Jane Gazzo is an Australian television presenter, radio presenter, performance and club DJ, television personality,

voice artist Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...

, author, and

music journalist Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

Early life and education

Gazzo was born and raised in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

and is the daughter of a Melbourne clothes designer. She graduated from

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria a ...

with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media and Cinema."Jane Gazzo On How To Forge An Enduring Career In The Music Biz"
, ''Pedestrian Daily'', Australia, 5 September 2013.

Career

Early career in Australia

It was in her mature teenage years that she joined

3RRR 3RRR (pronounced "Three Triple R", or simply "Triple R") is an Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. 3RRR first commenced broadcasting in 1976 from the studios of 3ST, the student radio station of the Royal Melbourne Institut ...

Radio in Melbourne, presenting a Sunday afternoon (4pm-7pm) new music show called ''Calamity''. She also began contributing stories to the UK's ''Q'' magazine and Dolly Australia under the name Calamity Jane. She later became well known as a result of her national radio and TV shows, including

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...

radio's ''Super Request'' and

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

's live three-hour Saturday morning program, '' Recovery''. It was on this TV show that she interviewed some of the world's biggest international bands as they toured Australia. In 1992, Gazzo formed a punk band, "Rubher", as lead singer. They released 2 EPs through

Mushroom Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival M ...

before disbanding in 1996. In May 2018, Jane reformed the group for a one-off show with

The Mavis's The Mavis's were an Australian rock band formed in Ballarat, Victoria, in 1987. Founding mainstays are Becky Thomas (a.k.a. Beki Thomas, Beki Colada) on vocals and keyboards, her brother Matt Thomas on guitar and vocals, and Andrea Vendy on drum ...

.Cashmere, Paul
"Jane Gazzo Is Reforming Her Old 90's Punk Bank Rubher"
''noise11.com'', 19 March 2018. (includes band videos) In 1998, she recorded with Australian band

Underground Lovers Underground Lovers (sometimes stylised as undergroundLOVERS), are an Australian indie rock and electronic music band. The founding mainstays are Glenn Bennie (guitar, vocals) and Vincent Giarrusso (vocals, guitar, keyboard) who had formed the g ...

, under the Japanese pseudonym "Mitsuame"; covering Can's 1976 song " I Want More" (from their album, ''

Flow Motion ''Flow Motion'' is the seventh studio album by German rock band Can. It was released in October 1976 and features the UK hit single " I Want More". Recording and production Recording sessions for what would become ''Flow Motion'' began at Can' ...

'')

UK (1999–2007)

Gazzo relocated to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England in 1999, sharing a flat with

The Prodigy The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboard player and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and singer Keith Flint and dancer and occasional ...

founding member and former dancer Sharky. In London, she first worked at numerous jobs, including a summer at the

Rough Trade Rough Trade may refer to: * Rough Trade Records, a record label *Rough Trade (shops) Rough Trade is a group of independent record shops in the United Kingdom and the United States with headquarters in London. The first Rough Trade shop was o ...

record shop, promotions at

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a world ...

and DJ'ing at ''

Alan McGee Alan John McGee (born 29 September 1960) is a Scottish businessman and music industry executive. He has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for ''The Guardian''. He co-founded the independent Creation Records label, r ...

's Death Disco''. In 2000 she became a presenter on the London radio station

XFM Radio X is a British National commercial radio station focused on alternative music, primarily indie rock, and owned by Global. Radio X launched in 1989 as a pirate radio station, a licensed London-wide station in 1997 and nationally in 2 ...

(Weekend Breakfast). Her time there included a three-week stint producing

Russell Brand Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian and actor known for his flamboyant, loquacious style and manner. Brand has received three British Comedy Awards: Best Newcomer (2006), Best Live Stand-Up (2008), and the award for ...

on-air before he was sacked by the station for bringing in a homeless man. She later joined its parent station Capital FM, presenting the Capital Top 30 Album Chart Show and The Rock Show. Gazzo made her UK Television debut in 2001 presenting an eight-part music series called "Play Loud" on

BBC TV BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

channel

Play UK Play UK was a television channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom as part of the UKTV network of channels. Play UK broadcast all day on the digital platforms, but on the Sky Analogue platform on the Astra 19.2°E satellite system it broadcast ...

. In 2001 she also briefly worked for

Courtney Love Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, her career has spanned four decades. She rose to prominence as ...

, sharing a London house with the former Hole lead singer. Her presenting work has also led to involvement with charities. In February 2006 she hosted the first ever

Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organization. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...

"Rock Memorabilia" auction at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music ...

, helping to raise £130,000. She joined

BBC Radio 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

in 2002, and presented Jane Gazzo's Dream Ticket from June 2004 to September 2005, as well as other BBC Radio 6 Music shows and specials. In a May 2005 article in The Independent (UK), Jane Gazzo's Dream Ticket radio show was mentioned in a characterisation of BBC Radio 6 Music as "The best thing is Dream Ticket, where you imagine you're at some of the greatest gigs ever". In December 2005, she returned to BBC Radio 6 Music, presenting various music shows. In 2006 Gazzo presented pre-recorded music shows on VH-2 TV in the UK as well as the "Download" in-flight radio show on

Emirates Airlines Emirates ( ar, طَيَران الإمارات DMG: ''Ṭayarān Al-Imārāt'') is one of two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates (the other being Etihad). Based in Garhoud, Dubai, the airline is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group, whic ...

(described as "the best modern rock and alternative from some of today's top bands").In January 2007 she joined

Rockworld TV Rockworld TV was a British television channel which featured rock music, and was aimed to highlight "underground" lifestyles and artists. It broadcast on Sky Digital ch. 378, and also streamed content online. Officially it was only on the air fr ...

, presenting and interviewing various artists. Gazzo also reported from important

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or ho ...

s and award shows in the UK, including Glastonbury Music Festival, Reading Music Festival, the

Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

, the

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

Awards, the NME awards and the Mercury Music Awards, and in 2004 she was invited to be a judge at the

Sony Radio Academy Awards The Radio Academy Awards, started in 1983, were the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. For most of their existence, they were run by ZAFER Associates, but in latter years were brought under the control of The Radio Academy ...

. She also DJ'd at various festivals and venues around the UK including

All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the song came from Reed's observation of Andy Warh ...

music festival in

Camber Sands Camber Sands is a beach in East Sussex, UK, in the village of Camber, near Rye. It is the only sand dune system in East Sussex, and is east of the estuary of the River Rother at Rye Bay stretching to just beyond the Kent border, where shi ...

as well as Death Disco,

Camden Lock Camden Lock is a small part of Camden Town, London Borough of Camden, England, which was formerly a wharf with stables on the Regent's Canal. It is immediately to the north of Hampstead Road Locks, a twin manually operated lock. The twin loc ...

, Keston Lodge,

Latitude Festival The Latitude Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Henham Park, near Southwold, Suffolk, England. It was first held in July 2006 and has been held every year since, apart from 2020, when it was cancelled due to the COVID-1 ...

and Defectors Weld venues in London.

Australia (2007–present)

In May 2007 Jane returned to Australia to join

Foxtel Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...

music

Channel V Channel '' ("V" standing for the letter, not the Roman numeral "5") is a Chinese and former Asian pay television musical network originally launched by Star TV Hong Kong (now Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific). It was part of the unit of Disney ...

as daily presenter and VJ. She co-hosted the whatUwant daily request show, as well as artist and festival specials. Her first major broadcast for Channel was presenting the network's

Live Earth Live Earth was an event developed to increase environmental awareness through entertainment. Background Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, ''Live Earth'' was built upon the be ...

coverage from

Sydney Football Stadium The Sydney Football Stadium, commercially known as Allianz Stadium and previously Aussie Stadium, was a football stadium in Moore Park, Sydney, Australia. Built in 1988 next to the Sydney Cricket Ground, the stadium was Sydney's premier recta ...

on 7 July 2007. She has also presented from the

Homebake Homebake was an annual Australian rock festival, featuring an all-Australian lineup (with the occasional artist from New Zealand). The festival was first held on 3 January 1996 at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, on the far north coast of New S ...

festival,

Splendour in the Grass Splendour in the Grass (commonly referred to as Splendour) is an annual Australian music festival held at the North Byron Parklands in Yelgun, New South Wales. Since its inauguration, the festival has also been held in various locations near ...

, the

ARIA Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austra ...

red carpet,

Sound Relief Sound Relief was a multi-venue rock music concert held on 14 March 2009, which was announced by the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby on 24 February 2009. The event was organised by Michael Gudinski, Michael Chugg, Amanda Pelman, Joe Segreto & To ...

and the

Big Day Out The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typically in January of eac ...

. From late 2010, Jane became a co-host on Channel s ''

The Riff ''The Riff'' was an Australian music video request television show that aired 6 days on Channel hosted by Billy Russell, Danny Clayton, Carissa Walford Carissa Walford is an Australian TV presenter, actress, journalist and producer. Ea ...

''. She shared the presentation job with Danny Clayton, Billy Russell and

Kyle Linahan Kyle Linahan is an Australian musician and TV presenter. Linahan was discovered while starring in the lead role of a Marist College production of ''The Story of Motown'' at the age of 14. He was signed to Warner Music at the age of 16 and spent ...

(later replaced by Carrissa Walford.) The programme was broadcast weekly on Saturday mornings. She also hosted the daily music news programme "WTF" three times a week. In June 2012, Gazzo moved to Max, a 24-hour music platform on

as a full-time host and VJ, presenting countdowns and interviews. In February 2015, Jane became morning presenter on

Triple M Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 40 radio stations broadcasting a mainstream rock music format and 5 digital radio stations. The network dates back to ...

in Melbourne. She also hosted the national Australian music show "Homegrown" and the syndicated celebrity show "My Generation". After 3 years, Gazzo left the station to concentrate on freelancing media work. In August 2019, Jane was chosen as the opening DJ for

Hugh Jackman Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian actor. Beginning in theatre and television, he landed his breakthrough role as James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine in the 20th Century Fox ''X-Men'' film series (2000–2017), a role ...

, on the Melbourne leg of his Australian concerts at

Rod Laver Arena Rod Laver Arena is a multipurpose arena located within Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The arena is the main venue for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the calendar year. History Replacing the ...

, playing six shows as his main

support act A opening act, also known as a warm-up act, support act, or supporting act, is an entertainment act (musical, comedic, or otherwise), that performs at a concert before the featured act, or "headliner". Rarely, an opening act may perform again a ...

. In 2020, Jane hosted weekly music program '' The Sound'' on the ABC under the tutelage of the late

Michael Gudinski Michael Solomon Gudinski AM (22 August 1952 – 2 March 2021) was an Australian record executive and promoter who was a leading figure in the Australian music industry. Born and raised in Melbourne to Jewish Russian immigrants, Gudinski formed ...

Other activities

From 2015 until 2020, Gazzo served on the board of management for government youth organisation The Push.The Push website
(Archived 14 July 2019) In 2017, she was appointed Chair of the Music Advisory Board for the Australian Music Vault at the

Arts Centre Melbourne Arts Centre Melbourne, originally known as the Victorian Arts Centre and briefly called the Arts Centre, is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the central M ...

Selected publications

Gazzo's first book, a biography of Australian singer

John Farnham John Peter Farnham Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (born 1 July 1949) is a British born Australian singer. Farnham was a Teen idol, teen pop idol from 1967 until 1979, billed then as Johnny Farnham, but has since forged a career as an Adu ...

, ''John Farnham: The Untold Story'', was released in February 2015 through

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

. Her second book, "Sound as Ever! A Celebration of the Best Decade in Australian Music 1990-1999" was released in September 2022, through Melbourne Books, co-authored with music journalist Andrew P Street.

Awards

In June 2011 and 2012 Gazzo was nominated for Favourite Female Television Personality at the 9th & 10th Annual

Astra Awards The ASTRA Awards were the annual awards for the Australian subscription television industry. According to the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA), the awards "recognise the wealth of talent that drives the Australi ...

. In August 2018 and 2019 Gazzo, along with co-host Phil O'Neil was nominated for an ACRA award for Best Syndicated Radio Program for 'My Generation' on the

network at the 30th and 31st ACRA's. , - , 2019 Australian Women in Music Awards , Jane Gazzo , Music Journalist Award , , - , 2021 Australian Women in Music Awards , Jane Gazzo , Music Journalist Award ,

Music video appearances

Appearances in music videos include: *(1991) 'Hell Hoping' –

The Welcome Mat The Welcome Mat was a four-piece Australian indie rock group which formed in Sydney in 1989, and broke up in January 1997. Throughout the early-to-mid-1990s, their songs "Last of the Great Letdowns", "Cake", "Landspeed", "10,000 People", "Hell ...

*(1992) 'Spirit of Man' –

The Truth The Truth may refer to: Film * ''The Truth'' (1920 film) starring Madge Kennedy * ''The Truth'' (1960 film) or ''La Vérité'', a French film by Henri-Georges Clouzot starring Brigitte Bardot * ''The Truth'' (1988 film), a Hong Kong trial crim ...

*(2016) 'Down Like Flies' –

Scott Darlow Scott Darlow is an Australian singer, songwriter, guitarist, didgeridoo player and public speaker from Melbourne, Victoria Biography Darlow was born in Melbourne, Australia to Salvation Army parents, the second of four children, Darlow move ...

*(2018) 'Don't Lose It' –

The Living End The Living End are an Australian punk rockabilly band from Melbourne, formed in 1994. Since 2002, the line-up consists of Chris Cheney (vocals, guitar), Scott Owen (double bass, vocals), and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 199 ...

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gazzo, Jane BBC Radio 6 Music presenters British radio personalities British radio DJs British women radio presenters British women journalists British music critics British women music critics Australian television actresses Triple J announcers 1977 births Living people Television personalities from Melbourne Australian people of Italian descent Australian people of Sicilian descent Australian television presenters La Trobe University alumni Australian music critics Australian women music critics Australian women journalists Australian music journalists Australian VJs (media personalities) Australian women radio presenters Australian women television presenters