Idle Talk original series launches with Aussie rocker taking the wheel

carsales has launched a brand-new original series called Idle Talk, with episode one featuring The Rubens frontman Sam Margin – and it’s dropping on the carsales YouTube channel this weekend.

Welcome to Idle Talk – a carsales original series.

This is the TV show where no topic is off-limits, no question is too weird and some guests make jaw-dropping revelations. The secret sauce? Guests drive their own car (mostly) – and talk about their vehicular history too.

So, for our very first episode – dropping on the carsales YouTube channel this weekend – we sat down with Sam Margin, frontman of rock band The Rubens.

Sam has toured the world, supported Bruce Springsteen and Pink and his band are platinum-selling, multi-award-winning, Triple J Hottest 100 royalty.

He's commanded stages across the globe and written lyrics that hit you right in the emotional giblets.

This interview-slash-podcast goes absolutely everywhere: Music, faith, parenting, near-death experiences, boogie boarding making a comeback, meeting pop royalty, and yes – the sandwich.

We started where most good conversations do: on the road. Sam and carsales own Feann Torr drove through what can only be described as a genuinely spectacular backyard – the south coast of New South Wales – and somewhere between the rolling hills and the ocean views, the whole thing just opened up.

Sam talked about the early days of the band grinding through the US, how sharks once circled him in the water in Tahiti after gashing himself on the reef and the surreal moment he found himself standing in a room with Pink.

He also had the chance to meet Bruce Springsteen… but did he? Find out in the interview.

Then there was the story about his mate’s dad. Who, somehow, drove off a sea bridge. Three times! The story is every bit as chaotic as it sounds, and Sam tells it with the energy of someone who still can't fully believe it happened.

We hit the lightning round of questions at the end of the interview – a common segment in the new Idle Talk series – which is where things got delightfully stupid.

Would Sam join a bikie gang? Favourite sandwich? And before you ask, no, the band name has nothing to do with the Rueben.

Episode one of Idle Talk wrapped up at the beach, the dads debating whether to jump in (the answer was yes).

Sam also gave us the goods on what's coming.

The Rubens have a new album pretty much finished and landing in 2026 – and by all accounts it sounds incredible, and will be quite different to 2024’s Soda.

On top of that, there's a music documentary in the works, set to go worldwide.

“It hurts to plug stuff,” admitted the surprisingly humble rock god. That's Idle Talk. Episode one. We're just getting started.

Stay tuned to the carsales YouTube channel for a new episode every month, along with our other major series, Fuel for Thought and Out There.

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