Everything is Hunky Dory JAMES CURA

For Loneliness Awareness Week, an episode close to my heart. I visit my grandma (Nonna) Teresa, and we have a chat about how lockdown has been for her, and how she has dealt with being one of the thousands of 'at risk' over 65's.
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The second in the co-hosted specials with Chris, we talk to our school friend George, who talks candidly about his struggle trying to fit in at school and how he has come to accept and live with his emotions as an adult.
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If you’re like me, you may have found yourself bombarded with information, stats and conspiracies surrounding coronavirus. Its all a bit overwhelming, and not only does it make me start to worry, most of the time I don’t even know the exact facts I’m worried about, with so many different news stories appearing all of the place. Its a fairly serious situation, as we all know by now, but in some ways clarity could help ease our panic, give us some stability and a look ahead at how our lives may adapt as we continue with the battle against coronavirus. 
This is where Aran, our guest for this coronavirus special comes in. He studied epidemiology at the university of Cambridge, and over the last couple of weeks he has written a series of articles on his blog about coronavirus, why we should take it seriously, and where we might go from here. I know a lot of my friends have said how much easier it was to understand when Aran explains things like he is talking to a normal human being, and although sometimes startling, the information is an honest attempt to give us some idea about when we may be able to get back to our normal lives. And thanks to the wonders of modern technology, we managed to maintain our 2m distance the entire time…
Thank you again to Aran for being on the podcast, please please have a look at his blog, My Shaunak’s Bites of Science, there are some great articles that further explain what our future may hold, as well as a bunch of other interesting articles. And of course a quick mention for the collaborators of Hunky Dory, to our producer Chris Muirhead-Hernandez, to Joel Stewart who composed and recorded the music, if you want to hear more you can give him a follow @joelstewart.music or you can find all his latest stuff on Spotify, and to Chloe Allen for the amazing artwork she hand drew for the podcast logo, if you want to see more of her work you can give her a follow at @chloeallenart.

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Its a crazy time at the moment, many of us stuck in the house with not a lot to fill our days. I know many, including myself, might be feeling the anxiety of the current situation, with consistent news and alerts giving us more and more information about coronavirus. But maybe this cam be a time to recharge, to enjoy being either with or have more time to talk to your family and friends. Its amazing how positive an impact just talking to people can be during isolation, we are all in the same boat right now, and being able to still have a laugh about things can lessen the impact of negative events.
This can be something that really bonds a friendship, being there in the good and the bad times, then being able to laugh about it. The podcast today is the first of a series of special episodes where someone I have previously interviewed has asked a friend of theirs to come on to the podcast. I love the idea of the conversation moving through new social groups, with new stories being able to be told. So in the podcast, we see the return of Chris, from episode 1, and our guest today is his close mate, Joe. Chris always said that Joe would be someone who’s experiences and personality would be perfect for the podcast, and it was easy to see why. Having only met Joe on the day, he is someone who’s warmth hits you in the face, but it was his ability to vocalise not only his experiences with mental health, but his thoughts on the way through it, that really surprised me. And he adds a new perspective to Chris’ fascinating story about Bali, if the first episode left your thirsty for more. We recorded this at Chris’ flat in London, on a Sunday morning back in a time when seeing people face to face was a normal everyday activity. 
And thank you again to Joe for being on the podcast, if anything I’d love to get him back on further down the line. And also to my co-host Chris, hopefully we will be seeing him in the interview chair again in the near future. And of course a quick mention for the collaborators of Hunky Dory, Joel Stewart who composed and recorded the music, if you want to hear more you can give him a follow @joelstewart.music or you can find all his latest stuff on Spotify, and to Chloe Allen for the amazing artwork she hand drew for the podcast logo, if you want to see more of her work you can give her a follow at @chloeallenart.

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This podcast was started to get people talking, to show that you are never really alone, and even at you’re worst you are still valued. The news from last week that Caroline Flack had passed felt like a big moment to me. Im sure like many people listening to this podcast, I was someone who watched her on Love Island very regularly, and For someone so beautiful, successful and loved to feel her personal life being subject to conjecture and torment is a all too familiar problem in a society so connected. We can’t know how Caroline felt in the last few weeks, but I’m sure her closest people would have moved earth and moon to be there for her. And this is maybe what we can take from this tragedy. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. If you have been hit hard by the news as many people have, remember there is always someone to reach out to. You can text or call the samaritans on 116 123.
To have the support of a friend or family member is one of the most sustaining things you can have, and the person on todays podcast is one of those supports. Me and Josh have known each other since we were young kids. From tragic events, such as watching Skins and trying to act like the main characters to going through some serious highs and lows together, its safe to say we know eachother fairly well. Its only until recently though that I in particular have been able to value his friendship on a higher level. As you go through stuff in life, it can sometimes be hard for a friendship to mature to the point where you can talk about anything, good and bad. But as our awareness of eachother grows, I noticed how much I could and came to rely on him, and knowing he is just a text away gives me that next level of support, whether it be work, money or relationships. He is the kind of guy who will ask how you are, and actually listen to what you are saying. So in this episode, I wanted to take the chance to see how he was doing, and give that support back to him. So I lumped my mobile podcast studio over to his house, we ordered a dominos and had a good old catch up.
Thank you again to Josh for being a part of the podcast. It takes a lot to be open and honest about ourselves, and even more to put our thoughts out to the general public. And of course a quick mention for the collaborators of Hunky Dory, Joel Stewart who composed and recorded the music, if you want to hear more you can give him a follow @joelstewart.music or you can find all his latest stuff on Spotify, and to Chloe Allen for the amazing artwork she hand drew for the podcast logo, if you want to see more of her work you can give her a follow at @chloeallenart.

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On this episode is a close friend of mine, Chris. He is 25 years old, has recently moved back to London from Bristol, and has a new job working as a runner and assistant at an advertising agency. I went to school with Chris, and looking back its amazing to see how he developed from a skinny kid to a confident, and hairy events organiser and now junior Ad man, but it wasn’t all plain sailing. His parents marriage broke up around our teenage years, and on a trip to Asia he developed a state of manic psychosis, which manifested itself in some uncharacteristic posts on social media. It gave himself a chance to evaluate his own mental health, and he is all the stronger for it. I invited him over for some anchovy pasta, and we sat down on my bedroom floor to have a chat. 
A quick heads up, although we talk about it in a light hearted manner, I would advise some caution to anyone who may be triggered by hearing us discuss Chris' psychosis. He talks with absolute clarity about the effects it had on him, but it is still a sensitive subject for many.
A couple of massive shout outs to our collaborators, Joel Stewart who composed and recorded the music, if you want to hear more you can give him a follow at @joelstewart.music or you can find all his latest stuff on Spotify, and to Chloe Allen for the amazing artwork she hand drew for the podcast logo, if you want to see more of her work you can give her a follow at @designshenrietta.

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