Last week radioinfo shone the spotlight on breakfast in Sunraysia with Amber and Billows.
At the time Billows was on extended leave overseas leaving Amber to hold the fort. As mentioned, normally it’s common practice for breakfast show talent to take a break at the same time.
But we’ve managed to track him down in the US to see how his answers stack up against Amber’s asking first what he misses about his on-air partner.
“Amber’s probably my best friend in Mildura, so I definitely miss her. We share anywhere from 30 to 50 hours a week together, and it’s uncommon for us to go 48 hours without seeing each other, so to head to the other side of the world for over a month is pretty crazy!”.
Did you think twice before putting in your leave form?
“I think it’s 5 weeks in total that I’m having off, and in radio I recognize that’s pretty insane, but the last time I had a holiday (not just time off, an actual holiday), was about 6 years ago. My foot in the radio door was 4 years ago in Broome WA at Spirit 102.9, so any time I took leave there I’d just go back to Melbourne to see friends and family. It was always great fun, but I was really just going back to my old life for a week or so at a time.”
“…although some would argue 2 years in Broome was a bit of a holiday anyway!”
“And I needed one more big trip before I conceded I’m a grownup with a mortgage and responsibilities. All that being said, I can’t see myself ever taking a break from radio this long again”.
We asked Amber what annoys her about Billows and after much thought she said, “… well sometimes he goes all ‘big brother’ and I’m like ‘I’ll do what I want and he’ll totally agree with that.”
This is where we get to see whether they are on the same page, Billows?
“Amber is my family, I’m very protective of her. She’s like my little tattooed sister! Haha. So I hope there’s something my little buddy looks up to me for.”
Snap!
It’s only fair to ask what annoys you about Amber?
“Amber’s pretty hard not to like. Even when she’s being annoying she’s pretty damn endearing. All that being said, she’s bloody noisy at times! She’ll tell you how much she dislikes a song, and will then proceed to belt it out like she’s on stage at Wembley! I’ve seen her try harmonizing with ads for pubs. She once told me she’s a good rapper because she kept up with Ed Sheeran. Haha.”
The duo has been nominated for an ACRA in the Best On-Air Team category (country & provincial) 2015 but will Billow’s be back in time for the awards?
“So far I’ve been to New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Niagara Falls, and Toronto. Still to come is Ottawa, Montreal, Boston, Memphis, New Orleans, Nashville and Los Angeles…It’s a pretty exciting trip, but I’m very pumped to get to the Gold Coast in October!”
Do you think Amber will be able to adjust when you come back – a bit like the women whose men go off to war and when they come home they realize they can get by without them?
“Haha not sure if a booze fueled trip quite constitutes a tour of war, but I don’t think either of us will have any trouble adjusting once I’m back. We’re able to do solo radio when needed, but we enjoy ourselves so much more when we’re together. Our morning guy Silco (who is an absolute legend) is doing a couple of hours of breakfast with Amber before doing his shift, so I know Star FM breakfast is in good hands.”
