Getting Better Acquainted

Because making it took up all my editing time this week today we have a GBA Extra in place of the usual episode. It's 15 minute montage of extracts that represent the 2011 output of Getting Better Acquainted. It in no way is a best of, so many wonderful moments and people were cut for reasons of time, it is designed to communicate how the show is different from what you might hear on the radio. Because it's short it gives you time to catch up on episodes you might have missed. There will be 2 more GBA Extra's on Friday to make up for the lack of full length episode this week. Below is the "Commendation Document" and the Track List that went with the nomination. *** Commendation document: Dave Pickering / Getting Better Acquainted SRA nominated writer Dave Pickering produces the weekly podcast Getting Better Acquainted. This nomination is a series of extracts from the first 36 episodes of the show, selected to illustrate the range of topics and types of conversations he’s captured. Each week, Dave ge

In GBA 54 we get better acquainted with Anton Frank. He talks about living through Latvia's change from "communism" to capitalist independence, writing, producing and performing music, football, auditioning for the X Factor and some unusual theories about ancient civilisations. When we talked it was only our second time meeting face to face. Anton Plugs: His music: http://antonfrank.co.uk/ Facebook: http://facebook.com/antonfrankmusic Twitter: http://twitter.com/antonfrank And we both plug Stand Up Tragedy: The next episode of this podcast will come on Friday. Our next night of live tragedy is at 8.30 on Monday 7th May 2012 at the Leicester Square Theatre Tickets are available for £8/£10 here: http://leicestersquaretheatre.ticketsolve.com/shows/126520120/events The promo code TRAGIC knocks a couple of quid off. For all SUT related things look here: http://standuptragedy.co.uk/ You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows d

GBA 52 : To the Heart of It This is a special episode of GBA which mixes true stories that I told live at Spark London with family conversations and a new song to explore how my dad’s heart attack and quadruple heart bypass touched both me and my family. I talk to: Jo http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-52-jo Sonia http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-51-sonia Tony http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-35-tony and my Dad http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-dad-episodes/ about some big moments in our family history, getting different perspectives and shining a light on the way we interact as a family group. This episode is about how families create myths, how memories of events contradict, change and fade, how families interact and how the idea of a parent’s mortality can shape your life. CREDITS The song "Talk to your Parents" will eventually be on the upcoming album "Bouncy, Poppy Songs About Death" from The Reactionaries: http://soundclou

In GBA 52 we get better acquainted with my sister, Jo. She talks about being part of the Leytonstone community, teaching in inner-city schools, doing studies of single sex schooling, changing attitudes to gender within her lifetime, gardening as religion & more! We also find ourselves wondering about the specifics of family events. These questions inspired me to make GBA Special coming out this Friday. In "To the Heart of It" I talk to Jo, last week’s guest Sonia, previous guests Tony, and my Dad, about some big moments in our family history, getting different perspectives and shining a light on the way we interact as a family group. I also explore my own relation with my father’s mortality and debut a new song from The Reactionaries. Jo Plugs: Allotments and great teachers. "If you want to be happy for an hour get drunk, for a year get married, or for life be a gardener." You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from y

This is my submission to the Third Coast International Audio Festival ShortDocs Challenge 2012 http://www.thirdcoastfestival.org/competitions/shortdocs/2012 The challenge was to: "Produce a short audio story (2 -3 minutes) that features at least two of your neighbors, includes a color in the title, and contains three consecutive seconds of narrative silence. Stories of all styles are welcome – from documentary to drama - and everything in between." One sentence summary: This piece is called Grey Areas and it's about how close I am to my dad, in a literal sense, it's also a tribute to the the neighbour we buried in his back garden. 85 word Bio: Dave Pickering is 30 years old and lives in East London. He wrote both series of a podcast drama called Numbers which was nominated for The Internet Programme Award at The Sony Radio Academy Awards 2009. He’s produced podcasts for the London true story telling night Spark London. Spark London was voted Best of Mixcloud 2010. He runs a variety style night c

In GBA 51 we get better acquainted with my niece, Sonia. She talks about giving birth to her two children which were very different experiences to each other, her feelings about motherhood, having a strong friendship group, smiling at strangers, experiences of Australia, the desire to work with her hands and lot's more. We touch on becoming like our parents, what that means and how it can be embraced. I'm also revealed to be a Buncle, uncover her hatred for Chickens and discuss her influence on me when I was growing up. It’s a really open and wide ranging conversation that was a joy to record. Sonia Plugs: Romance, reality and positivity! At the start of the episode I suggest people who like this one might like: http://longestshortesttime.com/ (also available on iTunes) http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-18-sam 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

In GBA 50 we get better acquainted with Mathy. She talks about how the loss of her job and the loss of her dad led to her changing her life. And she talks about her life up to that decision: Her journey from the Congo, through lots of other countries, being expelled from boarding school in South Africa, and the loss of both her parents. She goes though struggles to get employed, to getting a job helping others to get jobs, to losing that job and finding a new direction. Her story is moving, poignant and inspiring. Mathy Plugs Tell it like it is: http://tili.eventbrite.co.uk/ The next one is on Tuesday 3rd April 7-8.45pm at the O2 business centre, 229 Tottenham Court Road and it is PAY WHAT YOU LIKE. What the job is this: http://whathejobisthis.com/ http://www.facebook.com/whathejobisthis http://twitter.com/whathejobisthis Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/ http://www.facebook.com/whathejobisthis http://twitter.com/SparkLDN The next Spark Open Mic (that Mathy hosts) is: Monday 16th April 7:

In GBA 49 we get better acquainted with Frank. He talks machine learning, science communication, the social situation in Luxembourg, living in Edinburgh, podcasting and more. It was recorded early in the morning during last year’s Edinburgh Festival in a sound proofed science fiction complex deep below Edinburgh University. This episode, with the two before it, forms a sort of accidental miniseries about people who are involved in making audio. This wasn’t fully intentional but is welcomed nevertheless. I do programme the show for variety and there is still variety within these three episodes; however GBA is not always about people who exist in the audio world. I met Frank through http://said.fm/ which has morphed into http://thesupertimes.com/ For more on the people doing heading that audio app project check out this episode of GBA: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-7-aisha-and-abdel Frank Plugs EuSci: http://www.eusci.org.uk/archive/podcast http://www.eusci.org.uk/ http://twitter.co

In GBA 48 we get better acquainted with Emma. She talks broadcast journalism, interview techniques, radio, netball and more. We swap "Networking" stories and I go through all the shameful moments where I have met the right people and said the wrong things. This episode, with the one before it, and the one after it, forms a sort of accidental miniseries about people who are involved in making audio. This wasn’t fully intentional but is welcomed nevertheless. I do programme the show for variety and there is still variety within these three episodes; however GBA is not always about people who exist in the audio world. I met Emma through http://said.fm/ which has morphed into http://thesupertimes.com/ For more on the people doing heading that audio app project check out this episode of GBA: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-7-aisha-and-abdel Emma Plugs: Sweet Afternoon Radio: http://www.sweetafternoon.com/ http://twitter.com/sweetafternoon Xtreme East - http://www.xstreameast.co.uk/

In GBA 47 we get better acquainted with my JP and Elah from the podcast I Like You. This is the first GBA done via skype with a link up between London and Toronto. Amongst other things we talk about love and like, independent podcasting, ex girlfriends, working together, putting yourself online, radio and more. They use their own interview skills to draw some stories out of me. A shorter version of our conversation edited by Elah appeared last week on their podcast: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com/2012/03/67-getting-better-acquainted/ If you want to write a letter to your ex and send it to JP and Elah for them to use on their show they would love you to do so. Send it to: us@ilikeyoupodcast.com If you live in Toronto and are single you might also be interested in getting involved with this I Like You project: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com/2012/03/wanted-reality-dating-volunteers/ Find I Like You here: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com We refer to these episodes of the show in our conversation: Time Travel: http://il

In GBA 46 we get better acquainted with Jack. He talks about finding dead bodies and shot guns, why his mummy says he's special, being a housing officer, his love of fast and heavy music, hobbies and making art, why he doesn't hate bands (and which bands he hates), the problem with drummers and a lot more. Jack plugs: Little Apple Dolls - http://www.littleappledolls.com/ Screaming Matriarch - http://www.screamingmatriarch.com/ MSIS - http://mummysaysimspecial.com/ We plug: The Plural - http://soundcloud.com/the-plural Show Notes: This is the T-Shirt I bought that Jack made: http://screamingmatriarch.bigcartel.com/product/new-black-skull-fishbones-mens-tee This is the band we used to be in: http://www.myspace.com/applesforeveryone This is the highlights channel for first podcast I made: http://www.fourdaysinaroom.co.uk/ These are albums/bands that you might want to check out as a result of this episode: Against Me - Reinventing Axl Rose: http://open.spotify.com/album/1NtpHCszhzsReZxaoec0o9 NOFX

In GBA 45 we get better acquainted with Hannah. She talks about being arrested for dressing like a zombie, unemployment in austere times, creative writing, the right to protest and whether it’s a good time to be a loud bisexual and being middle class. We also try and puzzle out whether I’m an evil person for owning an iPhone when I understand the moral problems with its production. She was a "Starbucks Zombie" - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Starbucks-Zombies/205464159493433 http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23951992-zombies-held-in-police-swoop-protesters-spend-four-hours-in-cells-on-day-of-royal-wedding.do http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/apr/29/royal-wedding-police-criticised-protesters And was the Zombie Rights Campaign's Zombie of the Year: http://zombierightscampaign.org/blog/?p=3948 Hannah plugs: The Whippersnapper Press: Her web-publishing site for short, taut, witty and innovative writing: http://www.whippersnapperpress.com/ THEY HAVE A GIG: Thursday, 1 March 7.30PM The Miller

In GBA 43 we get even better acquainted with Louise. This conversation is really a response to our first one and covers a big subject that was missed out. We talk about the death of Louise's step dad and how his life and death have influenced her. We move out from there into a broader conversation about the death of people you love. Which makes it all sound very heavy, but there is plenty of light and warmth in this conversation. You can listen to Louise's first GBA here: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-19-louise Louise plugs - Telling people what you think in that moment, while you can. And also her projects: Big Wheel Theatre Company: http://www.bigwheel.org.uk/ Les Recounteurs: http://lesraconteurslondon.wordpress.com/ Soirée Pompette: http://soireepompette.blogspot.com/ Stand Up Tragedy: Currently we are having website problems but it will be back at www.standuptragedy.co.uk and malware free as soon as possible. Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hea

In GBA 42 we get better acquainted with Lucy. I met Lucy on my GBA trip to Cardiff. This was the first time we'd seen each other in 10 years. We met in Chapter Arts Centre in Canton, less than 10 minutes from where I used to live. It was a Saturday morning and the cafe was pretty noisy and busy. We talk about looking for your place in the world, our experiences of school and university, finding yourself and fitting in. And we talk dating, discussing looking for love, being single and we debate date etiquette. Lucy doesn't plug anything. Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review? Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

In GBA 41 we get better acquainted with Chris. He was my one of my lecturers at university. He talks about academia, journalism, media, the Iraq War and the cuts being imposed by the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government. It was recorded on a university campus so it was a trip down memory lane where I faced my past lessons and past prejudices. It's a conversation about ideas but also about people. Chris tells us of his journey from plumber to van driver to academic and critic. And he makes the argument for how, in a world so influenced and controlled by the media, media studies is far from being an irrelevant subject. This is the first time someone with the same name as a previous guest has been aired. It won't be the last. Hope it doesn't get too confusing! Chris plugs: His Blog: http://chr1sr0berts.wordpress.com/ Any work he does for http://www.newleftproject.org/ and http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network And of course his book when it is published. His full name is Chris

In GBA 40 we get even better acquainted with Lily who was in episode 39 and with Karl James who was in episode 38. Lily asks me for advice on an interesting interview project she is considering and I ask Karl James for notes on how to make what I do on GBA better. We cut between these two conversations about conversations, these two interviews about interviews, and learn a lot about the art of talking and the craft of dialogue. http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-38-karl-james http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-39-lily Notes: The Dialogue Project: http://www.thedialogueproject.com/ 2 + 2 = 5: http://understandingdifference.blogspot.com/ Itunes 2+2=5: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/2-2-5-the-dialogue-project/id423791414 The Story: http://thestory.org.uk/ Karl James' talk at The Story: http://vimeo.com/20141340 WTF with Marc Maron: http://www.wtfpod.com/ On the Media: http://www.onthemedia.org/podcast/ Radiolab: http://www.radiolab.org/ The episode of radiolab th

In GBA 39 we get better acquainted with Lily. She talks about coming back to words and writing, the effect of university on her life, and embracing yoga but rejecting its image amongst other things. We also compare experiences of the Edinburgh Festival. Lily doesn't really have anything to plug. Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review? Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

In GBA 38 we get better acquainted with Karl James. He talks about having conversations and creating dialogues, how developing skills and theories on talking has shaped and influenced his life. We compare notes about interviewing and get to a point we "co-create a dialogue." Karl plugs the power of having and listening to conversations: If you know someone who is in a great deal of pain, or has had bad experiences of sex, or a hard time in and around friendship, go and have a listen to Karl's conversations on those subjects. The Dialogue Project: http://www.thedialogueproject.com/ 2 + 2 = 5: http://understandingdifference.blogspot.com/ Itunes 2+2=5: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/2-2-5-the-dialogue-project/id423791414 Why Not Me? http://soundcloud.com/thedialogueproject/why-not-me Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review? Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

In GBA 37 we get better acquainted with my Mum in the second of three conversations. The third will appear later in the series. Amongst lots of other things she talks about doing an art foundation course as a mature student, the relationship between music and art, her relationship with academic study, oil painting, bee based graffiti, the specific qualities of visual art and the importance of looking. We also talk about how her influence/genes have had an effect on the kind of art that I make. Mum plugs her art: http://junehoy.blogspot.com/ Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review? Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

In GBA 36 we get better acquainted with Christmas. It's the 2011 Christmas Special: A festive curiosity full of intimacy, doubt, shared history, music & cheer. I talk to my partner Jen, about the spirit of Christmas, why she loves the season despite or maybe even because she doesn't believe in god, we compare our different childhood Christmases, and tell our shared Christmas stories featuring panic attacks in midnight mass, the smells of Christmas, and lots more. We hear my Dad extracts from a story recorded on cassette in the mid 80's. It's a Christmas recording given to the family children. It;s a window into the past. I talk to Natti, about her Rastafarian experience and attitude towards Xmas. And I play the Christmas song I wrote a last year. The recording of the song is from New Year 2011 and took place in a room full of friends. Basically this episode tells the story of how I learned to love (albeit a highly neurotic and ambiguous love) the season despite its past crimes against my childhood. Als