Talking Bollox Podcast

Christy Dignam is one of the legends of Irish life, and his experiences have given him an incredible insight into far more than just the music business.

We've had Christy on the show back in the early days and we felt there was a lot more to talk about so we asked him to join us again. We talked about everything from his battles with addiction, to Aslan's plane crash, to the hoodie v jumper debate, and Christy weighs in on the Beatles V Oasis debate.

And to wrap it all up, he belted out a couple of songs in the studio. This one was an experience from start to finish!

Karl is one of the boys, he's better known by his online persona Awful Gas. He started out streaming and making videos during the pandemic and has developed a large online community, with big followings on YouTube, TikTok and Twitch.

This episode is a prime example of how a Talking Bollox episode can spiral far beyond the guest's story. We cover everything from conspiracy theories to ghosts and aliens.

Eric Donovan is a boxer and a person with a story unlike any other. He came in to tell us his incredible life story and talk about plenty besides that, including his favourite podcasts, the problems some kids face when school doesn't work for them, proving the doubters wrong, redemption in life and sport, and of course a bit about boxing!

Above all Eric and the lads talk about how recovery is a journey with no destination, but the destination isn't the point.

One month ago we took a huge step and brought Talking Bollox out of the studio and to the people, playing our first ever live show at a sold out Liberty Hall. It was an unforgettable night, with guest Senator Lynn Ruane, Hughie Maughan and Al Foran all joining us for an incredible evening with a crazy crowd.

We go back to the two boys this week, and we're running through a few things listeners have asked us to speak about. We're talking about Terence's theory that the TV licence man doesn't exist; Calvin's eventful week on a ski holiday; Ireland's response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis; Terence's latest film reviews (controversial) and then the future of live shows for the pod - plus plenty more.

This week we welcome Suzanne Jackson to the Talking Bollox studio. Many of you will know her as SoSueMe, she is one of Ireland's most famous people. What not many will know is how hard she grafted to become one of the most successful businesswomen in the country. A brand builder and entrepreneur she was one of the first bloggers in Ireland, long before anyone knew what an influencer was. She used the online world to make connections and build an audience. Many people thought she was mad to pack in her job as a receptionist in a radio station to go full time working with her blog and online. Fast forward a few years later and Suzanne is the founder and CEO of SoSueMe, one of Ireland's biggest female lifestyle brands. We chat about her journey, her future plans and also discuss the term “influencer” and what it means in today's world.

We finally met our match in the Talking Bollox world. We thought we were able to talk some bollox until we met Enya. There’s some great chats in this one and some mad detours including Tinder, American sports, Ronaldo and sign language. Enya also tells us about how she got into comedy from her first sketch to eventually selling out Vicar Street. Selling out Vicar St sounds like good craic doesn't it? We might try that ourselves 👀. Enya also discusses what it’s like to be a female comedian and her big plans for the future. It's not all light laughs, we also talk about a hard hitting topic that’s close to home for the three of us and the effects it has.

Comedian Des Bishop has had a fascinating life and he came in to offer us some of the knowledge he's collected along the way - from dealing with imposter syndrome, to handling pressure, to the differences between choices and chances in all our lives.

We all remember Brian from his first appearance in episode 37, but while that chat was about his personal story, this is him bringing his incredible professional knowledge to the table.

He explains to us what happens to the body and brain during periods of addiction and stress, and the scientific tactics that can help us all battle those things. He also explores why we end up in those states in the first place.

Brian also tells us about his MAVIG system, a set of principles and techniques he keeps in his daily life to manage his physical and mental health. Brian brought a lot of fascinating information with this one and it was a real eye opener to hear about the things we can all do every day to improve our quality of life.

A short message from Terence and Calvin about a brand new true crime podcast coming from one of our team here at Talking Bollox. Unusual Suspects is the incredible story of a $7.4m armed heist in New York, and the FBI chasing an Irish priest and an ex-IRA man (turned comic book dealer) in connection with it. This story and the characters in it are incredible, it grips you right from the start and it is absolutely top notch. We've heard it and we love it and we think you will too, so we wanted to tell you a bit more about it.