Getting Better Acquainted

In GBA 104 we get better acquainted with Jessie. She talks about living through an earthquake, connecting to cultures and expressing artistic impulses through food, her complicated relationship with her father, written and radio journalism, her experience of China and more! Jessie plugs: Women and Health - Camden: http://www.womenandhealth.org.uk/ Her Website: http://jessielevene.com/ Twitter: Chinatown Food Tours with Jessie Levene: http://jessielevene.com/?p=277 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chinatown-Food-Tours-with-Jessie-Levene/152643261563669 The Listening Project: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/the-listening-project Mentioned: In the Dark: http://www.inthedarkradio.org/ The Partition: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-extra-the-partition Cello Piece: The Singing Instrument: http://soundcloud.com/london_laowai/the-singing-instrument Abigail Washburn: http://www.abigailwashburn.com/ Ai Weiwei: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ai_Weiwei Alan Hall: http://www.fallingtree.c

In GBA 103 we get better acquainted with Ben. He talks style, substance and content, sexuality and fitting in, being a teenage actor, coming from the Caribbean to London, hipster culture, making art, digital media and so much more! We met in the coolest cafe I know on a day when I was wearing a bowler hat and had a really open, connected conversation captured on a mic with only one bar of battery. The cafe gets crowded and so its not the greatest sound quality but it's certainly great conversation quality. Ben plugs: Nothing but we talk about his interest in creating his own podcast. Mentioned: Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com Ben Chapman: Inner Voice: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/inner-voice-ben-chapman/ Being a Dickhead's Cool: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVmmYMwFj1I Dan Savage: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLove?oid=16348913 Edinburgh Special: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-71-edinburgh-festival Angela: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted

In GBA 102 we get better acquainted with Julie. She talks about becoming a stand up comedian in her 70's, living through political and personal tyranny, her relationship to ageing, telling stories, living all over the world, surviving three tyrannies, being part of the computer revolution, how Elena Ceaușescu stole her desk and more! Julie plugs a great many things but ends up with: "There is always something good that comes from bad." "I don't mind a one night stand if you give me warmth. But don't call me in the morning. Google me." - Julie Kertesz Julie recently appeared on Channel Four: http://www.4thought.tv/themes/what-does-it-take-to-change-your-life/julie-kertesz Mentioned: Spark London: http://sparklondon.com/ Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ Mistaken Identity Story: http://vimeo.com/21642360 Leaving Home Story: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/leaving-home-julie-kertez/ Now or Never Story: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/now-or-never-julie-kertez/ Grants True T

In GBA 101 we get better acquainted with Alex. He talks international law, Canadian identity and politics, studying in America and the UK, falling into radical research, strange jobs, being a part of a reality style TV show that was also a university course and more! If you are a US listener and you want to help podcasters and others fight patent trolls this is the place to go: https://www.eff.org/action Alex plugs: He joked about finding a job through his appearance and certainly anyone who has a job opportunity for this intelligent and modest man should send them to GBApodcast@gmail.com and I will pass them on. But after that quip he said he had nothing to plug. 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 http://www.stitcher.com or in the app stores. Help more people get better acquainte

This is a short piece for the SoundCloud AudioBiography project: http://blog.soundcloud.com/2013/02/06/audiobiography/ I have created completely from clips from my podcast series Getting Better Acquainted. __________ Getting Better Acquainted is a weekly podcast where we join Dave Pickering on his journey to get better acquainted with the people he knows. There are lots of shows about famous people. This is a show about the rest of us. Part interview show, part oral history project, the show was nominated for a 2012 Radio Production Award and was featured on the Radio 5 Live podcast special, Helen and Ollie's Required Listening.

Part 2 of The GBA 100th Episode Special: To celebrate 100 episodes of the show I gathered a bunch of my favourite people together in a room and made them sit and listen to a special live episode of the show. There was talk and there was food. Part 2 features more clips from the first 100 episodes, in this second part the listeners pretty much programme the clips, the much of the focus is on correspondence from both listeners and past guests, the GBA house band A Room Full of Friends play two songs and there is a cake with 100 candles. The clips include discussions and experiences of guns, art movements, teenage romance, psycho-geography, homelessness, yoga in prisons, WW2, Chris Evans, inner city youth in the 70’s, dancing and lots and lots more. It also features a message from fellow podcast Chillpak Hollywood Hour. These episodes were recorded in January 2013. Full show notes here: http://gettingbetteracquainted.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/show-notes-gba-100-pt-2.html You can hear Getting Better Acqu

Part 1 of The GBA 100th Episode Special: To celebrate 100 episodes of the show I gathered a bunch of my favourite people together in a room and made them sit and listen to a special live episode of the show. There was talk and there was food (including a cake). In part 2 they’ll even be some live music from the GBA house band A Room Full of Friends. Part 1 features clips from the first 100 episodes, focusing first on the way that doing Getting Better Acquainted has influenced and changed my life, then moving into more general examples of what GBA conversations can be, and then getting into how the show has developed its own internal logic and has begun to create itself. It features messages from fellow podcasts I Like You and Risk!. Chillpak Hollywood Hour also gets focused on quite a lot. The conversation I had with Phil Leirness about his film The Truth Is Out There is was an interesting episode not just in itself but also in relation to how GBA works. The clips include childbirth, death, the time

Episode 4 of GBA Live: 5 conversations recorded as part of my Invisible Picture Palace (http://invisiblepicturepalace.com/) residency for In the Dark Radio (http://www.inthedarkradio.org/) that took place in November 2012. These episodes are going to come out daily in the week leading up to the GBA 100 two-part special. Each one has a different audience of people who came out to a greenhouse in Wapping to be a part of the conversation. Today we get we get even better acquainted with return guest Radcliffe. http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-radcliffe-episodes/ Rad talks about life before and after homelessness, crime, punishment and upbringing, addiction, being an options broker in the city, an unofficial school exchange trip, what to do when you find your father urinating in the mashed potato, how David Bowie is to blame for the financial crisis and lots more. We plug: Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com Radcliffe hosts the Spark Brixton Open Mic at the Ritzy Cinema on the thi

Episode 3 of GBA Live: 5 conversations recorded as part of my Invisible Picture Palace (http://invisiblepicturepalace.com/) residency for In the Dark Radio (http://www.inthedarkradio.org/) that took place in November 2012. These episodes are going to come out daily in the week leading up to the GBA 100 two-part special. Each one has a different audience of people who came out to a greenhouse in Wapping to be a part of the conversation. Today we get better acquainted with Urie. She talks about Little Apple Dolls, making art, nearly getting signed to DC comics, growing up shifting between different religions as her mum followed a spiritual quest, depression, family, dogs with silly faces, bullying and much more. It's a really open and honest conversation which covers a lot of ground, from comics conventions to Nigerian Church Cults, from the imaginary space of The Inbetween to living with mental health issues, Urie is engaging, funny and wise. The live recording of this episode was picked as part of Somethi

Episode 2 of GBA Live: 5 conversations recorded as part of my Invisible Picture Palace (http://invisiblepicturepalace.com/) residency for In the Dark Radio (http://www.inthedarkradio.org/) that took place in November 2012. These episodes are going to come out daily in the week leading up to the GBA 100 two-part special. Each one has a different audience of people who came out to a greenhouse in Wapping to be a part of the conversation. Today we get we get better acquainted with A Room Full of Friends. This is the pilot of a new strand of the GBA podcast. The Getting Better Acquainted house band, A Room full of Friends, will play regular gigs in rooms full of different groups of friends. We play songs, we talk, we talk to the audience, and we have fun. In this episode the songs and the conversation take us to all sorts of places from Steven Seagal, to heart attacks, to Winnie the Pooh, to teenage goth memories, to eulogies to dead friends and much, much more. The current line up of a room full of friends is

Episode 1 of GBA Live: 5 conversations recorded as part of my Invisible Picture Palace (http://invisiblepicturepalace.com/) residency for In the Dark Radio (http://www.inthedarkradio.org/) that took place in November 2012. These episodes are going to come out daily in the week leading up to the GBA 100 two-part special. Each one has a different audience of people who came out to a greenhouse in Wapping to be a part of the conversation. Today we get we get even better acquainted with return guest Michael Fenton Stevens http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-79-micheal-fenton-stevens Mike talks about acting for the radio, growing up in Bermondsey, his view of recent UK comedy history, putting pets down, his relationship with and to religion and in particular to his Catholic upbringing, and lots more. The conversation is engaging, fun and surprising. We also discuss the fate of my pet rats, reveal what was then a spoiler for The Archers, hear a passionate case for atheism from a former altar boy a

In GBA 99 we get better acquainted with Sam. He talks rhythm, SantaCon, Burning Man, chasing the pony of enlightenment and "that" gig. He also turns the tables and grills me on my writing history and creative process. Sam was the last drummer in my old band Apples for Everyone and we get into music, drumming, bands and whether being drunk on stage is always a good thing. http://www.myspace.com/applesforeveryone Sam doesn't plug anything because it would "tarnish this whole conversation." We mention: SantaCon: http://santacon.info/ Burning Man: http://www.burningman.com/ Jojo Mayer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jojo_Mayer Oblique Strategies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblique_Strategies Phil Collins: http://www.philcollins.co.uk/ The Plural: http://soundcloud.com/the-plural 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 S

In GBA 98 we get better acquainted with Natti. She talks writing, leaving her job, race, identity, faith, class, gender, politics, change, being part of the early days of Occupy London Stock Exchange and more. This is one of the conversations where I end up talking a lot. Some guests have referred to doing GBA as a therapeutic experience. I found this one a bit like therapy myself. We get into the big questions but in a really personal and human way. This episode was recorded over a year ago; this is worth bearing in mind for two reasons: 1. Much of the conversation touches on events and movements that were current at the time but have evolved since then. 2. This is a conversation where both parties are feeling out their ideas about the world, both of us will have changed our positions in some ways based on new things we have learnt or thought. Natti plugs: Her writing (Here is some old stuff: http://illiterateiguana.blogspot.co.uk/) and Occupy London Stock Exchange (now updated to Occupy London): htt

In GBA 97 we get even better acquainted with Angela and Sofia. I follow up with them both at our writers retreat in Ramsgate in August 2012, catching them both in very different moments of transition. We talk writing, work, happiness, balance, jungles, guns, bullying, breasts & more. This episode does stand alone but you may want to listen to their previous GBA conversations either before or after. I think you can tell that by this conversation we all know each other much better as friends, and the changes in their lives from when I first talked to them are interesting. http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-95-sofia http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-96-angela Angela gives a very specific plug for Birkbeck to accept her for a creative writing MA. This episode goes out much later and so it is my pleasure (but not my surprise) to tell you that she was indeed accepted to this course. Sofia's plug is also very specific; she is looking for a more fulfilling job that pays more money

In GBA 96 we get better acquainted with Angela. She talks about being a librarian, being a teenage Goth in Michigan, being a "start up wife", being someone who follows their wanderlust to New Zealand, being an A & R person for hair metal bands, being a writer with a flair for editing and lots more. This is the first instalment of Angela this week. She returns with along with GBA 95 guest Sofia on Friday in an episode where I follow up with then both and delve into some of the areas I missed the first time. She is the second Angela to have appeared on the show. Angela plugs: Her husband's internet start up company: http://www.bookingbug.com 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 http://www.stitcher.com or in the app stores. Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you h

In GBA 95 we get better acquainted with Sofia. She talks about writing screenplays and being interested in film making, going from Sweden to Texas, back to Sweden, then to LA, then to London, with some stop offs in Malaysia, surviving on a low wage in London, the etiquette of working as a barista in a coffee chain, not wanting children but wanting a relationship and more! Sofia plugs: Her photography and her writing: Contact GBApodcast@gmail.com to be put in contact with her about either of those skillsets. This is her flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sofialundberg/ 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 http://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? Follow @GBApodcast on Twitte

In GBA 94 we get better acquainted with Andy. He talks about sex, suicide, evolution, Countdown, cocaine addiction, true storytelling and more. It's very open & honest conversation. A substantial amount of this episode covers issues around sexuality, feminism, evolutionary psychology/biology, sex work and we even touch on "nice guys" (although the conversation was recorded before the Nice Guys of OK Cupid Tumblr appeared and disappeared.) We also talk about how Phil Collins saved his life, get the inside scoop on behind the scenes at the Channel Four series Countdown, the relationship between stand up comedy, journalism and Oxford University and how his two Grandmothers influenced his life. Andy will be telling a true story at the upcoming Stand Up Tragedy which is also at the Hackney Attic on Friday 18th January: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/show-1-18th-january-2013/ http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Hackney_Picturehouse/film/Stand_Up_Tragedy/ https://www.facebo

In GBA 93 we get better acquainted with Alastair. He talks about putting on shows, creativity, filmmaking, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, Doctor Who, activism, hugging and more. This episode was recorded at the Hackney Attic (where he works), just before the last Spark London Hackney Open Mic of 2012 (which I run.) The episode will also feature two Spark London true stories recorded at the attic, both touching on sibling relationships. Al told his story at the first ever Spark Hackney Night when the theme was "Back to School". I told my story on the evening after we recorded the episode when the theme was "Family". The next Hackney Open Mic and first Spark London event of 2013 is on Monday 14th January: http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Hackney_Picturehouse/film/Spark_London_Story_Telling_Theme_Open_Heart/ http://sparklondon.com/ We also mention the upcoming Stand Up Tragedy which is also at the Hackney Attic on Friday 18th January: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk

In GBA 92 we get better acquainted with Ben Target. He talks about being enigmatic, stand up comedy, creativity, family history, observing from the outside and more. http://vimeo.com/49831059 The conversation takes place upstairs in a central London pub as a comedy gig (a London showing of Lou Sanders http://lousanders.com/ Edinburgh show) is set up around us and features cameos from Lou and others. Ben Target is a really brilliant "upcoming" comedian and so this is the perfect setting to capture a conversation with him. Ben will be performing at the first Stand Up Tragedy of 2013 on Friday 18th January at the Hackney Attic. It will be a great show: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/show-1-18th-january-2013/ http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Hackney_Picturehouse/film/Stand_Up_Tragedy/ https://www.facebook.com/events/232685033529087/ Ben Plugs: http://plebtalks.com/ 2013 - Discover Ben Target: Upcoming gigs including one with Nick Sun on 25th Jan: http://www.chort

In GBA 91 we get better acquainted with Christmas (again). It's the 2012 Christmas Special: A festive curiosity once again full of intimacy, doubt, shared history, music & cheer. This year though it's much more NSFW. It's a longform true story of the trip I took to Amsterdam with my mum in 2005. It features a man in a Gorilla suit wearing a strap on, my mum teaching me how to look at art, a sex worker telling me I'm not a good writer, a moment of closure in my relationship with both Christmas and my mother, a classic weed freak out, beautiful churches and lobster for Christmas dinner. DISCLAIMER:This contains reference to actions which are not legal in this country but are legal in Holland and it should go without saying that I have never and would never do anything that is illegal in this county. The audio was originally told via skype to Kevin Allison (http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-90-kevin-allison) from Risk! (http://risk-show.com/) It's has been edited and scored by me, using