Stall It with Darren and Joe

It’s far too early, some would argue, but Darren is out of the block fast and racing into the festive season. This of course means the Christmas trees debate is back, and we end up with complaints about the smell of bark and dreams of an imagined Jesus train.We bemoan the lack of tack at Christmas now, and that sets Joe off on a magical tour of his own imagination as he dreams up the tackiest home décor plan he can conjure – from indoor palm trees to magnificent, mismatched lampshades, and life size ornamental zebras wearing tutus.After much build up, Darren’s delivered his wedding invites to Joe and Eoin. They’re very fancy and cause much fuss.Joe comes in to us with some TikTok alien theories, and he wants us to believe there are extraterrestrials under the sea, to the point he’s outraged this isn’t a central issue in the Irish general election. he's also keen to talk down our sun, and argue it's the worst of all suns. A crap sun.In this episode we talk about a new podcast from GoLoud, The Gambler, and you can listen to that here: https://open.spotify.com/show/6rDXDZO10vChppLfIxLyFF?si=3659c4a758874b87Send all of your comments and questions to stallit@goloudnow.com

We bring you news of a very exciting new project from the team here at GoLoud (including our own Producer Eoin), a new 8-part true crime series called "The Gambler", that is released today.It's a collaboration between the team at GoLoud and the team behind the hugely successful, multi-award winning "The Witness" - crime journalist Nicola Tallant and producer Ian Maleney.Producer Eoin gives us some of the background on it all, and he explains to us how a phone call from a prisoner in an Irish prison started a journey into the darkest reaches of addiction, crime and deception.He also plays a trailer for the series, which Joe quite enjoys.The Gambler is out now.Spotify link for The Gambler: https://open.spotify.com/show/6rDXDZO10vChppLfIxLyFF?si=62dd15ff950549ad

Joe’s winning streak continues as his acting chops come in for hearty praise from one listener. And then he swiftly gets brutally fact checked.Darren warns us all against watching films with dogs on the poster, for fear of heartbreak.The people have come for Darren over the scandal of him missing the intro to episode 180.And we have a classic of the nonsense genre of listener questions, as the lads have to choose between life as a human sized bee, or a bee sized human. It proves a challenging exercise.Send your questions and anything else to stallit@goloudnow.com

Darren’s been schmoozing on the celebrity circuit again, and he’s had a style upgrade to better blend in among the beautiful people.Not forgetting his roots though, he’s too shy to make any introductions to the powerful movers and shakers in his midst, and is more comfortable considering getting into some pool hall hustling.Joe attempt a historical deep dive and trips himself up with some highly dubious claims about aliens meddling in Earth’s political affairs, and how the drive to cover up that shady carry on led to arguably the most consequential geopolitical events of the 21st century.Send your questions and comments to stallit@goloudnow.com

Joe has got one big claim right, so now the masses have come to say he can never be wrong. There is obviously major concern about this among the wider Stall It family, who see this as the terrifying new dawn of the age of spoof.And the choice between a life of all out spice, or one of none, has our heads scrambling for logic amid the nonsense. Is a spicy bowl for cereal each morning better or worse than a flavourless life?Send all of your questions and comments to stallit@goloudnow.com

We interrupt our regular broadcast (briefly) for a long overdue celebration that has left at least one of us feeling very emotional.That's before Joe returns us to normal service with a rundown on his latest series of mishaps, poor decisions and public humiliations - everything from DIY haircuts, to consternation over a restaurant bill, and memories of being trapped in tunnels.Send all of your questions, comments and congratulations to stallit@goloudnow.com

We consider which TV ads live rent free in our heads, Joe rumbles the con of disguised Guinness trucks, and a discussion on needless specialised clothing sees Darren tap into his inner Joe as he rails against eyeglasses and knee pads for skateboarders.And Joe, the restaurateur (of sorts) passes his eye over the gimmick eatery scene, and has little hope for it, but he suddenly finds interest in a very specific themed restaurant of his own.

Well, he did it. Against all odds, and in the face of much doubt and mocking, Joe McGucken has run the Dublin Marathon without (he says) a second of training.He comes into the studio, wearing his medal and on very stiff legs, to reject all praise and tell us what he did is absolutely unimpressive.There’s also a chat about our recent live show, possibly our strangest one yet, including Darren becoming possessed live on stage and some very unexpected musical guests joining us - and we argue over the changing face of Halloween.

Ever wondered what reaility tv show the lads would go on? Well thanks to a listener question you're about to find out and the answers will enthrall/apall you and Eoin gets the perfect The Chaser nickname.In what Darren claims is the best listener question EVER! they get to fantasise about opening their own pub, what's getting served and who's immediately barred. Send all of your questions to stallit@goloudnow.com

As Joe struggles with the painful realities of being a homeowner, he fondly remembers the Dublin Corporation or Corpo for those in the know. As they look ahead to a night a the Irish Pod Awards (vote here), hosted in the Stella Cinema, both lads think back on other memorable times spent at the cinema when people were smoking and partaking in other private activities while the film played. There’s also talk of the black market for coins, and they discuss the dangers of passing through another market – George’s St Arcade to be exact. Darren wants to know what the back of your hand is called and with a confidence normally seen in Joe, insists that he could pull the head off a robot bouncer trying to kick him out of a pub. Get your tickets to this Sunday’s live show on Ticketmaster now.

One listener return us to an old area of debate - the strict technical requirements for something to be considered a sandwich. We previously debated the merits of the humble burger, but what of the pizza?We also have a warning about the dangers of undertaking a previously mooted Stall It challenge, and we witness an unfolding drama this week as Joe’s race to the marathon start line quickens.Send all of your questions to stallit@goloudnow.com

In the final episode of our Manson series (really, this is the end), Joe goes for a space walk as we try to keep him tethered to reality, with a closing chapter of conspiracy theories, conclusions and some confirmation bias.We look at top-secret FBI and CIA programmes enacted to counter the growing number of groups opposing the establishment, including the Black Panthers and the counterculture movement. We also explore the curiously close proximity of Charles Manson and the architect of the CIA’s efforts to control minds, during the years Manson transformed himself into a cult leader.Could the wider picture that could offer some darker explanations? Or could it be no more than coincidence, in a strange, turbulent period of history?And with all of this swirling around, we do our best to offer our own conclusions on the entire story.Send all of your questions, comments, corrections and deep-dive tips to stallit@goloudnow.comThe sources mentioned in this episode are: "You Must Remember Manson" (Podcast) by Karina Longworth;" Helter Skelter: An American Myth" by Lesley Chilcott; "Manson", by Jeff Guinn; "Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders", by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry, "Chaos: The Truth Behind the Manson Murders", by Tom O'Neill, and CieloDrive.com.

With our odyssey through the tale of the Manson Family nearing its end, we veer off into the world of doubts and suspicions over the official version of events, and wander into the realm of alternative theories – some bizarre, some conspiratorial, and several that case serious doubt over key parts of the original story.Following one journalist’s 20-year mission (and obsession) to uncover new truths, we travel through Los Angeles in the late 60s, where it seems everyone’s potentially a spy and absolutely nobody is above suspicion. There's also a discussion about a piano jacket that nearly details everything.We find mysterious shadowy figures at the fringes of the Tate murders, sinister rumours and long hidden secrets – and all of it adds startling new angles and questions to the history of Charles Manson, his followers, and their crimes.Note: The book referenced in this episode is “Chaos: The Truth Behind the Manson Murders” by Tom O’Neill

One listener pleads with us to please, please check Joe’s nonsense and while we try our best it only sees him double down on yet more predictions of his own glory in the face of challenges mere mortals struggle with. But this time we’re veering dangerously close to putting his claims to the test.We get an update on the first pets (that we know of) named after Darren and Joe, there’s a sighting of Darren’s supermarket nemesis, and one keen-eared listener calls out the lads’ sneaky skipping of a particularly disgusting food challenge.Send your questions or comments to stallit@goloudnow.com

We hear the bizarre story a murder trial for the ages, as the Manson family and their leader put on an exhibition of farce and nonsense in the courtroom.It brings in a raft of new, bizarre and fascinating characters, with Charles Manson, directing his band of devotees, going head to head against Vincent Bugliosi, a lawyer with no fear of the dramatic and a few tricks up his sleeve.Along with trying to unpack the twisted tale of the Manson Family, the trial included the unsolved death of a lawyer who angered the Manson Family, some bizarre courtroom rituals, death threats to judges, wrestling lawyers (in the court), and months of chaos that gripped the world’s attention as key witnesses painted a picture of Helter Skelter, while Manson’s most devoted followers offered to give it all up for their leader.Send your questions, comments and everything else to stallit@goloudnow.com

We fall headfirst back into the realm of big claims, with the argument that there is no such thing as wild land on earth – just ask the BBC, apparently.It’s a complex conspiracy theory (we don’t need to tell you from who) that involves undercover penguins, GPS polar bears, tigers in the Wicklow Mountains, and Jim Carrey in a rhino’s arse.The drones are delivering dogs to Darren and Joe is now a scooter man, after a somewhat unexpectedly prompt delivery of his new wheels.And Joe is playing hardball on bringing the Very Good Spice Bag truck to the live show.Send your questions, comments and everything else to stallit@goloudnow.com

We savour the the incomparable joy of over flavoured crisps, and consider who could be the leader in the most competitive division of the crisps world.Joe prepares, with some confidence, for a casual stroll up Mount Everest, but has a rare moment of humility as he comes up against a challenge even he must accept he just can’t do.There’s a word from the painters and decorators of the world, striking back.And the lads weigh up their options to a strange query about life as a telly.Send your questions, comments and anything else to stallit@goloudnow.com

The investigation into the Manson Family murders gets off to a shoddy start and carries on that way, as police find themselves baffled and looking everywhere but where they needed to.The Manson Family moves to Death Valley, as crazed paranoia and fear take root inside the group, and the cracks begin to show in the cult.We hear of Manson's showdown with a rival cult leader, who he catches deprogramming his Family members, and how a Beach Boys gold record bought Manson his dream desert hideaway.Darren wonders why a disproportionate number of cult leaders relocate to the desert, and finds himself thankful Ireland has neither deserts or ranches for criminal masterminds to hideout in.And we hear how the Family finally come undone, as a series of events lead to the case finally being cracked.

Joe has a lot to say about Diddy and the upcoming trial – Although his claims are seriously questioned, some say his statements are common knowledge, others suggest they’re nothing but unfounded rumours. Much more believable is his disgust at paying nearly €9 for a pint of Guinness, and he’s not alone in his feelings with Darren agreeing and wondering why the Government is letting people ignore the prices they set for a pint during the Budget…. And as his wedding draws near, Darren’s starting to get nervous – What if he headbutts Amy while trying to kiss the bride? 

The lads are back with a bonus to tackle some life changing issues like could you eat 8 cans of tuna in a row? Where do you start in the shower and would you join a suasage based cult?In other develpoments, Joe gets acosted by The KitKat Boys and categorically slams rumours of free spicebags at the live show in Vicar St. Send your questions and everything else to stallit@goloudnow.com