Life and Art from FT Weekend
335 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 79 ratingsLife and Art from FT Weekend is the twice-weekly culture podcast of the Financial Times. On Monday, we talk about life, and how to live a good one in one-on-one conversations. On Friday, we talk about ‘art’ – in a chat show. Three FT journalists come together to discuss a new cultural release across film, TV, music and books. Hosted by Lilah Raptopoulos, together with the FT’s award-winning writers and editors, and special guests.
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Episodes
Food and Drink mini-series: demystifying wine with André Mack
June 07, 2023 21:31 - 24 minutes - 55.4 MBWelcome to the second bonus episode in our mini-series on food and drink. This week, Lilah demystifies wine with sommelier, winemaker and restaurateur André Hueston Mack at his restaurant in central Brooklyn. The wine world has been historically inaccessible, and over the past few decades it's become younger, trendier and even countercultural. André has been at the forefront of this change. He explains how different wines come into fashion, from Georgian wine to Beaujolais. Then, he and Lila...
The gangs risking their lives for copper in South Africa
June 02, 2023 04:00 - 22 minutes - 248 MBThis week, we meet the South African gangs stealing copper to survive. When the journalist Monica Mark moved to Johannesburg, she noticed that copper theft was causing disruptions across the country: power went out, trains were cancelled, and her neighbourhood Whatsapp group was livid. She wanted to find out who was behind it. So she tracked down a man who used to be in a copper gang. His story is a unique look at South Africa's current struggles with high unemployment, vast inequality and a...
Food and Drink mini-series: Tamar Adler on cooking leftovers
May 31, 2023 04:00 - 15 minutes - 36.5 MBWelcome to the first bonus episode in our mini-series on food and drink. Every Wednesday, as we inch closer to summer, we'll host a fun conversation with a different expert. Lilah’s first guest is chef and food writer Tamar Adler. Twelve years ago, Tamar wrote the bestselling book An Everlasting Meal, which shared her philosophy that every meal you make can come from the meal before it. She recently expanded it into The Everlasting Meal Cookbook, an encyclopedia for cooking leftovers, with m...
Romantic comedies, with novelist Curtis Sittenfeld
May 26, 2023 15:33 - 20 minutes - 46.4 MBThis week, bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld joins us to talk about romantic comedies. Curtis is a long-time fan of rom-coms – her most recent novel is, in fact, called Romantic Comedy. She loves love. But she also knows that there’s a difference between how love is portrayed in TV and movies, and what it’s like in real life. Curtis speaks with Lilah about the state of romantic comedies today: how they’ve changed, and where they could go next. Don’t forget! Send us your top summer tip: w...
What advice would you give your older self?
May 19, 2023 04:00 - 20 minutes - 47.6 MBRobert Shrimsley has written a satirical column for the FT for years, and this week we talk through one where he gives advice to his older self. As it turns out, forecasting who you might become is an exercise in recognising who you are now – and coming to terms with your genuine interests and limitations. Then Lilah speaks with Alice Lascelles, the FT’s drinks contributor, about the rise of non-alcoholic beverages. Turns out, making a cocktail that’s non-alcoholic and good is the ultimate c...
Her parents fled Iran. Her art tells their story
May 12, 2023 04:00 - 21 minutes - 50 MBThis week, we speak with artist Sheida Soleimani. Soleimani grew up in the American Midwest hearing stories of her parents’ escape from Iran: her father spending years in hiding, her mother imprisoned in solitary confinement. Now, she is using three-dimensional collages to tell their story. And she’s doing it in collaboration with them. -------------- Want to say hi? We love hearing from you. Email us at [email protected]. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram an...
How to have a good death
May 05, 2023 14:49 - 17 minutes - 41.1 MBThis week, we consider what it means to have a good death. As nursing strikes escalate throughout the UK and Ireland, the writer Imogen Savage couldn't help but think of her mother Anne, who spent more than 45 years working in end of life care. Imogen spent her childhood watching Anne help people die comfortably and with dignity. Today, we speak with them both about what they've learned about death, and why we shouldn’t cut corners when it comes to caring for the dying. -------------- Want...
Succession's Arian Moayed on how to play a good bad guy
April 28, 2023 04:00 - 26 minutes - 59.8 MBThis weekend, we meet actor Arian Moayed. You may know him as Stewy Hosseini from HBO’s Succession, a scheming private equity shark who loves money and fears no one. He's also currently in A Doll's House on Broadway opposite Jessica Chastain, playing Torvald Helmer, one of theatre history's most famous chauvinists. He talks to Lilah about the difference between a trope bad guy and a complicated person, and how to play unlikeable characters as fully formed people. Arian and his family fled fr...
Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks on making art about Covid
April 21, 2023 04:00 - 25 minutes - 59.3 MBThis week, Lilah speaks to Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, whose new show Plays for the Plague Year asks us to remember, process and grieve the pandemic. Suzan-Lori is best known for her 2001 play Topdog/Underdog, which was reprised on Broadway in the autumn. But her new show is different: she wrote one short play a day through the pandemic, and collected them into a lively, music-filled theatrical event. Suzan-Lori and Lilah talk through big questions: when is the right ...
Introducing Behind the Money: Night School
April 19, 2023 04:00 - 1 minute - 3.17 MBThere’s been a lot of big finance and economics news in 2023. Whether it's stories about rising interest rates, tech industry layoffs or bank runs, it can almost feel like you need an MBA just to make sense of it all. That’s why the Financial Times is launching a bonus series called Behind the Money: Night School. Over the next five weeks, this show will help you understand the concepts behind the biggest economic stories of this year. U.S. managing editor Peter Spiegel chats with FT journ...
The secret gamblers using AI to hack horse racing
April 14, 2023 04:00 - 23 minutes - 53.5 MBThis week, we go to a racetrack in Miami, Florida to drink some beers, place some bets, and discover how AI is changing the sport of horse racing. FT data journalist Oliver Roeder joins Lilah to talk about how the ancient sport is being upended by anonymous computer-assisted bets. These secretive gamblers are injecting billions of dollars into the pools, and aggressively tipping the odds, and it’s putting the whole sport at risk. -------------- Want to say hi? We love hearing from you. Ema...
We love tequila. It’s causing problems
April 08, 2023 15:30 - 25 minutes - 207 MBThis week, we talk tequila. Over the last 20 years, it has become wildly popular, celebrity-endorsed, and top-shelf. Tequila and mezcal are the fastest-growing spirit category in the US; this year, they are set to overtake vodka as the country's best-selling spirit. But the impact on local Mexican farmers and distillers has been damaging, and demand is outpacing supply. Ivy Mix, author of Spirits of Latin America and owner of respected Brooklyn bar Leyenda, talks us through what's at risk – ...
Best of: How Shakespeare gave actor Michael Patrick Thornton his life back
April 01, 2023 16:30 - 32 minutes - 74.5 MBThis weekend, we bring you a conversation with actor Michael Patrick Thornton, who is currently in a buzzy Broadway production of A Doll's House alongside Jessica Chastain. When Michael was 24, he had a series of spinal cord strokes. Reciting Shakespeare's sonnets taught him how to breathe and speak again, and continue his career. Michael is at present the only actor on Broadway who uses a wheelchair. The interview was recorded a few months ago, while Michael was on stage in Macbeth with Dan...
The art of the celebrity interview, with Sam Fragoso
March 27, 2023 18:21 - 26 minutes - 61.5 MBThis week, Lilah compares notes on interviewing with podcaster Sam Fragoso. Sam's show Talk Easy features in-depth conversations with some of the biggest names in culture: from Cate Blanchett and Judd Apatow, to Noam Chomsky. He tells Lilah about his highlights and difficult moments, and they discuss what makes a great conversation. Then, we challenged listeners to submit boring topics for us to make interesting, and this week we take on the UK citizenship test. To become a British citizen, ...
Ben Okri on poetry and politics. Plus: graffiti legend 10 Foot
March 17, 2023 04:00 - 32 minutes - 74.3 MBThis week, we host a writer and an editor in conversation. Booker-winning novelist and poet Ben Okri and outgoing FT Weekend editor Alec Russell meet in the studio on Alec’s last day in the role. They reflect on the political power of poetry, what fiction and non-fiction can teach each other, and the vital role of art. Then, we meet one of London’s most notorious and prolific graffiti writers. His name is 10 Foot, and his tag is famous, but he’s anonymous. Journalist Miles Ellingham spent mo...
Elif Batuman rethinks Russian literature
March 10, 2023 05:00 - 29 minutes - 67.6 MBThis week Lilah speaks with author Elif Batuman about rethinking Russian literature given Russia’s war in Ukraine. Since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, cultural institutions have grappled with what to do about Russian artists and works of art. Should they be banned if we want to support Ukraine? Elif talks us through the literary dimension of the debate. And she says go ahead, read the Russian classics. But learn about the history and culture of the time as you’re doing it. ...
Best of: Chef Mashama Bailey on reclaiming African-American food
March 03, 2023 05:00 - 30 minutes - 70 MBThis week Lilah goes to Savannah, Georgia, to visit chef Mashama Bailey. In 2022, Mashama won Outstanding Chef at the James Beard Awards. Since 2014, she has been chef and partner at The Grey, a restaurant located in a formerly segregated bus station. And she has been redefining American food by reclaiming its African-American roots. But because so much of this history hasn't been documented, how do you find and preserve it, and also expand on it? Mashama explains her creative process. We al...
Ukraine one year on, with filmmaker Nadia Parfan
February 24, 2023 05:00 - 19 minutes - 44.6 MBThis week marks a year since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In this episode, Lilah speaks with Ukrainian director Nadia Parfan, whose documentary short 'I did not want to make a war film' is a first-person essay about how life has changed. Nadia was in Egypt when the war began, but a few weeks later, she chose to return to Ukraine because she feared isolation more than physical danger. She joins us from a coffee shop in Kyiv to talk about making the film, what life is like in Ukrai...
Artist Nick Cave on police violence and history repeating
February 17, 2023 05:00 - 31 minutes - 73.1 MBThis week, we speak with visual artist Nick Cave. Cave is best known for his ‘Soundsuits’: vibrant, whimsical costumes that entirely cover the face and body. But the Soundsuits are not just playful. He made the first after police beat Rodney King in 1991, and they are meant to help process collective sorrow through celebration, and to give armour to the marginalized. In the wake of police killing Tyre Nichols last month, we speak with Nick about how his work has changed over 30 years, even a...
Why fine dining isn’t fine
February 10, 2023 05:00 - 25 minutes - 58.2 MBThe announcement that the world’s top restaurant, Noma, will close in 2024, has spawned dozens of think pieces asking whether this is the end of fine dining. So this weekend, we went to the FT’s renowned food critic Tim Hayward to learn about the state of the industry. Running a restaurant has never been more expensive in cities such as New York and London. And now, in the middle of a cost of living crisis, Tim says a bloodbath is coming: in order to stay afloat restauranteurs must ditch a c...
‘Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow’ author Gabrielle Zevin
February 03, 2023 05:00 - 24 minutes - 57 MBThis week, we’re joined by Gabrielle Zevin, author of the novel ‘Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow’. One of last year's bestsellers, it traces the lives of two friends, Sam and Sadie, who meet as kids and become world famous video game creators. Gabrielle tells Lilah why she focused on games, and how video games from Pac-Man to Mario influenced a generation of people. Then, we learn about a Rolex watch ‘grey market’ with Jeff Maysh. Try to buy a Rolex – you're unlikely to find one on the ...
Oscar-nominated directors: ‘Everything Everywhere’ and ‘Triangle of Sadness’
January 27, 2023 05:00 - 33 minutes - 76.6 MBThe Oscar nominations have been announced. This weekend, we revisit two of our interviews from last year, with filmmakers behind two of the most nominated films: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, who directed ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’, and Ruben Östlund, director of ‘Triangle of Sadness’. Both are nominated for best director and best picture, and both are unexpected: 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' is praised for combining genres from indie comedy to sci-fi to kung fu. 'Triangl...
Surviving US healthcare. Plus: Prince Harry’s 'Spare'
January 20, 2023 05:00 - 29 minutes - 68 MBThis weekend, the FT's Claire Bushey asks a question that sounds poetic but is actually entirely unsentimental: how much is my life worth? In 2021, Claire learned she had breast cancer. The cost of her treatment points us to how, exactly, the US healthcare system is broken. Then, Lilah takes on Prince Harry's autobiography Spare with chief features writer Henry Mance. After so much Harry and Meghan content, what can we possibly still learn? ------- We love hearing from you! Fill in our fee...
How AI is changing art. Plus: winter cooking
January 13, 2023 05:00 - 26 minutes - 59.8 MBThis weekend, we learn about AI-generated art. Type any sentence, such as “Sea otter with a pearl earring by Johannes Vermeer” into a website, and you’ll get an uncanny visual approximation created entirely by AI — with no input from humans. Our gaming critic Tom Faber joins Lilah to explore what impact it could have on human creativity. Then, we talk about deep winter cooking with the chefs behind our food column: Honey and Co. Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer give us tons of ideas, from s...
The secret lives of MI6’s women spies
January 06, 2023 05:00 - 30 minutes - 69.7 MBThis week, we learn about the secret lives of women spies. Our colleague Helen Warrell got exclusive access to the women at the top ranks of Britain’s MI6 agency. For the first time, they reveal what it’s like to be a woman in espionage, and how pop culture – from James Bond to John le Carré novels – has made it harder for MI6 to recruit a diverse team of spies. Then, we’re joined by behavioural economist and friend of the podcast Tim Harford, who – just in time for your New Year's resolutio...
Tamagotchis and reality TV: 2023 cultural predictions
December 16, 2022 05:00 - 26 minutes - 61.4 MBIt’s our last episode of the year, and our annual predictions episode for 2023! Lilah is joined by FT Magazine editor Matt Vella to talk through listener call-ins, from dog trends to speed dating to what White Lotus says about the end of the world. Matt and Lilah also add some hopes, dreams and guesses of their own. Then, FT editors and journalists share their predictions for what will happen in art, fashion, music, tech and more. ------- We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftwee...
The big debate in climate tech. Plus Jancis Robinson
December 09, 2022 05:00 - 27 minutes - 37.5 MBThis week, we talk through the most compelling technology being developed to combat climate change, with FT business columnist and climate expert Pilita Clark. And there’s a big debate among scientists: should we focus on older technology, such as solar and wind, or the latest innovations like direct carbon capture and even nuclear fusion? Then, wine columnist Jancis Robinson gives Lilah her holiday drink recommendations, and discusses one of the year's most controversial trends: canned and ...
Tracking down Nigeria’s stolen artefacts
December 02, 2022 05:00 - 25 minutes - 59.5 MBThis week, we talk about the Benin Bronzes, a group of sacred artefacts stolen by British colonisers from the west African Kingdom of Benin. Guest host Lulu Smyth speaks to Aanu Adeoye and Josh Spero, who have been reporting on the efforts to trace thousands of them. For years western museums, which hold the bulk of the Benin Bronzes, refused to collect and share inventory, meaning they could not be returned to Nigeria. Now, a new digital project is doing just that. Then, it’s the first of o...
Best Of: The international mystery of 'the Hum'
November 25, 2022 05:00 - 29 minutes - 67.4 MBThis week, we return to one of our favourite episodes. We go searching for the Hum, a mysterious noise that has plagued the residents of Halifax, West Yorkshire. It’s an uncomfortable, low-frequency sound that has also been heard in towns across the world, from New Mexico to Ontario to Scotland. The FT's Imogen West-Knights tells us that it's mostly heard by middle-aged women. So is it a real noise, an imaginary illness, or both? ------- Tell us your cultural prediction for 2022! You can r...
Travel mini-series: Nomadic Matt’s travel hacks
November 23, 2022 06:00 - 12 minutes - 28.1 MBIn the fourth and final episode of our special mini-series on travel, Lilah talks with Matt Kepnes, the creator of the popular travel blog Nomadic Matt. Matt has been traveling the globe for nearly 20 years, and he’s written about it in his books How to Travel the World on $50 a Day and Ten Years a Nomad. Over the years, Matt has amassed a knowledge of all the best ways to see the world without spending a fortune. And on this episode, he shares those tips and more. -------------- Want to s...
Why your brain craves Despacito. Plus: books of 2022
November 18, 2022 05:00 - 30 minutes - 41.6 MBThis week, we learn why we love the music we love. Lilah speaks with Susan Rogers, who was a recording engineer for Prince on albums such as ‘Purple Rain’. Now she's a neuroscientist who has studied what music does to the brain. Her book, 'This Is What It Sounds Like', helps us make sense of our own musical preferences. Susan joins us to listen to some music and explain how it affects us. Why is Despacito one of the most listened to songs of all time? Why does one person love techno, and ano...
Travel mini-series: the FT’s travel editor talks tourism
November 16, 2022 06:00 - 12 minutes - 28.1 MBIn the third episode of our special mini-series on travel, Lilah talks with our travel editor, Tom Robbins. Tom is an expert on the tourism industry. We discuss the biggest trends in travel, and he gives us an honest account of where we are today: how social media has changed the places we visit, how governments are dealing with over-tourism, and how James Bond helped make Iceland cool. -------------- Want to stay in touch? We love hearing from you. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod and Lilah...
Chef Eric Ripert’s secret to outlasting trends
November 13, 2022 12:57 - 34 minutes - 46.8 MBThis week, we speak to legendary chef Eric Ripert on the 50th anniversary of his restaurant Le Bernardin, possibly the most consistently critically beloved restaurant in the world. Keeping a restaurant relevant over time takes work and constant change. More than 30 years in, he tells us what it takes to lead a lasting institution. Then, FT Weekend editor Alec Russell and senior editor Horatia Harrod join Lilah to talk comedy. As comedians navigate artistic expression, respect, and where to d...
Travel mini-series: Jessica Nabongo visits every country
November 09, 2022 06:00 - 13 minutes - 18 MBIn the second episode of our special mini-series on travel, Lilah talks with Jessica Nabongo. Jessica is one of the few people, and the first black woman on record, to have visited every country in the world. Her book, The Catch Me If You Can, was published by National Geographic earlier this year. Jessica tells us about acts of kindness in Iraq, Zanzibar’s beaches, the food in Senegal, and more stories from some of the 195 countries she’s visited. She also gives us tips for where to go and ...
Triangle of Sadness with director Ruben Östlund
November 04, 2022 04:00 - 28 minutes - 39.1 MBThis week we meet Swedish film director Ruben Östlund. His new movie Triangle of Sadness won the Cannes Film Festival’s top prize, the Palm D’Or, and is one of the most talked-about releases of the year. It seems like an ‘eat the rich’ story, but Ruben disagrees. He says it’s a critique not just of the wealthy, but of all of us. Then, we take a tour of first-class airplane food. After losing nearly $200 billion during the pandemic, airlines are pouring money into high-end meals. Journalist K...
Travel mini-series: planning a trip, with FT Globetrotter
November 02, 2022 13:55 - 10 minutes - 14.3 MBWelcome to the first episode of our special mini-series on travel. Every Wednesday, a different expert will teach us something new. Today, Lilah talks with the editors of FT Globetrotter, Rebecca Rose and Niki Blasina. Globetrotter is home to our journalists’ guides on what to do in cities around the world. Rebecca and Niki give us tips for planning, but not overplanning, your next trip. -------------- Want to stay in touch? We love hearing from you. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod and Lila...
The Woman King, with producer Cathy Schulman
October 29, 2022 04:00 - 28 minutes - 39.7 MBThis week, we talk about the Hollywood blockbuster The Woman King, starring Viola Davis. It's an epic that features a group of women warriors fighting for the kingdom of Dahomey—and it's got a lot of Oscar buzz. Lilah goes behind the scenes with Academy-Award winning producer Cathy Schulman to discuss what it took to get it made. Then, we look into what happened to plant-based meat. A few years ago, it was all over the news—but the hype died down. Has it been absorbed into our diets, or was ...
Jane Austen, forever. Plus: trans inclusion in sports
October 22, 2022 04:00 - 30 minutes - 42 MBTwo hundred years after Jane Austen’s novels were published, adaptations are still going strong. This summer saw the release of Fire Island, a gay adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and the Netflix original, Persuasion. Brooke Masters, our US investment and industries editor and a lifelong Jane Austen fan, and University of Maine literature professor Caroline Bicks, join Lilah to talk about the novelist’s enduring appeal. Then, the Boston Marathon has a new non-binary gender category. This i...
Artist Shirin Neshat on the women-led protests in Iran
October 15, 2022 04:00 - 28 minutes - 64.6 MBThis week we speak with Shirin Neshat, one of the most famous contemporary artists from Iran, about the protests in her home country. Shirin’s work focuses on the lives and struggles of Iranian women. The protests have been raging for a month, which, as Shirin says, makes them the longest-running demonstrations since the 1979 Islamic revolution. We talk about what they mean, why this time they’re different, and her art, some of which has been recently projected on buildings in London and Los...
HBO’s 'Industry', and Esther Perel
October 08, 2022 04:00 - 30 minutes - 41.6 MBThis weekend, we discuss Industry on HBO with chief features writer Henry Mance. The show is part of a trend: like Succession and Euphoria, it depicts a pretty harsh version of the world we live in. So why do we keep getting sucked in? Then you'll hear a conversation between star psychologist Esther Perel and FT contributing editor Lucy Kellaway from the FT Weekend Festival. They discuss how remote work might change us, whether TikTok is teaching kids to be anxious, and more. Listen wherever...
Jamaica Kincaid and Enuma Okoro on writing
October 01, 2022 04:00 - 27 minutes - 37.8 MBWriter Jamaica Kincaid is one of the best known writers on race and colonialism in the US. Her writing is biting and fearless, and she’s been a keen observer of her native Antigua and the US since publishing her first essay in 1973. This week she joins Lilah together with the FT’s Enuma Okoro in a recording made at the recent FT Weekend Festival in London. Then we share some conversations we had in person with listeners during the festival. ------- Here’s the link to leave us a message for...
How NFTs shook up the art world
September 24, 2022 04:00 - 18 minutes - 208 MBNFTs were a big sensation, but the market for them has crashed. This week, we invited a crypto-sceptic, FT columnist Jemima Kelly, to answer all the questions you were afraid to ask. What are NFTs exactly? What happened with them? And have they changed the way we think about art? Jemima hosts the latest season of our FT podcast Tech Tonic, which is all about the cult of crypto. ------- Want to stay in touch? We love hearing from you. Email us at [email protected]. We’re on Twitter @f...
How do young Brits feel about the monarchy?
September 17, 2022 04:00 - 28 minutes - 64.8 MBThis week we discuss how young people view the late Queen Elizabeth with journalist Imogen West-Knights and our own producer Lulu Smyth. For many Millennials and Gen Zers, the first royal succession in 70 years is also the first time they’ve considered their stance on the monarchy more broadly. And it’s eliciting some mixed feelings. Then, we explore how we’re spending money on culture now. The FT’s US business editor Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson explains all the ways our post-pandemic restless...
The legacy of Queen Elizabeth II
September 10, 2022 04:00 - 18 minutes - 25.4 MBQueen Elizabeth II has died after a 70-year reign. This weekend, we reflect on her legacy, life and cultural impact with FT Weekend editor Alec Russell. Then, producer Lulu Smyth takes us to meet the people gathered outside Buckingham Palace. ------- Links: Simon Schama, ‘Elizabeth II: an appreciation’: https://on.ft.com/3qsNI64 Jo Ellison, ‘The Queen’s constancy never went out of style’: https://on.ft.com/3qpwOVF ------- Special offers for FT Weekend listeners can be found here: htt...
Have we hit peak TV? Plus, our debt to bees
September 03, 2022 04:00 - 28 minutes - 66 MBThis week, guest host Topher Forhecz is joined by Los Angeles bureau chief Chris Grimes to hear about the future of TV's streaming wars. Since the pandemic, streaming services have poured huge amounts of money into new content, but it's unclear how long this boom will last. Then, we talk to Nature Therapy columnist Jonathan Guthrie about bees. He's estimated that we owe bees nearly $160bn for their pollination services. What's at stake if we can't repay that debt? ------- Want to stay in ...
The art of sound design. Plus: summer hits of 2022
August 27, 2022 07:00 - 31 minutes - 43.6 MBThis weekend, we meet a British pioneer of sound design. Errol Michael Henry invites us to the Air-Edel studios in London to show us how a song gets made. Errol is one of the few black sound designers in the UK. He’s been producing music through his independent label, Intimate Records, since the 1980s. He breaks down how he creates his distinct sound, layer by layer. Then, we explore what makes the perfect summer track with music critic Arwa Haider. She and Lilah take a tour through the top ...
Ukraine’s digital war. Plus: how computers changed chess
August 20, 2022 04:00 - 28 minutes - 39.5 MBThis weekend, we go to Ukraine. FT columnist Gillian Tett introduces us to the tech entrepreneurs and engineers who have built strong links with Silicon Valley and western tech companies over the past few decades. These connections are helping them fight what she calls an ‘open source war’ against Russia. Then, data journalist Oliver Roeder invites us into the elite world of professional chess. Now that computers are magnitudes better than humans, the game has dramatically changed. --------...
Food & Drink mini-series: Natasha Pickowicz on creative desserts
August 17, 2022 11:00 - 15 minutes - 21.8 MBWelcome to the fourth and final episode of our summer Food & Drink mini-series, where every Wednesday an expert teaches us something new. Today, we meet pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz. Natasha used to lead pastry in fine dining kitchens such as Altro Paradiso in New York. Now she does DIY pop-up bake sales around New York City to raise money for good causes. She’s a three-time James Beard award finalist for outstanding pastry chef, and her style is playful and free. She tells us how to be cre...
Chef Mashama Bailey on reclaiming African-American food
August 13, 2022 04:00 - 30 minutes - 42.4 MBThis week Lilah goes to Savannah, Georgia, to visit chef Mashama Bailey. Mashama recently won Outstanding Chef at the James Beard Awards. Since 2014, she has been chef and partner at The Grey, a restaurant located in a formerly segregated bus station. And she has been redefining American food by reclaiming its African-American roots. But because so much of this history hasn't been documented, how do you find and preserve it, and also expand on it? Mashama explains her creative process. We al...
Food & Drink mini-series: Jancis Robinson on wine trends
August 10, 2022 16:11 - 14 minutes - 20.1 MBWelcome to our summer Food & Drink mini-series, where every Wednesday for four weeks an expert teaches us something new. Lilah’s third guest, Jancis Robinson, is the FT’s wine columnist and one of the most respected wine experts in the world. She joins us from France to talk through today’s top wine trends: oak is out, concrete is in. Heavy reds are out, paler and more acidic reds are in. And more! -------------- Want to stay in touch? We love hearing from you. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendp...