1. ^ Craig Bellamy, Gordon Chisholm, Hilary Eriksen (17 Feb 2006) Moomba: A festival for the people.: http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/rsrc/PDFs/Moomba/History%20of%20Moomba.pdf PDF pp 17-22 quote on p 21
2. ^ Ian "Molly" Meldrum. Australian Honours Database. Retrieved on 2007-03-28.
3. ^ Miller, Nick. "Nine's tribute a 'gay bashing': Molly", The Age, 2003-11-01. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
   
   Compliments of the Australian Childrens Music Foundation
   
   http://www.acmf.com.au/patrons.asp?id=41
   
      Patrons
   
   

   •	Ann Sanders
   •	Brendan Riley
   •	Dame Joan Sutherland, A.M., A.E., D.E.E. - Soprano
   •	Danielle Spencer
   •	Don Burrows
   •	Founder - Don Spencer
   •	Ian "Molly" Meldrum
   •	Jane Flemming
   •	Jimmy Little
   •	John Konrads
   •	John Laws CBE
   •	Judy Bailey
   •	Julie Anthony AM, OBE
   •	Leah Purcell
   •	Luke Darcy
   •	Murray Rose AM
   •	Professor Miraca U M Gross PhD
   •	Richard Tognetti - Artistic Director and Leader - Australian Chamber Orchestra
   •	Russell Crowe
   •	Sean O'Boyle
   •	Simon Tedeschi
   •	Stephan Ungar
   •	Vince Pizzinga
   •	Wiggles

   
   
   

My first guest taught an entire generation of teenagers how to do themselves a favour. Please welcome one of the most liked and likeable people in Australian show business, Molly Meldrum.

Andrew Denton: Let's start with the obvious one. Why 'Molly'?

Molly Meldrum: Why 'Molly'? Um, actually it was given to me...the name was given to me back when I was writing for 'Go-Set', which was a rock...newspaper that came out each week. And there was a DJ called Stan Rofe, and he had the great habit of, um, giving guys nicknames, girls' names, and I was stuck with 'Molly', you know? But the irony of that is that way back when I was brought up in, like, in the country - I was brought up in the Mallee, in Quambatook - and my nickname...

Andrew Denton: In where?

Molly Meldrum: A place called Quambatook.

Andrew Denton: Quambatook. Right, OK.

Molly Meldrum: And where John Williamson went to school as well. And my nickname back then was 'Malleeroot', so...Molly, Malleeroot, whatever, you know?

Andrew Denton: Now you're a famous Mollyroot.

Molly Meldrum: I know.

Andrew Denton: You...'Countdown', of course... In fact, is this true? I remember in the '70s, they used to say that electricity usage in Australia peaked on a Sunday evening when 'Countdown' was on?

Molly Meldrum: It's something we never realised at the time. I mean, it was just a lot of fun, but it never really sunk into us what it truly meant. And it really wasn't until, I guess, 'Countdown' finished and over the years people have come up and said, "Look, I grew up on 'Countdown'." In fact we did a few 'Countdowns' here in this studio, you know?

Andrew Denton: Yeah?

Molly Meldrum: And, uh...

Andrew Denton: We're still finding litter and debris from...

Molly Meldrum: They are. Probably a couple of old numbers out the back, you know, still playing the rock'n'roll.

Andrew Denton: Yeah. (Laughs) That's right.

Molly Meldrum: But there were a lot of dramas.

Andrew Denton: There's also a joint the size of a car, which...

Molly Meldrum: Oh! Yeah, probably. Whoa.

Andrew Denton: I'm going to play - 'cause I grew up on 'Countdown' like so many people -

Andrew Denton: I'm going to play one of my all-time favourite moments.

Andrew Denton: This is an historical moment. You know it well.

Andrew Denton: Let's relive it now together, shall we?

Molly Meldrum (on 'Countdown'): And now we come to the most important part of tonight's program. In fact, the most important part of the program's history. Some months ago, we had a talk with Mr Harry M. Miller about the... Oh, no... With the cooperation of Mr Miller and the Australian Rec... Sorry. Can we start again? And now we come to the most important part of... Could I just have one glass of water, please? No, no. I'm terribly sorry about this.

Prince Charles: No. Not at all. It happens to everybody.

Molly Meldrum: Does it?

Prince Charles: Yes, it does. But do you not have one of these teleprompters?

Molly Meldrum: No.

Prince Charles: You don't?

Molly Meldrum: One take. (Laughs) Would you now make welcome to 'Countdown' His Royal Highness Prince Charles. Your Royal Highness, it is a pleasure to have you here to help us support the Queen's Silver Jubilee Appeal for Young Australians. (Andrew laughs)

Andrew Denton: Oh, classic! I've always wanted to know... Take us backstage. What was that experience like for you?

Molly Meldrum: It was absolutely frightening because...I remember the first time it all came up - the idea of having the 'Countdown' album for the Silver Jubilee - and I was actually at a meeting with Harry M. Miller. And it was all put together and Harry then said, "And of course Prince Charles can come on the show," and we all went, "What?" And then when we did the show, I couldn't get out Harry M. Miller's name - I kept stuttering on the 'M's, you know? And I kept looking across and I thought, "Christ, he's still there. This is awful!" And then, when I asked for the glass of water and the cameras weren't rolling, I said to him...he said, "I believe you've just got back from London," and I said, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did," and I said, "I saw your mum driving along in a carriage...to open Westminster," and he looked at me with this horror and said, "You mean Her Majesty the Queen." And I was in so much of a state by that stage, I leant across and sort of said - I had a habit of calling people 'lovey' - I said, "It's alright, lovey, I'll get this together," "He's touched the prince! He's touched the prince!" So I've learnt a lesson in life - never mix with princes or queens.

Andrew Denton: Now, you had some...you had some very challenging guests on 'Countdown', probably none more so than this man.

Iggy Pop on 'Countdown': Hiya, dogface!

Molly Meldrum (on 'Countdown'): Iggy, how are you, mate? Listen, wel...

Iggy Pop: (Excitedly) G'day! G'day!

Molly Meldrum: ..welcome to the show. The first time I saw you was in Detroit a couple of years ago...live in concert... What's wrong? Don't you send me up. You behave yourself. Now, listen, we've got to ask you some sensible questions.

Iggy Pop: Alright.

Molly Meldrum: The first time was a couple of weeks...a couple of years ago...

Iggy Pop: Hi!

Molly Meldrum: ..was with... Iggy, will you concentrate on the question?

Andrew Denton: How much did you draw out of him in that interview?

Molly Meldrum: Not much. (Laughs) Not much. Not much.

Andrew Denton: Did he calm down any time that year?

Molly Meldrum: He didn't recall he'd even been in Australia, actually.

Andrew Denton: (Laughs) Was he always like that?

Molly Meldrum: In fact, you can ask Iggy now, "What did you think of Australia?" "I've never been there."

Andrew Denton: You know a lot of the stars, including Michael Jackson.

Molly Meldrum: Mm-hm.

Andrew Denton: What do you make of all the stuff that's happened recently with Martin Bashir?

Molly Meldrum: I just find it very sad that, um, Michael has allowed it himself with all these things that have gone on - and especially, you know, the face, etc - to overshadow totally the genius and the talent that that man possesses, you know?

Andrew Denton: I think what came through in the Martin Bashir stuff which raised a lot of questions in people's mind was it wasn't the talent and it wasn't the eccentricity, it's his relationship with under-age boys.

Molly Meldrum: Yeah. Whether that's true or not, I mean, it's hard to tell, you know? But it's just...

Andrew Denton: From your knowledge of Michael, is that...?

Molly Meldrum: Well, I don't think anyone knows Michael, you know? I mean, as much as I've done x-amount of interviews with him, they're all...it's almost like if you were to interview Saddam Hussein. I mean, like, God help us, none of us want to interview Saddam Hussein, but everything is scripted and if you go off that script, that's the end of the interview, you know?

Andrew Denton: Really?

Molly Meldrum: Absolutely, you know?

Andrew Denton: You...you're mates with all the old guard - Madonna and Elton... And notice I'm throwing these names around as if I've ever met them. What about the new guard? Have you ever had a beer with Eminem?

Molly Meldrum: Um, no, but I would love to. I think he's...I think he's a...a major talent, you know? I mean, in the short time that Eminem has been on the world scene as far as recording artist, and now actor and now, um, writer and whatever, um, it's...

Andrew Denton: Uh, excuse me one second. Do you realise what you just did?

Molly Meldrum: What?

Andrew Denton: Do you realise what you just did?

Molly Meldrum: No.

Andrew Denton: Molly Meldrum, you just uttered your millionth 'um' on Australian television!

(Man in Ancient Egyptian costume brings Molly plaque)

Andrew Denton: Thank you, Nefertiti. Stay here, Nefertiti. (Laughs and reads plaque) "In recognition of your millionth 'umm' on Australian television. Congratulations from all of like, you know Enough Rope."

Molly Meldrum: That is wonderful. I must say...I must say that, um, I haven't got one of these at home. I've definitely got one of them at home, though.

Andrew Denton: Nefertiti, you may take this away now. Mr Meldrum will have it in his stretch limo after, thank you.

Molly Meldrum: Thank you.

Andrew Denton: The thing is, the umming and the ahhing and the inarticulate Molly, that's a public image, but, in fact, there's a hell of a brain ticking on underneath the hat, isn't there?

Molly Meldrum: I'm not sure.

Andrew Denton: Yeah.

Molly Meldrum: I think it's diminishing by the moment.

(Andrew Laughs)

Andrew Denton: You used to be a member of Mensa.

Molly Meldrum: Yeah, well, I mean, I'm not sure how that all came about. I think back then I...I knew a lot more than I do now, you know? I mean, I love watching, um... Ah, there's another 'um'. There's my million-and-one, you know?

Andrew Denton: We've got to make another bloody gold record! Jeez!

Molly Meldrum: Uh, and I love watching shows like 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' because, you know, I try to sort of test myself. But, however, uh, I'd never like to go through...

Andrew Denton: How do you go?

Molly Meldrum: I go alright at home, but, um, I would never want to go through what Red went through, you know? Because I actually knew that answer, but...that would be horrendous.

Andrew Denton: Red actually told me that he met you once in a hotel and you were reading the Koran in French.

Molly Meldrum: Yes, that's true, and both my French and certainly Arabic is not that good, you know?

Andrew Denton: I was going to ask - was the book upside down, Molly?

Molly Meldrum: No, no. I think I got to about...no, page three. No, I tried to do translations, 'cause at that stage, the only Koran I could get hold of was a translation in French, you know?

Andrew Denton: Right.

Molly Meldrum: So I'd have to go through the French, back to the...

Andrew Denton: Wow!

Molly Meldrum: But it was hopeless, you know?

Andrew Denton: We've got a photo here of you. This is, uh... Molly's very into Egypt, and you've been, how many times now, at least 17 times to Egypt?

Molly Meldrum: No, more than that. Around about 27 times.

Andrew Denton: 27 times? What is your fascination with Egyptology?

Molly Meldrum: I mean, it's just totally awesome. I mean, every time I've ever been there and I...I suddenly see the pyramids, my heart goes, you know, and it's just something extraordinary. And then you go up the Nile to Luxor and to Aswan and places like that, and in Luxor, there's the Valley of the Kings across the Nile and then the Valley of the Queens. (Laughs)

Andrew Denton: Look, you're just giving yourself up here. I'm saying nothing.

Molly Meldrum: Actually, I knew a few of the Valley of the Queens. I thought they'd been mummified. Um... No... (Laughs) Um...um...

Andrew Denton: This is a self-saucing interview. I can leave now. We've got a photo here, and I want everyone to go, "Ohhhhh!" This is a photo of Molly as a little 'un. (Photograph of Molly as young child on screen)

Andrew and audience: Ohhhhhhh!

Andrew Denton: Now you're...you're 17 in that photo.

Molly Meldrum: I think that one was when I was getting ready to be the pageboy for Queen Victoria's...crowning or whatever, you know?

Andrew Denton: It's always with the queens with you, Molly. What is going on? It's interesting, though - your life story is like an open book but the first 10 chapters are blank. Why is that?

Molly Meldrum: Um, 'cause I've gone blank. No, it's just, um, on a personal level, I mean, with...with certain things that happened in my life, I'd just prefer not to talk about them, you know?

Andrew Denton: I'll tiptoe around. You tell me if you don't want me to open a door. Were you a country boy? Could you ride a horse? Could you bale hay? Could you...?

Molly Meldrum: I could bale the hay. I never really rode horses until later on in life. But I loved the country. The country...I was very lucky because I was shifted around quite a bit as a child and I grew up in Orbost in Gippsland, so...that's down near Marlo, which is right on the sea.

Andrew Denton: At the age of 10, you left your family home. Why was that?

Molly Meldrum: Not really. No, no, no.

Andrew Denton: You went to live with some aunts?

Molly Meldrum: Yeah, um, and that's the part I don't really want to talk about.

Andrew Denton: Yeah?

Molly Meldrum: Yeah. I mean, like a lot of families, we had our problems, you know? And, I mean, I lived with my grandmother for a while, I lived with my aunts...yeah.

Andrew Denton: What was it like living with aunts? Because it's a different thing - aunts, they have responsibility for you, but they're not your flesh and blood, are they?

Molly Meldrum: Well my grandmother was one of my biggest influences on my life and I lived a fair bit with her and I absolutely adored my grandmother and she taught me one of the great things that I've tried to live my life by and she told me that no-one's above you and no-one's below you and you should treat all people as equal, you know?

Andrew Denton: When your mum died, you said that was a really formative...

Molly Meldrum: Absolutely.

Andrew Denton: ..day for you. In what way did it shape you?

Molly Meldrum: I was in London at the time when my mum passed away and...when I flew back from London for the funeral...and I was able to give it a lot of thought. And I thought my mother was always, at times, influenced by a lot of other people and it tended to rule her life, you know, what other people thought, etc, etc. And I decided that...that I would, you know, live my life as best I could but never be influenced by other people, of what they thought, you know, to live your life in your own right, you know?

Andrew Denton: Which indeed you have. We have a photo of you here. I don't know if this is a coming-out photo or what, but it's certainly...it's a bit of a scoop, really. That's...that's you and Bob Hawke.

Molly Meldrum: That IS actually Bob Hawke.

Andrew Denton: Actually, you would have had the least controversial coming-out of anyone in the history of gaydom - like, if you walked up to someone in Australia and said, "Molly's gay," they would have said, "Yeah, and what's your point?" Did you ever come out? You didn't really, did you?

Molly Meldrum: I don't think so. No.

Andrew Denton: You just were.

Molly Meldrum: No, I mean... Well, I mean, I had girlfriends. I was engaged a few times.

Andrew Denton: Yeah, so what was that? Was that... I mean, were you experimenting? Were you...?

Molly Meldrum: Absolutely. I mean...not experimenting - I mean, I loved these girls, for God's sake!

Andrew Denton: Oh yeah, but, well... Alright, but at...

Molly Meldrum: My God, Andrew! Oh, yeah, I laid them on a sort of table...like a surgical table and I said, "I'm experimenting," you know?

Andrew Denton: I don't mean to sound callous. No, I mean...with your own sexual...

Molly Meldrum: "And what's that? And what's that? And what's that? Oh, I see."

Andrew Denton: "And what's THAT?" Were you experimenting with your own sexuality? Were you bi?

Molly Meldrum: Yeah, absolutely. I mean... No, I mean, at that stage, I was really in love with...with the girls I went out with. In fact, one of the girls I took...we went away on a holiday to Egypt and I said, "Alright, I'll meet you in Cairo," and I unfortunately missed two planes. And so poor Joy was in Cairo by herself for a day and a half or nearly two days being chased by the Arabs and goodness knows what, you know, and was absolutely terrified, so I wasn't met with a great reception when I got to Cairo. Anyhow, we went to...we caught the train to Luxor and I was showing Joy all the tombs - "Let's go down another tomb" - this is in the Valley of the Kings. I said, "Come on, we've got to go and see another tomb." She said, "I can't see any more tombs. Enough's enough." So we were at this little restaurant that overlooks the Valley of the Kings and she said, "You really love this place, don't you?" And I said, "Yeah." She said...I said, "Yeah, as a matter of fact, one day, you know, when we...if we get married, we should come and live here." And the look on her face, I knew then that this relationship was over. It was definitely over, you know?

Andrew Denton: Oh, mate, chicks that aren't turned on by tombs, don't bother.

Molly Meldrum: That's true. That's true. So she left me and I was like a stuffed mummy, really. There you go.

Andrew Denton: "Sometimes Molly gives Ian Meldrum the shits." Great quote. Who's Molly Meldrum, and who's Ian Meldrum?

Molly Meldrum: Oh, my God! That is a good question. Uh, the Molly Meldrum, I guess, is the image or the person or whatever that has been on 'Countdown', has been on 'Hey Hey', whereas there is the other side of Molly Meldrum, which is the Ian Meldrum, that I take things very, very seriously, I have an intense interest in politics, not that I'm... I'm sort of apolitical in one sense, but I follow it religiously. I'm addicted all the time - not because of the war - to, say, BBC World News or CNN. And there is those two sides.

Andrew Denton: Yeah. Do both sides wear the hat?

Molly Meldrum: (Laughs) I think so. Sometimes, yeah.

Andrew Denton: 'Cause this is a big question. When you get up to pee first thing in the morning, is the hat on before you pee or after?

Molly Meldrum: No, at that stage, the hat's around the other way, actually.

Andrew Denton: (Laughs) Now, I want you to run with me on this, Moll. It seems to me that the hat is so much you. I want to try on some other hats with you. This is why I've got this screen, so no-one will see you change.

Molly Meldrum: Oh, we're not going to do this!

Andrew Denton: What do we think? No? Good, but not good enough. This one you'll like.

Molly Meldrum: Ooh! This one I adore.

Andrew Denton: And the final one, Molly. Try this one on.

Molly Meldrum: Oh, gee!

Andrew Denton: Ladies and gentlemen, Molly Meldrum. I give you Mr Molly Meldrum. Thank you, sir.