Webworm with David Farrier

Hi, Ever since Donald Trump was elected, and then lost, and was then elected again, I’ve finally come to accept that terrible shit just keeps coming back around. Annoyingly, my work here on Webworm reminds me of this all the time. Back in 2022, I proudly published that the leaders of New Zealand’s biggest megachurch (brothers Brent and John Cameron) had re…

Hi, This week The Telepathy Tapes won “Best Indie Podcast” at the Webby Awards. “For the voiceless, thank you!” said documentary maker and creator Dickens on Instagram, surrounded by some children in Telepathy Tapes t-shirts. The podcast continues to grow in audience and accolades, its creator repped by giant US talent agency UTA and listeners breathlessly spreading the word.

Hi, In case you missed it, New Zealand icon Lorde has a new single out. It’s called “What Was That”, and has a very low key music video that was filmed around her impromptu performance in New York’s Washington Square Park. When police shut down the initial popup, one of my favourite musicians Blood Orange dragged a speaker around the park, blasting the new single at top volume. Lorde is one of New Zealand’s most successful musicians with an incredibly loyal fanbase.

Join journalist and documentary filmmaker David Farrier as he explores various rabbit holes, trying to make sense of the increasingly mad world around him. Join journalist and documentary filmmaker David Farrier as he explores various rabbit holes, trying to make sense of the increasingly mad world around him.

Hi, Back on inauguration day we launched a ridiculous RFK Jr. “brain worms” tee on the Webworm store, and I told you I’d be throwing my profits over to Mutual Aid LA and Rainbow Youth New Zealand. Just to show I am not full of shit, here are the receipts. I topped up each donation so it would make a funny number — so that was $666.69 to Mutual Aid LA, and $666.69 to Rainbow Youth. Because, you know, satan. And sex.

Hi, If you’re a New Zealander — you know who Mike King is. He is the face of New Zealand’s battle against mental health problems. He can be loud and brash. He raises, and is entrusted with, a lot of cash. Last year his “I Am Hope” charity reported a revenue of over 7 million dollars. But something strange has happened along the way. I often write here on Webworm about powerful men acting with a kind of impunity.

Hi, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed recently, but discovering stuff on Netflix can be kind of hard. Sure — you’re presented with a bunch of categories like “Top 10” when you login, but outside of those initial lists, finding things that are compelling and worth your time seems close to impossible. The compelling stuff is there — it’s just buried. With that in mind, I feel very excited to be able to share two things from Giorgio Angelini, one of my favourite documentary makers.

Hi, The first time I saw something that made me recoil on the internet was a visit to Rotten.com. The clue was in the name — but the internet was a new thing to me in the 90s, and no-one really knew what the hell was going on. But somehow I found myself on a website boasting “pure evil since 1996”, featuring nothing but horrific photos of horrific things.

Hi, We’re approaching 300 comments about your best and worst movie experiences and if you have a moment today, I really urge you to have a read through (and add your own experience if you haven’t already). This one from Ant Timpson really tickled me: “We went to see the Mel Brooks film The History of the World Pt 1, and it was a packed house. Being annoying teen boys, we were laughing and talking to ourselves during the trailers.

Hi, When I started Webworm four years ago (four years! thanks for being here!) it was motivated by a world slowly falling into conspiratorial madness. Reality felt like it was slipping, and I wanted to document the chaos.