Kam Raslan, Na’a Murad and Matt Armitage huddle up to talk about all things cultural and contemporary. Matt kicks off the conversation by wondering whether he should cancel his Spotify subscription, in light of the recent controversy involving Joe Rogan spreading misinformation via his podcast, which led to some prominent musicians leaving the platform. Na’a then ponders about what an ideal Malaysian superhero should look like, and what they should fight for and represent. Kam then gushes about Stranger Things and how it relates to the current generation, despite being set in the 80s.

Singer-songwriter and lecturer Azmyl Yunor and BFM producer Michael Gong join our culture vulture, Kam Raslan in this episode of A Bit of Culture, and together, they have fun talking about Azmyl’s true calling as a singer-songwriter, and what differentiates that vocation from being just a singer, or a musician. Azmyl and Kam then chime in on Michael’s topic on the Dark Triad, and whether it should be taught in schools. Both the guests then have their say as Kam explores the pros and cons of working solo, vs working collaboratively, vs working in a collective - a topic that he was inspired by after watching The Beatles’ documentary, Get Back, for the third time since it was released.

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It’s an all-BFM affair in this episode of A Bit of Culture, with Julian Yap and Sim Wie Boon accompanying Kam as he muses about his relationship with Napoleon and how it changes from admiration to slight disgust. Prior to that, Julian talks about spoiler culture, in light of the recently released Spider-Man: No Way Home and how people have been trying to avoid spoilers, or spoiling it for others, intentionally. In the second part of the conversation, Sim ponders about the things that we used to do, but we don’t do anymore, such as memorising phone numbers and roads.

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In this episode of A Bit of Culture, Kam Raslan is joined by two people who are involved in films, but via different routes and roles. Documentary filmmaker, journalist and lecturer Zan Azlee returns, while ex-director general of FINAS, Kamil Othman makes his debut on the show. Zan kicks off the episode by talking about movie criticism in Malaysia and whether movie critics are destroying Malaysian films. Following up on that, Kam compares the movie tropes in South Korean films to Malaysian films. Kamil Othman continues the observation on South Korea by recalling his experience observing the cultural export policy of the country materialising in the early 2000s.

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The first episode of A Bit of Culture in 2022 starts off with a bang, with Low Ngai Yuen, the head of Kaki Seni, and debutant Ong Kar Jin joining Kam Raslan to talk about all things conceptual. The conversation begins with Kam wondering whether we will remember Covid, if and when the dust finally settles, comparing it to the Black Death and how it was only remembered by the grassroots community now. Continuing on that, Kar Jin then talks about hyperobjects - a concept that theorised how some things in this world, such as the pandemic, global warming, and the internet are things that might be beyond human comprehension because we do not have the language to truly comprehend them. Ngai Yuen then ponders about stoicism and what happens when a woman becomes a stoic? Are they allowed to? Do we have enough female figures who are stoic?

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In this last episode of A Bit of Culture for the year 2021, Kam Raslan is joined by his sidekicks, Ann Lee and Sim Wie Boon, and together, they wander off into the deep rabbit hole of reflective thoughts. Ann Lee lamented the fate of the arts, theater and cinema, as they became the last few industries that were given the permission to reopen relatively recently. The rise in popularity of conspiracy theories has made Sim wonder whether this is a recent phenomenon or it has always been there, but less visible. And in the second part of the show, Kam looked at practices that are assumed to be universal, but are actually culturally specific, using the home-ownership vs rental duality as an example.

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Theater practitioners Jo Kukathas and Na’a Murad joined Kam Raslan this week to reflect on all things cultural and contemporary. Na’a started the conversation by looking at alternative Christmas celebrations around the world on the eve of the holiday, and how different cultures view and celebrate the 25th of December. Kam then reflected on how, despite all the challenges that come our way, whether on a personal or national level, people tend to have to get on with their lives - that the show must go on. Jo concluded the conversation by wondering about the nuances of how cities are depicted in films and books, after being enthralled by how our capital city, Kuala Lumpur, was portrayed in the latest local film, Prebet Sapu.

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In this deep dive episode of A Bit of Culture, Kam Raslan is joined by founder of Penang House of Music and co-author of Just for the Love of It (Popular Music in Penang, 1930s-1960s), Paul Augustin. He outlined the evolution of sound that took place in Penang as it became a melting pot of a lot of music genres and cultures. Paul also shared his personal journey and how he got involved with music, as well as his hopes and dreams for his labor of love, Penang House of Music.

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Regular A Bit of Culture guests Julian Yap and Sim Wie Boon joined Kam Raslan in this week’s episode to talk about music on Tik Tok, the internet for old people and learning to do things yourself. Julian kicked things off by talking about how people are discovering “new” music on Tik Tok. Kam pondered about how older people are surviving in this modern day and age, when the internet is ubiquitous. Sim wrapped up the episode by wondering about the differences between doing things yourself, compared to outsourcing it to someone else, based on his experience learning to do things himself after he moved to his new place.

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This week on A Bit of Culture, Matt Armitage and Vernon Adrian Emuang joined Kam, and together they pondered about a trio of topics that are sure to tickle your brains. Matt gave the team a 101 on Metaverse and how all the tech giants are trying to define their own versions of Metaverse. Next, Vernon shared his joy of using the internet to contextualise his cultural consumptions and how that has enriched his experiences. And finally, the trio talked about Ringo Starr and his perceived underrated role within The Beatles, in light of the recently released documentary by Peter Jackson called The Beatles: Get Back.

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