Sunday Night Safran

I've often felt like I have a foot in both worlds simultaneously, since relocating to Brooklyn, New York City U.S.A from Erskineville, Sydney Australia. I don't think I would have been so lucky in the pre-internet era to feel so comfortable in my transition during the last eight and a half months. They say the key to adjusting well in your new home is to find things about your new home that you adore as well as finding ways to obtain things you still favor from your old home town. The second last recent episode of Sunday Night Safran, an Australian radio show-that can be listened to via the internet, a personal favorite that helps my homesickness through familiar Australian accents and some indie music, momentarily bridged my Aussie American cultural gap. (Episode featuring an interview with the New York based author A.J.Jacobs who wrote "The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible").

John Safran is an Aussie media personality who's first rise to underground Australian fame came when he was one of the ABC's contestants on a TV show called Race Around the World in 1997 before the more commercial U.S CBS copy The Amazing Race that came out in 2001, with a similar plot to the Australian originator. Despite coming last in the race, Safran continued on with success with hilarious yet revealing TV series such as John Safran's Music Jamboree, John Safran vs God which received cult followings, then the radio show Speaking in Tongues, now known as Sunday Night Safran.

The show has that dry Australian sarcasm, that I cannot live without. Safran hosts with Father Bob, a 73yr old Catholic priest whom he met on his TV series John Safran vs God. Sunday Night Safran's, main theme is religion and all things related and random, curious and fun stuff like E-zines on Scrabble. To some this might sound yawn provoking, but with Safran's view from his Jewish beliefs and upbringing and Father Bob's old school yet uniquely open minded Catholic point of view interviewing notorious religious leaders from widely publicized groups such as the Kansas based Westboro Baptist Church who decided to protest at Heath Ledger's funeral and a spokesperson for Scientology, you get a pretty engrossing radio show. It is difficult to articulate the feel of the show, so just go ahead and listen for yourself!

Turn on last Sunday's episode while doing tonight's cooking at:
http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/triplej/safran/safran_2008_03_03.mp3

Click on the mp3 downloads of the show on http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/safran/
for future episodes.

Father Bob's Myspace
http://www.myspace.com/frbobmaguirefoundation