http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/rob-pegley/ Rob Pegley used to be a carefree freelance writer in the UK almost two decades ago, and thought he was pretty good at it. His money went on beer, books, CDs (plus the odd cassette), and more beer. Life was fairly one-dimensional, but it was a dimension he was very comfortable with. Then he became a full-time sub-editor on a magazine, then a deputy editor, then an editor – each time he took a step up he could afford more books, more CDs and more beer, but a tiny part of his soul died. He won an award as the British Society of Magazine Editor’s Specialist Editor of the Year in the late nineties, and that was enough to swing him a job in Australia. He keeps the award near his desk to let people know that he was once quite talented. He was previously editor of Alpha, Australia’s biggest selling men’s monthly, and among his claims to fame are lending Warnie a pair of socks for a photoshoot, sharing a urinal with John Howard at the Dally M’s, and buying Anthony Mundine a steak sandwich. He is now Group Publisher of the Men’s Specialist Division with News Magazines, where he manages 13 titles (lucky for some) including Alpha, Australian Golf Digest and Big League. These days his money is spent on books, iTunes (plus the odd CD), and three gorgeous, but surprisingly brand-savvy young children. Painfully aware that The Punch is awash with insightful opinion about politics and world news, Rob is hopeful that he can pass of his rambling anecdotes as ‘lifestyle writing’. Like many writers on the site, he wrote his own biography in the third person and in a fairly self-deprecating way. He would be absolutely livid if someone else had written this about him. en Copyright 2013 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/liking-television-doesnt-make-me-a-vacuous-idiot/ UPDATE 10.30am: The author is in a panic following the release of a study this morning that showed watching television can result in early death. As a confessed hypochondriac who persistently frets about dying he is now considering his future and will discuss his position tomorrow on The Punch. I love television. Absolutely, bloody love it. And I have a real distrust of people who say, “I don’t really watch television”. I’m convinced that I detect a smug sneer as they say it. My Pavlovian reaction to anyone who says this is to immediately picture the person – and I swear this is true – in a wood-panelled drawing room, sat with their partner in high-backed leather arm chairs, either side of a big old-fashioned radiogram, smiling serenely at each other. Sometimes the female of the pair is engaged in some sort of embroidery. I have no idea where this mental picture comes from, but I guess it may be some weird visualisation of my inverted snobbery trying to puncture their television condescension at the first whiff I get. (Not sure what this all means psychologically, but I’m sure Dr Phil would know). feedback@thepunch.com.au (Rob Pegley) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/liking-television-doesnt-make-me-a-vacuous-idiot/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/liking-television-doesnt-make-me-a-vacuous-idiot/#item2131 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:00:04 +0000 Rob Pegley | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/turn-the-baby-monitor-off-before-you-argue/ I’ve decided to use my latest post as research for a book I’d like to write. It’s called 101 Things They Don’t Tell You About Being A Parent. It may be called 1001 Things – if I get enough responses. Please help me with your UGC (user generated content) below, as I have three hungry mouths to feed. The baby books give you plenty of details about the birthing process. There are volumes dealing with baby/toddler/infant illnesses and the symptoms to look out for (different books for different stages, in fact). There are books that explain how to raise your child to be happy. Others explain the nuances of raising boys. Or alternatively, of course, girls. There are even books explaining how to get your sex life back on track when, frankly, you’re too tired to masturbate. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Rob Pegley) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/turn-the-baby-monitor-off-before-you-argue/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/turn-the-baby-monitor-off-before-you-argue/#item2088 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:35:04 +0000 Rob Pegley | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/confessions-of-a-hypochondriac/ “Just because I’m a hypochondriac, it doesn’t mean I’m not ill”. Sick, clichéd, but true. In my stronger moments I can be rational about my health, and even laugh at my anxiety around it; but when my head and heart start racing, I desperately hope that those feelings of impending doom are just feelings… I can’t remember when I first started worrying about my health, but I was always the sort of kid who missed things because of ‘tummy aches’. I didn’t fake them; I just seemed to worry enough until I genuinely felt ill. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Rob Pegley) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/confessions-of-a-hypochondriac/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/confessions-of-a-hypochondriac/#item2052 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:55:14 +0000 Rob Pegley | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-wife-and-2.4-tattoos/ When did everyone suddenly get tattoos? And marginally more sinister, why do I want some? I’m in my early forties, married with three children, and suddenly I have a yearning for three hours worth of ink-work on my upper arms. What gives? Maybe I’ve watched too much rugby league. Perhaps it was being surprised at what nice lads those brothers from Good Charlotte were on their recent visit (and they’re covered in the stuff). Or maybe the constraints of my fortysomething life have lead me to believe that defiling myself would be some sort of rebellious act. Whatever the catalyst, I’ve had a paradigm shift in my view on tattoos. In particular with reference to whether they should appear on my body somewhere.  I grew up in England in the working class, naval City of Portsmouth, where tattoo parlours were plentiful and usually sheltered menacingly under railway arches; their windows covered in wire mesh. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Rob Pegley) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-wife-and-2.4-tattoos/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-wife-and-2.4-tattoos/#item1960 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:35:14 +0000 Rob Pegley | Author bios | The Punch