Alex the Seal: Canberran Jo Pybus's podcast about nostalgia and the music from 1960s, '70s and '80s

When she takes a walk with her husband, she has been known to burst out singing I'm Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves. While on a family trip in the United States, each destination would be accompanied by a song - John Mellencamp's Miami and the like.

So, with that in mind, it was only a matter of time before Pybus did something with that human jukebox talent of hers. And that something is Alex the Seal.

The podcast, which she co-hosts with Melbourne's Sandy Lowres, dives into the nostalgic side of music from the 1960s, '70s and '80s. Or as the podcast's tagline describes, "the music that got us hooked up, knocked up, and broken up".

Each season consists of seven episodes, each focusing on a different theme. The first is all about misheard lyrics, which inspired the name of the podcast.

One of the songs from that era that Pybus put forward for discussion was the Go-Go's 1981 song Our Lips Are Sealed, the title phrase of which some hear as "Alex the seal".

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"It was born from just listening to a song on the radio, and that song instantly taking you back. I'll forget what I did yesterday, but a song can transport me back to a time and place with such clarity, and then the theme comes into my head," Pybus says.

"When I hear a song, it'll take me back, and I think, 'That reminds me of the boyfriend' or 'That reminds me of how ridiculous I used to think that song sounded' or 'That reminds me of that revenge song that artist sings'. It's hard sometimes to contain what we're doing there."

Along with misheard lyrics, some of the themes that come up in season one are songs past boyfriends listened to, revenge songs and high school tracks.

With every season, a new Spotify playlist will be posted with all of the songs featured - even before the corresponding episode is released - so people can listen to the songs along the way.

"We were just looking for some joy. The world's a bloody miserable place, and has been for a couple of years now," Pybus says.

"It's just nice to dial out and just have a bit of fun, and I couldn't see anything out there that was like this, here in Australia anyway. Because obviously, it's very Australian-centric. You don't go talking about Aussie Crawl, and Acca Dacca and Farnsy and Barnesy and appeal to an overseas audience."

Alex the Seal is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeart Radio.

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