Take 5

Peter Garrett has been an unstoppable force of Australian music for decades.
As the iconic frontman for Midnight Oil, a grassroots activist, and a former Federal Parliamentarian, he's spent a lifetime driving change. 
Kicking off a brand-new series of Take 5 with the theme "songs of change," Peter Garrett reveals a softer, surprisingly open side behind the public persona. 
Fall into the stories and songs that hold Peter Garrett together.
Peter's song choices:
Peter, Paul & Mary - Tell It On The Mountain
Warumpi Band - From The Bush
DOBBY - Dirrpi Yuin Patjulinya
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - War (live)
Sarah Blasko - Without 
01:46 A life punctuated by music and change
03:21 Peter, Paul & Mary - 'Tell It On The Mountain'
03:30 Growing up in a musical household
06:40 Reflecting on his parent's deaths
09:32 Peter Garrett's first band
10:14 Warumpi Band - 'From The Bush'
15:35 Midnight Oil tour to remote Indigenous communities in 1986
18:49 Influence of Warumpi Band on Beds Are Burning
22:33 DOBBY - 'Dirrpi Yuin Patjulinya'
26:35 Rob Hirst tribute at APRA Awards 2026
29:51 Discussing the legacy of Rob Hirst
34:39 Future of Midnight Oil
36:18 Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - 'War (Live)'
41:29 Music and Politics
43:23 Reflecting on political career
45:27 Sarah Blasko - 'Without'
49:33 Peter's wife of 40 years Doris
52:37 Looking forward not back
54:24 Zan's final reflections
54:55 Preview next episode with Shania Twain
This episode kicks off a brand new season of Take 5 with Zan Rowe on ABC TV and ABC iview. You can stream the whole season on ABC iview now.
Watch Take 5 on ABC iview:
https://iview.abc.net.au/show/take-5-with-zan-rowe

Take 5 with Zan Rowe is back on your screens from Thursday August 20, and Season 5 is the biggest yet!
What song makes Peter Garrett cry? 
What was the tune that woke David Byrne up to the full body physicality of music, at Studio 54? 
And who do you think a teenage Jacinda Ardern was blasting, as she hooned around her hometown in New Zealand? 
You’re about to find out, as Take 5 returns for a 5th season on ABC TV and ABC iview. For the last 6 months Zan Rowe has been zipping around Australia, to New York City and Los Angeles to capture 8 extraordinary conversations with absolute legends. 
Like Shania Twain, who revealed a poverty stricken childhood that made her a star. Or Darren Hayes, who laid it all out in a heartbreaking conversation about loss and healing. 
You’re going fall in love with Lainey Wilson, the singer who’s selling out arenas with her bell-bottom country and southern charm. And you’ll learn more about Genesis Owusu, a visionary doing completely his own thing and winning all the awards, all at just 28 years old. 
If you’ve ever wondered if it’s possible to adore Vika & Linda Bull even more, their Take 5 will confirm. Fall into the worlds of these 8 incredible guests as they Take 5.
You’ll catch all the episodes from Thursday August 20 on ABC TV and ABC iview.
PLUS: every week, we’ll drop extended cuts of these chats right here on the podcast. All the bits we had to leave out of the TV episodes, the stories that didn’t make the edit, the moments that stayed with us.
So hit follow and get ready for a season of Take 5 that’ll shift your perspective, make you laugh, and maybe even make you cry.
And while you wait for Season 5, there’s plenty to explore. From Paul McCartney to Trent Dalton, Sophie Ellis-Bextor to Lorde – Take 5 has been a radio and podcast favourite for two decades. Dig in!
Watch the first 4 seasons of Take 5 on ABC iview: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/take-5-with-zan-rowe

This is one of the best bits from Take 5.
One of the greatest songwriters of all time sat down with Zan Rowe to open his songbook and dive deep into the making of five of his greatest. 
Paul McCartney has provided the soundtrack to billions of lives. His legacy in song is unparalleled; starting with The Beatles, who changed the game forever, he rolled on with his own solo career while building a new band in Wings, and collaborating with everyone from Stevie Wonder to Johnny Cash and Dave Grohl.
Listen to the full episode here: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/take-5/paul-mccartney-take-5/9230996
SONG
The Beatles - 'Blackbird'

This is one of the best bits from Take 5.
Kacey Musgraves is a straight shooter, a woman of conviction. In person and in song, the bridge she creates with her fans is something else, and it’s made her one of the most loved artists around.
For Kacey’s Take 5, Zan wanted to find out about the music that brought her to today, and to borrow a title from her own debut album, helped Kacey “follow her arrow”. 
Listen to the full episode here: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/take-5/kacey-musgraves-take-5-with-zan-rowe/11122692

This is one of the best bits from Take 5.
Founding member of Blink-182, Angels and Airwaves, and UFO enthusiast, Tom DeLonge hung out with Zan Rowe back in 2012, while in the country to play Soundwave Festival.
You don't create a career like that without loving music, so Zan dived into the music that changed his life.
Listen to the full episode here: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/take-5/tom-delonge-take-5/9035742
SONGS
The Cure - ‘Friday I’m In Love’
The Police - ‘Every Breath You Take’