Monocle on Culture
Robert Bound and guests explore what’s new in art, film, books, and media. Expect lively discussions, in-depth interviews, and expert insights.
Latest Episodes
How do you run an independent cinema?
We celebrate the heroes of the silver screen: no, not Batman or Indiana Jones but the people who run the independent cinemas that make going to the movies such a wonderful experience. We take a tour around one of east London’s finest, Rio Cinema, and head to New York to…
How do you adapt a novel?
We find out how our favourite books are adapted to both the small and silver screens, the stage and the radio. What makes a book adaptable: is it the characters or the plot? And how closely should you stick to the original? To help answer these questions Robert Bound is…
How much does it cost to play ‘Happy Birthday’?
Last month the classic song ‘Happy Birthday’ was made public domain. We use this as a springboard to discuss some of the music industry’s most contentious rights cases. Meanwhile, we set out to debunk a few mysteries surrounding the recent acquisition of Vantablack – the blackest substance ever made –…
How do you make a playlist?
Playlists are everywhere: in the clothes shop where you bought that new shirt, in the bar where you went for drinks last night, hell – even on the radio. We find out what makes a good playlist with music supervisor Rebecca Grierson, Lebanese DJ Ernesto Chahoud and the Argentinian duo…
Who do you think you are?
This week we’re tackling ideas of self. Where did you come from? What class do you think you are? What signifiers of success do you flaunt? We meet Dan Fox, author of ‘Pretentiousness: Why It Matters’, head to a Brooklyn bar to find out what our choice of drink says…
Aussie rules
This week we’re spinning the globe 180 degrees and zooming in on Australia to explore the people making waves in the music, radio, television and newspaper industries. We get music tips from Sydney’s coolest record label Future Classic, speak to seasoned broadcaster Myf Warhurst to find out why Australia loves…
How do you know what to read?
Thousands of titles are published each month and we all have a list longer than our lifespan of books we want to read – and say we’ve read. So how can we decide which ones to tackle? To help us answer this week’s question we speak to Lisette Verhagen, founder…
How do you draw the news?
A picture’s worth a thousand words, they say, so how do political and topical cartoonists drill down into the core of a news story, a scandal or a cover-up to reveal its essence? How do they transform the news into something worthy of a laugh? We sit down with cartoonist…
Sundance & Trieste Film Festivals
We round up two of last week’s film festivals that really set the pace for the rest of the year: Sundance and Trieste. While the mainstream is focused on the run up to the red carpet of the Oscars, the rest of the film industry is still busy making movies,…
How do you look after a legacy?
Will Hodgkinson, rock and pop critic for ‘The Times’, tells us how David Bowie led the world in musical legacies. We also meet sculptor Frances Segelman to find out how you immortalise someone in statue form. Plus: David Foster Wallace’s ‘Infinite Jest’ and its reputation as a modern classic that…
