ACFM

Keir Milburn, Nadia Idle and Jeremy Gilbert get on the couch to talk about therapy. Wrangling with how to square their collectivist politics with the introspective work of therapy, they wonder if people on the left are more inclined to seek such treatment, and what role physical exercise plays in their mental wellbeing. Analysing their own very different experiences of the therapist’s couch,...

The point of psychodrama is not to create beautiful theatre, laughs practitioner Nada Sabet. To accompany the next #ACFM Trip on the topic of therapy, host Nadia Idle finds out about an unusual therapeutic technique which borrows elements of theatre, psychiatry and psychotherapy to gain insight into different facets of our identity. Nada explains how psychodrama can be used to deal with trauma, ab...

What do we mean by solidarity? Keir Milburn, Nadia Idle and Jeremy Gilbert consider the meaning of a much-used word in this unusual Trip, recorded live as part of HKW’s online festival, Acid Communism: Spectres of the Counterculture . With music from Nina Simone, The Youngbloods and The Special AKA, the gang consider the legacy of the counterculture in creating solidarity between liberation...

In this extended Trip, Keir Milburn, Nadia Idle and Jeremy Gilbert wrestle with the idea of “the long ‘ 90s ” : a set of cultural, political and affective assumptions that have outlasted the 20th century, and from which a certain cohort of today’s politicians, commentators and columnists cannot seem to escape. With music from Roni Size, Stereolab and Kula Shaker, the gang discuss to wh...

The proposed new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is an obvious assault on the right to protest, threatening penalties of up to 10 years in prison for “causing public nuisance”. With the bill on its way to becoming law, Jeremy Gilbert, Nadia Idle and Keir Milburn draw on their own experiences to discuss the recent #KillTheBill protests. How is the bill a reaction to movements...

Jeremy Gilbert hits the road for a musical microdose accompanying the #ACFM Trip on Folk. Connecting different strands of folk music with their various political tendencies, Jeremy looks at the communism of Woody Guthrie and the singers of the Dust Bowl era, the Vietnam protest music of Bob Dylan and the Greenwich Village scene, and the folk psychedelia of the Incredible String Band and Vashti Bun...

Nadia Idle, Keir Milburn and Jeremy Gilbert go back to the land to dig into the politics of folk. With music from The Pogues, Steeleye Span and Enigma, the gang discuss island cults, progressive patriotism, Communist folkies and the pitfalls of accelerationism. Turn on, tune in, muck out! Music: Woodie Guthrie – You Gotta Join That One Big Union / Steeleye Span – Hard Times of Old Engl...

Nadia Idle, Keir Milburn and Jeremy Gilbert explore the political power of desire from the storming of the Capitol to the millenarian strands of Corbynism, with music from Portishead and the Au Pairs. Music: Portishead – Glory Box / Tricky – Makes Me Wanna Die / Alton McClain & Destiny – Crazy Love / Alternative TV – Love Lies Limp / The Au Pairs – It’s Obvi...

Nadia Idle speaks to psychosexual therapist and writer Tabitha Bast about dating and desire. They discuss the changing dynamics of dating, how to build romantic resilience, the politics of swiping right and more. Tabitha is a qualified psychosexual therapist who works privately and through a charity, currently conducting her sessions online. She was also involved in ecological and social justice a...

Nadia Idle, Keir Milburn and Jeremy Gilbert return to talk about the power and potential of crowds – from mobs and marches to mesmeric leaders and terrace anthems, with music from the Joubert Singers, Sham 69 and more. Music: The Polyphonic Spree – Light and Day / The Joubert Singers – Stand On The Word / Pink Floyd – Fearless / Sham 69 – The Kids are United / The Proclaimers – Sunshine on L...

Nadia Idle speaks to Turkish journalist and author Ece Temelkuran about the potency of crowds. Reflecting on their experiences in Tahrir Square and Gezi Park, they talk about feeling powerful in political demonstrations, why raves might be infantilising rather than inspiring, and how Covid-19 has put an end to free assembly. Ece, twice named Turkey’s “most read political columnist&#822...

#ACFM is a podcast about left-wing politics, culture, music and experiences of collective joy, brought to you by Novara Media. Nadia Idle, Jeremy Gilbert and Keir Milburn present a new Trip just about once a month, as well as Microdose interviews with special guests. Search for “ACFM Music” on Spotify to find a playlist of music discussed on the show and join the mailing list to keep u...

Nadia Idle , Keir Milburn and Jeremy Gilbert are back to discuss the recent rise of conspiratorial thinking within New Age, spiritual and ‘wellness’ communities, and what implications this has for the Left, with music by David Bowie, Mark Stewart and Coki. Edited and produced by Olivia Humphreys and Matt Huxley. PRS LICENCE NUMBER: LE-0016481 Music : Black Sabbath – Paranoid / Ma...

Jeremy Gilbert talks to Erik Davis, scholar of weird culture, mysticism, and the fertile crossover between esoterica and politics. From gnostic revivals to conspiracy theories, the JFK assassination to QAnon – why does there seem to be a sudden resurgence in conspiracy theories, sometimes in the most unexpected corners? Is there a connection between conspiracy theory and the ‘California Ideo...

Keir Milburn , Nadia Idle and Jeremy Gilbert discuss the history and theory of friendship, from Aristotle to Elland Road, while reflecting on how the podcast has impacted their relationship as a group, with music by Minutemen and Carole King. Edited and produced by Olivia Humphreys, Matt Huxley and Matt Phull. PRS LICENCE NUMBER: LE-0016481 Music: Babylon Circus – My Friend / Christopher Mar...

Nadia, Jeremy and Keir search for the feeling of freedom, moving from Nina Simone to Buddhist House via Jeremy Clarkson. Edited and produced by Olivia Humphreys, Matt Huxley and Matt Phull. Texts: Isaiah Berlin – Two Concepts of Liberty / Simone de Beauvoir – Second Sex / Wendy Brown – Undoing the Demos / Adam Kotsko – Why We Love Sociopaths / Richard Sennett – The Co...

Nadia Idle, Jeremy Gilbert and Keir Milburn discuss Utopias, including the Paris Commune, analogue dreamlands and kettle logic. Edited and produced by Olivia Humphreys, Matt Huxley and Matt Phull. PRS LICENCE NUMBER: LE-0016481 Tracklist: Goldfrapp – Utopia / John Lennon – Imagine / Nairobi Sisters – Promised Land / Harry McClintock – Big Rock Candy Mountain / Joe Meek &#82...

The #ACFM crew discuss life in lockdown including cheese care packs, the moral economy, and the crisis of liberalism. Texts: Nadia Idle- This Too Shall Pass https://notaloneintheworld.com/2020/03/22/this-too-shall-pass/ / Craig Gent – When Logistics Run Out Of Time https://novaramedia.com/2020/03/23/when-logistics-run-out-of-time / / Jonathan Corum and Carl Zimmer – How Corona Virus Hi...

Nadia Idle , Jeremy Gilbert and Keir Milburn discuss Acid Urbanism, including, The Right to the City, Communist Follies and Reclaiming the Streets. Edited and produced by Olivia Humphreys, Matt Huxley and Matt Phull. PRS LICENCE NUMBER: LE-0016481 Tracklist : D-Shake – Techno Trance/ The Lovin’ Spoonful – Summer in the City/ David Bowie – London Bye, Ta-Ta/ The Specials &#8...

The #ACFM crew take stock in the wake of Labour’s defeat and the dawning of a new year. https://novaramedia.com/?p=16785

Nadia Idle ,  Jeremy Gilbert  and  Keir Milburn  ask why now for acid corbynism? They discuss historical conjunctures,  farcical repetitions, and left melancholy. https://novaramedia.com/2019/10/27/acfm-trip-7-be-here-now/

‘You can’t say it’s boring’: the #ACFM crew bring you an election special – on organising, energy and political polarisation. Plus, a special campaigning song. https://novaramedia.com/?p=15970

The #ACFM crew discuss some of the issues and ideas raised by the ongoing Extinction Rebellion protests in London (and around the world). Links to some of the talks and texts discussed in the show: https://rebellion.earth Gail Bradbrook video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34wUJFrvnGk Why Civil Resistance Works: https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/legacy/files/IS3301_pp007-04...

Nadia Idle, Jeremy Gilbert and Keir Milburn talk intoxication and sobriety: from capitalist prohibition to weekend trippers, from drunk workers to Romantic escapes from bourgeois subjectivity, to straightedge and tech-world microdosers. PRS LICENCE NUMBER: LE-0016481

Nadia Idle, Keir Milburn and Jeremy Gilbert discuss consciousness raising. Edited and produced by Olivia Humphreys, Matt Huxley and Matt Phull. PRS LICENCE NUMBER: LE-0016481 Tracks featured: Gil Scott-Heron – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised / Johnny Osbourne – Truth and Rights / Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings – This Land is Your Land / Arrested Development – Give a Ma...