EXPloaded

IT’S A WRAP for the inaugural season of the EXPloaded and so, naturally, we are looking back at ten weeks of working within an efficient and well-oiled media machine at the cutting-edge of new technology and a sophisticated product in perfect sync with its constituent parts and its listeners, viewers and subscribers. Which brings us rather nicely onto Episode 11 and our guide to “How NOT to make a podcast”. We have kindly added some bonus footage of a few clips that weren’t deleted along with over a dozen legally contentious recollections (), several ill-advised self-incriminatory declarations and Ben’s profound confusion over how many holes were involved – don’t ask. Are they any good? Well, we didn’t have room for the discussion about Jack Duckworth, Ice-T and the rocket propelled grenade launcher so what do you think? One of Cobain’s last interviews and Tiger Woods’ first are recalled, Tim lets Robbie Williams down but Ben picks him up, Bill’s got Prince Naz on the ropes while Shane Magowan is as “white as a ghost” and our special spook cameras pick up genuine paranormal activity in the studio. Thanks for being ace and let us not detain you any longer. Please like, follow and subscribe (we hated being asked to do that as well, sorry) and season 2 will find you when we find the button we need to press to send it.

It’s the mid-90’s and the Tories are running on fumes, New Labour is finding its voice, and loaded magazine is hitting that sweet spot where instinct, chaos and confidence collide. Structure? Optional. Impact? Massive.In this episode, Tim, Bill and Ben dive back into the landmark Vic and Bob issue in the company of Catherine Zeta-Jones doing the splits on a television - not on television but on a television - and a Scottish writer nobody has heard making his first national splash. Irvine someone.What follows is a reminder of just how sharp the magazine’s radar was. From loaded writer Innes Reekie getting hold of Welsh and Trainspotting before anybody else to CZJ’s star quality already demanding attention in her pre-Hollywood A-Lister days. John “Back to Basics” Major might be PM in April 1995 but he’s also a new entry at number 2 in that issue’s Platinum Rogues.It’s all about that moment when the walls of the old guard start to crumble and something new and raw kicks the door in. There’s a deep dive into that iconic Vic and Bob cover, why it worked, why rivals got it wrong, and how loaded knew its audience better than anyone else. Add in Tim’s champagne-soaked afternoon with CZJ (complete with flirting, fantasy and a few unquantifiable facts) and tales of Al Pacino’s toy sword and we’re off and running.Elsewhere, Planet of the Vapes tackles Gen Z disdain for traditional flatulence etiquette (yes, it goes there), while, finally, another unfortunate soul is blasted off to Mars to join Elon Musk, Morrissey, Michael Owen and Sharon Osborne in the ever-growing colony of the total unbearable.Oh, and stick around to the end. There’s a surprise from one of Loaded’s Greatest Living Englishmen who, unlike 90% of the others, is actually still alive. Worth the wait.00:00 – Intro & ’April ’95 Setup02:30 – The Issue at a Glance05:30 – Irvine Welsh Discovery09:30 – Trainspotting Impact14:30 – Vic & Bob Cover Breakdown19:00 – Catherine Zeta-Jones Story23:30 – Celebrity Madness27:00 – Car Park’s Curious Corner29:30 – Planet of the Vapes32:30 – Platinum Rogues35:30 – Send Them To… erm… Mars37:30 – Wrap-Up & Final Surprise

But not the one at the Hanover Grand in December 1994 where the first loaded Xmas party is in full swing: Weller, Albarn, blaggers, Sir Les Ferdinand, Paul Smith, liggers, Steve Coogan, more celebs, Harry Hill and loaded staff running on fumes but flying on several other things. Hottest ticket in town and it suddenly begins to dawn that something extraordinary is taking place.Tim and some colleagues fly to New York to get something to eat on the company dollar and end up at Dazed and Confused star Milla Jovovich’s flat where it all gets very messy. Meanwhile, back in the office, Pulp Fiction-era Uma Thurman somersaults over the photocopier, karate kicks her way onto the front cover and raises a flag Iwo-Jima-style for rebels of every description. From Uma and Milla’s Hollywood-baiting middle finger to the patriarchy and a cameo from Louise Werner there are women who refuse to play the game everywhere this week. Add Vic Reeves, Keith Allen and a pair of fast-talking young Liverpool footballers and you’ve got more rule-breakers than Groundskeeper Willie could shake a fist at.Elsewhere, legendary cock-er-nee photojournalist Grant Fleming goes from eclipse-chasing in Chile to near-arrest with Ben at the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway and a life-threatening drug raid with Bill and several heavily armed lunatics in Mexico. When loaded wasn’t writing about rebels, you see, it was sending them out to cause chaos all over the world.Add in Platinum Rogues (historical and modern), general Gen Z confusion, moustache revivals, giving Peter Cook the kiss of death and blasting another unfortunate soul off to… erm… Mars, and you’ve got an episode of EXPloaded looking back at peak loaded magazine - loud, messy, dangerous, hilarious and ahead of the curve - and bringing it bang up to date..00:00 Nobel Peace Center Chaos01:04 Podcast Introductions02:14 December 1994 Party04:09 Rebels Issue Theme05:44 Grant Fleming Stories10:04 Uma Cover Swagger11:19 Internet Explained 199413:04 Why Uma Thurman16:25 Historical Rogues Debate18:46 Modern Rogues Picks21:25 Milla Jovovich Shoot24:04 Milla Quotes and Roots25:11 Pot In Moderation26:22 Curious Quotations27:17 Planet Of The Vapes32:51 Send Them To… erm… Mars35:01 Sophistication Station40:17 Sell Me The Cover42:47 Final Issue Highlights45:50 Wrap Up And Book Plug

“Friends” lands on TV but new movie “Pulp Fiction” is closer to the mood in the U.K.. Tim, Bill and Ben unpack a moment when Britain was pulsating with youthful creativity and seething with anger in the face of a full-blown Middle England moral panic over ecstasy and rave culture.The foredoomed crackdown continues to fill the tabloids and the streets as demonstrations against the government’s ludicrous attempt to criminalise “repetitive beats” continue and Loaded steps up its club and dance music coverage.Through the smoke struts a future world champion boxer from Sheffield with castiron self-confidence, incredible hand speed and a taste for the spotlight plus one very specific, outrageous demand if loaded want him on the cover. Of course we agree, we had no choice.What follows is the story of how Prince Naseem Hamed, the subject of recent biopic “Giant”, talked himself on to the cover after Bill challenged him to three rounds (“Of toast, I meant three rounds of toast”). We also reveal what 20 year old Naz was really like when the cameras weren’t pointing at him.Elsewhere in the mag, we go shoplifting with Winona. Steve Coogan is on the rise with Partridge, Paul and Pauline “tits first” Calf. Paula Yates goes into orbit. Ray Liotta is “funny like [he’s] a clown” but then there is a reminder that time can put a dark spin on even the most uplifting stories from back in the day (Gary Speed R.I.P).Car Park’s Curious Corner, more bonkers Gen Z behaviour in Planet of the Vapes and cover star pitches return while another very deserving candidate is shot into space with a one-way ticket to Mars and a place in the same facility as a naked Elon Musk, Morrissey and a xylophone made out of Jimmy Savile’s ribs.00:00 Celebrity Shoplifting Shock00:15 Rocket Launcher Anecdote00:39 Podcast Intro and Setup01:29 October 1994 Pop Culture02:59 Rave Panic and New Laws06:32 Winona Ryder Arrest08:36 Issue Highlights and Interviews12:25 Prince Naseem Cover Story15:52 Limo Demands and Photoshoot20:03 Loaded Cover Legacy Debate21:19 Who Goes on the Cover? 23:38 Cover Pitch Bob Mortimer v 24:28 Why Bob Is Iconic27:26 Car Parks Quote Corner28:51 Fly Me To Mars Picks31:20 Planet Of The Vapes33:46 Quitting Smoking Story35:58 Best Bits From The Issue37:46 Gary Speed And Journalism41:00 Rogue Of The Week43:30 Wrap Up And Contact

Somebody once said - and don’t worry, he makes an appearance [“Disapearance, surely?” Ed.] - fame can “play hideous tricks on the brain” but who’s naturally built for the experience, and who gets swallowed whole? Tim, Bill and Ben spent the 90s and early 2000s surrounded by the most famous people in the world and have eye witness accounts.Some embrace fame, some try to shrug it off. Others struggle with the weird reality of never knowing if anyone’s being genuine (especially when every joke gets a laugh). Here the EXPloaded team look at who wore fame well, versus those who didn’t and a look at how easily things can tip from control into chaos. Along the way there are festival stories, chance encounters, and the strange idea that once you’re famous, your life can start happening without you. Then things take a darker turn with a loaded interview that, in hindsight, got as close to the evil truth about Jimmy Savile as any before it or subsequently.Elsewhere: There’s the usual cover star pitches, Gen Z football jargon in Vapes, a predictable heavyweight Platinum Rogue, and another unfortunate soul gets blasted off to Mars (no return).00:00 Fame’s Awkward Truth00:27 Podcast Setup and Theme01:20 Summer Special Kylie Cover02:20 Kylie’s Reinvention Era05:47 Supergrass and Ian Botham07:49 Who’s Good at Fame08:30 Noel Gallagher’s Balance09:28 Andrew Ridgeley vs George14:19 Fame Stories and Casualties18:15 Turning to Savile Interview21:33 Savile Interview Breakdown22:43 Rumors and Dark Confessions24:34 Fame and Cover Ups26:18 Sell Me the Cover29:42 Car Park Quotations32:02 Planet of Vapes Football Talk34:22 Rogue of the Week36:06 Fly Me to… erm… Mars

It’s FA Cup semi-final weekend and, unbelievably, all the EXPloaded team have skin in the game but while Bill and Ben are born and bred City and Chelsea fans, Tim reveals that only a celestial intervention sealed the deal with his love for Leeds. Whatever.Bill gets a promise about his cock from Calvin Klein, Ben has a weird thing with misaligned nipples and a legendary interview with Damon Albarn (then Blur frontman and pretend “lad’) is only marginally less controversial than the winner of the inaugural Crisp World Cup. The truth about “the fix” is in.Did you know that it’s very possible for us to get to Mars but not so easy to get back? We’re using this to our advantage to get rid of some people we’re not so bothered about keeping on Earth. Guess who’s first up. Feel free to add your suggestions in the comment box or at [email protected] 01:13 Issue Five Highlights02:47 Football Cover Choice04:00 Why Tim Supports Leeds05:44 Foggy Matchday Miracle08:38 FA Cup Serendipity13:09 Send Them to Mars16:19 Damon Albarn Interview19:46 Car Park Quotes Corner21:44 Chaos In The Subs Office22:19 Editors At Large Hangout23:54 Barbara Ellen Calvin Declined24:48 Calvin Klein Interview Story26:59 The Crisp World Cup29:53 Planet Of The Vapes32:12 Gen Z Slang And Silent Walking33:46 Social Media And Fanzines36:12 Old School Football Phone Lines38:16 Rogue Of The Week Finale

Back in the 90’s, somebody somewhere thought it was a good idea to let a chaotic group of dysfunctional berks loose on A-List celebrities all over the world. We were in over our heads but nobody told us. Tequilla-soaked Reservoir Dog Michael Madsen – still dressed as Mr Blonde for a photoshoot – is taken to an East London “boozer” by Bill on a Friday afternoon. The Hollywood actor soon breaks down in tears before going rogue in grand style.Ben ends up in bed with a Neo-Nazi and, as attention around loaded grows, the magazine sends Tim to New York to make sure its first supermodel shoot, featuring Elle Macpherson, goes according to plan. It doesn’t. And a ransom has to be paid.Plus, Bill and Ben’s next issue cover picks, office life before Health and Safety and regular feature “Planet of the Vapes” – well, do you know what Gen Z’s call “a girl dinner”? Clue: It’s like “boyfriend jeans”, or something. No, us neither.00:00 Wild Date Confessions00:50 Podcast Intro Chaos01:30 Theme Getting In Over Your Head02:49 Bill Meets Michael Madsen05:12 Tequila Tears And Fallout08:55 Ben Digital Dating Disaster12:00 Tim Lands Elle Macpherson Shoot14:54 New York Fashion World Shock17:19 Money Threatens The Shoot20:06 Brandy Phonebox Negotiations21:37 Shoot Saved Photos Held Hostage23:17 Cover Shoot Triumph24:38 Sell Me The Cover24:54 Danny Dyer Pitch26:05 Joe Marler Debate28:57 Carpark Quote Corner30:29 Inside Loaded Office32:37 Yucca Plant Chaos35:16 Best Issue Three Picks35:27 Oasis Early Interview37:54 Torino Ultras Feature40:24 Girl Dinner Trend42:12 Final Sign Off

Remember when Gary Oldman gave loaded magazine a legally-binding promise? (we do and we will be calling it in very soon) Meanwhile, Liz Hurley can’t stop flirting with us; and Kurt Cobain’s tragic demise almost stops the launch issue from hitting the shelves.Post loaded launch, there is plenty of love but also immediate hostility from the usual suspects who just didn’t get it. The Guardian branded it part of “yob culture” (although many of their journalists secretly loved the magazine) but the EXPloaded podcast team argue that loaded’s fanzine-like energy, irreverence and honesty were totally overlooked.Tim, Bill and Ben revisit “the difficult second issue”, tight deadlines and huge pressure. Bill picks the Leslie Nielsen cover feature as a highlight while Ben selects “Nirvana’s last picture show” - a controversial photoshoot by Martin Goodacre featuring Kurt Cobain posing with a gun - and remembers interviewing the smacked up singer in New York just before his death. Regular feature “Planet of the Vapes” sees the team critique Gen Z for filming on their phones in public and complain about becoming the victims of “monkey managing” - whatever that is. 00:00 Thatcher Kids Banter00:35 Podcast Intro Setup00:56 Peers React To loaded02:14 Hostility And Word Of Mouth03:33 Press Backlash Lad Culture05:15 Independent Review Debate08:45 Elitism Class Critique09:36 Impact And Fear Of Failure11:06 Media Moments And Celeb Praise13:39 Why It Blew Up Fast15:33 Thatcher Children And DIY Ethos17:12 Planet Of The Vapes 18:51 Phones Rewired Our Brains20:45 Johnny Ive Invents The Rectangle23:14 Quitting Social Media23:44 Social Media Brain Rot24:01 Monkey Messaging Explained24:58 Weaponized Incompetence26:21 Issue Two Cover Story26:44 Why Leslie Nielsen30:09 Nirvana Last Photos34:46 Platinum Rogues Feature38:14 Private Eye And Theft Tales40:13 Sell Me The Cover42:51 Wrap Up And Next Week

Tim Southwell, Ben Marshall, and Bill Borrows recap the first issue of loaded and talk about how it gatecrashed the early-90s men’s magazine party looking for trouble. The EXPloaded podcast team discuss Gary Oldman as cover choice and other features such as Tim’s interview with Liz Hurley and Tiger Woods, once the 17 year old golfing prodigy had been dragged out of the shower by his mum. His own mum, not Tim’s. Then there’s skydiving, Paul Weller and Eric Cantona uncensored, and Beavis and Butt-Head. The team discuss how the term “lad” began as innocent pub slang but soon became a pejorative media label, and contrast loaded’s non-PR-led approach with modern publications serving as mere publicity vehicles. Ben and Bill recall getting Clash frontman Joe Strummer and actor Robert Carlisle by just asking them as, suddenly, famous people started queuing up to be in loaded because that was the place to be. The conversation takes in masculinity, internet-amplified extremism and incel culture while regular feature “Planet of the Vapes” takes in the curious habits of Generation Z. loaded’s energy and journalistic influence is credited to Hunter S. Thompson and a future episode is promised to recall Bill’s two legendary run-ins with the Godfather of Gonzo himself. The episode ends with Ben and Bill pitching possible cover stars to Tim as if O.G. loaded was still a going concern. He has to choose one of them, but who will he choose?00:00 Strummer Pub Encounter00:20 Podcast Intro Banter01:36 Why Oldman Cover03:46 Who Else Covered In Glory 05:19 Super Lads Meaning07:28 Haunted Studio Aside08:47 Masculinity Internet Shift13:44 Gonzo Journalism Roots18:17 Carpark Quotations20:57 Sell Me the Cover23:22 No PR Just Get Them25:10 Friendly Interview Subjects25:36 Gary Oldman Cover Pitch26:27 Knighthood And Politics27:47 Planet Of The Vapes31:31 Old 78s And Streaming33:33 Napster Changed Everything36:28 First Issue Favorites40:38 Tiger Woods Day Out43:57 Underdogs And Up Yours Attitude45:18 Wrap Up And Thanks

Tim Southwell, Bill Borrows, and Ben Marshall bicker their way through the origin story of loaded, starting with how soulless and try-hard the early-90s men’s mag scene felt and asking: what if a magazine actually sounded like your funniest mate in the pub? Tim recounts teaming up with James Brown via Leeds United and being on a Barcelona trip in 1992 that sparked the “best night ever” vibe the magazine would bottle. They salute publishing genius Alan Lewis for backing proper writing, discuss the stillborn versions of the magazine that never made it (“The Right Stuff” and “Rogue”) and explain how loaded’s radical design and focus on peculiarly British humour, icons and idioms helped forge its identity. Despite depressingly negative focus groups full of idiots, huge magazine company IPC green-lights the project for some reason but then drops the bombshell: You’ve got eight weeks to launch, we want a circulation of 45,000 a month and you’ll also have to prove received wisdom - “men don’t buy magazines” - wrong. What could possibly go right?00:00 Cold Open Banter00:17 Podcast Intro Reset02:24 Origin Story Begins03:43 Alan Lewis Champion07:33 Barcelona Spark Moment08:34 Britain Shifts Gear13:00 Taking the Leap13:54 Finding the Voice17:10 Loaded British Language18:48 The Shane MacGown Experience20:44 Building the Dummy21:11 Focus Groups Explained21:35 Behind the Focus Group22:49 Brutal Feedback and One Fan24:25 Why Focus Groups Fail25:50 The Execs Who Said Yes27:51 Loaded Culture and Voices30:28 Secret Project at IPC33:15 Green Light and Eight Weeks34:26 Monkey Tangent and Chaos37:03 Sales Targets and Big Risks39:01 Men Don’t Buy Magazines Myth39:36 Next Episode and Wrap Up

NEW PODCAST!Tim Southwell, co-founder and editor of loaded and the magazine’s former editors-at-large Bill Borrows and Ben Marshall introduce their new podcast - EXPloaded. The chat is about the hedonistic 1990s, being recruited to join loaded and how they were all in the right place at the right time. They discuss how DIY punk journalism shaped loaded as a “national fanzine” as much as a magazine. Looking back at early-90s Britain, they cite post-80s grimness, political disillusionment, football violence, and then the optimism sparked by acid house and other emerging cultural shifts as catalysts for change. They also argue that existing men’s magazines like GQ felt fraudulently aspirational, exclusionary and London-focussed. There was a gap for a magazine that reflected their lives. Guess what happened next?00:00 Podcast Setup00:40 Meet Bill Borrows01:12 “Different Times”02:14 Bill Joins Loaded04:25 Ben Marshall Tapped Up06:58 IPC - Very Big Magazine Company08:09 Fanzines and DIY Roots12:43 Early Nineties Mood15:20 Acid House Turning Point16:02 House Hits Britain17:09 From Gloom to Optimism18:13 Smash Hits meets Take That19:37 Pushing Robbie Over The Edge21:20 Fun At Gay Times23:29 All Change25:59 Aspirational Magazines Stink28:51 Why Magazines Mattered30:34 Next Episode Tease

Come back on 1st April for the first EXPloaded podcast episodes