Brian Carlton
Brian Carlton | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 December 1962 Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation(s) | Radio Announcer, Journalist |
| Website | www.triplem.com.au/sydney/shows/thespoonman |
Brian Carlton (born December 28, 1962) is an Australian Radio announcer and journalist.
Biography
Brian Carlton was born in Australia on the 28th of December, 1962 into a Catholic household. Brian Carlton finished high school in 1980. Working in several jobs, including a bank manager. he didn't become involved in radio until he was about thirty. Carlton has worked on a number of Sydney radio stations, including 2UE and 2GB, In the on air presenting and producing roles. He currently works on Triple M network as a talk back presenter, using the moniker The Spoonman.
Views and opinions
Religion
Brian was born into a Catholic household but chose to become an atheist. He is a strong endorser of Richard Dawkins' book, The God Delusion.
4-Wheel-Drives & Owners
Brian's hate of SUV Type 4-wheel-drives has been shown regularly and is often a segment brought up on his current radio program. Often he says that they are acceptable for off-road vehicles but on the difficult city roads of the city they are overkill, especially of those who drive and attempt to control them as if they were a normal sedan.
Advanced Driver Training
Brian is a huge fan of Advanced driving courses and wants every "L Plate driver" to do a defensive driving course before they even get out on the road. He believes that this would ensure that they would learn what a car can do in a safe environment, rather than on the road.
Cyclists
Carlton has regularly criticised cyclists, saying that they should be made to have a licence plate and registration just like other road users so that they can be easily identified on the road.
Baby Boomers
Carlton has on occasion cited a dislike for baby boomers. Such an attitude arises from his belief that baby boomers are selfish and only care about themselves, not caring for the future generations.
Brian is a strong supporter for the change to non monarchist government in Australia, himself being an ambassador for the 1999 republic on the matter. He believes a head of state, voted by a 2 third majority in parliament would ensure that the leader would not show bias politically, hence would less likely be a politician. Currently, the Australian representative of the monarch, the Governor General is simply chosen or confirmed by the Prime Minister, needing not to discuss who would be the Governor General with anyone according to the constitution.
Interests/Personal Life
Carlton has a keen interest in reading books and music, having a considerable collection of both.
Criticism
In August 2005, he was criticised after discussing the suicide attempt of the then-leader of the NSW Opposition John Brogden. He described his method, wrist-cutting, as 'half-arsed' on his radio program.
In September 2006, on the evening of Steve Irwin's death, he raised issues concerning Irwin's treatment of animals, criticising him for regularly harassing and provoking them in his documentaries. He also claimed that "plenty of Aussies thought he was just a wanker". Although he has made similar statements in the past, the timing of this incident led to public outrage (including callers abusing him on the air and reported death threats sent by e-mail and SMS). The statements were retracted the following day, due to the high number of people that were offended by the comments.