To Australians of a certain age, Adam Spencer will always be the guy from the Triple J breakfast show. For six years from 1999, he and Wil Anderson started their day with the national youth broadcaster, before Spencer went to helm that prime-time slot on 702 ABC Sydney.
Outside his radio gigs, Spencer is a self-described maths geek who has written seven books on the endless possibilities of numbers. He is also big on science, an interest that will come in handy when he tours the country with US astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson in July. The pair plan to discuss spacey topics like the likelihood of discovering other life on other planets.
In his downtime, Spencer keeps busy with his “favourite toy” – a bench press rack he installed during lockdown. Here, he tells us why he’s dedicated to actually using his gym kit, as well as the story of two other important personal belongings.
What I’d save from my house in a fire
I have a cabinet in my living room where we keep some crystalware and very fancy plates. When I was growing up, it was the “china cabinet” and we were regularly sanctioned by Mum and Dad if we went near it. “Don’t you touch the china cabinet. That’s where the good stuff is!”
After Dad died and Mum moved into a new, smaller apartment, she was going to get rid of it. I borrowed a van, wrapped it in blankets and commenced a precarious 90-minute drive. Only once I’d installed it safely in my house did Mum bother to mention it had been a wedding gift for her and Dad, making it all the more sentimental. It would be a bugger to get out in a fire but I’d give it a real crack.
My most useful object
During lockdown, I installed a serious bench press rack in my garage. It’s certainly my favourite toy right now and if I use it diligently, I think it will be really important.
Photograph: Adam Spencer
Now, I’m nowhere near the chiselled Adonis types you see strutting their stuff down the beachside promenades in summer but I love taking an hour now and then to throw some steel around.
The research suggests that when people get older, they don’t exercise enough and if they do they tend to walk, maybe swim but they stop working on their strength. I’m really committed to holding a little bit of form in this area for as long as I can.
Plus I’m recently married, which means I’ve gone and got myself a 15-year-old stepson. I can’t wait to bond with him over deadlifts.
The item I most regret losing
This one hurts. When I was in year five, I went to a new school, which involved catching a bus. There was a bookshop near the bus stop and I’d save up my 50 cents pocket money every week. Once a month or so, I’d buy the latest Doctor Who book. I had them all: the Daleks, the Cybermen, the Pyramids of Mars. I accumulated about 50 books.
When I moved out of home, I junked them and 25 years later, my eldest daughter went through a major Doctor Who phase. I can still remember the pang of regret when I realised I couldn’t bring down a dusty old box and bequeath her my Time Traveller library.
Adam Spencer is touring Australia with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson in July
