Good morning, happy Friday and welcome to Five Great Reads, your weekday, summertime wrap of intriguing interviews, incisive analysis and, today at least, Beach Boys tracks. I’m Alyx Gorman, lifestyle editor of Guardian Australia, and I’m here to Do It Again until Summer’s Almost Gone.
If you’d rather be reading the news as it unfolds, our live blog is the place for that and if you’re after day two of the Women’s Ashes, we’ve got live coverage of that too. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for something to binge-watch this weekend, Sian Cain suggests Alone, which sounds awful but is actually brilliant. Now, let’s get reading.
1. Spotify’s ‘mass misinformation event’
Jordan Peterson and Joe Rogan talking for four hours is ... quite something. During an interview on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Peterson, whose scientific background is in psychology, criticised climate modelling in what one scientist whose field is actually climate science dubbed “a word salad of nonsense”.
Notable quote: “He seems to think we model the future climate the same way we do the weather,” says climate scientist Dr Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick. “He sounds intelligent, but he’s completely wrong.”
Why should I care about this? Because Rogan’s show is Spotify’s most listened to podcast, topping the charts in Australia, the US and the UK.
Further reading: Climate scientists aren’t the only ones speaking out about the content of Rogan’s shows at the moment. Neil Young pulled his music from the platform this week over false Covid claims that aired on the podcast and earlier this month, 270 experts signed an open letter labelling Rogan “a menace to public health”. “Mass misinformation events of this scale have extraordinarily dangerous ramifications,” the experts wrote.
How long will it take me to read? Three minutes.
2. The Whitlams’ return
It’s been 16 years since Tim Freedman released an album with the Whitlams and eight years since the band toured. Following the release of their new record, Sancho, and on the eve of a national tour, he sits down with Bernard Zuel to talk grief, “sad songs about blokes” and finding meaning.
Shock reveal: Given the magnitude of the Whitlams’ 2000 hit Blow Up the Pokies, what Freedman’s been doing in his time off is an eyebrow raiser. “I was on the periphery of horse racing culture and, to be honest, I was a full-time gambler for four years,” Freedman says. “I’ve never talked about it because I’m the guy who wrote Blow Up the Pokies, why would I be a gambler?”
How long will it take me to read? Just under three minutes
3. Covid denialists set up camp in Paraguay
Immigrants from Germany, Switzerland and Austria are seeking to build “paradise” in one of Paraguay’s poorest regions. Although the settlement is troubling locals, it seems to be gaining political power.
Notable quote: “Why are they here? We don’t know, but we want to find out,” said Rodney Mereles, a former municipal councillor.
Key background: “Paraguay has a long and sometimes troubled history of inward-looking immigrant colonies driven by ideological and religious zeal,” writes William Costa. “Settlement projects by Mennonites, Australian socialists and the Unification church among others have all left marks on the country.”
How long will it take me to read? Two and a half minutes.
4. Pandemic sex: less churn, more burn
In the UK, a large longitudinal study of sex suggests that Covid has killed the one-night stand. “There is a theory that a decline in random sexual encounters might indicate a new age of inhibition or sexual moralising,” writes Zoe Williams. “But it looks as if the opposite is true.”
Open to experiments: “You used to be able to categorise people,” says sex toy retailer Julia Margo, whose business is seeing a spike in sales of stocking gags and dog leads. “To me, these were really niche products. But they are so popular – and it’s the same people who are buying normal vibrators.” Meanwhile the 55-plus demographic’s gone all in on BDSM sex furniture. “There’s huge experimenting in this age bracket – and they’re spending real money on their sex lives.”
How long will it take me to read? Five minutes, but you’ll have to take off that blindfold first.
5. Beach Boys songs ranked
With the arrival of the Brian Wilson documentary Long Promised Road (available to rent or buy from streaming services in Australia), Alexis Petridis sorts through 40 of the Beach Boys’ greatest tracks.
Feel flows: You’ll probably disagree with some of the ordering, but that’s all part of the Fun, Fun, Fun. For instance…
God only knows: Why that song isn’t higher on the list.
