What Tony Armstrong Is Paying Attention to Right Now
The ABC News Breakfast sports presenter and former AFL player shares what he’s reading and watching, plus the app that gives him bragging rights.
I’m reading...
Dune [the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert]. I’m a huge fan of science fiction so I resolved to read Dune before the movie came out. It’s a huge, thick book and to be honest, ever since starting the breakfast job – and living in Melbourne in the midst of the pandemic – my ability to stay focused on reading anything has taken a hit. So it looks like I’ll be reading it for a few more months to come.
The podcast I’m listening to…
One Guitar – a podcast by Alex Gow, the musician behind the band Perfect Moment. He has one guitar – a Gibson J45 – and each episode he gives it to an artist, such as Bernard Fanning or Paul Kelly, for one month to write a song with. At the end of the month they come together to talk about how they did it and to play the song. I like that it cuts through the mystique of the songwriting process and it makes for a great conversation.
I’m streaming…
Succession. I’ve been hanging out for it! And I might be going against the grain here but I’m pumped that it’s on once a week. It was easy during lockdown to binge on a show in one day so I’m loving the idea of “event” TV again. I’ll invite a few friends over to watch – the acting is just phenomenal. I love the tall dopey cousin, Greg; I love Shiv, she’s so cool; and I love her greasy husband, Tom.
The app I use the most is…
My alarm. Seriously, I woke up three minutes before this interview. I have other pursuits outside sitting on the news desk so when I can, I put myself down for 45 minutes and use my alarm to wake up. You know how some people on social media flick through their alarms almost as a flex or a brag? Well, that’s me now. I have an alarm for almost every minute of the day.
A great article I read was…
Why vaccination presents an ethical dilemma for us, but remains the best way to keep our families safe by Nayuka Gorrie from IndigenousX. It’s about how a lot of people in the Indigenous community have reservations about COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine hesitancy. It’s obviously a pro-vaccination article but it’s so wellconsidered and respectful. Just a bloody impressive piece of work.
