There are so many interesting people involved at Radio Blue Mountains both behind the mic and behind the scenes, that we thought we’d share their stories here on the RBM website.
Misha Laurent presents The Blue Mountains Vinyl Collective every Thursday afternoon on Radio Blue Mountains and has a thoroughly interesting back story. Read on; c’est génial.
Q: Hi Misha, thanks very much for taking the time out to speak with us.
A: the pleasure is mine.
Q: Let’s get straight into it Misha and start with your background. I think I’m right in saying that you’re a French man living in Australia.
A: Not completely.
Q: Okay, so where were you born and where did you grow up?
A: I was born in France, in Cannes to be more specific and grew up in Paris, Lausanne and Munich.
Q: And what was life like as a child?
A: pretty good
Q: What was your favourite Saturday afternoon activity as a teen in France? Were you out playing sport or were trawling record shops, playing sport, getting into trouble?
A I was getting into trouble to be honest.
Q: Coming from European schooling, are you competent in more than the 2 languages of French and English? Did you study many languages at school?
A: A minimum of two languages was compulsory, but a big part of my teenage education was also done in Munich where I learned German
Q: What’s the thing about France that you miss most?
A: I miss the culture, the food and the history.
Q: Do you automatically call France “home” when you refer to it in conversation?
A: Paris is my home. Ledru Rollin metro station.
Q: What about right now (June 2026) with Les Bleus and the Socceroos about to participate in the 2026 World Cup. Which country will be the focus of your attention?
A: I support the French team in international games.
Q: When, and how, did you come to Australia, where have you lived and how did you end up in the Blue Mountains?
A: My father immigrated in the late sixties to Australia from Europe and met my mother who also had immigrated from Germany. They both then left to go back to France for a job that my father had taken in the south of France and so I was born there with Australian citizenship. I first arrived in Australia in 2000 just before the Olympics and after nine years spent in The Northern Rivers, I was offered to set up design and open the Leura Garage (Restaurant).
Q: I didn’t realise that you’d been at the Leura Garage. But I knew that you are now the owner operator of 8 Things Restaurant in Katoomba. Is the restaurant inspired by your travelling experiences?
A: many people asked me this question, it actually came to me one day while watching the chef’s tables on Netflix, all the chefs there would travel to France gain experience in techniques and then go back to their respective countries and apply those techniques to their traditional food. Not really Being French or German nor Australian, I was wondering what story I could tell. That is when it came to me to curate my travels cooking around the world and creating this street food menu.
Q: Did you “chef” your way around the world and eventually call Australia and the Blue Mountains home?
A: Yes I’m calling the Blue Mountains home, I was lucky to travel and cook across Southeast Asia at a very young age, and then I spent a couple of years in Canada and England.
Q: You’ve been moving around! Speaking of moving, let’s move on to music. Can you remember the first record you bought?
A: To be honest, I can’t really remember the first one I bought because I bought so many and such a long time ago
Q: What French artist should we be listening to but are not aware of?
A: i’m not sure what you’re aware of, but I would definitely say Serge Gainsbourg
Q: OK. Let’s move on then and talk about this Blue Mountains vinyl Collective? When did you form the Collective and how does it work?
A: The Blue Mountains Vinyl Collective has been set up just a few months ago, after taking a 15 years hiatus from the music industry because of focusing on the hospitality side of myself, I felt rejuvenated and felt that the people I know who are buying records might not automatically communicate and know each other other. So the idea is basically to create a community because the Blue Mountains is blessed with a huge amount of deep record collectors. From there I felt it would be good to start a radio show on RBM89.1FM to invite those collectors in, and introduces to their story, which I’m really interested in. Therefore I thought other people would be interested too. The Blue Mountain Vinyl collective will also be sponsoring certain events that is Vinyl .
Q: What’s your most precious vinyl record at the moment?
A: If you mean precious to my heart, it would be a record that my mother‘s giving me when I was starting up and that would be sign of the time by Bob James, and precious in the monetary sense, I guess my collection of Fela Kuti.
Q: And is there a Holy Grail vinyl record out there that you would love to get your hands on?
A: There are many of them, but just to name one would be Friday Night by Livy Ekemezie going for A$2777.
Q: Wow! I’ll buy two.
Tell me, are you obsessive about first issues over re-releases?
A: I am not obsessive about that but if I can find an original at a decent price I would rather buy that over a re-issue. Buying re-issues is okay for me as long as it has been mastered properly.
Q: Coming back to the Blue Mountains now, when do you think you first became aware of RBM? And how did it come about that you became a presenter at the station?
A: A first became aware of the Radio Blue Mountains through Willhem from Retro Rehash who invited me to his show around 2011 but don’t quote me on that year. I’m not sure exactly but it was quite a while ago. I think for me, it is about my passion for music and wanting to share it with people.
Now, like all of our interviews Misha, it’s time for some rapid-fire questions and answers – a quick question and a quicky one or two word reply. Ready?
A: sure
Q: Vinyl or Cassette?
A: vinyl
Q: Johnny Halliday or Johnny O’Keefe?
A: Johnny Halliday, all day
Q: Joe Le Taxi or Joe Camilleri?
A: none of the above
Q: MC Solar or the MCG?
A: Solaar
Q: 8 Things Katoomba Fried Chicken or Coronel Saunders Kentucky Fried Chicken?
A: Katoomba Fried Chicken
Q: PSG or WSW?
A:PSG
Q: Favourite night out 30 years ago?
A: Love Parade Berlin
Q: Favourite night out today?
A: the Vault opening party
Q: Favourite Film?
A: Killing Zoe
Q: Favourite Drink?
A: Bourbon and Coke
Q: Favourite holiday destination?
A: Italy
Thanks very much for giving us your time, Misha. One last thing which I ask everyone
Q: Complete this sentence “If I won a million bucks tomorrow I would . . . . “
A: Buy a house
Thanks very, very much Misha.
RL.