Barter in the Booth
Narrating a young cad's adventures through Japan.
info_outline
#11 - Follow the 251
01/29/2023
#11 - Follow the 251
Hello, lovely listeners, and welcome back to the BOOF! In this episode, I recount a solo bike-backing trip I took around the Ariake Sea in Southern Japan, in June 2022. Expect hearty digressions on Gentleman's Relish, Robert Burns, trichinosis, Jimmy Anderson, The Fratellis, Skal Mango, inner peace, flautists, positive pessimism, the Future Harry system of procrastination, and Barack Obama. I hope you enjoy. Subscribe to the podcast and follow our socials to keep up-to-date with new episodes and upcoming guests, and go behind the scenes of BITB. Instagram: Facebook: Twitter: Youtube: Email: [email protected]
/episode/index/show/bitbpod/id/25760706
info_outline
#10 - Mr Fuji
05/15/2022
#10 - Mr Fuji
Long time no see, welcome back to the BOOF! In this episode, I recount a Tolkein-esque mission that a group of friends and I embarked on, to conquer the illustrious Mount Fuji in the summer of 2021. Expect bombastic digressions on Harajuku goths, Korean fried chicken, Ernest Shackleton, gastronomic voyeurism, You've Been Framed, music vs. comedy tribalism, stoicism, The Police, curry, catfish queues, 4th dimension hypercoasters, U.S. foreign policy, and the Sabbath. I hope you enjoy. Subscribe to the podcast and follow our socials to keep up-to-date with new episodes and upcoming guests, and go behind the scenes of BITB. Instagram: Facebook: Twitter: Youtube: Email: [email protected]
/episode/index/show/bitbpod/id/23113094
info_outline
#9 - Seoul Brothers
08/11/2021
#9 - Seoul Brothers
Welcome back to the BOOF! In this episode I have a very special treat. I'm joined by Englishman-turned-Aussie, Luke Giblin, with whom I shared a very strange few days in the city of Seoul. Together, we recount some outrageous tales and shed our unique light on the great Korean capital. Sit back, as we wax boisterous about bike theft, burnt passports, pissed beds, sharing existential dread with meerkats, The Korean War, soju, averting local cuisine, shithole English towns, Brendan Fraser, and Euro disappointment. I hope you enjoy. Subscribe to the podcast and follow our socials to keep up-to-date with new episodes and upcoming guests, and go behind the scenes of BITB. Instagram: Facebook: Twitter: Youtube: Email: [email protected]
/episode/index/show/bitbpod/id/20103500
info_outline
#8 - Nihon Ganbare (Part 2)
07/01/2021
#8 - Nihon Ganbare (Part 2)
Welcome to another bombastic bout of the BOOF! This is the second half of my 2019 Rugby World Cup saga. I'm sure you can enjoy it as a stand-alone episode, but it picks up directly where we left off last time, so if you haven't already, I'd thoroughly recommend getting stuck into Part 1 before you proceed. Expect hearty digressions on The Reverend Richard Price, the national anthem, the metaphysics of sports matches, imagined vs. real violence, joggers, the Cayman Islands, transvestitism, delirium tremens, the Glasgow Coma Scale, the morbidity of automation and pissing in public. I hope you enjoy. Subscribe to the podcast and follow our socials to keep up-to-date with new episodes and upcoming guests, and go behind the scenes of BITB. Instagram: Facebook: Twitter: Youtube: Email: [email protected]
/episode/index/show/bitbpod/id/19669778
info_outline
#7 - Nihon Ganbare (Part 1)
06/11/2021
#7 - Nihon Ganbare (Part 1)
Welcome back to another bombastic barrage of the BOOF! This episode recounts my experiences at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, in Kumamoto, Fukuoka, Oita and Yokohama. Due to it's outrageous length, this will be the first in a pair of episodes tackling my most boisterous month in Japan. Expect insightful tangents on tea preparation, e.e. cummins, the expat community in Japan, omotenashi, The Kooks' second album, toxic masculinity, Japanese rugby culture, Tom Jones, and fishing rights in the English Channel. I hope you enjoy. Subscribe to the podcast and follow our socials to keep up-to-date with new episodes and upcoming guests, and go behind the scenes of BITB. Instagram: Facebook: Twitter: Youtube: Email: [email protected]
/episode/index/show/bitbpod/id/19439600
info_outline
#6 - The Last Plane Out of Ishigaki
05/27/2021
#6 - The Last Plane Out of Ishigaki
Welcome back to the BOOF! This episode recounts a week living wild on several of the most southernmost Japanese islands in the Pacific - from August 2020. Prepare for digressive treatises on the WWF’s Attitude Era, amateur DJs, the Robert Browne Mutiny of 1852, marketing Attenborough to the Japanese, the virtues of Spam, John Betjeman, dealing with arachnids, urban vs. rural upbringings, and the casting of Finding Nemo. I hope you enjoy. Subscribe to the podcast and follow our socials to keep up-to-date with new episodes and upcoming guests, and go behind the scenes of BITB. Instagram: Facebook: Twitter: Youtube: Email: [email protected]
/episode/index/show/bitbpod/id/19259948
info_outline
#5 - I Face South
05/19/2021
#5 - I Face South
Welcome back, BITBers! This episode recounts a solo bike-packing trip I took through the south of Kumamoto and the north of Kagoshima, during Golden Week 2021. Expect wild tangents on bike maintenance, unkempt genitalia, Chinese manufacturing, toothbrush inspiration, scandalous corruption, vending machines, the importance of making your bed, natural disasters, the Colonel's secret recipe, the joys of being horizontal, and the dark side of Japanese hospitality. I hope you enjoy. Subscribe to the podcast and follow our socials to keep up-to-date with new episodes and upcoming guests, and go behind the scenes of BITB. Instagram: Facebook: Twitter: Youtube: Email: [email protected]
/episode/index/show/bitbpod/id/19160072
info_outline
#4 - The Ghost of Wessexmas Past
12/16/2020
#4 - The Ghost of Wessexmas Past
Merry Wessexmas! In this episode I have a very special treat. Via a Christmas miracle, I have been able to track down the Series 1 Christmas Special from December 2016 – a broadcast so jovial, it almost got me raided by Ofcom and banned from SURGE Radio. Accompanying me in this nostalgic tumble down the Christmas rabbit hole are Barter in the Booth stalwarts, Ross Macknay, Jake Cutter, and wannabe co-host Jack Herbert – along with special one-time guest, Dr. Ryan Barter. Together, we boisterously tackle the large questions surrounding the C-word. Expect passionate debate on the Christmas build-up, family traditions, the consumerist takeover, the battle of the Eves, the greatest festive tunes and films, and a stocking-load more of jolly chat. So, throw some logs on the fire, pour yourself a nice fat shot of mulled wine, hunker down in a soft but sturdy wingback chair, and let the dulcet tones of Wessexmas past lull you into the festive spirit. I hope you enjoy. Subscribe to the podcast and follow our socials to keep up-to-date with new episodes and upcoming guests, and go behind the scenes of BITB. Instagram: Facebook: Twitter: Youtube: Email: [email protected]
/episode/index/show/bitbpod/id/17214533
info_outline
#3 - Tackling Mental Health w/ Aaron Stadlin-Robbie
12/02/2020
#3 - Tackling Mental Health w/ Aaron Stadlin-Robbie
As a civilization, we are only just beginning to wake up to the concept of mental health, and the integral role it plays in governing each of our daily lives. As actors, athletes, musicians and even world leaders begin to open-up about their battles with mental health, the human blights of depression, anxiety, panic, delusion and self-harm - that have been swept under the carpet for centuries - are, for the first time, being readily acknowledged and confronted. But despite mental illness claiming a life every 40 seconds, the subject remains heavily shrouded in prejudice, suspicion, awkwardness and shame. In this episode, I'm joined by Aaron Stadlin-Robbie - the founder of Talking Mental. Together we discuss his challenges with mental illness, Hong Kong and its pitfalls, the spectrum of mental health, the implications of the pandemic, the disparity between physical and mental illness, young people and their uncertain future, mental wellbeing as a performance enhancer, appealing to masculinity, the normalization of mental health discussion, the future of the mental health and a whole load more. I hope you enjoy. Check out Talking Mental: Subscribe to the podcast and follow our socials to keep up-to-date with new episodes and upcoming guests, and go behind the scenes of BITB. Instagram: Facebook: Twitter: Youtube: Email: [email protected]
/episode/index/show/bitbpod/id/17030735
info_outline
#2 - Mindful Drinking w/ Dru Jaeger
12/02/2020
#2 - Mindful Drinking w/ Dru Jaeger
Alcohol has been a cornerstone of Western civilization for thousands of years. From the alters of our great cathedrals to the bargain bins of our corner shops, booze runs through the heart of our society – both cleansing and corroding that in its wake. In this episode I’m joined by Dru Jaeger, co-author of How to be a Mindful Drinker and co-founder of Club Soda. Together we take on mindfulness and its misconceptions, drinking culture in the age of isolation, alcohol's role in society, masculine identity, national identity, friendships, sexual consent, social anxiety, addiction, underage drinking, fad teetotalism and a whole load more. I hope you enjoy. How to be a Mindful Drinker - https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Mindful-Drinker-Community/dp/0241419778 Check out Club Soda - Subscribe to the podcast and follow our socials to keep up-to-date with new episodes and upcoming guests, and go behind the scenes of BITB. Instagram: Facebook: Twitter: Youtube: Email: [email protected]
/episode/index/show/bitbpod/id/17028767
info_outline
#1 - Japan: Myth vs. Reality w/ Patrick Amano Dolan
12/02/2020
#1 - Japan: Myth vs. Reality w/ Patrick Amano Dolan
In this first episode of Barter in the Booth, I'm joined by Patrick Amano Dolan. Together we first unpack the U.S. election, assessing the responses from around the world, it's inconclusiveness, scandals, demographic breakdown, short and long-term implications, and Trump's legacy. We go on to tackle the main subject of this episode, the realities of living and working in Japan. Japan is a country shrouded in mystique, romance and stereotype. We take on some of the most common preconceptions, and discuss how far they hold up to our experiences. Topics include Japanophilia in the West, Japanese attitudes to foreigners and other minority groups, its Covid-19 response, office culture, hospitality, technology, education, hygiene and sexual culture. I hope you enjoy. Subscribe to the podcast and follow our socials to keep up-to-date with new episodes and upcoming guests, and go behind the scenes of BITB. Instagram: Facebook: Twitter: Youtube: Email: [email protected]
/episode/index/show/bitbpod/id/17027411