Two old friends talking about life, family dynamics and Toy Story as they walk to a country pub: The Adam Buxton Podcast is everything an interview-driven podcast should be.
Buxton has built up an enjoyable archive of guests – Louis Theroux, Jon Ronson and Rob Brydon – over the past few weeks and his latest is film director Garth Jennings, the mastermind behind the milk carton in Blur’s Coffee and TV video. It’s a low-key chat recorded on a weekend away with Buxton and his family, so there’s a chuckle about films, a nice glass of wine and a windswept walk to the local pub for lunch. Buxton’s brother, Dave – the “mature, sensible and single” one – joins them, sparking a discussion about dating. “He’s younger than I am and he’s like a bigger, taller version of me,” says Buxton, “but he’s an IT guy, so there are some quite big chunks missing, personality-wise.”
Jennings sums up the dynamic of a big family, describing how “everyone goes back to being 10 years old again” when his wife and her siblings sit around the dinner table. “You could go to the moon and someone in your family would still think you’re an idiot,” he says. There’s an enthralling story about a mealtime altercation with his father-in-law that had “finger-out interface pointing and waggling” just as the lemon tart was being served.
At just over an hour, it’s the longest podcast Buxton has done in this series, but there’s so much to cover, from the poignancy of the scene in Toy Story 3 where the characters are staring into the flames of hell to the time Jennings caught Prince’s towel, complete with a smear of brown makeup, at a gig. The comfort listening is punctuated by silly jingles of the sort that sound like Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young have made a chirpy comeback and rhymed “giant podcast bin” with “started listening”.
Although Buxton’s knack of finding humour in everyday situations permeates the pod, he’s not just there to be funny. He knows when to listen, doesn’t fear the tangent and brings out what makes people tick. David Cameron is on his wishlist and he would be wise to accept the invitation.
