Monocle on Culture: Recent Episodes
Monocle
Robert Bound and his guests discuss what has piqued their interest in our one-stop shop for lively reports and in-depth interviews on the newest and finest in art, film, books and the media business.
Robert Bound is joined by Clarisse Loughrey, chief film critic at The Independent, and Tim Robey, film critic for The Telegraph, to discuss what’s on the big screen this August – from blockbusters to documentaries and the local film festivals worth checking out.
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From Colombian pop to classic rock via indie, electronica, jungle and soul, we take a spin through the best albums of the summer. Robert Bound is joined by rock and pop critic for The Times, Will Hodgkinson, and journalist, DJ and broadcaster Kate Hutchinson.
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Whether you’re after a laugh, romance or an alternate world, our literary experts round up the summer’s best reads. Robert Bound chats with author Chris Power and ‘The Sunday Times’ deputy editor of culture, Susannah Butter.
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We visit London’s Hayward Gallery to meet the artist Anish Kapoor at his new wall-expanding, sense-bending, visually enticing exhibition. Plus: Hayward’s director, Ralph Rugoff, discusses Kapoor’s longstanding history with the gallery.
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Film critics Tim Robey and Leila Latif join Robert Bound to review the hits and misses of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, including Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winning drama, ‘Fjord’.
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Monocle on Culture returns. Robert Bound is joined by culture editor Sophie Monaghan-Coombs, fresh from the Venice Biennale, to discuss everything from the pavilions to the protests. Plus: we hear from artists Michael Armitage and Lorna Simpson.
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On the eve of the opening of a landmark show across two locations in two countries, artist Wallace Chan discusses his life and practice with Robert Bound.
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Robert Bound is joined in the studio by Sarah Cracknell and Pete Wiggs from beloved British pop band Saint Etienne. They discuss their upcoming album, ‘International’, which will be their last.
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In our summer books special, Fredrik Backman discusses his latest book, ‘My Friends’, and Christopher Bollen talks about his novel ‘Havoc’. Plus: Georgina Godwin shares her recommended reading for the season.
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In our summer music special, we hear from Green Man Festival owner Fiona Stewart about what to expect from this year’s edition of the independent event. Plus: Kate Hutchinson with this season’s top-three albums.
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In our summer art special, we visit an exhibition in London from Gilbert & George, head down under to find out about the art centres producing Aboriginal art and hear from a contemporary Romanian painter.
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A new edition of Nick Drake’s “Five Leaves Left” record has been released, which includes previously unheard outtakes. Robert Bound explores the new release with Cally Callomon and Richard Morton Jack.
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The documentary series ‘Social Studies’ explores the culture of social media, with insight into the real-life habits of teenagers. We catch up with the filmmaker behind the series, Lauren Greenfield, to find out more.
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We head to two major exhibitions taking place this summer: ‘Once Upon a Time in London’ at Saatchi Yates and ‘Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting’ at the National Portrait Gallery.
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British photographer Dennis Morris joins Robert Bound in the studio to discuss his extraordinary career and well-loved images of Bob Marley and the Sex Pistols.
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We sit down with legendary installation artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien. He discusses his career, early influences and his current show, ‘Isaac Julien: I Dream a World’, at San Francisco’s de Young Museum.
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Monocle heads to the 55th edition of Art Basel in Basel. We speak with some of the event’s leadership team; gallerists reflecting on their sales; and curators and artists at the fair and beyond.
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Robert Bound is joined by Will Hodgkinson, Hannah Strong and Rhianna Dhillon to share their picks of music, film and TV for the season.
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We head to Sussex to celebrate the newly opened Goodwood Art Foundation. We speak to curator Ann Gallagher, artist Rachel Whiteread and Goodwood Estate proprietor Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox.
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We explore the genre of art books at a new exhibition at London’s Warburg Institute, which explores art publishing and libraries. Plus: we meet the head of book sales and buying at the Tate.
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Film critics Simran Hans and Leila Latif join Robert Bound to review Wes Anderson’s new movie, ‘The Phoenician Scheme’, starring Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton and Michael Cera.
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We head into the night with Dan Richards, author of the new book ‘Overnight: Journeys, Conversations and Stories After Dark’. Richards celebrates all things nocturnal, from bakers and health workers to wildlife and Moomintrolls.
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We create a sunny soundtrack to the coming weeks with the release of two new albums. Kiwi singer Marlon Williams talks about his gorgeous record “Te Whare Tīwekaweka”, his first sung in the Māori language. Plus: we hear from Skye Edwards of the beloved UK band Morcheeba, which is back with its trademark trip-hop on the upcoming album “Escape The Chaos”.
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We celebrate two of London’s most esteemed arts institutions. We reflect on the Tate Modern’s immense contribution to the UK’s cultural landscape and Photo London’s effect on photography over the past decade.
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Photographer Zed Nelson joins us in the studio to talk about his new book, ‘The Anthropocene Illusion’, which meditates on the fractured relationship between humans and nature. Plus: contemporary art in Dakar, Senegal.
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In this podcast special, we hear from two presenters in the wonderful world of audio storytelling. The much-beloved podcast ‘Heavyweight’ involves guests engaging the help of Jonathan Goldstein to answer some unsolved aspect of their past. Ahead of the show’s return at its new home, Pushkin Industries, we catch up with Goldstein to hear about the origins of the podcast and what’s involved in its production. Plus: DJ and broadcaster Kate Hutchinson discusses her new series, ‘Studio Radicals’, which puts musicians, producers and engineers in the spotlight.
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New York provides the backdrop to two cultural gems. Directed by Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards, documentary ‘One to One: John & Yoko’ follows the former Beatle and the artist as they roam Greenwich Village in the 1970s, pursuing projects, preparing for a charity concert and meeting leftist radicals. We sit down with Rice-Edwards to discuss the film. Plus: US writer Katie Kitamura tells us about her new novel, ‘Audition’.
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We celebrate the start of spring with a slew of top-tier cultural recommendations for the new season. Robert Bound is joined in the studio by John Mitchinson, Georgie Rogers and Ossian Ward to discuss the albums, books and exhibitions that you should have on your radar this month. These include a new record by Little Simz, a book full of stories about the nocturnal world and an art event with a side of sauna.
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Apple TV+’s ‘Severance’ is a dystopian workplace drama that has become one of the most talked-about television series in recent years. Following the dramatic end to season two, we sit down with its creator, writer and executive producer, Dan Erickson. Plus: we find out about the Kinoteka Polish Film Festival, which brings the best contemporary and classic Polish cinema to venues across the UK.
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UK musician Alabaster DePlume tells us about his new album, ‘A Blade Because a Blade Is Whole’, and his upcoming tour. DePlume has been drawing ever-larger audiences with his blend of evocative saxophone playing, confident orchestration and music that stays long in the memory. Plus, we meet Swiss visual artist Pascal Sender to discuss his new London exhibition, which incorporates augmented reality to beguiling effect.
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We sit down with puppeteer Basil Twist, the creator of the stunning puppets at the heart of stage production ‘My Neighbour Totoro’. Then: we catch up with Séan Doran, the artistic director of Arts Over Borders. He’s leading the charge with a major new Samuel Beckett biennale and a rather extraordinary multi-decade production of one Beckett play.
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We report from Spain’s biggest contemporary-art fair, Arco Madrid. Every year, exhibition space Ifema Madrid plays host to a rich variety of galleries, curatorial presentations and many beautiful works. It’s here that the art worlds of old Europe and Latin America are brought together under one roof, with the rest of the globe invited too. We hear from one of the curators behind the ‘Amazofuturism’ section, leading gallerists from around the world and Arco’s leadership.
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We head to ‘The Face: Culture Shift’, a new exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery celebrating the magazine’s photography and effect on popular culture. The show is a who’s who of contemporary cool and an ode to the power of print media. We discuss the legacy of the publication with the exhibition’s curator, Sabina Jaskot-Gill; former editor of ‘The Face’ Johnny Davis; and Monocle’s editor in chief, Andrew Tuck.
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Robert Bound highlights select nominees for the 97th Academy Awards. We hear from ‘Sing Sing’ director Greg Kwedar; lead special make-up effects designer for ‘The Substance’, Pierre-Olivier Persin; ‘The Wild Robot’ director, Chris Sanders; and co-directors of the documentary ‘No Other Land’, Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra.
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We find out how to design a dance venue from the inside out at Sadler’s Wells East in London. Also in the UK capital, we immerse ourselves in ‘Masterpieces of the Iranian New Wave’ at the Barbican. Plus, art and architecture at Provence’s Château La Coste.
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We visit two new exhibitions in London by two very different US artists. First, we’ll hear from the curator of the UK’s first Noah Davis exhibition. The glorious, sweeping show at the Barbican serves as a worthy tribute to the late, great painter. Then: we’ll hear from high-spirited octogenarian Joseph Kosuth, whose show at Sprüth Magers features works from his six decades spent as a pioneer of conceptual and installation art.
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British singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan is celebrating her 80th birthday with a new edition of her 2005 record ‘Lookaftering’, including added demos, live versions and sleeve notes from its producer, Max Richter. The lyric booklet features paintings by Bunyan’s daughter, which beautifully brings to life the wistful, dreamy tracks. Robert Bounds sits down with Vashti Bunyan to discuss the cult reception to her work and how a new generation breathed new life into her music.
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Eddie Chacon shot to fame as part of the duo Charles & Eddie, alongside the late Charles Pettigrew, with the release of their enduring 1992 single ‘Would I Lie to You?’ In the years after Charles & Eddie amicably split in 1997, Chacon explored another passion of his: fashion photography. But music called him back and, in 2020, he released the solo album ‘Pleasure, Joy and Happiness’, followed by ‘Sundown’ in 2023. Now he has returned with the gorgeous new record ‘Lay Low’. On today’s show, Chacon joins Robert Bound in the studio to discuss his unique, heartfelt strain of R&B and the inspiration behind the dreamy tracks on his new record.
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Nancy Durrant and Matt Wolf join Robert Bound in the studio to discuss the best theatre shows coming to the stage in 2025, including a new production of a West End classic, a play about the experiences of the Windrush generation and a critically acclaimed performance by an Olivier award-winning actress.
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We look ahead to the most exciting books, films and exhibitions in 2025, from the first international retrospective of a beloved US artist to a political thriller so potent that its director was forced to flee his home country. John Mitchinson, Francesca Gavin and Simran Hans join Robert Bound in the studio to let you know what should be on your cultural radar in the coming months.
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We start the year off with a bang by celebrating the release of two fantastic new films. We hear from director RaMell Ross about ‘Nickel Boys’, a formally inventive and beautifully rendered adaptation of a Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Colson Whitehead. Then: erotic thriller ‘Babygirl’, starring Nicole Kidman, depicts a lustful affair between a CEO and an intern. Monocle’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco sits down with director Halina Reijn to find out more.
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Laura Snapes, Toby Earle and Mia Levitin join Robert Bound in the studio to round up the best of this year’s albums, TV and books.
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We share highlights from this year's programme, including interviews with the likes of Hans Zimmer and Maggi Hambling, and a very special session with folk duo The Staves.
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Georgie Rogers and Will Hodgkinson join Robert Bound in the studio for our annual review of the season’s best festive music releases, including albums and singles from Orville Peck, Kelly Clarkson and Jimmy Fallon.
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We visit two new London exhibitions. ‘Japanese Art History à la Takashi Murakami’ at Gagosian’s Grosvenor Hill outpost offers the contemporary artist’s interpretations of Edo-era artworks. We sit down with Murakami to discuss AI, where he finds inspiration and the atmosphere that he likes to create in his studio. Plus, we meet the curator of ‘Electric Dreams’ at London’s Tate Modern.
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We cover the release of two fascinating and revealing documentaries. Both take a sideways look at men we’re familiar with from their public – and vastly different – profiles: one as a world leader and the other as an icon of Hollywood’s golden age. ‘The Bibi Files’, directed by Alexis Bloom, uses leaked interrogation footage of Benjamin Netanyahu to explore contemporary Israeli politics. Then, ‘Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes’, directed by Kathryn Ferguson, takes a behind-the-scenes look at actor Humphrey Bogart.
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Hank Willis Thomas is a US artist who works across media to explore themes including identity, popular culture and mass media. We meet him at his exhibition of collages, ‘Kinship of the Soul’, at London’s Pace Gallery.
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Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen is known for his in-depth, human exploration of characters and history, which is executed with an artist’s eye. We speak to McQueen about the release of his new film, ‘Blitz’, which details the lives of 20th-century Britons during the Second World War. Then: Monocle’s Fernando Augesto Pacheco and ‘Monocle on Culture’ regular Leila Latif share their takes on the film. Plus: titles to look out for this winter.
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We celebrate 20 years of music promoter, record label and events producer Nonclassical. Over the past two decades, the organisation has been at the forefront of classical, experimental and electronic music, leading the way with innovative and genre-defying sounds. Robert Bound sits down with composer and founder Gabriel Prokofiev and composer Tonia Ko.
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We sit down with Tim Robey, author of the new book ‘Box Office Poison: Hollywood’s Story in a Century of Flops’. This alternative history of cinema recounts the industry’s biggest bombs, including how they came to be made and what they tell us about both the Hollywood machine and the public who eschewed them.
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We head to Rome to find out about a new film dedicated to the Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1970s before visiting one of the world’s largest contemporary art foundries in Walla Walla. Plus: an interview with French pop star Zaho de Sagazan.
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As this special episode pauses to consider elements of great design, it is important to not overcomplicate matters. Sometimes, all you need is four wheels and a beating heart. Monocle’s Italian odyssey concludes with a second roadtrip in another of Maserati’s powerful new all-electric sports cars: the Gran Turismo Folgore. Joining us for the ride are Maserati’s head of design, Klaus Busse, and food writer Luca Cesari.
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We find out about ‘Oscar’, a ballet based on the life and work of Oscar Wilde. Plus: artist Sophie Matisse tells us about designing chess sets, and writer and translator Bruna Dantas Lobato discusses her new book, ‘Blue Light Hours’.
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We venture from Monocle’s Marylebone HQ to London’s Dalston to learn about an organisation looking east. Asymmetry is an unusual, forward-thinking foundation dedicated to developing cultural knowledge in and about Asia. Plus: we head to Copenhagen to find out about Danish festival Heartland’s takeover of famed restaurant Noma.
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We explore the world of US artist Mike Kelley with the first UK exhibition of his work at the Tate Modern. ‘Ghost and Spirit’ shows Kelley’s influential and experimental practice ranging from drawings and collages to multimedia installations of “dark pop art”. Robert Bound speaks to Catherine Wood, the Tate Modern’s director of programme, about the show. Plus: Lisson Gallery content director Ossian Ward shares his view of Kelley’s imaginative career.
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To celebrate the release of Public Service Broadcasting’s The Last Flight, we explore the world of concept albums. Robert Bound speaks to the band’s J Willgoose, Esq about the making of the album, which explores aviator Amelia Earhart’s final takeoff. To continue the theme, Monocle’s contributing editor Andrew Mueller digs deep into weird and wonderful LPs, while writer Natty Kasambala and Will Hodgkinson, music critic at ‘The Times’, share their favourite concept albums.
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Making a masterpiece begins with a vision. And where else to start than with the beloved Italian marque Maserati’s new powerful, all-electric sports car: the Gran Cabrio Folgore. As summer turns to autumn, we engage the roof, connect the charger and hit the road. Join us. Featuring Maserati’s head of design Klaus Busse and sculptor Valeria Greco.
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We discuss two new films in this week’s episode. ‘The Goldman Case’ dramatises the 1976 trial of revolutionary left-wing intellectual Pierre Goldman and is a thrilling retelling of a momentous event in French legal history. Plus: we speak to the directors behind the new documentary ‘Sugarcane’, which follows an investigation into the Canadian Indian residential school system.
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Monocle’s Andrew Mueller finds out about Soviet-era rock’n’roll in Ukraine ahead of the release of ‘Even The Forest Hums: Ukrainian Sonic Archives 1971-1996’. Plus: we discuss a new biography about filmmaker Agnes Varda and hear from Serbian performance artist Marina Abramovic.
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Robert Bound is joined in the studio by writer and ‘Monocle on Culture’ regular Will Hodgkinson to discuss his new book, ‘Street-Level Superstar, A Year With Lawrence’ . The book tells the story of Lawrence, the founder of the band Felt, and later, Denim. Is he the greatest pop star that never was?
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Robert Bound is joined in the studio by writer David Peace to discuss his new book, ‘Munichs’. The novel tells the story of the 1958 Munich air disaster, in which 23 people – including eight Manchester United players and three officials – were fatally injured when their plane crashed. Peace’s dramatisation is a tender story of stoicism, sadness and strength.
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We explore the new film ‘Sing Sing’, which follows a group of incarcerated men taking part in the Rehabilitation Through the Arts theatre programme at a notorious prison. The film stars Colman Domingo alongside a cast largely made up of the programme’s former participants. Robert Bound sits down with director Greg Kwedar to find out more about the making of the extraordinary film.
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Natasha Tripney reports from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and selects the top theatre picks at the monthlong event. Plus, Robert Bound heads to ‘Hafla’, a celebration of Middle Eastern culture at the New Bond Street headquarters of Sotheby’s.
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Film critics Caspar Salmon and Leila Latif join Robert Bound in the studio to review A24’s latest film, ‘Tuesday’, directed by Daina O Pusić. Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars as a mother whose daughter, played by Lola Petticrew, has a terminal illness. A difficult situation becomes more painful – and far stranger – with the arrival of death in the form of a talking bird. Plus, our critics share their favourite films currently in cinemas.
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In our summer film special, we find out about three great big-screen releases. We hear about a happiness agent in the Bhutanese Himalayas in ‘Agent of Happiness’, explore the moving new Netflix film ‘Daughters’ and jump into the chaotic world of an Irish-language rapping group in ‘Kneecap’.
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In our summer books special, we sit down with two brilliant writers. First we hear from Scottish author and screenwriter John Niven, whose moving 2023 memoir ‘O Brother’ is now out in paperback. Then we meet first-time novelist Mariel Franklin, whose debut, ‘Bonding’, is a smart, pertinent book about sex, technology and friendship.
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We highlight three events that should be on your radar, starting with a trip to London’s Royal Academy of Arts to explore Ukrainian modernism. Then we head to the south of France for this year’s edition of a major summer photography festival, before hearing from US artist Lonnie Holley at his new show at London’s Camden Art Centre, ‘All Rendered Truth’.
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Alongside General Motors, partner of ‘Monocle on Culture’, we share the third and final part in our series of special programmes. In this episode, we finish our Côte d’Azur road trip in Cannes and explore the relationship between the city, cars and the film world. Plus: we find out how the elegant style of the Carlton Cannes staff has been influenced by cinema over the years.
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New York-based artist and musician Cassandra Jenkins discusses her new album, ‘My Light, My Destroyer’. The spellbinding new record is a tangle of cranked guitars, close-mic confessionals and wonderfully melodic songwriting. Plus: we celebrate ‘To the End’, a new documentary about Blur, with the film’s director, Toby L.
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Alongside General Motors, partner of ‘Monocle on Culture’, we share the second in our three-part series of special programmes. In this episode, we continue our journey down the Côte d’Azur, with time to ponder a quick dip at the Club Dauphin. Along the way we tap into the design world of the Cadillac Lyriq with designer Magalie Debellis. Plus: we hear from design guru Stephen Bayley and colour expert and historian Kassia St Clair.
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Rhianna Dhillon, Ammar Kalia and Matt Wolf join Robert Bound to preview this summer’s best music, theatre and television. They discuss a TV show set in the murky waters of Baltimore, an upcoming album from one of the UK’s most revered producers and the Broadway debut of an actor fresh from an Oscar-winning role.
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Alongside Monocle on Culture’s partner, General Motors, we share the first in a three-part series of special programmes. In this episode, we jump in the new Cadillac Lyriq to begin a stunning road trip down the Côte d’Azur. En route, we find out about the sound world of the new marque with General Motors’ creative sound director, Jay Kapadia, and hear about the perfect driving playlist from composer Max Richter and chef Massimo Bottura.
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We meet Pearl Lam, one of the world’s leading experts on Asian art. Over the past two decades, her eponymous galleries in Hong Kong and Shanghai have become top destinations for collectors drawn in by her exquisite taste, international outlook and commitment to rewriting narratives about Eastern art. Lam joins Robert Bound at Midori House to discuss her journey into the art world, how her gallery plans to support up-and-coming African artists and her new podcast.
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We meet two figures in the cultural world known both for their creative practice, as well as their brave attitude towards speaking truth to power. Robert Bound speaks to Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland about her new film ‘Green Border’ and Alexei Korolyov meets Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova to discuss her new exhibition in Linz, Austria.
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We hear from Lina Soualem about her new film, ‘Bye Bye Tiberias’, which documents the life of her mother, the actress Hiam Abbass, and four generations of Palestinian women. Plus: we head to Zanele Muholi’s new show at Tate Modern and find out about the darkly funny debut novel by Mateo García Elizondo.
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Richard Linklater is known for both small-budget, big hitting films like ‘Dazed and Confused’ and box-office hits such as ‘School of Rock’. His latest film, ‘Hit Man’, is a comedic thriller starring Glen Powell as the mild-mannered Gary Johnson. He is a college professor who leads an extraordinary double life working undercover for the police as a fake hitman. We meet director Richard Linklater and hear from ‘Monocle on Culture’ regular Hannah Strong for her take on the film.
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On the centenary of his death, we reflect on the legacy of Czech writer Franz Kafka. Alongside writer and literary critic Chris Power, we celebrate Kafka by way of his unexpurgated diaries which have recently been translated into English for the first time. Then screenwriter and short-story author Charlie Kaufman discusses his story in his new collection, ‘A Cage Went in Search of a Bird’.
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We bring you the second part of our coverage from this year’s Venice Biennale. We hear from the artist representing Great Britain, whose work reconsiders the act of listening, find out about the works of the Greenlandic photographer in the Denmark Pavilion and explore Turkey’s politically engaged presentation. Plus: we head to an uninhabited Venetian island for a special performance.
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We hear from contemporary art legends Gilbert and George, at their new exhibition in East London. Then we head to Tunis to take the temperature of the art scene and meet gallerist Selma Feriani. Plus: Richard Thompson drops into Midori House to play a song from his new album.
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We meet Orlando Whitfield, once the best friend of Inigo Philbrick, to hear about the story of how Philbrick, a young contemporary art dealer, was convicted of wire fraud. Whitfield’s new book, ‘All That Glitters’, details the pair’s friendship, Philbrick’s downfall and Whitfield’s experience of the world of fine art. Plus: commentator Melanie Gerlis puts the story of Inigo Philbrick into the wider context of today’s art market.
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We discuss David Leitch’s new film, ‘The Fall Guy’, starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. We explore how the film celebrates the art of stunt performance, meet a stuntman to find out more about the job and ask how stunts affect the legalities of film production.
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We bring you our dispatch from the 60th edition of the world’s most prestigious art event, which takes the temperature of contemporary art right now. In the first of two programmes, we meet the artists behind the Ethiopian, South Korean and Romanian pavilions.
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Robert Bound visits Tate Britain’s ‘Sargent and Fashion’ exhibition to explore the painter’s role as a pioneer of the art of styling. We also speak to Suzi Ronson about her memoir, ‘Me and Mr Jones: My Life with David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars’, and how she crafted many of the singer’s iconic looks. Plus, we hear from stylist Emily Evans.
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We meet American singer-songwriter and producer Maggie Rogers, who shot to fame after a 2016 video showed her wowing Pharrell Williams with her track ‘Alaska’. In the years since, she has released two albums, amassed a legion of fans and a Grammy nomination. Her third record, ‘Don't Forget Me’, was written with co-writer and co-producer Ian Fitchuk over five days. Rogers discusses the process of making the album, its road-trip feel and the notion of genre.
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Toby Earle, Susannah Butter and Natty Kasambala join Robert Bound in the studio to discuss the best upcoming releases of this season in TV, books and music. These include the latest work from one of the UK’s most popular romantic novelists, the long-awaited debut album from an indie-pop darling and a drama starring Kate Winslet as the leader of an unnamed Central European nation.
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In the course of her 50-year career, British artist Maggi Hambling has made a name for herself with her dynamic, expressionist paintings and often controversial public sculptures. Hambling joins Robert Bound in the studio to discuss everything from her new show in Hong Kong and her very first cigarette to the elusive nature of the muse.
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Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor, the sisters behind English indie-folk band The Staves, join Robert Bound in the studio. Their John Congleton-produced fifth LP, ‘All Now’, is lyrically rich and full of moments of euphoria. They discuss how to work with your siblings, finding the confidence to make bold decisions and why they always return to an early influence: ‘Sister Act’.
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Cultural critic and novelist Lauren Oyler’s essays and reviews have caused a stir online. She joins Robert Bound in the studio to discuss her new book of essays, ‘No Judgement’. Oyler muses on gossip, Goodreads, expat life in Berlin and her experience of trying ‘jaw yoga’ to ease her anxiety-fuelled teeth-grinding.
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We head to the Spanish capital for a special edition of the programme from Arco Madrid. As well as being a major contemporary art market platform, the fair has a strong curatorial core and deep connections with the Latin American scene. We meet the fair’s director and one of its leading curators. Plus: we find out about a major merger in Spain and hear from the artist representing the country at this year’s Venice Biennale.
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We meet the director and script consultant of ‘Io Capitano’, the stirring Oscar-nominated film that follows two Senegalese teenagers as they try to make their way from their homeland to Europe. Plus: we catch up with the Palestinian-American singer Lana Lubany, and find out about a computer program that used AI to create artworks 50 years ago.
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Ahead of the release of ‘Dune: Part Two’, we speak to the legendary film score composer and music producer, Hans Zimmer. He discusses his love for Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, his approach to world building and how he was once fired by the BBC. Plus: ‘Monocle on Culture’ contributor Leila Latif shares her thoughts on the new film.
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We head to London’s Tate Modern gallery for ‘Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind’. The UK’s largest-ever exhibition on the work of the artist and activist, it brings together her performances, films, music, photography and more. Robert Bound speaks to its curator, Juliet Bingham, arts journalist Andrew Male and broadcaster Jennifer Lucy Allan.
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We explore the world of Cymande, a 1970s jazz-funk group that is the subject of a new documentary, ‘Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande’. Robert Bound meets band members Patrick Patterson and Steve Scipio, and catches up with the documentary’s director, Tim Mackenzie-Smith. Plus: as ‘Nelken’, Pina Bausch’s signature work of contemporary dance, returns to the stage, we hear from dancer Christopher Tandy.
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We meet Abigail Morris, Georgia Davis and Lizzie Mayland from UK indie band The Last Dinner Party. After signing with Island Records, the group won the Rising Star Award at the Brits and topped the BBC’s Sound of 2024 list – all without having released an album. Now that their debut, ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’, has arrived, Robert Bound meets them to discuss their influences, outfits and penchant for guitar solos.
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We discuss ‘The Zone of Interest’, the latest film by UK film director Jonathan Glazer. Loosely based on Martin Amis’s novel of the same name, the film tells the story of Rudolf Höss, camp commandant at Auschwitz-Birkenau, and his wife as they build an idyllic life for their family as the Holocaust unfolds. We speak to Christian Friedel, who plays Höss, and film critic Jason Solomons.
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We dive into the unique career and personality of filmmaker Werner Herzog. We catch up with Thomas von Steinaecker, the director of a new documentary, ‘Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer’, which paints a portrait of the man behind the camera. Plus: we hear from one of Herzog’s friends and collaborators, Herbert Golder.
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Nancy Durrant and Matt Wolf join Robert Bound in the studio to preview the very best theatre to look forward to in 2024. They discuss a lively ska musical, a new play about the architect of the NHS, a Broadway debut from one of America’s biggest comedic actors and much more.
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Ashanti Omkar, Ossian Ward and Chris Power join Robert Bound in the studio to round up the TV shows, art exhibitions and books that you should have on your radar this year.
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Film critics Simran Hans and Tim Robey join Robert Bound in the studio to review Hayao Miyazaki’s new film, ‘The Boy and the Heron’.
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We bring you the best of this year’s Monocle on Culture, including singer Jessie Ware, ‘Oppenheimer’ director Christopher Nolan and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Colson Whitehead.
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Laura Snapes, Andrew Male and Leila Latif join Robert Bound in the studio to round up the best of this year’s albums, books and films.
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Georgie Rogers and Will Hodgkinson join Robert Bound in the studio for our annual review of the season’s best festive music releases, including albums and singles from Cher, Blue Man Group and Wheatus.
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We celebrate 200 episodes of books podcast ‘Backlisted’. Launched in 2015, it features books that have fallen out of fashion, favour or print. Alongside their guests, hosts John Mitchinson and Andy Miller breathe new life into these old books with generosity and warmth, creating the perfect environment to learn about your next favourite author.
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British director Joanna Hogg’s ‘The Eternal Daughter’ stars Tilda Swinton as a mother and daughter pairing who book into a grand but chilly country house hotel for a birthday holiday. Robert Bound is joined in the studio by Clarisse Loughrey and Christina Newland to review the eerie new film, which swirls in a gothic fog.
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We meet Simon Price, author of ‘Curepedia: An A-Z of The Cure’, a lavish new chronicle of all things related to the British rock band. Plus: we head to Los Angeles to delve into the world of rabbinical portraiture and meet a collector-turned-creator of the unusual works.
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We discuss the world and words of spies on today’s show. Robert Bound sits down with Errol Morris to discuss his new film about John le Carré, ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’. Then John Mitchinson explores the author’s works and their legacy.
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Alongside Monocle on Culture’s new partner, General Motors, we introduce you to the company’s first electric vehicle for the European market: the Cadillac Lyriq. In the first part of a special series of shows, we give you a flavour of the car, reflect on Cadillac’s impressive contribution to visual culture and dream up some future roadtrips.
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‘Monocle on Culture’ hits the road and heads to Turin for the most exciting cultural week in the Italian city’s calendar. We roam around the contemporary art fair, Artissima, and meet its director, as well as a Turin-based gallery and artist. Then, as night draws in, we head to avant-pop festival C2C. Founder Sergio Ricciardone gives us a quick history of the event before we speak with musicians Rachika Nayar and Marina Herlop as they warm up for their sets.
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Hiroshi Sugimoto is famed for mixing wit and commentary with exquisitely tuned craftsmanship and bold conceptual thinking. The Japanese artist is the subject of a new exhibition at London’s Hayward Gallery. We speak to Sugimoto, plus the show’s curator, Ralph Rugoff, and the director of photography gallery Black Box Projects, Kathlene Fox-Davies.
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Critics Hannah Strong and Tim Robey join Robert Bound in the studio to review Martin Scorsese’s latest film. ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is an American epic based on David Grann’s book of the same name. It tells the true story of a series of murders of members of the Osage tribe in Oklahoma in the 1920s.
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We raise a glass to celebrate Frieze London’s 20th anniversary. François Chantala of Thomas Dane Gallery tells us what it’s like to have taken part since its very first edition, while we ask up-and-coming galleries and artists how significant Frieze is to the art scene today.
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We showcase three new releases: a country-inspired tour de force by Canadian singer-songwriter Bahamas, a new collection by shoegaze pioneers Slowdive and the second record by synth-pop group Nation of Language.
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We explore the medium of short stories through the prism of two new collections by two UK writers. Tessa Hadley’s new book, “After the Funeral”, is characteristically full of sharp observations about personal and familial relationships. Meanwhile, Lawrence Osborne’s “Burning Angel and Other Stories” is the first collection of short stories from the novelist, in which characters find themselves up against forces they can’t control.
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We celebrate the 40th anniversary of ‘Stop Making Sense’ – Jonathan Demme’s film with Talking Heads – which is often regarded as the greatest concert movie of all time. Robert Bound is joined in the studio by Will Hodgkinson and Simran Hans to discuss the new 4K restoration of the film, the impact of ‘Stop Making Sense’ more widely and to recommend the best of the concert movie genre.
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This week we take a spin around the Americas. Sheena Rossiter speaks to indie-pop singer Feist at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. Then we head to Brazil to explore São Paulo’s art scene and catch a new film depicting the life of an Afghan refugee in the Californian city of Fremont.
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In more than two decades since Zadie Smith burst onto the literary scene with her debut novel, ‘White Teeth’, her books, essays and short stories have continued to enjoy commercial and critical success. Her latest novel brings to life the story of the Tichborne case – one of the lengthiest trials in British history and one that enthralled Victorian England. Robert Bound is joined by Alex Peake-Tomkinson and Alex Preston to review Smith’s first foray into historical fiction.
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Robert Bound is joined in the studio by Scott Bryan, Holly Black and Chris Power to share the TV, art exhibitions and books to watch, see and read this season.
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As summer comes to an end, we look back at the season’s biggest blockbusters. Robert Bound is joined in the studio by Alex Ritman of ‘The Hollywood Reporter’ to discuss how the films fared at the box office and what this means for the future of cinema. Plus: BFI Imax programme manager, Madeleine Mullett, examines how big-ticket movies reach audiences.
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Over the years, the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, Colson Whitehead, has turned his hand to non-fiction, zombie thrillers and historical fiction. His new book, ‘Crook Manifesto’, is the second in his Harlem Trilogy, which is set on the chaotic streets of 1970s New York. Robert Bound sits down with the author to discuss this exciting new heist novel.
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While John Carroll Kirby is celebrated for the catalogue of stars with whom he has played or collaborated (a list including Solange, Frank Ocean and Harry Styles), he is also renowned for his solo work. We catch up with the Grammy-nominated pianist and producer to discuss his most recent album, ‘Blowout’. We also hear from Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn, the duo known as Sylvan Esso. Over the past decade and four studio albums, the electronic pop duo has picked up two Grammy nominations and a legion of fans.
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Critics Christina Newland and Karen Krizanovich join Robert Bound to review new Australian horror film ‘Talk to Me’.
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Robert Bound is joined in the studio by Natty Kasambala and Kate Hutchinson to discuss the songs that encapsulate the sound of summer 2023, which of this year’s festivals guarantee a good time and the best upcoming album releases.
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Acclaimed writer-director Christopher Nolan is known for his spectacular and layered storytelling and preference for analogue cinematic methods. Robert Bound sits down with the filmmaker to discuss his new film ‘Oppenheimer’, which tells the story of the man widely regarded as the “father of the atomic bomb”. Plus: Monocle on Culture regular, Leila Latif, shares her critical take on the film.
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This week we ask: how do you design an album cover? We meet Anton Corbijn, the photographer and director of ‘Squaring the Circle’, a new documentary that tells the story of legendary design studio Hipgnosis. We also hear from photographer Markus Klinko, who is responsible for a defining album cover of the early 2000s, and ask an art director about the artwork design process in the age of streaming.
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We meet Todd Eckert, the director behind an extraordinary new mixed-reality performance that brings to life the music of the late Ryuichi Sakamoto. Plus: Robert Bound is joined in the studio by Roddy Maude-Roxby, a nonagenarian artist who has been a stone’s throw away from many of the artistic movements, creative circles and cultural moments of the past 70 years.
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We head to the Oxfordshire countryside to visit Studio Richter Mahr, a state-of-the-art studio and production facility built by British-German composer Max Richter and his partner, artist Yulia Mahr. Robert Bound sits down with Richter to discuss his recent Glastonbury performance, the creation of his album ‘Sleep’ and his hopes for the studio.
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We visit a new exhibition at London’s V&A dedicated to all things diva. Curator Kate Bailey joins Robert Bound to discuss how the show celebrates the power and creativity of iconic performers across the ages, while fashion designer Bob Mackie tells us how he created such a wealth of iconic looks. Plus: Monocle’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco and film critic Christina Newland share their thoughts on how divas intersect with society.
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Robert Bound is joined in the studio by Ted Hodkingson, head of literature and spoken word at London’s Southbank Centre, to discuss how he went about programming the venue’s summer literary events. Plus: we hear from writer and broadcaster Kate Molleson and poet Lidija Dimkovska.
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Francesca Gavin joins Robert Bound to review German artist Anselm Kiefer’s new exhibition at White Cube Bermondsey, ‘Finnegans Wake’. Plus: we meet the curators behind a new exhibition in which all is not as it seems.
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We head to Toronto to find out about a new documentary that examines the internal struggles of the creatives impacted by Hong Kong’s national security law. We also catch up with artist and musician Beatie Wolfe at the London Design Biennale. Plus: Grammy Award-winning musician Esperanza Spalding on what restorative art means to her.
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Acclaimed documentary film-maker Nick Broomfield is known for his intimate portrayals of his subjects, often ill-fated musicians. His back catalogue includes documentaries about Whitney Houston and Kurt Cobain. Now he has turned his attentions to The Rolling Stones and the rise and fall of the band’s founding member Brian Jones. Broomfield joins Robert Bound in the studio to tell him more about the making of the film, his unique style and his thoughts on the state of today’s documentary-making scene.
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Robert Bound is joined in the studio by critics Simran Hans and Tim Robey to discuss two new films: a tender coming-of-age tale adapted from a book by one of America’s best-loved children’s authors and a moving exploration of identity that unfolds in the bars and hotels of South Korea’s capital.
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Over the past 20 years, Mexican duo Rodrigo y Gabriela have strummed their way from busking on the streets of Dublin to superstardom. The Grammy Award-winning musicians join Robert Bound in the studio to discuss their latest album, ‘In Between Thoughts... A New World’.
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Conceptual artist Jeremy Deller is a winner of the coveted Turner Prize and has represented Britain at the Venice Biennale. He joins Robert Bound in the studio to discuss his new book,’Art is Magic’, a vibrant catalogue of Deller’s career alongside the art, music, film and politics that have inspired his work.
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British singer-songwriter Jessie Ware is famed for her catchy songs and hit podcast ‘Table Manners’. She stops by Midori House to chat to Robert Bound about the making of her new album, ‘That! Feels Good!’.
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Mia Levitin and John Mitchinson join Robert Bound in the studio for the definitive guide to what to read in the coming months.
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We meet Tarik Saleh, director of ‘Cairo Conspiracy’, a thrilling new film that explores the relationship between Egypt’s religious and political elites, and speak to up-and-coming Bangladeshi musician Dameer. Plus: we head to the Tenderloin Arts Festival to find out how a group of artists is creating a new story for the downtown San Francisco neighbourhood.
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For many budding creative types, being tethered to a day job is a sign of not having “made it” in your chosen discipline. But what if the relationship between artists and their day jobs is more complicated than that? On today’s show we explore this dynamic by heading to an unusual exhibition in Texas on the topic and hearing from an array of artists discussing the jobs that they’ve held – or continue to hold – alongside their practice.
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We head onto the dance floor as Robert Bound explores the need to carve out spaces to move and what dancing can tell us about ourselves. We meet Emma Warren, author of ‘Dance Your Way Home: A Journey Through the Dancefloor’, and New York DJ and co-creator of celebrated Bushwick hangout Nowadays, Justin Carter. Plus: Monocle staffers on their memorable moments dancing the night away.
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In the latest episode of Monocle 24’s production for Sotheby’s, we learn about oil and gas pioneers Erving and Joyce Wolf, who were passionate collectors of American art and design. Over a marriage spanning seven decades, the couple amassed a collection of more than 1,000 objects and pieces in their Fifth Avenue apartment – which are now coming to auction. Their son, Mathew Wolf, Sotheby’s senior vice-president and co-worldwide head of 20th-century design, Jodi Pollack, and design historian Charlotte Fiell reveal what makes these pieces so covetable.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Natty Kasambala and Toby Earle join Robert Bound in the studio to present the definitive list of which TV shows you should be watching in the coming months. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We take a trip to southeast London to celebrate the release of the charming new film ‘Rye Lane’. Writers Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia join us in the studio to discuss their working relationship, influences and the desire to create a great romcom. Plus: journalist Rogan Graham shares her response to the film.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We take a trip to southeast London to celebrate the release of the charming new film ‘Rye Lane’. Writers Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia join us in the studio to discuss their working relationship, influences and the desire to create a great romcom. Plus: journalist Rogan Graham shares her response to the film.
We discuss the new BBC Storyville documentary, ‘Sex on Screen’, with film critic Leila Latif and look at the messy history of eroticism in cinema. Plus: Monocle’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco laments the demise of erotic movies and we catch up with an intimacy coordinator to find out about this crucial new role on film sets.
The British artist has represented Great Britain at the Venice Biennale, shown work at the Lyon, Sydney and Istanbul biennales and exhibited at some of the world’s finest galleries. We explore his new survey at London’s Hayward Gallery, ‘Extinction Beckons’, which is a bold and exciting collection of installations.
‘Hungry Ghosts’ is a powerful new novel that explores religious tensions, class differences and violence in 1940s Trinidad. Kevin Jared Hosein joins Robert Bound in the studio to discuss his book and how he found a way to tell a deeply human story that feels the weight of colonialism.
We explore the creative and commercial genius that emerged from the street-art movement of 1970s New York. We meet street art historian and creator of a new exhibition at Saatchi Gallery, Roger Gastman, and catch up with some of the scene’s major players, Claudia “Claw Money” Gold, and Fab 5 Freddy.
In this arts special, we visit Jerusalem’s Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design and catch up with legendary art critic and Pulitzer Prize winner Jerry Saltz to discuss his book ‘Art Is Life: Icons and Iconoclasts, Visionaries and Vigilantes, and Flashes of Hope’. Plus: Tracy Chevalier, author of ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’, joins Robert Bound to discuss the new Vermeer exhibition at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum and her own special connection with the works.
We speak to Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro, who is known for making movies underpinned by a sense of the mythic and filled with ghosts and monsters. His most recent film, ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ is an intricate stop-motion reinvention of the familiar story. We catch up with the two-time Academy Award winner and the film’s co-director, Mark Gustafson.
Robert Bound is joined by Karen Krizanovich and Fernando Augusto Pacheco to review the surprises, snubs and stars of this year’s Oscar nominations.
Robert Bound is joined by theatre critics Natasha Tripney and Matt Wolf to discuss what 2023 looks like on the stage. We turn the spotlight on showstopper musicals, a play starring the actor of the moment, and staged versions of bestselling novels by Olga Tokarczuk and Hanya Yanagihara.
Todd Field’s new film, ‘Tár’, tells the story of fêted conductor Lydia Tár (played by Cate Blanchett) and her unceremonious undoing. Robert Bound is joined by critics Jason Solomons and Ashanti Omkar to discuss the aesthetics of the film, Blanchett's performance and the controversial issues at the film’s core.
What does the art world currently look like? It might talk about diversity and opportunity but to what extent has it really opened up? On this week’s show, we look into the recently released Burns Halperin Report, which explores representation in US museums and the international art market. Robert Bound speaks to the co-founders of the report, Charlotte Burns and Julia Halperin, and art critic and author Farah Nayeri. Read the report online at studioburns.media
Robert Bound looks at the cultural year ahead with guests Francesca Gavin, Chris Power and Scott Bryan to explore the very best upcoming art exhibitions, books and TV shows.
We bring you the very best of this year’s Monocle on Culture including literary genius Ali Smith, music industry legend Chris Blackwell and genre-defying composer Benjamin Clementine.
Robert Bound is joined by Kate Hutchinson, Mia Levitin and Tim Robey to round up the very best of this year’s albums, books and films.
Robert Bound is joined by Georgie Rogers and Will Hodgkinson for their annual festive review of the season’s music releases including albums and singles from Backstreet Boys, Phoebe Bridgers and Lizzo.
We examine the triumphant resurgence of jazz, which seems to be front and centre in a bold new live scene across the world, and whose sounds have been incorporated into everything from hip-hop, pop, rock, classical to electronica. Robert Bound is joined by music writer Ammar Kalia, London Jazz Festival director Pelin Opcin and trumpeter, Yazz Ahmed.
Robert Bound and guests mark 20 years of Art Basel Miami Beach. Artnet’s executive editor Julia Halperin shares her memories of the fair, while outgoing and incoming directors Marc Spiegler and Noah Horowitz discuss the history and future of Art Basel Miami Beach. Plus: Heather Hubbs, director of the New Art Dealers Alliance fair, on how this upstart art fair became an institution all on its own.
Robert Bound and guests Hannah Strong and Leila Latif review ‘The Menu’, the new film starring Ralph Fiennes, and take a look at the enduring appeal of food on the big screen. Plus: we speak to the film’s food stylist about how the extravagant meals were put together and what goes into creating dishes on a film set.
The period between the 1990s and 2010s is often referred to as the golden age of high fashion. A new documentary series on Sky explores the era and shows how – while the models might have been impeccably dressed – backstage, things were often unravelling at the seams. Robert Bound is joined by writer Dana Thomas, The Business of Fashion editor at large Tim Blanks, and head of fashion at ‘The Telegraph', Lisa Armstrong, to discuss the show and the era.
As the head of CBS for more than half a century, William S Paley was responsible for transforming the US broadcasting landscape. But his contribution to modern art was equally remarkable. A trip to Europe in the 1930s sparked a lifelong interest that would see the Chicago-born mogul go on to acquire pieces from many of the world’s leading contemporary artists, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Francis Bacon. As the president and chairman of New York’s MoMA, Paley also shaped the way that we understand the history of 20th-century art. In this episode, Sotheby’s Worldwide Head of Sales for Global Fine Art, Brooke Lampley, and art critic Amah-Rose Abrams reveal what makes Paley’s collection so extraordinary.
Booker Prize winner George Saunders is a master of the short story form. His latest collection, ‘Liberation Day’, contains nine tightly constructed tales that are underpinned by a sense of dystopia and the absurd. He joins Robert Bound to discuss the collection and what makes a great story.
Mercury Prize winner Benjamin Clementine is known for his genre-defying music, soulful voice and poetic lyricism. He joins Robert Bound in the studio to discuss his new album 'And I Have Been' and its creation high in the Santa Monica hills, his musical influences and his affinity for snakes.
Robert Bound is joined in the studio by Simran Hans and Tim Robey to review the latest film from Martin McDonagh, ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ – a darkly comic tale of friendship and isolation.
We draw back the curtain on literary prizes – what they mean for writers and literary agents – and what it’s like to be a judge on a major literary award. We speak with Clare Conville, co-founder of the literary agency C+W, Monocle’s books editor and Baillie Gifford prize judge, Georgina Godwin, and Eleanor Catton, winner of the Booker Prize in 2013 for her novel, ‘The Luminaries’.
This week we look through the viewfinder at the world of photography and explore whether the fields of commercial and art photography are beginning to merge. We speak to Matthew Beaman, Monocle’s photography director; stop by London agency East’s gallery space, 10 14; and catch up with photographer Mark Mahaney.
We explore the relationship between British espionage and male homosexuality with writer, author, and artist Huw Lemmey. Plus: dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson and artist Ben F Jones reflect on their relationship with art and activism in celebration of Black History Month and we learn about the seventh edition of the Singapore Biennale, also known as ‘Natasha’.
We look at the past, present and future of the music press. Robert Bound meets Paul Gorman, whose new book, “Totally Wired: The Rise and Fall of the Music Press” details the “glory days” of the industry. Plus: Laura Snapes and Natty Kasambala on where the digital press is heading and we hear the musings of Monocle’s Andrew Mueller on his former life as a music journalist.
We look ahead to the autumn’s unmissable small-screen programming and highlights from galleries and museums. From new TV series to an exhibition by a celebrated photographer, we have you covered for the season’s cultural picks.
Fifty years after the release of ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’, we look at David Bowie’s legacy and what the evolution of his visual world tells us. We speak to ‘Moonage Daydream’ director Brett Morgen and Mark Paytress, author of ‘Glam! When Superstars Rocked the World, 1970-74’.
Elves and orcs return to our screens in Amazon’s ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’, purportedly the most expensive TV show ever made. We speak to the series’ showrunners, JD Payne and Patrick McKay, and our own ‘Lord of the Rings’ authority, John Mitchinson, to find out more about the show and where it places us in Tolkein’s infinitely complex world.
Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas star in ‘Official Competition’, a new satirical film poking fun at the movie industry and the art of acting. Critics Caspar Salmon and Hannah Strong join Robert Bound in the studio to ask whether it is a winner and to dwell more widely upon the movies-about-movies genre.
International best-selling novelist Mohsin Hamid has been nominated for the Booker prize twice and is perhaps best known for his work ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’. He joins Robert Bound in the studio to discuss his new novel, ‘The Last White Man’. Modelled on Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis’, it asks powerful questions about race in the modern world.
Acclaimed writer and director Jordan Peele is back with another ambitious and eerie cinematic extravaganza: ‘Nope’. Critics Leila Latif and Tim Robey join Robert Bound in the studio to discuss their thoughts on the film and examine its abundance of cinematic references.
Writer Will Ashon joins us in the studio to discuss his new book, ‘The Passengers’, which brings together 180 anonymous voices whose only link to each other is a connection to the British Isles. This unique work of nonfiction tells the story of what it feels like to be alive in a particular time and place.
We take a deep dive into immersive theatre with the acclaimed company Punchdrunk and offer recommendations for what to watch if you’re heading to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Plus: a musical treat from comedian Jazz Emu.
Robert Bound and his guests discuss what has piqued their interest in our one-stop shop for lively reports and in-depth interviews on the newest and finest in art, film, books and the media business.
Is there such a thing as a ‘beach read’? Susannah Butter and John Michinson join Robert Bound in the studio to share their top recommendations of new books – and to question the idea of summer reading.
Robert Bound is joined in the studio by composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg to explore how she created her new work, ‘The Moons Symphony’. It tells the story of seven moons in our universe and dramatises the past, present and future of moon explorations.
What does contemporary arts practice look like across the Middle East and North Africa? We head to Morocco to find out from an actress and theatre practitioner, a pop star and an arts facilitator about the challenges and opportunities of creating their work in the region – and whether one of them can help Robert Bound find a cocktail bar in Casablanca.
Robert Bound is joined by Kate Hutchinson and Christine Ochefu to take you through this summer’s hottest music releases. From the biggest names to the less well-known, find out which artists should be providing the backdrop to your summer.
As the man who signed Bob Marley and the Wailers, Chris Blackwell is credited with bringing Jamaican music to the masses. He talks to Robert Bound about his upbringing on – and love for – the Caribbean island, as well as the breadth of his musical legacy, which includes playing an instrumental role in the careers of Grace Jones and Nick Drake. Blackwell’s new book, ‘The Islander: My Life in Music and Beyond’, is out now, published by Bonnier.
We visit Norway’s new National Museum on Oslo’s harbour, which aims to cement the city’s position as an emerging cultural capital. Plus: we go behind the scenes of Barcelona music festival Primavera Sound and hear from the founder of the Bali International Film Festival.
Tom Cruise is back as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell for another sky-high adventure in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. Robert Bound is joined by critics Clarisse Loughrey and Simran Hans to ask whether this legacy sequel takes off.
Sofia Coppola has been applauded as a filmmaker ever since ‘The Virgin Suicides’ in 1999. In the two decades since, her films have touched on everything from an 18th-century queen on the eve of the French revolution to a group of thieves notorious for stealing the property of Paris Hilton. We take a deep dive into her work with critic Hannah Strong, the author of the new book, ‘Sofia Coppola: Forever Young’.
We meet Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker for a tour of the objects that catalogue his rise to stardom, found in a loft and now forming the basis of his new memoir and exhibition. Plus we head to another exhibition, ‘Once Upon a Time’, that explores folklore, myth and fairytales through the ages.
Robert Bound is joined in the studio by Jennifer Lucy Allan, a musicologist, writer and radio presenter, who also has a PhD in foghorns. Her book ‘The Foghorn’s Lament: The Disappearing Music of the Coast’ has just been published in paperback. It charts the history of the foghorn, its poetic role at the boundary of land and sea, and how its bellowing sound captures the imagination.
Robert Bound is joined in the studio by one of the UK’s most celebrated writers, Ali Smith. Her latest work, ‘Companion Piece’, is an addition to Smith’s seasonal quartet. Through her typical playful use of language, it brings together the specific hardships of the coronavirus pandemic and mythic history. It is a celebration of companionship and an exploration of how, after being locked down, we might open up again.
Critic and broadcaster Scott Bryan and Inkoo Kang of ‘The Washington Post’ talk all things TV with Robert Bound. We discuss the best shows on the small screen today, as well as what’s coming up. Expect everything from crime, cooking and comedy to dinosaurs.
The world’s most prestigious art event is back in full force. Monocle’s Chiara Rimella and Alexis Self chat about their week in Venice, and how the Biennale has responded in times of conflict. Plus: we hear from some of the most talked-about artists at this year’s event, including Stan Douglas and Golden Lion winner Sonia Boyce.
Georgie Rogers and Fernando Augusto Pacheco join Robert Bound to look ahead to the most exciting albums of the coming months, including new releases from a Brazilian pop star, a classic British indie band and a camera-shy cowboy.
From team badges and strips to the architecture of stadiums, design has long been a major part of football. We visit a new exhibition at the Design Museum in London, ‘Football: Designing the Beautiful Game’, and speak to its assistant curator Rachel Hajek and fashion commentator Simon Doonan about the evolution of style and football.
While some of William Shakespeare’s plays are reproduced again and again, there are others that theatre companies tend to steer clear of. The Royal Shakespeare Company is undertaking the challenge of putting on ‘Henry VI: Part II’, renaming it ‘Henry VI: Rebellion’, which has the longest dramatis personae of any Shakespearean drama. We go behind the scenes and speak to those putting on this epic play.
Ossian Ward and Mia Levitin join Robert Bound in the studio for a rundown of the best of the season’s art and books.
A special edition of the show marking its partnership with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism. Robert Bound is joined by the chairman of the department, who explains his conviction that culture is at the heart of any progressive society. At this moment of reckoning in the world of so-called ‘big culture’, the ability to build new museums with fresh thinking is an opportunity not to be missed. The chairman explains why the wealth of forthcoming institutions at Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island could grasp that chance.
The 65-year old mainstay of the European cultural calendar, the Eurovision Song Contest, heads across the Atlantic this week. A new show will pit all 50 states, five US territories and Washington DC against each other in a spinoff of dazzling proportions. We chat to the show’s producers about the challenges of Americanising the format, and Robert Bound is joined by Emily Yahr and Fernando Augusto Pacheco to discuss what might be in store.
‘Red Rocket’ is the latest film from Sean Baker, who brought us ‘Tangerine’ and ‘The Florida Project’. The film tells the story of Mikey Saber (Simon Rex), a washed-up pornstar who returns to his hometown of Texas City, where he is quickly taken by Strawberry, the teenage employee of a doughnut shop. Robert Bound and guests Tim Robey and Hannah Strong discuss the performances and music, and ask whether Mikey really is as irredeemable as he appears.
Director and artist Derek Jarman is remembered for his unique ability to capture the natural world on the page, as well as the garden he created at Prospect Cottage in Dungeness. A new book, ‘Pharmacopoeia’, brings together the best of Jarman’s writing on nature. This week, we discuss Jarman and his legacy with author and curator Philip Hoare, and hear about a garden inspired by Jarman on the banks of Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
In 1980s New York, two notorious members of the city’s art scene have just met. Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat become close friends and collaborators as they plan to hold a joint exhibition, which promises to be the greatest in the history of modern art. ‘The Collaboration’, a new play at London’s Young Vic Theatre, tells this story. We speak to its writer, Anthony McCarten, director Kwame Kwei-Armah and stars Jeremy Pope and Paul Bettany.
Hip-hop has taken over the mainstream since it was born in the Bronx house parties of the 1970s. Sophie Bramly’s recent book of photography ‘Yo! The Early Days of Hip-Hop 1982-84’ documents its rise, while a new documentary ‘Jeen-Yuhs’ charts the contribution of one of the genre’s most important innovators, Kanye West. Robert Bound is joined by ‘The New Yorker’ staff writer Kelefa Sanneh to discuss the evolution of what is arguably America’s most significant cultural export.
Robert Bound is joined by film critic Anna Smith and Monocle 24’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco to discuss this year’s list of nominations. The panel debate the surprises and the snubs, the almost-guaranteed and the underdogs. Our guests highlight their top picks from the list, from the gentle joy of ‘Coda’ to the acclaimed ‘The Power of the Dog’, and predict who they think will get their hands on a golden statuette in March.
‘Sesame Street’ changed the world of children’s television when it arrived on our screens in 1969. The programme’s inception came from the unique collaboration between TV executives and child education specialists, and always had diversity at its core. A new documentary, ‘Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street’, tells the story of the show. Robert Bound speaks to the film’s director, Marilyn Agrelo, about what makes ‘Sesame Street’ so iconic.
In December 2021, we lost two of the West Coast’s literary greats: Eve Babitz and Joan Didion. This week, Robert Bound is joined by Lili Anolik, author of ‘Hollywood’s Eve: Eve Babitz and the Secret History of LA’, and David Ulin, books editor of ‘Alta Journal’, a quarterly publication that celebrates California and the West. They discuss the imprint that Didion and Babitz left on the Los Angeles literary scene and how they expanded what women’s writing was and could be.
Robert Bound is joined in the studio by Farah Nayeri, arts and culture writer for ‘The New York Times’ and host of the ‘Culture Blast’ podcast. Her new book ‘Takedown: Art and Power in the Digital Age’ looks back centuries, across Europe and America and throughout the art world. It draws on uproars and scandals to explore the reckoning of the Western world with politics, capitalism, religion, race, gender and art.
Robert Bound is joined by guests Fernando Augusto Pacheco and Laura Snapes to look ahead at some of this season’s most exciting music releases from the likes of Stromae, Cate Le Bon and Cecile McLorin Salvant.
Robert Bound and guests Simran Hans and Jason Solomons discuss Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, a coming-of-age tale set in the heady summer heat of 1970s California. Underpinned by a soundtrack of original music and 1970s classics, the film winds a gentle story of young love with riotous escapades and cameos from the likes of Sean Penn and Bradley Cooper.
We look to the year ahead with guests Amah-Rose Abrams, John Mitchinson and Scott Bryan, who recommend the art exhibitions, books and TV series that should be on our radar this season.
We revisit some of our favourite interviews of the year, including Sir Tom Jones, writer Patricia Lockwood, film director Cary Joji Fukunaga, screenwriter Kemp Powers, and Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay of the band Lump.
Robert Bound and his guests discuss what has piqued their interest in our one-stop shop for lively reports and in-depth interviews on the newest and finest in art, film, books and the media business.
Why do we love a ghost story at Christmas? Robert Bound puts this question to writer Andrew Male and the British Library’s Tanya Kirk as we get festive and frightened in equal measure.
Robert Bound is joined by Will Hodgkinson and Georgie Rogers for a fun festive review of the season’s music releases, including albums and singles by Norah Jones, Eagles of Death Metal, Mariah Carey and Abba.
Robert Bound, Tim Robey and Simran Hans discuss the accents, outfits and performances in Ridley Scott’s true-crime drama, ‘House of Gucci’. Has it lived up to the hype?
We meet Posy Dixon, the director of new documentary ‘Keyboard Fantasies’, which tells the story of how musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland found an audience 30 years after the release of his album. Plus: we nip over to a new exhibition in Naples to talk about book collecting and the importance of libraries, and meet the Venezuelan DJ who has put together a compilation album of Ibizan music from the 1980s that’s just the shot of vitamin D we need.
We celebrate the next generation of artists at the Saatchi Gallery’s ‘London Grads Now 21’ exhibition, which brings together work by students from major art schools across the capital.
We head to Prop Store, an auction house that specialises in the sale of objects and costumes from some of the biggest blockbusters in film history. Inside, we find Batman, Spiderman, Marty McFly’s hoverboard, replicas of some of cinema’s most notorious monsters and all sorts of other artefacts, all ready to go under the hammer.
Chilean director Pablo Larraín tells us about his new Princess Diana biopic, ‘Spencer’. Back in the studio, Robert Bound is joined by journalists Susannah Butter and Kate Hutchinson to review this autumn’s best books and album releases.
Robert Bound is joined by film critics Simran Hans and Karen Krizanovich to review Denis Villeneuve's epic new sci-fi blockbuster, ‘Dune’.
Danish-American artist Adam Jeppesen joins Robert Bound to talk about his work that pushes the boundaries of what photography can be. They discuss anthotypes (and what they are), material and process, and interpreting art in a gallery setting.
To celebrate 10 years of Monocle 24, some of our regular critics talk to us about the defining moments of the past decade in art, music and film. Robert Bound is joined by Tim Robey, Francesca Gavin and Will Hodgkinson.
Musicians Emile Mosseri and Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith tell us about their new collaborative album; we chat to Canadian artist Kapwani Kiwanga about her archival work at Art Basel; and we meet the British stunt driver Jessica Hawkins, who landed her first on-screen job on the new James Bond movie.
We speak to director Cary Joji Fukunaga and producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson about the much-anticipated new James Bond film, ‘No Time to Die’. They discuss the long-awaited movie, how Daniel Craig has shaped the character of 007 and making Bond for 2021.
We visit Dulwich Picture Gallery to learn about ‘Radical Beauty’, a new exhibition of woodcut prints by abstract artist Helen Frankenthaler. We also chat to Christian Jungen, artistic director of the Zürich Film Festival, and Rob West, the director of a new documentary about ‘Picture Post’ magazine.
British band Saint Etienne have just released their 10th album, ‘I’ve Been Trying to Tell You’. Accompanying the music is a film by Alasdair McLellan, a series of vignettes set on a road trip across the UK. McLellan and Saint Etienne’s Sarah Cracknell join Robert Bound to discuss the project.
Robert Bound chats to Penny Martin, editor in chief of ‘The Gentlewoman’, about a new anthology of essays called ‘Modern Manners’. The book is a primer for contemporary life from the elegant and amusing female perspective to which readers of the magazine will already be happily attuned.
TV critics Scott Bryan and Inkoo Kang join Robert Bound to round up the best programmes hitting televisions this season in the US and UK.
As nightlife tries to find its feet again we speak to club owner Ray Ng in Hong Kong about his decision to launch a new venue. Plus, Simon Taffe, director of the UK’s End of the Road festival, on the toll of the pandemic on his industry.
Robert Bound is joined by the film critics Simran Hans and Caspar Salmon to review the film ‘Zola’ – a dark comedy based on a viral twitter thread about two strippers in Florida on a wild weekend gone wrong.
Robert Bound chats to French film director Julien Faraut about his new documentary ‘The Witches of the Orient’, about Japan’s 1964 Olympic women’s volleyball team.
In the year that legendary British broadcaster Alan Whicker would have turned 100, the BFI is celebrating this pioneer of journalism and documentary. Robert Bound discusses his colourful career with Jane Ray, artistic director of The Whicker awards, and the BFI’s archive TV programmer, Dick Fiddy.
Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay together make up musical duo Lump. As they release their second album, ‘Animal’, they chat to Robert Bound about making their record in Margate and channelling their music through the character of Lump, whoever that might be.
Sophie Taeuber-Arp was an artist at the forefront of the 20th-century avant-garde. She was also a craftswoman, a graphic designer, a poet, an interior designer and a performer. Such a variation of disciplines has made it hard to define her as an artist. But does that mean she has been overlooked? Tate Modern has put on a major retrospective of Taeuber-Arp’s vast amount of work made throughout her vibrant career. Robert Bound, Ossian Ward and Amah-Rose Abrams review it in this week’s episode, and discuss the links between Africa and the dada movement, the readdressing of the traditional art canon and the seriousness with which decorative art forms are considered.
Fernando Augusto Pacheco and Georgie Rogers join Robert Bound to round up some of the best summer album releases by the likes of Brazilian Marisa Monte, South African star Muzi and Canadian songwriter Martha Wainwright.
Simran Hans, Chris Power and Kathlene Fox-Davies give us their top tips for the films to watch, books to read and art exhibitions to catch this summer.
‘All of this Unreal Time’ is a new film installation made by a creative group for this year’s Manchester International Festival. Written by Max Porter for actor Cillian Murphy, it explores our individual and collective fallibility as one man wanders through London at night addressing his failings. The film is directed by Aoife McArdle and the soundtrack composed by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National along with electronica artist, Jon Hopkins. Robert Bound is joined by Aoife, Jon and Max to talk about the collaborative process.
Chaitanya Tamhane is a filmmaker whose titles include ‘Court’ and most recently ‘The Disciple’, which has just been released by Netflix. Alfonso Cuarón is an Oscar-winning Mexican film director best known for ‘Roma’ and ‘Gravity’. After meeting through a mentoring scheme that resulted in Tamhane shadowing Cuarón on the set of ‘Roma’, the two have now collaborated on Tamhane’s film ‘The Disciple’, for which Cuarón is the producer. In this week’s episode Robert Bound speaks to the duo about what they have learnt from each other’s creative processes, and about ‘The Disciple’ – a film about an Indian classical singer striving to become a master of his art.
Robert Bound is joined by the film critics Anna Smith and Tim Robey to review Ben Wheatley’s latest movie, the pandemic-set folk-horror ‘In The Earth’, and discuss the things it reminded them of.
The writer Andrew O’Hagan pops into Midori House to chat to Robert Bound about his novel ‘Mayflies’, which is loosely based on his own teenage years and has just been published in paperback. They discuss the politics and music of the 1980s, and the romance of male friendships.
The legendary Tom Jones joins Robert Bound to discuss the confessional nature of his new record, ‘Surrounded By Time’, and how he took on other people’s songs.
This week saw galleries and museums reopen their doors in the UK and France, and the return of Art Basel Hong Kong as a physical event. To celebrate, we speak to gallerists and artists about a few new exhibitions. In London, Robert Bound meets Jo Stella-Sawicka from Goodman Gallery and Jeremy Epstein from Edel Assanti – two of the driving forces behind London Gallery Weekend this June. In New York, Henry Rees-Sheridan meets the artist Adam Pendleton to discuss his new collaborative exhibition with British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye and in Hong Kong James Chambers pays a visit to Gallery Exit to take the temperature of the art scene over there right now.
We head to Luxembourg + Co gallery on Savile Row for a new exhibition that explores the experimental creativity of the Italian art scene in the mid-20th century. The show puts Italian abstractionists such as Alberto Burri alongside American painters such as Robert Rauschenberg. It also shows images from Richard Serra’s debut solo show in Rome, which thread together the influence that Italy had on artists during this period. Robert Bound meets curator Francesco Bonami and gallerist, Alma Luxembourg.
We swap Midori House for the most famous studio in the world, Abbey Road, for a special episode marking our 500th edition. Robert Bound is given a tour by Mirek Stiles, head of audio products, to learn about the studios’ history; he meets sound engineer Paul Pritchard to find out what goes on in a day’s work behind the mixing desk; and he chats to managing director Isabel Garvey about Abbey Road Studios’ legacy and future developments.
Belgian brothers David and Stephen Dewaele are the masterminds behind indie-electronic band Soulwax. On this week’s episode they chat to Robert Bound about their handsome studio in Ghent, their latest release, ‘Foundations’, and – having been grounded in their hometown for the first time in their 25-year career – they discuss the places they miss the most.
Film critic Anna Smith and Monocle’s senior culture correspondent Fernando Augusto Pacheco join Robert Bound to review this year’s Academy Awards, which saw ‘Nomadland’ win big and had a refreshed format by the director Steven Soderbergh. Our guests also recommend their favourite films from the nominee list.
Two independent US record labels – Jagjaguwar and Secretly Canadian, which both operate under the Secretly Group – celebrate their 25th anniversaries this year. Their co-founders Darius Van Arman and Chris Swanson join Robert Bound to discuss their roots in Bloomington, Indiana, the artists that have shaped their labels and the music industry’s past quarter-century.
Robert Bound is joined by literary critic Lucy Scholes, film critic Simran Hans and music journalist Kate Hutchinson to find out which films will be getting us back into cinemas, the albums to spin in the run-up to summer and the books to enjoy on a sunny day in the park.
We meet Oscar-winning US director duo, Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin, who have just released their new documentary about the life of superstar singer Tina Turner.
What is a head? That’s the question we’re asking this week’s guest, art historian, writer and curator Michael Peppiatt, who has put together an exhibition at Ben Brown Fine Arts that explores exactly that, through the art of Tony Bevan and Frank Auerbach. Peppiatt chats to Robert Bound about what the head symbolises, the difference between a head and a face, and why it is the greatest challenge to artists.
Robert Bound meets the legendary folk singer as she releases her brand-new album ‘First Farewell’. They discuss family, age and the folk scene over her 60-year career.
Robert Bound is joined by Tim Robey, film critic for ‘The Telegraph’, and Will Hodgkinson, chief rock and pop critic for ‘The Times’, to review ‘Creation Stories’, a biopic of Creation Records boss Alan McGee. The notorious British record label represented some of the biggest names in indie, rock and Britpop.
The composer Nainita Desai is a master of innovative thinking in scores for film, television and games. She is best-known for her documentary work – including music for the Oscar-nominated ‘For Sama’ and a new Sundance-winning documentary that’s soon to be released called ‘The Reason I Jump’ – but her career has been multi-faceted. Desai has a background in maths and has also worked as a sound designer, which gives her a unique approach. In this episode, Desai discusses the techniques she came up with to reflect the experiences of autistic teenagers in ‘The Reason I Jump’ (from water-filled clarinets to improvising on cellos), how working with Peter Gabriel early in her career inspired her and why her job is to manipulate a viewer’s emotions.
US poet and author Patricia Lockwood is known for her memoir, ‘Priestdaddy’, as well as her social-media presence – she has been nicknamed the ‘poet laureate of Twitter’. Her first novel, ‘No One is Talking About This’, is about the internet and human connection, online and offline. She talks to Robert Bound about the book, the language of the internet, writing a book on her phone and making interior lives exterior.
Composer Emile Mosseri is a rising star in Hollywood. In the past few years he’s scored three major films: Joe Talbot’s drama ‘The Last Black Man in San Francisco’, Miranda July’s quirky heist movie, ‘Kajillionaire’, and most recently Lee Isaac Chung’s Golden Globe-winning ‘Minari’. Plus, on the small screen, he created the tense sound-world for the second season of Amazon’s ‘Homecoming’. In this episode he discusses the scores and sounds that he grew up with and how they filter into his music; the ways in which he has worked with different directors to bring their vision to life in sound; and how he keeps a thread running through his work.
Robert Bound speaks to Gabriele Finaldi, the director of London’s National Gallery, about the obstacles in the past year and what they have taught him. Plus: the gallery’s plans for its bicentenary celebrations and the pieces of art that he visits the most when he wanders the building alone.
As she releases her debut album, ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’ the London-based singer, songwriter and poet Arlo Parks reflects on how she defines her sound. She tells us about the music and poetry she was brought up on, why certain instruments speak to her and the effect that the spoken word has on her music.
Is documentary-maker Adam Curtis a journalist or an artist? Who is he making films for and what does he want to teach them? As his new series, ‘Can't Get You Out of My Head’ hits BBC iPlayer, Robert Bound puts these questions to critics, Ed Cumming and Susannah Butter.
Since graduating from Northwestern University in 2011, award-winning American conductor Roderick Cox has become a celebrated name in classical music. He served as associate conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra for three seasons before relocating to Berlin, where he is now based. He is also a champion of diversity in the industry and set up the Roderick Cox Music Initiative to help provide scholarships for young musicians of colour from underrepresented backgrounds. In this episode, Cox tells us what it is like to take to the podium and lead an orchestra: from thinking about the acoustics of a concert hall to the addictive feeling you get when you’re hit by the sound of a large ensemble. Cox discusses the works that drew him to conducting; why he needs more life experience before he tackles certain composers; and the power that music has to teach us about other cultures.
While many galleries and museums are still closed across Europe, we head to Iceland – where coronavirus cases are low, arts centres are open and the government’s interest in visual art is growing – to see how the past year has affected its scene. Kimberly Bradley meets various artists, directors and designers, including Hulda Rós Guðnadóttir at the opening of her new show, to talk about Iceland’s art history and its future.
Brothers Ben and Max Ringham are known for their immersive, 3D sound design for theatre shows such as ‘Blindness’ at the Donmar Warehouse last year, and ‘Anna’ at the National Theatre. They tell us about the power of binaural sound, how it can transport an audience through different scenes, and how they use everyday objects to build up sonic atmospheres.
As the paperback of Sarah Smarsh’s book ‘She Come by It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs’ has recently been released, Robert Bound is joined by literary critic Mia Levitin and country music aficionado Baylen Leonard to discuss the mega country star and how her story is told.
Composer Grant Kirkhope has written the soundtracks for some very successful video games, including ‘GoldenEye 007’, ‘Civilization’, and ‘Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle’. He tells us about his career highlights and the importance of music to the game-playing experience: from transporting people to new worlds to knowing that you are responsible for writing music that will be part of a fan’s childhood. Music ‘Oven-Fresh Day’ and ‘Slow-Baked’ are copyright Rare Ltd
Playwright and screenwriter, Kemp Powers talks to Robert Bound about the new film adaptation of his play ‘One Night in Miami’, directed by Regina King. It imagines the conversations that were had between Malcolm X, Cassius Clay, singer Sam Cooke and NFL player Jim Brown during an evening they spent together in a hotel room in 1964. He discusses the depth of research he undertook – from album liner notes to FBI files, the dynamics between these big characters and why Powers hopes that one day this story won’t be relevant anymore.
Violinist Midori Komachi has been performing as a professional soloist since the age of 12. She specialises in British and Japanese classical music, which she says are intrinsically linked; she is particularly interested in the music of Frederick Delius, about whom she has translated books into Japanese. Komachi tells us about the unique way she found herself drawn to the violin, the physical connection she has with her instrument and the depth and complexity of sound in one note, as well as how her relationship with Delius began. Komachi has lived all around the world and describes how a sense of place influences her music, particularly her own compositions about cities, nature and architecture.
As many nations face at least the next few weeks stuck inside, we’ve enlisted TV critic Scott Bryan and music journalist Georgie Rogers to tell us the best things that are on television, streaming and coming out on record over the next month or so – all to be enjoyed from the comfort of your home.
Writer Max Porter joins Robert Bound to talk about his new book, ‘The Death of Francis Bacon’. Porter, whose previous works includes the titles ‘Lanny’ and ‘Grief is the Thing with Feathers’, discusses art, death and truth, and the impact of 2020 events on the writing of this book.
Throughout his career as a sound designer, editor and mixer, Johnnie Burn has worked on iconic TV commercials for clients such as Guinness; created the sounds you hear every time you log onto Skype; and developed the sound world for films including Yorgos Lanthimos’s ‘The Lobster’ and ‘The Favourite’ and Jonathan Glazer’s ‘Under the Skin’. In this episode, he discusses how he makes sound choices to enhance a film’s narrative – and why less is sometimes more; how his obsession with audio extends to the musicality of everyday objects; and the childhood trauma that temporarily deafened him and sparked his interest in sound.
We review ‘Little Scratch’, the debut novel by Rebecca Watson, an experimental exploration of a day in the life of a young woman in London. Robert Bound is joined by critics Susannah Butter and Lucy Scholes.
When Susan Rogers started out as an audio technician she had no idea that she would eventually contribute to some of the biggest pop hits ever made. She is best known for being Prince’s sound engineer on seminal albums including ‘Purple Rain’, but she has also worked with the likes of David Byrne, KD Lang, Barenaked Ladies and Tricky as an engineer and producer. These days the Californian has turned to education. Rogers currently teaches at the famed Berklee College of Music where her interests lie particularly in psychoacoustics. Rogers tells us about her unexpected path into recording, some mind-blowing moments in the studio and, of course, a few tales about working with Prince.
We look to the year ahead in film, books and art with our critics: Anna Smith, John Mitchinson and Francesca Gavin.
Our critics Simran Hans, Will Hodgkinson and Fernando Augusto Pacheco reveal their top albums, films and television shows of the year.
Celebrate Christmas with us in a ‘Monocle on Culture’ first: an original piece of festive fiction written by Chloë Ashby.
Grammy-nominated jazz star Jamie Cullum tells us about the making of his first ever Christmas album, ‘The Pianoman at Christmas’. He discusses the keys and chords that make classic Christmas songs, the festive music he was brought up on and why this is also a time of year for the spooky and the melancholic.
We go for a wander around the outside of London’s Southbank Centre to see its new multimedia exhibition, ‘Winter Light’. Robert Bound is accompanied by curator Cliff Lauson and artist David Ogle.
This week we speak to musician, composer and artist Hannah Peel. Renowned for her work in electronica, sound design and scoring for the screen, Peel is also interested in the intersection of music and science. In her solo work she has explored ideas of memory, neurology and sound, as well as composing a seven-movement odyssey for analogue synths and brass orchestra. Her work for TV and film is Emmy-nominated and most recently she composed the soundtrack for Channel 5 thriller ‘The Deceived’. She talks to us about the role that sound has played in her life: whether that’s recording creaky old houses, the rush of a live concert or the way that sound can trigger some of our oldest memories, even in people whose minds are fading.
Novelist Jonathan Coe joins Robert Bound to discuss his new book, ‘Mr Wilder and Me’, a fictional depiction of a young woman who finds herself on a Greek island working for American film director Billy Wilder.
Award-winning sound recordist Chris Watson is one of the leading documenters of the natural world, having recorded wildlife across all continents. Watson is also a musician and was a founding member of experimental group Cabaret Voltaire in the early 1980s. His compositions can be heard across radio and TV, including in the HBO series ‘Chernobyl’ and David Attenborough’s ‘Life’ and ‘Frozen Planet’, and he has been exhibited in the National Gallery and The Louvre. In this episode he talks about where his passion for sound came from, and some of the experiences it has offered him, recording everything from blue whales in Baja to hedgehogs in his Northumberland garden. Plus: we hear recordings from his album ‘Stepping into the Dark’.
Robert Bound is joined by film critics Tim Robey and Karen Krizanovich to review David Fincher’s latest film, ‘Mank’, the story of screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz as he battles for credit on the Oscar-winning ‘Citizen Kane’. Set during the golden age of Hollywood, it stars Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried.
We discuss the balance of stories, recipes and personality in cookery books through the lens of Nigella Lawson’s new volume, ‘Cook, Eat, Repeat’. Robert Bound is joined by food writers Felicity Cloake and Olivia Potts and we hear from Lawson herself about the sort of recipes she wanted to write about.
In this 2020 television bonanza, we discuss the streaming services eyeing up linear TV opportunities, whether the news has been the most popular TV show of the year and how well satirists are keeping up with the rolling headlines. Robert Bound is joined by guests Fernando Augusto Pacheco, Inkoo Kang and Scott Bryan.
Anna Smith and Lucy Scholes join Robert Bound to review ‘Shirley’, Josephine Decker’s new film starring Elisabeth Moss, based on the life of the US horror writer Shirley Jackson.
To recommend the best music, television programmes and books still to come this year, Robert Bound is joined by Sharmaine Lovegrove, publisher at Dialogue Books; Ammar Kalia, The Guardian’s assistant TV editor; and the writer and editor Liv Siddall.
Writer and broadcaster James O'Brien joins Robert Bound to talk about his new book ‘How Not To Be Wrong’, a more personal follow-up to his last, ‘How To Be Right’. They discuss the difference between winning an argument and being right, how much language gets in the way, and the penny-drop moments for both him and his listeners.
As David Byrne’s hit Broadway show ‘American Utopia’ arrives on screens in a new film by Spike Lee, Robert Bound chats with Tim Robey and Hilary Hughes about Byrne’s history of revolutionising live performance, Lee’s imprint on the show and its relevance in the current political climate.
Anna Smith and Caspar Salmon join Robert Bound to discuss ‘On the Rocks’, Sofia Coppola’s latest film, which stars Bill Murray and Rashida Jones.
As her new film, ‘Kajillionaire’, is shown at the London Film Festival, director Miranda July tells Robert Bound about the characters, colours and conversations that brought it to life.
Comedian and artist Jim Moir, better known as Vic Reeves, joins Robert Bound to talk about his new book, a collection of his paintings that range from the dark to the absurd.
We speak to the director and cast of a new drive-in production of ‘La Bohème’ at Alexandra Palace about the future of opera, staging a show during a pandemic and acting out a love story from a distance of two metres.
Justin Quirk tells Andrew Mueller about how a childhood love for glam metal inspired his new book, ‘Nothin’ But a Good Time’. It tells the story of this maligned music genre, from the extravagant hair, makeup and costumes to the political backdrop of 1980s America.
We discuss ‘I Hate Suzie’ from Lucy Prebble, playwright and a writer for ‘Succession’, and Billie Piper. The TV series is a comedy about an actress whose phone is hacked, leading to compromising photos being leaked on the internet. Lucy Jones and Toby Earle join Robert Bound.
As cinemas reopen, Simran Hans and Tim Robey join Robert Bound to discuss Christopher Nolan’s time-bending new action-adventure, ‘Tenet’.
Robert Bound is joined by the writers Susannah Butter and Alex Preston to review the final book in Ali Smith’s seasonal quartet and discuss the things it made them think of.
Claire Oakley, the director of new British psychosexual thriller ‘Make Up’, speaks to Robert Bound about the holiday parks, music and dreams that inspired her debut feature.
It seems that there has been an uptick in the amount of reality TV being put out into the world by Netflix. On this week’s show, Robert Bound is joined by Fernando Augusto Pacheco and the TV critics Inkoo Kang and Scott Bryan to look at the different formats – from dating shows to real-life soap operas – and ask whether the streaming giant, which was once known first and foremost for glossy drama, is changing tack with its content to cater for an international audience.
Robert Bound speaks to film-maker Eli B Despres about ‘The Fight’, a new documentary that he’s co-directed about four different cases taken on by the American Civil Liberties Union.
As Tate reopens its museums, we visit Tate Modern to speak to art critic Louisa Buck and Tate’s director, Maria Balshaw, about the importance of seeing art in the flesh and the new challenges of running a gallery.
Robert Bound is joined by guests from the film, publishing, art and music industries to talk about the future of the arts, how they have been affected by lockdown and whether this is an opportunity for positive change.
We speak to DW Young and Judith Mizrachy, the director and producer of new documentary ‘The Booksellers’, which offers a glimpse into the fascinating world of New York’s book collectors and traders.
We dial up some of our cultural experts to find out what we should be watching, listening to and reading this summer. Robert Bound chats to broadcaster and journalist Kate Hutchinson, the writer Alex Preston and film critic Simran Hans.
Author Brit Bennett tells Robert Bound about her new novel, ‘The Vanishing Half’, which explores the lives of twin sisters in a black community in the US Deep South, who run away and live their lives differently: one as black, the other as white.
The AppleTV+ documentary series ‘Home’ visits unique properties around the world that have a sustainable or social remit. Robert Bound speaks to the series director, Doug Pray, and one of the featured designers, Christopher Brown, about what ‘home’ means.
The directors of the Guggenheim’s Bilbao, Venice andNew York museums reflect on what they’ve missed since we went into lockdown, how they have been getting their art fixes and how things are different now as gallery doors reopen.
Solo artist Róisín Murphy, the former lead singer of Moloko, tells us about the wonderfully trippy home music videos that she’s been making during lockdown and how her influences include Italian TV shows, queer music culture and cities with big rivers.