Time To Talk with Sean Sennett

Stephen Cummings joins Sean Sennett on this week's episode of Time to Talk. The revered Australian singer-songwriter, has just released a new EP Joy, as well as reissuing his classic 1989 album Lovetown, both on vinyl. Sit back as Stephen chats about life after his stroke, creating new art, what the songs on Joy mean to him, and projects for the future.

Baz Luhrmann steps onto the red carpet — and into the hot seat — with Sean Sennett for a rapid-fire edition of Time To Talk. At the premiere of his new Elvis Presley concert-documentary hybrid EPiC Luhrmann gives us the inside story on resurrecting the King for the big screen. Buckle up.

Michael Paynter joins Sean Sennett ahead of his Great Australian Songbook tour, kicking off this February. An extraordinary singer, Michael recently set theatre stages alight in the lead role of Jesus Christ Superstar. By day, he’s a key member of Jimmy Barnes’ band, and he also tours with Icehouse.A seasoned singer, songwriter and producer, Michael is now stepping back into the spotlight to headline his own shows. Ever wondered what it’s really like to get a kick in the pants from Jimmy Barnes? Tune in and find out.

Stewart Copeland joins Sean Sennett on Time To Talk ahead of his “Have I Said Too Much? The Police, Hollywood & Other Adventures” Australian tour. In this engaging conversation, Stewart reflects on life as one of rock’s most idiosyncratic drummers, his time with The Police, Sting’s songwriting, composing for film, playing with The Doors, and much more. Tune in.

Murray Cook — the artist formerly known as the Red Wiggle — joins Sean Sennett on this edition of Time To Talk to chat about his band, Murray & The Movers. Formerly known as The Soul Movers, the group is Murray’s creative partnership with frontwoman Lizzie Mack.In this conversation, Murray reflects on the first bands he ever saw, life as an indie musician in the ’80’s and 90s, his passion for buying vintage guitars, recording new music with The Movers, and much more.

Rob Hirst joins Sean Sennett on Time To Talk to chat about his new EP, A Hundred Years or More. Recorded in collaboration with fellow Midnight Oil alumnus Jim Moginie and drummer Hamish Stuart, the EP also features appearances from Rick Grossman and Rob’s daughters, Lex and Gabriella.Rob dives into the making of the new music, the creative process behind the sessions, and much more.

The legendary John Swan — better known as Swanee — is back with his first album in a decade, Believe. Chatting to Sean Sennett, John tells the story behind this remarkable independent record, which has risen to the top of the charts. Featuring a who’s who of Australian rock royalty, the album sees Swanee duetting with everybody from his brothers Jimmy and Alan Barnes through to Rick Springfield, Colin Hay, Wendy Matthews and many more. Swanee also discusses his charity work, his early days in Adelaide, growing up in rock ’n’ roll bands, living rough, and so much more.

Jimmy Barnes joins Sean Sennett on a very special episode of Time To Talk. In a wide-ranging conversation, Jimmy dives into the making of his seminal album Working Class Man. Looking back across forty years, he reflects on everything from leaving Scotland as a boy to writing and recording one of Australia’s most iconic records. It’s a cracking episode — you won’t want to miss it. Enjoy.

Join Sean Sennett for a chat with Bernard Fanning about the 20th-anniversary vinyl reissue of his classic 2005 solo album Tea & Sympathy. Bernard talks about his songwriting process, Powderfinger, vault tracks and duets, and what we can expect from his upcoming tour.

Paul Kelly returns to Time To Talk with Sean Sennett to discuss his new album 70. In this wide-ranging chat, Paul shares the stories behind the songs, reflects on his recent run of arena shows, revisits albums from the past, talks a little Ashes cricket, and explains his new habit of releasing records in pairs.

Bestselling author Matthew Reilly joins Sean Sennett on Time To Talk to discuss his thrilling new novel, The Detective. With over eight million books sold worldwide, Reilly shares the inspiration, surprises, and cinematic twists behind his latest page-turner in this fast, insightful conversation.

On this episode of Time To Talk, Sean Sennett sits down with Iva Davies — the visionary behind Icehouse — to explore the songs, stories, and creative spark that shaped one of Australia’s most enduring bands. From Great Southern Land to Electric Blue, Davies reflects on his remarkable journey, his influences, and the art of building soundscapes that defined a generation. He also talks about David Bowie, a new record that will remain in his bottom draw and upcoming dates where Icehouse are heading out on the road with Jimmy Barnes,

The Black Sorrows’ Joe Camilleri joins Sean Sennett on this episode of Time To Talk to reflect on his remarkable creative life.As The Black Sorrows release a new compilation, The Quintessential Black Sorrows, Joe looks back on the band’s journey and the songs that shaped it. He also revisits his earlier days with Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons, talks through his songwriting process, and shares the highs and lows of a career that’s been as rich as it’s been enduring.

The great Brian Nankervis is Sean Sennett’s special guest on Time To Talk this week. Currently on the road with the RocKwiz 25 tour, this conversation traces Brian’s journey from his early days as a school teacher to his first forays into comedy, his alter ego Raymond J. Bartholomeuz, and the creation and enduring appeal of RocKwiz. Along the way, Brian also discusses his love of Bob Dylan, Stephen Cummings, and much more.

Ever wondered what it's like inside a tribute band - let alone one of the best in the world? This week Jodie Thornton joins Sean Sennett to talk about just that. Jodie is Agnetha in Bjorn Again. Of course you've heard of them - Bjorn Again is the world’s Number One ABBA tribute band. Formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1988, the band has now toured over 120 countries to international critical acclaim. And they're not slowing down anytime soon. Join us as Jodie takes us beyond the platform boots and the blue eye shadow for a fascinating look inside Bjorn Again.

Deborah Mailman is Sean Sennett’s guest on this week’s episode of Time To Talk. While Deborah is promoting her new film Kangaroo, she took the time to chat to Sean about her experience making the film and then went back to recall her early days in Brisbane as an acting student at QUT, throwing back to her earliest days at La Boite and Queensland Theatre, while discussing so much more.

Belinda Carlisle joins Sean Sennett on this episode of Time To Talk. Currently promoting her new album, Once Upon A Time In California - the record is Belinda’s homage to the golden age of West Coast pop. Along the way Belinda chats about everything from her solo career and playing live to the Germs, The Go-Go’s, songs that made the album, songs that didn’t and so much more.

Tim Minchin joins Sean Sennett in the Time To Talk hot seat. A fascinating chat that covers Tim’s new album Time Machine and then dips into a broader conversation about the creative process, the Beatles, growing up in Perth, A.I. dealing with ‘thwarted expectations’ as an adult and so much more. As you know, Tim is the composer and lyricist of smash-hit stage musicals, Matilda and Groundhog Day. Among many accolades, he has won two Olivier Awards for Best Musical, a British Composers Award for Best Score, a Logie for Best Supporting Actor, an ACTAA for best TV comedy performance, an Edinburgh Comedy Award for best Newcomer, a Whats On Stage Award for Best Actor in a Musical, The Richard Dawkins Award for Science Communication, and an Order of Australia for Services to the Arts and the Community. He has been nominated for some Tonys and a Grammy.

The brilliant Meg Washington joins Sean Sennett on Time To Talk. Fresh from her work on the feature film How To Make Gravy, Meg is here to talk about her new album GEM. Along the way Meg chats about all aspects of her career as a musician, from writing songs and touring to finally becoming a fully independent artist .

Wendy James has re-formed Transvision Vamp and they’re heading to Australia in 2026. Here Wendy talks to Sean Sennett about the band’s earliest days, her influences, the Clash, Elvis Costello, Kurt Cobain, her life as a solo artist and why she decided to re-boot Transvision Vamp after a quarter of a century

Midge Are is heading to Australia to play hits from every part of his career in October 2025. Joining Sean Sennett on Time To Talk, Midge talks about Ultravox, Visage, his own experience as a performer at Live Aid, songwriting, streaming and so much more.

Russell Morris returns to Time To Talk to chat to Sean Sennett about his Farewell Tour. Along the way Russell discusses how he got his start in music, his concerns with the industry today and why he’d like to go out on top. For a more in-depth look at Russell’s career check out his previous visit on Time to Talk in Series 5.

10CC’s Graham Gouldman joins Sean Sennett to talk about the upcoming 10CC Australian tour. Graham discusses his earliest days writing hits for the Hollies and the Yardbirds, through to his 10CC work, his solo albums, his writing process and even playing more recently with Ringo Starr.

Robert Forster returns to the podcast to chat about his ninth studio album, Strawberries. Robert talks to Sean Sennett about collaborating with Peter Morén from Peter Björn and John and recording the album in Stockholm. Robert also discusses his curation of the Go-Between’s boxsets, touring and much more.

Tim Finn joins Sean Sennett to talk about the re-release of his 1983 solo album Escapade and the live dates he will be playing in August to promote it. Along the way, Tim chats about songs such as ‘Fraction To Much Friction’, ‘Made My Day’ and other highlights from the album. He also discusses how the record was made and how Escapade affected his place in Split Enz and eventually led to his subsequent career as a solo artist.

Sarah McLeod from The Superjesus joins Sean Sennett on this episode of Time To Talk. Sarah’s band - and much loved Adelaide rockers - have just released a brand new album. It’s their first in two decades. Sarah chats about the new album, songwriting, her influences and lets us know what it’s really like to be a true indie artist in 2025. And there’s a whole lot more.

This week Sean Sennett talks to the legendary Tex Perkins about the new Cruel Sea record, Straight Into The Sun. The pair discuss the recording of the album as well as Tex and the band’s songwriting process. Along the way Tex chats about everything from his love of Alice Cooper to touring with Cold Chisel and much in-between.

David Wenham chats to Sean Sennett about the big screen return of one of his most famous characters Johnny Spitieri in Spit. Along the way the pair touch on everything from David’s admiration of Norman Gunston to how he got his start in acting in an effort to curb his errant schoolboy ways.

Keith Urban joins Sean Sennett for a serious ‘deep dive’ into his remarkable career. With the recent release of his album ‘High’, Keith has announced an Australian tour. Last week he was honoured on the Tamworth Country Music Festival’s ‘Roll of Renown’. Sean flew to Sydney to talk to Keith, in a discussion that goes away back to the artists earliest days right through to the present. Expect laughs and honesty as Keith talks about making it on the international stage, his songwriting and recording process, overcoming addiction, playing with everyone from the Rolling Stones to Taylor Swift and much more.

Australian actor Bryan Brown joins Sean Sennett on this episode of Time To Talk to discuss his new series Darby and Joan. Beyond that the pair chat about everything from how Bryan got his start as an actor, his career as a writer, seeing the Beatles as a kid and so much more.

Visionary filmmaker Michael Gracey joins Sean Sennett to discuss his latest movie, Better Man. A film about the life of Robbie Williams, Better Man is a modern day masterpiece. Michael chats about the rigours of getting that film made, his relationship with Robbie Williams, The Greatest Showman and so much more.

Rita Wilson joins Sean Sennett on Time To Talk to chat about all things music. An accomplished songwriter and performer, Rita discusses everything from her new single 'Look How Far We've Come' through to her recent appearance on stage with Joni Mitchell and her show stopping performance at the Ryman Theatre to honour Patsy Cline. Rita's life as a music fan also shines through as she talks about seeing Led Zeppelin as a teenager and getting advice from her heroes. Tune in!

Art Garfunkel and Art Garfunkel Jr join Sean Sennett on Time To Talk today. The pair have just recorded a fine duets album, Father And Son under the moniker Garfunkel & Garfunkel. While the pair discuss the new album, Art Snr also tells us about his earliest influences, re-recording an old Simon & Garfunkel song, books he’s read and much more.

Pseudo Echo’s Brian Canham joins Sean Sennett to chat about his group which helped revolutionise Australian pop in the 1980’s. Beginning with Molly Meldrum putting the unsigned band on Countdown through to the global success of ‘Funky Town’, Canham covers a lot of ground. The band are heading out on the road to support the 40th anniversary of their album Love An Adventure in 2025.

You might know Andrew and Mike Tierney as part of Human Nature. Their forthcoming album, Soundtrack Of My Life sees the pair working as a duo after all these years. They’ll also be supporting Human Nature on tour next March (2025). The Tierney Brothers debut album will also be released in March to coincide with the Human Nature Motown 20th Anniversary Tour. The Tierney Brothers have 3 singles out now – ‘Lemonade’ ‘Praying’ and ‘Shining Star’.

The Saints’ Ed Kuepper joins Sean Sennett on Time To Talk to chat about the news Saints’ box set ‘(I’m) Stranded’ and the formation of The Saints ’73 - ’78. Ed talks about the early days of the original Saints, his earliest influences, recording ‘(I’m Stranded)’, what happened to his original SG and much more.

Paul Kelly joins Sean Sennett to talk about his new album Fever Longing Still. The artist chats about recording the LP, his songwriting process, artists he admires and his relationship with the film adaptation of ‘How To Make Gravy’. There’s also a little cricket talk and we’ve gone for an audio vérité introduction as a homage to the album’s opening track ‘Houndstooth Dress’.

Sarah Blasko joins Sean Sennett to talk about her latest album ‘I Just Need To Conquer This Mountain’. Along the way they discuss Sarah’s relationship with organised religion, the loss of friendship, songwriting, her earliest influences, following intuition, Sarah’s upcoming tour and even her relationship with ‘Flame Trees’.

Jon Landau joins Sean Sennett on this special episode of Time To Talk to discuss the new film Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. A producer on the film, Jon has managed Bruce’s career for over five decades. Along the way Jon co-produced all of Bruce’s records on an extraordinary run from Born To Run (1975) through to Human Touch and Lucky Town (1992). Jon also discusses his earliest film influences, his work with the MC5 and touches on his time writing for Crawdaddy and Rolling Stone.

Thom Zimny is the director behind the new film Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. Thom has a long history with Springsteen and today he talks about that working relationship, alongside exactly how his collaborative process with Bruce operates. Thom has also directed Wings for Wheels: The Making of 'Born to Run' (2005), The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town (2010), Letter To You (2020) and Elvis Presley: The Searcher. Road Diary is released through Disney+ on October 25.

ABBA remains as popular today as they were in their heyday. UK author Giles Smith has written a fine new book on the band My My! ABBA Through The Ages. Today he joins Sean Sennett to discuss the writing of the book, offering valuable insights into ABBA, the Voyage show and why they are so engaging fifty years after they won the Eurovision song contest.

Leila George and Greta Scacchi join Sean Sennett on this week’s episode to discuss their new film, He Ain’t Heavy. Directed by David Vincent Smith and also starring Sam Corlett, the film is about a desperate young woman who kidnaps and enforces rehab on her violent brother in a last-ditch effort to save their lives. The pair talk process, accents, how the film was made and what they’re up to now - including Leila co-starring in the new series Disclaimer.

Kasey Chambers joins Sean Sennett from the road this week to talk about her new album Backbone and her new book ‘Just Don’t Be A Dickhead’. Beyond that, they chat about Kasey’s early life growing up in the bush, her songwriting process, the album that changed her life, how she wrote a book on her iPhone and much more.

The great Richard Clapton joins Sean Sennett on this week’s episode to talk about the re-release of three classic albums, Prussian Blue, Goodbye Tiger and The Great Escape. Richard also discusses his early days, collaborations, life adventures, the writing of ‘Girls On The Avenue’ and much more.

The Rubens join Sean Sennett on Time To Talk this week. From the band, Sam and Elliot chat about the recording of their new album SODA and their upcoming national tour. The boys talk in detail about their writing and recording process and their journey to date.

Rising American country star Tanner Adell joins Sean Sennett on this week’s episode of Time To Talk. Tanner’s music was featured on the blockbuster film Twisters, she recently sang with Beyonce on Blackbird, or you might know her from her Buckle Bunny Mixtape or her new single Whiskey Blues. Tanner is heading to Australia for the first time in November to perform at the Riding Hearts Festival in Sydney and Melbourne.

Missy Higgins chats to Sean Sennett about her career to date, her writing process and the recording of her new album The Second Act.

Bernard Fanning (Powderfinger) and Paul Dempsey (Something For Kate) chat to Sean Sennett about their new Fanning Dempsey National Park album, The Deluge and much more.

Andrew Farriss has just released a new single Something Stronger and is working on a new album. A country rock artist in 2024, you might know Andrew as the key songwriter - alongside Michael Hutchence - in INXS. Andrew talks about songwriting, life on the land, INXS and he lets us into a few stories that feature the Beatles, a member of the Doors and Nile Rogers.

The Angels are back with a new album, Ninety Nine. Sean Sennett talks to the band's co-founder John Brewster. Ninety Nine is the band's 14th studio album, their first in ten years and 2024 marks their 50th Anniversary. John talks about the new album and goes way back into the Angels history. .