Picks of the week
The Louis Theroux Podcast
Spotify, episodes weekly from 6 Jun
Louis Theroux’s lockdown venture into podcasting was a big hit for the BBC. Not much has changed in his new Spotify show – it’s still a charming, personal attempt to get to the essence of celebrity guests. For his first episode, it’s a slightly naffer choice of guest than you might expect – Shania Twain. They talk divorce and medical mishaps, but the real highlight is a revelation near the start: Theroux’s a big fan of Man! I Feel Like a Woman! Alexi Duggins
I Love My Kid, But …
Widely available, episodes weekly from 5 Jun (available on Wondery+ now)
“Honestly, we’ve Googled adoption agencies near where we live!” This is just one of the exasperated exclamations of comedians Megan Gailey, Kurt Braunohler and Chris Garcia in this podcast focused on the frustrations of parenting. From rants about pooey swimming nappies to confusing car seats, it’s like a hilarious therapy session. AD
Death on the Lot
Widely available, episodes weekly
The scene from The Misfits where Montgomery Clift, Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe are asleep in a car inspired master storyteller Adam McKay’s new podcast. Realising they all died shortly afterwards, he looks into why so many Hollywood stars prematurely died in the 50s – when a new American dream was emerging and the studio system was collapsing. Hannah Verdier
Iris Prize Podcast
Widely available, episodes weekly
Should straight actors play gay parts? That’s just one of the questions Damian Kerlin asks in this podcast that celebrates LGBTQ+ film. So much is covered in every episode, from abstract representation in The Little Mermaid to whether Hannibal Lecter is a gay character, with Waterloo Road’s Adam Ali and documentary-maker Mena Fombo joining the conversation. HV
Jonathan Pie
BBC Sounds, all episodes out 9 Jun
“Might as well call it Pie’s political bumfluff.” Viral angry news reporter Jonathan Pie (AKA hugely popular satirist Tom Walker) is taking on everything from women’s issues to cancel culture and the NHS in his first podcast series – a 10-parter that is set up like a late-night call-in show. Hollie Richardson
There’s a podcast for that
As Pride month begins, Ella Braidwood chooses five of the best podcasts on LGBTQ+ history, from a series of rare interviews with queer activist heroes such as Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P Johnson (above) to the story of being Black and gay in Britain.
Making Gay History
In the late 80s, journalist Eric Marcus began interviewing dozens of activists key to the LGBTQ+ rights movement in America for his book Making History, with a second edition published in 2002. Years later, Marcus revisited his audio archive with producer Sara Burningham, who suggested he make a podcast out of his old recordings. The result is pretty remarkable: there are rare interviews with pioneering activists who were present at the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York, including Sylvia Rivera – in her kitchen, a pot of chilli on the stove – and Marsha P Johnson.
Black and Gay, Back in the Day
Hosted by activist Marc Thompson, this informative and heartwarming intergenerational podcast explores the lives of Black LGBTQ+ people in Britain, from the 1970s to the early 2000s. The starting point for every episode is a photograph from an archive complied by Thompson and journalist Jason Okundaye, with Thompson enlisting a rotating cast of younger co-hosts to explore each image’s history. Every episode has a guest, often the person in the photo, from Ted Brown of the Gay Liberation Front, to Yvonne Taylor, a founding member of the lesbian-run sound system Sistermatic. Also worth a listen is The Log Books, by the same production company, which explores volunteers’ experiences at the helpline Switchboard.
Memories from the Dance Floor
Although only three episodes long, this eye-opening series explores the histories behind three iconic LGBTQ+ nightlife venues. These are two spaces in London – gay superclub Heaven and the now-closed The Black Cap – alongside Birmingham’s The Nightingale Club. Hosted by journalist Damian Kerlin (see above), we’re taken through the gritty and sometimes raunchy stories behind these venues, via interviews with the people who set them up, plus DJs and drag queens who have performed there. It’s illuminating but also tear-jerking at times: notably the stories of clubbers going to Heaven at the height of the HIV/Aids crisis.
Out with Suzi Ruffell
Comedian Suzi Ruffell interviews a wide range of LGBTQ+ figures about their lives, including musician Self Esteem, Olympian Kelly Holmes and trans rights campaigner Jake Graf. The rich roster of guests means there’s plenty for those looking to learn more about LGBTQ+ history. These include: Skin, the frontwoman of 1990s rockers Skunk Anansie; Lady Phyll, who co-founded UK Black Pride; and Michael Cashman, the former actor who now sits in the House of Lords. Discussions are insightful, emotive and, of course, funny.
One From the Vaults
Billed as bringing the “dirt, gossip and glamour” from transgender history, this podcast sees UK-based writer Morgan M Page interview artists, film-makers and historians. In doing so, she uncovers the stories of trans people, mostly in North America and Europe. Among the activists profiled in the podcast are Lou Sullivan, who pioneered the female-to-male (FTM) community, and dollmaker Greer Lankton, whose works explored gender and sexuality. The podcast also looks at organisations involved in the trans rights movement, including Rivera and Johnson’s organisation, Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (Star).
Why not try …
Myths and stereotypes about Romany communities are untangled in Foretold from the LA Times.
A dose of cutting-edge internet culture in youth magazine Dazed’s new podcast, Logged On.
Jayde Adams returns with more local gossip/comedy gold in the second series of Welcome to the Neighbourhood.
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