The Mess Around

Richard throws himself into the second year of the podcast with a rodeo reference because it turns out he likes them . Although not for the reason you may think. It turns out he has some other well advanced thoughts for crowd entertainment as well. Meanwhile ,Richard is starting to think he has let his car go beyond accepted levels. He turns to Andrew for advise. After a short discussion its found...

Well here we are at Episode 52 which means that the Mess Around has been going for a full year of weekly podcasts! No one could be more surprised than our intrepid heroes ,but before any celebration can happen the fact that Andrew is in lockdown and Richard isn't has to be dealt with. Richard is somewhat childish in his glee but then has the gall to suggest to Andrew that he has become mature...

Strangely the art of sumo wrestling is discussed . Richard shares the best way to enjoy watching sumo and when to pick the winner . Some how the conversation turns to another ancient art , that of celebrity spotting .  As both Andrew and Richard have had celebrity encounters while at work , the rules were these were spottings that took place in the wild . Richard is not a fan of asking for photos...

The magic of communication thru different languages is discussed. Except it only seems like magic to some Australians , a lot of people speak more than one language ,this is also discussed.  This topic came up as Richard confessed that during lockdown he has achieved nothing . Certainly, he hasn't learnt a language . He did try to help his partner in her unending war with the possums who eat...

Richard is not his usual self .  His city has had to go into its fourth lockdown while Andrew skips around . Richard is taking it badly , it actually gets quite dark. Suffice to say, don't tell him he's got this . Andrew begins to talk about emotional eating ,Richard agrees he gets emotional whenever he eats too . Trying to change the subject Andrew explains the pitfalls of not being in...

Drinks ,dressing gowns and ornate drinking cups are discussed. This morphs into Richards vision for a bar. Its quite detailed. Even down to the theme nights . Naturally the talk then turns to your Elvis song for karaoke. Andrew tries to show he's way more clever than we think and fails dismally. He does have a strength , however, and its his ability to remember names. The method he uses is fr...

A thrill packed episode that comes with a warning - Richard gains insight into how to live. Andrew loves the power of operating "force quit' on programs . Richard just loves the sound of the words together and imagines ...well quite a bit . In a discussion of ending things the movie techniques of " it was all a dream " Vs " it's a multiverse with many realities "...

So many questions  this week. Have you ever been rushing to make it home to go to the toilet? How much longer do you think you could've hung on?  Have you ever wondered why no one ever starts a podcast with that question? Have you ever tried to master a foreign language by using only swear words? If your  Personal Trainer is  filming your weight lifting efforts, are they being shared on socia...

Do people listen to albums anymore ?Richard & Andrew discuss. Richard has recently listened to an entire album, not exactly a current or even popular one . The choice of music when going to or from a gig is talked thru, Richard & Andrew are opposites in their choices . Andrew mentions a recently deceased celebrity. Richard is confident because he knows who Andrew means - except he doesn&ap...

Andrew has been drinking . He never drinks & isn't good at it . He's chosen Chinese beer, why ?Who is he drinking with ?  There's a lot to unpack . He is still able to pick Richard up on a terrible mistake from last weeks episode . Unfortunately , fixing the mistake doesn't lead us to any real conclusion ,rather it appears like the beginning of a quest . Richard has been to...

Andrew is back doing stand up gigs ,which are going well but now he needs help with what to do when people want photos. Say yes & smile you'd think but it's not that simple. Richard ,of course , has a series of rules & coping strategies to assist Andrew. Some how this strays into autographs which in turn gives us a frightening insight into what Andrew writes on group work cards....

Andrew should be terribly relaxed because Uni is over for another semester .But it turns out he is still wound up . Of course he is . We find out a little of what causes tension at Uni ( who has arguments about the opening to Sound of Music?) . He claims he is unable to fully relax because he is denied his usual outlets . We discuss those outlets , they involve stand-up comedy during a Festival in...

Richard kindly checks in on Andrew's welfare as he is in the final weeks of his Semester. Andrew hasn't slept  Richard is hated (actively) by an animal, he asks the question "has an animal ever really hated you - personally?" Richard goes on to describe the nature of the enmity. It makes for chilling listening . Andrew shares that he had an incident but used the teachings of th...

Richard is a bit jangled as he has just come from the Dentist . He ,surprisingly ,didn't enjoy being hurt & having to pay for it .Naturally ,this makes Andrew think of B & D ,a confusing discussion follows . Richard also had to return to a restaurant where there was some awkwardness. A brisk conversation on the expiry date for prominently displayed restaurant  awards takes place. What...

It's raining in the Gold Coast but disappointingly Andrew's lift is still working . It's also the start of AFL season & the rules swing wildly this time of year . Andrew is bang up for it. He gently asks Richard just how into AFL he is . " A bit" Richard replies but then explains in more detail. The revelations will both shock and terrify you. A discussion of spiders l...

Do we ask each other about our levels of hydration too much ?  It's the go-to for every ailment ,"how much have you drunk today?" The handshake is reasserting itself as COVID is beaten back into submissions in Australia. Richard is not happy & analyses why the other options failed  Andrew analyses nothing ,isn't happy & has an alarming response to the greeting . The Vic...

Andrew is planning on cutting his hair - sure not a big deal, except..it is . Andrew's hair is long ,this has consequences which Richard helpfully explores. His long hair talk leads us to his Uni experiences. Andrew feels recent events have raised his status among his fellow students . Richard is not so sure. Richard begins a discussion on the nature of "Brownie Points" earned withi...

Today we discuss etiquette & the awkward cultural moments that can arise with well meaning clods like Richard and Andrew. Andrew experienced some Big Trouble In a Little part of China .  Richard made a terrible cultural faux pas and learned a big lesson. Richard's partner managed to nearly destroy a poignant funeral  Richard calls it all part of learning to be an adult . He is now of the...

Overeating clouds this week's episode as Richard has a run in with a giant pizza. This invites a discussion about the annoying aspects of craft beers, and how there's no reliable standard of the size of pizzas.   ( There's a brief sidetrack into Starbucks that is best not spoken of )  Regular listeners will be delighted to get an update on the Dog Hair Jumper, which has now potentia...

In a refreshing change from Richard's history rants, Andrew manages to rant ( at length) about Star Trek uniforms. Somehow this leads us into Andrew confronted with a lot of nudity .Richard tries to help but is uncertain what is happening. Thankfully , the conversation swings back to Andrews potential new sport . Richard has some thoughts but clearly no real idea . Honestly ,he's just gl...

The random question of "what's your cowboy name ? " appears & straight out of the gate Andrew tricks Richard in to a history "conversation", in which we learn more about crossbows & longbows than we ever cared to . There's an awkward pause as they both try to move on . Things get worse however when Andrew reveals his money making scheme , which is Richard play...

Richard has had a shaky week, his partner is going thru old photos - including those of her ex's  There is a discussion & Andrew is less than helpful. They move on to discuss the weather ,Andrew is uncertain of aspects of his work out clothing in the heat . Richard helps because he has spent far too long thinking about this . There's a terrifying confession from Richard. All of you w...

Early on , we are uncomfortable because Richard is just feeling so happy . He is able to explain what has caused him to spark joy . He has done a massive tidy of his garage and taken the excess out to the nature strip for hard rubbish collection  . Unfortunately he feels the need to spruik his rubbish to folk who stop to have a look and takes it personally if they reject the stuff he has already c...