poetry can be read, listened to, and purchased at: http://www.stephenedgar.com.au/newsite/ The theme song 'Zaftik' was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.
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18. Barry Humphries: A Whole Way of Being Funny
This episode is about the genius of Barry Humphries, and the Shakespearian magnitude of his characters. Like Shakespeare, Humphries created personalities who really did exist, in books, on stage, on television and film, in his head, and in our heads. Rufatt wrote this essay around the time of...
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17. Martin Amis
This episode is a short tribute to Martin Amis, who died of Oesophageal Cancer, only last Friday.
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16. Christianity and Humanism
A late Easter message. Christianity and Humanism are words usually claimed, and guarded by, opposing parties. This episode reflects on the moment when Christianity and Humanism met, and when Christianity transcended its religious story by becoming uniquely human. This first appeared as an article...
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15. Dark Sods of the Moon | Jonathan Craig
Nelson and Jonathan continue their discussion of J. G. Ballard's novel 'Crash'. Pink Floyd get a mention, and Jonathan exposes for the whole world, one of Nelson's most closely guarded secrets. Now you're interested. The music was composed and performed specially for these episodes by Jonathan...
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14. Crash | Jonathan Craig
In 1973, J. G. Ballard published 'Crash', an orgy of a novel, which made an aesthetics of sex and violence. In what Ballard called an 'extreme metaphor', the car crash became the culmination of orgasm, celebrity worship, and nihilistic longing. Yes, well, quite. Who better to discuss this...
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13. On Boredom (Season's Greetings)
Nelson discusses boredom, its causes and who they are. He reflects on the importance of furnishing your mind, and liking it. The theme song 'Zaftik' was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.
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12. Odd Cast
Something slightly different. The theme song 'Zaftik' was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.
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11. An Interview with Kate Burridge
This week, Nelson talks with Professor Kate Burridge. Prof Burridge has the Chair of Linguistics at Monash University. She has thoroughly researched changes in vocabulary and grammar, linguistic taboo, and the structure and history of English. She has written and edited more than twenty books on...
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10. Bellerophon and Bix Beiderbecke
In this episode, Nelson recites two of his poems — 'Bellerophon' and 'For Bix Beiderbecke', both of which were published in the June issue of Quadrant. The phrases 'a sequence of desolate exuberance' and 'playful grief', are taken from Clive James's essay on Beiderbecke, in 'Cultural Amnesia'.…
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9. Salman
Nelson speaks an impassioned essay about, for, in defence of, Salman Rushdie, his life, and his prose. And — it can never be argued for often enough — enlightenment, and freedom of expression. It is dedicated to Rushdie, and to his family. May he and they live long. You can buy 'The Satanic…
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8. The Picture of The Picture of Dorian Gray
Nelson reflects on the Sydney Theatre Company's production of 'A Picture of Dorian Gray', which he saw at the Playhouse in Melbourne in early August. Authenticity, art, myth, and music, are pampered, prodded, and inverted in this episode. This episode was produced by Johnathan Craig. The theme…
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7. The Abolition of Intimacy
Intimacy is being abolished. Or so says Counterturn's host Nelson Rufatt, with his tongue in and around his cheek.
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6. The Isaac of This Art | Peter Cole
Nelson and Peter continue their discussion of poetry, and Jewishness. How do Jewish poetry and mysticism balance ironic scepticism with religious feeling? And what the hell's wrong with rhyme anyway? This conversation took place between Nelson Rufatt, and poet, teacher, and translator of Hebrew…
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5. The Hundreth Bloom's Day
On the 16th of June 1904, James Joyce was taken in hand by the straight-talking chambermaid who was to become his utterly devoted wife. This episode is not about that chambermaid. It was written at an angle to the little universe brought to life each year on Bloom's Day, the day of Joyce's…
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4. An Endless Translation | Peter Cole
This episode is about poetry, and about Jewishness. How does Judaism manage so successfully to combine piety, love of the absurd, humour, secular rationalism, irony, disinterested inquiry, and mysticism? What is the secret of its unique paradoxes? And how about that poetry! This conversation took...
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3. The Space Between the Beats Part II | Alexander Inman-Hislop
Alexander Inman-Hislop is an extraordinary drummer who is discovering new things about music and the way we hear the world. In this episode we continue our discussion about culture and context. Alex talks about his discoveries on the drums, and speculates about the ideal music scene. The theme…
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2. The Space Between the Beats | Alexander Inman-Hislop
Alexander Inman-Hislop is an extraordinary drummer who is discovering new things about music and the way we hear the world. We discuss the ways in which music maps on to nature, and whether sound can be appreciated without its cultural extras. The theme song is 'Zaftik' and was composed and...
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1. Humanism, and the Value of Science Fiction | Jonathan Craig
In this episode, Nelson talks to Jonathan Craig about Science Fiction, and whether it has literary value. Jonathan is a writer, policy advisor, accessibility consultant, and the former editor of Blind Citizen's News. He was an artistic advisor for Convergence: a speculative game about climate...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Counterturn have?
Counterturn currently has 25 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Counterturn about?
Counterturn brings life to art, and art to life. Join Nelson Rufatt and guests, as they talk music, literature, science, history, and all the pursuits of the humanist heart.
How often does Counterturn release new episodes?
Counterturn has 25 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Counterturn?
You can listen to Counterturn on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Counterturn?
Counterturn is created and hosted by Counterturn.
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