The Chorus

We endure a visit to the darkness, see Elvis there and enjoy the profundity of small tragedies. Slash, Conan and Agatha Christie are also around. And the coffee is great.

Reviewed this week:

THEATRE: The Return Of Elvis Du Pisanie, Deathly Murder - Killed By A Killer

MUSIC: Slash - Orgy Of The Damned

PODCAST: A History Of Rock Music In 500 Songs

BOOKS: Heart Of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Lost Property by Megan Choritz

TV: Conan O'Brien Must Go

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

We confirm that revisiting the past can be both exciting and depressing, but at least you can flip forward in a book. Neil Young enjoys a welcome return to our consciousness, and we delve into the darkness of infant ungulates.

Reviewed this week:

THEATRE: The Brothers, Number One And A Weekend Special

MUSIC: The Lemon Twigs - A Dream Is All We Know, Charley Crockett - $10 Cowboy, Neil Young - Fu##in' Up

BOOKS: Letters That Changed The World by Simon Sebag Montefiore, Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett, The Old Man And The Sea by Ernest Hemingway, The Illustrated Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth

TV: Baby Reindeer

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On stage, in song, in print and sort-of on screen, it's pointed out that women and what they go through requires constant consideration - which is hopefully not a revelation. Elsewhere, Manchester is united in music. And yes, that was phrased like that to hack off Liam Gallagher if he ever reads this.

Reviewed this week:

THEATRE: Ile, Your Perfect Life

MUSIC: Liam Gallagher and John Squire, St Lucia, Marcus King, Sincerely Anne

BOOKS: Love And Fury by Margie Orford, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

TV: Poor Things, Stillwater, All Creatures Great And Small Season 4

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

After extensive intranational travel, two theatre productions have inspired discussion. Stefan also says guitar things about a borrowed instrument and Bill Bryson does the first disappointing thing of his brilliant life while Denzel Washington keeps a clean record.

Reviewed this week:

THEATRE: Expelled, Amadeus

GEAR: Gibson SG

MUSIC: Slash - Orgy Of The Damned, Sheryl Crow - Digging In The Dirt

BOOKS: Seeing Further, edited by Bill Bryson

TV: The Equalizer 3, Spaceman, Damsel

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Thanks to a touch of colic in the space-time continuum (or an uploading glitch - your choice), Episode 94 now appears after Episode 95 in the list. Meh. Blame Terry Pratchett. Meanwhile, we look at Los Angeles through Ry Cooder's eyes, Nazis through the filter of the Booker Prize and why it's not a good idea to hitchhike in the Australian Outback.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Hermanos Gutierrez - Sonido Cosmico, Dermot Kennedy - Lucky

BOOKS: Los Angeles Stories by Ry Cooder, 55 by James Delargy

TV: The Whale

PODCAST: The Booker Prize Podcast - Schindler's List vs Schindler's Ark

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

We welcome rock star, actor, dog/cat/bird owner and, most importantly, coffee sponsor Cito into the studio/cramped dining room to chat about his bewildering array of musical projects, including Wonderboom, Blvd Hvnny, El Cantante, Absinthe Led Zeppelin tribute shows and more. Classical literature and other, less busy rock stars are thrown in for good measure.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Pearl Jam - Dark Matter

BOOKS: The Porpoise by Mark Haddon, Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

TV: The Greatest Night In Pop

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In which Stefan reads his favourite book again, John Hamm is funny more than once, modern football is fascinatingly unpacked and Carey Grant scores (he was good at that).

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Christa Wells - Velveteen, John Leventhal - Rumble Strip

BOOKS: Zonal Marking by Michael Cox, Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

TV: Archie, Maggie Moore(s), Fargo Season Five

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

It's a new year, so we focused on all that supports that theme most strongly: 81-year-old Harrison kicking Nazi ass, Ryan Adams making an album called 1985 and Timothy Leary taking drugs in the Sixties. For the sake of science. Get an early start in 2024, people. There is much to read, listen to and watch. IT MUST GET DONE.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Ryan Adams - Sword & Stone/Star Sign/Prisoners (Live)/Heat Wave/1985, Twin Atlantic - Asleep, The Heavy Hours - Don't Walk Away

BOOKS: Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Lessons by Ian McEwan, Outside Looking In by TC Boyle

TV: Jon Batiste - American Symphony, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Last episode for the year, a return visit for our first three-time guest, Bronwyn Williams, who has a new book out: Rescuing Our Republic, co-written with Ludwig Raal, in which she asks the heavy, world-shifting questions so we can keep talking about the equally important stuff, like books, music, film and theatre.

Thank you for all your support this year. Keep suggestions for topics and chats coming, along with offers of sponsorship, payable in cash, coffee, whiskey or guitars. You're all lovely. Happy Christmas and a merry New Year.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: No Chocolate Cake - Gin Blossoms, Little Bit Of Sun - Semisonic, Before And After - Neil Young

BOOKS: Rescuing Or Republic by Bronwyn Williams and Ludwig Raal

TV: Avoidance, 2023 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony, Licorice Pizza, Leave The World Behind, The American Buffalo, Foundational

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Recorded on the day Shane MacGowan died, while we happened to be drinking and chatting about whiskey named after his band, there is talk of the horrors of hubris and the war it often results in, as well as the effectiveness of ego when it comes to getting something done. Also, we speculate on what can we do about casualties of creativity, the injuries caused by innovation, and other alliterative AI themes.

Reviewed this week:

FILM: Napoleon

MUSIC: Drakensberg Boys' Choir - Noel Tour, The Chicago Sessions - Rodney Crowell, Spotify Wrapped

BOOKS: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono

TV: The Creator, Band Of Brothers

WHISKEY: The Pogues Irish Whiskey

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

While sipping more excellent whiskey and coffee, we muse on unintended themes like living forever (Peter Pan; The Beatles) and how to best make use of those years (be enduringly brilliant; spend Rupert Murdoch's money in a healthier way; get a robot to do the hard work), before sipping more whiskey and coffee.

Reviewed this week:

THEATRE: Janice Honeyman's Peter Pan

MUSIC: Now & Then - The Beatles, Robin Auld, For All These Years - Billy Raffoul

BOOKS: I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett, Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan

TV: Justified: City Primeval, The Murdochs: Empire Of Influence (Showmax)

WHISKEY: Peaky Blinder Irish Whiskey

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After a break due to being involved in arts projects beginning with "A" - Actress (theatre show for which Bruce was writer and composer) and Aardklop (large arts festival at which Stefan was managing events), we reflect on the joy and value in such work. While drinking whiskey and coffee, because those are a few of our favourite things. We also remember that Roger Waters is an old man and that Peter Grant was a scary man. And we visit New York (via music) and, er, Wrexham (via television).

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Modern Girl - Bleachers, Columbus & 89th - Sarah Jarosz, The Lord's Prayer - Matt Maher, The Dark Side Of The Moon Redux - Roger Waters

BOOKS: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett, Bring It On Home by Mark Blake

TV: Welcome To Wrexham (Disney+), Good Omens (Prime Video)

WHISKEY: Samuel Gelston's Irish Whiskey

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We chat about the approach of dystopia, and then it begins to sound like it's arrived. But we press on unto Gilead and beyond, where a Stoner makes Stefan emotional, and Bruce is almost certainly not being unreasonable.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Jonathan Wilson - Eat The Worm, Brothers Osborne - Brothers Osborne, Andrew Synowiec - Fun, The National - Laugh Track, BoB Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2zs0ejcsqzupl9TKnNGGts

BOOKS: Klara And The Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, Stoner by John Williams, The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

TV: Ed Sheeran - The Sum Of It All (Disney+), Am I Being Unreasonable (Britbox), Spencer (Showmax), One Piece (Netflix), What We Do In The Shadows (Apple TV)

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

This week's discussion includes artists of all stripes who don't mind using a bit of brain power and thoughtfulness in the execution of their craft and the underpinnings of their concepts. Which is a pleasing thing a world where The Bachelor and Jersey Shore exist...

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: The Lighthouse - Caroline Spence ft Sarah Jarosz, More Than A Country Mile - Robin Auld, Femme Sole by Tess Wiley

THEATRE: Saturday Night At The Palace

BOOKS: Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi, The Disordered Mind by Eric R Kandel, Brief Interviews With Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace

TV: John Mulaney - Baby J (Netflix), FUBAR (Netflix)

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There are a number of ways to reflect life in art. We see theatre doing it in ways that hurt and opera doing it in ways that excite. We see chefs doing it under a load of stress. And we see Wes Anderson doing it wonderfully. Plus, we sip whisky that tastes of thorn trees - and it's good!

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: The National - First Two Pages Of Frankenstein, Matt Nathanson - Boston Accent

THEATRE: Isidlamlilo, Tosca

BOOKS: Submission by Michel Houellebecq, The South African Musical by Norman Smuts

TV: The Bear (Showmax), The French Dispatch (Disney+)

WHISKY: Toor Whisky Aperitif

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Theatre highlights issues we all face and how we feel about them. Books take on more esoteric issues in poetic ways. Musicians create audible emotion. And directors make actors hit other actors really hard. A lot. We consider these things. And drink coffee.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Grant Lee Buffalo - Mighty Joe Moon, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Weathervanes, Sigur Ros - ATTA

THEATRE: The Undone, The Mzansi Tenors, Exit/Exist

BOOKS: The Library Of Ice by Nancy Campbell, The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

TV: Extraction 2 (Netflix), Ray Donovan - The Movie (Showmax), The Outlaws (Britbox), Luther - The Fallen Sun

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Stefan has read a book that he immediately regards as a classic, which happens once a decade or less. A big band grieves through loud music, a bald man goes native and there is beauty in war - if only in screen craftsmanship terms. We feel affirmed, and celebrate with a lovely bourbon. You should too.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Extreme - Six, John Ellis - Native, Foo Fighters - But Here We Are

BOOKS: To Live by Yu Hua, What Does This Button Do by Bruce Dickinson

TV: War Sailor (Netflix), All Quiet On The Western Front, Bored To Death (Netflix)

WHISKEY: Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Realising that we both have gigs coming up (Bruce on 3 June at Spilt Milk Social Cafe in Melville; Stefan on 10 June at The Radium Beer Hall in Orange Grove), we don't at all in any way then unconsciously compare ourselves to the immense intellect of David Foster Wallace, the astonishing talent of Madison Cunningham or the curious weirdness of Agent Elvis. We also remember Tina Turner with fondness and awe and return to our First Take feature - playing a song we've never played together before and hoping it turns out well. Spoiler: it does.

Reviewed this week:

FIRST TAKE: Come What May - Bruce Dennill

MUSIC: Revealer - Madison Cunningham, The Way I Feel - Gordon Lightfoot

BOOKS: The Pigeon Tunnel by John le Carre, Oblivion by David Foster Wallace

TV: Marianne (Netflix), Sweet Tooth (Netflix), Agent Elvis (Netflix), Billions (Showmax), The Cleaner (Britbox)

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

There's another Hollywood writer's strike. Last time, that made for some terrible shows. This time, it may burst the streaming bubble, which both makes us nervous and suggests a quality-over quantity future. For now, shows going behind the scenes in the worlds of elite sports are still changing the audience profiles in those arenas. Intelligent lives lived well still leave meaningful residues, classic harmonies retain their sweetness and intergalactic silliness is worth paying ticket money for.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Album 1700 - Peter, Paul & Mary, Achtung Baby - U2 (in Vegas)

BOOKS: The Forbidden Door by Dean Koontz, Terry Pratchett - A Life With Footnotes by Rob Wilkins

TV: Full Swing (Netflix), F1 - Drive To Survive Season 5

THEATRE: The Echo Of A Noise, Cat & Monkey

FILM: Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 3

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Powerful stories examine depression; a useful guitar pedal ensures compression; a black man prepares to be a white racist and that nice Stanley Tucci is removed from the babysitting list. We did add milk to our coffee, so at least that wasn't too dark...

Reviewed this week:

GEAR: MXR Custom Comp Compressor pedal

MUSIC: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Wilder Woods, Birds Say by Darlingside

BOOKS: BlacK K Klansman by Ron Stallworth

TV: Inside Man (Netflix), The Banshees Of Inisherin (Disney+)

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Someone sent us a bottle of whisky, so we tasted that. We discovered new signature guitar models, so we were excited. There was almost too much theatre to watch, but we persevered. A beautiful book offers a mental and emotional escape from a fatigued body. The umpteenth movie in an alien franchise is actually, you know, good. And Brad Pitt attempts to not get shot in public transport.

Reviewed this week:

GUITARS: Billy Joe Armstrong Les Paul Jr, Chris Stapleton Epiphone Frontier

WHISKY: Firstwatch Imported Extra Fine

THEATRE: Suenos, We Will Rock You, A Musical, Master Class, Madagascar Jr

BOOKS: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, Heavy Duty by KK Downing

TV: Prey (Apple TV), Bullet Train (Netflix)

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Stefan is in recovery after a rock star weekend gracing festival stages. On those stages, and between the pages of a collection of short stories, we discover the presence of the level of emerging talent that makes us fall in love with music and writing all over again. There are also welcome returns from shared favourites, this time in books and on the small screen, and an album title almost as satisfying as the music in the collection. All of which makes us feel that embracing the good may be better for us than drowning in the bad. Who knew?

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: The Phantasm At Lake Wallenpaupack - Fever Dolls, Mieliepop Festival - Crystal Park, John Barnard, Shameless

BOOKS: Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, The Passenger & Stella Mari by Cormac McCarthy

TV: Brooklyn 99 (Netflix), The Chelsea Detective (Britbox), Elvis (Apple TV)

FIRST TAKE: Come Out And Play by Bruce Dennill

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We almost wander into talking about Actual Issues but then remember that we prefer to retreat to books and music and the arts in general than pretend we know how to sort out the world's ills. That said, we look fondly at an age of great music journalism; sadly at how fraught with uncertainty travel in much of the Middle East is; and affectionately at an unknown blues singer who recently won a Grammy.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Bonnie Raitt - Just Like That..., Tyler Ramsey - For The Morning, Bob Dylan - Fragments, Eric Claption - Rarities

THEATRE: Home Affairs

BOOKS: Sticky Fingers by Joe Hagan, Arabia by Levison Wood

TV: It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (Disney+), Great Art Explained (YouTube, Derry Girls (Neflix), Wednesday (Netflix)

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

It was a fecund couple of weeks for live music, both in music venues and on theatre stages, and the readiness of the performers involved to put their hearts and souls on display is as memorable as whatever they where playing. Elsewhere, we chat about bonkers journeys and a huge load of Cunk.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: An Intimate Evening with Jeremy Porter, Sting - My Songs, Jeremy Messersmith back catalogue, First Aid Kit - America, Rodney Crowell - Close Ties

THEATRE: Jonathan Roxmouth - Key Change, DuPreez Strauss - Dreamland

BOOKS: The Odysseum by David Bramwell & Joe Tinsley

TV: Cunk On Earth (Netflix), Stonehouse (Britbox), Kleo (Netflix)

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

The Oscar nominations are out and we're not sure if we're happy that Top Gun might get Best Picture because, like, you know, it's not art. Elsewhere, we appreciate good writing, kitchen politics, optimistic ukuleles and how Charles Dickens was essentially the biggest streaming service of his day.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Radiohead back catalogue, Sigourney Fever - Trampled By Turtles, 11 Obscenely Optimistic Songs For Ukulele: A Micro Folk Record For The 21st Century - Jeremy Messersmith

BOOKS: Dickens by Peter Ackroyd, Bridge Of Clay by Markus Zusak

TV: The White Lotus S2 (Netflix), Tali's Joburg Diary (Showmax), The Bear (Disney+)

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

It's the end of the year (and Spotify tells us we're 87% up in streams, so thank you so much for your support). We welcome back our very first guest, trends analyst and rabid reader Bronwyn Williams, and some of what she says is sad, but she brought whiskey to share, so that's ok. Truth is scarier than fiction on the page and screen, but it's ok because great live music brings joy and maybe we're in a German wormhole so none of it matters. This and other important insights this week. We'll be back in the new year, still drinking Cito 1974 coffee because it's (genuinely) amazing and also our supply for the podcast is sponsored and we will punt your brand here if you jump in with your lovely products or actual cash to pay for our glamorous, kids' school fee-paying lifestyles. Read a book, listen to music, go to the theatre, watch the whole of every streaming service - have a great holiday!

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Starting Over - Chris Stapleton, The Waterboys Live

BOOKS: Present Tense - A Radiohead Compendium, edited by Barney Hoskyns, Rainbow Nation My Zulu Arse by Sihle Khumalo, Property by Lionel Shriver

TV: Nope, 1899, Dahmer, Black Panther

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

A little birdy told us to delve into whether Twitter is quiet as much of a cesspool as we're led to believe. Elsewhere on social media, a man from The Darkness proves to be sweet, sensitive and wise. Plus, some of music's Biggest Names released new (and old) projects, and we finally brought back our First Take feature and played a tune live in studio again - Dreamed You Different. Frankly, it's lovely, and you should listen.

Reviewed this week:

MUSIC: Only The Strong Survive - Bruce Springsteen, Use Your Illusion Deluxe - Guns 'N Roses, Revolver Deluxe - The Beatles

BOOKS: The Survivors by Kate Furnivall, The Woman In The Blue Cloak by Deon Mayer

TV: The Midnight Club, The Dry

YOUTUBE:  Justin Hawkins Rides Again

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Our guest is CrashCarBurn frontman Garth Barnes, chatting about the band's new album, Back From The Dead. In almost related news, we also talk about old men, including Mick Jagger and Jeff Bridges. Plus, Stefan's dogs fight a lot in the background.

Reviewed this week:

BOOKS: The Rolling Stones - 1972, Dickens by Peter Ackroyd

TV: The Old Man, Cabinet Of Curiosities

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Our guest is comedian Mark Banks, whose show Alive! runs at the Studio at Pieter Toerien's Montecasino Theatre until 20 November. Book at Computicket.

Reviewed this week:

BOOKS: The End Of The End Of The World by Jonathan Franzen

TV: Derry Girls Season 3, Better Call Saul Season 1

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Our guest is Ben Voss, who plays Abominable Uncle Abanazar in Janice Honeyman's Adventures In Pantoland at the Joburg Theatre from November 6 to December 24.

Reviewed this week:

BOOKS: Book Ends by Michael Chabon; Unmasked by Andrew Lloyd Webber

TV: Yellowstone; Trigger Point

MUSIC: American Heartbreak by Zach Bryan; Memory by Nicole Scherzinger

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Our guest is Dan Chiorboli, festival director for WOMAD South Africa (running from 30 September to 8 October; tickets at Quicket), who unpacks the festival's itinerant delights and name-drops Peter Gabriel just because he can. We also go behind The Godfather - this is the reason movie tickets cost so much - and explore a book which lyrically and beautifully confirms that racism in the Deep South (or anywhere else for that matter) is frightening, inhuman force.

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

There's a tweaked format in this post-sojourn return, as we take a stab at edification alongside entertainment. We dip into the effects of career pressure on musicians, as well as revisiting the magic of Terry Pratchett, unpacking why expensive streaming series don't last the distance, geeking out over a limited edition Beach Boys guitar strap, watching commerce take on concern in a book about a pink elephant, being concerned about Billy Crystal and comparing an American Idol winner to Burt Bacharach.

Stay in touch at https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Discussed this week: The seven deadly sins, possibly in conjunction with the experiences of Elton John, Frank Sinatra, Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee (that should cover most of them). Plus cycling, cruising and choreography.

THEATRE: La Traviata, Elton: The Experience

TV: Pam & Tommy, Hustle, Jungle Cruise

BOOKS: Around The World In 80 Days by Mark Beaumont

MUSIC: Chagall Guevera - Halcyon Days, Frank Sinatra - Watertown 2022

PODCAST: Stephen Fry - Seven Deadly Sins

Please give us your comments, suggestions, reviews of our song and constructive input via our Facebook page, please: https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Discussed this week: the return of full-capacity theatre, guilty pleasures. lovely hungry people and a sublime songwriter who needs to be Heard.

THEATRE: If A Tree Falls, Locked Upside Down...And Inside Out!, Kunene And The King 

TV: SAS - Rise Of The Black Swan, Fast And Furious 9 - The Fast Saga, Somebody Feed Phil, Stranger Things 4, The Morning Show

MUSIC: Mark Heard

Please give us your comments, suggestions, reviews of our song and constructive input via our Facebook page, please: https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Discussed this week:

FIRST TAKE: Spiral Staircase - Bruce Dennill

THEATRE: The Abba Show: A Cinderella Story, Borderline

BOOKS: Carnet de Voyage by Craig Thompson, Fools And Mortals by Bernard Cornwell

TV: Raised By Wolves S2, Why Didn't They Ask Evans?, Death On The Nile

MUSIC: A Light For Attracting Attention - The Smile, Altar - Kehlani, Spinnekop - Posduif, Joyful Noise - Matt Maher

Please give us your comments, suggestions, reviews of our song and constructive input via our Facebook page, please: https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Is Ricky Gervais a bully? Does the music industry give a toss about artists? Is whistleblowing worth it? Why don't more people know how good a guitarist Jack Pearson is? Asked and (possibly) answered...

BOOKS: The Secret History Of Twin Peaks by Mark Frost, Murder On The Orient Express by Agatha Christie, Hit Men by Fredric Dannen

TV: SuperNature - Ricky Gervais, Clarkson's Farm

MUSIC: Jack Pearson

THEATRE: The New Abnormal, Country Duty

Please give us your comments, suggestions, reviews of our song and constructive input via our Facebook page, please: https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

Discussed this week:

BOOKS: Reuben by Bryan Andrews, The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

TV: Mark Twain - Ken Burns, Peaky Blinders, Ozark, The Undoing, Murderville

MUSIC: Live At Leeds - The Who, 

PODCAST: A History Of Rock Music In 500 Songs, Renegades - Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen

Please give us your comments, suggestions, reviews of our song and constructive input via our Facebook page, please: https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

In which we reveal a shared fetish for 500-year-old, long-haired gentlemen, indulge an affection for Andy Samberg, wonder at fine musicians, appreciate others who appreciate what we appreciate and welcome back the First Take feature - this time a reflection on shared brokenness.

FIRST TAKE: In Repair - John Mayer

BOOKS: Leonard Da Vinci - The Biography by Walter Isaacson, Shakespeare - The Biography by Peter Ackroyd

TV: Popstar - Never Stop Never Stopping, Palm Springs, A Bit Of Fry And Laurie, The Bubble

MUSIC: Notes With Attachments by Pino Palladino and Blake Mills, Get On Board by Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder

PODCAST: A History Of Rock Music In 500 Songs - God Only Knows by The Beach Boys

Please give us your comments, suggestions, reviews of our song and constructive input via our Facebook page, please: https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast. And try out the superb coffee we drink on the show: Cito 1974 (www.cito1974.com).

We try out a new mic (CAN YOU HEAR US AT THE BACK?) and include our new release as The Van Dyke Parks Board. It's called "Song For Doubt" and is available everywhere you stream or download. Stefan, unable to help himself, returns to Brian Wilson - three times - and then goes skateboarding. Bruce laughs at fellow pasty white man Jim Gaffigan, and then goes briefly to Tangier and Paris before enjoying the larger Great Big World. And we enjoy Cito 1974 coffee (again).

BOOKS: Paris Echo by Sebastian Faulks, I Am Brian Wilson by Ben Greenman

TV: Jim Gaffigan - Comedy Monster,  Little Birds, Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road, Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off

MUSIC: Is There Anybody Out There - A Great Big World, Song For Doubt - The Van Dyke Parks Board, The Pet Sounds Sessions - The Beach Boys

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Producer, engineer, multi-instrumentalist and Very Nice Man Michael Wright joins us to talk a little bit about his Gloryvale Studio in Edenvale (he's all humble like that) and the new Van Dyke Parks Board single "Song For Doubt", for which he's just finished the final mix. We rediscover how completely thrilling well-crafted live theatre is. And well-crafted books. And well-crafted music. And anything where craft trumps just getting it made.

THEATRE: Firefly, The Last Five Years

DANCE: Maina Gielgud's Giselle

BOOKS: Remembering African Wild Dogs, Lord Of The Rings (yes, again - for crying out loud, Stefan)

MUSIC: Native - John Ellis, Blue Lights On The Runway - Bell X1

TV: Guardians Of Justice

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In which we welcome comedian Nik Rabinowitz, consider the power of storytelling and the value of joy over cynicism; investigate magic mushrooms; visit a dark forest in Latvia and suggest not naming your band after a plague.

COMEDY: Nik Rabinowitz Is Over It!

BOOKS: Fresh Complaint by Jeffrey Eugenides

MUSIC: All At Once - The Airborne Toxic Event

TV: Fantastic Fungi

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In which we confront our naivety through the medium of television, well-known for its truth-telling; have some very big questions almost answered; suggest that music is more important than talking and note that Ewan McGregor never goes out of fashion.

THEATRE: Rocco De Villiers & Lizelle Le Roux - Music From The Movies

BOOKS: The Origin Of Almost Everything - New Scientist, Lord Of The Rings

MUSIC: Marcel Dalmayda, Louise Carver, Ryan Ellis

TV: Norm Macdonald - Hitler's Dog, Gossip & Trickery, Halston, Enlightened, Archive81, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, F1 Drive To Survive

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In which Stefan survives several old-man ailments, we perv over a Gibson Les Paul (respectfully), acknowledge how "Beautiful" Carole King is, do the backstroke in psychedelia and realise that it doesn't take a genius to spot a fraudster.

COMEDY: Mark Banks - Mask About Face

BOOKS: The Genius Test by Giles Sparrow

MUSIC: Black Pumas - Black Pumas, Daniel Lanois - Heavy Sun, Madison Cunningham - Wednesday

TV: Space Force S2, Inventing Anna, The Witcher S2, Echo In The Canyon, The Tinder Swindler, Wild Bill S1

PODCAST: A History Of Rock Music In 500 Songs - Andrew Hickey

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In which we are joined by Mark Banks and several of his personalities as he talks about his new show, Mask About Face; discuss the appeal of getting motherless in the future and do a half-decent job of otherwise keeping it together.

COMEDY: Mark Banks - Mask About Face

BOOKS: Motherland by Paul Theroux, The Future Starts Now edited by Bronwyn Williams & Theo Priestley

MUSIC: Guster - Keep It Together 

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In which we veer from rose-coloured perspectives on arms up cows' bums to blood-coloured perspectives on rather less bucolic scenarios, and from diving into the Greatest Story Ever Told into Dave Grohl's stories, which are also pretty great. Also, Stefan plays with Lego and Bruce wishes Michael Moore was president of everything.

BOOKS: What Is The Bible? by Rob Bell, Storyteller by Dave Grohl

TV & FILM: Happy!, The Harder They Fall, Succession, All Creatures Great And Small, Dexter: New Blood, Ozark

GEAR: Lego Fender Stratocaster 

PODCASTS: Smartless: Michael Moore

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In which we - on our 50th episode! - welcome Malcolm Burroughs, 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day (go to www.67blankets.co.za for details of the upcoming Rainbow Nation Blanket Of Hope event) ambassador, cake boss and erstwhile guy-in-bandages in Ultravox videos. We chat about the importance of people who combine giving a toss with good systems, as well as Eddie Vedder (who is in no way a tosser).

GUEST: Malcolm Burroughs, 67 Blankets or Nelson Mandela Day ambassador

BOOKS: Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, Day Of The Caesars by Simon Scarrow

TV & FILM: Manifest, Army Of Thieves

MUSIC: Earthling by Eddie Vedder, Matter Of Time by Eddie Vedder

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