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Episodes
Inside The Waugh Zone
March 09, 2015 11:05 - 55 minutes - 47 MBDaisy Waugh is literary royalty. Following in the footsteps of her legendary grandfather Evelyn and her journalist/author father Auberon, Daisy is a popular columnist and novelist in her own right. According to her regular column in the Sunday Times she promoted her last book, “a feminist diatribe modern motherhood” by “lying on a giant, polystyrene cut-out of my own name. In a tight red satin skirt which didn’t belong to me, and some magnificent shoes covered in velvet and jewels, on loa...
El Narco: Inside Mexico's Deadly Drugs Wars
March 05, 2015 10:48 - 55 minutes - 64.3 MBSeventy thousand dead. Twenty thousand disappeared. Severed heads with threatening messages dumped by the side of the highway. A terrorist insurgency on the verge of toppling governments. Iraq? Syria? The Congo? Ukraine? No. This is Northern Mexico— one of the most violent places on earth. Why? Because Western culture likes to take drugs. Tons of them. Drugs we brand illegal and on which we’re waging war. To walk us through the kill zone— from the peasants picking coca in the hil...
The Bar Stool Preachers – Live
March 01, 2015 18:05 - 55 minutes - 56.4 MBThey won our coveted track of the year award on our last show, and now the Bar Stool Preachers are playing live in the Hungry & Hunted studio. The hot young Brighton band are as bracing as a 6am plunge in the English Channel. Influenced by 2-Tone and streetpunk, the Preachers are in the vanguard of the new south coast sound that is as passionate as it is authentic and melodic. A proper alternative to mainstream pop pap. Other great bands this edition include Alan McGee’s new signing Alia...
Hadrian's Memoirs – Marguerite Yourcenar
February 20, 2015 12:02 - 25 minutes - 16.8 MBAt the end of his days, sitting in his villa outside Rome, the Emperor Hadrian writes a long letter to his adopted son, and next great leader of Rome, Marcus Aurelius. In Hadrian’s world, thoughts duel with power, ideas with reality, books with life. Aurelius often gets praise as the first philosopher king, but in this telling it’s Hadrian who is as much thinker as conqueror. Marguerite Yourcenar’s towering intellect and faultless prose bring Second Century Rome to life. Yeah, it’s good. ...
The Litopia After Dark Xmas Family Murder Show!
February 13, 2015 12:10 - 55 minutes - 58.1 MBAt Last – The Litopia After Dark Xmas Family Murder Show is here! Yeah – it’s a tad late, folks (or early, for next Xmas). But hardcore Yule like this is worth waiting for. This is the show that puts Fifty Shades in the shade. That makes your office Xmas party look sophisticated. That cracks your Xmas nuts and then asks damn fool questions about Ants. There is no mercy; for Agent Cox is the quizmaster. And you are his prey. Don’t miss this unique chance to relive precious childhood ...
What Would Boo Radley Do?
February 06, 2015 20:59 - 25 minutes - 12.3 MBAnother terrific Debriefer, full of insider poop from the pub biz and informed speculation about everything else! Harper Lee to Publish Sophomore Novel Taylor Swift Owns 1989 'American Idol' Winner Files Bold Legal Claim to Escape 'Oppressive' Contracts South Florida Man Seeks Trademark on Slogan 'Je Suis Charlie' Sold-out Charlie Hebdo issue coming to Barnes and Noble My GRAVITY lawsuit and how it affects every writer who sells to Hollywood - Tess Gerritsen Warner Bros. Knocks Down ...
Attack of the Tax Resistors
February 05, 2015 13:52 - 55 minutes - 57.5 MBWhen US and UK forces invaded Iraq in 2003, millions of people took to the streets to protes – to little effect. The bombs of Shock and Awe kept falling. By some estimates the civilian death toll stands at over 150,000. Like many people, tonight’s guest David Gross had a crisis of conscience. And yet unlike many people, he’s done something about it. He’s stopped paying taxes. Not by tax avoidance, but by lowering his income below the tax threshold - and by using as many loopholes as he can...
What A Malarkey...
February 05, 2015 10:52 - 25 minutes - 12.7 MBEgmont USA to Close After Sale Attempt Falls Through Christian publisher pulls heaven book after boy retracts story Human rights lawyer in Tajikistan jailed for nine years Racial Discrimination Act would outlaw Charlie Hebdo cartoons, say critics City of Paris to sue Fox News over on-air comments West Virginia Delegates consider adding journalists to list of protected workers David Petraeus: From military rock star to possible prosecution regarding biography Follow ups: Court Fi...
Roger Scruton - The Last Englishman
February 01, 2015 19:11 - 57.1 MBWhat does it mean to be a conservative in 2015? Garry’s guest tonight is Professor Roger Scruton, one of England’s leading philosophers and the author of How To Be A Conservative, along with many other provocative and intelligent books which question the dominant left-liberalism of modern Western thought. The son of a working class Mancunian Labour Party supporter, Roger’s contrary views were shaped by the 1968 Paris uprising when he realised that he was on the other side: the side that wa...
Measuring the World - Daniel Kehlmann
January 30, 2015 14:29 - 25 minutes - 16.2 MBGauss and Humboldt set off to the same destination in opposite directions and unfortunately this novel was written about it. Tedious. >>> Download the mp3 file Subscribe in iTunes >>> From recent débuts to classics, fiction to non-fiction, memoirs, philosophy, science, history and journalism, Burning Books separates the smoking from the singeworthy, looking at the pleasures (and pains) of reading, the craft of writing, the ideas that are at the heart of great novels as well as novels ...
Jimmy Jones – The Original Alternative Comedian
January 29, 2015 21:01 - 65.1 MBWithout doubt, Jimmy Jones is the biggest British comedy star never to have had his own television series. For five decades, Jimmy has been Britain’s most successful live comedian – performing around 275 sell-out live shows every year. Jimmy’s life in comedy is the subject of Garry’s show tonight – and what a life it has been. Summoned by Michael Jackson to his suite at the Dorchester... swapping gags with Prince Philip... pouring brandy for Princess Margaret out of a teapot... performing...
Rhoda Dakar: Cleaning In Another Woman's Kitchen
January 29, 2015 20:58 - 48.9 MBRhoda Dakar is one of the UK Ska scene’s feistiest characters, making her mark originally with the Bodysnatchers and then with Jerry Dammers in the Special AKA. Rhoda’s talent, intelligence, and heartfelt socialist ideals made her stand out from the pack. Like Dammers, she wanted 2-Tone to mean more than a good time…cue songs like The Boiler and Free Nelson Mandela that added real politics to the movement's in-built message of racial tolerance. Rhoda was a teenage glam rocker caught up in...
The Song Of The Year Show
January 24, 2015 19:17 - 55 minutes - 59.3 MBSo here it is... our special, annual Song Of The Year Show... in which Garry and guests review the very best tracks submitted to us in the past year and - without fear or favour - pick the most excellent example of indie music in the history of the universe. Or something like that. Garry special guest panel comprises rock writer and musician Johnny Wah-Wah and London Mod icon Shona “Wattsie” Watts. And Mik Whitnall drops by to deliver a live set while the judges are out in the jury room. ...
Terrorists 1, Enlightenment 0
January 19, 2015 09:26 - 25 minutes - 13.6 MBWorld leaders march arm-in-arm in Paris in support of free speech. Meanwhile, back at home, our freedoms are eroded almost daily. “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety” predicted Ben Franklin, who knew a thing or two about the political mind’s unquenchable thirst for power and control. In Britain, the government is introducing a law compelling nursery staff and childminders to report toddlers they suspect of b...
Shantytown – César Aira
January 09, 2015 19:45 - 25 minutes - 17.3 MBFall forward into one of the stranger stories you’ll encounter this year – or any other. Maxi, a young man from the middle classes of Buenos Aires, collects used cardboard, lifts weights, busts a drug ring, but can’t seem to surprise a sleeping street kid. Makes sense, right? No? Who cares – no plot outline is going to tell you what’s actually in the book. Different. >>> Download the mp3 file Subscribe in iTunes >>> From recent débuts to classics, fiction to non-fiction, memoirs, phil...
Viva Le Pink
January 03, 2015 17:51 - 55 minutes - 51.6 MBShe's the love child of Marilyn Monroe and Ziggy Stardust, and Kiria Le Pink is simply one of the most exciting artists on the UK's newly-revitalized rockabilly scene. Working with Camden's legendary producer Phil 'Doyley' Doyle the North London singer-songwriter is intent on making one of the earliest forms of rock'n'roll vital and sexy again. Kiria and two of her Missy Le Pink crew join Garry in the studio for a lively Xmas/New Year show. And as usual the playlist mixes and mashes new ...
Jim Morrison : Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre
December 13, 2014 20:33 - 57.1 MBFrom Axl Rose to Sharon Osbourne, legendary rock journalist Mick Wall knows them all. A world-class raconteur, Mick joins Garry tonight for an evening of absolute rock nirvana. Mick’s story is a real-life Almost Famous with balls on. And goats. And many, many other substances. What a long, strange journey it’s been! Stopping-off points include The Police, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Dire Straits, Lou Reed, and many more. Currently, Mick has just concluded an investigation into the death of...
The Nature of Blood – Caryl Phillips
December 12, 2014 12:40 - 25 minutes - 16.6 MBA novel that includes displaced persons, new countries, war, Cyprus, the OED, Venice, Blood Libel and Othello – this should be sweet. So why does it all taste so healthy? Caryl Phillips sucks all the sugar out of what should be a thrilling experience. Why? Granola. >>> Download the mp3 file Subscribe in iTunes >>> From recent débuts to classics, fiction to non-fiction, memoirs, philosophy, science, history and journalism, Burning Books separates the smoking from the singeworthy, look...
Bez, A Twenty-Four Hour Party Political Person
December 01, 2014 15:55 - 43.8 MBHe’s a threat to democracy, as dangerous as ISIS, and keeps bees. He’s a freaky dancer, a maestro of the maracas and a brewer of fine old, traditional ale. Oh yes - and the icon that is Bez from the legendary Mancunian band Happy Mondays also wants to be your MP. Garry’s guest tonight is Mark Berry, known universally as Bez. By the late 1980s, the Happy Mondays were a central part of the Manchester music scene and personified rave culture. Musically, the band fused indie pop with house mu...
The Cosmic Trigger
November 27, 2014 13:16 - 55 minutes - 48.1 MBIan’s guests tonight are Daisy Eris Campbell and Jon Higgs who are bringing Robert Anton Wilson’s cult classic The Cosmic Trigger, The Final Secret of the Illuminati to the stage. Impossible? Well, when you consider that this nonfiction and partly autobiographical work covers, amongst many other topics... Freemasons, Discordianism, Sufism, the Illuminati, Futurology, Zen Buddhism, Dennis and Terence McKenna, Jack Parsons, the occult practices of Aleister Crowley and G.I. Gurdjieff, Yog...
Darkness at Noon - Arthur Koestler
November 21, 2014 10:40 - 28 minutes - 20.2 MBOne man goes against the system he helped create and the results are not encouraging. Koestler fictionalises the Moscow Show Trials of the 1930s, where parts are fused onto the whole and the whole is broken into parts. A masterful novel. >>> Download the mp3 file Subscribe in iTunes >>> From recent débuts to classics, fiction to non-fiction, memoirs, philosophy, science, history and journalism, Burning Books separates the smoking from the singeworthy, looking at the pleasures (and pai...
The World According to Mal Peet
November 13, 2014 12:49 - 55 minutes - 52.2 MBMal Peet is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest British writers alive. His books have won many awards, and reviews range from the merely enthusiastic to the ecstatic. A deeply creative writer, Mal joins us tonight to chat about the writing process, tar-grouted macadam, nano-drones and Tolkienism. Oh, and also his newly publishing book, THE MURDSTONE TRILOGY… which isn’t a trilogy at all. Click to order from Amazon Is there a formula for writing the next George “Rolls Royce” Ma...
Three Faces of War – Very Special Forces
November 11, 2014 11:06 - 55 minutes - 76.7 MBOn this day in 1918 – the eleventh day of the eleventh month, at the 11th hour – the hostilities of the First World war formally ended. This is Remembrance Day, aka Poppy Day. But why poppies? Well, contrary to popular belief, poppies have been associated with war since at least Napoleonic times, when a writer first noted how poppies grew over the graves of soldiers. It is theorized that the damage done to the landscape in Flanders during WW1 greatly increased the lime content in the soil,...
Three Faces of War – The English Lady
November 10, 2014 13:31 - 55 minutes - 54 MBShe does her job with typically understated bravery. To meet her, you might think (for a moment) that this headscarved and very English lady is, perhaps, a headmistress, a rose grower or possibly something a bit nebulous in the arts. But this is Lindsey Hilsum. The woman for whom the expression sang-froid might have been invented. Specialising in remaining imperturbable under fire, and always meeting her deadline. As International Editor for Britain’s Channel 4 News, she reported from Bel...
Three Faces of War – The Assassin
November 09, 2014 19:25 - 55 minutes - 57.2 MBMaking a welcome return tonight is journalist-turned-investigative-historian, Tim Butcher. Tim specialises in covering awkward places at difficult moments: Kurdistan under attack in 1991 by Saddam Hussein, Sarajevo during the Bosnian War of the 1990s, the Allied attack on Iraq in 2003, Israel's 2006 clash with Hizbollah in southern Lebanon among other crises. All good preparation, then for tonight’s skirmish with Ian... But it’s not all fol-de-rol and bon mots ce soir. Tim’s new, widely-p...
Gone Girl Stalks Reviewer
October 31, 2014 17:11 - 25 minutes - 13.2 MBNick Dunne reports that his wife, Amazing Amy, is missing... no, sorry – that’s the wrong storyline. Or is it? Maybe the zeitgeist is right for the rise of the female sociopath? Listen and decide! >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Download the show as mp3 file Subscribe in iTunes
How How Became a No-Way No-How
October 31, 2014 13:11 - 25 minutes - 13.2 MB“The... case is thick with irony” says the NYT of today’s featured legal folly– “one company is accusing another of stealing its platform for ethical behavior.” Also - should children be protected from their parents’ childhood trauma? The British courts say – yes. Philip Larkin, in his memorable poem This Be The Verse, would presumably have demurred. Incidentally, Peter got it wrong when he said that Larkin was sometime British poet laureate – he never was. >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Download the sh...
Margaret Thatcher Revenge Porn Facebook Terrorist Shocker
October 31, 2014 12:56 - 25 minutes - 19.7 MBWhy is it wrong to kill a dead person in your fiction? Why should British judges decide if your writing is funny – or not? Why should the police approve your tweets before you post them? Donna and Peter explore these and even more reality-bending topics in this edition of The Debriefer. Links to other stories featured in this episode... “Extremists” to have Facebook and Twitter vetted by police Author claims Disney’s "Frozen" copied her life story 'Mash-ups' now protected under copyrig...
Mik Whitnall, Chris Pope & Damon Coles
October 31, 2014 11:14 - 55 minutes - 56.2 MBMik Whitnall is best-known as the lead guitarist with Pete Doherty’s Babyshambles, but before that he cut his teeth in the rated Ska band 100 Men. Here Mik talks about his new Ska project 1969 OK who will be on the road next year. Also joining Garry in a packed show are Chris Pope of Pope, one of the best songwriters to come out of the 1979 Mod Renewal, Damon Coles, who performs live in the studio, and via Skype 2-Tone legend Rhoda Dakar. As usual, the show also includes new music from th...
Soul of the Hooligan
October 18, 2014 19:20 - 50.9 MBFootball hooligans! The words are enough to strike terror into the hearts of the upstanding middle classes and have entire towns boarded up and quaking with fear. Garry’s guest has more than a casual acquaintance with the subject. Dougie Brimson, a former hooligan himself turned bestselling writer, is an expert. Join us tonight as we explore this controversial topic in depth. With over half a million books sold worldwide, Dougie’s first title was Everywhere We Go - first published in 1996...
Hygiene and the Assassin – Amélie Nothomb
October 17, 2014 10:27 - 28 minutes - 20.6 MBMorbidly obese misery of a writer – and Nobel Laureate (topical) – more than meets his match in the slender and deadly Nina, who conducts the last interview of the writer’s life. Secrets are dredged up and, in a twist, it *is* pretty. Keep your daggers handy. This is going to get nasty. >>> Download the mp3 file Subscribe in iTunes >>> From recent débuts to classics, fiction to non-fiction, memoirs, philosophy, science, history and journalism, Burning Books separates the smoking from ...
Deadmau5 Takes The Mickey
October 07, 2014 19:43 - 25 minutes - 15.5 MBHe gets $425,000 for a gig – that’s a whole lot of cheese – and Joel Thomas Zimmerman, better known as Deadmau5, is about to have the adventure of his life. The Walt Disney Company have finally woken up to the fact that Mr. Zimmerman’s rodentiatic trade mark bears some resemblance to their very own crown jewels… and they’re not happy. Cue m’learned friends. Someone’s getting pwn3d. Links to stories mentioned: EU Court: No Parody For You! European court rules that libraries can digitize...
Lars Frederiksen: Growing Up Punk
October 05, 2014 17:39 - 59.9 MBRancid are one of the world's biggest ever punk bands. Formed in California in 1991, they have sold more than four million albums worldwide. Vocalist and guitarist Lars Frederiksen has been with them since 1993, and he also fronts his own streetpunk band The Old Firm Casuals. Son of a Danish mother and an Italian-American father, Lars has devoted his life to his vision of punk and the old ideals of uniting different youth tribes against the system. Tonight, he speaks frankly to Garry abou...
Susan Greenfield – Baroness of the Brain
September 30, 2014 16:50 - 55 minutes - 67.3 MBBaroness Susan Greenfield is one of the most interesting scientists alive on the planet. Reviled by some, admired by many, never short of a piercing insight and a provocative soundbite... Susan Greenfield is everywhere. But who is the real Susan Greenfield – and what is she really saying to us? On tonight’s show, we go head-to-head. And not just with our guest: but with her critics, too! >>>>>> Download the show as an audio file Subscribe in iTunes
Truth or Beauty – David Orrell
September 26, 2014 12:00 - 28 minutes - 27 MBFrom particle physics to market predictions, we thought scientists, right or wrong, traded in the world of facts. What we did not expect is that all the while they were deeply concerned about their looks. Beauty is at the heart of scientific endeavour, and has always been. As the stakes get higher, however, can we afford to have outdated notions of aesthetics guide the way we engage with the world? We look at this specific question, as well as the many baby questions to which it gives birt...
Buster Shuffle
September 24, 2014 20:29 - 55 minutes - 52.6 MB“Like the Libertines playing Chas & Dave!” squeals the Guardian excitedly of Garry’s guests tonight, BUSTER SHUFFLE. But then, the Guardian just has to work Pete Doherty into everything, doesn’t it? In fact, Buster Shuffle are far more interesting than that. They’re a breath of fresh air, a rock ‘n’ roll Ska band with echoes of Madness, Blur and yes… Chas & Dave, too. In a sane world, these London herberts would be dominating the charts with massive mainstream airplay… but this isn’t a sa...
Fun With Colours
September 10, 2014 10:40 - 25 minutes - 15.4 MBDonna and Peter are joined in the studio by special guest Ian Winn, who can (ab)normally be found hosting our sister show here on Litopia, Litopia After Dark. Links to stories mentioned: How Amazon got a patent on white-background photography Why Photographers Shouldn't Be Too Upset Over Amazon's White-Background Patent (Peter disagrees with this!) Victoria's Secret Loses PINK Brand Battle B&N Testing Espresso Book Machines Bert The Farting Hippo! FBI Agent Files Defamation Suit Agai...
Carol Harrison - From EastEnders To Itchycoo Park
September 08, 2014 10:33 - 49.7 MBHer role as Louise Raymond in BBC's EastEnders brought her stardom and notoriety, but Carol Harrison's true life story has been as gripping as the plot of any television soap opera. Born in London’s East End to a single mum, Carol grew up in abject poverty. It has been said that there are four main routes out of the East End - crime, sport, acting and rock'n'roll. Carol’s life connects three of those (she was once married to the son of one of Britain's best-known gangsters). Garry’s guest...
Fyodor Dostoevsky – Demons (aka The Possessed)
September 05, 2014 11:03 - 28 minutes - 20.2 MBEverything’s more or less normal in the little town of N until Piotr Stepanovich and his equally psychopathic sidekick, Nikolai Stavrogin, come back from abroad. One thing leads to another leads to another and another and some more after that in Dostoevsky’s extraordinarily rambling (as rambling as this sentence) novel, which does not end well for anyone involved, reader included. The devil inside, the devil inside, every single hour of reading this book – the devil inside. Download the mp...
Iron’s Den
August 29, 2014 09:38 - 68.2 MBIron Maiden are one of the world’s most successful heavy metal bands with more than 85 million albums sales to their name. Dennis Stratton was their guitarist right back in 1979. He played on and co-produced their self-titled debut album and their first three hit singles. Here he chats exclusively with Garry (who wrote Maiden’s authorized biography Running Free) about life on the road in those early days – the laughs and the tension, and his enduring friendship with the band which, like hi...
Two And A Half Stories A Day
August 22, 2014 15:31 - 25 minutes - 13.7 MBFrom litigious street-artists to litigious Angolan generals... Donna and Peter proudly present your suits du jour! Now with added dystopian designer stubble. Links to stories: Amazon Sanctions Customers To Get Back At Hachette Amazon Takes on Disney’s Superheroes Blood Diamonds author faces $1.2m lawsuit Guild battling bosses over byline quota at Pioneer Press Editors For ‘Survivor’ Return From Strike Over Right To Form Union Terry Gilliam’s ‘Zero Theorem’ Slammed With Copyright S...
Colossal Ape Terrorises Wikipedia
August 18, 2014 13:01 - 25 minutes - 25.5 MBSo you’re minding your own business in the jungle one day, when suddenly - this monkey lurches out and grabs your camera. And shoots some selfies. So the question is – who owns the copyright? No, this isn’t the silly season (although it may sound like it). Join us to explore a fascinating legal issue. Links to other stories featured in this show: Wikipedia In Weird Monkey Selfie Battle Northestern Uni files suit against author for copyright infringement Senator Quits Montana Race After...
Robert Coover – The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop.
August 15, 2014 11:55 - 28 minutes - 13.2 MBLike a precocious fireballer at top of the prospect rankings … a kid who has shown so much promise and from whom so much is expected … who has three plus pitches and is working on a fourth … whose intangibles are as off the charts as his athleticism … who is putting it all together at AAA and knocking at the door … who will make men look like boys … and who ends up THE OPPOSITE OF ALL THOSE THINGS – that’s this book. Download the mp3 file Subscribe in iTunes From recent débuts to classi...
Neville Staple - Original Rude Boy
August 12, 2014 19:52 - 47.4 MBThe Specials were one of the most important, vital and influential bands to come out of the post-punk explosion, the band who created the 2-Tone movement. The Coventry-based Ska combo had eight Top Ten hits including ‘A Message To You Rudy’, and the chart-toppers ‘Ghost Town’ and ‘Too Much Too Young.’ And right at the heart of them was Garry’s guest tonight Neville Staple, the roadie who became a star and then went on to have seven more hits with his next band The Fun Boy Three. Although...
Kramer Versus The World
August 11, 2014 15:19 - 25 minutes - 15.1 MBIs the world getting weirder, or is it just us? Listen and decide. Links to stories mentioned in this show: Harper Lee says Marja Mills-penned bio was unauthorized Judge Says Selling Religious Books Doesn’t Affect The Job Jose Antonio Vargas detained in Texas Do you have a fair use right to publish World Cup goals? Scarlett Johansson Wins Defamation Suit Against French Author Allan Ahlberg turns down Amazon-sponsored award Author Wins Seinfeld Defamation Suit Brought by Real ...
The Greatest Escape
July 26, 2014 19:53 - 55 minutes - 52.7 MBYou may think you know about World War Two… but you don’t. Tonight you’ll find out why. Featuring blistering contributions from our special guests Peter Grose, author of The Greatest Escape, and journalist & WWII maven, Neill Denny. Scintillating conversation and scorching debate… from Boy Scouts to Gaza, from Obamacare to Style Nazis (what?). Provocative, informative, addictive. See you next week, Litopians! Download the show as an audio file Subscribe in iTunes If you enjoy Litopia's ...
Pukes of Hazard – Rebellion Special
July 26, 2014 19:16 - 58 minutes - 49.3 MBIn a Rebellion-themed special edition, Garry is joined by punk ukulele-pluckers the Pukes, who have risen from London pub strummers to festival stalwarts. There are brand new songs from the Old Firm Casuals and The Boys, the new single from Louise Distras and quality tracks from Operation Two Fold, Infa-Riot, Madball, Section 60, Speakeasy and the Skoisters. Of course no show would be complete without some 2-Tone nostalgia, this time from The Selecter. Remember – we’re keen to discover, p...
The Devil – Leo Tolstoy
July 25, 2014 13:18 - 28 minutes - 17.6 MBSt Matthew is going to poke out your eyes. Or some such. After what seemed like a millennium of exile from the Motherland, we go back to the heart (and other parts) of Russian literature with a Tolstoy short story. Brilliant.
American Pastoral - Philip Roth
July 07, 2014 16:36 - 38 minutes - 36 MBFeel like making glove?? That's not a typo. This week we discuss perhaps the best passage in any of Philip Roth's novels, the 'glovemaking scene' (again, not a typo) in American Pastoral. And we do this with American lit scholar and Gloversville, NY native, Menachem Feuer. Also, we discuss the definition of a schlemiel, a person who could never make a glove. And Franz Kafka makes an appearance at the end – another person we can safely assume was not versed in the art of glovemaking, IN ANY S...
A True Novel - Minae Mizumura
July 06, 2014 10:31 - 28 minutes - 27.8 MBA novel that says it’s based on Wuthering Heights is taking a risk – because Wuthering Heights is a crazy effective soporific. But the further it strays from the original, the better A True Novel becomes. Don’t underestimate your originality, Minae Mizumura! You’ve produced an eminently entertaining read. In a nice turn, this very long book is actually quite short. Picture by Toshihiro Gamo