Podcasts by Category
Life and Art from FT Weekend is the twice-weekly culture podcast of the Financial Times. On Monday, we talk about life, and how to live a good one in one-on-one conversations. On Friday, we talk about ‘art’ – in a chat show. Three FT journalists come together to discuss a new cultural release across film, TV, music and books. Hosted by Lilah Raptopoulos, together with the FT’s award-winning writers and editors, and special guests.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- 302 - ‘Challengers’: Zendaya serves up tennis and sexual tension
Is the buzzy new film Challengers about tennis, sex or just hitting middle age? This week, Lilah invites the FT’s resident film buff and our US sports expert to talk through it. The film stars Zendaya, is directed by Luca Guadagnino, and features a love triangle, a low-level tennis tournament and three sweaty bodies. Our guests today are the FT’s deputy arts editor Raphael Abraham and US sports business correspondent Sara Germano.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify. And do share this episode with your friends!
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Challengers is in cinemas now. Here’s the FT’s review by Danny Leigh: https://on.ft.com/44pYpcs
– Raph Abraham’s recent interview with 22-year-old Italian tennis sensation Jannik Sinner: https://on.ft.com/4dhKxoN
– Sara Germano’s piece, ‘Taylor Swift, the NFL, and a new wave of female sports fandom’: https://on.ft.com/3wg8PPu
– Sara Germano is on X @germanotes
More or Less:
– Sara recommendsInside the NBA, hosted by Shaq and Charles Barkley on TNT.
– Raph wants more original content. Here’s an FT Weekend piece on poptart film Unfrosted: https://on.ft.com/4aUu7kT
– Lilah wants less worrying about small talk. Here’s Jo Ellison’s column which that she mentions: https://on.ft.com/3Wk5Vnv
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 03 May 2024 - 24min - 301 - Why Olivia Rodrigo might be our last pop superstar
The FT’s US media correspondent Anna Nicolaou keeps hearing this lament from music executives: that Olivia Rodrigo could be the last pop superstar. They worry that no one has broken through with such ferocity since. On today’s show, Anna tells us what they mean, what the trends reflect, and whether she believes the prediction. Plus, Anna and Lilah reflect on why Rodrigo has gottenso big, and the gap she’s filling in our culture.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Anna’s column about Olivia Rodrigo is here: https://on.ft.com/3UgPFkp
– You can follow Anna on X @annaknicolaou
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The FT Weekend Festival is coming back, and will be in Washington on May 4. Speakers include Nancy Pelosi. To book tickets, go to ft.com/festival-us and use our exclusive discount code: weekendpodcast.
Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Clip in this episode is from Petroblivion on YouTube.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tue, 30 Apr 2024 - 17min - 300 - Culture chat: Is Taylor Swift’s new album too much?
This week, we’re discussing Taylor Swift’s new album 'The Tortured Poets Department', which is already the most-streamed debut in Spotify history. Lilah is joined by music critic Ludovic Hunter-Tilney and life-long Swiftie Taylor Nicole Rogers to discuss their picks for best and worst songs, whether Swift’s personal life gets in the way of the music, and where she’ll go next.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple, Spotify etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ is available now on all streaming platforms.
– Ludovic’s four-star review of the album is here: https://on.ft.com/4bf6289
– Listen to our episode on the Eras tour, ‘Can Taylor Swift get any bigger?’ here or by searching in this feed.
– Jo Ellison’s column from 2023, ‘Why I believe in Taylor Swift’: https://on.ft.com/49S6Xdh
More or Less:
– Ludovic wants more rap beef, like the one happening between Drake, Rick Ross, Kendrick Lamar and more. You can read his article about the rap beef here.
– Taylor wants to see more summer pop bangers. Keep an eye out for Ludovic’s review of Dua Lipa’s upcoming album ‘Radical Optimism’, which lands next Friday.
– Follow Lilah on Instagram for some great springtime content.
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The FT Weekend Festival is coming back, and will be in Washington on May 4. Speakers include Nancy Pelosi. To book tickets, go to ft.com/festival-us and use our exclusive discount code: weekendpodcast.
Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Clips this week are from Republic Records.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 26 Apr 2024 - 22min - 299 - Spring cooking tips with chef Ayesha Nurdjaja
Spring is upon us, which means a bounty of fresh, green seasonal vegetables, from asparagus to artichokes to ramps. To help inspire us to make our own spring feasts, Lilah invites Ayesha Nurdjaja into the studio. Ayesha is the executive chef and partner at Shuka and Shukette, two beloved New York restaurants. Shukette has been called “a Middle Eastern party”, both for its open kitchen and bountiful meals, and for its energy. Visitors are encouraged to mix and match kebabs, breads, herb-covered fish and more in an approach Ayesha calls the “rip and dip”. She shares tons of tips and recipes for spring, and talks about growing up in a household of great global cooks – where her mother’s Italian-American food melded with her dad’s Indonesian cooking.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple, Spotify, etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Ayesha is on Instagram @ayesharare
– Her restaurants in New York are Shuka (in SoHo), and Shukette (in Chelsea)
– Last year we talked to Ayesha about balancing and building flavour for our food and drinks series. You can check out that conversation here: https://on.ft.com/3Up7mQe
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The FT Weekend Festival is coming back, and will be in Washington, DC, on May 4. Speakers include Nancy Pelosi. To book tickets, go to ft.com/festival-us and use our exclusive discount code: weekendpodcast.
Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tue, 23 Apr 2024 - 18min - 298 - Culture chat: ‘Civil War’ is not the film you think it is
This week, we talk about the new film ‘Civil War’, directed by Alex Garland, which depicts a future US that’s divided and decimated. It stars Kirsten Dunst as a veteran photojournalist, who is on a road trip with a ragtag group of colleagues. They’re driving through the war-torn north-east to reach the White House before it is stormed by rebel forces. The film has been highly praised as well as highly criticised. What is it trying to say about the state of America? Is it a war film, a political film, or both? The FT’s politics columnist Stephen Bush and US executive producer of audio Topher Forhecz join Lilah to discuss.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Danny Leigh’s review of Civil War (he liked it less than we did): https://on.ft.com/4aTzD6P
– FT critic Leslie Felperin’s interview with Alex Garland: https://on.ft.com/3W03lmt
– You can get a free trial of Stephen’s political newsletter Inside Politics – which includes a daily cultural recommendation – by clicking here
– Stephen Bush on X at @stephenkb.
– Listen to our episode ‘How to process the news when it all feels bad’, with FT foreign editor Alec Russell. You can find it in our feed
More or Less:
– Topher wants to see more interesting landmarks used in films, as in ‘North by Northwest’ and ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’
– Stephen wants to see no more ‘Ghostbusters’ ever. Here’s the FT’s 2-star review of ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’: https://on.ft.com/4aVOEot
– Lilah wants fewer menus. She recommends 15 Fox Place in Jersey City, and Osteria 16 in Copenhagen
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The FT Weekend Festival is coming back, and will be in Washington on May 4. Speakers include Nancy Pelosi. To book tickets, go to ft.com/festival-us and use our exclusive discount code: weekendpodcast.
Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Clips this week are from A24
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 19 Apr 2024 - 22min - 297 - Design series: Debbie Millman on how brands impact culture
Welcome to the final episode in our special four-part series on design. Brands are everywhere and sometimes feel so omnipresent that it’s hard to know what counts as one. So we’ve invited designer, educator and Design Matters podcast host Debbie Millman to help us make sense of brands. At its core, Debbie says, branding is the process of manufacturing meaning to come up with a shared symbol. And it’s something we’ve been doing for thousands of years. Today, Debbie and Lilah discuss the history of branding and its relationship with design, and the relatively recent phenomenon of ‘personal brands’. Debbie also shares insights from nearly two decades hosting Design Matters.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email the show at lifeandart@ft.com.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Lilah recommends Debbie’s interview with cartoonist Lynda Barry: https://www.designmattersmedia.com/podcast/2019/lynda-barry
– Here are the latest episodes of Design Matters: https://www.designmattersmedia.com/
– Debbie has written seven books. Here’s Brand Thinking: https://www.debbiemillman.com/brand-thinking
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The FT Weekend Festival is coming back, and will be in Washington, DC, on May 4! To book tickets, go to ft.com/festival-us and use our exclusive discount code: weekendpodcast.
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wed, 17 Apr 2024 - 16min - 296 - How to process the news when it all feels bad
The FT’s foreign editor Alec Russell has been reporting on crises around the world for more than 30 years. He was in Romania during the fall of the Ceaușescu regime, in South Africa for the fall of apartheid, and in 1994 he reported on the genocide in Rwanda. So when we recently felt ourselves losing hope at the news from Gaza and Ukraine, we decided to ask him: is this an especially tough time in history, or does it just feel that way? And what has he learned from being present for so much of history? Today, Alec gives us tips for finding perspective, and tells us where he finds hope.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Alec’s piece commemorating 30 years since Rwanda’s genocide is here: https://on.ft.com/3QnQbfx
– You may also be interested in Alec Russell’s book After Mandela: the Battle for the Soul of South Africa
– Alec is on X @AlecuRussell
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The FT Weekend Festival is coming back, and will be in Washington, DC, on May 4! Speakers include Nancy Pelosi, Alec and Lilah! To book tickets, go to ft.com/festival-us and use our exclusive discount code: weekendpodcast.
Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 15 Apr 2024 - 22min - 295 - Design Series: The fashion of ‘The Devil Wears Prada’
For the third episode in our design series, we’re talking fashion design through the lens of the 2006 classic The Devil Wears Prada. The film is having a moment on the internet. We’re here to revisit it with fresh eyes, and with two experts in fashion: Jo Ellison, the editor of our luxury magazine HTSI, and Rob Armstrong, our men’s style columnist (OK, he’s also our US financial columnist). The film stars Meryl Streep as a powerful magazine editor based on Anna Wintour, and Anne Hathaway as a young, idealistic journalist who becomes her assistant. It’s a Y2K fairy tale about the fashion industry, magazine politics and power. How accurate was the film about fashion then, and why is it still resonating now?
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– The Devil Wears Prada is available on Netflix and Disney+ in the UK, and HBO/Max and Hulu in the US.
– Rob wrote his most recent fashion column about power dressing in The Devil Wears Prada: https://on.ft.com/4cS25Yr
– Jo recently interviewed the actor Cillian Murphy. Read the interview here: https://on.ft.com/3vOnCRi
– You can follow Jo Ellison on Instagram @jellison22 and on X @jellison. Rob is on X @rbrtrmstrng.
– Rob recommends the late André Leon Talley’s book The Chiffon Trenches. You can read the FT review here.
More or Less recommendations:
– Rob wants to see more womens’ college basketball. This FT piece is on how star Caitlin Clark is changing women’s sport: https://on.ft.com/3Jbfehw
– Lilah recommends the Apple TV documentary, ‘Steve! (Martin) A Documentary’. You can read Rob’s interview with Martin here: https://on.ft.com/440txzm
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The FT Weekend Festival is coming back, and will be in Washington, DC, on May 4! Speakers include Nancy Pelosi, Jo, Rob and Lilah! To book tickets, go to ft.com/festival-us and use our exclusive discount code: weekendpodcast.
Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Clips this week are from 20th Century Studios
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 12 Apr 2024 - 24min - 294 - Design series: Jonathan Adler on making your home your own
Designer Jonathan Adler is known for a style that is classic but eccentric. Think gold chairs shaped like hands, vases shaped like heads, and beautiful cookie jars labelled ”quaaludes”. He got his start as a potter, but he now designs everything from furniture to dinnerware to custom upholstery, which are sold by hundreds of retailers around the world. In the second instalment of our design series, Jonathan talks to Lilah about how he developed his style and how we can develop ours. And his biggest piece of advice is to “turn it up”.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email the show at lifeandart@ft.com.
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Notes:
–Jonathan Adler has retail stores across the US (from New York to Dallas to Miami to Chicago) and in London
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wed, 10 Apr 2024 - 20min - 293 - ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ with director Rose Glass
What do you get when you mix female bodybuilding, guns, and a twisted romance? You get Love Lies Bleeding, the latest film from director and co-writer Rose Glass. When she first emailed Kristen Stewart about appearing as its lead, Rose says she described the film as a “crime, romance, thriller, dark comedy, farce, surreal thing”. She talks with Lilah about how she developed the idea, and the kinds of stories she's drawn to as a creator. She also walks through the process of how the film got made – from the script to the final edit.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email the show at lifeandart@ft.com.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– The FT’s review of Rose’s first film, Saint Maud: https://on.ft.com/3PRIw8C
– Love Lies Bleeding is in theatres now in the US, and will be in theatres in the UK on May 3
– Saint Maud is on Amazon Prime in the US, and Apple TV in the UK
– Here’s a link to watch some of Rose’s short films: https://rose-glass.com/short
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 08 Apr 2024 - 20min - 292 - Culture chat: Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter
Park your Lexus, throw your keys up, and let’s get into Cowboy Carter, the new genre-bending, country-angled album by Beyonce. Here are the facts: it’s the second instalment in her Renaissance trilogy. It features Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Post Malone and Miley Cyrus, and spotlights Black country artists such as Linda Martell. But what was Beyonce’s goal with this album? And how does it fit into her career arc? Lilah’s joined by the FT’s music critic Ludovic Hunter-Tilney and US labour and equality correspondent Taylor Nicole Rogers to chat about the album.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.
Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Cowboy Carter by Beyonce is available to stream now.
– Ludo’s review of Cowboy Carter is here: https://on.ft.com/3U3L0TW
– His review of Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce is here: https://on.ft.com/3J3k54q
– You can follow Ludo on X @ludohunter. Taylor is @TaylorNRogers.
More or Less:
– Taylor wants to see less wellness in culture. For more on the dark side of wellness, check out new FT podcast ‘Untold: The Retreat’ here, or by searching wherever you listen.
– Ludo wants more David Lynch content. Read about David Lynch’s installation at the Milan furniture fair here: https://on.ft.com/3vvcOr7
– Lilah wants to see more pubs in the US. While she was in London she had pints with our producer Lulu Smyth at The Hemingway near Victoria Park and at the The Eagle in Farringdon, and everyone had a swell time. Here’s a list of the FT’s best pubs in London’s West End: https://on.ft.com/4cJz94H
– Relatedly, here’s a great piece, ‘Three Cheers for the pub’, by friend of the podcast Rebecca Watson: https://on.ft.com/4cXv6lN
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 05 Apr 2024 - 20min - 291 - Design series: the hidden meaning in our benches and lampposts
Welcome to the first episode in our special four-part series on design! Today, Lilah speaks with the FT’s longtime architecture and design critic Edwin Heathcote to talk about an often-forgotten element of design in cities. It’s called “street furniture,” and it describes the objects we pass every day: from phone booths and lampposts to manhole covers and park benches. Last year, Edwin published a book on this called “On the Street”, which elevates the small pieces of design that surround us on the sidewalk. He tells Lilah what he notices when he takes walks, and offers advice for how to see these details in our own cities, too.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email the show at lifeandart@ft.com.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Edwin’s piece about street furniture for the FT: https://on.ft.com/49b0z0p
– Edwin’s book is called On the Street: In-Between Architecture: https://heni.com/publishing/on-the-street-edwin-heathcote
– Pieces from Edwin’s original series in the FT, published between 2015 and 2017: manhole covers // fire hydrants // telephone boxes // street lights // sidewalks // advertising columns // public benches
– We also recommend this recent piece by Edwin about Italian designer Enzo Mari, who hated the design industry: https://on.ft.com/4aQvWPp
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 01 Apr 2024 - 20min - 290 - Travel chat: planning a trip this spring? We have tips
To celebrate the first signs of spring, we’re bringing you a special Easter weekend episode full of tips for spring travel. FT Globetrotter editors Rebecca Rose and Niki Blasina run our insider guides to great cities. They tell Lilah how to make the most out of a holiday in April and May: from where to go and how to pack, to tips on travelling alone, with kids, and with pets.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify etc!
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
Here are some relevant Globetrotter pieces:
– Five of Vancouver’s best ‘sea to sky’ adventures: https://on.ft.com/3PEKFVp
– A month-by-month guide to what’s on in Madrid: https://on.ft.com/49fbGFP
– The best ski resorts for a day trip from Tokyo: https://on.ft.com/43Ftito
– Lilah’s recent favourite Globetrotter piece is art critic Ariella Budick’s guide to MoMA in New York: https://on.ft.com/3VJ6FC2
– You can explore more from Globetrotter here (paywalled). They have food, drink and activity recommendations for cities around the world
– A dog-friendly hotel that Nikki recommends is the Fife Arms in Braemar, a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland
– Rebecca is on Instagram @rebeccarosegoes. Niki is @nikiblasina
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 29 Mar 2024 - 19min - 289 - Why you’re never too old for a new hobby
Today, Lilah and journalist Nadia Beard listen to two musicians play the same piece of music: one at 41 years old, and the other at 97. Nadia recently wrote about musicians who are debuting on major stages in their 80s and 90s. She came to this story after deciding to take up piano seriously in her 30s herself. She tells Lilah about the value of amateurism in adulthood: why it’s good to do hard things, and get better at them, even if it’s just for you.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email the show at lifeandart@ft.com.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Nadia has written two pieces about this for the FT Weekend magazine. Here’s her piece about the wunderalten: https://on.ft.com/43tHZ2m
– Here’s her piece about returning to the piano in her 30s: https://on.ft.com/498oPjY
– Alexandre Tharaud’s rendition of Chopin’s Fantaisie in F Minor, Opus 49: https://open.spotify.com/track/6aZvn2GoPxfjGrbVNOG4ly
– Ruth Slenczynska’s rendition of Chopin’s Fantasie in F Minor, Opus 49: https://open.spotify.com/track/1HymJjBUGylCrHMxc9kPX9
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 25 Mar 2024 - 16min - 288 - Culture Chat: '3 Body Problem', Netflix’s next big swing
Today we take on3 Body Problem, the new buzzy Netflix sci-fi series from the creators ofGame of Thrones. The show is based on Liu Cixin’s best-selling Chinese trilogy and is about humankind’s first contact with an alien civilisation. It spans timelines, worlds and dimensions. Lilah is joined by the FT’s AI editor Madhumita Murgia and work and careers journalist Emma Jacobs to discuss how well the show depicts our fears around advancing technology and how it fits into prestige TV right now.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc!
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– 3 Body Problemis out on Netflix now
– The FT’s review by Dan Einav is here: https://on.ft.com/3vlGlTZ
– Madhu’s book is called Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI and is out this week in the UK and in June in the US. You can pre-order it here or at your retailer of choice. It’s been longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non Fiction.
– You can check out Emma’s writing here. We loved this piece on the Willy Wonka experience — and how it’s reflective of the ‘overpromise and underdeliver’ mentality of the British: https://on.ft.com/49Z7xqz.
– Emma is on X @emmavj. Madhu is at @madhumita29.
More or Less:
– Madhu wants to see more writing by women on subjects including science, tech and philosophy. She recommends Doppelganger by Naomi Klein. You can check out the full Women’s Prize non-fiction longlist here.
– Emma wants to see more short TV. She recommends Mr & Mrs Smith on Amazon Prime, and Swedish-language show Toreon Netflix.
– Lilah wants more exploring the enclaves of your cities. Follow her on Instagram to read her Globetrotter piece in a few weeks.
A previous version of this podcast mentioned that an episode is set in the 10th dimension. A chapter of the trilogy is, but not an episode of the show.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 22 Mar 2024 - 19min - 287 - The Sporkful: Anything’s Pastable 1 | Every Grain Of Salt
Today we’re sharing an episode from a food podcast that we think you might like called The Sporkful, hosted by Dan Pashman. A few years ago, Dan invented a new pasta shape called cascatelli. It went viral and was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Inventions of the Year in 2021. Dan’s first cookbook, called Anything's Pastable: 81 Inventive Recipes for Saucy People,will be released on March 19. And today, we’re bringing you the first in his four-part series about the making of the book.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify etc.
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Links
– You can find episodes 2, 3 and 4 of The Sporkful's Anything’s Pastable series here or wherever you get your podcasts
– Dan’s book, Anything's Pastable: 81 Inventive Recipes for Saucy People, is out on March 19
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 18 Mar 2024 - 45min - 286 - Culture chat: The uncancelling of John Galliano
In his new documentary High and Low, Academy-award winning director Kevin Macdonald focuses on John Galliano, the one-time enfant terrible of fashion. Known for dazzling collections and a personal penchant for wearing pirate outfits, Galliano led the House of Dior from 1997 to 2011. He then “lost it all” when a series of videos surfaced showing him making drunken racist and antisemitic remarks – though that’s just one version of the story. In fact Galliano became creative director of Margiela in 2014, just three years after his “cancellation”. Lilah is joined by HTSI’s assistant editor Louis Wise and the FT’s junior fashion editor Annachiara Biondi to talk about ‘High and Low’, and how the fashion industry handles stars that do bad things.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– High and Low: John Gallianois out now
– Our fashion editor Carola Long’s interview with director Kevin Macdonald is here: https://on.ft.com/3wSTgx0
– The FT’s review of High and Low, by Jonathan Romney: https://on.ft.com/3Ti6B9C
– You can follow Louis Wise on X @louismwise and Instagram @louisquinze.
– Annachiara Biondi is on X @annachiara_b and on Instagram @instapini_
More or Less:
– Annachiara wants more spoken word from artists such as British-Palestinian Tasneim Zyada. You can check out Tasneim’s work on Instagram @tasneimzyada
– Louis would like to see more films that are like “extended perfume adverts”, such as Dune: Part Two. Look in our feed for our Friday culture chat about Dune Two.
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clip courtesy of Mubi.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 15 Mar 2024 - 20min - 285 - Why is fashion so into books right now?
We think of fashion and reading as almost polar opposites: one is about creating an image, the other a kind of internal journey. But a number of recent fashion collections have been inspired by books, including by Hanya Yanagihara, Edgar Allan Poe, and Agatha Christie. Fashion brands are producing literature podcasts and hosting salons. And in interior design, TikTok’s latest trend is bookshelf wealth. On today’s episode, writer Simon Chilvers talks us through what’s behind the rise of literary fashion.
Links:
– Simon Chilvers’ piece, ‘Fashion’s Love For Literature’: https://on.ft.com/3Iu1vlD
– And another great piece by Simon on fashion in literature: https://on.ft.com/48HiqMd
– ‘Bookshelf wealth is the oldest decorating trick in the book’: https://on.ft.com/49K2dYb
– Simon is on Instagram @schilvers3 and X @simonchilvers
– Simon also wants to see the fashion world embracing author Deborah Levy and Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux. You can read the FT’s lunch with Deborah Levy here. And an interview with Annie Ernaux here.
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 11 Mar 2024 - 16min - 284 - Culture chat: Dune: Part Two, directed by Denis Villeneuve
This week, we talk about the new film Dune: Part Two. A star-studded epic featuring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, and more. It’s the second instalment in the Dune franchise, based on the book by Frank Herbert and directed by Denis Villeneuve. The FT’s global business columnist Rana Foroohar, an avid Dune fan, and associate editor Stephen Bush join guest host Katya Kumkova to talk through it. Is watching the film worth its long runtime? Why has Dune endured as a franchise? And what do we want from a possible third film?
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Dune: Part Two is in cinemas now.
– FT critic Danny Leigh’s 4-star review of Dune: Part Two is here: https://on.ft.com/3V7rx5G
– Rana is on X @RanaForoohar and Stephen is @stephenkb.
– Rana has also written the cover story for this week’s FT Magazine – an interview with the USs’ most powerful union leaders: https://on.ft.com/3TsltU4
– For those inspired to read the Dune novels, we enjoyed this feature, ‘Sci-fi books are taking off again’: https://on.ft.com/3T9J0YE
More or Less:
– Rana wants to see more people taking weekend trips to the Catskills.
– Stephen wants to see less detail in video games such as Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. You can read the FT’s review of the game here.
– Katya wants to see better sound design in movies and cinemas. Dune: Part Two’s score was written by Hans Zimmer. You can listen to a playlist here.
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clip by Warner Brothers.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 08 Mar 2024 - 23min - 283 - What young wine drinkers want
If you’ve been to the wine shop lately you may have noticed a trend: wines marketed specifically toward younger drinkers. Many are natural, organic, or biodynamic. Others are made without special certification but boast backstories that focus on the producers, not just the region or grapes. Wine writer Hannah Crosbie joins Lilah to give us a primer on what young wine drinkers want. Why are pét nats, skin-contact wines, and chilled reds suddenly everywhere?
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Hannah’s article on what young wine drinkers want: https://on.ft.com/3P2v4hU
– Hannah is on X @hancrosbie. Her book Corker drops this spring.
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 04 Mar 2024 - 20min - 282 - Culture chat: ‘The Taste of Things’, starring Juliette Binoche
This week, we talk about ‘The Taste of Things’ with Tim Hayward, the FT’s restaurant critic, and our food and drink editor Harriet Fitch Little. The film is set in France in the 1880s and follows the relationship between a talented cook, played by Juliette Binoche, and the food connoisseur who employs her (Benoît Magimel). ‘The Taste of Things’ has received widespread critical acclaim – with critics claiming you can ‘taste every shot’ – and it is France’s entry into the best international film category at the Oscars. What does the film tell us about our relationship with food and pleasure? And beyond the food — what is it really about?
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– ‘The Taste of Things’is showing in theatres now in the UK and US
– The FT’s 5 star review of The Taste of Things, by Leslie Felperin, is here: https://on.ft.com/3InhBNP
– Tim is on X and Instagram @timhayward. Harriet is @HarrietFL
– You can read Tim’s latest columnhere. You can also preorder his upcoming book Steak: The Whole Story here. It’s out on 24 May.
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 01 Mar 2024 - 22min - 281 - Samara Joy, 24-year-old jazz sensation
Jazz singer Samara Joy is just 24 years old. She has more than 1.3mn social media followers and three Grammys. Most notably, she won 2023’s best new artist award, only the second jazz musician ever to join that coveted club. Today, Lilah speaks with Samara about her path: discovering jazz, her thought process as she performs, and how she finds new takes on compositions by greats such as Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus. They also discuss the challenges and pressure of being singular. Does she want to be considered the artist ‘bringing jazz to Gen Z’?
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Lilah’s HTSI profile of Samara, for which this conversation was recorded, is here: https://on.ft.com/3I9H4Kz
– The music video for Tight is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OkkyRkGSRY
– Samara is on TikTok @samarajoysings and Instagram @samarajoysings. You can see if she’s touring near you at www.samarajoy.com/
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 26 Feb 2024 - 18min - 280 - Culture Chat: Jennifer Lopez’s baffling ‘This is Me … Now’
This Friday, we explore Jennifer Lopez’s mind-boggling new movie musical ‘This is Me … Now: A Love Story’, which was released alongside an album of the same name. The film, inspired by her marriage to actor Ben Affleck, is a series of music videos, action scenes and therapy sessions. And it was self-funded, for $20mn. What, exactly was J Lo trying to say with this project? Lilah is joined by two special guests, comedians and hosts of the podcast Celebrity Memoir Book Club, Ashley Hamilton and Claire Parker.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– This is Me…Now: A Love Storyis out now on Amazon Prime. Jennifer Lopez’s new album is also out on all streaming platforms.
– Ashley and Claire’s podcast is called Celebrity Memoir Book Club. It’s available wherever you listen. Here’s their 2021 episode on J Lo’s memoir: https://podcasts.apple.com/md/podcast/jennifer-lopez-knows-true-love/id1533533467?i=1000530871148
– We also love this FT column by Jo Ellison. Bennifer, the rematch and why love deserves a second chance: https://on.ft.com/48rItHj
More or Less:
– Ashley wants more choreographed dance routines, like in music videos by Tinashe.
– Claire wants more considered writing about the arts, and mentioned the Stephen Sondheim musical ‘Here We Are’. Related, here’s a piece from this weekend’s FT on the meaning of musical memorabilia – and why there’s a boom in the market at the moment.
– Lilah wants more narratives told backwards, like Sondheim’s ‘Merrily We Roll Along’, which is playing on Broadway starring Daniel Radcliffe. The FT’s review of the musical is here.
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner, McMurran and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 23 Feb 2024 - 20min - 279 - How technology is changing our bodies
Sitting too much is terrible for you. It leads to early onset heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and anxiety. To fight the effects of our sedentary lifestyle, regular exercise isn’t enough. Scientists have found that if we want to feel better, and be healthier, we need regular movement breaks throughout our days. Journalist and podcaster Manoush Zomorodi recently challenged her listeners to take these. She tells Lilah about the surprising results and why technology can make it hard to plug into your mind-body connection.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– You can listen to Manoush’s reporting for the Body Electric challenge here and take the movement challenge here.
– Lilah’s column on how to be bored is here: https://on.ft.com/3SzU016
– Manoush is on Instagram @manoushz
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 19 Feb 2024 - 18min - 278 - Culture Chat: Margaret Atwood, John Grisham and friends write a novel
In this episode we’re discussing the new novel Fourteen Days. The book is a collaboration by 36 authors including Margaret Atwood, John Grisham, Celeste Ng, RL Stine, and Dave Eggers – and part of the experience is guessing who wrote which part. So does the premise work as a novel? What do we want from experimental fiction? And are we ready to revisit the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which the action is set? Lilah is joined by the FT’s acting deputy books editor Andrew Dickson and assistant arts editor Rebecca Watson, author of the novel Little Scratch.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Fourteen Days, edited by Margaret Atwood and Douglas Preston, is out now where books are sold.
– The FT’s review of Fourteen Days is here: https://on.ft.com/4bCdRFD
– Rebecca’s novel is called Little Scratch (2021). Her second novel I Will Crash comes out on July 4th.
– Andy recommends novels by Sheila Heti and Jon Fosse for their experimental prose.
– Andy is on X, formerly Twitter, @andydickson. Rebecca is @rebeccawhatsun
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 16 Feb 2024 - 17min - 277 - ‘20 Days in Mariupol’ director Mstyslav Chernov
Today, we talk to the director of the acclaimed documentary 20 Days in Mariupol, Mstyslav Chernov. Chernov’s film is an extraordinary chronicle of Russia’s attack on one of Ukraine’s largest cities in its first days under siege. The city is now destroyed. Mstyslav’s team of journalists were the only press left in the city during those 20 days: the film documents the harrowing experience of residents, from hospital workers to shop owners. It has since won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2023, and it is now up for best documentary at the Oscars and the Baftas. Mstyslav joins Lilah to discuss the documentary, his experience making it, and his hopes for Ukraine.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– 20 Days in Mariupol is available to stream on multiple platforms, including Dogwoof On Demand, Amazon Prime and PBS. The full documentary is also on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvAyykRvPBo
– The FT’s 5-star review of 20 Days in Mariupol: https://on.ft.com/49MWvED
– An FT profile of a number of Ukrainian documentarians, including Mstyslav, Maciek Hamela (In The Rearview) and Karim Amer (Defiant): https://on.ft.com/3OEQEZA
– You can follow Mstyslav on Instagram @mstyslav.chernov
– His novel is called The Dream Time (2023)
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner, McMurran and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 12 Feb 2024 - 18min - 276 - Culture Chat: What makes the Super Bowl so super?
Let’s get ready to rumble! This week, we’re pregaming this Sunday’s Super Bowl, which could break records as the most-watched television event in US history. The FT’s sports business correspondent Sara Germano and Wall Street reporter / sports fanatic Sujeet Indap join Lilah to set the scene for the Super Bowl as a cultural event: the teams, the history, the drama, the head injuries, the halftime shows, the Taylor Swift conspiracies! Whether you watch football or not, you’ll be ready for Sunday’s game.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– The Super Bowl goes live at 3.30PM PT / 6.30PM EST this Sunday, February 11. You can watch it in the UK at 10.45 PM on ITV.
– Sara is on X @germanotes. Sujeet is @sindap. Both excellent follows.
– You can follow Sara’s sports reporting here: https://www.ft.com/sara-germano. She will be in Vegas covering the Super Bowl over the weekend, so watch this space!
– Sara’s piece on the resurgence of the Detroit Lions is here, co-written with Mark Vandevelde: https://on.ft.com/3SAht2g
– Sujeet’s reporting on Wall Street is here: https://www.ft.com/sujeet-indap
More or less:
– Sara wants more house remixes of Creed. You can check out Book Club Radio here: https://www.youtube.com/@bookclubradio. The ‘One Last Breath’ remix is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fdKfaq1YN8
– Sujeet wants more independent news and tough questions. You can read more about the Super Bowl commissioner Roger Goodell avoiding tough questions here: https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/roger-goodell-saying-nothing-super-bowl-press-conference-invite-only/
– Lilah wants more funny novels. She has been reading Come and Get It by Kiley Reid, who also wrote Such A Fun Age (2021)
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, and Katie McMurran. Clip courtesy of Pepsi, Sony Music, Weathered and Jojo Lorenzo.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 09 Feb 2024 - 23min - 275 - Why everyone is talking about polyamory
Molly Roden Winter was a frustrated mom of two in Brooklyn when she and her husband decided that they should open their marriage. What followed was a 10-year journey of self-exploration that brought Molly not only into some seedy hotel rooms but also to therapy, back to work, and into other activities that added up to a more fulfilling life. Today Molly is on the show to talk about her memoir More in which she details her journey. She also tells Lilah what polyamory could teach monogamous couples.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Molly’s book Moreis out now
– The FT’s review of More, by Rana Foroohar, is here: https://on.ft.com/3UmsdUF
– Molly is on X @mollyrwinter
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 05 Feb 2024 - 18min - 274 - Culture chat: Is ‘Poor Things’ a feminist film?
Today we take on ‘Poor Things’, the latest film from director Yorgos Lanthimos. It stars Emma Stone as a Victorian woman whose brain is replaced with that of her unborn baby. She embarks on a sexual journey of self-discovery through Europe and beyond. The film is a critical darling, with 11 Oscar nominations, but unsurprisingly, it left many viewers feeling uneasy. Lilah invites FT arts editor Jan Dalley and HTSI editor Jo Ellison to talk through it: is it an empowering exploration of a woman’s sexual freedom or an uninspiring male gaze fantasy?
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Poor Thingsis in theatres now
– You can read the FT’s three-star review of Poor Things, by film critic Danny Leigh here: https://on.ft.com/480VjMg
– The FT’s Raphael Abraham also wrote a review of Poor Things – and gave it five stars: https://on.ft.com/49jGnKe
– The article we mentioned, with 14 critics’ perspectives on the film, is here: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/jan/24/bound-gagged-poor-things-feminist-masterpiece-male-sex-fantasy-oscar-emma-stone-ruffalo
– Jo is on X @joellison and Instagram @jellison22
More or less:
– Jo wants to see more of Harris Dickinson, who is in The Iron Claw (out now), and Triangle of Sadness
– Jan wants to see more funding for the arts, and for artists to be given more creative freedom
– Lilah wants better, more concentrated travel reviews, and Oaxaca tips! (You can write to her on Instagram)
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clip courtesy of Searchlight
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 02 Feb 2024 - 20min - 273 - Introducing: Swamp Notes from The FT News Briefing
If you have questions about this year's US presidential election, we have answers.
Swamp Notes is a new podcast from the FT News Briefing. Listen every Saturday morning as our journalists analyse and discuss the latest happenings in US politics. We’ll go beyond the horse race for the White House and offer a global perspective on the election.
You can subscribe to Swamp Notes here or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wed, 31 Jan 2024 - 1min - 272 - Tim Hayward’s case for gluttony
Restaurant critic Tim Hayward has been writing about food for the FT for years. He also owns a bakery in Cambridge. So when a friend accused him of being a glutton, his reaction was: “Of course I’m a glutton! Do people still think that’s a bad thing?” Today Tim is on the podcast to share his thoughts on how we came to see food through a moral lens. What does it mean to be a glutton in the age of Ozempic? How do we let ourselves enjoy food? And how can we stop judging each other, while acknowledging that some eating habits can be bad for your health?
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Tim’s column on gluttony: https://on.ft.com/3SxE3tz
– Lilah's piece about reviving extinct recipes: http://on.ft.com/3Ojrfo5
– Another Tim column: ‘Should you ever go back to a favourite restaurant?” https://on.ft.com/3Syk9P6
– Tim’s most recent restaurant review on Cafe Kitty in London: https://on.ft.com/3HGk2e1
– Susan Sontag’s ‘Notes on Camp’: https://monoskop.org/images/5/59/Sontag_Susan_1964_Notes_on_Camp.pdf
– Tim is on Instagram at @timhayward
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tue, 30 Jan 2024 - 16min - 271 - Culture chat: Sleater-Kinney and where did angry music go?
This week, we talk about the longstanding American rock band Sleater-Kinney and their 11th album, Little Rope, which came out this month. The band rose out of the grunge and riot grrrl movements in the late 1990s with a raw, rage-filled sound and feminist lyrics. And they’re one of the few all-women bands to have had a career this long. How has their sound evolved? And where did the angry countercultural music of the 90s go? Lilah is joined by FT's music critic Arwa Haider and FT Weekend Magazine editor Matt Vella.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, where she’s posting a photo of Breen and his burn book. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Little Ropeby Sleater Kinney is available everywhere
–Lilah, Matt and Arwa highly recommend the music video for their song ‘Say It Like You Mean It’: https://youtu.be/Vp2z1cL6qoU
– Here are three of Arwa’s recent reviews: Tate McRae's pop album Think Later: https://on.ft.com/3HyfIxG, Dominique Dalcan's electronic album Last Night a Woman Saved My Life https://on.ft.com/3SuiXwi, Maluma's reggaeton album Don Juan: https://on.ft.com/3SvMCoG
– Matt Vella is on X @mattvella. Arwa is @ArwaHaider
More or less:
– Arwa wants more daytime raves, such as Annie Mac’s Before Midnight Party. The 90s raves she mentioned were Sunny Side Up, Everything But the Girl and Sunday Best
– Matt wants to see more bad fakes, something that helps us improve our deepfake literacy. The FT Magazine article he mentioned by Tim Harford is here: https://on.ft.com/499eKDC
– Lilah wants to go to more small local music venues. She went to the New York club Blue Note to see jazz singer Samara Joy. Watch out for Lilah’s interview with Samara in HTSI, and an episode with her here, in a few weeks!
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clips courtesy of Loma Vista and Kill Rock Stars.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 26 Jan 2024 - 20min - 270 - Tim Harford’s advice for how to do less
Tim Harford is a busy guy. He’s got two podcasts, has written 10 books, and has a standing column in the FT called the Undercover Economist. But recently he’s been trying to do less – and not just less bad stuff. He’s cutting down on good things, too, like kickboxing practice and reading New Yorker articles. The idea came to Tim after reading a book called Subtract by Leidy Klotz, in which Klotz looks at research that shows that humans have a bias against subtraction. Instead, our idea of fixing things often involves adding more. Tim tells Lilah how his subtraction experiment is going, and why giving up on one activity can help you enjoy the activities that you choose to stick with.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on X and Instagram @lilahrap. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Tim recently wrote about the art of subtraction here: https://on.ft.com/3U5A3BK
– He is on X @TimHarford
– You can check out recent episodes of Tim’s “More or Less” podcast from the BBC here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qshd/episodes/player
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clips courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tue, 23 Jan 2024 - 16min - 269 - Culture Chat: Mean Girls, old and new
This week, we take on the remake of the 2004 teen movie classic, “Mean Girls”. The original “Mean Girls”, starring Lindsay Lohan and written by Tina Fey, was a phenomenon. It’s been called one of the most quotable movies of all time. This new musical remake, based on the original film and the Broadway show, is in theatres now. What did the original film represent for us? Did we need this new version? And what generation is it for? Lilah is joined by the FT’s US financial editor Brooke Masters and Life and Art producer Lulu Smyth to figure it out.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, where she’s posting a photo of Breen and his burn book. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– “Mean Girls”, written by Tina Fey, is out in cinemas in the US and UK now.
– The FT’s review of the film is here: https://on.ft.com/3Snt7yJ
– Brooke is on X @brookeamasters
– We also loved this piece by Miranda Green on modern “Mean Girls” and the impact of social media (June 2023) : https://on.ft.com/48ZWRHy
More or Less:
– Lulu wants to see more respected male actors in romcoms: specifically Joaquin Phoenix in the next “High School Musical”
– Brooke wants to see fewer universe expansions and more original content
– Lilah recommends reading new plays – and if you’re in New York, seeing Appropriate”, starring Sarah Paulson. The play is written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. You can read it online here: https://hilsee.com/ApproPlayText.pdf
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clips courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 19 Jan 2024 - 23min - 268 - Introducing Untold: The Retreat
Introducing Untold, a new podcast from the special investigations team at the Financial Times. In its first series, The Retreat, host Madison Marriage examines the world of the Goenka network, which promotes a type of intensive meditation known as Vipassana. Thousands of people go on Goenka retreats every year. People rave about them. But some people go to these meditation retreats, and they suffer. They might feel a deep sense of terror, or a break with reality. And on the other side, they’re not themselves anymore. Untold: The Retreat launches Jan. 24.
Subscribe and listen on:Apple Podcasts,Spotifyor wherever you listen to podcasts.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tue, 16 Jan 2024 - 1min - 267 - Why our fashion editor buys almost nothing new
Last year, the FT’s fashion editor Lauren Indvik made a pledge that surprised us. She vowed to buy just five new items of clothing and shoes all year long. The number comes from a study that says in order to stick to the Paris Agreement’s goals, five new items of fashion a year is the optimal goal for those who live in the world’s richest countries. Lauren tells Lilah how the experiment went and whether she stuck to five things. She also shares her tips for buying fewer new clothes.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email the show at lifeandart@ft.com.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Lauren’s article about the ‘five things pledge’ and how it went: https://on.ft.com/4aO1WV3
– Lauren recommends using TheRealReal for second-hand luxury clothes in the US; in the UK she shops the Vestiaire Collective
– The report from the Hot or Cool Institute that inspired Lauren: https://hotorcool.org/unfit-unfair-unfashionable/
– Lauren also mentions the Ellen Macarthur Foundation: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/
– Lauren is taking a break from her Fashion Matters newsletter while she is on parental leave, but you can start receiving it when she’s back if you sign up now: https://on.ft.com/48QdvJv
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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Mon, 15 Jan 2024 - 18min - 266 - Comfort watch: Something’s Gotta Give (2003)
This week, as we enter the depths of January, we return to an old comfort classic: the 2003 Nancy Meyers romcom Something’s Gotta Give, starring Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson. In it, two middle-aged people fall in love, but only after one heart attack, two younger lovers, some unexpected midnight pancakes and ample bickering. Does the movie still work today? How has the way we depict aging in film changed? And do we miss Nancy Meyers movies? Joining Lilah is comedian Negin Farsad, host of the podcast Fake the Nation, and FT senior corporate finance correspondent Eric Platt. This is one of his favourite movies.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email the show at lifeandart@ft.com.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Something’s Gotta Give (2003) is available to rent on streaming services
– You can find Negin’s podcast Fake the Nation wherever you listen, or here: https://headgum.com/fake-the-nation
– Here’s a recent piece she wrote about a magic mushroom retreat in Jamaica: https://www.afar.com/magazine/what-a-mycomeditations-magic-mushroom-retreat-is-really-like
– Eric writes about corporate finance for the FT. You can find his most recent piece here: https://on.ft.com/4220z12
– Negin is on X at @NeginFarsad.
– You might also like our conversation with the author Curtis Sittenfeld about romcoms and her novel Romantic Comedy: https://on.ft.com/48RggtW
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 12 Jan 2024 - 28min - 265 - A travel guide for visiting all 50 US states
In the height of the coronavirus pandemic, our US banking editor Josh Franklin began a travel hobby that became an out-and-out goal. He wanted to see more of America, so he decided to visit all 50 states, from Alabama to Wyoming. He joins Lilah to tell us what he learned about the country, when he felt “this was worth it” and “this was a huge mistake”, what tips he has for our own road trips, and places in the US we might want to visit ourselves.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email her at lilah.raptopoulos@ft.com.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Josh’s piece about travelling to every US state: https://on.ft.com/3NNgYAA
– Josh’s four places: Ocean Springs, Mississippi; North OR South Dakota; the Upper Peninsula along the great lakes in Michigan; and Duluth, Minnesota
– Our travel team’s 43 holidays to take in 2024: https://on.ft.com/3RFoOwY
– Another great recent travel piece: ‘My weekend as a monk: a Scottish spiritual retreat’: https://on.ft.com/3RFoOgs
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Special FT subscription and trial offers for Life and Art podcast listeners are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 08 Jan 2024 - 16min - 264 - Culture Chat: ‘The Boy and the Heron’, and Miyazaki’s legacy
This Friday, for our first episode of 2024, we discuss The Boy and The Heron, the latest film from legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki and his team at Studio Ghibli. It is the most expensive Japanese film ever made, and has received widespread critical acclaim. But what, exactly, is it about? Lilah chats through it with political columnist Stephen Bush and Leo Lewis, the FT’s Asia Business editor, who has co-written a book on anime. Is it about his past, or the future of animation? Where does it sit in the Studio Ghibli canon? And is Miyazaki ever really done?
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email her at lilah.raptopoulos@ft.com.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– The FT’s review of The Boy and the Heron is here: https://on.ft.com/3S47ZNS
– Leo’s book on anime, co-authored with Roland Kelts, is called Japanamerica. His exclusive FT interview with Studio Ghibli’s Toshio Suzuki is here: https://on.ft.com/3TPuVBQ
– Here’s a recent FT interview with Miyazaki’s closest collaborators: https://on.ft.com/47oXc56
– The other films we mentioned are Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Ponyo, Howl’s Moving Castle and Castle in the Sky
– Stephen wants less expensive video games. He recommends the indie game I Was A Teenage Exocolonist
– Lilah recommends the docuseries 10 years with Miyazaki, which is available for free on NHK World Japan,and Italianamerican, which is available on Max
– Leo is on X @Urbandirt. Stephen Bush is @stephenkb
– You can get a free trial to Stephen’s political newsletter Inside Politics – which includes a daily cultural recommendation – by clicking here
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco and Simon Panayi.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 05 Jan 2024 - 23min - 263 - Working It: why are so many people retraining as psychotherapists?
While the Life and Art team takes a break for Christmas, we’re sharing an episode of Working It, the FT’s workplace podcast hosted by Isabel Berwick.
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, tens of thousands of people in the UK have retrained as psychotherapists or counsellors. What is it about the field that has attracted so many, and what does this phenomenon tell us about work? Host Isabel Berwick speaks to the FT’s Bethan Staton, who wrote a brilliant piece on this topic, to find out more. Later, she speaks to Michael Skapinker, who worked as an FT reporter, senior editor and award-winning columnist before training as a counsellor. Michael tells us what his new line of work has taught him and why he wishes he’d thought about it sooner.
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We love hearing from you! Write us. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– ‘Profession of the century’: why so many people are retraining as therapists
– Letter: Therapy is no cure for a society in crisis External Link
– Therapy at work: banks and law firms among those offering counselling as staff perk
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
—--
Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 01 Jan 2024 - 14min - 262 - Culture Gabfest: the Beyhive swarms the box office
Life & Art presents a special episode from Slate’s Culture Gabfest podcast, hosted by culture critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner. The three hosts first explore Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé with Slate culture writer (and Beyhive stan) Nadira Goffe. Then, they consider Todd Haynes’ May December, an emotionally curious, tonally dissonant study of life’s grey areas starring Natalie Portman, longtime collaborator Julianne Moore and Charles Melton. Finally, the three are joined by EEFOP (Exceedingly Exceptional Friend of the Pod), Slate writer Dan Kois to discuss Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Lost Christmas!, a posthumous sequel to Theodor Geisel’s iconic 1957 children’s book. Life & Art will return with regular episodes next week.
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We love hearing from you! Write us. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap.
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 29 Dec 2023 - 51min - 261 - History of Literature: a conversation with Anne Enright, winner of the Man Booker Prize
Life & Art presents an episode of History of Literature. After taking a look at Emily Dickinson's Poem #269 ("Wild Nights - wild nights!"), Jacke Wilson talks to novelist Anne Enright about growing up in Ireland, her writing career and her new book The Wren, The Wren. Plus, Dublin literary historian Christopher Morash (Dublin: A Writer's City) stops by to select the last book he will ever read.
Episode link here.
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We love hearing from you! Write us. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap.
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 25 Dec 2023 - 58min - 260 - Culture chat: Wonka, starring Timothée Chalamet
For our last episode of 2023, we’re bringing you a special discussion on ‘Wonka’, this year’s family Christmas film and a musical extravaganza. Starring Timothée Chalamet, it follows the life of a young Willy Wonka as he struggles to set up his first chocolate shop. Does it work? Can Chalamet sing? Do we need another Roald Dahl adaptation? Lilah’s joined by FT House and Home editor Nathan Brooker and US investments correspondent Madison Darbyshire to talk through it.
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We love hearing from you! Write us. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– ‘Wonka’, starring Timothée Chalamet directed by Paul King, is out in UK and US cinemas.
– The FT’s review of Wonka, by Danny Leigh, is here: https://on.ft.com/3v8Jru0
– Madison’s column on why Cosmopolitans are conquering New York City: https://on.ft.com/4awUOvW
– Keep an eye out for Lilah’s column about boredom, out in the FT soon.
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner. Clips courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 22 Dec 2023 - 22min - 259 - Our 2024 cultural predictions: short movies, glitter chaos, cabbage
It’s almost the end of 2023, which means one thing: it’s time for our annual predictions episode! You sent in your suggestions – and today, FT magazine editor Matt Vella joins Lilah to talk through them. Will films get shorter? Will primal scream therapy get cool? Is cabbage in? Will there be more nuance, or less nuance?
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As this episode suggests, we love hearing from you! Stay in touch. You can email at lifeandart@ft.com or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Matt is on Twitter @mattvella.
– The magazine piece Matt mentioned on microplastics is here: https://on.ft.com/3GKYNHO
– Our colleague Emma Jacobs wants to see more 90-minute films like Rye Lane andPast Lives. Here’s the FT’s review of Rye Lane: https://on.ft.com/3NtzgGM and Past Lives: https://on.ft.com/4anSIOR
– You can follow Emma on X @emmavj. Eric Platt, who wants crop tops to make a comeback, is @ericgplatt
Here are some roundups of the FT’s favourite cultural things from 2023:
– Pop albums: https://on.ft.com/3GNur7v
– TV shows: https://on.ft.com/470629p
– Films: https://on.ft.com/3RINMgb
– Video games: https://on.ft.com/3tiY7pQ
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 18 Dec 2023 - 23min - 258 - Culture chat: a Christmas music special
This Friday, we are bringing you a festive music extravaganza! We’re talking all things Christmas music: the classics, the duds, the Cher album, and how the genre is changing. What are the best and worst Christmas songs? Why are old songs suddenly charting? And the eternal question: how soon is too soon to pull out the playlists? Lilah is joined by pop music critic Ludo Hunter-Tilney, and Taylor Nicole Rogers, the FT’s Labour and Equality correspondent.
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We love hearing from you! Write us. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Look out for Ludo’s Christmas round up, out next weekend. In the meantime, here’s his roundup of the best pop albums of 2023, including Lana Del Rey and The Chemical Brothers: https://on.ft.com/3RKPtdm
– Ludo is on X at @ludohunter. Taylor is at @TaylorNRogers
We have compiled a Spotify Christmas playlist for you, with all of the songs we talked about! Listen to ithere.
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner. Clips courtesy of Sony Legacy, Fervent, A&M, Republic Records, Island Records, and Motown.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 15 Dec 2023 - 21min - 257 - Books books books! You asked, we answered
Today, we talk books. The FT’s books team recently published our annual books of the year special, and they join us to share their personal recommendations. They also answer listener questions: what books will get you out of ‘reader’s block’? What’s a good gift for a family member who loves history, or a friend who’s anxious about the world? What book could you pair with a candle and some socks? Lilah speaks with literary editor Fred Studemann and deputy books editor Laura Battle.
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We love hearing from you. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap.
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Recommendations and links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
Some great lists from our books of the year special:
– Best fiction: https://on.ft.com/4a4xjds
– Best history: https://on.ft.com/4a9ErFx
– Best audiobooks https://on.ft.com/3t9tVNT
– Critics’ picks: https://on.ft.com/3RyWH3H
– For getting past your reader’s block, Laura and Fred recommend Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell andThe House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng. Laura also loved The Fraud by Zadie Smith
– Fred’s picks for history lovers are Revolutionary Spring by Christopher Clark and King: a Life by Jonathan Eig; Laura’s is Red Memory by Tanya Branigan
– For a stocking stuffer, Lilah suggests Love and Other Poems by Alex Dimitrov. Laura likes The Cabin by Natasha Preston and other books about the outdoors. Fred is going with Claire Keegan’s So Late in the Day
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 11 Dec 2023 - 18min - 256 - Culture chat: ‘Napoleon’ with Simon Schama
Historian Sir Simon Schama and FT deputy arts editor and film expert Raph Abraham join Lilah to discuss the historical epic ‘Napoleon’. Ridley Scott’s new two-and-a-half-hour-long film stars Joaquin Phoenix, and documents a lot: Napoleon’s rise and fall, some of his most famous battles, and his relationship with his wife, Josephine. But how well does it represent his character? We discuss what the film got right and wrong (historically and dramatically), why Napoleon continues to loom so large in culture, and whether historical epics still satisfy us.
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We are still collecting your cultural predictions for 2024! What’s one thing you think will happen (or want to happen) in culture next year? Write us. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Simon’s FT Weekend essay on Napoleon, and why so many writers and filmmakers try to depict him: https://on.ft.com/4861gbn
– the FT’s official review of Napoleon by Danny Leigh: https://on.ft.com/484moPh
– An essay from Janan Ganesh on why Napoleon still matters: https://on.ft.com/3uWF8Sj
– Simon recommends the 2012 movie ‘Lincoln’, directed by Steven Spielberg
– Raph is a fan of Pablo Larrain’s ‘Jackie,’ from 2016, and the Leonard Bernstein biopic ‘Maestro’, directed by Bradley Cooper and available on Netflix on December 20
– We interviewed Pablo Larrain in 2021 about his creative process: https://on.ft.com/3oofjVO
– Lilah wrote a column about learning to draw: https://on.ft.com/46NBaZt
– Simon is on X @simon_schama
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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Sat, 09 Dec 2023 - 25min - 255 - Tell us your cultural prediction for 2024
As we prepare for our end of year predictions episode, we want to hear from you: what is one thing that you think will happen (or you want to happen!) culturally in 2024?
Write us — or even better, open your voice memo app and record us a voice note — and email it to lifeandart@ft.com! Or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap.
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Wed, 06 Dec 2023 - 1min - 254 - Designing Elvis’s world in ‘Priscilla’
Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla came out in the US recently and will be out in the UK in January. The film, which follows Elvis Presley’s wife Priscilla through their relationship, is visually stunning, and today, Lilah speaks with its celebrated lead production designer, Tamara Deverell. To recreate Elvis’s homes, including the infamous Graceland, Tamara had to imagine it all from Priscilla’s perspective. Tamara tells Lilah about her creative process and why she sees Priscilla as the story of many women in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, as told through hair and makeup.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email her at lilahrap@ft.com.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– ‘Priscilla’ is out now in the US and will be out in theatres in the UK on January 1.
– Earlier this year, Sofia Coppola gave an exclusive interview to the FT’s HTSI: https://on.ft.com/412E2jU
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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Mon, 04 Dec 2023 - 17min - 253 - Culture Chat: Netflix’s ‘The Crown’
This Friday, we talk through the final season of The Crown. Its first four episodes recently dropped on Netflix, and its depiction of Princess Diana’s death has been controversial. What did we think of the first part of the season? How did The Crown sustain its nine-year journey as a series? And will we see big ambitious prestige TV like it again? Lilah is joined by UK chief political commentator Robert Shrimsley and deputy news editor India Ross.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email her at lilah.raptopoulos@ft.com.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– The first four episodes of The Crown S6 are available on Netflix now. The final four episodes will air on December 14.
– Robert’s FT Weekend Magazine satirical column on the ‘ghost of Diana’ scene: https://on.ft.com/47Vpmp5
– The FT’s review of Season 6: https://on.ft.com/3uK2YRa
– Robert is on X at @robertshrimsley.
More or less recommendations:
– Robert recommends the show Slow Horses, which is on Apple+, and the novel series it’s based on by Mick Herron
– India wants more good TV, like Euphoria, White Lotus and (controversially) The Idol
– Lilah recommends Rocky 2. Just kidding. She recommends doing the thing! Run up the steps like Sylvester Stallone in Rocky 2
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner. Clip courtesy of Netflix.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 01 Dec 2023 - 23min - 252 - Tech Tonic presents: Can AI help us speak to animals? Part one
While the Life and Art team takes a break for Thanksgiving, we’re sharing an episode of Tech Tonic, the FT’s technology podcast hosted by innovation editor John Thornhill. This is part one of a two-part series about whether AI can help us speak to animals. Search ‘Tech Tonic’ where you listen or look here for part two: https://on.ft.com/3sQh1DR
Here’s what it’s about:A hardware revolution in recording devices and a software revolution in artificial intelligence is enabling researchers to listen in to all kinds of conversations outside the human hearing range, a field known as bioacoustics. Some scientists now believe these developments will also allow us to ‘translate’ animal sounds into human language. In a new season of Tech Tonic, FT innovation editor John Thornhill and series producer Persis Love ask whether we’re moving closer to being able to ‘speak whale’ or even to chat with bats.
Free links:
– Google Translate for the zoo? How humans might talk to animals
– Karen Bakker, scientist and author, 1971-2023
– How generative AI really works
Credits: Sperm whale sounds from Project CETI; honeyhunter calls from Claire Spottiswoode Presented by John Thornhill, produced by Persis Love, sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 27 Nov 2023 - 29min - 251 - Working It presents: How to master the art of schmoozing
While the Life and Art team takes a break for Thanksgiving, we’re sharing an episode of Working It, the FT’s workplace podcast hosted by Isabel Berwick.
Here’s what it’s about:Do you ever find yourself lost for words? Or maybe you have too much to say? This week’s episode features a masterclass in chit-chat from Matt Abrahams, a lecturer in communications at Stanford University, podcast host and author of the book 'Think Faster, Talk Smarter'. Good conversation is an essential tool of self-promotion in the office. So what do we make of Matt’s advice here at the FT office? Host Isabel Berwick gets the views of award-winning FT columnist Pilita Clark and Stephen Bush, who writes the FT’s daily Inside Politics newsletter.
If you’re an FT subscriber, you can find Isabel’s newsletter at https://www.ft.com/newsletters
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email her at lilah.raptopoulos@ft.com.
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 24 Nov 2023 - 21min - 250 - How to keep your plants happy as it gets cold
Robin Lane Fox is one of the foremost gardening experts in the world. He’s been the FT’s gardening columnist for 53 years. And he joins us today to talk about what to do with your plants in winter. As it gets colder and darker, what should we do to keep our plants happy, indoors and out? The conversation is a delight. We’ve shared all of his recommendations below.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email her at lilah.raptopoulos@ft.com.
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Robin’s recommendations (all FT links get you past the paywall):
–Robin’s public gardens, ‘the kissing fields’, are the gardens he runs at New College, Oxford. Here’s a video of him giving an exclusive tour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae1lCrnsm3k
Robin’s outdoor winter suggestions for the UK are: the winter flowering cherry tree (Prunus subhirtella autumnalis). He also recommends the family of flowering Viburnum shrubs (Viburnumx bodnantense'dawn' is pink, and 'Deben' is white), and above all, his best tip: hellebores, especially the Ashwood hybrids, and the Harvington hybrids.
Here’s Robin’s column on November flowers: https://on.ft.com/3uiNPWW
Robin’s book suggestion for Japanese gardening is My World of Hepaticas by John Massey
For indoor plants in cold regions, try Phalaenopsis orchids. If you have too many orchids, here are some other options: Cyclamen, azaleas, poinsettia, and white jasmine.
Robin’s current bestselling book is Homer and His Iliad.
Robin’s selection from last year of Christmas gifts for gardeners is here: https://on.ft.com/3ucX6j9
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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Mon, 20 Nov 2023 - 16min - 249 - Culture chat: the unknowable Dolly Parton
This Friday, we’re talking about the deification of Dolly Parton, or, as we like to call her, Saint Dolly. Her new release Rockstar comes out today – a 30-track rock album that features duets with artists such as Paul McCartney, Sting, Elton John and Stevie Nicks on cover versions of their classic songs. The album feels a bit like a karaoke album, but we had a lot of fun listening to it – partially because Parton is so easy to love. So how did Parton become such a cultural icon? What does she represent? And why do we want a Saint Dolly? Lilah is joined by US media correspondent Anna Nicolaou and FT Magazine’s food and drink editor (and long-time Dollyhead) Harriet Fitch Little.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email her at lilah.raptopoulos@ft.com.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Rockstarby Dolly Parton is available to stream now, on all music streaming platforms.
– Here’s the FT’s review of Rockstar, by our pop critic Ludo Hunter-Tilney: https://on.ft.com/3ufuiql
– Harriet unpacks the history of Parton’s hit ‘9 to 5’ for the FT column Life of a Song: https://on.ft.com/49F9Uiz
– Anna is on X @annanicolaou, Harriet is on X at @HarrietFL and Instagram at @huffffle
More or less:
– Harriet recommends Jury Duty, available to stream free on Amazon Prime
– For great local-feeling restaurants in New York, Lilah has a hundred recommendations, but here are three: Claud, a wine bar in the East Village, Names in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, and (the classic) Frankie’s in Carroll Gardens
– Here’s the article Harriet mentioned, ‘The UK’s 19 cosiest winter restaurants – according to FT writers’: https://on.ft.com/3MNmZwy
– Anna hates grey wood floors
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clips courtesy of Big Machine Records.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 17 Nov 2023 - 22min - 248 - Comfort cooking with vegetables, with Hetty McKinnon
This week, as it gets colder and darker, we discuss cosy, warming winter recipes that don’t rely on a big hunk of meat. Bestselling cookbook author Hetty McKinnon joins us to talk plant-based winter cooking, from ways to use kale and broccoli, to layering flavour, to her favourite spices and herbs. Hetty’s newest cookbook, Tenderheart, came out this spring.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram and X @lilahrap. You can email her at lilah.raptopoulos@ft.com.
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Links:
– Hetty’s kale and orzo recipe can be found in Tenderheart. Her other bestselling cookbook is called To Asia With Love
– Hetty is on Instagram at @hettymckinnon. She also has a newsletter, To Vegetables With Love
– Here’s a delicious winter lentil stew from the FT Weekend Magazine recipe columnists, Honey & Co: https://on.ft.com/3ujlPCk
– And a piece Lilah recommends from Laila Gohar about winter cabbage: https://on.ft.com/3MEv2vp
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Special FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 13 Nov 2023 - 17min - 247 - Culture chat: Nathan Fielder and ‘The Curse’
For our first Friday culture chat, we talk about the new cringe-drama-comedy show The Curse, which dropped on Paramount Plus today. Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone play a couple who are making a problematic reality TV show, Flipanthropy, whose goal is to “ethically gentrify” an American neighbourhood. When they’re cursed by a child, their lives are turned upside down. Lilah’s joined by FT columnist Stephen Bush and assistant arts editor Rebecca Watson to talk about the show and how prestige TV is changing comedy. Why are we laughing less, and cringing more? And why is comedy so complicated right now?
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email her at lilah.raptopoulos@ft.com.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– The Cursecan be streamed on Paramount Plus and Showtime in the US from November 10. It airs on Paramount Plus in the UK from November 11
– The other shows we discussed are Nathan For You (2013-2017) and The Rehearsal (2022)
– Look out for the FT’s review of The Curse. TV critic Dan Einav’s review of The Rehearsal is here: https://on.ft.com/3SASwFM
– Rebecca Watson’s novel is called Little Scratch. She’s on X at @rebeccawhatsun
– Stephen Bush’s daily UK politics newsletter is called Inside Politics. You can trial it for free here. He’s on X at @stephenkb
– Stephen recommended, as films where children act like children, the new British film Scrapper and the 2021 Belgian film Playground. Rebecca added the 2022 film Aftersun
– Lilah recommended the comedian Rachel Kaly
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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 10 Nov 2023 - 24min - 246 - Athens is crowded. Where else should you go?
In our inaugural episode of Life and Art from FT Weekend, we go to Athens. The FT’s Greece and Cyprus correspondent Eleni Varvitsioti is a lifelong Athenian, and for the past 16 years she has lived in the centre of town, in the shadow of the Acropolis. But as Athens has become more popular with tourists, the centre has become less and less livable. This week, Eleni tells us what exactly is causing the congestion, and what should be done about it. She and Lilah also suggest alternate Greek itineraries, from coastal day trips within an easy drive from Athens, to their favourite islands.
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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram and X @lilahrap. You can email her at lilah.raptopoulos@ft.com.
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Links:
– Eleni’s essay on living in Athens’ city centre: https://on.ft.com/3QJo373
Greece recommendations:
– From Athens, Eleni suggests you drive 15km-20km along the coast to around Cape Sounio, where there are beautiful beaches. Visit the Temple of Poseidon and visit a taverna underneath it.
– Lilah recommends Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, about 500km north of Athens. There are two perfect restaurants for sit-down gyros and soutzoukakia (Greek meatballs): Diagonios and Diavasi.
– Eleni suggests, if you’re visiting Thessaloniki, to also visit Vergina, which is the tomb of Philip II of Macedon (Philip the Great).
– For islands, Eleni recommends Sifnos. Lilah recommends Skopelos, and the much less discovered southern coast of Crete.
– Other recommendations that we didn’t have space for in the episode: Eleni suggests taking a drive from Athens down along the coastlines of the Peloponnese, or to visit the northwest of the country, Ioannina, if you like nature and hiking. Lilah recommends climbing Mount Olympus, which is an actual thing you can do (you can take day hikes or stay overnight at the peak), and visiting Meteora, a complex of 14th century monasteries built precipitously on the tops of immense towering rocks.
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Special FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clip courtesy of Sony Pictures.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 06 Nov 2023 - 16min - 245 - Introducing: Life and Art, from FT Weekend
Starting Monday we will be bringing you a whole new show! It’s called Life and Art, from FT Weekend. Join host Lilah Raptopoulos for two new episodes each week right here in this feed.
On Mondays, we’ll talk about life and how to live a good one. We’ll chat about food, creativity, travel and more.
On Fridays, Lilah will host a roundtable that will dive deep into a piece of culture that’s in the air right now. Every week, we’ll invite two colleagues from around the FT for the conversation.
So don’t go anywhere! Life and Art from FT Weekend debuts this Monday November 6.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 03 Nov 2023 - 1min - 244 - ‘Halloween’ and what makes a good horror film
We’re entering Halloween weekend, so today we’re bringing you a special episode about why we like to be scared, and what scares us! We are dissecting the 1978 horror classic Halloween, by John Carpenter. This week marks its 45th anniversary. The film follows a masked serial killer, Michael Myers, as he returns to his hometown on a killing spree, and is 19-year-old Jamie Lee Curtis’ debut. It’s become one of the most popular horror franchises in history. But how does it hold up now? We’re joined by FT magazine editor/scary movie aficionado Matt Vella, and executive audio producer/occasional horror fiction writer Manuela Saragosa to talk about the film and what makes a horror film work. They also try to convince Lilah that horror films are, indeed, important and good. Be sure to listen to the intro for a special announcement!
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We love hearing from you. You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We tweet @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Manuela’s short story appears in ‘Six Scary Stories selected by Stephen King’ (2016).
– You can find Matt and Manuela on X, formerly Twitter, @mattvella and @manuelasaragosa
– Our film review of Dr Jeckell: https://on.ft.com/3Q9oBBD
– FT’s video interview with Jamie Lee Curtis, ‘A Life in Acting in a Changing Hollywood’ (May): https://on.ft.com/3QdBJWl
– Check out Luke Edward Hall’s column on how to host a pagan Halloween party (2021): https://on.ft.com/3QwpoxI
– This isn't halloween related, but we loved this recent piece on how to cook a six-dish autumn feast (the formatting of the recipes really makes it easy to throw a dinner party): https://on.ft.com/3rXgzE0
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Special FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clip courtesy of Sony Pictures.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 27 Oct 2023 - 22min - 243 - The Eras tour movie: can Taylor Swift get any bigger?
This week, we’re talking about the show, and pop star, of the century: Taylor Swift just released the film version of her Eras concert in theatres, and it’s already breaking records. Lilah hosts a roundtable on both the film and the Taylor phenomenon with HTSI Editor Jo Ellison and US media correspondent Anna Nicolaou. How did we all get wrapped up in the hype? Is there anywhere else for Swift to go? Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or at http://ft.com/ftweekendpodcast.
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We love hearing from you. You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We tweet @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– the FT’s review of the Taylor Swift concert documentary: https://on.ft.com/46Hl0lh
– Anna has been writing about the Taylor Swift phenomenon for years, including here and here
– read Jo's column on seeing Taylor, which came out the day this episode dropped. You can find Jo on Twitter and Instagram at @jellison
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Special FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 20 Oct 2023 - 22min - 242 - The best food writing is personal
This week, we bring you a conversation about food memoirs from the recent FT Weekend Festival. Cooking and eating are two of the most sensory and universal experiences we have, which makes food an excellent vehicle for stories. And food memoirs have become an extremely popular genre. Lilah speaks about it with three food-based storytellers: chef and FT columnist Ravinder Bhogal; 19-year-old baker and Instagram star Kitty Tait, who wrote a book about how baking bread saved her life; and Angela Hui, who wrote a popular memoir about growing up in a Chinese takeaway in rural Wales.
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We love hearing from you. You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter@ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
-Ravinder’s most recent recipe is here: https://on.ft.com/3ZVQiCz
-Angela’s book is called Takeaway: Stories from a Childhood behind the Counter
-Kitty’s book is called Breadsong: How baking changed our lives
-Kitty is on Instagram @kittytaitbaker
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Special FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 13 Oct 2023 - 24min - 241 - How harpist Mary Lattimore went pop
This week, we talk to harpist Mary Lattimore. Mary is known for her earthy, experimental music and has collaborated with musicians like Kurt Vile and Kesha. As she releases her new album, Goodbye, Hotel Arkada, she tells guest host Lulu Smyth about what it's like to compose and perform in a whole new way on the 47-string instrument.
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We love hearing from you. You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter@ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Mary’s new album Goodbye, Hotel Arkada is out now.
– ‘Baltic Birch’ and ‘It Feels Like Floating’ are from Mary’s 2018 album Hundreds of Days.
– Mary is touring a number of cities in the US, including Brooklyn, New York on November 3-5th.
– You can follow Mary on X @marylattimore and Instagram @maryoverthere
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Special FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Clips courtesy of Ghostly International.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 06 Oct 2023 - 16min - 240 - Author Andrew Lipstein on ‘The Vegan’ and morality
This week, we talk about morality with the author Andrew Lipstein. Andrew's novel The Vegan is a satire about a hedge fund manager, Herschel, who decides to go vegan after accidentally poisoning one of his dinner party guests. Andrew talks about the novel, the state of ethics today, and why our actions don't always match our intentions.
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We love hearing from you. You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter@ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Andrew’s new novel is called The Vegan, and is out now.
– His first novel is called Last Resort.
– You can follow Andrew on X, formerly Twitter, at @ailipstein
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Special FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 29 Sep 2023 - 17min - 239 - How to host the perfect dinner party
This week, Lilah is talking to the FT's food and drink editor, Harriet Fitch Little, about how to host the perfect dinner party. And by "perfect" Harriet means one that you as the host will actually enjoy! Harriet shares practical tips and tricks for putting together a spread and an ambiance, but most importantly she wants you to be yourself – even if that means foregoing homemade everything.
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We love hearing from you. You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter@ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Tim Hayward on ‘no effort dinner parties’: https://on.ft.com/3rfKiHU
– ‘Who’d invite their boss to dinner?’ by Anjili Raval: https://on.ft.com/46mwf1S
– Harriet’s dinner music recommendation is A Piano and A Microphone by Prince
– From the magazine’s wine special, Jancis Robinson answers 121 of your questions about wine: https://on.ft.com/3EMh5Y8 ,
The FT Magazine’s dinner party special is out this weekend. It features hosting tips and recipes from Bao founder Erchen Chang.
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Special FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 22 Sep 2023 - 21min - 238 - Shania Twain returns with ‘Queen of Me’
This week, we talk to country-pop sensation Shania Twain, one of the best-selling female artists of all time. Shania is touring in the UK this month and has just released an extended edition of her iconic 90s album Come on Over, which features her greatest hits. After more than a decade of battling Lyme disease, she tells us how it feels to be back on stage.
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We love hearing from you. You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter@ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
Lulu’s interview with Shania Twain, ‘Writing a novel is easier than writing a three-minute, 22-second story that says something profound’: https://on.ft.com/3sDklCc
Come on Over: The Diamond Editionis available now.
Shania’s 2023 album is called Queen of Me.
Shania Twain is performing at the O2 in London on 16 and 17 September. Her Vegas residency is announced for May 2024.
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Special FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco
Clips courtesy of Republic and Mercury Records.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 15 Sep 2023 - 20min - 237 - Coming soon: Can AI help us speak to animals?
Subscribe now to the FT's Tech Tonic podcast: Some scientists believe that rapid advances in artificial intelligence may also hold the key to decoding animal sounds, allowing us to ‘translate’ them into human language. In a new season of Tech Tonic, FT innovation editor John Thornhill and series producer Persis Love explore how the same technology that powers ChatGPT is being applied to research in animal communication. Could we one day learn to ‘speak whale’ or even chat with bats? And if so, can we trust ourselves to do so responsibly?
Presented by John Thornhill, produced by Persis Love, sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.
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Wed, 13 Sep 2023 - 1min - 236 - Best Of: Why fine dining isn’t fine
The announcement last winter that the world’s top restaurant, Noma, will close in 2024, has spawned dozens of think pieces asking whether this is the end of fine dining. So this weekend, we went to the FT’s renowned food critic Tim Hayward to learn about the state of the industry. Running a restaurant has never been more expensive in cities such as New York and London. And now, in the middle of a cost of living crisis, Tim says a bloodbath is coming: in order to stay afloat restauranteurs must ditch a corporate business model and return to more nimble roots. Tim tells Lilah that the good news is that he’s seeing it happen.
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Want to say hi? We love hearing from you. Email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links and mentions from the episode:
– ‘The restaurant industry faces a bloodbath. But there are ways to survive’, by Tim Hayward: https://on.ft.com/3lfo2u6
–The column Tim mentions on The North Circular’s Ace Cafe, which has perfect hospitality: https://on.ft.com/3Yl3dMr
–Tim’s piece ‘A 14-course tasting menu? Don’t. Just don’t’: https://on.ft.com/40GuBGq
– Our previous episode on Noma is here: https://www.ft.com/content/04bd9722-1d17-496d-aefc-fdae46d5d3b2
– Tim Hayward is on Twitter and Instagram @timhayward.
Clips from The Menu, copyright Searchlight Pictures
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Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 08 Sep 2023 - 25min - 235 - How western eaters get Chinese food wrong, with Fuchsia Dunlop
This week, we explore Chinese cuisine with cook and food writer Fuchsia Dunlop. In the west, misconceptions and prejudices surround Chinese food: that it’s unhealthy, or oily, or simple. In reality, it’s a cuisine with ancient roots, that Fuchsia strongly believes is “endlessly thrilling”, and among the best and most sophisticated in the world. Fuchsia is the author of six books on Chinese food, including her newest, Invitation to a Banquet. She tells Lilah there’s a lot the west can learn from how people in China approach food.
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We love hearing from you. You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter@ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Fuschia’s book is called Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food
– Our episode with Fuschia on the noodles of Shanxi on Apple, Spotify and our website
– The FT’s review of Fuchsia’s book: https://www.ft.com/content/29a158e8-6b30-494e-91d4-d6348a12cfde
A few relevant pieces we love published in the FT by Fuchsia:
– “Tofu is a cornucopia of taste. No, really” https://www.ft.com/content/ea3d24e8-fd27-42e8-8f9d-805da91769d1
– ”The west hasn’t got a clue about bamboo”: https://www.ft.com/content/aea65ab3-f6c0-402b-83fa-e27f8262af3f
– ”How to cook with lettuce — a Fuchsia Dunlop recipe”: https://www.ft.com/content/1cfbee9f-b92a-444e-a468-aaeea3f0e605
–Fuchsia is on Instagram at @fuchsiadunlop
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Join us at the FT Weekend festival, on Saturday September 2 at Kenwood House in London. It’ll be a day of debates, tastings, Q&As and more. For £20 off your festival pass, use promo code FTWeekendPod here: https://www.ft.com/festival
Special FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://www.ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 01 Sep 2023 - 19min - 234 - He spent 10 years in a museum. This is what he learned
This week, we go to one of the world’s largest museums, so a former guard can teach us new ways to appreciate art. Patrick Bringley was a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a decade. He recently wrote a memoir about his time there titled All the Beauty in the World. He takes Lilah on a tour of the museum, and they explore how to appreciate the nuances of the space: everything from how lighting changes how loud people talk in a gallery, to why it is important to visit museums alone. How do you figure out if you like Van Gogh? Should you be asking that question in the first place?
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We love hearing from you. You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter@ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Patrick Bringley’s memoir is called All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me
– The Water Lilies by Monet that Patrick and Lilah were looking at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437137
– A recent review of the current Met show of Van Gogh’s Cypresses, by Ariella Budick: https://on.ft.com/3qDrKRB
– An FT series on the world’s best house museums: https://on.ft.com/3KU6tdk
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Join us at the FT Weekend festival, on Saturday September 2 at Kenwood House in London. It’ll be a day of debates, tastings, Q&As and more. For £20 off your festival pass, use promo code FTWeekendPod here: http://ft.com/festival
Special FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 25 Aug 2023 - 22min - 233 - How pasta became political in Italy
This week, we're talking about the politics of Italian food. Earlier this year, the FT's Marianna Giusti wrote a viral article called "Why everything I, an Italian, thought about Italian food was wrong", which looked at the origins of classic Italian dishes like pizza and pasta carbonara. In response she got dozens of furious emails and was condemned by some of Italy's top politicians. Today Mari is on with the man whose research she profiled, historian Alberto Grandi, to discuss how Italy's right wing has taken up what Alberto calls “gastronationalism”.
– Mari’s viral article with Alberto: ‘Everything I, an Italian, thought about Italian food is wrong’ https://on.ft.com/45yV1LO
– The FT’s Amy Kazmin on Italy’s efforts to protect Italian food against insect protein and lab-grown meat: https://on.ft.com/45iq3b9
– Slate’s Decoder Ring also featured Alberto and Mari on the origins of parmesan cheese: https://slate.com/podcasts/decoder-ring/2023/07/parmesan-cheeses-journey-from-italy-to-wisconsin
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We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter@ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Our FTWeekend Festival is back on Saturday, September 2 at Kenwood House in London! It’ll be a day of debates, tastings, Q&As and more. For £20 off your festival pass, use promo code FTWeekendPod here: http://ft.com/festival
Special FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 18 Aug 2023 - 21min - 232 - Introducing: The Russian Banker
Who is Sergei Leontiev? To the US asylum system, he’s an exiled Russian banker who was persecuted by the state and forced to flee. To Russia, he’s said to be responsible for massive fraud. On The Russian Banker, a new series from the Financial Times, reporters Courtney Weaver and Stefania Palma try to uncover the truth, and find a story that tells us about Russia today and how people in the west build stories about who’s good and who’s bad. The Russian Banker is a special series that will run on the Behind the Money podcast starting Aug. 30. Listen to The Russian Banker by subscribing to the Behind the Money podcast here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Thu, 17 Aug 2023 - 1min - 231 - Jenny Lewis walks us through her new album
This week, musician Jenny Lewis joins Lilah to break down how she writes a song. Lewis’s music has paved the way for many famous pop stars and singer-songwriters today. She brings us through her trajectory: from child actor supporting her family, to lead singer of the beloved indie band Rilo Kiley, to solo artist who just, at 47, came out with her fifth solo album, Joy’All. Lilah asks her what she had for breakfast, she says “one weed gummy”, and they’re off.
– Read Lilah’s profile of Lewis at https://on.ft.com/45jih08
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We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter@ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Our FTWeekend Festival is back on Saturday, September 2 at Kenwood House in London! It’ll be a day of debates, tastings, Q&As and more. For £20 off your festival pass, use promo code FTWeekendPod here: http://ft.com/festival
Special FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco
Clips used:
Psychos and Giddy Up from the album Joy’all (2023), Blue Note Records
Rabbit Fur Coat from the album Rabbit Fur Coat (2006), Team Love Records
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 11 Aug 2023 - 24min - 230 - FT Edit presents: Global sperm counts are falling. This scientist believes she knows why
Shanna Swan is a scientist who has spent decades chasing a mystery: why global sperm counts have seemingly dropped significantly since the 1930s. At its heart, this story is simply a brilliant yarn. It has got all the elements of a Hollywood movie: this heroic dog-with-a-bone scientist, recalcitrant big business in the role of the baddie, and the looming threat of a global fertility crisis caused by harmful chemicals in everyday plastics such as baby bottles, garden hoses, and
that Tupperware you use to heat up your lunch.
You can also find this story in FT Edit, an iPhone app that gives you a taste of the very best of FT journalism. After a month’s free trial, it is 99p or 99 cents a month for the next six months. Try it out if you want the best global politics, analysis and opinion pieces.
Learn more about FT Edit.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wed, 09 Aug 2023 - 30min - 229 - David Byrne on Talking Heads and ‘Here Lies Love’
This week, musician David Byrne joins Lilah in the FT’s New York newsroom to talk about how he makes creative choices. Byrne has been an enduring cultural figure for more than four decades, known for always doing something new. His current project is Here Lies Love, a disco musical on Broadway about Imelda Marcos, a former politician and first lady in the Philippines. He’s also revisiting his days with Talking Heads, as a remastered version of their seminal concert documentary Stop Making Sense will be rereleased this month by the indie studio A24. Byrne rewatched it recently, about 40 years after its release. “I’m looking at my younger self … and he seems like a stranger,” he tells Lilah. “And I go, ‘Who is this strange guy?’”
– Read Lilah’s profile of Byrne at https://on.ft.com/44SpQLK
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We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter@ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Our FTWeekend Festival is back on Saturday, September 2 at Kenwood House in London! It’ll be a day of debates, tastings, Q&As and more. For £20 off your festival pass, use promo code FTWeekendPod here: http://ft.com/festival
Special FT subscription offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco
Clip of Burning Down The House is from Stop Making Sense (1984)
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 04 Aug 2023 - 25min - 228 - FT Edit presents: Disney struggles to revive the magic
For the next few weeks, we will be bringing you some of our most popular articles from the FT Edit app.
Elemental, the new movie from Pixar studios, recently disappointed at the box office.
On this episode, Chris Grimes, the FT’s Los Angeles correspondent, takes us inside Disney, the owner of Pixar, and asks whether it can regain its creative crown after a few years of concentrating on lucrative sequels to its existing franchises and on its streaming business, Disney+. It has been a long time since Toy Story, and critics are fretting that Pixar has lost its touch. Even Marvel, which was reliably turning out annual blockbusters, has stumbled recently with the likes of Ant-Man. Chris wrote this article shortly after the release of Elemental.
You can also find this story in FT Edit, an iPhone app that gives you a taste of the very best of FT journalism. After a month’s free trial, it is 99p or 99 cents a month for the next six months. Try it out if you want the best global politics, analysis and opinion pieces.
Learn more about FT Edit.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Thu, 03 Aug 2023 - 7min - 227 - Wildfires are getting worse. Here's how we fight them now
This week, as wildfires rage across Greece, Italy and Algeria, we talk about why fires have become so much bigger, wilder and more dangerous. The FT's chief features writer Henry Mance takes us to a wildfire training camp in Poland, where experts from around the world are struggling with how to handle these new megafires. Because of climate change, they behave differently than old fires: they burn quicker and longer, they leap across trees and rivers, and they defy most traditional rules of firefighting. Henry tells us what it's like to confront them, and whether it's possible to prevent them.
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We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter@ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Henry’s article, https://on.ft.com/3DvKtRF
– The FT’s coverage of wildfires in Rhodes: https://on.ft.com/3Oxpbte
– The FT”s coverage of wildfires in Algeria: https://on.ft.com/3KgCFqI
Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Archival clip in this episode from the BBC.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 28 Jul 2023 - 19min - 226 - FT Edit Presents: Can an English Chef become a pizza master?
For the next few weeks, we will be bringing you some of our most popular articles from the FT Edit app.
This week, it’s a story about one of the world’s most loved foods: pizza. Every year, the top 700 or so pizza chefs gather in Parma, in the north of Italy, for the Pizza World Championship. And this year, an English chef from Norfolk named Danny Child is hoping to win. But can a self-trained chef beat Italy's finest pizza masters?
You can also find this story in FT Edit, an iPhone app that gives you a taste of the very best of FT journalism. After a month’s free trial, it is 99p or 99 cents a month for the next six months. Try it out if you want the best global politics, analysis and opinion pieces.
Learn more about FT Edit.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wed, 26 Jul 2023 - 20min - 225 - Author Lorrie Moore on her first novel in 14 years
This week, author Lorrie Moore is on the show. Lorrie is one of the most celebrated living writers in the United States, drawing comparisons with Chekhov and Alice Munro. And she just released her novel, I Am Homeless if This is Not My Home. It's her first in 14 years, and it is hard to describe. Let's call it a magical realist love story, in which a man takes a road trip with the corpse of his dead ex-lover. Lorrie talks to Lilah about her writing process, and how she treads the line between hilarious and devastating.
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We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter@ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Lorrie Moore’s novel is called I Am Homeless if This is Not My Home
– FT review: https://on.ft.com/44puMaB
– Lorrie’s best-known books include A Gate at the Stairs (2009), Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? (1994), and Self-Help (1989).
Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 21 Jul 2023 - 20min - 224 - AI hits the music industry
Note: We want to be clear that this episode does include material that has been generated by Financial Times journalists using AI tools...we've done it to illustrate just how much AI is influencing the music industry.
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AI has arrived in the music world, and the industry is being forced to wrangle with it. The technology is now sophisticated enough to create entirely new deepfake songs. This year, millions of fake covers, and songs that clone the voices of musical artists, have appeared online. The FT’s pop critic Ludo Hunter-Tilney has fallen down a wormhole to make sense of how these programs work. He actually made a song of his own, an original fake song in the style of Tom Waits. He plays it for us, and it’s pretty bad.
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We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Ludo’s piece for FT Life and Arts: Can AI make me a musical star? https://on.ft.com/3XRMnoZ
– Ludo is on Twitter @ludohunter
– Anna Nicolaou on why Spotify has ejected thousands of AI-made songs: https://on.ft.com/3rvSqnq
– One of Ludo’s recent stories – a review of Glastonbury festival: https://on.ft.com/3rvSq6U
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Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Songs played: “Downtown Train” written by Tom Waits, published by Island Records. “Gritty Troubador’s Backstreet”, written by chatGPT, Ludo Hunter-Tilney, Voicify.ai and Boomy.
Songs referenced: “Dancing Queen” written by Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, published by Stockholm Records and MCA/Universal. “Ni**as in Paris” written by Kanye West, Shawn Carter, John Altschuler, Dave Krinsky, Jeff Cox and Dave Cox, published by Roc-A-Fella, Roc Nation and Def Jam. “A Thousand Miles” written by Vanessa Carlton, produced by Ron Fair and Curtis Schweizer, published by A&M.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tue, 18 Jul 2023 - 22min - 223 - Best Of: The secret lives of MI6’s women spies
This episode was modified to correct an inaccuracy in the intro. We said Britain has appointed one of the women interviewed for this story to director of GCHQ. Britain did recently appoint the first woman director of GCHQ, but it wasn’t one of the women interviewed for the story.
This week, we return to one of our favourite episodes, to hear about the secret lives of women spies. Our colleague Helen Warrell got exclusive access to the women at the top ranks of Britain’s MI6 agency. For the first time, they reveal what it’s like to be a woman in espionage, and how pop culture – from James Bond to John le Carré novels – has made it harder for MI6 to recruit a diverse team of spies. Then, we’re joined by behavioural economist and friend of the podcast Tim Harford, who makes a compelling case for learning when it’s time to quit.
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We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter@ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Our coverage of Anne Keast-Butler’s appointment as head of GCHQ: https://on.ft.com/3JJiMIG
– Helen’s exclusive story trailing the women at the top of MI6: https://on.ft.com/3Im2962
– Helen is on Twitter @HelenWarrell
– Tim’s column on why quitting is underrated: https://on.ft.com/3vEBVnx
– Tim’s podcast is called Cautionary Tales and he’s on Twitter @TimHarford
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Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 07 Jul 2023 - 30min - 222 - Why we should read translated novels, with author Georgi Gospodinov
This week, we highlight the winner of the International Booker Prize: the novel ‘Time Shelter.’ Lilah speaks with Bulgarian novelist Georgi Gospodinov, along with his English-language translator, Angela Rodel. The book is a beautifully written and biting critique of the world's recent populist movements. Georgi and Angela let us in on some of the secrets to writing and translating it.
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We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com, we’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– An FT piece on Bulgaria’s reaction to Time Shelter winning the International Booker: https://on.ft.com/46umoIf
– Our literary editor, Fred Studeman, was one of the judges of the International Booker Prize. Read his recent interview with another Eastern European author, historian Katja Hoyer, here: https://on.ft.com/3JD5lKt
– The Summer Books supplement is out now! Here are a few of our favourite lists:
– FT journalists’ top picks for summer reads: https://on.ft.com/46rmeS0
– A list of the best fiction in translation, compiled by Ángel Gurría-Quintana: https://www.ft.com/content/ebd55a2f-b1f2-421f-af9a-236a59f47854
– A list of the best fiction so far this year, compiled by deputy books editor Laura Battle: https://www.ft.com/content/79becc39-6ded-4fa8-a5bd-ae97ce0c8824
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Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clips courtesy of 20th Century Studios.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 30 Jun 2023 - 24min - 221 - Don’t run away and buy a vineyard
You may have had this fantasy: quit your job in the big city, move to Napa or Greece, buy a straw hat and make wine. Sales of wine-estate properties have, in fact, been rising across southern Europe for years. But the reality is, owning a vineyard is stressful, volatile and financially precarious, and the FT's Marianna Giusti warns us to avoid it at all costs. Mari's family runs a vineyard in Tuscany, Italy. As the oldest child, she is first in line to inherit it. But she doesn’t want it! This week, she joins Lilah to discuss the highs and lows of vineyard life, and explain how hard it is to make really good wine.
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We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com, we’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Mari’s piece, The many perils – and occasional pleasure – of owning a vineyard: https://on.ft.com/46vKMcL
– Mari is on Instagram @mauipippi and on Twitter @mauipippa
– Jancis Robinson on what the rise in wildfires means for fine wine: https://on.ft.com/3NKbczK
– Another recent column by Jancis, about a vineyard in New Zealand battered by heavy rainfall, ‘the first vineyard visit that left me feeling sad’: https://on.ft.com/3NIwjCA
– A more uplifting article by Jancis, on biodynamic wine: https://on.ft.com/3pfq93D
– And one on how German wine has transformed itself, but buyers haven’t noticed: https://on.ft.com/3NIoHAd
– We also mentioned A Good Year (2006) directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe
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Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clips courtesy of 20th Century Studios.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 23 Jun 2023 - 20min - 220 - Food and Drink mini-series: Rethinking Mexican food and drink
Welcome to the final bonus episode in our mini-series on food and drink. This week we are joined by two women who are at the forefront of a movement to elevate Mexican food and drink around the world: chef Pati Jinich and tequila maker Bertha González Nieves. Pati and Bertha were interviewed by the FT’s drinks columnist Alice Lascelles during a live conversation at the US FT Weekend Festival. Pati is a chef on a mission to educate people about the diversity of Mexican food, which she explores on her PBS show La Frontera. Bertha leads a luxury small-batch tequila brand called Casa Dragones, which is working to redefine tequila as a spirit to sip and savour. She’s also the first woman tequila distiller to earn the title “maestra tequilera”.
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Want to stay in touch? We love hearing from you. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Lilah’s interview with Pati Jinich for the podcast last year: https://link.chtbl.com/FTW-patijinich
– The tequila story featuring Bertha Gonzáles Nieves in FT Weekend Magazine: https://on.ft.com/3CBVsJ1
– Lilah recommends Pati’s cookbook Treasures of the Mexican Table: https://patijinich.com/cookbook/treasures-of-the-mexican-table/
– Pati’s original nachos recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021572-the-original-nachos
– A recent piece in the FT by Jancis Robinson about Mexican wine: https://on.ft.com/3NCFrYv
– A food tour of Mexico City from the FT: https://on.ft.com/3PnlN4Z
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Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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This episode was produced by Zach St Louis. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wed, 21 Jun 2023 - 16min - 219 - How to have the perfect summer
This week, we're talking about how to have the best summer ever. FT magazine editor Matt Vella joins us, and we go through suggestions from listeners, from putting everything in the freezer to getting your ice-cream truck driver's phone number. We also chat about this summer's cultural highlights, and how you might be better off skipping Beyoncé and going to see a local or second-tier band.
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We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com, we’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Matt’s cultural recommendations:Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will be out 28 June. Check your local listings for tour dates for Beyoncė, Shania Twain, and Le Tigre
– We also mentioned the Talking Heads documentary Stop Making Sense.
– A beautiful column by our colleague Enuma Okoro: The pleasure and possibility of summer https://on.ft.com/3P7sAzM
– The best summer music festivals worldwide: https://on.ft.com/3p4pLF2
– The perfect menu for your first summer meal outdoors (Ravinder Bhogal recipes): https://on.ft.com/3NtZHMN
– You can browse the entire summer food and drink special here: https://on.ft.com/3Ct9Q67
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Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 16 Jun 2023 - 23min - 218 - Unhedged podcast: Where’s the recession?
The US economy remains confusing. Markets continue to predict a slowdown but unemployment remains low. Today on the show, we try to figure out what job numbers, manufacturing and credit can tell us about a possible recession and an end to rate rises. Also, we are long the bros at Three Arrows Capital (sort of), and the US stock market.
Subscribe to the Unhedged newsletter
Follow Ethan Wu (@ethanywu) and Katie Martin (@katie_martin_fx) on Twitter
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 10 Jul 2023 - 14min - 217 - Food and Drink mini-series: Dan Barber says good food starts with seeds
Welcome to the third bonus episode in our mini-series on food and drink. This week, we have a conversation with star chef Dan Barber, live from the recent US FT Weekend Festival. Dan is the chef and co-owner of Blue Hill in Manhattan, as well as Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a two-star Michelin restaurant in upstate New York. He has been a thought leader for almost two decades, and what he wants to talk about most right now are seeds. He says 65% of the world's seed supply is produced by four companies. "We have to start with seed,” he tells the FT’s arts editor Jan Dalley. “If you get the wrong seed, you get everything wrong."
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Want to stay in touch? We love hearing from you. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod.
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Links:
– Dan Barber’s organic seed company is called Row 7 Seed Company
– His book is The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food
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Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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This episode was produced by Zach St Louis. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wed, 14 Jun 2023 - 17min - 216 - Introducing Unhedged
We want to tell about a new podcast coming soon! On Unhedged, Ethan Wu, Katie Martin and other markets nerds at the Financial Times explain the big ideas behind what’s happening in finance right now. Unhedged launches June 13, you can follow the show here!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mon, 12 Jun 2023 - 0min - 215 - The UK companies acting like the police
This week, we explore the question of what it means to privatise justice. The FT's Kadhim Shubber explains how, in the UK, private companies are hired to file and prosecute legal cases — even when the police think those same cases shouldn't be tried. Kadhim and Lilah discuss how private prosecutions work, why they exist, and what it could mean for the future of the justice system.
Correction: This episode has been updated to remove suggestions that private prosecution does not exist in the United States. Private prosecutions exist in a more limited form in the United States.
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We love hearing from you! You can email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com, we’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Kadhim’s magazine piece: https://on.ft.com/3qxsKGj
– Follow Kadhim on Twitter @kadhim
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Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Thu, 20 Jul 2023 - 22min - 214 - Food and Drink mini-series: demystifying wine with André Mack
Welcome to the second bonus episode in our mini-series on food and drink. This week, Lilah demystifies wine with sommelier, winemaker and restaurateur André Hueston Mack at his restaurant in central Brooklyn. The wine world has been historically inaccessible, and over the past few decades it's become younger, trendier and even countercultural. André has been at the forefront of this change. He explains how different wines come into fashion, from Georgian wine to Beaujolais. Then, he and Lilah open two bottles to learn how to smell and taste. A wine can be dry or sweet, but can also taste like an old attic or an oyster by the sea!
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Want to stay in touch? We love hearing from you. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Lilah and André were at André’s seafood restaurant Kingfisher in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn
– André’s Bon Appétit YouTube show is called World of Wine. Here’s an episode Lilah loves: https://youtu.be/2lsHvoxCqAI
– The Beaujolais André and Lilah tasted was a Domaine Chapel Fleurie Charbonnieres 2020
– The Sancerre was a Noël et Jean-Luc Raimbault Sancerre Blanc 2022 from the Loire Valley
– André is on Instagram @andrehmack. His wine label is called Maison Noir
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Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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This episode was produced by Zach St Louis. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wed, 07 Jun 2023 - 24min - 213 - The gangs risking their lives for copper in South Africa
This week, we meet the South African gangs stealing copper to survive. When the journalist Monica Mark moved to Johannesburg, she noticed that copper theft was causing disruptions across the country: power went out, trains were cancelled, and her neighbourhood Whatsapp group was livid. She wanted to find out who was behind it. So she tracked down a man who used to be in a copper gang. His story is a unique look at South Africa's current struggles with high unemployment, vast inequality and a global market willing to turn a blind eye for profit.
Don’t forget! Send us your top summer tip: what’s one thing that you’d recommend people do to have the perfect summer? Deadline is Sunday, June 4. Record a message here: http://sayhi.chat/15xxg
You can also email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com, tweet us @ftweekendpod, or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Monica’s magazine piece: https://on.ft.com/43gop8N
– Follow Monica on Twitter @nickswicks
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Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 02 Jun 2023 - 22min - 212 - Food and Drink mini-series: Tamar Adler on cooking leftovers
Welcome to the first bonus episode in our mini-series on food and drink. Every Wednesday, as we inch closer to summer, we'll host a fun conversation with a different expert. Lilah’s first guest is chef and food writer Tamar Adler. Twelve years ago, Tamar wrote the bestselling book An Everlasting Meal, which shared her philosophy that every meal you make can come from the meal before it. She recently expanded it into The Everlasting Meal Cookbook,an encyclopedia for cooking leftovers, with more than 1,500 little recipes. Tamar joins Lilah to talk through making second, third and even fourth meals out of what we have in our kitchens, from leftover pasta to wilting lettuce to an old deli sandwich.
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Want to stay in touch? We love hearing from you. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Tamar’s most recent cookbook is The Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Leftovers A-Z.
–Lilah also recommends her original book, An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace
– Tamar’s recent piece for FT Weekend on her dream dinner party: https://on.ft.com/43pTres
– Tamar is on Instagram @tamar.e.adler
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We’re still collecting your top summer tips: what’s one small thing that you’d recommend people do this summer, that would make their summer 90% better? Record a message here: http://sayhi.chat/15xxg
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Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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This episode was produced by Zach St Louis. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wed, 31 May 2023 - 15min - 211 - Romantic comedies, with novelist Curtis Sittenfeld
This week, bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld joins us to talk about romantic comedies. Curtis is a long-time fan of rom-coms – her most recent novel is, in fact, called Romantic Comedy. She loves love. But she also knows that there’s a difference between how love is portrayed in TV and movies, and what it’s like in real life. Curtis speaks with Lilah about the state of romantic comedies today: how they’ve changed, and where they could go next.
Don’t forget! Send us your top summer tip: what’s one thing that you’d recommend people do to have the perfect summer? Record a message here: http://sayhi.chat/15xxg
You can also email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com, tweet us @ftweekendpod, or message Lilah on Instagram or Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Curtis’ latest novel is called Romantic Comedy
– The FT’s review of Romantic Comedy: https://on.ft.com/3OGt4wC
– Curtis’ other novels include Rodham (an alternate history of the life of Hillary Clinton) Prep(set in an American boarding school), Eligible(a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice), andAmerican Wife (a romance based loosely on the life of Barbara Bush)
– Follow Curtis on Twitter @csittenfeld
Romantic comedies mentioned:
– When Harry Met Sally
– Say Anything
– Notting Hill
– Four Weddings and a Funeral
– Dirty Dancing
– Jerry Maguire
– You’ve Got Mail
– Ticket to Paradise (starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney)
– Rye Lane
– Fire Island
– Russian Doll
– Something’s Gotta Give
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Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Clips courtesy of Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Vestron Pictures / Lionsgate Entertainment.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 26 May 2023 - 20min - 210 - What advice would you give your older self?
Robert Shrimsley has written a satirical column for the FT for years, and this week we talk through one where he gives advice to his older self. As it turns out, forecasting who you might become is an exercise in recognising who you are now – and coming to terms with your genuine interests and limitations. Then Lilah speaks with Alice Lascelles, the FT’s drinks contributor, about the rise of non-alcoholic beverages. Turns out, making a cocktail that’s non-alcoholic and good is the ultimate challenge for bartenders.
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Want to say hi? We love hearing from you. Email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Robert is the FT’s UK chief political commentator and UK editor-at-large. He has two columns, one on UK politics and one in the FT Weekend Magazine
– Robert’s ‘Advice to my older self’ column: https://on.ft.com/41GYoy2
– Another column by Robert: ‘What’s with all the farmer’s markets?’: https://on.ft.com/3IgOIU8
– One more column by Robert: ‘Humanity has built AI in its own image, heaven help us’: https://on.ft.com/41QmfLW
– Alice’s column on the World Alcohol Free awards: https://on.ft.com/3IgsGAX
–Robert is on Twitter at @robertshrimsley. Alice is on Instagram and Twitter @alicelascelles.
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Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
--------------
Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 19 May 2023 - 20min - 209 - Her parents fled Iran. Her art tells their story
This week, we speak with artist Sheida Soleimani. Soleimani grew up in the American Midwest hearing stories of her parents’ escape from Iran: her father spending years in hiding, her mother imprisoned in solitary confinement. Now, she is using three-dimensional collages to tell their story. And she’s doing it in collaboration with them.
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Want to say hi? We love hearing from you. Email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Lilah’s profile of Sheida Soleimani, from the FT Weekend Magazine’s recent photography special: https://on.ft.com/3MjCQTB
– You can explore Ghostwriter on the Edel Assanti website. It’s on view at their gallery in London until May 13: https://edelassanti.com/exhibitions/115-sheida-soleimani-ghostwriter/
– Sheida Soleimani’s 2021 work Proof: https://dennygallery.com/artists/sheida-soleimani/
– Ghostwriter will be on view at the Denny Gallery in Manhattan in September
– Sheida is on Instagram at @sheidajanam
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Our US edition of the FTWeekend Festival is back! Join Hillary Clinton, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Alice Waters, your favourite FT writers, and more on May 20 in Washington, DC, and online. Register now and save $20using the promo code weekendpodcast atft.com/festival-us
Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
--------------
Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 12 May 2023 - 21min - 208 - How to have a good death
This week, we consider what it means to have a good death. As nursing strikes escalate throughout the UK and Ireland, the writer Imogen Savage couldn't help but think of her mother Anne, who spent more than 45 years working in end of life care. Imogen spent her childhood watching Anne help people die comfortably and with dignity. Today, we speak with them both about what they've learned about death, and why we shouldn’t cut corners when it comes to caring for the dying.
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Want to say hi? We love hearing from you. Email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Imogen’s article about her mother: https://on.ft.com/426JTED
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Our US edition of the FTWeekend Festival is back! Join Hillary Clinton, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Alice Waters, your favourite FT writers, and more on May 20 in Washington, DC, and online. Register now and save $20using the promo code weekendpodcast atft.com/festival-us
Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
--------------
Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 05 May 2023 - 17min - 207 - Succession's Arian Moayed on how to play a good bad guy
This weekend, we meet actor Arian Moayed. You may know him as Stewy Hosseini from HBO’s Succession, a scheming private equity shark who loves money and fears no one. He's also currently in A Doll's House on Broadway opposite Jessica Chastain, playing Torvald Helmer, one of theatre history's most famous chauvinists. He talks to Lilah about the difference between a trope bad guy and a complicated person, and how to play unlikeable characters as fully formed people. Arian and his family fled from Iran in the 1980s. He says when he sees A Doll’s House, all he sees is Iran. We discuss how his culture informs his work as an actor.
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Want to say hi? We love hearing from you. Email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Succession airs on HBO in the US and SkyAtlantic in the UK. The finale is on Sunday, May 28. Here’s the FT’s review of season 4: https://on.ft.com/3LdbxZA
– A Doll’s House, adapted by Amy Herzog and directed by Jamie Lloyd, is at the Hudson Theatre on Broadway through to June 10: https://adollshousebroadway.com/
– A column by the FT’s Jo Ellison on why the Succession wardrobe is so good https://on.ft.com/3VcfulE
– A profile of director Jamie Lloyd: https://on.ft.com/3Ldbyg6
– Our conversation with Michael Patrick Thornton: https://link.chtbl.com/ftweekend-mpt
– Arian is on Twitter and Instagram @arianmoayed. His non-profit, Waterwell, is at https://www.waterwell.org/
—-------------
Our US edition of the FTWeekend Festival is back! Join Jamie Lee Curtis, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Alice Waters, your favourite FT writers, and more on May 20 in Washington, DC, and online. Register now and save $20using the promo code weekendpodcast atft.com/festival-us
Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
--------------
Original music by Metaphor Music.
Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Clips in this episode courtesy of HBO.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 28 Apr 2023 - 26min - 206 - Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks on making art about Covid
This week, Lilah speaks to Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, whose new show Plays for the Plague Year asks us to remember, process and grieve the pandemic. Suzan-Lori is best known for her 2001 play Topdog/Underdog, which was reprised on Broadway in the autumn. But her new show is different: she wrote one short play a day through the pandemic, and collected them into a lively, music-filled theatrical event. Suzan-Lori and Lilah talk through big questions: when is the right time to look back? What does ‘back to normal’ mean? What can and should we do with our memories? And how do you create complex art about difficult things?
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Want to say hi? We love hearing from you. Email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
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Links:
– Plays for the Plague Year by Suzan-Lori Parks is running at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater until April 30 https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2223/plays-for-the-plague-year2/
– Suzan-Lori’s Pulitzer-Prize winning play is Topdog/Underdog: https://bookshop.org/p/books/topdog-underdog-suzan-lori-parks/10486222?ean=9781559362016
– The FT interviewed Suzan-Lori and Cynthia Erivo on the alchemy of Aretha Franklin (2021): https://on.ft.com/3V120Jt
–Suzan-Lori is the playwright in residence at the Public, and does a regular virtual ‘watch me work’ session over zoom for people to get writing done together, and ask her questions: https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2122/watch-me-work/
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Our US edition of the FTWeekend Festival is back! Join Jamie Lee Curtis, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Alice Waters, your favourite FT writers, and more on May 20 in Washington, DC, and online. Register now and save $20using the promo code weekendpodcast atft.com/festival-us
Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
--------------
Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Clips in this episode courtesy of The Public Theater
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 21 Apr 2023 - 25min - 205 - Introducing Behind the Money: Night School
There’s been a lot of big finance and economics news in 2023. Whether it's stories about rising interest rates, tech industry layoffs or bank runs, it can almost feel like you need an MBA just to make sense of it all. That’s why the Financial Times is launching a bonus series called Behind the Money: Night School.
Over the next five weeks, this show will help you understand the concepts behind the biggest economic stories of this year. U.S. managing editor Peter Spiegel chats with FT journalists as they unpack the basics around things like energy markets, inflation and the rise of artificial intelligence. This series is supported by Blinkist. If you want to find out more about conversations like this, check out the Blinkist app.
Behind the Money: Night School is out now. Find it by subscribing to the Behind the Money podcast wherever you listen.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wed, 19 Apr 2023 - 1min - 204 - The secret gamblers using AI to hack horse racing
This week, we go to a racetrack in Miami, Florida to drink some beers, place some bets, and discover how AI is changing the sport of horse racing. FT data journalist Oliver Roeder joins Lilah to talk about how the ancient sport is being upended by anonymous computer-assisted bets. These secretive gamblers are injecting billions of dollars into the pools, and aggressively tipping the odds, and it’s putting the whole sport at risk.
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Want to say hi? We love hearing from you. Email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
--------------
Links:
– Oliver’s piece on horse betting: https://on.ft.com/3UDrX1t
– Oliver’s on Twitter at @ollie
—-------------
Our US edition of the FTWeekend Festival is back! Join Jamie Lee Curtis, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Alice Waters, your favourite FT writers, and more on May 20 in Washington, DC, and online. Register now and save $20using promo code weekendpodcast atft.com/festival-us
Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
--------------
Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fri, 14 Apr 2023 - 23min - 203 - We love tequila. It’s causing problems
This week, we talk tequila. Over the last 20 years, it has become wildly popular, celebrity-endorsed, and top-shelf. Tequila and mezcal are thefastest-growing spirit category in the US; this year, they are set to overtake vodka as the country's best-selling spirit. But the impact on local Mexican farmers and distillers has been damaging, and demand is outpacing supply. Ivy Mix, author of Spirits of Latin America and owner of respected Brooklyn bar Leyenda, talks us through what's at risk – and what can be done. Then, we head to Mexico City to learn the traditional way to drink the spirit from Gina Barbachano, one of the city's top bartenders.
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Want to say hi? We love hearing from you. Email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.
--------------
Links:
– Lilah’s magazine piece, ‘How Americans ruined tequila – and the true believers saving it’: https://on.ft.com/40QnpXW
– Ivy’s book is called Spirits of Latin America. She’s on Instagram @IvyMix
– Gina is bartender and co-owner of Hanky Panky, in Mexico City. She’s on Instagram @GinaBarbachano
– Ivy poured Lilah Tequila Ocho, Siembra Azul, and Fortaleza, as examples of tequilas doing good work. Gina poured us Caballito Cerero
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Special discounts for podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.
Our US edition of the FTWeekend Festival is back! Join Jamie Lee Curtis, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Alice Waters, your favourite FT writers and more on May 20 in Washington, DC, and online. Register now and save $20 offusing promo code weekendpodcast atft.com/festival-us
--------------
Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.
Additional clips this week copyright Atlantic Records and Universal Music Group.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sat, 08 Apr 2023 - 25min
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