The Earful Tower: Paris

Oliver Gee

The Earful Tower is a weekly podcast all about Paris, hosted by Australian expat Oliver Gee. With a huge variety of guests - from cooks and comedians to TV hosts and tour guides - this show will transport you to the City of Lights and make you feel like you've met the characters that make it shine.

  1. 3d ago

    Alain Delon and the murder that shook Paris

    D is for Delon, Alain Delon. Author Edward Chisholm is back on the podcast, this time talking about his new book Murder in Paris '68. We recorded this one on location - sitting on the quai by the Seine, directly beneath the Quai des Orfèvres, the famous Paris police headquarters that has watched over the city's darkest crimes for centuries. Fitting, then, that we were there to talk about one of France's most explosive unsolved murders. In 1968, a body was discovered on the outskirts of Paris and identified as Stevan Marković, the former bodyguard and close associate of the enigmatic film star Alain Delon. What began as a simple murder case quickly spiralled into a full-blown political scandal, drawing in actresses, gangsters, and high-level politicians.  British author Edward Chisholm, the author of the bestselling memoir A Waiter in Paris, has written the definitive account of the affair. His new book takes us into the heart of an era and into the inner world of Alain Delon himself, a world of gangsters, violence, and underworld Parisian conspiracies, where everyone possessed their own cold elegance and charisma.  We talked about the book, the Marković Affair, and of course... Alain Delon. The music is from Pres Maxson.  This episode brought to you by The Earful Tower Tours. Come join us in the Marais, Montmartre, or the Latin Quarter. Our Walking Tours are exceptionally highly rated online and are the best way to experience this podcast in real life. The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. For just $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris.  Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent.  For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links: Website  Weekly newsletter  Walking Tours

    33 min
  2. 6d ago

    Exploring the Paris district where the Statue of Liberty was built

    New episode: Let's take a deeper dive into the 17th arrondissement of Paris. You've hopefully already heard the previous episode, where Tom Vickers shared his thoughts on the 17th Kingdom.  In this brand new episode, I kept exploring the 17th with my wife (and our new intern Victoria Hughes). Relevant places to find:  Musée national Jean-Jacques Henner 43 avenue de Villiers, 75017 A beautiful 19th-century townhouse museum dedicated to the dreamy, atmospheric paintings of Alsatian artist Jean-Jacques Henner (1829–1905), tucked into the elegant Plaine Monceau neighbourhood. www.musee-henner.fr Claude Debussy & the 17th Debussy lived in the 17th for many years and composed some of his most celebrated works here, including Pelléas et Mélisande and Clair de Lune. The neighbourhood honoured him with both a street and a conservatoire bearing his name.  25 Rue de Chazelles: Where the Statue of Liberty Was Built The workshop where Bartholdi and Eiffel assembled the Statue of Liberty before shipping it to New York. 25 rue de Chazelles, 75017 Inform Café A top specialty coffee shop and brunch spot with two locations in the 17th, one of them inside the striking Cité de l'Économie building (11 bis rue Georges Berger, 75017), and the original at 25 rue des Acacias. www.informcafe.com Square des Batignolles A classic Haussmann-era English-style garden with a grotto, waterfall and pond, it's the heart of the village-y Batignolles neighbourhood. 11 place Charles-Fillion, 75017  Parc Martin Luther King (Parc Clichy-Batignolles) A vast, modern 10-hectare park built on former railway land, full of biodiversity, cherry trees. 147 rue Cardinet, 75017  Station Service Batignolles A tiny, warm neighbourhood coffee shop serving specialty coffee, fresh juices and homemade cakes - a perfect local gem. 3 rue Brochant, 75017  This episode is brought to you by The Earful Tower Tours. Come join us in Montmartre, the Marais, or the Latin Quarter. Our Walking Tours are now award winning, and are the best way to experience this podcast in real life.  The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. For just $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris.  Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent.  For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links: Website  Weekly newsletter  Walking Tours Music: Pres Maxson's take on Debussy's Claire de Lune.

    17 min
  3. Jun 8

    The 17th arrondissement of Paris (with a local)

    Welcome back to "The 20 Kingdoms" season. As you probably know, there are 20 districts in Paris, known as arrondissements. They may as well be kingdoms, at least for this podcast season, where I'll visit each kingdom and introduce you to someone who truly loves it. In this episode, it's Australian chef Tom Vickers. He runs a couple of cafes in the 17th, a district he defines as  being a fusion of its neighbouring districts (specifically the 18th and 16th). I met him at his flagship spot, the Inform Cafe, here's what he had to say. Mentioned in this episode: Inform Café - the original 25 Rue des Acacias, 75017 Paris Flagship mentioned in the episode: 11 bis Rue Georges Berger, 75017 Paris  With its high ceilings and view of an Italian-German architecture tower, this location offers more of a restaurant experience, with some additions to the menu, like a short wine list.  Great streets: Rue des Dames, Rue de Lévis  Canadian Embassy Pub: With a dark wood interior and a list of draft beers, here you can get a traditional Canadian Pub experience.  Address: 71 Bd Gouvion-Saint-Cyr, 75017 Paris **************** This episode brought to you by The Earful Tower Tours. Come join us in the Marais, Montmartre, or the Latin Quarter. Our Walking Tours are exceptionally highly rated online and are the best way to experience this podcast in real life. The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. For just $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris.  Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent.  For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links: Website  Weekly newsletter  Walking Tours Music: Pres Maxson

    32 min
  4. Jun 5

    Cheese Crime in Paris: The Viral Dinner Party Photo That Shocked Us All

    Updated Re-Release: This episode originally aired a few years ago and has since become one of The Earful Tower's most beloved classics. We're bringing it back today because some things are simply too good - and too instructive - to stay buried in the archives. It started with a photo. A single, damning image shared on The Earful Tower's social media: an 18-month-old Comté, massacred at a Parisian dinner party by the hand of a newly arrived American. The picture went viral inside the Earful community almost instantly, and the culprit, Will Weaver, a Texan fresh off the plane, became the talk of the group. So we did what any responsible France-based podcast would do: we launched a full investigation. In this episode, you'll hear from genuinely mortified cheesemongers, some committed dramatic performances from Earful VIPs, and crucially the full account from Will Weaver himself, the man holding the knife that fateful evening. Yes, we find out exactly what he did, why he did it, and whether he has shown any remorse whatsoever. We also get into the real, legitimate, no-nonsense guide to how you are actually supposed to cut a Comté — because this is a safe space for learning, not just judgement.  A word of warning before you dive in: a lot of this episode is firmly tongue-in-cheek, so take the drama with a generous pinch of salt. The cheese-cutting advice, however, is completely genuine. If the episode sends you running to the nearest fromagerie, the spots mentioned in the show is worth a visit: Griffon Fromager in Paris's 7th arrondissement (23 bis Av. de la Motte-Picquet, 75007 Paris) and we also recorded at bar of the legendary Le Bristol Paris (112 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris). Both are excellent.  The music is from Pres Maxson.  This episode is brought to you by The Earful Tower Tours. Whether you're exploring the Marais, scaling Montmartre, or wandering the Latin Quarter, our walking tours are among the highest-rated in Paris — and the best possible way to experience this podcast in the flesh. The Earful Tower stays independent thanks to its members. For just $10 a month, you'll unlock a growing vault of extras: bonus episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and an annually updated PDF guide to Paris that's worth its weight in Comté. You can get started in under a minute via Patreon or Substack — and if you're already a member, thank you. You're the reason this exists. More from The Earful Tower: Website · Weekly Newsletter · Walking Tours

    29 min
  5. May 31

    The day I had Paris's best museum to myself (and risked missing my son's birth)

    C is for Carnavalet. Or should that be Kernevenoy?? In this episode, we dive into one of Paris's most overlooked treasures - the Carnavalet Museum, the only museum in the world dedicated entirely to the history of Paris. I share, for the first time, the story of visiting the newly renovated museum before it opened to the public - completely alone - while waiting for the birth of my first son. Plus: the strange story behind the museum's bizarre name, and the remarkable woman history forgot. The Carnavalet Museum: 23 rue de Sévigné (also entered from 16 rue des Francs-Bourgeois), 75003 Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am–6pm. Closed Mondays. Permanent collection is free. Metro: Saint-Paul (line 1) Official website: carnavalet.paris.fr Mentioned in this episode: The €56 million renovation that closed the museum for four and a half years before reopening in May 2021 Françoise de La Baume — the twice-widowed aristocrat who actually owned the building and whose husband's unpronounceable Breton name gave the museum its peculiar title Marcel Proust's cork-lined bedroom, Napoleon's death mask, and a 6,000-year-old canoe pulled from the Seine The music is from Pres Maxson.  This episode brought to you by The Earful Tower Tours. Come join us in the Marais, Montmartre, or the Latin Quarter. Our Walking Tours are exceptionally highly rated online and are the best way to experience this podcast in real life. The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. For just $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris.  Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent.  For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links: Website  Weekly newsletter  Walking Tours

    24 min
  6. May 24

    The 18th arrondissement of Paris (with a local)

    Welcome back to "The 20 Kingdoms", a new season of The Earful Tower podcast. As you probably know, there are 20 districts in Paris, known as arrondissements. They may as well be kingdoms, at least for this podcast season, where I'll visit each kingdom and introduce you to someone who truly loves it. In this episode, it's Sutanya Dacres, podcaster and author of Dinner For One. She has called the 18th home since 2013 and truly loves it. I met her at the Pirates de Montmartre seafood restaurant over an oyster or two. Here's what she had to say. Mentioned in this episode: Les Pirates De Montmartre (seafood restaurant) Address: 63 Rue Duhesme, 75018 Paris Au Rêve (cafe), Address: 89 Rue Caulaincourt, 75018 Paris **************** This episode brought to you by The Earful Tower Tours. Come join us in the Marais, Montmartre, or the Latin Quarter. Our Walking Tours are exceptionally highly rated online and are the best way to experience this podcast in real life. The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. For just $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris.  Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent.  For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links: Website  Weekly newsletter  Walking Tours Music: Pres Maxson

    28 min
  7. May 22

    The Lost River of Paris: Searching for the Bièvre

    This podcast episode features host Oliver Gee and his co-host Lina exploring the history and physical traces of the Bièvre, a lost river in Paris. Once a vital waterway that flowed into the Seine, the river was entirely buried and built over by 1912 due to industrial pollution. In this updated re-release, we lead a "scavenger hunt" with a group of enthusiasts to find medallions, plaques, and architectural clues that reveal the river's hidden path through the 13th and 5th arrondissements. A highlight of the journey includes visiting a perfectly preserved medieval arch located deep beneath a modern post office. Oliver also ventures outside city limits with a colorful character named the "Comte de Saint-Germain" to wade through a restored section of the water. Finally, the discussion touches on future urban projects that aim to uncover parts of the Bièvre to help the city combat climate change. The music is from Pres Maxson.  This episode brought to you by The Earful Tower Tours. Come join us in the Marais, Montmartre, or the Latin Quarter. Our Walking Tours are exceptionally highly rated online and are the best way to experience this podcast in real life. The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. For just $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris.  Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent.  For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links: Website  Weekly newsletter  Walking Tours

    34 min

Hosts & Guests

4.8
out of 5
737 Ratings

About

The Earful Tower is a weekly podcast all about Paris, hosted by Australian expat Oliver Gee. With a huge variety of guests - from cooks and comedians to TV hosts and tour guides - this show will transport you to the City of Lights and make you feel like you've met the characters that make it shine.

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