Life and Art from FT Weekend

The FT?s foreign editor Alec Russell has been reporting on crises around the world for more than 30 years. He was in Romania during the fall of the Ceau?escu regime, in South Africa for the fall of apartheid, and in 1994 he reported on the genocide in Rwanda. So when we recently felt ourselves losing hope at the news from Gaza and Ukraine, we decided to ask him: is this an especially tough time in history, or does it just feel that way? And what has he learned from being present for so much of history? Today, Alec gives us tips for finding perspective, and tells us where he finds hope. 

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? Alec?s piece commemorating 30 years since Rwanda?s genocide is here: https://on.ft.com/3QnQbfx

? You may also be interested in Alec Russell?s book After Mandela: the Battle for the Soul of South Africa

? Alec is on X @AlecuRussell

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The FT Weekend Festival is coming back, and will be in Washington, DC, on May 4! Speakers include Nancy Pelosi, Alec and Lilah! To book tickets, go to ft.com/festival-us and use our exclusive discount code: weekendpodcast. 

Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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For the third episode in our design series, we?re talking fashion design through the lens of the 2006 classic The Devil Wears Prada. The film is having a moment on the internet. We?re here to revisit it with fresh eyes, and with two experts in fashion: Jo Ellison, the editor of our luxury magazine HTSI, and Rob Armstrong, our men?s style columnist (OK, he?s also our US financial columnist). The film stars Meryl Streep as a powerful magazine editor based on Anna Wintour, and Anne Hathaway as a young, idealistic journalist who becomes her assistant. It?s a Y2K fairy tale about the fashion industry, magazine politics and power. How accurate was the film about fashion then, and why is it still resonating now?

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? The Devil Wears Prada is available on Netflix and Disney+ in the UK, and HBO/Max and Hulu in the US.

? Rob wrote his most recent fashion column about power dressing in The Devil Wears Prada: https://on.ft.com/4cS25Yr 

? Jo recently interviewed the actor Cillian Murphy. Read the interview here: https://on.ft.com/3vOnCRi 

? You can follow Jo Ellison on Instagram @jellison22 and on X @jellison. Rob is on X @rbrtrmstrng.

? Rob recommends the late André Leon Talley?s book The Chiffon Trenches. You can read the FT review here. 

More or Less recommendations:

? Rob wants to see more womens? college basketball. This FT piece is on how star Caitlin Clark is changing women?s sport: https://on.ft.com/3Jbfehw 

? Lilah recommends the Apple TV documentary, ?Steve! (Martin) A Documentary?. You can read Rob?s interview with Martin here: https://on.ft.com/440txzm 

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The FT Weekend Festival is coming back, and will be in Washington, DC, on May 4! Speakers include Nancy Pelosi, Jo, Rob and Lilah! To book tickets, go to ft.com/festival-us and use our exclusive discount code: weekendpodcast. 

Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Clips this week are from 20th Century Studios

?Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Designer Jonathan Adler is known for a style that is classic but eccentric. Think gold chairs shaped like hands, vases shaped like heads, and beautiful cookie jars labelled ?quaaludes?. He got his start as a potter, but he now designs everything from furniture to dinnerware to custom upholstery, which are sold by hundreds of retailers around the world. In the second instalment of our design series, Jonathan talks to Lilah about how he developed his style and how we can develop ours. And his biggest piece of advice is to ?turn it up?.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email the show at [email protected].

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Notes: 

?Jonathan Adler has retail stores across the US (from New York to Dallas to Miami to Chicago) and in London

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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What do you get when you mix female bodybuilding, guns, and a twisted romance? You get Love Lies Bleeding, the latest film from director and co-writer Rose Glass. When she first emailed Kristen Stewart about appearing as its lead, Rose says she described the film as a ?crime, romance, thriller, dark comedy, farce, surreal thing?. She talks with Lilah about how she developed the idea, and the kinds of stories she's drawn to as a creator. She also walks through the process of how the film got made ? from the script to the final edit.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email the show at [email protected].

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? The FT?s review of Rose?s first film, Saint Maud: https://on.ft.com/3PRIw8C

? Love Lies Bleeding is in theatres now in the US, and will be in theatres in the UK on May 3

? Saint Maud is on Amazon Prime in the US, and Apple TV in the UK

? Here?s a link to watch some of Rose?s short films: https://rose-glass.com/short 

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Park your Lexus, throw your keys up, and let?s get into Cowboy Carter, the new genre-bending, country-angled album by Beyonce. Here are the facts: it?s the second instalment in her Renaissance trilogy. It features Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Post Malone and Miley Cyrus, and spotlights Black country artists such as Linda Martell. But what was Beyonce?s goal with this album? And how does it fit into her career arc? Lilah?s joined by the FT?s music critic Ludovic Hunter-Tilney and US labour and equality correspondent Taylor Nicole Rogers to chat about the album.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.

Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? Cowboy Carter by Beyonce is available to stream now. 

? Ludo?s review of Cowboy Carter is here: https://on.ft.com/3U3L0TW 

? His review of Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce is here: https://on.ft.com/3J3k54q 

? You can follow Ludo on X @ludohunter. Taylor is @TaylorNRogers. 

More or Less: 

? Taylor wants to see less wellness in culture. For more on the dark side of wellness, check out new FT podcast ?Untold: The Retreat? here, or by searching wherever you listen. 

? Ludo wants more David Lynch content. Read about David Lynch?s installation at the Milan furniture fair here: https://on.ft.com/3vvcOr7 

? Lilah wants to see more pubs in the US. While she was in London she had pints with our producer Lulu Smyth at The Hemingway near Victoria Park and at the The Eagle in Farringdon, and everyone had a swell time. Here?s a list of the FT?s best pubs in London?s West End: https://on.ft.com/4cJz94H 

? Relatedly, here?s a great piece, ?Three Cheers for the pub?, by friend of the podcast Rebecca Watson: https://on.ft.com/4cXv6lN 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Welcome to the first episode in our special four-part series on design! Today, Lilah speaks with the FT?s longtime architecture and design critic Edwin Heathcote to talk about an often-forgotten element of design in cities. It?s called ?street furniture,? and it describes the objects we pass every day: from phone booths and lampposts to manhole covers and park benches. Last year, Edwin published a book on this called ?On the Street?, which elevates the small pieces of design that surround us on the sidewalk. He tells Lilah what he notices when he takes walks, and offers advice for how to see these details in our own cities, too.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email the show at [email protected].

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? Edwin?s piece about street furniture for the FT: https://on.ft.com/49b0z0p 

? Edwin?s book is called On the Street: In-Between Architecture: https://heni.com/publishing/on-the-street-edwin-heathcote 

? Pieces from Edwin?s original series in the FT, published between 2015 and 2017: manhole covers // fire hydrants // telephone boxes // street lights // sidewalks // advertising columns // public benches

? We also recommend this recent piece by Edwin about Italian designer Enzo Mari, who hated the design industry: https://on.ft.com/4aQvWPp 

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To celebrate the first signs of spring, we?re bringing you a special Easter weekend episode full of tips for spring travel. FT Globetrotter editors Rebecca Rose and Niki Blasina run our insider guides to great cities. They tell Lilah how to make the most out of a holiday in April and May: from where to go and how to pack, to tips on travelling alone, with kids, and with pets.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify etc!

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

Here are some relevant Globetrotter pieces: 

? Five of Vancouver?s best ?sea to sky? adventures: https://on.ft.com/3PEKFVp 

? A month-by-month guide to what?s on in Madrid: https://on.ft.com/49fbGFP  

? The best ski resorts for a day trip from Tokyo: https://on.ft.com/43Ftito 

? Lilah?s recent favourite Globetrotter piece is art critic Ariella Budick?s guide to MoMA in New York: https://on.ft.com/3VJ6FC2 

? You can explore more from Globetrotter here (paywalled). They have food, drink and activity recommendations for cities around the world

? A dog-friendly hotel that Nikki recommends is the Fife Arms in Braemar, a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

? Rebecca is on Instagram @rebeccarosegoes. Niki is @nikiblasina

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Lilah and journalist Nadia Beard listen to two musicians play the same piece of music: one at 41 years old, and the other at 97. Nadia recently wrote about musicians who are debuting on major stages in their 80s and 90s. She came to this story after deciding to take up piano seriously in her 30s herself. She tells Lilah about the value of amateurism in adulthood: why it?s good to do hard things, and get better at them, even if it?s just for you.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email the show at [email protected].

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? Nadia has written two pieces about this for the FT Weekend magazine. Here?s her piece about the wunderalten: https://on.ft.com/43tHZ2m 

? Here?s her piece about returning to the piano in her 30s: https://on.ft.com/498oPjY 

? Alexandre Tharaud?s rendition of Chopin?s Fantaisie in F Minor, Opus 49: https://open.spotify.com/track/6aZvn2GoPxfjGrbVNOG4ly 

? Ruth Slenczynska?s rendition of Chopin?s Fantasie in F Minor, Opus 49: https://open.spotify.com/track/1HymJjBUGylCrHMxc9kPX9  

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we take on 3 Body Problem, the new buzzy Netflix sci-fi series from the creators of Game of Thrones. The show is based on Liu Cixin?s best-selling Chinese trilogy and is about humankind?s first contact with an alien civilisation. It spans timelines, worlds and dimensions. Lilah is joined by the FT?s AI editor Madhumita Murgia and work and careers journalist Emma Jacobs to discuss how well the show depicts our fears around advancing technology and how it fits into prestige TV right now.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc!

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? 3 Body Problem is out on Netflix now

? The FT?s review by Dan Einav is here: https://on.ft.com/3vlGlTZ 

? Madhu?s book is called Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI and is out this week in the UK and in June in the US. You can pre-order it here or at your retailer of choice. It?s been longlisted for the Women?s Prize for Non Fiction.

? You can check out Emma?s writing here. We loved this piece on the Willy Wonka experience ? and how it?s reflective of the ?overpromise and underdeliver? mentality of the British: https://on.ft.com/49Z7xqz.

? Emma is on X @emmavj. Madhu is at @madhumita29.

More or Less: 

? Madhu wants to see more writing by women on subjects including science, tech and philosophy. She recommends Doppelganger by Naomi Klein. You can check out the full Women?s Prize non-fiction longlist here.

? Emma wants to see more short TV. She recommends Mr & Mrs Smith on Amazon Prime, and Swedish-language show Tore on Netflix.

? Lilah wants more exploring the enclaves of your cities. Follow her on Instagram to read her Globetrotter piece in a few weeks.

A previous version of this podcast mentioned that an episode is set in the 10th dimension. A chapter of the trilogy is, but not an episode of the show.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Today we?re sharing an episode from a food podcast that we think you might like called The Sporkful, hosted by Dan Pashman. A few years ago, Dan invented a new pasta shape called cascatelli. It went viral and was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Inventions of the Year in 2021. Dan?s first cookbook, called Anything's Pastable: 81 Inventive Recipes for Saucy People, will be released on March 19. And today, we?re bringing you the first in his four-part series about the making of the book. 

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify etc.

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Links 

? You can find episodes 2, 3 and 4 of The Sporkful's Anything?s Pastable series here or wherever you get your podcasts

? Dan?s book, Anything's Pastable: 81 Inventive Recipes for Saucy People, is out on March 19

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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In his new documentary High and Low, Academy-award winning director Kevin Macdonald focuses on John Galliano, the one-time enfant terrible of fashion. Known for dazzling collections and a personal penchant for wearing pirate outfits, Galliano led the House of Dior from 1997 to 2011. He then ?lost it all? when a series of videos surfaced showing him making drunken racist and antisemitic remarks ? though that?s just one version of the story. In fact Galliano became creative director of Margiela in 2014, just three years after his ?cancellation?. Lilah is joined by HTSI?s assistant editor Louis Wise and the FT?s junior fashion editor Annachiara Biondi to talk about ?High and Low?, and how the fashion industry handles stars that do bad things.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify etc.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

?  High and Low: John Galliano is out now 

? Our fashion editor Carola Long?s interview with director Kevin Macdonald is here: https://on.ft.com/3wSTgx0  

? The FT?s review of High and Low, by Jonathan Romney: https://on.ft.com/3Ti6B9C 

? You can follow Louis Wise on X @louismwise and Instagram @louisquinze. 

? Annachiara Biondi is on X @annachiara_b and on Instagram @instapini_ 

More or Less: 

? Annachiara wants more spoken word from artists such as British-Palestinian Tasneim Zyada. You can check out Tasneim?s work on Instagram @tasneimzyada

? Louis would like to see more films that are like ?extended perfume adverts?, such as Dune: Part Two. Look in our feed for our Friday culture chat about Dune Two.

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clip courtesy of Mubi. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We think of fashion and reading as almost polar opposites: one is about creating an image, the other a kind of internal journey. But a number of recent fashion collections have been inspired by books, including by Hanya Yanagihara, Edgar Allan Poe, and Agatha Christie. Fashion brands are producing literature podcasts and hosting salons. And in interior design, TikTok?s latest trend is bookshelf wealth. On today?s episode, writer Simon Chilvers talks us through what?s behind the rise of literary fashion. 

Links: 

? Simon Chilvers? piece, ?Fashion?s Love For Literature?: https://on.ft.com/3Iu1vlD 

? And another great piece by Simon on fashion in literature: https://on.ft.com/48HiqMd 

? ?Bookshelf wealth is the oldest decorating trick in the book?: https://on.ft.com/49K2dYb 

? Simon is on Instagram @schilvers3 and X @simonchilvers 

? Simon also wants to see the fashion world embracing author Deborah Levy and Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux. You can read the FT?s lunch with Deborah Levy here. And an interview with Annie Ernaux here.  

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.  

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we talk about the new film Dune: Part Two. A star-studded epic featuring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, and more. It?s the second instalment in the Dune franchise, based on the book by Frank Herbert and directed by Denis Villeneuve. The FT?s global business columnist Rana Foroohar, an avid Dune fan, and associate editor Stephen Bush join guest host Katya Kumkova to talk through it. Is watching the film worth its long runtime? Why has Dune endured as a franchise? And what do we want from a possible third film?

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify etc.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? Dune: Part Two is in cinemas now. 

? FT critic Danny Leigh?s 4-star review of Dune: Part Two is here: https://on.ft.com/3V7rx5G 

? Rana is on X @RanaForoohar and Stephen is @stephenkb. 

? Rana has also written the cover story for this week?s FT Magazine ? an interview with the USs? most powerful union leaders: https://on.ft.com/3TsltU4 

? For those inspired to read the Dune novels, we enjoyed this feature, ?Sci-fi books are taking off again?: https://on.ft.com/3T9J0YE 

More or Less: 

? Rana wants to see more people taking weekend trips to the Catskills. 

? Stephen wants to see less detail in video games such as Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. You can read the FT?s review of the game here. 

? Katya wants to see better sound design in movies and cinemas. Dune: Part Two?s score was written by Hans Zimmer. You can listen to a playlist here. 

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clip by Warner Brothers. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you?ve been to the wine shop lately you may have noticed a trend: wines marketed specifically toward younger drinkers. Many are natural, organic, or biodynamic. Others are made without special certification but boast backstories that focus on the producers, not just the region or grapes. Wine writer Hannah Crosbie joins Lilah to give us a primer on what young wine drinkers want. Why are pét nats, skin-contact wines, and chilled reds suddenly everywhere? 

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify etc.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? Hannah?s article on what young wine drinkers want: https://on.ft.com/3P2v4hU

? Hannah is on X @hancrosbie. Her book Corker drops this spring. 

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we talk about ?The Taste of Things? with Tim Hayward, the FT?s restaurant critic, and our food and drink editor Harriet Fitch Little. The film is set in France in the 1880s and follows the relationship between a talented cook, played by Juliette Binoche, and the food connoisseur who employs her (Benoît Magimel). ?The Taste of Things? has received widespread critical acclaim ? with critics claiming you can ?taste every shot? ? and it is France?s entry into the best international film category at the Oscars. What does the film tell us about our relationship with food and pleasure? And beyond the food ? what is it really about?  

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify etc.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

?  ?The Taste of Things? is showing in theatres now in the UK and US

? The FT?s 5 star review of The Taste of Things, by Leslie Felperin, is here: https://on.ft.com/3InhBNP 

? Tim is on X and Instagram @timhayward. Harriet is @HarrietFL

? You can read Tim?s latest column here. You can also preorder his upcoming book Steak: The Whole Story here. It?s out on 24 May. 

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jazz singer Samara Joy is just 24 years old. She has more than 1.3mn social media followers and three Grammys. Most notably, she won 2023?s best new artist award, only the second jazz musician ever to join that coveted club. Today, Lilah speaks with Samara about her path: discovering jazz, her thought process as she performs, and how she finds new takes on compositions by greats such as Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus. They also discuss the challenges and pressure of being singular. Does she want to be considered the artist ?bringing jazz to Gen Z??

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify etc.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

?  Lilah?s HTSI profile of Samara, for which this conversation was recorded, is here: https://on.ft.com/3I9H4Kz

? The music video for Tight is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OkkyRkGSRY 

? Samara is on TikTok @samarajoysings and Instagram @samarajoysings. You can see if she?s touring near you at www.samarajoy.com/

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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This Friday, we explore Jennifer Lopez?s mind-boggling new movie musical ?This is Me ? Now: A Love Story?, which was released alongside an album of the same name. The film, inspired by her marriage to actor Ben Affleck, is a series of music videos, action scenes and therapy sessions. And it was self-funded, for $20mn. What, exactly was J Lo trying to say with this project? Lilah is joined by two special guests, comedians and hosts of the podcast Celebrity Memoir Book Club, Ashley Hamilton and Claire Parker.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify etc.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

?  This is Me?Now: A Love Story is out now on Amazon Prime. Jennifer Lopez?s new album is also out on all streaming platforms. 

? Ashley and Claire?s podcast is called Celebrity Memoir Book Club. It?s available wherever you listen. Here?s their 2021 episode on J Lo?s memoir: https://podcasts.apple.com/md/podcast/jennifer-lopez-knows-true-love/id1533533467?i=1000530871148 

? We also love this FT column by Jo Ellison. Bennifer, the rematch and why love deserves a second chance: https://on.ft.com/48rItHj 

More or Less: 

? Ashley wants more choreographed dance routines, like in music videos by Tinashe. 

? Claire wants more considered writing about the arts, and mentioned the Stephen Sondheim musical ?Here We Are?. Related, here?s a piece from this weekend?s FT on the meaning of musical memorabilia ? and why there?s a boom in the market at the moment. 

? Lilah wants more narratives told backwards, like Sondheim?s ?Merrily We Roll Along?, which is playing on Broadway starring Daniel Radcliffe. The FT?s review of the musical is here.

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner, McMurran and Sam Giovinco. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sitting too much is terrible for you. It leads to early onset heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and anxiety. To fight the effects of our sedentary lifestyle, regular exercise isn?t enough. Scientists have found that if we want to feel better, and be healthier, we need regular movement breaks throughout our days. Journalist and podcaster Manoush Zomorodi recently challenged her listeners to take these. She tells Lilah about the surprising results and why technology can make it hard to plug into your mind-body connection.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? You can listen to Manoush?s reporting for the Body Electric challenge here and take the movement challenge here. 

? Lilah?s column on how to be bored is here: https://on.ft.com/3SzU016 

? Manoush is on Instagram @manoushz

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Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we?re discussing the new novel Fourteen Days. The book is a collaboration by 36 authors including Margaret Atwood, John Grisham, Celeste Ng, RL Stine, and Dave Eggers ? and part of the experience is guessing who wrote which part. So does the premise work as a novel? What do we want from experimental fiction? And are we ready to revisit the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which the action is set? Lilah is joined by the FT?s acting deputy books editor Andrew Dickson and assistant arts editor Rebecca Watson, author of the novel Little Scratch.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? Fourteen Days, edited by Margaret Atwood and Douglas Preston, is out now where books are sold. 

? The FT?s review of Fourteen Days is here: https://on.ft.com/4bCdRFD 

? Rebecca?s novel is called Little Scratch (2021). Her second novel I Will Crash comes out on July 4th.

? Andy recommends novels by Sheila Heti and Jon Fosse for their experimental prose. 

? Andy is on X, formerly Twitter, @andydickson. Rebecca is @rebeccawhatsun

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Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Today, we talk to the director of the acclaimed documentary 20 Days in Mariupol, Mstyslav Chernov. Chernov?s film is an extraordinary chronicle of Russia?s attack on one of Ukraine?s largest cities in its first days under siege. The city is now destroyed. Mstyslav?s team of journalists were the only press left in the city during those 20 days: the film documents the harrowing experience of residents, from hospital workers to shop owners. It has since won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2023, and it is now up for best documentary at the Oscars and the Baftas. Mstyslav joins Lilah to discuss the documentary, his experience making it, and his hopes for Ukraine. 

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? 20 Days in Mariupol is available to stream on multiple platforms, including Dogwoof On Demand, Amazon Prime and PBS. The full documentary is also on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvAyykRvPBo 

? The FT?s 5-star review of 20 Days in Mariupol: https://on.ft.com/49MWvED 

? An FT profile of a number of Ukrainian documentarians, including Mstyslav, Maciek Hamela (In The Rearview) and Karim Amer (Defiant): https://on.ft.com/3OEQEZA 

? You can follow Mstyslav on Instagram @mstyslav.chernov 

? His novel is called The Dream Time (2023) 

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner, McMurran and Sam Giovinco. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Let?s get ready to rumble! This week, we?re pregaming this Sunday?s Super Bowl, which could break records as the most-watched television event in US history. The FT?s sports business correspondent Sara Germano and Wall Street reporter / sports fanatic Sujeet Indap join Lilah to set the scene for the Super Bowl as a cultural event: the teams, the history, the drama, the head injuries, the halftime shows, the Taylor Swift conspiracies! Whether you watch football or not, you?ll be ready for Sunday?s game.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? The Super Bowl goes live at 3.30PM PT / 6.30PM EST this Sunday, February 11. You can watch it in the UK at 10.45 PM on ITV.

? Sara is on X @germanotes. Sujeet is @sindap. Both excellent follows.

? You can follow Sara?s sports reporting here: https://www.ft.com/sara-germano. She will be in Vegas covering the Super Bowl over the weekend, so watch this space! 

? Sara?s piece on the resurgence of the Detroit Lions is here, co-written with Mark Vandevelde: https://on.ft.com/3SAht2g 

? Sujeet?s reporting on Wall Street is here: https://www.ft.com/sujeet-indap

More or less: 

? Sara wants more house remixes of Creed. You can check out Book Club Radio here: https://www.youtube.com/@bookclubradio. The ?One Last Breath? remix is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fdKfaq1YN8  

? Sujeet wants more independent news and tough questions. You can read more about the Super Bowl commissioner Roger Goodell avoiding tough questions here: https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/roger-goodell-saying-nothing-super-bowl-press-conference-invite-only/ 

? Lilah wants more funny novels. She has been reading Come and Get It by Kiley Reid, who also wrote Such A Fun Age (2021)

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, and Katie McMurran. Clip courtesy of Pepsi, Sony Music, Weathered and Jojo Lorenzo. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Molly Roden Winter was a frustrated mom of two in Brooklyn when she and her husband decided that they should open their marriage. What followed was a 10-year journey of self-exploration that brought Molly not only into some seedy hotel rooms but also to therapy, back to work, and into other activities that added up to a more fulfilling life. Today Molly is on the show to talk about her memoir More in which she details her journey. She also tells Lilah what polyamory could teach monogamous couples.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

?  Molly?s book More is out now 

? The FT?s review of More, by Rana Foroohar, is here: https://on.ft.com/3UmsdUF

? Molly is on X @mollyrwinter

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we take on ?Poor Things?, the latest film from director Yorgos Lanthimos. It stars Emma Stone as a Victorian woman whose brain is replaced with that of her unborn baby. She embarks on a sexual journey of self-discovery through Europe and beyond. The film is a critical darling, with 11 Oscar nominations, but unsurprisingly, it left many viewers feeling uneasy. Lilah invites FT arts editor Jan Dalley and HTSI editor Jo Ellison to talk through it: is it an empowering exploration of a woman?s sexual freedom or an uninspiring male gaze fantasy?

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we?re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at [email protected]. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

?  Poor Things is in theatres now 

? You can read the FT?s three-star review of Poor Things, by film critic Danny Leigh here: https://on.ft.com/480VjMg  

? The FT?s Raphael Abraham also wrote a review of Poor Things ? and gave it five stars: https://on.ft.com/49jGnKe 

? The article we mentioned, with 14 critics? perspectives on the film, is here: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/jan/24/bound-gagged-poor-things-feminist-masterpiece-male-sex-fantasy-oscar-emma-stone-ruffalo 

? Jo is on X @joellison and Instagram @jellison22

More or less: 

? Jo wants to see more of Harris Dickinson, who is in The Iron Claw (out now), and Triangle of Sadness

? Jan wants to see more funding for the arts, and for artists to be given more creative freedom

? Lilah wants better, more concentrated travel reviews, and Oaxaca tips! (You can write to her on Instagram)

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clip courtesy of Searchlight

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you have questions about this year's US presidential election, we have answers.

Swamp Notes is a new podcast from the FT News Briefing. Listen every Saturday morning as our journalists analyse and discuss the latest happenings in US politics. We?ll go beyond the horse race for the White House and offer a global perspective on the election.  

You can subscribe to Swamp Notes here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Restaurant critic Tim Hayward has been writing about food for the FT for years. He also owns a bakery in Cambridge. So when a friend accused him of being a glutton, his reaction was: ?Of course I?m a glutton! Do people still think that?s a bad thing?? Today Tim is on the podcast to share his thoughts on how we came to see food through a moral lens. What does it mean to be a glutton in the age of Ozempic? How do we let ourselves enjoy food? And how can we stop judging each other, while acknowledging that some eating habits can be bad for your health?

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email us at [email protected].

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? Tim?s column on gluttony: https://on.ft.com/3SxE3tz 

? Lilah's piece about reviving extinct recipes: http://on.ft.com/3Ojrfo5

? Another Tim column: ?Should you ever go back to a favourite restaurant?? https://on.ft.com/3Syk9P6 

? Tim?s most recent restaurant review on Cafe Kitty in London: https://on.ft.com/3HGk2e1 

? Susan Sontag?s ?Notes on Camp?: https://monoskop.org/images/5/59/Sontag_Susan_1964_Notes_on_Camp.pdf

? Tim is on Instagram at @timhayward

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we talk about the longstanding American rock band Sleater-Kinney and their 11th album, Little Rope, which came out this month. The band rose out of the grunge and riot grrrl movements in the late 1990s with a raw, rage-filled sound and feminist lyrics. And they?re one of the few all-women bands to have had a career this long. How has their sound evolved? And where did the angry countercultural music of the 90s go? Lilah is joined by FT's music critic Arwa Haider and FT Weekend Magazine editor Matt Vella.  

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, where she?s posting a photo of Breen and his burn book. You can email us at [email protected].

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? Little Rope by Sleater Kinney is available everywhere

?Lilah, Matt and Arwa highly recommend the music video for their song ?Say It Like You Mean It?: https://youtu.be/Vp2z1cL6qoU 

? Here are three of Arwa?s recent reviews: Tate McRae's pop album Think Later: https://on.ft.com/3HyfIxG, Dominique Dalcan's electronic album Last Night a Woman Saved My Life https://on.ft.com/3SuiXwi, Maluma's reggaeton album Don Juan: https://on.ft.com/3SvMCoG 

? Matt Vella is on X @mattvella. Arwa is @ArwaHaider  

More or less: 

? Arwa wants more daytime raves, such as Annie Mac?s Before Midnight Party. The 90s raves she mentioned were Sunny Side Up, Everything But the Girl and Sunday Best

? Matt wants to see more bad fakes, something that helps us improve our deepfake literacy. The FT Magazine article he mentioned by Tim Harford is here: https://on.ft.com/499eKDC 

? Lilah wants to go to more small local music venues. She went to the New York club Blue Note to see jazz singer Samara Joy. Watch out for Lilah?s interview with Samara in HTSI, and an episode with her here, in a few weeks!

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clips courtesy of Loma Vista and Kill Rock Stars. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Harford is a busy guy. He?s got two podcasts, has written 10 books, and has a standing column in the FT called the Undercover Economist. But recently he?s been trying to do less ? and not just less bad stuff. He?s cutting down on good things, too, like kickboxing practice and reading New Yorker articles. The idea came to Tim after reading a book called Subtract by Leidy Klotz, in which Klotz looks at research that shows that humans have a bias against subtraction. Instead, our idea of fixing things often involves adding more. Tim tells Lilah how his subtraction experiment is going, and why giving up on one activity can help you enjoy the activities that you choose to stick with.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on X and Instagram @lilahrap. You can email us at [email protected].

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? Tim recently wrote about the art of subtraction here: https://on.ft.com/3U5A3BK

? He is on X @TimHarford

? You can check out recent episodes of Tim?s ?More or Less? podcast from the BBC here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qshd/episodes/player

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clips courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we take on the remake of the 2004 teen movie classic, ?Mean Girls?. The original ?Mean Girls?, starring Lindsay Lohan and written by Tina Fey, was a phenomenon. It?s been called one of the most quotable movies of all time. This new musical remake, based on the original film and the Broadway show, is in theatres now. What did the original film represent for us? Did we need this new version? And what generation is it for? Lilah is joined by the FT?s US financial editor Brooke Masters and Life and Art producer Lulu Smyth to figure it out.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, where she?s posting a photo of Breen and his burn book. You can email us at [email protected].

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? ?Mean Girls?, written by Tina Fey, is out in cinemas in the US and UK now. 

? The FT?s review of the film is here: https://on.ft.com/3Snt7yJ 

? Brooke is on X @brookeamasters

? We also loved this piece by Miranda Green on modern ?Mean Girls? and the impact of social media (June 2023) : https://on.ft.com/48ZWRHy 

More or Less: 

? Lulu wants to see more respected male actors in romcoms: specifically Joaquin Phoenix in the next ?High School Musical?

? Brooke wants to see fewer universe expansions and more original content

? Lilah recommends reading new plays ? and if you?re in New York, seeing Appropriate?, starring Sarah Paulson. The play is written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. You can read it online here: https://hilsee.com/ApproPlayText.pdf

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clips courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Introducing Untold, a new podcast from the special investigations team at the Financial Times. In its first series, The Retreat, host Madison Marriage examines the world of the Goenka network, which promotes a type of intensive meditation known as Vipassana. Thousands of people go on Goenka retreats every year. People rave about them. But some people go to these meditation retreats, and they suffer. They might feel a deep sense of terror, or a break with reality. And on the other side, they?re not themselves anymore. Untold: The Retreat launches Jan. 24.

Subscribe and listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last year, the FT?s fashion editor Lauren Indvik made a pledge that surprised us. She vowed to buy just five new items of clothing and shoes all year long. The number comes from a study that says in order to stick to the Paris Agreement?s goals, five new items of fashion a year is the optimal goal for those who live in the world?s richest countries. Lauren tells Lilah how the experiment went and whether she stuck to five things. She also shares her tips for buying fewer new clothes. 

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email the show at [email protected].

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? Lauren?s article about the ?five things pledge? and how it went: https://on.ft.com/4aO1WV3

? Lauren recommends using TheRealReal for second-hand luxury clothes in the US; in the UK she shops the Vestiaire Collective

? The report from the Hot or Cool Institute that inspired Lauren: https://hotorcool.org/unfit-unfair-unfashionable/

? Lauren also mentions the Ellen Macarthur Foundation: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/

? Lauren is taking a break from her Fashion Matters newsletter while she is on parental leave, but you can start receiving it when she?s back if you sign up now: https://on.ft.com/48QdvJv

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, as we enter the depths of January, we return to an old comfort classic: the 2003 Nancy Meyers romcom Something?s Gotta Give, starring Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson. In it, two middle-aged people fall in love, but only after one heart attack, two younger lovers, some unexpected midnight pancakes and ample bickering. Does the movie still work today? How has the way we depict aging in film changed? And do we miss Nancy Meyers movies? Joining Lilah is comedian Negin Farsad, host of the podcast Fake the Nation, and FT senior corporate finance correspondent Eric Platt. This is one of his favourite movies.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email the show at [email protected].

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? Something?s Gotta Give (2003) is available to rent on streaming services

? You can find Negin?s podcast Fake the Nation wherever you listen, or here: https://headgum.com/fake-the-nation

? Here?s a recent piece she wrote about a magic mushroom retreat in Jamaica: https://www.afar.com/magazine/what-a-mycomeditations-magic-mushroom-retreat-is-really-like

? Eric writes about corporate finance for the FT. You can find his most recent piece here: https://on.ft.com/4220z12

? Negin is on X at @NeginFarsad. 

? You might also like our conversation with the author Curtis Sittenfeld about romcoms and her novel Romantic Comedy: https://on.ft.com/48RggtW

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the height of the coronavirus pandemic, our US banking editor Josh Franklin began a travel hobby that became an out-and-out goal. He wanted to see more of America, so he decided to visit all 50 states, from Alabama to Wyoming. He joins Lilah to tell us what he learned about the country, when he felt ?this was worth it? and ?this was a huge mistake?, what tips he has for our own road trips, and places in the US we might want to visit ourselves.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email her at [email protected].

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? Josh?s piece about travelling to every US state: https://on.ft.com/3NNgYAA 

? Josh?s four places: Ocean Springs, Mississippi; North OR South Dakota; the Upper Peninsula along the great lakes in Michigan; and Duluth, Minnesota

? Our travel team?s 43 holidays to take in 2024: https://on.ft.com/3RFoOwY 

? Another great recent travel piece: ?My weekend as a monk: a Scottish spiritual retreat?: https://on.ft.com/3RFoOgs 

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Special FT subscription and trial offers for Life and Art podcast listeners are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Friday, for our first episode of 2024, we discuss The Boy and The Heron, the latest film from legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki and his team at Studio Ghibli. It is the most expensive Japanese film ever made, and has received widespread critical acclaim. But what, exactly, is it about? Lilah chats through it with political columnist Stephen Bush and Leo Lewis, the FT?s Asia Business editor, who has co-written a book on anime. Is it about his past, or the future of animation? Where does it sit in the Studio Ghibli canon? And is Miyazaki ever really done?

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email her at [email protected].

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? The FT?s review of The Boy and the Heron is here: https://on.ft.com/3S47ZNS 

? Leo?s book on anime, co-authored with Roland Kelts, is called Japanamerica. His exclusive FT interview with Studio Ghibli?s Toshio Suzuki is here: https://on.ft.com/3TPuVBQ 

? Here?s a recent FT interview with Miyazaki?s closest collaborators: https://on.ft.com/47oXc56 

? The other films we mentioned are Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Ponyo, Howl?s Moving Castle and Castle in the Sky

? Stephen wants less expensive video games. He recommends the indie game I Was A Teenage Exocolonist

? Lilah recommends the docuseries 10 years with Miyazaki, which is available for free on NHK World Japan, and Italianamerican, which is available on Max

? Leo is on X @Urbandirt. Stephen Bush is @stephenkb

? You can get a free trial to Stephen?s political newsletter Inside Politics ? which includes a daily cultural recommendation ? by clicking here

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco and Simon Panayi.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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While the Life and Art team takes a break for Christmas, we?re sharing an episode of Working It, the FT?s workplace podcast hosted by Isabel Berwick. 

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, tens of thousands of people in the UK have retrained as psychotherapists or counsellors. What is it about the field that has attracted so many, and what does this phenomenon tell us about work? Host Isabel Berwick speaks to the FT?s Bethan Staton, who wrote a brilliant piece on this topic, to find out more. Later, she speaks to Michael Skapinker, who worked as an FT reporter, senior editor and award-winning columnist before training as a counsellor. Michael tells us what his new line of work has taught him and why he wishes he?d thought about it sooner.

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We love hearing from you! Write us. You can email us at [email protected] or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap. 

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? ?Profession of the century?: why so many people are retraining as therapists

? Letter: Therapy is no cure for a society in crisis External Link

? Therapy at work: banks and law firms among those offering counselling as staff perk

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

?--

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT?s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Life & Art presents a special episode from Slate?s Culture Gabfest podcast, hosted by culture critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner. The three hosts first explore Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé with Slate culture writer (and Beyhive stan) Nadira Goffe. Then, they consider Todd Haynes? May December, an emotionally curious, tonally dissonant study of life?s grey areas starring Natalie Portman, longtime collaborator Julianne Moore and Charles Melton. Finally, the three are joined by EEFOP (Exceedingly Exceptional Friend of the Pod), Slate writer Dan Kois to discuss Dr. Seuss?s How the Grinch Lost Christmas!, a posthumous sequel to Theodor Geisel?s iconic 1957 children?s book. Life & Art will return with regular episodes next week.

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We love hearing from you! Write us. You can email us at [email protected] or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap. 

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Life & Art presents an episode of History of Literature. After taking a look at Emily Dickinson's Poem #269 ("Wild Nights - wild nights!"), Jacke Wilson talks to novelist Anne Enright about growing up in Ireland, her writing career and her new book The Wren, The Wren. Plus, Dublin literary historian Christopher Morash (Dublin: A Writer's City) stops by to select the last book he will ever read.

Episode link here. 

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We love hearing from you! Write us. You can email us at [email protected] or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap. 

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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For our last episode of 2023, we?re bringing you a special discussion on ?Wonka?, this year?s family Christmas film and a musical extravaganza. Starring Timothée Chalamet, it follows the life of a young Willy Wonka as he struggles to set up his first chocolate shop. Does it work? Can Chalamet sing? Do we need another Roald Dahl adaptation? Lilah?s joined by FT House and Home editor Nathan Brooker and US investments correspondent Madison Darbyshire to talk through it. 

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We love hearing from you! Write us. You can email us at [email protected] or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap. 

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? ?Wonka?, starring Timothée Chalamet directed by Paul King, is out in UK and US cinemas.

? The FT?s review of Wonka, by Danny Leigh, is here: https://on.ft.com/3v8Jru0 

? Madison?s column on why Cosmopolitans are conquering New York City: https://on.ft.com/4awUOvW 

? Keep an eye out for Lilah?s column about boredom, out in the FT soon. 

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner. Clips courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures.  

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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It?s almost the end of 2023, which means one thing: it?s time for our annual predictions episode! You sent in your suggestions ? and today, FT magazine editor Matt Vella joins Lilah to talk through them. Will films get shorter? Will primal scream therapy get cool? Is cabbage in? Will there be more nuance, or less nuance?

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As this episode suggests, we love hearing from you! Stay in touch. You can email at [email protected] or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap. 

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Links: 

? Matt is on Twitter @mattvella.

? The magazine piece Matt mentioned on microplastics is here: https://on.ft.com/3GKYNHO

? Our colleague Emma Jacobs wants to see more 90-minute films like Rye Lane and Past Lives. Here?s the FT?s review of Rye Lane: https://on.ft.com/3NtzgGM and Past Lives: https://on.ft.com/4anSIOR

? You can follow Emma on X @emmavj. Eric Platt, who wants crop tops to make a comeback, is @ericgplatt

Here are some roundups of the FT?s favourite cultural things from 2023:

? Pop albums: https://on.ft.com/3GNur7v 

? TV shows: https://on.ft.com/470629p 

? Films: https://on.ft.com/3RINMgb 

? Video games: https://on.ft.com/3tiY7pQ 

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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This Friday, we are bringing you a festive music extravaganza! We?re talking all things Christmas music: the classics, the duds, the Cher album, and how the genre is changing. What are the best and worst Christmas songs? Why are old songs suddenly charting? And the eternal question: how soon is too soon to pull out the playlists? Lilah is joined by pop music critic Ludo Hunter-Tilney, and Taylor Nicole Rogers, the FT?s Labour and Equality correspondent. 

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We love hearing from you! Write us. You can email us at [email protected] or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap. 

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? Look out for Ludo?s Christmas round up, out next weekend. In the meantime, here?s his roundup of the best pop albums of 2023, including Lana Del Rey and The Chemical Brothers: https://on.ft.com/3RKPtdm 

? Ludo is on X at @ludohunter. Taylor is at @TaylorNRogers 

We have compiled a Spotify Christmas playlist for you, with all of the songs we talked about! Listen to it here. 

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner. Clips courtesy of Sony Legacy, Fervent, A&M, Republic Records, Island Records, and Motown. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Today, we talk books. The FT?s books team recently published our annual books of the year special, and they join us to share their personal recommendations. They also answer listener questions: what books will get you out of ?reader?s block?? What?s a good gift for a family member who loves history, or a friend who?s anxious about the world? What book could you pair with a candle and some socks? Lilah speaks with literary editor Fred Studemann and deputy books editor Laura Battle. 

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We love hearing from you. You can email us at [email protected]. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap.

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Recommendations and links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

Some great lists from our books of the year special:

? Best fiction: https://on.ft.com/4a4xjds

? Best history: https://on.ft.com/4a9ErFx

? Best audiobooks https://on.ft.com/3t9tVNT

? Critics? picks: https://on.ft.com/3RyWH3H

? For getting past your reader?s block, Laura and Fred recommend Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell and The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng. Laura also loved The Fraud by Zadie Smith

? Fred?s picks for history lovers are Revolutionary Spring by Christopher Clark and King: a Life by Jonathan Eig; Laura?s is Red Memory by Tanya Branigan

? For a stocking stuffer, Lilah suggests Love and Other Poems by Alex Dimitrov. Laura likes The Cabin by Natasha Preston and other books about the outdoors. Fred is going with Claire Keegan?s So Late in the Day

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Historian Sir Simon Schama and FT deputy arts editor and film expert Raph Abraham join Lilah to discuss the historical epic ?Napoleon?. Ridley Scott?s new two-and-a-half-hour-long film stars Joaquin Phoenix, and documents a lot: Napoleon?s rise and fall, some of his most famous battles, and his relationship with his wife, Josephine. But how well does it represent his character? We discuss what the film got right and wrong (historically and dramatically), why Napoleon continues to loom so large in culture, and whether historical epics still satisfy us.

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We are still collecting your cultural predictions for 2024! What?s one thing you think will happen (or want to happen) in culture next year? Write us. You can email us at [email protected] or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap. 

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? Simon?s FT Weekend essay on Napoleon, and why so many writers and filmmakers try to depict him: https://on.ft.com/4861gbn

? the FT?s official review of Napoleon by Danny Leigh: https://on.ft.com/484moPh

? An essay from Janan Ganesh on why Napoleon still matters: https://on.ft.com/3uWF8Sj

? Simon recommends the 2012 movie ?Lincoln?, directed by Steven Spielberg

? Raph is a fan of Pablo Larrain?s ?Jackie,? from 2016, and the Leonard Bernstein biopic ?Maestro?, directed by Bradley Cooper and available on Netflix on December 20

? We interviewed Pablo Larrain in 2021 about his creative process: https://on.ft.com/3oofjVO 

? Lilah wrote a column about learning to draw: https://on.ft.com/46NBaZt 

? Simon is on X @simon_schama

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we prepare for our end of year predictions episode, we want to hear from you: what is one thing that you think will happen (or you want to happen!) culturally in 2024?

Write us ? or even better, open your voice memo app and record us a voice note ? and email it to [email protected]! Or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap.

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Sofia Coppola?s Priscilla came out in the US recently and will be out in the UK in January. The film, which follows Elvis Presley?s wife Priscilla through their relationship, is visually stunning, and today, Lilah speaks with its celebrated lead production designer, Tamara Deverell. To recreate Elvis?s homes, including the infamous Graceland, Tamara had to imagine it all from Priscilla?s perspective. Tamara tells Lilah about her creative process and why she sees Priscilla as the story of many women in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, as told through hair and makeup.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email her at [email protected].

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? ?Priscilla? is out now in the US and will be out in theatres in the UK on January 1. 

? Earlier this year, Sofia Coppola gave an exclusive interview to the FT?s HTSI: https://on.ft.com/412E2jU 

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Friday, we talk through the final season of The Crown. Its first four episodes recently dropped on Netflix, and its depiction of Princess Diana?s death has been controversial. What did we think of the first part of the season? How did The Crown sustain its nine-year journey as a series? And will we see big ambitious prestige TV like it again? Lilah is joined by UK chief political commentator Robert Shrimsley and deputy news editor India Ross.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email her at [email protected].

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? The first four episodes of The Crown S6 are available on Netflix now. The final four episodes will air on December 14. 

? Robert?s FT Weekend Magazine satirical column on the ?ghost of Diana? scene: https://on.ft.com/47Vpmp5  

? The FT?s review of Season 6: https://on.ft.com/3uK2YRa 

? Robert is on X at @robertshrimsley. 

More or less recommendations:

? Robert recommends the show Slow Horses, which is on Apple+, and the novel series it?s based on by Mick Herron

? India wants more good TV, like Euphoria, White Lotus and (controversially) The Idol

? Lilah recommends Rocky 2. Just kidding. She recommends doing the thing! Run up the steps like Sylvester Stallone in Rocky 2

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner. Clip courtesy of Netflix.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While the Life and Art team takes a break for Thanksgiving, we?re sharing an episode of Tech Tonic, the FT?s technology podcast hosted by innovation editor John Thornhill. This is part one of a two-part series about whether AI can help us speak to animals. Search ?Tech Tonic? where you listen or look here for part two: https://on.ft.com/3sQh1DR 

Here?s what it?s about: A hardware revolution in recording devices and a software revolution in artificial intelligence is enabling researchers to listen in to all kinds of conversations outside the human hearing range, a field known as bioacoustics. Some scientists now believe these developments will also allow us to ?translate? animal sounds into human language. In a new season of Tech Tonic, FT innovation editor John Thornhill and series producer Persis Love ask whether we?re moving closer to being able to ?speak whale? or even to chat with bats.  

Free links:

? Google Translate for the zoo? How humans might talk to animals

? Karen Bakker, scientist and author, 1971-2023

? How generative AI really works

Credits: Sperm whale sounds from Project CETI; honeyhunter calls from Claire Spottiswoode Presented by John Thornhill, produced by Persis Love, sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT?s head of audio.  

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While the Life and Art team takes a break for Thanksgiving, we?re sharing an episode of Working It, the FT?s workplace podcast hosted by Isabel Berwick. 

Here?s what it?s about: Do you ever find yourself lost for words? Or maybe you have too much to say? This week?s episode features a masterclass in chit-chat from Matt Abrahams, a lecturer in communications at Stanford University, podcast host and author of the book 'Think Faster, Talk Smarter'. Good conversation is an essential tool of self-promotion in the office. So what do we make of Matt?s advice here at the FT office? Host Isabel Berwick gets the views of award-winning FT columnist Pilita Clark and Stephen Bush, who writes the FT?s daily Inside Politics newsletter.  

If you?re an FT subscriber, you can find Isabel?s newsletter at https://www.ft.com/newsletters

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email her at [email protected].

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robin Lane Fox is one of the foremost gardening experts in the world. He?s been the FT?s gardening columnist for 53 years. And he joins us today to talk about what to do with your plants in winter. As it gets colder and darker, what should we do to keep our plants happy, indoors and out? The conversation is a delight. We?ve shared all of his recommendations below.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email her at [email protected].

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Robin?s recommendations (all FT links get you past the paywall):

?Robin?s public gardens, ?the kissing fields?, are the gardens he runs at New College, Oxford. Here?s a video of him giving an exclusive tour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae1lCrnsm3k

Robin?s outdoor winter suggestions for the UK are: the winter flowering cherry tree (Prunus subhirtella autumnalis). He also recommends the family of flowering Viburnum shrubs (Viburnum x bodnantense 'dawn' is pink, and 'Deben' is white), and above all, his best tip: hellebores, especially the Ashwood hybrids, and the Harvington hybrids.

Here?s Robin?s column on November flowers: https://on.ft.com/3uiNPWW

Robin?s book suggestion for Japanese gardening is My World of Hepaticas by John Massey

For indoor plants in cold regions, try Phalaenopsis orchids. If you have too many orchids, here are some other options: Cyclamen, azaleas, poinsettia, and white jasmine.

Robin?s current bestselling book is Homer and His Iliad.

Robin?s selection from last year of Christmas gifts for gardeners is here: https://on.ft.com/3ucX6j9

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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This Friday, we?re talking about the deification of Dolly Parton, or, as we like to call her, Saint Dolly. Her new release Rockstar comes out today ? a 30-track rock album that features duets with artists such as Paul McCartney, Sting, Elton John and Stevie Nicks on cover versions of their classic songs. The album feels a bit like a karaoke album, but we had a lot of fun listening to it ? partially because Parton is so easy to love. So how did Parton become such a cultural icon? What does she represent? And why do we want a Saint Dolly? Lilah is joined by US media correspondent Anna Nicolaou and FT Magazine?s food and drink editor (and long-time Dollyhead) Harriet Fitch Little. 

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email her at [email protected].

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? Rockstar by Dolly Parton is available to stream now, on all music streaming platforms. 

? Here?s the FT?s review of Rockstar, by our pop critic Ludo Hunter-Tilney: https://on.ft.com/3ufuiql 

? Harriet unpacks the history of Parton?s hit ?9 to 5? for the FT column Life of a Song: https://on.ft.com/49F9Uiz

? Anna is on X @annanicolaou, Harriet is on X at @HarrietFL and Instagram at @huffffle

More or less: 

? Harriet recommends Jury Duty, available to stream free on Amazon Prime

? For great local-feeling restaurants in New York, Lilah has a hundred recommendations, but here are three: Claud, a wine bar in the East Village, Names in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, and (the classic) Frankie?s in Carroll Gardens

? Here?s the article Harriet mentioned, ?The UK?s 19 cosiest winter restaurants ? according to FT writers?: https://on.ft.com/3MNmZwy

? Anna hates grey wood floors

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clips courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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This week, as it gets colder and darker, we discuss cosy, warming winter recipes that don?t rely on a big hunk of meat. Bestselling cookbook author Hetty McKinnon joins us to talk plant-based winter cooking, from ways to use kale and broccoli, to layering flavour, to her favourite spices and herbs. Hetty?s newest cookbook, Tenderheart, came out this spring.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram and X @lilahrap. You can email her at [email protected]. 

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Links: 

? Hetty?s kale and orzo recipe can be found in Tenderheart. Her other bestselling cookbook is called To Asia With Love

? Hetty is on Instagram at @hettymckinnon. She also has a newsletter, To Vegetables With Love

? Here?s a delicious winter lentil stew from the FT Weekend Magazine recipe columnists, Honey & Co: https://on.ft.com/3ujlPCk

? And a piece Lilah recommends from Laila Gohar about winter cabbage: https://on.ft.com/3MEv2vp

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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For our first Friday culture chat, we talk about the new cringe-drama-comedy show The Curse, which dropped on Paramount Plus today. Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone play a couple who are making a problematic reality TV show, Flipanthropy, whose goal is to ?ethically gentrify? an American neighbourhood. When they?re cursed by a child, their lives are turned upside down. Lilah?s joined by FT columnist Stephen Bush and assistant arts editor Rebecca Watson to talk about the show and how prestige TV is changing comedy. Why are we laughing less, and cringing more? And why is comedy so complicated right now? 

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email her at [email protected].

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): 

? The Curse can be streamed on Paramount Plus and Showtime in the US from November 10. It airs on Paramount Plus in the UK from November 11

? The other shows we discussed are Nathan For You (2013-2017) and The Rehearsal (2022)

? Look out for the FT?s review of The Curse. TV critic Dan Einav?s review of The Rehearsal is here: https://on.ft.com/3SASwFM 

? Rebecca Watson?s novel is called Little Scratch. She?s on X at @rebeccawhatsun

? Stephen Bush?s daily UK politics newsletter is called Inside Politics. You can trial it for free here. He?s on X at @stephenkb

? Stephen recommended, as films where children act like children, the new British film Scrapper and the 2021 Belgian film Playground. Rebecca added the 2022 film Aftersun

? Lilah recommended the comedian Rachel Kaly

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Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/?1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.