Greg Rust reveals top five guests as Rusty's Garage podcast hits 50
When our mate Greg Rust ventured into the gigantic pool of podcasts out there two and a half years ago we knew he’d started something good.Now the Rusty’s Garage Podcast odometer has clicked over 3 million downloads and he’s parked 50 in the collection. So which one’s are the favs? We had a chat with the great man himself to find out.
Congrats on the milestone. Who is guest number 50?
"It’s Eric Bana. I’ve interviewed him a couple of times for TV but they were just short live chats at the Australian Grand Prix. I spent over an hour talking to him for the podcast and for me he ticks all the boxes, car lover, motorbike rider and a racer….a proper enthusiast and a ripper bloke."
Any surprises in there?
"He has an old F100 that I didn’t know about that’s really cool. We cover lots of ground including the Beast – his XB Ford Coupe. And he told me he thought the script for the classic Aussie movie ‘The Castle’ was a bit of a piss take when he first read it. There seemed to be way too many similarities with life growing up in the Bana household. Moving the Camira to get the Torana out to get to the Commodore was a thing for them too." (laughs)
Has the COVID period changed the way you record the podcast?
"I’ve still been able to do a few of them face-to-face which is my preference. I just find that you can react to body language and the direction of the conversation a little more. I enjoy doing them at racetracks and in garages especially. I actually sat in a 650 horsepower Nissan Micra for the chat with Paul Radisich. Very few have been recorded in a studio. The ‘Rona’ has actually been a great learning experience. We’ve been able to get to people in lockdown or overseas by recording remotely and we’ve done it without compromising the audio experience."
So c’mon name your top five guests!
"Agghhh that’s so hard! I’m proud of ALL of them particularly the rapport with the guests. You immediately think of the big stars that have come on, like Skaifey for example, but it’s the good storytellers that stand out for me and the tales you unearth in the convo. The five I’ve picked are in no particular order...
"Mark Larkham – We literally took a few beers, sat on a log in the bush and chatted. I was crying with laughter and it really resonated with our audience!
"Neil Crompton – he’s now one of our most downloaded. Basically it was a couple of mates having a convo about bikes, cars and racing. There’s already more stories I want to ask him.
"Shane Jacobson – I knew it would be good when he turned up in his “noisy HQ” ute. He’s hilarious and a real passionate devotee.
"Casey Stoner – he rarely does this sort of thing and opened up on a battle with chronic fatigue none of us knew about. The reaction and support from his fans from all round the world was tremendous.
"Steve Parrish – the former GP rider, truck racing champion and great mate of Barry Sheene recounts some of the most entertaining yarns I’ve ever heard. How he survived I’ll never know.
"Special mention to BTCC legend John Cleland who even got dressed up in old Brad Jones Racing team kit for the chat."
What’s in store for the next 50?
"I’ve always maintained it’s an automotive podcast. It has a racer skew at times (because I love it) but I want to tackle a few lesser-known guests with incredible stories. Here’s five I’d love to get before we hit the ton.
"Daryl Beattie – he underrates his bike Grand Prix successes. He’s promised to do the pod….when he’s 70! I’ll wait. He’s that good!
"Russell Ingall – the Bathurst winner and Supercars Champion is one of the most requested along with Jim Richards.
"Magnus Walker – I interviewed him a few years back at Rennsport in Sydney. He’s a character who’s built an enormous following on socials based around his love of Porsches.
"Tony Cochrane – the former Supercars boss has agreed to come on. Maybe we better get the lawyers to double-check it before release (laughs).
"Martin Brundle – the modern day voice of F1 has driven some amazing cars from all sorts of eras and his descriptions are captivating."
You can stream all 50 (and counting) podcast episodes now via the PodcastOne Australia app, iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts from.
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