Welcome to this month’s Answer Us Back, full of your feedback and questions provoked by previous episodes of Answer Me This. Today we have:
Look, we recorded AMT421 the day before Tim Curry died, and it was pure chance that we appeared to pay tribute to him by slagging off two of his most beloved films. He’s very good in them! He’s even very good in Olly’s pick for the worst film ever made!
We all want Olly to write a memoir, right? Full of anecdotes about the many times when he almost met celebrities?
Sally has a tip for silencing those musical washing machines before they launch into the full symphony.
Should Olly satisfy his anthropological curiosity about what it’s like to go to a Roy Chubby Brown gig, or does that just make him someone who willingly attends a Roy Chubby Brown gig?
Helena in Aotearoa New Zealand informs us that some of the washing machines of Aotearoa New Zealand play a selection of national anthems. And/or Crazy Frog.
The bidet chat continues to flow: Molly in London asks if it’s ok to wash her bum with the water from her dehumidifier. Erm, best not. But what can you do with that water?
Annie asks the question on behalf of all of you who have been desperate to know since last Answer Us Back: what is Olly’s system for displaying souvenir magnets on his fridge?
After AMT421’s question about the dangers of orchestra conductors’ podiums, Laura from Ottawa, who is a professional violinist, tells us tales of other perils of the orchestra.
In episode we-forget-which-number-but-fairly-recent, Olly spoke of convincing himself not to be annoyed by his father’s snoring. Lola in Seattle can even turn horrible misophonia into delectable ASMR. (And if you are looking for help in navigating misophonia in yourself or people close to you, check out friend-of-the-pod Jane Gregory’s work and book at soundslikemisophonia.com.)
If AMTs 1-421 left you with lingering questions and opinions, share them with us for future episodes of Answer Us Back. And as always, send in your questions, in voicenote or written form, to answermethispodcast@googlemail.com. All new AMT422 will be in your podfeed on 24 September 2026.
Help keep AMT going by signing up at patreon.com/answermethis, where you can get an ad-free version of the show, monthly bonus bits, our video livestream Petty Problems, AND access to our ENTIRE back catalogue, including all our paywalled episodes, our special albums, and all the Retro AMT episodes.
Answer Me This is sponsored by:
• Cozy Earth, luxurious bedding, sleepwear, loungewear, and towels for bath and beach. Shop at cozyearth.com and get 30% off using our code ANSWER. Also, their Labor Day sale runs 25 August till September 8th! • Quooker, the the tap that does it all, from instant 100-degree boiling water to chilled, filtered, and sparkling water. Shop at quooker.co.uk and until the end of August, you can use our code ANSWER to get free installation and your free Quooker glassware set. • Taskrabbit, the online and mobile marketplace, available in the UK, that connects you with skilled, reliable local freelancers to help with everything from furniture assembly and home repairs to moving, gardening, and more. Get ahead of your to-do list with £10 off your first task at taskrabbit.co.uk or on the Taskrabbit app using our promo code ANSWER.
This week, we learn that AMT is the name of a legal high. Seeing as legal highs are usually just brain-liquifying chemical syntheses that haven’t been made illegal yet, we cannot recommend trying it. We can, however, recommend AMT214, which is fully legal and will only have mildly detrimental effects upon your brain:
Today we contemplate:
facial fuzz as feminist issue The Beggar’s Opera Ziggy Stardust
‘club dancing’
crowd control
Häagen-Dazs vs. Cadbury’s Flake
death by tinned peaches
Kodak’s adventures in weapon development Forgetting Sarah Marshall transposed to Durham
stuffed vine leaves
a night of creamy indulgence
and
watching Alien stoned.
Plus: Olly doesn’t think Mila Kunis should be doing a desk job, even in these times of scarce employment; Helen wonders what Kim Kardashian would look like without the intervention of depilators; and Martin the Sound Man can pronounce ‘cyanoacrylate’, because he speaks industrial adhesive fluently.
This week’s Bit of Crap on the App (available for iDevices or Android) goes further than today’s question about Downing Street and wonders what is behind the famous door of Number 10. According to Olly, it is our nation’s leaders attending to their itchy arses.
If your own itchy arse ever allows you to use your hands for something else for a moment, use them to send us a QUESTION, either by writing an email to answermethispodcast@googlemail.com or picking up the phone and leaving a voicemail on the Question Line (dial 0208 123 5877 or Skype answermethis).
And finally: if we’ve ever made anyone puke through the podcast, we would like to take this opportunity to apologise.
It’s pretty unusual for us podcasters to venture out of our comfortable armchairs, let alone venture into the great not-indoors. Last weekend, however, we donned our cagoules, stocked up on wet-wipes, and took in a lungful of folk-laced fresh air at the Green Man festival – where we had such a smashing time, we decided to record Answer Me This! Episode 189 right there:
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)
Plus: Olly fears the revenge of Kris Marshall; Helen discovers a sport she IS interested in: topless frisbee; and Martin the Sound Man sees a future where Batman and Catwoman give birth to Dustin Hoffman.
As you’ll hear, we were joined this week by some unexpected guests in the shape of wasps. (They weren’t just shaped like wasps; they were wasps.) Next week, we should be joined by a much less stingy and stripy special guest in the shape of Jon Ronson. (He’s not just shaped like Jon Ronson, he is Jon Ronson.) So concoct some QUESTIONS for the fan of psychopaths, goat-starers and Robbie Williams, and send them in the form of voicemails to the Question Line (dial 0208 123 5877 or Skype answermethis) or emails to answermethispodcast@googlemail.com.
We do hope that Jon remembers to turn up, but whether he does or not, we’ll deffers see you next Thursday,