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 lot's more. We touch on becoming like our parents, what that means and how it can be embra...

In GBA 50 we get better acquainted with Mathy. She talks about how the loss of her job and the loss of her dad led to her changing her life. And she talks about her life up to that decision: Her journey from the Congo, through lots of other countries, being expelled from boarding school in South Africa, and the loss of both her parents. She goes though struggles to get employed, to getting a job h...

In GBA 49 we get better acquainted with Frank. He talks machine learning, science communication, the social situation in Luxembourg, living in Edinburgh, podcasting and more. It was recorded early in the morning during last year’s Edinburgh Festival in a sound proofed science fiction complex deep below Edinburgh University. This episode, with the two before it, forms a sort of accidental miniserie...

In GBA 48 we get better acquainted with Emma. She talks broadcast journalism, interview techniques, radio, netball and more. We swap "Networking" stories and I go through all the shameful moments where I have met the right people and said the wrong things. This episode, with the one before it, and the one after it, forms a sort of accidental miniseries about people who are involved in making audio...

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 o...

In GBA 46 we get better acquainted with Jack. He talks about finding dead bodies and shot guns, why his mummy says he's special, being a housing officer, his love of fast and heavy music, hobbies and making art, why he doesn't hate bands (and which bands he hates), the problem with drummers and a lot more. Jack plugs: Little Apple Dolls - http://www.littleappledolls.com/ Screaming Matriarch - http...

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 "Star...

In GBA 43 we get even better acquainted with Louise. This conversation is really a response to our first one and covers a big subject that was missed out. We talk about the death of Louise's step dad and how his life and death have influenced her. We move out from there into a broader conversation about the death of people you love. Which makes it all sound very heavy, but there is plenty of light...

In GBA 42 we get better acquainted with Lucy. I met Lucy on my GBA trip to Cardiff. This was the first time we'd seen each other in 10 years. We met in Chapter Arts Centre in Canton, less than 10 minutes from where I used to live. It was a Saturday morning and the cafe was pretty noisy and busy. We talk about looking for your place in the world, our experiences of school and university, finding yo...

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...

In GBA 40 we get even better acquainted with Lily who was in episode 39 and with Karl James who was in episode 38. Lily asks me for advice on an interesting interview project she is considering and I ask Karl James for notes on how to make what I do on GBA better. We cut between these two conversations about conversations, these two interviews about interviews, and learn a lot about the art of tal...

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? Follo...

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 ha...

In GBA 37 we get better acquainted with my Mum in the second of three conversations. The third will appear later in the series. Amongst lots of other things she talks about doing an art foundation course as a mature student, the relationship between music and art, her relationship with academic study, oil painting, bee based graffiti, the specific qualities of visual art and the importance of look...

In GBA 36 we get better acquainted with Christmas. It's the 2011 Christmas Special: A festive curiosity full of intimacy, doubt, shared history, music & cheer. I talk to my partner Jen, about the spirit of Christmas, why she loves the season despite or maybe even because she doesn't believe in god, we compare our different childhood Christmases, and tell our shared Christmas stories featuring pani...

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 wee...

In GBA 34 we get better acquainted with both Eric and my father. It's late at night after dinner and we’ve had a few drinks, so we also get better acquainted with me as I talk more than usual. We talk about their friendship (which is older than me), the effects and interactions of one generation on another, Eric and my Dad’s short but very interesting experiences in teaching and Eric’s big theory...

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. Help more people get better acquainted. If yo...

In GBA 32 we get better acquainted with Joanna Yates. She talks true stories, psychology and Spark London. A great in depth conversation about the ethics, impact and art of telling true life stories. We recorded this conversation in the bar of the Cafe Canal Theatre where the monthly Spark London true story nights take place. December 5th: Spark London @ The Cafe Canal Theatre - New Beginnings: ht...

In this GBA Extra I talk to Chris about how the March for Alternative (the demo against the cuts on the 26th March 2011) looked from the point of view of a legal observer. In GBC 31 Ged and me discussed our experiences of that March: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-31-ged Chris has a full conversation in GBA 25: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-25-chris UK Uncut:...

In GBA 31 we get better acquainted with Ged. He talks about Blackpool, class, George Orwell & protest amongst other things. We are on a train to Edinburgh and drinking beer. We also address some of our points of tension. Look out for a GBA extra ON FRIDAY where I get another POV on the march that me and Ged discuss. Ged plugs: His Indian Schools comic adaptation of Voyage of the Beagal by Charles...

In GBA 30 we get better acquainted with Rosemary. She talks about the transformative power of theatre in education, drumming, faith, same sex marriage, working with children and adults with special needs, music and more. And I tell my origin story that involves a school in a small Welsh town, a Native American and a moment when my understanding changed. Rosemary plugs: Her band Le Miro if you're i...

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 conve...

In GBA 28 we get better acquainted with my sister Rebecca. She talks about being an ex-pat in Germany, being a probation officer, social work, Oxford University, vegetarianism and her relationship to the idea of teaching. This episode was recorded in last April late at night in a reverb filled room in Bad Godesberg whilst drinking Horlicks. Rebecca doesn't plug anything. Help more people get bette...

In GBA 27 we get better acquainted with Joss. He talks about the effect of digital technology on television and film production, cultural background, health, therapy and meditation. We also compare notes about being writer/musicians whose parents are writers and artists. Joss plugs his music: http://www.stormboy.net/ http://soundcloud.com/jossarmitage If you're interested in the broadcast industry...