People who don't laugh make jokes much funnier. It's Brooklyn Nine-Nine science. As is Stephen King ÷ Stanley Kubrick > 1. Wait, that's maths. Movie maths. AC/DC music videos feel flaccid, but Elvis remains royally vital. In predictable news, country music musicians are incredible and competitive cyclists take drugs. More capriciously, Matthew McConaughey fails to convince as an American and a child grows antlers. Plus, there is nudity and someone standing still while strangers cut them with razors. You know, the usual. THE HOOKS: WATCH: Brooklyn Nine-Nine / Dr Sleep / Elvis: The Searcher / Sweet Tooth / The Gentlemen / Heartworn Highways / Icarus READ - Body Of Art by Phaidon editors LISTEN - AC/DC, Billy Gibbons

In which Bruce and Stefan are less retentive than usual. Feel the freedom of unclenched sphincters and rejoice! We chat about fake Faust and fantasy philosophy, about a Charlie Parker who doesn't play the saxophone, about the value of albums over singles, about our lust for Suhr guitars, and about accommodating a loss of appreciation for art. Like, share, subscribe and let us know what you want to hear about in arty, culturey (that's a word) areas via [email protected]. THE HOOKS: READ - A Game Of Ghosts by John Connelly, The Illustrated Eric by Terry Pratchett LISTEN - Big Wreck, David Bowie, Mott The Hoople, Billy Gibbons

We welcome the lovely Alyssa Harrison - actress, singer, director, and half of theatre marketing hub and events co-ordination platform Plug In Theatre, She adds class and elegance as we rattle on about shadows and monsters, future stage stars and films that killed off actors for no apparent reason. There is also talk of Bruce's new single (a collaboration with Kate Normington), why editors are important and how musical interpretation is no less wonderful than original writing. THE HOOKS: WATCH - Shadow And Bone / Love And Monsters / The Long Riders / Lamplight / Parable LISTEN - The Black Keys / Sheryl Crow / Bruce Dennill & Kate Normington / Matt Nathanson / Editors / Big Wreck

Bruce attempts to expand, amplify and explicate his vocabulary while forgetting - or wishing he could - film plots and appreciating a boundary-pushing songwriter. Stefan has forgotten how to read, but explores Vegas, superhero psyches and immigrant shopkeeping before making the most of mandolins and returning to roots music. And we play a live, original song: "Arguing", written by Bruce Dennill and John Ellis. THE HOOKS: WATCH - Outside The Wire / The Hunt / Deadly Class / Army Of The Dead / Jupiter's Legacy / Kim's Convenience READ - The Cabinet Of Linguistic Curiosities LISTEN - Songcraft: Spotlight On Songwriters - Jackie DeShannon / Julian Lage / Chris Eldridge / Chris Thile / Punch Brothers / Goat Rodeo / Daniel Lanois / Emmylou Harris / The Black Keys

Stefan discusses being scared and literal character assassination, while Bruce is less impressed with Greek kings than he is New York nerds. And both go back to the Nineties, to when music involved both musings on eternity and melodies. THE HOOKS: WATCH - Things Heard And Seen / Deadly Class / How To With John Wilson READ - The Fry Chronicles / House Of Names LISTEN - DC Talk / Bill Bryson / Nineties Pop-Rock

Stefan and Bruce wax lyrical about a vocal collective before considering animated AI and the kind of all-encompassing drive(r) needed to become the best and most famous sportsman on the planet. We discover that there is arguably not enough to write about Jimi Hendrix and rather too much to write about Istanbul. And we mash up celebrated wordsmithery, call-and-response gospel and ... ukuleles. It's so much better than you'd think. THE HOOKS: WATCH - The Mitchells Vs The Machines / African Pulse: Celebrating The Ndlovu Youth Choir / I Care A Lot / Tiger READ - Two Riders Were Approaching: The Life And Death Of Jimi Hendrix / Istanbul: A Tale Of Three Cities LISTEN - Kirk Franklin / Born To Uke / Stephen Fry

We welcome a bald, bearded tattooed man into the studio and live to tell the tale. David Batzofin writes about about travel and ... things ... on his excellent blog, um, Travel & Things (www.travelandthings.co.za). A wide-ranging discussion takes in those themes, the scourge of The Influencer, music both country and Western and what matters when it comes to both parks and recreation. There is literature concerning those who have broken South Africa and those who are fixing it; red-headed strangers and people with the word "white" in their name; moms who matter; and an introduction to the word "imbolc". Which is important. THE HOOKS: WATCH - Barely Breathing / Lioness / Parks & Recreation / Workin' Moms READ - Like Water For Fish by Garth Japhet / 50 People Who F***ed Up South Africa by Alexander Parker and Tim Richman / Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks / Travel & Things by David Batzofin LISTEN - Willie Nelson / David Kramer / Joe Pisapia / John Paul White

We prove that, in the same way that two random musicians with reading fetishes can create a sublime podcast, sometimes great actors can appear in entirely average films, and that it's easy to forget what happened in a book we loved. We go back in time on TV and have an author do the same, though he adds a number of extra centuries to his tale (et tu, Matt Haig?), just because he can. We ask if tangible passion can make music better, though we know the answer, and are reminded how royally spectacular Prince was on record and on stage. Oh, and Jason Bateman has crab pincers for hands. Yes. Well. WATCH - 2 Guns / Rome: Season One / Thunder Force READ - How To Stop Time by Matt Haig / Satin Island by Tom McCarthy / Prince: Purple Reign by Mick Wall LISTEN - Damien Rice / Glen Hansard / Lifehouse / Zach Williams / Wendy Oldfield / Finding Faith / Anna Wolf / Prince

Bruce sees actual live people perform and lives to tell the story while Stefan admires rolling cheeses and frets about the darkness of Victorian London. Both Saddam Hussein and queer musicians get their moment in the sun (ok, Saddam was kept in a basement, so no sun, but you get the point). America's greatness or lack thereof is filtered through the fascinating filter of Bill Bryson, Bruce Springsteen and Barack (Hussein - another one; double the value) Obama. And Stefan listens to new music from anyone with a Telecaster and old music from performers whose genres are unlikely to ever see their like again. THE HOOKS: WATCH - Ballet & Beyond / Blue Piano Social Club / The Blacklist / We Are The Champions / The Frankenstein Chronicles / Year Of The Rabbit READ - The Prisoner In His Palace / Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache LISTEN - Neil Young / Myles Kennedy / Bob Dylan / Buck Owens & His Buckaroos / Billy Gibbons / Renegades: Born In The USA / BB King / Ray Charles / James Brown / The Kentucky Headhunters / Paul Rodgers / Lincoln Brewster / Mercury Rev / Sly & The Family Stone / The Life And Times Of The Thunderbolt Kid

Stefan appears to have forgotten how to read. But he is making up for it by watching and listening to all manner of intriguing material, including a whole musical about and starring guitar pedals and shows that underline the relative values of your spouse and your space and which introduce him to his own country. Bruce investigates the leftovers of sex education and wishes some Americans had stayed on their side of the pond. We also consider the difference Jack Reacher, Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen make by not staying on their side of the pond, whether Marvel moving to the small screen works as well as it does in the cinema and if genuine talent won or not at the Grammy Awards. Oh, and we applaud the greatness of "Toy Matinee" as a band name. This is important stuff. THE HOOKS: WATCH - Coming 2 America / South Africa with Gregg Wallace / Sex Education / Marriage Or Mortgage / The Leftovers / WandaVision / The JHS Shows: Pedals - The Musical READ - Night School by Lee Childs LISTEN - Renegades: Born In The USA / Sarah Jarosz / Sadler Vaden / Toy Matinee / Watertown / Silk Sonic