The Battler

This week the m*nters chat to Patrick Hunn, whose new book, Either Way You Lose, is out on the 18th of September. Joining Pat is Ursula Robinson-Shaw, who helps to run Sick Leave– the press that is putting out the book. They talk about the short story as a form, the benefits of living in an ugly city, and the realities of working as a small press in 2026. Tim tries and fails to wring Melbourne lit scene gossip from the gathered faithful. Sorry! Before that, they chat Barnaby, the Hadley/Jones beef, the NSN High court appeal and recent book acquisitions. Get it where you get it. Song is No Strain by Southend Rainbows Thanks as always to “Dictator” Dan Dare for production. Subscribe to more at thebattler.net - the Yeah Nah Review and Straying for the Morsel

This week the C*rdeliers chat with pop chanteux and impresario Montaigne , ahead of their appearance at the Bella Ciao anti fascist festival this weekend at the Thornbury Theatre. They talk about pop music in Australia, the difficulty of juggling political and aesthetic commitments and remaining to true to one’s vision, the stakes of speaking out for Palestine, and the experience of major label and independent record production. You can buy tix to the festy here :Before that, the Petr*leuses talk Secret Harbour One Nation victory, Labor self-sabotage, the ideal candidates for each party, penny wong casuistry and the French Revolution. Thanks as always to “dictator” Dan Dare for production. Song is no strain by the southend rainbows. Check out our new website! www.thebattler.net/ Subscribe to straying for the morsel and the yeah nah review . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

This week, the Sp*rious tw* chat the various iterations of woke and the flashpoint of the Arday case in the UKKK. They talk the nature and history of the great Satan “identity politics.” They chat the end of MAGA and the possibilities of rebuilding amerikkka in its wake. They quibble over justice Fagan’s ruling about the IHRA definition of antisemitism.They also talk Juche Trump; undiddlable drew; lime green nonce suits; spanian prison theory; pedo eggs and soldiers; and the ancient Chinese drake/japanese Kendrick beef. There’s still time to donate to the Craigie/wharfrat fundraiser, though it has met its initial target of 15k jillbucks in under a week. Subscribe to Yeah Nah Review and Straying for the Morsel. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

This week, the Georges Batt**l*ers talk to Becki Whitton, or Aphir, the musician and producer behind the Wettest 100 . We talk about the gaps in broadcast and the Aussie market for experimental or “left-field” music; the forms of support that artists provide for each other when old structures collapse; e-girl aesthetics and twitch streaming; and the way that an initiative like the W100 tries to bring attention to overlooked musicians. Before that, the M*jahideen talk about the exciting new joint business venture/pyramid scheme that is WHARF RAT: Pat’s small press. You can donate to the Kickstarter here . They also talk about the Omar musa gong at the Miles Franklin; Sussan Ley’s Zen and the Art of Liberal Leadership for the AFR; CUCKUS; “Greenlip”-sandgroper supercessionism; Judge Mark Holden and more. Thanks as always to “Dictator” Dan Dare for Production. Song is No Strain by the Southend Rainbows. THANKYOU to everyone who has subscribed to the website www.thebattler.net First paid ep will be up next week. Subscribe to Yeah Nah Review and Straying for the Morsel . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

Www.thebattler.net www.thebattler.net www.thebattler.net www.thebattler.net * William Carlos Williams We have a bloody website and we want YOU to give us money! You can get all kinds of great merch (paid), paid subscriptions (paid), access to a discord server (paid) and all kinds of other great stuff (paid). Get over there and become part of the movement that critics are calling “GetUp! for the Putrid Dog Left.” We also have an actual episode to follow, where we talk commo literature, the low level of cultural attainments among the Aussie Left, French Rev aesthetics, Autistic Tumblr Robespierre girls, which Asian City State is your Aussie City?, Amerikkkan antisemitism envoys, Queensland’s Crackerjack Fascism and the doughie revolution, the Jimnygeoisie, Nick Cave sophistry, Triffids v Go Betweens, Alan Jones diddling while Rome burns, strike novels across the world, kids books TALKING DOWN TO KIDS, “Bluey” the CFMEU heavy, Shaun Tan ideology critique, Pat’s NOLA mugging, New York (sorry). Caveat: Regina Featherstone’s work on NDAs in sexual assault cases is about civil suits, not criminal proceedings. Also we forgot to mention that friend of the pod Max Easton is launching his new book Now, Autonomy, at the Gaelic Club in Sydney this Saturday the 8th, with a bunch of great bands. Song is No Strain by the Southend Rainbows. Thanks to “Dictator” Dan Dare for production as always. Subscribe to Patrick Marlborough and Straying for the Morsel This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

This week it’s Labor Fever as the Gr*upers talk the smell of the National Conference, Caroll’s Allan Stabbing, Shoppification and the sidelining of Ed “Hughesy” Husic, all broadcast from the media room at Felix Lee’s Point Piper mansion. They also talk about the One Nation sturmarbeitung, Malcolm Roberts’ Bath Time, Hughesy’s (the real one) Icarian flight, KRudd Compson and the Sound and the Bloody Fury, Jillbucks and the Diddlergeddon that is Australian broadcast and politics. They also manage to talk about communist Aussie writers, Indonesian cinema, the Black Armada and how to skin a whale.Thanks as always to “Dictator” Dan Dare for production. Song is “No Strain” by the Southend Rainbows. Subscribe to Straying for the Morsel and Yeah Nah Review. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

This week, the L*estrygoonians talk to James “Robert” Woods, whose The Birthday Trip comes out in cinemas on the 30th of July. They discuss Stan originals/music video aesthetics in oz cinema; the state of the industry; the stakes of social satire in Australia, and the particulars of getting a movie made here. It’s a great chat, and you should go see the movie. Before that, the fell*s talk the Nolanyssey (Spoiler Alert), Tim’s own Toorak Yacht Week odyssey riff; Pauline “Hussein” and the fake dog theory “Burnham Wood coming to Downing Lane;” and Master’s Milk. If you want to see the l*ds live, let us know in the comments! Thanks as always to “Dictator” Dan Dare for production. Song is “No Strain” by the Southend Rainbows. Subscribe to Straying for the Morsel and Yeah Nah Review. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

This week the imp*rial ret*nue mourn the passing of Sam Neill, Liberal Party Corruption (Catholic Schools edition), the great book production debate, Melvillean Marxism and the terrors of Left irony, making prisons safe spaces, Lindsey Graham queer lore, Mamdani Italian erasure, the racial profile of New York couples, Shakespeare, and Iran 2: Lindsey’s Revenge. Song as always is No Strain by the Southend Rainbows. Thanks to Diktator Dan Dare for production. Subscribe to Straying for the Morsel and Patrick Marlborough ! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

Battlers, we have a question for you…Shag - Date - Marry: Pat - Tim - Drew.This week, The Battler Lads discuss The Beijing of the North (Brisbane), Pat’s (receding) hairbrained scheme to sell OzLit to the Chinese market, contemporary Chinese cinema, the mercurial definition of ‘The Battler’ in 2026, and, as usual, the state and fate of the current Australian left. + the Prime Minister said he’d k*ll Kylie Minogue or something? And more!Thanks as always to Producer Dan ‘Danni Minogue’ Dare for all his hard work! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

With Tim up in the great Pearl River City of Brisbane, this week the Battler brings you a conversation between friends of the pod Michael Winkler and Giacomo Bianchino. They launched the book Griefdogg together at Better Read than Dead, in Sydney, back on the 15th of June. They chat about metaphor, the resistance of landscape to art, grief and the sentence. There are also some great questions from the civs in the audience. Thanks to “Dictator” Dan Dare as always for production Back to regular programming next week. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

This week, the extended M*rlborough-Sh*a-C*llectual clan chat for ages with James.haha.nice : the “alternative comedian from Melbourne” responsible for the Harold Holt Swim Centre series on Instagram Tiktok. They talk about “Puss” Holt, the general mean-ness of the Australian political class; the misogyny at the heart of conspiracy theories; The Butter Wars and international trade policy; modern documentary culture; Australian history’s terminal dullness; defamation and the chilling of critical culture. It’s a huge and important yarn; all-time Battler areas. Before that, the r*de mechanicals talk Starmxit, the Race Around the World; Shakespeare (gay); and the HUGE REVEAL of the CHARLIE PICKERING BB KING. Note: Watteau was not really a landscape painter, but certainly bordered on genre! Thanks as always to “Dictator” Dan Dare for production. Song as always is “No Strain” by The Southend Rainbows. Subscribe to Straying for the Morsel and The Yeah Nah Review . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

This week, the gr*nks are talking to Shane Jesse Christmass, author of Xerox Over Manhattan; Latex, Texas; Meth DTF and a bunch of other indie gems. They talk prose style, the global indie publishing orbit, Amerikkka as theory and practice; collaboration across continents and defining Ozlit. It’s a ripping chat, particularly for fans of the truncated sentence (I know there are a few of youse getting around!) Before that, they talk over each other about cinema, a McManus Merkin Mime, Segal World, Lesbian barfights, the ELECTION OF DREW PAVLOU AS CHAOS CORRESPONDENT FOR KARL STEFANOVIC, America250 and DJT80; woodchopping lore; Murnane’s Order of Australia speech; and Tim sets Pat off like a Beyblade about the changing world of CGI in movies lol. Thanks as always to “Dictator” Dan Dare for Production. Song as always is “No Strain” by the Southend Rainbows. Subscribe to Straying for the Morsel and Patrick Marlborough This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

This week, the Wh*te D*gs are chatting ABC stores and the blackface era of the 2000s; the Bellingen writers’ festival and Lesbian scene; nearly coming to blows over Wes Anderson; method acting; Charlie Pickering: Zionist BB King; Sooshi Mango; Betootafication; the Parkinson era; TISM wars; AUKUS inquiries; Pauline “Little Chiko” Hanson at the Ballroom. Note: Tim calls Pi O a Comedian. Thanks as always to “Dictator Dan Dare” for his tireless work in production. Song is “No Strain” by the Southend Rainbows. Subscribe to Straying for the Morsel and Patrick Marlborough This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

This week the str*nzi are off-leash and rolling in any shit they can stick their noses into. They talk the rise of the PHONies and the inadequacy of certain Left responses; the BRS/Hastie beef; the trenchant bastardy of cops; the cruelty of Australia and cultural Howardism; the Teal Panel Party; the language of parliament; the nonce media and their love of babykillers; Alan Jones biopics; Abbott 2.0; evil gays and powerful lesbians; and Drew, Drew, Drew. Sweet Drew, our beautiful son and collaborator. We wonder about what makes him tick, what he thinks about, what he wants from the world, how he sees himself, what keeps him up at night. It’s a Pavlouvian Republic of Drewstralia, and we are just living in it. Song is “No Strain” by Southend Rainbows. Thanks always to “Dictator” Dan Dare for Production. Subscribe to Straying for the Morsel and The Yeah Nah Review This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

This week, the c*bbers talk to Will Cox, critic and author of Hyacinth, a gothic retelling of various episodes of Keeping Up Appearances. They chat about the nature of old media and nostalgia, serialisation, experimentation in modern fiction, translation and appropriation, formal fragmentation and other absolutely renegade stuff. Before that, the boys talk online anti-reading trends, more circumcisions, the hues of One Nation foreheads, mining corruption and greenwashing, the various ways they both encouraged bullies as teenagers, Pitchfork Jet Review Reichstag Fire, Tealification, Auctioneer gang wars in Sydney post-budget, tax concession anger and downwards envy. Thanks as always to “dictator” Dan Dare for production. Song is No Strain by the Southend Rainbows, who have just started recording their next album ;). Follow Straying for the Morsel and Patrick Marlborough . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

On this very special late night/laggy recording of The Battler, Pat talks about the splendour and the beauty of living in the ADHD capital of Australia, while Tim discusses his first time with Ridley Scott’s criminally underseen ‘Alien.’ We also get into The Federal Budget, Dave Hughes’ descent into cookerdom, the limits of Australian literary criticism, and Joe Biden’s life as a Mudoken saviour + more. Produced and edited by our own personal Watto, Dan Dare. Follow/like @twimwintoncellectuals and Straying for the Morsel , @cormac_mccafe and The Yeah Nah Review , and buy NOCK LOOSE! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

Battlers! Tim is sick with Hentai Virus and Pat has been busy animating Hentai! So we’ve had to take the week off—Latham forgive us!But on Tuesday, May 12, Pat had the honour of sitting down with renowned OzLit scholar/academic/critic Emmett Stinson to talk all things NOCK LOOSE at Lawson Flats in Perth. Regular scheduling returns next week. Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

This week the wh*te d*gs don’t have much to talk about in the news, so they talk about the Fremantle Dockers bris-based goal celebrations, Sopranos dolewave, Paul Kelly’s italian heritage erasure, Sergeant Johnson’s Purple Heart award, slurs for white people, The Safran Defence, KRudd’s Eunuch aesthetics, Martin Sharp and the ghost train fire, the Mining Boom as foundation of auspol, the Ocker Gump in history, Classic Israeli Bits, Australian Racism’s Immunity to Woke, Irish Rebel Wilson Ballads. Thanks as always to “Dictator” Dan Dare for production. Song is No Strain by Southend Rainbows. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

This week, Pat is in Melbourne to open the new High Street Maccas. Timbo is at Tigertown activating the Tinny Dome. They chat Apple stores and the disappearance of dudes with Stretcher earrings; Cheers lore and the differential status of bar flies in Amerikkka and Australia; IDF Hentai boobytraps; ANZAC raves and ANZAC hecklers and the Bed and Rest Sanctuary wellness centre. They also talk about the longterm Zio goal of destroying presses like UQP, with the new fuckery around Jazz Money and Matt Chun’s Bila. Thanks as always to “Dictator” Dan Dare for production. Song is “ No Strain ” by Southend Rainbows. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com

This week the g**ners chat with poet and flaneuse Zarah Butcher-McGunnigle, about the release of her two new-old books, Autobiography of a Marguerite and Leaves Fall Off to Create Drama. They talk about the legacy of L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poetry; the changes in verse in the last couple of decades; Autofiction and fragmentary writing; cracking open old works and the vicissitudes of life on the scene. Before that, Putrid Pat and Tumescent Tim discuss JJJ and Raw Comedy aesthetics; revivalism in noughties music; the death of music press; Australian political memoirs; CTE-lit; magic realism v fabulism; the nature of the middlebrow; playfulness in comedy; Masculinity: a gay conspiracy; the BRS Read-a-thon. Production by “Dictator” Dan Dare. Song: No Strain by The Southend Rainbows. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebattler.substack.com