A Life in Six Songs

Ep. 15 - Kim Segrave: The Anthems Episode

• A Life in Six Songs Podcast • Season 2 • Episode 15

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On this episode, we sit down with Kim Segrave, a wife, mom, and flight attendant based out of Australia, who loves to push her physical boundaries and show her kids how to believe in themselves. Kim shares her life story through 6 anthemic songs, from Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” and Matchbox 20’s “3am” to Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling”  and Zedd’s “The Middle. Kim shares about loss through the songs “Choir” by Guy Sebastian and “Tomorrow” by Silverchair, both fellow Australians. This episode is both touching and moving and will also have you dancing and pumping your fist in the air. A perfect celebration of the ups and downs in life.

Connect w/ Kim on her Instagram

Follow your hosts David, Raza, and Carolina every other week as they embark on an epic adventure to find the songs that are stuck to us like audible tattoos that tell the story of who we are and where we’ve been, to help us figure out where we’re going. It’s a life story told through 6 songs.


WHO WE ARE

DAVID: Creator & Host @ALifeinSixSongs

Drummer | Educator | Philosopher | Combat Veteran | PTSD Advocate 


CAROLINA: Co-Host @ALifeinSixSongs

Storyteller | Professional Facilitator


RAZA: Co-Host @ALifeinSixSongs

Lawyer | Producer | Solo Project: Solamente | @razaismyname



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Speaker 1:

I don't know.

Speaker 2:

Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of A Life in Six Songs. I am your host, David Rees, and I'm joined by my co-hosts, Carolina and Raza. Hi there, Hello For those of you new to the podcast. Each week, we embark on an epic adventure to find the songs that are stuck to us like audible tattoos, that tell the story of who we are and where we've been, to help us figure out where we're going. It's a life story told through six songs.

Speaker 2:

We approach our conversations with love, kindness and curiosity to counter the prevalence of hate, anger and judgment in the world. Our goal is that by listening to these stories, you can bring more love, kindness and curiosity into your own life. With that, let's go have a listen together. Our guest today is Kimmy Seagrave. Kimmy is a wife and mom who loves to push her physical boundaries and show her kids how to believe in themselves. She loves showing them how to be good humans through their thoughts and actions. A flight attendant based out of Australia, she loves a good mantra and affirmation. Kimmy, welcome to A Life in Six Songs.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for having me.

Speaker 2:

Oh, we're glad to be here.

Speaker 2:

We're glad that you're here. I mean, we're glad that we're here too, obviously, but we're glad that you're here and we're glad that we were able to make this work, with us being in the States and you down under in Australia, that we're able to you down under in Australia, that we're able to, you know, line it up and get you on. So let's go ahead and get into it. Before we get into your six songs, just to kind of warm us up and get us going. You know what is it about music and the role that it plays in your life that wanted you to be a guest on this show. You know, kind of how do you see music fitting into your life?

Speaker 1:

um fitting into my life it's, it's like an everyday. You know, um, set, set the tone, set the mood, um, you can put it on. You know, if you're feeling down, bring you up. Um, yeah, if I'm on my way to the gym, I can really get pumped by a certain song or feeling from a song.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely, Absolutely. I love that. Well, with that, I'm going to pass it over to Carolina. Who's going to get us going with your first question and your first song?

Speaker 3:

Oh, all right. So to start us off, I think it's so great we hear lots of stories of folks when they were first exposed to like bands or artists and how it kind of rocked their world. And so, for your first song, what's a memorable time for you when you were first exposed to a band or artist's music?

Speaker 1:

Well, I also did a lot of dancing when I was younger so it was never really my selection of songs, but I was exposed to music. But my older sister it would have been when she living on a prayer, bon Jovi pumping out in the car she really found that band and then she snuck out of the house and went to their concert, got grounded for life, yeah, so I think for me that would make it really memorable. It was one of those ones when you were younger really impressionable, yeah, and because of the story that she got grounded for life.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. Yeah, let's take a quick listen and then we can chat some more. On the other side, here we go, living on a prayer. If you haven't, heard this song.

Speaker 1:

Here it is. How does it feel hearing it now? Oh, it's actually it's on the playlist in the gym at the moment. So we have, like you know, like I train every day and it's one of those things and I could be mid anything Anyone who does watch me on social media like this song has been on our playlist and it comes on and that's it. I'm off, like like all the way. It just, it's just and that's it. I'm off, like all the way. It's just one of those things that just comes in and comes out. You know, you're like I don't know. Bon Jovi, how can you not love him?

Speaker 4:

Absolutely Bon Jovi, especially this song. It sounds better, I think, now than it did even. It's like every year, it gets better and better. This song, um, and this is from the 80s, right, this is, this is uh, this is from the glory days of, uh, glam metal it is 90s, let's get, let's get in there. There you go late 80s it's better and better, though, though I love this song.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And, like I said, you know, it doesn't matter where you are, like in the gym, it just comes on and it just comes out Like your fist pumping, you're like turned to someone and you're like yes.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely when you first, when your older sister like shared this with you, was this like just a brand new, like genre, or were you like kind of a little bit into this, but this was just something different, sort of like. What was that experience like for you when you first, when you first heard it?

Speaker 1:

like I did dancing and things like that, so it was more the classical side. Then you'd have, like you know, back in the 80s the jazz sort of types of music, and then your older sister brings this like almost like rock band in, you know, and it's like oh my gosh.

Speaker 1:

And it still does for me today what it did back then. Like you know, you just sort of you can't help but move, you can't help but you jump around and all that sort of stuff and just have it. I don't know your blood pumps faster and you, um, yeah it, just it, yeah, no matter when I listen to it.

Speaker 3:

Like I said on the playlist right now, like even today in this class, it just went off yeah, I think it's like totally one of those like feel good anthem type songs they were they were doing an interview with, with john bon jovi um, here in the states they they recently released like a docu-series about his life and the band and stuff like that and so he was doing interviews for it. Um, and he talks about how he like suspects sometimes that he gets invited to weddings just because people want to hear him sing this song and so like they won't ask ahead of time. It'll be like mid-wedding and people will be like the band will start playing. It'll be like come on, john, and he obliges, like every time. But I think, yeah, it's one of those songs that like it just makes everyone feel really good, no matter what you like crowd, stand up, start fist pumping and singing it at the top of their lungs.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, it's just good stuff yeah, absolutely, absolutely so your sister got in trouble, but you came away with lifelong uh bon jovi, uh fandom absolutely, absolutely um right absolutely.

Speaker 1:

And uh, she like I mean back in the 80s, big hair and everything, and they I lived about an hour from sydney on the train, so they all snuck out, jumped on a train, went to sydney, went to the concert I don't even know how she got tickets, like she was, she's know, sort of eight years older than me and she ended up getting the guitar pick and for years she wore it around her neck, you know, and so to me that's yeah, like I mean, like she got grounded for life, but she thought that was, you know, worth it.

Speaker 3:

So worth it.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely no regrets there, yeah, and there's those things when you you're, when you're a kid that you're no, you know you're gonna get in trouble for, and you're just like I'm doing it anyway, because what it is is is worth it like I don't care what happens exactly like.

Speaker 1:

I mean, there's so many the. The context of that now is just completely different. You, you would never sort of just go, I'm gonna go on a train an hour away. I I think they were like they would have been 14 or 15, you know sort of thing. But I think for me that makes me sort of remember that time in my life, because of the story as well, not only the anthem to what it meant and the song and how you feel, but yeah, just almost like a rebel.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, like I don't know how kids would do that nowadays, even with like everyone's got cell phones and stuff, and like you track them and stuff, like you know, and our daughter does it to us too, like you know, like you know where it's. Just like we talked about like it was a different time where you could do these types of things.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I also like too that it's like the song is living on a prayer. We're talking about your older sister like doing this, like, yeah, she's living on a prayer. Like, just like we're going to go to this concert and with a prayer hope, you know, it goes all right and the grounding isn't too bad.

Speaker 3:

That's right, all right. So, in keeping with the sort of spirit of music like taking us back, you know, to good times or other times, sometimes music has like a really seared memory of a specific time or place. So for your next song, what, what is that song? That like when you hear it, you're just instantly taken to that specific time or place um, it'd have to be tomorrow by silver chair.

Speaker 1:

Um, I actually went to school um an hour away from where silver chair went to school and there was this thing called the battle of the bands. Okay, so our high school, their high school, you know, each month I think it was, they would like send a group and they'd come and you know sort of. You know it was, yeah, battle of the band, so everyone would go up against it.

Speaker 1:

It was a bit of a like I don't know if you call it a round robin, like when you compete against a group of you know teams or whatever, and so I have seen Silverchair before they were even on the world stage and it just takes me back. But then there's songs this particular one was also, you know, teenage years, when unfortunate things happen. So that always, sort of whenever I hear it, it just yeah, you sort of you're taken straight back to that time. So not only do you feel like you know the band, but the song really resonated with. You know some sad times.

Speaker 2:

Let's take a quick listen. I guarantee if you're watching the show right now and you're like Silver Chair Tomorrow I don't know if I know that one I guarantee if you're an elder, millennial, gen x you will know this song, no matter where you were. I know in the states it was huge. So here we go, silver chair there's no bathroom and there is no sink the water out of the tap is very Hard to drink, very hard to drink. How's it feel hearing it now?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, straight back, straight back to sitting in that school hall. We had an elevated stage and they were just kids, you know, just having a band and that sort of thing. So this one, there was a big car accident and it took three of my friends. Wow, you know, they were only young, year 11, which is our second last year, and it was that time they were coming from one of these battle of vans, you know. So they'd sort of jam out and play. The car was overloaded, you know, the horror stories were here and hopefully our children have learnt from things like this. So there were three of them. That was really sad. And then there was another one who couldn't see it out by himself. So we all know, without sort of saying, how that ended. But so this song, this band, you know, a good and a sad response to the memories of it.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely.

Speaker 4:

I remember these guys were super young themselves, the band, the band members. I remember.

Speaker 4:

It was right around the sort of alternative sort of wave guys were super young themselves, the band, the band members I remember there were, there was, it was, it was right around the sort of alternative sort of wave um, and you know there's I'm sure we've all heard about these the sort of the curse of the age um, age 27, right, which is jim morrison, janice joplin, kurt cobain, and, and, and so these guys remember came, came out right around the time of the sort of alternative rock music.

Speaker 4:

But they were younger, they were like 10 years younger than yeah kurt cobain's, uh, and then the other sort of alternative bands back then, um and then yeah, so they fully represented that sort of teen. You know, rebellion, angst and all of that, um, um, but yeah, no, um, and and I'm sorry about the story, the story that's attached to it for you, you know it's, it's, it's, it's a really, it's a really sad one.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, um, and, and, as the funny thing is, um, I don't know if you know how much behind Silverchair, they actually come from a town called Morissette, which is near Newcastle, sort of an hour south of Newcastle but an hour north of where I grew up and there was a mental asylum there. So the music that was coming out always had that sort of stigma that these guys you know were really troubled, I mean it's well written, when you listen to the lyrics, it actually tells a story from their soul, sort of thing were really troubled.

Speaker 1:

And I mean, it's well written. When you listen to the lyrics it actually tells a you know, it tells a story from their soul, sort of thing. But I think because they come from that town where that had that stigma around it, it makes a very interesting sort of you know. And then they obviously, you know, went crazy and everyone knows who they are.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, totally. I love that too and I appreciate you one sharing the story of the loss and the tragedy. I mean, it's one of those things where you know, unfortunately a lot of us have similar stories like that right around those times and, like you said, you know, when you're in those teen years, young 20s, like you said, people are traveling together in groups in cars and things. So when something a car crash or or or something happens it it we, we tend to lose a number of people in it at that time. Right Like you said, you've got bands traveling together. You know sports teams, whatever it might might be, and so it always makes it like that much, that much harder because of that. You know sports teams, whatever it might might be, and so it always makes it like that much, that much harder because of that you know. So thank you for sharing that and thank you for sharing the the geography aspect of where they were from and and relation to you.

Speaker 2:

We joke on this show that we're like we're a music podcast, but we also are like a pseudo kind of like geography, cause you know we talk like we're always somewhere when we're listening to music and like you know the cousin who introduces us to a song comes from somewhere, and so this music is always tied to us and experiences, but always tied to a place too, in that sense, and so I appreciate you sharing that, that aspect of it well, australia has a really awesome sort of connection to, to um, to rock music I think specifically.

Speaker 4:

I mean, you know it doesn't get any more sort of you know, uh, better connected than like acdc, for example, right, absolutely.

Speaker 1:

I mean lots that, lots of memories there. You know, like you know, being an 80s kid, you know that your parents would just put that the cassette in in the, the old commodore car which you guys wouldn't know. It was like a gm for you guys. Everyone had one.

Speaker 3:

You know these commodore cars and they put the cassette in and, you know, play it until it was stretched yeah, absolutely that was a thing you could play a cassette too much to where, like like this, heap would like get like thin and then it would like unravel and you'd have to take a pencil and like oh the things people don't have to do anymore absolutely like they'd have no idea.

Speaker 1:

Like, like, when they release a song here in Australia, you guys would get it and it literally would have to be shipped, like the CDs or the records or the cassettes would have to be shipped to Australia and then broadcast, or whatever. I think I get to it later. Actually, no, I don't think. But you know, like recording on your boom box from the top 100, you know, because we didn't have live stream, we didn't have just by the song, um, and those sorts of things. Uh, I was discussing with my, with my mom, um, about this and, um, she said she skipped school to, actually, when the beatles came to, came to Australia and she remembers having, yeah, and she remembers getting the record. She used all of her money, you know, to save her money and she bought this one, like, and she said it was a little tiny, a tiny record, you know, but they basically had to bring that to Australia when they were coming, because it wasn't.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, just a quick download, um sort of thing. So yeah, music is just, it's leaps and bounds, and and how much closer I feel with everyone, like just doing something like this yeah right right.

Speaker 3:

I'm finding it super interesting that your mom did kind of what your sister did, like it's so hard. Then you have kids and they do like the shit you did and you're like, damn, I want to be mad at you, but I also did that too you know, I can't let you get away with it so like you're grounded for life, yeah, for life, yeah absolutely.

Speaker 3:

Oh my goodness, oh so true that's a great story all right, um for for our next song. Uh, sometimes we have music that um is just intimately tied to like a specific activity when we're doing them. You know, a book, um, a trip you took, what is a song for you that that's intimately tied to some kind of activity?

Speaker 1:

So the one that really comes to mind is I worked in a summer camp, which is how I have gotten to know you guys over the years, through people.

Speaker 1:

I came to summer camp in North Carolina. I was the tennis instructor yeah, tennis instructor and it was these courts that were like at the top end of the camp and oh my gosh, they were as boring as batshit, and so I hadn't been exposed to Walmart. So I ducked over to Walmart and bought a boom box and CDs were just coming out, and Matchbox 20 was the CD that we blasted all summer from the back of the court just to have some atmosphere up there, because we're kind of up in the hill part of this camp. And, yeah, the kids found it hilarious and it just takes me right back to that activity. And then, like, obviously I've got gyms and comps that I do and things like that, but this one would have to be as soon as you hear it. It takes me straight back to that tennis court with those little kids who are probably grown adults right now let's uh, let's go back to that tennis court, matchbox 23 am.

Speaker 2:

Let's go back to that tennis court, matchbox 23.

Speaker 1:

AM. So how old were you when you were doing this camp? I was 18. So I'd finished all of my schooling here in Australia, jumped on a flight straight over there and, yeah, went straight to this summer camp and I ended up doing it for about four years in a row, um, so you got to know these kids quite well there is something about this song like I don't know.

Speaker 3:

It takes me, like, immediately back to a college bar when I was like there is something and I know I think that's what like the song's about, but like there's just something about this song that places you at places in your life. It doesn't feel like a casual song you just listen to on the radio. It's like seared into people.

Speaker 2:

I feel like yeah, yeah, yeah, because you couldn't escape the song right, it was so kind of everywhere like kind of everywhere, and I don't I don't mean that in a, in a in a bad way, like oh it was, but but like everybody has a connection, I think, to this song in some way, because it was just so kind of everywhere, like if you were the right age let's say you know, kind of thing. So yeah, everybody's probably got a place that puts you with this.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, I remember I was at UF when I first heard the song and Mashbox 20, I think they were from Orlando, so there was, and we were up in sort of slightly north of Orlando, but it was still like a Florida state, of Florida type connection. And then, right after this song is when Rob Thomas, the singer, went solo and he had that huge hit with the uh, with uh, with Carlos Santana, um, but, but yeah, but so. So this song, like you said it was, it was everywhere, it was completely you know. It blew up, it was on, it was on VH1 back when VH1 used to be a thing, um, and then uh, and then that it was, it was, it was all about rob thomas and and he just sort of went solo. But yeah, it's good song.

Speaker 3:

I like this one. He was super cute. I totally had a crush on rob thomas yeah yeah so you could, but wasn't, wasn't your jam, it wasn't my jam um.

Speaker 2:

He was busy crushing on James Hetfield.

Speaker 3:

Was this just a random CD you all picked up, or you knew who Matchbox 20 was and you found it at the Walmart.

Speaker 1:

I think I found it at the Walmart it was just yeah, it was one of those things. I hadn't heard it it I don't think. Like I said, australia got things later, even the CD things. We got a lot later than you guys. And I would have gone from our summer to your summer. So, like now, the whole thing is completely different, as in things come out for our summer so that they can haul it over to your summer as well, like an anthem.

Speaker 2:

Oh, uh-huh.

Speaker 1:

You know what I mean, like a song that might, you know, be something good in Vegas. They sort of think, okay, this is going to be our summer anthem for whatever year, and they bring it out here first to see if it really takes off as well, right, right, there's no time lapse.

Speaker 2:

You kind of get to, yeah, you get to check it out Like a test market. Yeah, in the Southern Hemisphere's summer, before you send it to the Northern Hemisphere's summer.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, or sometimes I think they might release something for your summer and if it really takes off, then they really sort of, you know, bring it down under Right right. I mean, we do know someone who might know the answer to that. You know, Roz.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, I think I'm going to have to plead the fifth on this one. Sorry, guys.

Speaker 1:

No, I sort of was implying Mr mr, mr tim, mr tim might know.

Speaker 4:

Oh right, yeah yeah, yeah, I mean he's, you know, we have a mutual friend basically, and I think we'll get to the story there the encyclopedia of uh, of music and, and I think especially things like um, things that we can really nerd out on from a music perspective.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, Nice Absolutely, absolutely.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, phone a friend yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah. So like I mean, like I said, you know, sometimes it comes out here first and then it didn't really take off. But then I see it in America and I'm like, oh my gosh, you guys love this.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3:

Well, I'm glad you found this cd because, like, I don't know what would have happened if you would have found some like horrible music that you all hated it and you were like stuck listening to it all summer.

Speaker 1:

So like not bad, yeah, yeah, um, the whole, I, I. Lucky it wasn't a cassette, because it would have been walked by the end of the summer right, right, especially sitting outside in a boom box, you know in the heat of the summer would have just

Speaker 1:

melted well, yeah, that was north carolina a little little cooler than florida, but yes, still hot was was north carolina, your first exposure to coming to america like to the states no, I actually danced for disney um when I first finished high school here, so I went over with a troupe and applied for a job dancing for Disney.

Speaker 1:

So I was there for six months and then came straight across for your summer in North Carolina, met some friends, moved to Florida, hung out with them, worked a little down there and then went back to North Carolina and it went on for a couple of years. So it was kind of the second experience. The first one. I kind of did go a bit nuts, you know, when you land in Anaheim and check it all out as you do.

Speaker 4:

For sure, for sure. Well, it is the happiest place on earth.

Speaker 1:

Well, yeah, it is, it is. Yeah, I did go back there um with without another mutual friend um probably five years ago and it it had changed quite a bit, but it still had that undertone, so that's good good stuff, all right.

Speaker 3:

Well, um, thinking, thinking now to just other aspects of of life and music. Sometimes music can be there kind of as a friend, um, when times are tough. And so for your next song, kimmy, what's the song that helped you through a really difficult time or situation?

Speaker 1:

okay, I'm gonna have to apologize in advance. Um, I lost my dad five years ago well, coming up to five years ago, and it was um a typical response for australia melanoma, um skin cancer, but um that actually was on his brain and you know it literally he was diagnosed in the February and gone in the October.

Speaker 1:

So, so rapid, so rapid. But every time I used to he lived at that time he lived about an hour away from where I live and I would my kids were little I would put them in the back of the car, drive out there, because my mum had dropped him and you know she couldn't lift him, she couldn't do stuff, or we'd go out to visit him or whatever. You just do what you do and I would never change it. You know, I think I did what I could and as much as I could sort of thing, but every time I would leave there the Guy Sebastian song choir would play.

Speaker 1:

Now that is also if you listen to the lyrics and I researched it, guy Sebastian actually wrote it for a friend who took his own life, so it kind of was about death but being beautiful and reuniting and things like that. But every time and whenever I think of my dad, that song, within like 10 minutes, will come on, like just all of a sudden. You know. So yeah, just an amazing little, you know, I don't know, and the first bit gets me, chokes me up. I just start to sort of and then I sort of overcome with like almost gratitude and release and relief that you can let go and just sing through the song I'm the world's worst singer, but you know and sing along with it and just sort of sit in that space.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, let's take a listen. I think I have the chorus pulled up. Is the clip we're going to listen to, so Wow.

Speaker 1:

It gets you every time.

Speaker 2:

What does it feel like hearing it?

Speaker 1:

Oh, just, I know it's going to sound really corny, but like you're sitting there and I think because the song is written about dying and suicide and I don't know, I don't know it, just it just resonates, makes you cry, but yeah, just as if like he's there saying it's OK, I gotcha, I'm here.

Speaker 2:

Mm, hmm, yeah, absolutely yeah. And the way you describe the song too, and it's like not a lot of songs can do kind of what this song does. You know, I encourage everyone to go, you know, find the song and listen to the whole thing because, like Kimmy you said, the first verse is is is the tough part? Right, it's about the loss and it's about and it's like the music is different, and then it like, and so it gets you into that moment, like okay, we are, we are talking about loss and you know, uh, these, these, these difficult, uh issues, and then the chorus hits and it's got this like lift to it where you know it's like, hey, I lost you and I miss you, but hey, I know you're up there, I know I'm gonna see you soon, those kinds of things. Yeah, just a really powerful song for that.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, I think it definitely requires another listen for some of us who haven't heard this one before, because as I was listening to that clip, to me it sounded like those songs where there's sort of a duality to them that the lyrics are are one way, but the music is something else. Right, the music, especially in in in the clip that we heard. The music definitely sounds uplifting and sort of you know, joyous and and and and almost like a celebration. And almost like a celebration, yeah, but obviously when you say that it's tied to something like grief and loss and things like that, it takes you to a different, it has different meaning.

Speaker 1:

But yeah, yeah, and when I kept hearing the song at that point when I'd drive home from my mom and dad's or any point when I heard it, I didn't know, until I sort of researched it, that it was actually about his best mate that actually took his own life. So yeah, just like yeah, music's amazing.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3:

And that can be sometimes just thinking about the subject matter, but the way the artist chose to do it right, how David's saying that the song starts out more somber and then gets more uplifting, like that's kind of how grief is. You know there's like this missing piece and then there's this like remembering fondly piece, and then you know it's not always sad it comes in waves and comes and goes and ups and downs.

Speaker 1:

You know, yeah, yeah, and some days I can, I can choke up in like the first line and then I'm, I'm completely fine, and then other times I just hear it and it just, you know, you just cry um yeah yes, totally and well, and another australian artist, oh yeah, yes, the the little bit of music trivia.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, uh, guy sebastian won the first season of an australian idol in 2003.

Speaker 1:

So for all of us.

Speaker 2:

US folks, that's, that's.

Speaker 1:

And he actually, um he's. He's not musically trained. From what I remember, um he, he was self-taught. He actually came from a very um religious family where music was taboo. And he, he was not allowed to do it unless it was a Christian.

Speaker 1:

You know music and things like that, and then he managed to break away from that. So I think he's an amazing man, an amazing character. He writes, you know, and just the philosophy behind him and you know, like I follow him on social media and things like that and his wife they're just really beautiful people and they've got that balance now between their religion, religion, their home life, their music, their family life I think, you know, if you're watching this guy, I think you've got got it balanced yeah, and it makes the music better when you kind of like the artist, you know yeah, absolutely

Speaker 1:

yeah he has gone away from the, the big fro he had when he won Idol. So yeah, worth a watch, worth a watch.

Speaker 2:

Will do. Yeah, definitely, definitely Everyone go check out that first season of Australian Idol. Yeah, Guy. Sebastian winning it all.

Speaker 4:

Was it Simon Cowell over there too? In that version I may be getting the shows wrong.

Speaker 1:

I'm trying to think back. I think he did do the first one.

Speaker 4:

Okay.

Speaker 1:

I think, yeah, yeah, it sort of came out here, I think, marsha Hines, who's another Australian one. I've got a feeling she was the first. Yeah, don't hold me to it.

Speaker 3:

No worries, yes, no worries, yes, no worries. Exactly. So we'll take a bit of a pivot here. Um to to something light-hearted that makes you feel really good. Um, what is a song from a movie that is seared into your mind? You can't think of the movie without thinking about the song, and vice versa oh my gosh.

Speaker 1:

Um, there are so many. There are so many um, but it'd have to be recently. Um, I can't stop that feeling by justin timberlake from the trolls movie. Um, I have a vehicle that has a um um video like a TV screen in the ceiling. And obviously driving between my dad and our house. That sort of thing was an hour. The children watched that movie over and over and over but it also made you feel better and happier sort of thing coming out of there. I have never seen the movie, but I could recite it.

Speaker 3:

That's hilarious.

Speaker 2:

I've only heard the movie I haven't seen the movie.

Speaker 3:

Yep, yep, I love that yeah, and it's just one of those.

Speaker 1:

You can't. You can't not feel happy when it comes on sort of thing.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. Yeah, let's, let's take a listen and I'll uh uh feel happy.

Speaker 3:

so just dance, dance, dance amen for children's movies that have good soundtracks, because I feel like when we were they were terrible and now they like make a real effort and just makes the movie so much better. Oh, absolutely, absolutely yeah, yeah, one day. It makes it easier on the parents yeah, totally, because we're stuck with whatever our kids are watching over and over on repeat and when it sucks, that makes just for a harder time for parents. So and amen for this soundtrack and some of them never like.

Speaker 1:

This always makes you feel happy, but sometimes you hear that song in in a child's movie and you're like I want to break that, that record or, you know, stop downloading it yes, because you're okay. It was great for the first million times. Now I'm yeah, but this one no. This one always makes you feel good.

Speaker 4:

There's a period of time I guess in the last, I don't know, maybe 10 years or so where it's like one animated movie after the other, and for some reason the soundtracks have just been amazing. I think the Trolls movie was one. There was one I think it was Inside Out.

Speaker 4:

Oh yes, and there was another one called Soul. I think actually Trent Reznor did the movie, did some of the music for that. But yeah, it's like one after the other, even the Disney movies, and then they come up with these really amazing soundtracks to go along with them. You hire the pop stars to give it some gravitas. It's amazing.

Speaker 1:

And on different levels. You know, the kids get it here and the parents get it here.

Speaker 3:

Right yeah.

Speaker 1:

A hundred percent. I like that.

Speaker 4:

The test is if I can stay awake through the first 15 minutes, it's a hit. Usually Are you a hit usually.

Speaker 3:

Are you a faller, a sleeper in movies?

Speaker 4:

Terrible. I'm terrible, I am horrible. Oh, my goodness and my kids make so much fun of me. Especially when they were younger they had this whole routine. They're like oh yeah, dad, as soon as that, like the um, like the universal, you know universal studios, oh sure, as soon as the universal studios credit comes up, he's out cold.

Speaker 4:

And it makes so much fun of me, that's hilarious, oh my gosh yeah and then give me, give me something from like 1983 and I will watch it, you know, on repeat, no problem, a newer cartoon out cold.

Speaker 2:

Kimmy, thank you for sharing this one and I'm so glad this was. This came up in your questionnaire and we and we we have it here in the show, in the interview, because it just speaks to you know, the whole premise of what we're trying to get at with our show here of, like, how music just is, is there and can be so powerful and lock us into a moment, things, and so you know I love how this, you know, came up and it's this memory of music that's, that's in you but tied to you and your, your kids.

Speaker 2:

Right, it's this moment where it's like that usually can be so like frustrating and challenging, right, driving the kids in the car and like you know and they're unhappy or they're frustrated, they're tired, they're hungry, whatever, and it's like here's this kind of you know song that that is locked into this happy moment for it, and so I just really appreciate the story. So, thank you.

Speaker 3:

Love that, All right. Well, we have arrived at your last song, and for this one I think we haven't I don't know that we've had this a guest answered this particular question yet, so I'm super pumped about it. It's what's? A song that reminds you of just a good friend or a group of friends?

Speaker 1:

oh, I have known these two um people for over half my life. I met them when I came to america and um introduced through someone, and then I was there the day they met each other and now they're happily married, with kids and everything and this is how I know Raza and these two are just. They are the brother and sister that you just, you know. You know, you didn't that you were meant to have. You were meant to have it.

Speaker 1:

And yeah, my best friend, jen. She is like, and my mum used to say when she had met Jen coming out to Australia she is just you, but on the other side of the world and we are just so alike. It's unbelievable.

Speaker 1:

But it's a song called by Zeb, meat in the Middle, which obviously, well, tim works in music as well, so it is kind of ironic, but every time I hear it. I saw it on our national news TV and they were doing a project which was very ironic of an aeroplane and they were talking about how it was being built together. And they used doing a project which was very ironic of an aeroplane and they were talking about how it was being built together and they used this song and I happened to record it, like screen record it, and I sent it to Jen, who was sitting next to Zeb, and showed him and it just yeah, so it blew my mind. She was on a plane in america next to him.

Speaker 1:

Who's who's the song I think he composed and wrote and everything like that. And here they were talking about because his airplane was being met in the middle, like, and they were building it. Yeah. So then, like you, you know, like it's every time I just hear it, it just I just see those two and yeah, it just fills my just see those two and yeah, it just fills my heart.

Speaker 2:

That's awesome. Let's take a listen. It's like the definition of a catchy fucking song like oh, just it just goes on when I was, when I was getting the clip ready for, for you know, this episode, this episode now I'm just listening to it. I'm just like man, that's catchy.

Speaker 1:

So good, so good yeah.

Speaker 3:

Okay, so where do your friends live? Where do your?

Speaker 1:

friends live now the ones from the States the ones that this reminds you of? Yeah, yeah, yeah, they're in Florida.

Speaker 3:

Okay, okay, oh, so like across the world from you, mm-hmm. Yeah, well, I was thinking about the song, because I think you said you had met them in the States and so on. Then I was listening to the words in the chorus and I was like why don't you just meet me in the middle? And I was like, do you all like fly somewhere?

Speaker 1:

and like meet up in the middle. Yes, we do, and Jen and I are meeting up in the middle in Hawaii next month. I love that, that's awesome.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, but, like I said, we've been friends for over half our life with you. Know, you sort of go whoa, you know like, yeah, children, our everything. But yeah, just those people that you hear a song and it takes you to them, and because the song is a takes you to them, um, and because the song is a lot closer to them as well. So um has quite a lot of meaning, right? Yeah?

Speaker 4:

yeah, for sure yeah, the song's great. I love the song. I think, yeah, and and and, and. You know, for a while it was, it was, it was everywhere, it was, um, uh, I mean I, I could walk into like a mall. I remember walking into like a doctor's office and oh yeah, there's, there's zed playing again. Fantastic, yeah, I think it's a great song. It's a happy song it is, isn't it?

Speaker 1:

yeah, it's one of those all time.

Speaker 4:

I think it will go down as a bit of an anthem hmm, you've and I was just just just thinking back through your six. I mean, you've had quite a few anthems and I think there's certainly like an anthemic theme to this episode is what I'm getting at yeah starting with living on a prayer which is the anthem of all anthems.

Speaker 2:

You know the bar song and all of that, to then all the way through and to this one, yeah, the anthem episode.

Speaker 4:

That's right, that's what we'll call it all of that to to then all the way through and to this one, yeah, yeah, the anthem episode the episode.

Speaker 1:

That's right.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's what we'll call it and and yeah that's right, and in the gym it's it's the music comes on, and especially if it's that older sort of stuff, um, yeah, people automatically just look at me and they know that I'm gonna go crazy or I'm gonna. I'm gonna start jumping around because I'm one of those people that dance like no one's watching. I don't really mind too much, but I feel it. It moves me, especially if it means something to me. Yeah, so like, yeah, like that living on a prayer, like I'm 45 and it's still from something from when I was like I think I was about eight or nine, you know like moves me right here yeah, absolutely yeah, so.

Speaker 4:

So I have to ask a question. So and this goes back to your intro, right. So so we know that that you're very, you're very much into you know, fitness and sort of gym active and everything. But other than that you know we mentioned, you know you have sort of a flying connection of sorts. But then there's also another connection that we didn't mention, which is on all your socials, which is the sort of, you know, amazing art like baking art is what I'm going to call it cake art, right? So I would love for you to elaborate on that a little bit. But also, do you what's the music connection, if any, to the baking art world? I mean, do you put on sort of happy songs to get you inspired? Is it on like a case-by-case type thing? So talk to us about that a little bit.

Speaker 1:

Um, I, I, yeah, so I, I I make art out of cake and I people always say, oh, what do you do? You know like, aren't you sad when they eat it? And I'm like, no, it means that they're gonna buy more. Um, it's not like a painting, you know sort of thing, but, um, I love to shock people and push my boundaries with that. It's. It's yeah, so I make artwork out of cake and um for all types of things. Um, but when I'm, when I'm cooking, all my cakes take usually three to four days to make. Um, so, regardless of the size or anything like that, it's just the process that I go through. It does depend on the style of cake. Sometimes, most of the time, I'd probably just put like country radio on. You know, morgan Wallace, you know, just sort of nice, nothing too fast, because I don't want to rush things sort of thing.

Speaker 1:

But yeah, sometimes you know I'll put something in. Yeah, nothing too fast. Um, because I don't want to rush things um sort of thing, but yeah sometimes it, you know, I'll put something in. Yeah, that will get me really, you know, revved up for it or whatever, um, but yeah, more inclined with what the cake might be oh, that's super cool it's awesome, I'm sorry, I'm

Speaker 3:

having a moment because I'm trying to think of you like baking, but like it totally makes sense sometimes, when you're doing something that you get into, like the flow of you get lost in something and like the music sort of has to go with that feeling, otherwise it'll like break you from your process.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, and especially like if I'm hand painting something on a cake, it's kind of final once you. Once you put it on there, it's not coming off, you can't really erase it. So you kind of have to be pretty precise and, um, you know, sometimes like if I have something fast on, my heart will be going faster and things like that. But I find the country, the country music is, is my even keel.

Speaker 3:

It's like baking tempo.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, Unless I'm whipping ganache. I'll send you a clip. But I like to whip my ganache to make the sides of my cake and things like that. And then before I put the fondant on. So I usually have it in like a sort of a you know, smallish sort of bowl and I will be sitting there whipping away and you're like so then it's something a little bit more aggressive, yes, a little bit more intense maybe, if I, if I'm ganashing a cake yes, sometimes I will I will crank it up nice, that's awesome.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, I was almost thinking of like, um, I know there's some shows like sort of doctor themed shows, but like the cool doctors, before they perform like the most intense surgery, they'll always pop in. You know some sort of uh, some sort of musical number. Yeah, some some doctors would go for you know sort of classic music, classical music and my favorite doctors go for death metal. So I'm kidding, I'm sure they're out there.

Speaker 3:

I don't know that if I'm on the table, that's what I want, coming on Like I, better be asleep when it starts playing.

Speaker 2:

Totally.

Speaker 1:

But I'm sure it's out there you get a lot when they're delivering babies. They'll do the same.

Speaker 4:

Oh sure, that makes sense. Yeah, it totally makes sense yeah, the playlist.

Speaker 2:

And what what? Yeah, what music to go? Yeah, for sure love that.

Speaker 3:

I'm gonna have to definitely check out your social media and like the baking and stuff like that sounds fascinating yeah, we'll link it all in the show notes.

Speaker 2:

Yeah for sure Clips and links, all right.

Speaker 3:

Kimmy, we have reached the end of your six songs. How this is like one of my favorite questions at the end of this, but like how does it feel hearing your life reflected through music and through these six songs?

Speaker 1:

At first I thought it was going to be difficult to narrow it down to six songs because music is such a big thing. But when you really hone in on the importance and the why which I'm doing a lot of research on at the moment the why you have something happen to you, you have something happen to you, the why you do something, I kind of answered it with thinking about my why. You know my children in the music, in the movies, they're my why. You know that was my why at the time of watching some movies that I actually think about the music. Yeah, no, so I sort of think it was kind of quick but yeah, straight to the point and it really brought all those back to a really great place.

Speaker 3:

I love that. All right, so we we like to finish out on a on a fun rapid fire note. Roz is going to lead us, or lead you, through your lightning round.

Speaker 4:

Wow, okay, us, or lead you, uh through your lightning round wow, okay, round time, oh gosh so what we? It's a lightning round. We like to keep it, you know, short and short and sweet, but basically very simple. So we would love to know what was your first, your last and your best or favorite concert. So, first concert, last concert and best or favorite please don't judge me on the map.

Speaker 1:

Okay, uh, first concert no judgment.

Speaker 3:

No judgment allowed on this show.

Speaker 1:

The first come to the right place the first concert was john farnham, because I am australian, john farnham. It was in a just a field, just a field sort of thing, and I think tickets were like $15. The last concert, oh, it has been a while. It has been a while, oh gosh, I couldn't even tell you Probably being in Vegas with you, raza, in the club it's not really a concert, but that was probably the last time I sort of you know big musical Zeb and my best would probably be Vegas. So, yeah, it's as close as you get to a concert for me at the moment. Yeah.

Speaker 3:

That's true. Who did you see in Vegas Zeibbed, oh oh, sorry I missed that. Okay, got it, got it.

Speaker 4:

Got it, got it awesome there you go all right vegas is hard to top, you know it is hard to talk in any way.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah um for sure and now they've like upped it with the sphere, so like I don't even know now, like you, go to a concert and like melts your brain, like I don't even know what happens. Going to see a show, it's a sphere.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it's crazy craziness yeah that's all right there we go well, I need an excuse.

Speaker 4:

I think we all could use. You know, a? Um, I'd recommend anyone try and get down to Australia. So I mean one of my sort of you know, life, dream, life goal, bucket list trips is, you know, watching the Sydney Opera House? You know, from the windows of a Qantas plane, absolutely.

Speaker 1:

We can fix that up for you, Raza.

Speaker 4:

Definitely, it's true, you might know somebody yeah. And a round of cricket. I'm sorry, I just have to do it.

Speaker 2:

We can find that Cool Done and see a rugby match. That'd be cool yeah.

Speaker 3:

Adding to this itinerary as we go, the trip is getting longer and longer kangaroos.

Speaker 4:

why not all right?

Speaker 3:

well, kimmy, in the last few couple of minutes we have left um, the floor is yours to to tell our audience you know anything you've got going on that you think folks might be interested in, um, where they can follow you If, if you have social media, that's that's public like. Your floor is yours to share what you got going on.

Speaker 1:

Oh bless you. Um, thank you, um, oh, at the moment, my life is revolving around the kids, work, but, um, a new, a new phenomenon called the high rocks. So, yeah, so, everyone, get out there, do something for yourself, make yourself feel good. You can compete and push yourself, or just to compete to say you did it, and that's just amazing. So, yeah, it's a world phenomenon and I'm loving it. We'll see how we go. Some are competitive, some aren't. So, yeah, that's my whole focus at the moment and, believe it or not, instagram. I do all my cakes and everything, but I do post my workouts and things like that as well. So, yeah, you can find me there.

Speaker 2:

Awesome and we'll have all of that linked down in the show notes for people to check out and find you, so you can see workout routines and cake art and, um, maybe some traveling and some, some, uh some, airplane shots and things too.

Speaker 1:

That's right yeah. I finished at midnight last night, so sorry about the bags.

Speaker 2:

Ooh oh life of a shift, yeah, yeah, all right, kimmy, thank you so much for being on. We really appreciated hearing your story. Thank you for coming to us, and you know, scheduling halfway around the world is a challenge. Luckily, we have the technology to do it and I'm so glad we were able to make this happen. So thank you. Oh, thank you, thank you for having me.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely All right. Everyone out there, you know what to do, like subscribe, follow whatever channel, whatever way you're watching or listening to this episode. If you like what you're hearing and you want to hear more stories, make sure to do all that so you hear future episodes and we will see you next time on A Life in Six Songs.

People on this episode

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David Reese

Host
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Carolina Reese

Co-host
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Raza Mahmood

Co-host