Chewing the Fat Podcast with Mike

ROB BERG is the president of the ZIONIST FEDERATION of NEW ZEALAND, a Zionist/Israel advocacy group based in New Zealand.

MIKE gets Rob's take on how/if anti-Zionism is anti-Semetic, inherent anti-Israel bias in the NZ media, a Zionist's perspective on how to achieve peace in the Middle East, whether Noam Chomsky is helpful to the Zionist cause, the challenges the movement faces, and his thoughts on Kia Ora Gaza.

PENELOPE was a sex-worker and addicted to morphine for 10 years - part two.

EXPLICT CONTENT - we spare no details and talk about what a bi-double is, how long it took to make a client orgasm, if Penelope ever became aroused, if sex-work is empowering, what the process of becoming clean was like, hiding sex-work/addiction from family and friends, and what it's like to pick women from a menu.

"DAVE PARKER" spent three years living and working in Mainland China.

We talk about why he has to self-censor, the abstract differences between Chinese and NZ culture, bringing his Chinese partner back to live in NZ, his take on the Peter Hughes from National Front interview, and a whole lot more.

QUINN MENTON shares his unique story of his first time taking psychedelic drugs and the consequences thereafter.

We chat about being detained whilst on mushrooms, reframing his existence after his drug experience, sympathising with kamikaze pilots and self-immolation, new appreciation of ‘god’, interrogating death and whether suicide is the right solution, and finding purpose and value in life after realising that there isn’t any.

T LAMUSSE is the co-founder of the queer and trans prison abolitionist advocacy group, NO PRIDE IN PRISONS AOTEAROA.

MARY chats with T on the origins and foundations of the group, the state of queer/trans rights in NZ correctional facilities, why they advocate for removal of prisons, a world that’s not defined by cis-heteronormative-patriarchal-racism and if/how we should celebrate gay rights.

PART TWO: CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY - The Ins and Outs

MIKE FERRISS is the secretary and spokesman for Scientology New Zealand. We talk about how much it costs to become 'clear', the Church's view on mental health, how Mike became a Scientologist, and what it's like to be their spokesperson.

PART ONE: CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY - Scientology in New Zealand

MIKE FERRISS is the secretary and spokesman for Scientology New Zealand. We talk about what the Church does in NZ, how effective their social programs are, Scientology vs. NZ media, and who Scientologists vote for.

STEVE LEBRASKY is a zoophile, engages in bestiality, and is a researcher for ZETA, in Germany. He has been in relationships with dogs and horses.

MIKE talks to Steve about how he came to be a zoophile, ownership of "partners", monogamy and jealousy in zoophile relationships, social/ethical implications, consent, whether he's a vegan or vegetarian, how common bestiality is, and other stuff..

*This show does not go into graphic detail.

BEV BOUCHER is a funeral director and owns/operates the funeral home, Shone and Shirley Funeral Directors.

We chat about whether she’s become desensitised to death, how she deals with people from accidents and babies, the process of handling a body, changing perceptions of death, funerals and the industry, how competitive the funeral industry is and how to get involved, 30 years unclaimed cremations, similarities with Six Feet Under, listener questions, plus much more.

PART TWO: THE FINER DETAILS

PETER WILSON is the secretary for the NZ-DPRK Society - a North Korean advocacy group based in New Zealand.

MIKE gets Peter's take on their national identity/ideology, why NZ uses 'strategic patience' when dealing with NK, a socialist/capitalist reunified Korea, why he advocates for NK, and how Gareth Morgan began a global Korean peace movement.

PART ONE: NORTH KOREA - THE BIG PICTURE

PETER WILSON is the secretary for NZ-DPRK Society - a North Korean advocacy group based in New Zealand.

MIKE gets Peter's take on why NK does weird stuff, why America needs NK to do weird stuff, the technocrats' influence, and how NK is both totalitarian and not at the same time.

KRIS SHANNON is a sports journalist for NZ HERALD.

JAKE gets Kris' take on whether sports journalism is 'real' journalism, The Bachelor stories vs. real journalism, how sport justifies our existence as a country, if sports adds or subtracts from anti-intellectualism in NZ, and a sneaky peak into the world of the All Blacks.

Penelope was a sex worker for 10 years. We talk about how it still affects her personal sex life, the idea of the 'desperate prostitute', and awkward foursomes.

AIDAN MACNAUGHTON has a keen eye for philosophy. We talk about the mind-body problem, his personal existential threats and how comfy armchairs are not.

Episode 19 - GREG CROOKS (PART II) has some pretty wild ideas. We talk about controlling the weather, the similarities between conspiracy theories and religion, and the evil United Nations.

PLUS one of his tracks, Trick With Your Life

GREG CROOKS aka SARU G is a conscious hip-hop artist and activist. We discuss what conscious hip-hop actually is, activism through pacifism and his favourite conspiracy theory.

PLUS we listen to, and discuss, some of his tracks.

TALI WILLIAMS is a union organiser having worked for First Union, SFWU, EPMU and Finsec, has travelled to the Middle East as part of Kia Ora Gaza and wants to remove parliamentary politics.

PHIL DONOVAN & JORDAN HENNING are anarcho-capitalists (anarchism through a framework of pure capitalism), and the co-directors of Anarkiwi.org. We talk about dismantling the state and their institutions, slavery in socialist societies, whether freedom is absolute of relative, legislating against incest, and Phil's experience of being the president of Young ACT.

GEOFF DALE has been a photographer for 47 years and covered some of NZ’s biggest moments, released a book, Press Pass, and has won five QANTAS awards for his photography.

We chat about how to read a situation and get the best picture to tell the story, how it felt to be covering major historical moments in NZ, the changes in photography and photojournalism, favourite gear and film stocks, plus Geoff takes us through his favourite pictures in his book, Press Pass.

RACHAEL works for one of NZ’s leading digital advertising agencies. MIKE talks to Rach about what digital advertising actually is, how the power of advertising might influence/change behaviours, the ethics of marketing, privacy vs. personalisation and digital trends of the future.

Josh is an ex professional gambler, who spent two years making a living from online poker. We talk about what it’s like to play cards for a living, gambling’s relationship with society, the visceral experience of waking up and betting, turning one’s self into a machine, if gambling makes you soulless and its consequences on mental health.