14/6 - Sex, Sobriety and Rock & Roll

“Can we value the artist? Can we put wellbeing above partying?”

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Booze, drugs and music are deeply intertwined - from the beers given to bands in their ‘riders’ to the excessive consumption facilitated by festivals and after-show parties.

For music promoter Chris De Banks, consuming up to thirty pints a day had become typical behaviour. In the fug of his addiction, he lost jobs, friends and self-respect.

Following rehab in 2016, he founded Not Saints, the UK’s only record label working with musicians in recovery from addiction.

In this candid conversation with Olly, Chris traces his problem drinking back to childhood, discusses methods for the music industry to clean up its act, and celebrates the artists he’s supported through their drug and alcohol recovery.

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Olly Mann and Chris De Banks,

June 2023

In the feature you’ll hear clips from Not Saints artists Ella Hayes, Mishkin Fitzgerald & The Chemical Perils, Phil Mac, and our record of the month, ‘Pedestal People’ by Little Tealeif👇

If you or someone you know thinks they may have a problem with drugs or alcohol then speak to your GP or contact your local Drug and Alcohol Services who will be happy to help and offer more guidance.

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Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart, inspired by the likes of YouTube sensation Odd Tinkering, is attempting to restore some retro tech.

His weapon of choice is a 1980s Philips AM/FM radio, picked up for a fiver in a Westcountry market - but, with a little help from Google Nest - can he make it ‘Smart’?

If you have a trend you’d like to challenge Ollie to investigate in a future epsiode, fill in the Feedback form.

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Elsewhere, in the Foxhole, Alix Fox unboxes the Womanizer Wave - the first ever shower head that doubles as a sex toy. (Well, the first one to do so officially, anyway…)

Her listener question of the month is from an anonymous MannFan who considers himself straight… and prefers to be in a relationship with women… but enjoys sexual encounters with men on the side. Is he simply bisexual, or … is he ‘heteroflexible’?

With assistance from integrative counsellor and psychotherapist Anthony Davis, and Vaneet Mehta, author of ‘Bisexual Men Exist’, Alix unpicks the pride, shame and stigma of queer categorisations - and explains why, for some people, it’s important to define their place on the sexuality spectrum with a specific label.

If you have a question of sex you’d like Alix to answer, fill in the Feedback form. You can remain anonymous if you wish.
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… And we’ll see you again on July 10th!

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11/1 - The Mum Who Gave Up Drinking

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“I thought everyone else was able to cope with alcohol, and I was the only one who couldn’t”

Clare Pooley gave up a booze-fuelled job in advertising - complete with a bar in the office and a massive expenses budget - to be a full-time Mum to her three kids.

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But as she left the ladette lifestyle behind, she didn’t find herself drinking any less. In fact, she was polishing off ten bottles of wine per week, as she tells Olly in this confessional, compelling conversation...

Clare’s book, ‘The Sober Diaries’ is out now, and her blog Mummy Was A Secret Drinker and Facebook page SoberMummy provide support if you’re looking to give up drinking. Clare also recommends Club Soda and Soberistas.

Meanwhile, for this month’s Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart has been digitising the Prime Minister and trawling through clips of Olly on The Alan Titchmarsh Show to create a terrifying ‘deep fake’ hybrid. Is misinformation the future of news? And can AI services like Lyrebird and Resemble contribute something positive to the world of podcasting?

If YOU would like to suggest a trend for Ollie to test out, fill out our Feedback form now.

Elsewhere, Alix Fox kicks off the one hundredth edition of The Foxhole with THE perennial penile puzzler: can pumps or pills give you greater length and girth down-below?

She meets the man behind one of the world’s most popular extenders, and considers whether, sometimes, size concerns aren’t just about ‘locker room syndrome’, but may be a healthy expression of kink. 

If YOU have a question of sex for Alix to answer in a future edition of the show, just fill in our Feedback form - you can remain anonymous if you wish.

Music this episode comes from Cavetown, with his charming song ‘Things That Make It Warm’; indisputably our first record of the month about birds building nests:

Remember, The Modern Mann is an entirely independent podcast, funded in part by your generous donations. If you’ve enjoyed our first one hundred episodes for free, and can afford to give financially to the show, follow the links 👇. Thanks!

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See you for our next edition on 1st Feb.

Happy New Year!

This episode is sponsored by Thriva, the health-tracking finger prick blood test you do at home. Get 50% off your first kit by visiting Thriva.co and using the code Mann50.

6/10 - The Truth About Clean Eating

‘Any health claims connected to coconut oil have no basis in fact’

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Are you doing 'Dry January'? Experimenting with gluten-free snacks? Or stocking up on 'superfoods'?

If so, Anthony Warner warns, you are, in fact, building up a damaging relationship with food, and should probably stop it, now...

In this insightful interview with Olly, he takes on the bad science of the 'clean eating' movement, explains the reality of 'anti-oxidant' blueberries, and will make you think twice before you ever cook in coconut oil again.

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Elsewhere in our season finale, Ollie Peart - the man who predicted we’d all be wearing flared velvet by now - predicts the year ahead in this week's Zeitgeist: from metallic hair to Bitmoji, taking in backwards-looking technology and the threat of increasing earthquakes along the way.

And, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox - dismayed yet galvanised by a recent set of STI statistics - is on hand to advise a listener who wants to explore whether her husband should find sexual salvation with a transexual woman. (The Foxhole is sponsored, as ever, by our friends at mycondom.com - head on down now to their JANUARY SALE - and get 15% OFF when you use our discount code, Foxhole.)

Meanwhile, our Lifehack this week comes courtesy of our very own Producer Matt, who offers up his Top 3 tips to make a successful podcast. (Oh, and if you're inspired to create a podcast of your own, check out Lifehack sponsors Squarespace.com - they make it easy to create beautiful websites to support your show, like, er, this one!)

Finally, our record of the week is Shiva by new act Azusena, out now on Fiction Records:

Thanks to the sponsors of this week's show, Tenga. Their excellent new electronic toy for men, the Flip Zero EV, is out now. (If you'd like to sponsor a future episode of the show, be in touch!)

That's it for this season of The Modern Mann. We'll be back for a brand new series from Tuesday February 27th: if you have an idea for a future episode, be in touch. We are only able to continue to make the show thanks to your generous support - so, if you can afford to, please please buy us a beer. Every penny goes back into making the show.

See you in the Spring!