Ben issues a formal apology for confusing his Pingers from his Nangs from his Yippers after an uproar in the comments section — the Australian drug slang correction nobody asked for but everyone needed. Ione reveals she was once hurt not to be invited to do cocaine on the set of a famous movie — connected to why dating Anthony Kiedis put her off drugs entirely. We also discuss Zooey Deschanel claiming she's never even seen cocaine, and why we believe her completely. Then: Ione's review of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey — loved it, even without IMAX — including the film's quietly radical political message about who the real invaders are, and a shout out to Welsh actor Andrew Howard who plays Matt Damon's sidekick. A deep dive into A Clockwork Orange after a family outing to the Dendy revival screening (yes, with the 16-year-old, yes, with grandma), the original optimistic ending Anthony Burgess wrote that Kubrick never filmed, and why 70s cinema made audiences grapple with their own morality in ways films rarely do anymore. Plus: Chloe Sevigny and the Grateful Dead, why punk and jamming have a complicated relationship, Ben and Georgia Maq prepping for their joint tour (learning "Junkie Logic" by Spikefuck), Japan tour tickets on sale with Shonen Knife on the Osaka bill, the Wile E. Coyote Will Forte movie Warner Bros killed for a tax break, and what it's actually like to see a real Tasmanian Devil.

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This week: Ben drives five hours to the Snowy Mountains with 17-year-olds, visits the Yarrangobilly Caves — and completely freezes when the punk rock tour guide turns off the lights and says "if anyone here is a singer, this is your moment." We also get into: Ione discovering Girl in Red wrote a song called "Say Anything" named after her iconic film, but describes it as "an old movie your mom showed you." The night at the Unholy Playhouse — a historic Sydney church turned queer performance venue — and why Catholicism and queer nightlife were always going to end up together. The Otherworld Zine Fair in Glebe, including the "Hotness Review: 80s Australian Newsreaders" zine. King Street Crawl — why it might be the most important day on the Australian music calendar. Tropical Fuckstorm live at the Enmore Theatre, Zia from the Dandy Warhols, and why Gareth Liddiard is the best songwriter in Australia. Ben's Japan tour announcement — Tokyo and Osaka shows on sale now, with Shonen Knife on the Osaka bill. Plus: Ione working on a secret project with John Goodman, and how they resolved a morning fight at the Marrickville markets while Ione's mum hovered nearby.

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Before TikTok, before OnlyFans, before anyone used the phrase "sex positive" — there was Robin Byrd on New York public access cable. Sarah Jessica Parker just produced a documentary about her called Bang My Box on Max, and it's worth your time. Ben and Ione break down why Robin Byrd was genuinely radical and why she was impossible to put down.

Also: why 90s indie artists were culturally forbidden from wanting success (and how that's completely changed), the Miles Davis quote that explains every artist's journey, Ninajirachi’s victorious homecoming and why the horror film Obsession is better than it has any right to be.

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Ione is about to shoot a new film. Ben is thinking about covering Georgia Maq’s “Joe Rogan” song on their upcoming Australian tour. We found a 1990 Elle magazine article where legendary LA writer Eve Babitz profiled Ione and her brother (attached in full below), which includes a birthday party guest list featuring Robert Downey Jr., Sarah Jessica Parker (before anyone knew her), Adam Horovitz, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Also: Lars Von Trier once challenged Baz Luhrmann to make a Dogme 95 film. Baz’s response is perfect. Plus — why the Hal Hartley clip went viral on film Instagram, Sofia Coppola and Zoe Cassavetes competing over a French director, and Ben’s theory about how Baz Luhrmann changed the way every film gets edited.

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Ben's back from 60 shows around Australia (and avoided all crocodiles). Ione has been nursing a six-foot baby. And we have a lot to catch up on.This week: Olivia Rodrigo just announced Daisy Chain Fields — an all-female festival with Bikini Kill, Stevie Nicks, Mitski, Chappell Roan, Karen O, and more — and we get into why it matters, what Lilith Fair got right and wrong, and why the 90s community ethos feels more radical than ever in 2026.

Also: it's the 40th anniversary of Wham! breaking up, and Ione has a memory involving a gay music promoter on her childhood street, early vinyl promos, and George Michael not yet being out.

Plus: why Hal Hartley is the most underrated director of the American indie film era, the troll who called Ben a "soy boy," and Ione's lifelong crush on a boy who wrestled a crocodile.

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This week we got completely sucked into DTF St. Louis on Max — and we have thoughts. David Harbour plays the most likable character in a show about suburban kinks, male loneliness and consensual weirdness, and we can't stop thinking about two middle-aged men tenderly dancing in their tighty-whities. Also: a woman yelled "you're my hall pass" at Ben during his Richmond show, and we're noticing a trend.

Plus: the AI music backlash is real — Suno just raised $400 million and yet the public has definitively decided they do not want AI-created music. The Spotify CEO thinks bands should just drop a song every month. Reese Witherspoon is doing "let them eat cake" AI ads. And we explain exactly why tech platforms fundamentally do not understand creativity.

Also: Seth Rogen's New York Times interview is essential listening, Ione had her first art show (get the painting at Vamped Vintage in Newtown), and we make the case for always having at least one normie friend in your life.