The Middle

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 143 – Piracy Andy and Roger go full nostalgia this week, sailing back into the murky waters of digital piracy—from LimeWire and Napster to South-East Asian market stalls and dual-VCR bootlegs. The episode opens with Roger’s traumatising trip to Luna Park and Andy’s vivid memories of his dad recording classical music from the local library, before the pair launch into...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 142 – Forty years Roger’s recovering from a throat infection, Andy’s just turned 40, and both are contemplating how it all went so fast. In this episode, Andy and Roger embark on an ambitious year-by-year cultural tour through the major pop culture and historical events of their lifetimes—starting with 1985’s Back to the Future and ending in 2025 with AI and global d...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 141 – Tough decisions Andy and Roger open the episode with a theatrical recount of their recent hot pot experience at a place called "Master Cow," where a bronze cow statue serves as both meat platter and smoke machine. Despite Andy’s long-standing disdain for hot pot, the deluxe meat-and-dry-ice display, decent broths, private room upgrade, and $7 beers manage to wi...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 140 – Banning YouTube This week, Andy and Roger go full MasterChef as they simmer over a surprisingly contentious topic: hotpot. What begins as a light-hearted jab at overrated Asian dishes escalates into a full-blown fiscal autopsy of a $200 family meal, complete with meat math, broth bureaucracy, and accusations of ordering "like a white boy." Roger explains the cu...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 139 – Is he evil? It begins with weight loss—literally. Andy's back on the OMAD train (One Meal a Day), Roger's grappling with suit pants that have declared mutiny, and somewhere in between they find time to wonder if Jack Black is obese. From there, it’s a tight swerve into geopolitics, as they tackle a listener question about Israel’s airstrikes on Iran and the rip...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 138 – Take that as a comment This week, Andy and Roger respond to a listener question about kids, gaming, and screen addiction, only to spiral into an analysis of modern parenting. With the help of Roger’s Nintendo Switch and Andy’s apparent disdain for it, they reflect on generational shifts in authority, teenage rebellion, and how video games have become the new ba...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 137 – Home sweet home This week, Andy and Roger reflect on the public implosion of the Trump–Musk bromance. From awkward pop-up Teslas at the White House to roughhousing black eye excuses, the duo dissect the circus of politics, ego, and ketamine. Roger claims he “called it,” while Andy questions whether predicting a Trump–Musk fallout is really much of a flex. The p...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 136 – Free gift This week, Andy and Roger get philosophical (and slightly sentimental) in a gift-themed episode that celebrates turning 40 and the unwrapping of both literal and metaphorical presents. Things start with a surprisingly heartfelt moment as Roger gifts Andy the coveted SM7B microphone, prompting a dissection of male gift-giving rituals, hobby disparities...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 135 – Experts strike back In this episode, Andy and Roger dive into a thorny question that’s split friendships, inflamed group chats, and possibly lost them a few listeners: can you actually trust experts? Picking up where a previous debate left off, the pair discuss whether expertise is real, relevant, or just overrated. Andy poses six pointed questions to Roger, te...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 134 – UK Reform In this episode, Andy and Roger take on a listener question from George in the UK, who’s puzzled by political divergence across the Anglosphere. Why is Farage resurgent in Britain while progressive governments cling on elsewhere? The lads give it a go—Roger reluctantly, Andy enthusiastically (with his best Rory Stewart impersonation). They explore why...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 133 – Harry's back Andy and Roger are back with a whinge-fuelled episode, turning their attention once again to everyone's favourite Californian exile, Prince Harry. Following a dramatic BBC interview in which Harry pleads for reconciliation with his royal family, the duo dissect the contradictions, media strategy (or lack thereof), and the persistent petulance of th...

🎵 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 132 – Red wedding In this episode, Andy and Roger grapple with the fallout from Australia’s federal election, likening the Coalition’s crushing defeat to a political "Red Wedding." The mood is both sombre and sharp as they dissect why the Albanese Labor government cruised to a landslide win — and why that victory feels, to some, undeserved. They reflect on the fate o...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 131 – Gaza This episode starts, as all thoughtful geopolitical episodes should, with a frank discussion about celibacy, incels, and collector’s edition virgins. After a full 15 minutes of deeply inappropriate speculation, Andy and Roger pivot—perhaps too smoothly—into a serious, structured debate about the Israel–Gaza conflict. They run a series of increasingly point...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 130 – Holy smokes Andy and Roger begin with a puff of white smoke and a whiff of irreverence as they reflect on the death of Pope Francis, his awkward final meeting with JD Vance, and the Vatican’s likely succession plans. In true Middle fashion, things spiral into Catholic doctrine, gay popes, Breaking Bad analogies, and exactly what counts as virginity (cue ChatGPT...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 129 – Experts In this episode, Andy and Roger wade into the bubbling swamp of podcast ethics and ask: what does it really mean to platform someone? Prompted by a spicy Joe Rogan episode featuring Douglas Murray and Dave Smith, they debate whether podcast hosts have a moral obligation to vet their guests—or at least to push back when nonsense is spouted at scale. They...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 128 – Tariffs and time travel In this episode, Andy and Roger ponder the science of the flux capacitor and the tantalising idea of travelling through time—only to find themselves knee-deep in Trump tariffs, MAGA loyalists, and the geopolitical fallout of a nuclear trade war. What begins as a pop-culture nod to Back to the Future becomes a sprawling conversation about...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 127 – Adolescence Andy and Roger tackle the Netflix series Adolescence, dissecting the critical response and its portrayal of masculinity, youth radicalisation, and social influence. The discussion kicks off with Roger recounting a listener’s question about tariffs and Trump’s misleading rhetoric, before pivoting to Andy’s frustration over the show’s reception. They...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 126 – Australia decides In this episode, Andy and Roger dive into the messy and occasionally absurd world of Australian politics as the country heads into another federal election. They discuss the upcoming election, party leaders Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton and the differences between Australia’s political parties. The conversation ranges from the potential po...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 125 – Ugly people Andy and Roger are back with another uplifting dive into humanity’s darker corners. This week’s episode opens with a discussion about attractiveness and social advantage—sparked by a real-world conversation about discrimination against “ugly” people. From beauty privilege and dating dynamics to workplace bias and fatphobia, the pair examine the unsp...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 124 – Hedonist Andy and Roger unpack the dopamine-fuelled cycle of consumerism, exploring why we chase material satisfaction despite knowing it never lasts. From Roger’s new high-end microphone to Andy’s fleeting obsession with kitchen gadgets, they discuss how modern shopping habits, brand prestige, and the “prosumer” mindset shape our spending. They also debate whe...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 123 – I was wrong In this episode, Andy and Roger take a deep dive into the concept of changing one's mind—whether it's about politics, parenting, or personal philosophy. They explore past beliefs they’ve abandoned, current debates they’re wrestling with, and the future positions they could see themselves shifting on. Roger opens up about moving away from religion an...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 122 – Emergency Broadcast: Trump V Zelenskyy In this special emergency episode, Andy and Roger react to the extraordinary press conference between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, which rapidly collapsed into a chaotic shouting match. With Ukraine’s future and European security hanging in the balance, they discuss the potential consequences of this diplomatic dis...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 121 – Ageism In this episode, Andy and Roger tackle the prickly topic of ageism, a bias that might just be the last socially acceptable prejudice. Kicking off with a wry observation about their own impending 40th birthdays, the duo dive into the subtle and not-so-subtle ways ageism manifests in the workplace and society. They explore the double-edged sword of experie...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 120 – Nurses and DOGE This week, Andy and Roger take on the biggest social media controversy in recent memory—two Sydney nurses who found themselves at the centre of a global scandal after being caught on video making anti-Semitic remarks. The fallout has been swift, with job losses, public outrage, and a media circus that’s taken on a life of its own. Andy and Roger...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE Episode 119 – Shoplifting, Kerr and Gaza This week, Andy and Roger take on the real issues affecting modern society: why do some people always beep at store security gates? Andy shares his ongoing battle with unexplained beeping at shop entrances, leading to a supermarket encounter where he refused a bag check. This spirals into a wider discussion about personal rights, corp...