The Andy Social Podcast

Bianca Nogrady is a Freelance Science Journalist, Author, Broadcaster, Tutor and much more. In my opinion, Bianca is a jack of all trades when it comes to world of Science commentary. For more than a decade, Bianca's work has been featured in Nature, The Guardian, Undark, the BMJ, Australian Geographic, Scientific American, the ABC, and BBC. This no doubt gives an indication of what kind of reputation Bianca has created from years of hard work covering a multitude of topics in the world of...

Luke Robertson might have my dream job. Writing about drinking beer. It sounds absolutely, deliciously perfect. For close to a decade, Luke has running his Ale of a Time blog which has gradually positioned him to be a key person of influence in the Australian Craft Beer industry. Years of slogging out reviews and opinion pieces landed him an opportunity to pen his first ever book 'Keg, Bottle, Can' which is now found everywhere good books are sold. I picked Luke's brains about how he...

Like a lot people, I'm never short of an idea. The problem I have though is that the ideas are usually fleeting thoughts that are never followed through on. Macinley Butson, on the other hand, is one of the few who has taken action on her light bulb moments which are having a profound impact on people all over the world. Over the past several years, Macinley has been the brains behind several inventions from water filtration, accurate medicine dosage to radiation protection armour for...

Adam Ballinger had a long career in the National Basketball League (NBL) playing with the Victorian Giants, Wollongong Hawks, Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne Tigers. During this time Adam was named to All NBL teams, had a number of finals appearances, and competed with some of the leagues all-time best players. Born in Bluffton Indiana, Adam came out to Australia in 2003 to test the waters after trying out in the NBA. There wasn’t a lot of convincing needed for him to stick around and now 15...

Rob Brens is what I would like to call a real hot commodity. Like many of us musicians trying to find and hold onto a drummer is freaking hard, so when we discover world class drummers like Rob, many of us are fighting for a piece of the action. Rob has taken full advantage of the demand by working with a wide range of artists from different genres, crafting his skills and expertise. He is continuously building his profile in Australia and now beyond as a versatile, highly experienced...

Aaron Chen is a comedian from Sydney who you may have seen on ABC Comedy, SBS or one of his many videos circulating online which are racking up hundreds of thousands of views. Aaron has been doing comedy since his mid teens, starting out in local competitions and slowly building himself up to national fame having already accumulating a number of awards and achievements. Most notably he's starred in his own TV late show titled 'Aaron Chen Tonight' on ABC TV and also amassed viral level...

How many people can say that they are working their dream job? Tim Gauci would no doubt have to be one of those who can stake the claim. Tim is the Product Specialist for ESP Guitars Australia. Not a bad gig to have, especially when you’re already a big fan of the brand to begin with. Tim not only pushes the brand as his day gig, but also puts them into action as the front man for Melbourne metal band Primitive. In a short space of time, the band has released a world class sounding EP and...

Patience can pay in dividends and Doug Dalton is certainly no stranger of playing the long game to reap the rewards. Killrazer are set to shortly release their first full length album since forming in 2005. A long time coming right? With almost 15 years of loyal fans supporting the band through thick and thin, Doug is ready to throw fuel onto the fire and give these tried and tested live songs the spotlight they deserve. The upcoming new album will be a culmination of songs forged through...

I’m a bit of an OCD freak at times. I love order, I love lists and love to document all sorts of information (useful and otherwise) that can be accessed at my fingertips. This is probably why I like Brian Giffin. The human recorder, writer, and archivist of Australian Heavy Metal. For decades, Brian has been obsessively attending metal shows in Australia and documenting the scene through articles and reviews as well as his own database of releases, line-up changes, notable events and much...

Heard of the term 'Death Care Professional'? I hadn't until I met Emma. Emma has been working in Funeral Homes for the past several years and has taken an unorthodox approach to sharing her experiences in a jovial way with the general public. Heels & Hearses is a blog that Emma started in early 2016 which documented her experiences working in the Funeral industry. Emma knew about a lot of the stigma and wanted to break the perceptions people had not only about the Funeral business but more...

Karl is a Prosthetic Technician who has been creating artificial limbs since the early 90s for a countless number of amputees of all ages and backgrounds. He's built life long friendships with many of his clients often providing new limbs as people grow up, get older and require updates and improvements as time rolls on. Not the most obvious career path to take right? Karl had a keen interest in special effects and had hopes of working in that field. After a 'stroke of luck by great...

Often referred to as Western Australia's power metal sweetheart, Stu McGill is the guitarist and founder of Perth's Silent Knight. Over the past 9 years, Stu and the band have created a loyal following in a local scene that has been heavily dominated by more extreme metal bands. Stu understood that their sound didn't equate to a lot of immediate opportunities, so he decided to create his own. In 2014 Stu launched the Stormrider Festival which is held each year in Perth and showcases...

Shivani Gopal is leading the charge to help women live more a remarkable life through empowerment and opportunity. Through her own experiences of sexual harassment, an arranged marriage as a young woman and continuous inequality stemming from gender, Shivani took action to make a change not only for herself but for others also experiencing the same challenges. Through her own adversity, The Remarkable Woman was created. It's a collective of women from all backgrounds who work together to...

Power metal nerds can skip the introduction, however for the rest of you, Jonas Heidgert is a metal vocalist and best known as the front man for Sweden's Dragonland. He's had guest appearances on a number of releases from bands such as Ancestral Dawn, Aldaria, and even Melbourne's Bane of Winterstorm. Jonas has also been fronting 80s Swedish metal band Destiny since 2012 and works with a number of tribute acts. Exhausted at the thought? You and me both! I have a headache just keeping up...

If you don't recognise the name Steve Balbi immediately, you will quickly join the dots when the songs Touch, Take Me Back, No Lies, Burning Feeling, Simple Man and even Hot Chilli Woman are recalled. Being a key song writer and the bass player in Australian rock band Noiseworks, Steve saw heightened fame in the late 80s/early 90s with hit after hit which many of us will be able to recite word for word. With a highly respected career in music even up to the era of Noiseworks, Steve went on...

Mark Briody of Jag Panzer. The young Andy would have been stoked. I remember listening to Thane to the Throne when I was about 16 and being blown away with what I heard. Jag Panzer was one of the small number of bands who broke me out of my mainstream metal knowledge and set me on a path of absorption of the wider metal world. My eyes had been opened! Mark is someone who I‘ve looked up to and respected for many years. The way he approaches the band and interacts with those who love the...

Sceptic, sceptic, sceptic. That's me. Always quick to jump to my BS meter to call out something. With this in mind I thought it might be good to challenge myself a little and speak to someone who has a very different set of beliefs to my own. Meet Peter Maxwell Slattery. An Author, Rap Artist and an Extraterrestrial Contact Experiencer. Multi-dimensional personality who not only writes books, releases his own music and speaks about his personal E.T. encounters but also runs ECETI Australia...

If you're a New Zealand metal fan, there's a high possibility you'll know who Paul Martin is. Front New Zealand's longest standing metal radio shows, The Axe Attack (since 1987) these days on iHeartRadio, Paul is a household name in local metal scene and is an integral part in pushing NZ original music as well as hosting some of the world's greatest metal heroes through his show. Adding an additional layer to Paul's involvement in music is his two bands Devilskin and World War Four. Both...

Simon Lewis is an International Humanitarian Lifeguard who has saved close to 2,000 refugees fleeing parts of Africa and Syria. These refugees are using ill-equipped vessels that are overloaded and travelling across parts of the Mediterranean sea which are seen as some of the most dangerous migration routes in the world. Simon with the aid of Mission Lifeline, is operating in these areas to assist where he can. The job is not easy and is plagued with legalities which add an extra layer of...

Blasphemy is a word that comes to mind when you think of Hobbs Angel of Death. inverted crucifix’s, satanic themes and sacrilegious lyrics often intimidate the uninitiated or those unfamiliar with metal. Dig beneath the surface and you find a dedicated, genuine and compassionate front man in Peter Hobbs. While it might conflict the image of the band and Peter’s persona for some, Peters true nature is a correct reflection of the achievements, resilience and longevity of Hobbs Angel of...