Getting Better Acquainted

GBA 110 Bill

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:13:08 +0000

In GBA 109 we get better acquainted with Bill. He talks God is in the TV Zine, music, media, blogging, Cardiff and more. It was recorded during my first GBA Cardiff pilgrimage: http://www.soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-17-cardiff Bill Plugs: A music night he's running at Dempsey's in Cardiff on the 23rd of May, featuring Glasgow's Three Blind Wolves, North Walians Shy and the Fight, Swansea's The Adelines and Cardiff's Brothers: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/210571 God is in the TV Zine: http://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/ And his PR company: http://soundandvisionpr.tumblr.com/ We mention: NME: http://www.nme.com/ Quietus: http://thequietus.com/ Factory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_Records John Peel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Peel Michael Stipe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Stipe Melody Maker: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melody_Maker Lester Bangs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lester_Bangs Paul Morley: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Morley John Harris: http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/johnharris Super Furry Animals: http://www.superfurry.com/ Catatonia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catatonia_(band) The Manic Street Preachers: http://www.manicstreetpreachers.com/ The Stereophonics: http://www.stereophonics.com/ Design For Life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M55BGyxZbY The Simpsons Movie: http://www.simpsonsmovie.com/ New Order: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Order Joy Division: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_Division Motorcycle Emptiness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gavcjNniIvk Nirvana: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_(band) Foo Fighters: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foo_Fighters Sylvia Plath: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Plath J D Salinger: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._D._Salinger Neil Young: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Young The Smiths: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smiths Oscar Wilde: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde Alan Bennett: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Bennett Morrisey: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrissey Oasis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oasis_(band) Cigarettes and Alcohol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaeLKhRnkhQ Rock and Roll Star: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBZ1HTkGF4s Gorky's Zygotic Monkey: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorky's_Zygotic_Mynci Sŵn Festival: http://swnfest.com/ The Vaccines: http://www.thevaccines.co.uk/gb/home/ Marina and the Diamonds: http://www.marinaandthediamonds.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 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?

GBA 109 Patrick

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:36:01 +0000

In GBA 109 we get better acquainted with Patrick. He talks British documentary film, the process of history, an academic appraisal of my dad, and romance verses analysis. We get into questions of art, inner life, the different effect of the two world wars in UK society, social documents and lots more Patrick Plugs: 2014 anniversary of WW1 - "it had a truly profound effect at the micro and macro levels of our society and this is a good moment to consider it and judge it's effects." And then he went on to discuss WW2's effect as of displacing the effects of both WW2 and guilt over the empire. We mention: Patrick at the BFI: http://www.bfi.org.uk/people/patrick-russell The BFI: http://www.bfi.org.uk/ My dad and Patrick in conversation: http://www.bfi.org.uk/live/video/140 The book Patrick co-edited containing a chapter on my dad: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shadows-Progress-Documentary-Post-War-Britain/dp/1844573222 The DVD collections that feature interviews with my dad plus his films: Portrait of a Miner: http://filmstore.bfi.org.uk/acatalog/info_13726.html Shadows of Progress: http://filmstore.bfi.org.uk/acatalog/info_26255.html Paul Rotha: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Rotha John Grierson: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Grierson Mining Review: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/894075/ 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?

GBA 108 Bryony

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 01 May 2013 16:23:44 +0000

In GBA 108 we get better acquainted with Bryony. She puts up with me treating her as an ambassador for people in their early 20's! She talks studying radio production, teenage years, Canada, pets, memory, interviewing, living in the countryside, generations and lot's more! There is also a cameo from the cat that I had at the time. Bryony Plugs: Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ Next live show is on Friday 17th May at the Hackney Attic: https://www.facebook.com/events/635498473143002/ Our podcast which Bryony produces is available on iTunes, Sticher Smart Radio and here: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy She also makes a plea for people to give her a job or hook her up with radio related content that she might be interested in. Drop me an email at GBApodcast@gmail.com and I will pass it on to her. We mention: WTF with Marc Maron: http://www.wtfpod.com/ This American Life: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/ Savage Love: http://www.savagelovecast.com/ Dan Carlin: http://www.dancarlin.com/ Stitcher Smart Radio: http://www.stitcher.com/ The Super Times: http://thesupertimes.com/ Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/ Jeremy Vine Show: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006wr3p Mad Men: http://www.amctv.com/shows/mad-men Colin Murray: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Murray Sam episode: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-18-sam Urie episode: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-live-3-urie Frost/Nixon: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0870111/ 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?

GBA Extra - The Band

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:44:10 +0000

In this GBA Extra I talk to Steve, Alex and Owain about the band we were in when we were at school. It features clips from some of the bands songs. We talk music, artistic differences, and teenage friendships. It's a rather chaotic conversation that took place in Steve's back garden in Cardiff the day after his wedding. We mention: The Middle Class Bastards: https://soundcloud.com/themiddleclassbastards To the Heart of It: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-53-to-the-heart-of-it Four Days in a Room: https://soundcloud.com/fourdaysinaroom/sets/highlights-from-four-days-in-a - The episode that documents Alex and me falling out over making music: https://soundcloud.com/fourdaysinaroom/4diar-bonus-episode-scenes - The episode where I interview Alex about music: https://soundcloud.com/fourdaysinaroom/4diar-episode-18-promotion?in=fourdaysinaroom/sets/highlights-from-four-days-in-a Joy Division: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_Division REM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.E.M. The Big Bang Theory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Bang_Theory Oasis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oasis_(band)

GBA 107 Steve

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:57:07 +0000

In GBA 106 we get better acquainted with Steve. I talk to my school friend Steve in his house in Cardiff surrounded by furniture he made himself the day after his wedding last year. He talks about being someone who constructs things, the birth of his son, what being a builder means these days, running a DJ business in your teens, being a Master Carpenter and Joiner, growing up as "the man of the house", his relationship with his absent father and more. (Mostly I just ask him what it's like to be a man.) Steve doesn't plug anything. He does mention Norm Abram: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norm_Abram And Bellway Homes: http://www.bellway.co.uk/ This is Owain's GBA: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-16-owain 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?

GBA 106 Jack and George

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:43:49 +0000

In GBA 106 we get better acquainted with Jack and George. Whilst drinking brandy & chain-smoking Jack, George and me trade differing views of the legal system and ask whether you change significantly after childhood: what stays the same and what changes. This episode includes an account of being arrested for destroying a house, an account of being a witness to an assault, an account of a bus kidnapping and the curious case of the police confiscating George's Lou Reed collection. It's an interesting ride: Part surprise therapy session, part series of complimentary and contradictory experiences of the law and part documentation of a friendship. We actually don't sound as drunk as we were! We don't really plug anything. These are the individual GBAs with George and Jack: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-46-jack http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-6-george And this is the collected GBAs with Apples for Everyone members: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/apples-for-everyone/ We mention Talha Assan http://freetalha.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syed_Talha_Ahsan Aim: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aim_(musician) Lou Reed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Reed Prince: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician) Thundercats: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThunderCats 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? Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 105 Bec Hill

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:18:46 +0000

In GBA 105 we get better acquainted with Bec Hill. She talks talks loving puns, creating comedy for children and adults, coming from Australia to the UK, going straight from school to stand-up, where her comedy influences came from, giving up the day job and more. Bec plugs: Pun Run: April 18th Pheonix 7.30 £3 / £10 Pun Run Pun Size: May 18th Camden Head https://www.facebook.com/thepunrun https://twitter.com/ThePunRun I suggest: Youtube vids: http://www.youtube.com/user/rolypolygrandma Website: http://bechillcomedian.com/ Bec and Tom - Edinburgh Fringe https://www.facebook.com/BecandTom https://www.facebook.com/events/350150775089928/ Mentioned: Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ Rachel Parris: http://rachelparris.com/ Bec Hill: Bec Hill is More Afraid Of You Than You Are of Her! http://www.theskinny.co.uk/comedy/reviews/303067-bec_hill_bec_hill_more_afraid_you_than_you_are Edinburgh Special: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-71-edinburgh-festival The Ministry of Stories: http://www.ministryofstories.org/ Mark Trenwith / Mr Snot Bottom: http://www.marktrenwith.com/ Kevin Eldon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Eldon Jackie Chan: http://jackiechan.com/ Greg Davies: http://www.gregdavies.co.uk/ The Goodies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goodies Monty Python: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Python Dave Allen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Allen_(comedian) Kenny Everett: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Everett Black Rock: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1930294/ Class Clowns: http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2013/classclowns/ Raw Comedy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_Comedy_Award Gilded Balloon: http://www.gildedballoon.co.uk/ Sarah Millican: http://www.sarahmillican.co.uk/ Tony Law: http://www.mrtonylaw.com/ Justin Hamilton: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Hamilton_(comedian) Louis CK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_C.K. Josie Long: http://www.josielong.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 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 104 Jessie

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:43:20 +0000

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.co.uk/production_team/alan_hall 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 103 Ben

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 18:06:42 +0000

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/gba-26-angela Hayley: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-9-hayley Susan Cain - Quiet: The Power of Introverts: http://www.thepowerofintroverts.com/ Four Days in A Room: http://soundcloud.com/fourdaysinaroom/sets/highlights-from-four-days-in-a 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 102 Julie

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 17:26:43 +0000

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 Tales video "When I was 10 years old" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-JHZKFzoHE Toastmasters: http://www.toastmasters.org/ Lewisham Speakers: http://lewishamspeakers.blogspot.co.uk/ Julie70's Flickr Account: http://www.flickr.com/people/joyoflife/ Julie on Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/user6441144 Julie's Diary: http://julie70diary.blogspot.co.uk/ Photo Blog: http://photoblogjulie70.blogspot.co.uk/ Video Blog: http://julie70video.blogspot.co.uk/ Il y a de la vie après 70 ans (French Blog): http://julie70.blogspot.co.uk/ Julie in London at 77: http://julie70inlondon.blogspot.co.uk/ Competent Communicator: http://competentcommunicator.blogspot.co.uk/ Logan Murray: http://www.loganmurray.com/ - Stand Up and Deliver David Jones: http://www.stammering.org/news_toastmasters.html Silver Comedy (http://silvercomedy.co.uk/) Best Newcomer 2012: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joyoflife/6908120513/ Cavendish Arms - Tiny Cup: http://competentcommunicator.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/two-clowns-at-cavendish-arms.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julie.kertesz GBA Episode 1: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-1-dave 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 101 Alex

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 20:28:51 +0000

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 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!

Audiobiography: Getting Better Acquainted with Dave Pickering

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 09:09:53 +0000

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.

GBA 100 pt 2

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:39:18 +0000

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. This episode features clips from: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-71-edinburgh-festival http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-66-iris http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-78-louise http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-84-writing-group http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-69-lucy http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-24-mum-1 http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-81-dave-guest-hosted-by http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-18-sam http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-58-radcliffe-part-2 http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-89-laraby http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-46-jack http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-82-russell http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-3-dad-1 http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-65-helen-and-olly http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-91-getting-better Episodes Mentioned: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-86-reuben http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-67-martin-the-sound-man http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-21-navin http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-dad-episodes/ http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-75-katy-darby http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-90-kevin-allison http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-88-alex http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-49-frank http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-89-laraby http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-38-karl-james http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-25-chris http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-60-phil-leirness http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-53-to-the-heart-of-it http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-82-russell http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-57-richard http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-23-jessica http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-26-angela http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-59-sanne http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-52-jo http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-69-lucy http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-47-jp-and-elah-from-i-like http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-44-emily http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-42-lucy http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-78-louise http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-173-lucy http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-41-chris http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-83-chris-goode http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-87-in-conversation http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-93-alastair http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-9-hayley http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-70-superbard http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-81-dave-guest-host http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-64-coventry http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-louise-episodes-1/ http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-radcliffe-episodes/ http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-16-owain http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-jen-episodes/ http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-answer-me-this-episodes-1 http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-68-kit-lovelace http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-live-5-chris-goode-and http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-live-2-a-room-full-of Other Things Mentioned: Peter Aguero: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOhMAbPxgNg Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/ The Moth: http://themoth.org/ In the Dark: http://www.inthedarkradio.org/ The Invisible Picture Palace: http://invisiblepicturepalace.com/ Radio 5 Live appearance: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01m5j91 Eve Proofreads: http://eveproofreads.com/ Chilpack Hollywood Hour: http://www.chillpakhollywood.com/ The Truth is Out There: http://www.truth-is-out-there.com/ The Reactionaries: http://soundcloud.com/thereactionaries/sets/the-reactionaries/ Three Posh Boys: http://goosefat101twitterspills.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/three-posh-boys.html Hackney Attic: http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Hackney_Picturehouse/Attic/Hackney_Attic/ Stand Up Tragedy podcast: http://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy @motari: https://twitter.com/mortari Sex at Dawn: http://www.sexatdawn.com/ Risk! http://risk-show.com Tangentially speaking: http://feralaudio.com/show/tangentially-speaking-with-dr-christopher-ryan/ Answer Me This! http://www.answermethispodcast.com Messages from: Chillpack Hollywood Hour Jess O'Callaghan / Something You Said: https://twitter.com/jessocallaghan / http://somethingyousaid.com/2012/12/28/something-you-saids-top-gigs-of-2012/ Helen Zaltzman: http://helenzaltzman.com/ Martin Austwick: http://sociablephysics.wordpress.com/ Chris Roberts Chris Goode: http://chrisgoodeandcompany.co.uk/ Frank Dodelinger Eve Proofreads Nina Gray: http://musingandrambling.tumblr.com/ Bryony Hawkins: http://bryonyhawkins.wordpress.com/ Alastair Binnie-Lubbock: http://www.alastairis.co.uk/index.html 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 100 pt 1

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:46:02 +0000

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 I poured coke on a friends white shirt because I thought it would be funny, dealing with anger, life during the Northern Irish "Troubles", epiphanies and lots and lots more. These episodes were recorded in January 2013. Part 2 comes out on Friday. This episode features clips from: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-16-owain http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-4-liz http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-15-edinburgh-festival http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-35-tony http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-77-the-coventry-years http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-31-ged http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-74-mervyn http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-51-sonia http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-60-phil-leirness http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-43-louise-2 http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-2-elspeth Episodes that were part of the Intro Montage: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-6-george http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-9-hayley http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-10-richard http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-12-mj-hibbett http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-13-richard-tyrone-jones http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-19-louise http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-20-nathalie http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-21-navin http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-22-zoe http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-23-jessica http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-25-chris http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-26-angela http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-27-joss http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-29-matt http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-56-henry http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-59-sanne http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-79-micheal-fenton-stevens http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-85-abbie http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-83-chris-goode http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-90-kevin-allison http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-61-jen Episodes Mentioned: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-17-cardiff http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-47-jp-and-elah-from-i-like http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-22-zoe http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-4-liz http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-54-anton-frank http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-38-karl-james http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-87-in-conversation http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-23-jessica http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-13-richard-tyrone-jones http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-96-angela Other Things Mentioned: http://soundcloud.com/fourdaysinaroom/sets/highlights-from-four-days-in-a http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ http://blog.soundcloud.com/2011/12/15/soundcloud-voices-17/ http://goosefat101twitterspills.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/three-posh-boys.html http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/on-living-in-a-soho-skip-radcliffe-royds/ http://ilikeyoupodcast.com/ http://risk-show.com/ http://www.chillpakhollywood.com/ http://www.truth-is-out-there.com Messages: I Like You Kevin from Risk 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA Live 5 Chris Goode and Karl James

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:42:29 +0000

Episode 5 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 guests Chris Goode and Karl James. Both have had individual conversations, this is the first time they have appeared on GBA together. http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-38-karl-james http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-83-chris-goode This was a very surprising and interesting conversation which is really hard to sum up in a blurb. It moves through themes of performance, listening, provocation, violence, shame, authority, empathy, difference, therapy, forgiveness and more. All this spills out of the starting point of two projects which Chris and Karl have collaborated on. A piece by Tim Crouch called The Author which seems to have had a powerful effect on audiences but also on Chris who acted in it and Karl who co-directed it. And the more recent Monkey Bars, a piece of theatre where adults perform verbatim dialogue originally spoken by children. This conversation went to places I hadn't expected it too and was a challenging and rewarding experience. Chris plugs: Chris Goode and Company: http://chrisgoodeandcompany.co.uk/ Thompson's Live: http://chrisgoodeandco.podbean.com/ Karl Plugs: Dialogue Project: http://www.thedialogueproject.com/ His future Book: Big Conversations And audio podcasts/conversations in general. We mention: The Author: http://www.newsfromnowhere.net/shows/the-author/the-author.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/sep/30/the-author-review http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/charlottehigginsblog/2010/aug/12/edinburghfestival-theatre Tim Crouch: http://www.timcrouchtheatre.co.uk/ Andy Smith: http://www.asmithontheinternet.com/ Monkey Bars: http://chrisgoodeandcompany.co.uk/?page_id=69 http://www.standard.co.uk/arts/theatre/monkey-bars-unicorn--review-8447564.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/aug/16/monkey-bars-edinburgh-festival-review God/Head: http://www.ovalhouse.com/whatson/detail/god-head Irreversible: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290673/ Brené Brown Tedtalk: http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_listening_to_shame.html GBA Abbie: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-85-abbie Georgie Meadows: http://www.wellcomecollection.org/whats-on/exhibitions/georgie-meadows.aspx 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA Live 4 Radcliffe

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:57:21 +0000

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 third Monday of every month. The next night is 18th March at 7:30pm where the theme is Birthdays. I host the Spark Hackney Open Mic at the Hackney Attic on the second Monday of every month. The next night is 11th March at 7:30pm where the theme is Awkward. We mention: The Liar Show: http://www.theliarshow.com/ On Living in a Soho Skip: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/on-living-in-a-soho-skip-radcliffe-royds/ David Bowie: http://www.davidbowie.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 hear why not write an iTunes review? Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA Live 3 Urie

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:38:25 +0000

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 Something You Said's Top Gigs of 2012: http://somethingyousaid.com/2012/12/28/something-you-saids-top-gigs-of-2012/ Urie plugs: Her new Little Apple Doll: http://screamingmatriarch.bigcartel.com/product/new-limited-edition-lustravi-14-little-apple-doll And Screaming Matriach: http://screamingmatriarch.bigcartel.com/ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Apple-Dolls/10150159360495593 We mention: Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk Urie will be performing at SUT on Thursday 28th March at the Dogstar in Brixton. Byron Burger: http://www.byronhamburgers.com/ J Horror: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_horror Robert Rodriguez: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Rodriguez Quentin Tarantino: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quentin_Tarantino 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA Live 2 A Room Full of Friends

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:04:21 +0000

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: Dave: Vox/Guitar/Uke Asia: Vox Sam: Drums: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-99-sam George: Bass: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-6-george We plug: Sams other projects: Stark Dangerous: http://www.starkdangerous.com/ Hwan: http://soundcloud.com/indifference-engine We mention: Steven Seagal: http://stevenseagal.com/ Arnold Schwarzenegger: http://www.schwarzenegger.com/ Johnny Cash: http://www.johnnycash.com/ Where Wild Roses Grow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDpnjE1LUvE Bruce Springsteen: http://brucespringsteen.net/ Winnie the Pooh: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnie-the-Pooh 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA Live 1 Michael Fenton Stevens

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:13:06 +0000

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 and consider the value of empathy and compassion in relationship to people who damage other people. We plug: I plug the two places you can currently find him: Performing as the Prime Minister in Yes Prime Minister: http://www.yesprimeminister.co.uk/ Performing in The Archers: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qpgr And then Mike plugs Radio 4: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/ We mention: Stewart Lee: http://www.stewartlee.co.uk/ Keith Allen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Allen_(actor) Leonard Cohen: http://www.leonardcohen.com/ Andy Hamilton: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Hamilton This Episode of the Nerdist Podcast: http://www.nerdist.com/2012/11/nerdist-podcast-eric-idle-eddie-izzard-billy-connolly-and-sophie-winkleman/ Old Harry's Game: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/oldharrysgame/ Eddie Izzard: http://www.eddieizzard.com/ Ricky Gervais: http://www.rickygervais.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 hear why not write an iTunes review? Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 99 Sam

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 19:45:19 +0000

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 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 98 Natti

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:41:50 +0000

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): http://occupylondon.org.uk/ 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 97 Angela and Sofia

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:05:23 +0000

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. She is talented in many ways including but not limited to writing, photography and organisation. She is still looking so please contact GBApodcast@gmail.com if you have any leads on potential jobs for her (in London). 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 96 Angela

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 17:03:34 +0000

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 hear why not write an iTunes review? Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 95 Sofia

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:59:33 +0000

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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 94 Andy

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 17:12:41 +0000

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.facebook.com/events/232685033529087/ Andy plugs: Womanology: http://www.womanology.co.uk/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/_Womanology_ Mentioned: The audio version of the Womanology blog we'd just recorded: http://www.womanology.co.uk/folder/?p=437 Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/ Down Post Office Lane: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/down-post-office-lane-andy-bodle/ Escorts: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/escorts-andy-bodle/ Daily Mail Article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1190966/I-addicted-girls-A-respected-script-writer-explains-succumbed-lure-paying-sex.html Stuart Jeffries: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mrs-Slocombes-Pussy-Stuart-Jeffries/dp/0002258897 Sex at Dawn: http://www.sexatdawn.com/ Dan Savage: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLove?oid=15754593 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 93 Alastair

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:51:50 +0000

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/show-1-18th-january-2013/ http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Hackney_Picturehouse/film/Stand_Up_Tragedy/ https://www.facebook.com/events/232685033529087/ Alastair plugs: The Hackney Attic: http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Hackney_Picturehouse/Attic/ The Hackney Picture House: http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Hackney_Picturehouse/ Autumn Shift: http://autumnshift.co.uk/ http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Hackney_Picturehouse/film/Autumn_Sessions_Poetry_Special/ TeaFuelled: http://www.teafuelled.co.uk/ Once Upon A Console: http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Hackney_Picturehouse/film/Once_Upon_A_Console_Marvel_Vs_Capcom/ Filmphonics: http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Hackney_Picturehouse/film/Filmphonics_The_General_Live_Score_By_Costas_Fotopoulos/ Mentioned: The Adventures of Prince Achmed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Prince_Achmed The Story of the Best Movie Ever Told (Hitler 2): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enKnQ8AoBWI Superbard: http://www.superbard.co.uk/ http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-70-superbard BBC Question Time Tweetalong: http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Hackney_Picturehouse/film/Bbc_Question_Time_Tweetalong/ Unfortunatalie: http://twitter.com/unfortunatalie http://nothingbutawordbag.wordpress.com/ Everyday Sexism: http://twitter.com/EverydaySexism http://www.everydaysexism.com/ MA'AM: http://menagainstassholesandmisogyny.tumblr.com/ http://menagainstassholesandmisogyny.tumblr.com/post/36955802825/dave-pickering-is-a-maam 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 92 Ben Target

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 10:19:30 +0000

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.chortle.co.uk/comics/b/33760/ben_target http://bentarget.com/ http://twitter.com/BenTarget Mentioned: John Kearns: http://www.thatjohnkearns.co.uk/ Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ Lou Sanders: http://lousanders.com/ WTF with Marc Maron: http://www.wtfpod.com/ Tangentially Speaking episode that talks about Flamenco: http://feralaudio.com/3-tao-ruspoli/ Stewart Lee: http://www.stewartlee.co.uk/ Demeteri Martin: http://www.demetrimartin.com/ Nick Sun: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Sun Kim Noble: http://www.mrkimnoble.com Andy Kaufman: http://andykaufman.jvlnet.com/core.htm George Carlin: http://www.georgecarlin.com/ Milton Jones: http://www.miltonjones.com/ Tony Law: http://www.mrtonylaw.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 hear why not write an iTunes review? Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 91 Getting Better Acquainted with Christmas 2

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:53:35 +0000

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 music from many music projects that I've done over the years, and a few samples. The episode ends with a Christmas song I wrote a few years back called "Time to be Nice" Here it is in video form: http://youtu.be/UiPXNO7WJAQ This is my other Christmas song in video form: Ghosts of... http://youtu.be/XqCKfOwA9vE This is a true story I told at Spark London that focuses on an incident that is touched on as back story in this episode: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/two-cathedrals-david-pickering/ Last year's episode focused on how I learned to love (albeit a highly neurotic and ambiguous love) the season despite its past crimes against my childhood. Here it is: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-christmas-special Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year! (There will be no GBA next week. It will return on the 2nd of January 2013.) 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!

GBA 90 Kevin Allison

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 17:02:48 +0000

In GBA 90 we get better acquainted with Kevin Allison. We link up between London and New York via Skype and talk storytelling, comedy, BDSM, what to do when expecting a hurricane, where sexuality and religion meet, The State, polyamory, being recognised in the street, how making his podcast Risk! has transformed his life and more! http://risk-show.com/ https://twitter.com/RISKshow Kevin Plugs: The Story Studio: http://thestorystudio.org/ https://twitter.com/StoryStudioNYC Follow him on twitter: https://twitter.com/TheKevinAllison 3 non Kevin related Risk stories I really, really, really recommend: http://risk-show.com/podcast/in-my-own-skin/ http://risk-show.com/podcast/mani-sheriar/ http://risk-show.com/podcast/danny-lobell/ Mentioned: Kevin's Kink Camp Saga: http://risk-show.com/podcast/kevin-goes-to-kink-camp-part-1/ http://risk-show.com/podcast/kevin-goes-to-kink-camp-2/ http://risk-show.com/podcast/beyond-kink-camp-part-1/ http://risk-show.com/podcast/beyond-kink-camp-part-2/ His recent story: http://risk-show.com/podcast/the-god-problem/ Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan, Ph.D. AND Cacilda Jethá, M.D. (apologies for only remembering one authors name!): Tangentially Speaking: http://feralaudio.com/show/tangentially-speaking-with-dr-christopher-ryan/ Christopher Ryan and Dan Savage: http://www.thestranger.com/SavageLovePodcast/archives/2010/07/06/savage-love-episode-194 http://www.thestranger.com/SavageLovePodcast/archives/2010/10/27/savage-love-episode-210 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 89 Laraby

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:58:50 +0000

In GBA 89 we get better acquainted with Laraby. She talks about how storytelling and class have shaped her life, of her journey from poverty in the Lower East Side of New York to relative comfort in South London. This journey has taken her from an unstable home in the ghetto, Children’s Homes, running away at 14 to find a new life, the music industry, an Ivy League University, writing, immigration, working with young offenders, completing the citizenship test and so much more! Laraby Plugs: Penny Arcade: BITCH! DYKE! FAGHAG! WHORE! at The Albany 15-23rd December 2012: http://www.thealbany.org.uk/event_detail/893/Theatre/Penny-Arcade-B!D!F!W! Laraby's Spark Story (told on the night we met): http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/tit-trauma-laraby/ Mentioned: Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/ The Moth: http://themoth.org/ 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 88 Alex

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:49:37 +0000

In GBA 88 we get better acquainted with Alex. He talks about his childhood in Bahrain and Jordan, friendship, philosophy, being a "stay at home dad" & lots more! We knew each other at university but were estranged for quite some years. We reconnect with each other and check in with where each other have got to, and address some of our similarities and differences, finally racing against time to get in our conversation before the microphone runs out of space! He is the second Alex to have appeared on the show. Alex Plugs: An Intimate History of Humanity by Theodore Zeldin: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intimate-History-Humanity-Theodore-Zeldin/dp/0749396237 Errata: An Examined Life by George Steiner: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Errata-examined-life-George-Steiner/dp/0753804697 An Unbearable Lightness of Being: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Unbearable-Lightness-Being-Milan-Kundera/dp/0571135390 Mentioned: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogenes_of_Sinope 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 87.5 In Conversation Q and A

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 10:18:45 +0000

This is the Questions and Answers conversation that I had with the audience at the talk I did for In the Dark at the Invisible Picture Palace on "In Conversation" podcasting. You can hear that talk here: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-87-in-conversation Original Blurb: Independent podcaster Dave Pickering presents a discussion of the “in conversation” podcast genre, focusing on what makes these conversations different from interviews that take place in mainstream media. He’ll play highlights from some of the best examples of these podcasts and include some extracts from his own conversation based show, Getting Better Acquainted. Dave’s work was nominated for the Sony Best Internet Programme Award in 2009 and the Best Online Creator Award in the 2012 Radio Production Awards. GBA was recently featured on Helen and Olly’s Required Listening on Radio 5 Live. Dave has a day job and works in many other mediums but is a passionate audio creator who wants to involve you in the conversation. This presentation will be recorded and eventually posted as an episode of the GBA podcast. The Invisible Picture Palace: http://invisiblepicturepalace.com/ SHOW NOTES: GBA Episodes referred to: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-radcliffe-episodes http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-86-reuben http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-extra-after-dinner-dreams http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-17-cardiff http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-38-karl-james http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-dad-episodes/ http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-jen-episodes/ Other references: Karl James: http://vimeo.com/20141340 / The Story: http://thestory.org.uk/ The Dialogue Project: http://www.thedialogueproject.com/ Alan Hall: http://www.fallingtree.co.uk/production_team/alan_hall Karl James In Conversation with Tourettes Hero: http://soundcloud.com/thedialogueproject/happy-birthday Mac Maron and Louis CK in conversation: WTF with Marc Maron Episode 111/112: http://wtfpod.libsyn.com/episode-111-louis-ck-part-1 http://wtfpod.libsyn.com/episode-112-louis-c-k-part-2 The Mental Illness Happy Hour: http://mentalpod.com/ WTF with Marc Maron: http://www.wtfpod.com/ You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes: http://www.nerdist.com/podcast/you-made-it-weird/ Short Cuts: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mk3f8 Wiretap: http://www.pri.org/wiretap.html David Weinberg: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19546096 https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/random-tape/id491990698 Melvin Bragg / Dennis Potter: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/video/2007/sep/11/dennis.potter NOTE: Incorrectly remembered by me as being in a back garden!!! Radiolab: http://www.radiolab.org/series/podcasts/ Strangers KCRW: http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/sg On Being: http://www.onbeing.org/ Rosanne Cash: http://www.onbeing.org/program/rosanne-cash-time-traveler/1048 Radiolab Yellow Rain Issue: http://www.radiolab.org/2012/sep/24/ http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archive/2012/10/science-racism-radiolabs-treatment-hmong-experience http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blogland/2012/sep/26/yellow-rain/ http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/news_cut/archive/2012/09/why_the_radiolab_interview_wen.shtml This American Life – Mike Daisey: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/blog/2012/03/retracting-mr-daisey-and-the-apple-factory In the Dark Radio: http://www.inthedarkradio.org/ Jessie Levene: http://jessielevene.com/ Falling Tree: http://www.fallingtree.co.uk/ 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 87 In Conversation Podcasting

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 15:10:00 +0000

This is the talk I did for In the Dark at the Invisible Picture Palace on "In Conversation" podcasting. Showcasing clips that give an idea of the range, style and content of the shows that are out there + a history and analysis of the genre. Original Blurb: Independent podcaster Dave Pickering presents a discussion of the “in conversation” podcast genre, focusing on what makes these conversations different from interviews that take place in mainstream media. He’ll play highlights from some of the best examples of these podcasts and include some extracts from his own conversation based show, Getting Better Acquainted. Dave’s work was nominated for the Sony Best Internet Programme Award in 2009 and the Best Online Creator Award in the 2012 Radio Production Awards. GBA was recently featured on Helen and Olly’s Required Listening on Radio 5 Live. Dave has a day job and works in many other mediums but is a passionate audio creator who wants to involve you in the conversation. This presentation will be recorded and eventually posted as an episode of the GBA podcast. The Invisible Picture Palace: http://invisiblepicturepalace.com/ CLIPS: 1. JV Club 36 w/ Kathleen Perkins: http://www.nerdist.com/2012/11/the-jv-club-36-kathleen-rose-perkins/ 2. The Duncan Trussell Family Hour Episode 16: Natasha Leggero: http://duncantrussell.com/natasha-leggero/ 3. WTF with Marc Maron Episode 111/112 Louis CK: http://wtfpod.libsyn.com/episode-111-louis-ck-part-1 http://wtfpod.libsyn.com/episode-112-louis-c-k-part-2 4. GBA 58: Radcliffe: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-radcliffe-episodes/ 5. The Dialogue Project: The Story: http://understandingdifference.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/story.html 6. GBA 38 Karl James: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-38-karl-james 7. Thompson's Live 3: http://chrisgoodeandco.podbean.com/2012/10/23/thompson%E2%80%99s-live-episode-3-22nd-october-2012/ SHOW NOTES: The JV Club: http://www.nerdist.com/podcast/the-jv-club/ Ricky Gervais: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ricky-gervais-podcast/id135789411 The Media Show: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/media NETWORKS: Jimmy Pardo : Never Not funny: http://www.pardcast.com/ Chris Hardwick: Nerdist Network: http://www.nerdist.com/ Kevin Smith: Smodcast Network: http://smodcast.com/ Scott Aukerman /Jeff Ullrich: Earwolf: http://www.earwolf.com/ Jesse Thorn: Maximum Fun: http://www.maximumfun.org/ Unmentioned Networks: http://allthingscomedy.com/ http://feralaudio.com/ WTF with Marc Maron: http://www.wtfpod.com/ Seinfeld: http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/seinfeld/ Who Charted? / Two Charted? http://www.earwolf.com/show/who-charted/ The Dork Forest: http://tdf.libsyn.com/ Collings and Herrin podcast: http://www.comedy.co.uk/podcasts/collingsherrin/ Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast: http://www.comedy.co.uk/podcasts/richard_herring_lst_podcast/ Answer Me This: http://www.answermethispodcast.com/ The Bugle: http://www.answermethispodcast.com/ The Duncan Trussell Family Hour: http://duncantrussell.com/ The Lavender Hour: http://lavenderhour.com/ The Long Shot Podcast: http://www.thelongshotpodcast.com/ The Mental Illness Happy Hour: http://mentalpod.com/ Pedestrian Polyamory: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pedestrian-polyamory/id470472148 Bright Club: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-bright-club-podcast/id368949295 Conversations with Matt Dwyer: http://feralaudio.com/show/conversations-matt-dwyer/ Dawn and Drew Show: http://thedawnanddrewshow.com/ Totally Laime: http://www.totallylaime.com/ Richard Herring/Stewart Lee: http://www.comedy.co.uk/podcasts/richard_herring_lst_podcast/episode_8_stewart_lee/ Tig Notaro: Professor Blastoff: http://www.professorblastoff.com/ Totally Laime: http://www.earwolf.com/episode/stool-pushing/ You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes: http://www.nerdist.com/podcast/you-made-it-weird/ Celebrities: http://www.nerdist.com/2012/10/nerdist-podcast-tom-hanks/ http://harmarsuperstar.com/tag/ellen-page http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_215_-_jon_hamm http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_307_-_tenacious_d http://wtfpod.libsyn.com/episode_67_robin_williams http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_242_-_russell_brand I Like You: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com/ Savage Love: http://post.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLovePodcast/Page/ Radiolab: http://www.radiolab.org/series/podcasts/ The American Life: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/ Karl James: http://vimeo.com/20141340 The Story: http://thestory.org.uk/ The Dialogue Project: http://www.thedialogueproject.com/ Radiolab Yellow Rain Issue: http://www.radiolab.org/2012/sep/24/ http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archive/2012/10/science-racism-radiolabs-treatment-hmong-experience http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blogland/2012/sep/26/yellow-rain/ http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/news_cut/archive/2012/09/why_the_radiolab_interview_wen.shtml Desert Island Discs with Kirsty Young: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/did Fresh Air with Terri Gross: http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=7060034 Kermode and Mayo's Film Review: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/kermode The Listening Project: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/the-listening-project In the Dark Radio: http://www.inthedarkradio.org/ Jessie Levene: http://jessielevene.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 hear why not write an iTunes review? Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 86 Reuben

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:39:56 +0000

In GBA 86 we get better acquainted with Reuben in his art studio in Bristol. He talks about chasing the summer in Australia, growing up in many places, art in a time of Internet, trying to travel the world in a van & lots more! We didn't know each other very well when we started the conversation but during it we realise we had parallel teenage years in Cardiff. Since this episode was recorded he has gone off on another adventure, this time to Montreal. Reuben Plugs: http://www.rocketfuelled.com/ http://twitter.com/rocketfuelled https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rocketfuelled-Reuben-Whitehouse/181982328497941 http://dribbble.com/reuben Mentioned: Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/ Said FM that became Super Owl that became: http://thesupertimes.com/ Said Fm Episodes: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-7-aisha-and-abdel http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-48-emma http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-49-frank And Eric who talks about the physical/sensual experience of typing and cutting film: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-33-eric 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 85 Abbie

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 16:23:20 +0000

In GBA 85 we get better acquainted with Abbie. She talks health and fitness, the dying days of DJ culture, earning the nickname Satan, the social and emotion aspects of losing weight through a "booty camp", finding your way through your twenties and lots more! I met up with Abbie on a recent trip back to Cardiff. We hadn't see each other since school. Ironically I'm struggling through a hangover as we talk about the value and process of being healthy. The coffee and the beautiful sunny day helped. Abbie Plugs: Her recipe book Lean For Life: https://fitness-and-motivation.dpdcart.com/ Booty Camp Cardiff: https://www.facebook.com/bootycampcardiff 30+ Bootcamp for Lads: https://www.facebook.com/30plusbootcamp Fitness and Motivation http://fitnessandmotivation.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fitness-and-Motivation-Personal-Training/114202301932061 Closed group 21 day programme: Gimme the Skinny Abbie Skene's brand new 21 day online fat loss programme commences on Monday November 12th but you can purchase the manual as from now. https://gimme-the-skinny.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=48008&method_id=48615 'Booty Camp' - Cardiff's Female Only Fitness Boot camp members will be charged £15 (get your discount code by texting Abbie or Mark) and this will remain until we close the doors to sign up on November 11th - enter your discount code where it says 'coupon' on the checkout page. Once you pay, simply tag yourself in the picture in the facebook group (your friends can then see what you are involved in and we can verify your payment). Once your payment is verified they will add you to their closed 'Gimme the Skinny' group where Abbie has already uploaded a welcome video tellng you what to expect. Nobody else will be able to access the information in the group unless they have paid and been entered into it by ourselves. Sure, people will be able to see the group and its members but thats it - nothing else Mentioned: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-radcliffe-episodes/ 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA Extra - After Dinner Dreams

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 09:47:18 +0000

In this spur of the moment GBA Extra we get even better acquainted Jen. This summer after dinner Jen was talking about some research she was doing about sleep paralysis which sparked a childhood memory in me. We decided to turn the mic on and share the conversation with the show. We talk about strange sleep states, dreams, memories and writing. We have a false ending and then we come back with some readings and analysis of Jens sleep diary. And the episode is capped with a short story which Jen wrote about "locked in syndrome" which was performed by previous GBA guest Louise at Stand Up Tragedy earlier this year. This story isn't about dreams but it does contain many of the themes of both this episode and of Jen's writing in general. GBA's of the people who are featured or get mentioned: Jen: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-61-jen Louise: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-louise-episodes-1/ Owain: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-16-owain Vaughan: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/vman-1/ Chris Goode: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-83-chris-goode Also mentioned: The Podcast with the crazy dream / sleepwalking story is in this episode of the brilliant Risk Podcast: http://risk-show.com/podcast/state-of-emergency/ It's the one called Nude Descending a Staircase by Morgan Bartlett Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ We plugs: JEN! http://www.jadamthwaite.co.uk http://twitter.com/jadamthwaite 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 84 Writing Group

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 17:33:20 +0000

In GBA 84 we get better acquainted with my writing group. It's a 7 way conversation focused on our shared interest of writing. Half the group are making their second appearance. For the other half this is a teaser for upcoming episodes focuses on them. We sit down for tea and cake in the dining room of a Camber Sands holiday house during our first trip away together. We tell the story of how the group formed, discuss the way the group works, consider writing as a craft, a passion and a form of work, tackle writing "block", the future of the novel, whether writing can be taught and other aspects of this thing we do. The group are: Jen: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-61 http://www.jadamthwaite.co.uk/ http://twitter.com/jadamthwaite Nathalie: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-20-nathalie http://twitter.com/NathalieLeonora http://countingzeros.wordpress.com/what-is-counting-zeros/ Joss: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-27-joss http://www.stormboy.net/ http://soundcloud.com/jossarmitage Angela: http://twitter.com/angelashoosmith Sofia: http://twitter.com/jslundberg Emily: http://emilycleaver.net/ http://twitter.com/EmilyCleaver Me: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-dave-episodes/ http://goosefat101.blogspot.co.uk/ Blogs about that Writing Retreat: http://nathaliehourihan.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/i-love-my-friends-but-1/ http://nathaliehourihan.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/i-love-my-friends-but-2/ http://www.jadamthwaite.co.uk/from-the-living-room/2011/10/22/seven-writers-and-a-cottage.html http://www.jadamthwaite.co.uk/from-the-living-room/2011/10/30/seven-writers-writing.html And blogs on our 2nd Writing Retreat: http://www.jadamthwaite.co.uk/from-the-living-room/2012/8/19/headspace.html http://www.jadamthwaite.co.uk/from-the-living-room/2012/8/26/the-retreat-and-beyond.html Nathalie's blog about our first "intervention" session: http://nathaliehourihan.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/help-for-blocked-writers/ Instead of asking for plugs I asked for people to recommend books on writing: Joss: Teach Us How To Sit Still by Tim Parks: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Teach-Us-Sit-Still-Sceptics/dp/0099548887 Angela: That Crafty Feeling by Zadie Smith: http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/?p=73547 How I Write in Time Out: eg http://www.timeout.com/london/books/features/2100/Neil_Gaiman-how_I_write.html Jen: This Year You Write Your Novel by Walter Mosley: http://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Year-Write-Your-Novel/dp/0316065412 Dave: Steering the Craft by Ursula Le Guin: http://www.amazon.com/Steering-Craft-Exercises-Discussions-Navigator/dp/0933377460 How to Write a Damn Good Novel II by James N. Frey: http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Write-Damn-Good-Novel/dp/0312104782 The Carrier Bag Theory Of Fiction by Ursula Le Guin: http://www.trabal.org/texts/pdf/LeGuin.pdf Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics by Scott McCloud http://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Comics-Invisible-Scott-McCloud/dp/006097625X http://www.amazon.co.uk/Reinventing-Comics-Scott-McCloud/dp/0060953500 Emily: On Writing by Stephen King: http://www.amazon.co.uk/On-Writing-A-Memoir-Craft/dp/1444723251 Rhyme's Reason by John Hollander: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rhymes-Reason-Guide-English-Verse/dp/0300088329 Sofia: On Writing by Stephen King Story by Robert McKee: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Story-Substance-Structure-Principles-Screenwriting/dp/0060856181 The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Writers-Journey-Christopher-Vogler/dp/0330375911 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 83 Chris Goode

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 16:35:04 +0000

In GBA 83 we get better acquainted Chris Goode. It's a conversation between an audience member and performer as I meet Chris properly for the first time. We talk God, theatre, religion, mental health, BDSM, bereavement, neuroscience, politics and more. We pick apart a piece of theatre Chris made called God/Head which I saw him perform earlier this year. It's a very personal piece of performance based on recent personal experiences. You may also get better acquainted with me as I discuss what areas of my own story intersect with this performance, going into what might be considered my more "weird" psychological experiences and examining my relationship with faith and to mental health. Chris plugs: God/Head at the Bristol Old Vic from 1st – 3rd November 2012: http://www.bristololdvic.org.uk/godhead.html Also you should check out his podcast: http://chrisgoodeandco.podbean.com/ https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/thompsons-live/id564973025 And his theatre company: http://chrisgoodeandcompany.co.uk/ Also come and see Chris and previous GBA Guest Karl James (http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-38-karl-james) in conversation with me live at the Invisible Picture Palace on Wednesday 21st November: http://invisiblepicturepalace.com/events/residencies/getting-better-acquainted-live/ We also mentioned this piece that he made: Where You Stand: http://vimeo.com/14135962 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 82 Russell

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 16:43:45 +0000

In GBA 82 we get better acquainted with Russell. He talks oceanography, improvementism, embarrassing stories, teaching science, making art, punk bands and more! Plus we share experiences of times when our mutual friend Richard who we know each other through has led us into "interesting" situations! This is Richard's GBA: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-57-richard Russell plugs: Cautionhorses: https://www.facebook.com/CAUTIONHORSESROCK http://www.myspace.com/cautionhorses http://youtu.be/PVfC4l1vRRI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH4jLCkBK08 Casa Bonita: http://casabonita.bandcamp.com/ https://twitter.com/casabonitaUK http://www.myspace.com/casabonitaband Mentioned: http://soundcloud.com/themiddleclassbastards Blanket is my Basecamp: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhZQL0_zwOs 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 81 Dave [guest hosted by Alex]

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:01:58 +0000

In GBA 81 we get better acquainted with... Dave. The tables are turned as Alex who was my guest in GBA 80 takes the reins and interviews me in his own unique style. His approach to hosting is very different from mine. We go on lots of interesting tangents produced by his crowd sourcing approach to coming up with questions. Personal, political, surreal, it's all there. This is the conversation I had with him immediately before we switched roles: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-80-alex Dave plugs: Personal: http://soundcloud.com/the-dave http://soundcloud.com/the-plural http://soundcloud.com/thereactionaries "Numbers" on RethinkDaily: http://rethinkdaily.co.uk/ Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ Alex's music (although it isn't available) - at this point Alex plugs his DJ Mix: http://soundcloud.com/themanamp Working with George - These are his embryonic mixes : http://soundcloud.com/geojams And this is his GBA: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-6-george Checking out the work of unknown artists such as those featured regularly on GBA: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/musicians/ http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/writers/ The place to find an up to date account of his projects: http://goosefat101.blogspot.co.uk/ Political: UK Uncut: http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/ The People's Supermarket: http://www.thepeoplessupermarket.org/ Don't Shoot the Clowns: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Shoot-Clowns-Taking-Circus/dp/1904456480 The Dispossessed: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dispossessed-Ursula-Guin/dp/1857988825 V for Vendetta: http://www.amazon.co.uk/V-Vendetta-Alan-Moore/dp/1852862912 Oryx and Crake: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oryx-Crake-Margaret-Atwood/dp/0747562598 Extra: The writing of Jenny Adamthwaite http://www.jadamthwaite.co.uk/ More generally: Honesty Truth Empathy Alex recommends people study psychopathy. Dave mentions Jon Ronson's Psychopath Test: http://www.jonronson.com/psycho.html Finally: Listening to podcasts now while they are still exciting, full of innovation and doing new things without gatekeepers. 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 80 Alex

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 16:24:52 +0000

In GBA 80 we get better acquainted Alex. He is probably my best friend but we don't have an uncomplicated friendship. He talks computer games, prehistory, technology, television, friendship, song writing and more. The episode features some rarities from our musical back catalogue. More of which you can find in these places: http://soundcloud.com/themiddleclassbastards http://soundcloud.com/themanamp http://soundcloud.com/the-dave/sets http://www.myspace.com/applesforeveryone On Friday in GBA 81 the tables are turned as Alex interviews me. His style is very different from mine and the conversation is a brilliant contrast and compliment to the usual format. Alex plugs: Content: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Content-A-New-British-Sci-Fi-Drama/133914976650155 Echo: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Echo-A-Science-Fantasy/209422702425826 Mentioned: WTF conversation between Louis CK and Marc Maron: http://www.wtfpod.com/ http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_111_-_louis_ck_part_1 http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_112_-_louis_ck_part_2 Century City: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377153/ 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 79 Michael Fenton Stevens

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 15:36:19 +0000

In GBA 79 we get better acquainted with Michael Fenton Stevens. He talks talks about the life as a working actor, being a familiar face, how playing vicars can impact your life, death, friendship, ageing and much, much more. We get into some the behind the scenes stuff of television and radio. We take a tour through the history of UK comedy from someone who has seen it from the inside. But we also get personal with conversation about love, family and friendship, both the beauty of these things and the sadness at their passing. You have almost definitely seen or heard Mike before. He sang the Chicken Song for Spitting Image, he's been in Eastenders, Coronation Street, Casualty, pretty much any comedy series from the last 30 years, Barclays and other adverts, loads and loads of radio, audiobooks, and a vast variety of stage work, including in recent years a strong line in Pantomime Dames. http://www.mikefs.co.uk/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Fenton_Stevens Mike doesn't plug anything but then he plugs his sons music: John Fenton / John Fenton-Stevens Pass the peas music: http://www.passthepeasmusic.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 hear why not write an iTunes review? Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 78 Louise

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 16:00:01 +0000

In GBA 78 we get better acquainted with Louise. A different Louise this time! She talks mostly about dance! But that doesn't mean the conversation is limited. We cover the experience of dancing, following and leading, the politics of dancing, a potted history of blues music, the relationship between types of dance, the connection between social struggle and dance, the etiquette of dance, the social value and demographics of dance, and even the science of dance! Louise plugs: Dancing! Social Dancing in general. If you want to dance there are dance nights every night of the week. Easy Dance to start: guaranteed to be dancing in 6 weeks: http://jivenation.co.uk/ If you want to learn swing dancing from the best people in the country: http://www.swingpatrol.co.uk/ Blues dancing: Google: Blues in my shoes, blues baby blues, sin city blues or check out: http://bluesrevolution.co.uk/ 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 77 The Coventry Years

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 17:13:47 +0000

In GBA 77 we get better acquainted with... Dave. In this special edition of GBA guest host Zoe talks to the man writing this blurb about "The Coventry Years". Prompted by the way that I've hinted at and touched on this time in my life previously in the series but have never fully covered it, I decided to invite one of my closest friends along to host a conversation about it. In this frank and candid conversation I talk about what I've learnt from looking back at those years and some of the "work" I've done on myself as a result. This work is very much connected to, and prompted by, the GBA Project. "The Coventry Years" refers to the time I spent between the ages of 8 and 13 in a house in Coventry which had very thin walls. Some of the main things we cover is the impact of the domestic implosion that happened to my family in that house; how it influenced my character, my future and my burgeoning adolescent sexuality. Thanks so much to Zoe for doing such a brilliant job at witnessing and responding to all this. I couldn't have asked for a better foil! I think she genuinely got better acquainted with me in the process, which was a surprise as we’re pretty open with each other and are long time close friends. I Plug: Considering this quote from the Bright Eyes song Bowl of Oranges in relation to yourself as well as in the context of relationships: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUym7n7fJTQ "And we'll keep working on the problem we know we'll never solve Of Love's uneven remainders, our lives are fractions of a whole. But if the world could remain within a frame like a painting on a wall. Then I think we would see the beauty. Then we would stand staring in awe at our still lives posed like a bowl of oranges, like a story told by the fault lines and the soil." And talking to your parents about their lives, even if they aren't easy for you to talk to. Which is the major theme of this GBA Special:http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-53-to-the-heart-of-it Also mentioned: The full Christmas Story and the Inventing Masturbation story are featured in Episode 1 of the Show: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-1-dave The Cardiff years, and specifically my experiences being bullied in school are covered fully in the Cardiff Special: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-17-cardiff Other parts of my life in Coventry, including Steve's valiant defence of the City, and the intro which I talk about cutting stuff out of, and some hints at the material in this episode, are covered in the Coventry Special: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-64-coventry The GBA with my Step Dad that also touches on the events and themes from this episode is here: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-74-mervyn There have been two GBA conversations that I did with my mum released. The one we talk about most in the episode won't be aired for quite some time. But when it is it will join the first two in this playlist: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-mum-episodes-1/ The set up in North Wales is explored fully in this GBA Extra: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-extra-the-partition Zoe has a GBA all of her own, it is a good one: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-22-zoe Spark London where the intro was recorded and which has also been very influential on where I find myself currently both personally and creatively can be found here: http://www.sparklondon.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 hear why not write an iTunes review? Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 76 Liam

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:41:41 +0000

In GBA 76 we get better acquainted with Liam. He talks industrial tuna fishing, what Marxism means in the modern world, hope, perception, environmentalism and smoking, while sitting in my back garden on a sunny day last year. This episode is closer to a debating style than most episodes as we get into the what divides and what unites the red and the black, divisions in left-leaning activism and the roads that led us both to our current personal and political ideas about the world. It’s also one where I talk too much. So it goes! Liam Plugs: The documentaries of Adam Curtis http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adamcurtis/ http://adamcurtisfilms.blogspot.co.uk/ on google video: https://www.google.com/search?q=adam%20curtis&source=vgc&tbm=vid Also mentioned: Billy Collins - The Best Cigarette: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbRifIzMth0 Procrastination: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItMFWpKofSg The Dispossessed: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dispossessed-Ursula-Guin/dp/1857988825 Hugh's Fish Fight: http://www.fishfight.net/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/ 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 75 Katy Darby

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:24:02 +0000

In GBA 75 we get better acquainted with Katy Darby. She talks co-creating Liars' League, life before and after publication, the importance of editors, short stories, teaching and studying creative writing, how the Internet and eBooks are changing writing and more. Katy Plugs: Her Novel: The Whore's Asylum / The Unpierced Heart http://www.penguinrights.co.uk/Penguin/276809 http://lane7.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/judging-a-book-by-its-title-interview-about-the-renaming-of-the-whores-asylum/ Liars League: Website: http://www.liarsleague.com Next Live Show: Food & Drink, Tuesday 11th September, 7.30pm @ The Phoenix: http://liarsleague.typepad.com/liars_league/2012/09/food-drink-stories-for-tuesday-11th-september.html Twitter: http://twitter.com/liarsleague Search Facebook to join the group. YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/liarsleague Liars' League Leeds: http://liarsleague.typepad.com/liars_league/liars-league-leeds.html Liars' League New York: http://www.liarsleaguenyc.com/ Her Blog: http://katydarby.blogspot.co.uk/ Also mentioned: Spark London Hackney Launch, Monday 10th September 7.30pm @ The Hackney Attic): http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Hackney_Picturehouse/film/Spark_London_Story_Telling/ Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ Neil Gaiman on prose piracy: http://blog.taleist.com/2011/02/12/ebook-promotion-neil-gaiman-says-piracy-is-really-marketing/ 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 74 Mervyn

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:03:11 +0000

In GBA 74 we get better acquainted with Mervyn who is still technically my Step Dad. He talks about growing up in Belfast during "The Troubles", working in factories, teaching Physics in Dubai, teaching English in China, living in a tent on a roundabout and lots more. This was a complicated conversation for me, for many reasons, and it moves from personal history to social and political analysis and back. A lot of ground is covered. It is also the first podcast I've recorded while drinking Guinness. Mervyn doesn't plugs anything, but I mention a history of Genghis Kahn that I've been listening to. That history is made by the excellent podcaster Dan Carlin as part of his Hardcore History show: http://www.dancarlin.com/disp.php/hharchive/Show-43---Wrath-of-the-Khans-I/Mongols-Genghis-Chingis http://www.dancarlin.com/disp.php/hharchive/Show-44---Wrath-of-the-Khans-II/Mongols-Genghis-Chingis 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 73 Lucy

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 09:42:03 +0000

In GBA 73 we get better acquainted with the third Lucy of the series. She talks about her 30 years in the Library service in a personal and political account of a life spent in public service. It traces changes in government policy and administrations, windows of opportunity for funding opening and closing and the integration and evolution of children's services into libraries. She paints a portrait of the way London boroughs work and the issues that arise from serving communities that juxtapose extreme poverty with extreme wealth. We also cover having children late in life and her passion (original and then reborn) for Israeli dancing. Lucy was my boss until relatively recently. Lucy plugs political action for the sake of the current and future generations. 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 72 Alison Thea-Skot

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 06:35:22 +0000

GBA Edinburgh Festival 2012 Season: Three weeks of episodes related to the Edinburgh Festival 2012 In GBA 72 we get better acquainted with Alison Thea-Skot. She talks about character comedy, audience participation, acting, writing, singing and why she does what she does. This is the fourth episode of the 2012 GBA Edinburgh Festival Season (http://goosefat101twitterspills.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/around-year-ago-getting-better.html) It's the last episode in the season. This is the 2012 Season as a playlist: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-gba-edinburgh-festival/ This was last years season: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/fringe-festival-season Alison plugs her show: Thea-Skot's Miss Adventures: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/thea-skot-s-miss-adventures 3.40pm 4-26 August at Just the Tonic at The Caves Price: £7 http://www.alisontheaskot.com/ Also mentioned: Margaret: http://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/stand-up-tragedy-15 The Human Tuning Fork: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-owFcStjBO0 Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ Ben Target: http://bentarget.com/ http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/discover-ben-target The Twisted Twins: http://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/stand-up-tragedy-14 John Kearns: http://www.thatjohnkearns.co.uk/ http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/comedy-reserve Chris Bennion: https://twitter.com/PigLimbedViking Hennessy and Friends: http://www.mirandahennessy.com// http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/hennessy-friends-a-history-of-violence Adam Riches: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/bring-me-the-head-of-adam-riches 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 71 Edinburgh Festival Special 2012

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 09:15:08 +0000

GBA Edinburgh Festival 2012 Season: Three weeks of episodes related to the Edinburgh Festival 2012 GBA 71 ia the Edinburgh Festival 2012 Special! We get better acquainted with the Festival and the many and varied people and performances that I saw there. It documents my journey into the opening weekend of the 2012 festival, mixing in previews, reviews and conversations! This is the third episode of the 2012 GBA Edinburgh Festival Season (http://goosefat101twitterspills.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/around-year-ago-getting-better.html) We get better acquainted with:- Spark London: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/spoken-word/grant-s-true-tales-presents-spark-london-storytelling The PBH Free Fringe: http://freefringe.org.uk/ Lullabies to Make Your Children Cry: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/spoken-word/lucy-ayrton-lullabies-to-make-your-children-cry Sergeant Buzfuz: http://www.sergeantbuzfuz.com/ Utter Spoken Word: http://www.utterspokenword.com/news/ Richard Tyrone Jones's Big Heart:http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/spoken-word/richard-tyrone-jones-s-big-heart-1 Thea-Skot's Miss Adventures: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/thea-skot-s-miss-adventures Nick Sun: Potty Time: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/nick-sun-potty-time Superbard Starts to Save the World: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/spoken-word/superbard-starts-to-save-the-world Eddie Pepitone's Bloodbath: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/eddie-pepitone-s-bloodbath This is the "Heckle Bit" that is referred to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9hqXEHp2HE Fat Kitten Verses the World / Fat Kitten Goes Speed Dating: http://www.fatkittenimprov.com/ Bec Hill Is More Afraid of You Than You Are of Her: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/bec-hill-is-more-afraid-of-you-than-you-are-of-her Grant's True Tales Season: http://www.edfringe.com/search?search=1&venue=Riddle's+Court#q=*%3A*&fq=dates%3A%5B*%20TO%20*%5D&fq=venue_name%3A%22Riddles%20Court%22 The Liar Show: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/spoken-word/grant-s-true-tales-presents-the-liar-show These people - Alison Thea-Skot: http://www.alisontheaskot.com/ Eddie Pepitone: http://eddiepepitone.com/ Peter Aguero: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOhMAbPxgNg Ophira Eisenberg: http://ophiraeisenberg.com / http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt24Kj2MK_k / http://www.npr.org/programs/ask-me-another Julie Kertesz: http://competentcommunicator.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/julie-kertesz-on-stage.html Andy Bodle: http://www.womanology.co.uk / http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/andybodle Ben Chapman: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/inner-voice-ben-chapman/ These past GBAers - Radcliffe Royds: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-radcliffe-episodes/ Joanna Yates: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-32-joanna-yates Richard Tyrone Jones: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-13-richard-tyrone-jones Lucy Ayrton: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-69-lucy Superbard: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-70-superbard GBA Playlists - 2011 Edinburgh Playlist: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/edinburgh-episodes 2011 Fringe Playlist: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/fringe-festival-season 2012 Edinburgh Festival Playlist: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-gba-edinburgh-festival Spark Londonders: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/spark-londoners Stand Up Tragedy: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/stand-up-tragedy People plug - Me - Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk The Long Shot: http://www.thelongshotpodcast.com/ WTF with Marc Maron: http://www.wtfpod.com/ A Great Stillness: http://www.amazon.com/A-Great-Stillness-Explicit/dp/B006DRSTX4 The Moth: http://themoth.org/ Fat Kitten - Beta Males: http://www.pleasance.co.uk/edinburgh/events/the-beta-males-in-the-space-race Monkey Toast: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/monkey-toast-the-improvised-chat-show Baby Wants Candy: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/baby-wants-candy-the-completely-improvised-full-band-musical Square Eye Pair: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/square-eye-pair Lucy Aryton - Flea Circus Open Slam: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/spoken-word/flea-circus-open-slam Shows I wanted to promote but had to cut due to time - Translunar Paradise: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/theatre/translunar-paradise Greg Proops: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/greg-proops-podcast-the-smartest-man-in-the-world Monkey Bars: http://www.traverse.co.uk/whats-on/monkey-bars/ Casual Violence: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/casual-violence-a-kick-in-the-teeth 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 70 Superbard

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 15:21:47 +0000

GBA Edinburgh Festival 2012 Season: Three weeks of episodes related to the Edinburgh Festival 2012 (This was last year's season: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/fringe-festival-season) In GBA 70 we get better acquainted with Superbard (aka George). He talks about telling stories, playing instruments, the God number, developing, refining and improving work and being an optimist. It was recorded at Edinburgh Waverly Station last Sunday after a weekend of hardcore Edinburgh Festival-ing. It's the episode I've been most exhausted while recording and has had the fasted editing turnaround of the series so far, with the majority of it being edited on the train back to London. This is the second episode of the 2012 GBA Edinburgh Festival Season (http://goosefat101twitterspills.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/around-year-ago-getting-better.html) Over the next few weeks there will be conversations with people doing shows up there this year plus on Friday they'll be this year’s Edinburgh special documenting my journey into the opening weekend of the festival, mixed in with previews, reviews and extra snippets of conversation. George has a brilliant show. We talk about it in our conversation. And I went to see it in Edinburgh before we recorded the conversation. It charmed me completely (in a good way!) Superbard doesn't plug his show: Superbard Starts to Save the World: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/spoken-word/superbard-starts-to-save-the-world 9.10pm 8-19 August at Spotlites @ The Merchants' Hall Price: £8.50 / £7.50 Instead he plugs previous guest Lucy Ayrton's show (which he has directed): Lullabies to Make Your Children Cry:http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/spoken-word/lucy-ayrton-lullabies-to-make-your-children-cry 6.20pm 4-14 August @ The Banshee Labyrinth Price: FREE (It is part of the excellent PBH Free Fringe) Duration 1hr Lucy was featured in episode 1 of this year's Edinburgh Festival Season: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-69-lucy Also mentioned: An early part of his show that was performed and podcasted here: http://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/stand-up-tragedy-07 Tea Fuelled Art: http://www.teafuelledart.co.uk Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ Spark London: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/spoken-word/grant-s-true-tales-presents-spark-london-storytelling Autumn Shift: http://autumnshift.co.uk/ Zombies, Run!: https://www.zombiesrungame.com/ Flea Circus: http://www.fleacircuslondon.co.uk/ http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/spoken-word/flea-circus-open-slam Soho Stories: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/soho-stories/id528325471?mt=8 Hackney Hear: http://www.hackneyhear.com/ Hardcore History: http://www.dancarlin.com/disp.php/hh BAC "Scratch": http://www.bac.org.uk/search/?q=scratch/ 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 69 Lucy

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 15:40:10 +0000

GBA Edinburgh Festival 2012 Season: Three weeks of episodes related to the Edinburgh Festival 2012 (This was last year's season: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/fringe-festival-season/) In GBA 69 we get better acquainted with the second Lucy that has been on the show. She talk about yoga for prisoners, accents, fairytales, feminism, the spoken and written word, and lot's more. This is the first episode of the 2012 GBA Edinburgh Festival Season (http://goosefat101twitterspills.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/around-year-ago-getting-better.html) Over the next few weeks there will be conversations with people doing shows up there this year plus next Friday they'll be this year’s Edinburgh special documenting my journey into the opening weekend of the festival, mixed in with previews, reviews and extra snippets of conversation. Lucy has a brilliant show. We talk about it in our conversation. And I went to see the preview a few months afterwards. I really thought it was great and I very strongly recommend it. Not only is it awesome, it is FREE! Lucy Plugs: Lullabies to Make Your Children Cry: 6.20pm 4-14 August @ The Banshee Labyrinth Price: FREE (It is part of the excellent PBH Free Fringe) Duration 1hr http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/spoken-word/lucy-ayrton-lullabies-to-make-your-children-cry http://lullabiestomakeyourchildrencry.tumblr.com/ http://youtu.be/mlpe-tv_Tf0 And Flea Circus Open Slam: 7.30pm 4-14 August @ The Banshee Labyrinth Price: FREE (It is part of the excellent PBH Free Fringe) Duration 2hr http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/spoken-word/flea-circus-open-slam Want to compete? Contact lucy@teafuelledart.co.uk, or there’ll always be one slot free on the night. Both show are produced by Tea Fuelled Art: http://www.teafuelledart.co.uk She also hosts Oxford's Hammer and Tongue: http://www.hammerandtongue.co.uk/ And blogs here: http://lucyinthepubwithcider.tumblr.com/ This is the blog post we talk about: http://lucyinthepubwithcider.tumblr.com/post/14222491238/fat At the end I plug the show I will be performing in on August 4th: Grant's True Tales Presents Spark London-Storytelling http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/spoken-word/grant-s-true-tales-presents-spark-london-storytelling 5.30pm 4-14 August @ Riddles Court Price: £8 (including 2 Grant's Cocktails) Duration 1.5hr Here is the facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/463582240327243/ If you go and see it on the 4th you'll hear me telling a story and if you introduce yourself you become eligible as a future GBA guest! 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 68 Kit Lovelace

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 16:24:59 +0000

In GBA 68 we get better acquainted with Kit Lovelace. He talks pen-names, playing background music, trusting your love life to readers of the Guardian Newspaper, interrupting true stories, anonymous blogging, what he learnt from some people called "biscuit" and "toast" and lot's more! Kit Lovelace is the first guest to be listed by a false name but everything we talk about is real. He uses this name so he can reveal more of the truth, protecting the identity of both him and the people he has stepped out with. He embarked on a project where he trusted his dating life to readers, first on his blog and later in his newspaper column: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/series/my-love-life-in-your-hands It appears this approach may be the secret to finding love. At least for him. We discuss the practicalities, ethics, and semi salacious detail of this interesting relationship experiment. Kit Plugs: The book he is currently writing about his relationship history and experience of the blog/column. His twitter feed: http://twitter.com/mylifeyourhands We also talk about: The Wed or Dead Wager: http://thewedordeadwager.wordpress.com/ Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/ Who are going up to Edinburgh this year: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/spoken-word/grant-s-true-tales-presents-spark-london-storytelling The shows are at 5.30pm every night from 4th - 14th August at Riddles Court. Here is the facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/463582240327243/ You can follow Spark London on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SparkLDN You can like Spark London on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sparklondon The next Spark London Brixton Open Mic is on the 20th August, Upstairs @ The Ritzy Cinema. It starts at 7.30pm. Here's the facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/264320963674420/ The next Spark London in The Cafe Canal Theatre is on 3rd September at 7:30pm: http://www.canalcafetheatre.com/EventPage.php?EventId=758 The first Spark London night that I'll be hosting at the Hackney Attic (part of the Hackney Picturehouse) will be at 7.30 on 10th September This is the Spark Story that Kit's piano note was featured in: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/two-cathedrals-david-pickering/ It is featured in Episode 1 of GBA where it was given a bit more context: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-1-dave This is a playlist of Sparklers who have been on GBA so far: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/spark-londoners/ 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 67 Martin "the sound man" Zaltz Austwick

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 15:36:19 +0000

In GBA 67 we get better acquainted with Martin "the soundman" Zaltz Austwick from the podcasts Answer Me This!, The Sound of the Ladies, The Global Lab Podcast and Bright Club. But there is much more to Martin than podcasting: I talk to Martin about treating cancer with lasers, the relationship between physics and sociology, songwriting, public engagement, the relationship between class and studying at Oxford, changing your name when you get married, reverb, the history of social housing in the UK and more. This episode is part of a strand of GBA where I talk to podcast makers and radio makers: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/podcasters-and-radio-makers For more about Answer Me This! (including reference to Martin) have a listen to the GBA I did with it's hosts Helen and Ollie: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-65-helen-and-olly Martin Plugs: If you're interested in his music: The Sound of the Ladies: http://www.thesoundoftheladies.com/ If you're interested in sciencde engagement stuff: http://www.sociablephysics.com His two twitters: http://www.twitter.com/sociablephysics http://www.twitter.com/martinaustwick Mentioned in the Episode: Darren Hayman: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-62-darren-hayman Coventry Special: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-64-coventry Gavin Osborn: http://www.myspace.com/gavinosborn Bright Club: http://www.brightclub.org/ Martin talking lasers on Bright Club: http://brightclub.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/podcast-2-martin-king-of-lasers-austwick-and-kent-valentine/ Martin talking fictional lasers for The Naked Scientists: http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/latest-questions/question/3337/ The Global Lab: http://www.thegloballab.com/ Science Showoff: http://www.scienceshowoff.org/ Answer Me This: http://www.answermethispodcast.com/ The Dave: http://soundcloud.com/the-dave/sets 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 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 66 Iris

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:46:34 +0000

In GBA 66 we get better acquainted with Iris. Sitting in my childhood home away from home we talk about Histories: personal, social, local and shared. Our conversation goes places - the excitement of London in the 60's, visiting Germany after WW2, providing educational support and assistance to disabled students, the psychogeography of cities, the use of the word chav, the beauty of immigration and discovering the heritage of a tiny part of Coventry are some of those places. Oh yeah, and we talk about what I was like when I was 12. Iris Plugs: "Don't keep hankering about going a long way away to find things out, look on your doorstep because often the answer is there, and look at your own environment and learn from it, and sortof... put your roots down where you are." And the Willenhall Local History Group that she is the secretary for and the Virtual Museum Coventry: http://www.virtualmuseum.co.uk/ She has just set up an excellent blog for the Group: http://willenhallcov.blogspot.co.uk/ This conversation took place during the events documented in: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-64-coventry Iris is Steve's Mother: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-63-steve 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 65 Helen and Olly from Answer Me This

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 15:37:58 +0000

In GBA 65 we get better acquainted with Helen and Olly from the excellent podcast Answer Me This! We talk the realities of awards ceremonies, the different sides of Chris Evans, the experience and cultural position of going to Oxford, trying to make money from podcasts, meeting Paul McCartney's son the TV show Lorraine, working with friends and husbands, the legacy of Jewish comedy, reading Olde English, the entertainment industry, Big Issue sales tactics, making stags heads from old clothes and more! Answer Me This! has won both Gold and Silver Sony Radio Awards and European Podcast Award that was voted for by the public. It's a comedy/entertainment podcast where Helen and Olly (and Martin the Sound Man) answer questions of all kinds provided by its audience. The show has been named one of iTunes Podcasts of the year and is THE most popular UK independent podcast; it's been a critics choice for a variety of different magazines and newspapers. Read the full low down on the show here: http://www.answermethispodcast.com/about This episode is part of a strand of GBA where I talk to podcast makers and radio makers: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/podcasters-and-radio-makers/ WHERE'S MARTIN? - He get's an episode all to himself which is coming out in 2 weeks on Wednesday 18th July! Helen and Olly Plug: The Answer Me This Jubilee special: http://answermethispodcast.com/jubilee It's £2.49 and available from iTunes and amazon. I added to that a plug for their archive of classic episodes (each old episode is just 79p): http://www.answermethispodcast.com/classic And their book: http://www.answermethispodcast.com/book And LAST MONDAY they announced the release of the new Answer Me This Sports Day Special: http://answermethispodcast.com/sportsday/ It's £2.49 and available from iTunes and amazon. You can find AMT on iTunes, the Stitcher Smart Radio app and a bunch of other places. Like it's website: http://www.answermethispodcast.com/ Like GBA it is a free independant podcast. Want to know more about what they do separately? http://www.helenzaltzman.com/ http://www.ollymann.co.uk/ 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 64 Coventry

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 08:58:49 +0000

In GBA 64 we get better acquainted with Coventry: It's an epic document of my return to a city I hadn't been back to in 12 years. I lived there through some dark and strange times 17 years ago. In the show I really do get better acquainted with the city. I get to know its character. With my childhood friend Steve as my co-host I take you around Coventry's Cathedrals and shopping centres and we cover how the city was changed forever by the blitz. http://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/ Then we journey back into my past, returning to the estates that I lived in as a child and the schools that we both attended together, through a barrage of memory and new perspectives. Steve mounts an inspiring defence of the city he has lived his whole life in and tells us why he loves the city so deeply. I take a long hard look at my past, re-evaluate my relationship to it, reconsider who I am, and get to know a different city to the one I left. Or is the city the same and it's me who has changed? Have I really changed at all? Either way come and join me as I make my peace with Coventry. As a prelude to this episode I released Steve’s GBA earlier this week: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-63-steve Both episodes are about that strange time of life: late childhood. The years before you are fully teen but when you are no longer a toddler. They are also about re-establishing and developing friendship. A friendship where we knew each other before we were fully formed. They are about the danger and the magic of being a child. And that strange nostalgic emotion that comes when you try and look back. Other good “extra listening” that compliments this episode are: Episode 1 of GBA where I tell at least 3 stories set in Coventry during this time: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-1-dave One of which is this http://www.sparklondon.com story which we talk about extensively at the end of the Coventry Special: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/two-cathedrals-david-pickering/ And George’s GBA is given a brief mention too: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-6-george 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 63 Steve

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 15:44:04 +0000

In GBA 63 we get better acquainted with Steve. Steve was my best friend when I lived in Coventry, between the ages of 10 and 13. We talk about our shared history and catch up with who we are now we're 30. Games workshop, fantasy worlds, Stephen King's It style childhood adventures, getting into music, losing touch and then being brought back together by the Internet. This conversation is the prelude to an EPIC GBA Special that's coming out on Friday where I return to Coventry the city we grew up in. I tour the town with Steve. Both episodes are about that strange time of life: late childhood. The years before you are fully teen but when you are no longer a toddler. They are also about re-establishing and developing friendship. A friendship where we knew each other before we were fully formed. They are about the danger and the magic of being a child. And that strange nostalgic emotion that comes when you try and look back. We discuss stories that I talked about in GBA 1: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-1-dave Steve Plugs: His band at the time, The Sequins, who have now gone their separate ways: http://www.thesequins.co.uk/ UPDATE: Here is his new/old band: Late Starters: http://www.youtube.com/latestartersuk We also talk about my old band Apples for Everyone: http://www.myspace.com/applesforeveryone My previous podcast Four Days in a Room: http://www.fourdaysinaroom.co.uk/ And my current music project a Room Full of Friends. What we’re up to has had one public airing at the night I was running earlier this year and you can hear us in these two podcasts: http://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/stand-up-tragedy-17 http://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/stand-up-tragedy-18 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 62 Darren Hayman

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 16:16:58 +0000

In GBA 62 we get better acquainted with my musical hero Darren Hayman (and his dog) in the Rose and Crown pub in Walthamstow. We talk trains, class, suburbs, music, lyrics, signing CDs, volunteering, recording, copyright and more. Darren used to be in the band Hefner and he'd be near the top of a list of singers who "sing what I feel" (if I ever tried to make such a list.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darren_Hayman Darren doesn't plug anything. But I plug his work for him. Find Hefner and other projects here: http://www.hefnet.com/ On facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Darren-Hayman/55543614047 On twitter: https://twitter.com/darrenhayman On bandcamp: http://darrenhayman.bandcamp.com/ His really recent album was lovely: http://www.hefnet.com/shipspiano.htm And he has this coming out in September: http://lidomusic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/music-about-forgetting-by-darren-hayman.html The third album in his Essex Trilogy that he mentions called The Violence and a sister album of 17th Century Folk Songs called Bugbears should also be coming out in 2012! This is a spotify playlist I have made of the music mentioned in the conversation: http://open.spotify.com/user/goosefat101/playlist/6v4FNJozyDwGaYWvvvXOmW We talk about a bunch of things that you might want refer to. Here they are: This is the CD Darren signed: http://www.hefnet.com/stereo.htm And this is a GBA with the friend who asked him to sign it: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-25-chris This is the GBA I did with Jen (who is mentioned frequently): http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-61-jen The Art of Hunger by Paul Auster: http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Hunger-Prefaces-Interviews/dp/1557130566 Breaking God's Heart: http://www.hefnet.com/breaking.htm We Love the City: http://www.hefnet.com/city.htm Sad Witch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRqmcgHG42Y Good Fruit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSIPg3iLSbk Dead Media: http://www.hefnet.com/deadmedia.htm Dead Media Expanded 2 CD Edition: http://www.hefnet.com/deadmedia2CD.htm Trouble Kid: http://www.myspace.com/hefnerhefner/music/songs/trouble-kid-81812670 Hefner's Hymns - Hymn for the cigarettes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w0AizvscYg - Hymn for the alcohol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzInVf7JM4I - Hymn for the Coffee: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PQZjFQHg2g - The Hymn for lisa and me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5zfYi0PFlc - A Hymn for the Postal Service: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PKgQCb8qwY - Hymn for the Things We Didn't Do: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEcRGanjWHg Angels by Robbie Williams: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfTWHbtv_-Y The Wave Pictures: http://www.thewavepictures.com/ Alan Bean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipEduVIn_JY I Love You by The Dandy Warhols: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_999pVvnec Dennis Wilson - Ocean Pacific Blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er1LsKPXLj8 The Beachboys: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beach_Boys Panic by The Smiths: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlYXp_3A64k ("The music that they constantly play says nothing to say about my life.") Glass Onion by The Beatles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvpfM1NDHD0 Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds by The Beatles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDl0qPfkSRw La Bamba by Ritchie Valens: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp6j5HJ-Cok Tutti Fruitti by Little Richard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFq5O2kabQo January Songs: http://januarysongs.tumblr.com/ In the Dark: http://www.inthedarkradio.org/ Manchester Rambler by Ewan McColl: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YENYMwuCG2Y I want to a volunteer: http://vimeo.com/19011413 Local Information - The French: http://www.hefnet.com/localinformation.htm Pram Town: http://www.hefnet.com/pramtown.htm Essex Arms: http://www.hefnet.com/Essex.htm WTF with Marc Maron: http://www.wtfpod.com/ David Simon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Simon The Wire: http://www.hbo.com/the-wire/index.html Karl James: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-38-karl-james The Dialogue Project: http://www.thedialogueproject.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 hear why not write an iTunes review? Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 61 Jen

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 15:44:42 +0000

In GBA 61 we get better acquainted with my partner/girlfriend Jen. We talk about writing, atheism and not having children. It's sort of a window into our 11 year relationship: what we're like when we're alone. At the same time it's one of the most microphone aware conversations I've had on the show. Jen Plugs: Her website: http://www.jadamthwaite.co.uk/ where you can find her writing, her blogs and more information about her and her work. Her twitter account: http://twitter.com/jadamthwaite Her blog: http://www.jadamthwaite.co.uk/from-the-living-room Four Wise Monkeys: http://www.jadamthwaite.co.uk/four-wise-monkeys 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 60 Phil Leirness

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 06:37:59 +0000

In GBA 60 we get better acquainted with Phil Leirness. The episode is part of an occasional strand of the show where I reach out to people who make podcasts that I admire. I talk to the LA director and podcaster Phil Leirness about his documentary feature film The Truth Is Out There and his podcast Chillpak Hollywood Hour. Amongst many other topics we discuss free speech, truth seeking, 9-11, conspiracy theory, absurdism, storytelling, throwing snakes out of windows, and listening to each other. We recorded this conversation in Phil's hotel when he was visiting London from LA filming the sequel to The Truth is Out There and I had previously attended a screening of that film at Goldsmiths which had produced an interesting response in the audience I had viewed it with. The Truth is Out There: http://www.truth-is-out-there.com/ is the thread that glues this conversation together; it is the subject that nearly all the topics come from. The film's tagline is: Comedy. Consciousness. Conspiracy. It follows the X Files and Lone Gunman actor Dean Haglund as he explores the conspiracy theory and truth seeking communities, it's aim is to listen to the people rather than debunk them. Phil Plugs: His fantastic weekly podcast that he co-hosts with Dean Haglund (which was why I approached them in the first place) called Chillpak Hollywood Hour: http://www.chillpakhollywood.com/ (you can search for it and subscribe on iTunes as well) We also refer back to these episodes of GBA: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-extra-out-of-the-window http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-54-anton-frank 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 59 Sanne

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:47:04 +0000

In GBA 59 we get better acquainted with Sanne. Amongst other things she talks about studying and making theatre, dance and movement, acting, making art and the roles we play within our genders. We sit in a park in the docklands area of London and compare notes, share stories and idea and get interrupted by passing families. Devised theatre, making the stone more stony, art as a lie, depictions of Ariel, boys wearing dresses, sex and sexuality, this conversation goes to lots of interesting places. Sanne is my first Swedish guest (but she won't be the last!) Sanne Plugs: The Fish and the Denim River at Accidental Festival 2012: http://accidentalfestival.co.uk/index.php/programme/saturday-2nd-june/120-the-fish-and-the-denim-river Here's the facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/243532722403101/ And this is the rest of the Accidental Festival: http://accidentalfestival.co.uk/ She talks a lot about her course and whilst she doesn't plug it specifically here it is if you're interested: http://www.east15.ac.uk/ I talk about how I'm going to see DV8's Can We Talk About This? at the National Theatre: http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/?lid=68379 Here is the 3 part review I wrote of it: http://goosefat101twitterspills.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/dv8-review-1-cost-of-theatre.html http://goosefat101twitterspills.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/dv8-2-personal-is-political.html http://goosefat101twitterspills.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/dv8-3-promising.html 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 58 Radcliffe (Part 2)

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:19:51 +0000

In GBA 58 part 2 we get better acquainted with Radcliffe. We pick up the conversation with the story of how he came to become homeless and he continues through crime and punishment and then rehabilitation and recovery. Hear a man who has lived homeless and destitute not just talk about his experiences, but reflect on them and share what he’s learnt with you. Rarely do we listen to people with firsthand experience of homelessness and drug addiction when coming up with social policies. Here is a chance to do that. Seriously this conversation was amazing to have and I think it is really really worth you hearing. Radcliffe has seen some dark times, he has journeyed through the class system from the top to pretty much the bottom. He has lived in expensive houses and has been a crack addict in a Soho skip. He has dropped out of society and managed to climb back in. And he tells his story with humour, kindness and brutal honesty and whilst it is full of pain and violence, it is also, somehow a story about hope, beauty and love. Part 1 : http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-58-radcliffe-part-1 that aired on in Wednesday covered his relationship with drugs and his "formative" years. It isn't essential to listen to this before but it might enhance your experience if you do. The conversation we had was over 2 hours and the split is really just there to make the chunks more bite sized. Radcliffe Plugs: "Spoken Word is the new Rock and Roll" Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ The next, and last for the moment, live Stand Up Tragedy will feature Radcliffe telling a story. This is the rest of the line up: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/show-5-4-june-2012/ Here are the details: Monday 4th June 2012. 8.30pm till late at the Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, London, WC2H 7BX Tickets: http://leicestersquaretheatre.ticketsolve.com/shows/126520120/events COME ALONG. BRING YOUR FRIENDS. Use the promo code TRAGIC to offset booking fee. It also has a weekly podcast, which Radcliffe has featured on, which comes out every friday: StandUpTragedy Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/ Last wednesday marked the 100 episode of the Spark London podcast. This is Radcliffe telling a story there (a teaser for part 1 of his conversation): http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/damning-evidence-radcliffe-royds/ And this is the 100 episode of their show: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/episode-100-dorothea-stuart-alastair-smith/ You can find their podcast on iTunes and on Stitcher as well as on Mixcloud. Their next live show is: Wednesday 6th June 2012 at 7:30pm at Canal Cafe Theatre, Little Venice, London, W2 6ND The theme is "Life Savers" Box office: 020 7289 6054 or Book online: http://www.canalcafetheatre.com/ Future themes include Family Holidays, Tales from the work place, Flashbacks and Authority. If you have a story to tell then get in touch at sparklondon@gmail.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 hear why not write an iTunes review? Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 58 Radcliffe (Part 1)

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:03:25 +0000

In GBA 58 we get better acquainted with Radcliffe. In part 1 of this weeks 2 part special he talks about his relationship with drugs and his "formative" years. This includes his experiences attending and being expelled from a boarding school, his family life and his almost accidental introduction into the Edinburgh underworld. We discuss addiction and the nature and social position of drugs. And we hear a recovered addicts views on drugs policy. Part 2 : http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-58-radcliffe-part-2 comes out in Friday when the conversation will continue, covering crime and punishment, homelessness and then rehabilitation and recovery. Seriously this conversation was amazing to have and I think it is really really worth you hearing. Radcliffe has seen some dark times, he has journeyed through the class system from the top to pretty much the bottom. He has lived in expensive houses and has been a crack addict in a Soho skip. He has dropped out of society and managed to climb back in. And he tells his story with humour, kindness and brutal honesty and whilst it is full of pain and violence, it is also, somehow a story about hope, beauty and love. Radcliffe Plugs: "Spoken Word is the new Rock and Roll" Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/ Today marks the 100 episode of the Spark London podcast. This is Radcliffe telling his story there (which is a teaser for part 2 of his conversation):http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/on-living-in-a-soho-skip-radcliffe-royds/ And this is the 100 episode of their show: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/episode-100-dorothea-stuart-alastair-smith/ You can find their podcast on iTunes and on Stitcher as well as on Mixcloud. Their next live show is: Wednesday 6th June 2012 at 7:30pm at Canal Cafe Theatre, Little Venice, London, W2 6ND The theme is "Life Savers" Box office: 020 7289 6054 or Book online: http://www.canalcafetheatre.com/ Future themes include Family Holidays, Tales from the work place, Flashbacks and Authority. If you have a story to tell then get in touch at sparklondon@gmail.com Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/ The next, and last for the moment, live Stand Up Tragedy will feature Radcliffe telling a story. This is the rest of the line up: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/show-5-4-june-2012/ Here are the details: Monday 4th June 2012. 8.30pm till late at the Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, London, WC2H 7BX Tickets: http://leicestersquaretheatre.ticketsolve.com/shows/126520120/events COME ALONG. BRING YOUR FRIENDS. Use the promo code TRAGIC to offset booking fee. It also has a weekly podcast, which Radcliffe has featured on, which comes out every friday: http://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 57 Richard

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:41:02 +0000

In GBA 57 we get better acquainted with my old friend Richard. (It’s a different Richard from the first previous GBA guest). He talks childhood, art, theatre, adulthood, working for the arts council, the advantages of a happy upbringing and the confidence that comes with some backgrounds. It's a conversation about how we change and how we stay the same, the considerations and compromises we make as we take on new priorities and responsibilities, and this crazy journey onwards into adult life (whatever that is.) It covers Richard’s skill at Grandparent charming, his attitude to van driving and his aptitude for analogy. It also comes out at just about the right time to commemorate the birth of his firstborn child. Congratulations to him and his lovely wife Sarah (who you can hear doing her own GBA that we referenced in this episode here: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-5-sarah) Richard Plugs: Seeing new art and new theatre. Specifically at The Royal Court Theatre: http://www.royalcourttheatre.com/ and their £10 Monday's offer: http://www.royalcourttheatre.com/your-visit/10-mondays/ We also mention my old project The Middle Class Bastards who are worth a listen: http://soundcloud.com/themiddleclassbastards 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 56 Henry

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:25:11 +0000

In GBA 56 we get better acquainted with Henry. He talks about doing visual effects for Hollywood movies and the HBO series Game of Thrones, going to a rather famous boy’s public school, learning how to play musical instruments and the ethics of using CGI. And if I ask him the right questions I'll find out two exciting new bits of big news. But will I ask the right questions? Along the way we also cover romance, sexuality, hugging etiquette and decanting wine. UPDATE: Henry (and his team) won a 2012 BAFTA for their work on Great Expectations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifoPkV8wBqg Henry plugs: The Iron Lady (for reasons that will become clear) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1007029/ Out on DVD and still showing in some cinemas. His Visual Effects teams nomination for an Emmy for their work on Game of Thrones - http://www.emmys.com/nominations/2011/Outstanding%20Special%20Visual%20Effects%20For%20A%20Series 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 55 Dad #2

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:40:08 +0000

In GBA 55 we get better acquainted with my Dad (again). Journey with my dad and me from Stansted Airport to my front door as we return from the trip to Germany that we were going on in : http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-3-dad-1 In this conversation we trace the technological developments Dad's experienced in his 88 years of life, along the way we talk about his relationship to computers and the internet, seeing the moon landing, cameramen and films, Citizen Kane, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Rupert Murdoch, computer games and more! Dad doesn't really 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 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA Extra - Out of the Window

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:16:38 +0000

This is the second of 2 GBA Extras that are coming out today. They are connected thematically so be sure to check out the first one: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-extra-the-partition I tell the story of how my family came to get a dog. This one is a story I told at the Spark London open mic which is held Upstairs @ The Ritzy in Brixton. The Spark has its own podcast that is around the same length as this episode. They release them very regularly and they feature people telling true stories live on stage. Find them on iTunes, Stitcher or MixCloud: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/ http://www.sparklondon.com/ The next Spark London open mic: Is on Monday 21st May 2012 at 7:30pm The theme is: Winning The Ritzy Picturehouse, Brixton Oval, Brixton Oval, London, SW2 1JG You just turn up and pay what you like. You watch people tell there stories and if you want to tell yours then you put your name down and get up on the stage! The next curated Spark London night is: 6th June 2012 at 7:30pm Theme: Life saver Venue: Canal Cafe Theatre, Little Venice, London, W2 6ND, UK - Website - map Box office: 020 7289 6054 / http://www.canalcafetheatre.com/ I have been recording conversations for GBA with people I've met through Spark London. I have some really great ones that haven't aired yet too that will be coming out over the next year. They will be added to this playlist: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/spark-londoners/

GBA Extra - The Partition

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 06:25:51 +0000

This is the first of two GBA Extra's coming out today. The Partition is an extended and developed version of the recent GBA submission to the Third Coast International Audio Festival ShortDocs Challenge2012: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/grey-areas In it we get a little better acquainted with my Dad: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-dad-episodes/ We also get better acquainted with Sam, who is no longer with us. And we get better acquainted with me as we find out more about my childhood. Next wednesday's episode will be the second full length episode devoted to Dad, as we discuss technology and change on a return journey from Germany to the UK that we made over a year ago. Later today in the GBA Extra "Out of the Window" we'll hear more about how Sam came to join the family.

GBA Extra - Extracts from GBA 2011

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 06:30:13 +0000

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 gets better acquainted with someone he knows. It’s an autobiography through personal connections, an oral history snapshot of a group of interconnected people and a series of startlingly intimate conversations about what it is to be human. It’s like eavesdropping on a scene late in a party where two people are really getting to know each other. There are lots of shows about famous people; this is a show about the rest of us. GBA takes advantage of the internet, not just as a way to distribute material, but as an interactive experience offering listeners the opportunity to explore playlists out of sequence. The episodes are carefully edited for flow, pace and clarity while maintaining the illusion of real time. They are hyper-realism; microphones being moved or planes flying overhead remind us that this moment actually happened. The rough-and-ready nature of the recording is integral to the show as it aims to go where microphones rarely go. *** Track Listing: Dave Pickering / Getting Better Acquainted 0.00: Episode theme (episodes usually begin with a cold open, which is a short highlight from within the episode, followed by this theme.) 0.21: Opening of http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-29-matt: Matt works for a religious charity and he went to university with Dave. Recorded in a snatch of time at a mutual friends wedding. 0.38: An extract from the opening of http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-24-mum-1: Dave’s Mum answers “How did you meet me?” recorded in her bird filled back garden. 0.42: An extract from opening of http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-35-tony: Dave talks to his brother Tony. This episode has been one of the series most popular episodes and was selected by SoundCloud for their SoundCloud Voices blog. 1.04: An extract from http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-26-angela: Dave’s school friend Angela describes what she “does now”. This episode was recorded next to the River Taff in Cardiff in one of Dave’s GBA Road Trips back to where he grew up. 1.13: An extract from http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-6-george: Dave’s ex bandmate George describes what he “does now.” 1.22 An extract from opening of Episode 35 with Dave’s brother Tony. 1.42: An extract from http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-23-jessica: Dave’s nieces’ best friend Jessica describes what she does now. 2.12: Opening of http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-16-owain: Dave and his close school friend Owain begin the show and set the scene of where their conversation takes place. 3.10: An extract from http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-7-aisha-and-abdel: New media start up acquaintances Aisha and Abdel speak to Dave over breakfast at the flat where they live and work. 3.41: Another extract from Episode 6 with George. 3.56: An extract from http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-33-eric: Dave asks Eric who made documentary and drama for the BBC for years and is a writer about the digital age. Eric is a close friend of his fathers. 4.33: An extract from http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-19-louise: Dave talks to his university friend Louise about her trip to Togo. 5.54: An extract from http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-4-liz: Dave’s friend Liz talks about the death of her mother. 6.56: Another extract from episode 16: Owain talks about when he went to Eastern Europe for a Gastric Bypass to reduce his obesity. 7.54: An extract from http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-13-richard-tyrone-jones: One of a series of episodes devoted to the Edinburgh and Camden Fringes. Performance Poet Richard Tyrone Jones talks about the heart condition that forms the basis of his show Richard Tyrone Jones has a Big Heart. Dave met RTJ once at a party. 8.06: An extract from http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-2-elspeth: Dave’s university friend Elspeth talks when she was working in a shop and one of the customers died. 8.55 Another extract from Episode 6: Dave and Liz share a moment. 9.10 Another extract from Episode 29: Matt talks about his faith. 9.46 An extract from Episode 3: Recorded in the Wetherspoons at Stanstead Airport on a trip to visit family in Germany. Dave talks to his Dad about his experiences in WW2. 10.53 An extract from http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-18-sam: After a conversation with Dave’s ex work colleague Sam about having a premature baby at a young age, nearly running away with a man from the Dominican Republic as a teenager and witnessing domestic violence through her childhood, Dave wraps up the conversation. 12.22 Another extract from Episode 33: Eric answers the standard closing question of “Do you have anything to plug?” 13.55 The outro from Episode 19. 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 54 Anton Frank

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:04:23 +0000

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 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 53 To The Heart Of It

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:39:23 +0000

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://soundcloud.com/thereactionaries Hayley is the other member of this alt-pop duo, you can hear her playing fiddle on the track: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-9-hayley The mixes you hear were thrown together at very short notice by the magnificent silent member of our duo, our producer George: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-6-george The two stories you hear me perform were told at Spark London nights: http://www.sparklondon.com/ One at the open mic they run at the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton and the other at the curated nights they put on at the Canal Cafe Theatre in Little Venice. I've been actively involved with Spark London for a couple of years and have told quite a few true stories there and even produced some of their episodes. As a result of this one strand of GBA is conversations with Spark London true storytellers: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/spark-londoners/ CAST LIST: In the interests of clarity this is how my family works: Dad's 1st Marriage = Dad + Sheila Two daughters from this marriage: Jo and Rebecca (http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-28-rebecca) Sonia is Jo's daughter. Dad's 2nd Marriage = Dad + June/My Mum (http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-mum-episodes-1) Two sons from this marriage: Tony and Me Mum's 2nd Marriage = Mum + Mervyn One daughter from this marriage: Rosie The two friends who are mentioned in my story are: Owain: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-16-owain and Steve (who I haven't managed to do a full GBA with yet but who appears in this GBA Special: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-17-cardiff ) Jen is my girlfriend (who appeared in the Christmas Special and will have at least one proper episode coming out in the future.) Liz makes a cameo in this episode as she was my outside ear and shaped the way that the episode was narrated. She talks about some of the things discussed in this episode in her GBA episode: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-4-liz This is the playlist of all of the family episodes that have aired so far: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/family 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 52 Jo

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:45:03 +0000

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 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

Grey Areas

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:20:06 +0000

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 called Stand Up Tragedy at the Leicester Square Theatre and produces a weekly conversation/interview show called Getting Better Acquainted.

GBA 51 Sonia

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:20:06 +0000

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 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 50 Mathy

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:06:27 +0000

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 7:30pm at The Ritzy Picturehouse, Brixton The theme will be 'Pets' 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 49 Frank

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:57:11 +0000

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.com/eusci CompuSci: http://computersciencepodcast.com/podcasts.html Also mentioned is rethinkdaily: http://rethinkdaily.co.uk/ You can still hear the second series of the drama series 'Numbers' there. It’s also to download through iTunes, just search for rethinkdaily. You can hear our 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 Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 48 Emma

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:05:48 +0000

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/ Some other audio based stuff that Emma and I cover: Radiolab: http://www.radiolab.org/ Hackney Hear: http://www.hackneyhear.com/ On the Media: http://www.onthemedia.org/podcast/ Rethinkdaily: http://rethinkdaily.co.uk/ 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!

GBA 47 JP and Elah from I Like You

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:37:57 +0000

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://ilikeyoupodcast.com/2010/09/22-back-to-the-future/ Mum and Kid: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com/2010/07/15-generation-gap/ Crying episode: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com/2011/02/42-all-broken-up/ Parents Interview: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com/2011/01/39-the-secret-of-my-success/ Drunk Episode: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com/2011/04/49-a-few-too-many/ And this is a favourite of mine that we don't refer to: http://ilikeyoupodcast.com/2010/07/17-dating-under-the-influence/ GBA Episodes mentioned: Christmas Special: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-christmas-special (My brother) Tony: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-35-tony We also explore my experiences making Four Days in a Room: http://www.fourdaysinaroom.co.uk/ JP plugs: Savage Love: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLovePodcast/Page in particular the episode featuring Ira Glass: http://www.thestranger.com/SavageLovePodcast/archives/2012/01/31/savage-love-episode-276 RadioLab: http://www.radiolab.org/ The Moth: http://themoth.org/ WTF: http://www.wtfpod.com/ Stop Podcasting Yourself: http://www.maximumfun.org/shows/stop-podcasting-yourself Sound Of Young America / Bullseye : http://www.maximumfun.org/shows/bullseye Jordan Jessie Go: http://www.maximumfun.org/shows/bullseye Elah Plugs: Wiretap: http://www.cbc.ca/wiretap/ Age of Persuasion: http://www.cbc.ca/ageofpersuasion/ Under the Influence: http://www.cbc.ca/undertheinfluence/ Other audio mentioned: This American Life: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/ CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ BBC Radio 4: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/ Jon Ronson: http://www.jonronson.com/radio.html The Bugle: http://thebuglepodcast.com/ Answer Me This: http://answermethispodcast.com/ 2 + 2 = 5: http://www.thedialogueproject.com/ (Hear a GBA with the man who makes that podcast here: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-38-karl-james ) Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/ The Longest Shortest Time: http://longestshortesttime.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!

GBA 46 Jack

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:04:45 +0000

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 - So Long & Thanks For All The Shoes: http://open.spotify.com/album/5hzbV1PsgeuAZjLClHVcr0 Rancid - Let's Go: http://open.spotify.com/album/5IWs1GKm1HCzrOazle9hdK The Mountain Goats: http://open.spotify.com/artist/3hyGGjxu73JuzBa757H6R5 I googled the DIY albums that Jack talks about and found them in these places: ST/DC: http://www.audiostreet.net/artist.aspx?artistid=2633 http://www.last.fm/music/ST%252FDC/Split Swamp Room http://www.audiostreet.net/artist.aspx?artistid=2635&mode=music Jack Gobsmob http://www.audiostreet.net/artist.aspx?artistid=2634 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!

GBA 45 Hannah

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:01:03 +0000

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 Pub, 96 Snowfields, London, SE1 3SS £5 http://www.whippersnapperpress.com/events http://www.facebook.com/events/194993510595219/ The blog she writes for: Bad Reputation - A feminist pop culture adventure: http://www.badreputation.org.uk/ And her personal blog: http://hannahdoublebarrel.wordpress.com/ I plug: Stand Up Tragedy http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk WE HAVE A GIG: Monday 5 March 6.30 The Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, London Tickets: http://leicestersquaretheatre.ticketsolve.com/shows/126520120/events £10 / £8 - use code TRAGIC to make your full price a concession. 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!

GBA 44 Emily

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:30:00 +0000

In GBA 44 we get better acquainted with Emily. She talks about the Israel/Palestine "situation", breaking her arm, travelling to Israel, being a Canadian in the UK, her relationship to her Jewishness, true storytelling, relationships and more. The reason this episode is being released on Valentines Day is that the day is one of the themes running through the conversation; we discuss long distance relationships, long term relationships, talking and writing about sex and the problem with having an anniversary on Valentines Day. Emily plugs nothing. But we do talk about her Spark London Story: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/the-dentist-emily-lewsen/ (For more on Spark London see: http://www.sparklondon.com/) Her Stand Up Tragedy Story: http://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/stand-up-tragedy-01 (Stand Up Tragedy is currently having website problems but it will be back at http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk until then the link will take you to the podcast) And we also talk about the Savage Love Podcast: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLovePodcast/Page/ 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!

GBA 43 Louise #2

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:13:07 +0000

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 hear why not write an iTunes review? Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 42 Lucy

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:50:40 +0000

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!

GBA 41 Chris

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:52:47 +0000

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 Roberts so look out for this in the future. He also plugs Dan Hind's The Return of the Public: http://thereturnofthepublic.wordpress.com/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1844675947/ 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!

GBA 40 The Interview Process

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:55:34 +0000

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 that Karl and Dave refer to: http://www.radiolab.org/2007/sep/24/ 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!

GBA 39 Lily

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:46:15 +0000

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!

GBA 38 Karl James

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:37:16 +0000

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 Notes: The Story: http://thestory.org.uk/ Karl James' talk at The Story: http://vimeo.com/20141340 Adam Curtis: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adamcurtis/ Graham Linehan: https://twitter.com/#!/glinner Cory Doctorow: http://craphound.com/ Cornelia Parker: http://www.frithstreetgallery.com/artists/bio/cornelia_parker/ Martin Parr ("The guy who took photos"): http://www.martinparr.com/index1.html Bergman - The Magic Lantern: http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Lantern-Ingmar-Bergman/dp/0140104690 Gerard Eagan - The Skilled Helper: http://counsellingcentral.com/gerard-egan-the-skilled-helper/ Anthony Venditti: http://www.spc.ac.uk/research_centre/staff_profiles/mr_anthony_venditti.aspx Super Owl: http://superowl.me/ Aleks Krotowski: http://alekskrotoski.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!

GBA 37 Mum #2

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:02:21 +0000

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!

GBA 36 Getting Better Acquainted with Christmas!

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:52:41 +0000

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. Also it CONTAINS SPOILERS so please don't play it on speakers around little children. Unless you are actively choosing this way to break the news to them. Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year! Ghosts of... http://youtu.be/XqCKfOwA9vE Time to be Nice 2011: http://youtu.be/UiPXNO7WJAQ One of the reasons I have trouble loving Christmas: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/two-cathedrals-david-pickering/ 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!

GBA 35 Tony

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 07:39:48 +0000

In GBA 35 we get better acquainted with Tony. I talk with my brother about... well brotherhood. Our shared history, tensions, love, influences on each other, our similarities and differences. It's a bit touching. We also talk about teaching, art, drama, and wasps. GBA is getting all warm and fuzzy just in time for Christmas. In fact next Wednesday will be a Christmas special! Then I'm taking a week off. Returning in the new year. Tony doesn't really 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!

GBA 34 Eric and Dad

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 08:29:13 +0000

In GBA 34 we get better acquainted with both Eric and my father. It's late at night after dinner and we’ve had a few drinks, so we also get better acquainted with me as I talk more than usual. We talk about their friendship (which is older than me), the effects and interactions of one generation on another, Eric and my Dad’s short but very interesting experiences in teaching and Eric’s big theory on how class is experienced in modern Britain. The plugging section is devoted to what Eric and Dad would like to say to younger generations, although ironically it is rather hijacked by me talking about how important it is to listen to other generations! 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!

GBA 33 Eric

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:01:12 +0000

In GBA 33 we get better acquainted with Eric. He talks about his extensive BBC career, film making, writing, how he met my father, the effect of national service and the physical and sensual process of typing. And a lot more. He also has a very interesting approach to the process of being recorded. Eric deconstructs the process and purpose of plugging. 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!

GBA 32 Joanna Yates

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:56:46 +0000

In GBA 32 we get better acquainted with Joanna Yates. She talks true stories, psychology and Spark London. A great in depth conversation about the ethics, impact and art of telling true life stories. We recorded this conversation in the bar of the Cafe Canal Theatre where the monthly Spark London true story nights take place. December 5th: Spark London @ The Cafe Canal Theatre - New Beginnings: http://www.sparklondon.com/event/2011/12/05/42 December 19th: Spark London Open Mic @ Ritzy Cinema, Brixton - Christmas: http://www.sparklondon.com/event/2011/12/19/48 Joanna plugs sharing a story at Spark London: To do that see http://www.sparklondon.com/ for upcoming themes and email joanna@sparklondon.com with your story. Two stories I told at Spark, one at the Brixton Open Mic and one at The Cafe Canal Theatre can be heard in GBA1: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-1-dave Listen to Spark London weekly on it's podcast available from their website, on mixcloud or through iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/spark-london/id348365296 One of my stories and a few stories by past and future GBA guests can be found there. 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!

GBA Extra - Chris

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:43:47 +0000

In this GBA Extra I talk to Chris about how the March for Alternative (the demo against the cuts on the 26th March 2011) looked from the point of view of a legal observer. In GBC 31 Ged and me discussed our experiences of that March: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-31-ged Chris has a full conversation in GBA 25: http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-25-chris UK Uncut: http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/ Fortnum 145: http://fortnum145.org/2011/11/08/have-we-opted-out-of-universal-human-rights/ Chris added this to the conversation: From the student protests last year, from March 26th and other challenges to the neoliberal austerity programme, people have been going to prison on absurd public order charges. Witnesses can make the difference between freedom and prison, and you may be a witness so here's a quick callout: if you saw any arrests during that protest or another, on the student demo just passed on November 9th, or if you see arrests during the upcoming strike next Wednesday November 30th, please contact GBC, on 07946 541 511 or via gbclegal@riseup.net. Our website is http://greenandblackcross.org If you would like to train as a legal observer, there is a training happening tomorrow (Saturday November 26th, 1 til 5.30pm) at the Bank of Ideas, the repossessed bank building in Sun Street, Hackney. 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!

GBA 31 Ged

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:45:35 +0000

In GBA 31 we get better acquainted with Ged. He talks about Blackpool, class, George Orwell & protest amongst other things. We are on a train to Edinburgh and drinking beer. We also address some of our points of tension. Look out for a GBA extra ON FRIDAY where I get another POV on the march that me and Ged discuss. Ged plugs: His Indian Schools comic adaptation of Voyage of the Beagal by Charles Darwin Dogem Logic: http://www.dodgemlogic.com/ Ged's Comic Strip: Twixt the Steeple and the Ground http://www.flickr.com/photos/thoughtbubblefestival/5065122049/ If people want to get in touch with Ged about writing or theatre related matters drop me an email at GBApodcast@gmail.com and I'll pass on your messages. Additional: Movember: http://uk.movember.com/mospace/1560146/ Ged mentions Z Net: http://zcommunications.org/znet The TUC organised March for the Alernative: My blog on the day: http://goosefat101twitterspills.blogspot.com/2011/03/truth.html Jen's Blog on the day:http://www.jadamthwaite.co.uk/from-the-living-room/2011/3/27/drums-and-bubbles-our-experience-of-the-march.html UK Uncut: http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/ GBC Legal: http://greenandblackcross.org/legal Fortnum 145: http://fortnum145.org/2011/11/08/have-we-opted-out-of-universal-human-rights/ 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!

GBA 30 Rosemary

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:56:53 +0000

In GBA 30 we get better acquainted with Rosemary. She talks about the transformative power of theatre in education, drumming, faith, same sex marriage, working with children and adults with special needs, music and more. And I tell my origin story that involves a school in a small Welsh town, a Native American and a moment when my understanding changed. Rosemary plugs: Her band Le Miro if you're interested in booking them email me at GBApodcast@gmail.com and I will put you in touch with them. 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!

GBA 29 Matt

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:59:17 +0000

In GBA 29 we get better acquainted with Matt. Recorded in a snatched moment at (future GBA guest) Richard's wedding, Matt talks about being an evangelical Christian, love, homophobia in religions, the Bible as literature, spirituality and the nature of performance. We come at the conversation from different sides and we meet somewhere in the middle. Matt doesn't really plug anything, but the conversation is generally a plug for Christianity and specifically about having a relationship with God. 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!

GBA 28 Rebecca

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:07:25 +0000

In GBA 28 we get better acquainted with my sister Rebecca. She talks about being an ex-pat in Germany, being a probation officer, social work, Oxford University, vegetarianism and her relationship to the idea of teaching. This episode was recorded in last April late at night in a reverb filled room in Bad Godesberg whilst drinking Horlicks. Rebecca 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!

GBA 27 Joss

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 17:03:31 +0000

In GBA 27 we get better acquainted with Joss. He talks about the effect of digital technology on television and film production, cultural background, health, therapy and meditation. We also compare notes about being writer/musicians whose parents are writers and artists. Joss plugs his music: http://www.stormboy.net/ http://soundcloud.com/jossarmitage If you're interested in the broadcast industry and its technology then google "Joss Armitage" for his essays and this is his company: http://www.jumppr.tv/ 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!

GBA 26 Angela

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:21:55 +0000

In GBA 26 we get better acquainted with Angela. She talks about programming computer simulations of Jaguars and Hedgehogs and being Welsh and proud amongst other things. We meet for the first time in 10 years, compare notes and talk how we have come to know ourselves better as we get older. It even has a cameo from a dog. Angela plugs: The University of Southampton: Complex System Simulations DTC: http://www.icss.soton.ac.uk/ Her blog: http://computationalecology-angelawatkins.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!

GBA 25 Chris

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 05:45:16 +0000

In GBA 25 we walk road the streets of Brixton getting better acquainted with Chris. He talks conversation, statistical analysis, being a craftist, cycling round London and much more. We also have a big conversation about whether money is neutral a tool for organising society! Chris plugs: The Anarchist Bookfair 2011: http://anarchistbookfair.org.uk/ and also the idea of getting involved in things you care about. Want to cycle round London but your nervous of doing it? Chris recommends: http://www.cycletraining.co.uk/ He also offers to personally help people to be confident about riding bikes around London. If you're interested email: GBApodcast@gmail.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!

GBA 24 Mum #1

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 05:45:04 +0000

In GBA 24 we get better acquainted with my Mum in the first of three conversations. The other two will appear later in the series. Amongst lots of other things she talks about being a nurse in a different time, ghosts, death, social work, changes in the NHS, running an adventure playground in a Lewisham council estate in the 70's and lots more. Mum plugs: Saving the NHS! http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/Protect_our_NHS_Petition 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!

GBA 23 Jessica

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:53:21 +0000

In GBA 23 we get better acquainted with Jessica. Most of the conversation takes place on a fruit and veg stall. She talks about how an allotment changed her life and the exciting project that is The People's Supermarket the work she is doing on their Hackney Consultation. We also talk about community, localism, gardening, London history, finding a job that fits who you are, art, environmental activism and yoga! Jessica mentions two documentaries that changed her life: Farm for the future: http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=2750012006939737230 The People's Supermarket: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-peoples-supermarket Jessica Plugs: The People's Supermarket Hackney Consultation: http://hackney.thepeoplessupermarket.org/ http://twitter.com/TPSHackney If you live in Hackney why not get involved? The People's Supermarket: http://www.thepeoplessupermarket.org/ http://www.facebook.com/thepeoplessupermarket http://twitter.com/TPSLondon Transition Leytonstone: http://www.transitionnetwork.org/initiatives/leytonstone Organic Lea Hawkwood Nursery: http://www.organiclea.org.uk/what-we-do/we-grow-food/hawkwood/ 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!

GBA 22 Zoe

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 06:23:12 +0000

In GBA 22 we get better acquainted with Zoe. She talks about faith from the point of view of being the daughter of a Quaker and a Buddhist. She talks about Live Action Role Playing (LARP) and how they create and explore their collective stories. She talks about the relationship between poetry and emotions. And we discuss our parents mortality. Zoe plugs: LARPING - if you are interesting in Live Action Role Playing you can contact Zoe through me: GBApodcast@gmail.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!

GBA 1 Dave

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:31:38 +0000

This is an introduction to Dave who is the host of GBA. It was Episode 1 of the series and had 130 plays at the time of it being ACCIDENTALLY DELETED. It has been re-posted out of sequence because there was no way of putting it back where it belonged. Dave tells stories from his past, some funny, some sad, some a mixture of both, featuring two live stories told at Spark London events: http://www.sparklondon.com/

GBA 21 Navin

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:50:07 +0000

In GBA 21 we get better acquainted with Navin. He talks about music, music, and more music: A defence of Queen, taking a shower in music, how music affects him, music history and the thorny problems of forming bands and making music in the Internet Age. Navin plugs: His old band with Simon Lennon: http://www.myspace.com/tivoliband His own accoustic solo music: http://www.myspace.com/energybox1980 He asks for people to try and make fan forums that are nice environments to talk in. 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!

GBA 20 Nathalie

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 06:47:52 +0000

In GBA 20 we get better acquainted with Nathalie. She talks about writing, creative non fiction, self help, social anxiety, trouble with finance, truth, and lots more! Nathalie plugs her blog Panic Station: http://nathaliehourihan.wordpress.com/ You can follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NathalieLeonora 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!

GBA 19 Louise

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:32:39 +0000

In GBA 19 we get better acquainted with Louise. Amongst lots of other things she talks about laughing in scary situations, learning languages, cultural differences and devils advocacy. We compare childhoods and confidence levels. Also she tells the story of how she came to be threatened by a big man with a whip during in the middle of the Togolese military dictatorship. Louise plugs: Sitting on the fence. 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!

GBA 18 Sam

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:47:59 +0000

In GBA 18 we get better acquainted with Sam. She talks about having a premature baby, being a young mum, nearly marrying a man she met on holiday in the Dominican Republic when she was 16 and other stories of innocence and experience. It's a brave and frank discussion full of hope and warmth as well as sadness and her young baby provides a soundtrack and commentary for this intimate and moving conversation. Sam plugs: Nothing. 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!

GBA 17 Cardiff

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:27:23 +0000

GBA 17: The Cardiff Special Dave takes us on a journey into his past as he returns to Cardiff the city that he lived in during his adolescence. Conversations, anecdotes, and memories mix together as we get better acquainted both with Cardiff and with Dave's old life there. This episode features conversations with Owain, Steve, John, Bill, Angela, Lucy, and Dave. Nearly all those named have a full episode of GBA devoted to them coming up in future weeks. 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!

GBA 16 Owain

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:02:14 +0000

In GBA 16 we get better acquainted with Owain. He has lived all his life in Wales and most of his life in Cardiff. We meet him just before he was due to go and live in Barcelona. The conversation takes place in a car at the top of Caerphilly mountain in the middle of the night in the pouring rain. We talk about the stomach operation he had in Eastern Europe to reduce his obesity, our lives together at secondary school, the Ely Riots, being a financial advisor who is hopeless with his own money and we cover many of his thoughts on love and life. Owain plugs: His blog: http://amonthinbarcelona.blogspot.com/ (WARNING: It currently isn't very active) We plug our other podcast: http://www.fourdayinaroom.co.uk (WARNING: it is very different from GBA) The Episode of 4DiaR where Owain told me the story of his operation: http://fourdaysinaroom.blogspot.com/2011/07/episode-29-stomach-this.html 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!

GBA 15 Edinburgh Festival 2011

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:15:23 +0000

GBA 15: The Edinburgh Fringe Special is the final episode from GBA Fringe Season: Two weeks of episodes devoted to the Edinburgh and Camden Fringes Dave takes us on a trip with him and some of his friends to the opening weekend of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The show gives a feel of the festival and reviews lots of shows, but it is also a tapestry of conversations, interviews, personal experiences and memories. Dave takes us through his relationship to the festival. The boys are on a Stag Weekend and so that is a theme that threads its way through the show. This episode gets better acquainted with Dave, Lily, Ged, Richard, Tim, Kerrie, Frank, MJ Hibbett, the assorted gentlemen from Tim's Stag Weekend, the city of Edinburgh and the Fringe Festival. All those named have either had or will have a full episode of GBA devoted to them. This is the first special episode of GBA. These will be occasional features of the series, introducing a new strand of interviews and engaging with places from Dave's past. Next Friday the second special will air: Getting Better Acquainted with Cardiff REVIEWS Comedy: Tim Key - MasterSlut 9.45pm @ Pleasance Dome Comedy: Card Ninja 1pm @ Assembly George Square "Rock Opera": MJ Hibbett - Moon Horse vs the Mars Men of Jupiter FREE FRINGE 5pm @ Buffs Club Theatre: Futureproof @ The Traverse Theatre Comedy: Gad, Kirk and Winning - Well This is Awkward FREE FRINGE 2.45pm Bannerman's Theatre: Mission Drift - The TEAM @ The Traverse Theatre (Only showing till 14th August!) Theatre: Translunar Paradise - Theatre Ad Infinitum NOW till 29th Aug (excl. 16 & 23) @ Pleasance Dome THE FREE FESTIVAL: http://www.laughinghorsecomedy.co.uk/dynamic/festival.asp PROMOTED Kerrie is in The Segue Sisters in 'Jailbirds' - 3rd - 28th August (Not 17th) 22.15 @ Gilded Balloon Richard Tyrone Jones - http://bit.ly/fundrtj 26th and 27th August Banshee Labyrinth: http://freefringe.org.uk/showlistings/5099-richard-tyrone-jones-reads-some-stuff-off-bits-of-paper-spoken-word 27th August - Utter! Spoken Word http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=179663742082014 RECOMMENDED BY GUESTS Frank: Helen Arney (http://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/events/what:Helen%20Arney/) Robin Ince (http://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/events/what:Robin%20Ince/) Helen Keen (Helen Keen's Spacetacular! PBS FREE FRINGE 8.25pm - Monday 5th and Monday 22nd August @ The Canon's Gait) Bright Club (http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/date/shows/bright_club_edfest_20110824) Neil Gaiman (http://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/event/230427-neil-gaiman/) Phil Jupitus (8.25pm @ The Stand) MJ Hibbett: Four Sad Faces (1.15pm @ Canon's Gait) Richard Herring - What is Love Anyway (8.50pm @ Udderbelly's Pasture) 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!

GBA 14 Kerrie

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:34:24 +0000

GBA Fringe Season: Two weeks of episodes devoted to the Edinburgh and Camden Fringes In GBA 14 we get better acquainted with Kerrie. She talks about being a working actress, going from farm girl to showgirl, comedy, taking criticism and lots lots more. Kerrie played the lead in my Sony Nominated podcast drama series 'Numbers' You can find the second season of 'Numbers’ and other programmes from Rethinkdaily here: http://www.rethinkdaily.co.uk/ or search for Rethink Daily on itunes to subscribe and download. Kerrie plugs: The Segue Sisters: http://www.theseguesisters.com / http://twitter.com/TheSegueSisters / http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-SEGUE-SISTERS/135337586485230 Edinburgh Fringe: The Segue Sisters in 'Jailbirds' 3rd - 28th August (Not 17th) 22.15 @ Gilded Balloon http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/segue-sisters-in-jailbirds Kerrie suggests: The Great British Sketch Off: http://www.comedy.co.uk/fringe/2011/great_big_sketch_off/ @ The Pleasance Courtyard 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!

GBA 13 Richard Tyrone Jones

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 08:25:27 +0000

GBA Fringe Season: Two weeks of episodes devoted to the Edinburgh and Camden Fringes In GBA 13 we get better acquainted with Richard Tyrone Jones. Amongst other things we talk about how he literally has a big heart that almost killed him, what it means to try and make a living from poetry and the way his life now (finally) has a narrative arc. Richard Tyrone Jones plugs: Utter! Spoken Word: http://www.utterspokenword.com / http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=5704768293 Fund Richard Tyrone Jones Has A Big Heart's 2012 Tour and Book: http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/investment/richard-tyrone-jones-has-a-big-heart-edinburgh-amp-tour-2012-256 Camden Fringe: Richard Tyrone Jones Has a Heart: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=203616559670276 LAST SHOW SUNDAY 7th August - Camden Head Utter! MisGuided Tour of Camden 6th August: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=215717238445578 Utter! Puppets: 9th August - Green Note http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=214491278563431 Edinburgh Fringe: 26th and 27th August Banshee Labyrinth: http://freefringe.org.uk/showlistings/5099-richard-tyrone-jones-reads-some-stuff-off-bits-of-paper-spoken-word 27th August - Utter! Spoken Word http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=179663742082014 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!

GBA 12 MJ Hibbett

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 07:50:55 +0000

GBA Fringe Season: Two weeks of episodes devoted to the Edinburgh and Camden Fringes In GBA 12 we get better acquainted with MJ Hibbett. Amongst other things, We talk about being a viral hit on the internet, his exciting life in ROCK, the exchange rate between music and comedy and the importance of a Day Job. MJ Hibbett plugs: MJ Hibbett and The Validators: http://www.mjhibbett.com Moon Horse: www.moonhorse.net Edinburgh: PBH's Free Fringe 6 - 20 August: 17:00 - 18:00 every day - Buffs Club (R.A.O.B.), 5 West Register Street, Edinburgh EH2 2AA Camden Fringe: 26 - 27 August: 20:00 - 21:00 both days - The Camden Head, 100 Camden High St, London NW1 0LU Dinosaur Planet: http://www.mjhibbett.co.uk/dinosaurplanet/ Things we talk about that you may like to cross reference: The Gay Train: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b-4shDxUlw Hey Hey 16K: http://mjhibbett.co.uk/songs/song.php?filename=heyhey16K The Lesson of The Smiths: http://mjhibbett.co.uk/songs/song.php?filename=thelessonofthesmiths My band T Shirt blog by MJ Hibbett: http://mybandtshirt.tumblr.com/post/7008013974/34-mj-hibbett-the-validators-hey-hey-16k-2004 My song about the last cartridge game avater: http://soundcloud.com/thereactionaries/11-the-last-platform Darren Hayman's January Songs: http://januarysongs.tumblr.com/ The Word Podcast: http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/podcast 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!

GBA 11 Clive

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:00:05 +0000

In GBA 11 we get better acquainted with Clive. He asks himself the question, "What is the point in Anthropology?" He provides many answers and some arguments against them. And sometimes he forgets what he's supposed to be talking about. Living with tribal people, if the world can be made a better place and how can humans be happy are some of the main themes of the conversation. Clive plugs: Survival International: http://www.survivalinternational.org / http://twitter.com/survival 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!

GBA 10 Richard

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:07:03 +0000

In GBA 10 we get better acquainted with Richard. He talks about being an employment lawyer, coming to terms with his sexuality, and his dual passions for law and politics. He also mounts a valiant defence of the coalition government. Richard plugs: Voting yes for AV and voting for the Liberal Democrats: http://www.libdems.org.uk/ 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!

GBA 9 Hayley

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 06:03:41 +0000

In GBA 9 we get better acquainted with Hayley. She talks pictish, the isle of Iona, Quakerism, medieval manuscripts amongst other things. Hayley plugs: Autumn Shift: http://autumnshift.co.uk/ Hayley and Dave plug: The Reactionaries: http://soundcloud.com/thereactionaries / http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/The-Reactionaries/278114063049 Dave Plugs: Apples For Everyone's old stuff: http://www.myspace.com/applesforeveryone 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

GBA 8 Vaughan (part 2)

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:58:24 +0000

In GBA #8 (part 2) we continue getting better acquainted with Vaughan. He talks about being South African, being head of the Tolkien society, playing chess, restructuring organisations, heavy metal and an eccountants relationship to numbers and spreadsheets. And that doesn't even cover half of what he talks about! These episodes are more loosely edited than some to better represent the experience of getting acquainted with Vaughan. GBA #8 (part 2) comes out on Friday. At the end of part 2 Vaughan plugs: Monkish: http://www.myspace.com/monkishtheband / http://www.facebook.com/pages/Monkish/120441811323314 / http://www.youtube.com/user/Bradders20 (They are playing two gigs in London very soon: http://on.fb.me/Monkish15thJuly / http://on.fb.me/Monkish16thJuly ) Him on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mr.grandini Noble Debauchery: http://www.myspace.com/nobledebauchery Scottish Band that he likes a lot: http://www.myspace.com/fireexituk His South African Pipe Band: http://www.1medpipeband.co.za/ The McLennan Scottish Group: http://www.msg.org.uk/ / http://www.youtube.com/user/gbj1941 The Pride of Murray Pipe Band: http://www.thepride.co.uk/ 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.

GBA 8 Vaughan (part 1)

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:28:52 +0000

In GBA #8 (part 1) we get better acquainted with Vaughan. He talks about being South African, playing the bagpipes in fetish clubs, wearing masks, restructuring organisations, heavy metal and "being black". And that doesn't even cover half of what he talks about! These episodes are more loosely edited than some to better represent the experience of getting acquainted with Vaughan. GBA #8 (part 2) comes out on Friday. At the end of part 2 Vaughan plugs: Monkish: http://www.myspace.com/monkishtheband / http://www.facebook.com/pages/Monkish/120441811323314 / http://www.youtube.com/user/Bradders20 (They are playing two gigs in London very soon: http://on.fb.me/Monkish15thJuly / http://on.fb.me/Monkish16thJuly ) Him on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mr.grandini Noble Debauchery: http://www.myspace.com/nobledebauchery Scottish Band that he likes a lot: http://www.myspace.com/fireexituk His South African Pipe Band: http://www.1medpipeband.co.za/ The McLennan Scottish Group: http://www.msg.org.uk/ / http://www.youtube.com/user/gbj1941 The Pride of Murray Pipe Band: http://www.thepride.co.uk/ 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.

GBA 7 Aisha and Abdel

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:01:02 +0000

In GBA #7 we get better acquainted with Abdel and Aisha. They talk love, marriage, work, rest, play, code, words, cultural identity, internet start ups, San Francisco and audio excellence! Super Owl: http://superowl.me/ http://www.facebook.com/TheSuperOwl http://twitter.com/TheSuperOwl http://blog.superowl.me/ Aisha on Twitter: http://twitter.com/new_nomad Abdel on Twitter: http://twitter.com/abdels Aisha and Abdel plugged: http://schoolofeverything.com/ http://said.fm/ 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.

GBA 6 George

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:33:46 +0000

In GBA #6 we get better acquainted with George. He talks food, cycling, music, money, fatherhood, happiness, benefits and cycling over a couple of very specific beers. If anyone in London wants to audition George for their band, as a bassist or guitarist, email GBApodcast@gmail.com and I will pass on your details. 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.

GBA 5 Sarah

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:53:29 +0000

In GBA #5 we get better acquainted with Sarah. She talks about her relationship with pianos, from sitting under them as a child to taking them apart as an adult and she introduces us to the amazing Beam Festival (24-26 JUNE 2011, BRUNEL UNIVERSITY, UXBRIDGE) Find Liz on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sarahpiano / @sarahpiano Find the Beam Festival on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BEAMfestival / @BEAMFestival Sarah plugged: http://www.beamfestival.com/ Angry Sparrow on YouTube: http://youtu.be/C4CUTGsPmks http://www.steim.org Beam Train podcasts: http://www.beamfestival.com/open-calls/beam-train/ http://www.sarahnicolls.com/ Inside out piano: http://insideoutpiano.wordpress.com/ Beam Festival fb page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/BEAM-Festival-at-Brunel-page/189506174403539 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.

GBA 4 Liz

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:17:58 +0000

In GBA #4 we get better acquainted with Liz. She talks about an amazing amount of things including; class, social policy, personal history, cultural identity and her family. Find Liz on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/veritasgrey / @veritasgrey Liz plugged: http://www.thebrickbox.co.uk/ http://www.mssociety.org.uk http://www.symphonyspace.org/ http://www.selectedshorts.org/ http://www.radiolab.org/ http://www.npr.org/ 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.

GBA 3 Dad #1

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:03:35 +0000

In GBA #3 we get better acquainted withmy father (for the first time). He tells the story of his service in the army during World War II. Sometimes a conversation is the closest you can get to a time machine. This conversation was recorded in a location that technically belongs to know country. What it lacks in sound quality it hopefully makes up in atmosphere. Find my dad's writing here: http://stores.lulu.com/alanhubbard 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.

GBA 2 Elspeth

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Wed, 25 May 2011 16:17:38 +0000

In episode GBA #2 we get better acquainted with Elspeth who talks about religion, feminism and sudden death. (This episode isn't explicit. I am looking in to making it so I can tag episodes individually with clean/explicit tags) 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. If you want to get even better acquainted with the show you can email Dave at: GBApodcast@gmail.co.uk NEXT WEEK: We get better acquainted with Elspeth.

GBA Teaser

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Sat, 07 May 2011 19:59:16 +0000

While we wait for iTunes to process the GBA feed request here is a podcast featuring teaser clips of what is to come. Starting on Wednesday 18th May weekly episodes of Getting Better Acquainted will start. Each week Dave will talk to a different acquaintance. Join him on his journey to get to know people better and to get better at getting to know people. Thanks to Abdel, Aisha, Beau, Clive, Chris, Elspeth, Elizabeth, George, Hayley, Navin, Peter, Rebecca, Richard, Scottie, and Zoe who appear in this episode. They will all have at least 1 full episode devoted entirely to them in the coming series.

GBA Advert

GBApodcast@gmail.com (Dave Pickering) — Sat, 07 May 2011 18:56:21 +0000

An advert for Getting Better Acquainted the new podcast show from Dave Pickering set to begin on 18/05/2011 GBA will be a weekly podcast: Join Dave 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.