4/10 - Yours Sincerely

Is there still a place for the pen-and-paper, posted letter?

Alison Hitchcock thinks so: when she discovered her friend Brian Greenley had cancer, she decided to write him regular letters throughout his treatment - initially as an attempt to cheer him up, and then as companionship through some of his darkest hours.

In this interview with Olly, she recalls how writing over a hundred letters to Brian helped get them both through a difficult chapter, and deepened their friendship immeasurably...

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You can find out more about them, and get tips on how to write to a friend with cancer, at frommetoyouletters.co.uk

In this week’s Lifehack, Ariele Rovati from Brewdog shares his top three tips on how to start your own microbrewery, courtesy of Squarespace. If you want to build yourself a beautiful website, simply visit Squarespace.com and use the code to 'MANN' to get 10% OFF a year's subscription.

Meanwhile, over in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart highlights lab-grown meat lobbying, wonders whether ‘Snaplications’ are the future of job applications, and previews Brian Thompson’s meta-podcast ‘Whatever Happened To Pizza At McDonald’s?’. If you want more Ollie in your life, do check out his video series, Modern Mann Extra.

And, in The Foxhole, Alix Fox reveals why DEMO might be the new FOMO, and has wise words for listener Andrew as to the best way to find a willing woman for a forthcoming threesome: “the way people are in the streets is not always how they are between the sheets!”. (If you want to check out the apps Alix suggests Andrew might use to his advantage, take a look at Feeld, Trippple, and Whiplr).

The Foxhole is sponsored by our friends at mycondom.com, who supply an incredible range of condoms, lube and sex toys. Visit their site and get 15% OFF at Checkout if you use our discount code, 'Foxhole'. If you have a question of sex for Alix, just use the Feedback form - you can remain anonymous if you wish.

Finally, our record of the week is Talk 2 Her by Toronto outfit Sam Coffey and The Iron Lungs. You can listen to all the music we’ve played this series in our Spotify playlist.

That's it for this series of the show - but we’ll be back for Season Five on the first Tuesday in June. In the meantime, do check out Olly and Producer Matt's 'other' show, The Week Unwrapped.

And, please - if you value this podcast, and independent podcasting generally, do buy us a beer - every penny we get goes back into supporting the show, and we really appreciate it. 

4/9 - The Woman Who Talks To Paedophiles

“A lot of men have sexual fantasies that they don’t necessarily like”

Dr Sarah Goode spent six years talking to, and writing about, self-defined paedophiles - grown men sexually attracted to children.

She believes, if our society were more accepting of this ‘involuntary’ sexual predilection, then more children might be protected from abuse - if the men concerned were prevented from acting out their fantasies.

In this compelling interview with Olly, Dr Goode outlines her contentious view and why she believes hysteria around predatory paedophilia ironically fails to protect Britain’s children.

She also explains why she believes the internet can be a force for good in combatting child abuse - despite the presence of online grooming, and the wide availability of child sexual abuse imagery.

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Sarah has written two academic books based on her research. You can buy them here and here. 

If you think you are sexually attracted to children, please seek professional advice. The organisation referred to in the interview is StopSO, the Specialist Treatment Organisation for the Prevention of Sexual Offending. You can find out more about them here.

If you've been affected by child sexual abuse, remember there are always people you can talk to. In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14.

Elsewhere on this week’s show, struggling vegetarian Ollie Peart previews ‘this year’s must have gas mask’ in The Zeitgeist. He also reports on one-man’s quest to be sent a year’s supply of chicken nuggets, and experiments with a new way to remove the bitterness from your coffee. You can see more from Ollie in our video series, Modern Mann Extra, or suggest a trend for a future episode via Twitter.

Meanwhile, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox, fresh from bashing up a Toyota Yaris, has advice for a listener who laughs hysterically and joyously for five minutes every time she has an orgasm - much to the confusion of her husband...

The Foxhole is sponsored by our friends at mycondom.com, who supply an incredible range of condoms, lube and sex toys. Visit their site and get 15% OFF at Checkout if you use our discount code, 'Foxhole'. If you have a question of sex for Alix, just use our Feedback form - you can remain anonymous if you wish. 

In our Lifehack segment this week, runner James Adams shares his top three tips on how to run a marathon, courtesy of Squarespace. If you want to build yourself a beautiful website like James's, simply visit Squarespace.com and use the code 'MANN' to get 10% OFF a year's subscription.

Finally, our record of the week comes courtesy of Australian alt-hip hop producer Jonti and his song Scrood. It features the guest vocals of Steve Lacy, and is out now on Future Classic records:

That's it for this week's show, but we'll be back next week with our season finale! If you value this podcast, and independent podcasting generally, please please do buy us a beer - every penny we get goes back into supporting the show, and we really appreciate it.

See You Next Tuesday!

4/8 - Having The Last Word

"You’re not dealing with death, but celebrating life"

From David Bowie to George Michael, celebrity deaths are becoming increasingly common, as the rock generation reaches retirement age. How does a paper of record go about documenting their lives?

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Simon Pearson is Obituaries Editor of The Times, and in this interview he explains how profiles of the great and the good are created - ready to be published the moment a notable name pops their clogs - and how lesser-known figures also find their way on to the paper’s illustrious pages...

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Elsewhere, Ollie Peart brings us news of meme warfare, holographic phones and animated April Fools pranks in this week’s Zeitgeist.

Meanwhile, down The Foxhole, Alix Fox is angry about ‘the world’s first smart condom’, and tackles one of the most popular questions to grace our mailbag: what do you do when your sex drive vastly exceeds that of your partner?

The Foxhole is brought to you by our friends at mycondom.com. Use the code ‘FOXHOLE’ at Checkout to get an astonishing 15% OFF!

And, in our new feature The Lifehack, Great British Bake Off winner Edd Kimber reveals his baking tips, courtesy of Squarespace. If you want to build yourself a beautiful website, simply visit Squarespace.com and use the code to 'MANN' to get 10% OFF a year's subscription.

Finally, our record of the week is ‘Lava’ by Tender Central, available to stream now thanks to Boom Ting Recordings:

We'll be back with something very similar next week - but in the meantime, if you'd like to buy us a beer, write us a review on iTunes, or send Alix your sex question, that would all be very much appreciated.

See You Next Tuesday!

4/7 - I Was A Child Soldier

"You can't even play 'Call Of Duty' until you're 18."

When he was just 14 years old, Wayne Sharrocks realised he wanted to join the Army.  Within a year, he’d begun the process of signing up to serve his country. At 18, he had his regimental cap badge tattooed on to his chest.

In this searingly honest interview with Olly, he describes how the Army broke him down and built him back up again; training him to follow orders without question and desensitising him to violence. In postings to Afghanistan he saw courage, commitment - and life-changing injuries...

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Britain is the only European country to recruit child soldiers, and Wayne now campaigns for the enlistment age to be raised. You can discover more about him, and the documentary film he’s crowdfunding, on his website waynesharrocks.com.  Thanks to Veterans For Peace for hooking us up.

In The Zeitgeist this week, Ollie Peart explains the purpose of a ‘high performance chicken’, undergoes a significant life-change, and reveals the Pervert Capital of Britain. Plus, mentions for meme make-up and Simon Amstell's new film, Carnage.

And, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox rejoices at the expansion of sex education in UK schools, and explores the world of the ‘furry fandom’ and ‘yiff’ erotic art. The Foxhole is supported by our friends at mycondom.com. Want to stock up on lube, toys or condoms? Just use the code ‘Foxhole’ at Checkout to get 15% off!

Our song of the week is the new track by Kove & Joseph J Jones - All Or Nothing:

If you enjoy what we do here at The Modern Mann, please please do support us. You can buy us a beer, write us a review on iTunes, or sponsor an episode of the show - it all helps us build our audience and keep the show on the road!

And here's an extra special gift for the truly devoted - a brand new episode of Modern Mann Extra, featuring Ollie Peart jumping into a giant ball-pond. Enjoy:

See You Next Tuesday!

4/6 - The Man Who Stole My Year

What’s it like when the person you’re closest to in the world isn't who you think they are?

‘Elizabeth’ spent a year dating a man who provided only sketchy details about his life, but ingratiated himself into her friendship circle, her family and her home.

In this interview with Olly, she reveals how it felt to discover he was living a double-life, and how it’s affected her trust ever since...

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Also this week, Ollie Peart considers whether the return of The Matrix heralds a new type of film franchise, whether Drake’s new ‘playlist’ heralds the end of the album, and whether his new favourite game heralds a return to text adventures.

And, down The Foxhole, Alix Fox enjoys a trip to the theatre and advises a listener who's unhappy that her vibrator might be 'spying' on her… The Foxhole is supported by our friends at mycondom.com. Want to stock up on condoms, lube or toys? Just use the code ‘Foxhole’ at Checkout to get 15% off!

Finally, our Song Of The Week is ‘Cease Fire’, by former Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore, available for free from thurstonmoore.kungfustore.com:

This week’s episode is sponsored by Al Philp - a listener like you. If you’d like to sponsor a future episode, either as an individual or as a commercial company, just fill in the Feedback form. Or, if you can only afford a small amount, do buy us a beer. Thanks!

See You Next Tuesday.