#22 UNKNOWN

Max Stainkamph is joined by new producer Sophie Hezier, Jane McLoud and Al Najmeddine as we talk all things unknown.

 

We explore the depths of our world with Rochelle Kirkham, and the depths of space with Max. Bethan Wainman explores Fake Meat, and our reviewers look at The Martian and The Hobbit. 

 

Music, as always, is by Podington Bear:

http://freemusicarchive.org/music/podington_bear/

#21: FOOD

Alana Christensen and Alice Rennison join Max Stainkamph as the Cataclysm Crew explore all things food.

Alana and Alice get the party started by jamming with some donuts, we hear about marketing of food towards genders from Alana Beitz and Michael Serpell delves into how fast food is changing.

We also send our reviewers back to look over some childhood classics, and our Pavement Philosopher Nathan Brown looks into what foods you hate.

Hugo Hodge also has a gander at the Queen Vic market.

Our music, as always, is done by Podington Bear.

#20 ARTIFICIAL

Cataclysm returns for 2016 with the artificial episode. We explore artificiality in all it's glory - from fake stars to fake intelligence, all in preparation for when the robots take over. 

EP Max Stainkamph and mag editor Claudia Long kick date night off by listening to the soothing tones of Geoffrey Rush as he tells us how we'll be sucked into a black hole. Luke Michael also joins us for some quality banter.

Tristan Danino hits the streets and asks if we can ever truly create artificial intelligence as the Pavement Philosopher.

Evan Young and Alana Beitz find virtual art at the National Gallery of Victoria, and take us on a tour, while Dev Nicholl looks at how we can adopt artificial versions of ourselves while discussing 'synthetic to self'. 

Lauren Muscat reviews - or previews - a scary insight into our future in Ex Machina, while Sammi Taylor takes us down worn paths to review To Kill A Mockingbird in honour master storyteller Harper Lee. 

//

As always, our intro, and the intro to book club, is done by Podington Bear - http://podingtonbear.com/

#19 VICTORIAFor the last episode of 2015, we return to our roots, spending some time thinking about our home state of Victoria. With enviable beaches, wild bush terrain and the so called sport/culture capital of Australia at our doorstep, is Victoria truly 'The Place to Be'?After being battered down by Melbourne's weather, EP's Rachael and Ashleigh take their Date Night to new heights and cool off at a roof top bar. Pavement Philosopher Katie Coulthard hits the streets of Melbourne to ask exactly what Victorians love about their vibrant surrounds. Evan Young talks to us about the effects the Black Saturday Bushfires are still having upon the CFA volunteers who risked their lives.Harriet Conron and Brendan Wrigley take Politics on the Couch to the people by roping in some hapless EP's for a quiz, Jade Bate thrills with a wrap of best films made in Victoria and Alexander Darling takes us on a journey through Melbourne's Indie Record Scene. And to round out the year, Alicia Barker takes us on a mysterious journey up the river for this episode's Bookclub, with Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'. Presented by Finbar O'Mallon, Ashleigh McMillan and Rachael Dexter. Episode 18 Contributing Crew: Alicia Barker, Evan Young, Jade Bate, Katie Coulthard, Alexander Darling, Brendan Wrigley and Harriet Conron.Music: Kevin MacLoud, Bensound and Poddington Bear. Music also used with permission from Hope Street Recordings, Spooky Records and Milk! Records. Executive Producers: Rachael Dexter and Ashleigh McMillan

#18 ANIMALS'Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened'- Anatole France.Many of us have our first encounters

with life and death with animals and it’s pretty obvious we can learn a lot from

our pets and animals in the wild. This

very cuddly episode we are paying homage to our feathered, furry and four

legged friends.

Hosts Jade and Nathan bond over allergies on their datenight at Melbourne’s Cat

Café, while the Pavement philosopher asks the public about their most significant

encounters with animals. Jess Davis takes us inside the touching relationship

between assistance animals and their humans.

It’s magpie season -cough-

student election time at RMIT; listen to Harriet and Brendan’s wrap up of the

week that was for Politics on the Couch. Film extraordinaire Ash is back

bringing us a haunting review of ‘The Visit’.

The tenuous animal link continues with Bookclub as Alicia is joined by Harriet,

Jen and Max to discuss Sue Saliba’s new book ‘For the Forest of a Bird’.

Presented by Nathan Brown, Jade Bate,

Ashleigh McMillan and Rachael Dexter. 

Episode 18

Contributing Crew: Jess Davis, Harriet Conron, Brendan Wrigley, Alicia Barker, Nathan

Brown, Jennifer Zhao, Max Stainkamph,

Music: Bensound, Poddington Bear

Executive Producers: Rachael Dexter and

Ashleigh McMillan

#17 THE BODY

This episode we are stripping off and laying bare the weird and wonderful things our bodies are capable of. From cyborgs to sex toys to mortuaries, this episode we’re appreciating our bod in all it’s different stages.

Serial pests Alicia, Rachael and Harriet debut the podcast’s first ever naked date night at a Japanese Onsen. Matilda asks some complete strangers to examine their bodies for pavement philosopher. Evan Young speaks to microchipped humans about our possible cyborg future.

Mark Latham went troppo this week; listen to Harriet and Brendan give a wrap-up for Politics on the Couch. Pod newbie Alana hangs out with RMIT students designing their own innovative sex toys (yep, it’s a thing!).

The body fixation continues as Claudia takes us inside the Mortuary at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine to meet the people who care for us after we shuffle of the mortal coil. 

In an unexpected twist, Alex gives a lesson in body appreciation- guitar bodies that is. He brings us sweet sounds from the Melbourne Guitar Show.

And bookclub does Albert Camus’ existential classic ‘The Stranger’; Alicia is joined by Nathan, Brendan and Finbar.  

Presented by Jennifer Zhao, Alicia Barker,  Ashleigh McMillan and Rachael Dexter. 

Episode 17 Contributing Crew: Harriet Conron, Brendan Wrigley, Alicia Barker, Matilda Edwards, Victoria Knauf, Evan Young, Nathan Brown, Finbar O’Mallon, Alex Darling, Alana Beitz, Claudia Long, Jennifer Zhao.Music: Bensound, Poddington Bear

Executive Producers: Rachael Dexter and Ashleigh McMillan

#16 DOORSNo, not the acid rock band from the 1960's. We're talking metaphoric doors: moments in life when things changed tracks, a new opportunity opened up or when you said goodbye a to a time and place forever.Wisened hosts Brendan and Matilda do a tour of 'I'm-too-old-for-this-place' pubs for their nostalgic datenight. Hugo Hodge brings listeners the modern day sounds and stories of the once devastated Hiroshima in recent trip to Japan. Back home in Melbourne, Pavement Philosopher Jess Davis asks the public about the moment when their life changed forever.Our favourite student hacks Harriet and Brendan give a wrap up of the Bernadi v. Wong same-sex marriage debate for Politics on the Couch.In keeping with our existential theme resident film aficionado Jade brings us the classic 'Being John Malkovich' while Victoria chats radical career changes with her accountant-turned-hairdresser.Cataclysm’s regular bookclub finishes up the episode is style. Alicia is joined by Evan Young, Lauren Muscat and Victoria Knauf  who sink their  teeth into Miranda July's new release 'The First Bad Man'.Presented by Matilda Edwards, Brendan Wrigley, Ashleigh McMillan and Rachael Dexter. Music by Podington Bear, BenSound and Kevin MacLeodEpisode 16 Contributing Crew: Hugo Hodge, Lauren Muscat, Jess Davis, Harriet Conron, Brendan Wrigley, Alicia Barker, Jade Bate, Matilda Edwards, Victoria Knauf, Evan Young, Executive Producers: Rachael Dexter and Ashleigh McMillan

#15 EXPECTATIONS

“My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has

been a bonus”

- Stephen Hawking.

As many of us teeter on the edge of real adulthood, we’ve been thinking a lot

about expectations. High expectations can be a driving force, but they can also

often lead to total disappointment. This episode we stop and analyse what this

strange thing –expectation- does to us.

Claudia and Ash have

an ‘unexpected’ date-day at the Melbourne Dog Lovers Show while Jess interviews

former Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste about expectations of foreign

correspondancy. Rachael shakes up Pavement Philosopher and gets the voice of

Catalyst and Cataclysm to pen a letter to their younger selves.

Politics on the Couch

asks what we expect today of student politics after attending an underwhelming

Higher Education reform protest. Harriet speaks to RMIT graduates six months

after flying the coop to see if their expectations of adult life match reality

and Ash interviews C. S Pacat about all things fan fiction and homo-erotica.

Cataclysm’s regular bookclub rounds up the line-up with an all time classic. Alicia is joined by

Rachael and Jennifer to dust off Nathaniel Hawthorne’s magum opus: “The Scarlet

Letter”.

Presented by Jess Davis,

Claudia Long, Ashleigh McMillan and Rachael Dexter. 

Music by Podington

Bear, Chris Zabriskie, and

Kevin MacLeod

Episode 15

Contributing Crew: Lauren Muscat,

Jess Davis, Harriet Conron, Brendan Wrigley, Alexander Darling, Alicia Barker,

Claudia Long, Jennifer Zhao

Executive Producers: Rachael Dexter and Ashleigh McMillan

#14 HOME

Is home a physical place or a state of mind? Can we carry the feeling of home

from one place to another? How do you build a new sense of belonging when you’ve

left home behind?

This episode we reflect on how the notion

of home fits in to a bustling, busy world.

Monica and Evan lovingly prepare a home-cooked meal for each other for

datenight while Rachael follows volunteers cooking meals to combat loneliness. Pavement philosopher Jess gets deep

and meaningful asking the public what and where home is for them.

Politics on the Couch takes us to the British election campaign as Harriet and

Brendan muse over #milifandom. Jennifer asks how religious students find

their sense of home at RMIT. Jade reviews the new reflective drama ‘The

Clouds of Sils Maria’ and Alex profiles up and coming Melbourne band

T.V.

We wrap up the episode with Cataclysm’s regular bookclub as Victoria Knauf and

Lauren Muscat join Alicia Barker to discuss the new release ‘Springtime: A

Ghost story’ by Michelle De Kretser.Presented by Monica Ireland, Evan Young, Ashleigh McMillan and

Rachael Dexter. Music by Podington Bear, Georg Friedrich Händel (via MusOpen), T.V. (live performance)Episode 14 Contributing Crew: Lauren Muscat, Jess Davis, Harriet Conron, Brendan

Wrigley, Alexander Darling, Monica Ireland, Evan Young, Alicia Barker, Jade

Bate, Victoria Knauf, Jennifer ZhaoExecutive

Producers: Rachael Dexter and Ashleigh McMillan

#13 SECRETSWe all have secrets- things we choose to hide from others, ourselves and the world. This episode Cataclysm exploring all things hidden, mysterious and elusive.Our hosts Victoria and Brendan spend their datenight solving puzzles inside a dark escape room. Alex and Jess convince random strangers on the street to divulge their biggest secrets for Pavement Philosopher. Evan Young pinpoints the secret to festival success filing straight from Byron Bay's Bluesfest. Jade Bate reviews a new film about the master of elusion; the infamous Banksy.Alex joins dozens of early birds at a morning rave party at RMIT. Harriet and Brendan try to make sense of the #ReclaimAustralia protests for Politics on the Couch. Jess investigates the greasy underworld of mass bike theft in Melbourne and Alicia, Rachael and Monica bring you the cult classic novel 'Slaughterhouse 5' for this episode's Book Club.Presented by Victoria Knauf, Brendan Wrigley and Rachael Dexter. (With interjections from Finbar O'Mallon and Harriet Conron)Music by Podington Bear, Magnus Ringblom, Joel Jungell, Anders Bothén (via Epidemic Sound)Episode 13 Contributing Crew: Jess Davis, Harriet Conron, Brendan Wrigley, Alexander Darling, Monica Ireland, Evan Young, Alicia Barker, Jade Bate, Finbar O'Mallon, Victoria KnaufExecutive Producers: Rachael Dexter and Ashleigh McMillan