On the Couch with Joel Carnegie

Joel-Carnegie-photo-by-Caleb-PlumridgeWho is Joel Carnegie?
Performer, broadcaster, musician, storymaker, yogi, husband, uncle, son, dog dad, friend, human.

What would you do differently from what you do now?
Probably running a yoga retreat or running some form of eco-adventure tourism. The idea of permanently being ‘on retreat’ away from the city sounds heavenly.

Who inspires you and why?
There are so many wonderful humans that I admire and have great respect for. If I had to choose one person, I would say (my husband) Gunditjmara man, Tom Molyneux, who is a daily source of inspiration and support.

Favourite holiday destination and why?
Anywhere would be great right now. But if I had to choose, there is this great gluten free bakery in Paris that I’m aching to go back to (one day!). The bread is next level. So I’d go to Paris for the bread (as well as everything else!). I am also obsessed with train travel. My trumpet playing grandfather, Col Brain worked on the railways (another thing we have in common) and I travelled on the Trans-Mongolian railway (St Petersburg to Beijing via Ulaanbaatar) a few years back, so I’d would love to do another rail adventure like this.

When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
The Great Ocean Road in Victoria is just on my doorstep, so road trip it is – to see the leftovers of the 12 Apostles, before heading north into the Otways National Park.

What are you currently reading?
The Comfort Book by Matt Haig – little vignettes of advice on how to navigate life in these times. Highly recommended!

What are you currently listening to?
Where do I begin! I have the great privilege of sharing music on ABC Classic that spans 500+ years worth of musical history. But here are a few albums on rotation for me at the moment: Gullfoss by Nadje Noordhuis, Spectrum by vision string quartet, Hope by Nat Bartsch, Love is a Temporary Madness by Vanessa Perica.

Happiness is?
Happiness is family, friends, music, yoga, food, nature, swimming, travel and being in the moment.

What does the future hold for you?
One big road trip across this great continent of ours! Stardust + The Mission (double bill) is touring right across Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and Western Australia – so I can’t wait to see more of this incredible country and sharing these two Australian stories with so many people.


Joel is the Co-Writer / Performer (with Tom Molyneux) in Stardust + The Mission – which is touring nationally in 2022 to over 35 venues across Australia including: Chapel off Chapel (Melbourne), Lighthouse Theatre Warrnambool, Riverside Theatres Parramatta, Theatre Royal Hobart, Civic Theatre Newcastle and Capitol Theatre Tamworth. For more information, visit: www.thespacecompany.com.au for details.

Image: Joel Carnegie – photo by Caleb Plumridge