We should have guessed this question would come up one day. And we question the wisdom of submitting it to the public forum that is You. If this produces unwholesome rifts within Team AMT, we can all blame Josh from Arkansas, who emailed the following:
Dear Helen and Olly,
This isn’t a question for you. This is for your listeners.
To the query of Answer Me This listeners,
Marry, Boff, Kill: Helen, Olly, or Martin the Sound Man?
Travel back mentally to last week’s episode, and thank your lucky stars that doctors now print out prescriptions; Sara from California explains why:
In your last episode you talked about doctors’ handwriting and how bad it is. I know that they’re in a hurry, but they should make sure to write clearly because my grandmother nearly died as a result of a doctor’s handwriting. She had tuberculosis and the pharmacist misread the prescription and she was given ten times the correct dose of her antibiotics.
Back yet one more week, to Lauren of the boss with the secret campaign to fire her, for whom Darren offers some advice:
Im currently studying for an MA in human resources management. If Lauren has more than a year’s service for the company then she has some rights over dismissal and would be entitled to a chance to improve. I would imagine putting her in a situation like they have with the email would constitute a form of constructive dismissal.
Without knowing more about her circumstances, I couldn’t say for sure; but if you could let her know that she may have some protection then I feel I will have done my civic duty.
Consider said civic duty done, Darren; although by now, Lauren’s stay of execution has probably elapsed and she’s either pulled her socks up or been consigned to watching daytime TV in her jimjams until the job market improves. Let’s hope that, whatever happens, she ends up as happy in her employ as the enigmatically-named C from the USA:
I absolutely love my job! It’s the best! I earn less than I could so I can do what I do.
Writing opinions for an administrative adjudicator in a government agency in one of the United States sounds dull, but I’m part of the “they” everyone dreads and fears. But I have a conscience, empathy and a brilliant legal mind.
My job is a cross between Mr. Spock and Santa Claus. I parse through legal jargon and chicanery, and in most cases, I hand out bags of money! And unlike criminal defense, I don’t hurt anyone. I LOVE MY JOB!
Hooray! Anyone else love their jobs? Tell us in the comments!
Prepare for the scoop of the century, listeners! For inAnswer Me This! Episode 126, we reveal what Bill Murray whispered in Scarlett Johansson’s ear at the end of Lost In Translation that Elvis and Lord Lucan have actually been living together quietly in the ‘burbs all these years, and riding Shergar to the shops the secret to non-collapsing souffles how old we are.
Yes.
Yes!
Brace yourselves:
This classic episode is available to BUY NOW for just 79p at the Answer Me This! Store, through a secure server, without DRM restriction. CLICK HERE to find out more and support our podcast. (This helps keep our most recent episodes free)
But since we suspect that virtually none of you care about that (unless you work for the Young Person’s Railcard Fraud Squad), we’ve also included:
Fry’s Turkish Delight
body language ‘experts’
the goddess Athene ‘Babe’ by Take That
Legoland Windsor
‘The Gift’ by the Velvet Underground vs. Flat Stanley
Richard Burton vs. chuck-out songs
the Post Office
and
Mr Blobby.
Plus: Olly reveals that if you ever need to get rid of him, just play ‘Hip To Be Square’; Helen uses buttons to prove the veracity of her answers; and Martin the Sound Man tells the 1950s to Eff Off. Next week: sticking it to the 1700s!
Lest that is not enough to fill a whole episode, please be so kind as to pose YOUR QUESTIONS, via email – answermethispodcast@googlemail.com – or voicemail on Skype IDanswermethis or our question line 0208 123 5877. If you still have kindness to spare, leave your tips for Tom from Windsor to get rid of barflies in the comments; and augment and enjoy last week’s list of AMT listeners’ birth songs.
Here’s a blow, following Episode 125. It has been delivered by Daniel from Borehamwood:
Sorry Olly – Bootleg is already a brand. It’s Clarks shoes’ teenagers’-shoes-section.
Dammit dammit dammit! Olly’s pun-based shoe-shop will have to remain buy a dream. FOR NOW.
Eeva from Turku, Finland
In episode 125 you claimed that you had not previously talked about your secret zionist names. You have. Since episode 60 anyway. I would point out the episode, but having just listened all available Answer Me This! episodes in 42 hours, I snapped my happy muscle. From over-exhaustion. Or just OD’d.
These events now lead me to ask; How are you going to make up this horrendous oversight to dedicated podcast listeners? Our (My) delicate feelings cannot bare to see you forget such important piece of banter. We demand answers. How did this happen, and are any of you considering your resignations?
We’ll tell you how it happened: as soon as we say anything on the podcast, it vanishes from our brains, forever. So unless someone volunteers to transcribe and memorise our entire back catalogue, then stand in the AMT studio rapping us on the knuckles whenever we retread an anecdote – and trust me, YOU DO NOT WANT THAT JOB – these repetitions are going to happen. Since we haven’t resigned over our various mistresses, frauds, embezzlements, insider tradings and fake sick-leaves, we’re going to resist the calls to do so over Schloymergate; but when the day comes that more than 60% of an episode of Answer Me This! is composed of Golden Oldies, you can take us down.
Here’s a situation none of us have ever been in, because we’re too boring/unattractive – thanks for rubbing that in, Fraser! He asks:
Recently I’ve been seeing two women who I fancy, one who I really connect with and another with ROCKING TITS!!!
Last weekend I was feeling adventurous and decided to rotate them over the weekend such as one Friday then the other on Saturday and so on. I did this to finally figure out which one I wanted to be with. Well, over the course of dinner on Sunday (with the one I connect with), I accidentally called her by the wrong name. Which led to questions which then led to a very smooth lie which I miraculously pulled out of my ass.
This lie was so well-crafted that now I have to make sure to remember it so that if it ever comes up in the future I don’t screw things for myself. My question is this, have you ever been in a situation where you’ve told a lie that then had to become truth in order to save face?
As we might have some lie-truths still in play, we’re reluctant to declare our deceits in a public forum that our lie-victims might peruse. But fearless readers, are you less chicken than us? Tell us your fibs in the comments!
Even though all three of us are spinsters (sob!), we enjoy you asking us about weddings. We were, however, very surprised when Xavier sent us one such question, seeing as he has more matrimonial experience than all of us combined. He asks:
I have been married 4 times already despite never ever asking anyone to marry me, and ending up with some really evil fuckers. I have finally met someone really special and am thinking of asking her to marry me,
I have previously been married in a church, a registry office, on a beach in a foreign country and at Gretna Green, my questions is this where do i get married now that would be different?
I see you haven’t done a Vegas wedding yet, but seeing as they all seem to have a fairly short time limit, we think it’s best avoided. We also note that you’ve done church, but not synagogue; perhaps it’s time to explore some other faiths, just to add cultural variety to your nuptual history.
Between us we’ve been to some very jolly weddings beneath a waterfall, on top of a hill, in museums and in a zoo; and we do enjoy those pictures in the tabloids when couples get married underwater with scuba gear, or jumping out of planes, or in the joinery aisle of B&Q. But as we don’t know whether the future Mrs Xavier V is aquatic/adrenaline-chasing/Handy Andy, we can’t give you a solid plan. But perhaps YOU can, readers? Head to the comments and tell Xavier where to have his fifth wedding! The person with the best suggestion gets to be a bridesmaid.
After a refreshing month in the Podcasters’ Rehabilitation Facility, we’re back with springs in our step, twinkles in our eyes, and most importantly (as far as you’re concerned), Answer Me This! Episode 125:
This classic episode is available to BUY NOW for just 79p at the Answer Me This! Store, through a secure server, without DRM restriction. CLICK HERE to find out more and support our podcast. (This helps keep our most recent episodes free)
Into which vessel we pour such conversational juices as:
Jason Orange
henbane
Carl Perkins
the Sugababes
John Steinbeck
psoriasis vs. cirrhosis Voodoo Doughnut fail
Boney M x4
Columbia Law School
Duffy by proxy
the truth and Alan Titchmarsh
Rickrolling
deuce (not the band!)
and
the sex life of E.M. Forster.
Plus: Olly opens up a can of whup-ass on a listener who is an even more massive pedant than Helen; Helen yearns one day to be given the sack; and Martin the Sound Man has a practical solution for all you flatulent yoga-practicing types out there.
For more solutions, practical or impractical, to YOUR QUESTIONS, send us an email to answermethispodcast@googlemail.com, or leave a voicemail on Skype IDanswermethis or our question line 0208 123 5877. If you do that, we can come back next week to answer yet more of your questions, see? How splendid! See you then!
Helen and Olly
PS. Help yourself to a bit of Olly’s birth-song ‘Stand and Deliver’, why don’t you? And head to the comments to tell us what was the Number 1 song on the day you were born, too!
Wade back in your memory through the mists of time, around the bog of forgetfulness, and over the stile of reminiscence, right the way to the end of the last series of Answer Me This!, then append the following observations supplied by our beloved listeners. Firstly, Jim in New Jersey:
You may have strongly doubted the origins of the wedding kiss in an actual ritual consummation, but how about this for a dramatic touch? Margaret Mead documented a primitive wedding ceremony performed by a tribe in New Guinea in which the newly wedded couple copulated on a wooden platform in front of all the villagers. At the moment of climax, a huge pile of lumber was released from above them, crushing them to death. One would think this ritual might have a negative effect on population growth.
Not only that, it would really decimate the honeymoon industry. If this came back in vogue, Sandals resorts would close overnight!
On a related note, Matt, who calls himself ‘Moo’ (each to their own), suggests we all have a little paddle in the following pool of schadenfreude:
In Episode 123 you were discussing proposals in public and how shameful it would be – well have a look at this for the ultimate humiliation, and the amazing premonition-like commentators:
Don’t cry, she’s probably just popped off to the loo for a sec. Right? Right?
Two doses in one day of parents making kids feel uncomfortable? Why the hell not! Here’s a distress call from Heather from Manchester:
My mum’s boyfriend says things to me like “Do you want me to come and rub your back for you in the shower?” and “Do you want to play strip poker with me?” I find this to be really inappropriate and pervy. My mum doesn’t seem to think there is anything wrong in what he says so answer me this: is he a perv or am I being unreasonable in thinking this? Also how can I stop him saying these sorts of things to me?
By the way I am 15 and he is in his late 50s.
Of course tone is important, but written down he does look a bit pervy to us; so readers, if you have any ideas to help Heather to get him to stop, please outline them in a comment below. Better yet, if you work in Social Services, pack your bags – we’ve got a little job for you in Manchester…
Seeing as we’re on this uncomfortable subject, let’s also address this question from Oliver from Cambridge:
I was listening to the Stereophonics album Language. Sex. Violence. Other? and there’s a great song on there called “Lolita”.
After wikipedia-ing the song, I found out that Kelly Jones, the lead singer, actually named his daughter Lolita – that’s right, after the sexually promiscuous 12-year-old girl in the Vladimir Nabokov novel and associated films. This struck me as a spectacularly awful name to call your daughter.
So answer me this: what children’s names have you heard that you think are terrible?
A couple of years ago, Olly met a little boy who appeared to have been named ‘Cunty’. That’s right! If you can beat that, write a comment below, and if we get enough, we’ll charter a coach to take all the unfortunates to the deed poll office.
Cover your eyes, clutch your pearls, and have a big cringe along with Sean from Kings Lynn:
A couple of weeks ago my parents presented me with a plastic box, while they stood there I opened it to reveal they had given me 200+ condoms, amongst them there was pineapple flavour!
So, Answer Me This:
What’s The Weirdest Thing Your Parents Have Given To You As A Present? (Olly Excluding The Thong!)
Well, if you’re excluding the thong, Sean (Episode 89 if you need a refresher, people!), then Olly is going to have to stand down this round. But between you lot, you must have memories of some time when your parents celebrated your birthday or Christmas with a big beribboned box of Wrong, in comparison to which Sean’s parents merely look like health campaigners urging Sean to remember to practice safe sex and eat his Five A Day. Am I right? Then please share in the comments!
The first five entries are in, fighting it out for viewers on YouTube to win a very special prize. Shriek!
First out the traps was James S from Lincolnshire, who took our Question Line number and made it sound a bit like the Hollyoaks theme:
Then came this catchy effort from merbs42, which lingered a little too long on Martin the Sound Man for Olly’s liking, but was otherwise very charming, and achieved the rare feat of making leprosy seem in any way desirable:
If we were going to get all wanky about it, the third video response we received, from eucharyst, is more of an ‘ident’ than a jingle, seeing as it’s essentially a spoken-word sketch and not a song. But since it so excellently approximates the House Style of early Answer Me This!, (the rock n’roll years) we will most definitely let him have it:
There was a bluesy-folk feel to entry No.4, which came from a young man by the name of thethickisplottened:
(We confess to being rather partial to this. Though that is largely because we also like this video he made about cheese):
The fifth and final entry so far is from Matt1046: a knees-up, Los Colorados-style Soviet singalong with some accomplished animated visuals:
So, there you have it.
A strong start to what is shaping up, as always, to be a tremendous competition. And it’s certainly not too late to give it a go: remember, Brad and Josh’s victorious ‘double entry’ to our 2008 Camcorder Challenge wasn’t submitted until quite late into the process, and there’s still weeks to go – so it’s all to play for. Literally.
Answer Me This! Podcast 