Brand values
Actor and activist tivist R Russell Brand discovers what makes people tick
UNDER THE SKIN WITH RUSSELL BRAND
When Russell Brand first started getting publicly political, it was quite a surprise for the man we knew best chatting about housemates’ boozing on Big Brother’s Big Mouth to suddenly be calling for revolution.
But since then we’ve become quite used to the idea of him splitting his time between acting and activism, and his podcast Under the Skin marries celebrity with political causes pretty well.
Brand’s aim is to discover what’s beneath the surface of people and ideas he admires via interviews with everyone from New York City shaman Biet Simpkin to musician Cat Stevens.
He’s a passionate interviewer who is clearly moved by the subjects discussed, although the most interesting episodes are when he drops his guard a bit and reveals a glimpse of the man behind the Russell Brand ‘brand’. WHERE TO START: He bonds with singer Annie Lennox over both being only children in a decent discussion about the origins of creativity. WHERE TO FIND IT: You can listen to 15-minute excerpts, along with banter between Brand and his production team, on all podcast apps. The full episodes are on paid for podcasting service Luminary.
GETTING EMOTIONAL
Ever had a crush on someone that grows into something a bit stalkery? Do you keep checking their Instagram to see what they had for tea? It could be that you’re suffering from Limerence.
Fortunately, Bex Lindsay is here to put a name to that emotion and many others you’ve almost certainly felt but couldn’t label.
Each short, chatty and amusing episode looks into a different one – from ‘goya’, when an amazing TV show or novel transports you into its world, to ‘philoprogenitiveness’ or parental love. WHERE TO START: With Bex’s chat with fashion photographer Rankin about the feeling you get when you take a disappointing photo, aka Vemödalen. WHERE TO FIND IT: The usual podcast apps.
DEATH BY DYING
Welcome to Crestfall, Idaho, a small town where people keep dying in peculiar circumstances and the local obituary writer is the one to investigate. There’s a man apparently kidnapped and kept in a pit, a bookshop owner who may or may not have been killed by her cats and a 98-year-old man whose last drink may very well have seen him off. This black comedy has dry humour and twists in every episode, and a new season is due to start soon. WHERE TO START: Try the trailer for season one or dive right into episode one, Wyatt Died. WHERE TO FIND IT: All podcast apps or online at deathbydyingpod.com
Send your podcast suggestions to Laura on Twitter @lcdavis