5/2 - Micronesia's Got Talent

“We were playing on a frog-infested marsh, and it was always raining”

Paul Watson realised he would never play football for England - so attempted, instead, to be recruited by the worst international team in the world. His quest lead him to Pohnpei, Micronesia; and, although he never realised his dream of becoming an international soccer star, he ended up coaching them instead... 

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What's it like training a team 9000 miles away from home, in a country with no football culture? What is the beautiful game's secret at bringing communities together? And how can one recover after a defeat against the Guam Crushers?

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Paul wrote a brilliant book about his adventures, Up Pohnpei, which you can buy here. Thanks to Mannfan Tom Cotton for suggesting Paul as a guest - if you have an idea for a future edition of the show, just get in touch using our Feedback form.

Meanwhile, in this week's Lifehack, Rosie Slosek of themoneyhaven.com offers up her three top tips to women about 'how to liberate your man from his job'. (Heads up, chaps: it involves actually talking to your girlfriend once in a while). The Lifehack is supported by our friends at Squarespace.com - head there to nab yourself a beautiful website, and get a cracking 10% OFF a year's subscription when you use our offer code 'Mann'. 

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Did Andi Peters really invent the Nando's Black Card? The plot thickens...

In this week's Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart considers how many petaflops are required to play Anthem on Microsoft's new XBox One X, whips up a bowl of savoury yoghurt to test out this Summer's hot new food trend, and updates Olly on his progress to become a freemason, get VIP access to a Summer festival, and touch a Nando's black card.

Down the Foxhole, Alix Fox is high on pink grapefruit flavoured oxygen, yet still finds time to answer Phil (34)'s question about dating in Bristol. How should a night-shift worker find himself some afternoon delight? Alix has the answer. It involves brunch.

If you have a question of sex for Alix, just fill in our Feedback form. The Foxhole is brought to you by our good friends at mycondom.com. They stock everything you need for a night of INTENSE passion; just remember to use our discount code 'FOXHOLE' to get 15% off.

Finally, our Song of the Week is The Gold by the ace Manchester Orchestra, out now on Loma Vista:

Directed by Mike Dempsey and Johnny Chew Pre-order: http://found.ee/MO_ABMTTSstore-r Apple: http://found.ee/MO_ABMTTSiTunes-r Spotify: http://found.ee/MO_TheGoldSpotify-r Amazon: http://found.ee/MO_ABMTTSamazon-r Google: http://found.ee/MO_ABMTTSgoogle-r

That's it for this week - if you enjoy what we do, please do buy us a beer, write us a review on iTunes, and subscribe to the show to hear the latest episodes first.

See You Next Tuesday!

5/1 - Serving the Super-Rich

“Everybody’s got a sixth sense. I’ve got a seventh sense.”

There are more billionaires than ever. Rockstars. Oil tycoons. Internet entrepreneurs.

And all of them - all of them - employ private staff. The age of Jeeves and Wooster may be over, but the demand for a dependable butler remains.

Lawrence McKenna has been serving the super-rich for three decades, including stints in private suites in London's poshest hotels and the Royal Enclosure at Ascot. In this interview with Olly, he reveals how to remain invisible yet available; poised to deliver whatever a ‘principal’ desires, from obscure coffee beans to a mid-coital cuppa. He explains how to carry a plate, when to say ‘yes’ and when to simply say ‘it can be done’, and how to prepare *just chilled* mineral water to the taste of a Saudi trillionaire...

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Thanks to Randolph’s butlers agency for introducing us to Lawrence, and the Mann-fans at SNK Studios for providing us a space to record our interview.

Meanwhile, in this week’s Lifehack, meet Rudy Budhdeo: a man who knows how to wear jeans. As CEO of world-leading store Son Of A Stag, he tells us his top three life-hacks for buying, washing and manipulating raw denim. The Lifehack is sponsored by our friends at Squarespace.com. You can design yourself a truly beautiful website - like this one! - using their simple and delightful tools. Take out a free trial for a fornight, and then, if you want to sign up, get 10% OFF for a year by using our code, ‘Mann’.

Poppy: Ive been waiting so long for this moment, but we are finally interviewing this plant. Plant: Hi poppy thank you so much for having me Poppy: how are you today plant you look so beautiful Plant: I'm doing great thank you so much Poppy.

Elsewhere, in this week’s Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart, who definitely doesn’t want to talk about Fidget Spinners, instead examines the world of ‘Snapbot queue-jumpers’ and puzzling YouTube phenomenon Poppy.

He is also set a new challenge: to become a true trends insider by the end of the series.

To do this, he must:

• Become Twitter verified

• Hold a Nando’s black card

• Become a Freemason

• Try the latest cult skin care treatment or product

• Sit at a chef’s table

• Successfully enrol on an elite dating app

• Acquire triple AAA access to a festival

• Get tickets to the London transfer of Hamilton

• Take a parliamentary ‘ghost train’

... If you think you can help him with any of these missions, do get in touch.

Down the Foxhole, Alix Fox - fresh from having her senses awakened at Open Senses - reveals the surprising history of vasectomies, and explains why there’s a trend for millennial men to get the snip at a younger age than you might expect. She also assists a listener concerned that his forthcoming vasectomy might affect his sexual sensation. If you have a question of sex for Alix, just reach out via our Feedback form - you can remain anonymous if you so choose.

This fifth series of sex questions comes to your ears thanks to our friends at mycondom.com. They truly are a marvel: in fact, if you’re going to sleep with anyone, we strongly advise you visit them first. And remember to use the code ‘FOXHOLE’ when you do, to get 15% off.

Finally, our Song of the Week is ‘My Lover Cindy’ by Marika Hackman. Her new album is out now on Sub Pop Records:

Marika Hackman's single 'My Lover Cindy' taken from new album 'I'm Not Your Man'. Pre-order now: https://marikahackman.lnk.to/ImNotYourManID Download/Stream 'My Lover Cindy': https://lnk.to/MHmlcID Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MarikaHackman Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MarikaHackman Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/marikahackman http://marikahackman.com/ Music video by Marika Hackman performing My Lover Cindy. (C) 2017 AMF Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Ltd http://vevo.ly/fOl7Zv

... It’s great to be back. See You Next Tuesday!

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:

Video directed by Daniel 'O Toole. Jonti: vocals, keyboards, samples, production. Steve Lacy: guitar, bass, vocals. Moses MacRae: drums. Jo Ling: violin/strings. James Domeyko: violin. Jack Prest: mix.

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're thrilled to start 2017's Communion Singles Club with Devon born classically trained cellist India Bourne AKA electronic artist Tender Central. 'Lava' features Matthew And The Atlas' Matthew Hegarty and was co-written by Kideko. Renowned producer Jakwob is also a collaborator on the project.

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!