Oldmate and Josh, The Podcast

Ep97: Chelsea Finlayson, and The Zodiac Killer

This episode was supposed to be about the Banana Wars — a wildly fascinating chapter of history involving empire, corporations, military intervention, and the strange dark comedy of how bananas became tangled up with power. That was the plan. Then special guest Eddi Dąbrowska arrived, brought absolute chaos to the table, and the episode took several sharp turns off the historical highway. So, cave...

What happens when the CIA looks at a cat and thinks, “That could be a spy”? This week on Oldmate & Josh, we dig into Acoustic Kitty — one of the strangest Cold War intelligence projects ever attempted. The idea was simple, if you ignore every obvious problem: surgically turn a cat into a listening device, send it near targets, and let espionage happen. Because apparently microphones, wires, batter...

Dezi Freeman... Criminal mastermind? A convenient suspect? Or a man whose reputation eventually became bigger than the evidence itself? In this episode, Oldmate and Josh unpack the life, crimes, allegations, investigations, and enduring mystery surrounding one of Australia's most controversial criminal figures. We dive into the facts, the rumours, the media narratives, and the questions that conti...

In 1962, at the height of the Cold War, the United States launched a nuclear weapon into space and detonated it 400 kilometres above the Earth. No, seriously. What started as a military experiment became one of the strangest moments in human history. The explosion lit up the Pacific sky, created artificial auroras, disrupted electronics in Hawaii, damaged satellites, and left scientists scrambling...

From Pubs to Private Jets, It started in crowded pubs, pints in hands,, smoke-filled terraces and working-class towns. Today it's a global empire worth billions, watched by hundreds of millions and owned by some of the richest people on Earth. How did English football become the Premier League? What was gained? What was lost? And is the world's most popular football competition still the beautiful...

North Korea is often treated like a punchline — strange haircuts, military parades, and impossible propaganda. But behind the spectacle is one of the most controlled societies on Earth. In this episode, Oldmate & Josh dig into Without You, There Is No Us by Suki Kim, a rare inside account of teaching the sons of North Korea’s elite. What begins as a story about a classroom becomes something much b...

Australia remembers Port Arthur as the massacre that shocked the country and changed gun laws almost overnight. But around that horror grew something else too: a whole ecosystem of rumours, contradictions, “just asking questions” theories, and full-blown conspiracy lore. In this episode, Oldmate & Josh step into the mess carefully — respecting the victims and survivors while also digging into the...

What does a lifetime around conflict, chaos, and the unexplained do to a person? This week on Oldmate & Josh, we sit down with Stephen Lockwood for a raw, funny, and surprisingly deep conversation about his career, the moments that shaped him, and the stories that still stay with him long after the job ended. From high-pressure situations to the strange side of human nature, Stephen shares the...

What happens when war doesn’t end… even after the battlefield goes silent? In this episode, we sit down with Stephen Lockwood to dive into chilling, first-hand accounts of paranormal encounters tied to real military history. From haunted outposts and ghostly soldiers still on patrol, to eerie moments that defy logic and refuse to be explained — these stories blur the line between history and the u...

Ally Dent joins us to unpack the real journey from shaky open mics to confidently owning the room. This isn’t the polished highlight reel—it’s the grind behind it. We get into bombing on stage, learning how to read a crowd, finding your voice, and sticking it out when most people quit. Ally shares what actually changes between your first set and your best one—and why that gap is where comedians ar...

Todd Gray joins us to pull back the curtain on the strange, fast, and fiercely debated world of greyhound racing. From the thrill of the track and the culture around the sport to the criticism, controversy, and the questions a lot of people avoid, this is a conversation that goes well beyond race day. We get into how the industry works, why people defend it so passionately, why others see it as so...

Ally Dent joins Oldmate and Josh to unpack complex PTSD — because apparently plain old trauma wasn’t enough. Based on the book, this episode gets into survival mode, childhood damage, emotional flashbacks, and the darkly funny reality of trying to become a functional adult when your nervous system is still acting like it’s under attack. Instagram: theallydent https://www.instagram.com/theallydent?...

This is a no-culture-war, solutions-first deep dive into why boys and men are quietly falling behind — and why it matters for everyone. Using Richard Reeves’ Of Boys and Men, Oldmate & Josh unpack the education gap, the “working man blues,” dislocated dads, class and race pressure-cookers, and what happens when purpose disappears and resentment moves in. Then we get practical: what fixes actua...

Nick Shaddegg drops back into the studio to unpack local politics, global disasters, and the increasingly obvious fact that absolutely nobody knows what they’re doing. From South Australia’s political circus to the international bin fire we all seem to be living through, this episode dives headfirst into the issues shaping our lives and the nonsense clogging up the system. It’s part political brea...

Women are done staying quiet. This week, Em Rusciano joins Oldmate & Josh for a brutally honest, funny, and deeply real conversation about perimenopause, cultural pressure, female anger, identity, and the stuff women have been expected to endure in silence for far too long. From sharp comedy to raw truth-telling, this episode dives into why more women are speaking up about midlife, hormones, a...

On September 11, 2001, U.S. airspace shut down. Thirty-eight planes were diverted to a place most passengers had never heard of — Gander, Newfoundland. Population: 10,000. Unexpected arrivals: nearly 7,000 strangers. For five days, this small Canadian town doubled in size overnight. No preparation. No warning. No playbook. In this episode, we unpack the real story behind The Day the World Came to...

This week, we step back into one of the most haunting child disappearance cases of our lifetime — the search for  Madeleine McCann . Is this case a dinner frozen in time? Or when a child vanishes, maybe time doesn’t freeze. It corrodes.

Local comedian and movie obsessive Thomas Bode (Strange Carl) joins us to answer one question: Why does this movie feel like it’s arguing with itself? Is it: • A self-aware masterpiece? • A rebellion disguised as a sequel? • Or the most expensive inside joke ever made? We debate the red pill mythology, nostalgia traps, and whether this film was designed to break fans on purpose. Warning: This epis...

Adelaide comedy legend Fabien Clark drops in and turns the studio into a full-on storytelling clinic. The bloke spins yarns like it's oxygen - rapid-fire, ridiculous, and somehow always true. And yeah... a couple of these chapters involve time spent behind bars. Hit play, settle in, and enjoy the ride - this one's a belter. Fabiens Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/fabienclark?igsh=cjk1czlqbTR4...

What if countries had competitors? What if borders were negotiable? And what if exit mattered more than protest? This episode starts with a joke about buying Greenland… and ends somewhere much darker (and more realistic). We break down The Network State, the idea that nations of the future won’t begin with land or flags — but with people, infrastructure, and leverage. From Trump and Greenland to B...

This week, comedian Marc Ryan — aka The Beautiful Bogan — joins us for a brutally honest conversation about mental health, suicide, and why staying silent nearly cost him everything. It’s raw, vulnerable, and exactly the kind of chat people avoid… until they need it. Marc Ryan, The Beautiful Bogan socials. Insta: The beautiful Bogan. https://www.instagram.com/the_beautiful_bogan?igsh=MTAzYjh0cXd1e...

Oldmate and Josh are back for an electrifying deep dive into one of the most shocking and explosive moments in modern American history: the Waco Siege. From the mysterious origins of the Branch Davidians to the intense 51-day stand that culminated in fire and fierce controversy, this episode strips away myths, media spin, and hindsight bias. Joined by Nick Shadeggs, we unravel how ideology, author...

Merry Christmas, everyone! Stay safe and steer clear of Bondi Beach. What an intense way to cap off a strange year—16 lives lost and 44 hospitalized. Why did this happen? Who was behind it? What was their motivation? It's been three decades since Australia experienced a tragedy of this scale—what’s next? Find out more this week with special guest Nick Shouteggs. Follow ⁠⁠@nickschadegg⁠⁠ for mo...

Today Oldmate opens up about his long, blurry relationship with booze — from harmless wine in can’s to habits that hit harder than his jokes. Honest, funny, and a bit confronting.