Getting Better Acquainted

In GBA 138 we get better acquainted with Scott. He talks about living with cluster headaches, primary stabbing headaches and other forms of neurological disability, watching and playing football, growing up in South London, working in electrical distribution trade, going to music festivals and more. We sit back and relax in the park on the South Bank during the sunshine of last summer and get pleasantly tipsy during the recording, I give an account of my only encounter with the Glastonbury festival and we consider the values of love, empathy and George. Scott plugs: Love. We mention: Apples for Everyone: https://myspace.com/applesforeveryone George Episode: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-6-george Udderbelly: https://www.underbelly.co.uk/ London Eye: http://www.londoneye.com/ Royal Festival Hall: http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/venues/royal-festival-hall SOAS: http://www.soas.ac.uk/ Crash: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115964/ Talha Ahsan: http://freetalha.org/ George and Jack episode

In GBA 137 we get better acquainted with Liz. She talks about her years as a Traffic Warden, writing, making music, being a Claims Adviser and more. Liz plugs: Her music - http://lizwyatt.com/ https://www.facebook.com/LizWyattMusic We mention: Paul Farley: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Farley Requiem for a Dream: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Requiem_for_a_Dream Paolo Nutini: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paolo_Nutini Heartbeat: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heartbeat_(UK_TV_series) Parking chaos claim over no Aberystwyth traffic wardens: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-13712977 You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond. On-demand and on the go! Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at www.stitcher.com or in the app stores. Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

In GBA 136 we get better acquainted with Tony. He talks knife throwing accidents, impersonating Elvis on Channel 5, being a paparazzi photographer, transgressive art, travelling with the Circus, the World Gurning Championships, making serial killer puppet shows and more. Tony plugs: Meat Plough - https://www.facebook.com/groups/265143463593665/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magazine-journal-transgressive-Londons-pigeons/dp/B008LF8UNA http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thatcher-death-special-Tony-Hickson/dp/B00C9JM9C2/ http://tonyhickson1.wix.com/tonyhickson I plug: Tragic Christmas: https://www.facebook.com/events/215735955261699/ We mention: The Dave: https://soundcloud.com/the-dave Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/ Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ Spark story: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/papped-out-tony-hickson/ Paul Daniels: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Daniels Gary Newman: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Numan Amy Winehouse: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Winehouse Pe

In this GBA Special we get better acquainted with The Osmaston Family. This episode is in a more documentary style and explores the posh part of my family history as I travel to the Osmaston family reunion to capture their memories of a quarter of my genetic heritage. A personal journey into the unknown territories of family history featuring rediscovered wartime diaries, the legacy of the British Empire, childhoods in India filled with tigers and elephants, engineering the industrial revolution, walking on graves, landed gentry, confronting the judgement of my 15 year old self and more. People I get better acquainted with in this episode include: June Hoy Stephen Nash Bill Wright Mark Giles Charles Wright John Osmaston Charles Nichols Henry Osmaston Jill Button Plugs: Doreen's Diary: http://www.doreensdiary.org.uk/ Three Posh Boys: http://goosefat101twitterspills.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/three-posh-boys.html Clive's episode: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-11-clive We mention: Peo

In GBA 134 we get better acquainted with Caroline. She talks about changing her own perspectives and challenging other people's perceptions, travelling to Honduras and her plans to cycle from the UK to Africa, and we swap teenage stories from the POV of ex "Mean Girl" and ex "severely bullied geek". Caroline plugs: Her future travel journalism idea: Livingstone to Livingstone! And the episode was put out to help fund this campaign she is currently running for the Honduras Child Alliance (9 days to go if you want to donate): http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/building-bathrooms-honduras-child-alliance We mention: Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/ Ritzy Cinema: http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Ritzy_Picturehouse/ Dole: http://www.dole.com/ VSO: http://www.vso.org.uk/ Mathy's episode: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-50- mathy How does hollywood see africa - you tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKYVfmNKsDU Don't Shoot the Clowns - Jo Wilding: http://www.amazon.co.u

In GBA 133 we get better acquainted with Paul. He talks equal marriage, immigration, life changes, the death of his father and so much more. It's a really warm and open conversation with the theme of history running through its centre. Paul plugs: The recognition of same sex immigration and equal marriage rights for all. We mention: Louise's episode: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-78-louise Dan Savage - Savage Love: http://www.savagelovecast.com/ Dad Episodes: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-dad-episodes Mum Episodes: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-mum-episodes-1/ Time Team: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Team You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond. On-demand and on the go! Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at www.stitcher.com or in the app stores. Help more people get bet

In GBA 132 we get better acquainted with Nina. She talks bullying, complicated childhoods, feminism(s), mental health, France, twitter and more. The first GBA conversation with someone who had made a spider diagram of their life for me to follow during the conversation. And the first time Nina and I had met in person. Until then our friendship had been via email and twitter. Nina first reached out to me as a listener to the show. Some of our initial correspondence was featured in the 100th episode. https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/gba100-1 Nina plugs: North East Feminist Gathering: http://www.nefeministgathering.com/ Blog and writing: http://fifty2stories.tumblr.com/ http://www.quailpipe.co.uk/ Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/gourenina Her podcast: https://soundcloud.com/nina-gray-1 Her radio play: https://soundcloud.com/epilepsyaction/play-diagnose-it-yourself-nina-gray-ilkley-players Epilepsy Action: https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/ We mention: Martin's episode: https://so

In GBA 131 we get better acquainted with Carl. He stops off in the middle of travelling around the world to talk neuroscience, culture, the merely real and share some stories of his travels. Carl plugs: "Have joy if you can in the merely real." "Do stuff while you can because there's a fine line between can and can't and you don't want to discover it on the wrong day." His Blog: http://themerelyreal.blogspot.com/ We mention: BBCQT Watch-a-long: https://www.facebook.com/events/361392280657539/ https://twitter.com/BBCQTWatchalong Unfortunatalie: https://twitter.com/unfortunatalie couchsurfing.org: https://www.couchsurfing.org/ Watching the English - Kate Fox: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Watching-English-Hidden-Rules-Behaviour/dp/0340818867 The Two Cultures - CP Snow: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Two_Cultures Program or be Programmed - Douglas Rushcoff: http://www.amazon.com/Program-Be-Programmed-Commands-Digital/dp/159376426X Centre for Applied Rationality: http://rationality.org/ You can hear

In GBA 130 we get better acquainted with Charley. She talks childhood, family, divorce, storytelling, comedy, bitcoin and more. We swap our differently complicated childhoods, covering everything from rat based tragedy to everybody's wall's. Plus there's a performance she gave at Stand Up Tragedy. Charley plugs: Twitter: https://twitter.com/charleylucyha Make Me Funny: https://soundcloud.com/charley-lucy-harrison See You Next Thursday: https://www.facebook.com/seeyounextthurs NEXT THURSDAY: 3rd October 2013, 7.30pm, The Royal George, PWYL: https://www.facebook.com/events/186435714871900/ We mention: Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/ Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ Stand Up Tragedy at the Edinburgh Festival Special: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-124-stand-up-tragedy-at Brixton Blog: http://www.brixtonblog.com/ The Partition: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-extra-the-partition Christmas Episode: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquai

In GBA 129 we get better acquainted with John. He talks playwriting and theatre, how to fit writing plays into your life and if and if it's a medium that is relevant the modern world. It's a conversation about process, using writing as a way of trying to understand the world, a way of expressing things you can't quite put into words in your everyday life. "I know you need your sleep now, I know your life's been hard. But many men are falling, where you promised to stand guard." Leonard Cohen John doesn't plug anything. We mention: Cherry Orchard - Chekhov: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cherry_Orchard Old Times - Pinter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Times Realism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realism_(theatre) Naturalism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturalism_(theatre) Stanislavski: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislavski David Hare: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hare_(playwright) Brechtian / Brecht: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brecht Peter Brook: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_

In GBA 128 we get even better acquainted with Sam. It's a follow up conversation to the one we had in Episode 18: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-18-sam We talk about infidelity, her relationships falling apart, becoming a single parent, getting your life back together and embracing a new start, spirituality, growing up with dual heritage, spirituality, blogging, travel, photography and ideas around freedom and Karma. Sam plugs: Her blog: http://discardeddream.blogspot.co.uk/ Her photography: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lara-Feeney-Photography/137294306454007 I mention a quote from Sartre: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/33589-freedom-is-what-we-do-with-what-is-done-to You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond. On-demand and on the go! Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at www.stitcher.com or in the app stores. Help more peopl

In GBA 127 we get better acquainted with Robin the Fog. He talks radiophonics, records, finding sounds, Resonance FM, why he's called the fog and so much more. We go from The Prodigy to John Cage to Simon and Garfunkle to Thundercats, all the time talking about how you find sounds and how you find ideas. Robin at one point quotes Charlie Parker: "Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." And that is pretty much what this conversation is about! Robin plugs (plus extras): His website: http://www.robinthefog.com His releases: http://www.thefogsignals.com The Ghosts of Bush: http://thefogsignals.com/album/the-ghosts-of-bush The Original Sound Track Show (OST) resonance: BBC Records Special: http://robinthefog.com/2012/10/23/a-living-sermon-ost-bbc-records-special/ Howlround: https://twitter.com/Howlroundmusic Howlround play London Analogue Festival on Sunday 8th September: http://www.londonanalogue.com/ Howlround LP. Secret So

In GBA 126 we get better acquainted with my Uncle Willie talks about going from a transitory, working class Scottish background through a life as a military engineer and into the comfortable life of a successful entrepreneur. His episode makes an interesting addition to this week's episode with his wife my Aunty Margaret: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-125-margaret In many ways his episode is all about flying. You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond. On-demand and on the go! Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at www.stitcher.com or in the app stores. Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

In GBA 125 we get better acquainted with my Aunty Margaret. We learn a lot about each other that we didn't know in a conversation that covers singing in choirs, suicide attempts, God, the WI, depression, medication, boarding school, yoga and more. It's a really special moment captured on microphone where two people who know each other and share many things but have never really sat down and talked person to person do so. Margaret doesn't plug anything. You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond. On-demand and on the go! Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at www.stitcher.com or in the app stores. Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

In GBA 124 we get better acquainted with the Stand Up Tragedy team and our journey up to be a part of the PBH Free Fringe at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival. This show is a kaleidoscope of the fringe experience, mixing together intimate conversations, the sounds of the Royal Mile, stories, reviews and so much more. From stories late night conversations about sex to an 8 year old interviewing me about a children's show, from soul searching to love, from the overwhelmingness of the festival to its power and glory, this bumper edition of GBA captures a group experience in a time and place. Much of it was recorded by other members of the team. The SUT Team: Liz: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-4-liz Charley: https://twitter.com/charleylucyha Bryony: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-108-bryony Oona: https://twitter.com/carloona Harv: https://twitter.com/SteveHSoundtech Andy: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-94-andy Extra members of the cast: Nina: http

In this special GBA Live recorded at the Banshee Labyrinth as part of the PBH Free Fringe at the Edinburgh Festival. I get better acquainted with Peter Buckley Hill the creator and director of the PBH Free Fringe. We talk about the creation of the Free Fringe, his parents attitude to creativity, transferring from the Folk circuit to the comedy circuit, the way running the Free Fringe has affected his life and his art and more. We plug: The PBH Free Fringe: http://freefringe.org.uk/ Spoken Word at PBH's Free Fringe: https://twitter.com/PBHSpokenWord And these are some of my recomendations from the Spoken Word line-up: Rob Auton: https://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/rob-auton-the-sky-show Jem Rolls: https://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/spoken-word/jem-rolls Sofia Walker: http://freefringeforum.org/event.php?event=5117 Dan Simpson: https://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/spoken-word/science-love-and-revolution Other Voices: http://freefringeforum.org/event.php?event=162 David Lee Morgan: https://www.edfrin

In this special GBA Live recorded at the Banshee Labyrinth as part of the PBH Free Fringe at the Edinburgh Festival. I get better acquainted with Bec Hill and Brydie Lee-Kennedy from the Gods of Comedy podcast. We talk comedy, religion, belief and more. We plug: Gods of Comedy: http://godsofcomedypodcast.com/ Sugar & Vice: All the Men We've Never Slept With Venue: Gilded Balloon Teviot ​ Date:13-26 August Time: 21:00 https://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/cabaret/sugar-vice-all-the-men-we-ve-never-slept-with Bec Hill: Bec by Popular Demand Venue: Gilded Balloon Teviot ​ Date: 13-25 August Time: 16:00 https://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/bec-hill-bec-by-popular-demand Pun Run Venue: The Canons' Gait ​ Date: 14 August Time: 18:05 https://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/pun-run Stand Up Tragedy (Fiddler's Elbow Downstairs, Venue 71) 3rd - 14th August at 6.30pm: http://www.facebook.com/events/597921693564454/?fref=ts And my next live GBA shows 13th August w/ Peter Buckley Hill: 1.40pm Banshee Lab

In this special GBA Live recorded in the Soundcloud space on the royal mile we get even better acquainted with BBC Radio 4's Richard Tyrone Jones who was on the show a few years ago: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-13-richard-tyrone-jones We talk Edinburgh, spoken word, heart conditions and challenging performance art, plus Dan Simpson drops by to join us and talk pac man, poems and chiptunes. Richard Tyrone Jones plugs his Cananda tour. You can find him here: http://www.richardtyronejones.com/ http://twitter.com/RTJpoet Dan Simpson plugs his show We Are All Orange Ghosts (Fiddler's Elbow Downstairs, Venue 71)3rd - 18th August at 2.45pm You can find him here: http://dansimpsonpoet.wordpress.com/ http://twitter.com/dansimpsonpoet I plug: Stand Up Tragedy (Fiddler's Elbow Downstairs, Venue 71) 3rd - 14th August at 6.30pm: https://www.facebook.com/events/597921693564454/?fref=ts And my live GBA shows: 12th August w/ Gods of Comedy: 1.40pm Banshee Labyrinth Banquetting Hall: htt

In GBA 123 we get better acquainted with Daniel Simpson. He talks about his experience trying to bring Ibiza to the Balkans in a story that involves being a journalist for the New York Times, drug smuggling, the Serbian mafia, Sonic Youth, and the conflict between idealism and egotism. We also get into both the wider politics that frame this story (the media, the Balkans, The War on Terror, The War on Drugs, Western Foreign Policy) and what he learnt personally about himself from his terrible experiences. At PBH's Free Fringe (part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival): Getting Better Acquainted - 1.40pm, 12th August, Banshee Labyrinth w/ Gods of Comedy: http://www.facebook.com/events/489862131092073/ - 1.40pm, 13th August, Banshee Labyrinth w/ Peter Buckley Hill: http://www.facebook.com/events/197046307128430/ Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ 6.30pm, 3rd - 14th August, Fiddler's Elbow (downstairs): http://www.facebook.com/events/597921693564454/ Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com

In GBA 122 we get better acquainted with Allan. He talks about being tall, being vulnerable, being shy and so much more. We discuss storytelling, acting, growing up as an introverted "dork" within a struggling single parent family in Perth, Australia and auditioning to be a giant clown in Cirque du Soleil. The episode also features a clip of Allan performing a true story at Stand Up Tragedy. At PBH's Free Fringe (part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival): Getting Better Acquainted - 1.40pm, 12th August, Banshee Labyrinth w/ Gods of Comedy: https://www.facebook.com/events/489862131092073/ - 1.40pm, 13th August, Banshee Labyrinth w/ Peter Buckley Hill: https://www.facebook.com/events/197046307128430/ Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ 6.30pm, 3rd - 14th August, Fiddler's Elbow (downstairs): https://www.facebook.com/events/597921693564454/ Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/ 12.15pm, 8th August, Fiddler's Elbow (Downstairs): https://www.facebook.com/events/120455901458002 Alla