Midlifing

Lee Miller and Simon Ellis
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

Two friends Lee and Simon have serious conversations about silly things, and silly conversations about serious things. Together they dig into the pleasures, absurdities and imperfections of being human.

  1. 3d ago

    305: I Was as Lucky as I Was Hungry

    Send us Fan Mail Lee reveals that giving a colleague a lift home exposed a further, unsuspected layer of "unfiltered Lee", which prompts Simon to suggest a set of age-rated cardboard signs to hang around his neck. Simon finds real pleasure in treating a knotty work situation as a giant puzzle made of human pieces. He also reports that this week's raid on the office chocolate cupboard turned up only waxy, orange-foiled Halloween balls. Then Simon brings in a line from Annie Duke about crediting ourselves for good luck and blaming bad luck, which leads them to effort, privilege, and what large language models might be doing to a young person's sense of agency. Mentioned Microsoft Teams – the platform for a work meeting earlier in the week, which opened with a podcast-style countdown out of pure habitCher – "If I Could Turn Back Time" quoted after realising 1930 is nearly a century ago, not 60 or 70 years1930s BBC nativity play broadcast – a technically ambitious live broadcast from near the tip of Cornwall, now being re-performed as an immersive piece in a church by a local theatre company with research centre support; the on-air bulb blew mid-broadcast and the cast carried on regardlessForced Entertainment – Sheffield-based experimental theatre company; the idea of wearing cardboard signs around the neck is called "very early Forced Entertainment"Falmouth University – cited as the third biggest employer in Cornwall, in a discussion of universities being too important locally to fail (transcribed as "foundless")Marlene Dietrich – conjured as the image of the old-time nightclub where "vamping" (filling time on stage) might come fromCoventry University – domain for an imagined "quality control" email address to complain about the downgrade in stolen office chocolatesAnnie Duke, How to Decide – book on decision-making; its line about blaming bad luck for bad outcomes while crediting ourselves for good ones prompts a conversation about effort, luck and agency at different stages of lifeLarge language models – discussed as a "seismic" wildcard for students' sense of agency, compared with older forms of privilegeGet in touch with Lee and Simon at info@midlifing.net. --- The Midlifing logo is adapted from an original image by H.L.I.T: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29311691@N05/8571921679 (CC BY 2.0)

  2. Sep 30

    304: Defund the Tapestry Folk, Defund the Choreographers

    Send us Fan Mail Lee arrives squinting at his phone, his many pairs of reading glasses having all washed up in one place, out of reach. After a detour through Reacher and its spin-off Neagley, Lee brings in an Alabama senator warning that airline pilots may secretly be furries, and Simon questions the maths. From there it's a stolen mint chocolate that turns out to be Simon's Proustian madeleine, a private tapestry tour at the V&A, a defence of experts, and an imagined Akram Khan statue that spins at the press of a button. Mentioned Reacher (TV series) – the latest season is being watched; a friend texted to say they cried at the endNeagley (TV series) – Reacher spin-off, watched over the weekend and rated highly; the character was always a fascinating one in the books tooMaria Sten – actor who plays Neagley in both shows; her name is only half-remembered in the episodeAlan Ritchson – plays Reacher; noticeably smaller in season one than in season fourTommy Tuberville – Republican senator from Alabama; a press-conference clip in which he warns that aviation workers, pilots included, may be furries with a "deranged fetish"Furries – community of people who dress as cartoon animals, with a sexual and a non-sexual "stripe"Adidas – brand invoked in a joke about the two "stripes" of furriesMickey Mouse and Pluto – examples of the kind of cartoon animal furries dress asPup play – mentioned as distinct from being a furryDungeons & Dragons – floated as a niche hobby probably more common than being a furryYouTube – its new ads that shrink the video, even during a yoga sessionMarcel Proust – the madeleine, as the model for a mint chocolate that triggers memories of after-dinner mints at grandparents'The Meaning of Life (Monty Python) – the "wafer-thin" mint, alluded to and then droppedElizabeth Shaw – after-dinner mint brand with an "interesting range"Bendicks Bittermints – the "bitter mint" style of after-dinner mintV&A – two days of meetings with access-all-areas tours of V&A East Storehouse, V&A East and South Kensington; Young V&A also mentionedDavid Bowie Centre, V&A East Storehouse – a room visited on the tourBoris Johnson and David Cameron – each suggested as the source of the anti-experts line (the "had enough of experts" remark is usually credited to Michael Gove)Dominic Cummings – "drove to Durham"; his name can't be recalled in the episodeWayne McGregor – choreographer, cited as the rare choreographer with money because of his work for ABBAABBA – ABBA Voyage, via Wayne McGregorAkram Khan – choreographer with a large installation at V&A East, which prompts the joke about an "Angry Akram" statueMichael Jackson statue on the Thames – the giant statue floated down the river to promote HIStory in 1995, used for comparisonGet in touch with Lee and Simon at info@midlifing.net. --- The Midlifing logo is adapted from an original image by H.L.I.T: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29311691@N05/8571921679 (CC BY 2.0)

  3. Sep 23

    303: She Seems Like a Nice Girl

    Send us Fan Mail Simon opens with a simple question for Lee: what, exactly, is the attraction of right-wing extremism? Lee comes at it sideways, through Britpop. He admits the off-stage rudeness of Blur and Oasis in the late 90s put him off their music entirely (Tori Amos, at least, seemed nice), and wonders whether the far right runs on a capacity for forgiveness he simply lacks. From there it's Question Time, another Reform MP on the panel, and a view from Sassari on nostalgia as the engine of it all. Mentioned Igor x Moreno – choreographic duo whose show was seen the night before recording; described as almost the only choreographers Simon goes to seeAndrew Tate – cited as where a "gateway" figure can eventually leadBritpop – 1990s UK music scene, framed as two factions with a bridge between themBlur – the art-school side of Britpop; rude off-stage behaviour made their music impossible to enjoy at the timeOasis – the working-class side of Britpop; same objection, same resultPulp – the band that bridged the two camps, "the one ring that binds them both"The Lord of the Rings – source of the "one ring" riff on PulpVHS vs Betamax – format-war analogy for the Blur/Oasis rivalryTori Amos – the alternative listening of the time: angry and spiky, but critiquing misogyny; a clip of "Winter" is playedIsrael – example of a topic on which a podcaster's view gets set aside while the rest is still valued"Be curious, not judgmental" – maxim recalled from the show's early days, and from Ted LassoQuestion Time (BBC) – televised political debate show touring the UK; the new season again features a Reform MP on the panelAny Questions? (BBC Radio 4) – the radio show Question Time's format derives fromReform UK – far-right party; discussed in terms of platforming, normalisation and nostalgiaAndy Burnham – referred to as the new Prime Minister; the "Burnham bounce" is credited with Reform's drop in supportWales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – devolution, and what it might mean to be left living in EnglandSassari – city in Sardinia; a vantage point on immigration, visible change and resistance to it in ItalyGet in touch with Lee and Simon at info@midlifing.net. --- The Midlifing logo is adapted from an original image by H.L.I.T: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29311691@N05/8571921679 (CC BY 2.0)

  4. Sep 16

    302: Trained Into Silence, Trained Into Volume

    Send us Fan Mail Simon is packing for a work trip to Sardinia via Venice that may or may not still be above water, while Lee is nursing a resurrected three-week-old voicemail from his own iPad and marvelling at a £2000 folding phone. A friend's line from her work as a couples therapist – point the finger at yourself a little more – tips them into their oldest shared material: Simon's mother's temper, recorded in her own diaries, against the careful, unbreakable Danish teak table that survived Lee's parents' house intact. Mentioned Venice – mentioned regarding an upcoming work trip, with a wry aside about whether it's still above waterSardinia – ferry destination for the same tripApple Duo – newly launched foldable Apple phone; its price becomes a running joke about "awesome power" gadgetsAustin Powers – referenced via the pinky-to-mouth gesture from the Dr. Evil "one million dollars" bitAnthropic / Claude – AI company and assistant, referenced in a quick pun ("Miss Anthropic's Claude")BBC – broadcaster of an interview in which an AI researcher is asked to put a percentage on the chance AI causes human extinctionTerminator – cited as the obvious cultural reference point that should have made the AI-extinction answer unsurprisingDoctor Una / "Couples Therapy" (HBO) – a couples therapist with an HBO show of the same format, clipped for TikTok and Instagram; her line to "point that finger at yourself" becomes the episode's central threadMick Jagger – invoked humorously as the wrong kind of finger-pointingGet in touch with Lee and Simon at info@midlifing.net. --- The Midlifing logo is adapted from an original image by H.L.I.T: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29311691@N05/8571921679 (CC BY 2.0)

  5. Sep 9

    301: I Want You To Go Fully Marbled

    Send us Fan Mail Simon has been sent his late mother's diaries and the courtship letters she exchanged with his father, and can't decide whether reading them is an act of care or an invasion. Lee counters with his own father's diary, thirty years running and started by a Disney Store Aladdin Diary, a purely functional record with no reflection in it whatsoever. Between a Lisbon vegan march and the looming stamp duty on Simon's new flat, the conversation ends where these things always end: an imaginary OnlyFans account, funded by house-moving labour. Mentioned Aladdin Diary (Disney Store) – the Christmas gift that started an annual diary-giving tradition lasting three decadesHMRC (His Majesty's Revenue and Customs) – the UK tax authority, discussed over stamp duty owed on (what is not really) a second homeOnlyFans – floated, half-seriously, as a way to cover that stamp duty bill; also the platform an elderly former soap actress is said to usePatreon – considered and rejected in favour of OnlyFansFarrah Fawcett – actress and former Charlie's Angels star, recalled while trying to place the unnamed soap star's identityCharlie's Angels – TV series; referenced for Farrah Fawcett's short-lived role in itRyan O'Neal – actor; Farrah Fawcett's longtime partner and Tatum O'Neal's fatherTatum O'Neal – actress; discussed alongside her father and her relationship with John McEnroeJohn McEnroe – tennis player; mentioned as a former partner of Tatum O'Neal's, with whom she had childrenPaper Moon (1973) – film in which Ryan O'Neal and Tatum O'Neal starred togetherTom Holland – actor; discussed via a video ranking celebrity physiques by how "natural" they appear, focused on whether his Spider-Man build is achieved without steroidsGet in touch with Lee and Simon at info@midlifing.net. --- The Midlifing logo is adapted from an original image by H.L.I.T: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29311691@N05/8571921679 (CC BY 2.0)

  6. Sep 2

    300: Oh So You Found Chocolate That You Were Denied

    Send us Fan Mail Simon and Lee catch up after a stretch apart: Simon turns 58 in Scotland, complete with a sleeper train that quietly failed to leave London and a lakeside sauna ritual, and comes home to an accepted offer on a new flat close enough to see from his window. Lee, holding down the Lisbon end of things, hosts long-time listeners Josh and Craig and finds a speakeasy behind a knitting shop. Two confessional dreams surface along the way – Simon stealing chocolate from an unimpressed houseguest, and Lee shouting at Bob over a missing cheese sandwich mid-flight. Mentioned Josh and Craig – long-time listeners of the podcast who came to Lisbon for a brief visitDahlander [?] – a Lisbon friend jokingly called "the mayor of Lisbon" for knowing everyone; name as spoken, spelling uncertainA speakeasy-style club near Rato/Campo de Ourique, Lisbon [?] – entered through a false-front knitting shop, down two flights to a small live-music venue; the venue's own name was unclear in the transcriptHarry Styles – invoked in a riff about impeccably tailored shorts and personal styleAriana Grande – named as the kind of star who, unlike Harry Styles, would not turn up to a low-key Lisbon clubDiana Ross / Barbra Streisand [?] – one of the two supposedly chartered the private jet in Lee's dream, which ended in a missed cheese sandwich and a furious wake-up; unclear which name was actually saidCadbury – chocolate brand discussed via a childhood memory of a nearby factory in Dunedin, New Zealand, and a perceived decline in qualityThe Caledonian Sleeper – the overnight London–Scotland train that was quietly towed back to the station and re-departed without waking sleeping passengersLöyly [?] – the Finnish word for the steam released when water hits the sauna stones, given per the speaker's own uncertain pronunciationGet in touch with Lee and Simon at info@midlifing.net. --- The Midlifing logo is adapted from an original image by H.L.I.T: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29311691@N05/8571921679 (CC BY 2.0)

  7. Aug 26

    299: Do You Like The Atmosphere On The Moon?

    Send us Fan Mail Simon returns from holiday with a question rather than the usual content: should there be a limit on turning your own trauma into comedy, prompted by Amanda Knox's new Edinburgh Fringe show about her wrongful imprisonment for Meredith Kercher's murder. Lee takes it somewhere more personal, tracing his low tolerance for comedy that punches down through a brutal old episode of Never Mind the Buzzcocks and an admission that even David Sedaris can be too cruel for him. It ends, unexpectedly, on two flat viewings: an estate agent he clicked with instantly through jokes, and one who won by actually listening. Mentioned Amanda Knox – wrongly convicted, later exonerated, of Meredith Kercher's murder in Perugia; now has a comedy show at the Edinburgh Fringe about the experience, prompting the episode's central question about the ethics of turning trauma into materialMeredith Kercher – the murdered student at the centre of the Knox case; her family's objection to being invoked in Knox's show is discussedEdinburgh Fringe – festival where Knox's show is currently runningNever Mind the Buzzcocks (BBC2) – music quiz show; a stretch of episodes hosted by a young Simon Amstell recalled as brutally punching down at guestsSimon Amstell – Buzzcocks host; remembered for harsh treatment of Amy Winehouse and for reading a Celebrity Big Brother contestant's memoir aloud on air to embarrass her boyfriendAmy Winehouse – an episode featuring her on Buzzcocks recalled as especially shockingCelebrity Big Brother – recalled for a series in which an ordinary person was planted in the house disguised as a minor celebrityChantelle Houghton – won that series posing as a celebrity, later mocked on Buzzcocks over lines from her memoir; name uncertain from the transcriptPreston – musician and Chantelle's boyfriend at the time, remembered walking off during the on-air mockeryThe Daily Mail – newspaper behind the mocked photoshoot line from Chantelle's memoirDavid Sedaris – essayist; his writing about his family, including his sister's suicide, discussed as sometimes tipping from painful into cruelGet in touch with Lee and Simon at info@midlifing.net. --- The Midlifing logo is adapted from an original image by H.L.I.T: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29311691@N05/8571921679 (CC BY 2.0)

  8. Aug 19

    298: The Exception That Proves The Rule, Which Makes No Sense

    Send us Fan Mail Simon and Lee start off sleepy and a little weepy, which somehow tips into a debate about the line between pornography and eroticism, sparked by the Heated Rivalry novels Bob bought Lee for his birthday (which, they discover, started life as Bucky Barnes/Captain America slash fiction). From there it's kettlebells, sarcopenia, and shirtless YouTube fitness bros neither of them can bear to watch, before Lee reports that Bob's own kettlebell-honed solidity got tested by a phone-distracted man who shoulder-checked her on a London street – and didn't move. It closes on who gets to take up space and who doesn't, from Coventry's lime bike gangs to the rarity of ever seeing a pack of women do the same. Mentioned The Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars) – Harrison Ford's sequel to the original film; invoked as a comparison for writing a hit follow-upThe Da Vinci Code / Angels & Demons (Dan Brown) – blockbuster novels; used as another sequel comparison, with mock embarrassment at picking the less-loved oneDan Lepard – baker and food writer; arrives as a punning mishearing of "Dan Brown" and becomes its own jokeDan Brown's latest novel – unnamed page-turner about consciousness, featuring his recurring Robert Langdon character (described as "the same Tom Hanks character")Heated Rivalry (Rachel Reid) – romance novel series, a birthday gift; discussed as having started life as Bucky Barnes/Captain America slash fiction before becoming an original hockey romanceStar Trek – Kirk and Spock's relationship is cited as the origin of the term "slash fiction"Swedish death cleaning – decluttering philosophy; referenced in a joke about a now-discarded handmade cassette collection Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner – actors who played Spock and Kirk; clarified that their characters never had an on-screen romanceCaptain America / Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier (Marvel) – the fictional pairing behind Heated Rivalry's fan-fiction originsChatGPT – joked about as a possible personal trainer YouTube and Instagram – named as the real source of workout routines, alongside a complaint about shirtless fitness influencersLime – e-bike share scheme; its riders in Coventry prompt a discussion about groups occupying street spaceBack to the Future – referenced via its high school principal character while describing a run-in with a pack of e-bike ridersGet in touch with Lee and Simon at info@midlifing.net. --- The Midlifing logo is adapted from an original image by H.L.I.T: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29311691@N05/8571921679 (CC BY 2.0)

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About

Two friends Lee and Simon have serious conversations about silly things, and silly conversations about serious things. Together they dig into the pleasures, absurdities and imperfections of being human.

Information

  • Creator
    Lee Miller and Simon Ellis
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    307
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Midlifing
  • Show Website
    Midlifing