Brian Carlton

Infobox Person
name = Brian Carlton


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birth_date = December, 1962
birth_place = Australia
death_date =
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nationality = Australian
occupation = Radio Announcer, Journalist
residence = Sydney, Australia
spouse =
children =
website = [http://www.triplem.com.au/sydney/shows/thespoonman www.triplem.com.au/sydney/shows/thespoonman]
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Brian Carlton (born December, 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. He grew up in Beacon Hill, a suburb of Sydney's Northern Beaches, finishing high school in 1980. Working 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"

Carlton'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.

"Republicanism"

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 listening to music, having a considerable collection of both. He has been engaged multiple times and married at least once. He has a 15 year-old daughter.

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 after Steve Irwin's death, he raised issues concerning Irwin's treatment of animals, criticising Irwin for regularly harassing and provoking them in his documentaries. He did however merit his contribution to animal and habitat conservation at a species level. The following day, he apologised for "putting a narrow focus" on Irwin's Death and accepting that he was incorrect in believing that Steve Irwin was not seen by many people as someone of respect or celebrity in Australia, claiming that "plenty of Aussies thought he was just a wanker". He came to the conclusion that he was incorrect for saying these comments the following day after he received hundreds of emails and SMSes stating the opposite.On September 12 2008 it was announced by radionews.com.au [http://www.radionews.com.au/news.php?extend.659] that Carlton had joined ABN Newswire to present online audio podcasts aimed at the corporate market.

External Links

* [http://www.triplem.com.au/sydney/shows/thespoonman Spoonman Homepage on Triple M]
* [http://www.spoonmanfanclub.zxq.net Spoonman's Forking Fan Club]

See Also

*The Spoonman
*Triple M