podcast

Conversations that touch on Faith and Spirituality.

Faith and Spirituality

Conversations with people who went to Cambridge and Oxford.

Oxbridge

Conversations that touch on and often focus on mental health issues.

Mental Health Issues

In GBA 119 we get even better acquainted with my Mum as she returns for her 3rd full episode.  We talk about the tensions and similarities between us, nature verses nurture, rage, depression and mother issues! It was a hard but revelatory conversation to have. And in some ways is as personally revealing as last weeks episode with my dad. Another one I'm nervous to share. 

We talked about my mothers relationship with my gran too and how that relationship has shaped and influenced her. So I have also included a short story I wrote about my grandparents in the middle of the conversation. That story was written in part as a reaction and extension of this conversation. It was performed in front of a live audience at Stand Up Tragedy.

The conversation was a big one for me. You hear me having unexpected feelings live on mic. And it's actually a very unconfrontational conversation. It was the third one in a row that I'd recorded with her.

https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-mum-episodes-1

These conversations were part of a very intensive life changing visit to Bristol and on Friday I'm releasing a GBA special called The Truth of Today which documents and deals with the experiences that I had that weekend.

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 119 Mum #3

In GBA 125 we get better acquainted with my Aunty Margaret. We learn a lot about each other that we didn't know in a conversation that covers singing in choirs, suicide attempts, God, the WI, depression, medication, boarding school, yoga and more.

It's a really special moment captured on microphone where two people who know each other and share many things but have never really sat down and talked person to person do so.

Margaret doesn't plug anything.

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 125 Aunty Margaret

In GBA 132 we get better acquainted with Nina. She talks bullying, complicated childhoods, feminism(s), mental health, France, twitter and more. 

The first GBA conversation with someone who had made a spider diagram of their life for me to follow during the conversation. And the first time Nina and I had met in person. Until then our friendship had been via email and twitter. Nina first reached out to me as a listener to the show. Some of our initial correspondence was featured in the 100th episode.

https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/gba100-1

Nina plugs:

North East Feminist Gathering: http://www.nefeministgathering.com/

Blog and writing:  
http://fifty2stories.tumblr.com/

http://www.quailpipe.co.uk/

Twitter handle:

https://twitter.com/gourenina

Her podcast: https://soundcloud.com/nina-gray-1

Her radio play:
https://soundcloud.com/epilepsyaction/play-diagnose-it-yourself-nina-gray-ilkley-players

Epilepsy Action: https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/

We mention:

Martin's episode: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-67-martin-the-sound-man

Ally Fogg:

https://twitter.com/AllyFogg

http://freethoughtblogs.com/hetpat

The Push: https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ThePush&src=hash

Artwiculate: https://twitter.com/search?q=%23artwiculate&src=hash

1 Million and Rising: http://www.onebillionrising.org/

Ira Glass - taste / ability: http://greyscalegorilla.com/blog/2010/09/how-beginners-get-better-ira-glass-explains/

Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/

Audre Lourde: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audre_Lorde

Laurie Penny: 

https://twitter.com/PennyRed

http://www.newstatesman.com/laurie-penny




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 132 Nina

In episode GBA #2 we get better acquainted with Elspeth who talks about religion, feminism and sudden death. 

(This episode isn't explicit. I am looking in to making it so I can tag episodes individually with clean/explicit tags)

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?
 
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If you want to get even better acquainted with the show you can email Dave at: GBApodcast@gmail.co.uk

GBA 2 Elspeth

A live recording of a GBA recorded at #edfringe 2014 at the Royal Oak as part of the PBH Free Fringe.

CONTENT NOTE: The conversations touches on child abuse, drug use, violence and bullying. 

This recording is unedited and posted in a no frills way due to the intensive workload of the festival, and for that reason these shows will also not have shownotes attached to them.

21st August: Tamer Kattan: http://www.tamerkattan.com/

Tamer Kattan was born an outsider and that's where he stayed. This Egyptian-born American was born into a family of Muslims, Christians and Jews leaving him incredibly comfortable in the uncomfortable. From school yard bullies to an abusive father, comedy quickly became a weapon of this underdog. This award winning international comedian with TV and commercial credits in the United States. A regular at the Comedy store, Improv and Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, he now resides in the UK where you can find him at Comedy Cafe, Top Secret and The Comedy store in London. 




GBA Live 13 - Tamer Kattan

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?

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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.


Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

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GBA 6 George

In GBA 187 we get better acquainted with Hannah. She talks about connecting with people, about the crack in everything that lets the light get in, about rootlessness, relationships, family, love, death and pain. It's a conversation that threads itself around how facebook can connect and dissect people, making your life into fiction and finding out what how people relate and connect to each other.

Content Note: The conversation is warm but it covers dark and difficult subjects including suicide, bereavement and experiences of mental health issues and traumas.

Hanna plugs:

Boyhood: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyhood_%28film%29

We mention:

Spark London: sparklondon.com/

"There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in" 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ma5tF6TJpA

Watching the English - Kate Fox: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Watching-English-Hidden-Rules-Behaviour/dp/0340818867

https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-131-carl

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 187 Hannah

In GBA #7 we get better acquainted with Abdel and Aisha. They talk love, marriage, work, rest, play, code, words, cultural identity, internet start ups, San Francisco and audio excellence!

Super Owl:

http://superowl.me/

http://www.facebook.com/TheSuperOwl

http://twitter.com/TheSuperOwl

http://blog.superowl.me/


Aisha on Twitter: http://twitter.com/new_nomad

Abdel on Twitter: http://twitter.com/abdels


Aisha and Abdel plugged:

http://schoolofeverything.com/

http://said.fm/


Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

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GBA 7 Aisha and Abdel

In GBA #8 (part 1) we get better acquainted with Vaughan. He talks about being South African, playing the bagpipes in fetish clubs, wearing masks, restructuring organisations, heavy metal and "being black". And that doesn't even cover half of what he talks about!

These episodes are more loosely edited than some to better represent the experience of getting acquainted with Vaughan.

GBA #8 (part 2) comes out on Friday.


At the end of part 2 Vaughan plugs:

Monkish: http://www.myspace.com/monkishtheband  / http://www.facebook.com/pages/Monkish/120441811323314 / http://www.youtube.com/user/Bradders20

(They are playing two gigs in London very soon: http://on.fb.me/Monkish15thJuly / http://on.fb.me/Monkish16thJuly )

Him on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mr.grandini

Noble Debauchery: http://www.myspace.com/nobledebauchery

Scottish Band that he likes a lot: http://www.myspace.com/fireexituk

His South African Pipe Band: http://www.1medpipeband.co.za/

The McLennan Scottish Group: http://www.msg.org.uk/ / http://www.youtube.com/user/gbj1941

The Pride of Murray Pipe Band: http://www.thepride.co.uk/




Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

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GBA 8 Vaughan (part 1)

In GBA #8 (part 2) we continue getting better acquainted with Vaughan. He talks about being South African, being head of the Tolkien society, playing chess, restructuring organisations, heavy metal and an eccountants relationship to numbers and spreadsheets. And that doesn't even cover half of what he talks about!

These episodes are more loosely edited than some to better represent the experience of getting acquainted with Vaughan.

GBA #8 (part 2) comes out on Friday.

At the end of part 2 Vaughan plugs:

Monkish: http://www.myspace.com/monkishtheband / http://www.facebook.com/pages/Monkish/120441811323314 / http://www.youtube.com/user/Bradders20

(They are playing two gigs in London very soon: http://on.fb.me/Monkish15thJuly / http://on.fb.me/Monkish16thJuly )

Him on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mr.grandini

Noble Debauchery: http://www.myspace.com/nobledebauchery

Scottish Band that he likes a lot: http://www.myspace.com/fireexituk

His South African Pipe Band: http://www.1medpipeband.co.za/

The McLennan Scottish Group: http://www.msg.org.uk/ / http://www.youtube.com/user/gbj1941

The Pride of Murray Pipe Band: http://www.thepride.co.uk/

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

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GBA 8 Vaughan (part 2)

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?

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GBA 9 Hayley

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

In GBA 22 we get better acquainted with Zoe. She talks about faith from the point of view of being the daughter of a Quaker and a Buddhist. She talks about Live Action Role Playing (LARP) and how they create and explore their collective stories. She talks about the relationship between poetry and emotions. And we discuss our parents mortality.

Zoe plugs: LARPING - if you are interesting in Live Action Role Playing you can contact Zoe through me: GBApodcast@gmail.com

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GBA 22 Zoe

In GBA 29 we get better acquainted with Matt. Recorded in a snatched moment at (future GBA guest) Richard's wedding, Matt talks about being an evangelical Christian, love, homophobia in religions, the Bible as literature, spirituality and the nature of performance. We come at the conversation from different sides and we meet somewhere in the middle.

Matt doesn't really plug anything, but the conversation is generally a plug for Christianity and specifically about having a relationship with God.

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GBA 29 Matt

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.


Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

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GBA 39 Lily

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

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