30 million Americans are quietly getting thinner, and it's not through discipline or willpower. It's a weekly injection derived from the saliva of a Gila monster lizard. Welcome to the Ozempic revolution.

In part one of a two-part series, Alex and John dig into the GLP-1 drug phenomenon that's reshaping bodies, brains, and culture at a speed no diet trend ever has. From the Danish pharmaceutical company that accidentally broke its own stock exchange, to the celebrities suspiciously crediting "lifestyle changes" for dramatic weight loss, to the uncomfortable question of what these drugs mean for the body positivity movement, this is way bigger than weight loss.

They also revisit the original cutting-edge weight loss technology: Light and Easy frozen meals, a bag of South Australian marijuana, and absolutely no self-control.

Topics covered: Ozempic, Wegovy, semaglutide, GLP-1 drugs, weight loss drugs 2024, body positivity, Novo Nordisk, celebrity weight loss, Lizzo, Mindy Kaling, Megan Trainor, Wegovy ads, food culture, diet culture history

Don't Praise The Machine is a weekly comedy podcast about the ways culture is shifting, hosted by two old friends from opposite sides of the world.

New episodes every week. Subscribe so you don't miss part two.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Alex and John trace the full arc — from Ötzi the Iceman's 5,300-year-old tattoos to the Gen Z vs millennial style split, the mainstreaming of ink in professional life, and the industry that's now growing faster than tattooing itself: laser removal.

Also discussed: how you rebel against your parents when your mum is already covered in tattoos, why the tattoo removal industry is worth $1.86 billion a year, and whether John will ever get one.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alex saw Michael Jackson perform live in 1996. He was 14, obsessed, and desperately wanted to be one of those lucky boys he always saw by Michael's side. As the years went on, he became very glad he wasn't.

With the MJ biopic crossing a billion dollars at the box office and two active lawsuits still pending against his estate, Alex and John ask the question nobody in a theatre queue seems to be asking: what exactly are we all agreeing to ignore?

In this episode we cover the decades-long pattern of behaviour, the 1993 Jordan Chandler settlement, the evidence presented at the 2005 trial, the Australian boys, Leaving Neverland, and the $16.5 million payout to the Cascio family that almost nobody knows about.

And underneath all of it: the uncomfortable truth that his music is so woven into the fabric of our lives that the world has quietly decided the evidence just isn't worth looking at.

Michael Jackson | MJ Biopic 2025 | Leaving Neverland | Jordan Chandler | Gavin Arvizo | Wade Robson | Cascio Family Lawsuit | Michael Jackson Documentary | Don't Press the Machine Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.