Late Night Live — Full program podcast

ABC Australia

Incisive analysis, fearless debates and nightly surprises. Explore the serious, the strange and the profound with David Marr.

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24 episodes
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Avg 54 min
English

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Thursday · 54 min
How the US became a country for old men, plus the extraordinary encounters of a 1900s cattle station girl
Yale Professor Samuel Moyn argues that the old in the United States have hoarded wealth and power, and that something needs to give. Plus, Australian historian Tom Griffiths corroborates the extraordinary encounters of a 1900s white cattle station girl, Alice Duncan-Kemp, who learned from Indigenous Mithaka people in outback Queensland. Guests: Samuel Moyn, Professor of Law and History at Yale University, author of 'Gerontocracy in America: how the old are hoarding wealth and power - and what
Wednesday · 54 min
Simon Sebag Montefiore on the making of the modern Middle East
Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore traces 125 years of war, revolution, upheaval and revival in the Middle East. From the final days of the Ottoman Empire to to the current Iran-US conflict, Simon's new book The Cauldron examines the forces, characters and calamities that have shaped the region. Guest: Simon Sebag Montefiore, writer and historian Producer: Ali Benton
Tuesday · 54 min
Bruce Shapiro's USA, who's supplying weapons to Sudan, plus the first camera in Australia
Bruce Shapiro asks if US President Donald Trump has betrayed American cattle farmers, after he eased tariffs on foreign beef. Australia sells weapons to the United Arab Emirates, but could those weapons be ending up in Sudan? Plus, the story of the first camera that made it to colonial Australia in May 1841. Guests: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor for The Nation, executive director of the Global Centre for Journalism and Trauma Andrew Bartlett, President of Australians for War Powers Reform
Monday · 54 min
Anna Henderson's Canberra, the Israeli ambassador on Zomi Frankcom, plus the music in our names
One Nation is mopping up after new MP David Farley's 'rookie mistake' on his party's net migration target. Veteran Jerusalem correspondent examines the work of the Israeli ambassador to Australia Hillel Newman, after an IDF report found that no one would be held criminally liable for the death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and her colleagues in Gaza in 2024. Plus, composer and host of The Music Show Andrew Ford ponders the musical qualities of our names and nicknames. Guests: Anna Hend
August 20 · 54 min
John Cameron Mitchell wants kids to be more punk, plus an apartheid 'native' hospital in Australia
John Cameron Mitchell, American actor, playwright, and film director, directed some of the more outrageous movies of the 2000s, like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Shortbus. He argues that punk is as relevant than ever, and it is much more than a look. Plus, in the first half of the 20th century, up on the far north coast of WA, Wyndham Native Hospital incarcerated and treated Aboriginal people, because they were not allowed to be treated at the Wyndham District Hospital, known as the 'white' ho
August 19 · 54 min
Is a classless society impossible? Plus, fresh dirt on the Cambridge Five spies
German philosopher Hanno Sauer argues that class hierarchies are a permanent feature of human societies. So if true equality is elusive, how do we live with class? Plus new revelations on the Cambridge Five - the young men who spied against Britain from the 1930s to the 1950s. Guests: Hanno Sauer, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies at Utrecht University. Guest of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas in Sydney Antonia Senior, author, journalist and
August 18 · 54 min
Ian Dunt's UK, the KPMG scandal, plus 500 years of nightlife
Our regular UK correspondent on the death of former Cambridge Professor Jason Arday. An accounting and ethics expert who has been following the KPMG case explains why some of the firm's activities are so controversial. And 'going out' - a colourful romp through the many ways that many cultures enjoy night life. Guests: Ian Dunt, columnist with i-news; co-host of the Origin Story podcast Tom Ravlic, journalist, author and academic who has been writing about the KPMG saga for Crikey, and The Man
August 17 · 54 min
Anna Henderson's Canberra, Jordan stuck in the crosshairs of war, plus Gina Rinehart and the press
Political correspondent Anna Henderson surveys a busy sitting week, with the government eager to pass NDIS reforms. The Kingdom of Jordan, a neighbour of Israel, is trying to stay neutral in the Middle East war, but is caught between the US and Iran. And a look at how mining magnate Gina Rinehart attempts to control her public image. Guests: Anna Henderson, chief political correspondent, SBS Nabih Bulos, Middle East bureau chief, Los Angeles Times Sarah Martin, senior correspondent for The Gu
August 13 · 54 min
Inside the world of sovereign citizens, plus the magic of night music
Sovereign citizens believe they’ve discovered a hidden legal system that can set them free from the state. The new book Outlawed explores the strange world of pseudolaw, and what its rise tells us about trust, power and the law. Plus Late Night Live looks at the abiding popularity of calming 'night' music to help people sleep, and how 19th century composers like John Field, Chopin and others first brought us the musical concept of 'nocturnes'. And Late Night Live pays tribute to former producer,
August 12 · 54 min
James Baldwin: The loves that shaped a literary giant
James Baldwin’s writing was inseparable from the people he loved, mentored and collaborated with. A new biography explores the intimate relationships that shaped his novels, essays and plays, and his role in Black and queer literary history. From Harlem and Paris, to Istanbul and the American South, it reveals the private life behind one of the 20th century’s most influential writers. Guest: Nicholas Boggs, author of Baldwin: A Love Story Producer: Ali Benton
August 11 · 54 min
Bruce Shapiro's USA, Marwan Barghouti to run for Palestinian president, plus a lost cantata rediscovered
Bruce Shapiro looks at the fight inside the Democrats between emerging populists and a conservative group called The Third Way. Imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti's son talks about his father plans to run for president of the Palestinian Authority, from jail. Plus how an Australian harpsichord player discovered a three-hundred-year-old cantata by a Venetian contemporary of Antonio Vivaldi, who was a disabled female orphan. Guests: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with The Natio
August 10 · 54 min
Anna Henderson's Canberra, the Mecca defence pact, and the history of punctuation
PM Albanese and Opposition Leader AngusTaylor are doing a deal on gambling. Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan have just signed a new NATO-like defence pact which commits each country to respond in the event of an attack on the other. So what are the implications for the Gulf conflict? Plus, from hieroglyphs to hashtags, the hidden history of punctuation and the tiny marks that have shaped how we communicate. Guests: Anna Henderson, SBS World News Chief Political Correspondent | National Pres
August 6 · 54 min
Peter Garrett on AUKUS, plus Australia's sugar slaves
Peter Garrent discusses the testimonies being presented at the crowdfunded AUKUS public inquiry which has so far recieved over 500 submissions, and heard from former PMs and ministers. Plus decades after Britain abolished slavery in its colonies, Australia was using Pacific island workers to harvest sugar, with many essentially held captive. Guests: Peter Garrett, Lead Commissioner, AUKUS public inquiry, former Labor Minister Ryan Butta, author of 'Blackbirding: a reckoning with the Australian
August 5 · 54 min
Bernard Keane on Australia's opportunities, plus how wine shaped civilisation
In his new book, Crikey’s political editor, Bernard Keane, turns his eye not just to where Australia has gone wrong, but to how we can best position ourselves to navigate the triple threat of Trump, China and AI. Plus the eight thousand year history of wine - from Georgia to the present day. Guests: Bernard Keane, political editor, Crikey, and author of ‘Seize the Moment - Australia’s real opportunities in an unstable world,’ Kathleen Burk, Professor Emerita of Modern and Contemporary history
August 4 · 53 min
Ian Dunt's UK, boycotting The Odyssey, and the last cats of Kangaroo Island
Ian Dunt on Nigel Farage's planned 'Operation Fortress', stopping all illegal boats. The Odyssey film-makers caused offence in an indigenous-owned region that Morocco claims as its own. And the push to rid Kangaroo Island of cats, both feral and pet. Guests: Ian Dunt, columnist with i-news, co-host of Origin Story podcast Sarah Yerkes, North Africa specialist and senior fellow with the Middle East program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peac Michael Pengilly, Mayor of Kangaroo Isla
August 3 · 54 min
Anna Henderson at Garma, reunifying Cyprus, plus the last butterfly collectors
Anna Henderson recaps an eventful Garma festival in Arnhem Land, which included a blistering speech from Noel Pearson. Is there hope for a reunified Cyprus, amid planned UN talks? Plus, why butterfly collectors are a dying breed. Guests: Anna Henderson, chief political correspondent, SBS Dr. Erol Kaymak, Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Eastern Mediterranean University Emil Leth Beiter, Danish writer and critic
July 30 · 54 min
Encore: Oscar Wilde's grandson on the scandal that ruined him
The famous writer Oscar Wilde died alone in a French hotel in 1900. Since that time, so much has been written about the man - much of it rumour and speculation. In his new book, 'After Oscar: The Legacy of a Scandal', Oscar Wilde’s grandson Merlin Holland sets the record straight. The book is thirty years in the making and is an exploration of Wilde’s posthumous reputation and how his imprisonment for homosexuality affected Wilde's family, friends and literary legacy. Guest: Merlin Holland, Os
July 29 · 54 min
Russia's far-right bikies, plus the afterlives of Sarah Baartman
Established in Moscow in 1989, the 'Night Wolves' motorcycle club continues to operate as a powerful propaganda arm of the Putin regime. Plus, the writer Sisonke Msimang defends the legacy of Sarah "Saartjie" Baartman, the African woman trafficked through early 19th Century Europe as a 'freak show' spectacle. Guests: Dr Olga Boichak, Senior Lecturer in digital cultures, Sydney University Sisonke Msimang, writer and activist, author of 'Defending the dead: the many afterlives of Sarah Baartman
July 28 · 54 min
Bruce Shapiro's USA, controversial weed killer Paraquat, and curly questions in the Census
Our regular US commentator, Bruce Shapiro, looks at how President Trump is caught between pressure at home to get out of the Iran war, and pressure from Israel to stay in it. Plus why use of the agricultural weed killer Paraquat has just been allowed to continue in Australia, despite being banned in many other countries. And this year's Census is getting more personal. Guests: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with The Nation magazine and Director of the Global Center for Journalism and Tra
July 27 · 54 min
Anna Henderson's Canberra, how tech is transforming warfare, and the dark side of Route 66
Anna Henderson on Pauline Hanson's discrimination court loss, and Labor rejecting Ed Husic's genocide motion at their national conference. How technology is transforming modern warfare and creating a new global arms race. Plus, one hundred years on, LNL looks at the dark side of Route 66. Guests: Anna Henderson, SBS World News Chief Political Correspondent | National Press Club Director Steve Feldstein, author of Bytes and Bullets: Global Rivalries, Private Tech, and the New Shape of Modern W

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