Richard Fidler
| Richard Fidler | |
|---|---|
 Richard Fidler, 2013 | |
| Born | 13 November 1964 |
| Medium | Television, radio, comedy, books |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Years active | 1985—present |
| Genres | Radio interviews; musical comedy |
| Spouse | Khym Lam |
| Notable works and roles | |
Richard Fidler (born 13 November 1964) is an Australian ABC radio presenter, best known for his hour-long interview program, Conversations with Richard Fidler. The program is ABC Radio's most popular podcast, downloaded more than 1.8 million times per month. It features local and international guests from all walks of life, engaging in in-depth interviews.
Biography
Fidler came to prominence in the 1980s as a member of the Doug Anthony All Stars (DAAS), an Australian musical comedy group also comprising Tim Ferguson and Paul McDermott. The group disbanded in 1994.
Fidler began his broadcast career on TV, and presented shows including: Race Around the World; Aftershock; Mouthing Off, and Vulture.
In 2001, he was elected to the National Committee of the Australian Republican Movement and was the chair of their Constitutional Issues Committee. He resigned from these positions in 2007.
In 2005, Fidler moved to Brisbane, Queensland, to host the 7-10pm shift on ABC Local Radio station 612 ABC Brisbane. The following year, he took on the newly configured 11am–3pm shift on 612 ABC. The first hour, a long-form interview program known as Conversations, was also heard on 702 ABC Sydney. Since 2012 Fidler has focused solely on Conversations. The show is heard each weekday between 11:05am and midday, on ABC Local Radio in all Australian states except Victoria. It is replayed on ABC Radio National at midnight.[1] Conversations is the ABC’s most downloaded podcast. In December 2015, Conversations was named by iTunes Australia as 2015's 'Best Classic Podcast' and 'Most Downloaded Podcast'.
In 2011 Fidler was awarded a Churchill Fellowship[2] to investigate new forms of public radio in the United States and the United Kingdom.
He is the immediate past-President of Brisbane’s Institute of Modern Art (IMA) and a member of its board of directors.[3]
Personal life
Fidler is married to Khym Lam and they have two children.
The guitar Fidler used often during his time with the DAAS was a black Yamaha APX 9-12 tuned to D standard, however he did use a metallic green 6-string acoustic in standard tuning in a couple of songs on Live at the National Theatre (New York) and used a generic electric guitar in a cover of "Anarchy in the UK" on The Big Gig. That guitar was in standard tuning. On DAAS Icon, the bulk of the album was recorded with an electric guitar in standard tuning, however some songs featured the APX 9-12.
Published works
- Ferguson, Tim; Fidler, Richard; McDermott, Paul (1992). DAAS Book (uncensored (censored in the UK, 1989) ed.). Australia.
- Ferguson, Tim; Fidler, Richard; McDermott, Paul (1993). DAAS Kapital.
- Fidler, Richard; Hoysted, Peter (2007). The Insider's guide to power in Australia: by Jack the Insider.
- Fidler, Richard (2016). Ghost Empire.
References
- ↑ "Conversations". ABC Radio. Australia. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- ↑ The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust 2011 Retrieved 8 March 2013
- ↑ "About us". Institute of Modern Art. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
