3/6 - I Was An Islamic Extremist

Terror, Radicalism and 'Celebrating' 9/11

What's it like to be radicalised? How do young British men set out to murder their fellow citizens in the name of 'jihad'? And, once committed to that course, can there ever be a route back?

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Former extremist Adam Deen spent much of his youth as a member of Al-Muhajiroun, the notorious terrorist organisation lead by Omar Bakri Muhammad. For years he believed in the foundation of a UK Islamic state, and was prepared to participate in whatever course of action his leader said was necessary to achieve that goal.

In this extraordinary interview with Olly, he recalls his journey into Islamic extremism, considers the cost for his loved ones, and warns against future generations following his lead.

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Adam is nowadays the Managing Director of The Quilliam Foundation, a think tank aiming to challenge extremist narratives while advocating pluralistic, democratic alternatives. Find out more about their work here.

Elsewhere in the episode, Ollie Peart considers 'anti-tech tech' start-ups Pause and Distractagone in this week's Zeitgeist, predicts a Winter trend for men's ballet-wear, and the death of 'inspirational' wall-quotes. Say it's not so? Keep Calm and Carry On, folks...

And, down The Foxhole, Alix Fox considers the terminology of 'queer' porn, has some useful advice about where (not) to store your rubbers, and advises a listener who's the same height as his partner which sexual positions provide the best 'angle of dangle'. The Foxhole is sponsored by our friends at MyCondom.Com - remember to use the code 'FOXHOLE' at Checkout for a frankly astonishing 15% Off.

Last but not least, our record of the week is A 1000 Times from the album I Had A Dream That You Were Mine, by Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam. It’s out now on Glassnote Records:

Remember, we can only make this show with your support. If you value independent podcasting and want to keep us on the road, buy us a beer here. Thanks! You can also leave us a review on iTunes, follow us on Twitter and send us feedback about whatever you like!

See You Next Tuesday.

3/5 - The World's Most Productive Man

Health, Happiness, and How To Better Use Your Time.

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‘Productivity’ is a term that gets tossed around a lot: you should be more productive at work; the nation needs to be more productive in general... But what does it actually mean? There are only so many hours in the day - are there really lifehacks that can help us make better use of the limited time we have to boost our output iAND lead happier lives?

One man who knows is Chris Bailey - in a series of experiments, he spent a year trying out productivity techniques such as goal-setting, meditation and early rising, and measured actual outcomes. In this interview with Olly, he reveals his top productivity tips, dismisses the industry of ‘productivity porn’, and speaks up for the positive role of caffeine...

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Elsewhere, Ollie Peart fills The Zeitgeist with news of the new Metrosexual: the Spornasexual; predicts the welcome demise of shared plates; and celebrates the trend for non-confrontational reality TV - while it lasts...

Meanwhile, in The Foxhole, Alix Fox has bad news for frequenters of notorious London sex-sauna Rio’s, and some tips for a listener whose wife wants to watch porn with him. The Foxhole is sponsored by mycondom.com - enter the code FOXHOLE at checkout for an outrageous 15% off.

Music this week comes courtesy of Foreign Fields and their new single Dry, out now on Caroline Records:

If you have any feedback about the show, you’d like to buy us a beer, or you have a question of sex for Alix, you're in the right place. If you'd like to tell other people about how amazing our show is, head on down to iTunes.com/Mann and leave us a review - we really appreciate it!

See You Next Tuesday!

3/4 - The Gentleman Bank Robber

Extreme highs, extreme lows, and a bungled bank robbery

Radcliffe Royds had it all - a private education; a job in the City; a wife and kids. So, how did he find himself robbing a bank with a banana, high on crack cocaine, whilst living in a skip in Soho?

In this incredible interview, he tells Olly his outrageous story. It's a tale of extreme highs and lows, brutal honesty and dark humour.

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Meanwhile, Ollie Peart has decamped to Lisbon for the 2016 Web Summit - an orgy of start-ups and self-promotion. In this week’s Zeitgeist, he ponders whether laundry services might be the next sector to fall foul of disruptive technology, why Silicon Valley buzzwords are so damn aggressive, and why on Earth anyone would name a new company ‘Two-Hats’.

And, in our weekly trip down the Foxhole, our love guru Alix Fox puts the Poundland vibrator to the test, and answers a listener’s question about sexual piercings in the only way she knows how - with, um, piercing honesty. YOU MAY WANT TO KEEP YOUR LEGS CROSSED FOR THIS ONE. The Foxhole is sponsored by MyCondom.com - your one-stop shop for all your bedroom needs, except possibly light fittings and duvets. Use the code FOXHOLE at Checkout to get an incredible 15% off! And if you have a question of sex for Alix to answer in a future episode, just fill out our Feedback form - you can remain anonymous if you wish

Our song of the week is 'You Don't Get Me High Anymore' by Phantogram - out now on Republic Records:

This week's edition of The Modern Mann is supported by our friends at DragonFruit - the dating app designed especially for geeks and nerds! Meet a like-minded soul by downloading the app and choosing 'Modern Mann' as one of your geekdoms - and, if you do meet the love of your life thanks to our podcast, do reach out and tell us...

If you'd like to help keep the show on the road, then just commit to buying us just one beer a month. We really appreciate it. Thanks!

See You Next Tuesday.

‘Cruzin’ appears courtesy of Benedek on a Creative Commons licence.

3/3 - Part-Time Hero

‘You can actually drown in a tiny amount of water’  

The RNLI lifeboats don’t just save lives at sea - they also rescue people on rivers. London’s Thames is teeming with party-boats, where drunken misadventure can lead to injury. Meanwhile, troubled ‘jumpers’, suffering from poor mental health, all too often consider suicide by plunging into its depths.

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If you ever find yourself in such a situation, Amber Bowie may be the woman who comes to your rescue. In this interview with Olly, she explains how cold water shock can render you senseless, why washing-up liquid can be a surprisingly useful tool on-board a warship, and why, alongside her full-time job as a London architect, she volunteers to save lives at the weekend...

If you’re inspired by Amber’s story, you can volunteer for the RNLI, or donate to this incredible charity via their website, RNLI.org

In The Zeitgeist this week, Ollie Peart considers the merits of sunglasses which block facial recognition, watches the trailer for Trainspotting 2 and wonders whether watermelon juice and 'banana freakshake' will be the liquid trends of 2017.

And, in our weekly trip down The Foxhole, Alix Fox visits notorious North London sex sauna Rio’s, and offers some advice for a listener preparing for their first ever visit to S&M club Torture Garden. The Foxhole is sponsored by our lovely friends at MyCondom.com, who are offering Mann-Fans a staggering 15% OFF if you use the code FOXHOLE at Checkout.

Finally, our track of the week is by Saint Sister. It’s called Tin Man and it’s out on the 16th December on Communion Records:

This episode is supported by Beer52, the UK’s number one craft beer club. As a Modern Mann listener you can get a box of eight delicious craft beers sent directly to your home or your office for only £12: that’s 50% off! All you need to do is head over to Beer52.com/Modern52 to claim your half-price first box, with no obligation to keep subscribing.

If you would like to support the show as well, then please do consider donating us some beer money or leaving us a review on iTunes - always much appreciated!

And if you have a question of sex for Alix, you’d like to send us some feedback, or would like to sponsor a future edition of the show, just click here.

See You Next Tuesday!

3/2 - How to Cure Insomnia

Time to turn those sleepless nights around.

Dr Guy Meadows, founder of The Sleep School, is a man on a mission. He wants you to sleep better. Not just if you're one of the 30% of Brits who will, at some point, experience insomnia - but also if you're one of the remaining 70%,  who will, inevitably, spend some nights struggling to get some shut-eye, staring at the ceiling and wishing you were somewhere else.

In this interview with Olly, Guy reveals his tips for changing your mind-set when your brain is racing around and keeping you awake. He advises how to effectively use your smartphone and other light-emitting devices in the bedroom; how to nap effectively; and how to reprogram your master clock to adjust to levels of sleep actually available to you in your busy life.

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Elsewhere in this episode, Ollie Peart tells the strange story of CJ de Mooi, considers the future of the pay-per-minute cafe, and predicts that the demise of Vine may herald a new wave of social network failures.

Meanwhile, in The Foxhole, resident love-guru Alix Fox considers how a listener who gets nauseous near cigarette-smoke can continue satisfying their partner - who has a smoking fetish... 

If you have a question of sex for Alix, remember to send it in here - you can remain totally anonymous if you want. The Foxhole is sponsored by our lovely friends at MyCondom.com, who are offering Mann-Fans a staggering 15% OFF if you use the code FOXHOLE at Checkout.

We end the episode with a cracking new track from Dan Croll. It's called Swim and it's out now on Communion Records:

Remember, if you enjoy the show, you can help keep us going - our ambition is to create a weekly, year-round show - by buying us a beer. If all our listeners committed to buying us just one beer a month, we could do this as our full-time jobs! Imagine! 

But, if you've got no money, but you've got a lot of Mann-love, you could always leave us a review on iTunes.

See You Next Tuesday.