Late Night Live — Full program podcast

John Cameron Mitchell, American actor, playwright, and film director, directed some of the more outrageous movies of the 2000s, like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Shortbus. He argues that punk is as relevant than ever, and it is much more than a look. Plus, in the first half of the 20th century, up on the far north coast of WA, Wyndham Native Hospital incarcerated and treated Aboriginal people, b...

German philosopher Hanno Sauer argues that class hierarchies are a permanent feature of human societies. So if true equality is elusive, how do we live with class? Plus new revelations on the Cambridge Five - the young men who spied against Britain from the 1930s to the 1950s.  Guests:  Hanno Sauer, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies at Utrech...

Our regular UK correspondent on the death of former Cambridge Professor Jason Arday. An accounting and ethics expert who has been following the KPMG case explains why some of the firm's activities are so controversial. And 'going out' - a colourful romp through the many ways that many cultures enjoy night life. Guests:  Ian Dunt, columnist with i-news; co-host of the Origin Story podcast Tom Ravli...

Political correspondent Anna Henderson surveys a busy sitting week, with the government eager to pass NDIS reforms. The Kingdom of Jordan, a neighbour of Israel, is trying to stay neutral in the Middle East war, but is caught between the US and Iran. And a look at how mining magnate Gina Rinehart attempts to control her public image.  Guests:  Anna Henderson, chief political correspondent, SBS Nab...

Sovereign citizens believe they’ve discovered a hidden legal system that can set them free from the state. The new book Outlawed explores the strange world of pseudolaw, and what its rise tells us about trust, power and the law. Plus Late Night Live looks at the abiding popularity of calming 'night' music to help people sleep, and how 19th century composers like John Field, Chopin and others first...

James Baldwin’s writing was inseparable from the people he loved, mentored and collaborated with. A new biography explores the intimate relationships that shaped his novels, essays and plays, and his role in Black and queer literary history. From Harlem and Paris, to Istanbul and the American South, it reveals the private life behind one of the 20th century’s most influential writers. Guest: Nicho...

Bruce Shapiro looks at the fight inside the Democrats between emerging populists and a conservative group called The Third Way. Imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti's son talks about his father plans to run for president of the Palestinian Authority, from jail.  Plus how an Australian harpsichord player discovered a three-hundred-year-old cantata by a Venetian contemporary of Antonio Viv...

PM Albanese and Opposition Leader AngusTaylor are doing a deal on gambling. Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan have just signed a new NATO-like defence pact which commits each country to respond in the event of an attack on the other. So what are the implications for the Gulf conflict? Plus, from hieroglyphs to hashtags, the hidden history of punctuation and the tiny marks that have shaped how we...

Peter Garrent discusses the testimonies being presented at the crowdfunded AUKUS public inquiry which has so far recieved over 500 submissions, and heard from former PMs and ministers. Plus decades after Britain abolished slavery in its colonies, Australia was using Pacific island workers to harvest sugar, with many essentially held captive. Guests: Peter Garrett, Lead Commissioner, AUKUS public i...

In his new book, Crikey’s political editor, Bernard Keane, turns his eye not just to where Australia has gone wrong, but to how we can best position ourselves to navigate the triple threat of Trump, China and AI. Plus the eight thousand year history of wine - from Georgia to the present day. Guests:  Bernard Keane, political editor, Crikey, and author of ‘ Seize the Moment - Australia’s real oppor...

Ian Dunt on Nigel Farage's planned 'Operation Fortress', stopping all illegal boats. The Odyssey film-makers caused offence in an indigenous-owned region that Morocco claims as its own. And the push to rid Kangaroo Island of cats, both feral and pet. Guests:  Ian Dunt, columnist with i-news, co-host of Origin Story podcast Sarah Yerkes, North Africa specialist and senior fellow with the Middle Eas...

Anna Henderson recaps an eventful Garma festival in Arnhem Land, which included a blistering speech from Noel Pearson. Is there hope for a reunified Cyprus, amid planned UN talks? Plus, why butterfly collectors are a dying breed. Guests: Anna Henderson, chief political correspondent, SBS Dr. Erol Kaymak, Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Eastern Mediterranean University E...

The famous writer Oscar Wilde died alone in a French hotel in 1900. Since that time, so much has been written about the man - much of it rumour and speculation. In his new book, 'After Oscar: The Legacy of a Scandal', Oscar Wilde’s grandson Merlin Holland sets the record straight. The book is thirty years in the making and is an exploration of Wilde’s posthumous reputation and how his imprisonment...

Established in Moscow in 1989, the 'Night Wolves' motorcycle club continues to operate as a powerful propaganda arm of the Putin regime. Plus, the writer Sisonke Msimang defends the legacy of Sarah "Saartjie" Baartman, the African woman trafficked through early 19th Century Europe as a 'freak show' spectacle.  Guests: Dr Olga Boichak, Senior Lecturer in digital cultures, Sydney University Sisonke...

Our regular US commentator, Bruce Shapiro, looks at how President Trump is caught between pressure at home to get out of the Iran war, and pressure from Israel to stay in it.  Plus why use of the agricultural weed killer Paraquat has just been allowed to continue in Australia, despite being banned in many other countries. And this year's Census is getting more personal.  Guests:  Bruce Shapiro, co...

Anna Henderson on Pauline Hanson's discrimination court loss, and Labor rejecting Ed Husic's genocide motion at their national conference. How technology is transforming modern warfare and creating a new global arms race. Plus, one hundred years on, LNL looks at the dark side of Route 66.  Guests:  Anna Henderson, SBS World News Chief Political Correspondent | National Press Club Director Steve Fe...

Australia likes to think it has no history of slavery, but two-thirds of Australia's colonial governors had links to the slave economy of the British Empire. A new book, Legacies of British Slavery in Australia and New Zealand reveals how slave money shaped the colonies. Plus, veteran architecture critic Paul Goldberger examines what Donald Trump's building agenda says about his politics, power an...

One Nation is on a transformative mission, intent on professionalising its operation. But can they? Plus the trailblazing, and sometimes gun-blazing, women who built democracy around the world - they’re all fierce, all feminists, but not all of them were progressives. Guests:  Jordan McSwiney, Senior Research Fellow, Canberra University, who specialises in right wing politics Paula Bartley, histor...

Britain has its seventh Prime Minister in ten years as Andy Burnham moves into 10 Downing Street. A new documentary counts the staggering emissions of US military operations globally. Plus, is Australia becoming a nation of handouts for the rich? A leading economist makes the case for tighter means-testing. Guests: Naomi Smith, commentator and CEO of Best for Britain Abby Martin, journalist and di...

Anna Henderson looks at the government's decision to go on the front foot with their AI policy and how it will play out at Labor's upcoming national conference. The Guardian investigates a US air strike in Somalia which killed and injured 12 civilians, including children. Plus the Nazi bunker that could be destroyed to make way for a block of flats in Berlin. Guests: Anna Henderson, chief politica...

After a terror attack in Kashmir in 2025, India suspended a key water treaty between the nations, threatening to cut Pakistan’s water supplies off by building a series of hydro-electric dams which can divert water away from Pakistan. Pakistan has threatened nuclear retaliation if it goes ahead. Plus in the West Bank Israel has stepped up the bulldozing of olive groves, which the IDF claims is a se...

Australia's new treaties with Fiji and Vanuatu are being hailed as a diplomatic triumph. But how meaningful are they, and are they in the best interests of the wider Pacific? And a philosopher's take on why the push for the New Space Age, when humans will someday be living, working, and vacationing in space, is a mistake. Guests:  Joanne Wallis, Professor of International Security,  Adelaide Unive...

US commentator Bruce Shapiro looks at the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, Trump's attack on New York Times journalists over their Air Force One reporting, and how the US's latest attacks on Iran are being seen ahead of the November primaries. Plus a new documentary by Danish journalist Tom Heinemann investigates Ikea's claims that it's wood from a Romanian forest is sustainable. And 'The dead can...

Canberra columnist Professor Mark Kenny examines Liberal leader Angus Taylor's fresh criticism of One Nation. In Alabama, there's debate over the use of nitrous oxide as a method to execute death row prisoners. And why are more and more of us watching TV and film with the subtitles on?  Guests: Professor Mark Kenny, columnist with the Canberra Times; Director of the Australian Studies Institute at...

Uncle Roger Knox joins David Marr in the studio for an hour of stories and songs: from growing up on the mission, to making his name in Tamworth, surviving two plane crashes, and singing the truth about frontier violence.  Guest: Uncle Roger Knox, Gomeroi Elder and musician; joined by collaborator Toby Martin Producer: Catherine Zengerer Sound Engineer: Tegan Nicholls, Harvey O'Sullivan