Book List: Magical Realism

In this month’s Book List, Alex Fitch talks to author Michael Chabon about his latest novel Telegraph Avenue and his collection of autobiographical essays, Manhood for Amateurs, which both display the writer’s love of collectables and ephemera from comic books to lego, Blaxploitation films to classic funk records.
Also in a Q and A recorded at Waterstones, Piccadilly, Sarah McIntyre talks to author David Almond and illustrator Oliver Jeffers about their collaboration on The Boy who swam with Piranhas and Jeffers’ latest picture book, This Moose belongs to me, which combines the artist’s use of painting, collage and word balloons to create a fable about collectivism for younger readers!

Covers of Telegraph Avenue and Manhoof for Amateurs by Michael Chabon, The Boy who Sawm with Piranhas by David Almond and This Moose belongs to me by Oliver Jeffers

(Originally broadcast 11/10/12 on Resonance FM) Continue reading →

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The Opera Hour – series 2/episode 2

Opera singer Richard Scott explores opera through the prism of various themes – politics, power, greed, the abominable, magic, lust, comedy. On The Opera Hour this week we will be joined by Glyndebourne’s Young Composer in Residence, Luke Styles, who’ll be telling us about his upcoming operas and his experiences at Glyndebourne. We’ll also be hearing some live singing from his new opera Lover’s Walk, which has its premier in a few weeks time and Luke will be talking about some of his favourite ever music from Wagner to Purcell to Eddie Vedder.’

Originally broadcast on 11th October 2012

The_Opera_Hour-20121011-s2-ep2 [ 59:49 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Home and away

Starting a month of shows about the depiction of travel in comic books, Alex Fitch talks to creators from Brighton and Delhi about their graphic novels which mix autobiography with fantastical elements. Gary and Warren Pleece discuss The Great Unwashed, a new collection of early self-published and small press work now available as the first release from Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury’s Escape Books in 20 years; stories within include tales of piracy, gangsters and magical realism from contemporary Brighton Pier to 1970s New York and a prologue to their next release, Montague Terrace. Amruta Patil discusses her graphic novels Kari and Adi Parva which respectively tell the story of a young lesbian and her group of friends and acquaintances in a modern day Indian city, and a fully painted adaptation of the first book of The Mahabharata, both available from Harper Collins.
(Originally broadcast in an edited version 07/10/12 on Resonance FM)

Covers of The Great Unwashed and Montague Avenue by Gary and Warren Pleece / Kari and Adi Parva by Amruta Patil

Visit www.archive.org, for more info and formats you can stream / download.

Links: Warren Pleece’s blog and website
Escape Books website
Amrtua Patil’s website
Buy Kari from amazon.co.uk
More info about Adi Parva on Harper Collins India website Continue reading →

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Wavelength – Business as usual.

Business goes on as usual by Roberta Flack from the LP Chapter Two. Who’ll pay reparations on my soul? by Gil Scott-Heron from Small Talk at 125th and Lenox. Money Blues parts 1,2 and 3 by Archie Shepp from Things have got to change featuring the voice of Joe Lee Wilson.

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Technical Difficulties 4:4

Sara Culwell talks through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 2010, aka Obamacare, which the Republican nominee for president of the US, Gov. Mitt Romney, wants to repeal.

Contact details at www.lightchronicles.info

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The Opera Hour – series 2/episode 1

Opera singer Richard Scott explores opera through the prism of various themes. In today’s Opera Hour we talk to opera director Ted Huffman, who is currently directing English Touring Opera’s production of Peter Maxwell Davies’ opera The Lighthouse, which relates the mysterious events of boxing day 1900 when 3 lighthouse keepers vanished without a trace; and we’ll also be looking at ghosts and fevered imaginings in Britten’s terrifying ghost opera The Turn of the Screw.’

The Opera Hour_series 2-episode 1 [ 58:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Laydeez do podcasts: Who is Ana Mendieta?

A Q and A recorded at Whitechapel Gallery, in which Laydeez do comics curators Sarah Lightman and Nicola Streeten discuss their work with Christine Redfern, writer of the graphic novel Who is Ana Medieta?, currently the subject of an exhibition at Space Station Sixty Five, Kennington. Introduced by Space Station Sixty Five directors Jo David and Rachael House.
(Recorded by Whitechapel Gallery, edited by Alex Fitch)

Photos: Jo David and Rachael House + Nicola Streeten, Shelby Sampson, Trina Robbins and Sarah Lightman / interior art and cover of Who is Ana Mendieta?

For more info about this podcast and a variety of formats you can stream or download, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.org

Links: Info about Who is Ana Medieta?
Christine Redfern’s website
Space Station Sixty Five gallery Continue reading →

Laydeez do podcasts: Who is Ana Mendieta? [ 56:19 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Hooting Yard: Real Orghast

N.B. As an episode of “Obsequies For Lars Talc, Struck By Lightening” is missing from the audio archive it has been decided, by the Soup Committee members no less, to carry on regardless with the next show that isn’t “Obsequies For Lars Talc, Struck By Lightening” hoping that, given the length of the intervening period since the last podcast, no one will notice.

In those days, you see, we were taught such piffle as reading and writing and arithmetic and Latin and history, so my not having a head sent the teachers into a kerfuffle. I’m told there was some kind of emergency meeting in the staffroom – a fug of pipe-smoke then, of course – and I was put in isolation in the sickroom while they worked out what to do. How much more enlightened would things be today! Head or no head, I am sure there would be no attempt to exclude me from the diversity and self-esteem lessons. Indeed, my headless presence would be seen as a benefit, both to myself and to my fellow pupils, and to the teachers themselves. In fact, I would probably get a prize, just for not having a head. On the rare occasions prizes were dished out in those far off days, they were invariably book tokens, and I would certainly not have got one for not having a head. Now, I could expect something useful like a new app for my iPap, or a voucher for Pizza Kabin.

This episode was recorded on the 06th October 2011. A complete transcript of this episode can be found on Frank Key’s Hooting Yard website. Accompanying Hooting Yard On The Air, the six publications We Were Puny, They Were Vapid, Gravitas, Punctilio, Rectitude & Pippy Bags, Unspeakable Desolation Pouring Down From The Stars, Befuddled By Cormorants , Inpugned By A Peasant And Other Storiesand Porpoises Rescue Dick Van Dyke are available for purchase

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Panel Borders: Taboo and other anthologies

In the last of our month of shows on comic book anthologies, Alex Fitch talks to Kevin Eastman and Steve Bissette, co-publisher and editor respectively, of the ground-breaking horror periodical Taboo, which included the first instalments of Alan Moore’s From Hell and Lost Girls as well as work by Neil Gaiman, Moebius, S. Clay Wilson, Eddie Campbell and more. Kevin also discusses letting other creators draw the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in his Shell Shock collection and elsewhere, and Steve talks about the travails of the Image Comics 1963 project, and the return of his characters in the forthcoming sequel anthology Tales of the Uncanny – N-Man and Friends.

Covers of Shell Shock, Taboo issues 4 and 1, 1963 issue 3 and proposed Tales of the Uncanny cover

Links: Steve Bissette’s website and shop where you can buy Taboo
Kevin Eastman’s website Continue reading →

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Wavelength – I don’t want to shoot your children (Destruction in Art Part 12).

Interview with Steve Pratt who served in the Special Air Services or SAS from 1969-1981 before becoming an artist. Steve lives and works in northern Finland and London and works on paintings which attempt to expose the hidden realities of conflict. I met Steve for the first time about 3 weeks ago when he showed me a copy of a new book about his work entitled “I DON’T WANT TO SHOOT YOUR CHILDREN” with the subtitle “The Making of a Dangerous Individual” followed by a long number with a black line through it… Steve Pratt: