The Rise of the Inbetween Man

I am releasing a new audio series: watch the trailer!

If the mid-80s and early-90s were the era of the 'new man,' and the mid 90s/early-00s the era of the 'new lad,' then I believe we are now living in the era of the Inbetween Man.

As with 'new man' and 'new lad,' the Inbetween Man is a slightly crass media creation - in this case, by me. I have coined the term as an embodiment and simplification of the space I think many men - especially Millennial and Gen-X men - currently find themselves.

The world our fathers and grandfathers grew up in has gone. The old model of masculinity is dead. But what does the new model look like? We all trying to work that out.

Most men aren’t Man 1.0. But they’re not quite Man 2.0, either. They’re somewhere in-between, muddling along, doing their best.

But while we often hear stories about horrible, chauvinist throwback men - and (less often) uber-evolved 'new men,' we don't hear many stories about the blokes in the muddy middle. About what that's like.

Don't worry: I've made a podcast about it

I thought it was about time a white man approaching middle-age launched a podcast, so here is my offering.

The Inbetween Man is an audio series about modern masculinity for men who feel a bit lost. But relax: it's not a series of three-hours plus interviews about ice baths, or 'optimal sleep protocols,' or angel investing, or micro-dosing your own piss, or how dogs have gone woke. (Or whatever the pod-bro fad du jour might be.)

In fact, it's not even a podcast. It's an audio series, mate. There are eight scripted episodes, soundtracked by beautiful bespoke music, each themed around subjects linked to modern manhood.

It’s about the new demands – and the old sticking points. It’s about the new freedoms – and the old insecurities. It’s about the funny (and not so funny) stuff that pops up for men at the coal face of modern life.

The Dreamscape

The audio-world (!!!) of the series is almost dream-like and we made it like that because that is what masculinity often feels like, from the inside out. Because while the word 'masculinity' is invoked all the time in culture to explain all manner of things, what exactly do we mean when we say the word? Masculinity is amorphous and shape shifting. It can be full of contradictions. And guys can aspire to be multiple different sorts of men at once.

Simply put: it's confusing. And my ambition here is to create a resource for the perplexed gent - and anyone who knows one - to help him (or her) navigate their way through the maze. And also to have a laugh about it. Because if there's one thing most of us agree on when it comes to gender, is that we'd all do well to stop taking it so bloody seriously.

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You can listen to the series here. And find it on your favourite podcast platform.