piffle pod

This week we're discussing the story that broke the internet in the most unexpected way possible: a small lesbian bar in Greenfield, Massachusetts called Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue . Last Ditch was founded by three housemates in their mid-20s with the best of intentions — a values-driven queer space where nobody was turned away for lack of funds, police weren't welcome, and a strict KN-...

This week we're getting you prepped for what might be the most secretive documentary ever made. You Can See Everything i s a new A24 documentary directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim . Thirty-four days before Elizabeth Holmes was sent to prison for conspiracy and wire fraud, she invited Nathan Fielder into her home to film her every move. And the buzz around this film was instant – th...

This week on the piffle pod, we’re talking about Netflix’s Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly - the documentary that finally lets Dr Rachael Gunn, Australia’s most infamous Olympic breakdancer, tell her side of the story. From her bizarrely unforgettable Paris 2024 performance and the memes that followed, to the conspiracy theories, backlash and the impact of becoming a global punchline, we get into ev...

This week on the piffle pod, we’re finally giving a name to a type of episode we’ve been doing for a while now: piffle pieces ! During these episodes, we each bring an article to the table and see where the conversation takes us. First up, we’re talking about making extra money, inspired by The Cut’s The Ways I Make Extra Money That I Never Talk About . From bizarre side hustles to creative ways o...

⚠️ Content note: this episode discusses self-harm, body image, eating disorders and the impact of body commentary in media. If any of these themes are difficult for you, please skip this episode or take care while listening. Resources are linked below. This week we start with Perez Hilton — specifically his recent TikTok live self-harm incident, and while we're glad he's getting help, seeing his n...

This week, we're unpacking Rebel Wilson's win in a defamation case that raised big questions about reputation, celebrity and what people owe each other in public. Then we dive into two fascinating health stories. First, we explore why an FDA advisory committee has recommended approving six therapeutic peptides and whether they're the future of medicine or simply the latest wellness obs...

Do you think you have good etiquette? This week we're sharing our take on a recent Guardian article listing what's considered rude in 2026 — and honestly, we're all guilty of at least a few of these. We get into workplace etiquette — single word responses on Slack, Teams calls from cafes, and whether emailing colleagues out of hours is ever acceptable. Then we move into dating — sendin...

This week we're reviewing Olivia Wilde's new psychological thriller, The Invite. We discuss the premise, performances, themes, and whether the film lives up to the hype. We also debate whether Joe and Angela (Seth Rogan and Olivia Wilde) should have accepted Hawke and Pina's (Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz) proposition, unpack the film's unconventional therapy session, and explore...

This week Elo recommends Olivia Wilde's new A24 film The Invite – an off-beat comedy starring Wilde alongside Seth Rogen , Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton , about a married couple who invite their upstairs neighbours around and things get weird pretty quickly. No spoilers, but we do discuss how the film was partly inspired by the breakdown of Wilde's relationship with Jason Sudeikis , and...

This week we tried something a little different: we each brought a topic the other knew nothing about until we hit record. First up, Urs brings us a recent article from The Cut about ⁠millennials feeling entitled to their parents' money⁠ . We read through some of the scenarios — adult children watching their parents cruise the Mediterranean and buy yachts while they drown in student debt — and...

A new book argues that we've become too afraid of sunlight. But is the sun really misunderstood or are public health experts right to keep the message simple? In this episode, we discuss In Defense of Sunlight by science journalist Rowan Jacobsen and the growing conversation around sunlight, sunscreen, vitamin D and skin cancer. After seeing Jacobsen's arguments featured in Allure and acro...

Today, we're completing the unofficial trio of books taking the world by storm this year: Famesick by Lena Dunham , Strangers by Belle Burden , and now Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. We discuss our thoughts on Yesteryear's zeitgeisty themes of tradwife culture, mommy bloggers, and the curated world of social media influencing - and what happens when the curtain gets pulled back to reveal...

Inspired by a recent article in The Cut , we discuss why so many people in their 30s and 40s are feeling lost, stuck or uncertain about the future. Despite having 15-20 years of experience, many are finding themselves unemployed, searching for work for months at a time, or questioning careers and identities they spent decades building. From there, we dive into artificial intelligence (AI) and the...

This week on the piffle pod, we review Strangers by Belle Burden - the wildly discussed memoir about a husband leaving his wife and three children after 20 years of marriage to begin an entirely new life. We dive into the book’s themes of love, betrayal, emotional labour, identity and reinvention, but also the part we couldn’t stop thinking about: the extreme wealth quietly sitting beneath the sto...

In this episode, we discuss It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley - the music documentary directed by Amy Berg that gives us a rare insight into who Jeff really was, featuring interviews with his mother, bandmates, friends like Ben Harper , and former girlfriends, alongside a treasure trove of archival footage of the late musician. We unpack Jeff Buckley’s remarkable and complicated life: his childhood, h...

In this week’s episode, we discuss Famesick , the highly anticipated second memoir from Lena Dunham, and unpack her return to the cultural conversation after years of public backlash and controversy. We get into: ​Her long-term chronic health struggles and how they shaped both her career and personal life ​The controversies that defined public perception of her throughout the 2010s ​Her writing ab...

In this episode, we break down the full evolution of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival - from its 1999 indie and alternative roots to the global, brand-heavy, influencer-driven event it’s become in 2026. We get into: How Pearl Jam boycotting Ticketmaster inspired the first ever Coachella, and how the festival continued to evolve into a cultural force The shift from music-first festival...

This week we kick off with our thoughts on The Drama , the new film starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson . Note: we do discuss some spoilers, but we tell you exactly where to skip ahead if you'd prefer to watch it first. Then we diving into pile on culture (also known as dogpiling) and ask whether online outrage is ever actually justified. We explore the psychology behind why people join in t...

There are two types of people in this world: people who love pranks and people who have trust issues because of them. This week on the piffle pod, we’re diving into everything April Fools’ Day: where it came from, the best pranks of all time and the ones that went very wrong. We’re joined by a very special guest (and certified prankster), Maffa, to break down what actually makes a prank funny. Fro...

Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams goes beyond Facebook’s internal culture to reveal the platform’s global impact, from political influence to real-world harm. In Part 2, we dive into how Facebook shaped events around the world in the 2010s, including its role in the genocide against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, its attempts to negotiate entry into China, and its influence on the 2016 US elect...

Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams exposes the reality of working at Facebook - from toxic workplace culture to power, hypocrisy, and private jets. In this week’s episode, we revisit the bestselling memoir Careless People in the context of the ongoing social media addiction trial against Meta in Los Angeles. We break down key insights from the book, alongside what it was really like working wi...

365 party girls unite! We’re talking all things Charli xcx and her new mockumentary The Moment , directed by Aidan Zamiri . In the film, Charli xcx plays a satirical version of herself alongside Alexander Skarsgård as the self-serious 'creative' commercial director hired to commandeer her Brat tour movie. Featuring cameos from Kylie Jenner and Rachel Sennott , The Moment blurs the line bet...

Tighten your corsets! In our first ever episode we're talking piffle about "Wuthering Heights", director Emerald Fennell's modern adaptation of Emily Brontë's 1847 literary classic, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. We break down the controversial whitewashing of Heathcliff, analyse the costume and production design, explore the character development choices, unpack the critical backlash fo...