Short.Fast.Loud: Now With 100% More Red.Beard.Josh

Triple J’s late night radio show SHORT.FAST.LOUD has boasted and supported Australian talent in the punk and hardcore community since its inception in 2004. It’s been Stu Harvey in your ears for over a decade, advocating and influencing with an open mind and relentless dedication. This week we bid farewell to our fearless captain—Stu announced his departure from the show and hands over the helm to Josh Merriel: a caffeine fueled, lighthearted insomniac with years of radio experience and a maniacal dedication to heavy music.

Mate. What was the first record you bought that you’re not willing to admit?

“The one that I’ll admit to would be Korn self-titled and Limp Bizkit’s Significant Other. In quick succession after that was Frenzal Rhomb’s A Man’s Not A Camel.”

You can’t blame yourself for loving Limp Bizkit.

“Those are the ones I’ll admit to. The one I won’t admit to is Peter Andre’s album. I was nine years old.”

OOOO MYSTERIOUS GIRL I WANNA GET CLOSE TO YOU.

“Whatever record that was on, that was the one that I bought!” [laughs]. “We were young, we didn’t know any better.”

You’ve grown up since then. Was heavy music something you picked up yourself or did you take influence from friends?

“Strangely enough—and this is true fact—the first heavy metal song I ever listened to was on Triple J’s Hottest 100 Volume 4 and it was Tool’s Stinkfist.

Fuck. What a song.

“I know, right. I had no idea what I was listening to. Also, Spiderbait’s Buy Me A Pony. I probably would have been 11 when that came out. It just blew my mind.”

Stinkfist was my first song too. I listened to the whole of Ænima and was like, ‘what the fuck is this.’

“I remember where I was when I heard my first punk song. I was in Grade 6 class room and a friend of mine was like, ‘hey listen to this’. He had gotten Punk-O-Rama Vol. 2. He played me T.S.O.L’s Code Blue. I was an 11 year old listening to a song about a dude that likes to fuck dead people.”

You turned out alright.

“All things considered, I’ve turned into a well-adjusted person. With all the dangerous chanced I had—Peter Andre indeed—I turned out okay.”

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“When I got the phone call that this was going down, I think it was the most bittersweet call I’ve ever had in my entire life. This sounds like I’m putting my tongue up Stu’s ass but since I started on radio, all I’ve wanted was a punk show on Triple J. I love everyone to death at Triple J but if I had to pick one that was never going to leave, it’d be Stu. So to get a phone call to say the show is mine BUT it’s like, ‘here’s a new puppy, but we just killed your dad’, kinda thing.”

[JOSH]

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Stu Harvey’s been the host of Short.Fast.Loud for over a decade and I remember you telling me the big dog has only ever been sick ONCE, the night that you filled in for him. Congrats on being his successor!

“When I got the phone call that this was going down, I think it was the most bittersweet call I’ve ever had in my entire life. This sounds like I’m putting my tongue up Stu’s ass but since I started on radio, all I’ve wanted was a punk show on Triple J. I love everyone to death at Triple J but if I had to pick one that was never going to leave, it’d be Stu. So to get a phone call to say the show is mine BUT it’s like, ‘here’s a new puppy, but we just killed your dad’, kinda thing.”

Well that’s what I was gonna say. Stu is kinda like everyone’s dad—What are we gonna do without our dad? In what way has Stu influenced you?

“I’ve been doing different radio shows since around the time Short.Fast.Loud started, and I’d be listening to the show to check out new bands and we just ended up playing the stuff that Stu plays. It’s about accessing genres that I wouldn’t usually. Bands like Eleventh He Reaches London-“

They are so bizarre and beautiful.

“Exactly. The textline likes to say it’s not ‘short, fast OR loud’ but it’s brilliant music. So Stu plays a lot of that broad spectrum. I love that Stu doesn’t define himself by one particular genre. That’s one thing I really take from him. I think that what it takes to appreciate music, is to be open to everything, rather than ‘I just listen to punk and nothing else.’”

Josh Merriel in his natural habitat // Photo: Neal Walters

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What do you think will be your biggest challenge as the new presenter?

“The big shoes to fill. All you gotta do is look at the Short.Fast.Loud Facebook page and Stu has posted this lovely letter—All the comments underneath are heartbroken. I had been told to keep this quite tight lipped but the look on everyone’s face when I told them was a mix of excitement and a kick in the guts that Stu is leaving. I think I’ve got a lot of work to do to prove I’m worthy of this position. I’m going to have to win over the hearts and minds of people that have been won over for the past 11 years by Stu.”

Plus the debuts and bands he supported on the show.

“All these bands are saying that ‘our band wouldn’t be who we are today without Short.Fast.Loud. I guess it’s seen as a place that the Australian music community goes in terms of everything underground, everything punk rock and heavy. He’ll play the big stuff and what people know but then he’ll play bands with a 4 track EP recorded in a garage with one mic. He isn’t afraid to play that on the air. It might be recorded like shit but it’s just as important. No one had heard of the Amity Affliction—now everyone’s heard of the Amity Affliction. It’s through the support and love of giving these bands some air play—that to me is the biggest thing about the show. It gives Australian bands a chance to be put on the map.”

Well you realise I’ll be harassing you each week and requesting Drake or something equally as inappropriate.

“Of course. I would expect no less.”

Maybe Peter Andre. Never forget where you came from.

“I’m sure my parents still have that CD somewhere.”

You should dust it off and bring it into your first meeting with Kingsmill. ‘Hey mate, I’ve got some ideas for the show…’

[Laughs] “When you get told off by Richard Kingsmill, it’s like the most politely told off way you’ve ever been told off in your life. He doesn’t yell or scream—he just kindly tells you, ‘look you fucked up kid, and this is how you don’t fuck up next time’. Thanks Kingsmill. Let’s hope I don’t fuck up.”

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Disclaimer: Josh Merriel is a Hysteria Magazine writer.