Podcasts are a fantastic way to further connect with the subjects you are passionate about, and arts podcasts are no exception. Whether it’s giving you insights to artists and galleries, helping you experience a piece of work you can’t visit in person, or uncovering hidden histories of art movements, there is plenty to dig into.

The Great Women Artists’ Podcast

Katy Hessel’s podcast (and Instagram, and book) gives glowing introductions to the lives and practices of great artists. We get new, alternative insights into the lives of well-known women like Paula Rego and Yoko Ono; for others – like Ruth Asawa, Augusta Savage, and Suzanne Valadon – the podcast pushes back against their posthumous obscurity. Hessel also interviews contemporary artists practising today. Her interview with Marina Abramović is a highlight (you get to hear how she realises that Earth is the ‘Glasgow of the Universe’ in a planetarium) and required listening ahead of this autumn, when the artist will be the first woman to have a solo exhibition at the Royal Academy. Listen on your podcast app >>

Womanica

This iHeartPodcasts show is a five minute daily dose, reinjecting women into the history books. Each episode focusses on an individual woman, grouped in series like ‘Dynamos’, ‘Mothers’, and ‘Ragers’ (with the help of some corporate sponsorship.) Broad in scope and subject, Womanica leans towards the US, covering from Lorraine O’Grady, Sister Mary Corita Kent to Carolee Schneeman – another performance artist, most recently on show at the Barbican. But the episode on Julia Margaret Cameron is a welcome introduction to the artist and photographer at the fore of Tate Britain’s rehang. Listen on your podcast app >>

Writers & Company

Eleanor Wachtel, presenter and co-founder of the Canadian radio programme Writers & Company, recently announced her retirement from the show after 33 years of broadcasting. The farewells bid to her by everyone from Salman Rushdie to Zadie Smith are a testament to her remarkable legacy – and give us an opportunity to go back into the archives. W&C is a deep dive into the the lives, thoughts and works of remarkable writers from around the world, including Bulgarian poet Kapka Kassabova, the multi-hyphenate Amit Chaudhuri, and artist William Kentridge. It considers the act of writing broadly, and delve as much into the guest’s history as the subject of the episode. The episode on the anachronism-filled 2022 film Corsage, Marie Kreutzer’s portrait of the nineteenth century icon, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, is a must-listen. Listen on your podcast app >>

Talk Art

More contemporary is Talk Art, presented by actor Russell Tovey and Margate-based gallerist Robert Diament. Promising to ‘make art accessible, non-academic, non-elitist, gossipy and fun’, each episode feels like a warm conversation with a friend – and we’re in good company, with the likes of Lindsey Mendick, Lubaina Himid, Sonia Boyce, and Ai Weiwei. Still, my favourites are those that platform younger, lesser-known artists, like Paula Siebra. Stepping into her studio in Brazil (by Zoom), we learn why she loves painting glass jars, hates any sort of technology, and paints to the sounds of Simon and Garfunkel. It’s wonderful to hear other young people so driven by their practice: ‘I have a lot of work to do, I’m not dying today’. Listen on your podcast app >>

Arts & Ideas

Say what you will about the BBC – though some formats and presenters are a little staid, it still produces some of the best researched arts, culture, and history content in the field. The BBC Radio 4 shows might get the most attention, but it’s Arts & Ideas (sometimes called Free Thinking) from BBC Radio 3 that makes the boldest leaps. Some episodes explore well-worn subjects from alternative perspectives, like why we love to hate the Pre-Raphaelites, and what such hatred says about us. The series features a wide range of speakers, from Tate Modern’s Nabila Abdel Nabi talking about Hilma af Klint and the occult, to curator Craig Clunas, on what connects Freud and Chinese sci-fi films, and Rana Mitter, on how Artemisia Gentileschi shaped art and advertising. With its multidisciplinary panel, the recent episode on decadence dives into the art movement’s Orientalist foundations from different perspectives – and how ‘art for art’s sake’ has its origins in the colonial anxieties of nineteenth-century France, which feared a falling birth rate with the rise of women’s rights, contraception, and so-called ‘sex for sex’s sake’. Listen on your podcast app >>

EMPIRE LINES

EMPIRE LINES uncovers the unexpected, often two-way flows of empires through individual artworks – from theatre to architecture, painting to film. In fifteen minutes, we focus on one object as an artefact of imperial exchange, using art to understand the how and why, and challenge simplistic, monolithic understandings of empires. Recorded on location in the latest exhibitions, EMPIRE LINES features fascinating interdisciplinary thinkers in the field, with contemporary artists like Nalini Malini and Ingrid Pollard, curators from The Courtauld to the COBRA Museum in the Netherlands, and the team behind Tate Modern’s Surrealism Beyond Borders. Listen on your podcast app >>

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Jelena Sofronijevic is an audio producer and freelance journalist, who creates content at the intersections of cultural and political history. They are the producer of EMPIRE LINES, a podcast that uncovers the unexpected flows of empires through art, and historicity, a new series of audio walking tours, exploring how cities got to be the way they are. Their full works in print, including museum and exhibition reviews, can be found here. Follow them @jelsofron.

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Who are you and what’s your podcast about?

Hi! I’m Philip Gawthorne and I’m an action movie screenwriter living in Hollywood. Our podcast Die Hard on a Blank explores the influence of Die Hard on action cinema, one action movie at a time. I co-host the show with Liam Billingham, a brilliant film podcaster and fellow cinephile. Each episode is a deep dive on a different action movie that contains some kind of ‘Die Hard DNA’. It’s essentially a fun movie discussion podcast that treats the action genre with real respect and love.

What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

How Did This Get Made? was really my gateway drug into this world – I quickly became addicted to it. The three hosts are absolutely brilliant – wildly contrasting personalities who together have incredible chemistry. What they’ve achieved in the podcast space is truly inspiring – now they do live shows and pack out venues all across the United States. I think they blazed the trail for everyone in this game.

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

I’m a passionate cinephile with a particular love of the action movies of the 1980s and 1990s, which was really a golden age of action cinema. I was a video store kid and there’s a sense of nostalgia to the whole experience – there’s something wonderfully comforting about revisiting all these films that I loved so much growing up. At the same time, I work in the Hollywood studio system as a screenwriter, so I come at the analysis from an inside business angle, as well as being an action movie fanboy. This project was something I’ve wanted to do for a while, and when I met my co-host Liam Billingham, everything clicked into place. He has the same effusive love of action movies that I do, but he comes at it all from a completely different cultural perspective (I’m British, he’s American) which makes for highly entertaining conversations!

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

I’m a huge fan of The Rewatchables and Clash of the Titles – two shows that adroitly balance serious cultural/critical analysis and a light-hearted sense of fun. I want our show to evoke the same friendly, inviting vibe that those podcasts have, where you feel like you’re hanging out with your mates when you listen. There was another show called 80s All Over that I absolutely loved, where they reviewed every movie of the 1980s, one month at a time. It was a fascinating endeavour, as everything was placed in a social-political context, and you got a real sense of different filmic trends throughout the decade. I want to do the same thing with Die Hard On A Blank, as we’ll be discussing all the films in chronological order of their release. It’s a kind of “action movie genealogy project”, where we’ll be able to track how the Die Hard formula evolved, adapted and mutated over time. Each episode will be entertaining in its own right, but in its totality it will be a comprehensive analysis of Die Hard‘s enduring impact on action cinema.

Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?

There are several guests I’d love to have on, but right now there’s a podcaster and presenter called Kyle Brandt that I’m a huge fan of. He’s primarily an NFL guy, but he’s guested a few times on The Rewatchables discussing 80s action movies like Commando and Cobra and I know we’re very much on the same action movie wavelength! Van Lathan is another guy I’d love to have on, as well as Matt Gourley, who did a wonderful podcast called I Was There Too and now co-hosts the 007 podcast James Bonding We’ll be doing all the Bonds, Bournes and Jack Ryans, so I’d love to have guests who can provide additional expertise in certain areas, especially if there’s an action movie they’re really passionate about!

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as a podcaster?

Doing a podcast is a lot of work, so it’s important that you absolutely love it, which fortunately I do! I think finding the right partners and co-host is also critical – it needs to be about a subject that you are utterly fascinated by and truly passionate about, that you discuss with someone whose company you genuinely enjoy. That’s certainly been the case with Die Hard On A Blank – it’s a transfer of enthusiasm with the audience, and Liam and I certainly have abundant enthusiasm for action movies!

Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?

The show starts with a two-part double header (out on December 21 across all platforms) all about the original 1988 classic Die Hard, and that’s a great entry point for new listeners. We break down Die Hard scene by scene, moment by moment, then we go on to discuss all the pop-cultural elements that influenced it. That includes films such as The Detective starring Frank Sinatra (who was originally offered the role of John McClane), the 1976 disaster movie The Towering Inferno, and the first Rambo picture, First Blood. We also talk a lot about Nothing Lasts Forever, the 1979 thriller novel upon which Die Hard is based. In other episodes, we’ll go on to talk about films like Road House, License to Kill, The Hunt for Red October and Die Hard 2 – look out for that episode, I think it was the funniest one we’ve done so far (by which I mean I mean the most embarrassing for me).

Where can the Pod Bible readers find out more about you?

I’m on all the usual social media places – Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. I’m also on the Blu-ray/iTunes commentary track for the 2020 sci-fi/horror/action film Underwater, alongside the director William Eubank, who is a frequent collaborator of mine – so you can hear me gabbing about that movie there. I recently appeared on my friend Andy Maiorano’s podcast The AndyPlex, where we discuss Blue Thunder, the most underrated action movie of the 1980s in my opinion, and we talk more about Die Hard on a Blank and the show’s format. There’s a few fun games we play on our show that we chat about in that interview. Liam also has his own show called Rohmercast that’s really cool – he was recently listed in Vulture’s article about the best film podcasts. So come check us out – we want to welcome all our pals to the party!

Listen to Die Hard On A Blank on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps.

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Now with more than sixty episodes in the back-catalogue, Claire has found success as a solo podcaster, with nominations for the International Women’s Podcast Awards and recently with features on the Amazon Music app. We caught up with Claire to ask her all about it…

Creativity Found has been listed as 10 Inspiring Indies in a featured list on Amazon Music in the US – how do you feel?

Excited that people who may not have otherwise come across the podcast might now find it, and also proud that some clever people at Amazon think its worthy of being highlighted and promoted this way. I know its worthy, but it’s always nice to know someone else thinks so too.

What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

Bear Brook from New Hampshire Public Radio. It’s a true crime series. I still listen to a lot of true crime, shows about cults, and podcasts about podcasts and podcasting.

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

Because I realized I could. I accidently went on an online workshop about using Anchor, which I don’t use, that showed me that I could audio edit and produce something good. I had been speaking to people in general about returning to an artistic endeavour after time away for whatever reason, and thought it was an interesting topic to explore. And it is! And other people want to hear about it too, so two years down the line and I am booking guests six months in advance.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

I am inspired by my new podcast buddies that I have met since starting, in particular all the indies doing absolutely everything themselves, as I do. Podcasts with similar themes to Creativity Found are More Than Work by Rabiah Coon and The Second Chapter by Kristin Duffy. Clare Murigande’s Narratives of Purpose is really interesting, and Zoe Langley-Wathen’s Head Right Out is about outdoor adventuring, which is NOT something I do but great to hear how other people do it. I was very impressed with the production of Conning the Con by Sarah Ferris. She has done more shows now but for a first series it was very skilful.

Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?

All of my guests so far are dreams, and I love them all equally! I did ask Johnny Vegas to come on. He talked on Grayson’s Art Club about using Naomi Woolf’s book The Beauty Myth as influence for his final show at uni, and I used it for my dissertation. I was at a crime writer’s event recently and asked author Clare Macintosh and the rest of the panel a question – I was very nervous. I managed to make it relevant to the podcast and asked Clare if she’d like to be a guest – she used to be a police officer. That one may actually happen, which is exciting.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as a podcaster?

That I like people! I always thought I was a bit of a lone bird, but I love meeting new people and having a good chat.

Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?

My guests cover all disciplines of the arts, so you might choose to hear from a photographer if photography is something you’re interested in, for example. There’s also an element of the emotions of an episode. If you are in the mood for something touching and emotional, I would recommend the episodes with Lou Hamilton, Leanne Tibiatowski, Andrea Carter Brown or Anna Lovind. For something more light-hearted, I’d suggest Maxyne Ryan, Tara L Lacey or Rabiah Coon.

Listen to Creativity Found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and other popular podcast apps. 

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POD BIBLE: Who are you, what is your podcast called, and what’s it about?
LAURA SHAVIN: I’m actress and voice over artist Laura Shavin. My podcast is called The Offcuts Drawer and it features successful writers sharing their projects that didn’t make it. We hear a bit of each piece performed by actors and then the writer shares the stories behind them – what were they trying to do, why didn’t it work, what DID it lead to ultimately? The writers come from all genres – comedy, novels, TV drama, journalism, film, sketch shows, theatre, radio, standup… although right now there is a bit of a skew towards comedy because that’s my area of experience.

PB: Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?
LS: When I originally came up with the idea I thought it would make a great radio show but there are so few outlets for this kind of speech programme that I realised it would be easier to create the content and put it out myself rather than wait to be commissioned. That way I also get to choose things like the length of the show, how many episodes I do, who I have on and I don’t have to censor my guests if they get a bit sweary. Plus my day job is being a voiceover artist, so I have a professional studio and the skills to edit and produce the show at home.

PB: What’s the first podcast you ever listened to?
LS: I don’t remember, I’m afraid. I’ve been listening to podcasts for such a long time, at least 10 years. Much as I love radio, I hate commercials (ironic considering my day job) so as soon as I heard about podcasts, that’s all I listened to. WTF was probably one of my first. I used to be in a BBC radio comedy called The Now Show and Marc Maron was our guest once, so maybe talking to him was what got me started.  

PB: Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?
LS: The Guilty Feminist was inspiring – that live format was what I was aiming for when I created The Offcuts Drawer. I’m very much a one-track-minded person so whatever I’m working on at any moment, I’m consumed by. I used to listen to a lot of comedy shows because of my acting work, and now I’m obsessed with ones about podcasting. I’ve always been a fussy listener though – I subscribe to loads of podcasts but I cherry pick the episodes that interest me. One of the only podcasts that I will download every episode is The Truth – an American series of short one-off dramas. They are uniformly excellent: absorbing, often funny, and so naturalistic – feels like listening to a mini film. It makes most UK radio drama sound OTT and stagey. And every time I listen to it I think “I should get in touch with Jonathan Mitchell (the producer) and see if I can audition to be in one of the episodes” but I never have.

PB: Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?
LS: Oh, so many! JK Rowling, Richard Curtis, Marian Keyes, Jed Mercurio, Charlie Brooker, Phoebe Waller-Bridge – I’ve got a list of about 100 and it grows bigger every day. My ideal would be to travel round the world interviewing the greatest writers in the grandest theatres. Stephen Sondheim would be a dream come true, Stephen King, Mel Brooks, Tina Fey… The problem isn’t coming up with writers but finding ones who hold onto their old material (and remember where they put it) and who are happy to be in the spotlight themselves for a change.

PB: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as a podcaster?
LS: I’m pleasantly surprised at how nice the podcasting community is. In other entertainment fields people aren’t always keen on what they see as competitors entering their field, but so far other podcasters have been nothing but generous and welcoming with their help and advice.

PB: Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?
LS: If you don’t mind a bit of smuttiness then I’d recommend the first episode – the only live one so far – with Jon Holmes. He’s really funny and the material’s great. Don’t listen to it near small children though, unless you want to answer some very awkward questions. Otherwise start at the second episode with novelist Jenny Colgan – she was fascinating and very entertaining too.

PB: Where can the Pod Bible readers find out more about you?
LS: If you visit offcutsdrawer.com/insta-links/ you can listen to the episodes on whichever app you prefer. Twitter it’s @offcutsdrawer and I’m @laurashav. And my own website is fvo1.com.

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