The lost lizards of Ibiza are now a sad fact of life across most of the island of Ibiza. Snakes, first spotted in 2003, are the culprit. They arrived amongst the roots of olive trees imported from the mainland to satisfy the fashion for Mediterranean gardens. Now, thanks to the efforts of Elba Montes, a PhD student, the annihilation of the lizards has been measured for the first time. The sad plight of the iconic lizards is now slowly rising up the political agenda. But Elba fears the lack of action so far could mean lizards will become extinct in just a few years.

Ibiza's lizards face extinction unless we act now: Elba Montes

The delightful André Quidu is a famous Ibiza character, whose warmth and humour brings a smile to the face of every customer at Croissant Show, the French bakery and café in La Marina, Ibiza. I was so pleased that André agreed to be interview in late December, and it was just in the nick of time as you will hear. The moustached bon viveur has been in Ibiza for four decades, and his love of the island and its people is infectious.

Andre Quidu Croissant Show, Ibiza

With invasive snakes out of control in Ibiza, and local lizards heading for extinction, British-Australian Dean Gallagher has battled to return the island to its previous snake-free state. This has not been easy for Dean, who suffered nightmares about snakes in the early part of his campaign. Even now he performs a ritual to calm each creature before killing it, and says he would prefer to export them back to the mainland if this were permitted. Dean describes vividly the impact snakes have had, with some parts of the island now denuded of birds and lizards, where the only sound is the slithering and hissing of snakes hiding in the undergrowth. I met Dean at a finca near Santa Eularia where the gentle giant had just rescued a drowning baby rabbit from the pool.

Dean Gallagher: snake man of Ibiza

The artist, philosopher and musician Dominique Sanson is perhaps most famous in Ibiza for his panel of paintings which depict Ibiza’s from pre-history until modern times. But his art goes way beyond these, with his unique style depicting many topics which highlight the beauty of the island and its inhabitants as well as his sufist beliefs. You can see many examples of his different styles of art by visiting dominiquesanson.com 
In this interview Dominique describes his early life in Paris where he was a student just as the 1968 riots broke out.  His life in Ibiza brought him into contact with the hippy culture which he admires to this day, and opened his mind to a philosophy of humility, openness and love. 
He says “several times i left ibiza forever but I’m hooked, I’m an addict.”
Ibizology image by Vicent Calbert; courtesy of Bar Costa, Ibiza.

Dominique Sanson - artist, philosopher, musician

'Voyage and Discovery' by Conor O'Brien is an account of the sailor and travel-writer's journey by boat to the White Isle where they moored up in Ibiza harbour for almost a year in 1932. His vivid descriptions of town and country life, as well as the landscapes of the island, are quite riveting. Ibiza's Barbary Press has just brought out a new edition of the book and in this episode I'm joined by publisher Martin Davies. You can meet Martin and other distinguished speakers at the official launch: 7.30pm on 20 December at Sa Nostra Sala, Carrer d’Arago 17, Ibiza Town.

'Voyage and Discovery': a portrait of Ibiza in 1932 by Conor O'Brien

Dense & Pika - Radio 1 Essential Mix 2018

Writer Damien Enright first set foot in Ibiza in the early 1960s and fell straight in with the bohemian, hedonistic, international crowd centred around the Domino bar next to the port in La Marina. Free-thinking Damien had many adventures, including a failed dope-smuggling run from Turkey to Ibiza, which form the basis of his novel Dope in the Age of Innocence. The book is now being turned into a TV script by the Gaumont Film Company and could appear on Netflix or another major TV platform.

Damien Enright: Dope In The Age Of Innocence

Elmyr de Hory, perhaps the twentieth century’s greatest art forger, lived in Ibiza from 1961 until his suicide in 1976. Uncovering the truth about Elmyr is difficult – the more you dig into his history the more impenetrable it becomes. For Elmyr, being gay and Jewish made life difficult in post-war Europe. Globe-trotting Elmyr settled in Ibiza in 1961 until his suicide in 1976 when facing extradition to France. In this episode I interview Mark Forgy who lived with Elmyr in Ibiza and was with him when he died. He describes candidly what a huge impact Elmyr has had on his life as well as the proliferation of "fake Elmyrs" now on the art market.

Elmyr De Hory - the twentieth century's most successful art forger

One of the most special parties on the Playa is our Purple Party which happens early on a Friday morning. The vibe is unreal and emotional for everyone, something that only happens when everything just aligns. We wanted to share this very special event with our global family to give what we can to help us all get through this very scary time. Music heals so let’s stay connected through it.
follow Playground's Soundcloud profile for more mixes. https://soundcloud.com/playgroundbrc

Carl Cox - Purple Party at Playground - Burning Man 2019

The historian, archivist and politician Francesca or Fanny Tur Riera is in charge of the official historical archives of Ibiza and Formentera, which contain documents going back more than 800 years. As well as her work with the archive, Fanny has been politically active, championing the importance of Catalan culture and as a minister for culture and sports for the Balearic islands. 
Fanny is a respected historian. Two of her publications caught my eye and led to some thought-provoking conversation, as you’ll hear. Her work on the bubonic plague in Ibiza resonates today as the island fends off covid-19. I was surprised to learn that there are quite a lot of similarities between today’s coronavirus pandemic and the epidemic which swept the island in 1652.
We also discuss Fanny’s work on the role of women in Ibiza, highlighting how there is still a long way to go to on the road to equality in what is still quite a machismo culture despite improvements over the centuries. 
I interviewed Fanny at the spectacular archive building in Dalt Vila. You’ll find pictures of this and some of the documents we examined by linking up with Ibizology on Facebook or Instagram. Let’s join Fanny as she tells me how her career as Ibiza’s archivist began.

“Because of the plague the harbour was shut” Ibiza archivist Fanny Tur

In this episode you’re going to meet the architect Rolf Blakstad who has just published, in English, his father Ralph's amazing book which links traditional Ibizan finca design back more than 2000 years to the Phoenicians who settled here from what is now Lebanon. Rolf’s father spent decades roaming the island’s countryside, measuring, drawing and recording the architecture just as the forces of modernity were changing the island forever. The result is a book full of beautiful, detailed. Line drawings, photos and text demonstrating how it was identical to the archtecture he had seen in North Africa and the middle east.

"It’s extremely hard to prove, but also extremely hard to disprove:" Rolf Blakstad

Welcome to Ibizology, a podcast exploring the culture, history and arts of the Balearic island of Ibiza.
I’m Will Beacham, an Ibiza-based journalist and in each episode I interview an Ibizan who is contributing in some way to life on this wonderful island. 
Through their words I aim to bring to life different aspects of island living as they tell their unique stories.   
The Ibizan music you hear was recorded in July 1952 in the churchyard of the village of St Josep by the musicologist Alan Lomax. It is called  “Bon amor jo et venc a veure” which translates from Catalan as “Good love, I come to see you.” It is part of a huge archive of folk music he recorded all over the world. The Ibizan segment of the archive can be heard at http://research.culturalequity.org/get-audio-ix.do?ix=recording&id=11950:89&idType=subregion&sortBy=abc
The music, from the Alan Lomax Collection at the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. Used courtesy of the Association for Cultural Equity.
Painting of Ibiza's Dalt Vila by Vicent Calbert, courtesy of Bar Costa, Santa Gertrudis.