Second Helpings - Kylie Minogue

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0:35Hello and welcome to Table Manners Second Helpings. I'm Jessie Ware and I'm here with my mum and we are bringing you another fantastic episode of Table Manners from way back when. This one is none other than Kylie Minogue. It's from season 10. It was in September 2020. Oh good old 2020. This was a sweet release from months of lockdown. I think if I remember rightly, we had to have... We kept the door open. Yeah. I remember measuring my island to see that we could be over a metre a car. Oh my God, yeah. Do you remember? Yeah. Because we didn't want anyone to get sick. I think we were all quite nervous because we were such big fans.

1:18Her disco album had just come out. And guys, this is where the confirmation, if anyone needs to know how the collaboration between Kylie Minogue and I came about, she says it. It's we've got actual audible footage and record of her saying, hey, we should write together. So that's when I swooped in after we'd had a few bottles of the Kylie Minogue CDP. And I asked to go steady with her in the studio. And that is how Kiss of Life, our song was born. We had such a lovely evening together. It was such an honour to have her. I kind of can't believe now that I've done a song with her. I've done a video.

2:02We are now friends. And this was kind of the first beginnings of that. And also congratulations to Kylie. Padam, padam. Padam, padam. And also I just played with her at the weekend for the Radio 2 festival. She has announced her Vegas residency. It's all going fabulously for Miss Minogue. And so it should do. She is one in a million. This is Kylie Minogue on Table Manor's second helping. Padam, padam.

2:37Kylie. Yes. You've just come in, landed in the old flower bed. Well, you didn't land in there. You gracefully exited your car. Did a stunt role. Yeah. Avoided the paps and you're in. Yeah, I'm in. Thanks for being here. Thanks for having me. I've been really looking forward to this. So excited. Honestly, this is, and I'm just going to get it out of the way. I'm going to get it out of the way. You were my first ever concert. No way. We got a limo to your concert. Wait, I don't know which bit's more outrageous. You got a limo? We had a limo, new H &M outfits, and you were tiny. Couldn't see you, but I swear to God you raved at me in blue kiss.

3:20I think it was when, was it at the Docklands? Yeah, it was at Docklands. What year? I mean. It must have been around. Obviously before my growth spurt. About 1992, 93. I think it was earlier. 91, maybe. 91. 91, yeah. Oh, my God. That's awesome. I know. And I'm just going to get also out of the way. We had the best T-shirts from Blackpool, which had you and a love heart. I think you were at the top. And Jason was at the bottom. And it was especially for you. Pirate merch. Amazing. It was amazing, though. And I've tried to find that shit on eBay because it was so freaking good. Can't find it. find yeah but yeah you're here we're gonna feed you and we're gonna drink your wine we just got sent the whole loads of it yeah amazing when did you become a is it a ventnor well i'm not really it's something that i had this fantasy like i've started drinking more rosé as a lot of people did in the last few years and i was like i'd love to have a rose i am just this is a journey to learn about wine and it's been really fascinating so far working with a great team i said i'm just warning you i'm going to ask lots of really idiotic questions dumb questions and you know the greatest response to that which they gave is there's no such thing just ask anything so yeah the main thing was i really like this team small team like three people historically all they've done is work in wine got out of the big corporation started their own company that said if we can't have dinner with people, we don't want to work with them.

4:54I was like, I like that. And just I went on about quality. You can't just put my name on something and that's just not going to work. So, yeah, we worked really well together and I'm learning. Where is the vineyard? In France, yeah. But by the end of the year we'll have an Australian Chardonnay and early next year an Australian Pinot Noir. So, yeah, started French, which is a little strange as an Aussie, but we've got Aussie coming. You're laughing because, I mean, Australia's got excellent. I mean, I remember I did a festival there and I can't, I'll never forget the Adelaide wine that I drank.

5:33Where are you from? You're from Melbourne. Melbourne, yeah. So the Pinot Noir will be from Yarra Valley, which is in Victoria, and the Chardonnay is from Western Australia, which is another wine that's represented by this team I'm working with, Benchmark. So how's things promoting a new, I mean, you've done it a few times, but like. Not like this. Yeah. It's just starting to feel more real now. Like album promo. First single, I literally was like, well, I know it's out there. And you know when it becomes real, like one of your friends will say, hey, I just saw you, I heard your song on the radio.

6:08My sister called me from Australia in the back of a car coming home from work. She's like, it's on the radio right now. and then it becomes real but not flying around like a maniac not doing in traipsing around to do all the usual stuff yeah it felt quite odd nice not traipsing around doing all the stuff kind of nice yeah kind of nice i mean it would be nicer to be able to yeah go to australia and see my family you can't go at the moment you can go it just requires you have to quarantine and everything's just so uncertain and my family have just they're in melbourne which has had a six-week stage four lockdown which is looking like they're slowly going to come out of that growing up in melbourne who was doing the cooking in your house mom good mostly yeah yeah she's a great cook i think it was pretty standard when you've got three kids to feed all day every day um and my dad works quite long hours so it'd be fairly basic fair but in the last i want to say 15 even 20 years she's pretty like she's making you know sushi rolls or i don't know they my they get obsessed with something currently my mom and dad are obsessed with pippies which is that's what i said what's a pippy it's like a little like a little clam but it's from new zealand i had to look it up so they're obsessed like a pippy vongole i guess they do i mean one just kind of chucks it all in then you of course you'll say that was great what was what was in that oh just you know list of basic ingredients and then it'll be kind of 15 minutes oh and i put ah yes see didn't mention that bit that's always an extra bit my brother's a good cook my sister's a good cook i have been the family joke pretty much always but i've changed in the last couple of years i do cook what do you cook pretty easy things i my go-to would be baked fish throw the fish, vegetables, all in.

8:07So easy, tasty. And my boyfriend's a good cook, so that's one of the things we like to do together. So do you think you've become a cook to please him? Because it is the way to a man's heart, they say. No, not to please him, but it was just something that we did together. Because he liked his food. Yeah. And he's a good cook, so I just joined in. And also he was quite, maybe this is cunning actually, he's like, no, you do it. and then I say, I don't know what I'm doing. He said, just don't think about it, just do it. So kind of building up my confidence with just doing it. Throw it in. He sounds lovely, actually.

8:45They're saying this, okay, do it. It's a lovely thing to do together. I send him out to do the big shop, though. So you've been locked down together, obviously. Not initially, but then when we were able to, yeah. I'm really gasping for this wine now. do you think like Kylie would you ever put an ice cube in it yes okay fine so we can do that because it's not fully chilled but this is which one are we trying the Cote de Provence the Cote de Provence and what do you I'm sorry for people that are really down with the Cote de Provence what do you call it oh CDP oh CDP it's like CDB but my boyfriend and I will say shall we open a bottle of the Cayenne yeah we'll open the Cayenne what's the Cayenne just the Cayenne and O why what what Oh, I love it.

9:32Not that we're, you know, we don't drink other wine. And actually, I'm not a big drinker. I normally wait. This is a school night and we're having some wine. But, you know, just like, enough. It's quite cold. Okay, good. So do we need the ice cube or not? Don't need so. Okay. So Danny's a good cook. Yes. My sister's the one who keeps saying, where's the WhatsApp group for the recipes? She is in deep. She could have her own podcast, her own TV show about what's... She's just that... She just knows stuff. She has... Are they real birds? Yeah, they're birds. That's amazing. Yeah. Are they parakeets or...

10:11No. It's not a magpie. That's a very pretty sounding bird. Tells me this is a magpie. No. No, wouldn't it be blackbird singing in the dead of night? Maybe it's a blackbird. Okay, well, it's dark now. Maybe it's the blackbird.

10:29Cheers! Oh, sorry, I thought you'd pour it. Cheers. Thank you for making this dream happen. Cheers, darling. Thank you. Was it quite nerve-wracking bringing out the wine? Oh, my God. Or did it just feel fun? Hold on a minute. It's really good. Let's put it back in the fridge. Delicious. Oh, it's really good. Yeah, pop it back in the fridge. Darling, it's not going to need to stay in the fridge long. For long. I just wanted to handle it sensitively because of the timing. And a lot of people were going through tough times. And it didn't seem like... Last year we would have had a launch and a party and, you know, frivolous kind of thing.

11:10But it was just this year. It was on my birthday in May. So we did a soft launch and just let it have its own. Like, people just get to know it. So this one came out maybe a month ago. So we've had kind of... No, I've seen it on Instagram, particularly with my gay friends. They're really... They are loving and they are big supporters. And it's so cute to see all the pictures of them, you know, either home alone having a meal or, you know, with their bubble friend or in the park, whatever. It's really nice. When did you realise you had a huge LGBTQ following? Was it from the beginning or is it kind of...

11:50It was almost from the beginning. It may have been from the beginning, but I, maybe 1990, something like that. And I was in Sydney working because I'm not from Sydney. And we were passing by like the main kind of Oxford Street where the most famous gay clubs are. And someone said, oh, there's a Kylie night on tonight. And I'd never even heard of such a thing. I was like, what? Like I'm 20 years old or 21 years old. and uh yeah so i said that's happening at the albury and i was like let's go my manager said i don't think you should let's you know no basically and that's the first time i kind of became aware of it being something did you go i didn't go i have been to kylie nights since and i'm the least kylie of all the kylies it's hilarious yeah the best example of that was maybe kind of mid-90s and I'd been to see the Lemonheads in Melbourne.

12:52There's a few me's and that was the you know the 1970s market grubby suede mini skirt that I wore all the time. Was that confided in me ever? It was around uh no before that event before that. Curls a little macrame top like I'd been to see the Lemonheads that were so cool and everything and we ended up at this gay bar because it was Kylie night and there's pictures of it there's like four Kylie's like big Kylie's and then me who just looks like I shouldn't be there so because there was none of the stuff yeah oh wow yeah they're amazing what I love about it is it was I never marketed towards that that was just kind of normal to me maybe growing up in tv or there's always members of that community around so it wasn't uh it was a shock to hear that because it just I mean it was brilliant but yeah that's where it started and it's been a kind of an organic uh love affair ever since but were you acting and singing did you go to stage school no so no so how did you and Danny both become involved in singing and performing I wish I could tell the kind of a streamlined story of that.

14:12So when I was 11, so I've got to count backwards, 11, 10, 9, 8. My sister went to a talent school, like a song and dance talent school. I think I've got this the right order. You're trying to get the cat out. He's driving me mad. The cat is like a cough prince. Yeah. Aw, he knows it, doesn't he? Yeah. But he's become an attention seeker. He's a bit of a star fucker, you know? His name prints after prints. All hail. okay let me try and figure out this story so the beginning I'm a bit blurry on but you know I wanted to be in ABBA as eight seven eight nine year old there was grease grease lightning my brother and sister we'd all do grease lightning in the front room so was a bit of a pop addict and actually to disco that's when so I was 10 in 78 so playing Donna Summer record my dad's on a summer record and the Bee Gees and ABBA and Chic and all of that kind of stuff.

15:08So I did love music. I didn't really think about acting and I was never in school plays or anything. I just wasn't. I don't think I was that showy kid but the family photos might say otherwise because I'm like being the clown in the front. But my mum had an acquaintance. I'm not even sure if she was a close friend but someone who worked in the casting department of a production company and they were looking for a young girl for this role, a TV role, and asked if mum would bring my sister and I in. We'd had no experience. So, yeah, mum took us in and I got that role. Which was? So I was 11 in a show called The Sullivans.

15:50The Sullivans? Yeah, I think that might have aired here. I had no idea what I was doing. But actually the weirder part is before they started filming that, the same production company asked if I could do one day's work on another series and Jason Donovan was my brother in that show so we're both 11 that's when I first met Jason Donovan and then didn't meet him until Neighbours which was years later so I did these acting roles just the two didn't do anything else till I was 16 and just kind of mentioned to mum and dad I'd really like to do that again and we still didn't know what to do even though in the interim my sister had become part of a show called young talent time which is like mickey mouse club and so there's maybe 10 kids uh between the ages of probably 8 to 16 you kind of got the flick when you're 16 there's a kid singing and dancing show so mom and dad knew a little bit about that but not about acting and anyway try to make a long story short I'm piping up about this as I'm 16 maybe partly was seeing Dan doing her show and just feeling like I want to do something even though I was crazy about music and I think one of my parents just called the same production company and asked how do we go about this and it so happened that they were casting for another show then so So I auditioned for it, dressed up as the character, went for that role and got that.

17:22So I was 16. When you got Charlene. No, this was before Charlene. Oh, before Charlene. So this was a show called The Henderson Kids. I've heard of that. Yeah, so it was about six months' work. So I had to do, you know, you have your tutor and do your schooling. So it was the end of my year 11 and then into the start of year 12, which you might know HSC from Neighbours. HSC? going to get my HSC. And then they moved to Queensland. Exactly. And so anyway, that's when the bug got me because there was a bunch of other kids on that show, notably Ben Mendelsohn, who's just such an epic, epic actor and all around awesome guy.

18:03He was in Bloodline. He was in Florence's music video. I'm saying the right guy. He is like, you can't not watch him when he's on the screen. He's incredible. He is phenomenal. So we go back, Like we've just been friends all these years. It was like, we were 16. We go, we've done okay, haven't we? Didn't we do okay? And, you know, we, as much as whatever both of us have achieved, we're still kind of 16 when we're together. It's really sweet. Then I finished school, which was kind of difficult after working on this TV show. And I was like, oh, I don't want to finish. And mum and dad were good. They said, you don't have to, but it would be good if you could at least get your HSC.

18:45So I passed by the skin of my teeth because I'd had to drop down to four subjects. And anyway, got my HSC. Nothing from school sounded appealing to me. I just wanted to act and actually had some singing lessons with a little bit of money I'd had. So I'd go and have my singing lesson on the weekend. Made a demo tape when I was 17. Were they covers or? Yeah. What covers did you do? You won't believe it. I need to know. And I found maybe not the original tape but a copy of the tape. I played it once on this little, like a vintage Walkman I've got and I'm scared to play it again in case it just breaks.

19:20I need to get it digitised. I sound like a little mouse. So it was Dim All the Lights by Donna Summer. How on earth did I think I could sing these things? Just Once by Quincy Jones and New Attitude by Patti LaBelle. But they were mega kind of. Just not doable. I mean, that's what I was into, I guess. But that's amazing, isn't it? Because you've completely fulfilled that. I mean, your new record is disco. Yeah, it's amazing. That's a huge voice. It's so foolish on my part. And I cried in the studio. I didn't know. I was so scared. I was spending my money to get a tape of these three songs. And the practical side of me was thinking, this will help for acting.

20:06so any actor's going to tell you you know when they ask if you can water ski can you jump out yeah can you sing oh here's my cassette so i was thinking it was like but i did harbor that kind of bedroom dream of being a pop singer i just didn't know that how to get into that path but you must you're a pop singer that is a pop singer forever i mean you've not Please tell me how that happens and how can I be able to do this forever like you do. Just keep going, literally. No, but it's more than that, Kylie. The style, the creative, the songs, the dancing, the kind of generosity to your fans. You've created this community that is so devoted to you.

20:52Yeah. And like your shows are pretty phenomenal. Yeah. What was the Venus? Oh, Aphrodite. Aphrodite, sorry, Aphrodite. That was crazy. Are you sometimes like, shit, I've bitten off more than I can chew here? When you're like high up in the sky or being picked up by... There's not... This is going to come out wrong. It's about to say there's not much I haven't ridden, but I have ridden many things. The angel, the horse, you name it. I've kind of done that in stupid heels and trying to sing at the same time. And it's the things that no one would imagine that are hard. Yes, people generally know touring's gruelling and you can't have any other fun because you can't even go and I'm presuming you'd be the same.

21:36I can see you at the bar like, no, I can't talk. I just can't talk over. Don't mind me. And trying to travel from A to B in heels, doing your quick changes. It's all that you can do to try and get a sip of water in. So it's just that stuff that I often think, wow, you really should have just given yourself a bit of a break. but it's exhilarating and it's addictive right and I have missed it this year and I've just realized that because I toured a lot 2018 and 2019 but in general I'm used to having this kind of low level low level of fairly consistent adrenaline that you're doing this or you're doing that or like peaking and maxing out that you're touring and you're trying to sustain that that energy and you know reach those heights every night and to not have had that this year is something strange don't want it to turn into the blues you know because because adrenaline is like that yeah and it's the classic thing like post-tour depression and you're kind of like well i did it i should feel great and literally now i know it takes two weeks your adrenal glands like you got this we're doing it every night we are pumped and then you stop and they're just going where does that energy go?

22:52I wanted to know I mean this is more for me any things on your rider that I should definitely have on mine I'm so boring me too like you know a kettle a coffee machine I like a good coffee don't give me some crap I'm from Melbourne I'm sorry we are the worst we really are is that where they invented baristas I think they did. I'm not sure. I don't know if they invented them, but it's a... It's like a cultural job, isn't it? Yes, very much. So, okay, right, tell me how you take your coffee. I like what they call, in Australia, they now call it a piccolo latte. Italians are like, what are you talking about?

23:37Hold on, there was a piccolo, and now there's a piccolo latte? Yeah. Or maybe the short for it is piccolo. What's a piccolo, then? It's a tiny latte, so you don't have to deal with all that milk. Isn't that a flat white, honey? Isn't that a flat white, which I thought was Australian? No, I think it's a bit different. It's very similar. Now the baristas are going to come after me going, what are you talking about? So I thought flat white was invented in Australia. Yes, yes. And thank you, Australia, for that. Yeah, I love flat white. We don't know cappuccino dust. So this is my understanding, the flat white and then piccolo latte is just smaller.

24:13The froth is not like a wet froth. It's more of a creamy froth. But I think flat whites are creamy froth. Yeah, that's creamy. It's basically, imagine like Kylie-sized coffee. Yeah, it's tiny. That's what a piccolo latte is. Oh, and the other, like, that is the perfect size for me because it's just not too much. But also, that's connecting with thinking about touring and riders. And the amount of times I now ask for, can I have half a cup of tea? Half a cup? When you're at work, I genuinely want half a cup of tea because the full tea, I don't have time. This sounds stupid. I agree with you. There's no time for it to cool down.

24:48So by the time everything else, okay, do that. Don't spill any. I agree. You get one sip of the tea, but the half a cup of tea solves the problems because it cools down faster. I agree. That's about as demanding as you are, Kylie. I mean, that's, I think, we're doing all right. You've had such a huge, long career with probably so many memorable moments, but is there one particular memorable meal that you've just been like, what is going on? I mean, I've had a few. It's like, you know, I'm, you know, a newbie to all this. I am a foodie. I mean, you can tell I get, you know, I get really excited about, I quite like simple things, but just good things.

25:27Yeah. I've been to Portofino a few times, and there's a restaurant in there that's, it's so picturesque. It's like, oh, I recognize that picture. That's Portofino with all the colored buildings. And so there's, it's very compact, and there's one little side, little alley. I think you can't drive a car. It's a walking alley. And it's a langoustine restaurant. It's called Da 'obati, I think, from memory. Oh, my God. Just stop. It's, you know, they put the bib on you and you're, you just, I can't even. I've probably been there four times, but I, you know, I dream of going back there. And, of course, it's the secret recipe, but whatever they do, it's phenomenal.

26:10So is it langoustine that you're having? and it's just they're just simply done with something it's a mystery very juicy you know you get involved it's all you're eating with your hands and and there's some other small dishes but there's zero need for them to ever change that secret recipe um we ask every guest this dream meal you're about to go to a desert island where you know your food is going to be minimal before you leave you have your last supper it's a starter a main and a pud and a drink of choice jesus you can think about it for a bit i might have to think about that i think a nice simple starter simple is great asparagus just grilled lemon salt and pepper oil that really it's like it's not too much it just gets you going and you can do it at home okay fine yeah no no anchovy butter, nothing like that.

27:07No. Simple. Although I do love anchovies. Me too. Okay, fine. So Maine, would you have those langoustines? Would they be your last supper? I mean, yes. Yeah. I tend to just eat way too many. I'd be real slovenly about it. Yeah. Forget the bib. And dessert? I really like dark chocolate. So maybe like something flowerless, dark chocolate but I don't really like sweet sweets. I fucked up. I told mum to do a chocolate mousse and she said, should I do a flourless chocolate cake? And I said, no, don't fucking... You're kidding me. Don't. So you've got a dark chocolate mousse. That's good. But... Perfect.

27:48I have to apologise. Of all the things, it was going to be a flourless... I could have bloody been your best friend after that. Maybe you could make one and I'll collect it another day because I'm sure you make a mean flourless chocolate torte. And then what's your drink? I mean, would it be the old KM CDP? Would it or would it, you know? Yes. Yeah, obviously. Yes, I'm hungry. And I'm about to kind of drool over you too much. I drink too much more of the CDP. You have to go slowly, don't you?

28:23I know so many people. I did tell a few of my friends that you were coming round. Mostly my gay friends. Everyone loves you. You're like the Dolly Parton in that sense of you do no wrong. Oh, I do. But nobody sees it. You either like you're doing it very behind closed. But do you have some regrets within your career or not? Yes. Yeah, of course I do. To name them. You don't have to name them. No, it's just it's quite difficult. It's more like a little bit here and a little bit there. Or I wish I hadn't done. I wish I'd done that. A lot of I wish I'd done that differently. I could have done that better why didn't I see what was happening but it's so funny because from the outside it's like you are one of the most flawless pop stars that I think we see so as an artist myself that's really um encouraging and reassuring to hear because I see you you're having had this trajectory of like it's just been fucking winner winner winner winner that everything about it.

29:28You're a perfectionist? Mostly, yeah. There's some areas where I can, if I'm really on the fence about something, it can go either way. I'm not sure how correct I am in saying that, in thinking that's in recent years or, you know, last, I don't know, five, ten years or whatever, where I am more, you know, I just don't let things slide. But actually, if I look back to some things from the past, I think I've always had the idea, but I haven't always spoken up. I'd love to know if you've been in similar situations where there's just so much noise, especially when I was younger. I was like, well, you're the grown-up, so I guess you know.

30:09I don't know. I'm new to all of this, even though it's really successful. But it was learning on the job, basically, a lot of it. I might serve up. I wonder. Sure. It smells great. it was a different time you were you are a woman in music and I don't know you know I felt it where you almost have to feel apologetic if you disagree in a way and I don't know um and that's in this time yeah you know even it's I think it gets easier because I feel like maybe I am more confident now but yeah you were just doing this a while ago more knowledge and more certainty and and I think it is you know thankfully it does feel like it's changing and I try to I mean I'm sure you get younger people on this show it'd be great to hear what they have to say about how they feel not that they know what to compare it to as experience but what they've read about of what what they've heard about but it does seem like the younger girls now have stronger voices and that's amazing I agree okay so then I have to ask because I feel like a strong voice that we all kind of know of is pete waterman yeah and i i really want to know what it was like working with him i think one of the reasons it worked well for me i didn't know any different they were unashamedly and rightly so called the hit factory and i came from being in a soap opera where you get your lines you say your lines then you do the next scene and you do the next thing so probably sounds so weird now to hear, but I would have to be written out of Neighbours, so to get two weeks to travel from Australia to here, they'd have to write Charlene.

31:54She'd go to Brisbane or something. So was it happening simultaneously? There was a period where I was doing them both, and then when that became too difficult, then I left Neighbours and pursued music. But, yeah, I think I literally didn't know anything about songwriting. I barely knew anything about singing or performing. It was like playing a character and just doing what was asked of me. I was going to say doing what I was told, but I think it's more what I think was required. And in the kind of five years with them and me going from a 19-year-old to early 20s, and just becoming curious and wanting to be more involved and be in the room and not be in the waiting room until they were ready.

32:41If you weren't even allowed, it was... Not in the beginning, no. I think that's just the way it was. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I think I learnt just from being around music and performing the songs. But, yeah, it was kind of... It almost seems so crazy now that I would... I'd go in the studio any day. I love it. I love it, I love it, love it. You go in and start the day with nothing and then you've got something. Yeah, I know. You've made something. It doesn't really feel like a job, does it? It doesn't feel a job, especially when you're just... When it's working. Or when you're just throwing things at the wall and see what sticks and you're genuinely with people you want to be with and it's just, I don't know, it's like kind of flying or something.

33:23You just, stuff's happening. Then when you get to the kind of pointier end, it starts to feel like work. Like, okay, is this really any good? Are we all crazy? Thank you so much. There's more salsa verde if you want. Thank you, Mariel.

33:39Oh, it's nice, Mum. I think the Butter Beans with the Salsa Verde is a winner. Yeah. Yeah, it's good, right? I just made contact with the Butter Beans and the Salsa Verde. Really good. I do feel like we have to shout out Mira Soda, who's a Guardian columnist, a brilliant cook, who does the vegan column and does amazing things. And actually, it was my brother. This isn't her recipe, but it was her suggestion that my brother's been doing Butter Beans with a Salsa Verde. And I think it's a winner. It's an absolute winner. And a little bit of a reheat the next day with some other bits and bobs. Yes.

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34:55Can I just slightly throw it back and congratulate you on your album? oh my god yeah like yeah you can absolutely you can so so good thank you yeah thanks I mean I did jump for joy when Kylie Minogue put me on her playlist yeah on Spotify we should write together one day um yeah we should I would love that when I made What's Your Pleasure there was the song the album the title track of the album it's called What's Your Pleasure yeah and when we made it I was like Kylie this I kind of feel like I'm pretending to be Kylie Minogue on this because like in my head I was trying to be Debbie Harry and Kylie Minogue and then I was like Kylie Minogue you should take the second verse she should why didn't you call me I don't know maybe I should have I don't know because you're fucking Kylie I only live over the river oh my god this is great and I was stuck at home we're going to drink Piccolo, Piccolo, you know latte this is great and I have my own studio when I say studio I mean like the five bits of kit that you need so I did most of my album my vocals at home no you record yourself I'll get an engineer in and then so yeah producer engineer well normally the producer who is engineering would remote access my designated laptop so there's no emails about to pop up or you know reminders or anything um but in watching that I started to learn how to you know the basics of logic and now I can say yeah yeah I'll get them to you later I even had to move the studio once the album was done I thought this is a bit in the way here so let's get it to another zone Is it in your house?

36:41Yeah It was locked down, I was home So did you finish your record in lockdown? Completely, yeah So I started the album started writing last year So Say Something and Magic were both, so the first two singles were done last year. Yeah. Say something was finished in lockdown, finished remotely with, you know, fine tuning and getting kind of forensic about it. Mm-hmm. And I think every other song that's on the album and the deluxe, maybe bar one or like one and a half, were, yeah, were done at home. So it's kind of a lockdown album in the sense that it was... A lot of it, yeah. I think there's only one other full song that was fully, aside from mixing, was done not in lockdown.

37:29And as the sessions went on, so we'd start just Zooms for just writing and then would go to remote controlling for recording. And I kind of joked, I said, I'm getting an engineer credit for this. And once we got to the end, I realised I am giving myself an additional. Yeah, you fucking are. I set all of this up. I just realised I did do it. yeah so yeah i've given myself a credit and i'm quite happy with that actually so i'd be terrible for anyone else like hey also people are now like so you're a pro you're a wizard can just stop you there i'm like you know grade two my prep school was garage band and i may be great too so i've got all of primary school and high school to go before i'm anything near a pro speaking about grades okay so I also had just to add to my fanatic Kylie face we had the VHS of you that was Kylie was it like Kylie on the go or something like that it was Kylie and you were playing the piano I did learn the piano when I was younger and you had these the most amazing like Mozart-esque sleeved do you remember it was a blouse it was white and it was very Christ and you were there at the piano you were like oh hey you didn't catch oh sorry I'm just playing something and we'd watch it in this room and the TV used to be here and we'd watch it and you'd be playing the piano and it was like with a lot of sleeve and I've always dreamed about this blast.

38:59That was probably like my Prince fantasy. Yes, that would make sense. It was like very, yes. I think I remember, I might have had, oh, this is really challenging me now, maybe a little waistcoat, like a vest with it. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. With some embroidery. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And probably massive earrings. And you had curly hair and things. Yes. And Hannah got an embroidered waistcoat for us. Jessie thinks that the neighbours' theme tune was her white noise because when they were born, I'd listen to it. It's just always on. I'd watch it when I was pregnant. And then when they were born, we always had neighbours on.

39:38So that was like, was that like, were Des and Daphne? Yeah. Oh, we talked about that. I had the Daphne hair. The half up, half down. And then the ponytail. She had double pony hair. What did she die of? We can't remember. Or in birth. It was the saddest episode. We absolutely sobbed. Did she die in childbirth? But Des was less. Did you just have nothing else on that you were saying? Des was desolate. No. Des was desolate. Desolate. Well, it was on twice a day. Yeah, it was on. So you could then just cry all over again. Yeah. It was like the archers. They did a repeat later. Des was desolate. No, it's quite a bit.

40:17Des was desolate. and Daphne's hair and I remember I used to say to you how would you like your hair and you say like Daphne she managed to get a lot of looks out of very short hair oh god she was a good woman Daphne was she a hairdresser I don't know she was an ex-stripper that was the scandal the scandal she worked in the cafe no the diner she started the cafe it was so scandalous that was this cafe from her stripper money I don't know Presumably, if that was part of the past. But Guy Pearce was your best friend? He was one of the gang, yeah. And I worked with him three years ago. We played husband and wife in this Australian comedy film that's set in the 70s.

41:01So, I mean, he looks really good with the tash and the lamb chops and all of that. Yeah, he looks good. But that was hilarious. We didn't get to kiss. Oh, shame. But do you see Jason? Sometimes. The last epic time I saw him was at Hyde Park. I had a show there. Did you sing together? Yeah. But even better than that, we had a speciality for you in the set and my BBs would sing his parts. And because this was BBC Radio 2 Hyde Park concert going out live everywhere, we had a choir as well. And I texted Jason maybe the day before or two days before and said, Oh, hey, I've got this gig in Hyde Park.

41:43just let me know if you want to come along um and so he let me know on the day he said yeah i'll be there i'm just going to roll up on my bike i said well great and so then when i got to hyde park and said to my team like in my musical producer and and creative director said um so yeah jason's gonna be here tonight and i said well uh are you going to ask him i said well i'm not going to call him now because i happen to know he's cycling in i don't want I'm just like get nervous and, you know, fall off or anything. But he arrived and then I asked him, I said, you know, the easy answer is no. That's totally fine.

42:25It's totally up to you. You can sing a bit. You can sing nothing. We can do a stupid dance. And you could see the cogs turning over. It's like, is that a guitar? Like what key is that in again? and he started going and it was great because I completely, completely caught him off guard and he's such a good sport. He said, oh, good job I didn't turn up on my Lycra, my cycling Lycra. I think he never could have done. That would have been another entrance. But literally I had friends who were in the business, they're not really phased by much, but calling me crying because it was such a moment. So I'm really grateful to him for, you know, giving us that moment.

43:09So I guess there will be plans to tour this because you are like a machine when you tour. As and when we can and it's a viable thing and it's safe for everyone, sign me up. My dream for this tour would be to perform in the round, which I've never really done, have the world's biggest disco ball above and make it like just a big love fest. you've got to get close though that's the thing you want people getting sweaty and hugging and loving each other so we'll see, it's obviously a bit of a pipe dream now and I don't want to think about it too much it seems so sad what are you going to do when you're not touring?

43:49what are you going to do next now the album's out? like with me get in the studio garden are you a gardener? kind of, not very good have you grown any vegetables? I did try. Oh, what did you try? I got some tomatoes, which of course is like, you know, I don't think you can fail. Oh, I did. Did you? No, no, yeah. I fucked up on the old tomatoes. So, yeah, you can actually do that. So there were courgettes that were happening, runner beans, and, you know, it was just that, the little things, like a friend gave me tiny seedlings that they'd started, and said, oh, see there's the bits of eggshell in there?

44:26That's because you break the egg and keep the shell and put your seed in there and the dirt in there. Like all this stuff that because we didn't, no one knew what to do with ourselves, every day it was like, it's a miracle. Like this is, you know, five millimetres of growth. So I got quite into it and then I think the squirrel attacked everything and that was that. I was going to ask, is England your home forever? Long pause there. Is your boyfriend an Englishman? He's a Welshman. Welsh good choice nice people yeah but he's been in London for almost 20 years I guess there's just not going to be an Australian home are you a British citizen?

45:15I have a British passport and an Australian passport so so you don't need to marry the Welshman to get I think Kylie's okay we'll keep her okay I think some people forget I'm Australian actually I think we think you belong to us yeah You adopted me. That's a fact. A lot of people feel like they, you know, I was part of the family, grew up in neighbours. I was in your lounge room or your kitchen twice a day. That's what I think. A teenager and then beyond that just kind of growing up in front of your eyes. And I like people. I like kindness. I like, you know, I don't suffer fools gladly, but I think if, you know, if you kind of, kindness comes back to you.

45:58you were very kind on the voice I thought you were exceptionally kind and nice that's nice have you done a show like that? it's quite hard the battles the blinds just went forever what was hard about it? that you kind of the choosing people and critiquing yeah some of that because you know people's dreams and some people just don't have a voice I totally rate the show and I said in my initial part of time on that show, I said I just have to say that as soon as that person turns around, it isn't just about the voice. It just isn't. You know, you see the shock on people. It's a 12-year-old girl.

46:42It's a 65-year-old man. Like it becomes about them and everything else. So, yes, the voice is what has to make you turn. But, yeah, they're just long. That's just TV. TV is long. and by the time it's edited, it looks like you were there for kind of 35 minutes. I think I subsisted on, you know, ready-to-eat protein snacks. Yeah, because they wouldn't ruin me. There's just like no time. Yeah, exactly, right. No time. What happened to those gold shorts? Ah, so, well, you know they were bought for 50p. I know. So that's their history. I don't really know what their history was before I got to know them, but they are with pretty much all of my costumes and performing things and memorabilia that I donated them to the Performing Arts Museum in Melbourne.

47:30So if I hit tough times, I have nothing to sell. No hot pants. Charlene's overalls are in there. All the showgirls stuff. Like they have – Charlene's overalls, Jess. That's basically the only thing I took from Neighbours was Charlene's overalls, which I would love to wear because when you did, you'd film the OB scene, so the outside broadcast scenes one week, and then you'd match the studio scenes the next week. So you always, one episode was spread over two weeks. And Melbourne could be freezing, freezing cold and you're starting work at 6am. So I've got in my Datsun, driven to work, learning my lines on the way.

48:06And so if I was wearing my overalls or Charlene's overalls, I could sneak some track pants or something underneath. And then the next week in the studio, you could be cool. So I loved my overalls. That's a high pack. And I loved that Charlene was feisty and was kind of going against the grain. Did you have to perm your hair? No, that was my hair. You're joking. That is the most. You've got straight hair. I've got curly hair. That's a Brazilian straight hair. This is all sorts. This is a bit of work. I perm my hair to get some body. Yeah. I wanted to know what you're missing I mean you're not able to go to Australia at the moment obviously you're missing your family but what kind of food are you missing because the food there is excellent my mum's food or you know when we're all together and I never do as many dishes I mean I because it's my brother and sister doing most of the cooking or mum or whoever's there and who's on dish patrol so it's like all I do is do dishes but someone's got to set the table Well, someone's got to, you know, do all of that.

49:11So I'm kind of mood, ambiance, setting and washing. But, you know, barbecues at home, I hate to sound completely obvious, but summer barbecue. What is special about your family's barbecue? Is there something that we... It's just that it's a family barbecue. Fair enough. Kylie, dinner party, five guests. Who are you inviting? People who can actually attend. Oh, Deer or Alive. No, this is dreamland. Who would be at your perfect dinner party? Paul Newman. Oh. Oh my God, yes. Can it just be Paul Newman? Sure. Why Paul Newman? Because he's gorgeous. Because he's gorgeous, Jessica. Oh my God, he's the one.

49:51Okay. Yes. So literally, Kylie is not inviting anybody up. Just having her and Paul. I love that. Look, I think everyone wants Marilyn at their dinner party. No one's done that one, actually. No. Were you a packed lunch girl when you were at school? Yes. I mean, once in a while we could have some money for the tuck shop, but that was just once in a while. So what was in your lunchbox? It was usually a Straz sandwich. What's a Straz sandwich? Like Strasbourg ham. Well, like mixed. I don't know how to describe it. Maybe it's a bunch of meats together that look like a circle and then pre-sliced meat.

50:30Ham? Well, I'm not sure if it was just ham. Spam? It wasn't spam. Corned beef? No. Straz. This is very interesting. That's what I think it was called, Straz. Oh, thank you. So, or a cheese sandwich. Okay, fine. But, you know, white, just white bread, butter. Simples. Weet-bix in the morning. Weet-bix, we call it Weet-bix. It's Weet-a-bix here. Weet-bix. Weet-bix. Yes, every morning. Are these strange Australians? As soon as I got home from school. Marmite or Vegemite? Well, we know. Vegemite. Oh, Kylie, you're not even... Of course it's Vegemite. Take a passport away, Jessie. of course do you still eat it do you like vegemite once in a while yeah it's a feel-good thing but it's if you ever tried it on i don't know if it would work as well as marmite but with um spaghetti and butter i haven't but that would work is that excellent so if you're having vegemite on toast you have to have an australian make it for you because it's everything has to be right what's the why the the ratios yeah your ratios uh and you know the the But enough butter and then the Vegemite's just kind of got to skip over it.

51:39That's how I like it anyway. This is delicious. Is it? Yes. Kylie Minogue, we have kept you for far too long. Or not long enough. You are the best. It depends because I've had such a great time. Oh, thank you. Will this seal the deal when I tell you, I forgot to tell you that we have a guinea pig called Kylie and a guinea pig called Jason as well. Oh, yeah, I forgot. Kylie and Jason. I've had to step away. I don't know what to make it. Yeah, and now we're going to... I thought I heard it all. I've now heard it all. We're going to now break your kneecaps and you're going to lie upstairs and you're going to teach us the spinning around dance.

52:16You're never going anywhere. We are Kathy Bates. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for doing this. I love you so much. We love you. It's been so special. Good luck with the record. Thanks for the dinner. It's such a pleasure. Remember, always chill it. Always chill it. Oh, okay. That's never come out of my mouth before. I like it though maybe you should just have that as the tagline always chilling

52:54thank you to Kylie Minogue good luck at the residency in Vegas we gotta go mum and also I think we need to do dark chocolate mousse again on the podcast the next season let's do it. And that halibut was delicious as well. It was. Thank you so much for listening to these Table Manners second helpings. We will be back with a brand new season very, very soon with plenty more fabulous guests. Take care.

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