Antony Green on Take 5: Meet the music-lover behind the numbers

Australia Broadcast Center

02-05-2025

Millions of Australians know Antony Green AO as "that election guy", "the number cruncher" or maybe even by his official title, ABC's chief election analyst.
But after more than 30 years, Green is
Over that time, he's become one of the ABC's most trusted on-air figures, respected by the public and politicians alike for his impartiality, attention to detail and ability to interpret real-time data and translate it into accurate electoral predictions.
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A drawn hand touching a record on a bright orange background with 'take 5' in white large letters over the top
Green has
An avid-music lover, Green is, perhaps unsurprisingly, full of trivia, facts and anecdotes about music history and the stories behind his picks — which include tracks from rock bands Traffic and The Pretenders, as well as a solo track from Buzzcocks' Pete Shelley, an early cut from Simple Minds and inescapable 90s hit 'Things Can Only Get Better'.
"I do dig back [now]," he says. "I'm one of those people who knows every bit of detail of the Beatles records and 60s stuff, who was in what band. That sort of stuff interests me."
Antony Green's Take 5 songs:
Traffic — The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
The Pretenders — Up the Neck
Pete Shelley — Telephone Operator
Simple Minds — I Travel
D:Ream — Things Can Only Get Better
He's also fascinated by the technical elements of music as much as its end sound, whether that be Pete Shelley's electronic turn post-Buzzcocks, what he calls the "Dusseldorf doof doof" of Kraftwerk, or simply the process of tuning a piano.
"Two of my regrets in life: one, not learning [another] language, and two, not learning any musical instruments," Green says.
"I go on YouTube and watch people explain why this song works, or that song works. Why does this key change really sound fantastic to the ear? That sort of stuff fascinates me."
He does admit that his taste tapers off after 1990, though down-tempo French duo Air are an exception.
"That's just an age thing," he says.
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A life-long love affair with music
Green arrived at Take 5 with his credentials at the ready — rocking an original 'exploding heads' jumper from triple j's launch in 1981.
"Because it's covered with all these lines all over the place, it was a great thing to wear if you had to clean the bathroom or paint," he laughs.
"It still fits, yes."
Green also remembers listening to Double J's
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"It was a couple of years later I became a more regular listener," he says. "There was lots of the comedy stuff in the morning, which I didn't always get. It was
But he credits the station with helping him broaden his tastes — though he leans towards the Euro-disco, New Wave sound.
"I'm always taken by a track which has got a rhythm," he says.
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ABC election analyst Antony Green Election
The ABC's election guru reflects on the past 36 years at the national broadcaster in the final days before covering his last big poll on-air.
Does this mean Green was clubbing back in the day?
"No, I wouldn't have gone to many dance parties over the years," he says.
"I think the last one I went to was somewhere in London in about 1996… Dannii Minogue sang and Kylie Minogue was presenting or something, and I [was] thinking, 'Why am I here?'
"I'm from that era before everyone just got into a groove and you had this beat going, and people would mix tracks in and out. My partying time was before that; you might actually stop between songs. They wouldn't necessarily try and mix them together in the same way that became so popular."
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Nowadays, Green says listening to music — albums in full — is one way he relaxes. Another is cycling. He has multi-week rides through Southern Portugal and Andalusia in Spain planned for later this year.
And on Saturday night, after he calls the election, there's no rest or Dusseldorf doof doof planned.
"I might have one drink," he says.
"I'll be very boring for the party afterwards."
Take 5 with Zan Rowe airs each Friday at 10am, with new podcast episodes each Friday morning.