Episode 125 - August Madness
2018-08-17
HostsMelissa Erbacher Scott Trickett
GuestSimon Mackley
Show notes
The parkrun adventurers begin a quest for a new opening catchphrase. Reverse Freedom August Madness is finally here with Scotty and Mel going head to head for glory while former Madness Champion and guest host Simon Mackley wrangles the Q cards. Plus we debut the parkrun adventurers hotline!
Enhanced transcript
Checked transcript — speakers named, sound described, segments marked.
Read the transcriptGuests
Simon Mackley
Brought on as guest host to write and ask the August Madness questions. Beyond running the quiz he is questioned by both hosts — Mel on his question-writing methodology at [00:08:15] ("when you were writing the questions, what was the method?"), and Scott at [00:29:33] for "a quick update on Mosman" and on "how are you coping fitting three parkrun podcasts into your week?"
In this episode
August Madness
Billed on air as "Reverse Freedom August Madness" — a variant format in which the two hosts are the contestants instead of listeners. Guest host Simon Mackley wrote and asked 10 parkrun trivia questions plus a tiebreaker; Scott and Mel buzzed in by shouting their home parkrun ("Kawana" vs "Westerfolds"). Mel won 11-8 after a 4-point haul on the Southern Hemisphere parkrun countries question, then took the winner-takes-all tiebreaker ("What is the exact date of the first Australian parkrun?" — 2 April 2011). Her prize is to face former champion Brendan Peel in the next Madness. Simon explains at [00:08:35] that he originally wrote the questions for Brendan Peel and pitched them down from "level nine" to "level six" once he knew it was the hosts.
Roving Adventurers (roving reporter crossovers)
The slot is acknowledged but empty this week: [00:30:45] "We don't have any roving reports filed this week from any members of the Channel 5 news crew or otherwise." Mel fills it by describing photos sent from the UK by David Moss, "our foreign correspondent who's on the ground in the UK", whose attempts at recording audio failed — a shot of Dave with Paul and Joanne Sinton-Hewitt at the Isle of Man half marathon (run on Paul's birthday, a gift from Joanne), and one of a participant in a full replica rhinoceros costume.
Launches and anniversaries ("Where is the cake?")
Four launches this week — Burswood Peninsula (WA), Meningie (SA), Seacliff Esplanade (SA) and "Willow" (Victoria) — plus three anniversaries at Aldinga Beach (SA), Brimbank (Vic) and Callaghan (NSW). Scott notes launches outnumbering anniversaries is unusual: "We haven't had that many launch on one week for a long time."
Poem Zone
Referenced only, not performed — Mel announces its end at [00:33:19]-[00:33:22]: "We no longer have the Poem Zone. The Poem Zone wrapped up last week." It is explicitly replaced in the running order by the new parkrun Adventurers hotline. Its legacy persists later in the episode when Scott introduces hotline caller Caroline as "our Poem Zone Hall of Famer" [00:41:22].
parkrun Adventurers Hotline
DEBUT of the segment that replaces the Poem Zone, complete with new intro music. Listeners record their own audio question via Facebook Messenger or an audio app and email it to parkrunadventurers@gmail.com; topics need not be parkrun-related. Three calls aired: (1) "Alan Ruck", long-time listener/first-time caller, on the lack of millennials at parkrun; (2) Peter Pohlman as "your Dorothy Dixer", asking what shoe size the hosts wear and why (Scott 10.5 US, Mel AU 5-6 / EU 37); (3) Caroline, on the Run Nation Film Festival launch with Keith Hong and when the hosts will attend their local screening.
Sing-along
Scott's recorded 80s-movie-theme outro. Teased earlier at [00:35:41] ("Speaking of, sing-along. Quick tease. Got another one. It's a beauty.") and framed as an ongoing series — "we're going to get to the requests after we've got through my back catalogue" [00:46:10]. Mel gives a listeners' guessing clue, the line "Pleased to meet you, Moles" [00:47:54]-[00:48:05], before the track plays out the episode from [00:48:52]. The "Moles" clue points to the 1984 film Electric Dreams, though the film is never named on air.