66 Comments

I LOVE JON RONSON

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jon ronson's voice is sublime. he should be narrating bed time stories or something.

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That'd be weirdly disconcerting, having listened to his audio books on public shaming etc. I'd be expecting some dark conspiratorial twist around every corner.

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Michael's recommendation of Jon's podcast was a cracker. My first thought after listening to it...should I copyright "Dial an Anti Racist"?

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That is hilarious!

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Completely unrelated but TV news lost both Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon today. Just wanted to share the news

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Is this a Griner/Bout-style exchange?

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Wouldn't put it past Lemon to become a Fox News liberal

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Looking forward to the Crossfire reboot on NewsNation.

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Late night punchline: Lemon Tucker

Please help me write the rest of the joke.

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I really wish Substack had listened to my suggestion to make podcasts downloadable for offline listening. I'm about to get on a plane and would love the company on my flight.

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You can sign up for the members only feed on the Apple podcast app to download it, but yeah, that would be a smart feature for Substack to add.

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Android here (in more ways than one 😆), so I don't use the Apple podcast app. But I might make an exception here!

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I use Google Podcasts for members only episodes. It has a download option.

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Thanks for this. I'm in the Google app but it's not obvious how to get my paid subscription in there, can you share how you did that?

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Sorry for the late reply. Just looked into this and here's what I've gathered -

1. Go to the 'manage subscription' under the menu on the wethefifth substack page.

2. Scroll down to the private podcast feed section and select set up podcast.

3. From there, copy the link near the bottom of the page as the google podcast button above doesn't work (at least it doesn't work for me)

4. Switch over to the Google Podcast app and select your subscriptions page.

5. Select the RSS feed icon and paste the link from above and hit subscribe. (The icon looks like a chain with a + sign on mobile)

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Thanks all, these are all great. I’ve been using Stitcher since the beginning, but what I can’t figure out in any of these apps is how to get them to download the members only episodes -- I haven’t figured out yet in any of them how to connect it to my paid subscription.

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Scroll to the top of this comments page and click on the three horizontal lines on the upper right hand side of the screen > manage subscription > scroll down to private podcast feed > click set up podcast > there should be an option here to email a link to add the private feed to your podcast app

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Excellent thanks! I'll hoist a whiskey in your honor this evening.

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You can do this on picketcasts

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I'm assuming that's a typo of https://pocketcasts.com & yes, that's a great app. I've got the Fifth set to auto-download and auto-append to my queue.

It also has a Sonos app, so you can switch between your phone & Sonos when you're home, which is nice.

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10-4

Sorry yes, Pocket Casts. Bourbon Thumbs last night.

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Bourbon Thumbs now added to my list of excuses. Thanks.

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I use Podcast Republic for Android. The app is free and I am able to download episodes to my phone for offline listening.

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I use overcast. Lots of podcasting apps do this.

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Did Fox fire Tucker to make room for Moynihan? That’s what lots of people are saying...

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Ho-lee-fuck I just heard a Throbbing Gristle reference... I was waiting for a Current93 reference next! Moyn is clearly the Dennis Miller of alt ephemera :D

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I was in Junior High in OKC when the bomb went off, supposedly it shook the glass on the other side of our school, so I had to listen. In high school I was listening to a lot of Throbbing Gristle, PsychicTV, and a bunch of other goth, industrial & punk music.

I did not think the two would ever be related.

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silly little personal side-note - i believe ronson mentioned that 'the debutante' worked with the colorado chapter of the temple of psychik youth in the show. i actually mailed that group a few times in the early 90s to buy blueprints for building a dream-machine. this was back in an era when i was a bit of a tg/burroughs/re-search obsessive.

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Michael’s namesake was involved in the “apocalyptic folk” scene so no surprises he is aware of the “scene”

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Plus a GG reference. Now we just need the lads thoughts on Tesco Vee.

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Going on the record to say I love Melvyn Bragg.

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MM’s impression shot to the top of my list of MM impressions

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If only he'd started with "hello."

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April 26, 2023
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Thanks for the link. I'll check it out.

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Nothing makes a Monday like having a new episode to listen to while you fix fence--especially one that brings in Throbbing Gristle? Thanks fellas!

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Toward the end of this great interview MM revealed that Jon Ronson’s “Things Fall Apart” is the only podcast that has made him cry. I think I know the episode because I must confess that shed some tears too. Ashamed to admit it was the episode featuring of all people Tammy Faye Baker, who conducted an unbelievably emotional interview with AIDS patient Steve Pieters on her TV show. I’m probably as cold hearted as MM but I lost it.

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I cannot think of another writer whose work I bring up more often and across a wider spectrum of contexts than Jon Ronson. Any time spent listening to this luminous brain is time well spent.

Thank you for this!

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Great conversation! It is important to remember what real neo nazis look like (we used to know when they were “platformed” in all their ridiculousness on tv for everyone to mock).

Today, without this exposure, we are left with box ticking to determine whether someone is a fascist or a neo, which means every public figure with a beak, feathers and claws automatically becomes a chicken.

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Only halfway done, but I endorse the recommendation to listen to the podcast before listening to this. It's so well done and there is so much info there.

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Yes. I'm glad I did. Fantastic storytelling!

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I know Moyn mentioned it in the episode, but Ronson's "Things Fell Apart" series is my favorite podcast series I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. Simply brilliant. And since my wife and I knew Tammy Faye Baker, that episode touched me deeply.

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There's a concept album by The Indicates called David Koresh Superstar, which features Andy The German as a character.

Sadly, it's not as good as David Koresh's actual songs.

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This conversation felt like the Hitchens convo Moyn released on here a while back, this was fantastic!

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