T minus 20
The year is 2005... Anakin turns to the dark side, YouTube makes its debut and weāre all couch-jumping for Maria, McDreamy and The Girl With The Dragon Tattooā¦
T minus 20, rewind to this week in history 20 years ago with Joe and Mel.
T minus 20
Pussycat Dolls, tramp stamps and Miami Ink
Rewind to 17 to 23 July 2005, where tattoo regrets were permanent, burlesque entered the mainstream and Crazy Frog somehow got a record deal.
š£ Bombs fail, panic doesnāt. Two weeks after 7/7, four bombs fail to fully detonate on London transport. No deaths, but the fear is real. Cue evacuations, manhunts and media chaos.
šØ Shot by mistake. Jean Charles de Menezes is tragically killed by police, mistaken for a bombing suspect. Operation Kratos, racial profiling and public trust all under the microscope.
š Bird flu fears spread. Vietnam reports two new bird flu deaths, reigniting global panic. The WHO goes full pandemic-prep mode while the rest of us panic-buy Tamiflu.
š“āāļø Armstrongās 7th Tour. Lance Armstrong wins his final Tour de France (lol). Heās a clean-cut legend, Livestrong wristbands are everywhere ā but the doping whispers havenāt stopped.
š„ļø Windows Vista gets a name. Microsoft ditches the Longhorn codename and introducesā¦ Vista. Big promises, bigger flops. It wouldnāt launch for 18 more months and boy would it disappoint.
š¤ Donāt cha wish your debut was this iconic. The Pussycat Dolls drop āDonāt Chaā and instantly own 2005. Nicole does 95% of the vocals, the rest bring the vibes. Burlesque-core is in.
š Tattoos go mainstream. Miami Ink debuts, and suddenly everyone wants Kanji symbols, tribal armbands and tramp stamps. Your cousinās regrettable butterfly tattoo? Blame this week.
šø Frog chaos continues. Crazy Frog releases a full album. Itās unhinged, unholy and somehow wildly successful. If your ringtone made you want to throw your Nokia, this is why.
š Ranger + spreadsheets = thirst. Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich has Stephanie Plum quitting bounty hunting. Sort of. Rangerās still hot, Morelliās still broody and Goodreads is still unhinged.
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 is generated automatically.
The year is 2005. Anakin turns to the Dark side, YouTube debuts, and we couch jump for Mariah Mcdreamy and a girl with the Dragon Tattoo t -, 20 rewind 20 years with Joe and Mel.
17 July 2005.
-2012 show minus.
20 It's an ice breaker. Don't judge me. Up this is bananas. My question is who?
Approved that this going not really.
Do you see where this is?
Welcome to T -, 20, the podcast that rewinds exactly 2 decades to the wildest, weirdest, and most unforgettable moments of pop culture, news, music and technology. If it made headlines, top charts or traumatised your ringtone, or anyone who had to listen to your ringtone as well, we will drag it kicking and scream. Coming back into the spotlight with your host Joe and Mel. Hello, Mel.
Hello, we shall this week. It's honestly a fever dream of chaos.
Well, good afternoon. If you're just joining us, you're watching Sky News as London is attacked once again two weeks, of course, after the previous explosions. This time it appears on a much smaller scale, three tube trains and a bus targeted, but the explosions appear to have been only minor.
This was could you believe this less than ohh well, maybe around a fortnight after the the 7-7 attacks in London, a second wave of. EMS failed to fully detonate, but the panic is very much live in London this time 20 years ago.
Don't you wish? Me.
Change pace there.
Yes, very much so. The Pussycat Dolls drop their debut single, don't ya? Nicole's doing 95% of the vocals according to Nicole, and suddenly every nightclub is a burlesque audition.
Five guys. I'm a tattoo artist.
I tattooed my mom on Mother's Day about 10 years ago.
Wow, Miami ink. Remember, this show hits TV screens, tattoos hit the mainstream, and suddenly everyone's got emotional baggage permanently etched onto their lower back, which I think is.
Great, yes, absolutely. So my only ink 20 years. I can't believe that 20 years ago we loved that show. And I think in honour of that. Did a little. Bit of research on tattoos this time 20 years ago to find out exactly. What people were getting?
Well, we love them. We got tattoos this time for a year, we've had tattoos, you know, for quite some.
Time. And I've got my first one in the 90.
Umm yeah, I got my first one in the 90s as well and it it was a very 90s.
And that's when you had to. Looking tattoo? Well, mine was when you had to actually just pick something off the wall or out of a you. Know the books. With the. Plastic sleeves, yeah. See the book with the plastic sleeves or the wall. There was no no options you want to. Bring your own picture in, no.
Weren't you? You couldn't negotiate with the artist.
No, you had to pick something off the wall. Were in the.
Sure.
Books the preference was off the wall because they. Were the ones that they did the most frequently. But yeah, 2005 tattoos.
Where did you?
Get.
That sounds like you got tattoos in prison.
I'm not going.
To reveal my sources, I'm gonna. No, no, we shouldn't be the shan't be discussing said establishment lower back tattoos, the Tramp stamp, massive in the early 2000s, tribal butterflies, stars, and the whole idea was it was.
It's probably not a good idea. Is this shop still there or have the bikies fire bomb? Did I just?
OK. Was.
Just.
Low enough to. Peak out of the top of your low rise jeans, just the edge of it peeking out over your low rise pants.
Oh, you just see sort of the edge of. The. Tattoo, which gave you a bit of an. Edge it was like. It's like when neck tattoos, they weren't really neck tattoos. They just sort of creep up the the tiny little inkling and and and that's that's where I think they the the word inkling is actually quite literal there, just poking up.
Yeah, just a little bit and. You'd be like. What's what's that? Yeah. Paired perfectly with the von Dutch trucker had actually.
Yes, what an ensemble.
Yes, the low rise jeans with the exposed fly buttons.
Low. Yeah. And then the the Tramp stamp, some kind of cut off top and it's on. That's trucker cap. Gorgeous. I love it.
Tramp stamp from the von Dutch cap. Yep. Yeah. Beautiful. Beautiful. Kanji.
Kanji Japanese text, yeah.
Symbols. Yes, yes. Often you didn't really know if you were selecting the right.
Things really.
Brittany had one where she thought it was. Mysterious, mysterious or curious admit like.
Yeah. And it actually, but it said it was strange, though. It was strange. Yeah, but again, it's like, ohh, you get this beautiful Japanese text or whatever. And it's like it's this water. It's like why why would you get the word for water tattooed? It'd be like me getting water tattooed. I don't know. Across my chest or something like that would be weird. Strange.
Hmm.
Yeah.
We would.
Or mysterious according to Britain.
Something that was it was probably a bit of a a leftover from the 90s, but still hanging around early 2000s tribal arm bands, weren't they great?
Ohh yeah, it's like, you know, Goldberg in the wrestling with his tribal tattoo, tribals. I I think tribal's making a comeback too. I think we've had this conversation, but tribal is making a comeback. Yeah. What have we now be like? Neo tribal or so?
Around your biceps.
Really.
Great. That's great. Good to hear. Good to hear.
Alright, yeah.
Post modern tribal, something like that. Bio. Tribal.
Ohh, biomechanical and tribal. That's a great fusion actually, yes.
Remember that? Yeah, that wonderful stars I've got stars. Stars were massive in the 2000s. Wrists, stars, foot stars, hips star. I've got mine on my hips.
Yeah.
You've had to keep your figure too, because otherwise that star would have gone supernova, yes.
They did stretch when I was pregnant, when I. Was pregnant. It didn't. It looked more like a son.
An exploded star, yes.
Yeah, it's not so much a star anymore, but it's gone back into shape fairly.
A white dwarf.
It's fairly well still, it's a little bit. Well, keep it, that's OK. Our butterflies and fairies were big. I remember impulse deodorant actually brought out fake butterfly tattoos that I used to wear to the clubs and people would go.
Yeah. Did they?
To that tattoo hurt and ohh yeah. Really killed. Yeah. Just to pretend.
It's just an impulse decision.
Good on you.
Celtic Celtic. That's kind of kind of tribal.
Are the. Staffers.
As well, sort of not.
You need a. You need a good artist for Celtic stuff and and even tribal as well. With that line work because it's gotta be straight. Like if you're going that heavy and that bold and it's not straight, you're in a bit of strife there. So you do need to have a lot of trust and confidence in your artist.
Yes. You do Zodiac signs were also massive early 2000s skinnies star signs and cosmic energy on your your. Wrists.
Is that a thing now? People still identify by like Zodiac stuff.
Yeah, but I don't think they tattoo it. But I do remember there's Zodiac tattoos very much on the the front near the hip, lower hip, just sort of peeking out of the also peeking out of the jeans. So it was like.
Mommy.
Front tramp stand.
Horoscopes always been pretty mainstream, hasn't.
It but Zodiac symbols. It's Zodiac symbols of a bit fun because you've got kind of the you've got your traditional looking Zodiac symbols, but then you got the funky ones that are just sort of line that, you know, a couple of lines and some sort of fancy design that signify your Zodiac. So that was that was kind of cool.
So it's been in the paper and.
Hmm.
But.
That's that's it.
It's it's interesting and it's interesting.
Smooth.
That, you know, like you don't when you watch the morning shows. Now you don't see the horoscope or the morning shows on the TV or on on the radio or anything you.
Well, you don't have the star when Athena star woman.
Don't have the daily stars.
I loved the lady that was on Bert and I used to wait until she did my stars on a Monday and then I'd catch the bus to uni. Sometimes I'd be late to UNI but I needed to get my stars, my stars for the week, see, so I knew my stars. Yeah. What was her name? Karen. Karen Moore gold.
Some.
Get your. Done. Can't go anywhere until I've ever stars. Or you'd be sitting around at at home and I'd be like Karen Moore Gold.
Fabulous and. Talked a lot like this. Very calm and turned over.
She had she had the long hair. It's kind of WAVY, like mermaid day. WAVY and.
Today is not the day for rash decision. Keep a cool head and be kind to others. Pisces.
Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Don't. Don't go catching the 333 Melanie catch.
Scorpio. So you're always psychopathic, and you'll probably try not to kill someone today, yeah.
The other bus.
Right.
That's true. Scorpios are, aren't they? They're very fiery, very funny. Big emotions. Yeah, I think it is. I think it is.
The full on Scorpios I don't know. Is there anything in it? Is is the Zodiac still a thing? Is it kind of a gateway to the? Occult.
Sure.
Well, it's like Harry Potter. Then I'm all for. It. Clue tyre hatches matches and dispatches clue time. Ohh what?
This weeks is great. Yes, I just remembered what it.
Is this? Is. Ohh, what is it? It's a match match. It's it's.
It's one of my favourites.
It really, yeah, they said this.
Like, I just felt so proud. Watching him every match and just being able to come back and just. Just watching him out there, knowing that his mind. For starters, that's pretty good. Mine, mine.
Ohh I know who that is and I'm sure you all do too. We will discuss. We will discuss that match made in heaven.
Fabulous.
At the end of. The show.
If this year of tsunamis, earthquakes and hurricanes has taught us anything, it's that worst case scenarios do sometimes happen. Now, with winter upon us, the latest thing to worry about is the avian flu.
That's that seems like nothing by today's company.
Right, right.
I just that. Little grab there, which is Steve cross from 60 minutes USA just really tickled me because we were talking about the avian flu back in the early 2000s and then we kind of actually did end up with a pandemic and. It's like, you know, we just went through so much. We've been through so much since 2005 and.
Hmm.
It's like. If this, this and this and we always talk about how it's a better time and all of that sort of stuff, but and stuff was happening back then as we clearly have demonstrated by putting this podcast together. But I don't know, a pandemic was kind of like, yeah, but Nah. But yeah. But Nah. And then we had people dying on the 20th of July. From the bird.
Flu. Yeah. Bird flu wasn't a new thing, though. This time 20 years ago, because it first jumped to humans back in 97.
No.
But Fast forward to 2005, we started to worry about a global pandemic because we had a couple of human deaths and the first in quite a few months, which reignited this fear around the pandemic.
Let's go back to Steve from 60 minutes USA.
So.
The World Health Organisation calls it the most serious health threat facing the planet, greater than AIDS or tuberculosis. Because humans have no immunity to the virus, and because there are no proven drugs or vaccines to stop it, it has the potential to cause an influenza pandemic similar to the one that killed 50 million people in 1918.
That sounds familiar, doesn't it, Steve?
Hmm.
Yeah, that's it. It's just that's from 20 years ago too. That was a report from 2005.
Interesting. Interesting.
And I don't know. I'm just saying like that. We were thinking about this sort of stuff.
We're like no vaccine. What do we do? This would be really bad. Hmm. Yeah. Yeah. OK. We just moved on. Yes. Both Vietnamese men from the northern province of Hatai died after direct contact with infected poultry.
Yeah, right. Right. So we had two deaths reported back in 2000 and. 5. Yeah. So what kind of contact are we talking about here? Do they do you?
I I I think a duck sneezed on them. No, I don't. I don't. I don't know. I don't. I don't know. I don't know exactly what they did with the infected poultry.
Reckon. They ate. It or did they room it? Did they pluck it OK. Right.
But they died.
Hmm.
And at this point, we've got over 50 confirmed deaths, mostly in Vietnam and Thailand, and we're worried that because at this stage it's just getting infected directly from the Birch. But we were worried that it would start to spread human to human people, to people with.
Hmm.
The bird not from people. Because if it starts going people to people wearing big trouble, yes, that's what the World Health Organisation said. That's a direct quote from the world. They said what happens? They said where, yes.
Yeah, with. Yes, exactly. And many countries began stockpiling antiviral drugs like Tamiflu. A lot of poultry was culled in the affected regions as well.
Yeah, that's that's always it. It was not it making light of it. Yes. In this day and age after everything we've been through with an element of cynicism and all of that sort. Of stuff, sure.
We are being a bit smug about it. Aren't we? But what I remember, it was a worry it.
It was a mess. It was scary.
Was a worry. Yeah. And we didn't know what we'd do and there was.
And like it, it took a toll. Like all of these birds had to be put down and killed, which would have brought, you know, a lot of businesses to their knees as well. You know, it was bad.
Mm-hmm. MHM.
Intense international monitoring and bio security measures there was travel advisories and restrictions on poultry products. Pandemic preparedness plans ramped up worldwide and. With, you know, a couple of years off the back of SARS. So we thought, you know, well, SARS was didn't end up being as bad as we thought it might be, but maybe this is the one. This could be the one. This could be the one that becomes the big.
No. And if it's not this one.
Problem if it's not this one there. Might be another one maybe. Who knows.
If it's not this one, it might be the pigs, cause doesn't the.
Yes, swine flu. That's around 2000 and eight, 2009, not the pig.
Swine flu isn't that the next one? Right. And then? If it's not the. Pigs. Then it's the bats. The bats. Right. It's a lot.
Can't keep up.
It is a lot.
It did spark the what if pandemic fears long before COVID actually made that scenario real and it showed how fast a disease could jump from animals to humans and increased global concern.
Hmm. Yeah. Like, what if, what if long before COVID? What if this happens? It's it's all a bit in the news this week. If we're being honest, but we'll bring it to you anyway. On the 21st of July in London, another bombing attempt. Less than two weeks after the other one that we discussed around the 7th of July. We have 4 attempted bomb attacks on London's public transport system. The bombs fortunately failed to detonate and were described as quote unquote partial explosions. Thankfully no fatalities, but one minor injury and a a lot of panic.
Well, good afternoon. If you're just joining us, you're watching Sky News as London is attacked once again two weeks, of course, after the previous explosions. This time it appears on a much smaller scale, three tube trains and a bus targeted, but the explosions appear to have been only minor.
We had three London Underground trains that were targeted Oval station, Warren Street station and Shepherds Bush Station. And a double Decker bus. So very similar that was in Hackney Rd. London went into immediate emergency mode. Stations were evacuated, security heightened. Police launched a massive manhunt. Surveillance footage quickly identified the suspects. And obviously, you know, this is 2 weeks later. So people are still very traumatised from what had. Heard knew that fear and uncertainty.
Yeah, and and and you would have, we say would have I guess I think after that sort of an event. No. Just I people wouldn't have expected it because there was obviously heightened security.
Hmm. And we thought, you know, we spoke last week about them naming and and catching the suspects. So we thought, OK, that's that's good. They've got them, but.
After.
Yeah. Well, they were very quick this time too. Yeah. And and again, like the previous attacks, it was a home grown.
And then it's like what now?
I mean, Islamist extremist cell, very similar, linked by ideology, but operating completely separately, so almost seen as copycats like the other guys, they made devices similar to what the other guys made, but they didn't make them as well. And so they failed to ignite so.
Hmm.
We have all of these suspects arrested within days. They got them very quickly, lots of raids over in London, like lots of chaos. In in I guess sort of the days following the attacks because that's when they got very heavy handed with with raiding premises and trying to actually weed out these guys, they get Muktar, said Ibrahim, who was the ringleader, Yasin Hassan, Omar Ramsey Mohammad and Osman Hussain, who was captured later in Italy after he kind of did the bolt. They got him eventually though.
The trial revealed that they intended to cause mass casualties. And they the the construction floors, they are homemade hydrogen peroxide based explosives. But they yeah, they didn't make them very well. They were radicalised in the UK and influenced by that extremist propaganda.
None.
Yeah, which is probably where they got the recipe from. So the other thing is, is while this hunt is happening for these guys. There's there's a guy and this is. I do remember this. This is a quite a famous case. Quite a famous case. So famous. So much so that there's actually like a four part series on Disney or one of the streaming services. Jean Charles de Menezes is mistakenly shot by police in London. He's an electrician.
Terrible stirring.
The 27 year old Brazilian electrician and he was followed on the 23rd of July by plainclothes police officers as he left his apartment building in South. That they thought his block was connected to one of the suspects that conducted these failed bombing attempts. He gets on a bus, enters the Stockwell underground station and then inside the station, the police confront him on a train and they shot him seven times in the head and once in the shoulder at close Range 7. Like so, instantly John Charles's dead and earlier reports, I think there was lots of speculation.
Hmm.
And I I saw some of the news reports and the the the because I'm looking at CCTV and stuff and they wrongly claimed that he jumped the ticket barriers. I was wearing bulk clothing and they had all the footage that was not the case at all. He wasn't doing anything is on his way to.
Hmm.
Work, I think. Well, the reason why they took the approach they did, they were operating under the heightened shoot. To kill counterterrorism strategy because of what had happened a couple of weeks earlier and this was known as Operation Kratos, they have feared another suicide bombing. However, like you say, entirely innocent. No explosives, no connection whatsoever to the attacks or the the suspect.
And I think like and I I mean I don't know, but surely they would have had some indication as to whether he was wearing a, if they were surveilling in that close, whether he was wearing like a suicide vest or something, especially when they jumped on top of him at the time when they put 7 bullets in his head.
On a public train as well.
At point blank range it's it's it's really horrendous turn of events, yeah.
It's terrible, terrible and there was public outrage, as you would expect, especially as these facts started. To emerge led to major. Criticism of the Metropolitan Police and leadership under Commissioner Sir Ian Blair. And raised debates over police accountability and the use of lethal force, racial profiling and the treatment of. Currents and effectiveness and clarity of counterterrorism procedures. No officers faced criminal charges because it was a shoot to kill strategy they, but they were operating. That was their directive. So they didn't have a choice.
And I find that extraordinary, yeah. Right. But even to this day, they haven't named any of the police that were involved, and none of them have faced any charges for it whatsoever.
Well, you think if that, but if that was, if that was what you had to do, then how could?
To be in.
Well, they shot a man who was a victim of nothing more than a case of mistaken identity. So that's why they should have been.
Trouble for that? But shouldn't it be the person that instructed the shoot to kill orders? Like if that's what they had to do?
Well, I guess well, that's why. They're. I mean, I don't know. Like they shot a bloke 7 times in the head.
That was it. I guess the the question was, did they make the decision there and then that let's use the the orders because there's a risk or were they told capture this guy and if you need to to kill, I don't know.
But even the police, they're found guilty of breaching health and safety. Was like ohh Jeremiah. Well, you left quite a mess on the train. Like yuck. Like it's the whole thing is terrible. Anyway, it's a it's a very interesting story and it has so much so that it has been turned into a like a big TV series. And it was a just a huge error.
Health and safety laws that wasn't finding. Yeah.
A massive era that has and I think now that it's being brought back into the fold, cause the series only came out very recently.
There's now no doubt. The man shot yesterday. He has no connections to terrorism.
We can't let this define us.
I can't stop thinking, but all of the stuff they said about Jean Charles. Isn't true.
The pain of the loss of our cousin at the hands of the police was unbearable. You are really not prepared to say that any mistake was made here, are you?
We both know the penalty.
If for not telling the truth.
See now what's that? That sounds pretty good.
Hmm.
Yeah, I'm interested in what the orders meant. Like. Yeah. Did they interpret them incorrectly? Did they have to do it? Would did they go in there with that intent? I don't know. Yeah. I wanna know. I wanna. Know more?
Ohh and the hits keep coming this week, even in the sport. It's just. The shocker because you know, this is when Lance Armstrong wins his 7th consecutive to and fro 24th of July. Well, I mean, on the day on the day he did, he wasn't redacted on the day record breaking achievement in in cycling history. This is his final tour. He announces he's gonna retire dear.
But does he? No, he doesn't. He doesn't. Redacted. Ohh dear.
That didn't stick either. He, funnily enough, he was lying. He dominated the race, he won. He won by nearly 4 minutes.
4. And no one thought.
That was us, the ultimate. But comeback hero after surviving testicular cancer widely viewed as the sports icon and hero, the Livestrong Foundation. You know the story.
Well, the yellow wristbands came out last year, so now they're massive everywhere. Everyone live strong. A few of them have probably broken over the 12 months if you wore.
Oh, celebrating the ohh they're going berserk the clean athlete. You know. Them in the shower in spite of the whispers. In spite of the whispers. And then we know that there's been whispers because we've spoken about the whispers as well, but his speech, his speech.
We have, yes.
After he won. Hmm. Like have a listen to this.
And finally, the last thing I'll say for the people that don't believe in cycle. The the, The, the Senates and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I'm sorry. You can't dream big. And I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles, but this is 1 hell of a race. This is a great sporting event and you should stand around and believe you should believe in these athletes and you should believe in these people and I'm a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live and they're no secrets. This is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it so. Vibrator forever. Thank you.
Just.
Listening to him say, believe, believe, believe in miracles, believe, believe, believe. It's all this like messaging to kind of almost reinforce the lie. I guess that was him. Anyway. They got him. We all know the story.
No secrets.
Let's see.
There were obviously the rumours and suspicions, nothing confirmed yet, but we had that book that came out in, I think it was May last year. The LA Confidential secrets and Lance Armstrong. Which talked about the the testimonies about the doping and the blood transfusions and the lying about the the cream and all of that kind of stuff. He he was suing at that time he was still, he had that defamation lawsuit going with them also took legal action against the Sunday.
Hmm.
But a lot of people were just saying Nah. Not true, he's. A good guy, good guy, live strong, just lies. And it's just tabloid style journalism. How dare you? How dare.
Just it's like the poster, it's like, well, the the fans, I mean, there's so many people that invested in, you know what it's like when your heroes let you down. You know, it's like it's like the the poster on Fox Moulders Wall. It's like, I want to believe. And he's telling them to believe me, but there's nothing to believe.
You say that about Lance. Yeah. Don't believe it takes a while. 9.
Technology. Now there's something to believe in. There's something that you can really wrap your belief around. Yeah, like technology won't let you down. It's either on or. It's off. That's it. It's only two states, zero or one. It's very binary. It's zero or one.
Give me something to believe in.
Very certain.
Well, we are talking about Windows Vista.
There's no maybe ohh Windows Vista was a bit of a maybe as well. Wow, it's just getting better by.
System.
The minute isn't.
It was hot, just the. Picture the 23rd of July 2005. We thought it was the future.
Yes, it was on the news. On CNET, actually. Well, maybe not sort of after that. This was sort of when it came out of when they announced it, but you'll hear what CNET had to say about.
It shortly after release, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says that sales of Windows Vista have indeed been disappointing, and he says piracy is the reason. See, now I would have thought the problem lay with the multiple confusing editions of Windows Vista. The incredibly high price of the new operating system, coupled with the cost of the new hardware you'll need in order to run it. The fact that it's hard to pinpoint what benefits, if any, it offers over Windows XP and widespread reports of compatibility problems with everything from video games to iTunes. You know, when you think of it that way. You kind of have to wonder who would even want to steal.
It ohh sick burn. Say that was back when? Like the magazines you know, had their pundits doing kind of little news reports on their website. It's cute isn't it?
Rush. Yes, yes, yes.
Alright, good on you. So look at this time. We were still excited cause. This is just the announcement this this day in.
Yes, and this is what are they gonna do to to one up all of the stuff that Apple have been doing there? Yes, yes.
2005 and it was. Because you had them and they had the Mac mini and all that kind of stuff happening. This one was originally known as Longhorn. Longhorn was the code name.
I have to say. That in a digitally Internet enabled world, I don't know that Longhorn is the most appropriate title.
Longhorn. Long. I'd like to buy a copy of Longhorn, please. For my computer. I like to buy the Longhorn.
For an operating system. Ohh OK cool. Cause we've got 2 versions. 1 comes in a brown paper bag, yes.
Yeah, that wouldn't work well, would it? So they changed it to Vista.
Yeah, much better.
Great, perfect. Supposed to be like a new clarity, new perspectives, a beautiful view, ease of view. Ohh, views gorgeous.
And in. Look at the Vista. That's lovely.
Spectacular. Stunning. They love it. We love it. So ex pay. This is the one after XP.
Take it in what a Vista that we are beholding. We are beheld to with our eyeballs.
Me and people loved XP because I think the one before XP was also an XP was like oh, this is better than the one before that the Millennium Edition. Remember the Millennium ME, that one? No so.
Uh-huh.
Never do like this, was it? Ohh, right. Yeah, yeah, that didn't last very long. That one, yeah.
We thought, OK.
Cool XP was pretty good, so this should be good enhanced security to keep the Longhorns out.
It's gonna get me a Longhorn. Ohh Chris.
New visual design. The Aero Glass interface, which had a bit of transparency because we liked our transparent tech reflections.
What do you mean? Ohh it's like a graphic thing so it made it look like it was kind of like shiny, a little bubble. So like all your all your little windows would have had like a little shine thing like a a bubble. Like when you used to draw bubbles.
Very 2005.
Yes.
Yeah, the future, the fun future. Beautiful. Yeah. Yeah. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Yeah. Improved search. Streamlined file management.
Hmm.
But what went wrong? Well, I think that scene it Lady said it all.
Well, yes, I mean that all sounds really good to.
Me. It was kind of the. I guess it was that expectation versus reality kind of mean. Promised too much, delivered too little. Hmm. There was a lot of virus and malware at this time and it was hitting Microsoft and that's kind of not their fault.
Yeah. Yeah, I was. I know, right, like. Yeah, but PC's. I was really scared to get a PC and it was because it was around this kind of time. You know, the whole Microsoft virus thing. Well, it's not bad. It's, you know, I.
Facts.
Yeah.
Bars. We only get Rick rolls. They're sending you chain mails and you're going to die if you don't send it to.
Don't. Know I mean.
500 people.
I didn't really know what I was doing at that stage. I've never had a PC in my house until probably around this date.
That was harsh and risky. Risky.
Open this EXE folder.
And it was your PC.
Yes, yes.
Yeah, I didn't know what I was doing. I was scared. I was gonna break. It so I barely touched it. I.
Want to know how I must? Have had. XP I didn't have Longhorn. Lots of delays too, because we're announcing it well. I think the original plans were 2000 and three, 2000 and.
Hmm. Yeah, well, none. It doesn't. It doesn't come out for.
4. Release, we announced it now, but it still doesn't come out till like next year.
Yes, this is just the announcement and I, you know, The funny thing is.
No 22,000 and seven.
Well, that's why I only played that scene. That story, because I couldn't even find they buried the announcement. You can't find it online anywhere. There's no announcement. Yeah, dude.
18 months after the. Hmm. And it ran poorly. Every system requirements, compatibility issues that Lady said.
Uh-huh.
To an aggressive security prompts. It's aggressive, very aggressive. Yes, User Account Control pop-ups scare you.
What do you mean? Heavy handed. What do they put you in a chicken wing and then? Try and force you to.
I don't. And then pop up and you just thought what's going on? It's amazing. Nervous. Yes, that's aggressive. That's an aggressive security prompt and I don't like it worse. Launch often compared to Windows. Me.
That's a bit aggressive.
So then they could have quickly. Shifted focus to developing Windows 7.
Let's go with 7.
Which was the that's the redemption arc, the tail, the comeback story.
Maybe they do it on purpose. Maybe they release 1, so then the next one is people like that you buy more. Yeah. Yeah.
You don't feel as disappointed? Yeah. And because it is just the same product, same different shovel sort of thing, you know, what have we done now? Ohh, we've upgraded the camera.
Yeah, maybe.
OK. The.
Probably good timing. I could feel it coming on in the last segment. You can I you can you have that sense? Ohh just the sound of it. We knew where it was headed.
Yeah, looks like it. You had that look on your face. Like, is that indigestion or is that? A. Boon working its way up your oesophagus?
No, it's a boom. Ohh that sounded daft. They feel very good after that. Threw up in my mouth a little bit. It's time to open the boom box. You know what it is? It's the safe space. It's the safe space for all your boomer style complaints. A place where?
Lovely. Perfect.
Hmm.
It you know it is acceptable, you don't need somebody sitting there looking at you, judging you, going OK, boomer, every time you open your mouth and have to say something that's either constructive criticism or completely negative, it doesn't really matter. But this is where you do it. You can you can get into our DMS to do it too, if you. Like send us your boom.
Yes. Yes. Yeah, you can record yourself as Ray did.
Yeah, yeah, I think you only have a minutes to do so. So you need to be succinct.
Yeah, you have a. Minute. It's right near the highway.
With your boom. Hmm.
Yes, we do have a boom in the DM's not not an audio 1A rich one because they couldn't figure out how to do them. It's difficult difficult. I think someone should boom about how difficult that is. Actually that would.
Somebody DM de taboon. No. It's a hard. Process to navigate it. It took me. Yeah, that that is a boom in and of itself, which is appropriate. OK, yes, absolutely.
Good topic. Are we ready? Hi, Karen here, first time Messenger, long time listener. I have the potential.
We love Karen.
Boom, I think. Why is it that when you search for movies at the moment there's nothing new? Everything is either a marvel or DC comic remake of something that we've watched 20 years ago, or a sequel to something we watched 20 years ago? Please please, please make some new movies.
Oh.
That's my boy. Bye. Full stop. Full stop. Did you? I I don't. I I found out that you're not supposed to put full stops on text messages. Apparently that's seen as aggressive. Really. Yeah, that's my boom. I put full stops. Good punctuation.
Ohh wow. Really.
Throwing you 2 and it's trying to end the second.
I'm not saying that Karen did the wrong thing. I'm just saying that no, I do it too, but I.
I don't receive it the wrong thing.
Got told that that's aggressive.
I I I don't do. I don't think she did right. And I also take her point and it's just so funny because this week the new Fantastic Four movies coming out the.
To. Do that, but you shouldn't end with a full stop. And we spoke about the one that was 20 years ago a.
One we talked. Last. Episode it's like everything is Marvel, and then it's not even. I just can't even deal with the fact.
Remake. She's predicted.
That it's you spent so much time trying to find something good to watch. We work hard. Yes, we work hard and they're like, there's your entertainment there you go. That. What do you want? I he I don't know. He can he can swim underwater and talk to fishes. There you go. Enjoy that one. What's this one? Ohh he's I don't know he's he's like he got bit by a radioactive.
Hmm.
Buy it though. We'll give you 4 of them. Yeah. Have that one. Great. I get it. Like.
Nice.
Love comic books. They're all fun and all that sort of stuff. And yes, I grew up on them and and and been like everything, every single thing.
Something news.
Only every single thing. It's like, well, we gave you that one time and you liked it. So we'll just give you the exact same thing. Again in 20 years time and and pretend like you didn't even remember from the last time.
Honestly, I mean their defence. I probably wouldn't remember. I was trying to recall that TV show that we watched probably a year ago and I have. No idea how. It ended so.
And then you get, oh, you get halfway through. And you're like. This was, yeah, I think I fell asleep. I watched this and I fell asleep, which is a very brilliant thing to do. I watched this and I fell asleep.
Ohh watched this.
Still.
Thank you, Karen. 100% agree.
I'm glad we got that off our collective chests. Yeah. Yeah. Do you like that? Because it's. Is it a boom box or is it a collective chest? Probably one in the same. It's time for the.
Yes, you feel better now, you alright? Charts yes, acorn is still #1 here in Australia.
So lonely, Mr loner. I have nobody. My own girl can't believe I had a girl like you when I just let you walk right out of my life. After all I put.
New number one in the UK, you're beautiful James Blunt.
You are beautiful.
You're beautiful.
You're beautiful. It's true.
Place and I don't.
Ohh James, that was a massive hit for him.
It was and I didn't really put any information down cause we thought we spoke about him. I think the album released or the the album.
Yeah. Didn't we say that that was going to be the thing where you use it to, like adopt, you know, neglected animals, rehome dogs or cat?
Release. Yeah. And then we talked about when your dad made us watch the house computer that was in the shed. And that was like a. In my cubicle version of your beautiful, it was about someone sitting in their cubicle at work.
You're. No, like in my cubicle.
It's true. I don't know what it was work related, but it was funny. It was funny, but I don't know if it was worth going out to your dad's shed to watch funny, like if it was in his house. Hmm. Felt like it wasn't really worth cause shed this cold in the shed.
Come out here to watch this. I don't know that it was worth bringing up in the podcast. If we're being honest, but yeah.
Probably not. Let's move. On and let's listen to the top five over in America.
Yes. 4. Like me. No holiday.
1.
Nobody.
Have you have you noticed a a big move away from hip hop in the charts at the moment? Like we kind of had like, lots and lots of hip hop, lots and lots of stuff for like $0.50 and and the game and all of that. And now we've kind of moved, I think that the hip hop thing went from like usher into some really kind of heavy.
Oh.
Develop with like $0.50 stuff and now and then some girls came in like Mariah came into the charts and now it's like kind of.
Mm-hmm.
Well, it's all girls. It's all girls in the top five, yeah.
Just calmed everything down. Go power. Hmm. Yes, 2 new entries this week. Actually. Rihanna with Pondy replay, which I think that was her first song. But we won't talk about that now. We'll save that. Save that for next week. Don't shout, Pussycat. Dolls. Number 43. Don't funk with my heart 2. Holler back, girl one, Mariah.
OK.
You belong together. But, yes, it's Pussycat Dolls that I'd like. To talk about please.
OK. Yes.
Debut single from their first album, PCD, which obviously stands for Pussycat Dolls. This single don't cha.
Yes.
Don't you? Alright, saying don't you?
Wish your girlfriend was wrong like me.
2 girls, 2 girls like that song.
They do they.
Do.
Do it. Yes, and it featured Busta Rhymes.
Hmm.
Cause do they see themselves as the Pussycat Doll as opposed to the girlfriend, probably. So I don't think girlfriends would like that. So.
No. Hmm. Yeah. Don't you wish your friend was hot like me? Instantly iconic.
And blokes, obviously, blokes love it. They're like, ohh, they're very good.
Quite messy, bit problematic. Busta Rhymes, Busta Rhymes is featured in that I don't think we've given him enough times. Let's see Buster.
See. Yes. See. There you go. He is. At the start, he comes in at the start. Yeah. And he's got it. Cause that gives him cred.
Too, if he got bus arrives, it does. It does. Was it got dolls? Not originally a music group.
No, they weren't. They were like, a, a, a burlesque.
There are dance troupe.
Yeah.
At the Viper room.
And and there were celebrities there, cause it was like cause. Yeah. So on the sunset strip in LA, like, there's like bands and stuff playing at all these venues. And then The Pussycat Dolls would do their show.
And the Roxy theatre. Yes. And so yes. You're what? You're right. A lot of celebrities here that were part of the troupe or performed with them or were honorary dolls. Christina Applegate was an original member of the group in the 90s. Carmen Electra was probably one of the most famous.
Hmm.
Faces associated with.
Definitely, definitely. I think she kind of brought him to fame. Really, before the mud.
Yeah.
Week.
Gwen Stefani did a guest spot before launching her solo career. Mm-hmm. Charlize Theron, Brittany Murphy, Kelly Osbourne. Pamela Anderson also made appearances as guest performers at various events, then transitioned obviously into full bone pop music projects with a bit more of a structured line up and some singing.
Ohh Tammy, she would have been a great Pussycat though.
Hmm.
With Nicole Scherzinger always fun from centre.
I'm sorry, is there? Anybody else in that group apart from? Like the rest of them, just seem to be like backup dancers. Ohh no. Dolls fans.
Melody Thornton also sang. She was a big singer, I don't know.
What song?
One of them.
That is that that's the only song they have, isn't it? Ohh no. They did the other one where they were. When I grow up, I'll pushing the buttons and the.
I pushing up my buttons, you can come.
When I grow. Up. I wanna be famous. I wanna have.
Groupies. Groupies. Sorry. Movies. I don't know. Something. There was a lot of Pussycat Dolls, actually, but this, this is probably their biggest.
They're all good, yeah. Hmm. Was there a lot like there was 4? There was 4 Pussycat Doll songs.
Ashley Roberts was in the group. And Ashley ended up being on I'm A Celebrity. Get Me Out of here and Strictly Come Dancing. Kimberly Wyatt.
Did you?
Jessica Sutter and Kamit Bashar.
I don't know any of these people. Well, she was the original. She was actually one of the below.
Very feminine, very sexy. And yes, Nicole front and centre.
Hmm.
And a little bit aggressive too, because it sexually aggressive.
And that was the thing people were like. He's a girl. Power. He's an empowering. Talking about taking someone else's being hotter than someone else's girlfriend. I.
Is it? Hmm.
Don't know if that's.
The right energy, not sure, don't know. It is a bit Scorpio.
Hmm, it's a.
Bit Scorpio. It's bit Scorpio vibes putting out some Scorpio vibes there.
They had lots of merchandise. They had, like underwear. They had an underwear line. They had makeup body glitter, lots of things that you could buy. It kind of made. I think this is where stripper became mainstream around this time because you obviously you know the fit to strip with Carmen Electra Pole. We've all done our first pole dancing class by this stage and then this comes out burlesque. Now we're moving into the burlesque.
They're putting this in the mindset because the pole dancing. Yes. Yes. Taboos moving into mainstream.
And we've learned we've learned we're fit to Stroop. We know how to work a pole, and now we're going to put on our burlesque outfit and tell all the boys. Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot?
Like me, I'm too frightened to say. And then the. Boys would be like.
It's too much. It's too much happening.
Hmm.
At the disco. Please stop sold over 3,000,000 copies in the US. Top the charts in 15 countries. More than 15 actually, and positioned them as a brand and a music act like made lots of money over.
The years speaker brand, I think we'll just settle with brand and those what's their greatest hits albums gonna have 4 songs on it.
Not the music. Speaking of albums, another greatest hits album We have the debut studio album from our Favourite Amphibian, the Crazy Frog.
Ah.
Oh. Golf.
The real horror what was that? That was popcorn. Yeah. Crazy frog doing, pop.
Like.
It was popcorn. Popcorn. The real horror of that is that it probably did quite well for itself. Yeah, and a very small budget.
It did. It did. Crazy Frogs album crazy Hits featuring remix covers with his Ling Ling Ling Ling over the.
Hmm.
Yeah, that was very.
Top.
Good. Thank you. In practising critically destroyed but sold.
Yeah, don't ever do that again.
Very well, yeah, Axel. F popcorn he did a cover of whoop there. It is.
Boom, there it is really.
I love that song. I'm a bit.
Yeah, I don't I I couldn't find.
Disappointed you did a cover of we like to party by the vengaboys. Pump up the jam.
A present but. Oh.
In the 80s.
You can't. You can't cover technics on it.
Don't you want me by human?
League. Ohh my God.
Had an original track called Dirty.
Frog, I don't know if I wanna go there. I am.
Dirty frog now know about The Dirty frog in his popcorn. Ohh, we saw him with his.
I I don't think. Little with his little frog penis, I I have to say it wasn't that long.
These little Longhorn hanging out.
Short.
Have to say I don't think I could give any less of. About an artist that we've ever featured in the music segment over the last however many years we've done this podcast for like this is, this is track after trash. Ohhh yeah like this is like you know this isn't worth the crust on girl's underwear.
Then crazy frog. Worse than Jerome? Ohh.
Welcome to the. Sorry, that was my.
I thought you being the Christ for a.
2nd.
John Michael, Hollywood house. Remember. Remember John Michael, Hollywood house.
That was another. You're doing crazy for, yeah.
John Michael, Hollywood House and here with the entertainment report of the Big Day show.
Yeah, you sounded like crazy from did. That's where you were going.
That sounded like ring Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding Ding.
Well, you don't really have much news, John Michael house. And because it's the same Chilean Chocolate Factory still not wanting to change and that's four is #1 here in Australia.
No, there was nothing really happening. Yes, Chuck and the chocolates at number one in a in the US that was. I think I think we did better, I think Fantastic Four was probably a better film than Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the time. Hmm. OK, but neither me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But.
As we said. Why are we remaking the same things over? And over again.
Well, yeah, so nothing much happening with the movies, Sara and is correct and that is testament to it. We've got a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory thing and a Fantastic Four, which is gonna.
Karen is correct.
Be remade this?
Yeah, Rami.
Year so well that is it. Wow. Yeah.
Fruit.
Boom that keeps on giving. Keeps on booming, ongoing, booming, OK, booming. OK.
It says it keeps the boom that keeps on booming, booming the boom that shouldn't boom. Boom.
We had, we had a TV debut. Though big, one big one big.
We did this caused tattoos to boom.
One reality debut, Miami Ink.
Five guys. I'm a tattoo artist.
I tattooed my mom on Mother's Day about 10 years ago.
From the ladies. Man.
My tattoo pig feet.
I'm a nice.
Guy, lots of ink.
Big money, that's what that's about.
Real stories.
I remember the guys story more than doing the tassels.
Watch the hit series from the US.
Life of the tattooers. Do you know many?
Fantasies we fulfil.
I guess it's easy to become a tattoo artist these days, but it's not. Easy to become a good.
One Miami Inc.
Only on discovery real time.
I love this show. I really enjoyed it. I just I I thought it was really good and it was reality series, but I sort of the reality of getting tattoos is a lot different to I think what you see on Miami.
We were obsessed with this. Yeah. But it was. I'll draw it up for you.
Loose.
OK, let's go. And they're ready to go. And then it's done.
And it's all done within the hour. Yeah, no, that's not how it works at all. It takes a lot of time and pain and, umm, all of that stuff, but still very fun process. But I and I, I've always enjoyed tattoos. We're we're we're tattoo aficionados. We love them. But to see it become a mainstream thing was was actually pretty cool, I mean.
That's not how it looks.
Everyone gets them these days, people are covered in them.
Hmm.
These days, and I think it's largely because of shows like Miami.
Ink. And I think too, this is so. We spoke about what the tattoo trends were and we're talking something you pick off the wall, something that's like a tribal line or a butterfly or a star. But this is where you really started to see the artistic.
Hmm.
Side of tattooing.
Well, and it became a lot more personal and this has been, I thought that was good and bad because it got to the stage where it was, like, does every tattoo need to have a *** story attached to it?
Have to have someone across there was a. Lot of crying.
Hmm.
And they got a bit. It got a bit. Much after a while it's.
Overtime it did get a bit.
Like can someone just get a happy tattoo?
But for season 1, it's great. Yeah. Yeah. It's like, can I get this? And it's like, what for? Because it looks cool. OK. Next. Yeah.
Without someone dying, yes.
There's someone died.
There's always crying, but yeah, you did. You did actually see that really artistic side. And we had there was Army James who was the owner.
He was the he was the big boss, wasn't he?
Chris Nunez, who was the Co owner, and he was the one that always had fights. He. Yes, he was with me. He was smooth. He always.
The other there's the ladies van. He's the party guy. Army was like the the money guy.
And then Chris would turn up late because he was hungover and then he'd have. A fight with army because he was.
Yeah.
8 Garver was my favourite. He's.
Christopher well, he was the draw card. He was the.
He's he's. Yeah. Incredible. And he what he was black and and black and grey. That was just amazing.
Best artist out of all of them. The Japanese. Black and grey specialist, yeah. Only Japanese though.
Darren, he was cool. He was more the cartoony kind of guy. Yeah, yeah. And then ohh Yogi.
Yeah, he didn't last, though. Yeah. Yogi, the The Apprentice.
Do you remember? When they let him do a tattoo and he did that rubber chicken.
Ohh yeah, it was hideous. It was really looked like an adult toy more than a rubber chicks.
It was so bad it was so I really wanted it to be good. It was so bad. Yeah, but I just. I don't think he ever got better. Did he did?
We've all got to start. Somewhere. I would have let the ancient tattoo, but no, he's he's and he's passed away now he's not. He. Yeah, he died. Yeah. Said she died. Ohh. Didn't make any difference to the fact that the bad tattooist. Yeah. So that that's a bit sad.
He get better, I don't think. He did. You're always bad, but everybody.
Loved him, did. Ohh whoops. Sorry no.
What did you do?
Still.
Tattoos.
That is a bit sad, and then obviously Kat Von D. She she was filling in. No, she filled in for somebody.
She joined later in the season. I thought she was season. 2. Was that cause Darren? Leave did Darren Darren leave? No, I don't know. I can't remember.
Was it Darren? She filled in for someone who was away, I thought. And then everybody loved her and they brought her back.
Yeah, because she had that kind of weird Adams family vibe.
For another season. But then and she was really good at the black and. Grey as well.
And she became quite famous from the show.
Did she only do black and grey? I think.
Yeah, it's just she specialised in it, yeah.
She only did black and grey.
And I think there was a lot of tension between her and ours.
Yeah, because he wanted to do colour stuff and.
Yeah, they had lots of creative differences. Right. So there's a lot of tension and then she obviously then went and had her own shop over in LA and did LA.
They. Yes, that's right. She did the extension, which of course the Discovery Channel would have laughed was that it was the discovery I. Think it was. Yeah. Yeah, I.
Think so?
Hmm.
So the common tattoos on the show there actually wasn't a lot of tribal, just there's not a lot of kanji, there wasn't a lot of butterflies. No, it was mainly memorials. There was a lot of portraits.
No, no. They've moved on from that. It wasn't. No, it was, it was. And a lot of classic and a lot of classic stuff, a lot of stuff. And that's what I think was actually kind of good about it is it showed people.
Hmm.
That it was more than tribal and kanji and stuff. It showed a lot of the classic stuff, especially like the Americana stuff like the Eagles and the pinups.
Yeah. Just sailor Jerry kind of stuff, yeah.
That style and and then like obviously with the Garber like the the more traditional Japanese stuff like Dragons and samurai and and the honya masks and the koi fish. Yeah. Yep. And because that was the the whole myth of the koi.
The koi fish she did so many toys, didn't he?
Giving up the stream and then eventually turning into a dragon and then and then they did.
Hmm.
A few little. Religious ones and then lots of like you said, I think memorial stuff as well, like portraits of of loved ones.
I remember the girl that came in.
And whatnot. That's what cat was good at was the portrait.
Yeah, she's a lot of.
Dog will pack portraits, didn't she?
Pets and people, yes.
There was a girl that came in who got a ship, remember her on her ribs, the big boat. That was incredible. I loved that one. And I don't. That wasn't a memorial. No boats in her life had died. She just liked the boat.
Yes. Yeah, it's a bad idea too. Yeah. And again though, like that is such a I I don't think it, I don't think. I think she took it pretty well. That is such a hard part of the body to get tattooed on, and that was the thing with that show and a lot of other tattoo shows is like some of the other tattoo shows just weren't really true, like tattoo nightmares and, you know, like that and then. But they just made it look like it was a very fast process and the. One thing that it is is it takes patience like you know, especially if you get a big piece, you're gonna go in, you're gonna get your outline. Right. You know, or you're gonna go when you gonna pay your deposit and have a chat first. Mm-hmm. You're not even gonna do anything on the first appointment. Then you're gonna go in the next one. You're gonna get your outline done. If you're lucky, you'll get it all done in one sitting. It might take, like, half a day. You know, if it's a big piece. And then in the next one, we're gonna start colouring in the outline and we might only get, like, I don't know, an eighth of it done. And then in the next and the next and so on and so forth. And it's a long process and you gotta work for it. You gotta save up for it and you gotta make time for it and you gotta make time to heal from it as well. Like.
It is, yeah. Yeah. You can also get quite unwell, yes.
Yeah, and that's that's what I I hate about a lot of the tattoo shops that you see. In Bali on social media, you know, everyone goes over to get tattooed in Bali and I don't know, I'm not gonna speak about the artists or anything like that. I don't know if they're worth a damn or not. But to put people into a situation where it's like we've done a full sleeve and a chest piece in like 8 or 9 hours and we use the numbing cream or whatever. So they just lather them up with numbing cream and then go to town on them and they put them into.
Ohh yeah yeah.
Jock and it's hilarious watching the videos of these silly people who have just had.
Well, it's not because you're, you're. You're overseas as well. It's not like your home. You're not. Your insurance wouldn't cover you for that. You're over there drinking as well, so you probably hung over.
Well I it is. I have had friends that have done it like like. Fast tracked like a back piece or whatever, but after they've researched a really famous artist and been able to and been able to book time with them and then they've known what they've been getting into and had to physically prepare themselves for the session. But these these idiots like you are a walking, talking.
He's capable of doing it, yeah.
Darwin award. We have a book we didn't read.
Shout out to Cheryl, actually.
Ohh hi Cheryl.
Janet Evanovich Janet is back at #1.
She's a she's a big fan of the Janet Evanovich books. She read them all, I think. She might have, yeah.
She knows. Yeah, I think she's team Ranger 11 on.
Yeah. Ohh well, isn't yes 11 on top. What does that imply?
Top by Janet Evanovich. Hmm.
Why?
What's of Ranger and who's the other one? Morelli, I think is the. Remember is a love triangle. I think you should tell us more. We've got a synopsis.
Lots of language. Paul morelli. OK, well, let's let's get. Some what? It was. She's a private investigator, wasn't she?
Something like that, yes.
That sounds that sounds private investigatory, doesn't it? They put a hang on. I don't think no because it's got I can't use that. I'm gonna have to find another one. OK, cause that one's got the word preview underneath it, which means that I've probably taken it from somewhere. That I.
Shouldn't have. Yeah. So it's not quite right.
No, I'm not gonna keep going with that. Have you ever bought or rented a music bed that wasn't quite right?
Like.
Chances are it's a.
Preview.
Wow, you did that really well. Was that you? That did.
That. No, no, that does anyone wants me to preview on on their music? Happy to do.
You wanna get paid to say that word? Let's let's what else have we got? Let's let's try something else. Let's go, mystery.
So.
There we go.
Perfect.
Oh, it's not quite as good as the detective one. But anyway, Stephanie Plum is thinking her career as a fugitive apprehension agent has run its course. She's been shot at, spat at, cussed at Firebombed Mound and attacked by dogs. Yeah, that's.
Who chucked a mean? It's Stephanie.
And that was all on Tuesday. Stephanie thinks it's time for a change. Ohh. I think that if I got to tell the story, if I had a day at work or I got mooned and attacked by a dog, I'd be so excited to come home. And she.
Top names.
Hear that news? You will never guess what happened to.
Me. Ohh love. Did you get mooned and attacked by dogs at work again today?
How the?
Did you guess amazing? So she thinks it's time for a change and quits. She wants something safe and normal. But the kind of trouble she had at the bail Bonds office can't compare to the kind of trouble she finds herself facing. Now. Stephanie is stalked by a maniac, returned from the grave.
What?
That's right, returned from the grave for the sole purpose of putting her into a burial plot of her own. He's killed before and he'll kill again if given the chance. This is gone, Scooby Doo. Full Scooby Doo caught between staying far away from the bounty hunter business and staying alive, Stephanie Re examined.
A ghost.
Hmm.
The life and the possibility that being a bounty hunter is the solution rather than the problem. After disturbingly brief encounters that the button factory can't clean, dry cleaners and clock in a bucket.
The.
Stephanie takes on a position in security. She's not. She's just going through the. Classifieds looking for jobs?
So she's a she's a bounty hunter, not an investigator.
Yeah. So she takes an office position in security, working for Ranger, the sexiest, baddest bounty hunter and a businessman on 2 continents. Tempers and temperatures rise as competition.
That's crazy.
Matches up between the two men in her life are on again. Off again. Boyfriend tuff Trent and cop Joe Morelli and her boss. Ranger, can Stephanie Plum take the heat? Can you? I clean up on all three. Ranger umm. Let's see what?
Hmm.
Everyone had to say this with.
Indeed, I hope it's good because these books this might not be a book I didn't read. I might have to pick these up.
Well, yeah.
They sound like they're I mean, people like them.
We'll start with hope. One Star Rangers voice may not be enough to keep me listening.
Hope Lone Star doesn't like him. To these books, Ranger is it an audiobook must be Beth, though. Beth five stars.
What didn't like this one didn't like #11. Hmm.
Hmm.
Swoon filled my sexual tension is. Rising Ranger is still Bay. Bay Ranger Bay Ranger Bay.
Bar five stars. That's some damn good range fest quality time over here.
Oh Range fest quality time. What is?
That I think it's range fest, the name of his business maybe.
I don't think so. I think that's, I don't know. I don't I that can't be. I feel like that's a fan related thing that they have. Like they love the character so much that they have range fest. No, I feel like it's like a a convention that they all show up to and discuss.
That's his nickname, or. Man. They go.
Team yes, yes. They talk about how moist anyway.
Do love it. They do love him. In the reviews. JW Ellis, Five stars off again.
Yes, sexual tension at an all time high. Well, yes, that's what they're famous for is the sexual tension. I want me some of this sexual tension. I want to see what they're on about. Is it all cracked up?
Ashley five stars.
For what it should do what they say it should be, yes.
Spent the entire novel alternating between laughing hysterically and hyperventilating. Thanks, Ranger.
Ohh, he's a funny guy. He's a funny guy. Ashley. No. Aaron. Yes, Aaron. Yes, Erin. Erin, we're OK. Sorry. I lost my place. I was trying to find my range of music.
Round Aaron.
Ranger is delicious, as always. Morelli, just as yummy as a fantasy, I wouldn't mind having those. Two ohh. Coast to coast the golden.
Roast. Woohoo. Alright, another Ashley. Also five stars.
Mm-hmm.
Ranger was super sexy, as always, with an apostrophe before the yes with the.
Ohh, they just love him, don't they? Why did she do an apostrophe but always, always owns the sexiness?
Always, I don't know. But you mentioned Range Fest, right where they come and discuss him. There is so much.
Is that what it is? As always is?
Yeah.
Passion dedicated to Ranger and Stephanie, people cannot get enough in Janet's books that they take them out of the books and create their.
Really. So. So there's Janet's not rising fast enough.
Own fan fiction. So they go. There's there's fan fiction sites where you can put any fan fiction in there, so there's lots of Ranger on the run of the mill fan fiction sites, but they also start their own fan fiction sites. There's one called Range Man Enterprises.
Ah.
And another one called Phantom Roses dedicated to fan fiction about Ranger.
It's a Ranger. Are you? Wow, that's a lot like. That's a lot. You can't get enough of him. And you're so desperate for him that you just like, ****** it. If you can't get something done, you gotta do it yourself.
More Ranger plates. I don't know.
All you gotta do yourself overrun. Yeah. Umm, but.
Hmm.
One of our favourite good reads reviewers has written her own Ranger fanfic.
Yes.
She has and it's great to welcome her into the studio today.
She's. Yes, she wants to submit it to range, man, but wants to share it with us for a bit. Of feedback first, before she hits the button.
Well, welcome, welcome, Lois one star.
Ohio. Joe. Mel, it's great to be here. Finally, in the studio scene, especially seeing Joe. In the in the.
Settled out lot lower, lower. No Ranger. Ranger, Ranger.
Flesh. Oh. Oh, and you too know you're pretty great as. Well.
Wow, that's a lot lower. That's a lot for this late in the year, yeah.
OK. So you've you've got a fan fiction piece. What's what's your? Type of.
I call it Ranger and the spreadsheet of seduction.
Ohh Sammy, Sammy alright.
Oh my goodness. How the fine lowest. Ohh the.
Be still my beating heart.
Would you like to read an excerpt from?
Yes, I'd love to actually. Would you like me to? Would you like me? To go and yeah, OK.
Go go. Alright.
I'm a bit nervous. It's my first time. It's no, I thought a podcast. I thank you very much for having me too.
Come on, this is Spence is killing it.
The glitter from the computer screen illuminated Rangers face all sharp cheekbones, unreadable eyes and the low key menace of a man who could break bones, or apparently. Build flawless Excel formulas. Stephanie hovered by the door to his range. Man office eyes locked on the impossible scene before her Ranger. In black tactical parts, muscles under a featured teashirt and an Excel workbook titled Surveillance roster, Q3 underscore, final underscore, final underscore, DOT XL. Ohh. His fingers skim the keyboard like they were diffusing a bomb tab. Shift also Sam, the man didn't even glance at the mouse. He didn't need it. His hands steady and dangerous. Devastatingly capable, danced over cells and columns with surgical precision. Just getting to the best pizzeria. OK over there, Mel.
Yeah. Yep.
Yep, you like me to get you. A towel.
Maybe, maybe, just maybe.
What about your?
Time. Just get on with it, OK? Please.
Stephanie's mouth went dry. You're making spreadsheets? She asked, first cracking like a rookie on a first steakhouse steakhouse. Ohh, that that's a typo. I was hungry when I wrote this. I meant to say, stake.
Oh.
Enjoy the stake out.
Please please.
Ryan, you didn't look up. His lips curled, sided mourned. The farthest cockiest spook inventory tracking babe, leaving Black Ops needs formulas said. Cell B12 lit up conditional formatting post like a beacon of danger, or maybe lust. Stephanie wasn't sure anymore. The only thing more lethal than Rangers smoulder. Apparently he's pivot tables amazing. Ohh my goodness. Thank you.
Ohh.
Thank you. Thank.
Made a cold shower after that.
Thanks very much for having me. Bye listener. First time in your home, please show me where, where Joe sleeps, OK?
Anytime. See ya. Goodbye, Lois. Bye. Bye. Bye. No, no, no. No. Time to go. Time to go.
Jesus Christ trying not to slam the door on your way out. She's very heavy, heavy handed. Lois. Yeah, she's got hands. Hands like ham hocks. Yeah, I don't think we should. She's still around.
She is so yes, it's forceful.
Chief scorpion. She knows where we live.
Hatches, matches and dispatches. Here we go. The home stretch straight into it. You are excited about this one. You expressed your excitement.
I am. Yes, yes, it's it's a. It's a match. A match made in heaven. The one of my favourites icons. Australian icon.
Favourites royalty, a match made in they should have had a commemorative plate. Celebrities that got hitched. One of them of which said this.
Like, I just felt so proud. Watching him every match and just being able to come. Back and just. And just watching him out there, knowing that his. Mind, for starters, that's pretty good.
That was, of course, Beck Cartwright, soon to become Beck Hewitt. And if you said the. Ah. Are you? I pressed the wrong button. If you said that. Better be disappointed, just be happy. That's correct.
Very exciting. The nuptials on the 20. 1st of July 2005 they had their ceremony at the Sydney Opera House and reception at the Taronga Zoo.
That's an expensive wedding ceremony. What a cracker. I mean, how good is that? I don't know.
That's Aussie royalty. Getting married, getting hitched at the Opera House, and then having.
About the view.
A reception at beautiful, beautiful. I don't.
The section of the zoo. What? What food do you reckon I would have had at the zoo at the reception?
9.
Cause nothing I. I guess you could get coast to coast of Golden Rose into the zoo.
Ohh yeah, there's always room for a Marquis. Her dress was Alex Perry. Yeah, crystal embellishments. Plunging V neckline. Spaghetti straps. Frangipanis galore. She had a bouquet of frangipanis and she had one in her hair.
Absolutely. Yep. Was there? They're very on trend. The Frangipani at that shows.
Tropical touch to on some lair. Hmm.
Leighton Leighton Classic black suit paired with a crisp white shirt and tie. Timeless elegance like you said, yeah, the groomsmen. Notable figures from the tennis world by.
Thomas.
The way Davis Cup captain John Newcombe was there he was one of the groom nuke. Yeah, Tony Roche was there as well and Jason, Stoltenberg all dressed to the Nines, 180 guests, an intimate wedding really.
Oh yeah.
180 people. Aida Nicodemo and Kate Ritchie were the bridesmaids.
That's quite a modest wedding 180, yeah.
180 yeah, I would have thought more tight security because they had sold the rights and I remember the. I remember the Cove.
Really.
That sold the rights to New Idea magazine, so they had to do it under tight security because.
To a. God. They really should have done a reality series. They should have. I mean, that would have been timeless.
Yeah.
She was several months pregnant during the wedding. Their daughter Mia was born in November 2005, and then they had two more kids, Bruce and Ava.
Hmm.
And they're still going on strong too. They're a great couple. Still together, go on on strong. I think they had a nice house in Turak that. They sold recently.
They sold it, yes. And trampoline and pool. Lots of art. Gorgeous. Stunning house. It was the vows, though. Remember the vows. And we've spoken about the vows. She wrote him a poem.
Yeah, it's beautiful was it was nice. That the hours were. Yeah. Well, we had an excerpt and I was intrigued and captivated by it. I mean, I don't know that anything could top the recital that we just.
Nice.
Received from Lois, but uh. Have you got the valves?
Do you want a couple? Of lines.
A couple of.
Lines. Ohh it goes on for about 17 pages.
Ohh Jesus, no I don't. Well, yeah, no, really.
We'll just do a.
Little bit, I really don't know where to start, but I definitely know you've captured my heart. OK, it all started that night. You called me up to see if I'd play in the Starlight Cup. Way back then little did we know that our love for one another.
Alright.
Help.
Could grow and grow.
OK, OK, let's skip forward a bit.
Text message or two is what kept us in touch and I want you to know that I. Love you so much.
Yada yada yada.
Wasn't till late in 2004 that I received another phone call. Ohh, when we decided to meet, we went up the street for something to eat.
Alright. Ohh that's that's good. I like. I like this one where we we struggled cause there that was that was pretty slam like it's the syncopation is.
A schlang poetry. We decided to make. We went up the street for something. To eat.
You got a thing for my feet. That's not in there. You're an inspiration to so many, including me. Anyone who's ever met you can count themselves lucky you. Yeah.
No.
Nice, nice. Ah.
We got there. We got over there.
Beautiful. Beautiful. I'll take such good care of it. Oh, hey. I'm engaged. And then married. And now one on the way. I'll take such good care of you everyday. Safe to say I'll love you more and more. And marrying you today. I couldn't be more sure. Rebecca Hewitt. I'm your wife. I promise you one thing. Stick with me and you'll have a bloody good life.
That is good. I just want to rewind a bit because I think we actually have mentioned.
Bloody good loss.
Of the point of conception of the child, because there's this one bit where it's like I admire you for so many reasons. I mean, look at what happened at The Four Seasons we're about to experience the miracle of life, but always remember, I'm so proud to be your wife, so I'm suggesting.
What?
Oh no. I do you think The Four Seasons do you think The Four Seasons cashed in on that stay in the room where where Beck conceives?
That's that's the four. Is. Where? Where? He knocked her.
Up.
It's like the.
Manger Pay extra 100 bucks a night and you can you can sleep in the bed of conception.
It's like the major. It's a bunch of wise men. And then along came John Newcombe and and Jason Stoltenberg and Tony Roche bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. I mean, they are, you know, God like status. Ohh, happy wedding guys. What a great moment in Australian history. That's it. We're done. We've had enough great moments for one week. Feel free to come and find us on the social search for T -, 20 podcasts and.
Wow. Wow. Yes, right. Send us a boom. We need some more. Boom.
Send us some moves. We love your booms. We love your booms. We could we can.
From audio boom, yeah.
Purely do a podcast on booms. That's not what we're about. We like to spread ourselves really thin and I hope you appreciate it. I know you do, because you're still listening to it and we appreciate you, Sir. Thank you so much. We'll find out what happens next week, next week and we'll see you there.
Hmm.
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.