Miss Me? - A Few Good Men

Episode Date: June 19, 2025

Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver discuss Lily’s big night out, Little Simz and revenge songs.This episode contains very strong language, adult themes and strong sexual references.Credits: Producer: Flossie Barratt Technical Producer: Will Gibson Smith Assistant Producer: Caillin McDaid Production Coordinator: Hannah Bennett Executive Producers: Dino Sofos and Ellie Clifford Assistant Commissioner for BBC: Lorraine Okuefuna Commissioner for BBC: Dylan Haskins Miss Me? is a Persephonica production for BBC Sounds

BBC Sounds music radio podcasts. This episode of Miss Me contains some very strong language, some adult themes and some sexual references. Welcome to Miss Me. Welcome to bloody Miss Me. What's going on babe? We're both in London. I'm in London 10 for the summer. Well and also you've been with your theatre friends today haven't you? I actually have been with my girls from Zara. That's okay.

I had my first day of rehearsal today. Everything was great. Really? It was actually really good, yeah. I was really pleased with it. I wasn't as nervous as I thought I was gonna be. And yeah, smashed it, smashed out of the park. Yeah, just fucking smashed out of the park.

Oh no. What? Just got some terrible news. What? I've just got some terrible news. What? I don't want to hear it. The bad news is that I have not prepared dinner because I've hot-footed it straight here from Southwark. I had four minutes to do my makeup, which is why I look like this.

Good. And the girls immediately, obviously, as I walked in the door said, what's for dinner? And I said, I haven't prepared anything. And so I texted my trusty friend down the road, say, can I get a table for dinner? He said, sorry, babe, we're closed tonight

for our summer party. So now, I don't know what I'm gonna do. We're gonna all be foodless. Oh, because you can't go to Dorian for dinner. No, wasn't Dorian. Okay. I'm not going to say because it's my local and I don't want to be swamped by fans. Okay, fair enough.

Fear. I think that we need a contingency panel in place because I was quite worried about you having a chat with me today because I know you've been in rehearsals all day and it's exhausting and this is going to be quite a working summer for you, if you think about it. It's very much a working summer. I mean, that's why last summer I took such a, do you remember, I was just everywhere.

Because the two years previous to that, I did 222, A Ghost Story, which was a play in the West End, and then I did The Pillar Man in the West End. And now, and then so I knew I had my first summer off in like three years. So I was like, yeah, I'm gonna go for it. And this summer, I'm going for it again in a different way, but just working.

But you know, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm so happy. The bloody theatre though, it's such hard work. Why is it worth it, Lil? How does it feed you? Because I skipped with some kids this week, which I haven't done in a while because I've just been in and out of surgery, it feels like, and it really like fed my soul. I was like, oh yeah, it's different. So tell

me what theatre does for you. No, no, no. Let's sit with yours for a minute. I'm happy to hear that you're fulfilled. That's exciting. Well, it was a school in Kilburn that was probably about 20 minutes from the school that I went to when I was a kid. In this school, 62% of the kids have free meals, which is great. It's good to know tokens are still there for kids that need them and they don't have any access to sports equipment. Right. Okay. still there for kids that need them and they don't have any access to sports equipment. Their gym teacher had like found, she'd done all this research and like what would be a good sport to teach the kids in the limited space they have because it's literally right in the middle of Kilburn. And so she brought in dodgeball for them and they really liked

it because they can play it in their quite small playground, but they can also play it in their assembly room. So, and they've got really good. They were in the like national finals and they came forth. Oh wow. Yeah, I was really like, very quickly felt like I really knew all these kids. And we did sort of four groups of about 50 or 60 kids. It's quite intense. And I decided, usually I sometimes like just sit in the middle and sort of jump, jump, and I'm there sort of skipping to encourage them. But because I couldn't skip because of the surgery, I had a lot more intimate times with certain kids. And I can't really explain what it feels like when a kid

jumps over a skipping rope and they look at you and go, I did it. And you're like, yeah, you can do anything. And it feels like you're doing the right thing that day. That does sound very... Like Jesus, right? Life-affirming, life-affirming. Yeah, a little bit like you are very much giving Jesus right now. It does give Jesus, doesn't it?

Gives Jesus a little bit, to be honest. In time. But you're... What does the theatre give me? How does your soul get fed by that babe? I'm gonna. Big time. But you're- What does the theater give me? How does your soul get fed by that babe? I guess like ultimately I just like a challenge, you know? I was having this conversation with someone

over the weekend, they were like, you know, why did you decide to go into acting? And I was like, I didn't really, it came to me. And I like when someone comes to me with something that seems like, no, that's too hard. That doesn't really make sense to me in my head. That's when I say yes. When it scares you. Yeah.

Right. Yeah. Because I don't want to like, you know, sit in a studio for the rest of my life and churn out, you know, pop songs that don't challenge me and do like writing camps with people. Like I don't, I wanna, I wanna feel like, no, I can't do that and then do it. Yeah. You know?

It does hit different. I didn't even think I could get through Thursday with these kids and I was like, oh, did it? Of course I can. It's just nice when you don't listen to fear and come from a different place. Yes. And also I just like, sometimes I just like to not even really think about it when I am accepting things, because it's like, once you've said yes, and there's no turning back,

almost like the time between having accepted something and it coming to fruition is like I'm in a perpetual state of anxiety. But maybe it's my addictive nature. It might be slightly related to addiction. There's like a danger. What? Acting's your new drug? No, not acting, but just like, you know, like jumping into the unknown a little bit. No, that's basically the same as like, you know, putting a rolled up note up your nose and snorting something.

Absolutely. What's on the other side? Where will this take us? You never know. You know, I read that Kendrick was sober. I didn't know that Kendrick Lamar was sober. Yeah. Good for him. He talks about it all the time. I've never heard him talk about it. Well, you've never chatted to Kendrick about his sobriety. I've never chatted to Kendrick about his sobriety. I know. I should bring it up next time we're together. Yeah, this weekend we were going to be cool and young and free and go down the road to Vicky Park and see. Lily was going to drive me to a festival basically and I was like, yeah, fuck it. We still got it.

Let's go. And then I was like, actually the wound from my surgery is starting to bleed a little and I need to redress it. Probably isn't the time where I should go and run around a festival with Lilly. So Lilly went anyway and she went see, it was Charlie XCX at Lido Festival. I really want to know how it was for you because I remembered that you were like talking about that Charlie gig, Charlie XCX gig, I don't know, like when we'd started Miss Me after about a month. And that was before the album had even come out and you were so blown away by Charlie's performance. I went to the gig on Saturday the 14th of June last year so it was almost exactly a

year and I think the show that I went to was possibly like two or three weeks before Brack came out. Actually no it mustn't have been because I knew the songs it must have been a week after Brack came out. Listen I remember we fell early early. I was like, if anyone's going to jump on this, then he started it early. So it was early. Thank you. I enjoyed it immensely. I thought the sound was terrible, but that was nothing to do with Charlie. Her performance was epic, as it always is, and has moved on somewhat from what I saw last year. Yeah. And her confidence, obviously, as well as it would do when you've like run the world for a year. And, you know, I saw her, I said hello after the show.

Oh, did you? I got to see her. Yeah. I never met her before in person. So that was nice to finally, you know, put a face to her name. Good to finally put a face to her name. It's good to finally put a face to her name. Hello. Hello you. Also, do you know what else I did? I broke my line bike, Virginity.

Lily, this I saw. Okay. And not even on your stories, our team, our Miss Me team were so gassed and excited that they felt there was something they needed to put on the group for us to all enjoy. I will say there are other bikes which I've also subscribed to since I'm now a subscriber to three different bike suppliers. Did you never do this in New York? No, never. I don't think I would do it in New York, it's a bit too scary, but here it's fine.

The only thing about line bikes is that suddenly they lock you off, Lil. What do you mean? Like if you go too far to a certain part of London, Walthamstow, looking at you, it just locks you off and you can't move. So what do you do with the bike? You just have to stop and leave the bike there? Yeah, but yeah, you have to find a place that an e-bike can be put to the side or where it's okay to park

them. But suddenly you see this, it feels like there's an orb around the city and it's like, the Lime Bike's gone no further than here. And I never know why. You would make a bomb in Walledhamstow Village. That's exactly where Lime Bike people live. Where they need them. Maybe that's why they are not letting them have them,

just because it's the nature of the beast. But I think it's assumed that everyone's been on one, because I haven't really had that much experience. And I think I went on my third the other day. I was gassed. I had such a laugh. There were like five of us and we were like driving through the streets of East, suddenly we were on, we're like driving through the streets of the East. Suddenly we were on the banks of a canal. Oh wait, I went to a club? Yes, by the way, did you go to the after party?

I did. Oh my god. Is it called Bora Bora? Is that a club? Wasn't it at Colour Factory? Yeah, but maybe there's an, I don't know, I heard the words Bora Bora. I was like, I know. I was like, oh, okay.

All right. heard the words boroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroboroborobor danced. It was like, there were lots of young people there. I was like, I feel like I'm old, but it's okay. I'm going to embrace it. Also, what am I doing? It's three o'clock in the morning. I didn't get into four. Four a.m. I don't stay that late in a while. I saw my favorite person in the world, Alex Consani was there. Do you remember the girl we were talking about? Amelia DeMoldenburg, who is hilarious, by the way. Did they hear us gas them up the week before? I doubt it.

But she is very funny. She was so like neurotic because she clearly like knew the people that were hosting the after party and had a bunch of friends that were there and she couldn't get her friends the wristbands. And so she was like in a real like Amelia de Moldenburg panic about like people being trapped up there. And she was like, I've got to go and get the drinks and then I got to take the drink back up there. And I was like, okay, babe, that's okay.

It's fine. But it was very chicken shop day in the color factory, three o'clock in the morning live. Yeah. And direct. Were you partying with Amelia Demoldenburg? Oh my God. I was partying with all the kids, all the cool cats of East London. Okay.

Okay. Harris Dickinson was there and his girlfriend Rose, she said that they listen to Miss V. I know. Oh, and she was like... No, stop. Stop. She said Nikita says that she fancies him and I was like, oh yeah, she does. She was like, do I need to be worried about that?

I was like, I don't think she's the only person to be worried about that. Yeah, exactly. That's why I thought I was safe because she sent me a message going, babe, I just want to say loving this V. And I was like, whichever is her. It was the one where I totally told you all to do it. She was like, do I need to worry? And I was like, yeah, you do need to worry, but not about Makita, just the rest of the world. The world. R.O.W., babes.

Better keep an eye on that piece of ass. No. I did say hi to Alex Consani and she was like, oh my God, who is this old person trying to talk to me? I was like, yeah, fair. Was that the vibe? I doubt it. No, I just said, I have to say, I saw your chicken shop date with the new Mordenberg.

It was very funny. I've watched it a hundred times. She was like, oh my God, thank you, babe. And then was like, mm-hmm. Yeah, and I was like, oh my God, thank you, babe. And then was like, yeah. And I was like, okay, no, yeah, I get it, I'm old. You only get 10 seconds with young people on these kinds of events. That's the world.

Well, it's nice to have you back in town in the bits showing us how it's done. Do you know what I'm saying? I feel like it's like party work, party work, party work. I'm going to be partying. Also, my kids go to their dad's for a month tomorrow. So I really do have some time, some evening time. Well, you don't really because you're starting a play and you're doing it for months, right?

I'm in London for five weeks and then I'm in Bath for five weeks. I didn't know we had that kind of time. And by the way, I'll be tearing Bath up too, so don't even try it. I mean, I was gonna ask if you wanted to go see the Roman Baths, but okay, shut up. No, but maybe I'll be, no, you know what I will be doing? I'll probably just be like bopping down the A303 to Bristol. Why? Because Bristol's where all the drum and bass is, huh? Oh god, so we're actually taking it there. You want to go drum and bass, D&B? No, I'm joking. I'm obviously 40 years old and having a midlife crisis, but it is... Can you keep your 40s old stuff to yourself? Because I'm out here keeping it very young,

very ponytail-y. I'm just like, not being dragged down with you, okay? I've got shit to get on with this summer. Um, let's have a break. Let's just have a break. It's getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes and we'll see you naked on the other side. I am getting so hot, I'm going to take my clothes off. That's right. Join us, won won't you on these hot summer days. Lido Festival is the festival that uh Lily said festival that Lily went to see Charlie XCX. Lily who owns festivals? Live Live Nation owns festivals. AEG also own festivals.

And is this a good thing? I mean, generally I'm not really like into conglomerates as a concept, you know. So, no. It'd be good if a little bit of the pie was like passed around to some other people's. But, you know, this is late stage capitalism. What can you say? I feel like when we were at festivals, they weren't really, they didn't really have that energy yet. But like, as my family are now going down to Glastonbury to start the build. And I feel like Glastonbury is the one festival that sort of isn't it meant to be a bit political?

Otherwise it's fucking the festival. I feel like it's meant to be a bit dangerous and political. Are we talking about kneecap? Maybe, maybe not. What's the political element of it? I mean, to be honest, like art as a concept is meant to be political. Yes, well quite actually. And someone asked me the other day,

how do you think the BBC who are showing Glastonbury, how do you think they'll deal with all like the political energy there? And I was like, I think they'll just cut it out and pretend it's not there. That's just my opinion. I'm curious, deeply curious to see how the BBC handle the political air that will be surrounding Glastonbury. They'll be like this. La la la la. La la la la.

La la la la. Throwing over to Annie and Grimmy. Throwing to Annie and Grimmy. They'll be like this. La la la la. La la la la. La la la. Throwing over to Annie and Grimmy. Throwing to Annie and Grimmy. Immediately clean this mess up. But classically has like roots in being political. I think like in the late 80s, Michael Levis

and then maybe in the eight, no sorry, it was in 81. No one cares what year it was, just spit it out. Oh my God, I actually think it's really important how long it lasted. Actually, I suppose because it will be indicative of what the political climate was at that time. Okay, so we're talking Thatcherism. Exactly.

Deep Thatcherism, 81. And then Glastonbury decides to donate all its profits to the campaign for nuclear disarmament. And I feel like, and that went on for years and they supported that. It's like, yeah, didn't they build Glastonbury on some very spiritual strong ley lines? Like it's a place for- Oh yeah. Man.

Yeah, yeah. The Glastonbury tour is a very spiritual place. Oh, I'd love to do that. The tour, no, it's not a tour. There is a building on top of a hill and it's called the tour. T-O-R. Jesus. I thought you get like a sort of tour around the grounds before the festival starts. No, no, no, no. It's a landmark.

Right. Is it ancient? It is ancient. Yeah, very ancient. I'm intrigued. Yeah, I can't tell you off the top of my head how ancient it is. There's quite a lot of that stuff to do in Somerset. There's Wookie Hole. It's another place that you can go and visit. Obviously Stonehenge, which is on the borders.

Yeah, and Kelly, who works with mum, she's from Somerset, just down the road from Glastonbury, and she said there's all these natural pools, which are beautiful. I'd love to do that. Well, there's plenty of time for us in our rambling era whenever that will be. Oh oh our rambling I thought you meant this ramble you mean that ramble. No I mean like rambling era yeah. When we have sticks to walk

with. Lillian Key. I can't wait for that time. Miss Me's been cancelled. They're off rambling. We'll probably still be trying to make something a new independent podcast called rambling. Mekita and Lily ramble. Yeah. Actually, that's not a bad idea. Can't we just record it while we're talking and walking and walking and talking with Lily and Keats? I wanted to ask you Lily Allen, as someone who is obviously going to put out fantastic music one day soon again, could you not be political in your work if it was something that you felt you would need to do

to go, I don't know, to a higher stratosphere? I think being a woman and expressing your emotion and your truth is a political act in itself. Quite. So, no, I couldn't. Have you seen what little Sims has been saying about what's happened with her and Inflow? I've read that interview in The Guardian and The Observer. And it was, well, I suppose the story is quite shocking.

Not if you're a woman that works in the music industry, it's not. So you weren't surprised. I see I was shocked and I don't work in the music industry. Absolutely not surprised. Okay, so what we're talking about is Inflow who is the genius producer and creator of the band Salt, husband of Cleo Sol and also just a man who has given us such beautiful, brilliant fucking music for the last sort of eight years. And we went to school with Little Sims. I didn't know that. They're like really, really old friends. And what she has said has occurred

is that money was lent from her to Inflow for particularly their salt gig that I went to at Drum Sheds. And there's been no reported comment from Inflow at this stage. It's just Little Sims talking about her side at the moment. But this has come out particularly because Little Sims has about her side at the moment. But this has come out particularly because Little Sims has a new album and she had a really deep, long friendship with this man.

And she just, I don't know, hearing her talk so bluntly about it and actually like really like saying not only what went down, but like explaining how she feels about him in a really like open public place. They asked her why she would do it and why she would talk about it. Well, yeah, like, well, aren't you worried about the repercussions of this? public place. They asked her why she would do it. Well why she would talk about it. Well yeah like aren't you worried about the repercussions of this and she was like I can't write like I have to tell the truth. I have to, my work is always like a diary of my life and this is what's happened.

No I hear that. I hear that. You're quite like that. Fucking open book. Well I think that you, I think if you strive to tell the truth, right, I don't think that you can do it by halves, you know? I think that like the body keeps the score somewhat. And I think that if you sit down to write music and you are avoiding the truth, then you're just, whatever it is that you are doing is something

else. It's something else and it's not real. And you can feel it, people can hear it. I understand that with truth in art because if, because I wouldn't have let the world know that I'd never had anal sex if I didn't feel like the real truth had to be told at all times about everything. There'd be a lot less people knowing about my sexual preferences. But you have had anal sex, I don't lie. No! I told the truth. You just can't handle the truth. I can't handle that you haven't done anal. Yeah, you're right. I can't handle that.

You can't handle, I want the truth. You can't handle the truth. That is from A Few Good Men. And that advert was on so much when we were kids, Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise. I remember thinking, this scene. I reckon you've done anal with a few good men, but anyway, we'll leave it there. Please, I set you up for that.

I know, but I took it. I took it. I know, and as I said to Phoebe, listen, if I'm mistaken, I'm sure there probably is some guy going, actually, I did fuck her up the ass. She's lying. So I think you've just, I think you've just blocked it out. And also, I just don't believe it. He can sit in his flat and fucking say that whoever he may be to my recollection. He might live in a house now. He might have a successful business. He's moved on from

doing from the keepser up the arse in the squat. Come on now, because that's true. He might have a family. They all might have a family. We're not saying his name so they don't know and they never will. No and I can't be quite sure who we both mean. So let's drop it. I think I know who it is. Yeah obviously. Okay let's drop it!

Anyway and he's still living in his mum's house. Stop it because I feel like I've put too much vibes to that one person. Not only does he not deserve it, which is just enough. Yeah, you're right. Let's move on. Anyway, let's talk about the difference between a revenge song and a heartbreak song, Lily Allen. So good revenge song in my past life, Cry Me A River, Justin Timberlake. This was nasty. Cry me a river.

Because not only is it a tune, but if you'd seen the video as well, he has a Britney Spears lookalike walk through this house and he's like following her and then like sort of sniffing her neck and she doesn't know he's there. And it was like, at the time, it was like audacious. It's like, why? He put a lookalike in and then it was like.

You could never get away with that now. That's so boring that you couldn't do that now. No, it's not actually. I thought it was great that you did that. She cheated on him with that fucking choreographer that we found out later in later years. I think you need to insert the word alleged in there, Meketa.

Alleged affair. Alleged affair. With Wayne Robson. What's he called? I think the difference between a revenge song and a heartbreak song is like whether you hate someone and want to hurt them or whether you just need to express your pain. Exactly. Thank you.

I mean, Smile, my seminal hip-hop hit from 2006. By the way, it's 20 years of Alright Still next summer. I know, Lily. I'm the one that's asking you to sort of write up your plans for the tour. Um, I... that song... Yeah, what would you say? Is smile revenge or heartbreak? When you first left me, I was wanting more, but you were fucking that girl next door. What'd you do that for? Um, well, at first when I see you cry, it makes me smile, it gives revenge to me.

Although it's just honest, like. And the la la la la la la la la la la la la la. I could never be happy watching someone cry now. Oh, I know. It's easier when you're 21, isn't it? It's easier when you haven't got kids. I think maybe it's a having kids thing. Everyone's someone's child.

I don't want to see my kids cry. I don't want anyone else's kids to cry. God, that's a really good way of forgiving everyone. Unless it's over me. Unless I've broken someone's heart again. Anyway, darling, I think I'm done with you. I think I'm done with you too, babe. We saw each other last night, didn't we?

At that Vogue dinner. Yeah, sweet dick, we don't need to talk about that. Talk about it next week. We will. All right, bye, I will see you on Monday for a listen bitch. What's the theme? Oh yeah, the 90s.

The 90s. The 90s, good times. I'm ready to bathe in the 90s, The 90s. Good times. I'm ready to bathe in the 90s. Take me back. We will see you on Monday, Lil. Well done today. Rehearsing your play, raising your yute, and still chatting shit to me.

You really do it all. See you babes. Bye! Bye! Thanks for listening to Miss Me with Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver. This is a Persephoneca production for BBC Sounds. Hi guys, this is Ryland and I'm here to tell you about how to be in love from BBC Sounds. Now, as a single, divorcee, I feel ready to find love again.

But I want to see if there's a better way of going about it. In this series, I'm going to sit down with 12 incredible guests who are really going to help me rediscover what love truly means and how I can find it again. People like Stephen Fry, Louis Theroux, Matt and Emma Willis, and many more. So join me on this journey as I explore how to be in love. Listen on BBC Sounds.