Brisbane’s Prince of Prep

A recent Facebook post uncovered what might be Australia’s largest collection of Rolling Stone Magazines. 

KIIS 973 Brisbane’s Liam Renton has revealed his secret radio prep strategy. Armed with hundreds of Rolling Stone Magazines dating back to 1989, Liam searches the pages for overlooked gold nuggets of niche music wisdom about popular musicians to add to the bank.

With his wife saying it’s his “obsession,” Liam says he uses the collection for on-air prep which has helped him with numerous radio raves over the years, giving him a unique edge over the competition.

“I’ve probably collected over 400 mags to date and literally find so many bits of info that always come in handy for any on-air shift I do,” said Liam.

“I’ve always been really diligent when prepping before I go on air. I just couldn’t go into a radio studio without having a swag of things to peel off if need be. I keep a list of 30 possible current breaks on me at all times then a larger folder of bits and pieces, info, cool stories and things I wonder if our listeners actually know about the bands and artists we play.”

“I just found that anyone can google fun facts, but buying old mags was a different way to get lesser-known stories not everyone knows. The collection goes back to 1989 so is great for the heritage artists we play. I thought I knew a lot about the artists we play but old school Rolling Stones Mags have taught me heaps of inside info that I can weave into a break.”

Some examples of Rolling Stone Magazine fact finds include:

• Avril Lavigne knows how to use a double-barrel shotgun
• Paul Keating is the only Aussie PM to ever make the cover of rolling stone, on his 49th birthday.
• The lead guitarist of Blur will only drink coffee if it has hazelnut syrup in it
• Shirly Strachan did backup vocals on Darryl Braithwaite’s Rise album
• Heart was sick of recording their albums in studios that had dingy toilets and bathrooms, so they built their own studio and installed a luxurious shower full of beautiful products, soaps and lotions so they could shower like queens in between takes 

Liam brings the same committed energy to his annual Christmas Podding podcast that was voted 3rd best Christmas podcast in the world last year. 

Hosting alongside Vanessa Gibson, the popular podcast was launched as a radio show on Brisbane’s KIIS 973 for the holiday season last year.