I don't want to come across as kind of brash, but having asperger syndrome, I can recall the top ten hits on any given Australian chart of the 1980s. Just name the week, and I'll knock out the top ten hits. Since age ten in 1978, I've compiled my own weekly top 40 every week, right up to July 2000. My recall knowledge though is about late 1979 through to about 1992.

I went to do a tafe course in 2008, and my music instructor picked up on my unique talent, as he himself had a son with Autism. He tested me out, as so did some of the teachers and students. They were all amazed, and started raising money, and put on a barbeque for raising money for getting me down to melbourne on RocKwiz.

Through the process, I met Glenn A Baker, who himself declaired me as the new pop brain of the universe, he was totally spun out about my knowledge. All this was shown on the SBS doco "rainman goes to rockwiz". I then went onto rocKwiz, and appeared on the episode with Max Merritt and Kathy Britt in late October 2008.

I bought my team to victory, and through the recording of the program, got my team to a huge lead, but because the show has a casual feel about it, they had to cut out the part of the show were I had such a big lead, to keep the flow of the show more natural.

This doco came about, because I've been looking for paid work since leaving school in 1988. Though I've done several courses and work experiences, and even now, running my own internet radio station live (http://www.2prfm.com), basically no boss wants to touch me with a ten foot pole, because they are too paranoid I might be too much like Dustin Hoffman in "Rainman"

Anyway, I wrote a letter to Madeline Hawcroft and Mark Scott. With it, I threw in my resume, a certificate of distinction in Music Industry Studies, with both the DVDs of RocKwiz and the Doco. That was back in May. I made some follow up phone calls, and though they got the letters, they said they would get back to me. After more phone calls, I finally got a letter back in November from Rage, that though they like my application, they was no way they could employ me. This is despite me knowing the top 40 charts inside out from the retro period.

So in the end, if Rage won't even employ or listen to a "top 40 chart" expert on music, I hate to say this goes to show how full of them selves the Rage programming team are. They love their own personal picks, and as far as they are concerned, everyone else can like it or lump it.

I'm sure you'd be an asset to Rage - their research is quite dodgy at times (e.g. adding 'THE' to bands like Divinyls and Eurythmics, but dropping it from band names where there is actually a 'THE', such as The Sisters of Mercy - despite us telling them this multiple times on the guestbook/forum; and placing INXS's 'The Loved One' video amongst the videos from the Kick album, when it was released 6 years earlier). I guess Rage are looking for people who have been trained in TV/film production though? And even then, there'd need to be a job vacancy to fill, which they may not have at the present time. I'm not sure what the qualifications/requirements needed would be - though I'd love to work for Rage myself.

I have a fairly good memory for music trivia like chart peaks, chronological order of releases, and so on, but could not repeat the top 10 for any given week - that's impressive!

It sounds like we would make a good team. I've read many of the comments on this forum over the last few years, and like many of the other guys on here, I've become frustrated with most of the junk Rage shows, and how I would like to see more Countdowns and Flashez episodes.

Okay, so there is a independent culture within the ABC, and I don't hold that against those who like that stuff, and triple J, I just get really grilled off how there is so much of it, and virtually little to no 70's and 80's chart pop stuff.

One of the proposals I put forward in my letter was for me to program a rage retro show on ABC 2 on Friday and Saturday nights. I would not only program in Countdown and Flashez, but countdown revolution, and anything that was 70s 80s.

I would then on the following night program in the entire top 40 from this week in a given year. Say for example we are talking 1981. If I had the job, I would program in the top 40 songs from this week in January 1981.

What would of been fun, is me checking this board out for suggestions, and actually putting them to air. I guess in the end, suggesting anything to the ABC is like preaching to the converted.

Just on a side note, can anyone remember that short show they had before the 7:00 news back in the eighties. It was called "Five", and used the intro of Abba's "One of us". They would play one music video, then go to the 7:00 news. I remember watching it often from 1983 to about 1986.

I'm afraid to get a job at rage, it would be who you know and not what you know. What you know will come way down the track. Maybe your knowledge of music would freak out the current staff there and intimidate them. In my late teens/early 20's, my dream job was to work at rage and compose the weekly Top 50. I was always glued to the end credits when rage finsished and was very envious of those people, thinking what a job!

WOW... Mark, rage are threatened by peopel like us who have extrme knowledge and complete and utter passion for music.

I can imagine the people who work at rage... YES, they ahve listened to us quite a bit in the last few months and that is great, BUT.... the actual Episodes rage have played of Countdown and Rock Arena are SO good because they are all our suggestions.

Imagine without our suggestions what on earth would be played this January> It just shows by the yawn worth Music Video's rage are playing in between Episodes on Saturday night this January.


A REAL SHAME Mark!

> Imagine without our suggestions what on earth would
> be played this January

Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Nick Cave, JJJ acts and their ilk . Don't get me wrong, I like each of the aforementioned in small doses, but Rage seemed to get stuck in a grunge/'alternative' rut in the early 90s and hasn't fully recovered.

It makes me to see posts on the forum like the one recently stating they've gone too commercial . If anything they need to become *more* commercial with their selections on a Saturday night throughout the year... though they've given a nod to pop a little more than usual in the last 2 years.

Hi Mark,
I think you mean 'Take Five'. It took over from 'Videodisc', which was taken off the air, because too many older people called up the ABC, to complain about the rock music before the 7.00pm news. I think it too was taken off for the same reason.

Hi Mark,
I saw your documentary on television first and then, an episode of Rockwiz with you on TV two years ago; it's lead me to attend Rockwiz Salutes The Bowl, appear in this special episode of the show about the 50th anniversary of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl and lead my team to victory at the Bowl in Melbourne a year later which it was last year, have you seen me in Rockwiz Salutes The Bowl on TV before? I have autism.
Cheers.
Nicholas

No Nicholas, I haven't seen your appearance, do you have it up somewhere on a youtube channel or something? I would love to see it. I unfortunately still think that Asperger's is greatly misunderstood by society.

I've been doing a live test with my radio station for just over three weeks now (http://www.2prfm.com), and have sent four press releases to the local papers; all of which detailed in depth about the program schedule and what the station is about. An article finally appeared in the local rag last tuesday. 90% of it was about my Asperger's, and only the last two lines was about my radio station.

It seems the general community is still totally freaked out about AS, and not in tune with what our capabilities are. I just find it a shame, and when reading the article, it just carried on so negatively about the condition, i was really annoyed. I rang back the journalist responsible, and told her some constructive criticism.

Hi Mark,
Rockwiz Salutes The Bowl is on DVD and you can find it in any music shop or other retailer or in Dymocks website at www.dymocks.com.au and ordering it.
Thanks.
Regards,
Nicholas

The Rainman Goes To RocKwiz episode of RocKwiz is being repeated tonight. I may have to check it out as I didn't see it last time.

Hi Guru Bob!
Just found out its not Rainman Goes To RocKwiz screening tonight,its the RockWiz episode Mark was a contestant on.However,I'd love to see Rainman...get a DVD release.Thoroughly enjoyed it when it was first screened.
Hi Mark!
What are the chances of Rainman..being released on DVD?

I'm pretty sure that it was Russell Kilbey , Steve Kilbey's brother and formerly of mid eighties band, The Crystal Set, who was the Tafe teacher who encouraged Mark to go on RocKwiz and made the film.

Correct me if I'm wrong, Mark....