The Middle

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 209 – Mainstream narrative Is being an independent thinker really independent if you automatically disagree with everyone else? In this episode, Andy and Roger respond to a listener who questions whether contrarians are simply another kind of sheep, with Roger finding himself firmly in the firing line. The conversation explores the difference between genuine critical...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 208 – Butt scrunch Apparently, the biggest controversy in comedy right now is a pair of gym shorts. In this episode, Andy and Roger tackle the backlash against comedian Shane Gillis and his jokes about women's gym attire, particularly the increasingly popular scrunch-bottom shorts. They debate whether comedy should be allowed to offend, whether audiences are taking j...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 207 – Death penalty Roger returns from Movie World on the Gold Coast with stories of ageing superheroes, terrified children and stunt shows before Andy brings the mood down considerably with a discussion about the death penalty. Because nothing says light entertainment quite like a botched execution. In this episode, Andy and Roger examine the case of Christa Pike an...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 206 – Changing minds Andy returns from Sydney with a new appreciation for public transport and, more surprisingly, the Toyota Camry. From there, Andy and Roger ask a question that sounds simple until you actually try to answer it: when was the last time you genuinely changed your mind? The conversation moves through belief, identity and contrarianism, as Roger reflec...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 205 – Is it rael? Roger goes to the pub, has a few too many drinks and somehow ends up taking the Israel-Palestine conflict home with him. From there, Andy and Roger unpack what happens when political disagreement stops being about competing interpretations and starts being about whether people can agree on the basic facts at all. They discuss the polarisation surrou...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 204 - Mackle-no-more Apparently the safest way to survive a pop tour in 2026 is to say absolutely nothing — although even that can now get you into trouble. Andy and Roger start by asking whether “peak woke” really is over, looking at the growing profile of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), dissatisfaction with mainstream politics, and why more radical poli...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 203 – Armageddon Andy and Roger ask the reassuring question of whether humanity might be heading for Armageddon, and whether all those reassuring statistics about the world getting better are missing the bigger picture. Starting with Steven Pinker’s case for human progress, they move quickly into AI, technological risk, political instability and the possibility that...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 202 – Bali-ache Roger returns from Bali having finally discovered the appeal of doing absolutely nothing in a five-star resort, before Andy drags him back to the less relaxing world of workplace politics. In this episode, Andy and Roger tackle a listener question about the colleague who is much better at looking competent than actually being competent. They explore t...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 201 – No, we’re not wiser Two hundred (and one) episodes in, Andy and Roger ask the obvious question: are they older and wiser? Older, certainly. The rest remains open to debate. Continuing their trip down memory lane, they revisit two of the biggest and most divisive topics they’ve covered: Donald Trump and Israel-Palestine. Looking back at their earlier discussions...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 200 – Are we any wiser? Two hundred episodes in, Andy and Roger are older, slightly more injured, and not obviously wiser. Roger opens proceedings with a mysteriously sprained hip and an aggressive encounter with a physiotherapist, while Andy recounts an equally painful experience with a GP, an administrative form, a urine sample, and a doctor who warns him that AI c...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 199 – Artificial thought In this episode, Andy and Roger ask a fairly modern question: if ChatGPT is writing your messages, planning your holidays and settling your arguments, at what point are you no longer doing much of the thinking yourself? Prompted by a listener who worries that outsourcing everyday mental work might be making him slightly dumber, they debate wh...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 198 – Enshittified Things aren’t what they used to be. Or perhaps Andy and Roger are just getting older. In this episode, Andy and Roger ask whether everyday life really is getting shittier, starting with the faded glory of Pancakes on the Rocks and the uncomfortable possibility that nostalgia has been doing some heavy lifting. From theme parks and childhood memories...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 197 – India Roger went to India for work and returned with an expanded cultural perspective, several questions about infrastructure, and a stomach that had formally resigned. In this episode, Andy and Roger unpack Roger’s first visit to India, beginning with the country’s extraordinary cultural, linguistic and culinary diversity. Roger reflects on Bangalore’s enormou...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 196 – Protest vote Is voting for One Nation a rational protest vote, or the political equivalent of sending an angry email and accidentally hitting “reply all”? Andy and Roger respond to a listener who’s fed up with the major parties and considering voting for Pauline Hanson for the first time. They discuss political identity, compulsory voting, why the Liberal Party...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 195 – Wonder drugs Roger is back in Brisbane, the weather is terrible, and after briefly contemplating the bleakness of bachelor apartment living, Andy and Roger turn their attention to the latest supposed miracle of modern medicine: GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. They explore how these drugs are changing the conversation around obesity, willpower...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 194 – Trump card Nothing says sporting integrity quite like the leader of the free world phoning FIFA about a red card. In this episode, Andy and Roger discuss Australia’s temporary transformation into a nation of football experts whenever the World Cup rolls around. They turn to Donald Trump’s intervention after a US player was suspended, debating whether asking FIF...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 193 – Monoculture Pauline Hanson says Australia should be “monocultural”. Predictably, everyone loses their minds—but what does that actually mean? In this episode, Andy and Roger unpack the difference between multiculturalism and a shared Australian identity, asking whether those ideas are really in conflict or whether much of the debate comes down to semantics. The...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 192 – Karl Stefanovic In this episode, Andy and Roger take on the curious case of Karl Stefanovic, Tommy Robinson, and whether cancel culture is still alive and well in 2026. Andy opens by mourning the apparent end of Karl's media career before the pair unpack his departure from Channel Nine and the controversy surrounding his independent podcast. They debate whether...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 191 – Cloudy reflections In this episode, Andy and Roger discover that nothing captures the state of American politics quite like a mysteriously green reflecting pool outside the White House. From there, things only become more normal. The conversation takes in Donald Trump’s latest foreign policy backflip, the prospect of UFC fights on the White House lawn, and whet...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 190 – One Nation In this episode, Andy and Roger begin with an unexpected observation about cosmetic surgery, lip filler, hair transplants, and the growing pressure to optimise appearance. What starts as a discussion about cosmetic enhancements quickly turns into a broader conversation about identity, signalling, status, and how different groups present themselves in...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 189 – Make your bed Making the bed is apparently the first step towards success, which may explain quite a lot. Andy and Roger compare their tolerance for household discipline, from unmade beds and open drawers to the genuinely hazardous business of leaving the dishwasher door down. They also consider separate doonas, decorative cushions and whether laziness should s...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 188 – Friends of Zion In this episode, Andy and Roger discover that making new friends as adult men may be even harder than expected. After both signing up for Bumble for Friends in the hope of finding a few local mates to share a beer with, they quickly find themselves navigating a very different ecosystem. The pair discuss friendship apps, modern loneliness, online...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 187 – Tickle and Giggle In this episode, Andy and Roger wander into the increasingly dangerous territory of modern dating politics, culture wars, and one of Australia’s strangest legal battles. What starts as a conversation about young women navigating dating apps and spotting “red flags” in politically conservative men quickly spirals into a broader discussion about...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 186 – Negatively geared In this episode, Andy and Roger somehow begin with Rebecca Black and karaoke videos before spiralling into Harrison Ford, Joe Biden, ageing rock stars, and the psychological inability of powerful people to retire gracefully. It only gets more cheerful from there. The main discussion centres on the Australian federal budget and the government’s...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 185 – Rizz In this episode, Andy and Roger attempt to answer one of the most important questions facing modern civilisation: what actually is “rizz”? The conversation kicks off with the everyday chaos of Australian roads, from overly polite drivers causing near misses to the strange psychology of pedestrians, before drifting into the world of dashcam videos, auditing...