Takeout Kids – Normal Gossip – Curling
...and some other things we're into this week
Kia ora, welcome to this week’s newsletter.
Longtime mega memory readers of this newsletter may remember that last year we put out a call looking for cool kids growing up in their parents’ restaurants or takeaway shops. After what has felt like a very long wait, we can finally show you what it was for:
Directed by Julie Zhu (East Meets East, Myth of the Model Minority), new documentary series Takeout Kids follows the everyday lives of four young people juggling school, friends and everything else while helping out with the family business. All four episodes will be available to watch on The Spinoff from next Tuesday, and we will of course share them all here over the coming weeks too. Can’t wait for you to see them all.
–Cal
🎧 New this week on The Spinoff Podcast Network
Here we go again – a new series of Married at First Sight Australia is here and The Real Pod [Apple | Spotify] is wading in to recap the whole thing. First one tomorrow!
On The Fold [Apple | Spotify] this week, veteran broadcaster Sean Plunket told Duncan Greive what listeners can expect from his new online radio platform The Platform.
Veteran political podcast Gone By Lunchtime [Apple | Spotify] returned last week, discussing the plan to open up the border, the Bellis saga, RATs and some already out of date poll results.
And on When the Facts Change [Apple | Spotify], Bernard Hickey was joined by a couple of big economics heads to talk about monetary policy and why everything is getting more expensive.
📺 Mythic Quest
Jane says: “If there’s a hole in your heart where Silicon Valley used to reside, then you should give Mythic Quest on Apple TV+ a whirl. The series starts as the makers of hugely popular online role playing game are about to release a new expansion pack. Under the pressure of a highly competitive market, the developers find themselves at the mercy of hackers, bugs and shouty adolescent YouTube reviewers. It’s a fun and easy watch with a cast of characters who all walk the line between annoying and endearing in a strangely compelling way.”
🎧 Normal Gossip
Sam says: “Normal Gossip is the perfect podcast for people whose first question at brunch is “What’s the goss?” There’s no true crime or murders here – instead each episode follows one piece of truly banal gossip, sent by a friend of a friend to host Kelsey McKinney, who then reads it out to her guest, asking them at crucial intervals what they would’ve done. The fourth episode, with Laci Mosley (Scam Goddess), is a Shakespearean tale of group texts, screenshots, and bridal warfare; one of the most riveting things I’ve ever listened to. Serial who?”
🎥 Jackass Forever
Chris says: “I wholeheartedly endorse the infantile joy of going to the cinema to see Jackass Forever with your best friend. You will see a bull absolutely destroy Johnny Knoxville. You will see a penis become a city-destroying beast. You will see a different penis turned into a beehive. You will see mates mucking around just like the good old days. You will feel like you're 14 all over again. Anyone up for a skate?”
💿 Sexy After Dark
Duncan says: “I rec Sexy After Dark, a 2021 single from country singer Joshua Ray Walker. He is a powerful, androgynous presence with a sound that doesn’t fit neatly into either modern Nashville or more traditionalist schools, instead bringing lush ’70s soul horns and a propulsive, dusty beat. The writing is affecting and winsome, but it’s his aching, cracking voice which stops you in your tracks. He’s yet to break out, but his magnetic performance on Fallon last week was stunning – he could be a star before this year is done.”
🎧 Shut Up Evan
Reweti says: “Shut up Evan, the podcast hosted by American pop culture writer and Buffy the Vampire Slayer stan Evan Ross Katz, returned for its third season last week with an episode featuring the one, the only Jennifer Coolidge. It's always a joy to hear an interviewer ask insightful questions of celebrities and know that they've done their research, and this episode left me smiling from ear to ear. Also, follow Evan on Instagram.”
🦘Bouncing
Ben says: “I'd like to endorse / normalise going to a trampoline park as an adult. I mean actually going and bouncing around, not just taking your kids and sitting down to watch them bounce like the majority of adults seem to do. Take it from a 46-year-old male of not insignificant proportions who had an absolute time bouncing around, doing flips and playing dodgeball at the weekend, there's nothing like the freedom of just ... bouncing!”
🥌 Curling
Event for event, I think the Winter Olympics are probably more exciting to watch than the Summer Olympics. But the event I keep finding myself drawn to late at night is objectively the most boring: curling. I love the slow, graceful slide to deliver the stone, the brief frenzy of sweeping (Does it slow it down or speed it up? I still don’t know), the way they wear one grippy shoe and one slippy shoe, the long lulls while they consider their next shot. I still haven’t made it through a full match because the coverage is so intensely relaxing it sends me to sleep every time, but wow, what a sport.
OK, that’s all we’ve got time for this week. Please reply to get in touch and of course feel free to share with anyone else who might like to subscribe too. See you next Wednesday 👋
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