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 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 160 we get better acquainted with Emily. She talks writing, working in a bookshop, her baby going viral, bat invasions, television research and more.

And at the end of the episode you can hear one of her short stories being performed at Stand Up Tragedy by her partner Richard who was last week's guest: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-159-richard

Emily Plugs: 

Her website: http://emilycleaver.net/

I plug:

Stand Up Tragedy: Tragic History at the Hackney Attic on Friday 16th May from 7.30pm: https://www.facebook.com/events/231570123709490/

We mention:

Writing Group: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-84-writing-group

Small plays blog: http://smallplays.com/

Sherlock Holmes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes

Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/

Liars League: http://www.liarsleague.com/

Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/

Arthur's blog: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/08/baby-arthur-recreates-scenes-movies-blog_n_1082634.html

http://www.studioarthur.co.uk/

The Blair Witch Project: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blair_Witch_Project
Total Recall: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Recall_(1990_film)
Alien: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_(film)
Fargo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fargo_(film)
American Beauty: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Beauty_(film)

Neil Gaiman: http://www.neilgaiman.com/

The Dice Man: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dice_Man

Steal Like An Artist: http://austinkleon.com/2011/03/30/how-to-steal-like-an-artist-and-9-other-things-nobody-told-me/

Huckleberry Finn: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventures_of_Huckleberry_Finn
Just William: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_William
Wizard of Oz: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wonderful_Wizard_of_Oz

Moomins: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moomin

Rainy Night on Soho: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSyL-TrD_2g

Spark Story: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/how-to-remove-bats-from-your-bedroom-emily-cleaver/


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 160 Emily

An advert for Getting Better Acquainted the new podcast show from Dave Pickering set to begin on 18/05/2011

GBA will be a weekly podcast: Join Dave on his journey to get better acquainted with the people he knows. There are lots of shows about famous people. This is a show about the rest of us.

GBA Advert

In GBA 162 we get better acquainted with Adrian. He talks about making performance, how we can never be certain about anything, type-casting yourself, how life and making art have woven themselves together, and he explains who Samantha Mann is.

Adrian Plugs:

His website: http://www.charlesadrian.com

His podcast: Page One: http://pageonepodcast.com/

Samantha Mann: http://www.MsSamanthaMann.com

Letters From Samantha: https://soundcloud.com/mssamanthamann

And Vera Chok: http://www.verachok.com

I plug:

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

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

We mention:

Paula Varjack: http://www.paulavarjack.com/

Edinburgh episodes: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/edinburgh-episodes

George episode: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-70-superbard

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

Nico and the Navigators: http://www.navigators.de/

Jacques Lecoq school: http://www.ecole-jacqueslecoq.com/en

Mick Barnfather: http://www.mickbarnfather.com/

Phillippe Gaulier: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Gaulier

Fred Astaire: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Astaire

Ginger Rodgers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger_Rogers

Little Shop of Horrors: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Shop_of_Horrors_(musical)

Pirates of the Caribbean: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirates_of_the_Caribbean_(film_series)

Johnny Depp: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Depp

Orlando Bloom: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_Bloom

Apples for Everyone: https://soundcloud.com/applesforeveryone

Superbard: http://www.superbard.co.uk/

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

The Intentional Fallacy: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/289889/intentional-fallacy

Theodor W. Adorno: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_W._Adorno

Roland Barthes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Barthes

Michel Foucault: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Foucault

Death of the author: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_the_Author

tissue of quotations: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/98418-the-text-is-a-tissue-of-quotations-drawn-from-the

Jorge Luis Borges: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Luis_Borges

Don Quixote by Cervantes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Quixote

Desert Island Discs: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs

Letters from America: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00f6hbp

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 162 Adrian

In GBA 165 we get even better acquainted with my fernweh friend Alex. He talks about his play Son of Man. We talk about the themes behind the play and his research he has done while writing it. We cover interpretations and reinterpretations of Jesus in fiction, comparative mythologies, a discussion of the historical Jesus, a tour through CS Lewis' version of judgement day in The Last Battle, Christian Atheism and lots more.

Alex Plugs:

His kickstarter campaign for backing Son of Man will be up on Kickstarter soon. In the meantime it's facebook group is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/272636382906179/ and it's on twitter here: https://twitter.com/sonofmanplay





I plug:

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

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

We mention:

Alex's two episodes:  https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-alex-and-dave-files

Fernweh: http://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/23-charming-illustrations-of-untranslatable-words-from-other
Hiraeth: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiraeth
Jesus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus
Thor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor
Yahweh: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahweh
Zeus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeus
Odin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin
Loki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loki
Prometheus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus
Lucifer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer
John the Baptist: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Baptist
Matthew: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Matthew
Luke: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Luke
Mark: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Mark
Philip Pullman: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Pullman 
The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Man_Jesus_and_the_Scoundrel_Christ
His Dark Materials: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Dark_Materials
Messiah: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah
John: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Apostle
The Last Temptation of Christ: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Temptation_of_Christ_(film)
Martin Scorsese: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Scorsese
Richard Dawkins: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dawkins
Midrash: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midrash
Christology: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christology
Christian Atheism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_atheism
Nicaea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea
Aslan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aslan
CS Lewis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._S._Lewis
Tolkien: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien
Narnia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Narnia
The Last Battle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Battle
Diogenes The Cynic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogenes_of_Sinope
Alan Moore: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Moore
Kingdom of God: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_God_(Christianity)

Dominic Crossan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dominic_Crossan
The Good Samaritan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Good_Samaritan
Dawkins + Mehdi Hasan: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/04/21/richard-dawkins-mehdi-hasan_n_3127629.html
Leap of Faith: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_of_faith


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 165 Alex 2

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

Welcome to series 3! We're back with a banger: Moominland Midwinter. Nina has had this book hyped up by everyone who knows she's doing this podcast, and despite all the hype it doesn't disappoint.

In this first half of the book, the unthinkable happens: Moomintroll awakes from his hibernation and finds himself alone in a world of winter. It is as if he has rolled out into outer space.

This is such a beautiful meditation on loneliness, and change, and uncertainty. We've got a great new character in Too-Ticky, and of course the whole show is stolen by recurring character Little My.

Our spirits of the Moomins this week are Nimona (the animated film) from Dave and two short stories from Nina: The Horse in the Snow by Jeanette Winterson and the Snow Horse by Joan Aiken.

The Podgoblin's Hat Episode 13: Moominland Midwinter (part 1)

In GBA #5 we get better acquainted with Sarah. She talks about her relationship with pianos, from sitting under them as a child to taking them apart as an adult and she introduces us to the amazing Beam Festival (24-26 JUNE 2011, BRUNEL UNIVERSITY, UXBRIDGE)

Find Liz on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sarahpiano / @sarahpiano

Find the Beam Festival on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BEAMfestival / @BEAMFestival 

Sarah plugged:

http://www.beamfestival.com/

Angry Sparrow on YouTube: http://youtu.be/C4CUTGsPmks

http://www.steim.org

Beam Train podcasts: http://www.beamfestival.com/open-calls/beam-train/

http://www.sarahnicolls.com/

Inside out piano: http://insideoutpiano.wordpress.com/

Beam Festival fb page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/BEAM-Festival-at-Brunel-page/189506174403539



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 5 Sarah

This is the 3rd 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.

We're popping in with something a little different for you this week, it's a video game review! That's right, we're almost topical!

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is a beautiful, relaxing, not quite open world exploration of Moomin Valley through the eyes and musical instruments of Snufkin. We discuss the way it feels, the way it looks, the way it sounds. Dave has some nitpicks. We wonder how canon the good ship SnufMin is to these game developers. Did the Groke really break Nina's Switch?!

 Our Spirits of the Moomins this week are games. Nina's is Untitled Goose Game and Dave's is Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna). Our Spirit of the Podgoblin's Hat is The End of the World Book Club.


The Podgoblin's Hat Bonus Episode 3: Melody of Moominvalley

In GBA 9 we get better acquainted with Hayley. She talks pictish, the isle of Iona, Quakerism, medieval manuscripts amongst other things.

Hayley plugs:

Autumn Shift: http://autumnshift.co.uk/

Hayley and Dave plug:

The Reactionaries: http://soundcloud.com/thereactionaries / http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/The-Reactionaries/278114063049

Dave Plugs:

Apples For Everyone's old stuff: http://www.myspace.com/applesforeveryone


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 9 Hayley

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 12 we get better acquainted with MJ Hibbett. Amongst other things, We talk about being a viral hit on the internet, his exciting life in ROCK, the exchange rate between music and comedy and the importance of a Day Job.

MJ Hibbett plugs:

MJ Hibbett and The Validators: http://www.mjhibbett.com

Moon Horse: www.moonhorse.net

Edinburgh: PBH's Free Fringe

6 - 20 August: 17:00 - 18:00 every day - Buffs Club (R.A.O.B.), 5 West Register Street, Edinburgh EH2 2AA

Camden Fringe:

26 - 27 August: 20:00 - 21:00 both days - The Camden Head, 100 Camden High St, London NW1 0LU 

Dinosaur Planet: http://www.mjhibbett.co.uk/dinosaurplanet/



Things we talk about that you may like to cross reference:


The Gay Train: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b-4shDxUlw

Hey Hey 16K: http://mjhibbett.co.uk/songs/song.php?filename=heyhey16K

The Lesson of The Smiths: http://mjhibbett.co.uk/songs/song.php?filename=thelessonofthesmiths

My band T Shirt blog by MJ Hibbett: http://mybandtshirt.tumblr.com/post/7008013974/34-mj-hibbett-the-validators-hey-hey-16k-2004


My song about the last cartridge game avater: http://soundcloud.com/thereactionaries/11-the-last-platform


Darren Hayman's January Songs: http://januarysongs.tumblr.com/

The Word Podcast: http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/podcast





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 12 MJ Hibbett

GBA Fringe Season: Two weeks of episodes devoted to the Edinburgh and Camden Fringes

In GBA 14 we get better acquainted with Kerrie. She talks about being a working actress, going from farm girl to showgirl, comedy, taking criticism and lots lots more. 

Kerrie played the lead in my Sony Nominated podcast drama series 'Numbers'

You can find the second season of 'Numbers’ and other programmes from Rethinkdaily here: http://www.rethinkdaily.co.uk/ or search for Rethink Daily on itunes to subscribe and download.


Kerrie plugs:

The Segue Sisters: http://www.theseguesisters.com / http://twitter.com/TheSegueSisters / http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-SEGUE-SISTERS/135337586485230


Edinburgh Fringe:


The Segue Sisters in 'Jailbirds'

3rd - 28th August (Not 17th) 22.15 @ Gilded Balloon

http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/segue-sisters-in-jailbirds




Kerrie suggests:

The Great British Sketch Off: http://www.comedy.co.uk/fringe/2011/great_big_sketch_off/ @ The Pleasance Courtyard



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GBA 14 Kerrie

GBA 15: The Edinburgh Fringe Special is the final episode from GBA Fringe Season: Two weeks of episodes devoted to the Edinburgh and Camden Fringes

Dave takes us on a trip with him and some of his friends to the opening weekend of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The show gives a feel of the festival and reviews lots of shows, but it is also a tapestry of conversations, interviews, personal experiences and memories. Dave takes us through his relationship to the festival. The boys are on a Stag Weekend and so that is a theme that threads its way through the show.




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GBA 15 Edinburgh Festival 2011

In GBA 16 we get better acquainted with Owain. He has lived all his life in Wales and most of his life in Cardiff. We meet him just before he was due to go and live in Barcelona. The conversation takes place in a car at the top of Caerphilly mountain in the middle of the night in the pouring rain. We talk about the stomach operation he had in Eastern Europe to reduce his obesity, our lives together at secondary school, the Ely Riots, being a financial advisor who is hopeless with his own money and we cover many of his thoughts on love and life.


Owain plugs:

His blog: http://amonthinbarcelona.blogspot.com/  (WARNING: It currently isn't very active)

We plug our other podcast: http://www.fourdayinaroom.co.uk  (WARNING: it is very different from GBA)

The Episode of 4DiaR where Owain told me the story of his operation: http://fourdaysinaroom.blogspot.com/2011/07/episode-29-stomach-this.html




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GBA 16 Owain

GBA 17: The Cardiff Special 

Dave takes us on a journey into his past as he returns to Cardiff the city that he lived in during his adolescence. Conversations, anecdotes, and memories mix together as we get better acquainted both with Cardiff and with Dave's old life there.

This episode features conversations with Owain, Steve, John, Bill, Angela, Lucy, and Dave.

Nearly all those named have a full episode of GBA devoted to them coming up in future weeks.



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GBA 17 Cardiff

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 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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Getting Better Acquainted

GBA 274 Guilaine Kinouani

In GBA 290 we get better acquainted with Hamja Ahsan. He talks about his forthcoming book Shy Radicals, the zine festival DIY Cultures that he curates for, the successful campaign to free his brother Talha Ahsan, society as a teen movie, being bullied at school, mental health issues, male suicide, the history of state crimes, imprisonment, extradition and internment and so much more.

Content note: Mental Health Issues, Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar, Suicide, Mania, Bullying, Incarceration

Hamja plugs:

DIY Cultures - 14th May:
https://www.richmix.org.uk/events/exhibitions/diy-cultures-2017
https://www.facebook.com/events/259081314527166/
http://diycultures.tumblr.com/

DIY Knowledge - 3rd May - 2ndJune:
https://www.richmix.org.uk/events/exhibitions/diy-cultures-exhibition-diy-knowledge

Shy Radicals - published by bookworks and out any time now!
https://www.facebook.com/ShyRadicals/
http://shyradicals.tumblr.com/

I plug:

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

Voting for GBA or The Family Tree for the British Podcast Awards Listener's Choice Award: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/vote/

We mention:

Talha Ahsan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syed_Talha_Ahsan
Hamja Ahsan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamja_Ahsan
Liberty Award: https://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/news/press-releases/liberty-honours-human-rights-heroes-annual-awards-ceremony
Hillsborough Justice Campaign: http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/
Sheila Coleman: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/16/kevin-sampson-hillsborough
Guildford Four: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guildford_Four_and_Maguire_Seven
Birmingham Six: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Six
Through The Wind and the Rain: http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/issue17.shtm
Red All Over the Land: http://redallovertheland.com/
Riot Grrrl: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riot_grrrl
Hamja on Hillsborough Voices - Media Diversified: https://mediadiversified.org/2016/12/08/political-book-of-the-year-hillsborough-voices-the-real-story-told-by-the-people-themselves/
Black Panthers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_Party
Suffragettes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffragette
Tolpuddle Martyrs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolpuddle_Martyrs
ANC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_National_Congress
Malcolm X: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X
George: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-6-george
https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-106-jack-and-george
Orbital: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_(band)
Kurt Cobain: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Cobain
Elliot Smith: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_Smith
Mark Fisher: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/18/mark-fisher-k-punk-blogs-did-48-politics
What About the Men? Mansplaining Masculinity: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sut-presents-what-about-the-men-mansplaining-maculinity
Mean Girls: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_Girls
Clement Attlee: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clement_Attlee
Moazzam Begg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moazzam_Begg
Cage: https://cage.ngo/
Gareth Pierce: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gareth_Peirce
In the name of the father: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Name_of_the_Father_(film)
Susan Cain - Quiet: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/mar/22/quiet-power-introverts-susan-cain-review
Joe Moran - shrinking violets: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/sep/01/shrinking-violets-field-guide-shyness-joe-moran-review
Nina Power: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Power
Political Prisoner Radio: http://www.blacktalkradionetwork.com/politicalprisonerradio/
Law and Disorder Radio: http://lawanddisorder.org/
Heathers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathers

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GBA 290 - Hamja Ahsan

In GBA 303 we get better acquainted with Tyrone Lewis. He talks about documenting (and growing up within) the spoken word scene, being close to his mum, pop culture, football, editing video, taking photos and performing poems. We recorded this conversation at the Royal Festival Hall beginning in a quiet spot but during the conversation we were moved to a more challenging environment for background sound.

Tyrone plugs:

Scores Please: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2qc4OEmZAU
Boomerang at Fringe 19th -27th: http://freefringe.org.uk/edinburgh-fringe-festival/boomerang-club/2016-08-06/
Process Productions: https://www.processproductions.org/

I plug:

The next Smut Slam London: 13th September: https://www.facebook.com/events/827737554066972/

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

We mention:

Smut Slam: http://www.camerynmoore.com/smut-slam/
Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/
Dogstar: http://dogstarbrixton.com/
Tyrone's Smut Slam video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=przuh-Oy4cc
Boomerang Club: https://www.facebook.com/BoomerangLondon/
Dan Simpson: http://www.dansimpsonpoet.co.uk
Artificial Ineloquence: http://www.dansimpsonpoet.co.uk/new-events/2016/8/6/artificial-ineloquence-at-the-fringe
Santa Clause: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Santa_Clause
Toy Story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Story
Mulan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulan_(1998_film)
Roundhouse: http://www.roundhouse.org.uk/
Jacob Sam-La Rose: http://jacobsamlarose.com/
Batman Animated Cartoon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_The_Animated_Series
House: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_(TV_series)
Breaking Bad: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_Bad
War for The Planet of the Apes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_for_the_Planet_of_the_Apes
Back to the Future: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_the_Future
Gremlins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gremlins
Star Wars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars
Godfather: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Godfather
Falkor the Luckdragon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfKT_ndfNl8
Never Ending Story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Neverending_Story
Kat Francois: http://www.katfrancois.com/
Joelle Taylor: http://joelletaylor.co.uk/
Tottenham: http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/
Taylor Swift: https://taylorswift.com/
Guardians Of The Galaxy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardians_of_the_Galaxy_(film)
New Shit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF9wXMWN0_s
Loud Poets: https://www.loudpoets.com/

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GBA 303 Tyrone Lewis

In GBA 312 we get better acquainted with Pandora Blake. They talk about how they became an award-winning feminist porn producer and performer, the rise and fall of their website Dreams of Spanking that was dedicated to ethically-produced BDSM erotica that prioritised gender diversity, explicit behind the scenes enthusiastic consent, and equal pay for equal work. With a wide lens they get into some of the issues around sex work law reform, censorship, obscenity law, sexual freedom and ethical/feminist porn. And in close up they talk about emerging from a few years of turmoil, change, transformation and transition, with new possibilities on the horizon and with a new understanding of their gender.

Pandora/Blake on coming out as genderqueer: http://pandorablake.com/blog/2017/10/meet-the-real-me

Pandora Blake plugs:

Supporting their activism (and helping them to write their book) by  signing up to their Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pandorablake

I plug:

Smut Slam London: Spooky Sex: https://www.facebook.com/events/1924476301132034/

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/

We mention:

Sex Worker's Opera: https://www.sexworkersopera.com/
Pandora's blog: http://pandorablake.com/blog
Cameryn Moore: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-215-cameryn-moore
Miranda Kane: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-262-miranda-kane
ATVOD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATVOD
Chilling Effect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilling_effect
AVMS Law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audiovisual_Media_Services_Regulations_2014
BBFC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Board_of_Film_Classification
Obscene Publications Acts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obscene_Publications_Acts
Myles Jackman Obscenity Lawyer: http://www.mylesjackman.com/
Anna Span: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Span
Spanner Case Manchester: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Spanner
Digital Economy Act: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Economy_Act_2017
Backlash: https://www.backlash.org.uk/
TERFs: http://sjwiki.org/wiki/Trans-exclusionary_radical_feminism
SWERFs: http://sjwiki.org/wiki/Sex_worker_exclusionary_radical_feminism
bell hooks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_hooks
Genderqueer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genderqueer
Mx: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mx_(title)
Stoya: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoya
Dreams of Spanking: http://dreamsofspanking.com/
11 Life Times: http://puttylike.com/what-are-you-going-to-do-with-your-11-lifetimes/
Tai Chi: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/taichi.aspx
Cuddle Party: http://www.cuddleparty.com/
Feminist Porn How to Find it and feel good watching it: http://pandorablake.com/blog/2017/9/feminist-porn-talk-book-club
Open Rights Group: https://www.openrightsgroup.org/

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GBA 312 Pandora Blake

It's another episode of GBA Replayed which showcases some of the conversations recorded in the early years of Getting Better Acquainted.

------------

In GBA 51 we get better acquainted with my niece, Sonia. She talks about giving birth to her two children which were very different experiences to each other, her feelings about motherhood, having a strong friendship group, smiling at strangers, experiences of Australia, the desire to work with her hands and lots more.

We touch on becoming like our parents, what that means and how it can be embraced. I'm also revealed to be a Buncle, uncover her hatred for Chickens and discuss her influence on me when I was growing up. 

It’s a really open and wide ranging conversation that was a joy to record.

Sonia Plugs:

Romance, reality and positivity!

I plug:

I plug:

The Family Tree: http://thefamilytreepodcast.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

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

http://mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk/


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Getting Better Acquainted Replayed

GBA Replayed - GBA 51 Sonia

GBA 317 is a Getting Better Acquainted special featuring a true story I told at Spark London about therapy, anxiety and depression, and conversations with my dad about living with dementia and my brother, Tony about making art about being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

The Family Tree: http://thefamilytreepodcast.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

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

http://mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk/

My brother's art: http://pick-art.co.uk/

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

Smut Slam: https://www.facebook.com/events/663459157190793/

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Getting Better Acquainted Special

GBA 317 Minds And Bodies

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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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 62 we get better acquainted with my musical hero Darren Hayman (and his dog) in the Rose and Crown pub in Walthamstow. We talk trains, class, suburbs, music, lyrics, signing CDs, volunteering, recording, copyright and more.

Darren used to be in the band Hefner and he'd be near the top of a list of singers who "sing what I feel" (if I ever tried to make such a list.) 


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GBA 62 Darren Hayman

In GBA 65 we get better acquainted with Helen and Olly from the excellent podcast Answer Me This! 

We talk the realities of awards ceremonies, the different sides of Chris Evans, the experience and cultural position of going to Oxford, trying to make money from podcasts, meeting Paul McCartney's son the TV show Lorraine, working with friends and husbands, the legacy of Jewish comedy, reading Olde English, the entertainment industry, Big Issue sales tactics, making stags heads from old clothes and more!

Answer Me This! has won both Gold and Silver Sony Radio Awards and European Podcast Award that was voted for by the public.

It's a comedy/entertainment podcast where Helen and Olly (and Martin the Sound Man) answer questions of all kinds provided by its audience.

The show has been named one of iTunes Podcasts of the year and is THE most popular UK independent podcast; it's been a critics choice for a variety of different magazines and newspapers. Read the full low down on the show here: http://www.answermethispodcast.com/about

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/

WHERE'S MARTIN?  - He get's an episode all to himself which is coming out in 2 weeks on Wednesday 18th July!

Helen and Olly Plug:

The Answer Me This Jubilee special: http://answermethispodcast.com/jubilee It's £2.49 and available from iTunes and amazon.

I added to that a plug for their archive of classic episodes (each old episode is just 79p): http://www.answermethispodcast.com/classic

And their book: http://www.answermethispodcast.com/book

And LAST MONDAY they announced the release of the new Answer Me This Sports Day Special: http://answermethispodcast.com/sportsday/ It's £2.49 and available from iTunes and amazon.

You can find AMT on iTunes, the Stitcher Smart Radio app and a bunch of other places. Like it's website: http://www.answermethispodcast.com/ Like GBA it is a free independant podcast.

Want to know more about what they do separately?

http://www.helenzaltzman.com/

http://www.ollymann.co.uk/


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 65 Helen and Olly from Answer Me This

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.

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 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)

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 349 Louise Fazackerley

I have a complicated relationship with Christmas. It's been as site of both trauma and happiness for me. So in some ways you might say it's odd that since Getting Better Acquainted started in 2011 I've made a Christmas Special every year. Or perhaps it makes sense for me to keep picking at the Christmas scab because we often return to the things that have marked and shaped us. 

Some of the specials have been about comfort and joy and others have been about the bleak midwinter. Most have been about both and everything in between. 

GBA 350 is the 2018 Christmas Special but in some ways maybe it's the ultimate GBA Christmas Special, the Christmas Special I was always trying to make, the Christmas Special that I've always been making.  It's a collage of the best and most personal bits from the last 7 years of GBA and Stand Up Tragedy Christmases. It has songs, stories, love, conflict, confusion, hope, despair and other Christmas things held within it. It features conversations, monologues, performances, time travel, music and moomins. 

It co-stars my partner Jen, my friend Nina and my dad. The Christmas songs were mostly performed with Asia, George and Sam. The episode is a soundscape, a collage, a journey, a stream of audio consciousness, rather than a documentary or a standard GBA conversation. 

After this episode we'll have a GBA Extra in the new year and then the show will be going on a 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.

Content Note: Physical and Emotional Violence, Trauma

To hear the full conversations and context for the clips in this show listen back to the Christmas Specials from past years, although the further back you go the more I disagree with my past self, both his opinions and word choices: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/christmas-specials

The full Tragic Christmas can be found here: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sets/tragic-christmas The best bits are collected together in shorter form here: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/selected-tragedy-vol-5-tragic-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

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!

Getting Better Acquainted 

GBA 350 The Last Christmas

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 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]

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

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

Getting Better Acquainted

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