Getting Better Acquainted

In GBA 322 we get better acquainted with Oliver. He talks about the cathartic experience of failure, sounds and shows that influenced and inspired him and making the new podcast Kane and Feels: Paranormal Investigators. We compare our experiences of making audio and making audio drama, discuss the landscapes of podcasting and radio, and reflect on both the isolation and the community that can be f...

In GBA 321 we get better acquainted with Helen. She talks about the worst job she ever had, training to be a teacher, art, finding a new career path after leaving teaching, photography, her podcast Flixwatcher that reviews the films available on Netflix , how she came to love film, hating Adam Sandler films and more. We also talk about watching and loving films in the context of #MeToo. The conver...

In this Getting Better Acquainted Extra I continue the tradition of beginning the new year with a round up of how the last year panned out for me. And I talk about my plans and resolutions for 2018. Next week the format of the show will be back to normal! I mention: The Family Tree: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/ https://www.patreon.com/thefamilytreepodcast My series of personal essays about m...

In GBA 320 we get better acquainted with Christmas (again). It's the 2017 Christmas Special! This episode is contains three visits from clips of nearly Christmas past as I consider Christmas from the perspective of my 6 year old self and my 36 year old self. It also features my brother when he was 12 and my dad when he was 63. I mention my series of personal essays about my dad: Down to a sunless...

It's another episode of GBA Replayed which showcases some of the conversations recorded in the early years of Getting Better Acquainted. This episode is being re-released because Eric sadly passed away last Saturday and I wanted to mark his passing by remembering his life. After the replayed episode 33 there are some clips from episode 34 featuring my dad and Eric talking about their friendship. -...

In GBA 319 we get better acquainted with Laura and Sarai from the JewCL podcast. They talk about making the podcast and doing the research which inspired it. The concept of the podcast is: "Three Jewish students and their teacher chat about their research project into Jewish life at UCL, what they discovered, how they discovered it and what they think about it all." Laura and Sarai plug: JewCL pod...

In GBA 318 we get better acquainted with Dexter. He talks about combining goth and cabaret influences to create the drag queen Count Addiction, navigating sex, gender and sexuality, being an Amanda Palmer mega fan, how being the son of a funeral director influenced him, finding friends, creating communities and so much more. Dexter plugs: Count Addiction: https://www.facebook.com/CountAddiction ht...

GBA 317 is a Getting Better Acquainted special featuring a true story I told at Spark London about therapy, anxiety and depression, and conversations with my dad about living with dementia and my brother, Tony about making art about being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. The Family Tree: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/ Down to a sunless sea: memories of my dad: https://medium.com/@goosefat101/do...

In GBA 316 we get better acquainted with Kas. She talks about her journey through performance, from playing the White Witch in primary school, to dancing in Pride and Prejudice, to working with Teatro Vivo to make immersive theatre that engages with locations and communities. When we recorded this conversation last week Kas was 8 months pregnant so we also talk about how that has intersected with...

It's another episode of GBA Replayed which showcases some of the conversations recorded in the early years of 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, expe...

In this GBA Extra I share two stories that I retold recently at Spark London true storytelling nights. For anyone missing the usual GBA length and format this episode of The Family Tree Cuttings may fill the gap for you: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/cuttings/the-family-tree-season-2-cuttings-2-other-lives/ I plug: Spark London: http://stories.co.uk/ Next Hackney night 11th November: https://w...

In GBA 315 we get better acquainted with Andy. Since Andy works in very similar areas of audio to me, but has a very different approach to how he works, this is a compare and contrast conversation where we talk about why bassists might have an affinity for radio production, making radio and podcast comedy and drama, working with a foot in independent audio and a foot within the mainstream radio wo...

In GBA 314 we get better acquainted with Wasi. She talks about not defining marginalised groups by their traumas, #CutFromTheSameCloth a collection of essays by hijabis, getting to the point where she is comfortable calling herself a photographer, how she became a person centred therapist, the systematic elements involved in mental health struggles, growing up with parallel experiences and culture...

In GBA 313 we get better acquainted with Craig. Dr Craig is an academic working in the field of critical social psychology (which has a big dash of sociology within it) whose work focuses on Masculinities. As you may know I made a show about masculinity so we had a lot to talk about. However we didn't really know much about each other before we sat down, and the conversation is certainly influence...

In GBA 312 we get better acquainted with Pandora Blake. They talk about how they became an award-winning feminist porn producer and performer, the rise and fall of their website Dreams of Spanking that was dedicated to ethically-produced BDSM erotica that prioritised gender diversity, explicit behind the scenes enthusiastic consent, and equal pay for equal work. With a wide lens they get into some...

In GBA 311 we get better acquainted with Jez Kemp. He talks learning how to make your own music, the danger of false equivalence in the time of Charlottesville, Brexit and Trump, being a femme cisgender man, realising that Nineteen Eighty-Four isn't as radical as you thought, creating and selling dinosaur and unicorn T-Shirts, the man who tried to trademark the π symbol and lots more. Jez plugs: R...

In GBA 310 we get better acquainted with CJ and Arlie from The Boy Who Hasn't Lived podcast. The podcast they make is about "one friend forcing the other to read the entire Harry Potter book series for the first time" and after they tell me why they make the show I get into my issues with the Harry Potter books. From there the conversation covers problematic faves, navigating the world, calling ou...

In GBA 309, we get better acquainted with Sam. He talks about making an award winning "terrible idea" podcast, his early career as a boy soprano, being an actor/musician, occasionally discarding the idea of weighing up the pros and cons of things (via a thought experiment about icecream), the history and future of comics, the influence of his grandfather on his life and so much more. Sam does lots...

In GBA 308, we get better acquainted with Meg-John and Justin. They talk about how they came to be sex and relationship educators, approaching sex, relationships and sexuality in an inclusive and non judgmental way, avoiding thinking in binaries and lots more. With references that include Terry Pratchett, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Professional Cycling and Homer Simpson as well as a whole range of...

In GBA 307, we get better acquainted with Michael. He talks about moving from stand up comedy into true storytelling, running festivals, making flashing hats and merkins, finding a voice, travelling the world and lots more. Michael hosts Natural Born Storytellers and I host the Hackney branch of Spark London and so this is a conversation between two people working in the same genre, and a lot of i...

In GBA 306, we get better acquainted with Sadia Azmat. She talks about comedy, politics, current events, the media, public speaking, being a British muslim woman who wears a hijab and does stand up while living in a society that often doesn't treat Muslims well and lots more. Content note: racism, sexism, islamophobia Sadia plugs: Follow her on twitter: https://twitter.com/sadia_azmats_ I plug: Wh...

In GBA 305 we get better acquainted with Dave. He talks about recreating the first series of the sitcom The Trip with his best friend, the smell of motor racing, being a fan of comedy, how Blackadder, Asterix and the city of York influenced his interest in history, being comfortable being and living on your own and lots more. We recorded this conversation in a snatched hour within a family get tog...

It's another episode of GBA Replayed which showcases some of the conversations recorded in the early years of Getting Better Acquainted. ------------ 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 tan...

In GBA 304 we get better acquainted with Scarlett. She talks about being the lead singer in a band from the age of 14 to the age of 21, writing and editing at Men's Health magazine, the landscapes of gender and masculinity, the value of asking for help, Spark London true storytelling, how complicated compliments can be and more. Content Note: Mental Health Issues, Therapy, Street Harassment, Sexis...

In GBA 303 we get better acquainted with Tyrone Lewis. He talks about documenting (and growing up within) the spoken word scene, being close to his mum, pop culture, football, editing video, taking photos and performing poems. We recorded this conversation at the Royal Festival Hall beginning in a quiet spot but during the conversation we were moved to a more challenging environment for background...