The podcast in question, Transmissions: The Definitive Story of Joy Division & New Order, takes listeners on a journey through the life and times of two of my personal favorite things to ever come from Manchester. But a question worth asking before diving into Transmissions is – when tales of both of these bands exist already in books and films, do we really need a podcast?

During lockdown, I’ve spent my time as many music fans have – watching all the documentaries I could get my eyes. One that I thoroughly enjoyed, New Order: Decades, should have satiated my desire for content around one of the greatest new wave bands of all time. And yet, when Transmissions fell into my lap, I dove right in and was wowed with what I found.

Narrated by the absolutely brilliant Maxine Peake, the eight-part series spins a long and winding tale about the creation, demise, and rebirth of some of the most truly iconic music. Not only are we treated to newly-recorded interviews with Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, Gillian Gilbert and Peter Hook, but we also get the experience of hearing the impact of Joy Division and New Order’s music on the likes of Bono and Thurston Moore. Nothing is taboo – the episode in which they discuss the tragic death of Ian Curtis is heart wrenching (and at episode 4, is a good spot for a break.)

As an aforementioned Factory Records fan (with a Tony Wilson tattoo, if you’ll forgive me) the early episode about the birth of the label and, later, the definitive role of The Haçienda in shaping the direction of dance music is a powerful acknowledgement of the roles of Wilson, Alan Erasmus and Rob Gretton on the scene and sound we as fans so adore. And for the most dedicated music fans, you will not be let down by the deep-dive in episode eight into the best-selling 12-inch single of all time, “Blue Monday”. The band’s exploration of how the seven-and-a-half minute synth-pop masterpiece was created (and a brilliant note from Bernard about vinyl vs. digital for dance music) makes the final episode of the series 37 minutes of pure joy.

Will there be a second season? Knowing that the last album discussed on the show, “Power, Corruption and Lies”, is only the second album in New Order’s ten-album history to date, one can only hope so. There is far more story yet to be told, and thus we find the answer to our earlier question: do we really need a Joy Division/New Order podcast? From fans around the world comes a resounding yes, and we desperately need season two.

Transmissions: The Definitive Story of Joy Division & New Order is produced by Cup and Nuzzle and available on ACAST and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

The post REVIEW // Transmissions: The Definitive Story of Joy Division & New Order appeared first on POD BIBLE.

When my own commute to work was shortened from an hour on a train down to the 30 second walk from my bedroom to my home office, with it went my traditional time for enjoying podcasts. As I began to adjust to my lifestyle in quarantine, what I definitely did not expect were for podcasts to fill a void, a sense of loneliness that I (nor probably anyone else) was prepared to handle. I may never be able to thank enough the hosts of the shows that got me through 2020, who went with me on my daily walks, who spoke quietly to me when the existential dread snuck in at night, who joined me for my morning coffee when I wasn’t quite ready to open a computer yet. I wish I could offer them something more than gratitude, but gratitude is all this year has left me with.

10. Reply All

The day I received word that my office was closed until further notice, I was in the car with my dog heading back to New York for a family emergency unrelated to the emergency the world was currently spiraling into. A dear friend calmly listened to me panic-pack my car and my request for something to listen to on my six-hour car ride and sent me Reply All’s episode 158, “The Case of the Missing Hit”. This mind-boggling journey to discover how a listener has been singing a 90’s song no one knows or has ever heard of for most of his life. “This is wild,” I thought on March 12th. Frankly, I had no idea HOW wild.

9. The Last Bohemians

I’d written about my unabashed love of the first series of The Last Bohemians and the brilliance of Kate Hutchinson towards the end of 2019. So I was thrilled that Series 2 carried me over into the first month of quarantine, sharing stories of extraordinary women who had overcome obstacles, including society’s expectations of them to lead the kind of wild, beautiful lifestyle I’d always dreamt of having myself. A programme like Bohemians also helped to keep my imagination running at a time when it started to feel hard to picture a world outside of the nightmare of the virus.

8. Tuesday Night Jaw

In May, I wrote about how proud I was to see my friend Matt Richards taking over for Jim Smallman on the wrestling-focused Distractions Pieces Network show. (Side note: Matt now works with Tony Jameson on something called Football Manager Therapy, which I love even though I have no earthly idea what they’re talking about.) What Matt did with the show was wonderful, and what Kirsty Bosley has done since she took over from Matt is equally delightful and so important in the wake of the #SpeakingOut movement in wrestling. While I’ve distanced myself from wrestling as a whole for personal reasons, TNJ remains a powerful program and a beacon of positivity for an industry trying desperately to find its way to rebirth after a powerful awakening this past summer.

7. The Streets Will Remember

There’s nothing I love more than a quality recommendation, and at a time when I thought “what if I never make new friends ever again because I can’t leave my house”, a coworker introduced me to Justin and Hani’s show The Streets Will Remember, discussing some of the greatest players in football history. The way they discuss a sport notorious for a fandom that can often be gatekeeper-y is so welcoming and refreshing. Tuning in every week to two friends bantering about the footballer of the week and making lists lead me to explore more of my own fandom and kept me company during some boiling late summer days.

6. Distraction Pieces

It would be really strange if I didn’t mention Scroobius Pip and his Distraction Pieces podcast. I’ve been listening to Pip’s show for years now, so it feels more like Podcast Zero for me; when I need to center myself, I know I can count on this show to deliver. Not only did Pip manage to have an insane year of guests even in lockdown, but his back catalogue is so deep even long-time fans like me still have things to discover. And his intros and outros (or his Films of the Year podcasts, which are just him speaking to his listeners) really help combat the loneliness and feel like a friend is just chatting about their life and the world.

5. Modern Love

I am a sucker for a good story – romantic, sad, surprising, haunting – I love them all. Modern Love has a great format with well-known voices reading the stories of everyday people. My favorites are the stories of redemption, of love lost and found, of people who come back together or find one another later in life. It helps to give hope, especially at a time when it’s easy to feel like there is no future because you can’t see beyond your current circumstances. There will always be an “and then”, and Modern Love is the perfect way to remind ourselves of that.

4. About Race with Reni Eddi-Lodge

Back in June, a lot of people were participating in what’s being called “performative antiracism”, posting black squares on Instagram and skipping all of the necessary education in order to rewire yourself to interact differently with the world around you and change your own awareness. While I did first experience About Race at that time, I find myself revisiting those nine episodes because they are so well-crafted as audio and the lessons within them are worth reminding ourselves of repeatedly: whether our televisions and Twitter feeds are reflecting them or not. The work continues, and it’s important to check back in from time to time.

3. David Tennant Does a Podcast With…

I’m not going to lie, I adore David Tennant. He’s a brilliant actor and the first series of his podcast was so much fun to experience. Series two was such a treat, coming toward the end of the year just as quarantine exhaustion was setting in for me. None of David’s interviews are the same, as his relationship to each guest is different and their own stories vary widely. But even the people I wasn’t expecting to connect with offered me things to think about – and he wrapped 2020 with a brilliant chat with another favorite of mine, Neil Gaiman, and there is nothing wrong with that!

2. Switched on Pop

I’ve already mentioned I love a recommendation and this one came from a friend in the music industry. I just wanted something to keep me company on my walks as the weather got colder, something to motivate me to keep moving. She noted that Vox’s pop music exploration podcast had an old episode about The Sunscreen Song which I might enjoy (being the everything-90’s enthusiast I am) and she was dead right. Every episode of this show I try (and I have gotten into the habit of trying them at random) has surprised and informed me. My walks go by so quickly because of my audio companions that I’ve now started walking even longer just to keep listening.

1. GIANT

There was really no other choice for my number 1 podcast of 2020. GIANT has been my inspiration this year to keep making things, whether I’m writing or podcasting or helping someone else with their passion project. The quality and inventiveness of each episode of this show carries it beyond being a “football” podcast. If you love podcasts and great audio, you will love GIANT, and it will likely help you want to create wonderful things for others (or maybe just yourself!) to enjoy. And if it can do that, its value is immeasurable.

—

Jordan Rizzieri is a writer and producer based in New York. You can listen to her I Never Told You What I Do For A Living podcast, or follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

The post The Top 10 Podcasts That Saved Me From Myself in 2020 appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Pod Bible: How did you come to be part of the Podcast Maker Weekend?

Sarah Myles: I think the first stages [of my work on Podcast Maker Weekend] were late 2019; I had been running RISE & SHINE for a while and was asked to speak at one of the Podcast Maker Weekend events for that year’s festival. This next bit I’m not proud of – I hate glamourising binge drinking and for the record, have had maybe 7 drinks all lockdown but there was free alcohol backstage and I ended up drinking way, way too much. I have vague memories of sort of cornering Martin and slurring “we should definitely collaborate”. Believe it or not, it actually worked and we started conversations about doing just that. Fast forward to the start of lockdown, Martin began running Maker livestreams and I took the RISE & SHINE events online. There was a lot of promoting each other’s streams on socials. Martin then reached out about bringing RISE & SHINE into the weekend this year and of course I jumped at the opportunity (especially as it meant getting to give back to Kings Place who hosted RISE & SHINE events back in the pre-lockdown days).

Martin Zaltz Austwick: I created it in 2017.

PB: Knowing that Podcast Maker Weekend started in 2017, how has it grown over the years?

Martin: It’s got bigger, brought in more varied and diverse topics and speakers, and even ran as a weekly stream in the early months of 2020’s lockdown. In 2019, I worked with a team of volunteers, and in 2020 it was great to partner with Sarah/RISE & SHINE for the first time.

PB: How do you create a virtual event for the COVID-19 world?

Sarah: If you want to run a stream, I would say to make sure you mentally prepare yourself to not feel bad if/when glitches happen. The other key points are: You can really get some dream speakers as everyone is just sitting around their house so take full advantage of that. It also means that while the excuses for doing things like all white panels was never acceptable, you will really be seen for what you are if you try that with a virtual event. On the diversity and inclusion note, closed captions can make events so much more accessible, it’s just a case of switching them on in YouTube. I use them for R&S events and have even had live captions during an event at the RISE & SHINE festival earlier in lockdown. Guarding yourself from Zoom bombings is important, Zoom have been working hard to prevent this but I like streaming to YouTube, then using the chat box on YouTube for questions. YouTube has worked well for R&S as it means videos can be accessed at any time. Finally, have backup internet. The internet seems worse during lockdown, doesn’t it? I’m sure a 5G conspiracy theorist may have an answer for why but whatever’s going on, just have a backup or set someone to co-host the meeting in Zoom.

PB: What were your priorities going into creating the sessions for Podcast Maker Weekend this year?

Martin: Providing some great sessions that will attract beginners and more experienced makers, too – reaching out to some of the best British makers as well as some incredibly talented international creators. Representing fiction, discussion, sound design, technique, art, and the business side of audiomaking.

Sarah: Understanding that everyone has varying levels of productivity during lockdown. Maybe you want to start a podcast right now or maybe you (like me most of the time) are plain tired and getting some tips on pitching will give you food for thought to set into action when you’re feeling a bit better. Selfishly, I also created some talks that I just want to see as a podcast producer.

PB: What do you hope participants will take away from the weekend?

Martin: A love for the art and technique of audio, and some practical skills for creating audio in exchange for money.

Sarah: This is so cheesy, but confidence. If I hear “there are too many podcasts” one more time, I’ll burst. I want people to make podcasts or at the very least, know that they can and that their ideas are worthwhile.

PB: Where can people learn more about the weekend?

Martin: podcastmakerweekend.com, or on our Twitter.

Sarah: I hope this self promo isn’t too shameless, but if you’ve gone to the effort of logging into Twitter, are interested in learning about podcasting, RISE & SHINE is @riseshineaudio or you can sign up to the mailing list at riseandshineaudio.com where I send out mailers about this and other events.

The post Podcast Maker Weekend 2020 appeared first on POD BIBLE.

That kind of personal connection develops in many ways, but a clear breeding ground is when a host allows themselves to be truly vulnerable to their audience and lets us in to something deeply personal. It’s easy to automatically think of stories detailing traumatic or emotional experiences, but sometimes those personal moments come from a sort of honesty that catches us off-guard because it seems so, frankly, normal.

A wonderful example of this recently appeared in the form of The Michelle Obama Podcast. When celebrities, politicians, and other high-profile individuals step into the podcasting world, people often have preconceived ideas of what they’ll be getting. There are, in many ways, formulas to these things. But former First Lady Michelle Obama dispelled that notion right from the first episode where she chats comfortably with her husband (who just happens to be the former President of the United States).

The programme has only released four episodes so far, but our host has invited us into a variety of topics that make her feel approachable and familiar. In particular, her discussion with Dr. Sharon Malone about health and the things nobody tells you about puberty and menopause was simultaneously powerful and reassuring. There are so many things that occur in every day life – between partners, inside our own bodies, at our jobs – that people just never talk about. But if Michelle Obama is willing to make these semi-secret, pedestrian parts of our existence part of our vernacular, then perhaps we can all follow her lead.

Within the world of podcasts, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of famous faces or intensely-hyped concepts. In the case of The Michelle Obama Podcast, a recognisable name and face is participating in conversations many have been having before, but her candidness welcomes more into the fold and encourages them to seek out these conversations elsewhere. Hopefully, those who feel that sense of connection with her will continue to explore similar conversations from others building intimacy with listeners the world over.

The Michelle Obama Podcast is a Spotify Original, produced by Higher Ground. Discover new episodes on Wednesdays via Spotify.

The post REVIEW // The Intimacy of The Michelle Obama Podcast appeared first on POD BIBLE.

There are so many topics we could all use a primer on, so starting with what’s interesting or valuable to you is key. For us, this week we wanted to learn a bit more about climate change and sustainability. We’re always on the lookout for podcasts that promote intersectionality (especially if they’re talking about something from a feminist perspective) which is how we found Mothers of Invention, “a podcast on feminist climate change solutions from (mostly) women around the world.”

Back for its third season, Mothers of Invention is hosted by former Irish president Mary Robinson, comedian Maeve Higgins, and producer Thimali Kodikara who welcome listeners in with ease. If you’re feeling intimidated by the weight of climate change as a topic, Mary, Maeve and Thimali’s chemistry will quickly make you feel welcome. Titles aside, these three individuals are here to learn and share with their listeners, a lesson we can all forget as podcasters when we’re discussing a theme we’re passionate about.

Along with our trio of hosts, Mothers of Invention offers us interviews with experts in climate change, from scientists and researchers to activists and politicians. These guests come from all over the world to talk about aspects of climate change that some listeners may have never considered before, like climate reparations to countries who are disproportionately impacted by increasingly devastating droughts, floods, and other extreme weather conditions.

A key aspect to building the sense of community within the programme is how listeners are encouraged to participate. Those tuning in at home are invited to record sounds from their lives and send them in to be featured. But we are also asked to participate and see ourselves in the hosts, as when Maeve and Thimali decide to write a letter to a local official about the dumping of waste into the Hudson River in New York. Here we can easily see ourselves in the discussion of two women who have possibly never written their local elected officials before, and are unsure where to start or how to be effective. With Mary offering insight into what an official is likely to read or respond to, our own anxieties are eased about making sure the issues important to us are being confronted by our local government. We, too, can write a letter about climate change, education, or any other topic that moves us. (And we should!)

To learn more about climate change and experience the atmosphere of Mothers of Invention for yourself, check out mothersofinvention.online. New episodes are available on Wednesdays through the website, Spotify, and everywhere you get your podcasts!

The post Knowledge is Power – Mothers of Invention appeared first on POD BIBLE.

POD BIBLE: At a time in America’s history when discussions of racism are at the core of so many topics – politics, health care, gender and sexuality, employment – how did education come to the forefront as the area you wanted to explore?

Chana Joffe-Walt: I’ve always been personally moved by the ideal of public education, and as a reporter the reality of public schools is very rich! Schools are a great reflection of the larger society. All of the big dramas and tensions of the country can be found playing out in real time in schools. The stakes are enormous because each child gets only one education.

PB: With a country as geographically massive as the U.S., how do you tell what is really a national story without making it hundreds of hours long and including every city in America? How can narrowing your scope assist you in tell a wider story?

CJW: I don’t really set out to find a story that will represent The Story of American Schooling. I just try to find a situation with people and tensions that I find compelling. I want the story to feel specific, but hopefully speak to some larger themes. In this case, I was interested in school segregation, which is a national phenomenon but can feel abstract when talked about on a national scale. New York City, where I live, is an excellent setting because it has some of the most segregated schools in the country. I think what actually makes this story feel like it speaks to larger themes is that it is not just a portrait of present day but the entire history of one school. As reporters we draw conclusions from an examination of a particular moment in time in American schools. I’d never seen all those different moments in a school’s history told as one story. I think it’s a different and useful way to understand a bigger picture of public education.

PB: How did you develop the name of the podcast? Do names get workshopped based on how people respond to them, what the language calls to mind, etc?

CJW: We tried a lot of different titles. For a while we were leaning towards a title that emphasized the repetition of history you can see when you lay out the history of a school. “The Story of the Story of IS 293” was one we liked for a little while. But we kept coming back to something that explicitly focused attention on white parents. The more the series was edited and focused, it was clear that what was notable here was the disproportionate power white parents have in public schools. It’s something that is rarely discussed, but is shaping our public education system all the time. It felt valuable to hang a lantern on that and say this is worth looking at.

PB: Once you decided to create Nice White Parents, did you find anything surprising in your research regarding the audio?

CJW: I really appreciated the conversation with one of the parents who wrote letters in 1963, Elaine. She was self-reflective, honest and generously willing to interrogate her own choices. There is a lot of defensiveness around these issues. I learned so much from speaking with someone who was genuinely willing to question herself and be honest about how difficult that is to look at yourself, what you believe in and the choices you actually make.

PB: Can you tell us a bit about the process of creating the audio experience of Nice White Parents? How do you find the right balance of soundscape, scripted narration, archival sound, and interviews?

CJW: I worked with an incredible editor, Julie Snyder, who was constantly trying to make sure there was a narrative and conceptual thru-line to carry you through all five episodes. The hardest challenge we had in terms of sound was figuring out a way to make a historical story feel emotional. We invested a lot of time into finding archival footage to help those episodes feel human and intimate. I discovered I really like archival research!

PB: If so, What are the working relationships with producers and engineers like for this programme, and how important are those collaborations to Nice White Parents as a finished product for podcast listeners to enjoy?

CJW: Yes. Every person I work with is incredibly talented. I am not saying that because I have to. It is weirdly true. The editors, production, fact checking and managerial team are all exceptionally competent at what they do and also good at at least four other things that are not their job.

PB: Can you tell us about the archivists and researchers you worked with in creating this podcast? Many of our readers, both fans and creators themselves, don’t realize that the archives of audio and information they are able to use to create content has to be curated by someone.

CJW: Sure! Early on, an education historian named Rachel Lissy took me on a “field trip” to the Board of Education archives in New York. She showed me how to navigate all the boxes and her enthusiasm for the hunt was contagious. I went there many times. We worked with another education researcher named Francine Almash. And we also hired an archival producer named Rebecca Kent who helped us go through news footage to find stuff that was personal and not too generic. I relied a lot on the guidance of scholars who do this kind of work all the time to find things that were specific to the school and its story. It’s really hard to know where to look. There are so many small collections that have great stuff.  It’s time consuming but every so often you find something really exciting so it’s hard to stop.

Nice White Parents is a limited series from Serial Productions. You can find the series on Spotify, and everywhere you enjoy well-researched audio goodness.

The post To the Archives with Chana Joffe-Walt from “Nice White Parents” appeared first on POD BIBLE.

We’ve all asked ourselves this question before when starting something new, and whenever we at Pod Bible interview hosts and producers from podcasts, we always try to give our readers a point of entry, whether it’s episode 1 or an episode the creators feel is their strongest.

The problem is, we can’t interview everyone (though we sure are trying!) and we won’t always have an opportunity to give you a diving board for the next thing that comes your way. What we can do is offer you some suggestions on how to find your own point of entry when someone makes a podcast suggestion to you; and for today’s example, we offer No Country For Young Women‘.

A programme like the one Sadia Azmat and Monty Onanuga create offers us as listeners so much: fun and insightful discussion, humour, thought-provoking and emotional moments, and topics we can relate to. Plus, it sounds great and has an extensive back catalogue to explore. But much like the anxiety that has befallen us all lately as we stare into the endless abyss of streaming service content, massive back catalogues can quickly feel overwhelming. So where do we begin?

Sometimes the best option is to try whatever’s most recent, but sometimes those can be one-off live episodes, a special feature, or even a message letting the audience know the show is going on a (hopefully brief) hiatus. Instead, we recommend viewing a list of episodes, starting with the most recent and scrolling back – but not too far. Sometimes shows change over time – getting new hosts, altering formats – and you want to make sure you’re getting a clear picture of what the program can offer. Within this selection, it’s time to look out for topics, guest names, and keywords that jump out at you.

As an avid reader, our Online Editor Jordan Rizzieri was keen to try the August 4 episode of No Country For Young Women, as it featured a book she’d recently read, “Such a Fun Age” and the book’s author Kiley Reid. The podcast also brought together a panel of women to discuss the book – not simply for plot devices and character development, but as a critical voice in today’s society.

Sometimes a podcast sits on your “to listen” list for ages – usually for no other reason than you’re not sure where to start. And just when you feel completely exhausted with the idea of digging in, a new episode will appear, dead in the middle of the intersection between “voices I want to hear from” and “ideas I want to hear about”. That’s where your point of entry is waiting. Time to dig in!

No Country For Young Women is a BBC Sounds podcast. Find it on BBC iPlayer, Spotify and everywhere you get your new favourite podcasts!

The post Where to start with No Country For Young Women appeared first on POD BIBLE.

That’s what you find in the “about” section of LAist Studios content, including Walter Thompson-Hernandez’s show California Love. The recent flight of shows from LAist Studios includes programs like Hollywood, The Sequel which explores how the entertainment industry can (and should) evolve, and Tell Them, I Am where host Misha Euceph speaks with guests who are Muslim to intimately discuss their experiences.

Amidst a host of strong programming, Thompson-Hernandez’s voice tells a quiet, powerful story. Most recently, he explores an imaging some of us only recently saw for the very first time: Black horseback riders from Compton. In reality, the Compton Cowboys have existed as a vital part of their community long before the rest of America saw photos of them on social media. And Walter is the perfect person to show us; he literally wrote the book, ‘The Compton Cowboys: The New Generation of Cowboys in America’s Urban Heartland’.

But the episode isn’t just about the recent wave of internet awareness around the Cowboys. It’s about their relationship with their community, and how the organisation is trying to survive in a world has to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to support the organisations of Black men and women. It’s about what the Compton Cowboys provide to the members of their community who are often presented as one thing, one lifestyle, one stereotype.

Beyond the intrigue of the Compton Cowboys as a topic is Walter’s voice, his own experience being raised in LA and his perspective on the California stories the world needs to hear. Episodes of California Love are gentle, they’re enticing, they’re emotional and beautiful. The team that creates this programme do it tenderly, and their affection for their topics and their purpose is evident in each moment. What more can we ask for from podcast creators, except to leave everything in our headphones, not hold anything back – confront us, envelope us, and carry us forward.

And those are stories that need to be told to the world.

California Love is available on the LAist Studios website, Spotify, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

The post REVIEW // California Love & the Compton Cowboys appeared first on POD BIBLE.

POD BIBLE: Why did you feel it was important to revisit this story in podcast form?
MOBEEN AZHAR: Podcasts encourage a more intimate kind of story telling in my view.  I wanted to tell the story of what I found whilst investigating the death of Yaqub and the story of what happened when I reported my findings. The podcast is about drugs, relationships, family hierarchy, police, honour and shame. When Hometown (the TV series) came out, what unfolded was like a soap opera. It involved backlash, threats and drama. The podcast allows that story to be told as well as the more pressing story of ultra-violence and drugs gangs.

PB: “True Crime” is a podcast genre often populated with programmes seen as more entertainment than investigative journalism. What is it like creating a podcast like Hometown that is so deeply personal, but still falls into the True Crime genre?
MA: I am not a snob about things being entertaining. I am a snob about stories being told well and with authenticity. Drama for the sake of drama is no good if it’s not real. There were just so many narratives and competing strands, so we wanted to find a way to build a flow whilst maintaining the reality of what unfolded. The making of the series was a story in itself and so we stuck to the real-life chronology of what unfolded. All the twists and turns make it genuinely jaw dropping in moments. It is entertaining but never strays from an exploration of true crime.

PB: How important was your relationship with your producer/editor during the making of Hometown?
MA: I loved working with the very talented Pete Sale. He produced the podcast along with the brilliant team at Forest. These relationships are crucial, especially with a project that is so personal. If you can’t tell your producer a story, how are you going to share it with the rest of the world?

I have a background in radio and television production so I tend to have an opinion on everything. The team at Forest is all about collaboration so it was a mutually beneficial relationship with the emphasis always on elevating the story telling and making something that we are all really proud of.

PB: How has exploring and expanding on the story told in your documentary through an audio-only formatted impacted your work? Did it present new or unique challenges?
MA: There are most definitely challenges, primarily because Hometown was such a visual story. The drug dealers, kingpins and whistle blowers who spoke to me with their identities concealed provided a view into a world in which speaking out can get you hurt – or worse. We could express that visually for the TV series, so we had to develop a shorthand to adequately express that in the podcast. That came with very specific challenges, for example, if you distort a contributors voice to keep them safe but you can’t use subtitles, how does the audience know what they are saying?

These are all nice problems to have and ultimately the strength of the material carried us through. For this reason, I also think anyone that had seen the series will probably enjoy the podcast and vise versa. There is enough space between them to warrant your attention.

PB: Are you interested in doing more work in the podcast space in the future?
MA: This was the second full length podcast series I’ve made. In 2019, I was part of the team that made the 10 part Fatwa, about the Rushdie affair, for BBC Sounds. Prior to that I’ve always loved telling stories on more traditional radio strands like Radio 4’s Crossing Continents or Assignment from the World Service.

Podcast is just a more intimate mode, I guess. I remember when we set out to make the Hometown TV series for BBC Three, we said “what if we make a TV series with podcast sensibilities?” So it’s almost poetic that the material has ended up in podcast form.

I plan on making more podcast content.  I genuinely love the form and it feels that we are just getting started in terms of how we can tell stories in this medium.

Hometown: A Killing is available on BBC Sounds and everywhere you get your podcasts. You can follow Mobeen on Twitter.

The post Mobeen Azhar’s Hometown: A Killing Podcast appeared first on POD BIBLE.

POD BIBLE: So, how did you and Hani meet?
JUSTIN SALHANI: We met in college. I was captain of our university’s club soccer team (George Mason University). Hani had just moved to the U.S. from Dubai and was really innocent. I think we ruined him.

PB: Where does your passionate for football come from?
JS: For me, football is a vessel to better understand the world. It gives us a view into sociology, psychology, anthropology, morality, philosophy and so much more. I think Camus said it best: “After many years in which the world has afforded me many experiences, what I know most surely in the long run about morality and obligations, I owe to football.”

PB: How did you come up with the concept for The Streets Will Remember, and have you previously pursued a project similar to this in the past?
JS: During confinement Hani and I had more time to catch up. With the time difference, we don’t get to chat as much as we’d like. We were talking about projects we’d like to work on and I pitched Hani on the idea of doing a football podcast that was a bit different. It would let us ask the questions and dive into the stories I’ve always wanted to explore. I also think we could deconstruct a lot of the common talking points around football in general and certain personalities specifically.

PB: Why was a podcast the right medium for The Streets Will Remember?
JS: Is it? I don’t know. I know that by releasing our own podcast we can basically go as in-depth or in the weeds as we want. There’s also a rawness to our conversations that may not happen if we wanted to write these pieces.

PB: Do you produce and edit all of your own episodes, and if so, did either of you have audience experience previous to the project or did you learn as you went?
JS: I do all the producing and editing. I’ve used Audacity before so I had a little bit of audio editing experience. But as for the rest, we’re learning on the fly how to improve. Hani researched how to release the podcast and has handled the distribution and social media side.

PB: Why is now the right time for a project like The Streets Will Remember?
JS: It’s nice that you think it’s the right time! Our following is still very modest but I think if it does hit a chord with some people it’s because we’re expressing ideas that have been shared and discussed for years in certain sectors. People have been talking about inequality and structural societal forces for decades, but it’s rarely discussed in the mainstream of football. I think if anything, we’re just standing on the shoulders of those who have done hard work on those issues before us. And many of those are journalists who are women and especially journalists who are women of color who have already been speaking about these issues for a long time.

PB: The four episodes you’ve released so far seem very intentional. There is a racial and gender diversity amongst these four individuals that sets a tone for your audience; how do you decide who to speak about and is there a rationale behind the order of episode subjects?
JS: Football is very Euro-centric and while it seems it’s inevitable that our podcast won’t somewhat reflect that, we wanted to at least try to hit a wider range of figures. But we should also say that there are so many fascinating figures in football, if we were only focusing on the upper echelons of men’s European football it would be boring for us. Ultimately, we’re trying to do a project for our friends. Who would be fun for us to talk about and who would be fun for our friends to listen to?

PB: Do you listen to other sport-related podcasts?JS:
JS: I do. I have friends who run Stadio, Across the Pond and the Shirtless Plantain Show. Also The Sneak season 2 is sports-related and looks like it’ll be incredible. I listen into the Burn It All Down podcast when there is soccer/football related segments, though they’re great on all sports (I just don’t follow other sports!) I was also recently on Cas Mudde’s Radikaal which is a cool podcast if you’re into politics and how they connect to football. I’ll also suggest FTC United and I’ll tune into Tifo’s podcasts sometimes.

PB: Did you take inspiration from other podcasts, or other media in general, when creating The Streets Will Remember?
JS: Yeah, I mean, Chris Bowerbank from Across the Pond gave me some guidance and I’ve also just listened to him over the last two years that we’ve been friends talk about podcasting because he has so much knowledge. Chris’ charisma as a host and analyst is so rare.

Listening to their show over the last couple years provided me with a lot of knowledge. I’m also a big fan of Stadio, because it felt like the first podcast where they went deeper on certain issues. It felt like the kind of discussions I had with friends and I often had to remind myself that they wouldn’t pause to let me add my $.02.

There’s a lot of others too. Shireen on Burn It All Down speaks with such power and tells unabashed truths in a way I really respect and try to emulate.

I also listen to a lot of storytelling podcasts, news and interview podcasts on politics, race, music, pop culture and more + a handful of fictions ones. We wanted to take the best of both of these that we could create without doing a whole other level of sound engineering.

PB: Who did your artwork and what was the creative process for that?
JS: My partner, Carine, made this. Her and I discussed the direction we wanted to go for this podcast. I suggested something similar to street posters, something you might see plastered on a wall in a big city, but we already did that for a different project. The one thing we wanted was for it to not be too ‘soccer-y’. She knows I’m a fan of Jean-Michel Basquiat so she looked at his style of work as inspiration and created what we have now. She’s a very talented artist and designer.

PB: Finally, what is it that you love about football that makes you such passionate speakers on the topic?
JS: This is not an easy question for me to answer. I guess football is familiar and comfortable. It’s something I’ve always come back to no matter how many times I’ve tried to break. I have a complex relationship with football, but it’s ultimately a loving one. I think what I love about it carries so much complexity. It makes us question ourselves and we can face, if we chose to, a number of internal contradictions. How can I support a team while their shirt sports-washes a human rights-violating regime? How can I love a game where one of the most, if not the most, prominent figure is very likely a rapist? It’s a game that is constantly challenging and making me think. And there’s so much room for depth that is rarely explored. I think football can be as deep as you want it to be. Many people don’t want to explore those depths and that is a beautiful thing. But if you want to explore how society, race or personal ego is reflected by some of these athletes or figures, you absolutely can.

Check out new episodes of The Streets Will Remember on Tuesdays via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your radical football auditory stimulation.

The post The Greats of the Game appeared first on POD BIBLE.

POD BIBLE: What intrigued you about hosting a programme like Penguin Podcast?
NIHAL ARTHANAYAKE: The sheer range of authors. From Sir Paul McCartney to Malorie Blackman. You really are speaking to some or the brightest people in literature. To spend an hour in the company of RJ Palacio, or Anthony Horowitz really is like taking your brain to the gym for a vigorous workout.

PB: How much research do you do before recording an episode?
NA: My producer, Selina Ream, from the production company Somethin’ Else does a lot of the heavy lifting beforehand and I, of course, do my own research. The Qs are in the script and depending on where the conversation is going I’ll stick with them or riff off the answers I’m given. I prefer the latter but it’s always good to have the questions as a back up. I prefer an intuitive approach and want to see where my guest takes the conversation. 

PB: Was the structure around guests bringing in objects established before you came to the project, and how does working within a structure like that affect what you do as a host?
NA: That structure was already in place and it really works well because the podcast is using the book as a hook to hopefully have a wider conversation about the creative process and a window into what inspires the authors. It really is a simple premise that provides such invaluable insights. 

PB: You’ve interviewed individuals known professionally as authors (such as Bernardine Evaristo) and individuals who have authored books, but are far more well-known for other things (such as Sir Paul McCartney). How do those episodes differ for you as the host?
NA: They end up in the same place. I asked Sir Paul about what he did to make people feel relaxed around him, as he would, of course, be conscious of how nervous most people would be in his company. I then went on to ask him about people he had been nervous to meet. His answer was fascinating. You’ll have to listen to that episode to find out who. 

PB: What is your relationship like with your producer, particularly during recording?
NA: Selina is so hands off. She trusts me to do my thing and because she is so brilliant with the prep, I never have anything to worry about. 

PB: Have you ever been a guest on a podcast, and if so, how has that experience impacted how you host Penguin Podcast?
NA: I’ve been on some brilliant podcasts but it’s never impacted on the way I do things. I never listen back to my interviews either. 

PB: Is there a particular author, now deceased, you wish you could have interviewed for Penguin Podcast?
NA: Charles Dickens. No question. What would he have made of the World we are currently living in? 

Nihal Arthanayake is an acclaimed broadcaster and TV presenter. He currently presents a daily daytime show on BBC 5 Live, and his unique interviewing style was recently recognised at the BBC Radio and Music Awards where he won Interview of the Year.

The post Penguin Podcast’s Nihal Arthanayake appeared first on POD BIBLE.

This year’s programme will support Black women and non-binary people in the UK and Ireland, and is adapting to the global coronavirus pandemic. Twenty selected participants will receive computers, podcasting equipment and wifi access, along with other tools to ensure successful completion of the first four-week virtual course this fall. Afterward, participants will take what they’ve learned to create a podcast trailer, which will be submitted for participation in the second phase. From there, ten participants will travel to in-person training in 2021 to further develop their show.

The 2020 Sound Up submission period opens as Spotify releases research conducted among 1,000 Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic women in the UK, the findings of which include that 74% feel that BAME women are underrepresented in podcasting.

Courses like Sound Up continue to be important in elevating underrepresented voices in the podcast world, as the research also found that 50% say there is too much stereotyping of BAME women in podcasting. Spotify looks to combat the belief by 49% of respondents that there is a lack of strong BAME female voices in podcasting to look up to and serve as inspiration by staffing the educators and mentors of this year’s training with podcasters from the Black community.

The UK and Irish programme is open to Black women and non-binary people interested in sharing their stories through podcasting, even if they have no experience with the medium. Twelve of Spotify’s Sound Up participants have since launched their own shows, including Sangeeta Pillai of Masala Podcast.

Applications are open now at spotify.com/SoundUp through 4th August at 11.59 BST.

A previous version of this story erroneously stated the closing of application was 4th September.

The post Spotify’s Sound Up Returns appeared first on POD BIBLE.

If you’re going to make a podcast about something as beloved as Almost Famous, it helps if you can actually speak to the people who were there. From the first episode of this chapter, Miller interviews Crowe along with Gail Levin who cast the film. We get to peek behind the curtain at what might have been, as names like Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman are floated. The first episode is a strong exploration of how important casting is, and how it can forever alter the path of the final piece.

The film was also a deeply personal creation for director Crowe, for whom it is semi-autobiographical. Creating a work that tells now only your own career story but also sheds light into your upbringing and spotlights your parents can be an emotional process. In episode 2, Cameron shares stories like that of his mother’s relationship with Frances McDormand, who played Elaine, the main character’s mother, in the film. 

For a work like this one, music is as important as the acting performances. Crowe’s then-wife Nancy Wilson teamed up with Peter Frampton to teach actors like Billy Crudup and Jason Lee to play guitar and sing for the film. But they also had to write new songs for the fictional band Stillwater to perform during shots of concerts. Miller’s interviews with Nancy and Peter provide the listener with such a sense of dedication and energy, it’s easy to see why the actors worked so hard to perfect their skills.

Shooting the film itself creates an interesting story in episode 4, as Crowe explains that everything was shot on location and in the order the scenes would appear in the film. Actors like Patrick Fugit and Kate Hudson tell Miller about the experience of knowing there won’t be another chance to get a shot, and how they worked through their feelings when a scene wasn’t going well.

Finally, in episode 5, Miller asks his guests to consider why we’re still talking about Almost Famous twenty years later. What makes this film not only highly quotable, but so beloved by fans? We rewatch it year after year, finding comfort in the coming-of-age story of a young man falling in love with rock and roll. Happy 20th anniversary, man. And don’t take drugs!

Check out Origins, Chapter 6: Almost Famous Turns 20 on Spotify and everywhere you enjoy podcasts. For more on the show and previous chapters, visit their website and follow James Andrew Miller on Twitter.

The post REVIEW // Origins: It’s All (Still) Happening appeared first on POD BIBLE.

The friend who mentioned Caroline’s show also mentioned Episode 28 specifically, in which the host interviews Danni Mullen, the proprietress of Semicolon Bookstore in Chicago. Over the past month, Semicolon has gained attention not only as a bookstore run by a Black woman, topping lists of Black-owned businesses to support as part of the Black Lives Matter movement, but also because of the store’s charitable work with #ClearTheShelves. This initiative allows school children to come into the store and select books for free, while also providing them the dignity of experiencing a transaction with a receipt upon making their selection.

The conversation between Danni and Caroline covers everything from the attention the store has gotten over the past month to the support the GoFundMe that financially backs the initiative has received. Overall, however, the one word best used to describe the conversation is “uncomfortable”. This is not to say the show isn’t brilliant, the episode isn’t powerful and funny, it’s all of those things and more. But what is important for everyone who listens to take away is how they feel, alone in their homes or their cars, as Danni explains the interactions she and her staff have had as more white patrons come into her store, looking for books by Black authors, about racism, and the things they feel empowered (and also entitled) to say. The shame and second hand embarrassment felt by the listener as she details the ignorant and offensive things these shoppers say is inescapable. Don’t give in to the desire to shut off the podcast; this is important.

It takes a lot of courage on the part of both women to create something like this. As podcast fans, we know that a well-crafted interview is much harder than it looks. What may be even more difficult, however, is to recognise that the measures of a so-called “good interview” are irrelevant when you are confronted with a situation in which something honest is allowed to play out. 

There is nothing cruel or unusual about the interaction between host and guest. It is simply a true conversation between two individuals during a highly electric, emotional and important time. Danni presents her truth, her lived experience and what happens between the stacks at her bookstore, knowing how uncomfortable her host and many of the listeners will become. But this does not stop her because it is not the responsibility of people who experience racism to make people who have benefited from a racist society feel better. Acknowledging this discomfort, existing in it, and then moving forward in a thoughtful and actionable way are all parts of how human beings learn. To Caroline’s credit, she acknowledges how awkward she feels, but she doesn’t cut all of those parts out of the interview. As podcasters, we often value beautiful soundscapes and precise timing over the honesty of painful pauses and the stutter-step of embarrassment. Instead, Caroline envelopes us in it, like an immersion therapy in audio form.

This is not to say the podcast is 50 minutes of being hammered over the head. Danni Mullen has an incredible laugh, and both she and Caroline offer plenty of humour (in particular, her item at the end of the episode had me in tears.) What makes this conversation so real and recognizable is that it contains both bold honesty and fits of giggling. This is how we speak to one another in our everyday lives, because life exists in those moments in between the deeply serious and the levity. Learn your lessons. Hear from people who are different from you. Really listen to what they are sharing with you. Connect over a mutual point of humour. Descend into uncontrolled laughter. Regroup. Support their endeavours. Amplify their voices. And repeat.

Gee Thanks Just Bought It drops new episodes on Fridays on Spotify and everywhere you get your podcasts. Check out their website, their Instagram, or you can follow Caroline on Twitter.

Semicolon Bookstore is located in Chicago, IL. Visit their GoFundMe page to support the #ClearTheShelves initiative.

The post REVIEW // Gee Thanks, I’m Sweating appeared first on POD BIBLE.

POD BIBLE: Did you have any prior audio content experience?
BEC HILL: I’ve been hosting and guesting on podcasts since around 2012. I also do occasional voiceover work, so if you come across any Australian-sounding NPCs in a video game, there’s a strong chance it’s me. Especially if the voice acting is particularly poor.

PB: Do you work with a producer? If so, what is that relationship like when creating new episodes of the podcast?
BH: Producer Rory co-hosts the show, so it’s really great to have him in the recording itself. He’s incredible at keeping up the pace and summarising everything, as well as being very quick and witty. It takes a lot of pressure off me to be the “responsible” one, which is the dream for any comedian, really! We also have off-air producers, Joe and Martin, who are such a pleasure to work with. So much so, I made us all friendship bracelets!

PB: Is it difficult to helm a show with multiple guests?
BH: With any other show, yes. But thankfully we seem to have found the sweet-spot which allows us to make the most of our guests without everyone trying to shout over the top of each other.

PB: What is it about film as a subject that you find really excites people?
BH: It’s like a shortcut for a shared experience. So many other things in life are “you had to be there” type personal experiences – a crummy day at work, a fun holiday, drinks with mates, etc. Whereas movies, you can be isolated in the middle of dingo-woop-woop, but if you’ve seen the same film, you immediately have an “in” with everyone else who has seen it, regardless of where or who they are. It’s quite magical when you think about it.

PB: What is your relationship like with your listeners; how involved are they in what you create?
BH: They’re less involved with the creation aspect of the episodes, but we enjoy their interaction on social media – it feels like an extension of the show almost: a way we can expand on the things covered. Personally, whenever I listen back, I tend to think of jokes I should have said, so I like the ability to tweet about them afterwards!

New episodes of Because You Watched are available on Thursdays, wherever you get your podcasts.

The post INTERVIEW // Because You Watched – Now Take A Listen appeared first on POD BIBLE.