First thoughts
Happy New Year everyone! Happy Hogmanay and Auld Lang Syne and all that.
Let’s hope 2021 is at least a little less grim, and your resolutions are going well so far.
It’s been a very odd at my end (I will probably put more details on my Instagram), and I couldn’t quite get my brain around doing the newsletter for the last 2 weeks. Anyway, I’m slowly getting my head around everything, so I’m back.
In order to deal with it all, I have been book-binging (more on that once I’m finished), watched the entirety of the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina season 4, drunk an incredible amount of tea, and taken to having baths almost every day.
This one is another short ish one. I should be back on form recommending slightly more obscure things over the next weeks.
I hope you’re being gentle to yourself, especially those of you from the UK.
That’s why I’ve included a chunk of comedy below. We need a bit of that right now.
Photo by Erwan Hesry on Unsplash
Podcasts / Audio
Frankie Boyle - Grounded with Louis Theroux Podcast - BBC
I listened to this during one of my daily walks around the block. I go through phases in terms of what I am feeling about Louis Theroux - but this episode was really interesting. I didn’t expect to particularly like (Scottish comedian) Frankie Boyle, but his insights and observations were so astute, insightful and down-to-earth that I found myself googling him to find out more about him at the end of the podcast. He talks about comedy today, being cancelled, his upbringing, poverty, reading, and a bunch of other things that made me properly giggle but I can’t remember the details now. A really great listen.
If you are not in the UK and have trouble with the link, try using the BBC sounds app and search for it in there. You can listen to that from abroad (they just add some adverts in usually). It’s also on my Apple podcasts app, so I am assuming it must be on most podcast platforms.
TV
I found this through one of my favourite journalists/writers ( Lesley ) who recommended it on her Twitter. I proper belly-laughed throughout. Maybe it’s because I’ve been working in international environments and completely relate to some of the cultural observations, or maybe it’s because his accents are so accurate (his Danish person speaking English accent is PERFECT). I don’t know - but this Icelandic stand up comedy act is fantastic. It is exactly what I needed to cheer me up. It’s quite light / tame humour, and made me want to go to Iceland again once this is all over.
Celebrity: a 21st Century Story - BBC
I have only watched episodes 1 and 2, but I have already decided that this is worth recommending. Although it’s very UK and US centric, it takes a really good look at celebrity culture of the 90s and 00s. The role of the paparazzi, how Pop Idol and Big Brother changed everything, the gossip magazines, Britney and so on. It takes an almost sociological approach, and features interviews with Charlotte Church, Kerry Katona, and Gareth Gates among others. It’s quite mad to think how much things have changed since then, but also at the same time how much it hasn’t changed at all. If you were a child of the 90s/00s like me - this is FASCINATING.
Just FYI: this is on BBC iPlayer so I’m not so sure how easy it will be to view for international readers.
(If you are nosy - like I am - you can find out a bit more about me here).
Until the next time,
Catriona
(🔊“cah-tree-nah”)