Hamish Blake on What Matters Most in life, Kyle & Jackie O, & working with Andy Lee
4/8/20261 hr 8 min
Hamish Blake is one half of Australia's most enduring comedy partnership and a creative force who's turned curiosity into a multi-decade career.
In this conversation, Hamish opens up about his Melbourne childhood, the mathematical thinking behind his comedy, and how boredom shaped his creativity. He reveals the inner workings of his partnership with Andy Lee, from their first meeting at Melbourne Uni to navigating success whilst maintaining their friendship.
We explore his transition from full-time broadcasting to prioritising fatherhood, his approach to screen time with his kids, and why he believes doing things "just for...
Clips
Showing 10 of 12Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMark Bouris· Host0:00
Hamish Blake, welcome to Straight Talk, mate.
Hamish Blake· Guest0:01
Thanks, mate.
Mark Bouris· Host0:02
Now this is very straight, this joint. Now are you feel- [laughs] This is- Are you okay? Are you comfortable with that?
Hamish Blake· Guest0:06
I mean, I know I did a s- really sort of a chuckle there, but that will be it for the... That's it, that's it. Now it's just straight talk.
Mark Bouris· Host0:11
Nothing loose?
Hamish Blake· Guest0:12
[laughs] Nothing.
Mark Bouris· Host0:13
No, I don't think many people really know about your background, like, you know, where'd you grow up?
Hamish Blake· Guest0:17
Um, I grew up in Melbourne. I'm a Melbourne boy, sort of southeastern suburbs, Glen Waverley. Um- Is that a good area? It is now, but it almost perfectly timed by the Blake family to... We got in in 1980, held on for 20 years. House prices went sideways for 20 years, then we got out just before the boom.
Mark Bouris· Host0:37
[laughs] Just before the boom.
Hamish Blake· Guest0:38
[laughs] Just before.
Mark Bouris· Host0:38
Good timing.
Hamish Blake· Guest0:39
Now it's super popular 'cause there's like, you know, good schools and stuff out there and, um... But when I grew up it was... No, I had a great... I, I, look, I had a great time. It was a, like, pure kinda like suburban, um, you know, especially like, like those early years before teens and then, then I moved schools a couple of times. Like, I ended up going to school still in Melbourne but, like, way down, like Bayside area we moved to. So, but I had a, I had a pretty fun childhood. Matter of fact, I've been thinking about my childhood a lot lately 'cause I'm, I'm trying to explain to my kids, like, just really what boredom is and, and how it's good for you and how it makes you imagine things and you have to... You know, just explaining to them, like, we didn't have screen time be- not because our parents were like, "You can't have screen time." It's like it, we physically couldn't have screen time.
Mark Bouris· Host1:28
Didn't exist.
Hamish Blake· Guest1:28
We didn't have screens,