Down to a sunless sea: memories of my dad

Podcasts about podcasting. Basically what I have learnt from making podcasts (so far).

Oh no, I've had a good idea!

The Podgoblin's Hat

This is a version of a talk I often give about podcasting. It was recorded at the Thirsk Podcast Festival - Podcast Social Club on 23rd November 2019 at Rural Arts.

This was the powerpoint I used for the talk: https://www.dropbox.com/s/cc0eccn7pmmswl0/The%20Possibilities%20of%20Podcasting%202019.pptx?dl=0

Getting Better Acquainted Extra

GBA Extra - The Possibilities Of Podcasting

This is a talk I put together for the Maker Weekend at the London Podcast Festival and was recorded at the on 14th September 2019 at King's Place.

This was the powerpoint I used for the talk: https://www.dropbox.com/s/g9zwoh6tqw7e533/Podcasting%20on%20a%20shoestring.pptx?dl=0

GBA Extra - Podcasting On A Shoestring

In this special GBA Live recorded at the Banshee Labyrinth as part of the PBH Free Fringe at the Edinburgh Festival. I get better acquainted with Bec Hill and Brydie Lee-Kennedy from the Gods of Comedy podcast.

We talk comedy, religion, belief and more.


We plug:

Gods of Comedy: http://godsofcomedypodcast.com/

Sugar & Vice: All the Men We've Never Slept With
Venue: Gilded Balloon Teviot ​ 
Date:13-26 August
Time: 21:00

https://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/cabaret/sugar-vice-all-the-men-we-ve-never-slept-with

Bec Hill: Bec by Popular Demand 
Venue: Gilded Balloon Teviot ​ 
Date: 13-25 August
Time: 16:00

https://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/bec-hill-bec-by-popular-demand

Pun Run
Venue: The Canons' Gait ​ 
Date: 14 August
Time: 18:05

https://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/pun-run

Stand Up Tragedy (Fiddler's Elbow Downstairs, Venue 71) 3rd - 14th August at 6.30pm: http://www.facebook.com/events/597921693564454/?fref=ts

And my next live GBA shows

13th August w/ Peter Buckley Hill: 1.40pm Banshee Labyrinth Banquetting Hall: http://www.facebook.com/events/197046307128430/?fref=ts

And we all plug:

A Maze of Breaths - pbhfreefringespokenword.bandcamp.com/album/…fringe

You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond.

On-demand and on the go!

Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at www.stitcher.com or in the app stores.

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

GBA Live 7 Gods Of Comedy

In this special GBA Live recorded at the Idea Store Whitechapel as part of the Write Idea Festival Fringe I get better acquainted with Helen Zaltzman.

http://www.helenzaltzman.com/

We talk adapting Answer Me This! into a book, badger taxidermy, old gods, Sound Women and books. 

Helen does a pretty excellent job of counter-interviewing me, getting a surprising amount out of as yet unrevealed Dave related info. In return I talk to her about her oddest editing jobs, how her artist father has influenced what she does, ghost writing and lots more.

Helen plugs:

Answer Me This!: http://www.answermethispodcast.com/
Sound Women Podcast: http://www.soundwomen.co.uk/podcast/
The Answer Me This! Christmas Album: http://answermethispodcast.com/albums

I plug:

Tragic Christmas:  12th December @ The  Dogstar in Brixton: https://www.facebook.com/events/215735955261699/

We mention:

Write Idea Festival: http://writeideafestival.org/
Unfortunatalie: https://twitter.com/unfortunatalie
JJ Abrams: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._J._Abrams
Stephen King: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_King
Chvrches:  http://chvrch.es/
Fun.: http://www.ournameisfun.com/
Olly Mann: http://ollymann.com/
Martin  Zaltz Austwick: http://www.martinzaltzaustwick.com/
Jen Adamthwaite: jadamthwaite.co.uk
cardboard box tree funerals: http://www.beatree.com/
Answer Me This book: http://answermethis.wordpress.com/book/
JK Rowling: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._K._Rowling
Harry Potter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter
Tolkien: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien
Upper Norwood Library: http://uppernorwoodlibrary.org/



You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond.

On-demand and on the go!

Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at www.stitcher.com or in the app stores.

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

GBA Live 9 Helen Zaltzman

This is the first episode of the Podgoblin's hat, with Nina and Dave. You can find it on it's own feed wherever you get your podcasts.

We will be introducing ourselves, our relationship with each other, and our relationships with the Moomins.

Check out our twitter @ThePodgoblin and our Instagram @thepodgoblin to see pictures of the tattoos, cuddly toys and dog eared books we mentioned.

The Podgoblin's Hat Episode 1: Introductions

This is the second episode of The Podgoblin's Hat, with Nina and Dave. You can find it on it's own feed wherever you get your podcasts.

It's our first read-along and we're reading The Moomins and the Great Flood.

We summarise this fairytale of Tove Jansson's, chat about her influences and make a first attempt at a taxonomy of the broader Moomin bestiary.

This week our question for Snufkin is: Things keep stealing my time, and I can't manage to do the things I want to do. What would Snufkin do?

If you've got a question for Snufkin, catch us on Twitter and Instagram @ThePodgoblin or email us at thepodhat@gmail.com

Our Spirit of the Moomins are:

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke (recommended by Nina)

Journey and What Remains of Edith Finch? (recommended by Dave)

And our Spirit of the Podgoblin's Hat is: Tolkien Black Girls from Black Nerds Create.

The Podgoblin's Hat Episode 2: The Moomins and the Great Flood

This is the third episode of The Podgoblin's Hat, with Nina and Dave. You can find it on it's own feed wherever you get your podcasts.

This week we're reading Comet in Moominland, the first fully fledged chapter book. There's lots of to discuss! The Little Creature from last week has become Sniff, a full member of the Moomin family by adoption. A philosopher comes knocking at the door in the middle of the night. But most importantly, Snufkin joins the cast.

We talk about the way this book is structured, the ways in which it calls back to Flood, and we make another fruitless attempt to discover how big Moomins are.

Our #WhatWouldSnufkinDo question this week is: What would you do if your cat came home wearing a new collar?

Spirit of the Moomins recommendations: The Man Whose Mother was a Pirate by Margaret Mahy.

The films of Hayao Miyazaki, specifically Ponyo, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle.

And our Spirit of The Podgoblin's Hat is: Avatar: Braving the Elements

Join us next week when we read the second half of Comet in Moominland!

The Podgoblin's Hat Episode 3: Comet In Moominland (part 1)

This is the fourth episode of The Podgoblin's Hat, with Nina and Dave. You can find it on it's own feed wherever you get your podcasts.

This week we're reading the second half of Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson, and what a rip roaring adventure it is! Moomintroll meets the fabled Snorkmaiden and falls in love on the spot, our brave adventurers attend not one but two end-of-the-world parties, and the philosopher gets stuck into something gooey.

We talk about war and climate catastrophes (again! why is Moominland always threatened by climate change?) and discuss the heteronormativity of the Snorkmaiden and Moomintroll's relationship, but also the ways in which they break that mould.

This week, our question for Snufkin was provided by the AITA community on Reddit and concerns landlords.

Our Spirit of the Moomins recommendations are as follows:

By Ash, Oak and Thorn by Melissa Harrison (special shout-out to the audiobook)

Toy Story 3

And our Spirit of the Podgoblin's Hat, as provided by Nina this week, is Dragon Babies, a YA fantasy nostalgia podcast.

The Podgoblin's Hat Episode 4: Comet in Moominland (part 2)

This is the fifth episode of The Podgoblin's Hat, with Nina and Dave. You can find it on it's own feed wherever you get your podcasts.

This week we're reading the first half of Finn Family Moomintroll. Spring has sprung and the children have discovered a very interesting hat on top of a hill. The hat starts to transform everything that sits inside it, from eggshells, to outlandish words, to Moomintroll himself. Moominmamma is in the mood for a change of scene and leads an expedition to the Hattifatteners' lonely island. Snufkin catches sight of a terrific villain in the heart of a storm.

Our theme for this book is ALCHEMY, and we're looking at transformations and all things golden. Also, colonialist fantasies, various masculinities and the first edition of Nina's Botany Corner.

Our question this week pertains to Dave's nonmonogamous emotional life (!) so you'll definitely want to tune in for that.

Our Spirits of the Moomins are Bluey and Knock Three Times by Cressida Cowell.

Our Spirit of the Podgoblin's Hat is Black Men Can't Jump [In Hollywood].

The Podgoblin's Hat Episode 5: Finn Family Moomintroll (part 1)

In GBA 164 we get better acquainted with Sonja. We talk about making and loving comics, being interested in novelty, veganism, thinking creatively and commercially, giving up work to go freelance and more.

Also featured in this episode are two true stories Sonja told at Spark London events. 

Sonja Plugs:

Plug: 

Her comics course: Prince's Drawing School: Drawing the Graphic Novel http://www.princesdrawingschool.org/programmes/public/shoreditcheve.asp
Run by Emily Haworth-Booth http://emilyhaworthbooth.blogspot.co.uk/

Leaving a job

How To Find Fulfilling Work by Roman Krznaric http://www.romankrznaric.com/how-to-find-fulfilling-work

"Act Now, Reflect Later"

Sonja's Spark Story: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/reaching-out-sonja-todd/

Twitter and instagram: 
https://twitter.com/sonjatodd

http://instagram.com/sonjatodd

Spark London plugs:

http://www.sparklondon.com

https://twitter.com/sparkLDN

https://www.facebook.com/sparklondon

Mon 9th June Father Figures open mic at the Hackney Attic with Letter Lounge: https://www.facebook.com/events/722460404485371/

Mon 16th June Reality Check open mic Upstairs at the Ritzy: https://www.facebook.com/events/625377634222503/

Fri 4th July Spark London teams up with Risk! at the Hackney Attic: http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Hackney_Picturehouse/film/Spark_Presents_Risk_Live_In_London_One_Night_Only/

Mon 7th July Best of Spark London at Canal Cafe Theatre: http://www.canalcafetheatre.com/Calendar.php

I plug:

Myself: http://www.davepickeringstoryteller.com

Here are some extra plugs:

The Stand Up Tragedy IndieGoGo Campaign: bit.ly/TragicFringe

Greek Tragedy: Thursday 12th June at the Dogstar: www.facebook.com/events/625249897568126/

We mention:

Labyrinth: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinth_(film)
Timmy's Pies: http://timmyspies.com/
Bloomsbury Festival: http://bloomsburyfestival.org.uk/
Sonja's podcast: https://soundcloud.com/sound-like-you-mean-it
Erwin Blumenfeld: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erwin_Blumenfeld
Surrealism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealism
Dada: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dada
Pixar: http://www.pixar.com/
Tatty Divine: http://www.tattydevine.com/
Creating A Life Worth Living: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creating-Life-Worth-Living-Filmmakers/dp/0060952431
The Artists Way: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Artists-Way-Discovering-Recovering/dp/0330343580
Scott McCloud: http://scottmccloud.com/
Understanding Comics: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Comics-The-Invisible-Art/dp/006097625X
Reinventing Comics: http://www.amazon.com/Reinventing-Comics-Imagination-Technology-Revolutionizing/dp/0060953500
Making Comics: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Comics-Storytelling-Secrets-Graphic/dp/0060780940
Look In: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Look-in
The Beano: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beano
The Dandy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dandy
Eddie Campbell: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Campbell 
Graffiti Kitchen: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Graffiti-Kitchen-Eddie-Campbell/dp/1568620217
From Hell: http://www.amazon.co.uk/From-Hell-Alan-Moore/dp/0861661419
Eddie Campbell on Too Much Information: http://canadapodcasts.ca/podcasts/TooMuchInformation/2375011
Watchmen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen
Alan Moore: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Moore
Neil Gaiman: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Gaiman
Blankets - Craig Thompson: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blankets-Hardcover-Edition-Craig-Thompson/dp/1603090967
Gail Simone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gail_Simone
Maus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maus
Ladies Do Comics: http://www.laydeezdocomics.com/
Ariel Schrag: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_Schrag 
Potential: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Potential-School-Comic-Chronicles-Schrag/dp/1416552359
Ghostworld: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_World
American Splendor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Splendor
The Amazing Adventures Kavalier Clay by Michael Chabon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Amazing-Adventures-Kavalier-Clay/dp/1841154938
Sandman: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sandman_(Vertigo)
Y: The Last Man: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y:_The_Last_Man
Lost: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_(TV_series)
Mad Men: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_Men
Joss Whedon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_Whedon 
Buffy Comics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer_comics
X Men Run: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astonishing_X-Men#Joss_Whedon_run
The L Word: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_L_Word
The Nerdist Writers Panel - comics episodes: http://www.nerdist.com/podcast_channel/nerdist-comics-panel-channel/
Len Wein: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Len_Wein
Name and shame vegan site: http://jezebel.com/im-vegan-and-this-vegan-sellout-site-is-fucking-embarr-655161955
Popco by Scarlett Thomas: http://www.amazon.co.uk/PopCo-Scarlett-Thomas/dp/184767335X
The End of Mr Y: http://www.amazon.co.uk/End-Mr-Y-Scarlett-Thomas/dp/1847670709
Isa Chandra Moskowitz: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isa_Chandra_Moskowitz
Veganomicon: http://www.theppk.com/books/veganomicon-the-ultimate-vegan-cookbook/
Vegan Cupcakes Take over the world: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vegan-Cupcakes-Take-Over-World/dp/1569242739
Vegan Yum Yum: http://veganyumyum.com/
The Mighty Fork: http://themightyfork.co.uk/
Radio 4 Vegan programme: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b037524t
Engevita: http://www.bio-lallemand.com/products/engevita/
White Pudding: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_pudding
Madonna: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_(entertainer)
Whitney Houston: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Houston
Janet Jackson: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Jackson
Paula Abdul/ Opposites attract: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xweiQukBM_k&feature=kp
The Man Whose Mind Exploded: http://www.themanwhosemindexploded.com/


You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond.

On-demand and on the go!

Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at www.stitcher.com or in the app stores.

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 164 Sonja

In GBA 170 we get better acquainted with Fran. We catch up on what's been happening since we studied together 12 years ago, which for Fran involves becoming a Goth, founding the Cheshire Liberation Front, doing interesting things with Harvest Mice, becoming an Interpretation Officer at the British Museum, climbing mountains and lots more. Also I am outed as a man who has worn a fedora and I duly squirm about it.

Fran plugs:

The Sheriff of Nottingham the HR Years The Musical: https://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/sheriff-of-nottingham-a-musical-musing-on-middle-management 10th-16th August at 7.30pm at The Hotel Ibis

The Cheshire Liberation Front: http://cheshire4life.blogspot.co.uk/

I plug: 

Stand Up Tragedy at the Free Fringe - 7.30pm every day from 2nd-22nd August at the Banshee Labyrinth

We mention:

Fedora: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedora
Fedora Meme: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/fedora-shaming
Nice Guys of OK Cupid: http://www.buzzfeed.com/katienotopoulos/nice-guys-on-okcupid-are-the-worst
MJ Hibbett: http://www.mjhibbett.co.uk/
Carsmile Steve: https://twitter.com/CarsmileSteve
Moon Horse: http://www.mjhibbett.co.uk/moonhorse/
Edinburgh Special 1: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-15-edinburgh-festival
Edinburgh Special 2: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-71-edinburgh-festival
Edinburgh Special 3: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-124-stand-up-tragedy-at
PBH Free Fringe: http://www.freefringe.org.uk/
PBH Episode: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-live-8-peter-buckley-hill
Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com
Hackney Attic: http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Hackney_Picturehouse/Attic/Hackney_Attic/
Jen episodes: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-jen-episodes
Alan Moore: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Moore
Sir Gawain and the Green Night: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Gawain_and_the_Green_Knight
Cheshire Liberation Front's Political Indoctrination Rally: http://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/event/227497-cheshire-liberation-fronts-political-indoctrination-rally/
Weight Watchers Magazine: http://www.weightwatchers.co.uk/shop/mag/
Slimelight: http://www.slimelight.com/
Erotic Reading Group: http://metro.co.uk/2012/11/21/fleshing-out-the-story-the-rise-of-erotic-book-clubs-537703/
Mexican Wrestling London school of Lucha Libre: http://londonschoolofluchalibre.blogspot.co.uk/
Darryl Hannah - Blade Runner:  https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=daryl+hannah+blade+runner&safe=off&rlz=1C1CHFX_en-GBGB456GB456&es_sm=122&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=5oXGU9PLGpPG7AaIgIG4BA&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=985&bih=423
Scafell Pike: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scafell_Pike
William Makepeace Thackeray's belated Bicentenary: http://www.freefringeforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=131&t=1583
Al Murray: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Murray
Miriam Margolyes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miriam_Margolyes
Austentatious: http://austentatiousimpro.com/
British Museum: http://www.britishmuseum.org/
UCL: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/
The Story: http://thestory.org.uk/
Scott of the Antarctic: The Musical: http://www.chortle.co.uk/shows/edinburgh_fringe_2013/s/21909/scott_of_the_antarctic%3A_the_musical
Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedt.co.uk
Richard Herring - The Leicester Square Podcast: http://www.comedy.co.uk/podcasts/richard_herring_lst_podcast/
The Art of Wrestling - Colt Cabana: http://tsmradio.com/coltcabana/
Sisters of Mercy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sisters_of_Mercy
The Cure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cure
Fields of Nephilim: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fields_of_the_Nephilim
The Mission: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mission_(band)
The Cult: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cult
Marilyn Manson: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Manson
Lee and Herring: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_and_Herring
janta - swedish term: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Jante
Jerry Lee Lewis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Lee_Lewis
Elvis:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley
Morrisey - Friends are Successful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Hate_It_When_Our_Friends_Become_Successful


You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond.

On-demand and on the go!

Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at www.stitcher.com or in the app stores.

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!



GBA 170 Fran

A live recording of a GBA recorded at #edfringe 2014 at the Royal Oak as part of the PBH Free Fringe.

This recording is unedited and posted in a no frills way due to the intensive workload of the festival, and for that reason these shows will also not have shownotes attached to them.

18th August: Rosie Wilby: http://www.rosiewilby.com/

Rosie Wilby is a comedian, musician, writer and broadcaster based in London. As a comedian, she has performed at Sydney Mardi Gras, The Comedy Store, Latitude Festival and on Radio 4. As a musician she has performed at Glastonbury Festival, Ronnie Scotts and on Carlton TV.

GBA Live 10 - Rosie Wilby

This is the seventeenth episode of The Podgoblin's Hat, with Nina and Dave. You can find it on it's own feed wherever you get your podcasts.

Carrying on with our read-through of Tales from Moomin Valley, our story this week is A Tale of Horror! But don't get too excited. The scariest thing about it is the Whomper's daddy.

This story, despite not being our favourite, gave us lots to yap about. We talked about how stories about lying affect children's truthfulness, shifting standards in kid lit regarding discipline, in particular corporal punishment, and shared some stories about our own flexible relationships to the truth as children.

Our Spirits of the Moomins are The Sister Who Ate her Brothers by Jen Campbell, and the film Turning Red. Our Spirit of the Podgoblin's Hat is The Newbery Tart podcast.

The Podgoblins Hat Episode Episode 17: A Tale Of Horror

This is the eighteenth episode of The Podgoblin's Hat, with Nina and Dave. You can find it on it's own feed wherever you get your podcasts.

This week we're reading The Fillyjonk Who Believed in disasters, certified banger no matter who you ask! It's a melancholy, funny, poignant story that feels almost too real.

Join us as we relate a little too closely and discuss the anxiety and depression of this poor Fillyjonk. We talk about the beauty and liberation of destruction, bombed out cathedrals, and monastic lifestyles. Do we ever really learn from these experiences, or is it an endless cycle? Plus special Natural History Investigations.

Our Spirits of the Moomins are Stories by Firelight by Shirley Hughes and Campaign 2 of the actual play D&D show Critical Role. Our Spirit of the Podgoblin's Hat is Bookwandering with Anna James.

The Podgoblins Hat Episode 18: The Fillyjonk Who Was Afraid Of Disasters

This is the 6th bonus episode of The Podgoblin's Hat, with Nina and Dave. You can find it on it's own feed wherever you get your podcasts.

There's so much to say about The Fillyjonk Who Believed in Disasters that we invited Ruby on to say some of it for us! We ponder on the exquisite combo that is cosy and creepy, lament the missed connection between Gaffsie and Fillyjonk and scribble all over our copies of Tales From Moomin Valley in pencil.

Ruby's Spirit of the Moomins is the folkloric art of John Bauer, and her Spirit of the Podgoblin's Hat is the Waterlands Podcast. She sings in the Ouseburn Folk Choir.

The Podgoblins Hat Bonus 6: Ruby Miller

This is the nineteenth episode of The Podgoblin's Hat, with Nina and Dave. You can find it on it's own feed wherever you get your podcasts.

This story's title promises so much in terms of dragon content! In actuality there is hardly any dragon in this story, but what there is, is very good. Nina likes this story a lot anyway, Dave's more on the fence.

How understandable to want a small pet of your own, who would be attached just to you! How impossible to guarantee this outcome in any way, especially when said small pet is actually a wild thing and an endangered species to boot! We revisit some familiar themes: love triangles, the impossibility of having a secret, and the unswerving aim of a Little My throwing a pointed jab.

Our question for What Would Snufkin do was adapted from an AITA post on reddit

Our Spirits of the Moomins are Everything Is Alive and The Mab. Our Spirit of the Podgoblin's Hat is The Shrieking Shack.

The Podgoblins Hat Episode 19: The Last Dragon In The World

This is the twentieth episode of The Podgoblin's Hat, with Nina and Dave. You can find it on it's own feed wherever you get your podcasts.



Is this the underrated best story in this collection? We really think it might be.

What can a Hemulen tell us about work under capitalism? Will any of us ever get to be pensioned off? This is a beautiful story about introversion, access needs and the dangers of sharing your most secret desires with your relatives. IT BANGS LIKE A DRUM. And it generated a lot of conversation for us, during which we referenced Shy Radicals by Hamja Ahsan, Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber, and The World Is Not Ending by Sophie From Mars.

Our Spirits of the Moomins are Moira's Pen by Megan Whalen Turner and The Rob Auton Daily Podcast. Our Spirit of the Podgoblin's Hat is Wilder.

The Podgoblins Hat Episode Episode 20: The Hemulen Who Loved Silence

This is the 7th bonus episode of The Podgoblin's Hat, with Nina and Dave. You can find it on it's own feed wherever you get your podcasts.

Our guest Lou has been a Moomin fan since childhood, and the character ey relate to is the Groke (iconic).

This chat is lots of things, and one of the things is a couple of autistics marvelling over the Hemulen Who Loved Silence, with a sideshoot through Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising sequence. It's also Brian Blessed as Edward the Booble impersonations. It's a really good time!

Lou's Spirit of the Moomins is My Neighbour Totoro. Eir Spirit of the Podgoblin's Hat is Saga Thing. Their most recent audio drama is Eeler's Choice.

The Podgoblins Hat Bonus 7: Lou Sutcliffe

This is the twenty-first episode of The Podgoblin's Hat, with Nina and Dave. You can find it on it's own feed wherever you get your podcasts.



This week we're reading one of Tove's most famous short stories: The Invisible Child. It's a pretty bright and funny story with very dark themes. We both like it, but it doesn't quite live up to the hype, for us.

Little My is picking poisonous mushrooms (what else is new?), Moomintroll is an ass, and Moominmamma is a confirmed witch. It's a good one for cameos of Too-Ticky, and vengeance on fathers. We've got quite the fungus-based Natural History/Translation chat. We talk about whether bashing coldly ironical types in the head is even any use. Justice for people with hair colours that aren't black or yellow! There is a deep dive into Nina's ginger experience, and the way gingers, particularly ginger girls, are represented in kids' fiction.

Our Spirits of the Moomins are The Little Prince by Saint Exupery, as read by Peter Ustinov, and Where the Wild Ladies Are, by Matsuda Aoko and translated by Polly Barton. Dave's Spirit of the Moomins is The White Pube website and podcast, particularly their video game reviews.

The Podgoblins Hat Episode Episode 21: The Invisible Child

This is the 8th bonus episode of The Podgoblin's Hat, with Nina and Dave. You can find it on it's own feed wherever you get your podcasts.

Our guest Ali Baker is a researcher in children's literature with a particular interest in children's voice and children's rights, so it's no surprise she chose to come on and talk to us about The Invisible Child!

Ali makes a strong case for Bjork as a Spirit of Little My and reminisces about finding the Moomins in her local library as a kid. We situate the Moomins as a type of fantasy, and Ali recommend's Dr Farah Mendlesohn's Rhetorics of Fantasy.  We talk about the mixed up class elements of the Moomin family, and go on a long tangent about femme-shaming (#JusticeForTheSnorkMaiden), with reference to Tamora Pierce's Protector of the Small quartet. 

Ali's article about the the sensitivity edit's to Roald Dahl's work is here. Her Spirit of the Moomin's is Bjork's album Vespertine, and her Spirit of the Podgoblin's Hat is her podcast Fantasy Book Swap.

The Podgoblin's Hat Bonus Episode 8: Ali Baker

This is the 22rd episode of The Podgoblin's Hat, with Nina and Dave. You can find it on it's own feed wherever you get your podcasts.

How many times has Moominpappa gone off with the Hattifatteners? Are they really as wicked as they're cracked up to be? What does the birch bark scroll mean? Hop along and find out none of the answers to these questions!

This is supposed to be a story about the Hattifatteners, but it might more appropriately be named: The Feelings and Projections that Moominpappa has about the Hattifatteners. Which is a bit disappointing for Hattifattener fans but it's still a pretty good story!

Dave's done some serious research into queer species in the Moomins, and Hattifatteners as cyborgs in particular. Nina's got a super bumper natural history corner about birch bark and parthenogenic mothers, with additional rustling sound effects. There's a maths corner too, which is unlikely to happen again. Have we all got our little pieces of birch bark in hand? Good, now we'll begin.

Our Spirits of the Moomins this week are Thistle & Thyme: Tales and Legends from Scotland by Sorche Nic Leodhas, and The Dark Crystal, Age of Resistance on Netflix. Our Spirit of the Podgoblin's Hat is Research Hole.

The Podgoblins Hat Episode Episode 22: The Secret Of The Hattifateners

This is the 23rd episode of The Podgoblin's Hat, with Nina and Dave. You can find it on it's own feed wherever you get your podcasts.

And just like that, it's the end of the season! We're going out on a story that actually shows us what happens when someone has a problem and wonders "What would Snufkin do?"

Sniff is inconsolable over the loss of his favourite toy, a small dog called Cedric, with bejewelled eyes (?!). Even Moominmamma can't help him, so he wanders down to Snufkin's camp and gets told a story. It's a very classic story-shape about belongings not making you happy, but you know what we say? There's nothing wrong with playing the hits well!

This story is a real two-hander between Snufkin and Sniff. It really wouldn't be the same without Sniff's many, pertinent, exasperating interruptions. We have a go at filling some plot holes, like: when did Sniff get back from wherever it was he went? Who gave him the toy dog, and why did this put jewels in its eyes?

Next season we'll be reading the Moomin comics, so dig out your copies if you want to read along!

Our Spirits of the Moomins this week are The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander and Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit by Julius Lester. Dave has sneaked three (three!) Spirits of the Podgoblin's hat in this season finale to keep you going until we get back: Cane and Rinse, Girl Mode and Rainbow Road.

The Podgoblins Hat Episode Episode 23: Cedric

GBA Fringe Season: Two weeks of episodes devoted to the Edinburgh and Camden Fringes

In GBA 13 we get better acquainted with Richard Tyrone Jones.  Amongst other things we talk about how he literally has a big heart that almost killed him, what it means to try and make a living from poetry and the way his life now (finally) has a narrative arc.

Richard Tyrone Jones plugs:

Utter! Spoken Word: http://www.utterspokenword.com   / http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=5704768293

Fund Richard Tyrone Jones Has A Big Heart's 2012 Tour and Book: http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/investment/richard-tyrone-jones-has-a-big-heart-edinburgh-amp-tour-2012-256


Camden Fringe:

Richard Tyrone Jones Has a Heart: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=203616559670276 LAST SHOW SUNDAY 7th August - Camden Head

Utter! MisGuided Tour of Camden 6th August: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=215717238445578

Utter! Puppets: 9th August - Green Note http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=214491278563431


Edinburgh Fringe:

26th and 27th August Banshee Labyrinth: 
http://freefringe.org.uk/showlistings/5099-richard-tyrone-jones-reads-some-stuff-off-bits-of-paper-spoken-word

27th August - Utter! Spoken Word
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=179663742082014




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GBA 13 Richard Tyrone Jones

In GBA 213 we get better acquainted with Bisha. We talk about feeling like frauds, the prison industrial complex and restorative justice, kindness, empathy, hierarchical systems, turning difficult subjects into comedy, insecurity, creativity, privilege and so much more.

Bisha plugs:

The Turtle Bookclub: http://www.turtlebookclub.com/
Bisha website: http://www.bishakali.com/
Bisha fringe show: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/bisha-k-ali-ridiculous
Bisha twitter: https://twitter.com/bishakali

I plug:

Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/
What About the Men: http://mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk/
GBA and SUT in Edinburgh: http://www.facebook.com/events/1378858509079820/
http://www.facebook.com/events/1446178112341943/

We mention:

Tamer Kattan: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-live-13-tamer-kattan
bell hooks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_hooks
Restorative Justice: https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Restorative_justice
Angela Davis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Davis
Anarchist Book Fair: http://www.anarchistbookfair.org.uk/
Gift Economy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gift_economy
Universal Basic Income: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_income
Johann Hari on Little Atoms: http://www.littleatoms.com/podcast/johann-hari-chasing-scream
Are Prisons Obsolete by Angela Davis: http://www.feministes-radicales.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Angela-Davis-Are_Prisons_Obsolete.pdf
Niels Bohr: https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Niels_Bohr
https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/821936.Niels_Bohr
George Carlin: https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=George_Carlin
How to Explain White Priviledge to a Broke White Person: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gina-crosleycorcoran/explaining-white-privilege-to-a-broke-white-person_b_5269255.html
Billy Bragg: https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Billy_Bragg
Comic Relief: http://www.comicrelief.com/
Bob Geldof: https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Bob_Geldof
Lenny Henry: https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Lenny_Henry
Hitler: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler
Majid Nawaaz - Quilliam: http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/about/staff/maajid-nawaz/


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GBA 213 Bisha K Ali

In GBA 221 we get better acquainted with Mathilda. She talks about #HowToBeFat, writing werewolf erotica, comedy, writing, performance, parenthood, slash fiction and more. We recorded the conversation in Edinburgh during the Fringe where both of us were doing solo shows that (in different ways) talk about taboo subjects, shame, identity, stigma, privilege and social pressure. We compare notes on doing shows that people might describe as brave.

Mathilda plugs:

Her Website: https://mathildia.wordpress.com

Slah Night: https://www.facebook.com/events/1114214225259785/ September 17th,  Brighton

@Mathildia: https://twitter.com/mathildia

I plug:

Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/

What About the Men? Mansplaining Masculinity: http://mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk/

We mention:

Rosie Wilby: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-live-10-rosie-wilby
Mathilda at SUT: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/tragic-horror-act-2
Tragic Bodies: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/tragic-spring-act-2-tragic-bodies
How to Be Fat: https://mathildia.wordpress.com/performance/how-to-be-fat/
Werewolf Erotica: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/14/sexy-werewolf-novel-review-us-judge
Slash Night: https://slashnight.wordpress.com/
Fan Fic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_fiction
Komedia: http://www.komedia.co.uk/
Jo Neary: http://www.joneary.com/home.html
Black Lace: http://www.blacklace.co.uk/
Equal Opportunities: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Equal-Opportunities-Black-Mathilde-Madden-x/dp/0352340703
Erotic Awards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_Awards
Cameryn Moore: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-215-cameryn-moore
Phone Whore: http://www.camerynmoore.com/
Slash Fic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slash_fiction
Kids doing PE in school: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/07/pe-teachers-fat-children-stereotyped-overweight
Doctor Who: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who
Pre Internet Slash Fic: http://www.kelper.co.uk/helenraven/prehistoryfull.html
Professionals: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Professionals_(TV_series)
Tumblr: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumblr
Bridge: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contract_bridge
Steven Universe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Universe

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GBA 221 Mathilda Gregory

This is an introduction to Dave who is the host of GBA. It was Episode 1 of  the series and had 130 plays at the time of it being ACCIDENTALLY DELETED. It has been re-posted out of sequence because there was no way of putting it back where it belonged.

Dave tells stories from his past, some funny, some sad, some a mixture of both, featuring two live stories told at Spark London events: http://www.sparklondon.com/

GBA 1 Dave

In GBA 246 we get better acquainted with Lauren. We talk telling stories, cultivating awkward moments, living in the grey areas, the cracks in things, running away to join the circus band, calling yourself a comedian, attempting to make a living from making art, the poetics of failure and being excited among many other things. 

You also get to hear her singing a really lovely song.

Lauren plugs:

4th - 7th May Sad Siren Present: I Love You Will You Mary Me: http://theatredelicatessen.co.uk/js_events/sad-siren-present-i-love-you-will-u-marry-me/

Sad Siren Theatre: http://www.sadsirentheatre.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/sadsirentheatre
Circus Central: http://www.circuscentral.co.uk/
Alphabetti Theatre: http://www.alphabettitheatre.co.uk/
Theatre Deli North: https://twitter.com/MoorDeli
North East Circus Network: https://www.facebook.com/North-East-Circus-Music-Network-389796537880952/
Tatters Catman and the Infinite Broken Sequins: https://soundcloud.com/tatters-catman

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lstone345

Her song can be found here: https://soundcloud.com/laurenstone1

I plug:

Spark: http://www.stories.co.uk

What About the Men? Mansplaining Masculinity: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sut-presents-what-about-the-men-mansplaining-maculinity

http://mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk

Twitter: http://twitter.com/goosefat101

Donating: http://bit.ly/1LUtbKt

We mention:

Tamer Kattan: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-live-13-tamer-kattan
Canal Cafe Theatre: http://www.canalcafetheatre.com/
Exmouth Market Theatre: http://stories.co.uk/locations/exmouth-market-theatre/
Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/
Lauren at Spark: http://www.podcastchart.com/podcasts/spark-london/episodes/best-of-spark-5-tamer-kattan
Lauren at SUT: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/selected-tragedy-vol-9-tragicomedy
Fairystory: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/tragic-winter-act-1-tragic-fairytales
Song By Song: http://www.songbysongpodcast.com/
Martin Austwick: http://www.martinzaltzaustwick.com/
Sam Pay: https://twitter.com/sampay
Tamer at SUT: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/tragic-edinburgh-2014-a-tragic
The Poetics of Failure: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Performance-Theatre-Poetics-Failure-Bailes/dp/0415585651
The Seagull: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seagull
Turkish Delight: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_delight

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GBA 246 Lauren

In this special GBA Live recorded at the Old Red Lion Theatre as part of Radioman Lates I get better acquainted with James Hamilton.

http://www.jameshamiltoncomedy.co.uk/

http://www.casualviolencecomedy.co.uk/

We talk comedy, writing, Casual Violence!, Hector Vs. The Future, Truncated Nightmare Hour, drama, darkness and lots more in what is half a conversation and half an existential Kafkaesque trial. 

James plugs:

Hector Vs. The Future: Live recordings of episode 3 and 4 on 16th May at  Etcetera Theatre Camden: https://www.facebook.com/events/1767282563491514/

I plug:

Get Matt Hill on GBA by donating to the Spark RefuAid appeal: http://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/sparkrefuaid

Donate to GBA: http://bit.ly/1LUtbKt

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GBA Live 18 - James Hamilton

In GBA 251 we get better acquainted with David Lee Morgan. He talks science, love, revolution, violence, art, history, activism, politics and so much more. In the conversation we trace his creative and political development over the course of his life, how he became an American revolutionary communist who spits words in the UK, and how that relates to where he has come from, the places, people and events he has encountered on the way. 

David plugs:

Science, Love at Revolution on 24th May: https://www.facebook.com/events/1016837591729123/
Text of the show: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Science-Love-Revolution-David-Morgan/dp/149125694X
davidword: http://www.davidword.com
The Other Side of the Flood (Free Fringe 2016): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U17N5gY9Tj0

I plug:

What About the Men? Mansplaining Masculinity: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sut-presents-what-about-the-men-mansplaining-maculinity
http://mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk

Donating: http://bit.ly/1LUtbKt

SUT: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk

We mention:

FF Album: David's track: https://pbhfreefringespokenword.bandcamp.com/track/duh-mockracy
Crosby, Stills and Nash: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosby,_Stills,_Nash_%26_Young
David Hilliard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hilliard
Black Panthers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_Party
Nixon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Nixon
Invasion of Cambodia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_Campaign
Vietnam: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_Campaign
Kent /Jackson murders: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_State_killings
Stalin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin
Marx: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Marx
Lenin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Lenin
Conspectus on Hagel: https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1914/cons-logic/
Hot Autumn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Autumn
Dallas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas_(1978_TV_series)
Rodney King: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_King
Trump: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump
Hitler: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler
Joe Cocker: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Cocker
LSD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysergic_acid_diethylamide
Socialist Workers Party: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist_Workers_Party_(United_States)
International Socialists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Socialists_(United_States)
Seattle Liberation Front: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Liberation_Front
Chicago Conspiracy Trial: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Seven
Abbie Hoffman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbie_Hoffman
Bobby Seale: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Seale
John Coltrane: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Coltrane
Lenin: The State and Revolution (PDF): Lenin: The State and Revolution
Anti-War Demo - Iraq War: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_15,_2003,_anti-war_protests
Revolutionary Communist Party: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_Communist_Party,_USA
Medea: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medea_(play)
Euripides: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euripides
Iran Hostage Crisis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_hostage_crisis
Khomeini: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhollah_Khomeini
Teach-in: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teach-in
CIA/Chile: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Chilean_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat
Russian Revolution: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Revolution
Chinese Revolution: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Communist_Revolution
The Cultural Revolution: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Revolution 
Mao: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Zedong
Thatcher: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher
Reagan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan
Alain Badiou: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_Badiou
Paris 1968: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_1968_events_in_France
BLM: http://blacklivesmatter.com/
St Augustine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo

GBA 251 David Lee Morgan

In GBA 257 we get better acquainted with Tom Crowley. He talks about Wooden Overcoats, Sad Faces, producing, acting and the difference between seriousness and solemnity amongst many other things.

Tom plugs:

Wooden Overcoats: http://www.woodenovercoats.com/
Wooden Overcoasts Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1667942170/wooden-overcoats-season-2
The Night: 23rd June https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=287998684881698
Crowley & Co: http://crowleynco.com/
@crowlynco: https://twitter.com/crowleynco

I plug:

What About the Men? Mansplaining Masculinity: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sut-presents-what-about-the-men-mansplaining-maculinity

http://mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk

Donating: http://bit.ly/1LUtbKt

SUT: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk

The Family Tree: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thefamilytreepodcast

We mention:

(I will add links to all these later this week when I have a moment)

Spark London
Felix Trench
Sad Faces
Brydie Lee-Kennedy
Gods of Comedy Podcast
Stand Up Tragedy
It Get's Better Project
Crowley & Co
David K Barnes - How to Write A Sitcom
Andy Goddard - How to Record A Radio Drama
Tom Crowley - How to write comedy
John Wakefield
The Allusionist
Helen Zaltzman
Play and Record
Victoria Lloyd
Toby Wilson
Jack Bernhart
Rachel Lehman
Rosie Fletcher
Monty Python
James Hamilton
Vault Festival
Awkward Ghost
Oscar French
Best Served Cold
John Cleese on Creativity - German Company - knock knock jokes
Stewart Lee
John Humphreys
Johnathan Ross - awards ceremony
Stephen Fry - BAFTAs
Germaine Greer
Tom Hiddleston
Ian McEwan
Richard O'Brien
Self Pity
Beth Air
Zoot Alore Theatre
Drayton Trench
Welcome to Nightvale
Thrilling Adventure Hour
Radio 4
Itunes Best of 2015
Horse and Stables - waterloo
Micheal Longey
Kieran Hodgkon
Mary Beth Merosa
The Night
Finbury Theatre
Sadiq Kahn

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GBA 257 Tom Crowley

In GBA 261 we get  better acquainted with Rita. She talks about why she came to the UK, how it feels to be a Polish person in London during Brexit, her play Girl Fag, performing stand-up, writing poetry, being othered, being a freelance artist, the difference between prolific and productive and lots more.

Rita Plugs:

Her featured slot at Rhymes with Orange on 28th July: http://orangesrhyme.com/
Sam Rhodes Comedy Explosion: https://www.facebook.com/SamRhodesCE/
And look out for The Job Stealers Podcast with The London Pole

I plug:

The Family Tree: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thefamilytreepodcast

What About the Men? Mansplaining Masculinity: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sut-presents-what-about-the-men-mansplaining-maculinity

http://mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk

Donating: http://bit.ly/1LUtbKt

We mention:

GAP Salon: https://gapsalon.wordpress.com/
Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/
Amy Clare Tasker: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-192-amy-clare-tasker
Girl Fag: https://twitter.com/hashtag/GirlfagThePlay?src=hash
The Living Songbook: https://twitter.com/livingsongbook
Rita's Poem about EUref: https://youtu.be/iTgPLie_ipQ
Erasmus Exchange: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erasmus_Programme
Agatha Christie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agatha_Christie
Media Diversified: https://mediadiversified.org/
LBC German Woman: http://www.lbc.co.uk/im-so-scared-now-german-woman-hit-by-xenophobia-calls-james-in-tears-132971
Safety Pin: http://indy100.independent.co.uk/article/safetypin-the-simple-way-to-show-solidarity-with-the-uks-immigrant-population--ZJzeRPz6kHW
Tragedy plus time quote: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/257244-humor-is-tragedy-plus-time
Michael Jackson - Jam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbHI1yI1Ndk
Rikki Beadle Blair: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rikki_Beadle-Blair
Arts Jobs: http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/

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Getting Better Acquainted

GBA 261 Rita

In GBA 274 we get better acquainted with Guilaine Kinouani. She talks about structural power, racism, mental health issues and self care in relation to the experiences of women of colour, clinical psychology, feminism, the #PredatoryPeacekeepers campaign, the differences (and similarities) between British and French attitudes to race/migration and so much more. It's also the first Getting Better Acquainted recorded in a public library.

Guilaine plugs:

Predatory Peacekeepers: http://predatorypeacekeepers.tumblr.com/
PP Petition: https://community.avaaz.org/petitions/we-will-not-stand-by-when-un-soldiers-abuse-rape-and-murder

Media Diversified: https://mediadiversified.org/

Now We Here: https://soundcloud.com/real-media-1

Real Media: http://realmedia.press/

RaceReflections: https://racereflections.co.uk

We mention:

Racism = prejudice + power: http://sjwiki.org/wiki/Prejudice_plus_power
White Feminism: http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/08/need-talk-about-white-feminism/
Strong Black Woman Trope: https://blackgirlnerds.com/mental-health-and-the-strong-black-woman-trope/
bell hooks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_hooks
Audre Lorde: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audre_Lorde
AL quote: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/2213-if-i-didn-t-define-myself-for-myself-i-would-be
Code Blue Campaign: http://www.codebluecampaign.com/
Some articles on #PredatoryPeacekeepers:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/20/the-un-must-smash-the-culture-of-impunity-that-lets-peacekeepers/

https://mediadiversified.org/2016/04/12/the-uns-good-vs-bad-narrative-clears-the-way-for-sexual-violence-and-impunity/

Samantha Asumadu: http://www.samanthaasumadu.com/

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GBA 274 Guilaine Kinouani

In GBA 297 we get better acquainted with Andre. He talks about transformation and change in his life and work. Our conversation covers education, dialogue, theology, writing, psychology, acting and so much more. He shares the "origin story" of how he exchanged his adopted name for the original one on his birth certificate,  how he became a Priest finally (after being rejected first time round) only to find himself on a different path to the one he'd expected, what he does when practicing systemic therapy, and the relationship between therapy, spirituality, performance and narrative.

Andre plugs:

The book he is writing about transformation and change
His website: http://www.andreradmall.co.uk
@radmallandre: https://twitter.com/radmallandre
The Shapeshifters: https://www.theshapeshifters.org/

I plug:

The Family Tree: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/

We mention:

Spark London: http://stories.co.uk/
Azariah: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-243-azariah
Andre and Azariah on The Family Tree Cuttings:
http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/cuttings/cutting-1-podcasts-and-priests/
http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/cuttings/cutting-6-the-big-questions/
http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/cuttings/cutting-8-stories-and-more-stories/
My show about masculinity: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sut-presents-what-about-the-men-mansplaining-maculinity
Shock and Care - Harry Giles: https://harrygiles.org/2016/04/24/shock-and-care/
Stanislavski: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konstantin_Stanislavski
Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/
Theatre de complicite: http://www.complicite.org/
CS Lewis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._S._Lewis
Narnia Books: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Narnia
Church of England: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_England
Wind in the Willows: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wind_in_the_Willows
Mr Toad: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Toad
Guardians of the Galaxy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardians_of_the_Galaxy_Vol._2

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GBA 297 - Andre

In GBA 335 we get better acquainted with Sofie Hagen.  She talks about how her politics and language have evolved, fat liberation and feminism, her interest in vulnerability, the relationship between comedy and audiences, and so much more. We also compare notes on turning conversations into podcasts, making art and activism for previous versions of yourself and we swap therapy stories.

Content note: we touch on the topics of trauma, #MeToo, rape culture, fatphobia and structural oppression.

Sofie plugs:

Made of Human:  https://www.madeofhumanpodcast.com/
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/made-of-human-with-sofie-hagen/id1144479729?mt=2
Newsletter: http://www.sofiehagen.com/newsletter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SofieHagen
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sofiehagen.komiker/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/sofiehagendk

I plug:

Mansplaining Masculinity: The Book https://unbound.com/books/mansplaining-masculinity/

What About the Men? Mansplaining Masculinity: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sut-presents-what-about-the-men-mansplaining-maculinity

http://mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk/

Down to a sunless sea: memories of my dad: https://medium.com/@goosefat101/down-to-a-sunless-sea-memories-of-my-dad-d1d2d3a61360

The Family Tree: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-family-tree/id1113714688

We mention:

Spark: http://stories.co.uk/
Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/
Mark Watson: http://www.markwatsonthecomedian.com/
Uber: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uber
Bubblewrap: https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80182704
Shimmer Shatter: http://www.sofiehagen.com/shop/
Dead Baby Frog: Look out for her third show as a video soon
Harrison Ford kisses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWoP8VpbpYI
Me Too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_Too_movement
Emma Holter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Holten
Pat Burtscher: https://twitter.com/patburtscher
Brian O'Gorman: https://twitter.com/bog_416
Intersectional Feminism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersectionality
Fat acceptance/fat liberation/fat activism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_acceptance_movement
Kivan Bay / @kivabay: https://twitter.com/KivaBay
Cat Pausé: https://twitter.com/FOMNZ
Seeing White: http://podcast.cdsporch.org/seeing-white/
About Race with Reni Eddo Lodge: https://www.aboutracepodcast.com/
Bojack Horseman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BoJack_Horseman

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GBA 335 Sofie Hagen

In GBA 58 we get better acquainted with Radcliffe. In part 1 of this weeks 2 part special he talks about his relationship with drugs and his "formative" years. 

This includes his experiences attending and being expelled from a boarding school, his family life and his almost accidental introduction into the Edinburgh underworld.

We discuss addiction and the nature and social position of drugs. And we hear a recovered addicts views on drugs policy. 

Part 2 : http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-58-radcliffe-part-2 comes out in Friday when the conversation will continue, covering crime and punishment, homelessness and then rehabilitation and recovery. 

Seriously this conversation was amazing to have and I think it is really really worth you hearing. Radcliffe has seen some dark times, he has journeyed through the class system from the top to pretty much the bottom. He has lived in expensive houses and has been a crack addict in a Soho skip. He has dropped out of society and managed to climb back in. And he tells his story with humour, kindness and brutal honesty and whilst it is full of pain and violence, it is also, somehow a story about hope, beauty and love.


Radcliffe Plugs:

"Spoken Word is the new Rock and Roll"


Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/     

Today marks the 100 episode of the Spark London podcast. This is Radcliffe telling his story there (which is a teaser for part 2 of his conversation):http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/on-living-in-a-soho-skip-radcliffe-royds/

And this is the 100 episode of their show: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/episode-100-dorothea-stuart-alastair-smith/

You can find their podcast on iTunes and on Stitcher as well as on Mixcloud.

Their next live show is: Wednesday 6th June 2012 at 7:30pm at Canal Cafe Theatre, Little Venice, London, W2 6ND

The theme is "Life Savers" 

Box office: 020 7289 6054 or Book online: http://www.canalcafetheatre.com/

Future themes include Family Holidays, Tales from the work place, Flashbacks and Authority. If you have a story to tell then get in touch at sparklondon@gmail.com



Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/

The next, and last for the moment, live Stand Up Tragedy will feature Radcliffe telling a story. This is the rest of the line up: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/show-5-4-june-2012/

Here are the details:

Monday  4th June 2012. 8.30pm till late at the Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, London, WC2H 7BX

Tickets: http://leicestersquaretheatre.ticketsolve.com/shows/126520120/events

COME ALONG. BRING YOUR FRIENDS. Use the promo code TRAGIC to offset booking fee.

It also has a weekly podcast, which Radcliffe has featured on, which comes out every friday: http://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy








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Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at http://www.stitcher.com or in the app stores.

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GBA 58 Radcliffe (Part 1)

This Getting Better Acquainted Extra is a talk I gave as part of the Maker Sessions at the London Podcast Festival 2018 at King’s Place. 

The title of the talk was: Passion Projects

The blurb was: For better or worse, Dave Pickering has been working on passion projects since he can remember. In 2008, he wrote a drama series for a friend, which was nominated for a Sony Radio Award in 2009. He’s made podcasts in a variety of genres at the same time as working full time jobs and part time jobs, and for the last 4 years, around the paid freelance work that the passion projects have just about generated for him. His passion projects have won podcast awards, been recommended by the Guardian, Time Out and the Financial Times and have been featured on Radio 4, Radio 5 Live, Cbeebies Radio and Resonance FM. In this workshop, Dave will explore why you should follow your passions, why you should definitely not follow your passions, and how to find the perseverance to keep following your passions when no one else seems to be interested in them.

http://www.davepickeringstoryteller.co.uk

Thanks to Martin Zaltz Austwick and Zoe Jeyes for asking me to do it.

My Passions:

Getting Better Acquainted: http://www.gettingbetteracquainted.co.uk

The Family Tree: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk

Mansplaining Masculinity: https://unbound.com/books/mansplaining-masculinity/

http://www.mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk/

What About the Men? Mansplaining Masculinity: 
https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sut-presents-what-about-the-men-mansplaining-maculinity

Spark London: http://stories.co.uk/

Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk

Some things mentioned (tweet me at @goosefat101 if I’ve missed stuff as I’ve just moved house so haven’t given this the time I normally would):

The Boy Who Hasn’t Lived:http:// www.theboywhohasntlived.com/

Answer Me This: https://answermethispodcast.com/

The Allusionist: https://www.theallusionist.org/

Helen Zaltzman: http://helenzaltzman.com

Griefcast with Cariad Lloyd https://www.acast.com/griefcast

Where Shall We Begin? With Esther Perel: https://www.estherperel.com/podcast

WTF with Marc Maron: http:// www.wtfpod.com/

Richard Herring: http://www.richardherring.com/

FAKE FRIENDS EPISODE TWO: parasocial hel1 by 
StrucciMovies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLA-uFKjQ-g

Four Thought: Liberating Men: Liberating Men: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07x5vsh

In Pod We Trust: Welcome to Podland: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06pjdjh/episodes/player

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GBA Extra - Passion Projects

In GBA 344 we get even better acquainted with Rita. She talks about how her life has changed since we last recorded a conversation, how trying to work as a freelancer in the arts can affect your mental health, the relationship between trying to make things for yourself and trying to make money to pay rent and bills, her different experiences of day-jobs and so much more. 

Recorded just before I moved to Lancaster - partly due to the difficulty of trying to be a freelance artist in London - there is a lot of cross over between our experiences and concerns as we reflect on how stress can mean that a day job can be a better way of being able to make the work you want to make (and may be better for your mental health), trying to establish your work when you are a jack of all trades and a master of some, how many great creators don't have the admin and hustling chops needed to get their work out to people and the roles of luck, privilege, power, work ethic in trying to "make it".

This was our first GBA: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-261-rita

Rita plugs:

Working with her on creative things:
Her twitter: @RitaSuszek https://twitter.com/RitaSuszek
Here email: RitaSuszek at gmail dot com
Instagram: @rita_vision https://www.instagram.com/rita_vision/

The Family Tree: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/
Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-family-tree/id1113714688
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thefamilytreepodcast
Rita's Episode in Season 2: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/branches/the-family-tree-season-2-episode-11-message-in-a-bottle/

I plug:

Mansplaining Masculinity: The Book https://unbound.com/books/mansplaining-masculinity/

What About the Men? Mansplaining Masculinity: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sut-presents-what-about-the-men-mansplaining-maculinity

http://mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk/

Down to a sunless sea: memories of my dad: https://medium.com/@goosefat101/down-to-a-sunless-sea-memories-of-my-dad-d1d2d3a61360

We mention:

GAP Salon: https://gapsalon.wordpress.com/
Travis Alabanza: http://travisalabanza.co.uk/
Busy Being Black Episode with Travis: https://www.acast.com/busybeingblack/travisalabanza-blackbonesandcycles
No Such Place As London
Fuck It I'm 30
Fucking European
Theatre Royal Stratford East: http://www.stratfordeast.com/
5 Dresses I Never Wear
Calm Down Dear: https://www.cptheatre.co.uk/wp_theatre_season/calm-dear-2018/
Camden People's Theatre: https://www.cptheatre.co.uk
Sam Rhodes Comedy Explosion: https://www.facebook.com/SamRhodesCE/
Captain Awkward: https://captainawkward.com/
Ask A Manager:  https://www.askamanager.org/
Rikki Beadle Blair: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rikki_Beadle-Blair
John Russel Gordon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_R._Gordon

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GBA 344 Rita Suszek

In GBA 67 we get better acquainted with Martin "the soundman" Zaltz Austwick from the podcasts Answer Me This!, The Sound of the Ladies, The Global Lab Podcast and Bright Club. 

But there is much more to Martin than podcasting:

I talk to Martin about treating cancer with lasers, the relationship between physics and sociology, songwriting, public engagement, the relationship between class and studying at Oxford, changing your name when you get married, reverb, the history of social housing in the UK and more.

This episode is part of a strand of GBA where I talk to podcast makers and radio makers: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/podcasters-and-radio-makers

For more about Answer Me This! (including reference to Martin) have a listen to the GBA I did with it's hosts Helen and Ollie: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-65-helen-and-olly

Martin Plugs:

If you're interested in his music: The Sound of the Ladies: http://www.thesoundoftheladies.com/

If you're interested in sciencde engagement stuff: http://www.sociablephysics.com

His two twitters:

http://www.twitter.com/sociablephysics
http://www.twitter.com/martinaustwick

Mentioned in the Episode:

Darren Hayman: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-62-darren-hayman

Coventry Special: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-64-coventry

Gavin Osborn: http://www.myspace.com/gavinosborn

Bright Club: http://www.brightclub.org/

Martin talking lasers on Bright Club: http://brightclub.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/podcast-2-martin-king-of-lasers-austwick-and-kent-valentine/

Martin talking fictional lasers for The Naked Scientists: http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/latest-questions/question/3337/

The Global Lab: http://www.thegloballab.com/

Science Showoff: http://www.scienceshowoff.org/

Answer Me This: http://www.answermethispodcast.com/

The Dave: http://soundcloud.com/the-dave/sets

The Plural: http://soundcloud.com/the-plural


You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond.

On-demand and on the go!

Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at http://www.stitcher.com or in the app stores.

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GBA 67 Martin "the sound man" Zaltz Austwick

In GBA 349 we get better acquainted with Louise. She talks about the round about route her life has taken between when we met at university and now, finding her way to poetry, writing and teaching, her relationship with Wigan where she has lived most of her life, her new music projects, coming back to dance after years away, being a self employed person working in the arts and so much more.

Also at the end of today’s episode, after the conversation is over, I repeat the announcement about how Getting Better Acquainted going on a hiatus after episode 350. And also between now and the Christmas Special.

Louise plugs:

1st Dec Liverpool Cinema For All event: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vote-100-born-a-rebel-liverpool-tickets-49280462189
Louise on twitter: https://twitter.com/louisethepoet
wordWITCH on twitter: https://twitter.com/wordWITCHsynth
Nymphs and Thugs: https://nymphsandthugs.net/
Love is a Battlefield: https://nymphsandthugs.bandcamp.com/album/love-is-a-battlefield
Bird St:  https://nymphsandthugs.bandcamp.com/album/bird-st

I plug:

My recent writing about consent and gender: https://medium.com/@goosefat101/what-about-the-women-3237e4155f2c

Mansplaining Masculinity: The Book https://unbound.com/books/mansplaining-masculinity/

What About the Men? Mansplaining Masculinity: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sut-presents-what-about-the-men-mansplaining-maculinity

http://mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk/

Down to a sunless sea: memories of my dad: https://medium.com/@goosefat101/down-to-a-sunless-sea-memories-of-my-dad-d1d2d3a61360

New piece: https://medium.com/@goosefat101/down-to-a-sunless-sea-memories-of-my-dad-604a239b7501

The Family Tree: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thefamilytreepodcast

We mention:

Ludus Dance: https://ludusdance.org/
Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/
Louise at SUT: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sut-daily-ep-1-louise-f
White Poppy: https://metro.co.uk/2018/11/01/my-white-poppy-doesnt-mean-im-against-remembrance-it-means-i-am-committed-to-peace-8093178/
Mike Garry: https://www.mikegarry.co.uk/
New Voices Award BBC Radio 3: https://www.theguardian.com/books/the-northerner/2014/jun/06/wigan-poet-louise-fazackerley-radio-3-verb-new-voices-award
Ian McMillan: http://www.uktouring.org.uk/ian-mcmillan/
The Verb: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006tnsf
George Orwell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Orwell
Road to Wigan Pier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_to_Wigan_Pier
Northern Soul: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_soul
Would they wear it in wigan? http://leblow.co.uk/category/would-they-wear-it-in-wigan/
Burning Eye: https://burningeyebooks.wordpress.com/
John Cooper Clarke: http://johncooperclarke.com/
Toria Garber: http://www.toriagarbutt.net/
Luke Wright: https://www.lukewright.co.uk/
Clare Ferguson-Walker: https://www.facebook.com/ClareFergusonWalker/
Kendal Calling: https://www.kendalcalling.co.uk/
Kate Tempest: https://www.katetempest.co.uk/
Sleaford Mods: https://sleaford-mods.myshopify.com/
Joy Division: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_Division
Tom Waits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Waits
Bob Dylan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan
Nico: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nico
Die Antwood: https://www.dieantwoord.com/home/
The Streets: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Streets
Depeche Mode: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depeche_Mode
Slummy Eve: https://twitter.com/SlummyEve https://slummyeve.bandcamp.com/
Travis Alabanza: http://travisalabanza.co.uk/
Oranges are not the only fruit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oranges_Are_Not_the_Only_Fruit_(TV_serial)

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GBA 349 Louise Fazackerley

In the final (for now) Getting Better Acquainted Extra I continue the tradition of beginning the new year with a round up of how the last year panned out for me, I consider the impact making this show has had on my life, what kinds of things you might find on your GBA feed in the future, and the distance between who I was in 2011 and who I am now in 2019. 

Getting Better Acquainted is now on hiatus for a while. But there's over 350 episodes in the archives so plenty to catch up on for people just discovering the show.

I mention:

Sofie Hagen on GBA: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-335-sofie-hagen

Made of Human with Sofie Hagen: https://www.madeofhumanpodcast.com

The Breakup Monologues with Rosie Wilby: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-breakup-monologues-with-rosie-wilby/id1310409996?mt=2

My time hosting Spark Hackney: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-extra-the-spark

Spark True Stories: http://stories.co.uk/

The talk I gave at the London Podcast Festival: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-extra-passion-projects-the-london-podcast-festival

The 2018 Christmas Special: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-350-the-last-christmas

I plug:

Mansplaining Masculinity: The Book https://unbound.com/books/mansplaining-masculinity/

What About the Men? Mansplaining Masculinity: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sut-presents-what-about-the-men-mansplaining-maculinity

http://mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk/

The Family Tree: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thefamilytreepodcast

Down to a sunless sea: https://medium.com/@goosefat101/down-to-a-sunless-sea-memories-of-my-dad-604a239b7501

GBA Extra - Permanent Resolution

In GBA 80 we get better acquainted Alex. He is probably my best friend but we don't have an uncomplicated friendship. He talks computer games, prehistory, technology, television, friendship, song writing and more. 

The episode features some rarities from our musical back catalogue. More of which you can find in these places:

http://soundcloud.com/themiddleclassbastards

http://soundcloud.com/themanamp

http://soundcloud.com/the-dave/sets

http://www.myspace.com/applesforeveryone

On Friday in GBA 81 the tables are turned as Alex interviews me. His style is very different from mine and the conversation is a brilliant contrast and compliment to the usual format.

Alex plugs:

Content: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Content-A-New-British-Sci-Fi-Drama/133914976650155

Echo: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Echo-A-Science-Fantasy/209422702425826


Mentioned:

WTF conversation between Louis CK and Marc Maron:

http://www.wtfpod.com/

http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_111_-_louis_ck_part_1

http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_112_-_louis_ck_part_2

Century City:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377153/


You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond.

On-demand and on the go!

Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at http://www.stitcher.com or in the app stores.

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 80 Alex

In GBA 81 we get better acquainted with... Dave. The tables are turned as Alex who was my guest in GBA 80 takes the reins and interviews me in his own unique style. His approach to hosting is very different from mine. We go on lots of interesting tangents produced by his crowd sourcing approach to coming up with questions. Personal, political, surreal, it's all there. 

This is the conversation I had with him immediately before we switched roles: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-80-alex

Dave plugs:

Personal:

http://soundcloud.com/the-dave

http://soundcloud.com/the-plural

http://soundcloud.com/thereactionaries

"Numbers" on RethinkDaily: http://rethinkdaily.co.uk/

Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/

Alex's music (although it isn't available) - at this point Alex plugs his DJ Mix: http://soundcloud.com/themanamp

Working with George - These are his embryonic mixes : http://soundcloud.com/geojams And this is his GBA: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-6-george

Checking out the work of unknown artists such as those featured regularly on GBA:

http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/musicians/

http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/writers/

The place to find an up to date account of his projects: http://goosefat101.blogspot.co.uk/



Political:


UK Uncut: http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/
The People's Supermarket: http://www.thepeoplessupermarket.org/
Don't Shoot the Clowns: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Shoot-Clowns-Taking-Circus/dp/1904456480
The Dispossessed: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dispossessed-Ursula-Guin/dp/1857988825
V for Vendetta: http://www.amazon.co.uk/V-Vendetta-Alan-Moore/dp/1852862912
Oryx and Crake: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oryx-Crake-Margaret-Atwood/dp/0747562598


Extra:


The writing of Jenny Adamthwaite http://www.jadamthwaite.co.uk/



More generally:

Honesty 
Truth
Empathy



Alex recommends people study psychopathy.

Dave mentions Jon Ronson's Psychopath Test: http://www.jonronson.com/psycho.html



Finally:

Listening to podcasts now while they are still exciting, full of innovation and doing new things without gatekeepers.



You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond.

On-demand and on the go!

Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at http://www.stitcher.com or in the app stores.

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 81 Dave [guest hosted by Alex]

In GBA 90 we get better acquainted with Kevin Allison. We link up between London and New York via Skype and talk storytelling, comedy, BDSM, what to do when expecting a hurricane, where sexuality and religion meet, The State, polyamory, being recognised in the street, how making his podcast Risk! has transformed his life and more!

http://risk-show.com/

https://twitter.com/RISKshow

Kevin Plugs:

The Story Studio: http://thestorystudio.org/

https://twitter.com/StoryStudioNYC


Follow him on twitter:

https://twitter.com/TheKevinAllison


3 non Kevin related Risk stories I really, really, really recommend:

http://risk-show.com/podcast/in-my-own-skin/

http://risk-show.com/podcast/mani-sheriar/

http://risk-show.com/podcast/danny-lobell/


Mentioned:

Kevin's Kink Camp Saga:

http://risk-show.com/podcast/kevin-goes-to-kink-camp-part-1/

http://risk-show.com/podcast/kevin-goes-to-kink-camp-2/

http://risk-show.com/podcast/beyond-kink-camp-part-1/

http://risk-show.com/podcast/beyond-kink-camp-part-2/

His recent story:

http://risk-show.com/podcast/the-god-problem/

Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan, Ph.D. AND Cacilda Jethá, M.D. (apologies for only remembering one authors name!): 

Tangentially Speaking: http://feralaudio.com/show/tangentially-speaking-with-dr-christopher-ryan/

Christopher Ryan and Dan Savage: 

http://www.thestranger.com/SavageLovePodcast/archives/2010/07/06/savage-love-episode-194

http://www.thestranger.com/SavageLovePodcast/archives/2010/10/27/savage-love-episode-210






You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond.

On-demand and on the go!

Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at http://www.stitcher.com or in the app stores.

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 90 Kevin Allison

In GBA 94 we get better acquainted with Andy. He talks about sex, suicide, evolution, Countdown, cocaine addiction, true storytelling and more. It's very open & honest conversation.

A substantial amount of this episode covers issues around sexuality, feminism, evolutionary psychology/biology, sex work and we even touch on "nice guys" (although the conversation was recorded before the Nice Guys of OK Cupid Tumblr appeared and disappeared.)

We also talk about how Phil Collins saved his life, get the inside scoop on behind the scenes at the Channel Four series Countdown, the relationship between stand up comedy, journalism and Oxford University and how his two Grandmothers influenced his life.

Andy will be telling a true story at the upcoming Stand Up Tragedy which is also at the Hackney Attic on Friday 18th January:

http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/

http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/show-1-18th-january-2013/

http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Hackney_Picturehouse/film/Stand_Up_Tragedy/

https://www.facebook.com/events/232685033529087/


Andy plugs:

Womanology: http://www.womanology.co.uk/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/_Womanology_



Mentioned:

The audio version of the Womanology blog we'd just recorded: http://www.womanology.co.uk/folder/?p=437

Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/

Down Post Office Lane: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/down-post-office-lane-andy-bodle/

Escorts: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/escorts-andy-bodle/

Daily Mail Article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1190966/I-addicted-girls-A-respected-script-writer-explains-succumbed-lure-paying-sex.html

Stuart Jeffries: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mrs-Slocombes-Pussy-Stuart-Jeffries/dp/0002258897

Sex at Dawn: http://www.sexatdawn.com/

Dan Savage: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLove?oid=15754593




You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond.

On-demand and on the go!

Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at http://www.stitcher.com or in the app stores.

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 94 Andy

General content note for the series: death, dementia, old age, mental health issues

A document is a piece of evidence; a record; a proof of something. By this definition, we are all living documents, documents that may or may not be lost to history. What parts of us are recorded? What parts of us are seen?

We record our lives and the lives of others, using our memory and our technology. We choose what to record, how we record it and how we present it, sometimes consciously and sometimes subconsciously. We don’t always fully choose because we can only work with what we have; sometimes our choices are more restricted than others. We are all documents; we are all documenters; we are all Documentary Makers.

Artwork by my brother Tony Pickering: http://www.pick-art.co.uk/

Down to a sunless sea: Episode 1: Documenting

General content note for the series: death, dementia, old age, mental health issues

In the first full episode of the podcast using content funded by the British Podcast Awards and the Wellcome Trust I talk to fellow Pulse Award recipient and podcaster Penny Bell.

We compare notes on documenting a parent living with dementia, and discuss the similarities and differences between our parents' experience of, and attitude towards, dementia.

You can find Penny's podcast Discovering Dementia wherever you get your podcasts. Here for example: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/discovering-dementia/id1239196983

Artwork by my brother Tony Pickering: http://www.pick-art.co.uk/

Down to a sunless sea: Episode 2: Comparing Notes

General content note for the series: death, dementia, old age, mental health issues


Additional content note for this episode: Euthanasia, suicide

Time is the longest distance between two places.
Even when we are no longer here, we are always in time.

This episode is about time travel, death, dementia and love.

Artwork by my brother Tony Pickering: http://www.pick-art.co.uk/

Down to a sunless sea: Episode 3: We are all time travellers

General content note for the series: death, dementia, old age, mental health issues

In the second full episode of the podcast using content funded by the British Podcast Awards and the Wellcome Trust I talk to Dr Jonathan Huntley about the work he is doing looking into awareness in people living with advanced dementia. And to Dr Daniel Davis about the work he is doing looking at how delirium and dementia impact society and health at a population level. 

Artwork by my brother Tony Pickering: http://www.pick-art.co.uk/

Down to a sunless sea: Episode 4: Old people are people

General content note for the series: death, dementia, old age, mental health issues

Memories are like desire paths: when you first walk down them, they are overgrown and full of details. The more you walk them, the more eroded they become; they are smoothed out and set. You get to what you remember more quickly, but what you remember has become something else. You no longer have to look for landmarks because there is a path for you to walk.

This episode is about time memory, childhood, dementia and Citizen Kane.

Artwork by my brother Tony Pickering: http://www.pick-art.co.uk/

The BPA Fund has a survey that I’d really appreciate you filling in if you have a few moments.  You can find it here: http://podcastviews.com   

For some extra incentive if you fill it in you can be entered into a draw for a £50 Amazon voucher. For the purposes of this survey “Getting Better Acquainted” counts as Down to a sunless sea whether you are listening to it via the GBA feed or not.

Down to a sunless sea: Episode 5: Desire Paths

In GBA 102 we get better acquainted with Julie. She talks about becoming a stand up comedian in her 70's, living through political and personal tyranny, her relationship to ageing, telling stories, living all over the world, surviving three tyrannies, being part of the computer revolution, how Elena Ceaușescu stole her desk and more!

Julie plugs a great many things but ends up with:

"There is always something good that comes from bad."

"I don't mind a one night stand if you give me warmth. But don't call me in the morning. Google me."  - Julie Kertesz 

Julie recently appeared on Channel Four: http://www.4thought.tv/themes/what-does-it-take-to-change-your-life/julie-kertesz


Mentioned:

Spark London: http://sparklondon.com/

Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/

Mistaken Identity Story: http://vimeo.com/21642360

Leaving Home Story: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/leaving-home-julie-kertez/

Now or Never Story: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/now-or-never-julie-kertez/

Grants True Tales video "When I was 10 years old" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-JHZKFzoHE

Toastmasters: http://www.toastmasters.org/

Lewisham Speakers: http://lewishamspeakers.blogspot.co.uk/

Julie70's Flickr Account: http://www.flickr.com/people/joyoflife/

Julie on Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/user6441144

Julie's Diary: http://julie70diary.blogspot.co.uk/

Photo Blog: http://photoblogjulie70.blogspot.co.uk/

Video Blog: http://julie70video.blogspot.co.uk/

Il y a de la vie après 70 ans (French Blog): http://julie70.blogspot.co.uk/

Julie in London at 77: http://julie70inlondon.blogspot.co.uk/

Competent Communicator: http://competentcommunicator.blogspot.co.uk/

Logan Murray: http://www.loganmurray.com/ - Stand Up and Deliver

David Jones: http://www.stammering.org/news_toastmasters.html

Silver Comedy (http://silvercomedy.co.uk/) Best Newcomer 2012: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joyoflife/6908120513/

Cavendish Arms - Tiny Cup: http://competentcommunicator.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/two-clowns-at-cavendish-arms.html

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julie.kertesz

GBA Episode 1: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-1-dave




You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond.

On-demand and on the go!

Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at http://www.stitcher.com or in the app stores.

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 102 Julie

In GBA 105 we get better acquainted with Bec Hill. She talks talks loving puns, creating comedy for children and adults, coming from Australia to the UK, going straight from school to stand-up, where her comedy influences came from, giving up the day job and more. 

Bec plugs:

Pun Run: April 18th Pheonix 7.30 £3 / £10

Pun Run Pun Size: May 18th Camden Head

https://www.facebook.com/thepunrun

https://twitter.com/ThePunRun

I suggest: Youtube vids: http://www.youtube.com/user/rolypolygrandma

Website: http://bechillcomedian.com/

Bec and Tom - Edinburgh Fringe

https://www.facebook.com/BecandTom

https://www.facebook.com/events/350150775089928/


Mentioned:

Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/

Rachel Parris: http://rachelparris.com/

Bec Hill: Bec Hill is More Afraid Of You Than You Are of Her!

http://www.theskinny.co.uk/comedy/reviews/303067-bec_hill_bec_hill_more_afraid_you_than_you_are

Edinburgh Special: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-71-edinburgh-festival

The Ministry of Stories: http://www.ministryofstories.org/

Mark Trenwith / Mr Snot Bottom: http://www.marktrenwith.com/

Kevin Eldon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Eldon

Jackie Chan: http://jackiechan.com/

Greg Davies: http://www.gregdavies.co.uk/

The Goodies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goodies

Monty Python: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Python

Dave Allen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Allen_(comedian)

Kenny Everett: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Everett

Black Rock: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1930294/

Class Clowns: http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2013/classclowns/

Raw Comedy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_Comedy_Award

Gilded Balloon: http://www.gildedballoon.co.uk/

Sarah Millican: http://www.sarahmillican.co.uk/

Tony Law: http://www.mrtonylaw.com/

Justin Hamilton: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Hamilton_(comedian)

Louis CK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_C.K.

Josie Long: http://www.josielong.com/

You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond.

On-demand and on the go!

Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at www.stitcher.com or in the app stores.

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 105 Bec Hill

A weekly podcast: Join Dave Pickering on his journey to get better acquainted with the people he knows. Part interview show, part oral history project and part autobiography through conversation.

British Podcast Award 2017 winner (bronze in Best Interview category)

GBA was nominated for a 2012 Radio Production Award, aired for 3 seasons on Resonance 104.4 FM and was featured on BBC Radio 4's In Pod We Trust, BBC Radio 5 Live’s Helen and Olly's Required Listening and has been recommended by The Guardian, Time Out and the Financial Times

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