The 9pm Edict

The 9pm Edict is a podcast looking at the news and its frustrations. Series 1 of The 9pm Edict, a total of 20 episodes, was completed in March 2012. Since then, episodes have continued to appear for reasons that are not entirely clear. The world is not a just place, it seems.

The 9pm Arch Window of the Prostate Exam

20 December 2018 in The 9pm Edict by Stilgherrian | No comments

Ultrasound scan of Stilgherrian's prostate gland

In this episode, Nicholas Fryer joins me to explore politics at the end of 2018.

We talk about potholes in the sky, nurses, some disturbing animal action, Pete Evans, Hawaiian monk seals, morality, colonoscopy, and much more.

You can listen to the podcast below. But if you want all of the episodes, now and in the future, subscribe to the podcast feed, or go to SoundCloud or Spreaker.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:12:46 — 35.5MB)

Episode Notes

I’m now using Pinboard for the episode notes.

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The 9pm Arch Window of the Baked Goods

20 November 2018 in The 9pm Edict by Stilgherrian | 1 comment

Pie

In this episode, Nicholas Fryer joins us to explore the archetypical Arizona senator, breakfast food, productivity, and the cost of living.

We talk about baked goods, fried rice, watermelon, Hunter S Thompson, international politics, parenting, productivity, and more.

You can listen to the podcast below. But if you want all of the episodes, now and in the future, subscribe to the podcast feed, or go to SoundCloud or Spreaker.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:29 — 62.9MB)

Episode Notes

I’m now using Pinboard for the episode notes.

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The 9pm Probe: Mike Godwin, attorney and author

28 October 2018 in The 9pm Edict by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Washington Monument at dusk

While I was in Washington DC recently, I recorded an interview with attorney and author Mike Godwin, he of Godwin’s Law fame.

We spoke about Godwin’s Law, of course, as well as nationalism, concentration camps, human rights, privacy, the fragility of democracy, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, libertarianism, Australia’s My Health Record, and more.

You can listen to the podcast below. But if you want all of the episodes, now and in the future, subscribe to the podcast feed, or go to SoundCloud or Spreaker.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:39 — 28.1MB)

This podcast was recorded on Friday 5 October 2018 in Washington DC.

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The 9pm Arch Window into the Soul

20 October 2018 in The 9pm Edict by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Adelaide Railway Station

This podcast returns to my hometown of Adelaide and turns thing inside out, with The Arch Window’s Nicholas Fryer asking me questions. Some of them dig into my past.

We talk about internet influencers, internet advertising, the role of the ABC as Australia’s national broadcaster, the shift in focus of The Australian and other Rupert Murdoch media outlets, Malcolm Turnbull, Korean boy band BTS, The Veronicas, Bipolar II Disorder, the nature of being a writer, Sky News Australia, bourbon, repressed memories, getting older, and the importance of fear.

You can listen to the podcast below. But if you want all of the episodes, now and in the future, subscribe to the podcast feed, or go to SoundCloud or Spreaker.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:04 — 52.6MB)

This podcast was recorded on Sunday 30 October 2018 in Adelaide, South Australia.

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The 9pm Shoddy Time Machine

19 September 2018 in The 9pm Edict by Stilgherrian | 2 comments

Mushrooms

We revisit Cronulla and Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, the power base of Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison, to find out what makes it tick. Nicholas Fryer asks some important questions. And we find out what a chicken and avocado pie — yes, that’s right — we find out what it tastes like.

We also hear about mushrooms, the true rules of life, Elon Musk, and the death of democracy.

You can listen to the podcast below. But if you want all of the episodes, now and in the future, subscribe to the podcast feed, or go to SoundCloud or Spreaker.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:13:05 — 66.9MB)

The Rules

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The 9pm Probe: John Birmingham, author and columnist

08 July 2018 in The 9pm Edict by Stilgherrian | Permalink

John Birmingham

Today we insert the Probe into author and columnist John Birmingham, most famous for the novel He Died with a Felafel in His Hand, which was made into a film, but also the Axis of Time trilogy and a whole bunch of airport novels — mostly techno thrillers — as well as the Dave versus the Monsters series.

A few weeks ago I found myself in John Birmingham’s secret writing bunker, where we talked about everything from the culture wars to the end of civilisation, and from the mythology of the Anzacs to why he likes fan fiction.

We also mention his blog “The Burger” at cheeseburgergothic.com.

This episode was recorded on Monday 4 June 2018 in Brisbane, Australia.

You can listen to the podcast below. But if you want all of the episodes, now and in the future, subscribe to the podcast feed, or go to SoundCloud or Spreaker.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:15 — 31.7MB)

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Announcing “The 9pm Brisbane Forum”

06 May 2018 in The 9pm Edict by Stilgherrian | Permalink

[UPDATE: Sadly the Pozible campaign did not reach its target. There won’t be a Public House Forum podcast, but there should still be an episode with John Birmingham. Stay tuned for details.]

The 9pm Brisbane Forum: Click for Pozible campaign

Following the success of The 9pm Hometown Forum in Adelaide, and the bonus episode of The 9pm Probe with space archaeologist Dr Alice Gorman, I’m doing the same thing in Brisbane. But I need your help.

The plan? Two podcasts:

  1. Public House Forum 7, an episode like the last Public House Forum, recorded in a Brisbane pub on the afternoon of Saturday 2 June.
  2. The 9pm Probe with author and columnist John Birmingham. According to Wikipedia, he is known for the 1994 memoir He Died with a Felafel in His Hand, and his Axis of Time trilogy. He’s also responsible for the twice-weekly column Alien Side Boob, and his column for Fairfax Media.

From now until Thursday 17 May at 2130 AEST, you can help support The 9pm Brisbane Forum, a Pozible crowdfunding campaign to make these podcasts possible. You can buy the usual Forum rewards: ONE TRIGGER WORD or THREE TRIGGER WORDS or a FORUM QUESTION.

For details, click through now, or listen to this “excellent” promo, either here or on SoundCloud or on Spreaker.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:08 — 3.4MB)

You can follow the campaign on Twitter using the hashtag #9pmbrisbane.

Audio Credits

The 9pm Probe: Dr Alice Gorman, space archaeologist

07 April 2018 in The 9pm Edict by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Dr Alice Gorman

This is the pilot episode of The 9pm Probe, a long-form interview with an interesting person. Today, space archaeologist Dr Alice Gorman aka Dr Space Junk from Flinders University in South Australia.

As some of you may know, I was a bit of an enthusiastic Space Age kid, so this is a very self-indulgent conversation.

We talk about: How the live TV images of the Apollo 11 mission were really quite dull; Vanguard 1, currently the oldest human satellite in space; how civilian and military space programs have always been closely intertwined; citizen science in space; a brief mention of the Manned Orbital Laboratory (MOL); CORONA and the movie Ice Station Zebra; the International Geophysical Year (IGY); the International Polar Year; why people get angry about the concept of space archaeology; Australia’s early involvement in the Space Age; the Woomera test range; the Zuni rocket; WRESAT; the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO), the forerunner to the European Space Agency (ESA); rocket playgrounds; Ray Bradbury’s short story “The Rocket Man”; the inevitability of Uranus jokes; the start of the Second Space Age; our shared love of the Soviet technological aesthetic; the cube-sat revolution; the recent launch of rogue satellites; space tourism; Australia’s planned new space agency; SpaceX’s recent work, including firing a Tesla into space; Rocket Lab’s Humanity Star; the live video feed from the International Space Station; the Aboriginal use of bottle glass after European colonisation; and colonial processes in space.

At the end, I also mention the licenses you need to fly a spacecraft.

This episode was recorded on Monday 26 March 2018 at Flinders University.

You can listen to the podcast below. But if you want all of the episodes, now and in the future, subscribe to the podcast feed, or subscribe automatically in iTunes, or go to SoundCloud.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:36 — 31.2MB)

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The 9pm Public House Forum 6 / Hometown Forum

30 March 2018 in The 9pm Edict by Stilgherrian | Permalink

The Wheatsheaf Hotel

Adelaide is “heaps good”, as the saying goes. This Public House Forum episode was recorded in that city, and suggests that it might well be true.

The first Public House Forum for 2018 is also the first one recorded in Adelaide, and the panel is simply wonderful.

  • Tory Shepherd, state editor of The Advertiser.
  • Katie Spain, editor of Fritz Magazine.
  • Dr Hannah Brown, a postdoctoral fellow in paediatrics and reproductive health at the University of Adelaide.
  • Nicholas Fryer, presenter of The Arch Window and all-purpose misanthropist.
  • Sebastian Fryer, a young person, also appears briefly.

This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at The Wheatsheaf Hotel in Thebarton, Adelaide, on Saturday 24 March 2018.

There’s talk of Lego, starting a family, fritz, crumpets, Maggie Beer, orgasms, collusion to commit lexicography, infertility, and underage drinking. Amongst many other things.

You can listen to the podcast below. But if you want all of the episodes, now and in the future, subscribe to the podcast feed, or subscribe automatically in iTunes, or go to SoundCloud.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:56:59 — 58.7MB)

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The 9pm Private House Forum 1: Hobart

04 March 2018 in The 9pm Edict by Stilgherrian | Permalink

The Hope and Anchor

In an episode recorded live but in private in Hobart, Tasmania, we hear about sexuality and neuroscience, the sexuality of the stars, and the curious sexualities of the sex industry.

In this episode there’s talk of truth in advertising, Pluto, foetal development, frisbees, autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR), the recently-discovered glymphatic system, the escorting business, the beginning of the universe, and much more.

Our guests are:

We also mentioned the Ig Nobel Prize.

You can listen to the podcast below. But if you want all of the episodes, now and in the future, subscribe to the podcast feed, or subscribe automatically in iTunes, or go to SoundCloud.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:35 — 27.5MB)

Thank you, Media Freedom Citizenry!

This episode was made possible by its listeners, mostly through supporting The 9pm GoatFest Tasmania, which spawned a podcast of the same name.

Issuing a GOATY CHALLENGE were Peter Lawler, Reselsnark, and Paul McElwee; ASK A GOAT questions came from Stuart Young, Peter Lawler, PointZeroOne, Christopher Neal, Johan de Wit, and four people who choose to remain anonymous; SLIGHTLY LESS BASIC TIPs from Simon Harris, David Heath, Nick Andrew, Andrew Groom, Paul Williams, Katrina Szetey, Paul Kidd, Daniel O’Connor, Nicholas Fryer, Ric Hayman, Kathy Reid, twiddlekins, Norman Ma, Sean Minney, Syl Mobile, Tim Bell, Andrew Kennedy, Andrew Groom, Melissa Madsen, Kate Carruthers, Adam Fitzpatrick, Chris Gentle, Bob Ogden, and seven people who choose to remain anonymous; BASIC TIPs from, Errol Cavit, Matt Moore, and one person who chose to remain anonymous; and three other very generous souls.

Peter Lawler also pledged to receive a FORUM QUESTION, which didn’t happen. I owe you one.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please throw a few coins into the tip jar.

Series Credits

[Photo: The Hope and Anchor in Hobart, Tasmania, claims to be the oldest hotel establishment in Australia. It opened in 1807, and was photographed here on 27 February 2018. This is not the hotel where the podcast was recorded.]

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