Between Two Beers Podcast

On this episode of Between Two Beers we talk to Lucy Blakiston.  Lucy’s story is quite incredible. In 2018, she was sitting in a uni lecture, getting increasingly frustrated with how disconnected she felt from the information she was being delivered. So, along with her two hometown best friends, she started a blog called Shit You Should Care About.  Four years later, it’s turned into a mini-media empire. Her daily newsletter reaches 60,000 subscribers every morning, she hosts two podcasts and runs an Instagram page which has 3.6 million followers.  In this episode we talk about Shit You Should Care About’s ginormous Instagram presence, and what it's like being followed by Billie Eilish, Joe Rogan and Ariana Grande, how they went from 200,000 followers to a million in one month – and why it made her too scared to post, learning to accept the tag ‘media genius’, the decision to go ‘full time’, how they make their money, Harry Styles, what the future holds and so much more.  This was such an enlightening, fun chat with someone who seems to understand social media better than anyone we’ve met. Lucy IS a media genius, her journey is only just starting and it's exciting to think where it might lead. You’ll love this one.  3.00: Two weeks in a campervan on a road show 8:35: “A media genius on a world level” 81015: The origin story of Shit You Should Care About 21310: Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Joe Rogan get on board 24:44: From 200,000 to 1 million followers in a month 28:54: Learning on the rise from 1 million to 3 million 34:06: A Harry Styles interlude 34:41: Going pro: the decision to fulltime 38:18: The Neon deal and setting up Culture Vulture 44:01: Diversifying the audience through newsletters 48:55: Connection fatigue, self-pressure and low stakes errors 54:09: The power of community 58:23: The importance of Ruby and Liv 61:35: Mundane Polls 1:04:57: Paying the bills (and turning down an approach from The White House) 1:09:29: Quick thoughts on TikTok 1:11:37: Does writing a daily newsletter feel like a job? 1:13:03: Future gazing 1:14:08: Keeping harmony within the Shit You Should Care About universe 1:16:31: Web3, NFTs, block chain, and the Discord experience 1:19:20: Educating the world about New Zealand and vice-versa 1:21:41: Some bits and pieces from a Shit You Should Care About insider 1:24:53 Last words from Steven, Seamus and LucySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Between Two Beers we’re rewinding the clock back to August of 2021 when we talked to Sarah Hirini.   Sarah was one of the most impressive guests we’ve had on the podcast and after watching her epic display helping the Black Ferns win the World Cup final – figured it was a pretty good time to re-share her message.  Sarah is an Olympic Games gold and silver medalist, a commonwealth Games gold medallist, a six-time sevens world series winner, two-time RUGBY World Cup winner, and was New Zealand’s flagbearer at the Tokyo Olympics, the first Maori woman to ever have that honour.   In this episode we talked about her rugged Fielding farm-girl upbringing, why Honey Hireme-Smiler considers her the greatest leader she’s ever played with, the emotional rollercoaster of the six months before the Tokyo Olympics after tragically losing her mum, how the eccentric Ruby Tui won the world’s heart and much,much more.  Sarah's CV is impressive, but her personality is better. It’s easy to see why she is held in such high regard by everyone she plays with. She oozes class and control, while also being so open and honest. A special thanks to Sarah for being so open about the loss of her mum, there were parts in this episode when we were all in tears.   The audio on this one is a little niggly in patches, it was recorded when Sarah was in MIQ, but stick with it, you’ll find its worth it. Also, we’ve cut out the first 10 mins from the original recording – as it was all MIQ chat – and no one wants to hear that in 2022.  Listen on iheart or wherevers you get your podcasts from, and check you podcast app for show notes. A huge thanks to those supporting the show on patreon for the cost of a cup of coffee a month, to get involved head to Between Two Beers.com.            This episode was brought to you from the Export Beer garden studio. Enjoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Between Two Beers we talk to Mitch James.  Mitch is one of New Zealand’s most popular artists and has attracted over 200 million global streams of his music, over six million TikTok views and over three million video views. He’s toured the world alongside Six60, supported Ed Sheeran and just returned home after touring with Calum Scott, to release his second album, Patience.  In this episode we talk about his difficult teenage years and how he found a path out of darkness, the seven weeks he spent living on the street in the UK busking, the time he witnessed a brutal stabbing, getting discovered by Sony and the acoustic video that went viral, becoming a star and the female interest that comes with it, the horrific four years leading to the release of his new album and the joy of releasing new music.  This was a pretty special chat. It was really raw in places and incredibly uplifting in others. we talk about suicide and hitting rock bottom, and harnessing the drive and discipline to be succesful. Mitch James has an incredible story to tell - and we’re really grateful he shared it in such an open and vulnerable way.  Listen on iheart or wherevers you get your podcasts from, and check you podcast app for show notes. A huge thanks to those supporting the show on patreon for the cost of a cup of coffee a month, to get involved head to BetweenTwoBeers.com.     Show notes: Mitch James 1:31: Gearing up for the launch of the new album ‘patience’ 5:39: 100 songs over four years 7:46: Touring with Calum Scott 13:43: Levels of fame 16:25: The challenge of high school 28:48: Mitch buys a one-way ticket to the UK to follow the Ed Sheeran blueprint 35:14: Busking on the streets of Europe 39:54: Open mic nights and YouTube mash ups 48:48: The first album 52:03: Supporting act for Ed Sheeran 55:53: Dealing with the attention that fame brings 1:03:41: Fitness, discipline, and the similarities between performing and fight sports 1:07:35: The time between albums 1:14:20: Drawing from real life experience to create music 1:19:43 Mending relationships with family 1:22:31: A history of streaking 1:28:13 Last words from Steven, Seamus and MitchSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Between Two Beers we talk to Chris Parker.  Chris is an award-winning comedian, actor and writer who's been on shows like Golden Boy, Funny Girls, Jono and Ben, 7 Days and the hit stage show Hudson and Halls. He’s also got one of NZ’s most entertaining Instagram pages and won the 2021 edition of Celebrity Treasure Island.  In this episode we talk about his new book and his recent wedding, writing for Jono and Ben and auditioning for David Bain, using tears as a weapon, the landscape of pornography in New Zealand, the process of creating viral clips and much, much more.  Chris is a world-class storyteller and has an infectious personality. He’s really fun company and there were so many laughs in this one.  A huge thanks to those supporting the show on patreon for the cost of a cup of coffee a month, to get involved head to www.Betweentwobeers.com. This episode was brought to you from the Export Beer garden studio.  Show notes | Episode 102 | Chris Parker 2:00: The end of book launch week 6:27: Writing the book 8:18: Getting married and deconstructing the wedding process 13:11: Viral content 16:42: The importance of Snort comedy 23:18: Hudson and Halls and campness 33:26: Becoming head writer at Jono and Ben 38:34: The goldfish story and David Bain 45:10: Musings on birds and other topics from Hayley Sproull 49:01: Making good content 57:00: Winning Celebrity Treasure Island 1:09:32: Going back to high school 1:16:01: Using tears as a weapon 1:21:18: Eat, pray, love, shit 1:26:34: The landscape of pornography in New Zealand 1:30:07: Last words from Steven, Seamus and ChrisSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Between Two Beers we talk to Carlos Spencer.  Carlos is widely regarded as one of the best rugby players of his generation. He played 44 times for the All Blacks, 89 for Auckland, 99 for the Blues where he won two Super Rugby championships, then enjoyed professional stints playing and coaching in England, South Africa and Japan.  in this episode we talk about what it’s like parenting a potential sports star, his viral trick-shot videos from lockdown, how he caught the eye of Graham Henry, his first impressions of Jonah, the freak injury that cost him a World Cup, how he keeps the rig in such good nick, the strain of being a rugby globetrotter, *that* try against the Crusaders in Christchurch, toffee pops, reno rescues and what's next.  Carlos was one of rugby’s genuine superstars, but in person is such a humble, down to earth Kiwi bloke. He’s lived one hell of a life, with so many incredible stories to tell. This was a really fun one.  Show notes | Episode 101 | Carlos Spencer 2:00 90 minutes late after a Carlos Reno Rescue 3:22 HAMbassador chat 5:39 Peyton Spencer: history repeating? 9:13 Parenting a potential sports star 15:28 Viral sensations during lockdown 18:25 Playing club rugby and the Brisbane 10s in your 40s 23:35 Fight for Life and the boxing career 26:50 Back to Horowhenua and catching the eye of Graham Henry 33.34 From a small town to the big smoke: the shift to Auckland 38:40 At the forefront of professional rugby 43:23 Arrogance or confidence? 46:00 Missing the 1999 Rugby World Cup 49:21 Impressions of Jonah and reflections on rugby in Auckland in the 90s 55:40 Carlos and the media 57:12 The ballsiest play in New Zealand sport 1:02:02 Carlos’ relationship with Canterbury and Andrew Mehrtens 1:04:45 South African sojourn 1:10:40 Coaching in another language 1:12:17 The strain of being a rugby globetrotter 1:14:49 Carlos’ Reno Rescue and future projects 1:20:29 Toffeepops and last words from Steven, Seamus and CarlosSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Between Two Beers Seamus and Steve are toasting a double celebration.  It’s both our third birthday and our 100th episode, so we figured it was a good time to reflect on our podcasting journey, talk about some of the best, worst and cringiest moments along the way and play a few of our favourite clips. Bringing up the ton is something we’re both extremely proud of and we wanted this episode to give a bit of insight behind the scenes of the podcasting process.  We also wanted to say a huge thank you to you. For following us on this ride, listening, supporting and giving such great feedback.  And a special thank you to our loyal Patreons. Some who have been there since the very beginning. You helped us keep the lights on in the difficult early days – and we appreciate you. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mikey Havoc was one of the biggest stars in New Zealand entertainment for nearly two decades across music, radio and television. He started out as a singer in the rock band Push Push – a band named Group of the Year at the 1992 New Zealand Music Awards following their smash hit Trippin’ – before going on to pump up the volume as a dance DJ and the long-standing voice of alternative radio station bFM, where he made some of the most creative radio of the era. Mikey is also a familiar face on TV, with his former show Havoc which led to the infamous Havoc and Newsboy Sell Out Tour, where the dynamic duo of Mikey and Jeremy Wells took the country by storm and upset the whole of Gore. The juggernaut continued with another two Sell Out Tours and a series of shows including Havoc’s Luxury Suites and Conference Facilities and a remake of the Kiwi classic Top Town. His life, career and story is remarkable – and in two hours we only just scratched the surface. But there’s some real nuggets of gold in here, some top stories from the glory days and some raw moments of reflection. Show notes | Episode 99 | Mikey Havoc 2:02 Shaggy Sheepdog: Ol’ Havo takes us behind the scenes of The Masked Singer 12.10 Back to the start: four kids start a band called Push Push 16:38 Trippin’ and the rise to fame 22:10 Push Push push pause 26:14 Havoc hones his creative skills on bFM 35:38 Linking up with Jeremy Wells and the start of the TV journey 45:00 Faces of delight, or if you’re in the islands, Kumface 49:23 Gore 1:00:40 Life at the height of popularity and reflections on the TV career 1:11:21 Working with Jeremy Wells 1:17:10 Using his platform to speak to real issues 1:23:47 Havoc’s thoughts on his late father and his takes on fatherhood 1:37:18 What’s next for Mikey? 1:45:49 Last words from Steven, Seamus and MikeySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Between Two Beers we talk to Petra Bagust. Petra was one of the biggest stars of New Zealand television for 18 years. She burst onto the scene as a 22-year-old co-host of cult classic Ice TV, and walked away as host of NZ’s biggest gig on Breakfast, aged 40.  Since then she’s started her own popular podcast called Grey Areas, and is a media chaplain.  In this episode we talk about her rapid rise to fame in the late 90s,  why she had such a difficult time hosting Christmas in the Park with John Hawkesby, why ICE TV was so successful, reflections on ‘Petra the Virgin’, her shows that bombed – and why they didn’t work, Seamus reveals his 20-year old crush on Petra, we talk about the current media landscape and much, much more.  Petra is such a smooth communicator. She seamlessly switches from a witty gag to a heartfelt piece of wisdom, and it will quickly become apparent why she was the most in-demand host on TV in New Zealand for so long. We laughed a lot in this one, Petra is five-star company and this was a blast.  Show notes | Episode 98 | Petra Bagust 2:25: A taste of stardom: fan hugs with Petra 4:41: Podcast chat 12:44: Grey hair: a metaphor for freedom 18:03: Seamus owns his crush on Petra 24:26: Reflecting on 20 years on kiwi TV screens 27:42: ICETV and climbing the ladder 36:31: Being a 22-year-old in the spotlight 41:45: On-air chemistry 43:51: Petra the Christian Virgin 51:54: Travelling the world as a newly married couple 57:58: Sing Like a Superstar 1:00:39: Public recognition over the years 1:04:26: Juggling family life and work 1:09:30: Dealing with negative feedback 1:16:32: Leaving Breakfast, going on sabbatical, and Tearfund 1:22:59: Petra’s Te Reo Maori journey 1:29:27: Media chaplaincy and thoughts on the current media landscape 1:32:33: Last words from Steven, Seamus and PetraSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re winding the clock back two years to when we sat down with Matt Heath in November 2020. Matt was one of the first ‘big names’ that gave us his time when we were finding our feet in the podcast game, and we loved this one. Matt is an actor, producer, sports commentator, columnist, musician and radio host and can be heard hosting the Radio Hauraki breakfast radio show alongside Jeremy Wells, as well as commentating sport and smut with the Alternative Commentary Collective.  We talk about Matt’s humiliating experience at Laura McGoldrick’s wedding, his reflections on playing Danny Parker in Back of the Y Masterpiece Television, how his ‘fake’ band Deja Voodoo got a record contract, the time he made Jaquie Brown cry, the realities of working on breakfast radio and much more. Show notes | Matt Heath 1.49 Matt politely declines a beer after four hours broadcasting and a big weekend in Taupo 2.48 The time Seamus met Matt at Laura McGoldrick’s wedding and Matt got bullied into performing Deja Voodoo “Beers” at the reception 5.21 The time Steve joined the Matt and Jerry Show to talk the Kipchoge Challenge and got an insight into the realities of commercial radio 10.03 Balls of Steel UK and the time Matt and his mates slagged off their director unaware their mics were turned on 13.47 Back of the Y Masterpiece Television: beginnings, police complaints, show synopsis 20.06 Could the show exist in 2020? A recap of some of the more significant stunts and the end of the show 27.26 Our favourite band. Your favourite band: Deja Voodoo 30.03 Reflecting on Back of the Y and Deja Voodoo 36.58 The jump to radio via and mainstream television, and the journey from bFM to Radio Hauraki 46.40 “Changing lives”: Linking up with Jeremy Wells and creating The Matt & Jerry Show 49.10 Is there a line for Matt Heath? 51.29 Writing opinion columns for the NZ Herald   53.38 Vinewood Animation and winning awards with Fire in Cardboard City 56.17 Baz Heath: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree 57.49 Making Jaquie Brown cry, wide ranging sports chat, and last words from Matt, Steven and SeamusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kendra Cocksedge is the most capped Black Fern of all time and their record point scorer who recently announced her retirement from rugby after a stellar career. In 2019 she became the first female player to win the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Trophy for New Zealand rugby player of the year. She was also recognised by World Rugby as the International Women’s Player of the Year in 2015 and was named as part of the World Rugby Team of the Decade for the 2010s. Growing up playing with boys in Taranaki from the age of four, Kendra turned away from a promising cricket career when she was called up by the Black Ferns in 2007 and learned valuable lessons from nine years sitting on the bench. Eventually, she rose to the very top of the game leading the haka in Christchurch in front of her proud parents and enjoying a fairytale end to her domestic rugby career. But Kendra is not done yet, with one more World Cup assignment ahead of her. This episode was in paid partnership with Rexona NZ, with Kendra charting her experiences in overcoming barriers along her journey in association with Rexona NZ's #NotDoneYet campaign. Show notes | Episode 97 | Kendra Cocksedge 2:27: NotDoneYet 8:59: A few tales from Kendra: school days, prank wars, axes and bike ramps 17:08: Leading the haka 23:11: Celine Dion 25:52: A fairytale finish to a Canterbury career 31:16: Back to barefoot rugby in Okato 41:34: The cricket career that could have been 45:58: Entering the Black Ferns environment at age 19 51:01: Mental health 54:17: Playing in Club footy 55:44: Nine years as a back up Black Fern 58:20: Taking a break from rugby 59:36: The changing perceptions of women’s rugby 1:07:07: Winning the World Rugby Player of the Year in 2015… 1:10:34 …and then backing it up with the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Trophy in 2018 1:19:47: The effect of Covid-19 on Kendra 1:21:35: If you can see it you can be it 1:24:18: The physical toll of 30 years in rugby 1:27:48: Nicknames 1:31:22: Last words from Steven, Seamus and KendraSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.