The Monocle Weekly

Eileen Cooper, Frederick Bernas and Vhils: 

We meet Eileen Cooper: artist, keeper of London’s Royal Academy art school and co-ordinator of its famed Summer Exhibition. Plus: reporter Frederick Bernas checks out the Paraty International Literary Festival in Brazil and we look at the influence of Portugal’s culture around the world with Lisbon-based street-artist Vhils.

Noma Bar, Guy De Launey and Andrew O’Neill: 

Israeli illustrator and graphic artist Noma Bar discusses his career and new retrospective book collection ‘Bittersweet’. We also head to Belgrade – where Monocle’s Guy De Launey has been sampling summer with the city’s ice-cream makers – and writer and comedian Andrew O’Neill stops by to talk us through his book ‘A History of Heavy Metal’.

Trajal Harrell, Zoë Lescaze and Fergus Linehan: 

We meet choreographer and artist Trajal Harrell, whose new show at London’s Barbican, ‘Hoochie Koochie’, is combining art, dance, and everything in between. Plus, writer Zoë Lescaze joins us to discuss her book ‘Paleoart: Visions of the Prehistoric Past’ and we preview this year’s Edinburgh International Festival with its director Fergus Linehan.

The Classics 31: Nahlah Ayed: 

We have another listen to our discussion with the Canadian journalist, who visited one of the most diplomatically isolated nations on Earth: North Korea.

Original air date: 5 June 2016

The Classics 30: Bobby Gillespie : 

We listen back to last year’s conversation with musical shapeshifter and rock’n’roll survivor Bobby Gillespie, lead singer of UK band Primal Scream. Original air date: 22 May 2016.

The Classics 29: Gillian McCain: 

A relisten to our discussion with writer Gillian McCain who, along with co-author Legs McNeil, is responsible for one of the most influential books on music writing of the past 20 years: ‘Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk’. Original air date: 10 July 2016.

The Classics 28: Neil Hannon: 

We listen back to a chat with musician Neil Hannon from The Divine Comedy that touches on history, humour and, of course, pop music.

Original air date: 13 August 2016