I have, along with Stefan Vos. a podcast, based on our discovery that we ‘can’t not art’. Listen as we tell fascinating stories/spout interesting inanities – you be the judge – covering our broad range of interests, including music, literature and the arts.
Don’t bore us… get to The Chorus!
Bruce and Stefan made a podcast. The focus is on music, literature and the arts. In this first part of the introduction, we introduce themselves and our hopes for the podcast. There are inevitable digressions into all manner of unrelated but intriguing topics. In the future, look out for guests who attempt to introduce some focus to our magnificent meanderings. Journey with us as we go out of our minds and into your ears!
In continued informed waffling, Bruce and Stefan delve – dive, even – into books, discussing the fragile genius of Brian Wilson and ploughing (such a fecund word) through all 47 volumes of Game Of Thrones. There’s a touch of terrible Spanish and even an attempt to rhyme “epiphany” with “Epiphone”. Thence – for such is our sophistication – there are ramblings into guitar-based themes; musings on how satisfying it is to be a coffee snob; the deliciousness of Old Fashioned cocktails; and how excellent TV can be when it’s not crap. Plus, the improvised debut of a new song named after an emoji…
We go to a concert, and we have some A-ha moments. We appreciate the new. We empathise with the old. Stefan coughs, because he is sick. We bring together two of the most talented singer-songwriters currently working, because that’s what you can do in your fantasies. We put melted wax on clothes. On purpose. And we talk about a book in which an author kills off a publisher, retrenches an editor and paints a writer as a psycho. What a Christmas party that must have been. And there’s music from up-and-comer Lucas J. The end.
Substance over supplication. This is a good thing. Give the people what they need, not what they think they want. It isn’t a topic we’d written down, but then we talk about Neil Young’s guitar sound and remember exactly how much he doesn’t care what you think, and we also notice that he is our hero and incredibly successful anyway. Then we talk about theatre that embraces themes and interpretations that aren’t mainstream and are, in spite of not hugging cliches tightly, enjoying revival runs – by popular demand. Take that, marketing kids. We also introduce jingly intro and outro bits and contact details: thechoruspodcast@gmail.com and @TheChorus9 on Twitter. Send ideas, feedback and offers of wads of cash. Lovely.
It’s been a while, and we’re sorry for the break in transmission. Global crises and all that. Bit of a palaver, what? Lurking in lockdown, our perspectives turn to the nature of making art, sharing art and selling art in a situation where everyone, their auntie, their dog and the President is doing a version of the same thing online. We consider, too, that intellectuals writing for audiences of people who may not want to sit through a quadruple lecture on something ending in “ology” might do well to pitch their topic in a more friendly manner – before merrily contradicting ourselves and wondering why smart authors state the obvious in a way unworthy of their intelligence. And there is time for a waltz through what is available to watch upon the Interwebs, from live theatre starring Interdict Cabbagepatch to forgettable medieval tosh starring Superman. It’s a quietly wild ride.
We’re back again. Again. We remember how to plug in the talkie-make-louder thing and press the circle button to start the recordering bit. And we can still, it turns out, talk. Quite a lot. And because it’s a reunion, we invite friends. Rosie the dog licks things in inappropriate ways throughout, but honestly, she’s done that before. Better behaved is shapely newcomer Martin D18 Golden Era, who is discussed in detail by a besotted Stefan. We then work our way through much of our reading and binge-watching completed under lockdown (that’s one way to get through the whole of Game Of Thrones…), before welcoming best-selling author David Mitchell – the Cloud Atlas guy, not the English comedian – who proves to be utterly lovely as we chat about his new novel, Utopia Avenue (the epic, rollicking tale of a late-Sixties rock band) in an in-depth interview. Enjoy.
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