Googling Ruth Husko

Frank Off The Radio: The Frank Skinner Podcast

Frank and Emily are joined by Ruth Husko to discuss the results of Frank's recent internet deep-dive into her life. The conversation meander

Key takeaways

Frank discovered 'Hosko Asia,' a place for husky cuddling that requires visitors to wear socks.
The group discusses the linguistic sensitivity of using the word 'fondling' versus 'cuddling.'

Main topics

Husky cuddling in Malaysia
Chip shop puns

Notable quotes

I would never savour it.

Conclusion

A lighthearted, rambling episode that blends personal anecdotes with l

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) It's Frank of the Radio. Speaker 2 (0:06) It's the Frank Skinner Podcast, don't you know. Speaker 1 (0:09) I'm a supersonic rocket ship. Nobody has to be hip. Nobody has to be out of sight. This is Frank on the off, off the radio. Oh, Speaker 2 (0:20) that's a shame. Simple Speaker 1 (0:21) error, but it's made now. I'm joined by Emily Dean and Ruth Hosko. Follow the podcast on X and Instagram. You can email the podcast via Frank off the radio at avalonuk.com. What's up? Speaker 1 (0:36) 0-7-4-5-7. It's that one again. 4-1-double-6. It's that one again. Oh, Frank. 69. Oh, no. Don't savour it. That's my advice. Speaker 2 (0:48) I would never savour it. Speaker 1 (0:50) No. Thank Speaker 2 (0:50) you. Speaker 1 (0:51) No. Speaker 2 (0:52) Mind your own beeswax. Speaker 1 (0:54) Oh, hello. Speaker 2 (0:56) Hi, Frank. Speaker 3 (0:57) Hi. Speaker 1 (0:58) How's it... Oh, actually, I... Are you familiar, Ruth Hosko? No, they do that on Radio 4. Why Speaker 2 (1:07) do they do that? I hate it. I hate Speaker 3 (1:09) it. Speaker 1 (1:09) It's Speaker 2 (1:10) my worst thing when they do it. Are you Speaker 1 (1:12) familiar, Speaker 2 (1:13) Ruth Hosko, Speaker 1 (1:14) with Hosko Asia? Speaker 3 (1:16) I'm not familiar with that. So I Speaker 1 (1:20) looked up Ruth Hosko because I kept hearing this stuff about Ruth's enormous online following. And of course, I don't. What I realise is I'm presuming they're on things like WhatsApp and stuff, which I can't get on. They're not on Speaker 2 (1:38) WhatsApp. What's it Speaker 1 (1:40) on? No. Speaker 2 (1:41) WhatsApp is how you communicate with people. Oh, OK. Speaker 1 (1:44) What's it on there? Speaker 3 (1:45) So it's on... Speaker 1 (1:46) Napster. Speaker 3 (1:47) It's on Napster. Speaker 1 (1:49) Yeah. Speaker 3 (1:52) Napster. Speaker 1 (1:53) Thunderbolt. You on that? Yeah, Speaker 3 (1:54) yeah. It's on... Speaker 1 (1:57) Prefab. Yeah. Speaker 3 (1:58) It's on X, which was Twitter and Instagram. Speaker 1 (2:02) There was a time you could go searching on those. Yeah, you had Speaker 3 (2:05) to Speaker 1 (2:05) have an account. So I didn't. But what I did find was Hosko Asia. What's Hosko Asia? Well, I thought, is it like, you know, big in Japan that Ruth Hosko's got this profile? Speaker 2 (2:19) Massive in Beijing. But Moscow Speaker 1 (2:21) Asia, which really impressed me, is... Remember when I went poppy fondling? I told you about that, didn't I? Poppy Speaker 2 (2:28) fondling? Was Speaker 3 (2:29) that to do with your Speaker 1 (2:30) kababoo? No, it was... We took... My nephew, we bought him a poppy fondling. I'm so sorry, I Speaker 2 (2:37) thought Speaker 1 (2:37) you said Speaker 2 (2:38) poppy. Speaker 1 (2:38) Oh, no, poppy. Speaker 2 (2:40) OK. Speaker 1 (2:41) Puppy. Yeah. Sorry, Frank. So we went... Yeah, so... Speaker 1 (2:47) Hosko Asia is a place you can go and fondle hoskies. Speaker 2 (2:52) I just wish you wouldn't say fondle. What do you call it? I don't know, just say cuddling. I just think fondling is a bit Mr Fiddler and I don't like it. But you would think, you know, instinctively. Mr Fondle. Speaker 1 (3:05) But you'd say, yeah, Mr... Speaker 2 (3:07) That is definitely in Carry On Camping. Speaker 1 (3:12) Hyphenated Mr Hosky Fiddler. Speaker 2 (3:16) Just don't say Fondle, Fankitter. That terrible Speaker 1 (3:18) scene, Hosky Fiddler on the roof. Oh, don't. Speaker 1 (3:24) They'll pursue them anywhere. Frank. Anyway. Speaker 2 (3:28) Just don't say fondle. Just say, like, you know, puppy cuddling. What would you call it? Cuddling. Yeah, cuddling, yeah. Speaker 1 (3:33) Because it's not stroking, is it? You do stroke them, but stroking's only... I mean, you think about stroking a dog, it's only one aspect. Speaker 2 (3:40) No, but fondle implies a lack of consent, which I trouble as Speaker 1 (3:43) well. Speaker 2 (3:43) Well, Speaker 1 (3:43) there is now, because they had no choice. I mean, that's the slogan on the puppy fondling place I went to. Speaker 3 (3:51) In the black countries, you know this, Frank, that... Go Speaker 1 (3:57) on. Speaker 3 (3:57) You know, instead of saying hug, did you used to say, give me a love? Speaker 1 (4:01) No. Speaker 3 (4:02) OK, I forgot that then. For a start-off, Speaker 1 (4:04) we never hugged. I never remember that happening. It Speaker 3 (4:07) was coming in more in the 90s, definitely. When you say you never hugged, is this quite a new thing for you then? Speaker 1 (4:14) hugging friends for example not until I moved to London did anyone hug is that the Speaker 3 (4:19) same as you Ruth? same never hugged my friends until I still until we Speaker 2 (4:24) hugged like the dentist and the bank manager we Speaker 3 (4:26) had to Speaker 2 (4:27) always Speaker 3 (4:27) so did you find that quite was that a period that you had was that a period of adjustment I still Speaker 2 (4:31) don't love it I know you don't. That's why I do it. No. You have no choice. Speaker 1 (4:36) No. Speaker 2 (4:37) But Speaker 3 (4:37) it was interesting, the cultural difference between Birmingham and the Black Country, because I only started hugging my friends when I started working in Birmingham, but the Black Country was just not a thing. Speaker 1 (4:45) No. Why don't they have... Speaker 3 (4:48) And they stank as well. Oh, man. They were absolutely on. Speaker 1 (4:55) Yeah, anyway, Hosko Asia, it's a museum as well. I mean, why is it in Malaysia? It looks great for age. Thanks so Speaker 3 (5:05) much. I'll have to look it up. Speaker 1 (5:06) So you can look at the history of the Hoski, but also you can go and, shall we say, cuddle these things. And I've made some notes, you'll like this. Their slogan is Bark to the Future. Speaker 3 (5:23) That's lovely. It Speaker 1 (5:24) is, but it's not husky enough, is it? That could be any dog. I know what you mean. It's not Speaker 2 (5:30) specifically husky related. Speaker 1 (5:33) There's a Fairport Convention song called Meat on the Ledge. Do you know that? I don't. It's about heaven, if you like. We'll meet on the ledge. I'll see all my friends up there. It could have been Meat on the Sledge. This could have, for the huskies. Speaker 2 (5:47) Because they're so sled-based. They're mad about sleds. Speaker 1 (5:51) Exactly. But anyway, it advertised some of their... Some are not clientele. Their staff. Some of their fondling. Some of their canine staff. Their staff. It's how they're served. Well, there's... Hold on, I'm getting there. Also, Speaker 2 (6:09) huskies howl rather than bark, so that's also inaccurate. Speaker 1 (6:12) Do they? Speaker 2 (6:13) Yes, because they're more... They're very close to the wolf. Speaker 1 (6:16) Oh, right. See? So does Nobu, the mini giant. Already I've got a problem with that. Speaker 2 (6:23) The mini giant. Speaker 1 (6:25) Why bring it up? Why even go to giants at all if it's a small dog? An Speaker 2 (6:32) average-sized dog. Yeah. Speaker 1 (6:34) Riku the introvert. Well, I really want to get him. I want to pay 30 quid to engage with Riku the introvert. The Speaker 2 (6:46) one Speaker 1 (6:46) who Speaker 2 (6:47) sits in the corner weeing out of nerves going... Speaker 1 (6:50) Come here, Riku. Riku, come here. 30 quid, come here. And finally, Hannah, the It Girl heartbreaker. Speaker 3 (7:04) Oh. When's the last Speaker 1 (7:06) time anyone said It Girl? Speaker 3 (7:08) Oh, yeah. Speaker 1 (7:09) K-pop, host girl Asia. And I don't want to do those things about, you know, foreign languages not translating well. So ignore the first part of this. But it says, kindly remind is the heading. But then it says, kindly remind that socks are essential for entry. Really? What's that about? Speaker 2 (7:33) Well, I think that's because the Huskies. What do you think it is? Speaker 1 (7:37) I think... The Huskies version of kryptonite is the Veruca. A Veruca will kill a Husky in 30 seconds. So you must wear socks when you're in there. Speaker 2 (7:52) What do you think it's about? Going in barefooted. Speaker 1 (7:55) I thought, and forgive me if this might change from different parts of Asia, but I thought the bare feet thing was a... Is it a normal thing or not? Speaker 3 (8:09) Or is it a disrespectful thing? Speaker 1 (8:12) Yeah, maybe don't disrespect Nobu, the mini giant. Or Speaker 3 (8:17) maybe the huskies like biting their Speaker 2 (8:19) feet. Speaker 1 (8:20) I don't know. Speaker 2 (8:21) I've just looked here that some huskies, well, it says they can be sensitive about foot touching with some showing aggression. Speaker 1 (8:30) Which is Speaker 2 (8:30) interesting. But I'm presuming it means the husky's foot, surely, not the human's Speaker 1 (8:35) foot. Speaker 2 (8:35) Oh, I see you Speaker 1 (8:36) can't touch it. No, they have to wear the socks as well. Little Speaker 2 (8:42) sports socks. Oh, I bet the It Girls are little sort of Paul Smith socks, designer. They Speaker 1 (8:48) need a reinforced sole for when they put the brakes on the sled. You know, you just put one foot out on the floor. Speaker 1 (8:57) For turning. Do Speaker 2 (8:58) you know, I should say, there was a problem with the husky because of Game of Thrones. So many, I'm afraid, ended up in rescue homes, rescue centres. Well, they're Speaker 1 (9:09) good at rescuing. Speaker 2 (9:10) People just looked at Game of Thrones and went, oh, those are great. So I won't do an accent, sorry. Speaker 1 (9:14) Do they have them in Game of Thrones? Speaker 2 (9:16) They're sort of themed around huskies, isn't it? They had these amazing sort of blue eyes in it. And suddenly everyone was buying huskies and then realised they're quite, I would call them high-maintenance dogs. The temperament is high maintenance. Speaker 1 (9:29) I'll tell you, I saw a documentary about a bloke who went on a husky sled across Arctic wasteland. And he said the terrible thing is we rode for like, I don't know, three hours non-stop. He said when they needed shit, they just shit just flies back into the face, the one behind you. Well, Speaker 2 (9:48) they're on the sled. He Speaker 1 (9:49) said, and when you actually stop, when you get into the shelter, he said, do you realise all the ropes and the harness and everything are just covered in dog shit, all of it. Speaker 2 (10:00) Oh, no. I Speaker 1 (10:02) never mentioned that at a Hosko Asia. Speaker 3 (10:05) Hosko Asia. That's why Speaker 1 (10:07) you need socks on, the