Reserved Recommendations

Netflix's "Uncut Gems" is a movie centered around a powerhouse central performance by Adam Sandler, and a tone of escalating tension which turns it into something akin to a 2 hour panic attack. It's no fun to watch, but I kind of loved it. Brendan Christie (The Mentalist Collective) joins the podcast to talk about the movie, how it fits into Adam Sandler's broader career, and whether movies need t...

Zumba is a popular, unfairly maligned, and occasionally kinda problematic dance exercise style. It's a useful illustration of the concept of "great trash", and Dr. Sophia Frentz (one of the hosts of the sadly lamented podcast "Things Of Interest") joins me to talk about it. We get into the idea of great trash, the various joys and problems of Zumba, and by extension talk a bit about the ways that...

Robin Hobb is an American fantasy author best known for her incredibly long-running (1995-2017) series set in the "realm of the Elderlings". Her specialty might be described as taking very human and sympathetic characters, and putting them through the wringer at incredible length. Obviously this is not for everyone (especially since the full "Elderlings" set encompasses 15 fairly weighty hardback...

Human belief is a fascinating thing, but too often a pillar around which people can bolster their pre-existing prejudices. Kyle Hastelow is one of the most devout (and thoughtfully devout) people I know. This conversation ranges over his religious upbringing, the way his faith has evolved over time, and the hermeneutics he uses to guide his spiritual progress. Rekhast is at: https://www.facebook.c...

How do you tell the truth about the past - especially an era as complex and controversial as the 1950s? There's a narrow line between glossing over the failings of that time, appearing to promote them, or interrupting yourself to apply a modern critical lens - none of which approaches are ideal. In something of a spiritual sequel to Emma G's "feminism" episode, Rachel Dore joins me to talk about t...

Angus returns (our first ever returning guest!) to talk about Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie's beautiful pornographic book "Lost Girls". On the way we talk about Moore and Gebbie's careers in comics and other media, "Lost Girls" as both art and porn, and the place of pornography in art generally. Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of NZ On Air.

Immersive theatre is a relatively new and wildly popular theatrical form, employing thousands of actors in the UK. Katherine Beresford (one of the aforementioned actors) joins the pod to talk about what IT is, how it works, and the various unique challenges and concerns it raises, especially in a post-COVID world. Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of NZ On Air.

Jonny Kan (https://www.instagram.com/serbiangreywolves12/) is a Palmerston North artist whose work is regularly on show at Snails Artist Run Space. His work is playful, fascinating, prolific, challenging and borrows extensively from pop culture including (occasionally) pornography. Kirsty Porter of Snails (https://www.facebook.com/snailsartistrunspace/) joins the podcast to talk about Jonny and hi...

This isn't a political show, but it does have politics. In our first exploration of what that means, we talk to Emma G (https://www.facebook.com/emmag.music/) direct from Washington DC about feminism, which is to say that by the end of the hour we'll have solved literally every gender inequality problem. Probably. CW for discussion(not graphic but still frank) of violence and sexual assault. Produ...

The SCP Foundation is an enormous (over 6000 articles and counting) and impenetrable online collaborative fiction project with roots in "creepypasta" and forum culture. Zak Rodgers, Palmerston North's Punk Rock Poet joins the podcast to discuss the appeal of SCP, and the best ways into and out of its very strange and grim world. Zak Rodgers: https://www.facebook.com/punkrockpoet/ Produced by Manaw...

Jonathan Glazer's 2013 film "Under The Skin" is a highly-polarizing movie (a check on Google Play Movies finds almost exclusively 1 or 5 star reviews). It's a study in male sexuality that keeps its sex all at arm's length, and a science fiction movie that stays resolutely grounded in the mundane. Morgan Davie (Diceratops Presents) joins the podcast to help unpack this strange, beautiful, chilly fi...

Christian Fitness is the one man band (*not* solo project) of Welsh musician Andrew "Falco" Falkous. Scott Common (the K1500 Project, Mr Muscovado Orange) joins the podcast to talk about the appeal of this wonky aggressive music, the way that Christian Fitness relates to Falco's other main project Future Of The Left, ridiculously long title, and the concept of an unwarranted premium placed on virt...

In a move that honours the spiritual inspiration for this show, Hugh talks to Kosmic (author of webcomics "Feast For A King" and "Nasty Red Dogs") about the long running, artistically influential, beautifully drawn, and P R O BL E M A T I C manga series "Berserk" by Kentaro Miura. CW for discussions of fictional rape and sexual assault. Find Kosmic at @kosmicdream on Twitter, and the comics at fea...

The Residents are a resolutely perverse and inscrutable band, who are simultaneously pervasively influential and deliberately obscure. They channel a spirit of pranksterism that's a fundamental part of American counterculture music, and they occasionally make really awful noises just for the heck of it. With the help of Anton Angelo, a man who "tried to become a fan", Hugh puzzles through trying t...

Today Hugh talks to his brother Angus about noisily earnest San Francisco folk/blues/punk duo Two Gallants for a really long time (whoops!) Can you make music in a self-consciously antique style address to modern problems? Why would you listen to music about abusive relationships and slavery for fun? And would the Two Gallants be worse if they were a better band? Produced by Manawatū People's Radi...

Reading about conspiracy theories is a lot of fun, but some people really believe this stuff and some of them do really scary things as a result. Dr M Dentith studies conspiracy theory for a living, can they help us chart a path through this tangle? Dr Dentith is @conspiracism on Twitter.

Hugh and Rob chat about English IDM-adjacent duo Autechre, their place in music history and nerdery, and how one goes about loving music that occasionally sounds like when I was a kid and put C64 tapes in my dad's stereo. Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of NZ On Air.