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A review of wired headphones, sold out to nostalgic teenagers, sets Simon wondering why some objects turn his head long after he's stopped needing them. Simon and Lee compare their weaknesses – hi-fi on one side, trousers and coats spread across two countries on the other – and trace how money, desire and the discipline of saving up have shaped what they covet since their teens.

Mentioned

• Bose – audio brand whose new wired headphones prompt the opening conversation; sold out because younger buyers now want wired headphones again
• The Incredible Hulk / Bruce Banner – Marvel character; the image of a Hulk-style trouser split prompts a detour through the actors who played him
• Eric Bana – Australian actor who played the Hulk in Hulk (2003); misremembered as "Eric Banner"
• Edward Norton – played the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk (2008)
• Mark Ruffalo – plays the Hulk in the Marvel Avengers films
• Universal Works – British clothing brand; a light grey cotton-linen pair of trousers that turns out to belong in Lisbon
• Lisbon – one of two homes; clothes bought in one place often turn out to be for the other
• Midlifing episode 3 – an early episode extolling the virtues of a coat, which still fits perfectly
• Sony Walkman – first piece of sound gear, the start of a lifelong pull towards hi-fi
• Nirvana – grunge band; thanked for a 90s look of oversized, ripped and thrifted clothes that suited a student budget
• Patrick Cox – shoe designer; emblem of the smarter late-90s UK look that was out of reach on an actor's wages
• Firetrap – UK clothing brand, part of the same late-90s look
• Knox College – halls of residence during the first year at university, where second-years in a shared "double" had an enviable stereo
• HMV, Lambton Quay, Wellington – record shop where a job came from walking in and asking, with an interview on the spot
• Karori – Wellington suburb; washing dishes at a restaurant there, with a late-night bike ride home
• Rotel – hi-fi brand; the amplifier, tape deck, record player and speakers saved for by working two jobs
• Isto – Lisbon clothing brand with fully traceable production data; source of a perfectly fitting jacket that was tried on for days and not bought
• Sardinia – region of Italy with a similar well-heeled look to the Lisbon man in chinos, loafers and a blazer
• Palantir – data analytics company whose CEO reported AI figures taking up smoking, confident AI will cure cancer

Get in touch with Lee and Simon at info@midlifing.net.

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The Midlifing logo is adapted from an original image by H.L.I.T: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29311691@N05/8571921679 (CC BY 2.0)