Weirder Together with Ben Lee and Ione Skye

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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First pod of the year and we just saw the Mike Figgis documentary "Megadoc" about the making of Francis Ford Coppola's troubled epic "Megalopolis". This leads to a big chat about aging as artists, delusion, and the vulnerability of taking big swings.Take a deeper dive into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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What do Ben and Ione predict is gonna be in and out in 2026???LFG!!!Visit us at https://weirdertogether.substack.com to dive deeper into our predictions

We reconvene after this week's tragic events in Bondi Beach, Australia. Ione is in LA, Ben is in Sydney and we do what we can to process everything.Sending love and warmth to everyone affected by the Bondi terror attack.Visit us at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

Great complex question via Hot Dub Time Machine today!Send your questions to [email protected]

Full recap of our trip to Melbourne for the NGV Gala celebrating the opening of the Westwood/Kawakubo retrospective. Ben gets up to sing with Cobra Starship. Ione ponders YouTube family channels and "baby moon" holidays. We watch the Diddy doc.Take a deeper dive into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

Our 16 year old daughter (and work experience kid) asks us a question this week. You can ask us one too - just email us at [email protected]!

On today's pod Ben wears his own merch but doesnt feel as cool as when Skid Row or The Strokes did it, Ione tries to find the American equivalent of "being unco", Goldie helps re-enact the most insane email spam thread of all time.Take a deeper dive into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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We get into all the fun, scandal and gossip from the 2025 ARIA awards last week in Sydney. Dive deeper into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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Fresh of the release of FVNERAL's single with Ben "Friendly Fire", Tay joins us in studio to discuss activism, pop songs, JK Rowling and building community.Dive deeper into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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Oasis-mania takes over Sydney which means Ione can maybe sort of finally tell the difference between Liam and Noel. The Scorsese documentary is brilliant. People hating on Rosalía are crazy. Rob Thomas is an enigma. Jacarandas are terrorists.Dive deeper into our world at http://weirdertogether.substack.com

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Greetings from our new Weirder Together HQ in Marrickville! We jump straight into Ione’s review of the new PT Anderson, why Rosalía’s “Berghain” means pop music won’t be the same again, the Utah Housewives, the Aussie music initiative #AUSIFY, the documentary Ben Stiller made about his parents, and lots more!For access to Ben's tour tickets and lots more head over to https://weirdertogether.substack.com

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After a one week hiatus, we have moved into our new house in the Inner West, and have a lot to discuss! Does moving house edge you closer to divorce? What is Tim Robinson’s The Chair Company all about? Is Tyra Banks a secret visionary for hiring Byron Spencer? Why do jazz musicians hate Kenny G? What happened at Griffin Dunne’s book dinner in Sydney?Take a deeper dive into our world at https://weirdertogether.substack.com

Ione spills the tea on the never-released short film she cp-directed with Sofia Coppola and Andrew Durham.For more info and more on Andrew's new film FAIRYLAND visit us at http://weirdertogether.substack.com