This excerpt from Today with Brian White on 2GB radio, Sydney was broadcast on 13 August 1973, a few days after Lillian Roxon’s death. Roxon was a regular American correspondent for the show covering music, culture and news.

The raw grief and shock evident in White’s delivery of this solemn eulogy underlines the gravity of her loss. Wanting her work to receive the attention it deserved he convincingly asserts that she was ‘part of the force that actually shaped life in New York and through that eventually the life of the rest of the western world’.

White goes on to mention some of her diverse group of famous friends – Liza Minnelli, Helen Reddy, Germaine Greer and David Frost.

This is a good example of the sort of memorable specials typically broadcast after a person’s death. Later in the show, White speaks to a number of other friends and colleagues of Roxon, including Derryn Hinch. 

Someone did indeed write a book about Roxon’s life but not until 2002 – Robert Milliken’s Mother of Rock: The Lillian Roxon Story. This was followed by the documentary Mother of Rock: Lillian Roxon (Paul Clarke, Australia, 2010).

The cover image of this title is a photograph of Roxon taken in 1955, courtesy of the family of Lillian Roxon and the book Mother of Rock: The Lillian Roxon Story by Robert Milliken (Black Inc 2002).

Notes by Beth Taylor

It’s obvious from this recording that Lillian Roxon prides herself on being able to identify which acts will make it big. Her friend Helen Reddy topped the charts in 1972 with her women’s liberation anthem ‘I Am Woman’.

Even the title of this piece reveals Roxon's love for Helen Reddy’s music – with the subtle but insistent assertion that if you haven’t already heard of Reddy then you are surely about to.

In accordance with the style of New Journalism Roxon inserts herself into the narrative explaining her personal connection with Reddy and how much she loves her music. However, ever the clear-eyed critic (even with friends), she doesn’t miss the chance to register her disapproval of the fast arrangement of ‘I Am Woman’.

This engaging mixture of subjectivity and objectivity enhances the trust between Roxon and her listeners. She leaves you with the impression she’s a fiercely passionate fan and someone who’s going to tell it how it is.

Reddy credits Roxon with giving her the idea to write ‘I Am Woman’. Roxon’s influential article about the 25,000-woman march marking the 50th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the US appeared on the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald on 28 August 1970.

It began ‘This is the hardest piece I have ever had to write in my life … I am supposed to be telling it briskly and factually and without bias. Fat chance. I’m so biased, I can hardly think straight.’ She goes on to say ‘Mainly, I think, what women want is to be taken seriously. Being a woman has always been a bit of joke. Women don’t even take one another seriously.’

This is an episode of the radio show Discotique – a two-minute ‘daily newscast from the world of music’ produced in 1971 and syndicated on 250 radio stations in the United States.

Reddy's song 'I Am Woman' was added to the NFSA's Sounds of Australia in 2009.

Notes by Beth Taylor

This report about an Aretha Franklin concert is in a more familiar straight style of music journalism, where we experience a concert through the eyes and ears of the critic.

Writer and presenter Lillian Roxon manages to give the report her own eccentric flavour by going into detail about the ‘strange décor’ at the venue and dissecting the line-up order of the show.

Roxon’s background in writing for tabloid audiences is evident in her remarks about Franklin’s hair and clothes, but then she deliberately fleshes out her critique with more air time given to how Aretha’s performance makes the audience feel.

Roxon’s tastes were very eclectic and it’s obvious from her passionate delivery that she remains a music fan as well as a critic.

At the start and finish, Roxon skilfully delivers the necessary embedded advertisements for Brightside Shampoo in deadpan fashion before changing register as if she’s talking to a friend and getting down to the real business of her report.

This is an episode of the radio show Discotique – a two-minute ‘daily newscast from the world of music’ produced in 1971 and syndicated on 250 radio stations in the United States.

The cover image for this title is from an Atlantic Records publicity photo of Aretha Franklin. Staring straight at the camera with a look of regal confidence, this image brilliantly reinforces her image as the Queen of Soul.

Notes by Beth Taylor

Lillian Roxon boldly declares ‘I love [David] Bowie’.

Seamlessly interweaving criticism, fandom, wit, gossip and personal narrative, journalist Roxon is a fine storyteller. This anecdote about Angie Bowie biting her on the right bosom paints a vivid picture of the contemporary rock scene for Australian listeners, placing Roxon at its epicentre.

Roxon also compares David Bowie and Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones in this excerpt from a 2SM radio interview in Sydney, recorded about six months before she died.

Used with permission from the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney.

The cover image for this title is from 'David Bowie, shooting his video for "Rebel Rebel" in AVRO's Top Pop (Dutch television show) in 1974'. Published under Creative Commons 3.0. Author: AVRO (Algemene Vereniging Radio Omroep in the Netherlands).

Notes by Beth Taylor

'Lillian was a brilliant, brilliant writer' - Ian 'Molly' Meldrum pays tribute to Lillian Roxon's place in the history of music journalism.

Roxon's friend Aviva Layton describes her talent and her ability to multitask while writing and still produce perfect copy.

This is an excerpt from the documentary Mother of Rock (Paul Clarke, Australia, 2009) about Roxon's life and work.

Notes by Beth Taylor

There is no pretence at journalistic objectivity in this report by Lillian Roxon about John Lennon and Yoko Ono ‘mingling with the citizens’ of New York. From her decisive ‘Well, it’s about time’, Roxon asserts her approval.

She recounts the famous couple’s wanderings about town, from shopping for antiques with Andy Warhol to seeing David Peel and the Lower East Side, a group that only performs in parks.

In accord with the style of ‘New Journalism’ popularised in the late 1960s and 70s, Roxon inserts her opinion into the story by saying, ‘The news that John was out and about was the best I’ve had in years’. Her personal but authoritative delivery adds to the sense that we are hearing news as it happens from a trustworthy source.

Watch and listen to clips about John Lennon and The Beatles in The Beatles curated collection.

This is an episode of the radio show Discotique – a two-minute ‘daily newscast from the world of music’ produced in 1971 and syndicated on 250 radio stations in the United States.

The cover image for this title is from 'John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono on their honeymoon in Amsterdam held a press conference in the Hilton Hotel' (1969). Published under Creative Commons 1.0. Photographer: Eric Koch.

Notes by Beth Taylor

Famous for her hit predictions, Lillian Roxon thinks that Bette Midler – the Divine Miss M – is 'going to be so big, I can't stand it'. It’s a delightful turn of phrase and encapsulates Roxon’s enthusiastic position as both fan and confidant to the stars.

Being an Italian-Australian living in America gave Roxon a unique outsider’s perspective. She enjoys Midler’s very American expression ‘it’s the pits’ and takes pleasure in sharing it with an Australian audience.

This was recorded in February 1973. Midler had released her debut album in December 1972. Roxon describes Midler to Australian audiences as a cross between Barbara Streisand and Tiny Tim. Unafraid of a barbed comment she then cuts down Carole King and James Taylor as being dull and says she doesn't know what's wrong with Elton John.

In this excerpt, an unidentified journalist interviews Lillian Roxon for radio station 2SM in Sydney. The interview took place around six months before she died.

Used with permission from the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney.

The cover image of this title is from The Mike Walsh Show in 1980 courtesy Mike Walsh AM, OBE Hayden Productions. You can see an excerpt from Better Midler's hilarious interview in the Mike Walsh Show curated collection.

Notes by Beth Taylor

Restaurant and music venue Max's Kansas City in New York City was legendary in the 1960s and 1970s. Max’s back room was Lillian Roxon's second home, with rock writer Loraine Alterman describing her as the ‘Dorothy Parker of Max’s Kansas City’.

Alongside her friend, record executive Danny Fields, Roxon presided over the comings and goings of famous stars including Andy Warhol and his Factory entourage, David Bowie, Judy Garland, Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground, Candy Darling, Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, The B52’s, Mick Jagger, Janis Joplin, Tim Buckley, Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe.

Considered the birthplace of punk, glam rock and pop art, it was a place where gender-bending, poetry, art, rock, pop, reggae, folk and new wave music all coalesced. Poet William S Burroughs called Max’s ‘the intersection of everything’.

Many acts got their break at Max’s. Bruce Springsteen, for example, performed there early in his career with Bob Marley & the Wailers. Debbie Harry waited on tables at the restaurant before she became the famous face of Blondie.

In this excerpt, an unidentified journalist interviews Lillian Roxon for radio station 2SM in Sydney. Roxon talks up her beloved venue for the benefit of Australian listeners, proudly showing that she is at the epicentre of American music culture.

Used with permission from the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney.

The cover image for this title is from 'Patti Smith - Patti Smith at Winterland, San Francisco, 13 May 1978'. Published under Creative Commons 2.0. Photographer: Stephen L Harlow.

Notes by Beth Taylor

Lillian Roxon’s friend and colleague Derryn Hinch reflects on her talent and legacy during a broadcast of Today With Brian White on 2GB in Sydney on 13 August 1973, just days after Roxon’s death.

He calls her ‘a free spirit’ and ‘ahead of her time’. The two worked together as journalists in New York in the early 1970s.

It is obvious from the emotion in Hinch’s voice and the way his anecdotes about Roxon run together that he is still in shock from her death. This conversation is made more emotional by interviewer Brian White also having a personal connection to Roxon. Both regarded her highly and wish for her to be remembered as a significant voice in journalism.  

Hinch comments that Roxon was becoming increasingly fed up with the drugs and violence that had become part of the rock scene. The drug-related deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix in 1970 and Jim Morrison in 1971 particularly upset her.

Roxon wrote a weekly music column for the Sunday New York Daily News. With Australians far away from Roxon’s main fan base in America, Hinch is keen to point out her popularity and influence, remarking that she received thousands of letters every week from music fans.

He also asserts her talent for understanding the importance of cultural trends – such as writing about the flower children movement in 1966 and '67 when other mainstream journalists weren’t taking the influential counter-culture seriously.

The interview is interesting because Hinch touches on several aspects of Roxon’s life, work and passions. He mentions what has become a central story about Roxon, relating to her antagonistic friendship with Australian writer Germaine Greer.

Greer famously dedicated her 1970 feminist classic The Female Eunuch 'to Lillian, who lives with nobody but a colony of New York roaches, whose energy has never failed despite her anxieties and her asthma and her overweight [sic], who is always interested in everybody, often angry, sometimes bitchy, but always involved …'

We’ll likely never know what Greer intended by her comments, but Roxon was livid and her friends defend her to the end.

The intermittent beeps audible in the recording signify that this was a long-distance call and were not uncommon in radio phone interviews in the 1960s and '70s.

The cover image of this title is a photograph of Roxon at the launch of her book Lillian Roxon's Rock Encyclopedia (1969), courtesy of the family of Lillian Roxon and the book Mother of Rock: The Lillian Roxon Story by Robert Milliken (Black Inc 2002).

Notes by Beth Taylor

In this report about female rock groups Fanny and Pride of Women, Lillian Roxon’s passion for the advancement of women in rock shines through.

They don’t get an easy ride though; here she defends her lack of enthusiasm for Fanny’s first album with her fabulous trademark no-nonsense approach: ‘their album was pleasant enough, but lightweight’.

Although she’s quick to express her opinion, Roxon is refreshingly humble enough to admit when she’s wrong and that she is not above changing her mind about Fanny’s music after speaking with the band.

This is an episode of the radio show Discotique – a two-minute ‘daily newscast from the world of music’ produced in 1971 and syndicated on 250 radio stations in the United States.

The cover image for this title is a publicity image of Fanny in 1973. Courtesy fannyrocks.com. The band image would have been arresting at the time for only having women in the line-up. In every other way it is typical of a publicity image of bands from the 1970s. You don't get much of an idea of their music due to the absence of their instruments but their clothes hint at a rocky but relaxed vibe.

Notes by Beth Taylor

Lillian Roxon asks provocatively, ‘Have The [Rolling] Stones changed?’.

Her delivery is lightning fast so she manages to cram in details of the band’s personal lives, various controversies and an appraisal of their latest record, all in two minutes.

She goes from provocateur back to avid fan – her voice softens as she concludes that their latest record has been ‘beautifully, carefully done, but it’s still the Stones. I hope they always stay that way.’

This is an episode of the radio show Discotique – a two-minute ‘daily newscast from the world of music’ produced in 1971 and syndicated on 250 radio stations in the United States.

The cover image for this title is from 'Mick Jagger in Den Haag (1976)'. Published under Creative Commons 3.0. Photographer: Bert Verhoeff.

Notes by Beth Taylor

‘The most exciting people in music are the writers at the moment’, says rock journalist Lillian Roxon boldly in 1973.

In this audio clip, an unidentified journalist interviews Lillian Roxon for radio station 2SM in Sydney. The recording was made around six months before she died.

She name checks fellow music journalists Jon Landau, Lester Bangs (who wrote for Creem and Rolling Stone magazines), Richard Meltzer (who some believe to have invented rock criticism), Lenny Kaye (who also appeared in the Patti Smith Group) and Ed McCormack.

Used with permission from the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney.

The cover image of this title is a photograph of Lester Bangs and Lillian Roxon, courtesy of the family of Lillian Roxon and the book Mother of Rock: The Lillian Roxon Story by Robert Milliken (Black Inc, 2002).

Notes by Beth Taylor

Lillian Roxon champions ahead-of-their-time band The Velvet Underground and lead singer Lou Reed, who is about to strike out on his own. Lou Reed was a regular at Roxon's New York haunt Max's Kansas City so the two knew each other well.

The report shows her ear for talent and position at the vanguard of '70s rock, as her comments about Reed’s future success as a solo artist proved accurate.

Amid an entertaining, fact-filled history of Reed and the Underground, Roxon drops some beautifully eloquent appraisal of Reed’s ‘sinister, cynical and yet strangely poetic songs’.

She breathes equal depth of feeling into her one-word summation of a new Velvet Underground live album as simply ‘cosmic’.

This is an episode of the radio show Discotique – a two-minute ‘daily newscast from the world of music’ produced in 1971 and syndicated on 250 radio stations in the United States.

The cover image for this title is from 'Velvet Underground' (1968). Photographer: Billy Name. The effortless, underground cool of the band is exemplified by this dynamic image of its members.

Notes by Beth Taylor

Known as ‘the Mother of Rock’, Lillian Roxon effectively presents herself here as being at the epicentre of music and culture in New York City in the 1970s.

Fifteen years older than Iggy Pop (lead singer of proto-punk band The Stooges), she deliberately highlights her mature perspective, referring to him as a boy in the report.

Youth culture often wasn’t being taken seriously at the time but Roxon acts here as a passionate advocate and tour guide, inviting listeners to become believers in the The Stooges' music and Pop’s powerful mode of performance.

Her skilful writing deliberately provokes shock by invoking religious language as she provocatively asks audiences if he is the silver messiah – albeit a ranting, spitting one covered in baby oil and glitter. Pop was a regular performer at Roxon's New York haunt Max's Kansas City so the two knew each other well.

Roxon’s bold writing style and clear, concise delivery makes it a pleasure to listen to her opinions about well-known rock figures.

Decades on, it is still arresting to hear a woman speak with such confidence and authority, especially about the largely ‘man’s world’ of 1970s rock. Roxon was truly ahead of her time.

This is an episode of the radio show Discotique – a two-minute ‘daily newscast from the world of music’ produced in 1971 and syndicated on 250 radio stations in the United States.

The cover image for this title is from 'Iggy Pop, October 25, 1977 at the State Theatre, Minneapolis, MN'. Published under Creative Commons 2.0. Photographer: Michael Markos.

Notes by Beth Taylor

Lillian Roxon is out to correct some misconceptions about Peter Allen’s music in this report. She is a passionate advocate for his new album, with 12 songs that ‘tear into your emotions like barbed wire’.

In dismissing his previous, ‘very showbiz’ appearances on late-night TV, Roxon is speaking as one with her hip, rock-loving audience but urging them to give Allen’s new solo music a chance like she did.

Her critique carries power because of the obvious sincerity behind it; you can hear in her voice that this album has moved her greatly, even without her saying ‘this is a very important album and everyone should listen to it’.

Roxon’s enthusiasm inadvertently accentuates her Australian accent, never clearer than on ‘love and marriage shouldn’t be like a horse and carriage’. Roxon was the first female Australian foreign correspondent in the US for the Sydney Morning Herald.

In addition to writing the seminal Lillian Roxon's Rock Encyclopedia (1969), she also wrote for US publications such as Mademoiselle, New York News, Go Set and Sunday News.

Born in Italy, Roxon's family came to Australia when she was five years old. She moved to New York in 1959 and lived there until her death in 1973.

This is an episode of the radio show Discotique – a two-minute ‘daily newscast from the world of music’ produced in 1971 and syndicated on 250 radio stations in the United States.

The cover image for this title of Peter Allen is courtesy National Library of Australia. Allen's song 'I Still Call Australia Home' was added to the NFSA's Sounds of Australia in 2013.

Notes by Beth Taylor

Fond of a pun, Lillian Roxon’s background as a tabloid journalist shows in the headline for this radio story, ‘Has Jim Morrison Closed The Doors?’.

This piece is a fine example of Roxon’s seemingly effortless ability to impress listeners with the depth of her knowledge about the history and interconnections within the world of rock, even in this short two-minute format.

Turning name-dropping into an art form she manages to highlight the connections between diverse figures such as Jim Morrison, writer Richard Goldstein, photographer (and her ex-best friend) Linda Eastman (later Linda McCartney), Beatle Paul McCartney, television personality Ed Sullivan and singer Judy Collins.

Her role as a friend and confidant to the stars, in conjunction with her confident delivery, succeeds in creating the impression that she is the gatekeeper to all the behind-the-scenes gossip – including what Morrison is up to now.

Her writing style is very down to earth and conversational which is a reminder that she is first and foremost a fan of underground music and wishes to keep in touch with what other music lovers are into.

Morrison died in Paris on 3 July 1971, just months after this story was recorded.

This is an episode of the radio show Discotique – a two-minute ‘daily newscast from the world of music’ syndicated on 250 radio stations in the United States.

The cover image for this title comes from a promotional photo of The Doors. Photo: Elektra Records-Joel Brodsky. This is an iconic image of The Doors and became all-the-more-so after Morrison's untimely death at the age of 27. The character of the band, along with Morrison's slightly unhinged look and confident sexual appeal, are evident from the image.

Notes by Beth Taylor

In this editorial about the trouble with album covers, Lillian Roxon is clearly addressing her audience as one rock fan to another (‘You can say it’s irrelevant, but you know and I know that it isn’t’).

She sets out her list of demands – mainly to do with giving fans as much ‘vital’ information as possible (remember this is pre-internet) about a band or artist.

She uses wry humour in her diatribe, saying that if record people think it insults their listeners to spoon-feed them with too much information, then ‘you can insult me any time’.

This is an episode of the radio show Discotique – a two-minute ‘daily newscast from the world of music’ produced in 1971 and syndicated on 250 radio stations in the United States.

The cover image of this title is a photograph of Roxon taken in 1965, courtesy of the family of Lillian Roxon and the book Mother of Rock: The Lillian Roxon Story by Robert Milliken (Black Inc 2002).

Notes by Beth Taylor

In this brief but brilliant round-up Lillian Roxon speaks with a sense of urgency – talking at a mile a minute in order to review albums and mention acts she hasn’t had time to focus on in her radio series.

This episode is interesting for showcasing her great ear and enthusiasm for both new and established talent. Enduring names mentioned here include Leonard Cohen and Ravi Shankar.

Listeners who have come to trust Roxon’s recommendations are treated to an insight into her personal taste when she confides that fellow Australians The Easybeats are her ‘all-time private favourite group’.

It’s personal asides like this that leave audience members feeling like they are friends of Roxon’s, or members of her exclusive club.

Lillian Roxon delivered witty, insightful copy in her print journalism, so she was well suited to the world of radio where you need a new piece every day on a different topic.

In reference to her book Lillian Roxon’s Rock Encyclopedia, Craig McGregor wrote in the The New York Times , 'Like Oscar Wilde, what she writes is but a pale imitation of what she says: her life is her art, man. She has a rare wit, Muhammad Ali reflexes, and an insatiable craving for experience at whatever cost.'

This is an episode of the radio show Discotique – a two-minute ‘daily newscast from the world of music’ produced in 1971 and syndicated on 250 radio stations in the United States.

The Easybeats' 'Friday On My Mind' was added to the NFSA's Sounds of Australia in 2007.

The cover image for this title is from 'The Easybeats (VARA TV, The Netherlands), 13 August 1968'. Published under Creative Commons 1.0. Author: Eric Koch.

Notes by Beth Taylor