James Mathison and Osher Günsberg share their Australian Idol regret
12 years after they co-hosted Australian Idol, Osher Günsberg and James Mathison chat about the different directions their careers have since taken – and why their shared experience of overnight fame cemented their friendship for life.
Stellar
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How long has it been since the two of you have done a photo shoot together?
James Mathison: I think it’s 12 years. I remember when we first started out and did our first shoot together.
Osher Günsberg: We were shooting on film, it’s that long ago. I remember being terrified at my first photo shoot.
JM: It’s nice… nostalgic…
OG: Not to besmirch anybody that I’ve worked with since, but no-one is like James. It’s never as fun – it’s still really fun, don’t get me wrong, but it’s never as fun as it was with Jimmy.
JM: Oh, that’s lovely. It is true, though.
Do you remember when you met?
JM: I had entered a competition for a music-television reporter search for Channel V and came in with the top 10 to do a week of work experience and, Osh, you were hosting the show.
OG: In fact, the very first day we ever worked together, James interviewed Destiny’s Child.
JM: Spending time with Beyoncé and she sang to me… after that it can only go downhill. I mean, I went on to bigger and better things and she sort of just disappeared.
The two of you went on to co-host Australian Idol when it premiered in 2003. How do you reflect on the show now?
JM: The overriding sentiment for me is that I can’t believe I got to be part of that.
OG: I do feel that when I look back at those episodes of Idol… I don’t know if the ritual humiliation of people would fly in a prime-time environment these days.
JM: Those audition episodes?
OG: Yeah, the early auditions episodes, which I remember feeling icky in the tummy at the time. When I look at it now, I’m like, some of those people we really did set up.
JM: You know, I’m not convinced. I look at shows like Married At First Sight and people are put through the wringer and painted as villains; they’re definitely getting set up. Maybe with Idol we were doing it to people who were a bit younger. Looking back, you do feel a little uncomfortable. But that was a small part of the show.
Australian Idol was an overnight success. How did you cope with being thrust into the spotlight?
OG: It was hard. That’s why I’m really grateful for our friendship. There was no-one else in the world I could talk to about what it was like trying to do groceries [back then]. Like the time someone ran up to me and tried to pull my hair off. They were convinced it was a wig.
Have you remained close since?
OG: Oh, yes. We have a card game that’s been happening every Wednesday since 2004.
JM: Poker night pulls us together, and I think it’s really powerful for a group of blokes to have something where they can see one another on a regular basis – to stoke the embers of friendship; it’s very easy for that to go out.
You recently launched a podcast called Idle Australians. How did that come about?
OG: I’ve actually been trying to convince Jim to do this for so long. I first pitched it in 2015.
JM: And I didn’t know what a podcast was in 2015. I barely understand what it is now. I did wonder if anyone wanted another two middle-aged white guys talking on a podcast? But the moment we started putting it out, I realised how many good people have a real fondness for us as a duo.
OG: We had a few dry runs and settled on the idea of exploring some unexpected parts of Australian culture. We’ve had the man who created chicken salt on the show and the guy behind the “Not happy, Jan” commercial.
JM: There are so many untold stories. It’s not a serious historical assessment. It’s about celebrating the ridiculous things that make us who we are.
In 2016 James ran as an independent candidate for the federal seat of Warringah – which was held by Tony Abbott. Osher, were you surprised James went into politics?
OG: It made perfect sense to me because from the first day I met him interviewing Destiny’s Child, I could clearly see he is somebody who thinks about the world in a very different way, and is able to talk to people and understand situations.
I was there handing out leaflets out on election day and I watched the way he spoke to potential voters. He was well prepared, thoughtful and considered about what choices needed to be made for the good of the community. I never cease to be amazed with the way James can effortlessly excel at anything he tries.
And James, what have you thought as you have watched Osher’s career?
JM: It’s been a pleasure. I realised recently that what makes The Bachelor is Osher. Same as The Masked Singer. That show is f*cking nonsense. But he’s aware of that and in on the joke; he manages to walk the line between not taking it too seriously and saying to Australians, “I know this is insane, you know this is insane, but let’s just have fun.”
Some of the artists discovered on Idol have spoken about how after their initial success, they endured a period when they weren’t taken seriously. Did you have that same experience?
JM: No, not at all. There was plenty of opportunities for us because we were working in the television industry, whereas they had been on television and then joined the music industry, which was a different beast.
OG: And you have to remember that at the time, the music industry was falling apart.
Physical albums were being replaced with downloads and the money was vanishing out of it. Jimmy went straight from Idol to The Project.
JM: And you’ve done seven years on The Bachelor.
OG: Idol had us doing hours of live TV every week and we honed a particular set of skills. We were considered “a safe pair of hands”, which meant our names came up when networks needed hosts for live TV.
Idol also managed to achieve something the talent shows of today do not, which is make stars.
JM: Exactly. Right off the bat our first winner was Guy Sebastian, and he is an absolute superstar who’s still making records and selling out shows.
OG: Idol was producing musicians into an industry that now does not exist. So, it’s not really fair to compare, but you can’t name three stars from The Voice. That is a show about the judges, not so much the talent. Apparently, Idol is set to go again and, yes, Jimmy is available to host.
JM: I have got a new phone so that may be why that call hasn’t come through yet.
OG: That’s probably the only reason.
Idle Australians is now available on Acast, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
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