FBi Radio - 94.5FM (Sydney)
Jack Off with Jack Shit
Saturdays 3-5PM 2000 - present A wide-ranging and irreverent live mix that provides a vibrant alternative to the contrived antics of the AM/FM stereotypes found elsewhere on the dial - airing weekly on 94.5 FM in Sydney and surrounds, plus streaming online and on-demand. Jack Off is FBi Radio’s longest-running program (check this documentary to hear Jack and other key players explain the story of the station's genesis) and a winner of the coveted, volunteer-voted, Best Show award. The program was named as a key show on Australian radio in renowned global briefing, Monocle magazine. No song is ever repeated and all guests perform live. There have been over 700 local and international acts to date, even senior government members in Minister Tanya Plibersek and current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Jack Off was rated by the AU Review as one of five Australian Music radio shows most worth listening to. On the very same day Tone Deaf published this detailed portrait of Jack's long-standing devotion to his craft at FBi. Clearly his eponymous program has struck a chord - listeners of all stripes revel in it's original format and unique offerings. Within just two hours you may remedy mainstream misinformation via the caustic commentary of the infamous Shitlist; enrich your cultural exposure through a comprehensive curation of major - and minor - event listings, the Diary of Death; and immerse yourself in an aural ocean where currents of meaning and time mingle, dissolve and reform anew. During COVID Jack was obligated to record the program for the first time in over two decades, a safety measure for broadcasters at FBi as pandemic numbers spiked in Redfern. The first show of this nature was recorded as-live the day prior, a world away, in the bush by the Hawkesbury river-mouth. If you could do with a deep dive in to absolutely uninterrupted music from across time and space for a good two hours right now send yr ears here. Unfortunately the new FBi website launched in August 2024 without migration of our past data, eradicating both the on-demand streams of our best interviews and performances, plus the audio and tracklists of all but our most recent past programs. We have worked tirelessly, in tandem with ex-FBi tech genius Nick La Rosa, to collate all of these materials, so that listeners can once again access all prior episode info (including images, playlists and links), as well as listen to some of the finest guest appearances of the past few decades on the show. Visit our new Archive page to peruse at your leisure. 
INTERVIEW :: WANDA JACKSON
Here is an extraordinary conversation with the Queen of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson. She spent nearly an hour in the FBi studios live on air, in the company of her devoted husband of over 50 years, Wendell, playing some of her favourite songs and sharing stories of her relationships with some of the giants of our time, from Elvis Presley to Patsy Cline.
You can stream this amazing piece of history here or simply listen below: PERFORMANCE :: HIGHLIGHTS
Here is an improvised duet from two of the most unique guitarists on the planet - Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) and Mick Turner (Dirty Three).
Then there was the hilarious conversation with Suggs and Monsieur Barso of Madness: discussing meeting the Queen and unexpectedly cornering the 'undernourished eight-year-old-urchin' demographic. Their live performance of bittersweet classic My Girl displayed a perfect knack for ordinary honesty. Another fascinating and candid exchange occurred when Tim Rogers came to visit (and to play his heartbreaking song Part Time Dads).
One of the most intense interviews yet came courtesy of Laura Jean and Aldous Harding. Laura happened to have her sister and father in tow and, when queried about how the subjects of her songs responded to hearing themselves reflected in her work, chose to let her family members answer for themselves. Their responses were devastatingly candid and everyone in the studio found themselves reduced to tears. Listen here to this astonishing exchange - and the two pure and powerful performances that accompanied it. ARCHIVE
Further highlights can be be found in our Archive - including interviews and performances featuring Amyl & The Sniffers, Amanda Palmer, Luluc, Tony Buck of The Necks, Youth Group, Fourplay, The Pretty Things, Hunx and His Punks plus Shannon and the Clams, Saidah Baba Talibah, Valerie June, Community Radio, Catcall, Belles Will Ring, Mykki Blanco, Guilty Simpson and Katalyst, Blackie from the Hard-Ons, Adalita with Clare Bowditch, The Zoobombs, Remi, Anomie, Elana Stone, Spod, Sorong Samurai, Vic Simms, Natalie Prass, Teri Gender Bender, Sam Amidon, The Grates, They Might Be Giants and Frente!
Sadly a host of golden music interview and performance moments previously stored and made available for download via the Australian Community Radio podcast facility Cpod has now vanished from the internet - and along with it went the astonishing insights and music shared on Jack Off by Gurrumul, Syl Johnson, Kev Carmody, Jen Cloher, Adalita, Oliver Mann, Jamie Hutchings and An Horse. Thankfully the National Film and Sound Archive has acquired and digitised almost the entire history of the program, so please feel free to reach out to Jack directly in order to help navigate this enormous swathe of vital culture. Whatever the subject matter, or whomsoever the guests, Jack Off serves, on any given week, as a affirmation of aspiration, innovation and true community spirit - an energising experience of all that binds us as human beings. Naturally, as part of that process, we relish hearing from you - so please, always feel free to contact us, live on the air... |
Recent Highlights |
CASH SAVAGE ON JACK OFFA stark, defiant and sometimes heartbreaking conversation that makes for a spellbinding interaction. It's fair to say that whilst Cash and Jack don't hold much back, neither expected to publicly explore elements of their private lives in such an exposed fashion.
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CUB SPORT ON JACK OFFWith the band undertaking a huge North American tour, on the back of new single ‘Crush’ (which was written about a very fateful night in Vancouver), now is the perfect time to acquaint yourself more intimately with these wonderfully sincere and open artists.
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SHOEB AHMAD ON JACK OFF
This interview with Jack Shit is startlingly frank, revealing an extraordinarily brave human being – a gifted musician of the Muslim faith, born brown via Bangladeshi parents, then raised in Parramatta – transcending multiple levels of discrimination with creativity and grace.
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