Picks of the week: Keep It and The Moggcast
This weekly show is helmed by US pop culture critic Ira Madison III, and produced by Crooked Media, the podcast stable behind hit series Pod Save America. Madison first cultivated his “keep it” catchphrase on Twitter, where he used it as a shorthand to express exasperation at everything from Harvey Weinstein to dance-poppers the Chainsmokers. Here, he invites critics and activists to discuss the interplay between the popular and the political via weekly instalments. HJD
The Tories have been slow on the social media uptake, having hugely underestimated the upsurge in young voters in 2017 – and also because, well, computers and humour are a bit of a blind spot. Jacob Rees-Mogg is the nearest thing the party has to a cult figure, hence wheeling the MP out for this new ConservativeHome podcast. While it doesn’t get an A+ for content (JRM monotonously explains government policy and euphemistic “difficult choices”, etc), it does offer a very current alternative to white noise. HJD
Your picks: Soundscapes, David Lynch and drugs reform
Van Sounds is a podcast by reporter Fil Corbitt. Episodes cover travel and music, featuring the type of people found in the nooks of far-off bars or musicians with a do-it-yourself approach. Episodes are less than a half hour, and every so often Van Sounds publishes shorter audio postcards that work like poems layered over the acoustic environment of the places they’re describing. It’s a unique podcast with a unique voice. Recommended by Luka Starmer
Stop and Search is a podcast hosted by Jason Reed from LEAP UK, a police organisation who campaign for a rethink on drug laws. It’s on Scroobius Pip’s Distraction Pieces podcast network and each episode is framed around a particular aspect around drugs and addiction to mental health issues.
Putting together panel discussions and recorded live at Waterstones Tottenham Court Road, recognisable voices such as Robin Ince, filmmaker Livvy Haydock, and writer Johann Hari are placed alongside MPs and journalists, and those who have been impacted by drugs and the laws. The eclectic mix means that there’s never a lull in the conversation. The Stop and Search podcast is more than a show, it’s a tool. It enables us to have the accessible conversations needed around drugs and addiction, and to destigmatise those who may suffer. Recommended by Sarah Belsom
Appropriately for a show with many obsessive fans and complicated plotting, Twin Peaks has inspired many podcasts. Diane is one of the best thanks to its focus on mysticism, philosophy and art theory rather than simple recaps. Diane isn’t smug, however, and riffs on things like the philosophy of magic and Ergodic literature (one of many things Diane taught me), and that’s why it’s highly worth revisiting the entire run dating back to mid-2016. The team’s very British approach is a perfect mix of irony and intelligence that’s often missing from the more geeky detail-obsessed US podcasts about Twin Peaks. Recommended by Charlie Phillips
Guardian Pick: Sofia Coppola on the film that launched her
Sofia Coppola was only 29 when The Virgin Suicides was released in 1999. It didn’t even do that well in America, but those at the Cannes film festival that year took notice. Coppola had had her doubts about her first film. It’s hard to imagine one of my favourite directors/screenwriters being nervous about one of the greatest cult classics, but that’s what this new Guardian podcast series is all about. The Start looks at legendary artists of our time and asks them about their beginnings, focussing on a particular piece that started them off in their careers.
In episode one the listener hears all about how Coppola resonated with The Virgin Suicides book and used its femininity to distinguish herself from her already famous, and macho father. For anyone getting into the film industry, who might be suffering from the perils of self-doubt, this podcast is for you. Recommended by Danielle Stephens.
