Family

Musicians

These are episodes that go outside the usual GBA format. They often focus on Dave and his life. Many of them are documentaries of his trips back to the places and people of his past.

GBA Specials

Conversations with people about podcasting, radio, interviews and making audio.


Podcasters and Radio Makers

Writers

A double bill of conversations. The first hosted as usual by Dave and then in the second one the tables are turned as Alex takes over the hosting. Recorded back to back in an undisclosed location in Manchester.

The Alex and Dave files

Episodes that focus on Dave, the host and creator of Getting Better Acquainted

The Dave Episodes

Podcasts that document the lives of the people I was in a band with during my teens (including me) from both Getting Better Acquainted and from my previous podcast Four Days in a Room.

The Band

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!

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GBA 165 Alex 2

In GBA #3 we get better acquainted withmy father (for the first time). He tells the story of his service in the army during World War II. Sometimes a conversation is the closest you can get to a time machine. This conversation was recorded in a location that technically belongs to know country. What it lacks in sound quality it hopefully makes up in atmosphere.

Find my dad's writing here: http://stores.lulu.com/alanhubbard

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?
 
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GBA 3 Dad #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



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GBA 5 Sarah

In GBA #6 we get better acquainted with George. He talks food, cycling, music, money, fatherhood, happiness, benefits and cycling over a couple of very specific beers.

If anyone in London wants to audition George for their band, as a bassist or guitarist, email GBApodcast@gmail.com and I will pass on your details.


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GBA 6 George

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





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GBA 12 MJ Hibbett

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

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

In GBA 21 we get better acquainted with Navin. He talks about music, music, and more music: A defence of Queen, taking a shower in music, how music affects him, music history and the thorny problems of forming bands and making music in the Internet Age.

Navin plugs:

His old band with Simon Lennon: http://www.myspace.com/tivoliband

His own accoustic solo music: http://www.myspace.com/energybox1980

He asks for people to try and make fan forums that are nice environments to talk in.


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GBA 21 Navin

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 24 we get better acquainted with my Mum in the first of three conversations. The other two will appear later in the series.

Amongst lots of other things she talks about being a nurse in a different time, ghosts, death, social work, changes in the NHS, running an adventure playground in a Lewisham council estate in the 70's and lots more. 

Mum plugs:  Saving the NHS! http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/Protect_our_NHS_Petition

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GBA 24 Mum #1

In GBA 33 we get better acquainted with Eric. He talks about his extensive BBC career, film making, writing, how he met my father, the effect of national service and the physical and sensual process of typing. And a lot more. He also has a very interesting approach to the process of being recorded. 

Eric deconstructs the process and purpose of plugging.


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GBA 33 Eric

In GBA 35 we get better acquainted with Tony. I talk with my brother about... well brotherhood. Our shared history, tensions, love, influences on each other, our similarities and differences. It's a bit touching. We also talk about teaching, art, drama, and wasps.

GBA is getting all warm and fuzzy just in time for Christmas. In fact next Wednesday will be a Christmas special! Then I'm taking a week off. Returning in the new year.

Tony doesn't really plug anything.


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GBA 35 Tony

In GBA 38 we get better acquainted with Karl James. He talks about having conversations and creating dialogues, how developing skills and theories on talking has shaped and influenced his life. We compare notes about interviewing and get to a point we "co-create a dialogue." 

Karl plugs the power of having and listening to conversations: If you know someone who is in a great deal of pain, or has had bad experiences of sex, or a hard time in and around friendship, go and have a listen to Karl's conversations on those subjects.

The Dialogue Project: http://www.thedialogueproject.com/
2 + 2 = 5: http://understandingdifference.blogspot.com/
Itunes 2+2=5: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/2-2-5-the-dialogue-project/id423791414

Why Not Me? http://soundcloud.com/thedialogueproject/why-not-me




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GBA 38 Karl James

In GBA 39 we get better acquainted with Lily. She talks about coming back to words and writing, the effect of university on her life, and embracing yoga but rejecting its image amongst other things. We also compare experiences of the Edinburgh Festival.

Lily doesn't really have anything to plug.


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GBA 39 Lily

In GBA 41 we get better acquainted with Chris. He was my one of my lecturers at university. He talks about academia, journalism, media, the Iraq War and the cuts being imposed by the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government. It was recorded on a university campus so it was a trip down memory lane where I faced my past lessons and past prejudices. 

It's a conversation about ideas but also about people. Chris tells us of his journey from plumber to van driver to academic and critic. And he makes the argument for how, in a world so influenced and controlled by the media, media studies is far from being an irrelevant subject.

This is the first time someone with the same name as a previous guest has been aired. It won't be the last. Hope it doesn't get too confusing!


Chris plugs: 

His Blog: http://chr1sr0berts.wordpress.com/

Any work he does for http://www.newleftproject.org/ and http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network

And of course his book when it is published. His full name is Chris Roberts so look out for this in the future.

He also plugs Dan Hind's The Return of the Public:

http://thereturnofthepublic.wordpress.com/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1844675947/






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GBA 41 Chris

In GBA 45 we get better acquainted with Hannah. She talks about being arrested for dressing like a zombie, unemployment in austere times, creative writing, the right to protest and whether it’s a good time to be a loud bisexual and being middle class.
We also try and puzzle out whether I’m an evil person for owning an iPhone when I understand the moral problems with its production.

She was a "Starbucks Zombie" -

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Starbucks-Zombies/205464159493433

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23951992-zombies-held-in-police-swoop-protesters-spend-four-hours-in-cells-on-day-of-royal-wedding.do

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/apr/29/royal-wedding-police-criticised-protesters

And was the Zombie Rights Campaign's Zombie of the Year: http://zombierightscampaign.org/blog/?p=3948


Hannah plugs:

The Whippersnapper Press: Her web-publishing site for short, taut, witty and innovative writing: http://www.whippersnapperpress.com/

THEY HAVE A GIG: Thursday, 1 March 7.30PM The Miller Pub, 96 Snowfields, London, SE1 3SS   £5

http://www.whippersnapperpress.com/events

http://www.facebook.com/events/194993510595219/

The blog she writes for: Bad Reputation - A feminist pop culture adventure: http://www.badreputation.org.uk/

And her personal blog: http://hannahdoublebarrel.wordpress.com/



I plug:

Stand Up Tragedy

http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk 

WE HAVE A GIG: Monday 5 March 6.30 The Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, London

Tickets: http://leicestersquaretheatre.ticketsolve.com/shows/126520120/events   £10 / £8   - use code TRAGIC to make your full price a concession.



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GBA 45 Hannah

In GBA 47 we get better acquainted with my JP and Elah from the podcast I Like You. This is the first GBA done via skype with a link up between London and Toronto.

Amongst other things we talk about love and like, independent podcasting, ex girlfriends, working together, putting yourself online, radio and more. They use their own interview skills to draw some stories out of me.

A shorter version of our conversation edited by Elah appeared last week on their podcast: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com/2012/03/67-getting-better-acquainted/

If you want to write a letter to your ex and send it to JP and Elah for them to use on their show they would love you to do so. Send it to: us@ilikeyoupodcast.com

If you live in Toronto and are single you might also be interested in getting involved with this I Like You project: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com/2012/03/wanted-reality-dating-volunteers/


Find I Like You here: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com

We refer to these episodes of the show in our conversation:

Time Travel: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com/2010/09/22-back-to-the-future/

Mum and Kid: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com/2010/07/15-generation-gap/

Crying episode: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com/2011/02/42-all-broken-up/

Parents Interview: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com/2011/01/39-the-secret-of-my-success/

Drunk Episode: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com/2011/04/49-a-few-too-many/

And this is a favourite of mine that we don't refer to: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com/2010/07/17-dating-under-the-influence/


GBA Episodes mentioned:

Christmas Special: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-christmas-special

(My brother) Tony: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-35-tony


We also explore my experiences making Four Days in a Room: http://www.fourdaysinaroom.co.uk/



JP plugs: 

Savage Love: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLovePodcast/Page

 in particular the episode featuring Ira Glass: http://www.thestranger.com/SavageLovePodcast/archives/2012/01/31/savage-love-episode-276

RadioLab: http://www.radiolab.org/

The Moth: http://themoth.org/

WTF: http://www.wtfpod.com/

Stop Podcasting Yourself: http://www.maximumfun.org/shows/stop-podcasting-yourself

Sound Of Young America / Bullseye : http://www.maximumfun.org/shows/bullseye

Jordan Jessie Go: http://www.maximumfun.org/shows/bullseye


Elah Plugs:

Wiretap: http://www.cbc.ca/wiretap/

Age of Persuasion: http://www.cbc.ca/ageofpersuasion/

Under the Influence: http://www.cbc.ca/undertheinfluence/



Other audio mentioned:

This American Life: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/

CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/

BBC Radio 4: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/

Jon Ronson: http://www.jonronson.com/radio.html

The Bugle: http://thebuglepodcast.com/

Answer Me This: http://answermethispodcast.com/

2 + 2 = 5: http://www.thedialogueproject.com/

(Hear a GBA with the man who makes that podcast here: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-38-karl-james )

Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/

The Longest Shortest Time: http://longestshortesttime.com/




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GBA 47 JP and Elah from I Like You


GBA 52 : To the Heart of It

This is a special episode of GBA which mixes true stories that I told live at Spark London with family conversations and a new song to explore how my dad’s heart attack and quadruple heart bypass touched both me and my family.

I talk to:
Jo  http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-52-jo
Sonia  http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-51-sonia
Tony http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-35-tony
and my Dad  http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-dad-episodes/

about some big moments in our family history, getting different perspectives and shining a light on the way we interact as a family group. 

This episode is about how families create myths, how memories of events contradict, change and fade, how families interact and how the idea of a parent’s mortality can shape your life.



CREDITS

The song "Talk to your Parents" will eventually be on the upcoming album "Bouncy, Poppy Songs About Death" from The Reactionaries: http://soundcloud.com/thereactionaries

Hayley is the other member of this alt-pop duo, you can hear her playing fiddle on the track: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-9-hayley

The mixes you hear were thrown together at very short notice by the magnificent silent member of our duo, our producer George: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-6-george


The two stories you hear me perform were told at Spark London nights: http://www.sparklondon.com/

One at the open mic they run at the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton and the other at the curated nights they put on at the Canal Cafe Theatre in Little Venice.

I've been actively involved with Spark London for a couple of years and have told quite a few true stories there and even produced some of their episodes. As a result of this one strand of GBA is conversations with Spark London true storytellers: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/spark-londoners/ 



CAST LIST:

In the interests of clarity this is how my family works:


Dad's 1st Marriage = Dad + Sheila

Two daughters from this marriage: Jo and Rebecca (http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-28-rebecca)

Sonia is Jo's daughter.



Dad's 2nd Marriage = Dad + June/My Mum (http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-mum-episodes-1)

Two sons from this marriage: Tony and Me



Mum's 2nd Marriage = Mum + Mervyn

One daughter from this marriage: Rosie



The two friends who are mentioned in my story are:

Owain: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-16-owain
and Steve (who I haven't managed to do a full GBA with yet but who appears in this GBA Special: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-17-cardiff )


Jen is my girlfriend (who appeared in the Christmas Special and will have at least one proper episode coming out in the future.)

Liz makes a cameo in this episode as she was my outside ear and shaped the way that the episode was narrated. She talks about some of the things discussed in this episode in her GBA episode: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-4-liz

This is the playlist of all of the family episodes that have aired so far: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/family



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?

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GBA 53 To The Heart Of It

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.) 


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 62 Darren Hayman

In GBA 64 we get better acquainted with Coventry:

It's an epic document of my return to a city I hadn't been back to in 12 years.  I lived there through some dark and strange times 17 years ago.

In the show I really do get better acquainted with the city. I get to know its character. With my childhood friend Steve as my co-host I take you around Coventry's Cathedrals and shopping centres and we cover how the city was changed forever by the blitz. 

http://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/

Then we journey back into my past, returning to the estates that I lived in as a child and the schools that we both attended together, through a barrage of memory and new perspectives. 

Steve mounts an inspiring defence of the city he has lived his whole life in and tells us why he loves the city so deeply. 

I take a long hard look at my past, re-evaluate my relationship to it, reconsider who I am, and get to know a different city to the one I left. Or is the city the same and it's me who has changed? Have I really changed at all?

Either way come and join me as I make my peace with Coventry.

As a prelude to this episode I released Steve’s GBA earlier this week:  http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-63-steve

Both episodes are about that strange time of life: late childhood. The years before you are fully teen but when you are no longer a toddler. 

They are also about re-establishing and developing friendship. A friendship where we knew each other before we were fully formed. 

They are about the danger and the magic of being a child. And that strange nostalgic emotion that comes when you try and look back.

Other good “extra listening” that compliments this episode are:

Episode 1 of GBA where I tell at least 3 stories set in Coventry during this time: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-1-dave

One of which is this http://www.sparklondon.com story which we talk about extensively at the end of the Coventry Special: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/two-cathedrals-david-pickering/

And George’s GBA is given a brief mention too: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-6-george

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 64 Coventry

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/


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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


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GBA 67 Martin "the sound man" Zaltz Austwick

In GBA 77 we get better acquainted with... Dave. In this special edition of GBA guest host Zoe talks to the man writing this blurb about "The Coventry Years".

Prompted by the way that I've hinted at and touched on this time in my life previously in the series but have never fully covered it, I decided to invite one of my closest friends along to host a conversation about it.

In this frank and candid conversation I talk about what I've learnt from looking back at those years and some of the "work" I've done on myself as a result. This work is very much connected to, and prompted by, the GBA Project.

"The Coventry Years" refers to the time I spent between the ages of 8 and 13 in a house in Coventry which had very thin walls. Some of the main things we cover is the impact of the domestic implosion that happened to my family in that house; how it influenced my character, my future and my burgeoning adolescent sexuality.

Thanks so much to Zoe for doing such a brilliant job at witnessing and responding to all this. I couldn't have asked for a better foil! I think she genuinely got better acquainted with me in the process, which was a surprise as we’re pretty open with each other and are long time close friends.



I Plug:

Considering this quote from the Bright Eyes song Bowl of Oranges in relation to yourself as well as in the context of relationships: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUym7n7fJTQ

"And we'll keep working on the problem we know we'll never solve 
Of Love's uneven remainders, our lives are fractions of a whole.
But if the world could remain within a frame like a painting on a wall.
Then I think we would see the beauty.
Then we would stand staring in awe at our still lives posed like a bowl of oranges,
like a story told by the fault lines and the soil."

And talking to your parents about their lives, even if they aren't easy for you to talk to. Which is the major theme of this GBA Special:http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-53-to-the-heart-of-it



Also mentioned:

The full Christmas Story and the Inventing Masturbation story are featured in Episode 1 of the Show: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-1-dave

The Cardiff years, and specifically my experiences being bullied in school are covered fully in the Cardiff Special: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-17-cardiff

Other parts of my life in Coventry, including Steve's valiant defence of the City, and the intro which I talk about cutting stuff out of, and some hints at the material in this episode, are covered in the Coventry Special: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-64-coventry

The GBA with my Step Dad that also touches on the events and themes from this episode is here: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-74-mervyn

There have been two GBA conversations that I did with my mum released. The one we talk about most in the episode won't be aired for quite some time. But when it is it will join the first two in this playlist: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-mum-episodes-1/

The set up in North Wales is explored fully in this GBA Extra: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-extra-the-partition

Zoe has a GBA all of her own, it is a good one: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-22-zoe

Spark London where the intro was recorded and which has also been very influential on where I find myself currently both personally and creatively can be found here: http://www.sparklondon.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 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?

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GBA 77 The Coventry Years

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.

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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 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?

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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.

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GBA 90 Kevin Allison

In GBA 106 we get better acquainted with Steve. 

I talk to my school friend Steve in his house in Cardiff surrounded by furniture he made himself the day after his wedding last year. He talks about being someone who constructs things, the birth of his son, what being a builder means these days, running a DJ business in your teens, being a Master Carpenter and Joiner, growing up as "the man of the house", his relationship with his absent father and more. 

(Mostly I just ask him what it's like to be a man.)

Steve doesn't plug anything.

He does mention Norm Abram: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norm_Abram

And Bellway Homes: http://www.bellway.co.uk/

This is Owain's GBA: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-16-owain

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.

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Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at www.stitcher.com or in the app stores.

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GBA 107 Steve

In this GBA Extra I talk to Steve, Alex and Owain about the band we were in when we were at school. It features clips from some of the bands songs. We talk music, artistic differences, and teenage friendships.

It's a rather chaotic conversation that took place in Steve's back garden in Cardiff the day after his wedding.

We mention:

The Middle Class Bastards: https://soundcloud.com/themiddleclassbastards

To the Heart of It: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-53-to-the-heart-of-it

Four Days in a Room: https://soundcloud.com/fourdaysinaroom/sets/highlights-from-four-days-in-a

- The episode that documents Alex and me falling out over making music: https://soundcloud.com/fourdaysinaroom/4diar-bonus-episode-scenes

- The episode where I interview Alex about music: https://soundcloud.com/fourdaysinaroom/4diar-episode-18-promotion?in=fourdaysinaroom/sets/highlights-from-four-days-in-a

Joy Division: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_Division

REM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.E.M.

The Big Bang Theory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Bang_Theory

Oasis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oasis_(band)

GBA Extra - The Band

In GBA 117 we get better acquainted with Sheila. She talks World War Two: her experiences being an evacuee, going dancing during the bombings, rationing, war being declared, the war ending, the way the war influenced the role of women in society and the Austerity Olympics. We also talk about taking up teaching late in life, falling in love with Cornwall, age and lots more.

Sheila was my dad's first wife and the mother of my two older (half) sisters. This is the first episode in a four week family family season.

Sadly Sheila passed away shortly after we recorded this conversation. She was much loved and will be missed by her family. RIP.

Sheila plugs:

The Royal National Lifeboat Institute: http://rnli.org/Pages/Default.aspx

The Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust: http://www.cornwallairambulancetrust.org/

Other things mentioned:

The John Betjeman Centre: http://www.yor-tec.co.uk/cornwall/betjemanctr.htm

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.

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GBA 117 Sheila

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