The Chorus

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

Please give us your comments, suggestions, reviews of our song and constructive input via our Facebook page, please: https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast

Our guest is actor, playwright, broadcaster and sarky Facebook presence Peter Terry, who discusses his new one-man play At All Costs, which deals (brilliantly) with the horrors of the Battle of Delville Wood in World War One. We savour a fine brew from our new sponsor, Cito 1974 Coffee, which makes the day seem brighter. We also question whether comedies actually need to make you laugh to be considered successful, and wonder at Karl Lagerfeld's ability to get concepts from idea to Grand Palais-filling spectacle.

THEATRE: At All Costs

BOOKS: Chanel Catwalk: The Complete Karl Lagerfeld Collections (1983-2019)

TV: Archive 81, Mythic Quest, Our Flag Means Death

Please give us your comments, suggestions and constructive input via our Facebook page, please: https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast

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

Please give us your comments, suggestions and constructive input via our Facebook page, please: https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast

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

Please give us your comments, suggestions and constructive input via our Facebook page, please: https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast

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

Please give us your comments, suggestions and constructive input via our Facebook page, please: https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast

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

Please give us your comments, suggestions and constructive input via our Facebook page, please: https://www.facebook.com/TheChorusPodcast