High Notes & Low Blows: Fantasia's Triumph and the Charles de Gaulle Disaster"

🚀 This week, we’re serving up a hearty slice of May 2004 chaos, with all the trimmings of scandal, tech tantrums, and pop culture pandemonium!

🛫 First up, tragedy strikes at Charles de Gaulle Airport when Terminal 2E crumbles under the weight of poor design—literally. As the newly constructed section collapses, it leaves us questioning whether faster is always better... 

📵 Meanwhile, North Korea hits the ‘end call’ button on mobile phones, banning them faster than you can say "snake high score." Why? Allegedly to stem the tide of foreign influence—because who needs global connection when you have state-run media?

🗞️ Over in the States, The New York Times takes a hard look in the rearview mirror, admitting that their Iraq War coverage might’ve been a bit, well, weaponised. 

🎤 In the reality TV realm, Fantasia Barrino turns a food run into an American Idol win, making us all wonder what magic lies in fast food that could turbocharge our own career goals.

🎬 In the cinematic universe, 'Shrek 2' proves that sequels can be more than just cash grabs. Who said second parts can't shine? Certainly not this ogre and his talking donkey.

🎵 On the tune track, Hoobastank is hitting hard with "The Reason," reminding us all why we’re still apologising to our exes. Meanwhile, Avril Lavigne is laying down moody tracks with 'Under My Skin,' proving once again that angst is eternal.

Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

Transcript

Transcript is generated automatically

The year is 2004. Your polyphonic ringtone habit is sending you broke. George W Bush is sworn in for a second term, and in spite of everything going on, the most controversial thing is a wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl. T -, 20 rewind 20 years with Joe and Mel. 

Week Ohh 23 May 2004. 

The rest is history. 

You know what? I'm very forgetful 20. Hello. 

There. Stop trying to make fetch happen. 

You're right. What are we waiting for? 

This is harder than I thought it would be. 

My fellow Americans. 

Let's roll. 

I use the term escape pod last week. Those are really good kind of pun to play on for a podcast. I thought an escape pod. Yes, it's t -. 20. Yes. Your escape pod from this bull time back 20 years to in actual fact. 

Escape pod. I just got that. 

What was another? The full time, really just different. You know how we get all nostalgic, we think. Hey, it was a better time take. Me back then. 

Those are the days. Remember when? 

And then the one thing exactly and the one thing that you do find that when you're doing the research is there was just as much book then as the book that that there is now it was just different booklet, yes. And I feel like I've said book way too many times in the intro of this podcast. We we are rewinding to this time 20 years ago with your hosts. 

Back in my days. It's cyclical, isn't it? Something knives? Not editing. 

Joe and. Well, hello everyone. Thank you very much for joining us and Hello Mel. 

Hello. Yes, we look at what happens this time 20 years ago in TV, Music, news, entertainment, fashion, celebrities sport all kinds of stuff. And this week, we're rewinding to 23 to 29 May 2004. 

For the time being, I can only confirm to you that we think we have 5 or 6 victim. 

Five or six victims in what was a terrible incident at the airport, Charles de Gaulle Airport, in fact in Paris, we'll get to that in the news a little bit later on. 

Yeah. You ready? Yes, we're dancing. Killing me softly by Lauryn Hill. And there he was, this young boy. 

Stranger to my eyes coming my pain with this finger. Wow. 

That's enough of that. But that was Fantasia. Was it? Fantasia barrino. That was her audition in American Idol. And they had the big finale this time 20 years ago of season three. Yeah. 

Berino. In America. 

The reason for me? To change you. 

That song debuted this time 20 years ago. Did it debut? I should have probably read the show. 

It's in the top five and it makes it into the top five. 

Notes. It's a it's it's a karaoke favourite and yet it's not one of my favourite songs. I just know how to do it really well at karaoke. 

It's very emotional parts of. 

The song it's well, no, it's. 

But the video clip is also emotional and. I have found something out that I I don't know. I just think you're gonna be. Shook. I just. 

Really. 

I can't wait to tell you. Yes yes, because it's something that you've been ******** about for years. We've been doing karaoke. 

I'm preparing myself to be truth. Ohh, because I've said that it's the most ridiculous film clip ever for that particular song. 

Yes. Yes. You've been ******** and moaning, and you're just gonna feel like an idiot. 

Am I really? I wanna feel like an idiot AM. 

I and you're gonna be shook. Yes, yes. 

Excellent. So you're gonna do that in front of? Everyone. Wonderful. Well, look. 

Yes, yes. 

I mean, nothing would stop me from feeling like an idiot when I sing it in karaoke format. 

You're good at it in karaoke. 

Yeah, but the The thing is, is I'll only ever do it. Within the four walls of my own. 

Home. Well, it was around 20 years ago that karaoke was brought into your own home with Singstar being released that was around this time 20 years ago because you're like now, like, because we had, we've, we've had this rule over the years that we just don't karaoke and the minute that you've had enough beer where. 

Loves it, loves it. It was so much fun. 

Like I think I'm going to karaoke. That's when you know it's. Time to go home. 

Oh, 100%. That has to happen. 

And we we, we did tend to live by that rule and it got tempting a few times because the pub down the road had karaoke every second Saturday for a while there and. 

Yes, and that was that was definitely an exercise in people watching. 

Ohh. 

Do you remember? 

They were like professionals that would just karaoke, hop around town, remember that. 

There was one do. Food that brought his own Britney Spears style headset that he would plug in for the do you need a mic mate? No thanks mate. I brought my own. 

That's right. Oh, my God. I forgot about that. Got. Headset because I need to. Do the moves as well. 

I think he just stole it from the drive through at. Macy's and then there. 

Was a girl that thought she was pink and she. Would only sing. 

She would only sing pink songs and she would cosplay as pink at the karaoke night. It was amazing. 

Pink songs. She was good. She was. Good. Yeah, she dressed up as pink. And remember, there was, I think it was the girlfriend of the headset guy. They were there the night before their wedding. That's how dedicated they were. They were getting married the next day. 

Yeah. Yes, yes. Yes, and they were serenading each other. 

She had interesting boots, I remember. Anyway, but it was. 

You know where he's going. Then it's interesting. 

Boots, yes, yes. 

They're boots, they're shiny red boots. I remember them clearly, but it was. It was lovely to be able to do it in the comfort and privacy of your own home. So to have the Sing Star microphone, plug it into the PlayStation Stew and me having a little thing. 

Well, yeah, because yeah, I mean. 

And just immerse yourself, just get immersed in the tunes, yeah. 

And it doesn't matter. No one can hear until well remember. Actually, the man that lived beneath us came up and knocked on the door. And told us to be quiet once. 

Ohh that's right, we. Got a noise complaint? Once we were doing carrier, that was when we were living in an apartment complex. I I think that. 

Yes, probably did carry through the roof. 

It harks back to the day where you used to have a boom box in your in your bedroom as a teenager and you crank it up and sing along at the top of your. 

Yes. Like what is this? This is amazing. Yeah. 

Voice. Not really aware of the fact that people on the other side of that door that closed door where you were in your little fortress of. 

Hmm. 

Solitude could hear probably every bum note and ridiculous song that you were singing along to. 

Hmm. And you'd write the lyrics out, wouldn't you? Cause you couldn't just look them up on the Internet, but you'd have to quickly, you'd play pause, rewind, play, pause, rewind and. 

Yes. 

You'd sit there. For hours, writing out the lyrics so that you could then sing along. 

Yes, sometimes you get them wrong and that would be known as a mondegreen, but anyway. 

The the, the, the. 

Rise of the karaoke video game really legitimised the whole boom box in the bedroom thing cause it's like well now. Now I can take it out. 

In your home. 

Into the lounge room. 

Yes. 

Plug a microphone in and I'm. 

Yes. 

Pretty much I'm going mainstreams. I'm. Yeah, I'm going platinum. Hmm. 

I'm the best. 

Yeah, I. 

Did get super singstar. That was the highest we. Got that? A few. Times. 

Yeah, yeah. I don't know. I mean. 

I was proud. 

And remember, when your dad came over and for some reason we felt game enough to sing in front of your dad, then he hogged it. He wouldn't. 

Yes. Yes. He wouldn't give the microphone back. He became rid of. I mean, there was. There was really fun back in the day when he said and it it hasn't been quite as. 

Give it back. Hold the microphone. 

Good as what it was on the PlayStation two, I don't think. Yeah. 

Because you got the discs and the discs were genres. There was sing Star 80s. There was sing star rock hits. There was sing star pop. There was a yeah. And you bought you bought the disc with the genre. But then as the Playstations evolved and it became an online thing, then you'd have to buy the songs online. And they weren't the same songs. There was no Hoobastank. 

Individually. Yeah. And then. 

Reason in the store. 

No. And then digital rights management came in and. All kind of went to, which was a bit annoying but. 

And then they started uploading as you could record yourself and then upload yourself. That was dangerous. 

Yes. Yeah, that's that was fraught. But I've actually and you and I have both had many good night where we haven't even sung a song we've. 

The Community star community. 

Just sat there. Watching other people sing, it's like going to the pub. 

I like the the cocoa cabana guy at Christmas with his crown was a little skewed because he had a few too many shandies and he was at the cocoa cocoa. Come on. 

Yes. 

Well, and that. 

That was the best time. That was the best time to watch user generated content from Singstar was around Christmas because people would get their game consoles. 

After. Yes, people got it for Christmas. 

And they'd lose all sense of privacy and dignity after a few too many eggnogs and away they go. It was all very great. And you. Had you had them all on discs, you had 80s, you had pop hits, you had rock hits, and it was wonderful. And then Bluetooth came in, and then it's like, oh, we're not gonna give you a microphone anymore. You just singing to. 

Yeah. 

Hmm. 

Your phone. It's like you're trying to be too clever. 

I liked it when they brought the cordless microphones out though. Made it much easier to dance and sing at. 

It really did less trip hazards. That's right. 

The same time you didn't trip over. The chord and. We got stands, remember, so could dance. 

We had to. We had to. You can't do whop without a microphone stand and you know. Anyway, we've said too much and I think the worst thing was was when we actually did decide to do karaoke. 

Yeah. 

In public we got a bit too courageous. After all those high scores. And while we're on our honeymoon over the other side of the planet, we're in another country now. It's getting it's. It is one of the worst decisions I've made in the history of our marriage was to do karaoke with you in public. 

After all those. 

Super singer stars? No, we're in another country. We're in another counts. Fine. It's fine. No one knows. This. And no one. 

Collapsed, they did. 

Not they just sat there staring with their mouths open, just going. 

And you know how you know how enthusiastic. Well, they did at the start. 

Because they're like, hey, everybody, we're drunk. 

And we're on a honeymoon. 

And they're like, we're from Australia and and then that was it. Then they just sat there. 

And then we sang the song. And then. And then the room. Was dead silent, dead silent afterwards. 

Few table lift. Yeah that. 

So, like, more humiliated in my entire life. It's time for the Hatch matches, and especially that was a painful memory. Sorry. 

If I'd bought my recorder though, might have been a different. Story I'd have done OK this order. 

That started off great. It started off great and then it took a dark turn. 

Just go watch Coco cabana guy. 

No, let's do the hatches, matches and dispatches clue. We'll hit this up in the segment at the end of the show, where we'll talk about a celebrity that was either born, died, got. Right. Or it's just in having a birthday in general, I think this is another birthday, is it? 

No, it's a match. 

It's a match. It's a wedding. It's a wedding. I really, really should read the show notes. But you know, it's much more fun doing it this way. A conscious coupling, a celebrity. Who said this? 

A conscious coupling. You should, yes. 

Congratulations. You're the Salinger. And we all looked around at each other. It was just like, yeah. They are. 

They didn't give away their surname, did they? The the congratulations. You're the challengers. 

They did. And you knew who that was too. 

Yeah, I did. I'm very surprised. 

It. It's almost as embarrassing is doing Carrie. You're to support it. Excellent. OK. 

And a little disappointed. 

And just when you thought we were having too much fun, the news comes along and ruins everything, and we're on the 23rd of May, which this is terrible news. A section of the roof at Terminal 2 E of Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Lapses at approximately 6:57 AM imagine being in an airport at 6:57 AM. There's people that are, you know, on business flights. They're there early to get to whatever destination they they might have a meeting in some other country just down the road at like 9:00 or something. So they're all there for the 657, seven o'clock, 730 flights or whatever. They're. Feeling around the airport and then the roof collapses at the terminal, resulting in the death of four people and injuries to three others. 

This airport is the largest one in France and the 2nd busiest airport in Europe. Every year, millions of passengers and hundreds of thousands of flights depart and arrive to destinations around the world. The collapse itself occurred in a newly constructed part of the terminal Terminal 2 E, which was a 650 metre long and 33 metre wide tunnel made of concrete, glass and steel. 

A renowned French architect, Paul Andrew, was hired for the job. Andrew, already famous for designing other terminals at the same airport and many other airports worldwide, was a guarantee of success. Indeed, when the terminal was opened in June 2003, it seemed like nothing similar was made in the history of airport architecture with its futuristic look. Terminal 2 E was a breath taker, both experts and the public were full of praise for Andrew's design. 

So passengers are disembarking. They've arrived from Johannesburg, New York, nearby. Another flight is boarding for Prague and the first indication of any kind of disaster occurred when a strip of concrete concrete fell from the underside of the shell of the building. Right, so. This big strip of concrete has crashed down 90 minutes later. Two more devastating events occur. The northern wall buckles and the struts pierced through into the building. Then the edge of the beam of the ceiling collapses and passengers in the terminal. See concrete dust falling. They see fishes starting and cracks forming in the roof, and they're like police. They tell the police. They're like, this is happening. Three officers start to evacuate the building, but they could not avoid what was about to happen. And it's 7:00. The cracked roof completely shatters. And Terminal 2E collapses and implodes passengers are trapped inside under all the concrete and glass. And so Pierre Graff, the CEO of airports, deparis or the airports of Paris, gives this statement to the media. 

But for the time being, I can only confirm to you that we think we have 5 or 6 victims. It seems. Once more for the for the time being, it seems that. These victims are foreigners. 

And any any. 

Explanation as to the cause is it? 

A architectural problem? Structural problem. 

No, no, it's. It's too. It's too early and nobody understands clearly what is what could be, what might be the cause of such an accident. 

Rescue teams scrambled to uncover the victims from the wreckage. By late afternoon, they had to bring in a 300 tonne crane because these are really heavy slabs of concrete. And they also had to bring in dogs to search for the body. At first, the investigators approached the disaster and. They weren't really. Sure of what the cause was and thinking about where and when. There were fears that it was terrorist related. There were fears that a bomb had caused it, but obviously the other discussion or or line of inquiry. 

Uh-huh. 

As a structural failure because it had just recently been built. Shortly after the collapse and Administrative Investigation Committee looked into the cause and they, it resulted in two concerns from the collapse process failure and structural engineering failure. So. 

Process failure is where the committee determined that a lack. Of detailed analysis of the structure. And inadequate design construction results in a poorly engineered structure, so it wasn't a good idea to do this in the 1st place. I think is what they're trying to say there. It then suggests that the external reinforcement had been chosen based on its aesthetic appeal rather than any calculated judgement of engineering. And then the committee say that they actually tried to build it too quickly, saying that the projects construction phase was delayed one month due to technical problems as a result of failing to respect the normal construction rules without real control of the consequences of the technical choices made. So they're like, we don't care, just get the job done, build it as quickly as you possibly can. 

There was also the. Structural engineering side of things. And the stresses and efforts calculated in the design phase were inaccurate, so the load applied was 4.5 times greater than the maximum permissible load. And if you've seen the structure it it is this round kind of tunnel structure, and it has these concrete beams around the outside. 

Yeah. 

It's it's a stunning looking building, but they just didn't work it out properly. There's also the issue of the temperature outside, so the variations in the temperature. Weren't taken into account during the design phase, so in the days prior to the collapse, the variation of temperature ranged from 20° to 4°, which led to additional stresses on the shell which was at glass. 

And I think it it, I mean you just can't cut corners with this sort of stuff. You cannot like if you buy cheap stuff, bad things happen. It's the difference between like, you know, how you can get like D shackles, for example, for your trailer. Right. And you can get ones that are load rated that cost about $9. 

9. 

And then you can get ones that aren't load rated that cost about $2.00 and if you use that $2.00 D shackle on your trailer and you're carrying a heavy load behind your vehicle and that trailer becomes unhitched. 

Hmm. 

The probability of that cheap part failing over the load rated part, that is, you know 5-7 dollars, a little bit more expensive. And the consequences of what happens if that does fail? I mean, it's like is it? Is it worth it? Is it worth it? And in this case obviously, I mean, we're not talking about deep shackles, we're talking about an entire passenger terminal of an airport. It was not worth it. 

Construction. Yeah, yeah. They were really lucky. In terms of the time of day too, because it was early, if it had occurred later in the day, it would have had far more fatal consequences. 

Really cause I saw. 

It early in the morning would. Have been quite bad because of. 

It wasn't the busiest time. No. No, they said that if it had happened two 3-4 hours later, the fatalities have been a lot worse. 

Isn't that well, OK. Yeah, well, this is this is narrow minded me thinking of like Canberra airport. So you go to Canberra airport at like 657 and it is a freaking mad house because people are taking business flights to Sydney and Melbourne. 

Yes. 

Which is why we and it costs a *** **** fortune, too, just quietly to fly from Sydney and Melbourne, which is only like 3 and six hours down the road by car. But anyway, that's another story altogether. But at our airport, at that time of day, at 7:00 in the morning, it's packed. It's one of the busiest times, so. 

Because we don't have the tourists coming all day. 

It's Europeans, isn't it? Europeans are like, and it's Paris. They're probably no, I'm going to get that to bed at 7:00 and have a cigarette. I'm not going to the airport at this time. I'm gonna have a croissant. 

Like, yeah, whatever. 

Coffee. And then maybe I will think about the flight. 

Uh goals, a French court found the Paris airport operators guilty of involuntary manslaughter as a result of the collapse, and they were ordered to pay well. The the airport was ordered to pay the maximum fine of €225,000 by the court and then three subcontractors. The construction company that built the glass and the concrete. Roof as well as the engineering and inspection firms, were also ordered to pay fines of 100,000 to €150,000. 

That doesn't seem like a lot when you think that four people died because. 

It's not a. Lots of life, yeah. 

OK. 

And it not like I mean, but I get it. People die like all the time because of silly things or whatever. 

But the cutting corners. 

But this is like a completely avoidable thing that was based on people rushing construction and trying to save money in the 1st place. And what looked better as opposed to what was actually functional, which. 

With. 

Russian yeah, yeah. Anaesthetics, yeah. 

Hmm. 

It's just. 

Appalling. Terrible. Now a little less appalling, but still probably terrible if you live there. I'm talking about North Korea on the 24th of May. Look, we've just seen this happen in schools recently and, you know, I think the kids are all the better for it. So I kind of understand. 

It is. 

Where the North Koreans are coming from. North Korea impose a ban on mobile phones this ban on mobile phones lasted for four years until 2008. They're like no mobile phones in north. 

And then I think. Korea. And then I think they banned them again further down the track as. 

Well, do you know? 

I think it came back again. And then they had this. This whole black market, this whole underground mobile phone dealing and Wheeling. 

I mean. In, in spite of the fact that it's a very oppressive regime, the the flow of information is extremely limited and you're not really understanding what's going on in the rest of the world and you're potentially starving. The because your government is denying you all of these things. The the idea of banning mobile phones for a significant portion of times sounds really nice. 

For not having a sign. For four years. That initially introduced them in 2002, and by the end of 2003 around 20,000 N. Koreans had one ohh there was a it was like a fire sale. 

They're like, let's get him. 

However, the sudden reversal in policy led to the confiscation of these devices and restricted new sales, essentially pushing mobile phone use. Underground. Yep, experts believe that North Korea had introduced the technology to make communication convenient, but then later realised that the device caused floods of foreign culture into the reclusive country. 

Ohh well, we can't have that, can we? 

They also, I think publicly they were saying the reason behind the ban was due to a deadly train explosion in April, which they said had been triggered by a mobile phone and because mobiles had been used to trigger explosions and other attack attacks around the. 

Right. 

World they weren't taking any. Chances and that was the. 

Ohh, OK OK, I'll think so. They use the the mobile phone to detonate the explosive as opposed to you know how. 

Rationale. To detonate so. You guys all have. 

When? You go as opposed to, you know, when you go to the petrol station, it's like turn your phone off. Nobody does. Or when you're when you're on a plane. And in Australia when you're on a plane, it's like, turn your phone off, but then you go to America. 

To give up your phones, yeah. 

Is that still a thing? Is that still a thing that you're not allowed to turn your phone, and now that we can use our phones on planes? I feel like I should be allowed to use my phone at the petrol station. And I I have. I have like when you're filling up and I'm a passenger, I do jump on. 

I don't well. But there's there's still. There's still. There's still signs on the bowl, though, saying to turn your phone. 

The Instagram and have a scroll is there. Is there Ohh better stop that then. 

Off. But I mean, that's a pain. In the, isn't it turn this one off? 

What does it do though, if you've got? Does it just get you? Extra petrol or I I don't understand what the problem. Is. 

Yeah, ohh my phones made this browser payout. No, I don't know. I think I think it well. I think there is a possibility that the fuel can ignite. 

What does it do? 

What is the problem? 

For me, fine. Yeah. Really. I'm sure. Yes. Wow. Yes. Let me Google something very quickly. I know we're going off track here, but. 

I've never want. 

I'm curious cause I've always gone well. Why can't I talk on my phone? Does it interfere with the instruments I I was thinking like this in the plane. 

2. 

How it would make the plane crash and I'm like, well, how does it interfere with the browser? I don't understand. 

Here in Australia you cannot use your mobile phone at a petrol station because of a widely held belief. See now even that phrasing is interesting that the electrical components found in mobile phones could pose a fire hazard, which could potentially generate a spark that could ignite the fuel when mixed with petrol vapour and air. You know, I've had a mobile phone now. 

The lease, OK. 

Uh for? Ohh geez, I reckon at least 20 years at least. And yes, and and I don't think I've ever seen a spark fly out of my mobile. 

Yes, yes, they had them 20 years ago. 

Phone but so. 

They're saying, but only if you're using it. It's only going to cause a spark if you're doing something on it, it won't spark otherwise. 

I've taken the case off and seen he's a crud fly out. Of it, no spark. 

But does that mean then you can only they're. They're only saying you can't use your mobile phone outside of the car because the spark would be would remain in the car. Ah, if you're the passenger, just sneaking a peek at in style while your hubby's filling up. 

So more information, the radio frequency energy from a phone, although very tiny, has the potential to induce. 

OK. Though the frequency so it is interfering like with pirates. 

To induce a spark in nearby metallic objects, if the conditions are. Right. Which could ignite the petroleum or other explosive vapours? 

This sounds like weird science. Need to put a bra on my head. 

What are? What are the right? What are? 

What's that? 

The right conditions? 

Heck. What I don't, I've got no idea what. 

What are the right if somebody would have caught it on camera somewhere if it's? 

You can say. 

Happened. Maybe that's what. 

Our band in North Korea, but they just couldn't explain it properly. 

I feel like I don't know. 

Petrol stations. I think it's an old wives tale. 

I don't. Well, it's still illegal in Australia, so yeah. 

So it's still OK. I wasn't scrolling into when you were filling up the car at all. It was just a. 

Yeah, yeah, maybe no, I don't know. 

Dream I had. But then, if you gotta pay. 

Yeah. 

With your mobile phone. 

We have to turn it on and wait for. 

It to reboot, but you've gotta take your phone inside the petrol station and then pay for your petrol. How's that? Not a hazard. How am I allowed to pay for my petrol using a mobile phone? But I'm not allowed to use my mobile. 

Yeah. 

Yeah, look, and it's connected to your watch and everything. 

Phone anywhere else in. 

Well, that's inside. That's inside the petrol station. 

The petrol. Station, but how's? That different from using it inside the car. 

Well, I don't think there's gonna be a spark that's gonna jump from your phone if you take a call inside the petrol station that's gonna ignite a bottle of Mountain Dew. It's not flammable. There's no flammable objects in there. 

I'm very confused. 

Well, they do have hand sanitizer inside me, so it's very. 

Ohh God, just take my phone. Let's just do a North Korea. 

Bad. Anyway, North Korea, no mobile phones in, not this what I'm saying. They're more than the times that I. 

So I can see. 

Have. Straight away from my mobile phone where I have consciously made a decision. Vision to put my mobile phone away. 

You've never done that. 

That's not true. 

You need one of those boxes where you lock it away. I would love to see what happens if you have one. 

I don't think that I do not think that's a bad idea. The times where I have made a conscious decision to put my mobile phone away and not look at my. 

Of. 

Those I think you should get one. Phone when? 

But when I'm watching a movie or something like that where I'm like, I'm gonna resist the urge to pick it up and look at it, even in the boring parts. I have felt better for it. 

We know they'll have you at the movies. 

Ohh yeah, but if I'm going to watch a stupid animated piece of with my child. 

You don't want to start a spark or a. 

I'm on my phone the entire time. Yeah. Popcorn. Very flammable. Anyway, North Korea. No phones. 

Fire in the theatre. Until December 2008. But like I said, I'm pretty sure they then banned them again a few. 

Correct. 

Years later. 

Yeah, they don't they. 

Don't like, but they had a controlled 3G network. You know, just keeping an eye on. 

3J. 

Things. 

Could you imagine? I don't know how they live on three, you know, I mean. And God, I mean, you know, we got our COVID vaccines and look at our 5G reception now. It's amazing. I wonder what that does. 

Hey, Jay. 

At petrol station. 

Ohh my goodness. Moving over to the 26th of May now 2004, the New York Times publishes an admission of journalistic failings, claims that it flawed reporting and had a lack of scepticism during build up to the. 

Ohh, The New York Times. 

2003 Iraq. 

What the same New York Times that's responsible for the bestseller list? 

War. Same New York Times and. They helped promote belief that Iraq possessed large stockpiles of weapons of mass. Ohh, and is it this interesting that we talked about Fahrenheit 9/11 last week? The doco from Michael Moore and he was he was effectively saying the same thing around the the reporting and the lead up and everyone was booing him and everyone was outraged. But then now the new. 

Yes. But there's also the 9/11 Commission and the, the and the. All of these things are bubbling to the surface, and now the New York Times are saying that they contributed to that by promoting the belief that they had large stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction when they in fact did. 

And then. 

Not. 

So they publish an article. It's quite a long article and I'm too lazy. To read it. So I got AI to read it for us. I found a news reader AI. 

Really. 

Over the last year, this newspaper has shone the bright light of hindsight on decisions that led the United States into Iraq. We have examined the failings of American and Allied intelligence, especially on the issue of Iraq's weapons and possible Iraqi connections to international terrorists. We have studied the allegations of official gullibility and hype. It is past time we turn the same light on ourselves. In doing so, reviewing hundreds of articles written during the prelude to war and into the early stages of the occupation, we found an enormous amount of journalism that we are proud of. In most cases, what we reported was an accurate reflection of the state of our knowledge at the time, much of it painstakingly extracted from intelligence agencies that were themselves dependent on sketchy information. 

OK, good. Yeah. Good for you. Get to it. 

And where those? Articles included incomplete information or pointed in a wrong direction. They were later overtaken by more and stronger information. That is how news coverage normally unfolds. 

Yes, thank you. Thank you very much. 

But we have found a number of instances of coverage that was not as rigorous as it should have been. In some cases, information that was controversial then and seems questionable now, was insufficiently qualified or allowed to stand unchallenged. Looking back, we wish we had been more aggressive in re examining the claims as new evidence emerged or failed to emerge. 

That is how news coverage normally unfolds. 

Thank you for. AI she has to take a lot. Of breath. 

She does? Yeah. 

There's some. 

Big pauses. I didn't know that a I. Needed to take a breath. 

Giving us time to take in the information. Hmm, that was good. Do you reckon you could get them to do the rest of the podcast? Cause. Yeah, I hope not. What do I do? I enjoy this. 

Taking the. 

Yes. 

Maybe. That isn't that interesting, though, that they then published this and and basically like it's a really long article, but then at the end of it they were like, you know, we consider. 

Yes. 

The pattern of misinformation to be unfinished business, and we fully intend to continue aggressive reporting and we want to set the record straight. So they've basically admitted to to some failings and I think a lot of it was due to some of the Intel that they were getting from various sources and the sources not being. Checked appropriately and people receiving money. 

Well, in their defence they do say that they were pointed in the wrong direction with incomplete info, and then they're later overtaken by more and stronger information. And that's our news coverage normally unfold. That is 100% correct. So they took the information that they received at the time reported on. It turns out that information was wrong. They say that they were negligent in doing that and they say that they're sorry. 

This is complicated. 

But I think too there are a few instances where they didn't. Check the sources as. 

Right. 

Well, and there's it's a really long, it's a really long article. 

Ohh God welcome to. Welcome to the news cycle in 2024. That happens all the time. No. 

But imagine like that. That's the. That's the flagship paper in New York. Like, imagine going through everything they would have gone through over the last few years. So you could understand why you'd probably be a bit. 

The New York Times, yeah. 

Emotional as well. So where did they get? The information from I think there was some Iraqi informants and. 

Right. 

People that wanted a bit of a regime change and I think some of those peoples had credibility that came under a bit of debate around this time and I think there was some anti Saddam campaigners as well. 

Though they have their own agenda. 

Right. Yes. 

And they yeah, they didn't really verify and check the sources as well as they probably should have. And I think they were paying them for information. 

There was. There was actually. There was one guy, there was a source called Ahmad Chalabi, who was, I think, in a whole bunch of articles and had been since like, 1991. And he'd introduced other reporters to. Similar exiles. He's a massive anti Saddam Hussein campaigner so he had an agenda and he was using the New York Times to push that agenda obviously so they loved him and all the guys in the Bush administration loved him. They're like, tell us more about what a terrible person he is because this helps out. 

Hmm. 

Base a lot and that makes things infinitely more complicated for the journalists, right? Because all those exiles are confirmed by officials in the US government saying, yeah, this guys, he was there. You should listen to him here. I can confirm that he is exiled from that regime and he knows about what's going on there. And he's telling you what happened to him. 

Flames legit. 

Hmm. 

So the journal's like, well, OK, cool. I guess that's legit. I'll publish the story, but I guess not. Music time, yes. 

Shall we start with the US? Charts the top five. 

Let's do that. 

Reason for me? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 2. 

If you're playing me, keep it on the low. 

Well, it's my heart. 

1. 

Too many days, so many hours. I'm still burning. Let it go. 

Just mime, Asha. You know what? Ushers, son did the other day. 

Good morning to Asha. Yeah. Yeah, I was getting handsy with myself too, while I was doing it. 

Do you know what ushers son did the other day? Ushers, son. 

Usher's son? What? He's. 

Snuck onto ushers, Insta and DMS. Some person who he wanted to go to the. 

Yeah. 

Concert. 

Really. Who's concert? Usher's concert? A concert? 

And he's like, no, some chick, some chick. Like some famous singer. 

We said the concert. I don't know what concert you're talking about. 

Which he wanted to get he ashes son wanted to go to this female artist concert. Shouldn't say some chick female, yeah. 

Right. 

Renowned female I can't remember who. 

It's not very woke of you. 

She is. But she met she he deems her from ushers Insta. But he's like, hi, I'm Usher's son, but I'd really like to. I'd really like to go to your concert. And then she's like. 

I'm son of Asha. 

Sure. No worries, son. Abasha. 

Here's some tickets, yeah. 

I just thought. It was weird. Margie used to dance and stuff. 

That is sweet. What would you use your parents thing to? Yeah, yeah. Maybe it's like maybe usher rules the house, like North Korea. It's like no mobile phones for you, mate. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Umm, possibly. 

Maybe. Maybe he's not allowed to have his own Internet. Maybe he's too young. I don't know anyway. Usher. #1. Yes, Ben. I don't wanna know number two. Yeah. #3. Naughty girl. #4 and a new entry this year. As we mentioned, karaoke favourite. The reason. Who would say? 

Hmm. 

Yes, yes. The reason it's really not I know karaoke favourite, I think overstay. 

It's. 

I think it's just because we can get. A good score? We've figured it out. 

It's not a, it's. I don't. I don't like this song. 

No, but we figured out how. To get synthesis stuff. 

I don't like the lyrics. I don't like the the what it says in the song, and I certainly don't like the film clip the and just to just to backtrack on this when cause cause when you do it on karaoke it's like you're singing along to the film clip. 

Hmm. 

OK. 

And the film clip starts out. 

Well, usually you're singing the the words are usually over the top of the film clip, so you can kind of make the film clip out behind the words. But before the words start, you get. 

Yes. 

The full film clip. 

Yes, and and the thing with the film clip for the reason is that there's there's this establishing thing. So you know, how often, like it just doesn't go straight into the song. There's a little story at the beginning of a film clip, so something happens, and then they break into the film clip. And for the film clip for the reason there is a dude on one side of the road, and there is a girl on the other side of the road. 

Yes. Yes. 

And I can't remember if he's waving tour or anything like that. He's looking at her. He's gazing at her, and then she walks out onto the road and she gets hit by a car. She gets hit by a car at the start of the film clip, and the Dude on the other side of the road in one of the worst displays of acting I've. 

He's just looking at them. They're just. Looking at. 

Yes. 

Yes. 

Ever seen you? 

Just not like, no. Ohh my God. He just goes oh. 

And he sighs and he looks down at the ground. 

I know, and this has troubled you for so long and you and you and. 

It's just a really weird reaction to seeing somebody getting hit by it. 

Found it really difficult to then get into character to sing after the the woman gets hit and he doesn't seem to care. 

That's why. Oh yes. And then they go into the reason and. 

That she got hit. 

I'm like, well, what? 

Does this have to do with perfect? I know. 

Yeah, it's like you didn't run over her. Why? 

I know, and I don't actually. I get a higher score if I do sing it, like Cartman too. Just quietly. But anyway, but. 

He didn't. I never meant to do those things to you guys. Save me forever. 

OK, so you've been asked about this for years to the point where every time we sing the song, you ***** about it until until it starts. 

It's very annoying. It's it's. I'm quite vexed, yes. 

So the music video was directed by Brett Simon. 

Who's he? 

I don't know, but he's he's a director. 

What's a? Brett's a what's a Hooper state for that matter? But anyway, yes. 

Ohh do you wanna know what a Hoobastank is? 

Well, one thing at a. 

Time. What do we want to start with? What's Hooper staying well? 

OK. What's a Hoobastank? Yeah, let's go there. 

OK, it's unclear where the name originated from. Claims have included that it's a mispronunciation of a German streets. Ohh, slang for someone who owns many sneakers or a word that the band came up with while they were joking around right. One of those 3. Not sure which. 

Oh. OK. 

1. 

Saying for many sneakers, I think I'd like that. 

Hoobastank I I I feel like. 

You're such an the same. You and you, you and all your. Air jordans. 

The story behind band names I feel like is. Not as exciting as what people you especially well, metal been. 

Bit boring, yeah. Well, when you work in radio and you don't know anything about a band and you're doing like the Sunday shift and you're hungover, that's all you got. That's all you got when you go until you talk, break after the song. It's just like, ohh, just say where the name. 

Then. 

Of the band came from. 

We're just sitting around the other day with the thesaurus and. Opened it up on his face. 

Could be many sneakers could be joking around. 

Beer, Bad Street name in Germany. Anyway. Umm, sorry. OK, so we don't know what a Hoobastank is. That's fine. Alright, let's get back to the film clip in the car. The car hitting the girl. And what? So what? I don't understand. You said I'd be shocked by this too. 

Here's Maroon 5, this love. It's one of those three. OK, let's go back to the so. OK. I know, I know. OK. 

Am I going to be shook? 

The video clip? Yeah, the video clip. 

Yes. Am I gonna? I'm gonna feel like a jerk. 

The video clip is actually the elaborate theft. Of a Ruby gem from a pawn shop, so it's a heist. The video clip is a heist. 

What? 

The video clip is a heist. There is this precious Ruby in a vault in a pawn shop. So the guy that doesn't care that the girl got hit, he's standing outside the pawn shop. 

Really. 

Yeah. 

Right. 

His friend hits her with the car to make the pawn shop guy come out to see all the commotion. He turns around and goes back into the pawn shop, gets his mates, they crack the safe. They steal the jewel. It's a. 

Heist is this in the rest of. 

She. 

She's not dead. She's not dead at all. Ohh, should he? The mate hit her, but only hit her very gently. But she played dead so that the **** shop owner would come out and be like ohh my God. Someone's. 

The Cliff. 

Dead. And they're all standing around her, thinking she's dead. And then the police come. And the guy that hits her drives off the police drive after him. She stands up, she gets on the back of a motorbike and then they drive to their headquarters and all of the Hooper Stanks and the dead girl are lying there, looking through the Ruby. And making little pitches and pattern through the Ruby on the roof of the house. Are you OK? 

I just said. 

No. 

This has happened in the actual video clip. I watched it today. Do you know what the problem is? Is I've been too busy following the words that I've never actually watched. What happened beyond the chicken? 

Me either me either. I thought she was dead. I thought there was blood coming out of her head. 

But that's her hair. 

It's a heist. It's a heist. I love a heist. Hoobastank, the Hoobastank gang strikes again. 

Yes. And they got away with it too. 

I still appreciate if it wasn't for that meddling Singstar they so they they stealed the Ruby, they steal the Ruby Doo and it's like and then they and then. 

He is still the Roman. And so then the dead girl, the cops come see the dead girl, and then they see the guy that hits the dead girl drive off. So they go after him and then the dead girl's just lying there. Then she opens her eyes. And she climbs on the back of a motorbike. She's not even, like, pretends to be hurt. She just gets on the motorbike and off they go. No, no, no. It's a dual heist. 

I thought that might have just been a flashback to all the good times that they had before she got hit by the. 

Car outside the pawn. Shops so well in that that changes the whole perspective. 

It changes everything. So now you can sing and be a bit happier. 

I thought I well, I found a reason. 

To start over new. Ohh wow, I know. 

I know there's so much to unpack there. 

We'll watch it after this. We'll watch it together. We'll watch it together. I know. I was really upset when I watched it. I was like, I can't believe this. 

I'm not sure anyone else cares but. Hoobastank didn't do anything beyond that, did they? They didn't, mate. Did they do? 

Other songs. What? Where could you go from that? I I don't think there's anything more to say or. Do after that point. 

Yes. 

That's they've peaked. Yes, that's. I just I. I don't even know if I can continue the podcast to be honest with you. So if you what we have, we ohh we haven't done number ones for any do quick go move change subjects because I need to just just sit back. Is there any other surprises that are popping up this evening? 

I know, I know. OK. 9. 

This afternoon or whenever people are listening to this, that. I'm gonna. I know. 

I feel the same. I do feel the same. I feel. Yeah, shook. Frankie is still number one in the UK. 

Present. 

Well, guess what? 

What I did was. 

Oh. Ohh you're right, I'm getting there. I'm. I'm recovering, yes. 

OK. Can we talk about the new? Number one in Australia then? 

We probably should. 

I'm back. 

That's spider bait. Spider, Spider, Bait's biggest song. And it's a cover. 

Find the baits. It's a cover well. It's a cover of a cover of a. Cover of a cover actually. 

Well, it's the Ram Jam, Ram Jam, song black Betty. 

Which I didn't know. I remember ran. From the IT was 70s, I think. Wasn't it ram? 

Jam. Yes. Yes, it was. 

What is the Ram Jam? 

A bit bit more rocked. Up. 

Sounds a bit rude. 

I I can't unpack anything else about music. I don't want to look for any other hidden meanings in music. 

No, we don't wanna, we don't. Wanna. Yeah. 

Well, maybe I do actually, because obviously Ram Jam, black Betty, that was what was that, like, Seventies, 80s or whatever. And then and then spider bait have done the cover. 

It. 

Yeah, 70s, I think. And then Spider base, they speed it up a little bit. 

It's a rocking version. It sounds great and all that sort of stuff. And I and then I'm like. I've heard people in conversation go well. Black, that, that that's on that should that that should be cancelled. You can't. You can't do black Betty these days. But I I don't know that that's. 

Ohh. Really. 

The origin I mean the origin of black Betty. What is? What is? Who is black Betty? 

It's it's actually. Well, it's actually a early 20th century African American work soul. Which is often credited to Huddy Leadbelly Ledbetter as the author. 

So like a Blues singer? 

Yeah, it was. 

Like A and when they say African American work song, is that like a song that potentially slaves would have sung? Yes. 

I think so. I think so. And the earliest recordings aren't by him. But there are a lot of early recordings. And so I'm assuming you're saying that it should be cancelled because of the title and what the title might be insinuate. Well, I don't this is another one like a Hoobastank. I don't know that it's that clear cut. 

Well, yes, yes. 

Well, maybe it should be cancelled because of cultural appropriation. 

Potentially. 

I mean, I don't wanna get up all on my woke high horse here, but. 

Potentially because historically the title may refer to a number of objects, a bottle of whiskey, a whip. 

Right. 

Or a penitentiary transfer, waggon. So here's. One of the. 

But not a person. 

No, not a person. So here's one of the the earlier recordings of it. 

Black, black. Black. 

Now. I'm alone. 

From the lounge. 

Well, I'm going to take. 

Number. BlackBerry. 

Black baby black bear. 

Than the land. 

Wow, I don't think I could take much more of this this evening. I am quite shocked by that. 

I never. Yeah, I never knew. I thought it Ram Jam was the OG. 

No, I I look it makes sense. I mean, have you ever seen there's a documentary, I think it's called everything's a remix and it explains the way music gets iterated on and appropriated. Over time, because a lot of people were up in arms about DJ's, obviously sampling music and stuff like that. But. Then they and they take it right back to bands like Led Zeppelin and Stuff. Who stole sorry Led Zeppelin. I'm a Led Zeppelin fan. OK, so don't don't crucify me over this. But they stole a lot of stuff from Blues musicians. And and in particular, African American. Look at Elvis. I mean, case in point is like the biggest. 

Hmm. 

Exhibit A. You can easy exhibit E for Elvis. Whatever you wanna call it. But they. Yeah. So there's a lot of appropriation happening there, but. 

Yes. 

So, but you're saying that BlackBerry is not a person, it's an. 

Well, according to sources, it's not, but then they talk about how the child give me your number, so that makes. 

Well, I think maybe it's obviously been iterated on overtime and then it's like, well, OK, is it just it's just a rough job, right? 

You feel like. 

Hmm. 

Well, maybe as it's been remixed, yes, they've they've changed the meaning. 

I don't know. 

That's very interesting. We're learning things, we're learning things in the podcast this week, some good, some bad, that a lot better than who's? 

Yeah, I think so too. 

Well, no, that's. 

All so good, because now you know she's not dead, so you can concentrate on your lyrics. Super sing star. Here you come. Mm-hmm. We had album releases as well this week. 20 years ago, starting with Avril Lavigne's second studio album Under My Skin, featuring the single My happy ending. 

Hmm. 

Everything. To be supposed to be so close to me. Steps. All this time you were pretending so much for my happy. 

Cool. Ohh Avril. 

And also featured the single nobody's home. 

Broken. Play. 

It's a big loud. She's very shouty. 

Very different to the skater. Boy, Punky kind of sound from her first album. 

Yeah, it's a bit more rockin, it's got a lot. It's a bit darker, avril's gone dark. 

Well, Ben, Ben Moody from Evanescence was on nobody's home. He did some of the music for that right and then critics were saying that she had like like saying she she got a bit darker, she was more. She was more complicated. 

Uh-huh. I can hear the Evanescence this is I can hear Evans essence in it, yes. 

Well, they compared her as well to Amy Lee of Evanescence. I don't know. That Amy Lee would be. Too happy about that, should be honest. 

No, I don't think she would be the father. No, she probably doesn't. 

Care, but the album did alright. It went well. It went to number one in Australia and US three times platinum. 

Ohh good for her. Is there some conspiracy about Avril Lavigne? 

Being a vampire, I think you said no, I think that's. 

That no or is it is that the conspiracy? 

What you said? 

Isn't there another one where, like they replaced her like? 

She ohh like she's a robot or something. Yeah, she has not aged. She's a very good genes. I don't think she's a robot. And I don't think. 

Well, no. Well. Hang on. 

She's a vampire. 

Are all the vain conspiracy? Yeah, there is. There's there's a conspiracy there. Yes, to Derek. From a conspiracy theory states that Avril Lavigne died in 2003 after the release of her first successful album. Let it let go and was replaced by a body double named. 

Is she married to this 141 guy or was she married? She was married. Not anymore. 

Melissa Vandella that's a pretty good body double. Evidence to support that theory. 

Well, it's a different sound. 

There's like, well, subliminal messaging in under my skin in under my skin. Subliminal messaging, which Levine has the name Melissa written on her hand in the film clip or the photo shoot for the album. Sorry, the photo shoot and that. And so there's a BBC podcast. There's a whole podcast called I Don't know that I could do a whole. 

Deep and dark. So what's safe and dead? I'm dead. The whole podcast. 

Podcast. Called, who replaced Avril Lavigne. Right. Wow. Yeah. There's a blog called Avril. Esther Morta from Brazil that that translates to Avril is dead. There's been conversations on Internet forums that have evidence that Avril has been replaced. All of these things happening. Big traction for it. I don't think. I don't know. I honestly, I mean. 

I do think these fans have a bit too much time on their hands sometimes. 

To she she looks. 

She looks the same, I guess. 

She looks the same. 

Well, that's the point of a body double right though, anyway. 

You got the same teeth too. Teeth are hard to match. 

You know, though, I mean this is a very popular theory. I mean he, he, he and you know what happens when they start crowd sourcing stuff like this. I mean look, they got Brittany out. 

The doubles got the same teeth. They said that I was gonna say. They said the same about Brittany that. 

That's a body double. Yeah, well, they got her out of the conservatorship, too, and now she's she had. What did she have? She had, like, $60 million, and now she's only got 30. She spent half of it already. She's gone broke. 

Ohh. Got no money. Yeah, I. Saw that the other day. 

Yeah, so well done. Crowd, crowd sourcing all of that sort of. So I wanna set up a go fund me. Maybe don't just don't. OK. Anyway, that's that's their theory. That's not mine. We've got another new album from a band that's had a couple of members die, and they certainly didn't have to replace them with body doubles. They just did the sensible thing and replaced them with other people. Over the years it's, it's funny. Like Slipknot, Slipknot released volume 3. The subliminal. 

Interesting. 

Versus they've lost a drummer and a bass player over their very long career. This was their third studio album and Slipknot. 

There are those. 

Was something else when they came out. They just they and I think too they're gonna be one of those enduring big arena bands now. I can't believe it's been 20 years since this album was released on the 25th of May 2004 on Road Runner it. It was produced by Rick Rubin and it had some. It had some great songs on it, including this one duality. 

I push my fingers down. 

It's. 

I love the the chaotic nature of Slipknot's music, but still that that pop hook that comes in with the clean vocals and stuff, but it's still really loud and complicated. I mean, there's nine members in Slipknot. You know, there's DJ, there's percussionist. There's a drummer. There's samplers, there's guitarists, there's bass players, there's singers. It's all happening. This is their first album to actually. 

Gosh. 

Incorporate a lot more traditional melodic structures and I think Rick Rubin had a lot to do with that, including like guitar solos and even a little bit of acoustic stuff, and they used acoustic stuff in this song, Vermillion, although you wouldn't really know. 

This build. 

No. 

Great though they went to #2 on the Australian and US charts certified platinum, this song before I forget. 

Remember that one, yeah. 

No. 

And at this stage, we Slipknot, right, because they all wear masks, OK, the Internet doing its thing. Yeah. Everyone wants to know who they are behind the mask. Right. And. And. And we still have that mystery. And that was great. It was so good because we never really saw who they were behind the mask. 

Yes. 

If you're close to the band, you probably could. Magazines weren't kind of publishing. They were keeping the mystery alive when they did the video for before I forget. Yet they did that video without their masks, but they just had their masks on the microphone stand and and or on, you know, on the drum kit or over on the bass amp or the guitar amp or the headstock of the guitar or whatever. And so they showed them all playing, but they never had any shots of their faces. It was just about, and it was great. It was a wonderful film clip. It was very well. 

Ohh wow clever. 

Got it. Was really cool and I love the mystery around them and they've. Look, there's been other bands that have done the mask gimmick that have accused Slipknot of stealing their stick or whatever, and it's like they may not have been the 1st to do it, but I would say that since kiss, they've probably been the best to do it. They really have been the best to do it and they are as much of A band as they are a brand these days. They really are a brand. And you know, they've just got Eloy Casa Grande from who was playing drums for Sepultura for a while, who is an absolute machine of a drummer who's just replaced Jay Weinberg in the band. And I'm really looking forward to. How they evolve with that drummer. I mean Joey Jorgensen was was their drummer back in the day. He was on volume three. He since passed away, which was very sad and very tragic. But he was just a phenomenal drummer. And to see somebody like Eloy come into the band and actually play with them is going to be amazing as well. I. I I gush about them a little bit like I kind of fell off the whole Slipknot thing because I was just. I mean to be a Slipknot fan is really intense. Their fans are intense, they call them maggots, you know, they're and then and then I went to their festival, obviously, to see Pantera this year as well, which was just branded with everything. Slipknot, Slipknot weren't even there. That. 

Oh. 

Didn't you go to the Slipknot Museum? 

Yeah, they had a museum there. Would you not a lot of **** that I was really that interested in. It was actually a rip off. It cost me like 50 bucks to get into it. Took me about. Yeah, they did. I saw all their masks I saw. 

What was in their museum? Did they have the masks in the museum? 

Well, that's cool. 

Well the the the uniform of Paul Grey, the bass player who's since passed away in his bass rig and stuff, and they had some Rd cases and lots. I mean, if you were a die hard fan, it probably would have meant something to. 

Hmm. 

You. But it was just a bunch of stuff in a room that I wasn't particularly interested in, but I will say like they are a brand like they put that festival on and they didn't even play at it. And there were Slipknot fans there, now they are coming back to Australia for the 20th anniversary of all of this sort of stuff next year and they're headlining that festival again. And I'm I saw a Slipknot at the Horden Pavilion. 

Yeah. 

In way back before volume three came out, I think maybe even before Iowa, it might have been on their debut and it was like nothing I'd ever seen. It was a great gig. Nine people on stage. You do not know where to look there. There were flips and twists all over the place. They were set the the clown percussionist. Sean Crane set himself on fire. Yeah. They and then he got in a punch up with Sid Wilson, the DJ and then some dude out of the crowd climbed up onto the lighting grid above. Everybody and everyone started pelting them with bottles and it was raining bottles. It was absolute chaos. It was so much fun. It was phenomenal. Ohh was intense. I'm like, if that guy. 

That's not very stressful. 

Wow. 

I reckon he might die, but if they got him down, which was good, it was madness. And I think, you know, maybe it's time to go and see Slipknot again. 

Ohh. Good. 

I'm a bit old though. Like I said at the last festival aren't the only drugs that I took were Metamucil and Voltaren. Let's do some music news anyway, sorry, I was going off about it's not off it. Well, it's. Yeah, I do find things that I like in the music. And then I talk about them too much. So let's go to some music news. 

Alright, a tour that you probably didn't attend. 

A tour I. You know what I reckon I. Would have liked to have seen this tour. 

Kicked off. I would have two at the 24th of May 2004. Madonna starts her reinvention to. 

Yep. 

Supporting her 9th studio album American Life, which we spoke about last year, 20 cities with a total of 56 shows, and it was the most successful concert tour of 2004, grossing nearly $125 million. 

Wow, she did schemes for this. Didn't she? So she broke it into different themes, cause the thing with Madonna is it's as much of A performance as it is songs. So it's the, it's choreographed and there's dances and it's it's all of that. It's not just. 

Love the same? 

Her showing off her vocal prowess, there's a lot more to her art than actually just singing. It's it's theatre, right? Yeah. 

It's very theatrical, yes, yes. Very much so. So the acts. Were Marie Antoinette's military cause? Remember, that's American life song. 

Ah yes. 

Circus, acoustic and Scottish. Tribal with the Scottish tribal, the Wardrobe was created by designers Arianne Phillips, Stella McCartney, Christian Lacroix and Karl Lagerfeld. So there's some pretty big names designing the costumes there. 

How do you? 

Tie all that together. That's really weird. She I think she played guitar at one stage. 

I think she did, yeah. 

On on stage in this and I've seen footage of it and the riff that she plays, she plays one of the riffs that she plays when she's playing guitar is a new level by Pantera. 

This is good. No way. 

I kid you not. She is playing a little bit of Pantera. 

I love that. 

Like guitar and. But you know, I mean, she had her critics, though. And I do remember this at the time this this went like wildfire through the news. And it was in regards to her performing live. And there was a very, very vocal and high profile critic of her live performance in the form of. 

Yes. 

Elton John. Madonna best luck in live act back off. Since when has lip synching been live? Sorry about that, but I think everyone who lip syncs in public on stage when you pay like 75, good to see them should be shot. Thank you. Very much. That's me off a freaking Christmas card list, but do I? 

Give a toss. No. Wow, that's Elton. Like being a massive. You do. And he's, I mean, you know, the she's back. Yes. 

Elson. I don't know though, when you're getting like, yeah, I get it. You do want to see people perform live at. 

Of course you do. 

These concerts but. I think with her like just the show as well, that's worth the £75. 

Having said that, if you look at some of the recent concerts and you've and especially with some rock bands, you've heard artists, you know, people complaining that they're using backing tapes and things like that. But it, Mötley Crüe is a great example of this. Like, I've seen so many live videos of Mötley Crüe absolutely sucking on stage just. Being. 

Like. 

Please lip sync please. Lip sync. Ohh, go and queue up the CD please. 

Absolutely terrible. I'm like, you know what? You know what? If I'm paying that much money for a ticket? And I want it just use the backing tape though please, like if you're gonna do it. If you're gonna keep doing it at that age, just use the backing tape. It's it's OK, it's. 

Spend your energy on the theatrics. 

Alright. 

We mind. 

Don't I just wanna say I was there. It's OK. I just wanna. I just wanna take the selfie in front of the Ferris wheel. Use the backing tap. 

But don't worry, is quite the show. I remember my dad's tapes. It was cherish. Remember the cherish era? 

Ohh, but she was on the beach. Was that when she was on the beach? 

That was the one with the merman, for the concert had merman. And I remember the. I don't know what the what she, what album she was touring. I think it might have been, was cherished an album as well as a song. 

Yeah. 

I don't know, but whenever. But my dad, my dad taped it and we just used to watch it all the time because it was just it was stunning and she had for cherish. She had these Mer men, so they were guys with mermaid tails and they were shirtless and glittery and stuff. 

It's a big back catalogue. You've forgiven. It's OK, yeah. 

But they were. Like jumping up and doing these amazing flip things in these mermaid tails. Coming up out of the stage and flipping around. 

Yeah. 

And it was just. Stunning. It was so amazing. The whole concert. And then I think, what other song was there? 

I know. Using like a prayer in the latest Wolverine Deadpool movie, which is is an interesting choice and kind of funny. Yeah. Yeah. She is the queen of reinvention I. 

Really. And when she does it, everybody gets, like people are very critical of her. When she does it at 1st and then it kind of grows and then you're like. 

Oh, no, no, that's OK. She's touring right now. She's touring right now, and I I haven't really seen any negative press about it. I haven't gone out of my way to seek out any press about my daughters, but I I I'm always intrigued. 

Hmm. 

Still going? 

As to what she might be doing next, like she's been, it's been pretty cooky out there in Madonna land recently. 

Yeah. 

Over to entertainment, let's start with movies before we move into television and #1 at the US box office. I you know. I really love Shrek. Shrek is a great film. I don't necessarily know that we needed a sequel to Shrek. Umm, and it's not to say that I didn't enjoy any of the Shrek stuff because it was more of the same and I guess you know too much. Shrek is never enough. I don't know that it's necessary, but Shrek two is #1 in the US box office, Shrek. 

Look, here comes Sleeping Beauty. Ohh. 

I hate these ball shows. Flip over the wheel of torture cordially invited. 

Dinner is the Sir. 

Everybody digging. 

Though man, if I do Lilia. 

To meet the family, easy to see where Fiona gets her. 

Hey. Good looks from. 

Make new friends. Pray for mercy from. 

In woods. 

If we need an expert on licking ourselves, we'll give you a call. 

And discover what happens. 

Wrecking Dunkey on another whirlwind adventure. 

After happily ever after now. 

Where were we? 

Donkey DreamWorks Pictures presents Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas track. 

For you, baby. 

I could be. Shrek too. Give me that dying baby. 

I did enjoy. Whatever that is. 

Oops, not now and every day. 

You edited that grab. 

It's not very well. 

Wow, I did enjoy. Yeah, that was that was nice. I just thought I was getting a bit of a fanfare as, like, the whole world wanted to hear what I had to say. I did enjoy Antonio Banderas as puss in boots. I thought he was very. 

I wondered what that big. Wave form. Yeah. I loved the first one because it was so different and it was. It was funny. It was quirky, it was cool. And then it this just felt like more of the same. 

Yes. 

Well, I did, but I I do like the edgy fairy tale type side of it. That's fun. I mean, the best thing about the the first Shrek is the bad guys. Name was Lord. 

Hmm. 

Awkward. 

Yes. How did they get away? 

With that. Amazing. Sorry. And it was it was more of the same, which is I mean, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's just. In this day and age I I sit there so uninspired when I look at lists of films and stuff, at least Shrek was something new and original and. 

Then they went. Yeah, so did they use Smash Mouth twice. So all style was that one? The first one was what was the other? 

So. 

One that they. Used. 

Ohh I'm a believer. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's the only way. Smash. That's the only way Smash Mouth could make any thanks to Shrek. Yeah, indeed. Number one of the Australian box office was Troy. And then if we move over to TV, I mean, this is the the TV event that stops. 

That's right. Oh, that's good. It works. Mouth. Came back for #2 little dog. 

Things. 

America's Ryan Seacrest. 

Yeah, and and answers. Well, did we watch it? 

Did we? I think we got. 

I think we. 

Had to because we were on the radio, but. 

It. 

I don't think we had it. Live who? Ohh, you'd have to cause then you'd. 

Surely we've got it. We'd have to direct from the U direct from the UN. We must have. Honestly, the Internet would have ruined it all. 

Know who won, wouldn't you? 

Did we get the US one? 

I don't know that we I don't know that we did get the American one till later on. I don't remember. I don't think I would. 

Anyway, what Fantasia Barrino wins season three of American Idol. 

Yes. 

She does. Here is her audition, just 19 years old. 

You ready? Yes, we're dancing. Killing me softly by Lauryn Hill. Excellent. Go ahead. 

And there he was, cause young boy stranger to my eyes, my pain with his finger. Singing my life with his word. Killing me softly with this song, killing me softly with his song, telling my whole life with his words, killing me softly. 

With this song, you thank you, Fantasia. 

This girl can sing. 

Gotta watch your pitch, though. Gotta watch your pitch a little bit, but you are definitely a strong, wonderful singer. Thank you. You're welcome, son. 

Well, she's got a great voice. It's just I'm always trying to imagine people at this stage where you go through the competition. Because you have such a distinct voice. 

Such a distinct voice and watch your pitch. 

I I agree. I agree with Paula. What's the pitch? Yeah, she was a bit pitchy. She's bit. She's a bit loud. She's, like, trying to kind of like air raid siren. It a little bit fog cornered a little bit. It's pushing too much through the pipes. 

What's the pitch? 

Hmm. 

Well, would you like some drama? I found some drama in the comments. 

Love some drama? I I you know what? I've I've the Hoobastank. I had all the drama that I can take. 

Well, here's a scoop for you from the comments. 

Ah, strap yourselves in, all right. 

The truth about her audition? Capslock. She was not supposed to be there. Exclamation mark. 

Well, she was there, so I don't know what that means. 

She said in an. Interview that she loves to eat. So she got tired. 

Who? Who doesn't? 

And she got tired waiting in line. She will wait in. 

You have to wait. 

Line for a long time. You need sustenance in Australia, yeah. 

Alice, I did the audition. Yes, second round idle was very long time. People were there from 7:00 the night before. That's dumb. 

Yeah. 

Yeah, and yeah. So you were lined up actually. So let's flashback to when you had to line up for the idol auditions. Was that this time 20 years ago it? 

I didn't know them. 

Was close. 

Was around, yes. 

So you wound up for Australian Idol auditions at Canberra Stadium. We'll get back to Fantasia in a minute. I just wanna put a pin in that and and talk about this for a second. 

Yes. 

Yes. 

OK, but this is a good comment. You OK? You won't make the attention. 

How long were you in line for? 

Well, no, they. Let me in because I was there for the radio station. 

Not really. Yeah, that's kind of like. 

But there were people that there were people. That were lined up from the night. Before. 

That's about how long it takes you to get like a pie and a beer at the football. It's at Canberra Stadium. I'm being honest anyway, sorry. So she OK? Fantastic she yeah. 

And then they let me and they got annoyed. For a while. Anyway, she was not supposed to be there all caps, so she got tired and she left the line to get food. 

Yep. 

When they got back, the auditions were over as far as letting people in her mother begged, the people said no. She begged. They said no, so she started singing to them while they were trying to turn her away. They changed their minds. 

As you do, yeah. Rise. Right. Good. 

And let her get in late, since the official word in the comment and then someone started arguing. Going no, that's not. 

Well, that's alright. 

Right. 

True, they got locked out accidentally and then someone else said no, it was actually the janitor that let her in. Cause the janitor was cleaning up afterwards and her singing. 

Really. Well, that's a that's a that I mean, if that's true, that isn't that a wonderful story? 

Let her in. And then someone else went, wasn't the janitor. It was the. Security guard. 

Well, she went all the way to the finale. She went to the finale. 

But no matter, no matter who you believe, she may not have been there because she went to get a. 

This doesn't matter. 

Snack. 

But that's not. What? Happened. It's a sliding door moment and the door slid in her favour. 

Almost didn't happen. Well, she got a snack. 

With some snacks and she came in. And not only that, but she had more sustenance, so she obviously she they're like, no. 

Now that's what that that's where that power came. 

That's not fair. She's had food. That's why she was pitchy. She had too much power. Got some protein into her and away she went. Wow. Well, this is her singing. Summer time in the American Idol finale. 

From that's snap. She's had a snack. Too much power coming off. 

The stage. 

Yeah. 

Stay here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

I think she performed that through the series so earlier on in the series and that has gone down in history as like one of the greatest TV moments. And so then she backed up and sang it for the finale. And Simon Cowell said that she was the best contestant to ever compete in a. 

Yes. 

Any of the idol competitions best so far from the S dog. 

Well, that's big. That's big. Yes. So who did she beat? 

Diana de Gamo. 

What's a Diana de Garmo? 

There are other persons. 

That's the number two in this one, so we don't even remember her. She's it's it's not like, well, no, it's not because nobody remembers Diana Degarmo, do they? Maybe they do. 

But sometimes that's the Shannon. The name slightly familiar. I think this one also had the who's the one that went on to be in a movie? A singing movie? Who was that one? She was good. And she went on a singing. 

Movie. I don't know. Wasn't was Diana Degarmo? Was that Ace ace young? Was that her name? No. 

Well, Fantasia beat her by a margin of 2%, which which equates to 1.3 million votes. 

Ohh, the one in the singing movie was. Oh. Jennifer Hudson? Yes. Jennifer Hudson. Yes, Jennifer Hudson. OK, and then Diana's going. 

I actually thought Jennifer Hudson won't be honest. 

Did you? No, she just went on to do movies and stuff. 

Well, she's very successful. 

Yeah. 

But she beat Diana. Fantasia beat Diana. It's not Jennifer. Jennifer's long gone kicked out. Yeah, 2% was the margin, which ends up being 1.3 million votes. And the vote total was 65 million votes, which was the highest recorded vote total in the shows history. 

Yes. 

Right. 

She released her first single in June 2004 and it entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #1, making her the first artist in the history of Billboard to debut at #1 with their first. Single. 

Right. Good for them. Who? What? I wasn't listening. 

Fantasia. 

Ohh Fantasia Fantasia's first thing. 

Yes, broke records with her first single. 

Broke records. Don't you know the runner up? Diana had to go. She was 16 when she did idle. 

I know the name. Did go on to do something. What does she go on to do? I'm. 

In 2004. 

I'm sure I've heard her name more recently. 

Well, she was. She was in, I think. Well, now she lives in Nashville, and she's been doing Broadway in theatre. So she's in, like, gentle and Hyde and things like that. She went and did Jekyll and Hyde in South Korea. So she's just been doing the theatre circuit and stuff like that. So that's good for her. What did you hear her? 

OK. 

Oh, OK. Well, no, that's not what I had to do. Doing I don't know the name, just sounded familiar. Like familiar from like five years ago, not 20 years ago. So I thought ohh that she must have done something. 

Alright. 

Well, this is this is according to information from a JC, which I think is a A a newspaper. From Georgia, and apparently there's a there's a mediaeval festival going on in there which looks really exciting actually. And it yes, in in Atlanta, GA thing. Well, I'm just, I might just follow this link and see where it takes me. The Georgia Renaissance Festival, April 13th through to June 2nd to get tickets at. 

Flopping. Is Diana there? Is she a lapper? It's still going. 

Www.garenfest.com yes, one of. 

Is there pictures? 

Those stuff there. 

It looks pretty good, actually. The party is back. The village of Newcastle is open and ready for you to enjoy a full day of adventure. Yeah, endless entertainment delights, family experiences, cosplay, handmade treasures of the artisan markets. I mean, yes, I've really just, I know I'm going off on a tangent here, but this looks absolutely delightful. What's happening on the calendar there? Let's have a look themed weekends. Here we go themed. 

Handmade treasures. 

Weekend. So there's a costume contest at 1:00 PM at the Jasta Arena that would be exciting jousting. 

Jazz sting. I like jousting. 

Pet costume contest at the Jazz Arena. Uh what date are we up to? What do we need? 

Remember that time we were writing? 

Well, well, may May 25th to 27th is Pirate invasion weekend. There pirates and scallywags of all ages will find treasure in our special contest like The Pirate costume. Contest and walk the plank trivia. Now that sounds like some high stakes trivia. There you go. Sorry. What were we? Yes, yes. 

Back to back to jousting for a second. Remember when we used to go to the Ainsley Football Club for the meat raffle, and then we started riding our bikes to the Ainsley Football Club? And then one night we were riding our bikes home and we? 

Yeah. Yes. 

Heard. Twinkling cling. And we're like what is that? And there were nights jousting on the Oval. 

The actual men in well, they weren't jousting because they weren't on horses charging towards each other. That's a joust, but. 

They were in armour. Oh, do you? Have to be in a horse. For jousting, I thought you could. Do that on foot? No. What's that called? 

Ohh you. It's really hard to run in a suit of it. It's just combat. Just straight out combat, the very nice armour engaged in combat, yes. 

But they were in the armour and they was like banging each other. It was really good. So maybe this festival is something to go to. 

It was interesting this none of this has anything to do with American Idol, but it is interesting nonetheless. Have we reached a natural conclusion with this segment? I think alright, let's do the next one. 

So yes, bye. 

I don't know what happened then, but it was pretty good if. Anyone's going to that festival? 

I honestly thought you could joust not on a. 

No, you need to be on a horse, do you? Yes, absolutely. Have to be on a horse. Hatches, matches and dispatches. Of course we are. And I can't believe that we've actually got a a A match for this. 

Horse. That's disappointing. Aren't too many things. 

Yes. 

Celebrity who got married this time 20 years ago, who said? 

Congratulations, you're the challengers. And we all looked around at each other. It was. Like, yeah, we. Are. 

Congratulations, you're the salingers. I'm ashamed to admit that's the family from party of five. Those people that cried all the time on the TV. And if you said Scott Wolfe. 

You. 

Knew exactly who that. 

Was. 

You. Be correct, Scott Wolfe. 

Such a whingy prize, Sir. 

So he got married, he got married. 

He got married to Kelly Limp, who was. On the real. 

World. Yeah, he was 35 years old when he was doing party. At 5. Is that right? 

Well, no. Maybe he was 35 when he married her party of five, finished at this stage, yes. 

In 2004, OK, that was a 90s show. Yeah, because I was just like, oh, well, they get people of all ages to play teenagers in Hollywood. So anyway, they'll burst my bubble on that one. But. 

Yes. So real worlds, that was like a group. Of people living together in. 

That's a reality show. 

A house that was like a. Bit outrageous, wasn't it? Somewhat. 

So an actor married a reality show that's like Real Romeo and Juliet stuff, isn't it? Like rival families it was. 

It was his. Yes, it was his first marriage and I love it how they said it was his first marriage, but they're still married. This is a beautiful story. They're still married. 

Is it the? Is this they got? At. Saint Paul's Episcopal. 

Couple. 

No, at least in what Episcopal, Episcopal St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, in Arkansas. That's where they got married. 

You did. 

Yes. So she was on real world, and then she moved into TV marketing in LA. 

Yes. Right. And he played an alcoholic teenager on party of five. Bailey. Yeah. It was a 90s show. Yes, I. 

Failing. 

Bail. 

Yeah. Bailey. Ohh well, Bailey and the older brother, Matthew Fox. They're both just as wingy, I think Matthew Fox cried more. He was more wingy than. 

Yeah, but at least you could have a beer with Bailey. 

They said of their wedding. We felt like we just got surrounded by this community of friends. How it works here. They were introduced by a mutual friend in New York City. They had their honeymoon in Africa. They are still married and they have three kids together. 

Ah. 

I kind of always knew in my guts like she was gonna be. Of an incredible partner and an incredible mom and an incredible person in the world, a friend and and to see that person grow and thrive and be alongside, it's the most valuable thing in the. World. 

New in his guts. 

Still a whiny little. Now, that's good. That's a lovely story, yeah. 

He knew what he's does it. It doesn't happen often that we report on a marriage that's still together so. 

Something pirates say he'd go really well at that pirate invasion. I knew in my guts that she'd be the woman for me. Actually, the only woman for me is the ocean or the sea. I should say I don't know what I'm saying anyway. 

Oh my God. 

Thanks. 

Hey. 

He often gets confused from Michael J. Fox and when I was watching that interview, he was talking about his guts. He does look a lot like him. 

Does he? Ohh well yeah, that's interesting. Alright, well that's and you know what else is interesting? At the end of the show? That's enough for this week. I think. Mel, what is going on next week on the podcast, The Escape Pod. I like that. I really like that it's got a good ring to it. The escape spot. 

Yeah, I like that too. I didn't get it for a week, but I do get it now and I quite like it. So what's next week? What's the date? What's the date range? 

Yeah, catch up. 28th of June, sorry 28. 28th of May to the 6th of June is next week. 

We have made the 6th of June. 

Yes. 

I think we have rock in Rio although. 

Ohh that's always a good time. 

It started. It started this. Week. But we I felt we had enough content, so I was. 

I think they moved it to Portugal, though, to Lisbon in Portugal. 

Hoping. Over. They did, yes. And the Foo Fighters were there and Metallica and Britney Spears. It would have been. 

Foo Fighters, yeah. Britney Spears did rock him. Jugal. Hmm. Well, that's enough. That'll do anything else? 

Yes. So there's a Harry Potter. Thing. 

There's a Harry Potter thing. 

There's a Harry Potter thing, there's some golf and Peppa Pig. Ohh my gosh. Peppa Pig. That's that's gonna be the focus Peppa Pig. 

What's the Harry Potter thing? 

Well. 

Find out what the Harry Potter thing is next week. Those stories and more. Next week on T -. 20. Thank you very much. Find us on the socials, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, search for T -. 20 podcast. And thank you again. Every week. We won't stop doing it if you keep listening to. If you stop listening to it, well, that's us done. So please. And we really enjoy doing it like it's good fun. And so that's why we need you to keep listening to it, cause I would hate to stop doing. 

This now it's a really good time. Yes, we get to talk about jousting and we uncovered the Hoobastank reason. 

Look. 

Yeah, the reason behind the reason, even. Jeez, I wish I had thought of that before. That would have done really well at. The head of the show anyway, see you next week. 

Thanks for taking the time to rewind. Join us next time for another week. That was 20 years ago. In the mean time, come and reminisce on the socials search for T -, 20 podcast on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.