My Perfect Podcast: Fern Brady and Alison Spittle
In this column, we ask a pod person about the ‘casts that mean a lot to them. This month, it’s double trouble with comedians Fern Brady and Alison Spittle, whose new podcast Ignore That Feeling pitches itself as having no theme, no boundaries and no rules
Which podcast educates you?
Fern Brady: Search Engine. The episodes ‘An Anthropology Of Gooning’ and ‘Why’d I Take Speed For 20 Years?’ blew my mind.
Alison Spittle: You Must Remember This, a podcast on 20th century Hollywood. You’ll hear about the life of Frances Farmer, Frank Sinatra’s space music phase and how neoliberalism helped start the trend of 80s erotic thrillers. I lip-sync to Karina Longworth’s intro while doing the dishes.
Which podcast makes you laugh?
FB: I like Heavyweight a lot, especially the infamous episode where the host’s autistic pal tracks down his old friend Moby because Moby forgot to give him his CDs back and he’s been holding on to the anger for 20 years.
AS: I adore Stavvy’s World where comedian Stavros Halkias and an esteemed guest give out advice. I heard a guy who impregnated three sex workers at the same time get some really good life tips that I can enact myself.
Which podcast makes you sad or angry?
FB: The Rest Is Entertainment has me regularly shouting at them: they never met a fence they didn’t love to sit on. In terms of sad, I liked Lucky Boy which was about a schoolboy in the 80s abused by his teacher, but everyone from his school to this day says he was lucky cos she was conventionally attractive and ‘it was a different time’.
AS: Mystery Show by Starlee Kine must be ten years old but will never be topped. It ended so abruptly ‘due to unattainable production goals’. Sparks did the theme tune and there was a whole episode on the mystery of how tall Jake Gyllenhaal is. I’m angry and sad it’s over. I suspect venture capitalists are at fault.
Which podcast is your guilty pleasure?
FB: I’ve listened to so many episodes of Diary Of A CEO that I found it surprising all these Johnny-come-latelys were kicking off over the incel stuff. Of the 200 or so episodes I’ve seen, that’s been the least mad thing. He had a doctor on who thinks she can talk to her dead husband and he was just nodding away sipping his mocha-flavoured Huel.
AS: I was a guest on What Did You Do Yesterday? yet I still listen to it, so I feel guilty. It feels like I’m checking my ex’s Instagram to see how they’re doing but I’m happy for them. It’s the type of podcast where someone could yap about egg seasoning or flossing for 20 minutes.
Tell us someone who currently doesn’t have a podcast but totally should. And why do you think their one would be amazing?
FB: John Kearns is the most naturally funny person I’ve met but also manages to make a lot of everyday stuff sound poignant, so someone should work out a format which harnesses that.
AS: Peter Mandelson may be a controversial figure, but his politics would fit on any mainstream news or current affairs podcast. I think there is a public appetite to hear what he has to say for himself at the moment.
Can you pitch us a new podcast idea in exactly 25 words?
FB: What if The Rest Is Entertainment was hosted by people who were funny? Let’s take podcasting back to its outsider roots. Down with legacy media!
AS: A long-form interview series with the people who text in to radio stations that say ‘keep the tunes coming’. I’m very curious about their lives.
New episodes of Ignore That Feeling are available every Tuesday; main picture: Paul Gilbey.