The Theme Machine

The Theme Machine Saturday morning radio program with a different theme each week - from 9am to midday

07/09/2026

On Radio Blue Mountains’ The Theme Machine, Saturday September 12 from 9 to midday, tune in for ‘Colourful Musicians’; a show comprised of 40 acts with a colour or colours in their name – not just primary colours though! It’s a follow-on to last week’s show ‘Colourful Music’; and a revamped version of a show from September 2022. Featured artists include Cream, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Redbone, Macy Gray, Deep Purple, The Lemonheads, Silverchair and Midnight Oil.
Listen like this:
89.1FM on-air, stream via rbm.org.au, or use a radio app

03/09/2026

On Saturday September the 5th on The Theme Machine with Paul Murphy Young on Radio Blue Mountains from 9 am to noon – this rebooted version of a 2022 show is called ‘Colourful Music’ and consists of 38 tracks with a colour or colours in the title – some of them pretty rare! Featured artists include Christie, Coldplay, The Cure, The Cars, 311, Frente, Billy Idol and Fools Garden.

How to hear it:
89.1FM on-air, stream via rbm.org.au, or use a radio app

27/08/2026

On Saturday August 29 from 9 to noon, tune in to The Theme Machine with Paul Murphy Young on Radio Blue Mountains for the 40-track playlist ‘The Music Of Michigan’. It is a collection of songs by musos from Michigan state, USA. Most of the artists are from the state’s biggest city, Detroit, as the intention of the show initially was to showcase the sounds of that particular city; but then I realised some were from the six-county Metro Detroit area. This felt like cheating so I expanded the premise to include several others who lived elsewhere in Michigan — and renamed the show.
Featured artists include Stevie Wonder, Alice Cooper, Madonna, The Romantics, Iggy Pop, The White Stripes, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, and Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen.
How to hear it:
89.1FM, stream live via rbm.org.au, or use a radio app

On Saturday August 22 from 9 to noon, tune in to The Theme Machine with Paul Murphy Young on Radio Blue Mountains for ‘B...
19/08/2026

On Saturday August 22 from 9 to noon, tune in to The Theme Machine with Paul Murphy Young on Radio Blue Mountains for ‘Bubblegum – The Old School’, a collection of over 60 tunes from the bubblegum era. This sub-genre of pop music was big in the charts from 1967 through ‘77. It is characterised by an upbeat sound, was marketed to appeal to kids and teens, and consists mainly of singles rather than album tracks. Acts were typically manufactured in the studio using session musicians, and most bubblegum pop groups were one-hit wonders. Bubblegum is all about fun and was never meant to be taken seriously. Having said that, the sales were certainly serious!
Featured artists include The Banana Splits, The Royal Guardsmen, The Archies, The Cowsills, The Lemon Pipers and The Cuff Links.
Tune in, in one (or more) of these ways:
89.1FM, stream live via rbm.org.au, or use a radio app

10/08/2026

On Saturday August 15 from 9 to noon, tune in to The Theme Machine with Paul Murphy Young on Radio Blue Mountains for the 42-track playlist ‘Laugh - I Nearly Died!’. This is a collection of songs — the first 32 with the word ‘laugh’ or similar in their titles; followed by a block of ten tunes featuring prominent laughter in the intro and/or in the body of the songs.
Featured artists include Supertramp, The Lemonheads, The Whitlams, The Church, The Blow Monkeys, Everything But The Girl, David Crosby and David Bowie.
How to hear it:
89.1FM, stream live via rbm.org.au, or use a radio app

31/07/2026

The Theme Machine’s show planned for Saturday the 1st of August (The No Nukes Explosive Hits Playlist) will be deferred as the presenter is unwell.
Hoping for the following Saturday 8 Aug.

29/07/2026

EDIT: On Saturday August 8 from 9 to noon, tune in to The Theme Machine with Paul Murphy Young on Radio Blue Mountains for (previously postponed from Aug 1) ‘The No Nukes Explosive Hits Playlist’, which consists of 39 tracks based on opposition to weapons of mass destruction, and in support of tunes that rev you up. I combined two shows I’ve been working on for some time, neither of which had enough songs to fill the slot, to put this one together.
Featured artists include David Bowie, Wah! Heat, Tom Jones, Psychedelic Furs, Midnight Oil and The Teardrop Explodes.
How to hear it:
89.1FM, stream live via rbm.org.au, or use a radio app

21/07/2026

On Saturday July the 25th from 9 through midday, tune in to The Theme Machine with Paul Murphy Young on Radio Blue Mountains for ‘Originals Vs. Covers Part 4’, a playlist which consists of 42 tracks contrasting initial (or most well-known) releases with notable cover versions and is, at the risk of stating the obvious, the fourth part in a series.
How to hear it:
89.1FM, stream live via rbm.org.au, or use a radio app

12/07/2026

On Saturday July the 18th from 9 to noon, tune in to The Theme Machine with Paul Murphy Young on Radio Blue Mountains for ‘Originals Vs. Covers Part 3’, a playlist which consists of 20 pairs of songs contrasting initial releases with notable cover versions, said list being yet another sequel to the previous Saturday mornings’ shows.
Listen like this:
89.1FM, stream live via rbm.org.au, or use a radio app

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