Picks of the week
In Vogue: the 2000s
Expect a smart, stylish production full of near-past nostalgia, as the perma-bobbed queen of Vogue herself, Anna Wintour, fronts a podcast on fashion’s enduring obsession with Y2K. Following on from last year’s series on the 1990s, Wintour and team turn their attention to “fashion’s first digital decade”, via Juicy Couture and the rise of the Met Gala, with insights from Vogue staffers, designers including Nicolas Ghesquière (ex-Balenciaga, now at Louis Vuitton), and celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker.
Hannah J Davies
Electric Easy
A new sci-fi podcast set in near-future LA where androids roam the clubs is always a welcome thing, particularly if it’s exec-produced by Kesha. The unstoppable pop star also effortlessly slips into the role of Zephyr, a club MC who peels her own face off as the night hots up at Electric Easy. Booksmart’s Mason Gooding is Lucky, a wannabe gang member who comes up against monstrous go-go dancers with glitter cannons as he ventures into the night to track down one of the androids. Human-robot lust and songs ensue. Hannah Verdier
Producer pick: This Land
Chosen by Danielle Stephens
In May this year, people around the world were horrified when the remains of more than 200 Indigenous children were found in unmarked gravesites in Canada. Those children were believed to have been students who were taken from their families and forced to attend residential schools.
As the second series of This Land explains, this was not a scandal reserved for Canada. In the US, the legacy of these types of schools eventually led to the passing of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). This legislation was meant to protect Indian children in foster and adoptive homes, and allow Indigenous people and families to be involved in child welfare cases. But it’s under attack, and host Rebecca Nagle (Cherokee Nation) investigated those who want to see the law overturned.
Heavy scripting can sometimes weigh down this eight-part series, but it’s an important and – at points – truly shocking listen. Nagle is clearly invested in finding out what’s going on behind the scenes, which makes for enthralling listening.
Talking points
All change in the world of podcast newsletters, as Vox Media acquires Hot Pod. Ashley Carman of Vox’s tech site The Verge will take over from Nick Quah as deliverer of pod news for the pre-eminent mailout, while Quah becomes podcast critic of Vulture (also under the Vox/New York Magazine umbrella).
Why not try: Snatching Sinatra | X-Ray Vision | Cancelled
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