Booze, drugs and music are deeply intertwined - from the beers given to bands in their ‘riders’ to the excessive consumption facilitated by festivals and after-show parties.

For music promoter Chris De Banks, consuming up to thirty pints a day had become typical behaviour. In the fug of his addiction, he lost jobs, friends and self-respect.

Following rehab in 2016, he founded Not Saints, the UK’s only record label working with musicians in recovery from addiction.

In this candid conversation with Olly, Chris traces his problem drinking back to childhood, discusses methods for the music industry to clean up its act, and celebrates some artists he’s supported through their drug and alcohol recovery: Ella Hayes, Mishkin Fitzgerald & The Chemical Perils, Phil Mac, and Little Tealeif, who provides our Record of the Month, ‘Pedestal People’.

You can find out more about Chris and NotSaints at notsaints.co.uk or on social media @NotSaints. 

If you or someone you know thinks they may have a problem with drugs or alcohol then speak to your GP or contact your local Drug and Alcohol Services for help and further guidance.

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Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart, inspired by the likes of YouTube sensation Odd Tinkering, is attempting to restore some retro tech.

His weapon of choice is a 1980s Philips AM/FM radio, picked up for a fiver in a Westcountry market - but, with a little help from Google Nest - can he make it ‘Smart’?

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Finally, in the Foxhole, Alix Fox unboxes the Womanizer Wave - the first ever shower head that doubles as a sex toy. (Well, the first one to do so officially, anyway…)

Her listener question of the month is from an anonymous MannFan who considers himself straight… and prefers to be in a relationship with women… but enjoys sexual encounters with men on the side. Is he simply bisexual, or… is he ‘heteroflexible’?

With assistance from integrative counsellor and psychotherapist Anthony Davis and Vaneet Mehta, author of ‘Bisexual Men Exist’, Alix unpicks the pride, shame and stigma of queer categorisations - and explains why, for some people, it’s important to define their place on the sexuality spectrum with a specific label.

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If you have a question you’d like Alix to answer, a challenge for Ollie, or you’d like to send Olly a letter or suggestion for a future guest, just fill in the Feedback form on our website, MODERNMANN.CO.UK

You can also donate to the show there. We rely on listeners like you to fund our independent podcast. Thank you so much.

… And we’ll see you again on July 10th!

Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix Fox, Chris De Banks. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: ‘Skies Over Cairo’ by Django Django. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2023.

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