Weirder Together with Ben Lee and Ione Skye

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This week: Ben drives five hours to the Snowy Mountains with 17-year-olds, visits the Yarrangobilly Caves — and completely freezes when the punk rock tour guide turns off the lights and says "if anyone here is a singer, this is your moment." We also get into: Ione discovering Girl in Red wrote a song called "Say Anything" named after her iconic film, but describes it as "an old movie your mom showed you." The night at the Unholy Playhouse — a historic Sydney church turned queer performance venue — and why Catholicism and queer nightlife were always going to end up together. The Otherworld Zine Fair in Glebe, including the "Hotness Review: 80s Australian Newsreaders" zine. King Street Crawl — why it might be the most important day on the Australian music calendar. Tropical Fuckstorm live at the Enmore Theatre, Zia from the Dandy Warhols, and why Gareth Liddiard is the best songwriter in Australia. Ben's Japan tour announcement — Tokyo and Osaka shows on sale now, with Shonen Knife on the Osaka bill. Plus: Ione working on a secret project with John Goodman, and how they resolved a morning fight at the Marrickville markets while Ione's mum hovered nearby.Dive deeper into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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Before TikTok, before OnlyFans, before anyone used the phrase "sex positive" — there was Robin Byrd on New York public access cable. Sarah Jessica Parker just produced a documentary about her called Bang My Box on Max, and it's worth your time. Ben and Ione break down why Robin Byrd was genuinely radical and why she was impossible to put down.Also: why 90s indie artists were culturally forbidden from wanting success (and how that's completely changed), the Miles Davis quote that explains every artist's journey, Ninajirachi’s victorious homecoming and why the horror film Obsession is better than it has any right to be.

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Ione is about to shoot a new film. Ben is thinking about covering Georgia Maq’s “Joe Rogan” song on their upcoming Australian tour. We found a 1990 Elle magazine article where legendary LA writer Eve Babitz profiled Ione and her brother (attached in full below), which includes a birthday party guest list featuring Robert Downey Jr., Sarah Jessica Parker (before anyone knew her), Adam Horovitz, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.Also: Lars Von Trier once challenged Baz Luhrmann to make a Dogme 95 film. Baz’s response is perfect. Plus — why the Hal Hartley clip went viral on film Instagram, Sofia Coppola and Zoe Cassavetes competing over a French director, and Ben’s theory about how Baz Luhrmann changed the way every film gets edited.Dive deeper into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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Dive deeper into our world + tour ticket presales at https://weirdertogether.substack.comBen's back from 60 shows around Australia (and avoided all crocodiles). Ione has been nursing a six-foot baby. And we have a lot to catch up on.This week: Olivia Rodrigo just announced Daisy Chain Fields — an all-female festival with Bikini Kill, Stevie Nicks, Mitski, Chappell Roan, Karen O, and more — and we get into why it matters, what Lilith Fair got right and wrong, and why the 90s community ethos feels more radical than ever in 2026.Also: it's the 40th anniversary of Wham! breaking up, and Ione has a memory involving a gay music promoter on her childhood street, early vinyl promos, and George Michael not yet being out. Plus: why Hal Hartley is the most underrated director of the American indie film era, the troll who called Ben a "soy boy," and Ione's lifelong crush on a boy who wrestled a crocodile.

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This week we got completely sucked into DTF St. Louis on Max — and we have thoughts. David Harbour plays the most likable character in a show about suburban kinks, male loneliness and consensual weirdness, and we can't stop thinking about two middle-aged men tenderly dancing in their tighty-whities. Also: a woman yelled "you're my hall pass" at Ben during his Richmond show, and we're noticing a trend.Plus: the AI music backlash is real — Suno just raised $400 million and yet the public has definitively decided they do not want AI-created music. The Spotify CEO thinks bands should just drop a song every month. Reese Witherspoon is doing "let them eat cake" AI ads. And we explain exactly why tech platforms fundamentally do not understand creativity.Also: Seth Rogen's New York Times interview is essential listening, Ione had her first art show (get the painting at Vamped Vintage in Newtown), and we make the case for always having at least one normie friend in your life.

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Ben and Ione are fresh off Ben's Tasmanian tour — and they have opinions. They break down their first encounter with actual Tasmanian devils (terrifying, zombie-like, cannot be explained), rave about Woolworths Flu Shot (a six-piece punk band from Hobart who just might be the best new band in Australia), and dissect the Butthole Surfers documentary The Whole Truth and Nothing But — asking the bigger question: is transgressive art always rooted in personal trauma?Plus: Richard Pryor's bisexuality and what it meant to be that openly queer as a Black performer in the 70s, Phoebe Bridgers' no-phones tour as a stroke of marketing genius, and a full decode of the Charli XCX Music Fashion Film album cover — what does choosing John Cale, Martin Scorsese, and Marc Jacobs actually say about where she's headed?Also: Ione reveals the four fictional characters she most identifies with (one of them is Woodstock from Peanuts), and Ben has early intel on Folk Bitch Trio, the Australian band about to blow up internationally.Take a deeper dive into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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Joan Baez suggested pop stars should be more politically active. Swifties went on the attack. Ben and Ione have thoughts — including why picking a fight with someone who marched alongside Martin Luther King might not be your best move.Also this week: Jay-Z showed up at the Roots Picnic and did a 10-minute acapella freestyle attacking Drake, Kanye, Nicki Minaj, and Dame Dash. Ben breaks down why a whole generation just knows Jay-Z as Beyoncé's husband — and why that matters.Ben makes the case that Kylie Minogue's Impossible Princess is her Pinkerton — the misunderstood record that history will eventually get right. Pitchfork agrees. Nick Cave does not, and Ben has some words about that.Plus: The Backrooms movie at the Dendy, Rachel Ward's regenerative farm, Sparks at the Opera House (how gay is a Sparks crowd exactly?), and Ione's weekend at a Chanel-funded literary showcase for diverse female writers.—Weirder Together is hosted by Ione Skye and Ben Lee.New episodes every week. Subscribe so you don't miss one.

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Ben and Ione discuss ribbon collections, Minnie Mouse comparisons, and a theory about why the first guy in your friend group to have sex always had great posture.Then: Ione and Ben went to see Georgia Maq (of Camp Cope) perform her first solo show back in Australia — and Ben has a bold prediction about her new song  "Rearranging Chairs on the Titanic." Also: Ben's track record of terrible  music predictions (Bruno Mars, Beastie Boys Sabotage, "nobody will watch movies on a computer").The Kylie Minogue Netflix documentary gets a full debrief — Michael Hutchence, Nick Cave, Olivia Newton-John as Sandy, the gay community saving her career, and what Kylie taught an entire generation of Australian artists about reinventing yourself.Ben brings some inside Australian music industry news: a major new study revealing community radio delivers $153M back to the economy on $28.6M in funding — and why live music venues are facing an insurance crisis that could kill the scene.And finally: Jacob Elordi faked a sprained ankle to skip the Cannes Film Festival jury and hang out with Kendall Jenner. Ben is weirdly pro this.Dive deeper into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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Ben and Ione take refuge from the Sydney gloom to pod. Beck plays the Palais with a full symphony orchestra and becomes the unlikely lens for a deep dive into sellout culture, punk idealism, and whether anti-commercialism has always been a rich person's sport. Keli Holliday was turned away at the US border — Ben thinks strong men politicians and the Real Housewives are basically the same show. Plus: they watched the Martin Short and Chevy Chase documentaries back to back and only one of them is a cautionary tale. Also SZA lied about her freckles. And her TV. And her birthday cake.Dive deeper into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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Ben and Ione celebrate Ione's daughter graduating from Sydney Uni — the first in her family — and unpack what an Australian graduation ceremony actually looks like (part Downton Abbey, part casual). They dissect the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Part 3 reunion, debate the ethics of celebrity course-selling, and induct Mac DeMarco, Leonardo DiCaprio and Trent Reznor into the Ione Skye Hall of Fame Mispronunciations. Ben reflects on performing in Alice Springs the night after the vigil for Kumanjayi Little Baby, and why music is good medicine even when it feels trite. Plus: the Bluey/ABC rights debate, the expert economy, and divorce finances.Dive deeper into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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Tony Hawk and Vincent Gallo slid into our DMs this week — turns out Gen X icons are feeling the pod. We dig into Beef Season 2 and whether art should have off-limits subjects after Zendaya's controversial new film "The Drama". We uncover the genuinely wild link between The Rolling Stones and The Wiggles. Plus: Ione's mural at the Beastie Boys' G Son Studios was just rediscovered behind Diplo's drywall, and we're heading to Japan.Take a deeper dive into our world via https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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Ben and Ione open with childhood party games (Catch and Kiss vs Seven Minutes in Heaven), then riff on their Pulp/Dave Grohl clip going viral and what it means to be living in "clip culture" where people quote your Shorts but never listen to the pod. Ione shares a tantalising story about a famous actress at a Hollywood party she can't name. They debate Gen X restraint on the internet versus younger generations' oversharing. Ben recounts a Bondi Boys album launch that felt like an 80s NYC loft party (no MDMA in the wine, definitely not). The second half digs into Lena Dunham's #1 NYT book, why divisive women in culture get asked to play the "mad bad crazy witch" role, and the Patti Smith vs Lena Dunham model of provocation. And finally a chat about the tactile fanzine revival moment — after an enlightening experience printing actual flyers for his May shows with Zoe from The Boys.Dive deeper into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

We are back with a wide-ranging one — was the rise of indie rock darlings Geese artificially manufactured? Ben recounts his debate with Dave Grohl about whether popular always means good. They dig into what happens to psychedelics when they get institutionalized. Ione has a life-changing moment at the Mountain Goats show. And The Bens almost played Coachella in 2003.Dig deeper into their world at weirdertogether.substack.com

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Chatting Coachella, Love on the Spectrum. Trust Me: The False Prophet.Dive deeper into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

Legendary songwriter ("Sister Golden Hair", "Ventura Highway"), member of the band America, Gerry Beckley, joins us today to chat wedding songs, George Martin, his relationship to Australia and how its all about "the show".We also chat about Billy Corgan/Courtney Love vs Kim Gordon/Steven Malkmus class war....Take a deeper dive at https://weirdertogether.substack.com#america #horsewithnoname #70s #gerrybeckley #songwriting

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We chat Chappell Roan, accountability, Ione's new role as a rep for Tourism Australia, Rupert Murdoch and the death of #sellout culture in the late 1990s.Dive deeper into #weirdertogether world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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Fresh from the cutest airport in Australia, we chat Clavicular and Looksmaxxing, Gary Shandling’s insights into war consciousness, and why Gomez and Morticia Adams are the eternal role models for horny older couples. 

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This week we discuss Melissa Auf Der Maur’s memoir “Even the Good Girls Will Cry”, Courtney Love, and 90s mysticism.We also chat about the new out of Sydney hipster hotspot, the Escarpment Villages north of Wollongong. Also, why do women love short kings?Head over to our newsletter to dive deeper into Weirder Together world https://weirdertogether.substack.com

Star of the new play "ART" and all-round Aussie legend Damon Herriman joins us in studio to chat gentrification of the Inner West, David Mamet, acting, vulnerability and the way the Aussie community in LA has evolved.We also talk the new meta-comedy "Napa Boys" as well as Baz Luhrmann's "EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert". Take a deeper dive into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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We dive deep into LA legends Red Kross and their new documentary "Born Innocent: The Red Kross Story". We went to see the play ART with Damon Herriman, Richard Roxborough and Toby Schmitz. We love The Tryouts. And Dorit's shopping spree makes us ask questions.Dive deeper into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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Our guest on today’s pod is Australian podcaster, comedian and film critic Alexei Toliopoulos! We discuss the Oscar race, why Matt Johnson (Nirvana The Band, The Show, The Movie) believes Aussie cinema has the strongest voice in the Commonwealth, whether Mr. Chalamet is too young to win best actor, and what kind of dirty campaigns are being run by studios behind the scenes! Dive deeper into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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Should Ben Lee and Benee collab on a cover of “Benny & the Jets”? Why do some festivals lose their soul? Whats in the water thats making experimental music in Melbourne pop off once again? Were we team Gary or team Robbie in the Take That doco?Lots to discuss!Dive deeper into our world https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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Which cult was Amanda from RHOBH in? Why does 2nd wave grunge suck? Why did Ione love watching Holiday Sidewinder put on her makeup? Who could have predicted Abbie Chatfield becoming a Spike F*ck fan? All these questions and more answered on todays pod!Take a deeper dive into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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We're in our new studio (excuse the reverb!) and we chat about the great performance of Aussie tunes in this years Hottest 100. We also get into Marty Supreme and why it is the Gen Z "Pulp Fiction". As always, we were blown away by DeepFaith's recent Sydney show and chat live band karaoke.Take a deeper dive into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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We chat about Kate Bollinger’s “adorable/hot” Australian audience, how Ione feels about introducing Flea to her Sydney, what we want out of pep talks, why Finn Wolfhard was wearing a Replacements shirt on SNL last night, and what we do to comfort ourselves during a dark night of the soul.Take a deeper dive into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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Friend of the pod Rose Byrne wins a Golden Globe! Straight women swoon over gay hockey players! We take a regional tour! Take a deeper dive into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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