Houndsounds (Podcast)
Self-Service Nation (Radio 4) | iPlayer
The Infinite Monkey Cage USA Tour: New York (Radio 4) | iPlayer
Well, this is remarkably sweet. A podcast about dogs. I wanted to write “for dogs, by dogs”, but, you know, humans are the target audience and have also been recruited to hold the microphone. Houndsounds is made by Cast Iron productions, and there are seven episodes up so far, each no longer than 16 minutes. Even for those of us who live a pup-free life, who are (whisper it) a bit scared of dogs, there is much to enjoy.
The opening episode, which Radio 4 would have killed for, was about how dogs smell, and featured Dr Simon Gane, a nose expert. Dr Simon told us that, actually, humans have a great sense of smell; we just choose to ignore it and use sight and sound instead. Also, because we insist on standing on two feet, we miss out on all the proper snifferiffic doggy delights, which are down on the ground. Bloodhounds have droopy faces and long ears, helping them disturb the earth as they sniff it, thus revealing more smelly information. Owners walking their dogs revealed their pooches’ olfactory peculiarities. One had a dog that could smell her parents’ house from a mile away. Another had a dog that liked smelling “food. And, you know… dead things.”
Among the Houndsounds episodes is one about homeless people and their dogs, which is lovely; one on huskies, also great; and a proper tearjerker about Dorothy Cross, an artist who lives on the west coast of Ireland, and her dog, Louis. That was the one that did it for me: a beautiful tale of the bond between owner and hound, and how you cope when your beloved pet dies. Lovely stuff, perfectly pitched and just right for a walk round the block with your doggy friend.
Small tales of everyday life can make you feel better about your own. Self-Service Nation didn’t quite do that, but it did reflect back the ways that our normality has changed. Not so long ago, we went to shops to get someone else to work for us. When Sainsbury’s first opened, a lady was insulted when the manager offered her a basket: how demeaning to be treated as though she were a shop assistant.
Journalist Ian Marchant, an engaging, charming presenter, investigated self-service in various forms, including Ikea’s flatpack furniture, online check-ins for airlines and self-scanning tills. He grudgingly built some Ikea shelves throughout the show, which was fun, and got a money man to tot up how much we save the economy by doing all this stuff ourselves, rather than employing someone else to do it for us. The money man came up with £5.4bn every year – £3,600 per person. We’re being swizzed!
Marchant reminisced about the days he worked as a petrol-pump attendant, a job that doesn’t exist any more, but this wasn’t a lament for times past, just an interesting and realistic assessment of where we are today.
The Infinite Monkey Cage is back, in New York for four episodes, and as excitable and in love with itself as ever. I love this show too, so that’s fine with me. It reminds me of Clarkson-era Top Gear. I do realise that everyone involved will absolutely hate me for saying that, but it’s just that Robin Ince and Brian Cox are so suited to this show, and they enjoy themselves so much, that it’s hard to imagine it ever changing. Their delight is infectious, with guests and live audience all joining in, everyone completely engaged with every element of the programme. I suppose one day they’ll peak, but at the moment, the monkeys are flying.
