The Battler

This week it’s Labor Fever as the Gr*upers talk the smell of the National Conference, Caroll’s Allan Stabbing, Shoppification and the sidelining of Ed “Hughesy” Husic, all broadcast from the media room at Felix Lee’s Point Piper mansion. They also talk about the One Nation sturmarbeitung, Malcolm Roberts’ Bath Time, Hughesy’s (the real one) Icarian flight, KRudd Compson and the Sound and the Bloody Fury, Jillbucks and the Diddlergeddon that is Australian broadcast and politics. They also manage to talk about communist Aussie writers, Indonesian cinema, the Black Armada and how to skin a whale.Thanks as always to “Dictator” Dan Dare for production.

Song is “No Strain” by the Southend Rainbows.

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This week, the L*estrygoonians talk to James “Robert” Woods, whose The Birthday Trip comes out in cinemas on the 30th of July. They discuss Stan originals/music video aesthetics in oz cinema; the state of the industry; the stakes of social satire in Australia, and the particulars of getting a movie made here. It’s a great chat, and you should go see the movie.

Before that, the fell*s talk the Nolanyssey (Spoiler Alert), Tim’s own Toorak Yacht Week odyssey riff; Pauline “Hussein” and the fake dog theory “Burnham Wood coming to Downing Lane;” and Master’s Milk. If you want to see the l*ds live, let us know in the comments!

Thanks as always to “Dictator” Dan Dare for production.

Song is “No Strain” by the Southend Rainbows.

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This week the imp*rial ret*nue mourn the passing of Sam Neill, Liberal Party Corruption (Catholic Schools edition), the great book production debate, Melvillean Marxism and the terrors of Left irony, making prisons safe spaces, Lindsey Graham queer lore, Mamdani Italian erasure, the racial profile of New York couples, Shakespeare, and Iran 2: Lindsey’s Revenge.

Song as always is No Strain by the Southend Rainbows.

Thanks to Diktator Dan Dare for production.

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Battlers, we have a question for you…Shag - Date - Marry: Pat - Tim - Drew.This week, The Battler Lads discuss The Beijing of the North (Brisbane), Pat’s (receding) hairbrained scheme to sell OzLit to the Chinese market, contemporary Chinese cinema, the mercurial definition of ‘The Battler’ in 2026, and, as usual, the state and fate of the current Australian left. + the Prime Minister said he’d k*ll Kylie Minogue or something? And more!Thanks as always to Producer Dan ‘Danni Minogue’ Dare for all his hard work!

With Tim up in the great Pearl River City of Brisbane, this week the Battler brings you a conversation between friends of the pod Michael Winkler and Giacomo Bianchino. They launched the book Griefdogg together at Better Read than Dead, in Sydney, back on the 15th of June. They chat about metaphor, the resistance of landscape to art, grief and the sentence. There are also some great questions from the civs in the audience.

Thanks to “Dictator” Dan Dare as always for production Back to regular programming next week.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

This week, the extended M*rlborough-Sh*a-C*llectual clan chat for ages with James.haha.nice: the “alternative comedian from Melbourne” responsible for the Harold Holt Swim Centre series on Instagram Tiktok. They talk about “Puss” Holt, the general mean-ness of the Australian political class; the misogyny at the heart of conspiracy theories; The Butter Wars and international trade policy; modern documentary culture; Australian history’s terminal dullness; defamation and the chilling of critical culture. It’s a huge and important yarn; all-time Battler areas.

Before that, the r*de mechanicals talk Starmxit, the Race Around the World; Shakespeare (gay); and the HUGE REVEAL of the CHARLIE PICKERING BB KING.

Note: Watteau was not really a landscape painter, but certainly bordered on genre!

Thanks as always to “Dictator” Dan Dare for production.

Song as always is “No Strain” by The Southend Rainbows.

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This week, the gr*nks are talking to Shane Jesse Christmass, author of Xerox Over Manhattan; Latex, Texas; Meth DTF and a bunch of other indie gems. They talk prose style, the global indie publishing orbit, Amerikkka as theory and practice; collaboration across continents and defining Ozlit. It’s a ripping chat, particularly for fans of the truncated sentence (I know there are a few of youse getting around!)

Before that, they talk over each other about cinema, a McManus Merkin Mime, Segal World, Lesbian barfights, the ELECTION OF DREW PAVLOU AS CHAOS CORRESPONDENT FOR KARL STEFANOVIC, America250 and DJT80; woodchopping lore; Murnane’s Order of Australia speech; and Tim sets Pat off like a Beyblade about the changing world of CGI in movies lol.

Thanks as always to “Dictator” Dan Dare for Production.

Song as always is “No Strain” by the Southend Rainbows.

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This week, the Wh*te D*gs are chatting ABC stores and the blackface era of the 2000s; the Bellingen writers’ festival and Lesbian scene; nearly coming to blows over Wes Anderson; method acting; Charlie Pickering: Zionist BB King; Sooshi Mango; Betootafication; the Parkinson era; TISM wars; AUKUS inquiries; Pauline “Little Chiko” Hanson at the Ballroom.

Note: Tim calls Pi O a Comedian.

Thanks as always to “Dictator Dan Dare” for his tireless work in production.

Song is “No Strain” by the Southend Rainbows.

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This week the str*nzi are off-leash and rolling in any shit they can stick their noses into. They talk the rise of the PHONies and the inadequacy of certain Left responses; the BRS/Hastie beef; the trenchant bastardy of cops; the cruelty of Australia and cultural Howardism; the Teal Panel Party; the language of parliament; the nonce media and their love of babykillers; Alan Jones biopics; Abbott 2.0; evil gays and powerful lesbians; and Drew, Drew, Drew. Sweet Drew, our beautiful son and collaborator. We wonder about what makes him tick, what he thinks about, what he wants from the world, how he sees himself, what keeps him up at night. It’s a Pavlouvian Republic of Drewstralia, and we are just living in it.

Song is “No Strain” by Southend Rainbows.

Thanks always to “Dictator” Dan Dare for Production.

Subscribe to Straying for the Morsel and The Yeah Nah Review

This week, the c*bbers talk to Will Cox, critic and author of Hyacinth, a gothic retelling of various episodes of Keeping Up Appearances. They chat about the nature of old media and nostalgia, serialisation, experimentation in modern fiction, translation and appropriation, formal fragmentation and other absolutely renegade stuff.

Before that, the boys talk online anti-reading trends, more circumcisions, the hues of One Nation foreheads, mining corruption and greenwashing, the various ways they both encouraged bullies as teenagers, Pitchfork Jet Review Reichstag Fire, Tealification, Auctioneer gang wars in Sydney post-budget, tax concession anger and downwards envy.

Thanks as always to “dictator” Dan Dare for production.

Song is No Strain by the Southend Rainbows, who have just started recording their next album ;).

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