For our final episode of the year, we look at a yuletide classic from a philosophical and existential angle, gently challenging the fairytale ‘happy ending’ and looking at other inconsistencies within what is close to being a perfect Hollywood tale of darkness rescued by light and hope. George Bailey and the other characters are archetypes that stay just the right side of being clichés, but there may well be more going on than meets the eye…

Following this, Antony makes some other observations about life and asks a few questions (don’t expect the answers!) about our human relationship to the world around us, with further connections made to the ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ film

Enjoy!

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https://www.antonyrotunno.com

Antony’s John Lennon podcast

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]

episode links

Some famous scenes from ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’

The opening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79pIurpNARs&t=9s

George and Mary fall in love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wABeIIjxmJk

‘You’re worth more dead than alive’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COAnVhYNbTI

George receives a great gift

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNQ76UyurLA

A Christmas miracle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDQVRxRlGdQ

Film Gold’s review of the film

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1o-yaBhGjY

Scott Phipps’s marvellous festive review for the ‘Stinking Pause’ podcast

https://stinkingpause.libsyn.com/webpage/2018

Is the film’s ending actually happy?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um3C3GHchZw

SNL’s alternative ending (Potter finally gets it…)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw89o0afb2A

Scrooge sees the light (1951 version)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FYV0BJJycs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPceYjVQVnw

The Beatles And A Mass of Humanity (life is people)

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com/the-beatles-and-a-mass-of-humanity

Life

Some famous quotes about life

https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/life.html

The universe is waaay bigger than you think

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy7NzjCmUf0

Recommended books

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/347852.The_Road_Less_Traveled

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16024912-fuck-it

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/197782.Rogue_State

We complete our journey into Axel Rudakubana’s darkness with a look at some of the wealth of information uncovered by the recently-completed first phase of The Southport Inquiry, which has taken place at Liverpool Town Hall.

Special attention is given to the testimonies of Gary Poland, the unfortunate taxi driver who delivered Axel to the place of his atrocity, Axel’s brother Dion and their parents Alphonse and Laetitia.

The timeline is as imperfect as the system that sought to deal with a severe case of a ‘problem child’, as we jump around key events and try to make sense of a 5-year period in the Rudakubana family’s lives that saw an apparently well-adjusted 12 year old with a passion for acting and Doctor Who transform into a monster (as his father admits he now is).

The episode ends with some final thoughts from the Inquiry chairman as we try to build a brighter future

Thanks for listening and see you in December!

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https://www.antonyrotunno.com

Antony’s John Lennon podcast

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]

episode links

Liverpool Echo Inquiry updates in full (latest at the top)

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/live-southport-inquiry-updates-32420881

News reports regarding the testimonies of Gary Poland, Dion Rudakubana and Alphonse Rudakubana

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waoIVeV-ZwY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFz7jTQeBbk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqRT1JtTB-Q

What is Trauma?

https://psychcentral.com/health/what-is-trauma

Axel’s taxi ride, police arrival and arrest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72kZoJTw5FE&t=6s

Craig Houston on the rather strange Axel arrest video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxWO6gH1Tss

Police interviews with the child killers of James Bulger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaSq6RPqMrU

We conclude our latest follow-up episodes on Axel Rudakubana and his darkest of deeds on a summer’s day in Southport last July. In this part Antony looks at apparent ‘events’ involving Rudakubana - and the media coverage of them in a world awash with rumours and agendas - since his sentencing hearing in January and the award of a 52-year minimum term life sentence.

Parallel to this is the extraordinary suffering and bravery of the victims’ families and a remarkably poignant day at the London Marathon in April.  From there we move on to the ongoing government-commissioned Southport Inquiry, which seeks to clarify the precise events of July 29th and to try to shed light on how an apparently normal if withdrawn 12-year-old child could have been led to his monstrous actions

There will be at least one further update episode as the inquiry continues

We hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...

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https://www.antonyrotunno.com

Antony’s John Lennon podcast

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]

episode links

Original LALO episode on the case

https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/e/episode-57-axel-rudakubana-explaining-the-unexplainable/

Axel’s brother speaks out

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15111537/Brother-Southport-killer-asks-officials-stopped-sibling-going-knife-rampage.html

Dion and Alphonse in the local newspaper

https://sites.google.com/view/freenewsreport/how-dion-rudakubanas-new-wheelchair-transformed-his-daily-life

https://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/sport/other-sport/alphonse-gets-wants---after-9480939

What did the parents know?

https://news.sky.com/story/southport-victims-parents-say-killers-parents-knew-and-ignored-risk-he-posed-to-public-13432889

Sergio Aguiar and David Stancombe run the London Marathon

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1k42p00wlwo

Charlie Bentley-Astor on the case

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE1p-xnmnfA&t=115s

Ross Kemp in Belmarsh (does this look cushy?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgGf8u8Vn1Y

‘One Day In Southport’ documentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4mR2HUeUxE&t=116s

Axel’s Taxi ride and the arrival of the police

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72kZoJTw5FE

Following on from episode 57, we delve further into the dark world of Axel Rudakubana and the horrific attack(s) he perpetrated in sunny Southport last July. This time, Antony provides more details of the sometimes bizarre events surrounding the attack (without dwelling on the gory details), and also the media framing of the killer and the handling of this shocking ongoing ‘story’.

On this latter point, we are aided by a few paragraphs from Alain De Botton’s ‘The News: A User’s Manual’, which looks at the strange and compulsive relationship most of us have with the telling to us of the apparently most important events in a vast and complex world.

The Southport Inquiry is currently taking place in Liverpool, and part 2 will reveal more details and context from the wealth of information that the inquiry is providing on a daily basis.

As with the previous episode, there is also brief mention of the Lucy Letby case and John Lennon’s killer, Mark David Chapman.

We hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...

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https://www.antonyrotunno.com

Antony’s John Lennon podcast

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]

episode links

Previous LALO episode on the case

https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/e/episode-57-axel-rudakubana-explaining-the-unexplainable/

Axel Rudakubana in a BBC Children In Need advert 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5wc1WqGScg

‘One Day In Southport’ documentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4mR2HUeUxE&t=116s

Axel’s Taxi ride and the arrival of the police

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72kZoJTw5FE

The policemen on the scene’s testimonies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW6eFZU66wQ

Axel Rudakubana arrest video and Craig Houston’s take on it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5ye387OZYM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxWO6gH1Tss

Joel Verite testimony

https://news.sky.com/video/man-describes-coming-face-to-face-with-southport-knife-attacker-13187561

Axel restrained by classmates at school

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OaiB03ZcYo0

Alain De Botton’s ‘The News: A User’s Manual

(book link and Google talk by the author)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18282869-the-news

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4aAJrJB6h0

Media fakery? (different video to the one mentioned in the episode)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tocuyJ1Fu7U

‘Lucy Letby Analysis’ (highly recommended you tube channel)

https://www.youtube.com/@LLAnalysis/videos

After our journey in part 1 into anxiety and depression, we follow Matt Haig’s recovery, as detailed in his fine book ‘Reasons To Stay Alive’, and talk about all the great stuff in life, both big and small, with a little help from some of Antony’s friends and family -thanks again to all contributors- as he approaches his half century (hence the title).

Along the way, we explore regrets of the dying, how a healthy attitude to death can enhance our lives, and those moments of ‘the sublime’ that we experience a lot as children but seem to ‘grow out of’ as we pass into adulthood.

Declutter your soul, travel, take some exercise, express gratitude, stroke an animal, do whatever works…

We hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...

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https://www.antonyrotunno.com

Antony’s John Lennon podcast

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]

episode links

‘Reasons To Stay Alive’ by Matt Haig

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25733573-reasons-to-stay-alive

Stephen Fry’s 2-part documentary ‘The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtImgnj5DN0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECv-24Ruu-o

Learning from ‘Regrets of the Dying’

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cop-doc/202301/learning-from-the-top-5-regrets-of-the-dying

The benefits of spending time with animals

https://travelswithbibi.com/the-benefits-of-spending-time-with-animals

An Uplifting Conversation about depression (LALO 28)

https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/e/episode-28-an-uplifting-conversation-about-depression

The link between depression and creativity

https://www.verywellmind.com/the-link-between-depression-and-creativity-5094193

Robert Greene on ‘The Sublime’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGMq4T7G0Mk

The universe is way bigger than you think

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy7NzjCmUf0

Derealisation

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depersonalization-derealization-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20352911

How To Resist Advertising

https://www.rationalhumanbeing.com/blog/how-to-resist-advertising-even-when-you-cant-escape-it

F**k It: The Ultimate Spiritual Way

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4837266-f-k-it

Derren Brown’s book ‘Happy’

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30142270-happy

Alain De Botton on ‘The News’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4aAJrJB6h0

Bill Hicks- It’s Just A Ride

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgzQuE1pR1w

We present the first of two episodes in the lead-up to Antony’s upcoming milestone birthday. The main part of this episode features extracts from the first two sections of Matt Haig’s excellent and popular 2015 book ‘Reasons To Stay Alive’.

This profound, readable and sometimes humorous book details Haig’s recovery from ‘a sustained bout of anxiety and depression’, and Antony interjects with (hopefully useful) observations and ideas for containment of negative feelings and emotions.

This is preceded by a look at anxiety and depression in terms of definitions, causes, symptoms and possible treatments.

We hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...

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Support the show at:

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Antony’s website (blog, music, podcasts, life coaching) 

https://www.antonyrotunno.com

Antony’s John Lennon podcast

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]

episode links

‘Reasons To Stay Alive’ by Matt Haig

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25733573-reasons-to-stay-alive

Stephen Fry’s 2-part documentary ‘The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtImgnj5DN0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECv-24Ruu-o

LALO’s previous explorations of depression (Ep 28) and Life Coaching (episodes 19 & 44)

https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/e/episode-28-an-uplifting-conversation-about-depression/

https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/e/episode-19-life-coaching-creativity-communal-experience-mental-health/

https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/e/episode-44-life-coaching-the-inner-game-part-1-of-3/

Treatments for depression in the UK

https://mentalhealth-uk.org/help-and-information/conditions/depression/treatment/

The surprising benefits of journalling

https://www.verywellhealth.com/journaling-7498123

Robert Greene: Imagined Pain vs. Reality

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si93W7aO08U

Alain De Botton on ‘The News’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4aAJrJB6h0

F**k It: The Ultimate Spiritual Way

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4837266-f-k-it

We conclude our conversation with Peter Seal, the author of ‘The Self-Help Delusion: A Manifesto For Genuine Change’, a self-development book that seeks to help the reader evolve their way of thinking and inspire real and long-lasting life changes.

Once again, Antony and Peter discuss a range of topics, this time including anger/fear, hypnosis, NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), narratives, roles, beliefs, love and happiness.

Are us humans really just making it all up as we go along? Listen on…

We hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...

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Support the show at:

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https://www.antonyrotunno.com

Antony’s John Lennon podcast

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]

episode links

Peter’s book

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25593619-the-self-help-delusion

What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming?

https://practicalpie.com/neuro-linguistic-programming/

An introduction to Transactional Analysis and recommended book

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByUZI-DCiSM

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49176.Games_People_Play

The Art of Happiness

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38210.The_Art_of_Happiness

Derren Brown on hypnosis and happiness (Joe Rogan podcast)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFeL7XGwJTs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3DigsvZCXo

Marlon Brando on life and acting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slU3ATbH1Vg

The true scale of the universe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy7NzjCmUf0

After entering dark territory with the previous episode, we return to lighter material with the first of a two-part conversation with Antony’s friend Peter Seal, the author of ‘The Self-Help Delusion: A Manifesto For Genuine Change’, which is a self-development book that seeks to help the reader evolve their way of thinking and inspire real and long-lasting life changes.

In this part, Antony and Peter discuss a range of topics, including human behaviour, time, the past-present-future relationship and NLP (neuro-linguistic programming). In addition, if you want to know why the sky may not be blue, listen on…

We hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...

Feedback to [email protected]

Facebook page

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Support the show at:

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Antony’s website (blog, music, podcasts, life coaching) 

https://www.antonyrotunno.com

Antony’s John Lennon podcast

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]

episode links

Peter’s book

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25593619-the-self-help-delusion

What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming?

https://practicalpie.com/neuro-linguistic-programming/

The Artist’s Way (a spiritual guide to creativity)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/615570.The_Artist_s_Way

The Power of Now animated summary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgGtNgLSCqU

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F***

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28257707-the-subtle-art-of-not-giving-a-f-ck

Michael Caine on using the difficulty

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAB89fOdA-I

This is a rare true crime episode, trying (in vain) to understand the horrific crimes of Axel Rudakubana in Southport last summer. There is also some discussion of the Lucy Letby case and brief mention of John Lennon’s reviled killer Mark David Chapman, in terms of the psychology of crime and society's relationship to it. 

We hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...

Feedback to [email protected]

Facebook page

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Support the show at:

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno

OR

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Antony’s website (blog, music, podcasts, life coaching) 

https://www.antonyrotunno.com

Antony’s John Lennon podcast

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]

episode links

Axel Rudakubana

BBC Children In Need advert 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5wc1WqGScg

BBC Panorama documentary

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0027x2z

Taxi ride and arrest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hI7Hx995ks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5ye387OZYM

Joel Verite testimony

https://news.sky.com/video/man-describes-coming-face-to-face-with-southport-knife-attacker-13187561

LBC caller on Alphonse Rudakubana

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqsaTpvp5Dc

Rob Ager deep dive on the 2024 post-Southport riots

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umVQpAer1BU

The Psychological Effects of Bullying on Kids & Teens

https://mastersinpsychologyguide.com/articles/psychological-effects-bullying-kids-teens/

Lucy Letby

Was There Ever A Crime? (podcast series)

https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/bdrfd-25f224/Was-There-Ever-A-Crime-The-Trials-of-Lucy-Letby-with-John-Sweeney-Podcast

Full interview with prosecution ‘star witness’ Dewi Evans

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQleiz5P05k&list=PLisbmqPbVDrYRuFmluXVm5YDQhoRo5Pw2&index=3

Press conference of ‘new evidence’ conducted by Dr. Shoo Lee (Feb 2025)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT8CO15IHMs

‘According To Carl In The UK’ on Lucy Letby possible release

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6Y9iUcbLRk

Completing our foray into advertising, mostly using Antony’s talk on Julian Charles’s excellent podcast ‘The Mind Renewed’ back in 2015, we dive deeper into Edward Bernays’s work and then segue into the darker underbelly of the craft, including the engineering of a military coup and the truly egregious and unethical snaring of innocent hearts and minds involved in advertising to children. On a lighter note we mention a few points made in Neil Sanders’s very entertaining presentation called ‘The Art of Creating Reality’ (see show notes).

From there we talk about an excellent short video called ‘Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed’ (see show notes again) and how we have been trapped into a certain way of life. There are a few words from Antony at the end of the talk on this subject, and Antony and Julian offer some advice for combatting the controlling force of advertising.

See you on the other side for another episode soon

We hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...

Feedback to [email protected]

Facebook page

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Support the show at:

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Antony’s website (blog, music, podcasts, life coaching) 

https://www.antonyrotunno.com

Antony’s John Lennon podcast

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]

Link to Julian’s website/podcast and our original talk in full

https://www.themindrenewed.com

https://www.themindrenewed.com/episodes/2014-15/717-ep020

episode links

Edward Bernays: A Brief History

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdQ6HIzaSm4

‘Company Store’ by Dissident Prophet (with lyrics)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcx3T_UoHsU

Consuming Kids: The Commercialisation of Childhood (2008 doc)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMaRsR7orTk

How Advertising Rewires Kids’ Brains

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGN1ZEABk_Y

Neil Sanders - The Art of Creating Reality

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXIRBU0LVWI

Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufeavz7d0GU

A Parent’s Guide to Resisting Television Advertising

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdQYMG0JnWw

Rory Sutherland’s superb TED talks ‘Perspective Is Everything’ and ‘Life Lessons of an Ad Man’

https://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_perspective_is_everything

https://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_life_lessons_from_an_ad_man

Stephen Fry can’t stop shopping! (go to 44.55)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECv-24Ruu-o