The Discussionarium & The Musicarium: Recent Episodes
Steve Cullis & Alex Baggs
The Discussionarium brings you fascinating, unusual and inspirational stories from everyday people. The Musicarium, described as "Desert Island Discs for ordinary folk," allows guests to choose 4 songs and explain their reasons for their choices. The Musicarium's Patented Music Blenderator is then fired up to generate a track it thinks the guest will like.
If you would like to appear in either, please get in touch - info@collieinthecorner.com
Hosted by Steve & Alex.
anchor.fm/the-discussionarium
THIS IS A MUSIC-LESS VERSION OF A PODCAST FROM SPOTIFY. ALL THE CHAT BUT WITHOUT THE MUSIC. YOU CAN CHECK OUT THE MUSIC CHOSEN BY OUR GUEST IN YOUR USUAL MUSIC PLATFORM. Steve & Alex are joined by Lu Davies and her son Billy, who has Down Syndrome. Lu is Maternity Coordinator for the charity Positive About Down Syndrome. She talks about her role, her life and her love of her family. She chooses a song that contains a line that sums up how she feels about her children and was played at her wedding when she walked in with them; a song that puts into words how protective she felt towards Billy when he was very young and vulnerable, and also gave her comfort when she was younger; a track that was played at her Dad's funeral, which proved not to be a message from beyond the grave; and, finally, a track Billy has performed with his drama group and which Lu feels is a true anthem for inclusivity. Billy then gets to choose his favourite song, talk about the film he was in with Woody Harrelson and Owen Wilson, and perform "The McDonald's Test". #positiveaboutdownsyndrome #downsyndrome #deathdefyinglove #unconditionallove #mcdonalds #mcdonaldsuk #inclusivity #freddiemercury #mrsgarybarlow #garybarlow #family #selfimage #positiveselfimage #unapologetic #love
THIS IS A MUSIC-LESS VERSION OF A PODCAST FROM SPOTIFY. ALL THE CHAT BUT WITHOUT THE MUSIC. YOU CAN CHECK OUT THE MUSIC CHOSEN BY OUR GUEST IN YOUR USUAL MUSIC PLATFORM Steve & Alex are joined by Wayne Kirven, a.k.a Wayne From Buckhurst Hill, who was described by Time Out, in 2019, as a "...fashion icon for 60 years and counting". He shares five of his favourite 45s (singles) which he purchased between the ages of 13 and 19, and suggests "...one of the all time greats of Doo-Wop" to be played in the feature, Following Marvin Gaye. The Musicarium's Patented Music Blenderator then comes up with a track it hopes can meet Wayne's high standards. Tracks referenced in this episode: 1) What'cha Gonna Do About It - Doris Troy. 2) Comin' Home Baby - Mel Torme. 3) Selfish One - Jackie Ross. 4) For Your Precious Love - Jerry Butler. 5) Long After Tonight Is All Over - Jimmy Radcliffe. 6) I Only Have Eyes For You - The Flamingos. 7) Probably Normal - Suzi Chunk
whatchagonnadoaboutit
doristroy
cominhomebaby
meltorme
selfishone
jackieross
foryourpreciouslove
jerrybutler
longaftertonightisallover
jimmyradcliffe
ionlyhaveeyesforyou
theflamingos
probablynormal
suzichunk
modernist
styleicon
doowop
soholondon #soho
buckhursthill
Steve & Alex have decided to put The Discussionarium on hold for the time-being. They hope to be back in the future with new episodes (possibly as occasional accompaniments to The Musicarium, which is availableon Spotify) and would welcome suggestions for topics to cover - info@collieinthecorner.com
It's just over a year since the first lockdown in the UK and, with restrictions gradually being eased, Steve & Alex asked friends of the podcast to leave messages about their lockdown experiences, as well as their hopes and fears as restrictions are relaxed, on the Discussionarium's 1979, French, cassette-based answer machine. #lockdown #covid19 #simplertimes
In which Steve & Alex are joined by Candice Pearce, a self-confessed Doomscroller and a Facebook rottweiler. She talks about how Doomscrolling reinforces her view of the world and what drives her interaction with people who hold what she considers extreme views; she explains her problem with herbs and turmeric (or, more precisely, with their use as alternative medicines) and introduces the term Cognitive Dissonance to the discussion; and she descibes some of her concerns about social media and the world in general. And that's just for starters... #doomscrolling #cognitivedissonance #socialmedia #bullying
Steve & Alex are back with a new season of The Discussionarium, ready to take on new and challenging topics. In this episode they are joined by John, Katie and Lu who are all parents of children with Down Syndrome. They share their experiences, good and bad, and conclude they have been enriched by having children with Down Syndrome in their lives. #downsyndrome #positivity #rewarding #enriching #embracingdifference
SEASON FINALE - In which Steve and Alex look back on their journey from their first tentative steps into podcastland, with episode one, to the end of their first series. They reflect on how the podcast has evolved, talk about other Discussionarium projects, like The Musicarium, and ask listeners for their input to the next series.
In which Steve and Alex meet former Metropolitan Police firearms officer, "Jack", who lost the sight in one eye as the result of a fall from a ladder. He talks about his determination to not let his injuries define him or restrict his life and how, in spite of his impaired vision, he returned to both driving and riding his motorbike. He even passed his advance motorcyclist test and achieved Gold Level accredition from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) as an advanced motorcyclist. He doesn't consider himself an inspiration...Steve and Alex think he is. And he says he doesn't have a standout message...but he actually does! #themanwhofelltoearth
crazypaving
abumponthehead
orbitalblowout
ladder
firearmsofficer
CID
partiallysighted
visuallyimpaired
askforhelp
dontbeafraidtoaskforhelp
mindset
positivity
gallowshumour
adversity
improvise
adapt #overcome
improviseadaptovercome
improviseadaptandovercome
heartbreakridge
It's a bit of an epic that you don't have to listen to all in one go. In which Steve and Alex meet retired undercover FBI agent, David Sebastiani. He tells them how he inadvertently found himself undercover in Vienna; about working cases against the Philadelphia and New York Mob; how he helped to tackle police corruption in Florida and Toronto; and the impact such work can have psychologically and on relationships. He also puts Steve and Alex through an FBI test scenario, at which they excel...or it would have seemed so if Steve had actually edited it that way.
fbi
fbiagent
undercover
undercoveragent
mafia
organisedcrime
policecorruption
drugs
cannoli
leavethegun
takethecannoli
coverblown
thegodfather
DonnieBrasco
philadelphia
newyork #philly #nyc #themob #corruption
In which Steve and Alex discover underwater hockey really is a thing. They are joined by Ki Waters (coach of the GB Elite Women's Squad) and and Emma Fielding and Peter Short who are both keen players. Ki talks about coaching and playing; Emma talks about getting a puck in the eye (on more than one occasion) and taking out her aggression in the pool; and Peter shows off his stick. #uwh #octopush #onderwaterhockey #gbuwh #underwaterhockeygram #underwaterhockeyglove #underwaterhockeystick #underwaterhockeypuck #underwaterhockeyplayer #underwaterhockeyplayers #unusualsports #unusualsport #goggles #snorkel
In which Steve and Alex are joined by self-confessed weirdo, Clare Gregory, and learn about playing dead with mint Tic Tacs, the regurgitation of Parma Violets (filthy, disgusting sweets that they are) and what it's like to have a friend who sniffs out perverts. Clare also talks about her experience of playing Light as a feather Stiff as a board, and you can see a video of how she got on by visiting the Facebook page @thediscussionarium or Instagram @the_discussionarium #bonearrow #weird #parmaviolets #themysticvineyard #weirdkid #lightasafeather #stiffasaboard #playdead #playingdead
In which Dr Alice talks about her obsession with dinosaurs, unicorns and certain TV shows and films. Steve and Alex are educated about what they have missed out on during lockdown whilst living under their rocks, namely banana bread, Tiger King and "that TikTok". And Dr Alice explains how she became famous (amongst palaeontologists and geologists) for sticking rocks in her mum's freezer and why she cannot let baked beans touch anything else on her plate. #dinosaurs #unicorns #bakedbeans #tigerking #fossils
In which Alex and Steve meet Michael Sean Hippolyte JR, possibly the most positive man in the world and discover that, although super positive now, his early teens were very troubled times. Mike reveals he has posed in "hot pants"; Alex realises that goal setting is easier if it involves gin consumption targets; and Steve admits to being neither one nor the other. #positivity #mindset #yeahbuddy
In which Steve and Alex meet Wendy, who is a Pagan and a witch, and Harriet who chose Wendy Witch to officiate at her Handfasting (Pagan Wedding) to Geraldine. Discussions cover the important "The" question, not drinking canal water based potions and grandparents jumping a broomstick. We also talk to Wendy about her Pagan beliefs and chosen path as a witch; Harriet explains her reasons for choosing a Handfasting and the joy she felt at her grandparents' acceptance of the ceremony and the fact it was a same sex Handfasting; and Alex gets all excited and tries to make rosewater. Steve is currently recovering from leptospirosis after failing to heed the warning not to drink the canal water potions. Apologies to anyone who tuned in expecting Wendy Witch and Harriet to be a spell casting, crime fighting duo! #witch #tarot #pagan #handfasting #spells #grimoire #bookofspells #favourite #canalboat #babynaming #ceremonies #ribbons #broomstick
In which Steve's mother-in-law's carer steps in to save the day after he and Alex are ghosted by a professional clairvoyant. Natalie discusses her spritualist beliefs and what they mean to her; Louise talks about how she received a message from beyond the grave from Mavis who went to the same school as her; and Justin shares his experience of an eerie presence in a bedroom and describes how he once wrestled a ghostly, urinating tom cat. #spiritualist #spritual #spiritualism #ghosts #ghostly #tomcat #eerie #clairvoyant #clairvoyancy #runes #numerology #readings #catflap #psychic
In which Steve and Alex talk about healing hands, out of body experiences, posing nude for a famous artist and an encounter with Tom Baker (Dr. Who) at Crewe Station. They also pose a question about robins. This is a pilot episode to give examples of the kind of thing they want to hear about. They are particularly interested in subjects where there is no right or wrong, or true or false, and which can open up all sorts of lighthearted, non-judgmental discussion. To join them in The Discussionarium, please vist the Facebook page @TheDiscussionarium #drwho #healinghands #outofbody #outofbodyexperience #naked #posing #nude #falcons #robins #experts #expertstuff #stuff