7/7 - The Ten Commandments of Touring

‘Why do bands break up? Why do people go insane on the road? Because it’s such an intense bubble of life’

Tom Meadows and Olly Mann

Being in a band - on a world tour - is the stuff rock n roll dreams are made of. But the contemporary reality is a corporate concern, involving hundreds of people, all separated from their families. Surviving is an art in itself.

Tom Meadows is a freelance drummer who's worked with Girls Aloud, Duffy, Leona Lewis, and - for the past nine years - Kylie Minogue.

What are his top tips to keeping your cool when you're out on the road? And how does Pink Floyd's 'Ten Commandments of Touring' mantra stack up in the modern era?

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The Ten Tour Commandments, as seen in the exhibition Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains at the V&A

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Elsewhere this week, Ollie Peart, standing beneath a mid-sized billboard of his own face, champions 'FaceGyms' and mines his own data  with typical journalistic rigour.

If you have a challenge for Ollie or a trend you'd like him to explore in next week's Zeitgeist, get in touch.

Olly and Ollie bear witness to a mid-sized billboard of Ollie's face. In Slough.

Meanwhile, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox recounts how a list-based podcast brought her together with Gail Porter, and advises a male listener who wants to spend more time wearing women's panties.

Thanks once again to MyCondom.com for their sponsorship of the Foxhole - remember, if you want condoms, they should be your first port of call - and you get 15% off when you use our discount code 'FOXHOLE', just for being a Mann-fan!

If you have a question of sex for Alix, get in touch here. You can remain anonymous if you wish.

Also, in this week's Lifehack, Dominika Piasecka, Media & PR Officer at The Vegan Society, offers up her three top tips to help YOU go vegan.

Finally, our record of the week is from Ellevator, an experimental-pop band from Hamilton, Ontario. The track’s called Voices, and they’re on tour now:

Olly and Alix's favourite 90s choon

That's it for this week's show, but if you've enjoyed it, please do share it with your friends on social media, leave us a five-star review on iTunes, or support the show directly by buying us a beer.

We're an independent podcast and it's only thanks to the donations of Mann-fans like you that we are able to produce 30 episodes per year. Thanks.

See You Next Tuesday! 

6/7 - The Confidence Trick

"Sometimes you have to be other people to become who you are."

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Gavin Bain and Olly Mann

Best mates with Eminem, signed by Sony, and on the verge of international superstardom, Californian rap group Silibil 'n' Brains were the music industry's Next Big Thing. There was just one problem: they'd never been to California. They were from Dundee.

In this extraordinary interview with Olly, Gavin Bain - who, as Brains Mcloud, was one half of the hip hop duo - recalls how a heady mix of humiliation, desperation and sheer chutzpah lead him to fool the entire music industry - and brought him to the brink:

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Gavin's book, California Schemin', is out now - and you can find plenty of Sylibil N' Brains music on Spotify. 

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Peart takes a bath, in the name of research

Elsewhere this week, Ollie Peart considers Uber's bid to prevent 'automovom' in this week's Zeitgeist. Also on the agenda: death on social media, Stephen Fry's sleep stories, hand massaging and hot baths.

And, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox - fresh from enlightening delegates at the Digital Freedom Festival - reveals the art of 'muffing', and answers the query of Mann-fan Pip, who's repulsed by the smell, taste, and even thought of her boyfriend's semen.

As the Foxhole is brought to you by our friends at mycondom.com, you can nab a wonderful 15% OFF just for listening - all you need to do is use our code 'Foxhole' at Checkout. So, why not stock up on some sexy Christmas goodies from their Christmassy Stocking Fillers section?

Meanwhile, this week's Squarespace Lifehack features business journalist Emily Birt, of peoplemanagement.co.uk, providing her Top 3 tips to get a pay rise. (If you have advice of your own to share, start a blog with Squarespace.com - and if you use our code 'Mann' at Checkout, you get 10% off your first website or domain.)

Finally, our record of the week is 'Broken Record', by plucky upstart Van Morrison. It's the opening track from his 38th studio album, Versatile, out now:

Thanks again to all our beer money donors for supporting this series of our independent podcast. If you'd buy us a pint if you met us in real life, please put your money where your mouth is and buy us a virtual one too. Every penny you contribute goes towards making more Modern Mann... 

See You Next Tuesday!

4/4 - Being Amy Winehouse

“I’m not trying to insult her. We’re just trying to keep her music alive”

Amy Winehouse’s voice may have seemed unique - but you can sing just like her if you understand her influences.

So says Emma Wright, whose musical journey began with an X Factor audition that sounded like Christina Aguilera, morphed into a Stars In Their Eyes contest in which she played Lady Gaga - and culminated in a fully-fledged career impersonating one of the most troubled and celebrated musical icons of recent times.

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You can catch Emma on tour with The Amy Winehouse Experience, AKA Lioness, throughout March and April 2017. Dates and ticket-booking here.

Elsewhere this episode, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart - whose Mum once called him a scrotum - considers biometric face masks, Pinterest parties and the Nintendo Switch; and, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox 'spices up' Superdrug’s social media presence and advises a listener who wonders if they should bring up their chequered sexual history with a new partner.

The Foxhole is proudly sponsored by our friends at MyCondom.Com - use the code FOXHOLE at Checkout to receive an incredible 15% Off. 

Music this week comes courtesy of British Sea Power and their new one, Keep On Trying, out soon on Rough Trade Records:

If you enjoy the show, please do buy us a beer, send us some feedback or leave us a review on iTunes. 

And, if you can't bear to wait a week for more sweeeeeet MM content, do check out Modern Mann Extra, Ollie's new video series. In this week's show, Ollie 'investigates' Craft Beer Rising - including bespoke canned cocktails, mushroom beer... and a sizeable hangover:

Ta Ta for now, Mann-fans: we'll See You Next Tuesday!