Hello!
Delighted to be sending out this first newsletter. If you’re reading this, you’re likely a listener of the NTS breakfast show, but if not, it’s a morning radio show I host Monday-Wednesday. You can listen back to old episodes here, or it’s live 9-11am.
There’s an accompanying chatroom which has largely inspired me to start this mailout. Every show I do, it feels like hundreds of brilliant recommendations and tips emerge, and I usually finish the show feeling frustrated that I haven’t disseminated them in a more accessible and digestible way than frantically reeling them off during the live show. There’s also an audience of the show that can’t listen live because of time differences, or lifestyles, or access, and I want them to be able to easily get to some of the recommendations that come out of the show and from its other listeners. I like the idea of doing something slightly less ephemeral than live radio, and rounding up some of the brilliant insights from this community into something a bit more concise. Sometimes the breadth of choice we all have now about what to listen to, what to watch, what to read can feel a bit paralysing. So I hope this can be a useful roundup of things at least one person (me) has enjoyed and can recommend you when you need a little bit of entertainment. I hope it can also be a way for me to share extra music with you all that maybe doesn’t fit into the morning show.
I’ve been thinking a lot about audio generally, and the role it plays in my life - whether it’s music, radio or podcasts. There’s that meme about what it feels like to listen to a podcast, where a kid is sitting next to an advert of smiling people, and I was thinking about how that really is an accurate depiction of how it’s felt for me to listen to things for a large part of my life. I have always had something on in the background, and music and radio were my companions when real life ones were sparse. When I was tiny, I had a tape machine for story tapes and some albums I had, and then I had a CD player in my bedroom, which later was joined by an iPod and speakers, then eventually by a laptop. I would fall asleep to stories or podcasts or sometimes the radio. Throughout my life, through stints of heartache, loneliness and uncertainty, I would always have something to turn to, to listen to. So it feels really wonderful to provide that to people, to be an accompaniment to your morning, or to offer some music to enjoy when you don’t know what to choose.
Something to listen to
Sometimes having to find so much music for the radio show means that when I’m listening to music in a non functional way, that is for entertainment rather than research, I just listen to one person obsessively. Since it’s been sunny in London for the last few days, my Frank Ocean reflex has kicked in, and so I’m just listening to him. It’s nice to revisit his discography (before this I hadn’t listened to any of his music for months), especially when I’m on a long train journey, and I can look out the window and pretend I’m in Malibu rather than a London suburb. One of my favourite new things that’s come out recently is actually by Frank O collaborator and producer Vegyn (who anecdotally produced my fave Frank song, Provider, but don’t quote me on that) - he remixed this Sassy009 song into something so good I wish it was 5 times the length. I’ve also been really enjoying a forthcoming Stroom release by Library L’Amour: you can listen to a couple of the tracks on Bandcamp here, and star of the Nigerian alté scene Cruel Santino’s new song - it’s only on Spotify so you’ll have to listen there. I LOVE Santi’s music, and the Subaru Boys album was one of the best of last year, I thought. He’s got a live show in March in London so keep an eye out for that if you’re a fan too.
Podcast wise… I’m in a bit of a lull period. I have my ongoing football and pop culture podcasts like Stadio and Who Weekly, but in terms of narrative story telling I can only recommend I’m Not A Monster (terrible name), which is telling the Shamima Begum story. I think it’s good, and presents a pretty balanced picture of the story so far, though some people find the journalists questions a little irritating and there are points at which I wish it could go a bit deeper. But it gets me through my 12-3-30 so. Can’t complain too much.
Some things to watch to lift your mood
I woke up and watched Rihanna’s halftime show first thing, of course, which I loved - some people saying the performance was lacklustre, but she’s never been that kind of high production, full choreo performer, let alone pregnant: I thought the production was amazing and the dancers next level… and her vocals completely on point (my sister told me they were mimed but I’m ignoring her). But happily it also reminded me of that classic Tom Holland video which I rewatched at lunchtime eating my leftover lasagne. I know I’m basic but every time I watch it I clap and giggle like a child even though I’ve seen it 20+ times.
Perhaps you’ll enjoy this wonderful British television programme from 1994 called Driving School. It’s an early BBC reality TV show about people in Bristol and Cardiff learning to drive. It sounds humdrum but it is just joyous to watch: there are some extremely lovable characters but also it looks beautiful. If you have any sort of 90s nostalgia (as I do) you’ll love the shots of people’s living rooms, the cars, the outfits. There’s one instructor who is always glued to her massive mobile phone, who I adore. During the breakfast show this morning someone in the chatroom said of it: ‘lots and lots of beautiful hanging shots and I really didn't expect a subplot of how religion helps with making driving school related business decisions’. It’s the perfect chaser if you (like me) are watching The Last of Us and finding it a harrowing watch. Though it’s not without its own terrifying moments - here’s a clip of lovely Maureen learning to drive on the motorway.
Or maybe instead you’ll take something from this Yoko Ono interview that Kate from the B-52s did in 1992 [15 mins]. I have a lot of sympathy with interviewers, having done a few myself, and the first couple of questions of this are a little shaky. But once they get into it, the conversation becomes much smoother and has some really lovely moments - I looove Yoko and could listen to her talking about music and art for hours.
Some really short things to watch: iconic vine / cursed Instagram account which rounds up the kind of tiktoks that make you feel absolutely unhinged / Bob Mortimer making corned beef hash / absolutely incredible short film (dance film? theatre film? I don’t know how to classify it) called the Cost of Living.
Something to read
I have to start with the last book I truly loved, which was the Bloater by Rosemary Tonks. It’s just a very weird little book about really fancying someone. My friend recommended it to me, and although her recommendations are always spot on, I didn’t expect to adore this as much as I did. I have an embarrassing tendency to assume that I won’t enjoy things made before 1990, and this is from 1968: it’s a really short novel about a dissatisfied married woman living in London who gets a lodger, who she finds simultaneously repulsive and sexually enticing.
I got a bit obsessed with Tonks’ life story after I read it. Disaster after disaster befell her: she was raised by her widowed mother, then married young, got polio, lost the use of her hand, then found religion, detached her retinas from staring at a wall doing Taoist meditation, divorced, denounced all her work and burned everything she owned, and ended up living in Bournemouth away from the London literary scene she had been a part of - I think we would probably now class what happened to her later in life as some sort of mental health crisis, or trauma response: her obituary is here if you want to read a bit about her unbelievable story. If tales of strange English women and their romantic exploits aren’t your bag, here’s a link to Anna Cafolla’s column in the Face where she can actually tell you something good to read.
A couple of short things I enjoyed these last couple of weeks - this piece in the New Statesman by Lamorna Ash on dating a couple (one for the MOTH listeners especially), and this twitter thread about the absolutely unbelievable story of footballer Jermaine Pennant.
Something to eat
If you have a spare afternoon, and you feel the need, you could make this bolognese sauce. I’ve made it before but yesterday I had the urge to make it into a lasagne. Here is a recipe for the lasagne version. I would say it was very successful, if rich; if you make it, I suggest a sharp side salad or some pickles to go with it. Here’s a photo of my pickles on a plate I made. I also put garlic in the béchamel sauce (sorry France).
Right - is that enough for now?? I should think so. Till next time xx
I am loving driving school, can't believe the love isn't real! https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/6175451.student-feigned-love-cameras/
That Sassy 009 has some great songs in her repertoire.