Podcasts for History Junkies, Feminist True Crime, Singer Songwriter Julien Baker Proves Good Things Really Do Come In Small Packages.


 Hello there. Hope you are having a good start to your weekend.

Here is my happy list this week.

NPR's music editor, Bob Boilen, described the phenomenon of Julien Baker thus: "the purity of her voice and the yearning way she sings make each of her songs lovely and memorable rather than merely somber." I cannot think of a more apt way to describe Baker's resonant power as a songwriter/performer. The only thing diminutive about Baker is her stature. Good things really do come in small packages.

Baker has put out several albums, and she has performed more than one Tiny Desk Concert, Of late, I am primarily listening to Sprained Ankle and, therefore, I elected to share the earlier, mini-concert from 2016 with you.


Also I thought I'd share this performance of what is perhaps my favourite song in Baker's entire  repertoire.


If you read my previous post, you probably figured out that I am a history nerd. In keeping with my exhortations in favor of Hilary Mantel's Booker Prize winning,  novel Wolf Hall, and my fondness for subsequent the adapted mini-series (Wolf Hall - PBS), I thought it prudent to mention a podcast that dovetails neatly with these twin Tudor obsessions. 

On her podcast "Not Just the Tudors", historian Suzannah Liscomb describes life in Tudor England. Henry VIII and his many wives are discussed, as are the movers and shakers who played key roles in the day to day machinations of Henry's court. True to the title, the host eventually moves on to an array of unrelated but  riveting subjects, from the persecution of Icelandic witches to the intriguing lives of 17th century female spies. Expert historians are invited to cohost with Suzannah and their expertise and enthusiasm enhance the quality of the listening experience..

Here is a link. You can subscribe to this podcast on all the usual platforms.

https://access.historyhit.com/not-just-the-tudors?campaignid=15627402424&adgroupid=&adid=&gclid=CjwKCAiAo4OQBhBBEiwA5KWu__GZmS8QERBNShX52rVcg2XJV0KsFX39uj6HPWxJyTU_mORxJSE-VRoCmZsQAvD_BwE

"Bad Women - Ripper Retold" is a riveting listen.  On each episode of this podcast, historian Hallie Rubenhold uncovers new facts about each of the five victims of Jack the Ripper, revealing the appalling treatment they faced as women in the 1880s.  I was fascinated to learn that much of what I THOUGHT I knew about the victims is categorically false. My mind was blown. 

Rubenhold reminds us that these women were once vibrant human beings, and thus,  are deserving of our empathy and a remembrance extending beyond the horrible manner of their deaths. 

Rubenhold has, as a result of her findings, faced pushback and harassment from self-appointed amateur sleuths (they dub themselves Ripperologists) and  London tour guides who prefer to exploit the exploitive aspects of this, the world's most famous cold case.

This is a ripper of a podcast - definitely worth a listen if you have the time! 

https://www.pushkin.fm/show/bad-women/

This week, I did not manage to make any meaningful discoveries in the arenas of TV or film, but I have continued to delight in the unfolding of HBO's sweet, low-key dramedy Somebody Somewhere.  

Listed below is a link to an an interview with actor/comedian Bridget Everett. 

Bridgett's raunchy cabaret show (Bridgett Everett - Gynecological Wonder) is available  on Crave (repeat, this one is SALTY for grown up viewers only.) 

https://www.vogue.com/article/bridget-everett-somebody-somewhere-interview

That is all for this week folks. Next week - Archive 81, Vera, and the magpie inspired pop melange that is Superorganism. Take care all! xoxo  




  






Comments

  1. Steve Bailey (NEOS)23 February 2022 at 06:35

    Julien Baker is fantastic. One of many examples of the fact that there are many young people "making good music these days". I also love how comfortable she is with herself in an age when image seems to be everything. Great live performer too. Turn Out The Lights is also a great album, similar but with additional instruments. Will have to learn more about Icelandic witches. It sounds like a combination of Robert Eggers films "The Witch" and "The Northman" - maybe it will be his next feature!

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