There are some iconic duos that were just meant to go together. Spongebob and Patrick. Lizzie McGuire and Miranda Sanchez. Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. But a Brit and a Bogan? It sounds like the start of one of those “walked into a bar” jokes.
And you’re probably thinking that I’m trying to fake you out, only to talk about how well Brit and Bogan co-hosts Ellen Mann and Jack Brooks (or “Bogan Jack”, as Ellen called him) get along and lived happily ever after in the magical land of Radio Fodder. Honey, I ain’t that cliche´d.
The best part of this interview was watching how they interacted with each other, as they poked fun and frequently called each other out. And while chatting with them, I realised that they were indeed on very different wavelengths. But I think this odd dynamic works perfectly for their show.
After meeting through mutual friends, Ellen and Jack developed the idea for Brit and Bogan. Now in their third season on Radio Fodder, the two debate current issues from each week, offering their contrasting perspectives on different topic, sometimes stirring up a controversy along the way.
A question I ask everyone: Who is your number-one queen of music?
Jack: Does MIKA count?
Me: I will take MIKA.
Ellen: Amity Affliction. They’re a post-hardcore band.
How did you come to have a show on Radio Fodder?
Ellen: I thought, “Let’s do some extracurricular activities, so I’m not just dying.” And then I realised that I’m not interesting on my own. So I thought, “Hm. Who’s really controversial and could probably spice things up? I know! Bogan Jack.”
How did you settle on the idea for your show?
Jack: Ellen had an idea, but it was kind of vague. So we talked about it and finally refined it to current events and what we’re passionate about. Then we put our own spin on them, which for me tends to be a bit of a tongue-in-cheek, controversial view.
Ellen: And I’m the one that keeps everyone on track. So for example, something like North Korea. Jack was like, “Let’s bomb the shit out of them.” And I was more like, “Maybe we should take a democratic approach.” But that’s why it works so well.
What is one of your favourite moments from the show?
Ellen: We had a Brit and Bogan book club. We each had to bring in a text that we thought was particularly spicy and read it out. And it was awful. I had Harry Potter erotica. And I couldn’t finish it. It was so bad. I couldn’t read it. I had to get [Jack] to read it.
Jack: That was a really good episode.
Ellen: It was one of those episodes where we were just like, “Fuck it.”
Jack: I think that time of year, because it was at the end
of last semester, with the whole [US] election ending and all that, current events just dried up. There wasn’t as much to talk about.
Ellen: Mm, especially considering the election was in 2016.
Have you had any big on-air disasters?
Jack: When Ellen forgot to record an entire episode. That’s the worst one.
Ellen: Shut up! No, no, no. The microphone wasn’t on. They’d switched [them] around, and [I turned the wrong one up]. So for half of the episode, all [the listeners] were hearing were my reactions to someone else speaking.
Jack: And I’m just this murmur in the background.
Ellen: And Jack’s gotten us nearly cancelled a couple of times for saying stupid, controversial things about communism.
Have you got anything special coming up in season three that listeners can be excited for?
Jack: Not really, because we’ve been—
Ellen: Yes we do! “Not really”. Yeah, let’s plug the show with, “We don’t have anything coming up.”
Jack: We’re doing the same thing!
Ellen: No, we’re not. I think this season, we’re going to be more on top of the issues we want to talk about. I also want to focus a lot on the arguments against as well, so it’s not just us ranting about something we don’t like. So please listen!
Jack: Please listen. Validate my existence.
You can find Brit and Bogan on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and catch up on their podcasts on Mixcloud.