“… we now realise that what is happening overseas has a direct impact on Australia, and the political themes occurring elsewhere can affect us here.”
Julia Newbould
Venue: Sydney Opera House
Sydney
Dates: Until November 4th.
We used to think Australia was far away from the rest of the world and immune to horrors happening elsewhere. With globalisation, we now realise that what is happening overseas has a direct impact on Australia, and the political themes occurring elsewhere can affect us here.
A mostly older audience gathered on a sunny Sunday for Curious, an annual ideas-fest. We heard from a deftly assembled group of authors who spoke about global issues dominating our headlines – from Trump to Murdoch, climate change, and challenges to democracy.
Fittingly, one of the first topics up for discussion was Caligula on the Potomac, with the BBC’s former US correspondent Nick Bryant and US journalist Gabriel Sherman. This session raised the question, is there a madman in the white house? Spoiler alert: from journalist and screenwriter Gene Sherman, in one word, the answer is yes.
As a junior real estate journalist, Sherman first interviewed Donald Trump in the 1990s and, after filing his story, learned that his editor saw Trump as an overexposed spruiker that they no longer wanted to cover in the publication.
Fast forward, Sherman covered Trump during the 2016 election for New York Magazine and Vanity Fair, and became more familiar with the aspiring president.
Both Sherman and Bryant spoke of their shock at the result of that historic election – and the numbers which saw Trump claim victory. Bryant talked about being at the Democratic Hillary Clinton party, while Sherman attended the Trump event.
In 2024, Sherman’s screenplay, The Apprentice, about Trump’s rise to power (not a documentary, he stresses) was released in cinemas just prior to the election. Its distribution was limited because the film companies feared retribution from Trump. It’s an excellent film worth seeing even if just for the three main tactics learned from Macarthyist Roy Cohn that make up the Trump playbook for all occasions. Never apologise or admit to wrongdoing (deny, deny, deny), always claim victory (no matter what the reality), and always counterattack with greater force (weaponise the media and the legal system).
Sherman, who now lives in London, has just published his latest book, Bonfire of the Murdochs and in that session, was interviewed by former News Limited journalist Janine Perrett. This fascinating discussion explored the similarities between the Murdoch family and the Roy family in tv show Succession (loosely based on the Murdochs), and covered the Shakespearean tragedy that has unfolded with the recent family breakdown through Lachlan and Rupert challenging the “irrevocable” family trust, the interdependency of Murdoch and Trump, and the possible future of the company if/when Rupert dies.
Former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, subject of another Gene Sherman book, also got a mention in the discussion about those wielding power in the US.
While not all topics at Curious were overtly political, life means that in reality, all topics have a potential political effect.
Much loved Australian icon Magda Szubanski talked to ABC’s Fran Kelly about her latest memoir I Can’t Tell You, But I Will. This book focused on her relationship with her mother and the trauma her mother carried.
Madga told the audience about her family dynamics, her work in a women’s refuge when she was 18, living in a lesbian feminist house in a conservative Jewish area in Melbourne, the yes vote for gay marriage, and so much more.
She spoke honestly about her cancer, her shortened life span, her view on voluntary assisted dying, the hell of getting back to a real life after chemotherapy, and living with arthritis. She said while part of her would be happy to stay close to only the things she loves, she loves the world and so wants to keep fighting to make it a better place.
The audience rose to their feet as she entered the stage and gave another standing ovation as she exited, confirming Magda’s popularity and the power she now knows she holds to influence others.
All in all, a great day of important discussions.
More information on other speakers which included British-Palestinian chef Sami Tamimi, Waleed Aly and Zayd Ayers Dohrn, can be found here.
Julia Newbould, Theatre Now
