One hand on the talent

Troy Murphy is a man of many talents. He runs his own graphics company, hosts a radio show and even indulges in a little puppetry on the side.

Growing up in the Sutherland Shire as a gay twin made life quite hard at times, as well as somewhat interesting.

“My twin is gay too. As children we were quite inseparable. My brother came out when he was 18 but I was 22,” Murphy said.

“I personally went through this confused stage where I knew what I wanted but couldn’t do it because it wasn’t the norm in this area. Also my brother came out first and I was more worried about my parents and didn’t want to disappoint them.”

During his HSC year Murphy came across a community radio advertisement for volunteers and since then his radio career has branched out.

“As kids we use to listen to our tape decks and record the music. I’ve always wanted to do radio. The advert gave me all the training and I learnt to be a presenter – it’s been hell ever since.”

TheTroy Murphy Show is a weekly program and is based in the Sutherland Shire on station 2SSR 99.7FM. The four-hour show also gives budding journalists a platform to practise and gain experience.

“The show has been an evolution and I’ve got it down pat. I love to cover community events and the last major one was Mardi Gras – it was amazing,” he said.

“The main reason I did Mardi Gras was to bring it into the Shire because some people believe that it’s still stuck in the 50s with our redneck backward values – clearly evident in the Cronulla riots.”

On the side Murphy has performed as a puppeteer at various parties and street shows. Recently he was asked by gay website Generation Q to host a fortnightly show with his star Queen Miss Left Titter.

“Generation Q is a Sydney-based website but has a worldwide following. Queen Left Miss Titter is a puppet drag queen – I’m sick of the drag queen scene because the shows and performers are so boring and repetitive these days,” Murphy said.

“YouTube and MySpace have been great tools in creating interest in my puppets and even the radio show. There are no puppet drag queens out there and she looks great on camera.”

With puppet television on the horizon, Troy plans on expanding his radio show and range of puppets.

Visitwww.thetroymurphyshow.com.au and www.generationq.net.