Hi there,

This is just to let you know about Flightless Bird — a weekly podcast I’m doing with my buddies at Armchair Expert.

I’ve been working with them for awhile now — meeting Dax, Monica and Rob after appearing on an episode of Armchair Expert, where I talked Dark Tourist, Tickled and Webworm.

From there, we started making a monthly show about conspiracy theories called Armchaired & Dangerous. That show saw us embark on a West Coast tour in early 2022, where we were joined by Bill Gates live on stage. I had to pinch myself. Don’t worry — A&D will still happen when we get time to make it.

Right now — I am very excited about Flightless Bird.

What is Flightless Bird?

The concept was dreamt up on a road trip I took with Wobbly Wob: A show in which I’d confront the realities of being accidentally marooned in America… by learning about what made this strange country tick.

Episode One tackles religion: American Christianity, to be specific. American megachurches, to be even more specific. The type of institution Webworm regular John Cameron of Arise Church idolises so much.

The Flightless Bird graphic - Farrier grinning like an idiot clutching an American flag

You can find and subscribe to Flightless Bird on Spotify and Apple Podcasts — and other places you get podcasts like Podcast Addict. Just search under the Armchair Expert feed.

New episodes will drop weekly on Tuesdays in the USA (that’s Wednesdays if you’re in Aotearoa — New Zealand is in the future!)

In each episode we’ll explore a new fascinating, weird piece of Americana from the perspective of my kiwi brain. I’m the kiwi, a metaphorical flightless bird who got stranded in the USA when New Zealand closed its borders to keep Covid out. I had to stay for a year in the USA — so just ended up moving my life here.

What better reason to learn about this place? The good bits, the bad bits, he confusing bits, the deeply funny and strange bits.

In each episode I produce a short audio documentary, which I share with familiar Armchair Expert faces — before getting their take on it all.

I really hope you like it — the feedback to our first episode has been so heartwarming!

“I consider myself a Christian — I’ve been closely following your reporting on Megachurches. The podcast episode today gave me space to take a breath and realize I am not what’s wrong.”

“This episode resolved some internal conflicts I’ve been having over religion and my beliefs”

“I always find this weird. Growing up going to the marae - everything revolved about services, karakia, and because my mum and dad never brought us up like that I was just mimicking the words. And now with children I think it will be a huge eye opener for them to take them back to NZ for a tangi! Great first episode”

"I can both believe and not believe! Thanks!"

“I left Mormonism 3 years ago and am still deconstructing my old belief system and building something new. Loved this podcast. Thank you.”

As usual — I’ll be writing more extended stuff here on Webworm that relates to Flightless Bird.

Webworm is where I’ll do AMAs and talk about the show more, as I stumble on new interesting people, topics and wormholes.

Thanks worms,

David.

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Me grinning like an idiot while recording Flightless Bird in the Armchair Expert attic

Webworm with David Farrier

Welcome to Flightless Bird!