Twenty Twenty: A Pop Culture Podcast

Twenty Twenty: A Pop Culture Podcast

Are you ready to go back to the year 2000? Combining storytelling and commentary, this podcast returns to some of the noughties’ biggest cultural moments, trends and figures, and explores them with the added benefit of twenty years’ hindsight. The world of entertainment is re-examined by hosts Simran Hans and Tara Joshi, two self-proclaimed fangirls who grew up on the internet. Film critic, Simran, and music critic, Tara, explore how it feels to return to the defining songs, shows and sleepover movies of their childhoods, and what they tell us about pop culture today. Special guests will be joining the hosts each month. Join us on a journey into the new millennium, a period of change and optimism, examining the surprising, funny and poignant parallels between then and now. Launching 6 October 2020 – new episodes available every Tuesday.

Episodes

  1. The Sims: The enduring appeal of the second life simulator

    10/11/2020

    The Sims: The enduring appeal of the second life simulator

    Twenty years after it first launched, The Sims is still going strong. Much more than a nostalgic relic of the noughties, the game has a thriving community of fans. In this episode, Tara, a longtime player of the game, explains it’s enduring appeal to Simran — a self-identified Sims noob. We get into the tensions of escapism and introspection within the game and talk about the challenges of reflecting the ‘real world’ in a simulation. We’ll also ask: is The Sims “a beguiling capitalist fantasy” or can a more meaningful commentary on consumerism be found amongst the hypnotic tones of the ‘buy mode’ music?  Got a favourite culture moment from 2000 you want us to talk about? Suggest an episode idea here.  You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram Clips used in this episode:  The Sims 1- House Fire Sims 1: Craziest Party Ever… The Sims 1: The Tragic Clown The Sims 1 - All Places to "Play with" (Woohoo) Lily Allen - Smile (Simlish) The Sims Soundtrack: Build Mode 1 References:  The Nod, Autumn  Playing The Sims Is Better Meditation than Meditation, GQ I Think About My Painting Goblin in The Sims a Lot, The Cut My land of make believe: life after The Sims, The Guardian ,Liv Siddal Will Wright - New Yorker profile The Sims at 20: two decades of life, love and reorganising the kitchen, The Guardian  Playing "The Sims"as though you were Kurt Cobain, Miguel Sicart Inside the online communities making beautiful black Sims, Dazed The Untold Story of 'The Sims,' Your First Favorite Jazz Record, VICE    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    48 min
  2. Craig David: Born to do it?

    03/11/2020

    Craig David: Born to do it?

    When Southampton teenager Craig David arrived into the mainstream with the help of production duo Artful Dodger in 1999, many considered him a poster boy for UK Garage. In his own work, he melded that 2-step sound with crooning R&B and even Spanish guitar to great effect. Born To Do It became the fastest-selling debut album ever by a British male solo act, a record the album holds to this day. So why was it that the following year he was snubbed at the BRIT Awards? Why, in 2002, was he already singing about fame’s inevitable ‘Rise & Fall’? And why was he the target of so many jokes? We consider the mythology and legacy of Craig David, and ask what happens when subculture goes mainstream. Got a favourite culture moment from 2000 you want us to talk about? Suggest an episode idea here.  You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram   Clips and References   0:36 - Fill Me In, Craig David   0:43 - 7 Days, Craig David 1:01 - “Soulful Craig David looks set to sweep Brit awards”, The Guardian 1:07 - No BRITS for CD, Craigs performance at the 2001 BRITS 3:34 - Re-wind, Artful Dodger 5:32 - “Mature Ravers Only: The Story of UK Garage Fashion”, Red Bull  6:19 - “How Ayia Napa transformed from a fishing village to the heart of garage music”, New European 9:11 - Pitchfork, Review of Born To Do It 11:56 - Rolling Stone Review 13:18 - What’s Your Flava?, Craig David 14:08 - Sexy Willy Wonka 14:19 - Rise & Fall, Sting and Craig David 17:38 - Melody Maker cover 18:22 - Simon Reynolds, Bring The Noise  19:20 - Bo Selecta - The Craig David Story 23:00 - Liberty X, Being Nobody 25:08 - Fearne and Craig David 27:25 - People Just Do Nothing Trailer 28:36 - Craig David on BBC 1 Xtra 29:10 - When The Baseline Drops, Craig David x Big Nastie 31:20 - Got It Good, Kaytranada ft Craig David   Special thanks to Max Palmer for providing original music for this episode! You can listen to more of his music here: www.soundcloud.com/sundensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    38 min
  3. White Teeth: Sharmaine Lovegrove on Zadie Smith’s Literary Debut

    27/10/2020

    White Teeth: Sharmaine Lovegrove on Zadie Smith’s Literary Debut

    The new millennium brought with it a fresh wave of optimism and excitement for the future. Zadie Smith's best selling debut novel White Teeth embodied this mood and symbolised a changing of the guard. Smith was lauded with critical acclaim and lavished with media attention — an overnight literary sensation at just 24 years old. With special guest Sharmaine Lovegrove, publisher at Dialogue Books, we explore the impact of the novel and the legacy of its author. Content Warning: Mention of suicide   Got a favourite culture moment from 2000 you want us to talk about? Suggest an episode idea here.  You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram Follow Sharmaine on Twitter here. Find out more about the Black Writers Guild here.    Select books Sharmaine mentions in the episode:  The Lonely Londoners, Sam Selvon Second Class Citizen, Buchi Emecheta The Buddha of Suburbia, Hanif Kureishi The Black Album, Hanif Kureishi Blonde Roots, Bernardine Evaristo Girl, Woman, Other,  Bernardine Evaristo Queenie, Candice Carty Williams Bridget Jones Diary, Helen Fielding   Select work by Zadie Smith referenced:  Fences: A Brexit Diary, NY Books Stormzy at Glastonbury Intimations Sharmaines question to Zadie in the Guardian   Clips Used:  Tony Blair wins landslide general election win for Labour (1997) - Newsnight archives America's Internet Trading Boom (1990) -   Journeyman Pictures Tony Blair on immigration (2004) -  London Business School Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    47 min

About

Are you ready to go back to the year 2000? Combining storytelling and commentary, this podcast returns to some of the noughties’ biggest cultural moments, trends and figures, and explores them with the added benefit of twenty years’ hindsight. The world of entertainment is re-examined by hosts Simran Hans and Tara Joshi, two self-proclaimed fangirls who grew up on the internet. Film critic, Simran, and music critic, Tara, explore how it feels to return to the defining songs, shows and sleepover movies of their childhoods, and what they tell us about pop culture today. Special guests will be joining the hosts each month. Join us on a journey into the new millennium, a period of change and optimism, examining the surprising, funny and poignant parallels between then and now. Launching 6 October 2020 – new episodes available every Tuesday.

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